I would like to explain how this came to fruition. Hubby and I were having a discussion about the old days, (for the young’ens reading this..a little history lesson) but before the dark age. When Sundays were special and had traditions and rituals. Sunday mornings Church, come home to a big gravy (sauce) cooking on the stove, a big Sunday dinner, then either off to visit relatives/friends or wait for relatives/friends to drop by. We would spend the afternoon sitting around the table, talking, catching up, having coffee, pizza, calzones, etc etc, dessert. And now, how sad, all those traditions are gone. And then I got to thinking, why not have something similar here on my blog. This past year, I have met so many amazing and wonderful people (some I now call friends) through blogging, and how I am in awe of what they do and accomplish. How much respect I have for them, for their honesty, integrity, credibility and so enjoy when a bit of their personality shines through. So every Sunday, here at my place, the coffee will be on, the dessert is on the table and friends will be stopping by. And I will be rolling out the red carpet for my Sunday Shining Star Blogger guest.

I was told when I first found this community of book blogging that “book bloggers were the nicest bloggers there are” and I have never forgotten those words. And over the past year, I have truly met the nicest people. I also believe, even though we live behind a screen, a bit of our personality shines through. That is one of the reasons I am having so much fun with this weekly event, and hoping you are too, because we are getting to know those “nicest bloggers” around and about bloggyland a little bit better.

Today’s guest is someone else that I am anxious to get to know a little bit better.  We met through this wonderful community of book blogging, not exactly sure of all the details but remember it had to do with an email about our last names being very similar (more about that later).  Her blog is absolutely beautiful and pristine as you will see, when I hope you all stop by and visit her.  Oh, and one more thing before I introduce her which I am excited about, I had read a review that she had written, not normally a book that I would have picked up, but it touched my heart that I had to enter the giveaway and WooHoo, I was one of the 5 lucky winners of  Little Princes.  Everybody ready?  Today’s guest and Sunday’s Shining Star is ELIZABETH from SILVER’S REVIEWS

I just began blogging in July of 2010. I started to blog because I wanted to share my reviews with others and I also kept looking through blogs, and it looked like so much fun. I am very happy I decided to begin…..I have met a number of really great people.

*How and what made you decide on the name of your blog?
My e-mail is silversolara and I just slid the beginning part of my e-mail into my blog that I was going to use for my reviews….thus the name: Silver’s Reviews.

*What would you say is the main content of your blog?
My main content would be reviews of the books I have read.

*If books, what genres do you mostly read?
Historical fiction, fiction, mystery, women’s fiction, female protagonists

*How often do you post?
I would say probably every day.

*What are some of the things that you love about blogging?
The Tuesday Teaser days are fun for me, but I love visiting blogs to see the designs and book reviews.

*What are some of the negatives?
I spend too much time on the computer. 🙂

*Name 1-3 favorite items/postings that you have/do on your blog?
I loved posting my photos from Scotland and listing my favorite books.

*Any advice you would give to new bloggers?
Not really…just have fun.

*What draws you to follow someone’s blog?
A neat, uncluttered design…bright and cheerful…..and of course the book recommendations.

*Do you have any “pet peeves” that other bloggers do?
One is when you have to jump through hoops to sign up for a giveaway. I like a simple, list your name, blog address, e-mail, and leave a post.

*Would you please share 5-7 things about the person behind the screen so that we get to know the “real” you!!
I am a business teacher.

I am 100% Italian.

I love to bake and cook.

I taught senior citizens how to use the computer this past summer.

I have 7 siblings…that makes 8 when you count me….and most interesting is that we have 4 boys and 4 girls.

I have visited Italy (Rome, Florence, and Venice), Spain ( Madrid, Sevilla, and Barcelona – just “had” to go there to find the places from THE SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carlos Ruiz Zafon), England – London, and spent three weeks in Scotland last summer visiting my son. Spent three days out of the three weeks in the Isle of Skye. That is where my photos came from. Loved the place.

I want to thank Elizabeth for being my guest today and allowing all of us to get to know her a little better, I know I did.  After that initial email, Elizabeth and I started emailing back and forth one night, teasing each other about our Italian heritage, things we have in common (one being we both have a son named Mark).  The more we talked (emailed) the more we got to know about each other and one of the things we learned was that a few generations ago, there was the same family name.  I have to dig out the family tree to see for sure but in the meantime we have decided that we are “cousins”.

Her blog is beautiful, with well written and honest reviews.  I was drawn to it not only for those 2 reasons but for the professionalism that comes through her reviews.  And when you visit, please, make sure you scroll down all the way, or you will miss the absolute breath taking pictures of Scotland from when she visited her son.  Once you visit her blog you will see why I think she is a SHINING STAR!!

