On the Topic Of...Cheating in Books

It’s been a while since I’ve written a discussion post, but there’s been something that’s been on my mind recently. I’ve noticed that there are certain topics in books that get people to automatically write off a book, even if it was a book they had initially been very excited about. Now, I’m not here to say that anyone’s opinion isn’t right or not valid. That’s the last thing I want to do. But sometimes it just seems like there are some things that happen in books that get people in an uproar, while there are others that, in my opinion, are much worse that get justified or explained away as if it were nothing. And I’m just trying to understand it all.

So what I really want to talk about is cheating. Before I say anything else, let me just say this: I DO NOT condone cheating. It’s not something I’ve ever had a direct experience with and it’s something I hope I never have to experience. But finding out that one character in a book cheats on their significant other is not going to make or break the story for me. If anything, it almost makes me more curious about the story. Because in my experience, and with all the books I’ve read that involve cheating, there’s always something more going on than just straight up cheating.

That’s not to say that I’m trying to excuse or justify the cheating happening, but at the same time, based on the context or the other things happening in a character’s life, I can see why the cheating happened. And more often than not, at least with the books I’ve read that deal with this subject matter, the character who does the cheating typically tends to regret it and struggle with it. The most recent book I read that involved cheating saw the character struggling with it throughout the whole book, almost hating herself for what she did. In another book I’ve read, it turned out that one character had just been led to believe the other one had cheated and no cheating had actually happened. In another case, the two characters were doing everything in their power to fight their attraction for each other, out of respect for the person one of them was with. But just because the word “cheating” was mentioned, some people were all “Nope, not reading this. Cheating is absolutely unacceptable.”

And that’s fine. People are entitled to their opinions on any number of topics, cheating included. So if they don’t want to read a book because cheating is part of the storyline, that is their right and I am not going to force them to read something they don’t want to read. But there’s a flip-side to this. And that’s that there are other questionable behaviours that get taken in stride, even legitimated. As one of my friends put it “Smack your love interest around and you’re damaged and need saving. Cheat and you are the devil.” Why is it that someone who cheats gets metaphorically crucified, but someone who beats people up gets by with people saying “Oh, he’s had a rough life, it’s not his fault”? That’s the part that bugs me. That a character can be abusive, physically or mentally, but because of reason X, Y, or Z that behaviour gets excused and the person is seen as damaged and that makes them all the more attractive. But the second even someone THINKS, we’re not even talking about acting here, about doing something with someone who isn’t their significant other, it’s like they’ve committed the worse crime there is. 

And that brings me to the point I’m trying to make. If you try hard enough, you can justify or legitimate any behaviour. Believe me, I’ve seen it done in some fandoms and the things that get excused or justified or legitimated scare me sometimes (but that’s a story for another day). But why is it that some behaviours that are, in my opinion, horrible get a free pass while others get a snap judgement, most often one that’s negative? I know there’s no clear-cut answer to this question. Whether it’s with the TV shows and movies we watch or the books we read, everyone brings their own baggage and background to the table and that’s going to affect how they judge something. 

So maybe this is my question: Why are some behaviours more excusable or justifiable than others? And why are we so quick to judge some arguably morally questionable behaviour while we work tirelessly to legitimize other equally morally questionable behaviour?

4 Years of Blogging

This post is a few days late. Looking through my blog archives, this should have been published on Monday. But, hey, I’m doing better than I have the last three years considering I actually remembered my blogiversary this year. As you might have guessed from the title of this post, I have officially been blogging for 4 years. And that alone blows my mind.

In the past, I never really did anything to mark the day that I first started this blog. Life always got in the way, or I simply forgot. But I feel like I need to do something for 4 years. If you don’t count the sports teams I wan on in middle and high school, this is the longest I’ve ever stuck to anything. I’ll be the first to say that when I first started, I didn’t know I would be sitting here four years later still writing blog posts. 

I started this blog on a whim. It was the summer after my first year of university, the three girls I was going to be living with had gone back home for the summer, I was unemployed and I had A LOT of time on my hands. Before I really realized it, I was going to the bookstore any chance I got, which was often. And I was reading a lot. Reading was always something I had done, but never quite as much as I was that summer. I had no one to talk to about what I was reading and after having discovered a few book blogs, I figured why not? If other people were doing this, I totally could do this. And that’s how Emilie’s Book World came to be. 

This is going to sound cliché, and everyone says this, but I never expected that people would actually read what I had to say, much less would feel like commenting on my reviews. Those first comments on reviews, no matter how short, meant the world to me. It meant that someone actually cared enough to not only read through what I had to say but wanted to show me that they read it. So I kept with it and my blog grew to become what it is today. And I am proud of that.

