Book Blogger Hop No. 149: Book Blogger Collaborations

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

Do you do collaborations with

brands or other bloggers? If so,

which collaboration was your

favorite, and why?

(Submitted  by Danielle  @ 

PoetryBooksYA)

My Answer

What an interesting question! Yes, in the past, I've done a couple of collaborations with other book bloggers. The most recent one, which was a LOT of fun, was with Barb @ Booker T's Farm. 

Here's how it came about....

I was visiting Barb's blog one day, to check out her "Can't Wait Wednesday" post. (For those who don't know, this is a meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings.) Well, I saw a very interesting book that day! It was the very same book I featured in my Book Blogger Hop post last week -- Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland. This is a horror novel. Barb loves the horror genre just as much as I hate it, lol. In fact, we have a running joke about it. She usually features horror novels on this meme, and I'm always commenting that I'm a HUGE chicken, so I can't read any of her choices. Lol. Well, this book was different! When I read the synopsis, I really liked it, in spite of the inclusion of zombies (SHUDDERS!) in the plot. But, there were other elements involved that I did like, such as the strong female protagonist, and the biting satire on racism. So, I told Barb, in my comment, that I found this book very interesting. She then replied with a suggestion that we do a buddy read of it, and I agreed. 

We posted on our progress as we went along. Each of these posts included questions we posed to each other (we communicated through messages on Goodreads) the week before our posts were scheduled to be published. We answered these questions on each update post. It was SO interesting to exchange our opinions and interpretations of what was going on in this book! We did that through the posts and our accompanying comments and replies. And I repeat, it was LOADS OF FUN!! 

At the end of our buddy read, we each posted our respective reviews, and commented on them, as well. 

Barb and I are planning to do another buddy read, so stay tuned for the name of the book, as well as when we'll start! Hopefully, it will be pretty soon!

If you'd like to check out our buddy read update posts, along with our reviews of Dread Nation, you can do so HERE. My BBH post about this book (from last week) can be found HERE.

UPDATE, 11/2/18, 3:30 PM

  
I had another collaboration, which took place in 2014. This was with another blogging buddy, Brian @ Babbling Books. I don't know how I could have forgotten this! Especially since it was a read-along of my FAVORITE classic of all time, Jane Eyre!! Brian mentioned this in his comment below, so I have rushed to include it here. 

I posted the read-along announcement on 9/9/14, and we each did a series of posts on the book before posting our reviews. As in the buddy read with Barb, we posed questions to each other, and answered them. The difference here was that other bloggers were invited to participate, as well, since this was a read-along.  By the end, it was just three of us, though -- Brian, myself, and one other blogger: Jim @ The Frugal Chariot. 

Even though not that many people participated, this was a highly rewarding experience! Brian and I came up with interesting questions, and we really dug deep into the novel's symbolism, characterizations, setting, plot, the works! 

You can access our reviews, as well as the read-along links, HERE.

I would LOVE to collaborate with Brian again! We could read another great classic -- perhaps a book by Hermann Hesse, whom we both list as a favorite writer. But this time, I think we should do a buddy read instead, with no Linky widget. Lol!

          

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. 148: A Horror Novel for Non-Horror Readers

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

Halloween Edition!!

This event is 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

Recommend one horror novel

for non-horror readers.

(Submitted  by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer)

Dread Nation

(Dread Nation, Book 1)

Justina Ireland

Hardcover, 464 pages

Balzer + Bray

April 3, 2018

Alternate History, Fantasy, 

Historical Fiction, Horror,  Humor,

Satire, Young Adult Fiction

My Answer

As regular readers of this blog already know, I do not like the horror genre. First-time visitors might be puzzled at this answer, because, after all, I do have a Halloween header on my blog. And, I keep it there all through the month of October. But you will notice that there's nothing even remotely scary about this header. Instead, it's heavy on "the cute factor". Lol. So why have I decided to answer this question? Ah, so, grasshopper! Read on!  :)

Not that long ago, I came across a book with an awesome cover. It's the one shown above. I thought to myself, "Now, here's a kick-butt female protagonist, for sure!" So, I just had to check out the plot. And, well......there were zombies in it..... That made me pause. I detest zombies with every fiber of my being! But, I wanted to know more about Jane McKeene, the kick-butt female protagonist, who is depicted on the cover. Besides, there was something else I found very intriguing about this plot -- it was an alternate history of the U.S., and the Civil War. I find such plots totally fascinating! I mean, what if such-and-such had happened, instead of what actually took place? 

