Halee tagged me for the blogger book tag yesterday, and it looks like so much fun! 🙂 There are lots of questions, so without further adieu…

1. Name a book you’re embarrassed you haven’t read. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Pretty sure every bookworm who doesn’t live under a rock has heard of this one, but for those who haven’t, it’s a Pulitzer Prize winning WWII novel and I neeeed it. Now. I feel like it’s probably one of those heavy books that takes a bit to get into but is incredibly moving and gripping. I need a freezing cold Saturday in December (to sit by a fire with hot chocolate, obviously) to read it all day long, ya feel?

2. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark? A dirty tissue? An empty chip package? There’s nothing I wouldn’t use as a bookmark.

3. Look at your bookshelf. What is the first yellow-spined book you see? Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary. 😉

4. If you could have one new book from a deceased author, who would it be? Jane Austen, without a doubt.

5. Name an author who deserves more readership. Rachel Coker. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how talented she is! My biggest writer crush for sure. 🙂

6. Bookmark or random piece of paper? Whatever is closest at hand! Though I’ve been keeping a tin full of bookmarks near my bed since I was ten, so I have quite the collection going. I’m never short of bookmarks.

7. Can you stop anywhere in a book or do you have to finish the chapter? It kind of drives me crazy to stop anywhere in a book, but if reality calls, I make do. Haha!

8. One book at a time OR Several? Several! School required (I’m finishing up Tom Sawyer for school), buddy reading (I’m reading Jane Eyre with Brooke at the minute), and leisure ones (I’m eating up Prisoner of Night and Fog!) I always have a tall stack of books by my bed.

9. Do you read ahead or skip pages? SKIP PAGES? READ AHEAD ?? NEVER. If I’m into a book, I make sure to thoroughly enjoy it. And think about how much work authors put into every single word of their novels! Never ever ever. Like, ever.

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new? Like new! In elementary school I was notorious for spine bending, but I have since broken that horrid habit. I liked reading the pages one at a time, but the cracked spines drove me crazy. My books were practically falling apart! *hides face in shame*

11. What books do you regret reading? Off the top of my head, I can think of two books in the YA genre that were hyped up for months. So many people were raving over them so I picked them up but was sorely disappointed. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (hated the ending and disliked the main character, shockingly enough) and Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (way too many details, info-dumps, and insta-romance.) It’s a shame I didn’t like these, too, because their COVERS ARE SO PRETTY. (cover judger right here.)

12. On average, how many books do you read per year? 2015 was the first year I kept total track of the books I read; my goal was 50 and I read 70. This year I went crazy and decided to reach for 100! Heh heh… yeeahhh… this year has been much busier than the last, and I’ve only read 50 books thus far. *weeps* I started the first handful of months off spectacularly, though! 7-10 books a month! Now, it’s more like… 3.

13. What book can you read hundreds of times and never get tired of? Interrupted: a Life Beyond Words by Rachel Coker, The Fences Between Us by Kirby Larson, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, and Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson. They’re all either childhood favorites or have worlds that are so enamoring it’s easy to get lost in them!

14. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from a book? What a question! I think this question deserves its own post! In a nutshell, books have taught me what living life to the fullest is. I think it’s why I’m so in love with reading people’s stories, because I’m fascinated by how humans live life. As an Albert Camus quote goes, “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.” I’ve always been a people-observer, and fiction has only encouraged me to want to understand humans better.

15. What is the most recent book you’ve read? Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse. It’s a shocking WWII mystery and I finished it in 24 hours! (The first book in many months that has kept me up at night.)

16. Name a book quote you’ll never forget. “Words are life.” – The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

17. How many books do you own? I’d say… 300-350? My parents have always encouraged me to buy books and even provided me with book baskets when I was little. My whole family has shelves full of books everywhere in our house. I take great pride in my beautiful books!

18. Of the past year, what is the greatest book you’ve read? Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein. Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin. The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski. In that order. Too many to choose from!!

I tag everyone who is reading this post to feel free to participate on their blogs. What are the greatest books you’ve read in the past year? What have books taught you? And what are your opinions on spine-breaking? Dog-earing? What book did you last read? Tell all!

 

Hey bookworms! Miss Grace at Pens and Castles On A Cloud (can we take a moment to appreciate her blog name?) nominated me for the wisteria writer tag. I was so excited; the questions look so fun. Thanks for tagging me, Grace!

The Rules: 

• Thank the blogger who nominated you.
• Answer the ten questions asked.
• Add ten (writing or book related) of your own.
• Nominate ten people. (I’m cheating and nominating seven!)

Do you write for yourself or for others? Myself! Sometimes I struggle to share my writing with others (if it’s something I’ve spent a long time on – school assignments are a bit different) because my stories are near and dear to my heart. For me, writing has always been a coping mechanism. Most of my stories even mirror things I was going through in the point of my life when I wrote them. There are several storylines I’ve been working and expounding on for years; I like to think that the characters grow with me and become my friends.

Who has helped you improve your writing? My parents (even though I’m too often picky about their constructive criticism) have always challenged me and stretched my abilities in writing. I’ve also spent two and a half years with one of my favorite authors Rachel Coker (whom I get to meet next month!) doing writing lessons through email. She’s become a mentor to me and has advised and challenged my writing sometimes to the point of frustration. But I’ve learned so much through her and simply having a mentor like herself has taught me so much about the writing process, editing, and truly refining a piece of work.

Name three books that have been central in your writing (as in, they inspired you to write, or write a specific story, etc.) Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards, The Family Tree Series by Ann M. Martin, and Interrupted by Rachel Coker. Each of these books have a certain writing style and story telling that I aspire to. They all have similarities in the way that I hope to tell stories. The fact that I’ve read them all more than once and still feel inspired and touched each time by the stories makes me dream of my own writing someday living up to these books.

What is your least favorite genre and why? I’m going to answer this question assuming it’s asking what my least favorite genre to write is; in which case that would be anything other than historical or contemporary fiction. I can’t say I’ll never write anything else, but I’m a bit too terrified to venture out into fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian/etc. I don’t read enough of other genres to feel qualified writing them.

