January 17, 2007 • Print This Post
I’m lucky really. I work at home surrounded by my favorite books. Stacks of them. At least I’m sure they’ll be my favorites as soon as I get a chance to read them all. Somehow, my to-read stack has turned into three. They’re so tall now that they are in danger of toppling over, burying my desk, my lap top and maybe even me.
The titles are eclectic. Don’t seem to follow a pattern. I guess that makes me a smidgeon reader. A smidgeon of historical. A smidgeon of romantic suspense, a smidgeon of vampires, though I tend to like my vampires on the light side. Since I also write traditional mysteries under a different name, I like a little mystery with my romance, but it isn’t necessary.
My latest romance, Who Wants To Be A Sex Goddess came out a few weeks ago. It’s about a Hollywood stuntwoman and a government agent, sent on separate missions to a goddess retreat, one to find her missing aunt, the other to solve a murder. Lots of goofy stuff happens, (I mean she’s a stuntwoman) and the two of them really get it on. When the reviews came out, and thank goodness they were good, some reviewers categorized it as romantic comedy, some said romantic suspense, some contemporary. And I thought, hmmm. What is it?
I thought of it sort of like a fun, action-adventure-romantic comedy thing. But it made me started thinking about the books I’ve read lately, trying to figure why I liked them (or didn’t) and attempting to categorize them. With some it was easy, with others, not so.
I guess there are as many reasons to buy or borrow a book as there are readers. And different readers can get really different takes on the same book. Sounds pretty obvious right?
But I look at my towering to-read stacks and can’t remember why I bought some of them except they sounded interesting. Was it the cover, the author, the back cover blurb? Reviews I’d read? Recommendations, genre? Whim? I’m guessing it’s a little bit of everything with me. That smidgeon thing again.
So I’m wondering does anybody out there have a system for buying/borrowing/reading romances? Or do you just go to the store /on line/ library and pick up what’s interesting? How tall is your to-read stack?
Posted by Gemma Bruce @ 9:46 am • Filed under: Gemma Bruce
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My to-read stack has decreased a little- it’s now down to a small mountain. lol I never seem to be able to finish my to-read stack because I tend to go to the library and pick a billion books and then read those instead.:)
My system of buying/borrowing/reading romances:
-If I go to the library I usually look at whats new. If I dont like it I dont have to finish it
-If I am borrowing a book it has to be somethin that my friends have loved and give great reviews to
-If I am buying a book I usually go with my favorite authors. Or I go online and check out the reviews and read a little of it if thats possible. Or I just go to the store and pick one out by cover or the back cover blurb.
So I guess I do the smidgeon thing to. I love books so I am pretty happy with anything.
I have massive amounts of TBR books. I have been whittling away at it, but I have also been adding to it
I guess I a smidgeon reader as well after reading your and Kim’s post. I buy books from my auto buy Authors, but then when I am at the store picking up what is on my list, whether it be another book in a series, favorite author, if a book catches my eye and I pick it up and read the back cover blurb and it intrigues me then into the cart it goes. I also go online to do research for books I might have missed in a series, so that really makes me pathetic, or maybe smart who knows.
I think I’m the only one I know who doesn’t have a TBR pile. I have a small stack of maybe 4 books. As for a system of choosing books choosing books, I use RT magazine, I then see if the library will have any of them, I also buy books from the bookstore based on reviews and whatever information I can find on the books I’m intersted in.
I have a tbr mountain range with mountains that are called Paranormal, Medievals, Contemporaries, Regencies etc. I am like a hamster, I just can’t get enough.:mrgreen:
I swap sometimes books with a friend.
I don’t have a pile of books. I tend to read books rather quickly.
I buy books by my favorites authors; use the library for books by new-to-me authors and other authors that I like. I choose books from author’s blog, reader’s blog, amazon/B&N reviews and word of mouth. I particularly like how both amazon/B&N have a “if you like this book, then you may like these” and that’s where I book ideas.
i do have piles in bags and boxes. i get books from the libray too
I love books and have no idea why I buy some of them. I is just an obsession.