So it's Monday. And you're probably saying to yourself, "Hmm...that's odd. Why isn't Gabe doing It's Monday! What Are You Reading?"? There's a very good reason for this. I promise.
I am, in fact, currently working on launching a secondary blog.
Yes, I'm nuts.
Yes, I'm already busy as it is.
Yes, I'm probably going to hate myself for it.
I feel like it's necessary, however. I post about books here seven days a week. I have no real place online to talk about other things--to post essays or non-book-related rants or just general musings about life. I also feel like this blog doesn't give people enough of a chance to get to know me.
In addition to the content you get here seven days a week, I'll be posting on my other blog about other things that I care about. You'll get to find out who I am as a person. Tell me that's not the greatest news you've heard all day. (I'm remarkably humble, aren't I?)
The Mind of Gabe is currently under construction but should be up and running by Tuesday morning, if not sooner.
Even though I'm not participating today, I'm still curious: what are you all reading?
-Gabe
Showing posts with label announcement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label announcement. Show all posts
Monday, October 22, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
In Which I Am Honest and Reveal a Shocking Secret
I have a bit of an announcement to make. Some of you may have already guessed (or at least suspected) what I'm about to tell you all, but for those of you who had no clue, I hope that this doesn't make you rethink your support of me or this blog.
First, I'd like to give props to Jennifer over at The Relentless Reader for this post which made me realize that the time had come for me to be open and honest. As I was submitting my comment on what she had said, I realized that all the time that I've been blogging honestly I've still been lying to my followers. Every single opinion that I have had about a book has been true, but there's been a big glaring lie that I've been blogging under since the beginning and I want to come clean.
My name isn't Gabriel. I write under a pseudonym. Of course, lots of people do that every day. But here's the other part of the lie...and it's kind of a biggie. I'm actually not a guy.
The decision to write under a male alias was made right at the beginning of this blog and it never occurred to me that one day I might regret it. For one thing, there weren't many men who wrote book blogs so writing as a guy set me apart. For another thing, my real name is insanely common, especially among book bloggers, so I figured that the name Gabriel would be more memorable. It also allowed me to have a unique rating system and to write a book blog without being sent tons and tons of requests to read romance novels, which I really, truly despise.
As time went on, however, I realized the drawbacks of not being honest about who I was. I realized that book blogging meant more than reading books and talking about them. It meant conventions and meet-ups and interviews with authors and becoming part of a community. I think one of the main reasons why I started to slowly slip out of the blogging world at the end of last year was because I knew that I wasn't being myself and could therefore not truly be a part of the blogging community.
The main thing that really bothered me about it, though, was that I had to be sort of dishonest when I was reviewing books about certain topics. I couldn't say, "Oh, this appealed to me because I know exactly what this woman went through." I had to tip-toe around subjects with a dismissive, "I have no idea what's going on because I'm a guy," which is so completely false that it made me feel guilty.
My review of Bossypants is a glaring example of that. I didn't like the book and I do feel like it's inaccessible to the male population in some ways and I don't want to read about periods and breastfeeding,. But writing under a male pseudonym made that review slightly difficult to write because there were a lot of things that I could identify with her about (parenthood not being one of them) and I couldn't come out and say that. I've always had to be really careful about what I wrote in order to keep up the pretense of being a guy, making every word I write important, and keeping me on my toes as I edited. It got exhausting after awhile, to be honest.
After my boyfriend coaxed me back into blogging I kept saying things to him like, "I feel like I need to say something about this," or "Maybe I should just tell the truth." His reaction was to say, "Do what you feel is right." At first I thought that that was going to be just writing under this assumed identity for the rest of time and never saying anything. But when Jennifer's post came in my reader today I realized that the time had come to step forward and say something before I slipped...or before I signed up to do something in real life that would have revealed my true identity anyway.
