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Weekly Geeks #2: Linky Love

From Dewey:

The theme for Week 2 is something I borrowed (yes, she said it was ok!) from Darla at Books and Other Thoughts. She says in her sidebar that if she reviews a book that you’ve reviewed, you can email her and she’ll link to it in her review. I love this idea for three reasons.

1. As a blog reader, I like that I can have my review linked in someone else’s blog.

2. As a blog reader, I like that if I’m interested in a book Darla writes about, there will be other reviews linked at the bottom of the page, so I can get other viewpoints. You can see how this works here.

3. As a blog writer, when I review a book, I often remember that I read someone else’s review at some point, but whose? And when? With Darla’s method, people tell her about their reviews, and she can see what they had to say about a book that is still fresh in her mind.

I'm adopting this policy as well. Have a look at my sidebar. All my reviews from 2008 are clickable. If you see something you've reviewed, please leave your link in the comment of the review. I'll add it to the bottom of the post.

If you have the time, all my 2007 reviews are organized in this post. Follow the link and comment.

That's it! I thought there was a reason that I was keeping them in the sidebar.

Similar entries
  • I am kind of liking to participate in weekly geeks. A good way of community building, to discover new blogs, new books, new bloggers. Best is to read different perceptions about same books! That is the theme for this week's geek which Dewey borrowed from Darla's blog, books and other things. You review a book and then link it with the review of the same book reviewed by a fellow blogger. That way you and your reader get to read diverse viewpoints. I think this is a great idea. I have infact linked a few of my reviews in previous posts, before this.

    Searching through archives might take a while but well worth the effort. Time for me go link hunting and post those here. The linky think might work well after each review. That way, more might look out for their older reviews and just copy/paste the links in the linky thing.


  • I forgot to wrap it up! As simple as that! All this week I left links at various blogs and a few fellow bloggers too, left their links. I have added those links to the main posts. However, I might have left out a few links. Do feel free to remind me. I have made lists of book reviews for 2006, 2007 and 2008, which shows on the top of my left side bar. I have even put up a message about link exchange.

  • This week’s question is suggested by Puss Reboots:

    How much do reviews (good and bad) affect your choice of reading? If you see a bad review of a book you wanted to read, do you still read it? If you see a good review of a book you’re sure you won’t like, do you change your mind and give the book a try?


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  • This week’s theme comes from Samantha, who suggested that one week we all write about our fond memories of childhood books.

    You could approach this several ways. I’ll probably list my favorite childhood books with maybe a paragraph about each book: why I loved it, how old I was when I read it, where I got the book, etc. You could also just pick one childhood favorite and review it as you would any other book. Or, if you’re fast, you could make up a meme other weekly geeks might like to use. It’ll be interesting to see how everyone personalizes this theme. Don’t forget to come back and leave a link to the post in your comment once you’ve written your post. No wrap-up post this week; just the one childhood books post.

  • Sweet post by Chris Wilson over at The Marketing Fresh Peel this week:

    An ability to perceptively spot trends is a vital part of putting your company ahead of the competition. But recognizing a trend is only half of the equation. It’s even more important that you take action. What good is it to spot a trend if you can’t take advantage of the coming wave?

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    Trend Tips

  • I have taken this negative meme from Dewey's blog. I thought I would give it a shot. My answers are not as good as hers! Feel free to do this meme and credit it to Dewey!


    1. When you dislike a book, do you say so in your blog? Why or why not?

    I do say so. As I spend a lot of time reading and analysing it, I do think I should mention the negative aspects too. However, I mention it why I did not like that particular book. There might be cultural reasons too. Some books simply do not work for me.

    2. Do you temper your feelings about books you didn’t like, so as not to completely slam them? Why or why not?

  • How much do reviews (good and bad) affect your choice of reading? If you see a bad review of a book you wanted to read, do you still read it? If you see a good review of a book you're sure you won't like, do you change your mind and give the book a try?

    In general I'd say that reviews have some affect on my choice of reading, but not terribly much because what you like and what you don't like is really a matter of taste. A reviewer could say absolutely wonderful things about a book, but I might not enjoy reading it. Similarly, I might love a book that a reviewer thought was horrible.

  • How much do reviews (good and bad) affect your choice of reading? If you see a bad review of a book you wanted to read, do you still read it? If you see a good review of a book you’re sure you won’t like, do you change your mind and give the book a try?

