Brandee's Bookish Babble #36 ~ Combo Review/Share Time

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) 

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I debated with myself quite a bit over how to or even whether or not to post this but in the end, it's about me and about a book so I figured what the heck! 

You know how sometimes a book just speaks to you? Resonates with you? Touches you? Inspires you? I think with non-fiction in particular - more along the lines of a memoir or self-help - you have to read it at that perfect time. It happened for me with The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin - it's the reason I started blogging. And last year, it happened with Big Girls Do It Running by Jasinda Wilder. The name of the book has changed now - she's calling it You Can Do It - but y'all, her story impacted me and as a result, I lost 25 pounds last year. I wanted to share a few of the highlights from the book and the take-aways for me:

• Just Friends Chatting...
  Wilder writes in an informal and humorous way, like you're friends and you're hanging out talking over coffee. The way she explained her childhood food/weight issues, all the fads, diets, exercise routines, everything that she'd tried in order to lose weight and get healthy, as well as how she felt about herself after failing over and over again...it was real and genuine, and funny! I empathized with her. 
• Inspirational
  Y'all, at one time Wilder weighed over 400 pounds. To see how her "way" made a difference, not only for herself but also for her family was very inspiring.
  
• The Message
  What I took away from reading Wilder's story was that yes, my body was made for moving, and that food is fuel. When I first started, with the help of my fitbit, I made sure I moved every hour - typically walking my one flight of stairs ten times - and I got all my steps in daily. I started running again as well as doing toning exercises 5-6 days a week. And I starting looking at food a little differently. I knew I needed food to make my body move and to nourish it and my brain. But looking at it this way made me stop and think before putting something in my mouth.
  Today, I'm still running and doing different toning exercises 5-6 days a week and I have a healthier relationship with food. I have tried to limit my sugar intake (Wilder has removed sugar from her diet) but I haven't removed it entirely. I was more strict with myself in the beginning but now I occasionally have treats. I had a delicious birthday pie last week! And I like my beer! =) But I eat mostly fruits and vegetables as well as having protein in the morning and in the evening. And I've been able to maintain my weight loss. 

Wilder talks about how her healthy lifestyle has impacted her family, even making a difference in her son's autism. She shares exercises and recipes. And as I said, it's all done in a way that seems like you're friends sharing advice and support. I know I read this book at that perfect time and it made a difference for me. And so, I just wanted to share.

Are there any books you've read that inspired you in some way? I'd love to hear about them.

Brandee's Bookish Babble #35 ~ Question for Audiobook Fans...

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) 

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I still consider myself to be an audiobook newb even though I've listened to quite a few over the last few years but I have a question for those of you audiobook listeners/lovers... How do you figure out if a narrator you like or dislike goes by different names??

I've had it happen that I've listened to several audiobooks in a row that were narrated by So-n-So. And it's not that I don't enjoy So-n-So's narration but I wanted to listen to a different voice, you know? So I pick a new audiobook with a narrator I've never heard of and I'm excited because this So-n-So might be a new favorite narrator. I'm giddy with anticipation as I queue up the audiobook and then it begins....aaaand this new So-n-So is actually the So-n-So that I was wanting a break from. *sigh*

When I Googled whether these two people were the same? Nothing. When I click on the narrator's name in Audible or Goodreads, the only books listed are those published under that particular name. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right place? Maybe I'm just clueless?? 

So all you audiobook fans, is there a way to figure it out ahead of time?

Brandee's Bookish Babble #34 ~ Are We More Forgiving with Favorite Authors?

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) 

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Before I start, I just want to preface this with the qualification that with this post, I'm referring to indie authors. 

I recently read a book by an author that was recommended by a friend. In fact, it's a favorite author of this friend. While I was reading, I kept finding editing errors. This is just something that I'm particularly sensitive to - I don't even read the newspaper anymore because I can't handle the editing mistakes. Now I know none of us are perfect - I find editing issues in my own writing as well - but finding these mistakes got me to wondering. Are we more forgiving of such things with our favorite authors?

