Book Blogger Hop: Books into Movies

It's been ages since I've participated in the Book Blogger Hop, the blogosphere's biggest and brightest BOOK   PARTY!  The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event for bloggers and readers, an opportunity to connect with other book lovers, make new friends and followers, and share a genuine appreciation of books. Hosted by Jennifer from  Crazy-for-Books, this Hop runs from August 31 - Sept 6.  During the Hop, we're usually asked a question pertaining to books. This week's question is: What is the one book or series you are dying to see turned into a movie or TV series?

That's a tough question!  Some of the books I've read and reviewed within the past few years have been made into movies, such as Shanghai Girls by bestselling author Lisa See, and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (now in production or pre-production, I think).  As I read I often imagine the book turned into a movie or TV series. It's hard to choose just one, so I will bend the rules a tad and choose a few books I've read recently that I think would make great movies, and one book series that I believe would be quite entertaining as a TV series.

The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone, The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli, and Dancing with Gravity by Anene Tressler would make remarkable movies.  I read (and reviewed) them recently and they're still quite fresh in my mind; I can definitely picture them as movies.  Another book that comes to mind is Creating an Orange Utopia by Patricia Ortlieb and Peter Economy.  This would make a wonderful historical movie.  As I've mentioned before, I can see Meryl Streep playing the lead, pioneer Eliza Tibbets, and even directing the film.  As for a TV series, I would love to see the four-book series, The Adventures of John and Julia Evans by Linda Weaver Clarke, made into a mini-series for TV.  Her cozy mysteries are exciting, and would translate into an engaging TV series.

Thanks for visiting!  If you'd like to enter my giveaway for The Color of Tea,  please do so by September 3.  If you'd like me to "hop by" your blog,  please leave me a comment.

Book Blogger Hop: New Rules

After a hiatus, the Book Blogger Hop, a fabulous BOOK PARTY, is back and better than ever!  It's a streamlined version of the Hop, with some new, simple rules.  The most important thing to remember is to enter your link in the  monthly list only once during any month.  Please visit Jennifer's blog, Crazy-for-Books, for more details and to enter your link.

The Book Blogger Hop is a fun way for book bloggers to socialize, connect with other book lovers, and discover new book blogs.  If you'd like me to hop by your blog, please leave a comment.

A Favorite Meme: The Book Blogger Hop

Hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this brilliant BOOK PARTY lasts from May 13 until May 16. The Book Blogger Hop is one of my favorite memes because it's such a fun way for book bloggers to socialize, connect with other book lovers, and discover new book blogs. If you'd like me to hop by your blog, please leave a comment.

Each week, Jennifer poses a different question for book bloggers. (Last week I went a bit crazy with the question, even though I didn't officially participate in the Hop. Please forgive me, Jennifer!) This week, she asks: Are you going to Book Expo America (BEA) and/or the Book Blogger Convention (BBC) this year?

I wish I could, but I am going to neither. I will miss all the books, all the book people, all the fun. I do visit NYC regularly because I have family there, but I will not be going this month. However, I look forward to reading posts about the BEA and the BBC.

As many of you know, yesterday Blogger was not working properly for part of the day. Today Blogger is back to normal, although all the comments on my last post have disappeared.

Update, May 24: The comments which were lost have reappeared!

Easter Hop and a Giveaway

I can't resist saying "hoppy Easter"! Hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this brilliant BOOK PARTY lasts from April 22 until April 25. It's a fun way for book bloggers to socialize, connect with other book lovers, and discover new book blogs.

Each week, Jennifer presents a question from another blogger. This week's question is from Christina from The Paperback Princesses: If you find a book you love, do you hunt down other books by the same author?

I certainly do. If I love a book, if I truly love the style or content or characters of a book, I will look for other books by that same author. This started many years ago, when I first read J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye and then Franny and Zooey, and continues to this day.

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In celebration of having more than 500 followers, I'm hosting a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com. Because I have readers around the world, my giveaway is international.

• To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
• For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, May 2. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, May 3. Good luck!

If you're a Hop participant and would like me to stop by your blog, please let me know. If you're entering the giveaway please indicate that in your comment. Happy Easter!

