Follow My Blog Friday #156

If you are new to the FF fun, Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, myself of course and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Now to make this FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES and Features and Follow Friday and get on the waiting list!  It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

This Meme is hosted by Rachel from Parajunkee's View and Alison from Alison Can Read on Fridays.

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

1.  (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee and Alison Can Read}

2.  (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers

3.  Put your Blog name and URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.

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 and that they are now following you.

5.  If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed

6.  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”

7.  If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love … and the followers

8.  If you’re new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Our Feature is Guiltless Reader





When did you start blogging?

I’m going to sound like a grandma when I answer this but here goes. I started blogging in 2005! I started out as a foodie blogger which chronicled how we (me and my family) got unstuck from our food rut. After all, one needs to eat, why not make it an adventure? (My blog is still semi-alive here if you’re curious).

Aside from good food, I also love a good book. Food for the body and food for the soul are equally important. Just like my reforming my eating habits, I thought it would be great to push myself out of my comfort zone when it came to my reading material. So I started sporadically blogging about books in 2007.

What is your favorite part of book blogging?

There are so many great things about book blogging. First is that I love that I stumble upon so many new reads, books and genres and authors that I otherwise probably wouldn’t come across. Second is just being part of this huge virtual reading community (readers, authors, publishers, etc); I really feel like I’m part of something greater and grander then I ever imagined as my reading life was always a solitary, private sort of thing. I love how much the community has grown (it’s mind boggling at how much it has grown!) and I know all our reading lives are richer for it.

What type of books do you mainly blog about?

I’m an eclectic reader so I don’t blog about a specific genre. I am willing to try any genre and embrace variety in my reading fare. And because I can’t help myself when I see bookshelves, libraries, bookish art, bookmarks and anything bookish, I also blog about those too! Short answer: I blog about books and all things bookish!

What is your favorite book(s)?

Oh no. Please don’t ask me to choose. Ok, ok, some favorites so far:

Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Orange Girl by Jostein Gaarder, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel by Susannah Clarke, Griffin and Sabine by Nick Bantock, Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, most of Neil Gaiman’s stuff ok, you probably should just go check my favorites shelf on Goodreads instead.

What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

Authors commenting on my reviews. I always get a little buzz when that happens! I feel like they have deigned to anoint their blessings on their readers. Seriously, I love that readers and authors come together so easily and so naturally in the book blogging community!

Our Feature - Meredith's Musing

1. When did you start blogging?

I wrote my first post on May 26th of this year.

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

Definitley the best part is reviewing an ARC! I also love participating in cover reveals. Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout was so much fun. I love getting to know authors and other bloggers. I've met some fantastic people in such a short amount of time.

3. What type of books do you mainly blog about?

I’ve been on a YA kick lately, but I’m reading more NA. I always love a swoon-worthy romance.

4. What is your favorite book(s)?

It’s hard to pick a favorite book. So I’ll pick my more recent favorites. I loved the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Unbreakable by Liz Norris, the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare and my all time favorite is definitely Harry Potter. I also have to give credit to The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton for inspiring my love of reading. Stay Gold!

5. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

I get so excited when an author actually stops by my blog. It’s the best feeling in a world to help spread the word about a book you loved and then have the author notice. It's like Christmas morning to find a comment from an author, or a tweet!

Q: Book Vacay: Where is the best destination reading spot for you? (Where do you like to go to read other then your home)

I'm on vacation right now at my parents' house. I love reading out in our backyard. But since it's July in Phoenix, you can only stand out there for 2 or 3 minutes at a time.

Otherwise, my husband and I go on a lot of cruises. I love sitting out on the balcony of our stateroom, reading a book, gazing out at the ocean, and listening to the waves.


This weeks Question:

Book Vacay: Where is the best destination reading spot for you? (Where do you like to go to read other then your home)

I like total peace and quiet when I'm reading so the beach or park are a couple of my favorite spots.