A Belated Book Blogger Appreciation Note and Giveaway

I know that Book Blogger Appreciation Week came and went, but you'd never notice it based on this site. That was an intentional choice; between working full-time, grad school, banjo lessons (yes, I'm taking banjo lessons), and other really important things like watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix, this blog often gets the shaft.

As a result, this leaves me less involved in the book blog community than I would like to be. I don't have as much time to browse all your lovely blogs and check up on what you've been reading. Posting on this blog has dropped dramatically since its early days (if I can get something out once a week, I feel I'm doing well) and my posting inconsistency does not, in turn, foster much of a discussion, because I know you blog readers like frequency! 

But excuses aside, I just wanted to say I am VERY appreciative of the book blogging world! I thank you guys for constantly giving me new books to read [Seriously, I used to browse the shelves at the library or bookstores to find my new reads, and I don't even remember the last time I did that. Now, all the books I read come from other bloggers' recommendations.] and for taking time to add to the discussion here with your thoughts and comments.

And now, I'm not trying to buy your love...but I have a lot of books on my desk that are duplicates or that I've already read (some are ARCs, and they are from Algonquin, so thanks Algonquin!), and I'd like to share them with you. If you're interested in any of these books, please fill out the form below and I'll shoot you an email. First come, first serve. Please limit your choice to one title.

• When She Woke by Hilary Jordan
• Something for Nothing by David Anthony
• Barnacle Love by Anthony De Sa
• Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger by Lee Smith
• The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow
• The Frozen Rabbi by Steven Stern
• A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein

BBAW: Unexpected Treasure

Today's topic for Book Blogger Appreciation Week is to write about a book or genre you have tried thanks to the influence of another book blogger.

Well, hmm.

My reading tastes are scattered anyway, that it doesn't take much to inspire me to read out of my comfort zone. This past year has probably been my most diverse, genre-wise, thanks partly to my "world-lit" book club and partly to a recent increased thirst for knowledge. Looking back on my 'read' list of 2010, there are a couple of things on there that were inspired by another blogger. After all, the number one thing book blogs give me are new recommendations!

Early in 2010, I was looking to try some graphic novels but didn't really know where to start. I don't like the fantasy/action stories that I'd always thought most graphic novels were, but then I read a review for Craig Thompson's Blankets over on write meg! While I didn't exactly agree with Meg's opinions of the book, it did jumpstart my graphic novel kick. Since Blankets, I've read French Milk, Carnet de Voyage—both of which I enjoyed more than Blankets—and Fun Home, which is one of my favorite reads of the year.

Another series I started thanks to bloggers is Betsy-Tacy! Quite frankly, I was surprised I'd never heard of these in my childhood, but better late than never, right? I breezed through the first four back in July before getting bogged down with reading assignments. But have no fear, numbers five and six are patiently waiting on my shelf and next in my queue after I finish my current book club book. I also discovered that the Betsy-Tacy community is quite welcoming!

And most recently, I devoured Vestal McIntyre's Lake Overturn, thanks to a raving recommendation from Erica at Harper Perennial. I love reading books about places I know little about or don't experience in my day to day life, and when she described this one as taking place in small-town Idaho, I was immediately intrigued. That's all it took, because Idaho...well, I have zero connection to that state and have no idea what it's like. I loved it, and look for my comments on it next week.

Who else has had some fabulous finds thanks to blogger recommendations?

BBAW: Meet Jenny!

This week is Book Blogger Appreciation Week, and in my inaugural post to join the festivities, I'm happy to introduce to you Jenny from Supernatural Snark! Jenny started her blog just this past June and already has quite a following. I've had the pleasure of speaking with her, and she's answered a few questions so we can all get to know her a little better.

Describe yourself in a sentence.

I’m a twenty-something girl who loves reading, graphic design, boxer dogs, and a well-developed sense of sarcasm.

Top three pet peeves?

Being late without so much as a phone call. I can’t adequately express in words how much it drives me crazy when people are late and don’t call or even bother to apologize when they finally show up. Sometimes things happen and that’s understandable, but please call and let me know!

Entitlement – having more money, a better job, better looks, etc. does not make you better than someone else. A little humility goes a long way.

This is more of a personal one directed solely at my husband. He says “ribbit” (think frog) when he belches and it’s nauseating.

Who’s on the top of your list for a dinner date?

Hmmm. Are we talking real or fictional dinner dates? Real I’d have to say my husband. Or Gerard Butler. Or Hugh Jackman. One of those three for sure. Fictional I’d have to say Bones from Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series.

What is your favorite language other than your native one?

