BBAW, Day 4: Reading Habits!

Book bloggers blog because we love reading. Has book blogging changed the way you read? Have you discovered books you never would have apart from book blogging? How has book blogging affected your book acquisition habits? Have you made new connections with other readers because of book blogging? Choose any one of these topics and share your thoughts today!

Book blogging has drastically changed the way I read and the books I choose. I mentioned in my previous post that before I started blogging, I belonged to Yahoo! Groups, and that's where I really gained my introduction to talking (typing) about books with others. Like so many of my fellow bloggers, I don't have a ton of friends in my daily life who read, so I was looking for a bookish, conversational fix.

With all that conversation -- and with the rise of book blogging -- came LOTS of recommendations! With a decent library system in the town where I live, coupled with the MANY Half Price Books stores, along with my Nook addiction, my book collection has exploded. Given, it was much worse 7 years ago than it is now. I realize I can't keep everything and I won't re-read everything, so I purge quite often, sell books to used bookstores, and donate quite a few of them to my stepkiddos' school libraries and the college library where I work.

Since I've been blogging, I can look over previous years' reading and see lots of ebb and flow. In 2009, I had a decent year as far as the numbers went, but I only read ONE novel. ONE! I have no idea how that even happened. 2010 was a lesser numbers year since I had a baby and took on some new duties at work. So far 2011 is the lowest numbers year I've had in about eight years, BUT, thanks to reading lots of lovely blogs, I made a big decision for myself. If I'm going to read less, I'm going to read more fulfilling-to-me material. Typically, I feel quite rewarded by reading literary fiction. That's totally personal preference and not a judgement. Those are the books I usually hug when I turn the last page and they go on my keeper shelves.

With this personal proclivity in mind, I dove headlong into prize winners and sundry literary fiction this year. I made it a personal goal to read through all of the 2011 Morning News Tournament of Books contenders (probably won't finish by the end of the year, but it's been fun trying!). I also joined the Orange July event and I've paid more attention to awards this year. I've also begun to turn down many review books that are offered to me and only request the novels I REALLY want to read (The Night Circus, The Summer Without Men).

Bloggers, of course, have fueled the fire of my interest in literary fiction. Blogs like Nonsuch Book, nomadreader, and Literary Musings are just a few of the lovely enablers I read regularly.

BBAW, Day 4: Reading Habits!

Book bloggers blog because we love reading. Has book blogging changed the way you read? Have you discovered books you never would have apart from book blogging? How has book blogging affected your book acquisition habits? Have you made new connections with other readers because of book blogging? Choose any one of these topics and share your thoughts today!

Book blogging has drastically changed the way I read and the books I choose. I mentioned in my previous post that before I started blogging, I belonged to Yahoo! Groups, and that's where I really gained my introduction to talking (typing) about books with others. Like so many of my fellow bloggers, I don't have a ton of friends in my daily life who read, so I was looking for a bookish, conversational fix.

With all that conversation -- and with the rise of book blogging -- came LOTS of recommendations! With a decent library system in the town where I live, coupled with the MANY Half Price Books stores, along with my Nook addiction, my book collection has exploded. Given, it was much worse 7 years ago than it is now. I realize I can't keep everything and I won't re-read everything, so I purge quite often, sell books to used bookstores, and donate quite a few of them to my stepkiddos' school libraries and the college library where I work.

Since I've been blogging, I can look over previous years' reading and see lots of ebb and flow. In 2009, I had a decent year as far as the numbers went, but I only read ONE novel. ONE! I have no idea how that even happened. 2010 was a lesser numbers year since I had a baby and took on some new duties at work. So far 2011 is the lowest numbers year I've had in about eight years, BUT, thanks to reading lots of lovely blogs, I made a big decision for myself. If I'm going to read less, I'm going to read more fulfilling-to-me material. Typically, I feel quite rewarded by reading literary fiction. That's totally personal preference and not a judgement. Those are the books I usually hug when I turn the last page and they go on my keeper shelves.

