Book Meme (from Booking Through Thursday)
1. What was the last book you bought? "The Healthy Gluten-Free Lifestyle" by Tammy Credicott
2. Name a book you have read MORE than once "The Blue Castle" by L.M. Montgomery
3. Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it? "Quirkyalone" by Sasha Cagen didn't change the way I see life but it did teach me that there are other people in the world like me
4. How do you choose a book? (eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews) By plot summary
5. Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction? Although fiction is more prominent, I prefer to read both
6. What’s more important in a novel – beautiful writing or a gripping plot? I prefer both but plot in general (not necessarily gripping) is more important to me.
7. Most loved/memorable character (character/book) Corinna Chapman from Kerry Greenwood's Corinna Chapman series
8. Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment? "Dancing With Mr. Darcy" compiled by Sarah Waters, "Red Plaid Shirt" by Diane Schoemperlen, "Soulspace" by Xorin Balbes, "Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading" by Maureen Corrigan, and "Reading In Bed" edited by Steven Gilbar
9. What was the last book you read, and when was it? I finished "August Frost" by Monique Roffey on 26Dec13
10. Have you ever given up on a book half way in? Even though I love non-fiction books about the science of music, I just could not finish "Musicophilia" by Oliver Sacks
Read on,
Paula
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Saturday, January 11, 2014
BTT: Villainy; Autumn reading
Villainy (from Booking Through Thursday)
Terrorists aren’t just movie villains any more. Do real-world catastrophes such as 9/11 (and the bombs in Madrid, and the ones in London, and the war in Darfur, and … really, all the human-driven, mass loss-of-life events) affect what you choose to read? And, does the reality of that kind of heartless, vicious attack–which happen on smaller scales ALL the time–change the way you feel about villains in the books you read? Are they scarier? Or more two-dimensional and cookie-cutter in the face of the things you see on the news?
I do not read anything that involves terrorism, war, crime, or any kind of scary topics as a general rule. Scary topics freak me out because of my active imagination and I prefer not to be uncomfortable. This is why I don't read crime novels and murder mysteries because of the typical amount of gory detail they contain.
Autumn Reading (from Booking Through Thursday)
Does the changing season change your reading habits? Less time? More? Are you just in the mood for different kinds of books than you were over the summer?
For the most part, my reading habits don't change from season to season. The only thing that changes is where I read: I read outside more during warm weather. I try to read more winter/holiday-themed books during the winter/holiday season. Aside from that, I generally continue to read the same amount and read by whim.
Read on,
Paula
Terrorists aren’t just movie villains any more. Do real-world catastrophes such as 9/11 (and the bombs in Madrid, and the ones in London, and the war in Darfur, and … really, all the human-driven, mass loss-of-life events) affect what you choose to read? And, does the reality of that kind of heartless, vicious attack–which happen on smaller scales ALL the time–change the way you feel about villains in the books you read? Are they scarier? Or more two-dimensional and cookie-cutter in the face of the things you see on the news?
I do not read anything that involves terrorism, war, crime, or any kind of scary topics as a general rule. Scary topics freak me out because of my active imagination and I prefer not to be uncomfortable. This is why I don't read crime novels and murder mysteries because of the typical amount of gory detail they contain.
Autumn Reading (from Booking Through Thursday)
Does the changing season change your reading habits? Less time? More? Are you just in the mood for different kinds of books than you were over the summer?
For the most part, my reading habits don't change from season to season. The only thing that changes is where I read: I read outside more during warm weather. I try to read more winter/holiday-themed books during the winter/holiday season. Aside from that, I generally continue to read the same amount and read by whim.
Read on,
Paula
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Year-end book review 2013
1. Best book(s) I read in 2013: "Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye, "August Frost" by Monique Roffey, "Up and Down" by Terry Fallis, and "Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide" by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn.
2. Most disappointing book of 2013: I would say "Vampires in the Lemon Grove" by Karen Russell except that it was so disappointing that I didn't finish it. Of the ones I actually finished, it would be "The Museum's Secret" by Henry Chancellor.
3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013: "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion...I was surprised at how funny this book was.
