Tag «memeful musings»

Meme-ful Musings: The “Just One More Chapter” Excuse

Meme-ful Musings: Once a month I’ll post a book-related meme that I think brings up an interesting discussion about books. Feel free to join in by making a comment below or linking back!

(Meme from: http://www.memeaddicts.com/stupid/reading-books-memes/)

Put your hand up if you’ve ever done that before…

We all have our reading quirks and one of my most compelling is to always stop reading at the end of a chapter (or if it’s one of those books with really long chapters, a page break). I don’t like stopping mid-scene because you lose the feel for it as soon as you step away and then you have to reread to get the vibe back. I like stopping at the end of chapters of page breaks because the scene has wrapped up and a new scene is just about to unfold.

Which is a great plan except for those damn “cliffhanger” chapter ending. You know the ones where a big plot-bomb has been dropped and you can’t even process this fantastic turn of events, meaning you must continue on with the next chapter immediately…

But that repeats itself at the end of this new chapter and so on. And before you know it, you have finished the book!

This is how people end up staying up all night reading a book (something I talked about last July) or missing the bus, etc. since time escapes you as you read (so long as it’s a good book).

I personally love books like this! Anytime I actually groan aloud that I can’t finish a chapter, the book automatically goes up a star rating for me. Sure, I get a little angry at myself for being late but a good book is worth it to me–to a certain degree.

Which brings me to the second part of that meme “I’ll see you when I see you”.

I’ll be the first to admit I am a reading addict but I do possess the power to put down my book and join the “real world”. Fictional worlds are great but it is important to remember that there is a real world out there and you should enjoy it!

Let me put it this way: while a friend who is a fellow reading addict will understand your need to finish a book, not everyone will. How would you feel if someone made plans with you but they had to cancel because a TV show they were addicted to was on? You would probably be a little understanding but at the same time you would probably be angry. You might even ask yourself/them “why do you have to watch it now when you can stream it later?”. The same can be said about a book: you can leave and return to the exact same moment in a book no matter when and where you put it down, but you cannot do that with your real life or people!

Reading is great (so is blogging about it!) but remember that there is a world away from your books! It is a world that is definitely enriched by reading but a world that doesn’t require you to be reading all the time in order for it to function!

So every once and a while, why not just simply read “a few pages” and actually mean it?

Connect:

Memeful Musing: Why I Want to DNF More Books

Meme-ful Musings: At the end of the month I’ll post a book-related meme that I think brings up an interesting discussion about books. Feel free to join in by making a comment below or linking back!

Ironically, when it comes to books, I’m an eternal optimist. I say “ironically” because if you ask my family, they would probably call me a “negative Nancy” when it comes to other things in my life. I suppose I am a “glass half-empty” kind of girl but it when it comes to books–and in particular book series–I like to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Meaning, it takes me a long time to give up on a book.

Sure, I say I have my 50 Page Rule where I will DNF a book I’m not totally invested in, but I rarely enact it. Most of the time, something will happen in the story that gives me hope that the story will get better; or I convince myself that the awesome plot twist I want to happen will happen if I keep going. I get myself thinking that “what happens if I give up too soon and the book is really amazing?” and that guilts me in to pressing on and then I’m left struggling to review a “meh” book that I forget about in 2 days.

Which is why I want to learn to DNF more books.

The fact of the matter is that you aren’t going to enjoy every book you pick up. Whether it’s hype or simply misreading the synopsis, we all go into books with certain expectations and it SUCKS when you get disappointed. Wouldn’t it be great if you could only read awesome books all the time? That as soon as you know you aren’t going to enjoy a book, you can simply walk away from it and pick up something else instead.

I’m at the point in my life now where I need to “adult”. I’ve finished my last term of post-post-secondary classes (it’s complicated) and am now doing clinical training for my chosen profession. Meaning, I’m not really living the life of a full-time student anymore where I can lounge around all the time reading a book. I have other responsibilities that I have to fulfill and my time for reading and my other hobbies is getting a little sparse.

So it goes without saying that I want to spend my valuable time reading good books–ones that I know I am going to enjoy; that make me want to pick them up and spend all day in bed reading them if I could. And if I should come across a book that just isn’t grabbing my full attention, I don’t want to feel guilty for putting it down.

Or do I?

You know, as soon as I started to write this post, I started to think about it in a different light. Maybe I do need to read those “meh” books to make me appreciate the really amazing books out there. If I don’t remember what a mediocre book is like, how will a know when a book has hit it out of the ballpark? If I’m not reading my 3 star reads, does that mean the books that would usually be a 4 or 5 become the new 3 or less because I’m just not impressed anymore?

