As my most of my bloggy friends and followers know, I rarely DNF books, but I also rarely review entire series on this blog. That's not to say that I don't actually read the entire series most of the time. It's simply indicative of the volume of books that I read and review. However, there are times when I stop reading book series, and while I generally hate to do it, it's also what ends up keeping me sane. 

Over the past four years of book blogging, I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly, and I've learned that there isn't always a ton of merit in forcing yourself to read something your heart and mind just aren't feeling. Take, for example, Sophie Jordan's Firelight series. I absolutely loved the first installment of the series, but I felt that my excitement began to wane after the first series, and I got to a place where I honestly felt almost ambivalent about the book. Does that mean the following books in the series were bad? Heck no. It did, however, mean that I wasn't completely invested in the series anymore, and I doubt that I would be able to objectively read and review the novel after that. 

There are a lot of other factors that will make me discontinue series, as well, though. In the case of The Mortal Instruments series, I enjoyed the setup and the first four novels of the series, but I grew tired of the incessant repetition of the same storyline throughout. In the case of Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series, I stopped reading after Crescendo because I felt that the characters weren't actually evolving in any good manner. In fact, I felt as though Patch, in particular, was regressing into this shell of what I once really fell for as a character. In terms of the Shiver series by Maggie Stiefvater, I didn't actually read past Linger because even though I felt the second installment was stronger than the first, I still didn't believe the first book actually had to be a lead in to a series.

Generally speaking though, if an author wants to captivate me and keep me invested in a series, this is what I'm always on the lookout for:

• Consistency throughout - I want to know that while, yes, things are evolving and changing, we're still following the hook and the original characters with whom we first interacted.
• Growth of the characters - It's great to give us characters that we love in the first installment of a series, but I want to see these characters transform into something bigger, better and more powerful.
• Reason - This might seem like a confusing one, but it really isn't. I need a reason, or a motivation why this series is continuing, which will be the driving force behind the series.
• A build in power - It's great to have a solid setup and action in the first book, but if you start well, I want to see each installment get even better and more enticing.
• Expansion of the plot - There is something to be said for the original plot morphing into something bigger and more "all-encompassing." Raise the stakes, and I'm guaranteed more investment.

I never actually enjoy abandoning book series, and more often than not, I'll give them a go at a later day again, but sometimes it just isn't worth it. Just a few examples of series that have me hooked and kept (or still keep) me reading are the Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin, The Lying Game by Sara Shepard and the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. And, it must be said, the reason I read the entire Redwall series from Brian Jacques long past my youth was simply because it never wavered or faltered, but it continued to deliver the same recipe for success again and again.

What makes you quit a book series and/or what makes you remain invested?

I took a pretty hefty hiatus last year from the blog, and when I returned, I was quite surprised to find this quiet, steady little genre that I'd only previously heard inklings of had exploded into the next big thing. For some reason though, despite the fact that I really wanted to lose myself in the new adult (NA) genre, as well, I felt a significant disconnect, and I haven't been able to bring myself to read past a few failed attempts at reading the NA genre.

I'd never be so bold as to say that there is anything wrong with the genre because it's clearly exploding. Authors like Cora Carmack, Jamie McGuire and Colleen Hoover are now household names because they've bridged that gap between YA and adult books, and I think that's awesome. I'll be the first person to say that something was seriously lacking there because we saw YA ending at 17, and then we kind of watched it taper off, losing a lot of potential stories in the process. 

In 2009, St. Martin's Press sought out something new that read similarly to young adult fiction, but could be marketed to a more adult crowd, hence a changing in the perception of adult novels and developing a diverse "new adult" market. Guys, I'm all for NA books! Truly, I am. I think it's fantastic when publishers and authors can recognize that something is missing on the market and offer something to entice new readers who might have otherwise felt overlooked. 

Here's my thing though...from my perspective, I found a lot of the NA books I tried to simply be hyper-sexualized purely for the sake of giving readers more than we might find in YA. Yes, I realize that my viewpoint is narrow, and I'm missing out on a lot of great stories, which is why I'm actually posting this. I think the new adult fiction has an incredible and fairly untapped potential. Some authors have truly captured the essence of this coming-of-age genre in which characters discover life in the real world, sexual experiences and true growth. Others, however, (and perhaps just the few ones I've read) took the genre at face-value, giving us alpha-males with meek women, an over-abundance of sex and little growth.

