Saturday Discussions: Do you re-buy books?

So it seems like a trend nowadays for series to get a cover change at least once before it is finished. While I think this is really annoying, sometimes it can be for the best. For instance, Shatter Me went from this:

Girl in a white dress with a glittery starburst in the background that has nothing to do with the book.

It was changed to:

Interesting, stange, arresting and completely unique much like the writing style underneath it.

This was such a good move, I can't even describe my happiness.

However, sometimes we get things like Across the Universe by Beth Revis. I love this series but three cover changes? One for EACH new book that was released? That's just craziness and sadly, I think they got worse.

First cover:

This cover is gorgeous and arresting and out of this world beautiful.

Second set:

This set is okay. I basically like that A Million Suns could sort of match the first cover from Across the Universe.

Third set:

Sorry, I fell asleep. I mean, really? You go from the first gorgeous cover to that? No freaking way.

So with all these cover changes, I want to know if you re-buy your books so you can have a matching set.

For me, it used to matter a lot. I used to have to re-buy the book so my set could look beautiful on my bookshelf. It just made sense to me. But as cover changes kept getting more and more ridiculous, I started hesitating. Now, I'll only re-buy books if I really like the new covers.

However, I feel like most cover changes hurt the books rather than help them because the covers never live up to the first one and I don't even want them on my shelf.

What about you, do you re-buy?

And to end this, here's a list of series made worse with cover changes:

• Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer
• Across the Universe series by Beth Revis
• Fury series by Elizabeth Miles
• Anna and the French Kiss (series) by Stephanie Perkins

Saturday Discussion: YA vs. NA

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the difference between Young Adult (YA) and New Adult (NA) because I've started a manuscript that could work as either. So I've been asking myself what the central differences are and I thought it might make a good discussion this week.

So what are the differences between YA and NA?

For me, it all boils down to the central question of the book.

YA is all about discovering who you want to become.

NA is discovering how the person you've decided you want to be fits into the world.

lunamense

All the YA I books I can think of have the character come to some realization near the end of the novel that allows them to discover who they are. They learn something about themselves.

In The Hunger Games, Katniss does anything to protect herself for most of the novel but when she is forced to kill Peeta to win, she decides they will both kill themselves rather than be forced to kill each other. She learns that she cares for him and that shapes the rest of the series.

In Shatter Me, Juliette feels like she deserves to be locked up because her touch can kill but when she realizes she can't hurt Adam, she decides to see herself differently which allows her to fight for her life.

In If I Stay, Mia isn't sure whether she should let go and die when her entire family dies, but through listening how her friends and family see her, she decides to stay.

All of these stories allow the characters to see themselves in a different light which allows them to become who they are. They discover the type of people they want to become and prove it by actively becoming these people in the end.

iNeedChemicalX

I feel like New Adult takes this idea and explores what happens after. How can new Katniss live in the world when she's allowed herself to have more attachments than just her immediate family? How can Juliette learn to live with her power now that she's decided to fight for her life? Now that Mia sees herself as the people she loves does and gets a second shot of life, how is she going to use it?

In YA, the characters recieve the means to grow up. They find the path they want to take. I think NA explores them going down that path. It tests the people they discovered and sometimes it changes them.

I've been holding off my judgement on this emerging category because I wasn't sure it would last but I've decided I don't care. I love that authors are writing stories for the scary time between transitioning from living at home with minimal responsibility to living on your own with all of it. Because let's face it, doing laundry for the first time is damn scary and we need to know about that too.

So what do you think? That are the differences between YA and NA?

Saturday Discussions: Do You Read When You Are Sick?

So this week has been shot for me because I've been recovering from the cold that has seemed to take everyone. It has left no person I know untouched. But since I've been sick, I haven't even cracked open a book. When I'm sick, even just a little, the idea of concentrating on words makes me feel even worse. I'm not sure if I'm worried I'll get a headache or make myself too tired but I can never convince myself to try.

So I want to know if you read when you are sick and if so, any tips?

I guess I could try audiobooks. When I'm sick I like to hear people talk or watch t.v. or listen to music but I don't like to focus very hard. Wonder if audio books would work for me.

Please sound off!

Saturday Discussions: Do you go for the sweet or heat?

