Getting to Know You

[Sara W]

That's a really interesting observation Nona! I completely agree with you. I think it's not just the american wars either. The classes seem to like to focus on wars and conflicts in general (I just remember the French and Russian revolutions being thrown into my classes as well). I think if they focused on people and how they lived and similarities to our own lives, then a lot of people wouldn't dread history classes. I love history, but I really don't care about battle strategy! I know there are people who love that, but so many more people would love history if they made it relevant to everyday people and not just military buffs.

[Nona]

well I remeber taking a history class in college that was supposed to be world history and I thought I'ld love it. wrong the first three weeks was world then the rest of it was americanized, or what I call the average american attitude 'all about us and what we did'. I passed the class with a grudge that I'll never take a history class again without looking at the agenda first. I told the counselor 'if I had wanted american history I could have taken it' he just laughed at me. So I gave up education and history combined and now it's just pleasure, and I love it!

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Yes, history tends to be taught wretchedly in our schools. And Americans try to teach our kids a lot of our own history; I guess it creeps in even to the non-American history, by analogy if by nothing else.

The battle stuff may be an attempt to make it more appealing to the boys; I dunno. Or the instructor has a thing for it.

You're less likely to get the battle-heavy stuff if you take a social history course - but you're only likely to have such a class in college, and as an upper classman at that, after most people have given up interest.

It's one reason I think historians are so wrong-headed about denegrating history written for a popular audience. They particularly seem to hate the ones written by "amateur" historians like Barbara Tuchman or Antonia Frasier.

[Sara W]

Welcome to the group Sierra! I'm glad you found us!

[Lauren]

Name: Lauren
Where you're from: Long Island, New York
Where you live now: Rockville, Maryland
Birthday: November 13
Family: Husband, and 2 girls (2.5 and 4)
Job: lawyer
Hobbies: reading, shopping
Favorite:
Book: Not sure... I guess Gone With the Wind because I read it 95 times between the ages of 12 and 14. As a grown up, some favorites have been The Physician by Noah Gordon, Katherine by Anya Seton, and anything by Sharon Kay Penman (Here Be Dragons has a slight edge)
Movie: Gone With the Wind
Song: Depends on my mood!
Food: Indian (especially dal or chana masala), Mexican
Smell: Lavendar
Sport: Um....
Any websites you want to share:
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!): I was always a history buff. History was my favorite subject in high school. As a child, my favorite books were the Anne of Green Gables Series. Then moved on to Gone With the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and Madame Bovary. Once I read Dangerous Liaisons and Jean Plaidy's Royal Road to Fotheringhay, I knew that I prefered historical fiction - better than the "classics."

[Wanda]

Name - Wanda
Where you're from - York, PA
Where you live now - York, PA; moving to Fort Benning, GA in June, 2009
Birthday - May 14 (I am older than dirt but still younger than God)
Family - Married - 13 years. Husband - Joe - U.S. Army Soldier; Son - William - 10 yrs. old
Job - Legal Secretary in a medium-sized law firm in Lancaster, PA
Hobbies - Reading, cooking, crocheting, knitting
Favorite:
Book - Pillars of the Earth; World w/o End; The Secret Lion; The Shell Seekers
Movie - Under the Tuscan Sun; The Ten Commandments
Song - The Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. Usually I listen to classical music when reading so I adore Mozart and Pachelbel, too.
Food - Anything that is on my plate! I am an equal opportunity eater.
Smell - Sandalwood, Frankincense, Myrrh and new babies
Sport - Could reading be considered a sport? Seriously, I love football!
Any websites you want to share: I don’t have my own website or blog but I know a great recipe website - myrecipes.com - a compilation of recipes from Cooking Light, Southern Living, and others.
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) - I have always been drawn to historical fiction. My sister and I used to walk to the book store - she would buy Danielle Steele (sp?) and I would buy something with knights, queens and kings on the cover.

[Elysium]

Name: Elina
Where you're from: Turku, Finland
Where you live now, Turku
Birthday: 31.12.87
Family: mom and dad
Job: cook
Hobbies: reading, horseback riding
Favorite:
Book: The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice
Movie:Lord of the Rings
Song: Drawn Together by Sentenced
Food: lasagne
Smell: no idea
Sport: riding
Any websites you want to share: -
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) Always were interested in history in school. Started reading Kaari Utrio's books which are from finnish/nordic history

[Sara W]

Welcome to the group Elina! Do you know if Kaari Utrio's books have been translated into English? I'm part Swedish and those books sound like they would be interesting.

