Tags

Tag | Sunshine Blogger Award

TagTimel12:17I was tagged by Renée over at Global Bookworm, she has some great posts on her blog such as why you should become a global bookworm. I hope you check out her blog and see what she is up to.

Also, the next few Tuesday will be filled with fun tags that I need to get caught up on. I hope you all enjoy reading my answers and also consider yourself tagged!

RULES:

  • Thank the blogger who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
  • Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
  • Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and ask them 11 new questions
  • List the rules and display the sunshine blogger award logo in your post/or on your blog

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Tag Time | The Sunshine Blogger Award Vol. 7

TAG | Sunshine Blogger Award Vol. 6

TAG |The Sunshine Award Vol. 5

TAG | The Sunshine Blogger Award Vol. 4

TAG | Sunshine Blogger Award Vol. 3

TAG | The Sunshine Blogger Award Vol. 2

THE SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD


The Questions

  1. Why did you start a book blog?
    • I wanted to have a place where I could share my love of reading as well as talk with others who have the same love of books. Since a lot of my friends aren’t readers like myself I wanted to find some new ones online.
  2. What is the best book which has been written in your country?
    • Oh, this is a hard one. I think my favorite book Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. There are so many wonderful stories though.
  3. Which book is you guilty pleasure?
    • I don’t think any books I read I would consider “guilty pleasures”.
  4. What is your favorite non-fiction book?
    • My favorite non-fiction would be The Witches: Salem, 1692. I highly recommend it since it reads more like a narrative and the content is very interesting.
  5. When would you say that your blog is a (big) success?
    • I would say my blog is a big success every time I have a wonderful interaction with one of my readers since that was the reason why I created it in the first place.
  6. Which book do you believe should be mandatory to read at all schools worldwide?
    • I don’t know if I could answer this because a book that would be useful, relevant, and meaningful in every country, state, and town.
  7. Do you rather buy your books or get them from the library?
    • I really enjoy using my library for books I am iffy about, but I enjoy buying books that I really loved.
  8. Which mistakes did you make when you started blogging?
    • I think the biggest mistake I made was that I went a little over the top when I got started, which led to getting burned out quickly and then not posting again for months. I eventually redid everything and tried again.
  9. How do you take care of yourself and you mental health?
    • I make sure I have me time, which could be me just hanging out by myself, doing something I have wanted to do, or just eating my favorite meal. I realized that I need to set time aside to do things I feel like doing and it goes a long way.
  10. From which country would you like to read a book?
    • I would love to read a book that takes place in Egypt. I loved reading non-fiction books about the country, but I can say I never read a fiction set in the country. Any recommendations are welcome!
  11. If you could give advice to a blogger who starts today, what would it be?
    • Write about what you love, those who share those interests will come. Do not write what you think others want to hear.

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Tag | The Liebster Award #3

TagTimel12:17More Flowers 2

I want to thank Whitney for nominating me for this award, you should all check out her blog it is wonderful and she is very kind. Since this is my 3rd nomination I will link to my two previous ones incase you would like to read my answers from those previous times. It is always interesting how people change and their opinions change over time and as we grow.

The Liebster Award | 2018

TAG|The Liebster Award #2

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Rules for The Liebster Award:

• Thank your nominator and provide a link to their blog

• Answer your nominator’s 11 questions

• Create 11 questions of your own

• Nominate 11 blogs

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Whitney’s Questions:

  1. What standalone book do you wish had a sequel?
    • Oh this is an awesome question, I think I would love if Sleeping Beauties by Septhen and Owen King has a sequel. Since I finished the book I always wondered how the world would have changed after then end of that book.
  2. What is your favorite bookish object purchase?
    • My favorite bookish object I have purchased would have to be any bookmark. I feel like out of all the things I have bought, that is the thing I maintain my use of and continue to use.
  3. Who is your favorite romantic pairing in a novel?
    • Easy, Jo March and Professor Friedrich Bhaer from the Little Women series, yes it is a four book series.
  4. How do you choose what to read next?
    • It is totally mood based or if I have a deadline coming up.
  5. Do you like to see the movie adaptation of a book first, or read the book first?
    • I honestly don’t have a preference, I tend to see these as two separate entities.
  6. What is your favorite bookstore? (online or physical)
    • I love Indie Bound and Books a Million
  7. What is your favorite and least favorite genre?
    • I love thrillers and non-fiction, I have recently realized that I do not like science-fiction and I am VERY picky about fantasy.
  8. How long do you normally take to finish a book?
    • I can take me a day or months, there is no rhyme or reason for it.
  9. What character would you choose to be your companion on an adventure?
    • Bilbo Baggins or the Weasley Twins, you need some fun and smart people to help keep you alive and your spirits up.
  10. What is your Hogwarts house/do you feel that it is accurate?
    • Hufflepuff and I feel that it is very accurate!
  11. Who would comprise your ultimate girl squad?
    • Oh this is too difficult! Um, I would have to pick Eleanor Roosevelt, Jo March, Hermonie Granger, and Professor Minerva McGonagall.

