Armchair BEA: Introductions!

Yay! It's time for Armchair BEA this week! That's where those of us not getting to go to New York for the real event (BEA) get to party together at our computers. Thanks to those of you that make it happen. Hard work for sure!

Normally we start out this week interviewing each other, but instead of doing that, this year we've been asked to "interview" ourselves! That's always fun, right? Ten questions have been provided and we are to answer five. Here are the five I've chosen:

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

I figure I may as well start out with the generic intro question, though I feel like everyone knows the answers. BUT, the hope is there's someone new out there coming to visit this week, right? So maybe you don't know all the answers already after all.

Who am I? I'm a mom, a reader, a library clerk, a Nerdfighter, a sister, a wife, a teacher of 12-13 year old girls at church, an author stalker, a Utah Book Blogger, a TV addict, a fan of all sorts of music, a food lover, a quiet observer, an 80s kid, a sort of quilter, a Grobanite, a book club hostess, and.... so many other things!

I've been blogging about books for a little over five years now. I started this particular blog after I realized no one on my other (personal) blog cared about talking books with me. Also, I saw there were these things called reading challenges that I thought looked fun and everyone kept track of them on book blogs. Also, I wanted a place to gush/talk/complain/moan/ponder about all the books I was reading and I found that worked much better online than in real life. Plus, I wanted to make lists and keep track of them!

Here's what my header looked like for a long time, years ago.

Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?

Well, I think my favorite post of all time is the silly one I wrote a couple of years ago about going to author signings. If you haven't read it and you go to lots of author signings, do give it a look and tell me is that NOT how it is? :) 

Now that you've read it I have some updates on the issue: I've improved a little (I hope) on my author signing approach. I'm not so nervous about promoting the blog, mostly because I'm usually with a bunch of other bloggers and we we play off each other, also because it's (blogging I mean) more "known" now and authors actually almost seem excited about meeting bloggers these days. And they actually know what a blog is. Also, I've firmly decided to be known in the book world as Suey, because it's weird enough to remember, and much easier to say, however, I do find myself explaining the nickname quite often. Oh, and when this post was written, I had yet to meet my Markus Zusak! And at the time I couldn't even imagine it! But it happened less than a year later and I'm happy to report that I did NOT faint and there was no need to pick me off of the floor, though I probably did need a little help with the drooling issue.

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?

Um okay, so I just mentioned Markus Zusak... nice segue, yes? I would LOVE to eat dinner with him, just like the lucky ducks at the library were able to do a year ago when he came. I would be very nervous, I would be pretty much be tongue tied, but I would try my best to get over it and carry on a really intelligent conversation. I would hope that we (because I won't be alone... hello) can get him talking about writing, or his life, or his loves and passions... and then we'll just sit back and listen. Yeah, that would be fun.

What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?

Wow, there's so many! I mean, how am I to pick? I think I'll simply go with a visit to the fictional Avonlea which is located on the very real Prince Edward Island, and which, though I know it exists and that real people actually LIVE there, I still think of as a fairy tale, idyllic place in my mind. It would be good to go there and experience the beauty of this place in person. Besides, I just need to see more of Canada generally (because my little afternoon in Victoria hardly counts, I mean it COUNTS, but was not NEAR long enough) So, if I do go there some day, it would be part of an extended Canadian trip for sure.

PEI

Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?

Not sure that my actual TASTE has changed, but habits definitely. Before blogging I read mostly classics, and some current fiction and few YA. After blogging, I can hardly manage to fit in the classics anymore for trying to keep up with all the popular YA! While I still like the classics, I find that they are harder to read now that I know there are so many quick and easy things I'm also dying to read. It's been an interesting flip of reading habits, that's for sure.

There's my five! Hopefully you enjoyed me interviewing myself! :)

Now, I'm off to see what you all have to say about yourselves!

Photo a Day: On My Plate

On My Plate
Sunday Dinner

(PhotoadayJune brought to you by Fat Mum Slim.)

The Sunday Salon: Yay for Summer! I think...

Outside my window: Bright and sunny! And hot! (Well, for me anyway.) 


I am listening to: A Disney channel show in the background. I don't even know which one. Did I ever tell you how much I hate laugh tracks? So irritating!

Song of the week: I'm sorry, but it's totally stuck in my head:






Welcome to the new (well new to me) boy band. I don't blame all the young girls going crazy about these guys one bit. :)


TV Talk: Interesting TV week this week! No new shows of course, but the old shows are just as fun! We got on a Gilmore Girl kick and have been watching all the Jess episodes... namely season 2 and 3. Jess is such an obnoxious kid! Why do we like him so much!?? He's a reader for one thing, an obnoxious kid reader. I guess that's a bit intriguing perhaps. 


Also, my sister has been catching up on Vampire Diaries and texts me randomly throughout the week her current thoughts ("Stefan is so sweet! Omigosh, I really like Damon now! Alaric is goregous! Bonnie and Jeremy? Yes." .... etc.) So now and then I'll flip it on and see what she is seeing. It's fun to revisit! 

I watched another Merlin episode too. Trying to savor those and only watch one here and there, though they are on YouTube and I'm scared they will disappear on me.

Then of course there was the beginning in of the Buffy Watch. Two episodes in to that, and many more to go!

Supernatural is also going non-stop at our house, and Lost and Prison Break are also getting a work out.

READING REPORT: 
Books Finished: Last week I finished Black Heart and Destined.

Books Started:  I've got a good start on Anna Dressed in Blood and am nearing the end of Code Name Verity.
Books Up Next: About a Boy and Ready Player One.

