Book Blogger Hop No. 162: A Blogging Hiatus? Maybe....

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

hosted by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

For more information, and 

to find out the topic of next week's question, click HERE.

This Week's Question

Have you ever thought of taking

a break from blogging or Booktubing

(if you're a Booktuber)?

If you have, how long was the break,

and what did you learn from it?

(Submitted  by Danielle  @ 

PoetryBooksYA)

My Answer

Here's the short and sweet answer..... Yes, I have, many times in the past. (And no, I'm not a Booktuber; I just have this blog, as well as a second one, which I have no time for, and is abandoned for now.)

And here are further details..... Although I do enjoy blogging tremendously, there have been times when "the real world" has encroached upon my precious blogging time, and I have been tempted to stop for a while. How long, I've never really decided. The fact remains, though that the thought has crossed my mind more than once or twice.

It's rather coincidental that this question has come up right at this point in time, because I am seriously considering taking a break -- perhaps for a month, at least. It might be longer, though; I really don't know. I am feeling very sad about even considering this, of course.

Those of you who have been reading and following my blog for some time know that I LOVE blogging, and would feel bereft if I were to stop doing it completely, even for a short length of time. So perhaps what I'll do, for now at least, is reduce the number of posts I publish per month. I don't like this solution to the problem, either, but at least I'll be doing SOME blogging. 

The problem is, yes, you guys guessed it -- "the real world". I have gotten very busy preparing classes. I'm an Adult Education ESOL teacher. In other words, I teach adults from other countries (mostly Hispanics) English in an evening program, which includes two afternoon tutoring sessions. 

The first session starts at 3:00 PM, and ends at 4:15 PM. Then there's a 10-to-15-minute break, and the second session begins, around 4:30. That second session ends at 6:00 PM. I have an hour for dinner, and my regular class begins -- at 7:00, ending at 9:30 PM.

The first tutoring session is for English topics -- grammar, dialogues, pronunciation practice, etc. The second is for help with preparing for the U.S. citizenship exam.

Both of these sessions require me to prepare copies for the students. Usually, I make originals which I then request copies from, at the school's main office. Sometimes, especially when a new student shows up, I do have to make copies on my home copier/printer.

My regular class also requires me to provide copies to the students. This is a combined High Intermediate (Level 5) and Advanced (Level 6) class. The students do have assigned textbooks, but they are reluctant to buy them, as they books are expensive. Besides, not everything I need to teach them is covered in ONE textbook, so I add copies.

Both the tutoring sessions and the regular class function four afternoons/nights a week -- Monday to Thursday. (At least I have Fridays off, lol!) 

Just this past week, on Monday, 2/11, and Tuesday, 2/12, we got some basic training for a new software program that the school district recently bought: Burlington English. This program is rather complex and detailed, and, after receiving the basic training, we ESOL teachers are expected to study and practice it, on our time, no less, so as to start using it as soon as possible in our classes. 

Part of this program includes.....you guessed it -- copies! Haha..... Yes, this is what the Burlington Company calls "a blended program". Students are to do part of their work on computers (I have 25 of these in my classroom), and part of it on worksheets. These have to be prepared in advance for each lesson. For instance, if I want to start teaching a particular lesson this coming Tuesday, I have to have all of the worksheets for that lesson ready by Tuesday. I do have the originals printed. So now I will have to make copies.....sigh.....

Well, you get the picture by now..... I hope I don't have to stop blogging altogether for any length of time, but it might be necessary, at least until I get organized with this new program. Some of you may have noticed that lately, I've been publishing fewer posts. AND, I've REALLY gotten behind on my replies to comments here on my blog, as well as comments back on the blogs of those who have commented on A Night's Dream of Books.

Whatever I decide to do, whether it be just publish fewer posts, or take a break, I will be sure to announce here on the blog. I don't like to just stop all of a sudden, with no warning. Of course, sometimes bloggers have to do just that, for whatever reason. This happened with Jill @ Breaking The Spine. Her last post is dated August 24, 2016. (Click on the link provided and you'll see for yourselves.) She posted no explanation for this, either, but just stopped blogging -- cold turkey. Other bloggers -- including me -- have left comments on this last post, asking her if she's all right. She has not replied to any of these comments, though. I still think about her and her blog sometimes, wondering what could have possibly happened....

Jill was the creator of the popular book meme, "Waiting On Wednesday", so a LOT of bloggers used to link up to her WOW posts. (Many of them have continued to link up to that last post, too, incredibly enough....) A similar meme exists now, titled "Can't Wait Wednesday". It's hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings.

Anyway.....I sure hope I can still continue to publish at least a few posts per month. I am REALLY ticked off at having these obstacles in my path, but, since they're job-related, I have to give them priority. 

Whatever I decide to do, I will be SURE to let all of you guys know! For now, you have a bit of a heads up.      

What are your thoughts on

this topic?

Please leave a comment! 

If you're participating in this meme,

I'll go comment on your 

own BBH post.

If not, I will then comment on one 

of your blog posts!

