Day 414 - Book Blogger Hop - New friends, new friends!

In one sentence, describe your passion for reading.

My passion for reading is my lifeline, my wholeness, my go-to, my saving grace, my sanity, and my escape.

JoinJoin the 

Join the Book Blogger Hop over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer!
The Hops are a GREAT way to meet new friends in the blogging world :):)

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Characters I Would Switch Places with for 24 Hours

No surprise that I love this meme created by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish...and this list is probably my favorite in a long time.  While I have no desire whatsoever to switch places with a character forever, there are many I wouldn't mind stepping into their shoes for just a little while for some very important (albeit pure fantasy) reasons :)

1.  Stephanie Plum - Janet Evanovich's series - during my 24 hours as Stephanie I'd explain to Ranger that I am and always will be a Morrelli girl :p 

2.  Anita Blake - do NOT get any wild and crazy ideas here...the only thing I'd want to do as Anita is spend 24 hours with Jean Claude, just us...none of those other guys, no killer monsters and no zombies...for 24 hours...is that too much to ask?  We'd find a cure for the ardeur and then rule the supernatural world together.

3.  Temperence Brennan - Kathy Reichs series - To be in this brain for 24 hours would be incredible...I'd like to experience one day in the lab putting together the pieces of a forensic anthropological find :)

4.  Kate Burkholder - Linda Castillo series - 24 hours of police work amidst the Amish community...not to mention the extra bonus of John Tomasetti?  Yes, please.

(Rumor has it Neve Campbell has signed on to play Kate in the movie version of Sworn to Silence :)

I'm ok with that.

5.  Sookie Stackhouse - Charlaine Harris series - I'd step into Sookie's shoes just in time for the release of the very last book in this series...I'd choose my first love Bill, and we'd ride off into the sunset...er, I mean the moonlight :P

6.  Anna Pigeon - Nevada Barr series - park ranger who gets to move all over the country, spending her life within some of the most beautiful natural habitats, learning how to survive in some of the most isolated (and many times dangerous) places.  

No film version of Anna yet...but maybe Diane Lane?

7.  Lindsey Boxer - James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series - I'd kick Cindy out of my series and tell Yuki to chill or she would be next.  Before my 24 hours was up, Claire and I would probably decide to venture out on our own without the other two ladies and probably without James Patterson.  We'd keep our husbands, kids and jobs though ;)

8.  Harry Haristeen - Rita Mae Brown's Snooky Pie Brown series - life in the beautiful Virginia countryside, finally re-married to first husband veterinarian, Fair, and surrounded by animals who help me solve mysteries...oh yes, no doubt. 

Ricki Lake played Harry in a forgettable move adaption of Murder She Purred.  Really??  I don't think so.  Possibly one of THE worst actor portrayals of a character I've ever seen.  Nothing against Ricki, but she is soooo not Harry.

Sandra Bullock would make a much better choice :)

9.  Jane Rizzoli - Tess Garittsen's Rizzoli and Isles series - street smart/street wise, beautiful, talented, strong and surrounded by a loyal Italian Catholic family in Boston...why again would anyone not want to step into Jane's shoes for a day?

Oh, look, it's Angie Harmon again :) Pretty safe to say I'm a fan.

10.  Rowan Mayfair - Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches chronicles - but only the first book...I don't want anything to do with the weirdness of Taltos.  Rowan's life in San Francisco and move to New Orleans to learn more about her family's rich history is what I'd love to drown myself in for a while.  

Fun, fun, fun!!
And, yes, I'm a series fanatic...why do you ask?
;)

Book Blogger Hop - March 25

The Book Bloggger Hop is hosted by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books and is a fun way to explore all the other book blogs out there.

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week's question:

"If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

My Answer:

This question was a no-brainer for me.  You don't know peace and tranquility until you've read Jan Karon's Mitford series.  Father Tim and the people of Mitford deal with everyday life and even chaotic events with realism, hope and honesty.  I LOVE this series.  As a matter of fact, this week's question/answer has made me think it might be time for a re-read :)

Please hoppers, follow Jennifer's guidelines.  She works so hard each week to provide a space for us to visit each other.  It seems from her note this week that a few folks are using the hop to advertise rather than visit.  For heaven sake, people.  Advertising is fine if that's what you want to do...but do it in the appropriate hop...sheesh.

THANK YOU, JENNIFER FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION TO ONE OF THE FUNNEST HOPS IN THE BLOGGING WORLD!!