CSN Giveaway and the Hop

Please be seated because what I'm about to reveal may shock you. I've recently read online that the average American watches approximately 153 hours of TV each month at home. That's roughly 5 hours a day. Wow! That's unbelievable to me. As a book blogger, I prefer to read in the evenings, although I do watch TV on occasion, and movies from Netflix (although sometimes those are few and far between). When I watch TV, because it's rare, it's a bit of an event. I like the setting to be just right. I don't want to be surrounded by clutter because I want to relax and get lost in whatever I'm viewing. Our TV is housed in a lovely armoire, but the armoire is starting to show it's age, and the doors and drawers aren't working as well as they used to. I will be sad to get rid of the armoire, but at some point in the future, I'd like to modernize the area with an LCD TV stand to hold not only the TV, but also remotes, electronic equipment, and maybe even a few magazines or books. CSN has a large variety of attractive TV tables, available for order online. I especially like the sleek look of this one.


CSN stores also have clothing, cookware, games--and much, much more. And I have some fabulous news! How would you like to win a $60 gift certificate that can be used on any CSN site? CSN is generously offering this prize to one lucky winner who will be chosen randomly (U.S./Canada only).

• To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
• For an extra chance at winning, take a look at some of the goodies offered by CSN. Then return here and tell me in your comment what you'd like to spend the gift certificate on.
• For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, March 21. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, March 22. Good luck!

More exciting news!

CSN now has a sister site, Joss & Main, a discount shopping site for the home where you can get up to 70% off of top brands. New sales events are posted daily. It's completely free to join (it only takes about a minute to sign up), and gives you exclusive shopping privileges at limited sales (lasting 72 hours). I joined as soon as I heard about it because I want to be privy to their current online sales. I love to get a good deal!

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It's time for another Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books. Each week, Jennifer chooses a question for discussion. This week's excellent question is from Mia from Girl About Books: Who's your all-time favorite book villain?

I had to give this question some thought. I'm not sure if I have an all-time favorite villain, but Bill Sikes in Charles Dickens' classic novel Oliver Twist is a brutal, frightening, and memorable character to me. In the movie version, Bill Sikes was played by Oliver Reed, who always scared the wits out of me as a child.

This brilliant BOOK PARTY lasts from March 4 until March 7. It's a fun way for book bloggers to socialize, connect with other book lovers, and discover new book blogs. If you're a Hop participant and would like me to stop by your blog, please leave a comment. If you're entering the CSN giveaway please indicate that in your comment. Thanks!

Book Blogger Hop: What's in a Name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
~Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

I had no intention of joining the blogosphere's best BOOK PARTY this week, but decided to participate when I read this week's question from Jen B. from I Read Banned Books: Do you ever wish you would have named your blog something different?

This is why I couldn't resist doing the Hop, even though I could be, and should be, reading. Great question, at least to me. When I first started this book blog, I didn't know what to call it. For simplicity's sake, I think, I decided to use my user name, Suko, and very briefly, my blog was just called "Suko" (the few friends who dropped by probably didn't know what to think--did I have an alter ego?). Very soon, though, I realized that I needed to add something more to my blog's title, and came up with Suko's Notebook. A notebook is a book with blank pages for writing or other uses, as well as a small, portable computer, so it fits my blog's character and purpose pretty well. For the most part, I am happy with my blog's title, although sometimes when people ask me in spoken conversation what my blog's title is, I may falter just a bit.

What about you?

Hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this Book Blogger Hop lasts from February 25 until February 28. It's a fabulous, friendly way for book bloggers to socialize, connect with other book lovers, and discover new book blogs. If you'd like me to hop by your blog, please leave a comment.

Book Blogger Hop, and Fifteen Firsts

Hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this Book Blogger Hop is a brilliant BOOK PARTY, and lasts from February 4 until February 7. So grab the button, sign up on the linky, and join the fun! If you'd like me to visit your blog, please leave a comment and I'll be sure to hop by.

This week, Jennifer asks the following question: What are you reading now and why are you reading it?






I'm currently reading a book I received from Online Publicist Lisa Roe, Muslim Women Reformers: Inspiring Voices Against Oppression by psychiatrist and writer Ida Lichter. It's a serious and important book about women (and a few men) in Muslim countries who are fighting for gender equality and truly making a difference. I hope to review this book soon.

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Feeling a bit nostalgic, I organized fifteen "firsts" for my book blog. In order to do this, I had to go back in time and really search for the answers to some of these, but now I have a tidy record of some of my blog's history.

