classics

What are your reading goals for 2013?

With all the fesitivies and resolutions of the new year- you may have not been thinking too much about reading goals. But, now that we are a few days into the 2013 year- perhaps it’s time to begin considering some potential reading goals.

My reading goals for 2013:

– Read 115 books in the Goodreads Reading Challenge. for 2012- I challenged myself to originally 100- then I changed it to 110. I ended 2012 with 111 books read.

– Reading at least 13 cozies in the Cruisin Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013. 13 books will earn me the title of Super Sleuth. Currently, I’m on book 3 in the challenge. I’m anticipating reading some cozies that people have given me over the years that I had not read- as well as continuing with my favorite cozy authors.

– To read 1 or 2 classics- I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 2012. I anticipate reading another Jane Austen- and trying to decide on another classic.

– To read at least 5 books that have been sitting on my “to be read”shelf for some time. I buy books, people give books, books come in for review. And the new ones always catch my attention- so the ones that are on my shelf sit and patiently wait. I need to be more fair to them- it’s time for them to have some time in the spotlight.

– While it’s not a reading goal, exactly, I resolve to keep my Goodreads shelves updated and my real bookshelves organized and nice looking.

Fingers crossed that at the end of 2013- I’ll have met or exceeded my original goals.

Looking for more ideas for reading goals? She Reads has several! And they want to know “What are you reading goals for 2013”? Is it to read more of a particular author? Read the books on your TBR shelf? Try audio? Maybe e-books? Whatever your reading goal- it’s a worthy one- so drop back by and share!

Man VS Books Club (@MVBClub)- Interview

The Man VS Books Club (@MVBClub) is a group of people who LOVE to read. And they want men to read! The group is comprised of both men and women- and all share a love of the classics. I credit this group of people for encouraging me in reading of Pride and Prejudice, for encouraging me to try books outside my normal picks.

Thank you for taking time to answer some questions about reading tastes, the MVB Club, and #literaryconfessions!

 

Interview with MVB Club:

1.Why do you think women read more than men?

The consensus is that the literary market is more geared towards women instead of men. For example the top 3 best selling books were the 50 Shades of Grey book series which appealed more to a female audience,although I am sure that some men may have read them too. Moreover, I think some men find it less time consuming to read a newspaper or a magazine rather than to commit to a 500 plus page book. Lastly the probable thinking is why read a book when I can watch television, surf the internet, and/or play video games.

2.When the blog MVBClub was created- what were the expectations? Has it exceeded expectations?

The expectations were to encourage as many men to start reading books and to discover the joy you can get from doing so. The MVBClub blog has far exceeded our expectations. We have been receiving such positive feedback from men and women alike that we are thinking up more features to add to our blog in the near future.

3.When it comes to genre, are men just more of a non-fiction lover than women? Could this potentially have an effect on how much men read since fiction books are generally promoted more and easier to find than non-fiction?

I think Men like reading non-fiction and fiction just the same.  Whether they read the book will come down to whether the story synopsis piques their interest and if the book was written by an author that they read before.

4.Are current authors writing books today that are aimed at men or have authors decided to target the women as their audience for book sales?

I think that most authors are generally writing for the mass audience not just the male or female demographic. However, there are those authors such as Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts whose books tend to cater more to the female audience.

5.What is one (published in the last 10 years) book that men should not miss?

A tough one…there are so many wonderful books from this past decade that I could recommend…However I will say that the Hunger Games is a current must read. Hopefully men will continue to read the remaining two books in the trilogy. They won’t be disappointed.

6.MVBClub is a fan of the classics; but for some people, classics are overlooked. Name a few current author favorites for the group. Then name a classic book that will entice readers to give the classics a try.

Well Jane Austen is always current author for us. Her influence has been exhibited in two of the most popular books series on the literary market today most notably Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey book series’. We always suggest that a first time reader of Jane Austen should start with Pride & Prejudice. It is such an entertaining  read.

7.Does the MVBClub have any #literayconfessions?

Our Literary Confessions are: First: We love reading. Second:Reading and our mutual love of Jane Austen has brought us together as friends and collaborators on the ManVsBooksClub blog. Third: MVBC blog has allowed us to spread our message that Reading is Sexy.

For more information on the club or to follow their tweets- please visit at Manvsbooksclub.wordpress.com.  And on Twitter @MVBCLUB

Putting on my smart hat

I’m putting on my smart hat- I began reading Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice last night. Amazing how much smarter I feel by exposing myself to a different style of reading than I normally choose.

The writing style is different, but I’m enjoying it. Will I become a complete Austen fan- only time will tell; but the first few chapters have been enjoyable.

So, back to my title- while I’m not saying reading Jane Austen (or any classics) will make you smarter- what I am saying is this: Break free of the books you normally choose to read. Expose yourself to a different author, style, era. If you are just a fan of classics- consider newer books- while they may not have the charm of classics in language; they are still good books. If the books that are normally read are the newest ones, give a classic book a try. Put on your smart hat and experience a different viewpoint. The only thing you have to lose is the time you spent with the book- and that’s really never a loss.

What books do you read that make you feel like you have a “smart hat” on?

Literary Confessions…

I’m a huge fan of reading, but I have a confession: I’ve never read Jane Austen (or really any classics). I remember reading Tom Sawyer for school, which I enjoyed; but it was not an easy read at first. I also remember going home and telling my mom that the other kids in my class was getting the Cliff’s notes versions and why couldn’t I just do that because I had other books that were far more interesting to read than Tom Sawyer- which my mother told me that I’d do better on the test if I would just read the book (she was right- the questions were about more than the Cliff’s Notes version).

Back to the classics, though- I guess for me I’ve always equated the classics with a reader who is quite intellectual (think Ivy League- intellectual) and I felt not quite to that level of reading-skill.  I still have that view-point (to an extent), but I’m now more willing to explore some classics. I’m thinking Jane Austen will be a good place to start.

Now that I have about knocked the wind out of you from that confession- here’s another: I’ve never read The Great Gatsby (although seeing the previews for the movie has intrigued me). So I believe that I’ll be adding that to my list as well.

As you can tell from my 2 confessions, a book snob I am not. I don’t throw around the names of literary greats, I read what intrigues me because I want to read; not because of anything else. While I won’t call the books I read the equivalent of “reality- tv”, I’ll more liken them to great sitcoms, feel-good movies, and the like.

For me- reading is about good times and just letting the story go. I don’t usually try to figure out the bad person, I may make guesses as to where the story will head; but I’m not really trying- I just want to wrap myself in a cozy blanket and enjoy the characters.

Any literary confessions? Has everyone else read The Great Gatsby? Feel free to stop by with literary confessions- no judging on my blog!