I posed a question on Twitter yesterday and I thought it might be fun to get as many responses as possible. So let's get on with it. My question is when you are reading, what type of kissing scenes do you prefer?

Are you all about the sweet? The googly eyes, the slow moment before the kiss actually hits and you know it's about to happen, the sweet moment when that kiss changes both characters?

Or are you all about the heat? The frantic touching, the need to be closer, ever closer, the rolling around on the ground, can't-wait-to-rip-your-shirt off, tongue and exploration type of kiss that leaves you breathless.

When I asked on Twitter, I got 5 responses. Two people were all sweet, two were all heat and one loved them both.

For me, I think I like sweet kisses better. I like when the characters have a little bit of trouble finding their rhythm, when it is slow and oh so sweet. When the kiss is slow enough that the character can really understand what it is doing to them. I love when best friends fall for each other. I think those are the relationships that really make me smile and genuinely start with a really sweet kiss.

Don't get me wrong, I love it when they kiss again and it is a lot hotter too but I think first kisses are always better when they are sweet and the character learns something about the person they are kissing and about themselves.

What about you? Are you all about the sweet or heat? And can you think of any good examples for both? I could only think of a few.

For sweet:

• Rachel and Logan in the lake in Defiance by C.J. Redwine

For heat:

• Mara and Noah on the beach in The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• Adam and Juliette in the shower in Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I'm looking forward to your thoughts and suggestions!

Saturday Discussion: How do you review?

This week I want to talk how you review books. After doing it for almost three years now (holy cow!), my review methods have definitely changed and I wanted to take you into my process and would love to learn about yours.

DawnFire84

When I'm reading:
I used to read and pray I'd remember my favorite spots in the book but as I kept reviewing, I got a little smarter about the whole thing. Now I have little post-its on my bookmark and as I read and find a sentence I like, I pull the sticky tab off and stick it to anything that catches my eye. That way I can mark my favorite lines!

I also make sure to read the book all the way through and try not to make up my mind until I've read ever single word.



~MissUnfortunate

 After I've read:
The most important thing for me to do after I shut a book is to wait a few days. I need some time to form an opinion about the book. My gut reaction is good but sometimes as the story settles with me, I end up drawing new conclusions I hadn't been able to see before.

After a couple of days, I go to write my review.

While writing:
When I form my review, I make sure I have all the info on the top. Over the years I've added my opinion on the cover and I always include the first line since that usually sells me on a book I'm purchasing. Then I dive into the meat of the review. I like to start with a "catch-y" first paragraph that summarizes my feelings on the book in two or three sentences in case people just want a snap shot of what I thought about the book.

After, I write about my opinions of the characters, the plot and the writing. If I have anything negative to say, I add it at the very end. But if I didn't like something, I try to be respectful about why I didn't like it and I was state that it is only my opinion and others might havr a different opinion. After that paragraph, I do another paragraph that summarizes my thoughts and all the points I made in the meat of my review and add the rating.

I always make sure to add my favorite lines and check to see if they have a book trailer.

The result:
I end up doing pretty long reviews. I like to dissect characters and my reactions to the novel in depth because it helps me understand what I like about novels and what I don't. I know long reviews are harder to read. I even did a poll and most said they prefer four paragraphs for reading reviews but I just can't make them that short.

So that's my process for reviewing. It isn't the "only" way to do it but it is working for me.

I'd love for you to take me through your review process! Do you do anything different? Anything I do that you might steal or do the same as me?

Saturday Discussions: Novella Editions for Published Books

Lately I've been seeing a trend everywhere. It's so popular in fact, that Harper Teen created it's own house for these ebooks. And the trend is for authors to release short stories based on their novels that are already out. Off the top of my head I can think of Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi, Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi, A Dance with Darkness by Courtney Allison Moulton and Radiant by Cynthia Hand but there are many more of them.

While I love that we get more story, I'm still not sure how I feel about this new trend. How about you?

See for me there are some major pros:

• We get more time in the world we love
• We get back story
• We get novellas in other character's perspectives
• It gives us a little something to snack on while we wait for the next book to be released

All of these are really awesome points. But I remember a day not so long ago when these bonuses were earned by the fans for promoting a book or RTing a tweet. These were offered as a reward.

