Clock Rewinders on a Book Binge is where Tara @ 25 Hour Books and I shamelessly plug each other, share the fantastic posts, giveaways, or whatever else we’ve found and loved by other awesome bloggers (or authors!) during the week, and talk about the books we plan on reading in the coming week.
On a Book Bender Recap
- Kelly Reviews: Drift Away by Jeff Shelby (8) — Not quite a mystery, still solid.
- Top Off Tuesday — Stayin’ Classy
- Review: Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews (8) – Bayou Moon pushed through reading slump.
- Get Your Objectivity Out of My Reviews
Meanwhile, in Amanda’s World
- I’ve been, um, busy? I actually tend to get very focused on working on business stuff and filter out everything (like Twitter!).
- I created a service where you can hire me on a monthly basis for copy-editing services. It’s mainly geared toward authors and businesses, but you know, I don’t turn people away.
- Also, if you haven’t already, you should support my business by liking me on Facebook or following me on Twitter. The more I can interact with people on social media, the bigger my presence gets. And I *won’t* spam you.
- I’ve been knee deep in Bout of Books stuff. One thing that has made me pause, though, is the number of people who quote things from our site without saying it came from our site. Isn’t that JUST like posting a picture and not crediting the owner? I had to add “-from the Bout of Books 5.0 team” to the blurb so that we’d actually get credit for our own words. But the fact is, I should not have to do this. Respect the words. We wrote them. You didn’t. Putting the words in blockquotes isn’t enough. CREDIT THE SOURCE.
- Kelly and I have been writing up a storm. We also tend to motivate each other in weird ways. (Or maybe not so weird ways, if you’re used to our shenanigans.)
Around the Book Blogging Community
Are we in some kind of end of the summer lull? Or have I been in my own little world lately? Because I have barely ANYTHING to share with you today.
- Anne (Creativity’s Corner) asks us about good comments and what they are.
- Krisitlyn (Reading in Winter) discusses reading “dirty” books and whether we should be embarrassed by this or not. (Though, by describing it as dirty, I’ve automatically put a negative label on it. This is part of the problem.)
- Ellie (Curiosity Killed the Bookworm) requests that everyone stop the negativity surrounding both self-published and traditionally published books.
- Alissa (The Grammarian’s Reviews) gives up tips on how to prepare for a read-a-thon. Her post was very timely, considering Bout of Books starts TOMORROW.
- And yes, if you have not signed up yet, THERE IS STILL TIME. Sign up will be open through Wednesday at midnight CST. Sign up now!
Search Terms
can i skip fire and go straight to bitterblue? — If that’s what you really want to do, sure.
bitterblue scary book — Not scary.
felicia is so happy — Yes, she is! She got to go to AAD!
giraffe hi! — What the Giraffe Shifter?? Oddly enough, I’m still waiting to receive giraffe stuff. No one has thought to be funny and gift me with something.
i’m in denial — Whatcha in denial about?
Goodreads Stats
Read in 2012 (86)
- The Duchess of Love by Sally MacKenzie (6)
- It was fun. Review on GR.
- Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews(8)
- *flaily flail* Joint review with Kelly in September!
- The Abandoned by Amanda Stevens(6)
- Curious about the rest of the series now. Review on GR. This book also rounded out my Why Buy the Cow? challenge, so I’m challenging myself to read another 12 freebies in what I like to call “Why Buy the Cow? Round 2.”
- The Man Who Came Too Much by Ellie Saxx
- I saw this book and had to read it. It was… amusing. I wrote a short review on GR.
- The Reckoning by Kelly Armstrong (8)
- LOVED. Review on GR.
Set Aside
- Timeless by Gail Carriger
- I made my way through 80 pages and then stopped. I just felt like the language was far too pretentious, and it slowed me down. I’ll get through this book eventually, but being six books behind in my GR challenge means I can’t waste a week or more trying to force myself to finish the book.
Own-Must-Read (190)
- Summoning the Night by Jenn Bennett
- Kelly got this book, the Libba Bray book, and SIGNED COPY of Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison for my birthday. *huggles Kelly until she can’t breathe* *tucks her in my pocket*
- A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
- Shine by Lauren Myracle
- From Kristilyn! Thank you! :)
- False Memory by Dan Krokos
- Got this from a publicist. I’ve heard THINGS about this book (author).
