Hardcover Lover Confessions (3)

Hardcover Lover Confessions is a new, every-once-in-a-while feature that I'll be posting on my blog. It's a way for me to express and discuss my thoughts and opinions on news and events I come across in the book blogging world. It's also a way for me to get to know my followers better. Everyone is more than welcome to join the conversations that we start and get talking. We'd love to know what you're thinking, but if I see that you're being abusive, I will delete all of your comments, and you will be asked to never comment on HCL Confessions ever again.

I won't be posting a HCL Confession every week, but I will be posting these little discussion posts when I find that I have something to share with the book blogosphere.

HLC Confession on Author Behavior

It's no surprise that in this day and age, authors are an online presence through social media - Websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Goodreads. All of these websites are wonderful tools that authors can use to reach out to their readers and for readers to reach out to an author. It's like heaven for book publishing. I've met and talked to so many awesome authors through Twitter and Goodreads. It's a wonderful feeling when one of your favorite authors responds to you, and it makes you feel important in such a large world.

There is also the downside to being on social media, and please don't put words in my mouth on this because this is no way any kind of an accusation. Authors, like everyone else, need to be careful of what they put on the Internet. I might seem like a teacher for this, but whatever, I am a teacher. Once you post something on the Internet, it's there forever. Even if something is deleted, you still have to worry about it being cached or someone else re-posting it. That's why it makes me so sad to see when an author does something unprofessional on the Internet. It's one hundred percent avoidable, but when it happens, it can, and it probably will spread like wildfire.

Now I'm not going to name names in this post because I don't want to start anything with any authors, but I'm sure some of you will remember some of the crazy stuff that's happened in the book blogging world lately. Some of them have been pretty bad and illegal, and others have been just downright stupid. The sad thing is that only a few authors are posting upsetting and unprofessional things online. It's not every single author, and many authors are upset when they see their colleagues do something wrong. But those few who get angry and make a post when they are "in the moment" really make online book reviewers feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. I'm in no way saying that an author shouldn't have feelings - they are human - but they definitely need to be careful online.

The fact that authors lose their cool and do something unprofessional is just sad. So many authors are extremely savvy and they realize that online reviewers are a huge part of the publishing process, whether they read an advance copy or not. It's great to see when they support reviewers, and even a few of them reach out to people who didn't like their books to simply see why without accusing them of attacking them or starting dramatics. This is how I think it should be. Being professional will get you so far in life. I'm even more likely to read a book by someone who conducts him or herself professionally online, even if I disliked a book by them before. 

My question is actually very simple. Why aren't publicists guiding their clients to be more professional online? It's not very hard to shoot someone an email to tell them that they've crossed a line. 

Now... what can you do if you find yourself upset over author behavior? Well there are a few things. 

• Do not retaliate - It's hard not to do this if you feel like you've been victimized, but don't do anything that can damage your reputation as a reviewer. You can try emailing the author or the publisher if you see something damaging about yourself from an author online. If it's something more general and applied to the blogging community, just learn to ignore it or mark the book or author as someone you won't read.
• Don't make fun of an author - It just makes you look bad and very unprofessional.
• Delete the book from your Goodreads shelves or cancel your pre-orders - It's always tough to see an author do something damaging online before his or her book is published. If it offended you enough, you can cancel any pre-orders for those books that you might have placed.
• Try emailing the publisher - Publishers and publicists aren't always policing their clients' online accounts. There just isn't enough time, and there are so many authors. If enough people bring attention to it, something might be said to the author to warrant an apology.
• Submit NetGalley feedback - If you had an eARC and an author has done something upsetting, send feedback on NetGalley. This can be done on the bottom of the feedback page. Keep it professional, but let the publisher know why you won't be reading the title.
• Be careful with Goodreads reviews - When an author knows he or she made a mistake, he/she will be on the lookout for bad reviews on Goodreads. Don't attack the author in your review. Be honest and professional. If you had an ARC but are no longer interested in reading it, say something simple like "I was given an ARC but am no longer interested." It will keep you out of trouble.

So... what are your thoughts on online author behavior? Do you think there should be a way for us to reach out to authors if they've done something offensive without starting a war? Who are some of your favorite authors who conduct themselves in great ways? Have you ever seen an author post something that just makes you shake your head?

PLEASE DO NOT NAME ANY NAMES IN THIS POST. IF YOU DO, YOUR COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED. YOU WILL ALSO BE ASKED NOT TO COMMENT ON HCL CONFESSIONS AGAIN.

