Why I May Never Buy an eBook

Last week I told you about my new iPad and how I had no idea what to do with it. Now, thanks to the advice of several awesome commenters I have a much better idea of what this little thing can do. Thanks everyone!

After I read all of your comments I immediately downloaded apps for all of the bookstores (kindle, nook, ibooks, etc), and began to browse.

It was AMAZING. I couldn't believe that every book I wanted was just a tap away. Not only that, I had some bookstore gift cards from Christmas, so I didn't even have to spend my own money! The only question was what I should buy first.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, I am not and impulsive buyer. Before I could tap that buy button I had to do some research. So I looked up what it would cost to buy a REAL paper and ink copy of the books on my list, and I was surprised to find that for most of the books I wanted, it cost the same or just a dollar more to buy a book instead of an eBook.

I thought about that real book sitting on my shelf. I thought about lending it to friends. I thought about all four of my kids pulling it off the shelf when they get old enough to enjoy it. I thought about reading it in the bathtub and not worrying about a few little water spots, because it's paper and it will dry. And the eBooks suddenly looked much less shiny.

Yeah, I've heard about Kindle's new lending program. But I've also heard about all the caveats, like the fact that only a few books can be lent, you can only lend a book ONE TIME, and only lend it for 14 days.

Yes it would be convenient to get a book the second I want it and store my whole library in one two pound device. But I don't think those conveniences outweigh my desire to share my books with friends and family and smell paper and ink while I read. Plus you know I'm not taking the iPad with me to the tub.

So instead of buying books online I'll be headed to the bookstore to browse the aisles the old fashioned way.

But don't worry! The iPad will see some reading action too. I downloaded an app that gives me access to my library's eBooks and eAudiobooks and it turns out my library has an AWESOME eBook collection. So I think I'll save myself a couple trips to the library every month by doing more of my library reading and listening on the iPad.

I will probably break down and buy an eBook one of these days, but not anytime soon. The sad truth is I like real books too much.

Do you buy a lot of eBooks? What do you like about them? If you're not an eBook fan, why can't you live without good old ink and paper books?

My Favorite Books This Year

I read kind of a lot of books this year. I didn't quite reach my goal of 100, but I got to 83.

A couple of the books I read were BEASTS (ahem LITTLE DORRIT and THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE), and I also read 10 manuscripts for friends, so I practically made it to 100.

Many of the books I read were fantastic and I wanted to share my list of favorites, so here goes...

(Note: I'm only including books I read this year. If I had to list all of my favorites this post would go on forever.)

Favorite Memoir

THE GLASS CASTLE by Jeannette Walls

This is pretty much a must read. It's horrifying and heartwarming all at once.

Favorite Middle Grade

PRINCESS FOR HIRE by Lindsey Leavitt and Janice Hardy's SHIFTER

PRINCESS FOR HIRE is really cute and magical (two things I love in MG) and THE SHIFTER is a great story, with great writing.

Favorite YA

MATCHED by Ally Condie, followed closely by Ally Carter's HEIST SOCIETY and Kiersten White's PARANORMALCY

These were all just fun. I read a lot of deep YA too, but I really appreciated the lighter stuff this year.

Favorite Classics

Charles Dickens LITTLE DORRIT and Thomas Hardy's FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

I always read a few classics. LITTLE DORRIT took me all year to get through, but it was a great story and well worth the effort.

Favorite Series

THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy by Suzanne Collins (Obviously)

I love these.

Favorite book from a genre I'd never read before

Jody Hedlund's Christian romance THE PREACHER'S BRIDE

I read this because Jody is a friend. I loved it because it was a really great story, told well.

Favorite Nonfiction

NURTURE SHOCK by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

Fascinating!

Favorite Books from Childhood Revisited

THE GIVER by Lois Lowry and pretty much everything by Roald Dahl

It was really fun to read these again now that I'm grown up.

Favorite book for grown ups and favorite book this year

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett

LOVED this. I think it was probably my favorite read in five years.

