Guest Post: Top 5 Ways to Kill Your Love of Reading

This is a guest post by Emlyn Chand, author of Farsighted

Did you resolve to read more this year?  Maybe you've dubbed this year as the year you finally start your own book club.  To be successful with either of these goals, you'll need to keep that all-consuming passion for reading alive.  Here are five examples of what NOT to do.

I have been guilty of each and every one of these bibliophile misdeeds. To avoid making these mistakes, it helps to be cognizant of what they are and how they may put-off your love of reading. My list is, of course, not exhaustive. Please feel free to add other ways in which your enthusiasm for the written word has been destroyed or derailed.

1. By taking too long to finish reading a particular book - many a decent book have been utterly destroyed for me simply because I took too long to get through them. Sometimes this is because of a busy work or personal life that interferes with my time that is generally allotted to reading; others it is because I am reading the wrong book.

2. Because of reading the wrong book—what makes a book wrong? Some people say that if a book does not grab you in the first 50 pages that you should give up reading it. I don’t know if I, however, subscribe to an exact number of pages that must be read before giving up. Sometimes books get started a bit late. Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Everything is Illuminated” for example takes a while to get heated up, but once it’s there, this is one of the most incredible books.

3. Through turning your leisure activity into a chore—if reading as a hobby is very important to you, it’s best not to subject yourself to reading materials that can be deemed more as work than pleasure. A classic example of this phenomenon is graduate school. I am not suggesting that you forego higher education to maintain your zeal for the written word; rather i’d like you to understand that you may undergo a 2-, 3- or even 5- year hiatus in this instance.

4. In choosing to miss out on other activities to sit at home and read—so you’re a book-worm that probably means you, like many others who share your passion, are an introvert. That’s great, but don’t use reading as an excuse to miss out on some of the other things life has to offer, like a social life. Don’t get too caught up in the fictional realm that you forget that life exists outside of the pages of a novel!

5. Upon assigning too much meaning to fictional characters—Loved ‘Twilight’ and now find yourself pining for a boyfriend just like Edward Cullen? No man even comes close? Surprise, surprise. Never measure real people up to invented ones, everybody loses. Similarly, if you find a glimmer of someone you know in a villainous character, you may start subconsciously assigning some of the fictional player’s deeds to your real-life loved one. Don’t do it!

Blog Tour Notes

THE BOOK:  Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t.  When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Get your copy today by visiting Amazon.com’s Kindle store or the eBook retailer of your choice. The paperback edition will be available on November 24 (for the author’s birthday).

THE AUTHOR:  Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit http://www.emlynchand.com/ for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!

MORE FUN: There's more fun below. Watch the live action Farsighted book trailer and take the quiz to find out which character is most like you!

Back to Work

We're reading part of the Canterbury Tales in AP English.  I began some of the prologue today.  The Canterbury Tales are one of those works of literature that I've heard about a dozen times but never actually read.  I didn't even really know what it was.  So far, I've been slightly entertained, but I don't think it's something I'd want to read for fun.

We played that quiz game again in current events.  We may be switching teams next time we play because one team has lost every single time (and we're graded on it).  I hope not though.  My group does really well each time.  It's not that I want the other team to get bad grades, I just want to get a good grade.  It's hard when you have to beat others in order to get a good grade yourself, but you don't want the others to get a bad grade because they couldn't win.

I worked today or the first time since the summer.  The first day back always feels a little awkward.  It was pretty busy too.  For the first three hours or so there was a constant stream of people coming in, but after that the place was desserted.  I'll never understand that.  It happens all of the time.  Everyone comes at the same time for several hours, and then absolutely no one shows up for hours after that.  I managed to get a book finished while I was there though (plus homework and a good portion of another book).

Since I was at work, I'm getting to bed later than normal tonight.  I wrote another blog post before this and had a video to edit.  I wanted to get the video up tonight, but it's going to wait until tomorrow.  I also wanted to  watch an episode of Naruto tonight, but I don't know if I could make it through it (and I'd regret it in the morning).  I am going to read a little bit of fanfiction before bed though (just one chapter).

Another Cold

It's only been a three day weekend, but for some reason it feels like it's been a bit longer since I've been to school.  When I woke up this morning, I felt better than yesterday, but I'm still a bit sick.  I'm hoping I continue to get better.  I already had one bad cold this winter, and I don't want another one.

I haven't really done much today other than the usual stuff I do when at home all day.  I did homework, read some, and just other random stuff.  The day actually went by pretty fast.  I'm hoping the whole week will go by fast, especially if I'm sick all this week.

Books I Own and Can't Wait to Read

I'm writing this post early and setting it to post automatically.  When this posts, I'll probably still be at my aunt and uncle's celebrating Christmas Eve with my family.

