At first, this week’s Booking Through Thursday made me think it was too close in topic to the one called Format, from back in February. Which wasn’t that long ago.

Here’s this week’s question: While acknowledging that we can’t judge books by their covers, how much does the design of a book affect your reading enjoyment? Hardcover vs. softcover? Trade paperback vs. mass market paperback? Font? Illustrations? Etc.?

The Format question was all about what we’d want in our library. This week’s question is all about what we like to read.

My answer is pretty much the same, in terms of trade paper versus mass market:
1. The new mass market size sucks.
2. I like trade paper best of all three formats.
3. More e-books should be available in print.
4. The new mass market size STILL sucks.

As for font… like I care. Don’t print in wing dings, okay? Make it legible. I’m happy.

Illustrations? Well, okay. The Tour Manager bought me an illustrated novel for my birthday (you confused Thirteeners didn’t read carefully enough!). The draw there is the artist, not the fact that it’s a novel.

Now, clearly, a graphic novel needs to have appealing artwork. Incredible, even. *coughJoannSfarcough* But a novel? A fiction novel? *snicker at the idea of “fiction novel” being a novel concept and not redundant as hell*

Puh-leeze.

That leaves cover art. I don’t think I’ve ever picked up a book because of its art. I might have when I was younger. I’m a lot more jaded now, sad to say.

However, if I pick up a book with ugly cover art, or something I maybe don’t want my not-jaded kids to see, I do wish for something to cover up that cover art. Like one of those quilted book covers that, ordinarily, I’m just too cool for.

Congratulations to Shelly! She’s won my second copy of St. Barts Breakdown, the fourth book in the Mick Sever, music journalist, series.

I wish I had copies of this neat book for all of you who entered, but here’s a link so you can pick up your own. Grab the backlist while you’re there!

If you missed my review of the book and/or the interview with author Don Bruns, be sure to head over to Front Street Reviews and read both there. And while you’re there, check out my review for Susie Fishbein’s Passover by Design. You’ll understand why that’s one book I’m not giving away!

To celebrate the posting of a VERY short interview I did with Don Bruns, author of St. Barts Breakdown, I have a second copy to give away to one lucky reader.

You guys know the rules:
1. Anyone can enter; one will win. I prefer to keep my mailings on Planet Earth, however, so non-Earthlings need not enter.

2. Meanies need not enter.

3. Be sure to leave me some contact information so I can reach you, should you win. That can be an e-mail address or a website that has a space for comments and/or an e-mail address.

4. Entries close on Sunday, 23 March or thereabouts since it’s Spring Break and I might skip town.

5. I’ll notify the winner at some point on Monday, 24 March, either early morning or late afternoon.

6. I hope to register this book at BookCrossing. If that’s not your thing, fine. Please don’t deface the lovely bookplate just in case someday, someone, some how makes a journal entry and I can hear more of this book’s adventures.

7. Go check out the Interview!!!

As always, thanks to the kind people helping spread the word about this contest: Prizey,Blog Giveaways,

It’s Sunday night and I’m closing comments. Winner will be picked and contacted tomorrow!

You’ve just reached the end of a book . . . what do you do now? Savor and muse over the book? Dive right into the next one? Go take the dog for a walk, the kids to the park, before even thinking about the next book you’re going to read? What?

Well, I usually close the book first…

And from there, it depends. If it’s before bed, I’ll put the book on my desk and deal with it the next day. If it’s not, I’ll journal it at BookCrossing and then decide what to do with it: send it as a gift to a BookCrosser who has it on their wish list, give it to Mom or a friend, or register it at the book trading sites I use.

So that’s the mechanical, ending-the-book stuff.

As for picking up the next one, that also depends. If it was an extraordinary read, I won’t want to read anything for a bit. That means hours or until the next day, at the most. If not, I peruse my list of what’s been here the longest, pick something that sounds different from what I just finished, and am off and running again.

Because, you know, I have WAY too many books here, waiting to be read. I’ll never get caught up and onto some of the stuff you guys blog about if I don’t keep on reading.

Come on… how can I resist??