If you could, would you try to change the landscape for young adult novels of this generation? How? (if this question is confusing: the norms of young adult novels today are pretty obvious–would you want to change them with your writing and how?) Absolutely! Yes, yes, yes. Frankly it makes me sick to look at what the young adult genre has become. Don’t get me wrong: reading is becoming more popular among teenagers as the genre widens and there are thousands of books made to be appealing to that age group, which is new to even the last two generations. I think that’s amazing. But a good majority of YA books make it sound like all that appeals to teenagers is getting physical, swearing, and making adults out to be hypocritical, misunderstanding idiots. I have to read a content review on practically every young adult book I pick up.

I would love to be able to write literature that challenges a young adult’s thinking past what social media and the world is pushing us to conform to. I want to write age-appropriate books for teens. That’s not to say my books will shy away from the world’s tragedies but that they will not be focused on vulgar, unnecessary content that doesn’t need to occupy young people’s minds.

If you could write/collaborate on a novel with one author, who would it be? Jane Austen. I know, I know! It’s going to have to wait for Heaven (which will feature a library a thousand times bigger than in Beauty & The Beast and ten dozen independent coffee shops for all our writerly needs.) But with our sarcastic humor, avoidance of humans, and romantic sides I feel like we’d be best friends and a hilarious writing duo. Beyond that, c’mon, she’s Jane Freakin’ Austen. Who *wouldn’t* want writing advice from her?

What’s your writing process? Ahem. As follows: Grand idea! Must write it! This sucks. Let’s plan! Write some more! Ugh, more planning. Writing! This is the best thing ever! Writing. Planning. Burnout. Break. Plan. Write. Repeat. I’m a planster. I’m not a panster or plotter. I go for it and then do minimal outlining, and go for it some more. I think people might be surprised by the fact that I despise outlining for rough drafts considering I like detailed plans for everything else in life, but writing is the one thing I do by the seat of my pants.

What do you do to get out of writer’s block? I have absolutely no advice regarding writer’s block. I’M STILL FIGURING OUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT DIS. My problem is I never get this thing people keep calling “writer’s block.” Oh no. I get a total burnout. It’s a complete disaster. I work on a story for three, five months max. It’s the best thing to ever be written; my characters are the bomb.com. I’m a creative master mind. And then I hit a brick wall that I never get through. So I’m still trying to learn how to handle this and complete my novellas.

Do you like to listen to music when you write? Why or why not? Absolutely! Music can put me in any mood depending on the song; nostalgic, happy, angry, sympathetic, wintry. (‘Wintry”s a mood hush.) It’s the perfect solution to let myself fall into the world I’m trying to create. I even make playlists for each story I write. Sometimes I do overthink and can’t focus with the beat of the music. In which case, I use rainycafe.com for either a thunderstorm or cafe background noise. (Either way, I can’t ever work in complete silence. I need noise.)

How has writing changed your life (if it has–and it’s OK if it hasn’t!)? Oh my goodness, what a question. I’ve been writing fictional stories since I was little and keeping a journal for four years. Through writing (or even just jotting) things down, I’ve learned to observe people. I like to think that it has given me a sense of patience. Crafting words to keep memories, tell stories, or share feelings is a wonderful outlet and vital skill. I think everyone can do it. 🙂

Nominees, here are your ten questions!

1. When did you start writing?
2. What do you use to document inspiration and ideas?
3. What is your favorite part of the writing process?
4. What genres do you like writing best?
5. How do you begin the outlining of your novels? (Characters, plot, etc.)?
6. Can you share a snippet of one of your current pieces of writing?
7. What authors or books inspire you?
8. Who do you trust to edit/critique your writing?
9. Where do you hope to be as a writer in ten years?
10. What advice do you have for other writers?

TAG, YOU’RE IT! Izel // Katie // Jonathan // Abigail Hayven // Olivia // Amanda // Grace

When did you begin writing? How has it changed your life? All things I must know – to the comments! See you there. 😉

I’M A LAZY BOOK BLOGGER, SO.

I shall turn to tags. I scoured the internet until I found one that was appealing enough, and I thought this one would be fun because it tackles a lot of serious bookworm issues that we really must discuss. I mean, eating and reading? Shameful or a must? Breaking the spine? Definitely shameful. Let us dive into the tag (and answer some of the questions below, because I want to hear what you think!) 🙂

(pssst. and even though I’m tagging myself, I’ve decided to still tag a few of you because it looks like so much fun.)

1. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC PLACE FOR READING? My bed, 99% of the time. Sometimes, in nice weather, I’ll opt to go outside, because I don’t last for long. (Bugs and smells and neighbors wanting to chat and being uncomfortable and wind, all that.) Sometimes, in nice Emily moods, I’ll read in the living room, but it depends if I’m okay with my family making noises and/or trying to talk to me (I love you guys, I really do) so my bedroom it is.

2. BOOKMARKS OR A RANDOM PIECE OF PAPER? Fun story! Ten-year-old Emily dog-eared (and spine-bent, but we’ll get to that later) all of her books. At the time during the horrid phase of braces, she had to have four teeth removed. After three or four visits to the dentist, each time bringing a book along, and each time being caught dog-earing pages by a nice lady dentist, said lady dentist would hand her a post-it note. After that Emily realized her eighth deadly sin and began collecting every bookmark she found in a tin by her bed. And now I have dozens. So bookmark. No one runs out of bookmarks in my house anymore.

3. CAN YOU JUST STOP ANYWHERE OR DO YOU NEED TO FINISH A CHAPTER? I prefer to stop at the end of a chapter; or at the very least a break in the chapter. But I’m not totally picky, so I can pick up a book wherever I left off if need be.

