Nookish No. 5 | Woodsy Nook

Sep 24

Nookish

It’s about that time, friends. When the air turns crisp and the leaves change color and it becomes acceptable to eat warm apple desserts. AHHH, FALL. That first chill in the air and the first hints of smoke coming from someone’s fireplace reminded me of the woods; it just seems like a really vibrant, autumnal place. So this month’s Nookish, in honor of the first day of fall, is all about the woods.

Nookish

THE WOLF WILDER | This book just has so much that attracts me: wolves, middle grade, mother-daughter dynamics, wolves, Russia, and of course, the woods. In this story, Feodora lives in the woods in Russia with her mother training wolves to return to the wild. But then the Russian Revolution starts (HELLO!! I LOVE THIS) and things get wonky. Excited for this one.

SNOW WHITE AND ROSE RED | YAY Elizabethan fae! I read this book last year with my girls, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a great retelling of this Snow White and Rose Red fairy tale, and it comes complete with magical woods!

THE MAY QUEEN MURDERS | I’m excited for this one guys! It doesn’t come out for a little while, but it’s got this fantastic creepy vibe, which is probably obvious given the “murder” in the title. But more apropos for this Nookish, the synopsis mentions secrets and woods, so here it is. Love the sound of this one.

Any woodsy books you’d like to share? Hit the comments!

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Nookish No. 3 | Beach Nook

Jul 9

NookishAhhh, summer. Can’t let this pass me by without at least one beachy book nook! I want to BE in this nook RIGHT NOW reading these books and relaxing.

Nookish beach

THE MOON & MORE • Sarah Dessen | I’ve been really feeling Sarah Dessen lately, guys. I haven’t read even half of her books, but the more of them I do read, the bigger fan I become. This especially applies to her newer books. (Some of the older ones I’ve read didn’t click with me as much.) THE MOON & MORE was not only emotional and complicated and thoughtful, it was also an awesome snapshot of Colby, North Carolina, fake-but-enchanting beach town extraordinaire.

WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE • Huntley Fitzpatrick | GAH I loved this book. I don’t think I ever reviewed it properly on the blog, but I’m going to be rereading it this summer, so I probably will. New England beach towns are my kind of place, guys, and Huntley Fitzpatrick does this one really well. Also, SWOONS.

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY • Jenny Han | This whole series is really great. Not fluffy, really, and pretty heartbreaking at times, but it’s got another great beachy setting to go along with the romantic complications, family troubles, death, grief, sadness, etc. Unfortunately, it also features one of the most annoying character nicknames of all time: Belly (vom).

What are some of your favorite beachy reads?

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Top Ten Tuesday | Top Ten Books I’ll Have in My Beach Bag This Summer

May 26

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Books I’ll Have in My Beach Bag This Summer

Reading outside near any body of water is always high on my list of things to do in the summer. Sure, sometimes I can’t get the positioning right so that my book doesn’t block the sun that would hit my neck, thus resulting in reader’s tan (you all know this). But that never stops me from packing at least one book and my kindle whenever I’m hitting the sand or the pool. This summer, my beach bag is going to have these books (and probably lots of others) stashed away inside. Can’t go ANYWHERE without my books!

Top Ten Tuesday Beach Bag

THE HEART OF BETRAYAL: THE REMNANT CHRONICLES #2 • Mary E. Pearson | I was a big fan of the first book in this series, THE KISS OF DECEPTION, so I’m definitely looking forward to where things go. I need to reread book 1, though, I think.

TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE: TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE #1 • Jenny Han | I got a copy of this book from my OTSP Secret Sister and I’m stoked to read it. I really enjoyed Jenny Han’s Summer series, and I’ve heard good things about this one! Contemps are always good books to have in your beach bag.

THE ROYAL WE • Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan | GUYSSS, this sounds so adorable and swoony and I love the cover so much and I can’t wait to read it. I looove the British monarchy and am a big Anglophile, so this one appeals to me on so many levels.

COURT OF FIVES: COURT OF FIVES #1 • Kate Elliott | I’ve never read any books by Kate Elliott, but this one sounds legit. Some people might think a fantasy is a bit heavy for a beach bag, but not me! BRING IT.

HOLD ME LIKE A BREATH: ONCE UPON A CRIME FAMILY #1 • Tiffany Schmidt | I’m intrigued by this one. The black market for organs? EEP.

