New Friend Friday

This question is c/o Ramblings of A Coffee Addicted Writer

Question: Do you blog for a living or for fun?

Answer: I blog for fun mostly and I have been overwhelmed by the relationships I have made and new books I have discovered through the blogging community.

I occasionally write for various literary magazines as it helps pays the bills :)

This question is c/o Alison Can Read and Parajunkee.

Question: Who is your blogger BFF?

Answer: Three people: Me, Myself, and I *wink wink*

I have admired many bloggers along the way and you should too: 

http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/

http://www.readingrants.org/

http://bookriot.com/

 

 

 

 

New Friend Friday

This question is c/o Ramblings of A Coffee Addicted Writer.

Question: 

Are you a book blogger purist? Do you only have book related posts or do you review/post on anything/everything that catches your eye? 

Answer: 

I named my blog, "Literary Chameleon" because my blog features all things literary. 

I created the following series: Literary Love" and "Soul Craft" in order to showcase artist's work and the process behind it because I wanted to share my love of all things literary and didn't want to lose that direct connection I foster with people when I have the opportunity to learn from their experiences. I love it so much. I wanted to share that experience with others. 

Check these awesome artists out: 

Neena Creates for the most comfy sweatshirts 

Thornfield Hall Designs provides the cutest t-shirts with quotes from your favorite novels

Ophelia's Gypsy Caravan creates the most amazing literary inspired art on mugs perfect for curling up with tea or coffee.

BookishCharm It's handcrafted jewelry for the bookish! 

Literary Lacquer makes literary nail polish named after fantastic books

Valle Girl Designs designs custom made literary bracelets

My Reader Recommendation Service derived from my ability to suggest books for patrons. Throughout the last five  years working in libraries, this has been my favorite aspect. I love helping people broaden their horizons. After all, a great library has something in it to offend everyone!Selecting books for others proves to be a challenge and I love piecing those puzzles together everyday. My service travels through word of mouth and I have been blessed to pick books for well-known authors. It is always such an honor to pick books for someone whose books have personally impacted my life and others I have known. 

I also write various book reviews and participate in book tours :)

This question is c/o Allison Can Read and Parajunkee's Reviews. 

Reading Goals

1. Enjoy the words 
I'm a fast reader, so I often turn the last page of a book and realize I didn't take the time to really enjoy what I just read. My goal for this year is to read slowly and really think about each sentence as I read.

2. Challenges
This is to keep my reading list diverse and to honestly see how many books I actually read within a year. I have signed up for many challenges which you can see under the tab, "2014 Reading Challenges." I hope to see some of you throughout the year on some of the challenges! 

Blogging Goals

3. Leave more comments

I have the terrible habit of reading various fashion, life, and literary blogs on a regular basis and rarely leaving comments. I'm going to make more of an effort to take some time each week and leave comments on my favorite posts.

4. Feature Guest Posts 

I want Literary Chameleon to be more of a collaborative blog. I hope to feature more guest posts this year and give blog readers a different perspective on books and all other literary topics. 

New Friend Friday

   

Q: What Books Are You Looking Forward to Reading in 2014?

Santa managed to shimmy down my chimney early this year and I woke up to a stocking stuffed with gift cards which I'm saving for these awesome reads coming up in the next couple of months: 

 01.07.14 by Amulet

 

01.14.14 by Quirk Books

 

02.04.14 by Disney Hyperion

 

02.14.14 by Harper Collins 

Q: What books did Santa stuff your stocking with this holiday season?

I only got one book this year from Santa but it was the ONE that I have wanted for a very long time.

New Friend Friday

You won a 5 minute shopping spree from your favorite book store! What will you grab?

My favorite bookstore is Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois. The aisles are small but they hold the feeling that they go on forever as if I have entered the church of information and the patron saints are the authors. Each shelving unit has their own area where you can find your theology,fiction, your cook books, etc. When you walk into Anderson's book store, the adults, children's and young-adult books line the walls next to the stuffed animals, and literary t-shirts. Everything overlaps and fits together like the pieces of a puzzle. 

I would directly bolt for the latest Young Adult and Middle Grade books and then make a bee line for their awesome t-shirts. How great are these: 

Also, check out this book at your local library -

New Friend Friday



Q: Are there any book to movie adaptations where you think the movie is better than the book?

I took a British Literature class once semester where I ended up arguing with the Teacher Assistant about the Scarlett Letter because he insisted that Pearl dies at the end of the novel. She only dies in the movie. That is clearly a case   where the book was better than the movie!

