EXCUSE to READ read-a-thon summary (#ExcusetoRead)

I'm a few days late and a couple dollars short (well, a lot dollars... vacation does that to ya!) but here I am with my EXCUSE TO READ summary! :D When Cheyanne and I planned this, I didn't know our family would end up going on vacation. I read as much as I could, but there was no way to get through all of them! Here was my TBR: 

My official Excuse to Read TBR

Here's what I was actually able to read (womp womp):

I *did* read From the Wreckage when I got back, though, so I'm going to give myself a couple days' grace period since I was on vacation and count it! Therefore, I read a total of FOUR books. :D

And now, for the breakdown:

* Cover Love (all-time favorite cover): I'd have to say Falling into Place. It's what pulled me in the first time I saw the book, it makes total sense when you start the first page, it makes even more sense once you've read it. So yeah. Cover love goes to Falling Into Place. (Also? Amy's writing? YOWZA. I CRIED!)

Favorite quote: 

There are a million favorite quotes. *le sigh* But I'm going to share one quick one, because it's what's in front of me, and maybe it'll get you to check it out...

Liam watched with his mouth hanging wide open, expecting her to crumple on the asphalt and die tragically before his eyes.

She didn't, and when she walked away, Liam's heart followed.

* Fun Find (book you're most glad you picked up): Tin Star. I'd been curious about this, and when Brit sent it to me, I thought, okay, time to check this one out. I'll be honest, at first, I wasn't too keen on the aliens, but the storyline grew on me, and next thing I knew, I was sitting in the middle of the Monterey Bay Aquarium reading the last few pages because I couldn't wait to find out what happened! I can't wait to read book two: Stone in the Sky!

DUDE. This tagline!

Favorite quote: 

All the parts on my body that hurt began to numb. But not my heart. That was still beating strong.

* Old Geezer (book you've been meaning to read the longest): From the Wreckage. As I said, I've had it downloaded for quite a while, but I didn't realize how long it had been until I was writing up this post. Come to find out, I downloaded it July of last year! D'oh! Had I known how much I was going to love it (I CRIED!!!), I would have read it WAYYY sooner! (BRB, off to download book two: Out of Ruins).*

Download FtW for FREE on Amazon (link)

Favorite quote:

My favorite quote is a huge, major spoiler, so I'm just going to leave you with West saying this... Best damn mint I've ever tasted

Hahaha have fun trying to figure THAT out.

 * Author Love (author you're definitely going to read more of): Melina Marchetta (are you surprised??). Oh man, this lady gets to me every time. Looking for Alibrandi was first written in the 90s. I didn't realize how old it was, not that it matters, because it's completely timeless. Italians, family, religion, nuns, boys, peer pressure, boys, Australia... it's got a great combination of stuff.* Also: I CRIED! (SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A THEME THIS READ-A-THON...) 

I've now found out that there's a movie version of this that I MUST SEE. Problem is, it's only available in Australia. (HALP.)

I'm not quite sure what's up with this cover. I mean, yes,
she does jar tomatoes with her grandma, but...

Favorite quote:

THERE ARE SO MANY. I chose one that made me laugh and showed Josie's personality.

“We're so different. You're an intellectual. I'm an idiot." 

"Don't say that," I yelled. "You're not an idiot, you stupid idiot.”

So there you have it. My reading list. Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think? 

If any of the above books look interesting to ya and/or you want to quickly add them to your Goodreads, check out my original post. 

I can't wait to do another #ExcusetoRead read-a-thon! :)

*Both of these books featured boys with motorcycles. Ha ha!

Welcome to the #ExcusetoRead read-a-thon! :D

Hi, all! Welcome to EXCUSE TO READ read-a-thon, day one!!!! :D Are you excited to get some reading done? I sure am! 

Today, July 28th, we're showing off the books we've chosen to read over the course of the week. I've chosen a LOT of books, and though it's not likely I'll finish them all, I wanted a nice variety of YA so I can read according to my mood. Here they are:

My official Excuse to Read TBR

A quick breakdown:

GOOSE (Paper Aeroplanes, #2) by Dawn O'Porter (eARC) 

Why I'm reading it: I need to read this before it's no longer available on NetGalley (end of August). I've never read anything by her before, but the description of GOOSE drew me in and I wanted to know more. I actually had no idea that this is actually book two until I was setting up this post, so now I suppose I should read Paper Aeroplanes first!