REBEL MECHANICS • Shanna Swendson | WORD. Historical fiction steampunk spies during the American Revolution? STOP.

TANGLED WEBS: TANGLED WEBS #1 • Lee Bross | Another historical fiction, this time in England, also about spies and secrets and dangerous-sounding stuff. Getting a little serious up in my beach bag this summer!

HEIR TO SEVENWATERS: SEVENWATERS #4 • Juliet Mariller | So, talk about serious, guys. I’m going to be reading this one with Alyssa eventually, so I’m going to assume that means this summer.

MY LIFE NEXT DOOR • Huntley Fitzpatrick | I want to reread this book before THE BOY MOST LIKELY TO comes out in August. Plus, I miss Jase and Samantha and their relationship.

THE BOY MOST LIKELY TO • Huntley Fitzpatrick | SUUUUPER excited to read about Tim, you guys.

THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND • Kasie West | I’ve actually only read one book by Kasie West, but it was adorable so I’m generally excited for all her books now. Is this not perfect for reading while soaking up the sun and trying not to get sand stuck to your sunscreen? I agree.

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Nookish No. 2

May 22

Nookish

Woo! Time for the second edition of Nookish, friends! I’m going all fancy on you this month with a Royal Nook. Isn’t it so pretty? Like, I want to close the curtains and curl up in it and just BE ALONE WITH MY BOOKS. Except for when my servants come to feed me grapes and refill my wine goblet. Then I can be interrupted.

Nookish Royal

So, in truth, I’ve only read one of the books I’m shouting out here–THE GOOSE GIRL by Shannon Hale. It’s one of my favorites. But the other two fit the theme perfectly, I think, and are two books I’ve been wanting to read…eventually.

THE PRINCESS DIARIES by Meg Cabot | I’ve seen this movie, friends, but I’ve never read the books. YES, I KNOW. I worry a teensy bit that this might be a little too twee or something, but that’s never really stopped me before.

THE ROYAL WE by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan | Lots of people have been reading this one lately, and it sounds super adorbs. Nothing like a little royal romance! Also, I do love the cover.

THE GOOSE GIRL by Shannon Hale | I ADORE THIS BOOK. The language is lyrical, the setting is evocative, and the characters are well-crafted and endearing. It sometimes reads more like a middle grade than a YA, but it has such an amazing fairy tale vibe that I sometimes forget it isn’t an old tale, but a newer one.

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Nookish No. 1

Apr 2

Nookish

So, friends. Welcome to a new feature here at Tripping Over Books: Nookish. A little background for you: I’m obsessed with book nooks. Not libraries (although HELLO, LOVE THOSE). Not big fluffy beds that you read on (love those too). Book nooks. Little cubbies under the stairs, window seats, secret book lairs up ladders. I want to have a house made only of book nooks, that’s how much I love them. So I decided to highlight some awesome ones in a new feature. Awesome, right? I agree. But as I was looking for pictures, I found myself thinking of, essentially, THEMES. Like, this book nook reminds me of this book, whether because of the decor, the colors, the room around it. Cubbies under the stairs obviously remind me of Harry Potter, for example. When I smooshed these two things together, voila! Nookish was born.

I’m thinking that I’ll post a Nookish post once a month, and I’ll highlight a nook or two and the books that I think “go” best with that nook. Of course, I’ll explain myself.

So without further ado, the first Nookish is all about…the Nordic Nook.

Reading Nook

For some reason, this nook reminds me of Scandinavia. I think it’s the combination of the wood and the stones and the patterns on the pillows. And the tree out the window looks like an evergreen, and evergreens remind me of cold/winter, and cold/winter reminds me of Scandinavia. (Even though the sun is clearly out in this picture and there isn’t any snow.) So I highlighted three books that encompass a few different genres that I’ve read and loved that incorporate Vikings, Scandinavia, and some Norse elements.

EAST by Edith Pattou | Have you guys ever read this one? It’s a really lovely retelling of the East of the Sun, West of the Moon folktale and it takes place–at least for a time–in parts of Scandinavia (can’t remember which, or if it’s even said). The bear is one of my FAVORITES ever. Highly recommend.