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blog Hop is hosted each week by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week's question:

"If I gave you £50 (or $80) and sent you into a bookshop right now, what would be in your basket when you finally staggered to the till?"

My answer:

I have a TBR list that is so long sometimes I forget what's on there :/  The only problem I ever have when I go to a bookstore is self-control...which book(s) do I want the most right now?  I love to browse the sale tables and shelves to get more bang for my buck...I don't care to read small paperbacks so if I can get a hardback or oversized paperback for less than the price of a paperback or Kindlebook, I'm thrilled.

After browsing my amazon wishlist, these are the books I would buy with my $80 :)

The first two are newer books that I probably won't be able to wait on...but the rest of them are books I've had on my TBR list way too long.

And I Shall Have Some Peace There (15.10)

Blood Bones and Butter (14.30)

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (9.00)

Committed (8.79)

Water for Elephants (7.01)

The Time Traveler's Wife (8.36)

Fingersmith (10.88)

Waking Up in the Land of Glitter (11.19)

I'm an English teacher, not a math teacher, so, of course, I lost track of my money...I think I've gone over my limit by about $4...

story of my life ;)

TIME TO HOP AROUND!!

Book Blogger Hop - Friday, Feb. 18

The Book Blog Hop is hosted each week by Jennifer at Crazy for Books....I haven't hopped in a few weeks so I'm glad to have a lazy Saturday morning this week to spend hopping around the blogosphere :)

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! 

This week's question:

What book(s) would you most like to see made  into a movie?

My Answer:

This is a difficult question for me because I do not usually like the movies of books I've enjoyed.  Once those characters hit the screen I think my imagination is insulted if the movie version doesn't match what my brain conjured up while I was actually reading the book.   There are, of course, exceptions to this rule, and I am pleased as punch when a movie lives up to my expectations.  But, as a rule, I don't usually wish for a book to be ruined by a movie :(

For the purposes of this week's book blog hop I'll pretend that Hollywood would do the right thing, make all the right decisions, not cut corners and big important chunks, keep the author close to the project, and hire the appropriate actors to play character roles instead of making those decisions based on who will bring in the most moola...

South of Broad by Pat Conroy, the audiobook I'm listening to right now, is a sweeping saga set in South Carolina that spans generations with a group of friends, includes a psycho killer from two of the friends' past at one point and the group's trek to San Francisco to bring home a friend who is in deep trouble.  Authentic scenery  and Southern accents would be vital for this movie adaption and actors, but done right, it might even be the next The Big Chill.


HOPPING TIME :)

Book Blogger Hop - Jan. 14

I'm looking forward to a looooonnggggg weekend of hopping! 

Stop by Crazy For Books and hop along!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week's question:

"Why do you read the genre that you do? What draws you to it?"

My Answer:

 

I read a variety of genres, so this question is a little tough for me.  It might actually be easier for me to explain why I don't read the one or two genres that I don't read :/ But...that's not the question this week so I'll try to stay on track ;)

I'm looking at my TBR shelf right now trying to think why I chose each of the books there...What is the common thread between the non-fiction, the classics, the stories about pets, the mysteries, the vampires, the YA...

I think you can see some aspect of my personality in all of the books I choose...


I think the common thread between all these books across various genres is people and relationships...even if the relationships are between paranormal or animal characters...more specifically even, I want deep, complicated, even puzzling or unexpected relationships...and a varied list of characters and events whose lives are entertwined in sometimes inexplicable and unbelievable ways.  No matter what genre it is, I like the book to be so deep that I'm taken into it completely...it affects me as a person, a woman, a mother, etc. 
I want the story to be so intense that I'm changed after I read it.

That's not too much to ask, is it?

Here I go HOPPING along!!

 

 

Book Blogger Hop #6

It's nice to begin getting  back into a routine...at home, at work and blogging :)

I love this hop! I've met so many great book blogging buddies through Jennifer's weekly hop at Crazy for Books and am back this week for even more! 

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week's question:

"What book influenced or changed your life?

How did it influence/change your life?
My answer:
Hands down...Kate Chopin's The Awakening

I was in graduate school by the time I read The Awakening...and I'm glad.  My middle child, who is in the 11th grade read it last year in English...???? I do not have any idea how a 15-16 year old would possibly have enough life experience to completely "get" The Awakening.

I read The Awakening not as a tragedy but the story of a choice that one woman makes to free herself.

Almost as if she realizes that the world she lives in is not ready for her yet.

