FF - Steppin' Out!

Hosted by Parajunkee's View & Alison Can Read...

Feature & Follow is fun for meetin' other bloggers. I try to visit anyone who stops by Colorimetry and comments, but the giveaways get away from me sometimes. I read all the comments, but visiting other people back... well... um... folks around here like to eat sometimes, so I have to prioritize my time. This post, though? I'm commitin' to visiting you back!!  :-D  Do take advantage. *rubs hands together gleefully*

Q: When you step out of your USUAL genre what do you like to read? Best books in that genre?

I step out of "my" genre all the time, but I research more first. Sometimes I hear about a book over and over and over and over and grow curious. You know?  What's all the smoke about? I ask myself and I snoop around to see if it's worth venturing out of my comfort zone.

Nothin' makes "my" genre as awesome as trying other ones. I always come back and find my favorites sooooo juicy delicious.

Plus... I hate running into a book I don't like in "my" genre. It's so disheartening. Spreadin' the love around can soften the blow of an irritating one, too.

Hey... I said all that without admitting what "my" genre is!!  How cool is that?!

Do you stick to your genre, or step out a bit?

Happy Friday the 13th!

What a memorable Friday!!

Let's do something significant!!  :-D  Doesn't that sound like a good idea!!  Then you can remember & say "I decided to do that on Friday, the 13th!"  Or "I caused all that trouble..." or "I broke my foot entering the hospital on..."

Right... that stuff just happens without much planning. I, for one, am so glad to see Kathy @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer back up-n-rollin' with her awesome "hobby" of blogging.  We missed you!!

I keep finding fun things I want to do on a Friday - any Friday, but especially this Friday.

My favorite Friday event is the totally awesome Feature & Follow hop hosted by Parajunkee's View & Allison Can Read:

I haven't been able to participate in WEEKS!!  Such a tragedy.  (Non-participation.) There's always so many new bloggers to meet, not to mention so many fav's to hop by & say "hi!" to!


I found this new fun thing on Down the Rabbit Hole on Fridays where Amber posts pix of some cool fairytale sort. And I love pix. And Fairytales. This week she posted about Mulan. How fun, hey?  Wanna hunt down some Mulan pix & post with me?!  I didn't know I would want to when I woke up this morning, but that's what you can expect out of a Friday like today... lots of surprising delights!!

This week... all week, actually, I've been chatting with Sasha Soren regarding yesterday's very playful post about mermaids, etc, etc, and did you know she posts Reading Nooks every week?!  Oh yea. It's true.  I'm always dreaming about where I'm reading in peace & quiet - something reality doesn't offer.



So... this is a muddled post of Too Much Fun this very fine Friday.

As for Real-Life Friday...
... I'm driving across town to pick up some more raffle prizes from generous businesses for the Totally Awesome Cruise-In comin' up in August (as I posted about this week). AND... pausing at a pool to take my tadpoles swimming.  (That's how "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down" - playing WHILE working. The only way to "work" on such a great Friday!!)

Ok... so here is a medley of all my stuff.... READY?!

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

Thx for asking, F&F... I started blogging with high hopes of writing better. It's an impossible quest, I realize now, and I've gotten sidetracked winning & giving books & meeting great book bloggers.

Which picture of Mulan do you like best?

1. Pure Intentions

2. Demure Daughter

3. Heart of a Warrior

4. Strength and Beauty

5. Hidden Identity

6. Tears of Hard Choices

7. A Woman of Many Secrets

8. Humble Savior

Finally...

A Nook to Enjoy my delightful summer reading...

Leave me a comment, so I know you stopped by!!  I'll be sure to return the visit and follow-follow-follow!!  Thank you!!


P.S.


Today only... get Until Next Time for FREEEEEEE!!!!!!

Feature and Follow ROBIN HOOD Pix

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee's View & Alison Can Read. 

Muchas Gracias for all the comments!!  I'll hop over to your site & visit/follow back. If you don't have a blog, watch for return comments here!!  And thx for hoppin' by!

This week's Featured Blogs are...

Sinnful Books & Books of Love

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Q: You are a matchmaker -- your goal, hook up two characters from two of your favorite books. Who would it be? How do you think it would go?

I've got Robin Hood on the brain this morning, having hopped over to Down the Rabbit Hole and checked out her Fairy Tale In Photos this morning. I've been wondering how things would go if he ran into Ismae, you know? I think they'd have a lot in common and one thing just might lead to another.  :-)

Choose your favorite!!