BURIAL RITES by Hannah Kent | I read this one with my On the Same Page gals last year and loved it. It’s the novelization of the true story of the last woman executed for murder in Iceland, Agnes. This nook especially reminds me of the badstofas from this book.

ICEFALL by Matthew J. Kirby | This is such a wonderful middle grade. I love it for so many reasons. One, Vikings. Two, mystery (but not a cheesy one). Three, Solveig. Four, it gets nicely meta when it talks about storytelling. Big, BIG fan of this.

Do you guys have any other books that you’d feel right at home reading in this nook? (Aside from all of them?) Share away!

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Top Ten Tuesday | Book Problems

Feb 17

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Book-Related Problems

We all have plenty of these, right? I could also probably come up with more, but these are all pretty prominent ones for me. You’ll notice that many of them are connected and furthermore, related to the purchasing of books. Not a coincidence.

Top Ten Tuesday Book problems

BUYING TOO MANY BOOKS | This is a constant problem for my wallet. I buy books regularly. I preorder books in large chunks several times a year. I’m forever getting boxes from Amazon and Book Depository and Book Outlet. It’s a real problem. I spend more money on books than any other thing except maybe clothes for work, but I’ll tell you: it’s close. I try to curb myself. I cannot.

STARTING SERIES | I do this a lot. I start a series but then never get around to finishing it. I’ve still not finished Cynthia Hand’s Unearthly series. I haven’t finished Mistborn or Monstrumologist or Shatter Me. I still have to read the new books in Sherry Thomas’s Elemental Trilogy and Rick Yancey’s 5th Wave. I’m behind on A.C. Gaughen’s Scarlet series and Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series. I could go on. What does this mean? Do I have a commitment problem? I don’t think so since I’m all caught up lots of others, but man. This is a frustrating one.

LACK OF SHELF SPACE | See #1. I don’t have room for all the books I buy. I have shelves that are full–only two, but they’re packed. I have containers under my bed–full. Some like storage boxes scattered around–full and growing piles. ACTUAL PILES. It’s horrific and amazing at the same time.

READING INSTEAD OF INTERACTING WITH HUMANS | There are very few people that I would rather hang with than read a book. Reading is so important to me and I want to do it all the time. I bring more than one book with me everywhere I go, even to work when I can’t read at all. So when I do get some free time, I usually want to be reading instead of shooting the shit with people. I mean, I still do things with real people in person. But even if I’m enjoying myself, which I do, I’m thinking about getting home and picking up my book.

FORGETTING DETAILS | This kind of ties into #2. I have a hard time picking up books in a series because my memory is kind of crap. I’ll remember big things, but I’m talking VERY big picture. I might completely forget minor characters or the group the bad guy works for or that one thing that happened that is going to turn into this other thing but it won’t make sense if you can’t remember the first thing. It’s bad. Also, details run together on me. This ESPECIALLY happens with series books. I’ll remember a thing happening, but can’t for the life of me remember which book it happened in. Thank God for wikis.

READING TOO MANY BOOKS AT ONCE | I usually have a handle on this one, but sometimes it gets out of hand to the point where I’ve got so many books going at once that I can’t decide which one to pick up and I kind of break down and need to text my girls furiously for help. I used to NEVER read more than one book at a time; now it’s my regular thing, and sometimes it gets the best of me.

STICKING TO MY COMFORT ZONE | I don’t have a problem always reading things that I’m comfortable with because I don’t really see it as a “comfort zone.” I see it more as I like to read things that I enjoy. But this likely often keeps me from finding NEW things that I’d enjoy, and that bums me out. It always comes down to reading something new that I’m unfamiliar with or picking up a book by a favorite author or a well-loved genre. I’ll pick the familiar every time.

LACK OF CLASSICS | I wasn’t an English major in college, but I’ve always loved reading. However. My knowledge of classics is ABYSMAL. Like, awful. I’ve never read any Dickens. Never read THE GREAT GATSBY. I’ve read Jane Austen, but no Charlotte or Emily Bronte. It’s really, frankly, terrible. I like the IDEA of classics and I’d be open to reading more of them, but I’d have to summon up some epic motivation.

