Reading List: December 2012

My wrap up for the year post will be coming by the end of the week. In the mean time here's my list of reads for the month of December. I didn't get nearly as much read as I wanted to.

1. What an Earl Wants by Kasey Michaels*
2. Forever a Lord by Delilah Marvelle*
3. The Other Side of Us by Sarah Mayberry***
4. Death by Chocolate by Julie Lindsey **
5. The Duchess War by Courtney Milan
6. Fallen by Celeste Bradley***
7. Romancing the Holidays by Jaci Burton, et al.***
8. The Lady Most Willing by Connie Brockway, Eliosa James, and Julia Quinn***
9. A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan
10. Deck the Halls with Love by Lorraine Heath
11. Death's Angel by Heather Killough-Walden***

In the new year it's more indies, more romance, and more happy reading times. I don't have any definitive plans besides a wedding in August, and hopefully a finished book at some point. In the meantime, my new year's resolution of posting regularly... well, I won't hold  myself to any promises. My plan to continue to review as I can is still in affect, though I plan on backing off a little bit to focus on the gazillion other things I have going on.

*Review coming soon or available on this blog
**Review available on IndieBooksRUs
***Review available or coming soon on TheSeason

A Few Good Reviewers Needed!

Here's the official post, as promised.

Indies Books R Us is looking for a few good nuts... um, we mean reviewers, but if you're a little cray too then no biggie!

Yes, we need help. If you follow our blog regularly you've seen on the last few months have put a strain on us. The indie book reviewing world is just too big for only 2 reviewers on this site. Commitment is for just 1 review/1 book per month. You'll get a choice in what you review, and you only have to put down about 300-500 words of your thoughts on the book's content. No extraordinary deal, no website design or fancy postings (we'll take care of that). Additional details will be provided if you're interested.
Those who want more info or are definitely up to the challenge send an email to: indiesrus@live.com

Include:

-Contact info

-Experience (it's not required, but a bonus).

-A review example. If you've never written one before write a review based on the last book you read.   I hope there's a few of you out there interested in joining the cause, at least that's one way of defining it. There's a ton of books available out there and we need to help people sift through the good, the questionable, and the fuzzy.

Stop the Presses!!

*Please be aware this is a rant. If you do not want to be sucked into a negative vortex of words (possible profanity), that may induce anger and frustration exit NOW!*

Reviews! Oh, those sweet, possibly knife slicing 4-5 paragraphs that give readers an inside idea of a book. They're maddening to write at times, as I never want to describe 2 books the same way. It's a challenge and an art, in my humble opinion, to write something constructive and enlightening (too much thought process on this, I know).

What pisses me off though is when people say they'll review something, and then don't. It kills me! Slays me! Don't sign up for the book then. Let someone else review it.

I'm not perfect! I know this, and I know that my time is usually cut short by a million and one other things. Including the fact that I have about 5 minutes to type this and then I need to go to bed. *Growls* But when I'm not on top of my game, I try (with every piece of moral fiber I have) to communicate my potential delay. To make the site owners I'm reviewing for know what is preventing the post.

To be honest, I don't know if other reviewers do this or not. I do know that if you're going to request a book from an author, Netgalley, or a review site owner then you damn well better review it! Don't waste people's time with false platitudes, and bullshit. In general authors and review site owners are very understanding. Hell, we all know that reviewing is a chunk of free time. There's no payment for the online blog reviewer, except the unique opportunity to read a book (possibly) before it's released. *Note: there may be other ways to earn some bucks, but I don't employ them*

Okay, I feel better and I didn't even use my favorite word.

Bottom line: Your word is your bond. In the online universe I can't say it enough. Even a picture of your face doesn't change the fact that what you type into these little boxes, on Twitter, email, or Facebook is ultimately a judge of your character. If you can't honor your word, promises, or commitments in this word-laden space. Then how in the fuck (oops!) can you expect others to rely on you outside of a computer.

*Friendly reminder- I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. But with every mistake I own it, and resolve to make sure it doesn't happen in the future*

'Wake me up when September ends'

In honor of Labor Day a little Rosie!

This is new for me.... planning. I recently discovered I'm a pantser. Learned something new. I don't plan when writing and there's a name for that. Pantser. Funny, I plan everything else-- dinner, activties, my daily schedule (somewhat).

I've decided as my schedule gets busier I should plan. Planning means commitment. Planning means that I'm setting deadlines, goals, and putting effort into what I want to do. *You're saying "Get to the point!"*

Point is I'm going to starting having some sort of announcement on my blog for what's coming up each month. Ha! I'm forcing myself to commit to posting on a better schedule then just putting a schedule in the sidebar, which will be changing FYI.

Let us begin---> September is a month that already a few days in I want to end, like the Green Day song! Since I can't sleep through the month I'll try to make things exciting.

-First up I'll have reviews for 2 independent publication books otherwise referred to as self-pubbed.

-I'm going to keep trying my hand at Monday Funday posts with the blogs to check out, contests, and other web joy.

-Don't forget the Writing Profession Series-- I want to keep that one going, as there are a million more writing jobs to learn about. I've got the Book Reviewer and I'm hoping to follow up with a Screenplay writer and Ghost Writer.

-There will also be some posts about other blogs I've stumbled upon in more detail to help sway you to the other side. These blogs may deal with writing and maybe not. Life is about enjoying new experiences... for example who knew that PB&J is better with sliced strawberries and banana. I didn't until today!

-Finally a smattering of other book reviews for books that I read outside of my reviews on The Season; including Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum by Stephen Prosapio.

P.S. This post will replace 1 of my Funday Monday posts, but oh well! I'll be back next Monday with some contests and other things to check out!

