BBAW - Future Treasures

I want to first off thank all the participants of Blogmania for stopping by and wow, I gained 60 followers without even requiring them to follow, which just feels fantastic. I'll have winners posted later today.

Also, sorry about the lack of Link a Contest Thursday - I think most of us had our hands full with Blogmania. It will be up next week!

So, it's been a great year on my blog and I always know what I want to do more of. So, here what I want to work on for the future:

• More reviews. I tend to be on and off with this and I think I may add some features that will let me post about books I love every week instead of relying on what I've read and getting reviews posted ASAP. So you get a peak at what I like and then also what I'm reading.
• Keeping up. I can be a moody blogger some weeks and I just need to train myself to keep up with all my features and reviews. I do try to read as much as possible so I usually have plenty to review on the blog.
• Commenting more. This is sort of the reason I created The Sunday Blues - I need a way to push me to comment more on the blogs I love. I may set up some sort of checklist for the blog to do daily or weekly if possible.

So those are my goals. I really had fun this year, keeping up with features, creating new ones... and just reading more than I had last year at this point. I started this blog to share my reviews and love for reading and I hope to keep doing that in the coming year.
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BBAW 2010 - Forgotten Treasure

Well, this is really tough to pick one... I have a bazillion I could talk about. Well, I will compromise. I shall pick two awesome books/series that you really should read.

The first is Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block. This book is the combined edition of all of her Weetzie Bat books. I love nearly all of Francesca's books, but these were the first I read and left the biggest impact.

Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books
by Francesca Lia Block

Summary:
Love is a dangerous angel...Francesca Lia Block's luminous saga of interwoven lives will send the senses into wild overdrive. These post-modern fairy tales chronicle the thin line between fear and desire, pain and pleasure, cutting loose and holding on in a world where everyone is vulnerable to the most beautiful and dangerous angel of all: love.

What I love about this series:
The style is out of this world. There's a bazillion issues dealt with - such as homosexuality, single mothers, AIDs and more. This book will transport you to a world like ours only so different. I really just recommend reading them - there's magic in Block's words that can only be discovered through reading her books.


And the second is...



Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jackie" Faber, Ship's Boy

by L.A. Meyer

Summary (from Goodreads.com):
Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas. There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she must use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret.

My goodreads review (from September, 2007):
I loved this book. There's some romance, a lot of cussin' and some action too! I just loved it and can't wait to start on the next one in the series. I enjoyed how it was written in a way that showed her accent and progressed as she started to talk more properly. A must read for adventure and pirate lovers.


Recent thoughts (aka. why you need to read this!): I have read all but the latest in this series and lately I've been having an ache to finally get around to reading the last one. And why is that? I need some serious adventure, wittiness, and a bit of romance in my read. These books deliver all of that and more. This series mixes some historical events with the insanely adventurous life of Mary "Jackie" Faber - an orphan who goes from being homeless to pretending to be a boy on a ship for the British army and then later on in the books revealing herself for who she is and gaining her own reputation as quite the swashbuckling criminal.

If you are in desperate need of some high-seas, historical, or simply witty and whimsical adventure.. this is your book. You will NOT regret reading this series.. well you might.. because you'll probably be dying for the next book.. and then the next.. and the next..

Read. This. Book.

Read both of these series! They won't disappoint! :)
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BBAW 2010 - Unexpected Treasure

So, this is a tough one for me... I'm going to go with an easy way out I think. Erica from The Book Cellar was really pushing me to read The Iron King this summer - a book I would have read eventually, but I think her badgering really made me read it asap.

I really enjoyed it and was glad I finally got around to reading it. I'm sort of a moody reader so I don't always have a plan to what I read and I'm definitely thankful Erica kicked me in the butt and made me pick up this awesome book.

Summary (via Goodreads):

Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined--the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series.

Read my review here.

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BBAW 2010 - First Treasure

So today is the beginning of Book Blogger Appreciation Week! :) Check out the BBAW site if you have no clue what the heck I'm talking about.

Today, bloggers were invited to share a blog they discovered this past year and why they keep going back to that blog.

So, one of my goodreads buddies Allison starting blogging this past year and I really love hearing her thoughts on books since we read a ton of the same books. She's fun to talk to and I just love stopping by her blog - The Allure of Books.


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BBAW!

So, I figured I should throw my hat (aka blog) into the running for Book Blogger Appreciation Week. I decided I'd go for Best Young Adult Book Blog and Best Written Book Blog.

If you haven't registered yet, you can go to the Book Blogger Appreciation Week homepage to start the process. I'm kind of running behind and the registration closes Wednesday, July 7th!

For Best Young Adult Book Blog, I feel as though these five posts really spell out why my blog is a good, if not Best, Young Adult Book Blog:

• My review of Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson.
• My review of Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce.
• My review of Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon.
• My first Author Safari.
• My first Recommend Me post.
  

For Best Written Book Blog, I feel as though these five posts really spell out why my blog is a well, if not Best, Written Book Blog:

• My review of Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson.
• My review of Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce.
• My review of Dark Life by Kat Falls.
• My post during National Library Week.
• One of my Holiday Break Reading Challenges.
  

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The TBR Pile

Well, in honor of BBAW week, people are posting pictures of their to-be-read piles. And I have a poll up about how many books you think I have on my TBR pile.

These pictures below may give you a better picture of what the answer will be.

No library books included and all the pictures are of the same stack.. if it were four different ones, I'd really be in trouble!

And there's a few more on their way already! Gah!