- Biting Cold by Chloe Neill
- THIS SERIES! Oh!
- Books 1-4 of the Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane
- Won these from Mandi Kaye! Thanks, Mandi!
Amazon Wishlist (59)
- Storm by Brigid Kemmerer
- Jenny (Supernatural Snark–or Shark, as she’s known in some circles) posted a review on the second book, and it piqued my interest SO MUCH for the series that I went and added the first book to my wishlist.
All Series, All Summer Progress
Completed:
- Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews. I guess this is technically part of the Kate Daniels WORLD series now, but I’m counting it toward the Kate Daniels series.
- The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong. This makes my SECOND series complete for the week. *thumbs up*
Goals: Insurgent by Veronica Roth (with Kristilyn) and Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch (with Smash) during Bout of Books.
Mary @ Book Swarm August 12, 2012 at 9:03 am
Busy, busy girl! Wish I could do Bout of Books this time around but I just can’t. Maybe if I could get my hands on a time turner… But I’ll be cheering you all on!
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 12, 2012 at 10:17 am
Bummer. You can join us in spirit, especially if you find time to snag time to read anyway.
Ruby August 12, 2012 at 9:29 am
Um…I gifted you with a giraffe item. And didn’t someone give you that giraffe headband?
I listened to all three of the Graveyard Queen books and found them completely engrossing, though book two is a serious departure from book one. It takes a major sideways step in a lot of ways, though I think Stevens manages to bring it back around in the end.
I loved False Memory! It’s kind of like the Bourne Identity for teens.
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 12, 2012 at 10:19 am
Right. I meant a giraffe figurine or plush toy of some nature.
Did you see I finished the Darkest Powers trilogy?!
Ruby August 12, 2012 at 10:44 am
I did! I’m so glad it ended on a such a high note for you. It didn’t seem like books 1 and 2 impressed you that much.
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 12, 2012 at 11:02 am
I rated all three books with four stars. And I thought both books 2 and 3 were GREAT, though I think 3 was my favorite.
Kristilyn (Reading in Winter) August 12, 2012 at 10:12 am
You’ve been crazy busy this week! (<– I almost wrote "busty," though maybe you were that, too?)
Can't wait for Bout of Books! I think I'm crediting all the words that aren't mine! I'm really trying to make sure I'm doing that for EVERYTHING! Though, I don't tend to copy a lot of anything … but it's easy to think that the little things like a blurb shouldn't be credited. YES THEY SHOULD! (speaking of which, I should probably put on my CR post that I totally stole your Goodreads Update style … it makes things so much easier!)
Through your's and Kelly's "motivation" I have found Kelly's Tumblr. Let's just say I spent WAY too much time on it! Ha!
Do you post all of your reviews on your blog? How do you pick and choose?
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 12, 2012 at 10:26 am
Sadly, I am not busty. That’s Kelly’s job.
Actually, I took it from Tara. So, you know. Usually with stuff that happens every week, I think the first time you use it, credit should be given.
I don’t post all my reviews on my blog. I used to, but when I was teaching, often times a short review on Goodreads was all I felt like I could manage. I usually review all short (freebie) books on Goodreads. And then… there’s no real rhyme or reason to how I choose books to review my blog. Sometimes it just depends on how burnt out I am on writing reviews. Like, last week, I found that I was dragging my feet on writing reviews, which made me drag my feet on reading (because I don’t start a new book until I’ve written a review for the previous one), so I just gave myself permission not to write reviews for the next couple books.
That’s why I like having the GR list. It gives me a chance to link up reviews to books I wouldn’t normally review. Also, my blog schedule only allows for about two book reviews per week. I can read more than that at times, and I don’t like to get *too* far ahead with posting. So I take a break.
Smash Attack August 12, 2012 at 11:35 am
OOOPS! I guess I’m at fault for the blockquotes bit, though I do have a link to you. :(
The Man Who Came Too Much sounds like a must-read.