This week’s Booking Through Thursday question:

How about a chance to play editor-in-chief? Fill in the blanks:

__________ would have been a much better book if ______________________.

First blank: Insert Trevor’s Song.

Second blank: you can read it yourself.

Now, to edit the question and put it together:

Trevor’s Song IS a much better book WHEN you can read it yourself.

Trevor himself didn’t need to prompt me with this one. In fact, he’s giving me a satisfied nod right now. I’d better get him an ash tray before he ruins my carpet, though…

Psst! Stay tuned for a special something for you guys. As soon as we get the wonky code to behave, I’ve got a present to share.

My first copy of St. Barts Breakdown has been won by

Tara!

Stop by and offer her congratulations, or offer them here.

Best of all, stay tuned because I’ve got another copy of this fun book to give you!

Who is your favorite Male lead character? And why?

So asks this week’s Booking Through Thursday.

And you know what? I don’t relate to the men in fiction the way I relate to the women. Maybe it’s because I can put myself into a woman’s shoes and wish to be her. But I’ve never wished to be a man.

There are lots of great men out there in fiction, too. Marcia Muller‘s Hy Ripinski comes to mind. Lestat did great things to my teenage mind, but Brad Pitt topped that in the movie. (I know! Have you ever heard me say such a thing before?)

Good men are made greater by the women around them. I swear it. Go on. Name some great fictional men and look for their women. Jamie Fraser? He’s got Claire. Mr. Darcy? He’s got what’s-her-name (Hey, I have yet to read Austen). Max and Sebastien have Victoria. Huck Finn? Becky Thatcher.

My latest review, St. Barts Breakdown has two: the memory of Ginny for Mick Sever and Danny Murtz’s personal assistant, Nancy. Murtz is a heck of a great male character; you should enter the contest if there’s still time and you haven’t done so yet.

Even my own Mitchell Voss has the unstoppable Kerri. And Trevor? He’s got a horde of women, many of whom are reading this very post and possibly blushing…

Maybe Beowulf doesn’t have a good woman around. Then again, I don’t think Beowulf showered. That might have something to do with it.

Okay, I need to start this post by saying I’ve yet to read any of Susan Wiggs’ fiction.

But this is THE PERFECT time for me and anyone else around to change that.

Susan’s publisher, Harlequin, is re-releasing an anthology she contributed to (along with Sharon Sala and Emilie Richards). That would be More than Words: Stories of Courage, and my handy-dandy link will take you to a spot where you can pick up your very own copy.

Woo hoo, right?

Well, here’s the kicker: Susan’s not making so much as a penny on it. Rather, anything that should come her way is going to go to Cottage Dreams, a charity that allows cancer patients to have a quiet vacation once their treatment is finished.

Read Susan’s post here. Kudos to Susan and Harlequin for doing this. (and before you ask, I can’t find information as to whether or not the same donation holds true for Sharon and Emilie’s parts; I’d love to be enlightened!)

Okay, folks. Quick grammar lesson here: When there’s an E at the end of the word, we ain’t talking street drugs. Okay?

I had a few students back in my college instructor days who struggled with that. Sort of like breath/breathe.

Now, to the question at hand, compliments of Booking Through Thursday:

Who is your favorite female lead character? And why? (And yes, of course, you can name more than one . . . I always have trouble narrowing down these things to one name, why should I force you to?)

The first one who came to mind was, of course, my own Kerri Voss. Follow the link in her name back to her character sketch page. At the bottom of the page, you’ll see links to outtakes in which she’s appeared. Check her out. Kerri’s cool.

Maybe, if you ask nicely, I’ll write more outtakes featuring her.

As for what’s already in fiction, my immediate answer was Lessa. Yes, that’s right. From the Dragonriders of Pern series. She’s got many of the same qualities that Kerri’s got and is darn cool. I was always sorry we didn’t see more of her. She seemed to always be overshadowed by the men in those books.

Other great women… wow, there are a lot of them, and we can generally thank the mystery writers for them. Alex Cooper. Sharon McCone. I think mystery and Science Fiction/Fantasy brought us great heroines before general fiction did.

Althea. Oh, yeah. I really dug her and was sorry that trilogy ended. Not to mention I was very sorry when the scene shifted and she wasn’t in it.