I would like to explain how this came to fruition. Hubby and I were having a discussion about the old days, (for the young’ens reading this..a little history lesson) but before the dark age. When Sundays were special and had traditions and rituals. Sunday mornings Church, come home to a big gravy (sauce) cooking on the stove, a big Sunday dinner, then either off to visit relatives/friends or wait for relatives/friends to drop by. We would spend the afternoon sitting around the table, talking, catching up, having coffee, pizza, calzones, etc etc, dessert. And now, how sad, all those traditions are gone. And then I got to thinking, why not have something similar here on my blog. This past year, I have met so many amazing and wonderful people (some I now call friends) through blogging, and how I am in awe of what they do and accomplish. How much respect I have for them, for their honesty, integrity, credibility and so enjoy when a bit of their personality shines through. So every Sunday, here at my place, the coffee will be on, the dessert is on the table and friends will be stopping by. And I will be rolling out the red carpet for my Sunday Shining Star Blogger guest.

I was told when I first found this community of book blogging that “book bloggers were the nicest bloggers there are” and I have never forgotten those words. And over the past year, I have truly met the nicest people. I also believe, even though we live behind a screen, a bit of our personality shines through. That is one of the reasons I am having so much fun with this weekly event, and hoping you are too, because we are getting to know those “nicest bloggers” around and about bloggyland a little bit better.

Today’s guest is someone else that I am anxious to get to know a little bit better.  We met through this wonderful community of book blogging, not exactly sure of all the details but remember it had to do with an email about our last names being very similar (more about that later).  Her blog is absolutely beautiful and pristine as you will see, when I hope you all stop by and visit her.  Oh, and one more thing before I introduce her which I am excited about, I had read a review that she had written, not normally a book that I would have picked up, but it touched my heart that I had to enter the giveaway and WooHoo, I was one of the 5 lucky winners of  Little Princes.  Everybody ready?  Today’s guest and Sunday’s Shining Star is ELIZABETH from SILVER’S REVIEWS

I just began blogging in July of 2010. I started to blog because I wanted to share my reviews with others and I also kept looking through blogs, and it looked like so much fun. I am very happy I decided to begin…..I have met a number of really great people.

*How and what made you decide on the name of your blog?
My e-mail is silversolara and I just slid the beginning part of my e-mail into my blog that I was going to use for my reviews….thus the name: Silver’s Reviews.

*What would you say is the main content of your blog?
My main content would be reviews of the books I have read.

*If books, what genres do you mostly read?
Historical fiction, fiction, mystery, women’s fiction, female protagonists

*How often do you post?
I would say probably every day.

*What are some of the things that you love about blogging?
The Tuesday Teaser days are fun for me, but I love visiting blogs to see the designs and book reviews.

*What are some of the negatives?
I spend too much time on the computer. 🙂

*Name 1-3 favorite items/postings that you have/do on your blog?
I loved posting my photos from Scotland and listing my favorite books.

*Any advice you would give to new bloggers?
Not really…just have fun.

*What draws you to follow someone’s blog?
A neat, uncluttered design…bright and cheerful…..and of course the book recommendations.

*Do you have any “pet peeves” that other bloggers do?
One is when you have to jump through hoops to sign up for a giveaway. I like a simple, list your name, blog address, e-mail, and leave a post.

*Would you please share 5-7 things about the person behind the screen so that we get to know the “real” you!!
I am a business teacher.

I am 100% Italian.

I love to bake and cook.

I taught senior citizens how to use the computer this past summer.

I have 7 siblings…that makes 8 when you count me….and most interesting is that we have 4 boys and 4 girls.

I have visited Italy (Rome, Florence, and Venice), Spain ( Madrid, Sevilla, and Barcelona – just “had” to go there to find the places from THE SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carlos Ruiz Zafon), England – London, and spent three weeks in Scotland last summer visiting my son. Spent three days out of the three weeks in the Isle of Skye. That is where my photos came from. Loved the place.

I want to thank Elizabeth for being my guest today and allowing all of us to get to know her a little better, I know I did.  After that initial email, Elizabeth and I started emailing back and forth one night, teasing each other about our Italian heritage, things we have in common (one being we both have a son named Mark).  The more we talked (emailed) the more we got to know about each other and one of the things we learned was that a few generations ago, there was the same family name.  I have to dig out the family tree to see for sure but in the meantime we have decided that we are “cousins”.

Her blog is beautiful, with well written and honest reviews.  I was drawn to it not only for those 2 reasons but for the professionalism that comes through her reviews.  And when you visit, please, make sure you scroll down all the way, or you will miss the absolute breath taking pictures of Scotland from when she visited her son.  Once you visit her blog you will see why I think she is a SHINING STAR!!

From her blog:
We all leave our “footprint” on the world, in one way or another. We each, individually, do something or are someone that makes the world a little better just by being here. I created this weekly meme to get to know the blogging community I love just a bit better. To know what makes them tick, outside of books, that is. Each week I will post a question to be answered in the following week’s “A Bit of Me(Me)”. Check back each Saturday to get the info for next week’s post and link up with your current post right here.
This week’s question: What cartoon character best describes you the best and why?
Read more: http://www.theresabook.com/category/a-bit-of-meme/#ixzz1FkBFFxca

From Yvonne’s site:
I’ve wanted to start a meme like this for a long time. It’s “Anything Goes on Saturday”. It’s a chance to choose any topic you want and talk about it on Saturday – it can be about a book, TV show, movie, a recipe or just an update on your week. Whatever you choose.
TOPIC:  Natural Disasters
Yesterday I was glued to the TV (I have said in the past that I always have the TV turned on and tuned in to a cable news station with the volume low ever since 9/11) due to the earthquake in Japan and the tsunami in Hawaii and the western coast of the U.S.  It seems to me that in the past couple of years that there have been MANY natural disasters, more so than usual.  Do you think so?  Is this frightening to you?  I read The Left Behind Series, which was authored by 2 Pastors in the late 1990s based on The Revelations in the Bible and written into a fictional story.  The series left such an impression on me and with some of the events that seem to be happening now that are similar in these books.  Has anyone read this series?  If you have, do you agree or disagree with me.  If you haven’t read the series, do you think there seems to be more of these disasters happening more frequently?  And why?

