Category: Bookish Question

Do you read fiction or non-fiction or both?

Bookish Question #61 | Do you read fiction or non-fiction or both?

Both.

But I read a lot more fiction than non-fiction.

In terms of fiction, I mostly read Christian fiction. But I read most genres of Christian fiction except Amish and fantasy. I also read some general market fiction—mostly women’s fiction, clean romance, or Young Adult dystopian.

My non-fiction reading is a lot narrower. I read the Bible (which I consider to be non-fiction, despite what others might think), and books about writing craft, book marketing, and the occasional book on editing or publishing. I also read (and share) a lot of blog posts on writing craft, editing, publishing, and book marketing.

What about you? Do you read fiction, non-fiction, or both?

Do you read books as soon as you receive them?

Bookish Question #60 | Do you read books as soon as you receive them?

This question is a sign of the times!

Once upon a time, back when I only read paper books, I “received” them in one of three ways: I bought them myself, I borrowed them from the library, or I received them as gifts.

And I always read them as soon as I received them. I would, of course, prioritise library books, because they had to be returned. But it would be rare for me to have a book longer than a week or two before I read it. The main exceptions were the Good News Bible a friend gave me when I was about thirteen, or the reference books I was given: books of Bible stories, children’s encyclopedias (encyclopediae?), or (later) university textbooks.

But ereaders have changed my book-buying habits. So has reviewing.

As a result, my reading habits have also changed.

I get a lot of review books. Some I receive direct from authors, but I find most on NetGalley. I also have hundreds and hundreds of unread books on my Kindle. Most of them were downloaded free, but there is also a good number of books I’ve paid for (including many sale books. Because there is a never-ending supply of books I want to read. No matter how much I want to read it, I’m reluctant to pay $10 for a book when I already have so many unread books.

But if that same book goes down to 99c or $1.99? Or where the pre-order copy is half the regular price? Or when I find a must-read book on NetGalley? Sold.

You see my problem. A complete lack of self-control when it comes to books.

The result is a to-read pile which is out of control. So this year I’ve made, and am making, a concerted effort to read new books as soon as they arrive on my Kindle. I prioritise books I’ve paid for, but also (try) to apply this to review copies.

The positive aspect to this is I’ve already read all the books I’m due to review in June, and have written and scheduled most of the reviews as well. I also make a point of not visiting NetGalley unless I’m posting my reviews, or receive an email saying I’ve been approved to review a book I requested.

I have also decided not to buy Kindle books that area already available unless I want to read them at once. Right. Now. It’s working as a way of keeping my to-read mountain from growing into a small planet. It also means that when a pre-ordered book arrives on my Kindle, I can sit down and read it right away. It helps that most books seem to release at 7pm in my timezone, just as I’m sitting down to relax in the evening!

So, long answer short, I am making a point of trying to read books as soon as I receive them rather than letting them languish on my Kindle.

What about you? Do you read books as soon as you receive them?

Have you written book reviews?

Bookish Question #59 | Have you written book reviews?

Yes! I write book reviews.

500 Book Reviews

I don’t know exactly how many book reviews I’ve written. I have over 600 reviews published on NetGalley (they gave me a new badge at 500!), 800 published on Amazon US and on Goodreads. My original book review blog has exactly 1,000 posts, although not all of those posts are book reviews. I also used to post reviews on the now-retired Suspense Sisters Reviews. Those have now been deleted, so I’m reposting them here as #ThrowbackThursday posts.

It’s ironic that I’ve written and published so many reviews. I loathed writing book reviews at school, because they cut into my reading time. Our teacher gave us half an hour of reading time each day, and wanted us to review each book we read. Well, I read in my spare time, so I seemed to spend all my class time writing reviews when everyone else was doing what I’d rather be doing—reading. And we had to write our reviews in a certain format, which took longer than if I’d been able to write whatever I wanted.

Writing online reviews is easy in comparison!

Do you write book reviews? Why, or why not?

Do you enter book giveaways?

Bookish Question #58 | Do you enter book giveaways?

Do I enter book giveaways?

Sometimes. But not often.

I have entered some online book giveaways, and I’ve even won a few. I recently won a paperback copy of the wonderful A Season to Dance by Patricia Beal, in a giveaway at International Christian Fiction Writers.

And I was introduced to the whole world of blogging and online book reviewing when I won a giveaway in late 2011. The prize was an ebook in my choice of formats, and it ended up being delivered to me as a download link from NetGalley (the link expired after 60 days and the book was unreadable, but that’s another story). Anyway, I created a NetGalley account to download my free book, and found loads more books by many of my favourite authors, all free if I promised to review them. So I did.

(Click here if you’d like to learn more about online reviewing through NetGalley.)

Despite this, I don’t enter a lot of book giveaways.

There are three reasons why not.

