Sunday, June 3, 2012

Armchair BEA day 1: Introduction

Armchair BEA Site

Okay so not all of us can go to the happiest place on Earth, BEA, but for those of us who are forced to stay home for whatever reason there is a great alternative Armchair BEA.  I'm so excited to be participating and of course things are kicking off with introductions all around, so let's get this party started!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

  I'm a hopeless bibliophile who doesn't get nearly enough sleep or social interaction lately.  I've only been blogging for a couple of months.  I had been following a few book blogs and back in April I finally decided to bite the bullet and start my own.  So far it's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  I've already met some great people and this community has been so incredibly welcoming it's overwhelming (hold on guys I have to go grab the Kleenex).

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?

Right now I'm reading The White Queen by Philippa Gregory and I just finished One Moment by Kristina McBride, I'm trying to figure out what to read next.  Right now it's between Vampire Academy and Hush, Hush.  Thoughts? Opinions? Complaints?

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.

That I fail at hyperlinking images in Blogger?  Also that I misuse question marks!

What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)?

I really am loving all of the memes, especially the Friday memes.  It's great to see everyone's answers to bookish questions.

Where do you see your blog in five years?

Oh god, hopefully still up and running, other than that, it's a bit too soon to say.

Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?

Although it may be everyone else's least favorite, I quite enjoy my rant about Before I Fall  by Lauren Oliver. 

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?

Alison Weir, because I adore her and would follow her over a cliff.  You should go out right now and buy everything she has ever written. Long live history nerds!

What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?

Thornfield Hall of course.  Because that's where Mr. Rochester lives...

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?

I love how welcoming you all are.  No one makes me feel like a Noob even when I act like one.  Don't ever change!

Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?

Well it's only been a couple of months but I do find that I'm more open-minded.

Until next time guys!


41 comments:

  1. Personally? I'd say Vampire Academy over Hush Hush, mainly because I wasn't the biggest fan of the relationship dynamics in the latter. But that's just me. I know a lot of bloggers have enjoyed it!

    Also...Thornfield Hall!!! :) Lol

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    1. good to know! so far va looks like it"s going to win

      You can come visit me at Thornfield but just steer clear of the attic, I think we have rats or something...

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    2. Ha! Those must be some pretty big rats..

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  2. Hi Catie!!! *waves* I hope you enjoy the experience! book blogging is really fun :) I love Vampire Academy, reminds me I need to continue the series. I love Hush, Hush but there are vague moments, I still need to read Silence :P but if I were to choose i'd choose VA :)

    I love memes! do you join Waiting on Wednesday? I really love that :) I wonder where Thornfield Hall is? I'm intrigued! I have yet to read Before I Fall soon!

    -Jay
    We Fancy Books

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    1. Thornfield Hall is a big manor house in Jane Eyre :)

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  3. I love your review of Before I Fall - I share a lot of your thoughts and for a while there, I thought I was the lone voice in a sea of love for that novel!

    Nice to meet you.

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    1. you are not alone, my friend, you are not alone.

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  4. Hello, Catie! Nice to drop by here! I know the feeling! When I started blogging, meeting other bloggers, making friends and connections were some of the rewards. They are really nice!

    I've read Hush, Hush and it's actually the book that sparked my interest in joining online book community. :)

    -Len of Musings of a Reader Happy

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  5. Hi Catie! I don't blame you for liking a rant post the best... I think they're the funnest posts to write!

    Happy ABEA!

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  6. I think your rant is great! I'm in the middle of Before I Fall now, and I agree with you on a lot of levels. I hope you have fun as you keep blogging!

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    1. Thanks Debz! Hopefully you enjoy it though :)

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  7. Soemtimes it's the posts we write for the books we don't like that are the funnest to write. Hope you enjoy your week.

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  8. I agree that the community is amazingly welcoming! It's been so much fun!

    And I also love the memes. My favorites are the Feature&Follow and Top Ten Tuesday (and of course, my Throwback Thursdays!)

    Thanks for stopping by my Armchair BEA Intro Post.

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  9. Definitely read Vampire Academy. Oh Dimitri *swoons*

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    1. This one sounds like the winner so far, and I've heard a lot of people who say Dimitri is pretty swoon worthy.

