Follow Friday (6) & Book Blogger Hop (7)

Follow Friday is a meme hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee's View. Every week, book bloggers have a chance to connect and check out each other's blogs. Check it out to sign up and participate, or just check it out to check out some great blogs! This is my sixth week participating. This week's question:

What book(s) have you discovered lately from someone's book blog?

Oooh, that's a tough one. Participating on Goodreads has really helped broaden my horizons when it comes to books, so lately I've been pretty familiar with a lot of the stuff that's being blogged about unless it's self-published. I guess one book that I learned about from author Kiersten White's blog before it hit the shelves was Anna and the French Kiss. I had no idea what it was before she started advertising it. Sadly, I still haven't gotten to read it, but it's anxiously awaiting on my shelves, calling my name: "Emi, read me...read me...you know you want to...you know you need an adorable romance in your life right now, even if it is fiction..." Haha, yeah.


And if you do one Follow Meme, why not do two? The more the merrier! This is my seventh Book Blogger Hop.

The Book Blogger Hop is a meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books. Like Follow Friday, It's a place for book bloggers to connect, and "hop" from one another's blogs to get to know each other. Jennifer also asks a question to kick off the conversations. This week's question:

What book influenced or changed your life? How did it influence/change you?

The books that hold a special place in my heart have always come at a time when it was right for me to read them. There are quite a few that come to mind, including some big named titles like Harry Potter. But...I think the book that had the most influence on my life was Wild Magic, by Tamora Pierce. I read it when I was 13, just before my parents announced that they were getting a divorce. Now that I'm older I'm glad that they did it because they are much happier, but when you're 13, it's a big deal especially when you don't see it coming. I didn't totally collapse under depression, but my mood changed enough for my teachers and friends to notice and worry. Pierce's books provided a form of escape. I was able to relate to Daine and the other characters and find joy in their adventures, so much that the books got me reading and thinking about fantasy all the time. It changed my perspective on things. Helped me become more confident and adventurous, and less likely to worry about little things and the consequences of standing up for what I wanted (my friends and I had a history of 'fighting the system' in a positive way throughout high school, but I won't get into that). Pierce's books (Wild Magic, the first one I read) inspired me so much that I decided in high school that I wanted to become a writer, which is what I'm working on to this day.

So yeah, I know, a bit sappy, but hey. Honesty is the best policy, right? And the question was asked, so...Win!

To all of you returning visitors, thanks again for stopping by my blog, and to all you new visitors, welcome! If you leave a link to your website I'll be sure to check it out over the weekend. Until then, happy Friday!