Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2011: Community

It's that time of year again - Book Blogger's Appreciation Week - and I must admit it has snuck up on me.  I started doing the interviews last year but I forgot to sign up this year.  I was supposed to judge a category, but forgot.  This medicine I am on along with the start of school and my work schedule just seems to be a little bit too much for me.  Oh well, on to the first day of BBAW. 

Today's topic is community and I'm supposed to highlight a couple of blogs that make book blogging a unique experience for me.  Hmmm. . . I was thinking about this on my drive in this morning.  There are so many different ways I could take this.  Last year I did the blogs that helped get me started so this year I thought I would do two different blogs.  First is one that I go to and I can guarantee her book suggestions will always help me find a book to read.  Very rarely will we disagree on a book.  That blogger is:

2 Kids and Tired Books

Boy I can relate to the blog title as well as her book choices.  Really though I read her blog pretty regularly and when she highly recommends a book I usually look for it at my library and if I can find it and read it I almost always agree with her.  Or if we have the same review book, we usually have the same opinion. Now this doesn't always hold true, but it's true most of the time.  We don't stay in touch or anything like that, but we do comment from time-to-time on each other's blogs.  But I know if I'm in a reading slump, I can go to her blog for a reading suggestion.

The second book blogger is one I can always go to for a laugh:

Babbling About Books

Between her WTFckery or Not? posts and the adventures of Mo Fo to her hilarious reviews, I love Katiebabs!  And sometimes she gets real too.  That's another reason to love her blog.  She's great at promoting authors because she is an author and she loves romance books, so what's not to like about her blog.  Her sense of humor is right up my alley - I love the sarcasm and the bite.  When I need a laugh I go to her blog.  When I need a romance recommendation, I go to her blog.  So go to her blog and try it out.  Warning, it's not for the faint of heart or the young.

So there you go - two very different bloggers who mean something to me.  Who means something to you?  You can find the Linky here to see what others said and put your own in as well.  If you have a great blog you would love to share with me, please do so in the comments.  If you are a fairly new blog and you want to share with me do so in the comments, I love to find new blogs and if you set your email up in blogger so you are not a no-reply email I will email you back (I love to comment back by email).  Please feel free to comment, I read all comments and respond if your email is either in the comment or visible through blogger.

BBAW Giveaway #3: Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang

I'm on a roll so let's have a third giveaway and it's the next non-fiction book on my tbr pile. I've been looking forward to reading this but just haven't found the time, and now I will make the time and then pass it on to a lucky winner!

A clear and utterly practical 90-day program for discovering a new direction for your life

In Now What? pioneering life coach Laura Berman Fortgang shares the process that she has used so successfully to help hundreds of clients make major changes in their lives. Whether it's moving on from a dead end job, discovering an entirely new creative outlet, or answering the age old question "What am I meant to do with my life?" this book provides a clear and infinitely practical 90-day program that can help you make major changes in your life.

For anyone who feels drawn toward a life-changing move but is not sure exactly what to do or how to move forward, Now What? provides a concrete process for finding and pursuing a new path in life. Full of inspiring and empowering exercises and tools, this book guides readers-day by day and step by step-through a 90-day process that will lead to true life satisfaction and fulfillment.

So my second giveaway of the week is a gently used copy of Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang. This giveaway will go through Monday September 21st and draw on Tuesday. So if you would like to get a chance to win this book, please comment. Rules are simple for this week:

• +1 for comment with email
• +2 for each way you follow (twitter, email, rss feed/blogger/etc.)
• +3 for tweeting (1 entry for this per day)
  

Thanks for stopping by.

BBAW Giveaway #2: A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve

It's time for my second giveaway and it's the next book on my tbr pile. I finished Ring of Fire at lunchtime and it's good so go enter my giveaway for that here.

Margaret and Patrick have been married just a few months when they set off on what they hope will be a great adventure-a year living in Kenya. Margaret quickly realizes there is a great deal she doesn't know about the complex mores of her new home, and about her own husband.

