BookBlogWriMo Day 14, 15, and 16

There are two books that were really inspirational to me:

• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
• A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Both of these books really stuck with me after I read them, the first since I was in junior high school, and the other since high school. There was something beautiful and sad in both stories, with a very strong lesson to learn. I recommend both.

The tackiest book or line I’ve ever read? I don’t really read tacky books. I try to steer clear of anything that makes me roll my eyes or throw up in my mouth a little. If I really had to force myself to find something, then perhaps Twilight?

 

If I had to choose, my favorite female character in a book would be either Skye from the Prophecy of Tyalbrook series by Michele G. Miller or Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. Both are pretty strong females, though Skye is more interesting to me than Katniss. I find myself relating more to Skye, as well.

This year’s BookBlogWriMo is hosted by The Perks of Being a Book Girl. If you want to sign up at any point, jump right in!

Thirty Days of Thanks – Day 14, 15, and 16

I am thankful for our baby monitor, laughter, and antibacterial soap.

BookBlogWriMo Day 9

I do not personally write in my books. I enjoy the adventure and love the personal feel of reading through the story, however I understand why some people do. I prefer to write out my thoughts in a review instead of in a book. I actually cringe at the thought of writing in one of my books. I have, however, used Post-It Notes randomly for things I want to remember, but that’s about it.

This year’s BookBlogWriMo is hosted by The Perks of Being a Book Girl. If you want to sign up at any point, jump right in!

Thirty Days of Thanks – Day 9

I am thankful for colorful, bleed-proof pens. My planner has hope of being more successfully used and filled with such colorful goodness at my fingertips.

BookBlogWriMo Day 8

I tend to be pretty picky when it comes to books, and there are a few things that really get on my nerves when I’m reading a story:

• Bad Editing*: This is a big one. It doesn’t help that I’m an editor*, so my eyes automatically zero in on the issue areas of a story. It’s rare that I’m reading an indie book and finish without finding any kind of issue. It is so important to have an editor, preferably one who is not the author. It’s damn difficult to edit your own literature with an unbiased eye.
• Cliches: Oh my goodness. Please, stop with the whole “I’m secretly a witch, but didn’t know it until I turned 18, and now I’m coming into my powers and need to save the world.” There are only so many time I can read about the geeky hot girl who manages to charm the pants off the six-pack toting, cocky jock. Or how about the actually super gorgeous teenager who thinks she’s just a mundane no one and needs convincing from the guy on the corner. Disclaimer: There are times when I love these types of stories. Heck! Some of my favorite ones carry these tropes within their pages, but trust me when I say there’s a good way to write these, and a predictable one.
• Overt Sex: I don’t want to read books filled with sex in every other chapter. Sex is not a character, unless the character is addicted, and then that could be done in a much more creative way. I don’t want to purchase a book expecting plot, only to find the plot is mostly driven with sordid sex scenes. That being said, I don’t steer clear from reading books with these scenes, of course.

This year’s BookBlogWriMo is hosted by The Perks of Being a Book Girl. If you want to sign up at any point, jump right in!

*Funny enough, I didn’t edit this post. I decided these posts will just be for my own zero-pressured joy, so please pardon

Thirty Days of Thanks – Day 8

I am thankful for hope in times of darkness.

BookBlogWriMo Day 7

Oh jeeze, I don’t really know what’s on my holiday book list. I’ve had an Amazon wishlist that’s been growing every year, stock-piled with books I hope to get at some point. My wishlist is a bit of a hodgepodge of things and is in no way all-encompassing of the books I want. BabyJ has his own list filled with books. 🙂 

This year’s BookBlogWriMo is hosted by The Perks of Being a Book Girl. If you want to sign up at any point, jump right in!

Thirty Days of Thanks – Day 7

I am thankful for fluffy pillows that allow me to sleep wonderfully without waking up with a stiff neck. I tend to flatten pillows pretty quickly since I’m a heavy sleeper.

BookBlogWriMo 2016

It’s that time of year again — BookBlogWriMo 2016 (along with Thirty Days of Thanks) time is here! What better way to break a brief hiatus than by blogging every single day for a month?

More details to come, along with this year’s BookBlogWriMo host details. 

#BookBlogWriMo Day 13 – My Approach To Negative Reviewing

I actually haven’t had to write many negative reviews. My first review for The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger was not very positive. While the book itself was well-written, I simply didn’t enjoy it. Conveying this time of feeling in a review is a bit of a challenge because I don’t want to offend someone with my wording.

When I am set to writing a negative review, I ensure I am speaking to the things I did not enjoy, but also pulling out the positives in the book. I don’t write reviews for shock value or to create drama; I write them because I want to share my experience reading a book to hopefully help someone else and document my reading adventures.

The goal is to inform, not to offend. That being said, if my words do offend someone, I know that I did my best to be professional about what I’m writing.

Have you had any experience writing negative reviews? How were they received? Have you witnessed any reviewing drama?

Thirty Days of Thanks – Day 13

I am thankful for clear, star-filled skies. They are a great reminder that there is so much more out there, beyond who and what I am. That the negatives in life are just a small piece of the picture.

#BookBlogWriMo Day 12 – My Favorite Reviews

I tried to pick out a few different types of reviews that I’ve written. Each of these below was written with a small flair or an emotional edge. Some are more positive than others, though I enjoyed all of the books below. Take a look for yourself. Which of my reviews do YOU like best?

