Book Blogger Confessions (Scary books edition)

You guys know enough about it by now. Awesome meme hosted by For What It's Worth and Midnyte Reader. 

This week's question is, 

Do you like to read scary books?  Why or why not?  If so, what is the scariest book you've ever read and why does it deserve that honor? 

I don't get scared easily. I love watching horror and I haven't found too many novels that honestly creeped me out. There's something about the adrenaline rush, the mystery, when your heart is pounding fast and you're shivering that is just incredible. This is why I read- because I react to books, and no other genre can make the reader react like horror done well. 

That being said, I haven't read many books I truly consider scary. Only one book comes to mind, and that's because I just found it fun and creepy. There were some goosebumps. The book is Bad Girls Don't Die by Kate Alender. For some reason I found that book incredibly creepy. If there are two things I find creepy (besides bugs & fish) it's dolls and little kids. 

Those two things are supposed to be innocent (and I have some of both at my house) so the fact that they aren't, they way they're twisted always creeps me out. I never liked puppets or anything like ventriloquil figures either. Not even Sesame Street or the Muppets was okay for me when 

I was a kid. That's partly why I found Bad Girls Don't Die so creepy. 

I'll leave you with this stunning movie poster. That is one of the few things that honestly creep me out. 

Book Blogger Confessions: Memes

An awesome meme by Tiger's All Consuming Media and For What It's Worth. Check them out!


Memes. Love em' or hate em'? How many do you participate in? Which kinds do you like best? Do you feel like there are too many?


I've been away from blogging for a long time so obviously, I haven't been too involved in memes. Even now, I kind of am trying to keep with more original-ish content. 


I've done Follow Friday, Book Blogger Hop, Waiting on Wednesdays, In My Mailbox, Teaser Tuesdays, and of course, one of my favourites, Book Blogger Confessions. 


Waiting on Wednesdays, Teaser Tuesdays, IMM and BBC are the kind of memes I like best. They're about books, and they have the same general idea, but they leave a lot open to bloggers so that they can put in their individuality. I don't go to blogs for memes- I go to them because each blogger has their own unique views and personality, and I want to see them talk about books in their perspective. 


The only thing I kind of don't like about memes is when they're too popular. You ever look at your dashboard and notice about 15 blogs with the exact same topic? I like reading about different stuff on different blogs, and 15 teasers doesn't really interest me. That's basically my only complaint about memes. 


I don't think there are too many memes. You don't need to participate in every meme, but there is a nice variety available. Rather than memes, something I really enjoy are the little features individual to every blog. Some people have a wrap up post every week, others have a post about a non bookish topic, and others have really cool discussion topics. Those are what I try to have, and what I prefer infinitely more than memes. 


As always, thanks for visiting and have a great week!

Book Blogger Confessions

Basically, one of my new favourite memes hosted at For What It's Worth  and Tiger's All-Consuming Media. Check it out!

This week's question is: 

Social networking with authors: Do you interact on Twitter/Facebook/etc with authors? Does it affect how you review their work or do you look at their books differently because you're on friendly terms with them?


I actually don't interact too much with authors. I visit Twitter in bursts (though I'm trying to change) but I do follow a bunch of authors. It doesn't affect how I review their work though. A review is your thoughts on a book, not the author. Just because I really like an author doesn't mean I'll really enjoy their book and vice versa. Still, if an author is really nice to me and I don't like their work, the tone of my review will be different than if I thought the author was mean. I'll still say I didn't like the characters, but instead of saying one was awfully dumb and ignorant, I'll talk about how I didn't relate with the character because we're different and I couldn't believe her naivety. It's hard to explain, and I don't ever consciously think about it.

My goal is still to try to write reviews that reflect my reading experience in the most honest way possible. It's not to sell books, or to save the world from reading a book I consider awful. It's to share my opinion of the book, not the author.


What do you guys think?

Book Blogger Confessions (1)

I know I'm a little late joining, but I really wanted to participate since I think this sounds like a great meme.

Book Blogger Confessions is a meme hosted by Tiger from All Consuming Books and Karen from For What It's Worth Reviews all about blogging experiences, issues, whatever. It will be be posted on the first and third Monday of every month and I strongly encourage you to check out their blogs for more information, as well as a linky to everyone else's answers. 

Or for more information, read this post. 

This week's question is: 

How has the "job" of book blogging changed your reading habits? Both pro and con.

Pros: 

I read much more and I realize the value of a book so much more. 

Blogging has made me read more than ever. Reading isn't some solo, individual act I do anymore. It's not something I feel alone in doing. Before blogging, I thought no one else ever read as much as I did. I knew other people that read similar books, but not as much. It felt like I was weird to read so much and care so much about books. Ever since I started a blog I've realized other people care about books as much as I do, and even more! There are so many fabulous blogs showing such dedication that just really enhances the reading experience. 

Seeing posts everyday about books and all the cool books people are excited about as certainly expanded my TBR. I don't think I'd have read even a 1/4 of the books I do if not for blogging. For example, before blogging I would not read contemporary. My only experience with contemporary was Gossip Girl, The A-List, The Clique and all and those are fine books but after a while I felt like I got tired of them. Blogging has introduced me to many more contemporary reads like If I Stay, Between Shades of Gray and The DUFF to name a few. 

Nowadays, every time I read a book I think of all the work that went in it. I read the blurbs carefully, I think of what the cover is trying to say, and I all out examine the book in a completely different way. I am much more respectful of books since I now have an inkling of what publishers and authors go through for each book and I can fully appreciate a book even more. 

Cons: 

Reading is now much more stressful. I have more to read, I have to read it "better" (more carefully, questioning how I feel about the book) and I have to read it faster. It means I have to change my reading habits and reading is more than just a hobby now. I can't just simply pick up a random book. I have a whole schedule I need to follow. It's kind of overwhelming. 

I miss the days when I could just simply enjoy a book without having to explain to myself why I enjoy it. Analyzing a book makes its faults more apparent so I think- and this is awful, but it may be true- that I like books in general less in some level. Reading slumps are more common and reading feels like a job sometimes.

And since I'm not the kind of person that can end on a negative note:

But blogging is exactly what I needed, as a reader. I think my reading would have slowed down if I didn't take the step to the "next level". I'm passionate and always 100% into my interests. Without people to talk books to, I wouldn't have continued reading half as much as I do now. 

I know sometimes I complain about how reading feels like work now that there's so much pressure behind it, but sometimes that's a good thing. Reading is even more rewarding than ever. Every time I get a comment on a review, it instantly brightens my day. Having a review request for a book I really want makes me jump up and down. Even though blogging has gotten me to reach new reading lows, it's also gotten me to reach highs that I would never have had if I hadn't started a book blog. 

My point? It's worth it. 

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*ahem* Sorry for that reaallly long answer... did I mention how much I love to talk? Anyway, thanks for visiting and I'd love if you'd share your thoughts in the comments. Happy blogging!