Add to Goodreads

THE WESTING GAME by Ellen Raskin 

Why I'm reading it: I came across this in the 99 Cent Store, and it looked like a great, fun mystery. Not what I usually read, which is why I'm quite excited about it! :) 

Add to Goodreads

LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI by Melina Marchetta

Why I'm reading it:
Two words: Melina Marchetta.
Jellicoe Road.
Lumatere Chronicles.
(oh wait, that's six.)
I love Melina's writing, and have heard great things about Looking For Alibrandi.  

Add to Goodreads

FALLING INTO PLACE by Amy Zhang (ARC)

Why I'm reading it: Because I've wanted to for a long time (the premise, young age of the author, and cover had me curious) and finally recently received a copy from Britt (@Kalebsmome) using the #booksfortrade on Twitter! :D 

Add to Goodreads

A STRANGE MACHINE (Time Loopers, #1) by Dan Rix

Why I'm reading it: Mainly because ever since reading Myra McEntire's Hourglass &Timepiece, Loop & Twist by Karen Akins, and Nicole Zoltack's The Test of Time, I've been looking for more time travel books! This series looks fun, and I'm always looking to add to my list of indie reads.  

Add to Goodreads

TIN STAR by Cecil Castellucci (ARC)

Why I'm reading it: I've wanted this book in my hands ever since I saw the cover and read that it had to do with aliens. This is another ARC I got from Britt and #booksfortrade. 

Add to Goodreads

THE WALLED CITY by Ryan Graudin (ARC)

Why I'm reading it: A) haven't read a dystopian in a while B) I love those three lines on the cover C) most of my GR friends have enjoyed it, and that's saying something! (Thanks again to Britt for this ARC! hehe)

Add to Goodreads

MARK OF THE THIEF (Mark of the Thief, #1) by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Why I'm reading it: After reading The Ascendance Trilogy (The False Prince, etc) by Ms. Nielsen, I've been looking forward to reading something else by her, so I pre-ordered Mark of the Thief not long after it was announced. Then it arrived, and... I never got around to reading it! :( 

Add to Goodreads

FROM THE WRECKAGE (From the Wreckage, #1) by Michele G. Miller

Why I'm reading it: I came across this a while back on Amazon, and it's been sitting on my Kindle ever since. Basically, it looks good, has tons of great ratings, the author already has two more books in the series out (ACK!), and I'm tired of it taunting me on my screen!  

Add to Goodreads





And... that's my breakdown! WHEW!!!! I'm so excited to get started! 

***If you're participating in the read-a-thon, link up below so we can cheer each other on! If you would like to join in and read along with us, please do! THE MORE THE MERRIER! (Here's a little info that explains what's going on.)

An InLinkz Link-up

2nd Annual 11 Reasons I Love Book Bloggers

Hi, guys! This is my second annual 11 Reasons why I Love Book Bloggers post, and just like last year, I figured it would be perfect to do it the week of Valentines Day! *tosses heart-shaped confetti*

Last year, I had quite the detailed list, including unique blog titles, great reading challenges, and some of my favorite memes. This year, I'm going to keep the post a bit simpler with my 11 reasons; then sharing some challenges I've come across recently that you might want to participate in! So, without further ado...

11 REASONS WHY I LOVE BOOK BLOGGERS

1) Honesty. Yep. That's one thing you're always going to find with bloggers. They're honest not only about their bookish opinions, but about what's going on in their lives, what they care about, their interests, their families, and then some. (Which makes you want to meet them IRL even more. *cries*)

2) Discoverers. I have found sooooo many books under the radar that have become my very favorites, all because bloggers have taken the time to SHARE them on social media! KEEP SHARING, MY FRIENDS!

3) The squee-factor, same as last year. They read/squee. I read/squee. Then we all squee together. It's fangirl/guying at its finest, and one of my favorite things about bookish camaraderie. And it never. Gets. Old.

