Welcome to Feature & Follow Friday (err Thursday) on Parajunkee.com
If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!
*Thanks so much to Rachel for allowing me to be part of the Follow Friday fun. Parajunkee is one of the best blogs out there and FF is a highlight of the blogging community. The FF has been one of my favorite parts of my week for over a year and I'm so excited to help my fellow book bloggers get to know each other better.
How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you! Now to make this #FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger.
If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the link here for Follow Friday Feature or go to Parajunkee and click the drop down link above FEATURES > Feature & Follow Friday and get on the waiting list!
It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.
Our Feature - Once Upon A Prologue
I started reading at an early age (I totally took a book to kindergarten and read it to the class for show-and-tell) and from there, my love of reading was born and nurtured through the years. I love discovering new authors (but have a soft spot for faves Jodi Picoult, Lauren Oliver, Patrick Rothfuss, Kelley Armstrong, Jennifer Fallon, and others) and making book-ish friends. I started my blog, Once Upon a Prologue in 2011 to reach out to other bloggers, and to become a part of a reading-related community!
When I'm not reading, I am most likely writing. I somehow manage to juggle way too many original characters, but I wouldn't trade any of them for anything. I also will proudly admit to being a shopaholic (especially scarves!), and I spend all the time with my friends that I can. I adore good movies, hot tea, and marathoning various TV shows. I'm a softie for cute animals and even though it drives me crazy sometimes, I really do love my job.
Q. If you could change the ending of any book (or series), which book would you choose? And, why?
Well, for the most part, no. Books are what they are. However, I often wish books that I love lasted longer. Harry Potter, in particular. I wish there was another book detailing their post-Voldemort life.
For a long time, I was upset by the ending of Breaking Dawn. There are a lot of parts of the book that I disliked. But over time, I accepted the book for what it was and came to like it from beginning to end (well, mostly).
I often wish that historical fiction books ended differently. At least where characters I grow to love end up dying. For example, I was so sad when the Romanov princesses died in The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller. Obviously, it had to be that way. I wish reality was different more than fiction being different.
RULES To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
- (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
- (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - We Fancy Books & The Little Book Blog
- Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
- Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
- Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
- If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
- If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
Happy Follow Friday! Follow it up with your twitter address if you want to get that one out!
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I had to struggle to come up with an answer, besides my obvious choice (Breaking Dawn). I finally talked about that one, and about two others. But like you, for the most part, I enjoy books and their endings for what they are. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
I feel pretty much the same! Happy Follow Friday. :)
ReplyDeleteI know everyone always says that about Breaking Dawn but when I read the series years ago it was my favorite. But I think it was because I was pregnant when I read it. lol
ReplyDelete~Rebecca
www.bendingthespine.blogspot.com
I wish I could like Breaking Dawn. I've tried reading it several times...each time I like it less. I'll go see the movie, of course...but part of me is dreading it.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you! Writers write books the way they are, and I really don't have a problem with endings as long as they don't rip my heart out and have no conclusion. :)
ReplyDeleteBut I actually adored Breaking Dawn! It may have been a little too perfect, but who doesn't like a happy ending?
Here's my Follow Friday! And I have a brand new 300 Followers Giveaway up and running, if you want to enter! :)
Hope you have an awesome weekend!
It's funny, at the time I read Breaking Dawn, I didn't really think much of it, but as more time went on I realized how much I disliked that particular book in the series. I always thought Renesmee and Jacob's attraction or whatever it was (imprint) on her was a little weird.. but I guess I just went with it! lol
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree on HP - I wanted more! I'm dying to know what Houses the children ended up in.. if they have the same rivalries with the same families as their parents did..
I haven't read the other book you mention, but I do get sad when characters die.
April @ My Shelf Confessions
Breaking Dawn could've been epic. old follower here!
ReplyDeletemy FF:
http://bookchilla.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/follow-friday-6/
Oh! I also disliked Breaking Dawn at first, It could have been better, but I'm not Stephenie Meyer so I can't do what I liked ):
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts! Happy Follow Friday!
ReplyDeleteMy Follow Friday
Agh YES! Breaking Dawn. Don't get me started. Funny, but the first time I read it, which was really quickly, I liked it, on the second and third read through is when I started having problems. LOL
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday!
