I know last week’s link round-up was a little dry, but I think you’ll like this one. This will be a new weekly thing on Hey Lady! and I’ve changed how I’m doing this. Just read it. Trust me on this.

Nekked. Make sure, after you see the pic, that you read Kim’s comment. Hilarious.

Trish at Trish’s Reading Nook (no, we’re not one in the same) interviewed herself as a way to review Twilight. I think I might steal this idea one day.

You can take a survey that measures the impact of lit blogs.

Why Mama Needs a Caffeine Drip. HAHAHA!! If I could think of titles that catch people’s interest like that title caught mine, I’d be the most popular blogger on my block. Oh, wait, I’m the ONLY blogger on my block. *mumbling* If a = b and b = c, then a = c. *face lights up* I’M THE MOST POPULAR BLOGGER ON MY BLOCK.

C. B. James has Matt from A Guy’s Moleskin Notebook review Crime and Punishment. Why I’m compelled to read reviews about a book I hated years ago, I’ll never know. But it’s akin to seeing something gross, and instead of backing away, you get closer.

I really don’t like non-fiction, but this book about a guy living in France sounds great.

Chris at Stuff as Dreams Are Made On lists all the male book bloggers he knows about. So cool! I knew that those of the XY chromosome persuasion were scarce in the blogging world, but it looks like we’re starting to level out a bit. Yay men!

We now have a new book blogger frequently asked questions post to point folks to. Lenore at Presenting Lenore came up with this GREAT post!

My friend, Meg Waite Clayton (I use the term “friend” loosely…I should probably say, The-lady-who-I’d-like-to-be-my-friend), had a great guest post on her blog from author Jamie Ford who wrote The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. This book is in my ARC pile. I think I’ll pick it up next.

You can now add books to LibraryThing through Twitter.

Remember assigned reading in high school? I loved it and have such fond memories of the books we discussed. Did you like it? Amy from My Friend Amy liked assigned reading. You should let her know if you did, too…or even if you didn’t.

Just go read Jen at Devourer of Books’ review of To Hold the Crown and you’ll know why I sent you over there.

If I could do author interviews like Shelly from Write for a Reader did for Merrily Kutner, I’d do them all the time.

Did you know that Library Thing is attempting to gain help from librarians and readers alike to redo the old Dewey Decimal system of book classification, creating a newer system called Open Shelves Classification or OSC (click on the link to read a little about the vision on the LT Blog). I didn’t either until I read Wendy’s post.

If you read any book blogs at all, you’ve heard about Beat the Reaper. Guess where you can win your very own copy? Over at Bookroom Reviews!!

Eek! One more book to add to my TBR pile! The Family Bones by Kimberly Raiser. “There ‘s not gore, violence and sex in this book…just an out and out thrill ride. I’d recommend this to everyone.”

Did I miss anything particularly exciting in the blog world? Leave a link in the comments and I’ll hop on over.

I saw The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver when my friend, Jessica, was showing me the Amazon Significant Seven, which apparently is actually called Best of the Month. The review of The Bodies Left Behind in the November 2008 edition of Best of the Month was glowing, and both Jessica and I instantly put it on our must read list.

The Bodies Left Behind begins with a great premise: An aborted 911 call is followed up on by an off-duty deputy, Brynn. When Brynn gets to the remote vacation house from where the 911 call came, she finds two dead bodies, two men, Hart and Lewis, who instantly try to kill her, both of them holding guns, and a woman, Michelle, who had been visiting with the dead couple and had surprised the men when she came down the stairs. Brynn and Michelle run into the woods to escape Hart and Lewis, and a game of cat and mouse ensues.

This book was great. I loved how Brynn and Hart set traps for each other, and try to trick the other into going a different direction. Every time you think you’ve got things figured out, PSYCH! the story has taken another turn, another plot twist upsets the balance.

Even though the book is told from alternating points of view, the reader isn’t omniscient and only gets a glimpse of what various characters are thinking and doing. You can’t take anything on face value in this book, because just when you think you know why someone’s done something, you find out you’re wrong and you have to put all the puzzle pieces back together again.

My only complaint is that the ending seemed a little too “just so”, but it’s hard to complain about the ending when I couldn’t figure out the ending until I was right up on top of it.