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My Questions

  1. What books has the most sentimental value for you?
  2. What does your dream bookshelf or library look like?
  3. Have you had a pet that you gave a bookish name? If not, if you did get a pet what bookish name would you give them?
  4. Have you ever DNF’ed a book? What book was it and why?
  5. Do you reread books? Please explain because I am very curious.
  6. What is your reading routine?
  7. What was the first book you remember reading?
  8. What format do you usually read?
  9. How many books are currently in your TBR?
  10. What book are you most excited about reading this year?

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I Tag

Jess & Teagan

myonethousandlivesblog

Sammy 

For The Love of Books Blog

Jasmine Eclipse

Megan @ Ginger Mom and the Kindle Quest

Jacquie (Rattle the Stars)

Justine

jen_bookworm

OlaReadsBooks

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Tags

The Cake Book Tag

So I was watching some booktube instead of reading today and I saw PeruseProject do this tag and I thought would be fun to do. I did make it a bit more challenging by making myself stick to books I have read in the last 12 months. Time to mix all the ingredients together and make a great book cake! P.S. All titles are linked to go to the books goodreads pages if you are interested in learning more about the books. 

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source: Princeton Public Library

 

FLOUR: A book that was a little slow to start, but really picked up as it went along.

Euphoria by Lily King 

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Euphoria by Lily King is a great book, when I finished it I knew it would be a book I would revisit. But, it didn’t start off that way. At first it was a little slow even though it was interesting, but I almost put it down for good. Then, the story picked up and I couldn’t put it down. Talk about a 180. 

Blurb: “Inspired by events in the life of revolutionary anthropologist Margaret Mead, Euphoria is the story of three young, gifted anthropologists of the 1930s caught in a passionate love triangle that threatens their bonds, their careers, and, ultimately, their lives.” via goodreads

BUTTER: A book that had a rich, great plot. 

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

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Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel was one of the best books I read last year. I was so engrossed in the story and invested. It had an interesting concept and the plot took unexpected twists and turns. The sequel, Waking Gods, came out not that long ago and I cannot wait to get to it. 

Blurb: “A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.” via goodreads

EGGS: A book you thought was going to be bad, but actually turned out quite enjoyable. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray

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While the description of this classic sounds interesting for some reason I thought I wouldn’t enjoy it at all. But, I was pleasantly surprised when I enjoyed it. It was the perfect mixture of having the classic critiques, gothic style, and it can still be related to the modern world. 

Blurb: “Written in his distinctively dazzling manner, Oscar Wilde’s story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is the author’s most popular work. The tale of Dorian Gray’s moral disintegration caused a scandal when it first appeared in 1890” via goodreads

SUGAR: A sugary, sweet book.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

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Ah, the sugar in this book cake, The Rosie Project. I have to say I just adored this book, I think mainly because it speaks a lot to my personal life and I made a connection to it. I fell in love with this book nearly right from the beginning. 

Blurb: “Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project.” via goodreads

ICING : A book that covered every element that you enjoy about a book.  

Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter 

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The Jackaby series is an auto buy series for me, I even have the next book on preorder. From the three that are currently out I have loved every single one. For my personally, that has never happened before. Even with my beloved (and most likely a lot of other peoples) Harry Potter series. There are books I am just meh about, but still enjoy. But Ghostly Echoes is great and so is the rest of the series, it is a mixture of Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes. I know I should not be comparing this series to other series (TV and books), but it really is. 

Blurb from book one: “Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary–including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose.” via goodreads

SPRINKLES: A book series that you can kind of turned back to for a little pick me up when you’re feeling down.

Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling

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Do I really need to explain this one? lol.


THE CHERRY ON TOP: Your Favorite book you have read so far this year.

The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel 

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So far The Stranger in the Woods has been my top read. Mainly because it has a sense of adventure, justice, psychology, and a wonderful story that is not intimidating at all to read. This book is with well researched and has personal touches that make a great narrative. 

Blurb:”In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries.” via goodreads

If you have made it this far into this post I congratulate you, it was a bit of reading for sure. This posts question is…

What book would be your butter in your Cake Book Tag?

Thank you for reading, have a great day and happy reading!


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Reading Challenges

2017 Goals Update: First Quarter

The firstupdatetop5 quarter of 2017 is nearly over so I thought I would take this time to do a little update on my 2017 goals, you can find the post here: 2017 Goals! I also thought it would be fun to go through and show my progress of the books outlined in my post called Top 5 Books I Want to Read in 2017

On the right side of the post you will see an image of a few books. If you have not seen my previous post those are the top 5 books I wanted to read this year. There are also large green X’s on some of those books. Those are the books I have completed, 4 of the 5. I am actually very surprised at my progress, I did not expect to get threw them this quickly. If you are interested you can find short reviews for three of the completed books on my post entitled #TBRTakeDown: Wrap Up.

