15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 13

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by Good Books and Good Wine

Day 13: Describe One Underappreciated Book EVERYONE should read

I am very easy to scare and as a rule I don't watch horror or read this genre either, but I have to recommend this book to everyone:

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey is an incredibly good series, you can read my reviews of by clicking on the title of each book of the series (below). 

I first because interested in the series because I read author extraordinaire Maggie Stiefvater review in Goodreads. I picked it up in audio book format from my library and was transformed to a different world that was cruel, scary, gross and oh, so good. I think that what makes this a must read for me is Yancey's outstanding writing that is packed full of simile, metaphor that makes everything come to life; and the characterization and interaction between said characters. 

I know that Rick Yancey is a household name after the publication of The 5th Wave (which I haven't read yet).  I have high hopes for the book, but I'm honestly scared that it won't be as good as this awesome series. 

Books in the series:

The Monstrumologist
The Curse of the Wendigo
The Isle of Blood
The Final Descent (to be published in September)

What is your recommendation?

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 11 and 12

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by Good Books and Good Wine

Day 11: Show Off 5 of Your Best Blog Posts!

Okay, this is a tricky and somewhat embarrassing question.  I love books, reading, authors and everything and anything bookish; BUT I don’t consider myself a writer.  I know a lot of authors have blogs and many bloggers aspire to be authors, nothing is wrong with this, in fact, quite the opposite; it just so happens that I’m not one.  Since that’s the case, it’s hard for me to see my own reviews in an objective fashion.

I just know that I love to share my opinion on what read and it doesn’t necessarily means that I’m good at it.  I like to think that after over two years with a blog I’ve learned something about how to write a review and about what my readers like to read as well.  Enough with the procrastination!  Here are some reviews that I particularly love, probably because I love the books so much:

The Collector by Victoria Scott – I love Dante!  Is your typical bad-on-the-outside, good-on-the –inside characters that I feel in love with almost instantaneously. Can’t wait to read The Liberator!

Just One Day by Gayle Forman – This is one of my favorite reads of this year. It’s an emotional roller coaster, full of insight and growth. Be warned that it’s addictive AND it has a huge cliffhanger at the end.

Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson – One of my favorite series, this is the book that started all.  This is fantasy at its best, everything is flawless, the characters, the plot, the world building and the writing.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green – Another favorite, beautiful, heart wrenching story of love and lost.

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa – A beloved series and a serious crush (LOVE YOU ASH!) made the conclusion of the Iron Fey series the best for me.  An action packed quest to conquer and gain true love.  Awesome!

I showed you mine, now show me yours! (you know what I mean… right?)

Day 12: How Do You Fight Blogger Fatigue?

Well, I’m not sure.  Over the years I’ve read many posts about this topic, but I only know what works for me. 

Do something fun – Like this challenge or something different that you’ve never done before. Maybe a new meme, review a movie, talk about your life and why you feel fatigued, you get the idea :)

Read what you want – Sometimes I get caught up in deadlines and daily life, in moments like this I re-read an old favorite that reminds me why I love reading in the first place or I pick up a book that I’m really excited about and then I can’t wait to talk about it!

Take a break – When I started blogging I felt pressure to post every day, that’s not the case anymore.  Life happens, birthdays, vacations, homework, picnics, family visits, are more important in the great scheme of things.  The world will not stop spinning and you will not lose all your readers just because you take time off.

Visit other blogs – Get inspired by your favorite blogs and visit new ones. Enthusiasm is often contagious and you are likely to find your next read that way.

That’s it for me!  How you do fight blogger fatigue?

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 10

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by Good Books and Good Wine

How Do You Choose What Book to Read Next?

It depends…  On what?  Well, glad you ask!

If I request a book (which I don’t do very often) or if I’m participating in a Blog Tour (as I am today!), then I feel a commitment to read the book.  This is one of the reasons for with I try to limit myself to do no more than three to four blog tours a month (you can read of other reasons in this post), otherwise I don’t have the time to fit other books into my schedule.

I also try to read (or listen to) my library books first.  I keep telling myself to stop going to the library; I mean, I have more than enough to read at home, probably more than I would ever be able to read, but I don’t seem able to listen to myself.  You know how in cartoons there is a little angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other, that’s exactly what is like!  One says “you don’t need more books Liza” and other voice says “are you crazy? You know you want to read it, just take it!”

When I don’t have any commitments I am mostly a ‘mood reader’.  That means that I read what I feel like reading.  Sometimes I feel like I need to read a romance, other times I feel like re-reading an old favorite.  I try to have a mix of books in my immediate TBR pile, such as ARCs, sequels and catch up in the books that have been patiently waiting on my shelf for a while.   I also try to keep up with my favorite blogs and read the books that my trusted friends recommend.

