Musing Mondays (63) & It's Monday! (61)

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 This week’s musing is…

~Tell us what book you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that book~

I read Ready Player One for last terms Fantasy and Scifi class, and the second I finished it I went online and bought my best friend a copy. He's a gamer freak, and I say that with all the love, so I knew he'd totally get hooked on the book the same way I did. Now that I think about it, with all the craziness of the holidays, I haven't even asked him about the book. lol

Musing Mondays (62) & It's Monday! (60)

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 This week’s musing is…

~Is there a particular book that is you nemesis-the book you're determined to one day finish?~

Not really. If I start a book I either finish it then and there, or not. I don't return to them. I do have a series I want to finish. The Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. These books are massive--500 pages plus each, some even reach 1k. I've been following the series since tenth grade, and got up to book 7 then it was almost a year later that I got book 8. By then I'd forgotten most of the characters and their problems. I made the decision to stop and start the series from book one once all the books had been published. They all have now, but I haven't found the time with trying to keep up with my MFA work and this blog. But seriously, it's a series I WILL finish one day. I just need three or four months free to do it... ^__^'

Musing Mondays (61)

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 This week’s musing is…

~What was the last book you couldn't finish and why?~

There are two. One I started and quit halfway in. That one was Intangible by J. Meyers. I found myself unable to focus on the story or the characters simply because there were too many. I didn't see the point of some of the POV's, why were they relevant and such. I guess with time and patience I could've finished it, the premise of the story was interesting enough and the main characters (the twins) were intriguing and fun. But at the time I just quit halfway.
The second book was Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins I only got about five chapters in and threw it away. In my goodreads review I wrote possible factors that contributed to my not finishing it: Anna's pureness and naivete, casual drug and alcohol abuse, and random demon WTFkery. Don't quite remember the specifics but for me to write that it had to be BAD. I know there was a lot of buzz about the book, and Kaidan the fictional boyfriend, but I just couldn't get through it.

Musing Mondays (59) & It's Monday! (58)

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 This week’s musing is…

Have you ever read a book after watching the movie/television version only to find that you don't like the book as much as the adaptation?

I think that happened to me with The Vampire Diaries. I started watching the TV show and then decided to get the first two books. I didn't like them so much but the rest of the book series is fine. But that's the only case I can think of... Usually I like both the book and the movies, like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and the latest Twilight movies. Other times I hate the adaptation but love the books like Eragon, The Vampire's Assistant, and Percy Jackson. Now...who's excited for The Mortal Instruments Movie? *raises hand*

Musing Mondays (58) & It's Monday! (57)

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 This week’s musing is…

~Do you read the ending before you start a book? Do you ever skip ahead to the ending?~

Haha. Yes, I used to read the last paragraph or last line of a book before starting. But since I get most books for Kindle now, I've stopped doing it. Sometimes if a book it's dragging a bit too much, then I'll skip to the end and read it. Like a teaser that pushes me on to continue to read to reach that ending. But, like I said, I rarely do it anymore.

Musing Mondays (57) &It's Monday! (56)

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 This week’s musing is…

~Do you read outside your preferred genre? Has your preferred genre changed?~

When I got into reading, way back in highschool, the genre I was introduced to was Fantasy. And I mean, hardcore high fantasy stuff like Steven Ericson's Malazan Empire, George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones, and Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Hmm..must finish one of these sometime. lol Anyways, I was hooked with the genre, but I wanted to find simpler stories. So I searched and searched, and my hunt produced two things. One, I found Talking to Dragons (The Enchanted Chronicles 4) by Patricia C. Wrede in my local bookstore. It was short, funny, and it had only two lead characters (woot!). Two, I stumbled into Tamora Pierce's books while searching on the internet (note: the internet was barely starting to become an 'every household' kind of thing back then and I didn't know how to work with it well). Now, her books became my addiction. I wanted more stories with kickass girl leads and action and adventure. But there was no YA back then so I didn't know where to find more. Later on, Mom got for me the first Harry Potter book. I remember thinking I wouldn't like it because, "Mom, that is a kids book. I am so not a kid anymore." Oh, how wrong I was! After that it was pretty easy to find exactly the kind of books I wanted, and many years later my favorite genre is YA.
Sorry for the long answer! 
*hands a cookie to those who actually read it all*

Musing Mondays (56) &It's Monday! (54)

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 This week’s musing is…

~Do you have people online that you often discuss the books you read with? Not just book groups, but individual readers who share the same taste in books? If so, what do you like best about this? If not, do you wish you did?~

Yes and No. Yes, my friends from the Writing Popular Fiction Program at SHU discuss books with me, both for class and for fun. I discuss books with a critique partner too. But I don't have individual readers outside that university circle. Well...I could count my mom. I've gotten her hooked on a couple of YA series and urban fantasy too ^___^

Musing Mondays (55) &It's Monday! (53)

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 This week’s musing is…
~Do you ever get crushes on fictional characters? Name one (or a few), and tell what you liked~

  LOL...

