Browsing for Books as a Book Blogger

Since I’ve now been blogging for just over two years, I’ve had some time to become adjusted to the changes in my reading habits blogging has caused. I now read more books and I read them faster in the span of a year. I read - and am aware of - far more new releases than I ever knew existed. I read each book a bit more critically now, knowing that I plan on recording my thoughts on it later. I buy a ridiculous amount of books and am hyperaware of book deals/sales.

None of these changes in my reading habits are bad. And, overall, I’m pretty happy with how blogging has impacted my communication skills and knowledge of the publishing industry.

If I did have one complaint, however, it would be this: I seem to have lost the ability to browse in bookstores and libraries.

That’s a rather dramatic statement, so allow me to refine my meaning.

Prior to blogging, recommendations from those whose reading tastes I trusted constituted the vast majority of the book I knew I wanted to read. Other books I read for classes. And still others I decided to read simply because a title or a cover caught my eye, I picked up the book, and I found the synopsis/first few pages to be interesting.Going to a bookstore or library was a cause for excitement because, for the most part, I had literally no idea what books would end up catching my eye. Navigating the shelves, checking out notable books on display - everything felt new and shiny and special to me.

Bookstores and libraries still elicit some level of excitement for me, but not to the same degree. Now many times I have some idea of specific books I’d like to find, or specific authors. Now I’m generally on a tighter schedule and don’t have an hour or more to just look around. Now I place library books on hold and often go to my library specifically to pick up those books or order a book through my local indie and stop by solely to pick it up, convincing myself that I have enough reading in my hands as it is without adding any more by browsing the shelves. And, of course, I cannot fail to mention that a good chunk of the books I read are digital.

But this post isn’t about the browsing for digital books (that’s for another discussion). Instead, I wanted to focus on my changing physical book browsing habits. They’re not all bad: I’m a more efficient browser, a more efficient reader, and acquire far fewer books that ultimately don’t mesh well with me as a reader.

Sometimes, though, I miss the spontaneity that came with browsing shelves with no preconceived expectations. The elation of discovering a new book or author destined to become a favorite. I miss introducing friends and family to unfamiliar, underrated books. It’s still possible to do that as a book blogger, of course, but it seems like it’s become a rarer occurrence for me.

From pulling books off of shelves I’ve discovered some of my favorite books: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, Wolf Speaker by Tamora Pierce (yes, that was my introduction to Pierce’s works), A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. And many, many more.

I admit that there are also so many books that I would never have read in the past two years had I not been a blogger. Books that I’ve come to love, but that didn’t sound like they were worth the investment upon first glance.

And perhaps that knowledge makes the lessening of my spontaneity not as big of a problem as I sometimes feel like it is. I can work on making myself a better browser, after all - allotting more time to browse new-to-me shelves, authors, and books - but having a greater knowledge of the publishing industry, authors, and books makes it worth the changes, I think.

What about you? Have you become less of a book browser and on more of a mission when you visit libraries, bookstores, or other places with books?

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A Year for Writing

In 2013 I had a personal reading goal of 65 books and ended up reading 90 books. That amounted to 30,731 pages and countless hours spent reading.

Here at Late Nights with Good Books, I participated in the 2013 Debut Author Challenge (I read a total of 14 YA/MG debuts) and the 2013 Standalone Reading Challenge (I read a total of 10 YA standalone titles).

For 2014, I’ve once again joined the Debut Author Challenge, but that will be my only formal reading challenge here. It was fun to have the opportunity to read specific types of books, but these challenges do take up a lot of time so I am not committing myself to more than one. Of course, I’ll have my personal reading challenge (trying for 70 books this year). I also have a deep and unabiding love for chunky books, which somehow was ignored for most of 2013, so another personal goal of mine will be to read a few lengthier novels. If you’re interested in tracking my progress, please refer to my Challenges tab.

My main challenge for this new year is not a reading challenge, however. As the title of this post states, I plan on making 2014 a year where I really focus on my own personal writing.