  1. Geography

I live in New Zealand, and most giveaways are for print books, and are restricted to US mailing addresses. I’ve seen authors justify this online by the cost of posting books to far-away countries like New Zealand. I can understand that, but do they realise how expensive books are in New Zealand? The paperback with a recommended retail price of USD 14.99 (which sometimes sells on Amazon for less than USD 10) generally costs $25 to $30 here. Postage might cost, but the result is we appreciate the book so much more.

2. Capacity

I do not have room for any more paperback books in my house. I’m already faced with some tough decisions on that front! And my Kindle is full to overflowing with unread ebooks. I keep telling myself I’m not going to buy more until I’ve read what I have. (Yes, I’m lying to myself). But I’m reluctant to enter a giveaway when I have no idea if or when I’ll get a chance to read the book if I win.

3. Value

Most of the giveaways that are open internationally are ebook giveaways, which means the purchase price isn’t expensive. If the book is on sale for 99 cents and it interests me, I’ll probably buy it rather than enter the giveaway. That’s not such an easier decision for books priced at $2.99 or $3.99 or $4.99, but I still end up buying some rather than entering the giveaway. Because if I like the book enough to enter the giveaway, I like it enough to at least consider buying it.

What about you? Do you enter book giveaways? Why or why not?

Have you contacted an author you admire?

Bookish Question #57 | Have you contacted an author you admire?

I’m a book reviewer and often feature author interviews on my blog, so you’d think my answer to this would be yes.

But it’s not that easy. I’ve never proactively contacted an author I admire, as in I’ve never written a fan letter (or fan email).

But I have come into contact with many authors I admire—and have found them to be as wonderful in real life as in their fiction. Most of this has come through my reviewing, at least at first, when authors have contacted me.

One of the first books I reviewed online was Picking up the Pieces by Australian author Paula Vince. I then pestered my local Christian bookseller to get her other books for me to read. Not long after I started my original book review blog, Iola’s Christian Reads, I received an email from Paula asking if I was the same Iola who had reviewed some of her books on Amazon (I guess it was a safe bet!).

Anyway, that email started a conversation.

It led to me getting involved in the Christian Writers Downunder and Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Groups, and the opportunity to meet other Australian and Kiwi authors I knew of. One of these was Mary Hawkins, the author of one of the first Christian romance novels I ever read, Search for Tomorrow. I still own that original paperback.

Since then I’ve attended what has become the Omega Writers Conference in Australia five times, and the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference three times, and met authors such as James Scott Bell, Marie Force, Kristen Lamb and others, and met and formed relationships with many other authors, including Ian Acheson, Carolyn Miller, Narelle Atkins, Andrea Grigg, Dorothy Adamek, and Rose Dee.

I’ve also met dozens more authors online, through Facebook groups and through my membership of American Christian Fiction Writers. But I’m still reluctant to contact authors I don’t know!

Don’t let my hesitation stop you contacting an author you admire. Almost without exception, the authors I’ve come into contact with have been wonderful people, and they all love to hear from readers.

What about you? Have you ever contacted an author you admire? Who? And what was their response?

Do you listen to audiobooks?

Bookish Question #56 | Do you listen to audiobooks?

I have listened to some audiobooks, but I am not an audiobook fan. There are a few reasons for this.

First, and most important, is that I’m a fast reader. I’ve done some of those online tests and learned I read at somewhere between 500 and 600 words per minute. In contrast, people speak at somewhere around 180 words per minute. That means I can read most novels in around one-third of the time it would take for me to read the book.

My next reason for not listening to audiobooks is related—time. I don’t have time to listen to audiobooks. This is mostly because I work from home, which means I don’t spend much time in the car. Even when I am in the car, it’s usually for no more than fifteen minutes at a time.

I have been through periods in life where I’ve commuted—my London tube journey was about 40 minutes each way, five days a week. That was great in that it gave me plenty of reading time, and I worked my way through most of the classics of British literature during those years.

I’ve also commuted by car—three hours each way, but fortunately only once a week. Reading while driving is illegal, but listing to audiobooks is not. The only audiobook I had at the time was the King James Version of the New Testament, so I listened to that a lot. I also borrowed some audiobooks from my local library. Some were excellent but others were not, and that had more to do with the narrator than the book. The worst were the ones who read in soporiphic monotone. I was driving. I needed to be kept awake, not sent to sleep.

And that’s my final reason for not listening to audiobooks: the varible quality of the narration. Yes, you can sample the narration, but it’s not as though there are multiple narrators on offer for a specific book. If you want to listen to a story, you have to listen to the story with THAT narrator, good or bad.

If I ever got to the point of having long driving commutes again then I might spend the time listening to audiobooks. Until then, I’ll stick to reading my books.

What about you? Do you listen to audiobooks? Why or why not?

Bookish Question 55: Where is your favourite place to read?

Bookish Question #55 | Where is Your Favourite Place to Read?

Where is my favourite place to read?

Short answer: anywhere.

Slightly longer answer: anywhere I can find where no one is talking to me.

Longer answer: I read in three main places depending on the time of day and time of year, so I guess they are my favourite places to read.

