Armchair BEA Day One: Introducing...Me! #ArmchairBEA

Welcome to Day 1 of Armchair BEA! I am so excited to be participating this year again and am looking forward to meeting new people and find out about new books :-)

Armchair BEA is a virtual event for book bloggers who are unable to make Book Expo America, BEA Bloggers Conference and Book con to be able to talk books with other bloggers and publishers and runs simultaneously with these three events.


below is my introduction post.  I have tried to answer as many questions as possible and visiting other day 1 blogs and 'meeting' some other bloggers and readers.

1.  What is the name you prefer to use?

 

I usually go by either Sapphired Dragon or sometimes Nikk/s which is closer to my actual name. I find more and more I am going by Nikk rather than Sapphired Dragon however  I do sign my reviews as Sapphired Dragon.

 

2.  How long have you been a book blogger?

 

I first started book blogging in 2010 so about 6 years now.  It has been a bit of an ebb an flow over that 6 years with a few little breaks from time to time when Real Life has taken over for a bit but I still love reading and review books so hope to continue doing for a lot longer.

 

3.  Have you participated in ABEA before?

 

I have participated in ABEA about 3-4 times now I think.  Some years I have been more involved than others depending on what else was going on in my life and how organised I was.  Hoping to be quite involved this year :-)

 

4.  Do you have a favorite book? If you cannot choose a favorite book of all time, pick your favorite book today - just this second. Remember that favorites are allowed to change if something affects you deeply enough.

 

My favourite book of all time is The Ancient Future by Traci Harding. I was a similar age to the main character of this story when I first picked it up and it had all my favourite fantasy elements - time travel, Celtic Royalty, Magic and romance.  As a fan of the series and the author I joined the main forum for the series and have made some wonderful friendships which have endured to this day.

 

This book also changed my life in inspiring me to take control of my own future and the power of both positive thinking and trusting in the universe. A lot of where I am today is because of this book and the people I have met as a result.

 

5.  What is your favorite genre and why?

My favourite genre is probably YA urban fantasy.  I love a story that mixes magic with the every day non magical world

 

 

 

6.  How do you arrange your bookshelves? Is there a rhyme or reason? Or not at all? (#ABEAShelfie)

I currently only have 1 1/2 book shelves due to an unfortunate mishap last time we moved and in the process of getting some more so for the moment the book shelf space I do have is reserved for special books and favourite authors or pretty books that I thin should be on display.  Generally I shelve hard covers on the half shelf on display and paperbacks on the main shelf organised with al books form particular publishers group together and then in series and author. 

 

 

7.  What book are you most excited for on your TBR? What are you most intimidated by?

I am extremely excited for The Crown by Kiera Cass and the Problem with Forever by Jennifer Armentrout.  I have pre-ordered both and am anxiously waiting for them to be released and delivered.  I even made a Waiting On Wednesday post for The Crown! :-)

I am most intimidated by The Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard and Truthwitch by Susan Dennard.  I am not quite sure why.  Maybe because I have such pretty hard cover editions that I am afraid of ruining them.  Either way saying have been sitting, though sitting very prettily, on my TBR for a while.

 

Well that's all from me for the moment.  I am now off to visit some of you so please let me know you have poped by so I can come visit!

 

#ArmchairBEA 2015 Day One: Introductions and Library Love

Hi everyone!

I am so excited to be taking part in Armchair BEA this year and can't believe its here already. It's been a couple of years  since I last participated so I was planning to be all organised this year but time has gotten away from me so we will see how we go.

Today's day 1 topics are introductions and Library Love. I really do love my local library. My three year old and I are there at least once a week picking up books for one or both of us.  Unfortunately my local librarians declined to be interviewed which was a shame but I still love my library and will talk a little more about it further down the page but first I get to talk more about me :-)

Tell us a bit about yourself: How long have you been blogging? Where are you from? How did you get into blogging?

