Category Archives: miscellaneous ‘bookish’ things

fun bookish news & book updates!

January 23, 2016 Emily 11 Comments

Hey everybody! Today I just felt like rambling and spilling some bookish thoughts that have been floating around in my brain, so I hope you don’t mind. 🙂 I wanted to do a stacking the shelves, because I have some amazing books on hold for me at the library… but I wasn’t able to get to the library this week. (Boo for not being old enough to drive myself around & the library not being in walking distance. SIGH.)

This week I have begun The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski, annnnd. I’m dead. That’s it. I need to make funeral arrangements, say my goodbyes… because this series is the best thing I have ever read. And it’s killing me.

I’ve got about a hundred pages left in the second book, but I’m really trying to make this one last because the third doesn’t come out till March 29! MARCH 29! The agony. I’m also 99.9% sure The Winner’s Crime is going to end in a cliff hanger too, sooo…. O.0

In OTHER news, there are three things I have found out (this past Thursday and yesterday, so recently this week) bookish-wise and… I’m not sure how I feel about them! But I just knew I had to discuss. (And I want your thoughts too, so please tell me below what you think about these three things making BOOKISH HEADLINES TONIGHT. (Would that not be the coolest TV show ever though?? Like Entertainment Tonight, only “Books Tonight.” *faraway sigh*))

#1 on the things I found out this week… (or rather, saw): THE SIREN by Kiera Cass now has a book trailer.

On Thursday when I got online I saw it had been uploaded on the Epic Reads YouTube channel (which, let’s set the record straight, I am 100% obsessed with) that Kiera Cass’ new book has a book trailer. ACTUALLY, it’s not-so-new. Kiera first self-published The Siren in 2009 before her hit The Selection series, which I love. (Meeting Kiera last May was the bomb diggity, so much so that I’m actually using the phrase ‘the bomb diggity.’) It’s coming out again, only re-publishing by Harper Collins and from what I can understand, will be better-edited and such. I was hyped for it, because… well… KIERA CASS wrote it. And now? I’m internally crying.

The trailer… isn’t… good. In fact, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry while watching it. I was excited to see it because the trailers for the books in the selection series (well, The One and The Heir – NOT The Selection) were amazing. But I guess the budget for this one wasn’t quite as much? That is to say: my excitement for The Siren was lessened by this book trailer. (And how disappointing is that?!) Anyway… tell me what you think about it. (You can watch it here.)

NOW for #2, which is a little more exciting: Netflix is set to premiere 13 episodes of A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, based on the book by Lemony Snicket (aka… well… I won’t say ’cause you should read the books before you know his REAL name…) this coming year! 🙂 I have several thoughts: a) Neil Patrick Harris is said to be starring as Count Olaf which… should be… interesting? Meh? Jim Carrey played the rather odd role of Count Olaf (which was great for Jim Carrey) in the 2004 movie, so it will definitely be different. I’m just not sure I see Harris as a Count Olaf. Who knows?? b) I’m hoping the show will be less cheesy than the movie. The movie also didn’t cover everything the books did, but since there will be 13 episodes I’m assuming the show will because the books also have 13.

If you haven’t read these books, you definitely should. I’m thinking I’ll re-read them – even if the show isn’t set in stone yet – simply because it’s been a few years and I’ve forgotten a lot about them. They’re pretty short, too, so I may read a few in a week and take a break and then again another month.

(Also: I read the books before Frozen even came out but now I can’t stop thinking Count Olaf as the lovable snowman Olaf… not the weird, evil guy with a thing for eyes. VERY different but now I can’t stop it!)

And last but CERTAINLY not least (which I am most excited about!) … YTV will be premiering a new Anne of Green Gables movie this February 15! I hadn’t heard about this at all until I saw it just last night on Hannah’s blog. I was thrilled! The 1985 TV series is loved, but I’m willing to give this one a chance. Martin Sheen wouldn’t be my first choice for Matthew (purely based on looks, okay? I’m biased) and it’s definitely going to be different. But Ella Ballentine looks like a positively adorable Anne — plus she’s my age and I think it’s exciting that this new version of the books could bring up a new generation of fans! Best of all: L.M. Montgomery’s granddaughter is producing the movie! The fact that the producer is related to Lucy Montgomery makes me trust them 10 times more.

(You can watch the trailer here or above.) I will definitely be watching this!

what books did you read this week? and what do you think of the bookish news? 😉

lists, miscellaneous 'bookish' things

12 bookish fantasies

January 13, 2016 Emily 2 Comments

Bookworms will be bookworms and as a bookworm I can safely admit that I have had… er… rather impossible fantasies that I am positive we all wish were true. Because let’s face it, fiction is so much better than reality. (Take that, Taylor Swift song ‘Sweeter Than Fiction.’) But hey, there’s always our imagination right?! And books… we can hold onto the books… sigh.