 

Reading List for July 2011

July has been my biggest month yet, I think? I devoured tons of tasty morsels and a couple that were not as sweet. Definitely a big month of reading. I nearly cleared 1 book a day. Lost a few to some work and other hiccups.

1. Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney
2. Ectasy in Emeralds by Renee Bernard*
3. Lord Langley is Back In Town by Elizabeth Boyle
4. A Little Bit Wild by Victoria Dahl
5. Heiress In Love by Christina Brooke*
6. The Dragon Who Loved Me by G.A. Aiken*
7. Shameless by Anne Stuart*
8. All Through The Night by Connie Brockway
9. Rush of Pleasure by Ryhannon Byrd*
10. Notorious by Nicola Cornick**
11. The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels*
12. Guilty Pleasures by Laure Lee Gurke
13. A Lady's Lesson In Scandal by Meredith Duran
14. How to Seduce a Soundrel by Vicky Dreiling
15. The Marriage Betrayal by Lynne Graham*
16. The Heart of Christmas Anthology by Mary Balogh, Nicola Cornick, and Courtney Milan
17. The Priveledged and the Damned by Kimberly Lang*
18. To Desire a Wicked Duke by Nicole Jordan
19. Who Will Take This Man? by Jacquie D'alessandro
20. Captive of Sin by Anna Campbell
21. A Gentleman Never Tells by Amelia Grey
22. A Midnight Dance by Lila DiPasqua *
23. The Lost by Caridad Pineiro*
24. Bath Tangle by Georgette Heyer*
25. Unclaimed by Courtney Milan
26. Improper Gentleman by Mia Marlowe, Maggie Robinson, Diane Whiteside*

*Review available or upcoming on The Season E-zine
**Review available via Examiner.com

Let me say right now that I went on a reading binge! It was a ton of fun and I overloaded my mind with romance. Swimming in a sea of romance really. Some of my fave author's are in the group listed above, and several I had not experienced the pleasure of reading until I jumped into this month. FYI: I do believe this is a record for me.
I will say that reading this many books in one month can splinter a person from reality. My entire existence seemed to inhale the written word, and I tended to be quite useless to just about everyone. Plenty more on my TBR list for August and I'm still catching up on some reviews that need to kicked out.

Reviewing is hard

Slushie's got a brand new bag baby, Yea! I'm reviewing for The Season, as I'm sure you noticed with my last post. My personal opinion of writing is that the process in general is easy, but developing good, time lasting writing is hard. Well, I got news for you... writing reviews is even harder.

Now you say, "Why Slush? It's just 400-750 words about a book. Less if it's really bad, and you get to voice personal opinion about someone elses writing. It's not personal and reviews are subjective, like rejections."

1.) I want those 400-750 words to actually mean something, and not appear as some sort of drivel I spat out of my forked, tongue lashing mouth. Those words should speak to potential readers, not just say 'It was good, buy it!' Coming up with something like that can be as hard as a back cover blurb or query.

2.) Personal opinion is great. I often read reviews on products, books, movies, etc. just to get an idea about something. Though I feel that sometimes people can be a little too open with their thoughts. Don't get me wrong, I want honesty, but can you put it in an intelligible way?? This leads me back to #1. I don't want readers looking at my review going, "This lady is an idiot".

3.)The review is not personal, it's a reflection of your opinion on a book. Yes, but I still feel bad when I give a rating that's low. Let me remind you that I will read just about anything. I'm a sucker for a book, and rarely have I encountered a book that I will not finish; probably 1 to 2 books in my entire life thus far. Now, I will be honest and I really take my rating seriously. That 10 rating has to be a book that I could re-read every single day and never stop loving it. In a small way, I now understand how agents feel when writing rejections. It sucks! Reviewing is just as difficult at times.

4.)I get that reviews are subjective... the whole point of personal opinion. By golly this is why I refuse to completely bash the books I read. Even if they are not a favorite, I want to still give the book a chance for others who may disagree with me. Brotherhood of the Wolf anyone? This movie had dismal critic reviews, but I love the movie.

Bottom line: Writing reviews is just as challenging to me as writing a novel. I want to give an honest, fair review that knocks the socks of people, even if the book is not getting that coveted 10. I want people to respect the words I type, and know that my opinion is only an opinion; you could still love that book. I feel guilty when my honesty and ethical reasoning forces me to still give a semi-low rating because as an unpublished author I want to see published ones flourish, especially my favorites. It's a rewarding opportunity and a challenge that I'm enjoying.

Reading List- May

Here's a snapshot of what I have been scarfing down in the month of May. You will be pleased to learn that I ventured beyond Historical Romance. Yet, not very far from it. If you wonder why I stray this way so often, let's just say I am catching up on my reading. I was absent for far too many years.

Leah and The Bounty Hunter- Elaine Levine**
Red Heat- Nina Bruhns*
Blackberry Summer- RaeAnne Thayne*
Collide- Megan Hart**
Three Sinful Wishes- R.G. Alexander*
The Duke and I- Julia Quinn
The Viscount Who Loved Me- Julia Quinn
A Offer From A Gentleman- Julia Quinn
Romancing Mister Bridgerton- Julia Quinn
To Sir Phillip With Love- Julia Quinn
When He Was Wicked- Julia Quinn
It's In His Kiss- Julia Quinn
On The Way To The Wedding- Julia Quinn
Reckless- Anne Stuart
Breathless- Anne Stuart
The Rake and The Recluse- Jenn LeBlanc
This Duchess of Mine- Eloisa James
Confessions At Midnight-Jacquie D'Alessandro
Seduced At Midnight- Jacquie D'Alessandro
Tempted At Midnight- Jacquie D'Alessandro


(*) Review is posted on The Season E-Zine
(**) Review will be posted in the coming months on The Season E-Zine