4) Talkers. (Even if not much of that is actually done in person.) Booktube. Book chats. Twitter. Interviews. There are soooo many ways to engage in great book conversation, all because bloggers make themselves available for book discussions.

5) Reviewers. Bloggers spend so much of their lives reading books for the sole reason that they've agreed to write out their opinions afterwards. (I agree to read about five, and I'm in a panic. How do I say it all? How do I not offend people? How do I make my review worth the authors giving me their books? How is this not more stressful for more people? How can you do that all year long? It's amazing.) Cookies to all of you.

6) Encouragers. I mean, yeah, books are our top love, but bloggers are there for so many people with words of advice and encouragement. They are so quick to build each other up!

7) Committed. Life is full of drama. Blogging is full of drama. Reading is full of drama. (Ha.) And yet, bloggers are committed to not giving up. They keep at it for whatever reasons, and that makes them awesome. *shakes pom poms*

8) Sharing. There's not much competition in the blogosphere. It's not about who has the most of anything. Instead, everyone's posts and feelings are celebrated and discussed and passed to one another (encouraging the boosting of Facebook feeds (Boost It Tuesdays), and hosting a place to post weekly reviews, giveaways and the like at Saturday Situation are just two examples of what I mean).

9) Creativity. Becca from Pivot Point Reviews makes totes. Hafsah from IceyBooks makes downloadable wallpapers (and a wholeeee lot of other stuff). Jen from Jenuine Cupcakes makes cupcakes... and so many other bloggers not only read, review, and blog, but they also create awesome ways to spread the bookish word that go beyond the usual blogosphere. 

10) Giving. Giveaways, Rafflecopters, sharing ARC love... Bloggers are always doing stuff that will enable readers to get their hands on more reads. YAY.

11) Fun. What can I say? Bloggers are fun. They're enjoyable. They're relatable. They're great to interact with. And I have to say, that's my favorite part. :)

READING CHALLENGES (click the photo to go to the challenge):

Jessica at Books a True Story has seven listed in THIS POST, including an ebook challenge, mythology challenge, and an audiobook challenge!

Also, I've been keeping a list on Twitter for quite a while now, so if you're looking for more lovely bloggers to connect with, you can peruse it HERE.

Last, I came across this Top Ten Tuesday post recently, and thought I'd share. Check out Lori and Jamie's Top Ten Reasons I Love Being a Reader/Book Blogger, then scroll down to see hundreds more! So many bloggers! (So much awesomeness!)

Thank you for all that you do, book bloggers! 

Make sure to do a shout-out of your favorite bloggers in the comments! Let's spread the blogger love!

Being a Beta Reader: Is beta reading for you?

Beta reading... not at all like walking a tight rope!

I'm not sure why, but for the past couple of days I've been feeling that I should do a post on beta readers. After seeing two separate posts on it today, I've gotten the hint, so here goes. For those of you who don't know what beta reading is, it's basically reading a manuscript before it's ready to be published. Authors use betas for plot feedback, to get ideas on what works and what doesn't with characters, and much more. A lot of times, beta readers who've read the author's previous work are great at pointing out series inconsistencies that we authors tend to gloss over after reading a 70+ thousand word MS fifty times already (like, But two books ago you said her eyes were orange, not yellow, or whatever).

Betas are our friends. At least, my betas are. When I send stuff to them, I know they're going to point things out that readers will notice. I expect suggestions, knowing I might not use them all (but better to conteplate now rather than later, once the book is out and changes can't be made, right?). I expect my betas to tell me things politely, but they do have the right to disagree with my decisions, as long as they're tactful about it. It's important to remember that all beta readers are different, and that, if you choose to beta read for someone, it's okay for your personality to shine through. Some betas send back two pages of notes. Some have detailed suggestions on every page. Some only point out their favorite and not-so-favorite things. Some don't say much other than "yay" and "I'm so excited for ____" (thanks, guys). The point is, reading it and saying, "It seems decent" isn't going to help anyone, nor is sending twenty negative comments per page. 

