On Being a Writer & a Reviewer

Lately I've seen quite a few posts on the the subject of aspiring authors reviewing books. Some say that it's no big deal, while others say that it's just not a good idea and it could possibly come back to haunt you. I've taken all this advice into consideration and have decided to tweak the way that I review books.

When I started this blog, I kept my ultimate goal to be published in the back of my mind. I decided if I wanted to review books that I would not post negative reviews. If I don't finish a book, I don't review it. It's pretty rare I hate a book, but if I do, I give it one star on Goodreads and Librarything and move on. I've done two book reviews of books that I thought were only 'meh', but I still found something positive to talk about in each case. I'm honest in my reviews, but I think someone would have to be pretty nit-picky to find anything harsh. I've always tried to imagine myself in the author's shoes when I've written reviews.

That said, as of right now I'm reviewing 99% of the books I read. Because I do research on titles before I read, I do like most of the books I read. But having said that, I've decided that I will stop reviewing books that I just like, and any book I review will be books that I really enjoyed. I'm also walking away from a starred rating system. So, in a nutshell: if I'm writing a review of the book, it means I enjoyed it enough to discuss it. I really do enjoy writing book reviews and I'm not ready to step away from it, but this way I feel that I guess I'm covering my butt a bit more. In all honesty, my book reviews receive a lower hit count than my other posts, so it's not a huge deal to me to not review as many books.

When I get serious about becoming published (sometime in the next year or so), I'll probably stop reviewing books all together. I would really hate to find that some book review I wrote in 2010 would affect my chances of publication in 2012 or beyond, but as of right now I'm not really willing to take that chance.

What are your thoughts on aspiring authors reviewing books?

In My Mailbox (23)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event held by The Story Siren. I've made a vow not to buy any more books until I get my physical TBR pile down, so I probably won't be doing IMM as often, or so I'm hoping. We'll see if I can stick to it!

Purchased:

I

Flip this Zombie (Living with the Dead) by Jesse Petersen.

From Scholastic for an upcoming The Teen Scene blog tour:

The Midnight Tunnel: A Suzanna Snow Mystery by Angie Frazier.

Won from Librarything Early Reviewers, sent thanks to Dutton Books:

 Where She Went by Gayle Forman, with bonus Anna & The French Kiss bookmark!


From Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab:

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz & A World Without Heroes (Beyonders) by Brandon Mull.

For My Nook:

Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1) by Angie Sage & Night Shift (Jill Kismet, Hunter, Book 1) by Lilith St. Crow. 

I also got one e-book from the library:

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff.

That's it for my mailbox, what was in yours?

What are Your Reading Habits?

Once upon a time, I read only one book at a time. Sometimes two. One fiction book that I'd take with me to read while I was commuting and perhaps a non-fiction book of interest to keep on my nightstand. Since I started book blogging, that number has increased exponentially. I started off reading two books at a time, and occasionally three books. Once I got my Nook, that number doubled. Now it's the norm for me to read four books at a time, and sometimes even five or six. That's one of the benefits of an e-reader, I love being able to switch back and forth between books so easily.

My mother has kept a book journal for years, and routinely reads at least one hundred books a year. I used to make fun of her for reading six or seven books at once. She has her upstairs books, her downstairs books, and her bedside books. Now I find that I really am my mother's daughter. I've finished nine books so far in January, so it looks like I might be on tap to keep up with Mom this year! I don't have a set number that I finish a week. Some weeks I may not finish any, while this week so far I've finished three books.

How many books do you read at once? How many do you usually finish a week? Do you set reading goals for yourself?

Review: The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

The Vespertine-Saundra Mitchell
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publication Date: March 7, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Author Website
Of Note: YA Historical Fiction Challenge Book #4

It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.
When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.
(Amazon)

The Vespertine is a delicate jewel box of a novel. Perhaps that's a corny way to describe a book, but it can't be helped. I was so impressed with the writing, the language, and the research that Saundra Mitchell put into this novel. I follow Saundra on Twitter, so when she first mentioned that she'd written a book that takes place in 1880's Baltimore, I didn't need to know anything further! I grew up about forty minutes outside of Baltimore, so I was curious to read a book set there, as let's be honest, they don't come along that often.

Back to the book, I adored Amelia and Zora and their close friendship. They tend to get into mischief and when it becomes apparent that visions Amelia's been having aren't just a figment of her imagination, she starts doing readings as a lark, but events turn out poorly when some of her dark visions come to fruition. Nathaniel and Amelia's relationship was interesting, and you're left wondering the extent of their connection for a good portion of the book, and I enjoyed the tension.

My only issue with the novel was that at times the pacing was a bit slow. That wasn't the case for the ending. I read the last seventy pages as quickly as I could, I had to know what happened! When I finished reading, I was (for once) a bit disappointed that The Vespertine is not the first book in a series, but luckily there is a companion novel, The Springsweet, coming out in 2012. I will definitely be reading!

Marina Budhos on Writing Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

Tell Us We're Home author Marina Budhos is dropping by the blog today to discuss her writing process. Marina has written both non-fiction and fiction works, and she'll be discussing how her process differs depending on whether she's writing non-fiction or fiction. 

In many ways, nonfiction feeds my fiction.  For instance, for this novel, it actually began as a nonfiction idea, as I was fascinated with the relationship between mothers and nannies (especially since I had become a new mother)  I did a lot of interviews, mostly with nannies, and in the process, my attention was drawn to their children, or what I heard and read between the lines in our conversations.  This then became the springboard for “Tell Us We’re Home.”  Similarly, with “Ask Me No Questions,” I thought I would write a magazine piece about an undocumented teenager during the post 9/11 period.  But soon I felt a desire mounting within me to create aa whole world and family around this predicament, and the novel sprang forth. Thus, I often begin with a kind of research assignment—something that fascinates me, or I feel hasn’t been written about—and at some point, I know it’s time for the velocity of the imagination to take over, to really understand.
 
In terms of writing nonfiction and fiction, fiction takes so much longer!  It has to succeed on so many levels—character, plot--and the structure is all invented, molded, not simply given to you.  Something might be interesting for nonfiction, but it’s simply irrelevant to the dramatic thrust of a novel.  (In fact, I’m dealing with this now as I pare down a historical novel I am finishing—killing many fascinating bits in the interest of the story).
 
On the other hand, the challenge in nonfiction is to find the story that is inherent in the material. My husband and I recently published a nonfiction book, Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science, and our writing process reflected that tension.  Since he is trained as an historian and writes and edits nonfiction, I let him be the one to lay down the broad tracks of information.  I then came in and molded the narrative arc, adding the areas that I knew about and making sure that the book read as “well” as a novel, and yet was faithful to this large, epic story.
 
I’m right now at the point where I’ve been inside several novels for many years and I’m eager to return to a nonfiction project. I find the nonfiction breathes air into my work, gets me out into the world thinking and finding the stories that are out there.

Thanks to Marina for stopping by the blog today!

Review: Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson

Scarlett Fever-Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Point
Publication Date: Februrary, 2010
Source: Library
Author Website

Ever since Mrs. Amberson entered Scarlett Martin's life, nothing has been the same. Now in the sequel to "Suite Scarlett," Scarlett is Mrs. Amberson's assistant, running around town for her star client, Chelsea, a Broadway star Scarlett's age with a knack for making her feel insignificant.
(Borders)



I read Suite Scarlett a few months back and I enjoyed it, but I had a few issues with it. I enjoyed Scarlett Fever even more, mainly for two reasons. The first was the lesser focus on a Scarlett/Eric storyline for the most part, because the relationship felt odd to me, mainly because Eric felt like a creeper who should date girls his own age. Secondly, the story seemed more cohesive and slightly less madcap, while still reading like a Maureen Johnson book.