I'm leaning towards YES in my case. Several of my favorite authors are indie and while I know they use an editor - I've even met one's editor - I still find editing errors. But I don't mind too much even if I'm temporarily removed from the flow of the story - because the story is so good! It's compelling and emotional so I'm easily pulled right back in. The book that started my pondering...it was a good story as well but I think that since it was an author I was unfamiliar with I was a little less forgiving. It took me a little longer to re-engage because I don't yet have that trust built with the author. But I could see myself getting there with this one. ;)

Anyway, what about y'all? Are you more forgiving of editing issues when it's a favorite author?

Brandee's Bookish Babble #32 ~ Goodreads & Friends

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) 

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I have a question for y'all. How do y'all decide whose friendship to accept on Goodreads? Do you accept everyone who sends a friend request? Do you compare books before deciding? I know some of you use the "ask a question" function - do you always accept if the person answers? 

I'm asking because I used to accept anyone who asked. But in the last year or so, I've gotten friend requests from people with weird pseudonyms, people with 5000 friends and 3 books on their shelves, people with whom I only have 2 books in common... essentially a lot of people that I'm not understanding their motivation behind requesting my friendship. So I got to wondering how y'all handle it. I have accepted requests from folks who are authors if they write in a genre I'm interested in. I've accepted if we have books in common on our shelves. It's just that I feel the need to be pickier at this point - I want to understand why the request was sent because if we don't read the same things, are we really going to connect? If not, it's just adding clutter to my feed.

How do y'all feel? Am I being ridiculous? Am I even making sense?!?

Brandee's Bookish Babble #31 ~ Goodreads & Comments

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) 

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I have a rather embarrassing confession. For as much as I love and use Goodreads, I'm not very social on it. And - this is the confession part - I was recently trying to "clean up" and discovered I had lots of messages. Unread messages! Some of which were over 3 years old! Gah! And while most were about things it didn't matter I'd missed, there were a few personal ones. Eep! A few were from people who'd started following me because they found my blog (one through Berls)...one was from a neighbor friend. Needless to say, I was mortified. And so very embarrassed. Embarrassed by the lack of attention I gave to this functionality on Goodreads. And even more embarrassed by the perception I'd probably given - that of my indifference. Neither was intentional. I've been on Goodreads for years but no one really interacted with me until I began blogging. So it wasn't that I didn't care - it was simply that it hadn't become a habit to pay attention to these notifications.

I have learned a valuable lesson though. I will be more attuned to people reaching out to me - in all the various way available. I feel terribly that I may have lost a follower or two - maybe even someone who would have been a great book friend - because of this oversight but if you were one that messaged me way back then, please know I wasn't intentionally ignoring you. Each and every one of you is important to me! And I promise I'm paying attention now. :D

What about y'all? Any faux pas perpetrated via Goodreads or other social media outlet? Any valuable lessons you've learned you'd like to share?

Brandee's Bookish Babble #30 ~ Kindle vs Nook

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) 

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While writing my post on Kindle vs Nook pricing, I got to thinking maybe those of you with only one or the other might like a comparison of the two. Now, I'm not doing a sales pitch for either - there won't be any technical specs here. This is more of an illustration of the differences in ease of use - in my opinion. If you have questions, please feel free to ask. I just thought this would be a fun thing to do.

My ereading journey began with a First Generation Nook. Sadly, the last working model in my household recently died. :( Anyway, don't laugh but I own 2 Nook Simple Touches (one with Glowlight, one without), a Kindle Paperwhite, and a Kindle Fire. But here I'm comparing my Kindle Paperwhite and my Nook Glowlight.

In my opinion, the Nook's design is more comfortable to hold. I don't use a cover so this is strictly about how the device feels in my hand. The Nook has some curves and indentations (well, it did - the new design does not) which makes it easier to grip.

