Holly, over at Nut Free Nerd, did the What Cats Do book tag a while back, and it looked like so much fun! For those of you that don’t know, I’m a huge animal lover, and actually own 4 cats. So, I just had to do this tag! I’ve included some pictures of my cats, too, because they’re too cute!
Purr: As cats do this when they’re happy or relaxed, what is the book that makes you happiest or relaxed?
I’d have to go with Anne of Green Gables. As many of you know by now, it’s one of my favorite books, and it just makes me so happy. It’s a very character driven novel, and just such a relaxing book.
Sleep: What is a book that put you to sleep or was just boring?
It pains me to say it, because I loved the rest of the books in the series, but The Kill Order by James Dashner was just so meh. I didn’t even know it was possible for a book that had so much action to be so boring.
Twitch while dreaming: Have you ever dreamt of a book you read?
I know I’ve dreamt of several books that I’ve been reading, but I think I’ve dreamed the most about being in Nancy Drew mysteries. When I was younger, I remember dreaming about them all the time!
Seems to play nice…until the claws are out!: Which book had the biggest plot twist(s)?
A certain plot twist in Insurgent had me s h o o k. I remember I was reading it while I was babysitting (It was nighttime and the kids were already asleep, lol, I promise I’m a responsible babysitter), and I was so surprised and had nobody to talk about it to that I had to tell their dog. 😂
Cuddles: Which book character would you give a hug to?
I think Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief could really use a hug. The Book Thief is another of my favorite books, and the things that Liesel goes through just makes me want to hug her, support her, and be there for her.
Catnip: What’s a book that made you have warm and fuzzy feels?
There’s several books I could have chosen for this, but I’m going to go with What Light by Jay Asher. It’s just a really nice story, it’s very Christmas-y, and it’s very heartwarming! It’s one of those books that, by the time you turn the last page, you’re smiling, and just feeling emotional and happy.
Cat breeds: Your favorite book(s)?
Well, I’ve already listed 2: Anne of Green Gables and The Book Thief. I also love Matilda by Roald Dahl, the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn, and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, just to name a few.
Getting the cat: How did you find your favorite book(s)?
Anne of Green Gables: I discovered Anne when one of my assigned reading books was Anne of Green Gables. I really adored the book, and always planned on reading the rest of the series, but being 10 years old, I got distracted and kind of forgot. I rediscovered Anne in 2012, after I got my first Nook. They had 6 of the books in a bind-up for $0.99, and I thought that was amazing. So, I reread Anne, and fell completely back in love with the book and characters, and it’s been that way ever since.
The Book Thief: This was a book that I had had on my TBR for quite some time. My grandma finally gave it to me for Christmas, and so I read it, and it quickly became a favorite.
Matilda: I have always loved the movie for Matilda for as long as I can remember. So, when I was, I think 8 or 9, my grandparents gave me the book for my birthday, and it’s been a favorite ever since.
Christy Miller: The Christy Miller books were actually my sister’s. I started reading them when I was the same age as Christy in the first book, 14, and I really loved them. My older sister, who isn’t really a reader, knew how much I loved them, so she just let me take her books.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children: I saw this book at the library, and the cover was so creepy and intriguing, that I decided to read it for Halloween one year. The book was so different and mysterious, and I ended up really, really loving the story.
Being in places they shouldn’t: Least favorite cliché?
I’m going to have to go with love triangles. At one time, I thought they were really exciting (i.e. when I read the Twilight Saga back in 2009 #TeamEdward), but now they’re just so over done, and most of them aren’t even done well. The only way I don’t mind a love triangle, is if it is done extremely well, and that very, very rarely happens.
The good old cardboard box: Most underrated book series?
I have to say the Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore. I read this series last year, and it was so good! There was action, mystery, ballet, and romance (and no love triangle!) – pretty much everything I love in a book. So few people have read this series, and it’s one of those book series that I just want to tell everyone about!
I hope you enjoyed reading this tag, because I had so much fun doing it! I’d love to hear your answers!
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Hello! Today I’m going to share with you all how I did for the #ReadersCrossing readathon hosted by Aentee from Read at Midnight! This was a super cute readathon based off of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, and it ran from December 10th – 31st. Unfortunately, just like during the Holiday Adventureathon, I didn’t complete all the challenges, nor did I keep track of my points like I had originally planned on doing. December was just a busy month for me, and I didn’t read a whole lot. I did enjoy all the books I read though, so I can’t complain!
I was working on the Natural row. I finally finished Gone with the Wind for the Classics challenge square.
Then, for the challenge to read a book set in my country, I read The Afterlife of Holly Chase.
I also finished one of the extra, bonus challenges! The one I completed was taking a picture of one of the animals in Pocket Camp, reading.
That about wraps up how I did on #ReadersCrossing! I look forward to doing more readathons in the future – especially when I have more time to actually read.
If you participated, let me know how you did during #ReadersCrossing.
Thanks for reading!
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Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature started by Breaking the Spine that puts the spotlight on upcoming releases!
