What Does the Bookworm Say?: Book Trailers

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages. Each week, we will discuss a new bookish topic. This week's topic is book trailers. Love 'em, hate 'em or don't care either way.

I have mixed feeling about book trailers. I like the idea of them but, in reality, they don't really do much for me. I find a lot of them to be pretty cheesy with bad special effects and bad acting. I tend to like the ones without actors in them better though it's still pretty hit or miss. I also don't really know if I believe that a book trailer would actually get people to buy the book. For me, it's cool to see trailers for books and authors I am already excited about but I am not sure if it would get me or someone who isn't a big reader to try out a new book. I think it's great that publishers and authors want to take the time to promote these books and make trailers for them but I don't know how effective they are.

What do you guys think of book trailers? Do they make a difference in your book buying habits?

Don't forget to check out what The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages have to say about this topic as well. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, just leave it in the comments below. 

What Does the Bookworm Say?: Bookshelf Tour

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages. Each week, we will discuss a new bookish topic. This week's topic is a bookshelf tour. I am going to give you a little peek into my bookshelves.

Below is the view of most of my book storage, housed in my living room. I moved about two years ago into a much smaller apartment and struggled with how to fit all of my books into my new place. I also agonized on what color bookshelf to get. I decided to go with white, which I thought would make it look more open, and I think it does. These are just the standard Billy bookcases from Ikea. These shelves are not nearly as organized as they were when I first got them. You can see that I started double stacking books. Also, the bookshelf on the far right is all DVDs in the back with books stacked in front of them.

The first shelf we're going to look at is my mass market paperback and paperback bookcase. When I got these shelves, I was dismayed to find that the pegs for the shelves were too far apart for my liking, leaving me with a lot of wasted space on each shelf. So I used a screwdriver to make new holes. (Note that this is really hard. If you decide to do this, be patient and don't decide you need to do this in the middle of the night. Wait til morning and buy or borrow and electric drill. You'll save time and your hands). Most of these are arranged by series where possible though some are just randomly shoved in there. 

Though the process was not fun, I really like that I have narrow shelves now for these paperbacks. I only did this for the top two shelves because I needed taller shelves for my other paperbacks. You can see them on the bottom there. I actually wish that this was just mass market paperbacks (I have a ton) but then I'd have no place to put my other paperbacks.

Now onto the tall bookcases. The case on the left is all books and they are arrange as follows (from top to bottom) - hardcover lit fic/non-fiction, young adult, comics/graphic novels/picture books, and then art books on the very bottom shelf. My YA collection is quite vast these days and it's sort of spilled over onto the other shelves. 

The bookcase on the right has DVDs all in the back. Those are all in alphabetical order pretty much. But you can see that I've stacked books in front of those shelves now. I am not showing you the piles I have by my window or inside my TV stand. I don't really keep books anywhere else besides my living room. I may keep a couple of books on my nightstand, but not usually. 

A few random close ups. This is my mass market shelf, protected by a little army of Dunny vinyl toys.

Here is my comics shelf. Most of these are things I need to read or are my favorites. Y: The Last Man takes up a large chunk as does Fables. Seeing this reminds me that I need to read more comics. 

Not pictured is my huge bookcase full of knitting/craft books and knitting patterns. I also have a small-ish bookshelf with cookbooks and sewing books in the corner of my kitchen. I had a friend come over last weekend for the first time and the first thing she said to me was "You have a lot of books." Yes, yes I do.

Thanks for taking a virtual tour of my shelves with me. How do you organize your bookshelves? Genre, alpha, color? I've always wanted rainbow shelves but I don't think I'd be able to find anything. :)

Don't forget to check out what The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages have to say about this topic as well. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, just leave it in the comments below. 

What Does the Bookworm Say?: Blogging Burnout

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages. This week's topic is about blogging burnout - do you ever feel it and, if so, how do you get yourself out of it?

Burnout. This is something that probably every blogger has to deal with during their time as a blogger. Most of us don't have the luxury of having unlimited time to blog and have to fit it in between work, family, friends, hobbies and, of course, reading. If you've been doing it for a while, you may also start to feel like you don't have anything new or interesting to say. Luckily I haven't experienced too much of this. I've definitely had days or weeks when I wasn't sure when I was going to find the time or inspiration to blog, but I've somehow managed continue without too much interruption to the blog.They key for me is to manage blogging in such a way that I don't ever really get to that point of severe burnout. So here are a few tips that work for me when trying to balance blogging with life.

