What you should read

so im procrastinating again. got a mid sem tmr. meh lol. anyways, i thought id write a little blog.

a lot of my friends ask me to recommend a good book to read. and a lot of the time - 99% of the time, it leaves me stumped. i really dont know what to recommend. Because not every book is for everyone. most of the time all i would say is 'Read the Hunger Games', cause i know its appreciated by a wide audience. im surprised anyone would consider my opinion taken into account that i spent a good 2-3 years obsessed with twilight trash. (i love edward!)  so i thought id dedicate this post on how to choose books to read. cause i dont trust my recommendation. there are all kinds of different genres, writing styles and authors! get out there and explore it yourself! its like shopping for clothes, find your style(s).

#1. Don't know where to start? everytime im lost, i head to http://www.dymocks.com.au/ and http://www.collinsbooks.com.au/ just to see the top ten best sellers as of late. From there, if something tickles my fancy, ill google it for a review from http://www.goodreads.com/. (Join goodreads.com, you select genres you enjoy, select books you enjoy, authors you like, and they recommend you heaps of books that are similar) and its accurate enough that id use it continually. i did an update just now on books ive read and liked reacently, and goodreads bounced off it, recommending me a series of books, quite a few of which ive been meaning to buy. *clapclap* you see other people's ratings of novels you've read/been meaning to read too. and you can rate EWEWEWEWEWE for the books you didnt like, and goodreads steers clear of any reocmmendations related to that novel's style. neat huh? you can also write and read reviews on it. and create vitrual bookshelves like - books ive read, books i want to read, books i want to buy, books i love etc.

Ive also tried watching youtube videos made by the booklovers community - its just normal people like us making videos of books they liked, what their bookshelf looks like (is it sad that i love wtahcing those?) and 'book hauls' LMAO. It very quickly shows you what books are about to break it in the best sellers cause you see people start reviewing the same books, loving the same books, buying the same books. I have, however, been sorely disappointed on a few cases, so ive stopped relying on them. Its mainly American and English ytbers.

#2. the price. this is a personal theory of mine. YA (young adult) fiction is written for us - young adults. They usually have prices from $15-$25. Adult fiction that would appeal to us would also have that price range. We're predominantly full time students with part time jobs. Its what we can afford/would be willing to buy. Publishers wouldnt stretch it by trying to rip us off and discouraging us from buying anything else from them. A book over $30, i would stay away from because it most likely is targeted for a demographic of full time workers/retired elderly. Which means it deals with themes that generally dont appeal to us.

Hardcorvers are a different story, but you'd be looking at $25.

#3. Genres like adventure, romance (if you're female), action, humor and maaybe fantasy tend not to be such hit-or-misses. theyre genres that can appeal to a wide audience. you might not enjoy one adventure novel, but you might LOVE another. theyre okay to read, to persist with, to not steer clear from.
Fantasy isnt so bad, cause once you immerse yourself into this fantastical world, it becomes your reality, so a flying wombat wont seem so retarded.

Ont he other hand, i find the whole mystery/crime thriller novels to be very specific witht heir audience. If you dont enjoy a crime novel, you most likely wont enjoy the others. They've got the same undertone, same structure and the same element. I've read a few authors who excel in this genre; james patterson, kathy reichs, patricia cornwell and ive kind of felt the same way about all of them. apart from kathy reichs, but thats cause my mind is forcing me to love her cause she inspired the tv series BONES. lol. I'm currently trying to read Laura Lippman's mystery thriller 'Another Thing to Fall' and tbh, i dont think ill ever ifnish it.
Dan Brown is a different story i guess, i LOVE his books, but i consider his books more action/adventure, since he doesnt do that whole zz thing where you question suspects or watch your back every second of the day and then get stabbed (in the back) in the last few chapters.

#4. do not be fooled by the words 'BEST SELLER'. i say this even though i still fall into the trap. but if you can fight it, STAY AWAY LOL. like, if it says new york #1 bestseller list, then yeah, its made it into the top 100 of something. but if it says BEST SELLER , or something like RUTH ROTHWELL'S BEST SELLER, then put it back down. people like me see 'best seller' and go, OMG popular book ! must be a great read!
but no. WRONG. best seller just means that the book you're holding is the author;s best selling book. so it might have only sold 10 copies but itll be a best seller if the previous books only sold 8. *sigh*.

#5. if you're a teenager/high schooler, the books targeted for you/in your library that are really good will have gold stickers declaring its awards. i suggest you heed those and read books that drown in them. i enjoyed all of those. Nick Earls, Isobelle Carmody, Maureen McCarthy, John Marsden, Garth Nix, Sonja Hartnett, Melina Marchetta, Lisa Shanahan.

#6. John Marsden. Melina Marchetta. Scott Westerfield. Dan Brown. Stephenie Meyers (:P). Richelle Mead. If you like an author, read all their other books :D Especially if they write stand alones. For series authors, their stand alones might be a bit shit since they dont have another 100 books to woo you.

#7. With YA fiction, romance and dystopian novels are popular. I dont know why our kind like dystopia, but yeah, maybe give that a go. Like Hunger Games. Divergent - which ive been waiting patiently to arrive. we also like paranormal/fantasy romance. vampires, demons. maybe? give? that? a? go? Sounds questionably gay.

#8. When youre reading a shit book, just remind yourself that an author labored over this for months on end, got it editted, then rewrote it. Maybe it might motivate you to finish it. The notion gets old after a ton of shit books, but yeah. LOL.

#9. Get a library card. Or get a book saver's card or whatever htey call it if you're buying. It's a great feeling everytime your bookshelf expands. it looks beautiful. and everytime you see the book you really enjoyed, your heart goes WEEE.

#10. Enjoy!

Every book presents an alternate reality, a new world so its a great feeling when you find your niche. cause from tehre you go on fantastic journey after fantastic journey. until you realize your own life sucks.