June In Retrospect

Sorry I'm late with this post, guys! I had some stuff going on, but I'm here now.

June was a little slow, or so I see it. Here are the books I managed to read this month:

1. Dime Store Magic - Kelley Armstrong
2. Industrial Magic - Kelley Armstrong
3. Haunted - Kelley Armstrong
4. Cinder - Marissa Meyer
5. Evermine - Hailey Edwards
6. Eversworn - Hailey Edwards
7. The Stone of Darkness - Resa Nelson
8. Of Poseidon - Anna Banks

I didn't manage to read as much as I wanted, but I'm hoping July will be more productive. I am behind with my reading and my reviewing, I know. I'll work hard this month to fix that.


Books I reviewed this month:

1. Dime Store Magic - Kelley Armstrong
2. Industrial Magic - Kelley Armstrong
3. In Love With An Angel - Federica Bosco
4. Cinder - Marissa Meyer
5. Evermine - Hailey Edwards
6. Eversworn - Hailey Edwards
7. I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella
8. A Hint Of Frost - Hailey Edwards
9. Stolen - Kelley Armstrong

News and some changes

Hey everyone! I hope you had a very lovely weekend.

Sorry I've been missing the last few days, life's a little #%@$% and apparently "she can't be ignored" *rolls eyes* The heat in my neck of the woods is killing me!! And the humidity sucks. So that makes reading a little difficult. That and studying, but I manage to ignore that last part :P

I thought long and hard and I realized I needed to do some changes in my reviews, specifically with my rating method. During the Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon I read a book that... confused me. While the writing style, the character development, the psychology of each character were asking for the highest rating I could give, it was also a book that made me so uncomfortable I simply couldn't give it more than 2 cups. That doesn't mean the book was bad. But it was so out of my league and certain scenes made me squirm (and not in a good way). So that is why I'll have a secondary rating system that will be only for showing my comfort level while reading the books I'll be reviewing. I'm going to use Jolly Rogers for that. (I'm a geek, ok? :P) I'm going to have that explained better in my Review Policy & Rating System page.

The second change is that I'm going to use icons for various genres. I though they looked cool and fun and also helps the reader know the genres/main idea behind the book/age restrictions and what not. So I put my non-existent drawing skills to use and so far so good. I hope that I'll start using these icons by second week of July. The designs are mine, inspired either by real objects or crazy stuff from my imagination. I can't wait to start using them. They'll probably look as bad and ugly as you're imagining them, but I'm actually very proud of them *shrugs*

That's it for now. No major changes, just small things I felt were needed ;)

Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon

After looking over my goals for this year and at the stats for each of the reading challenges I entered, I think it was necessary for me to enter a few read-a-thons. The first one is Wicked Wildfire and it's hosted by Rebecca @ Kindle Fever, April @ My Shelf Confessions. I don't know yet what I'm going to read, I haven't made up my mind yet. There are so many books on my insanely huge TBR pile, I don't even know where to start. I will post my list on 20th, when the read-a-thon starts.

If you want info on the read-a-thon or see who's participating or to sign up yourself, go on this page. You'll find everything you want to know there.

Can't wait to start and to help my shelf "loose weight" so to speak ;)

May In Retrospect

*phew* May is finally over and that means one thing: summer is here *happy dancing* I can't say I was fond of May 2012. Probably the weird, ever-changing weather and the multitude of earthquakes made this month suck. No worries, I'm fine, my family is fine. We're just scared (freaked out more like it) but besides some good scares and proof that out hearts are oh so healthy, nothing is wrong :D

Even so, I managed to be as "productive" as I wanted. Here are the books I read thins month:

1. Lowcountry Punch by Boo Walker
2. Promises by Amber Garr
3. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
4. In Love With An Angel (original title: Innamorata di un angelo) by Federica Bosco
5. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
6. Dancing Naked In Dixie by Lauren Clark
7. The Car Thief by Theodore Weesner
8. Dead End Deal by Allen Wyler
9. Legacy of a Dreamer by Allie Jean
10. Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

See? I was a good girl *smile* 

There are the reviews I wrote in May:

1. Lowcountry Punch by Boo Walker
2. Promises by Amber Garr
3. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
4. Dancing Naked In Dixie by Lauren Clark
5. The Car Thief by Theodore Weesner
6. Dead End Deal by Allen Wyler
7. Legacy of a Dreamer by Allie Jean

I am a little behind with my reviews, I know. I have a lot of books that need to be reviewed and a lot of books (both physical and ebooks) that are waiting me to pick them up and read them. 

