Friday, July 29, 2011

What to do, what to do?

I am a book-aholic. I LOVE BOOKS. I love the feel of a book in my hands. I love the smell of the ink on the page. I love book cover art. Walking into a bookstore is a pilgrimage of sorts for me. There is something calming and reflective about the insides of a book store that speaks to my soul.


As I mentioned in a previous post, reading is a life long love affair for me. Buying an e-reader made me feel as if I was committing some sort of sacrilege. And while I will NEVER stop buying a published book (now referred to as p-books), I do love having a whole library of books at my disposal on my e-reader. And it fits very nicely in my purse.

With that said, when Borders announced they were closing, to my great dismay, I stormed their doors with my ‘books to purchase’ list in one hand and credit card in the other. Needless to say the romance section shelves were a bit barer when I left and I’ll probably return to purchase more.

I spend a lot of my free time researching and reading romance. And while trolling the internet doing research and reading book reviews, I realized the huge amount of romance, as well as other genres, released every week. Many of which are only available as e-books and a lot of self-published books. Which, as I mentioned last week, I think is a growing option for many new authors.  I’ve also discovered there’s a lot of free downloads out there too. And I think to myself, I’m doomed. How am I going to keep up with reading the new releases (and old) from much loved, newly-minted and recently discovered authors? It’s all so overwhelming. Who/what should I read next and should I find a way to organize this mess?

The topic of organizing your TBR pile came up on Smart Bitches, Trashy Books facebook page the other day.

Some readers suggested using excel spreadsheets to keep track, others use Good Reads and then there was the suggestion of using the library on your e-reader to house and organize you books.

And then there’s me.

I have a HUGE TBR pile, physically and digitally, and it only keeps growing. Mine is totally unorganized. Most of my TBRP is in boxes, stashed next to or under my bed or the bag in which they arrived at my house. Quite often it’s the bright shiny new release that gets my attention first. I’m so easily distracted by shiny baubles ;) I also have a hard time remembering what books from my 'to buy' list I've actually purchased that is now hiding in a box or bag somewhere. 

I’ve created an account on goodreads.com to help organize my reading/books, but I haven’t taken the time yet to learn how to use the website. But I see a lot of people raving about it, so maybe I’ll do that this afternoon.

Or maybe I’ll break out one of the new books I bought at Borders—decisions, decisions.

How do you keep your TBR pile organized or, for that matter, decide which book will be the next one you’ll buy and/or read?
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Friday, July 15, 2011

No excuses

OK, I did exactly what I had hoped not to do and that was abandon my blog. So, without making any excuses I'm going to try this again.


Writing
Well, there an elusive topic and something I've found little time for. A few poems, a short story or two and starts and stops on two romances - one of them contemporary. But, in the way of an accomplishment, I did complete the NaNoMo challenge back in November, 2010 and did complete a 50,000+ word novel in those frosty thirty days of November. And without cheating. The working title was "Little Bird Lost" and was a twist on one of my all time favorite Mary Stewart books "The Ivy Tree". Not sure if it will go anywhere, but I liked the story and I think with a little work it could be something.


E-publishing
An author friend of mine is contemplating e-publishing his second novel. He asked my thoughts and I have to admit the idea is gaining ground with me. In a recent stumble around the internet I came across Carina Press and have fallen in love with several of their authors and am impressed with their business model. I am considering querying them with my first romance. I also read a great e-zine article about the future of publishing at Randy Ingermanson's web site www.advancedfictionwriting.com. It was published July 2010, but Randy makes some great points, it's definitely worth a read.


Blogs
One of the blogs I follow regularly - Vauxhall Vixens (see the link to the right) - has been busy lately. Lots of new things happening with the four lovely ladies who maintain that blog. So, if you're looking for some book recommendations, go check out their latest blog. Several of the authors have new books that I have added to my ever expanding list of books to read.


There's a new blog out there called theballroomblog.com. It's a group of Avon published romance authors who will be making guest appearances on the blog. It just launched on July 14, 2011. Check it out.


Currently Reading
Carina Press sponsored a week of free downloads and I downloaded them all. So far I've read three of the five free downloads. I especially liked Demon's Fall by Karalyn Lee. I've gone on to download some other offerings from Carina Press and am reading Steam and Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape, a steam-punk romance that I am really enjoying. Carina Press offers some free downloads on a regular basis. 


I have to admit I bought a Libre e-reader over 8 months ago and have just recently started using it. I thought I wouldn't care for reading this way, but I am loving it. It's great to drop it into my purse and have a huge selection of books to read when I find myself waiting some where. But I don't think I will ever stop buying physical books. I like having both options and I having a feeling I'm not alone in feeling that way.


Tell me what you're reading right now, or let me know your thoughts on e-book versus p-book.


Until next time
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