A British couple invites the newlyweds to join on a climbing expedition to Mount Kenya, and they eagerly agree. But during their harrowing ascent, a horrific accident occurs. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Margaret struggles to understand what happened on the mountain and how these events have transformed her and her marriage, perhaps forever.

A Change in Altitude illuminates the inner landscape of a couple, the irrevocable impact of tragedy, and the elusive nature of forgiveness. With stunning language and striking emotional intensity, Anita Shreve transports us to the exotic panoramas of Africa and into the core of our most intimate relationships.

So my second giveaway of the week is a new copy of A Change in Altitude courtesy of Miriam Parker at Hachette books. This comes out on Tuesday so I will make this giveaway through Monday September 21st and draw on Tuesday. So if you would like to get a chance to win this book, please comment. Rules are simple for this week:

• +1 for comment with email
• +2 for each way you follow (twitter, email, rss feed/blogger/etc.)
• +3 for tweeting (1 entry for this per day)
  

Thanks for stopping by.

BBAW Giveaway #1: Century - Ring of Fire Book #1 by P.D. Baccalario

I've been a little lax this week - I had so much more planned, but my health, my job and my life aren't cooperating with BBAW! But I will take the time and post some long-needed reviews and I will also post some giveaways. And the giveaways will make me read some books with overdue reviews and then passs them on to you.

Every hundred years, four kids from four cities must save the world.

A mix-up with their reservations forces Harvey from New York, Mistral from Paris, and Sheng from Shanghai to share a room with the hotel owner’s daughter, Elettra. The four kids discover an amazing coincidence—they all have birthdays on February 29, Leap Day. That night, a strange man gives them a briefcase and asks them to take care of it until he returns. Soon afterward, the man is murdered.

The kids open the briefcase. In it they find a series of clues that take them all over Rome, through dusty libraries and dark catacombs, in search of the elusive Ring of Fire, an ancient object so powerful that legend says even a Roman emperor couldn’t control it.

In the first book of the Century quartet, Italian author P. D. Baccalario begins a mystery that will take four cities and four extraordinary kids to solve.

So my first giveaway of the week is for my current read, Century: Ring of Fire Book 1 by P.D. Baccalario. It's a gently used ARC that I just received last week. I'm 1/3 of the way through this book and it's very entertaining so far, I'm enjoying the suspense and getting to know the characters. I think of it like a tween/teen Da Vinci Code adventure-type book. No religious connection, just the adventure of following clues left in strange places. So if you would like to get a chance to win this book. Please comment. Rules are simple for this week:

• +1 for comment with email
• +2 for each way you follow (twitter, email, rss feed/blogger/etc.)
• +3 for tweeting (1 entry for this per day)
  

I'll open this through Sunday September 20th and draw the winner on Monday! Thanks for stopping by.

BBAW: Reading Meme

Wednesday's post with BBAW is a Reading Meme - we're supposed to pick a few questions and answer or answer all of them in just a few words. I think I did pretty good as I am usually wordy with my posts.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?

• Dark chocolate M&Ms

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?

• Don't mark.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?

• Bookmark

Laying the book flat open?

• Only hard backs if I can

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

• Both but mainly fiction

Hard copy or audiobooks?

• Both

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?

• It depends how sleepy I am - I do try and read to a stopping point

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?

• No

What are you currently reading?

• Vanished by Joesph Finder

What is the last book you bought?

• The Mediator: Shadowland by Meg Cabot

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 read several at a time

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?

• In the evening in my chair in the living room

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

• I love both

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?

• Michelle Moran is my current favorite (Cleopatra's Daughter)

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)

• Genre mainly - don't have time to alphabetize anymore

BBAW: Why I Blog

Today is interview day with BBAW and I didn't throw my name in the hat because I didn't want anyone to get stuck with me :) So I've been seeing other self-interviews so I thought I would do a quick one myself.

Why do I blog?

At first it was to keep track of books I read - a place to put a summary and a brief review so I would remember the book I read because I frequently forget whether I have read a book or not.

Then it blossomed into being a part of the community of book bloggers - people read my blog, they commented and I started participating in memes and giveaways and then the blog was fun.

