Tag Archives: Bookish

25 Bookish Facts About Me

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Hey peeps! So I got this idea from Bookables over on YouTube where she talked about twenty-five bookish facts about her and I found them to be really fun, so I thought that I’d do my own version of this! So here are twenty-five bookish facts about me:

  1. I didn’t start reading the Harry Potter series until I turned 20. I know, I’m late to the party.
  2. I really don’t like reading classics, but I’ll give certain authors a try, like Jane Austen. Honestly, that’s it. Sorry classics lovers.
  3. I’ve only ever been to one book signing and that was for when Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer came out – and I hated it. I was the second to last one in line to get a band to get my books signed, and my two friends got one before they moved the line outside. It was seriously a miserable day, but I still got the first three books signed thanks to my friend.
  4. I’d totally be going to BEA or BookCon this year, but unfortunately May is a block out month for me at my work this year, so no one’s allowed to take time off. So sad.
  5. I love bookmarks. Like I have a serious problem and buy more bookmarks than I’ll ever need, but some of them are just so CUTE. I can’t help it.
  6. I’ve always been a reader, but I got wicked into reading when manga was introduced to me in 6th grade. I read series like Tokyo Mew Mew, Fushigi Yuugi, Fruits Basket, Hot Gimmick, and more. It’s also the time I became obsessed with anime and Japanese culture, as one does.
  7. Over the last year and a half since starting my blog/Booktube, I’ve accumulated well over 200 books – physical, ebook, and audiobook.
  8. I got my first tattoo at the end of December last year that is a quote about books and how much I love them (it’s on my right shoulder blade area): IMG_2483
  9. I’m able to read multiple books at one time and keep track of what plot belongs to what book, characters, setting, etc.
  10. When I get into a slump, I get into one HARD and it’s really hard for me to pull myself back out unless I read an amazingly awesome book.
  11. RE: slumps: The last book to pull me out of my really bad slump last year was The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater. Love that book and series!
  12. My favorite genre is fantasy – both adult and YA.
  13. My least favorite is non-fiction. Unless there’s something to draw me in, I don’t really have an interest in non-fiction books.
  14. I’ve never read a horror book before, or a mystery book… Actually, does Children of the Corn count? That was creepy AF.
  15. I remember borrowing a book in second grade from my teacher and I never gave it back. Whoops.
  16. The first comic book series I’ve read is Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples. And it’s AMAZING.
  17. I love bags. Like, you know how lots of girls love shoes? Yeah, I’m a bag lady. Some of my favorite purses or totes that I’ve gotten were from Barnes & Noble.
  18. I’ve gone into Barnes & Noble so much that at one point an employee recognized me every time and would greet me and talk to me and stuff. It was really nice before she left!
  19. I’ve got to say it: as much as I know The Lord of the Rings is a classic (literally and figuratively), I’m not really interested in reading it just from knowing JRR Tolkien’s style of writing. I’ve read the first four chapter of the first book and it took that long to get the journey started. It was long winded and just not my taste. *ducks and covers from TLotR/JRR Tolkien fans*
  20. I started Booktube before starting my blog – I think it was almost a week difference.
  21. I want to someday have a library of books. But, of course, what book lover doesn’t? And by library, I mean like five bookcases or more just full of books. My husband said he’d build me one when we have our own house and I’m holding him to it.
  22. The first audiobook I listened to was The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson and it sparked my love for the trilogy – so amazing! The narrators did really well with the characters and pronunciations and it was just awesome.
  23. I have library cards to three libraries from each town I’ve lived in and I’ve made bare minimum appearances there… Like, I’ve been to two of the three once and the other a small handful of times. It’s not that I don’t like libraries, I just like owning my books so I don’t have to worry about returning them on time.
  24. I’ve buddy read with my husband before, but he reads at such a faster pace than me that we kind of gave up.
  25. I hate DNFing books. I’ve done it twice, but I think I’m going to pick them up again to give them another try.

There you have it! Twenty-five bookish facts about me. I felt like there should have been more, but I really struggled to come up with twenty-five.

Tell me a few bookish facts about you! I’d love to hear it.

Accompanying video: 25 Bookish Facts About Me

Top Ten Tuesday: Resolutions For 2016

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Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday as hosted by the lovely peeps over at The Broke & the Bookish. Today’s topic is all about our resolutions for 2016.

Now, I know I already posted my resolutions a few days ago, but I wanted to participate in this week’s T10T and go into more detailed resolutions that I’d like to accomplish for this year.

I’m going to separate these into five bookish related resolutions and five personal ones. So, here we go:

Bookish

1 . Complete the Mortal Instruments & Infernal Devices series. Like, seriously, I really want to finish these, and since I’m reading them in the order they were published I’ll be able to kill two birds with one stone and finish reading both the TMI series and TID trilogy.

2. Complete the Harry Potter series. I still have yet to finish reading the HP series for the first time and so I really want to try to make a point in finishing it this year. I love the movies and I’m loving the books, so I don’t see why it’s taking me so long.

