Blogger Recognition Award

Today, I was told by one of my regular visitors, in a comment, that they had nominated me for a 'Blogger Recognition Award'. 

Now, I have this award, there's a few things I have to do to pass it on to the people I've nominated. 

1.  I must thank the person who nominated me.
2.  I must write a piece about my blog - to show it off - and talk about my how my blog came about, and then give a bit of blogging advice of beginners.
3.  Select 15 bloggers to share this award with and post their link down the bottom. 

Well, first thing's first!  I must thank Captivated Reader for this, as she's always been one of the first people to either read my posts and comment on them. She's also a fellow Bookcrosser who I helped into getting a blog together when she was hoping to get herself into the blogging world.

My Blog's Story

Okay... now, some of you know why I write this particular blog, but a lot of you don't.  As a majority of you know, I'm a huge collector of books.  But as to why I started the blog in the first place?  Well, it was basically to review all of my books in one place for the world to see them as I did.  
And because I have a huge collection of books which cover a variety of genres, I knew there would be a lot of them people across the world, on the net, who wouldn't have seen these book in their lives. 

Like I said, I'm a collector... so I have books which are rare, signed and out of print.  I was putting them all up on my blog here in the beginning.

Then, I ran out of space for pictures and started using the links to put photos up through photobucket.com. and it was easier for you guys to see more of my books through my photo album on there.

My blog started changing - morphing if you will - into something different, better. I started talking to authors and letting them know I had reviewed their books and they were willing to speak to me and do interviews with me as well.  I also got out of the office and started going to bookstores around my city and doing reviews on them. Then, e-books came into play and I started working on the differences between the traditional books and e-books, and how they are much of a muchness... and yet found no matter how you read your books, so long you're reading, it's all the same.

So, my blog has morphed in so many ways, changing in the ways of a garden does when it grows and is improved by the gardener.  It's been getting better and better over the years.  I've been writing books and reading them; but I've never moved away from this blog because of my love of books - collecting, reading and writing them alike.

Blogging Advice

Now, if you'd like to start your own blog, it's easy and hard.  The hard part is picking your platform - which blogging program you'd like to use.  There's plenty out there to pick from - WordPress, Blue, Blogger and others.  However, I've found a few of them a little complex for the beginner and chose Blogger for it's ease and also it doesn't expect you to be a computer whiz. You do have a certain amount of space for photos, though, so get used to using the link button up the top when you're posting. And it's great when you want to change your templates - however it'll feel complex at first, it's not  after a little while.  And the best thing with Blogger is that you can have quite a few blogs on differing subjects under the same manager and it doesn't cost you anything.

Okay, the high-tech stuff is out of the way, it's time to have fun... enjoy writing your blog. Make it colourful, speak the way you want to on it. I've got a few which consent forms on them (which is in your settings) and just be yourself... there's really no rules to blogging; except to keep up with it so you keep your followers interested.

Speaking of which:  it takes time for people to know you... so it might take a couple of years for people to follow you.  Facebook is a good place to share your blog. Also getting fellow bloggers - who blog on similar subjects as you do - onto your blog is a good thing.  You can make plenty of friends online through blogging.  For me, it's the list below... well, some of them:

Book View Cafe
Dreamworld Books
True Book Addict
The New Dork Review of Books
Calico Writes
The Space Between
Excelsior
Debbie Robson
The Passive Voice
Becky's Book Reviews
Wet Panty Stories

Oh no!  I have only eleven links... bummer!  These are the most recent bloggers on my 'Further Reading' on the side bar.  The others near the bottom are over two months old; and I don't want anything too old to be looked at here... sorry it's a few short.  Until my next post, happy reading.

I Won An Award...

It's not very often I win something online - especially on here - however when I do, I like to display my awards on the sidebar.

I was nominated for 'The Versatile Blogger Award' by Captivated Reader.  She's a regular to my blog; and a good friend of mine offline.

Thank you very much for nominating me and now, I have to follow a few little rules, answer some questions and mention some other bloggers to get the ball rolling onwards... however, I'm doing this with a twist!

Don't worry - this is going to be fun!

Okay... seven random things about myself.  This shouldn't be hard; seeing I surprise a lot of my friends when it comes to my life.

