Blogger Recognition Award

Thanks so much Greg at Bookhaven for tagging me! 

I've always had a habit of creative procrastination.

My first finals season in graduate school, I learned how Tumblr works. My second finals season I learned how to juggle four balls while walking. (this amazing skill has yet to get me anywhere but I still have hope it will come in handy one day) When I've studied as much as humanly possible, I look for other ways to use up that nervous energy.

That's how I believe my first blog started. It was so many years ago-- almost seven, which may not sound like a super impressive number but when you start a blog in high school, and then find yourself in graduate school...well, a lot has happened between now and then. But I'm pretty sure I decided to make a photography blog because I was procrastinating from some homework/exam/studying. I had just discovered how much I loved taking photos, and I wanted a space to share that excitement.

Flash forward many years, and my old photography blog had worn many hats, but none of them particularly well. I tried genres (photography, crafting, lifestyle, travel, cooking, etc) like people flip through channels on a TV. I wondered why I could never seem to gain a following or find a community until the obvious finally hit me-- I was too eclectic. I was trying to talk about way too many subjects.

I settled on just one subject that I had always been passionate about-- books. My friends were surely tired of hearing me opine for ages on the latest book I had just finished, so I decided to take my copious amounts of words and use them to create a new blog-- this one!

(really this is just me preaching to myself but if you find this helpful, great!)

1. Be consistent. Find a schedule-- twice a week, three times a week, whatever-- and stick to it. Obviously this won't always be possible (hello grad school) but if you consistently churn on good content, I believe that readers will come. And with readers comes comments and connecting with other people and isn't that what this entire endeavor is really about? 
2. Be on theme. Obviously book blogs don't have to be exclusively about books but I need to remind myself that if I want to do well in a certain area then I need to stick with it-- not wander off when cooking sounds like a fun post oh but what about nature post but what about-- no. The majority of my content should be book-focused, with fun asides every now and then. 

Please do consider yourself, dear reader, as honorarily tagged! Tell me your origin story and your advice to new bloggers. Leave links to your post in the comments below.

Mid-Year Freakout Book Tag

1. The best book you've read so far in 2017

You guys. I hate to be conventional but there's just no way to choose an answer to this! I mean there are books that were the best in shocking twists (Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde) and then there were books that were the best in creativity (Binti by Nnedi Okorafor) and then there were books that were the best in that they introduced me to series that I love (The Stars for a Light by the Morris people). So yeah. That's my answer? 

2. Your favorite sequel this year

A City Not Forsaken by the Morris people

So this isn't technically a sequel it's more like...a sequel to a sequel? Anyhow, the third book in this historical fiction series was really well done. I loved the character development, how something tragic that happened in the previous book really effected how the characters acted in this one. 
I will probably write a post devoted to the pros and cons of this series-- it's one of those books where there are things I love and things that I could rant for hours on to anyone poor passerby who stops to listen.

3. A new release that you haven't read but really want to

 the night the lights went out by Karen White

I don't have many books on my to-read list that have been recently published so it's not that this is a book I'm super pumped and excited about reading holy cow but it is a book that I thought looked interesting, and it was released this year. And it has great reviews on Goodreads!





4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year



Hello Sunshine by Laura Dave


I'm a big YouTube fan-- my subscription list is ridiculously long. This novel, about an online celebrity whose perfect life is reveled to be well, not perfect, seemed right up my ally. I've never followed new releases before and I am not liking this whole having to wait for a book to be published thing. 




5. Your biggest disappointment



Reader, I Married Him edited by Tracy Chevalier

I heard about this anthology of short stories all inspried by the (apparently) famous line from Jane Eyre: Reader, I married him. Now, I'll admit, I have no recollection of readering Jane Eyre. I vaguely remember watching the movie in high school English class which means I probably read it at some point? I don't know, the jury's still out. Anyway! I never read short stories so I thought this would be a cool way to get more short stories in my life. I only made it through maybe half the book before giving up, as I had quite strongly disliked every short story in it. It was such a cool idea I was disappointed I didn't like it.


6. Biggest surprise of the year

Something Rotten AND Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

Man. This author. The way he wraps up plots and has last minute twists that never feel contrived yet always take me by surprise....he's talented for sure. 

 
7. Favorite new to you or debut author


Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

This guy is by no means a debut author (I don't think? yeah no, I just checked, and his first book was published in 2007....) but he is for sure a new favorite of mine. My friends had raved about Name of the Wind for years but the sheer size of the book deterred me from trying it until-- this is embarrassing-- I heard that Lin Manuel Miranda was contracted to help write songs for the upcoming movie and then I was like man I must read this book. And then I was like man what took me so long?? It was amazing and I look forward to the rest of the trilogy. 



8. Your new fictional crush

The Stars for a Light by the Morris people


I'm going to have to say the love interest of this series, Shiloh, is my new fictional crush. He has his issues but I would def date him. 






9. New favorite character


Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
I'm going to double up on a book and say that the main character, Kvothe, is my new favorite character :) man that was such a good book...