There was one more factor.... a good blogging buddy of mine, Barb @ Booker T's Farm, convinced me to do a buddy read of this novel with her. (She's been trying to get me to read more horror novels, especially those of Stephen King. I have graciously declined.) So I decided to go for it! We each published update posts on our blogs as we went along, too. These posts included questions we asked each other, which we then answered in the following week's post. Oh, it was SO much fun to compare our points of view and opinions on this book!

But, wait! You are probably reminding me right about now that I don't like the horror genre! Right. Would I call this a horror novel, though? Well, there are zombies in it, after all. However, this novel is what I have decided to call "horror lite". I think this might even become a new genre! Lol. The thing is, this novel is really a scathing, satirical condemnation of racism, as well as a tribute to strong women everywhere, especially women of color. The horror aspect of the plot is just a device used by this brilliant author (I am now a lifelong fan!) to expound her views on these two subjects. And, in Jane McKeene, she has found a powerful voice to do just that!

Of course, there were indeed some battles with the fearsome zombies. And it was sad to see that Jane found people she had known in her "normal" life who had actually become these horrible creatures, because they were bitten by other zombies. But Ireland never goes the typical horror route of dwelling on fear and gruesome details. In fact, these two usual ingredients of horror novels are not overwhelmingly present here. Instead, we have a tour-de-force of absolutely brilliant satire, with whip-smart characterizations, as well as an exciting plot that really highlights the actions of our "shero", as well as the evils of the racism of the time. Of course, this all serves as a biting condemnation of the racism still present in our own time. 

Ireland has not only written a beautifully descriptive novel (again, without much fear, blood, or gore), but wonderful dialogues, as well. Her characters literally leap off the page, to use a much-used literary criticism cliche. It is totally true in this case, however. I wanted to be a part of Jane's team! Because her real battle wasn't with the zombies, but with the totally racist, sexist system of the time -- even though this time period was in an alternate historical dimension. I was right there with Jane, joining in all the action! I fought her battles right along with her, and these were battles of social justice, rather than battles with zombies. In fact, I strongly believe that the zombies were a literary metaphor employed to depict those who wanted to keep African-Americans down, in their "place", as well as keep women also in their "place". And these non-existent "places" were those dictated by the dominant group -- white men. 

So I highly recommend this novel to non-horror fans! Remember, I'm in that group myself, which means I know what I'm talking about. This is a novel that, instead of instilling mindless fear and nausea in the reader, will galvanize and inspire them to fight against the real zombies -- racists and misogynists! 

The battle is ongoing, especially at this time in U.S. history. So this is actually a political novel, and a real good one, at that! Read it in order to become part of the Resistance. You won't have any nightmares afterward, I promise! So, if you're not a horror fan, this one is pretty safe for you to read! (It will probably be a real eye-opener for you, as well. You will actually feel what it was like to be trapped in the oppressive system of that time period. You will also feel and experience for yourself just how subversive Jane is.)

You can access my review of this novel HERE.

  

What are your thoughts on

this topic?

If you're participating in this hop,

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. 142: My Most Detested Author!

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

hosted by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

This Week's Question

What author do you not read

and why?

(Submitted  by Elizabeth @

Silver's Reviews)

WARNING!!!

Some of you may not be aware that I DESPISE the horror genre, and there's one specific author that I DETEST above any other horror writer. In this post, I totally rip both the genre and the author apart. If you happen to love horror, then read no further. I have every right to express my opinions. I don't want to antagonize anyone, but I feel VERY strongly about this! 

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

My Answer

Although I can mention a few authors I refuse to read, the one who tops the list is....STEPHEN KING. What?! I can almost hear the shocked, outraged whispers from horror fans. Lol. But the thing is, I am most definitely NOT a horror fan. My buddy Barb, over at Booker T's Farm, knows this VERY well! I comment on her "Can't Wait Wednesday" posts every week, and she usually picks horror novels. So, when I write these comments, I include funny sentences such as, "This one makes me quake in my boots!" or "Just call me Chicken Little!" Lol. So Barb knows just how I feel about the horror genre.

