Why Buy Used Books?

Sarah from over at Thriftbooks sent over an info graphic about the benefits of buying used books. I love looking at the graphics, both for Photoshop technique and because I find you always use something new from them. Personally, I am one of those who is too OCD to go used – I did get the first four Karen Marie Moning Fever books in hardcover off of E-bay, and they were not only a great deal, but also in very good shape. And a couple of them were impossible to find anywhere else. I don’t want to push my luck, though. Click the graphic below for full size…

Are  you a used book lover? Have you scored any great books at great prices, or are you like me and want a brand new, shiny copy for the shelf? I do admit that it can get expensive, especially since my father is a reader, too (and all his are hardcover). Lucky me, I get to buy his, too.

Reader Question – Hot or Not? Book Edition.

Over the course of the last couple of days, I have gotten a few emails talking about a certain book. That book. IT. Aaaand, I had no clue what everyone was talking about. I think I am one of the few people left who had not heard of The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. It took mere seconds of online exploration to find it called The Next Big Thing in YA fiction. The next Hunger Games. The next Divergent. Eh, I think I even saw The next Twilight.

I have to admit, I was intrigued. I on-the-spot ordered a copy after reading just a few reviews, and I am looking very forward to it. But on a personal note, and no slight meant to the book, I have never been fond of labeling something “The next” anything. Each book, each series, each movie adaptation should hopefully rise or fall on its own merit, and not be held up to the standards of those successes that came before. I don’t mind “As good as The Hunger Games” – that is a great compliment. But I don’t need the next Hunger Games. I already read the original.

So, my question is – if you have read it, is it worth the hype? I haven’t seen buzz like this for a new book for quite a while, but sometimes the buzz can be misleading. So I told Sarah J., moxie, and starbright54 I would ask what you thought – Hot or Not?

For the two people left on the planet other than me who had not heard of it, this is what all the talk is about…

Synopsis…

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

I did find the trailer very well done, too…

Saying Goodbye to Sookie…With a Resounding Thud?

Sooo, a bit earlier today Pallavi (hey Pallavi) sent over word that a German fan had gotten ahold of an early copy of Charlaine Harris‘ final Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead Ever After. And, to put it mildly – They. Were. Not. Pleased.

Looks like said reader, in their blind rage, then proceeded to leak the ending online. Being the nosy beast I am, I went snooping and boy, was Pallavi right. The response to Dead Ever After is brutal. I mean truly, truly, epically brutal. I was half horrified, half amused reading the absolutely scathing reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads, since the “fans” held nothing back. Let’s just say that the first two books of the series are sitting on Mount TBR, and I am now in no hurry to get to them. At all.

As much as I laughed reading the reviews, it did make me sad at the same time (even though I haven’t read the books, I am a True Blood fan so I know basic storyline and characters). I really do hate to see a series go out like this – especially since it is one that for many is considered a staple of the PNR/UF genre. Even those who have never picked up one of “our” books often knows Charlaine Harris/Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood. This series was one of the first to bring Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy mainstream, and to go out leaving fans rabidly angry and resentful is a loss all around.

Have you seen any other books draw a similar reaction? I seem to remember something about a Dianne Sylvan book that got readers pretty fired up, and I do know from personal experience that Christine Feehan‘s Dark Predator left a lot of people unhappy and confused (starting with Moi). Has there ever been a book that has actually turned you against a series you followed, or even turned you against the author (like some of the reviewers for Dead Ever After who have vowed to never go near a Charlaine Harris book again)?

A New Character Guide…and a Reader Question

Well, it took longer than originally planned, but the Character Guide is now finished and uploaded for Cassandra Clare‘s The Infernal Devices (yeah, The Mortal Instruments one will be finished before the City of Bones movie. Sometime). I loved re-reading these couple of books, and I think it is the first YA series where the whole love triangle thing didn’t annoy me. In fact, I can’t even say who I would choose since I adored both Will and Jem. So, if you need a refresher, the Infernal Devices Guide can be found in the drop down menu above, or by clicking the graphic below.

The second part of this post is actually a reader question that I am not able to answer. So, once again, I pass it on to the experts. Marcia H. asks…

          I want to read Keri Arthur’s Dark Angels series.  Do you suggest reading the Riley Jenson series first?

What do you think? Can you enjoy the Dark Angels without diving into the Riley Jensen books first, or are they connected at all? As always, if you have any questions that need answering, feel free to drop a line and I will post them here.