Soundtrack Saturday (18)

Hello! Here's wishing everyone a happy and relaxed Saturday. If you've been following The Hardcover Lover for a while, you know just what happens on Saturdays on the blog. Yup! That's right - Soundtrack Saturday! But in case you're a new follower or just noticing this meme, here's what it's all about:

Soundtrack Saturday is a book meme created and hosted by me so I can share my love of music with my readers. There is a catch, though... The soundtracks are book soundtracks! As with all bookish memes, there are a few steps to follow to help you create your own Soundtrack Saturday post:

• Choose a book that you've read
• Create a mini (four songs) or full soundtrack (ten-fifteen songs) for that book based on characters and plot details
  
  • For more detailed instructions, visit the meme's homepage.
• Please credit me somewhere in your post
  
  • It can be as simple as "Soundtrack Saturday was created by Erin at The Hardcover Lover."
• Please comment on my post, so I can be sure to check out your post
• Add your name to the link-up tool  

This week's Soundtrack Saturday post is about a book that I recently read and reviewed. Big thanks to Penguin Teen for providing the ARC! It's called Kalahari. This book is a companion novel to the Corpus series by Jessica Khoury. It's being released on February 24, and I'll have a review for it posted soon. It's a great book, but while you're waiting, take a second to see what songs I've thought of to go along with the book.

1. "What a Wonderful World" by Joey Ramone
2. "Africa" by Toto
3. "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon
4. "Don't Fence Me In" by The Killers
5. "Somewhere Out There" by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram
6. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens
7. "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons
8. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Lorde
9. "10,000 Miles" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
10. "Loved" by Lucy Hale
11. "Daughters" by John Mayer
12. "I Lived" by OneRepublic
13. "I Was Here" by Lady Antebellum
14. "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong

The Friday 56 (10)

The Friday 56 is a weekly bookish meme hosted over at Freda's Voice. The rules are easy  to follow, and this is a great way to share books with other bloggers.

So what do you need to do to participate in The Friday 56?

• Go to page 56 (or 56%) of the book you're currently reading
• Grab a few sentences to share with your blog's readers, but be sure not to spoil anything major
• Add your name to the link-up on Freda's blog

This week, I'm reading an ARC of Twisted Fate by Norah Olson that was kindly given to me by Sarah. The book has already been released, so you can read this one right now if you really want to read it.

"Becky tossed her cigarette on the ground and stubbed it out with her toe and then she put her arm around me and we started walking back in to our next class."

Okay... so it's not the greatest quote on the planet, quite a few things in this quote bother me. First of all, it's a run-on sentence, and the narrator of this chapter is supposedly really smart. It's kind of annoying if you ask me. Also, what's with the littering? Ewww. But that page of the book is the last page of the chapter and there wasn't a lot to choose from.

As always, feel free to link me to your Friday 56 posts so I can check them out! Happy reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Waiting on Wednesday (15)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly book meme created and hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that bloggers and readers are anticipating.

It's very easy to participate in the meme. All you need to do is make a post about an upcoming release that you're waiting on, make sure you've linked back to Breaking the Spine, and then add your name to the link-up tool.

Waiting On...

Title: The Heart of Betrayal
Series: The Remnant Chronicles
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Publication Date: July 7, 2015

Intrigue abounds in this hotly anticipated sequel to The Kiss of Deception!

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save her life, Lia's erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar's interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen.

Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: there's Rafe, who lied to Lia, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be barbarians. Now that she lives amongst them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country... and her own destiny.

Why I'm Waiting...

I've made it a personal goal for me to read more fantasy this year, and so far, I've made good on that promise. Reading the first book in this series, The Kiss of Deception, was a rewarding experience for me because I was able to discover a new world that's full of lies, secrets, and love. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens with Lia, Rafe, Kaden, Pauline, and the rest of the characters in this new novel.

Pre-Order it on Amazon

ARC Review: When Reason Breaks

Title: When Reason Breaks

Author: Cindy L. Rodriguez

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Publication Date: February 10, 2015

Source: eARC from Bloomsbury

Rating: ☆☆☆

13 Reasons Why meets the poetry of Emily Dickinson in this gripping debut novel perfect for fans of Sara Zarr or Jennifer Brown.

A Goth girl with an attitude problem, Elizabeth Davis must learn to control her anger before it destroys her. Emily Delgado appears to be a smart, sweet girl, with a normal life, but as depression clutches at her, she struggles to feel normal. Both girls are in Ms. Diaz’s English class, where they connect to the words of Emily Dickinson. Both are hovering on the edge of an emotional precipice. One of them will attempt suicide. And with Dickinson’s poetry as their guide, both girls must conquer their personal demons to ever be happy.

In an emotionally taut novel with a richly diverse cast of characters, readers will relish in the poetry of Emily Dickinson and be completely swept up in the turmoil of two girls grappling with demons beyond their control.

Purchase Links

Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Indiebound || The Book Depository || Books-A-Million
Powell's

My Review

When Reason Breaks by Cindy L. Rodriguez is an ambitious YA novel with a very intriguing concept. As an English teacher and lover of literature, I was immediately drawn to this book at the mention of Emily Dickinson. Then I made the E.D. connection. Two girls - Emily Delgado and Elizabeth Davis - share their initials with Emily Dickinson. Cool, right? Of course it's cool!

I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love this book. I loved the concept, but I felt like there was too much going on for it to be a complete, graspable book. In a way, it makes sense for Rodriguez to do that because Emily Dickinson had quite an interesting and complicated life, but it makes for a very complicated and intricate book. There was one thing that happened in this book that created grief and aggravation for me; Rodriguez spoils her audience at the beginning of the book! She doesn't completely spoil it, but for readers like me, who read in between the lines, the one detail that is given away at the beginning of the book makes it so much easier to figure out what really happens.