What I'm hoping to discover in starting to delve into the genre is a wide range of stories that offer all of the above and more. I'd love to read a book with a female (or male) protagonist that's discovering the trials and tribulations of life as a new adult. I want to watch these characters really delve into their true characters, learning about who they are as individuals, who they are in relationships and what they have to offer all those around them. I want to see tasteful, exciting discoveries in which these characters really come into their own as adults - and I want to hopefully not see all these things too heavily blanketed in a plethora of just sex.

So, lovely readers, lay it on me. What new adult titles have you read that really surprised you with their depth and insight? Trust me, I really do want to set aside my self-imposed aversion to the genre!

Let's Talk is a weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

What are some of your favourite book blogs, and what makes you continue going back to them time and again?

When I first started blogging three years ago, I can honestly say that I had absolutely zero clue what I was doing. Frankly, I probably still really don't, and I'm just fooling myself, but I have come to realize that I do have a series of blogs and bloggers that I can turn to time and time again for the best and most honest book recommendations. A lot of these bloggers have been around for a while. They know how to review these days. Not all of them, however,ave been. Some are newer, but their individual voices really stand out from the crowd, and that's what makes them most unique to me. 

Now, first of all, let me make this clear...this is in no way a measure of the best blogs out there. I want bloggers to share their favourites because I tend to get wrapped up in the blogs that I've always known, and I'm always looking to find new blogs to follow and learn from. It is my sincere hope that by doing so, I can expand the realm of blogs that I visit every day and, perhaps, do the same for you! So, in no particular order, some of my absolute favourite blogs that I cannot help but visit every day are: 

Supernatural Snark has been an absolute favourite of mine for almost three years now. I kid you not. I visit this blog without fail every day, and even when I took an 8-month hiatus from the book blogosphere, you better believe I kept visiting this blog for fantastic recommendations every single day. Jenny is a hilarious blogger full of opinions, fantastic insight and, yes, snark. I don't know what I'd do without this blog...seriously. I'd probably wither away and die. Melodramatic? Yes. True? Hell yes. Proud to call this blogger a dear, dear friend. 

I'm a fairly new follower of The Reader's Den, but I have to say that it's an incredibly impressive blog. Rachel and Jasprit have insightful reviews and features every single day, and I'm never disappointed. I know I can count on these girls for their true opinions on books and, most of all, they challenge me to push my own reading boundaries, convincing me that there are titles out there that I might be prejudiced against, but I should probably read. Stat. If you haven't visited them yet...do it. You will love it!

I think that Into the Hall of Books is one of those blogs that needs to be shouted from the rooftops. I'm not kidding. I don't even remember how I stumbled across Asheley's blog, but I was immediately blown away by the depth of her reviews. Colour me nuts, but I have a penchant for long, thorough reviews, and you will find plenty of those on her blog. She's been hard at work convincing me to try NA, and I think she might just have finally convinced me to do so. (Well done, Asheley!) But seriously...if you want to stretch your reading horizons, visit her blog.

Now, there are a million other great blogs out there that I want to mention, as well, but to keep from over-professing my undying love for you all, some other great ones you must try are YA Book Queen, Nick's Book Blog, Anna Reads, Alison Can Read, GReads, Words Like Silver, The Book Swarm and a zillion more. Guys, not all these bloggers review solely YA, and that's why I love them. Some of these bloggers convinced me to try contemps. Some of them have mentored me from the start. And, some of them are new finds that I really hope will endure for a very long time.

What about you? What book blogs do you love to visit time and again? Sharing is caring, and I need more blogs to visit and learn from!

Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

What books have intimidated you in the past & what (if anything) made you read them or deterred you from trying?

This is a multi-part question, and I meant it to be that way because I think all of these things go hand-in-hand with one another. There are so many books out there on the shelves these days, it's an impossibility to even consider trying to read them all. So, instead, we find what works for us and what doesn't, and we develop our own relationship with reading and reviewing books. In most cases, this works beautifully. In some cases, however, I know that my preconceived notions have deterred me from reading incredible books.

Take, for example, Raw Blue. From day one of my blog, I made it pretty darn clear to all my followers that contemporary fiction was not my thing. I was firmly under the impression that all contemps were trite, cliche and riddled with stupid romance that is neither realistic, nor in any way beneficial to me as a reader. So, I adamantly stuck to my guns for over a year, and swore off contemps like the plague. Guys, it's not that I hadn't seen absolutely glowing reviews for this book because, trust me, I did. However, I was so stuck in this rut of bad representations of a really strong genre that I couldn't see past it. 

