Thursday, July 28, 2011

Follow Friday #14



Alright! Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read and is a way for book bloggers to get to know each other better. Just go to their pages and follow the directions, and you'll be making some new friends!

Q. Let's step away from books for a second and get personal. What T-Shirt slogan best describes you?


There was a shirt I saw in a catalog once a long time ago and wish I could have bought, but I was too late. It said on it "Take A Hike". The reason why I wanted it so much was because that was my first sentence. I kid you not. My first full sentence when I was a little tot was "Take a hike." This thanks to my dad, who would constantly say that jokingly to everyone, including me (he would always say stuff that's could be taken seriously as a joke). I'd look for a picture of the shirt, but I doubt I'd find it (I don't trust links to pictures I find on Google anymore either).

 

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
  1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
  2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - The Book Addicted Girl & The Little Book Blog
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
  4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
  5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
  6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog! 

Happy Follow Friday!

~Jessica

Update Thursday #17

Update Thursday #17

Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading, with writing, and beyond. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.

~*~

Reading, Writing...

Books I finished this week:


Books I'm reading now (and some still):
~The Other Boy by Hailey Abbott (Nookbook/Summer Romance Challenge)
~Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin
~The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
~Afterlife by Claudia Gray
~The Grand Escape by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
~The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols (Nookbook/Summer Romance Challenge)

I updated my Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge! My new 2011 reading goal... (drumroll)... 75 BOOKS! It makes me technically behind at the moment but I'll be able to catch up soon. ^_^

Regarding my blog redo status: I will have a Grand Blog Reopening on August 1st. I hope you all will be able to check it out. I won't be having a giveaway (even though I kinda wanted to). I'll just be posting an overview of what will be posted and when, and then you'll be seeing some articles and book reviews soon after (once I hit 200 followers there will be a giveaway). I can't wait to get my blog back up and running like normal!

My writing status: Not too much to report. It's pretty much the same, a little bit written here, a little written there, some editing here, some editing there. I've got a list of background things to come up with to give the story the details it really needs. I decided I'm going to change the title of the one I'm focusing on. It just doesn't have that type of name that clicks, you know?

And Otherwise...

It's been a slow week at work. Summers are always slower in the pharmacy. It's been a good thing though because I've been able to leave an hour early every day, which means one more hour I can spend at home doing something constructive. I have tomorrow off work entirely (WOOT!), and I plan on organizing my room a little (and writing in between!). It's a disaster area. Mainly because I have no time, but also because there's a leak in the roof above the one corner of my room. We're getting it fixed next Tuesday, so once that's done, my room can get completely to the point it should have been when we first moved in.

My brother's planning on wiping the computer... again... So I only have like an hour before that happens. I'll be gone most of the day shopping (Borders, here I come!!! *squeeee!*) so I am hoping he will have it done by the end of the day, or at least by Friday night.


That's all for now! Have a great and wonderful day! See you tomorrow!

~Jessica

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Follow Friday #13


Alright! Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read and is a way for book bloggers to get to know each other better. Just go to their pages and follow the directions, and you'll be making some new friends!

Q. Name 3 authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from?

1. Ellen Hopkins
2. Ellen Schreiber
3. Judy Blume

The why... Ellen Hopkins writes in verse and tackles tough issues and everything flows beautifully. Ellen Schreiber writes the cutest stories, and by cutest I mean that her sense of humor flows throughout and it doesn't take away from the story, it adds to it. Judy Blume writes everything for everyone and is brilliant.

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

  1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
  2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - We Fancy Books &Unrequited Desire
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
  4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
  5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
  6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
Happy Follow Friday y'all!

~Jessica

Update Thursday #16

Update Thursday #16

Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog, with reading, with writing, and beyond. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.

~*~

Reading, Writing...

Books I finished this week (and maybe last week):
~Last Chapter And Worse by Gary Larson
~Cows Of Our Planet by Gary Larson
~The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
~Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Books I'm reading now (and some still):
~The Other Boy by Hailey Abbott (Nookbook/Summer Romance Challenge)
~At The Party (Books 1-4) by Lauren Barnholdt (4 short stories, I consider it one book)
~LoveSick by Jake Coburn
~Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
~Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin
~The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

I've decided to update my Goodreads challenge... Not sure what number just yet. My reading has increased since I started. Having only read 6 books by mid-March I had lower expectations of being able to complete more than 50. I may change it by the end of the weekend.

Since putting my blog on temporary hiatus, I've been able to write out a few reviews. I also have come up with some great articles/commentaries on romance in YA novels. I wrote one and it actually felt pretty good.

