Audiobooks: Pros and Cons

Audible.com, a sub-branch of Amazon, is currently offering a free one-month trial and two credits (typically one audiobook = one credit) to all new users of the site. I had nothing to lose, so I decided to try it out. This was my first foray into audiobooks, so I also compiled a pro/con list of my experience:

Positives

• I listen on my iPhone, so I have a book(s) with me everywhere I go without having to carry anything extra!
• Great while doing mindless tasks that keep my hands busy: washing dishes, folding laundry, cleaning, knitting, etc. (This is a huge plus for me!!)
• Celebrity readers, such as Tina Fey narrating her book Bossypants, often read the story with their own natural inflection. I get to hear things they way they imagined it sounding when they wrote it. 
• Good during long commutes, especially on crowded subway trains where I wouldn't have space to hold open a book or eReader.

Negatives

• I don't always like the narrator's voice. I much prefer the imagined voice(s) I create in my head while reading. (this is something I got used to with time, as I got more engulfed in the plot of the book)
• Sometimes it's hard to create a strong mental pictures because my eyes are distracted by what is *actually* in front of me, whereas when I'm reading a book, the only thing I'm looking at are the pages, so it's easy to imagine the scene I'm reading about.
• Audiobooks can be expensive. 
• I can probably read faster than the narrator speaks ...it's also much easier to skim parts of a book than it would be to 'skim' through the audio.

Positive	Negative
Helps with pronunciation	Doesn’t help with spelling
Saves shelf space	No pretty book to display

Overall, I like audiobooks depending on circumstances. I would definitely prefer to hold and read a physical book or my eReader, but audiobooks seem like a nice options when I'm tired or don't have my hands free. 

I encourage anyone who hasn't tried audiobooks before to look into audible.com's free one-month trial, it's a great no-strings attached way to try out audiobooks without spending any money .... and for those of you who are already audiobook listeners, why not take advantage of the two free credits? Everyone loves free books, right? 

I'm also curious to know: what do you like/dislike about audiobooks?

Stacking the Shelves (2)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews 

that features new books we've acquired 

This week I got four new books:

• Teeth: Vampire Tales by Various Authors
• Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
• Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5) by Richelle Mead
• The Summoning (Darkest Powers #1) by Kelley Armstrong

Rachel Vincent Announces New Project!

One of my most favorite-est authors, Rachel Vincent, has just recently announced her newest adult project, Menagerie, a carnival themed paranormal series and I am SO UBER EXCITED that I cannot contain myself. You should all click that link and read the blurb she came up with, because really, it sounds super awesome and I can't wait! She never fails to come up with a fresh new paranormal world for each project. 

Not gonna lie, I usually cry and go into a mini book hangover/depression whenever I finish the last book in a series or really good standalone because I just don't want it to end *ever*, but then each new project announcement fills me with so much joyful anticipation that I become like this: 

   

and *almost* forget about that I was like this just a few months ago when I finished her last book:

  

And so the emotional roller coaster continues. 

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Authors: Carrie Ryan
Format: Paperback, 336 pages.

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

My Rating: 4 stars ★★★★
My Thoughts: Reading this book was a strange experience for me. This was really the first zombie-themed book that has ever caught my eye, and I had seen a lot of positive reviews for it, so I was excited to give it a try. Then as I started reading, I felt so bored and depressed by the dystopian world that the protagonist, Mary, finds herself trapped in... yet, next thing I know, I was staying up all night to finish the book!

After finishing the book, I initially told myself that I didn' really like it and was overall disappointed. Then, in the following days, I keep randomly thinking about the book and the events in it, until I came to realize that I actually quite enjoyed the book after all! In fact, I even wound up choosing this novel for a recent poem-writing challenge hosted by The Happy Booker, which you can read HERE.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Want to join in? Check out all the rules/details HERE

Top Ten Things 

that make my life as a reader/blogger easier

Paperback Swap

Even if I wanted to keep *every* physical book I've read, I would not have the space to accommodate it. PBS makes it easier to get rid of books I've finished, and get new books in return!

Shelfari

I know most bloggers like Goodreads, but I prefer keeping my TBR/Read piles organized on Shelfari. Visually, I think the layout/format of the site is really nice... I like the feel of seeing an actual bookshelf. Also, it's a sub-branch of Amazon, so I only have to remember one username/password combo for both sites. 

The New York Public Library

I feel so very lucky to live in a city that has such an extensive library system. I've saved so much money over the years borrowing books, and it's always fun to browse the shelves without pulling on the purse strings.... no guilt in trying a book you were hesitant to read when it doesn't cost a dime!

Amazon Prime's free 2 day shipping

For those times when I want to splurge and purchase a brand new book, I don't have to feel the pang of guilt that comes with paying for shipping instead of going to the bookstore AND it gets to my house within two business days!!

Rafflecopter

It seriously makes hosting giveaways so much easier than before! 

Twitter

A great way to network with other bloggers, advertise new posts on your blog, or hear about giveaways going on in the blogosphere. 

Strand Bookstore

This store always has shelves (many many shelves!) of sale books outside with prices as low as a dollar a book! I've found some gems there, whether it be a book from my wish list or an unexpected good read. 

My Nook eReader

There have been many a time when I've finished an *amazing* book and literally cannot wait to get the sequel, so I ordered it online, downloaded it to my Nook, and started reading immediately. 

Bookshelves!

This may seem like a silly one, but I'm serious! There was a period of my college years when I didn't have a bookshelf because one lovely frenemy of mine broke it and let me tell you, you really don't know what you have until it's gone. I had books everywhere - cluttering my desk, my floor, etc - and it was so hard to find the one I was looking for when I needed it. 

The Forest of Hands and Teeth Acrostic Poem

The Happy Booker is currently hosting a giveaway challenging participants to come up with an acrostic poem (acrostic poem: fancy terminology for a poem in which the first letters of each line put together spell a word or words) featuring their favorite vampire or zombie book. 

For my poem I chose The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, writing the poem from the point of view of the protagonist, Mary. In the novel, Mary keeps a photograph of a girl at the beach during pre-apocalyptic times, dreaming that one day she might also see the beach - I took inspiration from this :)

Trapped.

Here in this sad small town, until

Everything changed.

Find me a way

Out of this maze.

Running and running.

Endlessly

Searching.

Twists and turns, lead me to the

Ocean.

Foamy waters and salty air.

Only a bit farther til
Freedom.

Hoping.

Abandoning all that I know.

No turning back.

Driven by the image of a clear blue sea,

Searching.

Another day passes,

No more paths to follow.

Do I dare to open the gate?

Tearing through the forest,

Exposed.

Everything around me a vivid blur:

Thrashing and tumbling,

Hastening towards the sandy shore. 

A to Z Bookish Survey

Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner has come up with this fun A-Z survey 

& I thought I'd give it a shot :)

Author you’ve read the most books from

I'm actually pretty loyal to authors I love, so in answering this question I noticed I've read 6+ books by several different authors, but Rachel Vincent came out on top with 14 full length books + 3 novellas read

Best Sequel
Eeeee I don't know!

Currently Reading?
The Omnivore's Dilemma - young readers edition by Michael Pollan 

& A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

Drink of Choice While Reading?
Snapple iced tea!

E-Reader or Physical Book?
Physical books! I like displaying my favorites on my bookshelf when I'm finished, I feel like it showcases my personality :)

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School
*swoon* Adrian from the Vampire Academy series

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance
Divergent by Veronica Roth

Hidden Gem Book
A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young - It had me crying and feeling ALL the feels. Definitely didn't expect it to be that emotional.

Important Moment in Your Reading Life
Discovering PaperbackSwap!! Yet another way to enable my ridiculous reading/book acquiring habits!

Just Finished
Kisses From Hell paranormal anthology

Kind of Books You Won’t Read
I tend to stray away from historical fiction books because I tend to not enjoy them so much, seeing as history has always been my worst/most hated subject. I much prefer futuristic books!

Longest Book You’ve Read
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (896 pages)

Major Book Hangover Because of…
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan... this book haunted me for days after I had finished it.

Number of Book Cases You Own
Just one :( 

I wish I had room for more... I still have many books in boxes under my bed.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times
Hmm, I really don't re-read books because I have way too many unread books to consume my time. I've been meaning to re-read the Harry Potter series though!

Preferred Place to Read

In my bed :)

Quote That Inspires You/Gives you All the Feels from a Book You’ve Read
I'm terrible at keeping track of quotes. I don't highlight them or write them down, so I can't really answer this question. My bad, apologies!

Reading Regret
Y'know, just the other day I was thinking about a big reading regret I had... but I can't remember it now.

Series You Started and Need to Finish (all books are out)
VAMPIRE ACADEMY! I can't believe I'm so late to the game but now I'm hooked. I totally see what all the hype was about when this series was first starting up. I've got two books left in the series and I can't wait to finish, the next one is sitting on my shelf waiting for me as we speak :)

Three of Your All-Time Favorite Books
Graceling by Kristen Cashore, Stray by Rachel Vincent, Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Unapologetic Fangirl For
YA paranormal/fantasy books, even though I get sh*t from my friends for not reading "grown up" books. Pfft.

Very Excited for This Release More Than All Others
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare... I always highly anticipate the last book in a series I love because I'm excited to dive back into that world, excited to see how the whole series ends, and also nervously anxious about the fact that a favorite series is coming to an end.

Worst Bookish Habit
OVERBUYING BOOKS. I can never resist a good deal, and my reading can never keep up with my buying/borrowing from the library. 

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book

Oath Bound by Rachel Vincent

Your Last Book Purchase
Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs, Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, & Teeth: Vampire Tales by Various Authors

Zzz Snatcher Book (last book that kept you up late)
Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4) by Richelle Mead