BBAW- Readers

Today's the 4th day of Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Man, this week is just flying by already! Today's topic is readers and says:

"Book bloggers blog because we love reading. Has book blogging changed the way you read? Have you discovered books you never would have apart from book blogging? How has book blogging affected your book acquisition habits? Have you made new connections with other readers because of book blogging? Choose any one of these topics and share your thoughts today!"

Dear blogging,

Let me count the ways that you've affected my reading starting off with my reading tastes. Prior to book blogging, I was a moody reader (still am) but stuck mainly to mysteries and books that I found browsing the library shelves. And then I found book blogging which opened me to new worlds of books. I found the paranormal and urban fantasy which I love (thanks to Jackie at Literary Escapism) and I began to branch out in other areas of my reading as well. Now I have a TBR list with hundreds of books on it and and it has no signs of getting any smaller. Thanks to blogging I can find a book to fit any mood that I'm in and that is something that just makes me happy. I've found readers and bloggers with both similar and different tastes than mine and I'm the richer for it. Blogging has changed everything for me when it comes to reading and the best part is that it has helped my love of books grow even more. I will never not have a book to read and you've gotta love that :)


I'm a bit late in the game and missed posting for the topic yesterday but I thought I would share just a bit since I still think that community is so important. I keep connected through commenting and feel that it is one of the most important things to build community in the blogging world. With so many blogs out there, it isn't possible to comment on every blog, every post, every day. I have a tendency to comment on my favorite blogs regularly and I always star those posts in my reader. But I also enjoy finding posts of books that I've already read. Nothing makes me happier than talking about books with someone who has already read the same book. And this allows for me to find new blogs while building community with the blogs that I already follow. So if you've ever read a book that I've read...send me the link. I would love to see what you thought and chat with you about it. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and enjoying the community that we are building together!

P.S.- Felt like it has been awhile since I shared a cute pic of the little ones...I'm trying to enjoy this time when they get along with each other so well because someday I'm sure it will be different :)

BBAW- Community

Book Blogger Appreciation Week is upon us and I'm excited to get the chance to participate again this year. I'm especially excited because the theme this year is of creating relationships and community between readers. I think that the relationships that bloggers can develop with one another is one of the absolute best things about blogging :) I'm looking forward to finding some new-to-me blogs this week and making new bloggy friends. The topic for today's post says:

"While the awards are a fun part of BBAW, they can never accurately represent the depth and breadth of diversity in the book blogging community. Today you are encouraged to highlight a couple of bloggers that have made book blogging a unique experience for you. They can be your mentors, a blogger that encouraged you to try a different kind of book, opened your eyes to a new issue, made you laugh when you needed it, or left the first comment you ever got on your blog. Stay positive and give back to the people who make the community work for you!"

There are so many AMAZING bloggers that I've met through my blog and events such as these. Unfortunately, I'm a wimp and just cannot single out certain blogs. Because for every blog that I might choose, there are 3 or 4 more that fit in as well. I'm lucky enough to have found multiple blogs that fit my varied reading tastes and moods that I read daily. Instead of singling out blogs, I'm going to thank each and every one of you that visit my blog. That takes the time to comment on my blog or respond back to one of the comments that I have left them. Thank you for listening to me, being patient with me when I needed breaks, and always coming back to visit me again. It is a joy to talk books with all of you and to have people that understand my love of reading. I hope that everyone gets a chance to build new relationships with bloggers this week. If your a lurker, talk to me this week. It may take me awhile to comment back but I always do :) Happy blogging and hope everyone has a wonderful time participating in BBAW!

BBAW - Better Late Then Never

So I'm super late to the BBAW party but that isn't unusual as I seem to always be late to blogger festivities and events. Life just gets in the way sometimes and unfortunately I miss out on the fun...especially when it comes to Dewey's 24 hour readathon but that is another story for another day :) I didn't want to not participate though (even though technically it is already over) especially when there were some good topics this time around. I've decided to do a BBAW combo post where I share a little bit of everything all in one post. I'm going to start off with Marg from Adventures of an Intrepid Reader's impromptu interview questions as if I had seen her call for this on Monday or whenever I totally would have signed up. Instead, I read the post after the fact but have decided to share my answers anyways. Hopefully she doesn't mind...

What is your blog called? What is the inspiration behind the name?

Of course, my blog is titled Sam's Book Blog and I can't say there is any great story behind my name. I've thought about changing it but never have so it has just kinda stuck. My significant other came up with a new name that I would like to change to at some point but that is for a different day. Maybe.

What kind of books do you like to read?

I'm going with anything and everything for this answer. One of my favorite genres is urban fantasy but I also enjoy mysteries, romance, general fiction, nonfiction, and everything in between. Seriously, when I was younger my goal used to be to read every book in the library. Although I didn't consider the fact that there were constantly new books coming into the library every day :) And I think that reading a mixture of genres helps to keep reading fresh for me.

What is your favorite recent read?

This is easily Blameless by Gail Carriger which I just finished earlier this week. I can't seem to get enough of this brand new series and am not looking forward to waiting until next year for the next book. I've said this before and I'll say it again, "I will be reading anything that Gail Carriger writes."

Where is your favorite place to read?

My favorite place to read is curled up underneath a blanket at the end of my couch while my S.O. watches television. Or curled in bed while reading to my kids but that isn't reading my books..that is reading theirs.

Share one thing about yourself that your readers might not know.

I had to think about this one for a minute. You might not know that besides reading I enjoy being outside, watching football, running, and an entire host of things that are not book related. And I'm a really bad cook. Hence why I never participate in the weekend cooking posts or anything like that. Because you don't want cooking tips from me. Ever.

BBAW Forgotten Treasures:

A book that I don't see or hear a lot about on book blogs that is one of my all-time favorites is Moloka'i by Alan Brennert. I read this one before I began blogging but it is one of those books that still stick out in my mind. Since I don't have a review to link up to I'll leave you with the synopsis from Goodreads:

"Young Rachel Kalama, growing up in idyllic Honolulu in the 1890's, is part of a big, loving Hawaiian family, and dreams of seeing the far-off lands that her father, a merchant seaman, often visits. But at the age of seven, Rachel and her dreams are shattered by the discovery that she has leprosy. Forcibly removed from her family, she is sent to Kalaupapa, the isolated leper colony on the island of Moloka'i."

I highly recommend reading this one and plan on rereading it myself sometime soon. It is an amazing book. And the cover is just gorgeous in my opinion. I can't say enough good things about it which is why I chose it for my forgotten treasure. Read it!

Well, that is about it for my BBAW combo post. Maybe next year I'll actually participate during the week of BBAW and not after but we'll see. And a huge thanks to Amy from My Friend Amy for creating BBAW and organizing it. Hope everyone has a wonderful week of reading!