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.

If any of you notice a change in Jeff (Lori’s hubby aka Dollycas’s Thoughts) it is because he has had 3 weeks off and is well rested.  So he delivered the pastry and early, however, I do think a few pieces are missing…hmmmmmm?????

I am sure today’s guest is known by so many of us as she has been blogging for many years.  But today we get to know her a little bit better, which I know I am looking forward to.  Since Sunday’s Shining Star has been on vacation for a few weeks, I am going to start right away by introducing our special Blogger, NISE from UNDER THE BOARDWALK

*When and why did you start blogging?
I first created a blog profile and blog to have an “identity” in order to comment on other blogs as myself rather than anonymous with no intention of starting my own. One thing lead to another and I started posting. My first blog was more about my family and my faith. I discovered that I had a hard time coming up with things to write about and slowed down posting on my first blog. My book blog started as a place to do meme, giveaways, contests, etc and turned into a forum to keep track of what I’ve read. Once I got to know that there were other book bloggers out there, the rest is as they say, “history”. Not that my family and faith are not important, but I’ve found my niche in book blogging. Now and then I still post on my other blog.

*How and what made you decide on the name of your blog?
I thought about some of my favorite things in order to come up with a name. I live on Lake Michigan and love our beach and boardwalk. Two places I would rather be which led to the song Under The Boardwalk that I then used for my blog name.

*What would you say is the main content of your blog?
Anything and everything about my reading life.

*If books, what genres do you mostly read?
I honestly do not have an answer. I read so many books from many genres. My favorites are historical fiction, suspense/thrillers and anything about women/families and their relationships.

*How often do you post?
Three to Five times a week

*What are some of the things that you love about blogging?
The community. Discovering new authors. Discovering new bloggers. Sharing the enthusiasm of reading with others.

*What are some of the negatives?
At times it can be a time consumer. I can get so caught up in it that I lose track of time and things that need to get done are ignored.

*Name 1-3 favorite items/postings that you have/do on your blog?
I enjoy participating in different memes that other bloggers host.

It is my goal to review every book I’ve read.

*Any advice you would give to new bloggers?
There is never a dumb question and most bloggers are more than willing to help you figure things out or tell you how they did “that”.

*What draws you to follow someone’s blog?
Shared reading interests.

*Do you have any “pet peeves” that other bloggers do?
None really, everyone does things differently.

*Would you plase share 5-7 things about the person behind the screen so that we get to know the “real” you!!

My very flexible day job is a Church secretary that I’ve enjoyed for 20 years.

My husband and I have been married 30 years.

Our children are young adults, two are not quite out of the nest. I have a daughter and two sons.

I recently celebrated my 50th birthday.

Besides reading I love to travel and go out to lunch with my friends.

Thank you Nise for being my guest today and sharing a little bit of yourself with us all.  I personally am amazed by this phenomenal blogger at the number of books she reads and reviews she writes in one week lol.  But not only that, she is a kind and genuine person which comes through in the comments that she leaves on blogs and emails she sends.  She is devoted to faith and family.  All traits that definitely make her a Shining Star!!!!!

Hi Everyone!!!  Sunday’s Shining Star is on vacation this week.  Jeff (Lori’s hubby aka Dollycas’s Thoughts) had some things to catch up on and needed the day off.  Men!!!!  I think we have been over working him with all the travelling plus putting him in charge of getting the dessert to our “gab sessions” on time (even though some of it is missing when it gets delivered BUT I’m not pointing any fingers lol)!!  Next week is Mother’s Day so Sunday’s Shining Star will be back on May 15th.  I am sure it will be a long gab fest with a lot of catching of to do.  While here, make sure you check out the sidebars for current giveaways that you may be interested in entering and Good Luck.  See you soon !!!!

Hi Everyone!!!  Sunday’s Shining Star is on vacation this week.  Jeff (Lori’s hubby aka Dollycas’s Thoughts) had some things to catch up on and needed the day off.  Men!!!!  I think we have been over working him with all the travelling plus putting him in charge of getting the dessert to our “gab sessions” on time (even though some of it is missing when it gets delivered BUT I’m not pointing any fingers lol)!!  Next week is Mother’s Day so Sunday’s Shining Star will be back on May 15th.  I am sure it will be a long gab fest with a lot of catching of to do.  While here, make sure you check out the sidebars for current giveaways that you may be interested in entering and Good Luck.  See you soon !!!!

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, since Jeff (Lori’s hubby aka Dollycas’s Thoughts) has had a week off and is well rested, I thought we would take another trip.  And seeing that hubby and I will be going to the Caribbean soon, I thought that this week, it would be the perfect place to visit.  We are going to Trinidad to visit today’s guest and get to know her a little bit better.  I thought we could sit on the tropical beach, have our “gab session” with a couple of frozen drinks and maybe even get some reading in.   Now doesn’t that sound relaxing?   Today my guest is the very sweet LESLEY-ANN from BOOKVENTURES BOOK CLUB.

