Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday

Hello everyone and Happy April Fool's Day and of course, Blog Hop and Follow Friday!

Our first host, Crazy-for-Books (http://www.crazy-for-books.com/) is asking the following question.

"Since today is April Fool's Day in the USA, what is the best prank you have ever played on someone OR that someone has played on you?"

My answer:

Strangely enough, the only prank I can remember pulling is putting tennis balls in my husbands pillow. In my defense, he pranks me constantly. I keep threatening to put his underwear in the freezer. One day...One day...

What has he done to me to warrant tennis balls? Turned my pants inside out one morning when I was late going to school, putting dog toys under my pillow, faking me out about pigeons being small turkeys. I freaking believed him. Ugh! (This is when I was much younger, people. I'm just sayin'.)

What else...there have been so many things over the years you start to lose track of them all. He is a sweet trickster at heart and keeps me on my toes.

I hope you and yours have a safe and fun April Fool's Day!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Feature & Follow Friday #39

Happy Follow Friday everyone! Let me tell you a little bit about this HOP. Every Friday or really Thursday evening we all get together and say HI! But, we need to know how to find you, so please leave your link in the Mr. Linky below. Also on Follow Friday we have a Feature...because alliteration is the way we roll. Each week is a different feature from the book blogging community. They are picked randomly or I give in after multiple harassing emails. Just depends on the week. If you want to be next weeks feature...leave your link. Also, I've had a recent rash of people signing up on the linky weeks later, which sort of defeats the purpose. If you want to participate check back here on the next Friday! The link is on Parajunkee's website, http://www.parajunkee.com/

Our feature this week is...

Books Ahoy!

Last week I decided that I wanted to start a book blog because I love to read books. I also thought it would be cool to share my opinion of a book with other people who also like reading, so I did a little research. I decided to ask my friend BookLover and she thought it was a great idea, so we became co-writers. After deciding on what we would do on the blog BooksAhoy was born.

Personally I love to read and there is hardly ever a time when you won't see my nose in a book. My favorite genre of books are action/adventure books with a little romance thrown into the mix, such as Twilight. BookLover is a big fan of the fantasy books. This combination gives us both a chance to explore new book boundaries. Overall, we love to read and can't imagine a world without books.

Q. What is the book that you really don't want to admit to loving??

For me it would be Time And Again: Time Was\Times Change by Nora Roberts. For some reason I adore that book, but I just can't admit to loving anything by Nora Roberts. LOL

My answer:

Wow. I have to think of something here. I guess the book I get most embarrassed about that I actually liked was Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Normally, I don't care for Christian Fiction. Most especially if it is preachy. Somehow, that one got by my radar and I actually liked it.

Thanks for another edition of Follow Friday! Hope you all have a great week! Stay a moment and share some comment love!

Book Lover's Journal Review and Giveaway

If you love books like I do, you will just LOVE this journal. I contacted the publisher, Peter Pauper and they agreed to donate a copy of this amazing journal for a review and giveaway. As you can see by the open view page from their website http://www.peterpauper.com/, there is space to write, rate and review. The perfect way to keep a journal of your reading adventures. I love my copy and it is getting some great use!

Here is what Peter Pauper had to say about the journal:

Book lovers! Here is the reading journal you’ve always wanted. At last, a place to record the books you’ve read. Months and years from now, this journal will help you instantly recall long-forgotten details of your reading experience. This is also the place to record books you’d like to read next (take it with you to the bookstore or library). You’ll find pages to list books borrowed, lent, or given (even a place to list books you'd like to give), your book sources, and book group contact information, plus lists of acclaimed authors and titles to inspire future reading choices, and a section devoted to your reading life. Contents include: Introduction. My Book Log: Pages Turned. Books I'd Like to Read: My Reading Wish List. My Books: Books Bought, Borrowed, Lent, and Given. Book Group Info: Friends and Fellow Readers. Acclaimed Authors and Books: Inspiration for Future Reading. My Reading Life. 216 pages.

If you would like to order a copy, you can head over to http://www.peterpauper.com/ or just pop over to your local Barnes & Noble. It is currently being displayed in the Gift Department.

