Friday, March 25, 2016

Get Up Offa That Slump: A Blogging Extravaganza ~ Plan a Fictional Trip & Make an Idea Board

GET UP OFFA THAT SLUMP: A BLOGGING EXTRAVAGANZA hosted by Rachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf.
 
This is the third post for GET UP OFFA THAT SLUMP, the first being an interview with myself, which can be found here, the second being a list of all the bookish things I'd give a kidney for, which can be found here, and the third is a description of myself if I were a fictional character, which can be found here.
 
I've missed a couple of these prompts because I'm a mess and super stressed out. *sobs*
 
There are actually two different prompts that you could choose from, but I decided I might as well do both!
 
Plan a Fictional Trip
~The Witchlands
~Prythian
~Erilea
~The Grishaverse
~Hogwarts
~The Lunar Chronicles Universe (is there a name for it?)
~A.G. Howard's Wonderland

Make an Idea Board
Here is my hastily made idea board. I'm still having some trouble thinking of ideas for posts, so if you have any suggestions, PLEASE let me know!

From left-ish to right:
~Writing: I've been thinking about writing posts about my writing and the ups and downs that I've gone through. I might also post pictures that have provided inspiration or discuss how it can be hard trying to write when you're still a student.
~Mental Illness: As someone who's dealt with mental illness, books that have characters with mental illness is something I've stayed away from. But I want to broaden my horizons and read some books that deal with mental illness and then discuss how I felt about the representation.
~Discussion Posts: Discussion posts are something that I've stayed away from. I've been scared to share my opinion, because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, and then I have trouble coming up with ideas in the first place.
~Bookstagram: I keep telling myself "I'm going to start a Bookstagram!" But then I don't. I just don't really have a creative eye for design and stuff. Maybe if I try hard enough I can learn how to be creative!
~Bullet Journal: I recently started a bullet journal, and even though I love it, I'm still figuring out how to use it. I want to look up a couple different layouts and see what might work for me. Again, this requires creativity that I don't possess a whole lot of. I'm super unorganized, but this has started to help me and I've been thinking about discussing how it's help and posting updates or ideas.
 
I'm still having trouble with thinking of creative ideas, but I've thought of some and if anyone has ideas or tips with finding creative ideas, PLEASE let me know!

What is your fictional trip or idea board?
 

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #52: Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough/In A While

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
 
This Week's Topic:
Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough/In A While
 
 
In somewhat clockwork order:
 
1.
Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman
 
2.
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
 
3.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
 
4.
Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
 
5.
The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
 
6.
Entwined by Heather Dixon
 
7.
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
 
8.
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
 
9.
Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi
 
10.
White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
 
The reason I chose these books is because I haven't thought about them in a while, and while scrolling through my favorites tab on Goodreads I remembered them. Are there any that you like?

Thursday, March 17, 2016

2016 Spring Bloggiesta


Currently I've had some issues with blogging and staying motivated. Because of this, I decided to join Bloggiesta again. If you don't know what Bloggiesta is, it's a weeklong (or sometimes just a few days) event that's dedicated to working on your blog. For more information, go HERE.

My Bloggiesta To-Do List:
  • Update old reviews
  • Update About Me page
  • Update Rating page
  • Update Review list
  • Change post width and text
  • Research self-hosting and blog designers
  • Work on Google Calender
  • Work on Bullet Journal
  • Schedule at least 10 posts
  • Work on social media icons
  • Get rid of most of my labels
  • Brainstorm discussion post topics
  • Work on possible new feature discussing my attempt at writing and how it's going
  • Comment on at least 1 blog everyday
  • Work on other social media platforms

Yeah, this is a lot, but some are smaller and not as hard as others. Hopefully this will get me motivated and excited to blog.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Get Up Offa That Slump: A Blogging Extravaganza ~ If I Were a Fictional Character

GET UP OFFA THAT SLUMP: A BLOGGING EXTRAVAGANZA hosted by Rachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf.
 
