The Weekly Update: 4/16/17

 
 

Happy Easter to everyone who is celebrating, and Happy Sunday to everyone who is not 🙂 I have no idea if other people will be around blogging today, but I’m here anyway!

Oh, and of course the guys across the hall have an Easter door decoration lol.

Also, remember I showed you all the picture of the cat that loves belly rubs? Well I was talking to the woman downstairs who takes care of most of the cats (but not that one, he lives with another family nearby), and either there is a third orange cat she doesn’t know about or I’m just special because he doesn’t let her give belly rubs. I like to think I’m just special 😉


Blog/Bookish Updates:

I did a bit of organizing on the blog, removed/renamed some categories, that kind of thing. And I only posted three posts again because of my tennis elbow. I’ll probably be back to four this week though even though it’s still hurting.

Also, last week I asked about what would make a good umbrella term to include graphic novels, manga, webcomics, etc. After a bit of internet research, I think “comic” is the right term. Apparently a graphic novel is something that was written as a whole story all of its own, whereas those collections of issues, like the Saga volumes for example, are, as Greg said last week, trade paperbacks. But they’re all comics since comic is the medium in which the story is told. But in the book blogging community we seem to call everything a graphic novel. So I don’t know if I should go with what’s correct or with what’s most commonly used. I’m afraid if I titled a post “Comic Review: Saga Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples” it would scare people away, thinking I was talking about a single issue or something. Thoughts?

Speaking of comics though, I have fallen down the rabbit hole of webcomics! Seriously I found some lists and now have like 7000 that I want to read. The problem is, most of them aren’t finished, and I’m not the type of reader who can just read one page a week. Maybe that’s the whole point of webcomics, but I just want to read whole stories. Especially since some of them end up getting left hanging when the creator gets too busy with other stuff (i.e. finished ones are safer). I still don’t know how I should count or review some of them, but whatever. I have made it a new goal (as of this week) to stop caring so much about the number of books in my GR challenge, what counts, how to count things, etc. and to just read whatever makes me happy.

Last but not least, I created a book tag and will be posting it on Friday, so come check it out 😀 (I kind of really want to create a whole bunch more book tags like that one now, haha. It’s fun!)

Books I Received for Review:

No new review copies! Which is probably good considering I’ve been reading lots of library books and webcomics and non-review copies lately.

Books I Finished:

Glass Faerie by Rachel Morgan
Starfighter Ch. 3 by Hamlet Machine
Starfighter Ch. 4 by Hamlet Machine
Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell
Chester 5000 XYV: Isabelle & George by Jess Fink
 

Glass Faerie was another good book in the Creepy Hollow series and I got it at the perfect time since I felt like I was about to hit a reading slump. And ok, remember how I complained about Starfighter not being a very good story last week? It got so much better! And I got totally invested. Now I’m bummed that it’ll probably be 2018 before Ch. 5 is finished. Unfortunately Unhooked was a disappointment. But Chester 5000 XYV Vol. 2 was FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. My emotions were all over the place! I was gonna do mini reviews for both the Chester volumes, but I’m gonna have to do full reviews because I have too much to say (i.e. rave about)!

Song/Video of the Week:

No song or video this week.

In Case You Missed It:

– I shared some short but [bitter]sweet poems that I wrote.
– I reviewed Glass Faerie by Rachel Morgan, another great addition to an action- and magic-filled series.
– I reviewed Under a Blood-Red Moon by Stephen Osborne, a M/M urban fantasy with more emotion and action than previous books in the series.

The Sunday Post Link-Up:

Once again, I’m linking up to The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer 🙂

 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

Have you found any great books, music, or videos recently?
What do you think, is there a third orange cat, or am I just special?
Would you be less likely to read a review if you saw, "Comic Review" rather than "Graphic Novel Review"?