4. DO YOU EAT OR DRINK WHILE READING? … yes. In fact, sometimes I can specifically remember the snack I was particularly fond of at the time of the book, because, as C.S. Lewis once said, “Eating and reading are two pleasures that combine admirably.” (The man was a genius, I tell you.) When I read The Selection Trilogy in three days straight, I probably went through four boxes of lime popsicles. It’s really very convenient to read on one’s Kindle while snacking (read: NO LIQUIDS) because there’s no pesky pages to be flipped.

5. MUSIC OR TV WHILE READING? As we’ve established before on the blog, I am super woman and I can block out any distracting noise. I read in the car when the radio is inevitably on. I read in the living room while my dad has his nightly routine of watching the news. I can make do anywhere. It’s a trait I believe all bookworms need. It really comes in handy, you know. (Of course I prefer silence, but non-bookworms are loud creatures. We must make do.)

6. ONE BOOK AT A TIME OR SEVERAL? Every now and again, I try reading several… and then it drives me up a wall. I feel so unfocused and overwhelmed. That said, I have several exceptions: 1) I often read a book and listen to an audio book at the same time. (Like now, I’m listening to The Maze Runner while reading Cinderella’s Dress. And you can’t get any two more different books, let me tell you.) 2) I’m also reading Stars Above, because it is a collection of novellas. So I can skip around and read one short story and not read a whole novel straight through.

7. DO YOU PREFER TO READ AT HOME OR ELSEWHERE? There’s no place like home. I do enjoy sitting in a Starbucks or wherever with a book, but I’ve come to the realization that I don’t like strangers watching me read. My family and our two balls of fluff don’t count. Watching Emily read is a regular hobby of theirs.

8. READ OUT LOUD OR SILENTLY? I love reading out loud! Fun fact: when I was younger, I would read out loud while walking the perimeter of my room when I got uncomfortable in my bed. When I was even younger, I would apologize to my stuffed animals when I decided to read in my head because they’re enjoying the book too. Nowadays, it’s silent all the way.

9. DO YOU READ AHEAD OR SKIP PAGES? I … have skipped pages in the past. But I promise you it hasn’t been done in quite a while! I am a devout no-spoiler person. (Even though Pinterest has ruined like FOUR deaths for me and I’m not even sure which book-to-movie adaptations the people come from, ack.)

10. BREAKING THE SPINE OR KEEPING IT NEW? Why is this even a question??? I broke my spine-bending addiction three years ago, and I am a changed bookworm. Keep it like new, hello. 

11. DO YOU WRITE IN YOUR BOOKS? I do write my name and the year on the title page, but other than that, it’s a no-no. (What if one day when I’ve written a Great American Novel and everything and someone finds an old MG book in a used bookstore with a penciled in name “Emily 2011” and WOW you’ve got like a million bucks because it’s ten year old Emily (insert last name here)’s book omg– I mean, right???)

I’m not sure how many people I’m supposed to tag, but I’m going with five because that’s a nice number. 

TAG, YOU’RE IT: Izel // Katie Grace // Madi // Olivia // Grace

I hope those tagged can join in! And feel free to do this if I didn’t tag you; after all I just decided to randomly do it without being tagged, so go for it. 😉 

Tell me, bookworms, have you ever bent a spine before? Do you eat while reading? And how many bookmarks do you own? Can’t wait to chat with you all! 

 

YES that title totally merited an exclamation point. Because tags are exciting and sweet Izel tagged me (ages ago but that’s okay!) and I adore ALLLL of her questions. (Except the rules are I have to come up 11 facts about myself & I’m really terrible at making myself sound interesting sooooo. I may struggle with that? Let’s try it and see!)

1. I’m copying one of Izel’s facts so I don’t have to struggle with the first one: I HATE being late. I hate feeling rushed in general. I get antsy and annoyed — but I also hate being too early. (Because standing around awkwardly before no one else is there is embarrassing and bothersome and SOCIALIZING CAN STINK.)

2. I always have music playing when it’s quiet. Whether I’m home alone or in my room where it’s quiet, I have my favorites playlist on. (Which if you’re interested, can be found here.) I like country, pop, classical, jazz, old, new – I listen to it all. (But I love Taylor Swift – her older stuff – and Michael Buble!)

3. I feel guilty when I watch too much TV and neglect my books. GILMORE GIRLS RUINED ME for all of two months. (On that note, I just finished it & I’M MISSING MY GIRLS. But I started Once Upon a Time with my mom, so yay for a new distraction from reading!) 

4. I sniff books, but in a different way. I don’t just stick my nose in the middle of the open book! (I mean, you can’t even smell it that well. C’mon now.) I have a highly more accurate method: while holding the book open, I hold the thicker side up and riffle the pages near my nose. You get a breezy scent wafting to your nostrils and it is GLORIOUS. (one of my weird quirks. I’d do it in school sometimes in the hopes no one was looking….)

5. Best vacation ever: the Disney cruise my family and I went on last year. (And we’re going again this year, so the countdown is ON.)

6. Teenagers BOTHER me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m home-schooled so I don’t have to deal with them on a regular basis or because the ones I do interact with at co-op aren’t quite so… “boyfriend/girlfriend social media all things cool” obsessed or WHAT. but i don’t understand *most* of them. 

*most of them. some of them are cool, like you. and me.

7. I cry easily in books and movies. In fact, I cry probably once or twice a month simply because I’m an intuitive and sensitive person – whether for myself or someone else but A LOT OF TIMES FOR FICTIONAL PEOPLE. (The movie I cry over every time is The Lost Valentine, a Hallmark movie. Go watch it & have your heart ripped out, you’re missing out on a lot.)

8. I have two cats, a dog, three turtles, and four fish. We recently lost a frog – we used to have four, and before that two, and before that another two (frogs aren’t lucky in our house), and a snail. We’re hoping to get a Gary Jr. for our fish tank. (Get it? Gary? Spongebob’s snail has left a legacy so he gets a snail named after him.)

9. 99% of my closet is stripes or polka dots. If I’m not wearing one of those, I’m wearing a solid color. Seriously. It’s practically all I wear.