DISORGANIZATION | I’m a librarian by training although not employment, but you’d think I’d have more of an urge to organize my home library. False. Maybe it’s because I don’t have shelves for everything. In fact, I’d venture that it’s exactly that. But the shelves I DO have aren’t alphabetized or organized by genre or color or anything. I loosely organize them by how much I liked them and then by author, but I don’t have shelf space for any more books anywhere, so new books by those authors get thrown into a pile somewhere. (Ahem. Like, lovingly placed I mean. I don’t throw my books.) I have a general idea of where certain books are, but I’d really love more storage space for them so I could do a full, hardcore LIBRARY SHELVING.

BUYING BOOKS AND THEN NOT READING THEM | Remember when I said that buying books is probably my greatest pleasure and most devastating vice? Have I not said that yet? It’s true. You know what makes it worse? I buy all these books and then maybe read, I don’t know, a smallish percentage of them. Every time I write a post about bookish resolutions or something like that, I always mention that I want to read more of the books I buy. I’m making more of an effort to do this every day.

What are some of your bookish problems?

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February TBR

Feb 6

Monthly TBR

What I’m Reading in February

WOO, lots to look forward to this month! I’m already in the process of reading a few of these, and I’m enjoying all of them. Definitely setting the bar high for February!

AUDIOBOOK

The Eye of the World Robert JordanThe Eye of the World: Wheel of Time #1 by Robert Jordan

I’ve been listening to the audio of this book since…well, for a while. I’m enjoying it! It’s definitely one of those spread out fantasies, where things take a while to boil over and then they calm down a little, boil over then calm down just a little bit less, boil over a little more, calm down a little bit less. It’s not slow, per se, just deliberate, so if you aren’t a dyed-in-the-wool fantasy reader, this might be too boring or slow for you. But things are happening at a good pace for me now. Not fast, but fast enough that I’m not losing interest. The opposite, in fact.

ON MY KINDLE

February TBR

The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall

(There’s no cover image in my file. Grr…)

I’m REALLY digging this one. Nothing brain-melting, but lots of fun, intriguing angle with the prophecy and the secret society slash families that sound like a SUPER powerful mob, international escapades, and the idea of being able to LIVE IN THE LOUVRE. Big fan!

THE REST

February TBR

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

February OTSP book!

The Winner’s Crime: The Winner’s Curse #2 by Marie Rutkoski

VERY excited for this one!

Seraphina: Seraphina #1 by Rachel Hartman

Hoping to reread this one with the girls before we dive into SHADOW SCALE together. Not sure that we’ll get to it this month, though.

Fairest: The Lunar Chronicles # 3.5 by Marissa Meyer

Levana’s story? UMM, YES.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

This one was a gift from Angie, my Secret Santa, and I’m excited to read it! The fairy angle and the boy in the coffin in the woods with horns? Plus, I’ve been hearing good things!

Better When He’s Bold: Welcome to the Point #2 by Jay Crownover

Jay Crownover is one of my favorite authors right now. Her romances are steamy and emotional. This series is also dark, and I loved the first book, BETTER WHEN HE’S BAD.

What are you guys reading this month?

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2014 Year-End Survey

Jan 1

year end survey

I can’t believe it’s 2015 ALREADY. WHERE DID 2014 GO? I’m stunned at how fast things went by! As always, though, I’m so excited for the year-end survey hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner. It’s such a fun way to look back on the year of books and blogs and reading. Also as always, this is one of my longest posts of the year, so get yourself a treat for reading the whole thing.

year end survey

Number of Books You Read 

117! WOOT! Not too shabby, huh? I mean, good thing this question isn’t “how many books did you review?” though. THAT list would be not as awesome.

Number of Re-Reads 

I reread a lot of books this year, especially via audio. I reread 14 books this year, 8 via audio.

Genre You Read The Most From

I feel like I read LOTS of adult contemporary this year, which I don’t usually read. I finally read some Lucky Harbor books, which I loved. Right now, I’m on a MAJOR historical romance kick. Like, hardcore. But I’d say that, generally, I read more contemporary this year than usual, between the adult and YA titles.

year end survey

Best Book You Read in 2014

Of course I have to cheat LOL:

Fantasy(YA): HEIR OF FIRE

Fantasy (adult): LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA

Contemporary YA: ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Paranormal/Fantasy YA: BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE

 Audiobook: ELEANOR & PARK

Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going to Love More But Didn’t

I’m going to go with STRAY by Elissa Sussman. I’m going to post a review of some sort for this (and a few other straggler reviews) shortly after the new year, but suffice it to say that this book about fairy godmothers was fairly DRIPPING with Amy-nip, and I wasn’t blown away by it.

