Well, this is the last blog post I’ll be posting to Make Room for Reading.
For now. When I initially started this blog, it was for a long-term class assignment for one of my communication classes. I chose reading and writing because those subjects were very near and dear to my heart. And while the class may be over, my love for literature is definitely far from over. So, I plan to continue running this blog after a short break for the holidays. This experience running Make Room for Reading was a very valuable lesson in the amount of work it takes to upkeep an active blog or social media account. Continuously producing content every week was challenge enough; I can only imagine the effort that goes into blogs that put out 10-20 articles/posts a day! Of course, those blogs tend to have several editors, tons of writers, and therefore have a lot more stories and experiences available. While this blog did have several visitors over the last couple months of existing, I did not see any comments or feedback from readers. And that’s perfectly ok! If anything, this tells me I need to change something in order to help facilitate audience engagement. When I first started this blog, I could find it just by googling the name. That isn’t happening anymore. I’m going to look into using more keywords and finding other ways to bring more attention to my blog. The Facebook page I set up for it is mostly dead and hasn’t been updated since the 3rd or 4th blog post. The multitasking needed to keep a blog going requires great attention and organization. I still want to continue to post about books, movies, and writing, I don’t feel the topic is the problem, I feel that I need to push MRFR more. I also think that engaging you guys in my blog posts with questions or invitations to comment would help as well. The other big issue is consistency. Because I ran this blog while in school, I was unable to find the time to read enough newer books to write reviews on. Now that an assignment structure won’t be in place anymore and I’ll have more free time to write, be on the lookout for much more content. Especially specific book related content. I can’t wait to see where MRFR goes from here and I want to thank all my visitors for stopping by and checking out my posts! Have a happy new year and see you in 2018!
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Despite the increased popularity in audio books, the looming death of print media, and a slight dip in reading enthusiasm, I can’t see humankind abandoning the practice of reading and writing for fun and artistic expression ever. We’ll always rely on some kind of communication of news, facts, and stories. Not only that, but humans are social creatures, we love to share our experiences, hear about other people’s adventures, and escape from our occasionally dreary/boring world.
Unfortunately, we will probably see a drastic decrease in larger bookstore chains. Barnes and Noble is slowly but surely going the way of Borders and unless they change something soon people just aren’t going to shop there anymore when they could support small, local bookstores or buy them online from the comfort of their home. While the formats are changing, the actual need for story telling will never fade out of our society. I’m excited to see the new stories, ideas, and perspectives that future stories will tell. With our ever-evolving culture and the addition of others, the new novels are going to be very exciting and interesting. And that’s a prediction and a fact! When I started college a lot of things changed. I was living alone, I had a new schedule, I had marching band, I had homework, but among all those changes the one that made me the saddest was how little I was reading.
Oh, trust me, I was reading tons of textbooks, but casual reading was a thing of the past. When I wasn’t sleeping I was working, when I wasn’t sleeping I was working. This went on until a new book in the M.Y.T.H. Inc. series came out. I made sure that no matter how busy or tired I was, I would take at least 10 minutes each night to read. And that decision has made all the difference. The simple task of setting aside time every day has made me able to keep up with reading. It may not sound like much, but a little goes a long way. It doesn’t hurt to go over the 10-minute mark too if you feel like it. So, if you ever find yourself with no time for reading, try just setting aside a little time each day to read and stick to it and it will definitely improve your book life. "Listening Books", http://www.openculture.com/freeaudiobooks Trends are sort of like fads. They come and go, but they tend to have a bit of staying power. They can even indicate what will eventually be considered the norm. A lot of times current trends are actually rehashes of old ideas that have been around for ages, just with a glossy new reputation.
