Category: Booking Thru Thursday

Booking Through Thursday

    

Today’s question:
Quick–what are you reading right now? (Other than this question on
this website, of course.) Would you recommend it? What’s it about?

My response:
I am currently reading Low Pressure by Sandra Brown.  

I have been a fan of Sandra Brown’s for many, many years.  I would say from the time I was in HS/College.  It had been quite some time that I had read a book by her but not so long ago, I read Lethal and it was pure Sandra Brown.  I enjoyed it so much and wish that there hadn’t been a lapse of reading her books.  So when I saw that her new book was released, I jumped at the chance to read it.

I am enjoying it, definitely would recommend it, at least so far.  The only problem in reading this book is me.  Because I just don’t have the time to really get into it due to business and RL, I am hoping that when things calm down, I can dedicate some quality reading time so that I can enjoy it.


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Booking Through Thursday

    

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This week’s question:
How do you organize/store your books? Do you go through them often? Or
do you pretty much just shelve them and then leave them alone until
you need them?

My answer:
What a fun question!!  However, looking at my shelves, it’s time to do a little rearranging.

I am surrounded by 3 different shaped bookcases, each with it’s own purpose in my office/reading room.   The corner bookcase is for books I have finished reading and are lined up by height with photo albums on the bottom shelf.  The top shelf is for electronics.  Th 3 shelf bookcase holds my precious signed copies of books. And the bottom 2 shelves are books I have won over the years.  Again all shelved by height.  And the big 5 shelf one holds 2 shelves of requested review books, cataloged with a post it that holds date received, from who, date of review and any notes.  These are stored in the order that I receive them.  The next 2 shelves are TBR personal shelves that are lined up by height.  The bottom shelf is TBR PBs, which are doubled up in width and height so that they fit.  And my EReaders sit on the table next to my recliner.

Most of the shelves are left alone except for my requested review shelves. Those shelves I visit often especially when I’m almost done with my current read and need to decide what’s next.

What about you?  Do you organize your books in a certain way?

Booking Through Thursday

    

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Today’s question:
Do you like to talk about what you read? Do you have somebody to talk WITH?

My Response:
Absolutely…what avid reader, book blogger, book reviewer, book lover doesn’t?

But to talk  and discuss books with at this stage in my life, no, not many.  Matter of fact, thinking about it, I could count on one hand how many I have.  I guess that’s why, when I see a random person with a book, sitting in a doctor’s office. while on vacation, even once in a bank waiting to talk to the manager, and I see someone with a book, I will initiate a conversation about what they are reading and then the conversation continues.  BB, before blogging, it used to really bother me not to have someone to share and/or talk about what I was reading, especially if it was a 5 star book.

I used to have a lot of people to talk with about books years ago.  When my boys were small and in school and/or when I worked outside of the house, I came in contact with many people who read.  During that chapter of my life, I was very involved and active in volunteering with the school, church and local politics.  However now, and being disabled, my circle has dwindled.  That’s why when I found this book blogging community three years ago, not knowing it existed, I was ecstatic and wanted to be a part of it.  And I can honestly say, I enjoy every minute of it to this day as I did when first joining and have no plans of leaving.

What about you?  Do you like to talk about books you read?  In your RL, do you have readers in your circle?

Booking Through Thursday

    

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Today’s question:
A while ago, I interviewed my readers for a change, and my final question was, “What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask?” I got some great responses and will be picking out some of the questions from time to time to ask the rest of you. Like now.
Jamie asks:
What was the most emotional read you have ever had?

My thoughts:
I’m sorry I keep repeating myself but when I read today’s question, one book instantly came to mind.  Ragdoll Redeemed:  Growing Up In The Shadow of Marilyn Monroe by Dawn Novotny, a memoir.  It was haunting to know that this woman who received such abuse, had gone through years of physical and emotional abuse as a child and adult and fought to become a happy, content , forgiving, intelligent and sincere loving adult.  I am not usually a reader of memoirs but because it had parallels to Marilyn Monroe, and I remember exactly where I was when it was announced that she had been found dead, I wanted to read this story.  Throughout the read, I kept thinking how painful it must have been for this author to face and relive her demons in writing this extraordinary story.  A truly compelling and emotional read.

