OK, I confess, I joined Facebook. Now, you have to remember I'm a computer geek, and as such, I'm not really all that good at dealing with people, face-to-face. I'm much happier working with machines; they're logical, they don't talk back, and generally do what you tell them to without argument. (Although I do have one server that I swear wants a blood sacrifice before it'll condescend to behave.) If I have to interact with people over the course of the day, I do everything possible to do it in writing (yes, e-mail is my friend). So, it only makes sense that a medium that allows me to interact with others, without actually having to talk to them, would offer some appeal.

At first I thought it was kind of silly; I had four or five "friends" (distant cousins and co-workers) with whom I'd rarely communicated in the past and have little in common with now, and I just couldn't understand the attraction. (Sadly, I didn't really care that my cousin spent her evening watching Glee on Fox.) Then, one day, the oddest thing happened – I got contacted by a former high school boyfriend. From there, one thing led to another, and now I'm in contact with all these people I have had nothing to do with for decades. (Still not entirely sure whether or not that's a good thing – and they probably feel the same way.)

I've found that one of the more interesting aspects of these sites is all the book activity taking place on them. Considering the US isn't exactly a nation of readers (the average American reads four books a year according to a 2007 poll), I've been surprised at – and heartened by - how many people are eager to discuss all things book-related. As you can see from the banner at the top of this page, BookBrowse participates in both Facebook and Twitter, but BookBrowse is hardly alone in taking advantage of current technology. I made the mistake of following a certain author's new book (because if you signed up as a fan, you could win a copy of her novel -- and the odds were good – and I'll do just about anything for free books). This resulted in my Inbox receiving a poorly-written (yet glowing) reader review of said novel approximately every ten minutes. I'm glad it was only one author's updates! My gosh, it would have gotten real ugly, real fast had I did my usual thing - gotten all carried away and signed up for half a dozen of them!

Another thing I've discovered is that my opinions aren't universal, not even about something as highly regarded as a work of classic literature (say, for example, Pride & Prejudice). I actually had to stop looking at topics that discuss readers' least favorite books. It's very hard to restrain myself when others are trashing novels I'm passionate about, books that any NORMAL PERSON would like... books anyone with HALF A BRAIN SHOULD ADORE AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?! ... (Uh, excuse me... sorry about that... having a flashback.) Needless to say, I've found that they do tend to frown on it when you start flaming others' opinions (even when you're completely right and they're stupid). So, to keep my friends, my various associated memberships, and my blood pressure in check, I've had to simply stop reading those conversation threads. Lesson learned.

BookBrowse reviewer Kim Kovacs is an avid reader in the Pacific Northwest. All those rainy days give her the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of books that span many genres. Browse Kim's reviews.

As I look back over my long history as a reader, memories flood in regarding specific books and book-related events. A few stand out:

• The Scholastic book catalog that used to arrive periodically in my elementary school classroom.My parents were extremely supportive of my reading, and would let me choose as many as I liked. And oh, the day my books arrived! Heaven!
• A Mother Goose story book I discovered in the library when I was in sixth grade. Although it was far too "young" for me, I loved it, particularly a story about a young woman who killed her sister. The body turned into bones, which someone made into a harp, which then sang of the sister's perfidy. It was actually rather morbid.
• OK, I've got to admit it. My folks were "rubbish pickers." They loved to find really cool stuff in other peoples' trash (don't tell them I told you). One of the best finds in the world was a complete hardback set of Beverly Gray mysteries (she was kind of like a college-age Nancy Drew). I wish I still had them, as they'd likely be worth a lot of money now.
• Taking a Bible in to school to read, and being told to take it home again as it wasn't "appropriate" for the classroom. (I still can't believe that happened.)
• Reading The Adventures of Robin Hood (over and over and over again), and dressing up like one of the Merry Men for weeks on end.
• Learning about opera from a series of library books that not only told the story of the opera, but had the musical themes notated. They were easy enough that I could play them on the piano.I fell in love with The Magic Flute and Carmen long before I ever saw an opera staged.
• Discovering Shakespeare in story synopses in my grandmother's set of The Book of Knowledge (something else I wish we still owned). I can still see the sketches of Lady Macbeth descending a staircase by candlelight, and the two princes in the tower from Richard III.
• Reading Jane Eyre with a flashlight under the covers late into the night. (Well, it felt late to me at the time!)
• My first "dirty book." My poor dad brought home A Stranger in the Mirror by Sidney Sheldon for me without apparently knowing what it was about.It had been languishing in his office's Lost & Found for months, and he thought I might like it. I think I was in junior high at the time, and was shocked – and fascinated. I did not, by the way, tell the folks what I was reading.
• Reading Stephen King's Salem's Lot, and then having to sleep with the lights on for a week.

My book-loving friend Martin and I have a recurring conversation that usually starts with, "I'm going on vacation and can't figure out which book to take."  It's an interesting conundrum, and for us book addicts, a critically important decision that we begin pondering weeks before we actually leave town.

I suppose it partially depends on the type of vacation on which you're taking this treasured companion (and by that I'm referring to your book and not your spouse).  If your intent is a relaxing week at the beach, for example, you might pick something light and fun, perhaps romantic; the latest from Ann Brashares or Jude Devereaux might be your choice.  Those seeking to rekindle that special spark (and this time, I am talking about your spouse) might look for a steamier option, like Anne Rice's Beauty series or something by Jamie Denton (or perhaps no book at all!).   Still others may prefer perusing a longer or more complex book while on vacation, since it's rare for them to have a large block of time in which to read.

My vacations are generally backpacking trips, and so I've got some pretty specific selection criteria for the book that'll end up accompanying me.  First, it's absolutely, positively got to be a traditionally-sized paperback, since there's no way I'm putting one more ounce than necessary in my already over-laden pack.  Then, I've got to make sure it'll be entertaining, as nothing is more annoying than taking a book on a backpack trip and only reading a few pages of it ("I carried an extra ten whole ounces for nothing!").  Finally, I've got to make sure that it's the right size to finish over the course of our trip, as I typically look forward to resuming my "normal" reading once I'm back. This time around I opted for Harlan Coban's Gone for Good, which was the perfect choice. (Whew!). 

I've recommended that one to Martin (who's got at least a month to make his decision before he leaves with the kids for Disneyland) but he's got a rule about not reading two books by the same author in the same calendar year.   Since our book club (whoops, excuse me, book group) read Tell No One a few months ago, he's rejected my choice.  He is therefore on his own, and is not to blame me if he ends up with something that fails to engage.  (Personally, I think his rule is silly, and I've told him so.  Repeatedly.)

I'm very curious about others' choices for summer reading.  So tell us here at BookBrowse - do you change your reading habits while on vacation, and if so, what do you look for in your perfect vacation book?   Are there books that are high on your list?

BookBrowse reviewer Kim Kovacs is an avid reader in the Pacific Northwest. All those rainy days give her the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of books that span many genres. Browse Kim's reviews.

I recently finished The Killing Way, a mystery by author Tony Hays.  While the book was relatively well-written, I found that I was still much more drawn to it than its quality would seem to merit.  I kept mentally returning to it, being excited about getting back to it, only to realize I'd already finished the darned thing and would have to wait for the sequel.  In mulling over why I found this book so fascinating, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't the plot or the writing (although both were fine) -- it was the book's hero.

I've had numerous literary crushes over time.  My first occurred when I was in Mrs. Cummins' seventh grade English class.  Every year she had her students read The Adventures of Robin Hood.   While most complained, I enjoyed the experience tremendously.  It was my first encounter with the hero, and I was totally "in love" (whatever that means to a twelve-year-old).   I even resorted to wearing what I thought looked Sherwood-Foresty for awhile (a green shirt that had laces strung across the v-shaped neckline, and leather moccasins that passed for "boots," both readily available in the early 1970s, unfortunately).

Robin Hood was supplanted by Sherlock Holmes. (...Both in print and film; I had quite the thing for Basil Rathbone - except for those movies where he affected a hairstyle that included some dorky little Caesar-like curls at his temples).  Francis Crawford of Lymond (Dorothy Dunnett's hero of The Lymond Chronocles, which I've read three times) followed thereafter, to be replaced some years later with James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (another set of books I've read more than once).  And there have, of course, been others.  (I suppose I'm a bit fickle.)

I have noticed a pattern, of course; all my heroes are from the British Isles.  I find it curious that I've never been tempted to read Dunnett's House of Niccolò series, which is very highly rated -- but features men from Italy, not Scotland.   I'm not sure if Robin Hood set some sort of bar for all my future heartthrobs, or if something early in my childhood warped me in that direction.  But it is what it is, and I'm not complaining – just looking forward to stumbling across my next leading man.

BookBrowse reviewer Kim Kovacs is an avid reader in the Pacific Northwest. All those rainy days give her the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of books that span many genres. Browse Kim's reviews.

I'm not a joiner by nature, but when my place of employment started a book club, I thought, what the heck, I should get to know my co-workers better, and resolved to attend. And so I appeared at the appointed hour in the appropriate conference room.

Looking around the room that first meeting, I saw to my horror that more than half of the attendees were members of the senior staff who wouldn't know me from Eve. I wondered if I was in the right place.

"Excuse me, is this the book club?"

"It's not a book club. The word 'club' connotes exclusivity. We're a book group."

Uh oh...

I should have realized off the bat that this wouldn't be the fun, gossipy kind of book group so many people enjoy.  Something's gotta be fishy when Management sponsors a book club.  Somehow I missed the announcement that its focus would be "diversity."  (I found out later that someone had set a goal that the company would hold a certain number of events each year to sponsor diversity in the workplace, with some percentage of employees attending at least one event annually.  It was all very political.) 

Well, I proceeded to meekly take my seat, my copy of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down in my hand.  (Good book, by the way.)  It had to be the most uncomfortable book group meeting in history.  None of the senior staff had apparently read the book, and the few of us "normal" employees present were too intimidated to express any opinion whatsoever. Fortunately, the senior staff, having met their diversity requirement, abstained from attending future meetings.

It was never a very robust group.  We had six regular members, but only three typically showed up at any one time and I don't think we ever really gelled.  It was pretty sterile and far too business-like. The book selections gradually became less and less appealing, until the whole thing was on the verge of collapsing under its own weight. 

Fortunately, times change.  The non-reading senior staff members have mostly retired, and the four of us who stuck with it dropped the whole diversity requirement in favor of selecting whatever we're in the mood to read (and absolutely no one commented about the change, so I guess it wasn't all that important after all).  New employees have joined the company and subsequently joined the group – which is still a "group" and not a "club" – and recently someone has started bringing food to the meetings.  Now if I could just convince them to meet off-site after-hours (say, at a nearby pub) I'd be all set.

BookBrowse reviewer Kim Kovacs is an avid reader in the Pacific Northwest. All those rainy days give her the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of books that span many genres. Browse Kim's reviews.

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