Hopping Away and Follow Friday!

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop - especially those who are first time visitors- (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around!

This weeks Book Hop question/topic is: "If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, do you always start with the first title?"

Yes. I always try to read a series in order for example I received a review copy for Entice by Carrie Jones recently and I have ordered the first 2 books in the series so that I can read them first. Otherwise, I wouldn't understand the back story and events that have already happened! I am also reading the Chalet School series by Elinor M Brent Dyer but there are about 62  books in all. I have quite a few of them but if I am missing the next in order I have to buy it first- I don't want to miss out on it! The only exception to reading series out of order is Enid Blyton's Famous Five, which I read completely out of order but although there is a certain amount of chronology regarding the character's ages, each book is really its own adventure.

This week's Follow Friday question is:  What is your usual monthly book budget?

Since I'm 13 I don't really have one and I borrow most of my books from the library anyway. Occasionally, my mum will order a book off Amazon as a treat for me or we go to a second hand bookshop and buy a lot of books at once.

Don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out, I will try my best to reply :D

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Hopping Away and Follow Friday

A Very Big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop - especially those who are first time visitors- (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around!

This weeks Book Hop question/topic is: This week's question comes from Vicki who blogs at The Wolf's Den:

"What are your feelings on losing followers? Have you ever stopped following a blog?"

I love and appreciate all my followers and I would be sad to lose any but if the person didn't like the style of my posts,the content or the genres that I tend to review, then I understand why they want to unfollow and that's fine. I would rather that than the person keep following through GFC but not reading any posts. I think it is much better have a smaller number of followers who are genuinely interested in your content and visit regularly than lots of followers who followed in the hope of being followed back.
I gained a lot of followers during my 150+ followers giveaway but I didn't want people following just for the sake of entering so I gave away books from the main genre I review so if they are a new follower through the giveaway then it is likely that they will be interested in my posts and reviews.

Here, I have about 4 or five lovely followers who visit and comment regularly  out of all my and I do the same on their blogs too because I enjoy reading them.  

No, I haven't stopped following any blogs yet because I was very careful about which ones I followed when I first started blogging and made sure that I was interested in their content before following. However, when someone hops over and takes the time to leave a comment and link to their blog I will always visit them back to see what their blog is like and leave a comment even if I don't follow them. Currently, I 'follow' 150 blogs through GFC and whilst I have visited and read some of their posts when they caught my attention after scrolling through my dashboard feed, I only regularly visit a small handful.
Sorry for the very long answer!

This week's Follow Friday question is: Who are your favorite authors??

It's impossible to pick just one! I love Enid Blyton who was the author who really got me into loving reading and I was very upset when I had finished all of her main books when I was about 9. I also love Mary Hooper for introducing me to historical fiction, Eva Ibbotson who sadly passed away recently, Helen Dunmore for the Ingo series and Georgette Heyer for her wonderful regency romances!

Don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out, I will try my best to reply :D

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Hopping Away and Follow Friday!

A Very big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around!

This weeks Book Hop question/topic is: "What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?"

Hmmm, just one? I think I would have to go with  something similar to Jennifer- a whole room in my house just filled with books along with comfy chairs to sink into and lots of fluffy blankets and pillows as well as a smoothie machine! Then again, I also like the idea of owning a first edition copy or manuscript of a Jane Austen novel.

Parajunkee's qustion: If you have, or would have a daughter, what book would you want your daughter to read?

I love this question, there are so many books I would want her to read. I'd introduce her to all the Enid Blyton books starting off with the Faraway tree ad moving on to all the adventure and boarding school series like Malory Towers. The Chalet School by Elinor M Brent Dyer and Anne of Green Gables are a must too. I have collections of all these books that I cherish so I hope to be able to pass them on one day.


Don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out, I will try my best to reply :D

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

A Very Big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around!

This weeks Book Hop question/topic is:  "Where is your favourite place to read? Curled up on the sofa, in bed, in the garden?"

I love to read curled up in bed with a warm, fluffy blanket because that is where I feel most relaxed and it is usually fairly quiet in my room.