The Lookup function on the Kindle is easier to use. All I have to do is touch the word (hold for a second or so) and the definition pops up. On the Nook it works similarly but it pops up a menu asking me what I want to do instead of just giving me the definition.

The Highlight function is world's better on the Kindle. I simply touch the screen where I want the highlight to start, drag my finger to where I want it to end, and then tap Highlight. I can even add notes. Nook has this functionality but it's much clumsier.

Nook makes organizing books easy with its Create Shelves feature. I have shelves for Netgalley, COYER, ARCs, etc. I love this feature. It is a little cumbersome having to go through the list of books in your library but worth it. Kindle allows you create Collections but the whole process is cumbersome. I have to go through my entire library and can only add one book at a time. And y'all, I have A LOT of books. Like A LOT!! ;)

Kindle makes reviewing ARCs easier in that I can send .doc files to my Kindle and then read. Nook can't convert. I can read PDF files on Nook but it's just an easier process on Kindle.

Kindle also wins when it comes to archiving or removing a book from your device. All I have to do it touch the cover and a menu pops up with the option to remove (or delete) the file from my device. The file stays in the cloud - it's just not hogging memory on my device. And yeah, I need the memory because I have A LOT of books. ;) With Nook, archiving is done through the website, so it's more work.

I've found the Search option within books to be better on Nook. They work similarly on both devices but Nook's result system seems to work better. On some Kindle books (in review copies I forgive this) I get a message that the file isn't set up for searching - not indexes. What?!?

I've found navigating within books similar on both devices.

Overall, it seems Kindle is easier to use but I really enjoy reading on both. And I adore having my digital library so handy!


What about y'all? What are your favorite features in your ereader? Which do you own?

Brandee's Bookish Babble #29 ~ Dilemma

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) 

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I was recently in a used bookstore and happened upon an ARC for sale on the shelf. I know it was an ARC because it clearly states so on the cover and it's one I happened to procure while at BEA. I was torn over what to do though. This is a new business in town - they've only been open for a year. Do I tell the owner that it's illegal to be selling the ARC? Do I keep my mouth shut? How will I feel if they *are* aware and put it on the shelf anyway?

Has this happened to any of y'all? What did you do?

Brandee's Bookish Babble #28 ~ Cliffhangers & Ratings

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) 

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I've noticed something recently and wondered what y'all might think about it... that would be a startling number of 1-Star reviews being left for books because they have cliffhangers. Now, I know some readers have very strong feelings when it comes to cliffies, but... Would you really rate a perfectly well-written book a 1-Star simply because the author left you hanging at the end? I've been comments like, "just another ploy to get more money" and "not a complete book." Um, I kinda think a 200-300 page book is complete. And a 200-300 page book for $2.99 or less? That's a bargain! There may just be more to the story. And a lot of the time, that's not something I'm going to complain about.

Okay so, I'm in the camp that doesn't mind a cliffhanger. But again, I'd not give a low rating for one - or for something that I have a personal bias against. My low ratings are about substance and I try to give constructive criticism in my reviews if there's something I don't like about a book. That's just me though...

What about y'all? How do y'all feel about it?

Brandee's Bookish Babble #27 ~ Challenges ~ Love 'Em or Hate 'Em?

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) 

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Challenges. I have a love/hate relationship with them, honestly. On the one hand, I'm kinda goal-oriented (at least I accomplish more if I have a set goal) but on the other hand, they cause me a lot of stress!

This year, I reduced the number of challenges I participated in, thinking to reduce my stress. And I've done well with a few of those challenges. However, there are several challenges I'm not doing so well with - one I've even failed - and that causes me to feel pressure and guilt...and stress. Even with my Goodreads Challenge, I got a few books behind and the pressure was ridiculous. I have a physical reaction!

