Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Books (and such!) bought, received, swapped, etc! Sept 09

So many things received today! Well, okay... today and the past couple days. Here we go!

Received:
"Dawnbreaker" by Jocelynn Drake (SIGNED!) I got this from the author herself via a contest on her blog. I'm excited to read it!
"Feels like the First Time" by Tawny Weber. Sounds great!
"The Lion's Shadow" by Marthe Arends (SIGNED!) I can't wait to read this, supposedly this is actually Katie MacAlister's first historical romance. And I'm sure, by now, you all know how much I LOVE Katie MacAlister!

Swapped:
"The Accidental Demon Slayer" by Angie Fox. I'm eager to check this out, sounds good, and I think the cover is adorable!

Bought:
"Born of Night" by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I love this author, and I'm eager to check out this series.
"The Renegade Hunter" by Lynsay Sands. I eagerly await each Argeneau series book. This one looks to be just as good.

And now for what else I received! I won a contest on the Shooting Stars Mag for a Tshirt from www.crazydogtshirts.com and it came in today! And the guy from the site that I talked to was so nice, he threw in another shirt for me for free! I definitely found my newest Christmas and Birthday gift site, there's so much on there I want to buy.. for myself. I mean.. for others! Please check them out, and become a fan of their facebook page - they have daily trivia contests to win a free shirt!

Check back soon for some reviews! Hopefully I can get them up soon, anyways. I'm close to getting behind in my schoolwork, just barely keeping up, so (unfortunately) that has to come first.

Happy Reading!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Book-y Meme!

It's been a while, so I decided to fill up some of the time between reviews (next up: "Dark Hunger" by Rita Herron!) with a nice little meme I found.

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
Hmm.. mass market, usually. But I like books in general, so... all?

Waterstones, Borders or Amazon?
Amazon, usually. Unless I have some excellent coupons for borders.

Bookmark or dog-ear?
I try to use bookmarks as much as possible. Which is part of the reason why I love getting swag and promo stuff from authors, because it usually includes bookmarks. But if it's an emergency, I will dog-ear.

Amazon or bricks-and-mortar?
Amazon. Definitely amazon. All the time. I'm on there at least three times a week!

Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random?
Author, usually. All my authors are together, and if it's a series, they're in series order. Otherwise, I usually organize my bookshelves by favorites at the top, semi-favs at the bottom, etc.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Keep, usually. Though if it's one I know I will never want to read again, I will sell it. Though I'm getting more and more into the idea of swapping things via Paperback Swap.

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Are you kidding?! Keep, of course!

Read with dust jacket or remove it?
I take it off and set it aside when I read the book. I usually shove books in my purse and take them with me, therefore should something happen, the beautiful dust jacket won't get ruined!

Short story or novel?
Novel, definitely. I like more development, and short stories just don't give me that. The only short stories I've liked to date have been Sherlock Holmes.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Harry Potter. I've read most of the Lemony Snicket ones, and I think they're interesting.. but Harry Potter all the way!

Buy or borrow?
I like to keep them, so buy. Besides, if I borrow something and like it, I'll just end up buying it anyways!

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
All three, actually! I faithfully check my amazon recommendations. Browsing in the store is always fun for me. And book reviews by my favorite bloggers give me plenty of ideas of what to look for. And if they like it, I know I will too.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
If the novel is just a stand-alone, I want a tidy ending. If it's going to be part of a series, a cliffhanger is okay. But I hate when authors leave this HUGE cliffhanger, then don't put the next book out for years.

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
Nighttime, usually. But I have afternoons and evenings free most of the week, so I like to curl up on the couch and read then, too.

Stand-alone or series?
Series, definitely! There are several series that I follow religiously - Katie MacAlister (all of them!), Sherrilyn Kenyon (all!), Laurell K. Hamilton (both), Lynsay Sands (Argeneau series), Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress), Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, etc etc etc!

Favourite children’s book?
Probably the Dinotopia series by James Gurney. I love the pictures. I love the story. Ahh..

Favourite YA book?
"Hush, Hush" by Becca Fitzpatrick, at the moment. Harry Potters...

Favourite book of which nobody else has heard of?
Probably "The Fallen" series by Thomas E. Sniegoski. If the series wasn't on my bookshelf, I would have thought I imagined it, because no one knows about it! Even though they supposedly made a miniseries out of it, called "Fallen".. but I only watched less than an episode before getting disheartened.

Favourite books read last year?
Oh man, I don't know! So many... the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher? At least some of them. I didn't get to finish the series.

Favourite books of all time?
Ah! Like I could pick?! Probably the Dark-Hunter series.

Favourite book to recommend to an 11-year-old?
The Harry Potter books, if they haven't already read them. The Dinotopia books. I don't read many books suitable for 11 year olds, lol.

Favorite book to re-read?
"Seize the Night" by Sherrilyn Kenyon. And "Bite me if you can" by Lynsay Sands.

Do you ever smell books?
Oh man, is it creepy if I say yes?

Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries?
Yes I do, lol. But then I'm a History major, as well as a general History nut.

What are you reading right now?
"Dark Hunger" by Rita Herron, and "The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle. One is for fun/review, the other is for class. But I'm enjoying both, lol.

What are you reading next?
"Drawn into Darkness," "The Lost Symbol," and then "The Greatest Knight." Those are the next three in the To Be Read pile, with 9 more sitting there waiting to be read. Plus the five (or six) more that haven't arrived yet. I need to get on this stuff!