As you all know, I read a lot of books. I forget far too many of them. I’ve round myself re-reading a few this year with no memory of having read them the first time. I hundreds of plots and characters running around inside my mind—my own, and those from the novels I’ve read. But …
The obvious nonfiction pick here is the Bible 🙂 Fiction is a little harder to pick, partly because there is so much fiction (especially Christian fiction) featuring Christmas. Some authors feature Christmas in all their stories because it’s popular all the time. I can see the appeal, although I prefer summer stories. Lots of authors …
There are two kinds of debut novels–the debut novels that just released (like mine, Always By My Side), and the debut novels from favourite authors that I read years after release. I’ll share a couple of favourites from both categories: I’ve read and enjoyed all of Janet W Ferguson’s Coastal Hearts novels. I love the …
Historically, no. But I’m trying to change. When I got my first e-reader, I downloaded a lot of free and cheap ebooks just because I could. After a lifetime of paying NZ$25 plus for a paperback, I found it difficult to resist the never-ending supply of free and cheap ebooks. I discovered online book reviewing …
Yes, but perhaps not in the way the question implies. I review books, and a lot of the books I review are sent to me directly by the author. In these cases, I always contact the author after reviewing the book to share my view. (Not least because showing I reviewed their book will hopefully …
I love ebooks. They’re always my first choice for reading, partly because they are cheaper (usually), but also because they are easier to store and easier to read than a paperback. (To those of you who can still read paperbacks without glasses: good for you.) But just because ebooks are cheaper doesn’t mean I’ll pay …
I’d consider it. I haven’t bought directly from an author’s website yet, but it’s not something I’m opposed to. It’s more that I tend to find new books either from author newsletters or through Amazon, which means I tend to click through from the newsletter and buy from Amazon. Many of the authors I read …
Do I pay attention to sponsored bookish posts on Facebook? Honestly, no. There are two reasons for this. One is because I don’t get a lot of bookish sponsored posts. I don’t know how authors target their Facebook ads, but I simply don’t see many. The other reason I don’t pay attention is that when …
Do you prefer to wait until a full series is released, or read the individual novels as they release? I mostly read related series i.e. a romance trilogy where each book is about a different couple, and the characters are related in some way e.g. siblings or friends or co-workers. In these cases, I tend …
Interesting question! Let’s look at each factor separately, starting with what I think makes a compelling read: Character For me, story starts with character. Yes, there needs to be a plot, but I love character-driven stories. So I want to read about relatable and likeable characters. Familiar Fiction thrives on tropes i.e. authors using familiar …
