Monday Musings

16 Jan 2012 1 Comment

Book Obsession: I’m A Bookaholic…Are You?

Are you obsessed with books? Are you unable to leave the bookstore without a heaping bag full of lovely new books? Are you obsessed with the organization of your overflowing collection?

Yes! Yes! Yes! and OMG Yes!

ob·ses·sion

  1. the domination of one’s thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc.
  2. the idea, image, desire, feeling, etc., itself.
  3. the state of being obsessed.
  4. the act of obsessing.

Okay, so I definitely have an obsession. Oh great! You do too. It’s nice to know we’re not alone. How do we control this obsession? Maybe the better question is, do we want to?

I’m not sure I want to. (Excuse me while I pout like a spoiled little kid) Anyhoo, I love the heck out of my books and I’m crazy about not bending or tearing their gorgeous jackets. I mean they are artwork after all. I refuse to buy them when they are less than perfect. I HATE those horrible marks that used bookstores put on the books. It just makes them ugly, or at least less appealing.

I can’t possibly be alone with this one but if I am, I’m perfectly okay with it. I can’t stand the cracked, twisted and broken-down spines of used paperbacks. For one I know how it happens and I die a little inside knowing that a book has been violated. Maybe its extreme or it could be the librarian personality escaping. Who knows? It’s just amazing that I can read a paperback and the spine look just as it did when I began reading.

Another insane part of my obsession is organization. YEP! I organize my shelves by authors’ last name and then by title. I can tell my hubby or friend exactly where a certain book is on my shelf. Which reminds me, I need more shelves really soon. LOL

The final thing is buying books. I’m almost a lost cause with this one as I can’t say NO. My hubby knows I could easily spend my entire paycheck buying books if he wasn’t there to stop me…er…reason with me. So I honestly can’t stop without a support group. But in the past few months I have only purchased 3 books. You heard me right. Only 3. How? I have avoided the bookstore like the plague and the hubby (the sweetheart he is) stayed close and we made it a quick in and out trip. It felt good and horrible at the same time. But its an improvement from past trips when I got totally carried away.

Am I obsessed? Yes. Do I need to be cured? Possibly. Do I want to be cured? Not at all.

How do you handle your book obsession?

by Jennifer in Features, Monday Musings Tags: ,

08 Jan 2012 1 Comment

Monday Musings: Paranormal Cover Love

There’s no better way to start the week than with awesome paranormal covers to make any book-lover swoon. For some reason, I haven’t heard of a single one of these intriguing reads but I do have a few books by these authors patiently waiting their turn in the reading pile. All That Bleeds will definitely make my must-buy list since it’s the first in a new series. WOOT! I just can’t resist a fresh new series, can you?

The Bitter Seed of Magic by Suzanne McLeod
Spellcrackers Series #3

With the touch of her palms to the skin of a crime victim, San Francisco tattoo artist Etaín can see the faces of the guilty and draw them. Changeling elf but unaware of it, at odds with her police captain father and FBI agent brother, magic and gift have put her in the path of two compelling men.

Cathal Dunne, the son of an Irish mob boss, needs Etaín’s help finding the rapists who left his cousin for dead. Eamon, a powerful elf lord, is determined to make her his consort-wife.

Her gift once made permanence impossible when it came to a lover. Now, as she approaches the transition to fully Elven, her survival depends on keeping two. One of the men is willing to share her. The other isn’t—until the search for a sexual predator turns deadly, and only by paying magic’s price will there be any future at all.

The Departed by Shiloh Walker

A LIFELONG OBSESSION
FBI Special Agent Taylor Jones has made it his mission to save those in harm’s way by any means necessary—including employing psychic agents like Desiree “Dez” Lincoln, who can communicate with the disembodied spirits of the dead. Taylor is haunted by his own ghost, his kid sister, gone missing at age six. For a quarter of a century he has been tortured by her loss and the mystery of her disappearance.

