Armchair BEA 2014, Day One: Introductions

It's that time again...

Armchair BEA! The e-con of sorts that accompanies festivities for Book Expo America, the huge book trade convention that takes place in New York City. 

Armchair BEA is to begin just a tad earlier to get everyone revved up for festivities. So without further ado, let's start with introductions (where would my manners be otherwise?):

Introductions

What was your favorite book read last year? What’s your favorite book so far this year?  

Here's the thing: 2013 (and even 2012) were personally somewhat turbulent times reading-wise, so the pool from which to select a top title is limited. That said, the book that made me really sit up, made me loathe to leave it was The Duchess War by Courtney Milan. This year, I really enjoye Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. I now understand why it's near or at the top of many people's best-of-historical-romance lists.

What is your favorite blogging resource?  

Oh, without a doubt, Goodreads. What would I do without it? I'm still quite put out that Amazon acquired it (yeah I know, I own a Kindle! lol But I felt GR might've lost some of the entrepreneurial soul it had by being consumed by the great corporate beast that is AMZ. Remember the crazy censorship crackdown of 2013? yeah. that.)

Spread the love by naming your favorite blogs/bloggers (doesn’t necessarily have to be book blogs/bloggers).  

A few fab blogs I love are Parajunkee's View, the ladies at Badass Book Reviews, the folks over at All Things Urban Fantasy, and ExLibris.

One blog that I had long loved is About Happy Books. The blog's mistress, Sabrina, hails from Germany and is as bright and sweet as the happy books she writes about. She is a true book lover, and I have to bow down to someone who buys far more than she receives gratis, especially given that she reads a few hundred a year (nothing wrong with getting ARCs and review copies. but I know she doesn't buy idly!). A couple months ago Sabrina announced that she was going to take a step back from active blogging (and man, do I ever understand her difficult decision), but I still reference her reviews.

Share your favorite book or reading related quote.  

“The first time I read an excellent work, it is to me just as if I gained a new friend; and when I read over a book I have perused before, it resembles the meeting of an old one.”      ― James Goldsmith

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 3 books would you bring? Why? What 3 non-book items would you bring? Why?  

The first two are easy: my two favorite books, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Pride and Prejudice. Both are books that have always affected me deeply when I've read them, so they'd be great for breaking up the monotony of my little deserted island.

As for the third... Do anthologies /collections count? :-) If so, I'd say a good robust science fiction anthology. Or no, maybe like a single-volume collection of the Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Prydain series. Something that would allow me to escape into a large and fully realized world, to really get to know its cast of characters.

When it comes to desert island scenarios, I can get so pragmatic as to suck the fun out of the pondering. So my non book items would perhaps include a windup flashlight, a portable de-desalinization thingie (which almost certainly doesn't exist, but hey neither does the reality of the scenario! Lol), and a Swiss Army knife.

(Told ya. Snore! ^_^)

And though I'm burying the question somewhat:

Describe your blog in just one sentence.  

Nothing fancy or official, just a place to gush/vent/ponder occasionally about books and the act of reading.