Thursday, October 31, 2013

Feature and Follow Friday #173

Welcome to the Feature & Follow


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.






How To Become a Featured Blog?

We pick our featured blogs randomly each week from the blogs who participated the week before.

Please be sure to feature your e-mail address clearly on your blog. Either on the main blog, on a Contact page, or on an About Me page. If I can't find your email easily, I will choose a different blog to feature.

Our Feature - Reading With a Vengeance


1. When did you start blogging?

I started in April of 2012, which conveniently enough is also MY birthday. It wasn’t intentional.

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

The people who message me and comment on my blog. I love my readers so much. I get lots of people saying that they’ve learned stuff from me, which always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, and I get lots of people who teach me stuff with their informative comments, which means more warm fuzzies. I’m basically just warm and fuzzy all around. (Sort of ironic, since my blog is about 90% snark.)

3. What type of books do you mainly blog about?

I typically do YA adventure/paranormal/fantasy/etc-not-contemporary. It wasn’t my intention when I started, but I let my readers vote on which books I review (usually) and they just keep suggesting/picking YA books. I’m not complaining. I enjoy the Young Adult genre; always have.

4. What are your favorite books?

Anything by Tamora Pierce. I grew up reading that woman’s books, and they’re some of the few from my childhood that have stood up to re-reading them as an adult. (Also, Briar Moss is my favoritest ever. Of anything.) I’m also a big fan of the Animorphs, the Lunar Chronicles, Christopher Moore, Diane Duane, Laini Taylor, Robin McKinley...wait, I’ve stopped listing books somehow.

5. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

Hm, I think the first time someone sent me a message saying they’d bought a book because of me. I was so flattered, I got up and danced a little jig.


Q: What book are you embarrassed to admit you LOVED? (try to think beyond Twilight).


My default answer to this question is one of my favorite quotes: "There's no such thing as guilty pleasures; there are only pleasures."

That being said, there are still a few things I'm embarrassed to have read. Although it's a very slight degree of embarrassment - I can't think of anything that I'm super ashamed of. I liked a few of the Gossip Girl and Clique series books. I don't know if that's really embarrassing but I don't shout from the rooftops that I've read them.

When I was a kid, I was embarrassed to admit how much I loved the Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley Twins. Turns out that everyone else I knew must have been embarrassed about reading them too, because most of the girls my age loved those books - unbeknownst to me at the time. We all gush about the books now and saying you were a fan gives you some good late 80's / early 90's street cred.

And despite the fact that I advocate strongly against the Adults Reading YA stigma, I still don't run around advertising the fact that most of what I read is YA. So that's genre shame added to the shame of feeling ashamed


Now for the Follow Fun!

With GFC going the way of the dodo bird for many bloggers, there is no better time to start following blogs via RSS feed. If you use a reader, it would be great if you followed my RSS directly.

Follow on Bloglovin



We have a new button, so update your blogs if you are used to doing this meme!

Alison Can Read Feature & Follow

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
  1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
  2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
  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 and that they are now following you.
  5. If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
  6. 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"
  7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  8. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!


Next Week's Question:

Vlog Feature: Tell us why you would be the best feature ever in a vlog. The best two will get picked for next week’s feature. If you do not want to participate, just tell us why you can’t be caught on video.

CAPTCHA:

I have an updated CAPTCHA post!

If you have CAPTCHA word verification enabled on your blog, please take it off. It makes it much more difficult for readers to comment. Please look at my CAPTCHA Eradication Post to learn how to get rid of it.



30 comments:

  1. It took me a while to come up with an answer this week, because I'm not really embarrassed about what I read. As I was thinking about it, the Sweet Valley High books did spring to mind. I didn't read a lot of them when I was younger, but I did read a few. Those and VC Andrews were really popular at the time.

    Traci @ Mad Hatter Reads

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  2. I like your favorite quote and agree with it wholeheartedly.

    Marilyn @ Marilyn's Mystery Blog

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  3. I felt the same way about being embarrassed about Sweet Valley High and the Babysitters Club even though I really liked them. Too funny.

    ~Pam @ Moonlight Reader

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  4. I read the Baby-Sitters Little Sister series when I was younger and I was always a little embaressed about it. I also have a feeling it wouldn't give me 90s street cred.

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  5. It took me a while to come up with a book I'm embarrassed about too. The only books I don't advertise that I've read/enjoyed was the twilight series.

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  6. I totally agree with what you've said! If I read something, I either like it or I don't, and I think there's nothing embarrassing about liking a book which others didn't enjoy.

