Blog Award

When I started this book review blog I never thought that I would receive an award. So I was pleasantly surprised when I received an award from Callista over at SMS Book Reviews. Callista, thanks for passing this blog award on to me.

I will now be searching for 15 new book review blogs to pass this award on to.

Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife By Audrey Niffenegger







For me this was a book that I would not have picked up on my own. I did not know about this book until it became the very first choice for August for the group Blogger's Unite Book Club.

This is not the sort of book I am used to reading. The journal style left me confused more than once. And the time traveling back and forth had me more than once looking back to try to keep track of the story. Again I think that it was just because I had never read a book written in journal style. As I kept reading I found I had gotten used to the author's style for this book.

I liked that the author let us see the characters with all their rough edges. Some of the characters I wished she had done more with such as Ben and Richard. and some I could have done with a little less with such as Gomez and Ingrid.

About three fourths of the way into the book Clare began to get on my nerves. By the end of the book I had found some compassion for her. I liked Henry from the start. I did not like some of the situations that the author put him in. But I guess changing those situations would have taken away from the story.

This is the only book that has ever made me cry at the end. I will probably never read it again. One go around is it for me. The highs and lows I went through. The tissue! And through it all I decided it was a keeper.


This was my review in August of 2009. While I was reading The Time Traveler's Wife the movie came out. I passed on going to see it. I resisted until it came out on DVD. I rented it!! I was excited until I remembered the books ending..... I felt that the movie left out important details that are revealed in the book and glossed over others. It seemed like it was over before it began. While the movie version may not have been my cup of tea the book as it turned out was.

My Interview with Blog Author Bobbie Crawford-McCoy

I want to introduce you to a very good friend of mine. Her name is Bobbie Crawford-McCoy. She is the author of Book Reviews By Bobbie. She is the creative talent behind her book blog and her website, Pinnacle: Author & Book Promotion. She has graciously agreed to an interview and I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I have.






Hi Joni,

Thanks so much for interviewing me! :)


Q: What gave you the idea to author a book review blog?

A: It was a natural step for me. I LOVE books and I have always felt a connection to the books I read and the authors who write them. While book blogging, I get to chat with many of my favorite authors and interview them for Book Reviews By Bobbie. Another thing that I want to do through my blog is help other readers decide if a book is right for them, BEFORE they buy it! There's nothing quite like that feeling of disappointment when you realize that a book was not what you were expecting.



Q: What has been the hardest thing about authoring your book review blog?

A: Keeping up with the reviews and trying to comment on other blogs. I have so many things to do in a day that I don't often time to chat with other book bloggers.



Q: Is there anything you would change about your blog?

A: I would like to change the layout...I'm no techno wizard, so I have a really plain blog template.



Q:If you have a "to be read" list could you list the top 10 books on your list?

A: Here goes:

1. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
2. Night by Elie Wiesel
3. The Rape of Innocence: Taking Captivity Captive by Lacresha Hayes
4. Survival in Auschwitz: The Nazi Assault on Humanity by Primo Levi
5. The Rake's Unconventional Mistress by Juliet Landon
6. Patience by Lisa Valdez
7. The World According to Garp by John Irving
8. No Escape by Natasha Cooper
9. The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Anne Long
10. Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas


Q: How do you choose what books you will be reviewing?

A: I found that it was easiest to decided on the types of books that I like to read and be choosy about the books that I accept for review. The first thing that I noticed, once my blog was established, was how easy it was to get free books to review; the harder part was to weed through the books that I did and didn't want to review. There are SOOOO many wonderful authors out there looking for great reviews, but sometimes I am not the correct reviewer for their book.


Q: Do you have a favorite reading genre?

A: If you had asked me this question a year ago I would have said a historical romance, hands down! Now however, it is a tie with historical romance novels and thrillers! I had no idea, until after I started reviewing thrillers, that I could like them let alone love them! Being a book reviewer has really opened up the literary world for me and its increased my book-appetite. :)



Q: What advice would you give a fellow blogger that is just starting out?

A: First of all, book bloggers need to be professional. When you are dealing with publicists, authors, agents, etc. you need to be polite and courteous.
You should always reply to emails in a timely fashion.
Be honest when you write your reviews; if you don't like a book, say so....but do it in a respectful way.
Try to be true to your word and don't guarantee something that you may not be able to hold yourself to; ie: reviewing in a month or less when other "life" issues could pop up unexpectedly.
Don't be afraid to politely say no to a book that is offered to you for review; chances are that the book will spend half a lifetime on your TBR (To Be Read) pile anyhow.

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to let me interview you Bobbie.


Thanks so much for interviewing me, Joni. Please stop by Book Reviews By Bobbie or Pinnacle: Author and Book Promotion any time!



Book Reviews By Bobbie & Pinnacle: Author & Book Promotion