Today’s pick is:
Zenith (The Androma Saga #1)
Releasing January 16th, 2018!
Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she’s just Andi, their friend and fearless leader.
But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder’s all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi’s past.
Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two.
Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their shipor just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.
There has been so much hype about this book lately, and I am so excited to read it and see what I think! I’ve followed Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings for years, and they are both such sweet people. Zenith sounds like there is going to be so much action and adventure, and I can’t wait to pick this one up!
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It’s Top Ten Tuesday again! It’s a weekly bookish list created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is:
TOP TEN NEW-TO-ME AUTHORS I READ IN 2017
I discovered so many new authors in 2017! So, here they are in order of their books I read:
Ellen Hopkins
I read her book The You I’ve Never Known, and I really loved it! I definitely plan on reading more of her books in 2018.
Ted Dekker
I read his book Black, and oh boy, what a wild ride! I look forward to continuing his Circle series, as well as reading some of his other books in 2018.
Jennifer Niven
I read Holding Up the Universe, and I absolutely adored it! I am very interested (and nervous, because I hear it’s a tearjerker!) to read All the Bright Places soon. I also just found out she wrote a historical fiction series, Velva Jean, which sounds super interesting too!
Nicola Yoon
Everything Everything was such an enjoyable book, and I’ve heard The Sun is Also a Star is even better. I’m really hoping to get to it in 2018!
Shannon Dittemore
Shannon Dittemore’s Angel Eyes series was so good! I’m very eagerly waiting for her to publish more books!
Fredrik Backman
I finally read a Fredrik Backman book in 2017, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry and I really enjoyed it! I’m really looking forward to reading more of his books in 2018, especially A Man Called Ove, and Beartown!
Rupi Kaur
After so much hype over Milk and Honey, I finally read it, and the hype really is deserved. I am hoping to read The Sun and Her Flowers this year!
Livy Jarmusch
Her Regal Hearts series was so enjoyable! I’m very excited to read The Coronation this year!
Cynthia Hand
The Afterlife of Holly Chase was such an unexpected gem that I read at the end of 2017. I’d love to read her Unearthly series in 2018!
Margaret Mitchell
I finally finished Gone with the Wind, and I understand its hype! This book was such a journey, and I really loved. Now, I need to watch the movie!
Tell me about some new-to-you authors that you read in 2017!
Thanks for reading!
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Hello! Can you even believe that it is the last day of 2017? I read so many amazing books this year, it was so hard to narrow it down just to 10. It was too hard for me to choose a top favorite, though, so I’ve decided to organize these books by read date!
Also, fair warning, this post is basically going to be me saying “I loved this book!!” over and over again. 😂🙈
Okay, without further ado, here are the top ten books that I read in 2017:
Happy New Year’s Eve! Today, I wanted to share this quote from Rainbow Rowell’s short story, Midnights. While I read this quote, it reminded me of the new beginnings that a new year brings. Life is full of adventure and changes, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.
“I’m not going anywhere, Noel’
‘You are,’ he said, squeezing her.’And it’s okay. Just… I need you to take me with you.”…
“Happy Anniversary, Mags.”
“Happy New Year, Noel.”
~ Rainbow Rowell, Midnights
What are your New Year plans?
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Title: The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
Pages: 389
Genres: YA, Paranormal/Fantasy, Retellings
Published by: HarperTeen (Oct. 24, 2017)
Summary
On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she’d become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.
She didn’t.
And then she died.
Now she’s stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge–as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past.
Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly’s afterlife has been miserable.
But this year, everything is about to change. . . .
What I Thought
I picked this book up at the library, on a whim, because it was a new Christmas release. I had heard mixed things about The Afterlife of Holly Chase, and so I was not really expecting much out of it, except a predictable and fun Christmas story. Well, this book totally exceeded all of my expectations!
Hello! Today, I’m doing the New Year’s Book Tag, which was created by Bookables, but I discovered on Jessie’s blog at Nerdy Book Life. With there only being a few days left in 2017, I thought it would be the perfect tag to do!
Alright, let’s get started:
1. How many books are you planning to read in 2018?
Like I said in my 2018 Reading and Blogging Goals post, I’m focusing less on the number of books I read, and more on the number of pages. So, my goal is to read 15,000 pages in 2018, and I’ll just see how many books that equals out to in the end! 🙂
2. Name 5 books that you didn’t get to this year but want to make a priority in 2018.
I’ll be honest, too, one of the main reasons I didn’t get to most of these books was because of their size. I was too focused on not falling behind on my Goodreads goal, that I kept putting off these larger books. That’s why I’m focusing more on page count, instead of book count!
3. What genre do you want to read more of?
I want to read more fantasy, historical fiction, and classics. I always forget how much I love those genres until I pick up books related to them, and then I wonder why I don’t read them more often, lol. So, here’s to me actually reading more books in those genres!
4. Name 3 non book related goals for 2018.
- I want to get better at crocheting, and maybe even sell some of my projects. I’ve been crocheting for about 2 years now, and it’s something that I really love to do. I want to work on new projects, try out new stitches, and just overall continue to improve!