In four years of blogging I’ve learned a lot. I knew next to nothing about the publishing industry when I started blogging. Now I know the ins and outs of the industry and it’s a field I hope to one day be working in. I’ve also gotten to talk to some of my favourite authors, even meeting some of them in person. Had you told me that was a possibility in four years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’ve had the opportunity to go to amazing events, travelling to New York City to attend one of the biggest publishing conferences in the world. It’s been an incredible four years to say the least. 

The best part of the last four years, though, has been all the people I’ve had the chance to meet. I’ve always had friends, but I never had friends I could discuss books with the way that I can with the people I’ve met through blogging. I’m lucky enough to live in a city where there are other bloggers and these people have become some of my best friends. Sure, books are what brought us together, but though friendships have grown so much past that. I am so happy to have met all these amazing people.

So what’s the point of this rambling post, you ask? It’s so say thank you. Thank you to anyone who has ever read one of my posts, commented on one of my posts, talked to me on Twitter. I probably would have stopped blogging a long time ago if it weren’t for you. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, if I’ll even be in a position to write another one of these posts next year. But I know that so long as I’m still enjoying it, I’ll be blogging.

Emilie's Book World in 2014

This post is coming a little later than I would've hoped. The holiday period got beyond busy for me, as a result (and as some of you may have noticed), I pretty much disappeared from the Internet during that time. Now that the holiday season is over and I'm getting settled back into my regular routine, I thought I would share my "Year End/New Year" post with all of you. So here goes…

2013 as an interesting year. On some fronts, it was a great year, while on others it wasn't quite as stellar. On the more person front, 2013 was the year I finished my undergraduate degree and graduated from university. It was also the year I got my first "grown-up job" (as I like to call it), which so far has been going really great. But the busyness that came with my last semester of school, and finding my rhythm with my new job meant that the blog suffered. At times it suffered A LOT, so I apologize for that. And that's where things were a little less stellar. There were long stretches of time in 2013 where I just couldn't bring myself to blog or even read. And that SUCKED because I love doing both those things. But now 2013 is over, and it's time to move forward.

So. 2014. There's lots to be looking forward to this year. I'm looking forward to continuing on with my job and to find out what life post-university looks like for me. I'm looking forward to going to New York again to attend BEA for the second time. I'lm looking forward to spending more time with my awesome and fantastic Ottawa blogger friends. And of course, I'm looking forward to more awesome books and continued blogging. 

So what can you expect from me and Emilie's Book World in 2014? That's actually a pretty good question, one I'm not entirely sure how to answer, but I'll give it my best shot. One thing's for sure: I want to still be reading, and writing reviews, and blogging in general. I'm hoping to be able to post reviews regularly, either two or three times a week depending on how busy things get. I'm also hoping to start posting some new discussion posts more frequently (if you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments!). Reading-wise, I would like to start reading a little more outside of YA this year. Before I started blogging, my reading tastes were much more varied, and I'm hoping to get some of that back this year. And that's pretty much all I've got so far.

Who really knows what 2014 is going to bring? I'm just going to be hoping for the best, whether that's in my personal life or my blogging/reading life, and I'm wishing the same to all of you.

On the Topic Of...Slumps

If you've stuck around this summer (thank you, by the way!) you'll probably have noticed that things slowed down. Like REALLY slowed down. To the point where between June and the end of August, barely any posts when up here. So you're probably guessing what I'm getting at. Slumps: blogging slumps and reading slumps. ANd this post is going to serve two purposes: to explain where I disappeared to, and to talk about those unfortunate moments where, as bloggers and readers, we appear to lose all motivation.

So, you might be asking yourself, what did happen to me over the summer that resulted in me practically disappearing from the blogging world. Well here it goes. I graduated from university in the spring and then headed off to New York for BEA. And it was awesome. I came home really excited about all the books I brought home with me, I had all these ideas for what I would do on the blog. But then like got in the way. My family was visiting, I was working full time at a new job and the next thing I knew, blogging sort of fell by the wayside. It's not that I didn't want to blog, but my job involves me spending a good chunk of my time on social and writing blog posts. So when I got home at the end of the day, I was more interested in Netflix than I was in doing more of the same.

Eventually, I pulled myself out of it and got excited about writing reviews again. It helped that despite not blogging, I was still getting a lot of reading done. So now I'm left with a whole back log of reviews to write, but I'm actually looking forward to writing them.

So what did I do to get myself out of this slump? There isn't really one clear answer to that question. But the general idea is this: I didn't force it. Sure there were times when I felt really guilty when typing "Netflix" in the address bar of my browser instead of "Blogger," but I just wasn't in the mood to blog. What kept me going was reading. Eventually I read a book that made me want to share my thoughts with the world. And so I knew that I was back and ready to blog.

