Sunday, June 16, 2013

Bookish Musings

1) I absolutely hate stacking books. Isn't it so much better when they're all vertical and you can just reach out and grab one? But when they're all on top of each other, you have to wiggle the one you want out of the pile and them stuff it back if you don't want to put it on top. I'm running out of bookshelf room, so I've had to resort to this lately. Ugh.

2) I have a small fear of lending my books out to other people. Besides a few I know will take good care of them, I don't like to lend out my novels. I mean, what if it gets dog-eared? Or cracks the spine if it's a paperback? Worse yet, what if that person is a very slow reader and I don't see that book for months? It's all very stressful.

3) Contemporary bores me. Well, I guess that's not always true, but it is around 70% of the time. That's why I tend to read more fantasy. Once in a great while I'll grab a truly awesome and engrossing YA contemporary, but most of the time, I'll pass.

4) After watching this video, I have a new opinion on cover redesigns. Though I still hate quite a few of them, I never really though about new cover art attracting a wider range of people. And if more people are reading, then it can't be all bad, right?

5) I'm guilty of kind of liking the new villain trend in YA. You know, when the villain is painted as being a love interest? Like in Unravel Me, Shadow and Bone, and Enclave just as a few examples. Now, I don't necessarily like it all of the time (I hate it in Wither), sometimes I do.

12 comments:

  1. Interesting bookish musing. I totally agree about lending books out. What if they never make it back to you? I also have to disagree with you on contemporary because I love it.

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    1. Lending is terrible, lol. I know that some people adore that genre; I'm actually kind of jealous because I wish I could enjoy it that much.

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  2. Oh some bookish musings I don't see discussed very often! I'm definitely with you on the stacking. I've come to the point where I have to do it just because I'm out of shelf room, but then I feel like I need to stack them in order so I can just grab the one on top when I need it, but then my mind isn't sure if that really is the one I want next and yeah... such troubles. And I'm with you on contemporary. Ehhh. Give me action and adventure and fantastical worlds please. I deal with enough real world junk on my own ;)

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    1. I think it's so frustrating! I need to go out and get a good deal on a new bookcase soon. Yep, that's pretty much my contemporary feelings in a nutshell. :D

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  3. I totally agree with 1,2 and 3. Stacks of books always fall over, not good. I never lend my books out to any other person than my sister, when I see what some people do to books.. I always read fantasy and sci-fi and stuff too, chicklits and contemporary is just so.. I don't know, I just does not do anything with me. Hmm, I guess I agree on 5, although I really like Warner:)

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    1. Yeah, I can't wait to get a new bookcase, preferably a dark one to match my others. I feel bad about number five, but it's true, lol. Thanks for stopping by.

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  4. I enjoy some contemporary, but it really has to draw me in and it certainly is not my go-to genre. And I never did get the villian as a love interest in Wither -- I thoroughly enjoyed the series, but that aspect of it (and everyone going gaga over him) I totally didn't get.

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    1. Me, too. I really enjoyed Perfect Chemistry, Pushing the Limits, and other darker contemps, but it's very rare that I love light and fluffy stuff (though I did enjoy Anna and the French Kiss quite a bit). I don't understand the Linden thing, either! Normally I can at least see where the other team is coming from, but I am complete mystified in the Wither love triangle.

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  5. Oh, interesting discussion post! I'm in! :)

    I have a few small stacks, but ususally I place my books vertically.
    I have a -not so- small fear of lending books to people too. Unless it's people I know v. well, I can't help but worry... Are they treating my precious book well? What if they damage/lose it? etc, etc.
    I love contemporary though, and don't mind cover changes, as long as they don't change it to something ugly (lol)
    And yes, I'm often "team villain/bad boy" as well :D

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    1. The only stacks I have are the two or three on my nightstand, which I am currently reading. Have you seen the new Across the Universe covers? The new ones aren't exactly ugly, but they are when compared to what the looked like before. *sigh* I'm glad to not be alone in the villain thing, lol. Thanks for your thoughts.

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  6. I kinda of agree to all the ones you mentioned. I never stack my books, too nerve wrecking for me. Although it would provide some space, but no, no, I won't have it xD

    None of my friends are bookish anyway, so that makes things easier I guess. I mean I really want to get my cousin into reading but whenever I think about lending her a book, all the doubts you mentioned start creeping in.

    I SO agree with the contemporary thing. I mean, it's obvious from the blurb how the entire story would go. When it goes something like "and then she meets tom, who changes her life" you just know that they're going to fall in love and have a HEA. End of story!

    I've always liked villains, even when they're not the love interest. They're really complex and interesting, you know?

    Great post!

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    1. Yeah, even though I KNOW it'll make more space, I just can't bring myself to do it, lol. Only a couple of my friends are readers, actually, so I also don't encounter the lending issue too often but...it does happen. Maybe that's my problem with contemporary! It feels very predictable as a genre. Nothing worse than a flat villain in a book (okay, maybe there's a few worse things, but still).

      Thanks!

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