Speaking of the temporary hiatus on my blog... what is in store? Here's the latest scoop. I'm restarting everything August 1st. This gives me a week and a half to rework the format/appearance of my blog (did a little bit of that already), get the articles/reviews together, and write out a schedule. So keep an eye out! I'll be back full force soon.

And Otherwise...

As some here know, I collect My Little Ponies. My best friend since Kindergarten got me started. She and I are doing a "pony swap" with another friend from pony forums. I received their lists of pony wants probably a month ago and still have barely started. I'll probably be using this 1 1/2 week gap in between here for online pony shopping too. The deadline is in September, so I need to get a move on considering how long it takes to receive stuff in the mail.

My obsession with Gossip Girl and Ed Westwick reaches new levels of awesome. My brother and I are on Season 3. Once we finish, I don't know what I'll do waiting for Season 4 to come out on DVD. It's more than a month away (August 23rd, which is surprisingly early for a TV series DVD release, most come out in September/October), but it gives me plenty of time to watch it before Season 5 starts on September 26th. Ed Westwick-wise, well, I decided to type in his name while on Barnes & Noble and an audiobook came up... City Of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments Series #4) by Cassandra Clare... I was like OMG WAIT WHAT?! Oh, to listen to his voice read a story to me. Talk about making me swoon. I haven't read the series, unsure if it's something I'd enjoy, but... I swear I'm tempted to get the audiobook just to listen to him, even if I have no idea what's going on. If that isn't obsession, I don't know what is.


That's all for now! Happy reading to everyone and have a great day!

~Jessica

Friday, July 15, 2011

Follow Friday #12



Alright! Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and is a way for book bloggers to get to know each other better. Just go to her page and follow the directions, and you'll be making some new friends!



Q. What do I do when I are not reading?


A: Oh my goodness... I spend my free time writing (either my novel or poetry) and watching TV on DVD marathons. Current obsession (as most of you probably know) is Gossip Girl. Other obsessions include Bones, How I Met Your Mother, and The Big Bang Theory. Oh, and I work full time as a pharmacy technician. Going on 7 years now. Sometimes I do crafty stuff--crocheting and painting and bracelet making. I collect My Little Ponies and Kitty In My Pockets. That's about it. ^_^


To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

  1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
  2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://angelasanxiouslife.blogspot.com/
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. LINKY TOOLS IS BACK!I paid for the subscription - finally so now you can add the links to your own post!!! To add the code to your own post click on GET THE CODE here under the list of names.
  4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
  5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
  6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

~Jessica

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Update Thursday #15

Update Thursday #15


Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme of sorts where I post an update of the goings on at my blog and beyond. Feel free to borrow the idea from me for your own bookish musings.


The latest at T@1AM...

Currently reworking out the details of my blog. I've got a list going of ideas for articles/book reviews, and I'm writing one of the articles out. I also read another article from Parajunkee, part two of the book blogger mistakes. I need to rework my blog out more! I'd like to have some guest posts by my fellow bloggers. Along with other things. ^_^


Reading...

Getting caught up on my library books. Almost done with a couple. Can't wait to finish those and get caught up on my book challenges.


Writing...

Restarted my story with some new plot lines. Not discarding everything I've already written, just rewriting the beginning and adding in various dialogues along the way.


Beyond books and words...

Obsessively watching Gossip Girl in my free time! (in fact, gotta get going to watch another episode)


Thanks for reading! I've been so busy with real life stuff that I haven't had the chance to do hardly anything, much less make a worthwhile Update Thursday post. That's okay. I'm still a work in progress at the moment. Bear with me my fellow book lovers!

~Jessica

Monday, July 11, 2011

WINNER of my 100 Followers Giveaway!

.....(drumroll please).....

CONGRATULATIONS
Nicki J Markus!

I'm emailing you right after posting this to get your address. Please respond by Friday. Thanks!

Thank you all for participating and supporting my blog! There will be more giveaways in the future, don't you worry. ^_^

~Jessica

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Going in a new direction...

I've been thinking about my blog and all the things I want to accomplish by the end of the year (see my post First Half of the Year Wrap Up! for what I'm talking about). I haven't been posting as many reviews as I'd hoped I would be by now. And there were a few weeks that I didn't even post ONE review. That seems kind of lame for a book blog for crying out loud.

So, what HAVE I been doing?

Memes.

Meme after meme after meme... every single day. Literally. I love to do them. I was getting pretty addicted to them. They are so much fun and you get to meet lots of other book bloggers. Thanks to every single one of them, I have gained at least one follower per meme I've done. And that's awesome.

