APOOO » Book Blogger Appreciation Week

Sweetsmoke by David Fuller, BBAW Contest Winner

APOOO — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:14:15 +0000

Thanks to every who stopped by APOOO during BBAW. Some of you might recall, that APOOO was offering an autographed copy of Sweetsmoke by David Fuller to one lucky winner.

DRUMROLL PLEASE…as we have a winner:

DERA WILLIAMS

Congrats Dera and since you’ve already read Sweetsmoke, I know you will appreciate adding an authographed copy to your bookshelves.

For those who are intrigued by this book, or have even a slight interest in it, check out the author’s tour schedule below. He might be coming to a location near you…go out and meet him and tell him that APOOO sent you.

9/26 – Mobile, Alabama – Southern Independent Booksellers Assn – Hyperion Cocktail Party

9/27 – Mobile, Alabama – SIBA/Marriott Renaissance Booth signing

9/28 – Los Angeles – 7th Annual West Hollywood Book Fair – Panel Discussion and signing

10/11 – Nashville, TN – Southern Festival of Books – Panel Discussion

10/18 – Los Angeles – Southern California Independent Booksellers Assn

10/25 – Los Angeles – Book Soup from 2-4pm for the Women’s Nat’l Book Association

CLICK HERE to read a copy of Dera’s review and if you find it helpful please vote. Thanks!

Sweetsmoke by David Fuller, BBAW Contest Winner is a post from: APOOO

APOOO Hearts My Friend Amy

APOOO — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:28:22 +0000

This summer, after book blogging was patronized in the mainstream media, Amy from My Friend Amy made a suggestion that we celebrate book blogging. From that idea, Book Blogger Appreciation Week was born. Many of us have participated in interviews, contests, give-aways, and through awards; but, this would never have happened were it not for the dream, perseverance, planning, hard work and dedication of Amy. This has been a wonderful week and as members of the Book Blogging community, in one voice we want to thank Amy for all that she has done.

Amy, congratulations on a job well done! I would not have met so many new book bloggers or had so much fun following all the activities if I had not met you! You did well and I cannot wait to see what you have in store in the future! APOOO hopes that BBAW will become an annual event and I am willing to help you in whatever way I can.

xoxo

APOOO Hearts My Friend Amy is a post from: APOOO

Matrimony by Joshua Henkin

APOOO — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:47:10 +0000

Matrimony by Joshua Henkin is another book that I have seen all week via Book Bloggers Appreciation. I thought the cover was attractive but I do not know why I did not stop, pause and check out the book description to see if it would even be something that I would be interested in reading. Maybe I was thrown because the book was by a male author…and thought he is writing from his perspective about marriage and divorce. Hmmm…that reasoning is whacked…lol. Especially since I pride myself on reading a little bit of everything…truthfully I believe the 60 books already in the book pile made me keep it moving…because if I cannot read those…how can I add anymore books to the list.

Well, today Florinda over at 3R’s grabbed my attention with a book contest for Matrimony. Before I entered the contest, I read her review. As they say, the rest is history and I am entering the contest and invite you to also do so. The details are below. Oh yeah, if someone from APOOO wins, we want a review please.

From Florinda…

I was recently offered a copy of Joshua Henkin‘s novel Matrimony to read and review – which I did here- and now you have a chance to get your own, personally autographed copy of the brand-new paperback edition, direct from the author! Here’s how to enter

Leave a comment on this post - please include your e-mail, or a link to your profile where I can find it – and, while you’re at it, feel free to answer a survey question or two!
For TWO extra entries, post about this giveaway on your blog and link back here.
LAST DAY TO ENTER is SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21!
One winner will be selected at random, and I will forward that person’s mailing information to Joshua Henkin, who will send out your autographed copy of the book!

May the most deserving woman win…:)

Matrimony by Joshua Henkin is a post from: APOOO

I’sa a Book Blogger Now!

