Wednesday Chatter: The Good And The Bad Of Being A Mood Reader

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

WARNING: Some bad words might be used in the following post. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Hello my lovely bookworms! Today I wanted to talk to you about the ups and downs of being a mood reader. Also, a big shout out and a huge thank you to Nicole from Feed Your Fiction Addiction for compiling the awesome list of discussion posts ideas where I got the idea for today's post from. Thank you Nicole!!

I've always been a mood reader. Ever since I started reading for fun, I've known to listen to that little voice inside my head asking for a certain type of book. The same can be said about me and music. However, unlike with music, where seasons influence my Spotify playlists and I know just what I'll be listening to in, say, August, my reading moods are completely random, and really unpredictable. I can stay here all day and plan what I'll be reading in April, but the truth is, I can't make a plan or a realistic TBR, because I might not want to read those books when the time comes. The good thing is that I'm not always in a mood to read a certain genre. It fluctuates, and sometimes that inner voice shuts up, satisfied for having been on a genre/author binge. As with every thing in like, being a mood reader has its good sides and its bad sides. 

The Good

• The first thing I learned in all these years is that being a mood reader allows me to discover many new to me authors. I've probably discovered more new authors when I'm in one of my moods than when I read whatever it is that happens to be next on my TBR list.

Source: Popkey

• Another good thing that happens when I'm in a mood reading episode is that I'm able to enjoy and appreciate certain books or themes a little bit more than I would if I wasn't in a mood read. It happens a lot more than you think, and it's not that it makes my rating deceitful, but it does make me ignore some flaws or things I normally wouldn't enjoy reading about, that otherwise I wouldn't be able to ignore.
• Ultimately, being a mood reader definitely helps me read more in a shorter time. For me being in a mood reading episode is the complete opposite of being in a reading slump. Take January, for instance, when I was on a romance kick and I read 11 books. By comparison, February was a slump month and I only read 7 books. Now, while I don't have a set number of books I want to read in a month, being in a reading mood definitely helps me get closer towards my yearly reading goal.

The Bad

• One bad thing of being a mood reader is that, usually, I have a hard time enjoying other genres or authors, so much so that I usually DNF books that I normally wouldn't DNF. So I've learned to not try out other stuff if I'm not in the mood for them. For example, if I'm in the mood for dark erotica, I sure won't be trying out any romance books. Luckily, this doesn't apply to books I have to read. My brain allows me to read the books I receive for reviews when I'm in my mood reading episodes, so that's a relief.
• Another bad thing is that while I'm less critical of certain themes or words or even scenes, being compelled to read a certain type of books makes me more critical of other things. It's not uncommon for me to DNF a book in the genre I'm reading or by the author I'm bingeing if I don't feel it meets certain requirements. This might sound confusing and almost like I'm contradicting myself, but I've DNFed books by my favorite authors more frequently while bingeing that author's books than in any other instance in which I picked up their book at random.
• Last but not least, being a mood reader makes my TBR get way too big. Because while the mood to read something strikes me at random and it's hard to predict when it will strike me, it's also hard to predict when it will end. And I usually don't enjoy reading something that I've just binged on if I am no longer craving that type of book. It's like I'm fully sated and I need to distance myself from that genre or that author in order to continue to enjoy their work. My TBR also gets bigger because the more books I read by an author, or in a genre, the more books I discover that meet certain criteria and the more books I want to read. Basically everything makes my TBR pile get bigger and bigger. 

Let's discuss. Are you a mood reader? What are your challenges as a mood reader? Or how lucky are you that you are not a mood reader?

Blog Tour Book Review: Cards From Khloe's Flower Shop by Isabella Louise Anderson & Giveaway

Author: Isabella Louise Anderson
Series: N/A
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary, Chick Lit
Publisher: Chick Lit Goddess, LLC.
Release Date: March 17th 2017
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Neverland Blog Tours
Blurb (from Goodreads):

As the owner of a successful florist shop, Khloe Harper trusts her instincts. She has a strong bond with her family and friends, but after being betrayed by her last love, she's kept herself at arms’ length from romance. When dashing entertainment attorney Derek Thomas walks into her store, Khloe’s interest is piqued. What at first seems like a business relationship quickly turns into romance, and Derek slowly plucks away the petals she’s been hiding behind. Just as Khloe lets down her guard, she discovers that Derek may not be worthy of her love after all.

