I’ve been steering away from book and blog tags since slowing my blogging pace to once a week. But after Sarah J. Higbee nominated me for the This Is My Genre, Tell Me Yours Book Tag, I couldn’t resist picking this one up. (Thanks, Sarah!) So, let’s have some fun with this today – and I bet NO ONE can guess what genre I’ve picked. đ
When you’re a writer or book-blogger, what’s one thing you’re guaranteed to talk about with your online friends? Books, of course! That’s how we bond over beloved reads we share as well as books we’ve been meaning to read for ages. So, when I bought Patrick Rothfuss’s The Wise Man’s Fear after Christmas, fellow writer Rebekah Hendrian said this in her comments:
“I almost feel like we need to do a buddy read for Wise Manâs Fear. I just keep looking at those thousand pages and then putting it aside in dismay.”
At first I was hesitant, since I’d never done a buddy-read before and wasn’t sure how it was done. But once Rebekah and I figured things out, we were able to work The Wise Man’s Fear into the same point in our reading schedules. Now I’m so glad we did it – and today, I’d like to share what made that experience so enjoyable, in hopes that you might try buddy-reading with a friend in the future. So, here are Five Benefits of Buddy-Reading!
Finally! It’s time to reveal some of my favorite reads of 2015! đ
Last year I almost twice as many books as I did the year before, and a fair number of those books were published before 2015. So, I’m going to share not one year-end Top 10 list, but two!
Today’s will focus on my favorite pre-2015 books I read last year. Each entry will include my reasons for its inclusion on this list and a link to the full review. Also, since I like to keep you all in suspense, the list will go in ascending order, from #10 to #1. đ Here they are:
Recent Reads is a monthly reading wrap-up, with mini-reviews of all the books I finished in the past month. I’ll also share what I’m currently reading and any other books that are in the pipeline. Want to share your bookish happenings, too? Feel free to do so in the Comments section at the end!
Ohhhhhhhh, I came SO close to reading more books this month than I thought I would! But when you’re a night reader like I am, and life suddenly gets so crazy that both braind and body crave more meditation and sleep, you just don’t have the energy to stay up late to finish another chapter. So, I’m content with November being a three-book month, and especially happy that I finally made time for the story that I picked as my Read of the Month. Speaking of which…
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Original photo courtesy of Tim Kressin and the Wondercamp Team (seen here: http://blog.cotopaxi.com/hornstrandir-iceland/).
You may have heard of Cotopaxi before if you’re a fan of camping and outdoor activities. This backpack and apparel company based in Salt Lake City, Utah creates innovative products that fund health, education, and livelihood initiatives to help alleviate poverty in underdeveloped countries. And for their customers, Cotopaxi hopes to inspire adventure. Take a look at their blog The Llama Chronicles, and you’ll see what I mean. The company shares travelogues, tips on outdoor sports and activities, recipes for campsite meals – even American road-trip routes inspired by adventure novels.
I confess that I’m not an “outdoorsy” person, though I relish walking and spending time outside. But when I recently came across a special blog project by Cotopaxi, I knew I wanted to take part in it. Here was their challenge:
Share in a post on your blog your favorite adventure story, along with what lessons youâve learned and you continue to carry those lessons with you since.
Now, I thought it wouldn’t be hard to pick an adventure story to write about. But then I reviewed my bookshelf, and realized I’ve read a LOT of adventure stories over the years. (No wonder I’m currently writing one of my own.) This led to me hemming and hawing over the usual novels I talk about here and other choices I love but aren’t highlighted as often… and finally decided, “You know what? I’ll write about ALL of them.” đ
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly event hosted by Tyngaâs Reviews that shares the books (both physical and virtual) that you recently purchased, borrowed from a fellow reader or the library, won from a giveaway, or received as gifts. Stacking The Shelves will post on Saturdays as new books are added to my shelves.Â
First of all, a quick apology for the recent inactivity here.  Life offline has been hectic lately, so I’ve had to re-prioritize things to focus on the WIP, a couple outside articles that have deadlines, and necessary relaxation. Posts for this blog have slipped as a result. I hope to catch up over the next couple weeks, so bear with me for a little bit.
Now – more books. Yes, I’ve gotten heaps of books for Christmas and from Barnes & Noble recently, but certain titles I was looking for at B&N weren’t in stock. *gasps* So, I promptly decided not to wait to get them. *lol* Today’s Stacking The Shelves therefore includes my latest Amazon haul, as well as a book gifted by its author. And if you noticed the title, this blog’s seventh edition of STS will feature seven books! How about that? Continue reading
I donât normally follow The Broke and The Bookishâs Top 10 Tuesday meme because I doubt Iâd be able to keep up with it (thank you, busy writing schedule and offline life). But after reading Anyaâs list at On Starships and Dragonwings, I knew I should do my own Top 10 list of science fiction and fantasy series I want to start reading. So, here we go!
NOTE: There may be a slight trend toward the fantasy side of the spectrum. đ
1. Susan Cooperâs The Dark Is Rising Sequence (YA Dark / Contemporary Fantasy)
I like to catch up on the classics as well as more recent books. Cooperâs The Dark Is Rising was written in the 1960s and 70s, which puts it up there in age with Ursula Le Guinâs earliest Earthsea novels. The first book in the sequence, Over Sea Under Stone, has been sitting on my shelf unread for⌠at least a couple years *lol* This article is serving as my reminder to dive into The Dark Is Rising soon. Continue reading
Sara Letourneau 