Category Archives: Blog

Feature & Follow (October 5) – Purpose of Blogging?

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Welcome to the Feature & Follow Hop, hosted by Parajunkee’s View and Alison Can Read!

If you’re here for the first time, I’d love if you could follow via email, RSS, LinkyFollowers or Networked Blogs. Just let me know your follow method of choice in the comments, and I’ll be happy to return the favor.

And if you’re not new, welcome back! Repeat visitors are better than the time when Sonic messed up my drink order enough that I asked for a replacement drink, but not enough that I couldn’t stomach the original, and therefore wound up with two drinks.

Today’s question is:

What do you hope to accomplish with your blog? Is it to one day become an author yourself, just for fun, maybe get some online attention, or maybe something very different?

Oh heavens. Besides embarrass myself by confessing shameful things for no apparent reason? (Like drinking two large Sonic drinks JUST BECAUSE I COULD?)

Well, if I became an author, that would be cool and I guess partially to do with this blog, because of all the awesome author and blogger contacts I’ve made, but that was definitely not the original purpose.

It is fun (and definitely a “just for me” thing, which is important when your main real-life job is raising tiny humans, which is decidedly not all about me). But I didn’t really start it for me.

It wasn’t to get online attention. At least that much, I can say for certain. It kind of baffles me that anyone I don’t know personally reads this blog.

Honestly, it was mostly for accountability. I thought I watched too much TV, played too much on Facebook, and was just generally not being as productive as I should be in life. I wanted to get back to the voracious reader I was in my pre-kids years, and I thought starting a blog about the books I read would be motivational. People would actually notice if I dropped off the face of the earth to go be a bum again.

And it’s worked! I’m definitely reading more, and watching less TV.

Let’s not talk about how much I’m on Facebook, and let’s really not even mention Twitter.

Oh, and I’m thinking of getting a Tumblr. Shh, don’t tell anyone.

P.S. If you’re new (or if you’re not), make sure to go enter my Six Month Celebration Giveaway, where you can win one of my favorite reads since I started blogging! What are you waiting for? Skedaddle! 

Throwback Thursday (October 4) – The Island

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Welcome to Throwback Thursday, a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books!

It’s the nature of book blogging to focus mainly on new releases, but there are thousands of great books out there that haven’t seen the “New Releases” shelf in years. We hope to be able to bring attention to some older titles that may not be at the top of the current bestseller list, but still deserve a spot in your To-Be-Read pile.

You don’t have to be a book blogger to participate! You can put up a Throwback Thursday post on your non-bookish blog; or if you don’t have a blog at all, just use the comments to tell us about a book you remember fondly.

Here’s how it works:
1. Pick any book released more than 5 years ago. Adult, YA, Children’s; doesn’t matter. Any great book will do.
2. Write up a short summary of the book (include the title, author, and cover art) and an explanation of why you love it. Make sure to link back to The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books in your post.
3. Link up your post at The Housework Can Wait or Never Too Fond of Books.
4. Visit as many blogs as you can, reminisce about books you loved, and discover some “new” books for your TBR list!

Feel free to grab the Throwback Thursday button code from the sidebar to use in your posts.

Thanks for participating, and we look forward to seeing which books you choose to remember!

My Throwback this week is…

The Island by Victoria Hislop

No, this isn’t an explosion-filled action-adventure about strangely attractive clones. (Full disclosure: I kinda love that movie).

The Island is follows the story of 25-year-old Alexis, who travels to Crete to learn about her past and figure out what she should do about her own angst-filled life. While there, she learns the story of her great grandmother, Eleni, who was sent to the leper colony of Spinalonga in the 1930s, and of her grandmother and great-aunt, Anna and Maria, the daughters Eleni left behind. The bulk of the story actually follows Eleni, Anna, and Maria, with Alexis’ story bookending theirs.

I enjoyed this book, and while it is fictional, I found it rather eye-opening. I haven’t come across a lot of books about leprosy (granted, I haven’t been looking), and reading about the colony, how its inhabitants functioned, and how the disease progressed were really interesting. There isn’t a lot of action or mystery or suspense in this book; it’s quiet and introspective, a romantic and occasionally melodramatic story. It uses Nazis and World War II as more of a backdrop than a focal point, and most of the drama and conflict is contained within Crete and Spinalonga. But it was a quick and simple read, which got me interested in a subject I didn’t think I’d ever want to read about.

This is a blog hop! Link up your Throwback Thursday post below!



Book Blast: The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson

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I’m trying something new today – participating in a Book Blast. The idea is to help increase awareness of a book by a bunch of bloggers promoting it at the same time. I’ll be honest — I haven’t read this one yet. But I decided to participate because it sounds light and fun, and I’ve been reading some darker stuff lately and thought it was about time for some fluffy chick lit. Rest assured I will read it soon, then post a review.

In the meantime, read the synopsis, buy a copy if it sounds like something you’d be interested in (the Kindle version is only $0.99!), and while you’re at it, enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson

Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town’s charity event, Taycee Emerson wants out. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it’s up to the viewers–not her–to decide which bachelors stay or go.

Coerced into participating, Taycee does what any self-preserving girl would do. She launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. Unfortunately, Luke’s an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she’s up to, it means revenge.

