Question of the Moment: Do you judge a book by its cover? (10)

A lot of people claim that they don’t but I believe that a decent amount of those people actually do. I would like to claim that I don’t, but honestly, I do. There are some books I read regardless of the cover but there are far more that I want to read MORE because of the cover. Take for example The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. I remember seeing the original hardcover’s cover and thinking how boring the cover looks. I don’t even remember whether the synopsis intrigued me or not. Then I saw the paperback version and fell in love. I read the synopsis and I’m sold.

I think that’s why when it comes to me picking out a cover for my novels, I want them to look amazing. Not necessarily for the sake of getting more attention from readers and bloggers, but mostly for myself. It would drive me nuts if my cover picture sucked. Admit it--you would feel the same!


How about you? Do you ever judge a book by its cover or do you focus on what the book is about? Have you ever not picked a book up because of the cover only to discover later on that it is an amazing story? I’d love to hear you weigh in on this!

Question of the Moment: What have you learned from expanding your reading? (9)

When I started Thoughts At One In The Morning, my aim was to focus mostly on Young Adult novels and maybe weave in a few other genres. I would occasionally read Middle Grade and just started getting interested in some Adult Fiction and Chick Lit. At the beginning of 2012, I set out to read more Classics. I even expanded into the (not quite recognized just yet) New Adult genre. It has its similarities to YA, but definitely more along the lines of Chick Lit. There are some that I imagined were like New Adult but turned out to be much closer to Adult Fiction.

If I take a look at all the above, how I feel after reading in these different categories, there is one conclusion. I prefer Young Adult over all of them. Don’t get me wrong, there are pros for the other genres, and I do find certain novels held a special appeal to me. There’s just something more appealing about YA-maybe it’s due to the innocence of it, less swearing and sex. I can focus more on the story and the character, instead of cringing when the character can’t stop dropping the F-bomb. This doesn’t mean I won’t venture out and read the occasional Chick Lit/New Adult novel. I just think I’m going to be more cautious as to which ones I decide to pick.

How about you? How has your reading expanded through the years? What kind of genres have you learned to love? Which ones have you decided aren’t for you? I’d love to hear your reading story!

Question of the Moment: What do you think about book banning? (8)

I have discussed before last year about book banning-thinking from the perspective of people on the other side and the irony of banning a book. My thoughts on the matter is, to put it plainly, that it irritates me. I just find it so strange that one person (or a group of people) can go around dictating what should and shouldn’t be read. It’s ridiculous to see children and adolescents deprived of a book containing a strong message. Every time Banned Books Week comes around, all I can think of is Laurie Halse Anderson’s poem, and I nearly start crying. The gist of it is this: The words penned in certain books can have an enormous impact on the ones who read it. You can see her read it in this video on YouTube.

I understand where these parents and adults are coming from. Some of these books can be explicit and talk about very heavy subject matter. They may not think their child or teen should read it. And that is fine. It’s when you force your choice to be a rule, thereby removing the book from the hands of the rest of the children and adolescents. Do what you wish with your own children. Don’t keep that book away from other children.

How about you? Do you think books should be banned? Have you read any banned books? What do you think about Banned Books Week? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

~Jessica

Question of the Moment: What do you think of books written in verse? (7)

I started writing poetry in my early teens. I have continued to do so down to today. Not only did I love to write it, I also loved to read it. Of course, until more recently, I hadn’t read much in my life, but I did enjoy everything I did read.

Then I discovered there are books written in verse. I was beyond ecstatic. I never imagined anything like it was available. After reading a few of them, I got so excited about trying to do it myself with one of my old story ideas. It didn’t go so well. Writing a book in verse takes a lot of thought to the choice of words and placement of them. What came out for me was more like second grade rhyming poetry. I’m hoping someday to write at least a short story in verse. Until then, I’ll just sit back and enjoy great books written in verse.

Have you ever read books written in verse? What did you think of them? What are your favorites? Have you ever written a book in verse or wanted to? Tell me all about it!

For those who haven’t had the chance to read a book written in verse, here’s a short list of YA authors that write in verse, and some specific books to check out sometime to try one. Also, check out this list of Novels In Verse on Goodreads.

Authors:

~ Ellen Hopkins

~ Sonya Sones

~ Lisa Schroeder

~ Stephanie Hemphill

Books:

~ Defy the Stars by Stephanie Parent

~ Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

~ Jinx by Margaret Wild

~ Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams

~Jessica

Question of the Moment: Do you go on book buying bans? (6)

Every time I put together my monthly book haul I always think about how ridiculous it is. Here I am, gaining more books per month than I am able to read. This, on top of the already gigantic pile of books from months previous. Where is the logic? Sure, I can say, “At least I have something new to pick up at all times,” but I’m still a bit frustrated.

I began thinking it would be a good idea for me to go on a book buying ban. My problem there is the eager anticipation of awesome books coming out soon (plus a couple I’ve just discovered). I’m considering a semi-book buying ban where I only buy the few books I’ve been waiting for forever.