Now onto my true answer-

 Here's the reasons why some movies are better than the books:

• Visualization: Movies are visually appealing. Words on a page are more daunting and you are forced to take the words and form your own opinion. A movie is the director's perspective. Stories are more accessible to a larger number of people in movie format than in books
• Leif Motifs: Cue the music when the good/bad guy comes on screen. Music provides an emotional charge that just isn't there when you turn the pages of a book.
• Time: I read a lot and I read quite quickly. If I were to spend three days just reading, I could probably knock out four or five books. On the other hand, if I spent time watching movies, I could probably watch ten or twelve. Movies leave out the minute details you need to see the picture when  you read it in a book. Movies give you a picture and move on to the next scene.
• Social Aspects: I love going to watch movies with friends and discussing my favorite parts afterwards. You can talk while you watch the movie if you don't mind the snide comments and evil glares. When I sit down to read, I shut out the world and read. I've had people snap their fingers in my face, take the book out of my hands, and yell my name. It is not a social event.

 My favorite books turned movies:

via

I grew up with this series and it was so neat to see the actors grow up with me. No matter how I imagined Harry Potter ending up in Mr. Olivander's shop. It was so perfect to see the way it played out in the movie. 

via

This book was my first Newbery Award winner. The movie brought the book to life and  kept the sense of adventure that I fell in love with while reading the book.  Oh, did I mention Lauren Bacall is in it?

via



Jim Carrey really brought the cartoon character to life. I mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVE Boris Karloff's voice in the animated version. The back story in the movie with Jim Carrey really showed the origins of the Grinch and definitely made my heart grow three sizes.



  

New Friend Friday

Question:

What is your favorite horror novel and why? (Halloween Edition)

Answer: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Summary:

Sometimes, when you open the door to the past, what you confront is your destiny.
Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author's tale of gothic strangeness -- featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess,a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves

Find New Friends Friday

Question: What Were Some of Your Favorite Books as a Kid

I think my mom read this book to me a thousand times. Every time an the monkey did something such as tap on a drum so did I . I think it was at that moment I fell in love with drums and later became the only girl percussionist in my high school band.

I absolutely love fairy tales. This was my all time favorite and I still think I can recite it from memory it has touched me so much. I also wrote about it here

What books have touched your life? I can't wait to read about them!



Question: What is your favorite genre? List two books from your favorite genre.

I read a lot of different books but the majority of the time I read YA novels.

I can't really choose one off the top of my head but I can give you some choices:

The Summer I Became A Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Firecracker by David Iserson











New Friend Friday

Q:If you could have one book for the rest of your life? What would it be?

Hmmm, my absolute favorite author was Jack Kerouac because I loved his sense of adventure and his thirst for freedom. It would serve as a reminder to me to always be true to yourself and go your own way.

Q:Have you ever ended up reading a book with its last or last few pages missing

What book was it? And how did you managed to get to the end?

Once I rented out the first book of the Twilight series and got all the way to the end of the book to find that some jerk had torn off the last two pages of the book and wrote, "Ha Ha You're Screwed." I thought that was pretty cruel and unusual. I ended up getting a different copy and looked up the guy who tore the pages and made him pay for the book. Justice served.

New Friend Friday

Question:

Book blogging is more than just reading. Who helped you set up or run your blog? Or did you do it all yourself?

Answer:

I would like to say that I woke up one day, yelled, "Eureka", and furiously typed away until my blog became what it is today. Alas, that simply isn't true. Over the last seven months, I have poured a lot of sweat and tears into this blog making it an absolute extension of my love for books and my work within libraries.

Some of it has been my own creation such as my Literary Love" and "Soul Craft" series. I created this series to showcase artist's work and the process behind it because I wanted to share my love of all things literary and didn't want to lose that direct connection I foster with people when I have the opportunity to learn from their experiences. I love it so much. I wanted to share that experience with others.

My Reader Recommendation Service derived from my ability to suggest books for patrons. Throughout the last five  years working in libraries, this has been my favorite aspect. I love helping people broaden their horizons. After all, a great library has something in it to offend everyone!Selecting books for others proves to be a challenge and I love piecing those puzzles together everyday. My service travels through word of mouth and I have been blessed to pick books for well-known authors. It is always such an honor to pick books for someone whose books have personally impacted my life and others I have known.

I have changed my layout a few times, picked up manuals from around my local libraries about blogging in order to find tips and tricks to enhance my blog. I've even asked other people within the blogging community to critique my blog in order to get feedback on what I can improve.

Although I created the blog on my own, I've had help along the way. Two heads are better than one, right?

A word of advice: If you're new to the blogging community or even a veteran, there is always a way to improve.

New Friend Friday

Q: How do you turn down a review request?

A: I typically offer to do something other than a review such as an interview or giveaway.

 Q: What do you do if you can't finish a book? Do you DNF or power through?

A: When I first started blogging, I felt as though the author would somehow know if I didn't finish his/her book so I trudged through them even though I felt bad for the trees that they had to die to create the paper to make the book.

Nancy Pearl, a famous librarian, has a "50" rule where after 50 pages, if you don't like the book, don't finish it. It has been my motto ever since. There are too many great books out there to waste your life on trying to get through them. I find even though I may not like the book where I am now in the life, if I pick it up later, I might absolutely love it!!