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  10. I love anything by Lauren Oliver! Enjoy Armchair BEA!!

    http://lovesbooksreviews.blogspot.com/2012/06/armchair-bea-about-me.html

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  11. It's definitely a community that's great at welcoming new bloggers and I love that! I just wish there wasn't so much drama sometimes, but at the same time, things happen...

    I'm glad you decided to start your own blog as well and I hope you're enjoying it. :D Very nice to meet you! Lol, I love that you misuse question marks. ;) I'm more of a misuser when it comes to the exclamation marks myself!

    Have a wonderful day & thanks for stopping by!

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  12. Hi

    I am new to this too (very new - like a week!) so I will follow your lead in how to get started ;)

    I vote Hush Hush - nice tension between the main characters and Angels! What's not to love?!

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  13. Vampire Academy for sure! Heading to your Before I Fall review now because I didn't really remember liking it that much although I know lots of people who LOVED it.

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  14. Hiya! :) I agree that memes are a lot of fun. They add something extra to book blogs. It's hard to imagine what the community would be like without them! I definitely think that memes connect us and draw us all together.

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  15. Hello Catie :)
    Whoa, one of my summer reading books is by Alison Weir (The Lady Elizabeth) and from your praise for her work, I'm actually going to start reading it!

    Happy reading
    -Kirthi
    http://the1bookblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/armchair-bea-interview.html

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    1. Hooray! I really liked that one, hope you love it :)

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  16. Hi There,

    Bloggers can be really nice, can't they? :)

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  17. I've only read one book by Alison Weir - The Lady Elizabeth - and I absolutely loved it!!! I really need to read more of her works.

    I need to learn how to hyperlink images in Blogger, too. If you find out how to do this, please let me know!

    Here's my Armchair BEA Intro Post.

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    1. I will definitely let you know! There's always html but I usually am way too lazy haha

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  18. Hi Catie! I've heard A LOT of great things about Vampire Academy, but haven't read it myself. Also, welcome to the book blogging community. It's been nice to "meet" you!

    Thanks for commenting on my intro post :)

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    1. Nice to meet you too Rachelia! That's the one everyone wants me to read, it seems so that's the one I picked :)

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  19. I like your thoughts about Before I Fall. I'd heard wonderful things about it, too, before I read it. And you're right - it was a tad annoying.

    On a side note, yay for acting like noobs!

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  20. Thornfield Hall is perfect, but only if Mr. Rochester is there and not out and about ;)

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    1. Oh yes, he does have a tendency to be gone. Sigh

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  21. Welcome to ABEA! :) Nice to meet you!

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  22. Hey!
    To answer your question about what to read next: I loved Vampire Academy and wasn't a fan of Hush Hush, so yes...that'd be my recommendation! Other than that, I hope you have fun during ABEA! I'm not participating but I can't wait to read all those amazing posts :)

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  23. I've not read either, but VA is definitely the one most recommended to me - so maybe there! Also, I TOTALLY agree with your Before I Fall review! Mine is similar to that, I mostly had issues with Sam and how horrible she was.

    Happy Armchair BEA, and lovely to meet you!
    My Armchair BEA Intro

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    1. Oh my gosh I wanted to push Sam off a cliff, seriously!

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  24. Noob? Naw, it looks like you're doing very well indeed. I agree that the blogging community is a very welcoming one. I have found and made many friends on the blogs and have been introduced to countless books I might not have otherwise heard of were it not for my fellow blogger pals.

    Sleep? What's that? lol I have been getting about 3 hours a night for the past two weeks. Sleep is overrated anyway when there is work (writing) and fun to be had.

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    1. Aw thanks Jeremy! And, yes, there are better things I could be doing than sleeping :D

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  25. I enjoyed VA and Hush Hush both...I think if I had to choose between the two I'd prefer the earlier Hush Hush books. I enjoyed VA, but wasn't a huge fan of it. Bloodlines on the other hand...;)

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  26. Hi Catie,

    Allison Weir is a great choice. I think you're doing great on your blog.

    http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

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