So there you have it! I read a very wide range of books this year so hopefully there's something here for everyone. I promise if your taste is exactly like mine you will love these books! And if you're taste isn't exactly like mine you'll probably still like some of them. :)

Now the question is, what should I read in 2011?

How To Read If You Have No Time

Many of you know that I'm trying to read 100 books this year.

I often see bloggers complain that they don't have time to read as much as they would like. I will admit that with 3 small children and one extremely needy baby I don't have enough time to read either.

So, I don't read.

I listen.

Audiobooks folks. I have two or three hours most days when I can't read, but I can listen. Whether I'm walking around trying to soothe the baby (who has colic in a major way right now), doing dishes, or driving the kids from place to place, I almost always have an audiobook on.

I recently discovered LibriVox, a website where you can download free audio versions of books in the public domain. If you love the classics and you like audiobooks you need to check it out.

So yeah, maybe I'm not actually "reading" 100 books this year. When I'm done I imagine I will have read about half of the books and listened to the rest. But I say it counts. :)

So if you're too busy to read, why not try listening?

Are you an audiobook reader?

And two of my agentmates, Miranda Kennealy and Jennifer Wolf sold their debut novels last week! They are very awesome girls and you should get to know them. If you have a second stop by their blogs to say congratulations.

That book you COULDN'T put down

Hey everybody! Sorry for my stinky blogging lately. I'm finding it really difficult to sit at the computer and write anything these days. Between the pregnancy and foggy medicine brain I have a hard time forming coherent sentences. The good news is I am 33 weeks pregnant today and it looks like I might have the baby as soon as 35 weeks, so I should be back to normal (sort of) pretty soon. :)

I may not be a stellar writer just now, but at least I can read! I've been reading some great books lately. Over the weekend I decided to reread THE HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE to prepare for tomorrow's MOCKINGJAY release. I forgot how much I love these books. Suzanne Collins is pretty much my (and about a million other people's) writing hero.

When I started reading I wanted to analyze the reason that these books are so engrossing. Then I got too engrossed to analyze anything. This is about all I can come up with.

1. The story is brilliant. The concept is unique, the tension is constant, and the relationships are compelling from page 1 of Book 1.

2. The writing is fantastic (in my opinion-- this is one of those really subjective things). Suzanne Collins is not a word waster. Every sentence, paragraph, and chapter moves the story forward. She includes the perfect amount of description. The setting and characters are vivid. I can see the world she's created. But, I haven't noticed a single time when I've skimmed a descriptive paragraph to get to the good stuff (something I do really often when I read a wordy author).

That's about it. I can't wait for MOCKINGJAY tomorrow! I wish I could make it last a few weeks, but I'm sure I'll devour it in a day or two. And I think I'm Team Whoever at this point. I'm just excited to see where Suzanne's master storytelling takes us.

I don't think I've read a book quite so gripping/hard to put down for a long, long time. And I read a lot!

So have any of you read something recently that you couldn't put down? Please share! I'll be pregnant and on bed rest or I'll have a brand new, slightly premature baby for the next few months, so I'll probably be stuck at home for a while. I could use some recommendations for awesome books! What have you read in the last few years that you COULDN'T put down? What made it so good?

What We Can Learn From Reading

I haven't done nearly as much writing as I would have liked to this summer, but I've done a lot of reading.

I read a variety of genres. The last 10 books I've read include:

2 Middle Grade Fantasy

2 Contemporary Middle Grade

2 YA Fantasy

1 Contemporary YA

1 Classic

1 Adult Memoir

1 Adult Fiction

I've read varying opinions about what we, as writers should read. Some people say you should read extensively in your genre, some say you should avoid your own genre (so it won't effect your manuscript and you can write something fresh), some suggest that you SHOULDN'T read while you're writing, and some say you should read new releases and NYT Bestsellers, so you can understand what people are reading now and write to the market.

I believe I should read what I feel like reading! Reading is something I do for fun, but it's also something I do to learn. I think I can learn more by reading a variety of great books, (and maybe a few that aren't so great), than I can by reading only one or two genres (or heaven forbid, nothing at all!).