APOOO — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:25:50 +0000

Okay, as many of you know, this week is Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Because of APOOO’s participation, I have met a few new book bloggers and a NY Times best-selling author to boot. So I am thrilled, excited and cheezing and grinning because I was able to be apart of MyFriendAmy’s vision. Amy did a wonderful job of bringing book bloggers and authors together. Thru my participation, I met new book bloggers, subscribed to more blogs than I care to tell you the number of, left tons of blog comments, read interviews, reviews, participated in polls, learned about new memes and joined them, participated in book contests (hmmm I didn’t win any books though…bummer…lol) and avoided all tags…oh so, I thought. LOL.

Okay, let me get to this before I decide to back out…hehe. Here’s the idea: Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.

I’m going to focus on the positive…

NETWORKING–I have discussed book onlines for over ten years now via YahooGroups and APOOO’s Web site. But, I only started really reading blogs about two years ago. And I could not actually blog on my site until it was revamped in June. Since then…I have discovered a whole new world of bloggers out there. First there were the techy bloggers and I met tons of them. But, after awhile, I needed to explore and find others who loved books as much as I did. I believe one of the techy sites had an online contest and as a result met MyFriend Amy.
CONNECTING–Because of following/subscribing to my MyFriendAmy;s blog, I learned about Book Bloggers Appreciation Week…had no idea what it entailed but decided to offer my assistance anyway. I’M SO GLAD THAT I DID because as a result I was introduced to over 400 other book bloggers! Who would have thunk it…that there were so many of us out here! Okay, I have not visited all of them but within the next 40 days I will…because I plan to visit 10 new blogs each day. So, if I have not stopped by and visited your site and left a comment yet…don’t worry I will.
READING–Even tho’ I am not necessarily reading novels, I am reading more. I cannot believe how many book blogs I now subsribe to. LOL…hmmm I guess that could be a negative also. But, given that I am not much of a TV watcher, I much prefer to spend my leisure time reading rather than watching mindless shows. Also, because I am reading more book blogs, I am determined to read at least one book a week so that I can share my finds with others via APOOO blogs.
WRITING–Because I am blogging more, I am writing more. Still trying to figure out what direction I want to take the APOOO blog…I am all about finding that unique hook…but, in the meantime, because I am writing more…my writing is getting stronger. Okay, I will never be a Pulitizer-Prize winning writer…but that has never been my goal. I just want to write well enough so that when folks read my blog…it is evident that it is a Yasmin original. I will have my own style and it will shine.
PROMOTING LITERACY–APOOO’s mission statement includes promoting literacy within the African American community. For me that also means embracing books of other cultures and sharing OUR VOICES, OUR STORIES with others. I read many well-written books with universal, timeless themes by African-American authors and I believe these stories need to be touted to others who might be interested in hearing…OUR VOICES, OUR STORIES. OKAY, I know you only asked for five but I’m on a roll …so here’s two more…lol.
INTERACTIVE–One of the great things about blogging is that I can not only share book reviews, author interviews, but I can also share book trailers for viewing, and visitors can also listen to podcasts from their favorite authors and book bloggers.
JUST DO IT–There are so many more things that I can do to get visitors involved with a blog that I couldn’t do with my prior Web site. And, it is great to have my blog and Web site in one place. Actually my Web site is built on a blog platform so I know longer have to wait for my Web designer to make updates. I can do ALL of them myself and only turn to her when I run into a roadblock.

Okay, now I get to show a little love to others by tagging them…rubbing hands…who am I going to call on? I pick the following fivw bloggers:

MariReads–We like some of the same books, her blog intrigues me and I want to get to know her better. http://marireads.blogspot.com/

PeekingBetweenthePages–She just wrote a wonderful review for Run that made me move it up on my to-read list to finish reading so that I can discuss it next week with BookClubGirl’s group. http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/

HeatherJ–I like that she leaves comments on her blogs and because of her enthusaist review today, I found out about a new book today, that would not normally be on my radar–House and Home by Kathleen McCleary. Heather J’s review was so enthusiast that it was infectious. Hopefully she has not been tagged and will consider participating. http://age30books.blogspot.com/