*When and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging in February of 2010. I started off wanting to create a book club where I can read and share my experiences with others. While searching for the various formats of online Book Clubs, I came across Bermudiaonion’s Book blog and realized that there was such a thing called a book blog; where ordinary folks read and reviewed books while sharing their experiences with fellow readers. The ideals of a book blog matched well with what I wanted to do and pretty soon, I joined this great community of book bloggers.

*How and what made you decide on the name of your blog?
 Bookventures actually comes from the name of a local bookstore close to the university that I attended. The store called Eventures Book Store specialized in used and traded books. You could have found almost anything in that store. Eventures became a staple for me during my final year at University. Whenever I became stressed out by my thesis project, I would go to the store and spend hours (and lots of money) checking out their books. When I was contemplating names for my blog, eventures kept popping up. I did not want to have something too similar to the actual name of the store so I decided to throw the word book in front of ventures and hence Bookventures was born. Sadly the store has since closed down but I am constantly reminded of it.

*What would you say is the main content of your blog?
I mostly review books that I have read or have been requested to review on my blog. However I do try to add a bit of my personality to it so sometimes you will tend to find random musings and pictures about my life. I also love participating in memes so there are a few of them that are posted throughout the course of the week.

*If books, what genres do you mostly read?
I read almost anything for the blog. I love Suspense, Mysteries and Thrillers so if I receive a pitch for a title in one of these genres and it looks interesting, then I would more than likely accept. Also due to my background in History I also read Historical Fiction. I tend to shy away from most Romance Novels because of how predictable they are sometimes.

*How often do you post?
I try to post every day except on Fridays. It is my day of rest : )

*What are some of the things that you love about blogging?
The community of bloggers, the ability to share with others, the impact that this sharing sometimes have, the fact that blogging gives me an escape when the real world gets too frustrating; as a book blogger, reading great books before anyone else has a chance too. What’s not to love about blogging?

*What are some of the negatives?
 As a book blogger, the deadlines that are sometimes set (either by yourself or by the publishers or publicist). It turns the entire process of reading into a job and takes away from the fun of it.

*Name 1-3 favorite items/postings that you have/do on your blog?
Those would have to be:
1. My review of Juliet by Ann Fortier
2. Mailbox Mondays post (I haven’t posted one in a while but I hope to resume soon)

*Any advice you would give to new bloggers?
There is one major advice that I would like to share, one which I have been learning over the last few months; that is, No is a handy word. We sometimes get carried away when publishers, publicists and authors begin sending us review pitches without us having to send a request. While it is quite flattering, the deadlines and the huge reading piles are not so fun. I know that I certainly got carried away however what I have learned is that it is OK to say no once in a while. Trust me, the emails will still keep coming.

*What draws you to follow someone’s blog?
I am usually drawn to blogs by the type of books that the blogger reads. I have developed a few friendships with some blogs and so there are a number of blogs that I visit regularly.

*Would you please share 5-7 things about the person behind the screen so that we get to know the “real” you!!
1 – I am a bit of a tech junkie.


2 – I am shy and sensitive


3 – My favourite colour palette would be earth tones though recently I have been trying to incorporate more colour into my life.


4 – I am terrified by cats. I think this had to do with a horror that I saw on the Sci-Fi channel when I was younger.


5 – I am the first of three children. Yep, am a big sister : )


6- I love the outdoors. Hiking and driving through the country side are just some of my favourite things to do.


7 – I have an obsession with stationary

Thank you Lesley-Ann for being my guest today.  I met Lesley-Ann, and since she is a lot younger than me, she may need to help me with this one, but I think it was because she was hosting an Author Chat on her blog with an author that I had recently finished reading their book, so I stopped by to leave a question and chat.  Lesley-Ann and I then started visiting each other’s blog, leaving comments, which lead to some emails that then led into emails that resembled novellas.  I truly believe that small pieces of one’s personality does shine through in their blog, emails, etc and I felt that with Lesley-Ann.  Even though there is a big age difference, she is about the same age of my boys, conversation is never at a loss for words.  We seem to be able to talk about anything and everything.  And what personality shines through is her genuine caring, politeness,  thoughtfulness, family oriented, protectiveness of her siblings, intelligence and respect, which in my eyes, truly makes her a Shining Star.  If you already know her, then you know what I mean.  And if this is the first time meeting her, then you will be meeting a very sweet young woman.  Please visit her and say hi….I know eventually you will understand why she is a Shining Star.