New Friend Friday

Book Vacay:
Where is the best destination reading spot for you?
(Where do you like to go to read other then your home)

I enjoy going to my local Barnes and Noble and curling up in a big comfy chair with my feet tucked under me, a book in one hand, a vente Chai soy tea latte with cinnamon and honey in the other hand. I love the instant accessibility I have to all kinds of books for whatever mood strikes me that day. I'm pretty easy to please :)

Question:
What is your favorite classic novel?

Answer: To Kill A Mockingbird
                    Dracula
                    The Yellow Wall Paper

New Friend Friday

Question: How long have you been blogging?

I started blogging this past February which seems like such a long time ago but I have met so many incredible people along the way!

Q: Activity: PHOTOBOMB!!!! Photobomb a picture with your favorite book. Share it of course.

It's elementary, my dear Watson! My favorite novel is Sherlock Holmes :)





New Friend Friday

Question:
Would you read a book just because of the hype?

I don't honestly read books because of their hype.

My aunt suggested that I read the Harry Potter series because it was such a cool world. I found out about Twilight through a second grader who was reading them. I read Fifty Shades after everyone of my patrons kept asking me for the book series. I will read books based upon suggestion but not because everyone else is reading them. I often find that I end up discovering obscure books that maybe not everyone else has read that way.

Question:

Q: What is your preferred reading format? Hardcover, eBooks, paperback, etc?
Answer: I go through phases where I really crave the feeling of a physical book or reading books on my Kindle. I think I  will always cherish the feel of the pages of a physical format.I really prefer to be sent ARC's in physical format so that way I can go back and find passages more easily. I like the convenience of my Kindle and that I can take 100 books with me on one device.

New Friend Friday



Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower. The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
When you are writing your reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you are completely done with the book?

I usually write the review when I'm finished with the book. When requesting ARC's, I actually prefer a physical copy over an e-book because I can take notes as I'm reading. When I write the reviews, it's much easier to remember what angle I want to write about. More often than not, I dislike the summaries the publishers have written on the back. I have ran across a few that were so generic that they didn't even remotely do the book justice so I try to write the summaries as well as the reviews which proves to be a challenge. I always read the books first just for this fact alone.

On a completely unrelated note, scroll down the page for a chance to enter a GIVEAWAY and view some awesome literary things found on Etsy :)

Question: Share your favorite quote?

Most of the shadows in this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine
                                                          - Ralph Waldo Emerson

New Friend Friday

 I found this blog hop through Dana of  Little Lovely Books.

The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

This week's question:

What is your favorite genre? (genre that you read most)- Recommend a book! 

I read alot of everything. Patrons will often come up to me providing suggestions of books they think I would enjoy.

Patron suggestions:

 The dressmaker of Khiar Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (fabulous book)

The Storyteller by Jodi Piccoult (on my TBR list)

The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne (next in line to be read)

I am currently reading:

Undaunted by Christine Caine

Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Welcome fellow bloggers, I have made a place for you here :)

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and viewing your corners of the web!

I invite you to try my reader recommendation service which can be found on the right hand side bar.





New Friend Friday

Q: What blogger would you most like to meet in real life? Tell us about him or her.I'm pretty blessed to have the opportunity to meet a few bloggers: Dana of Little Lovely Books, Sarah Dawn of Sare-endipity, Tallulah Scribbles of Madhoydenish, Jessica Leigh of Lovin Los Libros and Alexa of Alexa Loves Books I have had the pleasure of getting to know them through their blogs. On June 15th, I have the opportunity to associate names with faces through video chat to discuss the book, The Archived by Victoria Schwab. A fellow blogger and I decided to start a virtual book club to discuss a book of our choice with other bloggers. I added the twist of GMAIL's "hangout" video chats in order to have everyone discuss their thoughts as a neat way to interact :)

I can't wait to see their faces when they find out what I have waiting in store!

If you would like to join our club next month, shoot me an email:  literarychameleon@gmail.com

It is first come, first serve :)

New Friend Friday

Q:  Who is your favorite mom from fiction?

A: Mrs. Weasley

New Friend Friday

Give us a sneak: What are you reading? Tell us about a fun/fail scene in your current read.

I am only halfway through this book but I love it already. The little girl's passion for reading bleeds into the other areas of her life. She reminds me a lot of Maltilda :)

This is my dear friend, Anne Wertz Garvin's first novel. It is very hilarious!

A review will be up this weekend so stay tuned :)







Carrie Pilby is my all-time favorite novel! It has spunky characters with off-the-wall yet completely logical  thought processes! I definitely encourage you to read it as they're is a movie in the works now. An author interview will be coming soon :)

On a complete side note, please see below and check out my awesome review of Bookish Charm's necklaces and a behind-the-scenes interview with the artists Erin and Ducky Johnson. They're a great gift for Mother's Day.

New Friend Friday

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read.


This week's Question: Is there a song that reminds you of a book? Or vice versa? What is the song & the book? I really love the Odyssey by Homer. The song which reminds me of this book is We Will Rock You by Queen.