Blood,Sweat and Books

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: Any books or authors you hate? Why? Is it the writing? The stories? The author’s personality? And—would you read their work anyway?? I think I've mentioned this before but I really detest the book Alive by Piers Paul. When I was in Junior/ High school we were assigned the book so much that I terally had the entire book memorized. By Sophmore year when yet again one of the teachers decided we'd read this book I had enough. I begged,moaned and complained to my parents until one of the went to the school and asked if I could read an alternative book for the lesson that year. They agreed much to the annoyance of my teachers and since then I've never looked at the book again and you know I'm good with that. As for any Authors I hate, hmm, no,  but...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: When you visit a friend’s house, do you find time to browse their bookcases? Does it shock you if they don’t have one? If I happen to spot a bookcase or even a pile of books on a counter you can bet I'll check them out. I've found many new books simply by spotting an interesting sounding title or a pretty cover on someones shelf. However, with the advent of E-readers and many people I know owning them, spotting physical books is becoming increasingly rare. That's not to say they aren't buying them but that their shelves have become much smaller being limited solely to the books they really loved. Personally, I find scrolling through peoples E-readers awkward and unless they offer it to me I don't do it. I guess in a way that makes me sad as I ...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: Do you still get excited about new books as you did when you were little? In general? New books in particular, like from a favorite author? Or do you look at all new, unread books with the same level of anticipation? If it's something I really want to read I can't help but be a bit more excited about said books release over others that I'm currently waiting on. That's not to say I'm not excited about the others but when you know it's from an Author and a series you love it makes the book a bit more special. At least it does for me. ________________________________ Now for my questions: Do you look at all books with the same level of anticipation? If no, what makes some books different than others? Leave your comments below...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: What’s the furthest you’ve ever gone to get something to read? (Think extremes as well as miles.) If your absolute favorite author (living or dead) was coming out with a brand new book tomorrow, how far would you go, what would you do to get a copy? I think the craziest thing I've done to obtain a book I wanted was attend midnight releases for them. I remember my very first midnight release was for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I had to drive over an hour to the nearest Waldenbooks to pick up my copy as they were the only store a reasonable distance doing a midnight launch. I can remember clearly how the line was filled mostly with bored parents waiting to pick up copies, a far cry from the fun festivities I had seen other stores do for previ...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: If you had all the time in the world, what would you read? If I could just sit and read for hours on end with no need for sustenance or sleep I think I would spend my days reading all those ridiculously long series that I've never seemed to quite get around to reading in the past. Want some examples? Of course you do! Let's see.... The Warriors series by Eric Hunter (29 books, a manga and still going)  I remember hearing about this series when I was young but never started it. I'd like to some day though.  The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson (8 books and a manga)  I read the first book years ago before it was even clear if this would be a series or not but for some reason have never been compelled to finish the rest. I did enjoy that...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: Which is more important when you read — the actual story or the characters?  I’ve read books with great plots, but two-dimensional characters, and I’ve read multi-layered characters stuck in clunky stories, and I’m sure you have, too. So which would you rather focus on, if you couldn’t have both? Really interesting question this week. If I couldn't have both, my knee jerk reaction would be characters because they can really make or break how successful a story is at grabbing your emotions and keeping you glued into the world. However, when good characters are placed in sub-par stories it can feel like such a waste and that can easily lead to resentment for the book as a whole. On the other hand having a fantastic story filled with enriching dialogue and a...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: Do you have a favorite book?  What do you say when people ask you? And, has your favorite book changed over the years?? As you yourself mentioned, the question flummoxes me as well. I definitely have Favorite books but I wouldn't say I have one that reigns supreme over all the others like some evil overlord. Depending on genre my picks differ and I'll give you a couple examples below in case you're curious. Favorite Children's Books The Velveteen Rabbit A nne of Green Gables Where The Sidewalk Ends Favorite Middle Grade/Young Adult Book s Harry Potter Series   The Immortal Rule s His Fair Assassin Series My Sweet Audrina Demon In My View Favorite Fantasy Books Chronicles of Narnia Lord of the Rings The Hobbit The Xanth Series...