Look at me: participating in Sunday Salon!

It’s a dual thing this morning… a response in Suey’s recommendation that I blather more and a column in this morning’s paper about reading only one novel at a time. The author, Lisa McLendon, wrote about how she finds it difficult to read multiple books, commenting:

Confusion aside, reading multiple books at once seems to me to give short shrift to all of the books involved. You can’t give your undivided attention to a book if another book beckons from the coffee table, competing for your eyes. Plus, when a novel transports you to another place, placing you inside another person’s life, it feels almost like two-timing to delve just as deeply into something else.

She ends the piece by asking for responses: how do those of you who read multiple books do it?

I have to say that for many, many years I was on the same page as Lisa: I only read one book at a time, savoring it fully to its conclusion (whether it was good or bad) before moving on to another one. And, honestly: for the most part, I still do that. I’m not a serial double-booker (or triple-booker), I do feel like I should give each book its due; that the time the author put into writing it is deserving of the time I can put into reading it.

However… lately (meaning the last couple of years), that’s not always been the case. Partially, it’s due to book blogging: there are now so many more books I want to read and not enough hours in the day, that I feel almost compelled to double book. But I do it carefully. Take the last couple of weeks, for instance.

I decided to pluck Tess of the d’Urbervilles off my pile. I started reading, trying to get into the language and plot and characters of the dense Hardy novel. Then, I popped by the library and saw that this years’ big read was Edgar Allan Poe. I figured, what the heck, why not pick that up, to. Except that it was a 14-day check-out, as opposed to the usual four week. So, it got bumped to the top of the pile. I didn’t want to give up on Tess, and I needed to read Edgar… so I alternated. I’d read one story of Poe’s (or a couple of poems), and then a couple of chapters of Tess. Then, because all that 19th-century language (and depressing plots) was dragging me down, I complimented them both with a bunch of YA and Middle Grade novels.

So, my reading went like this: one Poe story, two or three chapters of Tess (I’m almost done with it!), half of a contemporary novel. Lather, rinse, repeat.

But how did I keep them all straight?

Partially it’s because when I double- (or triple, in this instance) book, I choose novels that are so far removed from each other they’re easy to keep straight. I’m not going to go confusing plots from a Poe story with the drama in Tess’s life with the middle-grade Indian fantasy. I think that’s crucial, actually: as Lisa pointed out in her piece, if you pick two books (they don’t have to be novels) that are similar in any way, then the tendency to get them confused will be stronger.

It would also help if I took notes on the book — I have noticed that when I double-book too closely, my posts are not as detailed (or as good) as when I only read one at a time.

But, until my reading list gets shorter, or someone invents a way to have 26 hours in a day (with the extra two devoted entirely to reading!), then double-booking is the only way I’m going to get through all the books I want to.

What about you? Do you double-book? If so, how do you manage it? If not, why not?

Just a quick bloggy thank you to all those who commented on my last post. I appreciated all your thoughts, your insights, and your kind words. They’ve given me something to think about, which is basically why I put up the post in the first place.

It’s good to know I have such wonderful readers. Thanks again!

I have to admit that I’ve been thinking about why I blog quite a bit lately. Some of it was spurred on by extraneous events a couple months ago, some of it by this post by Becky, and some of it by my attempt to label all my old posts (not an easy task) in order to have some sort of organization in my little bloggy fiefdom.

I also have to admit that I’ve contemplated not writing this post, mostly because I’ll probably end up sounding insecure and whiny (both descriptions can be accurate at times). But, I figured that I used to air grievances and insecurities and dreams more often in the past (part of the interesting things that have surfaced as I’ve gone through my archives), and that my blog has been (lately) nothing but reviews and weekly memes, and that maybe, just maybe, someone wouldn’t mind knowing what goes on in this head of mine.

So. Why do I blog? When I started, nearly five years ago, answering that question was easy. I blogged because I needed a place to put what I think about the books I read. I discovered the wonderful side-effects of blogging: comments, recommendations, blogs by other readers who became friends. I was happy.

Two years ago, I took that up another notch, and entered the world of ARCs and blog-tours and reviewing and attempted in some small way to be on the cutting edge of publishing. All of which I enjoy; there’s something rewarding about hearing about a book you like and being able to contact a publisher requesting it and have it arrive in the mail. Or, sometimes, books I want and have been idly hoping for just arrive unasked for. (Like the other day, when Blackbringer and Silksinger showed up. We were all SUPER excited.) Yeah, there are the duds, and the horrid books that I’ve felt compelled to read because someone sent them to me, but mostly it’s been a positive experience.