10. My first concert was a Taylor Swift concert. YOU CAN’T BEAT THAT.

11. The best Christmas gift I got was my own room. (My parents snuck that by me, seriously! They moved my dad’s office and everything, and I walked into an empty ex-office with a bed and all.) The video is cute but embarrassing. I still adore my room – between little knick-knacks, posters, and allll my books, it’s very me. 

Now for Izel’s questions!

Have you made any friends from blogging? HAVE I? So many. Brooke, Izel, Trisha, Amanda, Ana, Katie, Grace, Madi – I’m probably missing many more but you all mean a lot to me! The best friend I’ve made so far is Brooke, my pen pal, Facetime pal, text pal, email pal – she’s awesome, and I’m so grateful I met her through my blog. 🙂

Who are your favorite bloggers? Everyone linked and listed above! You can also check my friends page on the blog.

What type of book covers are you drawn to? Very simple ones: Red Queen is beautiful yet simplistic. Also ones with nice illustrations: Mandy and Waiting for Normal are two childhood favorites with adorable drawings of the main characters, which I’m usually not a fan of but it works for childhood books. And ones with girls in pretty dresses! The Heir and The Winner’s Curse are stunning!

What do you want to see more of in YA? I want more CROSSOVERS. I want a Cinderella in WWII, or a dystopian society in the past, or a fairy time traveler! I don’t want same-old, same-old plain genres. I want this and that, and everywhere in between!

Is there anything you want for your blog? (New design/plugin etc…) Oh, I definitely have my eye on a new theme I’ve got my eye on for FTB in April for its second birthday… everything is under wraps for now, but I’ve already shared some ideas with my dad and I’m so hyped to unveil what I’m got in my head because it’s been rattling around in there for months now.

Have you ever thought about having a co-blogger join you on your blog? I have. The thing is, I wouldn’t be against co-blogging with someone somewhere seperate. But For the Bookish is my outlet, and my home-away-from-home alone. I started it having no clue how much I would love blogging, and it’s become so much mine… I really can’t see sharing it with anybody! My dad helped my design it, I plan out every post, take the pictures, and put a lot of thought into everything I write. It’s a bit like my baby. 🙂

Favorite pass time besides reading/blogging? BESIDES reading and blogging?! However could there be such a thing?! To be perfectly honest, these are the only two things I NEVER have to force myself to do, sooo… they’re definitely the top two. I never want to stop. However, I do love to play piano, sew, and I’m constantly writing. Maybe you’ll hear me play/buy my skirts/read my books someday? 😉

How do you feel when you don’t blog? Crabby. Especially when I go too long. Really! It’s my passion and, like I said before, an outlet of sorts. Talking to you all and brainstorming ideas is ridiculously fun!

Where do you get your post inspiration from? I’ve got a busy busy brain. I couldn’t turn it off if I tried!! I do a lot of tags though. I also bounce ideas off of other bloggers’ posts sometimes too. I’ve also been a bookworm for as long as I can remember, and I rarely had someone in my life who could really relate to that (and read the same books I read) so I don’t often have a problem thinking of something to post about.

What’s your favorite social media and why? Pinterest! It’s a bit… scary how much I end up scrolling through that website! Also Goodreads, because it’s Bookworm Heaven. (You can follow me here on Pinterest and here on Goodreads.)

What are your top 5 favorite songs right now? In no particular order: Then She Appeared by XTC, Out of Place by Gavin Thorpe, The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert, This Kiss by Faith Hill, and Something Out of Me by Nichole Nordeman.

I NOMINATE: Amanda | | Grace | | Hannah | | Lady Literature

(I can’t think of 11 bloggers, so four will have to do.) 🙂

RULES:

1. Thank and follow the blogger who nominated you.
2. Tell us eleven facts about yourself.
3. Answer the questions that were set for you to answer.
4. Nominate 11 bloggers & set 11 questions for them.

QUESTIONS:

1. What are your favorite movies when you’re not in the mood for a book?
2. Do you have any pets?
3. If you could go anywhere in the world, where and why?
4. Best compliment you ever received?
5. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
6. What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
7. What is your Meyers Briggs personality type?
8. Which book have you re-read the most?
9. What’s your favorite word?
10. Sour, sweet, or chocolate?

answer some of the questions for me! i hope everyone nominated can do the award; it’s a ton of fun! what are your top favorite songs right now? and who are your blogging besties??

Yes, this is the Liebster award. Yes, I have done this award just about 5 bazillion times. No, I’m not going to stop next time I get nominated. The questions are different every time, so what? Let’s do it.

This time I’ve been tagged by sweet Madi over at The Book Owl! Thanks Madi! Go check her out, she’s the coolest.

Favorite blog post of your own? A recent one, but a favorite nonetheless: Thoughts On TBR Piles. It was fun to refer to myself in third person. (Did you like that? Emily thought it was fun.)

Favorite book? (Top 5 – who do you recommend it to?) YES you get me, Madi. Top five. (Because who could ever choose just one? I’ll applaud you if you can.) Here goes: The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski (counting it as one because I’m a rebel), The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, Interrupted by Rachel Coker, and The Lunar Chronicles. (Also on the list is The Ascendance Trilogy, The Selection series, and many… MANY… more. But I digress.) And I recommend to absolutely everyone!

Dream job? I have many, but they all involve books: owning a book store (the ULTIMATE dream), being a published author (the definite one), becoming a publisher, publicist, or editor (NOT a copy-editor – do not get those confused. I don’t do grammar/typos/spelling mistakes), or a cover designer. (Being a cover designer would be fun because I could see myself taking after my dad in doing something graphic design-wise but also still connecting it to books.) Whatever I do, I know for sure it will involve books!

