Thursday, June 30, 2011

Weekly Blog Hops

Current Giveaway on Alison Can Read 

GIVEAWAY: Win a copy of Walk The Wild Road by Nigel Hinton

It's time for the weekly book blogger hops again! A great opportunity to meet new bloggers and say hi to old.

Crazy For Books' Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop

Parajunkee's Follow My Book Blog Friday.



I'm Alison. I've been blogging for a year. I review mainly YA with a few MG books and a weekly manga feature.

On the blog this week:

Discussion Post:

-Leaving the link up for a second week.

The Case For Mind Candy

Reviews:

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
Shadowspell by Jenna Black
Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers

Manga Mondays

Chibi Vampire vol. 3 by Yuna Kagesaki

Questions of the Week:

Blog Hop: What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?

It depends on the book. Sometimes books have weak starts but I keep with it because the synopsis sounds good or I've heard great reviews (actually, a lot of books have weak beginnings). Other books capture me right away. There's no tangible formula for what makes a great beginning. Sometimes it's writing that flows well. Other times, the book starts like a Viper (think Karen Marie Moning's Fever series) - 0 to 100 mph in 7.6 seconds. Or perhaps the book makes me laugh immediately. So many different ways to start a book well.

Follow Friday: Your favorite book/movie character (example Hermione Granger played by the Emma chick) just walked into the room! Who is it and what would be your first reaction? You get extra points if you include visual stimulation.

Okay - I sort of misunderstood this question. I'm re-interpreting it as "Which movie character bets fits with my visual idea of the character? (Although if I answered Rachel's question properly, I'd still be super thrilled if Anne and Gilbert walked in the room)

The first people that pop into mind are the cast of Anne of Green Gables, particularly Megan Follows as Anne and Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert Blythe. Jonathan is so handsome! And Megan went from an awkward redhead to an elegant auburn-haired beauty in Anne of Avonlea (not going to mention Anne: The continuing Story - not a fan).





84 comments:

  1. I just read Anne of Green Gables to the little chick. Now I might have to break out the movie again. My mom actually named me from that book - not the best character to be named after, but hey, she liked the name (Rachel BTW)

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  2. Hi! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and following! I've never read Anne of Green Gables, which is a tragedy. I'll have to stop by my library and pick up a copy soon. Just as you commented on my blog that you mostly use the library, these days I do too. Some unexpected technological and automobile repairs have left me more than a little over-budget so I've been biking to my local library to check out books!
    Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I have not read Anne of Green Gables but I will definitely put it on hold at my local library.
    Have a great weekend!

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  4. The COntinuing Story is something most Gilbert and Anne fans would rather forget. But I comfort myself that it's not canon!

    -Tiger Holland

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  5. Great pick! I love Anne of Green Gables, both the books and the movies. I have never seen the Continuing Story, I did hear it was pretty bad.

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  6. Loved this!!! New Follow from Follow Fridays.
    Siren's Song Reviews!!!

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  7. Coming through on FF. Although I could have sworn I was already a follower. Anywho I am now! And I LOVED the Anne of Green Gables series. I used to tell people, my middle name is Anne with an E...like Anne. I was damn proud of that e too!

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  8. I LOVE THESE MOVIES!! Great choice! Gilbert and Anne... what an amazing story, brought to life by amazing actors/actresses! Thanks for reminding me just how WIN this series was :D

    ~Lea @ LC's Adventures in Libraryland

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  9. Oh I haven't seen this in years. I loved them. They are so good. Gilbert was so awesome. Anne was pretty good too. Good choice. Come visit me as well.

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  10. Oh, nice choice. I love this book.

    Here's mine: http://www.stuckinbooks.com/2011/06/follow-friday-3.html

    Follower

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  11. Happy Friday Alison! I so adore the Fever series. I don't think I have to tell you that again, but I can't help it. That one does hit the ground running and just sucks you into its vortex and you can't escape till you make it all the way to the end:) Did you finish Shadowfever?

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  12. Hi & Happy Friday!

    I LOVE Anne of Green Gables, a wonderful choice.

    My FF, http://obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com

    Have a nice weekend.

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  13. Hey there! I just started following you from the Follow Friday blog! Love the flowers.

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  14. Never watch the show but sure must dig it up somewhere.

    Jez

    http://jezsbookcase.blogspot.com

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  15. Great answer to the book question. I think it's important for books to have solid beginnings. That's the first rule as a writer...to hook the reader. There's a book I just received for review that I feel has a terrible beginning. I don't know how I'll continue. I hope it gets better...but that's another writing rule..never say as a writer it gets better! Ha! Have a great weekend :)

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  16. Hi,
    Stopping by for the friday madness.

    have a wonderfull weekend
    Kyanara

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  17. Absolutely agree about Megan Follows being the perfect representation of Anne and Jonathan Crombie was such a cute Gilbert.
    Have a great weekend.
    Lauren's Hop

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  18. Old follower. Hopping by.

