Follow Friday and Blogger Hop

Hello everyone and Happy April Fool's Day and of course, Blog Hop and Follow Friday!

Our first host, Crazy-for-Books (http://www.crazy-for-books.com/) is asking the following question.

"Since today is April Fool's Day in the USA, what is the best prank you have ever played on someone OR that someone has played on you?"

My answer:

Strangely enough, the only prank I can remember pulling is putting tennis balls in my husbands pillow. In my defense, he pranks me constantly. I keep threatening to put his underwear in the freezer. One day...One day...

What has he done to me to warrant tennis balls? Turned my pants inside out one morning when I was late going to school, putting dog toys under my pillow, faking me out about pigeons being small turkeys. I freaking believed him. Ugh! (This is when I was much younger, people. I'm just sayin'.)

What else...there have been so many things over the years you start to lose track of them all. He is a sweet trickster at heart and keeps me on my toes.

I hope you and yours have a safe and fun April Fool's Day!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Feature & Follow Friday #39

Happy Follow Friday everyone! Let me tell you a little bit about this HOP. Every Friday or really Thursday evening we all get together and say HI! But, we need to know how to find you, so please leave your link in the Mr. Linky below. Also on Follow Friday we have a Feature...because alliteration is the way we roll. Each week is a different feature from the book blogging community. They are picked randomly or I give in after multiple harassing emails. Just depends on the week. If you want to be next weeks feature...leave your link. Also, I've had a recent rash of people signing up on the linky weeks later, which sort of defeats the purpose. If you want to participate check back here on the next Friday! The link is on Parajunkee's website, http://www.parajunkee.com/

Our feature this week is...

Books Ahoy!

Last week I decided that I wanted to start a book blog because I love to read books. I also thought it would be cool to share my opinion of a book with other people who also like reading, so I did a little research. I decided to ask my friend BookLover and she thought it was a great idea, so we became co-writers. After deciding on what we would do on the blog BooksAhoy was born.

Personally I love to read and there is hardly ever a time when you won't see my nose in a book. My favorite genre of books are action/adventure books with a little romance thrown into the mix, such as Twilight. BookLover is a big fan of the fantasy books. This combination gives us both a chance to explore new book boundaries. Overall, we love to read and can't imagine a world without books.

Q. What is the book that you really don't want to admit to loving??

For me it would be Time And Again: Time Was\Times Change by Nora Roberts. For some reason I adore that book, but I just can't admit to loving anything by Nora Roberts. LOL

My answer:

Wow. I have to think of something here. I guess the book I get most embarrassed about that I actually liked was Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Normally, I don't care for Christian Fiction. Most especially if it is preachy. Somehow, that one got by my radar and I actually liked it.

 

Thanks for another edition of Follow Friday! Hope you all have a great week! Stay a moment and share some comment love!

Persephone by Kellianna

In the spirit of the previous article, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite songs that touches on the myth of Persephone, Demeter and Hades. Kelliana has a soothing voice, with good range. I enjoy her work. Hope you do too!

Persephone and the Pomegranate

Persephone and Pomegranate  is the beautifully told story of Persephone and how she came to be the Queen of the Underworld, along side her husband Hades. In this book, Hades is Pluto. Persephone has been the subject of many a book and song. The myth behind the stories is told here with loving artwork and the printed word.

First published in 1993 by Dial Books for Young Readers, Persephone and Pomegranate is illustrated with oil paint over acrylic paint and pastel dust. The borders were painted in watercolor and  gouache with pencil. The digital edition can be purchased by visiting http://www.KrisWaldherr.com.  You can also visit http://artandwordseditions.com/


Kris Waldherr began writing and publishing children's book twenty years ago. Since then, she has moved toward writing about queens, courtesans and goddesses. In the upcoming weeks, I will be doing a series of reviews on Kris's books.

On Kris's website, you can find out even more information about her. Her work has been praised by many a top name in the field. The New York Times Book Review praised her work on Persephone and  the Pomegranate with a full page review for its "quality of myth and magic." I completely agree. Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. author of Goddesses in Everywoman as a "beautifully done retelling of the major mother-daughter myth."

Kris has work published in the greeting card industry. She also maintains a gallery where patrons can purchase her work. She is the author of several books, many of which we will be reviewing over the coming weeks. One of her most recent projects are her apps on the iPad. They are as lovely as the books she writes and illustrates.

Now, back to the book.

Persephone and the Pomegranate is the classic mythological tale of a mother losing her daughter to marriage. This one is just a bit trickier than most. Persephone, looking at flowers in the field is abducted by Pluto/Hades and taken to the Underworld where she is made queen. Demeter, Goddess of the harvest was in despair over the sudden disappearance of her daughter, whom she loved above all else. She searched the earth, but could not find her. Not finding the answers she sought, Demeter let the seasons wrack the earth. Starvation and misery unfolded. Waiting for the dark of the moon, Demeter inquired of Hecate, the Dark Goddess and was lead on a path of discovery that brought her to her daughter. But the story does not end there.