Back when I started Late Nights with Good Books in May of 2012, I was lonely and uncertain of my future. After spending four years at college critically analyzing writing (I double-majored in English and Spanish), I actually missed that I no longer had to do so. Two things that have always comforted me are books and writing, and so upon the discovery of Goodreads and book blogs it just made sense for me to start my own book blog.

I have absolutely no regrets in creating Late Nights with Good Books. I’ve read some fantastic books, and have had the opportunity to interact with many authors, publicists, and fellow book lovers. In no means do I know everything about the publishing process or the current market for YA books, but I’m learning. And I love that. I love that I have a reason to read a ton and write my thoughts about books — and that others actually care to read my opinions.

The issue herein is this: for the past year and a half, the vast majority of my free time after work has been consumed by blogging. I love reading, yes, but I also love writing. Writing’s been a passion of mine for nearly as long as reading has. My ultimate goal is to get some of my works published. While this blog has enabled me to better see what books are getting contracts, I’m no closer to getting any works of mine ready for submission. And this is my own fault; I’ve succumbed to the pressures of reading, reading, reading and blogging, blogging, blogging.

All of this is to say I need to change my priorities a bit. I won’t stop reading and I won’t stop blogging. Honestly, I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. But they’re going to take a bit of a back seat for a while, and I will start interchanging books to review with books on writing and those for inspiration (which probably will not be reviewed). My ultimate resolution for 2014 is to get back to writing. I have a partially finished novella I’d like to work on, and I would ideally love to finish a full draft for a novel. Blogging at Late Nights with Good Books has not only made me respect and appreciate published authors more, but has made me realize just how much I would love to count myself among their ranks someday.

Again, this is not a goodbye — my current plan is to publish at least one review and one additional post a week, maybe more. I also still plan on interacting with bloggers, authors, and the book community. Just not to the same degree right now. This is the right direction for me right now, and I am excited to spend some time really focusing on my writing dreams.

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A Book Blogging Dilemma: My Rule for Purchasing Books

A few months ago, I came to that realization that I think all book bloggers must hit eventually: I simply cannot go out and buy every single book* that looks really interesting to me. Not only can I not afford to pay for all those books, but I don't have the space. I made the goal that from now on, I would only buy books that I've already read and loved. 

Benefits of this rule:
Saving money
By already reading the book, I will have determined if I love it enough to spend money on my own personal copy. I read a lot, and, honestly, I'm not about to start shelling out money for every book I read. I've been raised with a healthy appreciation of the public library, and that appreciation has only grown over the years. This rule will allow me to save money for those books I already love and authors I want to support personally.
Paperback releases 
If I've already read the book, then I generally won't feel the need to re-read it for the next year, or however long it does take to release in paperback. Paperbacks take up less space and are cheaper.
Re-readability 
If I love the book enough to want to purchase it after having read it, then I know it'll be a story that will resonate with me for many years. I won't have to take a chance on it not working for me.
Sharing the love 
If I love a book, then I want to share it with the whole world (or at least those who I know can appreciate it). Owning a book does make it much easier to persuade others to read it. But I want some sort of credibility in my recommendations, so I generally want to loan books that I loved enough to buy in the first place.

The main reason that I was able to make this goal is because of how convenient and accessible my public library is. My library is part of an amazing consortium within the state of Wisconsin, so even if my library doesn't carry the book, there are about fifty other libraries within the system that can ship their copy of a book to mine within a few days (it takes longer, obviously, if the book is on hold). And my library system has had at least one copy of literally every book I've wanted to read thus far. 

So far I've been pretty good at sticking to my resolution. The only  time I broke this resolution was back in February, when I bought a physical copy of a book I had already read and loved, Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and then decided to also purchase its sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight. I hadn't read Days of Blood and Starlight yet (actually still haven't, to my shame and disappointment), but because I had loved the first installment so much and had read and considered enough reviews of the sequel, I bought it with the confidence that I'd like it. I can foresee sequels and further installments causing me to break this rule, however, as I do plan on purchasing Melina Marchetta's Quintana of Charyn and Leigh Bardugo's Siege and Storm before reading them.

Recently, however, certain new releases have seriously tempted me to break my self-imposed buying rules.

