The Problem With Books

I've been reading, although once again, life has a way of intruding its ugly little head into my valued reading time. But I've actually finished a couple of books since my last posting, both for review for the Historical Novel Society:  The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis and Echoes of Titanic by Mindy Starnes Clark and John Campbell Clark. So while you won't see those reviews here on this site for a while, it's not as though I've been spinning my wheels in regards to books. It's just that, for every book I do manage to finish, at least two more somehow find their way into my house. 


The other night, youngest dear daughter and I were on our way to a concert by the oldest dear daughter when we realized we were going to be more than 30 minutes early for the meet up. We were passing a Barnes and Noble...so I looked at her and said, "Ten minute B&N run?" She didn't even have to think about it. Within the allotted ten minutes, we were checking out, each with two new books in hand. Neither of us *needed* a thing, yet we were unable to resist the pull. 


I'm wondering if those of you out there understand how devious books can be...calling out to you when you've got ten thousand other things to be doing, stealing time that *should* be devoted to actual money making pursuits, hindering you from those projects you've been needing to do for quite a while? Not sure when I discovered this evil side of books, but as I gaze at the mountain beside my bed, I'm fairly certain I'm a victim with no means of a cure.


Not that there's anything wrong with that.


~taminator40

Top Ten Reads of 2011

Though my number of completed books for 2011 is pathetically low, I have to say that the majority of what I read could have ended up on my "Best Of" list for the year, which is something in itself an accomplishment. I read some outstanding books (as well as some chunksters--hello Dance With Dragons!) but overall most of them rated a good 9/10. And though I focus on the amount read, I really did enjoy most of what I read.

In looking over the list, however, it was fairly easy to see which rose to the top for my own favorites, so below, in no particular order, is a listing of the Taminator's 2011 Best Books:

• Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick (superior historical fiction always...I cannot recommend her highly enough!)
• To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick (see above)
• The Watch That Ends the Night by Alan Fox (truly superior verse novel about 24 passengers aboard the ill-fated Titanic...I slowed down my reading purposely in order to savor this one!)
• Last Breath by Rachel Caine (I'm an unabashed Young Adult reader and this series {The Morganville Vampires} is one of the rare ones that only gets better and better.  As an aside, Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series hit an absolute high with me as well with its latest entry, If I Die, which only barely barely barely missed this list).
• Wherever You Go by Heather Davis (so pleasantly surprised at this novel--a dead boyfriend refuses to move on as he follows his girlfriend as she tries to make a life without him)
• Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman (Penman is the master of historical fiction and this one is a doozy! After you get used to the author's nightmare of names and the set up, it truly becomes one of the best HF books out there today).
• Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (Again, a very surprising YA novel that gives us angels trying to figure out their purposes in life...quite well written and engaging!)
• The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (A fitting ending to a wonderful trilogy)
• The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy (Another great novel set on the British island of Guernsey--very different in tone but so intriguing)
• Matched by Ally Condie (A terrific beginning to a series, though I'm less than enthralled with its sequel, Crossed; fingers crossed that the next in the series recaptures much of the subterfuge and mystery of the first)

All of these books were either ones I personally bought or were ARCs supplied by HNS or Amazon Vine.  Not all of the reviews for these have been posted on this blog as I was waiting for them to be published in the HNS quarterly review mag, but I can safely post them now and will do so in a day or so. 

So there you have my Top Ten for 2011. I'm already looking forward to what's ahead in 2012 and am promising to read more of my own books this year (and want you guys to keep me to my word).  I vow to make reading more of a priority than playing on my iPad this year. And who knows? Maybe this is the year I finally get busy on those ideas that have percolated in my own head for years. So watch out, 2012...here I come!

~taminator40

Slumpity Slump Slump

Sometimes, despite your best intentions, a slump hits and nothing you read really sticks. I've been dealing with that lately, and it's soooooo frustrating. Here I am, surrounded by a cajillion books (and that's an exact count!) and very little of it is appealing to me right now. I really wanted to read World Without End by Ken Follett (and will, I promise, later on) but the storyline, while interesting, just wasn't grabbing me. In fact, very little is grabbing me outside of YA paranormal. I think it's just the weather, or maybe my work situaiton, or the Olympics, or my shoe size, or whatever, but I refuse to force myself to read anything other than what's grabbing me. Reading shouldn't be a chore. So for now, WWE is put on the backburner, and I'm reading Heather Brewer's Eleventh Grade Burns. Which seems to be sticking... review to come soo(hopefully).