Anyway, how was your month?

April In Retrospect

April's gone. bringing us closer and closer to summer *happy dance* I can't wait to spend long, lazy days on the beach reading on my e-reader and swimming in the sea. I'll probably spend more time swimming than reading during those days at the beach, but that's a different story.

April was a better month than the others have been. I managed to read a lot more books than I expected and I discovered some must-read authors. Just when I think there can't possibly be another author out there to make me fall in love with their work, I find one that kills that idea quickly.

Here are the books I read in April:

1. Behind Closed Doors by Sherri Hayes
2. An Untimely Love by Tendai Huchu
3. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
4. The Binding by L. Filloon
5. Social Punk by Monica Leonelle
6. Dance With The Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon
7. Everlong by Hailey Edwards
8. A Hint Of Frost by Hailey Edwards
9. Fighting the Devil by Jeannie Walker
10. Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon

I'm still behind with my reading or so Goodreads is telling me. Of course, I'm not counting the books I'm rereading in my 100 books goal this year. So I think May needs to be fuller. Darn real life, getting in the way of my reading :P

Anyway, here are the reviews I wrote this month:

1. Behind Closed Doors - Sherri Hayes
2. An Untimely Love - Tendai Huchu
3. The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa
4. The Binding - L. Filloon
5. Socialpunk - Monica Leonelle
6. Dance With The Devil - Sherrilyn Kenyon
7. Everlong - Hailey Edwards
8. Fighting the Devil - Jeannie Walker

In April I did my first interviews with authors Mary Parker and Sherri Hayes.

Reading Challenges Progress:

1. New Author Challenge  15/25 
2. 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 23/100

If you happen to hear a smacking sound, that's me slapping myself for forgetting about the Women Of The Otherworld challenge. Yes, for once I forgot to read a book o.O But anyway, I have time to make up for it :D 

All in all, I'm pretty proud of how I did this month. I hope I can do at least just as good in May. How did your April look like?

Happy Easter!!!

Hey everyone! It's just past midnight in my neck of the woods, so I wanted to wish you all Happy Easter. I hope the Easter Bunny will bring you lots pf prezzies and happiness and anything you desire! 

Wednesday Chatter #1: When to read reviews

Wednesday Chatter is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books where we'll be talking about anything and everything related to books and reading. Click here if you want to see what we talked about in the previous weeks

Since I'm a very chatty person (and yes, I ramble a lot. There, I said it) I thought it would be a good idea to start this feature. I was also curious if I'm the only one feeling a certain way about... well, bookish things.

This week's topic is about reviews and when to read them. 

A few days ago I was talking with a friend of mine about book blogging and book reviews and, knowing I enjoy writing reviews, she asked if I also read reviews. I have to admit I am a very weird person. Though I enjoy writing reviews about the books I read, I am very particular about the reviews I read. That doesn't mean I don't read them at all, I do read reviews. But I read them only after I've read the book in question.

I realized it was better for me not to read reviews ahead of time when I was very young. I was about 13 years old and me and a very good friend from school (let's call him D) were doing a The Three Musketeers read-along. D is a booklover since he was very very young, so by the age of 13 he was a really fast reader (I think even know, he reads a lot faster than me, if that's possible). So, of course, he was about 3-4 chapters ahead of me. Every day for about...two weeks, while we were taking the subway on our way home, we would talk about what we read the day before and change opinions and arguing about what would happen next. At some point, I realized D wasn't playing fair, because he already knew what was going to happen. So I, curious as ever, started begging him (more like nagging) to tell me what was going to happen and tell me his what he thought about it. That ruined the book for me and I could never finish it. 

I realize that what D was giving me was a huge pile of spoilers instead of a review, but for me, it's basically the same thing. As soon as I read someone else's opinion about a book, my feelings change even before I started reading it. I notice things I probably would've ignored otherwise, while other details are lost to me. 

The main reason I do like to read reviews is because I want to see if someone else spotted the little details that I did, or to see if I'm the only one hating/loving certain things about the book. 