With this personal proclivity in mind, I dove headlong into prize winners and sundry literary fiction this year. I made it a personal goal to read through all of the 2011 Morning News Tournament of Books contenders (probably won't finish by the end of the year, but it's been fun trying!). I also joined the Orange July event and I've paid more attention to awards this year. I've also begun to turn down many review books that are offered to me and only request the novels I REALLY want to read (The Night Circus, The Summer Without Men).

Bloggers, of course, have fueled the fire of my interest in literary fiction. Blogs like Nonsuch Book, nomadreader, and Literary Musings are just a few of the lovely enablers I read regularly.

The Sunday Salon - Finally, The Little Stranger!!!

FINALLY. It only took a month, but I finished and adored Sarah Waters' novel, The Little Stranger. You might think that I wasn't wild about it since it took so darn long to read, but that was not the book's fault. In fact, I actually found myself putting off finishing it because I just didn't want it to end.

This is the story of the Ayres family and their formerly palatial estate, Hundreds Hall. England is changing as the middle class is no longer interested in being servants, tracks of homes are popping up everywhere, and the Gentry can't afford their way of lives any longer. Told by family friend, Dr. Faraday, it's really a novel about the Ayres family's undoing. Are they haunted by the disintegration of the upper crust or is the book's "little stranger" a real ghost?

I first became interested in reading The Little Stranger because I watched a video of Sarah Waters discussing it. To watch a video of Sarah Waters and hear her describe her work is enough to seduce anyone into reading. While I didn't have the same luck with Affinity (yet), I was sucked into this story from the very first page.

The narrator, Dr. Faraday, is a picture of logic and reason without being cold or calculated. He's a nice man who befriends the Ayres family quite by accident and becomes thoroughly entangled in their plight to maintain Hundreds Hall. The other Ayreses are Roderick, the only son; Caroline, the homely, stout daughter; and Mrs. Ayres, the family matriarch. In the midst of their struggle to fund their estate, odd, paranormal things begin to happen causing each family member to take a mental dive in their own way. While I can't say I liked all of the characters (Roderick, blah!), I did feel for all of them and their individual struggles. Dr. Faraday was a rock of strength and normalcy in the midst of all the Ayres madness, so it was nice that he was the center of this story.

The paranormal elements were fantastic, and there were moments that were incredibly and overwhelmingly creepy and troubling. It's a hell of a good ghost story, if we're to believe that the ghost was the problem. Or maybe it was just family madness caused by their class struggles.

Furthermore, the writing was rich and wonderful. Very much like reading The Woman in White or other classic British Gothic novels. There's also a quick Great Expectations reference that made my heart sing. Unsurprisingly. :)

I rarely meet a book that I just don't. want. to end. At all. Ever. I wanted to swim in this one for ages. To float along and be held by it. How long will it be before I find another book I love this much? I can only hope it's soon.

Rating:

Snuggle -- Skewer

Pub. Date: May 4, 2010
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-10: 1594484465

Source: A friend sent it.


The Sunday Salon - Finally, The Little Stranger!!!

FINALLY. It only took a month, but I finished and adored Sarah Waters' novel, The Little Stranger. You might think that I wasn't wild about it since it took so darn long to read, but that was not the book's fault. In fact, I actually found myself putting off finishing it because I just didn't want it to end.

This is the story of the Ayres family and their formerly palatial estate, Hundreds Hall. England is changing as the middle class is no longer interested in being servants, tracks of homes are popping up everywhere, and the Gentry can't afford their way of lives any longer. Told by family friend, Dr. Faraday, it's really a novel about the Ayres family's undoing. Are they haunted by the disintegration of the upper crust or is the book's "little stranger" a real ghost?

I first became interested in reading The Little Stranger because I watched a video of Sarah Waters discussing it. To watch a video of Sarah Waters and hear her describe her work is enough to seduce anyone into reading. While I didn't have the same luck with Affinity (yet), I was sucked into this story from the very first page.

