Blog – Page 68 – ETBB Designs

To punctuate or not?

emthebookbabe February 16, 2014 My 2014 Blogs No Comments

Well, after a few long days of diversions, I’m finally back to writing my (useless?) thoughts again!

I have been tangled in family life, a rare night out with my husband and reading a couple of new releases that have absolutely gripped me. I am also working on a bit of a project of my own but might bore you all with the details of that at a much later date!

I have also been having a clear out at home and have found a book today that has tickled me and also reminded me of my late Granddad as he was the one who bought me it.

Always one for causing a riot (and trust me when I say he could raise Hell when he wanted to) he was stickler for certain things. I often had quite involved conversations with him about life and such but one day he was getting himself really wound up about a set of Minutes he had received from one of the many committees he was involved with in his local village. According to him, there were apostrophes everywhere and according to him in places that they had no business being. He was also a bit perturbed by the overuse of exclamation marks in the same set of Minutes. I can’t even remember which committee it came from nor what it was about but it sparked another one of our famous chats.

The book I found is the ‘Eats, Shoots & Leaves’ by Lynne Truss and it makes quite interesting reading. Even I struggle sometimes to remember the correct way to punctuate and with Modern life now revolving a lot more around electronics and gadgets and most of our lives lead through social media we have had a big sway away from using the Queen’s english. And it has also brought with it a lack of correct use or blatant overuse of punctuation.

I come from a legal background and in many legal documents you will find little, if no, punctuation. And there is a reason for that. Lynne Truss uses a sentence on the book to illustrate just how a tiny comma in the wrong place can change the meaning of the same row of words:

“A woman, without her man, is nothing
A woman; without her, man is nothing”

So some time way back in history all of the punctuation was taken out of legal documentation because someone adding a comma her or removing one there could change the impact and intention of the document. In place of punctuation an almost defined legal language emerged as long, underused words such as; hereinto, notwithstanding, hereof emerged and were used to try and determine the meaning of the document without using punctuation. I must admit it fried my brain a bit and as of the time I “retired” from the profession (I’m not that old, honestly, I just had kids and decided to stay at home!) a lot of documentation still had no punctuation. It is something that i was almost conditioned out of using! And old habits die hard!

So to the point of this long and quite possibly boring post is that punctuation is now the bane of my life! When I write I can sit for five minutes pondering over whether I have properly used commas, quotation marks and exclamation marks. And autocorrect on the programmes you use to write on don’t help either. It is frustrating and it is a lot of years since I learned grammar at school too. And I make no apologies for the (probably quite) obvious punctuation misuse here on this post. I’ve tried and probably failed to use it correctly and will even blame autocorrect too. But I hope it is good enough to get my point across and its been nice to spend an evening thinking about my Granddad too!

I’m off now! Laters 😉

Review of Saving Forever by Jasinda Wilder

emthebookbabe February 15, 2014 Book Reviews, My 2014 Blogs No Comments

5 * review of Saving Forever by Jasinda Wilder

Wow, ok well I have just finished reading this book and thought I needed to dive right in and write this review.

What a rollercoaster of a read! I have felt just about every emotion during this book, ok well during the entirety of this series. And I must say from the outset I think that this was the perfect ending to one of the most emotional series I have ever read. I’m not saying it was an easy ending to reach and I’d say a box or two of soft tissues wouldn’t go amiss as an accompaniment to the book either!

Well, if I hadn’t had my heart wrenched from its rightful place by the end of both Forever & Always and After Forever it was well and truly ripped, trodden and thrown back in barely in one piece by the end! I haven’t felt as invested in the lives of characters for such a long time and each and every page brought new emotions to the surface. I loved that the final book dealt with the “ever after’s” of both Ever and Eden.

The multiple perspective and the separate parts of the book really threw me into the different lives of the characters and the addition of Carter to Eden’s life just made the book for me. Without giving too much away here’s what I thought!