A few lessons I've learned this month from reading that will help me with my writing:

-I like short chapters, they keep the action going.

-I'm not a fan of explaining or over-description. If a book takes 500 pages to tell a story that could be told in 250 pages, I will be annoyed.

-Non-linear story-telling is awesome if it's done well (I don't think I'll try it anytime soon though).

-Humor is a great tool for keeping the audience engaged. This is true for almost all genres.

-I love a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter.

Do you read while you write? Do you read outside of your genre? What do you learn from the books you read?

Book Reviews: Love them or Hate them?

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! I love that we have days to celebrate mothers and fathers. They deserve the extra recognition. My father is probably the most supportive person in my life. No matter what I attempt, he believes in me 100%.

My husband is the best dad ever to my kids. Plus, he's super hot and funny.

And he's really good at cleaning bathrooms, which is good too. I hope all you fathers have a great day, and I hope everyone will take some time to call your dads and tell them how great they are.

Now onto business. The winner of last week's 10 page critique is Sandy Shin! Sandy, I'll email you sometime today. Commenters today can be eligible for next week's critique. Just make sure to say you would like to win a critique in your comment and include an email address. If you want more info, this post explains everything.

Today I have some confessions to make. They're shocking. Don't hate me, okay?

I don't like book reviews.

I won't read them unless I've already read the book being reviewed. I don't like to know much about a book before I read it and I think almost all reviews, even the ones that claim they don't include spoilers, give too much away. I might skim for the sentences where the reviewer says whether or not s/he liked the book, but that's it.

Also, I don't read jacket copy for the same reason.

I choose my reading list based on buzz and personal recommendations. If I notice a lot of people are blogging about a certain book, I'll put it on my to-read list. If a friend with good taste in books recommends something, I'll probably read it. If I already love an author I will definitely pick up his or her latest book.

This means I am a lousy bookstore browser. When I go to a bookstore I have to have a list. I pick up the books I want, skim the first few pages to make sure they look good, and buy them. I usually don't know what they're about, and sometimes I don't even know the genre. (I recently read a book that I assumed from the cover would be YA fantasy--it wasn't. It was literary fiction. I loved it.)

I have a good friend who loves reading reviews. She likes to know a lot about a book before she decides to invest time in reading it and finds almost all of the books she reads through reviews. She wouldn't even consider reading a book without first knowing the basic plot.

Both of us read some books we love and both of us read some books we really don't like, so neither method is infallible, but they work for us.

So how about you? Do you like reviews? Where do you go when you need to add to your to-read list?

My agent Sara Megibow is still looking for romance writers. So if you write romance, romantic YA, fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi, etc. and are ready to query agents check out this post. I'm giving blog readers a referral!

Book Recommendations and Contests and Jury Duty, Oh My

There are A LOT of great contests going on right now, and there are two I'd like to bring to your attention. First off, my lovely writing group friend Megan Rebekah is having a 500 followers contest on her blog. She's got 3 books to choose from or A FULL MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE. Trust me when I tell you, you want the critique (even though she's got some awesome books too). Megan is a fantastic beta. Her notes have made my stories SO MUCH BETTER.

Second, I'm sure you've heard about Elana Johnson's book deal giveaway extravaganza this week. It's been epic. There is still another day or two to enter to win one of her prize packages. They are all super cool (all of them include Girl Scout Cookies!), so you should go leave a comment there too.

So you all know I'm trying to read 100 books this year, right? The book count currently stands at 31 and the year is almost half over, so I may not make it (or I may need to start counting picture books!). But I have read several amazing books this year though and I thought you might want to know about the very best book I've read so far this year. The Help by Kathryn Stockett was amazing. I know it's a bestseller. I know many of you have already read it. But those of you who haven't need to pick it up.

