Liebster Blog Nomination

I've been blogging for a couple of years now, and I've only just recently put in the effort to connect to the wider book blogging community. I've come across some amazing bloggers and great networking sites that allows us all to connect with one another.

I was more than surprised when I logged into my Goodreads account and discovered that I had been nominated for The Liebster Award by fellow blogger Danielle Smith over at Reading, Writing and What Not. 

I'd never heard of The Liebster Award, so I immediately took to Google and discovered that this is a recognition from my book blogging peers that my blog is read, valued, and followed. The Liebster Award nomination is a part of blog networking, so the nomination comes with its own set of rules which include submitting my own nominations for the blogs I follow and answering some writing related questions as well as posing some questions of my own for the bloggers I nominate.

10 Quotes from Writers about Books

Originally posted on Interesting Literature:

I came across these quotes today on a blog I follow and had to re-blog them here because I write a lot about books I've read. I am of the opinion that the bond between writers and books is a very unique one. What writer have you ever known who didn't read? Books influence our ability to be creative and imagine entire worlds inside our minds, and I am always trying to put the worlds I create inside my mind down on paper. It’s a natural bond and cycle of influence for writers who are readers.  In a world that is filled with status updates and tweets that make us limit our words - these quotes are reminder of the life changing journey that can occur by simply reading a book. Today we lost a very important writer of our time, Maya Angelou, and so I would like to add a quote to this list in her honor:

Any book that helps a child form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him. – Maya Angelou

Book Review: "The Giver" by Lois Lowry

Before today, I had never read this book. Apparently, it's quite popular on reading lists, but I was never required to read it when I was younger. I think I turned out just fine, however, I'm really glad to have read The Giver as an adult.

I watched an interview with Lois Lowry after finishing the book in one afternoon sitting. In the interview, Lowry discusses the perplexing fact that since the book was published in 1993 it has been listed on the nation's "most challenged" book list. People challenge the book's inclusion in schools and in public libraries. I didn't know this fact while reading the book, but I can understand why this book causes people to feel ill at ease.

The story begins with Jonas facing the prospect of an impending Ceremony in his Community that will set him on his path toward adulthood. The Ceremony will announce what occupation he will be trained for and work at for the duration of his adult life. This decision is based upon years of meticulous observation. During this time of Jonas' introspection, the reader learns that this Community is different. We are led to assume that the story takes place in the future in a society that has been structured to secure peace and safety. In order to secure peace and safety the Community has elected transformation into Sameness.