Tips for Borrowing and Buying Books

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In one of my recent posts 'Reading Illegally' I talked about the negative aspects of downloading/sharing books. I decided that while the post was probably quite helpful in portraying my thoughts on illegal downloads of books and other materials and saying that there are infact "other ways" to get you literature on the cheap, I don't think I elaborated enough on the second part. I have already done a post in the past about finding free/cheap books 'Actually Having Books To Read' , but thought I could do another one and talk about the stuff I missed.

See, I've noticed that some things while helpful to some people, are no good to others. It might be great that there are all of these free or inexpensive ways for readers to get a hold of the books they want without using illegal share sites, but these "ways" won't be of any use if you don't have the know-how you need to find what you want and get it at the price you are willing to pay. So, rather than writing about where you can get your free-or-cheap-yet-legal-books (which I still will write about a little bit), I thought I would write more about this what you need to know inorder to have "know-how".

USING THE LIBRARY:

The Library is a great tool for people that don't have the shelf-space or money to buy books. I don't tend to use my local library that much, because I've always preffered to purchase my books and I have so many unread books on my shelf, And many of the books I would like to read are ones that I would like to own. I do know many people that don't fancy owning that many books (that don't neccesarily have the space for them all) and they quite often use the library to get their reading fix.

Some Libraries (like my local one) have a Library website where users can log in, search for books they want to read and reserve copies. This is a helpful tool when you want to borrow books that are quite popular. This is also a handy tool if you don't have much time to spend in the actual library; you can reserve the books you want to worry and pick them up in your lunch-hour. The Librarian is the one who spends the time finding and gathering the requested books, while all you have to do is go to the counter to collect them.

I know there are a few people out there that have a bit of an issue trying to find their way around the library. There should be signs depicting "Children's Fiction", "Teenage Fiction", "Children's Non-Fiction", "Non-Fiction" and "Adult Fiction". I'm not going to explain the way that non-fiction books are organised. The fiction is organised alphabetically by author. Some of the books might be categorised into smaller groups such as "Mills and Boon", "Westerns" and "Classics", but not all libraries do this. Some libraries also put genre stickers on the books, so that people who just want to browse can easily identify which books they might be interested in. My local library uses stickers with symbols on them. E.g. A heart sticker means romance and a castle means historical fiction.

Also, if you go to your library often, take note of the displays. Sometimes they will put posters or pamphlets out to advertise a library event that's coming up. Something like 'Book Lover's Week' or an author's book signing. Some of these events involve a chance to win a prize or get something free, even if it is a dodgy bookmark that was photocopied and laminated by the latest work experience kid.

BORROWING FROM A FRIEND:

Again, something I don't do. I'm very pedantic about the state of my books and don't like to worry about what may or may not happen to them, when they are in the hands of someone else. I don't like to unload this sort of craziness onto the poor person I lent the books to. Also, this works both ways. When I borrow something from someone I'm constantly worrying that something will happen to them while in my possession and I will get the blame (because, it was, you know, probably my fault). As long as the borrowing has a time limit and books are returned unscathed I see no problem with people borrowing books from each other.

For those who don't know there is this new, technological way of "borrowing from a friend" via kindle. Any one who has a kindle or uses a kindle app on another device can borrow or lend Kindle books. Here's How

2ND HAND SHOPPING:

One of the things people don't realise about 2nd hand book shopping is that it's quite similar to borrowing from a library. Often times books pass through the hands of many strangers. People buy old used books for cheap and then trade them for newer ones (at a book depository) or they donate it to a charity shop. The buy/swap/sell sites on facebook have become a great place for people to sell or exchange unwanted items (like books) and some online stores offer credits to use at their store in exchange for an unwanted novel.

Used books can also be bought online. Stores like Ebay, Fishpond and Amazon all sell 2nd hand books...

If second hand books are your thing you should definitely look out for garage sales or ex-library sales taking place in your area. The books aren't always in great shape, but if you are only planning on reading them once and then passing them on to someone else it shouldn't matter. Another great place to look out for books is the Markets. There is a stall at our local markets that sells 2nd hand books to people and lets you trade in an old one (or one that you bought from him) for another book. I'm not sure if it works like a book depository or if trading books only gets you a discount though...

