Finding Your Next Favorite: Where Do You Go for Trusted Book Recommendations?

Most of you reading this are probably big readers. Your TBR is probably teetering already, but if you're anything like me, that doesn't stop you from seeking out new book recommendations. In fact, I hope you find some here with my Friday Reads feature and the tastemaker choices in the Read & Watch Challenge 2017. I always find it interesting to trace how I found out about a book and why I decided to read that particular book at that particular time. I have hundreds of books in my TBR and on wish lists so why THIS book?

This will vary for each person, but for me, there are a few sources that more strongly compel me to read a book than others.

1. Someone who has similar taste in books says that I MUST read this. - There's nothing like finding a book twin who you know lines up with your tastes. So when they say read it, you know there's a high likelihood you're going to like it. Strangely enough, I don't have a book twin among my friends. My friends tend to read different genres and subgenres than I do. But I do have a few trusted blogs that I know usually line up with my tastes.

2. Book of the Month Club - I've been a member for a while now and I have yet to be disappointed with the books I've read from the club. They are usually outside my normal reading zone but wonderfully written. Dark Matter, The Sun Is Also a Star, All the Ugly and Wonderful Things were all BOTM picks. (If you want to check out a subscription, click here.)

3. Podcasts - I've been getting into podcast listening lately (see some of my faves here). I find it soothing and interesting. But what I didn't expect is how many books I'd want to buy based on the podcasts. There are book-centric podcasts like Modern Mrs. Darcy's What Should I Read Next? (general fiction and literary picks) and Smart Podcast, Trashy Books (romance picks), but even non-book-related podcasts have gotten me reading. I picked up The Dorito Effect, which I'll blog about tomorrow, based on a podcast. (Maybe it's something about the voice of a person saying THIS IS A MUST READ that's more compelling than simply reading it on twitter or something.

4. Buzz - I'm not always trusting of buzz, but when I see the same book raved about from multiple trusted sources, I usually can't resist. This is why I picked up Amanda Bouchet's A Promise of Fire.

5. Blogs - I mentioned this in the first category. But besides the certain book bloggers whose tastes line up with mine, I also can be swayed by a review by someone I don't know. If they give a thoughtful review that doesn't just say "loved the book" but gives me compelling reasons why they enjoyed it and who it would be right for, it can work on me. 

6. Best of Lists - I'm a sucker for a good book list. At the end of the year, I can't resist clicking on all those Best of lists. And if I see the same book popping up regularly, I'll probably at least check it out.

So those are my main sources. I'm curious to hear yours? Where do you go for trusted book recommendations? What makes you pick up one book over another?

The Push Your Boundaries 2016 Reading Challenge

Happy New Year's Eve! Hope everyone is having a great holiday break!

I turned in a book at the beginning of December, so I've been taking a much needed writing break these last few weeks. But that doesn't meant I haven't been getting up to things. If you missed it earlier today, I put together a free reading journal specifically designed for romance readers (yay!). All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter to get the download. (And if you're already signed up, check your inbox and spam folder if you haven't gotten it.)

So after that, I got to work on this next thing--putting together my reading challenge for the year. Since 2008 or so I've been doing annual reading challenges. But in 2015 I was so busy with other things that I never got around to setting a specific goal beyond "Read 60 books", which I did meet.

But what I noticed when I was going through my list to choose my Best Books of 2015 was that I'd gotten kind of homogenous in my reading choices this past year. Not necessarily a terrible thing. I love what I love and read what I want. BUT there are also a ton of great books out there outside of my beloved subgenres that I know I'm missing out on. AND as a writer, it's important for me to put all kinds of fodder into the creativity pot. If I only read within a narrow scope, it's going to affect my writing. I need to read widely and out of my comfort zone.

So I pulled out a challenge I created in 2014 (The Push Your Boundaries) and revamped it. Because when looking back, I found that I read a much bigger variety in 2014 because of the challenge. This is a challenge specifically designed to encourage you to read widely and to step outside of your normal reading zone (though not to give up what you love--there's a column for your favorites too!)

So, I thought I'd share it with you guys in case any of y'all want to join in. The key to this challenge is that it is PERSONALIZED. Other challenges are pretty specific: Read 5 Classics or 10 Mysteries or whatever. This is a lot more flexible. You know which categories you need to venture out in.

Below you'll find my chart that I've filled out, but then I'm also including a download for a blank chart. This is a Word doc that you can download and either print to fill out by hand or use electronically. What I do is type in my categories on the computer, then I print it out and use that sheet to either X out boxes as I read books or I'll write the name of the book in the box under the genre. Do what works for you. 

In the doc, I've also included a list of possible categories to put in your columns. These are only suggestions. Feel free to add whatever you want or to make up your own categories.

If you decide you want to join in the challenge, leave a comment below! If you want to keep track of your reads online on a Pinterest board or something, feel free to leave a link to it. Here's my Pinterest board where I'll be keeping track.

Okay, ready to join in?

Here's my board.

Here are BLANK CHARTS FOR DOWNLOAD along with a list of category suggestions. Click links to download:

• Word doc (Note: If you have different fonts from me, this may format a little off in your Word. Adjust as needed. Or download the PDF.)
• PDF download

And if you just want to see the category suggestions. Here they are:

So who's with me? And if you're not doing this challenge, do you have any other reading challenges planned?

