Monday, July 8, 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge

15-Day-Challenge

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge is a brilliant challenge created by April at Good Books and Good Wine. To participate, simply sign up on one of the Linkys that April will include with her post each day.
I thought this was a particularly good idea for me since I often struggle with what to blog about other than reviews and tours. Plus I’ve never participated in this type of challenge so this will be something new for me!
  1. I prefer audio books over any other format and will choose to listen to an already released audio even above that shiny new printed ARC.

  2. I used to read books by genre and would spend years at a time ONLY reading Historical Fiction, or ONLY Crime Thrillers, etc. I’ve become much more diverse in my reading habits more recently.

  3. I DESPISE cliffhanger endings and will usually not continue reading a series if the first book ends with a cliffhanger.

  4. When characters annoy me, I root for the bad guy to succeed in killing them off and am disappointed when it doesn’t happen. (which it never does)

  5. I like reading dark stories about emotionally damaged characters.

  6. I have a bit of an obsession with the British monarchy, especially Anne Boleyn.

  7. I re-listen to the Harry Potter series on audio narrated by Stephen Fry every year.

  8. I am guilty of buying books for their cover even after I’ve been burnt by it so many times.

  9. I admit to having a preference for female authors most of the time because I believe, in general, they are more likely to write more authentic female characters. This is probably wrong to stereotype authors this way and I know there are some incredible male authors more than capable of writing believable female characters. But I admit that I am a bit biased.

  10. I am quicker than most people I know to put a book down if it fails to grab me. I usually start at least 3-5 books before I settle on which one I’m going to read. I don’t consider a book a DNF unless I am positive that I will not go back to try to read it again.

  11. I cannot start a new book until I have marked the book I was reading as “Finished” on Goodreads.

  12. I rarely love the books that everyone else is gushing about. Sometimes it makes me think that I’m missing some connection that everyone else is getting. Or that maybe I only like mediocre books.


  13. I have never been to a BEA or ALA but want desperately to go!

  14. I wish hardcovers came bundled with digital and audio format included. Someone should make this happen. 

  15. I can sometimes be a little intimidated by the brilliantly written and creative reviews by so many book bloggers. Sometimes the reviews are even better written than the book they are discussing! Then I look at my own reviews like “meh” and want to delete the whole thing. 

Thanks for stopping by and reading my confessions! Can you relate to any of them? Or am I as book-batty and eccentric as my hubby accuses me of being?

25 comments:

Parajunkee said...

Great confessions! I so need to get the Harry Potter series on Audiobook... *sigh* gotta start saving my pennies.

Donna @ The Happy Booker said...

Oh if you haven't experienced Harry Potter on audio you have something to look forward to TWICE! Both Jim Dale and Stephen Fry's narrations are absolutely brilliant! The Harry Potter series is one thing I don't have to justify spending money on. I will buy every format with every cover and they will sit on my bookshelf in pristine condition never ever to be touched. I'm just a little obsessive about my favorites like that.

Brittany S said...

I have never listened to an audio book. Is that weird? I would also like to do #13! Great confessions!

Hanna Whitehead said...

Hi, I found you through this challenge, but I'll be back :)


#3 - This made me so happy! I genuinely thought I was the only one who couldn't stand cliffhangers. They just cheapen the book! If you're a decent writer you don't need to resort to silly tactics to get people to buy your next book.


#4 - Yup. Then when it does happen (I know it's rare), I stay smug about it for DAYS.


#9 - This is an interesting point. I've never really paid attention to the gender of authors that I read, but I might keep an eye out for it. There seems to be a lot more female YA authors, but a lot more male Fantasy authors, I'd say.


#12 - Definitely with you on this one. I've got to the point where I avoid reading them until the hype has died down.

Ellie M. said...

#9<-- I know exactly how you feel! Some male authors don't understand female leads and unless she's a badass chick, I won't like the book!

Great post!

http://spicedlatte.blogspot.com/2013/07/15-day-challenge-day-1-15-bookish.html

Parajunkee said...

Sad story - I lost my original hardcover set during Katrina and I haven't gotten them back - I just bought the movies, because I had lost the first 3 and decided to wait until after they were all released. I keep asking every birthday for the set -- but have yet to get them. I think people don't like to give me books lol -- wonder why.

Donna @ The Happy Booker said...

That IS sad! :( I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your books.

Donna @ The Happy Booker said...

It's not weird. I don't know many people who love audio books like I do. If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would be like this I wouldn't have believed you. I thought listening to an audio book was a lazy way of reading and couldn't possibly be as personal as having a book in your hand and reading the words yourself. But I was wrong. I love them!

Donna @ The Happy Booker said...

I'm glad you'll be coming back Hanna! I do so LOATHE cliffhangers, so much so that I wrote a Dr. Seuss poem about them a while back! lol

I do not like Cliffhangers ma'am
I do not like them, mad I am
I do not like them in a book
I do not like them, you ending CROOK
I do not like them in on a movie screen
I do not like them in a magazine
I do not like them on TV
I do not like them at all you see
I do not like them in a song
I do not like them all day long
I do not like one book split into three
Cliffhang me not, this is my plea



There are many male authors who I count among my favorites, George RR Martin, Neil Gaiman, John Green but I definitely have a bias when choosing new books to read, I will usually only chose books written by females. And I'm probably completely wrong.

