2014 Reading Challenge

2014 Reading Challenge
Michael has read 1 book toward his goal of 50 books.
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Thursday, May 31, 2012

A Closing Post (Birthday Bash)


The month has come and gone and here I am still blogging. It's crazy but now I'm counting down to when my blog turns 3. And I'm counting down to when I get 1000 followers of which I'm halfway done. 2 years ago I didn't know how far the blog would go. I wanted it to go far and for me to do what I love. And here I am, still going strong with no intentions of quitting. This has literally changed my life and I wouldn't change it for the world.

I just want to thank the many authors and bloggers who participated in the blog event. To the many followers I gained and who have stuck around since Day 1. To my friends who put up with me every day while I go on about things that does with reading and blogging. Here's to another year full of awesome reading!

But before you go, be sure to check out these contests that are finishing up VERY SOON!


And don't forget to check out all of the posts from the beginning;

The Subtle Chronicler's Birthday Post
Andy Gavin The Darkening Dream Giveaway
Random Ramblings Guest Post


a Rafflecopter giveaway



a Rafflecopter giveaway



a Rafflecopter giveaway




Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Random Ramblings Guest Post (Birthday Bash)


Whoa! Welcome everyone to the last post by someone else of the month! The month is closing up very soon and the event will be over and I'll be counting down to its 3rd Birthday! But before that we still have someone here who will be doing a guest post! Today it will be Random Ramblings! I asked her her thoughts on blogging and here was her response!

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I have always been a huge book worm. However, starting a blog (that is now two years old) devoted to books and reading made the word, "book worm," mean and weigh so much more! See, the thing with me is that I have always constantly talked about books. A LOT. The problem is, with the exception of a handful of friends and family, nobody else here reads "for fun!" Who am I supposed to talk to when I want to rant or rave about something I've read or get all excited about an upcoming release or book event? Nobody really wants to hear me chat and chat about the same topic.. over and over again.

Book blogging is awesome for this very purpose. I can talk freely about books whenever I want, and the best part is, I get to hear back from people -- other book bloggers and bookworms -- who are equally (and some that are even more_ interested and passionate about the same thing I am. This to me, would probably be my number one reason for loving blogging about books.

Another thing I love about blogging, is that I have learned and discovered so many new things. First off, I feel like I'm a lot more open to new ideas now than I was before. I'm also more open to hearing other people's opinions on books. I have tried out so many new genres, authors, and titles. I picked up books that I would never even have considered in the past. With book blogging, I have also become much more aware of the book industry; author events, book releases, and general news. before, I was pretty much clueless with the industry. I mean who knew authors actually respond to emails, publishers send out reviewer copies, and that some book bloggers are actually considered as "Press"?? I know I didn't.

Through my blog, reading for me has turned from just a simple hobby that I do for fun, to something I'm incredibly passionate about. I really can't imagine quitting blogging, and I know for a fact I will never consider quitting being a reader.

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I was the same way before I found about blogging and when I did find it, it was this whole new world and even today I'm still discovering it.

I want to thank you for doing this guest post and celebrating this awesome day with me! May our blogs keep being awesome! Haha =P

If you want to check out more of her blog and stuff, check out her;
Webiste: www.randombookishramblings.blogspot.com
Twitter: @ramblings2010
Facebook: Random Ramblings


And don't forget to check out all of the posts from the beginning;

The Subtle Chronicler's Birthday Post
Andy Gavin The Darkening Dream Giveaway

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Andy Gavin Giveaway (Birthday Bash)


Andy Gavin has been kind and epic enough to give away a copy of his novel The Darkening Dream to one lucky winner. The novel is very amazing and entertaining and you can find my review for it here. Unfortunately the contest is US only but that shouldn't stop you from getting a copy of the novel yourself. To enter all you have to do is fill out the form down below and that's it! Be sure to check back daily for more entries!


a Rafflecopter giveaway



And don't forget to check out all of the posts from the beginning;

The Subtle Chronicler's Birthday Post

Andy Gavin Guest Post (Birthday Bash)


Hey guys I'm back! Due to me working this past weekend literally all day, every day I wasn't able to post some more posts for the Birthday Bash! But we're still a few days away from the end and there's enough time for them to go up now! So bam! Today I bring to you Andy Gavin, a really awesome author and he writes well at that! Who knew?! >.>

He was awesome enough to give me a guest post that is actually pretty awesome to read! So I present to you; Andy Gavin!