- In typical New Year’s fashion, I’d like to get healthier. I ate way too many pizzas and Blizzards this year, and while I definitely plan on still eating them in 2018, I want to add more fruits, veggies, and water in the mix. Also, I’d like to be more active. I’m not planning anything extreme, because I want to be realistic with myself, but I just want to focus on being an overall, healthier me.
- I want to get my driver’s license. Yes, I’m 23, and I still don’t have my license (but hey, Ray Bradbury didn’t have his, either!). 🙈 It’s one of those things that I’ve just always put off, because I low-key have a fear of driving. Plus, I know enough people who are willing to take me where I need to go, that it was just one of those things I kept stalling about. However, I think it’s finally time.
5. What’s a book you’ve had forever that you still need to read?
The Sweet Far Thing! I’ve had this book for almost three years now, and I still haven’t read it! I loved the first 2 books in the series, and I really want to find out how the series ends, but the sheer size of this book has always made me apprehensive. It is 819 pages, and that is a lot of pages to commit to. However, this book will be read in 2018! I mean it this time!!
6. One word that your hoping 2018 will be:
Wonderful!
7. Tag a friend!
I tag:
Jessica @ Reading with Jessica
Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books
Plus, anyone else who wants to do this!
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you have planned for the new year!
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There’s only a few days left in 2017! It’s hard to believe that 2018 is almost here! This past year was filled with great books and exciting milestones for my blog. I discovered some new favorite books (which I’ll be talking about in another post soon), and my blog has almost doubled in views since last December. I’m really looking forward to seeing what next year brings!
Today, I’m going to share my hopes and goals for reading and blogging for 2018! So, let’s get started!
Reading Goals
- Read more pages. For 2018, I want to focus less on how many books I complete, and more about page count. Sometimes, I get so focused on completing my Goodreads goal, that if I’m behind schedule, I’ll choose to read a shorter book I’m not as interested in, as opposed to a larger book I’m more interested in, just so I can complete a book. So, for next year, my goal is to read 15,000 pages. Hopefully, this will encourage me to read the books I feel like, and stress less about my Goodreads goal.
- Read more classics. This was something I had planned to do this year, but I just didn’t feel like reading many classics, which is totally fine. However, it’s something I’d really like to get to next year. In fact, I’ve decided to create a classics reading challenge! I’m still working out the details right now, but look for an announcement about it coming in early 2018!
- Reread. I want to reread some of my favorite books. It’s been years since I’ve read most of the books that I would consider my favorite, and I want to reread them! I want to see if they’re still my favorites, relive my favorite parts, and revisit my favorite characters.
Blogging Goals
- Maintain consistency. These past couple of months, I feel like I’ve been doing really well with my blogging. I’ve actually been posting consistently again! I participated in Blogmas, which really motivated me. While I don’t plan on posting every day, I want to keep on a consistent schedule.
- Be realistic. Last year, I had a goal to post a new book review every Wednesday and Saturday. Obviously, that didn’t happen. I’ve only read 50 books this year! How did I think I was going to be able to post 2 reviews a week?! So, for 2018, I want to post as much as I can, but at the same time, I want to be realistic about it, so I don’t get discouraged. So, no, I won’t be posting 2 reviews a week. However, I would like to still post 1 review a week, and I think that is a realistic goal for me!
- Host an event. I’m really looking forward to hosting my own readathons and challenges this year! I’ve never hosted anything like that on my blog, and I think it might be a fun experience. Like I said, I’m planning a classics challenge for early 2018!
- Interact more. I want to really interact with and meet more bloggers in 2018. I’m terrible at keeping up with everyone’s posts, and that makes me sad. I really love reading everyone’s blogs and hearing their opinions. So, hopefully, I’ll be able to stay more connected to everyone next year!
That just about sums up my reading and blogging goals for 2018! I’d love to hear yours in the comments. 🙂
Here’s to a new year filled with good books, blogging, and friends! 🥂
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Hi everyone! I thought I’d share with you all my wrap-up of the The Holiday Adventure-A-Thon, which was hosted by Jasmine from Novel Thoughts!
This wrap-up is going to be pretty short because, unfortunately, I did not get a lot of reading done. I admit, I didn’t even keep track of my points. 😦 I had such high hopes, because this readathon was so well thought out and organized, but with all my preparations for Christmas I didn’t do so great.
So, I half fulfilled 2 of the reading challenges.
COOKIES
I read the second half of Skipping Christmas while eating all the cookies! I did start this book before the readathon, but I finished it during, so I’m counting it!
WONDER
I read the first 60 pages of The Afterlife of Holly Chase. I’m really enjoying this book so far, though, and hope to have it finished in the next couple days!
Aaand, that’s all I read! I’m disappointed I didn’t read more, but it’s okay, there will be other readathons. Plus, I can’t really complain about not reading, because I was busy celebrating Christmas, which is my favorite time of year!
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you participated in The Holiday Adventureathon, and if you did, how did you do!?
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