Literary Friday ya’ll…

Friday. Sad news in the world today. Terrible Tragedy. 😦

#literaryfriday news:

1. Deep South Magazine– most overlooked books of 2012 (one of my fav authors, Kimberly Brock made that list), bookish gifts, peacock ornaments (beautiful ornaments, nice looking gifts for friends or for yourself- and cheap! Less than 7 bucks!), 9 ways to live like Hemingway, and much more.

Today’s Deep South Mag #12daysofgiveaways is also posted: I’ll Be Home for Peacemas by Shannon O’Neil. Make a comment by 12pm CST to possibly win. And check back daily- Deep South Mag has a new giveaway each day.

2. Today’s the last day of the Meg Donohue giveaway for Cupcakes & Books- get those entries in for Cupcakes & Books! Diamonds are nice, but sometimes a cupcake is a girl’s best friend.

3. #fridayreads is The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro. Interesting book so far. Like the plot. 110 pages into book- and wanting to sit down and read more.

4. Claire Cook– author of MUST LOVE DOGS and WALLFLOWER IN BLOOM is giving away 10 copies of Wallflower to a lucky book club. I signed up- you should too!

5. Today is my 1 year anniversary as a blogger- it’s been a year of challenges, ups and downs, fun times, and more. Look for a blog post later today with a more in-depth talk about my first year of blogging. Also big thanks to @MVBClub for writing a guest blog to help celebrate my first anniversary as a blogger!

Happy Reading- and hug your loved ones tonight.

Guest Post by MVBClub (Happy Birthday Traveling With T)

Deidre and the MVBClub wanted to help me celebrate my 1 year anniversary as a blogger and my blog Traveling With T. MVBClub has been very supportive, a huge help in questions & answers, guest blogging opportunities, and more. Thanks MVBClub (and specifically Deidre)- for all that you have done. Words cannot express my gratitude.

MVBClub Guest Blog

Blogging is something that I had always wanted to try. I just didn’t know how to get started. I signed up on Twitter which is a great way to get yourself comfortable with a blogging in 140 characters or less. I, finally, had the courage to set up a WordPress account last December after having a hilarious conversation with some of my Twitter friends about Men and Reading.

These same friends became apart of the Man Vs Books Club team that runs the blog which focuses on encouraging Men to read more. On our blog we discuss the classics such as the works of Jane Austen as well as more modern books such as Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, and the Hunger Games book series. We welcome guest blogs from Tamara W. and other bloggers whom we also met through Twitter.

I am proud to say that I am finding my voice as a newbie blogger. I find the experience to be very rewarding. I hope that in time my writing will continue to evolve as time goes on. As my team and I prepare for our upcoming 1st year anniversary we are looking forward to reaching more men and women and getting them excited about reading in general.

Also on behalf of the MVBCLUB, Tamara we congratulate you on your 1st year anniversary. We enjoy following and reading your posts. You have truly inspired us.

DP ~MVBCLUB
manvsbooksclub.wordpress.com

Man VS Books Club (@MVBClub)- Interview

The Man VS Books Club (@MVBClub) is a group of people who LOVE to read. And they want men to read! The group is comprised of both men and women- and all share a love of the classics. I credit this group of people for encouraging me in reading of Pride and Prejudice, for encouraging me to try books outside my normal picks.

Thank you for taking time to answer some questions about reading tastes, the MVB Club, and #literaryconfessions!

Interview with MVB Club:

1.Why do you think women read more than men?

The consensus is that the literary market is more geared towards women instead of men. For example the top 3 best selling books were the 50 Shades of Grey book series which appealed more to a female audience,although I am sure that some men may have read them too. Moreover, I think some men find it less time consuming to read a newspaper or a magazine rather than to commit to a 500 plus page book. Lastly the probable thinking is why read a book when I can watch television, surf the internet, and/or play video games.

2.When the blog MVBClub was created- what were the expectations? Has it exceeded expectations?

The expectations were to encourage as many men to start reading books and to discover the joy you can get from doing so. The MVBClub blog has far exceeded our expectations. We have been receiving such positive feedback from men and women alike that we are thinking up more features to add to our blog in the near future.

3.When it comes to genre, are men just more of a non-fiction lover than women? Could this potentially have an effect on how much men read since fiction books are generally promoted more and easier to find than non-fiction?

I think Men like reading non-fiction and fiction just the same. Whether they read the book will come down to whether the story synopsis piques their interest and if the book was written by an author that they read before.

4.Are current authors writing books today that are aimed at men or have authors decided to target the women as their audience for book sales?

I think that most authors are generally writing for the mass audience not just the male or female demographic. However, there are those authors such as Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts whose books tend to cater more to the female audience.

5.What is one (published in the last 10 years) book that men should not miss?

A tough one…there are so many wonderful books from this past decade that I could recommend…However I will say that the Hunger Games is a current must read. Hopefully men will continue to read the remaining two books in the trilogy. They won’t be disappointed.

6.MVBClub is a fan of the classics; but for some people, classics are overlooked. Name a few current author favorites for the group. Then name a classic book that will entice readers to give the classics a try.

Well Jane Austen is always current author for us. Her influence has been exhibited in two of the most popular books series on the literary market today most notably Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey book series’. We always suggest that a first time reader of Jane Austen should start with Pride & Prejudice. It is such an entertaining read.

7.Does the MVBClub have any #literayconfessions?

Our Literary Confessions are: First: We love reading. Second:Reading and our mutual love of Jane Austen has brought us together as friends and collaborators on the ManVsBooksClub blog. Third: MVBC blog has allowed us to spread our message that Reading is Sexy.

For more information on the club or to follow their tweets- please visit at Manvsbooksclub.wordpress.com. And on Twitter @MVBCLUB

Guest Blogging for Man VS Books Club- The Hunger Games Trilogy

The True GAMEMAKERS: The Hunger Games! Catching Fire! Mockingjay!

A few weeks ago, one of the Man VS Book Clubs members asked me to contribute a piece as a guest blogger. We discussed a few different options on which books, and decided The Hunger Games would be a good choice.

In the above link is my post as a guest blogger for Man VS Books Club- which I hope you will take time to read through- whether you are a fan of the trilogy or not.

But, because I believe in a spirit of “paying it forward” for good deeds- this post is mainly about why readers should visit the Man VS Books Club blog. I came across the blog because I’m Twitter friends with Deidre (@Yankeefan2975). Deidre is a huge fan of books, and with help from others- decided to create a blog to generate interest in reading for men and to discuss books. Along with the other 7 contributors- Man VS Books Club blog was born. Between the 8 of them- a wide and varied interest in reading is covered (as well as physical location!) Each person brings a necessary ingredient to making this blog a “must-see”.

Stop by their blog, spread the word to other friends, and most importantly- tell the men in your life to look over the books they review and discuss. Reading books is not just for women- it’s great for both genders. Reading is cool- let the people of Man VS Books Club show exactly how great reading can be!

Book news…. (list style!)

1. Recently began reading James Patterson. Sorry to report that I have been ignoring his great books for years. Loved Kiss the Girls, I, Alex Cross and now reading Roses are Red. Good books.

2. Received my copy of The River Witch by Kimberly Brock that I won from Hallie Sawyer’s blog. Kimberly personalized my copy with the sweetest message: To Tamara- My sweet friend. May the story sing for you! Love, Kimberly Brock
I cannot wait to sit down and begin reading this book. With the rave reviews it’s getting, I’m very excited about reading it.

3. Bought Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn yesterday. Have never read a book by her, but between the description of the book from Reader’s Digest, the book cover and my book friend, Keetha’s, excitement over the book- I feel sure it’ll be a winner. I hope so anyway.

4. I’m still waiting on the library to get my copies of Ready, Player One and The Rook from the inter-library loan. This is probably why people buy, as opposed to borrow books mainly- it’s too long of a wait.

5. I was asked to guest blog about The Hunger Games trilogy for a friend’s blog- Man Vs Books Club. The blog is a collaborative effort among a group of people who read and encourage others to read. If looking for another blog to read or some great reviews, please check them out.

6. It’s 9 days till Booktopia Oxford, MS. Books on the Nightstand has several great events planned. Look for future blog posts on the authors I met at Booktopia.

7. Speaking of Books on the Nightstand, if you don’t listen to their weekly podcast, give it a try. They usually have great recommendations for books. This week, they recommended Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D by Nichole Bernier. Nichole’s book was getting quite a bit of attention from several bloggers I follow yesterday- based on the talk, I’ve decided to add it to my list of books to read this summer.

8. My “to-read” list is growing exponentially. It bothers me because no matter how much time I devote to reading, it seems I never make a dent in my list.

9. She Reads is looking for more bloggers to join their network- if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please check out their website.