I feel bad that I misled people. With all of the outrage last year over the "lesbian bloggers" who were really men and the public outcry over Greg Mortensen and James Frey being less than truthful, is it any wonder that I feel like a heel admitting to everyone that I'm not who I've been saying that I am? Do I think that what I did is horrible? No. My reviews are always truthful and honest (with the exception of anytime that I've ever said something like, "As a guy..."), as are the stories that I've told about my life and the opinions that I have about the world. My writing was just colored by the alias that I had assumed in order to write this blog.
I'm terrified that I'm going to lose followers over this, but I'm asking my readers and my fellow book bloggers for forgiveness. I'm still the same smart-ass reviewer that you know and love. That's never going to change simply because I've admitted that I have different body parts than you've been led to believe. I feel sort of free now, like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I'm just hoping this doesn't came back to bite me in the butt.
Now about the title of this blog and everything that goes along with it. I like the title. And I like the way that I review books (i.e., the Gabriel Scale). One of the main reasons why I chose to write under an alias in the first place was because of the fact that I talk openly about a lot of things, including my job, and I didn't want the hassle if someone found out who I was. And I'm serious when I tell you that pretty much every third person in the world shares my real name. But I also really want to be able to do things like BEA without people going, "Wait, who are you? No, really. Who are you?" So I was torn between leaving things the way that they are or changing this blog to reflect who I truly am.
In the end, the best thing for me to do is, of course, is to change the blog. Not the structure of it or the way that I write or anything like that. I'm currently looking for a new blog title (all of the clever ways to use "bibliophile" are taken) and will be changing the way that I rate books. If I don't get that done before this weekend's Bloggiesta, then that'll be added to the list of things to do. There's a lot of stuff to do in order to right all of this, but in the meantime stick with me. There are reviews coming (I've already scheduled my review of The Hobbit) and I have plans for where I'd like to take this blog in the future.
Again, I apologize for my dishonesty. I truly value each and every person that I've met through this blog and I hope that you will understand what I did and why I did it.
Sincerely (and honestly),
Jen (see, I told you it was a common name!)
First, I'd like to give props to Jennifer over at The Relentless Reader for this post which made me realize that the time had come for me to be open and honest. As I was submitting my comment on what she had said, I realized that all the time that I've been blogging honestly I've still been lying to my followers. Every single opinion that I have had about a book has been true, but there's been a big glaring lie that I've been blogging under since the beginning and I want to come clean.
My name isn't Gabriel. I write under a pseudonym. Of course, lots of people do that every day. But here's the other part of the lie...and it's kind of a biggie. I'm actually not a guy.
The decision to write under a male alias was made right at the beginning of this blog and it never occurred to me that one day I might regret it. For one thing, there weren't many men who wrote book blogs so writing as a guy set me apart. For another thing, my real name is insanely common, especially among book bloggers, so I figured that the name Gabriel would be more memorable. It also allowed me to have a unique rating system and to write a book blog without being sent tons and tons of requests to read romance novels, which I really, truly despise.
As time went on, however, I realized the drawbacks of not being honest about who I was. I realized that book blogging meant more than reading books and talking about them. It meant conventions and meet-ups and interviews with authors and becoming part of a community. I think one of the main reasons why I started to slowly slip out of the blogging world at the end of last year was because I knew that I wasn't being myself and could therefore not truly be a part of the blogging community.
The main thing that really bothered me about it, though, was that I had to be sort of dishonest when I was reviewing books about certain topics. I couldn't say, "Oh, this appealed to me because I know exactly what this woman went through." I had to tip-toe around subjects with a dismissive, "I have no idea what's going on because I'm a guy," which is so completely false that it made me feel guilty.
My review of Bossypants is a glaring example of that. I didn't like the book and I do feel like it's inaccessible to the male population in some ways and I don't want to read about periods and breastfeeding,. But writing under a male pseudonym made that review slightly difficult to write because there were a lot of things that I could identify with her about (parenthood not being one of them) and I couldn't come out and say that. I've always had to be really careful about what I wrote in order to keep up the pretense of being a guy, making every word I write important, and keeping me on my toes as I edited. It got exhausting after awhile, to be honest.