I was expecting a little more character development from Rodriguez. In the beginning of the book, I confused Emily and Elizabeth a lot. Differentiating the two becomes easier as the book moves along, but it is annoying to confuse characters. I liked how Emily Delgado was characterized, but boy... I had problems with Elizabeth Davis. From the synopsis, I was expecting someone a little more rough around the edges, but she didn't really appear that way to me. I kind of thought of her anger as fluff instead of real anger. I really thought there would be more to her than what Rodriguez includes.

That being said, there are many great things about this novel, and I applaud Rodriguez for its creation. First of all, there are so many diverse characters in this book. Rodriguez includes Latino characters and culture in this book, which is something I've yet to come across in the YA books I've read. Secondly, I love the integration of Emily Dickinson's poetry. Emily Dickinson is an important piece of American history, and seeing how lines from her poems relate to the plot is awe-inspiring. I can only hope that teens will be more likely to go to the library and read Dickinson's poems after reading this book.

Overall, When Reason Breaks is an enjoyable read, especially if you are a fan of Emily Dickinson or retellings. There are some minor flaws, but there are also some really great moments that overshadow most of the flaws. I hope that readers will take something away from those great moments.

Cindy L. Rodriguez is a former newspaper reporter turned public school teacher. She now teaches as a reading specialist at a Connecticut middle school but previously worked for the Hartford Courant and the Boston Globe. She and her young daughter live in Connecticut. When Reason Breaks is her debut novel. For more author information, click here.

January 2015 Wrap Up

Hey there, Hardcover Lover readers! Can you believe that January has come and gone already? The month flew by so quickly that it really is hard to believe.

First of all, I hope you enjoyed your month. I did, especially with all of the pretty snow that's been falling. Seriously... the weather here has been really snowy lately - kind of like the picture to the left. It's probably snowed a little bit every day for a week.

Now it's time to reflect on what I read in January. I was kind of bummed to see that I'd only read fourteen books this month, especially considering that one was a DNF and a few were children's books that I read to the two adorable kids I babysat this month.

Books I Read in January 2015

• Waiting is Not Easy (Elephant and Piggie #22) by Mo Willems - I'm pretty sure I read this last year when I was an ESL long-term substitute, but I read so many Elephant and Piggie books that I forgot. It's a really cute children's book, and I'd honestly recommend that all parents stock up on these books for their kids.
• Mr. Christmas by Adam Hargreaves - This book is part of the Mr. Men children's series. The kids I babysit chose this, even though it was well past Christmas. It's a cute read, and would definitely make a great Christmas present if you're already thinking ahead to Christmas 2015. Too early? Oops.
• The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Suess - I've read this so many times with the little girl that I babysit that I could probably memorize it. I think it's her favorite, but it's definitely a good one.
• Zac & Mia by A.J. Betts - I had this one on my Amazon cloud for a while after having been approved to read it on NetGalley. It was okay, but definitely not the greatest YA book I've ever read. You can learn more about it in my review.
• When Reason Breaks by Cindy L. Rodriguez - This book is being released by Bloomsbury on February 10, 2015. If you are a fan of Emily Dickinson's poetry, pick it up! I'll have a full review up for this one on February 3.
• Since You've Been Gone by Mary Jennifer Payne - This title has been released in Canada, but not yet in the US, although it's coming this month. I really enjoyed Mary's take on domestic abuse and just how much pain it can cause a family. If you're interested in seeing what else I though, please check out my review.
• Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton - This was my DNF this month. Quite honestly, what I read was pretty terrible. There's a disturbing love triangle, and there really isn't any world-building. The reader is just thrown into a very confusing situation, and I couldn't recover from it.
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt - I read this beauty of a book in one day. Every kid in America needs to read this book. My review for Tuck can be found here.
• Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems and Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion by Mo Willems - I'd never heard of this series until I found the books while babysitting, but they are very cute with cartoon drawings set against real world backgrounds.
• Open Road Summer by Emery Lord - I bought this one last summer, but never got around to reading it. Boy am I glad that I did because it's adorable! I loved pretty much everything about it, and my review can be seen here.
• Sacajawea by Kathleen Krull - This is an upcoming children's nonfiction book, and I really enjoyed it. Check back in June for my full review. 
• The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson - This is another book that I bought this past summer but never got around to reading. I'm glad that my blogging friends, Holly and Tika, finally convinced me to read it because it's pretty good. If you'd like to read my review, please click here.
• The Moon Said No by Casey Renee Kiser - This is a short chapbook full of very emotional poems. Some are really great, and others are okay, but the book is definitely worth the quick read.

Wow. It still doesn't feel like I read as much as it looks like I did, but at least I'm adding some new genres to my reading list. I'm also proud that I was able to improve my NetGalley ratio by a ton this month with some of these books.

Keep an eye out for some great ARC reviews and blog tours this February. I've got quite a few ARCs to read, and then I hope to catch up on some back listed books. So now I leave you to your Super Bowl Sunday. Enjoy the game if you're watching or enjoy the halftime show and commercials  if you're more interested in that. P.S I so hope that the Patriots get embarrassed tonight.