What’s better than a book that makes you miss sleep and skip meals because it’s so great you just can’t put it down? Well, if you’re asking a book lover… the answer is probably “not much”! And that’s why our Question of the Week is: What was the last book you read that you just couldn’t put down?

I’m currently reading The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller, and the fact that I had to stop reading to come to work with only 50 pages to go is driving me crazy!!

The Eternal Ones is a story about reincarnation and a group of people who can remember their past lives, and as a result spend their current lives looking for the ones they’ve loved in the past. It’s a bit fantasy, a bit romance, and a lot of mystery. I’ve been really enjoying it and have been kept guessing all the way along.

And since I love a book I hate to put down, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to get a few more recs. for books that fall into the page-turner category! Now that I’ve shared my current “Can’t Put It Down” book with you, please tell me about the last book you read that made you late for work and miss dinner!

We’re back with more ARC/Review copy discussion this week…

I recently struggled through 180 or so pages of a 320(ish) page book I didn’t enjoy. I’ve been trying to change my ways and let books I’m not enjoying go, so I generally don’t have an issue with setting a book aside if I’m not enjoying it. But since this was a review book, I wanted to stick with it and give it a review (even if it was a bad one). The book also had pages and pages of 4 and 5 star reviews, so I kept telling myself it had to get better. Finally I decided I had read more than half of it and was liking it less as I went along so that was a fair enough chance.

Now my question to you fellow bloggers is: How do you handle ARCs/review books you don’t enjoy?

Do you always finish a review book and give it an honest review? Do you send back review copies you don’t want to read? Do you write a review stating you couldn’t finish the book or do you tell the publisher/author that you didn’t read the book and won’t be reviewing it?

Whew! Things are a bit stressful these days, and I’m getting a little overwhelmed. As a result, I’m having a hard time focusing on and getting into the book I’m reading that just happens to be about a similar stressful situation. I think what I need is a good ‘escape book’. You know… the type of book that you can pick up at any time and it never fails to whisk you away to happier place?

My go-to escape books are generally the Harry Potter books. They never fail me when I want to get whisked away to far off places filled with fantasy, wonder and characters I care about. But, I’ve read them many times, and wouldn’t mind a new escape book (or two) to turn to in those times when I need to get away but can’t actually get away. I know my very best resource for this is all the wonderful book bloggers and book lovers out there, so I’m turning to you for assistance!

What’s your favorite escape book? Which book can suck you into its story and allow you to get lost in its pages better than any other?

Now don’t get me wrong, I love sharing my books. In fact, I take great pleasure in it. When I’m reading a book and I know one of my friends will love it, I can’t wait to share it with them so they too can experience its wonder.  But at what point is a friend taking advantage of your book collection?

I have one friend who loves fantasy books as much as I do (if not more), and we share them back and forth when we find a good one. Granted more of them are coming from me, but I go through more books than they do so I think this is understandable.

Rae and I share books pretty equally. I send them to her, she sends them to me. It’s an ideal situation! (Well, except for the long-distance mailing costs!)

BUT, I have another friend who seems to just expect me to loan them books whenever they want something to read. Occasionally I don’t mind this, I mean I have so many books, why not let others enjoy them as well? But is it wrong of me to get upset when I basically become someone’s personal library?

Here’s where I seek advice from my fellow bookaphiles… What’s your lending philosophy? Am I crazy to not want to share all my books all the time? Part of me says YES, I am crazy… The stories are there to be loved, let them be enjoyed as much as possible. But another part of me feels like I’m being taken advantage of and wants to send my friend to get a library card.

Help! What’s a book collector to do?

Ahhh! I’m a bit overloaded at work this week, and with that comes overtime and working lunches, and ultimately less time to read. And if like me, you use reading as a chance to escape the craziness of every day issues, being too busy to read can be a double downer.

So, my fellow readers, I come to you for tips!

How do you manage to sneak in time to read when life is too busy to let you actually sit down and enjoy a good book?

I usually like to steal a few minutes of reading at lunchtime, but with people coming in my office cubicle every five minutes to discuss work, even that’s not happening right now! My poor books look so lonely… what’s a stressed out girl to do?

It’s been a while since we’ve had a Question of the Week, so I thought it was about time to ask you guys something! What I’m wondering about this week is: Where do you like to buy books?

I used to prefer taking a trip to the actual bookstore so I could frolic among all the pretties, but I’ve come to learn that I buy books I don’t need when I go to the bookstore, while I generally only get books I’ve been really wanting when I shop online. And thus, shopping online has become my preferred method for obtaining new books.

I blame it on the sale tables at the bookstore. I can’t resist the sale tables because I know I just might find an old favorite, or the next-in-a-series in hardcover for a steal, but most of the time I end up with books that sit on the TBR pile indefinitely. Sometimes I just end up passing these on without ever reading them, which seems like more of a waste of money than any great savings. The only catch I find with shopping online, is that I always buy enough to qualify me for free shipping, which results in multiple book purchases. The difference between the two is that I pick off a small wish-list when shopping online (rather than the whole store) so I never end up with books that won’t be read. Plus, they send the books right to my door when I shop online, and that’s just so convenient.