#1: One whole day all to myself. That looks like this.

Please?? Pretty pretty pretty please? With sugar and a cherry on top? For my birthday then. Christmas? *sigh* *whispers* this is my happy plaaaaaace. If every single day looked like this life could not get ANY better. Except maybe if all of you were sitting with me while we read and every now and then (when I am at a GOOD STOPPING PLACE) we could talk about the books. Let’s plan a date ok?!

#2: Unlimited bookstore money.

UNLIMITED. UNLIMITED I TELL YOU. No no no. I mean twelve dozen shopping cart unlimited. LET’S FILL MY ROOM WITH BOOKS. I don’t want to see my floor. begone, carpet! Just walls and walls and walls of books. Just raid the bookstore. Just toss everything in. Make a list of which ones I most want to read and BOOM. (because teenager + $10 a week allowance + limited babysitting money = way too small book budget.)

#3: NO INTERRUPTIONS.

This kinda goes along with #1, but it’s totally different. So I’m in the car or in the living room with no coffee or tea and no rain. I suppose I’ll take that if I can read with 0 interruptions. I’m not trying to be rude, I promise. And I suppose, maybe, ok if I forget to do my chores or something of the sort I should put my book down. So in that case it’s my fault. But EXCLUDING that?

you’re out of luuuuuck.

#4: Audio books should totally come with paperbacks.

Yup, this is totally impossible and probably unlikely, but we need to fix this problem:

my dad’s got a picture of me stirring dinner on the stove with my book in hand. WHO ELSE, raise your hand.

#5: Book therapy.

For when you finish that series that kills you. (LITERALLY kills you.) When you’re going through book withdrawals all alone. I’m talking book therapy groups. I’m talking scenarios like “My name is Emily, I am a book addict, annnnd I have not mourned over [insert fictional person’s name here] in two whole hours.”

#6: NO ONE is allowed to say this.

“It’s just a book.”

NOOOOO OOOONE.

#7: Exercise should be like this.

“ONE MORE ONE MORE & I CAN EAT THAT BOOK UP.”

ok ok but in my true fantasy world I wouldn’t have any physical activity (besides my fingers, obvs, so I can flip the page) but rewards like the #1 bookish fantasy? I’d be doing 100 sit-ups.

#8: nooooooo spoilers.

ever ever ever ever ever ever. & ever.

#9: Cats at your disposal: ALWAYS. (or dogs. your choice.)

To cuddle when you need comfort. Real humans may not do the job, but if it’s furry I’m hugging it.

#10: Bookshelves that are always beautifully & neatly organized.

This is EVERYONE’s dream, right? On that note why don’t I switch this to whole houses? (’cause I guess that fantasy isn’t just a bookworm fantasy.) But I mean really. NEVER RUN OUT OF SHELF SPACE.

#11: always have a book with you.

So you never ever in a billion years forget. (and please please, stores, can you just start fitting every single purse to size of the average book? possibly bigger to fit multiples? Kay thanks.)

#12: Authors. More author events EVERYWHERE.

so what would be on YOUR bookish fantasy list?? did i miss anything? tell me below!

miscellaneous 'bookish' things, tags & awards

infinity dreams award

August 12, 2015 Emily 7 Comments

Hi, guys! Recently, Audrey nominated me for the Infinity Dreams Award, and it looks like a lot of fun. I love doing tags and awards because – hello – who doesn’t love talking about themselves?! Audrey has some lovely questions, and then I’ll be nominating a few of my favorite blogs with some questions for them!

Rules:

-Thank the person who nominated you (thank you so, so, so much, Audrey!)

-Answer their 11 questions

-Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 questions (I’m going to only nominate three or four people, if that’s okay.)

Now for Audrey’s questions!

1.) You get to meet and spend the day with one of your favorite authors. Who is it?

Rachel Coker. I love Rachel’s blog posts, her books, and her GORGEOUS Instagram feed (her photography is stunning!) In June, I was originally supposed to go the Rachel’s dream factory workshop, and I was STOKED. Unfortunately, it got cancelled, but I would still love to meet her one day. (Hopefully at the next Dream Factory Workshop!) 🙂

2.) What are some of the books on your TBR (to-be-read) list?

Oh, gosh… there are so many. I have 60 or 70 books on my Goodreads want-to-read list, but you’re welcome to check those out here. THESE are the books I own and haven’t read yet…

emily — Fun fact: *Half A Chance* & *Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, & The Good Luck Circle* are signed! … making me even more guilty I haven’t read them!

Hopefully someday I’ll finish them… today (August 8th when I’m writing this), I’ve got about a hundred pages left in Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, which is a book I’ve had for several months and haven’t read – and I LOVE IT! (As I knew I would!)

3.) How do you like to store/display your book collection? Why?

