"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."— Mark Twain

ATTENTION AUTHORS: As of December 2011, I am no longer taking review requests.

Please do NOT contact me asking for a review. It will be immediately deleted from my inbox – I won’t even open it. I am overbooked and need to catch up before I can accept any more requests.

(If I have worked with you before or know you personally, this does not apply to you. Please send me an e-mail; I might be able to squeeze you in!)

Thank you for understanding!


Tag Archive: reading

Series Readers: This Site’s for YOU!

I don’t actively seek out series. Series seem to find me. And, often, I don’t even know I’m getting sucked into a series until it’s too late. I read a book’s description, and decide I want to read it. I find out either after I’ve finished, during reading, or after obtaining (but before reading) the book that it’s part of a series. And, usually, when this happens, it’s not the first book in a series.

Of course not. Why would it be?

Enter FictFact.

This site is specifically about series. And let me tell you, I wish I’d known about this a long time ago. I have no idea how old/new the site is, but I know I’ve been missing out. Now, when I have a book I know is part of a series, I can make sure it’s in the order I believe it to be. And it helps you keep track. When  you’ve read part of a series, you can mark it “read” and the site will tell you what’s next. If you’re caught up, it tells you. If there are more books to come, it tells you that, too. If you know of a series that isn’t yet on the site, they take your submissions. (I requested they add Josephine Angelini’s Awakening series, and they did in a matter of hours!)

FictFact is a fabulous site that I am so glad to finally have learned about. If you are like me and need help with keeping track of all those series – or if you’re not like me and you just want to have an easy way to keep track of series – come join me!

A HUGE thank you to Jennifer, at Reading with Tequila, for her post about FictFact, which got me on board.

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Done with Denial

Burnout

Photo by Sanja Gjenero, RGBstock.com

Yep, I’m done. Not with blogging, not with reading, not with reviewing. With denial. See, here’s the problem. I love to read. I love to blog. And I love to blog about what I read. Reviewing is great. I love sharing my reads with my friends. But, well, I’m afraid I’m starting to burn out. Reading is becoming a chore, rather than pleasure. It is starting to stress me out. Big time. As far as I’m concerned, that is NOT acceptable. No way. No how.

The problem is …what do I do about it? Like I said, I’m having a LOT of fun. I don’t want to stop doing this. But, I guess I just have to learn to slow down. We don’t truly know our limits until we exceed them, and – well – that’s where I’m at right now. So, I guess this is what I’ll do. I have made commitments to people to read and review specific books. I will do my damnedest to get that reading done. BUT, I cannot promise with 100% certainty. I have a family. I have three young children. I also need time to do what I want to do – reading or otherwise.

So, I’m going to be cutting back. Or, at least, cutting back on reading things specifically for the purpose of reviewing them. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to stop doing that altogether. I just need to be pickier, more discerning, more careful about what I agree to read. I am still open to being approached about writing reviews, but I am not going to say yes to be nice. I’m done with that. I’m going to just do what I want to read. Nothing more.

So, dear readers, what does that mean for you? Well, not much. Just fewer reviews and fewer giveaways. I’m sorry about that, but my family has to come first. Absolutely has to. Life is too short to be stuck reading something I’d rather not read, to be stuck unhappy because I’ve overbooked myself, because I can’t say no. And if I get, oh, a few chapters in and I’m just not feeling the book, then I’m done. I’m not gonna waste my time reading something I’d rather not be reading. I’m done doing that. Again, life is too short, too precious, to be doing that.

I must say I really, really hope this doesn’t affect my nomination for BBAW. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll still be here, blogging. I’ll still be reading and sharing what I read. I’m just going to be doing less obligatory reading, more pleasure reading. I have officially tested the boundaries of my limits – and crashed through. Time to get back on the right side of that boundary and get back to enjoying what I’m doing. After all, I’m reviewing these books out of the goodness of my heart. Yes, some are sent to me for that purpose, but many – I daresay MOST – aren’t. They’re either borrowed through one of the book tour sites I participate in, or I actually purchase them. (Very rarely will I use the library, but that’s a different post for a different day.) Despite what some people apparently think, book blogging is not a money-making venture. At least not for me, and – I’m pretty confident saying this – not for most book bloggers. It truly is a labor of love. And for me, lately, it’s been more labor and less love.

So, if you are someone I had agreed to review a book for, and I miss my scheduled date, please, please accept my humble apologies. I’m doing the best I can, without sacrificing my family and/or my sanity. If your date comes and goes, PLEASE do not be ticked. Please understand. I will do my best to get to your book, but I’ve reached a point where something’s gotta give. And I know that something can’t be my family – or my sanity.

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My Reading Habits

I was just getting ready to go to bed when I saw this on Book Crazy (thanks a LOT, Jenn!), and I had to do it!

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack:

Not usually.

What is your favorite drink while reading?

Dr Pepper. But, then, that’s my favorite drink while doing anything …

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

MARK BOOKS? Are you CRAZY? No, no, no, no, NO!

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?

Dog-ears? Laying it flat open? Are you NUTS? N-O – NO! BIG no-no around here! In fact, I’m usually VERY reluctant to lend my books out for fear of these and other forms of mistreatment! Use a bookmark, PLEASE! (FYI: It doesn’t have to be an official bookmark: anything thin will work. I have been known to use strips of paper, Post-It notes, envelopes, business cards, magazine subscription cards …)

Fiction, non-fiction, or both?

Strong preference for fiction, but I’ll occasionally read non-fiction.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?

I really, really prefer to read to the end of a chapter. But, sometimes it’s just not possible. (Life with little kids will do that to ya!) In those cases, I always get to the end of a paragraph, at the very least – better if it’s the end of a page – BEST if it’s the end of a section within a chapter!

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?

Um, no. That goes back to abusing books – GIGANTIC no-no here!

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?

Usually I can figure it out by the context, but if I’m really stumped I’ll look it up. That’s pretty rare, though, as I rarely come across an unfamiliar word. That said, it’s completely different when editing. I look up lots of words – sometimes even words I KNOW – to double check things.

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently in between books. I just finished something about an hour ago. (Review coming next week.)

What is the last book you bought?

Something for the kids – school book fair was last week! :-)

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?

One book at a time. College was hell for me – studying English lit made that IMPOSSIBLE! But, I made it through OK. I will say that I can read more than one if ONLY one is fiction.

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?

Time: anytime. Place: curled up on the couch

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?

So long as it’s good, I’ll read anything. While I LOVE how involved series can be, I also sometimes like something where it’s all done between the covers of one book. I’m the type who, once beginning a series, cannot STOP until ALL of the books (assuming all have been written and published) have been read.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?

Yes. Michael J. Sullivan, author of the Riyria Revelations series. AWESOME books!

How do you organize your books (by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)?

Organize? What’s that? I have so many books lately, I’m struggling to find a place to put them. But, once I get that figured out, it’ll be alphabetical by author’s name, then by title (with series ALWAYS kept together, of course).

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Welcome

Hello! I am happy to welcome all followers to Proud Book Nerd! To those of you who followed me over from Ramblings & More, thank you! Your support means a LOT to me! To newbies – if there are any yet – this blog is the sequel, no, not sequel. That would imply that Ramblings is ending. Spin-off. Perhaps that’s a better word? I dunno. All I’m saying is that this will be the place to find book reviews, GIVEAWAYS, and more! If you want other things – including weekly memes (like Friend Makin’ Monday, Five Question Friday, or my very own Tune-In Tuesday) – then Ramblings is the blog for you!

In the meantime, please pardon the dust and/or growing pains as I work to get this set up to my satisfaction!

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2012 Books of the Month
January February March April
May June July August
September October November December
Favorite Series
A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies The Blood Journals by Tessa Gratton The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting The Chemical Garden by Lauren Destefano Codex Alera by Jim Butcher The Cousins' War by Philippa Gregory The Dark Divine by Bree Despain Everlasting by Angie Frazier The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton Fallen by Lauren Kate Falling Under by Gwen Hayes Firelight by Sophie Jordon Goblin Wars by Kersten Hamilton Gods & Monsters by Kelly Keaton Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin Matched by Ally Condie Mer Tales by Brenda Pandos Newsoul by Jodi Meadows Nightshade by Andrea Cremer Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini Stork by Wendy Delsol Unearthly by Cynthia Hand The Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater
May June July August
September October November December
Team Peeta ♥ Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Team Ren ♥ Nightshade by Andrea Cremer