So in making blogging/reading plans for next year, I've thought about reducing the number of challenges I participate in once again. But I think what I've decided on is to reduce the number of books I'll read for the challenges. Hopefully that will alleviate the stress. I'll be sure to let y'all know how this works out for me at the end of next year. :D

What about y'all? Do y'all do challenges? Why or why not? How do you deal with the stress?

Brandee's Bookish Babble #26 ~ To Freebie or Not to Freebie?

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) 

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I don't think I'm telling y'all anything you don't already know when I say, "Hi, I'm Brandee and I'm a book hoarder." It doesn't matter if it's digital or physical copies, I procure more books than I can possibly read and I do it lightning speed. Lately, I've been one-clicking freebies like nobody's business...like I *need* more books. And it got me to thinking... 

What are y'all's freebie-clicking habits? Do you automatically one-click because "hey, they're free!" Do you read the synopsis first before deciding whether or not to pull the trigger? Do you one-click only if it's an author you know? Or only if the rating is 4-star?

I'm really curious about your habits and here's why... I feel as though I use discretion with freebies because even though they cost me nothing monetarily, they cost me space on my ereader. (and y'all, I have FOUR!) I check the rating, read the synopsis, read a few reviews - both positive and negative - before I engage my finger. But I'm thinking this isn't enough - I don't know, caution? When I started preparing for the COYER Blackout challenge (which begins this Saturday) I created a shelf of freebies (and 99 cent steals) and I stopped when I realized I was already at 350 books! That's more than I can read in 2 years! So now I'm thinking I need a new filter - one to help me in refraining from all the willy-nilly one-clicking. Any ideas? Maybe a "will I read this within a few months?" approach where if the answer is "no", I don't click?

Opinions? Suggestions?? Therapy ideas??

Brandee's Bookish Babble #25 ~ Pricing: Amazon vs B&N

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) 

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If you aren't an owner of both a Kindle and a nook, you may never have noticed the occasional differences between prices on ebooks. Having started out with a nook and only gotten a kindle because so many indie authors were choosing Amazon as the publishing platform, the price discrepancies are things I noticed and wondered at. I did a little research and thought I'd share my understanding of pricing with y'all.

Full disclosure - I was, until recently, a bookseller for B&N. 

For the most part, ebook pricing is set by the publisher. (I'll get to indies in a moment.) Therefore, in order to make a profit as the book seller, the set price must be charged. Amazon, because of the business model, tax situation, and the number of products they sell other than books, can offer books below the publisher's set price. Why? Because they can make up the loss elsewhere. For example, they can run an ebook normally priced at, say, $9.99 for $0.99 because they make enough money on selling a particular electronic product to make up the loss. Walmart and Target have similar business models and can offer books at discounted rates. B&N, however, because they primarily sell books, cannot do that. As a result, they lose business because consumers would rather spend less (which I can appreciate) so they're in a catch-22 situation.

As for indie authors, I think if they've published on multiple platforms, their pricing eventually matches across those platforms. Sometimes we, as consumers, have to notify the different platforms of the lower price elsewhere but it seems they all get it right. However, I have noticed a lower price on Amazon only quite often and I have a feeling (no evidence) that the author did this because Amazon tends to be their top selling platform and this helps sales numbers.

So, there's your lesson for the day - as far as I understand it. :D

Brandee's Bookish Babble #24 ~ Commenting Woes

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) So this is my new discussion feature.

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Are any of you who use Blogger and a second party commenting app experiencing issues with people being able to comment? I use Disqus and I chose it because:

1. I was getting so many spam comments and Blogger's solutions only served to cause more problems
2. I liked Disqus' quick and easy response - I liked using it on others' blogs and it made for easier replying
3. I had encountered a few problems with Comment Luv on others' blogs so I chose Disqus

BUT... I'm having issues. I've had blogging friends unable to leave comments or even see the comment section. *gasp* What?? Earlier this year, I researched problems with Disqus. I thought maybe it had to do with servers in foreign countries so I made a change to my HTML code and it seemed to help. However, the issue reappeared again, so... That I'm aware of, this issue has only affected international peeps. If you're in the US and have experienced problems commenting on my blog, could you let me know, please? And if you're a Blogger/Disqus user, are you having any issues? Anyone know a solution??