My name is Nikk, I am from Sydney, Australia and I have been blogging for just 4 years now. I actually got the idea to start a blog after attending a lecture at the Australian Fitness expo in 2011. The person giving the lecture (which was mainly attended by personal trainers) was about increasing the fitness profile by blogging about fitness and how to get started. Now whilst I knew I couldn't blog knowledgeably about fitness, and with my love of writing, the idea of starting a blog really appealed to me and what better to blog about than the thing I spend the majority of my spare time doing or talking about: Reading. It has taken me a while to get myself established and even now, there are times when real life makes it hard but I still love it and really want to grow my blog further.

This is a picture of me meeting the lovely Rachel Vincent. One of the authors, whose books I love to read.

Why do you love reading and blogging?

I have always been a reader. For as long as I can remember. There is nothing like getting yourself lost in a book and taken away from reality for a while. In some ways, I liken reading to meditation, at least for me. It relaxes me and takes me to that zen place. When you you turn the last page of a good book and then close it, it can be like waking up from a dream and sometimes it might take you a minute or two to get your bearings again and for a little while after that you mind may linger in the world of the book as you mull over the events and story that took place. This is why i love reading.

With blogging I get to write about what I am reading. Share my thoughts without worrying whether the person I am talking to actually cares that i am distraught as the main characters soul mate has taken from her in a series of tragic coincidences or that she has battled 5 monsters, challenged two gods and overcome 101 hurdles to get them back.
I also get to participate in a community with other people who share my love of reading and whether it be gushing about our latest read or titles received or impatiently awaiting the next book in our favourite series, its nice to have other people I can talk books too and get recommendations for new reads.

Lastly love being able to give my those books I love and the authors that wrote them a little bit more recognition and promote them by giving them honest reviews be they good or better. I don't generally write reviews for books I consider less than 3 stars.

What is your favorite genre and why?

I am a bit of mixed bag when it comes to favourite genre. Generally when answering off the top of my head, I will tell you Urban fantasy because I enjoy reading books about magic or fantasy stories with a more urban real life setting however my mood often decides the genre I will read and I also go through phases of reading everything i can get my hand on in just one type of genre before growing bored or having an entirely different genre spark my interest.

Generally most genres I read run along a similar vein so other genres like paranormal, paranormal romance, romantic contemporary and high fantasy are my life blood with my reading predominantly being in the YA/NA territory though I will read adult novels and the occasional historical fiction also if the story takes my fancy.

For me reading is an escape from the real world so the genres I read tend to reflect that.This picture is a typical library haul with its mixture of YA,NA and adult

What book are you reading right now?

I am currently reading Nowhere but Here (Thunder Road #1) by Katie McGarry and really enjoying it. Hoping to get my review up for it this week.

What is the top book in your TBR pile?

The book that is at the top of my TBR pile is Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. I have received the second book in the series to review so am reading this one first. Here is a picture of it with the next two books on my TBR list

Library Love

As I mentioned above,  I love my library!  I have been a member there now for 5 years and my daughter and I make weekly trips to one of its branches to pick up books to read.
As well as being a very well stocked library with many of the latest reads available to be borrowed, they also do awesome thing in the community as well as have the occasional book event also such as hosting a signing event for author Lauren Kate, author of Fallen and Teardrop series, whilst she was visiting Australia.
They also run Baby Rhyme time for 0-2 year olds and story time for 2-4 year olds.  This was a godsend for me when my daughter was a baby.  It was a way for me to get out of the house, get new reading material, meet other mothers with young children and Buffy loved the singing and intro to books.  My daughter already loves reading and its an important part of our night time routine and this Baby rhyme time was the perfect way to introduce her.

They also do cool promotions like Mystery date books on Valentines Day where you would pick up a wrapped book as your mystery date and have no idea what it was until you got home and unwrapped it.  Unfortunately the date I randomly chose was not really up my alley but I still thought the idea was cool and when Leonard Nemoy passed away earlier they put up a star trek display in his honour.



Lastly they do a whole lot of other awesome stuff for the community like tutoring and study programs for chool age children, they have a justice of the peace come in once a week and regular groups for all sorts of other book, film or community related things.
My library forms an integral part of my community and I want to say thank you for the job they do.
As mentioned, the librarians at my library declined to be interview for this post but I would love to hear from other librarians and library assistants around the world for a follow up post in a week or two.
If you can spare the time, please pop across to my interview page here and answer a few questions.  Don't forget to let me know what country you are from as it would be great to compare and contrast libraries in diferent states and countries and find out more about them.