Book Binging: What I've Bought Lately

I'm just getting back from a week in New Orleans visiting my fam and eating more than any one person should. I'm behind on just about everything now, but I thought I'd pop in and share what I've added to my TBR stack in the past few weeks. 

You can click on the cover for more info.

Full Dark No Stars by Stephen King

(because King knows how to write a short story)

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

(caught this on sale I believe, but like the concept)

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

(love this cover and saw book recommended somewhere)

Contemporary Male/Male Romance Boxed Set

(A boxed set of m/m romance from authors I've heard of? Yes, please.)

The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas

(Sherry is an agency mate and I've heard wonderful things about her books. On sale for 1.99 right now.)

You Make Me by Erin McCarthy (free)

(I rarely download free books anymore b/c I've been burned but saw this one recommended somewhere.)

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan (free)

(Courtney is also an agency mate and I always hear great things about her books.)

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

(Was on sale and I've almost bought this one a few times, so took the plunge.)

Seed by Ania Ahlborn

(I love a scary story and this was on sale and had good reviews.)

Beyond Control by Kit Rocha (sale 99 cents)

(Read the first one and liked it. Very filthy--and I mean that as a compliment, lol.)

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

(Two girls in love in Iran? That premise sounded too different and interesting to pass up.)

Have Mercy by Shelley Ann Clark

(I believe I saw this one reviewed at Dear Author. Femdom heroine is what caught my eye.)

As Red As Blood by Salla Simukka

(This is part of the July Kindle First program, so it looked most interesting of the four choices.)

The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch

(My son is on the autism spectrum, so I'm always interested in memoirs by people on the spectrum.)

One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva

(Male/Male YA - I couldn't resist.)

What I'm Reading Right Now:

Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

(The first in this series, Catching Jordan, is on sale right now for 1.99 if you want to start from the beginning. Full disclosure: Miranda is an agency mate of mine, but I love her books.)

What I Just Finished:

Sea Swept by Nora Roberts

(My first Nora! Enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next in the series.)

So what have you bought lately? What are you reading? Which books are you telling your friends about?

My Crazy TBR Pile & My Tough Love Rules To Cut It Down

The free books I brought home from RWA Nationals this year - I've read two so far.So this weekend I decided to do a little house cleaning when it came to my books. This involved organizing my Goodreads list into shelves and culling some of the herd. This also meant going through my physical bookshelves and taking inventory of what I haven't read yet. And the numbers, my friends, are rather insane...

Right now, I have exactly 100 unread novels/novellas on my Kindle and over 200 print books on my shelves waiting to be read. 0.0 I knew it was bad, but...well, I didn't realize it was that bad.

And I have a true addiction because I CAN'T STOP BUYING BOOKS. I see someone tweet about something awesome or I see one of those Daily Deal posts and I'm all click, click, click. Buy, buy, buy. Plus, if I have friends or favorite authors that put a new release out, I want to support them and buy it when it comes out. I know the buying won't stop--though I may be putting a lockdown for the month of December since I need to be buying Christmas gifts for someone other than myself. :) But I realized I do need to come up with a plan to start working through some of the books languishing on my real and virtual shelves.

So here's what I'm thinking. I have admitted in the past that I am a chronic finisher. Meaning, I have a really hard time giving up on a book unless the writing is just outright horrible. But this habit slows down my reading. If a book isn't completely sucking me in, I put it down and then don't read other stuff until it's done. Not good.

And even though I've abandoned more books in this past year than I have in the past, I'm still pretty hooked on trying to finish things. But I realized as I'm staring at all these unread books that LIFE IS TOO SHORT and there are too many FANTASTIC books to waste time on a book that's just okay.

So here are my new Tough Love Rules for the coming year:

1. If a book hasn't completely captured me (i.e. I don't want to put it down and can't stop thinking about it) by the end of chapter 3, then I'm moving on. 

As a writer, it's beat into us that we have to hook a reader from page one. I work hard to write books that do that from the first line. So why am I accepting less as a reader? Yes, sometimes page one is hard, but by three chapters, you should have me.

2. If I'm enjoying a book, but I'm just not in the right mood for it at the time, I will move it onto my new "Limbo" shelf on Goodreads.

Sometimes I'm just not in the right headspace for a certain book. For example, it may be a light, fun romance but I'm in a dark mood and want something grittier. It's nothing wrong with the book per se, just not the right time.

3. If there are books on my TBR shelf at this time next year that have been there for at least 2 years, I'm donating them to the library or a hospital. (Or holding a massive blog contest.)

I tend to hoard books. "Ooh, it sounds good. I'll probably read it one day." Yeah, if that hasn't happened in two years, it will probably never get read.

We'll see if these three things help me. I'll update next year and let y'all know. And in the meantime, if you want to follow the list of what I read. I'm active on Goodreads and I keep a running list of what I read each year here.

So what's your TBR pile look like? How do you go about picking your next book to read--i.e. is it my method (Ooh! New! Shiny!) or do you have a more organized way to go about it? And how long do you give a book before you move on for good? Anyone else have a "limbo" type shelf?