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I hope y’all are having as much fun as I am this month! This Blogiversary thing is a blast!!! Today’s guest is a dear friend and organizational powerhouse. She is so fun to work with and I’m blessed to know her!

Let’s continue the celebration! I can’t read all the books (no matter how hard I try), I encourage y’all to check out my book blogging friends and find a few of us who share your bookish tastes!

About the Blogger

Annie LOVES books – the look, the feel, the smell and the words. She’s an avid reader turned blogger reviewer. She dabbled at sharing her thoughts on her blog, Just Commonly for years (very sporadically), and only since 2015 have she focused on reviewing what she loves best, BOOKS!

A widely known book nerd, once you get her started on a book, she might talk your ear off until you just had to get your own copy. She’s a big fan of all Christian fiction, as well as books in the Young Adult, Middle Grade, and even Kids Fiction genre. She’ll test out recipes from cookbooks and share thoughts from biographies to books on nutrition, spiritual help or just any book that struck her fancy.

Being a speed reader, she’s happy to be able to immerse herself in more books than normal. Next to reading, her other interests include spending time with friends and family, eating and somehow challenge her non-existent athletic abilities to improve (tremendously) her tennis and golf game.

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Five Favorites

Favorite way to celebrate…

Annie: Wake up, breakfast, head to a coffee shop with a good book and spend the day with my husband. Usually, it includes a stop at a bookstore!

Beth: I like it! ????

Favorite childhood book…

Annie: 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar (young kid)

The Little Prince (elementary grade)

The Secret Garden (middle grade)

Pride & Prejudice (high school onward)

Beth: Great picks! I can’t pass up an opportunity to share my love of Anne with an “e”

Anne of Green Gables

Favorite activity…

Annie: Of course, READING!!!

Beth: YES! ????

Favorite genre and time period…

Annie: Regency, American Colonial West, Edwardian, & Contemporary

Beth: I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating… Variety is the spice of life!

Favorite words…

Annie: No worries!

Beth: Now I’m going to have Hakuna Matata stuck in my head…

Book Blog

Tell us a little bit about your book blog…

Annie: Just Commonly is mainly a review blog, but it’s also a blog that I share many of my personal thoughts. It will include reviews of many different genres including young adult, middle grade & kids, non-fiction, historical contemporary…etc, but you’ll find most are in the inspirational genre.

This year, I started a new feature which is called Word of the Month series. Every month, a new word will be selected, and each week an author will recommend a book that embodies the word of the month and share what it means to them.

Beth: Love the new feature!  

Share some of your early blogging experiences…

Annie: Well, I started blogging about books accidentally. I originally blog very sporadically about what I felt like sharing. Sometimes it’s food, relationships or movies.

It was only when I posted my first book review, have I felt a desire to continue. I shared one review and then another and then another, and before I knew it, I was contacted by publishers to review one of their books.

That’s when I actively pursued book blogging. I review mostly of the Christian genre and I think that is what inspires me to keep going. Yes, I’m reviewing books, but I think it helps soothe and comfort me through these stories, and by me expressing it in my reviews. In time, I expanded to include author interviews and guest posts.

Beth: Growing into a book blogger is a pretty exciting experience!

What do you hope to accomplish through your blog?

Annie: In truth, when I started, it was more of a personal release. As time grew, through prayers, I’ve come to treat it as a form of ministry. The greatest compliment one can give me about my blog is when they tell me it was through my review that they’ve read or bought a book. I hope through my blog, readers will be able to be exposed to good writing, good stories, stories that inspire, encourage and give readers an outlet.

Beth: Thank you, friend, for celebrating with me today and sharing your favorites and all about your book blog! Annie, I am counting down the days until I get to see you again and give you hugs!

Your turn, readers! Say hi to Annie and share one of your favorite childhood books!

Don’t forget to check out Just Commonly!