A to Z Challenge: Inspiration

If you are new to this blog, then you probably missed my participation in the A to Z Blogging Challenge in April. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot of things by participating, and I'm glad to have done so.

When I was stuck on a letter (I am thinking it was N, but I might be wrong), I decided to choose something I know well. A book-related post. And so I chose favorite authors that start with that last name. I ended up doing that for a couple of later posts, when nothing else made me happy.

And then I had a thought: I should've done this on my book blog. I mean, how much fun would it be to do an Authors from A to Z thing? But, by that point we were far enough into April that I didn't want to play catch-up.

Then the challenge ended, and I thought maybe next year I'd do it again, but on Proud Book Nerd. Then I could share my favorite authors from all over the alphabet.

And then I realized that a year is a long time to wait ...

And I thought, why couldn't I do that NOW? Create my own blogging challenge in which I challenge myself to share favorite authors for a month.

Then it occurred to me: June is my month off from scheduled reviews. I will have more time and (probably) fewer reviews to post. What a perfect month for an A to Z Authors challenge. Same number of days as April, and the posting every day except Sunday will work out perfectly!

And I have decided to go for it! I present:

the Authors from A to Z Challenge, coming to Proud Book Nerd starting on June 1.  

And I invite you to participate. If you can't think of an author for one of the days – like maybe the X day – you could share your favorite book, story, poem, book blog, or something else that has something to do with books. I even created a button:

Isn't it pretty? (Please say yes! LOL) I need to do a grab box for it, resize it, etc. Look for that coming soon both here and on PBN.

If you wanna join in, please do. I added a Linky at the bottom, and so far I'm the only one who has signed up. (So lonely!) I know at least one other person is participating, and would love it to be a fun party. (And, hey, if any authors wanna participate, drop me a line. We'll talk - hint, hint ...)

Finally, and most importantly, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to the organizers of the April challenge, as without them this never would have come to be.

A to Z Challenge: P

P = Proud Book Nerd

Yup. I'm using this as an opportunity for self-promotion. Might as well, right?

What is Proud Book Nerd?

My book blog. Over a year ago, I was posting a lot of book reviews and stuff here on Ramblings & More. And my blog started to feel quite cluttered. So I decided to make a separate blog for my bookish postings. And voila! Proud Book Nerd was born.

Earlier this month, Proud Book Nerd had its first anniversary! I cannot believe it's been a year, but it's been an awesome year. I'm so happy and pleased to be able to share my love of reading with others.

How do I share my love of reading?

Book reviews, mainly. But I also post book-related memes, such as Teaser Tuesday, an occasional giveaway, and occasional book-related chatter. And it's a blast. The book-blogging community is absolutely fantastic. We book nerds stick together! ;-)

My love of reading goes back as far as I can remember. I remember my dad reading various books to me as a kid, and me reading tons of things as soon as I was able. My love of reading stretched into college, when I majored in English (lit). It was a blast. Hard work, of course, but a blast.

Where is Proud Book Nerd?

That's easy: proudbooknerd.com. Easy to remember, easy to find. (And it's linked from here, too.)

So, if you love – or even occasionally enjoy – reading, please come join me over on Proud Book Nerd! You'll be glad you did!

Blog Journal: Day 18

Question: What do you collect?

Answer: Well, besides dust bunnies, there aren't a ton of things I collect. I guess you could say that I collect books. I love, love, LOVE reading, and OFTEN buy new books. I have TONS that I have NO IDEA when I'll actually get to read. And that's in addition to the ones I've agreed to review for my book blog, Proud Book Nerd! I also collect unicorn figurines. Not childish ones, but ones that are elegant, beautiful, breathtaking. If they have wings, even BETTER!

Up Next: A list of 20 things you love (or 20 of your favorite things).

Blog Tour & Book Review: No Greater Love

Happy Monday! I know I'd said that all future book-related posts would be over on Proud Book Nerd, but I had some previous commitments that were made when this was the place for EVERYTHING. So, I need to make good on those.

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Title: No Greater Love

Author: Kathi Macias

Summary: Forbidden romance, an unlikely martyr, and an even more unlikely hero. Orphaned four years earlier when their parents, active in the African National Congress ANC movement against Apartheid, were murdered, 16-year-old Chioma and her 15-year-old brother Masozi now live and work on an Afrikaner family’s farm. When Chioma and Andrew, the farm owner’s son, find themselves attracted to one another, tragedy revisits their lives. Chioma escapes to join an ANC rebel band in her effort to survive and gain revenge for her family and culture. When cultures clash in life-or-death struggles, Chioma must choose between violence and revenge or forgiveness and selfless love. Loosely based on historical events and set near Pretoria, South Africa, just prior to the setting of the popular movie Invictus, during the violent upheaval prior to ANC leader Nelson Mandela’s release from prison and his ascendance to the presidency of South Africa, this story of forbidden romance produces an unlikely martyr who is replaced by one even more unlikely.

My thoughts: Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was an interesting story with compelling characters. I vaguely remember hearing about Apartheid when I was a kid, and this book made me want to learn more about it. As the story unfolded, I could kinda guess how some elements were going to play out, but there were still other things that were surprises. I did find it a little hard for me to get into at first, but after a few chapters I was drawn in. While I could guess at what the meanings of the words that aren't in English, I would have liked a glossary or something to define the italicized words in the book. (I'm not sure what language it is.) Despite that, I would recommend this book, and I look forward to reading the second book in the series, More than Conquerors.

Source: Sent by the author for review.

Own It: Get your copy of No Greater Love HERE.

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See my other book reviews on my book blog, Proud Book Nerd.