• Have manageable goals - When I first started blogging I was really surprised by how many bloggers posted once or more a day. I knew that pace would never work for me and I began with the goal with having one review a week plus a couple of memes/features. So far this has worked for me and I've been able to keep up with it. I would love to get to the point where I could have 2 reviews a week but that's not going to happen with my life right now. With manageable goals, I never feel to much pressure and also don't feel like I "fail" if I don't meet those goals occasionally. Now what's manageable and what's not is very personal. For some people one post a day or 5 reviews a week is totally manageable. Every blog is different and what works for one person may not work for you. Finding that balance isn't always easy but I think it will benefit you and your blog in the long run if you can find a pace that works for you.

• Schedule ahead - I am not really good at this myself but I wish I were. Scheduling ahead can be a real lifesaver. I know some bloggers who have posts schedules months ahead and I am in awe of them. If you can manage it, being even being a week or two ahead can be a really great buffer and will put less pressure on you. It's also great to schedule ahead if you are going on vacation and won't be able to post like you normally do. 

• Not every post has to be a review - I don't know about you, but I feel a lot of pressure to have tons of book reviews on my blog. I mean, it's a book blog, right so I should review books. While I think book reviews are great and important, I also think that there are lots of things you can talk about that are book related but are not reviews. I've found that our discussion posts have been some of the most popular posts and I find that, for me, they are a little easier to write than reviews. Non-review posts are a good way to still have content on your blog that is a little different and still interesting.

• Give yourself a break (figuratively and literally) - By this I mean don't be too hard on yourself if you don't meet your blogging goals for the week, month, etc. Sometimes life just happens and blogging takes a back seat. It's OK. It doesn't mean that you're a bad blogger or that you are going to lose your readers. Any that you do lose probably weren't that into your blog anyway, and that's OK, too. I do think consistency is important in blogging but it's also important to give yourself a break occasionally. Let yourself take time off if you need it to recharge and regroup. No one is going to think any less of you. I think we are usually hardest on ourselves and I just try to remember that it's OK get off schedule once in a while.

• Do it for you - I know that this is common sense but sometimes I need to remind myself that I am blogging because I want to and because I enjoy being a part of this crazy book blogging community. And even though it's not always easy, I still really enjoy it and want to do it. I don't want to ever get to that point where I feel like I am doing it for someone else or as an obligation. 

• Read what you want - As book bloggers, we get a lot of pressure to read review copies before a certain time and stay up to date with the newest books. I know that review books need to be read within a certain time period but I won't force myself to read something just because of a deadline. This usually leads to a less positive experience than if I had read the book when I was in the mood for it and it doesn't do the book or me any justice. So while I try to read ARCs in the allotted time frame, I also allow myself to read other books if I want to. Reading, after all, should be fun.

Those are my tips for avoiding blogging burnout. If it happens to you anyway, my advice would be to just take a small break and see where that takes you. I don't think forcing yourself to blog is going to make it better and may make you resent blogging. That's my two cents on the subject but I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have you ever suffered from blogging burnout? What helped you get through it?

Don't forget to check out what The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages have to say about this topic as well. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, just leave it in the comments below. 

What Does the Bookworm Say?: Book Budgeting

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages. This week's topic is about budgeting. Do you have a book budget and/or describe your book buying habits. 

I think it's pretty funny that I thought of this topic because, really, I am terrible at book budgeting or any kind of budgeting. Like most avid readers, I have a pretty bad book buying habit. It's really hard to resist a pretty new book when I see it in the store or on a blog. I have to say that after I started blogging, my buying increased dramatically. Before I began blogging I would still have impulsive book buys but it wasn't nearly as often. Seeing what other are reading and knowing what publishers have coming down the line gets me really excited about books and it's hard not to run out and buy everything I see. The invention of the e-book has also helped me stock my virtual bookshelves. I often justify to myself that I can buy an e-book because it doesn't take up any physical space. There are also some amazing sales on e-books pretty often. When I see a book I've been wanting to read or thinking about reading go on sale for $0.99 or $1.99, it's a no brainer for me to buy it.

