Monday, June 4, 2012

Armchair BEA ~ introductions first

Armchair BEA takes place June 4-8, 2012.  I posted the schedule of daily events earlier, and you can sign up here to participate.  Today is the day for Introductions First, where we read interviews about each other.  Here are my answers to five of the ten questions (shown below).  Only five, because we are expected to read as many interviews of other bloggers as possible.

1.  Please tell us a little bit about yourself:  Who are you?  How long have you been blogging?  Why did you get into blogging?
Bonnie and Cady
I'm Bonnie Jacobs from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and I've been blogging about books and life since January 2007.  I write about books for all ages, both fiction and nonfiction, having gotten into blogging to keep track of books I've read.  As I say in my profile, "I read to explore ideas."  Here I am with my granddaughter Cady.
2.  What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?
I'm reading and discussing books with two different online groups:
(1)  Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor, a memoir, with several friends at Book Buddies.
(2)  Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thích Nhất Hạnh with two other friends at Notes, Quotes, and Questions.
You are welcome to check out our discussions and comment there (or here) about them.
3.  If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?
Bonnie and Jeffrey Small
I'll choose someone I could discuss ideas with, like Jeffrey Small.  This photo was taken in April, when he signed my new copy of his thriller, The Breath of God.
4.  What literary location would you most like to visit?  Why?
Shakespeare and Company
The manager of my apartment complex has just returned from Paris.  Knowing I'm a booklover, she told me about visiting Shakespeare and Company, an eccentric bookstore.  Young writers are allowed to live and work in the shop.  Wikipedia says of it, "The bookstore includes sleeping facilities, with 13 beds, and Whitman claims as many as 40,000 people have slept in the shop over the years."  Doesn't that sound intriguing?
5.  What is your favorite part about the book blogging community?  Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?
Dewey was my favorite creator of community among her readers.  She had us doing things like Weekly Geeks, Bookworm Carnival, and her 24-Hour Read-a-Thon, which continues to this day in her memory.  Her book blog, The Hidden Side of a Leaf, was taken down after she died in 2008, but her blog Snippets remains up, with "snippets" of Dewey's writing and some of her photographs.  Dewey influenced a lot of us.  And did you know Dewey's cat was a reader?

Dewey's cat
Armchair BEA has a Mr. Linky for Day 1 interviews, so go find other bloggers you want to know better and read their interview answers.  Here are the questions we were to choose from:
  1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself:  Who are you?  How long have you been blogging?  Why did you get into blogging?
  2. What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?
  3. Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.
  4. What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)?
  5. Where do you see your blog in five years?
  6. Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?
  7. If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?
  8. What literary location would you most like to visit?  Why?
  9. What is your favorite part about the book blogging community?  Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?
  10. Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging?  How?

21 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi! nice to meet you!
i started blogging for the same reason! and now i realize that i love meeting all the amazing bloggers in the community as well :)
http://paperbookprincess.blogspot.ca/2012/06/armchair-bea-day-1.html

The Perpetually Annoyed said...

That bookshop sounds amazing! I might have to make time for a trip to Paris and try to find the place!

The Perpetually Annoyed said...

Hello from the Armchair BEA!
That bookshop sounds amazing! I might have to try and find some time to get down there and find it! I can imagine not much sleep goes on though! Too much insiration!

Felicia the Geeky Blogger said...

I love doing Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon and when I started book blogging back in 2009 that was one of the first events I ever took part of!

It was great getting to know you :)

Helen's Book Blog said...

I started blogging after Dewey died, but she sounds amazing! And I have never heard of that Paris bookstore where authors can live. That is fantastic, I'll add it to my "must see" list for Paris!

Anonymous said...

Oh man. I have got to stay at that bookstore. But frankly, in 5 years my condo will prolly look like that.

Ryan said...

If I ever go to Paris, that bookstore has been on my list of places to visit for years.

Amanda @Stuck In YA Books said...

Hi awesome blog!! Nice to meet you!

http://lovesbooksreviews.blogspot.com/2012/06/armchair-bea-about-me.html

Ariel Wilson said...

It's so great to meet a blogger over 30! I'm so used to younger bloggers, but I think it's great to have a wiser blogger as well!

Chrisbookarama said...

I tried to read Traveling with Pomegranates but I couldn't get into it. I hope you're having better luck!

Bonnie Jacobs said...

Ariel, at 72 I'm more than double that age of 30.

Chris, I've already finished Traveling with Pomegranates so I could come up with a few questions for our group discussion. I enjoyed the book, rating it 9/10.

Looks-Mostly-Harmless said...

Hi There!

I need to visit Shakespeare and Company: the only problem will be getting out again because I will want to live there! :D

Kristin said...

That bookshop in Paris sounds very interesting! I would love to visit it one day.

Traveling With Pomegranates sounds very intriguing.

Here's my Armchair BEA Intro Post.

Bookfool said...

Hey Bonnie!

I just read Living Buddha, Living Christ, not long ago, and LOVED it. I can get behind the whole idea of acceptance and peace. So cool that you're reading that.

Shakespeare & Company is a place I'd like to go, too. Did you know Simon Van Booy stayed there for a while? I don't know where I heard that; Simon didn't tell me, but knowing him . . . yeah. It just seems apropos. :)

Cady is a doll. I didn't realize till you told me that I've been blogging a little longer than you. Ha! I'm an old blogging hag. LOL I was actually on the verge of quitting and then had a big old talk with husband and decided I can't. I need blogging. So, I guess I'm hear to stay.

Happy Armchair BEA week!

bookgoonie said...

You are a neat chicka. Thank you for sharing.

Bonnie Jacobs said...

Bookgoonie,

I had to look up "chicka," and the Urban Dictionary had three meanings: two negative and one about a "sexy latin female." None of those seemed right, so I tried again and found:

"chicka (noun)= a close female friend, or one's best female friend. Misspelling of chica," apparently a Spanish word.

I'm not a close friend, since we've never met, so I still have no idea whether you insulted me or tried to compliment me (which I assume). If you see this, please define the word for me.

Bonnie Jacobs said...

Bookfool and I had a bit of a conversation in the comments on her Armchair BEA introduction post, and I want to preserve it here:

Bonnie:

I love Fiona Friday, even when it's on Caturday. As a reader for over five years (I may be an old lady of 72, but you're my elder as a blogger by about half a year), I remember Sunny and Spooky. Do you remember that in the summer of 2007 cats overran my blog? They were in unrelated posts, on the sidebar, in the header, in the footer — all looking for the kitty treats I was giving to cats. I put out a call for more, and Dewey sent me extra kitty treats, via comment. Some of the cats ended up in this post:
http://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/2007/07/cat-says-so-long.html

Bookfool:

I have way too much fun with Fiona Friday, but I am a bit forgetful. LOL Yes, of course I remember when you had all those cats in the sidebar! I thought you owned all of them and you set me straight.

It's nice that there are people who remember my other kitties. I still miss them both. It's been a long time since Sunshine died, now. 4 or 5 years, I think. Sometimes I accidentally call Fiona "Miss Spooky". I'm not sure why. She doesn't look or act like Spooky at all, but maybe it's because she's about the same size. Isabel can't be mistaken for any cat I've ever been owned by. She is a tiny, delicate thing and we've mostly had really big cats.

Anyway, off to work out. Happy Monday, Bonnie!

Bonnie:

Ooooo, I remember now! You told me one of those cats in the sidebar looked like Miss Sunshine! Yes!

Her post is here:
http://bookfoolery.blogspot.com/2012/06/armchair-bea-intro.html

Miscellaneous Maria said...

Love the blog! And very nice to meet you!

Chrystal said...

Nice to meet you. How did I not know about Dewey? Perhaps I did indirectly in some way based on the memes and events around the blogosphere. It's lovely to have someone be so inspiring and their memories live on. :)

stacybuckeye said...

I have LIving Buddha Living Christ and have been meaning to read it for years. I'll have to wait and see what you think.

Bonnie Jacobs said...

Stacy, the book is very interesting. Why don't you come join the conversation about the book between me and a couple of my friends, here:

http://notesquotesandquestions.blogspot.com/2012/04/living-buddha-living-christ-by-thich.html