I really enjoyed the addition of Scarlett's friends, most notably Dakota. She's a grounding force for Scarlett, who can occasionally get caught up in the whimsy of everyone around her. In this book, Scarlett still has to deal with Mrs. Amberson, and dealing with one of her two clients, a young starlet named Chelsea and her strange family. There's also drama with the rest of the Martin siblings, Spencer's gotten a job as the villain on a popular television series, Marlene is acting nice for a change, and Lola is experiencing her quarter-life crisis a few years early. Of the four siblings, Scarlett is the most 'normal', but her nerves are fraying and she begins to show a feisty side to her personality, and I loved reading those bits the best.

The end of the book is not really a cliffhanger, but does leave the reader wanting more. I'm assuming there's at least one more book in the series, and I'll definitely be reading it!

Final Bloggiesta Progress Update

I didn't get as much done on Saturday and Sunday as I did on Friday, but I still think I accomplished a lot!

-Signed up for a Picnik account so I can make better looking graphics for blog posts. I'm a dunce with graphic programs, and even I could figure it out! I spent about an hour creating graphics for upcoming posts.
-Decided what prizes I'm giving away for my Blogoversary in March and set money aside in the budget and wrote and scheduled those posts.
-Wrote several more rainy day posts. And by several I mean about fifteen. I now have 30+ posts scheduled as far as the end of March. It feels great!
-Backed up my blog.
-I ran my blog through Website Grader. My results were pretty meh, so I have some work to do.
-Took off word verification on my comments. I haven't had any issues with spam, so unless that happens I'll leave it off. I know a lot of people hate it, so I want to make commenting as easy as possible. 


Overall, I didn't participate in any challenges like I did last Bloggiesta. I read several of the posts, but I already had my time planned so succinctly that I didn't have a lot of time left over for challenges. For next Bloggiesta I'll leave some time open for challenges and for reading more posts from past Bloggiestas.

Bloggiesta Progress Update

I've been a busy little bee in the last day, so here's what I've been up to!

-I commented on the Organize Thy Books Mini-Challenge.
-I read about anchoring text at Galleysmith.
-I added a Privacy Policy my Review Policy page. I'll move it to a separate page when I re-design my blog.
-I tweaked my Review Policy a bit.
-I added a copyright footer to my blog, thanks to the mini-challenge at bookalicio.us.
-Scheduled several 'rainy day' posts.
-Picked the next three books I'm reading and coded and scheduled those reviews.
-Fixed the tags on several of my posts. 
-Cross-posted reviews to Goodreads.
-Emailed graphic designer to check availability to make a few new graphics for me.
-Cleaned up my Google Reader.

How's everyone else doing so far?

Bloggiesta Begins!

I'm taking part in Bloggiesta, which runs from today through Sunday. Basically, Bloggiesta is one big challenge for bloggers to work on improving their blogs. Over the course of the next few days, I will be:

-Planning for my first year blogging anniversary in March. Budget for contests, write posts.
-Work on some "rainy day" posts. I already have a long list of ideas that I haven't had time to put up on the blog yet. 
-Back-up my blog, text and images.
-Ponder topics for guest posts and consider who I'd like to invite to take part.
-Read some of the interesting posts on the Bloggiesta site to see how I can work on improving my blog.
-Look into copyrights.
-Manage my feedreader, as it's currently out of control.
- Make sure I'm set for any upcoming blog tours. Books reviewed and posts scheduled, etc.
-Decide which books I'm reading next and format and schedule the posts so when I finish the book I can just write the review.
-Consider blog promo items like bookmarks or new business cards.
-Brainstorm blogging topics.
-Copy all my recent reviews to Goodreads.

Are you taking part in Bloggiesta? What are your goals?

 

What's Your Writing Schedule?

At the end of last year, I decided that it was time to amp up my writing schedule. In 2010, I wrote/revised for about two hours a day. Some days I'd work longer, other days less, but that was about the average. That may not sound like much, but I write/revise pretty quickly and have my system pretty down pat. I can usually get two chapters written in that time, or three revised, as I already have detailed notes in place.

But now that I have three projects ongoing, two more to research and at least one more book to write this year, I figured it was time for a change. So I decided to write/revise/research at least three and a half hours a day, five days a week.

So far it's working well for me, and I'm feeling a lot more productive this year already!  To avoid burn-out, I'm scheduling myself a three-day weekend every month where I take a Friday off from writing and get caught up on my reading.

