A couple of weeks ago it hit me: I wasn’t enjoying what I was reading. I immediately put down the book I was reading and started something else. I felt a little guilt about it because the book I was reading was sent to me for review

When did I start neglecting the books I wanted to read and instead read book publishers/authors wanted me to read?

This thought entered my mind while sitting in the Portland airport. I was flying down to Reno and had packed two books to take with me on my journey. One was given to me by a publisher asking me to review it, the other was one I purchased myself. The publisher book, as much as I hate to say it, wasn’t meeting my expectations. I swapped it for my other book but that only caused me to think about the other books at home I have in my To Be Read pile. How many of those books were books that I would pick up and look at in a bookstore?

There are currently three books in my immediate TBR pile. All three are from publishers for review. My non-immediate TBR pile currently consists of graphic novels (Bone, Unwritten) and the Christopher Moore books I have yet to read. If given the choice, I would be reading the graphic novels and Moore’s books. But who says I don’t have a choice?

Nobody, that’s who.

I didn’t start this blog to appease publishers. I started it because I was bored and I read a lot of books. I’ve become more picky about accept books for review for a couple reasons. First, I am currently working on my own manuscript and need to focus my free time on that. Second, sometimes I want to read what I want to read. If I want to read a comic, I don’t want to feel bad about neglecting a publishers book by doing so.

So for the time being, I am going to be accepting less books for review and get back to reading the books I want to read. That’s not to say I have stopped accepting books. If there is one that truly sounds right up my ally, I will gladly add it to my TBR pile.

After 3(ish) years, I thought I might need to finally establish a review policy, so I’ve added a “Review Policy” to the sidebar.

Almost a year ago I graduated with a degree in English and a minor in Writing. Needless to say, the degree means nothing unless you have something to show for it. That’s what i’ve been working on for the past year or so. I finished the first draft of my first novel about a month ago and have since started on the second draft. Last week was the first time I let someone other than myself see the first couple of chapters. My goal is to finish the 2nd draft by the end of July.

Additionally, starting later on today, I will be starting an online serial. My current plans are to post parts of it Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and see how it goes. They’re are just going to be short story snippets. I’m also not planning ahead. That can either come back and bite in the ass later. We’ll see how this goes and if I like it.

Lastly, I’ve been reading less books because I’ve been trying to focus more on my writing. Do writers read? Surely they must. Just look at all the endorsements on the back of books from other authors. They wouldn’t say nice things about another book if they hadn’t read it, right?

Read the book? No
Seen the movie? Yes

A lot of Hitchcock’s films were based off of novels. Daphne du Maurier wrote the stories that Hitchcock later turned in to the films Rebecca and The Birds. The Birds was actually a novelette from her collection The Apple Tree. There are a couple of noticeable changes in the story when it was adapted. Instead of taking place in England, the movie is set in the San Francisco area but the premise stays the same. Birds go crazy and attack people. For the longest time I put off watching ANY of Hitchcock’s films just because he was so highly regarded I felt that if/when I did watch one of his films I would be disappointed due to such high expectations. Eventually I took a Hitchcock Film Studies class in college. We watched ten Hitchcock films and aside from the instructor’s habit of giving away the ending before we even watch the film, it was a pretty cool class. Out of the Hitchcock films that I have seen, North by Northwest would be my favorite but The Bird would be number two. I could probably pick up a copy of The Apple Tree next time i’m in Powells.

I was going to only post five movies throughout the week, but then I thought of another one after I had already wrote this post. So i’m post my six favorite movies based on books.

Read the book(s)? Yes
Seen the movie? Yes

I’ve heard a lot of negative criticism about this movie. Specifically about the wedding which takes place at the end of The Bad Beginnings but in the movie it now takes place after the events in The Wide Window. If you’re a purist then I can see why you are complaining. But I felt that the movie adaptation did a very good job with the source material. We all know that when a book is made in to a movie the results can sometimes be iffy. Take Sahara with Matthew McConaughey for example. What the heck were they trying to achieve with that movie other than Matthew McConaughey shirtless for practically the entire film. With Lemony Snicket, the movie followed the first three books well enough. Not only that, I thought the casting was really good. Particularly Emily Browning, who can be seen in Sucker Punch, as Violet Baudelaire. Then you also have Jim Carrey, Billy Connolly, Meryl Streep, and Jude Law. Wikipedia also lists Jane Lynch and Helena Bonham Carter as having small roles in the film. I would have to watch it again to confirm that though. You can never been too sure with Wikipedia nowadays.

The film was also my first taste of the Series of Unfortunate Events. I only started reading the books after seeing the movie.