Most Surprising (in a Good Way or Bad Way) Book You Read in 2014

Alas, I think I was more surprised by a book in a BAD way in 2014. This bothers me on several levels: One, because I don’t like being negative. Two, because I don’t like not liking books; it bums me out. And three, because this was one book that I was DYING to read for ever and ever, and it fell majorly flat. I’m talking about SACRIFICE by Brigid Kemmerer. It’s about Michael, MICHAEL MERRICK, FFS! One of my favorite book boyfriends! His book was lame-ish, and the publisher pulled one of those things where they included about 50 pages of samples at the end of the file, so the book finished when I was only 60% done. But mostly, I was disappointed in the story. I didn’t feel the feelings, and there was almost no romance, something that I’ve come to expect and really enjoy from Brigid Kemmerer. WAHHH!

Book You “Pushed” the Most People to Read (and They Did) in 2014

I don’t know about people actually reading it, but once I read EVERY BREATH by Ellie Marney, I shouted from the rooftops about it. SO GOOD.

 Best Series You Started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series-Ender of 2014?

Best series I started? The Every series by Ellie Marnie. It’s FABULOUS. Also the Gentlemen Bastards series by Scott Lynch. Best sequel of 2014? Hmmm… HEIR OF FIRE by Sarah J. Maas was amazing, and you’ll probably see it a few more times on this list, just FYI. I’m also going to shout out BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE by Maggie Stiefvater again because it just went to these AMAZING places. Best series-ender? ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Stephanie Perkins for the companion angle, but DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS by Laini Taylor was beautiful.

 Favorite New Author You Discovered in 2014

I’d never read anything by Sarah Rees Brennan before this year, friends, and I really am kicking myself for it. Her Lynburn Legacy series started out amazingly, even if I haven’t read the rest yet. I also was very glad to pick up EVERY BREATH and get myself acquainted with Ellie Marney.

 Best Book From a Genre You Don’t Typically Read/Was Out of Your Comfort Zone

Hmmm…I don’t think I really crossed any lines this year, guys. That’s a bummer.

 Most Action-Packed/Thrilling/Unputdownable Book of the Year

I COULD NOT put down HEIR OF FIRE. Couldn’t, and didn’t want to.

 Book You Read in 2014 That You Are Most Likely to Re-Read Next Year

WOOO, I love rereading! I’ll definitely reread ISLA, and probably MORTAL HEART on audio. Also I always like to reread Jay Crownover’s books, which I reread this year, so I’ll probably reread them again. They’re GREAT for slump-breaking and just general enjoyment.

 Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2014

Book cover Blue Lily, Lily Blue Maggie Stiefvater

 Most Memorable Character of 2014

There are two, because I was so blown away by them and how much they added to the story and how much I came to be invested in them over the course of just one book: Manon Blackbeak and Rowan Whitethorn from HEIR OF FIRE. Excellent characters.

 Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2014

I’d have to say SORROW’S KNOT by Erin Bow. What a heartbreaking, gorgeous book.

 Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014

I suppose it will say something negative about me that I didn’t have my life meaningfully altered by any book I read this year, but Jandy Nelson’s I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN was very emotionally visceral to me: the sibling conflict, the self-discovery, the secrets and feelings. I think it’s remarkable that her books always make me feel such intense empathy that I sometimes have to remind myself that I don’t actually share very many experiences with her characters.

 Book You Can’t Believe You Waited UNTIL 2014 to Finally Read

REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly. What a fantastic book! It’s historical fiction from a favorite time period of mine, the French Revolution, with a dark contemporary companion story, and they weave together so naturally.

 Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read in 2014

This line from SORROW’S KNOT realllly killed me:

Sorrow's Knot

Shortest & Longest Book You Read in 2014

The longest book I read this year was actually a reread: THE WISE MAN’S FEAR by Patrick Rothfuss, and I technically listened to it. The shortest book I read this year was THE ICE DRAGON by George R.R. Martin.

 Book That Shocked You the Most

There were some pretty big shockers in THE YOUNG ELITES and HEIR OF FIRE. I shall say no more.