 
 
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Your Thoughts

 

44 thoughts on “The Weekly Update: 4/16/17

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  1. Greg

    Happy Easter! Those guys across the hall have it going on with the decorations! Who said guys don’t do that stuff?? And lol about the cat. One of my cats loves belly rubs, he rolls all over the place half the time. Course he also just falls over when you go by, just an attention hound I think lol.

    That’s interesting about the comics! Yeah I go around saying trade paperbacks for a lot of those collections, but honestly I think you’re right- most bloggers call them GN’s I think? It’ll be interesting to see what people say. For me, I’ll read a review either way if it’s a comic I’m interested in- but I can see wanting to get the title right. The only webcomic I read regularly is Order of the Stick (and I’m sooooo behind) but I’m sure there’s a ton of great ones.

    Ooh a book tag! Fun…

    1. Kristen Burns

      Seriously! Think they’ll have 4th of July decorations next? I’ll be disappointed if they don’t lol. And your cat sounds funny, haha. Definitely wants attention!

      I’m afraid it’s the less comic-inclined people who might avoid the word comic. Like, before I started getting into them, I only thought of comics as, like, the superhero ones and stuff like that and probably would’ve not looked at a comic review but idk, the words graphic novel seems more newbie friendly lol. Haven’t heard of Order of the Stick!

      Yep, I had fun doing my tag! Lol.

  2. chucklesthescot

    Not a productive week for me on the reading side of things though I’m progressing with my series read catch up which is good. I keep getting distracted by TV browsing though which is not so good. And my book buying continues without restraint…so what else is new at the Book Cave! Have a good weekend!

    1. Kristen Burns

      As long as you’re enjoying your time it’s all good! Sometimes we all need a break from reading anyway. I think I might be in a bit of a slump or something. Lol books are so hard to resist. Thanks, you too!

  3. Mareli Thalwitzer

    I’m sure you are just special and that is why the cat lets you rub his tummy.

    I need to spend some time on the blog next week. Sorting out and labeling and and and ……Glad you enjoyed those Chester graphic novels. (I had to google and goodreads it now – had no clue what you were talking about!) I will be looking out for your reviews.

    Happy week and I hope your arm is better….!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yay I’m special!

      Lol yeah there’s always something else to do on the blog. It never ends! Thanks! My second review has gotten very fangirly 😛

      Thanks, have a great week!

  4. Lola

    lol, why I am not surprised the neighbors across your hall have Easter decorations. It sounds fun how they put some decoration up for each holiday.
    Maybe that orange cat just likes you and that’s why he lets you give him belly rubs.

    I’ve seen multiple terms around for comics and such, I think comic sounds like a good term to use. Although I think as long as you pick one term people will know what you mean. It’s a bit confusing sometimes to know which terms means what. I don’t see a lot of comic reviews around actually.

    Going with what makes you happy regarding how you count and review them sounds like a good way to go. As that’s the only thing that really matters anyway when it comes to things like that :).

    I was wondering if I would read more books than you this week as I got a lot read, but you still beat me by one book, lol. I read four books this week. The cover for that Chester book looks cute. I am looking forward to your reviews of those. Have a great week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Lol I’m gonna be disappointed if they don’t have a 4th of July decoration since that’s the next US holiday I can think of that will have decor.

      I definitely feel special if it’s just me he likes and lets rub his belly lol.

      I still don’t know what to do. Other people seem to like graphic novel better than comic. I think comic might give people the wrong idea. Even though it’s gonna be weird to refer to webcomics as graphic novels…

      Exactly! It’s not like the GR number counts for anything anyway, and everyone counts different things. So I’m just gonna do what makes me happy.

      To be fair, two of my “books” were webcomic chapters that were less than 100 pages, and one of them was a webcomic that was close to 200 pages or something but didn’t have words. So you probably did read more than me. Thanks, you too!

  5. Samantha

    Happy Easter! I love that the GUYS decorate! You never think of guys doing stuff like that! And of course you are special and thats why only you get to give belly rubs to the cat!
    Have a great week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! And I love it too, especially how they’re breaking stereotypes, haha. And I do like to think I’m just special and the cat just likes me 😛

      Thanks, you too!

