Friday Finds 3/15/13

FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased). Hosted by Should Be Reading.

So, come on — share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

The Return Man by V.M. Zito
Published April 1st 2012 by Orbit

The outbreak tore the USA in two. The east remains a safe haven. The west has become a ravaged wilderness, known by survivors as the Evacuated States. It is here that Henry Marco makes his living. Hired by grieving relatives, he tracks down the dead and delivers peace.

Now Homeland Security wants Marco for a mission unlike any other. He must return to California, where the apocalypse began. Where a secret is hidden. And where his own tragic past waits to punish him again.

But in the wastelands of America, you never know who – or what – is watching you.

Yay, zombie apocalypse! Fun for everyone.

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker
Published May 11th 2010 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

In this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie—blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic—can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen’s true love to kiss her awake.

But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn’t possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father’s guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own.

Fairytale rewrite! So there.

Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander
Published May 22nd 2012 by St. Martin’s Press

From debut author Cassie Alexander comes a spectacular new urban fantasy series where working the nightshift can be a real nightmare. Nothing compares to being Nightshifted.

Nursing school prepared Edie Spence for a lot of things. Burn victims? No problem. Severed limbs? Piece of cake. Vampires? No way in hell. But as the newest nurse on Y4, the secret ward hidden in the bowels of County Hospital, Edie has her hands full with every paranormal patient you can imagine—from vamps and were-things to zombies and beyond…

Edie’s just trying to learn the ropes so she can get through her latest shift unscathed.  But when a vampire servant turns to dust under her watch, all hell breaks loose. Now she’s haunted by the man’s dying words—Save Anna—and before she knows it, she’s on a mission to rescue some poor girl from the undead. Which involves crashing a vampire den, falling for a zombie, and fighting for her soul. Grey’s Anatomy was never like this…

I’m feeling like a paranormal read.

Booking Through Thursday – Aug. 2

It’s Thursday! (Thank all the Gods.) So, it’s time for Booking Through Thursday!

Two similar questions this week: Overall, what factor most influences your choice of your next read? What is it that makes you want to read a book by an author you have never read before?

It’s got to have an interesting element that I’ve never seen before. Right now I’m devouring I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga and while I’m not a huge, huge fan of mystery, I had to read this book because of the interesting take on the classic mystery formula and the fascinating male main character. It’s a mystery with a killer’s perspective. That little twist is making for an awesome read. I don’t read much contemporary fiction, I’m more a fantasy girl, so it has to have an interesting hook to catch me. It’s the same when looking at authors. Life is too short to be reading boring books. Books with generic plots or stereotypical characters won’t get a second look from me.

What are some things I look for when I pick up a book? I present you, a mini list!

1) A male main character. A lot of YA books have female main characters but I’ve noticed I have more luck with books that have male main characters. A book with a male main character will have a better chance with me.

2) Does it have a fantasy element? Reading is an escape and the farther I can get from reality, the better. I enjoy fantasy books more than contemporary fiction for this reason.

3) Does this character sound like they’re going to annoy the hell out of me? Female characters often have several behaviors that drive me up the wall. They are avoided at all costs. Same goes for two dimensional males and small, irritating children.

4) Stupid romance? Instant true love just because she’s beautiful and he’s hot? I’ll pass. Thanks.

5) The Comma Rule. Open the book and flip through. Does it look like the author is using commas correctly? Yes? Then you’re good to go. The book is probably passingly well-written.

Feature & Follow – #106

It’s my 1 year blog anniversary and in celebration I’m holding a raffle for a $20 Amazon.com Gift Card. To enter, stop by this post and fill out the form and be sure to include the method you follow me and the username you followed me with if different from log in. I will announce the winner on Monday! For now, it’s Friday and it’s time for Feature and Follow.

Our question this week is: Christmas in July! Someone gives you a gift card for two books (whatever that costs). What two books will you buy?

Well, first I’d buy my current favorite, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. Does the book have to be out now? Because I’d probably wait and buy the squeal, Girl of Nightmares, when it comes out in August. That’s only a couple weeks away. I’m patient. I can wait to buy both at once. If I couldn’t wait, I’d probably get another of Judika Illes’ books. I have several by her and they are all stupidly useful. They keep me from having to sort through multiple books to find a piece of information. I’d probably go for The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World. I like witchy books. I rarely ever buy books, so I’m perfectly willing to just get them from the library. I buy my favorites and any witchy books since I tend to write in them, but otherwise I just use the library. I’m cheap. I know; the horror. If I was independently wealthy I’d buy all the books but since I live alone and work an office job that is not going to happen. Woe is me.

Book Blogger Hop – July 13

I usually pick and choose which Friday blog hops I’m going to do but since I liked this question, I’m also going to do Jen’s Book Bloggers Hop too. I don’t want to spam readers with a bunch of meme stuff. Oh well. You’ll all live, I’m sure.

The question is: How long does it take you to read a book?

Depends on the book. I’ve been known to devour books in an afternoon. A lazy Saturday and the right book and I can be done by dinner. It’s been awhile since I’ve done that though. My recent favorite book, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, took me three days to read. Last year’s favorite Witchlanders by Lena Coakley took about the same. But full-time jobs can do that to a person. I read those during the week. (I don’t like to be caught reading a book at work. It gives the wrong impression. I’ll read back in the lunchroom but even if it’s dead still in the office I won’t read at my desk. I’m paranoid.) Normally, it takes about a week for me to finish a book. Longer if I’m just not that into it. I’ve been trying to read The Night Circus by Erin Morgestern for a month and a half now. It’s not that it’s badly written, it’s beautiful, but it’s just not drawing me in. (shrug)

I normally read books that are just shy of 300 pages and up to 400 pages. Anything bigger has a habit of dragging and I lose interest. I know me. I have the attention span of a gnat sometimes. A book 400 pages long is pretty much my limit. The longest it ever took me to read something was the Lord of the Rings books the second time but that was because the second read-through was for research purposes and I was highlighting and taking notes. I have a whole notebook with information about events, locations, and characters from the Lord of the Rings. That took me several weeks because I was a teen and it was summer. (I have told you all I have an obsessive personality, right? Because I’m crazy like that.)

Also, Happy Friday the 13th everybody!

Musing Mondays – Reading Goals?

Monday and I are not on speaking terms today. I messed up my sleeping schedule Saturday afternoon by taking a nap and then went to bed so late on Saturday night it was actually Sunday morning and ended up sleeping until 4pm Sunday afternoon. So, I’ve been awake for about 12 hours because I couldn’t sleep at all when I tried early this morning. Thus, this post is written in a sleep deprived state. You have been warned. Time for Musing Mondays!

Out question for this week is: Do you have a reading goal for the year, such as __ books? Why or why not?

My blog-iversary is in July, so this New Years was the first chance I had to do a reading goal. I signed up for a couple reading challenges, including the First in a Series challenge. Then I wanted to do a personal book count challenge at the same time. I set my goal for a 100 books read this year. That was about 2 books per a week. I figured if I stuck to my guns I could read 2 books per a week with no problem. Life, they say, had other ideas. I quickly realized I was an idiot and that 100 books was just not going to happen. I dropped my goal by about half and now hope to reach 55 books read this year. As it is, I am woefully behind.

I read in fits and spurts and can sometimes devour 3 or 4 books in a week or languish over one book for the better part of a month. I’m flighty and bipolar like that. I was actually hoping that joining a few challenges would motivate me to read in a steady stream because of the sense of competition and community but I seem unable to change. I have the attention span of a gnat. Or a very small child.

Booking Through Thursday – Ever written a book?

How is it possibly possible that a short week can feel so bloody long! I can’t believe it’s only Thursday. It should be Friday. This is the longest week ever and we weren’t even at work on Monday. (Memorial Day. It rained. I stayed inside and read.) Ugh. There is some sort of time bubble going on here. I know it. However, it is time for Booking Through Thursday! Enough procrastinating! Let’s book it!

Our prompt for this week is: If you could write a book, what would it be about, and why? (Though, of course, some of you already HAVE.)

I’m a wanna-be writer. (hangs head in shame) I have lots of ideas but rarely ever finish things. I do write fanfiction and I’ve finished a great many of those stories. But for every fanfiction story I finish, there are about 3 others languishing as half done or just a nice idea. It’s the same way with original fiction. Every year in November, I participate in National Novel Writing Month. NaNo, for short, is a month long game, I guess you could call it, where writers write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Or at least we try to. I’ve participated the last 5 years and I’ve reached the 50K mark 3 times. These stories are at least half done. But, inevitably, I lose interest or don’t know what to do with it after that and the story will languish in that state forever more. (headdesk) God, I suck…

Almost all of my fiction stories feature witches or some sort of paranormal element or character. During NaNo I’ve written a Banshee story, 3 different witch stories, and one ghost story told from the ghost’s point of view. I have no shortage of ideas; I just lack a drive. Maybe I need a cheerleader? Somebody to crack that whip and make me finish things! This is probably why I’m more likely to finish a fanfiction story than an original story because I post the fanfiction pieces on the internet. Even one comment is pretty much enough to keep me writing something. (See, dear fanfiction readers? Your comments do matter!) All of my stories are fantasy or paranormal.

Why? Well, that’s just how my mind works. I have a very active imagination. (An imagination I wished would slow down because it’s always racing to the next idea before I get a chance to finish with the current idea. I have the shortest attention span and I bore easily.) I read to escape. So the further away from the real world a book can take me, the better I like it. All my story ideas function the same. They are created for the sense of the fantastic and unreal. I don’t read much contemporary fiction for this reason. If I wanted realism, I’d stay here. But here is boring with work and bills and leaking faucets and humidity that is killing my hair. So, I read and write fantasy. As for why I write at all? Well, if I didn’t write at least some then I’m pretty sure my head would just explode and nobody wants to clean up that mess.

Feature & Follow – Pick your cast!

I have a bagel. My Boss has a habit of bringing in bagels on special occasions and the Friday before Memorial Day apparently counts as a special occasion. You cannot buy my love with bagels! You can rent it for a while. But not buy it! Mostly this means I’m not plotting anyone’s bloody death at the moment. The power of bagels. Be in awe. And, now it’s time for Parajunkee and Alison Can Read’s Feature and Follow!

This week: Activity! Dream cast your current read.

Oh, I suck at this. I don’t know anything about actors! I’m currently reading Witch Catcher by Mary Downing Hahn. I’m about half way through it, so I think I’ve seen all the characters.

Elle Fanning as Jen, the main character.

Jodelle Ferland as the fairy Kieryn.

Catherine Zeta-Jones as the evil witch Moura.

There is Jen’s father and the evil guy who’s name I can’t remember. I’m thinking Paul Bettany for either, really. And that’s only because I like his voice. Did you know he’s the voice of Jarvis on the Iron Man movies? Ginger’s have no souls, you know? (smiles creepily) [They have no souls because I stole them all and keep them in little glass jars on my windowsil.] {I should probably get some sleep.}

Book Blogger Hop – Negative Reviews?

It’s Friday, I have only five hours of sleep because the internet ate me last night, and I’m stuck doing phones all day as the regular receptionist is on vacation. This does not bode well for my patience. Doing the phones is annoying and frustrating for me. I don’t like it. I get overtime because I have to be here at 7am because I also answer calls coming from the east coast. That’s right. We get calls for offices and people not even in the same time zone as us. Then I get bitched at when calls go to voice mail because I’m in a different state and can’t actually see if these people are at their desks or not.

Okay, okay. Breathe. Breathe and do the Book Bloggers Hop.

Our question for this week: How do you handle the writing of a negative review?

I believe a good review will highlight both positive qualities and negative qualities in a book. But sometimes a book is just that bad and there’s really nothing you can do about that. I’ve yet to not write a review for a book since I started blogging and I don’t intend to leave off a review just because it’s a negative review. However, I often feel self-conscious because I know that the authors sometimes do searches for their books and then I’ve gotten emails and comments from just readers that have reacted extremely to a negative book review I’ve posted. I’ve been called “mean” and “too negative” for my reviews before. Perhaps they are right but the whole point of having a book blog is so I have a place to share my opinions, both positive and negative. Honestly, I think that people who react like that are wound a little too tight. If I think a book warranted a negative review, then that’s my right. When I write a review I try to be honest, even if that results in a negative review.

Musing Mondays – What do you mean, do with it?

I took a day of vacation on Monday and it was such nice weather that I ended up going out and completely forgetting to do my usual posts. So I’m sort of backtracking here. I wonder if I can post date this? Anyway, I had a wonderful time. I nearly fell into the Missouri River. It wasn’t the first time. I have a habit of clomping around the river bank on nice days. Yeah. It’s time for Should Be Reading’s Musing Monday! (A day late!)

Our question this week is: What do you do with the book before you start reading it?

Well, first I take it out for a nice meal and then maybe a walk through the park if the weather isn’t too hot. If I’m lucky I get a smooch by the end of the night and then possibly a second date. Maybe by the fourth or fifth date we can start with the reading. (My sarcastic meter is set too high.)

With a non-fiction book I flip through it, checking out headings and any lists, graphs, or pictures that are in the book. I check to see if there is any useful, easy to access reference information. I might skim a page or two somewhere in the middle just to make sure the writing isn’t too dry or mind numbing. I glance through the table of contents and the index. Generally making sure I’m not spending money on information I already have or some fluffy bunny’s Wiccan ramblings. I’m not interested in Pagan 101 books, no matter how pretty the cover or something like that.

For fiction books I read the bust jacket blurb and any foreword from the author that might be there. I flip through the book to make sure it’s not written in a style that will drive me crackers. (Letters!) I look at the cover, of course. Then I drive right in. (Afterward I offer the book coffee and a cigarette and see if it would like to cuddle.)

(I’m sorry. My mind is a dirty, dirty place and I can’t help myself.)

Feature & Follow – Vacation Reading?

What would I do without book memes? Never post anything probably. I don’t know how I’m going to get through the day. I have like 5 hours of sleep and I feel like a zombie. I’m going to be useless at work. But, it is Friday! All we have to do is get through today and we’re home free. Plus, it means that today we have the Feature & Follow hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

Our question for this week is: Summer Break is upon us! What would be the perfect vacation spot for you to catch up on your reading & relax?

I’m sorry to say that if I went anywhere on vacation, that reading would probably be the last thing on my mind. I travel so rarely and I have so many places I want to visit that if I did manage to get myself to one of them then I’d be too busy exploring to read. Even if I had just gone to the park or a coffee shop, I’d most likely end up people watching rather than reading. People are endlessly fascinating to me, even if it is sometimes like watching a car wreck. I’m more likely to read sitting on my sofa or out on my deck. I distract easily. Going somewhere to read is counterproductive for me.

As for where I would go? Europe. I’m sure people who actually live in Europe find it nothing special but I want to go to Europe so bad. (I have nobody to go with, even if I did empty my savings account to pay for it. Which I would do in a heartbeat if I had someone to go with!) I want to go to France and Spain and the United Kingdom and Italy and Greece. How about I just start in Scotland and work my way down in a zig-zag pattern? (I also want to go to Egypt, India, China, and Japan.) Ugh! I don’t even travel within the United States and that’s just pathetic.