Booking Through Thursday

    

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Today’s question:
A while ago, I interviewed my readers for a change, and my final question was, “What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask?” I got some great responses and will be picking out some of the questions from time to time to ask the rest of you. Like now.
Amy and Sarah both asked about genres:
Amy asks:
Name a book you love in a genre you normally don’t care for. What made you decide to read it? Did it make you want to try more in that genre?
Bookish Sarah asks an interesting assortment of questions:
What genre do you avoid reading and why?

My response:
In response to Amy’s question one book came to mind instantly, Ragdoll Redeemed: Growing Up In The Shadow of Marilyn Monroe by Dawn Novotny.  This book fell under the category of memoirs,  definitely on the other side of the spectrum of what I usually read, which is suspense.  When contacted through WOW to read this book, there was something that was in the synopsis that intrigued me, Marilyn Monroe.  I was young when she died but remember exactly where I was and how I tried processing “death” of a celebrity.  Once I started reading the book, it was much bigger than Marilyn Monroe.  It was about a small girl growing up with everything stacked against her, then reading her journey into her adult years with more obstacles presented and battled to become a forgiving, intelligent, and happy adult.  A caveat.  The author and I started exchanging emails and a friendship developed.  In October, she has a conference that she is attending here in RI.  I will be picking her up at the airport then out to dinner, which if our emails are any indication, we will need to find an all night restaurant, because I am sure our conversation will last for a very long time.  If you want to read a female “Rocky” success story, this is the one to read.  I highly recommend this memoir.  And  since this was such a compelling read, I have read other memoirs since.

And now on to Sarah’s question.  I know the new rage is PNR, UF, etc., matter of fact, it is so big, that the majority of book blogs there are now are geared to the YA books in this genre. I know, since I search and visit book blogs to invite them to become a host for Partners In Crime Tours.   I am just not interested in vampires, fantasy, etc.  I remember, and I am definitely dating myself, when I was young there was a show on TV called Dark Shadows, which would have fallen in this category.  One of my friends HAD to watch it every day at 4pm, no matter what we were doing or playing.  I would tag along  just to wait to continue what we had been doing at 3:55p, and after sitting through the show a couple of times, and not enjoying it, I would go home instead, grab a book, read and wait for when we could continue playing outside.  So since I didn’t enjoy it back then, as an adult, I am sure I wouldn’t enjoy it now.

What about you?  Any book outside your genre that you are happy your read?  Any genre that you know you would never be interested in?

Booking Through Thursday

    

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This week’s questions:
A while ago, I interviewed my readers for a change, and my final question was, “What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask?” I got some great responses and will be picking out some of the questions from time to time to ask the rest of you. Like now.
Two questions about selecting your books.
Pooch asks:
Overall, what factor most influences your choice of your next read?
Sefcug asks:
What is it that makes you want to read a book by an author you have never read before?

My answers:
Two questions today and both good.

1.)   This question, at least for me, is more difficult since there are a couple of factors that go into choosing my next read and all of them important.

When I first started accepting requests, my policy was to read a book in the order that they arrived in my house, however, after doing this for quite some time,  I  found myself going into frequent slumps because I would read books that I just wasn’t in the mood for but felt an obligation to read and felt that, after a while with this system, I was reading in a robotic manner whereas I wasn’t really enjoying a book,  it was more a a chore than pleasure.  I have since changed that policy.  Now what determines my choice of what’s on deck,  is still the time frame of  “requested reviews” but since I am still having the HUGE problem of saying NO to certain books that sound like something I would enjoy, there are still quite a few to choose from within that pile, including my “priority” novels that have been booked for a tour with Partners In Crime Tours, which lately are many, which is a good thing and something I am very proud of.  But overall, choosing a book from these piles is definitely my mood.  Now what I do is, I skim the synopsis of those TBR books, and what “hits” me is the one I will start.

