Sharing Beyond Books #10 August 20, 2011

Welcome to another Saturday night! Thanks for your comments this past week. I hope you all enjoyed discussing collections.  Several of us have thousands of books, myself included - yikes! I had to agree with Jennifer that many of us have such large collections that it's hard to list them all. It is fun to see that there were many different authors being collected, especially Aik's authors I think. I liked the reasons we collect favorites: writing style, solid content, charm, mysteries, special memories, timeless, good writing, and to pass on to children.

The Winner from SBB #9 comments is: #13 winnie.  There are still 9 'love' books to pick from, 8 Christmas choices and 4 Summer titles below. So Winnie- please choose a book from the remaining Love Books List for Giveaway or remaining Christmas Giveaway Books or the summer books below and let me know your choice, your address and a choice of bookmarks by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #10 Questions
I was backing down to two questions but sometimes the questions come in three like last week and again this week. :-)
 

Q1.  Winnie asks this Question:    Have you ever been pleasantly surprised when you read genres that are out of your comfort zone? If you'd like, please share which genre(s)!?

A:  Hmmm - I like to try different genres.  I do not read a lot of horror but I think one subgenre that surprised me is Zombie stories. I didn't really expect to like them but I have read several so far and find them entertaining. Maybe not as much as dystopia and other postapopcolyptic stories but still - I didn't hate them. :-)

Q2.  I had a question that also deals with genres: Do you read two books at the same time or in a row in the same genre?

This happens occasionally in my review line up but I try to avoid it because it can become confusing. For example if I am reading two historical romances or two suspense stories at a time I find that I might confuse the characters or the plots. Also this leads to my tending to compare the books.  Series don't have quite the same problem as they are intended to continue the characters with different plots.

Q3.  My answer to Q2 leads to this question: Do you compare books when you write reviews. If you don't write reviews then do you compare them in your own thoughts?

I make a point to rarely compare books in my reviews as I want to evaluate each book on its own merits.  However as I read there are times that comparisons come to mind. I might like to discuss those in a book discussion or book group...but not for reviews.

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Thanks to those who are sending in Questions. DON'T BE SHY! Surely everyone has a Q or two you'd like to ask.  Input suggestions in this Suggested Question Form.  At the end of each month I will draw from the suggestions I used the month before and that person will get a book choice or GC.

Your turn to share:
1. Have you been surprised by reading a genre out of your comfort zone?
2. Do you read two books of the same genre at the same time or in a row?
3. Do you compare books in your reviews?

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the remaining  Valentine and "Love" books or the remaining Christmas Giveaway Books - there are still about 17 books available plus 4 more in the Summer titles to choose from.

Secrets of a Summer Night (The Wallflowers, Book 1)
The one I have is hardcover.

One Reckless Summer: A Destiny Novel
This book is brand new, but will be gently read if I get to read it!

 
Under the Boardwalk: A Dazzling Collection of All-New Summertime Love Stories (Sonnet Books)
My paperback is from 1999 and
has a beach image.

 
The Days of Summer: A Novel

My copy is a paperback from 2006
with a different cover.

 The Summerhouse

 Hmmm - this has a bit of magic in the plot.

A Summer Affair (Calhoun Chronicles)
I love Susan Wiggs historicals!

SBB Rules: a) Must be a follower; b) Share a comment on any (or all) of the two/three questions above.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.
I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made by Friday, August 26 at 10PM central.