1. First blog post: My first book blog post, Greetings, was posted on May 2, 2008, the official beginning of Suko's Notebook
2. First book I blogged about: Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
3. First book blog I admired: Kate's Book Blog
   
4. First blogging friend: Christie from Belly Acre Farms (she left encouraging comments on my posts in the early days of my blog)
5. First international blogging friend: I'm not sure--either Myrthe from The Armenian Odar (Armenia), or Mee from Bookie Mee (Singapore/Australia)
6. First author interview: I was thrilled to interview Kate Jacobs, author of The Friday Night Knitting Club series, in November 2008
7. First blogging award: Honest Scrap Award, from Kim from Writing Space in December 2008 (Thanks, Kim!)
   
8. First blogiversary: May 2, 2009 (duh!)
9. First book I received in the mail to review: Saffron Dreams by Shaila Abdullah, sent to me by her agent, Kristina, in June 2009
10. First book blog tour I participated in: TLC's book tour for Two Years, No Rain by Shawn Klomparens, in July 2009
11. First reading challenge I participated in: Spice of Life: A Reading Challenge, hosted by Rebecca Reid, in August 2009
12. First book I won on another book blog: The Blue Star by Tony Earley, on Laura's Reviews in September 2009
13. First online interview: With Amanda from The Zen Leaf, for BBAW in September 2009
14. First book giveaway I hosted: Edith and the Mysterious Stranger by Linda Weaver Clarke, in October 2009
    
15. First weekly meme I participated in: Maibox Monday, in November 2009 (and I've been hooked ever since!)
    

If this meme appeals to you, please feel free to make your own list of "firsts", modifying anything you wish to. Happy Friday!

Book Blogger Hop (and a Guilty Conscience)

Hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this Book Blogger Hop is a brilliant BOOK PARTY, and lasts from January 28 until January 31. It's a fun, friendly way for book bloggers to socialize, connect with other book lovers, and discover new book blogs. If you'd like me to visit your blog, please leave a comment and I'll be happy to hop by.






Each week, Jennifer chooses a question from those submitted by book bloggers for discussion. This week's question is from Aliyah from Des Absurdités: What book are you most looking forward to seeing published in 2011? Why are you anticipating that book?

This is another great question, although it makes me a bit nervous as well. Here's my story.

A couple of years ago, I started to read a series of books I'd heard about but had never read. I fell in love with this series, and want to read the entire series. I am looking forward to The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party: The New No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel by Alexander McCall Smith, which is due out in March of this year. I adore this series, which features two clever, caring detectives in Botswana, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi. I was on a roll with these books and read each and every one of them in order. That is, until last year, when I fell behind in my reading of this series. I had read all of the books up until the one published last year, The Double Comfort Safari Club. I will read that book before I read the new one. I am feeling very guilty that I haven't read Double Comfort yet. But my guilty conscience doesn't end there. There are many other sequels and series books that I have not yet read, and I feel bad about this. Some of the books that I blogged about in earlier days now have sequels (by Michael J. Fox, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Nora Ephron, for example), and I feel bad that I haven't read them; and there are series books such as the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace, which are so beautifully written that I want to read more of them. Why haven't I finished reading the Millennium trilogy by Steig Larsson? I have all three books but have only read the first one, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I even have a "prequel", The Defector by Daniel Silva, the book that came out before The Rembrandt Affair, and provides the backstory--and I haven't read that one yet! Sometimes I feel as if I should stop getting any new books, until I read all of the books that I already have. Or maybe I should just try to spend more time reading! :)

Crazy for the Hop

I'm crazy for the Hop! To my knowledge, and correct me please if I'm wrong, this is the original Hop, which has inspired others to pop up in the great, wide blogosphere. Hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this brilliant BOOK PARTY lasts from January 14 until January 17, and is a fun way for book bloggers to socialize, connect with other book lovers, and discover new book blogs. I discovered a wonderful blog in this manner a few months ago, Leslie's blog, Under My Apple Tree. If you'd like me to visit your blog, please leave a comment and I will try to stop (or hop) by.

Each week, Jennifer chooses a question from those submitted by book bloggers for discussion. This week's question hails from Barb from Sugarbeat's Books: Why do you read the genre that you do? What draws you to it?