Onto the cons:

• We have to pay for them (not as much as a full novel and it isn't really terrible but it is extra money out of our pocket)
• Readers might feel obligated to fit yet more to their TBR piles
• I wonder if it is necessary?

As I writer, I can totally understand writing a scene from another character's perspective. It offers us insight into why others characters are going to act the way they do. It forces us to think outside the main character's head. I've done this a lot but I don't know if I'd feel right charging for it. I guess if people want to read it then it's worth releasing. Also, I doubt many writers have a say as to if it's going to be free content or charged for since they sell the rights to the work when they enter into an agreement with their publisher. So to be clear, I'm not angry with these writers at all. I'm just pointing out that it does cost us more money if we need a fix.

My biggest concern about these books is that it puts us as readers under more of a time constraint. My TBR pile is already awful and now I'm adding even more because I feel like I have to read the novellas before I feel like I can dive into the next book of my favorite series.

Also, say I happen to really like a story? Well currently these novellas are only offered as ebooks so there is no way I can snatch a copy and add it to my shelf. Heck, these things are half the reason I wanted an e-reader in the first place.

Basically, I can see the appeal of these novellas and I do really like them but I can also see some of the cons too. What do you think? Are you for novellas or no?

Saturday Discussions: How Often Do You Read?

So this week I want to talk about how often you read. Lately, with the holidays and editing my own novel and work and people actually wanting to see me and stuff, I haven't had as much time to read. It got me thinking about my reading habits and I thought I'd share them with you.

First off, I really do prefer to read in complete quiet. I'll read at work sometimes but it is often so loud there with the t.v., my partner talking and the radio going that it is hard to concentrate. Some quiet music in the background is okay but my favorite is silence.

I'm not a snacker because I'm funny with my books. I like them to stay clean and don't want to run the risk of orange Cheeto dust coating the pages. I do like a soda or water by my side though.

I can read anywhere but I think I enjoy reading the most at night in my bed after a long day. Nothing beats getting all comfy and snug in my covers after a hot shower with a book. Favorite thing ever!

But the truth is that I don't get to do this as often as I'd like anymore even though I love it.

Some days I'm just too tired to read at the end of the night and opt for television. Sometimes I don't want to get so absorbed in a book that I have trouble sleeping.

I used to read every single day without fail two years ago but I found that I lost time with my friends and family that way.

Now I seem to read about five nights a week but the amount varies a lot. Some nights I'll finish 100 pages and other nights it will only be a chapter or two. Since I started getting serious about this current WIP, I like to reward myself for working hard by reading. It's my prize!

I think ideally for me about five days a week is good for about an hour a day. I'm a slow reader so that means several days for a normal size book (and about a week for a honker like Beautiful Creatures) but then it feels like a treat. Like reading is special. And that is what I love.

So what about you? Do you have any preferences for reading and how often do you read?

Saturday Discussions: E-Books

This week I want to talk about e-books. For Christmas, I am getting a Nook which will open up my world to e-books. My biggest problem is that I'm not sure I'm ready to dive into that world.

I've been avoiding e-books since their creation because I love the feeling of a book in my hands and seeing the progress as I turn each page. Books make me happy. Sure, having all my books in one tiny machine is a cool concept but what would happen to my beautiful bookshelves? How would I be able to see all the spines?

And as an aspiring author, I don't want to see the novel I'm slaving over go from the screen on my computer to the screen of an e-reader. I want a print and paper copy in my hands.

So why am I getting an e-reader?

My reasoning is mostly to get novellas and open myself up to e-ARCs. I think e-readers are a cool concept but they will never replace the wegiht of an actual book.

Here's what I wish would happen:

I wish that if I went to the store and bought Latest Awesome Book that said awaesome book would have a code in the back. If I typed the code into my Nook, I'd get an e-copy and some extras (if available) on my Nook for free. Or maybe that books would charge two dollars more for the e-code and that would open the e-book up to the people that spent money on the hardcopy of the novel. 

Basically, I will always be a books first advocate that happens to own a Nook for extras (I gotta get me Destroy Me after all) but owning a Nook won't change my mind about how I love to read.