But when their pranks go south, will they screw up any chance they have at a future together, or will they be able to forgive and forget and prove that love really does conquer all?


About the Author:

Rachael Anderson is the author of four contemporary romances: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She’s the mother of four, can’t sing, doesn’t dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.

 

Links:

FB fan page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachael-Anderson/174521852685105

Website:

http://rachaelreneeanderson.blogspot.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rachaelreneeand

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3229576.Rachael_Renee_Anderson

Amazon author page:

http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Renee-Anderson/e/B003357K70/

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour.html

Giveaway Details:

$50 Amazon Gift Code compliments of Author Rachael Renee Anderson

Ends 10/31/12

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent’s permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Top Ten Tuesday (October 2) – Throwbacks!

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It’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and today’s topic is near and dear to my heart. So much so that I co-host a meme that brings attention to some of these great older titles. [Speaking of which, insert shameless Throwback Thursday plug here.]

That said, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, these titles are going to be familiar, because I’ve featured most of them as Throwbacks. What can I say? They’re awesome.

Top Ten “Older” Books You Don’t Want People To Forget About


1. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Lots of people don’t even realize this is a book, and I find that immensely sad.
 

2. Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Still the best high fantasy series I’ve ever read, and the book I measure all other fantasies against. If you’re a fantasy lover and I haven’t convinced you to read this book yet, I’m doing something wrong.

3. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

I divide my sci-fi into two categories: Aliens and No Aliens. In the Aliens category, this book is my favorite.


4. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

And in the No Aliens category, this one is my favorite. If you’ve only seen the movie, the book is vastly different. Although the movie is pretty awesome too.

5. The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

This one bridges the Aliens-No Aliens gap, and so I love it in a different way than the other two. Also, I realize this is another Michael Crichton book. But considering I’ve read all his books (and there are many), the fact that I’m only putting two of them on this list actually took a great deal of restraint. I could make a Top 10 of just Crichton books that I’ve read over half a dozen times.

6. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Man, do I love this book. I’m not typically a historical romance kind of gal, but throw in a sprinkling of time travel, and you’ve got me.

7. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

I don’t think this story is in any danger of being forgotten any time soon, but it’s definitely older and I most certainly don’t want it to ever become obsolete. Tolkien’s world of Middle Earth was groundbreaking and stunning, and I hope people love it forever.

8. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Likewise, I doubt the story of the Pevensie children stumbling their way into a magical land via an antique wardrobe in an old man’s spare room is going anywhere in the immediate future, but I just wanted to state for the record how much I adore these stories.

9. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

I love the story of the March sisters, and that through all their adventures and romances and hardships, their relationships with each other, and with their mother, is what’s really important.

10. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I love everything about this story. While it’s simple and sweet and old-fashioned, I can’t help but think that Anne herself is pretty timeless.

Feature & Follow (September 28): Balderdash!

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Welcome to the Feature & Follow Hop, hosted by Parajunkee’s View and Alison Can Read!

If you’re here for the first time, I’d love if you could follow via email, RSS, LinkyFollowers or Networked Blogs. Just let me know your follow method of choice in the comments, and I’ll be happy to return the favor.

And if you’re not new, welcome back! Repeat visitors are better than having a friend show up unexpectedly at your door with a Dr. Pepper float from Sonic, JUST FOR YOU.

Just kidding. That happened a few weeks ago, and it was amazing. I don’t think it’s beatable.

Today’s question is:

What is the BIGGEST word you’ve seen used in a book lately – that made you stop and look it up?

Okay, this may come across as me being a little bit braggy, but honestly I think it’s more of a nerdy thing. When I got together with my friends in high school, we played Scrabble or Boggle (or Alternative Guess Who, which is amazing fun. “Does your person claim their favorite song is Freebird, but in reality, it’s Call Me Maybe? No?” *flips down Bill, Maria, and Richard* That has nothing to do with anything, except that I need to go buy a Guess Who set right now so I can play that with someone). When my family has game night, we play Balderdash (also great fun). I’ve always had a fairly extensive vocabulary. I’m that annoying person that other people tell to “stop using big words,” except that I don’t realize the words I’m using are big.

*sigh* You hate me now, don’t you?

Anyway, I’ve never had to stop and look up a big word. That’s not to say I’ve never come across a new word while reading, but I try to figure out the meaning from context clues (and sometimes I am wrong; I thought for the longest time that “nonplussed” meant “unconcerned,” when in fact it means the opposite). But I honestly can’t ever remember breaking out the dictionary or heading over to Wikipedia to figure out what a word meant.

That said, the book that most recently stumped me, not with vocabulary but with terminology, was The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent. I don’t have the book anymore, so I can’t give you an example, but I felt like I needed an advanced degree in the mythologies of several cultures to fully grasp everything in there. I understood enough to grasp what was going on, but some of the little things left me…nonplussed.*

I really want to go raid the Toys & Games section of Target now. Probably not the intended side effect of this topic.

P.S. If you’re going to follow anyway, you should go ahead and enter my Six Months of Blogging Giveaway. You can win your choice of any one of my favorite books I’ve read while blogging. Doesn’t that sound fun?

*Do you see what I did there? (And yes, I realize I used it kind of incorrectly AGAIN, but I couldn’t resist.)