Thursday, November 29, 2007

Instead

Instead of posting, I've been writing and editing during the tiny bit of free time I have. As a result, I've noticed that instead of my postings affecting the number of visitors, my numbers remain consistent from week to week.

This is being a tiny bit discouraging, as I am not sure of how to increase my readership based on these findings. Instead of letting it get me down, I'm going to tell myself that it is promising that my archives are being accessed regularly and I'm not loosing any ground either.

Oh, and the biggest issue I'm finding with my writing? My favorite segue is "instead."

Friday, November 09, 2007

Picking a Series

My process probably isn't much different and thinking through it helped me realize what the issue is with the series I'm debating over. (Exactly the point :) )

The series is Jacqueline Carey's "Kushiel" series. I really liked the first book. The characters are what did it for me. They were funny, interesting, sneaky and complex. She killed two of them - effective for the plot, but by the third book I realized that what I liked about the first one was the two characters that were offed (I'm not spoiling a plot line here, I promise.)

The books are mammoth, weighing in at 700 pages each in hardcover. They are written in trilogies. If I decide to read book four, I'm really committing myself to three more books.

Here's the problem: While I liked them, I didn't love them, but I don't have any alternative series to read instead. I'm caught up with most of the series I'm reading or am waiting for the title to come in at the local library.

Since time is tight, I don't have the luxury of browsing shelves. I stick with series that while I enjoy them, I don't love them.

I still don't know if I'm going to get book four. After all, the latest installment of Jim Butcher's Dresdyn Files just came in. I'm dying to know what's going on in Chicago. But after that one, I'm waiting for either the author or the publisher and I'll have to decide what to do with the Kushiel Series.

Unless someone has some suggestions about a series that they are in love with.

Cross posted at Starting Write Now

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Bookworm Report, October 2007

Woo-hoo! Caught up!

Bookworm Review
Year Pages Books
2001 5,880 15
2002 3,073 9
2003 2,129 5
2004 2,862 8
2005 4,064 11
2006 3,777 9
2006 7,018 19

  • Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
  • Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume by Jennifer O'Connell
  • Lover Unbound by J R Ward
  • Silver is for Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz
  • Left Behind and Loving It by Lynn Viehl
  • Death Masks by Jim Butcher
  • In The Cut by Susanna Moore
  • The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
  • 24 Hours by Greg Iles
  • Create a Character Clinic by Holly Lisle
  • If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend by Alison Pace
  • Sorcery and the Single Girl by Mindy L Klasky
  • Stealing Shadow by Kay Hooper
  • Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
  • Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
  • The Prestige by Christopher Priest
  • Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey
  • Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
  • Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

For the year, I’ve read 151 books, or 55,464 pages, which averages to 16 books a month, or 5,546 pages per month, and an average book length of 366 pages.

Wow, that's a lot of reading. No wonder I haven't posted lately.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Bookworm Report, September 2007

Yes, it's true - another gigantic reading list.

Bookworm Review
Year Pages Books
2001 1,507 4
2002 3,228 8
2003 0 0
2004 4,146 11
2005 3,408 8
2006 5,858 15
2007 6,427 22

  • Murder in the Marais by Cara Black
  • Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson
  • Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
  • Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
  • Something Blue by Emily Giffin
  • Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life by Various
  • Pale Immortal by Anne Frasier
  • Thin Air by Rachel Caine
  • Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
  • Magic Lessons by Justine Larbalestier
  • Magic's Child by Justine Larbalestier
  • The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a Bitch) : Valuable Lessons, Smart Suggestions, and True Stories for Succeeding as the Chick-in-Charge by Caitlin Friedman
  • The Spinster Sisters by Stacey Ballis
  • The Good, the Bad and the Undead by Kim Harrison
  • Garden of Darkness by Anne Frasier
  • How to Murder a Millionaire by Nancy Martin
  • Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die by Nancy Martin
  • The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell
  • The Jedi Quest: The Way of the Apprentice by Jude Watson
  • The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine
  • Have your cake and kill him too : a Blackbird Sisters mystery by Nancy Martin
  • A crazy little thing called death : a Blackbird Sisters mystery by Nancy Martin

Tomorrow looks promising for October's records. Maybe I'll even get some more reviews up.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Bookworm Report, August 2007

Time to catch-up and start posting again. No promises, but I'll see how it goes.

Bookworm Review
Year Pages Books
2001 2,969 7
2002 3,440 9
2003 1,257 4
2004 3,619 9
2005 5,783 15
2006 4,301 11
2007 4,506 13

  • The Sleeping Beauty Proposal by Sarah Strohmeyer
  • The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
  • Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
  • The Collectors by David Baldacci
  • Lover Revealed : a Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J R Ward
  • The Courier by Jay MacLarty
  • Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret by Obert Skye
  • Fear No Evil by Allison Brennan
  • His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
  • Whale Song by Cheryl Kaye Tardiff
  • The 6th target by James Patterson
  • Throne of jade by Naomi Novik
  • Meets the Eye by Christopher Golden

More catch-up tomorrow.