Golden by Jessi Kirby	Reboot by Amy Tintera	The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

As I write this, my library still doesn't have Golden in their catalog (today is Golden's release day). Nor is Reboot. On the other hand, I was able to get on the (rather significant) waiting list for The 5th Wave about a week before its release. I think the issue here is twofold. Through book blogging, I have become hyper aware of upcoming book releases, generally months in advance. This leaves me itching to read the book as soon as it releases. I also am not sure how my library system works. Perhaps there's a way to request the library order copies of certain books? I'm just not sure how the system as a whole determines which books to add to their catalogs. Something to look into, for sure.

Is book blogging just making me greedy with the desire to read all the books as soon as possible? Is my purchasing rule too limiting? Let me know if you have any specific rules or guidelines in terms of reading and purchasing books!

*As an additional note, by "books" I mean physical books. The purchasing of ebooks (or rather, the rights to read them) is a whole other issue, one that I address in this post.

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The Longer, the Better: On My Love of Lengthy Novels

Have you ever been quite happily reading away at a book only to find that the ending has come far too soon? I know that happens to me. All the time. Far from complaining that a book is too long, I'm much more likely to turn over the final page with a wistful longing for more.

I've been feeling a little restless about my reading choices of late. I realize that I've been reading mostly shorter books recently (almost all under 350 pages), and I think they're contributing to my restlessness. I like becoming completely immersed in a novel, and it's much more difficult to become so in a novel that you can read in a few hours, a few sittings. Every once in a while, I need something that'll keep me present in its fictional world and caring about its fictional characters for a longer amount of time than a few sittings. A book that'll really allow me to understand the intricacies of the world and its characters. Ideally a book that's over 500 pages.

I suppose I should clarify here that my thoughts are directly related to speculative fiction novels, primarily fantasy. I do not expect general fiction novels to be lengthy, and I don't necessarily believe that they should be. Authors have more time for character development in lengthier books, of course, but for general fiction novels they do not need to worry about introducing their readers to as many new, created concepts and worlds.

I am also aware that many speculative fiction authors do write series, but that's not quite what I mean here. Series do not always necessitate longer individual books, and many are still in the process of being written. I want to start a book knowing that I can be immersed with characters in their fantastical worlds for a longer span of time, that there is a longer and more intricate story arc.

Here are a few lengthier speculative fiction books (and series) that I've enjoyed reading:

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore	Cold Magic by Kate Elliot	Eon by Alison Goodman	Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers	A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

While I am not intending to criticize short works at all, I do think that shorter books (around 350 pages or less) are definitely the norm. This makes sense for authors who need to make a living off of the sale of their books, thus their desire to move on to writing another book. It also makes sense that not all readers want to get fully immersed in super lengthy novels. As a book blogger, I can understand the appeal of being able to get through quite a few shorter novels in the time it would take to complete a longer novel. And of course length does not necessarily determine the level of intricacy and overall success of the novel. None of these reasons lessen the appeal of lengthy novels for me, however.

I hope to fix my restless feelings by reading a few meatier books in the upcoming months.

And here are a few lengthier speculative fiction books (and series) that I intend to start reading in the near future:

The Diviners by Libba Bray	Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke	Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta	Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor	The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Have you read any of these? Do you have additional suggestions for lengthier books I should read (I mean over 500 pages at least)?

And please let me know if I'm not the only one out there who gets excited at the prospect of reading a lengthier book and being able to devote more time and thought on it.

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On The Nature of Retellings

Retellings are tricky matters. On the one hand, writers are explicitly giving credit to an older story/idea. On the other hand, however, writers are expected to do something more with their new stories, offer a fresher take, add in bits and pieces that make the retelling uniquely theirs. It can be a very fine line to walk indeed.

While writing my thesis on changes to the "Beauty and the Beast" tale over the years, I found Perry Nodelman's spine theory to be extremely helpful. Nodelman is a prominent scholar on children's literature and attempts to explain the draw and sense of unity that we feel between various versions of the same tale in Words About Pictures: The Narrative Art of Children's Picture Books:

If we investigate what remains the same and what differs in different versions of the same fairy tale, we discover that each of the tellings contains something like a spine: a series of actions that appear in every version and that always appear in the same order... (p. 269).