[Elysium]

I'm pretty sure some of her books has been translated but I don't know which ones

[Alisa]

Hello everyone! My name is Alisa Libby and I've been lurking on the fringes of the European Royalty group for some time now. Thanks to you my reading list has probably doubled, but sadly I'm not good at keeping up with the monthly book club reads. Still, I've been meaning to say an official hello for a while. Also - I hope it's okay that I posted my book-signing this Saturday to this page. I had just read a post about Anne Easter-Smith coming to the Wellesley Booksmith next month and it occurred to me that I'll be there signing my new book, The King's Rose, tomorrow! So I wanted to let you all know. Needless to say, I'm not a natural at self promotion.

Now, for the getting to know you part:
I'm from Massachusetts and still living here now. I work in Boston at the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science, and I work with fantastic people. I live in a small, cozy house with my husband and our aging basset hound. As you've guessed, I like to write and I have two young adult novels published: the first one, The Blood Confession, is historical fantasy inspired by the legendary "Blood Countess" Bathory. The new book, The King's Rose, is historical fiction about Catherine Howard.

Favorite book? I loved The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George; Beloved by Toni Morrison; Endless Love by Scott Spencer; Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov; Dracula by Bram Stoker; Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut; Ghosts by Marsha Parker...my favorite YA list is a whole other matter, including Fade by Robert Courmier and the Dangerous Angels series by Francesca Lia Block. And a million other books I'll think of once I post this message.

If you're interested in my books, please visit my website for more details: http://www.alisalibby.com. I also have a blog: http://alisamlibby.wordpress.com/

I became interested in history in general when I took a course in college with a teacher who told us history as a story, with all of the gorey details intact. Instead of just a dry recitation of names and dates, he showed us history that was full of life and urgency and peopled with complex and fascinating characters.

I hope that helps as a belated introduction. I know it is short notice, but it would be wonderful to see you tomorrow at my signing. I also have other Mass events coming up, listed under "appearances" on my website.

My best,
Alisa

[Sara W]

Welcome Alisa! Thanks for posting about your book signing here! If I lived closer I would definitely go.

[Mandy]

Alisa,
Your books sound like so much fun! I love the idea of Historical fiction for young adults - doesn't seem like there's too much of it out there.
Your website is fun!
The Countess of Bathory sounds fascinating - I'd never heard of her! I'm off to see if I can find some adult historical fiction about her! Any suggestions?
Welcome to the group :)

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

There's a Best Children's Historical Fiction list over on Listopia.

[Alisa]

Hi Mandy!

Yes, Countess Bathory was fascinating to research - but tricky, since so many details about her are legend. As for adult fiction, The Blood Countess by Andre Codrescu was quite fascinating. And for non-fiction I liked Countess Dracula by Tony Thorne.

:)Alisa

[Robin]

Hi! I'm new here as well and found this as I was browsing the group links. :)


Name: Robin

Where you're from: Dacula, GA

Where you live now: Loganville, GA

Birthday: June 19

Family: my hubby, Johnny, and my 18mth old boy Logan

Job: SAHM, but formerly a HS English teacher

Hobbies: reading, cooking, scrapbooking, playing World of Warcraft lol

Favorite:
Book: I, Elizabeth by R. Miles
Movie: Star Wars
Song: right now, "Chicken Fried," Zac Brown Band
Food: Mexican, Italian, good Southern cookin'
Smell: my boy after a bath, hubby's soap, cake :)
Sport: NASCAR, NFL, Braves' baseball, UGA football

Any websites you want to share:

How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) I think the first book I read in the genre was probably I, Elizabeth, though I'd been fascinated with British history before that through Arthurian legend. Now I can't get my hands on enough historical fiction.

[Wanda]

Robin wrote: "Hi! I'm new here as well and found this as I was browsing the group links. :)


Name: Robin

Where you're from: Dacula, GA

Where you live now: Loganville, GA

Birthday: June 19

Family: my hubby, ..."

Hi, Robin. Welcome to the group. We have a Loganville in PA, too. It is about 5 miles from where I am sitting in my kitchen in York, PA. Soon, I will be driving through your area on my way to Columbus/Ft. Benning (our big move). Welcome!

[Nona]

Alisa wrote: "Hi Mandy!