One of those trends in the world of reading is audio books. Now books on tape is not a new idea whatsoever, but with the popularity of podcasts growing and the average millennial’s need/aptitude for multitasking, audio books have made a resurgence in popularity. No matter what your preference is, paper, screen, or audio, one does have to admit that audio books help readers fit more into their schedule. It’s difficult to be working and be engrossed in a paperback novel at once. Imagine a book in one hand and a toilet bowl brush in the other. For young adults and students of all ages, theirs lives are simply getting too busy to just sit down and enjoy a book. But this trend is also a little worrying. While being read a story, or listening to an audiobook is still a great way to enjoy literature, there’s something to be said for making up your own voices, becoming familiar with written words and spellings, or turning a crisp page between your fingers. So while I don’t think paperback books are completely on the way out yet, audio is on the rise and as humans run around more and more with each generation it may continue to rise for quite some time. References: America’s unhealthy obsession with productivity is driving its biggest new reading trend, Thu-Huong Ha, March 31, 2017, https://qz.com/ ![]() In the immortal words of Monty Python, “And now for something completely different”. Well, I suppose it’s not too far from what we normally talk about here at Make Room for Reading. Today’s subject does relate to writing, critiquing the creative, and even blogging itself! It’s called Fluence and is a website for writers, bloggers, and media curators to connect with creators in your community who are looking for your critiques and reviews. This really is a nifty site and it’s really easy to use. You just need to sign up and request a curator account. Once you do that it’s only a matter of filling out your profile, listing your review topics and employment/credentials, and then creators submit media to you for review. Fluence used to be primarily aimed towards music review blogs, but has since opened up to include all sorts of entertainment categories including fashion, culture, films, and books. This website also features a simple layout that makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. You have your own Fluence blog where your reviews of submitted media are, you can create lists of other blogger profiles, and then search for new reviewers or topics. I really enjoy and appreciate how simple the sharing process is. There couldn’t be anything easier than having the creator send you their work and then you write a comment below it, submit it, and boom! It’s right there on your blog. I do have one problem, it’s difficult to search within the blogger’s blog. There’s no archive tab or search bar to find specific reviews from a while ago, so you just have to keep scrolling and scrolling until you find it. I also hoped to see more reviews in the way of books and whatnot, but I do see the potential for young, nervous, first-time writers who want to dip their toes in the critical world before plunging straight into publisher rejections. All in all, a very easy to use and helpful website. Fluence has a lot of potential to grow and I can see it becoming a well-known tool for creators and reviewers/bloggers alike. I love the blog Bustle Books. Bustle.com is, as it states, a website “Providing a fresh spin on news, entertainment, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, books, and any and all subjects that concern women.”
But what I love is the book section of this website. Bustle features many different writers and updates with new articles up to 7 or 8 times a day while still providing interesting, entertaining, informative, and sometimes serious articles that are both a joy to read and a great source for new reading materials. While Bustle is a larger blog, run by an even larger website with a full-time staff I still feel that a one-person blog runner like me can learn a lot from them. Bustle makes use of the clickbait titles and while I tend to avoid those, they are quite good at attracting readers and gaining attention. And while their titles aren’t lying, they do use buzzwords and popular titles to grab them in (there are tons of Harry Potter articles and other geeky posts) but I admire the creativity and varying ideas that Bustle writers are able to come up with. You can honestly learn from every post. But there’s one Bustle author that stands out to me. Her name is Joyce Maynard. She only has one Bustle article and it’s completely centered around the recent #MeToo, a hashtag used to indicate that you’ve been a victim of sexual assault. She’s writes for several publications including the New York Times. Her article What Writing About My Abusive Relationship With J.D. Salinger Taught Me About Silencing Women's Voices really stood out to me among the countless (but still fun) “You Won’t Believe These Movie Changes to Your Favorite Book”. She shared her story of abuse and ends her article with, “we must create a culture that no longer shames women who tell the stories some prefer not to hear.” If Bustle continues to create content such as this, related to the broad subject of reading/books/writing while sparking conversation and bringing up important issues, then I believe they are thought leaders in the world of mainstream book blogs. And I can’t wait to read more from Maynard. Check Out Bustle Books Here 10. BONE by Jeff Smith
