Month: November 2014

What’s the Worst Book Title You’ve Come Across?

John Guillen16 Comments

Most book titles are pretty basic. Nothing too memorable. At least not to me. You remember them because of the story and not because of the title. Although some do serve as reminders of what the story was about if it’s been a long time since reading it. For instance, Halo: The Fall of Reach is about the fall of Reach. How easy to remember. And The Cleanup is about a cop who is thrust into action when a local girl he knows calls him for help and there’s a dead body. He has to clean up her mess. Easy. I read that years ago.

But not all titles are like that. Storm Runners. No earthly idea what it’s about, besides the fact that it probably has something to do with a meteorologist or something. A Cold Day in Paradise. No idea. Kisscut. Not a clue. I’m not saying that these are bad titles, but they just don’t set off any bells when I think of them.

I mean, I don’t expect to really remember minute details from every book I ever read. Obviously that’s not going to happen. But maybe these titles aren’t the greatest ever. Maybe.

Anyway, that’s not the point. When you read those titles you’re not immediately taken aback or pushed away from possibly reading the book. So they’re all fine. But some books just ask not to be read. Better yet, their authors force your hand. I know we all have our reading habits and tastes, but let’s be real for a minute. There is not an audience of tens of millions of people in America who want to be reading about incest. No, not a book in which there is some inappropriate sexual contact, I’m talking about books that are basically meant to glorify the practice. So I don’t have a specific title that is the worst I’ve ever come across. But any mention of one’s brother’s you-know-what in the title is about as bad as it gets for me. And then the authors of these books complain when Amazon or Barnes and Noble or Kobo force a title change if the book is to be sold online. What a damn joke. The stories and the authors.

What’s the worst book title you’ve ever come across?

Which Authors Would you Invite to Thanksgiving Dinner?

John Guillen25 Comments

thanksgiving-turkey-dinner

Photo Credit: Delish

I know Thanksgiving has already passed, but I wanted to post my poem on Thursday and then I thought you guys might like to know about Amazon’s promotion yesterday. So you’re getting a post related to Thanksgiving a bit late. Sue me.

Okay. It’s the beginning of November and you’re trying to figure out who is and who isn’t coming to Thanksgiving dinner. Except this time we’re not talking about family members you see each year. Nope. They’re on vacation in Cozumel. Now you’re inviting some of your favorite authors instead. How exciting!

Let me tell you who I would invite. Michael Connelly, James Patterson, Robert Crais, Robert B. Parker, and Suzanne Collins. The first four all for the same reason. Because they all write truly great detective series that I’ll never be able to compete with. So I’d just pick their brains about writing the genre for a few hours. I probably wouldn’t eat. These guys are heavyweights going strong with no sign of slowing down. Except for Parker, who died a couple years ago.

And Suzanne Collins. Because I’m obsessed with the character she created. I mean, I want to get a freaking Mockingjay pin tattoo. Oooh. Maybe I could get it before she arrives and show her how crazy I am. I’d just tell her everything I love about her stories and Katniss. Then I’d beg to get all three books signed by her AND Katniss herself. Then I’d just die. Right there.

So those are the authors I’d invite to Thanksgiving dinner! What about you? And don’t you dare try saying EL James or Stephenie Meyer. I’ll block you. Not kidding.

Get Some Books This Black Friday

John Guillen2 Comments

happy-black-friday

Photo Credit

Okay. The title of this post may be a little misleading. I shouldn’t have said books, I should have said book. But who’s paying attention, right?

Anyway, I get emails from Amazon almost every day of the week. I usually open them for about five seconds and then go about the rest of my day. Usually. BUT this week I got a rather nice one that I just couldn’t pass up. During the very beginning of the holiday shopping season (now) they are giving you 30 percent off of one book. And since the books are usually cheaper on there than any other retailer, you’re talking about some very nice savings when you take the additional 30 percent off. Seriously, how can you pass this up? You can’t!

All you have to do is add the book to your cart and put “holiday30” in the “gift cards & promotional offers” space before checkout and the discount will be applied. Remember, it’s only off of one book. So if you’re one of those who thinks Amazon is the devil of the book industry, then you don’t even have to make a big deal about it. Cause it’s just one book.

Now I am well aware that this deal is inherently better for me than it may be for you because I’m a Prime member and I get free shipping. But maybe you are too. If you have to pay for shipping, then you’re basically giving the discount right back to them. Oh well to that.

Just thought I’d share this great deal with all you bibliophiles! Happy Black Friday!

Is There Anything Like the First Time Reading a Book?

John Guillen9 Comments

girl-reading

Photo Credit

This is going to be very short. I’m yawning those big, ugly yawns right now. I’m so sleepy. It’s probably because my daily nap today was cut short by a more pressing matter. So now it’s catching up to me.

Okay. This is an actual question that I don’t really have an answer for. I’d typically ask y’all a question and also give my own response. Well not today, kiddos! Because y’all should know by now that I don’t reread books. So the first time reading a book is the only time for me. And I don’t have any experience to compare that to.

I can only say two things when it comes to rereading. I think most readers tend to say that they catch on to more details the second time around. I think that’s what people say. I don’t know. And also, in the past I’ve almost felt as if I could see the future when rereading a particular text. Like when coming across a major event and knowing exactly what would follow. Just seems weird to me.

Is the second, third, or tenth time reading a book quite the same as the first? I would have to assume not. But I’m only assuming.

Ever Watch Book Trailers?

John Guillen16 Comments

BookTrailer

Photo Credit: The Fat Pixel

I don’t. But companies offer this service to take even more of your money. I can name on one hand how many authors I know who you use these. James Patterson. Michael Connelly. David Baldacci. The only reason I know of Baldacci is because I spend a lot of time on YouTube and happened to catch the trailer for his newest release before the start of a video I was watching.

That’s a pretty short list of authors, right? Even though the companies or people who make these claim that they will help hype your book and get people buying. Uh no. Come on. Even if you have a very well done book trailer, you can’t really believe that. Book trailers are always so dull. A monotone voice (assuming you have someone speaking) that gives the watcher only the slightest bit of information about the book. You can most definitely get more information by reading the reviews and/or synopsis. So why do authors use them? I have no earthly idea. But there are a lot of things people will do that they believe will help their book become the next self-published bestseller.

They’ll have a press release written up. Even though no one really cares that they’re releasing their book. They’ll have bookmarks made. Even though they can’t plan a signing or event anywhere. They’ll send out ARCs to major publications seeking a review. Even though it won’t be happening. They’ll do anything in an effort to get their book in front of some readers…like have a book trailer made. For the 18 people who are going to buy the book. Great thinking there.

Two questions this time around. Ever watched a book trailer? Ever had one made for your own book? Don’t worry, I’m not going to laugh at you if you admit to having one made.

I just watched a few on YouTube and they were basically all the same and not intriguing at all. Ugh.

Reading in College

John Guillen12 Comments

girl-student read a textbook.

Photo Credit: Eduard Titov

Two things before I continue. First, I know there are some people who don’t go to college. Second, I know every college experience is different.

A very common post here on WordPress is how little time college kids have to read. Obviously I’m not talking textbooks or journal articles, I’m talking books written by their favorite authors. I’ve seen this exact post dozens of times. Let me tell you about my 2012 calendar year.

Spring semester – 18 credit hours (Jan.-May)

Spring mini-mester – 3 credit hours (May)

Summer – 15 credit hours (June-Aug.)

Fall semester – 18 credit hours (Aug.-Dec.)

Winter mini-mester – 3 credit hours (Dec.)

Okay. One would think that I wouldn’t have any time to read at all, right? Eh. Wrong. Even though most college students have right around three months off for summer and another 4-5 weeks during the holidays, I had neither. But I managed to read 44 books that year. My best ever.

