Tuesday, September 15, 2009

BBAW Interview

Welcome, fellow knaves! It is Book Blogger Appreciation Week, and that means there are a couple of interviews for you to read. The one on this page has me interviewing the author of Mom-Musings. She is one heck of a blogger and book reviewer, and she was good enough to answer all my questions. To read the half where I got interviewed, just visit her site because it should be up sometime today. To see what other interviews are going on this week, just visit the BBAW page. Enjoy!

Q: First off, how about you tell us a bit about yourself?
A: I'm Deanna - wife to my husband for the 20 years, Mom to six children (19,14,12,10,6 and 3), Labor and Delivery Nurse for the past 13 years. Those are my defining job titles. Myself, I love horses (do not own one but used to work with them throughout my teen years), photography (need to spiff up this skill area...on my list of things but I easily fall back on my son's knowledge to help me out),listening to music (especially listening to those I deem talented - however that is defined), reading...yes indeed...I am an avid reader. I will say, I grew up reading. Always had a book. My twenties and early thirties brought down time in the area of fiction reading as I home schooled my children and read parenting and schooling type books. This last year, my avid reading self has come back in full force. There are so many books that it boggles my mind...

Q: Your blog is called Mom-Musings. I understand you have six (!) children. How did you get into blogging, and what do you do when you're not reading or blogging?
A: Okay...I started blogging for my own family sake. I love the idea of journaling but never kept with it. Not only that, the journals that I did start seemed to be lost in some box back in some dusty corner. I figured that blogging was a good way to journal while at the same time it stays in the same place. I blogged about my family for my out-of-town family would stay updated on our happenings. Last summer my blogging started to change a bit. I started joining some on-line book clubs which then lead to my book reviews. I also enjoy the layout process as when I originally went to college I was going in the direction of photography and graphic arts. Hmm...that changed a bit. Anyways, outside of blogging or reading, I am busy working, laundry, cooking, cleaning, playing, outdoor stuff and doing activities with the kids.

Q: You're also a very dedicated blogger, with frequent posts. It's a trait I envy. What is your secret?
A: Secret? No secret, except that it seems to be a high interest of mine, at the moment. When I am done reading a book, I immediately write down my thoughts. That helps for my reviews. If I wait too long there is a risk that I will forget some details and/or lose my enthusiasm. I tend to write up my posts early in the morning or late at night. The other part that keeps me thriving is the book blogging community. I really like the connections that I have been making, very fun.

Q: I notice that you do book giveaways? When did that start, and how did you get into it?
A: I only have just started with book giveaways. I do it hesitantly because I know that my blog is not a high-traffic blog and worry that my giveaway post will be ignored. *smile* Interesting enough, I do have other bloggers participating in my giveaways. Whew! Thanks Goodness. I decided to host giveaways because I have way too many books in my home. I thought it would be a good way to share with others some books that I love but do not necessarily need to keep in my house. Currently, I have a book by Michelle Moran, The Heretic Queen, as a giveaway. Michelle is making this giveaway possible. I have several other book giveaway ideas planned. Ultimately, I am having fun with the giveaway as I love sharing and spreading around books to others.

Q: What is the 100+ Challenge?
A: The 100+ Reading Challenge is hosted by J.Kaye's Book Blog. The idea of this challenge is to try and read 100 or more books during the year 2009.

Q: It's the middle of Spember, so you have 3 and a half months to go before the deadline. How do you think you'll do by the end?
A: I have done well. I have read, to date, 138 books for the year 2009. I do not have an end-goal number because my initial thought was to try and read 100 books. Actually, I am a bit embarrassed by the amount of books I have read. Why? I know that I read fast. I also know that some people think I am a bitty nutty with all the books I have read. These people are my IRL peeps who humorously crack jokes. Love their "lack of understanding" for they truly are the ones missing out...ha! All good fun.
The coolest thing about my avid-reading is that I have seen my older girls flourish in the reading journey. I swear, there is a direct correlation between my increase reading and their increase reading. Pretty cool!

Q: 138 books?! Wow! They'll be upping the competition because of you next year. Moving on. I know you love historical fiction, but the only novel I've read in the genre is Gates of Fire, by Stephen Pressfield. I loved it. What would you recommend for further reading?
A: Honestly, this is a tough question. I have read many wonderful historical fiction novels with most of them set in the courts of royals. Let me think...yes... I have one. I read Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton last August (2008). This book is a thought provoking book that centers in South Africa in 1946. This is a time period where there was great division amongst white people and the "natives". I will say that the first chapters were rough to get through so I gave up. With the encouragement for a friend, I gave the book another go. I am thankful that I did. Take a look at my review for further insight. Oh yes, this book is one of my first reviews. You can see how my review "layouts" have changed. It is fun to look back at older reviews.
OR
The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell - I have not read this book yet. It is on my to-read list and has been highly recommend by others that I know in real life. If you do decide to read either Cry, the Beloved Country or The Last Kingdom - please let me know what you think of the read. I really enjoy reading others opinions and takes on books that I have read as well.