Probably Spanish because that’s the one with which I’m most familiar after English, though I can read it far better than I can speak it.

Do you have any bad habits?

I would like to answer no, but that would most likely be a lie. My husband tells me I have a terrible habit of relocating things he needs. He says I lose them. I say I put them someplace that later eludes me. I like things to be neat and organized and he doesn’t mind putting things wherever, so I have a tendency to move his items in an effort to tidy up and I don’t always recall where I put them.

Are you a morning or night person?

Definitely night. I would much rather stay up late reading or working than waking up early to do those same things.

One place you could go and live forever and be perfectly happy.

I think I could be perfectly happy in Italy. It’s gorgeous and they have delicious food. I’m pretty sure I could live forever on pasta and gelato.

Are you a spring, summer, fall, or winter girl?

I’m a winter girl. I love snow. I’m always the person rooting for snow when everyone else is praying it stays away so they can drive to work in under an hour. Perhaps it’s because I work from home and therefore don’t have to go anywhere in the snow, but instead can stay warm inside and watch it come down. I have 2 dogs that adore it as well and it’s hilarious to watch them hop through huge snowdrifts.

Have any guilty pleasures?

Paranormal romance novels. I love them and I’m not embarrassed to read them in public. I see people give me the double take when they see the title or cover image, but I think they’re great reads.

Tell me your token “funny story”!

I think I’ve told everyone I’ve ever met this story in addition to posting it on my blog, but it always makes me laugh when I tell it:

My dogs and I are going on our daily walk down a neighboring street where a house recently had some severe fire damage and was under construction. The house is swarming with shirtless, sweaty construction workers and as I'm walking by a loud whistle rings out. I do a quick once over of myself and determine that I must be having a "pretty" day (aside from the bag of poo I'm holding. Poo is most definitely not sexy). Go me. Then I hear this:

"Wow, those are really beautiful dogs."

Huh.

Clearly, my self-assessment a minute earlier wasn't entirely accurate, and I was not, in fact, having a "pretty" day. We continue on our walk and I get home and call my husband to fish for a compliment. Nothing fancy. Something along the lines of "I think you're better looking than the dogs" will do. Instead, peals of laughter come through the phone. Apparently my husband thinks this is the funniest thing he's heard, well, ever.

What’s your dream job? What’s your real job?

My dream job would be to work for Disney Pixar on their animated films. I adore those movies and think it would be a blast to watch the story come to life and know I had something to do with it.

My real job is graphic design. I primarily design wedding invitations and related stationery, but do the occasional corporate branding job (logo design, business card/brochure design).

Very Important!! Coke or Pepsi?

Coke!

What book would you like to be a character in?

I would love to be a character in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments/Infernal Devices series. She does a beautiful job with her world building and her characters are full of humor and depth and I would love to meet any one of them.

Top 3 favorite books ever.

I’m going to have to alter this question slightly and do my favorite book series ever, because I don’t think I could narrow it down to just 3 books! I can barely limit it to 3 book series.

1. The Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward
2. The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning
3. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

What are some of your interests OUTSIDE of books?

I’m a big movie buff. I actually went to school to study film and photography, so Hollywood has always been fascinating for me. I also used to ride horses when I was younger and did so competitively all through college, but haven’t been able to lately as much. Horses will always be a passion of mine though!

It's such a relief to know that Jenny, too, prefers Coke over a Pepsi...makes her a winner in my book! Go check out her blog, Supernatural Snark, and welcome her to the book blogging community!

BBAW: Books I Will Never Read

Today's post prompt for BBAW asks something along the lines of: What book have you been inspired to pick up after reading about it on a book blog? Well, I've added many books to my 'to read' list after reading reviews from other book bloggers; that's my favorite part about book blogs! But I can't think of any specific one I've actually gotten around to reading that stands out as deserving of this post.

However, there are SEVERAL books I am inspired to never ever read thanks to the reviews or comments by bloggers, and I've been thinking more about those lately. So I am answering this question with a twist, because that's just how I roll. And I think it's more fun!

New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn — My 28-year-old Twilight-fan of a boss lent this to me for an upcoming weekend roadtrip, insisting it was a good read. I wasn't particularly excited about reading it, but I like to read the really popular things to find out what all the fuss is about. Also, I often possess an unnatural affection towards teen and tween-geared entertainment (ie: High School Musical), so I tried to read with an open mind (though I refused to read it on public transportation or in front of strangers who could judge me). It was a good quick roadtrip read, but holy god, BARF. Bella is an annoyingly weak character, and Meyer's reinvented vampires are ridiculous (sparkle? Really?). After reading on a blog that the later books in the series involve crazy sex, parasitic fetuses, and vampire abortions, I just laughed and said, "Of course they do." And I'm sure her tween audience ate that shit up. I know I would find these books absolutely terrible, but I'm unsure as to which is worse: these books or their movie versions with the two most boring, brooding actors on the face of the Earth. Just consider me a Buffy girl for life.