Obviously though, I am not made of money (sadly or I'd share it with you all) and do need to watch how much I spend. I also have stacks and stacks of books at home that I need to read so I really can't be buying every pretty book that catches my eye. These days I try to only buy books by authors that I already know I love or books that I've already read and liked. If I go to a signing, I give myself permission to buy books from the authors there. Though I still need to be careful about this because I'll often get carried away at signings and will buy copies of books that I already have in e-book.

I buy from the local B&N when I can or when I have a coupon. I do like to save money though so I try to alternate in-store buys with online buys. If I go to an independent bookstore, I will purchase something there to support them. I also go to used bookstores to find gently loved books. There are a couple of good ones in my area and I like to go there when I have a free afternoon to browse. I've also found that thrift stores can be a great place to buy books. It can be hit or miss sometimes but it's always an adventure.

I also go to my local library once every week or two. I am lucky to have some great library systems near me and I take advantage of them. There are also a lot of great e-media libraries these days and I will borrow books in e-media form before I decide to purchase. Borrowing books from friends is also a great way to save money. If you hang out with a bunch of book bloggers, educators and librarians like I do, it's not too hard to find someone to lend me a particular book. If you're not lucky enough to hang out with such an awesome group I would definitely recommend the local library. Most of them will allow you to reserve books from other branches and pick them up at the location of your choice.

recent library haul

Those are some of my tricks for saving money and I hope it offered you a little insight on how I buy books. I'm interested in hearing what your book buying habits are. Do you have a set dollar amount for the month or do you only buy online? Do you blow caution to the wind like I do? I'd love to know.

Don't forget to check out what The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages have to say about this topic as well. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, just leave it in the comments below. 

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What Does the Bookworm Say?: Book Monogamy

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages. This week's topic is book monogamy.  Are you a monogamous reader?

First, let me define what a monogamous reader is. I consider a monogamous reader someone who pretty much reads one book from start to finish before starting another book. I am definitely not a monogamous reader. I generally have anywhere from 2 - 4 books going at once. I usually pick books in different genres at the same time. Say, if I am reading a more serious lit fic book, I will take a break and read a fun romance or urban fantasy book to break it up. I also listen to audiobooks in the car, which isn't technically reading but it's also another story that I have going on with my regular books. If I am stalling on a book, reading something helps me reinvigorate my reading mojo.

I don't have problems keeping track of characters or storylines when I read more than one book at a time. I think it's because they are usually very different books and it's easy to keep them separate in my mind. Sometimes I wish I were a more monogamous reader. It feels like you read more/finish more books when you read them one at a time. I don't think this is actually true but is just what my mind believes.

I'd love to know - are you a monogamous reader or do you like to play the field like I do? Let me know in the comments below. And be sure to check out what The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages thought of this topic as well. :)

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What Does the Bookworm Say?: The Change-Up - The Wolves of Mercy Falls

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages. This week's topic is a recurring topic about cover changes. We are talking specifically this week about the recent announcement that The Wolves of Mercy Falls (aka Shiver) series will be getting a cover makeover in anticipation of Sinner, a new companion novel to the series.

So let's take a look at the original covers.

No I've been a fan of the original covers for a long time. Shiver is my favorite but I love all of them. I really like that they are illustrated and how they all go together but are still different. Each book also has text printed in a different color to match the cover, which is really cool. In my book, these covers are great and did not need updating.

Now let's take a look at the cover for Sinner and the re-vamped covers for the rest of the series.

As you can see, they have kept elements of the original covers, such as the trees, silhouettes and even the colors. But even though they are similar, I can't help but think that the new covers are so much more generic and cheesy looking. They look a little bit like a homemade Photoshop cover. Some of those can be awesome but look really flat and boring to me.

As you can see, I much prefer the old covers to the new ones. While I understand the desire to have continuity with the new novel's cover, I don't like the new style and I think they could have done without the revamp. That's my two cents. Let me know what you guys think of this cover change in the comments below.

And be sure to check out what The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages thought of this topic as well. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, just leave it in the comments below. Thanks!

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What Does the Bookworm Say?: Negative Reviews

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages. This week's topic is about negative reviews. Do you write them and why or why not?

I feel like most bloggers fall into two camps - those who write negative or critical reviews and those post positive mostly reviews. Now this can be for many reasons. I have a friend who posts mostly positive reviews because she doesn't finish books that she does like and therefore does not review them. I have another friend who just doesn't want to take the time to write a review about a book she didn't care for. Every blogger has their own style and if you read for long enough, you'll be able to tell whether their review style is something that you like or not. Personally, I enjoy blogs more when there is a mix of positive and more critical reviews.