My Five Least Favorite Books

Number One
A Separate Peace
by John Knowles

I don’t know why I was forced to read this book in high school. Thinking back upon it, I don’t remember learning anything from the story or the way it was written. It couldn’t be the moral of the story that my English teacher was trying to instill in us. “Don’t be a dick and push your friend out of a tree” seemed to be pretty common sense. And this was back in Nevada where we didn’t even have trees. From what I remember, this is a story about two boys in an all boy school who are complete opposites. Naturally, they become best friends. Then one of them dies.

Why do I dislike this book?
Part of my disliking of this book is the fact I was forced to read it for school. I hate being forced to read books, so my opinion is naturally tainted by that negative experience. Wikipedia is telling me A Separate Peace is a Naturalistic novel. Fantastic, but what the heck does that mean? It’s “a literary movement taking place from 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character.” Okay, I can see that. A Separate Peace is probably a pretty good definition of Naturalism. But that still doesn’t change the fact that I did not enjoy reading this book. The only lasting impression it left me with was a tired feeling when I think of this book. Will someone please tell me how this book relates to teenagers in today’s society?

Five Least Favorite Books:
5) Persuasion by Jane Austen
4) Freak Show by James St. James
3) And Another Thing… by Eoin Colfer
2) Twilight by Stephenie Meter
1) A Separate Peace by John Knowles

My Five Least Favorite Books

Number Three
And Another Thing…
by Eoin Colfer

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. Like a fine wine it has aged well and still want to reread it again and again. And Another Thing…, the self proclaimed sixth book in the Hitchhiker’s Guide “trilogy” was published in 2009 by Eoin Colfer who is known for his young adult Artemis Fowl book series which have not yet been made in to a movie and therefore, can’t possibly be that good. To call And Another Thing… as being unnecessary would be doing it injustice. The book is practically an insult to the real Hitchhiker books that came before it and I can not fathom who thought it would be a good idea to write a sixth.

Why do I dislike this book?
It’s not funny! The Hitchhiker books written by Douglas Adams were fantastically witty and often rather smart in terms of their humor. Colfer’s attempts as humor boil down to him making up big words, silly words and names like Tyromancers and Constant Mown then have the characters comment on how silly that word or name was. This book is packed full of nonsensical words like that and attempt to illustrate the wackiness of the universe but falls flat and ends up sounding like the rambles of an insane individual.

Also, what a horrible cover they made for the paperback edition.

Five Least Favorite Books:
5) Persuasion by Jane Austen
4) Freak Show by James St. James
3) And Another Thing… by Eoin Colfer
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My Five Lest Favorite Books

Number Four
Freak Show
by James St. James

Have you seen the movie Party Monster staring Seth Green and Macaulay Culkin about two club kids in the late 80s/early 90s and the murder of a drug dealer named Angel? The movie is based of the memoir Disco Bloodbath by James St. James. It should be noted that Disco Bloodbath is one of my favorite book covers/titles. Eight years after it’s release, James St. James put out another book called Freak Show. Instead of being autobiographical like Bloodbath, Freak Show is a fiction novel telling the story about a drag queen in high school who aspires to be crowned homecoming queen at his/her school.

Why do I dislike this book?
Imagine reading a teenage girl’s diary. Now imagine doing that for 300 pages. Trying to read this book was like me going back and reading my old Livejournal posts. All I can do is think to myself, boy was I stupid back then. I tried reading this book but I couldn’t make it very far. Both my boyfriend and I have purchased separate copies of this book. I know I sold mine and I can’t find his copy anywhere around the apartment. He must of sold his as well. Other people have liked this book, just not me.

Five Least Favorite Books:
5) Persuasion by Jane Austen
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My Five Least Favorite Books

Number Five
Persuasion
by Jane Austen

I pride myself on the fact that I have never completely read a Jane Austen book. Persuasion is the only time I ever came close but in the end I gave up. Like most books I dislike, I was forced to read this book for a class in college. It was a History of Satire class which sounded like a really fun class only the instructor’s choice of books was a little off. Somehow we got to the point of reading Persuasion by Jane Austen and even after sitting through an entire class of people giving presentations about the book, I have no clue why this book would be considered satire.

Why do I dislike this book?
It’s really, really boring. Maybe as a guy i’m not suppose to enjoy Jane Austen. Maybe this is her worst book and I should give her another chance. Whatever the reason, I found it impossible finish the 160something pages that made up Persuasion. Do they or do they not spend a majority of the novel (novella? novelette?) going for walks in and around Bath? UGH. Just thinking about this book makes me tired.

Also, what’s with the twelve foot tall women on the cover? I don’t remember that being in the book.

Five Least Favorite Books:
5) Persuasion by Jane Austen
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