Book Blogger Confessions # 4

Book Blogger Confessions is a new blog meme hosted by Tiger of All Consuming Books and Karen of For What It's Worth. It is a weekly meme in which bloggers can vent share about their blogging "problems" and experiences.

Question of the week: 
Comments. The holy grail of blogging success!
What type of posts do you leave comments on?
How do you try to encourage more comments on your blog?
Do you respond to people who leave comments on your posts?
How do you handle negative/spam comments?
Do you use captcha?

I think I am speaking for all bloggers when I say that comments are like being given a Wonka golden ticket in our own versions of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It always makes our day because it means that not only someone bothered reading our painstakingly thought-out and edited blog posts but we also managed to get you to think and comment.

There are blogs that I regularly read and comment on. One of their styles was at the end of the post, they always leave questions for thought. I think that really works in getting people to think and share their minds. I especially love commenting on TBR piles and WoW's posts.

I also have favorite blogs I always visit. Have you been to Cuddlebuggery? Because if you haven't then you're missing some of the funniest, wackiest, bluntest, snarkiest, most brilliant posts I've ever read. I bow to these 2 genius ladies. Their author interviews are so original and to die for.  They can be brutal but when they give the heads-up in a review, you just gotta take their word for it and go wild with anticipation.

How about The Midnight Garden? i swim for oceans? The Nocturnal Library? These guys are amazing reviewers. I always read their opinions on books because their reviews just blew me away.


I hope you do get to visit those blogs, because if not, you're missing out big time. Now back to the topic. I always respond to comments when I can. That's why I really wish Blogger has the same comment features that Wordpress has so that when I respond, the commenter can get a notification about it.

How to encourage comments? Reach out first. You can't just expect people to flock into your blog without even trying to exist somewhere. For instance, I always visit the blogs those who comment and visit my blog. I think it's just common etiquette. Also, try to be more interactive. Involve your readers, talk to them, ask questions and their opinions, and I think it really helps if you sound sincere and/or really excited in your blog posts.


Quick fact: I never received a spam nor a negative comment in life. Or at least ever since I started blogging. It could be because no one really cares about my opinion or they are scared away by my intensity or my honesty. Honestly, I do think it's the former. Even the most-loved reviewer gets them. I actually want a troll experience just for kicks.

Kidding aside, one way to turn off commenters is having your Captcha on.  I really like to teach you how to turn it off, but as of now I still couldn't get the hang of this new Blogger interface, so I might just make it worst.


Anyway, for bloggers, please turn off your Captcha. It's really a pain. When I started blogging, my Captcha was on, and that's when they're so much easier to read and I never received a spam. But when they changed it to the "new" infuriating two-non meaningful codes, it raised a lot of eyebrows so I turned it off. Up till now, no spam incident. Nada. Nil. Zil. Trust me. If you want comments, let the commenting experience be stress-free. I, for one, will still comment even if it's on but I cannot speak for the others.

How about you? 

Do you have favorite bloggers you always comment on?

Do you have Captcha nightmares as well?

Comment down below and tell me what you think. 

Happy Monday!

Don't forget to check out my Comeback Giveaway! :)

Follow Friday # 6

PSST. Fancy a giveaway? Enter here and be amazed.  :D

Follow Friday is a weekly blog hop hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee that expands your blog following by joint efforts between bloggers. This week's featured bloggers are The Housework Can Wait and Ali's Bookshelf.

Question of the Week:  

What is one thing you wish you could tell your favorite author?

Woo! This will be my first F&F post in such a long time and I'm really glad that the question of the week is really fun. Well, if I could tell J.K. Rowling something I would say that I may be her long-lost daughter. I swear, there must be some kind of mistake in the heavens and for some reason I ended up with my kind of lame parents (don't tell them I said that). They're the most muggle persons I know and they do not read. Shame.  I even share the same birthday with her first-born daughter, July 27. Sounds legit, right?

Anyhow, Rick Riordan would be on the top of my list as well. I like him and J.K. Rowling battle it out to Who's The Toughest? Percy Jackson or Harry Potter? The wizard who killed Voldemort or the demigod who fought plenty of immortal beings? It's kind of moot, I'd say but seeing them together would be the best day of my entire existence.

But in all seriousness, I'd say to them how they have changed my reading experience. I would've never love books as much as I do now, if I haven't come across their works. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter will be forever a part of my childhood and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson, well, reminded me how much I am a sucker for a good mythology and how much I am a still a child at heart.

What about you? 

Share your answer down below or link-up with your own FF post. 

