Category Archives: Reading

‘I should have read that book’ tag

Blogging Life, Reading

I’m not very good at playing “tag.” I never get “tagged” in any blog things, at least that I know of, and I’m not a big fan of tagging others and thereby obligating them to something. But I saw this post on the Books Nest twitter feed and really liked the idea of the ‘I should have read that book’ tag, so I’m giving it a go. (However, I won’t be tagging anyone else.) I’m just going to answer the questions and hope you enjoy it. But if you do happen to post this tag after seeing my answers I’d really appreciate a back link. 😉

Rules:

Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post
Link to the creator’s blog (booksnest.co.uk) in your post
Answer the questions below
Tag 10 others to take part
ENJOY THE TAG!

The Questions

  • A book that a certain friend is always telling you to read
  • A book that’s been on your TBR forever and yet you still haven’t picked it up
  • A book in a series you’ve started, but haven’t gotten round to finishing yet
  • A classic you’ve always liked the sound of, but never actually read
  • A popular book that it seems everyone but you has read
  • A book that inspired a film/TV adaptation that you really love, but you just haven’t read it yet
  • A book you see all over Instagram but haven’t picked up yet

My Answers

  • A book that a certain friend is always telling you to read

Ha! I’m the one all my friends go to for recommendations. Among my IRL friends I guess I’m the biggest book dragon.  But… if you count social media friends then the book I see most often recommended is the Hate You Give.

  • A book that’s been on your TBR forever and yet you still haven’t picked it up

The Maze Runner, has been on my TBR for sooooo long, and I finally got myself a paperback copy. It’s just sitting on my shelf and taunting me now.

  • A book in a series you’ve started, but haven’t gotten round to finishing yet

I read about halfway through Crooked Kingdom, and then had to return it to the library. I could have finished it before it was due, when it came down to it I was scared something might happen to Inej. I know, bad excuse, but it is what it is.

  • A classic you’ve always liked the sound of, but never actually read

Le Mort d’Arthur, I am a HUGE fan of the Arthurian legend and I’ve never read the classic take on it that pretty much set up the modern view of Arthur. Also I’ve never read The Once and Future King. Seriously I need to get on this.

  • A popular book that it seems everyone but you has read

A Thousand Perfect Notes, I can’t believe I have yet to read this. I’ve been following @Paperfury for a long time, love her social posts and Goodread reviews. Yet, I haven’t picked up her book and it seems like most of my Goodreads friends have already read it.

  • A book that inspired a film/TV adaptation that you really love, but you just haven’t read it yet

Who has time to watch TV? I’ve got this HUGE TBR stack staring me down. Seriously we are trying to watch through Avatar the Last Airbender with the 8 year old and we get about 1 episode a week in, if that. Plus I’m a book first, screen adaptation later type of person. But I did start watching Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell before I realized it was a book, and now of course I can’t keep watching it until I read the book. I guess I’m just weird like that.

  • A book you see all over Instagram but haven’t picked up yet

The Barnes and Noble leather bound classics, they do look very pretty, but I’m not a hardbound book lover. So despite seeing them in oh so many lovely displays on bookstgram I doubt I will ever collect them myself.

 

June 19th Mass Market Paperback Book Day

Reading

I will freely admit to being a lover of Mass Market Paperback Books. I will often wait, sometimes for a year or more, to get new releases from my favorite authors as paperbacks.

I just pre- ordered the new Stephen R. Lawhead In the Region of the Summer Stars in mass market paperback format. Hardcover and kindle were released on May 15. How long to I have to wait until my copy arrives?  Until January 29, 2019. Yep that’s over 6 months away, and Lawhead is hands down my favorite author.

I also couldn’t resist getting a physical copy of Roar by Cora Carmack. The cover is just that beautiful! A kindle version would never do. This is a book that needs to be on a shelf. Of course, I wanted to wait for the paperback. The book was released on June 13, 2017, but the paperback (unfortunately not a mass market paperback) didn’t come out until June 5, 2018. Nearly a year later!

I had to put up with seeing all these rave reviews and beautiful Bookstagram pics of the book for almost an entire year before getting my copy.

