Today we have Amanda stopping by for today's Better Know A Blogger.
Introduce Yourself! Hi everyone! My name is Amanda and it is nice to be here!
What is your blog name? How did you come up with the name? It took me forever to come up with a name because I wanted it to be meaningful to me. Hippies, Beauty, and Books Oh My! Hippies, came from, well, hippies! This includes anything relating to the 1960’s and 70’s. I love The Beatles, headbands, long flirty skirts, liberal view points, and animals. I love just about anything that reminds me of that era. I consider myself a new age hippy. Oh, and I adore Stevie Nicks. Beauty is because I’m an ex-make-up artist, but still a guru to my friends and family. I started working in the beauty industry at 16 and have been hooked ever since. Although I decided retail was no longer for me, I am still the go-to person that is called on whenever the occasion arises. I will admit, I am a total make-up and skin care product junkie who loves to try out the newest, most funky and fresh product any line has to offer. Books came from my total and complete love for reading. Reading can transport you into an entirely different world, which is helpful sometimes in our crazy busy lives. I’m a book addict. It is an addiction I don’t try (and refuse to try) to cure. The amount of books I own is enough to start up a small library and it grows almost every day. It doesn’t help that I read extraordinarily quick and can polish off a book like a glass of cool water. So, together you get Hippies, Beauty, and Books. Even though, maybe 1% of my blog contains hippie and beauty posts, I still love the name!
How long have you been blogging? How do you measure blogging success? As a book blogger? Three months. But, I've had my own private blog for about 8 years. It's more of an online diary, really. To me, as long as I have just one person who reads and enjoys my blog, I consider it successful. I feel good about my blog and I know other people do, too. That is success to me.
What genres/subgenres do you review, and what do you like best about those genres? Anything and everything paranormal. Most titles I read fall into the Young Adult category. I also like historical fiction quite a bit, too. Truthfully? I read just about everything. It just depends on the book!
What are you reading right now? Right now, I am reading Tighter by Adele Griffin. It's about a 17 year old girl sent to work as an au pair for a rich widower's child. There is a psychological and paranormal factor weaved into this gigantic mystery of a story. I'm about half-way through the book and I simply cannot wait to see what happens!
What's your favorite place to read?/What are your ideal reading conditions? I've always been a book in bed type of person! I'm not a fan of reading in places other than my bed or on my couch. It used to be that I had to read while sitting on a noisy, crowded subway when I lived in NYC. It is really nice now having peace when I read. I had almost forgotten just how nice that really is!
What are the top 5 books in your TBR (To Be read) pile?
1.) Anna Dressed in Blood- Kendare Blake
2.) The Name of the Star- Maureen Johnson
3.) Bloodlines- Richelle Mead
4.) Between- Jessica Warman
5.) Glow- Amy Kathleen Ryan
Obligatory controversial question: Love triangles! Love ‘em or hate ‘em, and why? I'll be dipolmatic about it and say that it depends on the story. Sometimes, I think it is necessary to have a love triangle thrown in. Other times, it can flat out annoy me when I think that story would have been even better without including an awkward love triangle.
2.) The Name of the Star- Maureen Johnson
3.) Bloodlines- Richelle Mead
4.) Between- Jessica Warman
5.) Glow- Amy Kathleen Ryan
Obligatory controversial question: Love triangles! Love ‘em or hate ‘em, and why? I'll be dipolmatic about it and say that it depends on the story. Sometimes, I think it is necessary to have a love triangle thrown in. Other times, it can flat out annoy me when I think that story would have been even better without including an awkward love triangle.
What's the best thing about blogging and reviewing books? Knowing that I've done my part in helping an author do what they love and be able to make a living is my favorite thing about having my book blog and reviewing books. I'm so proud to be part of this diverse community of bloggers who, together all share a fabulous love for books!
Karen: Thanks Anna! I love how you came up with your blog name and how much of it is a reflection of your personality. Hippies, Beauty and Books Oh My! always has a few fun giveaways going on so be sure to check out Anna's blog!
Bloggers! Keep linking those reviews for the entire month of August for The Ultimate Reviewer's Challenge.
Hi Amanda! I've enjoyed visiting your blog. :-) That's very cool that you were in beauty industry at one point--so many bloggers have awesome & diverse backgrounds when we finally get around to asking!
ReplyDeleteExcellent getting to know you Amanda. My favorite group is the Beatles and I loooove Stevie Nicks as well. I have my Cosmetology license, so my friends and family also come to me for haircuts. I'm a new follower b/c I really want to hear what you think about Tighter.
ReplyDeleteMidnyte Reader: I'm glad to some one else enjoys Stevie as much as I do! Her new album is fantastic! I actually finished my review for Tighter and you can find it here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy.com/2011/08/review-tighter-by-adele-griffin.html
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