    Wow. Did your answer take me back. Now I want to re-read the books and watch that movie. Have a great weekend! :)

    ♥ Trish

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  19. Hi there,

    Great blog, I love your background. I'm a new follower and I hope you can spend a few moments checking out my blog: http://shadowsireview.blogspot.com/ I'm new to FF.

    Char =)

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  20. I haven't read or watched Anne of Green Gables in SOOOO long! I used to love it.

    Thanks for stopping by mine. :)

    Amanda @ Letters Inside Out

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  21. Haven't seen that movie. But the girl looks like Anne from what I know.

    Here's my Friday Hops

    Have a GREAT weekend!

    Old Follower ;)

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  22. Hey Allison Happy Friday! Have a great weekend :)

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  23. There are many reasons for keeping reading a book, I agree, and just as many for stopping you. Have a great weekend!

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  24. Just stopping by to say HI! An those pics are cute:)

    Just hoping through, have a great weekend! Come see what we've been up to this week HERE! And while your there don't miss out on a one of a kind GIVEAWAY!!

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  25. Its been a while since I read Anne of Green Gables. I'll have to check it out again sometime. New follower!

    http://www.booksandbarks.com/2011/07/follow-friday-1.html

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  26. Hi Alison,
    Hopping through...I'm going to have to get a copy of Annie of Green Gables!

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  27. I don't think I've read Anne of Green Gables yet. (Gasp, I know!) Or seen the movies. I'll have to make sure to do that soon!

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  28. Hee Hee I totally answered mine describing the time I met a person who was a character in a book- so hey we added some spice to the question!

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  29. O: Great choice! Thanks for the visit on my blog! ^^ I haven't had the chance to watch or read 'Anne of the Green Gables' yet ; I'll check it out as soon as I can ;D Have a happy friday!

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  30. Hi, old follower stopping by! Happy Friday and check out my blog hops post on my blog!

    Kristen @suchateenagebookworm.blogspot.com

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  31. I had a huge crush on Jonathan Crombie when I was younger. I really loved him in Anne of Green Gables.

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  32. I haven't ever read Ann of Green Gables, but I like your interpretation! That would be a great question for another week as well. :)

    I agree about the weak beginnings of books as well. Lots of great books start out weak. A lot of times it seems like it's because the author is doing a lot of the "maintenance" like world and character building. I'm pretty forgiving of that. It's just when the whole book is slow is when it becomes an issues for me.

    Thanks for stopping by my follow friday and book blogger hop as well!

    ♥ Sarah

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  33. I'm stopping by from the blog hop- Happy Friday!

    I'm ashamed to admit I've never read Anne of Green Gables. I should though, since I've heard so many good things about it!

    I also wanted to personally invite you to the 2011 Declare Your Independence Indie Author Giveaway Carnival at my blog, What Book is That?. A different indie author will be featured every day in July and new giveaways are going live almost daily- today's giveaway is for a $25 Amazon gift card!

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  34. Never seen Anne of Green gables but read the book. Happy Friday!

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  35. Hi Alison! I'm a new follower from Parajunkee's Follow Friday Blog Hop.

    I haven't read Anne Of Green Gables yet so it's going to have to be added to my list! :)

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  36. Old follower just hopping on by to say Have a great weekend.

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  37. I watched Anne of Green Gables as a teen but I don't think it holds up. For the books that I'm stashing in rooms, I read in short bursts. To keep reading them I must be able to remember where I am even if I've only read a couple pages or haven't been able to read in days. Come see how I decide what to keep reading and what to stop.

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  38. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'd be pretty excited too if Anne and Gilbert showed up in real life.

    Girl Who Reads

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  39. Thanks for stopping by Alison. It's been years since I read this series.
    ~ Monique

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  40. Great answer and thanks for stopping by my blog, Alison!

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  41. It's far more common for me to stop a manga series in the middle than a traditional book. Usually, it's because the drawing style isn't to my liking or the story just doesn't grasp me.

    Thanks for hopping by my blog last week!

    ~Brooke
    http://brookesboxofbooks.blogspot.com

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  42. Hi Alison! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    I agree with you on books and the beginnings. A lot of my favorite books have had weak beginnings, but the rest of the content is so amazing that I forgive it.

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  43. Anne of Green Gables has always been one of my favourite movies!

    Thanks for stopping by Book'd Out earlier!

    Shelleyrae

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  44. I've seen the Anne series on the shelves since forever but never actually picked one up. I dunno, maybe I was done with that thing after I went through the Little House on the Prairie books... Maybe one of these days. Have a great weekend!

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  45. Thanks for stopping by.. I agree the Fever series does start like a Viper!

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  46. Thanks for commenting on my blog. I LOVE Swim the Fly too -- We were talking about juvenile humor. The one I couldn't get through was Carter Finally Gets It. I don't know what the difference is. I think maybe Swim the Fly's characters are high school, and a bit more relatable to me (you know, since high school was only 30 years ago for me....)

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  47. Hey I found your blog through Parajunkee's Follow Friday, and I'm your newest follower. I love your blog!

    Be sure to stop by Teen Fiction Centre for the latest news, reviews, and author interviews!