I make terrariums.  These are gardens that live in a sealed bottle or environment.  Here's the most gorgeous one I own in my living room. It's on my coffee table and is the center of attention when people enter the room.

I love to write flash fiction.  Okay, I've been writing flash fiction for over 2 years now, and been a part of a community on Chuck Wendig's 'Terrible Minds' blog since the beginning of 2013... it's fun, the stories are short, creepy and sometimes funny in a dark kind of way.  But I love writing them.  And yes they're all on another blog ('You Can't Go Back and Other Impossibilities' blog on my complete profile).

I have only begun driving a car again over the last 2 years; and become a car owner again just last year when Dad bought me a very cool, sweet little green Holden Astra for my 41st birthday.  For a good part of the last 20 years, I've been battling with Epilepsy and have been stable since 2004... now I have my life back completely.

I run a hobby business called 'Lynda's Crafty Pegs' and I attend markets all over Brisbane and at schools as well.  The hobby business has been going for only 2 years, but I love what I do.

Not only do I love to read books, collect them, write about them and write books, I also have a habit of making artwork about them... my whole life revolves around the written word.

I haven't had a relationship with anyone in over a decade - and wouldn't know how to have one if somebody approached me.  After leaving an abusive relationship, I have found letting somebody else that close again impossible.

I shaved all my hair off for the World's Greatest Shave.  This is to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland... my hair is growing back really fast.  But here's a collage of what happened on 14th, March! I did it to help raise money for research; and I raised over $800 this year! 


Now... there's stuff there you all didn't know about me.  And here's the fun part for the blog.  I nominated some blogs on my sidebar.

Book View Cafe
Open Culture
The Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills
True Book Addict
The Passive Voice
Becky's Book Reviews
Debbie Robson
Reading To Know
Calico Writes
The New Dork Review of Books
Terrible Minds
Writer Beware Blog
Wet Panty Stories
Kate Sutherland
Graham Clements

Okay... now that's all done.  These blogs are found on my sidebar and are ones I visit on a regular basis.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  Until my next post, happy reading.

I've Been Nominated For The Liebster Award!

What a surprise!  Wow, this is fun... but this is also the second time I've had the Liebster Award for another blog of mine.  I hope I'm not breaking any rules here... here's hoping.  And I'm unable to post the actual picture here either, so I've got a link to it on Photobucket - as I've run out of room on Blogger and they won't give me anymore room to upload images... bummer!  However, I will also put the image on the sidebar too.

First off I must thank Captivated Reader for nominating me for this Award... how wonderfully kind of you for doing this for my blog!  Thank you!  You guys can find her blog at Captivated Reader where she posts almost every day about so many things, from bookstores, books and authors to what she's reading, what she's bought and ... well, anything book-related.  A great blogger this one!  And she's also a Bookcrosser too!

11 Random Facts About Me

1.  I love gardening.  Yep, I have been working on a little 'postage stamp' garden for around 12 years and love it.
2.  I have Epilepsy I was born with and have what they call 'attic space' in my brain.  It's a part of my brain that doesn't work; and yet I've rewired myself so everything else does.
3.  I've learned to play an instrument when I was told I could never learn music - I play a flute.
4.  Family is a big thing in my life.  I love my family to bits... 
5.  I've never been married or had children.
6.  My first car was a 1981 Toyota Celica Liftback, manual 5 speed transmission... red in colour and it was love at first sight! :D
7.  I collect vinyls, handbags, cd, books and dvds.
8.  My late-Grandma gave me her piano and I taught myself to play it a little - still need lessons.
9.  My second bedroom is filled with over 1,000 books I've collected since I was 4 years old... I have a story to each book I own.
10. I have written over 8 books of work from poetry, novels and novellas to a massive sci-fi fantasy saga and erotica - and none of it has seen the light of day to be published yet.
11. I survived a 4.3 Melanoma when I was 23 1/2.  The surgeon told me that if I hadn't gotten it removed when I did, I would have had 6 months to live... I'm now 40 and haven't had another cancer since.  So, to help and give back, I take part in The World's Greatest Shave each March and colour my hair... it helps the Leukaemia Foundation find a cure and next year, I might shave off all my hair.  

