Chelle @Time Out
Christina @Confessions of a Book Addict
Em @Super Reader Girl's Book Reviews
Emidy @Une Parole
Carrie @In The Hammock Blog
Emily @Af-fiction-ate
Book Blogger Hop April 23-29
Chelle @Time Out
Christina @Confessions of a Book Addict
Em @Super Reader Girl's Book Reviews
Emidy @Une Parole
Carrie @In The Hammock Blog
Emily @Af-fiction-ate
About Negative Reviews
Earlier this week on my It's Monday! What Are You Reading? post, I got a comment from Chelle at Time Out. I was going to email her back, but I thought it was an important enough question to do a little longer post about it.
When I first started blogging, I imagined myself as a snarky critic that would say whatever I felt and whatever came to mind about a book I was reading. That's generally how I speak with friends. I pride myself on my "quick wit." You should hear me talk about Twilight. I could go on for days about my idea for a sequel where Bella ends up divorced 15 years later and is left as a vampire single mom. Think dating is tough with a kid? It's even harder when you want to suck your date's blood.
Anyway, I digress.
I wrote a couple reviews early on where I was pretty harsh on some books. And then I started meeting authors. And it kind of dawned on me that these people put a lot of effort into their work. Writing is an incredibly emotional experience that requires soul searching and putting yourself on the line. Even people who write stuff I think is junk have spent a lot of time writing something for others to enjoy. And, I sacrifice nothing by reading their books. Yes, I give my time, which could be considered valuable. But, if I don't like a book, I generally don't finish it. Unless it's REALLY bad, then I finish it so that I can talk to my friends about it later and say how bad it was.
But, using the veil of the internet to post mean things about someone's hard work just isn't something I'm comfortable with. So, if a book is bad enough that I can't come up with a few good things to say about it, the review doesn't go on my blog. But, I will post it on Goodreads, because many of my friends are on there, and I feel an obligation to warn them about books that may not be worth their time.
One last note on this subject. Earlier this year I heard Brandon Sanderson speak at a conference about the Fantasy and Science Fiction genre. I took away from his speech this nugget of wisdom: we spend too much time focusing on the "junk" in the genre, when frankly, it's such a small portion of what's out there. For instance, instead of saying, "You liked TWILIGHT? What a bunch of crap. There are so many better vampire books out there..." we should say something like, "I'm so glad you liked that book. Since you liked that one so well, here are some others that I'm sure you'd enjoy."
Others may disagree with my philosophy on bad reviews, and that's fine. There are lots of blogs and places out there to read those types of reviews. But, I feel better knowing that I most likely haven't written something that is going to make a starving author cry themselves to sleep.
When I first started blogging, I imagined myself as a snarky critic that would say whatever I felt and whatever came to mind about a book I was reading. That's generally how I speak with friends. I pride myself on my "quick wit." You should hear me talk about Twilight. I could go on for days about my idea for a sequel where Bella ends up divorced 15 years later and is left as a vampire single mom. Think dating is tough with a kid? It's even harder when you want to suck your date's blood.
Anyway, I digress.
I wrote a couple reviews early on where I was pretty harsh on some books. And then I started meeting authors. And it kind of dawned on me that these people put a lot of effort into their work. Writing is an incredibly emotional experience that requires soul searching and putting yourself on the line. Even people who write stuff I think is junk have spent a lot of time writing something for others to enjoy. And, I sacrifice nothing by reading their books. Yes, I give my time, which could be considered valuable. But, if I don't like a book, I generally don't finish it. Unless it's REALLY bad, then I finish it so that I can talk to my friends about it later and say how bad it was.
But, using the veil of the internet to post mean things about someone's hard work just isn't something I'm comfortable with. So, if a book is bad enough that I can't come up with a few good things to say about it, the review doesn't go on my blog. But, I will post it on Goodreads, because many of my friends are on there, and I feel an obligation to warn them about books that may not be worth their time.
One last note on this subject. Earlier this year I heard Brandon Sanderson speak at a conference about the Fantasy and Science Fiction genre. I took away from his speech this nugget of wisdom: we spend too much time focusing on the "junk" in the genre, when frankly, it's such a small portion of what's out there. For instance, instead of saying, "You liked TWILIGHT? What a bunch of crap. There are so many better vampire books out there..." we should say something like, "I'm so glad you liked that book. Since you liked that one so well, here are some others that I'm sure you'd enjoy."