What about you? How do you feel about e-readers?

Saturday Discussions: Book Trailers

Heck yeah, I'm bringing Saturday Discussions back because I missed it! So every Saturday, I'm going to proposing a topic and we are going to chat. Now with the reply feature, this will be even better than before.

So this week, I want to talk about book trailers. So my discussion question is:

Do book trailers sell books?

When I first heard about book trailers I thought it was kind of odd but the more I thougut about it, the more I realized that it was actually a natural progression of the times. I mean, why not have a trailer to give the reader a sneak peek at what they are getting themselves into? And if they are done right, they can really be effective.

Here's a list of some of the ones that I think are done exceptionally well:

From Bad to Cursed

I think From Bad to Cursed does this trailer well because it's a sneak peek that is just creepy enough to let my know what I'm getting myself into. It helps that it has a professional actress for the role though because it is acted wonderfully too.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Mara Dyer doesn't really give us much in terms of plot but it's a great trailer to amp you up to read the book. The flashes of scenes with the great song behind it make me want to find out more about the book.

Carnival of Souls

This one sort of isn't fair because they went to a beautiful, foreign location, hired actors and a stunt choreographer and have elaborate costumes but by george, I love it! It gets all the elements right and made me crave for this one to be out.

The Diviners

Holy creepy Batman! The 1920's clothes plus the super creepy song in the background sell this one for me all the way.


Another amazing trailer is Eve by Anna Carey. I love how beautiful the scenery is and it makes me super excited about the novel!
My biggest thing is I'm not really into trailers that just have pictures and words, especially when they are the same words that I can find on the back of the book. I feel like those trailers just aren't doing anything but making the words hard to read by flashing them across the screen when all I need to do is pick up the book and read them.

I'm more into the trailers that try to act out a scenes. Even if they happen to be kind of corny, at least they are trying to do something.

But do book trailers sell me books? I'm going to say, not really. What they can do is get me more excited about a title but a book trailer has never changed my mind about what I will and won't read yet. However, a bad trailer won't keep me from reading a book I'm already excited about. So my final verdict on book trailers are they can be loads of fun and can't hurt anything so keep them coming!

An interesting fact about me: after every book I read, I search for the book trailer on Youtube and end up watching it after finishing the book. It's backwards but you have no idea how giddy I am watching the suckers!

What about you? Have you ever bought a book based on a book trailer? What are some of you favorites?

Saturday Discussions: Siblings In YA

This week I've been thinking about the usage of siblings in YA. Usually one of my favorite aspects in a story is seeing the character's family life because I feel like it tells me a lot about them. How they interact with their parents is important but I find that how main character's act with their siblings tells a lot more.

A trend I've found in YA is for single child main characters. A lot of the YAs I read don't seem to have brothers or sisters to hang out with and that makes me sad. As a writer I understand why. After all, to add siblings means that you have create more characters and give them distinct personalities. Plus, you have to have more dialog and the parents have more kids to worry about than just the MC. But I think sibling relationships can really make a book stand out.

Here are some of my favorite YA siblings:

Alexis and Kasey in Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender- This series is just great anyways but one of my favorite parts about it was Alexis and Kasey's relationship. Even though Kasey is older (she is either in 8th or 9th grade...I think 8th), she still acts like a child and it is Alexis who is forced to take care of her. Their parents are both super busy and can't seem to find the time. That means that what Kasey wants, Kasey gets. Though Alexis gets annoyed with her sister when Kasey needs her, Alexis will do anything to make sure she is there. I loved that in the next book, the role was reversed a little and we saw Kasey take care of Alexis at times.

Katniss and Prim in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- Anyone who has seen or especially read The Hunger Games knows that Katniss is more than a little rough around the edges. The only thing that brings out her softer side, and coincidentally forced her to be so tough too, is her little sister Prim. Katniss will do anything for her, including volunteering for a game where contestants fight to the death in her sister's place. Prim mad Katniss likable because we saw Katniss's softer side with her. I also loved how independent and strong Prim became by the end of the series. She ended up being one of my favorite characters.