Hope you enjoyed my day one post and I can't wait to go check out everyone else's posts! don't be afraid to let me know you been by :-)

#ArmchairBEA Day Four: Children's Literature

Hello again and thanks for coming back.

I have been waiting all week for this topic and still somehow managed to not schedule this post earlier LOL!

As the mother of a 14 month old, one of the biggest things I am looking forward to, as she grows up, is all the fantastic books I plan to introduce her to.  In this post I am going to talk about what we are reading now, what I plan to introduce her to in the future  as well as my childhood favourites and what YA I read now.  Sorry, but I did mention that I was really excited about this topic :-)

We have been going to the library since B was about 6 weeks old and when she was about 6-7 months I started borrowing books to read her.  Now I read to her every night and often before her naps (if we are at hoime ) as well.

At the moment we are on board books.  For those who don't know what a board book is.  It is basically a book with cardboard or more sturdy type pages (rather than paper).  At this stage B is more likely to eat or scrunch or even scarier, rip out the page of a regular paper page picture book so board books are much better choice right about now.

At the moment B likes books that have bright pictures, pictures of babies and in particular books with different sorts of textures for her to feel.  Some of her favourites ( and by favourites these are the books she will flick through the pages and make me read to her 6-10 times in a row) are Rockin Babies, That's Not My Elephant, Busy Baby and really any of the That's not my... collection.

At this age, she is not particularly interested in the story and its all about the pictures and feel of the book and really the less words the better though she is slowly starting to pay more attention to the words and understanding the fact that in books, the words stay the same no matter how many times it is read.

I can't wait for her to get a little older and start to enjoy the story a little more.  I already have a number of Little Golden books for her to read from the more Modern ones (i.e. Thor, Captain America, Incredible Hulk) to the classic Golden Books such as The Saggy Baggy Elephant, Pinocchio and Peter Pan.

There are also a number of authors that I definitely would like B to get to experience as she gets a little older e.g. Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl.  Stories such as the Magic Faraway Tree, Secret Seven, Famous Five (all by Enid Blyton) and books by Roald Dahl such as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Witches, Not to mention Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes that wetted my apetite for fantasy and magic and adventure and well...reading

There are so many other amazing children's books out there that i got to read while growing up that could literally spend forever listing them all so I will now list 5 of my favourite authors or series growing up






1. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

I adored this series as a tween/early teen.  I read and re-read this series over and over again.  I think this might be where I first got my interest in King Arthur and Wales.  When I found out we were going to study this book in Eighth grade, I was over the moon as I already knew it back to front and virtually every word of it.  Needless to say, that was definitely one of my better English marks :-) I also re-read this series a couple of years ago so it certainly stands the test of time




2.  Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

When I was young, you have no idea how much I longer for Peter Pan to choose my window to fly in and to take me to Neverland.  This was one story that fired my incredibly vivid imagination like no other.  I love all incarnations of Peter Pan and read all sort sorts of incarnations and seen most of the related movies including both seeing and reading the book Hook by terry brooks :-)






3. Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery

Another one of those series that stays with you forever.  I loved and re-read all 8 books in the series time and time.  This series starts with little red headed orphan Anne who is taken in by Marilla and Matthew of Green Gables and spans all the way through to the lives and loves of her children during World War I.  This is set in Canada on Prince Edward Island and you can actually visit Green Gables !  Unfortunately I have never gotten to visit myself but I got a postcard from Green Gables from a good friend who visited in 2011.  I also loved her other series Emily of New Moon.




4. Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton wrote so many amazing series that I enjoyed as a child, The Magic Faraway Tree, The Secret Seven, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, The Naughtiest Girl in School and the Famous Five among other series igniting my love of mysteries and of places far away and magic and well boarding school stories :-).  The Widget below shows just some of her marvellous stories

5. Roald Dahl

Another amazing and prolific author I loved growing up was Roald Dahl.  I adored Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Eleveator and meeting Oompa Loompas and Vermicious Knids and then reading about Witches and Big Friendly Giants and Boys named James who gets stuck in a giant peach not to mention the very smart matilda who learns to move things with her mind.  Ropald dahl had an amazing imagination which he brought with the broad range of books he wrote and even more awesome sense of humour which we see with his Revolting Rhymes which tell the classic fairy tales like the three pigs and red riding hood but with a twist and in Rhyme.  These are stories I will definitely be passing down to my daughter.