So here are the tips I can offer up to you if you ever find yourself in a slump. First and foremost, don't force it. The guilt that can come from that will probably suck, but in the long run, it's for the best. But also follow your mood. If you don't feel like writing a review, then don't. Same goes for what you choose to read. If you're in the mood for contemporary, read a contemporary. If you're in the mood for a dystopian, then read a dystopian story. You'll probably find yourself enjoying the story more if you're actually in the mood for it. That doesn't mean you should ignore any commitments you've made, but whenever you can, go with your mood. If you're like me, that may eventually bring you out of your slump and make you want to start sharing your thoughts again. And if that doesn't work, change of some sort can also help. Maybe it's time to get that new blog design you've been thinking about. Or that new feature you wanted to start. Something.

So that's what I've got to offer. It's not much, but it's something. What I've talked about in this post is what has usually gotten me out of a slump, but I'm always open to suggestions. What do you do when you're in a reading or blogging slump? Let me know in the comments!

On the Topic Of...New Adult

I know by this point everyone has shared their opinions on New Adult, but I've wanted to throw my two cents in for a while. Because as a 22-year-old recent university graduate YA lover, there's a lot I could say on the subject of NA. So here goes nothing.

Right now, New Adult is the new and hot thing and because of the "newness" factor, people are having difficulty defining exactly what it is, or what even qualifies at New Adult. From what I've understood, NA stories are typically ones where the characters are out of high school and are now in college, therefore older than YA but not quite old enough to be "full-blown" adults (for lack of a better word). And inevitably there always seems to be more mature romance involved--sometime to the point where it feels like the book is more about the sexual content than the actual plot.

But what appeals to me when it comes to New Adult isn't the more mature content, but rather the fact that the characters are older. I love YA and some of the characters that come from YA, but as a 22-year-old, I can sometimes find it a little difficult to relate to those YA characters. But with NA, the characters are much closer to not just my age (not that I'm THAT much older than YA), but also to where I am in my life. I find myself relating to those NA characters in ways that I haven't been able to relate to YA characters in a while. And for that alone, I'll take all the NA books I can. 

But as much as I appreciate how much I am able to relate to some of the characters in those NA books, sometimes I get a little frustrated with them. I mentioned already that one of the recurring themes with a lot of NA books is the more mature and increased sexual content. While there is a time and a place for that sexual content, there are some NA books that take it a little far, making it so the story is more about the sex than the actual story. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that sexual content as much as the next person, but is it too much that it happen in the greater context of an actual story? Just because I am complaining about this it doesn't mean that there aren't NA novels because there are and I've read them. Books like K.A. Tucker's Ten Tiny Breaths and One Tiny Lie blew me away and helped sell me on NA as a thing. The same can be said about Cora Carmack's books and I'm sure plenty of others I just haven't had time to read yet.

So my final say on New Adult: I can definitely get behind it, especially if it means more books like the ones I mentioned in this post. Im all for stories that are a little more mature, with characters I can really relate to.

What are your thoughts on the whole New Adult phenomenon? If you've read a lot of NA are there any you would recommend above others? Let me know in the comments! 

On the Topic Of...Finding a Balance

For many of us book bloggers, blogging isn't our main occupation, it's a hobby. A hobby that takes up a lot of our time, but a hobby all the same. For my part, I'm finishing up my last year of my undergraduate degree, I work two jobs and I read and review books. So if you want my opinion, it's all one big balancing act.

The whole time I've been blogging, I've been a university student. When I first started my blog, it was summer, I didn't have a job and was reading. Blogging just became a way to pass time, give me something to do with my days other than just lying around reading. Since I had nothing else on my plate at the time, I didn't realize just how much of my time blogging would be taking up once I started school again. That first year things weren't so bad since all I really did was go to school, read and blog. But then the second year, I started working while going to school. And now in this third year of blogging, I've been going to school and working two jobs. And as much as I love all those things, at times it's been hard to balance it all.

There are times when all I want to do is read and blog when really I should be focusing on my school work. At other times, once I've gotten through all my school work I want nothing more than to just sit on my couch and do nothing, but I hear my blog calling out to me because it's been neglected. I'm not going to lie, there are times when I just had to neglect my blog because I couldn't even think about forcing my brain to do more work. But through it all, I've somehow found a way to keep up with school, work and my blog. the key thing is to sort of find a balance between all the different things going on in my life. 

But through it all I have found ways to keep on top of it all…or more or less on top of it all depending on how just busy I am. For me, it came down to what my priorities were. As much as I love blogging, my main priorities are school and work. And from that point on things just kind of fell into place. Blogging is something I'll do when I have time and I learned to stop worrying whenever I went a few days without posting any new content. As for reading, there's no better time than before bed to read a few chapters to wind down after a long day. You just have to find a way to make it all work together. And as soon as something feels forced, that's when you have to take a step back and re-evaluate. That's what I did. And now I've been blogging for almost 3 years.

