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 First, this week I finished my dissertation! It’s bound and all set to go tomorrow. Tomorrow I am also moving and taking a trip to Birmingham to get all the legal stuff surrounding our wedding wrapped up, so it’s going to be a busy day. Keith and I have been in a long distance relationship for so long – for our entire relationship barring a few fantastic summer months – that it’s hard to believe it’s over. Admittedly, it’s not totally guaranteed over until I have a visa saying I’m allowed to stay, but we have everything we need and we meet all the requirements (either comfortably so or barely depending on how the law is interpreted, but they are met), so I’m feeling optimistic about it. I won’t be completely relaxed until then, but we are getting there.
This week was also Book Blogger Appreciation Week. I had a fantastic time and I think it was an amazing week. I feel like everyone really came together and celebrated reading, books, and blogging, which is exactly the goal. It felt like the controversy over the awards just disappeared and we instead strengthened our community, celebrating both the shortlisted blogs, the winning blogs, and everyone else. I have discovered SO many new blogs, I can’t even tell you. I haven’t commented on all of them yet, but I’m really going to try. Amy deserves immense amounts of credit for all the time and love and creativity she’s put into this week. Thank you, Amy! And thanks to everyone else who dedicated even a little part of themselves to making this week awesome. You all did an amazing job.
Now, the bandwagon. Lately it seems that everyone has been announcing a TBR ban. Well, now it’s my turn. As of this posting, I have 369 unread books and six more on the way, my little gift to myself for having completed my MA. As I am now entering that nebulous state of unemployment which could last longer than I’d like in this economy, and I have a boatload of student debt to start paying back in April so I can’t really spend the money that I have, I am officially banning myself from buying more books until I have a job. Besides that, I don’t really need to have more than a year and a half of reading stowed away. So I want to work on getting the pile down some.
What am I not banning? I’m not banning review copies, library books, or gifts. My birthday is just after Christmas and so December and January are my main book acquisition time, I’m not passing up on that! I’m not going to stop myself from entering contests either. And the truth is that I don’t mind having so many unread books. Maybe that’s crazy because really, everywhere I go they’ve taken over, but I like having such a huge selection and knowing that I am totally spoiled for choice. If I had the money, I’d keep on buying. But I don’t, so I might as well try to make my fiance and my floor happier by reading the books I do have. At least then I can give away the stinkers, which I’ve started doing with some frequency. Anyway, my general rule is now that if the book is free, I can have it. If the book costs money, I can’t. I figure that if I still receive a few books, it will prevent me from pining over books I can’t have.
Do you mind having a huge TBR pile? Is there such thing as too many books?
For those who have started a ban, any advice for me?
 Description via Amazon:
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian – leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.
Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.
Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.
I’ve heard amazing things about the First Law trilogy. It’s dark and gritty and there is very little magic in the world; what’s left is fading. There is an ineffectual monarch on the throne and a very threatening ruler uniting the North against them. The book alternates between these three men’s viewpoints as we both get to know them and things start to heat up in their world. I think this book could turn out to be as amazing as people say, but I will be continuing the trilogy before I can really decide that.
The Blade Itself is definitely an exciting read. It opens with one of the main characters hanging off a cliff and after that, it’s hard to turn away. The three characters are so different and full of flaws, but I think that’s part of their appeal. There are no spotless good guys here. A few other characters are introduced and at the end of the book, they’ve all finally drawn together, which is why I’ve reserved judgment for the next volume.
What is interesting and different about this world is the lack of magic in it. There is still a little bit, but the characters who can use it to their advantage are few and far between. Overall, though, the world-building is a little sparser than I’d have liked, but I think the author has sacrificed that in favor of a very active plot. It is a grim world, but it isn’t particularly detailed and could be a variety of other fantasy settings. Perhaps a bit more differentiation will come in the next volume.
Basically, I’m going to wait to pass judgment until I’ve read more from Joe Abercrombie. This book has enticed me enough to return to the series, but I haven’t fallen in love with it yet.
 I’m going to give up on the fifty word limit right now, I don’t think I’m ever going to express where I think my blog is and where it’s going in that tiny little bit of space. I’ll try not to make it too long though.
I also want to give a huge congratulations to everyone who won a BBAW award or was shortlisted. I’ve been congratulating on twitter, but you all deserve a shout out here as well!