Then there came review books - a way to get books, but it became even more than that. I have now virtually met several authors and have to say they are some of the nicest people.

So this is pretty much it in a nutshell - I blog to be a part of a community of people that love books like I do.

What new genres have I read since I started blogging?

Historical fiction, memoirs, more general fiction and young adult. Thank you book bloggers and authors for introducing me to these wonderful genres.

Why do I do the memes?

They are fun and there is nothing that makes me want to read more than finding new books to read and a lot of the memes show me new-to-me authors and books to add to my list.

Why do I do giveaways?

Some are publisher/author sponsored, but some are my copies. I do this because I can't keep all the books I've read or we wouldn't have room to live and also so I can share a wonderful book with someone else, who may or may not would buy the book, but will read it when they get it and hopefully love it and want to buy from the author in the future.

Did I ever want to write books?

Yes, but I quickly figured out I couldn't come up with the great ideas, so I decided to stick to reading and marvel at the great ideas that authors come up with.

Does my family read like I do?

Pretty much - my oldest son was upset the other night that he forgot to bring his book with him in the car before we went out to eat (it takes us 20 minutes to get to town) and that reminded me of when I was younger and took a book everywhere (okay I still do). My youngest loves for me to read "the pigeon" books by Mo Willems and my husband is addicted to the library just like I am, he just reads more non-fiction. My dad and mom also read all the time, so it's definitely in the family.

So that's just a quick summary of why I do what I do on this blog. I've really enjoyed reading the interviews today and hopefully next year I will be brave enough to throw my name in the hat.

BBAW: Some of my favorite blogs

Welcome to BBAW! This is my first year participating and I am really excited. Today's topic is what book blogs mean something to me. Several of my favorites made the shortlist but here are some that didn't (at least I think they didn't - that's a long list):

I love Books and Needlepoint - Kristi has great giveaways and I always enjoy her reviews.

All About {n} is another one I frequent all the time - Nely also has wonderful reviews and giveaways.

The Misadventures of Super Librarian - Wendy can always make me laugh.

Cafe of Dreams - very enjoyable reviews and interviews.

So these are just a few that are on my list. I'm off to see what new blogs to add to my list from everyone else's list!

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

From the Book Blogger Appreciation Week Website:

Announcing the Second Annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week September 14-18, 2009

Last year over 400 blogs came together to celebrate the art of book blogging during the first ever Book Blogger Appreciation Week! I am so pleased to announce that the second annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week will be taking place September 14-18.

WHO Anyone who blogs about books is invited to participate. In fact, we want everyone who blogs about books and reading to be a part of this week!
WHAT A week where we come together, celebrate the contribution and hard work of book bloggers in promoting a culture of literacy, connecting readers to books and authors, and recogonizing the best among us with the Second Annual BBAW Awards. There will be special guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways.
WHEN September 14-18, 2009
WHERE Here at the new Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog! (Please note that this year there are three separate blogs and feeds—one for the main event, one for giveaways, and one for awards.)
WHY Because books matter. In a world full of options, the people talking about books pour hard work, time, energy, and money into creating a community around the written word. I, Amy, the founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week love this community of bloggers and want to shower my appreciation on you!

WANT TO PARTICIPATE?
Please help us spread the word about Book Blogger Appreciation Week by posting about it on your blog, stumbling this post, twittering about it, and telling everyone you know that it’s time to have a party and celebrate book bloggers!

I'm joining in this year and you should join in too!

But wait!! We don’t want those of you who didn’t participate to feel left out, so if you didn’t participate last year, how about these questions?

They asked some questions on the website and here are my answers - I'm a newbie to the week:

1) What has been one of the highlights of blogging for you?
Contact with wonderful authors and publicists, comments from readers, knowing there are so many others out there that have a passion for reading makes me feel great!

2) What blogger has helped you out with your blog by answering questions, linking to you, or inspiring you?
J Kaye's Book Blog is one of the ones who has inspired me. Also Books and Needlepoint and all my regular commenters.

3) What one question do you have about BBAW that someone who participated last year could answer?
What can I do as a new blogger to help make the week successful?