So, what about you? Do you prefer to shop online, or are you a hands-on, real book-store-only type of shopper? Do you prefer independent booksellers or a nice big  Chapters or Borders type of store? And if you’re so inclined, tell us about your favorite book store… Maybe someone else will fall in love with it too!

Sorry for the brief departure from posting folks, I was off on a little vacation in Florida to visit Rae and the computer wasn’t even opened on the trip. Since things have been so quiet here, I thought I’d start the week off with an old favorite… What are you reading?

As I’m sure is common with most book bloggers, we love hearing about what YOU’RE reading, just as much as we like talking about the books we’re reading.  So please join us in the comments and tell us all about the book(s) you’re reading right now!

I finished the second book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series while I was flying home yesterday. I love to have light and fun book while flying because there’s enough stress and trauma just dealing with air travel that I want my book to take me away. So The Sea of Monsters was a perfect choice. I don’t think I enjoyed it quite as much as the first one, but it was still a fun story. (I’m working on a review, so more complete thoughts to come!)

I’m currently reading Exit Strategy, the first book in Kelley Armstrong’s Nadia Stafford series, and am enjoying it just as much as I always do with Kelley’s books. I went in kind of blind, not really knowing what the book was about except that it doesn’t contain any supernatural elements which is a change for this author. I assumed it was a detective type novel, but have been surprised to find out it’s not entirely so. I love the direction it’s going and can’t wait until I have some time to really get into this one!

So… What are you reading right now?

UPDATE**As I travel around the book blog-o-sphere, I realize that the ever popular It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? which is hosted by  J. Kaye’s Book Blog is up on many sites today. Since this post is so similar to that meme, I wanted to link back to her to ensure that credit is given.  I wasn’t attempting to compete or intentionally copying. I just like to ask from time to time!

Anyone who knows me, knows that along with my book and TV obsessions, I’m also a big music lover. So it should come as no surprise that I’ve  managed to find a way to tie my book and music love together! I was out raking with my iPod on this weekend, and when the song Signs by Bloc Party played I couldn’t stop thinking about how well it fit our October Book Club selection The Book Thief.

Here’s the lyrics:

Sings by Bloc Party

Two ravens in the old oak tree, one for you and one for me
Bluebells in the late December, I see signs now all the time

The last time we slept together, there was something that was not there
You never wanted to alarm me but I’m the one that’s drowning now

I could sleep forever these days because in my dreams I see you again
But this time fleshed out fuller face in your confirmation dress
It was so like you to visit me to let me know you were OK
It was so like you visit me, always worrying about someone else

At your funeral I was so upset, so upset,
in your life you were larger than this
statuesque

I see signs now all the time that you’re not dead you’re sleeping
I believe in anything that brings you back home to me

If you’re interested, you can listen here or watch the video here.

So, our question of the week is:  Do you have songs that remind you of books? Share some of your favorites with us in the comments below!

I told you this would be a question we’d come back to from time to time! I also love hearing about what YOU guys are reading right, just as much as I like chatting about what I’m reading.

So please join us in the comments below and tell us all about the book you’re reading right now!

I’m currently reading Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich. It’s one of the Stephanie Plum Between the Numbers novels, and boy is it funny! I’m only a little ways into the book right now, so I can’t comment much on plot or anything, but what I did want to mention is the addition of a new “character’.

I had read about Carl on Janet’s website and was actually quite worried… “A monkey? Seriously? Could this be the proverbial Shark Jump for the Plum series? Because a monkey sounds annoying.” Well, I’m happy to report that I was SO very wrong! Carl is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters! I have laughed out loud at this monkey so many times now. Again, it’s still early in the book, so perhaps this opinion could change, but as of now I am now on Team Carl!

Do we have any Plum fans out there who have already met Carl? What’s your opinion?

And of course, make sure to tell us What are you reading right now?

I often find myself standing in front of one of my bookshelves, moving books around in an attempt to either fit more books on the already crammed shelf, or to try and make them look more pleasing. It’s almost as if the books are art or a decoration when they’re not busy telling me a story.  I can only assume, but based on some of my recent internet travels, I think this might be something that many book lovers do?

I’ve been fascinated with colour coordinated bookshelves lately, and have been thinking about doing this with my books. The only thing that’s stopping me is my OCD need to have all my series together and in order. Of course with the current overpopulation of my bookshelves, that’s getting harder and harder to do anyway.  Judging from my web searches, it seems that this colour coordinating is an older trend that people are starting to move away from, but I’ve just discovered it, so it’s all new to me!

So, I thought I’d bring the question to my fellow book lovers! How do you organize your books? And is this your ideal method that you’ve honed over the years, or do you dream of one day having a different system?  And if you’re so inclined, tell us why you prefer them this way… Simply because they look pretty?  Because they’re easier to find? Or maybe it’s because you just can’t be bothered to try and organize them?

Instead of going to bed like a normal person, I decided to test out this colour coordination on one of my shelves last night. Now there’s not much of an impact with just one shelf done, but tell me what you think! Which do you like better?