On to today’s topic: I’m not sure what I like about my own blog. I don’t think I do anything better or different than anyone else and I often think of myself as just a little blog in the midst of a whole lot of awesome great ones. I still think this is true (and I don’t mind either; I know I could put more work in but I’ve prioritized other things), but Monday made clear to me that a lot of you do like hanging around here and I’m amazed and pleased and grateful that so many of you mentioned me. Even the breaking of my headphones couldn’t wipe the smile off my face! Anyway, it seems like what I do best is provide info on historical fiction and history, so I’m happy about that. I also think my reviewing has improved since last year; my reviews have gotten longer and I think I’m better able to express how I felt than I used to be. I’ve been proud of a few of my reviews in the past few months and I don’t recall feeling that before.
What needs work? Well, I want to expand what I do. I know I review a lot, but I’ve often thought of coming up with my own weekly feature. Not a meme, because there are so many of those, but something I can just have on my own blog. I was going to do a weekly medieval feature, but then I got sick of my own classes pretty quickly and didn’t want to spend blog time thinking about what I spent all the rest of my time thinking about. I still want to do something that’s historical, so at the moment I’m planning on reading more history and sharing some of what I learn here every week; something like Tuesday Teasers except from history. I also was thinking of requesting guest posts from other bloggers on why they love historical fiction or their first historical fiction novel. I know a few of the other historical sites feature authors, but why not bloggers? My other improvement idea was to host a challenge, and so far that’s definitely a go, and I’d like to thank everyone who commented for their enthusiasm. I’ll be posting a preliminary list of book choices in the next couple of months and the sign-ups will be in December.
So, that was a lot of ideas, albeit not too original ones! If you’d like to be featured here talking about why you love historical fiction or history, shoot me an email at meghankk at gmail dot com. I’m thinking posts somewhat like Keira did last weekend for her birthday. If you have historical periods you’d like me to read about, again, send an email my way. I have two libraries as of Monday and a whole lot of free time until I can apply for a more permanent visa, so I’m sure I can come up with something!
 When Sir Harry Valentine moves in next door to Lady Olivia Bevelstoke and her family in London, rumors start to fly. Olivia hears that he killed his fiancee and she starts watching him through her bedroom window, convinced he can’t see her but perplexed when he wears strange hats and throws papers into the fire. She decides that he is a very peculiar man. Harry, trained by the War Office, knows Olivia is spying on him, but it’s not until they meet that he hears the rumor that a Russian prince is after her, a Russian prince who may be a danger to the state, and that he must stay near her. Forced to stay close together, Harry and Olivia learn that rumors aren’t the only thing that happens in London; love does too.
This lacks the intensity of a truly great romance novel but is a funny, heartwarming read anyway. Olivia and Harry make so cute a couple that in real life, half of us would be a little sick watching them. Julia Quinn is great at building a friendship bond between the characters, making a relationship that is way beyond passion, and that’s certainly true here, since there is only one love scene and if I recall correctly, it isn’t even very long. Possibly it’s that lack of intense chemistry which is missing, but we’re still left with the feeling that this couple will be very happy together. There are some adorably romantic scenes, like the many window conversations the couple has, particularly when they read to each other across the short distance. Quinn includes another hilariously bad pulp novel which results in some very entertaining scenes.
I also felt that the suspense plot fizzled a little. There is an event towards the end which didn’t fit quite as well with the quirky, cute tone of the book, trying to add in more suspense. I just felt it was somewhat annoying, even if it served a purpose in the plot. The ending, however, made up for that with some of the sweetest scenes I’ve ever read. After the cringefest that was The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, I am relieved, and look forward to her future work. What Happens in London is not as great as the Bridgerton books, but worth a read for romantics.
Today, we are blogging about the books that other bloggers inspired us to buy and read. This is actually a hard question because I haven’t been keeping track! Almost everything I buy or take out from the library these days has been recommended to me by other bloggers. I really need to make a list with notes of who recommended what to me, honestly, or at least where I’d heard about it. I know which books I’ve seen on blogs and which books I’ve seen on, say, LibraryThing, but never just which bloggers are behind it. I blame my memory. Plus, I already made a list of bloggers I love and I don’t want to exclude anyone again!
So I thought I’d go back for a bit and instead list the books that I absolutely loved and would never have discovered without this awesome world of book bloggers. If you’re reading this and you reviewed or talked about that book, then I can almost guarantee you inspired me to read it at least in part.