Interestingly, she did get me to read ONE horror novel recently, and there were even ZOMBIES in it!! However, and it's a BIG "however", this novel, which was a buddy read for us, was not that big on the horror elements. In fact I would call it "horror lite". (Maybe I've coined a new expression, huh? Lol.) 

The novel we read was Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland, and I LOVED it. Why? Because it was more of a scathing condemnation of racism, aimed at our own current political climate, than a real horror novel. The female protagonist is a kick-butt, no-nonsense person. And, interestingly enough, the novel also packed a lot of snarky humor. I totally enjoyed reading this book!

But back to ol' Stephen. Yes, I refuse to read his books, and one of the reasons (there are several others, which I will mention below) is that I happened to come across a short story of his once, and was dumb enough to read it..... Lol.

I remember mentioning this story, and detailing the plot, in a previous Book Blogger Hop post. For those who might not have read that post, here's the quote about this story:

"For some reason, I don't remember the title. Unfortunately, I DO remember the plot..... Here is a condensed version: a family moves into a dream home in a beautiful valley where everything is just WONDERFUL. Of course, it's all too good to be true. The price for this paradise-on-earth is a yearly sacrifice to the Devil.... So the family manages to escape one night, with only the clothes on their backs, and they start hitchhiking. They are eventually picked up by a van driven by a middle-aged, friendly hippie couple. Ah, King finally writes a happy ending, right? NOT. Everyone is merrily chatting away,  enjoying themselves, when, without warning, the cute little hippie couple turn into two DEMONS, and the van into a gigantic MOUTH that swallows up the entire family...."

Okay, so there you have it. THAT was enough Stephen King for me, thank you very much! If you would like to read the entire blog post this quote is taken from, you will find it HERE.

I think the above story is the product of a sick mind. It's the type of stuff a serial killer would dream up. It's disgusting, sadistic, and just pure EVIL. I can't take reading such things, not only because I'm squeamish, but also because I think writing these kinds of stories shows a total lack of compassion and basic human decency. 

That's precisely the thing about Stephen King. He apparently thrives on writing stories and novels that describe, in the goriest, most sickeningly repulsive ways, the terror and suffering undergone by his characters. To me, it seems as if Adolf Hitler had decided to pen the most horrifying incidents that ever took place in his concentration camps, and actually ENJOYED doing so. And, of course, made money doing so.  The fact that King writes fiction has no bearing on the matter. It sounds as if it's REAL, repulsively so.

I realize that this man has many fans. Well, you were all warned at the beginning of this post. I DETEST the entire horror genre!! But, most of all, I emphatically and unapologetically state this: I.HATE.STEPHEN.KING. Well, actually, I HATE his books. However, I could NEVER be friends with someone who writes such sick, twisted stuff, and makes a living by doing so.

I can simply conclude that yes, he does write very well. But that's IT. That story of his turned my stomach.

Last but not least, in case anyone should then say, "Aha! But you love reading vampire fiction!", I will reply that I love reading about ROMANTIC vampires. There's a BIG difference. Furthermore, these vamps fall into the category of paranormal romance and urban fantasy, NOT horror. (I'm thinking specifically of The Twilight Saga, as well as the Vampire Academy series.) One more thing: in urban fantasy, the good guys DO win in the end. In the horror genre, this is usually NOT the case. The story above is a case in point.

The PNR/UF authors I enjoy reading are Stephenie Meyer, Richelle Mead, Christine Feehan, Lynsay Sands, Kerrelyn Sparks,  and Amanda Ashley. Some of the vamps in these stories (the ones by Sands and Sparks), believe me, are NOT "Dracula-type" vamps. They are romantic, and even funny. 

Thanks to a co-worker, I have discovered The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, and have read the first book, Eighth Grade Bites, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Yes, this series is about a teen vamp. It's written by Heather Brewer (a pseudonym for a writer actually named Zac Brewer). So now I've added yet another vamp series to my faves! (Of the kind that don't make me cringe in abject fear!)

What are your thoughts on

this topic?

If you're participating in this hop,

I'll go comment on your 

own BBH post.

If not, I will then comment on one 

of your blog posts!

Thanks for visiting!!!