IN-STORE:

While bookstores are lovely places to go they are often really overpriced. Bookstores are great when they've got a big sale happening or when they've got an in-store event. They are also a great place to buy cute bookmarks. Most Department stores or discount stores have quite reasonable book sections, but still, I prefer to wait for a sale if I think the prices are too high. One tip to use in a department store, is to take the books over to the customer "Price Check" price scanner. I don't know how many times I've been to a store where the price marked on the shelf and/or the item is incorrect, so now whenever I go to a store with a self-serve price checker I check everything.

Bookstores are pretty easy to navigate. Books are often placed in their category in alphabetical order. Department Stores and Discount Stores do tend to be less organised. It's unlikely that anything will be alphabetised, but books should be placed with their own kind; Non-fiction with non-fiction, teen-fiction with teen-fiction.

ONLINE SHOPPING:

The biggest issue that a lot of people have with purchasing online is how they are going to pay for it. You don't need a credit card to buy stuff online. You can use a Paypal account, a prepaid visa or a Visa bankcard. I use Paypal, but it can't be used on specific sites (like amazon). Prepaid Visa cards can be purchased from real-life stores (like the post-office) and money can be put on them in store. I'm not going to educate people on every aspect of online payment, but I just want to let you know that a) you don't need a credit card to buy stuff online and b) Paying for stuff online isn't the big headache that people make it out to be.

Another issue I think people have with online shopping is knowing whether or not to trust the site. Things to look out for:

1. Is it a well-known store or site.

-If it's something like Amazon or Target it should be legit.

2. The address bar.

If the URL has https in it, it should be okay. Mind you, the s normally only shows when you "Go to Checkout"

3. The layout of the site.

If it looks dodgy, it probably is.

Unless I'm just browsing I almost never click on all the little categories and headings on a site to find what I want. I always use the search engine and use it carefully. The key with search engines and filters is to specify your search, but be careful not to filter your search too much (because, some items aren't always tagged with the correct filters) and not to put too much trust into the filter doing it's job. "Price lowest to highest " for example, sometimes leaves the page with prices in no particular order of any kind.

If you are particular about which cover you get or which size novel you get (say if this one is a part of a series and you want them all to line up nicely on the shelf) be sure to read the details of the items. Most sites are really good in this respect and have all kinds of details about the item. If you are buying a DVD be sure to check that the region matches the region of your DVD player.

Online shops are a great place to source Bind-ups or Box-sets. I find that I can often (not always) purchase a Box-set or Bind-up cheaper per novel, than what I would if I were to buy them individually. For example. I bought a box-set of the 'Wicked Lovely' series by Melissa Marr for $25 and it had five books in it. I bought the first volume of 'Soul screamers' by Rachel Vincent, which had the first three novels in it, for eleven dollars. And, I purchased the first volume of Buffy which has three novels in it, for seven dollars. Do the math :) You can sometimes pick up box-sets from department stores for a good price as well.

Check the shipping policy. Some sites have free shipping, whilst others have a "No shipping after $100" policy and if you're buying overseas shipping is probably unavoidable and quite expensive.

EBOOKS:

I own a kindle, but just because I own a kindle doesn't mean I'm limited to the kindle store. If you are buying an E-book from a different website, be sure to check that it is compatible with your ereader. Also, when you are purchasing ebooks, don't be afraid to shop-around. Some bookshops (like 'Angus and Robertson') and other download sites (like 'Google Play' or 'Kobo') also sell ebooks. You might be able to find one cheaper on another site.

There are Facebook groups and Shelfari/Goodreads groups dedicated to cheap/free ebooks. If you subscribe or join you may be able to discover some new titles at a decent price. 'Book a day' for example is a page where people promote cheap ebooks that they've read and want to let other people know about. The page only allows books that cost less than $2.99 and have a three stars or higher rating.

I hope some of the information in this post has proven to be helpful. It feels like I have repeated myself a little bit from this post: 'Actually Having Books To Read', but I think that this time I've included a few more tips and hopefully written the post in a less-rambly, more understandable manner. I really want to help people find their way to enjoyable books through my blog, but hopefully also point people in the direction of a good price.