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      Modern man has a wide variety of "pure" storytelling mediums, like film, long form television, and novels. While these have some very significant differences they all share the same basic focus on plot and character. Typically at least, good stories introduce a character with problems, get you to like them, then chronicle the struggle as they are compelled to change and adapt to overcome these problems. In the end, they either do so, or are defeated to teach us a lesson (a variant we call tragedy).
     These elements: character, plot, and transformational arc, are completely central to the normal story (I deliberately ignore weird experimental storytelling). Really, they are the core of what makes a good film or novel.
     But with a game, this whole business is secondary. The primary focus of a game is fun. And fun through gameplay. Does Tetris have any character or plot? Or even Doom? No. But they were fun games. Really fun. Games such as Naughty Dog's Jak & Daxter or Uncharted strive to bridge these gaps by offering both. This is very difficult because they don't really serve each other.
     The gameplay for Uncharted 2, for example, has three primary modes: survival gunplay, platforming, and puzzle solving. The player must assess the layout of the level, learn it, and navigate it without getting killed. This involves anticipating the enemies and taking them out first. You use the weapons at your disposal, the mechanics, and the terrain provided to do so. With platforming you need to come to understand what the character can do physical, find your way, and successfully traverse the route.
     When these are done well, when the design is varied, the levels pretty, the enemies cool, and the challenges measured, challenging and above all, doable - it's fun. Uncharted 2 is such a game. It also has a pretty darn good story which is woven in with the design of the levels and the challenges. This adds to the whole thing. Watching the next segment of story becomes part of your reward for finishing a segment. There is a tremendous level of art that goes into getting both of these to work at the same time, but certainly each is constrained at times by the needs of the other.
     Content in games is expensive and difficult to make. Therefore it needs to repeat. You really do need to shoot the same enemy hundreds of times. Otherwise the enemy isn't providing enough mileage to justify the labor involved to create him. The player is also in control and therefore the consequences of his play affect success or failure.
     But in storytelling, success and failure are the carefully monitored heartbeat of any good story. You bring the protagonist up, dash him down, grind him into the ground, lift him up, slam him sideways. I knew this intuitively when writing my first novel, The Darkening Dream. I've read so many books and watched so many films and shows that it seemed "obvious." But at the same time, it turned out to be far from easy. Writing a good story has less constraints than making a good game, but it's still extremely difficult. You need to be constantly balancing the issues of character, motivation, the logic of the plot, and the need to seesaw the dramatic tension. In the end stylistic concerns sometimes overwhelm dramatic ones (to the reader's detriment).
     In a game, it's even more complicated, and there is barely a chance of hitting all the right dramatic notes. The player has a lot to say about this natural up and down pacing, so the story-based game tries to separate how well you are really doing from the actual plot. Usually death of failure in the game causes the player to merely repeat some segment of the game (and hence the story), when they finish the level and get the next segment of storytelling, they'll get it regardless of whether they died once or 100 times. The better player merely proceeds faster.
     This is different, but even more problematic in a less linear game such as World of Warcraft. There, the mechanics of the game heavily distort the conceits of storytelling. The story is even broadly linked to the chronological evolution of the game in real time. For example, in December of 2009 Blizzard released the Icecrown Citadel patch of Wrath of the Lick King, making it possible for players to finally reach and confront the ultimate boss of the expansion (the titular Lich King). But the fact is, in order to properly maintain the reward mechanics of endgame raiding, each character was and often did, progress through this segment of the story once, or even twice a week.
     Now, two years later, the Lich King has been defeated, the world of Zeroth has been broken, yet it's still possible to go back to Icecrown and take on Arthas again. And again. Ditto for any of the several hundred even older bosses. Players accept that they have random access to a long and convoluted story. In fact, the need to generate so much gameplay in WOW has created a body of lore that gives the Silmarillion a run for its money. But the way in which it's experienced mutes the emotional intensity.
     What really provides the excitement in WOW (and many other games), isn't the question of whether the dragon queen Onyxia lives or dies, but the -shall we dare say- drama of whether she does tonight, for us, the  group fighting her. And more importantly, will she drop the Nemesis skullcap (arbitrary cool piece of loot) one has been trying to get for six months.

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That was one awesome ass guest post, especially since because being a geek, I understood everything he was talking about and all the things he referenced. So I want to thank you, Andy Gavin, for being awesome and helping me out and giving what you could during the event. I want to thank you for that very first email you sent that got to let me know both you as an author and your work. Here's to many years of you writing!

If you want to check out more about Andy, and of course you do, be sure to check out his;
Website: http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/
Twitter: @asgavin

And don't forget to check out all of the posts from the beginning;






Friday, May 25, 2012

Doodle's Book Blog Interview (Birthday Bash)


Hey everyone! Hopefully this turns out okay, I'm on my old desktop since my laptop broke. But it should turn out good. Anyway, today I bring you an interview with an awesome blogger over at Doodle's Book Blog!

I asked her a couple of questions about blogging and she was kind enough to respond to them.