1. Composed Woodsman

2. Fleeing in Winter

3. Hardened Outlaw

4. Posing for "Wanted" Poster

5. Uncomfortable Point of View

6. Dystopian Hero

7. What? I practically memorized this cartoon!!

8. Who said Robin Hood was a guy?  Or human?!

Personally, I kinda like the idea of being Robin Hood myself.

I think I'd be great at it.

Thanks again for hoppin' by!!  See ya again soon over at your place!

Friday FUN with pictures!

Welcome to a Very Fun Friday!!  

Set your imagination FREE!!!!

Crazy-For-Books is hosting the dearly-beloved Book Blogger Hop again!!  Woop!!

How many books do you own? This can include books in your to-be-read (TBR) pile(s) and books you have already read that are on your keeper shelf.



Do you ever feel like counting your books is almost... like demanding a Census?!  I got that dreaded letter in the mail the other day, the one that states, "You've been randomly selected for the Census". Sure, random. They randomly want to know how many of us are crammed in our house for State & County services... so they "randomly" chose the house with six residents over the retired couple across the street.



David called for a head-count in the Bible and God punished the entire country for it. (I Chron 21)   Some counting needs to be... not too meticulous. That's how I feel about my books. But since I suspect that I'm over-reacting, I got a general idea, anyway...

Just so my books know, this is not a census!! (Yes. I'm talking to my books. Give us some privacy.) And you're allowed to travel around the house freely or change bookshelves without checking in with me!!  Just... please don't go outside. The elements aren't kind to you!

I have about 500... 10% reference, 10% non-fiction, 30% kids' books (includin' a smokin' hot collection of snakes -n- creepie-crawly books!!)

The rest are harder to break down. I probably only have 25 that are hot-off-the-press hardback beauties, some of which I'll give away. Maybe. Eventually.  I have almost 100 books that I've saved 'cause I loved 'em way back in the day... "childhood fav's". Some of those are still "cool" like two old sets of the Narnia books. I have almost 100 orphans... books gathered from friends & family who were liquidating bookshelves and I "saved" them from some other fate.  I have some classics, maybe 20, that are those gorgeous old books that are too beautiful to touch. Like this little gem, How to Speak Good English from 1931:

Contrast 

- accent con when you say, "These colors contrast nicely." Accent trast when you say, "Just contrast his behavior with John's."

Isn't that priceless?!  I like the tone of voice through-out the book. VERY condescending!!

That's not counting 80+ on my Nook, maybe 1/2 of which are TBRs (which doesn't include those mega-volumes with entire collections, like "All George MacDonald's works" or "Classic Romance"). And 40 on Kindle-for-PC.

And... I love the library. Can I count all the books at the library, please?!  They feel like mine!!  When you start to recognize which shelf everyone is on and notice when they're re-arranged so that you see ones you hadn't noticed before, it feels personal, doesn't it?

How many SIGNED books?!  I have 10 + 1 on the way. *sigh*

Or, what about Journals?! Should we count those?!

What about relatives?!  I married into the descendant married-into-line of Charles Dickens (thrice removed)!!!  HA!!

The wonderful Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View & Alison Can Read.

This week the incredibly awesome Featured blogs are:

Tribute Books Mama & Addicted to Heroines

Congratulations!!

Q: Summer Break is upon us! What would be the perfect vacation spot for you to catch up on your reading & relax?

Oh, let me find some pictures!!!

Did you see the button I made for the Giveaway I'm hosting with I Am a Reader?  Oh yea!!  I could read on a tree!!!

I collect Reading Nooks on .  So let's have a vote!!  

Which one do you like best!!

1. Super cozy, curl up -n- read garden nook:

2. Sunny bench, feels like outdoors, but you're indoors for better temperature control:

3. Outdoor room, complete with bookshelves!! Retractable wall:

4. Comfy sprawl under the willow:

5. Rustic bed, tucked in the garden:

6. Surrounded by windows with removable clock:

7. Suspended in the woods!! Near a campfire?

8. The backyard hammock!!

9. Gently swaying near water & table *sigh*

10. A magical outdoor gazebo:

The important thing is to enjoy the sunshine!! A little breeze & a lot of reflected sunlight equal memorable reading!!

These are imaginary, of course. I've been known to climb into the back of the Suburban while "unloading groceries" to steal a few chapters. Or sneak up to the fishnet hammocks in the backyard while "walking the dogs". Most of these places look like they'd take too long to set up. I'd find myself reading on the pile of supplies to create one of these spaces.  Lol. Imagination's nice, though!!