After my boyfriend coaxed me back into blogging I kept saying things to him like, "I feel like I need to say something about this," or "Maybe I should just tell the truth." His reaction was to say, "Do what you feel is right." At first I thought that that was going to be just writing under this assumed identity for the rest of time and never saying anything. But when Jennifer's post came in my reader today I realized that the time had come to step forward and say something before I slipped...or before I signed up to do something in real life that would have revealed my true identity anyway.
I feel bad that I misled people. With all of the outrage last year over the "lesbian bloggers" who were really men and the public outcry over Greg Mortensen and James Frey being less than truthful, is it any wonder that I feel like a heel admitting to everyone that I'm not who I've been saying that I am? Do I think that what I did is horrible? No. My reviews are always truthful and honest (with the exception of anytime that I've ever said something like, "As a guy..."), as are the stories that I've told about my life and the opinions that I have about the world. My writing was just colored by the alias that I had assumed in order to write this blog.
I'm terrified that I'm going to lose followers over this, but I'm asking my readers and my fellow book bloggers for forgiveness. I'm still the same smart-ass reviewer that you know and love. That's never going to change simply because I've admitted that I have different body parts than you've been led to believe. I feel sort of free now, like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I'm just hoping this doesn't came back to bite me in the butt.
Now about the title of this blog and everything that goes along with it. I like the title. And I like the way that I review books (i.e., the Gabriel Scale). One of the main reasons why I chose to write under an alias in the first place was because of the fact that I talk openly about a lot of things, including my job, and I didn't want the hassle if someone found out who I was. And I'm serious when I tell you that pretty much every third person in the world shares my real name. But I also really want to be able to do things like BEA without people going, "Wait, who are you? No, really. Who are you?" So I was torn between leaving things the way that they are or changing this blog to reflect who I truly am.
In the end, the best thing for me to do is, of course, is to change the blog. Not the structure of it or the way that I write or anything like that. I'm currently looking for a new blog title (all of the clever ways to use "bibliophile" are taken) and will be changing the way that I rate books. If I don't get that done before this weekend's Bloggiesta, then that'll be added to the list of things to do. There's a lot of stuff to do in order to right all of this, but in the meantime stick with me. There are reviews coming (I've already scheduled my review of The Hobbit) and I have plans for where I'd like to take this blog in the future.
Again, I apologize for my dishonesty. I truly value each and every person that I've met through this blog and I hope that you will understand what I did and why I did it.
Sincerely (and honestly),
Jen (see, I told you it was a common name!)
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
I'm Alive!
Hey everyone!
Still not back online. In fact, my computer charger died so I couldn't use my computer even if I wanted to. I am, however, planning on spending some time in the library this week posting things that should have been posted already (i.e., my reviews of The Book Thief and A Study in Scarlet, as well as my review of the film A Clockwork Orange.) I've also just posted the July link-up for the challenge I'm hosting.
I got several comments in the last week and I simply don't have time to answer them today (I'm currently at work and have been busy since I got here three hours ago), but I might do so later this week. Thanks to everyone for being so awesome and supportive and still reading my old posts while I'm away. I miss blogging a ton and am looking forward to getting back into it, however irregular my posts may be for the time being.
I have two exciting announcements to make:
1) I reached 10,000 page views while I was away! I told you I'd do some more blogger recognition in honor of that milestone and I will, just not until probably Thursday.
2) I reached 100 followers! In the last three months I've managed to get 100 of you to admit to reading my posts. :) I know that a lot of blogs do a giveaway when they reach that number and I'm currently considering doing one of my own, I'm just trying to figure out what exactly to give away as I currently have no ARCs or anything. I'll get back to about it by next week.
In short: I'll be posting some things later this week and you might get a chance to win free stuff. I'd say that's pretty awesome.
-Gabe
Still not back online. In fact, my computer charger died so I couldn't use my computer even if I wanted to. I am, however, planning on spending some time in the library this week posting things that should have been posted already (i.e., my reviews of The Book Thief and A Study in Scarlet, as well as my review of the film A Clockwork Orange.) I've also just posted the July link-up for the challenge I'm hosting.