BONE was a fantasy graphic novel I loved the art style, characters, and fantasy world they lived in. There was always a wait list to check one out at the library it was so popular. 9. Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan The Kane Chronicles focused on the brother sister duo Carter and Sadie Kane and their adventures through the world of Egyptian Gods in effort to save their father. Riordan’s humor and action-packed writing kept me buying each book and eagerly awaiting the next. 8. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott I read this book in 5th grade and it had a huge impact on me. I tended read only fantasy, so Little Women was a very different story for me and expanded my reading horizons. 7. Matilda by Roald Dahl A short classic that I’ve reread countless times. Great story, super engaging and re-readable and it might have one of the best lessons about family and what’s healthy for you as a person that I’ve ever seen in children’s or adult media. 6. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis I’m still a little bitter about the ending, but the Narnia books are undoubtedly amazing reads. It’s been a long time since I’ve read them, but Narnia was a defining series of my childhood. 5. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket This was the first series to challenge my young mind with an ambiguous ending. Snicket’s entertaining writing, mystery, and despair filled world was something I just ate up. 4. The Molly Moon Series by Georgia Byng I still pick up the first 4 books of the Molly Moon series now and again. They’re entertaining, funny, clever, and an outright pleasure to read even after all these years. 3. The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan This series is why I know so many useless Greek mythology facts. One of my favorite series and it's still going strong! 2. MYTH Inc. Series by Robert Asprin and Jodie Lynn Nye This series started in 1978 and I’m still collecting new installments. This is one of the most punny and creative fantasy series you’ll ever find. I love the dialogue and character interactions, the different dimensions that make up their world and all the ridiculous story lines that get better as you get older. 1. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling Surprise, surprise Harry Potter is number one. I’ve already gone into pretty good detail on the Harry Potter books in other posts (check it out here), so I’ll keep this short. HP is a huge part of my life even now and for good reason. The writing, morals, characters, and pure emotions in this series keep it relevant, fresh, and enjoyable no matter how old you get. Harry Potter is something everyone should read at least once. ![]() Welcome to our new Author of the Week feature! Every week, I’ll write a small piece on an author who just simply needs to be shared with everyone. So, let’s start Author of the Week with Rainbow Rowell! Rainbow Rowell is an American author of several books and short stories, some for young adults and adults, according to her website http://www.rainbowrowell.com/. These include Landline, Eleanor and Park, Fangirl, and Carry On. I had no idea who Rowell was or what her writing was like until just this last summer. My roommate adores Rowell and she shoved Carry On in my face, ordering me to read it. And I was confused. There was almost no explanation of Carry On’s world of magic, racism, and class status. You just were suddenly there with Simon Snow, an orphan going to a magical school where he’s training to defeat the Insidious Humdrum, a creature sucking up magic and stealing from the world forever. I was a little skeptical at first. It felt like a Harry Potter clone and made little to no sense right off the bat. But I was being too quick to judge and I discovered that Carry On was so much more than I thought. All the characters were amazingly written, believable, and complex. The story diverts expectations for the chosen-one genre and several of the lessons tugged at my heart. This is a story about self-reflection, growth, and love and it was impressive. While it’s a wonderful story like Harry Potter, it most certainly is not Harry Potter. As for the confusion, it turns out that Carry One is based on a fictional series in Rowell’s other book, Fangirl. If you actually read them in order, unlike me, it makes a lot more sense going in. But despite all that, my enjoyment was not lessened by my initial confusion. Reading Carry On is a quick journey that everyone should experience and I can’t wait to see what else Rainbow Rowell has in store and that makes her our Author of the Week! Join us next time! Image Source: www.rainbowrowell.com/
It may just be that I’m old fashioned, or stubborn, or simply that I’m a little pretentious, but I still much prefer holding a physical, paper book in my hands when reading. I do have an E-Reader and while it’s nice and I still can enjoy a story on it, I’ll pick a physical book over a digital one any day.