Here's the problem... while memes are fun and can unite bloggers to people who love the same things they do, there is one minor flaw in the meme obsession. I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong until I read this blog post from Parajunkee: Book Blogging 101: Major Book Blogger Mistakes

What was the mistake? Quantity vs. Quality. I've been filling in all these blanks with so many memes that I haven't given myself any time for other book blog things. I spend at least 15-30 minutes working on my memes every day (sometimes it took longer than that). That's about 2-3 hours per week... Copy/pasting the format and the links from the previous post and from the meme host's post. Uploading pictures to use in posts. Picking out lines from books for TT. Going through my Goodreads TBR list to find an unreleased book for WoW.

I could probably have read another book or two with that time, AND written out more reviews, AND come up with more useful/interesting/hilarious articles/essays.

This, of course, has me flustered. Like I said before, I enjoy the memes. Lately though, it seems like the memes have overpowered me. And even before that article from Parajunkee, I was considering stopping a meme or two. AFTER reading the article though, I see the need to drop almost all of them. I'm going to schedule out my blog every week and stick to it. I'll still do a random meme or two here and there, but it'll be fewer and far between. I'll probably keep up with Follow Friday for sure, that way I can still meet and follow new book bloggers. The rest are up in the air (aside from my personal meme, Update Thursday).

I want to focus on doubling my book reviews, and start my nostalgic article series, and read more, and write my novel.

SO! In conclusion, expect some changes to my blog. I may not do much over this coming week in my attempt to get prepared and come up with posts and scheduling them. I'll definitely be posting the winner to my FIRST ever Book Giveaway (you still have until midnight tonight to enter) by hopefully tomorrow or Tuesday night, and I'll participate in Follow Friday.

I'd like to give a shout out to Parajunkee and say thanks for her wise ways and book blogging information that is more than beneficial for newbies like me to take into consideration to get our blogs going the way we would like them to. (Run on sentence, but I don't care!)

Happy reading, happy blogging, happy posting, happy everything!

~Jessica

Saturday, July 9, 2011

What's Your Status? #9

What's Your Status comes from Butterfly Feet Walking On Life. The object is to post what you have finished in the last week, what you are currently reading, what you plan to read in the coming week, and what you want to buy next. You can also post about reviews you've written and memes you have done, though these aren't mandatory. I will also be posting the status of my reading challenges.


~*~

Currently Reading:

What To Buy Next:
No idea! I didn't even buy the last few things on my "to buy next" posts from here, so I probably should do that first!

Reviews This Week:
None. I have a handful in the making and have yet to post any of them. They'll be up next week.

Memes This Week:

Challenges Update:
Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge: At book #32 of #50, which is more than halfway!
Off The Shelf Challenge: I've read 1 of the 5 books, This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. I'm postponing this challenge until I finish the Summer Romance Challenge, since that one ends sooner.
2011 Summer Romance Challenge: I've read 1 of 8 books. Book # 2 The Other Boy by Hailey Abbott was this week.


So... what's YOUR status?

~Jessica

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Follow Friday #11 & Book Blogger Hop #8



Alright! Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and is a way for book bloggers to get to know each other better. Just go to her page and follow the directions, and you'll be making some new friends!


Q. Let's step away from besties...What is the worst book that you've ever read and actually finished?



Worst book, eh? What If... All the Boys Wanted You by Liz Ruckdeschel, Sara James I don't know what it was, but navigating that book was pure torture. I don't like those books that bounce around like that, where you choose what happens next. That and books written in Instant Messages and Emails. I find them annoying.


To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

  1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
  2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://www.readbreatherelax.com/
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. LINKY TOOLS IS BACK!I paid for the subscription - finally so now you can add the links to your own post!!! To add the code to your own post click on GET THE CODE here under the list of names.
  4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
  5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
  6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

~*~

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books.


This week’s question isn’t a question at all! I thought I would do things a little differently this week and give all of you a chance to promote a giveaway (or two!) from the blogosphere.
The catch?
IT CAN’T BE YOUR OWN GIVEAWAY!
Gotcha!
You have to find another blogger who is having a giveaway and promote their giveaway for them! If possible, promote a giveaway from a blogger doing the Hop (hey, you are visiting other blogs anyway, right?). Have fun with this one! It’s not an easy task this week! :)

Oh goodness! Here's two... Christy @ The Reader Bee is giving away a SIGNED copy of The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter. You can enter to win The Goddess Test here! (US only on that one, ends July 14th) AND... At Reading Angel you can enter to win a book for adults or young adults. Fill out the form (there are two forms and you can do both!), pick out a book. There are too many books to list here, so go check out the Help Me Pick Giveaway over there! (this one is international)


~Jessica

Booking Through Thursday #9 & Update Thursday #14

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Deb @ BTT. This week's question asks the following:

Since my dog is turning 10 today … what animal-related books have you read? Which do you love? Do you have a favorite literary dog? (Snoopy, anyone?)