Another good question! Mostly I read fiction, classic, older novels as well as more contemporary works (some before they are even published). I suppose I'm drawn to fiction because I like a good story, and find a lot of truth in fiction. However, I also read other genres, including non-fiction. To read only one genre would be too limiting. My interests determine what I read. Every once in a while, I will purposely read something outside of my "comfort zone", outside of the the usual types of books I read. For example, I read (and reviewed) Duma Key by Stephen King and Drowned Sorrow by Vanessa Morgan; both of these are horror fiction, a genre I do not often read; this departure from my normal reading was refreshing and exciting. What about you?

Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop, Regular Hop, and a Winner

'Tis the season. . .already? I really can't believe it's December, time for the holidays. It's also time for a lovely surprise, the Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop, December 1 - December 5, hosted by the brilliant Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books (did you notice her adorable holiday blog header?). Kudos to Simply Stacie, Little Yayas, My Wee View, Review Retreat, and Stockpiling Moms for organizing this fabulous event. There are nearly 250 blogs hosting giveaways, many of which are international!

Speaking of giveaways, I've just chosen my book giveaway winner (drum roll, please). Lori L. from She Treads Softly is the winner of Anasazi Intrigue, the first book in a new, mystery series by Linda Weaver Clarke. Congratulations, Lori! If you you didn't win this time, I have other book giveaways posted on the right side of my blog, so you might just try your luck again. Please stay tuned for new giveaways, including one from CSN Stores.com. And don't forget to visit the Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop for giveaways galore!

This week's regular Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, lasts from December 3 - December 6. This weekly BOOK PARTY is an opportunity for book bloggers to socialize, connect with other book lovers, discover new book blogs, and just have some fun! Sometimes we need a break from all of our reading and writing. :)

Each week, Jennifer presents a question for participating book bloggers to answer. This week's question was posed by Marce from Tea Time With Marce: What very popular and hyped book in the blogosphere did you NOT enjoy and how did you feel about posting your review?

Good question, which brings up all kinds of issues. After thinking about this question, I realized that I don't read many books that are wildly popular in the blogosphere. A lot of the books I read and review are newer books, and some have not yet been released to the public, so they haven't been "hyped" yet. Others are older books, which may not be read as widely today. Sometimes, I'll post a review and others will comment to say that they're not interested in reading the book I presented; although I'm not trying to "sell" the book to anyone, I may wonder why, but respect the fact that we all have individual reading preferences (and quirks). In my reviews, I try to be honest but also fair; I don't bash books, but try, with some degree of tact and hopefully skill, to write something worth reading about any particular book.

Thanks for reading! If you'd like me to visit your blog, please leave a comment.

Book Blogger Hop: A Challenge Taken to Heart

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event for bloggers and readers, a chance to socialize in a virtual way, to connect with other book lovers, make new friends and followers, and share an appreciation of books. Hosted by the brilliant Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this Hop lasts from November 12 until November 15, so there's still ample time to sign-up and enjoy the blogosphere's best BOOK PARTY! If you'd like me to visit your blog, please leave a comment.

Jennifer's Book Blogger Hop gets better each and every week! In addition to presenting a question-of-the-week, often submitted by other book bloggers, she posed a unique challenge last week. Admittedly, I was reluctant at first to take on her seemingly hefty challenge. To sum it up, Jennifer asked that we find a new blog and really get to know it throughout the week, to leave at least five comments on that blog, and then to post about the experience during the next Hop. Initially, I was not going to do this challenge, because I already have plenty to do, blogging-wise and other-wise. But I thought about it, and I realized that this was indeed the whole point of the Book Blogger Hop, to discover a new blog or two that you truly want to visit frequently. At that point, I decided to follow through wholeheartedly on Jennifer's challenge.

After some perusing, I decided to focus on Leslie's blog, Under My Apple Tree, which features mostly books, with a bit of nature, birds, flowers, food and photography, interconnected in an artistic fashion. These are some of my favorite things, so I thought this blog would be a good fit for me. I was undoubtedly also influenced by a book I recently finished reading, Heart With Joy. While I don't routinely read many young adult books, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, reviewed it, and even interviewed the gracious author, Steve Cushman. Anyway, in this book there's a wonderful character, "Old Lady Peters", who is an avid bird-watcher and teaches the main character in the story, Julian Hale, to also watch and care for our feathered friends.