 OTP OF THE YEAR (You Will Go Down with This Ship!)

OMG. Ok. Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen. That’s one. Annith and Balthazar from MORTAL HEART. That’s two. Watts and Mycroft from the Every series. Three. Paige and Warden from THE BONE SEASON. I ship that pretty firmly. I’m inevitably going to forget ships, so I’ll leave it at that. Those are good ones, though.

Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of the Year

Whoops already shipped it: Locke and Jean from Gentleman Bastards. THE BROMANCE. IT BURNS WITH A BRIGHT, CLEAN FLAME.

Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From an Author You’ve Read Previously

HEIR OF FIRE.

 Best Book You Read in 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY on a Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure

I just finished SNOW WHITE AND ROSE RED by Patricia C. Wrede because Alyssa loves it so, and it was wonderful. Solid rec from the bestie.

 Newest Fictional Crush From a Book You Read in 2014

 ROWAN. Also MYCROFT. They actually have a few personality traits in common, now that I think about it. Broody, secretive, not awesome with feelings. SIGH.

Best 2014 Debut You Read

THE MIDNIGHT THIEF by Livia Blackburne was really quite good and a promising start to a series. I’m ready for book two, kthx.

Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year

Camorr was so damn real to me. The slums, the smells, the House of Perelandro. I positively DIE over vivid fantasy worlds, and that was definitely one.

Book That Put a Smile on Your Face/Was the Most FUN to Read

Robin Benway’s GOING ROGUE. This book is so fast-paced and funny, with perfect amounts of swoon and adventure.

Book That Made You Cry or Nearly Cry in 2014

No need to worry about “nearly”: I cry a lot when I read, so this is actually hard to answer because it’s not just one book. I cried when I read SORROW’S KNOT, REVOLUTION, BURIAL RITES, and THE GOOSE GIRL, and that’s just what I can remember.

Hidden Gem of the Year

THE FALCONER by Elizabeth May. Faeries are sometimes hit or miss with me, but this was a HIT for sure. Being set in historical Scotland certainly helped. I’m super stoked for book 2, but I CANNOT EVEN TELL YOU how much I HAAAATE the cover redesign. HATE. Doesn’t match at all, and if the girl on the cover is supposed to be Aileana, there’s actually NO RESEMBLANCE WHATSOEVER. Like, the girl on the cover of THE FALCONER–Aileana–is red-headed; the girl on the cover of book 2 is blonde and looks like she’s from a dystopian novel, not a historical fiction with faeries. Ahem. But the story in THE FALCONER is great! READ IT!

Book That Crushed Your Soul

THE DRAMA! I honestly don’t think I read anything this year that crushed my soul. I read some emotional books and books that blew me away, but none of them left me hollowed out and broken. Alas.

Most Unique Book You Read in 2014

I’m going to go with LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD by Ava Dellaira for a few reasons. One, it was an epistolary novel. I don’t come across many of those. But who those letters were written to also made it different: dead celebrities from all time periods. Really, really interesting, and it worked.

Book That Made You the Most Mad (Doesn’t Necessarily Mean You Didn’t Like it)

This one has to be SACRIFICE by Brigid Kemmerer again. It was a letdown, and that kills me. I wanted so much more from Michael’s story, and the end didn’t really do any of the books justice. You know, since it just kind of…stopped.

year end survey

New Favorite Book Blog You Discovered in 2014

I’ve been horrible with reading blogs this year, so the blogs that I’ve discovered this year might not necessarily be new to you all, but 2014 was the first year that I encountered The Pretty Good Gatsby, and I always enjoy reading Leah’s posts! I love that her reviews are in depth and thoughtful and she mixes YA and adult.

Favorite Review You Wrote in 2014

EEEK these questions are always so hard for me. I remember that writing my review for ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER was really easy because I had so much to say about how much I loved it, so we’ll go with that one.

Best Event That You Participated in (Author Signings, Festivals, Virtual Events, Memes, etc.)

Of course, going to BEA in 2014 was so much fun, mostly because I got to hang out with my bestie loves, Alyssa and Brittany! We don’t see each other nearly often enough, so any chance we get to spend time together in person is always special. PLUS! I had the BEST shoes this year and my feet were LOVING ME. (They were Sanuks.)

