The Blogger Behind the Book: One Year Later

A year ago I began this feature in hopes of bloggers discovering new bloggers, and learning something a bit more behind that book they're reading & reviewing.  50 bloggers later I hope I've accomplished just that!

In celebration of this feature going strong after one year, I thought I'd let YOU know a bit more about THIS blogger behind the book - ME!  I chose a few bloggers I've featured here in the past to ask the questions.  Maybe you'll learn something new about myself :)  Thanks to every one for coming back week after week & supporting this feature!

Meet this week's Blogger Behind the Book:

Ginger from GReads!

Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner asks... As a person who also cannot fathom living without music, why is music so important to you? What are some of the most soul shaking examples of songs that embody what it is you love about music?

I can't remember a time when I did not listen to music.  I feel like it's always been on in the background, my entire life.  Some times you just need a good song to help orchestrate that moment of your life - ya know?  Music has been such a strong healing tool for me.  I can remember being a teenager and using music to get me through tough break ups.  On the opposite side of the spectrum, music also facilitated some pretty epic dance parties growing up with my friends.  Whether they were happy or sad moments, music has always been there for me.  I can hear a song & it brings me back to a certain moment of my life.  I love that!

The music that speaks the most to me are songs I can listen to over & over and never get tired of.  Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam brings me back to my youth.  Coldplay's In My Place reminds me of some of the happiest memories in my life.  Most recently it's been SafetySuit's These Times that's moved me the most.  This song in particular is personal to me and it's something I will always be close to.

Anna from Anna Reads asks... Marry, Kiss or Kill: Jace Wayland ("City of Bones"), Conrad Fisher ("The Summer I Turned Pretty"), Zachary Moore ("Shade")?

I have been sitting here trying to think up the easiest round about way to answer this so that I could have all 3 of these boys and no one would be left out because that is just MEAN!  haha  Seriously though, I'm loving this question.  And to be fair, here is my answer:

Marry: Conrad Fisher - he's the beautifully broken boy who I so badly want to take care of the rest of my life. So why not marry him?  If you've read the series, then you know he's grown up A LOT.  His heart is just so full & with the right person (which is me! obviously!) he'll give it his all.

Kiss (& other things, ha!): Jace Wayland - do I really need to explain this one?!

Kill: Zachary Moore - kill is such a final word, and one that is not acceptable in this case.  My lovely kilt-wearing Zachary will come back as a ghost. We may not be able to touch, but at least I can still sit & look at the pretty & listen to that hot scottish accent :)

Magan from Rather Be Reading asks... How do you decide what you'll read next, without getting caught up in release dates or books for review from publishers, and still stay inspired and motivated to read?

Mostly what I read is based on other blogger's reviews and friend's book recommendations. I feel like I've formed a pretty solid relationship with a lot of other book bloggers that I can trust their opinions on books. If someone says, Hey Ginger you REALLY need to read this book! Then you bet I'm going to check it out & grab a copy if I feel like it's something I'm interested in.  I've always kept in the back of my mind the reasons why I started this book blog, because I love to read!  Overwhelming myself with review books is not something I enjoy doing.  Reading should be fun, inspiring, and.. relaxing!

Tara from Fiction Folio asks... If you could read one book again for the first time, what would it be and why?

Oh wow, GREAT question! When ever I finish an amazing book, I'm always a little sad and wish I could re-read it again for this first time. There's just something about that first time feeling you'll never get back again. Wait, that sounded inappropriate! haha Seriously though, I would love to go back and read The Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty again for the first time. Especially the 5th and final book, Perfect Fifths. Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie's journey is one I so want to encounter again for the first time. The moments never stopped, from laughing hysterical to the unexpectedness, to the emotional tugs that pulled so hard on my heart. Though I've read Perfect Fifths for a second time, it's still not like that first time. Gosh I adore that book.

Capillya from That Cover Girl asks... If an extremely wealthy benefactor gave you $1 million to spend on any of the bookish things below, which would you choose and why? You can only choose one.

a) A mini-conference that pulled in your favorite authors to give talks & sign books!

b) A blogger retreat! To anywhere! In the world! With all your favorite blogger friends!

c) Quit your day job and write the book you've always dreamed of writing!

d) Make up your own because you clearly can't choose from the three options I've already supplied!