I've never thought about another book for Harry Potter. That would have been really interesting to read too. I wasn't too thrilled with Breaking Dawn either. Great choices.
ReplyDeleteHopping through,
happy follow friday! :)
I thought about picking Breaking Dawn as my answer as well but it seemed like a popular choice to this week's question so I had go against the grain.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Monday is Labour Day in Canada too. :)
Thanks for stopping by. Old follower.
Carmel @ Rabid Reads
I haven't made peace with Breaking Dawn at all, but then I'm not a Twilight fan in general.
ReplyDeleteI had to ramble on before I came up with a book that I would have liked to see a different ending.
ReplyDeletehttp://plbjourney.blogspot.com/2011/09/follow-friday-im-on-2-in-numbering.html
I have to say that I was very frustrated with Breaking Dawn myself, for a lot of different reasons. I sort of got a bit rant-y in my blog post (sorry), but something seriously went wrong there. It's like contradiction after contradiction and then to build up a war and not have it, have it be basically like you were walking around a very poncey courtroom? Ugh! No. Take it back, I don't want it.
ReplyDeleteSuz @ A Soul Unsung
My Follow Friday + Blog Hop.
LOL! I see a lot of people mentioning Breaking Dawn, and while I do think it was probably a too perfect ending, I could see where she was going from Rosalie's story. And I do hate books that rip my heart out. Just not right. Great Answer!
ReplyDeleteMy Follow Friday
Have a great weekend!
~Kristin
Hey Alison,
ReplyDeleteJust popping by to say hi, and I also wish the HP series would've laster longer...like maybe, I don't know, forever?
Ninja Girl
I am soo with you on the Harry Potter one! That epilogue just upset me!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read The Lost Crown but I'm feel like heart-broken too when my favorite book characters die.
ReplyDeleteMy FF
I'd have to change the end of Mockingjay, to be honest. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Alison. No, there are not many wedding traditions that are particularly 'australian' as far as I know, though I only moved here 4 years ago (I lived in UK before)so I might just not have noticed any. Outdoor weddings are popular here though given the weather: beaches, wineries etc. My wedding is at a winery in the Barossa Valley. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteYou picked the same books I did. I was slightly more aggressive about it :) I still can't get over the spawn in Breaking Dawn.
ReplyDeleteHave a happy weekend.
Grace @ Books Like Breathing
I'm actually pretty satisfied with the HP and Twilight series. I would always love another book, but I felt like a lot of loose ends were wrapped up.
ReplyDeleteI chose Forever though...I wonder if anyone else will too.
I love this week's question! I wasn't stumped at all!
Hi, Alison!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, and commenting on my hop post!!
You know I'm a HUGE Twilight Saga fan. I love all of the books, but I do agree with some of the objections fans have made to "Breaking Dawn". My pet peeve is the whole birth scene. I think it was MUCH too gory. It wasn't necessary for her to have gone into such bloody detail, I think. I don't know how I got through it...
Another problem I have with this book is the imprinting thing, although I can see why Meyer has Jacob imprinting on Bella's daughter. That gives a greaat reason for the alliance between the wolves and the Cullens. Still, I thought it was a bit creepy, since Jacob is so much older than Renesmee. I don't know who else Jake could have imprinted on, though. This does tie up the whole tale very nicely.
A lot of people have complained about the anti-climactic ending. They wanted a terrible battle between the Volturi and the Cullens, who had been joined by the Quileute wolves and other allies. I would have to disagree. I am very, very happy that there was no battle! Meyer created a lot of tension here, and I thought it was just perfect that those disgusting Volturi didn't get to try to take down the Cullens!
I'm not familiar with the other books you mentioned, so I had to concentrate on "Breaking Dawn".
I LOVE The Twilight Saga so much it hurts!!!
Have a GREAT Labor Day weekendF!! : )
Thanks for stopping by my blog Alison! It's brand new, but I've tried to put up enough so that people can get an idea about where I'm going with it.
ReplyDeleteTania @ Wandering Hues
I feel exactly the same way about historical novels. Every time I read something about Anne Boleyn, I always want her child to somehow be a son. Even though I know it's impossible and her daughter Elizabeth was England's greatest queen, anyway, I still feel like having a boy would have saved Anne's life.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't even get me started on poor Anne Frank!