To make things easy for myself, and to insure that I would, indeed, leave frequent comments, I added Under My Apple Tree to my blogroll (which allows me to know at a glance when a blog has published a new post). Throughout the past week, I visited this blog numerous times and left many comments. (Leslie may have wondered who I was and why I was suddenly leaving so many comments!) I will continue to follow this blog in an earnest fashion. Because really, as I've mentioned already, the point of blog hopping is precisely to discover sites that interest you in more than a superficial way.

Thank you, Jennifer, for giving me the push I needed, and for helping me to discover a very lovely book blog!

Each week, Jennifer presents a question for participating book bloggers to answer. This week's question is from Christina from The Paperback Princesses: If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, do you always start with the first title?

Another interesting question! As a general rule, I do try to start with the first book in a series. For example, I've read all of the books in The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith in order, although I have yet to read the last book in this series (it sits patiently in my TBR stack). However, there are definitely exceptions to the "rule". I read--and enjoyed--the well-crafted thriller, The Rembrandt Affair, which is a part of the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva, without having read any of the preceding books. I should add that this book "stood alone" quite well.

Thanks for reading!

Hoppy Friday

Hoppy Friday! It's time for another Book Blogger Hop, November 5 - November 8, hosted by the brilliant Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books. This weekly BOOK PARTY is an opportunity for book bloggers to socialize, to connect with other book lovers, support each other, discover new book blogs, and have some fun! If you'd like me to visit your blog, please leave a comment.

This week's question is from Vicki from The Wolf's Den: What are your feelings on losing followers? Have you ever stopped following a blog?

Excellent question! I do lose followers from time to time, and I feel a bit sad when this happens, but I try not to dwell on it. People are busy and pressed for time, and I realize that my blog is not for everyone. I appreciate the followers and readers that I do have. As for me, it's very rare that I "unfollow" a blog; I think I may have a couple of times in the past, before I realized that someone else's feelings could be hurt. But usually, if I follow your blog you are stuck with me for life. :) I follow many blogs and only wish that I had more time to visit and leave comments on each and every one of them.

Here's to the Hop!

Cheers! The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event for bloggers and readers, a wonderful opportunity to connect with other book lovers, make new friends and followers, and share an appreciation of books. I've discovered a lot of top-notch book blogs in this manner. Hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this Hop lasts from October 8 until October 11, so there's ample time to sign-up and enjoy the blogosphere's best BOOK PARTY. If you'd like me to visit your blog, please leave a comment.



It was a great surprise to discover that this week's question is from--me! Thank you, Jennifer! What's your favorite beverage while reading or blogging, if any? Is it tea, coffee, water, a glass of wine, or something else?

Over the summer, I was enjoying iced coffee, but now that it's cooler, I'm sipping an assortment of hot coffee and tea again. I also enjoy Trader Joe's spicy cider, and spicy Mayan hot chocolate; both are delicious treats on chilly evenings. And I should probably make an effort to drink more water! What about you?

Thanks for hopping by!

The Hop: Getting to Know You

Welcome! The Book Blogger Hop is a wonderful, weekly event for bloggers and readers, an opportunity to connect with other book lovers, make new friends and followers, and share an appreciation of books. I've discovered numerous book blogs in this way. Hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this Hop lasts from September 24 until September 27, so there's plenty of time to join and enjoy the BOOK PARTY. If you'd like me to visit your blog, please leave a comment.



This week's question is from Elizabeth from the lovely blog, Silver's Reviews:
When you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?

As a general rule, I write my book review after I've finished reading the entire book. Often I take notes while I'm reading, or jot down a few page numbers, but I don't write my actual review until I'm completely done reading a book.

The Book Blogger Hop puts me in a social mood, but I'm also in a curious mood, and have another question for my fellow book bloggers and readers. But first I have a confession to make.

I am having a love affair! I expect this is just a summer fling, which will change because the summer is over. After not having had any coffee for many years, it has been fabulous to drink coffee again, mostly iced coffee, with lots of soy milk and ice. I haven't given up my previous love, tea, especially green tea, but am also drinking coffee again after a long hiatus. Very recently we bought a Keurig machine, which even has a setting for iced coffee! What's your favorite beverage while reading or blogging, if any? Is it tea, coffee, water, a glass of wine, or something else?

Book Blogger Hop and a Giveaway

It's Friday! Ready or not, it's time for another Book Blogger Hop, August 27 - August 30, hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books. This weekly BOOK PARTY is an opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, support each other, and discover new book blogs. Most importantly, it's lots of fun!