If I stumble across a review for a book I've never heard of before, I will read a small part of it. So my brain gets something along the lines of

I loved this book because....(skip this part, skip it, skip it!); I didn't like the fact that (skip, skip, skip). Recommended to fans of (insert genres or similar books).

What about you? Do you read reviews before or after you've read the book?

March In Retrospect

I can't believe March is over. It seems like time flew by, even faster than in February. I've discovered some new series this month and some new authors. So it was a good month :D

Here are the books I read in March:

1. Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
2. Bitten by Kelley Armrstrong
3. The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake by Mary Parker
4. Curbchek by Zack Fortier
5. Death On Heels by Ellen Byerrum

I'm also making some progress on my Dark Hunter series rereading "marathon". I also remembered some important details in the earlier books, which helped me understand some of the things that happened later in the series. 

Here are the reviews I've written in March:

1. Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
2. Bitten by Kelley Armrstrong
3. The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake by Mary Parker
4. Curbchek by Zack Fortier
5. Death On Heels by Ellen Byerrum

In March Ellen Byerrum, author of Death On Heels, stopped by and talked about Solving Crime with Fashion Clues.

Reading Challenges Progress:

1. TBR Pile Reading Challenge 3/20  
2. New Author Challenge  10/25 
3. 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 17/100
4. Women Of the Otherworld Series Challenge 1/13
5. Chick Lit Challenge 1/12

It was a good month. Not exactly what I wanted, but I hope I'll catch up this month. How did you do in March?

Why Shame and Reading Don't Belong In The Same Sentence

I thought loooong and hard (no pun intended...or maybe it is, read it how you want to) about this post. A few weeks ago the buzz about the series Fifty Shades of Grey started. I heard a lot of opinions about it, some good, some bad, some interesting, some extremely bothersome. Some amused me, some pissed me off so much I can't even talk about them without getting mad. I haven't read the book, so I can't really comment on whether it's good or bad or well written or poorly written. But I can comment on a few other things

If before the phrase "porn for women" bothered me a little, "mommy porn" is insulting to me. Yes, I'm talking about romance books and erotic romance books. Yes, I read those books. Do I hide them in my e-reader? No. If someone I know asks me what I'm reading, I show them the screen of my e-reader or I tell them. If they start laughing or making fun of me or looking down at me, it's their problem.

You know, this entire debate could be about fantasy novels or mystery novels or thrillers or horror stories. Just because I don't read something or I didn't enjoy a certain book, doesn't mean that the book was bad or that the people who enjoyed it should be ashamed for enjoying it. It just means I didn't like it. That's all.

I'll say it again. Yes, I read romance novels, mystery novels, horror stories, young adult, chick lit and anything I find enjoyable. And I'm not ashamed of it. And no one should be ashamed of what they read. Do you like what you read? If yes, then good for you. Be happy that for a few hours you can escape the jungle that is the "real" world and enter a magical world, where you can enter and leave whenever you want, a world that can help you relax, dream, fantasize and that can actually teach you something useful.

So why is the world so much against romance novels? Could it be because *GASP* there are sex scenes in them? Guess what, sex is everywhere, whether you like it or not. It's in our basic nature. Or could it be because those novels have some good sex scenes? Why, I didn't know we're back to "women shouldn't enjoy sex" era. You know, it's sad. If a man says he's watching movies with a lot of explicit sex scenes, he's good to go. If a woman reads romance, she gets crap thrown her way.

Reading is something that you either enjoy or you don't. I think no one should feel bad for reading something that others don't like. Or for not liking something others did. Why hide your reading material? I don't think romance novels or erotic romance novels are about sex.They're about the relationships themselves. Just as mystery novels aren't about murderers or a guide book on how to kill, they're about the suspense or the action or the artifact (like in The Da Vinci Code). Don't be ashamed about what you read. The people judging you by your choices in reading material should be ashamed.

Why I hate the first week of spring

I've been absent this last week for a very good reason: spring. Or more to the point, spring asthenia. I'm one of those rare people that sometimes suffer from it. Add a weird virus in the mix and the beginnings of a cold and you should have an idea about how craptastic my week has been. Between coughing, sneezing and being tired and sleepy all the damn time, I couldn't even manage to eat like a normal person. Anyway, I am feeling better, so I'm back on the blog :D I do hope your spring start was better than mine.

February in Retrospect

This month has been a lot slower. I've been studying a lot, so I had less time for posting and reading than I liked. I did manage to read a few books, though.

Here are the books I managed to read in February:

1. On Message - Joyce T. Strand
2. Ugly To Start With - John Michael Cummings
3. Mistress Christmas - Lorelei James
4. Miss Firecracker - Lorelei James

Here are the reviews I posted this month:

1. Ugly To Start With - John Michael Cummings
2. On Message - Joyce T. Strand
3. Midnight Playground - Eliza Gayle
4. Hotel Transylvania - Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Reading Challenges Progress:

1. TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2/20  
2. New Author Challenge  6/25 
3. 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 12/100

How was your month?

Day 19 – Favorite book turned into a movie

Pride and Prejudice. And especially the TV show (1995) with Colin Firth. Let's face it, besides his sexy accent, he's a VERY good actor. And I liked him as Mr. Darcy. That and it was a BBC production. When do those guys ever make a bad movie?

  

Hmm...I might watch the movie again. What's your choice for this topic?

Day 17 – Favorite quote from your favorite book

I'm choosing a quote from a book that is very dear to me, Pride and Prejudice. I can't exactly remember when Elizabeth said this, but I love it so much:

"Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.”

 I do believe I need to reread this book. Maybe I should do a Jane Austen marathon. That would be cool :)

What's your favorite quote?

Day 16 – Favorite female character

Elizabeth Bennet from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. She's a smart girl, very independent, confident in herself and does what she feels is right. Also, she speaks her mind, which can sometimes get her in trouble, but she doesn't lie to win someone's respect or appreciation. I love confident, independent heroines. 

What about you? What's your favorite female character?

An apollogy

I've had some pretty weird days lately, which is why I've been quiet for a few days. But I promise I'll be back in the game starting tomorrow. I'm keeping my schedules, I've just been down a little...more like blue. nothing to worry about, just off... See you back to normal tomorrow :D

Day 14 – Favorite book of your favorite writer

This one's easy. Since yesterday I said Marc Levy could be called one of my favorite authors, the book I love most is Seven Days for an Eternity. I don't know if the book has been translated in English, though. They really should, in my opinion.

This book is funny, romantic, witty, sarcastic, what's not to love about it? It's about God and Lucifer, making a pact. Each has to send their best warrior on Earth and do more deeds in the name of his "boss". They have seven days and the one that at the end of the week has a bigger score, wins and gets to rule over Earth and human kind for ever. God sends Zofia and Lucifer sends Lucas.

Lucas and Zofia weren't supposed to meet, but they do and, naturally, fall in love. There's one very funny scene where Lucas was trying to be romantic and send her flowers. Thinking any flower will do, he sends her water lilies. He actually filled her bathtub with water lilies. It's a very funny scene, but not the only one in the book.

I love all of Levy's books, but this one for some reason is more dear to me. One thing I love most about Levy's books: most of them have two or three characters that are in all of them. They're not main characters, but they sort of connect the books. Of course, all books except The First Night and The First Day are stand-alones.

So this is my favorite book by my favorite author. What's yours?

Day 13 – Your favorite writer

Difficult choice. I think the only writer that makes me want to read everything he's ever written in the French author Marc Levy. You probably know the movie Just Like Heaven with Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon. That movie is based on one of Levy's books, If Only It Were True. So if wanting to read every book he's written makes him my favorite writer, then that's what he is for me.

But honestly, I have a lot of authors that I love and try to read as much of their works as possible. I'm really weird, if I get to read something by an author and I like it, chances are really high that I'll like his/her other books.

Top Five Things I Hate About a Book

I was recently chatting with a friend about what we love and hate about books and series. This made me think about the things that make me want to scream in frustration about a book. I'm not talking about the content, but the ACTUAL book, as an object. So here are the five things that I hate about a book, in no particular order:

• Hardbacks

I know all the reasons why hardbacks are better than paperbacks. The binding is done more carefully, the paper that's used has a higher quality, the book has a better chance of remaining in good, if not perfect, conditions over the years. I know all that. But the hardbacks are so huge and heavy! For a girl used to carry one book in her  bag, a hardback is inconvenient, especially since my bags are small. And let's face it. If you're in college and you want to read during class,  you need a paperback. Less chances of getting caught with those small books :D

• Dust jackets

I've always had a problem with dust jackets. I always tear them or bend them or, even worse, loose them. I like my covers attached to the book. 

• Paper errors

This sometimes happens with manuals or text books. When there's one page (or more) where there's a lot of extra paper in one corner and it's bent in a really odd shape. I know I can cut it, but I'm weird about books and scissors near each other.

• Price tags

This is something I often find in bookshops, small or big. They stick the price tag directly on the cover. Sometimes I manage to take it off nicely, sometimes I don't. Why would you stick something on the book? I'm crazy like that, yes. 

• Size

When it comes to series, my OCD takes over any rational thought. Some of the series I have (like The Southern Vampires and Lord of the Rings) have books the same height and width. And I'm so happy with that. Others, like Harry Potter, aren't the same size. You might blame the edition. It's not. It's the same edition, only the guys who published Harry Potter in my country decided the last 4 books were too big for paperbacks so they made those 4 books hardbacks. While I grumbled and whined and moaned at that, at least they were acceptably big, not weapon-like huge. BUT. It wasn't enough they changed from paperback to hardback, they changed the shape for books 6 and 7. So now I have 3 paperbacks, 2 hardbacks that look like actual bricks, and 2 hardbacks that are smaller in width and the spines are rounder and softer-looking. And before you asked, no, they didn't publish a paperback version for those 4 books, only hardbacks. I like my books to look like they actually belong in a series. Not to mention that I love to be able to arrange them in  order. *blush* I did say I'm a freak!

• White Paper

The white paper...it bugs me. I have really sensitive eyes and the white paper makes it uncomfortable to read sometimes. I have to read books with white paper in certain conditions for my eyes not to hurt. And I can't read with my glasses on *oops*


Keep in mind though, just because a book has one or all of the above "qualities" doesn't immediately mean I won't read it. The exterior has nothing to do with the content of the book. If I don't find another version of the book, one that isn't a hardback or with a dust jacket, then I'll silently curse my luck and still buy it, because ultimately it's the content that matters. So this is my bitching about the book as an object. Is there something that bugs you in a book as an object, not it's content.

Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore

No book comes to mind that fits this category. I mean, if I loved a book five years ago, chances are I still do. Of course, I believe every book has it's moment when it makes more sense and it has a special meaning. If I would read now the first romance book I've ever read, I probably would have a more cynical take on what happens in that book. That doesn't mean I'd hate it.

Do you have a book that you used to love but now you don't?

Day 11 – A book you hated

I missed yesterday's appointment and I'm sorry. Had to do some stuff and I didn't have time. Ok, a book I hated.

After I started being what could be called a "serious reader" (one that reads more than 3 books a year and finished those books in less than a month) I wanted to see how far could I go in terms of genres and explore my limits. Like I said a while ago, my first contact with horror stories was through Anne Rice's vampires and while I loved the books, I wanted to see if I could handle stories that where scarier, bloodier, with more graphic details and more...let's say gore. Before you think I'm a psycho, I'm not. I come from a family full of doctors, so detailed stories about surgeries and bodily fluids during lunch where a daily occurrence. That and I studies psychology. So to say I can handle a lot of gore and graphic details is to put it mildly. (Just please, no insects or injured kids. That I can't handle!!)

So I started to ask around and most of my friends that liked horror novels told me Stephen King was so much more than Anne Rice. I was excited. I immediately tried to find a book that had the two things I loved most at the time: suspense and vampires. My best friend heard me talking about that and she bought me Salem's Lot for my birthday.

Color me excited. I tried reading the book twice. There where so many things that drove me crazy about that book. First of all, nothing happened for about 200-250 pages. NOTHING. The only thing I remember was that the main character was going out on a very, very boring date. There where also tinny, tinny details about the house. I don't exactly remember why the house was so special or so scary, but it was.

Also, no vampire in those first pages. I was disappointed. You know how in the movies you sometimes get a little scene with a guy/girl going inside a house and it's dark outside and the door closes after him/her and a second later you hear a scream? I was waiting at least for a scene like that. There wasn't one.

I remember seeing a colleague of mine from college reading the book and I asked him at what page he was and if something had happened until then. He was halfway through it and he said "Nothing new".

I can't deny that I liked his descriptions, the way he built his characters. But I think this book is for someone who likes slow-paced books. I am aware that this is one of King's first books, so maybe his writing style improved, but I'm not really sure I'm ready to try another of his works.

Anyway, this is a book I didn't like. What's yours?