BookClubGirl–The name says it all. Since I am a book club founder and love all things book clubish, I could not tag and not ‘hit’ a fellow book clubber. Also, she gives away great gifts and I am hoping to score some points for future contests. On a serious note, I will be joining her club next week to discuss Run by Ann Patchett. http://www.bookclubgirl.com/book_club_girl/

DeeStewart–Dee is a blogger/publicist that I met prior to Book Bloggers Appreciation Week…we tend to travel in the same circles…and are Twitter buddies. I told her I was going to tag her…and so I am. LOL. http://christianfiction.blogspot.com/

Thanks A Novel Menagerie for including APOOO in the fun…it is yet another way for me to meet new people and get to know them better!

Even though your name might not be listed above, you can still join us and participate. Share with APOOO how blogging has changed your life. If you decide to participate and blog, please leave a comment below with your blog post so that I can stop by and read it.

I’sa a Book Blogger Now! is a post from: APOOO

BBAW: And the Awards Go To…

APOOO — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:32:50 +0000

APOOO is proud to present the Book Blogger Appreciation Week awards for the Best Cookbook and Best Literary Fiction blog categories. And the nominees are:

Best Cookbook Blog
Books and Cooks
Crockpot 365
Karina’s Kitchen
Soup’s On!
Tomato Preserves

AND THE WINNER IS

BOOKS AND COOKS

Moving on to the Best Literary Fiction category…the finalists are…

Best Literary Fiction Blog
The Bluestocking Society
Caribou’s Mom
Everyday I Write the Book Blog
Literarily
Loud Latin Laughing

AND THE WINNER IS

Caribou’s Mom

APOOO extends congratulations to all the winners and welcome you to stop by and share your acceptance speeches.

BBAW: And the Awards Go To… is a post from: APOOO

Book Bloggers: Author Andromeda Romano-Lax’s Perspective

APOOO — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:13:21 +0000

In my daily Book Blogger Appreciation Week blog-hopping stops, I ran into this post over at MYFriendAmy’s blog. I heart how author Andromeda Romano-Lax shares why she appreciates reviews from book bloggers (insert book clubs)…while we might not be the NYTimes book reviewers…and who knows how long most newspaper reviewers are going to be around in today’s climate…we/reviewers can actually add more insight, and personal perspective about our take on books…and at the end of the day that’s what I hope we do at APOOO…it’s not about a book summary or book report…because most of us can do those…but it’s about how the book made you/the reviewer feel and why you would (or won’t) recommend it to others.

I believe if reviewers are honest, and write with other readers in mind, pretend you’re telling your most critical book loving friend why they should read a book, versus trying to ‘kiss up’ to an author, we will get better reviews in the future. Afterall, reviews are our own personal opinions, and freedom of speech should allow us to be candid, open and honest. And, if some authors get upset, that’s fine…that’s a few less non-favorable reviews we have to write in the future…and few less ‘needs improvement’ books we have to read.

On the other hand, there’s always authors coming down the pipeline with another story to tell, so I don’t think any reviewers or teams will ever be at a lost for books to review.

DISCUSSION QUESTION

What type of book reviews do you prefer to read?

Book Bloggers: Author Andromeda Romano-Lax’s Perspective is a post from: APOOO

BBAW: Best Book Published in 2008

APOOO — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:00:34 +0000

Best Book Published in 2008 FINALISTS

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
No One You Know by Michelle Richmond

AND THE WINNER IS

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

APOOO congratulates Stephenie Meyer on a job well-done!

BBAW: Best Book Published in 2008 is a post from: APOOO

No Related Post

BBAW: And the Winner Is…

APOOO — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:57:04 +0000

Hello Good Peoples! Get your rest today…because tomorrow you will be blog hopping to find out which BBAW finalists get to walk down the red copy? Who will it be…when I find out…I’ll let you know…AT THE APPOINTED TIME, OF COURSE…lol so don’t forget to stop back tomorrow (Sept. 17th). Hope you can join us at the awards ceremony…and finalists…get your acceptance speeches ready because YOU COULD BE A WINNER.

