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Anyone else excited about October 16, 2012?

Big book releases give me the shivers. Seriously. The build-up is almost too much for me. I begged and pleaded for an ARC (advanced reading copy) of The Twelve and when each day passed without it arriving in my mailbox, I became despondent.

Seriously.

I know I was not the only one either because it seems as if so many bloggers were overlooked for this one and I must say, it’s a little disappointing. Especially when you were offered book one the first time around. I know. Get over myself!

Anyway, me being overlooked for an advance peek hasn’t affected my excitement over the book itself. I am dying to read it and cannot wait to get my hands on it. My decision comes down to this:

Kindle version or Hardback?

Should I take the day off to read it?

These are the questions that I am asking myself right now.

Also, I am trying to decide if I should reread The Passage.

I’m thinking I may, because I read it as an ARC and that was ages ago. Is anyone else planning to reread it before the big release?

Although Cronin’s books don’t fall into one genre, they have elements of horror along with all the other stuff that comes along with experiments gone wrong, flying vampire-like creatures and a strange little girl to lead the way. It’s entertainment at its best and I just cannot wait to dive in!

However, I have noticed that my reading has centered around the macabre lately. It all started with the IT Along. Reading King’s take on childhood horrors has stirred up my love of horror. Plus, Halloween is lurking in the shadows and just the thought of it has me pulling out all of my faves from the past. Anyway, I’m sure my little foray into horror/thrillers will be a short one. I’ll be back to reading about dysfunctional families before you know it. Hope you don’t mind.

I’ve mentioned it a few times here on the blog but I’ve been a member of a book club for 14+ years. Wow. How can that be? Anyway, the club has been around forever and for years and years I’ve enjoyed it but recently, say within the past year it’s been a struggle. I can’t really say it’s due to any one thing but the biggest issue is probably just new people and how some of them just rub me the wrong way. I read the books but I am not attending the meetings. I haven’t really decided what to do long-term.

I considered starting another club but conflicting schedules are always an issue and I know if I do not have a set date and time it will get bumped and I would hate for that to happen. Plus, the new people component. I am a friendly type for the most part but stupid people piss me off. I’ve no patience for stupidity or rudeness and it’s impossible to keep them out when you create a public group.

So then I considered an online club but do they work? Are they fun? I’ve been IN a few and although I loved the hosts and we talked on the side about the book, the conversation piece of the group (between all of the members) was challenging. To really get in on the conversation you have to turn notifications on and when you get dozens of emails dumped into your inbox you suddenly get resentful. The online clubs I am referring to were setup in Goodreads. If you use another venue that works better, let me know.

I think that is why I enjoy blogging so much. I love to talk about books with all of you and although there are many of you that I haven’t met in person, I’ve gotten to know you pretty well. These days, interactions span several days (if not weeks) and flit across social media platforms such at Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. There is not a day that goes by where I am not connecting with readers in some way and I love it! No time constraints either. I can wake at 4am and know that someone is out there talking about books. It’s like a dream to me.

So my question for you is this:

Do you think traditional (face to face) book clubs are as popular as they were three years ago? Why, or why not?

Chatting with friends about books and life…