This post is part of the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, hosted by Good Books and Good Wine!
Today is the last day of the challenge! I had a big weekend out-of-town and didn’t pre-schedule any of the weekend’s posts, so today is a little catch-up and finish-up. 🙂
Day 13 – One under-appreciated book EVERYONE should read.
Day 14 – Tell us your deal breakers.
Day 15 – Who are your book blogging mentors?
Day 13 – One under-appreciated book EVERYONE should read.
One book that I love that I know of very few people reading is Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay. I read this based on an Amazon recommendation and had never read a verse novel. I almost didn’t read it or thought I would abandon it right away, but, that’s how great it was and how well it hooked me! Marcie, the main character, has a solid, standout voice. I was amazed at the emotions and ideas that could take place in such condensed text. It was entertaining and a quick read, too!
Day 14 – Tell us your deal breakers.
As I’ve mentioned before, when it comes to blogging/reviewing, I really only read books that I’m pretty sure I’m going to like. No one really approaches me with a new book for a blog fest, cover reveal, etc. and I don’t sign up, so I don’t have an Abandoned/DNF list. But, I read slush pile submissions and some of the things that turn me off while reading include:
1. Lack of strong voice – I know this is frustrating for authors to hear “this didn’t have strong voice” or “I couldn’t get a feel for…” but a distinct voice is what makes any story–whether a contemporary romance or an epic fantasy–stand out.
2. Lack of authenticity – I think many authors write what they know, but as a teacher I know that 99.9% of my 9th graders don’t know about X band that I listened to in college (hey, I was surprised when most of them didn’t know who The Beatles were–how does every main character know who Green Day is when a book is set in present day?) or that 99.9% of them don’t wear Chuck Taylors. Or that a vast majority of them hate reading. Yet, when you read YA so many MCs are book-loving, Chucks-wearing, retro music-lovers. Similarly, if your mc is in modern-day and saying “neato” or calling someone a “brat” when it’s not consistent to the time frame or the character.
3. Errors – Manuscripts are supposed to be pretty polished, but those can be fixed during the publishing process. I can’t handle seeing errors in published books (in most cases one sees this in self-published works). Talk about being ripped out of a story–this is the surest way to do so!
4. Not elevated – I think this can be connected to voice, but I genuinely love it when authors use some higher vocabulary and don’t “write down” to young adults. I say it’s connected to voice because this does have to be organic and  consistent with the voice of the mc. It’s not a deal breaker if a book DOESN’T have amazing elevation, but it’s a consideration when I pick one up or vote “yes” to acquire. Something has to set a book apart (especially if when talking about acquiring a book) and this is something that helps.
5. Lack of description/Lack of characterization – I love being able to picture a character’s face and get-up. I love a vividly built world for characters. Paint a good picture for me, and I’m sold!
6. Repetition – I do not care for details being rehashed a million times throughout a story. Either the author is trying to create a quirk/voice that ends up feeling forced, or, it feels like the author doesn’t trust the reader to remember details that have already been laid out. There are times it works, of course!
Day 15 – Who are your book mentors?
I totally admire bloggers who are consistent and show their personality through their posts. The following people are awesome at this! With the exception of Katy (I’ve known her since high school!), I met/have followed these people on Twitter and you should follow them, too–they’re awesome! I also follow all these people on Bloglovin’.
Katy Upperman
Jessica Love
The Daily Dahlia – Dahlia Adler
YA Love Blog – Sarah Andersen
Good Books and Good Wine
The Broke and The Bookish
Keep Calm and Kari On 