One of my favorite parts of the wonderful annual event that is Book Blogger Appreciation Week has always been the blogger interview swap.  It's just fun to get to know the people behind the blogs I read, you know?  I've never participated in the swap before, but I thought it would be fun to join in this year.  Plus, I love that the focus of BBAW is no longer on awards—now, it really is just about celebrating the amazing book blogging community and I wanted to show my support for BBAW's re-focused mission.

I'm so glad I participated because I got to "meet" Stacey, an awesome reviewer who blogs from her home in London, England.  Not only does she post reviews on her blog, Pretty Books, but she also showcases photos of books and other fun things in her life on tumblr.  Through exploring her blog, I discovered that we share many of the same favorite books/authors.  Now that her blog is bookmarked on my Reader, I can check it often.  Yay!

Stacey asked me lots of thoughtful questions.  Mine for her weren't nearly as interesting, but she indulged me anyway:

Stacey:  For someone who runs a blog, I'm actually quite a private person online! I think it's because I've been using the internet for about 11-12 years — since I was 11 — and I'm wary about what personal information I put online. But I'm a 23-year old-living in London (although I was born in what Londoners would call the countryside!) and I have lived here most of my life. I'm currently working in book publishing as a sales and marketing assistant, yet I'm one of the unusual bunch who didn't study English at university, but Sociology. I am deathly afraid of ladybirds (or should I say, ladybugs) but a huge fan of Taylor Swift.  
Stacey:  When I first joined Tumblr, I really didn't know what it was for, but then I came across wonderful food blogs with photos of amazing desserts, all things chocolate, and then eventually I started following book blogs. It just looked like so much fun and so very 'me'. So one night, I created prettybooks and posted a few photos of my favourite 'pretty' books and bookshelves. I never thought that that over 2 ½ years later I'd still be running it. I actually do not take the majority of photographs on my blog - they're submitted by followers, reblogged, or are wonderful bookish things I find on the internet. I take photos with my iPhone — I don't own a camera — but they're either photos for the blog or random photos I send to my friends, like of what I'm eating (yes, I'm one of those people!).
Stacey:  For fellow dystopia fans, I'd suggest Pure by Julianna Baggott, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, and Divergent by Veronica Roth. For fans of The Book Thief I HAVE to suggest Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - it's one of the most memorable books I've ever read. The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock is also a recent favourite and is set during the German occupation of Guernsey. I think A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is also still a lot less known than Chaos Walking and it shouldn't be because it's such a beautiful book. Sister by Rosamund Lupton is one of those 'crime for people who don't like crime'-type books and I think Picoult fans will really enjoy it! Also her second novel, Afterwards. 
Stacey:  I'm lucky enough to live close to the Olympic stadium (and I got to watch the hockey!) and I absolutely love that the opening ceremony was so British, and so perfect, and I'm glad everyone around the world has enjoyed London 2012 too!

Gold: I hope this isn't too political but I'm constantly appreciate of the National Health Service (NHS). Good health isn't a privilege, it's a right!

Silver: I love how we love to complain about everything in Britain (the weather in particular!), but when anyone else steps in we become incredibly protective and patriotic. 

Bronze: I love how in every situation, queuing is held as the one social norms and must never be broken (or we'll start tutting). It's a quirky habit we can't seem to shake. 

I also didn't mention this because it's rather typical, but I love how we truly celebrate books, reading, and literacy, so much that it was featured in the two opening ceremonies. We started World Book Night (where 1 million books are given away) and we have Harry Potter, Charles Dickens and Roald Dahl postage stamps! 
Stacey:  Ah, there's so many! Coffee, fresh bread, bacon frying, fresh autumn air. I also love the smell of candles burning on a birthday cake. 
Stacey:  I'd really just love a cosy personal library with bookshelves on three walls, and maybe a big comfy chair or cosy nook. I love for it to have a secret door so no one else would know it was there! I'd be happy surrounded by all my favourite books. 

Isn't Stacey great?  I had a good time getting to know her a little bit and I hope you will, too.  You'll love her reviews—they're thoughtful and smart—as well as her beautiful book stack photos.  Pretty Books is an excellent blog, one I'll definitely be keeping my eye on :)

If you want to see her interview with me, click here.

Wow, so somehow, it's Friday again. Not sure how that happened. The week has just whizzed by. I spent last night finishing Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel. Although it's filled with warlocks, demons, vampires, etc., it's not really scary - still, it made me a little jumpy last night with the husband out of town. Let me just tell you, this big ole house makes a lot of noise after the kids go to bed and it's dead quiet inside. Anyway, Clockwork Angel didn't hypnotize me quite as much as the books in The Mortal Instruments series (maybe because of the steampunk elements?), but it's still an absorbing, quick-paced thrill ride. I definitely enjoyed it, just not quite as much as Clare's other novels. And really, you should be able to get through it even if you're home alone at night. I'm just a wimp. Anyway, look for that review this week.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week is in full swing, if you haven't noticed (and how could you not?). I was too lazy to get myself signed up for it this year. I'm not wild about the nominations/award setup this time around, but I'm interested to see how it all plays out. Click over the the BBAW blog and check out all the fun!


