Hi Everyone!

I am super excited to have a friend here with me today (it's puppy) to help announce that is the One Year Anniversary of He Said Books Or Me! Holy smokes! When I started this journey a year ago, I thought that I was doing something good by taking my "bookish" posts off our personal blog and moving them to a place where I could have book space. It has become so much more than that! This has become a hobby, a passion, and an excitement. I am so grateful for every single one of you for taking this journey with me.

I would like to express my thank you to each of you! To the authors who write the books I love, Thank You. To the publishers who share the books, Thank You! To those of you who host events, readathons, giveaways, Thank You! To those of you who host book content that I can access new releases, Thank you. To the library (my most favorite place in the world!) To the book community-bloggers, booktubers, friends, family, all of my supporters, Thank you! I would like to name you all by name, but I know that this post would end up being a bazillion words. So for each of you, thank you for making this year a wonderful one for me! I never thought when I started this journey that I would be able to say that I have almost 100 friends on Good Reads/Instagram and over 300 on twitter! That's amazing! And it is all because of you. Thank you.



So now that we have a year behind us, what's next?! I am glad you asked! I am hoping to expand my collaborations with others and I am also planning in putting in some new discussion posts. More to come soon on those topics!! Stay tuned.

Here's to a Year of Happy Reading and to Many More!

Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reading Recap

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by with a quick reading recap from the last little while.

All Four Stars
This is actually the first book in the series. I ended up reading the second one first, but it was okay. I was happy to be reunited with Gladys and her cooking adventures. It was a cute book and I enjoyed it very much. The best news I have heard is that there is a third one coming out in July! If you have people in your life who are foodies, this is one for you.

Landline
This is a book that I own and I have been meaning to read for awhile. This was part of my #RockMyTBR challenge. I enjoyed this book. I have to say that it is different from the other Rainbow Rowell books that I have read, but I was okay with that. In this book, we met a couple who has experienced some challenges in their marriage. When a magic phone comes to be and connects them to their past, it conjures up a whole of memories and emotions. An interesting book.

The Way Back to You
I was provided this book by Harper through Edleweiss. Even though provided a copy, all opinions are my own. This book was super cute! In the book our two main characters are coping with the loss of their best friend/girlfriend. When the coping becomes an adventure, it becomes a story that keeps you wanting to know what happens. It was a cute story and I really enjoyed it.

The Grand Tour
This book is about the legendary, George Jones, country music star. In this book we get to learn more about his life from those that were closest to him. The book has some behind the scenes information about his life and legacy. I enjoyed listening to his music growing up and it was fun to know the story behind the legend.

The Wander Trail
I was provided a copy of this book from First to Read, but all opinions are my own. I enjoyed this book because it was about an adventure from North America all the way down to the tip of South America. The book was interesting because it discusses the author’s perspective about his travels. There is so much culture and interesting information in those countries! I am traveling to South America later this year and I am glad that I had a chance to read this book.

Lady Renegades
Harper is back in book 3 and this time she must save David. When she unexpectedly has to rely on Blythe for assistance, you know that an adventure will ensue. This book was witty and I enjoyed the story to find David. It kept me reading and wanting to know what would happen next. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it for those who like Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Gotham Academy
I picked this one up because I have been told that Gotham Academy is going to be teaming up with one of my faves, LumerJanes for a few issues in June. Gotham Academy follows a group of students and the adventures that have. I enjoyed the story and the illustrations were great!

Amulet
I picked this one up because I wanted to have a balance of some shorter reads for Bout of Books. This was a quick read that I enjoyed very much. This one is the story of a family in a new mysterious house. When things go astray, it is their job to figure out how to save their mom and get things back to normal.  I enjoyed the book and found it to be an interesting read.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Happy Reading!

Armchair BEA Discussions!

Discussions

Here are links to the Discussions for Each Day. I know it is supposed to be a daily update, but I am going to be traveling this weekend, so I am trying to get my thoughts out now! 

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Day 1 Discussion: Diversity in Books


Here are few thoughts of mine:More and more I am starting to notice that we are seeing more and more diverse voices in books. For this I am glad! I am not sure if it is because I am reading more diversely or because it is actually true or both. In any case, I believe that exposure to culture, values, thoughts that are different from your own are positive. It can help you think through topics more broadly and be more open minded. I am not saying that everyone has to agree all of the time, but just having respect for differences can go along way. As a blogger, I chose to continue to pick books that are different and unique to me. Negative and stereotypes are a hard conversation to overcome. We need to be willing to have hard conversations in a respectful way.