The first goal I had set forth for myself was to give up on series and books I am not enjoying. I have to say that so far I am keeping true to this goal. I have stopped reading two series I was not feeling and DNF’ed one book.

The second goal I set for myself was to become a more critical reading and rater. Once again I feel that I have held true to this, while I have really enjoyed a lot of the books I have read this year, so far 23, only one has been given 5 stars.

The third goal I set was getting my TBR to 0 by the end of the year. Now this one I am having a hard time with. I don’t think I am the only reader with this “problem”. Since January I have read 23 books, so in theory I should be very close to have 0 already. The thing is I am finding books online and in bookstores I want to read and I just can’t seem to help myself. I have managed to get my TBR to 33, up 7 books. If you are interested you can find my TBR on my Libib account.

The fourth goal I have set was to post on my blog at least twice a month. I have crushed this one by posting at least once a week so far this year. In some cases twice a week. Yay!

The final goal I have set myself was getting my goodreads shelves under control. A month or so ago I took time and sat down and created new shelves based upon genre. I have slowly been going through and moving my current reads and previous reads onto these shelves. So I can happily say I am on the right track.

Over all I have to say that 2017 is getting off to a great start. Now to get my TBR and book buying under control… yeah I am shaking my head as well, but I can dream!


 

How are your 2017 goals coming along?

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Tags

Blogger Recognition Award

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Thank-you charlotte for the nomination! You can find her [here].

Rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
2. Write a post to show your award.
3. Give a brief story of how your blog started.
4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
5. Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
6. Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

Story About How I Started My Blog

I started my blog as a way to connect with fellow readers and book lovers. I will say I had a very rocky start, I created it and did not really write anything on here for nearly a year. I previously had a Tumblr that I posted on constantly and still do you can find that [here] if you want to see some of my old reviews and bookish things.

Two Pieces of Advice

1. This is something fun, not a job. Do not feel like you HAVE to do anything.

2. Plan ahead! Planning topics ahead of time or even writing posts ahead of time is very helpful and will keep you constant.

I tag:

https://mistysbookspace.wordpress.com

https://flaviathebibliophileblog.wordpress.com

https://charlotteannelise.wordpress.com/

https://caitstielsworld.wordpress.com/

https://charlotteannelise.wordpress.com/

https://ardentattachments.wordpress.com

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Tags

Liebester Award

I was nominated by the wonderful  pagesbeyondreality, check out her blog!

HERE ARE THE RULES:

  • Acknowledge the person who nominated you for the award and post the award
  • Answer the questions that were asked by the blogger who nominated you.
  • Give 5 facts about yourself
  • Ask 11 questions of your own
  • Nominate up to 11 blogs for the award 200 or under followers
  • Notify your nominees.

THE QUESTIONS:

  1. Have you ever read a book that you wish you didn’t, if so what one?
    • I wish I never read P.S. I still love you by Jenny Han. I LOVED the first one, but the second one didn’t seem to keep true to Lara personality.
  2. If you could put yourself into a book what book would you choose?
    • Any Harry Potter book aside from the last one, I lived through the sadness once, I don’t think I would be able to do it again.
  3. Do you write in your books?
    • I only wrote in my Uni books.
  4. What fictional character do you wish is your bestie?
    1. Cath from Fangirl so we can write fan fiction together.
  5. What’s your favorite book cover?
    • The Book Thief anniversary edition.
  6. Paperback or hardcover?
    • Oh, this is a difficult one. I love large soft covers because they are so nice to read, but I love hard covers because they hold up better. >.< I guess large soft covers, no mass markets please.
  7. what is your Favorite name from a fictional character?
    • Luna obviously lol
  8. Favorite t.v show(s)?
    • That 70s show, Bones, Doctor Who, and iZombie to name a few.
  9. Who is your favorite fictional villain?
  10. What is your favorite genre of books?
    • Right now I am reading a lot of Science Fiction and Horror.
  11. If you could only save one book series from your shelf, what would it be?
    • Harry Potter

FACTS ABOUT ME:

  • I started a blog because none of my friends read and I wanted to fangirl.
  • I went to school full-time and worked full-time.
  • I studied art for two years before changing my major to history.
  • I hated reading until I was a sophomore in high school, I know crazy.
  • I love being outside.

MY QUESTIONS TO WHO I NOMINATE

  1. What is your bookish pet peeve?
  2. Do you use an ereader? What type?
  3. If you can meet three book characters who would you pick?
  4. Where is your favorite reading place?
  5. Do you read a series one after another or do you take a break in-between books?
  6. If you could get everyone to read one book, what book would it be?
  7. How do you feel about graphic novels?
  8. What genre of book is your favorite?
  9. Do you buy bookish goodies? What is your favorite one?
  10. Do you read certain books at particular times of the year?

NOMINATIONS:

https://bookshelvesandbiros.wordpress.com

https://bookshelvesandbiros.wordpress.com

ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO IT 🙂

I am very new to wordpress so I don’t follow many blogs on here.

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