All posts by Emily

vacationing done right: take your books with you.

November 10, 2014 Emily 5 Comments

Do you take books with you on vacations, little bloglings? I should hope so. There is nothing like relaxation while reading a good book.

Today, every person reading this post shall receive, quite possibly, the most IMPORTANT vacationing advice: never the leave the house without at least one book. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve freaked because I’ve walked out of the house without a book, and that’s when I’m going to run a few errands with my mom. Imagine the horror, the longing, the frustration, of leaving the house for days on end without a book.

SO, bloglings, I tell you now: the first thing on that packing list when you go on vacation should always be BOOKS.

Today I will be talking about the books I’m taking with me on my vacation this coming week…

LOOK AT IT, BLOGLINGS! BREATHE IN THE AWESOMENESS. Today I bought Heather Vogel Frederick’s Absolutely Truly, which I’ve been DYING to read since, like, Tuesday, when Heather celebrated its wonderful little book birthday on her blog. That’s almost one whole week, peoples. Seriously.

My mom told me I couldn’t read it until Wednesday, however, when we leave for Florida, since I’m already reading one book. ARGH. I have to wait a whole day, with it sitting on my desk, calling my name… read me, Emily, read me. And there it will sit in its glory, the magnificent book smells of it wafting to my nose… the gorgeous cover waiting to be opened… *sigh.* Good thing I’ll have eight whole hours to eat it up!

Look at this one! It’s so cute and it smells awesome. I bought it in August at a book sale in South Carolina, and this little gem’s been waiting to be opened for, well, practically forever. The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet is anything but a tragedy. I’m eating it up! I’m half way through in one day! It smells so good! It’s hilarious!

I LOVE IT! I don’t know why I waited since August to read it. It’s adorable – and I can totally relate to Hamlet. (Honestly, Hamlet’s a pretty cute name. I might consider it for my kid one day if they didn’t get made of for it!)

And now, dear bloglings, BEHOLD. My first free book from a fantastic author who sent it to me for FREE. It’s called “Countryside: The Book of the Wise.” (I know, intriguing name!) The author, J.T. Cope IV, emailed me and everything, and it was all professional and business-like and it was FREE. I’ve been reading it to my sister and basking in the incredibleness that I got a FREE book from an author. For FREE. But other than the fact that it was a free (did I mention that already?), hard-back copy of a signed book, it is a pretty great one. I haven’t gotten very far into it, but I’m loving it so far. It’s so mysterious, and my sister keeps begging me to read more to her. (It takes a lot to convince my sister to read a book she didn’t pick up on her own.) I can’t wait to post my review, because I realllllyyy like it!

So those are the books I’m taking with me on vacation! Oh, and for those of you wondering, I’m going to Florida to visit my Aunt Tina first, and then my family and I are going on a Disney cruise! WHOOOO-HOO! We’ve been waiting since January, and the date’s crept upon us soooo fast. I won’t have internet access on the cruise (I’ll be in the middle of the ocean, heelllooo), so I won’t be posting for quite a while. However, once I get back, be prepared for lots of pictures and gushing and just… awesomeness, probably not related to books. (Thought it’s verrry likely I’ll get my hands on one and bring more than three back with me!) Until then, bloglings!

miscellaneous 'bookish' things

heather vogel frederick // a timeless favorite of mine

November 8, 2014 Emily 6 Comments

Hello, all! Today I decided (completely on a whim), to talk about my favorite author: Heather Vogel Frederick.

She’s a timeless favorite, really. I read her Mother/Daughter book Club series when I was ten (Three years ago, when her characters, two years older than me, was such a leap, and they were so grown-up. 😉 ) , and her book Once Upon a Toad last year. I’ve loved her from the beginning – and one of the biggest things that made me adore her is that she treasures her readers.

Sometime last year, I sent her a letter, hoping for a response but not expecting one. Such an incredible author like herself could never have time to answer little nobody-big-dreamer me! But, lo and behold, months later, having forgotten the letter completely, I got a letter in the mail from Miss Frederick! (With two signed book marks that I have laminated so as not to get them bent!)

She shares her fan mail and art on her blog, and even has an amazing segment called Saturday Story Starter, in which she encourages her readers to write on. This month, she’s giving away two copies of her new book, Absolutely Truly, which I am SO anxious-excited-happy-crazy-MUST-have to read.

