2015 Goals

I've done some goal lists before and usually they've not worked out, but I am doing one again this year and I am going to be doing my best to keep up with it. I'll be doing monthly updates around the beginning of each month to keep you all posted.

1) I would like to read at least 100 books by the end of the year. I only read 74 books this past year because it's just been taking me longer and longer to read books, which leads into my next goal.

2) I need to read and write at least 2 hours every day. I usually read at least 2 books at a time- one physical and one e-galley. So my plan is to read at least half an hour of each book, a half hour of writing, and then perhaps an extra half-hour of any of those (physical book, e-galley, or writing) each day. I published a short story "Falling" last year in the Best Gay Romance 2014 anthology, which was fantastic, and I'm definitely looking to publish more stories and novels. I think this will definitely help as I need some structure in my reading, writing and blogging life.

3) I came across this TBR Challenge on Twitter the other night and thought it was great. I had been thinking of doing something like this at some point so this is a good motivator. I went around my room and selected a few books.

The Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman- I won this book in a Scholastic giveaway way back a couple months before the publishing date of March 2008. It's signed by Aimee and I was so excited to get it and then never read it. This happens WAY too often with a lot of my books.

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith- I received an ARC of this because I had loved Smith's debut and wanted to read her second book. Obviously, because it's on this list, that never happened. I read her third book (Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight) and loved it and have been wanting to read her more recent books too. She's a wonderful writer- I just need to make the time to actually fit her books in.

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate- I had completely forgotten that Fallen was not Lauren Kate's debut but in fact, this book was. It came out one month before Fallen and I remembered being like "WOAH. How cool!" But perhaps with a runaway success like Fallen, the other book then gets left behind. This was also back when Penguin actually sent me ARCs. So I'm excited to read this book because it sounds so interesting and different from the Fallen and Teardrop series. I've also never read any other Lauren Kate book.

Crowned by Julie Linker- I've had this book a while, which I can't remember how I got. I do however have it signed by Julie, who I really need to get back in touch with because I love her so much. I really enjoyed her debut and was excited to read her followup but it just never happened.

Is He or Isn't He by John Hall- I bought this book randomly several years ago because I really liked the concept and then I never read it, lol. This happens a lot with books I buy since I started blogging. I just have so many review books that it's hard for me to fit in library and bought books.

Candy Everybody Wants by Josh Kilmer-Purcell- I actually requested this book shortly after it was released and then never read it, which I feel terrible about. I've noticed this happens with quite a few books, which is why I've curbed my requesting over the past year or so. And so I make more of an effort to really read the books that I specifically request. This is an adult fiction book.

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay- I actually had a different book here, but earlier this week, there was a kerfuffle about Stacey Jay and the Kickstarter she started, and so I wanted to include one of her books here to help support her. Stacey is one of those authors that I've been on and off in touch with since her debut yet I've only actually read one of her books (The Locket) and she's just somebody I support as she's a sweetie. So I'll be reading this and hopefully also her newest Princess of Thorns (though that won't count for this challenge as it just came out last month).

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin- I got an ARC of this the year it came out at BEA from my wonderful friend Emily because she had an extra copy somehow (and signed even!), which was very sweet of her. And then I never read it. But I have heard such amazing things about the trilogy and it's the perfect time to read it now as all three books are finally out.

Drama Queers by Frank Anthony Polito- I loved Polito's debut and was lucky enough to get an ARC of his second book from Kensington Publishing. But I just never got around to reading it, so I'm excited to fit this into my reading schedule.

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink- Michelle Zink is another one of those authors that I'm supportive of and am in touch with yet have only read one of her books (A Temptation of Angels). I do also plan on reading her upcoming book Lies I Told, which I received an ARC of from HarperTeen last month. Excited to finally start this trilogy.

Hottie by Jonathon Bernstein- This is a bit of a random title as I just came across it while looking through various book drawers. I do remember being excited about this book, so I'm including it (and I also have the sequel too).

Home to Woefield by Susan Juby- I won this from a Goodreads contest because I love Susan's books but I never actually read it, lol. And she has a new YA book coming out this year too from Penguin, as well as a sequel to this book from Harper!

Alternates (of which I have 2, if I decide to not finish 2 of these books) will be decided on a later date. I'll keep you all posted through monthly updates.

So those are my goals. What is everyone else doing? And if you're doing this TBR challenge too, link your list in the comments below!

Meandering Monday- Books I Need to Read

Thanks so much to those who left comments last week giving me ideas for future Meandering Monday posts. Today I'm stealing someone else's idea that I came across on Twitter. There's this really cool Youtube group vlog called Bookish Days and last week, they talked about books that they need to read.

I'll skip over the essentials that I haven't yet read (like Harry Potter, Cassandra Clare, Twilight, etc.) and focus more on other books. Here's my list:

1) A Million Suns by Beth Revis- I read and loved Across the Universe yet I haven't read the sequel yet and the third book is out in just a few short months. This happens way too often. I start a bajillion series but then find it hard to keep up with the following novels with so many new books (stand-alones and starts to series) coming out.

2) Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth- I interviewed Emily a while ago and I've been really meaning to read this book but have been procrastinating a bit due to its length and tiny print (I know, what kind of reader am I?). I love GLBT novels and helping to promote them. I also got to meet Emily at BEA and get a signed book; she was really sweet.

3) Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce- I read As You Wish, Pearce's debut, and have yet to read another of her books. I own all 3 fairytale retelling books, so I need to get on this. I've heard wonderful things about them and of course I loved As You Wish.

4) Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver- I know, I know, how could I have not read this book? Or any of Lauren's other books even though I own all of them (all ARCs except for a Pandemonium hardcover)? I really need to read them because I've heard such wonderful things about Lauren's writing.

5) Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr- Yet another series I have yet to finish. I read and enjoyed the first three books but haven't gotten to Books 4, 5 and the short story collection. Carnival of Souls is on my TBR pile too, but who knows if I'll be able to get around to it? Just so many books to read!!

