The Golden Apple Presents Diana of Diana's Amazing Book Adventures

Welcome to 2012, everyone! Sorry I've been so MIA of late, but one of my New Year resolutions is to be a little less, erm, intense when it comes to writing, thus hopefully avoiding burn out. We shall see if I can keep it this year. O:)

A special thanks to all of you who have stuck around. I'm hoping to be a lot more responsive comment-wise and return comments a lot more frequently. As certain deadlines approach, I might wobble a little, but hopefully I won't be knocked out of orbit.

I'm happy to say that this blog will be undergoing a transformation. Rather than focusing purely on writing, it will be a little more, how do you say, eclectic. There will still be a bit about writing, and there will still be books.

As part of that transformation I was alluding to earlier, I'm excited to introduce a new feature to the blog: The Golden Apple of Book Blogs. Herein, every week (or every other week) I will introduce book bloggers that I follow and enjoy.

Why the golden apple?

Because books and fairy tales are so very important. They take life, paint it in a mirror, and reflect it back at us. What better way to discover new truths and new books than from people for whom reading is a passion?

But what does that have to do with apples?

“Fairy tales say that apples were golden only to refresh the forgotten moment when we found that they were green. They make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water.”

~G.K. Chesterton

So, without further ado, I'd like to present Diana Ault from Diana's Amazing Book Adventures! (PS: If you look up in the tabs section, you'll be able to see all the Golden Apples I've featured by way of their buttons.)

What do you love most about books?

The escapism and the close look a reader can get at humanity through well-written characters.

What about a story catches you in the beginning and doesn't let go until you reach the end?

I love stories that create intrigue and suspense and just plain old curiosity. The kind of story that throws in twists and turns that keep you guessing and wondering until the very end.

What's your favorite kind of hero? Your favorite kind of villain?

I enjoy heroes that are the "every man". The ones that you could imagine being yourself, or parts of yourself. The best villains are the ones that likewise you can see parts of yourself in, or who are at least understandable. I don't like two-dimensional main characters. They've got to have depth and make sense.

Five books you'd take with you as you flee a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion? (E-readers don't count.)

My Chronicles of Narnia hardcover B&N compilation, Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe (also hardcover), The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (HC), my old scripture compilation that I've written notes in all over the place (and have even drawn tiny pictures in), and...gosh. To make the choice of the fifth book easier, I'll say our Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, B&N compilation (HC) for my husband. He loves those stories.

Favorite book as a child? Favorite book now? How have your tastes changed/remained the same?

I can't really remember what my favorite book was as a child. Honestly, when I was a youth, I read a lot of grown-up books and in my adult years I read mostly youth books. When I was VERY young I remember liking a picture book called Groundsel by Fergus Hall. It was given to me when I lived in Germany (where I was born) and I still have it. The artwork is so interesting and kind of creepy. I read Watership Down by Richard Adams when I was in fifth grade and loved it. A great book that I read recently that made me give an audible "wow", is Variant by Robison Wells. It is the first in a new young adult series and packs quite a sucker punch. I've always leaned toward fantasy, but in recent years I've allowed myself to branch out and experience other genres, like the historical, piratical adventure, Captain Blood, written by Rafael Sabatini in the early 1900s. I highly recommend it. I still tend to stick to fiction though.

Special features on Diana's blog:

I think I create some pretty fun posts (all focused on youth books; children's, middle-grade, and young adult). They are chock full of information and fun extras. I often feel like I'm writing an exciting research paper with each post!

Mondays are for yummies: Recipes either directly from books or inspired by books.

Tuesdays focus on children's picture books or middle-grade novels.

Wednesdays feature YA/teen books.

You can find quotes on Thursdays, either directly from a story or from an author or illustrator.

Fridays are for event or author/illustrator highlights. The post can be based on an event I've been to personally or an author or illustrator I've met in person, or simply about an author/illustrator who I think is cool.

I like to write, so Saturdays are devoted to writing help in some form such as advice (from people who know what they're doing), writer resources, and inspiration/motivation.

Lastly, Sunday is devoted to reviewing the past week and looking forward to the week ahead, including local events (I live in Provo, UT), books and bookish things I've acquired, and recent and upcoming releases.

Thank you so much, Diana!



You can find Diana on her blog and Facebook and learn more about her here.