BBAW Post 5: Highlights!

Friday's Task: Share a highlight of this year’s BBAW. Whether it’s a blog you discovered or a book you’re going to read or a way you felt refreshed, this is the day to celebrate the week!

I made a few discoveries this week. So I've listed for you a couple of blogs I am a new follower of and several books I've added to my To-Be-Read list. Most importantly though, I think this week has given a sense of belonging in the book blogging community! Many of you have checked out my blog, became followers, and left comments. That has really encouraged me to keep going and keep becoming a better blogger. I'm so proud to be a little part of this whole great big blogging world!

New Blogs:

Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Alexia's Books & Such

The Relentless Reader

New Books:

The China Garden by Liz Berry recommended by In Bed With Books

The Gazfield Series by Kate Kaynak recommended by The Book Vixen

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park recommended by The Busy Bibliophile

Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt recommended by Cecelia Bedelia


It's been a great Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012 in my opinion. I hope you guys have enjoyed my posts, I know I've enjoyed many of yours. I look forward to discussing more books with y'all in the future!

BBAW Post 3: What Does Book Blogging Mean to You?

Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012

What Does Book Blogging Mean to You?

I'm new to this whole blogging thing but so far I am loving it. I've always loved reading and I can think of times I have submersed myself in a fictional world. By blogging I feel that I have found a place where that kind of behavior is acceptable if not encouraged. 

I love that even though I finished a book, it doesn't have to be over. I can go on my blog and talk about it. I can share with the world that a book sparked some creativity and I made something inspired by the words on a page. 

I love that blogging gives me an excuse to geek out! I have enjoyed going to author/bookish events for the past three years. But not until I began blogging did I feel I had a right to proudly drive THREE hours just to get a book signed. (I've now been to events where people drive A LOT further for a signing!) Having the blog, a place to share our bookish adventures, allows me to feel much less stalkerish. :) It makes me feel like I have more of a purpose, I suppose is what I'm trying to say. Whether or not anyone else ever reads my blog, it's like I have done my duty and reported back on the event.

I also really enjoy the fact that I, in a small way, get help authors out. I really think authors are rock stars, I've had a story in head for ages now but I am just not able to write it the way it should be written. Authors possess this amazing ability to spin words in to wonderful books. And I am in awe because this is not easy thing to as I have discovered. The talent and dedication authors put into a book is just mind blowing. So if I, as a blogger, can anyway help an author, that makes me ecstatic! I love that blogging allows me to brag on behalf of long time favorites and discover new favs too. 

I know I'm a new kid on the blogging block but I plan to stick around. I may never have many followers or get box loads of ACRs or become a blogging goddess BUT I love doing what I'm doing so much right now. Just telling folks about the books I read and trying to spread my enthusiasm for what I consider literary gems. 

I think I've rambled on enough. I like books. I like blogging. I don't see me stopping reading or blogging in the foreseeable future. I am thankful to be a small part of this wonderfully awesome book blogging community. 

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Post 2

I failed to prepare for BBAW so I'm just answering these questions myself. It's kinda fun just to think about some of these questions and come up with for real answers. You should try it. :)

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I kinda snack all the time, so I don't think this is a fair question. Seriously though, I do not have fav reading snack. (I just know I don't want sticky, greasy fingers on the pages of my books.)

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
It doesn't horrify me, I tend to underline sometimes and I like to put those sticky-note tabs in books to remind me where the good stuff is at in the book.  But I don't write paragraphs in my books. Sometimes, if I really like a quote or passage from a book, I'll open a draft in my email and type/copy out the line(s) so I can reference them later.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Laying the book flat open?
Bookmark! With whatever might be handy. Receipts work wonderfully. Sometimes I do lay a book out flat to hold my place, but not often, usually only if it's already a old copy that is conducive to that. Dog-ears are a no-no. 

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Almost always fiction. I live in the real world, I read to escape!