101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith, The Grand Escape by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by by Robert C. O'Brien, Pyewacket by Rosemary Weir (see picture)... I know there's more, but those are at the top of the list. As for a favorite dog, I'm not sure. I've never been a huge dog person, and it's been so long since I read 101 Dalmatians, I can't remember who my favorite was.

~*~


Welcome to Update Thursday, my own personal meme (but feel free to use it if you'd like) that I started to keep track of everything going on in my book blogging/writing/own world. Basically, I list off a few different things that have happened in the last week.

1. On reading: I'll probably be finishing a couple books by the weekend. I've been able to read a little bit at work on break here and there. Haven't gotten too far at home.

2. On writing: I've done a couple character profiles and I come up with some great lines. Now to figure out what scenes they'll fit into.

3. Otherwise: Went to the zoo on Monday with my brother and a friend--lots of fun! I got Gossip Girl Season 2 in the mail on Tuesday... and OBSESSING ever since. I watched the first disc Tuesday, then went on through from episode 5-14 last night... keeping myself up until 3 AM. At least I was sorting through and bagging up my yarn for storage. My brother seemed annoyed that I continued watching GG without him. He and I used to watch The OC all the time, and I think he likes GG now too. So I'll probably be restarting it for his benefit. Good times. We find enjoyment in the drama. ^_^


DON'T FORGET!!! I've still got my giveaway going on until Sunday. Check it out and enter at this link here! <3


~Jessica

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Waiting On Wednesday #10

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly book meme where we get to let everyone know about what books we are eagerly anticipating the release of. WoW is hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. Want to participate? Grab the logo on her page, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave your link on her blog!


Here's what I'm waiting on...


Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 2
by Stephenie Meyer

There's no synopsis... but I think y'all know what this is. There's just something about graphic novels of good books... ^_^ What are you waiting on?

~Jessica

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Teaser Tuesday #10

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teaser:

"All of it surrounds me and
I'm surprised when I realize
how familiar it feels.
I turn and run the other way."


~Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder


Yep! Another book in verse. I've gotten surprisingly far over the weekend with it even though I had a guest stay two nights in a row.

~Jessica

Monday, July 4, 2011

Musing Monday #9

Musing Monday is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and here's our question for today:

Below is a link to an NPR discussion about the simple fact that there’s no way you can read, see and experience all the things that are available to be experienced. The two methods for dealing with it areculling (i.e., cutting out certain genres that don’t interest you, etc.) orsurrender (i.e., just making peace with the facts and enjoying what you can in the time that you have).
So, do you cull, or do you surrender? Or do you do both?
I will cut out certain genres because they are uninteresting to me (based on past attempts). But there are some genres I'll give in to and read, and enjoy. So..... both. I've opened the way for a lot of newer types of books. Just last night I was realizing that I've been reading a lot of books that are depressing/sad lately (losing loved ones that you're close to, etc.), and I used to not do that because I didn't want to be upset over reading a book. I actually find it enriching to see how writer's express loss and hope, even if the outcome is still depressing or sad.


~Jessica

Saturday, July 2, 2011

In My Mailbox #9

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

It's where we post about the latest books we've purchased, gotten from the library, or received for review... it doesn't necessarily have to be ones you got in the mail. Although a lot of mine DO come from my mailbox. :)

I'm posting this early since I wasn't able to post anything earlier this morning, just in case the same thing happens again tomorrow..... This week, I decided to purchase 3 books for my Nook. (and downloaded 3 samples... I may or may not purchase them, we'll see)


And they are...




I really enjoyed My Blood Approves. I hope I can get a review written up tonight or tomorrow while I've got it in my mind still. Sometimes books run together. I shouldn't be reading 4 or 5 at once though. I can't help it.

~Jessica

What's Your Status? #8

What's Your Status comes from Butterfly Feet Walking On Life. The object is to post what you have finished in the last week, what you are currently reading, what you plan to read in the coming week, and what you want to buy next. You can also post about reviews you've written and memes you have done, though these aren't mandatory. I will also be posting the status of my reading challenges.


~*~

Currently Reading:
What To Buy Next:


Memes This Week:

Challenges Update:
Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge: At book #32 of #50, which is more than halfway!
Off The Shelf Challenge: I've read 1 of the 5 books, This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. I'm postponing this challenge until I finish the Summer Romance Challenge, since that one ends sooner.
2011 Summer Romance Challenge: I've read 1 of 8 books. Book # 2 The Other Boy by Hailey Abbott was this week.


Thank you all for stopping by!

**note: had to redo this when my computer went "fail" on me, so it's not like the original. stupid computer.**