Feedly Follow-up and Goodreads

Aaarrghhh. First Google Reader disappearing, now the Amazon/Goodreads deal.  Talk about unsettling news.

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On the positive side, I have now settled into using Feedly and *whispers* it may even be better than Google Reader.  Apart from my Chrome browser, I’ve installed it on my (Android) phone and Kindle Fire, and the apps are working fine.  The complaints I had about the left navigation pane appear to have been mostly addressed by their latest updates and the user interface has definitely improved.  As I said previously, I really like that I can customise the view per subscription and the magazine view is proving to be an excellent way to scan through frequently updated feeds.  Finally, not that I’m superficial or anything, but it’s a lot prettier than Reader…

A couple of caveats: Feedly is still using the Google Reader backend, and while they appear to be prepared to switch over to their new Normandy backend, I suspect there may be some teething problems.  I have also logged on to The Old Reader (yes, my subscriptions were finally uploaded) to check out the interface, and while I haven’t spent a lot of time using it, I suspect if you’re looking for a like-for-like replacement, you may like The Old Reader better than Feedly.  It also has the bonus of not requiring a browser extension, though Feedly says that’s on their list of things to address.

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And then the big news of this week – Amazon buying Goodreads.

My initial reaction was “Noooooo…”, but then I wondered why.  I’m not anti-Amazon – heck, the bulk of my ebook purchases are probably from Amazon, I have three Kindles (I know), I use the Amazon wishlist feature to track price drops… Back in the (pre-ebooks) day, Amazon was the only way I managed to get my hands on backlist books – I think if I were ever to add up how much of my money has ended up at Amazon, it would be around the five digits mark (ummm… better not to think about that too much).

I think it’s the common reaction to a big corporate taking over what’s seen as a community corner of the online book-ish world.  However, let’s face it: Goodreads weren’t in this business purely out of the goodness of their hearts – they were (hopefully) making money as well, and I’m guessing Amazon made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.  You don’t get something for nothing, and I viewed Goodreads as having access to my data (reviews, book lists etc) as a reasonable trade-off for the services I received from them: a way of organising my books, following what other people were reading, and trading book recommendations.

While I don’t necessarily like the idea of another company having access to that data, I’m not sure if it’s that different from Goodreads being able to mine that dataset (or say, Google having access to my internet browsing habits).  I have to say that I’m not quite sure how I feel about my reviews potentially appearing on Amazon.  Which is funny, because I know Goodreads reviews appear at other online book retailers, e.g. Kobo and BooksOnBoard – I obviously don’t have an issue with that but Amazon feels so public.  Is that just me?  We’ll see – I don’t think I’ve seen any statement yet on whether that would definitely happen (though it would make sense if I were an Amazon bod).

But as long as my Amazon account remains unlinked to my Goodreads one (and I use different email addresses so I would be really %^!&*’d off if that happened), I think this change in ownership by itself is not going to make me close my Goodreads account.  It remains to be seen if this actually has an impact on the Goodreads end-user experience – I hope not, but I think we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

Thoughts, anyone?

My Auto-buy Authors: The 2013 Fantasy Edition

Auto-buy Authors definition: You don’t have to know anything about their latest book, you just buy.  As soon as the release hits the shelves.

It’s been a while since I last wrote about my auto-buy authors (in the romance genre), but here’s the fantasy edition.  Even before I was a romance reader (and by that, I really mean before I was allowed into the Romance aisles in the bookstores), you would find me camped out in the SF/F section (and yes, it’s arguable whether some of the books in this section were more age-appropriate than those in the Romance section).  I pondered whether to tackle the two genres together, but decided to give each of them their own page time.

My auto-buy authors in the fantasy genre:

Urban fantasy

This post would have been very different had it been written when I first started my blog back in 2006.  Back then, it would have been all about Laurell K Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong…  Now the latter two are wrapping up the main series that made them bestselling authors (and while I’m sad to say goodbye to their characters, it’s the right time IMO).  As for LKH – well, I’m not quite sure where she’s going with the Anita Blake series, but it’s probably crossed over into erotica.

But then again, back in those days, vampires/werewolves/[name your paranormal creature of choice] was so rare that having them in a book pretty much guaranteed I would read it.  Talk about change.

Back to my current autobuy authors – I have the obvious ones: Seanan McGuire, Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher.  Or should I say Toby Daye, Mercy Thompson, Kate Daniels, Harry Dresden. Long-running series are obviously the way to go in urban fantasy – not that I’m complaining, as I’m hooked on the various series arcs and completely invested in the outcome.