Frumpy Connie Albright has a faux fascination with an imaginary man named Walt, thinking that by sending herself flowers from him she’ll feel less out-of-place with the “mean girls” she works with. When she comes face to face with her possible prince charming and thinking she might have a happy ending, when a truth is revealed, she wonders if she’ll ever have a Cinderella story.

A recently widowed senior, Gabby Lewis, isn't ready to give up on love—which means releasing herself from survivor's guilt and taking a chance on finding happiness and companionship again. After signing up for an online dating site for senior citizens, much to her surprise, she’s matched with Harry, an energetic and loving man, who quickly eases himself into her heart. Will Gabby take the leap of falling in love again, knowing it’s possible to have two loves of her life?

As each woman’s story develops through flowers and cards sent from Khloe's shop during the Fall months, they begin to learn that love can only truly blossom when you trust your heart.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from Neverland Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

Wednesday Chatter #21: Trusting The Author - Take 2

Hello my lovely bookworms!

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


WARNING: Some bad words might be used in the following post. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Today's topic is a little sensitive and slightly inspired by drama, so please keep that in mind. Also, keep in mind I'm writing this while being super sleepy, so I may be coming across as extra bitchy #sorrynotsorry

I want to talk to you about trusting the author, expectations and why sometimes it's best to let authors do their thing. I previously wrote another post about Trusting the author (hence the Take 2 on today's title), but I feel like I need to write another post on this topic.

A few weeks ago I saw a Facebook post that a very well-known author wrote about how they weren't writing books for a certain segment of readers, they were writing the story that they wanted to write and the story they felt was true to the characters. Notice how I'm not naming the author? It's not because I don't want to name who it is, but because this isn't a discussion about a certain author, or about author behavior, but rather a discussion about storytelling itself and the readers. This author went on to say how they received messages from fans complaining about certain books, how some characters ended up with the wrong person, yada yada yada.

Source: Popkey

This FB post prompted a memory. Years ago...I think....maybe almost 4 years now? Anyway, years ago a different author decided to do what was, in my opinion, a brilliant marketing decision/campaign, by having fans pick the ending of the last book of their trilogy. Again I won't name the author, but a little search on the net will reveal exactly who the author is.

Now here's the thing. I don't know if this author was really going to write the book as the fans wanted said book to be like. I also don't know if the author simply wanted to get more publicity on their book and chose this brilliant way to do it. All I know is that it got people talking. And boy were some of them pissed. I remember seeing comments going from "wow I didn't expect this" (which isn't that bad) to "wow this author can't write" (and really other rude comments). So basically some where really mean comments.

Source: Popkey

Can you see the hypocrisy there? Here you have an author willing to give readers what they wanted, a book where they can decide what happens, and most people were angry and disappointed and saying how the author can't write their own book. And at the same time you have readers complaining about a story not going the way they wanted it to and telling the author they were wrong with their own story. I'll tell you what, I happily voted on the ending. I kept my fingers crossed that I would get the ending that I wanted, but I also didn't fully believe that my vote was truly going to influence the story. Why? Because authors write, readers read.

Before you roll your eyes at me, hear me out. Right now, I'm 100% convinced that Alina will end up with Mal in the Grisha trilogy, which I haven't yet finished. (I'm a chicken, but I will finish reading that series in March). Does that mean I'm happy? No. But that's how the author saw that story going, and that's how I'm reading it. I'm trusting the author to write their story, not the one I want to read no matter what.

I'm not saying "don't have expectations", because we all do. I have those expectations with each and every book I pick up, and with every movie I watch. What I am saying however is that if you're not enjoying the book, the movie, whatever, why are you pushing yourself and forcing yourself to read or watch it? Stop reading it, stop watching it, pick up another book or movie or whatever. I don't understand people who force themselves to read something when they know they're not enjoying themselves. But that's another topic and one I really don't want to get into right now.