Vee and Mattie from Slide by Jill Hathaway- This is another pair of sisters that have a very strong bond even if they do drive each other crazy. Mattie can't stand Vee's outsider ways and Vee is pretty annoyed at how shallow Mattie can be. But they can push that aside when they need each other and Mattie definitely needs Vee in this novel. Mattie's close friend commits suicide (Though Vee knows the truth) and Mattie blames herself partly for being cruel to her sometimes. Vee was always there to wipe away a tear or just sit next to Mattie through her grief. I loved how these sisters bonded together to get through anything!

The Cullen clan from Twilight by Stephenie Meyer- True, these folks aren't actually siblings but they've been living so long together that they might as well be. They rely on each other like a family and think of each other as family which makes them as good as in my book. I think if you ask any fan of the series (or maybe even some people who aren't) they'll tell you the most interesting aspect of the book was The Cullens. I loved getting to know their back stories and how they relate to each other on a day to day bases. It was funny watching them play baseball, seeing how Alice and Edward understand each other and work together and how Carlisle manages to hold them all together. Even my hubby (who hates the books) will tell you he did enjoy the parts with The Cullens,

The Weasley family from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowlings- Here too is a very poorly kept secret. Did not everyone love to explore The Burrow with Harry when they first arrive there? Did you also not feel safe there like nothing bad could happen. The Weasley family dynamic truly does make the Potter world even more magical. It just feels so perfect having the twin older brothers who are mischievous, Ron who is a little bit clumsy and constantly searching for a little bit of attention (which he finds in befriending Harry) and the tomboy girl at the bottom of the pack of brothers. We don't really get to know the older brothers very well but we get a great sense of them in the house and hear about them enough. I loved these siblings. You can't help but smile when you know several of these gingers are in the room. And think of the family reunions!

There are several other siblings I could add to this list but even as I turned around to check out my shelf for ideas, I saw an overwhelming number of single children in the books. Heck, even the Weasleys and Cullens aren't main characters though they are integral parts of the story so I felt like I could add them. So I say, add more siblings!

One type of sibling that I really saw none of is the protective big brother. And you know what, I want more of him! See, I love it when brothers get all worried about who their little sister is dating. I just happen to think it's really cute and I can't think of a story recently that has had a big brother to watch out for the main character. So many paranormal stories would be great with the added protective big brother who doesn't trust the paranormal guy. That job usually goes to the guy best friend with the crush but why not replace him with a good friend in a brother?

So my only example of this is a great one:

Mara and Daniel from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin- Though Mara has a funny younger brother too, I loved the dynamic between her and Daniel. Daniel is sort of nerdy but in an endearing way and you could tell he really cared about the welfare of Mara. On their rides to school, Mara would actually talk to Daniel which was nice to see. They were friends. That's not to say that they didn't fight. Mara had a lot going on and sometimes Daniel found it necessary to betray her trust but he always tried to make up for it and look out for her best interests. Heck, he even pushed Noah to continue trying for Mara and told Mara he thought she should give Noah a chance even knowing Noah's reputation. For me, this strong caring older brother bond they had going on was one of the highlights of this novel.

So what about you guys? Can you think of any awesome sibling relationships that I missed? And what type of relationships would you like to see more of?

Saturday Discussions: Cursing in YA

I have a feeling that I am going to have a very different perspective on this topic because I have a different perspective on cursing anyway. I'm one of those people who believes that words are just words. While the curse word might have a negative connotation that doesn't necessarily make it bad but that depends on said connotation. I don't say or approve of words that are offensive to race or sex but everything else is sort of free game for me. I don't really care if someone is saying that they or someone else are the spawn of a female dog or poop by another form. It just doesn't offend me because I believe that a word only has as much power as we put in to it. If you are calling me a name and I don't put that much into it then you are going to eventually wear yourself out and go cry alone in your corner.

So now that I've proclaimed that, you can imagine that cursing in YA doesn't really bother me. The fact of the matter is, when I was in 9th grade I had the "foulest" mouth around. Seriously, sailors would blush at the things that came out of my mouth. As I grew older, I sort of grew out of that phase but it doesn't mean it didn't happen. So for me, teens cursing is just sort of natural because most people do it. I don't mind a character that doesn't because it is against their religion or they're scared what they're parents will say. But I think whether or not the characters curse is just another piece of information like whether or not they like breakfast for dinner.