Q: Hardcover, paperback, or e-book?
A: For books that I want to keep on my bookshelf for years, will re-read, and one day will want my children to read... hardcover. All other books... paperback

Q: Team Jacob or Team Edward? No, I'm just kidding. Honestly though, do we need more vampires?
A: Very cute and funny! Ha! You see, I loved...and I mean loved...the Twilight books last summer (2008). At that time, Team Edward all the way.
Seriously, now...do we need more vampires? Yes and no. I do not need more teenage-Edward type vampires. I like the paranormal genre so I do like vampires and such. Ummm... I like a good "alpha" type vamp but sometimes get a bit sick of the whole lusty romance edge. What I do like and would love a bit more of is Anne Rice's Louis!!! Interview With the Vampire is one my all-time favorite vampire books. Long answer... huh? *smile*

Q: Since this is about appreciating book bloggers, is there another book blog that you'd like to plug?
A: Yeah... there are several book blogs out there that have played an influential role of some type in my blogging. I will name three that I frequent the most although I do have about 75 book blogs in my GoogleReader. Wow! Did not realize that until just now when I counted.
5 Minutes for Books - This wonderful book blog community is where my book reviewing has truly started. I joined in their Classics Bookclub last fall. Every tuesday they hold some sort of book community event: Kid's Picks, What's On Your Nightstand?, I read it!, Book Club. They also post some fabulous book reviews. From 5 Minutes for Books I have "met" several other book bloggers and visit their sites frequently.
Queen of Happy Endings - Alaine is a fabulous blogger. I have felt a "connection" with Alaine. We tend to read the same books and genre. Her likes and dislikes tend to be the same as mine or at least hover close. She is friendly. I enjoy her blog.
Royal Reviews - Love this blog. They hold weekly book themes. Reviews, interviews, guest posts, book giveaways. They will be hosting Ancient History Week featuring Michelle Moran during the week of Sept. 13th.
Stainless Steel Droppings - This blog is newer to me. I have started visiting it more frequently. I will say, when I grow up, I would like to write like Carl.

Q: Aside from book blogging, you also participate in memes. Can you mention what you do on at least one of them?
A: Golly, which one...which one should I choose... Thursday Tunes or Wondrous Words... hmm...which one? Thursday Tunes hosted by S.Krishna's Books. I love this meme. I am discovering music that I would not otherwise heard if it were not for S.Krishna's Books. She showcases a variety of types of music. Also, there have been other participants from which I have learned about other artists as well.

Q: I liked the Camping vs. Hotels question you asked me in your interview, so now I want to know which you'd prefer.
A: Camping!! Every summer we visit Wisconsin Dells. We camp by the Wisconsin River along with my brother and his daughter. It is a lot of fun, inexpensive and I know who slept in my bedding last. When I traveled to Israel in Feb. 2009, sleeping in "hotels" was yucky. I would have rather slept in my sleeping bag with my pillow on the floor. *smile* *shrug*
We are thinking of making a trip into Canada (possibly near Quebec) next summer. Our 14 year old daughter has strong desire to live in Canada, we have a few passports that need to be utilized, so a camping trip is in order. * smile*

Q: Your daughter has good taste. Alright, it's time for lists. Best book of 2009 (so far):
A: tough one as I have several favorite books for 2009. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Q: Top 5 books you want to read:
A: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon (she is my favorite author. Can you tell? I will be attending a book tour signing on Sept 30th that I absolutely psyched about)
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Swan Maiden by Jules Watson
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Q: Top 5 books you think others should read:
A: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (I recommend the whole series)
The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Hood by Stephen Lawhead
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

****

For those of you who are not eagle-eyed readers, that list contains six books. Deanna threw one in as a freebie because she's nice like that. Aaaaand that's all we have for this interview. Once again, thank you Deanna for participating. Thank you to all the readers, and remember to check out the other half of this interview at Deanna's site. Follow us, or RSS the feed, or scribble down our URLs on a scrap of paper somewhere. Whichever you decide to do, have a great day, and see you soon!

5 comments:

gautami tripathy said...

I got here from Deanna's blog. Glad I did.

BBAW: Interviewing myself

Brimful Curiosities said...

After reading both interviews, I almost wish I had signed up to participate. You make it sound like so much fun! 138 Books? Wow!

Heather J. @ TLC Book Tours said...

DEFINITELY read Mists of Avalon - that is one of the best books ever. And The Last Kingdom (actually, the entire Saxon Chronicles series) is fantastic. I reviewed several of the books on my blog and can't say enough good things about them. (I also reviewed Gates of Fire - that one is good, but there are much better!)

Heather J. @ TLC Book Tours said...

I meant to say "these are much better", meaning the Saxon Chronicles. :)

Errant Knave said...

Gautami, Brimful, and Heather, thanks for the compliments and recommendations. I'll add the Saxon Chronicles to my list.

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