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 12, 2012 at 11:48 am
The blockquotes but no credit was just something I noticed on A LOT of sites this time around. And considering the huge copyright issues with pictures and crediting the source, I thought the same hyper-awareness would extend to words, too. I thought wrong.
Bwahahaha. Oh.mah.gawd. The Man Who Came Too Much was so… hilarious(?), outrageous(?) that I was quoting lines to Kelly while reading. I was all, “But… what… is… this? OMG!”
Mariana August 12, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Loved your week and way to go in finishing the series. I’m way behind in some of those. One thing I noticed was your wishlist. I read Storm this week and it was amazing. But you can start from Elemental without any problem. Is actually .99 on Amazon and is just a novella but gives us a moment in Michael thoughts.
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 12, 2012 at 3:01 pm
Thanks for the tip, Mariana! :)
Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal August 12, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Yes, we do tend to motivate each other in weird ways, don’t we? WEIRD WAYS THAT WORK!
Here’s to many more words in our future! *raises coffee cup*
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 12, 2012 at 3:14 pm
*takes your cup and starts drinking*
Ashley Montgomery August 12, 2012 at 3:14 pm
Busy week. I love the around the community bit. It gives me a chance to find things I may have missed or find new things.
Happy reading!
Ashley @ Dr. Pepper Diva
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 12, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Thanks. Glad you enjoy, Ashley.
Andrea @ The Busy Bibliophile August 13, 2012 at 8:09 am
Thanks for the link to The Grammarian’s Reviews post. Definitely handy for my first read-a-thon.
I am also excited to get started on Storm by Brigid Kemmerer. It’s rated so highly from so many, it must be amazing!
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 13, 2012 at 9:56 am
Glad it was useful! Hope you enjoy your first read-a-thon! :)
Sarah (saz101) August 14, 2012 at 9:09 pm
EEEEEEEEEE! YOU HAVE BITING COOOOOLLD! WANT WANT WANT. *DON’T* want to pay $12 for an eBook :P
Ooooh, you no likey Timeless? BOO! I loved Soulles and Changeless and Blameless but… this not doing it for you? The last wasn’t my fave in the series, either :(
Huh. And you DID like the others, right? Boo :/
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 15, 2012 at 8:56 am
I don’t blame you. I got my copy in paperback form (which, admittedly, is still on the more expensive side).
The language was really hard for me to get into. I *loved* the previous books in the series, but where those books were charming, this one seemed to be pretentious. Like it was trying TOO hard to be witty. I’m sure I’ll pick it up later, just to finish the series. Just not… while I’m trying to catch up to my GR challenge goal.
Sarah (saz101) August 15, 2012 at 6:45 pm
Yeah, I’m interested about why the pricing on her books is so high. Unusually so.
UGH. To be honest, Heartless was a little flat for me, also, and I’ve had Timeless for months, but no desire to actually, you know, pick it up. I am SOOO far behind on my GR challenge… or it feels like it. Blech :/
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 15, 2012 at 7:10 pm
Publisher sets the price, most likely. And the paperbacks are trade paperbacks rather than mass market ones. Stupid.
:( Maybe once the two of us get caught up on our GR challenge, we can tackle Timeless together.
Sarah (saz101) August 15, 2012 at 7:57 pm
That would be FUN. INCENTIVE to read! Whoop!
Yeah, but they’re… wait. That’s your trade paperback? But… your trade PPs are different from our Trade PPs, clearly. I bought the US Drink Deep paperback, and if it’s the same, then… huh.
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 16, 2012 at 9:17 am
I may *need* incentive to read!
I honestly have no idea. All the US paperbacks of that series are larger than our normal (mass market) paperbacks.
CreativeDeeds August 17, 2012 at 7:58 pm
Thank God! I thought that I was the only one slowed down by the Parasol Protectorate books. Whew! I love the books. I really, really do, but I just can’t tear through them. I will probably finish it out of principle for Bout-of-Books, but it will have a lot of other books read in between chapters. *sigh*
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 18, 2012 at 8:45 am
The language is really quite difficult to get through. You almost have to pick apart everything in order to figure out what it all means. Which is slow going, and not exactly what you want in a book you’re reading for pleasure.