Blog Archives
Book Blogger Hop 10/29
The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books that allows book bloggers to find new blogs to read. Every week there is a new question for the bloggers to answer. This week’s question asks:
“What is your favorite Halloween costume?
Even if you don’t celebrate, what kinds of costumes do you like?”
Briana’s Answer: I like costumes that include elegant dresses, such as Renaissance, princess, or medieval gowns. I just saw a really pretty costume for the White Queen from the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland. Sadly, a lot of these costumes do not fit well into my budget. The past few Halloweens I have alternately dressed as Pippin from The Lord of the Rings (this is really warm since he has so many layers!) and the Grey Lady from Harry Potter.
Book Blogger Hop 10/21
The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books that allows book bloggers to find new blogs to read. Every week there is a new question for the bloggers to answer. This week’s question asks:
“What is your favorite type of candy?”
Briana’s Answer: My favorite candy is candy corn, so it’s a little sad that it’s only widely available in the fall. Also, it needs to be the kind with yellow at the top, not brown! I also very much enjoy marshmallows and am a huge fan of Peeps. Sugar, marshmallow, and cute shapes is an awesome combination!
Krysta’s Answer: I tend to have a different favorite candy for each holiday, but, if I have to choose overall, I’d go with the Kit Kat bar. I can’t explain why Kits Kats are so delicious, but they are!
Book Blogger Hop 10/7
The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy for Books that allows book bloggers to find new blogs to read. Every week there is a new question for the bloggers to answer. This week’s prompt states:
“It’s time to spread some love beyond the borders of the Book Blogger Hop! This week, we aren’t answering a question. We are spotlighting our fellow bloggers. Find your favorite(s) author interview(s), guest post(s), book review(s), or bookish article(s) that ANOTHER BOOK BLOGGER featured on their site recently and tell us why you love it/them! As an additional challenge, find your favorite one of EACH of the categories above and spotlight all 4 (interview, guest post, review, article).”
Briana’s Answer: Frankly, I don’t read many other blogs because I’m still looking for ones I like. I also like reading actual book reviews more than things like interviews, but I recently did stumble across a blog post by author Shannon Hale in which she interviewed Sherwood Smith. See how that conveniently ties into my recent review of Smith’s YA fantasy A Posse of Princesses!
I’ve just recently started reading Small Review’s book reviews, and I noted on my review that her post on My Sparkling Misfortune inspired me to read the book, but she seemed to think it was better than I did so I’ll have to see how much our opinions overlap in the future!
I’ve also recently been lurking on whatyouareisbeautifulx, and although she has not posted any book reviews, her book lists are pretty exciting (and pretty long!).
Krysta’s Answer: The Warden’s Walk has some of the best reviews and reflections on literature I have yet seen. I love the entire blog, but I limited myself here to two of my favorite posts. The first addresses the difficulty of expressing just how great Tolkien really is and the second celebrates the richness of that “rattling good story,” Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It’s hard not to appreciate a blog that recognizes the awesomeness of stories like Gawain!
Book Blogger Hop 9/30
The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy for Books that allows book bloggers to find new blogs to read. Every week there is a new question for the bloggers to answer. This week’s question asks:
“In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite “banned or frequently challenged book”?” Click here for 2010-11 list in PDF format. You can also click HERE to view past years and choose from any of those titles!
Briana’s Answer: My favorite banned/frequently challenged books from the 2010-11 list are The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. The Hunger Games is an immensely imaginative and exciting book that also manages to ask profound questions about human nature. I can see how the violence would provoke people into banning it, but the violence is not just for entertainment; Collins is trying to say something important. The Catcher in the Rye takes a lot of beatings for large amounts of profanity and taking the Lord’s name in vain, but it has spoken to generations of teenagers who can identify with Holden’s feelings that he’s misunderstood and the only one in the world who’s not “phony.”
Krysta’s Answer: My favorite banned/frequently challenged book is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It appears on the lists from 2004 to 2010, with the exception of the 2006-2007 year. Challengers typically cite the blatant racial prejudice of many of the characters, missing the point of the story. The prejudicial attitudes displayed are supposed to make readers feel uncomfortable. We can only start a dialogue about a problem once we have admitted the problem exists. The books proves so provocative because Lee shows us the true ugliness of prejudice through the eyes of a child.
Book Blogger Hop 9/24
The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy for Books that allows book bloggers to find new blogs to read. Every week there is a new question for the bloggers to answer.
This week’s question is:
“As a blog reader, what information (besides the book review) do you like to see in other bloggers’ reviews of books? (For example – Author bio, social media links, book synopsis from Amazon/Goodreads or one written by the blogger, page count, ISBN number, link to purchase, etc.)”
Briana’s Answer: I don’t necessarily like to see a lot of extra information on book blogs because I can find those facts easily on Amazon or Goodreads. I read blogs to see what other readers thought of books, and I think too much information can clutter the post and hide the original content. Some bloggers even use author bios and other information as a replacement for a truly thoughtful review. Summaries are useful, but I like them to be written by the blogger; if I wanted the Goodreads review I would go on Goodreads. The publication date can also be helpful to judge how recently the book released. Any more information than that I find somewhat extraneous.
Krysta’s Answer: Like Briana, I read blogs to see what the reviewer thought of the book. Because I recognize that I might have different tastes from the reviewer, however, I also like to see a summary so that I can judge whether the plot seems interesting enough for me to try the book, even if it received an unfavorable review. I prefer that the reviewer write this summary as I can check Amazon or Goodreads if I want to know how Amazon or Goodreads summarized the book. I also like to read several summaries since different people will highlight different aspects of the book, giving me a better picture of what the plot actually encompasses. Because the review is my main, focus, however, I like the summary to be brief and separate from the review, so I can easily identify the part where the blogger shares his or her thoughts. The publication date and page count can be helpful, but are not necessary, since I’ll look them up elsewhere if I really want to know.