Less frequently mentioned online (though I may just be hanging out in the wrong places), but very much auto-buy authors for me: Karen Chance, Kalayna Price, Eileen Wilks.  All three have created worlds that stand out from the many other UF series out there, whether it’s by having a time-travelling seer as a protagonist, a rather sexy Death as a love interest, or a Chinese-American heroine and a werewolf figuring out how their lives fit together.

I don’t think I read a lot of YA UF, with the exception of Sarah Rees Brennan – I find her writing hilarious (in a good way!) plus I really loved her Demon’s Lexicon trilogy.

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Traditional fantasy

I kind of steer away from the bigger names in this genre – I’ve not read any of George RR Martin’s books and while I like Brandon Sanderson’s works well enough, I’m no die-hard fan (and I haven’t read Wheel of Time either).  Raymond Feist and Terry Brooks were on my bookshelves when I was growing up, but I’ve a feeling I DNF’d their latest releases that I borrowed from the library.

My fantasy credentials (or lack of) established – here are my auto-buy authors:

Andrea K Höst*: The newest addition to my list of autobuy authors, but two of her books made my top favourites of 2012 (plus I cheated and counted omnibuses as one book).  I really enjoy her refreshing take on fantasy tropes.

Juliet Marillier*: Lyrical, captivating, and romantic historical fantasy.  I adore her Sevenwaters books.

Jacqueline Carey: Her Kushiel series leans towards dark fantasy and captured my imagination.  She’s just ventured into urban fantasy (which I’m also liking).

Kristin Cashore*: I wasn’t convinced by GRACELING (*ducks*), but FIRE and BITTERBLUE made her very much an auto-buy author.

Megan Whalen Turner*: Smart, clever, twisty writing.

Tanya Huff: I fell in love with her latest release THE SILVERED, though I also like her urban fantasy books (most recently, the Gale Family books, though her Blood books are probably better known).  And her high fantasy books were mainstays on my bookshelves when I was a teenager.

Sharon Shinn*: I’ve loved pretty much all of her fantasy books – I first started with her Samaria books (reading them well out of order and ruining the twist, but never mind), then devoured her standalones, and finally fell in love with her Twelve Houses books. Like some of the other authors, she’s started writing in the urban fantasy genre – it’s a trend.

Sherwood Smith*: Like many other readers out there, her YA fantasy CROWN DUEL was my introduction to Sherwood Smith’s writing, but I quickly collected her backlist.

Tamora Pierce*: Unlike the other YA authors in this list, I actually did read Tamora Pierce when I was a teen.  Her Alanna books are on my favourite-series-of-all-time list, and her other books aren’t far behind.  I love how her females totally hold their own – Alanna was doing the kick-ass heroine thing before UF made an appearance on the block.

I debated whether to include Mercedes Lackey in the list above, and reluctantly decided not to.  I loved all her Valdemar books when I was a teenager, but I’m a lot more selective about which of her recent releases I buy nowadays.  And when I do buy, it’s more out of nostalgia than anything else.

Also, the asterisks indicate if the author writes YA as well (or exclusively).  I actually had the YA authors in a separate list, but then realised there was so much overlap that it didn’t make any sense.

 

Others

I know.  The categories I’m using is somewhat arbitrary (okay, very), but hey, my blog.  So other authors that don’t fit into my urban/traditional categorisation are Diana Gabaldon (I don’t know – time-travel?  Historical?) – her last Jamie/Claire book was so heavy that I had to read it with the book propped up on pillows, but she is very definitely an auto-buy for me.

And  Wen Spencer - I came across her when someone recommended her Ukiah Oregon books (which are urban fantasy and which I glommed), but her more recent Tinker books are this hybrid of elves-technology-magic which somehow totally works.

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I think that’s it for me – tell me your auto-buy authors writing fantasy today?

2012: The Summary

Happy New Year everyone!

Time for my annual reading recap in lists and numbers (here’s what I posted for 2011, if you want to take a peek).

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My Very Favourite Books Read in 2012

Mainly fantasy and SF, with only one outside those genres – all of these books made it onto my keeper shelves.