Her books are the sort I’d like to write someday. They make me feel happy all over. They’re realistic, and relatable. (Which I know is such a cliche reason for liking a book, but it’s so true.) Her girls are just like any other middle-school-age, teenage girl. The reason why? They’re real. Heather based the girls on herself, and young girls going through some of the same things Emma, Jess, Cassidy, Megan, and Becca go through.

I love her because Heather is authentic, and genuine to her readers, her girls all over the world who read her books.

Happy belated book birthday to Heather, and many more! (Seriously, many, many more!) =)

miscellaneous 'bookish' things, my writings

excerpt from my nanowrimo novel

November 4, 2014 Emily 3 Comments

‘Ello, everyone! How’s your November going?

Mine is going GREAT, particularly because I’m so crazy excited about a current story I’m working on for National Novel Writing Month. I’m in love with the characters, I’m in love with the plot… everything about it. I was sitting here writing this scene where one girl is crying because she and one of her best friends are drifting apart, and I’m trying my darned hardest not to pound the keyboard in tears myself.

WHY ARE MY CHARACTERS SO MEAN TO EACH OTHER?! Don’t ask me. They have a mind of their own.

… Meanwhile, my family is cracking each other up while they play board games. (I played a round of Clue with them and WON! That almost NEVER happens! 😀 ) And since I’m roughly 1,000 words ahead of my word count goal for the day, I decided to share a small excerpt from my NaNoWriMo novel with you. Enjoy! (By the way: I’ve tentatively named my main character ‘Allie,’ though I’ll probably change it later.)

For the whole duration of the service, as Pastor Paul droned on, I thought about Pippa and Stacey, and what was wrong with Stacey. Something was definitely up. I knew it wasn’t my business to go poking around, but I couldn’t help but wonder.

“And Jesus said to the crows, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted…’” Pastor Paul read from the pulpit, and my ears perked up at what he read. “‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Meek. I made a mental note to look the word up after the service. “‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.’” Righteousness. Do I hunger and thirst for righteousness? Do I want to be filled? Several minutes later, the pastor was ending the service in prayer and dad and I stood.

Making our way out the door, dad stopping to chit-chat with people along the way, I thought about what the pastor had been reading; being hungry for righteousness and comforted when you mourn. The words rang in my ear. Mom hungered for righteousness everyday. She talked about God all the time. Talked to God.

I knew there had to be a God; my mom wasn’t crazy, but she was definitely crazy about God. Even dad, over the years, had begun to love God and read his word. I’d learned about the bible for years now, but it always went in one ear and out the other.

There just had to be something more.

So that was that! I don’t have a set-in-stone synopsis yet, but I’ll tell you more as I get deeper into the story. =) I hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you all think! Are any of you participating in NaNoWriMo? What’s your novel like?

Oh, and if you are, add me on the Young Writer’s Program for NaNoWriMo here. =)

blog segments, books, miscellaneous 'bookish' things

sisterhood of the world bloggers award!

November 3, 2014 Emily 2 Comments

Hey everyone! I love doing blogging awards, and recently Samantha from Bookish Serendipity nominated me for the sisterhood of the world bloggers award. I’ve never been nominated for this particular award (I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve been nominated for the Liebster award), so I was eager to participate in this one! =)

So first of all, a HUGE thank you to Samantha for nominating me for the award! I LOVE her blog, so be sure to go and check her out here!

Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.
Put the award logo on your blog.
Answer the ten questions they’ve sent you.
Make up ten new questions for ‘your’ nominees to answer.
Nominate ten people.

The rules are pretty simple, but I like doing these sorts of things because it’s kind of a “get to know you” post, and you can find other bloggers to follow, as well! Here are Samantha’s ten questions for me… they were great ones, too! =)

What is your favourite fandom? Favorite fandom… hmm. Well, I can’t say I really get into “fandoms,” and I’ve never really cared for fandoms when it comes to books. (If you don’t know what a fandom is, by the way, it’s what fans of TV shows, books, etc., refer to themselves – think “kingdom” only “fandom”) But if I had to choose any, I guess I’d say the Mother/Daughter Book Club series by Heather Vogel Frederick. I’ve never grown out of those. (At least, not in the past three years. =))

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would you choose? Paraphrasing from one of my favorite role models, Bethany Hamilton, “I wouldn’t change what happened to me in the past because I wouldn’t be where I am today.” There were several key parts in the past where I acted very selfishly, so I’d probably be like “Hey, girl, snap out of it!” =) But hey, I’m only 13! There’s definitely not much I’d change or that I really, truly regret because I’m still a kid and I’m still learning and growing.