This is not  to say that I would get into a book where there is a curse word flung around all the time just to be there. Frankly, most people don't talk that way anyway so I don't care to read it. If it's done for shock value, I definitely don't like it. But if it feels right and like it isn't being forced, then why shouldn't they curse? Especially if it is a character who would. The best example I can think of off the top of my head is Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton. Ari was raised by two bounty hunters and is an expert at finding and disabling people. Of course she is going to hear cursing on those adventures with her parents and her own adventures and it is going to effect the way she speaks. So I believe that she would curse a lot.

However, like with sex, I feel like there needs to be some kind of warning label for books that curse a lot, a lot. I'm not talking about a "bloody hell" here or there after a major battle and the characters have nearly escaped. I'm talking about the characters that curse for whatever reason a lot. But then again, if you do this then people would have to define "a lot" which would get sticky so maybe I'm not for that label. I guess that is undecided for me because I can see it both ways. Authors and teens don't want to feel stifled by some label but I also think it's fair that parents know what their kids are reading. I guess that like I said last week, it'd be good if the teen section was split into two for the older audiences and the younger audiences.

It all boils down to the fact that I am "for" cursing in YA as long as it makes sense. Make cursing like pepper, just enough to give a hint of flavor to the novel.

What about you folks? Hell yes or heck no?

Want to suggest a topic or ask me a question?

Saturday Discussions: Sex in YA Books

Let's talk about sex baby! We see it everywhere from the music artists to the movies to the small screen and everything in between. So naturally, we'd see it in books right? Well, I guess that just really depends.

The-Rob

I've noticed that sex has been popping up (and yes, I'm not mature enough to talk about sex and use the words "popping up" without giggling, so go ahead and do it too) in lots of YA book lately. We've been getting more intimate covers with couples embracing or kissing and we've been getting steamier scenes. Don't believe me? Take a look at Swoon Thursdays created by YA Bound for a couple of weeks and check out all the hot stuff steaming up the pages of books lately. But I was thinking lately if that is a good thing.

I'm inclined to think it is. I mean, sex is something that happens in high school even if other people want to pretend that it doesn't. I'm one of those people who firmly believes that the more someone knows, the more they will be able to make an informed choice. Also, YA books have a much wider audience than ever before. Grown woman are reading the same books that their teenage kids are reading.

OK3DESIGN

Not to mention, I think it's important to talk about the things that teenagers are actually going through. Sure, not every teen is going to have sex but some are and if we aren't talking about it, it doesn't make the bad things go away.

However, I don't think sex is something that should be written about lightly. If an author is going to brooch this subject, I feel like they have a responsibility to do it with respect. I'm not saying that it can't be sexy or realistic, I'm just saying that it should be handled responsibly.

Also, I think that the teen section should be split into two sections with books for older teens in one and books targeting younger audiences in another section. Some books are obviously targeted for the younger crowd and while they may deal with serious issues, they deal with them in a different manner and usually in less detail than books with an older audience in mind.

One book that I think does sex well is The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting. Derting does a wonderful job building Jay and Violet's relationship. They respect each other, they get together slowly and are friends first. They rely on each other and want to show their love in deeper ways. In the second book, they take that bigger step and have sex. Though there is enough detail there it isn't overly explicit and you can tell that sex isn't thrown in there as a shock factor. Derting shows it as a sacred thing that shouldn't be taken lightly. Violet doesn't just bounce back the next day but dwells on the idea that they took their relationship to the next level.

I've also seen several books that get pretty hot and heavy but do a good job of making the characters stop in the middle and really think about what they are doing. Under the Never Sky by Rossi, Insurgent by Roth and even Shatter Me by Mafi all show how passion can get the best of people but that they are capable of thinking through things before they make decisions that will change their life.

So for me, I think that sex is good in YAs but only if it is portrayed in the right way (that is to say that it isn't thrown in there as an afterthought or as a shock factor).

What do you guys think? Yay or nay to sex in YA?

Saturday Discussions: Paper vs. Screen

So I've been re-accessing my thoughts on e-readers and deciding if it is worth getting a Nook and entering the land of e-readers.