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie

What to read, What to read...

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It's a difficult decision. I often find myself reading more than one book at once, putting down books when I'm halfway through because something better came along or sitting staring at my book shelf contemplating for a while. What is it exactly that makes it so hard sometimes to settle on one book and read through the whole thing?

I think part of the problem is that battle that we have with ourselves over what we want to read and what we should be reading. I don't know about you, but I tend to look at tasks I should be doing and thinking "Nope, I don't wanna do that". It could be something I want to do, but the minute it is on that To Do List my mind builds up a list of reasons why I might not want to do something that I may have

actually wanted to do in the first place. Twisted, but that's how my mind works.

WHAT YOU SHOULD READ:

My TBR Pile for the month usually consists of a few of the things listed below. The shoulds. There might be one or two novels in there that I generally want to read, but for some reason, when I get around to it I feel like reading something different.

The Shoulds:

-Review copies for books being released this month (or dates already passed).

-Challenge/theme books:

For example, I'm doing a classics challenge this year. So my TBR has classics in it.

-Books I haven't yet finished:

The ones that I put down, because I just wasn't feeling it anymore. Or, because another book on the shelf was speaking to me "Read me, read me, read me..."

-Old books gathering dust:

The ones that I keep telling myself I've gotta read. Why did I buy it back then for full price if I was going to wait for forever to read it?

-Books being made into a film:

The movie is coming out on DVD soon and I still haven't read the book?!

-School/University/Book Club reads

-Library and other loans:

I avoid the library and try and tell people "No" when they are offering to loan books. For some weird reason, the minute someone finds out you can read, they are figuratively shoving books down your throat...

WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO READ:

Once my TBR pile has been decided for the month I start to look elsewhere. Yep, I'm that bad... These are things that I really really want to read, but should wait for because I've got other things I should be reading.

The Wants:

-Review copies for books being published far away in the future:

On the odd chance that a publisher gives me a book really early (like two months) I'll decide to put it under a stack of books for later. I often do really want to read it (probably partly because I should be waiting until later to review it) and go searching for it.

-New purchases:

I've got a heap of unread books that I bought a while ago, that I put on the TBR, but my eye tends to be captured by a sparkly new one sitting on the Book Haul pile.

-Library Books you don't have on loan:

Why I avoid the library. You go in with your mum, you get out a few books, you come in later that week decide you really want to read "..." even though you've got plenty of books to read, get out more books and you probably only read two of them...

-Books you feel like re-reading:

Favourites you want to read again or books that you've read that are being made into a film and you feel the need to brush-up on the story.

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO PICK ONE BOOK AND STICK TO IT?

1) Too much to choose from:

Like a style savvy girl looking at her wardrobe and exclaiming "I don't have anything to wear!", sometimes not having anything to read can be down to having too much to choose from.

2) Mood Changes:

This is one of the reasons I think my TBR pile often gets discarded. I might decide to go with a bit of a YA romance theme and fill my pile with both Paranormal romances and Contemporary books when I decide that I don't really feel like reading about some girl sap over some guy. Instead I might feel like reading a book with a Kick-ass female hero who says hilarious things and tells the guy to "Get!"

3) The Reading Goal is Overwhelming:

Sometimes I look at my Goodreads goal and think about how bad I'm doing. "Look at all those unread books" I tell myself. "I should read one of those" I say. But, I just don't know which one... If it's a classic it could take me forever, If it's a fat book it could take me forever, but then I don't want to go and read all YA Paranormal romances just because they are easy to get through...

WHAT I THINK:

-You are the reader:

Read what you want to read. Forget deadlines (okay, maybe not if you have to read a book for school and your grades depend on it) and release dates, forget loans (just as long as you remember to get an extension or take those books back) and pick a book off the shelf that appeals to you in this moment.

-Slugging through review copies, just because the release date has already passed, so that you can get a review released is pointless. Slugging through a review copy, that you don't feel like reading = A Bad review. I think you should give each book a fair chance and read it when you feel like it.

-As long as you don't release your review too early before the book -depending on the publisher- you should read the book whenever you want.