10. A book that made you cry


The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This is a little bit of a stretch because there's only one book that's ever made me cry and I didn't read it this year. However, I can't think of any other book that's even come close to making me cry so I had to include it. 







11. A book that made you happy



Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn

When my friend told me she had found a new favorite murder mystery series and that it was set in 1920s England, I knew I had to give it a try. Which I did, and promptly became addicted. It made me happy to discover a fun, well done series to follow. Bonus point: my library has almost the entire series on audiobook so I've enjoyed listening to the misadventures while on my morning commute. 



12. Your favorite book to movie adaptation that you've seen this year


 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by JK Rowling

Hands down adored this movie when I saw it ((maybe in December? or was it even earlier? oopps....let's just ignore that little issue of timing and say that this movie was amazing))





13. Favorite book post you've published this year

I have to admit I really enjoyed writing my Seven Deadly Sins book tag.

14. The most beautiful book you have bought/received this year



Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
This one will be a little bit of a stretch because, as I've mentioned before, I don't really buy books. However! I got this book at the library and the cover is just gorgeous. Also it's an amazing, inventive sci-fi short story that everyone should go read now.






15. What are some books that you need to read by the end of the year

My to-read list is literally over a hundred books long so I'll save you and only list a few I want to get to. 

   

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

I'll Eat When I'm Dead by Barbara Bourland

Among the Lesser Gods by Margo Catts

Whew! That's it! Thanks so much to The Inspiration Pie for tagging me :) 

Seven Deadly Sins Book Tag

I heard about this tag over on The Literary Huntress's blog. I obviously haven't been tagged (hello, blogging newbie over here!) but neither had The Literary Huntress so I'm going to follow her example and answers the questions anyway because I thought they were interesting!

Greed: What are your most expensive and inexpensive books? 

As previously stated, I don't really buy books so my most expensive answer is a bit of a veer off into left field. 

You see, there is this really old, semi-rare book that I fell in love with while I was in undergrad. I continuously checked it out of my school library for like two years and completely in jest briefly contemplated stealing it as a graduation gift (y'all I could tell when people checked out the book and I was the only one to read it in like thirty years. no one else loved it like I did.). I did seriously contemplate emailing the librarian and begging after I graduated but didn't. Instead I played a fool's game-- every time I went into a thrift store I would briefly scan the old books, wondering if one day my book would be staring back at me. Seeing as how my book was published in 1895 and I think only had one edition it was never going to happen. 

But once I was wandering through a thrift store with my book-loving aunt and I explained how I always kept half an eye out for this book. I had searched online but to no avail. She thoughtfully frowned and said she would look into it. 

A week later a packaged appeared in my PO box and when I opened it, Two Women Abroad fell out. It's a travel journal from 1895 from two self-proclaimed spinsters who, since they were wealthy, decided to travel through Europe and enjoy the art. I love it so much. I don't know how much my aunt paid for it (hopefully not much!) but I have a feeling that's the most expensive book I own.

Wow! I promise my answers from here on out won't be nearly as long! 

As for my cheapest books I have those aplenty. My most recent cheap purchase was Garden Spells which I picked up at a local thrift store for a dollar. 

Sloth: What books have you neglected reading due to laziness?

Man so many-- just take a look at my bookshelf! However there is one cool looking book I can't bring myself to even think of starting because it's stupidly long and that is Anathem. 937 pages y'all. Holy cow.

Wrath: Who is an author you have a love/hate relationship with?

I don't hold grudges so I can't think of any author that I have strong dislike for...BUT I am reading First Grave on the Right right now and while I'm mostly enjoying it, I have some strong opinions about the non-consensual sex that I feel like the author blithely skims over because the guy is cute. (?!) So while I think the writing is really witty I feel like she is not dealing well with a serious issue. 

Gluttony: What book have you devoured over and over with no shame?

I'm sure I've said it before, but I don't really re-read books. I'll tell you though, if I did re-read books, holy cow I would devour A Madness of Angels over and over. ((Goodreads why doesn't this book have a 5/5 rating?!)) 

Lust: What traits do you find attractive in fictional characters?

Pretty much the traits I find attractive in real life: a guy who is kind, cares for others, good sense of humor, etc. This is starting to feel like a dating profile. Let's move on! 

Pride: What book do you talk about in order to sound like an intelligent reader?

Oo easy! Catch-22. I read it in high school and hated the process of actually reading it but loved having read it, if that makes any sense. 

Envy: What book would you like to receive as a gift?

See first answer. ;) Honestly I don't feel the need to own many books and now that Two Women Abroad is in my unlikely possession, there aren't any books that I really wish to get as gifts. 

And that's it! All the deadly sins covered. 

For those of you following my projected post timeline (bless your hearts) you'll realize that today's post was supposed to be a Top Ten Tuesday but honestly I couldn't come up with 5-10 novels that had strong father-child relationships so I decided to write this one instead. 

What would be your answers? Considering, dear reader, honorarily tagged and leave me a link to your own post!