The publisher has graciously sent me a copy to giveaway. So here are the details:

Now for the deets and rules:

*Contest is open to US residents only.
*Postage and shipping will be paid by me, so the prize will be mailed the least expensive way possible.
*One winner will receive a copy of The Book Lover's Journal and a surprise bookmark as a special thank you for participating in the giveaway.
*The contest form must be filled out to enter the contest.
*The giveaway is open from March 30th through April 30th.
*The winner will be chosen randomly. Extra entries gives you extra chances when you fill out the form.
*The form may only be filled out one time per person.
*Please leave a comment so I know you stopped by.
*The winner will be notified by email and given three days to respond. If no response, another winner will be chosen.
*You must be over 13 to enter this giveaway.

Fins by Ashley Knight

Morgan James is visiting sunny Florida for two weeks before the school year begins. Right from the start, she realizes there's something strangely odd about the opulent world in which her mother and her new husband live and suddenly she is swept into another world - a world she could never have dreamed of. Follow Morgan's unbelievable journey in this magical tale of people who are something other than what they seem - OR, are they really people at all?
(Goodreads)

My thoughts....

What I liked:

This book is fast paced and didn't let me put it down. Being a blogger with 6 blogs, I tend to be a little ADD when it comes to reviewing books. I have to be just to keep up with my rigorous schedule of working full time, blogging and reviewing for six different types of material, writing my own two books, attempting but not often succeeding at getting on the exercise bike, being a dog mom, wife and keeping the hairballs from taking over my house. This book had me stopping in my tracks to find out what happened next.

I loved Morgan for her insecurities and strengths. Without getting too much into the plot (I don't like to give away the story before you have had a chance to experience it for yourself!), I loved how she adjusted to a really odd situation of suddenly hitting what was essentially mermaid puberty and a total change in scenery and lifestyle from what she had grown up with.

The plot moved in a steady wave and I kept flipping the screen on my iPad to get to the next chapter. The interaction with the characters was good and Thayde, the hunky hero was just dreamy.  Oh, and so was her bathroom and her closet. Take me to mermaid town!

What I didn't:

There was only a couple of moments in the book where I had to re-read or wished there were more development of the scene. It didn't matter in the end though, because I was right back to whisking my way through the pages devouring the story.

Overall:

I loved this book. It is what a mermaid story should be. A balance of romance, peril, excellent clothes, cool bathrooms ( I really liked that bathtub and all the sparkly shells everywhere) and the hunky hero Thayde.  Morgan learning she is a mermaid and coming to terms with her new life have me hooked well, like a fish! I am hoping to see more from wonderful author Ashley Knight and her world of adventurous mermaids.

This book is available as a Kindle edition and in paperback.

If you are interested in more mermaid reads, head over to Goodreads and check out the Merbooks group. Check out more reviews here in the weeks ahead!

Rating: 5 out of 5

If you would like to read more about Ashley Knight, please visit her web page at:

http://www.ashleylknight.com/



Books to Watch for in 2011

In case you missed it...Before I Fall Book Teaser.

This book kept me up nights. If you haven't read it, you totally should. It rocks.

Follow Friday and Blogger Hop

Welcome to another Follow Friday and Blog Hop!

Happy Follow Friday everyone! Let me tell you a little bit about this HOP. Every Friday or really Thursday evening we all get together and say HI! But, we need to know how to find you, so please leave your link in the Mr. Linky below. Also on Follow Friday we have a Feature...because alliteration is the way we roll. Each week is a different feature from the book blogging community. They are picked randomly or I give in after multiple harassing emails. Just depends on the week. If you want to be next weeks feature...leave your link. Also, I've had a recent rash of people signing up on the linky weeks later, which sort of defeats the purpose. If you want to participate check back here on the next Friday! (http://www.parajunkee.com/)

Our feature this week is...