I got several comments in the last week and I simply don't have time to answer them today (I'm currently at work and have been busy since I got here three hours ago), but I might do so later this week. Thanks to everyone for being so awesome and supportive and still reading my old posts while I'm away. I miss blogging a ton and am looking forward to getting back into it, however irregular my posts may be for the time being.
I have two exciting announcements to make:
1) I reached 10,000 page views while I was away! I told you I'd do some more blogger recognition in honor of that milestone and I will, just not until probably Thursday.
2) I reached 100 followers! In the last three months I've managed to get 100 of you to admit to reading my posts. :) I know that a lot of blogs do a giveaway when they reach that number and I'm currently considering doing one of my own, I'm just trying to figure out what exactly to give away as I currently have no ARCs or anything. I'll get back to about it by next week.
In short: I'll be posting some things later this week and you might get a chance to win free stuff. I'd say that's pretty awesome.
-Gabe
Monday, June 27, 2011
Woe Is Me...
The neighbor that I was sharing internet with has moved and I'm having trouble setting up a connection to my other neighbor's internet at the moment. When I can finally catch her I'll see if she can't figure out what the issue is and hopefully I'll have a connection at home again. For the time being, I'll only be able to use the internet at work or, when I have time, when I go to someplace that has a wireless connection. This means, of course, that posting will be hard and replying to comments even harder. I'm hoping to have this all figured out by the end of the week, though.
Until then, I'm still reading so I'll have some reviews to post in the near future. I still have to review the film of A Clockwork Orange and I haven't written one yet for The Book Thief. Those will both be up this week.
I won't be participating in memes this week and Wildcard Wednesday is canceled. Other than that, there's not much to report. I gave up on Tess of the D'Urbervilles and am replacing it with A Study in Scarlet. I've still got a few more books to get through this month, so we'll see how it all goes.
Hoping to be back with regular posts soon!
-Gabe
Until then, I'm still reading so I'll have some reviews to post in the near future. I still have to review the film of A Clockwork Orange and I haven't written one yet for The Book Thief. Those will both be up this week.
I won't be participating in memes this week and Wildcard Wednesday is canceled. Other than that, there's not much to report. I gave up on Tess of the D'Urbervilles and am replacing it with A Study in Scarlet. I've still got a few more books to get through this month, so we'll see how it all goes.
Hoping to be back with regular posts soon!
-Gabe
Friday, June 24, 2011
*Insert Sheepish Explanation Here*
So, this space right here? Yeah, it was supposed to contain a review of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange which I reread, um, five days ago. What does it contain instead? My reasons for why it doesn't contain the aforementioned review.
1) I just spent literally all of yesterday running around trying to pay bills and start the process of acquiring a new car. I left my apartment at around 10 AM on Thursday and didn't get back home until 11 PM. There is good news to report, though. My electric bill is paid, as is my car payment, and my insurance company is willing to take me back even though they cancelled my policy because of my non-payment of last month's bill (damn poverty). The guy that I got my current P.O.S. car from is willing to trade it in for a new car...as long as I can get a loan. With my credit, it might not happen, but we'll see. On a bad note, I found out that it's not my transmission (which is good, obviously), but my CV joints and a few other things that for some strange reason didn't get fixed the last time I had my car in the shop...despite the fact that those problems were probably present at the time and I spent $3,000 dollars to get it fixed. Yeah, not happy. Personal rant over. Just...think happy thoughts that I can get this new(er) car.
2) I read A Clockwork Orange for the Books to Movies Challenge that Two Bibliomaniacs is hosting and it just dawned on me last night that I haven't yet re-watched the film in order to review that as well. I have the day off today and, after yesterday's marathon driving-fest, I'm determined not to leave my house unless I absolutely have to. I'll be watching the film then and will (hopefully) have a review of the book and film up on Saturday and Sunday.