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• Catherine Asaro‘s CARNELIANS (2012) – SF
  Totally delivered on the emotional satisfaction front for this long-time Skolian Empire reader
• Andrea K Höst‘s MEDAIR duology (2010/11) – Fantasy
  This fantasy had it all: adventure, magic, and love (with a healthy dollop of angst), and a hold-your-breath kind of ending 
• Andrea K Höst‘s TOUCHSTONE trilogy (2011) – YA SF (or science fantasy, arguably)
  Unputdownable trilogy (plus a very Gratuitious Epilogue)
• Kristin Cashore‘s BITTERBLUE (2012) – YA fantasy
  Twisty and captivating coming-of-age story for Bitterblue
• Diana Peterfreund‘s FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS (2012) – YA SF
  Intricately crafted and compelling re-interpretation of PERSUASION
• Lois McMaster Bujold‘s CAPTAIN’s VORPARTRIL’S ALLIANCE (2012) – SF
  Wonderful madcap kind of adventure worthy of Miles at his best, but Ivan-style
• Tanya Huff‘s THE SILVERED (2012) – Fantasy
  Standalone fantasy that left me wanting more. PLEASE.
• Seanan McGuire‘s ASHES OF HONOR (2012) – Urban fantasy
  If you’re a Toby Daye reader, I dare you not to love this one. Each book just gets better, and swoon-y relationships aside, ASHES OF HONOR revealed so much more about Toby’s world and I’m dying to know what happens next. 
• Juliet Marillier‘s FLAME OF SEVENWATERS (2012) – Fantasy
  I have so much love for these books – FLAME was such a fitting end for the Sevenwaters series. 
• Tammara Webber‘s BETWEEN THE LINES (2011) – YA romance
  Most people appear to have gone for EASY as their favourite Webber; I’ll be the first to admit that BETWEEN THE LINES is somewhat fluffier, but I fell headlong for the romance in this one, and the positive portrayal of female friendships and surprise twists were a bonus.

Links to my reviews where available, I’ll update the links for the rest hopefully soon-ish.

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New-to-me Authors that I’m Extremely Glad I’ve Read in 2012

Fantasy/SF

• Andrea K Höst
• Cassandra Rose Clarke
• Daniel Abraham / James SA Corey
• Ernest Cline
• Garth Nix
• Laini Taylor

Romance

• Isabelle Holland
• Miranda Kenneally
• Shannon Stacey
• Tammara Webber

Historical (for want of a better category!)

• Elizabeth Wein

Here’s my 2012 new-to-me authors shelf on Goodreads, if you’re curious – I add the first book of theirs that I’ve read.

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Author Most Glommed in 2012

It was a quiet glom because I don’t think I mentioned it much on the blog, but I ended up reading nine of Isabelle Holland‘s contemporary Gothics over 2012 (and have more on my TBR pile!).  Strong female leads, with brooding heroes and mysterious villains, all against a fascinating “past-contemporary” backdrop of the 70s.

Second most-read author for me was Andrea K Höst – five books, but including two omibuses, so technically eight books in all (or alternatively, her entire backlist).  I’ve probably bored all of you to death over 2012 with how much I’ve loved her refreshing take on fantasy and SF tropes so I won’t continue here – all I will say is her books have been the best discovery of the year for me.

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The Statistics

	2012	2011	2010	2009
# of books read	164	144	141	115
# published during current year	78 (48%)	73 (51%)	77 (55%)	55 (48%)
# of authors read	103	91	88	71
# of new-to-me authors	31 (30%)	26 (29%)	29 (33%)	22 (30%)
# of library books	28 (17%)	24 (17%)	20 (14%)	n/a
space	space	space	space	space

Like last year, I’m amused by how (unintentionally) consistent my reading patterns have been over the years.  Although I read a lot more than in 2011 (that would be where the blogging time went!), the %s for new-to-me authors, new releases, and library loans have stayed remarkably similar to previous years.

I’m pleased that I’m still discovering new-to-me authors (as evidenced by the long list above) – and that probably explains the ratio of 2012 releases to pre-2012 ones, as I have a habit of glomming backlists if I’ve loved an author’s most recent work.

Also, I say this every year, but I really want to make better use of my local library.  I’m definitely borrowing more books than I was five years ago but the % could still be higher.  Instead of randomly browsing the shelves, I tend to make reservations for new-to-me authors that have caught my attention via blog mentions, which reduces my number of unread or DNF library books.

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And finally, my graphical view of 2012 by month and genre:

Rather than including YA as a separate genre as in previous years, this time I’ve included them in the other categories, which kind of makes sense to me.  If you’re wondering , 24 (or 15%) books fall in the YA (or MG) category.

The full list of my 2012 books is on my Goodreads Read in 2012 shelf (or will be, when I get around to listing all of them!).

So that’s it – it was a good year in 2012 reading-wise.  Here’s to 2013!