- The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, and Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
- Nothing but Ghosts by Beth Kephart
- Graceling by Kristin Cashore
- The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
- The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
- The Southern Vampire mysteries by Charlaine Harris
- The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough
- Possession, A.S. Byatt
- Old Man’s War, The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony and Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi
- The first 2 vols. of Bone by Jeff Smith
And that’s just books I loved, that I’d read again tomorrow, that I’ve acquired on my own in some way, since April/May. It doesn’t include the 370 unread books I have, 3/4 of which I’ve acquired since I officially got involved in June 2008. It also doesn’t include any ARCs. Thank you, book bloggers!
What books have you discovered thanks to book blogging?
While everyone is blog hopping for BBAW, I thought I’d ask whether there would be any interest in a Medieval Challenge for 2010. I know it’s only September, but we’re potentially going to be traveling soon and I would start picking up prizes, especially in the next few days while I’m still at York.
Here’s what I’m thinking: it would be six months or a year long and the minimum would be just 3 books. I’d have 3 categories of books: history, historical fiction, and medieval literature. The two options would be either reading 3 of any of those genres or one of each. Of course, I have plenty of suggestions for all and would post those in case anyone needs ideas.
So, thoughts? Are we too challenge burdened to add another one? I found an older medieval challenge, but is someone else doing this for 2010? Let me know!
(I’d tell you what I plan to call it but I have two options right now and I’m not sure which is better!)
The goal is to answer all of these questions in five words or less. If you prefer, you can instead answer one or two questions in detail.
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Nope!
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
It horrifies me.
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
Adore bookmarks, but often open.
Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Definitely both.
Hard copy or audiobooks?
Hard copy!
Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you
able to put a book down at any point?
I find a natural stopping point.
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
Nope, I guess on context.
What are you currently reading?
God is an Englishman by R.F. Delderfield
What is the last book you bought?
Catching Fire and Dead to the World
Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?
Depends on mood.
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Anywhere quiet!
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
Series.
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Not particularly, tell me if otherwise!
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
Alphabetically, author last name.
Today, I’m lucky enough to feature an interview with a great blogger that I only just discovered thanks to Book Blogger Appreciation Week! Lexie of Poisoned Rationality and I were assigned to interview each other and since then, I have become a subscriber of her blog and discovered tons of new books to add to my wishlist. So it goes! If you’ve never met her, I hope you’ll enjoy your introduction to Lexie and her blog, and if you read her blog already, maybe you’ll learn something new!
Meghan: First, maybe you could tell us a little bit about you! What do you do in your real life besides read?
 Lexie: Wait there’s stuff to do in life besides reading?! I never knew…XD I joke I joke…While reading takes up a lot of my time I’m also in the process of getting my degree in paralegal studies. Which also involves a lot of reading, but of a more staid and dry kind. Then also I’m a part time nanny with an agency, so I do that when the need arises. Oh and I cook for my family. Kind of more improvise and pray it all turns out well, but its mostly edible 85% of the time. There’s also my boyfriend, who demands attention, my friend Melissa who I am slowly addicting to anime and L3D my friendship circle. (L3D stands for ‘Lexie, Liz and Lisa + Des’ 3 L’s and one D! Why yes we’re big dorks). They also like to nab attention and aren’t keen when I prefer reading to socializing (luckily Liz and Des live in Texas and Lisa is busy with her nurse job XD)
M: What are your other hobbies?
L: Video games! Such as Kingdom Hearts, .hack//G.U., Persona 3 and 4, Shin Megami Tensei, Phoenix Wright, Animal Crossing, Tales of Vesperia…oh of course classic games. Bubble Bobble, Mario Brothers, the Original Zelda as well as Ocarina of Time. Between my brother and I we have 11 game systems ranging from a working NES to our newest system the PS3. We had 15 but we got rid of our Sega systems when our sister’s cat went to the bathroom on the box holding the systems (my original Sega Genesis…::cries:: ). I also like to bead, though its mostly for patience endurance. Writing (doesn’t everyone?), watching anime and asian dramas…sometimes walking XD
M: What got you started blogging about books?
L: I used to blog about books on my personal journal over at Livejournal, but none of my friends were that interested. I’d get comments like ‘Oh geez Lex…um I guess that’s good?’. So then I branched into a separate blog to gush over books without worrying that I have a bunch of angsty RL stuff clogging it all up.
M: What is your favorite thing about book blogging? Least favorite?
L: Connecting with the authors and readers. I’ve found myself a little bit less scared of talking to authors and approaching them because I (stalk)follow so many of their blogs and twitter feeds and respond to them. I’m still nervous in RL mind you, but I’m not scared to death clutching the books to my chest like the first time I met Maria V. Snyder at least!