In loving illustration, Kris brings this tale to life. I give this book 5 out of 5 for the gorgeous illustrations and storytelling. My thanks to Kris Waldherr for sending me the digital copy of this book to review. It will be in my library for many years to come.



On my list of things to read...

Follow Friday

Greetings and welcome to another Follow Friday! I hope you will take a moment to share some comment love and follow along On the Broomstick for some more witchy reads. Thanks for joining me!



Happy Follow Friday everyone! Let me tell you a little bit about this HOP. Every Friday or really Thursday evening we all get together and say HI! But, we need to know how to find you, so please leave your link in the Mr. Linky below. Also on Follow Friday we have a Feature...because alliteration is the way we roll. Each week is a different feature from the book blogging community. They are picked randomly or I give in after multiple harassing emails. Just depends on the week. If you want to be next weeks feature...leave your link. Also, I've had a recent rash of people signing up on the linky weeks later, which sort of defeats the purpose. If you want to participate check back here on the next Friday! (http://www.parajunkee.com/)

Our feature this week is...

Rebecca from Confessions of a Page Turner

Hi fellow book lovers! My name is Rebecca and I am thrilled to be a new member of the book blogging community! I absolutely love sharing with others about reading and so, starting a blog about books seemed like a great way of doing this. Ever since my dad read The Hobbit out loud to my sister and I when we were little, I have loved books and reading. My husband and I currently live in Oklahoma while he finishes up his medical residency. Once he is done, we are excited about our dream of moving to somewhere in New England! I am an aspiring writer and am currently working on two books...a nonfiction book and a novel. My hobbies besides writing and reading include scrapbooking, painting, and knitting. Basically anything that allows me to express my creative side!

Look for a little bit of everything on my book blog :). Variety is the spice of life and I enjoy dabbling in almost every genre, although, fantasy and fiction by women writers are particular favorites. I look forward to getting to know all of you and conversing with you about magical and wonderful books! Happy Reading!

Q. Inspired by the inane twitter trend of #100factsaboutme, give us five BOOK RELATED silly facts about you.

1. I'm an ADD reader. I am reading like five different books at once.
2. My physical TBR is now close to 100, yet I continue to purchase books. In fact I just ordered three from amazon right before I did this post
3. I so like Urban Fantasy over Paranormal Romance, sometimes I want to punch the testosterone prone heroes in the face and call them "little boy"
4. I read everywhere...in the tub, in the car at stoplights (don't tell the police officers!), in the line at the grocery store and while I'm uploading web sites at work
5. I've now taken to downloading audio books and keep on increasing my membership at audible.com, I love the 4.95 sales!!!

Now for the Follow Fun!

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To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://readingwithrebecca.blogspot.com/
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Follow Friday!

Follow it up with your twitter address if you want to get that one out!

*********

My answer:

1. My book piles are legendary. Seriously, this is only one.

2. I read at least 6 books at once. Between my bookpile, Ipad, Nook Color and my audio books, I am never without a book in my hand. No, seriously. I even read on my phone. Kind of ADD, right?

3. Goodreads is my favorite book stalking ground. I love the giveaways section for new material to add to my TBR list. I am on there at least 5 times a day. I think it must be an addiction.

4. My headphones were not working on my Ipad a couple of weeks ago, so I literally propped it up on my lap to listen to my audio book to and from work. I was listening to Beth Revis's book Across the Universe and HAD to find out the ending.

5. Books are my friends. I love them and it makes me ill just thinking about getting rid of one. Literally, they are crawling up the wall on my writing desk and taking over my closet. Who needs shoes, right?

Book Blogger Hop: 3/25-3/28

12:00 AM | Thoughts by Jennifer | | Edit Post

Please check out UPDATE #2 at the bottom above the linky before entering your link or you may risk having your entire link removed. Thank you.

Grab the Logo!
<a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com"><img src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" alt="Book Blogger Hop" width="150" height="150"></a>

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!! .Got to http://www.crazy-for-books.com/

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!  This is a weekly event!  And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added!  We get over 200 links every week!! 

RULES:

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1.  Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below, including the genre that you review! (On Crazy-for-Books site http://www.crazy-for-books.com/

In your link, please state the main genre that you review:  eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc.

Example:  Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction) 

2. Post about the Hop on your blog.  Spread the word about the book party!  The more the merrier!  In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).  

If you have a suggestion for a future HOP question, click here to fill out the form!  Thanks! 

