to read or to write

What do you like more...

Reading
or
Writing?
I'm trying to remember what I liked to do most of those two when I was growing up, but I can't remember ever picking one over the other.
This year especially, my writing has been somewhat neglected, and I wonder:
Can reading distract you from writing?

What do you all think? How many of you are prospective authors, too, and do you ever worry about how long it will take you to 'finish that story'?
Never mind 3rd or 4th drafts - I'm just talking 1sts, here!
What do you like best about reading, and what do you like best about writing?

the big spankin' 3-in-1 MORTAL INSTRUMENTS review!

Note: I read all 3 of these books from August-September, 2009. They 3 individual reviews on Goodreads are some of my first ever reviews. What I mean is - they're probably going to sound somewhat stinky :)

I spent some extra time trying to decide whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. obviously I went with 4. I figured the basic storyline and most sequences of events made up for the negatives I found along the way. granted, I don't know how good of a reviewer I am because a lot of the things I tend to dislike in books probably have to do with my own opinion and standards.

Story: pretty interesting and somewhat original, but too many obvious similarities to other works. It's really hard to w ...more Also: this review reflects the opinions of someone who, while considering herself a fan of the MI series, was nonetheless "less than impressed" with Clare's previous fanfiction work, and is not really thinking that 3 more books an originally-planned trilogy is the best idea... Keeping these mentioned things in mind, proceed with caution!

The ongoing story of The Mortal Instruments was definitely interesting/entertaining but still only somewhat original, with many obvious similarities to other works. It's really hard to write "truly original" stories nowadays that don't seem too borrowed, but the fact that Clare wrote very public fanfiction for Harry Potter is a big no-no: the bad thing about fanfiction (from what I've seen on MANY other people's reviews) is it will no doubt be weighted against anything you write in the future... as it is here. The concepts of 'Shadowhunters' and 'Downworlders' I found very interesting, but truly, it could have been so much better if Clare had just skipped the whole 'Nephilim' thing. I'm not really sold on the whole 'Nephilim' idea, even though it is (thankfully) very different from what I've seen other authors do. Plus the word is used incorrectly in dialogue segments, which was amusing, but not really in a good way :)

Technical Writing: Clare's writing style seems a little inconsistent. Sometimes I'd read a passage and think, "Wow, that sounds really cool!" and then a few paragraphs later her sentence structure would just be "off". Also, her characters are a little weird: as in, sometimes their dialogue sounded really muddled. Jace and Alec especially would sometimes speak as if from another time, then a few paragraphs later they'd sound just like average, ordinary teenage boys. Amusing and entertaining story aside, the writing left a lot to be desired.

Characters: not very memorable, but not overtly bad, either. It's funny, because most people I've noticed really like the characters of the MI series, and for me, the best part of the series is the overall story world. That said, I believe that this whole series revolves around Jace Wayland. And no, not because he's a sexypants (I really didn't find him all that "sexy," actually - his attitude a lot of the times was slap-worthy) but because he is by far the most well-rounded character. What I love about Jace is that he undergoes a major character change: the Jace at the beginning of City of Bones (cocky, slap-worthy Jace) transforms to the caring, mature and very lovable Jace at the end of City of Glass. I really hope Clare keeps Jace that way in COFA, but I guess I'll have to wait and see. Other than Jace, the rest of the characters were enjoyable, but they didn't really stand out to me. Clary was so incredibly annoying, and I'm glad that the story wasn't told in her perspective. Especially in City of Ashes and City of Glass, a lot of characters seemed thrown in that didn't need to be there. I've never been an Isabelle fan, and I wasn't really sold on Alec, but he goes along with Magnus, and Magnus Bane is the #2 best character in the series. YA THINK SO?! Authors like JK Rowling and Michael Grant are very skilled at balancing a large ensemble cast of characters, but in this series, which revolves so closely around Clary and Jace, they just seemed unnecessary (I still am wondering what purpose Aline served in Glass, except to tantalize/infuriate Clary-Jace fans like me)
Here is a passage from my original "uncut" review, and I'll post it because I've been told it's funny...
Clary was incredibly annoying and Mary-Sueish. Just because she cusses does not disqualify her from being a Mary-Sue: she's just a Mary-Sue in need of a bar of soap. Simon is the designated Third Wheel character of the series: between Jace and Simon, who would Clary pick?! REALLY?! It's not even a contest. The boy love interest with the most chemistry ALWAYS wins. Always. If it's a CHEMISTRY vs. LOYAL FRIEND scenario, CHEMISTRY always wins.
And there will be 3 more books, apparently. That surprised me, because I figured the story was wrapped up nicely in City of Glass. It always makes me wonder when a series just keeps continuing, because as a "fan," I do wonder about whether or not there's enough meat to continue at all, or if there's even a purpose besides "$$$$$." But I guess, like everyone else, I'll just wait and see.