If we consider "Tam Lin" versions and retellings, a spine, or  the major points of the story, those that get transferred from one retelling to the next becomes clear:

• Tam Lin is a mortal man who is currently under a supernatural spell
• Tam Lin and Janet meet in a place where the natural and supernatural worlds collide (Carterhaugh)
• Janet saves Tam Lin from being tithed by holding on to him as his body morphs into many different shapes
• Janet is successful and Tam Lin is free from supernatural forces

Even considering my relatively small sample size of "Tam Lin" retellings from this month, I can say without a doubt that they all hit those major points. Setting, character genders, additional plot points, narrative techniques, and more all not relevant to whether a story retells "Tam Lin." According to Nodelman's spine theory (which I firmly believe in myself), what really matters in determining a retelling is whether key concepts and plot points remain prevalent in the story. I want to be clear, however, that substitutions do work only to some extent. I could easily see a "Tam Lin" retelling where Tam Lin is the captive of other supernatural forces that may not specifically be fairies. But if someone tried to tell the tale by removing the supernatural elements, I imagine it would be an utter disaster. How would that author explain Tam Lin's captivity, his imminent death, and the trials that Janet must endure in order to save his life?

Sometimes I wish there was a specific formula for determining how authors should write retellings of classic stories, and then another one to help readers and critics decide how to regard these retellings. But that ruins the fun of them. Every author seems to approach a retelling in a different way, and it's fascinating to see what elements of the original story stuck with them and in what new directions they've taken the story. 

I'd like to say that I tend to prefer retellings that stay a little closer to the source material, but that's not necessarily true. What I really appreciate is simply a well-told story that gives credit where credit's due to the original, but also makes some intelligent changes to the original story in a context that makes sense.

Here are a few of my favorite retellings:

• The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley ("King Arthur")
• Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher ("One Thousand and One Nights")
• The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale ("The Goose Girl")
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine ("Cinderella")
• Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier ("The Six Swans")
• Beauty by Robin McKinley ("Beauty and the Beast")
• Deerskin by Robin McKinley ("Donkeyskin")

Now let me know: What are your thoughts on retellings? Anything that you love, or anything that really turns you off? What are some of your favorite retellings?

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Ralph Waldo Emerson & Book Overload

Courtney and I spend so many of our conversations discussing one of our mutual favorite pastimes: reading.  As we were talking about the pressures we sometimes feel as book bloggers to be constantly reading new material and posting our thoughts to our blog, I was reminded of this one class discussion I had earlier in the semester. The week's topic was on the idea of information overload and how people should handle this phenomenon.

Of all the readings that we had, I instantly made a comparison between Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Books" and the concerns and difficulties that I encounter as a book blogger. Emerson's speech and subsequent essay may have been intended to give college students advice about how to handle their workloads, but academia is not the only place to suffer from an information overload. The literary marketplace is literally inundated with books: the product of a book overload, if you will. Although the information overload that Emerson and other readings of mine alluded to is not quite the same as a book overload (mainly because reading books for pleasure does not have as long a history as reading informational books does), nowadays I'd argue that the problem is just as prevalent among "pleasure" books. All we need to do is look at publisher's seasonal catalogs, or posts detailing the month's new releases. There's no possible way that we can read all the books being published (especially on top of those already published we have yet to read).

How, then, do we pick and choose what books to read?

In his essay, Emerson gives three suggestions for how to process so many reading materials:

1. Never read any book that is not a year old

2. Never read any but famed (famous) books

3. Never read any but what you like

Well...the majority of book bloggers break the first rule all the time. But I understand where he's coming from. If we're reading books that haven't reached a large enough audience just yet, then how do we really know whether the book is good enough for our time? But by waiting around to see whether the book is good, we'll lose the chance to participate in the initial hype and the chance to be among the first of its readers. And then there are books that seem to become inexplicably popular yet aren't necessarily very good. Not such an easy dilemma. The second rule goes along with the first. But there's a decidedly murky area in determining what makes a book famous. Just that others are reading it? Does enjoyment play a role? Does it have to become a New York Times bestseller or on Oprah's book club to become famous? Emerson continues to explain that he believes the quality of a book matters, but, once again, there's no easy answer for determining that. His final point is by far the most confusing. We are to read what we like? Is that in disregard with his other two rules, or in conjunction with them? In other words, find books older than a year with positive reviews that you think you'll enjoy. It's not nearly so cut-and-dry an argument in Emerson's essay, as he goes on to try to explain his suggestions in further detail. But, then, neither is the process of determining which books to privilege with your reading time.