Yes, I'll Take Cheese with this Whine

Yes, I need to whine – I mean vent – a bit. And I'm sorry to be such a PITA, but I gotta get it out. I'm feeling frustrated, discouraged, and mildly defeated. I am getting obsessive, I fear – and you'll likely agree when you see where I'm going with this.

It's about Proud Book Nerd. You know, my new – DOUBLY new – book blog. I was so excited – I had NINETEEN Google Friend Connect followers in less than a week! I was so proud of myself and so happy. People wanted to read me.

Then the corruption happened. And I lost the blog.

Unfortunately, the blog's followers didn't come over when I did the URL switcheroo. And now, three. (If you are one of those three - THANK YOU!) Yes, three is better than zero, but it's not as good as NINETEEN! :-(

Breathe. Count your blessings. Breathe some more. Ask God to ease the stupid anxiety over this. Remember you cannot change anything at this point. Just wait and see. God is in control. Hopefully the new friends will find their way back. In the end, this WILL be worth it. If nothing else, Ramblings is going to be much less cluttered – that's worth something, isn't it?

Proud Book Nerd

Most - if not all - of you know by now that I have decided to break my book blog off this one in order to de-clutter this blog. This time last week, I was happily making myself at home over at Proud Book Nerd, and it was going well. Until I tried to put my linkbar up at the top. It wasn't working properly. E-mails with the designer of that style (which I LOVE) made it clear that the problem was that the blog had inexplicably gone CORRUPT! :-( Apparently, that tends to happen randomly - often after a template change. So, I had to rebuild it. Long story short: I had to create a new blog, delete PBN, then change the url of the new one back to Proud Book Nerd! Why am I telling you all of this? Well, because it appears that I LOST MY FOLLOWERS in the process! :-( I know some of you kindly followed that blog when I announced it, so I was hoping I could convince you to PLEASE come back and click the button to follow again! PLEASE! I'm bummed about this, really bummed. Not only did I have those of you who kindly followed me there (in addition to here), but I had already made some new book-blogging friends who were following me. They, alas, are gone. I'm not sure if/when they'll find their way back. BUT, since each of you is still here (I think - I HOPE), I thought I could enlighten you to the situation. So ...

If you were following me over on Proud Book Nerd, PLEASE go back over there and set that up again! I apologize for the inconvenience involved, and I pray to never have to re-create a corrupt blog again!

To make this as easy as possible, here it is:

PROUD BOOK NERD

THANK YOU!

GIVEAWAY Ends Tomorrow

Don't miss your chance to win An Absence So Great! Just enter your information on the MckLinky HERE! GOOD LUCK!

Don't forget that I have branched off the book posting to a new blog, Proud Book Nerd. If you like my book reviews and/or giveaways, please join me!

Five Question Friday 4/9/10

It's that time again – a time I was sad to have missed last week!

1. Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?

I would love to have Sandra Bullock play me. She's my favorite actress, and has been since Speed came out!

2. Did you ever go to summer camp?

Yes, a few times.

3. What sends you running and screaming in the other direction?

Snakes

4. What is something you do that drives your spouse nuts?

Umm ... I honestly don't know. I know there's something, but I don't know what it is. He's a suffer-in-silence type. Well, until he's reached the boiling point. By that point, it's usually something small that sets him off, and I've no idea where it all is coming from. And, of course, he's not a talker. So ...

5. What is currently your favorite song?

I can never pick a favorite song! Never! But, that's why I have my weekly Tune-In Tuesday meme! (And it took this post to make me realize that I forgot about it this week! I blame spring break and the busyness – yes, that is correct, "busyness" as opposed to "business" – that comes with  that comes with it. Oh, yeah, and the launch of my NEW book blog, Proud Book Nerd.

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Rules for 5QF: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then link up in the MckLinky on Mama M's post. Also link back to Mama M.

No blog? That's alright!! Just answer the questions in the comments of anyone's blog along the way...this is a fun, easy way to get to know your fellow bloggers!

Questions for Friday, April 9th (repeated for easier copying):
1. Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
2. Did you ever go to summer camp?
3. What sends you running and screaming in the other direction?
4. What is something you do that drives your spouse nuts?
5. What is currently your favorite song?

GIVEAWAY Ends Tomorrow

I know I said my book stuff will be on my new blog, Proud Book Nerd, and it will. But, because this giveaway actually is posted on THIS blog, I wanted to make sure my readers here got to see this, too.

I just wanted to give everyone a quick reminder that tomorrow at 11:59 p.m., the giveaway for Here Burns My Candle closes for entries. I plan to announce the winner on Saturday. To enter, click on the link below and enter your information into the MckLinky at the bottom of the post. (If you cannot figure out MckLinky, please leave a comment, and I'll get you entered.) GOOD LUCK!

• Here Burns My Candle

Exciting Announcement

For several days now I have been considering breaking my book blog off from here. Don't get me wrong – I love this blog. But, I was thinking that it might be nice to split the more personal from the less personal. I felt like this blog was getting way too cluttered, and I don't like that! I want to keep this as my primary blog, but have my new blog as all things reading-related – book reviews, giveaways, or other book-related posts that might come along. So, without further ado, I introduce you to:

Proud Book Nerd

No, I haven't posted anything yet. But, I purchased a new layout and am now in the process of moving things over there. I will not be moving any posts from here to there. Anything that I had put on this blog before right now will remain here. Widgets, buttons, and other things like that might disappear from here, but posts aren't moving. So, if you're a bookish one, like me, or wanna win some free books, please start following me over there! Again, the new blog is:


Proud Book Nerd

I hope to see you there!