I’d also have to say that participating in and helping to run the On the Same Page Secret Sister was AWESOME and so fun! We’ve gotten such positive feedback and people wanting to participate again and it’s just so heartwarming that people want to make time and room in their busy lives to just put a smile on someone’s face.

Best Moment of Bookish/Blogging Life in 2014

So I’m going to fudge around with this answer because I’m going to say that the best bookish moments were visiting Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, IL, and The Book Barn in Niantic, CT, but really that just means that my favorite moments were that I got to hang out with Brittany and Alyssa. And HELLO, we went to Anderson’s the day before Brittany GOT MARRIED!! Best day!

Most Popular Post This Year on Your Blog

That would be my Series Love post about Jay Crownover’s Marked Men series. I’m going to be doing more of this feature this year because I love it, so YAY!

Best Bookish Discovery (Book-Related Sites, Book Stores, etc.)

I just flat out adore these bookends that I found on Etsy from Knob Creek Metal Arts. They’re ADORABLE. I wish I had someplace to put them.

Bookish Things

Did You Complete Any Reading Challenges or Goals You Set for Yourself at the Beginning of 2014?

Just my Goodreads Challenge to read 105 books. I passed it!

year end survey

One Book You Didn’t Get to in 2014 But Will be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015

I still haven’t read THE INFINITE SEA yet, so that’s high on the list, as is THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS.

Book You Are Most Anticipating in 2015 (Non-Debut)

LOL this question, though. A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES, SHADOW SCALE, FAIREST, WINTER, THE SWORD OF SUMMER, the fourth Raven Cycle book, the fourth Throne of Glass book, THE ORPHAN QUEEN, SIX OF CROWS, THE PENDERWICKS IN SPRING, EVERY MOVE. I could literally list like 50 books right now.

2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating

THE WRATH AND THE DAWN, THE GIRL AT MIDNIGHT, THE STORYSPINNER, AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, TANGLED WEBS. I know there’s more, but since I’m only supposed to list one….

Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015

I kind of answered this already–WHOOPS!–but definitely the fourth Raven Cycle book for series ender, and the fourth Throne of Glass book for sequel.

One Thing You Hope to Accomplish or Do in Your Reading/Blogging Life in 2015?

Same thing as always, friends: be more consistent with my posts. Write more reviews. I sometimes just love to actually READ too much to stop long enough to blog! Not the worst thing, though, right?

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Hello dears!

Oct 29

First post!! I’m both excited and nervous. And having odd feelings about who I think I am to be blogging about my opinions, as if other people might read them ever and actually care a little bit about them….Aaaaaaannnnnnddd I’m over it. 🙂 Sort of. But I think that one of my favorite things about YA literature is not just the books themselves, which are so honest, creative, and thought-provoking, but the communities. The communities of writers, bloggers, readers, librarians, teachers, all mingling together, talking to each other, learning from each other, and always spreading the word about how YA books are tremendous. Of all the things I’m feeling about the start of my blog, I’m also feeling eager to meet people and gush or gripe over books together. It’s going to be great.

So I wish for this blog to be a place where I can set down my thoughts on the books I read and the books I want to read and any other ridiculata about books or being bookish or being a librarian or being a nerd I can think of. But we’ll go with the flow, too. Anything goes! So if sometimes I feel like I need to vent a little about something else, I’ll trust my blog and those brave souls who read her to vent with me and accept me like an old, dear friend. You know, the best kind. And I hope that my blog and I will be the same kind of friend to you all, too. Mostly, though, my posts are going to be about what I love and have loved for so long: the books. Reviews, discussion of issues in young adult literature, books that are coming soon, books that come from large publishers and small, probably some memes, hopefully someday soon author reviews and contests, all of it. So, starting soon it’ll be a book love-fest here! It’ll be fantastic, fun, (hopefully!) thought-provoking, and humorous. Welcome, friends!

I hope that you’ll bear with me as a I get everything set up and moving along. I’m so excited to be here with you all!! Until I speak to you again, though, here’s a great quote I found about starting something new. I love it. (I love quotes, btw, and you’ll probably see lots of them here, just because I think they’re wonderful!)

“I watch out my window as the planes take off into space. Oh, that I could fly away and start fresh. But I must realize that fresh starts also come in the pretty wrapped gift called ‘tomorrow.’” –unknown

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