Discussions Archives - Page 59 of 69

Armchair BEA 2016: Aesthetic Concerns

May 12, 2016

This is my first year participating in Armchair BEA and I have no idea how many of these posts I will be doing or how I can participate because I do run on Australian time, but I am ready for some fun. You can check out my introduction post, but today we are talking about Aesthetic Concerns. It’s split into two parts; the first books and then it’s all about the blog. So let’s get into it.

If you say that you don’t judge a book by its cover you are lying. Everyone one does it, even if they think they are not. Say you are at a book store and then something catches your eyes – that’s the cover. We should not do it, but we do, it’s the way our brain works – it just likes pretty things. I did do a full discussion of this a couple of months ago, that does go into more detail.

I also like – okay more like love that all my books match. I get quite angry when they are all mix matched ranging from the cover to the size of the book. So sometimes I wait to buy a series so I know I am getting them all the same or sometimes I go and buy a full new set, though this does not happen often.

In saying this, I do buy books with covers that are not my favourite mainly because, I do want to read what is inside. However, what I don’t like is when the cover doesn’t match what is on the inside of the book. The covers has to do with something, even if it is something little – it does have to match.

I have been book blogging for 5 years and I had never given much thought until this year about branding. It just never came to mind when I started, but now it’s coming quite common it the book blogging community.

I guess for me when people look at my blog – mu website – they think of the Angel and purple at first. It has always been my brand – pretty much from the get go. And that is most likely never going to change.

I also take pride in my book reviews, I love writing and sharing them with everyone and I do put quite a lot of work into them and have created a ‘me’ review in a sense that they sound like me. Well I think they do.

I also love creating features on my blog and I have done quite a few, like my most recent one of interviews with #LoveOZYA Authors.

I think that creating a book blog aesthetic is quite hard to do for yourself, so if anyone has ideas of what you would say mine is, do tell, I would love to know what you think.

How is your blog branded? What is its aesthetic? How do you judge books by their covers? Let’s Chat.

I love talking, so talk to me over on my twitter @angel_reads, Facebook, instagram, tumblr and Goodreads. You can also follow Angel Reads on Bloglovin and via email (in the side bar)

Armchair BEA 2016: Introduction

May 12, 2016

If you don’t know what Armchair BEA is, it is basically for all those people who cannot make it to BEA (Book Expo America).

What is the name you prefer to use?

I go my Angel here on my blog, hence the name Angel Reads. However, as quite a few people know my full name is Angelique. I don’t let many people know my last name simple because I do want some things kept undisclosed.

How long have you been a book blogger?

I celebrated my 4^th Book Blogger Anniversary this year, so I am currently in my 5^th year of blogging.

Have you participated in ABEA before?

Not fully, I have participated in twitter parties and such, but haven’t done this before.

What is your favourite genre and why?

Up until a few years ago all I read was Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Supernatural. I love it, it’s fun and different and you never know what is around the corner. If I had a choose between a contemporary novel and one of these genre, I would go for them.

In saying that I do like my contemporary and sometimes I do need to get back to the real world.

If you could recommend one other book blogger, who would it be and why?

You are all probably following her but, Cait at Paper Fury is pretty amazing. And because I like to cheat (not really) also Nick and Nereyda from Nick and Nereydas infinite booklist.

If you could create a playlist that reflects your bookshelf, what would be the first song you choose?

I really don’t know – but a song about mess, cause that is what it is at the moment.
How do you arrange your bookshelves? Is there a rhyme or reason? Or not at all?

Like above right now they are a mess, but most of the time I like to organise the read books in readership so non-fiction, adult, classic, and YA and then by author. But my TBR so just where ever it fits.

What book are you most excited for on your TBR? What are you most intimidated by?

Yellow by Megan Jacobson, I picked it up when I went to #YASquad2016 and just have not had a chance to read it yet.

The Diviners by Libba Bray has been on my TBR so quite some time, but I just keep putting it off and off same with Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

What is the most interesting thing that you have learned through your reading this year so far?

All the things to do with the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff in Salt to the Sea.

If you could choose three characters to have lunch with, who would they be and why?

Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy because it’s Rose why not. Ginny Weasley because I adore her and she is one of my favourite characters from Harry Potter and Kestrel from the Winner’s Trilogy because it would make the lunch quite interesting.

And that is it for this post. Are you participating in ABEA this year? Let’s Chat.

I love talking, so talk to me over on my twitter @angel_reads, Facebook, instagram, tumblr and Goodreads. You can also follow Angel Reads on Bloglovin and via email (in the side bar)

Dicussion: Reading on Wattpad

Apr 14, 2016

I like reading on Wattpad. There I said it, it’s out. I am not ashamed that I do, but I never really talk about it. I have been thinking about this lately, I am a book reviewer who reads books on Wattpad.

If you don’t know what, what Wattpad is, it’s a website where you can post your novels/short stories/really whatever you want. But with social aspects, you can vote on stories, comment, add to your libraries and connect with authors in ways that you cannot do with traditional published and even self-published authors.

I personally think that Wattpad is a pretty amazing website, there are some incredible stories on there, and some that I wish were published because they are that good.

There are many aspects of Wattpad that are really good. One of those is that you get to read the novels as they are written. On Wattpad, you upload chapter by chapter. I like seeing how an author can create a story as they go, how they work with loopholes, how they fix those loopholes. It’s interesting, how someone can write chapter upload it and then write the next chapter and so on.

It is also really easy to navigate and use. You can use both your laptop and the mobile app and they are in-sync with each other. You get notifications when you a story is updated if it’s in your library or you follow the author.

Also, if you have opened the story on your phone or it’s in your library – you can read it offline on the app.

There are also some stories that have been picked up for publishing – some that have done quite well.

Angelfall by Susan Ee and the After series by Anna Todd – were both picked up and traditionally published and there are many more.

I find that contemporary is better written on Wattpad simply because there is no real need for world building. I do have some favourites though, these two writers are quite good.

Knightsrachel: Two of my favourite stories from her are My Brothers Best Friend and Jefferson Lake. These two have both been finished so if you want to read it all – you can.

Another writer that I really like is GinaWriter, her novel Boot Camp – which is now being published by Pulse.

Another thing that I like about Wattpad is that you get to see people deal with the same things in a different way in one place and see how people react to it.

One thing about Wattpad that I know I would like if I was posting on there is the feedback. You get feedback on every chapter and for a writer who wants to be published, it’s really good. – sometimes the feedback is upsetting, but that is what a writer has to deal with.

With all these good things there are some con’s about Wattpad.

There are some horribly written books. Like really bad that I want to cry about. The way I go about choosing a book is I read the synopsis and then the first chapter – that normally tells me if I want to continue reading. Sometimes I do this multiple times before I find a book that I want to read.

Some are not edited at all, and those are the books that I want to just rip apart – but I don’t because I know that is what you sometimes get when reading books on Wattpad.

Overall, I really do enjoy reading books on Wattpad. It is a different experience, but always fun. I don’t like when people say that because they are not ‘published’ stories or that they are not well written – yes some are, however there are some amazing stories on there that are very much publishable.

Do you read on Wattpad? What are some of your favourite stories on Wattpad? Will, do you read on Wattpad? Let’s Chat.