Follow Friday+ The Weekend Blog Hop (5)

Ugh, I'm sick as a dog this Friday and slept in until literally 10:15 AM Eastern Time-- that's why I'm so late with getting my post for Follow Friday (hosted by Parajunkee's View and the Book Blogger Hop ( hosted by Crazy-for-Books) up.  Luckily I still have the energy to blog (and read!), even if anything more complicated than that throws my congested brain out of whack. :)

If you're stopping by via the Blogger Hop or Follow Friday, welcome to my blog.  Yesterday I kicked off my first giveaway: the prize is a copy of Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton, plus a special Tyger Tyger necklace generously provided by the author.  You can also read my interview with Kersten Hamilton, and check out my review of Tyger Tyger.

This week's Follow Friday featured blogger is Insane Hussein-- be sure to check out her blog and follow.  And the question is:

What is your usual monthly book budget? 

Hmm, well that's a good question, but not one I have an exact answer to.  Some months I make two trips to the library and return with an armload of books-- all for zilch money.  And yeah, sometimes I go on a new releases-buying rampage and spend $50 to $100.  It just depends what's available at the library and how much money I have. 

On to the Blogger Hop... In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!
The question is:
"If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, do you always start with the first title?" 
I usually do prefer to read the first book in a series first, but if the books are more like companion novels (like the Dark Hunter series or the Seven Kingdoms books by Kristin Cashore), the I don't mind reading them out of order. 

Last week Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books challenged all the blog hoppers to find a new blog and follow it as loyally as they could.  I have not had a lot of time to comment on other blogs this week, mostly due to being sick and the usual mess of schoolwork.  But I did do my best to stalk--I mean follow and keep tabs on-- Carmel of Rabid Reads.  She reviews mostly adult paranormal books(particularly anything to do with werewolves) and though I'm usually straight for YA, I do enjoy seeing what good and new in the adult industry, too.  


Anyway, thanks for hopping by and don't forget to enter my giveaway. I hope everyone has a great weekend!