-Finishing one book (Any book) is better than staring at a very large pile of books thinking about what you should and shouldn't read.

IF YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW:

-Make an Online Poll asking fellow readers what they think you should read.

-Take that book your friend has been talking about for ages and read it. Then you'll at least understand what she's talking about.

-Write book titles onto a piece of paper and draw it out of a hat.

-Stand in front of a bookshelf, close your eyes, turn around three times and point to/touch a book. That's what you'll be reading...

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie

Actually having books to read: Tips on filling your book shelves on the cheap (with books you are actually likely to like)

Wow! That was a long title.

I know a lot of people who like to read. Some of them love to read, but most of them just like it. The reason a lot of these people don't read more is because they either have a life or they don't like paying $20 dollars for a book in case they don't like it. I decided to write this post to help these people find cheaper books in the future. I'm also going to include a few tips at the bottom about discovering authors and books that these people are most likely going to enjoy.

Firstly, I would like to let you know that I rarely spend $20 dollars on a book. I like to splurge on books, but by splurging on books I mean spending large amounts of money on lots of books. I make sure that I'm paying the lowest price I can for a novel and if that price is too high, then I might just have to wait. 

FREE BOOKS:

There are ways to get your fiction fix for free. The range of free novels available won't always be the most varied or the best quality, but it sure is free.

THE LIBRARY:

Most towns should have one of these. They lend you books for free as long as you return them by a certain date. Personally I prefer to buy my own books, but if I'm a little unsure about a novel I will probably borrow it from the library. The only problems the library are:

-If you want a specific book -depending on how popular it is- you may have to wait for it to become available. Some books can be heavily reserved and are almost impossible to get a hold of.

-Depending on the number or size of the books you may not be able to finish them in time. This can be easily fixed by asking for an extension, however some librarians can get a little cranky about it and I especially don't like to get extensions because I get a little embarrassed about not finishing the book by a certain time.

-Many people dislike libraries because of the hygiene factor. I've heard that there are people who worry about others not having washed hands before touching books at the library. I think this is a silly reason not to get books from the library, because people touch books at bookstores before other people buy them.

WEBSITES AND APPS:

The increase in intelligent technology over the past ten years has made a lot of entertainment available (both illegally and legally) on the net for free. Many applications allow readers to download free classics and sites like Wattpad.com allow readers to download original and copied works. The cons are:

-If you don't like reading from a bright screen or aren't a very technological person, you might not like this way of reading books.

-There isn't normally a large range for free. Classics are normally free, but most other books will cost money to download.

-Depending on how legitimate the App/Site is some of the books may not be punctuated/spelled correctly.

GIVEAWAYS / COMPETITIONS:

You can find these in Magazines, on publisher websites, on Goodreads, on author websites, on blogs and in online book store sites. It's surprising  how few people enter some of these competitions or giveaways sometimes.

REVIEW COPIES:

If you have that little bit of extra spare time on your hands and don't mind writing a review after finishing a novel book blogging might be for you. Click HERE for more information. The range of books can also be limited as review books tend to only be new release novels. The range of books you have access to will also depend on which publishers you are affiliated with.

2ND HAND:

Again with the hygiene thing... If you aren't pedantic about how neat or clean your novels are you can buy second hand for cheaper than what it costs to buy new. Sometimes you can pick up an out-of-print book or edition of a book 2nd hand. You can buy books at most charity shops and garage sales. If you are lucky your town might actually have a 2nd hand book store. You can also buy used books online on stores like amazon. My town has an ex-library book sale every once and a while for people who don't mind reading books with stickers on them.

NEW:

ONLINE:

I buy most of my books this way. I wouldn't say that I buy very often though, because of the review books. Where I live (in Australia) I have two sites that I choose from. Normally Amazon is cheaper price wise, but much dearer freight wise. Lately Fishpond.com.au has actually been cheaper. The price depends on the edition, size, format and popularity of the novel. Normally I find that most small paperback copies are under $10 dollars.

BOOKSTORE:

I find that specialty book shops are quite expensive. They are beautiful to look at, but the only thing that will get me to buy something from a book shop is a "reduced" sticker. Book store books are sometimes even cheaper than the books on fishpond.