Unlit Star by Lindy Zart

From The Wreckage by Michele G. Miller

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Smother by Lindy Zart

Thirty Days of Thanks – Day 12

I am thankful for weekends. Having the chance to decompress and spend time with my family is a wonderful feeling.

#BookBlogWriMo Day 10 – Ten Of My Many Favorite Books

I have SO many favorite books, so this was a hard list for me to make. I tried to pick books that have significance to me.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
More information about this book will come in a post later on during Book Blog Writing Month.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
We actually just got this amazing fully illustrated edition of Harry Potter to add to our collection. We pre-ordered from Amazon because the price was so amazing. By the look of it, it’s still great. JKR will be releasing each book in this format for the next six years. It will be a great way to introduce our son to the series when we start reading it to him in a few years. (This would make an AWESOME holiday gift, as well. Just some suggestions!)

The Sweep series by Cate Tiernan
This series is about witchcraft and completely brought me into this incredible world about magic. I’ve read the series multiple times now and still have an emotional reaction to it.

Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman
This book was gifted to me by a previous coworker and I’ve been reading it to my son every morning before I drop him off at day care. It has become out little tradition. A review of this book will be coming soon. It is AMAZING. I have officially become a Nancy Tillman fan.

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
This is a nostalgia book for me. I read it in high school and became very attached to it. It was my first journey into the world of Nicholas Sparks.

The Prophecy of Tyalbrook series by Michele G. Miller
This series was my first introduction to Michele’s literature. I steadily fell in love with Xander and there was no turning back once I hopped onto this adventure. When she asked me to edit for her, I definitely couldn’t say no!

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
The perspective and message within these dark novels really struck a cord with me. If you haven’t read these yet, you should hop on board the Hunger Games train. And I don’t mean the one to the Capital. The movies are also incredible; while there are bits missing from the books, they are depicted very well!

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
One of the best children’s books to exist. My family had my best friend make me a baby shower cake of The Giving Tree. My guests also signed the inside cover. I will always have a special place for this one.

Unlit Star by Lindy Zart
Seriously one of my favorite books of Lindy’s. Also one of my favorite reviews that I’ve written. (Find it here.)

Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
This is the book that the Broadway musical Wicked is based off of. Gregory Maguire is a very talented author with quite a bit to say. His tongue-in-cheek style mixed with his knack for twisting fairy tales and traditional stories makes each of his stories a new experience. You can see my review of Wicked here.

Thirty Days of Thanks – Day 10

I am thankful for my parents. As I write this, I realize there is no way words can do my thanks justice, however. They’ve been there through thick and thin, raised me “right” and given me the tools I need to succeed. They’ve supported me in all of my passions and my crazy endeavors, and they’ve helped guide me through my new adventure of parenthood. Through my many scraped knees, teary moments, silly laughs, onstage adventures, and everything else – I couldn’t be more grateful. ❤

#BookBlogWriMo Day 9 – What Motivates Me To Post?

There are a couple of things that motivate me to post. First, my passion for what I’m writing about drives me to want to post. Secondly, guilt. That last one is a bit silly, but when I don’t post I feel bad. Logically I know that life gets in the way, especially after a major life event, like getting pregnant or having a baby. Regardless, I tend to feel a bit of self-imposed pressure when I don’t post as frequently as I’d like.

My main motivation, as stated above, is my passion for reading and writing. I do this because I like it. What better motivation is there?

Thirty Days of Thanks – Day 9

I am thankful for my new job making a career move after having a baby is nerve wracking, but I did it. I am only 15-20 minutes away from my son and I am enjoying the new role.

#BookBlogWriMo Day 8 – What Makes A Book Blog Work

Blogging is an excellent hobby, past time, or career. Sometimes a healthy mix of the bunch. While this is the case, it’s important to understand that their success is up to the blogger. To work, a blogger needs to be committed. None of this halfway “I think I’ll start a blog” business. I’m a culprit of this, honestly. I didn’t really come into this with a plan, just a desire to talk about books. As life gets in the way, I’ve had to adjust and try to figure out the best way to attack this blog. I’m a one-woman show, filled with thousands of pages worth of journeys that books have taken me on, but with so little time to actually talk about them.

That’s another thing – a book blog needs a plan of attack, but also an idea of who will be taking part. Is the blog a team effort or an individual endeavor? Will you post every day? Once a week? What will your posts be about? What types of books will you blog about? What won’t you? How will you go about reviewing books, IF you decide to review? Or are you just going to post promotions for authors? Will you only post positive reviews, or will you also post negative? How will you attack the negative reviews?

To work, a blog needs to have all of this in order. Somehow I’ve managed to make my way through, despite being a small blog with a haphazard way of posting. It’s a learning curve. You won’t come into this without some bumps. For me, blogging is a hobby and a way to share the things I love.

Maybe the biggest piece of what makes a blog work is the understanding that life happens. Events will get in the way of plans, plans won’t be foolproof, and schedules don’t always remain in order.

That being said, stick with it. Blogging, in general, is fun. I love to read, write, and review. This is my place to do that. Honestly, I do it for me. I don’t force myself on a rigid schedule because that’s not my style.

Know your style. Know what you want to write about. And know your audience. Decide on your timeline and come up with a plan A, B, C… etc.

Thirty Days of Thanks – Day 8

I am thankful for the roof over my head. Having somewhere warm and dry to sleep, somewhere to come home to each day… These are the things we take for granted.