I think it’s a fine line for me. I want to enjoy books–but I don’t equate “enjoy” with 5 star reads. There have been plenty of 3 star reads that I have “enjoyed” reading and didn’t mind spending my time on. But I wouldn’t mind learning to give up on those books that I know early on with be 2 star reads.

What’s your stance on DNFing books?

Do you do it often or is it an anomaly?

Do you every feel guilty for DNFing?

Disclaimer | Request a Review | Contact

Meme-ful Musings: Character Deaths

(Meme from: https://www.pinterest.com/goosenavarre/great-books-that-might-have-made-me-cry/)

For some people this may be an embarrassing subject and they refuse to talk about it. I know that it is for me because I am definitely one of those people who cry over fictional characters. Whether they are on TV or in books it doesn’t matter: I will cry over their death if they are one of my favourite characters.

I’m going to keep this post as spoiler free as possible but some comments I might make may insinuate spoilers. So if you want to read the following book series (Beautiful Creatures, Firelight, The Infernal Devices, Mortal Instruments, Nightshade and Vampire Academy) without any spoilers/insinuations, I suggest you vote in my poll and then skip down to the bottom to leave a comment 😉

Crying/tearing up from characters was something that started during my anime phase as a teen. I can still remember this one episode where one of my all-time favourite characters unexpectedly died and I just sat there in disbelief. The same thing happened in another series–and to this very day I refuse to believe that he is actually dead.

When it comes to books I find it noteworthy when a book makes me cry: whether it is through character death or another circumstance (~~I admit that some romance novels make me cry~~ That’s one too many embarrassing admissions for the day). Not that it really takes much to make me teary (I sometimes cry over minor character’s deaths) but some books are able to elicit tears from me while other’s do not and that influences my ratings/review.

Vampire Academy’s Shadow Kiss is the first time I remember really being truly upset over a character’s death. I had been reading the books non-stop over March Break and quickly became attached to the characters. So when this unexpected plot twist came along and BAM!–the water works began. I didn’t even know how to fathom what was going to happen next! The worst part was that I didn’t have the 4th book at my disposal to read so I had to wait two days (I know that is nothing compared to the months others had to wait for the next book because I was in the same boat for the next two books) before I could make it to the library to pick it up! Actually, no, the worst part was trying to hide my tears from my mom who walked into the room just as I was reading the ill-fated chapter: talk about embarrassing!

Luckily, I had better luck company wise when I was reading Beautiful Creature‘s Beautiful Chaos: my roommates had left for the weekend so I was alone. I was literally sobbing when I was reading this book and the crazy part was I knew it couldn’t possibly be true but it still broke my heart to read about.

And while I was definitely attached to the characters in those two series, I have never been more attached to characters than I have with the Infernal Devices/Mortal Instruments. These books always cause a bucket of emotions to run through me but what always surprises me is how I never knew how attached I was to a particular character until they are no longer with us.

That is the same with some other series as well. Even when I wasn’t totally loving the story, a certain character’s death can change everything. While the fan in me doesn’t often appreciate it, the literary critic in me can understand the greater purpose of a character’s death. There is no denying that sometimes a certain character’s death can push the series in the direction it needs to go plot-wise (take for example Legend and the death of June’s brother right at the start of the novel). Other times though, I think it is just simply for shock factor and solves no other purpose than ending a love triangle in a more definitive way **coughNightshade/Firelightcough**.

Regardless, character deaths are inevitable–it’s just how we react to them that can vary. Thanks for reading!

So, do you cry when fictional characters die? Do they have to be a major character or a part of a longer series for you to shed a tear? Does it depend on the circumstance?

Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Meme-ful Musings: When that Book You Wanted Goes on Sale or is FREE!

book

(Meme from: troll.me)

Like most readers out there, I have a compulsion to buy books. I made a decision about 3 years ago to stop buying physical books because I was running out of space to put them all and because I was moving around a lot for school, it was just easier to use the library for my reading fix (instead of packing up all my books every few months when I moved). But then, I bought my first Kobo Touch (RIP good friend) and discovered three great things about eBooks:

They are cheaper than physical books!
There are a ton of free books available, especially classic novels!
They don’t take up any physical space!!!!!!!!

That last point is key–now I could store all the books I wanted in a cloud or my hand held device. No more bending bookshelves or squeezing books together to get them to fit. Now I could buy as many books as a I wanted without worrying about the space!