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What's the story on how you go into blogging (reviewing books and such)?
I wasn't a big reader while I was growing up. I had a bad experience while I was reading Charlotte's Web in third grade. Two pages to go and I put the book down and never picked it back up. I read off and on for school, but always at a leisurely pace and rarely because I wanted to. In December of 2010, I was on break from school with nothing to do so I picked up a random book that had been laying on my shelf for who knows how long and I finished it in one sitting. A month later I convinced my dad to buy me a Nook and I've been reading like crazy ever since. It wasn't until this January when I started thinking about all of the books I've read, how little I remembered from each of them and having no idea what to read next. I had spent so much money on my books and never really thought about what I was getting from them besides entertainment. That's when the idea to start a blog popped into my head. I mulled over it for about a week because I've never enjoyed writing and I didn't know if it was what I really wanted to do. Needless to say, I opened my blog on January 24 and I'm so happy I did because I've gotten to know a lot of awesome people that I wouldn't have otherwise. 

How has it changed your life in both good ways and bad?
Let's start with the good...

First and foremost, blogging has made me more organized and I procrastinate less. Both of those things I really needed to improve on. I used to always wait till the last minute to do things, but I can't really do that with reading and reviewing. If I tell an author I will be able to read their book on a certain date, I have it read, reviewed and already scheduled to post before the day I said I could start it. I've set goals for myself and I try to accomplish those goals ahead of time. I've also made a lot of really great friends. I may not live close to them, but we talk on a regular basis. I actually have plans to fly to Canada when I graduate to meet one of my best blogging buddies. 

And the bad...

I'm not going to say it's such a bad thing, but I feel like I read a lot more than I used to. I spend a lot of time on the internet now networking and formatting posts. Some of my friends have said that I spend to much time on my blog, but it's only as good as the amount of time and effort I put into it. I also don't get to the gym as much as I would like, but I make time for a 4-mile walk with my mom about 3 or 4 days a week.

Do you see yourself continuing this wonderful journey into the far future?
I would like to say that I do see my blog still alive and posting regularly well into the future, but I don't want to say yes or no. Things may happen between now and then where I can't continue to put as much work into it, or I may have to take a couple of months off. With what I'm planning to do after college, it may or may not be here three years from now. I currently have plans to graduate and work for two years then join the Air Force. I would love to do both, but I'm not sure where I will be stationed or if it will even be possible for me to do both. If I can, I most definitely will. Blogging has become such a big part of my life that giving it up will be hard and I really don't want to see that happen.

What's your most favorite part about blogging?
There are so many good things about blogging, but my favorite part doesn't even happen online. I can walk into a bookstore now and I will see a kid in the young adult section looking completely lost, unable to find a book. If they look flustered, I ask them if they need help and tell them what I do. They tend to get excited and they either describe the cover, explain the major plot, or they tell me the title and explain that they don't remember the author's name. Then I find the book within minutes and the look on their faces is priceless. They ask if I work there, and no, I don't, but if I can help someone out I will. Then they start asking me questions about my blog and I hand them business card and I find I have a new follower the next day. 

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I actually like the end question with helping people out because I've done that so many times and not only the looks on their faces but the feeling you get of having made someone happy. Again, thank you for answering these questions and guys don't forget to check her out.

You can find her on various places such as her;

Twitter: @erencich

Also don't forget to go to her site to check out a giveaway she's doing where you can win 1 of 6 books. 

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

J. Lloyd Morgan Giveaway (Birthday Bash)


The amazing J. Lloyd Morgan is providing a copy of his first novel, The Hidden Sun to give away to one lucky winner. The novel is awesome and if you haven't heard of it check out my review for it here. The contest is unfortunately US only but don't let that discourage you from getting your own copy. The contest will run until 02 June, 2012 so be sure to enter. And check back everyday for daily tasks to gain more entries!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Now that you're done filling out the form be sure to check out the posts from the beginning;



J. Lloyd Morgan Guest Post (Birthday Bash)


Hello everyone and welcome back! Today I have another author who was kind enough to write a bit for me and came up with a guest post. Basically I've been asking him the same thing that I've asked other authors; his thoughts on blogging. And this is what he gave me;

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Behold, the power of the blog.

When I first heard of the word "blog", I thought, "Great. another new technical word to go along with email, tweeting, and texting." My second thought was, "Why would I want to read someone's blog? After all, isn't it just like reading someone's journal or diary?"

Once I became a published author, I started connecting with other authors. Almost without exception, they all had blogs. After studying them some, I began to realize the power of blogging.

I'm old enough to remember life before the internet. *GASP!* Back then, getting information about my favorite movies, authors, and musicians was difficult. Newspaper and magazine articles were really the only way. But now with the power of the internet, the ability to connect with the masses is easier than ever. Blogging is one of those ways.