How do you include diversity in your book choices? 

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Day 2: Aesthetic Concerns

The BooksI have to admit, I judge a book by its cover quite a bit. It has drawn me to a couple of books that I maybe wouldn't have picked up otherwise. I like pretty, colorful covers. I do prefer that if I have a group of book in a series that they are of similar style. I am not too concerned if the inside doesnt match the outside.

The BlogI am actually just coming up on my one year blogaversary! As a result, I have not spent too much time on my branding of my blog so far. I hope to do more of that in the future. The most important things are having a welcoming space, a place where people can discuss books, and having fun. :) More to come on this in the future. I will be checking out everyone's posts to see what they say here and see if I can get some new ideas or at least be inspired! 

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Day 3: Beyond the Books and Beyond the Blog

I have to admit, I a bit old school when it comes to the format of the media. I have a kindle and it is great when I travel, but nothing beats a paper print book for me! I have read quite a few graphic novels and I am really enjoying those! My faves are Rat Queens and LumberJanes. I think that this format is fun because it helps me visualize the  story all the more!

I have tried to start attend more book type events in the local area. I am also pretty involved with Twitter chats and I have enjoyed getting to know and meet new people that way! 

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Day 4: Surviving Fictional Worlds and Giveaways

I wish that I could land of Oz! It just looks beautiful. I would want to stay in the safe places and away from the scary forest, but it should be better now that the Wicked Witch is gone, right? That is one place I would rather stay 'behind the glass' for!

Once I got to Oz, I think I would go track down Dorthy's friends, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Lion. They seem like a fun group. I would want to check in on Glinda and munchkins as well. I would enjoy getting to see the places that she saw! 

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Day 5: Wrap Up

This will be done when I get back on 5/16 along with my closing survey!

Armchair BEA Introductions

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by to letting you know that I am participating in Armchair BEA. This is an event for all the people who are not able to attend Book Expo America in real life, to still have lots of wonderful bookish conversations! The first part is to introduce ourselves...so here is my info:

Group 1:

1.  What is the name you prefer to use? Valerie or Val, either is fine

2.  How long have you been a book blogger? It will be one year in just a couple of days!

3.  Have you participated in ABEA before? Nope, first time!

Group 2:

1.  Do you have a favorite book? If you cannot choose a favorite book of all time, pick your favorite book today - just this second. Remember that favorites are allowed to change if something affects you deeply enough. 
I do! It is The Richest Man in Town

2.  What is your favorite genre and why?  I have a bunch! Check out my 'What I Read' List

3.  How do you arrange your bookshelves? Is there a rhyme or reason? Or not at all? (#ABEAShelfie) They are sort of grouped by topic, for example all of my outdoor/hiking books are together.

4.  What book are you most excited for on your TBR?  I just got Love & Gelato from the library, so I am looking forward to that!

5.  What is the most interesting thing that you have learned through your reading this year so far?  
How wonderful the book community is! 

Are you participating in Armchair BEA?  What are you most looking forward to?

Happy Reading!  

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Websites I Visit On A (Almost) Daily Basis

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by with another Top Ten Tuesday!  This week's topic is Top Ten Websites I Visit On a (Almost) Daily Basis. I say almost because there are a few on the end that it is more likely weekly, but you get the idea.

Without further ado...

1) Twitter. If you don't follow me on there, please feel free to do so! This is how I stay connected to my bookish friends, so if you don't like books you probably wont want to follow me.

2) Instagram. This is where I post pictures of books and mainly of puppy and our kittens. Yes, I am a little obsessed with photographing them but when they are that cute...I can't resist.

3) Fairfax County Library. My go to haven for books! I am so grateful. I love this place. I spend way too many hours looking for options on there. I love that they have a vast selection. If I can't get something from them they also have interlibrary loan that I utilize for borrowing books.

4) Amazon. I use this for a lot of different things, but than again I have a list of bookish related things that I would like to get too!  We have prime and that has come in handy!

5) In Forum. This is the website for the 'Fargo Forum' newspaper and actually is the first of this list to not be about books. I love reading about what is happening back "at home" and this helps me to feel connected.

6) Gmail. I would be remiss if I didn't mention it! It is how I get my life taken care of and done every day. I have my personal account and then book account. Both help me to stay focused!

7) Etsy. I love all of the homemade wonderfulness that exists out there. I love to look at people's creative projects. I rarely let myself get items, but its fun to explore.

8) The National Park Service page. I love looking at all of the awesome places I can go and explore. Yes, I do have a list. I would love to get them all, but for now, I am starting with the ones within the state.