 

This week's question comes from Mina who blogs at Mina Burrows:

 "If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

My answer:  I actually have 2 series that I would love to be "in".

The first is the Booktown Mystery series by Lorna Barrett - I mean who wouldn't want to be in a fictional book town?  I adore this series and the characters!

    

Another series I would love to be in, just because I LOVE the characters is the Do-It-Yourself Mysteries by Jennie Bentley:

   


If you haven't read either of these cozy mystery series, I highly recommend you check them out!  Great stories and characters!

3.  Visit other blogs in the Linky List!  Make new friends!  Follow new book bloggers!  Talk about books!  Rave about authors!  Take the time to make a quality visit!  Check out other posts and content, make a new friend!  Don't randomly follow someone if you never intend on actually following them!  No spamming please!  (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)

And just as an FYI - this event is not something you should feel that you have to participate in every week.  If you want to join in and link up once a month, GREAT!  It's up to you how often you participate!

So, have fun HOPPING and enjoy your BOOK PARTY weekend!!!UPDATE:  THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP DOES NOT ACCEPT TWITTER LINKS!  IF YOU LEAVE A TWITTER LINK, IT WILL BE DELETED!!!  ONLY YOUR BLOG URL IS ACCEPTED!  THANK YOU!

UPDATE #2: Please do not add "AND A GIVEAWAY" to your blog hop link. I've been seeing these a lot lately and up until now I've left them alone. But it's starting to get a bit out of control and I'm going to have to start deleting them if they continue to appear. The Hop isn't to advertise your giveaways. It's a place for us to explore and find new blogs we may be interested in following, not to promote our giveaways. There are several sites out there that have Giveaway Hops, but this is not one of them. Unfortunately if I continue to see the links, I will have to delete them. I hate to start having to "police" the hop, but I want to bring it back to its original state. Thank you for understanding.

My answer:

It has sort of a theme, right? So many books I wouldn't mind living in! What are some of yours?

Etsy Artist Feature: Trick or Treat with Harvest Moon Primatives

I discovered this artist while looking through Photobucket one day. Quite simply, I was looking for pics to spruce up On the Broomstick and happened by her work purely by chance. I took one look and got a tear in my eye. They were the loveliest pieces of vintage witches I have ever seen. So the search began. Who was this mysterious artist? I noticed from an earlier post, the name of Harvest Moon Primitives. There is more than one. Daunting. Nothing looked like my artist. Blog after blog. Facebook, Twitter and still nothing. Then finally, I hit pay dirt. There she was on Etsy! More tears in the eye. Etsy let's you comment and send messages.

 Gfxgirl has the most amazing Etsy shop, and if you have enjoyed her prints on this blog, I encourage you to visit her shop on Etsy at:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/gfxgirl/ We will be seeing many of her designs here in upcoming posts. Please support her artistic endeavors. She does vintage pieces with a variety of themes.

If you get a chance, pop over to the shop and let me know which one is your favorite. I love them all.

Hymn to Her

 
Have you ever had a song in your head that won't quit? This is one of mine. Need to get it back on my Ipad so I can play it more often. Loved it for years.

Elaine Silver

Elaine Silver is another artist I have listened to for years. Very mellow and soothing.

Some music you may enjoy

Tina Malia is one of my favorite singers. Her music is just inspirational. This one comes to mind every full moon. It makes me smile.

My other car....

My other car is a broom. This stitched piece was done by me a few years ago. The pattern was found at a shop in Spring, Texas called 3 Stitches. They have the largest selection of fabrics, threads and button charms in Houston.

The owl is a candle holder. The eyes glow when the candle flames flicker through. This picture was taken in my office.

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In My Mailbox #1

Like most girls at Rosemound High School, seventeen-year-old Lily Crane is acutely aware of Ryder Kingscott. Hands down the cutest guy in school, Ryder is cool, mysterious, and utterly untouchable…especially for Lily. For when she touches someone, Lily instantly learns all about their lives. And while such a skill might seem nifty, in truth it is wrecking Lily’s life. So she is shocked when Ryder asks her out — and even more shocked to discover he has a rival. Lucian Bell is the gorgeous new kid who can’t take his eyes off of Lily. Being pursued by two hotties should make a girl happy, but Lily is skeptical. The boys act as if they’ve met before, hating each other with a passion that could only be rooted in a dark, dangerous past. A past full of terrible secrets. The kind of secrets that could get a girl killed.

(Goodreads)

This book was sent to me by the author for review. Looks great and I can't wait to share more with you.

Happy Full Moon everyone!

Happy Full Moon to all! It is all over Facebook today that this full moon is the largest we have seen in the last 20 years. Enjoy! Dance in the moonlight!