Least favorite…I’m kind of a socially anxious person–RL or online. Its easier to cover up online ’cause no one can see the panic attacks I have or have red-faced I’m getting, but I respond the same way. Sometimes when I get e-mails or comments that are…less then polite I freak. Since blogging is meant to be a fun thing for me to do to escape my normal day to day stresses, I hate that I have those sorts of responses. It makes it less like a fun escape and more like a new kind of torture for me.
M: Share with us your favorite review or post.
L: Actually its a series of posts I did back in February called ‘Linnea Sinclair Book-A-Day’. My original intention had been to take all of her previously published books and read a new one each day to celebrate the release of her latest novel (Hope’s Folly). Sadly RL got in the way as I had just begun my classes…but when I told Linnea about it, she was so touched and she said it made her day. That made me smile hugely to know that someone I admire so much was touched by something I did.
(here’s the link to the post set: http://lastexilewords.blogspot.com/search/label/Linnea%20Sinclair%20Book-A-Day)
M: Do you remember the first book you ever read? What about your favorite book as a kid?
L: I got no idea what the first book I ever read was. I got theories based on what my dad has said, but no true clue. I’ve been reading since I was three years old or so–but my memories don’t really begin until I’m closer to 5. The first one I remember reading loving so much I had to read it again that same week was ‘The Girl With Silver Eyes’ by Willo Davis Roberts. I was about 10 years old and struck with the chicken pox. My mom got me a stack of books from Goodwill to compensate me not being able to leave my room.
My favorite was…hm. Either The Girl With Silver Eyes or Little House in Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
M: What are your favorite genres? Why?
L: I mostly stick to three–fantasy, Young Adult and Historical Romance (emphasis on Regency/Victorian time periods). Now if you were to sub-categorize those…well there’s a lot of sub-genres I read within those. Fantasy has always been my turn to for escape. Its so much easier for me to slip into a world where a birthmark on your arm means you might one day bring destruction to the world (or save it) then for me to understand the complexities of dating. I’ve recently gotten into Young Adult again (after not liking it that much at all when I was a young adult) because of my sister (who’s 16) and historical romance because of my grandmother who loved romances.
M: What about your favorite books or authors?
L: Hmm…the short version is…um…I call the fifth since there’s not really any way for me to choose without listing out for pages. I’m currently obsessed with Brandon Sanderson (to an almost scary degree) and I’m learning the love that is the Darkover novels by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I have a long way to go, but so totally worth it.
M: Share one fact about you that your blog readers would never have guessed. L: Umm…hm. This is hard. Oh second to my love of books (and related things) is my love of Joss Whedon. If its possible to love a man’s brain and nothing else, I love his brain. He can be somewhat smug in commentaries by himself, but I can’t deny the man knows how to please my fandom buttons better then just about anyone else I know. It used to be reserved for Sam Raimi, but I can’t forgive him after Spider-Man (though Legend of the Seeker? Great way to try and make it up to me).
M: Do you have a favorite book memory?
L: Shortly after my parents’ split up I went over to my grandma’s, where my dad was living at the time, with my brother and sister to see him. I guess he had gone to the used book store in Cranbury with my Uncle or something because on the table was a paperbag. Inside was a copy of every single Anne McCaffrey book the place had. From her Pern series to her Acorna to her Tower and the Hive books he got one of everything in paperback. I was so gloriously happy that for a time I forgot all about their divorce and how much I missed having him live with us.
M: Has book blogging changed anything about the way you read?
L: I try and pay attention to the smaller details because I can’t just publish a review that says ‘OMG SO GREAT READ IT!’ even if that’s my intial feelings on the matter. It can be something of a chore for me to remember details when the book is NOT in my face and I’m not in the middle of it honestly, once I finish a book, unless I begin to re-read it or I read another book in the same series, I file all that information away so that I can make room for the next new book. It was kind of a problem in school actually for book reports XD But now that I’m blogging I have a better understanding of how to retain that information (or at least remember to write it down).
M: Anything else you’d like to share?
L: Nope thank you for having me!
I’m willing to admit that I was a little surprised when the Book Blogger Appreciation Week shortlists came out because I thought they were missing a ton of amazing blogs that I love.* I obviously can’t share all of these blogs with you because we’d be here all day. After all, I have over 300 blogs in my Google Reader, and I love them all or I wouldn’t be reading them. You are all my favorites. I do, however, want to recognize a few bloggers from a variety of genres who make my day a little brighter every time they post.