Biggest dream/hope for 2016? GO TO YALLFEST. In case you don’t know, it’s a ginormous book convention in Charleston, South Carolina. (I’ve been to Charleston several times and it’s so beautiful! But, to my dismay, never between November 13-15.) The authors I would have loved to have met last time were: Kiera Cass, Veronica Roth, Victoria Aveyard, Lemony Snicket, Marissa Meyer, Meg Cabot, and Elizabeth Wein. ALLLLL IN ONE PLACE. Oh, and did I mention free coffee? And Epic Reads panels? And other author panels? And booktube meet-ups? IT WOULD BE A WHIRLWIND OF AWESOMENESS. I’d just die on the spot okay??!!! That would totally make my year. So yeah. I want to go… just a lil’ bit.

This is actually what came up when I searched yallfest! 

What song are you currently (or most recently listening to?) I listen to a lot of songs. I’m always in the mood for Taylor Swift or Michael Buble, but right now I’ve been loving Then She Appeared by XTC (a song featured in one of the best episodes of Gilmore Girls in season 3… but ssshhh no spoilers here since I know a few of you are watching) and There She Goes by the La’s (which has been a favorite ever since I saw The Parent Trap – which would be so long I can’t even remember) but I’ve been listening more often.

Favorite Disney character? (It’s hard… you can pick up to 3!) Belle, Rapunzel, and Minnie. (Who I get to meet in April… hee hee hee.)

Biggest blogger pet peeve? When someone misspells your and you’re. It’s not hard, people. It’s your book and you’re misspelling that word. (But this is just an all-around pet peeve, really.)

Favorite blogger(s): Lady Literature – who is, in fact, a real life friend of mine and super sweet! Izel – the fangirl to fangirl with. ‘Nough said. Trisha – we’re so much alike & her blog name is awesome. Katie – her writing advice is gold. Amanda – her posts are so thought-provoking. Ana – she’s been around since the beginning! Grace – more thought-provoking posts and book reviews. And Madi, who tagged me for this award & recommends the best books. (The Ascendance Trilogy, hello.) 🙂 … And so many more! I could go on! I love you all so much.

Book you didn’t think you’d like but ended up loving? The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. This book is pure sci-fi and I was 100% sure I would dislike it. I ended up 110% loving it.

Which blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with? This is a hard one, because I love so many bloggers and I want to be best buds with ALL of them! Just look at the above question! 🙂

Dark or milk chocolate? Look, if you hand me chocolate, I am going to eat it. But if I had a choice, milk.

I NOMINATE: Grace @ True and Pure // Katie @ A Writer’s Faith // Lady Literature @ LadyLit Reviews // Trisha @ Bonjour Belle // Ana @ Butterflies of the Imagination // Amanda @ Scattered Journal Pages

THE RULES:

Link back to the person who tagged you
Answer all 11 questions
Tag 11 bloggers who have less than a thousand readers
Ask them 11 questions
Let them know you’ve tagged them through social media

THE QUESTIONS:

1. What is the book that got you hooked on reading?
2. Favorite fictional couples? (Or OTPs?) 🙂
3. Current favorite song/artist?
4. Do you have any pets?
5. What does your handwriting look like? (I’d love pictures!)
6. What do you like to do in your spare time, aside from reading or blogging?
7. What are your favorite shows or movies?
8. If you could go anywhere in the world, where and why?
9. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
10. Any signed books?
11. What would your dream vacation be?

i hope everyone nominated can participate! i can’t wait to see your posts. and if you weren’t nominated, answer some of the questions in the comments! what music have you been listening to? and what are your top 5 favorite books? (i’ll write them down so i can check them out!)

 

IT IS I, EMILY, BACK WITH ANOTHER TAG. Because I adore tags. And you already know this, so let’s dive in.

(and, like most tags, I tagged MYSELF. But this is such a fun one I’m still tagging people to do it. I’m cool like that.)

How long have you been a blogger? If you count the adorable blog of one audacious eight-year-old I kept for four years… then six years. (Nope not giving you the link, but it’s still around.) In April 2014 I got my dad (who is a web designer which really comes in handy) to set me up with this book blog: a less embarrassing, less sporadic, more public blog for bookworms specifically. I could talk about my cat and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch but I don’t really think you’d like that very much so I’ll keep up with the books.

At what point do you think you’ll stop blogging? NEVER.

No, really! I may not have this one specifically forever, but perhaps morph it into something else? The ultimate dream is to own a bookstore (I’ve picked the location and everything, plus I’ve got a graphic designer in the family so boom: marketing) so I think it would be cool for my bookstore to have a blog. Kind of like an Epic Reads, only online? (Or who knows maybe I can hire some tech-savvy cool bookworm teens to keep up a YouTube channel for me. HOW AWESOME would that be?!) And I definitely want to be an author and I’d like an author website.

What is the best thing about blogging? YOU! I’ve met sooo many awesome fellow bookworms. Just keep basking in your awesomeness, peoples, and keep commenting.

What is the worst thing? What do you do to make it okay? Feeling the pressure to literally read ALL THE BOOKS. I am s l o o o o o o w l y crossing books off my TBR list compared to how FAST I am adding them. I will probably have 1 million books on my want-to-read list by the time I kick the bucket. I *try* to pace myself though. Take a breather and be all “chill Ems chill. you DON’T need to read absolutely everything.” I’ve got be honest though, it hardly helps. Especially when rather mean bookworms tease you about the ending… *cough cough Brooke cough Izel* “SHE’S NOT GONNA DIE IS SHE?!” “Ohhhh iiiiii don’t know… she could…” psshh. just hush.

How long does it take you to create/find pictures to use? Sometimes it takes me five minutes and sometimes it takes hours. Creating pictures is sometimes tough because I’m such a perfectionist so I have to make sure the text is center FIVE times before it’s right OR I can’t get good lighting when taking a photo. #booknerdprobs

Who is your book crush? 

Do you want a LIST?! Okay you asked for it.

