Introverted Reader

Page to Screen Reading Challenge

Christina T. is hosting the Page to Screen Challenge. The goal is to read books that have been made into movies or tv shows. There is the option to watch the movie, but it isn't a requirement. This meshes nicely with my irregular feature, Pages on the Screen. There are several movies coming out over the next year that are based on books I want to read, so I'm in for this one as well! I'm going for the Beginner level at 5 books. Go to Reading Extensively to sign up. There are prizes! I'll track my progress here. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess' Stardust A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin The Color Purple by Alice Walker 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston East of Eden by John Steinbeck The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, read by David Warner 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King I have an affiliate relationship with IndieBound, Book Depository, and Better World Books and will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

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June 1, 2010

Book Review Lists

Graphic Novel Reading Challenge

Vasilly is hosting the Graphic Novels Challenge this year. I read Maus by Art Spiegelman and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi in 2009 and loved them all. I decided to read more graphic novels but I haven't. I'm hoping this will push me to actually follow through. I'm signing up for the Beginner level at 3 books. Visit this site to join in. I'll track my progress here. Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born by Peter David et al Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess' Stardust Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale Bone: Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith The Arrival by Shaun Tan Blankets by Craig Thompson The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds

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June 1, 2010

Book Review Lists

Fairy Tale Challenge

Tif Talks Books is hosting the Fairy Tale Challenge from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. Well, we all know I can't resist a good fairy tale, so I'm surprised I've held out this long! I'll be signing up for the Fairy Level: Read 1 original tale. Read 1 modern tale. Watch 1 film [...]

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June 1, 2010

Book Review Lists

Immigrant Stories Challenge

Colleen at Books in the City is hosting an Immigrant Stories Challenge from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. I'm signing up for the Just Off the Boat level--read 1 to 3 books about an immigrant experience. These books can be fiction or non-fiction, and they can be immigrant stories set in any country. I wasn't sure what I would read, but in looking through Colleen's recommendations, there are several that are already on my to-read list that I'm very excited about. Go to Books in the City to sign up! I'll track my progress here. Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, read by Peter Altschuler The Arrival by Shaun Tan Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

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June 1, 2010

Book Review Lists

Okra Picks Reading Challenge

Kathy at Bermudaonion is hosting the Okra Picks Challenge. The challenge is to read books that have been chosen by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance to be handsold. This will overlap nicely with my own Southern Literature Challenge. I'll aim for 1-3 of these books. Visit Bermudaonion to see the list of books and sign up for yourself. This challenge started a few months ago, but it doesn't end until March 31, 2010, so there's still plenty of time. I'll track my progress here. Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon Southern Plate by Christy Jordan I have an affiliate relationship with IndieBound, Book Depository, and Better World Books and will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

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June 1, 2010

Everlasting by Angie Frazier: Book Review

Camille Rowen is engaged to Randall Jackson, the most eligible bachelor in San Francisco. So why doesn't she feel anything when he kisses her? And why is she so excited to go on one last voyage with her sea captain father? Could it have anything to do with handsome, inappropriate Oscar Kildare? And why does her father announce that they'll be sailing into a different port halfway through their trip? I enjoyed myself so much reading this fun YA novel! Camille is a feisty, likable heroine; Oscar is a handsome, thoughtful hero; their companion is a lovable rogue; and the action doesn't really let up. It's just one thing after another. Two small things I'll mention. I think this might have worked a little better as a straight adventure story without the fantasy element. That would have changed the ending quite a bit though, so I won't swear that I'm right. It just felt more like an adventure story and the fantasy thing was just added in there. Also, I would have liked to have seen more of the Australian setting. It's a country I'd love to visit, so I'll take all the description I can get! Those are small, but really this was just a fun sort of Indiana Jones story with some young love thrown in. Recommended for a light read for young adults and the young at heart.

Blog Advice

Why You Should Think About Joining Twitter: Armchair BEA

There is a Book Blogger Convention going on today at Book Expo America and I am at least as jealous of the attendees of this event as I am of those grabbing ARCs and meeting authors. Look at these topics they'll be learning about: Marketing - How to increase your blog stats, Branding, Getting your name out there Writing and Building Content - Tips and tricks on writing good book reviews, Tone-humor sarcasm, I'm out of ideas what do I do now?/How do I keep it fresh?, Planning a good feature/series, What content is most popular? How do I innovate/differentiate?, How do I balance reviews with other content? Impact of the Relationship Between Author and Blogger - Creating/Fostering a relationship, Pitfalls of relationships between blogger/author Blogging With Social Responsibility I need help with all of these! Just because we can't be there in person doesn't mean that we can't learn from each other. So head on over to Armchair BEA and join in our virtual Book Blogger Convention Roundtable. I've struggled with this post. I felt like I didn't have anything to say about any of these topics and everything to learn. Then I participated in the #armchairBEA Twitter party last night and it hit me: I could blog about why you as a blogger should consider signing up for Twitter. I'm a recent Twitter convert myself. I only signed up a couple of months ago. Before I signed up, I just thought it was a place where people said stuff like, "I'm going to brush my teeth," or maybe the slightly more exciting, "Having a glass of wine." I was so wrong! Do those tweets come through? Sure. We all tweet them occasionally. But really it's a place to interact in real time with your fellow bloggers and readers,…

