Hey firends,

We're at the end of Armchair BEA and it's been a busy and fun week! What have I been doing this week? I'll catch you up. First let me just say, that I've had more late nights on the computer this week than I've had in a long time and I've enjoyed ever minute!

Catch up on my posts by clicking on the links.

Monday | Introduction - Find out about me!
Tuesday | More Than Just Words - I got to talk about my favorite way to read (outside of regular reading), audiobooks!
Wednesday | Expanding Blogging Horizons - I enjoyed sharing my short term blogging goals.
Thursday | International Giveaway - This is Amazon Gift Card giveaway is open until midnight tonight so you can still enter!
Friday | Topic of Choice - I think this was the most fun to put together. Movie lovers out there will enjoy this one!

It's been a tad overwhelming, but wonderful visiting so many blogs that are new to me. I'm so amazed by how many talented and creative book bloggers that are out there! I picked up a few book and graphic novel recommendations (which is always welcome) and got comment more than I have in a while. I really need to be better about commenting more. 

Okay, maybe not literally non-stop, but there were twitter parties everyday! Because I had to work I could only do 3 of them, The ones that I did were really fun and well attended.  I joined in on Monday evening, Friday evening and tonight so be there or be square!!

Check out my photos from the Instagram challenge! Can you guess which photo I won a prize with?

I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to chat so many cool bloggers. It's been a blast and I'm glad that I was able to participate! This was my second year doing Armchair BEA, and while I've enjoyed all of the activities, I will be working hard to attend BEA next year! One way or another!  

What about you? Please share your wrap up post with me, I'd like to see what your Armchair BEA week was like.

Happy Reading,
~Tamara

Hey blogger and reader friends,

Happy Friday everyone. I decided to do the topic of choice today. It's a freebie for us to discuss whatever we like! Since I love going to the movies and comparing books to their movies, I thought this would be a great time to mention movies that I'm looking forward to for the remainder of this year. First up are the movies that I have already read and reviewed the books.  They are in order by release date.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  The movie is in theaters on June 6th.  While I thought the book was good, I'm not rushing to see this in the theater for the plain fact that I don't want to be sad watching a movie that I'm paying to see. But I will indeed catch it when it's available for streaming.

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn. The movie is in theaters on October 3rd.  I just loved this thriller and the movie trailer actually looks promising! While I'm not sure about that weird song playing through the entire trailer, I won't let it put me off. Let's see if the movie can do justice to this crazy couple!

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.  The movie is in theaters on November 21st.  While the Mockingjay book was my least favorite in the trilogy, I still think that I will enjoy the movie adaptation.  The Hunger Games movies have been really good so far, so I expect nothing less from the Mockingjay Part 1.  

The following are movies that I haven't read the books yet, but I will before the movie is out. The trailers look really good!  They are in order by release date.

• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. The movie will be out on September 1st.
  
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner. The movie will be in theaters on September 19th.
  

What new book to movie adaptations are you excited to see before the year is over?

Happy Reading, 
~Tamara

Hey bloggers and readers, 

It's giveaway time! I'm holding a special giveaway in honor of Armchair BEA!  This is an international giveaway open to everyone, you do not need to be an Armchair BEA participant to enter.  One lucky winner will receive a $15 Amazon electronic gift card! Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter.

Have no clue what Armchair BEA is?  I'll break it down for you.  BEA stands for Book Expo America. It's a yearly conference for people in the publishing industry; publishers, authors, editors, librarians, professional readers and reviewers, book bloggers, etc.  Find out more about BEA here.  Armchair BEA is a online event for us book bloggers who are unable to physically attend the BEA conference. Learn more about Armchair BEA here.

The giveaway is open until this upcoming Saturday night at midnight (EST), the winner will be drawn and notified on this Sunday. Good luck everyone!

Happy Reading,
~Tamara

Hey blogger friends!

One of today's topics covers expanding your blogging horizons.  One things about blogging is that it's always evolving.  As you change and grow, so does you're blog.  Here are some things that I plan to implement in the near future. If you're looking to do any of the social media things that I've mentioned, let's connect. Maybe we can do a collaboration!

• Bringing on 1-2 reviewers. - While I think I do a good amount of reviews, I'd like to post reviews Monday-Friday and I'm pretty far from that.
• Expanding my YouTube channel to include collaborations and author interviews. - My YouTube channel is a constant work in progress. I'm still what I'd consider a "newbie" at it and I intend to change that sooner than later!
• Explore doing a Podcast. - I enjoy listening to podcasts, so I thought it would be fun to do one. Either with other bloggers to discuss various topics in the blogosphere or chat with authors about writing and their books, etc.
• Guest Post. - I've never done it,  but I would love to. I'd be happy to host another blogger here in return.
• A website and logo design refresh. - I've had this look since January 2012 and I think it's time for something new. 