From her blog:
We all leave our “footprint” on the world, in one way or another. We each, individually, do something or are someone that makes the world a little better just by being here. I created this weekly meme to get to know the blogging community I love just a bit better. To know what makes them tick, outside of books, that is. Each week I will post a question to be answered in the following week’s “A Bit of Me(Me)”. Check back each Saturday to get the info for next week’s post and link up with your current post right here.
This week’s question: What cartoon character best describes you the best and why?
Read more: http://www.theresabook.com/category/a-bit-of-meme/#ixzz1FkBFFxca

From Yvonne’s site:
I’ve wanted to start a meme like this for a long time. It’s “Anything Goes on Saturday”. It’s a chance to choose any topic you want and talk about it on Saturday – it can be about a book, TV show, movie, a recipe or just an update on your week. Whatever you choose.
TOPIC:  Natural Disasters
Yesterday I was glued to the TV (I have said in the past that I always have the TV turned on and tuned in to a cable news station with the volume low ever since 9/11) due to the earthquake in Japan and the tsunami in Hawaii and the western coast of the U.S.  It seems to me that in the past couple of years that there have been MANY natural disasters, more so than usual.  Do you think so?  Is this frightening to you?  I read The Left Behind Series, which was authored by 2 Pastors in the late 1990s based on The Revelations in the Bible and written into a fictional story.  The series left such an impression on me and with some of the events that seem to be happening now that are similar in these books.  Has anyone read this series?  If you have, do you agree or disagree with me.  If you haven’t read the series, do you think there seems to be more of these disasters happening more frequently?  And why?

 

From An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My Question:

Do you draft your posts ahead of time?

My Answer:

Yes..I try to do a week in advance and then just

plug in the items for those that need daily updates.

.

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!
The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don’t have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!
Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.
If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

This week’s question’s”
“If I gave you £50 (or $80) and sent you into a bookshop right now, what would be in your basket when you finally staggered to the till?”

My Answer:
Mystery/Suspense books that are on my personal tbr bucket list, and there are many, either PB or EBook editions and a few new book marks.  Unfortunately with the cost of books, if I wanted the newest released books, I would probably only be able to purchase 3 HC.  So to get more for the money, I would go with the newest released PB.

 

From An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My Question:

Do you draft your posts ahead of time?

My Answer:

Yes..I try to do a week in advance and then just

plug in the items for those that need daily updates.

.

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!
The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don’t have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!
Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.
If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

This week’s question’s”
“If I gave you £50 (or $80) and sent you into a bookshop right now, what would be in your basket when you finally staggered to the till?”

My Answer:
Mystery/Suspense books that are on my personal tbr bucket list, and there are many, either PB or EBook editions and a few new book marks.  Unfortunately with the cost of books, if I wanted the newest released books, I would probably only be able to purchase 3 HC.  So to get more for the money, I would go with the newest released PB.

We depend on each other for book reviews, giveaways, encouragement, friendship, but how well do we really know each other?
So that is what this meme is all about, getting to know each other.
1. Author Jessica Park commented this week on Facebook that “Naming characters takes me almost as long as it does to write the book.” which led me to start thinking about names. Is there a story behind your first name?
Not really.  Only that the first letter of my name is the first letter of my mother’s.  And my sister’s first letter is the same as it was for my father.

2. Do you think parents today give more thought to the names they give their children than our parents did?
Interesting question.  Really not sure of the answer but if I had to guess I would say parents today give more thought in naming their children.


3. What is the most unusual child’s name you have noticed recently?
The person I am thinking of is not a child but a local news reporter and I never can pronounce it and hope I come close to spelling it.  It’s Nnewka

We depend on each other for book reviews, giveaways, encouragement, friendship, but how well do we really know each other?
So that is what this meme is all about, getting to know each other.
1. Author Jessica Park commented this week on Facebook that “Naming characters takes me almost as long as it does to write the book.” which led me to start thinking about names. Is there a story behind your first name?
Not really.  Only that the first letter of my name is the first letter of my mother’s.  And my sister’s first letter is the same as it was for my father.

2. Do you think parents today give more thought to the names they give their children than our parents did?
Interesting question.  Really not sure of the answer but if I had to guess I would say parents today give more thought in naming their children.


3. What is the most unusual child’s name you have noticed recently?
The person I am thinking of is not a child but a local news reporter and I never can pronounce it and hope I come close to spelling it.  It’s Nnewka