  • My very first award ever! Sarah at PussReboots awarded me the You Make My Day Award. This is the first award any of my blogs have won. I'm honored thanks!

    Winners of this award are to award it to at least 10 more people. So without furthur ado, Bloggers who I believe deserve this award!

    A Gaggle of Book Reviews - the first book review blog I ever read, the one that got me thinking of becoming more active with my blog.

  • How much do reviews (good and bad) affect your choice of reading?

    It honestly depends on who is doing the reviewing. If it is a person that I know shares similar tastes with me then I tend to pay more attention to their reviews.

    If you see a bad review of a book you wanted to read, do you still read it?

  • I've been very lucky lately. I won a book from John @ The Book Mine Set and Daphne from the Bronte Bloggers. I need to pass this good luck on!

    Since it's Buy a Friend a Book Week and... BIG ANNOUNCEMENT... Linda Wisdom author of 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover will be making a guest appearance here at book-a-rama on April 11, I'm going to give away my gently used (by me) copy of 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover to ONE lucky reader.

  • I haven't been posting for awhile, a whole week almost went by! That's crazy! So it was a nice gift to come back and go thru my favorite blogs to see that Alisia over at Book Haven has given me an award! The You Make My Day Award!! Now I get to have fun choosing 10 blogger friends who make my days a little brighter.... Thank you Alisia!!!

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    Kookiejar from A Fraternity of Dreamers makes my day because her blog just cracks me up, but Wednesdays she has all kinds of goofy news and links! Check her out!

  • This is a list of my Book Reviews from 2007. If any of these links don't take you to where they should please let me know.

    The Long Stretch by Linden MacIntyre
    Chocolat by Joanne Harris
    Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
    Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon
    Secondhand Smoke by Karen E Olson
    Dead of the Day by Karen E Olson

  • As it is Buy A Friend A Book Week, there are many book giveaways going on. I will keep on adding to this post about new giveaways! Don't forget to check this out!

    1) Dewey at The Hidden Side of the Leaf is holding one here. Do check out her link for further details!

    2) Literary Feline at Musings of a Bookish Kitty is giving out two books. Check it for further details!

  • I found this meme on negative reviews over at the hidden side of a leaf and thought it was interesting. Then I googled "grumpy" and found this grumpy cookie. Now that's what I call kismet.

    But damn I could go for a grumpy cookie right about now. Hell, I'd even take a happy cookie.

    1. When you dislike a book, do you say so in your blog? Why or why not?

    Absolutely, because I believe that books – whether good or bad – should evoke a visceral reaction in the reader. The worst reaction I could have is one of total apathy. In fact, I’d have to say that some of my best reviews were for books I didn’t like.

    2. Do you temper your feelings about books you didn’t like, so as not to completely slam them? Why or why not?

  • I've just realized that I've lost the little box thinger that shows the book blogs I enjoy. If you are reading this and have linked to me, or know that I used to link to you, please comment below so that I can work on restoring my blog links. Lord knows where they went off too. Of course, if you don't link to me and would like to, comment here and I'll return the favor. Book blog links should be restored soon...ish.

  • Title: Down to a Sunless Sea---Short Stories
    Author: Mathias B. Freese
    ISBN: 9781587367335
    Publisher: Wheatmark/2007
    Pages: 134

    Mathias B. Freese offered me this book for reviewing and I gladly accepted it. It is a collection of 15 stories and fairly a thin book. I wouldn't call it an easy read. One needs to concentrate while reading. The mind deviates and one has to go back.

  • I was given this award by two of my blogging friends, Rhinoa and Wendy. I should have responded to this a long time ago but I have been sick and am just starting to feel better. Most people have already been given this award but I will still post a list of the 10 blogs that make my day not including Rhinoa and Wendy's which, of course, do make my day. So here they are:

    3M(Michelle) at 1 More Chapter- 3M is an avid reader and we share a lot of the same tastes. I have gotten several great recommendations from her. She is one of my prime enablers for feeding my challenge addiction. Plus, I love the design of her blog.

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    Christina from Ardently Book Reviews

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    -This is the neatest thing: A personal library kit.

