Last Day of Armchair BEA

It has been a crazy week trying to keep up with work and ArmchairBEA. I have never posted so many times in one week before. Today we are talking about blogging. Well I am still pretty new at blogging so I don't have a lot to contribute.

I would like to share one experience that seems important to me and it just happened today. As a new blogger, I haven't thought through a lot of things like email access on my blog. I had a giveaway running with entries in the comments. Blogger was being difficult and I had a follower who couldn't comment and therefore couldn't enter my giveaway. The bigger problem was that she couldn't find my email on my blog to contact me. Luckily for me, she was persistent and found a way to send me a note on Goodreads.com. But I realized that I need to make those things easier. So now I have a nice "contact me" link right at the top. It's the little details that I think I will continue to refine as I go along.

One other thing that I think is really important to blogging and that's twitter. I talk to more followers on twitter than I do on my blog. If you're going to blog, I think it's important to be on twitter. I find the best books that way too. Just today, I was trying to figure out what to spend a gift card for Barns and Noble on and a blogger friend recommended an older book that I had missed. Looks like quite the find.

Those are my two big tips to blogging - don't forget the little stuff and twitter.

Happy blogging and as always enjoy the read!

Umm... talk to people

I've never been really good at talking to people. Shy is an understatement but I'm working on it. The good news is that blogging has helped. When you blog, you talk to people on twitter or in comments. So as we make connections this week with ArmchairBEA, the way to nurture those connections is to talk to those people whenever you can.

I have had the good fortune to meet a few bloggers in chats or on twitter and we talk from time to time. I'm new at this. My blog is only 5 months old, so I don't know if they are relationships yet but I'm getting there.

The very best part of talking to people on my blog and tweeter is the opportunity to talk to authors. When I tell people that I talked to an author of some book they love, they get all excited. Me too! I love to ask them questions about their books, what's coming next, and whether they drink coffee or Mt Dew when they write. (Julie Kagawa is the Mt Dew drinker) And if you don't know who Jule Kagawa is, then run don't walk to Goodreads and check out the Iron Fey series - Iron King, Iron Daughter, Iron Queen and soon to include Iron Knight! And that is why I bog - I love sharing my passion for books. So I will get over being shy and talk to people and it is easier when I can talk about something I love. Enjoy the read!

Meet some rocking bloggers...

I'm so excited to be interviewing fellow bloggers today! As part of Armchair BEA, I have TWO bloggers to share with you today.



Meet Lissa from Readers Unite...

~How long have you blogged?

I’ve been blogging since last June – almost a year now! The name was originally Book By Book Summer because I thought I only was going to blog for the summer. I ended up loving it so much that I changed the name to READERS UNITE, because the previous name didn’t apply…and it was a mouthful. ;)

~What’s your genre?

I read and review YA books. Typically. I love adult romances and paranormal/urban fantasy, but yeah, my heart remains in the YA world. I’ll read anything. Literately anything.

~M&M’s or skittles?

That is the hardest question. I love chocolate but just plain sugar…what a toughie. I’d have to say skittles.

~ You spend your day doing what? (Besides reading)

I’m in school so a lot of my time focuses around class and the homework that comes with it. In my free time, though, I write (have been since I was 6) and play the piano (since I was 4!) I swim and play volleyball as well. I’m a pretty busy person.

~Random fact about you?

I’m a procrastinator, I bite my nails, and I have a fat cat named Oreo (let’s see if you can guess why!)

~Music while you read? What kind?

Yes! Music! And it depends on the genre – if I’m reading a romance, it’s country music. If I’m reading an angry contemporary or a kick-butt adventure/paranormal, it’s rock n’ roll FTW!

~Currently reading?

Quite a few, actually. TEN THINGS WE DID (and probably shouldn’t have) by Sarah Mlynowski, HELLO, DARKNESS by Sandra Brown and I’ll be starting LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI by Melina Marchetta tonight!

~Best book you've read this year so far?

I’d hate to bring her up again, but I’d have to say THE PIPER’S SON by Melina Marchetta. It hit me hard – she’s the best author! You can read my review here!

~If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Oh, Australia. Or Ireland. Either one. For some reason, those are the two most fascinating places in the entire world to me.

~Describe your personality as a food?

Could I describe myself as peanut butter? I’m kind of bitter and chewy – I’m not the most happy person and it takes some “chewing” to get used to me – but I taste good on most stuff and I make everything work – with the right people, I work really well. I’m the person who keeps everything together wherever I go. It’s a crazy hard job, but in the end, it’s worth it!

Check out Lissa's totally awesome blog here!

Check out Lissa's interview of me here!


And now meet Bluestocking...


~How long have you blogged?

I have been blogging since May 11, 2007. That reminds me that I just had a blogaversary that I forgot to celebrate.

~What’s your genre?

I don't have a specific genre that I read. There's a mix of everything on my blog. The only genre that I will not read are bodice rippers.

~M&M’s or skittles?

M & M's. I'm all about chocolate.

~You spend your day doing what? (Besides reading)

I'm an attorney- defense. So I spend my day subpoenaing medical records, deposing people, occasionally going to trial, and occasionally driving my clients crazy. I definitely drive plaintiff's counsel crazy.

~Random fact about you?

I was the only person in my graduating class in high school.

~Music while you read? What kind?

Nope.

~Currently reading?

In Transit by Kathleen Gerard. But during lunch, I'm going to Barnes and Noble to buy The Warlock: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel and will promptly read that.

~Best book you've read this year?

It's a toss up between Kat, Incorrigible and The Midnight Gate. Oh actually I think I read Wither sometime this year too. Those three.

~If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would it be?

London.

~Describe your personality as a food?

Spicy.

Check out Bluestockings fab blog here!

Bluestocking interviewed me for her blog - you can learn more about me here. :D

Best book so far this year...

Um, funny this topic came up on Armchair BEA because there has been discussion about it on twitter lately. So, two of my favorite so far aren't even out yet - does that count?

If I had to choose the best one that is actually available right now, I would have to choose City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Claire. I loved this book. By far it is the best book so far this year (currently available). Read my review here.

Now if I can include books that are coming out this year that I have already read, then the results are crowded. The battle is between two incredible starts to new series'.

The first one I read was Half Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout and my review is here. I love this book because it has this kick butt girl named Alex that is strong in the face of her own dismiss. It has this gorgeous guy who cares about her. It has great demigod lore that I love. I've already read it but it doesn't come out until September and now I have to wait longer for for book two! :)

And then Starcrossed came along! I love this book. Stop by tomorrow for my review and a giveaway. This book has a strong girl hiding under the radar until a family moves in town that she hates immediately. The aftermath causes her to discover who she is and who she loves. This book is full of Greek mythology and forbidden love. Fabulous!

And the winner is....

It's a tie - love them both!

Armchair BEA Giveaway time!

This is a quick Armchair BEA giveaway! (Ends 5-26 12PM MST)

Must be StuckInBooks follower

Comment below with the answer to this question, follower name, and your email.

Who is your favorite book character and why?

Tweet for an extra entry (leave direct link in your comment)

Up for grabs is Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key

Wish I was in NYC but my armchair works

Okay, I wish I was in New York this week for BEA11. I've never gone - well I didn't even know about it last year. I only started this blog in January. Last summer I was reading like crazy but hadn't learned about the blogging craz.

I will probably never get to go to BEA because I teach middle school and it falls in the last two weeks of school. That's not a great time to be gone for a whole week. And while we are on the subject of my job - I teach 8th grade math. I know you are groaning but I love math. I have a reading group at lunch and I share my love of reading every day. My students know about my book obsession. I have a mini library in my classroom that I share with them. They share with me. I am always picking up their books and asking questions.

Which brings me to what kind of books I read and review for this blog. I pretty much only read YA. I hang out with fourteen year olds on a daily basis. That's just how I roll. I prefer the paranormal YA books but I venture out to contemporary. Once in a long while I may read an adult book, but don't count on it.

Anyway, if you are still reading this, I will show you the actual armchair - mini couch where I read. It's actually a snuggle chair meant for two. I bought it because I have three dachshunds and they think they need to help me when I read. So we have room in my snuggle chair.

Looking forward to a fun week of BEA from my chair. Enjoy the read.