So what are some of the ways you've found that work to balance blogging and all your other commitments? I know what works for me, but I'd love to hear some suggestions!

On the Topic Of...Series Ending

I have always loved reading series. Some of my favourite books are part of series. But I've always had a little trouble motivating myself to read the last book in those series. In recent years, I've found that I've become more and more reluctant to read the last in those series…to the point I've made a challenge to help me catch up on series. I don't really know why. For the post part I think it's a question of me being afraid to say goodbye to those characters I've been reading about for so many books. Or maybe it's that I'm afraid that the ending won't leave me satisfied. And that's what this post is all about, how I feel whenever a series ends.

There are so many series I love that are ending this year. And as excited as I am about finding out how everything is going to pan out, there certain books that I am almost afraid of reading for fear of what they will do to my poor heart. Just in the next couple of weeks, I know I'm going to be putting my heart through the wringer. In just about three weeks, Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices trilogy will be ending with Clockwork Princess and I know that this is a book that will likely break my heart into a million pieces. Much like Lauren Oliver's Requiem is likely to do. And potentially Josephine Angelini's Goddess when May comes around. And every time one of those books comes out, I will wage this internal battle as to whether or not to read the book right away.

I know this because this is what I've been doing for the past few years. There are countless series sitting on by bookshelves right now where I am just too scared of reading the final book. I'm scared because I don't want to be disappointed by the conclusion. I'm scared because I don't want anything bad to happen to the characters I've grown to love over the course of the other books in the series. And most of all, it comes down to me not wanting one of my favourite series to end. I know they all have to end one day, but sometimes I still just don't want them to end. 

This is not to say that I don't read last books in series. Because I do, and sometimes I can't wait to read them and jump straight into reading them. I remember going to the bookstore first thing on the day Last Sacrifice, the final book in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, and starting to read it right away when I got home. But the whole time I was reading I was torn: I wanted to keep going because I was dying to know what would happen next, but at the same time I didn't want to read too quickly so that the book wouldn't end right away. And that's how I am with basically all the the final books in series I read. 

In general, I go through a whole range of emotions whenever I read the final book in a series. And this year, a whole slew of series are ending. And that means my poor little heart will break over and over again. But regardless, I will be reading those last books even though I know they will completely break me.

On the Topic Of...Contemporary Books

It shouldn't come as a surprise that I've always been a big reader. In first grade I was that kid that kept asking the teacher for more books until she didn't have any more to give me. But that's not really the point of this post. What I really want to talk about is contemporary books and my love for them. 

What really started me reading YA way back in middle school was Meg Cabot. After having seen the movie countless times, I decided one day that I wanted to read the Princess Diaries books. And once I read the first book, I just couldn't get through the rest fast enough...until I got to the point where I had to wait for the next one to come out. And that's when a friend turned me in the direction of Sarah Dessen. The first Sarah Dessen book I read was The Truth About Forever, and to this day it's still one of my favorite books. And, of course, after reading that first one I just kept going back to my library until I had read all the Sarah Dessen books in existence.

For a long time, pretty much all I read were contemporary books, and for the most part, I loved them. But then for whatever reason I started picking up more and more books that weren't contemporary and those contemporaries were sort of left behind. But when I starte blogging, I sort of rediscovered contemporary books, and I am more than happy to have done so. It's those books by Jennifer Echols and Simone Elkeles that reminded me of my love for contemporary books. And from there it wasn't long before I realized that I still love contemporary as much as I did in middle and high school. Yet for whatever reason, I still sometimes forget about those books.

But every so often I just get this urge to pick up a contemporary books and, for whatever reason, am always amazed by how much I end up loving the story. Because despite the fact that all are no supernatural elements to those stories, they are still stories that have so much to them. The realistic quality they have just gets to me in a way that other books can't. This most recently happened with Miranda Kenneally's next book, Things I Can't Forget. While I was reading I just got so wrapped up in the story, in a way that I can't seem to get with those other books. And that's not to say those other books aren't fantastic, because they really are--give some Cassandra Clare any day of the week and I will be perfectly happy. What I'm saying is that I just don't seem to find myself falling completely in love with the genre all over again like I do whenever I read contemporary books--I mean who can really resist the adorableness that are Stephanie Perkins' books (St. Clair & Cricket anyone?). So yeah, I love contemporary stories. 

When it comes to books and readings, I think contemporary is always going to be my first love and the genre I just will never get tired of reading. So what about you: Do you read a lot of contemporary? Do you have a genre that you just seem to always go back to and never get tired of? Let me know in the comments!