Please Help Welcome Mandy to A Backwards Story!

 Hi bookworms!!!

I've been hinting at some amazing news for a while now, and I finally get to share it with you today. Ever since Kat's computer issues and then life situation took her away from blogging with me (and she'd barely begun, too, I know!), I've been considering whether or not I wanted a co-blogger again. I haven't had as much time to blog as I normally do due to illness, life, broken computers, etc., and so my blog has been sparser this year.

I didn't want to blog with just anyone, though. I wanted it to be a friend, because let's face it, that's more fun.When I found out that my friend Mandy was thinking about starting up her own blog, everything just sort of...clicked. We read a lot of the same books and squee over a lot of the same things. We often (though definitely not always!) have similar thoughts and joys.

I've been looking for someone to help me with my blog, and she's been looking to start blogging, so we thought it would be a perfect fit.

And now, here's Mandy to tell you a little bit about herself!!! 

I hope you love her as much as I do!

Hello there, fellow booklovers! My name is Mandy, and I am so excited to have the opportunity to participate in this amazing blog. Bonnie has been a friend for quite a few years now, and her book recommendations have led me to so many fantastic reads. I can only hope to match her enthusiastic book reviews and ability to keep a finger on the pulse of the literary world.


Here's a little bit about me and what I hope to contribute to this blog.

I have always been a bookworm. In a photo album on my mother's shelf is a picture of me excitedly crying over my first official library card. I can remember getting mad when I was told I could only leave with six books at a time, and I still remember the look on the librarian's faces when I brought my first batch back after less than a week. As a child I fell asleep at night to everything from The Chronicles of Narnia to Junie B. Jones. Fantasy and Adventure has always been my go to reading niche, but I do have a voracious appetite for reading anything I can get my hands on, so I often venture out into other genres. I am a believer that there is a book out there for everyone, one that will touch the tips of their toes and the marrow of their bones and leave a mark on their hearts. The power of a good book is what it can make us feel, the adventures it can take our hearts and souls on while our bodies remain stationary. 

I am fortunate enough to work in an environment where I get to share my love of reading with others, and I am always working with the intention to find a book that fits the person. This is especially important to me when it comes to children. Reading is so important, we all know this, and nothing makes me feel happier than when I get a child to connect with a book. You can see it in their eyes, that moment when a story becomes more than ink stained pages their parents want them to read. This means that while I'm a sucker for YA books just like Bonnie, I will also be throwing in a lot of young reader book recommendations; everything from beginner chapter books to independent readers for third to sixth grade. I'll also try and highlight some great YA reads that are along the lower end of the spectrum in terms of maturity level. I've had so many conversations with parents who have advanced readers that are bored with the literary choices in their age category and are ready to move up to the teen section. Of course mom, dad, grandma and grandpa are always concerned about what may be in that book. We can all safely agree that we wouldn't want a thirteen year old reading the same content as a sixteen year old. So I plan to feature some really great YA choices that can provide readers transitioning between young readers and young adult readers options that their adults know will contain safe storylines.

So there you have it; a little piece of me and what I hope to share with subscribers. I can't wait to join Bonnie in diving into all the amazing stories currently on bookstore shelves, and all the upcoming jewels you're dying to hear about.

Follow Mandy on Twitter! 

(And if you don't do so already, follow Bonnie, too!)