Catching Fire — The week this came out, I pretty much just marked everything in my Google Reader as "read." EVERYONE seemed to review this, which made for really boring blog reading. Also, it made me so sick of the damn cover art. I'm sure it's great and all and I realize that I am not giving it a fair chance, but overexposure turned me off. I refuse to read on principle.

J.M. Coetzee — Jackie @ Farmlane Books reviewed Coetzee's Summertime. It was a great review, but I have a history with Coetzee, one that is not pretty. During my Sophomore year of college, my friends seemed to go through a Coetzee phase, and I tried to hop on board. Mostly I tried to hop on board with the ulterior motive of impressing my now-boyfriend (yes, books were my means to an end), and I tried to like Coetzee so we could have inspiring literary discussions. But I can't like him. He looks like a very nice man, and I know he deserves a great deal of literary merit, but he bores me to DEATH. Jackie's review just released all those pent-up feelings about Coetzee and reminded me I should never read him again. You got me, Coetzee. I give up!

Any books you just can't wait to never pick up?

BBAW: Meet Heather!

So this is definitely my favorite part of Book Blogger Appreciate Week thus far, because I get to talk to another book blogger about something besides books. Sure, we all share that interest, but we have GOT to have a life outside of books. Some may say "you lie!" but I assure you it is true.

I was very glad to meet and speak to Heather of A High and Hidden Place: Tales of a Capricious Reader. She's a southerner (like me!) from North Carolina. In college, she was an English major with a minor in History. Though she's barely in her thirties, has been married for nine years, and has a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old, she refuses to grow up and is on a YA reading kick. I'm so glad to find someone eight years my senior that still refuses to grow up...I was starting to wonder if I'm going to have to give in at some point and stop watching Harriet the Spy and The Goonies every month.

We decided to go with some off-the-wall questions for our interview, because 1) they're more fun and 2) we talk about books enough as it is!

1. Describe yourself in a sentence.

It's complicated.

2. Top three pet peeves...GO!

1.) Turning down pages in a book to save your place. That is what they make BOOKMARKS and receipts for.
2.) Broken crayons.
3.) White text on a black background. Headache waiting to happen.

3. Who's on the top of your list for a dinner date?

Audrey Niffenegger at the moment. I would love to talk to her about HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY.

4. Do you have any quirky preferences of one thing over another? (ie: you'll only eat chunky peanut butter)

I like the pumpkin candy corn better than the corn candy corn.

5. What is your favorite language other than your native one?

French. Je pense que le Français est magnifique. And I am amazed that, after checking babelfish, that I had that sentence just about right! Go me!

6. Do you have any bad habits?

I have terrible posture and I pick at my toenails. Gross!

7. Your token "funny story"...tell it!

Well, when I was ten I was bitten by a snake in my backyard. I bet you are thinking, that's not funny! It really wasn't that bad, if you don't count the tears, my cries of "am I going to die!" and my grandma hollering at my grandpa to "Bring the da** hoe!" but it was. My uncle's stepdad was there. As a Vietnam Vet, he said he knew how to suck the poison out. I told him to stay away from my foot. My uncle left so fast, he left my aunt behind. And in Sunday School that morning, we had gone over the part of the bible where it says that the serpent shall bite the heel of woman (paraphrasing), which in hindsight, was pretty darn funny!

8. Are you a morning or night person?

I am totally a night person.

9. Guilty pleasure(s)?

Reading, because I usually read at home and well, sometimes the chores don't get done.

10. What's your dream job? What's your real job?

To work in a nice, small, cozy used bookstore, surrounded by the smell of old paper, the rustle of words on pages, and the dark, musty, organic feel of it all.

My real job is a production client operator for a large document copy. It's kinda boring, but the pay is good.

11. What's your favorite tradition (in your life)?

Every Saturday, my aunt, my son and I go to the Farmer's Market. It's fun and it's nice to get to spend the time with my aunt, who is practically a mother to me.

12. Coke or Pepsi?

Dude. Coke.

13. Favorite genre of tv/movie to watch?

Romantic comedies and action/adventure.

14. Obligatory book question: what book would you like to be a character in?

The Princess Bride. It's my absolute, most FAVORITE book.

