For those who are unfamiliar with Armchair BEA, it is an event for those who are not attending Book Expo America in New York City.
This is Day 1 of BEA and Armchair BEA; and, today is self-interview day. We're to answer five questions from the list in this post.
1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you? How long have you been blogging? How did you get into blogging?
I call myself "Bookfool" but my real-world name is Nancy. I'm a transplanted Oklahoman, living in Mississippi -- 1 husband, 2 grown boys (one married and out in the working world; one in college) and 2 cats. My 6th bloggiversary is actually this week. I began blogging on June 6, 2006 and it's all Andi's fault. As I recall, it took her at least a year to convince me to blog because I figured a "weblog" was just an online diary and I'd end up talking to myself. Boy, was I surprised when people started to show up and comment!
2. What are you currently reading or what is your favorite book so far in 2012?
You can see what I'm reading by glancing at my sidebar. I'm terrible at picking a single favorite. A few of my top reads:
Little Princes by Conor Grennan
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
Further Interpretations of Real-Life Events by Kevin Moffett
Mariana by Susanna Kearsley
All Woman and Springtime by Brandon W. Jones
Light on the Concrete by Lucas Hunt
Pure by Julianna Baggott
M*A*S*H by Richard Hooker
3. What is your favorite feature on your blog?
I like Fiona Friday -- my weekly post with a photo or two of one (or both) of my cats -- because it gives me an excuse to take lots of pictures of the felines. And, I really love the occasional "self-interview" in place of the standard book review. Those are always tremendously fun to write.
4. Which is your favorite post that you've written that you want everyone to read?
Probably this one: Between the Storms and Reading Aussie Books on a Mississippi Sofa. It's a good example of my natural writing style, which is completely goofball. Unfortunately, that's also true of my fiction.
5. Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?
Since I started blogging? I can't think of any major changes. I have overindulged and burned out in the past, a couple of times so in recent years I've tried to read a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction to keep myself from burning out on any particular genre, again. I did come close to burning out on historical fiction, last year. But, I opted to take a break from them and it did help. Now, I'm careful not to read too many historical titles in a row.
That's all for now! Hope to meet as many other participants as humanly possible!!
©2012 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.
I know what you mean about reading to much of a single genre. Sometimes I would want to just toss the book out the window!
ReplyDeleteI know! When you read too much of the same genre, eventually they all start to sound alike, don't they?
DeleteI'm with you on so many levels: beginning in 2006 (just a month earlier than you, but what does that matter?!); loving Me Before You; and appreciating your Fiona Fridays.
ReplyDeleteYou are very special to me, Nancy, and I'm so glad we've had this friendship over our six blogging years. XO
One month before me means you're my elder and I must look up to you and respect you, right? Well, I do. :) Me Before You was soooo good and I have you to thank for it, of course!
DeleteYou are special to me, too, Bellezza! Hopefully, sometime we'll get to carry our friendship to the next level - in person!!!
Hi Nancy! 6 years of book blogging, that's fantastic! Yay you!!
ReplyDeleteHappy ABEA!
Hi Sarah! Thanks! It's nice to meet you. Happy ABEA to you, too!!
DeleteI love that you love cats! I have two of my own. I've resisted putting up pictures of them at Tales Between the Pages but I might do so now that I've seen it's not totally out of the ordinary. :)
ReplyDeleteHow was M*A*S*H? I've seen the movie and adore the TV series. Was the book good?
Thanks for commenting on my Armchair BEA Introduction. I'm a new follower.
Jessica,
DeleteOooh, definitely share your cat pics! It's always fun to actually see other bloggers' reading companions! :)
M*A*S*H is an amazing book. It's every bit as funny as the TV series but, even better, the story follows Hawkeye and Duke from the time they arrive at the 4077th to their return to the United States. The author was a surgeon in a mobile army surgical unit and you can tell. The medical bits are authentic, their antics are clever. It's just fantastic!