And, of course, no list would be complete without Scarlett O’Hara. Gotta love Scarlett.

Notice anything about all these women? Yup, they all face problems, some on a daily basis and some not. But they all find ways to be strong, to overcome, and to win in the end.

I know. You’re shocked I don’t do the victim thing.

Once again, I spent a good chunk of my Thursday (especially since I’m locked out of the Thursday Thirteen hub by some DNS problems) pondering today’s Booking Through Thursday.

All other things (like price and storage space) being equal, given a choice in a perfect world, would you rather have paperbacks in your library? Or hardcovers? And why?

In my library, huh?

Honestly, I don’t care.

No, not true. To put in my library, I want hardbacks. They look good, although the lack of standardized sizing makes them hard to pile books on top of.

Now, to expand on the question and take it beyond its borders, to read, I like trade-sized paperbacks. I just like them. I like the size, I like the way they fit in my hand, I like that they aren’t too heavy like hardbacks can be, I like that they stay open in my lap. I especially like that they aren’t the goofy new mass market size that costs a few bucks more for a few inches taller. Bite the bullet; put them in trade size, people!

And finally… many authors dream of being published in hardback. For them, it’s a prize to be won. But to be honest, I buy very few hardbacks. I don’t like to spend that much money on a new hardback. Not when I can have more books for the same amount. Heck, I went to a book signing about a year ago and spent $50 and came home with … two books. TWO.

Me, I want to be published in Trade Paperback. Given my choice — and let’s face it, unless I self-publish, I won’t have a choice — I’ll pick that size.

But ultimately, what format doesn’t matter. What matters is the experience I have reading it. A great book is a great book and … yeah, I gotta say it. Size doesn’t matter.

So in this week’s Booking Through Thursday post, I promised you talk about a great read I’d just finished.

Here it is, a definite Sunday Best.

The book is called A Day of Small Beginnings, and it’s the debut novel by Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum, who seems very nice from the very small e-mail exchanges we’ve had. (Notice how we’re back to the debut novel thing? I can’t get away from them, can I?)

A Day… is the story of three generations of Liebers, a Jewish family from Poland whose history is changed by a single act of courage — and stupidity, all rolled into one. We begin with Itzik and then spend some time with his son and finally, the family’s redemption is at last complete through the acts of his granddaughter, Ellen. (Notice how it takes a woman for redemption to happen? Hmm?)

The tale’s more subtle than this. It’s also hard as hell to explain; there’s a ghost involved, named Friedl. She’s an interesting ghost, as she tells us many things but never really lets us, the reader, see for ourselves. Do we take her at face value? There’s no reason not to, but …

Now, I believe in the possibility of ghosts like this. While Friedl bothered some of the members of my book club last Thursday, she didn’t bother me. In fact, I liked her. And she sings better than I do, too. Brownie points for that.

Okay, so we’ve got Itzik, his son, and his granddaughter. And a ghost. Time to throw in three more elements and you’ll have the essence of this complex story: the country of Poland, which becomes a character in and of itself; anti-Semitism; and Raphael, the last Jew in the fictional town of Zokof.

(Have you ever heard of a Polish Jew named Raphael? Do you know how long it took me before I connected the idea of this fictional Raphael to the idea of the Angel Raphael? I am going to ask Rosenbaum if that’s the proper leap. But back to my rave about the book.)

For me, what makes this book isn’t that redemption is Ellen’s to deliver. In fact, that might be the most obvious part of the book — that the redemption happens at last and how, in fact, Ellen arrives at it. I figured it out very quickly, and groaned, “No, we’re NOT going there.” But we did. And it worked better than I’d hoped, too, which is a huge prop to Rosenbaum.

Rather, what made this book for me was the character of Raphael, Zokof’s Jew. Yes, he was the town’s own personal Jew. And he was the last one, having returned after the War and deciding to tend to Friedl the ghost. His mission is to find her eternal peace, and Itzik’s family is the key to that (and the reason she’s not at peace in the first place. She is, after all, dead, and the dead should rest in peace. Right?).