It being Friday and all means it's time for the Book Blogger Hop. This weekly meme, hosted by Jen at Crazy-For-Books is tons of fun. It's a great way to get to know other book bloggers as well as drive traffic to your site.

This week's question is not really a question, but we're supposed to talk about our favorite book blogs in honor of BBAW. I could never name favorites. Seriously, I have hundreds of them on my Reader. With the Hop and Follow Friday, I'm constantly adding more. How about if I list my oldest and newest fave? Will that suffice? Okay:

The first book blog I ever visited is A Patchwork of Books, written by the lovely Amanda. She's a voracious reader as well as a wonderful person. I'm glad to have found her all those years ago. She's been both a friend and an inspiration to me ever since.

Although I added a ton of new blogs to my Reader last week, the one that stands out most is Parajunkee's. She blogs mostly about paranormal books and hosts Follow (My Book Blog) Friday. Be sure to check out her fun reviews.


FF works like the Book Hop. This week, ParaJunkee asks, "Are your favorite books YA or do you stick to adult reads?" My answer: both! Why limit myself, you know? I love adult, YA, middle grade, picture books, etc. As long as it's a book, I'll consider reading it!

Okay, now, click on over to ParaJunkee's blog and start checking out all the fabulous book blogs out there in Cyberspace.

Lastly, I'm only 6 entries away from my 700th post! Can you believe that? I'll surely have to celebrate that milestone with a contest of some sort. I'm still hammering out the details, but you'll definitely want to stay tuned for this one.

Have a wonderful weekend, everybody. Happy reading!

So, according to my 11-year-old son (who has done nothing but eat, read, swim, watch t.v. and play video games), this is "the most boring summer ever." My 8-year-old is going to Boredom Busters, a great day camp at a nearby school, but my 5-year-old wasn't old enough to attend and my aforementioned 11-year-old declared, "Do NOT sign me up for that." The two oldest will be attending a neighborhood nature camp in a couple of weeks. Other than that, we got nothing. The most exciting thing that's happened so far is the nasty flu bug that seems to have taken up residence in our house. Throw up galore. Thrilling, I tell you.

Personally, I think excitement is overrated. I'm all about boring - as my kids will readily attest. I prefer to lay around, relax, read, swim and forget about any and all responsibility. Except for the vomit cleaning (a responsibility which always seems to fall in my lap - sometimes literally), I've been pretty successful.

Even though things have been a bit dull around my house, lots of fun stuff is going on in the blogging world. Three things that I'm pretty stoked about are:




This weekly event is just so much fun. I love finding new book blogs. New ones are being created every day, and I don't want to miss out. Click on over to Crazy For Books to join in the fun.



I've never participated in Bloggiesta, but BBB could sure use some sprucing up. These are the tasks I plan to complete this weekend:

- Update blog roll - 90 minutes and counting
- Link up reviews for "Baby Steps Authors," "LDS Authors," "Arizona Authors," etc. - 40 mins.
- Update review schedule
- Create BBB Facebook page and add link
- Add new review books to Google spreadsheet - 5 mins.
- Update "My Kids Recommend" section
- Create a BBAW post with links to best posts

I think that's it for now. I've actually got a lot I need to accomplish this weekend, so I don't want to get too carried away.

If you're interested in joining the Bloggiesta, find all the info on Natasha's blog.

You probably know all about BBAW, the weeklong celebration of book blogging. There are daily blogging topics, an interview swap, awards and lots, lots more. Last year, I was absolutely thrilled to have BBB nominated in the category of Best Written Blog. This year, the awards/voting component has changed. I'm not thrilled about the self-nominating thing, but I'm going to bite the bullet and do it anyway. A post will be forthcoming. Check out all the details about this fun annual event here.

Told ya there was lots going on. Sounds fun, huh? I think I'll get started on my blog improvement for Bloggiesta. Or maybe I'll go back to my siesta, since it is summer and all ...

So many things are making me happy today that I just had to celebrate with a giveaway. Before we get to that, though, don't you want to know why I'm so giddy today? Of COURSE you do (If you really don't, just scroll down to the bottom for the contest info).

• It's still a million degrees here in the Phoenix area, but some of the bushes in my yard just popped out with some gorgeous colors. They're vibrant reds, purples and even white. "How can white be vibrant?" you ask. I don't know, it just is. Anyway, when we pulled up to our house this morning, my 4 year old gasped. "Mom!" he exclaimed. "Look at all those colors. Who made that?" At a loss, I answered, "Um, God?" In astonishment, he replied, "You mean God is our yard guy?" LOL. I'm still chuckling.

• As of last night, I have read 100 books this year. I should be more than able to hit my goal of 150, but I'm wondering if I can get to 200. What do you think? Reviews of Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani and Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick are coming soon.
  