This is the third post for GET UP OFFA THAT SLUMP, the first being an interview with myself, which can be found here, and the second being a list of all the bookish things I'd give a kidney for, which can be found here.
 
This post is up super late because I totally forgot about it and my life is a mess.
 
Without further ado, I shall introduce Fictional Me!
 
Fictional Me lives in a magical fantasy world, where she has magical powers (not exactly sure what type, but I'd have some sort of kickass powers. Maybe she could transform into an animal, control things with her mind, burst into flames, I don't know. Fictional Me would also be an antihero(ine). She would do whatever she wanted to do, even if it hurt other people, but at the end of the day, she's not a completely terrible person. She also likely be a rebellious heir to a magical kingdom, a mercenary, or an assassin. Or everything. It's my Fictional Me, so she can do anything. She'd also have a super cool animal sidekick who fights with her. Probably a snow leopard. They're pretty cool.
 
Fictional Me would probably be short, because when you're short, no one suspects you. Everyone thinks you're sweet and innocent and when you do something "bad," it surprises everyone. She'd probably be blonde, but changes her hair a lot because why not? Fictional Me would have a number of tattoos and piercings because she can do whatever she wants.
 
Fictional Me would mostly wear black, because you can never go wrong with black. But there will be a little bit of color: purples, turquoises, and blues. Her wardrobe would have a ton of lace, but that's not super practical so she'd also have more durable clothing too. She'd also have a huge collection of boots. Boots for anything, because boots are the best.
 
Because of her profession, she fights a lot. Yeah, she gets hurt, but she always comes back better the next time. You live and you learn. There will be some close calls to add to the drama and suspense, but of course she's not going to die because she's the main character. Things will get messy. And by messy I mean bloody.
 
And now to what many people love to focus on in books: the romance. Fictional Me would be to busy being amazing to think about settling down. She'd have a number of love interests because she's only 20 years old and just wants to enjoy herself. Plus she wants to cause arguments between her readers so they fight over their ship. She's pretty mean. However, she's more focused on her friends, who are also kickass, and making sure that they're safe. She's more into friendship than romance.
 
So Fictional Me would pretty much be your average 20 year old... who lives in a fantasy world doing fantasy things. Now I'm really sad that I can't be fantasy me.
 
What would your Fictional Me be like?
 

Friday, March 11, 2016

Get Up Offa That Slump: A Blogging Extravaganza ~ Bookish Things I'd Give a Kidney For

GET UP OFFA THAT SLUMP: A BLOGGING EXTRAVAGANZA hosted by Rachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf.
This is the second post for GET UP OFFA THAT SLUMP, the first being an interview with myself, which can be found here.
 
1.
The rest of The Witchlands series. I need it. Now.
 
2.
Etsy Bookish Items (just a few examples)
Throne of Glass series Thick Watercolour BookmarksThrone of Glass Necklace- Celaena Sardothien Cameo Necklace feat. the Book Cover of Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas- Book Related JewelryCress | 8oz soy candle 

3.
Society 6 Bookish Items (Evie Seo is amazing)
Drink Good Coffee, Read Good Books Throw Pillow
 4.
More Cress and Thorne. I feel like there wasn't enough.

5.
Empire of Storms. Yes, I haven't finished Queen of Shadows yet, but I still need it.

6.
The Mirror King. That ending though. The Orphan Queen killed me.

7.
For all of my OTPs to work out. Life is already disappointing, I don't need books to let me down too.

8.
To be able to easily get international editions of books. Even though I can't read most of them, they're pretty so I must have them.

I think that's about it! Let me know what you'd give a kidney for, and if you're participating, leave me your link!

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Get Up Offa That Slump: A Blogging Extravaganza ~ Interview with Myself


GET UP OFFA THAT SLUMP: A BLOGGING EXTRAVAGANZA hosted by Rachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf.
 
This first post extravaganza is an interview with ourselves! Cue the awkwardness and confusion!
 
