What's On My Nightstand - Reading Recommendations

Curious about what I'm reading? Here's what's currently on my nightstand:

A Monster Calls: I had such high hopes for this book, especially given its gorgeous artwork, but ultimately I was disappointed. I thought it was going to be able actual monsters, secret worlds, spooky things...magic. At least that's how it was presented. Instead, it was a depressing middle-grade book. The protagonist is picked on at school, his dad is ass, he hates his grandma and is forced to live with her, oh, and his mom is dying an extremely painful death. The story is really sad and at points gut-wrenching, especially if you've ever had anyone close to you die of cancer. I can appreciate what the author was attempting to do with this story, and some parts were genuinely creative, but ultimately I found it increasingly difficult to stay motivated to read it.

Tuck Everlasting: I remember when this came out in theaters back in the day and never knew it was a book until recently. A free copy recently landed in my lap and I've been reading it at night before going to bed. It's an extremely easy read with an intriguing concept. The best word to describe this book is cute. It's definitely geared towards a younger audience, or for people who just want something light and whimsical to read.

Collected Ghost Stories: This book is seriously creeping me out! The use of descriptions and story concepts are haunting, and dare I say reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft (yay!). James does an incredible job of transporting you into the story in just a few short lines. The biggest surprise about this book is that it's a lot easier to read than most Gothic horror stories, but it has just as much bite.

Suspended: This is a mysterious, fun, and easy to read story that is full of imaginative and vivid imagery. The Dream Travelers are an interesting and original concept, and the story’s many twists and turns keep you hooked until the last page. This story reminded me of The Night Circus meets Alice in Wonderland. I enjoyed getting to know each of the unique characters and their equally unique magical abilities. Noffke has written a delightfully whimsical book that is sure to delight fantasy and YA readers.
 
What's next? I just got The Chaos of Stars and am really looking forward to reading it. The concept of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses living in modern times sounds really interesting.

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What's on your nightstand at the moment?

Have any books you want to recommend?

Please share below.  :D

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What is the Difference Between a Good Book and a Great Book? - Guest Post by The Regal Critiques

In December I featured a guest post from Fantasia Reviews called What Makes a Good Book? You guys liked it so much that I thought it would be fun to take it one step further. That being a post about the difference between a good book and a great book. Enter The Regal Critiques. Veronika, the book blog's founder, spills all in this month's guest post. Enjoy!

Hello everyone! I’m Veronika from The Regal Critiques! (*waves*). Amie was kind enough to invite me for a guest post, and I was happy to say yes, so here I am today, writing about what’s the difference between a good book and a great book.

To tell you the truth, upon picking this topic from the ones Amie suggested I was convinced this would be an easy post to write. Alas, it wasn't. I was struggling with thinking of a way to start off this topic and doing a bit of research didn't exactly help me in any way. I did discover some information, as this is a wildly talked about topic in the literary world, but, likely very few of the books I find 'great' would make the cut in their opinion. And so, I just left that all behind and am instead writing a fully subjective post about my thoughts on this topic. It's more fun this way anyhow.

Without further ado, let me list and explain the three main differences between a good and a great book.

1. THE UNIQUENESS

Who the heck wants to read a book that has nothing new to showcase, just the same old, same old story? No one, that's who. Ya'll know those authors who keep recycling the same plot, same characters, same EVERYTHING, don't you? Cuz I sure as hell do, and their books are no fun. Nuh-uh. Show me something I haven't seen before, darn it. Don't take ideas from someone else, don't use ideas from your old works, create something different instead, something unique.

Obviously, that doesn't mean using a couple of tropes or cliches is a deathly sin - but my favorite authors are the ones who use them creatively, making them their own.

2. THE EFFECT THEY HAVE ON ME

For me to call a book great I need it to affect me in some way that's more than: oh, that book made me smile like crazy. Sure, that's an effect as well, but not one that'll stay with me for a long while.

What I really want are characters who are so vividly-written that they come off the pages, characters I can connect with, either because they represent some part of me incredibly well, or simply because I admire/understand/love them.

I want a story that I can relate to, learn something from about myself or the world, or educate myself on something that I had little to no knowledge about it before.

3. THE LASTING IMPRESSION

There are books I read, love and then forget like, 99% of what actually happened in them super-quickly which proves they weren't that outstanding to begin with. I don't expect to remember every little detail or even most of the characters' names, but the overall plot? The major characters who were my favorites? I need to be able to recall them even two years after I read the book.

So, what makes a story unforgettable? For me, the two things I mentioned above - their uniqueness and the effect they have on me, this I can say that these three things are, to some extent, connected.

To wrap it all up,

ARE GOOD BOOKS AND GREAT BOOKS SO DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER?

Depends on who you ask, but I honestly don't think so. There are various books I adore so so SO much, rate them 5 stars, but wouldn't add to my all time favorites shelf for lacking either of the three things mentioned above. Does that take away from my enjoyment of them? Not much, no.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS TOPIC?

WHAT WAS THE LAST ’GREAT’ BOOK YOU READ?

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Thanks, Veronika, for sharing what you look for in a book. I completely agree that there isn't much difference between good books and great books. Some of my favorite books I'll probably never read again, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading it.

To all the authors out there, I hope that this post helps steer you in the right direction, or at least opens your eyes to what book bloggers take into consideration when reviewing your book.

What are you waiting for? Get out there and write!

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Have you checked out these posts? You might enjoy these, too:

• How to Write Historical Fiction Without Really Trying - Guest Post by Christie Stratos

• How to Write Fantasy and Have Fun While Doing It - Amie Irene Winters

• Science and Other Scary Word - On Writing Science Fiction - Guest Post By Belinda Crawford

• Don't Write for the Market - Guest Post by J.D. Estrada