When I post a blog, the topic can range from what I'm working on next, to observations about society and even to just plain silly things. It seems to be working as I am averaging over 7,500 hit a month on my blog.

But the most valuable part of blogging, at least to me, is the direct interaction I can have with people who like my work. Granted, it's not all, "You're the best author ever!" Actually, it's rarely that. However, I'll get comments or people will contact me directly about any number of things.

And it makes an impact. There is a character in my first book, The Hidden Sun, who people really hate - which is a good thing considering he is the antagonist. While writing the second book, The Waxing Moon, I had no intention of including him, but because of the strong feedback from readers, I created a sub-plot just for him. In the end, it made the book that much better.

And then there are those wonderful folks who have created blogs primarily to review books. I'm not sure if they understand the power they hold. Most of my favorite books were ones suggested by friends. I rarely buy a book based on a "professional" critic's point of view. In my personal opinion, bloggers reviews are more open and honest - and therefore more trustworthy. I choose books now based on what I read on blogs.

Publishers are taking notice. My publisher does giveaways of my new released on Goodreads. They will send out copies of my book to bloggers. The time and money spent on doing that has eclipsed sending out copies to magazines, newspapers and such - at least from what I've seen.

How long will blogging as we know it stick around before it evolves into something else? Who can say? In the meantime, I'm enjoying the ride.

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It's weird to think back what I thought about blogging myself before I joined in on the fun. I don't think I had an opinion on it so I jumped into this whole new world and still today I'm learning. I'd like to thank J. Lloyd Morgan for doing a guest post, especially on such short notice. Aside from being an amazing author he's an amazing person and his books are really good at that.

To get to know more about him check out his;
Website: http://www.jlloydmorgan.com/
Blogger: http://jlloydmorgan.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @JLloydMorgan

Be sure to check back in half an hour for a giveaway!


Also, check out all of the posts for the Event from the beginning;

Monday, May 21, 2012

Brent Weeks Giveaway (Birthday Bash)

HEY GUYS! IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!!!!!


The prize? The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks, so you can begin the adventure. Or if you're already a fan and want another one of his books that you don't have that'll do as well! The contest IS INTERNATIONAL so anyone can join and the book will be provided through bookdepository!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Now that you've got that done, be sure to check back every day to get more entries and win the book!


Also, check out all of the posts for the Event from the beginning;





Brent Weeks Interview (Birthday Bash)

Hey everyone! Welcome back to another post during The Subtle Chronicler's Birthday Bash Event! Today I bring you an epic and ass-kicking author who I admire so much and think that he can write some freaking amazing books like no other.


Brent Weeks did the honor of answering my questions that I had for him. Some of these questions I've wanted to know for the longest and I'm glad I got the chance to ask! So let us begin!


Who exactly is Brent Weeks?
A question for biographers yet unborn, no doubt! Actually I'm The New York Times bestselling author of The Night Angel Trilogy, and The Black Prism, and the forthcoming The Blinding Knife. I'm a bit of a regular guy living the dream.

Why write such a complex story of assassins (The Night Angel Trilogy) when paranormal was the new thing? In other words, why take that huge chance of being different when you could have gone the safe way?
I don't think there is a safe way in writing. (Me: Touché) By the time zombies or whatever becomes the next big thing, you're often talking about starting your zombie novels two years after everyone else did. And all of the sudden, you'll be submitting your zombie novel at the same time that thousands of other people are submitting theirs. Also, unless you really, really love zombies and were always looking for an excuse to write a zombie novel, if you're writing to chase the market, you're not going to write as well. I've always kind of thought assassins were cool. So I wrote the book that I thought would be fun to write, and fun to read.

Do you ever find it hard to keep up with all of your ideas and notes you have for The Lightbringer Series? It seems that if one doesn't pay attention while reading, they might get lost.
A huge part of the challenge for writing fantasy is communicating a vast store of information to your readers without boring them or lecturing them or treating them like they're smarter or dumber than they are. I have a great respect for fantasy readers and think that the audience is an unusually bright group of people. I think epic fantasy readers especially tend to like complexity. So I shot for a middle ground of ideas that look simple on the surface and yet are actually intricately woven. But yes, as a writer, keeping all of this information about two separate universes straight in my head at all times is quite a challenge.

Were you ever afraid that you would have to hold back on your writing at one point? By this I mean stray away from the nudity, gore and the likes?
I certainly worried about how some people would take it. And when a pleased 10-year-old comes up and asks me to sign their book, I often look at their parents and sort of think, "Really?" But I felt that certain  characters and certain actions have to be written a certain way, or it's just not honest. Now there's latitude within that of exactly how close you put the camera to the action, but I've never felt any pressure from my editor or agent to either tone things down or amp them up.

