The Invisible Hiatus (And How I Learned to Let Go)

Hello sweeties,

on this very day, this space was meant to host a review. I had a precise book in mind, and I even reread it in order to be able to make it justice - to say the right things in the right way. I had this review appointed for weeks. I tried to make it happen for a couple ones at least (that was around mid-March). I went as far as to write the Pros and Cons sections...but then, I finally realised something - I wasn't feeling it. At first I didn't worry, because it's something that happens to me from time to time - even with 5 or 4 star books. Sometimes I have to give myself a kick in the butt in order to get moving...and then, lo and behold! the words flow and the review is done in a few hours and it's even kind of awesome. But this time, the more I kept procrastinating and moving said review further and further down my schedule, the more I hated the thought of having to write it. As I said, it wasn't the book - it was me. It got to the point where it was messing with my whole schedule - other posts that I couldn't or didn't want to cancel/move for any given reason. I had all the time in the world for writing that review, and suddenly, I had none left. Unless I wanted to force it out of my brain (damaging the book), and work around the clock, and postpone reading my new books because of it. That's when I finally drew the line.

TMST: How Do You Feel about Authors Throwing Big, Obscure Words into Their Books?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT AUTHORS THROWING BIG, OBSCURE WORDS INTO THEIR BOOKS?

I suppose I'm in the minority here, but I actually like them! I don't mean fancy talk, the kind you would find in an old book, or flowery language. But I get excited when a book I'm reading provides the random unusual word I have to look into a dictionary to unlock. Maybe it's because English is an acquired language for me, so I love to learn new words - even if I rarely remember them when I set to write a post or a tweet 😅. Or maybe it's more because I revel in the endless possibilities that English language [and my own as well, of course] offers, and I love it when writing gets spiced up and leans a bit towards the unconventional side. There are so many wonderful, neglected words out there - why don't use them for a change?

TMST: What Personality Traits Do You Love/Hate in a Character?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

WHAT PERSONALITY TRAITS DO YOU LOVE/HATE IN A CHARACTER?

First off...I proposed this question to Heidi, and she gladly accepted to incorporate it into her list. Thank you!

Overall, I'm not awfully picky with my characters - I have been known to like a few unlikeable ones (at least based on the general consensus, or lack of it...but heck, even "I" could see those characters were a little - or a lot - off the track, so to speak), as long as they were interesting to read about, or the story they featured in was interesting as a whole. But the key word, to me, are "depth" and "growth". Even characters with a questionable history can provide both. Also, let's face it, not a single one of us is a saint - why shouldn't we be equally lenient with book characters? Maybe we would never be best friend with them IRL, but that doesn't mean they can't provide an interesting perspective book-wise.

Tell Me Something Tuesday: To Tour or Not to Tour?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

TO TOUR OR NOT TO OUR? DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN BOOK TOURS? WHY OR WHY NOT?

I very rarely participate in book tours. I only do if:

• they're about a book by a favourite author
• I can select the review option for that particular book (and I'm fairly convinced that I'll like it)
• I'm positively sure I'll end up buying the book when it comes out (in case the tour only allows options like blurb/cover reveal).

From what I hear, book tours aren't a big hit with blog readers, unless there's a lot of buzz surrounding the book already; but even if they were (or are they? more experienced bloggers than me are better equipped to reply to this question), I would only feature books I'm interested in, whether they're big or small. (And given the nature of my blog, I don't think I'll ever get the chance to spotlight a BIG release LOL).

Tell Me Something Tuesday: How Have You Learned to Keep Your TBR Pile in Check, or How Would You Like to Control Your Pile?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

HOW HAVE YOU LEARNED TO KEEP YOUR TBR PILE IN CHECK, OR HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTROL YOUR PILE?

First off - compared to most TBR piles I see around (judging from Goodreads at least), mine is relatively small...and always seems to dance around the same number - a little more or a little less than 100 books. At present, I have 79 in my Want to Read shelf and 19 in my Not Sure one. And since 57 of them are either out of print or impossible to locate through my usual webseller (the only one I know that accepts cash on delivery), less than half my TBR list is made of books that I can ACTUALLY buy at this very moment. Unless I decide to use a credit card (debit card, in my case) and buy from Amazon, The Book Depository and the likes - which would allow me to request used copies or ebooks where new/physical ones are not available. But...I'm so wary of that.

Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Are Some Big Misconceptions You Had about Blogging When You Started?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

WHAT ARE SOME BIG MISCONCEPTIONS YOU HAD ABOUT BLOGGING WHEN YOU STARTED?

Well...in my case, I wouldn't use the word "misconceptions"...it was more a case of "I didn't know what I was getting myself into". I didn't have any particular expectations, like becoming famous or getting ARCs (I didn't even know ARCs were a thing back then...). Then again, there were so many aspects of blogging I wasn't aware of before I actually started, and I bet most of them are the same for everyone (unless they're friends with another, more seasoned blogger, that is). Here goes my list...

Sorry, Ten. It's addictive...😉

Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Things Turn You Off in a Book Blurb?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

WHAT THINGS TURN YOU OFF IN A BOOK BLURB?

Hey, I'm so proud because I actually suggested today's question 😊. That's why EVERYBODY should answer it, or I will be seriously pissed and get back at you with a vengeance 😡. LOL.

Giving It Our (He)art and Soul: Why Each and Every Blogger Is an Artist in Their Own Way

Hello sweeties!

Today I want to celebrate all of us bloggers as artists. Because even if I stand by my opinion that reviews are first and foremost craft, I realised that blogging, as a whole, is a form of art. And while we're celebrating books, TV shows, movies or anything we're passionate about - those works of art - we're creating our own version of art ourselves.

It's That Time of the Year Again...A.K.A. The Big Annual Book Haul 2018-19

 Hello sweeties! and Happy New Year again!

Today I'm doing that thing I usually do in January...that is, showcasing my big annual book haul.
Some of you might remember that my birthday is close to Christmas - just 11 days before it. So, as per my usual birthday/Christmas tradition, every year I order a bunch of books from this Italian site that sports a wide selection of books in English as well. And I post the list on here for the world to admire...and wonder why I'm so late on all these books LOL. Well, but NOT so late as I used to be this year. There are SEVEN EIGHT 2018 BOOKS in here, folks!!! SEVEN EIGHT OUT OF FIFTEEN!!! And one has been reissued in the same year. And it's actually eight instead of the original seven, because I won a Twitter giveaway generously offered by Sam @ We Live and Breathe Books, so I included that book in my list as well! Here goes said list, broken down by genres/Reading Rooms...(P.S.: all the books are YA unless otherwise stated).

2018 Wrap-Up: In Which I Congratulate Myself

Hello my beauties!

Welcome to my last post of the year, where I will wrap my 2018 up. This was my first whole year since I started blogging when I scheduled all my posts and all my reading. And...it worked like a charm! I won't lie to you - it wasn't always easy. Some hard work was involved. Planning ahead was the easy part - it's what I'm best at. I ADORE filling Excel spreadsheets with all the things I mean to do. I REVEL in breaking books into page numbers and assign them to each day. I'm the best time manager I know (when housekeeping is not involved, that is). And I took great care not to overload, though most of the times, I realised that setting small goals meant that I not only was able to meet them, but even to double them. Like, I set my sight on reading 40 pages on a day, and I ended up reading 80, so that I ultimately found myself moving my daily goals up and up in my schedule. That's how, in July, I had FOURTEEN posts scheduled all through October, what with having planned ahead for Halloween (and I only lacked 3 of them to cover ALL the time slot in the middle).

Still, as I said, it was hard work. All through the year, all through the hottest summer in ages (a.k.a. the season when I was used to call it quits, blog-wise), I strove for productivity and consistency. I had set up a goal of one post a week, and even that was able to stimulate me to do better...to the extent that I managed to end the year with a total of FIFTY-NINE posts - which, in my situation, is a MASSIVE achievement. Now, I can't promise I will be able to replicate my success next year. You never know what kind of lemons life's going to give you. It's not always possible to make lemonade out of them. But I've proved something to myself, and now I know that, in normal conditions, it CAN be done. So, I'm ending this year on a proud and happy note, and I hope I can sustain it for the longest time.

Pt. 1: This Year in Blogging

As of today, I've been blogging for 6 years and a couple of months 😃.

