[15 Day Challenge] Day 10: Choosing the Next Great Read

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by April over on Good Books & Good Wine. You can start the challenge anytime you want, Day 1 is here.

How Do You Choose What Book To Read Next?

It’s all about what I am in the mood far. I’ve learned after suffering through many reading slumps that it’s a good idea to mix things up. Sometimes, especially if you are reading a really good series, you just want to read books back to back. I did this with the Skulduggery Pleasant books; I read the first book and then ordered all the other books in the series that were released. When they arrived I devoured 5 books in as many days (or less). It was great; that series is one of my favourites but reading about the same characters, same world, and same genre for 6 books in a row isn’t something I recommend doing on a regular basis. Why? Because I think you’ll burn yourself out mighty quickly, no one likes doing the same thing over and over again no matter how awesome it is.

Example, I love pasta but there is no way that I can be content with eating pasta all day every day for the rest of my life or even a week. I would get bored and sick of it after the second or third day, by day four I would probably never want to even hear the word pasta ever again but then months later after going pasta-free I am positive I’d be craving pasta again.

So what do I do? I go over what I just read. What did I love about this book? What did I hate? What was the most prevalent thing in the book? What do I want from the next book I am going to read? Do I want the same thing or something different? How interested am I in the premise? Do I want to read this book now? If you're answer isn't a resounding YES for that last question then you are probably better off picking up another book even if the one you were considering has been on your shelf or ereader for a year.

If it's a book you've accepted for review then that's a whole other situation because I'm sure you've set yourself a deadline. However, I don't think results are ever good if you have to force yourself to read a book. For that case maybe you should go through your review books and read the first or first three chapters (depending on length) and see which one catches your interest the most.

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[15 Day Challenge] Day 9: Why I blog about Books

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by April over on Good Books & Good Wine. You can start the challenge anytime you want, Day 1 is here.

Why Do You Blog About Books?

Well like with anything I love or am obsessed with I want to share it and talk about it. Unfortunately all the people I want to talk about books with who would understand my love for them and be able to talk about them with me live very far, far away.

Actually initially I started blogging because I had a lot of time to kill while I was away at university. I am not a very social person so my only friend was my roommate, I spent most of my time reading books and soon after I started reviewing books and then soon after that the blog was created. I don’t have a lot of time to kill any more so my blogging has staggered but meh I still try to get a post out every now and then. My favourite thing to talk about are book covers and they are pretty easy posts to make. Just post a unique or cool or gorgeous cover and share it with the internet. Like I said I just want to talk about my favourite things with people who share my interests.

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[15 Day Challenge] Day 8: What I like on blogs

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by April over on Good Books & Good Wine. You can start the challenge anytime you want, Day 1 is here.

Quick. Write 15 bullet points of things that appeal to you on blogs!

1. Discussion posts
2. Cover posts
3. Drop Down Menus (this is more a design thing but it counts!)
4. Book to Movie reviews
5. Simple but pretty/fantastical designs with easily legible posts/text
6. Blogs that I can easily navigate – search bar, paging through posts, links to other pages like a review archive.
7. Multiple ways to follow/subscribe to the blog
8. Funny bloggers
9. Posts on manga and/or other graphic novels
10. The occasional personal post, maybe something that’s done once a week that gives a little insight to the non-book lover part of the blogger.
11. If a blogger went to a book related even like an author signing or something big like BEA I always love hearing how it went, what they did and who they saw.
12. Features unique to that blog
13. Replies to comments - honestly seeing that a blogger responds to their visitors makes me more inclined to leave a comment.
14. Tips and Tricks - I love it when a blogger posts about things that I might find helpful.
15. Rants - I don't like to write them but I do like to read them. As long as it's not a personal attack I tend to find them funny and quite informative.

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[15 Day Challenge] Day 7: Blogging Quirks

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by April over on Good Books & Good Wine. You can start the challenge anytime you want, Day 1 is here.

Talk about your blogging quirks

This question was hard probably because I didn’t really understand what a quirk was; I had to look it up.

a peculiarity of action, behaviour, or personality; mannerism

And I really can’t think of anything.

• When I was blogging regularly I had a spread sheet with a calendar where I schedule my blog posts. I still have it but am not currently using it.
• I organize specific requests into their own folders in my gmail.

That’s all I got. Sad.

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[15 Day Challenge] Day 6: Shopping for Books

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by April over on Good Books & Good Wine. You can start the challenge anytime you want, Day 1 is here. 

