TGIF @ GReads #7: Most Valuable Books

TGIF is hosted over at GReads every Friday, and features many thought-provoking questions that are fun to answer.
Today's Question:

Most Valuable Book: From your personal collection of books, which ones hold the most value to you - is it signed by the author? or maybe it's your favorite story of all time? Share it with us.

Hmm. The most valuable books I have are the books I have loved enough to share with all my friends and/or the books I love enough to save/note so I can buy them for my kids. Yes, I am going to be THAT mom who makes her kids read all the books she loved when she was a kid and then demand to know what they think, haha.

• Archangel by Sharon Shinn, which was shared with me by Simone, and which I shared with all my friends.

• The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, which was one of my earliest encounters with a dragon and a feminist princess (my kids will most def be reading these books).

• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare- one of my earliest love stories, filled with sensible people, and a lesson in prejudice. 

• The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews - because I recommend this to everyone I know who reads UF and because of the joy I get in immersing myself in pure awesomeness

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis - do I even need to explain this one?

• Daring to Draw Near by John White which very fundamentally changed my view of prayer.

• Prayer by Richard Foster which expanded on my changing views of Prayer

• Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton - which helped me think through my own philosophy of faith

• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis - which showed me that Christians could be thinking people too

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, which was one of my earliest journeys into sci-fci and fantasy, and showed me that weak people can be strong heroines too, something we seem to have forgotten nowadays.

To name a few, these are some of the treasured books in my library. There are so many more where those came from.

TGIF @ GReads #6: Birth of a Blogger

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted every Friday at GReads, asking reading/book-related questions which are fun to answer. This week's question is:

A Book Blogger is Born: What made you decide to start your very own book blog?

In truth, I started a book blog because I saw the wisdom of having your reviews stored in more than one place. Then it was a nice to thing to have if  you were requesting books on NetGalley (so yes, I am one of THOSE PEOPLE, haha). But then I decided I didn't care about ARCs and stuff like that and just wanted a place to hang out, put my reviews, and write things that don't necessarily fit into my other book-sharing spaces, like GoodReads.

So the reasons I became and still keep my blog change all the time as I change. Right now, it is my book diary, and a place to store all the bookish ramblings in my head. And who knows, that might also change, but for now, it is my favorite incarnation.

TGIF @ Greads #5: Blogger Pride

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted every Friday at GReads, asking reading/book-related questions which are fun to answer. This week's question is:

Book Blogger Pride: What do you take pride in when it comes to blogging?

Erm...I think I take pride in my blog. I like to share my thoughts on books with people, and having a blog, being a part of the book blogging community gives me a sense of  pride, if you will.

I think I am most proud of my reviews. IMO some of them are very good, others not so much, others, quite bad. Some of them are all formal, others more informal. Some are written in awe of an amazing writer or book, or else disappointment or disgust at something I considered subpar.  It's an accurate reflection of how I feel about a book at any given time. So um, yes. I am proud of having a blog where I write down my thoughts about books; I am proud of being a part of a community of readers who like to talk about their books - especially romance and fantasy.

A year ago, none of this was true. Now it is. And I'm proud of that :D

TGIF @ GReads #4: Love Stories

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted every Friday at GReads, asking reading/book-related questions which are fun to answer. This week's question is:

Love Stories: What are some of your favorite fictional love stories?

Oooh!

The very first story that comes to mind is Rachel and Gabriel's story from Archangel, by Sharon Shinn.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their love story. I love everything about it. I love those two characters and their journey to love. It is a story about two very imperfect people learning to make the best of a 'bad' situation.  They're also very unusual characters in the world of fantasy and romance:  a very prim-and-proper and uptight angel, and a VERY stubborn-to-the-point-of-idiocy heroine. Their flaws, their strengths, their weaknesses, their (more like Rachel's) past pain...it was glorious to experience. To date, they remain two of my very favorite characters in all fiction.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri. I positively adore this story. What's special about it is that it's not about romantic love. Instead it's the story of a little orphan girl who's foisted off on her unwilling curmudgeon of a grandfather. And watching the gruff ole loner show his love for Heidi in many little ways is so sweet.  Equally sweet is the love Heidi has for her grandfather and the Swiss alps. So strong is this love that Heidi has to be returned to her darling grandfather after well-meaning "social services" separate them. I adore this tale so much that I planned on naming my daughter either Adelaide or Johanna, in honor of this book and the author who could think up such a delightful tale. But that was before I decided that darnit, I am not European, so none of my children are getting European names.

Akorfa Asiedu, veteran Ghanaian actress

My last entry is not from books. But the love stories from the old time Ghanaian movies (late 1980's, early 1990's) are some of my favorite of all time. They were awesome, and no one ever forgets them. Even today, start singing

"Sakina, O Sakina, my endless love for you will remain,
My love for you will never ever die,
O Sakina, O Sakina"

to a group of Ghanaians over 20 years old, and everyone will reply back with

"Nico, Nico, I love you from the bottom of my heart
Nico, Nico, I love you from the bottom of my heart,
O Nico, O Nico."

Nico and Sakina's forbidden love story was epic! The movie was Matters of the Heart, released way back in 1996. Unfortunately, you can't find this, or any of those movies anywhere anymore, since no one was forward-thinking enough to record them, and the movie companies that made such awesome moves are mostly defunct now.

Anyway, that's my piece. the ball is in your court now. What are some of your favorite love stories?

TGIF @ GReads #3: Book Appeal

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted every Friday at GReads, asking reading/book-related questions which are fun to answer. This week's question is:

Book Appeal: When you're browsing goodreads, the library, or another blogger's reviews, what grabs your attention to make you want to read it?