I’ve always loved the idea of organizing my books by color, or something more decorative like that, but I really like the way I have them now. All of my books are organized by genre, and then if I have multiple books by an author, they go together. (But not in alphabetical order by an author’s name.) I like it organized by genre so that I can easily find the type of book I’m looking for. You can see my bookshelf tour here. It has changed a bit (the binder and notebooks have been moved underneath my bed – in a neat stack, I promise!), but as far as the genres and what’s on each shelf – it’s pretty much the same.

4.) You get to jump into any fictional story… What world are you going to join?

Ooh, goodness. (I’m looking at my bookshelf right now trying to decide!) Probably Pumpkin Falls from Heather Vogel Frederick’s Absolutely Truly, or the kingdom of Illea from The Selection world. Pumpkin Falls is just so quaint and cozy, and there’s a cute little bookstore! And Illea… well, I’d probably make a beeline to the castle to tell Miss Snooty-Pants Eadlyn what’s what. 😉

5.) Once upon a time, you did something really stupid a really long time ago, but you still think about it to this day. What was it?

Ohhhhh lord, there are SO many stupid things! 😀 Lol. I’m the worst at thinking up things I did four or five years ago late and night and regretting them… even though I was only in second or third grade. Let’s see if I can think of one that’s not too embarrassing to share. Alright, I think I’ve come up with one. It IS very, very embarrassing, but it was six years ago… so it’s not too recent!

I was in first or second grade and I remember being in the gym during P.E. SOME how or another, I sort of… wet my pants. I don’t even remember how, or why – maybe I laughed too hard, or didn’t go to the bathroom in time?! I DON’T KNOW. Either way, I was MORTIFIED. My pants were soaked, so I told my teacher that the water fountain splashed me (a lame excuse, because how is the water fountain supposed to soak the backside of your pants?! I’m pretty sure she knew the truth.) I ended up sitting in the front office and the lady at the front desk asked me if I had an accident. I told her no, of course, but again, most likely they knew the truth! I’m just hoping my other classmates didn’t notice. Luckily, my mom came with a clean pair of pants. 😀 I can still feel my face heating up at the thought of it! I don’t think I’ve ever been so embarrassed since then – well, that might not be true, but I’ll share some more recent stories in five or six years when it’s not quite as recent. Ha!

6.) What are some books you love that you wish had larger fandoms?

Well, definitely Rachel Coker’s books (Audrey started a board on Pinterest called the “Rachel Coker Fandom Board” here! 😀 ) But also Ann M. Martin’s books. She doesn’t even have a website! D: I love Miss Martin’s books sooo much, and they’re exactly the kind of books I’d want to write. (Not so much The Babysitter’s Club Books; although I do love them, they’re not my favorite by Ann M. Martin.) I especially love The Main Street series and The Family Tree series. 🙂

7.) Tea or coffee?

Coffee… with lots of creamer!

8.) Cake or ice cream?

Ice cream! (Moose tracks, please! … and in second place, I’d take butter pecan, as well.) 😉

9.) What do you want to do when you ‘grow up?’

Write books… probably within that 12-15ish age group; similarly to Ann M. Martin’s books. (PLEASE go read them! They’re so good!) And it’s also a dream of mine to open a bookstore. I’ve even picked out the little square I’d want to open it – it’s the prettiest place ever with cute little shops, but it DOESN’T HAVE A BOOKSTORE! Those two things I definitely see myself doing… and I always see cute little kids in the picture, too. I want to be a mom, for sure – SOMEDAY! 😉

10.) Do you write? If so, tell us a little about one of your characters.

Yes, I do! Um… alright, let me pick one. 😉 One of my favorite characters actually isn’t a main character in a story I’m writing; she’s the older sister of my main character. Originally, her name was Faith, but whenever I typed her name, I would accidentally type ‘Fate,’ and auto correct kept wanting to say ‘Fate,’ too. (WHY, I don’t know… auto correct never makes sense!) So I changed it to Fate because I rather liked it, and it was a little different, but still close to the sound of Faith. She’s more reserved and quiet than her sister (Rowan), and she likes to paint – something I envy, because if I could draw, or paint, or anything artsy, I’d love it! Even though she’s quiet, when she does talk, she’s very… eloquent, and knows exactly what to say.

11.) What is your favorite part about blogging?

My favorite part of blogging is talking to everyone in the comments! I love discussing books and bookish things with other girls my age, because it gets lonely not having anyone to talk to about books offline. It’s sort of like a virtual book club. It’s so much fun. I’ve made lots of good friends from book blogging… plus it’s easy to be more outgoing online! Come on, don’t deny it. 😉

Thanks again, Audrey, for nominating me! These questions were a lot of fun. 🙂

Now for my nominees and questions!

I nominate… Ana at Butterflies of the Imagination // Jillian at Jillian’s Books // Bella at Ciao Bella!

