Feature and Follow Friday #109

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

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Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View 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!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) 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!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

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How To Become a Featured Blog?

We pick our featured blogs randomly each week from the blogs who participated the week before.

Please be sure to feature your e-mail address clearly on your blog. Either on the main blog, on a Contact page, or on an About Me page. If I can't find your email easily, I will choose a different blog to feature.

Our Feature -The Bookshelf Review

1. When did you start blogging?

I started blogging a little bit over a year ago in June 2011. I just celebrated my One Year Blogoversary, so excited I have made it this long. The main reason I started blogging was because one of my friends did it a couple of months before I started. I really liked the look and feel of her blog so I emulated her and started doing it myself. Here is link to her blog if you want to check it out. She has some amazing reviews on her site. She was definitely my inspriation and I wouldn't be blogging if not for her.

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

My favorite part about blogging is being able to share my love of books with my followers and essentially everyone that stumbles across or visits my blog. It is amazing to be able to share and talk about books with many people that I don't know personally. I will always remember the experience that having a blog has brought to me.

3. What is your favorite book(s)?

I don't really have a favorite book specifically because there are too many amazing books out there to have just one. And really my favorite is almost always the one I have in my hand that I am currently reading. But here is a small list of some of my favorites: The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth, Across the Universe Trilogy by Beth Revis and many, many more that would make this list way too long.

4. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

Tough Question. I can't really think of one specifically. But having authors come over to your blog and comment on your posts, appreciating what you do and acutally being able to talk to them personally is something I thought I would never be able to do. It really has meant a lot to me and is so awesome. Also having actual people care enough about my blog and think it is interesting enough to hit that follow button and to acutally be able to have support is so spectacular to me. When I started, never in a million years did I think I would be where I am today. So thanks to all who follow me and support me. And thanks to Follow Friday for playing a part in helping me gain new followers. =]

Q: What would you do over if you were to start your blog again from scratch?

First off, I am getting ready to move this weekend, so my comments will probably be limited. I'll get back to commenting in late September when I'm done with all my travels.

I'm not sure if there's anything specific that I'd do over. The main thing that comes to mind is something that I still haven't fully figured out. I want to have a better layout for my posts. I'd also like to change somethings with my blog design, but that's basically good. I wish I knew more html so I could do things on my own. Luckily, I found a great web designer but it would still be nice to have the knowledge. Some day.

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Now for the Follow Fun!

With GFC going the way of the dodo bird for many bloggers, there is no better time to start following blogs via RSS feed. If you use a reader, it would be great if you followed my RSS directly.

We have a new button, so update your blogs if you are used to doing this meme!

<a href="http://parajunkee.com/category/ff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4710921228_e3140444bf_o.png" /></a>

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
6. 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"
7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
8. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

CAPTCHA:

If you have CAPTCHA word verification enabled on your blog, please take it off. It makes it much more difficult for readers to comment. Please look at my CAPTCHA Eradication Post to learn how to get rid of it.

Happy Follow Friday! Come back at midnight CST for the Facebook & Twitter hop!!