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Either. I love having a good audiobook in the car for the long commute. My hubby and I have been known to have an audiobook for the car ride on a road trip. I like that because when we stop we can discuss the book and be at exactly the same place, even though we will have different perspectives on the book. (I like to say, "A family that reads together, stays together!" :)

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you
able to put a book down at any point?
I don't have to read to the end of the chapter but I find myself playing the one more chapter or just to the end of this chapter game a lot. This tends to lead to one more, that leads to one more and so forth. 

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
No, not always but I do sometimes. It depends, is that word detrimental to my understanding of the story or can I use the context clues and move on. (Very mature, huh?)

What are you currently reading?
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

What is the last book you bought?
Most recent (yesterday) from a second-hand store, Dark Secrets 1 by Elizabeth Chandler and The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. Brand new most recent (Saturday) was As You Wish by Jackson Pearce.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?
I may start more than one at a time but one will prevail until I just give in and finish one and then {hopefully} get back to the other. Usually I just have one book I'm reading and one I'm listening to in the car.


Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
I have a somewhat flexible job, so I can read in the down time there. That's probably my favorite place to get reading done. If I have to be up and dressed SOMETHING productive should be getting done, right? When I'm home, I read on my comfy couch and in bed before falling asleep.


Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I tend to end up reading series. I'm so sad when the one single, little book is over. I like to think of books in a series as mere chapters in one much longer book.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Hunger Games, for sure. I also was on a big kick of talking about Fault in Our Stars by John Green for a while. And I still LOVE Twilight, I beg people to just give it a chance before passing judgement.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
Mine are currently organize first by personal preference, then by author,  then chronologically. That is for the books I am most passionate about, for those less fortunate, they just have to find a spot on the shelf in whatever space is left.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Post 1

So, apparently this is Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) and I was totally unaware. (Not that this is new, for me to be unaware but still...) Anyways, better late than never, right?! Day 1's post is about Appreciation! Therefore, I'm going to share with you a couple of my favorite book blogs, in no particular order. Of course they are all great reviewers and I hope I really didn't have to say that but I wanted to be sure you knew. :) 

1. http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/

This is one of the first book blogs that I read when I really started reading blogs. I was drawn to it because of the Twilight element but really it is a great YA site. Yara (website owner extraordinaire) and her crew do such an amazing job. They are always getting new posts up and the site always looks great. They make it look effortless. This is one of those sites I really look up to as a new blogger.

2. http://www.smashattackreads.com/

First off, Smash's site is just soooo flipping cute with all the owls, I just can't express in words how adorable it is! Second, she does great reviews and posts often. And what's special right now is, she is compiling a list of all the greatest bookish sites into one list. Why haven't we thought of doing this before?! GREAT idea Smash, thanks for doing that!

3. http://www.elizziebooks.com/

Elizziebooks is the first vlog I have ever watched with any consistency. Her videos and reviews are pretty much awesome, they are passionate and well thought out. If you are not familiar with the "Book Tube" on You Tube, watching Liz's videos would be a good start in my opinion.

4. http://magnet4books.blogspot.com/

Alli from Magnet4Books has given me some super book recommendations. If she says it's a good book, you should read it.

5. http://www.readingangel.com/

I really like Reading Angel's blog, especially because she hosts a page count contest. It is really fun making a contest out of how much you read each month! (Even though I'm really bad about actually keeping up with my numbers!)

6. http://novelday.blogspot.com/

This book blog is cool because in addition to reviews, blogger Britta features something called Sartorial Lit. This is especially cool because she shows how things on the pages of a book can translate into real life. Check out her literary themed wedding post to really understand what I mean.

7. http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/

I love this site for posting the best bookish meme's that really get fellow bloggers coming together. My personal favorite is Teaser Tuesday, where you share two non-spoilery sentences from your current read. She also does Monday Musings, WWW Wednesdays, and Friday Finds which are all a lot of fun too!

There are tons more book blogs out there and I'm sure I have personally left off ones I'm going to wish I added. These were just the first ones that popped in my head and I really think they are all the bee's knees. I hope you find this list useful and have time to check out some, if not all of them!