F is for Fight Club

As a librarian, I'm often asked for book suggestions.  To be sure, I can usually find a book for just about anyone.  So, for letter F I would share an unusual book with you. The Title?

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 

photo courtesy Goodreads.com

Yes, Fight Club was a book before it was a movie.  Fight Club is a cult classic!  

An underground classic since its first publication in 1996, Fight Club is now recognized as one of the most original and provocative novels published in this decade. Chuck Palahniuk's darkly funny first novel tells the story of a godforsaken young man who discovers that his rage at living in a world filled with failure and lies cannot be pacified by an empty consumer culture. Relief for him and his disenfranchised peers comes in the form of secret after-hours boxing matches held in the basements of bars. Fight Club is the brainchild of Tyler Durden, who thinks he has found a way for himself and his friends to live beyond their confining and stultifying lives. But in Tyler's world there are no rules, no limits, no brakes.

 I'll be honest. I watched the movie mostly with a look of confused disgust on my face.  I didn't get all the reason for the violence but I enjoyed being in the know and being able to quote classic lines as if I belonged to an elite group! Lines like: The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club.

Ironically, many bookish people and librarians know this line too.  Kinda makes you not want to cross that librarian on a bad day, huh? So that's only one book that starts with the letter F.  Surely you can think of another? 

List the title in your comments; keep it clean, people; my mum reads my work!  :)

E is for efficiency in the A - Z

Working the A - Z requires a certain amount of effort and efficiency for all bloggers involved. Here are some tips for making your A - Z journey a little bit more efficient.

1. Keep up by posting the letter of the day. Getting behind in your posting can be frustrating, and it’s very time consuming to catch up again. Luckily, we have Sunday off to catch up, or take a breather and simply catch our breath.

2. Blog hop by visiting those who visit you. In the interest of efficiency, click on links from their comments too, rather than navigating back to the main list all the time.

3. Choose a section of the list and visit those blogs. Make it a manageable number, so you don’t get overwhelmed.

4. Visit your new followers to build your own community and network efficiently.

5. Pre-schedule your posts for a couple of days or the week, leaving you more time to blog hop and get to know more bloggers.

These are only a few ideas about how to be more efficient in the A - Z Challenge. We want to know your tips and tricks for being efficient in this electrifying annual blogorific event. Please share them in the comments. Thank you.

Here’s to all you wonderful A - Zers out there! We hope you’re having a wonderful time, getting lots of exciting comments and meeting a ton of energetic bloggers out there!

M. J.

©2014 All Rights Reserved

D for Drive and Determination: #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge is on full swing. We love the variety of blogs we're discovering on our journey through the linky list, and hope you do too.

It is initially a little overwhelming to be hit with so much newness, so we hope you're sticking with it. Drive and Determination will see you through.

Start with the blog below yours on the sign-up list.

Try to visit at least 5 new blogs each day.

Make sure the commenting process on your blog is simple.

Comment on those who comment on you, and more. Leave a link in your comment, so the blogger you commented on can return the favor.

Stick to the AZ calendar for your blog this month.

Most importantly, have fun!

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Have you been on the A to Z Challenge rounds? Got new followers? Have You followed any new blogs?

Catching Fire! #atozchallenge

We are day three of the Challenge now – have you caught the fire of excitement?

Catching fire is a good thing. It was the slogan for the release of my second book.

But we don’t want you to burn to a crisp!

You probably had a lot of visitors already. You’ve visited a lot of blogs. After two days of a firestorm, you’re probably wondering how you will survive.

First, pace yourself. In one month, it’s unlikely you’ll visit everyone on the list. Don’t kill yourself trying. And don’t let guilt goad you into overload.

Focus on visiting at least five new blogs a day, starting with the one after your own. After that, focus on returning comments. If you have time, explore more of the list.

If you’re still working on your Challenge posts, keep them short and simple.

Remember, you’re doing this to make new friends and have fun. Burn with excitement, but don’t burn out!

The #atozchallenge #Blogging Song

by M. J. Joachim

Blogging in the morning

Blogging through the day

Blogging in the evening

A – Z is here to stay

Betcha never thought it

Bewildered by the crowd

Billowing with comments

At times it’s rather loud

Bring on the excitement

Build your network grand

Believe in your abilities

Don’t sink into the sand

Bladder’s overflowing

Black coffee’s on the stove

Big Brother isn’t watching

Inside your treasure trove

Brainstorm all the letters

Blog like no one can

Bleaching out the background

Cuz you’re the blogging man!

Or woman, as the case may be!

Wishing everyone a jolly good time this year!

And loads of comments and followers too!

M. J.

©2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo credit:  Jeremy Hawkins, A - Z Co-Host