And finally, I have jury duty next week. I think this is pretty unfair since I served on a jury just a few years ago and my husband has NEVER been called, but I'll smile do my civic duty. Anyway, because of Memorial Day and jury duty I may not be around much next week so I hope you all have a great week. May agent offers and book deals abound!

What's the best book you've read so far this year?

Are E-readers Really the Greenest Option?

First off, Happy Earth Day! My six-year-old has been looking forward to Earth Day all month and she's insisting that she use every bit of trash we create today to do an Earth Day art project (I think she got the idea from PBS). I want to do my part too, so my post today is about the environmental impact of books in their various forms.

I've been thinking about buying a Kindle or a Nook or an iPad for a while, but I've wondered if this cool new technology is really as green as it appears to be.

I did some research and unfortunately there don't seem to be any concrete answers. From what I've read, purchasing an e-reader could leave an equivalent carbon footprint to anywhere from 15 to 100 real books. That's kind of a big discrepancy.

The best break down I read was in a NY times article entitled How Green is My iPad? The authors describe e-reader and paper book footprints in 5 steps: materials, manufacture, transportation, reading, and disposal. It was fascinating. You need to read it.

My other concern is that I might buy more books than I do now if I had an e-reader, just because it's so easy to click a button and download. I usually buy one or two books a month. I try to limit my book consumption to new releases that I HAVE to read ASAP and books that I already love and want in my home library, so my family can enjoy them too. Most other books I try to get from the library. I wonder if an e-reader would make it so easy to get a book that I'd end up buying things I would never read again.

Also, if I stay on my current book buying schedule it would take me 5 or 6 years to purchase 100 books. It's likely that the technology will be so old by then that it will be time to upgrade to a new e-reader anyway.

So, I think I'm still a real book girl for the time being. I feel pretty good about real books and I think it's awesome that more and more books are being printed on recycled paper, using soy based inks (these are very landfill friendly, though I always wonder, who throws their books away?). Plus, I love the feel of a real book in my hands. I'll probably cave in and buy an e-reader someday, but not yet.

For those of you with Kindles, iPads, Nooks, etc., was environmental impact something you thought about when you purchased your e-reader? Has your e-book consumption been enough to offset the opportunity cost of buying real books? For the rest of you, is e-reader greenness a factor in whether or not you will buy one in the future?

The Books I Read

You might know that I am trying to read 100 books this year.

Before you become impressed I should probably tell you that I will most likely listen to half of these books, and another quarter will be chapter books or easy middle grade. But it's still cool, right?

So I think I'm supposed to have a post listing the books I've read so far this year, so you can all see that I am actually reading 100 books and not just pretending to read them. Plus, you can all giggle at my reading choices.

This is what I've read so far this year:

1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

2. Soulless by Gail Carriger

3. The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl

4. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

5. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney

8. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

9. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl

10. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

11. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

12. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

13. Stargirl by Jerry Sprinelli

14. The Ranger's Apprentice #1 by John Flanagan

15. The Ranger's Apprentice #2 by John Flanagan

16. The Ranger's Apprentice #3 by John Flanagan

17. Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

18. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

19. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

20. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

21. The Black Tulip by Alexander Dumas

22. Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business by Barbara Park

23. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

24. The Shifter by Janice Hardy

25. The Giver by Lois Lowry

Yeah, I've been reading a lot of Roald Dahl. He was my favorite author when I was a kid, so I got my daughter the Roald Dahl collection for Christmas. We've been reading them together every night. So, I can guarantee there will be a lot of Roald Dahl in the final 100.

Anyway, check back if you're ever curious about what I'm reading. I won't ever do reviews, because I don't think I have reviewing skills. Plus I don't want to say negative things on the internet if I hate a book. That wouldn't be nice. But if you are dying to know what I think of a book (because my taste in literature is so excellent--as you can see from my list), feel free to email me.

What are you reading right now? Do you have any recommendations for great MG reads or books meant for grown ups? (My reading list appears to be mostly YA, and I can only take so much teen angst).

Escape

When I sit down with a novel I have an expectation. I read so I can get away from my cares and see life through someone else's eyes--so I can escape.

