Tag: Book Chat

Bookish Question: Do you treasure autographed copies of books?

Bookish Question 77 | Do you treasure autographed copies of books?

Do you treasure autographed copies of books?

I have a few autographed copies of books, and I do treasure them.

Some are books I’ve won in online contests, like A Season to Dance by Patricia Beal. Others are books where I’ve edited as a pre-publication beta-reader, like Close to You by Kara Isaac or The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky. And some are books I’ve edited, like Grace in Strange Disguise by Christine Dillon, or Then There Was You by Kara Isaac.

What all these books have in common are that they are great stories, stories made more special because the author has taken the time to leave me a personal message.

What autographed books do you own? Do you treasure them? Leave a comment and let me know!

Have you been to an in-store book signing?

Bookish Question #75 | Have you been to an in-store book signing?

No, I haven’t.

I do have some books which have been autographed by the author—some I won in online giveaways, some I was given or sent as a thank you for editing the books, and some I have purchased from the author at writing conferences. But none I bought at an in-store book signing.

Why have never attended an in-store book signing? This is mostly because I’ve (almost) never been in the same town as a favourite author when they’ve held a book signing.

Almost? There was one time … I was in Brisbane to attend the Omega Writers Conference, and one of the authors (Jo-Anne Berthlesen, I think) was holding a book signing that morning in the local Koorong store. Well, I had a map, but after completely missing the correct motorway exit twice, I gave up and headed for the conference venue. So I missed my chance to attend an in-store book signing.

What about you? Have you been to an in-store book signing? Who was the author, and what was the book?

Leave a comment and let me know!

Have you purchased books recommended by friends?

Bookish Question #71 | Have You Purchased Books Recommended by Friends?

Yes!

When it comes to books from the major publishers, I tend to be the friend recommending books to others because I get a lot of advance review copies (ebooks. Even the biggest publishers don’t want to post me paperbacks because I live in New Zealand).

But when it comes to books from smaller publishers, or self-published authors, I often rely on recommendations from friends.

For example, I bought and read The Last Summer by Brandy Bruce after Narelle Atkins recommended it. Now I’m anxiously waiting for the sequel (and would love a review copy, hint hint). I was introduced to the brilliant Amy Matayo by Catherine Hudson, while Andrea Grigg told me I *had * to read Bria Quinlan (she was right). Most recently, Christine Dillon recommended Criss Cross by CC Warrens, and I ended up buying and reading the whole trilogy on one wet weekend.

I also get recommendations from fellow book bloggers. One of the best-worst parts of my week is reading the First Line Friday posts. I usually read them on Saturday, because time zones mean most people post after I’ve gone to sleep on Friday night. Anyway, it’s rare that I’m able to make the rounds of my fellow First Line Friday bloggers without downloading at least one Kindle sample, or buying the book because it’s on a limited-time sale.

What about you? Have you purchased books recommended by friends? Which books or authors?

Do you read seasonal-themed books?

Bookish Question #70 | Do You Read Seasonal Themed Books?

Lots of books have seasonal themes. Christmas-themed books (and movies) are probably the most popular, but I’ve come across others.

Summer-themed books seem more popular than winter-themed books.

But that could be because Christmas comes in the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere, so Christmas books are winter books. Or vice versa. I’m not a big reader of either summer or winter books, and I think that’s because I live in New Zealand. I see summer book advertisements when I’m cuddled up by the roaring winter fire, so a “beach read” isn’t exactly a selling point. Equally, when I’m looking for a summer beach read, all the books show snow scenes and big red mugs of hot chocolate. Yeah, no.

I’ve also seen romance novels with a Valentine’s Day theme, but I have to admit I’m not a big Valentine’s Day fan. It wasn’t a big part of the Kiwi culture when I was growing up, and not it seems mostly commercial. Anyway, it always strikes me that we don’t have to wait for a specific day to buy flowers or chocolates for the ones we love. Any day the shops are open is a good day to buy flowers and chocolate. And books.

What about you? Do you read seasonal-themed books? Does your answer have anything to do with where you live?

Join the conversation below.

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.

What Easter-themed book has inspired you?

Bookish Question #51 | What Easter-themed book has inspired you?

As we discussed in last week’s Bookish Question, I’m not the best person to ask about Easter-themed books. I couldn’t think of any novels with Easter as a key time setting or plot point.

This leaves non-fiction: the original Easter stories in the four gospels, and their derivatives. I’m sure everyone knows various children’s versions of the Easter story, either those you read as a child or those you read your children.

The one I remember best was a book I was awarded from Bible in Schools when I was in primary school. It was a cartoon version of the life of Jesus, a great choice for a child who came from a non-Christian home and first heard the gospel from dedicated Bible in Schools teachers whose names I don’t remember. God bless you, ladies. So I guess that’s the Easter-themed book that has inspired and influenced me more than any other.

What about you? What Easter-themed book has inspired you?

Do you know of any novels featuring Easter?

Bookish Question #50 | Do you know of any novels featuring Easter?

There are plenty of Christian novels (and general market novels) set around the Christmas season. We discussed some back in Bookish Question #38. There are also many—especially romance novels—that feature Valentine’s Day, which we discussed in Bookish Question #45.

But Easter? There should be plenty, especially Christian novels.

Holy Week and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the central aspects of our faith, so you would think someone had thought to write a novel using the background of Easter as a theme. Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe it’s too obvious, because I can’t think of any titles.

What about you? Do you know of any Christian novels featuring Easter as a key time setting or plot point?

What’s your favourite Christian book genre?

Bookish Question #47 | What’s your favourite Christian book genre?

Asking a keen reader their favourite genre is like asking any addict about their favourite fix. Well, I assume it is. I haven’t spent a lot of time around addicts!

My favourite genre is romance, which shouldn’t come as any surpirse to anyone who reads my reviews on a regular basis. But romance is a huge genre, so what are my favourite novels within romance? I have three:

Regency Romance

Regency Romance is set in England during the period of the British Regency—when King George III was deemed mentally unfit to rule, so his son (the future King George IV) was named Prince Regent in his place. A lot of Georgette Heyer’s novels are set in the Regency period, and it’s also the time when Jane Austen was writing and publishing. Regency Romance characters are often members of the aristocracy, so the stories are complete fantasy when compared to my way of life!

My favourite Christian Regency Romance authors are Julie Klassen, Kristi Ann Hunter, and Carolyn Miller.

Romantic Suspense

I also enjoy romance with a suspense or thriller element. The mix of romance and suspense provides the classic mix of internal and external conflict, and provides plenty of opportunity for the hero and heroine to get to know each other as they work together to solve the crime (or stop one happenning).

My favourite Christian romantic suspense authors are DiAnn Mills, Lynette Eason, Terri Blackstock, and similar authors.

Contemporary Romance

My absolute favourite genre is contemporary romance. But not just any contemporary romance. I like stories that are a realistic and even a little gritty, that show life like it is but still show the hope of Jesus. And a little comedy doesn’t hurt, as a way of diffusing tension.

My favourite contemporary Christian romance authors are whichever book I’ve read most recently. Kara Isaac, Bethany Turner, Jennifer Rodewald, Brandy Bruce, Carla Laureano, Tammy L Gray, Courtney Walsh, Amy Matayo … the list goes on.

What about you? What’s your favourite Christian book genre?

Let me know in the comments, then pop over to Australasian Christian Writers and share there!