I hope that you enjoy taking a look round my blog and. I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to drop me a comment.


Don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out, I will try my best to reply :D

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Hopping Away and Follow Friday!

A Very Big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around!

This weeks Book Hop question/topic is: "When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or move to your next title?"

I try to give the book a really good go, probably about a quarter of the way through but if I really haven't got into it or just don't like it then I'll stop reading it. However I think this has only happened to me about twice because generally I enjoy any historical fiction book and contemporaries too. Of course books have their flaws, sometimes major ones but this is natural and I usually finish all my books. Although if I received a book for review and I really didn't connect with/ like it having read half way through then I might stop reading it but try and feature it some other way on this blog so it is fair.



I hope that you enjoy taking a look round my blog and. I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to drop me a comment.


Don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out, I will try my best to reply :D

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Hopping Away and Follow Friday!

A Very Big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around!

This weeks Book Hop question/topic is: "What's your favourite beverage whilst reading or blogging, if any? Is it tea, coffee, water, wine or something else?"

My answer: I don't usually drink beverages when I am reading, it distracts me from the world of the book however when I am blogging I sometimes have a glass of peach squash 

I hope that you enjoy taking a look round my blog and. I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to drop me a comment.

Don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out :D

I am holding an 150+ followers international giveaway currently that closes at the end of the weekend, where the winner gets to choose from 10 YA historical fiction books. To find out more visit the link at the top of the sidebar-!

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Hopping Away and Follow Friday!

A Very Big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around and following all the blogs!

This weeks Book Hop question/topic is: When you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?

My answer: I don't start writing reviews before I have turned the last page of the book but I often tend to think about things that I am going to include in my review or try to remember a good extract to include. I usually write the review within a few days of reading it so that it is still fresh in my mind but if I am reviewing a book that I read a while ago I try and familiarise with it again by flicking through before I start writing.

New posts since hopping last week:

Review: Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
Waiting on Wednesday: Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
Teaser Tuesday: Deeper Than Blue by Jill Hucklesby
Calling all budding young writers and their friends and family!
BBAW: Future Treasures


I hope that you enjoy taking a look round my blog and. I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to drop me a comment. This week I have reached 156 followers and I am hoping that I can gain over 150 this week so that I can launch my first ever giveaway!
 
Don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out :D


Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

A Very Big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around and following all the blogs!

This weeks Book Hop question/topic is: In honour of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, let's take time this week to honour our favourite book bloggers and why we love them.
My answer:

There are so many fantastic blogs that I read regularly but my reading tastes can be often quite different to a lot of blogs so I am going to mention some that are my favourites because they have similar tastes.

A Tapestry of Words- Danya from ATOW is always dropping comments here that make me smile and she has gave me my first blog award, The Versatile Blogger. We started blogging around the same time so it has been nice to see her blog grow in content and readers. She reviews a variety of genres on her blog from YA to adult fiction and my favourite feature of hers is called Forget Me Not, which spotlights books she loved from her childhood.

Bookalicious Ramblings- This was the first book blog that I discovered when searching for a review on the Internet. At that point I had already set up a blog for reviews but had abbandoned it because I didn't know what to do but I got started again thanks to discovering BR. Her blog design is just gorgeous, I think it is just about my favourite and inspired me to make my design prettier. I emailed her at the start asking if she could review Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper on her blog because I love the way she writes her reviews and she asked me if I had reviewed it. I hadn't but she visited my blog and commented on my first posts, it was a real encouragement for me.

Rebecca's Book Blog- Rebecca's blog was the first I found that reviewed a lot of YA historical fiction like me and I was very excited. I went through a lot of her old posts, frantically adding a lot of books to my TBR list. Thank you Rebecca! She is holding a giveaway of The Queen's Daughter by Susan Coventry currently so you might want to visit to enter.

Others that I love are This Miss Loves to Read, Reading Angel, The Fourth Musketeer, 21 Pages, Rhianah Reads.........


