It's August!

Another Friday and it's already August! There's only four months left of 2013 and I'm freaking out because when did this year happen? Did I miss it? Anyways, it's Friday which means questions have to be answered. Follow Friday is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee and this week's question is:
How do you handle a book you don't like? Do you DNF or do you power through.


It really depends on how much I don't like the book. I once tried to read 'The Italian' by Ann Radcliffe and I just couldn't do it. There's only so much fainting and waxing lyrical over how the moon reflects on the water a girl can take. So usually it's DNF, because there's plenty of other books I should be reading, rather than waste time on books I don't like.

It's always worse when it's a book I got sent for review, but once it got so bad I emailed the author and said I just couldn't get into it and that if I finished it the review would be immensely negative. The author then kindly asked me to not read the book. At university I don't have  a choice, as such. I have to read the books in order to keep up, but there is some freedom in how you read. If I'm sure I don't want to use it for exams and essays I skim-read it, if I like it I read it properly. Although I gave up on 'To The Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf. I just couldn't deal with it.

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. This week's question is:
How do you turn down a review request?


It depends on why I want to turn it down. If I really don't want to read it because it just isn't my kind of book then I just tell them I don't think I'd be a suitable reviewer. It's no fair on the author either if I force myself through their book and dislike it, simply because I don't like the genre etc.

I have been really busy in the last couple of months, so if I find myself short on time (which is most of the time) I offer them a guestpost or a spotlight. I do think I should start referring to other bloggers, that would be a great way of spreading around review requests!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice. This week I'm using 'Building Great Sentences' by Brooks Landon, which I just got from Netgalley.

BB:

'"This is what I mean when I call myself a writer," writes novelist Don DeLillo. "I construct sentences."'

This book probably won't be a very "fun" read, in the sense that a novel is. But I do genuinely enjoy these kinds of books so I hope this will be a good one as well!

F56:

'The principle is this: 'When you write, you make a point not by subtracting as though you sharpened a pencil, but by adding. When you put one word after another, your statement should be more precise the more you add.'

That sounds very true. Although sometimes I do think that less is more, especially when it comes to adjectives for example, I do think that it is detail in sentences that makes them beautiful!


So, what do you think? Which book have you used for your memes?