The Mortal Instruments series is definitely one of the hottest series in current YA fiction, and I definitely consider myself a fan. For enjoyment and entertainment, I would say definitely try this series. It isn't the "best" series out there, in my opinion, nor is it the most cleverly written or the most original, but if you are looking for an entertaining, light series with lots of action (and Ms. Clare KNOWS how to write fight scenes - I always love it when gals can write fight scenes, too!) then check these out! City of Fallen Angels releases this March.

it's gonna get a little CRAY-ZAY!

Way before I started my blog (in December '09) I was firing away reviews on Goodreads. As I checked my 'Reviews' tab, I noticed that several reviews link to Goodreads, instead of this blog. So what I'm going to do is try to transfer reviews from Goodreads to this blog over the next week or so... if you see a LOT of reviews popping up at a crazy-weird pace, that's why! I hope you read them (if you want), but they may be a little long, because they were written during my ramble days and I may or may not have the time to edit them :P

Now I'm off to go find more blogs to follow, because it's FRIDAY!

:)

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday!

It's (nearly) Friday again!

Follow Friday is hosted by Rachel over at Parajunkee's View. This week, she asks:

My question for you guys, what is your high fashion book? --- translation --- best book cover ever.

Ohh, lots of ones come to mind! But two favorites are also new releases, and I have to spotlight them:

And then hop by Crazy for Books' site to join the Book Blogger Hop! Her question is:

When you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?

While I'm reading, I make notes on my bookmark to help me write reviews, but I usually don't start the review until I'm finished reading.

If you're new to this site, welcome! Please let me know what your link is so I can follow you too!
Love to see you again :)

Review - LOW RED MOON

Low Red Moon - Ivy Devlin
Genre: YA Paranormal
# of pages: 196 (ARC)
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Recommended for: HS & beyond!
My Thoughts
This was a very fast read for me - I read it in just a few hours. The story intrigued me from page one and had me hooked until the very last page. Definitely an enjoyable reading experience in terms of action and excitement!
- Characterization was actually pretty good. There were times, though, when the MC (Avery) and the love interest (Ben) seemed to show emotions prematurely or a little too quickly, but I guess that's fair and understandable if you've got a plot that needs to keep moving. It just made it a little hard to get a feel for the characters because a lot of times, their emotions didn't really make a lot of sense.
One cool thing about Low Red Moon was that I read it with no idea what to expect, so I was able to keep a pretty open mind. I thought the story would be in-your-face WEREWOLVES! And while those creatures are part of the story, it's...it's just done in a very artful, subtle way. Props to the author for really maintaining suspense throughout.
- As much as I liked Low Red Moon, at times it was a little on the confusing side. At times I felt really unsure of what was supposed to be happening and how prior events were connected. In my opinion, the book could have been longer.
- The ending, for me, could have been better. I guess the ending twist wasn't "twisty" enough, if that makes sense...

Quick Say: Low Red Moon was a fun, paranormal mystery thrill ride, though the plot itself, while engaging, was a little foggy. However, this book was definitely a pleasure to read. It was EXCITING and OVERALL ENJOYABLE, and so I would recommend it!
Content: nothing mature teens couldn't handle: characters make out a lot. Just FYI :)

Final Grade:
Check out other reviews of Low Red Moon by:
The Fiction Enthusiast
Mindful Musings
Reading Addict
Reading Extensively

New layout!

Hey everyone - it's up!
What do you think?
The ever-amazing Danny @ Dreamy Blogs designed the new and improved Imagination in Focus, and I think she did a spectacular job!

Oh, and I have a new button! If you have the time, would you discard the old one and add the new one?
I'm also going to be going to all your sites and making sure I have your buttons, just to be reciprocal!

:D

Feedback Results & Quick Word on Reviews

About a month ago, I put together a feedback survey for my blog just to see if you guys had any thoughts that could help me with blogging in the future. First off, thanks so much to my followers who filled out the survey - I was really blown away by the number of folks who took time to fill it out, so thank you so much!

And the feedback itself was pretty positive. The #1 thing that you all said could do for a change was the blog format and layout. That's good, because I'm having a custom layout being made as we speak, and it'll be up before October, so that's exciting.

One other thing I wanted to touch on was reviews and my reviewing style. I've been a little bummed with my reviews, to tell you all the truth, because frankly I think they're too long. I think they're too long, and that might be why they don't get the kind of feedback (comments) that they used to. So I want you all to know that I will be working on shortening my reviews - hopefully that will make them more readable. Because, from the point of view of the one making the post, the best way to see feedback - and know that people actually give a hoot and read your stuff - is comments. I have a pre-New Year's resolution to get more active on the amount of comments I leave on yall's blogs. Even if it's just a quick "hey, great review/great post!," there's always something that can be said. So that's what I'm going to work on.

Thanks again, folks, for stickin' around. Right now I have 2 reviews and 2 other posts I'm working on. Have an awesome day :)