Tag: A to Z blogging challenge

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Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Bad Girls Book Club Letter E #atozchallenge

Welcome to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Today’s letter is

E

The Book

An Ember in Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember (letter E) is our pick for today. This book brought out all the feels in me! I loved it and I was also repulsed by it at the same time. I love the feel of this book. It’s located in a country that has a Middle Eastern feel to it and also a turn of the century, historical fiction feel. I’m not sure which century, but still. Points for diversity. Our heroine, Laia, is a slave and lives with her poor family. Everyone is poor and they must do what they can to survive and not get killed or arrested. Laia’s brother is arrested for treason and she must become a spy to help save him. And of course, like many YA books there is a romance, but who cares about that? I love coming of age tales, and much like Tris, Laia discovers that she has abilities she didn’t think she had. I must warn you, I found the book to be extremely violent and there is a cliffhanger ending. I’ve talked about this book nonstop with my bookish friends. This was the MUST READ title of 2015. I hope she finishes the sequel soon.

Have you read An Ember in the Ashes?

How’s the challenge going for you? Still excited?

Good. Onward to letter F!

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Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Bad Girls Book Club Letter D #atozchallenge

Welcome to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Today’s letter is

D

The Book

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Come on, you KNOW I had to pick this book, right?
How can you make a list that doesn’t include Tris?  There are so many things I love about Tris. If you’ve seen the movie, you haven’t really seen Tris. The book is SO much better (isn’t that always true?). In the book, Tris is a mild and meek young woman who made a choice and discovered she could do anything. If that doesn’t make Tris a Bad Girl, then nothing does. I love how Tris figures out what she wants, she learns what she’s capable of, and she grows from it. And a bonus? Tris is a likeable person (unlike Katniss) and I cheered for her throughout the whole book.

What do you think?

See you on E…

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Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: Wanna be on My Team?

Calling all Wordsmiths, Party Animals, Bloggers, Readers, Droids, Orcs, Pirates, etc.

I’m looking for members to join an Unconventional Alliance for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge!

A2Z-BADGE [2016]

Why an Unconventional Alliance? I love The Hunger Games and think its very important to have a team of trained assassins friends to accomplish a task.
This task? Surviving the 2016 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge!

Just like Katniss couldn’t survive the Quarter Quell without her team, each co host needs a team to help get the job done. Being part of the Co Host Team is fun but there is work involved.  This position is for you if:

  • You’re organized
  • You’ve always wanted to help with the A to Z Challenge
  • You have the time to commit to being busy in March and very busy in April
  • You live for the inside scoop
  • You’re reliable
  • You answer emails/tweets quickly
  • You like to have fun (sense of humor is KEY)
  • You’re a team player
  • You can take initiative
  • You’re reliable (did I mention that already?)
  • You don’t mind a bit of hard work (no breaking bricks or anything but there will be much typing)

If you can answer yes to most of these qualifications, then we want you on our team! The only weapons required are your device, or your laptop or your computer or wherever you access the internet. Cool bow and arrow not necessary, although will be highly praised.

If you’ve got what it takes to be part of my Unconventional Alliance, tweet  me: @pamlovesbooks or email me: [email protected]

Thank you for considering joining my team!

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Blogging from A to Z Challenge Books

#AtoZChallenge Reflections: April is for Friendship

I love love love taking part in the A to Z Challenge, y’all!

A-to-Z Reflection [2015] - Lg

It’s not cuz I’m so Boss

courtesy Pinterest
courtesy Pinterest

or because I’m a nosy neighbor (librarians are information specialists, right?).

court. Pinterest
court. Pinterest

or because I have no friends IRL

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I do have Friends IRL

and in fact, thanks to the A to Z Challenge,

I get to meet with them every Thursday for the Twitter chats!

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If Twitter is stupid then all my friends on Twitter are stupid and that’s ok with me!

At least I’m not alone.

Every Thursday at 1 and 8pm EST

Many of us log on to twitter and lose ourselves in  hashtag azchat.

If I’ve lost track of what someone is doing, chances are I’ll find them  at the #azchat.

Need a quick laugh? #azchat

Need inspiration? How about from our friends in India who wake at 5am. FIVE FRIGGIN FRAGGIN AM

just for a chance to chat with us. Amazeballs.

Or how about some friends on the left coast who are commuting and PULL OVER or chat via the train/bus?