Rachelia (Bookish Comforts) said...

I've really wanted to try the Fry narrated HP audio books but my library only has the Jim Dale ones :( Someday!

LOL you are a vengeful reader (#4)

I feel ya on #12 and #13!!

Donna @ The Happy Booker said...

Jim Dale's narration is brilliant as well. I've listened to both but prefer Fry's narration.
I am a vengeful reader! I've said a few times that sometimes these books make me question my moral compass.

Hannah Doermann said...

I totally agree with #4 - WHY does that never happen?? :P

And #15 is true for me too. Honestly, though, we probably all feel like that sometimes. Don't get discouraged!

April C said...

I wish they bundled books with digital and audio as well! That would be a super idea.

ALSO! I love audiobooks as well, like you, a lot of the time I choose to listen to the audiobook edition over reading the print edition.



I love that you have to mark a book as finished on goodreads before starting a new one, that's an interesting quirk.


Thanks for joining in!

Donna @ The Happy Booker said...

Exactly. Even though I feel guilty about this bias, I can't help feeling that way.

Michelle R. said...

I've never participated in such a challenge either. Pretty cool! :)

Hanna Whitehead said...

This makes me happy. I think I love you! :)

I do not like one book split into three.
I can deal with this. However, I CANNOT deal with taking one book and splitting it into three FILMS. When The Hobbit was announced, apparently my friends actually frequently had to remind each other not to mention it in front of me...


Cliffhang me not, this is my plea.
Catchy. I'm going to embroider this on a pillow one day.

Donna @ The Happy Booker said...

I want an anti-cliffhanger pillow!!!


I'm the opposite, I prefer the movie being split up, I think it makes it better when it doesn't have to squeeze everything into just two hours. This is why I prefer HBO series to movies.

Rachel said...

I was just the same as you and would only read one genre at a time - mystery, horror, etc. Now it's YA, though there are a ton of subs. And I'm totally the same way with annoying characters. I wish for their painful demise. Sadly that rarely happens.

Oh and I'm somewhat the same for your #10. I pass on a book super quick but then attempt to get back to it later. It takes me a ton of tries to find one to read at the moment. But like you I don't give up on it for awhile.

And I know what you mean about fab reviews. They can make a book sound amazing. And they always make me super bummed about my own reviews.

Donna @ The Happy Booker said...

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who who roots for the villain in some boos! It seems unfair that characters that are TSTL get to triumph over the much more interesting bad guy!
It's funny that you feel that way about reviews when your reviews are some of those intimidating reviews I was referring to!

Donna @ The Happy Booker said...

Bundling would just make sense!
This is a fabulous challenge April! Thanks for putting it together!

Donna @ The Happy Booker said...

I wish more authors than George RR Martin was willing to kill off their characters. I love books that don't necessarily have a HEA, plus it would make TSTL characters much more bearable if there was a real possibility that they will die in the end!

Rachel said...

Oh I almost always root for the villain. I love the villains in most books. Unless they're the warty-creepy-stalkery-gross kind of villains. Evil I can do. Unwashed not so much.


And lol. Oh my gosh, I'm so meh about my reviews. I love people who can just get to the heart of the story, point out exactly all the things I would love or hate about a book and lure me in with a little magic in their synopsis. I'm so wowed that there are people that can do that. I consider mine rambles.

Lizzy Lessard said...

#3 If I know a book ends on a cliffhanger, I won't read until the next book is released. I HATE not knowing what will happen.

#4 Me too. There are so many characters over the years that really deserved the axe.

#5 Did you read IF YOU FIND ME? Also THE COLOR OF SNOW...and there's so many more. I love reading those type of books too.

#6 I wish my husband would spontaneously develop a British accent. Instead, he's sounds like Joe Pesci (Italian mafia actor).


#7 I will let a pretty cover fool me only once per author. Then that pretty cover gets its ass donated to the public library.


#12 I read a lot of YA books but don't have any of that YA-mentality (omg, this guy is so hot!), so quite a lot of the time I'm confused why people like a certain book when it really really sucked for me. I don't understand the whole TEAM whatever thing either. It's obvious who the girl is going to pick.


#14 Amazon made it so that many CDs come with free digital downloads. I don't see why they can't do the same with books.

Pabkins said...

15 - I so agree! Don't get discouraged! So often I feel the same way! I get jealous of my sister's husband's review writing skills - but then I think - eh - we just have to express what we think.



Go go Bad GuY!!! I HATE cliffhangers and I wish there were more stand alones because all the series start to get you so burnt out after awhile.


I read all over the board I frequently jump from one genre to another and from adult to YA to MG.


I love listening to audio books! I'm also guilty of buying books for their pretty covers and getting burned. Oh well at least you have a bit of art to look at even if the book sucks!


You know I read an article somewhere that so many females stick to female authors. Personally I love male authors. I definitely read both equally.

Eveline @ Eveline's Books said...

Great confessions! I only hate cliffhangers when I do not own the next book yet:) And I'm with you on 13.

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