Here are my questions:

1.) What are some of your favorite childhood books?

2.) What is your dream career?

3.) Chocolate or fruity candy?

4.) What is one thing you love about being a bookworm?

5.) What’s your favorite type of music?

6.) Who is someone that has inspired you, and what did they inspire? (Author, parent/relative, book character, anyone!) 🙂

7.) What is one item in your room that you value most?

8.) Favorite past time… aside from reading! 🙂

9.) Do you have any pets? What are their names/what are they like? And if you DON’T have pets, what kind of pet would you like to have?

10.) How do you organize your bookshelf?

11.) Sweatpants, jeans, or skirts? 🙂

I hope Ana, Jillian, and Bella can join in the award!

feel free to leave a comment answering some of my or audrey’s questions! tell me a little about yourself!

miscellaneous 'bookish' things

dear opl spotlight tour // and a giveaway!

August 5, 2015 Emily 6 Comments

Hey, everyone! Some of you may remember my ARC review of Dear Opl by Shelley Sackier in June (I read it in May.) It’s a hilarious book, and I really enjoyed it. So there’s good news for you bookworms: DEAR OPL HAS HIT SHELVES! *throws virtual confetti in the air* Whoo! In celebration of the new release, I’ve been invited to be apart of Dear Opl‘s spotlight tour! And, if you read the title correctly, there’s to be a GIVEAWAY! I’m the giveaway queen, folks. Love entering them, and I loooove having them on my blog. So hurry and read the post on Dear Opl and get entering!

about the book

Title: Dear Opl

Author: Shelley Sackier

Release date: August 4, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Summary:

There are three things Opl never expected to do during the eighth grade:

Start a vendetta against celebrity check Alfie Adams, the “Nude Food Dude”

Take yoga classes with her grandpa

Become a famous blogger

But after a year of shrinking down her personality to compensate for the fact that her body’s getting bigger, Opl thinks it’s about time to start speaking up again. What she doesn’t expect is that everyone actually starts to listen…

add it on goodreads!

Go on over and check it out here. You know you want to… 😉

buy the book! support the author!

it’s also miss shelley sackier’s first book ever. pretty big deal, no? so go! support the author, and buy dear, sweet opl here:

Amazon- http://ow.ly/OGAi4

Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/OGAxF

Books A Million- http://ow.ly/OGBa5

iBooks- http://ow.ly/OGCmE

!ndigo- http://ow.ly/OGCDX

Indiebound- http://ow.ly/OGCUC

about the author

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://peakperspective.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/shelley-sackier-author-photo3.jpg?w=246&h=285[/author_image] [author_info]Shelley Sackier is an author and blogger who writes about the everyday ordinary grand slams and gruesome snafus in completing the Herculean task of raising two healthy human beings. Ultimately she hopes to impart the necessary knowledge of how to balance their checkbooks and pay their taxes. Here greatest hope is to discover that parallel universes are a reality, and that somewhere she is living a life where her children have agreed to occasionally make eye contact with her. They live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. You can read more of her work, illustrated by Robin Gott, at Peakperspective.com[/author_info] [/author]

Find Shelley on social media:

Website: http://peakperspective.com/tag/shelley-sackier/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@ShelleySackier/

read an excerpt

Click on right over here to read an excerpt of Dear Opl. Let me know what you think in the comments!

the giveaway!!!

Okay, okay, it’s here! ENTER! GO! What are you waiting for?? 😀

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you don’t have a twitter account, leave a comment below and you’ll be entered in the giveaway! US and Canada only, please. Thanks!

i hope you had fun with this little post and were able to enter the giveaway! i’ll be back on friday with a list for you all! don’t forget to comment below and tell me what you think of dear opl. until next time,

blog segments, miscellaneous 'bookish' things, stacking the shelves

stacking the shelves #19

August 1, 2015 Emily 6 Comments

Back with another Stacking the Shelves, folks! It’s all about sharing the books you’ve gotten this week – physical, e-book, from the library, or book store, hosted by Tynga’s Reviews. This week, I have three books that look so good! I’ve already started The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, and OH SWEET apple pie, it’s fantastic. I’m only seven chapters in (it’s Friday right now, so tomorrow – when you’re reading this – I’ll probably be further in), but I’m sooo captivated. Thanks, Madison, for recommending it to me! (And one other person? Sorry, I can’t remember who!)

the stack

The stack this week is pretty small. (Compared to others, that is!) I talked about these three books in my post last Friday, The Books I Need To Read, but I still wanted to do a stacking the shelves today. These three are the ones I was needing to pick up from the library in that post. I’m so excited about reading them, I have butterflies in my stomach when I think about it! Wow. That says a lot about me, doesn’t it?! 😀

And you know how much I love taking pictures of Mittens, so…

He’s rubbing against them, but it totally looks like he’s smiling! (I swear the cat really does smile.) He’s like “Ah, yes, I see you’re taking pictures of your books again. Might as well look cute. Ooh… ooh, yes, BEGONE, flea!” I guess they make for a nice neck-scratcher. 😉

books i read this week

I read two books this week; I really would have wanted to read more, but I ended up putting one book down. It was Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children. I had really high expectations for the book, and I wanted to read it, but there was too much bad language. My mom and dad thought it was best I put it down, too. So then I decided to (finally) pick up The Huntress Of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson.