How Do You Do It?

I have a little issue I was wondering if anyone could help me with. Since starting this blog, I have managed to work out my technique for keeping upcoming releases straight. However, that technique has not extended to being able to keep track of the e-format novellas that are part of the print series I follow. For example, Katie MacAlister has a novella for her new Time Thief series coming out on August 6th, called Time Crossed.

So my question is, how do you find and keep track of the novellas? The only way I have been able to do so until now is by doing an author-by-author search, and that is a whole lot of searches to do on a routine basis. I would like to do a weekly, or perhaps even monthly post that could let people know what novellas are coming out for their favorite series. I know there must be an easier, faster way to find out what is coming out this month, but I just haven’t found it yet. Have you?

Me, My Soapbox, a Rant…and a Reader Question

*Warning – Long winded, potentially spoilery whine session about to commence in three…two…one…

A couple of years ago, just after I had finished and made public the character guide for Christine Feehan‘s Ghostwalkers series, I was sent a couple of messages. You see, I had been a bit confused because in the course of the book Mind Game, there is a character named Todd Aikens. A while later, there is a Trace Aikens. No explanation, just Todd in one part, Trace in the next. My assumption was that there had been a mix up and the error had perhaps not been caught by those who were editing (anyone remember the whole Kaden Bishop with an E, who became Kaden Montague, who later became Kadan with an A “Bishop” Montague?). I was informed that it was not an error, that Trace and Todd Aikens were two separate characters who happened to be brothers. I thanked the person who pointed it out, as I do appreciate it when others let me know things I missed (although there is never any mention of them being brothers anywhere in any of the books). But, the second message I received was not quite as helpful. Basically, what the messenger said was that it was irresponsible for me to make public something like the Ghostwalkers guide if I had not double-checked all of my facts, and it was rude of me to suggest that an author like Christine Feehan would be so careless as to make a mistake like getting a character’s name wrong (uh, again, three versions of Kadan?). The last line of the message always stuck with me, as the writer closed with…

     Best-selling authors do not make mistakes like that!

Obviously, they have never read Lora Leigh.

Another day, another character guide in the works, this time for Lora Leigh’s Breeds series. I love the Breeds, they are my ultimate guilty pleasure. I know exactly what I am getting in a Breed story, and I am totally ok with that. But when I read for a guide, I read not for enjoyment, but for facts, details and descriptions. Up until this point, I have dealt with a few errors, a few changes – things like Sherra’s eyes change color three times over the course of the first few books, Dane’s hair and eyes have changed color a few times – little things that you might not pick up unless you are looking for them like I am. A typo here or there over the course of a book is annoying, but not the end of the world.

And then I hit Mercury’s War.

Good lord, I don’t even know where to start. A couple of random things from Mercury’s War…

• captured Genetics council scientist Beldon Amburg is now Jeffery Amburg. Unless Jonas has two scientists in his basement dungeon?
• there is a two paragraph section that details the pain Taber caused when he betrayed Sanctuary. Wait, when Taber what? Oh, you meant Tamber. Right idea, very wrong character.
• but the worst thing is that Mercury’s entire back-story was changed. In previous books he was the 6 foot 6 Breed with the strongest senses, the one closest to his animal, raised without a pride. In his own story, he was Alpha of his pride, his animal has been drugged and pushed so far away his senses are little more than that of a human, and he shrunk 2 inches.

At what point do the careless mistakes start to take away from the pleasures of reading the books?  I haven’t gotten there yet, but I do know that I am becoming less forgiving for mistakes that are cropping up, and much more appreciative of the authors who manage to make writing a huge, detailed series look so easy. If it is my responsibility to make sure that all of my details that I post on this blog are correct, is it not the author’s duty to make sure that a book is as free of errors as possible?

I have chickened out on writing this post a couple of times, since I really don’t like to be negative about the authors that I enjoy. But I realized I was not alone in my concern when Cassandra sent over a Reader Question.  She said…

          I was wondering if you might be interested in posting a question on the Breeds series. I am still reading and it was once one of my favorite series, but I have not thoroughly enjoyed a book in the series since Lion’s Heat. The plots seem so convoluted lately and characters not nearly as interesting. I know stuff happens sometimes, but I still cannot get over the left-out scene in Navarro’s Promise. Part of the reason I would like a discussion is because I honestly I am sure I understand the most recent story arc. It seems like some antagonists reappear and disappear without explanation (I am thinking here specifically of Patrick, I think). Other authors, like Nalini Singh and Kresley Cole, have very complicated and interwoven plots, but I am rarely confused or frustrated the way I have been lately with the Breeds series. This new story arc set in New Mexico just seemed to come out of no where and I am mostly lost in what direction the series might be going.

