About Comment Moderation On This Blog

UPDATE, 10/13/18

I have updated this post as of today, because I have gotten more SPAM comments. So the comment moderation will now stay in place PERMANENTLY.

I have decided to publish this post because I have had to enable comment moderation as of today, and I will need to leave it enabled, at least for the time being.

Let me begin by stating that I have NEVER liked comment moderation. Some blogs do have it, though, and I am in NO way criticizing those bloggers who have enabled this feature. Personally, I feel it makes commenting on blogs a bit disappointing, because one has to wait for one's comment to be published. However, I don't have any choice at this time. So I'm publishing this post to explain to all of you, my visitors and regular readers, why I have suddenly taken this action.

I have come across an unpleasant surprise on my blog: the very same SPAM comment on FOUR of my posts!! 

I came across the first one yesterday, on my Book Blogger Hop for last Friday. There were four total comments on this post. I expanded it, and scrolled down to see who the commenters were. The first three were regular visitors and readers of my blog: Sue @ The Great Raven, Brian @ Babbling Books, and Stephanie @ Bookfever. They are good blogging buddies of mine, and we regularly comment on each other's blogs. However, the fourth comment was from somebody I didn't know. When I read THIS comment, I was shocked and ANGRY to discover that it was a spam comment advertising an ESCORT SERVICE in a Middle Eastern country!!  

As usual with spam comments, the grammar was atrocious. The whole thing consisted of words strung together, with the phrase "call girls" randomly included somewhere in the text. 

Now, I've had spam comments on this blog before. I've simply deleted them, but I've also gone to the person's Google + page, blocked their profile, and reported them to Google. End of story. But this comment REALLY angered me, because of the very nature of the comment. I am a feminist, so any reference to "escorts", "call girls", or anything related to the  sex trade really bothers me.  

When I went to their Google + page (I am not going to reveal this person's name, as this could result in free advertising for their "escort service", which is really thinly-disguised prostitution), I saw that all the posts had photos of women in them, along with a link advertising the website for this "escort service". 

I have reported and blocked this profile. But, I have also taken the extra step of enabling comment moderation, as I don't want this to happen again. 

In the past, any spam comments on this blog were usually limited to one comment, on one post. This time, however, there has been one comment on four different posts. That means I really need to nip this in the bud.

So, dear visitors and readers, I do apologize for taking this step. I want everyone to feel welcomed here, as well as to feel  that it's easy to comment on my blog. However, I don't want spam comments such as these to be visible on my blog, not even for a few minutes. Since I get up late, these four comments were, unfortunately, visible on my blog for several hours.

I hope to continue to receive comments from all of you who regularly visit and read this blog. I GREATLY appreciate all of your comments, and read every single one. As you all know, I always do my very best to reply to everyone, as well as to visit the blogs of those who have left the comments.

So, thanks again to all of you who always take the time to reflect on my posts and let me know your opnions!

Along with the comment moderation, I have enabled email notification of new comments, so I can get to them as quickly as possible. This will actually be an inconvenience for me, as I will have to be checking my emails on a constant basis. However, it's a necessary inconvenience.

Thank you for your patience and understanding!! Love all of you guys!!  <3 :)

Book Blogger Hop No. 57: Favorite Fictional Couple

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

hosted by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

For more information, click HERE.

What to Do

1.) Post on your blog answering this week's

question:

Who is your favorite fictional couple?

(submitted by Ruthsic @ YA On My Mind)

2.)  Enter the link to your post in the

Linky list on Billy's blog.

3.)  Visit other blogs on the list and

comment on their posts. 

4.)  Be sure to find out next week's

question when you visit

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

Note

There was some confusion recently

with the topic questions, so 

some of us who are participating are 

answering another question this week..

Billy has given us a choice of which 

one to answer. Since I had not replied

to this question yet, I am doing so this week.

My Answer

There are two couples who are tied for  First Place, actually. They come from two different time periods, too; one is from the 19th century, and the other from the 21st.

The 'first' couple are Edward Rochester and Jane Eyre, from the famous 19th-century classic, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. This novel is now due for another re-read! I love everything about it -- the passionate, intense romance between Rochester and Jane (this male character is usually called by his last name), the mysterious, Gothic atmosphere, Jane's fiery feminism and strong moral fiber, and the English country setting, which is just beautiful! And oh, how I LOVE Edward Rochester! Even though he's a flawed character, he's still a hero in my eyes because of his great love for Jane. Besides, he and Jane match wits so perfectly!

The 'second' couple (again, they're tied for First Place) are Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, from The Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer.  Edward is the brooding, tortured vampire who is madly in love with an awkward, totally innocent human girl. The girl is Bella, and she's just as obsessed with Edward as he is with her. The story of Bella and Edward is a very tender, beautiful, passionate romance. 

