Book and a Beverage [80] – Maura from The Whimsical Mama

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 Maura from The Whimsical Mama!

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1 Name & Blog Name: Maura @ The Whimsical Mama / Punk & Bug, The Whimsical Kiddos (they got jealous when mama was playing with the books and wanted in too!)
Tell us a little about your blog! I originally started this blog as a sort of Julie&Julia type of venture. Newlywed, just relocated from TN to VA, recently reunited after hubby’s deployment, I wanted a way to share my cooking adventures. This flopped miserably (posts have been hidden too) in the early days of my second trimester of pregnancy. Hubby had just taken a travel job, it’s no fun to cook for one, and with the pregnancy cravings, I didn’t want to own up to what I was cooking! (Lemon pepper tilapia and spaghetti was one craving!) I re-entered the blogging world last summer after helping my best friend Mary from Mary Had a Little Book Blog with hers. It definitely took some work! I had a toddler and a new baby and now a new baby project. It’s definitely been a fun journey and I’m happy I’ve finally found my niche!
What’s been your favorite post you’ve written so far? (Link us up!) I usually hate what I write (thus why I haven’t sent my manuscript to an agent!) but these are some of my favourite (& most visited) posts since I started. Tot Time Thursday #4: What We’ve Been Up To Lately: I LOVE that both of my children already love books. I started reading to Punk when I was pregnant. Yes, I felt ridiculous reading out loud to a baby still in utero, but I felt it was important. I have always focused on YA, but I read so much children’s lit that I wanted to start a feature just for them. It’s definitely a lot of fun! Top Ten Tuesday #47 Authors I Own the Most Books By: I knew I owned a lot of books by a lot of these authors, but I was seriously surprised by others when I started looking! It was nice to walk down memory lane on why I have a lot of these books. (: Random Musings: Remembering 9/11: Honestly, this was the first year in a while the full impact of 9/11 really made me think and I felt like I needed to share my thoughts. End of the Year Survey 2013:  Yeah, I cheated and put 4 posts, but this one was one of the funnest posts I did last year and I’m looking forward to doing it again this year! (: 
Got anything special coming up we should know about? Besides the holidays with my family? (: Well, FINALLY getting back on track after taking most of the summer to focus on my kids & then the author stalking incident which made me consider walking away from blogging. I do have some giveaways planned so be sure to be on the lookout! (:

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Whatcha reading? Perfect Ruin & Burning Kingdoms by Lauren DeStefano
Where did it come from? (Library, purchased, publisher, etc) Purchased Perfect Ruin & I won an ARC of Burning Kingdoms from one of Lauren’s twitter giveaways!
Any special reason you chose to feature this book? Once I won Burning Kingdoms, it got bumped up the priority list! Good life choices! (:
What’s important that we should know about this book? Would you recommend it? They live on a floating city called Internment and everything about life is controlled. It’s hard to give a lot of details without giving it away! It’s incredibly fascinating and detailed. I just read a huge twist last night (Monday) and want to jump back in ASAP so it’s likely I’ll actually be on Burning Kingdoms when this post goes live so that’s why it’s included too! (: I definitely recommend checking this series out!beverage Whatcha drinking?  Hot chocolate in my favorite penguin mug (I LOVE penguins!) I usually have coffee in the mornings, but this morning I chose hot chocolate cause I’m not feeling well.
What’s your favorite thing to drink while reading? French vanilla coffee, moscato, muscadine, hot chocolate, Strongbow (so happy it’s finally in the US!), or water
Favorite beverage of all time. Go! Most definitely ice water. It’s what I’m most commonly drinking. (Boring, I know!)bonus

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What are your top three books you would recommend to other people? Harry Potter by JK Rowling, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, or Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Harry Potter defined my childhood and I will push that series like CRAZY. Artemis Fowl, I stumbled across and fell in love with it. It’s a great middle grade series! Incarnate, I can thank Mary for introducing me to Jodi. I’m a bug fantasy reader and I love Jodi’s writing!
Punk & Bug top three recs: Pete the Cat by James Dean, Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis & David Soman, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr.
What’s your proudest blogging/reading/writing moment? Reading: Definitely my proudest reading moment is standing in front of the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh where JK Rowling finished Deathly Hallows just a few weeks before publication. My friend Lyndsay and I were too big of chickens to see if we could see THE ROOM, but we were for sure in awe just standing in front of the hotel! Blogging: My proudest blogging moment is every time I meet someone new in the blogging world. I’ve made some great friends in the last year! Writing: When I finished my first full length manuscript was a huge moment for me. Since then, I’ve completely dismantled it and rewrote it, but STILL.
Anything else you’d like to share? I recently opened up a custom order crochet shop! (: It’s Whimsical Mama Designs on Facebook. I’m quite addicted to crocheting! If I’m not reading or chasing the kiddos, I’ve got a crochet hook & yarn in hand. (:
Thanks for having me on the blog today!

Thanks so much, Maura! Finishing a manuscript is SO impressive! Good for you! And I love the Harry Potter connections! That would be so cool.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know the Maura! Connect with her at the links below!
Blog // Twitter // Pinterest // Goodreads

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!

Book and a Beverage sign-ups are currently OPEN… BUT they’ve already been open for a few days and we’re already booked through April. WHEW! If you can stand the wait, I’d love to feature you in spring/summer 2015!

Sign up for Book and a Beverage here!

#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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