Yes, Countess Bathory was fascinating to research - but tricky, since so many details about her are legend. As for adult fiction, The Blood Countess by Andre Codrescu was quite fascin..."


Another good Bathory book is Bathory: Memoir of a Countess by A Mordeaux it's in somewhat of a diary format and sometimes its a little sadistic but very good considering the subject her husband plays a big part in her 'past-times' it's amazing how little is known about her when you get down to her story.

[Nona]

sorry I replyed before reading all the posts, my bad.

[[deleted user]]

Name: Suffiyan Saleem (a.k.a Saifee)
Where you're from :Faisalabad (Pakistan)
Where you live now :Faisalabad (Pakistan)
Birthday :December, the 1th, 1987
Family :single with 4 siblings 2 of whom are married
Job :no job.full time student
Hobbies :a music fanatic plus love reading
Favorite:
Book(s) : long list including devil wears prada, harry potters, davinci code, the boleyn inheritance
Movie :long list here too.titanic,a beautiful mind, philidelpia,forrest gump, raise your voice, the reader, benjamin button, vanity fair & all the chick flicks (lol)
Song: rehab by amy winehous, my life would suck by kelly clarkson and the list is everchanging and like very long!
Food: continental stuff.im sure you people won't understand if i wrote the name of local dishes which are my favourite.
Smell: the smell of 1st rain of the summer!
Sport: swimming and thats all!
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!): after watching the other boleyn girl, i was intrigued that it was based on a book,then i started digging for the other tudor novels by gregory & now i'm in love with this genre!


@Nona

What are Equestrian sports?

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Equestrian sports are those involving horses, usually.

[[deleted user]]

thank you!

[Sara W]

Ha, found it! I knew this thread was somewhere! All you newbies may like this! It's a little bit about some of the people here.

[Wen]

Name Wendy: (Wen to friends)
Where you're from: Native Floridian
Where you live now Still in FL for now
Birthday 8/24/70
Family One younger brother, Parents (alive and Still married), one teenage son (lives with me), 3 small dogs (Payton, Paisley and Chloe)and a cat that thinks he is a dog(Clark Kent)
Job I work from home and have a site where I sell jewelry I make from natural stones. I also make pet accessories from a sister site.
Hobbies Well the job is one of the hobbies too, I also crochet, sew and read read read
Favorite:
Book Oh so many so guess will pick recent one would be Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes
Movie Somewhere in Time and Monty Pythons Holy Grail (I know way opposite ends of movie world)
Food Does Ice Cream Count?
Smell Pipe Tobacco (I dont even smoke) and Vanilla and Sandalwood mixed together.
Any websites you want to share: Will share mine with any interested but wont list since did this for fun not to plug my site
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) Well Read the Other Boleyn Girl after seeing the film. Got curious as to if what was written and shown on screen was close to right. Found differing oppinions on things and was hooked on reading about historical figures. Specially females since in school they tend to be glossed over.

[Susan C]

Name: Susan C
Where you're from: Pennsylvania
Where you live now:still Pennsyvania, just a different area
Birthday: September
Family: Husband and dog
Job: Very good housewife
Hobbies: reading, making cards with rubber stamps
Favorite:
Book: The Counte of Monte Cristo
Movie: Almost Famous
Song: anything from singer and songwriters from 60's and 70's. It drives my husband nuts because they were overplayed during the 70's (his decade not mine) I'm an 80's gal. Bad music!
Food: Chicken dumpling soup (homemade)
Smell: cherry blossoms
Sport: none
Any websites you want to share: www.fantasticfiction.com, you can find a list of your favorite authors books and series. The other www.paperbackswap.com, great way to get rid of unwanted books.
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) I honestly think the covers of so many of the books caused me to start buying and then I fell in love with the genre once I started reading.

[Emily]

Name: Emily
Where you're from: New Braunfels, Texas
Where you live now: Austin, Texas
Birthday: September, 1975
Family: Husband & two insane Welsh Terriers
Job: Yoga Therapist/Yoga Teacher
Hobbies: Yoga, Reading, Making Soap & other body products, spending time with family, friends & my dogs

Favorite:
Book - this is tough because there are so many: Memoirs of a Geisha, The Poisonwood Bible, Cleopatra by Margaret George
Movie: loved the English Patient even though it is very sappy
Song: I love music and constantly listen to it so it is hard to say. There are so many genres I like and so I cannot even narrow it down to a genre but I do love classical and electronic (they do not go together at all!)
Food: Mexican food
Smell: I dabble in aromatherapy and love many scents: rosemary, lavender, rose geranium and patchouli are some top favorites.
Sport: Water sports, skiing, canoing, swimming.
Any websites you want to share: Mine: www.sundarayogatherapy.com
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) Genetics - my father was a history student and later history teacher. My undergrad degree was in history as well.