    Here's My FF

    New follower. :)

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  7. it's cute, and I love your quote, I totally agree with you on that!

    My FF

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    1. sorry I forgot to tell but I'm an old follower

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  8. I don't think I read the Babysitters Club as a kid. I think even at an early age I wanted something paranormal-like even before I knew that's what I wanted to read!

    Here's my Follow Friday

    Have a GREAT weekend!

    Old Follower :)

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  9. *snaps* And I was going to say Twilight. But now, I don't have any book to be embarrassed about.

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  10. I loved Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High. I read them in elementary school though so I hadn't thought of them. I ended up stuck between 2 different children's series I read a couple years ago.
    My Feature

    Old follower :)

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  11. Aw, there should be no shame for liking any genre. I, for one, find YA a lot more entertaining (generally) than adult fiction. (and I'm 34). It'll probably always be my preferred genre - as long as the MC doesn't act like an overly immature teen - which annoys me.

    Old follower.
    Holly @ Words Fueled by Love

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  12. I've actually read a few Gossip Girl books and I liked them. I think now that I'm in my twenties and still find YA enjoyable, that's a little embarrassing to tell other people but I won't stop reading them. Same goes for the fantasy and paranormal romance genre.

    Old follower!


    My FF HERE.
    -Seirra @ Dear, Restless Reader

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  13. Thanks for stopping by my #FF! I really want to read the clique series, they always have nice covers!

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  14. I guess I can kind of see where you're coming from and that's a really good point. There's a lot of books that I don't tell people that I read but I'm not really embarrased about it.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog, old follower :)

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  15. Oh! I loved the Babysitters Club books. How fun to remember. Old follower, thanks for stopping by today!

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  16. Hopping through. ;) I love the quote! I'll have to remember that one.

    Old follower here. Appreciate the stop from earlier!

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  17. I agree with your quote 100%, Alison! When I read, it is to enjoy myself, and that's what I'm doing - no matter if it's a YA book or if it's erotica. If I don't enjoy myself, it makes me sad :(

    Thanks for stopping by earlier. I hope you'll have a great weekend.

    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

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  18. I agree I'm ashamed but I definitely won't voluntary share some of the books I've read. Which can be kind of contradicting myself, I guess.

    Megan @ Books i View

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  19. I agree about the genre thing, to an extent. I really don't advertise my reading preferences, but I'm not TOO embarrassed by it either. At least YA has evolved since the Babysitters Club days (I loved those books, too!)

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Amber @ Fall Into Books

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  20. When I was a kid I loved the Boxcar Children, but I was never embarrassed to say I liked them. I looked forward to our Scholastic book orders every few weeks so I could get the newest book when it came out. I'm like you and really don't have a book I'm ashamed to say I like.

    I didn't do the Follow Feature this week because I was so busy and I wanted to wrap up my Halloween Week in my blog. Wanted to stop by and see what you had posted and wish you a happy weekend. Hope to be back next week with a post for FF.

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  21. I love that quote, that's awesome :)
    I get surprised when I realize that most of what I read is YA hehe.

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  22. i just created a new blog and is now following you guys via rss. :)
    could you please check though if I did it correctly? :p

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  23. i'm kind of new here too so I'd appreciate any tips when you visit my blog! :)
    thanks a lot.

    S&S Book Reviews

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  24. Romance gets stigmatised much in the same way adults reading YA but it baffles me as these are two of the most popular genres. Millions of YA and romance books are sold each year which suggests people genuinely like reading them.

    I remember the Babysitter's Club from when I was a teen - I don't remember much of the plot lines but they did deal with some important issues sensitively. I think the girl who painted had a Japanese grandmother who had a stroke and she had a long recovery which was realistic.

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  25. I liked the babysitters club, no need to be embarrassed!! lol

    Here's My FF!
    Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
    Old Follower :)

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  26. Hey Alison! Sorry for the late comment. This weekend I attend the Houston Book Rave and just returned home. I admit that I'm a bit embossed to be reading romance books with the swoony covers. IDK why but I guess I always feel weird reading them out in public.

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  27. I didn't read Sweet Valley Twins, but I read SV Junior High, Senior Year AND University. Plus the side series where Elizabeth went to London. So yeah, I get the Sweet Valley shame! :) I was big on BSC as well - Mary Ann and Dawn were my faves. Thanks for stopping by my FF, I'm an old follower hopping through.

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This blog is now an award free zone. I just don't have time to pass on the awards as they deserve.