4. Books I recommended most to people in 2013: "Up and Down" by Terry Fallis
5. Best series I discovered in 2013: The Coldwater Springs series by Jenn Roseton
6. Favourite new author(s) of 2013: Jenn Roseton
7. Most thrilling, unputdownable book of 2013: "Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye
8. Book I most anticipated in 2013: "Tempest Reborn" by Nicole Peeler
9. Favourite cover of a book I read in 2013:
10. Most memorable character in 2013: It's a tie between August Frost ("August Frost") and Don Tillman ("The Rosie Project")
11. Most beautifully written book of 2013: "The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey
12. Best book that was out of my comfort zone or was a new genre for me in 2013: "Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide" by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
13. Book that had the greatest impact on me in 2013: "The Unapologetic Fat Girl's Guide to Exercise and Other Incendiary Acts" by Hanne Blank
14. Book I can't believe I waited until 2013 to FINALLY read: "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
15. Book I read in 2013 that would most likely be reread in 2014: "August Frost" by Monique Roffey
16. Book that had a scene in it that had me reeling and dying to talk to someone about it? (A WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. No spoilers!): "Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye
Some fun stats:
Books completed: 127
Books by male authors: 34
Books by female authors: 93
Fiction: 95
Non-fiction: 32
Children's books: 11
YA books: 3
E-books: 57
Longest book title:
Longest book: "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Big fat books (more than 500 pages): None, my longest book was 496 pages long.
Shortest book: any one of the BBW romance ebooks I read
Re-reads: 2
Although I didn't fully accomplish my Goodreads Reading Challenge, 127 out of 150 isn't bad (that's 10.5 books a month). Even though I don't like that I couldn't finish it and thought I wouldn't do the challenge again this year, I've decided to put my challenge goal lower than last year. Knowing that I have intentions to do more adventurous stuff outside of reading, I think 100 could legitimately be a challenge. I got an iPhone in September and so I now have the Kindle and iBooks apps to take advantage of any unplanned reading time (like waiting for cabs to arrive) and it also gives me access to more e-books than before. Having whittled down my TBR, I have high hopes for my 2014 reading. I hope 2014 brings you much great reading too!
Read on,
Paula
2. Most disappointing book of 2013: I would say "Vampires in the Lemon Grove" by Karen Russell except that it was so disappointing that I didn't finish it. Of the ones I actually finished, it would be "The Museum's Secret" by Henry Chancellor.
3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013: "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion...I was surprised at how funny this book was.
4. Books I recommended most to people in 2013: "Up and Down" by Terry Fallis
5. Best series I discovered in 2013: The Coldwater Springs series by Jenn Roseton
6. Favourite new author(s) of 2013: Jenn Roseton
7. Most thrilling, unputdownable book of 2013: "Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye
8. Book I most anticipated in 2013: "Tempest Reborn" by Nicole Peeler
9. Favourite cover of a book I read in 2013:
11. Most beautifully written book of 2013: "The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey
12. Best book that was out of my comfort zone or was a new genre for me in 2013: "Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide" by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
13. Book that had the greatest impact on me in 2013: "The Unapologetic Fat Girl's Guide to Exercise and Other Incendiary Acts" by Hanne Blank
14. Book I can't believe I waited until 2013 to FINALLY read: "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
15. Book I read in 2013 that would most likely be reread in 2014: "August Frost" by Monique Roffey
16. Book that had a scene in it that had me reeling and dying to talk to someone about it? (A WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. No spoilers!): "Dust and Shadow" by Lyndsay Faye
Some fun stats:
Books completed: 127
Books by male authors: 34
Books by female authors: 93
Fiction: 95
Non-fiction: 32
Children's books: 11
YA books: 3
E-books: 57
Longest book title:
Longest book: "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Big fat books (more than 500 pages): None, my longest book was 496 pages long.
Shortest book: any one of the BBW romance ebooks I read
Re-reads: 2
Although I didn't fully accomplish my Goodreads Reading Challenge, 127 out of 150 isn't bad (that's 10.5 books a month). Even though I don't like that I couldn't finish it and thought I wouldn't do the challenge again this year, I've decided to put my challenge goal lower than last year. Knowing that I have intentions to do more adventurous stuff outside of reading, I think 100 could legitimately be a challenge. I got an iPhone in September and so I now have the Kindle and iBooks apps to take advantage of any unplanned reading time (like waiting for cabs to arrive) and it also gives me access to more e-books than before. Having whittled down my TBR, I have high hopes for my 2014 reading. I hope 2014 brings you much great reading too!
Read on,
Paula
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)