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Friday! :)

Review: Partials by Dan Wells

Read from March 13, 2012 to
April 2, 2012

Book: Partials by Dan Wells
Publication Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Number of Pages: 472 pages
Genre/s: Young Adult, Dystopian

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out. 

When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.  - Goodreads

Warning: This review was done immediately after finishing the book...at 4 AM. Needless to say, I'm still gathering up my brains on the floor, I think I stomped on it a few times. 

So what to say? First of all, I think I really need to say that this was one of the best dystopian books I've read for a while now. I was mindblown by everything, but let's backtrack a little shall we?

In Kira's world, no newborn survives.The RM virus made it that way. In an Isolation war fought over by humans and Partials--genetically engineered superhumans, America won but the world was destroyed. The RM virus was deployed, millions died and only thousands of people survived. Now living in a world post-Isolation, The Senate does it best to strive against the slowly dwindling population by the Hope Act in which they established a certain age for females to reproduce.

It's 11 years now and it's still not working. A civil war is brewing because of the Voice and the people are getting restless due to the attacks from them. Kira is a medic and has seen enough newborns die. When one of the most important person in her life got pregnant, she vowed to find the cure for the virus to save her baby before it's too late.

Crazy plan, dangerous undertaking, one epic capturing after, and we found ourselves a one heck of a YA dystopian novel.

You know what I liked about Partials, there was no "romance-ing" that happened here. Sure, Kira has a boyfriend in the persona of Marcus, (which by the way totally has a rocking sense of humor, most of my snorts came from him) but it was almost an afterthought. The story doesn't center from it at all.

So you ask, what made this story incredible then? Well I don't know about you sister, but if the medical stuff, crazy adventure, great bunch of characters, dash of political intrigue, and kick-butt heroine, didn't make it for you, I don't know what will. Because I'm telling you, it was like the whole book was rigged with C4 explosives and every end of the chapter was the trap button.

Being on the medical professional field myself (well, I'm still studying), I was really engrossed by the whole virus thing. I could really relate and I even got a few I told you so on the first few chapters.

Partials has the aura of Newsflesh trilogy by Mira Grant minus the zombies. The twists and turns just keep coming left and right, you just have to hold on to keep from being overthrown into a sea of nothingness. It was packed-full of action, mystery-driven, and it will keep you up at night. I know I need to sleep but I seriously need the next installment right now.

Cupid's Verdict:

4 1/2 Cupids

An advance copy was provided by the publisher at no cost via Netgalley.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (1): What's Left Of Me

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating. 

This is my first WoW post (YAY!) so it's entirely fitting that the book I'm going to present is the book that I'm mostly anticipating. I swear, I'm getting the thrill just thinking about it.

Book: What's Left Of Me by Kat Zhang
Publication Date: September 18, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins

NEVER LET ME GO meets HIS DARK MATERIALS in a beautiful, haunting YA debut, the first book in The Hybrid Chronicles. 

Eva and Addie live in a world where everyone is born with two souls, but where only the dominant one is allowed to survive childhood. Fifteen years old, and closer even than twins, the girls are keeping Eva, the ‘second soul’, a secret. They know that it’s forbidden to be hybrid, but how could they ever be apart? 

When a dramatic event reveals what really happens to hybrids if they are discovered, Eva and Addie face a dangerous fight for survival, neither wanting to be the one left behind… - Goodreads

Isn't the synopsis a complete winner? What's Left of Me has been on my radar ever since I've read the blurb and that was when it still has no cover. But look at that gorgeous cover? I want it so bad. Why is September so far away?

What are you waiting on?

Leave your link down below so I can check yours out.

PSST. I have a giveaway going on. You might want to head there for a chance to win. I know you want to. ;)

Random Ramblings (15): Getting Creative

So I tried to utilize some of my saved-up creativity, to finally make a Random Ramblings button. It doesn't look much but I'm really proud of it since I've got the creativity of a mutton. To be honest, I do not even know what a mutton is, but it sounds terribly off so I'm guessing it fits moi. 

Anyhow, before I took off into a rambling spree, I guess I have to stop the talkin' and do the showin'. Like that? *waggles eyebrow*

What do you think? Do you think the colors alright or a little bit too much? By the way, I color that baby Cupid myself. He likes his hair pink and ticklish. ;)

Now I have 15 RR including this and still counting. Looking back, I did not know I will talk this much about anything nor anyone would care. It specially makes me happy that you guys read them, if you have no idea how awesome you are then I'll be sending all of you mental hugs and kisses. All of you seriously rock my world.  I hope you'll not get tired of how crazy and bizarre I am. 

Oh God, I just googled mutton and it turns out that it roughly means prostitute. Oops.