I hope that you enjoy taking a look round my blog and. I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to drop me a comment! If you like my blog, please follow, I'd really appreciate it and don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out :D

I hope to be holding an 150 Followers Giveaway soon, so it would be great if you could help me get to that number soon!

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Hopping Away and Follow Friday

A Very Big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around and following all the blogs!

This weeks Book Hop question/topic is: Post  a link to a favourite post or book review you have written in the last 3 months

My answer:  This is a hard desicion but I think I'm going to have to say my review of The Other Countess by Eve Edwards (link here), because it is my favourite book I have read in the last 3 months. It's the first in a new YA historical fiction romance series and it's so sweet and wonderfully descriptive. The posts that I find most fun to write are the Character Connection feature posts and you can view them all under the 'Character Connection' page under my header.

I love this week's Hop question and I'm really looking forward to readng the posts that people have picked as their favourite.


I hope that you enjoy taking a look round my blog and. I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to drop me a comment! If you like my blog, please follow, I'd really appreciate it and don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out :D

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Book Hop and Follow Friday.........!

A Very Big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around and following all the blogs!

Although I did another post earlier about it, I want to say thank you so much to everyone who has stopped by or commented on my blog during the hop, I've found some brilliant blogs and book lovers and I couldn't have done that without your help. I am planning a giveaway soon, which may be for 150 followers now that I have more than 100 so stay tuned!

This weeks Book Hop question is: Do you judge a book by its cover?

My answer: However much we would all like to say that we don't judge a book by its cover, there are occasions when I DO this. The cover is often the first thing and only thing you see when you are browing through book lists on the internet and I'm more likely to click on a book to find out more about it if the cover is striking or jumps out at me. However, if I have heard a lot of good things about a book or have stumbled upon it and like the sound of the synopsis, I wouldn't dismiss it if the cover isn't for me. Also, a few years ago I used to go shopping in a lovely old second hand bookshop to buy Enid Blyton books and often the covers would be very dated or harback books would have lost their paper cover so I had to rely mostly on the blurbs of the books to choose which one to buy. One thing that I find irritating about covers is that authors have no say in their design and this often leads to inconsistencies such as the ginger protagonist having dark brown hair on the cover. Covers are definitley important to me but they are certainly not the only thing that influence my reading choices !


New posts this week, take a look:

100 Followers Thankyou post!
Bookshelf Love
Book review: The Other Countess by Eve Edwards
Waiting on Wednesday: The Contagion by Johanne Dahme
Character Connection: Sophia Stanton Lacey (from The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer)

Coming soon: Insight to my bookshelf

I am currently reading: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I hope that you enjoy taking a look round my blog and. I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to drop me a comment! If you like my blog, please follow, I'd really appreciate it and don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out :D

Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Stephanie <3

It's that time again! Book Blog Hop and Follow Friday

A Very Big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find a new blog to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around and following all the blogs!

This weeks Book Hop question is one that I suggested to Jen (thank you so much for choosing my question to be featured!) : Do you use a rating system and if so, what it is and why?

My answer:  I find that rating systems like 1-5 are very diffcult to use as I find it hard to judge each book against another as they can be fantastic in their own different ways. Most of the books I read would end up being 4 or 5 stars! Instead, I like what I think of the book to shine through in my reviews, which tend to be quite detailed. For those people who like to have a quick way to see what my opinion of the book is, I have introuduced a short 'verdict' paragraph summing up my thoughts. However, I am thinking of introducing a rating system  in the future out of 10 for each aspect of the book such as plot, characters ect. This would be clearer, fairer and more accurate way of doing things.

I look forward to reading all about your rating systems, there are so many unique ones out there, which is why I submitted the question to be used for the Hop.

New posts this week, take a look:

Book Review: Daughter of Fire and Ice by Marie Louise Jensen
Waiting on Wednesday: Cate of The Lost Colony
Jane Austen Challenge 2010
Book Review: A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson

I am currently reading: The Other Countess by Eve Edwards

I hope that you enjoy taking a look round my blog and. I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to drop me a comment! If you like my blog, please follow, I'd really appreciate it and don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out :D

Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Stephanie <3