What would you like your author status to be in, say, 20 years?
That's probably a more complicated question than you know. Part of me would be really delighted to stay just about where I'm at. I really love what I do, and I love how when I go to a book signing, I get to have a little bit of time with each and every fan who shows up. That's possible when you have 30-75 fans at a signing, but impossible when you have 500. At that point, it becomes far less personal. Also, as your career expands, and I've seen this even in four years, there are many, many more demands on your time. So part of me loves where I'm at, and of course part of me would love to pack in the big huge audiences and have the TV show and the video games and the whole 9 years. Because, let's face it, a lot of that stuff is just fun.

A question aside from you work, what are your thoughts on this brand new world where fans have such a huge impact on authors with social networks and blogging/reviewing, compared to what was back then?
For the most part, I think it's great. It puts more power in the hands of fans, and less in the hands of big publishers. You rarely these days see the huge ad campaigns telling you what the next hit will be that you would see in, say, the '80s. But that's probably a good thing. Now, as an author, I think you can concentrate on just writing the best book you can, and if it connects with fans, then they have a lot of venues to share their excitement with others, and to form communities if, say, no one else in their high school reads fantasy books. That said, figuring out how to juggle social media and blogging and interviews sure does demand a different skill set of authors. It can be quite distracting from writing as well.

Now that the actual questions are done I have one serious, most important question that has been eating my brain away along with others for the longest. This question has the possibility of saving the world, no, the universe. What do you consider your novels to be? Adult or Young Adult? Good Luck!
I definitely consider my books to be adult. And Orbit deliberately chose cover imagery with this in mind. One of the early thoughts for a cover, because the most important relationship in The Way of Shadows is between a master and an apprentice, was to show a looming Durzo Blint behind a young Kylar. That would have been true to the contents of the book, but not to its purpose. This is a very adult and at times very dark story, and there's swearing, and sex, and even touches of cannibalism and things like that that I would want parents to think about before they give it to their middle schoolers. 

Thanks so much for having me on! 
Brent


And thank you Brent Weeks for taking time out of your schedule and answering these questions for me! I hope you keep writing, even 20 years from now and that hopefully very soon we can see a movie or tv show of your novels! Because, let's face it, Assassins on TV (HBO or Starz) would be FREAKING SWEET! 

Again I want to thank Brent Weeks and if you want to know more about him just check him out through his;
Website: http://www.brentweeks.com/
Twitter: @brentweeks

Be sure to check back in half an hour when I give away a copy of one of his novels to you guys!

Also, check out all of the posts for the Event from the beginning;


Friday, May 18, 2012

Cinda Williams Chima Giveaway (Birthday Bash)

The time has come for another giveaway! WOOOO!


Cinda Williams Chima is providing me with a SIGNED copy of either The Demon King or The Gray Wolf Throne. Depends which one you guys want since it's your choice. The contest is unfortunately US only because again shipping sucks! All you have to do is fill out the form down below and bam you're good! 


And if you've filled it out then you're done. You can do daily tasks that is up there for more entries.

Check out all the previous posts from the beginning;



Cinda Williams Chima Interview (Birthday Bash)

Today's post we bring you a special interview with none other than Cinda Williams Chima. Our wonderful Cinda has been super busy to the point of not even posting on her own blog but she agreed to do a small interview with me and I love her oh so much for that!



So let's get this started!!


Who is Cinda Williams Chima?
I am a person who has never stopped transforming herself. Sometimes I regret that I didn't find success as a writer sooner, but it may be that it just took this long to gather the experiences that I'm mining today.

Was it a difficult transaction going from The Heir Chronicles, to the more complex Seven Realms Series?
Not really! Each of the Heir Chronicles books is a bit more complex than the last. I think that happens naturally as your writing skills develop (not that I think complexity is always a good thing!) Because The Seven Realms is set in a world I created for an adult high fantasy series that I wrote in the midst of writing the Heir Chronicles, I felt very much at home in that world from the beginning. I've found it more challenging to go back to the Heir Chronicles now, and recapture the voice that I used in that series. You can never entirely go back.

If you could switch any character from each series into the other series, who would they be and why?
I'd like to introduce Amon Byrne to Jack Swift. I think they'd have a lot to talk about. Madison Moss and Raisa ana'Marianna would be an interesting combination, as would Leesha Middleton and Cat Tyburn.

How do you feel knowing that the final chapter of the Seven Realms Series is so close to the readers and that soon enough they'll see the whole vision you saw?
In some way I can't wait for them to read that final chapter; in other ways, I dread it. I'm hoping that readers will find it as satisfactory as I do. And that they can see the story flowing forward from there.

Do you have any plans to write more novels after finishing all the books in both The Heir Chronicles and Seven Realms Series?
I plan to write until they pry my cold, dead hands from the keyboard. I hope that readers will keep wanting to immerse themselves in the worlds I create.


Now that actually cleared up some questions I had (even though they all were questions I had) but I finally know that the Seven Realms Series is an adult series which is epic! 

But again, I want to thank Cinda Williams Chima so much because she took time from her super busy schedule to answer these questions. So thank you, Cinda, and as long as you write, I will be a huge fan and buying your books as soon as they come out! 

Before you guys leave be sure to check out the links down below to the previous posts, and make sure you check back in half an hour when Cinda provides a SIGNED copy of a book of hers for giveaway for you guys!

To get to know more about Cinda Williams Chima check out her....
Twitter: @CindaChima

Check out all the posts from the beginning; 



Thursday, May 17, 2012

Can't Find A Bookmark Guest Post (Birthday Bash)


Hello everyone and welcome to another day of our event. Today we got two things for you. The first one is a guest post that will be in this post of course. And the other thing will be a giveaway hosted by our lovely Can't Find A Bookmark!

Basically I asked a very dear friend of mine who has been there since day one of my blogging experience on her thoughts about her own blogging experience. Her response...

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Book blogging has become a very popular trend over the last few years. After almost three years of writing reviews, doing giveaways, and promoting new books some people would wonder: why do you keep doing it? Out of the probably hundreds of book blogs out there, it is a far cry from being an original concept. The content from blog to blog is usually pretty much the same, so what makes it worthwhile?

The one thing that has always kept me blogging, no matter how busy with school and my job I get, is that I love to share new books with other people. Whether it be an old book or an ARC from an upcoming author; getting to talk about the pros and cons of a book, the character development, the rise and fall of the plot, always gets me excited. That giddy feeling you get when you start a new book and get sucked into the story to the point where, for a while you actually become the character, will never cease to be an amazing experience. With every new book, it's a whole new adventure you get to dive into. Countless times I have cried over a character death, laughed out loud at some hysterical moment, and about thrown a book in disgust or surprise.

Being able to experience that with other people who geek out about it just as much as I do, is always the highlight of my week. So that's what will always keep me blogging (at least in the foreseeable future); that connection I get with fellow book worms that forms a strong friendship no matter the physical distance.

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Wow, I have to say that I agree 100% with what she said. The connection we get with not only the novels but with the people we meet is just too strong to not continue anymore. And I'm so grateful to having met Ky who is such an amazing person and puts up with so much! Haha.

If you want to check out more of her stuff like her blog (obviously) check her out at Can't Find A Bookmark at which she is currently holding an international giveaway that is part of the event to win a book of your choice. I know you all want a book of your choice so go ahead and check it out right now!

Follow Ky's twitter over at @FindABookmark

Check out all of the posts from the beginning;

The Subtle Chronicler's Birthday Post
The Subtle Chronicler's Giveaway
Ellen Hopkins Guest Post
Ellen Hopkins SIGNED ARC of TILT Giveaway

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Ellen Hopkins Giveaway (Birthday Bash)

Hello everyone! It's time for another giveaway!!!!!


This time it's A Signed ARC of TILT by Ellen Hopkins! Ellen has provided an ARC of her latest YA novel to give to one lucky winner. And I am super jealous of that winner. =P The contest unfortunately is US only because shipping is a ------ and needs to be lowered because this isn't acceptable. All you have to do is fill out the form below!



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Contest will end 31st of May with the winner being announced through 1st-3rd of June. Good luck to you all and here's to Ellen Hopkins!

Check out all the posts from the beginning;

The Subtle Chronicler's Birthday Post
The Subtle Chronicler's Giveaway
Ellen Hopkins Guest Post

Ellen Hopkins Guest Post (Birthday Bash)


Welcome to another post in my Birthday Bash! Today is a guest post that our lovely Ellen Hopkins was so kind enough to take some time and write it up. I asked her about her thoughts on social networking and literature in today's world. Here is her response...



I know it probably seems like forever ago since I first stated publishing books. Truthfully, my first nonfiction book published in 2000, followed by twenty more nonfiction books for middle grade readers within a four-year time frame. My first novel, Crank, published in October 2004. Myspace was the social networking site at the time, still on an upswing. Very early in my fiction career, I began to realize the power of Internet self-promotion.

Blogging, likewise, was just starting to catch on, so I surfed the early wave, which was more about personal blogs and less about reviews. The value of reaching wide segments of the population was never in question. But exactly how it could be utilized to build-or level- careers, well, that is a trend I've witnessed with something approaching awe. And look how far all that social networking has brought us in the last few years.