Musing Mondays (54) &It's Monday! (52)

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 This week’s musing is…

~Do you have a system as to which books to read from your "requested review" pile? What is it? What about when there are too many to read in a certain time frame?~

  Amy's Book Den doesn't accept requests for reviews anymore, but I still do request books from Netgalley. First, I check the release date of the book and then give myself a month before that to read it. If it releases in January then I know in December I'll be reading it. If it's a book I've been dying to read or if my projected reading pile has a slot open, I'll read it sooner. Netgalley books take precedence over books I've bough, obviously. Hmm Since I started my Masters I've tried not to get the pile to the point where there are too many to read. When that happens, well I'm a fast reader...

Musing Mondays (53) &It's Monday! (51)

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 This week’s musing is…

~Do you have a favorite series? Do you have a favorite book out of that series?~

This will be a long list...I'm only counting series of 5 books or more, or else I'd never finish! Hmm seems I usually like either the first or last books.
Series name and in parenthesis the fave book of the series.

Adult: Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton (All) -  Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs (Iron Kissed) - Aisling Grey: Guardian by Katie MacAlister (Fire Me Up) - Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara West (Cast in Fury) - The Banned and the Banished by James Clemens (Wit'ch War) - Codex Alera by Jim Butcher (Captain's Fury) - The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson (Memories of Ice) - Jane True by Nicole Peeler (Tempest's Legacy) - Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger (Soulless).

YA: Tortall Universe by Tamora Pierce (Tricksters) - House of Night by P.C. Cast (Awakened) - Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan (Vampire Mountain) - Ranger's Apprentice by John Flannagan (The Siege of Macindaw) - Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan (The Titan's Curse) - Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (Shadow Kiss) - Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent (If I Die) - Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (the Globet of Fire) - Lux by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Onyx)

The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa (The Iron Knight) - The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare (City of Glass).

Musing Mondays (52) &It's Monday! (50)

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 This week’s musing is…

~What distracts you when you really "should be reading"?~

Haha. For me, it's mostly what reading is distracting me from doing. Like homework, writing new pages, editing old pages, working on new projects, etc.

  

Hosted by Book Journey

Ok, so last week I didn't get to do this, so this load is two weeks worth of reading :D

Just Finished Reading:

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

(It took a while to get into the epicness of it all, but once I did, I devoured the book in two days. I'm thinking of ordering the second one too.)

Intangible by J. Meyers

(Started out awesome...then it lost me...)

Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs
(Sweet baby godlings of myth! Even better than the first book. The Medusa girls are among my favorite YA heroines right now)

Defiance by C.J.Redwine

(Revenge, defiant girl, cool tech, a dragon, and a cute boy!)


Currently Reading: 

A Fractured Light by Jocelyn Davies
(After Lauren Kate's Fallen, only Unearthly and this series got my approval where angels are concerned. Also, the first book's cliffhanger killed me lol)
Mechanique by Genevive Valentine
(Class book! Steampunk, not sure what to expect. But I've liked all the class books this term so I'm hoping this one too follows the trend)
             

Planning To Read:

Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey
(Since Leviathan Wakes blew my f-ing mind away I decided I might as well continue the series, even if it means I'll do nothing else from the moment I open the book to the moment I finish that last page)

Musing Mondays (51) &It's Monday! (48)

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 This week’s musing is…

Do you take notes while you read?

As a book blogger, I've found that its impossible to make a good review without taking notes. LOTS of notes. Kindle (Keyboard) was my answer, and I don't regret leaving hardcovers and paperbacks behind. It is so easy taking notes on my kindle! However, I do still read the occasional book in hardcopy, and then I resort to post-its. As for the notes themselves, they're mostly comments on parts I did or didn't like, things I thought were brilliant or notes on the characters themselves. And because I'm big on description in my own writing, I also take notes of descriptions I liked.

Musing Mondays (50) &It's Monday! (47)

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 This week’s musing is…

Have you ever considered writing a book before? What genre would you write?

  Why, yes! I've known I wanted to be a writer since 1) I discovered Tamora Pierce's books, and 2) I tried my hand at writing at the age of 13. Though if you ask my mom, the need to have pencil and paper in my hand began much more before (lol). So, now, twelve years later I'm getting a MFA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill U. My thesis is a YA Paranormal Romance currently about half-way done (40k out of 80k goal). I've also started dabbling on a scifi piece on the side, though I soon realized that I needed to do a lot of research to get the hang of it (I don't read much scifi). I also have a fantasy story world created with plans for a novel, but have only done a short story in that world. Must have been a good story though, since it got me into the Seton Hill program ^___~

Musing Mondays (49) &It's Monday! (46)

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 This week’s musing is…

What is the weirdest/strangest/craziest book you've ever read?