Last, betas, a lot of times, end up being your core team of fans. And by fans I don't mean crazy fangirls who squee over you and stalk you online and get confused and think they ARE you (although, I could deal with that); I mean people who are your advocates. Who spread the word about your work, because they get it. Who you can count on in a pinch to read that novella or ask about a character list and if you missed something before sending something off to print. I don't know where I'd be without my beta readers. (You guys know who you are. Coffee hugs.) 

Oh, and authors, if you DO use betas? Please please please make sure to thank them in your acknowledgements!

Now that I've explained what betas do, here are some great articles on beta reading that I've come across, as well as a great recent #k8chat regarding beta readers (lots of tips from readers and authors). I'd like to point out that most of these are written for the writer, not the beta reader, but they're still great and will also potentially give you ideas as to what to request as a beta reader (like knowing what format you'd prefer the document in, for instance). 

Another point real quick: it's important to remember that betas are not editors. It is not their job to point out the technicalities of punctuation (though, if that is your forte, you are more than welcome to mention that to an author before beta-ing... they might appreciate catching that stuff before their MS goes to the editor). I think of betas as the person you go to and say, "Hey, do these shoes go with this outfit?" To which they respond, "Well, last month you wore them with this dress, and it kind of goes but you seem to do better wearing these with pants. Oh and those earrings you had on last week would go great with it! That eyeshadow is not working for me at all, though." (Bad example? Oh well.)

Without further ado, here are some great tips on beta reading: 

* What is a Beta Reader and Where Do I Find One? via Casey McCormick (@Casey_McCormick) ***make sure to read the comments in this post!

* The "Art" of Beta Reading via Kati Brown

* Copy-editing and Beta Readers via Joanna Penn (@thecreativepenn)

* An important tip to keep in mind while BETA READING via Monica B.W. (@Monica_BW)

* Beta Reading Etiquette via Trisha Leaver (@Tleaver)

* Beta Reading Etiquette: How to Give a Critique via Misti Wolanski

* Five Things You Should Know About Working With Beta Readers via Corina Koch MacLeod and Carla Douglas of Beyond Paper Editing

* Beta-Readers and Beta-Reading: #K8chat on Twitter with Kate Tilton (@K8Tilton)

* Beta-Reading Community at Pub Hub (@PubHub_blog)

If you have any experiences, suggestions, or questions, feel free to share them in the comments!

11 Reasons Why I Love Book Bloggers

Recently, as I went through my favorite books, couples, and quotes looking for fun things fun to share on an feature at  Kayla's The Bibliophilic Nerds, it occurred to me that I was limiting the post to only authors and their fictional characters. But what about love with the readers? And love shared by those readers, with everyone else, all over the interwebs?

 Whoa! I thought. I’ve got an idea for a feature.

Which turns out to be quite apropos, considering If I Speak True’s blog tour just ended and I am seeing (for a second time) just how much work bloggers do on a daily basis. (Not that I didn't see it before... but when you're watching the process of a post from start to finish you definitely appreciate it more.)

So, without further ado, here’s my “love” list for Valentine's Day, because I love all ya'll, and you are SO appreciated:

11 Reasons Why I Love Book Bloggers

1) Book bloggers are the best. Eclectic group. Ever. Doesn't matter if they're thirteen and from the US or ninety-two and from Costa Rica; tall or short; love coffee or don't (gasp), all of them rock and share one thing: Their love for books. Therefore, they are equally amazing.

2) Book bloggers take time out of their busy schedules to share the books they’ve read with others. Not just once, not just twice, but time and time again, week after week, month after month, year after year. That's dedication, folks. 

3) Sometimes, after sharing the books they've read, they even recommend them, so others can fall in love with them, too.

4) Book bloggers love to squee about favorite characters. Which then gives the rest of us permission to squee with them. And then we all get to squee, and everybody’s happy. Until we read the next book. Then, we do it all over again. (Repeat this for every other emotion, too.)

5) Not only do book bloggers share their feelings about the books they’ve read on their blogs, but a lot of times they go that extra mile and share those thoughts on websites (like Barnes and Noble or Amazon or Goodreads, for example). This is two-fold awesome: a) it helps lead readers to books and b) enables readers to make informed decisions regarding whether a book is their kind of thing. 

