The Best Reader:
blogger love

A few weeks ago I received an email that brought tears to my eyes. Tina from Book Couture had wrote me just to tell me how much she enjoyed my blog. It blew me away that, not only did someone really enjoy my blog, but would take time out just to write me to tell me. Wow! Those comments and emails will always mean the world to me. Thank you so much Tina for making me feel like I am doing something right: )

Today Tina will be discussing The Seven Deadly Sins!

Hi! I'm Tina, an Aussie teenage book blogger who spends a great chunk of her time at Book Couture, where I write book reviews, participate in memes, and aim to spread knowledge of blogger through my tutorials.

My primary goal for Book Couture is to recommend good books to other people. The most fulfilling thing for me would be if someone decided to pick up a book I recommend, and enjoy it as much as I did. The thought that someone else out there could be as moved as I am through reading the same story, experiencing the same magic that it evokes, is what moved me to create my own blog.

I'm also the founder and co-moderator of the Book Contest Directory, a listing of book contests across the blogosphere. Feel free to check it out for contests galore!

My favourite genres are fantasy (Harry Potter), paranormal (Vampire Academy), science fiction (Ender's Game, The Hunger Games), historical (The Luxe), and contemporary/chick lit (think Meg Cabot). Although I started my blog initially to read more reviews about books, and record my own opinions, I have found something more — a lively community of bloggers that share stories and listen to each other's thoughts.

Sometimes, I'll even find the special blogger out there who is willing to help out a newbie. You know who I"m talking about — Jess @ Confessions of a Bookaholic, of course! Thank you, Jess, for featuring me today.

Guest post: The Seven Deadly Sins
The Seven Deadly Sins, also known as the Cardinal Sins or the Capital Vices, dates back to as early as the 14th century. The Catholic Church needed a classification of common immoral human vices to educate people against sinning, and as 7 was seen as a number of power, the Seven Deadly Sins was formed.

This theme is commonly used in art, sculpture, scripture, and literature. Think of the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix, where Arthur Penhaligon battles seven Demesnes of the House, each possessed by a deadly sin. Or Star Trek: Seven Deadly Sins, where each deadly sin is linked to a Trek race.

Sometimes, the Seven Deadly Sins are also related to other themes with 7 concepts. For example, the seven angels that fell from grace by rebelling against God, becoming demons, were associated to the Seven Deadly Sins by Peter Binsfeld.

What are the Seven Deadly Sins?

Pride/Vanity

Pride or Vanity is the love of oneself, and the belief that one is superior to others. It is the desire to be better, greater, or stronger, and is considered to be the greatest of all sins. It is associated with the demon Lucifer.

Greed/Avar

Greed or Avarice is one of the three sins of excess (the other two being Lust and Gluttony), but greed pertains to the idea of desiring more wealth, status or power than required. It is associated with the demon Mammon.

Lust

Lust is also one of the three sins of excess, and is applied to those who have excessive sexual thoughts and desires.

It is associated with the demon Asmodeus.

Gluttony

Gluttony, the final sin of excess, is the sin of over indulgence and consumption of food or alcohol to the point of waste. It is associated with the demon Beelzebub.

Envy

Envy is the strong sin of desiring what is not yours, and resenting others for having what you do not have. It is associated with the demon Leviathan.

Wrath

Wrath is pure hatred or anger towards something/someone. It is uncontrolled, and leads to violence or self-destruction. It is associated with the demons Satan and Amon.

Sloth

Sloth is the sin of being lazy and apathetic towards something. It may also mean that one's gifts or talents are not utilised. It is associated with the demon Belphegor.

All the beautiful Seven Deadly Sins art is by Marta Dahlig (blackeri) on Deviantart.

Personally, I think my Deadly Sin is Sloth — I procrastinate way too much. Whenever I settle down in front of the computer to do some homework, I will inevitably end up on Book Couture, or I'll be surfing around on other blogs. Then there's Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.
In the blink of an eye, it's midnight, I haven't done any work, and I'm cursing myself for getting distracted. So I'm definitely a sloth. But don't tell anyone *winks*.

Q: Which deadly sin do you have?

As a newbie blogger I had someone reach out and help me get started. She posted about my blog, was my first official follower, and helped me answer countless questions. Briana from The Book Pixie did so much for me and I always said that, as a blogger, I would always try to pay it forward and help others.

So today is dedicated to telling a little about 2 bloggers. The first one is Mary from The Book Swarm. Her blog is adorable and here she explains a little about the reasoning behind her starting a blog and how her students are able to participate.

As a middle school English teacher, I see many of our students disconnected from books (Not all, thank goodness. I have some avid readers, too—yay!). They claim to hate reading, that no one at home reads, or they just don’t see the point. Whether these attitudes come about because they haven’t been introduced to the right books, aren’t encouraged to read outside of school, or they don’t think it’s cool, it breaks my obsessed-with-reading heart.
So, this summer, I decided to do something about it, something that would reach more than just my students. I started a book blog dedicated to introducing teens to a wide variety of books and helping them find that one book, author or genre that reconnects them with a love of reading. And so, The Book Swarm was born. (I know, kind of a strange name but my last name starts with a B… bee… swarm of bees… book swarm. Ta-da!)
I also wanted to make sure the blog reviewed a ton of different books. That’s where my student reviewers come in. Come October, these teens will be contributing to The Book Swarm, adding their perspective and reviewing (sometimes rather bluntly) books they chose.
Through reviews, author interviews and giveaways, The Book Swarm offers readers a glimpse into the amazing worlds available to them through books. Then, hopefully, they’ll “swarm” to their local book store or library and read (sorry, couldn’t resist)!

Thank you so much for all your help and your fantastic blog, Jessica!