I'm gonna stop the list here for now. I could go on and on about pretty much every book I own, but that won't happen. How about you guys? What books have you had lying around forever and haven't gotten around to?

Meandering Monday- Need Requests and Questions

OK, so I was trying to think of what I should write about for my Meandering Monday post for today now that I'm done with BEA recaps and the Rift blog tour. I tried to ask on Twitter for ideas, but no one likes me so I got no responses.

Then, I realized why don't I try asking on my blog? So if there's anything you want my opinion on, or a discussion topic you want me to broach, leave it in the comments below. Or if there's anything you want to know about me (like when I did my Ask Book Chic posts), leave it in the comments. I'm an open book, so feel free to ask whatever.

I hope this will help for future posts. Otherwise, I have no idea what I'll do on Mondays. I'm not creative enough to come up with my own ideas! And I can't just keep posting blog entries asking for help. That would get boring.

So please help me out. I'll love you forever. :)

Meandering Monday- Blog Update

This is just a short update that I wanted to post. I've been thinking a lot lately about my blogging, especially while I was at BEA and networking with everyone and talking about blogging.

So you know that I took a break just like two months ago, and I won't be taking another break but I will be cutting back on my posting. My plan is just to post Mon/Wed/Fri with the occasional In My Mailbox on Sunday. Monday will be Meandering Monday still, and then Wed and Fri will be reviews (maybe the occasional Cat Friday).

This week is a bit weird though because I agreed to a blog tour when I still had the previous layout of reviews on Tu/Th/Sat, so this week will have 4 posts. But after this, it'll be on a MWF schedule.

I'm doing this because I need to focus on my writing. I had a plan to be done with two novels (first drafts obviously) by the end of June. As of right now, I am only 11,000 words into one novel most of which was written last year. Because here's the thing, I would say to myself "Oh, once I get ahead in my reviews, I can focus more on my writing." Yeah, I never really got around to that because I was trying to do at least 6 posts a week with 3 of them being reviews.

So I'm hoping that with this new schedule, I can easily be staying ahead on my reviews while also making some great progress on my writing. I'm really excited about this novel (and everyone I tell seems to love the idea too) and so want to keep working on it daily (or at least M-F) until it's done. I'll be doing some tweeting about my writing progress so keep an eye out for that.

Anyway, I hope you'll all continue to keep coming here and commenting. I absolutely love my readers and am very grateful to all of you because you keep me going. It was such a fantastic feeling to have people come up to me at BEA (or recognize me in a signing line) and say how much they loved my blog. Thank you.

Wish me luck!

Meandering Monday- BEA Excitement!

It is 14 days away from the start of BEA and I cannot be more excited. I am counting down the days to these wonderful things:

- Seeing awesome bloggers that I already know in person and meeting new ones for the first time. I can't wait to see my friends Kristi, Susan, Emily, Mitali, and many more, but I'm excited to meet some new people, like the bloggers I'm rooming with! Jess and Kat from Books and Sensibility and Miranda from Just Read! They seem like a great bunch.

- Same as above, but with publicists and authors! There's some great people I've already met and can't wait to see again, like Elyse M. (pub), Ellen Hopkins, Libba Bray, and Maggie Stiefvater, but there's some new authors I'm dying to meet, like Dan Krokos, Shannon Messenger, Becca Fitzpatrick, and Crissa-Jean Chappell. The list could go on and on, but you'll hear about everyone in my recaps!

- Celebrities!! I have a couple celebrities on my schedule to see and I hope I'm able to see them all- Tim Gunn, Chris Colfer, Bob Balaban, and Kirstie Alley! How great is that list? I can't wait, though they put Tim, Bob and Chris at the same time, so that should be fun for me, lol. What were they thinking? I hope it gets changed because that's just silly. Also, I just checked and none of them are ticketed. It will be a MADHOUSE. But fun!

- Getting some wonderful books. I am so excited for all the autograph sessions and opportunities to pick up some great ARCs and finished copies. I have a priority with three publishers Tuesday morning as soon as I get in and they're not necessarily who you'd think. I don't want to reveal it because then everyone else will do it. I can't have that.

- Making connections with anybody I come across. I love it when I find someone in line to converse with about something in common, or when I get to chatting with a publicist about a certain title (this happened with Wendy Mass' 13 Gifts last year). They're small moments, but they mean so much and reminds us that it's not all about who has what coveted ARC but rather that we're spreading the love of books by being here and reviewing the titles we get as bloggers.

- The parties! I actually have something to do each night in NYC and in fact, on Tuesday, I have TWO events! I have to leave the Teen Author Carnival a bit early to head to Little Brown's The Diviners (by Libba Bray) party. Busy night! Monday, I have a Scholastic party to go to and on Wednesday, there's a Blogger/Author Rooftop Party! I'm excited about all of these and will do my best to get lots of pictures. I'm not the best at picture taking- for some reason, I feel awkward doing it, but I am getting better each year.

- The whole experience and BEA IS an experience. It is crazy, rushed at times, a blur, very hard on your feet and back, but it is an absolute joy to be there, at least for me. It's the one big thing I look forward to every year and I can't imagine not doing it.


Anyway, what are those of you going to BEA excited for? What about those who can't go- anything you're excited to hear about from those who go? And if you're not going, definitely check out Armchair BEA. It's an awesome site!

Meandering Monday- BEA QnA!

Here are the questions I've received so far. If there's any new ones (or if anything here is confusing), please leave them in the comments and I'll get to them next week!