• My oldest nephew (13) and my youngest niece (3) are both celebrating birthdays today!

• I talked to David Boreanaz on live tv this morning! Well, not exactly, but I'm still geeking out. Let me explain: Rick D'Amico, a local reporter, often interviews celebrities on his morning show. The night before these chats, he sends a message to all his Facebook friends/fans (one of whom is my husband) asking which questions they want him to ask. So, last night, I was glued to something on my computer (probably one of your addicting book blogs) when I heard some white noise. It sounded something like this, "RickD'Amico'sinterviewingthatBonesguytomorrowWhaddayawannaaskhim?" When I came back to Earth, I realized this was my chance to ask Booth himself a deep, scintilating question. What I came up with was, "Has he read the books?" by which I meant the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs, on which Bones is based. The query came off the top of my head, wasn't all that intelligent, and didn't fully convey the depths of my lust for him, but, I was still interested in the answer.
  

  So, this morning as I was bathing the baby, my husband yells, "Hey! He's answering your question." And he was. David (see how we're on a first name basis now?) said that no, he hadn't read the books on which the show is "very loosely based" because he didn't want them to influence his performance. He wanted to make Booth into his own kind of character. Smart, no? I've wondered why the producers chose to bring Tempe's character to life, but not Detective Andrew Ryan's. Is it because female readers can handle seeing literary leading ladies brought to life but not their leading men? I can't imagine any actor playing Ryan to perfection, even Boreanaz.

  I do have the sinking suspicion that the very handsome Boreanaz might night be much of a reader. Even if he doesn't want Reichs' books to influence his performance, wouldn't he be too curious to resist? I would. Now, I could be wrong. Maybe he reads acres of books, but somehow, I doubt it. I'll ask Dave about it next time we chat :)

• It's Book Blogger Appreciation Week. 'Nuf said. If all the bloggy love floating around isn't making you giddy, I don't know what can. Oh, maybe a giveaway ...

• I've actually had this book for a while, but it got a little buried under mount TBR (To Be Reviewed). Now that I've unearthed it, I'm excited to give it away. Last year, Ted and Betsy Lewin visited my kids' school. I bought two copies of Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia, which the Lewins signed. Of course, my children got one copy, but the other will go to one lucky winner. Recap: This is a brand-new hardcover signed by the authors. You can check out the details on its Amazon page.

  
  

  To enter: Leave a comment on this post telling me what's making you happy right now. Each of the following will earn you one extra entry: Post about this giveaway on your blog or stick a blurb on your sidebar (leave me a link); mention it on Twitter and/or Facebook; follow me on Twitter (there's a link on my left sidebar); and become a Follower of my blog. Now, I have to say that this last one is very hypocritical, because I don't follow any blogs. I have you all on Google Reader and I can't handle another feed management tool. If you have similar issues, you can subscribe to the blog via your reader (just let me know). That being said, I love my followers. You will all be making an appearance on my sidebar very soon. Oh! If you're already a follower/subscriber, that counts! The nitty gritty: I will draw the name of one winner on Wednesday, September 23. It's a short contest, so sign up now. This giveaway is open to all of my readers, wherever in the world you may happen to be! If you don't have a public blog, please leave me a working email address. If I can't reach you, you can't win.
  

• That's it. Have a happy day, everybody!

So, the shortlists for Book Blogger Appreciation Week were announced yesterday - sadly, BBB was not on there. *sniff* Ah well. The fact that even one person thought I deserved an award for Best Writing made my day. Truly, it was an honor (and such a confidence booster!) just to be nominated. So, thanks, y'all. Be sure and hit BBAW's "voting booth" to show some love for your favorite shortlisted blogs.

Did you notice how many book blogs Amy and her team sifted through? Over 1000. 1000! That's incredible. I have several hundred on my feeder, but that's not even a fraction of the awesome book blogs out there. My favorite part of BBAW is exactly this - I'm always thrilled to discover fantastic new book blogs. Thanks to Amy and her hardworking crew for putting this fun event together.

So, I've been seeing posts all over the book blogosphere announcing nominees for different BBAW awards. The excitement is palpable. I love it. True, I may have been the teensiest, tiniest bit green-eyed, but really, I've been so happy for all of you. I mean, I would have been delighted to have been nominated for best giveaways ('cuz I've been rocking them this year), or best design (you gotta admit, it's cute), or best anything at all. But, no. Nothing. I sniffed a little, then got over myself (well, kind of). So, imagine my surprise when an email arrived in my inbox today reminding me to submit 5 of my best pieces to the judging committee. Huh? Turns out, I never received the first email letting me know I've been nominated in the category of Best Writing. Can I just tell you that I'm thrilled beyond words? I work hard on this little ole blog of mine and I'm honored - not to mention surprised - that anyone clicks over here at all. So, thank you, thank you for this. It means so much to me!