In Love...

The Hunger Games

That is all, folks! <3

My reading slump

Has entered it's second month.  I think this is the longest slump I've had since I started blogging.  I think a lot of it has to do with not being motivated to read and just getting tired of reading extremely similar genres.  I love the YA genre, but I do find myself getting a bit jaded by what has been coming out lately.  Everything seems similar lately.  There is nothing different out there.  Once a sub-genre takes off, then every author decides to jump on the bandwagon and before you know it the market is flooded with vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc.  How many vampire novels (i.e., she's human, he's a vampire, they fall in love) can we stomach?  It's the same with werewolved or shifters.

I enjoy reading dystopian but even those are starting to sound alike.  Sometimes I want something bigger, bolder and badder.  I enjoy steampunk too, but there aren't many of them around in the YA world.  Everything seems to be paranormal and while that is fine and dandy, I like a good piece of normal fiction too.  I want something witty, sly, fun and most of well-written!

Ah well, I'm done with my ranting.  I downloaded Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children, so I hope to get that finished.  I had to return my library copy on Monday because it was due and there was a hold on it.

Have any of you read anything that you absolutely loved that I should give a go?  Post in the comments and I'll let you know if I read it, tried reading it, or will give it a go! :)

Writers Who Don't Write

I know my title line sounds a bit wonky but it's something I've been thinking about for a while.  Ever since Pittacus Lore was outed as James Frey and Jobie Hughes.  A writer who I believe is part of the James Frey writing factory.  Now about a year ago, there was a big uprising with James Frey getting all the credit and money for the blood work of young aspiring writers.  But see James Frey isn't the only James who partakes of this.

James Patterson's young adult novel are not exactly written by him.  I believe he outlines the story and then hands it off to another young aspiring author, but yet James Patterson makes the gabillion of dollars and I'm curious as to how much the second-titled author makes off of it.

Now, I'm not a hard hitting journalist so a lot of my information is from hearing other people, reading articles and just my own take of the subject.  I know that these books are huge best sellers on the NY Times, USA Today, Boston Globe, LA Times, etc...  But are they only best sellers because of the name of the author? (authors note: I have not read a Patterson or Frey/Lore book).

From what I've read of various reviews and through just people talking on twitter, they seem to be formulaic, dry and sometimes a bit derivative.  But yet the big name author makes all the money.  Why?

And to you the readers, now knowing that perhaps that big named author maybe hasn't had as big a hand in writing the book, does that make you reconsider reading future books by those authors?

I think there are writers out there who spill their blood, guts and every other gory matter into getting their books out there for us to read.  Who write them late at night while children sleep, or during the day when their children are at school.  I know of one writer who would write during his lunch hour!  Don't these writers deserve our money?  I guess I'm just disenchanted with these co-op book writers and the big-named authors that reap the rewards.

Waiting on Wednesday

I haven't done one of these in forever but the one book I am totally waiting for is this one:

Clockwork Prince

Cassie Clare

I'm a big fan of these books and The Mortal Instruments.  I love the world they take place in.  Raise your hand if you can't wait for this one!

Reading again

I've managed to read Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz while on the airplane to Arizona over the weekend.  I enjoyed the book, but after six of them, it's time to stop with the cliffhangers! (that's my personal opinion!).  I've also started Abbi Glines, Breathe, which I am enjoying immensely.  I like books that are just about normal people who seem to have a connection with each other.

There are so many great books coming out soon that I'm sure to be overwhelmed again with everything.  I haven't been receiving many from publishers, which honestly has been a good thing.  I'm sorta overwhelmed with what I have!

I did want to bring up what former agent and now current CNET employee Nathan Bransford has blogged about and that is blog fatigue.  I definitely feel like I'm going through it.  There are so many YA bloggers that I feel like I get lost in the etherworld.  I try to review books in a way that will not offend the author, but yet will get my point across to the reader.  Obviously, reviews are subjective.  Again, just because I don't like or love a book doesn't necessarily mean you will feel the same.  Has anyone ever really taken Roger Eberts reviews to heart and boycotted a movie because he didn't give it two thumbs up?  I hardly doubt it.

But to get back to blogger fatigue.  I definitely feel it and see it when everyone reviews the same book the same week.  Now grant it, it's probably a fluke that it happens, but really how many reviews of one books can we take?

I read so many books, and generally, one right after another, that I completely forgotten what I've read!  My brain is not a sponge anymore, but more like an abyss.  It all gets lost.  Even books I absolutely love!  I know, I know, I should write down my thoughts, but when I'm reading I just don't think of it.  Plus, I was never much of a note taker.

I hope people enjoy my blog when I do post something.  I try to do something different from everyone else.  I hope everyone is having a great Fall.  Comment and let me know what you're reading!  I'm interested in hearing that!