  Describe How You Shop For Books

I usually go local. The local indie, Book Nook, for the most part doesn’t have the books I want on its shelf so I order through the bookstore and the books arrive a week later. The only time I shop online is if I want a book with a foreign (non-US) cover so I order from Book Depository or FishPondWorld or if I am ordering an ebook (these I get from amazon).

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[15 Day Challenge] Day 5: Tearjerker

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by April over on Good Books & Good Wine. You can start the challenge anytime you want, Day 1 is here. 

  Recommend a Tearjerker

Oh gosh. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman and The Prophecy Sisters by Michelle Zink (this one hurt me so bad I couldn’t continue the series). Many other books have made me cry but I don’t think they would qualify as tear jerkers in the general sense.

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[15 Day Challenge] Day 4: Testing tempers

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by April over on Good Books & Good Wine. You can start the challenge anytime you want, Day 1 is here. 

 What is the last book you flung across the room?

I don’t throw books, even books I hate I can’t mistreat even if I have the urge to. The last book that has made me want to throw it across the room would probably be Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Alice was such a frustrating protagonist, I kept cursing at her and wanting to just reach into the book and shake her. I couldn’t even hit the book because it was an ebook stored on my precious iPad.

The one book (or series) I probably would have set on fire though if they weren't ebooks was Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow. I don't normally curse (even online or at least I didn't back then) but I will say when I finished the last book in this series I was cursing up a storm. Every time I started talking about this series I get upset. One time I was telling my friend about what had happened in the end while I was driving and I nearly ran into the back of another car. This series raises my blood pressure.

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[15 Day Challenge] Day 3: Blogging BFFs

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by April over on Good Books & Good Wine. You can start the challenge anytime you want, Day 1 is here.

Who are Your Blogger BFFs?

You know when I was going through the challenge and creating answers in advance I skipped this question? First of all I am not a very social person, 9 out of 10 times I will not approach you, and I am equal parts introvert and equal parts shy. I don’t like bothering people at least that’s what it feels like, even when I am in the midst of an online conversation I will cease discussion if I feel the conversation has gone on too long and I am thinking I MUST be bothering the person now. Even when I am friends with them (or think I am friends with them). Second of all I haven’t been blogging a lot lately so ties with people have kind of faded since I haven’t spoken with people in a while. Are these people still my BFFs if I just talk to them occasionally on twitter? Ok I am over thinking things now.

Let’s see well Reeshe (the Vixen to my Sparrow) is my best friend in the real world and although she has moved away to another country and is busy with school right now and doesn’t have internet access where she is living at the moment and can’t really blog at the moment she is still a blogging BFF. Andrea of Aine’s Realm is definitely a blogging buddy; we were online friends before either of us became book bloggers. She lives in another country as well but I have met up with her 3 times and have actually stayed with her 2 of those 3 times. Besides blogging we chat on twitter, have weekly skype chats when Vampire Diaries is in season and mock the show (and fangirl over Bonnie) and we are both members of a Melissa Marr fanforum. I am trying to see if I can get Andrea to go to BEA with me or if I’ll go join her at an ALA signing one day :).

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[15 Day Challenge] Day 2: Bedtime Reading

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by April over on Good Books & Good Wine. You can start the challenge anytime you want, Day 1 is here.

What’s Your Bedtime Reading Ritual

I suppose this is referring to the days where I actually read on a regular basis like a normal book lover. Well I would just get ready for bed, tell the family good night, prop myself on a pillow and start reading the book of the moment. When I got tired then I would put the book away on my nightstand and if it was really good pick it back up first thing in the morning before I start getting ready for my day.

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[15 Day Challenge] Day 1: Confessions

I know this blog has been quite sleepy for a long time but today I discover a book blogger challenge that seems quite interesting that I wanted to participate in. Now I am not sure how well I will do in this challenge since I have been in a reading coma for the past year but hey maybe this will help me get out of it.
The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is hosted by April over on Good Books & Good Wine. You can start the challenge anytime you want, Day 1 is here.