6) Book bloggers host giveaways constantly. Have you noticed this? I mean, nowhere else except in the blogosphere can you click around and enter book/swag giveaway after giveaway for free, just BECAUSE. They are like, full of sweet-book-sharing-awesomeness that never stops. (I don't know about you, but I imagine my favorite circus music when I see giveaways. Come one, come all, to the greatest giveaways on our blogs! Ahem. Anyway...)

7) Book bloggers bring their personalities to the table. You hardly ever see the same blog design twice, which is crazy, considering how many bloggers there are! I love checking out everyone’s designs. (I also tend to swoon over owl ones, as well as anything that mentions coffee. But you already knew that, didn't you, friends?)

8) Book bloggers do cool cover features (like this one, or this one) and make fan art and sometimes even start Pinterest boards (which sends #booklove fans into crazy town and makes authors feel so stinking special).

9) Some of the best memes have been thought up by book bloggers, like Top Ten Tuesday, Waiting on Wednesday, What's Next, New Releases, GIF posts, Hot Off the Presses, and so on. (If you're looking for more/new memes, holy canole does Bookshelf Fantasies have a list for you.)

10) Their blog titles are so stinkin' unique. Here are just a minute few, so you can see what I mean:

Perpetual Page Turner
Such a Novel Idea

Chasm of Books

Turning Pages

The NerdHerd Reads

A Day Dreamer's World 

The Book Addict's Guide

Feed Me Books Now

Oops I Read A Book Again

A Book and a Latte

Page Turner's Blog 

The Story Siren

Me My Shelf and I

Lit Up Review

YA Midnight Reads

Geeky Chiquitas

The Escapist

I'd So Rather Be Reading 

11) Not only do bloggers come up with/do fun memes and have great blog titles, but they do reading challenges, too! Like, all the time! A tiny smithereen of examples:

Standalone Reading Challenge 

2014 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

2014 Reading Challenge: Indie-Fever

2014 TBR Pile Challenge

(This isn't on a blog, per se, but I even came across a reading challenge board on Pinterest and it lists quite a few.)

Now of course, there are way more than eleven reasons why book bloggers are awesome, but these are the ones that came to me. I know a LOT of us appreciate the book blogging community for various reasons, so everyone please feel free to add your reasons in the comments (or, better yet, do your own post on 11 reasons why you love book bloggers--using the banner the lovely Hafsah (@iceybooks/@iceydesigns) made)!

Okay now, fall in, everyone! Time to give all of the bloggers one big ***SQUEEZE***!!! 

Thank you for everything you guys do! *throws coffee bean confetti*


Disclaimers:

* as stated, there are many more bloggers who equally deserve thanks and credit. Each and every one of you is greatly appreciated, full of awesome, and most of you smell nice, too. If you aren't mentioned on this post, it's only because Lovemuffin put too many shots of espresso in my coffee and I'm on caffeine overload and my brain is going a thousand places at once and I can hardly even concen

** sometimes, authors are book bloggers, too, which means that they count as both. So to all of you authors who also blog and share the love of books with fellow authors/readers, you are totes included in the bloggerly love.

*** bloggers! If you have something you'd like to share, like a meme or reading challenge, ect. please feel free to do it in the comments! (YA and up appropriateness, please) 

**** when I said it would be cool of you to do your own 11 Reasons Why I Love Book Bloggers post, I wasn't kidding. It's Valentine's week. Heck, it's Valentine's month. Which means, basically... Go forth, and do it. Do it NOW.

***** wasn't trying to be demanding in that last comment... go forth and do it... please? Also: Here's a cookie.

Reader interview with Kate Tilton, Pt. 2

Hello everyone! Here's part two of my reader interview with Kate Tilton (part one is here). Kate is a lover all things book-related. She also loves to work with and for authors, and hosts a weekly twitter chat (#K8chat) so readers and authors can connect. 

Welcome back, Kate! Now, on to the rest of the interview...

You say often how much you love to meet authors, and recently stated that you'll "drive for hours" as long as you have your GPS. How many states have you visited now in order to meet authors so far?