My friend just got a shiny new Nook for her birthday. Did I mention it's shiny and puts millions of books at the tips of her fingers? Did I also mentioning that you can get lost in Etsy exploring beautiful covers for said Nook and/or Kindle? I really like the way the Nook is and that I can keep all my books with me.

But then I turn around and look at my glorious bookshelf. I look at the titles all in neat rows organized by author and smell the ink on the pages. I took this book with me on vacation, this book has a little tear in the page when I took it out on the beach. See, these paper books were their covers like battle scars, they feel delicious in my hands and they let me know instantly if I'm halfway done with the book. They let me see how much reading I've accomplished.

E-books are much more practical though. The truth of the matter is my books are piled up on the floor and taking over more floor space with every title I buy. My hubby can see the mass of my "sin" but simply turning his head.

So where do I go?

How would I decide which books to buy in print and which to add on an e-reader? I'm just having a really hard time deciding.

I think paper is always going to be the ultimate for me because in the end, I just really like seeing my collection of books all piled on to shelves. Not much makes me more happy than venturing into my library and running my hands through the shelves.

But I guess that doesn't mean I can't have a Nook too.

So you guys tell me, paper or screen? And if you engage in both, I'd love to hear how you manage deciding what to buy on your e-reader and what to purchase in paper.

Saturday Discussions: Most Memorable Author Experiences

Lately, I've been thinking about all of the authors I've been lucky enough to meet and what makes some of them truly shine out in my mind. As bloggers, we spend a lot of time getting to know our favorite authors online and I think that our interactions with them truly do impact book sells. Authors like Lisa Derochers, Ann Redisch Stampler and Jodi Meadows who are always active on Twitter absolutely remind me of their presence daily and make me recommend their books more.

However, I can follow an author's blog and all their tweets and it still doesn't compare to meeting them in person.  I have picked up books I never thought I'd read because I've met the author and they were just so sweet that I HAD to support them. So I've been thinking about some of my most memorable experiences meeting authors and I wanted to share them with you.

1) Kimberly Derting (Second meeting)-I'd had the pleasure of meeting Kimberly Derting in Miami once before and found her to be incredibly engaging, funny and very sweet. I was excited when I found out she was going to be at YALLfest. She remembered me from our last meeting and as we began talking, she started signing a few books for me. She signed most correctly but I had a paperback there for a friend and she accidently signed it for me. The line was huge but she someone remembered after she'd done it that I'd asked for that one to be signed to a different person. So she made me (literally made me) run and grab a new book for her to sign. Then she signed my last book "To Amber (who screwed up my book)" which amuses me endlessly. I was already a fan of Kimberly Derting's (my friend says I have a lady crush on her) but that made me like her even more.

2) Michelle Hodkins- Also appearing at YALLfest was one of my favorite authors of 2011. I fell in love with The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and had been chatting back and forth with Ms. Hodkins on Twitter prior to the event. She wasn't signing but I did find her hanging around and went up to introduce myself. This really isn't like me since I'm usually pretty shy but I wanted to meet her. We started talking a little ibt about how she wished other people would introduce themselves with their online monikers too since she likes talking to people but obviously can't recognize us by face. I thought this was an interesting point. I mean, I knew that authors wouldn't be able to recognize us all the time from our blogs but I always wondered if it'd be weird to introduce myself as such. It put my mind at ease.

3) Libba Bray- I really enjoy meeting every author but I have to say, I think Libba Bray made the biggest impression on me. Besides the fact that she is my "gateway author" (her books brought me to YA), she was so funny. Everytime she spoke, she had something witty to say. She captivated the audience when the authors talked to the group but what I found was even more interesting was how long her line was to sign. Not because there were millions of people there for her (though there were a lot) but because she spent a couple minutes gettng to know EVERY reader that came by. She wanted to know about you, what you are reading, where you came from, whether you were a gnome or a beauty queen. For a few minutes, you had all her attention and she was just as engaging one on one as she was with the group.

Those are a few of my favorite author experiences. I think I've been thinking about that lately since I'll be going to meet Veronica Rossi, author of Under The Never Sky, and Tahereh Mafi, author of Shatter Me, in a couple of weeks.