3) I'm still not very far into Tess of the D'Urbervilles and I want to get at least halfway done with it before I post my reviews of ACO and The Book Thief.
So, there you have it. A slice of my life and a few reasons why I slacked off last night. I should have my Book Blogger Hop post up later today. Also, you still have until just before midnight on Saturday to add your Wild Card Wednesday post if you so choose.
-Gabe
1) I just spent literally all of yesterday running around trying to pay bills and start the process of acquiring a new car. I left my apartment at around 10 AM on Thursday and didn't get back home until 11 PM. There is good news to report, though. My electric bill is paid, as is my car payment, and my insurance company is willing to take me back even though they cancelled my policy because of my non-payment of last month's bill (damn poverty). The guy that I got my current P.O.S. car from is willing to trade it in for a new car...as long as I can get a loan. With my credit, it might not happen, but we'll see. On a bad note, I found out that it's not my transmission (which is good, obviously), but my CV joints and a few other things that for some strange reason didn't get fixed the last time I had my car in the shop...despite the fact that those problems were probably present at the time and I spent $3,000 dollars to get it fixed. Yeah, not happy. Personal rant over. Just...think happy thoughts that I can get this new(er) car.
2) I read A Clockwork Orange for the Books to Movies Challenge that Two Bibliomaniacs is hosting and it just dawned on me last night that I haven't yet re-watched the film in order to review that as well. I have the day off today and, after yesterday's marathon driving-fest, I'm determined not to leave my house unless I absolutely have to. I'll be watching the film then and will (hopefully) have a review of the book and film up on Saturday and Sunday.
3) I'm still not very far into Tess of the D'Urbervilles and I want to get at least halfway done with it before I post my reviews of ACO and The Book Thief.
So, there you have it. A slice of my life and a few reasons why I slacked off last night. I should have my Book Blogger Hop post up later today. Also, you still have until just before midnight on Saturday to add your Wild Card Wednesday post if you so choose.
-Gabe
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Obligatory Morning Post
After all of the posting that I did yesterday because of the read-a-thon, I'm just going to give a small update this morning.
*I'm currently reading A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess and will be watching/reviewing the film this week as well.
*Expect reviews of Tom Sawyer, Fragile Things, and Out of the Silent Planet on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week.
*The neighbors that I've been sharing internet with for the last year or so are moving on Tuesday and I still haven't figured out a replacement yet. I'm going to be trying to preschedule posts earlier in the day while I'm at work but for the foreseeable future I may not be participating in as many memes nor will I be able to necessarily reply to comments as they come. I WILL reply to them, but it may all be in one go once a day. I'm in the process of finding alternate internet as we speak, so it shouldn't be too long before things are back to normal.
-Gabe
*I'm currently reading A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess and will be watching/reviewing the film this week as well.
*Expect reviews of Tom Sawyer, Fragile Things, and Out of the Silent Planet on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week.
*The neighbors that I've been sharing internet with for the last year or so are moving on Tuesday and I still haven't figured out a replacement yet. I'm going to be trying to preschedule posts earlier in the day while I'm at work but for the foreseeable future I may not be participating in as many memes nor will I be able to necessarily reply to comments as they come. I WILL reply to them, but it may all be in one go once a day. I'm in the process of finding alternate internet as we speak, so it shouldn't be too long before things are back to normal.
-Gabe
Thursday, June 16, 2011
8,000 Page Views!
Yesterday, I passed 8,000 hits and am already well on my way to 8,500! As I'm broke at the moment, I know that I won't be able to do a giveaway for 10,000 page hits (which will hopefully happen sometime this month or the next). I do, however, have some really awesome blogs that I follow and I like to give them shout-outs from time to time. What better time to do it than in a celebratory atmosphere?
Here are 8 blogs that I follow that definitely deserve a second look. Some of them are book blogs, some are not, but all are worth reading. In no particular order:
1) Nylon Admiral (Kayleigh): Currently hosting a weekly Harry Potter Countdown, Kayleigh's blog is always full of great reviews, fun fan art, and all-around awesome. We tend to have exactly the same opinion on pretty much everything, so she's quickly become one of my favorite bloggers. She's got great taste in books and a wonderful sense of humor.
