Showing off my May R.A.K.

For those of you not in the know (which leaves me flabbergasted by the way), the Book Soulmates (a.k.a Isalys and Vanessa) have this really cool community feature called:

(Click on the button for the full set of details)

Can I just say that I was overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers this month?  The sign up list gets pretty long so I wasn’t really expecting anyone to reach out and R.A.K. me.  LOL!  R.A.K. me…oh that’s a good one.  *Ahem* Er, sorry.  I easily distract myself.  Anywho, imagine my surprise when the following readers/bloggers reached out and offered me some of my wish list items.  Seriously, you guys are awesome!  I’d like to send a huge THANK YOU and bear hug is to these lovely ladies:

Michelle over at Michelle's Ramblins who R.A.K.ed me with:

This one’s been sitting on my wish list for a while so I’m definitely looking forward to giving it a read.

Jennifer (a.k.a RainMaiden) who R.A.K.ed me with:

I’ve heard AMAZING things about this book and am really excited that Jen gave me an opportunity to check it out.

Christie over at The Fiction Enthusiast who R.A.K.ed me with:

Another one that’s been on my wish list for way too long.  I’ve heard it’s a fun series so I’m definitely looking forward to giving this a read.

The great thing about this feature (other than the receiving which is always nice) is the opportunity it gives you to give back, which is something I’m all about.  Here are the R.A.K.s I sent out this month:

Vanessa of Book Soulmates received:

Michelle of Michelle’s Book Blog received:

Jennifer (a.k.a. RainMaiden) received:

Ash from Smash Attack Reads! received:

Rachel from Endless Reading received:

Crystal from Elegantly Bound Books received:

All in all I thought this was a really cool experience and I look forward to participating again next month.

A huge thanks going to the Book Soulmates for coming up with such a great blog feature.

The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

Imagine my surprise when I got home from my mini vacay and found out that two of my favorite blogging friends bestowed me with this lovely blog award.  A big hug and thank you to Deanna of Paperback Daydreamer and Diana of Offbeat Vagabond for thinking of me.  You guys are some of the sweetest girls I know and I’m happy and grateful to have met you both.

Seven Facts About Me:

1. I am deathly afraid of cockroaches.  To the point where if I’m home and I spot one I will quarantine myself in a room far from the roach and wait until my boyfriend gets home so he can take care of it.  Yes, I know I’m a wuss but, they creep me the hell out.
2. I love going to office supply stores.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m an assistant or if it’s just a personality quirk but, I love shopping for office supplies.
3. I like playing and watching others play video games.  I’ve had some sort of gaming system at home since I was 7.  I wouldn’t say I’m a hardcore gamer but, I’m definitely not scared to pick up a remote and throw down every now and again.
4. I have a thing about putting things in color order.  This includes clothes in my closet, supplies in my home and office desk and most recently some push pins on some paneling my boss has on his desk.  I think he thinks I’m strange.  *shrugs*
5. I used to be an e-reader hater and then I got a Kindle 3.  Now I can’t imagine not having it by my side.
6. I will be participating in Tough Mudder this year with my boyfriend and a group of our friends.  I’m scared for my life but, I’ve already agreed and can’t back out now.  Pray for me.
7. I love the ocean but, don’t really like to go IN the ocean.  I don’t like the idea of not being on top of the food chain.

15 blogs I’m nominating for The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award:

• Deanna over at Paperback Daydreamer (I’m probably not suppose to give this back to her but, I’ve never really been one to follow the rules)
• Diana over at Offbeat Vagabond (Same as with Deanna, I’m going to reciprocate the love and send it back her way)
• Ash over at Smash Attack Reads!
• Isalys and Vanessa over at Book Soulmates (I’m counting this one as two entries because of that whole rule thing I talked about eariler)
• Julie over at Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks
• Jess over at The Spinecracker
• Yani over at The Secret Life of an Avid Reader
• Anna over at Bite Club
• Jessica over at On a Pale Star
• Penny over at Penny Pimpin’
• Karina over at Wide World of Keekster
• Angela over at Angela’s Anxious Life
• VanesMate over at VanesMate the Bookaholic
• Marcela over at The Bookaholic Cat

Rules:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.
2. Share seven random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award on to 15 deserving blog buddies.
4. Contact those buddies to let them know.

Plinky Question of the Day

The Plinky Question of the Day is a weekly feature I added to the blog to get to know you guys better and vice versa. Sometimes the questions will deal with books or reading but, most of the time they won’t. Because, let’s face it, there’s more to us than what we read.

 

What’s your favorite way to start the day?

 

Oh man, this one is easy.

Is there any other way to start the day?

If luck is on my side then it would be a cup of my Mom’s Café con Leche (which translated means coffee with milk but, it’s really espresso with milk.  Kind of like a cappuccino but a million times better).  Oh man my heart skips a beat just thinking about it.  *sigh*  What can I say?  I’m a simple girl.

What about you guys?  What’s your favorite way to start the day?

All You Karmin Fans Need to Check This Out

LET'S GO HEAT!