K8: Oh gosh. I’ve been to author events in Georgia, New York, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Soon I’ll be adding Connecticut to that list. The longest drive so far has been to South Carolina from Georgia (around 6 hours). It is always totally worth it.

What do you love most in regard to the interaction process when meeting authors? 

K8: My favorite thing about author events is when authors remember me. Maybe it’s just me but when an author knows me like I’m a good friend it kind of makes my world. I really adore authors and I’m blessed to have met so many of them.

Is there anything you wish more authors did at their signings?

K8: Actually no. Most authors have been completely amazing at their signings. They let me hang around and take pictures, get books signed, and are all around amazing.

You recently attended BEA. I had no idea how involved it really was until I read your post about it. What, out of all of the amazing things there, was your favorite? 

K8: Meeting my favorite authors. Hands down. Someone actually told me at BEA that they hadn’t realized how much authors meant to me. As great as it was to visit NYC, see my best friend Victoria, and meet new people I am always blown away when I get to meet and talk to an author. (Obsessive, I know, but authors are SO COOL!) At BEA I was able to meet Richelle Mead AND DJ MacHale, two authors I never thought I’d have the chance to meet. Plus I got to see author friends Marie Lu, Andrea Cremer, and Victoria Schwab!

Is there a book you'd love to see adapted into a movie? (Doesn't have to currently be in the works.) What element would you look forward to seeing on the "big screen" most?

K8: The Legend series by Marie Lu! (There is talk already that Legend is in the works for a movie but until I see it I can’t get too excited.) I grew up with Day (Legend’s main character) as I have been a fan of Marie’s artwork before she published. I’d be most excited to see how Hollywood portrays Day because of how much he means to me.

What do you do with your books once you've read them? 

K8: If I own the book (and it is a physical copy) I keep it neatly on one of the many shelves of my room. My goal is to one day have all my books signed (because that would mean I have met every single author whose books are on my shelves).

Character preference: Would you rather create your own version of the characters in your head as you read, or see who the author envisioned as they wrote, and visualize them that way?

K8: This may be super surprising but I actually don’t visualize characters with much detail. I never really thought about that before until I read your question. Frequently I’ll find that I don’t recall many details about the physical look of characters. What sticks with me is the personality.

What is the first thing you read when you get a book? (Blurb, acks, etc.)

K8: When I pick up a new book I always read the back cover (book summary). If it is a book I have helped an author on I cheat and look at the acknowledgments first (I’ve been pleasantly surprised!)

If you absolutely had no choice and *had* to be a book character in order to survive (think some crazy dystopian future), who would you chose, and why?

K8: Day from Marie Lu’s Legend. Although Day isn’t superhuman he has a knack for surviving anything.

Book swag: Are you a user, or a hoarder? (As in, do you use your swag or set it aside so it stays in pristine condition?)

K8: Hoarder! (Don’t tell my mom! ;) ) I love putting book swag like bookmarks into my scrapbooks. Authors and books are such an important part of my life. Book swag lets me share that with the world.

In your age group (late teens to early twenties), what would you say are the three most popularly implemented ways readers find their next read? 

K8: For me I find books on Twitter and recommendations from authors/friends. I also do a lot of reading for my authors, beta reads, and book review requests.

Is there anything I haven't asked that you would like to share about your love for books/reading? If so, do share! :)

K8: Well I just launched this new book blogger group, Kate Tilton’s Book Bloggers. I would love to have more bloggers involved! I’ll be offering books for review, interviews and guest posts with authors, and anything else I think the group will be interested in! Sign ups are HERE.

Thank you, Kate, for a fun and informative chat! :) 

Kate Tilton has been in love with books for as long as she can remember. Kate believes books saved her life and strives to repay authors for bringing books into the world by serving as a dependable author assistant. A cat-lover and fan of many geeky things, Kate can likely be found curled up with the latest Doctor Who episode, plotting world takeover, or assisting authors and readers in any way she can. Kate is also a self-proclaimed Twitter addict. You will find her hosting #K8chat, her own creation, every Thursday night on Twitter from 9-10pm Eastern.

“My goal for the longest time has been to help authors. Make their life better because they make my life better. You are my rockstars.”

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