Today begins the big event! In the spirit of new events and getting to know each other, today is all about introductions. As the interviews are always my main organizational event, this year I asked everyone to answer five of ten possible questions. I probably should answer my own questions, right? So, here you go!
1. What is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012? The Stand was pretty excellent but I have to say that my favorite book so far this year was John Green’s latest, The Fault in Our Stars. Seriously, you must read it now.
2. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. Hmmm…I am fairly open around here, so finding one thing that you may not know may prove to be impossible. Yet, I’m willing to give it the old college try! Speaking of college, did you know I graduated only three years after I started – with a functional degree and everything. Granted, I chose not to go into that original profession, but that’s another story.
3. What literary location would you most like to visit? Why? Again, another TOUGH question. Part of me says London because there are so many sites to see there that would cover too many literary locations to count. You could spend days just looking up locations from any one novel by Charles Dickens or even Philippa Gregory. Then again, given my obsession interest in vampires, to ignore Transylvania would be somewhat sacrilegious. I would have to do a little eeny-meeny-meiny-mo on this choice.
4. What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years? Ah, I never get tired of this topic. My favorite part about the community, which prevents me from ever getting tired of things, is its diversity. We come from so many different countries, ethnicities, religions, political views, and socioeconomic classes that we are an amazing microcosm of the world. Even better, we all get along, for the most part. We have our dramas, but we are always united in our love of books. No where else are you going to find such a large group of people so committed to one cause and to each other. As for what I would like to see change, my biggest beef with blogging is the drama. It appears, at times, as if the community manufactures topics about which to get upset. I blame bloggers hearing only snippets of situations, jumping to conclusions, and then ranting about a topic about which they are only slightly informed. This, in turn, incites others, and the cycle begins. It is a cycle I would LOVE to see stop. There are enough things in this world that we have to battle and overcome. Knee-jerk reactions and irate bloggers should not be one of them.
5. How have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How? How could one’s reading tastes not have changed with blogging? The exposure to the world of books is absolutely mind-blowing. I have read books I would never have considered prior to blogging. In fact, most of the books I have read in the past three years are ones I would have ignored in my pre-blogging life. See, I was more than a small literary snob. Except for Nora Roberts, the only other books I read were classics. Everything else just did not seem that interesting to me. (Yes, I was one of those types of readers.) I owe blogging so many thanks for opening my eyes to other forms of amazing literature, even if my wallet will never be the same.
That’s it, folks! Now, head on over to the Armchair BEA website, check out all the goodies, and try to “meet” as many people as possible!
Amen, Marce! Exposure to books is a wonderful (and expensive) thing!
Does anyone really ever use their degree? LOL!
I hope you like what you see, Chrystal! Thanks for stopping by!
I wonder how I missed your post when i'm an old follower, hmmm.
Thank goodness for the exposure to books, that is why I love blogging and the diversity also, amazing. Like Nora Roberts I was a definite Mary Higgins Clark yearly reader.
My recent post Armchair bea Introductions………
I graduated from my program in college and am not working in my field either. LOL
I love your blog style and the font you have used. 🙂 I'm off to check out your blog some more. 🙂
My recent post Review: Blood and Guitars by Heather Jensen
Parents' rule. They wanted a degree first. I switched degrees after my first year in college too when I realized medicine wasn't for me like I thought it would be. Turns out neither was teaching, or at least teaching German to high school students.
Looking For Alaska was my first John Green novel, so I definitely have a special place in my heart for it. I thought Paper Towns was brilliant too.
Hi Allison! I went to college to become a teacher. I graduated knowing that I would never last in a classroom. I may not be a teacher, but what I learned has definitely come in handy with my kids, with their teachers, and with being a manager!
Was that your parents rule about marriage or some self-inflicted rule?
I loved The Fault in Our Stars too, but Looking for Alaska remains my favorite Green. And you can hardly go wrong with Nora Roberts.
My Armchair BEA intro post is here!
I totally loved The Fault in Our Stars, too. I even mentioned it on my introductory post, hehe. 🙂 I find it very impressive you graduated with a bachelors in just 3 years. That takes a LOT of dedicated work! What degree did you end up getting that you decided not to use?
Nice to meet you!
My recent post Kicking Off Armchair BEA with an Introduction
Hi Kathy! Thanks! With the book blogging community growing so much year after year, events like these are such a great way to find new kindred spirits!
So, are you going to read TFIOS next? 🙂
Ha! Never underestimate the power of AP courses and an intense desire to get married. The rule was I couldn't tie the knot until I had a diploma. So I made sure I had it before I said "I do."
Hi Michelle! Great blog! I am loving getting to read all the different blogs through Armchair BEA. You have made me question why I haven't yet read John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. Thanks!
3 years! Holy cow girl!! You must be wicked smart. (Said in the best Matt Damon impression from Good Will Hunting). 🙂
Thanks, Natalie! The history is what it is all about sometimes.
Hi Michelle! I love the name and look of your blog! So cute! Also, I would love to go to London or Transylvania. Think of all that history! 🙂
You are absolutely correct. People need to remember that 140 characters does not tell the whole story, and there are a lot of times people tweet first and ask questions later. I would like to think that bloggers do not say obnoxious things just for followers, but I suspect you are correct in that as well. I tend to stay away from all things social media related when the furor starts. It does help.