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BBAW Interview Exchange - Ulat Buku in the City

For BBAW, I was set up to Interview another blogger and well, I'm a little late, but here it is! One cool thing about Natasha that I learned is we're getting married on the SAME DAY this year! How crazy is that! Oct. 24th. :)

What's your name? Natasha
Alias? My closest friends call me Tash but online I'm known as Ms Ulat Buku
Your Blog Name? Ulat Buku in the City. Ulat Buku is Malay for Book Worm. :)
Your Blog URL? http://ulatbukuinthecity.blogspot.com

Can you give us a quick bio about yourself?
I am a stressed out Account Director in the advertising industry who enjoys reading as a form of escapism from reality (deep no?) LOL. Truly, I am a simple gal who loves city living and loves reading and meeting new people with the same interest. My hours at work are too long and I indulge in book shopping sprees during the weekends as a form of retail therapy... Borders absolutely LOVE me!

What's on your nightstand right now?
OMG. Lets not go there... there's way too many to mention but I am currently reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Am on page 96 and am enjoying the book so far.

When did you start your blog?
One year ago. Its my blogiversary this month, I can't believe I lasted this long!

What is your favorite genre(s)?
Fiction mostly but Beth Fish Reads has got me hooked on vampire fiction. Started reading Sookie and also have Vampire Diaries on my TBR list right now. I also love reading YA books.

Who is your favorite author?
Ooooo this is tough, if I can only choose one I'd choose Neil Gaiman.

What's your favorite book of all time?
Right now, its the Time Travelers Wife. I highly recommend everyone to read it!

What book do you wish you could read all over again for the first time?
The Time Traveler's Wife and maybe the Book Thief.

What are your blog features?
The blog is only one year old so I haven't been able to develop it to the fullest. I'm hoping to write more about city living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Can you describe your review system?
I don't really have a system. Its either I like it or I dont but I normally look at content, plot, style and whether these elements succeed in engaging my interest throughout.

How is your blog unique?
Well, other than reviewing books I also include updates on my experience living in KL City.

How do you market your blog?
Through other social media, twitter, myspace, technorati etc. But I find the best was to market my blog is to communicate with other book review bloggers directly. If they like my content then normally we'll stay in touch to exchange views and ideas which is a big bonus cause I'm always looking to make new friends and exchange new ideas.

I want to thank Natasha for being awesome about this sort of last minute interview I did. I've been so busy with the wedding and new job stuff, I kept on forgetting I had signed up to do this!

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Hush, Hush contest winner, BBAW, and tons of Awards

Alright, I usually am VERY prompt about ending contests. But not today. I was busy getting my wedding dress fitted, running errands, having lunch with a friend, and then seeing a movie with my fiance - we saw Inglorious Basterds - which was AMAZING! I was.. however.. surprised by the amount of old couples out to see it. I know it has the same title as an older movie, but supposedly is NOT a remake. *shrugs* I've never seen the other one.

Anyways, so I drew a winner just now and let her know. So I figured I'd let you guys know!

#1017 Ju!

Congrats to Ju! I've sent you an email asking for your address! :-D.


Next topic! I want to thank EVERYONE who even thought of nominated or did nominate me for the BBAW awards. I was nominated in FIVE - I know, amazing right? - categories. Best New Blogger, Best YA Book Blogger, Best Writing, Best Commentor, and Most Prolific.

Thanks guys!

Okay, now I have been VERY bad about accepting awards lately. I actually have been given 8 or 9 different awards by various bloggers. Some are duplicates and some are new. So I'm going to start with the new ones first and then go to the ones I've technically already gotten - which, I really don't mind getting again.

One Lovely Blog Award

Thank you to The Neverending Shelf and Tynga's Urban Fantasy Reviews for nominating me!

These are the rules:

1. 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.

2. Pass the award to other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

My nominees:
Book Dragon's Lair
Books and Literature for Teens
Twin Pigeon
Tales of Whimsy
Running for Fiction
A Place for Wicked Good Books
The Undercover Book Lover (not really)

Bingo's Beautiful Award

Thank you to The Eclectic Reader for nominating me for this award!

This award was started by Bookin With BINGO and here are the rules:

This "B-I-N-G-O" BEAUTIFUL BLOG AWARD means that this blog is...

B: Beautiful
I: Informative
N: Neighborly
G: Gorgeous
O: Outstanding

Please look carefully at as many blogs as you can to find the top FIVE blogs that YOU think also exemplify these standards and pass it along to them. Please don't break this chain of FIVE! If you are someone who doesn't want awards or doesn't pass them on, please tell the person who is giving it so they can share it with someone who would want it. Thank you. Also, link your award to the person who gave it to you so when people link on the person's name or blog name, it will take them there to see that person's BINGO-RIFFIC BLOG.

My nominees:
A Flight of Minds
The Neverending Shelf
Good Books & Good Wine
Mrs. Magoo Reads
The Book Explorer

Alright. That was hard.. really, always is.

Now, here are some awards I got for a second/third time. I'm not going to nominate more people, but I wanted to thank those bloggers for nominating me!

The Zombie Chicken Award

Thanks to Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm for this award!

The Lemonade Award

Thank you to La Femme Readers, That Chick That Reads, and Feed Your Imagination for this award!


The Me to You Award

Thank you to A Reader's Adventure for this award!


Super Comments Award

Thank you to Red House Books for this award!


The Hearthfelt Award
Thank you to Romantic Harbor for this award!

If, for some reason, you gave me an award and I didn't post about, please let me know. Email or comment. :)

I'll try next time not to let them pile up so high! I swear!

Thanks again to these amazing bloggers who nominated my blog for awards. :)

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