These questions keep getting more difficult to answer, ha!  I am leaning towards answers B & C.  Though quitting my job and writing for a living sounds verrrrry tempting, a trip with blogger friends would be AMAZING!  So I choose answer B.  A blogger retreat sounds fabulous.  Of course the destination spot would need to be on a beach some where because I'm a beachy kind of girl.  We would spend our days lounging around, getting massages, reading, napping, eating yummy food, & checking out the local hot spots.  Let me know when y'all are ready to go & I'll pack my bags, ha!

Lisa from Lisa is Busy Nerding asks... It's the end of the world as we know it, and you don't feel fine. In fact, you're pretty frakking scared about what's going to happen from here on out. What mad skills would you use/develop/invent to survive? Keep in mind, there is at least one cute boy involved. There is ALWAYS at least one cute boy involved. GO!

First of all, I love that you know me so well as to include a cute boy. End of the world or not, cute boy present is a must! Now on to my special qualities... I'd need the ability to disappear at a moment's notice. If the bad people are coming, or if I'm in real danger, I need to be able to blink? snap my fingers? click my heels? and disperse in to thin air! Second, I have the knowledge of where the freshest water is, how to grab that tasty Jimmy Johns sandwich, and where my pretty little head will be sleeping each night. Survival skills at it's best!  And just for fun, thirdly I'd like the ability to read mind's - but not like all the time.  Walking around with every one's thoughts inside my own would be annoying as heck.  I just want to know what the cute boy is thinking when ever I feel it's necessary :)

Jess from Gone With the Words asks... What was it like to be in a video on VH1?

Ha! The video Jess is referring to is SafetySuit's These Times.  The guys work closely with VH1, so I had a feeling once this video was made it wouldn't be long before VH1 got their hands on it.

Surreal?  I guess that's the appropriate word.  When I think of this band, and everything that's happened in my life since I first discovered them, I have to pinch myself to really believe it's true!  In my world, I'm just a girl who has a passion for music.  I fell upon their music randomly one day & fell in love with their sound, their personalities, their talent, and the list could go on...  Apparently my constant tweets did not go unnoticed and they soon discovered me, ha!  I've been a supporter of good music since I can remember, and I love introducing people to bands/singers they may have never heard of before.  This is the first time the actual band acknowledged my efforts :)

As I stated before, These Times is a very personal song for me.  I was honored to be chosen to be a part of their video for it.  We all go through hard times in life, no matter the degree.  This song represents what it feels like to endure those moments, but also realize those moments will pass... to better times.  Having my few seconds of fame on TV for it is pretty awesome, but being a part of such an incredible song for my most favorite band: definitely priceless.

Yani from The Secret Life of an Avid Reader asks...  If you could be any character from a book, who would you be?

I could pick the obvious choice and go with a character who has outlandish capabilities like casting spells, jumping through portals, or seeing the future; but since I'm an avid reader of young adult contemporary, I'll choose a character I WISH I could have been in my younger years.  Ruby Oliver.  E. Lockhart has captured such a true voice in those awkward, misguided, but oh so much fun years that truly spoke to me.  This girl is cynical, yet daring.  She's hysterical, but beautiful.  I know she had to go through some pretty rough times as a teen, but didn't we all?!  I love her attitude through the whole thing.  She may be totally messed up in the head, but she's REAL and she has the best sense of humor while trying to figure it all out. I love that.

Melanie from Reclusive Bibliophile asks... If you had your own reality show, what would be the theme song?

Gosh this is a hard question, because 1. my life is no where near exciting enough for a reality show, haha. And 2. how can I pick just one song?! I would need like a 10 minute before-the-show-montage of all my favorite songs.  But to be fair, I'll choose a song which I consider my "theme song" for life.  Learning to Fly by Tom Petty.  To me, this song is about getting beat down in life.. having a bad day.. a horrible moment, but realizing that it will get easier and you will eventually move on to other things.  That seems to be a common occurrence in my life ;)  Just because you're all grown up doesn't necessarily mean you know everything.  Learning a new path in life can happen at any age.  I definitely know this to be true.

Thank you SO much to all the bloggers who participated this week by asking me the questions.  I loved your creativity and had a lot of fun answering them.  Hopefully my followers have discovered something about myself that they didn't know before.  I promise there's more to this girl than just books & SafetySuit, haha.

If you would like to be featured on The Blogger Behind the Book in the future, please email me.  Right now I am currently scheduled through May, but have open spots after that.  I look forward to showcasing more bloggers for you all to get to know better.