Booking Through Thursday -- 6/18

One of my favorite sci-fi authors (Sharon Lee) has declared June 23rd Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers Day.

As she puts it:
So! In my Official Capacity as a writer of science fiction and fantasy, I hereby proclaim June 23 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Day! A day of celebration and wonder! A day for all of us readers of science fiction and fantasy to reach out and say thank you to our favorite writers. A day, perhaps, to blog about our favorite sf/f writers. A day to reflect upon how written science fiction and fantasy has changed your life.

So … what might you do on the 23rd to celebrate? Do you even read fantasy/sci-fi? Why? Why not?

I read a ton of fantasy books. I just recently started Neil Gaiman's Sandman series and am really enjoying it. Some other new favorites are the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr, the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris, and the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. I would love to celebrate the day by posting a fantasy book review or just talking about my favorite fantasy books.

How about you? (Want to play along? Go to Booking Through Thursday.)

Later today I will have my 100th post! It will be a giveaway, so come back and check it out!

Booking Through Thursday -- 6/11

There are certain types of books that I more or less assume all readers read. (Novels, for example.)
But then there are books that only YOU read. Instructional manuals for fly-fishing. How-to books for spinning yarn. How to cook the perfect souffle. Rebuilding car engines in three easy steps. Dog training for dummies. Rewiring your house without electrocuting yourself. Tips on how to build a NASCAR course in your backyard. Stuff like that.
What niche books do YOU read?

Good question. I once read a book about dream analysis for fun. For Christmas one year, I asked (and received) a book called Catholicism for Dummies because I was interested in learning more about the history and traditions of my faith.

What about you? (Want to play along? Go to Booking Through Thursday.)

Booking Through Thursday -- 6/4

“This can be a quick one. Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.”

1. Persuasion by Jane Austen
2. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
3. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
4. The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard
5. Click, Clack, Moo -- Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
6. No, David by David Shannon
7. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
8. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
10. Watchmen by Alan Moore
11. Fluke by Christopher Moore

I could only think of 11! I know there are so many more. I just can't seem to think of them right now. What are your 15? (Want to play along? Go to Booking Through Thursday)

Don't forget to check out my interview with Kate Veitch, author of Without a Backward Glance!

Booking Through Thursday -- 5/21

What book would you love to be able to read again for the first time?
(Interestingly, I thought that I had thought this one up myself, but when I started scrolling through the Suggestions, found that Rebecca had suggested almost exactly this question a couple months ago. So, we both get credit!)

I would like to read The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman again for the first time. I devoured the novel on the first read. I loved every page of the adventure that stretched out before me. Lucky, it was the first book of a series so when it ended I still had two more books to go. Still, I would love to read the whole series for the first time again and feel that sense of wonder.

How about you? (Want to play along? Go to Booking Through Thursday.)

Booking Through Thursday -- 4/30

Which is worse?
Finding a book you love and then hating everything else you try by that author, or
Reading a completely disappointing book by an author that you love?

Hmmmm... I would have to say finding a book you love and then hating everything else you try by that author. This has happened to me a few times. My greatest example of this is My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I loved My Sister's Keeper and was so excited to find that she had written a ton of books. So I started through them, each with the hope that they would be as good as My Sister's Keeper. Maybe my expectations were too high because I have not found another Picoult book that I truly liked. Did I hate them? No, but I did stop reading her books.

What about you? (Want to play along? Then go to Booking Through Thursday.)

Booking Through Thursday -- 4/23

Question suggested by Barbara H:
My husband is not an avid reader, and he used to get very frustrated in college when teachers would insist discussing symbolism in a literary work when there didn’t seem to him to be any. He felt that writers often just wrote the story for the story’s sake and other people read symbolism into it.
It does seem like modern fiction just “tells the story” without much symbolism. Is symbolism an older literary device, like excessive description, that is not used much any more? Do you think there was as much symbolism as English teachers seemed to think? What are some examples of symbolism from your reading?

I do think symbolism is an older device. It seems that all the novels I read are either plot or character driven and symbolism is left behind. With that said, I asked author Anita Diamant at our last book club author chat what the symbolism of the dogs were in The Last Days of Dogtown. I really thought this was a great question, that there was some bigger message I was missing in the symbolism. Her answer was that she doesn't use symbolism in her writing. I am still a little embarrassed. So maybe symbolism is something that the reader finds even if it wasn't the intent of the author.

But there are also novels such as Shelter Me by Juliette Fay. I would think that the porch being built is a symbol of the main character trying to rebuild her life after her husband's death. Was that the author's intent or am I just seeing connections where there aren't any?