- Devourer of Books – Jen’s was one of the first blogs I started reading way back in the day. Our tastes are so similar that I know that if she likes a book, I’m going to like it too, which is a fabulous gift. Sometimes I feel like we use the same theme for a reason!
- The Burton Review – Marie and I are shortly going to be sharing the same last name (no relation though), so how could we not love each other’s blogs? I discovered her blog a few months ago and just can’t get enough. And she loves history too! I’m only sorry I didn’t find her sooner.
- Heidenkind’s Hideaway – Tasha is one of the friendliest bloggers I’ve ever met and I have loved practically every feature she introduces! I also love her honest reviews and the versatility of her blog. Museums, art history, regular old books; you’ll find it here.
- Literate Housewife – Jennifer is another blogger I have been following since I found book blogs, and there is a reason. She’s a wonderful writer AND she makes the cutest bookmarks ever. What more could you want?
- Love Romance Passion – I just featured Keira on my blog yesterday and with good reason. I love her blog. She’s always bringing up great issues in romance, featuring other bloggers and authors, hosting great interviews, and telling it like it is with her reviews. She’s incredibly friendly and helpful, too.
- Passages to the Past – Amy is a fantastic historical fiction blogger. She reviews the most interesting releases and always points me in the direction of great books I want to read. I can’t tell you how much my wishlist has grown thanks to her.
- Stella Matutina – I am so pleased that I’ve been following Memory’s blog since it first started. I love her style of reviewing! She also reads a lot of fantasy and I really need to read more fantasy these days. Her blog is where I get all my dangerous ideas!
I encourage you to visit all of these blogs if you haven’t already! Don’t forget to take this opportunity to recognize your own favorite blogs who, for whatever reason, didn’t make the short list. I’m sorry I couldn’t include everyone, but if you’re reading this, I bet I love your blog too!
*Many of my favorites DID make the short lists, but they’re getting recognition!
Keira runs a book review blog for readers by readers on romance novels at Love Romance Passion. She’s been reading romance since she was a teenager and began blogging about romance so she could share her passion for her favorite genre. She loves reading paranormal, Regency, historical America, and highlander most of all and completely adores blind and wounded heroes. She’s celebrating her birthday, so give her some love!
My love for historical romances started a little over a decade ago when I found a box of romances in a cabinet in the laundry room. I figured they were hidden back there because I was not suppose to read them so I took just one and carefully closed the doors and raced back to my bedroom where I deposited my treasure under my pillow.
 That book was Gamble by LaVryle Spencer. It took place during the Temperance Movement in the United States. I proceeded to read every novel in that cabinet. Some were Harlequin Presents but a majority of them were full length stand alones by LaVryle Spencer and I loved them best. She wrote some contemporary but my true favorites were the ones set in the past.
I love romance historicals because of Spencer’s writings, but I did not stay with American historicals. I strayed from American historicals because English historical romances were prevalent and easy to find. They still are today!
Go to any book store and you can easily find a Georgian-Victorian period romance. Most of them are Regency, but the three eras are back to back and the transition is not always easily seen. Highlander romance is also very popular right now too and a new favorite of mine. Can you believe that I only started reading them a year ago? I know! Me neither!
I’ve read classics like Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights. I’ve a new love for Georgette Heyer romances and the Jane Austen variations that are dominating the market right now. I could go on but simply put: I just love historicals! Why? Three reasons!
Reason #1 – Historical romance opens a window into the past.
I will never live during the time of American expansion to the mid-west, but I can read about it. I will never dance at Almack’s wearing a glittering gown or be presented for a London Season, but I can read about it. Nor will I ever be in a Viking raid, but once again I can read about it and imagine it.
Reason #2 – The element of fantasy.
Not only are historicals filled with facts and information but they also share an element of fantasy. Contemporary romance rarely holds that same element of pure fantasy though both types of romances must start with the big “what if?” Medieval romances for instance are a natural outgrowth of fairy tales. Variations of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast are plenteous in historical romance… contemporary too.
Reason #3 – The passion exposed under the reserved manners.
This is a glorious combination and not something readily found in contemporary romances. Compare the social mores back then to ours today. I love immersing myself in the manners of the past where the smallest touch was worth so much.
But enough about me and why I love historical romances! It’s your turn… tell me why you love historical romances! Which type is your favorite?
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