Maybe I like the turning the pages, maybe I like the smell of a book, or maybe I’m filled with a deep satisfaction when I get to add another book to my collection on my bedroom shelf. No matter the reason, whenever I hear someone say, “In twenty years, we’re going to be a completely paperless society” or “paper materials and products are going to be a commodity” I get a little nervous. Sure laptops and tablets are useful (they’re great for storing chapters when I’m writing), but for me after a couple hours of use screens give me such a headache and it feels harder to absorb information in digital form. But times are changing and it does no one any good to resist. It’s how we grow and improve. I am writing for a digital blog now aren’t I? The same thing goes for the state of book stores. Borders was only kept alive by the last couple Harry Potter books before it turned belly up and disappeared across the country. Barnes and Noble is still around, but even they’ve had to make changes to stay afloat. Now they carry toys, school supplies, art supplies and have put a larger focus on their Starbucks cafes within their stores. While online book shopping provides variety for books, I still enjoy the immediacy and intimacy of a book store. So when I’m in the mood for a story I always try to buy from a local bookstore. That way not only am I getting something I can keep, hold, and share for the rest of my life, but I’m supporting local businesses who need the help in today’s digital world. It’s a win-win situation. Like I’ve said before, education has always been a big deal in my household. My mom is an elementary school reading specialist and my dad used to be a substitute teacher. This meant my sister and I were always keenly aware of how important school was. Therefore my parents made a huge effort to instill a love of reading in us from a young age.
Now my life has never been boring or anything, but it’s always been an average life. Wake up, school, eat, school, do homework, watch Dr. Who, read, go to bed. Repeat. Of course there was always a Disney trip or a hiking day here and there (I wasn’t a sheltered shut-in), but it was your average, middleclass American lifestyle. So when my mom first read me the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, I was transported from my pink bedroom walls to a fantastical world of magic, love, betrayal, tragedy, and redemption. Next it was Harry Potter, my longest lasting obsession, which took me on amazing and terrifying adventures. I laughed with Harry, cried with him, cheered with him, learned with him, and ultimately grew up with him. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events led me through a grimmer landscaped of despair and left me with an ambiguous ending that challenged me emotionally like never before. Books were a thrilling escape from the mundanity of life. Averageness was never unbearable, but it did require a vacation from it now and then. But books were more than a way to live out adventures, they were also conduits of learning. Art is a reflection of society and the artist; it’s impossible to avoid it. Our experiences shape us and we shape our work; life and literature go hand in hand. By reading I could live a thousand lives, both fictional and real. And these lives etched in ink included lessons, experiences, and consequences. The fact that stories could not only provide relief from reality while exposing you to the rawest aspects of reality was fascinating to me. I wanted to be able to share what I had learned, what I believed in, and to affect someone else’s life the way my favorite books had for me. I knew that writing was what I wanted to do with my life. But I discovered something in the last 5 years; becoming a successful writer takes an enormous amount time and dedication. It’s a little terrifying to graduate high school and realize that no real world audience is going to want to read your perfected five paragraph expository essay. While English teachers might eat that up, communication professors have much higher standards. My Com300 journalism class was a living hell. It was my first struggle, my first challenge and my first B-. And you know what? I loved it. Never before had my writing been critiqued so harshly. Never before had I seen so many red marks on one of my papers. That class made me take a good, hard, long look at myself and my work. And I improved. By the end of the semester I had the AP writing rules seared into my brain and my writing had improved ten-fold. I know that being a successful author is an even greater challenge than writing a news article. But as I’ve grown and become more aware of the world around me, I realized that now, more than ever, we need stories. Specifically stories about hope, love, and compassion. I know it sounds cheesy as all get out, but it’s true. A story that connects with the reader can teach them so much. With heightened levels of fear, distrust, anger, and hatred in today’s society I can’t help but wonder what would be different if more people had grown up with the stories I read. Our views and opinions are certainly built on so much more than what books we grew up reading, but they definitely feel like important factors. The road to getting published is long and arduous, but I’m willing to take that journey. To just improve at least one person’s life, whether I provide a story they’ll cherish forever or one that they’ll read in passing while eating lunch, is worth it. And in the meantime I’ll try to provide book reviews and recommendations through this blog that will bring people closer to these essential novels. They thrill me and I want to bring that thrill to others. Stories are so important, we need them when life is too demanding or not demanding enough. We need them to share the experiences of our predecessors. We need them to define our present. We need them to shape our future. We need them to give us something to believe in when our world is getting harder and harder to understand. |
AuthorMy name is Elise Detloff and this little slice of the internet is where I hope to share books, words, and ideas with all of you! I'm currently studying public relations and am an aspiring writer. I can't wait to get to know you all! Archives
December 2017
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