2) A Not So Ridiculous Education (Nonners): Nonners also has a book blog that I follow, but A Not So Ridiculous Education is a unique blog that is following her progress through a book she's studying from called Omnibus I. She's a deeply religious person but she still manages to put up with me and I admire her for that. A lot of the questions she posts on this blog are thought-provoking whether you're religious or not and she's always looking for people to contribute their opinions and ideas on what she's studying. Just remember to be respectful and open-minded.
3) Bibary Bookslut (Sally): I recently discovered this blog (last month, I think?) but already it's become one that I check often. As one of the only book bloggers I've found who focuses on LGBT literature, Bibary Bookslut has introduced me to books that I never knew existed and often tackles difficult topics that really matter, regardless of your gender or sexual orientation. Enter this blog with an open mind and I think you'll like what you find. (Did NOT mean for that to rhyme.)
4) Curiosity Killed the Bookworm (Ellie): I've been following Ellie's blog for several months and I love the way she reviews books. She really takes time to explore how she feels about them and she mixes that with an honest and matter-of-fact review style. If she loved something, you'll know it; if she didn't, well, you'll know that, too. Her TBR list is also full of great reads that I'm looking forward to hearing her opinions on.
5) Two Bibliomaniacs (Erin and Evan): This couple reads books like it's their job. Their funny and insightful reviews are always fun to read and they've even got an awesome challenge going on right now. I enjoy not only the fact that they read from a variety of genres, but also that many of their reviews are joint reviews, with each of them giving a separate rating. It's two reviews for the price of one...or something like that.
6) Dead End Follies (Ben): Dead End Follies is a one-stop-shop of sorts. The guy who runs it reviews books, films, music, etc., and he discusses topics from all over the pop culture sphere. Funny, irreverent, and sometimes controversial(ish), Ben's blog never fails to disappoint. It doesn't hurt that he's also one of the few male bloggers I've found out there as well. Kind of makes me feel better to know that I'm not alone in a (sorry, ladies) sea of estrogen.
7) This Week at the Library (smellincoffee): Another of the few male book bloggers out there, This Week at the Library features reviews of books on every conceivable topic. This guy reads everything and then writes short, to-the-point reviews that leave the reader wanting more without knowing too much about what they'll be going into. (Unlike me, who drones on and on about books for seventy-five paragraphs.)
8) Conor P. Dempsey (Conor): Science fiction writer Conor P. Dempsey is funny, nerdy, and relevant all at the same time. He talks about reading, writing, technology, science fiction, film...pretty much anything he likes, really. His posts are often thoughtful and thought-provoking and are always entertaining.
If you're not on the list above, it doesn't mean that I don't enjoy your blog. It simply means that I only had eight slots to fill. :) When I hit 10,000 page views I'll be giving shout-outs to ten completely different bloggers.
So, now for some housekeeping:
-I've finally posted the link to the "Books I Should Have Read By Now" link-up. It's on the right sidebar underneath my rating system.
-Links are still accepted for this week's Wild Card Wednesday until Saturday at 11:59 PM (EST). Everyone's welcome to join!
-I'll be participating in the Spring into Summer Readathon this weekend. I'm hoping to get through four books but it'll probably be closer to two. Either way, it means more reviews for you next week!
-I'm almost finished reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach and am still plodding through my reread of Imajica by Clive Barker. I think Imajica will end up being a month-long project. I'm not sure what happened but I wasn't able to plow through it in two days like I was the last time I read it.
-Gabe
Here are 8 blogs that I follow that definitely deserve a second look. Some of them are book blogs, some are not, but all are worth reading. In no particular order:
1) Nylon Admiral (Kayleigh): Currently hosting a weekly Harry Potter Countdown, Kayleigh's blog is always full of great reviews, fun fan art, and all-around awesome. We tend to have exactly the same opinion on pretty much everything, so she's quickly become one of my favorite bloggers. She's got great taste in books and a wonderful sense of humor.