15. Most important, what are some of your interests OUTSIDE of books?

Outside of books, I love to cook, knit (although I don't get to do that a lot, no time!), work with graphic things like making photocards, taking pictures, and playing with my babies.

Go check out Heather's awesome recently self-hosted blog, and be sure to check out her interview with me!

Vote for the BBAW Awards!

Exciting news! The BBAW panel of judges has spoken, and we have been shortlisted for the Best Collaborative Blog award!

What's next? You need to go vote! Visit here or click the button below to vote in this and many other categories. Voting ends Saturday, September 12th at 11:59 PM EST.


Thank you, readers and judges! We are honored by the nomination and recognition. We hope you will keep reading!

Awards Update

Thank you to Elena @ With Extra Pulp for awarding us with the Zombie Chicken Award. [Ha, what a ridiculous name! I would like to know the story behind this one!] 

"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken – excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all."

I'm passing on to:

• Kathy @ Bermudaonion
• Dawn @ She is Too Fond of Books
  
• Laura @ I'm Booking It
  
• J.S. @ Biblioaddict
  
• Michelle @ Galleysmith
  

I was also informed that we here at the Five Borough Book Review have been nominated for the Most Collaborative Blog in this year's BBAW Awards! Thank you for the nomination, readers! I am excited for all the action and excitement that this year's BBAW promises, seeing as how our blog is too new to have participated last year.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Hello!

The first of many activities to come from Book Blogger Appreciation Week, this is a bit of a "getting to know you" exercise. Hopefully in the coming weeks, you'll get to know a little more about the people behind the words you read on this blog. Maybe the other authors can respond with their answers (hint)!

1) What has been one of the highlights of blogging for you?

Mostly, I'm just excited to be able to talk about books with a community that will listen and contribute to discussion. Oftentimes, you can find a fellow reader somewhere in your everyday life, but they may not know about the specific book you're reading. The online book community creates such a larger group of people with the same interest, and usually, someone knows of or has read the book you want to discuss.

I also am way more in tune and up to date with the booking world. I recognize many more books on the shelves now. And I actually remember the things I read!

2) What blogger has helped you out with your blog by answering questions, linking to you, or inspiring you?

I've done a lot of lurking to give me ideas on layout and content, and there are so many book bloggers that have been inspirational; Dawn @ She is Too Fond of Books has been particularly helpful by going out of her way to give me response. Other than that, I think my fellow authors on this blog are my biggest inspiration. We end up discussing our book blog when we're hanging out at a bar. We kind of feed off each other in terms of what to write about, what kinds of books to read.

3) What one question do you have about BBAW that someone who participated last year could answer?

How do you get more people to comment? I see the stats, and I see how many people are consistently lurking!

Monday's Musings

Lots of fun things to start off the week!

First of all, we earned our first award! Thanks to J.T. @ Bibliofreak for awarding us with the Kreativ Blogger award. Upon receiving the award, one must list seven things and seven blogs (s)he likes. I'm not the only voice on here, but since the other writers can't edit my post with their lists (at least I don't think they can), this will have to do!

I like:

1. Summer (I spend 8 months of the year waiting for the 3 best ones)
2. Sitcoms (except Everybody Loves Raymond and The Cosby Show)
3. Fountain Coke (cans and bottles, ick)
4. the South (homeland!)
5. Road trips (anywhere, any distance)
6. Ellen Degeneres (I can no longer watch at work due to spontaneous bouts of giggling)
7. College football (beer and pizza on a fall Saturday is classic)

I'm going to hold off on the blog list for now, because my Google Reader is not too full.

Second of all, It's Monday! What are you reading? This weekly activity is hosted by J. Kaye.

Books I completed last week:

• Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper
• Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment by Julie Powell

Books for this week (so far):

• The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster
  

I think my list is shorter than a lot of people's, but I can't read more than one book at a time!

Also, coming soon is the second annual Book Blogger Appreciate Week, running from September 14 - 18.  BBAW was started by Amy @ My Friend Amy to recognize the hard work and contribution of book bloggers while promoting a culture of literacy and connecting readers to books and authors. There will be guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways. Anyone that blogs about books can register!

Last of all, I just had a fun observation this weekend. In the past, I've never been up-to-date on newly released books or what's "hot" at the moment; I've always created my own reading list by browsing library shelves or finding books on sale. Yesterday, however, I stopped in a cute indie bookstore called The Corner Bookstore on my way home from Central Park, and I noticed I had heard of, and even read, many of their new books on display! It made me realize how much writing for this blog and reading other blogs have improved my knowledge of the book world, and I'm pretty happy about that. So thanks for reading, and thanks to other bookworms for writing!