Favourite book quote? OMG! You’re not making me choose one, are you? Surely not. If I had to choose, though…

When life robs you, sometimes you have to rob it back. – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

What is the story behind your blog name? My dream is to open a small bookstore in a quaint downtown shopping area and publish historical/realistic fiction for all ages. (I know, very specific! I’ve even got my college majors picked out! More on that later :P) Anyway, think “You’ve Got Mail,” with the “Shop Around the Corner.” I was coming up with bookstore names. Some of them weren’t very good, and some of them I fell in love with. I just sat there, imagining how I’d decorate my bookstore and where it would be and what kind of authors would be privileged to do a book signing in my bookstore… my favorite name was “For the Bookish.” It was so perfect. Thus, my book blog name.

Top 3 favourite songs? Oh, gosh, there are so many. Lately, I’ve been loving “The Broken Beautiful” by Ellie Holcomb (beautiful song. beautiful music!!), “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift (who hasn’t heard it? I mean really. I hear it all the time in stores and radios and such. =)), and “The Middle of Starting Over” by Sabrina Carpenter. (I love the style of her music! I’m looking forward to seeing more from her!)

What has been your favourite blog post to write? Ooh, tough one! (These are fant-abulous questions, Samantha!) I really love my very first post, in April, and then a recent post I did just a few days ago, “Confession: I am a Notebook Hoarder.” That was a blast, and fun going through all of my journals and such. 😀

If you could live in any time period, what would you choose? WWII! The Revolutionary War! The Renaissance! The 50’s! Ohhh my gosh, there are so many. I’m such a historian, too. History is probably my favorite subject in school, maybe even before English. I’d probably choose to visit the 40’s, because I’m so fascinated with WWII. Or Bible times, when Jesus was here. Yeah, definitely the latter. =)

Favourite Halloween candy? REESE’S. It’s chocolate and peanut butter. Is this a trick question?

Who is your role model? (in life, blogging, etc) I’m switching this to “Who are your role models,” if that’s okay. =) There’s no question here; my mom and dad. They work so hard to take care of my sister and I, and make so many sacrifices for us. I don’t know where I would be without them. (Actually, I do – NOWHERE! Ha. Ha.) <3

If you could go anywhere on holiday, where would you go? Bath, England. It’s where Jane Austen grew up and ever since I read Pies & Prejudice by Heather Vogel Frederick, I’ve been obsessed. My second choice would be NYC – I’ve never been, and I’d love to visit around the holidays – especially to see the 9/11 memorial.

Whew! Those were AWESOME questions. They’re gonna be hard to beat! =) Here are the questions for my nominees…

What inspired you to start a blog?
What blogger(s) do you admire?
Hobbies (besides blogging/reading/writing)? =)
Any pets? (If none, favorite animal!)
What sort of music do you listen to?
Top three favorite authors.
Describe your dream vacation!
If you were stuck on a deserted island with one person, who would you want it to be?
What is your favorite season and why?
What is the most comforting thing to you? (Family, baby blanket, scent, photograph, pet, etc.)

Now, for my nominees! I couldn’t find ten, so I only picked three =)

I nominate Ana @ Butterflies of the Imagination, Rose @ Searching the Clouds, and Sunny @ A Splash of Ink.

I hope all three nominees can participate! Now, I nominate you: answer any ten of the questions in the comments below!

books

new blog theme, nanowrimo, & stacking the shelves

November 1, 2014 Emily 10 Comments

WOW, what a title! So much to talk about! Today is November 1st (well, unless you like in Australia… then it’s the 2nd. That could be confusing), and so many exciting things are happening this month.

#1: NANOWRIMO! It’s here, guys. I’m already 378 words ahead. (Which isn’t a lot, but ever word counts!) Since I’ll be in Florida for ten days out of this month, I lowered my word count to 30k instead of 50k. Which is 30,000 words in 19 days. Which is 1,578 words a day. (I KNOW! SO EXCITING, RIGHT?!)

#2: I’M GOING ON A CRUISE! A Disney cruise. To the East Caribbean. SO MANY FEELS HERE, OKAY??!! It’s going to be so incredible, I just… AHH. I’m so EXCITED I JUST WANT TO TYPE THIS WHOLE POST IN CAPS!!! Of course, I won’t have wifi (and if I do, it will be so slow I probably won’t even bother to check my email), so no posts for a week or so. But I’ll be sure to share my adventure with you all when I get back.