Award presentations will begin on Sept. 17 for the various categories, and these are the blogs presenting the awards to the winners:

Sept. 17 in the Morning:

Age 30+ A Lifetime of Books will make the presentations for the Best Meme/Carnival/Event and the Best Best Commenter/Commentator

Booking Mama will present the awards for Best Design and Best Book Club Blog

Sept. 17 in the Evening:

Caribou’s Mom will present the award for Most Humorous Blog

My Friend Amy (The host and Creator of BBAW) will present the award for Best Publishing/Industry Blog

Stephanie’s Confessions of a Book-a-holic will present the award for Best Name for a Blog and Best Challenge Host

Literate Housewife will present the awards for Best Community Builder and Best Author Blog

APOOO will present the award for Best Book Published in 2008

Bookroom Reviews will present the awards for Best Book Community Site and Most Chatty

Book-a-rama will present the awards for Most Concise and Most Extravagant Giveaways

Sept. 18 in the Morning:

My Friend Amy will present the award for Best General Book Blog

Stephanie’s Confessions of a Book-a-holic will present the awards for Best Romance Blog and Best Kidlit Blog

Literate Housewifewill present the awards for Best Fantasy/Sci-fi/Horror/Spec-fic Blog and Best History/Historical Blog

APOOO will present the awards for Best Literary Fiction Blog and Best Cookbook Blog

Bookroom Reviews will present the award for Best YA Lit Blog

Book-a-rama will present the award for Best Thrillers/Mystery/Suspense Blog

Caribou’s Mom will present the awards for Best Non-fiction Blog and Most Eclectic Taste

The Friendly Book Nook will present the award for Best Christian/Inspirational Blog

Sept. 18 in the Evening:

My Friend Amy will present the award for Most Altruistic Blog

For those of you interested in the numerous giveaways on the Book Blogs this week, please check out this link for the official list.

Links for other BBAW giveaways next week can be found here.

BBAW: And the Winner Is… is a post from: APOOO

Location as Character

APOOO — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 04:56:28 +0000

Book Club Girl asked the following question on a recent blog:

Tell me a bout a book you’ve read where the location becomes a character itself.

I know I’ve read books like this but I’m stumped…so I’m going to bed and will come back tomorrow to share some of my picks. In the meantime, feel free to share your ‘location as character’ selections.

BTW, I think this is a really GREAT question and I hope you do also!

Oops…I can’t leave so quickly…here’s a few books that come to mind:

Any book by Dianne McKinney-Whetstone; all her books are set in Philly…and I believe West Philly.

Pearl Cleage’s books…either set in Idlewild, MI or Atlanta.

Eric Jerome Dickey’s books delve into locations…when I read books that are set against the backdrop of Los Angeles…since I lived there…I can see the location and know exactly where he’s talking about.

Okay hands down–Passport Diaries by Tamara Gregory–the locations were so important to this book…and such an integral part of the storyline–I remember feeling like I was in Paris and London again and desperately seeking to visit the Greek Isle. I wanted to visit all of these places, some again, and experience them this town via the eyes of the author, because she made all of the locations so enticing (including London which is not necessarily one of my favorite places to visit) It’s a wonderful book and one I highly recommend those who enjoy reading well-written chick lits and travel log storylines.

Location as Character is a post from: APOOO

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Best Cookbook Blog Finalists

APOOO — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:47:52 +0000

Hello good peoples and welcome to a new and exciting week! The week that so many of us helped My Friend Amy promote is finally here! And what a good week it looks like it’s going to be. APOOO will be participating and giving away prizes along the way. We have Sweetsmoke by David Fuller as the ‘grand book prize’ this week…but EVERY DAY…we will give away a book…it’s a book-a-day. Except for today, where we we do it a little differently, each day a book will be raffled off to everyone who stops by and leaves a comment via the HEAD OF THE CLASS book club featured for that day. Again, CLICK HERE for more details regarding how you can kick-off your week with APOOO and win a FREE BOOK.