So I want to know, what have been some of your most memorable experiences meeting authors--online or in real life?

Saturday Discussions- Fairytale Re-tellings

You really can't escape them right now. Between shows like Grimm and Once Upon A Time on t.v., Snow White and the Huntsman, The Raven and Mirror Mirror at the theaters and all of the books coming out, you are bound to see/read a fairytale re-telling at sometime. These have been a huge craze lately and it doesn't look like it is going away anytime soon. I'm actually reading a retelling right now called Tiger Lily, which is sparking this discussion.

I want to know what you all think of this trend.

Personally, I can't get enough. I've always been a huge fairytale buff. Seriously, I listened to Disney songs in my car in high school and I've always been fascinated in reading about fairytales roots. For me, I like them when they are cutesy retellings okay but I really get into it when fairytales go a little slanted (as if you can't tell by my blog theme). Basically, Tim Burton makes my year everytime he comes out with a new movie. Plus, when fairytales go a little darker, they are getting back to their roots which I can definitely appreciate.

Seriosuly though, I'm always in awe of authors who can look at other stories and figure out how to re-imagine them. I have a hard time getting out of my own head as a writer and once I see a story going one way, it's hard for me to imagine an alternate route. So I tend to feel stuck when it comes to fairytales too. But some authors are so dang clever at nodding to the original and creating amazing stories on top of that. I love watching authors re-create figures that I love and bringing a whole new reason to love them!

I'm not saying that I want every author to only write re-tellings but I'm still definitely on this bandwagon and I don't plan on jumping off any time soon.

I haven't actually read too many fairytale retellings so why don't you tell me some of your favorites? Also, how do you feel about re-tellings?

Saturday Discussions: Race and Racism in YA

I'm not going to dig into this one too much. not because I don't think it's a worthy topic but because as a reader, I don't tend to notice race too much in YA. I tend to picture that everyone looks like me in what I read and I am a typical white female. This is no way means that I think everyone should look like me in books, this is just me being honest and honestly, when I read I picture myself.

Now, this topic idea is stemming from all the racist remarks that the African American cast of The Hunger Games is getting. I was reading several articles about it on E! News and was completely disgusted by what people have been Tweeting.

One person wrote "why does rue have to be black not gonna lie kinda ruined the movie". Another tweeted "why did the producer make all the good characters black".

There was another example given too: "call me racist but when i found out rue was black her death wasn't as sad #ihatemyself."

Of course, you know by know that these Tweets were directed at the young actress who played Rue as well as Thresh and Cinna. May I be the first here to say WHAT THE HELL? I've said it before and I'll say it again until I'm blue in the face, THE INTERNET DOES NOT FORGET. Just because you can hide behind anonymity doesn't give you the right to treat people rudely. I mean, you are talking about a 13 year old girl and not judging the merit of her acting talents but making states based solely on the color of her skin.

So here's where the book part comes in. I have to admit that when I read The Hunger Games, I didn't picture Rue and Thresh as African American. I pictured them as either Chinese or Indian. Call me crazy all you want. I'm not here to argue about their race, I'm just here to tell you what I thought. Cinna was a 24 year old white man in my head. But when the movie casting news came out and I saw who they cast in the roles, it didn't bother me. I thought they did an awesome job selecting the right people for the right roles, even if they aren't how I pictured them when I read the books. These feelings were justified when I went and saw the movie.

Rue doesn't have a lot of screen time but little Amandla Stenberg makes every second count with an honest and believable portrayal of Rue. I too didn't feel as sad when Rue died but it is because Katniss and Rue didn't get enough screen time together to make her death have as much of an impact as it was in the book.

Lenny Kravitz Sizzled as Cinna. He brought the quiet yet powerful demeanor that I imagined in the book and I felt his connection to Katniss immediately. He and Jennifer Lawrence has such good chemistry, I really thought that Cinna could be added to the love triangle thing.

Seriously though, to complain about the choices of characters based solely on the color of their skin is complete bullshit and I am shocked that that trash is still around. I love reading articles and novels that highlight different cultures and races. I think that the YA community is changing this with each new story at a time and I'm glad for it.

What do you guys think about this? Do you know any good books that highlight different races or cultures? Sound off in the comments!