I have a several stacks of books in my room just waiting to be read.  Christmas is tomorrow, and guess what I asked for even more of:  books!  Since my to-read pile is sure to grow even more tomorrow, I decided to post some of the books in my to-read pile right now.  This is by no means all of them.  These are just the ones I'm most anxious to read.

Living Abroad in Spain by Nikki Weinstein

Imagine yourself living in Spain. You head home after a fiesta, eating churros and chocolate and celebrating with your neighbors. You know the locals and speak Spanish with ease. You show visiting friends around with the confidence of one who belongs. Author Nikki Weinstein shows you how to make your dream take shape. She left her life as a magazine writer in New York to make a home abroad in Spain. While some give up—daunted by the financial, bureaucratic, and decision-making issues that accompany a move so extraordinary—you'll be led step-by-step through the information you need on visas, money, jobs, housing, safety, language, culture, and history. Nikki has done the research and made the mistakes—so you don't have to. There's a place that matches your budget, needs, and dreams: perhaps it's an apartment in the vibrant city of Barcelona, a villa in sun-drenched Andalusia, or a beach house on the dramatic Galician coast. You can make it happen. With Living Abroad in Spain, it's easier than you think.

I'm not planning to go to Spain anytime soon, but I'll definitely be day-dreaming about it while I'm reading this.

Guys Are Waffles, Girls Are Spaghetti by  Chad Eastham, Bill Farrel, and Pam Farrel

Boy meets Girl; Boy wonders what in the world Girl is talking about and how he will ever keep up. Girl wonders what is wrong with Boy. Enter, Waffles and Spaghetti-every teen's guide to figuring out the opposite sex and understanding and valuing our unique differences.

In a pivotal time of their development and social lives, teens are left to try and understand one another without much guidance. The purpose of this book is to help better understand themselves as well those from the "alien gender".
Guys' brains are like waffles-they keep their lives compartmentalized in boxes. Girls' brains are like spaghetti-everything in their life is connected to everything else. This book for teens includes brain development, social habits, differences in emotions, and relationship building skills for teens to develop early in their life. Loaded with humor and fun examples, this is a great way for teens to learn about healthy relationships with the opposite sex.

I just like the title of this one.

Lights! Camera! Fiction!: The Movie Lover's Guide to Writing a Novel by Alfie Thompson

How many times have you watched a popular movie and thought, "I'd like to write something like that," or "Even I can write better dialogue!" Here's your chance to learn how to write a novel...by watching movies like "Speed," "The Sixth Sense," "Clueless," "Die Hard," "While You Were Sleeping," and more! For the first time, a professional writing instructor and movie buff will take you through the steps necessary to craft your own commercial novel using techniques found in your favorite films. What can Hollywood's biggest features teach you about writing? How to watch movies with a writer's eye. Infusing character traits into scenes and plots. Using material goals to show internal motivation. Techniques for making scenes do double duty, including foreshadowing and flashback. What is a credibility gap, and how you should bridge it.

Plus: Three 'tricks' for fixing holes in your plot, characters or anything else in your story. Thompson guides you frame by frame through the ins and outs of writing a hit, in a text that is packed with "Quick Tips" and "Quick Fixes." This is an indispensable reference work that will have you polishing your prose--and preparing it for publication--in no time!

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .
Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

I've heard so much about this series.  I really need to get around to reading it.

Ouran High School Host Club, Volume 6 by Bisco Hatori

In this sharp-witted romantic comedy about the clash of the classes (of all kinds), a poor girl at a rich kids' school ends up working at the school's toniest club-and gets mistaken for a boy!

In this high anticipated title, a kind of cross between HANA-KIMI and BOYS OVER FLOWERS, Haruhi is a scholarship student at an exclusive private school: Ouran High School, where it turns out the bespectacled, short-haired Haruhi is the only student from a lower-middle class family in attendance!
Then, to make matters worse, one day she breaks an $80,000 vase that belongs to one of the campus clubs-a mysterious outfit called the "Host Club," consisting of six superrich (and gorgeous) guys. Haruhi can't afford to pay back the cost of the vase, of course, so she's forced to work for the Host Club! And it's there that she discovers just how rich all the boys are and how different the rich are from you and me...And meanwhile, the eccentric but good-hearted rich boys are shocked to find out how life is on the other side...

I have several volumes of Ouran that I need to read.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Now a major motion picture starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer

I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.

Matched by Ally Condie

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil. 

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

The blacksmith would marry her.

The woodcutter would run away with her.
The werewolf would turn her into one of its own.
Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.
After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town.
It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.
Based on a screenplay written by David Leslie Johnson. 

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities. 

Can you believe that this is just part of the stacks of to-be-read books in my room?  I need more time to read!  All of these sound fantastic, so hopefully I get around to them soon.

Two Days Before Christmas!

Tomorrow's Christmas Eve!  I'm so excited!  I think it might finally be sinking in for me that Christmas is in two days.  I think it's all because of Christmas break from school.  Being off of school in winter can only mean two things: Christmas or snow days.  There's no snow, so it must be Christmas.  (I wish it would snow for Christmas, but it's not looking like it will...)

I've done basically nothing today except reading, but I think we'll make up for that tomorrrow.  We have to go to two different aunt and uncle's houses tomorrow, and then we're going to midnight mass.  And of course we'll be waking up early (or as early as we can get our parents up) on Christmas morning!  I can't wait!

Background Music

I know a lot of writers like to listen to music while they write.  Some even create playlists to go along with their books based off of what music they listened to while writing.  I am not like those writers.  When I listen to music, I can't do anything but listen to music.  It's too distracting to me.  I start listening to the music and lose track of what I'm doing.  Or, I completely tune the music out so that I don't even know it's there, but that's only occasionally.  Most of the time the music does nothing but annoy me because I'm trying to focus on something else, and the music is just distracting me.

Don't get me wrong.  I love music most of the time, just not when I'm trying to do something else.  When I listen to music, I want to focus on the music, and when I'm writing, reading, or anything else, I want to be focused on what I'm doing, not music.

Sometimes kids at school try to convince teachers to turn on the radio because it's proven that music helps stimulate your brain and helps you learn and focus.  I can see how that could be true, and I'm sure it works for a lot of people.  But I can't focus on something else when there's music playing.  To me it's the same thing as having a people talking right next to you while you're trying to focus.  Just like with music, that doesn't bother some people, but it does me.  (I hate trying to do homework at school when everyone around me is talking loudly, and I'm one of those people who can't stand when someone starts talking during a movie I haven't seen before.)

Do you like listening to music while writing, reading, doing homework, or anything else, or does it annoy you like it does me?

Favorite Antagonists in Books

Trying to think of my favorite antagonists from all of the books I've ever read is difficult.  I know I'm going to leave some awesome antagonists out of the list, but here are a few of my favorites.  Warning: most of these contain at least slight spoilers.

Voldmort and the Death Eaters from the Harry Potter series.  I couldn't help it.  They had to start off this list.  I would have listed several different Death Eaters seperately, but I didn't want to clog this list up with Harry Potter characters, so I won't list any Death Eaters individually.  I don't think I could ever despise another fictional character as much as I do Voldemort, Bellatrix, and Wormtail (and the next character on this list).  They're so well written and so horrible.  Plus, I love that we get lots of backstory on Voldemort, and we get to kind of understand why he turned out the way he did.

Umbridge from the Harry Potter series.  She's almost worse than the Death Eaters.  I can't stand how she does whatever she's told to by whoever has the most power.  I swear she would have become a Death Eater early on if she'd known Voldemort was out there and would control the Ministry.  Not only does she act like a puppet in order to gain power, she also does horrible things on her own, such as giving a fifteen year old boy a detention where he has to write lines in his own blood.

Coin from The Hunger Games series.  I'm putting her on this list but not Snow.  Ever since reading Mockingjay I've hated Coin more than Snow.  Snow tells Katniss they shouldn't lie to each other in Catching Fire, and he really never does lie.  Everyone (except the Capitol citizens of course) know that Snow's corrupt/evil/etc.  Snow does horrible things, and sure, he puts on an act when he's in public.  Coin, however, goes even farther in my mind.  She tries to act like she's on Katniss' side, even to Katniss, and then, she tries to kill her.  It's not really that different from what Snow's doing, and yet it seems so much worse in my mind.

Dr. Cable from the Uglies trilogy.  She doesn't have that large of a role for most of the books, but the role she does play is very important.  She's interesting because she's not really evil.  As far as she's concerned, she's doing what she needs to do to protect the society they live in.  Plus, she surprises Tally (and me as well) towards the end of Specials.  I think that's when I really realized that she isn't that bad of a person.  I don't think she thought of what she was doing as wrong, and I can see her justification for her actions.  I think she's a very interesting character.

I'd add more to this list, but it's past midnight and I need sleep.  Besides, most of the books I read don't have one clear-cut antagonist.  I actually realized that in most of the books I read the protagonist themself is also the main antagonist.  Still, I hope this list is fun to read, even if it is short.  I feel like it's almost unintelligible because I'm half asleep.  I'm going to bed before I fall alseep while on the computer.

Reading and iCarly

Today has been rather uneventful.  I spent the majority of the day reading, and I'm dissapointed in how little I got read.  I have no idea how I could have read so little in the amount of time I spent reading.  I'll talk more about the book when I review, but I absolutely love it.  I'm only about halfway through, but I have no doubts that it will be a very positive review.