ReplyDeleteI never felt the same with Breaking Dawn, I like the ending that way. But I haven't read any of the Harry Potter series and ironically, it's one story I wish had different ending (aside from what I've chosen for this weeks FF). I prefer Harry to end up with Hermione =)
ReplyDeletexoxo, april
Hi & Happy Friday :)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your picks..
My FF & 500 follower giveaway - www.obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com
Have a great weekend..
I like the ending of Breaking Dawn. I am bothers when books end tragically for good people, is fiction, why not making it happy? Though you are right writers write as they are.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
I feel pretty much the same. The endings the authors write work for me on a whole - even if I don't like them exactly, they at least usually make sense. Still, I decided on some changes for the Deathly Hallows and Romeo & Juliet! ;-)
ReplyDeleteLove you for this answer! They are what they are indeed. Check out my FF: http://bookthatthing.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday :-)
It seems like a lot of people would change Breaking Dawn lol. I've never read it though so I really don't have an opinion on that :p
ReplyDeleteHere's my FF: http://thoughts-of-an-endless-dreamer.blogspot.com/2011/09/follow-friday-11.html
Have a great weekend! :)
<3
Taylor
I would definitely be happy with more Harry Potter books! Great answer
ReplyDeleteKristina
http://ladybugstorytime.blogspot.com/
Breaking Dawn is an excellent choice! Interesting that you've made peace with it...I'm afraid I've never reached that point. (I've re-read Twilight a couple times, but never made it to Breaking Dawn a second time.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the FF visit! Old follower. :)
I don't mind endings either really. I love it when I love em, hate em or make me sad. Yet I did still answer the question, mostly because of the last book I read!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Friday Hops
Have a GREAT weekend!
Old Follower :)
Oh good question! I wouldn't mind if Harry Potter went a bit longer either, that would be nice. I would say I would want to change some of the historical fiction books as well, like Cleopatra's Moon. I would love for Marc Antony and Cleopatra to have lived, just like with the Romanov girls, that couldn't happen.
ReplyDeleteI definitely sort of agree with your point with Harry Potter - Jo Rowling could have extended the epilogue part a bit or even spin-off novels would have been good enough.
ReplyDeleteSo here is my FF post hope you'll check it out - http://le-grande-codex.blogspot.com/2011/09/follow-friday-5.html
Old follower
I would love to have more Harry Potter, too!
ReplyDeleteHah! I read the question over at Parajunkee and answered before I came over here, so it's funny that we ended up choosing the same thing about Harry Potter. I was afraid too many people would be afraid to go near 'The Holy Grail' of books! I needed to know MORE about the characters that I'd literally grown up with and that had changed my life/family. I really hope she changes her mind about 'no more books' eventually. While I can certainly see her taking a break (even a long, long one), I would love to see a prequel series, or a spin-off.
ReplyDeleteHaven't read the Twilight series...but I completely agree with wishing there was more HP.
ReplyDelete♥ Melissa @ Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf
The endings to Carolly Erickson's historical fiction books always make me cry :( And the fact that they actually died that way doesn't make it better.
ReplyDeleteHey Alison! Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend :)
ReplyDeleteI completely understand what you're saying. Books are what they are. For the most part, I love Breaking Dawn. I don't even mind Renesmee. I just wish the ending was a little less anti-climactic.
ReplyDeleteI also wish Harry Potter lasted longer. I want all my favorite books to last longer, lol.
I agree :) Books are what they are. Sometimes the endings aren't what I'd like but that's why endings factor into my reviews.
ReplyDeleteI agree w/Breaking Dawn. I posted about that book too.
ReplyDeleteOld follower just sayin HELLO & have a gr8 weekend :)
VAMPYRE GURLS BOOK CLUB FOLLOW FRIDAY & GIVEAWAY
Thanks for stopping by my bloggie! I totally agree about wishing their was more at the end of books and series that I love! It's always sad when they're over.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Although I would bet money that after a few years, J.K. will do another book, whether it's a continuation or a spin-off. That's just my humble opinion.
ReplyDelete--Rachel B.
I completely agree with what your saying. Books are what they are. I found it really difficult to answer this question and eventually found endings I was annoyed with but I doubt I would change them. :)
ReplyDeleteI tend to think that the endings are what the author intended them to be. They are what they are, and that's what makes them unique.