#3: NEW BLOG THEME. It happened today. ‘Cause I was bored. And just look at my new header. It’s flawless. I’m so happy with it.

#4: THANKSGIVING. THE HOLIDAYS. SALES. One thing you should know about me: I’m a shopper. If I go into a store, I feel like I have to have everything in it. Thanksgiving happens this month, which brings the holidays and my absolute FAVORITE word in the whole wide world: sale. Clearance. Especially if it’s something cat-related. I’ll buy anything cat-related. Ask my mom. She rolls her eyes, but THEY’RE CATS. They’re just… perfection. I’m going to end up like the E-harmony cat lady.

I’m also linking up with Tynga’s Reviews for Stacking the Shelves, in which I talk about all the books I’ve accumulated in the past week.

I bought these two novellas in one at B&N this morning since it was only nine dollars and I couldn’t resist! I absolutely LOVELOVELOVE the Selection series by Keira Cass, and I’ve been wanting to read the novellas for a while now. I’m loving it so far!

I’ve also been reading The Secret Garden for school this past week. It’s great!

Annnd I’ve been listening to The Tale of Despereaux on audio. It’s such a SWEET book. When I finish it, I’m going to watch a movie. (I think I watched the movie a long time ago, but I don’t really remember it.)

So what exciting things are happening in November for you all? What books have you been reading?

books, miscellaneous 'bookish' things

reading classics. they make you sound smarter.

October 27, 2014 Emily 5 Comments

“‘Classic.’ A book which people praise, but don’t read.” – Mark Twain

I love reading classics. While most girls in my sixth-grade classes last year toted around huge volumes of Twilight or Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (*shudders*), I toted around my beautiful hard-back copy of Pride & Prejudice, which I read for the umpteenth time sometime in the spring. (Not Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, Vampires, or Werewolves, thank you very much.)

Some of my other dearest friends include Anne of Green Gables (many thanks to my aunt Corrie for buying me the annotated version when I was eight), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (my Grandma got me that one!), Little Women (my Mimi introduced me to that little gem), and Great Expectations (one of my mom’s favorites.)

Now, I’m going to be completely, 100% honest here. I like saying I read classics because it makes me sound smart.

What? Whoever said quoting my favorite Emily Dickinson poem to my English teacher can’t earn you some brownie points?

I’m book-smart. Hence being book-ish. Not smart-ish. Ask my mom, okay? I’m a brunette, but look close and I’ve got some blonde roots! 😀

I’ve read more books than I even know where to begin to count. I wish I had less books taking up space in my room, but I just don’t have the heart to give them up. The thing is, though, I still haven’t met my reading goals yet.

I’ve been slacking off reading, and I’ve been reading the same book for a week. (Whhaaat? EMILY.) SO I’ve decided that in the next year, my goal is to read one-hundred classics.

Here is the list of classics I aim to read in the next year. I’m starting with The Secret Garden, since that’s the one I’ve got to read for school right now. Some of them I’m already read (Pride & Prejudice, Wind in the Willows…) but I’m going to read again. I chose this list because the majority of them I haven’t read, and they’ve been on my TBR for quite a while now.

Do you read any classics? Which ones would you like to read?

books, miscellaneous 'bookish' things, my writings

nanowrimo: my third year

October 25, 2014 Emily 8 Comments

November 1st begins one of my favorite months of the years. Not only is it officially the start of the holidays for me (Thanksgiving, anyone? My favorite holiday. All the food! YES, PLEASE. Oh, and let’s not forget Christmas! Then there’s Valentine’s day, and… President’s day… Anyway.) It’s also NANOWRIMO! NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month, happens every November. Thousands of writers all over the world set out to write a 50k novel in 30 days.

I’ve decided that this year, I’m really going to commit. I had originally wanted my word-count goal to be 50,000 words, but since I’ll be out of town for ten days (don’t get me wrong, I am NOT complaining! I’ve been waiting to go on this cruise since January!), I lowered it to 30,000 – which means if I don’t write while I’m out of town and write every other day I’m at home, I’d only have to write about 1,578 words a day – which is like a chapter for me, since my chapters typically range from 1500-2000 words.

I first heard about NaNoWriMo through Heather Vogel Frederick (one of my all-time favorite authors!) three years ago through her blog. I took a composition notebook and filled it with plans for my novel – a sci fi novel about a girl who found out she was born on Jupiter. (I mean, really, what was I thinking?! I’ve never even read sci-fi, much less write it!) I’m pretty sure I read a blog post encouraging writers to step out of their comfort zone and write something different. Needless to say, I finished it in that composition notebook and I’ve no idea what happened to it.