What about you? Please share your ideas on expanding your blogging horizons.

Happy Reading, 
~Tamara

Hey blogger and book friends!

For those that are familiar with my blog, you know that I really enjoy a good audiobook.  There'e more than one way to read. Some like graphic novels (aka comic books), some like poetry, but I like audiobooks.  Let me tell you why.

• Audiobooks allow me to consume even more amazing stories! Yes, I read 1-2 books aweek, but with a full time job, a husband, and other obligations, I can't read 24/7 (even though I'd like to).  Audiobooks allow me to listen on my drive to and from work, while at work, while I'm getting my hair done, etc.  Whenever I can't physically read, an audiobook fills the void.

• I get to see the story from the authors eyes.  I feel that audiobook narrators add their own flavor to the story. A narrator can make or break a good audiobook because it's more than someone reading words on a page.  A good narrator can pull the listening audience in and connect them to the characters and the story.  Audiobooks are sometimes big productions, I've heard of some that have music and sound effects during certain scenes for additional drama. 
• They're fun to listen to and I find them more entertaining than listening to the same 10 songs repeated on the radio.

While I don't think listening to audiobooks replaces reading, I do find it to be a wonderful addition to my reading list. 

Want to try out audioooks? Check my most recent post on free audiobook downloads available this summer.
SYNC Summer 2014 | Free Audiobooks!

Another great source I like to use is my local library's Overdrive collection and when they don't have a book I want I use Audible. 

Want to give audiobooks a try? Check out a few of my favorites on audio below (in no particular order). I've enjoyed them all and would recommend them!

Happy Reading & Listening,
~Tamara

Hey fellow bloggers and readers!

During this entire week you'll be seeing Armchair BEA posts.  If you don't know what BEA and Armchair BEA are, I've included a brief explanation and a few links if you's like to check it out more.

What's BEA?  It stands for Book Expo America. It's a yearly conference for people in the publishing industry; publishers, authors, editors, librarians, professional readers and reviewers, book bloggers, etc.  Find out more here.

What's Armchair BEA? Armchair BEA is for us book bloggers who are unable to attend BEA, so we participate from home.  Learn more about it here.

Thanks for stopping in to read my Armchair BEA introduction. My mail goal for this week is to meet more blogger friends.  One can never have enough book loving friends!  I decided to keep this intro short and sweet by answering 3 questions.  

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

I'm Tamara from Michigan and I love books!  I've been blogging off and on a couple blogs since fall 2010. My want to blog seems to come and go on my other blogs, but when I started my book blog in January 2012, blogging finally stuck! I guess I found the perfect outlet that allowed me to be consistent with blogging.  I started Shelf Addiction because I LOVE books and LOVE talking about them! I've been reviewing books long before book blogging became popular. I actually started writing reviews for every book that I read in high school.  I did it on my own, just because I liked doing it.  There was no assignment, blog or publication, I was just doing what I enjoyed. Yep, it probably sounds a bit nerdy...but so what, I guess I'm a nerd girl! No shame there. You can find out even more about me by checking out my bio here! 

Describe your blog in just one sentence. Then, list your social details -- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. -- so we can connect more online. 

I think that my tag line describes this blog perfectly: Feeding the book lovers addiction, one book at a time. 

You can find me here: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | YouTube

What book would you love to see as a movie? 

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone would make an AMAZING movie!  The visual effects could be stunning. It's always risky when books are made into movies, but I believe that this series would translate well onto the big screen if done right.  I loved the book, it's one of my favorites that I read last year. Read my review here.

Leave me a comment, and I'll be sure to visit your introduction post as well.

Happy Reading,
~Tamara

Hey fellow Armchair BEA bloggers! 

This is it, the last post of the event! I'm so glad that I decided to participate this year. I wasn't able to post on every topic, but I did pretty well!  I'm excited to have found some new blogs and read tons of opinions on many subjects!  I had a blast reading everyone else's blogs.

It was indeed fun writing a little bit about myself, my blog and of course my favorite type of books, fiction!  

I'm not sure how to measure success with Armchair BEA, but I did get a few new visitors and even some commenting, which is very cool. Thanks to all who visited and commented. I hope you found something here that you enjoyed.

Though I had fun participating in Armchair BEA, I may not see you all in 2014 because I plan on going to BEA for the first time! But do come again and stop by to see what reviews, features and opinions I'll be posting next!

Happy Reading,
~Tamara

Check out my other previous Armchair BEA posts! 
Keeping it Real, Fresh and Fun | Genre: From Picture Books to Young Adult | Genre: Literary Fiction | Paths To Becoming a Better Blogger | Genre: Genre Fiction | Introductions