The narrator, Dr. Faraday, is a picture of logic and reason without being cold or calculated. He's a nice man who befriends the Ayres family quite by accident and becomes thoroughly entangled in their plight to maintain Hundreds Hall. The other Ayreses are Roderick, the only son; Caroline, the homely, stout daughter; and Mrs. Ayres, the family matriarch. In the midst of their struggle to fund their estate, odd, paranormal things begin to happen causing each family member to take a mental dive in their own way. While I can't say I liked all of the characters (Roderick, blah!), I did feel for all of them and their individual struggles. Dr. Faraday was a rock of strength and normalcy in the midst of all the Ayres madness, so it was nice that he was the center of this story.

The paranormal elements were fantastic, and there were moments that were incredibly and overwhelmingly creepy and troubling. It's a hell of a good ghost story, if we're to believe that the ghost was the problem. Or maybe it was just family madness caused by their class struggles.

Furthermore, the writing was rich and wonderful. Very much like reading The Woman in White or other classic British Gothic novels. There's also a quick Great Expectations reference that made my heart sing. Unsurprisingly. :)

I rarely meet a book that I just don't. want. to end. At all. Ever. I wanted to swim in this one for ages. To float along and be held by it. How long will it be before I find another book I love this much? I can only hope it's soon.

Rating:

Snuggle -- Skewer

Pub. Date: May 4, 2010
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-10: 1594484465

Source: A friend sent it.


A Holiday Time Out and Back to the Books

That's right! This reading mama took a time out over the weekend. I did something Saturday I almost neverrrr do: stayed in my jammies all day long. Chuck was a huge help with Greyson, and I more or less laid around in a resting coma all the live-long day. It was awesome. Sunday we spent time at my mom's house, Monday for July 4th we swam and grilled out. All-in-all it was a very restful, non-bookish weekend, and I needed that.

I'm of the mind that the time we spend away from books is almost as important as the time we spend with books. Sometimes I just want to shut down for a moment and recharge. Now I'm itching to get right back to them!

I had my heart set on a re-read of Hotel World, by Ali Smith for Orange July, but I've discovered that it must be in storage at the moment, so I grabbed The Accidental off my shelves instead. I have to tell you, I was a little bored by the first chapter until the end when I met a very strange and enigmatic character, indeed. And now that I'm on to the second chapter, I'm meeting more enigmatic characters.

Smith's writing style is still quirky and stream-of-consciousnessy in this novel as it was in Hotel World, though not nearly as hardcore as someone like Virginia Woolf (for those of you who don't particularly like SOC). It certainly has shades of the unusual and the dark, and I'm excited to dig in a bit more at lunch today.

How was your weekend and holiday if you're in the States? If not, how's your week starting out?

A Holiday Time Out and Back to the Books

That's right! This reading mama took a time out over the weekend. I did something Saturday I almost neverrrr do: stayed in my jammies all day long. Chuck was a huge help with Greyson, and I more or less laid around in a resting coma all the live-long day. It was awesome. Sunday we spent time at my mom's house, Monday for July 4th we swam and grilled out. All-in-all it was a very restful, non-bookish weekend, and I needed that.

I'm of the mind that the time we spend away from books is almost as important as the time we spend with books. Sometimes I just want to shut down for a moment and recharge. Now I'm itching to get right back to them!

I had my heart set on a re-read of Hotel World, by Ali Smith for Orange July, but I've discovered that it must be in storage at the moment, so I grabbed The Accidental off my shelves instead. I have to tell you, I was a little bored by the first chapter until the end when I met a very strange and enigmatic character, indeed. And now that I'm on to the second chapter, I'm meeting more enigmatic characters.

Smith's writing style is still quirky and stream-of-consciousnessy in this novel as it was in Hotel World, though not nearly as hardcore as someone like Virginia Woolf (for those of you who don't particularly like SOC). It certainly has shades of the unusual and the dark, and I'm excited to dig in a bit more at lunch today.

How was your weekend and holiday if you're in the States? If not, how's your week starting out?

Orangegasm! A Month of Orange Prize Reading

I promised myself no more challenges this year, especially after I challenged my own fool self to read all of the Tournament of Books contestants. BUT silly rules (especially self-inflicted ones) are made to be broken, so I'm hopping on the Orange July reading train!!! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you should probably visit The Magic Lasso and find out. And there are giveaways!