Kimberly Sabatini asks "I'm going for the first time!!!! *squee* Hope to bump into you there BTW...but what I'm looking to find out is any tips that you wouldn't know from the web site--your personal go to guide. Anything would be helpful. :o)"

OK well I need specifics because otherwise this could be very long, but here's some tips:

1) Bring water or something non-carbonated to drink because you will need to stay hydrated. It can get VERY hot in the Javits and also outside walking around like to the subway, waiting for a cab, or going to the post office nearby that's cheaper than the Javits post office. :) I plan on bringing some Crystal Light that I bought to have at work but found out I could only drink clear water, so I have nowhere else to use it.

2) Utilize the checked bags area. I usually don't because I don't feel like paying $3/day, don't get THAT many books, and also have a backpack that keeps all my books balanced in terms of carrying. Plus, it's just pretty awesome to be carrying around a ton of books. Until the end of the day when you're very sore (though that will happen anyway, just maybe to a lesser extent). But if you plan on getting LOTS of books, you can bring in a rolling suitcase and check it down in the bag area. They'll give you a ticket so you can get in when you need to and also to pick it up at the end of the day.

3) I mention this below, but I have to mention it more than once. WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES. You will be walking around and standing in lines all day so you should be comfortable. Closed-toed shoes are best because it can get very crowded in the various aisles.

4) Food. You need to have lunch at some point and there are options. You can bring prepared stuff in if you have the capabilities to do so (to my knowledge, there's no microwaves on site or anything). There's also the food courts, but those are usually pretty expensive ($7 for cheese pizza slice and drink; $12 for chicken tenders, fries, and drink- though it's definitely plenty of food), so it may not be the best for those with an eye on their budget. There's also a McDonald's up the road (though it has jacked up prices) and a hot dog vendor that comes by right out front of the Javits and they're the usual NYC hot dog vendors- cheap and delicious!

5) SCHEDULE. Go into BEA with a concrete plan. I do a schedule for each day of the signings I want to go to. There will be some last minute additions with publishers and the BEA Daily Planner (a glossy newsletter) handing out flyers/printing info of book drop times and places. A book drop is when a publisher puts out all their copies of a specific book (usually a lead title) at a certain time and once they're gone, they're gone (though that's not always the case- Bloodlines last year still had PLENTY of ARCs left over). But keep your schedule with you and a pen at hand to make changes, and keep a list of where all your favorite publishers are so you can easily find them for an in-booth signing, a book drop, or just to hang out (if you have time for that).


Anonymous asks "What should business cards contain? Is it too much to have an address on them?"

Business cards should contain your real name (first name and last initial should suffice if you don't want to give your full name on something so public) blog name, URL, what kind of blogger you are, and email address. Optional items include address, Twitter handle, and Facebook page. I have my street address on mine so if a book isn't available at a conference (or they ran out), I can hand the publicist at the booth my card and they can write the book(s) I want on it to send once they're available or back in the office. I also have my Twitter handle on there too. You can see my cards here; I went with fancy because I have an awesome header but your card can be as bare bones or as fancy as you want it. I used Vistaprint.com and spent about $23 total for 500 cards (plus a silver card holder), so it wasn't bad. But I do know that various bloggers do business cards and bookmarks and other fun design-y things, so you can look around for that as well. But you'd better get on it soon for BEA if you want to have them in time!! I did free shipping and it took about 11 days total (2 after actually being shipped), but you can pay for faster shipping if need be.

Brent asks "I have a question: what is proper BEA attire?"

I usually just wear business casual (but on the lighter side of it)- nice dark jeans or khakis, a nice t-shirt (you will get HOT wearing anything else), and some comfortable shoes (very important). But honestly, you could wear anything and it'd be fine, but if you want to be taken seriously, just wear some nice but comfortable clothes that you don't mind being in all day while surrounded by millions of people, lol.


Kat asks "Do people bring their own books to Teen Author Carnival? I saw the author list was released today and I own books by a lot of the authors I would like to have signed. I mean, are there books available at the event?"

There's a bookstore that brings books for purchase and there's usually also ARCs donated by the publishers for some of the authors too though there's a limited supply so make priorities. I usually bring my own books, at least a few I REALLY want to get signed. You'll be bringing home plenty of books from BEA itself, so you don't want to bog yourself down too much right away. Some of the authors are also signing at BEA, so keep an eye out for that too. Here's the current list of amazing authors that will be at TAC!

Meandering Monday- Jessica Spotswood/Miranda Kenneally Signing

Alright, so I am way late in recapping this, partly because of my break in March but also because of my extreme procrastination. The event was held March 10 in the late afternoon at One More Page bookstore in Arlington, VA.

My mom was kind enough to drive and come with me, especially since we had to parallel park, which I am not good at. The bookstore was in a pretty nice part of town and my mom left me at the bookstore to go take a walk around. I was a couple minutes late, but I wasn't the only late one; people were still coming in half an hour after it started.

I came in the middle of Jessica's reading, and then afterward, Miranda and Jessica took questions from the audience and there were some really great questions. There was talk about how YA has changed over the years, why there's such a bounty of female authors in YA (they had no answer, other than that it rocked, lol), and what brought them to YA in the first place.

It was a really nice event and I got my book signed by Jessica and a picture with her, and I wish I'd had money to buy Miranda's cuz I've heard such wonderful things about it. I may have to see if my library has it...

Anyway, something else that was interesting too was that there were a lot of bloggers/writers in the audience, which I didn't realize until after the fact, lol. The only one I recognized was Michelle of GalleySmith but I think the reason it was so well attended is because of the DC YA Mafia, which includes Rick Lipman (who's now represented by my friend Pam!) and many other writers, the full list of which you can find on the sidebar of Rick's website. As you can see, Miranda and Jessica are part of it too. Hopefully someday I can spend some time with them; I had no idea (obviously) that there were so many awesome DC YA lovers! I'm always out of the loop.

Picture 1- The outside of the store, which also had a wine and chocolate corner.
Picture 2- Jessica and Miranda getting ready to sign. Also, whatever book that is in the corner is apparently EPIC!
Picture 3- Jessica and I, with Miranda and Michelle in the background. Also, Jessica has the smallest, neatest handwriting. It's crazy.

Meandering Monday- My Blogging Break

I took a blogging break from mid-February through the end of March. I'm going to restate my reasons here-

1) I was feeling a bit burnt out. In the span of a few weeks, I had started and put away three different books from different genres. That never happens. And it was also different genres, so it wasn't like I was burnt out on just paranormals or whatever. I figured it was time to throw away my schedule (I made a blog post schedule for each month, which included what I'd be reviewing) and just read whatever I wanted to read. There have been so many books I've missed out on because there wasn't time in their release month to cover them. It was sad.

2) I was also cutting it close on reviews. I'd be finishing a book then reviewing it on the same day because I didn't have enough time to get ahead on my reading. I hated that because I'd always be rushing through a book trying to get it done in time. I would rearrange my schedule so that I'd be reading a few shorter books so I'd have more time for the big 400/500 page book I was gonna review. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LONG BOOKS NOW?! I just want a happy medium of like 250 pages. Is that so much to ask?


Anyway, so I spent this whole time catching up on reading but also taking my time with each book. I wasn't rushed, but I did fly through some books because I'd been so excited about reading them. Let me tell you guys: it was AMAZING. Being able to pick anything I wanted, and occasionally even starting books the same day I got them in the mail (like I did with Take a Bow and Underworld), was really great and freeing. No release date constraints. I think I may continue it like this, having a mixture of new and (kinda) old books reviewed on the blog. Plus, since I'm so far ahead, I can read like June releases now which is exciting. :)

The blogging break was exactly what I needed. I was able to sit back, take a breath, and reevaluate my blog and what I post on it. I definitely hope that my blog becomes better because of this break and new approach.

Have any of you taken breaks from blogging, or reevaluated how you structured your blog? Also, any suggestions for me on what I post and my reviewing style, or even just anything regarding my blog? I'm always open to suggestions and ways to improve my blog, so please let me know in the comments or in my email!

Meandering Monday- Sallie Mae

By the title of this post, you can gather that this is not something usually on a book blog. But it's something I've been wanting to write for a while so I figured I'd do it here. I hope you guys don't mind, though I'm sure many of you have strong opinions about this too.

Now, I know very little about student loans, having thankfully not had to deal with them. Believe me, I am extremely grateful that my parents had a plan for college that didn't involve me having to take out loans or anything. I have several friends from college who now have to deal with loans and it makes me sad, sick, and angry that in most cases, it's very hard to bring your principal balance down. It's especially hard when you're dealing with Sallie Mae.

If you don't want to read my full rant, here's the basic idea: Sallie Mae is a horrible, corrupt company that needs to be stopped.

Hearing my friends talk about their experiences with Sallie Mae makes me so angry and I wish I could do more to help them than just being a good listener. I don't truly hate many people or companies because hate is such a strong word. When you meet me, I'm a very friendly, happy guy and I don't like to focus on negativity, so I feel like it's very telling of someone/something when I do get truly angry. It's a very rare sight.

My problems with Sallie Mae are thus:

1) How they still make you pay interest when you're trying to pay down your balance. I don't know if this is how all loans work (and if it does, I think that's just wrong), but it makes no sense. Or, well, it does if you're a corrupt person who just wants to keep taking money from people who are paying you but aren't able to pay their other, more crucial bills or food. I understand interest being tacked on when you're not paying back the loan because they're out of however much they lent you until you pay it back. But I believe that once you start paying it back, the interest should stop so that the balance can go down.

Many college students graduating in the past few years (and those who will be graduating over the next few) are having trouble finding jobs, including myself. It's not for lack of trying, or lack of ability; it's just lack of positions available. Then, even when you do get a job, you have car payments, utility bills, monthly rent, food, gas, etc. to pay for. Where after all of that are you supposed to muster up $600/month to only be able to pay the INTEREST and not the balance? All you're paying is interest and your balance never goes down. There's no way to save because all your money is going to bills and Sallie Mae every month so how are you supposed to be able to actually bring down the actual balance? It sickens me that Sallie Mae is doing this when they know how bad the economy is and I'm sure they get plenty of calls and complaints about this and yet THEY DO NOTHING. It just angers me to no end.

2) They made unemployed people pay an "unemployment fee" to defer their loans. Um... say what now? The entire point of being unemployed is that YOU HAVE NO MONEY. And what little you do have has to go toward gas to get to job interviews and keeping yourself fed and sheltered, not to a rich beyond belief company who just pockets the money. Oh yeah, they just pocketed it. It didn't go toward interest or the principal balance. It was just money they kept. What the heck?! A recent petition with 75,000+ signatures was brought to their attention and they kinda changed their policy, but not really. They're still doing it but instead of pocketing it, they'll put it toward your balance once you've made 6 consistent on-time payments. That doesn't solve anything though- unemployed people still have no extra money to be giving away every three months. It's like they have no concept of this.

3) They are just out of control and throwing their power around because they can. There really needs to be more regulations and rules set on private loaners like Sallie Mae. I don't know why they don't do that. If I were the U.S. president and saw this happening, I would be going to these people and saying "I am enforcing rules now. Deal with it." Why didn't they do that when they bailed them out a few years ago? Like "Hey, here's this money BUT before we give it to you, you have to agree to stop doing these stupid things to your clients.". I'm just surprised no one in power has really done or said anything. I feel like someone should be doing something about this.


I hate this feeling of powerlessness. Whenever something horrible and unjust happens to one of my friends anywhere, I wish I could do something and make things right. Talk some sense into the wrongdoers and show them the right way. It's just absolutely bonkers that there are a lot of people in power who only care about themselves and don't care about the little people. I want to do something, but I just don't know what. Plus, I'm not THAT articulate that I could start something and lead people.

Anyway, that's my big rant. I feel a bit better having written it out but I'll feel much better when change occurs and things are made better for college graduates with a ton of debt. What do you all think? I'm sure you all have opinions. Lay them on me!

Meandering Monday- Retrospective

I don't really have anything for today so I'm just going to post a retrospective. Before I get to that though, I was interviewed by Katie of Katie's Book Blog over the weekend, so check that out and leave a comment please! :)

Now, here's the retrospective-

Monday- I did a fun little survey called Busting the Newbie Blues, which reminded me how much I love answering surveys!

Tuesday- I helped reveal the Don't Breathe A Word book trailer, and Holly Cupala is running a fabulous contest to go along with it, so check it out!

Wednesday- I reviewed The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe, which is out in stores now!

Thursday- I recapped the Incarnate launch party that took place Feb 4 in Harrisonburg, VA. It was a lot of fun!

Meandering Monday- Bad Reviews, GoodReads, and Authors

Blogger note: A lot of this started out as a comment on Maggie Stiefvater's post about bloggers. It'd be best to read that first then come back here (or not, whichever, lol).

So there's been a lot of stuff going around the blogosphere about negative/snarky reviews on Goodreads and elsewhere and also bad author behavior. I'm kinda going to be touching on those things but I'll be mainly focusing on my thoughts regarding reviews and how people post them.

I really liked Maggie's review vs. post (or, as someone called it in the comments, "reaction posts") point and it may be something I need to keep in mind for the future. I got involved with the GoodReads stuff twice (defending the books and authors in question) and it was just a bit stupid to waste time on that when I could've been reading a wonderful book instead. I did also leave a comment on a blog that had been involved in a separate incident that I'd heard about, funnily enough, via GoodReads. I need to know when to just read it (or not even get that far) and then X out and forget all about it and go back to whatever awesome book I'm reading or great friend I'm chatting with in Gmail or Twitter.

My problem with it was that both times, the users in question had a lot of followers on GoodReads and (I guess wrongly) I felt that what they were writing should have been less snarky and a bit more professional. I feel like if you're making a habit of writing a review for every book you read, wherever it is, you should be held to a slightly higher standard than the average joe who writes a "review" every six months. I don't care for snark pieces when it comes to anything (books, music, movies) so it bothers me to see somebody with 600 followers or whatever write something so low-brow. Again, it shouldn't bother me (I'm not even the author!) but it does.

Also, I'm not a fan of writing a full-fledged review of a book you didn't finish- it just loses its credibility for me as a useful review; in the interest of full disclosure, I did write two sentences on Goodreads though about Melody Burning because I didn't finish it, but I'm not going to waste time writing 3/4 paragraphs on it. I'm on to the next book. But I didn't post it here on the blog, nor do I even consider it a real review. I may be alone in this though since it's kind of telling people there's a "right" way to write a review, which I do have strong opinions about (and have even from before I was a blogger).

I think the other thing too, for me, is that I viewed GoodReads as a booklover's haven as opposed to Amazon which is open to everything. I had been told about it by my blogger friends and so thought it was like a collection of great book bloggers' reviews, both positive and negative. That image shattered pretty quickly, but I kinda held on to the hope that it wouldn't be infiltrated by snarky ne'er-do-wells.

What may be at the root of how I feel has to do with having to work so hard to be noticed and respected by publishers. I am not kissing ass by not being snarky or writing mainly positive reviews; these are my genuine thoughts. While I am not necessarily a professional (I put LOLs and multiple exclamation points among other things in my reviews), I do my best to make my reviews and my blog as professional as I can make it. I want to be taken seriously, especially when the publisher is kind enough to send me advance review copies. I mean, we have a blogger convention that's going into its third year, being run by smart, hardworking bloggers and also has authors and publishing professionals taking part in panels and discussions. Seeing snarky reviews, especially of a book yet to come out (which means a publisher sent you a copy), just cheapens the blogosphere and hurts our credibility. Maybe it's just me, but if a publisher sends you an advance copy for review, you should at least have the decency to keep snark out of your review. There is the Golden Rule- "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."- but it should be revised to say "If you don't have anything nice to say, at least say it tactfully."

I pride myself on being a good reviewer and writing anything negative I have to say in a polite, constructive manner. Constructive criticism doesn't stop at the editing stage, like some people seem to think; if the comment is general enough- bad characterization, stilted dialogue, etc.-, authors can take that into consideration when writing their next book if they want. No, you can't change the book you just read but you could potentially help the author get better as time goes on. I do know some authors who look for that in blogger reviews; if something is repeated enough times, they do their best to get better at it with their next book, which I think is a good attitude to have.

In regards to authors getting involved, I don't think it's the way to go. It's kinda like when people get up in arms about something "offensive", all you're doing is bringing MORE attention to it. If you don't want anyone to read or watch it, DON'T SAY ANYTHING (I will tell you that if I'm ever an author, this will be hard for me, lol). Because once you say something, people are drawn to it and then want to see what all the fuss is about. Except in this case, for some people, it may turn them off from reading any of your books and that's losing more potential customers. Personally, I let the book stand on its own away from the author; I do the same with music and movies. If what you write/sing/act is good, then I'm all for it. You can do whatever you want in your personal life. That is not my business.

Please chime in with your thoughts and questions, no matter what they are- good discussion is always needed (plus, there's the new comment system from Blogger so I can reply to individual posts!). I do have comment moderation up (for every post, not just this one), but every comment will be posted.

Meandering Monday- Best Books of 2011 Part 2

Here's the final 5 titles in my Best Books of 2011 list! This is in order of publication date, not by which I liked better because that would be too hard to choose!


Shine by Lauren Myracle
"When her former best friend, Patrick, is found near death, tied to the pump of the local gas station, sixteen-year-old loner Cat is forced into action. The local sheriff blames out-of-towners, but Cat knows someone in their tightly-knit Southern community is guilty of the crime. And only she has the will- and the fury fueled by a still raw wound- to find him."-summary from back of ARC

I reviewed Shine here and also interviewed Lauren on the blog!

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

"Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do."- summary from Amazon

I reviewed The Girl of Fire and Thorns here and it has no comments- go show it some love!!

Amplified by Tara Kelly
"When privileged 17-year-old Jasmine gets kicked out of her house, she takes what is left of her savings and flees to Santa Cruz to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. Jasmine finds the ideal room in an oceanfront house, but she needs to convince the three guys living there that she's the perfect roommate and lead guitarist for their band, C-Side. Too bad she has major stage fright and the cute bassist doesn't think a spoiled girl from over the hill can hack it. . . ."- summary from Amazon

I reviewed Amplified here.

Legend by Marie Lu
"What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets."- summary from Amazon

I reviewed Legend here and also participated in the blog tour, where Marie talked all about Day, one of the two narrators!

and finally, the last best book of 2011:

Don't Let Me Go by J.H. Trumble
"Some people spend their whole lives looking for the right partner. Nate Schaper found his in high school. In the eight months since their cautious flirting became a real, heart-pounding, tell-the-parents relationship, Nate and Adam have been inseparable. Even when local kids take their homophobia to brutal levels, Nate is undaunted. He and Adam are rock solid. Two parts of a whole. Yin and yang.

But when Adam graduates and takes an off-Broadway job in New York--at Nate's insistence--that certainty begins to flicker. Nate's friends can't keep his insecurities at bay, especially when he catches Skyped glimpses of Adam's shirtless roommate. Nate starts a blog to vent his frustrations and becomes the center of a school controversy, drawing ire and support in equal amounts. But it's the attention of a new boy who is looking for more than guidance that forces him to confront who and what he really wants."- summary from Amazon

I reviewed Don't Let Me Go here and also interviewed J.H. on the blog!

and here's the rest of the list of the ones who almost made the cut (with links to my reviews):

1) 13 Gifts by Wendy Mass
2) The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
3) The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
4) Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
5) The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
6) The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
7) Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
8) Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith


Did any of these make your own Best of 2011 list? What other titles did you all enjoy last year?

Meandering Monday- Best Books of 2011 Part 1

OK, so I've finally compiled my Top 10 books of 2011 (I had to narrow it down from 26 titles), in order of publication date rather than importance because I could not do that. Here are 5 of the 10 (with links to my reviews after each one), the rest will be revealed next Monday. I'll also include a list afterward of books that almost made the cut because I want to showcase them as well.

1)
Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart
"Ruby Oliver is in love. Or it would be love, if Noel, her real live boyfriend, would call her back. But Noel seems to have turned into a pod-robot lobotomy patient, and Ruby can’t figure out why.

Not only is her romantic life a shambles:
Her dad is eating nothing but Cheetos,
Her mother’s got a piglet head in the refrigerator,
Hutch has gone to Paris to play baguette air guitar,
Gideon shows up shirtless,
And the pygmy goat Robespierre is no help whatsoever.

Will Ruby ever control her panic attacks?
Will she ever understand boys?
Will she ever stop making lists?
(No to that last one.)"- summary from Amazon

My review can be found here. You can also listen to/watch me read an excerpt from the book here.

2)
Leverage by Joshua Cohen
"The football field is a battlefield

There's an extraordinary price for victory at Oregrove High. It is paid on-and off-the football field. And it claims its victims without mercy-including the most innocent bystanders.

When a violent, steroid-infused, ever-escalating prank war has devastating consequences, an unlikely friendship between a talented but emotionally damaged fullback and a promising gymnast might hold the key to a school's salvation.

Told in alternating voices and with unapologetic truth, Leverage illuminates the fierce loyalty, flawed justice, and hard-won optimism of two young athletes."- summary from Amazon

My review can be found here.


3)
Clarity by Kim Harrington
"When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.

And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?"- summary from Amazon

My review can be found here. I also read an excerpt and interviewed the author!


4)
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
"Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously-and at great risk-documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, and it is only their incredible strength, love and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?"- summary from Amazon

My review can be found here.


5)
I Am J by Cris Beam
""Hola, Jeni."

J spun. His stomach clenched hard, as though he'd been hit. It was just the neighbor lady, Mercedes. J couldn't muster a hello back, not now; he didn't care that she'd tell his mom he'd been rude. She should know better. Nobody calls me Jeni anymore.

J always felt different. He was certain that eventually everyone would understand who he really was: a boy mistakenly born as a girl. Yet as he grew up, his body began to betray him; eventually J stopped praying to wake up a "real boy" and started covering up his body, keeping himself invisible - from his family, from his friends...from the world. But after being deserted by the best friend he thought would always be by his side, J decides that he's done hiding - it's time to be who he really is. And this time he is determined not to give up, no matter the cost."- summary from Amazon

You can read my review here. I also read an excerpt and had the author by for an interview and guest blog!


And now, 8 books that didn't make the cut but were very close (the other 8 books will be revealed next week)!

1) Divergent by Veronica Roth
2) Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern
3) Hourglass by Myra McEntire
4) Withering Tights by Louise Rennison
5) Forgotten by Cat Patrick
6) Wildefire by Karsten Knight
7) Want to Go Private by Sarah Darer Littman
8) Misfit by Jon Skovron

Do you agree so far with my picks? What were your favorite books of 2011? Any guesses as to what books will show up next week?

Meandering Monday- 2012 Reading + Other Goals

Today is just going to be a main focus on reading goals but I did also want to include that I want to write more in 2012. I have a WIP I'm currently working on, and my goal for the year is that I'd like to finish that and maybe even another book. Both would at least be first drafts, though I'd hope to have some time to revise both. If anyone wants to help encourage me and also hold me accountable for when I don't write, I'd greatly appreciate it. Ideally, I'd like to write a bit at least each weekday, like around 500 words (basically amounts to a page). I will do my best to start today and I'll try to keep you all posted on my progress.

Alrighty, back to reading-

I'd like to read 150 books total this year. I made it to 142 books, though I'd hoped to make it to 145 books, but unfortunately, I've had a terrible cold these past few days which made it difficult to really do much of anything. In terms of debuts, I read 43 debuts this year, which is pretty good. I usually don't have goals for debut novels; I just read a bunch during the year and then end up with a number at the end that I'm happy with, lol.

I tried starting some reading goals each month late last year, but I was only able to complete one of two. The first was catching up on the Iron Fey series, but that was easier because I was doing a blog tour for the fourth book so I HAD to catch up in time for that. My December goal was reading the Hunger Games trilogy, which didn't happen.

So instead of doing it by month, I'm just going to do my best to read these series by the end of the year-

Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins (this should be done by time of movie release, which is on my birthday!)
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
Mortal Instruments series by Cassie Clare
Beautiful Creatures series by Margie Stohl and Kami Garcia

Are there any others I should be on the lookout for? As you can see from Harry Potter and Hunger Games on there, nothing is too popular for me to not have read yet, lol.

I think that's all I've got. Does anyone else have any reading/writing goals for 2012? Share in the comments!

Meandering Monday- 2011 Goals

OK so I didn't really make any goals for myself this year. I just left it all open-ended and will be happy with whatever I achieved, and sad with what I've failed on.

Anyway, here's where I'm at with a couple different challenges:

How many books have I read this year? I'm up to having completed 138 books, with three being read right now (Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten, Wherever You Go by Heather Davis, and The Selection by Kiera Cass). I should be done with the first two before I go home on Thursday and will try to finish The Selection while I'm home along with getting through a majority of another book. I'd like to end the year at 145 books, which would mean 4 extra books after finishing the ones I'm reading now.

How many debut books have I read this year? The awesome Kristi from The Story Siren hosts this challenge and it's such a great way of promoting debuts. I've read 43 debut titles and in the middle of another (The Selection- a 2012 debut). I'll probably fit in at least one more after The Selection to make it 45. It's going to be Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith. If I have time for another, it'll be Cinder by Marissa Meyer (I have the month of January scheduled so I know what I'm reading next).

How have I done on my monthly reading challenges? Well, I got caught up with the Iron Fey series in November, so that's a success! The failure is not reading The Hunger Games trilogy this month. I just simply couldn't fit it in and I know there's still time in the month but I really don't see it happening. I might read the first book, but most likely won't. I will definitely be fitting it in before March when the movie comes out though but it's going to be pushing my other monthly reading goals back a bit.


How have you all done with your challenges this year? Have you met them? Exceeded them? Fallen short of them? Is there anything you can do in the next two weeks to get it done?

Meanding Monday- Update on Reading Goals

So I spent some time on Twitter last night and came across Andye of ReadingTeen's tweet about her sharing The Mortal Instruments series with one of her friends. I had forgotten that series existed and I know that tons of people love it, so I'm adding it to my list of reading goals. I will do it in April, after Hunger Games next month, Harry Potter in Jan and Feb, and Twilight in March.

The Harry Potter comment set off an explosion of tweets and discussion. By the time it finished, there were 33 tweets about my having not read Harry Potter and how I should read them (physical or audio). Thanks to Andye of ReadingTeen, Sherry, Gail, and Emily for the wonderful conversation. :)

If there's any other completed series (or even just singular books) out there you think I should read, please leave a comment! There's a ton of stuff I may be forgetting. Also, I'm the guy who has yet to read Harry Potter, so don't be shy about recommending extremely popular series (though keep Meg Cabot out of it because I've read 95% of her books).

As for how my goals are going so far, I finished The Iron Daughter and am now a few pages into The Iron Queen, so my goal for this month seems to be going well though I need to step up how much I read a day. But I do have the place to myself all day later this week, so I'll be using that to focus on reading. While I did like The Iron Daughter, I felt it really dragged in the first third before Puck showed up. Puck really livened things up (along with Grimalkin and surprisingly Ironhouse- love all those caps) and got me more invested in the story. Going in, I really didn't get all the Ash love, hence the slow beginning since it was just Meghan stuck in Winter Court pining over Ash. But at the end of Iron Daughter and now reading the beginning of Iron Queen, I'm seeing it a little more. But I do think I'll always be Team Puck. I mean, he's just so awesome, funny and hot! So if Meghan doesn't want him, I guess I'll take him off her hands. :D

What did you all think of Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa?

Meandering Monday- Reading Goals

So last week on Twitter, I made the decision to start doing some reading goals. If you watched last week's IMM vlog (not yesterday's), I talked about this a bit. Now, while I do read a ton already for review, I decided to make some extra monthly goals for myself. I may or may not review the titles, depending on how far ahead I am with my reading schedule. But I wanted to read books that people have been telling me to read for a while now, and that I've wanted to read for a while now. Here's what I have so far:

November- Read Iron Daughter, Queen, and Knight by Julie Kagawa. This came about because I'm part of a blog tour for Iron Knight and my posting date is Nov. 29. I read and LOVED The Iron King but have been slacking on reading the rest of the books- they came out so quickly! I own all four books.

December- Read the Hunger Games trilogy. This may happen a little bit in November since the books came into my library sooner than expected, but the main reason behind this, aside from being the last person on Earth to read them, is because the movie comes out on my birthday next year. So it just seems fitting that I need to get on reading them before the movie is released.

After those two, I felt the need for more monthly goals. Those just kinda came up randomly, but now I'm filled with purpose. So I did January-March:

January- Read Books 1-4 (or at least halfway through 3) of Harry Potter. This is another series that I never got around to, my reason being that I was "too cool" for them which then morphed into "I'll wait until all 7 are out so I avoid cliffhangers." but by that time, I'd started this blog and had no time to read seven 400+ page books amid all the review books I had to read. But now I will make an effort.