1. Maxon Schreave from The Selection series
2. Arin (I-can’t-believe-I-don’t-know-his-last-name) from The Winner’s Trilogy
3. WOLF from The Lunar Chronicles (otherwise known as Ze’ev Kelsey… swoon)
4. Prince Cal from Red Queen
5. Kile Woodwork
6. Carter Woodwork (Both ALSO from the selection series) (let’s face it there are a lot of boys in those books)
7. Stuart from The Mother/Daughter Book Club (and maybe Simon too)
8. Linus from Finding Audrey
9. David from The Hired Girl
10. Levi from Better Off Friends
11. Four (isn’t he on EVERY girl’s list? C’mon.)

There are more. Let’s face it fictional boys are SO much better. (Because women wrote all of the above, ha.)

What author would you like to have on your blog? 

Kiera Cass, Marissa Meyer, Marie Rutkoski, Sophie Kinsella, Shannon Hale, Lemony Snicket, Ann M. Martin, Jennifer A. Nielsen… the list goes on.

What do you wear when you write your blog posts? Well I’m usually in my school uniform, so. Pajamas. (shout-out to all the homeschoolers!)

How long does it take you to prepare? Prepare for what? The apocalypse? (otherwise known as the entire book of Revelations HAHAHA. but really.) Was anyone else confused by this question??

But if I’m supposed to be preparing for a blog post? Fifteen minutes to weeks. It really varies.

How do you feel about the book blogger community? 

(yay for two TSwizzle GIFs in a row, no shame no shame.)

I’m obsessed. I have 10x more online friends than offline and I am perfectly okay with that. (Well, as long as I continue to keep my IRL friends.) You’re all awesome and every time I open the computer it feels like we’re all singing around a camp fire singing about books. And fictional boys. And rainy afternoons. And towering bookshelves. And all the FEELS. It’s great.

What do you think one should do to get a successful blog? I don’t know if I’m the right person to ask this question. I think a “successful” blog would be one with lots of thoughtful posts and loyal readers who interact with the blogger. So in that case, I guess I do have a successful blog. My best advice is to post consistently, visit other bloggers TONS (I need to do this more!), and have fun in the comments. It’s a blast. Be yourself!

TAG, YOU’RE IT!

Izel // Trisha // Olivia // Madi

and i tag YOU! please answer these questions on your own blog and link to your tag below. also answer some of the questions below. how long have you been blogging? what’s your favorite part of book blogging?

Hey everyone! I didn’t have a review written up for today, so instead I’m filling in Monday’s post with another award. (Or tag, whatever you wanna call it. They’re basically the same thing.) I have been tagged for the infinity dreams award once more, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve done this one before. But I can never turn them down because they’re so fun to do!

Thank the blogger who nominated you. Thanks, Grace! (Go read her blog, she’s awesome!)

Tell us 11 facts about yourself.

1. I love romantic movies, and my favorite one is You’ve Got Mail. (Because: Tom Hanks & cozy bookstores.)
2. Michael Buble and Taylor Swift are the best. They’re my main squeeze, you guys.
3. I have one younger sister, Anna. (Like AN-UH, not AH-NUH.) Think Ramona Quimby. Or Princess Anna.
4. The first book I remember absolutely loving was If You Give A Pig A Pancake, and I still do.
5. The best vacation I’ve ever been on was a Disney cruise last year. We’re going on another in April! EEP.
6. Both of my parents are readers and excellent writers, so I owe them for my book addiction!
7. I love shopping! The saying “shop till you drop”? That’s me! … when I have money, of course.
8. I have two cats, a dog, three turtles, four fish, and a snail. They distract me from school… a lot! 😉
9. I wear a TON of stripes, polka dots in second. Seriously. It’s pretty much all I wear.
10. I hate disorganization and clutter. I can’t function right if my room is messy.
11. I’ve worn the same perfume for years, so all my clothes have the same scent by the now. (In case you’re wondering, it’s Taylor Swift’s Wonderstruck Enchanted. It smells like heaven in a bottle.)

Answer the questions that were set for you to answer. 

What is your least favorite saying? Well, at first I thought this was kind of an odd question… I’m not sure, really? But then I thought “Sticks and stones break my bones, but words can never hurt me”? SO untrue.

What is your favorite holiday and why? CHRISTMAS! Celebrating Jesus’ birth… and not to mention the food, the family, the presents, the music, the smells, the decorations, the trips… but most of all I love spending time with my family. It’s so much fun and they’re my favorite people in the world. 🙂

Where do you gain inspiration the most? I gain inspiration from books. The characters or even the authors themselves either make me feel understood or make me want more from life, and it’s exciting to feel that way over books… and especially fictional characters! I think if an author can do that to you, then they’re pretty amazing.

How long have you been blogging, and what got you to blog in the first place? I’ll have been blogging for two years this April… so a year and (almost) nine months. Wow! HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG, GEEZ. As to why… I thought it could be fun to meet fellow bookworms who read the same books as I do. I was feeling lonely, I guess, so it seemed like a good idea. Although I remember what made me realize there was a whole bookworm community out there was a fellow Taylor Swift fan on a fan website (you may now know her as Topaz) three years ago who began a blog. A year later she had switched to her new (current) one and I thought “that looks like fun.”

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? I’m going to copy Grace here and say England or New York City. Bath, England specifically because I’d be thrilled to visit Jane Austen’s home there and New York City because there are just SO many things to see. Personally I’d love to see the 9/11 Memorial (maybe some year on my birthday, since that would be an anniversary of 9/11) or stop by the Harper Teen headquarters. (EPIC REEEADS.)

Why can’t we all have this job?? ^

Nominate 11 bloggers and set questions for them. I don’t know if I can come up with 11 bloggers to nominare, so I’m only going to nominate six if that’s okay. And bloggers: just take the questions I already answered above and have fun with it. 🙂

I NOMINATE: Izel // Madi // Trisha // Katie // Lady Literature // Ish

what are some fun facts about you? and feel free to answer some of the questions below!

Hey guys! I was tagged to do this forever ago but finally it’s here for yooouuuu! I love tags so much and it works when I get blogger’s block (which happens to be a lot lately, sigh.) So here goes another tag! This one I was tagged by the lovely Izel, so thanks girl!