On summer days I like to read at the beach or in the back garden while I’m soaking up the sun. This is where the Kindle is great, because I can still read while lying on my back. The backlit screen means I can also read in direct sunlight (which you can’t do with an iPhone).

In winter I move into the spa pool (hot tub) and drag out the print books. I don’t want to ruin a print book by dropping it in the water, but at least it’s still readable when it dries. A Kindle might not recover, and I’m not willing to take that risk. I know some people read on their Kindles in the bath or in the hot tub—they put it in a ziploc bag. I’m not that confident!

The rest of the time I tend to read in my favourite easy chair in the lounge, usually while my husband watches sport on TV. I find it easy enough to follow a game of rugby or cricket at the same time as reading a book. Watching a movie takes a little more skill, especially if he’s watching a foreign film. In a way, foreign films are best for reading to, because it’s easy to tune out background noise in a foreign language.

What about you? Where is your favourite place to read? Leave a note in the comments.

Bookish Question: Do you borrow books from the library?

Bookish Question #54 | Do you borrow books from the library?

My local library has an excellent selection of Christian fiction from the major publishers. A lot of it is in the paid section ($3 for two weeks, instead of free for three weeks). It might cost, but the cost still represents a saving over buying the paperback myself—most new releases cost between $25 and $30.

I used to visit the library most weeks. This was partly to feed my own reading addiction, and partly in an attempt to institutionalise and indoctrinate my children give my children a love of reading (I have a 50% success rate on that).

But the children got older, and I got a Kobo ereader, followed by a Kindle.

I found some of the books I was paying $3 for at the library were as cheap or free on Amazon. And I discovered NetGalley, which gave me free ebooks from many of my favourite authors if I reviewed the books. My library visits have gradually dwindled to nothing, even though they now offer free ebook loans as well as the traditional print books.

Why? Because I have more than enough to read at home between my physical print and virtual Kindle to-read piles (files?).

What about you? Do you borrow books from the library? Let me know in the comments.

Bookish Question: Would you attend a Christian reader event?

Bookish Question #53 | Would you attend a Christian reader event?

First, what is a Christian reader event?

A Christian reader event is a reader-centric book fair where readers get the opportunity to meet and hear from authors.

The first I heard of was the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat held in 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee, the day before the annual American Christian Fiction Writers conference. The event attracted many popular Christian fiction authors attending the conference, including Kiwi Kara Isaac.

I also know Omega Writers, an Australasian organisation for Christian writers, have organised successful book fairs in Queensland to promote local Christian writers.

I’ve attended author events such as book launches or writer’s conferences, but I haven’t attended any reader events, much less a Christian reader event. This is mostly a factor of geography: to the best of my knowledge, there has never been a Christian reader event in my country (New Zealand), let alone in my city.

Would I attend a Christian reader event?

Yes, if it was close to where I live (say, within a two-hour drive), or if it was somewhere I was going to be anyway (e.g. the day before or after a writer’s conference I was attending). But I wouldn’t travel any further, both because of the time and the cost. Until then, I’ll have to be satisfied to stalk follow my favourite authors online, through their websites, newsletters, and social media.

What about you? Would you attend a Christian reader event? Let’s discuss in the comments.

Bookish Question: Do you read print books or ebooks or both?

Bookish Question #52 | Do you read print books or ebooks or both?

It’s a little over ten years since Amazon released their first-generation Kindle e-reader, which sold out in less than six hours (and it was almost six months before it was back in stock).

Since then, we’ve seen a range of ereader options released, including Kobo and Nook readers. We’ve also seen all the major booksellers develop their own ereader apps. Now anyone can read ebooks, whether on a dedicated ereader, or on another device such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Which leads to this week’s question: Do you read print books or ebooks or both?

I have to admit that I don’t have the patience to read an entire novel on the computer. I already read a lot of blog posts on the computer. Also, I always want to make changes, because I do my freelance editing on the computer. I’m also not a fan of reading on my iPhone—the screen is too small.

But I’m a huge fan of the Kindle, and I’m at the point where if I have the choice of a print book or an ebook, I’ll almost always choose the ebook.

Why?

  • It’s lighter and easier to hold than a print book.
  • I can adjust the font size if necessary.
  • It’s easier—I can hold the Kindle and turn the pages all with one hand.
  • Even at full price, an ebook is around half the price of buying the print book in New Zealand.
  • I have access to a wider range of books—the fiction range in my local Christian bookstore is pitifully small in comparison.
  • I have access to free ebooks because I’m a reviewer.

There are some books I still prefer to read in print form:

  • The Bible
  • Reference books such as the dictionary or style manuals (not that I “read” those like one would read a novel!)
  • Non-fiction books such as books on writing craft (although I still read a lot of those on Kindle, either because I get review copies or because of the relative cost of the print book vs. the ebook.

What about you? Do you read print books, ebooks, or both? Let me know in the comments.