When did your love for reading books begin?

Wow, that happened a long time ago.  I was 4 years old, was very sick with childhood Epilepsy and my older brother went to school.  He brought home the ‘I Can Read’ Series and didn’t like to read, and I wanted to know what the big deal was.  So, I stole them from his school bag and taught myself to read… at first, though it was escapism; which turned into a passion as I got older.

Where's your favorite place to read? Do you have any favorite foods/snacks or beverages that you eat or drink while reading?? Or do you solely focus on the book you're reading?

I love to read outside while sitting on the curb in the sun in Winter.  In Summer, it’s my backyard while sipping on diluted Cranberry Juice on my outdoor setting under the shade of Lilly-Pilly Trees.  When I get too hot sitting in the heat, I just stop and look around my pretty little garden and enjoy the sound of the day… yeah the book gets ignored for a bit.

A lot of the times I do love to stretch out on my lounge with my feet up on the coffee table to read as well.  The best place to read is in bed just before the light gets turned out… really late at night when everyone else is in bed.

Nostalgic question for you! What was your favorite book growing up?

Aaahh… that’s gotta be ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ by Roald Dahl.  My copy is a paperback and half the pages are falling out of it… and yes, I still have it. I also love the first film adaptation too… so much fun!  But the Oompa-Loompas were just a little bit too creepy if you ask me.

Do you have an all time favorite book & why is it special to you?

‘The Secret Garden’ was one I found hard to read but I loved it.  It’s something I read when I was young, and because it was about a garden that was hidden and secret and a sick child, I could relate to the characters.

There’s another one:  ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis.  I have an old copy of this amongst my collection somewhere, and I read that a few times when I was young and loved the adventure of it.

Name the last book you reread!

‘The Stand’ by Stephen King.  A great book by a great author.

Do you like attending literary events (book signings/book festivals, etc.)? If so, share with us a favorite literary event you've attended!

We have The Logan Arts Festival here in Logan City.  However it’s in its infancy; so we’re just starting out with it.  Logan City Council is working on making it bigger as each year passes.  But last year was its first time out there; and they held it at The Butter Factory (a historical landmark which can be hired out to groups and companies, which really was a butter factory; making all the butter and dairy products for South East Queensland). 

Well, I was asked by Ged Maybury to help him launch his new book ‘Nosebleed’ and if I could make a small, funny speech for him to get it off the ground… and I said I would!  So, I made a small 3 minute speech which I felt as though it stretched out to 50 minutes.  And the best thing was that people laughed in the right places… thank the gods!  And they also went and bought the book too!  It was so much fun to be a part of launching somebody’s book and to hang out with him too. :D

If you were to host a dinner party and could invite any author(s) to attend your dinner party, from the past or present, who would you invite and why?

Ooh, I’d invite Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Doris Lessing, Sara Douglass and Ged Maybury.  All of them are great writers I admire and would love to get into a room together to chat, eat and enjoy their company…oh yeah, how could I forget?  Wilbur Smith too… lovely man, just lovely. :D

Which fictional character (from a novel) would you most like to meet in real life?

There’s two:  Stu Redman and Franny Goldsmith.  They’re from ‘The Stand’ by Stephen King.  They are both such great characters in that book…

What has been the best experience you've had as a book blogger?

I love it when I’ve written about a book – good, bad or ugly – and hear back from the author in my comments, telling me that it’s good to know there’s honest people who don’t just say a book is great because that’s what the author wants to hear… I love it when an author has both their feet on the ground like that – and take the time out of their busy schedule to read blogs like mine.

Do you participate in weekly book memes, online read-a-thons, reading challenges, etc? If so, which one is your favorite one to participate in?

I try to.  However, I have other things going on outside my book blog and reading schedule.  So, read-a-thons and challenges are difficult to take part in when I’m also working in the art world too.

What do you enjoy doing for fun when you aren't blogging and reading?

I’m an artist, photographer, gardener, collector of books, vinyls and handbags, enjoy cooking things from scratch and I run a small hobby business called Crafty Pegs.  It’s on Facebook and in its first year of business.  So far, I’m going well… and I’m working the Creative Markets once a month.   I’m also a volunteer at the Logan Art Gallery; and have been for the past 15 years.