Rebecca from Confessions of a Page Turner

Hi fellow book lovers! My name is Rebecca and I am thrilled to be a new member of the book blogging community! I absolutely love sharing with others about reading and so, starting a blog about books seemed like a great way of doing this. Ever since my dad read The Hobbit out loud to my sister and I when we were little, I have loved books and reading. My husband and I currently live in Oklahoma while he finishes up his medical residency. Once he is done, we are excited about our dream of moving to somewhere in New England! I am an aspiring writer and am currently working on two books...a nonfiction book and a novel. My hobbies besides writing and reading include scrapbooking, painting, and knitting. Basically anything that allows me to express my creative side!

Look for a little bit of everything on my book blog :). Variety is the spice of life and I enjoy dabbling in almost every genre, although, fantasy and fiction by women writers are particular favorites. I look forward to getting to know all of you and conversing with you about magical and wonderful books! Happy Reading!

Q. Inspired by the inane twitter trend of #100factsaboutme, give us five BOOK RELATED silly facts about you.

1. I'm an ADD reader. I am reading like five different books at once.
2. My physical TBR is now close to 100, yet I continue to purchase books. In fact I just ordered three from amazon right before I did this post
3. I so like Urban Fantasy over Paranormal Romance, sometimes I want to punch the testosterone prone heroes in the face and call them "little boy"
4. I read everywhere...in the tub, in the car at stoplights (don't tell the police officers!), in the line at the grocery store and while I'm uploading web sites at work
5. I've now taken to downloading audio books and keep on increasing my membership at audible.com, I love the 4.95 sales!!!

Now for the Follow Fun!

<center><a href="http://www.parajunkee.com/search/label/FF" target="_blank" ><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4710921228_bf32d46f6d_o.png" /></a></center>


To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://readingwithrebecca.blogspot.com/
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Follow Friday!

Follow it up with your twitter address if you want to get that one out!

*********

My answer:

1. My book piles are legendary. Seriously, this is only one.

2. I read at least 6 books at once. Between my bookpile, Ipad, Nook Color and my audio books, I am never without a book in my hand. No, seriously. I even read on my phone. Kind of ADD, right?

3. Goodreads is my favorite book stalking ground. I love the giveaways section for new material to add to my TBR list. I am on there at least 5 times a day. I think it must be an addiction.

4. My headphones were not working on my Ipad a couple of weeks ago, so I literally propped it up on my lap to listen to my audio book to and from work. I was listening to Beth Revis's book Across the Universe and HAD to find out the ending.

5. Books are my friends. I love them and it makes me ill just thinking about getting rid of one. Literally, they are crawling up the wall on my writing desk and taking over my closet. Who needs shoes, right?

Book Blogger Hop: 3/25-3/28

12:00 AM | Thoughts by Jennifer | | Edit Post

Please check out UPDATE #2 at the bottom above the linky before entering your link or you may risk having your entire link removed. Thank you.

Grab the Logo!
<a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com"><img src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" alt="Book Blogger Hop" width="150" height="150"></a>

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!! .Got to http://www.crazy-for-books.com/

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!  This is a weekly event!  And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added!  We get over 200 links every week!! 

RULES:

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1.  Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below, including the genre that you review! (On Crazy-for-Books site http://www.crazy-for-books.com/

In your link, please state the main genre that you review:  eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc.

Example:  Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction) 

2. Post about the Hop on your blog.  Spread the word about the book party!  The more the merrier!  In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).  

If you have a suggestion for a future HOP question, click here to fill out the form!  Thanks! 

 

This week's question comes from Mina who blogs at Mina Burrows:

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

My answer:  I actually have 2 series that I would love to be "in".

The first is the Booktown Mystery series by Lorna Barrett - I mean who wouldn't want to be in a fictional book town?  I adore this series and the characters!

    

Another series I would love to be in, just because I LOVE the characters is the Do-It-Yourself Mysteries by Jennie Bentley:

   


If you haven't read either of these cozy mystery series, I highly recommend you check them out!  Great stories and characters!

3.  Visit other blogs in the Linky List!  Make new friends!  Follow new book bloggers!  Talk about books!  Rave about authors!  Take the time to make a quality visit!  Check out other posts and content, make a new friend!  Don't randomly follow someone if you never intend on actually following them!  No spamming please!  (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)

And just as an FYI - this event is not something you should feel that you have to participate in every week.  If you want to join in and link up once a month, GREAT!  It's up to you how often you participate!

