Armchair BEA 2015 - Day 1: Introductions & Library Love

I wasn’t sure I was going to participate in Armchair BEA this year, but what can it hurt, right? Since I’ve participated in the past, you can read my introduction posts from 2012, 2013, and 2014. I won’t be repeating the same questions I always answer.

Introduction

1. What book are you currently reading? Ok so this is a total cheat questions since I have a “Currently Reading” widget on my left sidebar, but I’m reading Ruin & Rising (The Grisha, # 3) by Leigh Bardugo & Prodigy (Legend, # 2) by Marie Lu.
2. What book are you most looking forward to reading this summer The Heart of Betrayal (Remnant Chronicles, # 2) by Mary E Pearson. I loved her unique choices in The Kiss of Deception and I am so ready to see what she decides to do with book 2.
3. What is your theme song? Well not the theme song of my life or anything, but Somewhere Only We Know by Keane is where my blog title came from.
4. What does diversity mean to you? So for those who might not know, this year’s theme for Armchair BEA is diversity. And this is why I almost didn’t participate this year. Now don’t go jumping to conclusions. I’m not discriminating here. As a matter of fact, it’s quite the opposite. I don’t determine which books I want to read based on the race, gender, age, etc of an author. I might decide not to read a particular author based off their actions, but this is rare. Who wrote the book isn’t as important to me as what the book’s about.

   But diversity in books doesn’t just have to do with the author. It has to do with content, characters, subject matter, genres, and probably many other things I can’t even think about right now. I do read a variety of genres. I mostly read young adult and new adult books, but I occasionally will read adult books. I read fantasy, romance, science fiction (as long as there’s not too much science), dystopian, post-apocalyptic, contemporary, occasionally historical fiction and mystery/thriller. While there is a lot of variety within those genres, there’s also a lot of repetitiveness as well. Here’s a shocker for you (though not really if you’re a regular reader of my blog), but I also read non-fiction. I read self-help and religious books. I read motivational books—essentially things that I feel like will help me be a better person and a better Christian.

   But here’s where things get tricky. I read for fun—even the non-fiction books I choose to read. I read what I’m interested in. I don’t enjoy time travel books usually, so I rarely read those. If I do decide to give one a try then it has to be because something else about the book pulled me in. I don’t enjoy books that are heavily based in science. While I do enjoy the “what if” aspects of science fiction, I don’t enjoy science in general and when things get technical and descriptive in this area, I run for the hills.

   Typically readers put themselves in the main narrator or main character’s shoes. They consciously or subconsciously imagine that the events of the book are happening to them. They put themselves into the character. Does the character behave the way that they would? Does the character think the way that they do? Do they agree with the character’s decisions? Do they feel the same things that the character feels? Personally I’ve found that this is a little harder to do when the character is vastly different from myself. I occasionally read books narrated by and about male main characters. I’ve read books where the main character was a different race from me. I won’t say that this is something I necessarily seek out, but I’m not turned off from a book because of it either.

   As a white, married, Christian female, I personally do not read LGBT. I don’t seek it out—as a matter of fact, I avoid it—and I don’t see that ever changing. No amount of culture change, book recommendations, or even persecution of any kind is going to change my desire not to read that genre. Being told that I need to explore diversity isn’t going to change that. This isn’t about discrimination or hate or any of that jazz. It’s about reading what I want to read when I want to read it.

Now on to the next topic...

Library Love

Um, I’ve been inside my local library maybe twice. The selection for young adult books was so small that I didn’t see hardly anything to interest me. Not much was available that was already on my TBR list. I live in a small town so the library is really small as well. It’s kind of sad actually. That being said, I also didn’t spend any time talking to the librarian. Whoops.

But here’s the thing, I’m from Generation Y. I don’t like talking to people if I can find what I need on my own. I don’t like going to a physical location if I can find what I need on the internet. So…that being said, I do utilize Overdrive/Camilla.Net e-library. I’m so thankful that my library is set up for this service. So kudos small town library for that!

What do you guys think? Do you read books based on diversity? Do you use your local library that much? Let me know!

ArmchairBEA 2014 - Day 1 (Intro & Literature)

It’s 2014 Armchair BEA homies! I seriously thought I’d be at the actual BEA conference this year, but timing and finances just didn’t work out for that. Has anyone out there looked at how much it actually costs to go to BEA? Eesh! And so this is my third year participating in Armchair BEA. Last year I was a cheerleader, and while I really hoped to get to do that again this year, we had a major work project go into production just two weeks ago which means that it wasn't a good time to take off work or really put as much time to visiting other blogs this year as I did last year.

Now let’s get into these introduction questions. Here’s a link to my introduction from 2012’s Armchair BEA and 2013’s Armchair BEA just in case you’re interested in more about me. I decided to go for the more “random” introduction questions this year.

Introductions

1. What was your favorite book you read last year? And what has been your favorite book you’ve read so far this year?
   Oh boy. What a tough question. Out of the 130+ books I read last year, I only rated 6 of them as 5 Stars: Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge, Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover, Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, This Girl by Colleen Hoover, and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It’s hard for me to pick a single book out of those becaue each one is so different. But it would be between Captivating or Rose Under Fire.


Out of the books I’ve read so far this year (62), I’ve only rated two of them as 5 Stars. Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan and Easy by Tammara Webber (which I haven't reviewed yet).


2. Spread the love by naming your favorite blogs/bloggers (doesn’t necessarily have to be book blogs/bloggers).
   I always feel like I’m going to leave someone out. But I’ll do my best, if I forgot you, I’m truly sorry. I follow A LOT of blogs—as I’m sure most of you do. But here are my favorites: Beauty:The Small Things Blog, Jaclyn Hill (YouTube), Essiebutton (YouTube), Nicole Guerriero (YouTube), and Missglamorazzi (YouTube); Home/Organization: Clean Mama, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Organization Made Fun, The Handmade Home; Spiritual: Brightly Salted, A Wordy Woman, Chasing a Lion; Books: Words Fueled by Love, Caffeinated Book Reviewer, A Librarian’s Library, Anna Reads, YA Romantics, Paper Cuts, and currently EmmaApproved (YouTube).

   My blog followings have changed over time. When I first started book blogging, I followed almost a completely different group of bloggers. This changes based on my preferences as I change with time as well. I could seriously keep naming, but I needed to stop.

3. Share your favorite book or reading related quote.
   I think my readers know me well enough to know that I have a hard time sticking to any given number (my Top Ten Tuesday posts can range anywhere between top 9 to top 20), so I’m going to give two quotes, but like everything else, I have MANY more.

   I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating, in

   F. W.

   I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither, or follow your party, as soon as possible. A word, a look, will be enough to decide whether I enter your father’s house this evening or never. (Persuasion by Jane Austen)

   and

   You have to understand. I am no one special. I am just a single girl. Five feet two inches tall. And I am in between in every way. But I have a secret. You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms, but I will find a way to resist. And there are many of us out there. More than you think. People who refuse to stop believing. People who refuse to come to Earth. People who love in a world without walls. People who love into hate and refusal, against hope, and without fear. I love you. Remember. They cannot take it. (Delirium by Lauren Oliver)

4. What does your favorite/ideal reading space look like?
   You guys, I’m not a real fancy kind of gal. I like the simple things in life. And while I would LOVE to have a library inside my home one day complete with comfy reading chairs, my absolute favorite place to read in reality is on the couch beside my husband. He watches TV. I read. Close enough for physical contact. Comfortable. Perfect. Of course, I don’t mind reading by the pool or on the beach either. I can't find a picture of me reading at either location at the moment, so here's one on a family fishing day.

5. What is your favorite blogging resource?
   Cause I can’t just name one….It’s a tie between Goodreads and my lovely, nerdy Excel Spreadsheet. I’d be lost without these two resources. Having access to all the books I’ve read and want to read from anywhere at any time, Goodreads might take the cake. But my spreadsheet keeps up with all my important blogging information: all the books I have in my possession that need to be read, future Waiting on Wednesday picks, a list of review books I have in order of release date, books read this year, reading challenges, books available to me from the library, series that I’ve started (the remaining books in the series that I need to read), series DNF, books my friends have that I need to borrow, books I need to buy. It’s color coordinated. And I just keep adding pages to this spreadsheet. Oh crap, and Google Calendar. I’d be lost without it too. It keeps up with my scheduled posts. I’m usually scheduled anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months ahead on posts. Google Calendar is also something I can access anywhere.

So that’s me. Are you participating in Armchair BEA? Leave me a link so I can return the visit. Not participating? I’d love to see your answer to some of these questions in the comments!

Literature

Armchair BEA asked: What do you think of when you think of literature? Classics, contemporary, genre, or something else entirely? We are leaving this one up to you to come up with and share the literature that you want to chat about the most. Feel free to share a list of your favorites, break down your favorite genre, feature your favorite authors, and be creative about all things literature in general.

When I hear the term "literature" I think high school English/Literature class where we were forced to read "classics" which were hardly ever stories that I was interested in at the time. While I have read several classics and several more are on my TBR list, the ones I was forced to read in high school were never really ones I would have chosen. Let's see...one year it was The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley wasn't so bad. Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. While both of those are stories I'm glad that I've read, I can't say that I got too much out of them at the time. That period language is almost painful to read for me. And then of course Beowulf. What teenage kid wants to read that mess?

Because we read books on our own and not just as a class, I also found myself reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for the first time. And Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I also read abridged versions of many others, but that doesn't really count does it.

These days I actually want to read certain classics, but I guess the point is that when I hear "literature" I think of classics that I didn't enjoy or don't really have any interest in reading. I guess for me that means "literature" has become a slightly negative word. While I know that my immediate reaction to the word isn't completely accurate--or at least, not all encompassing--I find myself struggling to change the thoughts I've associated with the word.

What about you? What do you think when you hear "literature"? Let me know!