Brandee's Bookish Babble #23 ~ Long Books...Or Why I Keep Failing Certain Challenges

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) So this is my new discussion feature.

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I've noticed a trend in my reading habits where challenges are concerned. Well, lately I've not read much at all really BUT I was doing well each month of 2016. Keeping on target and getting those challenge books read. But both last year and this year, I failed and continue to fail at my Reading Assignment Challenge and I think I've figured out why...

Outlander. Game of Thrones. <-- Yep, those two titles. And maybe a few others but those two in particular. They were on my Reading Assignment list last year and I put them on the list again this year because I'm determined to read them. But...they're soooo long! And I keep thinking "But I could read 2 or 3 shorter books in that same time." It's terrible! What I seem to end up doing is the reading shorter books on my list and then when I get to the point where I only have those looong books left, I fail. Why?

Why do I seem afraid to dive into long books? I used to read lengthy books all the time. Have I become a product of the digital age whereby I want instant gratification? Is my attention span that much shorter? Have I become commitment phobic whereby I don't want to invest that much time in one set of characters? Is it because they're in paperback format and I'd prefer to read a book of that length on an ereader?

Obviously, I don't have the answer yet. I wondered if y'all might have some advice. Are y'all averse to longer books? Do you find yourself putting off reading something that's 800+ pages? Why? Or why not? Help me, please. I'd really like to pass my Reading Assignment Challenge next year! :D

Brandee's Bookish Babble #22 ~ Unsolicited Review Requests

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) So this is my new discussion feature.

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Unsolicited review requests. When I first started blogging, I was thrilled to get them. It was so exciting. Authors wanted me to read their books. They were interested in my opinion. And I hated turning anyone down. But at some point along the line, it became overwhelming. I built up so many review copies - those I received unsolicited and those I requested - that it just got to be too much. So I decided to put a moratorium on review requests. I stated clearly, at the top of my review policies page, that I wasn't currently accepting review requests at this time. And yet, they *still* come.

Are any of y'all experiencing similar situations? If so, how are y'all handling it? Do you respond? I've not been responding for the most part. I mean, do I need to feel obligated to respond when the author obviously didn't bother reading my review policy? What are y'all's thought?!?

Brandee's Bookish Babble #21 ~ So You Have Swag, Now What?

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) So this is my new discussion feature.

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As y'all know, I've been to a few book conventions and author signings over the past several years. I have *tons* of swag. And I was trying to figure out what to do with this ton of swag, other than giving it away. ;) Here are a few ways I created to showcase and/or use my swag...


I've collected many pins at the various book events I've attended. I love them! They make me smile or laugh out loud and I wanted a way to show them off while also seeing them daily so I could smile and or laugh. Pinning them to ribbon and then hanging them on my bookshelves worked great for me.

I have some extra space on my shelves (right now anyway) which I decided to use for miscellaneous swag like bracelets, water bottles, and my signed ereader covers.

I believe I've said that I collect bookmarks. I not only collect them on my travels, I also collect them at book conventions/author events. I used to know someone who hand-made baskets, so that's where the basket came from. I use it to contain some of my many, many bookmarks. It's sitting in the window sill in front of my desk in my library.

For events where I got to meet some of my favorite authors, and collect their swag, I decided to create a Book Convention/Author Event scrapbook. This was I could showcase the swag along with photos of me with those authors. Here's an example page from my trip to Queen City Indie Con, where I dragged Denise and we both got to meet Robin Peterman, Wendy Owens, and Aleatha Romig! :D

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I hope these ideas will be inspirational or even spark more ideas for creative uses for the swag y'all might be collecting. If y'all have unique ways of showcasing your swag, let me know! I'm always looking for a new way to use my swag. ;)

Brandee's Bookish Babble #20 ~ Books & Best Friends Part 4

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) I hope you enjoy!