I'm not sure exactly how book blogging got started, or who started it. I do know that fairly early on, a blogger or two found my books and began discussing them. I believe the earliest were BookChic and teensreadtoo. Luckily, they liked them. Luckily, they liked me. I've always made a point to respond to emails, messages, friend requests, etc., and I appreciated the way those earlier reviewers helped my career forward. Then, yay, this trend caught on. Took off. Blossomed into what it has become today. Bloggers began talking about books. To their readers, and among themselves, and that meant opening the discussions to even-wider audiences.

As social networking boomed, so did blogging. From MySpace to Facebook to Twitter and beyond, bloggers talked about books. Some grew large numbers of followers. Some remained fairly small. But, either way, it was also a boom for books, many of which might have remained in relative obscurity. Instead, people saw their covers. They read reviews. They found new favorite authors, and heard about upcoming titles from their long-time faves. Win-win-win.

Well, mostly, anyway. The reviews weren't always good. And sometimes that led to rather rancorous discussions, especially if an author got his/her back up and reacted in an unprofessional way. I mean, not every book is great. Reviews reflect that, and authors do need to learn a certain amount of humility. Defending your book might be human nature. Calling bloggers ugly names or telling them they wouldn't know a great book if it hit them in the face is never a good plan. Word gets around. After all, it is a network.

Overall, bloggers are an amazing resource. God bless 'em, they read hundreds of books every year just because they love what books are, and what they can do for their readers. On the traditional side, bloggers extend legacy publishing's outreach. On the self-pubbed side, bloggers have truly made careers. And yes, they've probably leveled a few, maybe deserved, maybe not. But that is the nature of publishing.

So, thank you, bloggers, for reminding us of the value of books. Thanks for what you do.


_______________

And I want to thank you Ellen for taking time away from your busy schedule and putting up with me. You truly are an amazing person and embody what all authors should be like. Thank you not only for this but for writing the books and for doing everything that you do.

To get to know this awesome, epic, coolio lady, check out her website http://www.ellenhopkins.com/
Send her a tweet @EllenHopkinsYA
And check out her facebook; Ellen Hopkins's Very Own Fan Page

Check back in half an hour where I'll give away one of her books (you'll see which one) for free!

Check out all the posts from the beginning;

The Subtle Chronicler's Birthday Post
The Subtle Chronicler's Giveaway

Monday, May 14, 2012

The Subtle Chronicler's 2 Year Anniversary Giveaway

Hey guys! I am back with another post on my Blog's 2 Year Anniversary! This time I'll be doing a giveaway.

Thank You Flor For This Awesome Banner!


The Prize? 
A Book of Your Choice!

All you have to do is fill out the form below.
Be reminded that the prize will be provided through BookDepository.com and this contest IS INTERNATIONAL! So anyone can join!


Bam that easy! Some of the things you'll be able to do daily so come on and check back every day to get more entries! To fill out the form is pretty self-explanatory so that's just awesome! And because everything is basically explained up top I don't have to explain much really. 

Although, this giveaway will end on the 31st of May and winners will be announced from the 1st-3rd of June! So I'll leave you guys now and just get straight to entering! =D Have fun and good luck!

Check out all the posts from the beginning;



Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Birthday To The Subtle Chronicler

Before I start I would like to apologize if the text or anything seems a bit off. I am on my old computer and not the laptop. Anywho...


HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Or my blog if you must.

My blog finally turned 2-years-old and I can not believe it. It's just crazy to think about it because I can't remember my life without it really. Well I can but I don't want to. Ever since I got the blog I've started reading a lot more than I used to and found so many different books. It's awesome thinking about the authors I've met both online and in person and how I've had so many opportunities that are hard to come by.

I want to thank the many people who put up with me every single day because of the blog like Ky, Brian, Flor, the authors who I email with and everyone else. You guys put up with so much and still haven't left me so thank you.

And I also want to thank you guys, the followers, my friends, who have been there and put up with every post I put up. I hope you guys still love me as I love you and never leave me. (That'll just kill me) And to my future followers, I welcome you guys into this family.

I don't know how long I'll continue this wonderful journey, for it is an adventure, but I can say that as of now I will always have this blog. I'll always want to have this blog and I'll always think about it years from now when I'm old. I do hope that the years to come will bring even more opportunities that I'll be able to challenge myself with.

Now that that's all out of the way this month, starting tomorrow, I got some special things coming up. Giveaways from me, some fellow friend bloggers and authors. Some author interviews and guest posts. Some fellow bloggers interviews and guest posts. I want to make this event as much as about everyone as it is about me.

So thank you guys again so much and let's hope this event turns out awesome!!

And yes, that is my dear old Cookie Monster up top.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Cover Reveal: Collateral by Ellen Hopkins

Ladies and Gentleman! Be prepared for Ellen Hopkins has just revealed a cover for her newest Adult novel!


Collateral! How do I feel about this cover? I like it and I'm getting that feeling in my stomach when I'm too excited for a book. This looks like it'll be freaking amazing really!