One way that I have been managing the book overload issue is by avoiding opportunities to receive galleys and ARCs. My logic is that I'd rather wait and read some reviews from bloggers before deciding whether the book is worth my time — if I decide that it is, I then can borrow it from the library, buy for my Kindle, or (if I'm particularly certain that I'll like it) buy a physical copy of it from my local bookstore. I'm also very skeptical in regards to hype. With working full-time and attending grad school, I just don't have the time to read books that I'd consider to be sub-par. I'm sure that I'll change my mind at some point, but as long as I have some certain standards and can give a rational explanation of why I want to read certain books, perhaps that will be enough.

I am curious to hear what others think about this issue. What's a book blogger (or any reader, for that matter) to do?

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The Hobbit as a Fantasy Classic

J.R.R. Tolkien first published The Hobbit in 1937 and it was met with wide critical acclaim. Regardless of whether it is seen as merely a prelude to the epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy or a classic children's story, the success of The Hobbit is undeniable. I personally believe the biggest impact The Hobbit has had has been on the fantasy genre itself and the idea of the "fantasy classic." 

I've always felt that a lot of the "classics," the books that we consider part of the literary canon, have a tendency to seem inaccessible to the modern-day reader. We're at a loss, unable to understand aspects of the culture and society in which these classics take place. Of course, you can put in the research and get a better picture of the book through the author's history, world history, and acquire some past cultural knowledge, but not many people are going to do that outside of an academic environment. In a way, it defeats any possibility of reading these books for pleasure. I myself am guilty of attempting to read classics but not putting in the research needed to really appreciate these works.

Where does that leave us, then? The overall pace of the literary market is very fast-moving. A recent release that everyone is currently raving about now has the very strong potential to fall by the wayside in only a year or two. And then there's the fact that it's becoming easier and easier for anyone to get published. I find it difficult to determine what will be lasting, what will continue to receive critical acclaim years from now. While I certainly won't stop reading books out of curiosity, it's nice to read some books that do leave such a lasting history.

This, then, brings us to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. There are many reasons why I'm a big fan of fantasies, but one is that they don't age in quite the same way that literary fiction does. While it still could be helpful to know that Tolkien imitated the British countryside and all of Europe in creating Middle-earth and that the War of the Ring was influenced by World Wars I and II, those are not facts that will truly change our entire understanding of the story. It's always been my belief that with fantasies and stories set in other worlds unlike our own, it is easier to focus on the messages and themes and not be distracted by outdated cultural references and histories. Fantasies are wonderful because readers go into the story knowing absolutely nothing about the setting, so the author does take the time to craft the world and explain it.

The Hobbit transcends the boundaries between child and adult audiences. Although initially marketed to children, I personally believe that all of its complexities and intricacies are better realized by adult readers. There is something to be said about the fact that the story has the potential to connect with younger and older audiences, however. While younger readers may not connect with the characters quite as easily (I still feel like I'm too young to really get them), Tolkien offers plenty of ways for the younger reader to connect with the story. Messages of individual strength, fortitude, resourcefulness, and personal rights/entitlement are things that can understood by all on some level. 

I know I can't be the only one who reads about an epic fantasy journey and feels overwhelmed by the vastness of it all. This sentiment isn't necessarily indicative of The Hobbit, although this story does provide a wonderful example. Tolkien's Middle-earth was such a new and inventive offering to the world of fantasy literature. I'm no expert on earlier fantasies, but I've read enough on Tolkien to know that what he did was different, more than many other stories out there. Without this book, I'm sure fantasy novels would have eventually found their places onto our bookshelves and hearts, but it wouldn't have been quite the same.