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I know as readers and book bloggers we love sharing our passion about books. And I'm sure we all enjoy making new friends through that shared love of books and reading. Some of my closest friends were made via that shared love. And I thought it'd be fun to share the story of how these friendships came about. This will be a 4-part series, if you will, as I talk about these 4 friends.

*~*

I met another of my besties via a blog tour - her's. I participated in a blog tour for Robyn Jones' A Touched Girl series back in 2013. (Robyn's books are brilliant - you can find my reviews here, here, here, and here.) After I'd read and reviewed her books, we struck up conversations about this, that, and the other thing. She'd mentioned on her blog that she was visiting family in Colorado during her Spring Break and we realized her family lives very close to me! Later that year, my family was going to be visiting her neck of the woods and she invited us to stop and have lunch. That day, sitting down to a lunch of Mexican food and good company, it was like we'd known each other all our lives. And we haven't stopped talking since!

After that visit, the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks ended up playing one another in the Super Bowl. Since our hometowns were competing, we decided to make a little wager on the winner. If Seattle lost, she'd have to gift me a book set in Seattle. If Denver lost, I'd gift her a book set in Denver. Well, Denver lost that year an I gifted her Rock Chick. Our love of all things KA and our transformation into Rock Chicks began! ;) 

We visit each other twice a year now, once when she's in town and I usually try to make it up to her home state as well. We email and chat on the phone, and we buddy read all the time. Our families are now friends as well and I can't imagine what my life would be like without her...and it all started with a book!

*~*~*~*

There are many more of you I've met through blogging and consider y'all friends. :D It's so wonderful to be a part of a community and world where I can make such amazing friends through a shared love of books! I'm forever grateful for all of y'all!!

Brandee's Bookish Babble #19 ~ Books & Best Friends Part 3

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) I hope you enjoy!

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I know as readers and book bloggers we love sharing our passion about books. And I'm sure we all enjoy making new friends through that shared love of books and reading. Some of my closest friends were made via that shared love. And I thought it'd be fun to share the story of how these friendships came about. This will be a 4-part series, if you will, as I talk about these 4 friends.

*~*

Yet another one of my best friends I met via blogging and, of course, books. When I first started blogging seriously, I was uncomfortable leaving comments on her blog. I was a newb and kept wondering if she'd even care about my thoughts. But the more I visited her blog, the more I realized we shared similar tastes and opinions on books - so I got brave and started leaving comments. We then began communicating via comments and the more we chatted, the more and more we realized we had in common. I'm talking about Lexxie @(un)Conventional Bookviews, of course. We've now been friends for about 3 years. We chat often - about books and just life in general. AND we got to meet IRL a year ago at RT in Dallas! That was an experience! Getting to meet in person cemented our friendship as we saw that chatting in person was just as much fun as online. It feels as though Lexxie and I have been friends forever. And it was so exciting getting to see her again this year, at BEA. We got to talk books, I took her to her first baseball game (she reads sports romances involving baseball and yet had never seen the game played!), fangirled over some favorite authors, and just generally had a great time! I'm hoping to make it over to her side of the pond in the next year. I can't wait!

Brandee's Bookish Babble #18 ~ Books & Best Friends Part 2

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) I hope you enjoy!

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I know as readers and book bloggers we love sharing our passion about books. And I'm sure we all enjoy making new friends through that shared love of books and reading. Some of my closest friends were made via that shared love. And I thought it'd be fun to share the story of how these friendships came about. This will be a 4-part series, if you will, as I talk about these 4 friends.