I found the time to read 44 books during a calendar year in which I took 57 credit hours while working weekends. I think we can agree that most college students are not taking that many hours. The point of this post is to say that there really is no reason for someone to say they don’t have time to read in college. Cause it’s just not true. I’m talking undergrad here.

Do Your Characters Sleep?

John Guillen12 Comments

sleeping_puppy-1

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Seems like an odd question, right?

I was lying in bed just a few minutes ago when I thought of this topic. I know for certain that James Patterson’s characters sleep. Because Detective Alex Cross is often woken from his sleep to get to a scene or by something happening inside his own home. I also think Spenser and Harry Bosch sleep in their stories. But that’s about all I could come up with. Three characters written by three different authors.

Isn’t that just a little odd? Sleeping is something that everyone must do, but it doesn’t happen often in books. At least not the ones I’m reading. I know Andrew sleeps in my book. I think I probably ended three chapters with him going to sleep after a long day. And that’s really what I’m talking about here. I’m not expecting to have these characters sleep in every chapter or something. But I do think it’s possible that authors sometimes forget that these are supposed to be people. Sure there fictional, but how many characters do we see coming to TV or movies every year?

Just a thought.

Do your characters sleep?

What I Thought of Mockingjay Part 1

John Guillen4 Comments

th (2)

Photo Credit: To Hollywood and Beyond

Don’t read this like I’m writing some in depth movie review. Cause I’m not. I’m just going to ramble a bit about what I liked about the movie.

SPOILERS WILL BE INCLUDED

First, I wrote a post a few weeks back saying that I was going to reread the series. Yeah…I’m a liar. I did take the first book off the shelf and put it on my bed, but I never opened it. Mostly because I was more worried about some job stuff. So I went in a little bit blind. I’ve read the book, duh, but that was more than two years ago. I’ve read plenty more in the time since. Now to the movie.

The cast. Holy crap. Natalie Dormer (Cressida), I’m in love. Seriously, if she kept her head half shaved or whatever forever I’d love it. And Mahershala Ali (Boggs). Great casting. I know him from House of Cards, and I like him as President Coin’s right hand. I’ll talk about President Coin in a second.

I have to admit that the movie definitely starts a bit slow. Too slow? Eh. But I fully expected this to be the case. You almost have to when you’re splitting the book into two movies. Starts off slow but has just the right amount of action. Such as the scene released just this week in which Katniss witnesses a bombing first hand. That was a great part and her speech right after was the Girl on Fire we’ve all come to love.

District 13 was EXACTLY how I imagined. Looked great. I would have liked for them to give us more vision into the other districts. What we do get is nice, but it’s still pretty minimal. The attack on the dam is INSANE! One of my favorite parts of the movie because you see so many people sacrifice themselves for the handful of others who need to get through to destroy the dam. It really shows how important the revolution is to everyone.

Two things before I get to President Coin. I felt like Peeta’s role in this movie was greatly reduced from the previous two. Obviously being separated from Katniss is mostly to blame for that, but of the two hours I would be very surprised if he had even a half hour of screen time. And President Snow also seemed a bit more absent. I know, I know. They’re in 13 trying to plan everything out, but still.

Okay. I have some things to say about President Coin. Julianne Moore is great. You know from the first interaction with Katniss that she’s in control. But something that was really apparent to me throughout the movie is how similar President Snow and President Coin really are. Like holy crap. Obviously I’ve read the book and I know how it ends, but it was like they wanted to make sure you knew how similar they are. When you look at the shots of them speaking to their people, very similar. When you look at how Coin uses Katniss and Snow uses Peeta, very similar. I think they did this single part of the book even better than Suzanne Collins. Or perhaps I just appreciate it more after seeing it rather than reading. I don’t know. But kudos to Francis Lawrence and company on President Coin.

Overall, a very nice adaptation. As good as Catching Fire? Not in my eyes. But I do think it is a step above The Hunger Games.

Now go see it!

Oh, and we got there a little later than planned so I didn’t get to see all the other people arrive, but I did see some girls dressed as tributes! Should have snapped pictures.