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  48. Hopping back at you! I love your blog, it looks so beautiful. I will keep on following! Have a great weekend!

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  49. Anne of Green Gables is such an awesome series..can watch it over and over again. Love the books too. Happy Holiday weekend to you and thanks for visiting me!

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  50. I've never read the series or seen the films, so I never would have thought of them. Great answer though! It looks like a reader would have a lot of fun with those two. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    ~Shalena @ Writer Quirk

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  51. I remember watching this version of Anne of Green Gables with my kids and being hooked. I read the books with my daughter too. It's not often that we find film versions that we enjoy as much as the books, but this one was great.

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  52. Hello! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    Anne of the Green Gables is on my TBR list. I missed out on it as a child. Let's see if I can make up for lost time.

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  53. Here for the Hop! Thanks for visiting over on my blog! I agree, a book needs to be strong right out of the gate for it to catch my interest, but nevertheless I'll try and stick it out.

    Oh Gilbert Blythe.......he is a good choice :)

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  54. hi alison! when i saw gilbert blythe's photo, i knew right away who he was! he is perfect for the role (as young un and i love the movie ... so funny!)

    guiltlessreading.blogspot.com

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  55. Thanks for stopping by my blog,

    I've never read or seen Anne of Green Gables, might be worth checking out though - thanks. :D

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  56. Hi, Alison! HAPPY FRIDAY!! (Actually, it's already Saturday, but I didn't get to this yesterday...lol.)

    Thanks for commenting on my hop, and now I'm commenting back!

    Great choices! I've been meaning to read "Anne of Green Gables" for a long time now. Somehow I never managed to do so when I was a kid...

    And yes, Jonathan is REAL cute!

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  57. Thanks for hopping by my blog. Fun answers! I confess I used to have the biggest crush on Gilbert when I was younger. :)
    Have a great weekend!

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  58. Interesting answers!! I like that description of a book starting like a Viper.... :)

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  59. Good answer; I prefer when a book captures my attention right away and I know it's going to be an awesome read. But even if it starts out slow I always keep reading, at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the book because I've found a lot of times books will really pick up later on and completely redeem themselves.

    Jamie @ Bookerella

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  60. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I know this is going to be one book blog I'll want to follow if you have a weekly manga feature. I review graphic novels and American manga, myself and I adore Japanese manga!

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  61. I agree, it really depends on the book and so many other factors. If it doesn't grab me right away, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad book. Some books get off to a slow start and sometimes it's a mood thing.

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  62. I had anne of green gables back when I was in middle school I think I borrowed from my english teacher, but never got around to reading it. (I don't think I ever gave it back either.)

    Happy 4th weekend!

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  63. Hey! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    I've never watched Anne of Green Gables! :-O Hmmm...I'll have to put it on the wish list to view!

    Happy Blog Hop!

    Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter

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  64. Great movie choices! I think I misunderstood the question in a different way- I thought book OR movie character! Have a great weekend!

    GraceKrispy@MotherLode blog
    (already a follower!)

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  65. Hey Alison,
    Thanks for stopping by my blog! I sadly, have never read or watched Anne of Green Gables but it is something that I will definitely get to one day. Have a great weekend,
    Jayne

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  66. OMG Gilbert!!! I thought of him too... ^_^ I know EXACTLY what you mean by The Continuing Story.

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  67. Thanks for visiting! It's refreshing to see Anne and Gilbert- great choices!

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  68. Oh yes, they are the best cast ever! They ARE Anne and Gilbert for me. I also love Marilla and Matthew.

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  69. It's good that you're so willing to stick with a book even with a weak beginning. :) Also, I so miss the Anne of Green Gables series. Thank you for visiting and happy reading!

    ~DJL

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  70. Nice picks! Thanks for stopping by!

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  71. Thanks for dropping by my blog! I love the design on your blog. So pretty. I used to be a big fan of anime!

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  72. I've got to read the Fever series!!! I keep hearing how great it is and knowing that it starts off so well, that's great.

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  73. I haven't seen Anne of Green Gables in ages, I think I'll need to soon. Also, I picture Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy myself, but McFadyen is a close second!

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  74. Thanks for hopping by my blog, I agree, lots of books start quite weak but can build into something really great.

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  75. Thanks for stopping by my blog & following, I returned the favor.

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  76. I love, love, love Anne of Green Gables! The actors are so perfect in it that I picture them whenever I read the books.

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  77. I always wanted to see Anne of Green Gables and still haven't!! Thanks for reminding me I finally have to go and watch it!
    Hop you have a great week,
    Juli @ Universe in Words

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  78. What a great answer! I have both read and seen the series of Anne of Green Cables!

    Thanks for coming by my blog!

    inga from http://www.ingasilbergbooks.com

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  79. I love Gilbert, he's awesome.

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  80. I grew up on these movies -- I swear, I watched the first two once a day every day for a year. I agree -- not a fan of The Continuing Story. :/

    Alyssa (Reader's Refuge)
    http://readersrefuge.blogspot.com

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  81. I'm actually reading Anne of Green Gables right now! I loved Megan Follows!

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