But that leaves me as to why I still do this. Especially with Goodreads and Facebook, which whittle away at my reasons to keep blogging — Goodreads fills my original bloggy purpose, and in some respects does it better than I can do it with Blogger. And Facebook provides a community of hand-picked (mostly) friends that I can connect with. (Bonus: no anonymous teenagers telling me I suck because I hated Eragon. I still get those comments, even four years later!) Especially because some of my original bloggy friends have packed it up and quit blogging, or at the very least scaled back. Especially because there are people out there who do what I do much better than I could ever dream of doing it (and are more popular, too).

In the end, I have to admit that I might be at a loss to answer this question. Is it community? (Partially; I adore the book blogging and kidlit communities I fancy myself part of, if only in a small way.) Is it the comments? (Partially; I enjoy reading every one I get, even if I’m absolutely horrid about leaving and responding to comments.) Is it the recommendations? (Yes, but I’m beginning to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of books that I really want to read.) Is it the challenges? (Yes, they help me knock books off my TBR list, and I enjoy them though I’m not great about reading what everyone else things about the books they are reading.) Is it rewarding? (Sometimes. But I think I’m wondering if it’s just not as rewarding as it once was… I don’t think I’ll quit, just yet, but I do have to say that there are days when I lean in that direction.)

Why do you blog? Does it matter if you feel that no one reads your posts because you don’t get comments on them? Does it take up a huge chunk of your time? How do you feel about the community? What do you get out of the whole blogging thing?

So, I was at the library yesterday for our weekly storytime-and-book-checking outing. K and I picked out a handful of picture books, some DVDs for the girls, browsed for books for M (didn’t find any… I was in a rush and uninspired), and then got in line to check out. When I got to the counter, the librarian eyed me warily.

“Do you have any holds today?” she asked.

I chuckled, a bit nervously. “I honestly don’t know.”

She checked and sighed in relief: “Only one.” And off she went to get it.

I suppose word of my 20-hold pickups is getting around.

I don’t usually do this, but I’m trying to figure out how to write a review of a book that I just don’t get (beyond saying I don’t get it), and there are assorted little things that I probably should post, but don’t want to write individual posts for them all… So. Here’s to wasting time:

• I was excited when I found out that John Green was going on tour for his new book, Paper Towns. Granted, his books and I are batting .500, but I really like his vlog, and I’d love the opportunity to meet him. Unfortunately, the closest he is getting to Wichita is Oklahoma City, on a Sunday afternoon. Not happening. I did notice, however, that he in Boston over the weekend (I did notice this a while ago…), and I figured since my lovely sister lives there, then she can play fangirl surrogate and go to the signing. Well… didn’t happen. (No parking. It’s Boston. I don’t know what we expected…) I am a teeny bit bummed, though. Maybe next time.

• My library just upgraded it’s online catalog search. Can I tell you how much I love this? Not only does it make searching for a book (or movie or CD) SO much easier, it allows me to sort my TBR pile by genre/however I want, so they’re not all lumped in together. It also sorts by publish date, and has the cover picture next to the title, so I know which book it is that I want exactly. Heaven.

• Want to see what I got myself into with the CYBILS (who knew we’d have 129 books this year??)? The lists of nominations are up…. go have a looksee; there are many, many great books on the lists.

• Lastly, but not leastly, Becky’s got the Bookworms Carnival up for your perusal. Lots of great Gothic books, and if you haven’t managed to find those last couple of books for the RIP III read, this might just give you an idea or two…

• While we’re on the subject of Carnivals, There will be TWO bookworms carnivals in the month of November:

  Edition 17 hosted by: Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf
  Deadline for submission: November 14, 2008
  Theme: graphic novels
  To submit a post, email: dewpie at gmail dot com

  Edition 18 hosted by: Bookopolis
  Deadline for submission: November 28, 2008
  Theme: Memoirs
  To submit a post, email: preferred.stock at gmail dot com

Okay. I think I’m done. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming….