So, have fun HOPPING and enjoy your BOOK PARTY weekend!!!UPDATE:  THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP DOES NOT ACCEPT TWITTER LINKS!  IF YOU LEAVE A TWITTER LINK, IT WILL BE DELETED!!!  ONLY YOUR BLOG URL IS ACCEPTED!  THANK YOU!

UPDATE #2: Please do not add "AND A GIVEAWAY" to your blog hop link. I've been seeing these a lot lately and up until now I've left them alone. But it's starting to get a bit out of control and I'm going to have to start deleting them if they continue to appear. The Hop isn't to advertise your giveaways. It's a place for us to explore and find new blogs we may be interested in following, not to promote our giveaways. There are several sites out there that have Giveaway Hops, but this is not one of them. Unfortunately if I continue to see the links, I will have to delete them. I hate to start having to "police" the hop, but I want to bring it back to its original state. Thank you for understanding.

My answer:

There are so many...

Thanks for stopping by for the Hop! Stay a moment to comment on what you are reading and what book universe you would love to fall into. Don't forget to check out my first contest! 

Our first contest and giveaway!

Three years ago, Persia ran away from her drug-addict parents and found a home with the Outlaws, an underground theater troupe. With time, this motley band of mortals and fey, puppeteers and actors, becomes the loving family Persia never had, and soon Persia not only discovers a passion for theater but also falls in love with one of the other Outlaws. Life could not be more perfect.

Until an enemy makes an unfair accusation against the group and forces them to flee their world and hide in the neighboring realm of Faerie. But in Faerie, all is not flowers and rainbows. With bloodthirsty trolls, a hostile monarchy, and a dangerous code of magic, the fey world is far from the safe haven the Outlaws had hoped for....

Following up her critically acclaimed Serendipity Market, Penny Blubaugh has created a beautiful and mysterious world where anything can happen—especially what you least expect.

(Goodreads)

Now for the contest...

Contest Deets and Rules:

*You must be over 13 to enter.

*You must be a follower on Google Friends Network or Network Blogs.

*Only one entry per person. (no multiple email addresses.) You can add extra points-see below.

*Winner will receive a copy of Blood and Flowers.

*Prize will be sent by me, so it will be mailed at my expense, so the least expensive postal rate will be selected.

*Contest will be open from March 23rd through April 13th.

*Only United States residents are eligible for contest.

*Winner chosen at random.

In my mailbox...

In my mailbox thus week are review copies and prizes from entering contests.

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Betrayal: The Review

At seventeen, Cordelia is an ordinary teen with an extraordinary and frightening secret. A secret that induces vivid dreams which she not only experiences true love, but crippling fear while barely escaping with her life each night.

After a life altering event, Cordelia has an unexpected encounter with Evan, the mysterious boy from her dreams, who reveals who and what she is – a descendant of the Greek gods. At that moment everything she knows of her world is a lie, and she must leave the present and go into the past to assume the role she was put on this earth for – safeguarding her ancient empire amidst evil forces that toil hastily to destroy it.

In a race against time, Cordelia must decide if she is truly a part of this dangerous world, or risk defying the gods, and ultimately lose the boy who has put a claim on her heart.

(Goodreads)

My thoughts:

This book kept my interest. It was a page turner. I only had one small window of a slowdown in one portion of the book (not telling-no spoilers here!), but it didn't last very long at all.  The cover art with Delia in her poofy dress was amazing too. Gorgeous!

I enjoyed the aspect of Greek mythology mixed with paranormal elements and combining them in an old west setting. That was original. It was not easy to predict what Delia, the main character was going to choose to do. Would she remember who she was? Would she fall for the human boy and not who she was meant to marry? Would her powers ever come back? What was her strange attraction to the boy who is supposed to be her enemy? All very good teasers and made me keep reading.

I want to thank the author for sending me an e-book so I could have the opportunity to review Betrayal before it hits the shelves in April.

5 out of 5 stars. It is a good read. Not predictable. It has originality in the plot and conflicts and on the whole was a page turner. Great job on a first novel.