Edward Cullen is obviously as imperfect as Edward Rochester is, but I love him as much as I do Rochester! 

Edward and Bella's story takes place mostly in Forks, Washington, with its incessant cloud cover, rain, and bright green forests. LOVE it!!

In short, I hold these five books as precious literary treasures that will never fail to give me that inner glow that every true romantic feels when reading a GREAT love story!  I have reviewed all of them on this blog. You can find these reviews on my Book Reviews page.
     

What are your thoughts?

Please leave a comment,

and I'll go check out your post!

Waiting On Wednesday #151: A Tyranny of Petticoats, by Marie Lu and 14 Other YA Writers

This is a weekly event hosted by

Jill @ Breaking the Spine!!

It showcases future releases which

we book bloggers

are eagerly anticipating!!

Here's my choice for this week!

A Tyranny of Petticoats

(Shattered Realms, Book 1)

Jessica Spotswood, Editor  

Hardcover, 368 pages

Candlewick

March 8, 2016

Anthologies, Fantasy, Feminism,  
Historical Fiction,
Science Fiction, Steampunk, 
 Young Adult Fiction

From an impressive sisterhood of YA writers comes an edge-of-your-seat anthology of historical fiction and fantasy featuring a diverse array of daring heroines.

Criss-cross America — on dogsleds and ships, stagecoaches and trains — from pirate ships off the coast of the Carolinas to the peace, love, and protests of 1960s Chicago. Join fifteen of today’s most talented writers of young adult literature on a thrill ride through history with American girls charting their own course. They are monsters and mediums, bodyguards and barkeeps, screenwriters and schoolteachers, heiresses and hobos. They're making their own way in often-hostile lands, using every weapon in their arsenals, facing down murderers and marriage proposals. And they all have a story to tell.

Some of the authors included are Marie Lu,

Andrea Cremer, Marissa Meyer, 

and Beth Revis!!

Why I'm waiting on this one!

The main reason I'm waiting on this
one is that it features a whole
bunch of stories with kick-butt heroines!
Need I say more?
Well....yeah!! All the authors are
AWESOME YA writers, and...
heck, come March, I'm putting in an
emergency purchase to Amazon!!   

What do you think of my choice?

Leave your link below, so I can
come check out your pick(s)!

Shelf Candy Saturday # 161: Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!

This is my weekly feature

showcasing beautiful covers!

It also provides information, if available,

on their very talented creators!
 

Here's my choice for this week!

 

Wide Sargasso Sea

Jean Rhys
Trade Paperback, 174 pages
W.W. Norton & Company 
August 17,1992
Classics,Feminism, Historical Fiction, 
Literary Fiction

My Thoughts About This Cover

This is a cover that immediately catches the eye, with the lush, tropical landscape surrounding the main character, who stares out at the viewer in a rather poignant manner.

Everything depicted on the cover -- the young woman lying on what is apparently grass, the surrounding flowers and other vegetation -- pulls the potential reader into the cover. At the same time, there is a surreal feeling about this cover.

All the plants and surrounding vegetation seem to cradle the young woman as she passively lies there, as if accepting her fate. The sadness in her eyes is haunting. She wishes to be understood, to be loved. She is neither understood, nor loved. 

Far off in the distance, a mansion burns. The young woman seems to be unaware of this; her body is turned away from that distant scene. Instead, she continues to gaze at the viewer, pleading with her eyes..... She is really more a child than a young woman. Her eyes give her away, for the look in them is that of a child suffering under an intolerable oppression.

I have been reading this novel (for the moment, it's on hold, however), and I can see that the artist has perfectly captured the anguish felt by its main female character, who is Edward Rochester's first wife, the madwoman in the attic, from the classic, Jane Eyre.

This is a very lyrical and beautiful cover. All of its elements are stylized, in the manner of artists that paint in a primitive style, and yet, this cover shows a sophistication that's really beyond any primitive style.

I especially love the flowers, each one boldly and delicately detailed. I love how they seem to attempt to shelter the young woman, to protect her, and somehow soothe away her pain....

I must honestly say that I don't like the font used for the title and author's name. Nor do I like its color. I really think a more ornate, more 'feminine' font and color would have been better.

This brilliant cover illustration was done by French illustrator Pierre Mornet, who was born in Paris in 1972. I love the flowing lines, the large, colored shapes. I can see the influences of French artists Henri Rousseau and Paul Gauguin in his work, together with his own original style. I want to see more of his art!

This is definitely one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen (except for that font)! It's the type of cover I'd love to frame as a poster and hang in my home!

Online Links

Amazon

Website

ArtDiscover

Marlena Agency

Booooooom

Trend Hunter

 

What do you think of this 
week's cover?
Would it entice you to buy
this book and read it?