So what is our name?
Our name is Lizzie. How do you not know our own name?
 
So what do we do with our free time when we're not reading or on Twitter for hours?
We actually spend most of our time either in class, studying, or at work.
 
What are we studying?
We're a dance major-
 
Ohhhhh... *makes a face*
Hey! We asked! Yes, we are a dance major, and we're currently working toward a minor in psychology, but we will likely change that to a major as well.
 
So we want to be poor then?
We don't need this from me! We have plans. It's not like we grand jetéd into this with no plans. *giggles from making dance joke*
 
*Rolls eyes* Well if we say so. What do we currently work as?
We work at a community college as an English tutor. It can be pretty painful to have to go over how to write a complete sentence or how to use commas with college students. *sighs*
 
Our job choice makes no sense. It has nothing to do with our career plans.
We make no sense.
 
That is true, since we're having this conversation with ourselves. So what are our favorite things?
Hot lattes, iced lattes, frozen lattes, any kind of latte, especially when they have caramel. Cats, tiny animals, cute animals, fuzzy animals, most animals. Looking up piercings and tattoos. Reading (duh), dancing (duuuhh) listening to music for hours on end, writing-
 
Oh, so we like to write?
It's rude to interrupt ourself. Yes, we love to write, but are currently stuck with writer's block and are trying to figure out how to regain our inspiration.
 
That's sad to hear. What do we tend to write?
Well we have a ton of scribbled out notes and half-finished outlines and only one first draft that's almost halfway done. But they're all fantasy, paranormal, or science fiction. We also tend to waver between YA and NA.
 
Who are some of our writing idols?
Susan Dennard, Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Jodi Meadows, Marissa Meyer, Alexandra Bracken, Leigh Bardugo, there are so many! One day we will see our name on bookstore shelves next to them. Maybe. Hopefully. We'll see.
 
Aww, don't be too hard on ourself. We like piercings and tattoos, do you have any?
We have 6 ear piercings, 3 matching each other on both ear. Sadly we don't have any tattoos... yet. We have a ton of ideas, it's just actually going through with them.
 
Since we're getting to the end of this really weird interview, we have one less question. Since we love dance, what are some of our favorite dance things?
Are we sure this was a good question to ask? Well, we'd have to say that lyrical and contemporary are our favorite styles because they have so much room for interpretation both on the choreographer's side with creating the dance and on the audience's side with how they can interpret what the meaning is supposed to be. We also love jumps because we can feel as tall as everyone else, even if it's just for a few seconds. We also love kicks/tilts to show off and work on our flexibility. We also have this weird obsession in epaulé, which is one of the eight body positions in ballet. We don't know why, but we love it. (Picture to the right)
 
Yeah. We're pretty weird. That's enough from the one of us. We think we've had enough of confusing people with our use of the pronoun "we" for only one person. We hope you don't all have headaches!

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #51: Ten Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don't Get

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 
 
This Week's Topic:
Ten Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Didn't Get
 
1.
Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)
Mal-I never thought he was a really good friend at all. He seemed to only be interested in Alina when it was convenient for him and then hated the fact that she was a Grisha.
 
2.
Half-Blood (Covenant, #1)
Seth-He's your typical douche that sleeps with any breathing girl around him. And when he says that he's committed to Alex, he then acts like a dick and flirts with all the other girls around her. However, he's grown on me in The Return.
 
3.
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)
Jace-So many people swoon over him and I can't stand him. He's a cocky douche that is super self-centered. And when he wasn't cocky, he was all "Pity me, pity me." No, I don't find that attractive.
 
4.
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)
Clary-I found he to be really weak and too perfect. She just finds out that she's a Shadowhunter and then becomes pretty much perfect after minimal training. Huh? I understand that people can catch on quickly, but it seemed too quick.
 
5.
Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles, #1)
Jackson-I immediately got a sleazy vibe from him. He is incredibly rude and sometimes cruel. I get that's supposed to make him a "bad boy," but no thanks.
 