Thanks for visiting!!! 

Book Blogger Hop No. 161: Audio Books vs. Ebooks?

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

hosted by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

For more information, and 

to find out the topic of next week's question, click HERE.

This Week's Question

Audio Books vs. Ebooks? If the

world stopped printing books,

which would you prefer

between the two?

(Submitted  by Angelica  @ 

Paperback Princess)

My Answer

Here's the short, paradoxical answer: Both, and neither! That might sound bewildering, so here's the long answer....

The thing is, I have this LOVE for printed books, that NOTHING and NO ONE will EVER, EVER take away from me. So, asking me to choose between audio books and ebooks is like asking me to choose between the lesser of two evils. Lol.

However, if this HORRIBLE situation were to come about -- and I really don't think it will, not in a hundred years, nor a thousand, nor a million, because the love of printed books is being passed down from one generation to the other, even as I write this -- I would have to go with ebooks, much to my dismay.... But I wouldn't do this to the exclusion of audio books. The thing is, I will only listen to an audio book if I've already enjoyed a book through the printed, or, in this case, digital, word. I guess that's because of something I've suddenly become aware of -- I LOVE the visual aspect of words. However, I also LOVE their sound. And this would probably be true for any language. Words and sentences are a special kind of art form. But they do have these two aspects -- vision and sound. 

So I have to reconsider my answer. I would not have a preference between these two formats. I would go from one to the other. I might decide to enjoy a book first in audio book format, and then as an ebook. Or vice versa. I would not want to consume a book in ONLY one of these two formats. I NEED to SEE text, and if I can't get it through print, then I'll get it through a digital format. 

Having stated all of the above, I think I should start to buy audio books for some of my favorite books, books that I've already read (in the printed format). I do own all of the audio books for The Twilight Saga, and have listened to them all. This is in addition to having read all four books three times each, AND the first volume, Twilight, four times -- three in English, and one in Spanish. That's how much I LOVE and treasure this series!

I also have the first volume of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, as an audio book. Of course, I bought the original hardcover books some time back. I also own the paperback edition that shows a picture of Hogwarts when all the book spines are lined up. It comes in a beautiful box. I have yet to listen to this audio book, though. I REALLY must do so, this year!!

Of course, I also need to get the rest of the HP audio books -- with the exception of Book 6 -- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. That's because a very sad event takes place in that book, and it tore me up when I was reading this book. I have been unable to finish the book. So I definitely would NOT want to listen to the audio version.

Here are some of the books I've already read (in printed format) that I would also love to listen to. If you're interested, click on the titles to access my reviews. They are listed in alphabetical order, by author. 

If you would prefer to check out these books on Goodreads and/or Amazon, they are easily accessible at both sites.

Young Adult Fiction

Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

Waterfall - Lisa T. Bergren

Cascade - Lisa T. Bergren

Abandon - Meg Cabot

Underworld - Meg Cabot

The Nightshade Series

Andrea Cremer

Tempest Rising - Tracy Deebs

Die For Me - Amy Plum

Until I Die - Amy Plum

The Vampire Academy Series

L.J. Smith

Tryst - Elswyth Thane

(This novel was first published in 1939,

and is a paranormal GEM. It should

not only be available in an audio book

version, but in a film version, as well.)

Adult Fiction

Literary, Contemporary,

and Genre Fiction

A Darker Dream - Amanda Ashley

Spock Must Die! - James Blish

(It would be GREAT if the narrator

were able to imitate the voices

of the original Star Trek actors!)

The Little Shop of Found Things

Paula Brackston

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë

Angels in the Snow - Melody Carlson

The Angel of Losses - Stephanie Feldman

Magister Ludi - Hermann Hesse

The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow

Rita Leganski

My Name is Asher Lev - Chaim Potok

(I read this book several years ago, and

fell in love with it! This was before I 

had a blog, though, so I would have

to re-read it in order to review it. And then, yes, listen to the audio book!! By clicking

on the title, you will access the GR page.)

The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

Adult Nonfiction

Everyday Enchantments - Maria De Blassie

What are your thoughts on

this topic?

Please leave a comment! 

If you're participating in this meme,

I'll go comment on your 

own BBH post.

If not, I will then comment on one 

of your blog posts!

Thanks for visiting!!! 

Book Blogger Hop No. 159: My Pet Peeves With Authors

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

hosted by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

For more information, and 

to find out the topic of next week's question, click HERE.

This Week's Question

Is there anything that drives

you bonkers when you're

reading a book that makes you

want to tell the author

a thing or two?

(Submitted  by C. Lee  @ 

cleemckenziebooks)

My Answer

One of my pet peeves is one I've referred to before in another post, and I noticed that Billy also mentioned it in his own answer to this week's question. Here it is: I just don't understand why an author would kill off a beloved character, one that most readers have overwhelmingly grown to love. This happened with a character in the Harry Potter series, and I don't think I've forgiven -- or will EVER forgive -- J.K. Rowling for this! Because of this tragic event, I have not finished reading the series. I stopped halfway through Book 6....... I would like to finish this book, and then move on to Book 7, but I don't know if I can get past that very sad point.....