ReplyDeleteI also wish certain books were longer, or had more in the series.
Happy weekend.
Ahh! I was so surprised when I read the question this week, because when I filled out a form to be a guest on FF, this is the question I wrote! :D This just made my day. Happy Reading!
ReplyDeleteMagic is in Words
I think Breaking Dawn was my least favorite as well. I wish the series The Hunger Games had gone on longer...I didn't like the third book as much as the first two. Oh well, that's why authors have creative license!
ReplyDelete- Jenna @ Fans of Fiction (thanks for stopping by my hop!)
Those are really popular choices! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're hosting a really cool meme, thanks.
I'm a new follower. Have a great weekend!
Thanks for stopping by Pawing Through Books. I agree that I don't usually think of ending a book in a different way. Yes, there are some books that end in a way that I am surprised by. However, I believe there are reasons books end in certain ways.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you're saying about Breaking Dawn, it wasn't what I expected, but I still liked it.
ReplyDeleteHopping through!
ReplyDeleteI would love to read another Harry Potter book. Perhaps one about their children.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Congratulations on joining up with Parajunkie! I love her blog, too.
ReplyDeleteI read because I love to see what the author does with the characters. Sure, there are times when I throw my hands up about an ending and I might have written it differently but it's all good!
Mary @ BookSwarm
Lots of readers wanting a different ending to Breaking Dawn this week. I haven't actually read the book but I know what happens and I tend to agree.
ReplyDeleteExcellent choices! :] Thanks so much for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteRJ @ RJ Does Books
These two seemed kind of popular today. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteHi Alison, Current follower, and thanks for stopping by my blog!
ReplyDeleteIt's true, with fiction there's not so much of a let down by the ending because MOST authors know what their audience wants, and deliver to sell books. With historical fiction, an end has to come, and is sometimes grusome.
OK enough negativity from me!!
Have a great weekend!
Teresa [theduchessmommyreads.blogspot.com]
Yikes! Breaking Dawn has been a popular one today. I tend to think that the books that rip your heart out the most are the ones we're the most emotionally invested in. So I guess that while the ending was disappointing, the series was still a great read over all!
ReplyDeleteThe echo generation are those who were born between the late 1970s and the mid 1990s.
ReplyDeleteThe epilogue's a little hazy now and while I watched the film I was still looking for some confirmation Harry went to become an Auror. I haven't come across the Lost Crown book and watched a TV movie about the young Russian princess (excluding Disney version hehee) and I can't remember if that TV movie was based on some book too but yeah, one often wonders a different end.
ReplyDeleteI thought the whole inprinting this was really creepy.
ReplyDeletehttp://deadtreesandsilverscreens.blogspot.com/2011/09/worst-book-i-have-ever-read.html
Hopping through again =) Thanks for visiting my blog earlier. Have you seen my award for you? I'm not sure if your site is award-free but I'm giving it to you cos I know you deserve it. =)
ReplyDeleteHere's the link: Blog Award
xoxo, April
My Friday Hops
I so agree about us having more post-Voldemort life! I wish she wouldn't have wrapped their lives up in a couple of pages.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by yesterday!
I know what you mean, actually, and with historical fiction set in a time I know about it's worse! Because I can hope for one thing all I want, I already know what happens. It was bizarre reading The Constant Princess and knowing the outcome but hoping for something else - does it count as a spoiler, because you already know the ending? xD
ReplyDeleteHopping through. Have a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks for following me-following you back now!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I want a Post-Voldemort book!!
Cheers!
Yuko
Hi Alison! thanks for stopping by my blog..appreciate it. I agree w/you I wish there was an additional book in the Harry Potter series that told of the post Voldermont lives, that would be like just awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! I also think there needs to be a post voldemort book!
ReplyDeleteHistorical fiction kills me for that very reason--the set enndings. The good guys die too often in real life.
ReplyDeleteI loved the end of Harry Potter. I don't think I would have changed a thing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by.
Hopping through. I think I may be one of the few who loved Breaking Dawn. It was by far my favorite book in the series.
ReplyDeleteThe Bawdy Book Blog
Though I enjoyed the Twilight series as a whole, I have to say Breaking Dawn's story just seemed like the author put little effort into it when comparing it to the others. It was a painful read IMO. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeletePreet @ AWR