A NIGHT’S INDISCRETION
When Dez is seriously wounded, Taylor can no longer hide his feelings for her. Getting involved could spell disaster for both of them—not to mention those who rely on them for help—but once Dez lays her hands on him, he can’t resist the fierce attraction. But after giving in to his desires, Taylor pulls back, and Dez strikes out on her own.

AN INESCAPABLE PASSION
Responding to the call of another anguished spirit, Dez is led to Taylor’s old hometown. As the two are forced to come together to save a girl in peril, Dez may be able to help Taylor finally find the answers he’s been looking for.

All That Bleeds by Kimberly Frost
Etherlin Series #1

They should never have met.

In a glittering community in the Colorado Rockies called the Etherlin, the descendants of the ancient muses live behind a wall that separates them from the dangerous creatures that crave them.

Alissa North is inspiration made flesh, so she should never have met Merrick, a deadly half-vampire enforcer, but when they do meet, the connection is instantaneous, and an illicit flirtation is born. He sends her secret gifts. She writes him secret letters.

The long-distance friendship was never supposed to go any farther. But when she is kidnapped and thrown briefly into his world, everything changes. Now Alissa realizes he’s the only person she can trust, and Merrick finds he’ll do anything to protect her, even risk his life by crossing the wall.

As both worlds close in on them, Alissa knows that getting caught with Merrick could cost her everything she’s ever cared about, but giving him up proves harder than she ever imagined.

______________________

Aren’t the covers awesome? I love the eery mysteriousness of them all. The Bitter Seed of Magic is kind of dark but I love it. Maybe it’s the creepy old crows lingering in the background. Who knows? LOL Walker’s The Departed has a very similar feel to The Missing but I still love the simplicity of her covers. And the guy’s HOT so that definitely helps. The cover for All That Bleeds is cute. Vampires and muses could make for an exciting read, don’t you think?

What do you think about the covers? Are they a hit or a miss for you?

by Jennifer in Features, Monday Musings Tags: , , , , , , ,

12 Dec 2011 6 Comments

Monday Musings: Step Up To A 2012 Reading Challenge

As 2011 quickly comes to an end we slowly begin to welcome the new bookish year with reading challenges galore for 2012. Last year I attempted several and failed in an epic way. I managed to keep one challenge going the entire year on Goodreads though. Hooray!

What reading challenge(s) are you stepping up to in 2012?

This year I’m keeping it simple and sticking to one challenge the DAC (Debut Author Challenge) at The Story Siren. I’m going with the DAC because I totally love finding new authors to stalk and the excitement of diving into a novel with a new voice is a win-win for me.

Here’s a quick reference list of some of the reading challenges I’ve run across this week and a linky to the sign up page for each one.

 

Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren — Sign up here.

Cozy Mystery Reading Challenge hosted by Debbie’s Book Blog — Sign up here.

YA Contemporary Reading Challenge hosted by Katie’s Book Blog and Reading Angel — Sign up here.

eBook Reading Challenge hosted by Workaday Reads — Sign up here.

Classic Double Challenge hosted by One Librarian’s Book Review — Sign up here.

Harry Potter Reading Challenge hosted by The Reading Fever — Sign up here.

The Dusty Bookshelf Challenge hosted by Books: a true story — Sign up here.

Dean Koontz Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Garden — Sign up here.

Mount TBR Reading Challenge hosted by My Reader’s Block — Sign up here.

50 States Reading Challenge hosted by Book Obsessed — Sign up here.

Men In Uniform Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen — Sign up here.

Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen — Sign up here.

Young Adult Reading Challenge hosted by Bumps in the Road — Sign up here.

YA Mythology Challenge hosted by For Those About to Read — Sign up here.

YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Cellar — Sign up here.

Standalone Reading Challenge hosted by Icey Books and I Like These Books — Sign up here.

YA Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by YA Bliss — Sign up here.

Dusty Volumes Reading Challenge hosted by Midnyte Reader — Sign up here.

 

Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge hosted by Reading with Tequila — Sign up here.

I’m sure that there are more challenge lingering around the blogosphere but this is a great start. If you’d like to add one to the list leave the info in the comment section. :)

by Jennifer in Features, Monday Musings

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