[Laura]

Name: Laura
Where you're from: Minnesota
Family: Husband and daughter
Hobbies: Reading, scrapbooking, cooking and gardening
Favorite Book: Anything by Sharon Kay Penman, Desiree, Laurie King's Sherlock Holmes series
Movie: Gone With the Wind
Song: Don't really have one
Food: Mexican, Asian, Indian
Smell: Vanilla
Sport: The Vikings and the Twins
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!): Always liked history as a child. Reading historical fiction was just a way to continue learning. Historical fiction brings the people to life - you just have to keep in mind that not all of it is true!

[Mandy]

Seems like we've had a lot of new members since this was last displayed on the main group page...
bumping!

[Sara W]

Ha ha, good call! I love this thread - so much fun!

[Melisende]

Name - Melisende
Where you're from - Melbourne (Australia)
Where you live now - as above
Birthday - January
Job - Event Management
Hobbies - reading, writing

Favorite:
Book - too many!
Movie - Mr Roberts / Witness for the Prosecution
Song - too many!
Food - chicken and .... chicken

Any websites you want to share: Women of History
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) - Mum - she was an avid read - guess its all in the genes

[Kelly A.]

I'm not really new here, but I've only commented once or twice.

Name - Kelly
Where you're from - San Diego
Where you live now - Orlando
Birthday - October 2
Job - College student....enough said.
Hobbies - Reading, swimming

Favorite:
Book - so many! All of Alison Weir's books...and Harry Potter!
Movie - a lot. Sherlock Holmes is my new recent favorite.
Song - hmmm so many to choose from...
Food - Italian!

How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) - You know, I really don't know. It's just something that's always been there, it's just grown recently.

[Keri]

Name: Keri
Where you're from: Born San Antonio TX raised west coast including Seattle
Where you live now: Seattle
Birthday: early March
Family: Married with a teen girl and young adult son applying to grad school, we love cats but are allergic
Job: Unemployed Urban Planner, working as adjunct faculty at a Community College, have been an artist but do not have studio space now and have one more kid to get through college
Hobbies: I need to read when I can't do my art, family, I set up a family tree site on Tribal pages this year, movies
Favorite:
Book: Persuasion, A Very Long Engagement,
Movie: The Ascent (Russian WWII)Dinner with Andre, OK now I have to open up Netflix, The Namesake, and Happy Go Lucky are some recent favorites and AVATAR
Song: Jazz and the song my son wrote for his sister http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWrHP2...
Food: Indian food and Dim Sum, ethnic foods
Smell: my daughter
Sport: cross country skiing, aquafit and walking to do and baseball to watch
Any websites you want to share: don't tempt me my son is an emerging singer songwriter, I like Netflix, and YouTube
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) It was one of my favorite types in late childhood, then I realized I didn't know that much about european history (took World & Western Civilization in HS instead of history) Started reading Sharon Kay Penman with my sister we share books.

[Coral]

I'm new to here, did join a while ago, just before christmas, & got a very long list of books that I wanted.

Name: Coral
Where you're from: Gosport, South England
Where you live now: Same place
Birthday: 8th July 1992
Family: Live with my Mum, Step-dad & little sister
Job: Work part-time in Coffee shop & full time student
Hobbies: Reading & Movies
Favorite:
Book: Historical probably Boleyn Inheritance - Philippa Gregory (don't shoot me :]) & Non-Historical would be Dear John - Nicholas Sparks
Movie: I'm a huge fan of Musicals, so Singin' in the rain, Oliver!, Annie. I also adore Pearl Harbour.
Song: Last request - Paolo Nutini
Food: Chicken alfredo pasta
Smell: Mango & Coconut
Sport: Tennis
How you became interested in historical fiction: (or non!) At first when I was at school, must have been about 10, when we did a play about the Tudors & I was Anne Boleyn, which started my interest, but when I went onto secondary school and did history for 3 years & all I did was about WW1 & WW2 I hated it, so I never had much interest after that. But recently I read the Boleyn Inheritance & watched films like The Other Boleyn Girl & the Duchess, I got interested in history again.

[Conne]

Mandy this is a great idea! I knew there was something familiar about you and the way you talk & help make everyone feel comfortable - Its that Utah thing!

Name: Conne Forrest
From: Salt Lake City, Utah & still here but planning to retire to Las Vegas this year.
Birthday: April 2nd, 1952, I think I am lots older than you guys! But thats only in years, in my head I should be about high school or so.
Family: My husband Mike, I waited so long for him to find me! I have a son, his wife & my grandson, Noah in Las Vegas. Mike's daughters (I claim them as mine too!) here in Salt Lake, Christi & Nic and Heather & Eric & my granddaughters, Emily & Dizze (she is really a Destiny but has always been Dizze to me!)
Job: Worked for the State of Utah for years but finally had to go on disability. It was difficult but now I am feeling better about it.
Hobbies: Grandkids!!! All the crafty stuff, I've always got something started. I did all flowers for my daughters weddings & quilts for grandkids. Lately its Quilling.
Favorites:
Book: SO MANY! A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Mists of Avalon, The Talisman, the kids Dark is Rising series, & so many, many more!
Movie: This is hard too! I really like watching some of the old ones, West Side Story, Camelot, I still know all the words to every song!
Song: This will show my age too! Anything John Denver! John Lee Hooker is another favorite along with Il Divo, Love country Music!
Food: I love good soups, Italian, Mexican, good old family comfort food & lots of vegetables!
Smell: Lilacs on the breeze in spring! Babies, rosemary, Bear Lake, Disneyland. Golf courses in the evening when they are almost closed!
Sport: I'm not a very good player but boy can I watch which is nice since my husband watches everything!
No Websites
How I got interested: TOBG was my first & I have read all that stuff & keep picking up the books I see mentioned in these posts. I dont think its the history thats as facinating as the women themselves. They have such a strength & are able to do so much with what little respect they get. I dont get as excited about the men, but the women amaze me!

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Know what you mean, Conne - I am 43 and feel about 15 inside!

[Katrina]

Hey all! I'm brand new to this group, wanted to introduce myself.


Name: Katrina (Kat)
Where you're from: Florida
Where you live now: Florida
Birthday: December 19, 1986
Family: Me, my girlfriend Veronica, and my two daughters Abigail and Kaley
Job: Administrative Assistant/Office Manager
Hobbies: Reading, writing, spending time outside, studying history
Favorite:
Book: Oh don't ask me to name them. There's like 100.
Movie: Imagine Me and You
Song: (as of this moment) Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Food: Sushi
Smell: (on me) sweet pea lotion, (otherwise) outside after a really hard rain
Sport: FOOTBALL!! GO BUCS!!
Any websites you want to share: None
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!): I've always been intrigued by the Tudor monarchy. I've studied them independantly since middle school and consider myself a bit of a manic fan. I started reading some Phillipa Gregory, and have since branched out. Its so intriguing to compare the fact to fiction, but I always find the fact more interesting.

[Charlie]

Hi, I'm Charlie Courtland
Originally from Michigan
I live in the cascade foothills outside of Seattle Washington

Job: writer, owner Bitsy Bling Books

* I am an author and I write historical fiction Dandelions In The Garden, but I'm joining this group because I love reading and discussing books. It's my love and passion--so I am here to just be a member and participant. However, I love to be added as a goodreads friend and will happily share author/book info. and recommedations if requested- but only if requested.

Hobbies: watching sports, historical research and traveling to historic places, I love haunted histories and a good ghost story/investigation
Favorite: My two favorite things in the world is mint chocolate and venti soy lattes.
Book: I am influenced by Tropic of Cancer and everything written by Flannery O'Connor
Movie: I love Fight Club and Breakfast At Tiffany's (what a weird combo?)
Song: Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder
Food: Mexican and Thai
Smell: Figs
Sport: Football and baseball

Any websites you want to share:
http://twitter.com/bitsyblingbooks
http://www.bitsyblingbooks.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Charlie...

How you became interested in historical fiction- I was hooked from the very first day of my very first literature class at the University of Washington! I immersed myself in studying as many eras as possible/offered. Coupled with history classes, I was in heaven! I could have stayed in the academic world forever.....

[Sara W]

Welcome to all the newbies!!! It's great to have you all here!

As for the ages, I love that we have such a broad range here! And a broad range of locations where people live. It's wonderful to have so many different points of views and perspectives. :)

[Mandy]

Charlie,
Your book looks so intriguing! I've read one on the countess of Bathory, I'd love to read another. I entered your giveaway contest :)

FYI to everyone else - two copies are up for grabs, and it looks good!

Welcome everyone!
Jump in and post - we are a very friendly group :)

[[deleted user]]

Name - Karla
Where you're from - Strafford, Vermont
Where you live now - Never Left :-)
Birthday - June 13 (Friday! W00t!)
Family - Mom, Me & many rescue critters
Job - Academic Library (I order materials for the music and philosophy/religion/arabic/hebrew/psychology classifications)
Hobbies - reading, watching tv, xstitch, fanfiction

Favorite:
Book - Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough
Movie - Master & Commander
Song - Too hard. I love old country, 80s metal and opera all equally.
Food - mac & cheese
Smell - my cockatoo Peachy
Sport - I don't do sport :-P
Any websites you want to share: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/67420/

How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) In 8th grade I wanted to read big books and HF had no lack of them!

[Jacinta]

Name Jacinta
Where you're from I'm a farm girl from country Australia
Where you live now Living the city life in Cairns, QLD (the Great Barrier Reef is our front yard)
Birthday 12 July.
Family Kids all flown the nest, have changed the locks to prevent a return.
Job Chartered Accountant own business, tax nerd.
Hobbies reading, outdoors, blogging, just messing about, not taking life too seriously.
Favorite:
Book "The Greatest Knight" Elizabeth Chadwick
Movie "Malcolm" a little Aussie film from 1986.
Song anything country
Food yes please :)
Smell Oh do I? *rushes off to take a shower*
Sport Outrigger canoe paddling.
Any websites you want to share: I blog at http://livemorenow.wordpress.com. its just my collection of musings and life's adventures (shameless self promotion my apologies)
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) Sharon Kay Penman - I picked up "The Sunne in Splendour" on a whim one day and have been transformed into a history loving, Plantagenet devotee.

[Tina]

Name Tina
Where you're from Originally from Kansas
Where you live now Taipei, Taiwan (cue Dorothy jokes)
Birthday April 12
Family Husband and dog, (Sir Lancelot-got him when we lived in the UK)
Job Child and Teen Counselor at an Expat counseling center
Hobbies Reading, cooking, eating, and then the natural consequence; exercising
Favorite:
Book Pick a fav book? Impossible. Depends on what mood I'm in! I suppose, if you twist my arm, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Movie Pride and Prejudice (the version with Colin Firth *sigh)
Song Girls Just Want to Have Fun (really, I don't have a favorite, but this song always makes me want to pull out my leg warmers, tease my bangs, and dance)
Food I love all food as long as it's well prepared! Ummm, I suppose to honor the current country I'm living in, Dumplings (pot stickers), or hot pot, or fried green sweet potato leaves with garlic, in Taiwan, everything is good (just about)!
Smell New box of crayons
Sport Is reading a sport? What about eating? Ummmm, boxing--not that I like watching, I just like to take the classes.
Any websites you want to share: ummmmm. . . allrecipes.com? (Love trying new recipes!)
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) I followed a rabbit trail that led me here.

[Caitlin]

Name: Caitlin
Where you're from: Illinois, USA
Where you live now: Illinois, USA
Birthday: April 30th
Family: 2 older stepsisters, a younger brother, a younger stepsister. 1 dad, 1 mom, 1 stepmom. 1 Collie, 1 Brown Tabby, 1 Tortoise shell cat, 1 cocker spaniel.
Job: broke, unemployed college student
Hobbies: Reading, studying, psychology, music, art, theatre...

Favorite:
Book: way too many to list. Jane Austen amazes me though...
Movie: Across the Universe, Amelie, SLC Punk, Life as a House.
Song: If I couldn't choose a favourite book, how could I possibly choose a favourite song?
Food: I LIKE FOOD. Mexican food.
Smell: Boy smell... rain... mud...
Sport: I like to watch gymnastics, baseball, ice skating... I can't really do any sports though.
Any websites you want to share: Nope.
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!): I honestly have no idea. When I was younger, I read the Dear America books... and I read the Royal Diary books... And American Girl... I've always been interested in it, I guess... since I was... 6, probably?

<3

[Sara W]

Oh, I loved the American Girl books!

