Ask Book Chic (12) + Contest

This is my last set of questions!! So I'm holding another contest as a way to get more questions. As you probably saw in my In My Mailbox post from the other week (and this week when I showed it off again, lol), I got an extra copy of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins in the mail. It's a highly coveted book with a ton of gushing reviews for it already and it could be yours early! It won't be out until December, but you can win it now! Just leave a question for me in the comments (browse through previous Ask Book Chics by clicking on the Ask Book Chic tag at the bottom of this post so you don't ask a repeat question). It can be about ANYTHING at all- personal, blog-related, writing-related, advice, life-related, silly, whatever. This contest will end next Tuesday, October 5 at 11:59 PM and a winner will be chosen randomly. So ask away!


donnas asks "What are the five books you would recommend to a new reader?

What is your favorite part of blogging?

What author do you really want to meet and interview?"

1) This is gonna be hard. Hm. Well, I'll try my best. I'm going to include a bunch of different genres. Here are my picks:

A) All American Girl by Meg Cabot (because Meg needs to be on any recommended list, and this is one of her best!)
B) Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (because it's an awesome, very well-written book)
C) Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe (A hilarious book filled with even funnier footnotes)
D) In Your Room by Jordanna Fraiberg (Hands down, the cutest romance I have ever read)
E)Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey (one of the best paranormal books out there- original, funny, romantic, and some great folklore that isn't seen much, if at all)

So there's my list. What do you all think of it? What would be on your list?

2) I feel like I've answered this before... but my favorite part of blogging is the community. I love chatting with fellow bloggers both about blog-related stuff but also many other things so I can get to know them. Chatting with authors is always fun too, and I feel privileged to be able to email with them or hang out with them at events. My readers too bring joy to my blogging life- I love getting comments and the occasional email about a post they loved or about how they like the site as a whole. It's what makes blogging so worthwhile.

I also enjoy the review copies because, well, who wouldn't? I'm not gonna lie. They're a great perk.

3) I don't even know!! I've already interviewed so many of my favorite authors (sometimes more than once!), like Meg Cabot, Ally Carter, Brent Hartinger, Justina Chen Headley, Sarah Dessen, Ellen Hopkins, and so many others. I've also met all those authors in person, except for Brent and Justina (I need to go to Seattle again...), though the Meg meeting was two years before I started blogging.

I am excited for a forthcoming interview though, with Michele Jaffe for her upcoming book Rosebush, out in December. She and I have met (at BEA- also got to meet her agent and editor), but have only planned for the interview. I have yet to come up with questions though (well, I've thought of some, just haven't written them down) because I'm waiting for it to be a bit closer to the release date.

Erika Lynn asks "How have your reading habits changed since you started blogging? and also what other blogs do you read/comment on?"

1) I'm certainly reading much more than I used to! There's also more of a variety too because I'm getting sent books I probably would never have picked up just through browsing the bookstore. Aside from that, not much else has changed; I still read anywhere I can and always have a book with me.

2) I read a ton of blogs and my Google Reader is always full. I really need to get it back under control, lol. However, my work day routine usually consists of me checking out The Story Siren, Dreaming in Books, and The Naughty Book Kitties in terms of book blogs, and Meg Cabot, Kiersten White, Stephanie Perkins, and Ally Carter in terms of author blogs. As for commenting, I comment on most of those, but also love commenting on Frenetic Reader and Presenting Lenore every so often too.