At once pious yet willing to question religion and its rules and dogma, at once serious and mischievous, Raphael is one of those characters we readers desire in our fiction: the kind who lives and breathes, the kind you wish you could sit down and have dinner with.

This book really makes you think about religions, about how we view people who are other than us. It makes you question God right along with Itzik, Nathan, and Ellen — and some of the various other supporting cast, such as Ellen’s love interest, who was also an interesting character. Rosenbaum bucks the trends and gives us some really great men in this book.

It’s a huge book smooshed into a small package, but it doesn’t feel squished. It’s sort of like a clown car: you can’t believe how much Rosenbaum packed in. And yet, unlike a clown car that never seems to end, you’re never overwhelmed by what’s happening. Things are moving and changing, yet we wind up exactly where we’re supposed to, all the pieces fitting nicely.

Really. Don’t miss this one. Use my link above and get your own copy; you won’t regret it. (What? You want MY copy? Well, take that up with my Mom, okay? I gave it to her.)

Also, don’t forget that there are only a few more days for Scribbit’s February Write Away contest. Get your entries in and check back on Friday for the list of participants. Oh, yeah, and the winner. Can’t forget about that; it’s a contest, not a carnival. Still, I’m eager to read what others have written. Hope you’ll visit some, too. And mine, of course. (although some of you may have done so already. Visit again, okay?)

Happy reading! May you all find such neat gems in your TBR pile as A Day of Small Beginnings.

Paula!

Congratulations to my fellow Blue Ribbon Blogger, Paula, for being chosen as the winner of my copy of State of the Onion, the first in Julie Hyzy‘s great new mystery series.

Thanks to everyone who entered — and especially to those of you who jumped over to Front Street Reviews and read my review. I hope you’ll hang around there more often and find other great things to read.

And, of course, if you’d like to read State of the Onion anyway, use my handy-dandy links here in this post and pick up a copy of your very own.

More later, including my attempt at this week’s Writer’s Island prompt. Gulp!

I love giving books away, especially when they are companions to a new review I wrote for Front Street Reviews. But I especially love doing it when it’s a book I want to keep, but that I want to spread the word about even more.

This time, it’s Julie Hyzy‘s State of the Onion, a great entry into a new mystery series. Come on into the secure world of the White House Kitchen. Just be prepared for mayhem, chaos, backstabbing and a murder or two — thankfully not inside the kitchen. Join White House Assistant Chef Olivia Paras as she tries really hard not to meddle in an affair she finds herself smack in the middle of.

Go on and read my review over at Front Street Reviews. See why I liked this book so much. Then come on back and enter your name to win my reviewer’s copy. Please note; this is an advance reader copy. If you don’t know what that means, Google it. Decide if this is the sort of book you want in your collection; some people are totally opposed to ARCs. I hope you’re not one of them.

Here’s the fine print:
1. Contest is open to anyone in the universe. Hey, when you live West of Mars, you gotta think this way. Anyone includes past winners. However, it does not include meanies or spammers. Or Trevor, but I’m not so sure he reads, anyway.

2. In the comments on this post, leave your name and some form of contact — either an e-mail or a web address that’ll take me to a way to reach you. If you don’t do this, I can’t give you the book.

3. On Saturday morning, February 16, I’ll let my kids pick a winner and I’ll contact that lucky soul by e-mail. So make sure you leave me contact information!!!

Gotta thank the Blue Ribbon Bloggers, Laura Williams, my Thirteener friend QTPies, The Parenting Diaries, A Book Blogger’s Diary, and Prizey for helping spread the word!

Whoa. I don’t like saying not nice things about books or authors here. I want you all to think I’m not this perpetually grumpy woman, you know. (I really am. Ask my kids!)

Here’s the BTT question:

Have you ever fallen out of love with a favorite author? Was the last book you read by the author so bad, you broke up with them and haven’t read their work since? Could they ever lure you back?

Yes, of course. And there are some authors who have multiple series, but I’ll only read one of them. Janet Evanovich. Sharyn McCrumb. Anne McCaffrey (and now Todd, too.)

But on a happier note, I think that falling out of love with an author is a good thing. It means that there’s now room on your TBR for new authors and new discoveries.