True Blood News

Make sure you stop by Bite Club for this week's True Blood News update. There's lots of visual deliciousness. Wait...is that even a word? Click on the banner for your fix.

Author Event: Gayle Forman

  

Last Thursday I got a chance to attend a Gayle Forman author event and although I generally don’t read a ton of YA stuff I’m really glad I got a chance to check out this event.  Gayle was promoting her new release Where She Went.  She started off the night by reading a few snippets from the book.  Which, by the way, left me with goose bumps.

  

She followed it up with a Q&A round.  I think the coolest part about the Q&A (aside from Gayle giving the long answer to everyone’s questions which was very cool on her part) was getting to hear one audience member thank Gayle for writing these books because they’d help her through an experience similar to the main character’s.  It was pretty profound.

  

She ended the evening with a book signing and was gracious enough to take pictures with me and my zany crew.  As we waited in line she joined in on my group’s convo about some dystopian reads everyone had just finished.  She also chimed in about some of The Hunger Games casting choices.  Going in I didn’t know much about Gayle other than she wrote a well received book (If I Stay) that had been sitting on my wish list forever.  I ended up walking away from the event getting to see what a nice, funny and cool person she is.

  

Speaking of my zany crew, here are the lovely ladies I met up with for this event (I dubbed them The Lace Brigade):

From left to right:  Ash of Smash Attack Reads!, Me, Gayle Forman, Yami, Isa of Book Soulmates and Yani of The Secret Life of an Avid Reader.

And then…mayhem ensued.  We raided a Baja Fresh where we came up with an idea to open up a Smut Museum.  What?!  You know you’re intrigued by the idea.  We then hit up a Starbucks where for some reason the conversation (and our minds) nose dived into the gutter.  We then finished up the evening at a Barnes & Noble.  Book bloggers at a book store?  How typical.  LOL!  Which led to several of us ending up at the counter making purchases.  I know!  Another shocker!

I had an amazing evening and I can’t wait for the next one!

Plinky Question of the Day

The Plinky Question of the Day is a weekly feature I added to the blog to get to know you guys better and vice versa.  Sometimes the questions will deal with books or reading but, most of the time they won’t.  Because, let’s face it, there’s more to us than what we read.

 

What was your childhood dream job?

 

My ‘what I want to be when I grow up’ answer changed constantly as I was growing up.  You name it and I probably used it as an answer at one point or another.  The two responses that held the longest streak were:

Lawyer

Blame it on my ingrained sense of fairness and justice.  I was never fond of the ‘little guy’ getting picked on so in my mind it made sense to become a lawyer.  Then I learned what actually happens in the legal system and how it’s not really about justice or fairness.  To say that I was disillusioned was an understatement.  Couple that with the fact that I actually ended up working at a law office as a legal assistant for many, many years and it’s enough to make me want to go back in time and tell my 8 year old self to snap the hell out of it.

 

Reporter/Journalist

I was an inquisitive child growing up.  I always needed to know why and I always wanted the latest scoop.  So for a long time I wanted to be a reporter/journalist.  I remember having this toy radio that worked as a recorder and I would literally interview anyone who walked through door.  It drove my Mom nuts!  However, like with the discovery that lawyers don’t necessarily defend the innocent, I learned that reporters and journalist don’t necessarily ‘give us the facts’.  Life is so much easier through the eyes of a child, huh?

How about you guys?  What did you want to be when you grew up?

Don't Mess with Common Yo!

Cause Jon Stewart says so....

The Daily Show - Tone Def Poetry Jam
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show - Tone Def Poetry Jam - Lyrics Controversy
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Dead Reckoning Discussion

Did Dead Reckoning (a.k.a. book 11 in the Sookie Stackhouse series) leave you scratching your head, seriously pissed or emotionally drained?  Well then stop on by Deanna's place and vent/gush to your heart's content.  Click on the book cover to join in on the love/hate fest.

True Blood News

Click on the banner to check out the True Blood Season 4 goodness I found during my internet travels.

Plinky Question of the Day

The Plinky Question of the Day is a weekly feature I added to the blog to get to know you guys better and vice versa.  Sometimes the questions will deal with books or reading but, most of the time they won’t.  Because, let’s face it, there’s more to us than what we read.

 

Describe the best live musical performance you’ve ever attended.

 

This is a tough one only because I hate picking favorites.  So I’m going with my top three.

 

RADIOHEAD

These guys put on an amazing show.  The stage setup was one of the most elaborate I’ve ever seen.  It definitely added to the overall vibe of the show.  Thom Yorke is amazing.  If you ever have a chance to see them live go do it.  You won’t be disappointed.  My sister’s ex said it best when he said it was almost like a religious experience.  Word.

 

NO DOUBT

I’ve been a fan of Gwen Stefani and No Doubt since I was 15 years old.  They’re one of the few bands who are on my auto buy list.  When Gwen took off to do her own thing I thought I’d never get a chance to see a No Doubt concert.  Then the news came that they had gotten back together AND that they were going on tour.  My 15 year old self damn near ran over anyone in her path to buy tickets for the show and what an amazing show it was.  I took my sister and we totally jammed out to every single one of the songs.  Mrs. Stefani tore up that stage!  It’s definitely one concert I will NEVER forget.  The only thing that kind of sort of took away from the overall experience is that I missed their openers, Paramore.  I’m still pretty peeved about it.  *sigh*  Friggin’ traffic!  Not to mention that I lost the pictures I took at the concert when I changed my phone.  Ugh!