As soon as I review it (probably no earlier than August 17), I’ll also be hosting a giveaway! I was given an extra in a giveaway where I won the book, so I’m going to give one of those away. I just finished it today (that is, Friday), and it was great! The middle was kind of slow, but the ending was great. I guessed the ending at about thirty or forty pages left, but it was one of those books where I wasn’t sure everything that needed to happen could happen within forty pages. It did, though, and I loved it.

Apple and Rain was also super good. There was some heavy content (which I’ll explain more of in my review on the 10th), but it wasn’t anything too bad. It kind of dragged on for a little, though.

what happened on the blog

Just in case you missed it…

I reviewed Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
I talked about my favorite thing EVER – book blogging!
I recapped the past month and all the cool things that happened on the blog – and yours, too!

coming up this week

On Monday, I’ll be reviewing Eight Keys and Rain Reign… but be warned, I was really confused on how I felt about these books.
Wednesday, I’m going to be apart of the Dear Opl spotlight tour! There will be a giveaway, but the only way you can enter is with a twitter account… (I’m not hosting it.) So hopefully a few of you have accounts, or there will be added different ways to enter. I did email the publisher about it, but we’ll see!
Annnd on Friday, I’ll be writing some LISTS! Oh, beautiful lists. (I love writing them.) 😉

what books have you read/gotten this week? anything cool coming up for you this week?

blog segments, miscellaneous 'bookish' things, monthly recaps

july 2015 monthly recap

July 31, 2015 Emily 5 Comments

Hi, everyone! Emily here. (Of course, you knew that, right? And if you didn’t, welcome!) Today, I bring you yet another monthly recap… which is crazy, because every single month, I say “Wow, this month has just flown by!” So I won’t say that this time… even though it did! This past month was great, and with August comes a whole slew of awesome new posts (I hope you think they’re awesome, because I’m so excited for all of them!), and for me, school.

My thoughts exactly. (Sorry, mom!) Don’t worry, I won’t go on talking about how much little time I’ll have for blogging. I’ll still be coming to you all the way from my bedroom on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and most weekends. Perks of being home-schooled. (It’s the best.) And for those of you lucky duckies who don’t start school until September… enjoy your reading. And keep commenting! You have no excuse. 😉

books read this month

Ten books! Much better than last month’s measly three, right? Most of these books have been on my TBR list for quite some time now (though I digress; I say this about literally every book I read – but it’s true!), and I’m so glad to have finally read them. I’m going to try to reach for eleven or twelve in August, but we’ll see. Some months are better than others. Though if I kept up ten books a month, I’d exceed my 50-book-year-goal by forty! Do you think I can do it?!

what happened on the blog

The high lights this month for me were when:

I talked about book slumps, which is basically like reader’s block instead of writer’s block. 😉
Brooke did a guest post on organizing books (who knew there were so many ways?!)
There was some great discussion in the comments when I shared my issues with MG & YA

And according to my stats, these posts were viewed the most:

My review of Fish In A Tree, which had the most views
My discussion post on MG & YA books, with second most views and eight comments, which were all great!
June 2015’s monthly recap (every month, the recaps are some of the most viewed posts! You must love recaps!) 😉

what happened on YOUR blogs

I’ve wanted to give a shout-out to some of my favorite blogs in my monthly recaps, so I decided to add it this time! Here were some of my favorite posts on your blogs this month. Go check your wonderful posts out!

Ana thinks books should be rated just like movies
… but Heather discourages it
Jessica gives three (CLEARLY valid!) reasons that books are published on Tuesdays. 😀
Jillian admits to blogging things she’s bad at
Audrey is back to blogging again! And she’s written a post on Fandom Fever!
Bella is making me hungry with her recipe for cookies and cream chocolate chip cookies… and I need to make them!
Daisy has a new design and schedule for her blog, and I love it! She also reviewed Hello, I Love You, and I’m still not sure if I want to read it…?
Olivia interviewed her best friend, and their relationship is hilarious!

cool things i did in july

Went on a spontaneous Florida trip with my family (check out the pictures here)
Tried “Tiny Bubbles Tea Bar” with our friends, which was… okay… but hey, I tried something new!
Got my first issue of Gold Magazine and LOVE it. You should totally go get yourself a subscription.
I also ordered a Hannah Everly skirt! I got this one (click the link), and I can’t waaaaiiittt. I’ll be wearing it the first day back to my home-school group. 😀
Went SCHOOL SUPPLIES SHOPPING (!!!) Needless to say, it’s the best part of going back to school; even though “going back to school” for me means waking up a tad earlier and actually leaving my room (gasp!) to get my school books. Livin’ the life, folks.

on the blog in august

Just a few ideas I have. No biggie. (Actually, they are kind of a biggie, because I’m super excited about them.) 😀

Do you prefer male or female POV’s?
Spotlight post on my favorite bloggers
Two, maybe THREE giveaways (!!!)
You know you’re a bookworm when…
One or two author interviews
Lists, lists, & more lists!