Others may disagree with my philosophy on bad reviews, and that's fine. There are lots of blogs and places out there to read those types of reviews. But, I feel better knowing that I most likely haven't written something that is going to make a starving author cry themselves to sleep.
Waiting On Wednesday (2): Wolven - The Twilight Circus
Waiting on Wednesday idea from Jill at Breaking the Spine.
WOLVEN: The Twilight Circus by Di Toft.
Published by: Chicken House.
Format: Paperback.
Released: 3rd May 2010.
Official summery: "Having spent the summer dodging mutant werewolves and barking-mad scientists, Nat Carver and Woody, his shape-shifting friend, have joined the Twilight Circus of Illusion before going in search of Woody’s long-lost clan. But instead the boys are caught up in a thrilling new adventure, this time against the forces of evil in the guise of a black widow vampire and her terrifying hive. Featuring a fantastic lenticular cover, this is the second in the bestselling series of fast-paced, funny and accessible stories about a boy and his shape-shifting dog, jam-packed with all the hairy fun and adventure that thrilled readers in the first book – and a howl lot more!"
I have to say, after the slight diappointment of Book One (you can read my review here) this book sounds brilliant! Quite excited to read it to be honest. I'm going to have to get it even just for the cover! I love how the cover for Wolven changes, so I'm excited to see the cover for this! It truly is a work of art!
The Books of Bayern Series by Shannon Hale: Review
Books of Bayern Series
(Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, Forest Born)
By: Shannon Hale
I started reading these books several years ago (before I had this blog), and absolutely loved them. I finished reading Forest Born a month or so ago and really wanted to write a review on it. But it seemed weird to only review the last book in the series. So, I decided to do a mini review of the whole series. If you haven't read the books, you may want to hold off reading the entire review, since there are bound to be spoilers... Just warning you ahead of time.
Goose Girl
This is possibly one of the best books I've ever read. I think I picked up this book based on a librarian's recommendation 5 years ago. I had just finished Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (another favorite), and was looking for more fairy tale retellings.
I was hooked on this book from the beginning. A few people have mentioned that it was slow starting. I didn't think that at all. The evolution of Isi's character was amazing. I loved that she was a strong character, even though many times she didn't think she was. Her friendship with Enna and the Forest Boys was endearing and heartwarming. They were the kind of friends that I'd want to have around, and oftentimes did. Geric was a very solid character as well. None of this "I'm so dangerous that you must be with me" stuff. He was a good guy. There just aren't enough Geric's in this world.
I gave this book 5 stars. If I had a 6th star, I'd give it.
Enna Burning
Enna Burning wasn't nearly as good as Goose Girl. However, I found Enna's story to be compelling as well. I think that the plot moved a little slowly at first, but by the end I really enjoyed the story. Even though this book was not as fast-paced as Goose Girl, it dealt with deeper human emotions than Goose Girl did. Enna struggled much more with her power than Isi did, I think due to the fact that hers is naturally more destructive. Enna was a supporting character in Goose Girl, and definitely became the character in need of support in the sequel.
I gave this book 4 stars.
River Secrets
This was probably my least favorite book out of the series. That doesn't mean it wasn't good, just not as good. Razo's story just wasn't as interesting to me as Enna and Isi's were. Also, by now the powers were a little predictable. I wasn't taken by surprise like I was in the first two books. I think Razo's character just wasn't developed enough for him to warrant his own book.
But, Razo is fun and lighthearted and brought a new perspective to the series. It was a good continuation to the story.
I gave this book 3 stars
Forest Born
This book was the perfect way to round out the series. Rin, Razo's younger sister, makes an appearance in this book. She was a wonderful main character full of insecurities. Okay, maybe that makes it sound bad. Rin's gift of Tree and People speaking made for an interesting "opposites attract" type situation. Rin doesn't feel like she fits in at home anymore. As the youngest child she's kind of forgotten and is sometimes used by her family.
Rin's character development was a lot of fun to read. Rin dealt with a lot of social problems that I think a lot of readers could identify with.
It's hard to give much more of a review without giving away some of the plot. But, this was a great way to end the series, and I loved it.
I gave this book 4 stars.
BtVS: Spark And Burn [Review]
Written by: Diana G. Gallagher.
Published by: Pocket Books.
Format: Paperback.
Released: 1st August 2005.
Rating: 4/5.
Official synopsis: "In SPARK AND BURN, fan-favourite Spike - the other vampire with a soul - takes centre stage. For centuries he was a bloodthirsty scourge of humankind, killing without bias, feeding on whomever (or whatever) came his way. That would all change when Riley Finn and the covert organisation known as the Initiative planted a microchip in his brain which rendered him incapable of harming a human being. As Spike learned to cope with this handicap - the worst a vampire could imagine - he found himself falling in love with the woman who had been his nemesis - Buffy Summers, the Slayer. Their relationship is a stormy one, with years of mistrust between them. But after Spike regains his soul, undergoing terrible trials in the process, he and Buffy come to a kind of peace with one another; and Spike, finally, begins to find peace with himself."
I was given this as a gift by my Nan (RIP) a few years ago. Probably 3 or 4 now. But I'd never read it until now, which I'll admit is shameful. Even more shameful now that I have read it and now know what I missing!
Spark And Burn is a brilliant book. Yes, it re-hashes many scenes from the series, but it is brilliantly written. And a true Buffy fan would love it, just like I did! There are some new scenes in there that I think are excellent. Diana G. Gallagher has a good understanding of the characters. The book is told entirely from Spike's point of view! It mostly takes place in the episode 'Lessons', the openning episode for the fantastic seventh season of the show. He's going mad in the basement, and is having flashback after flashback, reliving scenes throughout the entire back-catalogue of the show. It's interesting to really get a good idea of what Spike thought of the other main characters towards the start of the series, and seeing these thoughts change.
An excellent book! If you can get your hands on this book, do! I have a few more Buffy books that I am going to have to dig out and read thanks to this one!
Teaser Tuesday 4/20
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
The Princess and the Bear
by Mette Ivie Harrison; pg. 204
by Mette Ivie Harrison; pg. 204He had said he believed she was human in many ways, but he still did not know what name to give his feelings for her, and it seemed wrong to offer less than his whole self.*Yes, I know that's only one sentence. But none of the other sentences were very good, and the sentence before and after weren't related. Don't judge me!
Michelle Paver News - New Book!
Yay! So excited about this. I knew about this about 2 weeks ago now because I am part of the moderating team (called Clan Guardians) on her official website/forums, and it has been so hard to keep my mouth shut about something that I am so excited about!
But now, it has been announced at London Book Fair, so without further ado...
Paver Arctic ghost story to Orion
Orion has snapped up world rights to an adult novel by bestselling children's author Michelle Paver.
Malcolm Edwards, deputy chief executive of the Orion group, and deputy publisher Jon Wood struck the deal for Dark Matter from Peter Cox at Redhammer for an undisclosed sum. The team will publish in hardback on 21st October.
The novel is set in 1937 on the Norwegian Arctic island of Spitsbergen, now known as Svalbard. The story focuses on a group of hopeful young Englishmen who set off with ambitions of scientific discovery, only to find there is something sinister lurking in the snow.
Paver explained: "I've always loved ghost stories and for the past decade, I've had Dark Matter at the back of my mind. Dark Matter is my attempt to capture the beauty and menace of the Arctic, in a ghost story that will scare the hell out of you."
Wood said: "If you've ever woken up in the dark and blindly searched for the light switch, convinced there is something in the room with you, then you will know exactly how this novel makes you feel. When you add in an intensely powerful personal story and the wonderful atmosphere of the Arctic, you have something pretty special."
Edwards added: "Quite simply, Dark Matter is brilliant. I just couldn't put it down. We fully expect it to be a remarkable worldwide success for Michelle."
Paver is one of the top-selling authors in the UK. According to Orion, her children's series, The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, has sold one million copies in the UK, and two million copies worldwide, with sales in 33 territories.
Article taken from The Bookseller
So excited about this! So very very very excited! (And although it says adult novel, her agent told me and the rest of the moderation team that it's 16+).
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