Which has its downfall because I find that I now buy more books than I could possibly read because of book sales/promo codes and FREEBIES.

I always look for a bargain in anything that I purchase. I refuse to buy things at full price. I always wait for a sale or a some sort of discount to buy things. So it isn’t a surprise I do that with my reading habit. (Check out my tips for cheaper reading on my “Reading on a Dime” page). That’s why I subscribe to multiple eBook sale mailing lists that tell me the new books on sale or, even better, what books are now free.

Which is the inspiration for this musing. Nothing is better than browsing a list of freebie books and finding that a book you have wanted to read for a long time is now FREE! I get such great satisfaction when I can change the list status on my GoodReads account for a book that I was currently searching for to one that says it is now on my eBookshelf.

I feel the same way when books go on sale though it is a little more subdued. Kobo (as well as Amazon/Kindle but because I have a Kobo I buy more books from them) is great at having sales every so often on the more expensive books that can’t have promo codes applied to them. For example, I was able to pick up some books from the Lunar Chronicles (which typically retail for $10+ eCopy) for less than $4 which is pretty great! Even though I could easily take these books out of the library (after waiting for a long time on the hold list), it’s hard for the bargain hunter in me to turn down a great offer. Especially on books that I know I am going to love and will probably want to reread. I have also bought eCopies of books I have read before and loved when they are on sale (ex. The Princess Bride was on sale once for $1–HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY REFUSE!?).

In the end, the point of this musing is to simply say how awesome things are when they go on sale but how much better they are when they are free 😉

***

So, are you a bargain book hunter? Do you troll eBook merchant sites for freebies on a regular basis? Where are the best places to get cheaper reads?

Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Meme-ful Musings: Book Boyfriends

book

(Meme from: somecards.com)

For those who don’t know, a book boyfriend is basically a male character in a novel that we love and wish would be our boyfriend in real life (or we pretend is our boyfriend if your love runs deep enough).

I personally, only have a few book boyfriends. I suppose that I have high standards so there are a lot of characteristics/criteria that have to be met before one of these books get the honourable “book boyfriend” tag. (Might explain my current single status in real life as well…)

But I do remember my first book boyfriend–and it is super embarrassing to admit out loud.

Are you ready?

–

–do I really had to admit this out loud?–

–

–so embarrassed right now–

–

It was totally Edward from Twilight 😛

When I think about it, that probably isn’t completely true. I think Kostos from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants might take the cake on that one or possibly Eric.

However, Edward is probably the first “big” book boyfriend. Now, I was totally 15 when I read Twilight so I was young and impressionable so please keep that in mind. I was just getting into Young Adult reads (up until this point I had been reading more Adult Contemporary Romances) so he was really the first male lead that I developed a crush on. That quickly changed in the subsequent books when I felt like his character lost some of his appeal; but after reading Twilight I really did love Edward in a crush sort of way.

Since my Twilight days I have been introduced to many male leads that are potential book boyfriend material but as I said before I only consider a few to be true “book boyfriends”. I definitely have favourite couples but I wouldn’t say that the male counterpart of those couples is necessarily someone I would consider to be a book boyfriend.

Here are some of my book boyfriends:

Drew from One Week Girlfriend
Ansel from Sweet Filthy Boy
Cole from Alice in Zombieland
Adrian from Vampire Academy/Bloodlines
Everett from Breath Into Me

I have a few more I’m sure but these are the ones I actually tagged on my blog as my book boyfriends. You can check out my ongoing list on my Riffle Account here.

***

So, do you have any book boyfriends? Who are they? Who was your first?

Let me know below!

Meme-ful Musings: Spoiler Alert

book

(Meme from: memecrunch.com)

When I first decided to create my blog, one of the first things I promised myself to do was write reviews with no spoilers. Up until this point, I was really only using GoodReads to find books–which is not an awful place to start by any means–BUT, people on that site love to post super long reviews filled with GIFS, pictures and the worst thing of all: SPOILERS.

Man, nothing ruins a book (or a TV or a movie) more than reading a spoiler! I HATE knowing what is going to happen next in a book–it just ruins the whole experience for me. I like to be surprised, I like to see something come out of left field and hit me in the face. It doesn’t get much better than that for me.

What is the point in me reading the book after you have told me the best part of the story?

None…at least to me.