My style of reviewing, if you haven't noticed, it definitely a mix. While I love gushing about a new favorite book, I also like talking about why a book did not work for me. I actually like reading the lower star reviews on Goodreads because I like to see why people didn't like a book. This helps me make an educated decision about whether or not I think I'll like it. What someone else hates in a book might not bother me so writing something negative about a book doesn't mean I won't read it. Everyone has different tastes and not every book is for every person. I also find it easier writing negative reviews because I can usually point out why I don't like a book better than why I like it.

I take the same sort of stance when writing reviews. What doesn't work for me might be a plus for something else so I don't feel bad telling people why I didn't like a book. That said, I am a pretty easy going reader and my ratings tend to be pretty high. I also try not to be mean in my reviews because that's just not me. I respect that people can write a review any way they want but you'll probably never see a super rant-y review from me.

What are your thoughts on this subject? Do you like reading or writing less than glowing reviews or do you prefer to focus on the positive?

Be sure to check out what The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages thought of this topic as well. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, just leave it in the comments below. Thanks!

What Does the Bookworm Say?: Television Shows

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages. This week's topic is about Television Shows. This post is super late because I forgot to schedule it. But here it is so enjoy!

I am not a huge television watcher. I like TV but find that it's a very large time commitment and it often takes me months or years to get to and finish a series. And I don't have traditional cable so I don't watch shows as they air. While I don't watch a lot of television, here are a few shows that I am currently into.

Veronica Mars - I am super late to the party on this one. I only watches the series late last year but immediately fell in love with it. Veronica Mars is the kind of person you want on your side when sh*t goes down.

Orphan Black - Loved season 1 of this crazy show from BBC. I don't want to say much except that it's about clones and it's awesome. I cannot wait for season 2 to start this year!

Archer - I have an obsession with this animated show. It took me a few episodes to get into it but, once I did, I was hooked. It's totally inappropriate and ridiculous but I love it. If you're a fan of Bob's Burgers, you'll recognize the voice of Sterling Archer as that of Bob. H. Jon Benjamin is great in both roles but Archer is my favorite of the two.

Helix - Finally, a show on SyFy that isn't terribly cheesy with bad special effects. Helix is a sci fi drama about an outbreak in a research facility in Antarctica. The show is tense and unpredictable and I have an affinity for stories about outbreaks and disease.

House of Cards - I've only seen 4 episodes of this show so far but I can see why people like it so much. I don't know if I love it just yet but it's certainly compelling and I do love Kevin Spacey. The show may be a little intense for me but I am going to keep watching to see where it goes.

Sherlock - I loved the first two seasons of this show. Of course Benedict Cumberbatch is great as Sherlock but it's really Martin Freeman's long suffering Watson that makes the show for me. He's the perfect foil for Sherlock and I love the dynamic between the two.

The Voice - I am not one for reality TV but I love watching The Voice. My favorite seasons are the ones with Blake, Adam, Christina and CeeLo. Shakira and Usher are fine but I think the original 4 judges have the best chemistry. I also like that the vibe of the show is positive but constructive vs snarky. It's my guilty pleasure viewing.

Psych - One of the most random and hilarious shows ever. I've been watching since day 1 and I just love it. Their panels at Comic-Con are always the best and I am really sad that the show is ending this year.

Those are the shows I am watching the most right now. I know there are lots more that I need to get to but, knowing me, it'll take some time. What are your favorite shows? Let me know in the comments below and I'll add them to the queue.  Have a lovely weekend!

And be sure to check out what The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages thought of this topic as well. 

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What Does the Bookworm Say?: New Adult

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages. This week's topic is about New Adult.

Unless you've been living under a rock or aren't a very big reader (in which case you probably would not be reading this blog), you've probably noticed lately that over the past year or so there has been a big surge in what has been coined the New Adult genre. From what I know of New Adult, it's a genre or category of books whose themes focus on characters who are older than teenagers but are not quite into the world of full adulthood. I think a good example I see a lot is to think of it maybe as people who are in college, out of high school and maybe at that cusp in their lives where they are transitioning into adulthood.