This is what happened on Offbeat YA during the year, broken down by number of posts, events I took part in, books I reviewed, authors I interacted with and discussion posts I wrote...

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Do You Procrastinate Writing Reviews?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

DO YOU PROCRASTINATE WRITING REVIEWS?

I bet you know the answer to this one 😄. I've been spending the last year and a half scheduling EVERYTHING that was supposed to go into my blog, so...
OF COURSE, I don't get many (digital) ARCs, so time is not really a factor for me. I can review most of my books when I please. But regardless, this year I even drafted two ARC reviews MONTHS ahead of pub dates...I want to have the book fresh in my mind when I write (that's why I reread even my old, should-know-by-heart-by-now books before I review them...).
Also, I've learnt that - just like any kind of writing - reviewing takes some discipline. Sometimes you don't feel "inspired", but once you set down to work, the creative juices flow. You could postpone the darned thing for ages and never seem to be in the right mood for it, but when you take the first step, something always happens. More often than not, something magical.

I love this man, BTW

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Why Should You Comment?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

WHY SHOULD YOU COMMENT?

Commenting is the heart and soul of blogging. That's not to say that, even if you're friend with someone, you have to comment EVERY. SINGLE. TIME they post. There can be times when you simply don't have anything to add to the discussion, or you simply don't have the time right after reading a post and later you get sidetracked. Not commenting is NOT a crime - and not reading every post your friends come up with either. So many factors can play a part in it.

Back to Black: Introducing the 2018 Halloween Backlist

Pumpkin photo: free from Pixabay. Graphics: Offbeat YA

 Hello sweeties, and happy/scary October! 😱

 

This year, I'm attempting something I've wanted to do for a long time. Every October since I started my blog, I kept seeing my fellow bloggers celebrate Halloween with their posts. Now, while I don't really observe the festivity (so to speak) IRL, I've been toying with the idea of joining the virtual fun with a series of blog posts myself, also because I DO enjoy dark things in my reading (except the brand of body horror for which Stephen King is renowned. Sorry guys, I tried). This resolution was stated in my Goals for 2018 post as well, as it was the intention of reviewing more backlist this year (well, so far, I haven't be able to squeeze many old-ish novels in my review plan for the year - but hey, still better than the ZERO of 2017...😏). So, I decided to accomplish two goals at once, and to spotlight four old and/or old-ish books from the dark side this Halloween, one every Wednesday till October 30th itself. Here's the plan...

Ready for a Fall the Fall

Hello sweeties! How's life treating you these days?

Honestly, I've never been so ready for the fall - and I'm not even a fall person to begin with. Not to mention, with the winter closing in (but even in spring occasionally!), I ALWAYS get sick in my peculiar "you won't take a proper nose breath or talk like a human being again for a month" kind of way. (Though this year I'm going to boost my immune system FROM SEPTEMBER TO JUNE - we'll see how it goes!). Plus, I don't only suffer the heat - I'm sensitive to the cold as well. Yeah, you got it - I can never win LOL.

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Does It Bother You When a Book Cover Doesn't Fit the Characters in the Book?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

DOES IT BOTHER YOU WHEN A BOOK COVER DOESN'T FIT THE CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK?

As I've often remarked, I'm totally cover-blind - in the sense that I've never been drawn to a book because of its cover, and I don't really care what's on it, so long as I like the content. Then again, it doesn't mean that I'm not mildly annoyed when the cover team don't do their homework. Like, when the red-headed heroine gets the mandatory blonde hair. But also, when the cover doesn't fit the book in general. And I can't stand the latest trend - huge lettering on a nondescript background (so lazy!). That been said, I don't really care about covers. I even have a few mismatched ones, whether because the publishers changed them mid-series, or because I bought the (already out) first book in paperback form, and then went on buying the others as soon as they came out, which means as hardcover. I'm...peculiar, I know 😂.

Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Things Are You Drawn to When Choosing Your Next Read?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

WHAT THINGS ARE YOU DRAWN TO WHEN CHOOSING YOUR NEXT READ?

Well...NOT the cover, for sure. Unlike most of my fellow readers/bloggers, I'm totally cover-blind LOL. I mean, it's not like I don't notice if it's good or bad, but I've never been drawn to a book because of its cover.

What then?