Yeah, I’m a busy person, but it’s what happens when you live on a fixed income… you find other things to do besides finding a paid job.

Okay... let's see who I've nominated!

Being Brazen Books 

Book Muster Down Under 

Share Books Review 

The Story Factory Reading Zone 

A Little Bookish 

And now... for my questions!

1.  How many books do you have in your collection?

2.  Do you buy books for gifts, then think: 'Nah, I'd like to read that one.' and buy a second copy, then get home and realise you already own it?

3.  When you find you can't find a thing to read, what do you do?  Do you have other hobbies to keep you occupied?

4.  Is your collection confined to one room, or is taking over your house, your life... are you the crazy book lady/man of your family?

5.  Do you have a favourite place to read? Let us know what is it.

6.  If you were permitted to meet just one author on your last day on Earth, who would it be?

7.  Out of the bookstores on planet Earth, which one would you love to live close to?

8.  Do you have a local bookstore you frequent?  Tell us about it.

9.  When did you begin reading books?  

10. Does anyone else share your passion for reading?

11. Have you ever come across a book where you'd love to be one of the characters in it?  Which book would it be?

Okay, it's your turn now... and here's what you have to do: 

The Basic Rules of the Leibster Award are as follows:
1. Thank the person who nominated you and post a link to their blog in your blog post. 
2. Display an image of the Liebster Award in your blog post.
2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer 11 questions provided to you by the person who nominated you.
4. Nominate 5-11 blogs that you feel deserve the award and have less than 300 followers.
5. Create a new list of 11 questions for the bloggers you've nominated to answer.
6. Let the bloggers you've nominated know you've nominated them.
7. List the rules for the Leibster Award in your post.

Banned Authors Make Booker's Short List

It's always great when something happens in the writing world; and what's better is when you read about authors whose books are banned make it to the short lists of a big international competition.  Today, I read about this on the net and am proud to put the link up here.

Booker Prize Short Lists Banned Writers 

Until my next post, happy reading!

Karen Tyrrell's Book Launch

Tonight, I was out at the Logan North Library at the book launch of 'Me & Her: A Memoir of Madness' by Karen Tyrrell.  I arrived there at around 5:30pm and was greeted by Karen herself and a few people she had been working with to make the book take off as well as her charming husband who was working hard behind the scenes putting piles of the books out on the tables for people to buy.  And as I've been watching her from across cyberspace and through Facebook work on her book, I'm pleased to see it in real life finally!

Once I had gotten myself a cup of coffee and some nibblies found there were other kindred spirits amongst us (other writers that is) we were all asked to sit and the Lord Mayor, Pam Parker, stepped up to the dais to make the first speech for the night; and to launch Karen's book.  Karen then took over and told us how the idea for the book came to her and why she wrote it.  She spoke on how working in a school where she was bullied by parents and students caused her to have a mental break; taking her through the frightening world of the medical and psychiatric system.

And after she read some choice pieces from her book, she left the rest to us to read!  Of course, I bought a copy and she has signed it for me.  I'm looking forward to reading it soon as well.

Once Karen finished her speech, she cut the 'Me & Her' chocolate cake and was off signing books for everyone! I had a great time at this book launch and can't wait to read the book!  
And to celebrate Karen's success, I've got four bookmarks of 'Her & Me' that I picked up at the launch to give away.  The first four to comment here are the winners!  Until my next post, happy reading! 

Another Award

I've received another award! And I have Too Many Books, Too Little Time to thank for it.

Seeing I've already awarded my share of bloggers with this award already. I think I'll just say thank you very much and let you all know I have received this one again.

I still have it in the side bar too.

Oh! My First Award! Now It's Other People's Turns!

The rules are:

Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I won my first ever award from : Aye.me?

http://reversingthemonotony.blogspot.com/



I will now pass this award onto these wonderful blogs I have discovered:

betty's books

How Books Got Their Titles

JDP News

Lotus Reads

Notes From A Hospital Bed

Reading My Life Away

Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys

SeeSEQLD

Shaunie's Happy Place

The New Dork Review of Books

The Ranting Teenager

Thoughts of A Fancy Horse

Last Page Turned

Turned Pages' Books

Misfit Salon