Not a 2012 Wrap-up

For those who celebrated Christmas, a belated happy Christmas – I hope you had a wonderful day with your loved ones.  For those who don’t, I hope you took full advantage of the quiet over the holiday period and had a relaxing break!

I’ve had a bit of a writer’s block (blogger’s block?) about this post, partly spurred by the fact that I’ve started seeing the first of the Best of 2012 posts appear, and I’m nowhere near collating my thoughts about books read this year.  As a result, I’ve started to panic slightly about being behind in terms of tracking my 2012 reads – you may have seen a flurry of my Goodreads reviews appear for books read in July this year (and yes, I’ll cross-post them here at some point).

So this is not my 2012 wrap-up post – that will come sometime during the next couple of weeks.  Instead, here are my thoughts about a few (randomly selected) trends I’ve seen in 2012:

Crowdfunding and Kickstarter: Kickstarter is growing in popularity, and in the literary world, authors are looking to use crowd-funding to support their latest ventures.  Tobias Bucknell posted his thoughts about the Kickstarter campaign he ran for his latest novel – a bit on the long side but interesting, especially in terms of what worked well and what he would have done differently.

I’ve only participated in one Kickstarter to date, which was sourcing funds to publish a shared-world fantasy anthology.  I can’t remember who/what brought it to my attention now, but I thought the editor had a strong line-up of authors and so tossed in $5 in return for a copy of the ebook when it was ready.  It was a positive experience – I was actually surprised when the ebook came out three months later in July (sooner than I expected for some reason) and I thought the anthology was good value for money.  IIRC, the ebook ended up on sale on Amazon for slightly cheaper than $5, but I didn’t mind – $5 was a fair price IMO.

I’ve not supported any other Kickstarters, but that’s due to not having the time to wade through the numerous campaigns out there (and the ones I have seen haven’t appealed to me enough).  I’d definitely participate in another one if I liked the concept enough.  Having said that, I’ve read cautionary tales about various Kickstarter campaigns that have been funded without providing a return, so I would say caveat emptor – you’ve to do your own research on the reliability of the person and/or viability of the proposal, and go in with the view that you may never get anything back for your investment.  Also, unless I’m a massive fan of the author, I’d probably never go beyond paying for an ebook copy of their latest project, but it’s fascinating seeing what rewards are proposed at the higher funding levels.

Inclusion of new short stories in mass market paperback releases: A pet bug-bear of mine, and one that I’ve seen happening more and more over 2012.  Yes, I get that publishers want to attract new readers when re-releasing in a different format, and offering bonus short stories appear to be an option.  But I’m annoyed because it feels as though the readers who have paid for the hardcover release (i.e. the hardcore fans) are being penalised and having to shell out additional cash if they want to read a new short story.  And let’s face it, if you’ve bought the hardcover, you probably want to read additional stories in the same world.

I’m not opposed to bonus material in general – go ahead and include excerpts from the next book, reading guides, maps, character biographies etc.  But not exclusive short stories that are then released separately for sale as e-shorts.

My ideal solution?  Apart from not doing it in the first place, declare upfront that the MMP release will have bonus material.  And let me make the decision to purchase a hardcover edition based on that knowledge.  Umm… I know.  Not going to happen, is it?  My one-woman protest will probably be not to buy the hardcover in the first place for the serial offenders and wait until the paperback.

Ebooks taking off in a BIG way: 2012 is the year when Kindles became commonplace on the Tube.  I remember when I got my first ereader (Sony Reader back in 2008), it was a rarity to see another ereader in public.  Now, every other person on my commute in to work appears to have a Kindle or iPad.

What this also means is that a host of self-published authors are suddenly able to access this large reader community directly, instead of having to go through traditional publishing channels.  I’m not going to talk about the pros and cons of self-publishing – there are numerous articles out there that debate this topic far more knowledgeably that I can.  But for me as a reader, what this means is that I can discover new authors that I would never have had otherwise – Andrea K Höst and Tammara Webber are just two fantastic authors that I would have never have read if it wasn’t for ebooks and self-publishing.  Yes, there’s a lot of flotsam out there in the self-published ocean of books, but I keep an open mind on self-published novels because of them.

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So, your thoughts on the above or any other trends that have struck you in 2012?

Cautiously Excited

That sums up my feelings about London hosting the Olympics in a couple of weeks.  Part of me is looking forward being in a city that is celebrating sport (not that I have any tickets, but that would be another post in itself) – the banners are up, the torch reaches London this evening… it’s all starting to feel real.  But the other part of me is wondering if it will turn out to be a complete nightmare logistics-wise for people who actually live here.  The Tube stations I frequent are on the list of stations to avoid as much as possible as they’re expected to be extremely busy, buses are on diversions, everyone’s trying to figure out how to work from home… So yes, it could turn out to be fantastic and a summer to remember, or it could be one that I would prefer to forget.