Day 1: Make 15 book related Confessions

1. My favourite kind of covers are illustrated.
2. If a book I love or loved is being made into a movie I try to forget as much detail about the book as possible so I can enjoy the movie on its own and not judge it as an adaptation.
3. I have sadly only read 3 books so far this year and one of them was a novella.
4. I bought the German edition of Shiver just for the pretty cover (because I can’t speak German) and immediately felt guilty when I took the book out of its package.
5. I still have unread ARCs on my shelf for books that released last year.
6. If you damage a book that I lent to you I will most likely never lend you a book ever again and probably be filled with bitterness towards you every time I look at the book.
7. I sometimes find dollar bills in my books (usually Harry Potter).
8. I want to come up with my own book curse like this one and either frame it to hang in my dream library or stick it on the inside of all of my books.
9. When I was away at university I often had days when I was very hungry but I always had a book to read.
10. I want Scholastic to release the 15th Anniversary edition Harry Potter books in hardcover.
11. I loathe spoilers. If I ask you not to spoil me and you continue to reveal spoilery things I will most likely hurt you.
12. I got into book blogging because I had a lot of time on my hands and university and because I wanted to become better at explaining what the books I were reading were about.
13. If a guy that’s interested in me doesn’t like to read books he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell. Move along non-reader.
14. My favourite series of all time tend to have a great ensemble of characters and detailed and fantastic world building.
15. If a book with gorgeous cover turns out to be a book I hate I feel betrayed.

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Book Blogger Confessions #23: BEA and RT

Book Blogger Confessions is a bi-weekly meme hosted by Karen @ For What it's Worth Reviews and Midnyte Reader.

BEA, ALA. Have you ever been before? If you've been before, share your experiences; both pro & con. If you haven't gone before, do you participate in online events like Armchair BEA? Do you hope to go one day? Do you feel too intimidated to go? Are you jealous of the big book hauls and tweets during the events?

I have been to two big book related events that span over a few days. The first was RT – Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention. Lots of fantastic panels head up by authors followed by theme parties held at night and sprinkled with signings throughout the con and ending with a huge signing at the end. Lots of fun and I definitely recommend it for writers and aspiring writers. I am not a writer but I attended the con with a friend who wants to be an author and the whole thing was a blast. I enjoyed listening to authors not only talk about writing but also their books current and upcoming. The great thing about RT was that it very informative, you get a lot of books and free swag to take home, you mingle with authors at dinners and parties and get to ask them questions in the panels or for a bit at the signings. The con is that RT is $$$. I can’t exactly remember the cost but it was in the hundreds so if you are planning to attend except to shell out a good amount of dough, another con for me is that the location changes every year. The year I went it was in Ohio and the following year it was in California and a lot further away from me so I couldn’t go. But I think its well worth attending at least once; it’s a very fun atmosphere.

I attended BEA last year and it was amazing, it was hectic, busy, crowded and there was a LOT of waiting – standing in line, sitting in line. After the first day my feet were KILLING me and they hurt me for the rest of the week (I was pretty miserable about that but I sucked it up) but it was such a great experience. Do not go to BEA alone, you are going to need friends to help you get through the event to help you grab books, or save spots for you in line, it’s also great to have other booklovers to chat books and authors with. My book haul at BEA was very impressive and it was filled with more books that I actually wanted to read as opposed to RT which did have YA books but was mostly offering romance novels. BEA for me because I am (was) a blogger was free. The only thing I paid for were my travel expenses but the con didn’t cost me a dime.

I want to go to BEA again and was planning on going this year but I ended up in a reading rut and blogging rut and although I wanted to go to NY and meet up with some bloggers I didn’t feel right going and grabbing books I wouldn’t read. Also I doubted I’d be able to get in for free again with the lack of updates on my blog xD.

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Book Blogger Confessions #22: Giving thanks

Book Blogger Confessions is a new bi-weekly meme hosted by Karen @ For What it's Worth Reviews and Midnyte Reader. It was formerly co-hosted by Tiger @ All Consuming Books

Is there a book that you are thankful you have read? Maybe it has changed your life in a small or even a large way, or made you see things in a different perspective.

Every time I come across this kind of question my answers are always the same :P. I am thankful to The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin series because that got me into reading and pretty much helped me survive middle school because I spent most of my time hiding in the library because I had no friends until year 9. I am thankful to the Harry Potter series because that got me reading more than just contemporary books and stopped me from judging books by their covers and running away from thick volumes, in fact I started thinking the thicker the book the better. It also help me discover the world of online fanbases, fanfiction and graphic design ^_^. I am thankful to the Wicked Lovely series because it introduced me to the world of paranormal YA and to a lot of great online friends who helped me feel less lonely while I was away from home at university.

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Book Blogger Confessions #21

Book Blogger Confessions is a new bi-weekly meme hosted by Karen @ For What it's Worth Reviews and Midnyte Reader. It was formerly co-hosted by Tiger @ All Consuming Books

Should bloggers & authors discuss politics? Does that turn you off to a blogger or authors’ books if they tweet/post about their political positions or do you appreciate their passionate point of view?

Not if it’s one or two posts on the subject but if their blog starts feeling like a political blog I quickly run away, my politics tolerance meter is very tiny. 1. Because I don’t really care about politics even though I should because what’s being discussed affects me whether directly or indirectly. 2. I am not a US citizen and I don’t live in the US and most of the politics I hear about are US related and there is honestly nothing I can do about what’s going on, not even vote for who I like so why would I want to read about people’s political views when I already don’t care about politics? And although I may run away from a blogger or author’s blog for a while it doesn’t turn me off so much that I will permanently unfollow them or stop reading their book.

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Book Blogger Confessions #20

Book Blogger Confessions is a new bi-weekly meme hosted by Karen @ For What it's Worth Reviews and Midnyte Reader. It was formerly co-hosted by Tiger @ All Consuming Books

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

I DO NOT, thank-you very much. Why you ask? because I do not like to have nightmares and be deprived of my sleep. Because that is what scary books and movies do to me, they give me nightmares. Do you know I sleep with my bathroom light on and the door cracked open so it’s not completely dark in my room? I also like to have my dog in my room and keep my closet mirror/door thing closed. I have a flashlight in my nightstand, are you understanding me now? Scary movie trailers give me nightmares so there is no way I am watching the movie and there is no way that I am spending hours reading a book about characters being possessed by demons, or angry spirits hiding in your closet, or baby face dolls who are looking one direction and then in a completely different direction the next time you go and dust them. (My brother and I finally convinced my mom a few months ago to get rid of the choir of creepy porcelain dolls that were positioned under our TV, but one still remains). I will read eerie books like The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff or dark and tense books like This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers and I will even consider reading books like Possess by Gretchen McNeil, The Graveyard Queen: The Restorer by Amanda Stevens and The Devourer by Simon Holt, but I won’t read them because every time a horror movie trailer pops up on my TV I am reminded that I am a big bowl of marshmallow puff and I will constantly remind my friend that paranormal does not automatically = horror.

Bonus question! Just for fun – have you ever dressed as a literary character for Halloween? Brave enough to show a photo if you have one?

No, but I did try to dress up as a winter faery from Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series for a Faery Costume Ball at RT, the costume wasn’t what I imagined but if you want to see a picture visit Scribing Shadows.

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Book Blogger Confessions #19: I covet your comments!

Book Blogger Confessions is a new bi-weekly meme hosted by Karen @ For What it's Worth Reviews and Midnyte Reader. It was formerly co-hosted by Tiger @ All Consuming Books

Do you have a bad case of blogger envy? Do you covet thy neighbour bloggers book hauls/follower numbers/blog design? How do you tamp down the green eyed monster?

Hmm sometimes I do, not usually with book hauls because honestly I don’t have time to read the books I have let alone keep up with weekly book goodies. I do covet the amount of comments other bloggers get on their posts though. I look at their post and wonder what they are doing that are garnering so much response and wonder what it is I can do to improve my post:comment ratio. I think follower count is related to comment count but also the amount of quality and interesting posts a blogger does and of course the amount of time they spend promoting their blog and socialising with their followers and other bloggers so I suppose that’s my way of tamping down on my blogger envy - focusing on how I can improve instead of how much “better” I think other bloggers are. Oh blog designs too! Not so much an overall design but little features a blogger has in their template like drop down menus! I really, really want a drop down menu but I don’t know how to make them or customize them or add them to my template, this makes me sad some times because I know it’s possible I just don’t know where to start.

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Book Blogger Confessions #18

Book Blogger Confessions is a new bi-weekly meme hosted by Karen @ For What it's Worth Reviews and Midnyte Reader. It was formerly co-hosted by Tiger @ All Consuming Books

Are there blogs you visit and comment on because you like their style, voice etc.(maybe you even converse with the blogger on Twitter & Facebook) but those comments are never reciprocated on your blog?. Do you get a bit offended or do you understand that they may be busy? Or do you comment just because you like a post not expecting anything in return?

There are about 3 blogs where I visit and leave comments and the bloggers reciprocate by visiting my blog and commenting but beyond those three I don’t expect other bloggers I visit and give comments to also come back and visit me and leave a comment. 1. Because the blogs I usually comment or follow are rather large and they get at least 10 comments per post and I know it would be extremely time consuming for them to visit every blogger who leaves a comment on their blog, so I don’t expect them to visit and don’t feel “hurt” if they don’t. 2. I just don’t have that kind of relationship with them probably because I don’t visit them often enough to establish that sort of connection. On the other hand there is one particular blog I visit and comment on regularly though that I don’t even get replies to my comments on the blog itself which at first had me feeling indignant and thinking (I am going through all the trouble to read your post and leave a meaningful comment and you can’t even reply?) Because well it’s not like the post had a large amount of comments but after a while I notice the poster doesn’t reply to any comments, which I find to be a bit odd but I no longer take non-replies personally :P.

Do you comment just because you like a post not expecting anything in return?
This is me most of the time – commenting just because I like the post but I do leave a link under my name like a sort of signature just because it doesn’t hurt to give the poster a little incentive to visit your blog xD. The only times I comment expecting something in return is on posts like Blog Hop, Follow Friday and Waiting on Wednesday when visiting other people’s blogs and commenting is a part of the meme.

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Book Blogger Confessions #17: Following

Book Blogger Confessions is a new bi-weekly meme hosted by Karen @ For What it's Worth Reviews and Midnyte Reader. It was formerly co-hosted by Tiger @ All Consuming Books

How do you follow blogs? Do you use Google Reader? Are you on an e-mail list? Are you more apt to follow people who have less followers? Would you follow a blog to enter a contest? What makes you unfollow a blog?

How do you follow blogs? Do you use Google Reader?
I use google reader and on a much lesser note Bloglovin. Google reader because I use blogger and it’s just super easy for me to scroll through my dashboard and check updates from blogs for the day. Bloglovin is for the blogs I find the most interesting and who I want to keep up to date with so I get a daily digest of the blogs’ latest updates right in my email inbox.

Are you on an e-mail list?
 I am only on email lists for a couple of author blogs.

Are you more apt to follow people who have less followers?
Mostly I follow who ever I find interesting but when it comes to memes like follow Friday I do tend to focus on following blogs who have a small or smaller number of followers because it indicates to me that they are new and I remember being a new blogger.

Would you follow a blog to enter a contest?
I have followed blogs as part of entering giveaways, I have also become twitter followers of bloggers to enter their giveaways but I draw the line at email subscriptions just because I am terrible at consistently checking my email and the updates would pile up in my inbox. After saying that I wish there was a way you could customize your subscriptions so followers could have the option of getting bulk updates once a week instead of every time an update happens because I have people who have subscribed to my blog by email and I sometimes update two or three times in one day and I could imagine what their inbox must look like.

What makes you unfollow a blog?
I have a rule, if you haven’t left a message to your followers saying that you are taking a break and have not updated in 3 months I unfollow you, because what’s the point of following a blogger that is no longer maintaining their blog? If the majority of your posts are giveaways/contests or memes I unfollow you. Seeing nothing but giveaways/contests on a blog makes me think of spam, seeing nothing but memes on a blog gives me the impression that the blogger has nothing individualistic or personal to contribute. I haven’t had to do this for blogs yet but I have unfriended/unfollowed at least two people on goodreads because their updates were hate-filled, flaming rants that they have written or they have liked and I didn’t feel comfortable being associated with someone that is so mean.

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Book Blogger Confessions #15

Book Blogger Confessions is a new bi-weekly meme hosted by Tiger @ All Consuming Books and Karen @ For What it's Worth Reviews.

Making money off your blog: There was a recent controversy about bloggers charging authors for reviews (You can read about it here) which leads to this week's question:
Almost all of us blog as a hobby in our spare time, usually for free but is there anything wrong with making money off your blog?

Should bloggers charge for reviews?
What about advertising on a blog?
When a blogger does allow book related advertising does it turn you off? Make you wonder about the honesty of their reviews?

Do you have a problem with purchase links (Amazon for example) that earn a blogger a small commission if a person purchases a book through that link?