DEPARTMENT STORE:

This means shops like: Target, Big W and Kmart. If you want a new release book these stores are normally the cheapest. They also often have deals on books in a series. For example "Buy 2 books in the Vampire Academy series and get a third half price". Some of these stores sell their books at 20% lower than the RRP normally.

DISCOUNT STORE:

The good ole $2 shop, definitely not great for variety and filled with more sex orientated historical fiction than you can poke a stick at, but it may surprise you. I've found a few lesser-known books by some of the authors I'm interested in at my local store and a few books from my Shelfari TBR pile in a smaller size with a different cover. The books at discount stores where I live normally don't go over $5 (Unless they are bestsellers, which are more like $7 - $16).

MORE CHEAPY TIPS:

-Wait for books to reduce in price, sometimes it doesn't take very long at all.

-Buy in bulk. Books that come in boxed sets or bind ups can be cheaper than buying books individually.

-Get into the classics. Classic books are easy to come by. They can be downloaded for free or purchased for a cheaper price than ordinary books. The price will depend on the edition though. Plainer classics are the cheaper ones.

-Purchase smaller, paperback editions where possible.

-Trade in old books for unread ones by selling them on fishpond (sellers receive a credit on their account to spend online for the amount they sold the book for) or taking them into a book depository.

DISCOVERING READING MATERIAL:

Not only can it be difficult to buy books at a reasonable price, but it can be difficult to know what to buy. Finding new authors and series to follow can be tricky business for people who don't use the internet to research books much. If you don't like using the internet to discover new reads, the only way to really know which novels to read is to go by genre. Sites that help for those who want to use them:

ONLINE STORES:

-These often have a "People who bought this also bought" type of recomendation system.

-Reviews from people who have bought and read the novel

-A preview of the first 1 or 2 chapters

BOOK LOVER's SITES:

I don't really know what else I would call them. Sites like Shelfari, Goodreads and LibraryThing. These sites include helpful things like:

-Book Reccomendation Systems. Good reads reccomends based on what you've read. Shelfari can reccomend books by authors you've read, next books in the series and books your contacts are readingl

-A "books in common" feature, so you can see which contactshave similar tastes to you and know whether or not to trust their reviews or ratings.

-List "similar books", "Inspired by" and "Other people also like"

-Chapter preview

-Reviews

-On Goodreads you can follow an author's reviews/ratings.

BLOGGERS / BOOKTUBERS:

-Reviews and Book Hauls

I hope that this information was helpful to anyone out there who is struggling to find books that interest them and/or that are at a reasonable price.

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie



Rereading and Rereading Rituals

Revisiting old favourites and other compulsive quirks that accompany...

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Book Bloggers are always going on about what's new. Every now and then they compare a new book to something older or they mention their favourites in a 'Top ten Tuesday' post, but many of their favourites change once another great book comes onto the scene. This is all very normal for people who read a lot of books I guess, but while we say that we have these "favourites" how often do we go back and read them again? And, When do we make time to revisit these books?

There are some people out there that simply don't believe in rereading books. They want to reach their goodreads goal for reading and can't include their reread books in their goal. They also don't think that they have time to reread books. What would be so wrong with having a smaller goal? If we love these "Favourites" so much then why don't we make time for them? I think reading favourites is a great way to get out of a reading funk, to enjoy reading after the reading goal is accomplished and to see how well these favourites go the second time round.

I know a person on Shelfari that rereads 'Jane Eyre' at Christmas. She says it is her favourite book and that is when she has time to read it. I've also hear of other people reserving certain favourites for birthdays and public holidays. Also if you had a lot of favourites or even other books you owned that you wanted to revisit  in a year you could divide your yearly reading goal into months and once you've finished your reading goal for that month you could reread a book each month. But that plan also has it's downfall because if you were to have a busy month at work or home you may not have time to even finish your goal.

I know of a lot of people that also choose certain themed books for certain holidays. They reread 'A Christmas Carol' simply because it is Christmas. They pick weather specific books for vacations or school breaks. Books like 'The Great Gatsby' get chosen for summer reading, while the 'Harry potter' series is often reserved for winter. Or when people get into certain moods they are known to discard what they are currently reading and head for something more familiar like say 'The Bell Jar' which Kat Stratford's character does in the movie 'Ten things I hate about you'.