Have any of you ever lived in a city that was hosting the Olympics before?  Any tips on what to expect?

Anyway, to bring this back to books, I was thinking about London the other day – specifically books that are set in London.  I get a secret thrill when reading books set in places I know – it’s like seeing a familiar place through other people’s eyes.  But not all books do that; there are numerous historical romances that are set in London, where lip-service is paid to riding in Hyde Park and dancing at Almacks, but somehow, it doesn’t feel like the London I know and love.

Here are a few books that bring London alive for me:

Jacqueline Winspear‘s Maisie Dobbs books: These are historical mysteries set in the post-WW1 era (here’s what I wrote a few years back about the first four books).  I’m not massively keen on the paranormal and psychic elements of the latter books in the series, but love the period-era details in the books.  And when Maisie walks to her office in the Bloomsbury area or makes her way home, I think, yes, this is London.

Sarah Rees Brennan‘s Demon Lexicon trilogy: It’s no secret that I love these books to death, and the fact that London acts as a backdrop to some of the action is a bonus.  I think THE DEMON’S SURRENDER cover is great (and not just because it’s Alan looking all moody and heroic) – the London skyline behind him sets the scene so perfectly.

Ben Aaronovitch‘s Peter Grant books: I’ve only read the first book in this gritty urban fantasy series (RIVERS OF LONDON / MIDNIGHT RIOT) so far, but what I really like about his writing is that it brings out the multicultural-ness (yes, I just made up that word) of London.  And I actually learnt some fascinating facts about London rivers when reading this book.  Educational entertainment

Benedict Jacka‘s Alex Verus books: As with the Peter Grant books, I’ve only (just) read the first book in the series, FATED.  There is a bit of a Dresden Files feeling about this book (the blurb from Jim Butcher on the cover and an in-joke about a Chicago wizard in the first couple of pages didn’t do anything to dispel this).  But a clear sense of place comes through – Alex runs a shop in Camden and a lot of the action takes place in the British Museum.  In fact, this was the book that inspired me to write this post.

I’ve probably missed off quite a few books – have any books brought London to life for you?  And do you feel the same way as me when reading books set in your home city?

My Local Bookstore #wwread

This is part of the Where in the World are You Reading meme started by Kailana, Lisa, and Trish - the July theme is Local Bookstore, hosted by Trish.

Intrigued by pictures of Kailana and Christine‘s local bookstores (yes, I’m curious like that), I decided to take part in this meme.  Easier said that done – if this was really where I bought the most books, you’d end up seeing screenshots of Amazon’s website

But the prompt said a physical bricks-and-mortar store which you’ve visited – whether on vacation or one local to you.  So I wandered down to my nearest Waterstones, and had a bit of a photo-taking dilemma.  Was I actually allowed to take photos or would I be rapidly escorted outside as soon as I whipped out the camera?  And to be honest, even if photo-taking was allowed, I felt rather self-conscious snapping photos of the shelves.  So what you get is a few sneaky photos of the shelves taken by my phone camera – sorry!

Some background on Waterstones if you don’t live in the UK – it’s pretty much the only major national high-street bookstore chain still in existence.  I haven’t been following the news that closely, but James Daunt (who runs a smaller chain of bookstores called Daunt Books) was brought in to run the company fairly recently – his strategy, from what I gather, is to “localise” the bookstores, giving more purchasing power to local store managers as opposed to dictating everything centrally.  Recent Waterstones’ decisions that have hit the headlines: (1) their partnership with Amazon where they’ll start selling Kindles in-store (either a brilliant or terrible idea – I’m honestly not sure which it is yet) and (2) the dropping of the apostrophe in the name (surely there are better things to do!).

I don’t buy very much at Waterstones – mostly due to the fact I read the majority of my books on the Kindle (so it’ll be interesting to see how their Amazon partnership plays out), but also because it’s cheaper to buy paper books online (I know).  But I do buy the occasional book there – probably a couple every other month.  Usually a total impulse buy (Ernest Cline‘s READY PLAYER ONE) or when I really want a hardcover (they had numbered signed editions of Laini Taylor‘s DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE).

So with all that said, here are the photos I took (click for larger photos):

The picture on the left is one of the displays near the front of the store with children’s books for the Olympics.  I think I’m almost Olympic’d out and it hasn’t even started!