9) Abc.go.com This is how I watch most of my TV shows. I don't watch a ton to begin with and since we no longer have cable, I am usually at least a week behind, but when I do it is nice that I can use this site or the app to stream them.

10) Firsttoread.com-Penguin Random House for Books. I know its not supposed to be about books, but it is pretty awesome that you can get early releases this way!

What sites do you visit?

Happy Reading!

Bout of Books Challenges

 Challenges

1) The challenge is simple: introduce yourself on Twitter, Instagram, or on this post using six words, no more, no less. Use the hashtags #boutofbooks and #insixwords.

Introduce Yourself #insixwords -- wife, fur mom, book lover, adventurer :)


2) Shelfie Picture-Here is my link!

3) Five Faves-Here is my link!

4) If You Like Challenge-Here is my link! 

5) I dont really have too many scary books or settings for the Freaky Friday challenge.

6) A late posting for the bout of books-my favorite part of this week was just being able to read as much as I could! I really enjoyed that.

Blog Tour: Holding Smoke Guest Post and Giveaway

Hi Everyone!

I am excited to have a Guest Post on the Blog Today! Please give a warm welcome to Elle Cosimano, who I asked about what inspired her to write "Holding Smoke."

I’ve always been fascinated by astral projection. I’d been reading a lot of books, feeling out the subject for a possible book idea, which inevitably led me to other books about near-death experiences. A lot of people who have died, or come very close to death, reported out-of-body experiences that mirrored the self-described journeys of people who reported they could leave their physical body and travel to another astral plane at will. This planted the seed of an idea inside me. What if a person experienced an NDE, and was able to then “travel” out of their body whenever they wanted… go wherever they wanted… wherever they could imagine themselves?

Then I got to thinking about who this character might be. And it struck me, how poignant a story like this could be if this character were physically unable to leave a terrible situation, but their soul was free. The juxtaposition of a physical prison and a free mind struck a chord with me.

I was immediately taken back to a night when I was about eight years old, and my father, a maximum security prison warden, brought an inmate home for Thanksgiving dinner. (You can read more about that night here… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elle-cosimano/the-good-the-bad-and-the-_9_b_5922654.html .) I remembered how uncomfortable this man looked at our table, dining with silverware and glassware and wearing regular clothes. I remember the long, awkward silence when our extended family asked him what he did at the prison (assuming he worked there with my father) and he told them he was doing twenty to life for Murder One. I started to wonder if a character in his position – resigned to a life behind prison walls – would embrace small freedoms, or shy away from them. If he felt like he didn’t deserve them or if he longed for them. I began to wonder, if he had the chance to start over, what kind of life would he imagine for himself.

And from this soup of right and wrong, free or fated, good and bad, and alive or dead, Smoke’s story was born.

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Thanks for the insightful post! And now the details for the book...

ABOUT HOLDING SMOKE:

John "Smoke" Conlan is serving time for two murders but he wasn't the one who murdered his English teacher, and he never intended to kill the only other witness to the crime. A dangerous juvenile rehabilitation center in Denver, Colorado, known as the Y, is Smoke's new home and the only one he believes he deserves.

But, unlike his fellow inmates, Smoke is not in constant imprisonment. After a near death experience leaves him with the ability to shed his physical body at will, Smoke is able to travel freely outside the concrete walls of the Y, gathering information for himself and his fellow inmates while they're asleep in their beds. Convinced his future is only as bright as the fluorescent lights in his cell, Smoke doesn't care that the "threads" that bind his soul to his body are wearing thin-that one day he may not make it back in time. That is, until he meets Pink, a tough, resourceful girl who is sees him for who he truly is and wants to help him clear his name. 

Now Smoke is on a journey to redemption he never thought possible. With Pink's help, Smoke may be able to reveal the true killer, but the closer they get to the truth, the more deadly their search becomes. The web of lies, deceit, and corruption that put Smoke behind bars is more tangled than they could have ever imagined. With both of their lives on the line, Smoke will have to decide how much he's willing to risk, and if he can envision a future worth fighting for.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | iBooks | The Book Depository

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ABOUT ELLE COSIMANO:

Author of NEARLY GONE, NEARLY FOUND, HOLDING SMOKE, and THE SUFFERING TREE (Disney*Hyperion, 2017). Represented by Sarah Davies of The Greenhouse Literary Agency.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook 

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Giveaway:

3 Finished Copies of HOLDING SMOKE (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Reading!