But I know that some of you include spoilers in your posts or that you enjoy reading reviews with spoilers. For those of you who do write spoilers, I thank you for being kind enough to warn potential readers that your posts do have spoilers! As a spoiler hater, I like knowing what lies ahead in a post–ironic, eh?

I will admit that I see the appeal of including spoilers in your reviews. Sometimes it just makes things so much easier to explain why you like/dislike a certain part of a book by including the direct evidence. On occasion I will include a mini-spoiler-rant in my reviews just to let off some steam but I am sure to put it in hidden text so that if someone doesn’t want to read it, they don’t have to.

But sometimes the temptation is too great! As much as I don’t enjoy knowing a spoiler, the fact that something is hidden and unknown is kryptonite to the knowledge-driven personality I have. Most of the time I refrain, unless I know that I will not be reading the book. I usually use the spoilers to justify why I decided not to read it–though sometimes that backfires and makes me wish I did read the book.

Regardless, I really, really dislike spoilers. They don’t do anything for me other than ruin what would have been a great plot twist and so I try to avoid them at all costs.

***

So I guess my question is: what are your thoughts on spoilers? Why do you include or not include them in your blog posts?

Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Meme-ful Musings: The “I Need to Finish This NOW!” All-Nighter + readathons

book

(Meme from: http://appraisingpages.com/2013/05/17/funny-book-meme-friday/)

Note: I wrote this post month’s ago when I was in exams and needed a study break. I find it funny now because I scheduled, unbeknownst to me, the day that I was ending my very first readathon and preparing for my next one! Readathons encourage dropping everything and reading (did anyone else have “D.E.A.R.” in school?) and that’s what this post is about as well! I’m going to double up this musing with my results and announcement post for those readathons but I encourage you to leave a musing comment if you want!

I am notorious for going to bed “early”. By early, I mean that I tell whoever I am living with goodnight a little after 10pm and they assume that means I am going to sleep. But the truth of the matter is that I actually am reading my book. And depending on what my day was like, I may put that book down before or after 11. I learned the hard way in my first year of undergrad how important keeping a regular sleep schedule is. So now, I go to bed around the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. This has done wonders for my attention span as well as my work, so I stick by it tooth and nail (you should try it!)

Except for when I can’t put a book down.

We all know that feeling. It’s that rush you get when the book takes an unexpected turn or the romance has just reached its boiling point and you simply can’t stop reading because you are figuratively dying to know what happens next. And so you proceed to read the book into the wee hours of the morning thanks to a second wind of “need to read” energy that has suddenly burst inside you.

But for me, that “need to read energy” doesn’t keep me reading. I’ll admit it helps me push through a few more chapters but eventually the need to sleep catches up to me. And now that I am “older” and know how my mind and body react to a lack of sleep, I let my body get the shut-eye it needs.

I just set my alarm for earlier in the morning so I can read before class 😉

It helps I am a morning person and if I am particularly excited (or nervous) about something I wake up early. So it’s natural for me to do this and I actually always read in the mornings once I get up regardless. The only bummer part is when I have to leave for class and I wasn’t able to finish the book or I do finish the book and risk being seriously late for my class! But I much prefer this than staying up into the late hours of the night to finish a book.

However, in the same vain, I will make myself read a chapter or two before I go to bed, even if I am going to bed later than normal. Reading is such a stress reliever for me that it helps me get to sleep even if I am super tired. But that is a meme-ful moment for another time (i.e. next month).

—

I had a lot of fun in my first ever readathon (July 10 – 27) and managed to read 6 of the 10 books I had picked!

Love, Rosie Lady Thief (Scarlet, #2) Near and Far (Lost and Found, #2) The Mad Tatter Before You (Sex on the Beach) Torrent (Condemned, #1)

A BIG thank you to everyone who voted!

So from one readathon to another! This one starts today and I’ve decided to focus on some library books I have out, plus an ARC. I had hoped to pick the books for a Trilogy Termination Blitz I wanted to do but the way it worked out, it was just easier to pick these ones. We have a long weekend this upcoming weekend in my province, so I am hoping to have some days dedicated solely to reading. I’m going to be a little bold and aim for 7 books and they are:

Loving Dallas (Neon Dreams, #2) Forbidden When You're Back (Rosemary Beach, #12) Mechanica

Mai Tai'd Up (Cocktail, #4) Broken Juliet (Starcrossed, #2) The Program (The Program, #1)

So, do you pull all-nighters to finish books? If so, is it a common occurrence or a rare event? Do you’re habits change when you do readathons?

Leave a comment below!

Memeful Musings: Are you harder on characters of your own gender?

Meme-ful Musings: ~~At the end of the month~~ THIS IS A SPECIAL DOUBLE MUSING MONTH! I’ll post a book-related meme that I think brings up an interesting discussion about books. Feel free to join in by making a comment below or linking back!

book

(Meme from: thatschurch.com)

(I’ll get to why I used this particular meme later in the post, but I’ll just say it has something to do with reviewers who use the TSTL [too stupid to live] acronym in their reviews to describe heroines).

It occurred to me one day when I was writing a review for a book that I think I am more critical of female characters than male characters and I got to thinking why. I came up with two theories…

1) I mostly read books that are told from a female perspective

This is mostly because I lean more towards romance novels when I read. In society, romantic notions tend to be cast as female tendencies so most romances are told by females. Now, that isn’t always the case. There is a growing trend in New Adult novels, as well as other genres, to include both male and female POV; or at the very least have an alternate POV sequel or short stories that provide the male POV.

Regardless, if that female character is considered the main lead, and most of the story is told from her perspective, you have more of a reaction to her character than a side character who is only in a few scenes. So when you review the book you also review her as a character and explain what you liked and/or didn’t like about her. Or at least, that is what I do.

I also think that when you read too much of one thing, you get tired of the subsequent stories with similar aspects. So if I’ve read about two heroines who find have the same characteristics, the third one is going to be compared to the previous two.

2) Because I am a female, I am more critical of female characters & their actions

When I read a book, I like to think about what I would do or react if I was in the position of the characters. So when a character does something that I think is not-so intelligent, I get more critical of them or I start to dislike them.

I ask myself “why on earth would you choose that?” and reply “I would have done ____ instead”.

And this is especially true for female characters. I’m not sure if you all do this, but when I read, I tend to picture myself in the role of the lead heroine. It’s just how I read. So when I am reading, I really picture myself in her shoes. And if she does something I think is idiotic I get really upset and judge her harshly for it.

The thing that struck me the most

when I was writing the series review that inspired this post was that I wasn’t as critical of the male lead for making similar idiotic decisions. Then that got me thinking that even in books where there is dual POV, I am always harder on the female than I am the male!

And I really think it comes down to the idea that as a girl, I think I know how I would react to the situation the heroine finds herself in and I judge her for when she doesn’t react the same way as me–who I consider to be a rational, logical person.

Which brings me to the reason I used the meme I did.

I’m not sure how many of you have seen the acronym TSTL–Too Stupid To Live–in other book reviews but I have. I personally don’t use it in my reviews (I think it is rude) though I can understand the appeal to a certain extent.

Regardless, why I bring it up is because I think that the frustration a “TSTL” causes is the same that I get when I read about a heroine I greatly disagree with. I am not above calling heroines (or heroes for that matter) stupid or idiotic when I do a review if they make some bad decisions for silly reasons. Plotlines are a huge part of a story, but what makes or breaks a story is how those characters react to those plotlines. And if you are a heroine who makes what I consider to be the wrong choice with respect to the plot, be prepared to feel the full wrath of my scathing review!

The point I’m trying to make is that I am more quick to say that a heroine is “dumb” more so than a male hero because, as a female, I know what decision I would make and I have a hard time grasping why another female doesn’t make the same decision. Which in turn makes me frustrated with the novel and usually results in me giving it a lower rating.

***

So, do you think you are more critical of characters from your own gender? Or do you think the opposite is true?

Is it because you share the same gender or is it because you’ve read too many books with similar leads?

Meme-ful Musings: Critiqued for Your Reading Choices

book

(Meme from: https://www.pinterest.com/MSLibraryComm/302232-book-memes/)

I honestly just love this meme because I think it describes my reading habits perfectly! There are books that I will immediately put at the top of my To-Read Pile despite the many books that have been sitting there for years. But there are also books that I would never admit to reading and/or liking to my friends–but I’ll admit to them here (on my blog) because of the power of the anonymous internet.

Three examples that come to mind: Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey and the Sweet Series by Maya Banks. I’ll start with Twilight.

I actually really liked Twilight: I actually liked it so much that I immediately reread it after finishing it the first time! Now when I tell people this, I list a few excuses about why I felt this way. Those reasons are:

I was 15 when I read it–the target demographic for the series
- If I read it now, as a woman in her 20s, I probably wouldn’t feel that way
it was the first paranormal “teen” romance novel I read
- by this point my reading habits weren’t what they were today so exposure was limited
the writing never bothered me
- I liked that it was an easy to follow story plus I was no literary critic (still aren’t)

It’s just as easy to come up with these excuses for Fifty Shades of Grey (if you strip *no pun intended* all the BDSM away, at its bones, it is a love story and the later books do get a plot line) and the Sweet Series (this series was just kinky BDSM that I was probably way to young to read when I did; do this day I don’t have them rated on my Goodreads account).

But my question is why do I feel the need to justify why I enjoyed a book a vast majority of people label as “garbage”? Why do I worry about getting judged for reading and enjoying something that interests me that others seem to detest?

I want to be clear that I am not talking about disliking a book that others have given 5 stars to: I’m talking about feeling embarrassed for reading a book and liking it. Two different things, though I agree that they can often go hand in hand.

The simple answer is of course to blame it on society. We live in a society where we are self-conscious of what other people think of us. Especially if you live in a democratic society like I do, you are raised with the thought process that what the majority thinks is best for the population or common good is probably that choice that is made at the end of the day.

Critics are basically using a set of standards that have been created by a larger group of people to criticize works. I always find it fascinating to learn how literature canons are created because who gets to decide what pieces of work are the greatest and why it is the greatest? Even the definition of “literature” is heavily debated on.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that reviews and opinions are subjective. There is a quote from Family Guy (judge away) that I think really emphasizes this point:

“This is life, the one you get so go and have a ball, because the world don’t move, to the beat of just one drum. What might be right for you, may not be right for some. You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have my opening statement”

So why should I be influenced to feel a certain way about a book just because one person says I should?

I suppose it is a little hypocritical of me to “bash” reviewers when I myself have a book reviewing blog. But the underlying purpose of creating this blog entry is to point out that it is OK to like books others dislike! Just because one reviewer writes an extremely negative review about your favourite book doesn’t mean you should second guess why you like that book, or not admit that you like it! Everyone has different tastes and personal pet peeves that can influence why you rate a book like you do and it is A-OK to disagree!

That’s why when I write my book reviews, I try to present both sides of the story. If I don’t like a book, I explain why but I also mention who I think would like this book and vice versa. Just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean you won’t; and the same can be said about your reviews and me. Reading is a subjective experience and at the end of the day it comes down to how that book makes you feel and why it makes you feel that way. Don’t ever be embarrassed by what you read and embrace your tastes! Don’t be afraid to share them with the world!

So, do you admit to reading/liking the books that you read?

Do you feel the need to justify why you liked a book that is panned by critics or your friends?

Do you take into consideration who might like/dislike a book when you review it?

Do you think blogging/the internet has influenced how people perceive certain books?

PS: Check out Nerdybirdy @ Daydreaming Books’ discussion on Book Bashing as well!

Leave a comment below!

Memeful Musings: What is the “Perfect Summer” Read?

book

(Meme from: http://www.quickmeme.com/Summer-Reading/)

With summer just around the corner, more and more lately I’m starting to see comments on people’s posts like “Oh! This sounds like a perfect summer read!”.

But what does that really mean?

What makes something perfect for the summer? Why do we rarely say “This will make a perfect Winter read!”?

Does it take place during the summer time? Is it a romance? Would it be labelled by most as “fluffy” (ie not very insightful or thought-provoking)?

I know for me, it’s definitely the last one: the book promises fluffy subject matter. And I’ll tell you why…

I’m not very restrictive when it comes to reading books. I don’t exclusively read books that take place in the summer time only during the summer; and I don’t read more winter/Christmas-y books during December. So to me, the perfect “summer” read doesn’t necessarily have to take place during the summer. Though it does more often than not.

I’m also inclined to think that it’s the “perfect summer read” because that’s when most people find the time to read. More people go on holidays (well, at least in Canada we do since school is out and we have beautiful weather [ie no snow] for travelling) so they have time to read books they might normally read at other points in the year. Now, because you have the time, you don’t have to feel guilty about reading that contemporary YA novel instead of doing/reading other things.

But what caused me to write this post (despite already having one scheduled for this month) is the question:

“does labelling something the ‘perfect summer read'” diminish the novel in anyway?

Do we inadvertently disrespect the story by labelling it as a “summer read”? Are we saying that we are going to read this novel, it but not expect fantastic things? Are you going to like it more because it’s “just a summer read” and you had lowered your expectations or read it less critically than if you had read it during the winter?

Maybe I am just reading too much into this and am making a mountain out of a mole-hill but the question is bothering me a bit! I know it’s just something that we all say but why do we say it?