Book Blogger Appreciation Week - Day 5

For the final day of BBAW, Amy has given us the following topic:

Setting Goals!
Write in 50 words or less…what do you like best about your blog right now and where would you like your blog to be a year from now?


I feel good about the ways my blog has evolved over the past year. From only posting once or twice a week to nearly every day; from posts that depended heavily on memes to primarily original material; from just a handful of readers to an average of 50 visits per day, I think I'm heading in the right direction. I'm especially proud of my feature, 451 Fridays, and hope to be able to continue that series for many weeks to come. Of course, I would like to improve my writing and reviewing skills, and hope to be better at engaging in the community of book bloggers, specifically by becoming a better commenter and a more involved participant. Mostly, though, a year from now I hope to still love book blogging. I want to continue looking forward to figuring out what I'm going to say each day. I want to keep enjoying the discovery of a great new blog to read. I do this because I love it, and I hope I still feel that way for BBAW 2010!


(And yes, I realize this is WAY over 50 words - apparently, I need to set a goal of being more concise, too! *grin*)

I've had such fun this week writing the BBAW posts, and reading all of yours. Thanks so much to the BBAW powers-that-be for putting together a great week. Three cheers for book blogging!

Book Blogger Appreciation Week - Day 4

Today's BBAW assignment is to review a book that you read thanks to another book blogger. I'm excited about this one - I've been saving this review just for this event, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you!


A couple of months ago, I was scanning through my Google reader, and happened upon a post with my name in it. What??? I looked closer, and saw that Cathy, from Constance Reader, had dedicated a review to me. We had discovered a shared love of books set in boarding schools, and when she read this book she thought of me. I was SOO excited - no one had ever done that before! So, of course, I immediately had to find a copy of the book she had reviewed, and boy was it a good one.

Gossip of the Starlings by Nina de Gramont
published 6/08
276 pages



Constance Reader's review


Synopsis from publisher -

When Catherine Morrow is admitted to the Esther Percy School for Girls, it's on the condition that she reform her ways. But that's before the charismatic and beautiful Skye Butterfield, daughter of the famous Senator Butterfield, chooses Catherine for her best friend. Skye is a young woman hell-bent on a trajectory of self-destruction, and she doesn't care who is taken down with her. No matter the transgression--a stolen credit card, a cocaine binge, an affair with a teacher, an accident that precipitates the end of Catherine's promising riding career--Catherine can neither resist Skye's spell nor stop her downward spiral.

My thoughts -

Here's what this book was like - imagine Gossip Girl, set in the early 80s, with REALLY good writing. It has that same guilty pleasure quality that Gossip Girl has, with it's rich teenagers and their soap-opera-esque lifestyles. Catherine is the bad girl desperately trying to clean up her act, and Skye is the damaged, irresistible friend Catherine can't quite seem to shake. I can't say I especially liked either of these two girls - this is not the type of book you keep reading because you form such a connection with a main character. I spent a considerable amount of time wanting to throttle both of them, for their superior attitudes and reckless ways. But there was something about them that compelled me to keep reading, compelled me to find out how their stories would play out.


And I did enjoy the writing. Nina de Gramont has a beautiful way with words, and despite the fact that I didn't truly connect with the characters, she made me feel their emotions - the insecurity, and invincibility, and betrayal. I also found her use of Shel Silverstein's poem, Forgotten Language, to be especially effective in evoking the sense of a lost time, a period in the narrator's life that she couldn't ever get back.

"The rain fell, Bloom twitching her ears in protest. Without being commanded the horse shifted around and began heading toward home. A lump in my throat swelled with sorrow and relief at my own undeservedness. I could never have predicted it could feel so painful. So grand and enormous. So unexpected and inevitable. To be forgiven."

As a caution, there is a LOT of drug use in this novel. A LOT. It's interesting that the author set the story in the 80s, because it seems to me that is the only way her characters could have gotten away with some of the things they do - like smuggling cocaine back home from Venezuela in their jacket pocket. About halfway through, I was pretty tired of it - yes, I know, the kids are engaging in debauchery. Just like the last chapter, and the chapter before, and all the ones before. So if you have a low tolerance for that, seriously do NOT pick up this book.

But I have to say, I did enjoy this read. The time flew by as I was engrossed in these characters lives - it was a bit like an accident, where you know you shouldn't look, but can't help yourself. If you are looking for a book that reads like a guilty pleasure novel, but is actually well written, you might want to check this one out.

Cathy, thanks for giving me the heads up about this novel - the next time I stumble across a good boarding school story, I'll be sure to let you know!

(As a completely random aside, when my husband was a wee little lad, his parents almost sent him to Philips Exeter. Of course, I'm glad he didn't, because the likelihood of our meeting would have been pretty slim, but I admit in the back of my mind, I was thinking, "Wow, that would be so cool!")

Book Blogger Appreciation Week - Day 3

Today's BBAW post is a fun reading meme. Amy has encouraged us to answer the questions creatively, so I've found a few pictures to illustrate my answers. Enjoy!







Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
















Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?








How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?












Laying the book flat open?
















Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

















Hard copy or audiobooks?






















If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?




















What are you currently reading?














What is the last book you bought?












Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?














Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?


























Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?













Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?













How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)















Well, that was a little like a scavenger hunt. Hope you enjoyed my answers! Make sure to stop by the BBAW website to see how everyone else answered!