Not only do people often have  their own specific times to read specific books, but they generally have some other form of reading ritual that goes along with it. They might use certain book marks only with that particular book, the book may be accompanied by certain foods or music and in most cases particular movies may be watched afterwards. I know that when I reread 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath I will often watch the movies 'Sylvia' and 'Ten things I hate about you' sometime afterwards. Also every time I finish a Jane Austen book I find my self in front of the screen watching 'The Jane Austen Book Club'. When/if I read one of the 'Twilight' books I will often read with the movie soundtrack playing in the background.

If you want to keep track of your rereading you can use shelfari. This site allows you to include books you've reread in your goal and you can go back and find out how many times you have reread it as well as how long it has been since you reread it. I have two accounts (one goodreads and one shelfari) so that I can see how progressed I am with my reading goal both with and without rereading. If you don't fancy joining up for another online account you can keep track in a reading log book. I find that keeping one of these books helps me stay accurate in case I have any trouble with technology.

So How does rereading affect your view of the actual book? Rereading can either increase your love for a book and have you seeing things that you missed the first time you read it Or, it can have you seeing the book in a different light. sometimes you start to consider the book from other characters perspective or you start to pick faults with it. I have seen this happen with a lot of cult paranormal romances like 'Hush Hush', 'Fallen' and 'Twilight'.

I think one thing that people should think about when rereading a book is that once they have made up their own mind about a book that they don't listen too much to other reviewers. There is a whole culture of 'Hush Hush'/'Twilight'/'Fallen' haters out there and while they may not be my favourite books I think the complete disregard for any positive feedback for the books by these haters is not great for those people reading paranormal romances the second time around. While you probably will care less about the romance and notice more faults in the story. Some facts though will be less clear in the readers mind. For example a blogger the other day did a 'Hush Hush' review 2nd time around and complained that "There was no way a teacher would allow one student to antagonise another like that". However, in the book the character Patch does say that he used his mind control thing on the coach to allow them to sit together. When you think about it doesn't that mean that he could have used is mind control to allow the antagonising to occur? If you had been reading the book the second time around the whole mind control thing wouldn't be as fresh in your mind and the whole "hater" culture probably changed your mind before you even reopened the book anyway. I do agree that these books are somewhat flawed, but they aren't as bad as people make them out to be.

Tips for creating your own reading rituals or getting the most out of a favourite book the second time around:

-Don't pay too much attention to negative reviews and if you do don't take the reviewer's word as gospel.

-Read in a comfortable setting

-If you play music ensure it is of a similar tone (eg. Listening to Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful world' while your detective hero is looking for the killer in your story is quite laughable)

-Try and get out of your  "Reviewer" state of mind.

-Are there any other movies or other books that relate to the book you are reading?

-People have all sorts of crazy rituals when it comes to reading certain books. Some light ccandles, where a specific fragrance, eat certain foods...

I like to take the approach to rereading as reading for enjoyment. Forget that you are a reviewer and just have fun. The books that I favourite are books that set the bar for me as far as reading goes. Rereading them just reminds me of the standard that they set and lets me revisit the characters, atmosphere, storyline and writing style that I enjoy so much. Rereading rituals are just a reading comfort that take the reader to that familiar place.

Do you believe in Rereading Books?

Or have any rereading Rituals?

Feel free to comment below or you can write your own post about either rereading books or Rereading rituals and link it below...

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie

Short Stories and Why we should read them.

Anthologies (a collection of short stories) are something that is continuing to pop up on shelves. They aren't a trend and aren't suited to any particular genre. Short stories can be about pretty much anything. The interesting thing is though, that apart from bloggers and a few other bookish people not too many people seem to be getting into the short stories.

So why not? It's not like these books are reserved for adult fiction or anything. Some of todays most popular authors are featured in anthologies. Does the length of the story seen too short? Do people think that short stories are only for the simple-minded? or does the concisiveness seem to make the story to difficult to understand?

