BBAW: Interview Swap and Giveaway

Today is the second day of Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2010! This yearly event of giveaways, blog hopping, blogging, and awards is all about you! And you and you and you and me. It is the brainchild of Amy from My Friend Amy.

Each day this week I'm hosting an international giveaway (winners announced on Monday, September 20), so I hope you come back to see what I have in store.

Today is all about getting to know book bloggers up close and personal through the annual interview swap. This year, I was lucky enough to get partnered with Heather from Buried in Books. Isn't that a great blog title? I think many of do feel as if we were buried in books.

If you're new to the BBAW interview swap concept, here's how it works. Participants are assigned a partner, who interview each other and post the conversation on their blog. So first take a look at what I asked Heather and get to know her if you haven't been by her blog before.

Then, to see what Heather asked me, pop on over to her blog and see what great questions she asked me. When your done reading her post, don't forget to pause long enough to explore Heather's blog.

Let's meet Heather, shall we?

Beth Fish Reads (BFR): How has the move from Florida to the Cape affected your life in books?

Buried in Books (BIB): Actually, I moved from Florida at the age of thirty one to Mooresville, North Carolina (just north of Charlotte) for my husband's job. We lived there ten years and then moved to Cape Cod. We've lived here for a little over a year. I've found that living in different places makes me want to read more about them. If I'm not reading a fantasy novel, I'm reading about somewhere I've been or lived. I recently read about a murder mystery in St. Augustine, Florida the oldest city in the United States and forty five minutes from where I grew up. Now I'm reading the whole series. I also had a murder mystery series I read by Barbara Parker set mainly in Miami that I read, first because I met her at a book signing in the book store I worked in and then because I really liked her. I read a mystery series set completely in the mountains of North Carolina while we lived there. And a mystery series about the Outer Banks while we lived in North Carolina. I also read travel guides. And ghost stories. Unfortunately I lent all those out and never got them back. I've also met some bloggers that write, "I used to live in Dennis" or had a great vacation on Cape Cod. It helps me make connections because this doesn't feel like home yet. I'm a Southern girl in the Northeast and no family. I am also very familiar with Virginia so love anything about Virginia. I haven't found much to read about Cape Cod, but I have been a Salem Witch Trials theorist forever. I'd love to get up there to see Salem some time. I've seen some witch books coming out about the Salem Witch Trials and I can't wait to get my hands on them. There is also a lot of history up here so I'm finding I want to read about the whaling history, glass blowing, and Scottish history.

BFR: What a great story! You'll have to bring a little Southern living to your neighborhood. I have been to the Cape only once, but your area is indeed a great place for those of interested in history. You've been blogging since the beginning of summer. What made you decide to start a book blog?

BIB: Short answer, if you can believe I can do that, I got tired of saving all the blogs I was following in my Favorites on my toolbar. So I started my own blog, knowing I had opinions and hoping someone cared enough to read about them.

BFR: But of course we book bloggers care! And this is week to make a lot of friends. How many book blogs are in your reader? How do you find time to read blogs, read books, and be a mother?

BIB: I'm embarrassed to say how many are in my reader. I read after they go to bed at 9:00. I take medicine to sleep. Sometimes it works in two hours sometimes it takes until 2:00am, sometimes I'm still awake when they get up at 6:00am. I take advantage of that time to catch up on blogs and read. I start at either the top or bottom of my blog list and leave a note where I left off, next night I start again. I have a pad by my bed with a pen stuck in it to write down books I want to read. I have a few blogs I visit weekly just because they are friends. My kids are supportive of my "habit" and I pick out books for my oldest son. I have him reading White Cat by Holly Black right now. The days are my own, so if I need to recoup from the night before of no sleep I will. If I don't I get some housework done (not a priority for me) and read or write.

BFR: I just recently reviewed White Cat! I really liked it. I notice that you read a lot of fantasy/paranormal. What don't you read and why?

BIB: I do not read horror such as Stephen King. I have much too vivid an imagination to read something like that. I'd think every noise was a serial killer or mutant dog trying to get in the house. No manga. Don't really know what it is. And I'm not really a science fiction fan. The fantasy comes from reading fairy tales when I learned to read. I just love them and believe it even vampires and werewolf stories can read like fairy tales if there is enough romance in them!

BFR: I like to read fantasy too. And I also don't read horror. So we're twins in that. What book have you read this summer that you wouldn't have read if you hadn't started blogging?

BIB: The Eternal Ones. The cover is bland and I'm drawn to a book by it's cover usually first. I ended up loving the book, but never would have read it other wise.

BFR: It's always fun to discover a great book that could have easily slipped by you. Which book did you read this summer that you wish got more attention or buzz?

BIB: I think it may end up being tyger, tyger by Kersten Hamilton. It doesn't release until November, but I've read Borders isn't even going to carry it in their stores and it is one of the best books I've read this summer. It had so much Irish folklore in it. It would definitely work for one of your Irish Challenge books. It's again a fairy tale. I just don't want it to fall by the wayside. As far as I'm concerned it was a flawless book!

BFR: Oooh. I'm going to keep that in mind. I really love the idea that it's Irish and has folklore in it. Last year I came up with a list of quick questions that require one-word answers. Let me try them on you:

BIB:
Print, eBook, or audio? print
Hardback or paperback? hardback
Buy books or borrow from library? buy books
Good characters or good plot? good characters

Thanks so much, Heather. I really loved your answers. There are tons of bloggers in the Boston area, so I hope you'll be able to make some good connections this week.

Giveaway

This week is all about getting to know each other and sharing our reading interests. And in that light, today's international giveaway promotes connections between readers. When Robin Blum of In My Book asked me if I wanted to feature her bookmark/cards on my blog, I knew just the right time to introduce you to her great cards. Robin agreed, and she is the sponsor of today's giveaway.

First, let me tell you all about these great bookmark/cards. You might be wondering what is with the slash? Is it a bookmark or a card. Well, it's both. To the left is a photo of my own two bookmarks (thanks, Robin!). You can see that they are sized perfectly for a paperback and have a very cool black and white drawing on the front with a fun saying (click to enlarge).

Each bookmark comes with a red envelope and opens up, just like a card. The inside is blank, so you could write a note to a book-loving friend and pop the whole thing in the mail. Your friend would then have a personalized bookmark to use when reading.

The bookmark/cards are printed on lovely paper that will hold up well to daily use. They are a pleasure to write on in either ink or pencil. I love mine and can pretty much guarantee that you'll love them too. I plan to use my bookmarks to jot down notes when I'm reading; then I'll leave the bookmark in the book so I'll have a record of my thoughts.

Robin has sent me a pack of eight bookmarks so I can hold this international giveaway. There will be two winners -- yes, two winners! Each will receive four bookmarks.

To the right are all the designs I have to give away (note that they bookmarks come in a plastic sleeve, which I left on so I could keep the cards clean and nice for the winners). Click to get a closer look or head on over to the In My Book website to get clear photos and to see the complete line of 15 designs. The cards are priced at $3.95 and are available at a variety of places.

This giveaway is open worldwide and will run until I turn on my computer on Monday morning (September 20). To enter, you must fill out the form. Two winners will be picked via random number generator, and I will delete all data after the winners are contacted. I will send a random grouping of four bookmarks to each winner.



Good luck and don't forget to check all my BBAW posts -- I have a giveaway each day.