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?

Interview & Giveaway: Mary Parker

Please welcome Mary Parker to Ruby's Books. She's the author of The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake, a YA fantasy novel that I loved loved loved (read my review here)

Welcome! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I live in Middle Tennessee. I love to read anything and everything, as long as it’s fiction. I love to cook and I love to bake, but I’m not crazy about eating sweets, so I end up baking goodies for my friends. I started writing as soon as I was able to hold a pencil. I’m spontaneous and have been known to do some crazy stuff from time to time. I tried college for a while, and worked on several different majors, but I just didn’t enjoy it. I started waiting tables to support myself while writing my first novel.


What's your favorite book?

I don’t have a favorite. There are just too many. My favorite book is whatever book I happen to be reading at the time. Some of my favorite authors include J.K. Rowling, Ray Bradbury, George Martin.

What made you want to write fantasy books and why young adult?


Young adult, simply because I am a young adult and I think I can get into the head of a young adult. Fantasy, because I write what I love to read. I’m always daydreaming about a world that is far more mysterious and magical than the world we live in.

Do you plot before starting to write your books, or do you just wait to see where the story takes you?


I would love to say I was organized enough to plot in advance, because I’m sure I could make the story far more complex if I did. But I’m just not. I’m more of a ‘go with the flow’ kind of writer. I like to create the characters and then follow wherever they choose to lead me.

What inspired you to write The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake?


The character of Leeowyn has been with me forever. I had a dream about her when I was quite young, and I wrote it down. Of course that story change significantly over the years, and when I got inspired to write the novel it was only natural to cast Leeowyn in the lead role.

How would you describe Leeowyn?


I would describe her as ‘average.’ At least that is how she would describe herself. As we know she is anything but average. She is a typical teenage girl that has to deal with normal teenage girl stuff. Then she discovers these powers and the responsibility that goes along with them. Now she is thrust into a role of having to deal with not only normal stuff, but extraordinary stuff. She is tasked with saving not only her world, but several other worlds.

I'm very anxious to see what happens next. Could you give us a small idea of what will happen in the future with Leeowyn and her friends?


There is quite a bit in store for Leeowyn and her trio of friends. They travel to new realms, they are exposed to new dangers and they are stretched beyond what they think they can endure. Of course a great deal of the story involves the unknown, so I can’t give away too much without revealing the secrets that make the story so intriguing.

If you could be any one of your characters who would you choose and why?


Oh, Leeowyn. Not because she is based on me at all, but she is the kind of person I would want to be.

Giveaway time

I have two (2) e-copies of The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake to give away. All you have to do is fill out the form below.Comments are welcome, but you have to fill the form to enter the contest.You have until Monday (4/9/12) to enter and I will announce the lucky winners on Tuesday, next week (April 10). Be sure to check back here to see if you won. I will send an email to the winners and tell them how to receive their prize. 

NOTE! Winners must respond to my email in 72 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. 

Cover Love (12)

This feature is hosted by Carmel @ Rabid Reads. The rules are very simple. Choose a cover (or two, or three), preferably new-ish, and share what you like about it. Grab the graphic or don't just so long as you link back.


My picks this week:

This cover reminded me of Harry Potter and the winged keys from Sorcerer's Stone for some reason. I also love the blue-violet gradient and how you can see her eye through the key chain. Makes her look like she (or is it a he?) is spying on someone :P

















I got this book about a month and a half ago. I was in a little bookshop in town and the cover drew my eye and it was like it was whispering "Buy me! Buy me!!". So I did. I think it would also be my first book with an angel as a hero. In love with an angel (loosely translated) sound actually good. I hope I'll manage to read it and tell you what it's all about :D








What are your picks this week?

Book Review: Behind Closed Doors by Sherri Hayes

Author: Sherri Hayes

Series: Daniels Brothers #1

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Blurb: (from Goodreads):

Elizabeth Marshall spent the last nine years doing all the things she was supposed to do. She went to a good college. Married a man with a promising future. Elizabeth even had a nice house in a respectable part of town. There was even the promise of 2.4 kids in her future. From the outside everything looked picture perfect.

One night, six months ago, the world she lived in came crashing down. Her husband dead and her friends gone, Elizabeth moves to the small town of Springfield to start a new life for herself where no one knows who she is or anything to do with her past.

Christopher Daniels enjoys the simplicity of his bachelor life. After his divorce three years ago, he swore off women. He has no desire to change that philosophy.

When Elizabeth Marshall moves into the apartment below him in the small Victorian house, she makes him begin to reconsider the motto he’s lived by for the last three years: women are trouble. She is everything is ex wife was not and it doesn’t help that she is his wet dream come to life.

He is determined to resist her charms, however when someone starts sending threatening messages to Elizabeth, he finds himself in the role of protector. Can he protect Elizabeth and still be able to resist the pull she has on his body and his heart?

Behind Closed Doors is a great book and an amazing first book in a series. I think the first thing that drew my attention as I was reading the book was that the action wasn't rushed. I didn't at any moment felt like things were happening too fast or too slow or that they were forced. It felt sort of natural for things to happen at a precise moment and it was a really good thing.

I liked Elizabeth so much and my heart was breaking for her the entire time I was reading about her past. I liked the fact that in the end she finds closure and she gets to move on with her life with a man that really loved her. Elizabeth had that innocent air about her that I like a lot for some heroines. Not naive, but innocent, despite her past.

Chris was a very interesting hero. I liked the fact that he wasn't the type of guy who jumped to conclusions and the fact that he wanted to protect Elizabeth even before they got romantically involved. And I loved that he was always reassuring her, trying to make her feel wanted and precious without telling her that her insecurities were foolish. I also liked that he had sexy brothers *grins*

Behind Closed Doors has a lot of the themes I love, like mystery, romance, suspense and, my personal favorite, the story about second chances. It was a very sweet story and I am really curious about the other Daniels brothers. I really can't wait for their stories.

It was the first book by Sherri Hayes that I've read, but I know for sure I'll keep reading her books.

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?

Follow Friday (13)

Welcome to Follow Friday hosted this week by Parajunkee and Alison!
The main idea behind FF is just to go see a bunch of new blogs you may never have seen before, and follow the ones you like (and they’ll follow you back!) It’s a total win/win, so take a peek around!


This week’s question is:



Q: Do you read one book at a time or do you switch back and forth between two or more?


I usually have at least 3 books that I read at the same time. And that is not counting any rereads I might do in the meantime. It's very rare that I can focus on just one book at a time. And it's usually curiosity or (as you probably know) a shiny cover that makes me stray and start the second and third book. I try to be "faithful" to the genres though. I never read two books from the same genre at the same time, or I get confused sometimes. It doesn't happen very often, but sometimes I tend to mix them up if I do read two books of the same genre. But as long as I'm reading a paranormal and a historical for example, I know which character is in which book and what happened where and when.

What about you?