The Book Lover's Den #14: On Scaling Mount TBR (Part I)

Welcome to my Friday feature!

In each weekly post, I explore 

my thoughts on several 

book-related topics.

As we begin a new year, every bookworm on the planet is once again faced with that most formidable of delightful obstacles, Mount TBR! Every single one of us looks  forward to scaling this mountain, but not every dedicated bookworm can be assured of reaching the top....or is it the bottom? Alas, I am one of those who looks upon this project with quite a bit of trepidation, as I am a slow reader.... When I visit other blogs, and notice their "Books Reviewed" section for each month (or week), my jaw drops, and the green-eyed monster rears its ugly little head...... Some book bloggers can read THREE books a week, or more! How is this possible? If I were to really push myself, I might (MIGHT, mind you!) be able to finish ONE book a week, and it could not be a very long one. It would have to be no more than 300 pages or so. Therefore, the highest number of books I would be able to read in  one month would be four. Tops. Of course, this means I would not be reading more than 48 books a year......and that mountain looms ever higher!

I can only conclude that those fortunate souls who read so many books have all taken speed reading courses. How else are they able to get so many books under their collective belts in such a short period of time? How else can they attempt to conquer the top of that daunting mountain? But then, no one ever really does reach the summit of Mount TBR. There are far too many great books being published just about every second, so books are constantly being added to the pile.... In my case, I've been adding books for YEARS now! And they're not any closer to being read, either, because I have kept on adding and adding books.... It seems that I have the problem of falling head over heels with every fascinating book I come across, which, of course, I HAVE to own! Of course. No telling when I'll be able to get to it. I tell myself that I will -- someday.

I can hear the collective groans of commiseration all across The Realm of Bookworms. Loud and clear!

So now I'm telling myself that I MUST, definitely MUST, start scaling that mountain, or else start digging at the roots. This is the time for New Year's resolutions, isn't it? Well, I can certainly make my most valiant attempt. Then again, there's a bridge for sale in Brooklyn..... Let me take a sip of my steaming espresso while I chortle, oh, so quietly....

But then again, I have the blood of Don Quijote in my veins! I WILL tilt at this, my own personal windmill! And who knows, I might actually make some headway!

With these courageous and optimistic thoughts in mind, I have hereby come to a momentous decision, a New Year's resolution that I will make every effort to uphold. Well, actually, there are two of these resolutions: 1.) Stop buying, or attempting to win in giveaways, or receiving for review, any more books. 2.) Start reading the books I already own, which, after all, I coveted with all my heart, mind, and soul when I saw them sitting on a bookstore shelf, beckoning to me with their shiny, beautiful new covers, or grinning shamelessly at me from an Amazon or eBay page. There. That should be simple. Nothing to it! Right? Sure, sure, as Jacob Black, from The Twilight Saga, is so fond of saying....

For what it's worth, I hereby present my list (tentatively, timidly, optimistically) of books I MUST read this year! The first three are, I must admit, review commitments I haven't gotten to yet. The others are books that have been languishing on my shelves..... NONE of these are sitting on a Kindle, by the way. I don't own one. I do have a few e-books on my cell phone (oh, bibliophilic heresy!!), but those definitely do NOT count. No, all of the books on this list are REAL, LIVE books, the kind that speak to you when you ruffle the pages, the kind that beckon to you, attempting to drown you in their very depths. These are books that you can hold close to your heart, because they don't inhabit a COLD, lifeless machine.

And here they are! (Except for the first three, I won't necessarily be reading these books in the order listed here.) Since this is an eclectic blog, I have books from several different genres. They all have something in common, though -- I own every single  one of them. If you'd like further information on them, simply click on each book's title, and you will be gently and lovingly taken to that book's Goodreads page.

And oh, by the way....this is to be continued! (I have many more books to add to this list....)
 

1.   A Thousand Pieces of You - Claudia Gray

2.   The Wanderer's Children - L.G. O'Connor

3.   The Deadly Sisterhood - Leonie Frieda

4.   Forecast - Elise Stephens

5.   The Creation of Eve - Lynn Cullen

6.   Concerning the Spiritual in Art - Wassily Kandinsky

7.   Awaken (Abandon Trilogy, #3) - Meg Cabot

8.   Siege and Storm (The Grisha, #2) - Leigh Bardugo

9.   Ruin and Rising (The Grisha, #3) - Leigh Bardugo

10. The Second Sex - Simone de Beauvoir

11. Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh - Joyce A. Tyldesley

12. My Name Is Asher Lev - Chaim Potok 

13. Pro-Life Feminism - Gail Grenier-Sweet

14. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

15. The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende

16. Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin

17. A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller, Jr. 

18. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier

19. Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny

20. 2312 - Kim Stanley Robinson 

            

What do you think of my list?

Have you read any of these books?

If so, what did you think of them?