BBAW: Unexpected Treasure

Well, I for one have had an absolute blast with this years Book Blogger Appreication Week so far. I've discovered so many new interesting blogs - especially the wonderful Amy of Amy Reads, who I swapped interviews with yesterday. In keeping with their 'treasure' theme, today the BBAW committee asked us all to:

We invite you to share with us a book or genre you tried due to the influence of another blogger.  What made you cave in to try something new and what was the experience like?

Now I'll admit that this topic was a bit of a hard one for me. As far as genre reading goes, I'm pretty dang predictable of late. Lots of fantasy with good amounts of YA thrown in for good measure. Sure, I read books all the time that were recommended to me by other bloggers, but they generally tend to always fall within those two genres. Then I remembered a very, very dear series of books that were fortuitously recommended to me by another blogger -- Angie of Angieville. Angie's picks are, of course, legendary and these were no exception. But it took me a little prodding to finally make my way to their goodness because of the simple genre labeling stumbling block -- mystery. Otherwise known as immediately-not-interested to Michelle.

Curious yet?

Well, the books were the Lady Julia Grey mysteries by Deanna Raybourn and the rest, they say, is history. I adore Julia and her crazy family and I am also deeply smitten with one Nicholas Brisbane. This entire series about an unconventional woman of means who can coolly solve mysteries is utter perfection. Mystery has never really been my 'thing' before, but after adoring every single one of Deanna Raybourn's books, I'm starting to rethink that status.

series reading order:
~ Silent in the Grave
~ Silent in the Sanctuary
~ Silent on the Moor - my review 
~ Dark Road to Darjeeling (my review will be up next week - trust me, it's good)

What unexpected treasure have you discovered thanks to a fellow blogger?

BBAW: Interview Swap - Amy Reads

And now onto what has to be my favorite part about Book Blogger Appreciation Week - the Interview Swap. It all started a couple of weeks ago after I received an email letting me know I had been paired up with Amy of Amy Reads for my partner. Now Amy's blog was completely new to me but it looks like I am in the minority here after discovering that her site had been shortlisted as a 2010 Best New Book Blog. As I began emailing back and forth with Amy while checking her blog regularly, I began to see what all the fuss was about. Amy is one of those voracious readers who truly has eclectic taste in books. She makes a point to switch between non-fiction, fiction and YA novels with lots of ethnically diverse books thrown in for good measure (just check out her picks from the interview!). Not only does her reading pile inspire me to start reading more non-fiction again, but she is a wonderful person to get to know and I am utterly jealous of the fact that she lives in the iconic Prince Edward Island - even if her work schedule doesn't allow her much time to enjoy it. I'm so pleased to have her here today - so here we go!

When did you start blogging and what were some of your goals for Amy Reads?

I started blogging on January 1st, 2010. Yep, I'm that OCD that I really wanted to start on the first day of the year. And as I finally made the decision after working late on a big project and then having some wine by myself on New Years Eve (working on NYE = not fun)... well, it was a last minute decision that really paid off! My goal was that I really wanted to be part of this community that I saw online. I had followed it online for some time and just couldn't get over how friendly everyone was to each other (I was a lurker, too shy to actually comment). I really wanted to get in on all this fun and book discussion - very few people I know in real life will talk books with me, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity.


What do you do when you hit a reading slump and nothing seems to pull you out of it? Do you have comfort reads your find yourself returning to?

Hmm... this is a hard one! My reading slumps tend to happen either when I look at the tbr shelf and just have trouble settling with something (too much choice can do that too me!) or when I've read too much and just need a bit of a break. Usually I just keep trying different books until something clicks for me. Young Adult books tend to snap me out of them more often than not though, I think because they are just fun and lighter than some of what I read (I have a big love of random non-fiction books...!).


Have you always been a dedicated reader? If not, what changed? What types of books did you like when you were younger?

I've definitely always been a reader :) Growing up we weren't allowed watching much TV, so I read a lot. I remember library trips fondly (I had my library card number memorized) and read pretty much everything in the house and in our tiny little library. During University I read less than I used to, but that was mainly because I had so much school texts to read. I read a lot of series - Thoroughbred, Babysitters Club, Nancy Drew, and really just whatever I could find in the house. I was always rereading the same books over and over because they were around. I definitely do read a lot more now than I used to though as well.


You mentioned on your blog that you travel often for work. What are some of your favorite places you've gone to? And right along with that, what books do you have stashed in your overnight bag awaiting your next trip?

I spend between 50-75% of my time on the road. Usually I go for 1 to 2 week trips, though occasionally for longer, and usually a week or two at a time at the same place. My absolute favorite place to go was Botswana this January / February but that was a one time thing - unfortunately the rest is only around North America. Some other favorites are Minnesota, Northern California and Bermuda.