And yes, the cover is different than what she usually has but it is for her Adult book so it needs to set itself apart.

The book will be out November and will focus around the army and army-families from what I gathered. And we all know that I'll be buying this book the minute it comes out!

What are your thoughts on the book? Leave your comments down below!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Tuesday's Novel Spotlight (43)

Hello everybody and welcome to Tuesday! Today a couple of books have been released into the world but only one will reign them all. This week it's;


City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare!


No matter how much I think the cover looks crappy or how bad the story might be I still want to see how it'll all end. So I've ordered my copy from Barnes & Noble (because I'm in no hurry to read it) and will get it possibly Friday.

Now since everyone and their mothers know about these books I don't have to explain it to you. But hopefully you guys who got it today enjoy it more than I do.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Cast Them Away (1)

Hey guys! It's been a while since I've done one of these, and the thing is, this is the new Hottest Female Characters. Basically it's just called Cast Them Away because it seems better. I'm basically just choosing which people I'd like to see play characters from certain novels.

This week I've decided to do the female roles from John Green's novels. Let us begin!


Chloe Grace Moretz
I'd have Chloe Grace Moretz play Alaska Young from Looking For Alaska. I mean as I was reading this book, the whole time I pictured her! And I think it would be a good role for Chloe who is growing up and setting a name for herself. The role is edgy but it's still safe. She would do an amazing job and bring the movie to life.







Anna Kendrick
And we go to An Abundance of Katherines! Who better to play Lindsey than Anna Kendrick? She's such a cute person for a cute character that it would be a breath of fresh air for the story. She seems like she'd keep the character grounded and not stray far from what she's supposed to do.








Jessica Parker Kennedy

Before you guys say anything, I did choose her to play Margo in Paper Towns. Why? Because it would be cool. Yeah, different than book Margo but so what, as long as the character is right. I usually see her in The Secret Circle show but I think she has the chops to play such a complex, crazy character.




But who should play Hazel in The Fault in Our Stars? The answer is I seriously don't know. I can't imagine any actress playing her so my idea is, get an unknown. It'll work. And the most exciting part is that the movie rights got optioned! So the movie is being made and soon enough we will see who got cast as Hazel and everyone else!

What do you guys think of my casting picks? Leave your thoughts down on the comments below! =D

Follow Me On Twitter: @SubtleChronicle

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Tuesday's Novel Spotlight (42)

Hello everyone. This one will be a short post because, well, I don't know.


Insurgent by Veronica Roth was released today and because my job sucks and all, I wasn't able to get today off to go to Barnes & Noble in NYC to get the book. Why go so far when I live in Jersey? Because it's the nearest bookstore for someone who doesn't own a car.

Anywho, I went to the train station since they have a very small bookstore but they didn't have the book and said they'd only have it by Friday. So I don't have the book and it sucks. Not because I couldn't get it (well that too) but because I've been waiting for this book for a year and knowing that I can have it but don't is killing me. It's like torture or someone taunting me.

What I don't understand though is how I live in Newark, New Jersey, one of the major if not THE major city in the state of New Jersey and we don't have a bookstore. We have the college bookstores but those are barely opened. I hate libraries so I never go there but it's not like they're opened anyway! Only twice a week.

It just bothers me as to why we don't have one when we should! It would help everyone by a lot! Think of the people who would get into reading because they'd pass by it everyday and want to check it out!

But whatever. I tweeted my mayor and asked him why we didn't have one so let's see what he says.

So until then, I shall be sad and read what I do have.

If you want to check up on the whole bookstore thing, follow me on Twitter: @SubtleChronicle

Until then, hope you guys enjoy Insurgent!

To Be Read Pile (May)

Hey guys, during April I took a photo of all of my books put together that are in my To Be Read Pile (and then noticed I forgot a couple) and put it on Tumblr. It got a couple of reblogs and stuff which is pretty cool but I forgot to put it up here. Anyway, I have taken the picture of it updated and it has become my TBR Pile of May! I present it to you!

To Be Read Pile (May)
I noticed that I forgot one small book which is The Time Machine. It's on the right shelf all the way at the top. But it's no big deal. Now comparing this to last month's:

To Be Read Pile (April)
It looks like there's more books or that I haven't made any progress. Truth is, I've only added 6 new books. It was at 50 and is now at 48 (with the 6) but if we were to take out those 6 you'd see a difference. Not to mention that most of the books I added are HUGE beasts! (coughGameofThronescough)

But it's cool seeing the progress I made and seeing how some books aren't in there any more. Kind of like a School Picture and they graduated. To me this is exciting though because I can't wait to see how June will look like!

Why not take a picture of your TBR pile and leave it in the comments below? I'd love to check it out!
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