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: Does the price of a book affect your decision about buying it? Do you wait for cheaper editions of books you want? Price definitely affects how I purchase books. I wish I could say I could afford to buy every book I want at list price but due to the sheer number of books I read and want that simply isn't the case. It may seem stingy but I have a pricing scale of how I buy books. If I 5 Starred it as a review book, love the Author or in the case of series loved the other books in it, I'll usually pay the release day/pre-order price whatever it might be because A. I know it's a quality read. and B. I don't mind paying  for something I know I'll love and will read again and again. These books will probably be bought in paper or hardback so ...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: What do you think of fanfiction? In general—do you think it’s a fun thing or a trespass on an author/producer’s world?  Do you ever read or write it yourself? I have a love hate relationship with Fanfiction. Part of me loves seeing stories continue on what I believe should've been the stories proper course. Their are some seriously talented Fanfiction writers out in the world and many can show differing pov's of a character that I or another may never notice. In that context Fanfiction is interesting for me to read even if it never becomes Cannon. I can recall reading an amazing piece of Fanfiction set in the world of True Blood that had Eric & Sookie sailing off into the sunset together. That Fanfiction was so much better than the series end for m...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: Do you do other things while you read? Watch TV? Cook? Brush your teeth? Knit? Unless I'm reading at night and trying not to wake my husband I usually have something going on as I'm reading. I'm a big muti-tasker so I'll find time to read whatever I'm doing be it cooking, taking a bath, watching TV, biking (Audiobooks come in handy) walking, you name it and I've probably done it while reading. I'm especially bad when on the phone. Most of the time the conversation bores me (I know I'm awful but in defense I hate talking on the phone) so I'll be reading my latest book and just sort of grunting at appropriate moments when expected. Let's be reasonable though, if the task is even slightly dangerous it's best to put the boo...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: Outside of books, what’s your favorite thing to read? Newspapers? Magazines? Blogs? Fanfiction? Specific websites??  I used to be a big reader of magazines but now only really pick them up when waiting to be checked out at the store. I've never read much fan fiction so that doesn't really apply to me.  I do however like to read online news and check Yahoo frequently throughout the day just to stay on top of things. I also really like to read blogs/websites. I have those I follow religiously and those I might only click once or twice a week. I do try and visit at least a few new ones daily from those I find on Facebook or Twitter because variety as they say is the spice of life. I should also note that the content of the blogs & websites I vi...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: Which is better (or preferred) … stories with multiple character points of view? Or stories that stick to just one or two at most? And, why? As much as I like following one character throughout the story I actually prefer multiple points of view. For me I like being able to see another characters perspective on things. Also sometimes a book will have an unlikeable character narrating and that can make it extremely hard to read through. Having multiple perspectives gives me greater chance to at least power through a book with a bad main narrator. With that being said though you can have to many points of view. A few months ago I read a book with so many pov's that each chapter ended up being only a few pages long just to fit them in. Needless to say t...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: How much do you visualize when you read? Do you imagine faces for the characters? Can you see the locations in your mind’s eye? Or do you just plunge ahead with the story, letting the imagery fall to the wayside? I am a very visual reader.  Nearly every book I read is played out like a mini movie in my head. I "cast" actors or imagine someone I think best resembles the characters and also give them distinct voices. I also build the world from the ground up. This especially becomes crucial if the Author is very vague on details. If I can't fill in the gap, most likely I won't enjoy the book as much. I've even sunk so deep into a story before that I've tricked my mind into actually smelling the scents in a scene. Good when it is somet...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: If you could magically reset things so that you had the chance to read a favorite book/series again for the first time … which would you choose? And why? And then, since tastes change … Do you think it would have the same affect on you, reading it now, as it did when you read it the first time? Would you love it just as much? Would you risk it? I thought long and hard about this and while I've often wondered what it would be like experiencing some series again, I don't really feel like I'd want a reset even if I could. However, I can think of 3 I would love a reset on. My first choice is of course Harry Potter. I watched the first two movies before starting the series and I definitely feel that shaped how I imagined the characters. Richard Ha...