Back to talking about trusting the author. Readers trust the author when they pick up a book to write a good story (with good being a very subjective thing - much like rating stars), one that makes them feel things, one that maybe even makes them think, but definitely one that entertains them. If I can't trust the author, I don't enjoy the story. I don't like it when an author lets me down, and oftentimes I DNF the book.

I imagine we all pick up a book expecting something, whether it's a life lesson, a good representation about something or someone, or even just plain smut for those who enjoy erotica. Ultimately, we want to be entertained. Is this entertainment more important than the quality of the finished product though? I once saw a quote on social media (don't remember where or who said it; if you know, let me know in the comments) that said something along the lines of "if the book you want to read hasn't been written yet, write it yourself". Do we all have the gift of storytelling? No. And while yes, I am a reviewer, and I do write critiques to the books I read, whether positive or negative, I don't feel like I should start dissecting a story and point out all the mistakes, in detail, and offer pointers on how those mistakes should have been dealt with to those who do have the gift of storytelling, those who try to write something and publish it, no matter the form. I'm including fanfiction here by the way, since I've read some truly awesome fics.

Would you tell a painter they should have used a color instead of another? Would you tell a game designer they need to code a certain way to have the trees on the right instead of on the left of the screen? No? Well...then... trust the author to write the story that made sense to them, trust them to have a plan, or just don't read it.

Bottom line is, we all have different tastes in reading, and with the amount of books and fanfiction out there, we're bound to find the story that satisfies us. So maybe instead of telling an author how they made a mistake in writing a story the way they did, how about we branch out and try out a new author? You might even find the gem you've been waiting for.

Source: Giphy

PS: Please don't give me spoilers on the Grisha trilogy and how it ends. I'm going to read that book this month. No spoilers! :D

Let's discuss. Do you trust the author when picking up a book, no matter your expectations?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Book Quotes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This might seem shallow of me, but it's rare that a single quote from a book sticks with me. I'm more of a "this book was so great, the entire story sticks with me" kind of reader. But there are a few passages from books that sometimes manage to stay with me for a very long time. Here are just a few of them:

Book Review: San Francisco Wolf Pack Box Set by Kristin Miller

Author: Kristin Miller
Series:
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC
Release Date: December 5th 2016
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

From "falling in love" to "it's complicated," New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristin Miller brings you three, full-length, deliciously hotparanormal love stories with sexy alpha heroes and the strong-willed women who bring these werewolves to heel.

The Werewolf Wears Prada
Melina Rosenthal worships at the altar of all things fashion. Her dream is to work for the crème de la crème fashion magazine, Eclipse, and she'll do pretty much anything to get there. Even fixing up the image of a gorgeous, sexy public figure who's all playboy, all the time. Even if he's the guy who broke her heart a year ago. And even if Melina has no idea that Hayden Dean is actually a werewolf...

Beauty and the Werewolf
Billionaire werewolf Jack MacGrath has almost everything—the respect of his peers, a mansion in San Francisco, a private jet, and fast cars. But without a mate, Jack's in trouble. Then he sees her. Gorgeous, demure, proud...and his enemy. Isabelle Connelly is werewolf royalty and falling for anyone lesser — to say nothing of a rival pack — would be, er, unseemly. Now she must choose between her duty to her family and her pack...orher perfect fated mate.

What a Werewolf Wants
Private investigator – and werewolf – Ryder McManus doesn’t believe in marriage. But then he never expected to find his fated mate, Josie, at his best friend's wedding festivities. When Josie and Ryder are together, the chemistry heats up. While he’s trying to stop the wedding, she’ll do whatever it takes to give the couple a dream day. But the secret he’s trying to expose might just ruin everything.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley and Entangled Publishing LLC in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

International Bookworms: Your Country In A Book

hosted by Books & Babble

Hello my fellow bookworms! How are you on this lovely day? Today's topic in the International Bookworms feature hosted by the awesome Ayla is about countries and books. We basically want to talk about some of the books where the action happens in your home country.