The library: The cover. And the blurb on the back of the book. I will bypass a book whose cover doesn't impress me. I've missed out on many good books that way (Patricia Briggs' series), but I can't help it. If I don't like a cover, I'm most likely not picking the book. And the section. I am usually in the Romance/Fantasy/Science Fiction section. So unless I am looking for a specific book, books n other sections pass me by.

Goodreads: When I'm looking at a random book on Goodreads, the first thing I do is look at the average rating. If 1, 000 people have read it and the average rating is 4.30, then I'll take a closer look at it. I'll look at some of the reviews. More importantly, I'll look at what my friends and people I follow have to say about it. If I get a positive vibe, I'm much more likely to attempt to acquire the book. If I get an intensely enthusiastic vibe from them, I'll get the book and start it right away (that's what happened with Dragon Bound, by Thea Harrison).

Another Blogger's reviews: What they have to say. I am not much for detailed synopses and book report-ish reviews. I want to know how the reader felt, whether they liked it, loved it, curse it with fire and brimstone...you know, that sort of thing. And if the feelings expressed are strong either way, I'll take a second look at the book.

If it's a book I really want to read anyway, then all bets are off. If it's a book I'm leaning towards not reading, the opinions of friends and people I follow are more likely to play a bigger role.

Because I'm feeling rambly, I've left you with some examples.
1. I autobought - if that's a word - Dragon Bound because ALL my friends on Goodreads were raving about it and the average review was really high. I didn't really enjoy the first 50% and I was tempted to give up, but so many of my friends encouraged me to continue - "it gets better," they said. And so I did. I am glad I did because  I majorly enjoyed the second 50% - enough to rate the book 5 stars.

2. Wicked Lovely Series, by Melissa Marr. I got the first book from the library. I read a bit, and wasn't sure I was enjoying it, so I checked out the blurbs for the other books. I wasn't sure I liked where the series was heading, so I looked at my friends' reviews on Goodreads. One particular review, by a person who I follow, was thoughtful, and which pointed out issues she'd had, made me realize I was better off spending my time on other books. I don't regret choosing to DNF the first book and not continuing with the series.

3. Pride Series, by Rachel Vincent. I love Ms. Vincent's work, but usually I want to smack sense into her characters. I was trying to decide whether to start this series, but readers' opinions about Faythe's attitude gave me pause. I looked around and saw another thoughtful review of the whole series by someone I follow whose opinions I respect. Her analysis of Faythe's character made me decide it was better to leave the series alone instead of trying to assess it for myself. And again, I haven't looked back even once: not in the face of glowing reviews or negative reviews. I am content with choosing not to experience this series for myself.

TGIF @ GReads #2

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted every Friday at GReads.This week's question is:

  

Buy or Borrow: Where do your books that you read come from? The bookstore? The library? Do you prefer to own a book, or have it on loan?

I definitely need my libraries in my life. Due to space and monetary considerations, I can't afford to own every book I read. Hence most of my books come from the library. In 2011, I read at least 186 books . Of those, possibly 125 came from the library. I couldn't have afforded those 125 books on my budget. I am fortunate enough to be a member of several libraries, a couple of which have really good selections of my favorite genres, so that I can find most of the books I want to read there. It also helps that my libraries have an awesome ebook selection.

Another great thing about using the library is that I sometimes stumble upon new authors to try and new books to love in my libraries' selections. I have found many series and authors this way.

There are a few authors, though whose books I usually buy immediately they come out, usu. in ebook format, most notably books by Sharon Shinn, Ilona Andrews, and certain books from Nalini Singh and Rachel Vincent. If there's a book I desperately want that my library doesn't stock, I'll buy it if I have money. 

I am grateful for libraries. Not to diminish anyone's opinions, but you have no idea what a treasure libraries are until you grow up somewhere where there are none. I grew up in Ghana, where the one public library is an insult to libraries and readers everywhere, and where my home library was as well or even better stocked than the few private libraries started by foreigners.

I don't mind having a book on loan. If I read and think it's a keeper I need in my life, I'll buy it when my budget permits. If the waitlist is too long and I can't hold it any longer and my budget permits, I'll buy it.  

I can't afford to buy/own every book I read. And I think I like it that way. Then the only books I get to keep are the ones I truly love, or ones from authors I adore.
 

TGIF @GReads #1

This one is the other meme I'm gonna do. Again, I shamelessly copied joined the meme when I saw Patty do it on her blog here - she does a coupla Friday memes, but this is the one I wanna join!

Okay! This meme is a weekly one, and hosted over at GReads.

Today's theme is Book Recommendations:

Recommend It: Which book from the last 10 you've read 

would you recommend to a friend?

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Well, GReads, I'm really glad you asked that question, lol. I have had a really good reading month so far, and out of my last 15 books, I probably would recommend about 10. 

My two favorites so far of the last ten are 

Silver Borne, the fifth book in Patricia Briggs' Mercedes Thompson series. I love, love, love, this series to bits. This installment was somewhat focused on Samuel, who is my favorite werewolf, and so I was extra invested in his story. And it broke my heart. I spent the book with a big ole lump in my throat for my Samuel. But it was all resolved excellently and he had the beginnings of his own HEA, so I am a happy camper. And no mention of those despicable vampires made the story even sweeter for me :)

Caveat: I do think for full appreciation, this series should be read in order, as the characters build up from book to book, so this recommendation would be to convince a friend to start the series so they can get to Samuel, or hurry up and catch up so we can gush about Samuel!!

I think Neil Gaiman is a master of fantasy and horror. He knows just how to mix it right so that it is entertaining for children and hella creepy for adults. The Graveyard Book is a coming of age story that is told excellently. I can't say enough good things about it. The pacing, the characters, the writing, the life lesson - this book (and Neil Gaiman) is made of awesome!