Conversations: Reading Series

Hello! I hope you're enjoying this fine Saturday. As usual, this fortnight brings us another Conversation, where we discuss a new topic. You can find out more about this feature here.

   Today's discussion is all about "reading book series- (yay or nay)?".     

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Maybe you've done this before, maybe you haven't, but I know that once I've invested myself in reading one or two books of a smaller series, I feel inclined to finish off the series, even if I'm not really enjoying it. And if you think about it, that last book you forced yourself to read could've been another book that you actually enjoyed. (A stand alone, perhaps.) I feel as though book series are traps in some ways, but in other ways, I don't know where we'd be without book series.

On the one hand, I love reading a good book series! 

When I'm genuinely enjoying the books, having a series is a great thing. It allows for reading the books to become an experience. There's something to be said about waiting each year for the next book to come out in a series. It becomes a memory, a companion. And when the series is complete, you've grown as a person, and it's hard to believe that this series-friend has come to an end. It makes reading those books more personal and emotional, because they've lasted much longer than just reading one book. I know plenty of book series that I've cried while finishing, more because it was over than because the events taking place were sad. 

Plus, book series allow for more thorough story planning and more realistic development. Especially in fantasy and science fiction books, it's hard to complete the whole plot in just one book- no matter how long. It would be completely unrealistic to try and squish everything into one book- not to mention excruciatingly lengthy! I prefer for the character development and story arc to be realistic, and making your story into multiple books allows for that. 

Okay, don't roll your eyes, but series look great on bookshelves! Nothing's more satisfying than owning a whole series, especially when they're all in the same format, the same edition, and the same height! I love getting to gaze at how perfect my book series look all lined up and orderly.

So yes, when done right, book series can be a great thing.

On the other hand, authors need to stop trying to make so much money and just WRITE. 

I'm going to shamelessly mention James Patterson when I talk about the fact that a lot of authors stretch their stories out, taking meaningless, stupid turns that end up having no impact on the story just to release another book and make more money. A prime example of this is the horror that is the Maximum Ride series. That story could've been over in three books, but of course us gullible consumers will just keep buying his books. I just can't stand when something that could've been accomplished in one or two books is stretched out pointlessly just to make money. There are plenty of trilogies that could've been duologies, where the middle book was dull and accomplished little other than act as a bridge that could've been condensed and added to the end and beginning of the other two novels. Literally, nothing more annoying.

And there's the fact that sometimes I'm just not in the mood to commit myself to a whole series. Especially when there's, like, 8 books and they've all been released already, it's hard to want to jump into that type of thing. I mean, if all the books are released, I don't have any excuse not to read the rest of the series. I like having a break sometimes.

Plus series are just more to buy, more to read, and more to try to squeeze into your bookshelf. Sometimes I like just getting to read a stand alone, accept that this time it's all been told in one, nicely sized volume, and move on to the next thing.

So in conclusion? (Most) TV shows need more than just one season to accomplish their plot, just as (most) stories need more than just one book. However, I think we all know of a few TV shows that should've ended after just the first season. 

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of reading book series!

Conversations: Book Borrowing

Hello my friends! So I'm a day late, but I'm going to be posting another Conversation, hosted by our fellow book bloggers Joan @Fiddler Blue and Geraldine @Corralling Books. You can find out more about this fortnightly feature here.

Today's topic is "what are your dos and don'ts for lending out books". So let's get into it!

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I'm not as bad as some people when it comes to lending out my books. I'm usually okay with letting people borrow one or two of my books at a time, but even I have my restrictions. 

DO return the books back to me in a decent amount of time. 

DO treat them as if they're your first born child. 

DON'T mess up the pages in anyway.

DO guard them with your life. 

DO read them. 

DON'T dog ear the pages. 

DO use a bookmark. 

DON'T lend my books out to other people. 

DO understand that if you damage or lose my book, you have to pay me back for it. 

DON'T tear, crease, or bend the cover of my paperbacks. 

DO tell me how the book is going, and how you like it. 

DON'T cause any water damage to my books. 

DON'T use me as your only book resource. There are libraries, bookstores, and eBooks for that purpose. 

but most importantly 

DO enjoy the reading experience, obsess over the story, and cry over the characters. Because in the end, I want to share the love of reading with as many people as I can, and lending out books is an easy way to do that. 

So that concludes my list! While it isn't every day that I'm lending books out to people I kind of know, I am often swapping books with close friends who are also avid readers (money saver) so I'm no stranger to lending books.

Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments if you participated in this fortnight's Conversation! 

Conversations: What the Blogs I Follow MUST Have

Hello! Another fortnight has passed, which means it's time for Conversations, a bookish feature hosted by Joan @Fiddler Blue and Geraldine @Corralling Books. This feature is supposed to inspire interaction between bloggers and readers, as well as discussion. You can find out more about Conversations here 

This discussion's topic is "what are the essential things the blogs you follow have to have?" I'm so excited to talk about this one, because I'm super picky when it comes to blogs.

