Book Blogger Awareness Week: A Sense of Community

This week celebrates the 4th year of Book Blogger Appreciation Week. The brain-child of Amy, from My Friend Amy, is to recognize the efforts of book bloggers worldwide. Complete with week-long activities, Amy has set up this fabulous week to network, promote book blogging, and honor those who go above and beyond by giving out awards! Best of wishes to all of those nominated in their respective categories!

I love that this year's theme is "Cultivating a Community of Bloggers and Readers". Throughout the week, participants will focus on building a wider community of bloggers and readers! I hope to grow from this experience and become a better blogger.

I would not even be blogging today had it not been for a beautiful woman who I just "ran into" on GoodReads. I had just joined the site and was looking for people close in proximity to my location. When I first began chatting with Margaret of Creative Madness she lived about 20 miles away. She was a newlywed who loved to read and as very encouraging to this "newbie" in the book blogging world. A few years ago, she lived just a stone throw's away down the street from me and was having her AppleBlossom. Then the news that her husband had been transferred resulted in a move to TN. Since moving away, she's now mommy to not only her beautiful AppleBlossom but now has OrangeBlossom! In betweeen her mommy duties, she still has time to read and encourage other bloggers. I appreciate you Margaret! Thank you for all you do for the community, especially those of of us who love Christian Historical Fiction! :)

Along the way, I've met some other fabulous people. One of my "sparring" partners is Renee. You can find her super comfy blog over at Black 'n Gold Girl's Book Blog. Renee is a fantastic young woman who tries to steal my Discarded Heroes! I really shouldn't be trying to steal any of these fine young men since I'm a happily married woman! Renee and I, along with Rel, Joy, and Lydia, can blow up Twitter on any given night talking about Ronie Kendig's fabulous books!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the person who re-introduced me to my love of reading. I read A LOT as a child but really slacked off through college and early days of marriage. When I started teaching, a young lady named Mindi brought me Twilight (no haters please!) after she learned that I liked to watch vampire movies. I read the whole book in a weekend and haven't stopped since then! Mindi is now a freshman in college and I hope to encourage her to keep her love of reading forever!!

I hope you all have a fantastic week of reading. I'll try to post more later this week. It's going to be a busy week with a thesis and presentation due, along with a day to write lesson plans for the GA Dept. of Ed. and a day of STEM training! I love and appreciate you all and hope you'll continue to read and visit my blog! :)

Book Blog Swap! Check It Out!

I have a rare treat for you today! One of my new blogger friends, Joy, is featuring a Book Blog Swap and I get to be her first "swapper"! I am so excited about this opportunity, first of all because this is a book that I've been salivating over and hope to read sometime before the year is out. Second, I think it's fun to see what others have to say about things. I do hope you'll go and visit Joy today as she will be featuring one of my reviews. I know that she is still looking for some swappers so if you're interested, drop on by and sign up! :)  


Now, let's turn this over to Joy! :)

I dare you to read the first two chapters of Doctor in Petticoats without chuckling, but if you're like me, you'll laugh out loud. Mary Connealy is known for writing romantic comedies set in the Old West, and Doctor in Petticoats might be her funniest yet.

This novel follows the lives of Beth and Mandy McClellan, who we first met as children in the novel Petticoat Junction. Beth and Mandy have grown up and married, and their parents are less than enthusiastic about either of their husbands. The men have something else in common besides not winning Sophie and Clay's approval.

During the course of the novel, each of them commits what amounts to a cardinal sin in the Old West...they cry. But that's where the similarities end. The author deftly turns one of these tortured souls into a beta hero, and the other into a slime ball.

Connealy plays to her strengths in this novel. Humor is her strong point followed closely by her action and adventure scenes. The romance is light and sweet and the story is definitely entertaining. Since this is the beginning of a new series, we are left with one unresolved storyline, but that did not diminish my enjoyment of the book. Actually, I highly recommend it. If you've never read a Connealy novel, this would be the perfect place to begin.

Want more information? Here's the back cover blurb:

Doctor Alex Buchanan is a wanted man- a deserter from the army stalked by a bounty hunter- but he'd rather be dead than inflict any more pain on his patients. Beth McClellan is idealistic, believing the nursing training she received will be enough to help her serve as doctor to her home town in West Texas. When Alex and Beth meet in a stagecoach accident, they find that they work well together. But are his demons and her dreams too deeply rooted for either of them to pay the price required for a future together?

 Joy blogs over at Edgy Inspirational Romance (grab her button on my sidebar!)

Joy Tamsin David is a wife, mother, and Jesus lover.  She is also a pre-published writer and a slightly obsessed book blogger.  When she's not hanging out with her husband and sons, she reads and writes romance. It gives her a daily dose of girl in a house full of men.  You can get girlie with her at her blog, Edgy Inspirational Romance.