I think that Anthologies are a perfect way for readers to explore new authors or to read more by their favourite ones. They are a bargain because you get more stories in one book and make you feel more accomplished if you are a slow reader because you can read one story in a sitting. If it wasn't for Sylvia Plath's 'Johnny Panic and the bible of Dreams', I would be really depressed by how little I got to read of her literary works.

YA Anthologies:
Many people in the YA Fantasy genre have been grouping together to write anthologies. There are fairytale retellings and the more teenage style books that conquer things like haunted corsages and ghostly boyfriends.
More recently authors are starting to write lone anthologies based on their books as well as novellas and graphic novels.

YA Anthologies to check out:
Enthralled- Features: Kelly Armstrong, Jackson Pearse, Melissa Marr...
Zombies Vs Unicorns- Features: Holly Black, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfield
Kiss Me Deadly- Features: Carrie Ryan, Becca Fitzpatrick
The Eternal Kiss- Features: Rachel Caine, Cassandra Clare, Maria V. Snyder
Geektastic- Features: Libba Bray, Holly Black, Tracy Lynn
21 Proms- Features: David Levithan, Libba Bray, Sarah Mylinowski,
Immortal: Love Stories with Bite- Features: Rachel Caine, P.C. Cast

FROM HELL (YA Anthology series):
Love is Hell
Prom Nights From Hell
Vacations From Hell
Kisses From Hell
Dates From Hell
Holidays are Hell
Hotter Than Hell
Weddings From Hell

YA SINGLE AUTHOR ANTHOLOGIES:
Poison Eaters- Holly Black
Faerie Tales and Nightmares- Melissa Marr
Tales of The Beadle and the Bard- J.K Rowling

FAIRY TALE RETELLING ANTHOLOGIES:
The Wilfull Eye (Tales From The Tower 1)
The Wicked Wood (Tales From The Tower 2)

ADULT VARIOUS AUTHOR:
The Beach Book- Features: Jeffrey Eugenides, Gabielle Garcia Marquez,

ADULT SINGLE AUTHOR:
The Red Garden- Alice Hoffman
Black Bird House- Alice Hoffman
The Local Girls- ALice Hoffman
My Mistress' Sparrow is Dead- Jeffrey Eugeniedes
The Ladies of Grace Adieu- Susanna Clarke

OLD-SCHOOL AUTHORS, VARIOUS:
Stories to get you through the night

OLD-SCHOOL AUTHORS, SINGLE:
Sherlock Holmes- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
A Diamond As Big as The Ritz- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Flappers and Philosophers- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Tales of Angria by Charlotte Bronte
Jonny Panic and The Bible of Dreams by Sylvia Plath

So yeah... Definitely Try and Check out Some Short Stories.

Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

Classics: Recommendations and pretty covers...

My opinion Towards classics is that they are a very important part of a bookshelf. We may not all understand classics and need dictionaries to read them, some of them may bore us to bits and some of them my be entirely overrated. Very convincing I know. There are however, some absolute gems out there that will teach you something new. As in new to you or in a new light. In the age of YA books that tend to be more about love interest (don't get me wrong I do love YA), Classics tend to deal with some different morals and concepts.

I haven't read that many classics in the time that I have been reading. This bothers me. Classics are the basis of Modern day literature and are sometimes rewritten in another genre. How is it that many people have watched "Pride and Prejudice" over and over, but never read the book?! I think people should learn to appreciate the roots of their favourite literature and read a book rather than watch a badly casted film. Who cares if you have already seen it. "I know what happens already" says a disagreeable twit. If you loved the film than chances are you will love the book. A book will have surprises in it, because the movie is always  different. Worst comes to worse you could always read a different book by the same author.

What if I don't like it? Is it wrong to dislike a book? certainly not! Everybody has their own opinion, so don't be afraid to say what you think. There is no right or wrong opinion. The other day at work I got a death stare from a girl because I said that "Wuthering Heights" was overated. This was coming from me who read the book. This girl hadn't even read it. She hadn't read anything by Charlotte Bronte or Jane Austen either, but she had read "Twilight". In the words of Mark Twain:

‘Classic.’ A book which people praise and don’t read.