When I started this blog just about four years ago, I had no idea it would evolve into anything like it has. I began it with the sole purpose of having a place to put my personal thoughts on books, primarily because people love to ask me “what do you think of X” and I can never remember. Over time, and much to my (pleasant) surprise, I’ve managed to accumulate a whole bunch of readers, write for two e-zines, and am getting sent ARCs right and left.

Because my blog has evolved in the direction it has (and because of a recent email exchange), I figured it was probably past time for me to put down in writing what I’m attempting to do here, and elsewhere, with the reviews I write.

The basic principles guiding what I do around here:

• I review everything I read: the good, the bad, the didn’t finish. I do that because I, at least, want to know whether I liked a book or not, or whether I managed even to get through it, and, if so, why I abandoned it. I know that when I don’t like a book, I can come off as mean sometimes, because I like to be honest. I also know I have offended authors in the past, because I have said that I haven’t liked their books. Know that this is just my opinion. I know I am able to change them (or not) with enough discussion, because I have in the past. However, that doesn’t mean I’m going to go back and change what I wrote about the book, because I want to remember what I thought when I read it initially. If I choose to reread a book, and my opinion of it has changed, I’ll put up a new review.

• Here on Book Nut, I try to only review books I obtain myself. That means: gifts, library books, books that I either bought or won. I don’t do author interviews here. I don’t (usually) review ARCs here, though I have a few times in the past. I think I have noted in my review that it was a book not obtained by personal means; if not, it’s something that I will rectify in the future. I may change my policy in the future, but for right now, I’d rather not review books given to me by publishers, publicists and authors here.

• The ARCs that I am sent (whether by publishers, publicists, or authors), I review in one of two places: Estella’s Revenge (ER) or The Edge of the Forest (TEOTF). Generally speaking, ER gets all the upper-YA and adult books, TEOTF gets all the lower-YA and middle grade (and some picture books, when I get those; I don’t usually do picture books, though). I am also more than willing to do author interviews for ER.

• I try not to accept ARCs that I have no interest in, or I don’t think I’ll even remotely like. However, generally I am only going off publicist blurbs and cover pictures when I make those decisions, and so I’m going to invariably get a few that initially I may think I’m going to like but end up disliking.

• That said, I can only read and review so much a month for those two publications (averaging about 3 a month for each), and so it’s easy for me to get behind. But I do read everything. Eventually.

• My reviews for ER tend to be similar to what I write at Book Nut. I do try to be less chatty, and more descriptive (and longer), but if I didn’t like the book, I’m going to say so. For TEOTF, however, I tend to range from cautiously positive to adoring. Even if I didn’t like the book, I’ll try and write something that isn’t completely negative. Yes, that may not be completely honest, but that’s the way the publication treats books. I’m just writing for the audience there.

• When I read a book, I am influenced by: the previous book I read, the mood I’m in, my stress level, whether or not my kids are climbing on me while I read (or write!), my religion, my age, my situation in life, my political beliefs, and a whole host of other factors. I don’t apologize for that. As I said before, I’m interested in my initial response to the book. I do try to say, in the review, if there are any cirumstances that could have affected my reading of the book (like I read an excellent book previously, or I read the graphic novel version/saw the movie first, or I was having a bad day, or I was annoyed at the narrator/characters/copy-editing) so that my readers will know what my opinion is shaped by. I would like to think that makes my opinion still valuable to my readers, but I don’t want anyone to think that I am conciously trying to be especially “objective” or “professional” or “balanced” in my reviews; they are my opinion, first and foremost. As I said before, my attitudes may (or may not) change with time, and from time to time I do revisit books.

• Authors: if you do have an issue with what I write, leave a comment or write me an email at mmfbooks AT gmail DOT com. PLEASE remember that it’s just my opinion. I’m not out to vilify you or destroy your career.

I think that’s about it.

from Big A little a…

First, because we all want to be a super hero:

You are Spider-Man

Click here to take the “Which Superhero are you?” quiz…

Next, the June The Edge of the Forest is up! You will find all this:

Okay, now here’s the scoop on the June issue:

• An interview with singer-songwriter—and author of Middle Grade fiction—Dar Williams, by YA author Carrie Jones.
• Poet J. Patrick Lewis graces The Edge of the Forest with a bittersweet original poem.
• Sarah Stevenson (a.fortis) and TadMack (Tanita S. Davis) talk vampires in Fiction with Fangs.
• Not one, but two Summer Reading features: Julie M. Prince takes reading to the pool and Sarah Mulhern suggests summertime reading for kids of all ages.
• Gail Gauthier is this month’s Blogging Writer.
• We have three great columns this month: Candice Ransom considers The Long Summer for A Backward Glance, teacher Stacy Dillon gives us her students’ picks for Kid Picks, and Little Willow tells us What’s in Teens’ Backpacks this summer.