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May 28, 2010

Introverted Reader Features

Tyrion Lannister: Character Connection

We all have characters we love. Let's spotlight these fantastic creations! Whether you want to be friends with them or you have a full-blown crush on them, you know you love them and want everyone else to love them too! Most of you will probably post about how much you love each character, but this is a great place for the more creative ones among you to let go and have fun! Write a love letter to Captain Wentworth. Write yourself into a scene with Anne and Diana. Draw a picture of yourself in Jamie's arms. The possibilities are endless. Be sure to post the book's title and author, and be very careful not to give away spoilers while talking about how much you love your characters. Mr. Linky will be posted here on The Introverted Reader every Thursday. Miniature of Tyrion sold by Dark Sword Miniatures, sculpted by Tom Meier, and painted by Marike Reimer There is just something about Tyrion Lannister from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, beginning with A Game of Thrones, that I love. He's a dwarf in a fantasy book influenced by the real-life Wars of the Roses that took place between 1455 and 1485. Not a good time to be a dwarf. Especially when your twin siblings are gorgeous, intelligent, and devious. What a lethal combo. But Tyrion is more intelligent than they are. Here's what he has to say about that: "I must do my part for the honor my House, wouldn't you agree? Yet how? Well, my legs may be too small for my body, but my head is too large, although I prefer to think it is just large enough for my mind. I have a realistic grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. My mind…

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May 27, 2010

Introverted Reader Features

The Importance of Character: Armchair BEA

With today being the day I host my Character Connection meme, the importance of character started to churn around in my head as I stared at my blank blog post page, desperately trying to think of something to post for Armchair BEA. Like everyone, there are innumerable things that determine whether I enjoy a book, some I'm probably not even aware of. Something that will always make or break a book for me, and that will inevitably come up in my review, is how real the characters felt. Historical people, fictional people, fantastical beings, anthropomorphized animals, sentient machines, it doesn't matter. I want to know them. I want to know where they came from, I want to know where they're going, I want to laugh with them, I want to cry with them, I want to love them. I want them to work themselves into my head and/or my heart and lodge there. I want authors to make me feel that. Give me characters I'm indifferent to and I will probably be indifferent to your book. Give me a character that becomes a friend and I will love her forever and sing her praises wherever I go. I don't know if that makes me a shallow reader, a weird reader, or a typical reader, but that's how I work. The good guys are easy. I'm not a writer, so I don't know how easy they are to write, but do it correctly, and the good guys are usually easy to love. Is there anything worse than when you actually dislike the hero? That's a book I'll probably give up on. What about despicable characters? That's a tricky one. I think there's an inverse ratio there: the more I hate one character, the more I need to love another one. All…

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May 27, 2010

Blogger Spotlight

Interview with Charlotte’s Library: Armchair BEA

As part of the ongoing Armchair BEA festivites, I had the pleasure of interviewing Charlotte's Library. I love the answers she gave to my questions, so please read on, even if your reading taste isn't similar! Can you please tell my readers a little about your blog? My blog is somewhat specialized--I generally review science fiction and fantasy (sff) for children and teenagers, with a smattering of other children's books. About three times a month I publish lists, with blurbs, of the new sff releases for kids and teens. Every Sunday I do a roundup of middle-grade sff reviews and news from around the blogging world, and on Tuesdays I try to review time travel stories. I saw your TimeSlip Tuesday feature and it sounds interesting. Which book(s) got you interested in time travel? I've loved time travel stories for as long as I can remember. Some of my favorites from when I was young are The Story of the Amulet by E. Nesbit, The Ghosts by Antonia Barber, and Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer. Have you ever been or do you think you'll ever go to BEA? I've never been to BEA, and I'd like to go someday. I did get to go to ALA Midwinter last January,and found it tremendously exciting to rush from booth to booth seeing what ARCs were on offer. That was a much smaller affair, of course, than BEA, which might be too much for me, what with meeting authors and all. I would probably end up hiding in a corner, surrounded by more ARCs than I could carry....But I would like to go next year! I would have gone this year, but my husband got his way paid to go to Ireland to play music at a prestigious event. That was a once-in-a-lifetime…

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May 26, 2010