Talking Books: Reading Funks

Talking Books: Reading Funks

Reading funks--I think we can all agree they suck, right?

Lately, for whatever reason, I've been having a hard time getting into a book. I've been trying to work through one book, which I'm suppose to review ASAP, for well over 3 1/2 weeks. True, I have been busy lately, which means I haven't had nearly as much free time to read. But when I do have that free time? I actually *gulp* dread picking up the book.

Yes, you heard me, and I know I should be whipped, but hear me out! I know that the book isn't holding my attention, and instead of losing myself in the book for the next hour, I'll just be struggling to read each page, hoping it will pick up, dreading that it won't.

Why do I continue then? I guess I'm too "nice" when it comes to books. Especially review copies. I feel like a horrible person if I put a book aside, never to finish it. Whether it's right now or a month later, I always try my very hardest to finish the book. I know many people only give a book so many pages/chances before they set it aside. But I can't do this--though sometimes I wish I could.

We all have our faults and issues, right? Well, this is mine. Don't judge. :D LOL

I did take a break for a week from this book. Instead, I picked up one that BookWhore had recommended, which has been in my TBR pile for far too long--A Hellion in Her Bed. Now I love Sabrina's books; they were, in fact, some of the first romances I read. You know the tale--back when I was far too young to be reading them, but I borrowed them from the library ("For my mother") and read them in secret. ;)

It took me almost a week to read (due to being busy, not because I wasn't interested), but I finished A Hellion in Her Bed yesterday. I really liked it--thanks Danielle! :) I do wish I had read book 1 first, but I plan on doing so as soon as I can, as well as grabbing the rest of this series.

But the first thing that popped into my head when I reached the final page? "Oh no... I still need to finish that Review Book." 

*sigh* So I picked it back up, read another 10 pages, and then put it back down. Even after taking a break, even after reading another book in between...I'm having a hard time getting into it.

I have to say, I don't believe it's the book's fault. I'm just in one of those funks, where I'm waiting for a book to come along and blow me away--and instead I keep getting disappointed. I've read a few great reviews on this book, so perhaps it's just me...

And I'm dreading when it comes time to write my review--what can I say, how can I explain why I had problems with this book without making it seem like I can't stand the book or author?

But that's another discussion entirely!


When you get into a reading funk, what do you do? Do you reach for an old standby (a favorite book you never grow tired of)? Do you try new books, hoping to shake it off?

Do you swear off reading entirely and start a new hobby until the mood strikes you again?

However it is that you deal with it, how long do your funks typically last, and how often do they occur?


I'm nosy. And I'm hoping that I'm not alone! ;)



Oh, one last question:
Do you have any suggestions for books/authors that you think will help to bring me out of my current funk?


I'd prefer if it was something in my giant TBR (I'm trying not to buy books right now), but if you have a suggestion for a book that I don't own, and you are sure that it will work, let me know--perhaps I can be swayed towards breaking my vow and buying a new book.





Enjoy!



Until Next Time,

*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

^The picture used at the top of this post is not mine; it was a clipart image found on Google. I do not claim it.

Pen-Pals for Book Lovers --- Anyone Interested?

Hi everyone!


A few weeks ago, my closest friend and I decided to bring back the hand-written letter. Well, at least between us. We've been writing letters back and forth ever since (2 each, so far).

Is it speedy, like texting, emailing, or using Facebook/Twitter? No. Do we often have to wait over a week for a response? Yes. Is the "news" in our letters sometimes outdated? Sure.

But, to be honest with you, it's the most "fun" we've had in a looong time. Well, I think so, and since she hasn't complained to me (yet!), I'm guessing that she thinks so as well. :)

There is simply something about letter writing that cannot be appreciated or understood via the other, more modern, ways of communicating. It's...oh, just a great feeling, waiting for a letter to come, opening it and reading what the person wrote--actually wrote, not just typed. It's too bad that very few people do this anymore, and those that do, well, let's be honest, it's not usually the younger generations. :)

But I want to change that!

Around the time that my pen-pal journey started with my friend, I also had an idea. Many of us, I know, live in areas where there are few, if any, fellow book lovers around (for the genre we read, at least). That is why many, including myself, have turned to the Internet, where fellow readers abound, and they too are looking not only for good books, but people to discuss them with.

And while I've met a ton of great people online, and had more then a few good chats, often it's hard to keep up with Tweets to a dozen different people at once. Or have a real conversation in the comment section of a blog. (Though both ways are still a good way to talk, don't get me wrong!).

And then it hit me--what about a pen-pal program for book lovers?

Maybe I'm odd, but I would totally joining such a program! {And by the way, if there is one out there, and I'm totally clueless to it, please let me know, I've been wrong before!}

My question today is how many of you would be interested in such a program?

Update: Since I've seen a fair amount of positive feedback so far...

What would you name this program? :) I'm going to start working things out so the fun can begin, but I need a little help with a name. What do you think?

Enjoy!


Until Next Time,

*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

Have You Ever Read...

...Emma Holly's Fitz Clare Chronicles (Kissing Midnight, Breaking Midnight and Saving Midnight)?

As I am waiting to put together some actual reviews and other fun posts, I thought I'd try to begin a bit of a discussion post instead, to see just what books you guys have read, especially in my absence.

I've had Kissing Midnight and Breaking Midnight in my pile for quiet some time now (actually, BM was in the box of books I won a long, long time ago from Anna--ty again, by the way!), but for the life of me I cannot figure out why I kept pushing them further down in my TBR pile. There must have been some flaw... right?

Wrong. I searched and searched while I devoured both books in the span of two days, but I found no flaw, no reason why I cast them aside. All I can say is that I am terribly sorry that I did!

The books are amazing, the storyline enough to keep the reader on edge and Holly's idea of vampires different enough to make them stand apart from many of the others flooding the market lately. The characters are vivid, their love and pain bright enough to cut through the fictional words that bind them to the paper and make the reader feel it, too.

And the romance... Oh God, the romance! It's spicy hot all the time, yet sweet at all the right times! Holly has a way with description, with setting the scene. It's vivid enough to send the reader over into the realm of pleasure, erotic as some of the most explicit books out there, yet even in the midst of all this intense passion, it is never just sex. It is always something more, something loving, something lasting and deep and stronger than just the physical bond of joining their two bodies together.

That, my friends, is the mark of a true romance writer. When the passion can burn so bright that it burns the pages it was written on, sends the reader into convulsions, and yet is never downgraded to simple lust and crude f*cking. A true writer for this genre knows how to weave the hero and heroine's love and commitment into every sentence of the love scenes--even when using graphic, rough, or seemingly crude words or descriptions. This manages to not only solidify the feeling of true love between the characters, but also brings all the heat and spice to the table that any reader could possible want or need.

~~~~


What do you think about this? Regardless of whether or not you've read these particular books, or even this author in general, do you know the writing that I am talking about? The feelings that such writing arouses? Do you agree with what I've said, or am I rambling so much that no one can even understand me? :D Let me know, either way!



Oh, and if you haven't read Emma Holly before, especially this series, may I just say: "What are you waiting for?!" It is a series that I highly recommend to any fan of this genre, and even to those that are unsure about it. It's potent, and highly addictive, so be warned: if you pick up one of them, be prepared to have the rest of the series in your possession too, for once you are done with one of them, the need to read the next one will hit you hard! I know this from exprience, as I have yet to get my hands on a copy of the rest of this series, or her related series, the Upyr books. As soon as I do though.... well, let us just say that they will not be unread books in my hands for long!



Enjoy!


Until Next Time,