I suppose it depends on how you are making money off your blog. Some ways I am more comfortable with than others. Like with affiliate links, I am ok with this because the money a person gets through the affiliates link doesn’t cost the buyer any extra, so it’s a win/win for both blogger and buyer. Advertisements is a sort of grey area with me, now the blogger is receiving payment directly to advertise an author’s/publisher’s books and other things so they aren’t just a book blog but are now leaning towards becoming a marketing site. However, advertising alone isn’t too much of concern for me but if a blogger also reviews a book they are advertising then I can’t trust their review because how can they give a negative review to a book they are being paid to promote? This also applies to being paid for reviews, I don’t think book bloggers should charge for reviews, how can their followers trust what they are saying when they have been paid for their opinion?

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Feature Fiction - Drowning Instinct by Isla J. Bick

Ever stumble across a book that you instantly love? You've only seen the description and the cover but you already want to share the book with everyone you know? It doesn't happen often but it does happen so I thought I would create a little feature to showcase the books that make me want to share them with the world even if I haven't read them yet.

Publisher: Lerner Books/Carolrhoda Books | Author: Isla J. Bick | Release Date: January 28th 2012

There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

Jenna Lord's first sixteen years were not exactly a fairy tale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother—until he shipped off to Iraq. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire.

There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and everyone cries for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.)

Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain...magnetism.

And there are stories where it's hard to be sure who's a prince and who's a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.)

Drowning Instinct is a novel of pain, deception, desperation, and love against the odds—and the rules.

Why Feature It?

I haven't read this one yet so I don't know if I will personally like it but I have read reviews and blurbs and it just SOUNDS like it's going to be one of those books that will stick with you for a very long time. It also sounds like the kind of book I would stay away from, in fact if you look at my Scribing Shadows' Review Policy I will not accept books about continued abuse of any kind and I don't have this in my policy but I also do not read or watch anything about student/teacher relationships (Vampire Academy was an exception) and the synopsis for this book hints that there might be some student/teacher stuff going on but this just SOUNDS so good that I am going to ignore my rules and give it a shot. Hopefully this decision won't bite me in the butt.

Blurbs About the Book

"...a compelling study of brokenness that persists across generations and of salvation by unconventional means."
--A RECOMMENDED READ, Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books
"Bick ...writes about dysfunction with a professional's insight."
--Booklist
"Bick's deft handling of a controversial subject will have readers waiting to see what she writes next."
--StreetInsider.com
"DROWNING INSTINCT builds and builds ... while there are many monsters in the story, some are more monstrous than others."
--Examiner.com
"...takes hold of you and doesn't let you go until the very last page."
--Ashley Perez, author of The Knife and the Butterfly
"Intense, suspenseful, passionate...Insanely good."
--Xpresso Reads

About the Author

Ilsa J. Bick is a child psychiatrist, as well as a film scholar, surgeon wannabe, former Air Force major, and an award-winning, best-selling author of short stories, e-books, and novels. She has written extensively in the Star Trek, Battletech, Mechwarrior: Dark Age, and Shadowrun universes. Her original stories have been featured in numerous anthologies, magazines and online venues. Ilsa's YA paranormal, Draw the Dark, was also a semifinalist for the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (as Stalag Winter). Ilsa currently lives with her family and other furry creatures in rural Wisconsin and across the street from the local Hebrew cemetery. One thing she loves about the neighbors: They're very quiet and come around for sugar only once in a blue moon.

Do you have a book that you haven't read yet, but want to share with everyone?

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Book Blogger Confessions #14

Book Blogger Confessions is a new bi-weekly meme hosted by Tiger @ All Consuming Books and Karen @ For What it's Worth Reviews.

What do we owe publishers and authors? If we accept ARC’s do we “owe” anything to them or just an honest review to our followers? As book bloggers are we obligated to do more than just review books? Post covers – participate in book tours – host guest posts - promote authors?

I say if a blogger accepted a free ARC for review all we are obligated to do is give an honest review, if we are able to complete the book. If you couldn’t finish the book then maybe you could pass it on to someone else who might enjoy it more than you do or write a post about the book that way you still get the word out there but I don’t think this should be required. I mean what if you hated the book so much you wanted to burn it? Then it’s probably not a book you even want to mention on your blog.

Most book bloggers do what we do for fun, we are not getting paid for our services or the time we spend on our blogs so I don’t think we a required to do anymore then review a book we’ve accepted for review. If a blogger wants to help promote an author and their book by participating in blog tours, hosting giveaways, etc then that is solely up to the blogger.

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