Last year I didn’t even reach my goal, but this time around…

Yes, I have a plan. And this year I’m going to complete my word-count goal.

I’ve even been reading some blogs with some awesome NaNo/Writing tips… Tessa at Christ is Write wrote 10 tips to prepare for NaNoWriMo, Cait at The Notebook Sister shares her sneaky secrets to writing 10,000 words in one day, and Shannon, Jill, and Stephanie are always sharing some awesome tips at Go Teen Writers – but this week they’ve been talking about where to begin when writing a novel. (I dare you to go check out Go Teen Writers! It’s a gold mine for writing tips, I promise!) And, of course, the Young Writer’s Program for NaNoWriMo is always posting loads of writing prep on the blog.

Are any of you guys participating in NaNoWriMo this coming month? Let me know in the comments below!

books, miscellaneous 'bookish' things

confession: i’m a notebook hoarder

October 20, 2014 Emily 12 Comments

It all began when I was seven years old. I wrote a 20-page “novel,” front and back on loose-leaf wide-ruled notebook paper and decided it was too much to simply paper clip them all together and carry around on a clipboard. SO. I became obsessed with binders. They were, to put it simply, the love of my life.

Then my binders failed me. They broke! They wouldn’t bind everything together right! What’s the point of a binder that doesn’t bind things?! You tell me. I began using notebooks at the mere age of… oh, me, it was so long ago… ah, probably eight or nine. I’d ask my mom or dad if they had any empty notebooks (spiral or composition, wide-ruled or college-ruled. Pffft. I didn’t care back then. And by the way, I really prefer paper composition college-ruled notebooks. Just for reference.)

Then I’d fill it with all sorts of stories and such! (Come on, now. What else is a notebook for?! If you say ‘school,’ I’m going to throw one of my notebooks at you. I hate wasting notebooks on all that school hullabaloo.

emily — BEHOLD, about 1/4 of the collection.

Left: In case you can’t read that, it’s entitled “The Life of a 10-year-old Spy.” Written and completed in 2012 by 10-years-and-ten-months-old me.

Right: “Sat, May 15th, 2010
One more week of school! Hal-a-loo-ya! Jackson and Aiden [cousins] left. Anna [sister] is taking a nap. Me and mommy are about to go to the mall. Yay! Well, that’s pretty much it! Catch’a later, journal!”

I even filled my notebooks with Swiftie (capital S, thank you) propaganda, back in the fifth grade when I had a *slight* obsession with Taylor Swift. I blush looking at this now… “Yes, I am a Swiftie,” the picture says. “Are you?”

Even now I fill my notebooks with stories and such… here’s a story I wrote when I was bored last week:

and you shall never read it!… at least, not until two years from now when I shamelessly poke fun at it, too.

I also have a writer’s notebook where I jot down things that inspire me… I keep it handy at all times. The one I’m using now was given to me from my dad a month ago, and it’s got a Jane Austen quote on the front! My kinda notebook, let me just tell you.

I’ve got a prayer journal, a diary, a “short story” journal, a writer’s notebook… and I plan to keep all of them. Words are forever, after all. You can’t depend on blogs to keep your stories and records. I want my kids and grand kids to be able to flip through my journals, to touch my words, to see my handwriting… to be able to touch and feel my words I wrote as a kid – be it “Mommy’s taking me to the mall” or something more personal. Those tangible moments you can keep forever on paper, but not on FaceBook or Instagram or Twitter.

Do you have any notebooks? What do you write in them? Let me know in the comment section below!

books

princess ever after by rachel hauck

October 18, 2014 Emily 2 Comments

I bought Princess Ever After at B&N with a giftcard I got for my birthday. I read the first book in the Royal Wedding series sometime last year, and loved it! I actually liked this one, the second in the series, even better, though, because I loved how the MC, Reggie, pieced together her family history – it was so cool, even though the country, Hessenberg, is made up. My verdict?

emily emily emily emily emily

Five stars!

Title: Princess Ever After

Author: Rachel Hauck

Genre: Christian Fiction

Length: 360 pages

Publisher: Zondervan

Source: I bought it!

