Tuesday, September 8, 2009

My Bookish Habits

Here's another survey type thing I've seen around, most recently at Books By Their Cover. Feel free to complete it yourself. I'd love to see what you have to say!

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
Definitely hardback; They last longer, and I'm more inclined to let them stick around.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
I've never been inside a Borders. There aren't any that I know of in my area. I like my local Barnes & Noble well enough, but it's always so busy. It's hard to relax. If I have a choice, I always head to Books A Million.


Bookmark or dog-ear?
I used to just close the book and flip around to find the page later. I quit doing that after I found a couple of major spoilers. I definitely use bookmarks now.

Amazon or brick-and-mortar?
I like buying off of Amazon because it's usually a bit cheaper, but I love browsing in bookstores. If we had an indie in the area, I'd buy from it, but we don't, so I use Amazon the most when I buy new books.


Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random?
I try to categorize by subject matter after I read the book. Before, it's lying on top of the bookcase in the TBR pile which is currently making the case bend in the middle.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
I like to trade or keep, mostly keep. I give away a few to friends. It usually starts out as a borrow, but I rarely get them back. :P

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep! I don't see why you'd toss it. That's the pretty part.


Read with dust jacket or remove it?
I always have to remove it in hopes of keeping it safe. I don't like books where the dust jacket is torn, so I just stick them in a drawer until I finish the book. Plus, the jacket always tends to slide along the book when I read, and that can get a bit annoying.


Short story or novel?
Novels, for the most part. I like short stories, but when I read a good one, I always want it to be longer!


Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
I've never read Harry Potter. It just doesn't sound like my type of book. I really liked Lemony Snicket. I was in the 5th grade when I started reading them. I think I read the first three before my dreams started getting so bad I had to quit. I'm hoping to pick them up again, though.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I like to stop at chapter breaks. It just makes me feel better.


“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
How about, "Once upon a time on a dark and stormy night."


Buy or borrow?
Buying new books is a luxury, for me. I buy lots of used books at used book stores (That would make sense, huh) and thrift stores. I really like the selection my library has, so I get a lot of books there, as well.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
All of the above. As I continue blogging, I'm finding that book reviews are having a larger impact on my buying choices.


Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
I'm not fond of a completely tidy ending, but tidy is my preference for the most part. I don't like to be left wondering over too much.


Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
I read the most at night, after the day is done, and I can relax.

Stand-alone or series?
There are so many series being started! It's great, but I think I prefer stand-alones.


Favorite series?
There are a bunch of good ones! The Saddle Club, Heartland, Thoroughbred, and Anne of Green Gables are probably my favorites.

Favorite children’s book?
Definitely But No Elephants!. My parents say I used to cry when I listened to them read that book to me.

Favorite YA book?
I love how most of these questions aren't actually questions. :) There are way too many. Recently, Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. I'm still thinking about it, even though I read the book a month ago. :D

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Tales of the Madman Underground was a good book. I haven't seen much of it.


Favorite books read last year?
Gone with the Wind. That's actually where the inspiration for my name came from, although I've been told I resemble Scarlett a bit more.


Favorite books of all time?
I don't know. I think I'm still looking for them.


What are you reading right now?
I'm reading both Nick of Time and Freaks and Revelations. They are both out of my normal choices, but I'm enjoying them!

What are you reading next?
Slept Away by Julie Kraut; I've been wanting to read that all summer, but I just never got around to it. I love summer camp. I don't think my experiences with it were quite so dramatic, though.


Favorite book to recommend to an 11-year-old?
That's kind of broad. What kind of 11-year-old?


Favorite book to re-read?
It's really rare for me to re-read books. I occasionally glance through to go back over my favorite scenes. I have read Pride and Prejudice three times. The first time I read it, I think I was eleven, but it was a really abridged version. I was mad about that, so I reread an unabridged version. Then I read it in eigth grade again, just for fun.


Do you ever smell books?
Sometimes. I think the new ones smell better, though.


Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries?
Other than my own? No.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

In My Mailbox (15)

I could have labelled this The Week USPS Torments Me. I think they're doing it on purpose. It must be a conspiracy. I know for a fact that I have a few books on their way. Oh well. Hopefully they'll come this upcoming week. Patience is not yet one of my virtues. Here's my newest aquisition:


Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange

From Amazon: Amanda Grange's style and wit bring readers back to Jane Austen's timeless storytelling, but always from a very unique and unusual perspective, and now Grange is back with an exciting and completely new take on Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre starts where Pride and Prejudice ends and introduces a dark family curse so perfectly that the result is a delightfully thrilling, spine-chilling, breathtaking read. A dark, poignant and visionary continuation of Austen's beloved story, this tale is full of danger, darkness and immortal love.

This one definitely sounds interesting. I think I'm going to have to get used to the idea. I've read a few other books by Grange, and both were pretty good. I hope this one rocks!

IMM is hosted by The Story Siren.

ABC's of Me

I've seen this meme around, most recently at Sarbear's blog and thought it looked like fun.

Available or single? Single- I've got enough things to worry about without the added pressure of a guy.

Best Friend? One friend specifically comes to mind. I don't easily make friends, but once I do, I like to keep 'em!

Cake or Pie? Definitely cake. My favorites are German Chocolate and Cheesecake. Although Cheesecake usually looks like a pie...

Drink of choice? Sweet tea that's cold but no ice. I don't like ice in my drinks.

Essential item for every day use? I do my schoolwork and blogging all on my trusty laptop. I don't know what I'd do without it.