3. Actually finish A Game of Thrones. I’ve been reading this book for about three years now and I really just need to finish the dang thing. I’m half way through and I really want to make it a goal to read at least one book in the series per year.

4. Get back into manga. I was HUGE into manga as a teenager, and sure I may dabble in it here and there, but I don’t read it nearly as much anymore when I used to love it.

5. Get more book shelves! And I’m talking the tall ones, not these small ones that we have stuffed places. Both my husband and I need more shelf space (mostly me) and so I’m thinking of downgrading my desk and making more room for some shelves.

Personal

6. Eat healthier. Okay, yeah, I know a lot of people make this resolution – “New year, new me!” – but I really do need to eat a lot healthier. I’m overweight and people are concerned for me so I need to improve my diet.

7. Finish writing a novel and edit it. I really want to get a jump start on one of my passions and I really want to further my process in writing and working toward getting published.

8. Save more money. Don’t we all need to do this? Well, for me personally my husband and I want to buy a house and start a family sometime in the near future so I really need to watch my spending and do my best to save.

9. Rebuild my relationship with God. I don’t go to church or really read my bible that much, and I want to change that. Having that relationship was important to me a year ago, so why isn’t it now?

10. Be happy. I think this is probably the most important one for me to really remember and succeed at. 2015 was a rough year for me emotionally and mentally, but in other ways it was still great. I want this year to be even better and I just want to be happy with the decisions I make and whatever it is that I do.

And that’s it! It’s a pretty simple list, but I think that I can accomplish all of these as long as I try hard enough at it.

What are some of the resolutions you made for yourself? Do you think you’ll be able to stick to them? Let me know!

Bookish Resolutions for 2016

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Happy New Year! I can’t believe we’re already into 2016! Seriously. 2015 flew by.

So now’s the time where I make those promises that I don’t intend to keep. You know: resolutions. Okay, well I’m going to try my best to stick to these resolutions, but no guarantees.

But first, let’s review my last year’s resolutions and see what I actually accomplished:

  • I did NOT read at least three classics.
  • I did read three to five books per month when I was on a roll, so I’m counting this one.
  • I did accomplish my goal of reading at least 30 books, because I read 50 books total!
  • I did NOT participate in #ProjectFiveBooks or 0 by 16.
  • I did NOT revise my 2014 NaNoWriMo novel.
  • I did do occasional corresponding blog posts and videos, as well as did more discussions, tags, wrap-ups, and hauls.
  • I did NOT get a domain name.
  • I did NOT seek out any ARCs.

Alright, well, that was a lot of NOPE instead of a lot of YES. But I’m actually not sad about that at all! I did so much on my blog, plus I’ve read so many books, that I’m really happy with what I accomplished in 2015.

And now that we’re in 2016 I’m totally looking forward to some new things in my reading and blogging life. So here is what 2016 will hopefully look like for me:

Reading Life

  • Read at least 30 books – If I reach this goal, great! If not, that’s okay, too.
  • Read more adult books/books in other genres – I want to expand my horizons a bit more and try to read more out of my comfort zone.
  • Listen to more audiobooks – I really do enjoy audiobooks! I just need to find the right ones and time to listen to them.
  • ARCs – Maybe this will be the year I start asking about ARCs! We’ll see.

Blogging/Booktube

  • Make videos once a week – I’m trying to aim for every Monday, but it’ll happen at least once a week if I can manage it.
  • Comment on other blogs more – I seriously lacked in this area in 2015, but I’m going to do my best to comment more on others’ blogs this year!
  • Include more topics on writing – You guys seem to really like these posts, so I’m going to try to talk more about writing in the new year.
  • Have fun with it – I tried to keep schedules and whatnot, but it just doesn’t seem to work for me. I’m just going to have fun with my blog and youtube channel, so I’m going to post what I want, when I want. But, that being said, I am going to do my best to post at least twice weekly.

And that’s it for my resolutions for 2016! They’re a lot simpler, broader, but still attainable. I think that 2016 is going to be another great reading year, and I can’t wait to take you all along with me!

Accompanying video: 2016 Bookish Resolutions

Top Ten Tuesday: Non-Bookish Things I’m Thankful For

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Hey peeps, welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday as hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! I want to apologize for being so absent this month; it’s just been a really slow one.

So for today it was a Thanksgiving freebie where you could pick the topic you wanted that revolved around Thanksgiving, and so I wanted to talk about the ten top non-bookish things that I am thankful for in my life. I won’t lie, one or two might be about books, but this list won’t necessarily be comprised of book related things.

So here we go!