Blurb:

Regina Beswick was born to be a princess. But she’s content to be a small-town girl, running a classic auto restoration shop, unaware a secret destiny awaits her. One that will leap from the pages of her grandmother’s hand-painted book of fairytales. Tanner Burkhardt is the stoic Minister of Culture for the Grand Duchy of Hessenberg. When he is tasked to retrieve the long-lost princess, he must overcome his fear of failure in order to secure his nation’s future—and his own. Yet lurking in the political shadows is a fierce opponent with sinister plans to abolish the throne forever. Overwhelmed with opposition, Regina must decide if she’s destined to restore old cars or an ancient nation. Together—with a little divine intervention—Regina and Tanner discover the truth of her heritage and the healing power of true love.

I’ll admit, this is absolutely a cliche. But who cares? I have a weakness for a cheesy romance.

Alright, so first thing’s first. Reactions. Whaaat? Reactions? Why, whatever do you mean, Emily? I mean that sometimes the way characters react to things in a book are so unrealistic. But in Princess Ever After? Totally realistic. Regina finds out she’s a long-lost princess of a country she knows little to nothing about and she doesn’t even believe it at first.

She laughed “The king of Brighton wrote me a letter?” – Page 48

When she finally does realize it’s all true, she freaks. She does what anyone would do – she runs off, she questions God, she blusters and basically just flips out.

I also loved the speed of things – it was very well written! From beginning to end, nothing went too fast or too slow for me. With a lot of love triangle type books, the relationship of the characters either goes way too fast or way too slow. Again, Princess Ever After felt very real. As Reggie fell in love with Tanner, the minister of culture, I felt as though it went at a steady, but natural pace – which was super awesome!

Being a princess is tough, ya know? You can’t just go around kissing your minister-of-culture any time you want.

Another thing I loved is how Rachel Hauck brought all of the settings to life. Regina may be a princess, but she’s grown up in Tallahassee, Florida, all her life – she says “ya’ll” frequently and refers to country music several times. And when she flies to Brighton – the country she’s supposed to restore – the way Reggie falls in love with her ancestor’s home country is so subtle but definite. It’s so beautiful how she connects with the kingdom and people.

So as I first began typing this up, I originally gave the book four stars. But as I kept thinking up all the things I loved about this book, I realized it really didn’t have any flaws and I really loved everything about it. I totally reccommend you to go and read it! It was AMAZING!

Overall GIF Reaction:

So what do you think? Sound like a book you’d want to read?

books

catching up

October 15, 2014 Emily 12 Comments

Hey guys! So first: my apologies for having not posted in so long. (Hey, I’m a busy person, alright?!) Here’s my excuse: I’m learning Latin this year and have to be able to draw the whole world and all of the countries by the end of the year (plus label the US and Canada.) What now?! Yep, yep. (“Suurrree, sweetie, home-schooling will be a breeze!” says mom.) Mmm-hmm… lol, but I kid, I kid, okay?! Seriously, it’s a blast. But I just haven’t been in the blogging “groove” lately. So I’m sorry about that.

Today I decided to talk a little about all the bookish happenings in my life lately, because, as a wise lady named Helen Exley once said, “Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled ‘This could change your life.'” Are you ready? The books I’ve gathered thus far this month…

So up on the top left is Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck – I bought this one from B&N with a gift card I got from my birthday. (Seriously, my friends know me so well. What more could I want? I even used some of the gift card to buy a cup of coffee in the B&N!) I’ve got a few more chapters left, and I’m really excited to see how it ends. It went really slowly in the beginning, but we’ll just have to see!

Up on the top right is Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord, which I won in a giveaway over at Bookish Serendipity! (Thanks SO much, Samantha and Miss Lord!) I got it signed from Miss Cynthia Lord herself (which is AWESOME), and it was my first giveaway I won, which I was uber-excited about. Be sure to go and check out Samantha’s blog, and some of Cynthia Lord over at her website. I’ve never read any of her books, although I’ve wanted to read Rules, so I’m happy to have gotten that!

Down on the bottom left is The Secret Garden – it’s a required reading for my home-school curriculum. I read the Classical Starts version when I was younger so I’m familiar with it, but I’m glad I’m finally getting around to reading the full version.

Annnnd last on the bottom right is Powerful Writing by Richard Andersen. It was on sale at B&N, so my mom bought it for me. It’s got a lot of great tips! It’s more geared towards writing essays and letters and such, but I can still use those skills in writing fiction, too.

And just LOOK at all the notebooks and journals I’ve accumulated (whoa, big word, haha!) this past week:

And now you know my weakness. Well, that and chocolate.

That’s it for now! Hopefully, I’ll be able to begin posting more often, and I’ve been invited to participate in a couple of tags, so I’ll definitely be posting those soon! So long for now! 😉