Which is why I find myself staring at a cart of five awesomely awesome books waiting out the results of the harsh debate going on in my head.

How about you? Have you gone on a book buying ban? Why? If you haven’t, do you think you’ll ever go on one?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!

~Jessica

Question Of The Moment: Why haven’t I read you yet? (5)

Ever find yourself standing in front of your bookshelves or scrolling through your ereader… only to realize you haven’t read several books you were so excited to receive? I’ve been going through this often lately. I have a short list of books I need to read first (like NetGalley books, for my classics challenge, a couple recent releases for review). Yet it seems like every time I finish that list, I still end up not reading the ones I intend to read next.

It makes me wonder why this keeps happening. And if there’s any way to help taper down the to be read list. Maybe I need to have willpower… focus on a goal. Part of the problem with this is that I have so many books. And keep getting tempted with ever more every day. Especially when they throw out great ebook deals. VERY ESPECIALLY.

Do you ever face this predicament? Ever been so excited for a book that you buy it and somehow forget to read it? Are you like me and can’t hold yourself back from taking advantage of bargains? Is there anything you do to help tackle the ever growing pile on your shelves or in your ereader?

I’d love to hear any suggestions and thoughts!

~Jessica

PS:  That is a picture of me pre-blogging with my barely ONE shelf of YA books. Classic.

Question Of The Moment: How bad is your TBR pile? (4)

After seeing it done on the blogs The Book Shop Assistant and Fictional Distraction, I realized there was a necessity in doing this myself. So, I took some pictures.

Here is a picture of my shelves before pulling books I haven't read:

Here are *most* of my YA/Adult fiction novels.

It's a lot of books, but I did remove several of them to sell/trade/giveaway recently. So, how many of these do you think I haven't read yet? (Start placing your bets before you look at the next picture...)

Here is a picture of the books I haven't read yet:

I know, RIGHT?!

I couldn't believe it... The total of books I need to read is 81. EIGHTY-ONE. Of course, you have to take into consideration that I will buy several books in series I'm starting (like Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennen series and the Gossip Girl series). I like to snatch deals on series books when I can. Even if you take down those books, it's still a massive pile. And this isn't even counting the books on my Nook!!

Here's a close-up of the TBR pile:

See anything good in this pile that I am in dire need of reading next? I have a few in mind that I'm going to be taking with me on vacation middle of this month. I'd like to see if you guys recommend the same books. Which ones am I taking with me? You'll find out on a special post the day I leave for vacation. Muahaha!

And for the sake of amusement, here's what my shelf looks like minus the TBR books:

Wow.

It's almost sad to see how many I have read versus haven't read. It'll be something I'll remedy soon enough. I've been slowly making my way through it. Working less helps. Plus my vacation will help too. We all go through this, don't we?

How about you?

How bad is your TBR pile? Does it just get worse and worse or have you tried to keep it down and read more?

Question Of The Moment: Do you spread the word? (3)

As a book blogger, I’ve come to learn how quickly news of a book can spread in the blogosphere. One person posts on their blog about a book they have read. Their readers read this post. Some of them add it to their (oh-so-never-ending) to be read shelf. The whole process repeats itself. It doesn’t take long for many book lovers to hear about a good book.

Outside of the book blogging and Goodreads world, I don’t have many friends that read like I do. Until I started my blog, I didn’t have people to talk to about books. Then not long ago I let a friend borrow the book Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher since I believe the book has a powerful message that everyone needs to hear. She loved it. We ended up getting into an interesting discussion about how society views depression and suicide. It felt good to actually talk about a book with someone I know in person. I let her borrow Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver after that. I hope she enjoys that too so we can continue to talk about books.

How about you?

Do you share the love of a book with friends in real life? Do you give your non-obsessive reader friends a little bit of a nudge to read a good book? Do they ever read it?

~Jessica

PS: I thought I had scheduled this last week, but I didn't because I had not found a picture yet. *facepalm* Anyways...

Question Of The Moment: Do you ever reward yourself? (2)

In the middle of my massive room organizing slash cleaning, I found myself needing to do something fun. I wanted to keep reading my current book. At the time, it was Divergent, and OMG every time I picked it up I didn’t want to set it down. Yet I couldn’t stop my project. Especially since I’m actually relatively motivated to do it. And, trust me, when the motivation comes along, I need to jump on it before it is gone.

I started a system: Every time I completed a task, I rewarded myself with either a chapter or two in Divergent or a little bit of writing or reading a some of a magazine. But mostly the book reading. It was a strong motivational tool. And a necessary one because if I don’t keep up with my reading (due to either the room thing or my writing WIP), I’m going to fall behind. And who wants to fall behind on reading such good books?

How about you?

Ever have something you need to do when you really want to finish a book? Have you ever done a reward system to get yourself motivated to do something?