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Number one! The theme must be inviting and nice on my eyes. If you've got a super dark theme with messed up graphics and major coding problems, I'm sorry, but I'm inclined to turn away. It's said that darker colors are less inviting than lighter colors when it comes to profiles/blogs/websites, so if you're going for a less intimidating blog that doesn't scare away new readers- keep that in mind! (However, I do love that classy, white with black accent look, just not the ###DEaTh #DeSTRucTIoN *##EVIL###SCArY look.) But even just when your graphics are blurry, pixelated, sized incorrectly, it ruins my viewing experience. The same goes for coding errors. (Of course, everyone has some coding errors, but I'm talking major ones that the blogger doesn't want to take the time and effort to fix.)

Number two! Content! If your blog is all book reviews or all memes/features, I probably won't read it. While the particular feature I'm a part of at the moment is different, as it's discussion post-centered, most bookish features are not, and tend to be redundant and empty. I just don't like reading blogs that are only memes, because I feel like I'm not getting any original content from the author. Same goes for book reviews- I don't want to follow a blog that's just book reviews, because it gets boring after a while.

Number three! I love when the author of the blog actually comments back and interacts with you, the reader. I spend quite some time writing out most of my comments, and it makes me so happy when I get a reply. Discussion posts are meant to start a discussion, so let's discuss! Active bloggers are the best bloggers, because they put a real person and face behind the blog.

Number four! Ads, ads, ads. I'm okay with ads on the sidebar or footer or something, but I hate when they're smack in the middle of the body or floating around the screen. Most book blogs really don't have this problem, but when a page is overwhelmed with ads, it turns me away.

Number five! Multiple bloggers. There are some exceptions, but I typically steer away from blogs that have multiple authors. I think the main reason for this is that I just get confused, and I struggle to differentiate between the authors, and then I can't keep the personalities straight and.... it's just kind of a mess. So yeah, unfortunately I prefer not to read blogs with multiple authors.

Number six! Going with number five, if your blog just confuses me in general, I won't read it. I need things to be user friendly for me to want to read it. I spend enough time figuring out how to layout and construct my own blog- I don't need to take more time figuring yours out.

Number seven! I love when the blogs I follow have easy ways to find the author on social media, as well as recommended content. I love recommended content buttons, because they keep me engaged and introduce me to old blog posts that I wouldn't have seen anyway.

Number Eight! (Last chance to negotiate.) Oh, and the author must love Hamilton. Just kidding. Or am I. *evil laugh*


So this kind of became a list I guess. Oops! Anyway, thanks for reading and let me know if you participated this fortnight!

Conversations: Why We Blog

Hey all! I'm jumping in on this new, fortnightly feature called "Conversations" hosted by Joan @Fiddler Blue and Geraldine @Corralling Books. The aim of this feature is to inspire discussion and interaction between bloggers. You can find out more here. 

This fortnight's topic is "what pushed you to start blogging and why do you continue to blog?". So, now that our introduction is done, why don't we jump into this topic? 

Why Did I Start Blogging? 

I started blogging in mid October of last year. It wasn't a spontaneous decision, I actually thought about it for probably a month or so before I actually created my blog. But anyway, I was about a month into my (new) school, and I found the workload to be manageable. I began to review books on Goodreads, and discovered that I really enjoyed it. However, it's rather difficult to get recognition on Goodreads for your reviews, and I didn't really like the overall atmosphere in the reviewing section on Goodreads. So, I picked myself up, plopped down on Blogger, and spent an afternoon coming up with a good blog name, theme, and layout. Then I just began to write. My blog has undergone quite an amount of changes since then. I completely redid my theme, for starters, and the quality of my posts, I feel, have gone up. (Or, at least, I'm trying.) My reading base has slowly grown, and I've met so many amazing people! 

Why Do I Continue?

I continue blogging because there's no reason for me to want to stop. Through blogging, I've been able to self teach myself HTML and coding. Obviously, I'm no expert, but I certainly know and understand more about it than the average person my age- or any age really. 

Not only is that awesome, but my writing has improved greatly. Whether it's sentence structure, word choice, or just general flow, my writing has gotten so much better. Plus it's good way to be actively practicing my writing. 

Oh and the people! You hear this a lot, but it's so true. I've met so many amazing people through blogging, and I'm so thankful for that. Half of you live half a world away, but it's so great that I get to talk to you. 

I just love immersing myself in this world of people who love to read and aren't afraid to go all out when expressing their love for reading. It's been six months since I started, and the time has flown by. I wouldn't trade this awesome opportunity the internet has given us all for the world, and a huge thank you to everyone who's already been a part of it for me! *blows kiss* 

Why do you blog, and what keeps you going? And if any of you took part in this fortnight's Conversation, let me know in the comments, and I'll definitely check it out!