Pure by Julianna Baggot wins this  one. It's something about people living inside a bubble/dome-like city and they're not allowed out. But really, once you meet the outside people I can tell you, you wouldn't want to go out. When the bombs fell not everyone died, and the people that survived have been mutated and fused with all kinds of weird crap. The main character has a doll's head for a hand. And she's one of the less mutated ones. So yeah, too weird, very creepy. Maybe if it'd had more plot to keep me focused I would have ignored the gross factor, but i was bored...and grossed. Couldn't finish it.

Musing Mondays (48) &It's Monday! (45)

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 This week’s musing is…

Have you ever re-read a book and found that your opinion changed?

I don't do that many re-reads, and those I do are of book I'm already in love with. So, I mostly end up falling in love even more in love with the book :)
Clear example of this is The Demon Trapper's Daughter. When I first read it I liked it. Then when Soul Thief came out, I re-read it and just fell in love with the whole series. Like, seriously, rock-my-world, can't-stop-thinking-about-it, and when-the-hell-does-the-next-book-come-out kind of love ♥

Musing Mondays (47) &It's Monday! (44)

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 This week’s musing is…

Do you snack while you read? If so, what is your favorite reading snack?

I don't snack while reading. In fact, I usually forget to eat when I'm reading or writing. Seriously. The hours will just fly by and I won't even notice. When I did NaNoWriMo last year, I had to ask my Mom to remind me when it was dinner time, otherwise I'd just keep writing and skip it. What I do now is I put a bottle of water beside the monitor, and hope that reminds me I'm thirsty and eventually hungry. Sometimes I get a pack of cookies and leave it beside the water. LOL. It sounds funny, but it's not. Not when you're almost fainting because of low blood sugar because you forgot to eat again X__X

Musing Mondays (46) &It's Monday! (43)

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 This week’s musing is…

What attracts you to a book blog? What puts you off in a book blog? Do you share personal stuff on your book blog?

          That's a lot of questions today! :)

          What attracts me to book blogs and keeps me going to them can be narrowed down to three things: 

          A. Presentation - AKA the look of the blog. Yes, this is important to me, especially when you take into consideration my answer to question #2. The biggest thing that puts me off a blog is if I can't deal with the presentation. That means neon colors, dark colors with hard to read fonts, too many sparkly things hovering, too many widgets everywhere, etc. My advice is to keep it simple and people will focus more on your posts.

          B. Organization - this has to do with the amount of widgets presented, but also the amount of posts and feature posts you do regularly. If you're a regular blogger, you get an immediate follow from me.

          C. Special Features - I love Memes and I follow quite a few of them, but if you've got a special meme or feature or post I like, I will take notice.

          As for the personal stuff, I think it's important to find a balance between sharing a bit and sharing too much. We don't want our readers to think we're robots and we do nothing but read and review, but we also don't want them to feel like they're reading our diary. I do like to share some personal stuff, like my adventures at Seton Hill where I'm getting my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction because I think it's relevant to the topic of books...and I gotta start promoting my work somewhere for when it's finished! Haha. But other than that I don't share my day to day happenings; not here, or twitter, or facebook.

It's Monday! (42)

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Just Finished Reading: 

 

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

(Raw emotions. Powerful stuff. A must read!)

Redemption by Veronique Launier

(Gargoyles are awesome, but I expected more...)

Throne of Glass Novellas by Sarah J Mass

(ZOMG! MUST READ! NEED THRONE OF GLASS NAO!)

Musing Mondays (45) &It's Monday! (41)

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 This week’s musing is…

Do you read magazines? If so, which ones? If not, why not?
Do I read magazines? Yep. Put one in my hands and I'll read it, but I'm not to type to go out of my way to buy one. I usually end up reading whatever Mom or Dad buys. They read National Geographic, which I love, but not all of the issues interest me. Mom receives RedBook, Home&Gardens, and Vanidades (a fashion mag), and I read those too. Oh, and if I see my brother's Gaming Mag lying around, I'll glance at it. I used to buy a digital design/drawing mag called ImagineFX, but since they closed Borders I can't find anywhere else that has it. 
So! What do you guys read?

Musing Mondays (44) &It's Monday! (40)

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 This week’s musing is…

What are you currently reading? Is it any good? Would you recommend it?

Haha. Well I'm sort of in between books right now. Still raving about Dearly Beloved, which I finished this morning, and very excited about Before I Wake, which I read chapter one just a few minutes ago. The first I would recommend to any steampunk, dystopia, zombie lovers out there. So far the Gone with The Respiration series has been an absolute treat. Who knew I could fall in love with zombies? I certainly didn't. My only minor complaint is that there's a lot of changing POV's. We get two main characters, one minor character, and two villains. But that's alright, because the way all their stories come together, how it all ties in the end, it's brilliant! The second book I would totally recommend the whole series. I discovered Soul Screamers last year and it immediately won a spot in my top five favorite series of all time. I can't wait to read this 6th book, and I'll be extremely sad when book 7 comes out because it'll be the last one!