It is in The Hobbit that Tolkien first examines the implications that "even the smallest person can change the course of the future." Although those immortal words are spoken by the elf queen Galadriel to Frodo, Bilbo's young cousin/nephew (depending on the book or film version), the general idea is just as applicable to Bilbo's journey. We all want to believe that we're special, that we'd be able to rise to challenges whose existence we cannot even fathom. Bilbo does just that in The Hobbit. If Bilbo, middle-aged, part of a race that discourages thinking outside of the box, and timid, can find his worth, then surely that's possible for all of us.

There are some stories that remain with us long after the book is closed, that continue to resonate deep within us and future generations. I am not sure if all classics really deserve that status. By that, I mean I am not sure whether all the books we list as classics are truly stories that future generations will continue to read and enjoy. But I believe that The Hobbit will remain a classic, an emblem of fantasy literature that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

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My Ebook Purchasing Rules

I received my Kindle a little over a year ago as a graduation gift. Of course by then I had heard all about the ebook revolution and was excited to have my own ereader, although I will admit that I wasn't quite sure how frequently I would read books on that versus paper copies. And I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to get as much information out of books read digitally compared to their printed counterparts. But for the most part I do enjoy reading books on my Kindle. This is me, however, so of course I have stipulation in terms of what books I read and purchase via my Kindle. Below are some of my top considerations when I'm trying to decide whether or not to purchase an ebook.

Series

As a general rule, I am less likely to want to read or even buy a series. Both continuing and finished series pose certain issues for me. Finished series still require me to spend a lot of time reading in this one particular world, while new/continuing series have the added disadvantages of forcing me to keep up with it for years and potentially pay escalating prices for each new book. Now as this relates to ebooks, I mostly try to avoid purchasing ebooks for ongoing series. I'm starting to come around in terms of duologies, however, but that's about where I want to draw the line. I tend to read series only once anyway (for me, a series contains four or more books), so why spend money and use up space on my Kindle for that?

Re-readability

Before my Kindle, my decision of whether or not to buy a book was rather simple: do I think that I'm going to want to re-read it at some point? I love re-reading books, and have probably read the majority of the books I own more than once. If I was just curious to read the book but didn't view it as re-readable, then I'd check the book out of the library. I still haven't figured out where ebooks should fall in this dichotomy that I created. It's possible that I could re-read books on my Kindle, but there's just something so nice about going over to a bookshelf (or some boxes) and searching among my books for an older read. I wonder if re-reading Kindle books will fill me with the same sense of sentimentality. I should hope so. But my other issue is that I love re-reading specific scenes more than re-reading entire books, and searching for particular parts is much more difficult on an ereader.

Sharability

Right now this isn't too much of a concern because I don't have many people within proximity that I could share my books with. However, this is still a consideration for me, especially in terms of my family and boyfriend. Is this book something that I'd think they would also enjoy reading? If so, then I have to really think hard about purchasing an ebook, because I'm not going to let them borrow my Kindle and deprive me of access to all of my books. Owning an ebook definitely limits how stories can be shared.

Drawings/Maps

If drawings or maps are kind of essential to the book then I'm probably not going to want to purchase it for my black and white Kindle. I suppose this wouldn't be quite as much of an issue if I were to get a Kindle Fire or another color e-reader. But I still do think that digitizing images does change the way that we see them.

Price

From what I understand, buying an ebook from Amazon is very similar to buying music from iTunes - technically what you own is a license to read the material but that's it. As this article on ZDNet explains, "all that cash you have paid was simply to access these books on your Kindle. You have not paid to own the books." All we own via Kindle, Nook, iPads, or other ereaders is a license to the material, not the material itself. Now, I'd be okay with that if I found the book at a reasonable price. However, I think it's ridiculous to charge $9.99 or more for rights to a digital copy of a book when I can borrow the book from my library for free or buy the physical book for only a few dollars more. I want to make sure that the prices takes into account the limitations of owning an ebook.