Yes, that gives you a bit of a fickle air, but given the sheer number of books published these days, I prefer to think of it as an opportunity gained.

Come back over the weekend, so I can rave about one of those opportunities that have been gained. Boy, did I finish a doozy of a read! A real shayna maidel, to borrow the Yiddish phrase.

Susan rises from the couch (and the food Mitchell fed her at the end of yesterday’s Thursday Thirteen) to answer this week’s Booking Through Thursday.

WHAT? How can there ever be enough about books?

Yet that is the question asked of us. More specifically, What else do you do with your leisure to pass the time?

Hmm.

Well, clearly, I keep Trevor and the ShapeShifter boys in line. I do this usually by sending them on new adventures, most of which you get to read about right here on this very blog, in the form of fictional outtakes.

When I’m done with that, there are other fictional friends to bring to life.

Yes, writing is leisure. True passions are like this.

So you get me away from things literate and … I have a family. Two cats. All five of them need me to wrangle them; how else do you think I got so good with the ShapeShifter boys?

Then there are the little things. The scrapbooks. The bikes, one of which I dream of riding 100 miles around Lake Tahoe, although right now, I’d settle for being able to get up this daunting-looking hill near the house. The hours spent at the gym. And oh, yeah, somehow, I became a Girl Scout leader. Don’t ask. I can’t believe they approved me; didn’t they Google me and wind up here?

Yet that’s just another notch on my belt of volunteer work. I love to go in and help out at school. I love to get involved with people. I run my book club (but oops, that’s books again). I hate to say no… but I do. ‘Cause, baby, in Susan’s world,

It’s all about the books.

This week’s question, What are some of the more outrageous characters you’ve read, and how do you feel about them? resulted in my blog being hijacked. Again.

Hey. Trevor Wolff here. You know: bass player of ShapeShifter, star of Trevor’s Song, and all-around bad ass.

I should be at the top of every single one of your lists this week. But here’s the problem: I’m to be too fucking quirky for most of those egghead publishers. Susan gets these letters that she asked a literary agent about and the answer’s what she thought it was: no editor at a publishing house is brave enough to take me on. Seems books about rock stars like me don’t sell.

Now, here’s the deal. I guarantee you that if you read my book and get to know me, I’ll head up your list. You’ll buy Susan’s book about me for your friends. Shit, you’ll give it to your worst enemy just because you gotta share me with someone and you just ran out of friends but that’s not gonna stop your cute ass.

Yeah, yeah, publishing’s a business and all that. Who do you think created this fucking band? You think it was that blondie all the girls drool over? No. It was me. Trevor Fucking Wolff.

Trevor knows business.

And I fucking hate people who talk about themselves without using the word I. I’s a great word. Know why? ’cause it’s all about me.

Want to see me in print? Get your asses back here. Lots. Spread the word about this ugly bass player who makes up for it in every single way. Let’s prove to those scaredy-asses that yeah, people want Trevor, and for the length of an entire novel.

Rock stars do sell. We don’t sell out, but we do sell.

I got the Platinum Records on my wall to prove it.

Today (Tuesday), over 300 bloggers, writers, and other luminaries are standing up for one of our own: Patry Francis. You can read a great post about it here. Or here. And 300 or more places, too.

The idea here, gang, is that Patry Francis is too sick with cancer to promote her book. So we’re all pitching in to do it for her.

Like many of us, the road to publication hasn’t come easy. And now to have to face cancer on top of it? C’mon. Give this woman a break already!

Go to that first link I posted and check out the names of the people involved in this. Look at this wonderful, amazing community of people — not just writers and publishing people — who are coming together for one woman.

One woman.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said that it takes one person to start a revolution. And then another.

I’m not much of a follower; you groupies around here know that. But this time, I’m proud to jump on the bandwagon and help spread the word about Patry Francis. It’s not just that she’s got cancer and can’t do the promotional stuff herself. It’s that here’s a writer who’s written a book that sounds terrific. Here’s a woman who has touched many people quite deeply.

Now’s our chance to give back. To say thanks — for the book, for the inspiration that is Patry, for the chance to come together and be part of this revolution.