*~*

I actually met another of my closest friends because of scrapbooking. However, we really bonded over books. Back in 2010, when Richelle Mead was in Boulder promoting Spirit Bound, I talked Denise into attending the reading/signing with me. Denise hadn't read the VA series, yet, so I spent the time waiting in line with her schooling her on the greatness that is Rose and Dimitri. ;) Once we got to Richelle's table, Denise was sold! She promptly purchased all the books in the series up to that point and read them. And an addict was born! ;) From there, I began sharing books with her...yes, I happily admit I became her pusher. I got her hooked on Twilight as well and we've been close friends ever since! 

It is quite common for me to receive a phone call from Denise where one of us starts the conversation with book quotes. We've had text conversations using book quotes. I keep her supplied with a running list of books to read next. And I recently got her hooked on audiobooks, too! You've seen her in photos here from the Rock Chick Rendezvous and other events. She even allows me to drag her around the country to book events/conventions. We recently attended BEA and had a blast! 

Yep, friendship bound by books...who could ask for anything more?!?

Brandee's Bookish Babble #17 ~ Books & Best Friends Part 1

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) I hope you enjoy!

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I know as readers and book bloggers we love sharing our passion about books. And I'm sure we all enjoy making new friends through that shared love of books and reading. Some of my closest friends were made via that shared love. And I thought it'd be fun to share the story of how these friendships came about. This will be a 4-part series, if you will, as I talk about these 4 friends.

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I met one of my closest friends at a gymnastics class. No, I wasn't taking gymnastics. My younger daughter was and she was in a class with my would-be friend's daughter. One day, while we sat outside the classroom watching the girls, I noticed she was holding a book. I jumped at the opportunity to talk about the book (I can't remember the book's title now). Over the course of that conversation, and the many we had in the following weeks, we discovered our reading tastes were very similar. We bonded over a love of Jane Austen and, to a lesser degree, the Brontes. We later began buddy reading books. And also found we shared a passion for writing - she recently completed her first book! 

The rest is, as they say, history. She turned me on to the greatness of Anthony Trollope. She's the reason Diana Gabaldon has been sitting on my shelf for ages...Diana, I promise I'm getting to it soon! And she gifted me a book I treasure, The Library by Sarah Stewart. We get together now as often as we can (not often enough), and we can spend hours and hours chatting about everything under the sun...but primarily, of course, books!

Brandee's Bookish Babble #16 ~ Me & Facebook

Welcome to Brandee's Bookish Babble. There are many, many similar posts to this one - but basically I wanted a place to discuss bookish and/or blogging stuff and I needed a title. :) I hope you enjoy!

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How many of you have Facebook pages? And I'm speaking specifically to pages for your blog. Do y'all use it? How do you use it? Why do you use it? And how many people are seeing it? Do you work at it? 

For me, Facebook is one of the banes of my existence. I started a Facebook page for my blog at a fellow blogger's recommendation. I wasn't, and still am not, a frequent Facebook user. It kinda scares me, I'm technologically challenged when it comes to Facebook, and, well, I'm not always confident in anyone being interested in what I post about - blog-wise or personally. But I created a page for my blog because "that's what you should do." 

Over the past 3 years (that's how long my page has existed) I've gained 'likes' and followers. But again, I'm not good at posting and since I'm not involved in things that would post for me, my page would sit idle for weeks at a time. When I did post, it seemed no one saw them. I'd occasionally have giveaways, and *still* my views didn't increase. In the last year, I realized I could post about your blog posts from your blogs. (technologically challenged, remember?) That's been a way to not only do a little towards promoting y'all but to also keep my page active. However, I cannot understand how Facebook works. I mean, I currently have some 1500 Likes on my page yet there are posts that receive hundreds of views and posts that receive 3. Do y'all understand how Facebook works? (by the way, I understand that Facebook wants me to pay to 'boost' my views but as I'm not a business, despite the fact they seem to see me as such, I'm not going to pay)

So I'm really curious about if y'all have Facebook pages and how you use them. And whether or not having one is really worth the time? I mean, posting from your blogs doesn't take that much time and I really *do* like having a way to promote y'all, but is there a better way?

Thoughts? Opinions? Advice?