Be prepared. Between those author interviews and giveaways, it’s going to be a fuuun month.

what happened to YOU this month? on your blog? off your blog? what books have you read? doing anything fun in august? oh and tell me, when do you go back to school??

miscellaneous 'bookish' things

why book blogging is my favorite thing ever

July 29, 2015 Emily 10 Comments

Keeping my blog going is my favorite thing ever. Just ask my family – they’ll tell you, I talk about my blog 99% of the time. (That, and, obviously, the books I read!) Maybe because it’s pretty much all I do (especially in the summer)… but I can’t help it! Talking about books is right next to reading books. At least for me, that is. Not to mention the lovely comments I get on each post (keep ’em coming, even if I don’t get the chance to answer – I read and love all of them!), the guest posts, the ADVANCED READER’S COPIES… (It’s a fantastic plus, no doubt about it.) I just love every aspect of it! So what else was I supposed to do? Clearly, I had to blog about loving blogging.

writing the posts.

It’s so cool to brainstorm ideas for blog posts. A) Because I enjoy writing (always have, always will, writing of all sorts, really), b) Books, authors, bookish things, etc., etc. is something I could talk about all day. If not for the fact that people would probably click away, I’d have a ten-page blog post. (I tend to get side-tracked… a lot!), c) since I love the thing I blog about, the ideas come easily! I get different ideas everyday, because I read everyday! 🙂

followers & comments.

Followers are definitely not the main driving point of FTB. I don’t have a whole lot, by any stretch, but I do have some pretty great, loyal ones, if I do say so myself. Now, comments do encourage me to post more often. Writing posts does take time, for one thing. It feels good to know I’m not the only one thinking something, and when someone likes my post enough to take the time to comment? It feels great! Also, an AWESOME thing happened with one of my favorite commenters: we ended up pen pals! *waves* Hey, Brooke! We email, text, write letters – pretty much 24/7. So I’ve met some pretty close bookish friends through my blog comments, and I love it.

talking to authors.

I get to TALK to authors. Like, actually, personally interact with them! It’s a dream come true. 😉 In August of last year, I talked to one of my childhood idols (it’s true, I love Mrs. Frederick!), Heather Vogel Frederick. And at the beginning of June this past month, I interviewed Miss Erin E. Moulton. I’ll also be interviewing two more authors in the next month or two, which is so neat! I’ve also had the pleasure of authors reaching out to me, instead of the other way around, as well. Miss Dina Sleiman (of Dauntless, one of my favorite 2015 reads), has emailed me several times about being on the launch team of her new book, Chivalrous. ALSO coming your way in August is a Dear Opl spotlight tour and giveaway, sponsored by the awesome publisher at Sourcebooks. (I got to review the book as an ARC in June.) All that to bring me to my next point:

advanced reader’s copies.

… also known as ARCs. For those of you who don’t know, they’re glorious sneak-previews of books that HAVEN’T HIT SHELVES YET. I mainly use NetGalley for requesting ARCs, but I’ve also been apart of The Fantastic Flying Book Club a time or two, where I get them as well. Authors and publishers like handing them out because hello, marketing strategies – getting the word out! And what bookworm doesn’t want to read a book that hasn’t actually come out yet?! I’ve only received e-book copies, but it’ll be the day when I get a hard-bound ARC copy. Don’t worry, you’ll hear all about it! Pretty neat stuff. Free books are always welcome.

blogging buddies.

If you check out my “Friends” page, you’ll find a list of all of my favorite blogs. It’s still under construction; I have loads more to add, I just haven’t gotten to it yet. The cool thing is most of those blogs aren’t just blogs I follow. I’ve gotten to know the bloggers and talking to them one-on-one is a lot of fun. I consider them to be my “blogging buddies.” 🙂 It’s also great to have guest bloggers visit your blog every now and then; it brings attention to both of your blogs (especially if you’re swapping a guest post for a guest post, which I call a “guest post swap”), and it’s just fun.

finding new books.