(x)

You’re on a deserted island, and you find a cave. What would you expect to find in it? Bats? I’m not sure, that’s just the first thing that popped into my head. Hopefully gold. ‘Cause that would be awesome. As long as I had a big boat to take it home with me. I mean, do you KNOW how many books I would buy?!

If you could have one superpower, which would you pick? Be able to go inside a book. I wouldn’t want to bring a fictional character INTO our world, because I don’t want to scare my babies – reality is a cruel, cruel place, after all. And why would I want to stay here anyway?! Our world is so – so… blech. OR… invisibility. I am a sneaky sneaky person and I’d love to be a fly on a wall in some conversations. (To find out what I’m getting for my Christmas presents, hello.) AND freaking out people… I’ve got a few enemies I’d like to take my revenge on… mwahahaha.

What one song would you choose for the theme music for a movie about your life? Oh wow that’s a tough one. I love music, as you know. (I have quite the eclectic taste.) The first few songs that went through my mind were those of Michael Buble and Taylor Swift (my FAVORITE artists, so of course I’d love to have them sing about me on my movie.) (On a side note a movie about me would be the best movie ever.) But then I thought… a song about a boyfriend/girlfriend thing (EVEN THOUGH Tay has other songs and Mr. Buble has some amazing songs NOT about relationships)… the ultimate relationship I want to be remembered for is my relationship with God. And I think Britt Nicole’s song, All This Time, would be perfect for that.

Hiding there in my bedroom, so alone // I was doing my best, trying to be strong // No one to turn to // That’s when I met you

Every heartache and failure, every broken dream // You’re the God who sees, the God who rescued me // This is my story, this is my story

You can only wear one color for the rest of your life. What color would you pick? Purple. With my brown hair and hazel (green, but closer to brown) I’ve always thought purple looked nice on me. Specifically a dark, fallish purple. 🙂

What’s one thing you want to do that’s wild, crazy, or unusual? Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down here. I am Emily. Queen Of The Worry Warts. I don’t do wild, crazy, or unusual. The closest I get to “wild” is maybe wanting to get into a food fight. ALTHOUGH… I have been thinking lately it would be neat to dye the tips of my hair pink. I could make it work. Margot from Epic Reads anyone? But who knows? Maybe someday I’ll get some gumption and do something crazy!

If you had to give a speech to the whole world in five minutes, what topic would it be about? You know a lot of politicians have the same personality type as me. I could maybe see myself pursuing some sort of political career if I didn’t think the famous life was so horrible. (It wouldn’t be for me, I really like my privacy.) One thing you may not know is that I have really strong feelings about certain topics… I wouldn’t know where to START. Five minutes?! More like five hours. Abortion, persecution, government policies… gosh, what WOULD I say??

You get to have lunch with any three famous people, who would they be? Marissa Meyer (’cause I’m reading her books and I need to give her a hug and let her know that I have fallen in love with her son Wolf) and Taylor Swift (because even though I’m not crazy about her newer songs I just think it would be awesome to say hi to her and then be able to tell everyone I know that I met Taylor Swift, because who doesn’t know who Taylor Swift is?!) annnnd… um… hmm. Bailee Madison? She’s pretty cute. Or Kiera Cass. I met her once but having lunch with her would be phenomenal. (Because I’m also in love with HER son Maxon.)

What is your favorite smell and why? Anything fallish. Pumpkins, cinnamon… my mom always burns lots of candles in our house during the fall and it smells like Heaven!

Share one of your favorite quotes. “If you don’t see the book you want on the shelf, write it.” – Beverly Cleary

Give us two true statements about yourself and one false statement, and see if your followers can guess which one is false. 1) I have never flown on a plane. 2) I once slipped down the stairs and broke my arm. 3) I was bitten by a chipmunk. Can’t wait to see what you think is true or false, have fun guessing!

TAG YOU’RE IT: Trisha // Bella // LadyLiterature

heyyyy and by the way answer some of these in the comments! i’m so sorry i haven’t been answering you all lately, life’s been crazy. but i’m finally on break so talk to you soon!! be on the lookout for a giveaway tomorrow!

Hi all! By now, you know how much I love talking about myself. I could go on and on and on and on and on… online that is. For some reason I get shy when people ask me about myself offline. Is that weird?! Probably. But I always do feel more comfortable online than offline, which might be a bad thing but oh well. And look at there – another thing you know about me! I put a lot of myself into this blog, ’cause it’s the one place I can always be 100% myself and I love that. So today, thanks to Madi for tagging me, I bring you: twenty things you might not know about me!

(x) 

Rules:

• Copy and paste the questions below and turn them into a blog post.
• At the bottom of the post tag from 2-10 bloggers to answer the questions.
• Use the title 20 Things You Might Not Know About Me Blog Tag.
• Give credits to the person who nominated you.

How tall are you? 5’7… I swear I haven’t stopped growing since I was eleven.

Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what is it? I can touch my tongue to my nose. I could also consume one whole pizza in a surprisingly short amount of time if my mom would let me.

What is your biggest blog-related pet peeve? Typos. I know I probably make them a lot, too, but… uggghhh that irks me half to death. Also when people misspell contractions, but that’s just a general pet peeve.

What is your biggest non-blog-related pet peeve? Cliques. I hate feeling left out or not apart of the group, even if said person(s) aren’t trying to make me feel that way. I’m not the most talkative person in public situations so it sometimes takes me a while to feel apart of a group. Plus it’s just plain annoying.

What’s your favorite song? Currently… Cheek to Cheek by Fred Astaire or any Christmas song by Michael Buble. But this changes nearly everyday.

What’s your favorite Etsy shop that isn’t yours? Hannah Everly skirts!! She happens to be the sister of Rachel Coker (who writes the most amazing books) and I am in love with them all! Fun fact: I’m wearing one of her skirts in my profile picture.

What is your favorite way to spend your free time when you’re alone? BLOGGING. Or reading. Or writing. Oh! Or watching Boy Meets World orrrr Gilmore Girls. YAAASSSS.