Don't get me wrong, I live a very happy life. I have a beautiful family, a home, food, clothing, and thousands of other comforts. Unfortunately, real life is stressful. I have many demands on my time. Some of the things I do are fun (like writing, snuggle time with the kids, and movie nights with my husband). Most of my daily tasks are mundane (cleaning, cooking, driving kids from place to place). And some of my jobs are downright nasty (like changing poopy diapers and cleaning up dog vomit).

When I read something great, I can leave all of that behind--at least for a few minutes--and get lost in a story.

I'm reading Rick Riordan's PERCY JACKSON series right now and it has been a great little escape.

Have you read anything fabulous lately?

Getting to Know You: What Do You Read?

Wow, we write a lot of different genres! YA was the winner (I think more than half of us write YA-- at least sometimes), but there were a few other MG writers, some non-fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, picture books, contemporary fiction, steampunk, chick lit, women's fiction, sci-fi, Christian, and paranormal. I'm glad we aren't all writing the same thing! And I'm glad to know such an interesting mix of writers.

Today I thought I'd ask, what do you read?

I like almost all fiction. I love 18th and 19th century English and American literature (Dickens, Austen, Hardy, Bronte, Twain, James etc.). I read a lot of children's, MG and YA. I like fantasy, women's fiction, memoirs, and a little bit of science fiction/dystopian.

I don't read much romance, non-fiction, chick lit or paranormal, but when I do I'm usually surprised by how much I like them.

What do you read? Do you do read a lot of books in the genre you write?

Ode to Audiobooks

Several months ago Nathan Bransford had a post asking whether or not listening to an audiobook counts as reading. About half of the responders said yes and the other half said no. I thought it was interesting because I am a major audiobook "reader."

I think the answer to his question is "yeah, sort of."

Listening is obviously not just like reading. The reader's voice, the inflections that they use, the speed at which they read can all add to (or detract from) the words on the page. But whether you listen to or read a book the end result is the same--you know the story and can talk about it with other people who have read it.

I listen to about the same number of books that I read. I find that a few years after I consume books I can't remember which ones I listened to and which ones I read. I know the story and that is the important thing.

I love to listen to audiobooks in the car, while I do dishes, fold laundry, mop the floor, and make dinner. Sometimes my husband and I will listen to an audiobook in the evening while we play a board game or do a puzzle together (this makes us sound like old people--we're not. We're just nerds.).

Reading time has become increasingly difficult to scrounge up as I've had children. Some days I can't get three minutes together to sit down and read a book, but I can always listen to one. So, whether or not it counts as reading, I am very thankful for audiobooks and their ability to keep me connected to the outside world.

Do you listen to audiobooks? Do you hate them?

My Book Club

Okay, first I've got to say the schedule worked out well yesterday! I got my 1000 words, I went to the park with the kids and I even got a little bit of yard work and cleaning done! That said, it seems like my schedules almost always work for a day or two and the I lapse back into disorganization. So the real test will be whether or not it's still working next week.

Moving on...

Four years ago my friends and I decided to start a book club. Most of us are moms and we don't get out much so we thought a book club would give us a good excuse to leave the kids with our husbands one evening a month and get together.

I love book club. We meet every month (mostly) and discuss our book (for a few minutes) and then we chat about LIFE. Some of the books get more detailed discussions and some don't even get read, but all of them provide us with the opportunity to meet.

Last night we had book club. We discussed The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Some of the girls loved it and some hated it, but we all agreed that the symbolism was fascinating. For book club we read a variety of books from classics and memoirs to women's fiction and young adult.

Some of my favorites have been:

A Tale of Two Cities- Charles Dickens

The Secret Life of Bees- Sue Monk Kidd

Life of Pi- Yann Martel

The Book Thief- Markus Zusak

Bridge to Terabithia- Katherine Paterson

Return of the Native- Thomas Hardy

We are always looking for a great book or at least a book that's fun to discuss. Do you have any suggestions for great book club reads?