I’ve become an even BIGGER bookworm than I ever was before when I started my blog. Sometimes if I’m bored, I’ll “binge-book-shop” and click through Goodreads to see what’s happening over in the publishing world. I hear about books months before they come out (which is sometimes torture, to wait for them, and sometimes I get them as ARC’s!), and of course, I always hear about new books by reading other book blogs. My librarians tease me about how many books I have on hold… and don’t even get me started on the books I OWN that I need to read. It’s a lot to handle, for one girl. There are just so many books. Like I told my mom today, “I’ve made it my life mission to read every book in the world.” 😀

… so as you can see, there a lot of reasons I love blogging!

i know there are probably several other reasons i forgot to list, so bloggers! what do YOU love about blogging? thanks for reading!

miscellaneous 'bookish' things

the books i need to read

July 24, 2015 Emily 13 Comments

Hey, everyone! It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve blogged, because I usually schedule my posts weeks ahead of time, and I haven’t been scheduling posts in a week or two. I guess to you, you can’t tell the difference (as long as I still have my posts up!), but it’s good to be back in gear and writing posts more regularly. I had something else planned today, but I decided to switch it up because I’ve had a lot of books on my mind lately. Of course, I ALWAYS do, but this time, it feels more overwhelming than exciting.

There are just SOOOO many books. So many. I’ve only read one book this week (Rain Reign, which was a little disappointing), and I’m also having a hard time deciding what to read next. I have several books on hold at the library, plus some school-required reading, plus the books from the library I have out right now… PLUS the towering TBR stack that’s been sitting on my shelf for who-knows-how-long. Yep. I’m telling you, one day I’m going to fall under all the books I need to read and break my neck!

ANY WHO… onto the point of this post. I thought I’d talk a bit about the books I need to read! I have several books some of you (clearly awesome) blog readers have recommended to me, and I’m super-duper excited + anxious to read them! I really hope I like them. These are the books I have out from the library currently:

SO many good ones, am I right?! 😀 I’ve finished Rain Reign, but the others I still need to read. I talked about most of them in my last Stacking the Shelves. As for the books on hold at the library that I’ll be picking up today or tomorrow, I’ve got three:

The False Prince was recommended to me by two commenters (for the life of me, I can’t remember who! Sorry!), and I’m thinking I might try to get my little sister into them as well. It sounds like something she would really enjoy. I’m hoping to get into them, too. Since You’ve Been Gone is something I’ve been wanting to read for a really really REALLY long time, and I know Daisy‘s been wanting me to give it a try. 😉 (wink wink) And finally, The Swift Boys & Me – I saw it on Goodreads and thought the cover is adorable, the plot sounds adorable.. so why not?

Okay, so there’s that. Now for my To-Be-Read pile.

Yeeeeaahhh… pretty tall. Although not as big as SOME bloggers… I’m not proud of it. >_< Dunno when or if I’ll ever get to it, but guys, it’s always hanging over my shoulder! I have a slight problem. And I’m pretty sure there are some books hiding on other shelves that I also haven’t read, so that’s certainly not all of them. (BY the way; mom, dad, grandma, cousins, aunts/uncles, any family reading this… THIS DOES NOT MEAN, by ANY stretch, you do not need to buy me more books. More books are always necessary. I promise I’ll get around to them!) 😀

On a side note, see the two copies of The Huntress Of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson hanging out to the right of the TBR stack? I’ll be giving one of those away! Sometime soon! I won one copy in a giveaway myself in May, and then for some reason I got another one in the mail this week. (Which was definitely a nice surprise, so thanks Harper Collins!) 😉 Only I haven’t read it yet, so once I read and review it, I’ll be giving away a copy. Some other “bloggy” surprises will be coming your way soon, as well, SO BE PREPARED.

That’s pretty much it for today, folks. I hope you liked this sort of rambling post, something a little different since I usually save these for the weekends, but oh well. What books do you need to read?? Ohmigosh, completely forgot about talking about my school-required books. Tomorrow? We’ll see! Oh – and on a completely random note, do any of you watch Heartland on Netflix? I’M HOOKED. I’m on season four, and working my way through it quite fast. Those stinkers in Canada get all eight seasons, while we Americans get six, so that’s a little sad, but I’m still watching it! It’s awesome… another thing keeping me from reading more than one book this week, lol.

Until next time!

P.S. Will you help me pick which book to read next in the comments?

miscellaneous 'bookish' things, personal life

i’m back! // trip recap & my book slump

June 24, 2015 Emily 15 Comments

Well, last week didn’t go exactly as planned, but I’m okay. I had a fantastic time at my church camp – my SIXTH year at this particular church camp – and even though I didn’t get to go to the Dream Factory Workshop, I know it’s all in God’s hands. (Whatever He’s got in mind, ’cause I was REALLY looking forward to the workshop, as you all know.)

See, two of the girls (of about four, I think), dropped out of the workshop last-minute due to family emergencies. Rachel decided to cancel the workshop (though she was very reluctant about it), and sent my mom and I an email Wednesday night. (I was supposed to leave church camp early on Thursday morning.) So… that was pretty frustrating. And very disappointing, considering all the time, preparation, and money that went into it. I was in tears!

However, after talking to my mom, I decided to trust God that everything would turn out fine. The workshop would (and will) be an amazing experience. Hopefully I’ll still get to go to the next one, as we’ll save the money from this one for the same thing… and I’ll have an awesome time. Originally, the first workshop was planned for the first week in May, and then got moved to June. Turns out, we lost my great-grandmother that week, and needed to go to her funeral. So I’m being faithful here, because I was SUPER sad about missing out on the workshop this week!

THAT SAID… I had a great week at church camp. It’s always an incredibly fun, inspiring week, and this year was one of the best years!

Here’s my cabin! I’m the girl with the white flower in my hair. We (my cousins, Sydney, Olivia, and I), usually have a cabin with twenty or twenty-five girls, but this week there were nine of us! I loved having the smaller group. Probably one of the best cabins I’ve had so far. 😉 (The two in the back row are my awesome counselors, Ms. Kara and Mrs. Tiffany.)

I made a video/slideshow thing since there were so many pictures. You can watch it here or below:

In other news, I am in such a book slump. There hasn’t been much time for reading these past two weeks or so, and now… I just can’t get myself into another book. I’m reviewing Ana of California (which hits shelves June 30th), as part of The Fantastic Flying Book Club on July 1… but according to my Kindle, I’m only 15% in. 🙁 Sooo I’ve GOT to finish that in less than a week. Wish me luck…

After that, I’m hoping to finally get to The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson – her most recent book which I won in a giveaway about a month ago. (I know! Horrible!) Oh, and I finished Sadie Robertson’s book, Live Original, most recently, on Monday. I started it on Easter (nonfiction books take me much longer!), so I’m happy to say I have read and loved it!

Now that I’m back home and (slowly) getting back into the blogging groove, look for me dropping by at your blogs again. I’ve been so lazy coming back this week… I think I’m still catching up on all the sleep missed at camp, haha. 😉

How have you been? I’ve missed talking to you all in the comments! What books have you been reading? Anything exciting happening/happened this summer? Can’t wait to hear from you.

books, discussions, lists, miscellaneous 'bookish' things

bookish pet peeves // part two

May 27, 2015 Emily 20 Comments

Last week, I talked about my bookish pet peeves concerning the physical parts of a book. You know, the book jacket, cover, fingerprints on Kindle sort of thing? So this week, I’ll be talking about my pet peeves in plots, characters, etc. I’ve got a lot. Even though it’s rare a day I give a book a rating beneath three stars, I can still be pretty tough.

1) Insta-love
This isn’t just my bookish pet peeve. I’ve seen pretty much every single book blogger mention insta-love as an issue in books. I see this going on a lot in cliche romance… I’ve read one Sarah Dessen book, and the amount of insta-love that went down was overwhelming. I love romance in books – you know, the FLUFF. The ooh-ah-awwww moments and kisses and weddings. But “Hey-you’re-cute-this-is-crazy-but-call-me-maybe” stuff doesn’t cut it with me.

2) Whiny characters
I’m talking about you, Eadlyn Schreave. Look, I don’t even like myself when I’m in a whiny, ungrateful mood. I stay clear of anyone who throws a tantrum when they don’t get their way. So why would I want to spend 200-400+ pages with a whiny person?! I give grace if the characters’ parents dropped dead or something. Or even if I’m reading YA, because teenagers are hormonal people and I understand! But really. Uh-uh.

3) Characters dying out of the blue
They’re there, they’re gone. WHAT HAPPENED.

(The Family Tree series by Ann M. Martin – OMG, IT KILLED ME WITH THIS PROBLEM. Pun intended.)

4) Overly-quirky characters
This might sound a little strange, but let me explain. It’s important to have unique characters. Right now, I’m reading Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli, and they’re so different! They’re really cool. Diverse characters and books are great. But sometimes, characters are really quirky. Take The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet, for instance.

Not only does its title alone tell you it’s got some quirky characters, the book is really… fascinating! Don’t get me wrong, it was a fantastic book, but honestly? I thought the characters were a little over-the-top.

7) Predictable plots
As much as I love The Princess Spy and The Captive Maiden, Melanie Dickerson’s books are usually pretty predictable. They’re not the only ones, but they’re the ones I’m gonna pick on today. I mean, really, though, does ANYONE like this??

6) Abrupt endings
They bother me so bad! I’ve been waiting to see the ending, and the book is good, and then… well. That’s the end. Huh.

Well that’s it bye!

hahahahaha! You didn’t think I could simply END a blog post like that, did you?! Those are all the bookish pet peeves I can think of for today. I’m sure I’m missing some, so let me know if you anything to add!