I am thinking: That I have a family of really wimpy eaters. 

I'm grateful for: projects! I love projects. Keeps life interesting, you know?

Around the house: Yesterday I decided to be determined about fixing up a corner in my bedroom (just starting with a corner... baby steps!) So I bought frames and found some enlargements we had printed years ago but never framed, and today, I hope to hang them. When I get the corner "done" I will show all before and after pictures! Be prepared to be amazed! :) (ha!)

Pinterest of the Week: I still hope to do a wrap up post of the Pinterest Challenge, but maybe I'll leave this little weekly report on my Sunday Salon posts to motivate me to keep up the Pinterest thing. Last week I made Oreo Brownies, inspired by a Pinterest pin, but it had a bad link, so then I went searching for a good recipe and made these:

Source: kevinandamanda.com via Suey on Pinterest

Here's what mine looked like:

They were good, but extremely messy. And so rich to the point of death... and that's coming from someone who loves rich desserts and can usually handle them just fine!

Favorite things of the week: an impromptu family bbq for Memorial Day, an outside concert on the hill, a night at the theater, last day of school, and an awards assembly where Thurl Bailey showed up to speak!

Utah Book Bloggers: It seems like many of you that signed up to participate have not yet filled out the form to say more specifically what you want to do. Some of you may have been assigned an author to interview already, and the blogger assignments are coming soon. Be sure let us know if you have questions!


Family Matters: All kids are now out of school, one is still hoping to find a job, it's being very very hard. One is wondering what she'll do with herself all summer. I hope she reads a ton of books!

The coming week: At the end of this week it's our city's summerfest celebration. We'll be going to the parade and fireworks for sure. I will also be helping at work to get the library ready for their booth and other things they will be participating in.


It felt like there were tons more things I wanted to report on, but I've forgotten them all now. Oh, well.

Buffy Watch Thoughts: Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2

Thursday evening I decided would be the only time I could fit in the first two episodes of the Buffy Watch in order to have a little head start as June arrived. Happily, a few others caught on to my plans and we ended up having about four of us watching at the same time and Twitter chatting as we went along! So fun!

I'm pretty sure these are the only episodes I watched in my previous Buffy attempt before I gave up. (We'll see if episode three looks familiar at all when I get that one going!) And my feelings remain about the same as that first time.

My quick and first impressions (of S1 E1,2) include:

• I get the Angel love, really, I get it! (Though he hasn't really done much yet.)
• I really like Xander too actually.
• And yes, I really like Giles too, but he seems so nerdy. And it confuses me that he knew what was up so fast. I felt like that whole connection he has with the kids was awfully quick.
• The vampires are wimpy! I mean, Buffy can hold them back by just leaning on a door? 
• The fighting is corny, and the aerobatics bug me... just sayin'.
• Yes, of course, the dialogue is witty, and I truly enjoy that! BUT...a 16 year old would never talk so... witty. However, I think this is something you see on all TV shows these days.
• Many people commented as we watched that it's all about the characters and not the vampire stuff... yep, I get this. After two episodes, I am still getting to know these characters and I will let you know when that exact moment occurs that I LOVE them and am hooked on their strength alone. It's not happened after two episodes....

This week I plan to watch four more episodes. I'll let you know when it happens in case some of you can watch with me again!

Other Buffy Thoughts so far:

Jenni Elyse

Photo a Day June: Empty!

"EMPTY!"

(PhotoadayJune brought to you by Fat Mum Slim.)

Photo a Day June: Morning!

"MORNING!"

(PhotoadayJune brought to you by Fat Mum Slim.)

Concert Review: Vocal Point, Delilah, Pentatonix

On Memorial Day evening we got to go to the first concert of the season at the outdoor theater we love so much. You know, the one we've been going to for many many years. The one that has brought to us many amazing fun concerts (Richard Marx, Air Supply, The Everly Brothers, Jordyn Sparks, just to name a few.)

This show featured three a capella groups that were recently on the show The Sing Off. I never really watched this show, but a local group made it far and this did make the local new, how they were doing amazingly well.  Anyway, and since I love a capella groups I was really looking forward to this shindig!

The crowd was HUGE and very excited with major crazy fans! Wow, all the years I've gone to this place, I don't think I've seen a crowd quite so emotionally charged. It was insane. People sit on blankets on the hillside, and then there's also a few plastic chair seats (yes we fork out extra money for the plastic chair seats and a front row location!) But still, we still had a few seating issues (which seems to be the norm for me and concerts!) but it was easily solved and the show commenced!

This is the picture one of the members of Delilah tweeted. I'm in it!
Can you see me? Far right, about five rows up, in a red shirt,
right behind the bearded guy in the pink shirt.
Can you see? Yes? :)
(You'll have to click to enbiggen, for sure!)

First up was Vocal Point, the famous local boy group. They were snazzy and fun, but their songs were a little less upbeat than I expected. Slow and dreamy perhaps. They were good, of course, but not as over the top amazing as I'd expected.

My video is crappy, so here's what they sounded like on the Sing Off show:




But I did take a good picture of them!

Then we had the girl group, Delilah. They were pretty amazing. They are getting to be very well known for their cover of Grenade, and the wailing singing at the end was... bone tingling! Wowza! Very fun.



They each took about a half hour to sing and then up last was the winner of the show, and they sang for about an hour. And it was at once evident why they won. Wow, they blew me away. So so good! I loved them. Oh, they were called Pentatonix. They debuted this new cover for us:




But wait, you need to actually see them moving around:




Anyway, it was a very fun show and I just wanted to tell you all about it!