Favorite color? It's a toss-up between blood red and hunter green.

Google? I google stuff a lot. Sometimes I use Yahoo's search engine and occasionally Dogpile, but Google's my default.

Hometown? I'm still living in it. It's totally country, somewhat redneck. Jeff Foxworthy's jokes definitely hit home. Right now, I can literally hear a bunch of crickets outside my window.

Indulgences? Books and chocolate. Preferrably lots of both.

January or February? January- By the time February rolls around, I'm thinking about Spring too much instead of enjoying winter weather. February's usually colder, though.

Kids and their names? No kids currently. If that ever even happens, that's a LONG ways away.

Life is incomplete without…? Having people you can trust implicitly.

Marriage date? Marriage is a scary thought. I've seen so many fail. I love the fall, though, so probably then.

Number of siblings? I have absolutely none. I'm happily an only child.

Oranges or apples? Definitely apples because I hate the sticky stuff eating oranges leaves all over your hands.

Phobias and fears? I still have this odd fear of the dark. I think something really scared me as a small child, and I've never completely gotten over it. I don't mind it when someone's with me, but I hate being alone.

Quote for the day? Here's my favorite from Napoleon: "Great ambition is the passion of a great character. He who is endowed with it may perform either very great actions, or very bad ones; all depends upon the principles which direct him."

Reason to smile? I'm hopefully going to the beach sometime this weekend!

Season? Fall is my absolute favourite.

Unknown fact about me? I don't think many of my online friends know that I absolutely love riding horses. I have a horse, and Ranger's probably one of my best friends. :)

Vegetable you hate? Brussell Sprouts

Worst habit? I can be very easily annoyed, and I have a bad temper, at times.

X-rays you’ve had? My teeth?

Your fave food? I really like mangos. Oh, and mac & cheese!

Zodiac sign? Apparently it's Cancer? I don't know about that, though.

And now you know a little bit more about me. Feel free to post this yourself! I'd love to know more about you. : )

Friday, September 4, 2009

Create a Cover

I'll be truthful. I had to cheat. My first title was "reciprocate," but when I typed it into Flickr, nothing came up! So, I had to go with the second verb. It reminds me of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Anyway, I like it!


Esther D. Fletcher reciprocate : knot


CREATE YOUR DEBUT YA COVER

1 – Go to “Fake Name Generator” or click http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/

The name that appears is your author name.

2 – Go to “Random Word Generator” or click http://www.websitestyle.com/parser/randomword.shtml

The word listed under “Random Verb” is your title.

3 – Go to “FlickrCC” or click http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/index.php

Type your title into the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.

4 – Use Photoshop, Picnik, or similar to put it all together. Be sure to crop and/or zoom in.

5 – Post it to your site along with this text.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy by Sharon Lathan

Darcy and Elizabeth have gone through a lot because of each other. Misunderstandings have caused much pain. Now, they are finally married and set off on a journey that will last a lifetime.

Although I was very excited to read this book, I was also a bit apprehensive. It's clear that this is a happily ever after tale, and sometimes I can be a bit of a cynic. Could Darcy and Elizabeth really be happy? This book won me over completely. When I read this book I was in the perfect mood and found myself quite happily whisked away on this adventure.

The first part of the novel is simply the two newlyweds getting to know each other. This was my favorite part of the book. During this time, the plot moved along at a slow, leisurely pace. Then, things started to pick up a bit. An antagonist is introduced. You get a feeling something big is going to happen, and it does.

Simply put, this book made me smile. It was fun to see Darcy and Elizabeth get to know each other. They are two bright, intelligent people, equals. It's more of a sequel to the 2005 version of the movie than the book. Lathan goes as far to moving the proposal scene to a meadow, and there is another scene reminiscent of the final scene in the movie. The characters, however, remain true. Darcy is very much Darcy, and Elizabeth is still Lizzy. Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcyis a great start to the author's Darcy Saga, and I look forward to reading the books that follow.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Prophecy of the Sisters Contest Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered! First off, here's a note from Michelle:

This was so much fun! My teenage daughter and I spent a LONG time reviewing the entries, and it was incredibly difficult to choose just one! I easily have six or seven favorites in here... In the end, I chose Spellbound by Lacuna Coil AND Dark Waltz by Haley Westenra. I just couldn't choose one! So I'm giving two prizes! Both songs fit Prophecy perfectly in very different ways, and I thought they were both very original entries. Both songs will be added as Bonus Tracks to the Prophecy playlist. I was torn for a long time between these two and Criminal by Fiona Apple (SUCH a fun song) and My Immortal by Evanescence. Both are great fits for Prophecy, but honestly, knowing what I know about books two and three in the series, I think they'll be a perfect fit for one of THOSE books. *is not a tease*
;)

Anyway, thanks to everyone who participated! I'll be sending Prophecy Prize Packs to BOTH winners as soon as I get names and addresses!
<3

Michelle

So, guys and gals, that makes the winners Kristen, from Bookworming in the 21st Century, and Briana from The Book Pixie! You two should be receiving emails from me pretty soon. Please respond ASAP with your info as well as whether you'd like a DVD of Music and Lyrics or Almost Famous, and I'll forward the information on to Michelle. Congrats!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Super Comments Award

Thanks to Heather from Gofita's Pages for this award. It totally made my day. I love getting comments! I think that's probably the best part of blogging, for me. I'm going to pass this on to:

Sandy from Pirate Penguin Reads
Sarbear from My Life is an Effing Fairytale!

You leave comments made of awesomesauce! :D

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