The premise of Orange July is to read AT LEAST ONE book-- just one singly itty bitty book -- that's won, been shortlisted, OR longlisted for the Orange Prize. Ever. How easy is that???!!! Admittedly, I've never been a huge awards follower. I've had really-freakin' mixed luck with Pulitzer winners, Booker tends to sit a little better with me, and somehow I usually end up reading more male than female authors in any given year, so the Orange has been a point of interest but largely ignored.

When I heard about Orange July I perked up, especially since several of my Tournament of Books winners were on the Orange list this year. I started investigating my shelves and realized I have quite a few Orangey books already in my house!

• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (winner)
• On Beauty by Zadie Smith (winner)
• White Teeth by Zadie Smith (shortlist)
• Hotel World by Ali Smith (shortlist)
• The Accidental by Ali Smith (shortlist)
• The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (shortlist)
• Great House by Nicole Krauss (shortlist)
• The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (winner)

Since it's summertime and I have less dispensable cash to buy books, it'll most definitely be a read-from-home and library July, so what better time to get better acquainted with these ladies?

The only book on this list that I've actually finished is Ali Smith's Hotel World. That was years ago and I ADORED it, so I'm keen for a re-read. It's written in a stream-of-consciousness style that's not quite as convoluted as Virginia Woolf. A little more accessible and it's got a certain creepy factor since one of the characters is a spirit in the hotel.  I've also had The Accidental on my shelves for a good long while, so I'm looking forward to that one.

I became interested in Tea Obreht earlier this year when I saw an interview of her discussing The Tiger's Wife, so I'm looking forward to finishing that one in July as well. I previously checked it out from my 'brary via the Overdrive e-book checkout system. Life got in the way, yadda, yadda.

Soooo many more books that I want to read, but I think these little beauties take the cake! 

If you're interested in Orange July what's at the top of your reading list? Also, are you interested in any particular bookish awards other than the Orange? If so, what are some of your favorite bookish award winners?

Orangegasm! A Month of Orange Prize Reading

I promised myself no more challenges this year, especially after I challenged my own fool self to read all of the Tournament of Books contestants. BUT silly rules (especially self-inflicted ones) are made to be broken, so I'm hopping on the Orange July reading train!!! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you should probably visit The Magic Lasso and find out. And there are giveaways!

The premise of Orange July is to read AT LEAST ONE book-- just one singly itty bitty book -- that's won, been shortlisted, OR longlisted for the Orange Prize. Ever. How easy is that???!!! Admittedly, I've never been a huge awards follower. I've had really-freakin' mixed luck with Pulitzer winners, Booker tends to sit a little better with me, and somehow I usually end up reading more male than female authors in any given year, so the Orange has been a point of interest but largely ignored.

When I heard about Orange July I perked up, especially since several of my Tournament of Books winners were on the Orange list this year. I started investigating my shelves and realized I have quite a few Orangey books already in my house!

• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (winner)
• On Beauty by Zadie Smith (winner)
• White Teeth by Zadie Smith (shortlist)
• Hotel World by Ali Smith (shortlist)
• The Accidental by Ali Smith (shortlist)
• The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (shortlist)
• Great House by Nicole Krauss (shortlist)
• The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (winner)

Since it's summertime and I have less dispensable cash to buy books, it'll most definitely be a read-from-home and library July, so what better time to get better acquainted with these ladies?

The only book on this list that I've actually finished is Ali Smith's Hotel World. That was years ago and I ADORED it, so I'm keen for a re-read. It's written in a stream-of-consciousness style that's not quite as convoluted as Virginia Woolf. A little more accessible and it's got a certain creepy factor since one of the characters is a spirit in the hotel.  I've also had The Accidental on my shelves for a good long while, so I'm looking forward to that one.

I became interested in Tea Obreht earlier this year when I saw an interview of her discussing The Tiger's Wife, so I'm looking forward to finishing that one in July as well. I previously checked it out from my 'brary via the Overdrive e-book checkout system. Life got in the way, yadda, yadda.

Soooo many more books that I want to read, but I think these little beauties take the cake! 

If you're interested in Orange July what's at the top of your reading list? Also, are you interested in any particular bookish awards other than the Orange? If so, what are some of your favorite bookish award winners?