[Chantelle]

Name Chantelle
Where you're from: PA
Where you live now: PA
Family: aside from parents and sister, it's me and my kid. Single mom. :)
Job: inner-city middle school teacher (of reading, of course)
Hobbies: reading, watching my daughter play sports, surfing goodreads, watching trashy tv.
Favorite:
Book: Oh my gosh. The Red Tent, The Autobiography of Henry VIII, wow. I have no idea.
Movie:
Song: In My Daughter's Eyes, Martina McBride
Food: sushi
Smell: the beach, a baby's head after a bath, indoor swimming pools
Sport: to watch? Anything my daughter's playing. Currently basketball, but softball starts in a few weeks. :)
Any websites you want to share:
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) It probably started with books about the Holocaust - but has only been enhanced by the years of teaching history/social studies along with reading. Such a natural pairing. :)

[Alex]

Hi everyone! I have been a part of this group for a long time and never introduced myself.

Name: Alex
Where you're from: Austin, TX
Where you live now: Austin, TX
Birthday: Sept. 14
Family: a wonderful husband, and 2 adorable dogs (my children)
Job: 9 to 5'er
Hobbies: reading, writing, video games
Favorite:
Book: too many to list
Movie: The Last Unicorn (yeah, seeing it at 4 years old made it a favorite for life)
Song: anything by Alice in Chains
Food: mm, Italian
Smell: vanilla
Sport: blah
Any websites you want to share:
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!):

I read "Mary, Bloody Mary" by Carolyn Meyer at a very young age, and became hooked on the Tudors.

[Brigid]

I'm a sucker for surveys. :)

Name: Brigid
Where you're from: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Where you live now: Tulsa yet again, but I refuse to be a lifer!
Birthday: September 10, 1984
Family: Single, but I live with my boyfriend of four years.
Job: Grant writer, which I love.
Hobbies: Crafting, acting and traveling are my free-time loves. I also enjoy baking, cooking, swimming, dancing, singing, volunteering, and playing with animals.
Favorite book: I think my all-time favorite is still The Great Gatsby.
Movie: Say Anything and Before Sunrise.
Song: I have three! "Fair" by Ben Folds Five, "More Adventurous" by Rilo Kiley and "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Food: Probably pizza, but I'm a part-time vegan, so the cheesy kind is only an occasional indulgence.
Smell: Hyacinth blooms.
Sport: Swimming to participate in. I don't really enjoy watching sports at all, though gymnastics can be fun, and basketball doesn't make me totally want to die.
Any websites you want to share: I blog at http://greyeyedesigns.blogspot.com.
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!) I loved historical fiction as a kid. Two of my favorite books were Stepping on the Cracks and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. I also love history in general. U.S. History was my major in college. My interest in nonfiction recently was watching The Tudors. It sucked me in, and now I can't stop!

[Sara W]

Happy 700 members!!! (Ha, someone will probably leave now and this post won't make sense) Welcome to all the newbies and thanks to all you regulars who have stuck around over the years!

[Sera]

Congrats, Sara! I remember when it all began. You've done a fantastic job keeping the book club going and in an interesting way, too.

[Chanel]

Hello! I just discovered this group a couple of days ago and love it!

Name: Chanel
Where you're from: Winslow, Indiana
Where you live now: Oakland City, Indiana (15 minutes from Winslow - lol)
Birthday: July 30
Family: My fiance, Ryan, and my 4 year old son, Jonah
Job: Admin. Assistant getting ready to start a Master's in History program
Hobbies: Spending time with my family, reading, scrapbooking/crafting
Favorite:
Book: The Secret Garden (childhood fav), everything by Deanna Raybourn, too many to mention!
Movie: Pride and Prejudice (the new version), A Very Long Engagement, Amelie, Practical Magic, again, too many to mention!
Song: Follow You by Brandon Heath and Leeland (current fav), Crystal by Stevie Nicks
Food: Chicken Breast cooked in Cream of Mushroom sauce, Broccoli Cheese soup
Smell: My fiance, my son after a bath, peonies and lilacs
Sport: I used to run cross country and track
Any websites you want to share: History Buff - www.michellemoran.blogspot.com
How you became interested in historical fiction (or non!): My mother has been doing genealogy since I was a child and my brother and I were always being taken to some library or graveyard! lol. I also read the Dear America series (I'm with ya, Caitlin and Sara W.!), Laura Ingalls Wilder, Anne of Green Gables, American Girl, etc. I majored in History in college and plan on teaching it at the college level so, as another member said, that and my love of reading just goes hand in hand! :o)

[Sara W]

Welcome to the group Chanel! Glad you found us! :)