Offbeat YA's Most Embar(r)assing Moments!

Hello sweeties!

As some of you might remember from my Twitter, a few months ago I was purging my blog from an embarrassing series of typos and mistakes. The fact is, until then, I didn't have a spell-check option activated in my browser, so (as it turned out later) I was happily misspelling or making up words in almost every single one of my blog posts 😲😳. Then my husband (who's always experimenting...which sometimes annoys me, but sometimes turns out handy LOL) installed Pale Moon as a browser - which, apparently, came with the spell-check option for the English language turned on...and I started to see a plethora of red signs under my words 😲😂. Well, now "plethora" is a bit of an exaggeration (though the darned thing is so strict it even frowns on words that do exist sometimes, maybe because it thinks they're beneath itself 😂) - but still. So, I decided to undertake the wearisome task of reopening ALL my old posts - and some of the stuff I found threatened to whiten my few remaining dark hair 😵. Some were just typos...some were words I made up in all naivety and whose existence I never checked, because they sounded so good to me that they HAD to exist 😂.

Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Are Some Popular Series You Haven't Tried or Liked?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

WHAT ARE SOME POPULAR SERIES YOU HAVEN'T TRIED OR HAVE AND STOPPED BECAUSE THEY JUST DON'T APPEAL TO YOU?

OK, so...now I'll sound like a total snob, but I promise, I have reasons. Because I should probably answer...ALL OF THEM?!?!
Before you start throwing virtual rubbish my way (which you totally aren't doing, because you are all sweet cupcakes, and well-behaved ones at that 😀), as I said - I HAVE REASONS.
And I have actually read a handful of popular series since I started blogging: the Jenna Fox Chronicles trilogy by Mary E. Pearson, the Anna duology by Kendare Blake, and the ongoing Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire. Wow, that's like...THREE? Add the old, but still popular Remember Me trilogy and the equally old, but ongoing Thirst series (previously called The Last Vampire) by Christopher Pike, and you have a grand total of five. FIVE. I'm dying here.
...What? Oh, right. You were waiting for my reasons...

Tell Me Something Tuesday: How Have Your Reading Habits Changed Since You Started Blogging?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

HOW HAVE YOUR READING HABITS CHANGED SINCE YOU STARTED BLOGGING?

First off: they HAVE changed. But in a way, they have not.
I know you are massively confused now.
OK, first off - I started blogging when I got into YA (well, a few years after I did), and I was kind of old for the blogging game already. BUT I so earnestly wanted some really good, not talked about enough YA novels to have a spotlight. (And, well, I also badly needed a place where to vent out my feelings, I guess). Back then, I had very few books to talk about, though. In time, I've been collecting more, mainly thanks to the wonderful indie authors and/or small (but no less awesome) publishers who decided to take a chance on my tiny, tiny blog. So I started to plan my reading a bit, and to make sure I wasn't blogging about (and therefore, reading) the same kind of books all in a row, in order to have more variety in my posts. Also - and this is a later development, less than one year old - I started scheduling both my posts AND my reading (as in, making a spreadsheet with all my daily goals). This doesn't mean I'm following some harsh, self-imposed rules though. I still do what it takes in order to please myself. And I CAN - and WILL - be flexible if I want to. Only, with an eye to my blog.

Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Is Worse: Cliffhanger, Abrupt Ending or Open Ending?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

Here is what is on deck this week:

WHAT IS WORSE: CLIFFHANGER, ABRUPT ENDING OR OPEN ENDING?

Abrupt endings for sure (though the only book with an abrupt ending I can recall reading is Remember Me 2: The Return by Christopher Pike). As I said in last week's TMST, I do believe that cliffhangers are poor storytelling, but it's not like they annoy me that much. Open endings I love, though I understand that they're not for everyone. Of course, they have to be done well...I feel strangely satisfied when an author doesn't wrap their story in your classic nice package. Maybe it's because I don't read romance, and this kind of ending is much more suitable for my favourite kind of books, like sci-fi or afterlife. Of course, not every book I read needs to have an open ending to be amazing LOL. Most of the times, I still get a sense of what's ahead, but at least it's not spelled out in big block letters...

Sorry for the nth Tennant/Who gif, but this one was too perfect to pass up LOL.