6.
The Selection (The Selection, #1)
America-She's just so whiny. She's never happy. Girl, you are living in a castle where you're in the running to be the prince's wife (I don't like The Bachelor, so this book was a bad idea) and you're not interested in him, but you expect him to let you stay even though you're in lurve with your boyfriend back home?
 
7.
Splintered (Splintered, #1)
Jeb-I didn't like him from the very beginning. He expected Alyssa to be nice to his girlfriend, even though she tormented Alyssa for years. Excuse me? How are you a good friend?
 
8.
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)
Rowan-I haven't finished Queen of Shadows yet, but from what I've heard about him in it, I don't like it. I also don't get the Rowaelin ship. To me I don't think it works, but maybe I'm still upset about my ship sinking. I just don't get the huge hype around him.

I know this is only 8, but I think I've ranted enough for now. Excuse me while I go cry about my sunken ship.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Review ~ "Taken" by Erin Bowman

Taken (Taken, #1)Title: "Taken"
Series: Taken, #1
Author: Erin Bowman 

Website ~ Twitter ~ Tumblr ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~ Instagram 

Published: April 16, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Adventure
Pages: 360
Format: Hardcover
Source: MeL Cat 

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Month in Review: February '16


I keep thinking about doing monthly recaps, but whenever I thought about doing it, I realized that I didn't have much to recap because I wasn't posting much. But now that I'm FINALLY trying to into posting regularly, I decided that I might as well start now.

~Books Read~
Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken (5 stars)
Frozen by Erin Bowman (3 stars)
In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken (5 stars) 

~Books I Reviewed~
The Nightmare Affair (The Arkwell Academy, #1)  Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1)  The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds, #1)

~Other Posts~
~3rd Annual Love for Books Readathon, where I sort of met my really low goals
~What's on My Radar, featuring February '16 releases that I was highly anticipating
~My February '16 TBR, which was posted pretty late as I had no clue what I planned on reading
~My interview with Jeff Garvin, author of Symptoms of Being Human, for the blog tour for his debut
~My Random Ramblings about how I failed to meet my NaNo goal and how I'm OK with it
~The Cover Reveal of Water's Wrath, Elise Kova's fourth book in her Air Awakens series
 ~What's on My Radar, focusing on March releases that I can't wait for
~My March '16 TBR, which includes some ARCs that I didn't expect to get but can't wait to read

I'm really working on getting on top of writing posts and being prepared. I'm getting a little better, but I still have a ways to go until I'll be happy with where I'm at.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Monthly TBR: March '16


Last month I completely failed when trying to complete my TBR. I ended up getting 3 books finished and got halfway through with another. So I ended up getting halfway done with that list. And can tell that I'm making another mistake by having 6 books on my TBR this month, but hey, you live and you learn.

TBR
~The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May (I received this from NetGalley and can't wait to start it!)

~Broken Crowns by Lauren DeStefano (I received this from Edelweiss and hope to start it soon!)

~Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell (I'm a part of a blog tour for this one.)

~The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (I'm hoping to finish this one and the rest of the trilogy.)

~The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

~The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

Of course there are others I'd like to read, but do I think I'll get to them? No. But a girl can dream.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #29: "Rebel of the Sands" by Alwyn Hamilton

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands, #1) 


Title: "Rebel of the Sands"
Author: Alwyn Hamilton
Publication Date: March 8, 2016 
She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from.

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

I've heard so many great things about this book and the idea of combining magic, fantasy, and Western together sounds interesting. Fortunately it's being released next week so I don't have to wait too long.

Preorder

What are you waiting on?

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #50: Ten Books To Read If You Are In The Mood For Fantasy Worlds

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

This Week's Topic:
Ten Books To Read If You Are In The Mood For Fantasy Worlds


In somewhat clockwork order:

1. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

2. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

3. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

4. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

5. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

6. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

7. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

8. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

9. The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

10. Air Awakens by Elise Kova