Without further ado, APOOO shines the spotlight on the Best Cookbook Blogger today.

DRUMROLL PLEASE! APOOO congratulates and extends best wishes to all bloggers in the Best Cookbook category. Visiting these blogs truly made me hungry and it was a little difficult for me to determine which one would get my vote…as I’m sure it might be for some of you. When it comes to food, I want to vote for everyone who enjoys cooking, lol. I wish that they all lived around the corner from me so that I could sample ALL of their foods to determine who would be my favorite. In the meantime, I ate vicariously via each of them to vote for that grand prize finalist. But, make no doubt, all of them are winners in their own rights.

Best Cookbook Blog
Books and Cooks
Crockpot 365
Karina’s Kitchen
Soup’s On!
Tomato Preserves

Books and Cooks is run by Tara. She is a mother of one, voracious reader, and home cook in Minnesota, USA. I love how the use of books invited me into her page and the bonus for me was that she and I share some of the same interest in books. For those who love to read and cook, this site is a treat and one you might want to bookmark or add to your RSS to visit often.

Did someone say crockpot? I heart my crockpot(s) but don’t use them nearly enough. Stephanie, founder of Crockpot 365, has an unnatural obsession with her crockpot and she says, ‘I’m okay with it.’ She made a New Year’s resolution to use her crockpot everyday in 2008. CLICK HERE to see what she’s cooking in the crockcrockpot today.

Any vegans in our midst? Yes? You need to meet Katrina. She offers ‘recipes from a gluten-free goddess.’ She not only enjoys cooking but she has also written two cookbooks. Peek her bio: Karina Allrich is an artist and a creative cook who enjoys developing easy rustic recipes featuring seasonal ingredients and Mediterranean inspired flavors.

She is the author of two cookbooks- Recipes from a Vegetarian Goddess (reprinted as Cooking By The Seasons) and Cooking By Moonlight. After learning she had celiac disease (smack dab in the middle of kitchen testing chocolate cake recipes for her second cookbook) Karina turned her formidable focus to gluten-free cooking and launched the popular food blog Karina’s Kitchen- Recipes from a gluten-free goddess, featured in Newsweek magazine as the go-to on-line source for “creative recipes and cooking tips from an experienced gluten-free chef.” She currently resides in Northern New Mexico.

As the days start to get shorter and cooler, I believe many of us turn to comfort foods. Foods that nurture and sustain–soup would be included in that category. Soup’s On features one of my favorite soups today–Chicken Corn Chowderoops there’s is Chicken Corn Soup, which is a variation of one of my favorite soups. If you want the recipe for Chicken Corn Chowder, email me…lol.

Tomato Preserves, hmmm the name is a misnomer. Especially for someone who is not fond of tomatoes. Yep, yours truly does NOT do eat tomato soup. Never have and I do not think I’ve missed much…but a few cases of heartburn. LOL. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the blog I though would be consumed with tomato recipes everywhere, well, it was anything but. The blog is described as ‘Small town cooking, in a small town kitchen.’ Hmm…that sounded intriguing and invited me to find out more about the blogger. Here’s what I found about Pammiedoodle:

I am a southern gal who loves to cook for anyone I can get to eat. I live in a tiny town, pop. 3000, in the middle of nowhere. It is a 45 min. drive to a large town and with gas what it is, I don ot get there very often. Therefore I have to cook dishes with the ingredients I can find at my one local store. My grandmother taught me to cook and it is something I have been doing as long as I can remember.

There you have it…a sneak peek at each of the finalist in the Best Cookbook category. Please visit their blogs to find out more about what they are cooking (and sometimes reading) in the kitchen. If you find one you really like, or a great recipe, please stop back and share with me.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Best Cookbook Blog Finalists is a post from: APOOO

APOOO » Book Blogger Appreciation Week

Sweetsmoke by David Fuller, BBAW Contest Winner

DERA WILLIAMS

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