The two mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville, are pictured on the cover of four of the books.  They’re growing on me – I admit I joined in the chorus of ???!!!!! when they were first revealed, but they have a certain charm.  Sorry about the blank spaces in the display – a result of my hasty point-and-shoot approach!

The picture to the right is another display table – this one with a Great Britain theme.  I’m not familiar with a lot of the authors on the table (all my deep dark secrets coming out obviously) but I did see Ben Aaronovitch‘s MOON OVER SOHO – I liked the first book, RIVERS OF LONDON, so will probably get around to reading this soon-ish.

The picture on the left shows part of the shelves with staff recommendations on the cards below them.  A pretty eclectic mix, and I like looking at the recs, but I rarely find one that appeals to me.  On the right is a  display of ummm… postcards, I think.  My bookstore has quite a few non-book items – I think this is increasingly common across the board.

And the final picture on the right is the (small) urban fantasy section – or Dark Fantasy, as it’s termed in Waterstones.  You get the usual suspects – Patricia Briggs, Charlaine Harris, Laurell K Hamilton, Sherilyn Kenyon, Richelle Mead, JR Ward, etc.  There’s the Nalini Singh Psy-Changeling series on the lower right shelf.  All these are UK editions – if I had put more thought into this picture-taking thing, I would have turned some of these books to face cover out!

So that’s all the photos I snapped.  How does your local bookstore match up?  I’d love to hear about yours (and also your take on taking photos in-store!).

My Auto-buy Authors: The 2012 Romance Edition

Auto-buy Authors definition: You don’t have to know anything about their latest book, you just buy.  As soon as the release hits the shelves.

My auto-buy authors have changed a lot over the years, partly as my genre preferences have changed, but also because the internet has opened my eyes to numerous new-to-me authors out there.  You can probably guess at my list from either my monthly new releases posts (they’re always on there!) or my sidebar with authors I’ve blogged about, but I thought it would be interesting to pull both past and present together in a single post.  And then I decided to break it down by genre, else it would be a bit of an epic post.

So first up, romance.

Historical romance

There was a time when historicals made up the majority of my reading, now it is very rare that I run out to buy one on the day of release.  So the authors I still buy: Eloisa James (true fangirl here), Jo Beverley (primarily for her Georgian settings), Julia Quinn, possibly Lisa Kleypas (if she ever returns to historicals).

Old favourites who I’ve stopped buying: Amanda Quick, Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood , Mary Jo Putney, Stephanie Laurens. Their recent releases (recent being relative here) feel as though they’ve lost the magic that their early books had.

Authors who have sadly passed away: Georgette Heyer – I’ve all her books, both romances and mysteries; Elizabeth Mansfield – I’ve a lot of her books and her backlist is being released in e-format (yay!); Eva Ibbotson, though I don’t think of her as “traditional” historical romance

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Contemporary romance

It’s not a genre that I read a lot, but if you include category romances in this subgenre, Kelly Hunter was my 2011 discovery.  And I used to read Lynne Graham as my guilty pleasure, but either my tastes have changed or her writing has.   Oh, Suzanne Brockmann – though does it count as an auto-buy if you only like certain series?  Her new paranormal/suspense series is not working for me.

I used to love Jayne Ann Krentz and Linda Howard.  Past tense being the operative word – I liked JAK’s straight contemps, but her recent releases with paranormal themes just leave me cold.  And it’s been years since I’ve loved a new Howard.  Who else?  I follow Erin McCarthy’s stockcar racing series, but don’t read all her books, so I wouldn’t really count her as an autobuy author.

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M/M romance

Josh Lanyon.  I’ve only started reading m/m romance in the past few years, but he is one of my all-time favourite authors regardless of genre.  Other auto-buy authors?  KA Mitchell. Harper Fox. Jordan Castillo Price.

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Paranormal romance

Ummm… it’s a lot more series-specific here.  Nalini Singh‘s Psy-Changeling books. Meljean Brook‘s Iron Seas series – I abandoned her Guardians series a couple of books in (okay, one and a half books in) and have yet to go back.  Though seeing I’ve really liked her steampunk romance book, I should give it another go.  Ilona Andrews for their Edge series (I classify the Kate Daniels books as UF).

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Fantasy romance

Drawing a blank here.  I think I lean more towards romantic fantasy, which I’ll save for the fantasy post (which I suspect will be longer).  There is Elizabeth Vaughan, but I wouldn’t call her an auto-buy author.