How do you choose your next read?

15 Day Book Blog Challenge: Day 9

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by Good Books and Good Wine

Why Do You Blog About Books?

Because I love it!  I don't think there's a better reason for blogging about, well, anything. 

For the most part, blogging is a lot of hard (and unpaid) work.  To me the reward are the ability to share something I'm passionate about with others.  Although I grew up in a book loving family and extended family, when I moved to the States I felt a little lonely in my nerdiness (is that a word?).  I'm married to a non-book-lover and my blog is an outlet to share this obsession passion of mine. 

I adore comments, visiting other blogs, and belonging to a community of like-minded people that help each other discover books and make all our blogs better. 

Besides book lovers ROCK and Book Bloggers rock even HARDER!

What do YOU Blog about books?

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 7 and 8

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by Good Books and Good Wine

Sorry guys, but I had a really busy day yesterday, and so I have to catch up now.

Day 7: Talk About Your Blogging Quirks

I write most posts in MS Word - Why? Because English is not my first language I use Word to help me out with checking my punctuation and grammar.

I proofread what I write - I do this several times before I post anything. Sometimes things make sense to me while I'm writing, but when I read it afterwards, not so much.

I always preview before I post - A few times before I publish.  I'm not technically savvy, thus I try to do my best with the tools I have. 

I try to keep my sidebars updated - Sometimes is hard, but I'm really obsessive about this.

I have to hit certain topics in a review - I have to write about the characters, plot, writing, overall feel of the book, what I liked and what I didn't  like, and finally about the cover. 

I always include the book cover in my reviews and other memes - I love book covers and love to display them in all their glory.

What are some of your blogging quirks?

Day 8: Quick! Write 15 Bullet Points of Things That Appeal to You on Blogs!

Okay, here we go!

• Clean, uncluttered - I'm a visual person, if I like what I see I'm more likely to stay and to come back.
• No noises, music included - Drives me crazy and some times it even scares me
• No captcha - More often than not, I get these wrong and I loose interest in commenting.
• I love light colors - Don't know why, but I do.
• The background and font don't compete with each other - If I have to struggle to read it, I won't.
• Ways to follow are easy to find - It's frustating when these are not readily available
• Menus are prominently displayed - It makes the blog easy to navigate.
• Have great reviews - To me a great review is spoiler free and it's more about the experience and feelings that the reader experienced.
• Have variety - Discussion, personal posts, cover reveals, interviews, tours, etc.
• Great pictures, GIFs, Banners, etc. - I'm not artistic or particularly good at this, but I do like to see it in other blogs.
• Doesn't take a long time to load - I loose my patience really fast!
• A rating system - Sometimes finding how the blogger feels about the book is too hard.
• A unique voice - I like to read posts that are funny, quirky and different.
• Links to Goodreads - If I like the review for a book I want to be able to added to my TBR list without having to search for it directly in Goodreads.

What about you? What do you like to see in other blogs?

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 6

Describe How You Shop for Books

I had a similar post about this topic that you can find here. Basically, there is no reason to my madness.  Let me demonstrate:

• I buy audio books from Audible
• I buy (and get freebies) from Amazon for my Kindle Fire and the Kindle app for iPad
• I buy books from Books-A-Million (I still miss Borders!) both at the store and on-line as I get free shipping
• I buy books at Target or Walmart when possible 

Of course, I have a HUGE TBR list in Goodreads to keep track of books that I discover and I want to read, plus a wishlist in Amazon to keep track of the books that I would like to get for Kindle.  One of my favorite memes is Waiting on Wednesday because I get to see what other bloggers are eagerly waiting for and also I explore catalogs and listopia in Goodreads.

That's all I can think for right now. 

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 5

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by Good Books and Good Wine

Recommend a Tear Jerker 

I am a crier. There, I said it.  I cry while reading books and watching movies alike, even though hubby can't understand the reason.  I have read many books in which I cried (seriously, have you read any Nicholas Sparks book?), but my recommendation is:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (see my review here) was my pick for best book read in 2012.  It is a story of two teens with cancer that find love, understanding and adventure in each other.  This book is character based and both Hazel and Augustus and unforgettable characters that will steal your heart.  The writing is nothing short of magical... as you can see I can rave about this book for a while.  Just have tissues on hand when you read it.

“I'm in love with you," he said quietly.

"Augustus," I said.

"I am," he said. He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you.”

What is your favorite tear jerker?

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 4

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by Good Books and Good Wine

What's the last book you flung across the room?

The last book I remember that I literally flung across the room was That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton.  I read The Outsiders back in high school and so did my son 'A' for school.  His English teacher wanted the students to read another book by the same author and so, we went to BAM (he doesn't otherwise voluntarily sets foot on a library or bookstore!) and he picked this one.   To make matters worse , he was to work on this project during Christmas vacation, that, by the way, we spend in Puerto Rico with the family. I read the book to help him with his book report and I was SO mad with the ending, the book was fine until the last two chapters.  I still don't understand what happened...  At least he share the pain with me :(

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 3

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by Good Books and Good Wine

Who Are Your Blogging BFFS?

I think I can count two awesome Maryland bloggers as my ‘go-to’ people.  We have met in person at a few events before and we tweet and email all the time:

Hannah from The Irish Banana Review – Hannah is the fountain of all knowledge!  She likes to plan, so she helps us organize our outings and events.  She is also, with Lexie from Poisoned Rationality, our resident BEA expert.  We have similar tastes in books and I can always trust her recommendations.  Luv you Hannah!

Jen from Genuine Cupcakes and YABC  - Jen is known for bringing beautiful cupcakes for authors at all the events she goes to.  She also has very good taste in books, after all we all read YA ;) Jen is outgoing, friendly and great to hang out with.

We also belong to a wonderful YADC Facebook group of Virginia, DC and Maryland bloggers, authors and overall book lovers.  It’s a great way to meet people and coordinate events.  That is how I ‘met’ the always awesome Steph from Cuddlebuggery and Christina from Allodoxophobia.

I also follow several blogs faithfully, but also among my favorite people among the bookish world are authors Valerie Cole and Jodi Meadows.

That’s it for me.  Who are your Blogging BFFS?

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 2

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by Good Books and Good Wine

Day 2 - What's Your Bedtime Reading Ritual

I’m not sure I have a ritual.  Well, I do all the normal girly things and put on my PJs. I usually go to bed around 10:00 and get up for work and get the kids ready for school (thank God for summer!) between 4:30-5:00, so I always feel sleep deprived (that’s probably a topic for another day :). I also have issues with falling asleep, thus going to bed feels like a gamble to me; is today the day I will fall asleep in 10 minutes or in two hours?

I’m the type of person that can read more than one book at a time, so there is always a book on my nightstand (right now it’s The Crown of Midnight by Sarah Maas).  Do I always read in bed? No.  Life and TV shows interfere with that sometimes.  When I do read, I have to make myself stop.  I don’t always win that fight, for instance, I went to sleep after midnight on Sunday because I was reading Wait for You by J. Lynn and I couldn’t put it down. 

I have to say that on the weekends that hubby works, I read until really late.  It’s a combination of two things, I have the room and bed all to myself, and this means I can leave the light on for as long as I want, AND it’s the weekend and I don’t have to wake up early.

Your time to share: What is your bedtime reading ritual?

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 1

Hi there gorgeous people!  I found this awesome Book Blogger Challenge hosted by Good Books Good Wine (head over there and sign up!) by reading Rachel's blog post over at Fiktshun and decided to join the fun! I can't promise all 15 posts, but I'll do my very best :)

Day 1 - Make 15 Book Related Confessions

1.  I'm a mood reader, well except if I have a review commitment.

2.  Even though I have an eReader (Kindle and Kindle app for iPad), I still have a ton of books. Er, four tall bookcases full!

3.  I don't like to mark my books in any way.  When I'm reading a 'physical' book I use post-it notes to mark pages I want to use later in a review.

4.   I can read more than one book at a time. Really!

5.   I love audio books - the only exception is fantasy because it's harder to understand when names and places are made up.

6.   I almost always leave my house with a book or an eReader.

7.   I can have books of different makes an sizes.  For example, I can have a combination of paperback and hardcovers within the same series and it doesn't bother me.

8.   I let my friends borrow my books.

9.   Hubby is a non-reader and book snob, thus it's true that opposites attract!

10.  I can read ANYWHERE!  On bed, sitting, standing, in the car, in the airplane,... you get the idea.

11.  I tend to judge books by their cover. Sad, but true.

12.  I go to the library at least one time per week... even though I have more than plenty to read.

13.  I rather read than watch a movie. Any time.

14.  I love to talk about books.  It's the nerd in me, what can I say?

15.  Authors are amazing people!  I'm always surprised by how approachable they are!

I wasn't sure I could get to 15, but I guess writing about books is not hard, huh! Actually, I think I could keep going...

What are some of your book confessions?