Friday... Dec. 2

AlisonCanRead and Parajunkee

Follow Friday Question: What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books?


I admit that I have a few pet peeves when it comes to books and writing.

• Really whiny/angry characters, unless, of course, the anger is justified.  I think it is a fad right now in YA Lit to show growth in characters by having them start out as super angry and obnoxiously whiny and then come to some revelation which brings them back to a regular level of emotions..  Enough already!
• Authors who purposely don't use correct literary conventions, like not using quotation marks for dialogue or writing all text in lower case.  Ugh.
• Books where every ambiguity is tied up in the conclusion, especially those where everything is neat and tidy.  I want to have some ambiguity remaining so that my brain can work out how I think things will resolve.

What are your pet peeves when it comes to books?


Congratulations to Fiction Book Reviews for being the featured bloggers of the week.

GReads.

TGIF Question: Writing Reviews 101: What's your process for writing book reviews? Any tips or suggestions you would recommend to other bloggers?

Oh boy.  I am looking forward to reading your answers. I have a lot to learn when it comes to writing book reviews. Here are a few things that I do, or try to do, when I write a book review.

• Provide a VERY short summary with a teaser but no spoilers.  Long summaries drive me crazy and I won't read them, so I won't write them.  I want to know what the reviewer thinks rather than a detailed summary of the book.
• Review books that I liked or loved,  avoid reviewing books that I don't.  I really struggled with this decision when I first started blogging but I feel good about it now.  My goal in starting my blog was to provide reviews for my students and I don't want to bias them against a book before they give it a try.
• I try to share some interesting insight about the author, the writing style, the story line, and if I feel moved, a quote or two. I want to review to be from me, but I want to enhanced if I've done a bit of research. I like learning new information and sharing what I've learned.

Books I am Thankful For

Books I am Thankful For...
(TGIF from Greads and Follow Friday from Alison Can Read)

During my childhood:

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle--- This book was my favorite and most important book of my childhood.  I read it over and over and used it repeatedly for reports, etc.  

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis--- This series rocked my world as a child.  All of the symbolism, creativity, and wonderful characters opened my brain to a whole new world.  I still love this series and reread it often.

• Where the Red Fern Grows by Rawles--- I went through a phase where I only read animal stories.  This was my favorite and it still holds a special place in my heart.  I can cry just thinking about it.

During early adulthood:

• Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns--- This is the book that brought me back to reading after a long hiatus. It was after reading this book that I helped form a book club and started reading great literature.

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen--- Though I have read many classics, this remains my favorite and it reminds me why great literature is important in my life. It is still one of my all-time favorite books and I reread it every few years.

• Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver--- This was my first Kingsolver book (read out of order) and my introduction to a favorite author. All of her books speak to my better self.

Audiobooks that are especially delightful:

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, read by Roses Pritchard. I didn't read this book as a child. This audiobook was my introduction to this classic.  It remains my favorite book and favorite audiobook of all times.

• Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale.  If you haven't listened to a book read by Jim Dale, you are missing one of the highlights of life. My family listened to this audiobook when we took the favorite family car-trip vacation.  We were all enraptured by it.

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie, read by the author. This semi-autobiographical story is both funny and poignant. The experience was heightened by Alexie's unique reading.

 Recent reads for which I'm especially grateful:

• Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese--- This is my favorite book of 2011. I liked EVERYTHING about it.

• The Giver by Lois Lowry--- I finally read this classic piece of children's lit. Now I know what all the fuss is about.

• The Help by Kathryn Stockett--- I think this book is very transformational. I want to encourage everyone to read it.

YA Books that are a cut above:

• Looking for Alaska by John Green--- I am a John Green fan, so I like everything this author writes.  But if I can talk students into reading his books, it seems to change the way they look at literature, too.  His books are all excellent.  Looking for Alaska was his first book.

• The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak--- This historical fiction is so well-written, it just blows readers away.

• Going Bovine by Libba Bray--- Funny, symbolic, and poignant. This book represents the best of the best of recent YA lit.

As a librarian I am very thankful for these series:

• Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling--- these books have done more for children's/YA literature than any other series, ever!

• Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer--- a whole new genre was spawned by this series, Paranormal Romance. Many, many students found the joy of reading because of this series and have continued reading after finishing it.

• The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins--- just when it seemed that reading was going to slip back into an unpopular past-time along came the Hunger Games. Kids love it and now can't get enough of Dystopian lit.

What books are you especially thankful for?

*TGIF followers, forgive me for not following the question of the day.  I wanted to express my thankfulness this week for books, so I actually am answering last week's question now.

Anne