2) A Not So Ridiculous Education (Nonners): Nonners also has a book blog that I follow, but A Not So Ridiculous Education is a unique blog that is following her progress through a book she's studying from called Omnibus I. She's a deeply religious person but she still manages to put up with me and I admire her for that. A lot of the questions she posts on this blog are thought-provoking whether you're religious or not and she's always looking for people to contribute their opinions and ideas on what she's studying. Just remember to be respectful and open-minded.
3) Bibary Bookslut (Sally): I recently discovered this blog (last month, I think?) but already it's become one that I check often. As one of the only book bloggers I've found who focuses on LGBT literature, Bibary Bookslut has introduced me to books that I never knew existed and often tackles difficult topics that really matter, regardless of your gender or sexual orientation. Enter this blog with an open mind and I think you'll like what you find. (Did NOT mean for that to rhyme.)
4) Curiosity Killed the Bookworm (Ellie): I've been following Ellie's blog for several months and I love the way she reviews books. She really takes time to explore how she feels about them and she mixes that with an honest and matter-of-fact review style. If she loved something, you'll know it; if she didn't, well, you'll know that, too. Her TBR list is also full of great reads that I'm looking forward to hearing her opinions on.
5) Two Bibliomaniacs (Erin and Evan): This couple reads books like it's their job. Their funny and insightful reviews are always fun to read and they've even got an awesome challenge going on right now. I enjoy not only the fact that they read from a variety of genres, but also that many of their reviews are joint reviews, with each of them giving a separate rating. It's two reviews for the price of one...or something like that.
6) Dead End Follies (Ben): Dead End Follies is a one-stop-shop of sorts. The guy who runs it reviews books, films, music, etc., and he discusses topics from all over the pop culture sphere. Funny, irreverent, and sometimes controversial(ish), Ben's blog never fails to disappoint. It doesn't hurt that he's also one of the few male bloggers I've found out there as well. Kind of makes me feel better to know that I'm not alone in a (sorry, ladies) sea of estrogen.
7) This Week at the Library (smellincoffee): Another of the few male book bloggers out there, This Week at the Library features reviews of books on every conceivable topic. This guy reads everything and then writes short, to-the-point reviews that leave the reader wanting more without knowing too much about what they'll be going into. (Unlike me, who drones on and on about books for seventy-five paragraphs.)
8) Conor P. Dempsey (Conor): Science fiction writer Conor P. Dempsey is funny, nerdy, and relevant all at the same time. He talks about reading, writing, technology, science fiction, film...pretty much anything he likes, really. His posts are often thoughtful and thought-provoking and are always entertaining.
If you're not on the list above, it doesn't mean that I don't enjoy your blog. It simply means that I only had eight slots to fill. :) When I hit 10,000 page views I'll be giving shout-outs to ten completely different bloggers.
So, now for some housekeeping:
-I've finally posted the link to the "Books I Should Have Read By Now" link-up. It's on the right sidebar underneath my rating system.
-Links are still accepted for this week's Wild Card Wednesday until Saturday at 11:59 PM (EST). Everyone's welcome to join!
-I'll be participating in the Spring into Summer Readathon this weekend. I'm hoping to get through four books but it'll probably be closer to two. Either way, it means more reviews for you next week!
-I'm almost finished reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach and am still plodding through my reread of Imajica by Clive Barker. I think Imajica will end up being a month-long project. I'm not sure what happened but I wasn't able to plow through it in two days like I was the last time I read it.
-Gabe
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Gabriel Reads Is Now on Tumblr!
I got the idea to do this from Kayleigh at Nylon Admiral, who just launched her own Tumblr as a companion to her book blog. This week I'm reading Imajica by Clive Barker, which is a great book but is also HUGE, and I feel kind of guilty just posting memes because I have no review to write yet. Gabriel Reads on Tumblr is basically just a place for me to post quotes, pics, thoughts, etc.--anything to do with my current read (or reading in general) that doesn't really need a whole post to itself. This way you'll have something to read other than my daily memes while I read huge books or (like last week) take small breaks from reading.