Go on and pick up The Liar’s Diary. Feel free to use my handy-dandy link right there; it’ll take you to Powell’s bookstore. While you’re there, do another writer a good deed. Pick up a book by a new-to-you author. Need ideas? Check out that list of people participating in today’s Blog Event for Patry. They’re doing her a good turn. Why not do one for them to say thanks?

Here’s the blurb for The Liar’s Diary:
Answering the question of what is more powerful—family or friendship? this debut novel unforgettably shows how far one woman would go to protect either.

They couldn’t be more different, but they form a friendship that will alter both their fates. When Ali Mather blows into town, breaking all the rules and breaking hearts (despite the fact that she is pushing forty), she also makes a mark on an unlikely family. Almost against her will, Jeanne Cross feels drawn to this strangely vibrant woman, a fascination that begins to infect Jeanne’s “perfect” husband as well as their teenaged son.

At the heart of the friendship between Ali and Jeanne are deep-seated emotional needs, vulnerabilities they have each been recording in their diaries. Ali also senses another kind of vulnerability; she believes someone has been entering her house when she is not at home—and not with the usual intentions. What this burglar wants is nothing less than a piece of Ali’s soul.

When a murderer strikes and Jeanne’s son is arrested, we learn that the key to the crime lies in the diaries of two very different women . . . but only one of them is telling the truth. A chilling tour of troubled minds, The Liar’s Diary signals the launch of an immensely talented new novelist who knows just how to keep her readers guessing.

A huge thank you needs to go out to the fearless folk who’ve organized today’s effort to raise awareness of Patry. I hate to think I’d ever be in a position where I couldn’t promote Trevor fully, but it’s nice to hope that you guys would help me out in such a way. You organizers have put a ton of time, energy, and effort into making today’s event happen and while I wish I could list you all, I know myself and I’d forget someone important, or include the wrong people. Really. Go look at Susan’s blog. Thank her and all the others involved. Thank them. One person CAN make a difference. One book sold may not cure cancer, but when those books add up, it can take an awful lot of stress away from someone who doesn’t need any extra stress right now.

Beat this cancer motherfucker, Patry. We’re all pulling for you.

Once again, this week’s Booking Through Thursday made me laugh. Ready?

What’s your favorite book that nobody else has heard of? You know, not Little Women or Huckleberry Finn, not the latest best-seller . . . whether they’ve read them or not, everybody “knows” those books. I’m talking about the best book that, when you tell people that you love it, they go, “Huh? Never heard of it?”

Here’s what’s so giggle-worthy about this question: most of the books I plug are books you’ve never heard of. Not all; a number of you had read A Thread of Grace, Mary Doria Russell’s brilliant novel of Italy during the Holocaust.

But the rest?

Oh, my goodness.

Check out my Library Thing widget over there on the left; it lists only the books I rave about. Go back into my archives and look around at the books I’ve read and loved.

And stay tuned. I’ve got more to come — reading the books no one’s heard of is one of my missions in life.

First for the overdue congratulations: to author Jeanne Marie Laskas, who was one of my non-fiction professors at Pitt once upon a time. This is SO overdue, I’m embarrassed. But I’m mentioning it anyway ’cause I once ran into Ms. Laskas at a metal show. I was all decked out in a pair of cute shorts, topped with a heavy metal t-shirt that Mitchell would try to wheedle away from me if he could. And there is my used-to-be prof, at her first show, sticking out like a sore thumb and friendly as everyone else in the place. I like Jeanne Marie Laskas.

WELL, way back in June, it was reported that her next book sold at auction. There’s no news of it yet on her website, but we can hope for word soon.

And for the winning part… I was thinking the other day that I never win anything, and my luck must be tied to my poor bamboo plant that’s struggling right now. Shows you what I know: I’ve won two online contests!

First was at Stacy’s Place on Earth, where I won a $10 Borders gift card. Can you say new Colleen Gleason next month?

And then the other was at Katrina’s Stone Soup. I won a copy of Nectar from a Stone, by Jane Guill, and some artwork from this very talented author. Cool!

Now if my luck can hold long enough to get Trevor some publishing love, the world will be a happier place. Or if Sid can heal fast. That would be a good thing, too.