Caden, throughout the series, and especially this book has had his fair share of knocks in life. The pure fact he is still standing, albeit for most of the book in a shell of his former self, amazed me. To see him so broken and lost but yet trying so hard to hold himself together for Ever literally broke my heart. Knowing what we readers know made his struggle all the more real and I rooted for him and Ever SO hard and felt like I’d been on their journey with them, holding their hands the entire way. And at the moment everything is revealed I was heartbroken right there with him. I wanted to jump right into the pages and hug him hard. The burden he had to carry just kept multiplying and I honestly thought at times he was literally going to just give up but the fact he fought through really endeared him to me.

Ever, well she’s had it all too but again her resilience in the face of everything that has been thrown at her left me choked on more than one occasion. The strength of her character and the forgiveness she shows is beyond mind-blowing. Faced with everything I really do not know how I would react but I certainly know I’d be nowhere near as strong.

Eden had to make some excruciating decisions and at a time in her life when she needed her sister the most she had to do what she felt right for everyone and walk away. In a way I’m very glad she did. Why? Well if she hadn’t we wouldn’t have met and fallen for Carter for one! The unfolding story of Carter and Eden is amazing and actually made me read on even though initially their story was almost blocking us from hearing about Ever and Caden. The cliffhanger from After Forever had me almost throwing my Kindle at the wall but then you open this last installment and lo and behold we don’t actually start with the continuation of the story we want. And do you know that didn’t matter because I was very quickly dragged in to the will they/ won’t they story of Eden and Carter.

Although an entire book on the resolution of Ever and Caden’s story would have been amazing, the torment of watching Carter open up and reinvent himself alongside Eden was just as heart-rending. His support of her through the rough patches was unshakeable and his beauty for me came from the very selfless way in which he was simply there for her, asking absolutely nothing in return. But in return she inadvertently gave him everything back. I also think that the introduction of his amazing family was also a high point in the book. It was such a sweet coupling under such awkward circumstances.

All in all this was an amazing end to such a twisting and turning tale of love, loss, love found and life gained. And the ending is just perfect. I’d love to talk on about his book and series for the entire night but I would hate to ruin the books for anyone wanting to read them. Don’t read these expecting a sweet young adult romance. It is not but it is one of THE most emotional journeys I have taken in a long time and to ne honest I’m glad it’s over now. Although I envy anyone starting as the anticipation and the guessing where the story will go next was a massive part of why I have enjoyed this book and series so much.

Thank you Jasinda for bringing these amazing characters to life and telling their stories and I give his book a well-deserved 5 angsty stars!

Five star review of Try by Ella Frank

emthebookbabe February 15, 2014 Book Reviews, My 2014 Blogs No Comments

Wow!

Ok, so this book has been quite surreptitiously sitting on my Kindle lurking for sometime. Having a “to be read” list as long as my left and right arms together I just hadn’t got around to reading this until several recommendations from book friends came in.

And what a read it was! I am writing this review within minutes of finishing the book and my head is still spinning.

Aside from it being a major departure from my normal reads, it is a spin-off from another book of Ella Frank’s, Edible, which I haven’t yet read so I was initially a bit apprehensive about reading it!

Be under no illusion this is one very hot read and the fact that we are reading a very steamy love story written about two very masculine leading men should not put you off at all. Anyone with the slightest of nervous dispositions, though, may need to sit down for the duration of this book! Oh and a cold shower or two may be in order as well!

This book had everything. Hot male leads, a solid story, interesting peripheral characters (and some of those characters already have their own story that I’m now very anxious to read) and some extremely graphic scenes.

The male leads; Logan and Tate are portrayed as being very different, yet, have amazingly attractive qualities. And if you asked me now which I prefer I would honestly say its like you asking me to choose a favorite between my children! It is impossible!

Logan, a snappily dressed lawyer, comes across as a cocky, arrogant hot-blooded male who obviously never likes to take no for an answer. You can imagine him being the dominant partner in any relationship. His quick-witted flirtatious dialogue will have you laughing out loud and sometimes he is so brash and outgoing you almost squirm. But he knows what he wants and will not stop until he has it. I did feel a little at times that he was almost desperate and verging on stalker-ish but the more you read into the book, the more you are endeared to his ways and hope to learn why he pursues Tate like he does.

Now Tate, he is the straight, bike-riding, curly-haired bartender who knows how to flirt with his customers for tips. He’s obviously no stranger to flirting with men either and even goes as far as daring to flirt with Logan to boost his tips. Soon he realizes that perhaps the innocent flirting may be leading him down a path he may not be ready for though. Initially he seems to be the underdog in the story and initially I did feel a little sorry for him being pursued so menacingly by Logan. However his character soon changes and the steps in his sexual awakening and realization are something quite amazing to read. That journey for me was something I was more than happy to share with him.

I am used to reading a book and being able to identify or almost become the female lead in my own head. I somehow manage to read this book without realizing that the female lead is missing and that didn’t bother me at all. Its almost like a two for one in the hot male stakes and I’m all for a bargain! I also thought that the dual perspective of the book also worked really well and helped me to identify, sympathize and feel every emotion with both characters at every stage!

This is the first part of the Temptation series and the next book is due out in the summer. And what a cliffhanger we are left with! I cannot wait for the next part of Logan and Tate’s story!

5 Sizzling stars!

Five Star Review of Frozen Secrets by W S Greer

emthebookbabe February 10, 2014 Book Reviews, My 2014 Blogs No Comments

Gripping read!

It is a long time since I have found myself being drawn to reading a murder mystery thriller and I was intrigued when I read the synopsis for this one! W S Greer, in his fantastic debut novel, introduces us to Jarrod Grainger, a womanising homicide detective in the Anchorage P.D. who is in need of a big break to save his flagging career.

The book relates to Jarrod and his hapless Assistant Misty being given the lead in the solving of the murders that have been committed by “the Tongue Snatcher” and he is in need of pulling one out of the bag to save his failing career. Then add a touch of romance in to the mix in the form of an intriguing redheaded and tattooed lady, Stacey that he meets by chance one evening but is she all she appears to be?

The relationship he strives for with Stacey adds to the intrigue of the plotline and the more we get to know of Stacey the more we question whether or not she may know more than she is letting on. I think that this added a new dimension to the story that really worked.

The fast paced plot-line managed to jerk you to a halt and throw you in different direction with each page turn. I couldn’t put it down and finished this book in one day.

Even though at first I really disliked Jarrod, you soon feel sorry for him as his work life, his social life in the shape of his hilarious friend Marcus and his attempts at getting together with Stacey all seem to be failing miserably. You want nothing more than him to find happiness with her but so many obstacles get in their way and they never seem to just quite make it.

I really enjoyed the ending to the book and again I am not going to give anything away except for the fact that I thought I had the whodunit bit sorted out from a fair way in to the book. How wrong was I?! Great ending to a great book and the conclusion ties up all the loose ends of the investigation and also of Jarrod’s life!

I really enjoyed my re-introduction into murder mystery and would love to read more in this genre from W S Greer!

5 Amazing stars!

Three and a Half Star Review of The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

emthebookbabe February 10, 2014February 10, 2014 Book Reviews, My 2014 Blogs No Comments

Review of The Husband’s Secret

I have been deliberating over this review for a couple of days now and I have had to take a breather to reset my overworked brain a little bit. Needless to say I am torn as to how to tackle this and will admit to rewriting this one a couple of times!

I was recommended this to read by a few friends, all of whom I know really enjoyed it. But (isn’t there always a but….) something about this book didn’t quite rattle my chain like I thought it would.

The essence of the main plotline was intriguing. Seemingly perfect family with everyone’s idea of a perfect life. Wife finds a letter from her husband containing life-altering secret and a great part of the first half of the book is her internal struggle as to whether to open or not to open?

Now had the story simply continued and followed this single story line I personally think that I would have enjoyed reading this book a whole lot more. However, after an initial introduction of Cecilia and the “letter”, the reader is then thrown into a boiling pot of storylines following numerous other, seemingly random, characters. This is where I feel the book didn’t work for me personally.

Enter Rachel, the second of three main women in the story. Again her part in the story took some time to develop and without giving a lot away, the contents of the letter are quite pertinent to her being in the book. Under the circumstances of the story I was surprised that I didn’t identify more with Rachel and found her to be, at times quite annoying and bitter. I had hoped to be more sympathetic towards her but found her quite cold and hard to relate to. Her story and her feelings and attitude towards her son Rob and also the situation with Janie would have made a great book on its own merits.

Then comes Tess and a storyline that I feel would have been better placed in its own separate book too. I still don’t really see what relevance her story and her inclusion in the book has to the story connecting Rachel and Cecilia.

I found myself for at least the first 40% of the book in a total spin, not knowing quite whom I was with and where I was. For the first half of the book it did feel that I was pushing myself through the book rather than finding it the intriguing page-turner I was promised! The second half improved and once the secret is revealed it opens the proverbial can of worms. However, in my opinion, the author seemed to rush to a conclusion of the story and ended it far too abruptly for my liking.

Then we get to the epilogue. And this is where I am still on the fence. It is clever in the sense that it makes you question the entire story. I have to say it’s a bit like Marmite is to an Englishman – you’ll either love it or hate it. It actually frustrated me and I almost shouted at my kindle, “How dare you mess with my head like that!” but maybe that is the genius of the book?

I feel that some of the side characters and sub stories, mainly the one involving Tess could either have been omitted completely without ruining the book or plot. That story may have made a second book to add to a series but in my opinion didn’t bring much other than additional muddle to the already hectic story.

In all it was an ok read and the plot line was, for me, the best part as well as the story from Cecilia’s perspective. I think on the whole she was the one character that I actually sympathized with and related to the most. I have thought a lot over the last few days about how I would deal with the secret and whether or not I would have dealt with things differently to Cecilia.

I give this a strong 3.5 stars but can’t quite bring myself to go to four. It is a very thought provoking read and for that I would say give it a go!

Long few days and putting a story into perspective.

emthebookbabe February 9, 2014February 9, 2014 My 2014 Blogs No Comments

I’m back! Sorry for the lack of posts for a couple of days. I’ve just had a few days where life (and a particularly stubborn book!) have got in the way! For the first time in a long time we had a nice weather day on Friday and I treated myself and the Kids to a day outside. The fresh air did us all the world of good but did nothing for me finishing my current read!

I will be posting a review later but wanted to quickly touch again on the subject of Did Not Finish (DNF) among other random thoughts.

It’s no often that I read a book on a strong recommendation (of not just one friend but several friends) and find that I am not gelling with the story at all. This book has been an amazon bestseller for a while and at least four of my friends have separately recommended it to me so I gave it a go. The synopsis looked good and I was quite intrigued as to how the story would go!

By 10, 20 and even 40% in I was getting more and more disillusioned and frustrated with the story (I won’t say why just yet – read the review!) but as I said before I ploughed on. And do you know what I am very glad I did. Mainly because I would have driven myself to distraction wondering what happened if I hadn’t but also because the story improved a lot after 44% or so. I also felt that I would disappoint others if I didn’t and thought that there must have been something about the book that got others so engaged!

I feel that in order to effectively give any book and author a chance you do need to finish the story. It has happened to me a few times and in every case I am glad I have gone on to finish. Sometimes the stories have disappointed me but others, once I had really got down to them really surprised me!

People DNF a book for many reasons. They don’t like the story, they don’t gel with the characters or they simply object to the style in which it is written. If you don’t like the story or the direction it is heading then fine and to some extent you need to either gel or at least identify with the characters on some level but I’d always say give it a go, give it a chance!

Every book is written in a different style, some in first person, others in dual aspect and some in third person narrative. Now I don’t have a particular favourite mode of narration but firmly believe that it depends on the story and characters as to which way works best. I know that often readers prefer a specific narrative but again I think the there have been some amazing books written in all types. I don’t think you can dismiss any book just because not written in third person or dual aspect, but you’d be surprised that some people do and will put a DNF review and 1 star review just because of that!

There are other people who also have preferences as to how the time perspective is written. Some jump about from past to present and back again, almost backfilling the story if you like. Others read as if in the present and thats ok too. And again I am a firm believer that it depends on the particular story and the characters as to which way works best! Again it all comes down to personal preference but I personally would never turn down a book down because of when and on what timescale it was written. But again some people do and can be very critical because of it.

Anyhow whether rightly or wrongly that is the way the cookie crumbles. Life would be boring if everyone thought the same I guess! And on that bombshell……. (And yes Mr Bookbabe is watching TopGear in the background…!) goodnight!

Five Star Review of Lean On Me by Nicola Haken

emthebookbabe February 6, 2014February 6, 2014 Book Reviews No Comments

5 Star Review of Lean on Me by Nicola Haken

Anyone for a Pot Noodle?

This is the third book from the Take My Hand series (a firm favorite of mine!) and quite unusually focuses on the story of the supporting characters from the first two Take My Hand books, Rachel and Jared. These quirky and colourful (!) characters feature a lot in the first two books and I was already charmed by both of them before reading this! You wouldn’t believe my short lived disappointment when I realized I’d have to wait to find out what happens to Emily and Dexter. However my reflex reaction on reading the synopsis was stuff them for now, lets have us some Rachel and Jared.

Their story comes at a cleverly placed break in the main story of Dexter and Emily, when the main two characters disappear to America. At the end of Hold on Tight I was left with a certain curiosity as to what had been happening back in London whilst Emily and Dexter were absent. In many series, the secondary characters usually have a nice spin off book or series themselves but that is usually introduced after the main characters get their HEA! But that’s where I LOVED Nicola’s thinking! Rachel and Jared’s story is perfectly placed in the series and after finishing the book you are effectively left with two cliffhangers and two contemporaneous stories, neither of which are effectively fully finished! Book Four has a lot to live up to! I think this is a brilliant concept and a refreshing change for me as a reader!

Their characters developed slowly but wonderfully through the book and although a few surreptitious hints in Hold on Tight suggested things were developing back in London, no one could prepare you for just what was in store for these two.

I love Rachel, the wild potty mouthed, tattooed bird in a wheelchair. I have a feeling if I were to ever meet her in the street I would totally not see the wheelchair but be amazed at the person it holds! Refreshingly, unlike many other female book leads, she was far from emotionally scarred or disturbed. I wholeheartedly admire her determination to be as normal as possible and I think this is what endeared me to her in the first place. Emily had been her rock for so long but she was unwilling to allow her life to change in her absence! Her wit and guile had me in stitches in parts but I also felt a deep connection with her and her emotions in the less happy moments too. She may come across as a hard hot-headed alpha female but not too far underneath the hard exterior she was a living breathing feeling human being too. And yes I did cry with her on an odd occasion too! Her grit and resolve to be independent despite her challenges amazed me and I feel that she again was such a refreshing change from the sometimes utterly annoying indecisive angst ridden female leads out there! And she likes pot noodles too! Rock on Rach!

Jared too develops from the cocky womanizer he is in the first two books. The essence of this book delves into the fact that he has been hiding a secret from everyone that in fact fully explains him and his behavior. Again his secret isn’t some deep dark angst ridden psychological cause but in essence quite a heartrending reason. When I fully understood why he is like he is my heart melted and I forgave him pretty instantly for being him!

I also loved Cindy the new “girl on the block” too! Hope she features again in this series ☺ – I won’t spoil it but you definitely need to read it just to find out more!!

It has been quite a while since I have enjoyed reading a book as much as this and the story isn’t a smooth mushy road of happiness and flowers (although there are a few of those too!) but an emotional journey of discovery and acceptance. Rachel and Jared can learn a lot from each other and I look forward to their reunion with Dexter and Emily in Book Four!

Bring it on!

Five AMAZING STARS!

Showing your appreciation! (Or leave a review?)

emthebookbabe February 5, 2014 My 2014 Blogs No Comments

Good evening! Well it has been a busy day today in our house entertaining the kids. It has just thrown it down all day with horizontal rain and after getting caught in a deluge at school pick up at noon we stayed home today to dry out and warm up!

As I am a self confessed book nerd I aim to read at least one book a day with the kids. No easy feat when you have a lively 4 year old and a very wiggly 18 month old too! We managed to read a book together today and granted it was the 101 things to make with Lego book but when you are a boy and only 4 there isn’t much else that holds your attention so well! Being 18 months old, all your really need are pictures and this book had plenty! Glad tomorrow is a full school day though, I love reading but my Lego building skills are notoriously bad!

I’ve also been busy today drafting reviews for some of the amazing books have read over the last couple of years. I’ve always been very good at leaving a star rating but until recently haven’t had much time between feeding and nappy changing to actually leave written review. As well as that I’ve always wondered if there was some kind of unwritten code of conduct or etiquette when leaving a review.

Although, as I mentioned in yesterdays post, I personally don’t base the appeal of a book solely on its reviews or ratings. In fact I rarely read them for reasons I will explain in a mo. My opinion, however, probably does no reflect the majority of readers or bloggers and I am aiming now to leave a written review for every book I now read. I also understand and appreciate why we need to leave reviews. One simple reason. The Authors. Its our way of showing our appreciation for all of their hard work and in a way its our little bit of “Hell yes that was amazing so go read it” publicity that these hardworking people need.

I have spent some time today on Goodreads and Amazon and was initially surprised to see that their review policies are almost an afterthought to their sites! Both policies have printed out on one side of A4 paper and are (quite possibly) intended to be very vague. It basically says unless you are an internet troll, attempting to use a review to advertise or are slating authors or other reviewers personally any review that is relevant to the book and its contents is acceptable.

I am not going to blather on and on about the rights and the wrongs of this (search the internet – there are plenty of opinions to read!) but will say that with both sites there must be an horrendous number of posts made daily and each allegedly offensive post that is reported will take time to investigate. So some are going to slip through the net and also I guess the discretion as to the appropriateness of the posts is a subjective thing left to the discretion of whichever admin is dealing with that complaint. I do believe that review sites shouldn’t be to rigid as this will detract from people being honest. Isn’t that what it is all about?

I know a lot of people can be swayed by good or bad reviews. Book reviews can be controversial and bring unwanted negative attention (but attention nevertheless). These slating reviews are often unjust but everyone is entitled to their own personal opinion. I’ve read numerous articles over the years on other blogs and in trashy UK tabloid newspapers about reviews becoming personal attacks on Authors and other reviewers but surely this isn’t the essence of what a book review should be. I have also been commenting on a post today on Facebook where a deeply religious comment has been made with a one star review of a book. I object to this, not because I’m some religion hating atheist, but because the reviewer has left a comment, based solely on their religious beliefs, on a book they have never read nor intend to read. In my opinion thats not right. If you don’t like the subject matter, simply don’t buy the book.

Now I have digressed a bit I will get back to the main purpose of my blog tonight. My own personal review criteria!

My written reviews will be based loosely on the following (self imposed!) criteria:

Did I enjoy the book?
Why did I enjoy the book?
What would have improved my reading experience of this particular piece, if anything?

My star ratings will be as follows:
5* Blew my mind
4* Really enjoyed it, but (there is often a but..!)
3* Good book, few areas of improvement
2* worth finishing but not the best read I’ve had
1* ok so I took the time and finished it
0* DNF! (Never happened yet and I’ve read a lot!)

I really don’t think a review needs to be any more complicated than this! And even a not so great review does not have to be scathing or derogatory. Constructive criticism is worth a bunch to someone making their living out of writing and in my opinion even a bad review ought to be made into something positive.

My main gripe with relying too much on needing to read reviews is for several reasons. I sometimes get annoyed at reviewers who need to recite the entire book as a commentary (Im sorry but I’ve read the synopsis already!) and feel that sometimes have had a book totally spoiled because of reviewers who have basically laced their reviews with spoilers. I know authors do not have any control over the content of reviews and some posts do make it clear that they contain spoilers but a lot don’t. Even simple comments like “Oh that was sooooooo the HEA I was waiting for!” may not seem to be massively controversial but it effectively shouts at me THEY END UP TOGETHER IN THE END ANYWAY! I want to read the book and find out for myself, thank you. And that annoys me. A lot.

Another minor gripe is from those people who post a DNF review. I again think its unfair to put out a public review and slate a book and author with a bad star rating if you cannot be bothered to even make the effort to finish it. If its really that bad don’t finish and even ask for your money back (you can!) but for goodness sake don’t review it until you have read the entire book. There have been some books I’ve waded through and its been as bad as running through treacle to finish them but I don’t feel I can give an overview of my particular reading experience until the book is finished. Personal gripe maybe but if you are going to put in the effort of writing a mini novel of how crap the first 10% of the book was before you put it down surely you could have ploughed on and maybe realised what others have been raving about?!

Anyway, the main point of this blog is to say Im working on some reviews which will be on their way shortly!

G’night!

Today on the blog!

emthebookbabe February 4, 2014 My 2014 Blogs No Comments

Introducing Baby Pink!

Today on the blog I have been ably accompanied by my new blog assistant (or more accurately described as a “blog-blocker”). She’s read two books today (can’t start them early enough in my opinion) and wanted to add her pearls of wisdom! Sadly she can’t write yet so will leave her blog posts until she’s a tad older!

I spent an inordinate amount of time yesterday creating a blog account on Goodreads and it took me so long because I realised just what a book nerd I was! It took me well over two hours to sift through the “read” (and rate them) and the “TBR” piles! I’m sure I’ve made a tiny dent in the actual amount of books I’ve read and/or downloaded but the 196 books I’ve sifted through and marked on Goodreads is a contrast to the 720+ books on my Kindle…… 🙂

Today has seen a massive flood of Goodreads friend request acceptances too! And many from my Author idols too! I will admit to having a bit of a fan moment earlier! I’ve never taken much notice of Goodreads after several high profile mass complaints about the way they allow pre release ratings and also how they allegedly harbour cyber bullies! Don’t worry I am not going to go into some extended diatribe about the right and wrongs of Goodreads or its ethics but will say a couple of things. It is simply a fantastic online (therefore generally accessible from almost anywhere) base for creating your reading lists and also managing your last or next reads. And I have also found it is a one stop shop for reading synopses and linking to other authors work. And the nerd in me also likes that it is interactive with Facebook!

Like I have discussed with several authors in the past (all Indie authors I would add) I personally rarely read a book based on a review status nor based on a star rating on internet sites. I have read what I class as being some of the most amazing books which have seemingly received slating reviews on internet sites. Each to their own I say and what suits one reader certainly doesn’t suit everyone but isn’t that a reflection of life in general?

I will read a book based on whether the genre or synopsis jumps at me off the page. I will also read a book on recommendation but will generally still look at the synopsis first! If you are hooked by the words on the back of the book (ok I know this doesn’t really apply to kindle books but you get my drift) then generally the book will get you too! Rarely have I chosen a book based on its synopsis and been disappointed!

I will leave the discussion of reviews and whether or not I judge books solely by their covers to another post as I could go on forever!

Ciao for now.

Hello world!

emthebookbabe February 3, 2014 My 2014 Blogs No Comments

After a minor internet blip (power cut switched it off) I’ve finally sorted it and logged on and wow I’m amazed at how many followers I have already gained on Facebook and Twitter! Hello and welcome! Over the next few days/weeks I will be building my blog and adding lots of content about books I’ve read and those I want to read or am eagerly anticipating the release!

My reading tastes are extremely varied and I am also intending to use my blog to try and give back a little to the amazing authors who spend their lives dedicated to creating the colourful characters and amazing stories that I have become addicted to! Thank you to each and every one of you for bringing us to your world!

Forgive me but as a newbie to the blogging world I may make few mistakes but i assure you all that I would never intentionally annoy or upset anybody.

Please feel free to message me and I will assure you that every message will be read and dealt with by me personally.

Hope that you enjoy my blog! Happy Reading!