Book Blogger Hop #4 (7/15 - 7/18)

HAPPY WEEKEND, EVERYONE!!

This is a very interesting book meme!

It's hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books,

and runs every week,

from Friday to Monday.

Be sure to check out her blog for

the hop participation rules!

This week’s question comes from Veronica who blogs at:

Read Books, Have Fun

 

How/Where do you get your books? Do you buy them or go to the library? Is there a certain website you use like paperbackswap?  

My particular 'brand' of book addiction dictates that I must own a book I think I will enjoy reading.  Therefore, I stopped going to libraries a very long time ago...it was just too depressing for me!  The thing is, I would take out a book that looked interesting, go home, eat it right up, and promptly fall in love with it.  Then would come the dreaded day that I would inevitably have to return it to the library, if I didn't want to incur a fine.  Throughout the years, I did have to pay some rather high fines, because I would procrastinate on returning beloved books.  So, one day, I decided: no more libraries for me!!  I then started haunting used book stores, but, since I'm very, very picky and finicky about my books, I would only buy those in nearly pristine condition.  (I was an impoverished college student at the time, but I managed.) 

I 'graduated' to regular bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders when I began to earn my own money working full-time.  

When I got into the Internet, I discovered Amazon and eBay, and those are the main sites I do most of my book buying on.  They have excellent prices!  Also, eBay has the added advantage of selling books in lots of several volumes, again, at very reasonable prices.  I recently bought the Evernight series, by Claudia Gray, listed as being in 'very good' condition, and was pleasantly surprised to see, when I received the books, that they looked to be absolutely brand new!  To make my day even more, I won them at auction by sniping at the very last minute!!  (Excuse me, but I have to pat myself on the back.)

Other sites I go to are Alibris, Abebooks, and, of course, The Book Depository, which, as all of us bibliophiles know, has free international shipping!!!   From time to time, I will also visit Powell's.

Oh, and of course, I don't visit any book-swapping sites.  I neither lend nor borrow books.  Once they're mine, that's it.  I'm very possessive about my treasures!  Lol.

I have continued to visit actual bookstores, too, even though I do buy a lot of books online.  However, nothing beats the absolute pleasure and joy of walking into a real bookstore and seeing all those shelves full of books!!!  And then there's the blissful, timeless thrill of walking around and browsing, until a book (or books) call out to me, and I know I will give them a good home...sigh...oh, such happiness...

So I still go to Barnes & Noble, as well as Borders.  There's also a local, indie bookstore I love, here in Miami, called "Books and Books".  And that's a perfect name, too, because they have books, and books, and books!!!!! 

One very important reason to go to a real bookstore, aside from the lovely pleasure of handling books, is the events.  At Books and Books, as well as B&N, they host author events.  An author will come in, present their book, take questions from the audience, and then sign the book for those who have decided to buy it.  These events, while fascinating to me, are also a bit 'dangerous', because I will usually be unable to resist buying a book that will cost me at least $24.95 and up, just so I can have the author's signature!  So that means I will spend more money than I'd like to...

Oh, and last but most definitely not least -- I only buy print versions of books.  I totally refuse to read or buy ebooks, since I prefer to handle a book, smell the paper, lovingly turn the pages, and admire the cover.  If I am madly in love with a given book, I will even hug it tightly for a few seconds whenever the love madness gets a hold of me!!! 

Hope you all have fun blog-hopping! 

Enjoy a book-filled weekend!! 

Book Blogger Hop #3 (7/8 - 7/11)

HAPPY FRIDAY, EVERYONE!!

This is a very interesting book meme!

It's hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books,

and runs every week,

from Friday to Monday.

Be sure to check out her blog for

the hop participation rules!

Things are a little different this week!

Jennifer has posted, not a question,

but a surprise "task"!

Check this out!

Jennifer says:

This week’s question isn’t a question at all! I thought I would do things a little differently this week and give all of you a chance to promote a giveaway (or two!) from the blogosphere.

The catch?

IT CAN’T BE YOUR OWN GIVEAWAY!

Gotcha!

You have to find another blogger who is having a giveaway and promote their giveaway for them! If possible, promote a giveaway from a blogger doing the Hop (hey, you are visiting other blogs anyway, right?). Have fun with this one!

It’s not an easy task this week!

Well, this is certainly interesting, since I have been doing this very thing, from time to time,on this blog!  I figure it's a nice gesture, even if one has not entered the giveaway one is promoting.  So, in response to this 'task', I have decided to promote the following giveaway:

This is the original giveaway/hop

button, and it looks as if the

giveaway has already ended.

But...

Over at Lindsay Writes, the giveaway

will go on until July 15th,

and it's for a great cause, too!!

For further details,and, of course, to enter,

 just click on the link above to visit Lindsay's blog.

Here are some of the fabulous prizes,

with more being added daily!!

A signed copy of Ashes, Ashes

by Jo Treggiari.

A signed copy of Inside Out

by Maria V. Snyder.

,

A signed copy of Texas Gothic, plus swag,

by Rosemary Clement-Moore.

A signed copy of City of Bones,

by Cassandra Clare.

Signed Mistwood swag, plus mini posters,
from author Leah Cypess.

There are many more prizes!!!

If you can donate to the fight against cancer,

Lindsay provides links to do so.

You will get extra entries if you do!!

So head on over to Lindsay's blog,

and participate!

Also, please spread the word through

posting on your blog, Twitter,Facebook, Goodreads, Shelfari,

and any other site you visit

on a regular basis.

Thank you for your support!!!

Good luck to all who decide to enter!!!

Book Blogger Hop #2 (7/1 - 7/4)

This is a very interesting book meme!

It's hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books,

and runs every week,

from Friday to Monday.

Be sure to check out her blog for

the hop participation rules!

This week’s question comes from Sue,

who blogs at Cookie’s Book Club!

Don't forget to visit her blog and thank her!

“What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?“

Another fascinating question!  This one could easily take up several blog posts, since there are so many factors involved!  However, I will try to be brief, which is not a very easy thing for me...

Different standards should obviously be applied to fiction and non-fiction.  In the case of the former, the most important factor that first comes to mind is the believability of the plot and characterizations.  How easily am I pulled right into the story, forgetting where I happen to be as I'm reading it?  How completely am I able to relate to the characters, especially the protagonist?  If the author doesn't succeed in transporting me right into the book's world, then I will not be able to continue reading it.  If the characters are not three-dimensional people, I won't be able to continue, either.  In fiction writing, as most creative writing teachers and literary critics will agree, the crucial ingredient is the suspension of disbelief.  Without it, the reader will be pulled right out of the story, not into it. 

In creating this suspension of disbelief, the writer must have a plot well-grounded in research.   This is always necessary in writing novels that take place in historical periods in the past, or in cultures that would normally be unfamiliar to a reader.   However, it would also be necessary for those writers using a contemporary setting.  There's always some specialized knowledge that must sound authentic to the reader.  With fantasy and science fiction novels, some research will still be necessary, particularly with science fiction.   An SF writer should usually be knowledgeable about science topics and cutting edge technology, so that s/he can extrapolate into how present-day technology might evolve.

I also believe that emotion is very important in fiction writing.  To me, nothing kills a novel faster than reading a scene which is supposed to have a lot of highly-charged conflict, only to have a character act like some robot, unless, of course, such a reaction is part of his character as written by the author.  Two examples come up -- Mr. Spock and Data, from Star Trek.  While these were originally characters in a TV show, they did eventually end up being book characters, since so many Star Trek novels have been written about these and other characters from the several 'generations' of the program.

Another thing I love in a novel is beautiful, flowing prose, and long, descriptive passages, if these are not overly frequent.  A writer should strike a nice balance between dialogue and description.  Too much of either is not good, but I definitely get quickly bored with novels containing too much dialogue, with very short, terse descriptive passages.  

The following is a major turnoff for me: a protagonist acting in a blatantly cruel, unethical manner.  I can tolerate this in a villain, or a minor character.  If the main character in a book acts in such a manner, however, I can't stomach the book.  This is precisely what happened when I read Wuthering Heights.  Heathcliff is the main protagonist, and his behavior throughout the latter part of the novel utterly disgusted me!   Another example comes from a vampire romance novel I read long ago, by a writer named Nancy Gideon.  I don't recall the name of the book, but one of the main characters, a young woman in love with a vampire, chose that vampire over her own father at one crucial point in the story.  This might not seem like much, except that her father was bleeding heavily after being attacked by this very same vampire.  Instead of tending to him, she chose to go off to the vampire's house with him.  Granted, the vampire regretted the attack, since the girl's father had been trying to help cure his vampirism.  Still, the father was left behind, having suffered a serious wound.  That book died for me right then and there, and I ended up getting rid of it!

Yet another thing that turns me off is a lot of foul language, and pornographic sex scenes.  I can enjoy the latter if tastefully done.  This, for me, means that no body parts are referred to by their vulgar names, nor are any 'kinky' elements such as bondage present.  As for foul language, I can't stand it!!  I particularly detest 'the F bomb'.   I have actually gone back to a bookstore to return a book I have just bought, because it contained this word, as well as other, well-known 'swear words'.

So this covers my likes and dislikes in regards to fiction writing.  I can see I would need another post in order to cover non-fiction writing, but I will stop here.  I can always write a 'literary musing' on the topic.  It seems I might be doing the same thing with fiction writing.  I think I need to really expand on this...

Here are some examples of books I find absolutely riveting: 

The Island of Eternal Love

Daina Chaviano

You can find my review of this book HERE.

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury

You can find my review of this book HERE.

The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien

The Twilight Saga

Stephenie Meyer

You can find my review of the first volume HERE.

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte

 

Book Blogger Hop #1 (6/24 - 6/27)

This is my first time participating in this blog hop!

It's hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books,

and runs every week,

from Friday to Monday.

Be sure to check out her blog for

the hop participation rules!

This week’s question comes from Elena,

who blogs at Books and Reviews!

Be sure to visit her blog and tell her thank you!

"When did you realize reading was your passion

and a truly important part of your life?"

This is a truly fascinating question!  I really can't remember a time that reading was not a passion for me, as well as a very, very important part of my life.  I think I was born with a profound love of books! 

I do recall that one of my favorite childhood stories, which I read over and over in a children's book, was "El Mago Silbador" ("The Whistling Magician").  Mom says that I told her the whole story from memory one day!  I don't know how old I was at the time.  Maybe four or five. 

Another little anecdote Mom has told me is that she didn't need anything other than a Reader's Digest magazine to keep me quiet, back when I was two!  She'd put me in a playpen in the living room, with the magazine sitting next to me.  Then she'd watch me as I carefully opened the magazine, and just as carefully turned the pages, scrutinizing each one minutely.  I'd spend at least an hour in this activity, after which I would fall asleep, the magazine at my side. 

I also remember having lots and lots of comic books as a child.  My favorites were Superman and Mighty Mouse.  I preferred them to dolls!

Then there were the "condensed versions" of such classics as A Christmas Carol, Tom Sawyer and The Prince and the Pauper, which I read in Spanish, since that was my first language.  I also read the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen in Spanish, as well as the fantastic tales of Hoffmann, the author of "The Nutcracker". 

When my family came to the U.S. and I knew enough English, I was able to read Tom Sawyer again, in the original language and full-length version.  I did have some trouble, though, with all those Southern colloquial expressions, since I was about ten at the time. 

I used to love going to the library to take out books, but this delight didn't last long, because the day always came when I had to return a book I had greatly enjoyed reading...  This happened over and over.  Each time I read a book, it became a part of me, so the day of its return was always a depressing occasion for me.  I wanted to keep the book!  So then I started bugging my parents to get me this or that book, for my birthday, for Christmas, or just whenever I decided that I just had to have a particular book!  So it was that I got books like Black Beauty, Little Women, Alice in Wonderland, Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates, Treasure Island, and many others.

I have always wanted to dive right into a novel and just be my favorite character!  I don't much like reality, which I find so boring... 

Somewhere along the line, I got into the habit of taking a book with me everywhere I went.  That habit has stayed with me, too.  If I have to wait in line anywhere, I read.  If I have to sit for a while in a doctor's office, I read.  I even used to read a bit when I was at a red light, but gave that up, realizing I was going a bit too far...lol.

I currently own well over 2,000 books.  I don't know the exact number.  Although most of them are in English, I do have some in Spanish.  I've been meaning to read Jorge Luis Borges for a while, and haven't gotten to him yet...

Books have always been my life!  And, as Borges used to say, I hope Paradise will be some kind of library!

Here are some of my bulging bookshelves!

(And my night table...)