Those are only two recent examples. I could give you a lot more. Why do I like to have the mass market copies of books? And why is it worth the wait?

Three Reasons to Choose Mass Market Paperbacks:

  1. The weight – Let just admit it right now Hardbacks are heavy. They’re awkward to read if you like to read laying down. (I mean have you ever dropped a book on your face while reading?) Mass market books are a much better choice.
  2. The size – You can fit soooo many more mass market paperbacks on your shelves. Plus they fit better in bags and purses (yes the Kindle absolutely wins for portability, but they aren’t nearly as pretty.) Mass market books also fit better in your hands.
  3. The standard – There is a standard size for mass market paper backs of 4×7 inches. There seems to be no standard for hardbacks and a few different standards for paperbacks. It really bugs me when I have so many different heights of books that all should belong together on the same shelf. Having so many different sizes makes having neat shelves troublesome and bookworms like to have their shelves neatly arranged.

What format do you prefer your books in? Are you a hardback collector? A Kindle reader? Are you like me and enjoy mass market paperback books? And the biggest question of all… WHY DO PUBLISHERS MAKE US WAIT?!?!

Update: What I’m Looking Forward to Reading in 2018

Reading

I posted at the end of 2017 some book picks we were looking forward to reading this year. Seems like it’s a  good time to check in on those books. See my  original post here.

5 Books To Read & Review in 2018:

  1. Nocturne (The Fourth Talisman Book 1) – I absolutely love Kat Ross, so of course I had to ask to be put on the review tours for her newest series. Check out my review of Nocturne here.
  2. Solis (The Fourth Talisman Book 2) – Check out my review of Solis here. I am eagerly awaiting the next book Monstrum (The Fourth Talisman Book 3).
  3. Romanov – This book wasn’t quite what I expected. Check out Part 1 of my review here and Part 2 here.
  4. The King of Eiselorn – I haven’t read this one yet.
  5. Something by KN Lee – I haven’t dug into any of these book either. I’m now kinda hesitant because I’m not sure how much sex (and how graphic it is) is in her books. I’m kinda burned out on books that have graphic sex scenes.

5 Books to Read With Miss S in 2018:

  1. Illustrated Classic Editions Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn – Not yet.
  2. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – Not yet.
  3. Redwall – We just started Redwall, and so far Miss S isn’t really into it. I’m hoping her interest picks up as the action picks up.
  4. The Mouse and the Motorcycle – Not yet, but I’m planning on reading it to her after we finish Redwall.
  5. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – We read it and laughed and laughed.

We’ve got a pretty good start to our lists for 2018, plus I am trying to do a TBR take-down each month I’m working on reading 1 digital and 1 physical book that have been on my TBR for a least 2 years. What are you reading in 2018? Let me know in the comments.

Pocket 2017: The Other 1,233,920 Words I Read This Year

Reading

Congratulations, Arwen!

You’re a top reader in Pocket for 2017, and you should be proud! Not only did you make it into the top 1%, you’ve also exercised your brain and undoubtedly learned a ton in the process.

Pocket 2017

Yippie! Wahoo! *Does a happy dance*

I’ve been using the Pocket app for a long time and this year it the first time I’ve made it into the top 1%. (Previous years have all been the top 5% see here and here.) I made getting into the top 1% of readers an unofficial goal in 2017, making much more of a conscious effort. I tried to read around 4 articles a day. Not that I always managed to keep up that average, but the effort paid off. 26 books worth of reading! That’s on top of all the other books I read (both kids) and adults.

Want to take a look at my stats? Here you go. 

These were the most popular articles I read in 2017:

One of the things I do to help me with saving articles is that I use IFTTT to automatically send me articles from the feeds of blogs I follow. This means that the latest blogs from Migraine.com, Hubspot and others are always right at my finger tips. I also add the Pocket tab to my browser opening/ home pages. These two little changes helped a lot. (And don’t forget the Pocket applet for your browser, which makes it super easy to add articles to your list for reading later.)

Do you use Pocket or another app to save articles? I’d love to hear about your experience. Leave it in the comments.