If you like a classic on your own terms than great for you, but I hate seeing someone skiting about a novel that they saw a reference to in a YA book that they never bothered to read themselves. Now Enough of the ranting and onto the recommendations. I saw this quote on THE BOOK REVIEWER's page.

I RECOMMEND:

'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald

- An ineresting Tale about the Scandalous lives of people during the roaring Jazz age. How can you not love a book that has adorable names like 'Daisy' and 'Myrtle'.

'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde

-A young man decides to become immortal at any cost. 

'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte

-A both gothic and romantic story about an orphaned girl who is mistreated by her cruel aunt and cousin who goes on to become a governess. The woman is despised because she lacks beauty and thinks her self incapable of being loved.

'Sense and Sensibility' by Jane Austen

-Two Sisters are at the right age to find suitors and come across era specific man-troubles.

'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen

-The ultimate combination of Love and Hate. Two witty characters fall in love.

CLASSICS THAT I DIDN"T LIKE:

And I'm not afraid to say so...

-'Mrs Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf

-'Oliver Twist' by Charles Dickens

CLASSICS THAT WERE JUST OKAY:

-'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte

-Mansfield Park' by Jane Austen

CLASSICS ON MY  TBR PILE:

-ALice in Wonderland

-The Scarlett Letter

-Shirley by Charlotte Bronte

-Sherlock Holmes

-Little Women

-Breakfast At Tiffany's

-Revolutionary Road

AUTHORS ON MY TBR PILE:

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

-Jane Austen

-Anne Bronte

-Charlotte Bronte

-Elizabeth Gaskell

Enough about me.... Another thing that's really cool about classics is the awesome new covers that are popping up from all over the place.

PENGUIN POCKET CLASSICS:

Are great because they save space in your book shelf and Hand bag. They probably won't fit in your pocket though. The covers are quirky and beautiful.

PENGUIN MODERN CLASSICS:

These ones have the large letters on them and have an artwork or photo behind.

PENGUIN CLASSICS:

VINTAGE CLASSICS:

The Vintage Publishing label also has a wide variety of new books(not just the classics) published with pretty covers.

ONEWORLD CLASSICS:

Most books are accompanied by a cover that consists of fuzzy photos.

WORDSWORTH CLASSICS:

These covers are decorated with illustrations that are to-die for.

HARPER COLLINS YA CLASSICS:

With pretty flowers!

I hope that this post was both instuctive and helpful to all of you readers who are unsure about buying/reading classics.

Your Favourite Blogger,

Natalie

P.S 

Did you know that Abridged means that a book has been edited so that all content is censored and simplified, making it easier for younger or struggling readers? If you want to read the original unchanged version of a classic story check that the book cover or description says "Unabridged". Books by Penguin, Vintage and Wordsworth tend to be unabridged. Books by other labels (especially released under a Young Adult imprint) are more likely to be Abridged.

Introducing: Magical Realism

For those of you who haven't heard of magical realism before or who have only recently heard of it, but aren't really sure about what it is, I decided to write this post for you. Magical realism is a Adult fiction genre or sub-genre that is depicted as:  "Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction  in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of thought"


Magical Realism is also a genre of film and art.


I was introduced to Magical Realism through reading books by Alice Hoffman. I loved how magical her books were, but didn't realise until later that they were Magical Realism. The only Authors that I have read in this genre are Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen and I thought they were wonderful. If you haven't read anything by these authors please do. 


I really like how Magical Realism is so wonderous. It makes magical elements seem more realistic, as if they might actually happen outside of a book. They are like fairytales for adults in a sense and they can have all sorts of interesting occurrences like wallpaper that changes by mood. None of these things seem to happen right in front of the eye though and it leaves the characters and readers questioning "did that really happen?" 

Magical Realism I read and loved:

-Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

-The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

-The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman

-Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman

On my to-read list:

-100 Years of Solitude by Gabrielle Garcia-Marquez 

-The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

-The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

-The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

-The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

-Night At the Circus by Angela Carter

-Daughter of Fortune Isabelle Allende

-Fortunes Daughter Alice Hoffman

Not my Picture BTW: Weekend Lolita


So Hopefully Having had a look at this post, you might suss out some Magical Realism and have a see for yourself. 


Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie