My Reading Habits + Survey

One of the Armchair BEA topics for today is a freebie or a topic of choice, so I'm going to talk about:

Some of my upcoming reads are pictured above!

Since I started blogging I think my attitude towards reading has changed.  Because now I read for quantity.  I try to read as much as I possibly can - I no longer read leisurely.  But I don't mind this because there are so many books that I want to read, that I am almost always impatient to get to the end of my current book.  I can see why it is nice to dwell and savor a story, but if it is really good, then it is more likely I just want the book to get in my head as fast as possible so I can mull it over and savor it afterwards.

In keeping with my "devour" mindset to reading, I have embraced ALL the formats.  Physical, ebooks and audiobooks.  During the week, when I have work and a commute, I like to read a book in one of the mobile formats - ebooks and audiobooks.  I can listen to audiobooks while I'm working (I'm so glad I don't have to work with people too much!) and I can read my ebook during lunch or when I have a few minutes here or there.  Whispersync between my Kindle and my iPhone is my dearest friend - I love that I can pick up reading on different devices so quickly!

Physical books I like to save for the weekends when I can really enjoy holding the book and turning the pages (because during work lunch it's sometimes difficult to hold a book one-handed and read while eating).  Also I feel better keeping my books at home since I want to keep them in as good condition as possible!  It's terrible to think I can spill things on it or accidentally fold pages while it's in my bag!

The other habit I've gotten into is to not read too many books at once - at least I always try to read only one book in one format at a time.  It's easier for me since I'm not a mood reader, and I feel like I am much more productive blog-wise if I finish a book in a week, instead of finishing three books at the same time in three weeks.  Then I can space out my reviews better.

Lastly I read any time I can. The different book formats help me pick up a book whenever I want. I get a lot more reading time on the weekends usually, but if I can read most of a book during the week, I feel like I made a lot of progress.

What are your book reading habits?  When are your most productive reading times?

I would also really appreciate it if you would fill out this brief survey below on reading habits.  It will be interesting to see the results!

Continue reading →

Armchair BEA - Introductions

image credit: Nina of Nina Reads

Mondays I normally post an installment of The Refined Reader, my feature on bookish history, but it is much more important to participate in Armchair BEA today!  And I'm so glad that Monday is actually a holiday in the U.S. so I can spend more time online visiting all the blogs. For this post I'm answering 5 of the Introduction questions posted here.  And I'll try to keep it short and simple so you can be off to visit more blogs!

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? Where in the world are you blogging from?

I'm Charlene, I've been blogging for more than two years now, and first decided to start a blog because I wanted a place I can prettify to keep all my book reviews.  I live in California where it is currently a little cool and cloudy which is perfect book reading weather.  (Because anything is good book reading weather for me!)

2. Describe your blog in just one sentence. Then, list your social details -- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. -- so we can connect more online.

My blog is equal parts book reviews, discussions, and general enthusiasm and fangirling with a little bit of hopefully useful knowledge thrown in.

Links - Twitter | Goodreads | Bloglovin | Tumblr | Pinterest | Instagram

3. What was your favorite book read last year? What’s your favorite book so far this year?

From last year it was the amazing Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta.  This year is a really hard question, but I think I'll go with the lovely and captivating Stolen Songbird by Danielle Jensen.  More people need to know about this book!
 

4. Share your favorite book or reading related quote.

“A book is made from a tree. It is an assemblage of flat, flexible parts (still called "leaves") imprinted with dark pigmented squiggles. One glance at it and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, the author is speaking, clearly and silently, inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew one another. Books break the shackles of time ― proof that humans can work magic.”

- Carl Sagan

5. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 3 books would you bring? Why? What 3 non-book items would you bring? Why?

This is all I need really:

But for three books, I would want to have Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (my favorite book), Austenland  by Shannon Hale (to make me smile) and Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind (for the inspiring and thought-provoking plot.)

Thanks for stopping by!  And if you would like to follow my blog, I will definitely follow back! :)

Doctor Who book giveaway!

Although my first Doctor Who review (for Beautiful Chaos) goes up tomorrow, I wanted to participate in Armchair BEA's giveaway topic today, so I'm opening up the book giveaway a little early. 

~ Giveaway ~

With many thanks to the publisher, BBC Books and TLC Book Tours, I am offering a choice of ONE of FOUR of the Doctor Who books I'm reviewing for the Book Tour.  So with the Rafflecopter giveaway, the winner can pick EITHER

Beautiful Chaos by Gary Russell,
Festival of Death by Jonathan Morris,
Players by Terrance Dicks, or
Who-ology by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright (the official book of miscellany, celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who)

THIS GIVEAWAY IS INTERNATIONAL!

Please enter through the Rafflecopter form below.  The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address before another winner is chosen.  The mailing address will be forwarded to the publisher who will send the winner their copy.  The contest runs until June 28th Midnight.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the other stops on the tour!

Other blogs will be offering giveaways for the books in the 50 Anniversary set, and for Who-ology!

Armchair BEA Introduction & the Classics

image credit: Nina of Nina Reads

Since I can't make it to BEA this year, I'm going to try and feel the book community love by participating on my blog through Armchair BEA! There are daily blogging topics, and for this post, I'm going to answer 5 of the Introduction questions posted here.


1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

I started blogging a little over a year ago, and I didn't really know what I was getting into, I kinda just set up a blog and a layout and started posting the really short reviews I had written on Goodreads.  It seemed like it would be fun to maintain a book blog, which would help me keep track of the books I read and my thoughts on them.  Visiting other blogs and talking to other bloggers has been a great bonus, as I didn't realize how very much I liked seeing what other people were reading and sharing thoughts on great books.

2. What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013? 

I'm currently reading "The Nine Fold Heaven" by Mingmei Yip which is a historical fiction novel set in 30's Shanghai.  Although I haven't gotten very far reading it, I really enjoyed the first book in the series "Skeleton Women" so I have high hopes for this.  One of my favorite reads from this year was "Shadow and Bone" by Leigh Bardugo (I was a little late to the bandwagon on this!) but I loved the story and the characters and I'm really looking forward to going to the "Siege and Storm" launch party next week!

3. If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why? 

Well I will pick a character for this fantasy dinner - Mr. Rochester from "Jane Eyre"!  I would love to hear the entertaining stories he must have told Jane during their evening conversations, and as a gentleman I can imagine he would pull out chairs and be very mannered and attentive which would bring joy to my romantic heart. :)  And since he has seen a lot of the world, I think he would be very interesting to talk to.  I'm not much of a talker myself, so if I can get someone interesting started with a few questions and then sit back and absorb, that sounds like a great time to me!

4. What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? 

If I have to pick one thing, I think it is the enthusiasm for reading and for books.  I grew up in a family where I am pretty much the only reader, and I didn't really have friends who were keen on reading either.  I wasn't used to sharing what I was reading more than saying the title and author and if it was good or not.  English classes were great to listen to the teachers talk about the book, but generally classmates weren't too keen.  And how amazing it is, that after the isolation, you can come upon a community of like-minded enthusiasts on the internet and interact with them so easily?  I love book blogging, not because I love writing reviews, but because it's so great sharing my love of books with other readers!

5. Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?

Well, there is one thing that I would love to have happen someday soon!  It's to have a free ebook version bundled with the physical copy of the book.  I like to buy books that I plan to reread, and if I can have it on my bookshelf, and on my kindle for travel, it would be so useful!

In addition to the Introduction, there is a genre topic, that for today is all about the Classics:

Today, tell us all the reasons why you love classic literature. What are your favorite classics? If you could give a list of classics to someone who claims to hate them to make them change their mind, what would be on it? How would you convince them to give classics a try? And why do you keep coming back to those old favorites?

I love classic literature because they are well-written, and they reward the reader's investment by their well-shaped characters, great plots and complexity.  Classics have endured and continued to attract readers because they are the best of the best in my opinion.

My favorite book is a Classic - "Jane Eyre", but I also love "Dracula" "Huckleberry Finn", "Vanity Fair", "Lord of the Flies", "To Kill a Mockingbird" and probably others I can't think of at the moment.

For someone who hates Classics, it will be hard to give them something that might change their mind, but something with a good pace and not too long like "Lord of the Flies" or "To Kill a Mockingbird" might do the trick.  Possibly the first Classic I ever read would be a good start too - "Tom Sawyer". These books have great, thought-provoking stories and should be a good introduction to the world of Classics literature.

Thanks for reading this post!  And if you would like to follow my blog, I will definitely follow back! :)

Armchair BEA: Best of 2012

image credit: Nina of Nina Reads

Today’s suggested posting topic is “Best of 2012”: 

Share some of your favorite books so far this year, and/or the the books being promoted at BEA that you hope will end up among your favorites for the year!

I'll list my top three reads for 2012 so far, as I am at work and am trying to fit in a little blogging time quickly. :D

Unspoken
by Sarah Rees Brennan

This book is so much fun, with great witty writing, and an intriguing premise.  There is lots of suspense, and did I mention the witty writing?  So many laugh-out-loud lines, that the whole thing kept me entertained from beginning to end.  The cliffhanger at the end is going to make you wish you had waited to read this book though, because I wish the next in this series was in my hand today!
Release date: September 11, 2012

Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins

Another fun read; really sweet and romantic.  I do have a fondness for the French language and the idea of Paris (have never visited but I plan to!) so this book was a perfect getaway read, and it gives one all sorts of warm fuzzy feelings.

The Paladin Prophecy
by Mark Frost

There was action and adventure packed into every page of this book, making it so very hard to put down.  The writing is very tight, with many mysteries unfolding as well as new ones being developed.  Many of the kids had different "powers" and since it is set at a school, I felt like this book had some definite Harry Potter-ish vibes.
Release date: September 25, 2012