You're welcome and thanks! I'm commenting from the bottom of the list up - figured the late signers, like myself, need some commenting love.
You've read some great books this year! I'm a fellow cat-lover, I only have one of my own but he completely rules our house. I'm a new follower of your blog :)
ReplyDeleteMy introduction post
Sam,
DeleteWahoo! Another cat lover! Our two are tons of fun. They're still young, so they're quite active and actually can be very bossy about playtime. They are always nearby. I love that. One is beside me on the treadmill, the other right behind my monitor on the desk, at the moment. :)
It's great to meet you! Thanks for following my blog! :)
It makes my heart sing a little when people tell me I converted them. Although, that typically means I just ranted until they gave in. Sort of like this Outlander reading jag. If I gush enough, people will eventually read it to shut me up.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm cool with that.
I love ya, Nancy! I shouted out at you in my vlog today. Woot!
I am very happy if I made your heart sing. :) You might have ranted a bit about blogging. I don't remember, anymore. I just know it was all your fault. Haha. And, I'm glad you shoved me into it!
DeleteLove you, too, Andiloo! You shouted me out? Oh. I must go see!!!
yes, I think the key to avoiding a burnout is spreading out the genres! It was very nice to meet you, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteIt's unfortunate that it took me a while to learn how to avoid burnout. I hardly read mysteries at all, anymore, thanks to the fact that I overindulged in them, a few years back.
DeleteNice to meet you, too, Elena!
Bookfoolery and Babble combined with kitties is an unbeatable combination. I've been randomly blogging for five years come July. You have inspired me (I can't exactly say how that will play out!).
ReplyDeleteHere's my intro BOOK KEEPING
Why, thank you, Ann! I'm glad I inspired you in some mysterious way. :)
DeleteWill dash over to read your intro as soon as I get back from my workout!!!
Ack! Your link isn't working! I'll keep trying to find you!!
DeleteI love Fiona Friday, even when it's on Caturday. As a reader for over five years (I may be an old lady of 72, but you're my elder as a blogger by about half a year), I remember Sunny and Spooky. Do you remember that in the summer of 2007 cats overran my blog? They were in unrelated posts, on the sidebar, in the header, in the footer — all looking for the kitty treats I was giving to cats. I put out a call for more, and Dewey sent me extra kitty treats, via comment. Some of the cats ended up in this post:
ReplyDeletehttp://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/2007/07/cat-says-so-long.html
I have way too much fun with Fiona Friday, but I am a bit forgetful. LOL Yes, of course I remember when you had all those cats in the sidebar! I thought you owned all of them and you set me straight.
DeleteIt's nice that there are people who remember my other kitties. I still miss them both. It's been a long time since Sunshine died, now. 4 or 5 years, I think. Sometimes I accidentally call Fiona "Miss Spooky". I'm not sure why. She doesn't look or act like Spooky at all, but maybe it's because she's about the same size. Isabel can't be mistaken for any cat I've ever been owned by. She is a tiny, delicate thing and we've mostly had really big cats.
Anyway, off to work out. Happy Monday, Bonnie!
Ooooo, I remember now! You told me one of those cats in the sidebar looked like Miss Sunshine! Yes!
DeleteYep! I need another Miss Sunshine. She was such a fun cat. :)
DeleteI love your writing style! It didn't take me long to start reading the rest of your blog, solid stuff and seriously fun to read.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and looking forward to the rest of Armchair BEA from you!
Otherwhere.co Armchair BEA: Introductions
Thanks, Jessi! I'm glad you like my writing style. I have a tendency to be hypercritical of my own writing, so I appreciate that!
DeleteDitto! Hope to talk to you more, this week!
Wow, I can't believe thaqt you've been blogging for 6 years!! That is so impressive and inspiring at the same time. Happy bloggerversary to you! Anyways, I also really enjoyed Cinder by Marissa Meyer, it was so good!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by on my blog today! It was fabulous getting to know you. Have fun during Armchair BEA! =)
-Aneeqah @ My Not So Real Life
Thanks, Aneeqah!