And instead of subjecting herself to live the role the world demands her to play, she chooses ultimate refusal and leaves one world for the next.

Does that make sense??

It's not a story of giving up to me; it is a story of a strong, independent woman making a strong, independent choice, no matter how difficult, no matter how painful.

And, she's not afraid.

The water is cleansing and liberating, not suffocating and drowning as is the world Edna lives in.

To me, the meaning of this story is a figurative one...not literal as many many many people interpret it.

I'm sure I'm overexplaining this and not making any sense at all so I'll stop here.

Did anyone else feel this way after reading The Awakening?

Blog Hop #4 - Friday, Nov. 5

Here we go hoppin'!!

I look forward to this all week!!

The hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books each and every Friday :)

Thanks, Jennifer!!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week's question:

"What are your feelings on losing followers? Have you ever stopped following a blog?"

I ran across an old blog posting tonight where the book blogger's husband was an internet website designer...he was obviously very knowlegeable about what kind of content is effective from a marketing or sales standpoint.  His specifically commented that most book bloggers' sites are too busy and have too many widgets, pictures, etc. etc. on them.  While he was offering his professional advice for free, I couldn't help but think, "Wow, that's great advice...but I'm not going to change that...it's my blog...it's who I am...I'm not going to change it bc a webpage designer says I should." 

I'm not into blogging for money...I'm in it for peace of mind.  That said, my followers and those I follow are most definitely people I read and comment on several times a week.  I try to read them all every day...I really do...I'm a reader...what can I say???  But, I comment when I have something honest and thoughtful to say, not just to comment for the heck of commenting.  I'm approaching my 1 year anniversary as a blogger and I can say that I've developed some true online friendships through blogging...but only with those that I actually carry on a conversation with...it's not the number of followers; it's the quality of the dialogue. 

If you're just trying to follow as many people as you can to get as many people as possible to follow you, then I would question as to why a person is blogging in the first place.

Looking forward to the extra challenge of finding one new blog that I really WANT to follow :)

Time to hop and see who's out there this week!!

 

Blog Hop #2

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I LOVED hopping all weekend last weeked!!!! I could not wait for this weekend to come along...so I could hop around some more!

The Book Blog Hop is hosted by Crazy for Books!

"In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!"

This week's question:

"Where is your favorite place to read? Curled up on the sofa, in bed, in the garden?"

This is a loaded question for me...I read all over the place! 

I have a book on my Ipad, which I keep in my purse.  I spend a lot of time in the car waiting on kids so I try to read a chapter here and there whenever possible.  If I'm waiting at night, the Ipad is perfect! 

I listen to my audiobooks anytime I'm driving.  I always have one loaded and it takes me longer to finish them since I'm not on the road all that much right now, but I like having an audiobook to listen to when I'm all by myself...which is not often :) 

I like to read in bed, but I frequently go to sleep when I do that because, let's face it, I'm 42, have 3 kids and I am downright TIRED.  When I get still, my body thinks it's time to go to sleep :):) 

Probably my favorite spot to read when the weather is just a tad cool is a backyard lounge chair...I can watch the animals jump from tree to tree and the water in the pool soothes me.  It's probably the quietest place at my house...unless some kid is aggravating me ;)

I don't guess I really have an all around favorite place since so much depends on the circumstances of my reading and the format of the book. 

I have loved to read since I was a little girl and am just so glad to finally be back in a space of my life where I can finally read what I want again :):)

Come on over to Crazy for Books and HOP with me!!!

Book Blog Hop

I'm so excited!!

My first Hop!

"In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!"

Just what I need...

more books and more book blogs to read

:):)

This week's question is:
"When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or move to your next title?"

I'm OCD about this kind of stuff...I have to finish it.  I'm one of those geeks who read almost everything I was ever assigned in school.  Now, I can't promise I was fully engaged in whatever the book was...I just had to read it.  I still do.

When I'm choosing books I try to stay away from genres I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I do not enjoy...I am not a fan of "romance" novels, for example, and there are certain authors that because of prior negative experiences I won't even consider giving another try (Nicholas Sparks).  I can also usually pick up a book in the bookstore that I'm not sure about and read a page or two and know whether or not to even give it a try.  I was hesitant to read the Dexter books bc of this very reason; of course, halfway through, I'm glad I gave it a go...

I probably miss some good books by being so picky...but that's also why I love to read book blogs.  I've found more than a few books on other people's blogs that I might not have read otherwise. 

Come on over to Crazy for Books and Hop around with me!!!