And then the one thing that can cause me to ignore my self-imposed rules:

Amazon gift cards

Amazon gift cards are my downfall to all the rules I try to establish on buying ebooks. I use my Amazon gift cards less judiciously than I have in the past when I had concerns like shipping and handling. Right now I have a bunch of credit stocked up in my account, which allows me to download ebooks without affecting my bank account at all. If I didn't have the balance of these Amazon gift cards and was still spending "real" money on my ebooks, then there would be far less on my Kindle. I also spend many hours a month searching for reasonable ebook deals on Amazon.com.

  

In general, however, I tend to stick to these rules, and I can only hope that I continue to as the pressure to read and buy more increases the longer that I write on this blog. I am also a huge advocate for public libraries. They're exist to serve the print and digital media needs of their communities, they're free, and they're usually pretty easily accessible. If books don't fit my Kindle purchase criteria, then I am trying to request them from the library.

What things do you keep in mind for buying an ebook?

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1book140 Twitter Book Club

Has anyone heard about the Twitter book club organized by The Atlantic? It was just brought to my attention in class the other week and sounded really cool, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to share information about it on here.

 

The basic premise of 1book140 is to promote reading on a global scale, where all members need to participate is access to the monthly book and a twitter account.  

 

My understanding of the logistics: The community picks a general topic or author each month, and then all participants have the opportunity to nominate potential books. Of those nominations, a shortlist is created and then voted on. The current read for November is Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall (which I'm really interested in reading myself).

 

Right now I am learning how librarians and those tied to professions that promote literacy have to constantly look for new ways to make literacy accessible, affordable, and interesting to their patrons. There are book clubs hosted by different organizations, within friend groups, even within communities. But I love that not only would a twitter book club be generally accessible to most people, but it would be a way to learn about so many different societal/cultural perspectives. After all, aren't book clubs supposed to be about taking the personal experience of reading and then sharing your experiences with others and learning their thoughts as well?

 

More information can be found on The Atlantic's 1book140 page.

 

Have any more information to add? Has anyone participated in 1book140 before? I'd consider participating, if I was interested in the book selection and had the time. I tend to overwrite, so it would be a useful challenge to write thoughts within the 140 character limit constraints of twitter.

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Reading with a Sense of Immediacy: The First Person Present Tense

I remember a time in the not-too-distant past when coming across a book written in the present tense was like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Perhaps present tense stories weren't quite that rare, but they were definitely not a commonly used narrative technique. In the past few years, however, I've noticed an interesting trend as this narrative technique continues to grow and gain popularity. By stopping and thinking for a second, I'm sure that the majority of Young Adult fiction readers (and perhaps even many Adult fiction readers) can name at least one book off the top of their heads that uses the present tense as the narrative technique of choice.

I'll admit that it baffled me when I first started reading books written in present tense (generally first person) with increasing regularity. I need to first explain that I tend to prefer more formal writing styles. Third person limited and omniscient are my favorite narrative techniques, although I'm becoming more accustomed to first person. Obviously first person is better able to draw you into the protagonist's mind than third person is. But I've always been a fan of third person narratives for that reason – I like being more of an observer in the stories I read. I enjoy that bit of distance, the chance for the author to show readers the bigger picture, which gives me an easier time analyzing the book. I can understand why many people enjoy the first-person point of view, but it's not my personal preference. It's a little harder for me, however, to understand love of the present tense, which I’ve only seen in first person. For me it almost feels stifling. I have a harder time seeing the big picture (which I realize may be intentional on the part of the author). I sometimes find myself feeling overwhelmed by the fact that everything is happening right now.  

The increasing use of the present tense, specifically the first-person present tense has made me wonder about its origins. What about our current society has led to its prevalence and continued use? Is it possible that Suzanne Collins' incredibly popular The Hunger Games is partially responsible for this literary trend? After all, it was The Hunger Games that helped popularize the YA dystopian novel, and that is a fad that is still going strong. As stated in this New York Times Opinionator piece, “Staging the Self: ‘The Hunger Games,’” Stanley Fish believes that protagonist Katniss' adventures are appropriately told through the first-person present perspective:

 

"Of course, in Panem, everything is a staged event, given that everything is seen by a nation-wide audience. And yet, in the midst of a relentless theatricality — Katniss is continually being made up by cosmeticians — everyone is hungry for the genuine. That is why it is so important for Katniss to simulate it, to give the people what they want, and what they want is to believe that the simulated is the real.

