Book and a Beverage [43] – Amanda from Appraising Pages

Book and a Beverage

Welcome back to BOOK AND A BEVERAGE!

In case you don’t know the deal about Book and a Beverage, it’s a very simple yet fun feature: We read books, we drink beverages, we take pictures of them and then I share your photos and a little about you to the blogging world!

Give a big welcome to Amanda from Appraising Pages!

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Name & Blog Name:  My name is Amanda and I am a co-blogger/reviewer at Appraising Pages!
Tell us a little about your blog! We’re kind of a jack-of-all, master-of-none sort of blog.  We review everything from contemporary YA to horror to graphic novels, host giveaways, highlight local signings and events, profile local bookstores, and have an Etsy shop full of apparel and gifts for bookworms. I think our diversity brings in a lot of different kind of fans and I love that about our site! 
What’s been your favorite post you’ve written so far? (Link us up!)  I’m pretty fond of the post I wrote on gender targeting in books, “How Gender Stereotypes Hurt Book Lovers, Too”. It’s an issue that had been gnawing at me for awhile and after I wrote it I had that “Ahhh, phew!” feeling after getting all of my opinions out there.
Got anything special coming up we should know about? I’ll be attending the Tucson Festival of Books with my co-blogger, Justine, and meeting a lot of great authors that are going to be attending.  Also, we are always adding new items to our Etsy shop and take custom orders for the hard-to-find bookworm stuff for book lovers 🙂 

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PastedGraphic-1Whatcha reading? I’m finishing up Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn for my book club.  My family and I recently joined a new church and discovered that a lot of our new friends there also loved to read so I started my first-ever book club.  It’s been so much fun, each book has been great to discuss. 
Where did it come from? (Library, purchased, publisher, etc) My husband and I purchased this one and traded off reading it for the book club.  We don’t often read the same books so that was fun!
Any special reason you chose to feature this book? Honestly, my vote at book club was for The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson (still at the top of my to-read list!) So I guess you win some and you lose some, but this was such a great novel.  My book club has good taste 😉
What’s important that we should know about this book? Would you recommend it? Well, it’s definitely Rated R.  If you’re sensitive to swearing, don’t pick this up.  If you have anything you need to be up early for the next day or if you’re the type of person who needs a solid 8 hours of sleep don’t pick this up, it’ll keep you up all night long!  I’m speaking from personal experience 😉

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Screen Shot 2014-02-18 at 1_41_52 PMWhatcha drinking? The picture I chose is my best friend and co-blogger, Justine, and me with our Starbucks gold cards and our favorite drinks.  Here’s my secret to all of my fellow coffee/Starbucks addicts: get. a. Gold. Card!!!! Not enough exclamation points here. You get free refills and free drinks and discounts all the time, I rarely pay full price for my coffee.  Which means, more money for books!
What’s your favorite thing to drink while reading? Iced vanilla coffee with half and half.  I can conquer the world with vanilla coffee!
Favorite beverage of all time. Go! Caramel Frappuccino during the summer.  I live in Arizona and it can get up to 120 degrees in the summer here so even though it’s a frilly frou-frou drink it sure does taste good and cool you off!

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What are your top three books you would recommend to other people? Wow, I didn’t think this would be so hard but it is!  1. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is my all-time favorite.  It’s a science fiction novel that asks some of the most beautiful and important questions about personal spirituality and purpose with these characters that just rip you apart they’re so beautiful. 2. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore is my favorite graphic novel ever and I would hesitate to anyone who isn’t really a fan of superheroes but wants a really great graphic novel to start on.  Oh, and the movie?  Doesn’t even come close 😉 3. The Glass Castle  by Jeannette Walls.  I decided to round-out my list with a non-fiction pick.  I read this book in a single day and for this working mom of two that’s saying a lot.  I literally couldn’t put it down until I devoured every single word of her memoir! Okay, so I have a science fiction novel, a graphic novel, and a memoir.  Yep, I think that best describes my recommendations!
What’s your proudest blogging/reading/writing moment? When Entertainment Weekly featured one of our posts on a friend who has tattoos inspired by Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Divergent.  That was an OMG moment that made me feel like a celebrity!
Anything else you’d like to share? I LOVE interacting with fellow bookworms.  Getting recommendations and dishing over books is why we started this blog in the first place. Communicating with us anyway and anyhow is my favorite part of being part of the book blogosphere.  Get in touch with us and make our day!

Thanks, Amanda! Wow, that is AWESOME about being featured in Entertainment Weekly!!! And holy cow, I didn’t even know Starbucks had gold cards! Extra special members 😀
I LOVE your Etsy shop. Some amazing gifts and T-shirts for bookworms! What a fantastic idea!

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Amanda! You can find out more about Amanda at her blog, Appraising Pages, on TwitterFacebook, YouTube, Etsy, and Instagram!

Are you interested in being featured on BOOK AND A BEVERAGE? Head on over to this feature’s page for the sign-up form!

And don’t forget! You can participate in Book and a Beverage at any time! Got a book? Got a beverage? Just tweet or post your photo on Instagram using the hashtag #bookandabeverage and I’ll retweet or repost your photo!

#bookandabeverage

Hi, I'm Brittany!
Hi, I'm Brittany!

I'm an avid reader, candle-maker, and audiobook lover! Here you'll find book reviews, fun blog posts, and my other loves of photography & craft beer!

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3 thoughts on “Book and a Beverage [43] – Amanda from Appraising Pages

  1. Melissa @ Bookmark Dragon

    So glad to see that you enjoyed Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow as well! I love that book. One of the most thought-provoking I’ve ever read. I’m also a Starbucks frappucino girl. It doesn’t get quite that hot where I live, but I drink them anyway. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Stormy

    I generally just drink coffee from home, but that vanilla coffee looks delicious! I have to admit to loving iced vanilla lattes every once in awhile. I’ve been meaning to read Gone Girl forever, and I’ve been seeing it around so much lately! Maybe it’s a sign.
    I can’t wait to check out Amanda’s bookish etsy shop. I must look immediately.

    Reply

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