Expensive Reading Group

I've always wanted to participate in a reading group where a book that will be read is determined, followed by a book discussion. I did that a little bit online over at RWA Online but I've always wanted to do the face-to-face kind of discussions.

Then a few days ago it hit me. I AM doing that. It's called school! The instructors decide what books we'll read and then we have to come back and discuss them the next week.

It just goes to show that there is something to the old adage that you should be careful what you wish for because while, in theory this is what I wanted, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind. ;o)

Okay, maybe I have a problem

Last year I took two weeks off during the holidays. During that time I changed some things around my house. I wanted to give it a more homey feel and I wanted it to be more reflective of my life. To that end, I took some baskets that I had and filled them with books waiting to be read and distributed them around my . . . living (in my defense, it is a big living room!).

Of course this doesn't include what I have on my bookshelf that's unread (the middle shelf - yes, it's dwindling somewhat but keep in mind, it is two books deep).

Or what's unread on my book carousel, which is one and a half sides of it.

Yet, when today's mail came and these came in

I got all excited. I was expecting the two on the left but the two on the right were a surprise (I'd won a contest and was expecting Margo Maguire's Wild but she threw in the other two for good measure!).

This doesn't include three others that have already shipped but not arrived or the ones that I pre-ordered and will be coming in the next few months. It also doesn't include the amazon order waiting for my gift card to come in.

School starts up again on Monday and pleasure reading will be put on hold again so I've been trying to get as much reading in this summer as possible and well, I'm kind of thinking I might not be able to read all my unread books by then...

Looking for Suggestions and a Giveaway

I'm on one of my book buying binges. It doesn't help that I know in a few weeks I'm going to have another $25 gift card to amazon.com or that I know in a few weeks after that, I'll have a $75 gift card to spend as I please (and trust me when I say, it will go towards books at amazon.com). Which is why I need your help. As you might remember, I've ordered so many books from them that amazon has started recommending books in different languages to me.

So, I'm looking for suggestions on books to put in my cart (so that I'm ready to go when the gift cards come in, because I can't wait . . . not that I have a problem or anything!). Have you read anything recently that you just loved? Why did you love it?

Or, tell me how you decide to give a new author a chance? Word of mouth? Website? And speaking of websites, what do you look for in an author website? Me, I like excerpts from books. I've bought several books after amazon recommended them to me (and I liked the cover or the title - or both) and I checked out the website. I'm telling you, a good excerpt and that book is mine. Which means an author without excerpts, well, I might still buy the book but the chances are better if I get a taste of it.

And what about book trailers? I still say that the trailer for The Fidelity Files was great! Sold me AND the book lived up to the trailer.

Oh, but about the giveaway. . . all you have to do is post a comment (maybe answer a question or two above, although I suppose that's optional) and you're entered to win a book that I have duplicates of.

Score one for Hollywood

So, I went to see The Time Traveler's Wife yesterday as planned. The night before I got my People magazine and they had a review of it. Normally I won't read a review before I see a movie because I don't want to be influenced by it but since I'd read the book, I didn't figure it could hurt.

Let's start with the reviewer gave it two out of four stars and says ". . . is a swoony love story that gets too caught up in explaining the mechanics and minutiae of its hero's wanderings woes, including a subplot in which a doctor discovers Henry is "chrono-impaired". "

Um, reviewer person? I have two comments about the "subplot" you diss in your review... 1) No more than ten minutes of the two hour movie were spend on that matter and 2) it was a BIG deal in the book, which you obviously haven't read.

She goes on to say she was put off by ". . . queasy-making scenes as Henry chatting up Clare when he's a 40ish adult and she's a young girl." Um, again, big part of the story, if you've read the book. But whatever. Who says you have to do your homework to get something published in a magazine that has the circulation that People does?

But this wasn't supposed to be a critique of one critic. No, it's supposed to be MY review of the movie.

Let me start by saying the book was over 500 pages long. I knew going in that there was no way they could cover everything from the book. I just didn't want them changing it so much that it was unrecognizable to the book.

Well, I loved the movie as much as I did the book. I found myself smiling quite a bit throughout it, much like I did while reading the book. For what it was able to include in the movie, it stayed pretty close to the book. Yes a few scenes were altered or combined but all-in-all the effect was still the same.

I will say that I'm not certain that I would have followed everything as well as I did, had I not read the book first but, I went with a friend who hasn't read the book and she enjoyed it as well. She didn't seem to have a problem following what was going on. Now, when I told her a few things they left out, she said that she wanted to read the book.

My opinion? I would've given it 4 out of 4 stars. :-)

Books made into movies

When the previews came out for The Time Traveler's Wife, I knew I wanted to see the movie. Then, I heard it was based on a novel.

You all are familiar with my book addiction by now so I probably shouldn't have to tell you that I had to buy the book and read it before the movie came out. Well, okay, you might not have known the last part about me - if I know it was a book first, I want to read the book first (and am kind of annoyed that someone pointed out that Julie & Julia is based on a book now!!! But I digress.) - before I see the movie. But yeah, I bought the book Saturday night and finished it Monday after work.

Loved it.

Which is kind of my point. I don't see how the movie can capture everything it needs to to tell the story that the book tells. I still want to see the movie but I don't want to be disappointed.

There are a couple of exceptions where I liked the movie better than the book (The Constant Gardener, Under the Tuscan Sun and Message in a Bottle come to mind) but in those instances, I saw the movie first (in the cases of The Constant Gardener and Under the Tuscan Sun I would have never gone to see the movies if it depended on my opinion of the book!). In the case of Confessions of a Shopaholic, the previews didn't look anything like what I'd imagined when I'd read the book, so I wouldn't go see the movie. I didn't think I would like it. I still don't.

Anyway, my question to you is, do you like books that are made into movies? Will you go see a movie without reading the book first? Or do you wait until after you see the movie? Which do you typically prefer (if you do read and see the movie)? And why do you think that is?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Oh, and for the record, I still plan to go see The Time Traveler's Wife this weekend. Me and my best friend will be sitting in the 11:30 a.m. showing Saturday morning. I'll let you know what I think. :-)

My Life According to The Beatles

I totally stole this from Mel (who has a debut book out, by the way...Bite Me. You can totally order it here).

THE RULES: Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people you like and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)"

Pick your Artist:
The Beatles

Are you a male or female:
Girl

Describe yourself:
A Taste of Honey

How do you feel:
I feel fine

Describe where you currently live:
Nowhere Man

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Here, There and Everywhere

Your favorite form of transportation:
Flying

Your best friend is:
She's a Woman

You and your best friends are:
Free as a Bird

What's the weather like:
Here Comes the Sun

Favorite time of day:
Good Morning, Good Morning

If your life were a TV show, what would it be called:
You Won't See Me

What is life to you:
Getting Better

Your fear:
The Fool on the Hill

What is the best advice you have to give:
Don't ever change

Thought for the Day:
Let it Be

How you would like to die:
Too Much Monkey Business

Your soul's present condition:
Glad all over

Your motto:
Don't bother Me

You might have a problem if...

I've told you all how much of a book ho I am. Pretty much all my disposable income goes towards books.

I have a carousel FULL of books. A bookshelf that's three deep and two up full of books. Baskets of books all over the house. I even have some in my "linen" closet. As one of my ex-bosses used to tell people, I pretty much have boxes on every flat surface in my house.

I get most of my books through amazon.com. Seriously, I pay someone's salary over there - but I digress.

Anyway, at work we can earn gift cards up to $75 every quarter by being safe. I spend mine on books (at amazon.com). So a couple of weeks ago I got online and ordered $75 worth of books - most of which were pre-orders (I've never done that before but I LOVE the idea that for the next few months, books will just be showing up out of the blue :-) ).

Then, I realized that I'm about to receive a $25 amazon gift card (my credit card gives me "points" towards getting the gift cards) in a few days. The $25 will go towards books, of course. So, I was online looking for books I wanted to put in my "cart" so that I would be good to go when the gift card came in and this one was recommended for me by amazon...

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Julia Quinn's. LOVE her books. But this is a translated book - ie NOT in English.

What is amazon saying? I mean, I realize they base their recommendations based on past purchases and what you've "viewed" but trust me when I say that I haven't been buying or looking at non-English books because I only speak/read English and sign language (and I'm pretty sure books aren't out in sign language). So, is what amazon is saying is that I've read all the books written in English? That if I want to read something "new" I have to go to translated books?

If that's the case, I'm going to need to stock up on the English to "other language" books! :-)