Funny enough I am on a trip as I write this. I have a wide collection of books in my suitcase from Imperial Brotherhood (about cold war policy and feminism), The Tiger (about a man eating tiger in Siberia), What They Always Tell Us (young adult GLBTQ), and Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah (a Tanzanian novel). Books are almost always the last thing I pack. I check out my review pile and grab anything I need to review during or immediately after my trip, and then spend as much time as I have sitting in front of the tbr bookshelf trying to decide what to bring. Usually I try to get a variety. Then I have to go through again and limit my pile to what will actually fit!


Audiobooks, print copies or ebooks? Any preferences or strong feelings?

Ohhh how I love print copies! I have a Kindle, and I do love it for travel, but I just have so many print copies that I have to fill my suitcase anyway. I love having the actual book - I love the smell, the touch, the look, and also just the ability to lend it around or pass it on once I've finished it. I do see me using the Kindle more and more as I read through my tbr shelf though. As for audiobooks... I am trying to listen to more, but I do find it more difficult to pay attention. I am a fast reader so I find it much slower to listen to a book rather than read it.


Is there a particular book you find yourself recommending over and over again?

Oh gosh, I can only pick one?! I really don't know... I think it really depends too on what I've just read, who I'm making the recommendation to and what they normally read. I am drawing a complete blank here actually! (Which doesn't happen often ;) heh)


Do you adore any lesser known books that you wish got more love?

Oh yes, this one is much easier. My top five favorite authors are all international, and I wish that everyone would read them. Some are all fairly well known but I do wish that everyone would give these books a try. I can't pick just a book by each so I will just list authors instead (cheating, I know!):

Dubravka Ugresic
Slavenka Drakulic
Assia Djebar
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Thank you again Amy for taking the time to answer all my questions! I had such a wonderful time getting to know you and can't wait to see what you'll be reading next.


Take a moment to stop on over to Amy Reads now for Amy's interview with me.

BBAW: First Treasure

It's that time of year again folks! Today marks the starting line for this years Book Blogger Appreciation Week so adjust your party hats and let the festivities begin! The good folks hosting the week-long extravaganza have prepared an incredible schedule and to kick things off right, today is called First Treasure:

We invite you to share with us about a great new book blog you’ve discovered since BBAW last year!  If you are new to BBAW or book blogging, share with us the very first book blog you discovered.  Tell us why this blog rocks your socks off and why you keep going back for more.

I've happened to come across a few really great blogs this year, but both of my two favorites are blogs that are fairly recent discoveries for me.

Inkcrush - I first happened upon Inkcrush and the wonderful Nomes who runs it after my red letter discovery of the fabulous Jaclyn Moriarty books (Nomes loves her too!). She's an Australian blogger with many fabulous recommendations and always keeps me up to date with the latest in Aussie YA lit news. Plus I love her entire page dedicated to Australian authors complete with highlighted favorites - I so want to read almost every single starred book on that page.

YA Highway - Even though I'm not an aspiring YA author, I still love to drop in at the fantastic YA Highway. It's run by a group of actual authors(!) so you know these ladies know what they're talking about y'all. I'm a sucker for their how-to writing posts but I truly get excited for the Road Trip Friday feature which pulls interesting tidbits from all over the YA interwebs. I can always count on those posts for interesting links and lol funny content.

So, these are my new favorite blogging stops - what new-to-you blogs are you currently crushing on?

BBAW Meme

Book Blogger Appreciation Week is in full swing and they have so many wonderful things going on. Today they have asked bloggers to think about how you read books. Mostly what are your habits and quirks - in five words or less.

* Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
POPCORN!! mmmmhhmm

* Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I'm sorta weird, and it's probably due to HS and college required reading: I mark in books I consider to be 'classics' and wouldn't dream of writing in anything else. I know, OCD much?

* How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
bookmark, even though it's usually something odd like a napkin, debit card or receipt

* Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
both - I feel like I need to be improving my mind from time to time

* Hard copy or audiobooks?
hard, but I like to have something to listen to in the car

* Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I am so bad at this, I HAVE to get to some sort of break/end of chapter before I can put down a book.

* If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
usually, but sometimes I'm lazy and I don't want to

* What are you currently reading?
Long Live the Queen by Ellen Emerson White

* What is the last book you bought?
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

* Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I try to only do one at a time, mostly cause I read too fast

* Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
during my little guy's nap time - that is my precious 'me' time

* Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
series, mostly because that means I'll have an automatic next read - I like no-brainers

* How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
by genre, then by size, then by if I've already read them or not - not very logical, I know, but it works for me