Plus a myriad of reviews from me… I tried my hand at picture books (they’re harder to review than they seem!), plus one really good YA novel, and another decent fantasy one, and a fun little dinosaur adventure book. Whew. Enjoy!

The doorbell rang this afternoon and I heard the familiar thump of a package being inserted inbetween the storm door and the regular door. I didn’t think much of it; I’ve ordered quite a few things off of Book Mooch and Amazon lately, and have a couple ARCs on their way. I was surprised, though, when I picked up the (fairly large and quite heavy) package and saw a return address — from Grimmell, Iowa — that I didn’t immediately recognize. It really surprised me, then, when I opened the package and saw 5 picture books, 1 ARC (for a book I think I’ve heard of) and one 1 paperback. None of which I’ve ordered.

There was no note.

I spent an hour or so, going through my emails (because, dang it, the address sounds familiar!) and Book Mooch history, trying to figure out who sent me these books so I could send thanks their way. But, it came down in the end that I have no idea who sent me these books. No clue who has my address (perhaps I should be more wary about giving it out??).

But whomever you are — TEOTF (does that stand for something obvious and I’m just being too dense to get it?) — thank you very much!!

Via Dewey:

1. When you dislike a book, do you say so in your blog? Why or why not?
Yes. Mostly because my blog is a record of all the things I’ve read, and if I didn’t like it, when I go back to see what I thought of something, I’d like to know if I hated it. I do try to give good, valid reasons for not liking something, and temper with an understanding of what my tastes and moods are. But, if I didn’t like it, I’m going to say it.

2. Do you temper your feelings about books you didn’t like, so as not to completely slam them? Why or why not?

Depends on my mood and the venue. I was more positive than I wanted to be about the reviews I did for The Edge of the Forest, but I realized that they wouldn’t really go for a sarcastic slam. They just don’t do that. And, if an author sent the book to me, I do try to find the positive things, even if I have some criticisms. They’re people with feelings, too. And just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean that others will have the same reaction.

3. What do you think is the best way to respond when you see a negative review about a book you enjoyed?

I usually just smile and shrug. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. And just because you don’t like my favorite book doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. (BTW, I hate anonymous commentors who leave snitty comments on my blog. Drives me nuts.)

4. What is your own most common reaction when you see a negative review of a book you loved or a positive review of a book you hated?

Whatever. Their opinion. Though I have to admit when I see a positive review of a book I disliked, I wonder (on some level) what was wrong with me, and what I missed in reading that book. Especially if I seen more than one. (Case in point: Evil Genius. I hated it, many many other people love it. What did I miss?)

5. What is your own most common reaction when you get a comment that disagrees with your opinion of a book?

That happens a lot. Some people love what I love. Other people don’t. The biggest book I got slammed for (another comment showed up today) was for liking Caddie Woodlawn. But if I got in a snit every time somebody thought I was horrible for liking that book, I’d be a basket case. Other people have opinions. I can’t let them affect what I think/thought about that book.

6. What if you don’t like a book that was a free review copy? What then?

Depends on where it came from and where I’m writing it up. As I said before, if it’s for someplace else, I’ll probably find the positive as well as the negative. But if it’s for here, I have no qualms with saying it’s not all that great. (I do have to admit, that for my middle-grade and YA reviews, I take M’s opinion into consideration. If she liked it a whole lot more than I did, I take into consideration the “adult factor”, and write my review accordingly. I admit that this is “cheating”; not every reviewer has a bookworm child who’s willing to give her opinion on what she reads.)

7. What do you do if you don’t finish a book? Do you review it or not? If you review it, do you mention that you didn’t finish it?

If it’s for somewhere else, I finish it. I won’t review a book for an online ‘zine if I don’t finish it. But, since this blog is a record of every book that passes through my hands, I’ll write something up whether or not I finish it. I need to know — bad memory, remember? — if I couldn’t stomach a book, and why I didn’t finish it.