Something I thought I would complain about but can’t has to do with the main character. I’ve noticed that sometimes in books like this, the main character will have some crazy knowledge or skill, and all of a sudden it comes in useful when they’re being hunted by a killer. Brynn knows all kinds of stuff about trees, and surprise! she gets chased into a woodland area. But her knowledge of trees is very secondary and doesn’t come in overly useful at this harrowing time. Which I appreciate.

I’ve never read any books by Jeffery Deaver, and in looking over some of the reviews on Amazon, this isn’t his best work. My jaw dropped open and I was like, Dude, if this isn’t his best work, then I’ve GOT to read more, ’cause I thought this book was awesome!

Rating: 94 out of 100

You can check out the author’s website here.

Buy this book from Amazon.

Or support an independent bookstore and buy the book from Powell’s.

Other (probably better) reviews:

Books ‘N Border Collies

This week’s Booking Through Thursday question is:

Something a little different today–

First. Go read this great article from Time Magazine: Books Gone Wild: The Digital Age Reshapes Literature. (Well worth reading.)

Second. Stop and think about it for moment. Computers and digital media are changing everything we do these days, whether we realize it or not, and that includes our beloved books.

Third. DISCUSS!

To be different, today, I’d love to see a discussion here, in the comments, rather than scattered amongst all our separate blogs. Because this is an issue that affects ALL of us, and I’d really like to see us hash out the merits and demerits of this evolution.

Tell us what you think. Do you have an ebook reader? Do you read ebooks on your computer? Do you hate the very thought? How do you feel about the fact that book publishing is changing and facing much the same existential dilemma as the music industry upon the creation of MP3s?

The article referenced above mostly talks about self-publishing, but essentially there’s two issues that are thought to be changing the publishing world: self-publishing and electronic readers (whether that means an e-reader like the Kindle or reading books on your cell phone).

I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Will publishing companies have to change their business model? Yes. Will the quantity of any one book published decrease? Probably. Are books going away? Definitely not.

All this hype reminds me of all the talk of the music industry however many years ago when it became common to download music. Many theorized that the music industry would collapse from fans stealing the music instead of buying it. But guess what? People still buy CDs!! *gasp* In an age where you can buy one song for $.99, as opposed to a whole album that’s mostly so-so for $15.99, many people still buy the CD. The music industry will continue to change and evolve due to technology, even if it comes kicking and screaming.

I’m not opposed to e-readers, but a friend pointed out that they’ve still got a long ways to go. While many titles are available, many titles aren’t available, and for those of us in book clubs where certain titles are *required* reading, that’s just not acceptable. I don’t think e-readers replace books, rather, they augment books.

As far as self-published novels go, the examples given of Still Alice and The Lace Reader as books that have shown an author can go the self-publishing route and still hit the jackpot, those are needles in the haystack. For the few books that end up with a publishing house after starting their life self-published, there are thousands of other books that won’t ever sell more than a handful of copies.

So while it’s interesting to talk about how technology is changing the publishing industry, I have no doubt that when I’m 110 years old, book publishing will still be going strong. Even if the publishing industry is pulled kicking and screaming into the 21st century, they’ll come. Oh, they’ll come.

Another interesting article to read is from the New York Times: Self-Publishers Flourish as Writers Pay the Tab.

I snatched Face of a Killer by Robin Burcell from my library after reading two posts by Jen about this book. In the first post, she was still reading the book but she had to stop and mention the little illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. The author is a forensic sketch artist for the FBI, so at the beginning of chapter one there’s the start of a head, and at the beginning of each consecutive chapter, she adds a little bit more to the illustration. I’ll show you a little, but these aren’t my pics, they’re Jen’s, so you should go check out her post as she shows you two more of these.

Jen took this pic! Not me.

Jen took this pic, too.

Isn’t that cool? It’s nice to get an unexpected surprise in a book.

On to the book. Face of a Killer is about Sydney Fitzpatric, an FBI forensic sketch artist. Her dad was murdered 20 years ago and the man convicted of killing him is scheduled to be put to death in six days. Hoping for closure, Sydney goes to visit her father’s killer, but after a few things he said, she’s not convinced anymore that the man who killed her father is really behind bars.

Things start getting out of control now and serious action ensues.

Sydney’s ex-fiance shows up at her house with news that a man who was friends with her father committed suicide, and it just so happens that this same man has mailed Sydney a package that has a photo of him, Sydney’s father, and three other buddies. This photo becomes important as Sydney tries to delve into what kind of a man her father was and whether or not the man who killed him is the same one who is scheduled to be put to death.