I have not read too many New Adult books. So far I think I have read only Losing It by Cora Carmack, which I liked. I have mixed feelings about New Adult as a whole though. Part of me feels like it's like YA but with more sex or romance with less sex. Which is fine but I am not sure why it needs its own category. I know that the themes are different than those of YA or adult novels but, to me, I don't know if they are distinct enough to require their own sub-genre. It's kind of interesting because I feel like a lot of YA authors are dipping their toes into the adult market by writing some YA while adult romance authors are maybe testing out the fields of YA by writing New Adult. That's my take on it at least.

I think I need to read a few more New Adult books before I can pass any real judgement on it. What you do you guys think? Love NA or don't care for it?

Be sure to check out what The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages thought of this topic as well. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, just leave it in the comments below. Thanks!

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What Does the Bookworm Say?: Booktube

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages. This week's topic is about Booktube.

If you don't know, Booktube is a term that's being used to refer to the growing community of book bloggers that are reviewing and posting via Youtube channels. To tell you the truth, I really don't know much about Booktube. I know that there are bloggers out there doing their thing on Youtube, but I personally prefer to consume my book reviews the traditional way (reading) rather than watching them. I am not sure why but I lose interest quickly when watching a video review. I also like being able to reference the review or search for online, which you can't really do with video. That said, I think videos can be good for haul posts or discussion posts. Obviously interviews work well as videos, too.

I don't really have any favorite Booktube channels because, like I said, I don't really watch much of it. The only channel I can think of that I watch with any regularity is Renkellyn, who used to blog at 365 of Reading. I don't know if she still blogs traditionally but I enjoy her videos.

So what do you guys think? Love Booktube or never heard of it? Are there are any Booktubers out there that I need to watch? And be sure to check out what The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages thought of this topic as well. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, just leave it in the comments below. Thanks!

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What Does the Bookworm Say?: The Change-Up - Vampire Academy

Hi and welcome to What Does the Bookworm Say?, a feature that I am doing with my friends The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages. This week's topic is a recurring one called The Change-Up in which we discuss cover changes. Since the Vampire Academy movie is opening wide this week, we though it would be fun to discuss the recent cover changes. If you want to know what I though of the movie, check out this post. Spoiler - I liked it.

These are the original Vampire Academy series covers.



And these are the new revamped covers.



Let me start this off by saying that I have never really liked the original VA covers. They are really cheesy to me and just scream "I'm an angsty teenage girl!" And I could never tell if the girl on the cover was supposed to be Rose or Lissa. I just knew that she didn't look how I imagined either of them. I was pretty excited when I hear that they were finally going to re-do the covers to coincide with the movie release.

However, when the new covers were revealed, I was less than thrilled. If possible I think the new covers might be even cheesier than the old ones. At least the old covers had a bit of personality. The new ones look super generic with the big VA emblem and then they still use the same random girls on the cover. I really wish they would have take the time to design something new and interesting instead of just another version of the old covers. I mean, they're not terrible, and I kind of like the uniform look to them, but they are very bland. I also find that I am kind of sentimental towards the old covers now. The winner for me in this battle (fake battle) are the original covers. They're old fashioned looking but they have more personality than the new versions.

Bonus: What do you think of the movie tie-in cover for VA?

As movie tie-in covers go, I really like this one. I love the colors and the logo is visible but not crazy huge. If you didn't know that this was made into a movie, you might think it was a regular cover with two cover models on it. Thumbs up from me. I would totally get a copy if I didn't already have a set. 

Those are my thoughts on the new Vampire Academy covers. Let me know what you think below. Love them, hate them, bought them on e-book because they were so bad? And don't forget to visit the other lovely bloggers participating ad well. Have a great weekend!

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What Does the Bookworm Say?: Favorite Romances

Hi and welcome to What Does the Bookworm Say?, a feature that I am doing with my friends The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages. We often get into bookish discussions over email and thought it would be a fun idea to discuss these topics on our blogs. This week's topic is Favorite Romances.

Since it's almost Valentine's Day, we thought we'd get an early start on the love train by talking about some of our favorite romances. I feel like I talk about romance all the time so I thought I would mix this up by picking a genre that I don't read a whole lot of - contemporary romance. I am usually more of a paranormal or historical girl when it comes to my romance books, but occasionally I do find a good contemp that piques my interest. Here are some of my faves.

After The Night by Linda Howard - My friend Nasya is a romance novel expert and she recommended this to me right when I started reading romance a few years ago. Though it's a little dated now, I still love to re-read it now and then. This has two characters who really hate each other (they have a history) but who have insane chemistry. Of course they fall in love, and it's awesome.

Love Irresistibly by Julie James - Though I like all of the books in James's FBI series, this is one of my favorites because Cade, the male protagonist has been kicking around in the series for a while just waiting for his HEA. He's pretty grumpy but Brooke is a great match for him. Funny and sweet.

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren - Another book where the two main characters can't stand each other (you'll notice that this is one of my fave tropes). This whole series is just really hot and fun to read.

About Last Night by Ruthie Knox - This super cute romance features a very attractive, charming Brit. Can't go wrong there.

Changing the Game by Jaci Burton - Not only does this have a smoking hot cover, it also has a really great romance. This is one of those sex with no strings that turns into true love romances. Very fun and the love scenes are very creative.

That's my list of favorite contemporary romances. If you have a favorite contemporary romance you think I should read, let me know in the comments below.

Be sure to check out the other lovely bloggers who are also participating - The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages.

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What Does the Bookworm Say?: Love Triangles

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages. We often get into bookish discussions over email and thought it would be a fun idea to discuss these topics as a bi-weekly feature on our blogs. Hopefully you find these topics interesting and learn a little about the blogger behind the review. This week's topic is Love triangles: Love 'em or hate 'em?

I have a love/hate relationship with love triangles. On one had, if they're done well, with well developed characters and relationships, I think they can be really great - adding drama and complexity to a story. On the other hand, when done badly, they seem gimmicky and serve no real purpose. They also usually involve a girl who, until then, hasn't had much luck in the love department who suddenly becomes the object of attention to two super hot males. I'm all for fantasy but sometimes this is just too much.

Examples:

Good - I like the love triangle in Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. I can see why Calaena would be attracted to both Dorian and Chaol. They are both well written characters with both their weaknesses and strengths and I can see why she would be attracted to each of them for different reasons. I can also see why she would be attractive to them.

Bad - So don't throw stones at me but I really did not like the love triangle in the Twilight series. I never understood why Jacob kept hanging around Bella when she treated him so poorly and clearly was never going to be with him. And I think the bigger mystery was always why either of the two hot male leads wanted to be with Bella. Sorry, I know. I like the series but the whole triangle thing was always super annoying.

So that's what I think about love triangles. What do you think? Do you have a love triangle that you think will change my mind about them?

Be sure to check out the other lovely bloggers who are also participating - The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, just leave it in the comments below. Thanks!

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What Does The Bookworm Say?: 2014 Goals

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages. We often get into bookish discussions over email and thought it would be a fun idea to discuss these topics as a bi-weekly feature on our blogs. Hopefully you find these topics interesting and learn a little about the blogger behind the review. This week's topic is 2014 Reading/Blogging Goals and Resolutions.

I don't like the word resolutions much, but I do try to make goals for myself every year. This year's goals are:

• Read 75 books - This is down from my usual 100 book goal. Last year I only read about 80 books, which I am totally fine with. But I plan to read some longer books this year (Game of Thrones, I'm looking at you) and want to give myself some leeway to re-read favorites and generally just enjoy the books I read more. Sometimes I feel like I am racing to finish books so I can review them or get them off the TBR pile. Hoping that with this smaller reading goal, I can enjoy my reads a little more.
• Read my physical books - I have huge stacks of books at home. I am going on a low-buy until I can read some of these.
• Read those languishing review copies - I am still really behind on review books. Hoping to really make a dent in them this year, especially some of the older ones. I am participating again in the Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge, which I hope will motivate me. If you are interested in signing up, details are here.
• Start/Catch up on my series reading - I have joined both the And So It Begins Challenge and the End of Series Challenge and will hopefully knock out some of these book this year. I'll have more lengthy posts on both of these challenges soon.
• Write reviews in a more timely manner - This is a goal of mine every year. I try but it's hard. My reading pace definitely beats out my reviewing pace.

Apart from my bookish goals for the new year, I also have some personal goals. If you know me, you know that last year was not an awesome one. But I want to make the best of the new year and take time for myself to do the things that make me feel good. This includes reading but I also want to travel more, eat good food, knit, and hang out with my friends more.

So those are my reading and blogging goals for 2014. Hope you liked the first post of this new feature. Be sure to check out the other lovely bloggers who are also participating - The Reader's Antidote, Elegantly Bound Books and The Windy Pages. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, just leave it in the comments below. Thanks!

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