I have missed so many great children's books like What katy Did by Susan Coolidge and Little Women by Louisa may Alcott, author/illustrators like Beatrix Potter and classics like Wind in the Willows, Black Beauty by Ann sewell and I could literally spend a day listing all of them but I would never finish this post so I will leave it here.  What are your favourite children's books?  Which ones will you pass on to your kids or would you recommend to get a child into reading?  I really hope my daughter continues to read so she gets to experience all the wonderful worlds and roads I have travelled in the books I have read.

#ArmchairBEA Day Three: Giveaways & Literature

Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads

Welcome to Day 3 of Armchair BEA.  Today topic is Literature and there is also a giveaway below so please continue reading!

When I sat down to write about this topic, I very quickly realised I know very little about it!  So first off I googled the term Literary Fiction and according to Wikipedia, Literary Fiction " is a term principally used for certain fictional works that are claimed to hold literary merit." It goes on to say that to be considered literary fiction, works must be "critically acclaimed" or "serious".

This made me a little worried because as mentioned in yesterday's post on Blogger Development & Genre Fiction, these days I read for relaxation and escape so I don't often real serious books or hard subjects etc ( at least not lately) but I studied English in High School and briefly at University so I figure I must have read some at some point.

So my next port of call was to look up some examples of literary fiction with the view I could use this as a jumping off point for my post. My first stop, Goodreads top 100 literary Novels of all time.  This made me smile with relief as many of these books I have most definitely read before :-) As I scrolled through the list, I noticed many classics there and as I kept scrolling i realised that less and less of them I had read.  In total I had read 13 from the list of 100 titles (oops). 

To try and make myself feel better the next thing I looked at was the Goodreads Shelf Modern Literary Fiction thinking maybe I had fared better with that list...Nope! Bearing in mind I only looked at the first couple of pages, this time there was only 1 or 2 on the list I had read.

So concluding that when it comes to literary fiction, I really do have to admit to knowing nothing I figure the best I can do is feature a few books in one or both of these lists that I would like to read one day.  I will admit though most of these I have probably heard of because there has been a movie made of it though I haven't actually seen all of them:

1. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak


I was lucky enough to meet see Marcus Zusak and the Sydney Writers festival about 3 years ago.  Among other things, he spoke about this novel and I have been meaning to read it ever since. Set in germany during World War II, this book has been acclaimed all around the world so definitely is on my list of one day reads.






2. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

This came out as a movie in the last 12 months and both the movie and the book have been critically acclaimed plus I love tigers :-)  So this is on my one day read list.

3. Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Set in the 17th century, this book was made into a movie a number of years ago starring Scarlett Johannsen.  Heard many many good things about this book and plan to get round to reading it one day








4.  American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Author Neil Gaimann has been recommended to me by many many of my friends and this book in particular.  I have even looked at it at the library but never quite gotten round to borrowing it.  Amond the awards this book has won is the Bram stoker Award in 2001 and the Hugo Award for best Novel in 2002







5. The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Everyone I know that has read this novel has recommended it as a must read and this book is still topping lists of bestselling books.  However given the subject matter, I am not sure I am ready to read this just yet. I will read this one day...when I am ready.







So that is my top 5 Literary Fiction novels to read.  In the above widgets are pictures of other novels I have either read or plan to read one day.

Last but not least, the giveaway.  I thought about giving away a work of literary fiction, maybe one of my top 5 then decided to leave it to the winner to decide what they would like to read.  

So open to all entrants that Book Depository delivers to or can receive e-books from Amazon, the winner of this giveaway will win book/s to the value of $10.  Please note that if you choose to receive anything other than a kindle e-book from Amazon then shipping charges will be included as part of the $10.

Just cross your fingers and follow the instructions on the rafflecopter form below :-)

Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway