Literary Friday ya’ll…

Friday, Friday- Literary Friday or #fridayreads or TGIF- however you want to look at it, we’re so close to the weekend- we can taste it!

My #fridayreads choice is A Teeny Bit of Trouble by Michael Lee West. I love Teeny as a character- she’s a great, fun character.

Deep South Magazine has an interview with Lynne Bryant posted- her book, Catfish Alley, made the Deep South Magazine 2011 Summer Reading list. Her next book, Alligator Lake, made the 2012 Reading List. Read the interview for an insightful look into her books and background.

The other day, I used the term literary crushes- Erin from Deep South Magazine and I had a bit of a tweet chat about the term and she thought it would be a great Literary Friday discussion. I agree! As I said before, my current literary crush is Peeta from The Hunger Games. I love how he’s protective of Katniss, love how he can be so selfless in his feelings toward her. A past literary crush was Joe Morrelli from Stephanie Plum series. I think a list will be forthcoming of literary crushes!

I pre-ordered Stacey Ballis Off the Menu yesterday- the book cover drew me in. I also pre-ordered the 6 installments of The Sweet Life by Francine Pascal. Nostalgia rocks!

Whether you enjoy some reading in the A/C this weekend, relaxing by the pool, or digging your toes in the sand- definitely do some reading! And report back on reading choices- what the good books are, the bad books, the books that are over-hyped, the books that are under-hyped. I’m curious to hear about all!

Happy Reading and Happy Literary Friday!

Social Media and Authors- good together?

I tweet like nobody’s business. I tweet about books, daily events, great restaurants, upcoming events- and a million more things. I tweet about TV shows, I tweet certain lines from books- I tweet! If I like you, like your book, show, event- I’ll tweet and spread the word (don’t get the wrong idea- if I don’t like you, I don’t sabotage- I’m just really kind to things I like!)

I’m not a writer, really, in any shape, form, or fashion. Tweeting was my blog (limited to 140 characters) before I decided to take the plunge and join the blog world. Blogging has been a fun way to write about different events and books that I’m loving, currently looking forward, or am re-reading.

I also enjoy posing a question for the people reading this- so today’s question is: Social Media and Authors- a good mix like peanut butter and chocolate or a terrible idea like dialing while intoxicated?

I’ve been thinking on it and I’ve got some ideas:

I think social media, for new authors, especially is probably a good idea- if used correctly. You should use it to connect to fans, to connect to would-be fans. Hosting a giveaway is never a bad idea (people LOVE free books). Hosting a giveaway where you’ll buy the book from the nearest independent bookseller is even better idea (Thanks, Hallie Sawyer!)

I think fans like to connect with authors they admire or enjoy their books.

The bad side of social media- as I’ve said, I’m in no way a “writer”. I also don’t work for a publishing house. Maybe it’s because I tweet about books a lot- but I get MANY follows from self-publishing authors- and while I respect that writing is hard, it’s some of those people that give pause to other authors trying to decide if and how to use social media to their advantage.

I’m curious to hear thoughts on this subject- and also do you think established authors should jump on social media train or is for the newly established and trying to get established?

Last thought on social media- you start following an author, see them tweeting with fans- so you try to interact and never hear any interaction from them? Chalk it up to their being exceptionally busy? Leave a bitter taste in your mouth? Would social media, in this instance, be harmful to the author (maybe you won’t recommend book to friends)?

Finally, a shout-out to 3 debut authors that I think are using social media to their advantage AND gaining fans/attention all along the way : Kimberly Brock The River Witch, Erika Marks Little Gale Gumbo, and Robin O’Bryant Ketchup is a Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves. Well done, ladies!

Thursday Tales

Tidbits for Thursday include the following:

1. I have decided my #fridayreads choice, but you’ll have to wait till Friday to find out.

2. I am beyond excited that Gone Girl is the next book club read. It’s a fascinating story and that’s about all I can reveal. I can’t even tell the accurate hashtag that a member of the book club has come up with for book on Twitter because it would ruin the book.

3. It’s pretty HOT today. Wishing I was enjoying a cool drink while flipping through a stack of books. Bonus points if I was back at #booktopiaMS

4. I think I need a job where I read and review books.

How much does a book cover factor in the buying process?

Picture this: Walking around your favorite book store. Strolling at your leisure, enjoying a cup of coffee, picking books up and reading the description. Here’s the question: What made you pick the book up? Book Cover? Familiarity of author? Rave reviews from other friends? Just a good feeling?

Looking back over my book collection- so many of them have book covers that are eye-catching or conversation starters. My Joanne Fluke books have book covers that make you want to eat them- brightly colored with pics of food- almost embossed- even like a 3-D effect (sort-of). I’ve picked some new books by Elin Hilderbrand and Dorothea Benton Frank- both of those have summer-y, beach atmospheres.

The River Witch by Kimberly Brock has a woman on the cover, you can’t see her face, though- and it almost appears part-magical, part spiritual- it’s a compelling cover. Michael Lee West’s covers are funny, eye-catching and have titles that roll off the tongue easily.

For me, a book cover probably does influence me- I love looking at books. Once I like the author, the familiarity of the name entices me. But, for a random book in a pile of books that I know nothing about- a book cover that intrigues me is the best way to get the book bought (bonus points if the title just rolls off your tongue in a good way!)

Is there any books that have totally been disappointing with fantastic covers? Let’s discuss!

Happy reading & good luck choosing books!

Meeting Erin Morgenstern The Night Circus

This was a meeting from back before I decided blogging would be something I’m interested in doing. But, since I consider it fair to shine a spotlight on all authors I meet, I’m writing it now!

Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus, has a book cover that is magical and mystical to me. Even though the genre is not my usual cup of tea- something kept drawing me to the book (full disclosure: I have not read the book yet- this is what happens when you buy books faster than you can read them), and I knew at some point I’d buy the book. It just happened to be a fortuitous chance that I was in town the same day she was in Oxford on a Sunday. Imagine my delight and my joyous cry of “Heck yeah!” when I passed by Square Books during a delightful visit with a friend. We immediately made plans to go to the signing the next day before I left town.

On Sunday, walking in Off Square Books- they had popcorn cooked and drinks for us to enjoy while Erin weaved a tale of magic as she talked. My favorite part of her reading was when she spoke of the room with the jars that when opened would make you feel like you were elsewhere. When the Q&A part happened, I asked Erin “Who would she like to play her characters if The Night Circus was made into a movie?” Her reply was ” that she was not sure; she was more interested in costumes and set design if the book is made into a movie one day.” After studying the cover and how detailed it is- I can see why she’s more interested in the costumes and set design.

Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus Book Signing

Check back one day (hopefully soon) for a review of The Night Circus!

Wednesday’s List…

Some days my head is just filled with all kinds of interesting things to talk and blog about- some days a list is about all I can come up with.

Here goes:

1. Pinterest is annoying me lately- I can’t seem to get my pins to show up on facebook. Bothering me!

2. I’m reading Sweet Valley Confidential- so far I’m liking it.

3. I like to use words in cute ways- so I have “literary crushes”- right now- Peeta is still my most favorite “literary crush”

4. I have less than a 100 pages left in The River Witch. It’s been a great story, thus far and I’m already jotting notes and getting ready for a blog post.

5. I tend to read 2 books at the same time- usually one humorous and one more serious. So they don’t overlap in my mind.

6. While I’m not a good cook, I think my collection of cook books is growing. I’m most happy with my newest addition- Miss Mississippi Cooks. It’s pretty, pink AND has a tiara on it- what more could a girl ask for?

7. On the being a non-good cook note, I have a recipe for shrimp and grits that I’m dying to try AND a chocolate pie. I’m looking for the perfect “let’s cook this right” music for my Ipod!

8. If you haven’t checked out Deep South Magazine’s Summer Reading List– seriously, you need to! Chock full of goodies!

9. Books on the Nightstand podcast recorded live at #BooktopiaMS (if you’re a Twitter fanatic- check out the hashtag- some of us were tweeting up a storm!)

10. Already looking forward to #fridayreads- I’ve got a pile of books that need to be read- narrowing down the choices now! Seriously, this is what happens when you love books so much- you have to start piling them up and deciding days ahead what book will get the honor of #fridayreads!

11. Speaking of #fridayreads- I think it should be Everyday Reads, but #fridayreads is much cuter.

The “Hype” of books- does it make you nervous?

The book is on everyone’s lips. EVERYONE is talking about this book, telling you that it’s a “must read” book. This book has taken the world by storm. Even people who are generally not readers are saying THIS is the book to read. Does this make you nervous?

I’ve been burned before- a book gets so over-hyped by everyone that I read it AND don’t like it. “It happens” is my general thought process- not every book you read is going to be a great one, or even an ok one.

I’ve even come in late on the “hype”- for example The Hunger Games- my brother was promoting the books months before I read them. Between the hype of the movie and him recommending them, i finally read them- and LOVED the trilogy. But other fans had been recommending the books and promoting a hype of the trilogy well before I joined the gang.

Sometimes the hype is worth it, sometimes it’s not.

So what do you do? Do you give in and read the book right then? Or wait till later on when people aren’t just talking about it so much? Is there a book that was completely “over-hyped” that you wish you could get the hours back? Or is there a book that you didn’t join the fan-club fast enough about?

Does social media have much to do with the hype? Or is it strictly word of mouth?

In a perfect book world….

In a perfect book world, people would just accept that there is many forms to a book now and be accepting to the other forms. Of course, we don’t live in that type of world- we live in a place where the news of “e-readers” stir up some people’s fear of the “real” book leaving. While I cannot see in the future, I just don’t believe that it’ll happen.

However, I am growing weary of the thought process against Kindle or other e-readers- but before you want to argue; let me further explain. I live in a small town- super, itty-bitty, basically a dot on the map town. The nearest independent book store is 40 miles away. The nearest national chain is 75 miles away. The library, when I go to ask and check out books, half of the time they do not even have the book, never even heard of the book. Checking books out on inter-library loan is one of Dante’s 7 circles of hell things. I made do as much as I could- I bought mass-market paperbacks from Walmart, I loaded up on books when I went to book-stores; but still I hungered for more books. In came Amazon- with a simple point, click and buy- books were coming to my doorstep. Then came the day when I began to realize that if I bought physical books the rest of my life- one day I’d literally be the old lady who lived in a bookshelf. Then came the Kindle. I fought it at first, I did not want it, I was unsure about it- but my brother bought it for me. Slowly, but surely, I started liking it- actually enjoying it. It holds a charge for about a month. It holds hundreds of books, it’s light-weight, it’s font can be adjusted- it’s got many things about it that I really like. What I like the most, though, is the instant gratification of having a book in my hand.

For a girl who used to have to plan a way to get her books, the Kindle is a stroke of genius.

However, it’s not for everyone. And it’s not for me exclusively- I’ll probably always have a foot in both physical & e-reader world. I like having that choice, it gives me options. And for a girl who used to have little options- that is a delicious feeling.

In Praise of the “Cozy”

According to Wikipedia a “cozy” is this: A Cozy is a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community. Or as my brother calls them: Books about women who are coffee-shop owners, bakers, or flower shop owners who solve mysteries.

A cozy is not high-literary reading; it’s not a book with a title that you throw around in conversation to impress book-friends (or book-snobs). A cozy is not a type of book that will generally take the world by storm (Think Twilight, The Hunger Games, Fifty Shades of Grey, Harry Potter, etc).

However, a cozy is still good reading. I like that the books have a small community, a good cast of characters, and are generally likeable. I like that reading a cozy is like visiting with old friends. Curling up on the couch, with a cup of hot chocolate and a cozy is my ideal way to spend a lazy day with nothing to do.

If a cozy book sounds good to you, look over this list of “cozies”- maybe you’ll find something to read!

1. Joanne Fluke– Hannah Swensen Series

2. Denise Swanson– Scumble River Mysteries

3. Kate Collins– Flower Shop Mysteries

4. Ellen Byerrum– A Crime of Fashion Series

5. Cleo Coyle– Coffeehouse Mysteries

6. Diane Mott Davidson– Goldy Schulz Mysteries

These are just a few of the cozy books I enjoy- there are many more. You don’t have to begin the books from the beginning of series, either (although I highly recommend beginning the Hannah Swensen from the beginning- as the last few have not been as good as the first several, in my opinion.)

Reading, no matter what the form, whether it’s cozy, mystery/suspense, fiction, or many other genres- Reading is cool. Reading makes you part of a special group of people. Reading is a pleasure and one a person should enjoy as often as possible.

Happy Reading!

Friday Reads ya’ll…..

It’s Friday- so I’m going to jump on the #fridayreads bandwagon!

If you like a little Southern Lit (#southernlit)- be sure and look at Deep South Magazine‘s Literary Friday page- sometimes an interview with an author, sometimes just random literary facts; but always a guaranteed good place to check out.

Currently my Friday reads consists of The River Witch by Kimberly Brock and Alex Cross’s Trial by James Patterson. The River Witch is magical, reminding us that while we may be broken- somewhere in us and somewhere in the world is a place to heal. Roslyn is a character that will haunt me (in a good way!) for sometime. Final thoughts and a full review of book will be forthcoming.

Alex Cross’s Trial– chosen by a member of the book club I’m in- is interesting. It’s not like the typical Alex Cross books I’ve read lately, though.

Other books I look forward to putting on my Friday Reads list soon: The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. by Nichole Bernier and Sea Change by Karen White (also a book on Deep South Magazine Summer Reading List 2012).

If you will be near Lemuria Books in Jackson, MS on July 13- stop by for a Karen White book signing- begins at 5pm. And if you are reading Kimberly Brock’s The River Witch and will be in Greenwood, MS on August 14 or Tupelo, MS on August 16- stop in Turnrow Books (Greenwood) or Reed’s Gum Tree Books (Tupelo) for a book signing AND to hear the Anna Kline and the Grits and Soul Band. Both appear to be fun events!