I went to send an answer about my take on the current New-Mexico story arc, and then I realized that…I was lost, too. Cassandra also sent a link to a passage Lora has upped about her upcoming novella, found HERE. I read it once, then again, and then again…and still no clue what the blue hell it is about.

Have you lost faith yet in the Breeds, or are you like me and still holding on? Does creative liberty over-ride continuity? Do the mistakes and changes in backstory put you off, or can you go with the flow? And have you gotten a handle on where the current New Mexico story arc is going, ’cause all I have gotten so far is that Amber needs…something, from…someone. Maybe.

Reader Question…

A while back, when I was in a mood, I was going to do a post about the best/worst author blogs and websites. I had been doing updating or something, and I was hitting a brick wall on a lot of author pages and it was driving me insane. If the author couldn’t keep up to date with their upcoming releases and info, how could bloggers like me ever hope to do so? I got over my snit before I finished typing my post, but I started thinking about it again when Kim Shelt made a comment over on my Facebook page.  She said…

          I was thinking that it would be cool if you did a post on authors that would respond to their readers.  Awhile back I sent a message to an author on Facebook saying how excited I was to hear she was writing a certain characters story and she responded back saying how cool it was that someone was as excited about that book as she was. I thought it would be cool to see if any other authors were out there that responds back to readers comments or inquiries, either through letters, email, facebook or their website.

Personally, I have been very lucky when it comes to authors responding to any queries I have sent them. Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Cynthia Eden and Jennifer L. Armentrout have always responded quickly, kindly, and happily.  I think the only authors I can think of that didn’t get back to me were Tessa Adams and Lora Leigh, both times when I was asking about the state of their PNR series (hello, new Breeds book anytime soon-ish. Hello?) And believe me, I am amazed when one takes the time to answer back, and I really do appreciate it. C.L. Wilson has responded whenever I have asked her a question, but I think I annoyed her when I asked if The Winter King was still on schedule for January since I couldn’t find any coverart (the answer was no).

I think one of the most awkward online arrangements is Lora Leigh’s however. You can scour the blog, website, forum, Facebook – and can’t find much in the way of up to date info. Nada. Makes me nuts. I am not a big fan of author pages that have fan-forums, either, since you can get some very interesting (obsessed) people. I am a bigger fan than a lot of people, but in no way do I feel the need to post every detail of my day on the author’s page, or describe my dreams I had about their characters.

So, back to Kim’s question – which authors do you find to be the most connected to their fans, who makes it a point to get involved with their readers, and the most helpful at answering questions? And on the other side, who have you had no luck with no matter how many times you have tried to make contact?

Defying Expectations…

Every once in a while, with this little hobby we all share, I get surprised. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not so much. If you are like me, you go into a book with certain…expectations. But in the last couple of weeks I have come across a few books that totally did not go the way I had planned.

I have made it a goal of mine to read whatever books I have that are being adapted into movies before they actually come out.  I want to be one of those people that sit in the theater and say loudly “it did not happen like that in the book!” (Not really, those people are annoying, but I will be thinking it).  To that end, I tackled both the four books of Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl‘s The Caster Chronicles, and Stephenie Meyer‘s The Host.

So, The Caster Chronicles.  I went into these just knowing that they were a sure thing for me.  They are everything that I usually love in a story, so of course they can’t miss.  Except…they sort of did. They hit all the right notes, but I found myself struggling to stay involved with the story, the world, the characters, the whole works. But every time I decided to give up (and there were a few) and move on, things would pick up enough to make me want to read more. I obviously didn’t love the Caster Chronicles, but I didn’t hate them either. I skimmed way more than I should have, and ended up on the ambivalent side. I spent a good portion of my reading time telling myself that I really should be enjoying it way more than I was, until I finally just admitted that despite some good points (I did like several characters, and it did have a bit of a different vibe to it), that it just didn’t live up to my expectations. I can’t see the film being a monster, Hunger Games/Twilight sized hit, since it is just so darn angsty and slooooow, but I have been wrong before.

Now, The Host was not on my radar. At all. It is completely not my thing, since I have never been a bit sci-fi fan, and the fact that it seemed to be considered Twilight’s poor relation didn’t help. Seeing the trailer for the upcoming movie, and the fact that the hardcover was on sale for $8, I sneered, rolled my eyes, and ordered it. To say that I bought it with low expectations is quite the understatement, and I fully planned on skimming through the first little bit before bed and then giving to a friend that enjoys sci-fi. My half hour “skim” session turned into me reading straight through until 8:00 the next morning, anxious to find out how it all ends. It is a quiet, odd little love story that I couldn’t put down, and made me a bit ashamed that I was so determined that I wouldn’t like it. I do have to say that I wonder how well it will translate to the screen since so much of the story is internal between Melanie/Wanda, but I do know I will be the first in line with my ticket to find out.

What books have defied your expectations recently?  Anything you should’ve loved but didn’t, or did you find one that you surprisingly couldn’t put down?

Question Time – Right or Wrong?

I read a little article over on Galleycat that got me thinking about readers rights vs. sour grapes. Apparently, the final book in the late Robert Jordan‘s Wheel of Time series debuted on the NYT Bestsellers list at number one this week. While that is to be expected, what surprised me was that it was in spite of an online “fan” campaign to deluge Amazon with a flurry of one-star reviews – because the book will not be released in e-format until April. Now, what this means is that many (but not all) of those who voted one star are in fact rating an item that they have not as yet read based solely on formatting, not on content. Just to be nosy, I did the math and figured out that on Amazon the 1 star ratings are right now running at almost 38% – and only 1% over at Goodreads. Author Brandon Sanderson said…

         This is not my decision or Tor’s decision, but Harriet’s. She is uncomfortable with ebooks. Specifically, she worries about ebooks cutting into the hardcover sales. It isn’t about money for her, as the monetary difference between the two is negligible here. It is about a worry that her husband’s legacy will be undermined if sales are split between ebooks and hardcovers, preventing the last book of the Wheel of Time from hitting number one on either list. (Many of the bestseller lists are still handling ebooks in somewhat awkward ways.)

As the last books have all hit number one, she doesn’t want to risk one of these not hitting number one, and therefore ending the series on a down note. (Even though each Wheel of Time book has sold more than its predecessor, including the ones I have worked on.) I personally feel her worries are unfounded, and have explained that to her, but it is not my choice and I respect her reasoning for the decision. She is just trying to safeguard Robert Jordan’s legacy, and feels this is a very important way she needs to do so. After talking about the issue, we were able to move the ebook up from the originally planned one-year delay to instead come out this spring.

What do you think? Is it a legitimate way for a reader to make their displeasure known, or does it come off more as sour grapes about not getting their way?  I have been reading a few of the comments connected to the 1-star reviews, and some of them get downright insulting, called Robert Jordan’s widow Harriet greedy, ignorant, and guilty of diminishing her husband’s legacy. Those are some harsh words, and the rabid response by some readers (many of whom had followed the series right from its beginning 20 years ago), made me a bit uncomfortable.  I have made my position on e-books more than painfully clear, but I have never went on a rampage against an author or a publisher because a story from a favorite series was only released in e-format (and I don’t mean a delay, I mean no print version at all). That said, I would be disappointed if for whatever reason authors like Nalini Singh or Kresley Cole were to delay their print releases in favor of an earlier e-release date. Disappointed, but not to the point of dropping the series or insulting the author.  But on the other hand (minus the personal attacks), how else does a reader let their feelings be known if not through reviews?

So,where do you stand on negative campaigning against books based on formatting issues rather than content? Is it a reader’s right to voice their opinion on the book as a whole, or is there a better way to get the point across.

Reader Question…

I like reader questions – and I like to take the questions to the experts.  Let’s see what you can come up with to help a fellow book lover out.  Today’s question comes from Colleen, is interested in a particular genre of PNR/UF.

Colleen asked…

          I am a big fan of paranormal romance and plan on publishing one myself someday.  I was wondering if you could direct me to some with multicultural pairings, particularly if the heroine is a woman of color?

I’ve already read (more than once):
Slave to Sensation, Hostage to Pleasure, Go Fetch,Beast behaving Badly, the beast in him, Hunting Season, About a Dragon, How to Drive a Dragon Crazy, The Swan and the Bear, Belong to the Night.

So, what do you recommend?  I suggested the last two Christine Feehan Ghostwalker books.  Samurai Game featured an African American hero and Japanese heroine, and Ruthless Game featured an Asian heroine.  Any books you can think of to add to the list?