"It is what we want, too. The present-tense narrative has the effect of creating the illusion of immediacy and as readers we fall in with the illusion, especially at those moments when the characters we are invested in engage in what feels like intimate conversation. But then the curtain is drawn back, and we realize what we had momentarily forgotten — that we are watching not reality, but a huge reality show, a pageant of bread and circuses, Panem et Circenses."

If we are to agree with Fish here, then Collins specifically chose this narrative technique to convey her story. In other words, she believes that having Katniss narrate in the first person present tense added another essential layer, one that was necessary for the story itself. His article continues to discuss the questions Collins raises about the self and reality, and clearly he believes Collins’ use of tense helps further those examinations.

In addition to this very successful YA trilogy using the first-person present tense, it should come as a surprise to no one that now, more than ever, we live in a society centered around instant gratification and immediacy. The independently organized TED event TEDxBrighton explores ideas of a Generation of Now, a generation that thrives on the sense of immediacy. What can give reading a better sense of immediacy than by creating a book in the present tense?

The first-person present tense definitely has the potential to fuel our society's desire for immediacy, since everything is happening now, without delay. The first-person present tense allows us to not only enter a protagonist's head, but the protagonist's life as he/she is actually living the events of the novel. In this respect, nothing beats the first-person present tense in terms of feeling real and raw, perhaps even giving us a stronger emotional identification. I think it's difficult to argue with the fact that the first-person present tense gives readers the most intimate way in which to experience a novel.

As with all changes to established norms, however, harsh criticism on this tense abounds. In an article written for The Guardian, Philip Pullman expresses his many issues with the use of this tense. One of Pullman’s dislikes about “the present-tense narrative is its limited range of expressiveness.” He argues that our languages are crafted with a variety of tenses, and that authors should be more varied in their tense use in books than simply the present tense. A more compelling argument of his is that by writing only about the immediate in a narrative, the author loses some authority and power over his own text. He claims that it is “an abdication of narrative responsibility.” A bit harsh, perhaps.

Pullman’s opinions built on those already proponed by author Philip Hensher. Hensher’s opinion in the Telegraph is actually in response to the 2010 Man Booker Prize shortlist which featured an equal amount of books written in past and present tenses. Not only does Hensher believe the present tense to be a fad, but also a “horrible cliché” that used to be used discriminately but has recently gained prevalence.  

Laura Miller delivers a different type of opinion piece for Salon.com by stating that "the present tense is only one among any number of crutches clung to by mediocre writers." In other words, Miller believes that the use of the tense by itself is not a problem as much as the writers who choose to work with this tense without knowing how to utilize it effectively. As I mentioned earlier, there are definitely books out there that have used the first-person present tense very well. But should the authors who manage to successfully utilize this narrative perspective provide a basis of justification for so many writers, both new and established, to write in this tense?

Although there are many reasons why the use of the simpler, immersive, and more vivid present-tense narration makes sense, this narrative technique is not without its flaws. If we were asked whether the use of the present tense signifies bad writing, I should hope that most people would undoubtedly say no. But does the use of the present tense come at the sacrifice of some other important storytelling aspects, and are those changes more extreme when using this tense? That is not something anyone can so easily answer.

In my opinion, I think that the cons outweigh the pros, especially now as it its use seems to be evolving from more experimental and deliberate actions on the authors’ parts to an increasingly common narrative tense. While I will not necessarily avoid reading books written in the present tense, I know that I, for one, will continue to critically examine how and why this tense was used since for now it is not part of the narrative norm. Once the present tense has a more established place among narrative techniques used in literature perhaps, I, too, will come to enjoy it. But for now I'd like to wait and see how it continues to be used.

What are your thoughts on the (first-person) present tense in books? Do you think it's simply a fad or a trend that will continue to gain strength in the literary marketplace, and is it one we as readers should encourage? Are there any books you've read that you believe utilize the present tense well?

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