Question Of The Moment: Do you want to quit reading challenges? (1)

I started to write an article earlier this year about how some reading challenges aren’t challenging. When I originally went about picking the reading challenges I wanted to do, I picked out types and levels of books I was planning on reading already.  So, it wasn’t a “challenge”, it was just signing up to reach a goal I knew I was going to reach anyways.

At this point in the year, I am on time for my reading challenges. I’ve got several under my belt. Which is all well and good, but I’m kind of annoyed at the moment. Why? I look at my plan for the year, and the little wiggle room I’ve allowed myself when it comes to my total for the year. Sure, I can read these books I’ve challenged myself to read.

I know I can do it, I just don’t want to do it.

Of course, I’m still going to keep plugging away at my Classics challenge because it really is challenging and I like that, and, well, it’s MY challenge after all. The E-Book challenge isn’t that hard either. The books I’ve chosen to read for it are ones I’ve been aching to read. And reading The Complete E.E. Cummings is enjoyable in between the books.

But when it comes to the TBR pile challenge, I want to throw something at the wall. Yeah, I want to knock out some books that have been sitting on my shelves for awhile. The ones I’ve read so far have made me feel like I’ve gotten somewhere. My issue lies with the fact that I challenged myself to read 21 books on my shelf. That’s almost half of the reading I’ve allotted for myself this year. Take out the other challenges (10 for E-Book, 8 for Classics), and that leaves me with 12 books that I can read otherwise. I’ve already used up 3 of those freebies in the beginning of the year, leaving me with 9 books that don’t count toward challenges.

Why is this a problem?

I’ll give you some examples: Pandemonium (Lauren Oliver), Insurgent (Veronica Roth), The Evolution Of Mara Dyer (Michelle Hodkins), Heat Wave (Richard Castle), Catching Fire and Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins), The Babysitter Murders (Janet Ruth Young), Catching Jordan (Miranda Kenneally), Don’t Breathe A Word (Holly Cupula)…

These are books that came out/are coming out this year (first three), I purchased this year (the next five), or I received an ARC of this year (last one). Add them up, and what do you get?

Nine.

As you can see, that accounts for EVERYTHING this year. It doesn’t include any other books I purchase this year. It doesn’t include any books I decide to borrow from the library. It doesn’t include any ARC’s or review request books I get asked to read.

Can you see why I’m annoyed?

For a few weeks, I told myself, “Just keep going on the TBR challenge. You can make it. You don’t want to fail, do you?” I’m the type of person who doesn’t like failing when I don’t have to, so I reluctantly kept reading what I had to. But that just made me feel worse and less inclined to read. Until the day I thought to myself, “Does it really matter if you don’t complete a challenge? Or if you just drop out of the challenge entirely?” I mean, it’s just a linky you wrote your name on. Who cares if you quit? Nobody. Are you going to be listed as a challenge dropout or failure somewhere on the internet? No.

So, I’ve decided I’m going to just let it all go and see where the year takes me. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable. There are certain books that you just aren’t in the mood for. You shouldn’t read them because you feel obligated to. This isn’t school. It’s your free time.

How about you?

Have you ever wanted to just give up on a challenge? Have you ever felt overwhelmed with a challenge? Did you quit the challenge? I want to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

On My Mind, Question Of The Moment, & Inspired Creations

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/01/28/dude-4/

When I was thinking about the end of this month coming and getting my blog back to normal, I came up with a few ideas. Okay, I already had the ideas, but I came up with a different approach. Originally, I wanted to just do some random and bookish and fun posts. Now? I want to make them into mini personal memes. Not necessarily always weekly or monthly memes. More like, sometimes on certain days, but sometimes when the mood strikes me. I may change my mind about that later, for now, I want to be flexible and see where it takes me.

Below are the ideas I want to do. Read about them. I'd like to know what you think!

"On My Mind"

The idea behind "On My Mind" is just that--talking about what's currently on my mind, bookish or not. If I'm having an obsessive day (regarding Gossip Girl or Castle), I'll talk about my obsession. If I've discovered a new band or can't stop listening to a song, I'll share a video of it. If I've been thinking about a certain reading or writing issue, I'll talk about it. There are just those times when I want to go off on something I like or don't like and just write something completely off topic.

"Question Of The Moment"

I write a lot of articles about writing, blogging, and reading topics. I want to also do some mini segments, posing questions that are book/writing related, give a short answer, and open it up for my readers to answer. Sometimes I just sit around wondering what other book lovers and writers think, and this seems to be a little way to find out. Don't worry though--I'll still have my longer posts on different bookish topics.

"Inspired Creations"

Remember when I guest posted on Alison Can Read with Twilight Inspired Jewelry? I had so much fun putting that together that I want to make more of them. Etsy is completely full of all things handmade and inspired. I've got some possibilities in mind, book series related and otherwise. I love to look through all those things, and sometimes I get tempted enough to buy them. Maybe I'll even be inspired enough to make some things too.


So... what do you think? Do they sound fun to you?

~Jessica