Cool Book Giveaway

Head on over to my friend Teddy's blog and get yourself registered to win a free copy of Helen Hollick's new novel, The Kingmaking. The post to win the copy is found at http://teddyrose.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-tour-interview-with-helen-hollick.html. I love Hollick and can't pass up this chance to get more people turned on to her writing.

~taminator40

Finished Another One...And Requested More

Just popping in briefly to say I finished The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen. Though it's for review for HNS (www.historicalnovelsociety.org), so I really can't say much about it here, I will say it's going to be a positive review. Next up is Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly, also a review book for HNS.

But I do have a problem. I seem to be accumulating books (and particularly review books, whether for HNS, Amazon Vine, or Simon and Schuster) at an alarming rate, especially given the fact that my reading progresses in fits and sputters lately. I truly do want to read everything I request (or get sent) but I've got to learn a bit more restraint. Patiently awaiting me after I finish Galway Bay:

• Honolulu by Alan Brennert
• Figures in Silk by Vanora Bennett
• Prayers For Sale by Sandra Dallas
• Un Lun Din by China Mieville
• Dog On It by Spencer Quinn

And one other that for the life of me I can't recall. With all this in mind, what did I do this afternoon? Yep, order another review book from Amazon Vine: Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean.

I confess: I'm a bookaholic and I have a problem.

~taminator40

What Kind of Reader Are You?

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen   You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two.
Dedicated Reader
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I am a Literate Good Citizen:
You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two.

Tammy's Top Ten Reads of 2008

When I looked over my list of books read in 2008, I found it interesting how my ratings would change if I were to give them out now. Some of the books I rated 9/10 would be lower; those stories just didn't stay with me, though I enjoyed them immensely while reading them. Then some of the books I rated 8/10 or 8.5/10 would definitely be elevated; those stories still haunt me and I find myself thinking of them regularly. Don't you just love it when a story sticks with you, so much so that months or even years later you think about the plot and the characters and wish you were reading it again for the first time? So when I looked over my list, I chose my Top Ten, not just based on the rating given at the time, but on my feelings for the book right now.


Without further ado, here is my Top Ten List of 2008, (with several teetering on the cusp of inclusion, so they were added as Honorable Mentions with capital letters):

Top Ten List of 2008

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Time of Singing by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Under An English Heaven by Robert Radcliffe
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Honorable Mentions:
The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause
Beside the Burning Sea by John Shors
Molokai by Alan Brennert
Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klaasen
Caves of Perigord by Martin Walker
Stop in the Name of Pants by Louise Rennison
Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten Troost
Rumors by Anna Godbersen

Wishing you all a blessed New Year filled with love, family, and books!

~taminator40

7 Things About Me as a Reader

My buddy Diane sent this to a booklist we both belong to, but I thought it would be fun to post on my blog as well. The idea is to just randomly list 7 things about you as a reader. Of course I probably could've thought of about 25 things, but I used the first 7 that popped into my head. And consider this your personal tag to do the same thing on your blog!

7 Things About Me As a Reader

1. I don't remember ever not wanting to read. I recall my mother reading to me when I was very little and my dad was on his way home from work. This is the greatest gift my parents gave me. My dad always said I could spend whatever I wanted on books (and I learned this lesson very, very well).

2. I used to memorize books when I was little and really couldn't read so I could "read" them.

3. I have an entire bookcase filled with books from my childhood/teen years. Those books are my oldest friends.

4. My father in law (also a bookaholic) just conceded this week that I probably have more unread books than he does. I'm not sure if this is a victory or not. :)

5. I will read just about any genre except horror. No, vampires aren't horror. I promise.

6. Sometimes I am almost overcome with despair because there are so many books I want to read and I just don't have time to get to them all.

7. I am one of the go-to people on our staff at school about books. If someone wants to know about a book, he or she comes to me. I've acquired this reputation over the course of many years--and I like it. :)


So...you're up!