February- Finish Harry Potter series. I may also rewatch the movies too along with it. That would be cool, wouldn't it? Especially since I'm not one of those people who cares about the changes made from book-to-movie.

March- Read the Twilight series. I'm sure many of you will warn me off this but I'm gonna do it anyway. Or at least try. I've been watching the movies (well, I saw the first two) so I should read the books and see what my opinion of them is.

I don't know where to go after this so if anyone has any suggestions, leave them in the comments. I may do a month where I catch up on various series like the Gallagher Girls and Hex Hall, but we'll see. I might post my thoughts on these books too as I read them if you guys want to read them. I'm in the middle of Iron Daughter now (well, done with Part 1) and I'm not enjoying it as much as The Iron King, though it seems to be getting better with the appearance of Puck who brings in fun and hilarity! What did you all think of The Iron Daughter? Do any of you have your own reading goals outside of reviewing and your blog?

Meandering Monday- Jon Skovron signing recap

The other day, I made the small trek to Richmond, VA to see Jon Skovron talk about and sign his new novel, Misfit, which I reviewed on the day of the signing. Susan of Wastepaper Prose and I had made plans to hang out with Jon beforehand at a really cool diner called The Village Cafe. It was an awesome time, even though I got a bit lost and arrived late. We chatted about a bunch of things- what we were reading, TV shows, the importance of blurbs on books (Jon was actually reading an upcoming book to give his first blurb to), among many other things.

When we finished at the cafe, we all took our separate cars over to Fountain Bookstore and the signing got started after a bit. It was a small turnout- 4 other people as well as Susan and I- but it was nice to have an intimate setting because there was some good back-and-forth talking and discussion of Jon's book and all the mythology behind it. I also found out that Misfit could be the start of a trilogy, though it stands pretty good on its own, in case the other two books don't happen.

Once the talk and QnA was over, Jon got ready to sign some books. I went up first and Jon was kind enough to give me several of the Misfit bookmarks and postcards he had brought to give out, so if you get a package from me, I'll be including those. They're really pretty and I love how Jon did them. After he signed my book, I chatted with Susan for a bit until the other people left. Susan was kind enough to take a photo of Jon and I, and Jon wanted to try a certain expression for the photo. He chose serious, but he doesn't seem to be doing a serious face; he may have still been telling me not to smile, lol.

After my photo was taken, I took one of Susan and Jon. They did two expressions- mean and then extremely happy. Obviously the one I'm showing is the extremely happy one. When that was done, we all got ready to head out; Jon and I had two hour drives ahead of us, and Susan had plans for the evening. But that didn't stop Susan and I from chatting for a few minutes at our cars about books and blogging. She was also kind enough to give me her extra copies of Without Tess by Marcella Pixley and Between the Sky and the Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore, both of which I'm really excited about, especially Jaclyn's because I loved Magic Under Glass and have been eagerly waiting to read this for over a year now (she told me about it at ALA last summer). All in all, it was a really fun day and I'm so glad I was able to go.


All photos courtesy of the fabulous Susan from Wastepaper Prose.

Meandering Monday

I'm getting ready for my first day of work, which is tomorrow (eep!), so just a few links today of stuff I've been participating in:

Emily's Reading Room has been running this really cool feature called Blogger Confidential, the idea for which she got from my friend Susan of Wastepaper Prose and her awesome Author Insight series. It's basically bloggers talking about blogging and reading issues! There's been three posts so far- an introduction of the bloggers, how we define success, and the latest, which is all about blogger behavior. There's still quite a few questions left, so keep checking back for new posts!

A wonderful new blogger Grace of Words Like Silver asked to do an interview with me and of course I said yes! You can read the interview now and see my thoughts on blogger entitlement, my reading style, blogger/publisher relationships and my cats, among many other things! While you're at it, check out the rest of the blog- it's really good!

Also, today's the last day to enter my Forever contest, where two winners will receive a copy of Forever by Maggie Stiefvater and a Forever keychain. I've been using my Forever keychain even though I only have three keys and I love it!! The contest ends tonight at 9pm EST!

Wish me luck on my first day!!

Meandering Monday- PAYA Festival!

So last year, I went to the first ever PAYA Festival, which is all about bringing YA to PA and helping out their libraries, and it was started by Harmony, a fellow blogger. It was amazing and a ton of fun! I'm really hoping I can go this year but it really depends on a lot of things, so we'll see what happens.

If you're anywhere near PA, definitely consider going. There's going to be a writing workshop, book signings, food, raffles, and a ton of book-ish people to mingle with! Here's a partial list of the authors:

Josh Berk (Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin)
Cyn Balog (Fairy Tale, Sleepless, Starstruck)
Jeri Smith-Ready (Shade/Shift)
A.S. King (Dust of 100 Dogs, Please Ignore Vera Dietz)
Dianne Salerni (We Hear the Dead)
Shannon Delany (13 to Life/Secrets and Shadows/Bargains and Betrayals)
Shelena Shorts (The Pace/The Broken Lake/The Iron Quill)
Ellen Jensen Abbott (Watersmeet, The Centaur's Daughter)
Alissa Grosso (Popular)
Jennifer Murgia (Angel Star/Lemniscate)
Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman (Sirenz)
Sarah Darer Littman (Purge, Life After, Want to Go Private?)
Amy Holder (The Lipstick Laws)
Keri Mikulski (PrettyTOUGH series)
Chelsea Swiggett (Rae)

and there may be a few others joining in too! If you want to RSVP and learn more about it, go to the Facebook page and look around! It will be happening on Saturday, August 27 from 12pm-3pm in West Chester, PA. Check the Facebook page for the exact location.

To prepare for the festival, I'm reviewing a book from the festival every week in August until the festival is here. So keep an eye out for those- they should be happening every Thursday! If I forgot anything, leave your question in the comments and I'll answer it there (and update this post).