It actually took an invitation to a blog tour of this Australian gem for me to actually give it a go. I trusted the blogger who invited me, and I knew that she wouldn't have misled me about the quality of the novel. And, for the record, I was probably the most pleasantly surprised that I've ever been. This book is up there with my favourites of all time. It's meaingful, it's powerful and Kirsty Eagar is a true genius. This one should be on ALL of your lists. Please trust me on this one.

I'm ashamed that I still have prejudices towards the genre to this day though. Would you believe I still haven't read Anna & the French Kiss? I read the second installment and found it cute and fun, but I'm too terrified to be the only person that doesn't like the book to actually give it a go. I know I should read it, but I've yet to find a reason to actually force myself. Would you believe I was late to the game with Harry Potter, and I didn't even read the first book until three books were out? I was convinced that it was a children's novel only, and that it was beneath me. My sister convinced me to at least try it, and I humbly ate my words. That series is genius. GENIUS, I say!

But, for the most part, if bloggers and reviewers I trust make a strong enough case for me to try a novel, I'm willing to give it a go. I think that, more often than not, it's my own internal literary prejudices that, sadly, deter me from reading some great books. It's a disease. I'm working on it. Le sigh. 

Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

What would you like to challenge yourself as a blogger and/or reader to do this year?

This is one question that I posed to myself when I decided to start the blog up again after a nearly 8 month hiatus from the blogosphere. When I stopped blogging in November, I was burned out physically and emotionally, and the thought of writing another post or another comment really just didn't sound even remotely appealing to me. As someone who prides herself in delivering meaningful content in a timely manner, it weighed on me that I was starting to slack - simply because my heart wasn't in it.

This year, I've set a few pretty decent and attainable goals for myself as both a reader and a blogger. While the two go hand-in-hand for me, I felt it was important to separate them out so that they'd be comprehensive and really outline why it is that I continue to blog 3 years after starting.

My goals as a blogger this year: 

 - Have fun and be yourself. If you're not enjoying it, don't do it.

 - Take your role seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously. Embrace your quirks.

- Post as frequently as you feel is reasonable, but don't overdo it. 

- Set limits and don't overburden yourself with requests for reviews that just don't interest you.

- Build the Let's Talk feature because I love it when bloggers discuss things openly.

My goals as a reader this year:

- Read more books for the sheer purpose of enjoyment, rather than reviews.

- Expand your reviewing horizon, and don't settle for self-imposed limitations (ie: contemps).

- Try more books on my e-reader...I got it for a reason.

- Step outside of my comfort zone more often without bias, if possible.

- Learn to read a bit slower. Speed reading, while a great skill, is not always the best. F'reals.

What about you all? What do you want to do this year to better yourself as a reader, or blogger, if anything? Do you even set goals for yourself? Let's hear what you've got to say!

Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

Question: What books can you think of that have covers better than the content and vice-versa?

I've seen this question around a lot lately, so forgive little old me if I'm beating a dead horse here. I'm self-professed cover slut. Anyone who reads this blog even somewhat regularly has probably deciphered that by now. I think covers are as good as any great piece of art. Heck, I even have a framed art print of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and I've blown up poster-sized framed pieces for my someday future library with the almost hubs (hey...a girl can dream!)

The fact of the matter is that while there are tons of books that perfectly match the greatness of their covers, there will always be those few anomalies. What am I talking about, you ask? Well, have you ever seen an incredibly gorgeous book and bought it simply because of that, only to find that the book was bland? Or, perhaps you bought a book even though the cover was particularly lackluster, and it just blew your mind. Trust me, anyone who reads as much as we do has experienced this at least once. It still boggles me how it happens. However, I figured I'd point out my top one of each of these anomalies.

In which an incredible cover hides a hot mess:

Guys, I so desperately wanted to just love this one. This is seriously one of the most beautiful covers I have seen in my whole life. From the fierce determination in the models' eyes, to the water splash, to the juxtapositioning of the dryness on the cover - this whole thing just rocks off the shelf. Truly, this novel excites a reader to buy it. Unfortunately, the prose just falls flat in comparison. It has everything going for it; a hit genre, a great premise and even a pretty good writing style. It just didn't match up and, frankly, it bored in comparison. A couple other novels that hit the same unfortunate stride? Witch & Wizard by James Patterson. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto.