~taminator40

Eva's Excellent Book Meme

Eva's Excellent Book Meme

Teddy tagged me for this meme, an invention of Eva (A Striped Armchair).


Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?
The Kite Runner. For some reason I just feel it would be too gut-wrenching for me.


If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?
Jamie Frasier from Outlander, Edward Cullen from Twilight, and John Marshal from A Place Beyond Courage. What can I say? I like the boys.


Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realize it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?
Hmmmm....A Tale of Two Cities? Not a Dickens fan.


Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?
Can't think of one....


As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realize when you read a review about it/go to ‘reread’ it that you haven’t? Which book?
It may be Murder on the Orient Express, which my Sunday School class (a literature class) is currently reading. I'd thought I'd read it, but if I did, I can't remember much.


You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why?
Probably To Kill a Mockingbird.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?
French. I've always felt I'm missing something by not being able to read French.

A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread one a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?
Probably Outlander.



I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?
The reviewing community. I've really expanded my reviewing skills through reading others' reviews/blogs.


That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather-bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favorite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.
The physicality of the books wouldn't matter so much, just that there are plenty of them and all my favorites are there. I'd need a very comfortable chaise lounge with lots of pillows, a fireplace, and a small refrigerator for goodies.



And the final portion of this assignment is to tag four others: Bookfoolery, Jeanette's Reading Blog, For the Good Times, and NutmegAkitas.

And, for extra credit, if you leave a comment letting Eva know you've done the meme with a link to the post, she will give you some link love via a big list of who's participated. Additionally, if you link back to her original post, she will enter you in a drawing to win The House at Riverton. If you're an American, this is especially exciting since it isn't going to published until April. ;) To be in the drawing, you must have posted the meme (and commented) by February 5th, which is when she is holding the drawing.


~taminator40

My Top Ten of 2007

The following qualify as my Top Ten Reads for 2007. Beyond the first listed, the others are in no particular order:

• A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick (read this book...it's so rich in language, place, and character, a truly stellar experience)
• Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (A unique story that moves along thrillingly)
• Companions of the Night by Vivian Van Velde (raises YA lit to a new level)
• Helen of Troy by Margaret George
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
• Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
• The Ride of Our Lives by Mike Leonard
• The September Girls by Maureen Lee
• The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost

Overall, it wasn't an outstanding reading year for me. The 10/10s were few and far between, and many of my reads fell in the 7/10 category (good but not great). I am hoping that next year I'll choose my reads more wisely and read what I want when I want without worrying over reviews or what I *should* read. As my friend Maudeen said, guilt-free reading should be our goal!

~taminator40

Slumpiness

Bah, humbug. Well, it's not actually a Christmas humbug--more of a book humbug. Despite being surrounded by literally hundreds of books, with several gift certificates for more, two more set to arrive from Amazon any day now, and the prospect of purchasing even more while shopping tomorrow, I am, officially, in a reading slump. My book friends will know how frustrating this is. When all you want to do is read, and nothing sounds good, and your mind wanders ceaselessly, you know a slump has hit. Arrgh.

I'm currently reading A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury by Edith Pargeter. It's my final book for the tbr_challenge for 2007 and I am determined to finish it. It's a good book but it does take some concentration for me to keep everyone straight, which might be part of the problem. I keep thinking I need to just set it aside and pick up something light, but there's this nagging sensation that I MUST complete this book in order to have closure for this challenge. Goofy, huh? But that's how I am. However, I do promise myself if the latest book in the Princesss Diaries series shows up in the mail tomorrow, I am going to read it. I think it would be just the thing for my state of mind, which apparently has deteriorated rapidly this fall and winter. I just can't find myself concentrating on actual reading for long periods, damnit.

All readers go through this periods when they feel stuck and no book is really grabbing them. The trouble is, it doesn't stop me from wanting to add to my ever growing TBR mountain. Rational people would see the lack of logic in this statement. Readers just nod their heads and agree.

I know this too shall pass, but dang, I feel as though I'm wasting a perfectly good two week opportunity to lose myself in the pages of an "unputdownable" story. I suppose I should just take a deep breath and let the pages flow as they will, but I'm not like that. I KNOW things will improve, but, like patience, I want it and I want it NOW.

~taminator40