2.) When it comes to deciding on a book by a “new to me” author, there are 2 reasons why I would choose to read the book.  The plot and recommendations from reviews that I will read/see from other bloggers/reviewers.  And I have to say, because of those 2 reasons, over these past 2+ years, I have found some really great authors that are now on my “TBR authors” list.

What about you?  How do you choose your next read?  What makes you want to read a book by a “new to you” author?

Booking Through Thursday

    

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Today asks:
A while ago, I interviewed my readers for a change, and my final question was, “What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask?” I got some great responses and will be picking out some of the questions from time to time to ask the rest of you. Like now.
Two questions about your reading habits that just seem to go together.
GigiAnn asks:
Do you have a favorite season of the year that you read more? (Example: during snow storms, rainy weather, or sunny and warm weather) Sorry, that was the best I could come up with.
Lisa asks:
Where is your favorite place to read? On the beach? Inside/outside?

My answer:
In response to GigiAnn’s question:
Great question!!  I never really thought about my reading habits compared to the 4 seasons.  But now that I think about it, I think I do read more during the colder months.  I  do enjoy, especially when the nights seem so long due to the changing of clocks, the cold weather and definitely when it is snowing, I love to sit in my recliner, which faces a window so that I have the view of it snowing, with my fleece throw and read.  And even when I was young, and to this day, I love to read during a T-storm.  However, when my boys were young, I would have answered that I read more in the summer.  Our house was like summer camp during the summer because every day by 10am, most of their friends would start showing up to spend the day in our pool.  Because it is an inground pool, 10 feet deep, we had strict rules regarding the use of our pool.  One of them being that they weren’t allowed in the pool unless I was outside supervising.  So everyday I would get my chores done early, grab my book and iced coffee and head out to be poolside and read.

In response to Lisa’s question:
I have 3 favorite places that I read.  Since becoming empty nesters, we turned one of the extra bedrooms into my office/reading/blogging room.  I have a very comfortable, sometimes too comfortable that  at times I doze off, recliner in this room.  It faces the window, so I have the view of the 4 seasons, where I can see our pool or watch the rain, T-storms or the snow falling.  Plus I am surrounded by my books in 3 bookcases.  The 2nd place would be on the beach in Aruba, which we visit every year.  And the 3rd place would be sitting on my “reading”  float  while in our pool.

What about you?  Do you read more  or less during the 4 seasons?  Where is (are) your favorite place to read?

Booking Through Thursday

    

Hi everyone!!  

I had previously signed up for, and stated earlier this week, that I would be participating in the High Summer Read-A-Thon, hosted by Michelle from  Seasons Of Reading  and  The True Book Addict.  However, the reason why there is no progress sticky post is, and I am embarrassed to say, that I haven’t even opened a book this week.  Real Life has interfered but this is something that I am truly excited about.  On Sunday, I announced that my son, Mark, proposed to his gf, Jess.   Well….they will be home tomorrow, they live out of state..5 hours away, and leaving on Sunday.  Since all their friends want to see them, including Steve and I, because he hasn’t been home since Xmas, we thought that we would have a pool party Saturday so that everyone can come here.  I have been extremely busy preparing for that plus have been busy with Partners In Crime Tours.  Hopefully I will get back on track with my reading starting next week.

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Today’s question:
A while ago, I interviewed my readers for a change, and my final question was, “What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask?” I got some great responses and will be picking out some of the questions from time to time to ask the rest of you. Like now.
Vampira2468 asks:
Series or Stand-alone?

My answer:
Both!  However, with a series, I like it if it can also be read as a stand-alone.  My opinion, that if that can be accomplished, that is some great writing.

What about you?  Series or Stand-alone?