In which a lackluster cover hides a work of brilliance:

Ok, guys, I honestly never gave this one a second glance until a blogger mentioned that the cover didn't do it justice a couple weeks ago. In the middle of a book funk, I decided to see if the blogger was right. Well, needless to say, she was. The writing, as with the author's other novels, is sweet and simplistic, but there's such humour, sincerity and light to this story. It was candid and real throughout - totally approachable in a way that made me WANT to read it. And yet, because of a lackluster (at best) cover, I didn't give it a second thought. Here's my two cents: Give it a go. You might just love it like I did! A couple of other novels that hit the same unfortunate stride? Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin.

Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

Question: What sort of book blogger etiquette do you follow, or do you think bloggers, in general, should follow?

Let's be honest, kids. There's no Miss Manners guide to blogging, and a lot of us simply learn by doing, but here's what I learned really quickly. You're going to catch more flies with honey, or, better said, you're going to make more contacts, have more fun and forge friendships if you're willing and ready to do so. Did I know what to do when I first started book blogging? Heck no, but I learned pretty dang fast. So, I've compiled some of the important do's and don'ts for book bloggers everywhere.

Do use your own opinions and stay true to them. That's what separates you from the others!

Don't let your personal opinion morph into snarky, rude and demeaning reviews/content towards authors. Nobody likes an a%$. I'm jussayin'.

Do actually read the books. If you're not going to read it, why review it?

Don't try and influence everyone else's opinions on the books. Let them make that choice for themselves.

Do write your reviews in whatever manner you wish...words, pictures, short, or long, they're yours, so run with it.

Don't be mean. If you don't like a book, fine...but why attack it? Shock value? That's dumb.

Do be yourself! People read your blog because it's different than others...put a little of yourself into that blog, and people will get invested in it.

Don't simply request books ad-nauseum for no reason. Limited ARCs are available - if you receive one, that's awesome! Use it wisely, and consider yourself lucky. :)

Do have patience. It takes time to build a following. The more you engage with others, the more they will engage with you.

Are there more things to do? Of course! And remember, these are my personal guidelines for book blogging which, frankly, could apply to all if others want. Ultimately, blogging is up to you to do what you want. Please bear in mind that these are my personal opinions, and they are in no way meant to degrade other bloggers or their blogs!

Want to weigh in? Feel free to link up!

This won't be a regular feature here, but I figured I'd see what other bloggers think about giving positive vs. negative reviews. Now, I've never been one to shy away from what I truly think, and I don't sugarcoat my feelings on books in person, so when someone asked if negative reviews reflect badly on me, it really got me to thinking.

Now, first of all, I'm not a professional reviewer by any means, and I certainly never claimed to be. My reviews are purely my own thoughts and that is explicitly stated in my review policy. I feel I do a good job balancing the positive and negative aspects of books, for the most part. If I can't finish a book, I will put that on Goodreads, rather than my site. If I do finish a book though, and it doesn't work, I want to share that. Case in point? Witch & Wizard by James Patterson. Rarely do I believe a book qualifies as craptastic, but trust me, this book reeks of dumbed-down YA prose. Now, the book might work for some people, but if it didn't work for me, is it right for me to hide that review off my blog so as not to offend people?

Then, however, there are the books I really want to rave about. Raw Blue, anyone? I've never been one for contemporary books, but my last mailbox was all contemps based on that book, alone. A book that can make me want to read more contemporary fiction like that deserves to be raved about, and I want to make a clear distinction between the gems like Raw Blue and Vampire Empire: The Greyfriar (and other such books that prove something to me) and those that just don't work like Witch & Wizard or Trapped. Again, these are personal opinions, but if a book is set apart, the reason I created this site in the first place was to name those books that are standouts and why they work better for me than others.

I guess my main thought on positive and negative reviews is this - I don't take pleasure in writing negative reviews, but how am I supposed to show what books work for me if I can't show which don't? I have received a few snarky, shall we say, emails that imply I've got my head stuck somewhere it shouldn't be, and I wanted to clarify my take on it. What do you all think? Do you think it's alright to write negative reviews? Do you write them, and if so, do you think that gives us, as bloggers, cred, or do you think it adversely affects us?

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Be sure to check out today's The Long Weekend Blog Tour stop at Linds' blog, Bibliophile Brouhaha, for a fabulous review, author feature and giveaway!