What do you think? (Want to play along? Go to Booking Through Thursday)

Booking Through Thursday -- 4/16

Yesterday, April 15th, was Tax Day here in the U.S., which means lots of lucky people will get refunds of over-paid taxes.
Whether you’re one of them or not, what would you spend an unexpected windfall on? Say … $50? How about $500?

If it was a lot of money, I would probably split the windfall in half and spend the first half on paying off my student loans and then donate the second half to my local public or school library. If it was a smaller amount, I would most likely buy bookshelves for my apartment and work on filling them with books. (I very rarely spend money on books. Mostly, I get all my books from the library.)

What about you?

Booking Through Thursday -- 4/9

Here’s the question:
Some people read one book at a time. Some people have a number of them on the go at any given time, perhaps a reading in bed book, a breakfast table book, a bathroom book, and so on, which leads me to…
Are you currently reading more than one book?
If so, how many books are you currently reading?
Is this normal for you?
Where do you keep your current reads?


I am currently reading one book, I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammaniti. I am only reading one because I just finished two others and reviewed them for my blog. I am in a transitional period where I pick one or two more books to start. I usually read 2 or 3 books at a time. I read one challenge book, one book club book, and one book for fun. I keep my current reads all over the place -- the dining room table, my nightstand, the coffee table in my living room, etc...

How about you?

Booking Through Thursday -- 4/2

Suggested by Barbara:
I saw that National Library week is coming up in April, and that led to some questions. How often do you use your public library and how do you use it? Has the coffeehouse/bookstore replaced the library? Did you go to the library as a child? Do you have any particular memories of the library? Do you like sleek, modern, active libraries or the older, darker, quiet, cozy libraries?

I actually work in a library (but I am not a librarian). I started out as an elementary school teacher, but after budget cuts I was let go. I was out of work for 7 months, trying to never spend any money because I didn't know when I would start receiving a paycheck again. The public library in town was my solace. It was free and I could find hours of entertainment to keep my mind off my worries for a few hours a day. I was always a reader as a kid and like going to the library, but the time I spent there during the 7 months made me realize what I really wanted to do -- work in a library. A few months later, I actually got a part-time job at my town library and eventually found my current full-time job in a university library. To this day, my favorite part of the library is to stand in the stacks, shelves bursting with books, not a soul around, and explore all the books around me.

What about you?

Booking Through Thursday

Suggested by Janet:
The opposite of last week’s question: “What’s the best ‘worst’ book you’ve ever read — the one you like despite some negative reviews or features?”

Hmmm -- I guess the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. I love these books, yet they don't get a lot of respect from some readers and critics. Personally, I love them because they are fun, entertaining, and escapist reads. Plus, Sookie is a heroine who is strong and stands up for what she believes in.

What is your best 'worst' book?

Booking Through Thursday

How about, “What’s the worst ‘best’ book you’ve ever read — the one everyone says is so great, but you can’t figure out why?”

Recently I read In the Woods by Tana French and was disappointed. I heard so much about how fantastic it was that I finished the entire book and felt that it didn't deserve the hype. The story is two mysteries rolled into one with interesting characters that just seem to deconstruct in front of you. The story is slow moving, the crime is something that you would see on an episode of Criminal Minds, and over the course of the story I went from enjoying the characters to finding them annoying.

A few years ago I tried to read A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. I read a hundred pages and then walked away. To this day, I have no idea what this book is about -- but I am told it is great. Here's a summary from the Barnes and Noble website:

One of the 20th century's enduring works, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a widely beloved and acclaimed novel known throughout the world, and the ultimate achievement in a Nobel Prize–winning career.The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. It is a rich and brilliant chronicle of life and death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the noble, ridiculous, beautiful, and tawdry story of the Buendía family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America. Love and lust, war and revolution, riches and poverty, youth and senility -- the variety of life, the endlessness of death, the search for peace and truth -- these universal themes dominate the novel. Whether he is describing an affair of passion or the voracity of capitalism and the corruption of government, Gabriel García Márquez always writes with the simplicity, ease, and purity that are the mark of a master. Alternately reverential and comical, One Hundred Years of Solitude weaves the political, personal, and spiritual to bring a new consciousness to storytelling. Translated into dozens of languages, this stunning work is no less than an accounting of the history of the human race.

So what about you? What is the worst 'best' book you have ever read?

Booking Through Thursday

What book do you think should be made into a movie? And do you have any suggestions for the producers?Or, What book do you think should NEVER be made into a movie?

I am a huge Charlaine Harris fan and even though I have yet to see True Blood on HBO, I would love one to see her Harper Connelly Series be made into a movie. I would suggest to the producers that they make the first book in the series, Grave Sight, with Kristin Bell as Harper and Jason Dohring as Tolliver (both from the fantastic Veronica Mars).