This week's question from Books are a Girl's Best Friend is a good one: Do you use a rating system for your reviews and if so, what is it and why?


I do not use a rating system for several reasons. The main reason is because ratings seem too subjective. I know that ratings can help others decide about books, and I do rate books for my reviews on Amazon, because it's a requirement for submitting them, but I don't rate books on my blog because it seems like that would be a too subjective and arbitrary practice. Instead, I discuss books in my reviews, and ask readers to make up their own minds.

Just a few days ago, I learned that I won Free to a Good Home by Eve Marie Mont on Anna's blog, Diary of an Eccentric. Anna reviewed the book, which she calls "a great end-of-summer read", and also presents a guest post by the author, so stop by Diary of an Eccentric when you have a few moments to spare. Since Penguin sent me two copies of this newly released novel, I am giving the extra copy away!

• To enter the giveaway for this book, simply leave a comment.
• For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5 PM PDT on Monday, September 13 (U.S./Canada only). One winner will be selected randomly and announced on Tuesday, September 14. Good luck, and thanks for reading!

Book Blogger Hop, A New Look, and More

Happy Friday! It's time for another Book Blogger Hop, from August 6 - August 9, hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books.

This week's question is from Chelle from The Prairie Library: Do you listen to music when you read? If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?

I prefer quiet while I'm reading and don't play music, even though I love music. The same holds true when I'm writing--I don't want any distractions, even beautiful music. I don't mind a few sounds, a plane passing by, a bird chirping outdoors, but for the most part I concentrate better without too much noise from the outside world.

If you're new to my blog, welcome! If you've visited before, you may notice that I've made some changes. I've upgraded to Blogger Template Designer. It was a bit scary making the changes, but I think this new template will help solve some of the space issues I had before.

My daughter just started a young adult book blog called Chapters. I hope some of you will take a moment to hop by and welcome her.

Thanks very much for stopping by. If you'd like me to hop over to your blog, simply leave a comment.

Another Hop and Giveaways Galore

It's time for another Book Blogger Hop (already?) hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books. If you haven't participated in the hop before, I encourage you to do so. It's an excellent way to expand your connections in the book blogosphere. This week, we're asked to talk about the book we're currently reading. I've started reading a new book, Not That Kind of Girl by Carlene Bauer, which has raised more than a few eyebrows around me due to the provocative title. I won't reveal much about it here, but please stay tuned for my upcoming review.

Please note that I have have some wonderful book giveaways posted, so take a moment to scroll down and enter the ones that appeal to you. If you'd like me to visit your blog, simply leave a comment. Thank you very much for stopping--or hopping--by!

Let's Go to the Hop

Welcome to my book blog! Thanks for spending some time here. If you'd like me to visit your blog, please leave a comment.

Jennifer's Book Blogger Hop is a fun way for bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs. I have discovered many wonderful book blogs in this way. This weekly, virtual event is an opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends and followers, and share an appreciation of books. It gives us a chance to "hop" over to other blogs, to comment and "party" (after all, it begins on a Friday!). Visit Crazy-for-Books to sign-up for the July 16 - July 19 BOOK PARTY, and start hopping!

This week, we are supposed to let readers know which book we are dying to get our hands on, old, new, or soon to be released, but in my case, my TBR stack is so large, that I can't answer that question!

I'm a Blog Hopper

Welcome to my blog and to another Book Blogger Hop, June 18 - June 21, 2010, hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books. Jennifer's brilliant idea, a weekly BOOK PARTY, is a terrific opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other bookworms and bibliophiles, make new friends and followers, and share our love of books. It also gives readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not have known about; I've discovered more than a few in this way. If this sounds like fun, take a moment to sign up on Jennifer's blog, grab the bodacious button, post about it on your blog, and start hopping. (Warning: it's a bit addictive!)

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to all of my fellow hoppers, visitors, and followers, new and old. It's time for another Book Blogger Hop hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books. This BOOK PARTY is a great way to learn about new book blogs. I've found so many excellent book blogs recently that it would be difficult to choose just a few to mention. If you are new here, my book blog, Suko's Notebook, focuses on fiction written by women, although not exclusively. Please feel free to browse, and stay for a while. Thanks for visiting!