DeleteI suppose in blogging years, 6 is kind of ancient, eh? LOL It's been fun, so far. Wasn't Cinder great? I can't wait for the next book . . . but, I have to. :)
Nice getting to know you, too!
Nice to meet you and thank you for stopping by my post! I've never heard of Fiona Friday, but I do love cats and taking pictures of them. I'll have to look it up.
ReplyDeleteJenni Elyse,
DeleteFiona Friday is exclusive to my blog. When our old kitty died and we brought home little Fiona, I posted quite a few pictures and it occurred to me that it would be fun to have one particular day specifically for posting cat photos. We got a second kitty, Isabel, but Fiona Friday has kept its name because it has a nice ring to it. :)
Wahoo, another cat lover! Terrific!!! It's great to meet you!
Happy anniversary! 6 years is amazing, I just hope I'm still doing this for that long! Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteHey Ryan!
DeleteThanks! So much has happened in that 6 years that it boggles my mind. I've got a whole new set of cats, one kid graduated from college and got married, the other graduated from high school and is in college. Wild to look back on it. I hope you stick around that long, too!
I'm glad to see Pure on your list of favorites - I was so impressed with that book! I discovered Susanns Kearsley last year when I read The Winter Sea, and I have her Rose Garden sitting on my to-be-read-very-soon stack. :)
ReplyDeleteMe, too! Loved Pure and was impressed; it was so unique and had some interesting messages, I thought.
DeleteI just discovered Kearsley when I read The Winter Sea, last year, too. I loved it so much I got a copy of The Shadowy Horses (which I haven't read yet) and I also have the Rose Garden in my Kindle app. But, I absolutely hate e-reading, so I probably won't get to that, anytime soon.
Hi, Nancy! Your cats are so cute. I hope you have fun during Armchair BEA!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tasha! I'm having fun, so far. Don't think I'll be able to join in on everything because we are so crazy busy, but I really enjoyed reading as many intros as I could squeeze in! Hope you have a great week, too!
DeleteCongratulations on 6 years - and I looove your cats!
ReplyDeleteIt was so nice to meet you :) Armchair BEA @ the Brunette Librarian
Thanks! It's nice to meet you, too!
DeleteCongrats on the blogoversary, bookfool.
ReplyDeleteI found myself gradually burning out on historical fiction. I think I can handle it now, but I've sort of not read much of it for a few years.
Thanks, Judith!
DeleteIt's easy to burn out when you get too enthusiastic about a genre and start reading it like crazy, isn't it? I try hard to keep that from happening, again. A break did help, this time, thank goodness. I really like historical fiction and don't want to start hating it!
YAY BOOKFOOL! ONe of my very favoritest blogs! :D
ReplyDeleteYay, Carrie! Right back at ya! :)
DeleteI love Fiona Fridays too and your self-interviews. Those are funny! I'm glad you are back. I'm always hopeful that people will come back after a little break.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks Christina! I may have to take a lot of little mini breaks because we have got so much going on at once it's making my head spin. Yes, I know what you mean. I always hope people won't give up for good. It's especially sad when favorite bloggers simply stop or disappear.
DeleteThat Andi is to blame for a lot of things. But in a good way!
ReplyDeleteShe certainly is!
DeleteI had to laugh at you blaming Andi for getting you to start blogging. I really, really, really didn't need another book and it's her fault I just bought a copy of Outlander!
ReplyDeleteI know, she's such a troublemaker. LOL Outlander is great. You'll love it!
DeleteCongratulations on 6 years!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stacy!
DeleteI like to mix up my genres here and there so that I don't get bored or burned out on one, because I'm afraid I'll start disliking books if that happens. LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm living proof of burnout. After my experiences, it's hard for me to fathom reading nothing but a single genre, although I don't think I've ever actually done that because I like variety. But I did read a lot of mysteries before I reached the point that I suddenly couldn't stand them!
Delete