I know that writers will often kill off characters because they feel this "literary murder" is necessary to the plot, but it's still hard for a reader who loves said characters to accept this......

Another pet peeve I have is when a writer makes a character act inconsistently. If a writer has already established a character's personality as being a certain way, and then, later on in the novel (or short story) makes this character do or say something that, according to his/her already established personality traits, would be totally inconsistent behavior for this character, I just gnash my teeth.....and don't finish the book.

I had this problem with Sarah J. Maas's series, A Court of Thorns and Roses. I only read, but never finished, the first book. Even though the writing was luscious, and I initially liked the main character, Feyre, I HATED what Maas did with her toward the end of the first book in the series, and then, the second book. I never read the second book, though. I did look up the plot on Wikipedia. Ha, ha!! What I read made my blood boil!! I won't reveal what it is in case whoever reads this post has not read any of the books in this series. It's a very popular series, too -- the first book has nearly 300,000 ratings on Goodreads, and nearly 34,000 reviews! I can't FOR THE LIFE OF ME understand why....

One book I started a couple of years ago, and never finished, either, got me VERY upset at the author, Elyse Douglas (this is actually a husband and wife team of writers using a pen name made up of part of each of their own names). The book is titled The Christmas Bridge. I feel I SHOULD give spoilers for this one.

(WARNING: Spoilers ahead!) 

The story seems very straightforward at first -- a story of second chances, in which a forty-year-old widow is going to reconnect with the college boyfriend she had betrayed and abandoned 20 years before. The problem is that, on the eve of her reunion with the ex-boyfriend, she meets ANOTHER guy, and starts a relationship with HIM. So she actually ends up hurting the poor ex ALL OVER AGAIN. Oh, I was FURIOUS!! I actually donated this book to Goodwill, and gave it ONE star on Goodreads. (Nice, unintentional pun, too -- Goodwill and Goodreads. Lol.)

This book actually should have been split into TWO books -- one would have been the story of the widow reconnecting with her old love, and rekindling their romance, and the other, a story of another widow, still mourning her husband, who meets an exciting new man on a day that she's feeling especially depressed, since the holidays are approaching, and she really misses her husband.

(End of spoilers for this book.)

Once again, I was puzzled by all the five-star reviews of this book on Goodreads, although it doesn't have as many as A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Both of these books -- the Sarah J. Maas books (Numbers 1 and 2) and the one by Elyse Douglas -- also had one thing in common that totally IRRITATED me: I was expecting the plot to go one way, which seemed to be logical and consistent according to what had already been established, only to have the author take it down ANOTHER path that just made NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. 

Yet another pet peeve is when an author lets a villain -- who seems to be a GOOD person -- literally GET AWAY WITH MURDER. 

(WARNING: A LOT of spoilers ahead!) 

This was the problem I had with Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier. One of the main characters, Max De Winter, was a very wealthy man who had married a woman named Rebecca, who was a very manipulative, totally heartless, B---H. She dies in a rather mysterious manner, and he later marries a very young, inexperienced woman who is never named in the novel. Well, it turns out that De Winter actually KILLED Rebecca, whom he loathed. The police are investigating, and are on the verge of discovering the truth. De Winter ends up admitting to the murder. To whom? HIS SECOND WIFE. And guess what? SHE HELPS HIM TO COVER UP THIS MURDER. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Yes, this is a classic. Yes, the prose style is absolutely BRILLIANT. Yes, the suspense is excellently handled. BUT. MAX DE WINTER GOT AWAY WITH MURDER. End of story. End of my interest in this book!!!

(End of spoilers for this book.)

As you can all see (if you read the spoilers), I have some rather strong feelings regarding things that authors have done with their novels. Interestingly, these pet peeves all have something to do with the way characters are portrayed. They also have a lot to do with the way a plot is developed. 

What I find pretty funny, as well as fascinating, and yet, altogether appropriate, is that I've gotten SO MAD at these authors, given the fact that these characters and plots are FICTIONAL. These are not real people, nor real events. Yet, I've been passionately involved with them! This goes to show just how POWERFUL the written word is. Not only do novels and short stories have the power to transport us to different worlds and time periods, they also have the IMMENSE power to move us, to provoke us to actual disappointment and anger, which are really feelings of......yes, I have to say it: BETRAYAL. I have felt betrayed by these authors. 

So these things that "drive me bonkers" tell me that I am totally invested in reading, that books and reading are a PASSION for me, and that, when an author's work clicks with me, I will feel a glorious bliss, whereas, when it doesn't, I will feel.....well, everything I've already described. 

As the saying goes, "A reader lives a thousand lives....." And when one of them just doesn't work for said reader, the book is history! Lol.

There. I'm off my soapbox now!!  :)  

What are your thoughts on

this topic?

Please leave a comment! 

If you're participating in this meme,

I'll go comment on your 

own BBH post.

If not, I will then comment on one 

of your blog posts!

Thanks for visiting!!!