  6. Kei @ The Lovely Pages Reviews

    Poetry! I’ll run to read that, I love poetry and I don’t read it nearly as much as I want to. No need to stress yourself over GR, novellas are always a good thing to keep the reading count going and now there’s a re read option which is fantastic since I do a lot of re reading each year.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I love poetry too and yet I rarely read it! Idk, it’s strange. Exactly, the number on GR doesn’t even matter, so I’ll use it to keep track of the things I’m reading, but I’m not gonna worry about what counts and all that.

  7. Evelina

    Happy Easter to you, Kris! How do you celebrate it where you live?
    Awww, so cute about the kitty 😀 course you’re special. I would also come to that conclusion xD
    Yeah, I think graphic novel looks better. Comic really doesn’t do the genre justice, does it :/ comic implies something unserious. I used to draw those, by the way. Used to hate them being called comics too.
    Grats on the no new review copies xD I totally get why that is a good thing!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! And hehe, that is same conclusion I like to believe about the cat 😛 That’s true, comic does sound more unserious.

      Haha, thanks! I’m proud of how good I’ve been doing with not getting too many review copies!

      1. Evelina

        I see most of your comments don’t get a second reply. You’d wonder maybe it goes to other people’s spam folder as well..? I wonder if mine do… blogger nightmares D:

        1. Kristen Burns

          I think most comments in general just don’t get second replies. I mean, I know that I don’t always leave second comments. I mean, I do sometimes, but not always. But yeah, if I never see the blogger’s reply, then I usually just forget, so I hate thinking people might not even be seeing my replies!

            1. Kristen Burns

              I’ve kinda learned to just accept it that sometimes my replies go to spam. If you’re not doing anything spammy and it’s happening because of servers or whatever, then there’s nothing you can do. People who regularly visit will know to check, and some people (like me!) check our spam folders. So I say just try not to worry about it.

  8. Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

    I hope your tennis elbow will stop acting up, Kristen! It sounds so constricting.

    Comics are fun! I feel like once I finish my thesis, I’m only going to read stuff for fun, because I want to – and shy away from anything and everything that feels like it’s compulsory!

    Have a wonderful week ahead and happy reading .

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! It’s definitely frustrating since I can’t get everything done that I want to :-/

      They are fun! And they’re pretty and perfect for when I can’t seem to concentrate on regular books.

      Thanks, you too 🙂

  9. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard

    Interesting dilemma about what to call comics/graphic novels/etc. I mean, some are definitely graphic novels; they’re in a single volume (or sometimes divided into three — but hey, Tolkien did that with The Lord of the Rings, so why not with a graphic novel?) The Tintin books would be graphic novels even though there are a bunch of them, because each one tells a single story. Some are more serialized, like comic books, but with a sturdier binding and usually more pages – Saga seems to fall in that category. I guess, though, that when I hear “comic,” I tend to think of comic books in the classic, flimsy-paper sense.

    1. Kristen Burns

      The thing is, even the ones that are a single volume graphic novel are still comics. Like, all graphic novels are comics, but not all comics are graphic novels. That sort of thing. But yeah, I’m afraid of exactly what you said, that the word comic will bring to mind those classic single issue paper kinds about superheroes and whatnot. That’s probably what I would think of too if I hadn’t started getting more into them and looking up the terms and stuff lol.

  10. Let's Get Beyond Tolerance

    I’d still read a review that said Comic Review, but honestly, I’d either leave it out altogether or just put Graphic Novel because that’s what most people think of when it’s a collection of comics. Up to you though. 🙂

    -Lauren

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah, after all the feedback I’ve gotten, I’m just going to go with graphic novel for everything comic-related since that’s the commonly used term!