Ha! No Grumpy Old Woman here. I feel the exact same way. I suspect that we are in the majority when it comes to this thought process as well. It really is just a few very vocal bloggers that seem to incite the majority of the drama. The rest of us don't say anything and just stay quiet until the furor dies down.
I'm ashamed to admit that I have not read her latest series yet, even though I do have them on my shelves. ***ducking head in shame***
PEI was in the running, but I figure I have a better chance of actually getting there than I do London or Transylvania. LOL!
The drama gets old, does it not? You should smack some sense into them, Jenners! If anyone could do it, you could! 😉
The speedy college graduation is less impressive when I state that I got married less than a month after graduation. But we are celebrating 15 years together next week, so something good lasted, right? 🙂
Thanks, Tami! And thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the week!
Thanks!
All book blogger events are great way to get to know each other, but I think there is something about Armchair BEA that is especially amazing because it really does unite us with the industry in ways that no other event does. Enjoy the week!
I suspect you are absolutely correct in your guess as to how many use their degree in their profession. I would even hazard a guess that the percentage that do decreases exponentially as they get older.
Aw, thanks! The blogger drama has bugged me quite a bit lately, which is usually when I go on social media lockdown until everything blows over. If we could just get over the whole tweet before thinking thing, I suspect the drama would dissipate quite a bit.
I definitely want to get my hands on a hard copy version of The Stand and keep it forever and ever. I can also imagine some very cool tattoos from the book, let alone the entire book.
Different but alike – now, if only we could get the rest of the world to see how easy it is to get along!
No Nora? If you are into suspense/thriller with some romance thrown into the mix, you should definitely check her out. She is quite prolific, but amazingly, all of her novels are great.
Exactly! We could teach the world a thing or two, couldn't we?
Definitely! I rather feel like it is cheating a bit, but I don't feel an ounce of guilt. I can't help it if so many great novels all took place in the same city, right? 😉
Mickey – Definitely worth the read! For me to rank it above The Stand is huge because I devoured The Stand as quickly as I could and want to listen to it again. TFIOS is That. Good.
heather – that is very true. I also think it is the main reason why I have stayed away from becoming a niche blog. It allows me to truly explore all that is out there, or as much as I can of it!
Heather, I adore John Green, but I do think TFIOS is his best book. The subject matter is tough but he manages to find the perfect balance. There is a definite reason why it is so popular, IMO!
Thanks for visiting!
"No where else are you going to find such a large group of people so committed to one cause and to each other." That is so true. We band together when it comes to all things bookish.
My thing when it comes to the drama that we have in the community is that a lot of it could be stopped if people would just shut up. Sometimes people don't know when to ignore someone's tweet or blog post. Just because you have an opinion doesn't mean you should always voice it even if the other person is being a jerk. I always think that some bloggers say obnoxious things just to get more blog visits. This year, I decided to unfollow those kind of bloggers.
My recent post Armchair BEA – Introductions
Hi There!
I would also like to see the blogging community be a little less reactionary in its approach to everything. Unfortunately, it seems like people in this age of instant communications tend to speak before they think, which is often a really bad idea. Sorry, I sound like a Grumpy Old Woman now! 😀
I love Nora Roberts – especially her latest series, the Inn Boonsboro trilogy. Such a great series and I love how the inn uses literary pairs as the names of the rooms!
I put down that I wanted to go to Prince Edward Island, but London was also in the running. So many great places that I hope to travel to one day!!!
Here's my Armchair BEA Intro Post.
My recent post Armchair BEA 2012: Introductions
Wow … I'm impressed with your speedy college graduation!
And I agree — no more drama!
Enjoyed your "interview". I agree with you about going to London to look for book locations. Would be an amazing trip. Love your blog!
My recent post Armchair BEA – Opening Day
I'm so glad I stumbled upon Armchair BEA this morning – it's such a great opportunity for bloggers to get to know each other. You've got a great blog here! As an aside, I wonder what the percentage is of folks who actually go into the professions they studied in college. I bet it's low. 😉
My recent post Armchair BEA 2012: Introductions
Always love stopping by your blog. I have to admit, I sometimes find the whole blogger drama thing to be one bug show, more often than not fueled by miscommunication.
I haven't read A Fault in Our Stars yet, but hear so much about it. Of course, totally, totally love The Stand. Audiobook, print, Tatooed onto some dude's back, I'd read it again and again in whatever format.
I love *meeting* readers from other countries – it is amazing how alike we all are!
Have a great Armchair BEA
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out
I love the diversity of the book blogging community too. I have to admit that I haven't read anything by Nora Roberts yet.
My recent post Armchari BEA: A Few Things About Me!
I love the diversity of the book blogging community too! Such amazing support across the board.
I have to agree that London is one of the best literary choices to go see – there's SO MANY places that would apply!
Happy ABEA!
I have THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and hope to read it soon. I've heard so many good things!
Mickey @ imabookshark
Come visit my introduction? Thanks!
My recent post Armchair BEA 2012 – Introductions First!
It is hard to be exposed to so many great new books and not have your mind opened to all the amazing possibilities out there.
I really need to make time for THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. It has been on my TBR pile for a long time now, but I keep putting it off. So many people rave about it!
My recent post Armchair BEA 2012: An Introduction