The only other notable thing that happened today was blowing off my homework to watch the new episode of iCarly.  (Don't worry.  The homework will get done tomorrow even if it takes hours and I complain.)  The new iCarly was so adorable!  I loved Freddie in the episode.  I'm not sure if I shared this on my blog, but I'll give you a quick background on my feelings about iCarly.  I used to hate it.  It just wasn't something I enjoyed watching.  Then, I watched iOMG with my family and loved it, so of course, I had to watch tonight's episode.  I'm such a big fan of Sam and Freddie as a couple now, and they were so cute in this episode.  I loved it.  Freddie's speech to Sam/the iCarly viewers at the end was so cute.  I'm probably going to watch iCarly all of the time from now on just for their relationship.

That pretty much sums up my day.  I should work on homework, but I honestly think it would just put me to sleep at this point.  I should start doing weekend homework earlier in the day.  By this point of a Saturday during the school year, I'm already tired, and homework makes me even more tired.  (Saturday mornings and right when I get home from school are about the only time I feel remotely awake during the school year.)  I think I'm going to spent the evening reading some more, and I'll just force myself to get the homework done tomorrow.  We'll see how that goes...

Books I Want to Read

I know I did a post kind of like this before, but I decided to do another one today.  I have a huge list of books to read, and no where near enough time to read them all.  I don't even want to know how many books are currently sitting on my shelves, in my closet, or where ever I could find room for them.  That I have yet to read.  I'm going to share a few of the books that I am most dying to read.

Cassandra Clare's books.  I have City of Bones sitting on my desk waiting to be read.  Hopefully I'll get around to it soon, but I'm trying to get through some of the books that I've had longer first.

Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori.  I've read volumes one through five, and I have volumes six, eight, and nine sitting on my desk.  The rest will be bought sometime in the future.  They're quick reads, so it's hard to convince myself to wait instead of just picking them up now and reading them.

The Darwin Award books.  My AP biology teacher has a couple of these in her classroom, and we've read some of the stories in class.  They were so hilarious that I had to go out and buy one of the books so that I could read it all the way through.  I have yet to get around to it.

The Twilight Saga:  The Official Illustrated Guide.  I'm not even sure if I got the title exactly right, but it's close enough for you guys to know what I'm talking about.  I feel like a bad Twilight fan because I haven't even bought it yet.

I could probably think of more, but I think those are the ones I want to read the most right now.

I'm thinking about doing this same type of post only about DVDs too because I have a bunch of those that I've bought or want to rent that I haven't gotten to watch yet.  I haven't even bought the Deathly Hallows Part 1 DVD yet.  (So, in addition to being a bad Twilight fan, I'm also being a bad Harry Potter fan.  I need to fix that soon.)

What about you guys?  What books do you most want to read right not.

Quelf: The Most Amazing Board Game Ever Invented

Today's challenge is:  a problem you have had.  I've had a lot of problems.  (Who hasn't?)  One I currently have is finding time to write.  With school, work, homework, and everything else, it's really hard to have time to write.  (The same thing goes for reading.)  I wanted to have A:TNG written by 2011, but it's March, and it's still not done.  That's what I plan to work on over spring break.  We're driving down to Georgia, and most of my time in the car will be spend writing (and reading).

I wanted to mention how incredibly awesome the board game Quelf is.  I first heard about it in this video.  It looked like the funnest board game ever, so I put it on my "want list."  A few weeks ago, I was at Target with my mom and brother and happened to find the game.  I wasn't really even searching for it (techincally).  My mom asked me to watch my brother while he was looking at toys, so I wandered over to the board games to see if it was there.  My mom agreed to buy it, but I didn't really have anyone to play it with.  Then, my grandma announced that she wanted to have a family game night.  I knew immediately that I was bringing Quelf.

A bunch of my family was over at my grandma's tonight, and we had fun playing Quelf for what was probably hours.  We played other games too (like Harry Potter Clue, the original Clue, and some game that was really fun but have never heard before and I can't remember the name), but Quelf was definitely the hilight of the night.  I think it's everyone's favorite board game now.  If you like randomness and doing stupid things, than you'll love Quelf.  If you don't, than you'll probably hate it.  You definitely can't be afraid of looking like an idiot.  During one of the games, I had to wear a piece of paper stuck to my forehead the whole game and have one of my socks inside out.  It's the most hilarious game ever.

Days Until:
Deathly Hallows Part 1 DVD: 30
The Twilight Saga: The Complete Illustrated Guide released: 31
LeakyCon 2011: 123
Deathly Hallows Part 2 Movie: 125
My 18th Birthday: 145
Breaking Dawn Part 1 Movie: 251
Breaking Dawn Part 2 Movie: 615

Books Read in 2011: 7
Harry Potter Reread: GoF 22

Haley