  1. My family – Pretty generic and cheesy, but it’s true. I am incredibly thankful for my family, especially my mom and dad. They’re very supportive and loving and they’re just amazing. I love them to bits and I can’t imagine my life without them. I’m also thankful for my brother and his wife, and my nieces and nephew. I love them all to bits.
  2. My husband – Though technically he’s my family now and all of that, I think he needs his own bullet point. I love him so much and we’ve been through so much together that I can’t imagine my life without him either. He’s wonderful, loving, funny, and my other half.
  3. My best friend – My best friend, Katie, is a wonderful woman with a heart of gold and I love her so much. We’ve known each other since kindergarten (almost 20 years, guys) and I seriously CANNOT picture my life without her in it. She’s been there for me through thick and thin, and she’s just a wonderful person.
  4. My current living situation – My husband and I have a first floor two bedroom apartment for a great price in this area and I’m so, so thankful for that. Though, yes, we’d love to be living in a house sooner rather than later, I’m just glad that we can financially support ourselves in this place for as long as we have been and will continue to do so until we do find our first house.
  5. My job – Though my job can bring on a lot of anxiety for me, I still am grateful to have it. It’s a full time job with benefits and in this economy, what more can I ask for? It pays the bills and it gives me something to do during the day.
  6. My books – Okay, here’s the book bit. I love my book collection, and though I am thinking about downgrading a bit and donating books I’ve lost interest in, I still am very grateful to have this passion and love of reading (even if I’m having extreme difficulty lately).
  7. My blog – Seriously! Without my blog, without you guys, I’d be so bored! This blog in particular is my most successful one – and I’m not just talking about how many people follow me. I’ve been so dedicated to this blog and posting as much and as often as I can to just, well, talk about my love for books and reading and writing. They’re all wonderful, amazing passions and I’m just glad I have an outlet in which I can share my opinions and views on. So thank you – all of you – for reading, following, and chatting with me.
  8. My car – My first “big girl” purchase that I’ll be paying off for the next six years, my car is so much better than the one I had before. Yes, the last one may have been given to me for free by my dad, but that doesn’t mean I liked it one bit. BUT, my new car is awesome and I love it and I’m so grateful that I was able to get it and that I’ve owned it for a year now.
  9. My bird – It’s just great having a pet around, and the fact that I get to have my bird live with us makes me feel happy and a little bit more comfortable in my apartment when I’m alone sometimes.
  10. God – In case you didn’t know, I am a Christian, and as such, yes, I am thankful for God, for Jesus, and for all He’s done for me and will continue to do for me.

So that is my list of ten non-bookish things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving season. I’m not 100% sure as to what my husband and I are doing, but I’m sure whatever it is there will be plenty of food and good times to be had.

What are some of the things you’re thankful for? What are your plans for this holiday season? Do you celebrate Thanksgiving? If not, tell me what you’re thankful for in your life, anyway.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Things on My Wishlist

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Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday, as hosted by the peeps over at Broke & Bookish. Today’s topic was a freebie, meaning we could pick whatever we wanted to talk about, and so I thought I’d talk about some of the bookish things that are on my wishlist! Now this doesn’t necessarily mean I will ever acquire these items, but I would still love to hope I would one day.

  1. Harry Potter merch – specially Hufflepuff merch. Okay, so, I am a Hufflepuff and every quiz I’ve ever taken EVER, including Pottermore (twice!) has been Hufflepuff. So I want some Hufflepuff merch because I want to show off my Hogwarts pride someway, somehow!
  2. More POP! Vinyl figures – So far all I have is Daenerys from A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin, and I love her to bits! The one I got is one I hadn’t seen before, and it’s the one where she’s holding one of her little dragons and I just love it. I would love to get more figurines, specifically of Hagrid, and any other cool ones I want. Heck, they don’t even have to be book related, I just want moreeeee.
  3. Bookworms – I’ve seen them on Etsy and I really want a felt or fabric bookworm to chill on my shelf and make his home there. Because, why not? I’m pretty sure it’s an essential. Specifically this one.
  4. Bookmarks – Like my collection isn’t big enough already, but I’d love more bookmarks! My favorites are the little magnetic ones because they’re a lot harder to lose than regular cardboard ones. But really, any will do!
  5. A tattoo – Okay, I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t that a little extreme?” Well, yes, it is. But my love for reading is endless and forever, so why not commemorate that with a tattoo? I’m not saying it’ll happen any time soon – if at all – but a girl can dream. Just look at these cool ones.
  6. A bookish phone case – I’ve been mulling over this for weeks now and I just really want to get one. There’s actually a booklr, books-cupcakes, who has a Redbubble shop and I really want this design. I think it’s perfect and feminine and lovely.
  7. Posters – I have a serious lack of posters of books lying around. I’m not really a poster person much anymore (mostly because I don’t want to hang anything up on the walls in my apartment), but that doesn’t mean I won’t appreciate the thought of them!
  8. Book charms – You know those necklaces or bracelets with charms on them and they’re mini versions of books? Yeah, I want one of those. Which book? I have no idea. Actually, I do, and it’d be the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas, and if I had to pick one book, it’d be Queen of Shadows. >> Okay, that was too easy.
  9. Journals galore – This is sort of bookish, but I love journals. I love to collect them, and even if I don’t write in them I love them. Just the idea and possibility of writing in them and filling the pages excites me – I just never know what to write in them!
  10. Bumper sticker – Are there book bumper stickers out there? I’d love one and stick it to my car proudly.

So there you have it! My bookish wishlist. What are some of the bookish things that you wish you could have? Let me know!