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YA romance

I’ve loved both of Stephanie Perkins‘ books, so I’m guessing she probably counts as an auto-buy now.  I enjoy Sarah Dessen’s books though they do come across as a bit same-y after a while, and the one Jennifer Echols book I’ve read, but I don’t think that qualifies them as auto-buys for me.  This is probably the subgenre I read least.

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I think that’s it for romance – how do your auto-buys compare to mine?

Getting Around in London, or the Best Way to Use the Underground

I know – London transport is not really a common topic here.  But I was inspired, shall we say, by the increased number of tourists I’m seeing in London. And with the Olympics coming up, I thought I would post about tips on using the Underground.  Otherwise known as the Tube.

1. Stand on the right: I’ve noticed every city appears to have its own rules of escalator etiquette.  In London, it’s stand on the right, walk on the left.  And please please please do not come to a stop at the bottom (or the top) of the escalator.  You’ll cause a pile-up, though in typical Londoner style, people probably won’t say anything – they’ll just give you dirty looks.
2. Familiarise yourself with North, South, East, West: I don’t mean that you need to carry a compass.  But the Underground platform signs will have Northbound, Southbound, etc, so it’s useful to know if you want to go to a station to the right of yours on the map (i.e. East) or above (i.e. North) or below (you get it).
3. Don’t panic if you miss your stop: In most cases, you can just get off at the next stop and cross the platform to the other side to catch the next train back.  If you’re very unlucky, you’ll end up having to go via a couple of staircases or escalators.
4. Stand near the end of the carriage if possible: Right, this is a summer thing.  There is no air-conditioning (*cries*) and in summer, the temperature can hit crazy levels.  However, there are windows at each end of the carriage which can be lowered for ventilation, and trust me, this will be a life-saver.
5. Stand in the aisle: I know this contradicts the previous one, but if you’re not at one end of the carriage (and not getting off at the next stop), move further inside and stand between the two rows of seats.  Because fewer people do this, you may actually get some personal space back (as opposed to being crammed in near the doors).
6. Signal when you’re getting off at the next stop: And this is if you are stuck in the middle of the carriage, it’s packed and you need to get off at the next station.  Although eye contact is a rarity on the Tube, people do look around the carriage.  So indicate when you’re planning to get off – turn towards the doors, rearrange your bags, adjust your handgrip on the rail – you get the idea.  That way, the people next to you won’t be startled when you start making your way off the train.
7. Walk to the end of the platform:  The worst place to wait for a train is at the platform entry/exit.  Because everyone does.  Walk to the end – chances are this is the best place to get on the train and it will be a lot less crowded.  Caveat: If the previous station’s platform entry/exit is at the far end, ooops.
8. Let people off the train first: I know, basic, right? But it makes getting on the train much quicker.  And wait your turn – some stations do queues at peak hours.  On the other hand, don’t be overly-polite and let everyone go ahead of you – there is likely to be a very irritated person behind you waiting for you to get on.
9. Get an Oyster card: Never ever do the cash fare.  It’s twice as expensive as a pay-as-you-go Oyster card.  And consider travel cards.
10. Ask for help: Contrary to public perception, we Londoners are generally a helpful bunch, and can tell you the closest station to Big Ben or the London Eye – though it may take a while for us to remember, because we never go there.
11. Consider walking: Those two stations that look so far apart on the Underground map?  They’re probably 5-10 minutes’ walk, especially if they’re in Zone 1.  Marble Arch > Bond Street > Oxford Circus = 10-15 minutes down Oxford Street at a brisk walk and dodging shoppers.  Same for Oxford Circus > Piccadilly Circus.  Or Piccadilly Circus > Covent Garden.
12. Or taking the bus:  Check out these very handy maps - and bus stops generally have clear route maps as well.  And there are announcements on the bus as to where you are.  Plus you get to see a lot more of London.
13. Figure out the colours: Red = Central. Dark blue = Piccadilly.  It helps when service update announcements are made.
14. Announcements and “Good service”: You’ll hear “There is a good service on the Jubilee line”.  What it really means is that there is a normal service, i.e. trains are running.  ”Minor Delays” – still do-able usually, you’ll have to wait a few minutes extra.  ”Major Delays” – a bit hit-or-miss.  If you’re lucky, you’ll time it right and your train will actually start moving within ten minutes or so.  But start thinking about alternative routes.  ”Suspended” – ouch.  Go find the nearest bus stop.
15. Stand on the right: See #1.  This is really important.

So that’s my top 15 tips for using the Underground!  If you’ve been to London (or live here), would you agree or disagree?  What transport tips would you give visitors to your city?