Thanks for stopping by!!!  Leave a comment so I can visit you back!!!

Feature and HAPPY to Follow!!

Feature & Follow 

is hosted by 

Parajunkee's View 

& 

Alison Can Read

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. Check the hosting blogs to join Linky and make sure to follow-follow-follow!!  Follow me, I'll follow you back!!

This week Featuring...

The Housework Can Wait (I know we'll be best of friends just 'cause of yer name!!) & Ali's Bookshelf

And the awesome question is:

Q: What is one thing you wish you could tell your favorite author?

Oh... I get tongue-tied, so I wish I could tell them everything I love about their book instead of standing there with my jaw lying on the floor.  Then I wish I could ask them to write another sequel of my favorite book... and then I would dare to ask if I could "help" read it before it goes to publishing!  And then I'd wanna say "No!! I'm not crazy!! I'm not stalking you, really!!!!" when obviously I am. (Crazy & stalking, both.)



I'm getting some FUN answers from entries in the Spring Fling Giveaway. Here's some cheerful spring-y comments!!!

From Valeria Andrea:

From Steph:

From Di:

And a poem from Kate:

Here's a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson called Spring Carol. It's one of my favourites.

When loud by landside streamlets gush,
And clear in the greenwood quires the thrush,
With sun on the meadows
And songs in the shadows
Comes again to me
The gift of the tongues of the lea,
The gift of the tongues of meadows.

Straightway my olden heart returns
And dances with the dancing burns;
It sings with the sparrows;
To the rain and the (grimy) barrows
Sings my heart aloud—
To the silver-bellied cloud,
To the silver rainy arrows.

It bears the song of the skylark down,
And it hears the singing of the town;
And youth on the highways
And lovers in byways
Follows and sees:
And hearkens the song of the leas
And sings the songs of the highways.

So when the earth is alive with gods,
And the lusty ploughman breaks the sod,
And the grass sings in the meadows,
And the flowers smile in the shadows,
Sits my heart at ease,
Hearing the song of the leas,
Singing the songs of the meadows.

Feature and Follow Fun!

Feature & Follow 

is hosted by 

Parajunkee's View 

& 

Alison Can Read

Thanks, guys, for making such a great hang-out for us book blogging types to hang out and have fun!!

This week featuring

Little Read Riding Hood
&
Book That Thing

And the totally awesome Question of the Day:

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.

Ha!  Ha-HA!!

Ok... yea.

I was a die-hard fan of the Dragonriders of Pern. I read every book as soon as they came out. I reread them and read them backwards and forwards. I dreamed dragons... flying dragons... winking in-n-out of between on dragons... bonding with them on the hot nesting sands, scrubbing 'em down as they grew out of their skin they were so BIG and so COOL and so VICIOUS!!

But they just aren't the same anymore. I don't mean anything bad towards Todd McCaffrey, I just stopped reading them and never looked back.

Well, I like the first ones still, but I haven't read any of the new ones and I don't wanna.

What about you?  Have you "broken up" with a book?!  

Feature Friday Fight!

Hosted by

Parajunkee's View

& 

Alison Can Read

Featuring

Word Splunking

& 

Amy's Book World

Q: Fight! Fight! If you could have two fictional characters battle it out (preferably from books), who would they be and who do you think would win?

Recently, when I was reading Grave Mercy, I thought over and over how great it would be to get Ismae together with Katsa in Graceling. They're both trained as killers and have fast reflexes. I think Katsa would be impossible to beat, of course, but I'm not sure she could get the upper hand with Ismae, either.

It would be amazing to watch!!  And I bet they'd both hold back before either killed the other. If this hypothetical fight took place after the books.

What do you think?

Feature and Follow this fine Friday the 13th!!

Feature & Follow 

is hosted 

by

 Parajunkee's View 

& 

Alison Can Read:

Featuring:  The Non Reluctant Reader  &  Book Briefs

And the AWESOME question of the week is:

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?

Dragon books come immediately to mind. I just love Dragonflight too much to let it get into any filmaker's hands. Can you imagine what would happen to Firelight?

I probably feel the same about Of Poseidon, now, too. There's something magical about the imagination that just doesn't translate to frantic 2-hr visuals.

So... not just dragons, but all my fantastical worlds. I prefer so many of them right where they are... in a book!!!

What about you?

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