  11. Christy LoveOfBooks

    Hope you had a nice Easter. You should decorate your door to celebrate random days and see if they say anything. lol. Aww that’s sweet about the cat. There must be something about you she likes. Have a great week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks, same to you 🙂 Lol oddly enough I rarely actually see the guys, I just kinda pass one in the hall every so often and say hi, so they don’t even know I’m blogging about them and their door decorations 😛

  12. Barb (boxermommyreads)

    I sort of call all those collections graphic novels and even though it’s nice now to know the correct terminology, I’ll still probably call them graphic novels – the word “comic” makes me think of the single issues which I don’t read at all (at least right now). I think you are special regarding the cat with the belly rubs. Sounds like that cat just likes you. I’m pretty sure after looking up tennis elbow last week that’s what I’m suffering from as well. It gets better during the weekend (although doesn’t go away) and then acts up during the week when I type a lot for work. Can’t wait to see your tag. I actually have an original tag going up this week too (and I NEVER make tags) so I’ll be excited to see what anyone thinks. It’s a Prince book tag commemorating his death on Friday (Although I think I have it scheduled for Thursday).

    Hope you have an awesome week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah, I’ll just go with graphic novel since that’s the term everyone seems most comfortable with. Comic kinda makes me think of the single issues too. Lol I do like to think that maybe the cat just likes me 😀 Darn, sorry that you have tennis elbow too now :-/ Typing definitely makes it act up for me too. Oh yay, we’re both posting an original tag this week! I’ll have to check out yours!

      Thanks, you too 🙂

  13. Bookworm Brandee

    Of course you’re special! 😉
    Your dilemma with comic vs graphic novel is interesting. There are certain “books” I refer to as graphic novels rather than comics because that’s how they’re categorized and shelved in the bookstore. I don’t know if using “Comic Review” will scare anyone away…we bloggers are all open-minded, right?!? 😉 I mean, I would never have picked up Saga if not for you, so…
    Take care of yourself and your tennis elbow!

    1. Kristen Burns

      😀

      That’s true about the bookstore thing. I think we are fairly open-minded, but then I used to never be interested in comics and it wasn’t until I started blogging and hearing about graphic novels that I decided to give them a try, so I think we’re still scared off by certain things lol.

      Thanks!

  14. Jane @ Raincity Librarian

    My husband and I are huge webcomic addicts – my husband actually sets a timer at work, he starts his day with 20 minutes of webcomics, then has to swear off them so he doesn’t get too distracted. There are just so many!!!!

  15. S. J. Pajonas

    Happy Easter!! You must have the magic touch with cats. 🙂 Most cats don’t like me, but my parents’ cat always tries to get some lovin’ from me every time I’m there. The blog is looking good! I also want to start reading more webcomics or go back to reading manga. Maybe this summer.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! Lol I actually do seem to be pretty good at getting animals to trust me, so maybe I do have a magic touch. Webcomics are great! I never even knew they existed until recently. And the only manga I’ve read was the Starfighter webcomic, if that counts, but I’d give some other manga a try.

  16. Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity

    I love that your neighbours now have an Easter themed decoration going on. Seriously, why don’t I have cool neighbours like that?

    You read a lot this week, I am very impressed. It sucks Unhooked was a bit disappointing, though. It seemed like it should be a good book but you win some you lose some. I would totally check out any post labelled Comic Review, but I know people can be weird. I didn’t know that about graphic novels/comics, though. I like knowing small things like that. I’m weird I know.

    Have a good week.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I really didn’t read a lot actually. Two of those are just webcomic chapters, and another one was a webcomic with no words. But yeah, I thought it was cool to learn more about the comic terminology so I figured other people might want to know too!

  17. Di @ Book Reviews by Di

    Ha ha! Those guys across the hall 🙂 I think they’re awesome.

    Huh – I didn’t really know what a graphic novel was until now. Interesting!!

    I DEFINIETLY need to check out that Creepy Hollow series. I know I’ve said that before!

    I’m sad that Unhooked was disappointing for you 🙁