2011: The Summary

I could say that it’s taken so long to pull this post together because of the rigorous analysis and detailed research that has gone into it… but that would be a lie.  2011 has probably been the year of procrastination for me.

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My very favourite books of 2011 (more or less in the order in which I read them)

• Jordan Castillo Price‘s GHOSTV (2011)
• Harper Fox‘s THE SALISBURY KEY (2011)
• Stephanie Perkins‘ ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS (2010)
• Seanan McGuire‘s LATE ECLIPSES (2011)
• Sara Creasy‘s CHILDREN OF SCARABAEUS (2011)
• Ellen Emerson White‘s LONG MAY SHE REIGN (2007)
• Eloisa James‘ WHEN BEAUTY TAMED THE BEAST (2011)
• Nalini Singh‘s KISS OF SNOW (2011)
• Sarah Rees Brennan‘s THE DEMON’S SURRENDER (2011)
• Suzanne Brockmann‘s WHEN TONY MET ADAM (2011)
• Stephanie Perkins‘ LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR (2011)
• Kelly Hunter‘s RED-HOT RENEGADE (2010)

Links are to my Goodreads reviews (warning – I do tend to descend into fangirl gushing when I fall in love with a book, so don’t expect massively coherent thoughts).  And I will add links to the final two one when I (finally) finish writing up all my 2010 reads.

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New-to-me authors I’m glad I read this year

• Stephanie Perkins
• Antony John
• Kirsty Eagar
• Sara Creasy
• James Anderson
• Jordan Sonnenblick
• Kaje Harper
• Kelly Hunter
• Sonya Bateman
• Madeleine E. Robins

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Author most glommed this year

Unlike last year when I had to check, I knew this one instantly – Kelly Hunter.  I fell in love with her writing in the last quarter of the year and probably read her entire backlist within a month – that would be 11 books.  Now I’m stalking her new releases page.  She’s gotten me back into category romance – something which I would have sworn was impossible a year ago.

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The statistics

Trend analysis time!  Heh.  I know, I know.  Humour me.

	2011	2010	2009	2008
# of books read	144	141	115	155
# published during current year	73 (51%)	77 (55%)	55 (48%)	73 (47%)
# of authors read	91	88	71	88
# of new-to-me authors	26 (29%)	29 (33%)	22 (30%)	27 (30%)
# of library books	24 (17%)	20 (14%)	n/a	n/a
space	space	space	space	space

No major changes in habit there really…  I read (just a bit) more in 2011, the proportion of 2011 v. pre-2011 releases stayed roughly the same as in previous years, with a slight drop in the number of new-to-me authors.  I could do better on the library numbers (I’ve four books checked out as I type this) but, well.

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And finally… in keeping with tradition – here’s my graphical breakdown of 2011 by month and genre:

Of the 144 books I read in 2011, a lot of them were romance.  And while I was on holiday in December, I wasn’t during October – in fact, I was spending most of my waking hours at work.  I blame that on the Kelly Hunter glom.

Random Stuff

I’ve been re-reading Jane Austen‘s “Pride & Prejudice” on my phone in stops and starts recently.  I’ve always resisted reading on my phone, but after downloading the Kindle app a couple of months ago, I’m quite getting into reading while commuting.  I don’t think I would read a new-to-me book on it just because I need uninterrupted reading time to get into a book, but the twenty-odd minutes on the Tube is perfect for reading a couple of chapters.

And I had forgotten how romantic P&P is.  Swoon.

Apart from P&P, I’ve also read Richelle Mead‘s two latest releases – “Succubus Revealed”, the last in her Georgina Kincaid series, and “Bloodlines”, the first in her new Vampire Academy spin-off series.  I really liked Succubus – it’s been a book I’ve been waiting for quite a while, not least because I had no idea how she was going to pull off an ending that worked.  Without giving too much away, yeah, it was satisfying.

And I borrowed “Bloodlines” from the library with some trepidation – I wasn’t quite sure if revisiting an existing world was going to work (no names being mentioned here…).  But it proved to be an easy and entertaining read if not a ground-breaking one.  I’d pick up the next book in this series.

Some links:

• Non book-related, but I love: Paris versus New York.  Super clever.
• Sarah Rees Brennan‘s new project – “Team Human” co-authored with Justine Larbalestier.  I’ve never read the latter before, but I’m a total SRB fangirl – her contribution to the “Enthralled” anthology was hilariously brilliant.
• And space opera recs!  Bring them on.