  • This challenge was created by Wendy and is done by members of the A Novel Challenge group. I will be making notes here on progress and for the books that need to be reviewed, they will have the tag: A Novel Challenge

    In the year 2008 I need to:

    1. Read a short story and review it
    2. Read a children's book and review it
    3. Read a poem and review it
    4. Read a banned book and review it
    5. Give a book away - gave my copy of The Fab Girl's Guide to Friendship Hardships by Discovery Girls to a teen I know.
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    7. Read a classic and review it Read Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, review here.
    8. Got to a book event and tell about your experience
    9. Read an essay and tell about it
    10. Read something inspirational and tell why it inspired you

  • I just stumbled upon some book blogs I've not seen before and they are giving books away!

    She Reads Books is giving away 5 books but the deadline is Thursday, June 3 at midnight EST so hurry on over! A comment give you one entry. Posting about the contest on your blog earns you two more!

    A Book Blogger's Diary has very frequent giveaways! The current one is A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander. Enter by June 15!

    Mama Bear Reads is giving away her copy of Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik. Contest ends June 10 (her birthday)

    Book Room Reviews is giving away a copy of The Safety of Secrets by Delaune Michel. Contest ends June 15

  • Last week, quite by chance, I picked up a collection of essays by A.C. Grayling. Why? I've never even heard of the fellow, but the title, The Reason of Things : living with philosophy, was intriguing. Plus, it was only a buck.

    So: A.C. Grayling seems to be a British philosopher and Academic Extraordinaire. He was also a Booker judge in 2003. He writes a weekly column for the Times Saturday review, of which this book appears to be a collection. Not even having looked at the table of contents (okay, it was an impulse buy) I was pleasantly surprised to open it at random to an essay entitled Reading and Reviewing. Whew, I felt some relief that it had been a loonie well spent! Actually, and seriously, it was a fascinating essay, with many statements relevant to those of us slogging away on our literary-fixated blogs. I thought I would just share a couple that I found thought-provoking. Something to ponder, at least!

  • The Worst

    Luckily, there wasn't any real stinkers in the books I read this year. However, I was frustrated with a few. I wasn't impressed with Moll Flanders but I can't fault it since it was a product of it's time. Anyway, here are the awards for the Worst.

  • Darling Stephanie at Confessions of a Bookaholic bestowed this award to me. I think she's the bees knees too. Thanks, Steph! Here's the explanation:

  • You’ve just reached the end of a book . . . what do you do now? Savor and muse over the book? Dive right into the next one? Go take the dog for a walk, the kids to the park, before even thinking about the next book you’re going to read? What?

    (Obviously, there can be more than one answer, here–a book with a cliff-hanger is going to engender different reactions than a serene, stand-alone, but you get the idea!)


    Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!


    Hmm...Well, I stretch and yawn first. I guess it depends on the book. If it's a good one, I usually wander around in a reading stupor. I feel all fuzzy headed and I'm still thinking of all that happened in the book. I think about what the characters did after the end, what I want for them, how I would have ended the book. All that jazz.

    If it wasn't so good, or *shutter* terrible, I may want to pick up something totally different to scrub my brain.

    Lately, the first thing I do after finishing a book is blog about it!

  • A grim future is predicted in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. People watch nonsense on their giant TV's while an unpopular war is waged in another part of the world. People drive too fast and children play violent games. People are told they are happy but suicide rates climb. Any of this sound familiar? I was startled by how much of this 1953 novel had come true and how society seems to be heading in the direction predicted: the loss of intellectual thought.

  • No time for a full review today (although a review on a literary thriller is forthcoming, don't you worry), but I had to pass along this great article I found courtesy of Jacket Copy, which linked to this Granta article about the Web Habits of Highly Effective People.

    Unfortunately, instead of inspiring me to surf less, I've added more links to my Favorites folder. Great.

    This lead me to ponder how I spend my online time. I, of course, am NOT highly effective, so don't expect me to surf "an hour a day" like some of the people featured in the article.

    Here's how I'd respond to Granta's request:

  • NOTE: This post is a sticky, please scroll down for newest posts.

    It's Sept. 1, time to read! If you didn't sign up, you still can, you just won't be eligible for the prize.

    I have prizes! That's right, not one but TWO! The prizes are:
    A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
    The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

    The Notebook has some water damage to the cover and first few pages but is completely readable.