Musing Mondays (44) Rereading Books Years Later...

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

Random weekly question from January 18th: Do you have any particular “quirks” when it comes to reading? (eg. taking notes while reading, etc)

I do occasionally take notes when there's something I specifically want to remember (especially if it's relevant to my review, such as details I want to make note of). I'm good at remembering what I liked and disliked about a book, so notes aren't necessary most of the time. I also listen to music while reading. Having good music in the background just sort of works for me. Lately, I've listened to a lot of music by Grimes, Janelle Monae, Angel Haze, Tove Lo, & Halsey.

Other musings...

One of my goals this year is to read some of the older books I have. But one of the things that crossed my mind is: Will I enjoy the books as much as I did the first time I read them? The answer to that, is that I'm not too sure. I liked them when I read them, but that was, as it stands, years ago. My reading tastes were different.

I'm sure I'll still enjoy them, but wondering about my reactions (and possible differences) was something to think about. One series I plan to revisit is The Agency series by Y.S. Lee. I haven't read the last book (Rivals in the City). I do have the first three, which I binge-read back in 2012. From what I remember, they were really good.

I think my worry comes from the fact that my reading tastes have changed a lot. But on another breath, I still have my preferences and dislikes. That, at the very least, couldn't have changed too much where some of my favorite books are concerned. So, I look forward to tackling some of the older books as part of my 2016 blogging resolutions.

What kind of music have you been listening to lately?

The Friday 56 (49) Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Ben and Rose secretly wish for better lives. Ben longs for his unknown father. Rose scrapbooks a famous silent actress. When Ben finds clues and Rose reads enticing news, the children independently run to New York for what they are missing. Ben's story in words, Rose's in pictures, come together in deafness...

"When the air was cold enough, Ben would cross his arms and blow his foggy breath out the side of his mouth as well, which always made her laugh."--Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick


What are you reading this week?

Review: Guys Read: Terrifying Tales edited by Jon Scieszka

Title:Guys Read: Terrifying Tales
Edited By: Jon Scieszka 
Source/Format: Won, Hardback
More Details: Middle Grade
Publisher/Publication Date: Walden Pond Press, September 1, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Be afraid, be very afraid of Terrifying Tales, the sixth volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading.

Eleven masters of suspense—Kelly Barnhill, Michael Buckley, Adam Gidwitz, Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown, Claire Legrand, Nikki Loftin, Daniel José Older, Dav Pilkey, R.L. Stine, and Rita Williams-Garcia—have come together to bring you a bone-chilling collection of original ghost stories with illustrations by Gris Grimly, perfect for sharing around the campfire, reading under the covers with a flashlight, and scaring your friends’ pants off.

Compiled and edited by kid-lit madman Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Terrifying Tales is a creepy-fun read (if you’re brave enough, that is)...

With any collection of stories I’m bound to have my favorites, while there are some that I won’t enjoy as much. The same goes for Guys Read: Terrifying Tales. It was a very interesting, and at times a spooky collection of stories. I’m going to talk about a couple of my favorites in no particular order.

Don’t Eat the Baby by Kelly Barnhill was a good take on the age-old adage of being very careful with what you wish for. The fine print of something considered to be a simple wish, was clearly highlighted with this story.

My Ghost Story by Dav Pilkey was a really nice story about—as the title suggests—ghosts. The illustrations on this one were incredibly nice, and the story was just a really good one.

Marcos at the River by Daniel José Older was definitely one of my favorites. It wasn’t too spooky, but it was a well-done story.

Disappear! by R.L. Stine was another good one that I really liked. It basically shows that expectations might not be how a person actually is despite the persona they put on for the public eye. While this one wasn’t so spooky, the magic aspect was nice.

And last, but certainly not least, Clair Legrand’s The Mandigore. This story was really spooky and it involved libraries, so, it was right up my alley. There were a lot of aspects that I liked about it, but I don't want to tell too much because it would lead to spoilers.

Overall, I liked this collection, and I would consider picking up books by some of the authors.

Musing Mondays (43) Books Beyond Fiction

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

Random weekly question from January 4th: What do you do when you finish a book? Do you immediately start another one?

Most of the time I don't start another book right after I've finished one. Usually, I have to finish reviews before I move on. So it take a little time to let the information process and find the right words to describe how much or how little I liked a book. Only then do I start to think about what I want to read next.

Other Musings:

Post #43, a.k.a. the first Musing Monday's post of 2016. **throws confetti** It's been a while, and I figured that it was time to get back into the swing of things. And Musing Monday's seemed like a good way to do it.

Today I wanted to talk about books, or more specifically, types of books. I enjoy fiction--from the occasional paranormal to science fiction and fantasy--there's nothing wrong with that. But, I do enjoy other books beyond that. So, what about the other types of books? Biographies, history, how-to's, science, essays--all the subcategories that fall into the nonfiction side of the bookish spectrum.

What other kinds of books do I actually enjoy reading?

I have a few specific topics that I particularly enjoy. History is one of my favorites. I could read about history all day and not really mind (I always feel like there's something to be learned). I also enjoy exploring science. Cooking, obviously, because I enjoy baking--plus its also nice to have extra recipe's on-hand.

The common theme is that a lot of the different types of books I read are based around my interests. Cooking, because I love to bake; books on art techniques, because I'm always looking to refine my skills; history because...well history is history. I look forward to reading more of these books in 2016. You know, I just want to step into genre's that I might not typically read.

So, what kind of books do you enjoy reading besides fiction? Or, what was one of the books you read in 2016?

The Friday 56 (48) Guys Read: Terrifying Tales edited by Jon Scieszka

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Be afraid, be very afraid of Terrifying Tales, the sixth volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading.

Eleven masters of suspense—Kelly Barnhill, Michael Buckley, Adam Gidwitz, Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown, Claire Legrand, Nikki Loftin, Daniel José Older, Dav Pilkey, R.L. Stine, and Rita Williams-Garcia—have come together to bring you a bone-chilling collection of original ghost stories with illustrations by Gris Grimly, perfect for sharing around the campfire, reading under the covers with a flashlight, and scaring your friends’ pants off.

Compiled and edited by kid-lit madman Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Terrifying Tales is a creepy-fun read (if you’re brave enough, that is)...

"I peek down at Mrs. Carlson's front window and see the curtain twitch, like she's watching. I pull the kid toward me and whisper. "Listen dude, I don't know how much she's paying you, but it's not worth it. She's messed up.""--Guys Read: Terrifying Tales edited by Jon Scieszka

What's on your page 56 this week?