No Friggin way, right?

Or how about our numerous English friends across the pond who tolerate our Americanisms

but yet have so righteously gifted us

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Tom Hiddleston?

All I know is, when Twitter finally gets voice activated and I can actually HEAR everyone’s voices

instead of imagining what they all sound like.

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You will all sound like Beeker to me.

Except you English, I can only do a generic 221B Baker Street accent so, you know,

I’ll be rocking that forever.

If you missed the Twitter Party Friendship olive branch of acceptance,

we offer you the second prize:

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The Celery Stalk of Mediocrity.

You’re prolly better than that but that’s the food that was leftover from the Twitter parties.

And here’s where I say something astute and heartfelt as a send off:

Go. Be Fabulous.

I’m wearing that smile you gave me, A to Z Challenge. How does it look?

Like a Boss, I know.

Thanks for another BRILLIANT (for you English) and GROOVY (for you dorks) and MOST EXCELLENT (for everyone else) Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2015!

Woot!

Get you some of that next year, don’t miss out.

We’ll be waiting for you.

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And watching.

All photos courtesy of Pinterest.

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2015 Diversity Reading Challenge Blogging from A to Z Challenge Books

#AtoZChallenge – K Kinda Like Brothers/King for a Day

I have TWO special books for you for K Day.

Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth

Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth

 

This is a great middle grade urban fiction read about a boy who’s mother cares for foster children. My review is here.

The other book I want to share with you is King for a Day by Rukhsana Kahn.

King for a Day by Rukhsana Khon

 

My review is here. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO HARD! A diverse book on so many levels, it’s a must read.

Welp, that’s it today friends. What’s your fave book that starts with K?

 

 

 

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Blogging from A to Z Challenge

The Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2015 is Here!!

A2Z-BADGE-000 [2015] - Life is Good

Please read and follow the sign-up instructions outlined below so you sign onto the list correctly!

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behavior.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on. You can use a theme for the month or go random – just as long as it matches the letter of the alphabet for the day.

The A to Z Challenge is a great way to get into the blogging habit and make new friends. For more details and its history, go HERE

We recommend short posts, turn off Word Verification, and visit five blogs (or more) a day beginning with the one after yours on the list.

Blogs must be on an open platform – no Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. – and comments enabled.

To streamline legitimate blogs from advertisement blogs, the Co-Hosts will be visiting each blog on this list throughout the Challenge. Blogs on the list showing no activity once the Challenge starts or miss five days in a row will be removed.

Please note your blog name and number in all correspondences. Remember that as blogs are removed, your number will change.

There are categories for those looking for like-minded blogs. Select ONE category code and enter it after your blog’s title/name. The code applies to your blog, not your theme for the Challenge and is purely optional. See the first few blogs on the list for examples. However, if your blog has adult content, you MUST mark it (AC) or it will be removed from the list. Codes are as follows:

ANIMALS: (AN)

ART: (AR)

BOOKS/REVIEWS: (BO)

CRAFTS: (CR)

CULINARY: (CU)

EDUCATION: (ED)

FASHION: (FA)

FILM/MOVIES: (FM)

GAMING: (GA)

GARDENING: (GR)

HISTORY: (HI)

HUMOR: (HU)

LIFESTYLE: (LI )

MEMOIR: (ME)

MUSIC: (MU)

MYTHOLOGY: (MY)

PERSONAL: (PR)

PHOTOGRAPHY: (PH)

POLITICS: (PO)

SCIENCE: (SC)

SOCIAL MEDIA: (SO)

SPORTS: (SP)

TRAVEL: (TR)

WRITING/STORYTELLING: (WR)

ADULT CONTENT: (AC)

Be sure to grab the badge and display it in your sidebar so we know you are participating and link to the A to Z Challenge Blog.

For more information we recommend you follow the A to Z Challenge Blog and the hosts:

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out

Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh

Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts

Nicole Ayers @ The Madlab Post

Author Stephen Tremp

Heather M. Gardner

AJ @ Naturally Sweet

Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian   <—– (Me!)

Matthew MacNish @ The QQQE

Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary

S. L. Hennessy @ Pensuasion

C. Lee McKenzie @ The Write Game

Joy Campbell @ The Character Depot

Susan Gourley @ Susan Says

John Holton @The Sound of One Hand Typing

Lisa Buie-Collard, Author

We also have a Facebook Page

Email address is [email protected]

Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge and Twitter id is @AprilA2Z

Sign up below and join us for a month of alphabet fun!



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Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Wait, is #atozchallenge over? Now What?

Hope you enjoyed the April A to Z Blogging Challenge as much as I did.  Did you get your survivor badge?

survivor-atoz [2014] - SMALL

 

See you around and don’t forget to say Hi on Twitter!

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Blogging from A to Z Challenge Books

Z End #AtoZ Challenge

Z

If you don’t have a tween or teen at home, you might not understand the importance of the word Zits. I swear as a parent my conversations have either revolved around poop or zits, both bodily functions. Never in a million years…

zitsand finally:

zerotolerance

Zero Tolerance. Something of which I have little tolerance of when it comes to being mean to kids.

 

GUESS WHAT?? YOU’RE DONE.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Let’s celebrate!!!

tomorrow. after we rest.

 

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Blogging from A to Z Challenge Books

F #AtoZ Challenge

F

IT’S F DAY!

For every child who’s ever dreamed of being in the Guinness Book of World Records comes the story of eleven-year-old Arthur Whipple and his fantastic family of world record breakers . . .

– Most Crème Brulée Eaten in One Minute
– Highest Number of Matching Outfits Worn by a Stuffed Toy and Its Owner
– Youngest Person to Summit the Third-Highest Mountain in the World

These are just three of the 49,521 records won by Arthur’s twelve brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, unlike his siblings, Arthur hasn’t broken a single, solitary world record! But when the Whipples suffer a spate of catastrophes and a curious amount of attention from a pair of irregularly sized and unusually menacing clowns, Arthur might be the only one who can save his family from losing their collective crown . . . or worse.

fantastic family whipple

Doesn’t that sound AWFUL?? A group of menacing CLOWNS?? What could possibly be worse than that?

I’d sure like to find out, wouldn’t you?

Do you like clowns?

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Books

Get to Know my #atozchallenge Bookish Friends. Introducing Tim!

IT’S TIM!

You know PammyPam likes to make new friends and also to learn about new books! I’ve invited my friends from the Blogging from A to Z Challenge to come over and chat about a book they love. Remember when Arlee joined us last Friday? Well today, his challenge team member Brave Sir Tim joins us to discuss his fave book.  And it’s not My Little Pony.

My Favorite Book – Dracula by Bram Stoker

It is really hard to pick a favorite book.  There are so many good ones out there and so many that I love to read and reread, but one of my favorites is “Dracula” by Bram Stoker.

I love horror and gothic horror in particular, and Dracula is one of the best.  Published in 1897 Dracula says quite a bit about our history and fears as the world was changing.   England at this time was the World’s greatest power, the sun literally never set on the British flag.  Science, technology and sweeping industrialization was changing the face of the world. Sometimes these changes were at the cost of the lands of the British Empire stretched out too.  Your common Englishman was of the time feared and was enthralled with these lands at the same time.  Old world vs. New World.  Superstition, religion and magic vs. science, technology and industrialization.   These are themes of Dracula.

Dracula represents the Old World while our heroes, especially Mina, represent the modern age.  Van Helsing is a man of Science, Mina is a forward thinking woman that uses the latest “technology”, in this case the typewriter, Harker even represents the industrial spirit.  All gather to fight this evil using the technology at their disposal.

Additionally Dracula works as an allegory of unrepressed sexual desire.  Dracula is the ultimate sexual predator in a time when sexual mores and sexual practice could not have been more disparate.  Dracula preys on the women of the story, notably Lucy (who represents the old world woman)  and Mina (the new world woman).  His sexual prowess infects others like the scourge of the day, syphilis.  Dracula is no love story, it is about horror, fear and desires turned dark and evil.

This is all the background to a classic “Penny Dreadful”, the hunting of an evil monster who preys on the young and innocent.   It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoy it.

Thanks Brave Sir Tim. While I’m not a big fan of scary stuff, I’ve never quite understood the sensuality of Dracula. I mean, he bites your neck and you die, how sexy is that?I do, however, get the whole changing world and whatnot and our darkest fears.  My fears, however, are running out of cake.  My fave vamp?

The Count

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Count! One piece of cake, ah ha ha ha!

It was great getting to know you Brave Sir Tim! Check him out at The Other Side, http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/