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . This Week BTT Asks: How do you feel about borrowing books from friends? Is this something you like to do? Does it make you feel uncomfortable or rushed while reading? Does it affect how you feel about the book you’re reading, pressured into liking it? When I was younger I didn't really mind borrowing books from people but as I've gotten older I've stopped doing it nearly altogether. I like taking my time reading and when I borrow I feel like I have to rush through it in order to return it in what I consider a  proper amount of time. Also I don't like being responsible for other people's stuff. I always fret about possibility I'll crinkle the pages to much or heaven forbid I spill something on the book someone graciously loaned me. Lastly, I mostly don...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here . Since I missed last week's question I'll be answering that below as well.  This Week BTT Asks: Do you have a preference between “person” in the books you read?  Do you prefer third-person to first-person? Or don’t you care? And … why?? Done right, First Person can be very entertaining to read and I actually really enjoy it. However, I certainly feel third-person perspective is most favored amongst writers and certainly easiest to follow. As for my preference it depends on the book itself. I wouldn't say I favor one over the other because each book can bring something different to the table depending on whose narrating. Last Week BTT Asks: Have you ever had to move your books? Did having to pack and move your books cause any changes in your book-collecting habits? ...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here. This Week BTT Asks: Do your reading habits change in the summer? Do you take your books outside more? Do you curl up in the air conditioning? Do you read fluff instead of serious books? Are you too busy playing in the sun or gardening or whatever to read much at all? You know my habits don't really change much through the seasons. I mostly read inside but if the day is just to nice I am not opposed to reading outside. I think the biggest change to my reading schedule in the summer is that I'm more likely to read more books I own as opposed to just focusing on review books. Since it's summer I can fit more books into my day since I can sleep as late as I want and more importantly so can the kids!! Yeah so that's pretty much it. Not an exciting response but it's th...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here. Since I missed last weeks BTT I'm going to answer it as well. Just keep scrolling if you want to see my answers. This Week BTT Asks: Do you ever read books that could be considered patriotic? Rousing stories of heroes? History? Brave countrymen & women doing bold things? What would you recommend if somebody asked you for something patriotic–no matter what your country? First off let me just wish all my fellow Americans a Happy 4th Of July!! Do I ever read books that could be considered patriotic? In short yes, I do. However, I don't really read them enough to recommend any. Unless of course you like books filled with random Historical facts then I could recommend a dozen or so.  So my Patriotic recommendations this week will come in the form of TV miniseries and Film....

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here. This Week BTT Asks: Which actors have been particularly badly cast in roles of characters you first met in the pages of a book? Do you blame the actors or the writers and other film-people for the failure? Who would you have cast instead?? Oh this is going to be fun!! I'm going to share the character and then answer the questions based on the person because all badly casted characters aren't created equal. So rather then me babbling, let's get to it. In no particular order, here are my choices: Edward Speelers as Eragon from the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. Let's be honest this movie was just badly done to begin with but the horrible acting by Edward Speelers didn't help any. He delivered every line as if he was bored, had a very limited range of e...

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme where participants are asked a series of questions about their reading habits. To join this or future Booking Through Thursdays Click Here. This Week BTT Asks: When reading, Do you ever sit and wonder who could be cast as your favorite characters? Which actors do you think have done particularly excellent jobs with some of your favorite characters? All the time. I am a visual reader and tend to always convert books to movies in my head. When reading my mind will naturally start envisioning certain actors in the roles. From that point on that actor becomes the role in my mind and will play the part in my mind movie. I guess that is why I am so picky when it comes to actors cast in book adaptations since I know they'll forever be stuck in the role I've cast. I only ever "recast" the actor in my head if the film or TV version is better suited for the role. Some of my latest roles cast are: James Mars...