Feel free to follow!
Also, don't forget that today is Wild Card Wednesday!
-Gabe
Feel free to follow!
Also, don't forget that today is Wild Card Wednesday!
-Gabe
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Update!
While I've still managed to blog every day this week, things have been pretty dead around here review-wise. In between a three day weekend, work, and carting people around all week, I haven't had much time to read. Nor, really, have I had much of an inclination to do so. I'm happy to report, however, that I'm about 200-odd pages into my reread of Clive Barker's Imajica--which would be so much more impressive if the book wasn't over 800 pages long. I've removed a few books from my list this month and am taking part in a two-day read-a-thon, so I should still manage to post at least 10 or 11 reviews this month. I've just gotten off on the wrong foot, I guess.
I also have two announcements:
1) I just hit 80 followers yesterday!
2) Although I'm no longer accepting awards due to not having the time to do all the requirements that go along with them, I wanted to send you all over to Bibary Bookshelf, run by Sally Sapphire, who just awarded me the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award. With its focus on LGBT literature, Bibary Bookshelf is a blog that's right up my proverbial alley, and I'm glad that she thought of me.
And now back to reading.
-Gabe
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Road Trip!
As some of you know, I'll be going on a road trip this week. It's only going to be for a few days but I decided that this would be a good opportunity for me to take the week off from blogging, catch up on some reading and other real world stuff, and, I don't know, sleep.
You may have noticed that this last week a lot of my posts were a little bit...lackluster. That's because I have a huge surprise planned for next week and I've been working diligently on getting the posts for Monday-Sunday just right. I can't tell you what it is, so you'll just have to wait until Monday morning at 10 am to find out, but I'm hoping that you'll like it.
I won't be as prompt at responding to comments as I have been, but I will get around to answering them when I get back into town so feel free to leave me comments and responses to my posts. I can't promise that I'll be checking your blogs next week either, so don't feel slighted. You know I love all of your blogs and I'll be back to reading them as soon as possible.
I also will not be participating in the following events this coming week:
*It's Monday! What Are You Reading?
*Top Ten Tuesday
*Three Books Thursday
*Literary Blog Hop
*Book Blogger Hop
I know that in doing so I'm giving up a chance to grab new followers next week but I've been blogging every day for almost two months straight now and I think I'm allowed a short break. Starting on Monday, May 9th, everything will be back to normal. For now, enjoy the surprise I've left for you and maybe tell your friends how awesome I am so that I can still nab some followers despite being on vacation. :)
Hopefully I'll get caught up on my reading too so you'll have tons of reviews to read in the coming weeks.
-Gabe
You may have noticed that this last week a lot of my posts were a little bit...lackluster. That's because I have a huge surprise planned for next week and I've been working diligently on getting the posts for Monday-Sunday just right. I can't tell you what it is, so you'll just have to wait until Monday morning at 10 am to find out, but I'm hoping that you'll like it.
I won't be as prompt at responding to comments as I have been, but I will get around to answering them when I get back into town so feel free to leave me comments and responses to my posts. I can't promise that I'll be checking your blogs next week either, so don't feel slighted. You know I love all of your blogs and I'll be back to reading them as soon as possible.
I also will not be participating in the following events this coming week:
*It's Monday! What Are You Reading?
*Top Ten Tuesday
*Three Books Thursday
*Literary Blog Hop
*Book Blogger Hop
I know that in doing so I'm giving up a chance to grab new followers next week but I've been blogging every day for almost two months straight now and I think I'm allowed a short break. Starting on Monday, May 9th, everything will be back to normal. For now, enjoy the surprise I've left for you and maybe tell your friends how awesome I am so that I can still nab some followers despite being on vacation. :)
Hopefully I'll get caught up on my reading too so you'll have tons of reviews to read in the coming weeks.
-Gabe
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