 

JACK JOHNSON

What a fun, uplifting and mellow night!  I fell in love with Jack Johnson’s music the first moment I heard it.  It’s positive, it’s melodic and damn it if it doesn’t put you in a good mood every time you hear it.  One of the things I loved about this show was all the parents who brought their kids along.  I don’t think there’s a lot of shows that are kid friendly but, this is definitely one of them.  Jack’s an amazing musician but, he’s also big on giving back.  Dude’s a modern day Captain Planet.

 

What are some the best live musical performances you’ve ever had a chance to check out?

Random Acts of Kindness: May Edition

 

Hello ladies and gents!  Now that I’ve finally managed to clean up my wish list, I’ve decided to participate in this amazing little project hosted by the Book Soulmates.  Random Acts of Kindness, also known as R. A. K., is all about promoting goodwill amongst fellow book lovers.  There aren’t a whole lot of things that can beat the feeling of receiving a book you’ve been jonesing for completely out of the blue?  Intrigued?  Want to learn more?  I figured you would.  Here are the rules:

 

RULES:

• Sign up each month that you'd like to participate.

• Show off your participation by grabbing our R. A. K. button.

• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.

• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger for their address.

• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R. A. K!  Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us.

 

OPEN TO EVERYONE!

 

Let's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.  Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

 

Here are the links you need to get this show on the road:

 

Sign up for May [HERE]

 

See who else is participating [HERE]

Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse #11) e-book Giveaway Winner

These are exciting times my friends.  We’re all caught up with the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead Reckoning will be released tomorrow AND I’ve picked a giveaway winner!

Before I make the announcement, I’d like to give a huge THANK YOU to Deanna for embarking on this insane re-read adventure with me.  I don’t think we realized how daunting reading 10 books over 10 consecutive weeks and preparing weekly discussions posts was going to be but, hot damn we made it!  I also want to thank everyone who participated in the discussions.  It meant a lot to us that you guys took the time to hang out with us on Sundays (and sometimes Mondays) to talk about one of our favorite blondes, sexy vamps, shifters and fairies.

So without further ado, are winner is…..

 

DIANA (OFFBEAT VAGABOND)

 

Diana, be on the lookout for the e-mail I’ve sent your way!

Dead in the Family Discussion (Sookie Stackhouse #10)

*SPOILER ALERT*
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK OR THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES, PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE READING THIS POST!

Well folks we’ve finally made it to the discussion to book 10.  It seems like only yesterday that me and D decided to embark on this crazy re-read journey.  This also means we’re T minus 2 days from the release of Dead Reckoning!  Don’t forget to stop by and enter my or D’s giveaway for book 11!  Contest closes tonight.

If you were unable to re-read the book but, would still like to participate in the discussion, you can go HERE to get a quick Wikipedia refresher.  Here’s a few questions and/or points to get the discussion ball rolling…

Discussion Questions:

1. Were you guys surprised by Amelia’s departure?
2. Sookie’s gone through an enormous amount of crap which has inevitably changed her.  How do you feel about how she’s changed?
3. Were you sympathetic toward or angered by Eric’s confession about why he was unable to rescue her from Lochlan & Neave?
4. Do you think the crew will be able to pull off killing Victor?
5. There were several significant events involving Sookie’s first love, Bill (e.g. escorting him to see Caroline, finding his sister, finding out how he was made).  Did any of these events change your perception about Bill?
6. Four words.  Smoking. Hot. Couch. Scene.  Thoughts?
7. What did you guys think about Hunter’s visit?
8. Eric revealing inner vamp workings - Info dump or Eric’s way of showing Sookie she’s important to him?
9. How about that crazy ass Appius Livius Ocella and his psychotic child Alexei Romanov?
10. In true Charlaine Harris fashion, we got one hell of a final fight scene.  Too much?  Too little?  Not enough?

Favorite Quotes:

“While you were with Neave and Lochlan, I suffered with you,” he said, meeting my eyes directly.  “I hurt with you.  I bled with you—not only because we’re bonded, but because of the love I have for you.”
-Eric to Sookie

“I love you,” he said.  “Nothing you do or say will change that.  If you asked me to bury a body for you—or to make a body—I would do it without a qualm.”
-Bill to Sookie

Each time I saw Eric, I felt a little more cheerful.  And finally, I had my very own orgasm, a moment so explosive it was like I’d been saving up for a holiday.
-Sookie

“Pam.  Listen.”
“The phone is pressed to my ear.  Speak.”
“Appius Livius Ocella just dropped in.”
“Fuck a zombie!”
-Call between Pam and Sookie

This was “hug Sookie” season, and no one had told me ahead of time.
-Sookie

Thoughts, feelings, likes, dislikes….lay it on us guys.