What’s your favorite junk food? Reese’s chocolate (whoever put peanut butter and chocolate together is the Albert Einstein of all sweets) or chewy Chips Ahoy. Seriously, why even bother making the hard ones.

Do you have a pet or pets? If so, what kind and what are their names? I’ve got two cats – Mittens (who we believe to be part dog) and Maisy (who is full-on sassy cat) – and a dog, Beasley. (We’ve had him for three or four weeks and I am in looove. I’ve missed having a dog since Oreo got sick a few years ago.) 🙁 Oh and three turtles – Squirt, Tutu, and Zoom – four fish (Flo, Speedy, Gil, Alpha), and a snail (Gary!)

What are your favorite fiction and nonfiction books? Fiction… ooh there’s so many. Code Name Verity, The Book Thief, The Selection series, The Ascendance Trilogy, The Lunar Chronicles. And nonfiction would be probably be The Hiding Place.

What’s your favorite beauty product? Concealer. If that’s all I have with me, I can make do. It covers the blemishes and dark circles under my eyes (iiiiiiit’s allergy season – year round for me, ugh) so BAM.

When were you last embarrassed? What happened? Alright, so… me and a friend were at the store when I went to use the restroom. A few of the stalls were out of order and there was a line (what else is new in the women’s bathroom) so it took a minute. When I came out there was a good-looking guy standing there and she goes “You took a while in there” and he walked AWAY before I could say there was a LINE SO IT’S NOT ME I PROMISE.

If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life what would it be? Coffee! Wait, scratch that. I mean creamer. With a little coffee inside.

What’s your favorite movie? You’ve Got Mail (helloooo Tom Hanks) (and, okay, cute book stores.) Or Tangled, because. Eugene.

What were you in high school: prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep? Whale. This is awkward. I’ve got a year before high school. (Though if I’d been born ten days earlier I could have gone into kindergarten a year earlier GRR) buuuut definitely not prom queen, cheerleader, artist, prep, or jock. So? Nerd/Valedictorian/band geek? ACTUALLY I’m all of those things. I’m kind of a teacher’s pet. (wink wink Principal Mom.)

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? England. Mostly for the accents.

PC or Mac? Mac, is this even a question. PC’s… don’t get along with me.

Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boy/girlfriend, spouse? He woke me up this morning with a giant lick on the face. (*waves* Hey Beasley!)

Favorite celebrity? T-Swizzle. Mostly her old songs, but I still love her.

What blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with? Hannah Everly. Or Audrey (whose blog is currently under construction.)

Annnnd there we have it!

I TAG YOU: Amanda // Hayden // Katie // Ana

Have fun, and I hope you can participate!

feel free to answer any of the above questions below! until next time, and have a happy thanksgiving!

Hello blog readers! I didn’t have a post scheduled for today, so I’m throwing this together at 9AM before the mother calls me to school in half an hour and so begins my procrastinating Latin. Again. Sigh… SO as a result I googled up some fun book tags and found the book life tag, which I’ve never seen before and it looks supah cool so Imma do it. (Oh and I was tagged by the ever-beautiful-wonderful-lovely-coolest-girl-ever emily @ for the bookish. If you were wondering.)

(x)

I’m not 100% sure how the tag works, but you can answer the questions as “my best friend is LIKE this book character” or “my best friend I would like TO BE is this book character” so I’m going to do both.

who would your parents be?

My dad would definitely be Liesel Meminger’s Papa from The Book Thief. He made her a dictionary on the basement wall so she could learn to read. He’s sarcastic and always cracking jokes and I can definitely see my dad as him.

My mom? … hmmmmm. I’d say she either reminds me of America Singer’s mother, Magda, from The Selection series, because she’s always trying to get me to do stuff outside my box, things I would never normally do – but turn out good for me anyway. OR Mrs. Hawthorne from The Mother/Daughter Book Club series, because she and Emma are so close and my mom’s pretty much my best friend. 🙂

who would be your sister?

Ramona Quimby from Beverly Cleary’s books. It’s almost uncanny, you really have no idea.

who would be your brother?

Whale. I don’t have a brother but I do love Klaus Baudelaire from The Series of Unfortunate Events. I can only imagine what a brother in my family would be like, so I’m kind of imagining a younger version of my dad. Besides, I think Klaus would make an adorable little brother.

Klaus Baudelaire, the middle child, and the only boy, liked to examine creatures in tide pools. Klaus was a little older than twelve and wore glasses, which made him look intelligent. He was intelligent. – The Series of Unfortunate Events, Book #1: The Bad Beginning

who would be your pet?

I’m totally cheating here because he isn’t a BOOK character, but Maximus from Tangled. Mittens is the cat-version of Max.

where would you live?

In the quaint little town of Pumpkin Falls in Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick. Even the name sounds adorable. Pumpkin Falls. Yes please. (Not to mention they have a beautiful little bookstore!)

who would be your best friend?

Charlie from Rachel Coker’s Interrupted. She’s sweet, bubbly, outgoing… flirty, and hilarious! I feel like we’d get along great – she’s just what I need sometimes. 🙂

who would be your significant other?

Are you kidding me?! How about significant others? Because the truth is, I’m in love with waaaayyy too many fictional boys. Here, I’ll name a few. Maxon, Aspen, Jaron, Kai, Ky (the other Ky),  Zander, Mr. Darcy, Darcy (the one from the Mother/Daughter Book Club), Sam, Frank, Gilbert, Jesse… I’ve lost track. I WANT THEM ALL! But if I guess, I suppose, if I had to choose…. Maxon Schreave would be it. He’s so cute and awkward and incredibly dorky, but gosh darn it, America, STEP ASIDE. *swoon* okay I’ll stop ranting now.

So that was the book life tag. What characters would be in your life??! Oh, and before I forget: I tag everyone reading this! If you want to do it, go ahead! Can’t wait to see your answers. 😉