What's your writing schedule? Do you have a set number of pages/words to hit in a session, or is your goal time spent writing?

Review: The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee

The Agency 2: The Body at the Tower- Y.S. Lee
Publisher: Candlewick
Publication Date: August, 2010
Source: Library
Author Website
Of Note: YA Historical Fiction Challenge Book #3

Mary Quinn is back, now a trusted member of the Agency, the all-female detective unit operating out of Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. Her new assignment sends her into the grimy underbelly of Victorian London dressed as a poor boy, evoking her own childhood memories of fear, hunger, and constant want. As she insinuates herself into the confidence of several persons of interest, she encounters others in desperate situations and struggles to make a difference without exposing —or losing —her identity. Mary’s adventure, which takes place on the building site of the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, offers a fictional window into a fascinating historical time and place.
(Amazon)

I'm such a sucker for any story that takes place in Victorian London. I don't think I've read one book that takes place in that time period/place that I haven't liked! I read the first book in this series a few months back and I enjoyed it, so when I saw that my library had the sequel in stock, I quickly snapped it up.

This book is quite different from the first, which I liked. Mary is working on the building site at the Houses of Parliament, and she's posing as a boy! This brings up past pains for Mary, as she'd once had to pass as a boy to survive on the streets once her parents passed away. She deals with it as best she can, but this job wears on her. I was thrilled to see that Mary and James were reunited in this book, as they're one of my favorite young adult couples. I love their feisty natures and how they tend to bring out passion in each other. I just wish they had more scenes together. Every scene would do just fine.

Ultimately the mystery wasn't that much of a surprise to me, but I still enjoyed The Body at the Tower very much. I think this series is a must read for any historical fiction fan!

Review: Tell Us We're Home by Marina Budhos

Tell Us We're Home-Marina Budhos

Publisher: Antheneum

Publication Date: May, 2010

Source: Review copy provided by publisher for blog tour

Author Website

Jaya, Maria, and Lola are just like the other eighth-grade girls in the wealthy suburb of Meadowbrook, New Jersey. They want to go to the spring dance, they love spending time with their best friends after school, sharing frappes and complaining about the other kids. But there's one big difference: all three are daughters of maids and nannies. And they go to school with the very same kids whose families their mothers work for.

That difference grows even bigger--and more painful--when Jaya's mother is accused of theft and Jaya's small, fragile world collapses.
When tensions about immigrants start to erupt, fracturing this perfect, serene suburb, all three girls are tested, as outsiders--and as friends. Each of them must learn to find a place for themselves in a town that barely notices they exist. 
(Borders)


Sometimes it's necessary to read books that are a bit difficult. Whether they're difficult because of the subject matter, or perhaps the prose, but as a reader, you have to challenge yourself. Tell Us We're Home falls into the subject matter category. Most Americans have our own immigrant stories to tell. My family has been here for at least two generations (and in some cases, several more than that) so it's easy to forget those that have arrived more recently. I won't get too political here, but there are certain people in our country that have forgotten their immigrant heritage and aren't so kind to newer immigrants, and that's a big part of the plot in this book. Jaya, Maria and Lola arrived in America as children from very different parts of the globe, and are now in eighth grade. They stand out in their wealthy neighborhood, and bond over the fact that their mothers all work as maids and nannies.

I've mentioned previously that I enjoy reading books about young teenagers, because the dynamics of puberty and how it affects us in our relationships with our parents and friends fascinate me. Each of the girls are going through a different crisis throughout the book. Lola must deal with her abrasive behavior and the trouble it gets her into, Jaya copes with the theft accusations placed upon her mother, and Maria feels different from her friends and her family when she becomes attracted to a wealthy white boy.

When their friendship fractures, each girl goes on their own path, and it's then that they each slowly start to appreciate how essential their friendship is.Their friendship held them together, and alone they falter. Tell Us We're Home is a great tale of friendship and overcoming hardship. Reading this book was a rewarding experience, and I would recommend to anyone.

Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy)-Lauren DeStefano

Publisher: S&S Children's Publishing

Publication Date: March 22, 2011

Source: Around the World Tours

Author Website

Of Note: 2011 Debut Author Challenge Book #1

In the not-too-distant future, because of genetic engineering, every human being is a ticking time bomb. Males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. To keep the population from dying out, girls are kidnapped and sold into polygamous marriages.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine is taken, she enters a world of wealth and privilege that both entices and terrifies her. She has everything she ever wanted-except freedom. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to escape before it's too late. 

(Jacket copy)

I'd been interested to read Wither ever since I first heard of the book several months ago. I have to say that overall it didn't disappoint! It's a beautifully written book, and at times made me sigh and wonder if I'll ever be able to write as well as that.  I loved the sister wives, but Rhine especially. She's not content to live out the remaining years of her life pretending to love the man who has taken her away from her brother and their life together.  It's her husband's Linden's tyrant-like father that's really responsible for her being there, but  in her eyes Linden is guilty by association.

Rhine's spirit lifts when she gets to know Gabriel, a servant at the estate she's living at, and while their love story isn't one in the traditional sense, they feel a connection regardless. It's her feelings for Gabriel that help keep her sane. She is like a beautiful bird trapped in an ornate cage (love that imagery on the cover) that still remembers what it was like to fly free. Rhine is unwilling to settle, and I adored that about her. She had a life of luxury that she'd never known before, and a lot of people would just accept their fate and live out their lives as a prisoner in a lovely cage, but not Rhine. 

I had a couple issues with Wither, the first being that I thought the ending lacked tension. It lacked the page-turning quality found earlier in the book. My second complaint is directed more at the publishing industry in general: why do all books have to part of a trilogy? Wither's ending leaves some strings dangling for the next book, but I felt the resolution was quite excellent. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'll still read the next two books, because there is a story there and I am interested in seeing how it plays out, but perhaps I'm not anticipating the next installment with the fervor I've felt for other trilogies.

On My Wishlist January 15th

On My Wish list is a weekly event held by Book Chick City.

Cold Magic (The Spiritwalker Trilogy)-Kate Elliott
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: September, 2010

From one of the genre's finest writers comes a bold new epic fantasy in which science and magic are locked in a deadly struggle.

It is the dawn of a new age... The Industrial Revolution has begun, factories are springing up across the country, and new technologies are transforming in the cities. But the old ways do not die easy.

Cat and Bee are part of this revolution. Young women at college, learning of the science that will shape their future and ignorant of the magics that rule their families. But all of that will change when the Cold Mages come for Cat. New dangers lurk around every corner and hidden threats menace her every move. If blood can't be trusted, who can you trust? 
(Amazon)

I've heard really, really good things about this book. It's a little outside the genres I usually read, but I've made it a goal to read outside my comfort zone this year, and this book seems to fit the bill!

Shift-Jeri Smith-Ready
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 3, 2011

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.
Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.
As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart. 
(Amazon)


Shade was one of my favorite books of 2010, so I can't wait to get my hands on Shift!

 Street Magic (Black London, Book 1)-Caitlin Kittredge
Publisher: St. Martins Paperbacks
Publication Date: 2009

The first in the Black London series, this dark tale takes Kittredge's supernatural shadows to the next level. At 16, Pete Caldecott witnessed the apparent death of punk rocker Jack Winter after he raised an ancient spirit. Twelve years later, Det. Insp. Caldecott has followed in her dead father's footsteps at Scotland Yard. She follows a tip about a missing child and finds Jack, now a heroin junkie claiming intimate knowledge of a parallel realm called the Black. As Jack detoxes and more children disappear, he joins Pete's quest to find them, teaching her to use hexes and spells as well as her physical abilities in the fight against a rising dark power. Kittredge (the Nocturne City series) knows how to create a believable world, and her fans will enjoy the mix of magic and city grit.
(Amazon)

London is my favorite city in the world, so I'm a sucker for just about any story set there. So Street Magic has that going for it, along with a storyline that sounds really interesting and different!

What's on your wish list this week?