There is absolutely no waiting for some action with this book. I love that! The action begins in the first chapter and holds steady the whole way.

I loved that Sydney (and the author!) is a forensic sketch artist. How often I’ve wished I could draw…and this just made me jealous all over again.

The author does an excellent job of giving you plot twists but making it all make sense in the end. Everytime I was pretty sure I had things figured out, a wrench was thrown into my deductions and I had to go back to the drawing board.

My only complaint was that some of the chapters end with the obvious cliff hangers, situations where you’re compelled to continue reading. I would have liked fewer chapters and a little more flow. It’s a picky thing, I know, but really, the story and plot are good enough to keep me reading without being bribed. Unless you bribe me with chocolate, in which case, it’s no holds barred.

Honestly, this was a really good book. If you like mysteries, you’ll gobble this up so fast you’ll get a tummy ache. The author put a great story and a fresh look on the age old whodunit.

Rating: 89 out of 100

Another (probably definitely better) review:

Jen’s Book Thoughts

A long time ago, when I was planning my wedding, I was reading Weddingbee a lot and there was a post where the person who runs Weddingbee said she has “a completely unfounded theory that most bloggers are introverts.” So I’m here to find out! Are most bloggers introverts or extroverts?

You can see what Wikipedia says about extroverts and introverts, but here’s the definition of extroverts and introverts from about.com:

Extrovert: An extrovert is a person who is energized by being around other people. Extroverts tend to “fade” when alone and can easily become bored without other people around. When given the chance, an extrovert will talk with someone else rather than sit alone and think. In fact, extroverts tend to think as they speak, unlike introverts who are far more likely to think before they speak. Extroverts often think better when they are talking. Concepts just don’t s eem real to them unless they can talk about them; reflecting on them isn’t enough. Extroverts enjoy social situations and even seek them out since they enjoy being around people.

Introvert: Contrary to what most people think, an introvert is not simply a person who is shy. In fact, being shy has little to do with being an introvert! Shyness has an element of apprehension, nervousness and anxiety, and while an introvert may also be shy, introversion itself is not shyness.  An introvert is a person who is energized by being alone and whose energy is drained by being around other people. Introverts are more concerned with the inner world of the mind. They enjoy thinking, exploring their thoughts and feelings. They often avoid social situations because being around people drains their energy. This is true even if they have good social skills. After being with people for any length of time, such as at a party, they need time alone to “recharge.”

I’ll tell you about myself.

I’m mostly an introvert. Given the chance to hang out with other people or stay at home, I’d rather stay at home. It’s not that I don’t enjoy being around other people, I just prefer my hobbies, such as reading, knitting, or watching the occasional show on TV. Being around people for any length of time definitely drains me, and I eventually need to be alone to recharge.

If I do hang out with other people, I much prefer a smaller group. I have no comprehension of going to a party where the music is so loud you can’t have a conversation. How can you possibly connect with someone else? You can’t. It’s those situations that I avoid the most. Hanging out with one or two friends is much more up my alley.

Lest you think I’m socially inept, people are often amazed at how easy it is for me to socialize and make small talk with people I’ve only just met. I’ve been told by many people, “It’s so easy for you!” and if they only knew how much I have to push myself to be social, they’d never make that statement.

I’m an introvert who tries to be an extrovert.

But I love blogging. I love responding to comments. What is so different? Why do I feel so comfortable on the Internet as opposed to real life? I think what’s different is that 1) I’m mostly talking to people who have similar interests. I would talk about books and blogs ALL THE TIME with my real life friends if they’d let me. 2) I can turn it off, so to speak, whenever I want. I can hang out for 10 minutes or two hours, but as soon as I’m done, I’m done. There’s no waiting to go home, there’s no awkward goodbyes (I hate saying goodbye), there’s none of that. I just…slip away. And come back when I’m ready. I think the key, though, is that in cyberspace, I’m always hanging out with people who obsess over the same things I obsess over. I can talk about books and blogs all the time with you people!

So that’s what I’ve come up with. And I think that *most* people who blog are introverts. Blogging allows us to interact with others on our own terms.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

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Edited to add: Melanie from lit*chick (she’s always had one of my favorite titles for a blog) pointed us to this article entitled Caring for Your Introvert. WOW. It’s like this guy was reading my mind. “Hell is other people at breakfast.” That sums up my sentiments exactly.