Follow Friday: Favorite Reading Spot

Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop put together by two hosts: Parajunkee & Alison Can Read as a way to help bloggers become aware of other blogs and bloggers.

It's a great way to make new blogger friends!

Today's Activity:

Hopefully warm weather for most of us is here soon…so tell us about your favorite outdoor reading spot. Or take a picture.

So I'm gonna cheat a little bit...I'm gonna show you my favorite indoor reading spots. I hate reading outside because I live in Missouri, and I can almost guarantee that if its sunny, within three minutes there will be a blizzard.

So my bed is covered in owls...
Cannot tell you how warm that blanket is!



I usually have this face to look at me while I'm trying to read


She really does love to read, but sometimes she just gets tired.

So how about you, 
where is your favorite reading place?

I have a contest going on courtesy of Karen Booth - want to win a copy of her book? Stop by and leave a comment! 

Follow Friday - A Book to Giveaway?

Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop put together by two hosts: Parajunkee & Alison Can Read as a way to help bloggers become aware of other blogs and bloggers.

It's a great way to make new blogger friends!

Today's Question:

We always talk about books that we want. Let's turn it on its head. What books have you given other people lately?

     So beyond the standard books I've bought my mom lately, one book sticks out.
     I'm ashamed to say it but VERY few of my friends read. I have tons of friends where I work that read, but in real life, nope. One of my very favorite people in the world, Cassie, is a park ranger. She travels the U.S. and works in National Parks. This girl is an adventurer, let me tell ya! She's been to Alaska, to the West and even gave tours of the Lincoln house in Springfield. Right now she's in Florida hikin' next to manatees and alligators.
      Anyway, after reading Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, I was astounded by its absolute beauty. The gorgeousness of the writing, the story, the characters all come together to create a perfect world. So when my friend was leaving for her next adventure, I gave her CeeCee's story about finding yourself. The books means a lot to me as well as my friend. How's that for a sappy story? :)

What book have you given away lately?

Follow Friday - A Letter to Remember

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS: PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

Write a letter to your favorite character. 

Rant, rave or gush...

To sweet yet confused Stephanie Plum...

In case you didn't know, 
Stephanie is featured in almost 20 novels from Janet Evanovich! 

Follow Friday

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS: PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

What is the worst cover of a book you have read and loved?

Ugh! I love this book so much, Tina Fey is a genius. Hilarious and so on point its insane. Yet...I absolutely hate this cover. It doesn't make any sense at all and it makes her look absolutely terrible. I know its goal was to look cute but it fails on so many levels!

What is your favorite worst cover/awesome story combo?

Follow Friday - Inspirations

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS: PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

Oh my goodness, there are so many fabulous blogs out there that I absolutely loooove!

Be prepared, it’s a huge list and definitely inspiring!

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Who doesn't love this snarky, fun romance site. 
If they give it a good review, I immediately buy it!

Parajunkee

I really love her Blogger 101 posts - always great tips in an easy to understand format

Cute Overload

Why does this uber cute blog inspire me? 
This one just makes me happy and I think that is something we should all aspire to do

I read hundreds of blogs a day and this is just a small sample of my favorites...but these are definitely the most inspiring.

What blog inspires you?

Follow Friday

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS: PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

Q: What would you do over if you were to start your blog again from scratch?

Oh my gosh! First off, I think I would have learned a little more about HTML coding and add-ons for blogger. When I started, I just typed and added a picture or two. Now I link to other blogs and have started to use a little HTML coding for different aspects of the blog. Love it!

Beyond that, I am loving blogging! Almost a year and still going strong. People have been so incredibly nice and I've loved all the great books I've discovered. 

Perfect fit for a librarian from Missouri!

How about you? What would you change??



Check out the giveaway for a $5 Amazon giftcard or a Serenity Woods backlist book!

Follow Friday - Moods?

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS: PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

 Do your reading habits change based on your mood? 

It's weird to say, but my reading habits DO change. While I do not necessarily change genres, 

I do re-read books when I'm kind of depressed 

or in a funk. 

I find myself if I have had a bad day, picking up an old favorite rather than reading something new. 

Maybe it soothes me, who knows...but I prefer to re-read rather than read something new when I'm in a weird mood. 

How about you?

Follow Friday

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS: PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

Q: Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school?

Hmm...this one is a hard one!

 I think I have two favorites.

When I was a sophomore in high school, 

I fell in love with 

Julius Caesar By Shakespeare.

Then my Junior year, 

I remember reading and absolutely loving 

The Glass Menagerie 

By: Tennessee Williams

After looking at both of these, I realize they are plays, which I normally do not gravitate towards. I think most of the novels we read were just so weird, that I enjoyed the plays more. 

Kudos to wonderful teachers and amazing literature!

Follow Friday - Why Start Blogging?

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS:PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

Q: What drove you to start book blogging in the first place?

I started blogging in October 2011 - Which may not seem very long ago but it seems like ages to me!

 

I am a librarian in a little town in Missouri. October is usually the annual meeting for the Missouri Library Association (big shout out to all the cool Missourians out there!). So October of 2011, I found myself in Kansas City at the annual MLA meeting. 

My Director and I attended a program on blogging, presented by Joy Weese Moll. I didn't know much about the blogging world beyond reading a few of my favorites. When Joy described blogging, it was just magical! She talked about the friends she had made, the books she had read, and mostly how much it had helped her job as a librarian. I was entranced and when I got home from conference, I decided I had better start a blog.

So from there I came home and made a game plan. Why did I want to blog? To share the books I read! Who was my audience? Anyone and everyone who likes romance, mysteries, YA, and adult fiction. From then on, the rest is history. I'm still a small blog, but its been incredibly fun and I've met some wonderful cyber friends!

I realized when I was doing this post I should include some pictures from MLA - but somehow I have lost all of my pictures from last year. So enjoy some photos from the Missouri Library Association's 2010 meeting that was held in the Missouri Ozarks!

Hotel where the conference was held - Gorgeous right?

Shane Evans was the featured Children's Author

Amazing author, speaker, and just an all around fun guy.
Check out "Olu's Dream" and other titles by Shane Evans!

Follow Friday - Books to be Unread

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS:PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

Q: If you could "UNREAD" a book, which one would it be? Is it because you want to start over and experience it again for the first time? OR is it because it was THAT bad??

I have a pretty bad habit that if I don't like a book, I won't finish it. 

Life is too short to read a bad book! 

That said, there are a few books that I would go back and "unread" simply because I had to read them and HATED them.

I know a lot of people liked "Little Bee" By Chris Cleave, but I most definitely was not one of them. 

Here are a few of the comments I mentioned when I had to read it for book group:
    This book is honestly one of the most confusing, depressing, and just plain sad stories that I have read in a long, long time...if ever. The synopsis in no way resembles the book I just put down. The blurb makes you think it will be funny...or charming...or will leave you smiling.
    The story drags on with random references to something that happened on the beach. Throughout the story it is revealed that the Englishwoman had cheated on her husband for most of their marriage and the events of the beach are tortuously released. I felt most of the characters were unlikeable and I just didn't care what happened to them. The story just kept revealing sad things and there was absolutely no resolution. The story just ends, no conflict resolution....nothing.
     I must have missed the appeal of this one. Oprah chose this book as one of the best books from 2009. In no way would I have finished this book if this wasn't a book club book. I would give this book 1 Star out of 5...I simply didn't care for it!

Still to this day, I honestly cannot see the appeal of this one. Murder, rape, genocide, suicide, physical abuse and no happy ending...it was just a tad too much for me.

What book would you unread?

Follow Friday

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS:PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

Q: Summer Break is upon us! 

What would be the perfect vacation spot for you to catch up on your reading & relax?

I'm a Missouri girl and I love...

 the Lake of the Ozarks! 

The lake, the tranquility, the sound of the water...it all just comes together to create a luscious, warm, fun environment - Perfect for reading!

Sunset at Lake Ozark, Missouri

Sunset at Lake Ozark -
Gorgeous isn't it?

Lodge of the Four Seasons -
Lake Ozark, Missouri

Lodge of the Four Seasons -
Lake Ozark, Missouri

Lodge of the Four Seasons -
Lake Ozark, Missouri

Follow Friday

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS:PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

Q: Have you had a character that disappointed you? One that you fell in love with and then “broke up” with later on in either the series or a stand-alone book? Tell us about him or her.

Without a doubt, eve and roarke from the "in death" series have fallen flat for me lately. 

they were so awesome in the beginning - the passion was fiery, they fought, they loved, they laughed...and lately they are in a rut. 

they aren't fun anymore. there is always a murder to solve and those sweet eve & roarke moments are fewer and farther between.

so we have officially broken up. we don't hang out anymore. we have fond memories, but i just don't see us hanging out anymore. i'll miss you, but its best for both of us.

          

how about you?

Follow Friday

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS:PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

Q: What is one book that you would be nervous to see a movie adaption of because you think the movie could never live up to the book?

One of my favorite books is "Lover Eternal" by JR ward. 

i simply love this book. 

if you haven't read it, buy it now, run get it now! :)

yet, i think it would be a terrible terrible movie. i don't know any actor that can live up to my expectations, nor can i see the book being acted out. 

what book wouldn't live up to a movie in your opinion??

Follow Friday

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS:PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

Q: Have you ever bought a book BECAUSE of a bad review?

I totally just did this last week!

 I had heard so much negativity about "fifty shades of Grey" yet, so many good things that I just had to try it.

and i loved it!! 

read the original  "negative" review for me at smart bitches, trashy books.

what books have you bought because of a negative review?

Follow Friday

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS:PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

 

I am incredibly embarrassed to say this but...I honestly don't think I have ever read a 600+ book. I've been wracking my brain this morning and can't think of anything! 

So the longest book that I can remember reading is.....

"Lothaire" By: Krseley Cole! 

An amazing read, with characters that will blow your mind and a romance that will make your heart go awwww :)

What have you read that was super duper long??

Follow Friday

FEATURE AND FOLLOW FRIDAY IS A BLOG HOP PUT TOGETHER BY TWO HOSTS: PARAJUNKEE AND ALISON CAN READ AS A WAY TO HELP BLOGGERS BECOME AWARE OF OTHER BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. 

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE NEW BLOGGER FRIENDS.

Q: What is the best book you’ve read in the last month? What is the worst book you’ve read in the last month?

The absolute best book I have read in the past month would have to be... 

 

"Winter Garden" By: Kristin Hannah

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

Reasons: Amazing characters, heart breaking story, and a GREAT book club book. We had a ball discussing this one because there is just so much there! Mental issues, Mother-Daughter drama, history, families, work...you can definitely identify with this one.

The worst book I've read this past month would be...

 

"Skyward" By: Mary Alice Monroe

E.R. nurse Ella Majors has seen all the misery that she can handle. Burned-out and unsure of her next step, she accepts the temporary position as caregiver to Marion Henderson, a frightened five-year-old who suffers from juvenile diabetes.

But Ella soon realizes there is more sorrow in the isolated home than the little girl's illness. Harris Henderson, a single father, is withdrawn, seemingly better able to deal with wild birds he rehabilitates in his birds-of-prey sanctuary than with his own daughter.

Then something magical begins to happen: the timeless beauty of the South Carolina coast and the majestic grace of the wild birds weave a healing spell on the injured hearts at the sanctuary. But a troubled mother's unexpected return will test the fragile bonds of trust and new love, and reveal the inherent risks and exhilarating beauty of flying free.

Reasons: I just couldn't get into this one. I started reading and it just reminded me too much of Jane Eyre so I put it away. Everyone in my book group enjoyed it, but me...so its just a little different for my tastes. 

What about you?