The Secret Life Of A Book Blogger Tag

I saw this yesterday on Great Imaginations and decided to do it, since it was so fun to read that post.

1. How long have you been a blogger?
I've been blogging on and off since about 2005, but I started my book blog in 2010.


2. At what point do you think you will stop?
I don't actually. Unless something happens that makes blogging to stop being an enjoyable activity, I don't plan on stopping in the near future.


3. What is the best thing about blogging?
Meeting new people is always fun, both readers and authors, editors, publishers, and so on. I enjoy talking about books and discovering new authors, new genres. I don't think I've ever said this before, but sometimes I feel like I'm competing with myself, to see how many new authors I discover in a year. Since I usually get...not bored, bored is not the right word here... let's say less excited about reading books in the same genre after a while, I'm always open to try out new things, new books, new authors, new genres. Blogging has really given me the opportunity to have access to these things, not because of "free books", but because by connecting with other bloggers I get to hear what's new in Bookland and I stay informed.


4. What is the worst thing about blogging? What do you do to make it okay?
Drama. I try really hard to stay away from it, to ignore it, to not bring it here, on my blog. Unfortunately, with media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, I do get to find out whenever drama happens. Some stuff is good to know, like when bloggers are being catfished or when they're harassed for writing negative reviews, but sometimes some of the stuff I hear about really makes me want to scream in frustration, because come on people, most of us are adults!!


5. How long does it take you to create/find pictures to use?
I use Picmonkey and I used to use Paint Shop Pro to create graphics. It took a bunch of time and it still does, but I kinda enjoy the work.


6. Who’s your book crush?
Roth from the Dark Elements series by Jennifer L. Armentrout is pretty dreamy. Acheron, Styxx and Savitar from the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon are dreamy too. And Hawkeye is also a good character to have a crush on. As for girl crushes, my ultimate girl crush is Rose Hathaway.


7. What author would you die to have on your blog?
That's a hard question. I wouldn't necessarily die to have certain authors on my blog, but I'd certainly hyperventilate a little if Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Kelley Armstrong, Kylie Scott or Joanna Wylde would stop by. I'd faint too, let's be honest here.


8. What do you wear when you blog?
PJs. I blog when I'm home and my normal, day-to-day clothes when I'm indoors are my most comfortable PJs.


9. How long does it take you to prepare?
Oh gosh, it takes me a long time. I get distracted a lot. I need to have the perfect playlist to blog, but then I waste so much time making up the perfect playlist on youtube (because the radio pisses me off most of the times because for fuck's sake, if you're going to play a song, play the full song and don't talk over it!). But then the light is not good enough, so I need to go turn on the light. If I'm in bed when I blog, I arrange my pillows tons of times to get the perfect writing position and so on and so forth, and then Poof! the day is almost gone. Or if it's not that, then I must check out if some other bloggers had similar ideas in discussion posts and then I read a bunch of posts and never actually start writing my own. But once I start writing, I write until I'm finished with a post.


10. How do you feel about the book blogger community/culture?
Like I said before, I actually enjoy it here. I've met tons of people that I do like to consider my friends, even if I don't always talk to them. I've been in a shell ever sine I hit my teenage years, not talking to strangers, not feeling in my element in clubs or at big parties, and basically being an introvert. To this day, my idea of an awesome Friday night is staying at home, in my comfy PJs, surrounded by fluffy pillows, drinking tea and reading a good book. So while I still don't like parties, blogging has allowed me to interact more with people and basically rediscover the very social girl I was as a kid.


11. What do you think one should do to get a successful blog?
Not stress about pageviews and followers too much and blog about something you're passionate about. I used to look at the pageview count and at the followers number and cringe. Then, a few months ago it hit me like a freight train: I didn't start blogging because of it. When I made that first post almost 6 years ago, I did it because I wanted to talk about the books I loved and potentially meet other people with similar likes and dislikes in literature. I didn't do it to become famous, I certainly didn't start it for the possibility of free books (true story: when I decided to start my own book blog I thought only "famous" bloggers got free books, which meant they absolutely needed to have press credentials. I was young and new at this, okay?! Don't judge!). I did it because I was passionate about books and because most of my friends only read classic literature and didn't understand my love of the books I enjoy reading, no matter the genre. So my advice, without sounding patronizing, is blog about what you want to blog about, don't let yourself be ruled by stats, and definitely, definitely don't let other people's blogging choices define what you think is or isn't a successful blog. Unless you're doing it for income, this should be a hobby, not a second full-time job.


12. Who do you tag?
Like Kara did in her post, I tag anyone who feels like doing it. It's an awesome tag and if you want to do it, go ahead. Leave a comment if you did, to check out your answers :D

Book Review: Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru by Tera Lynn Childs

Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Series: Creative HeArts #1
Publisher: Entangled Crush
Release Date: September 14th 2015
My Rating: 3 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

When life gives you a blank canvas, make art.

Sloane Whitaker hates everything about moving to Texas. She hates leaving behind her friends and half her family in New York, starting over senior year at Austin’s NextGen Academy, and having to say she lives in Texas. Most of all, she hates that it’s all her fault. If she wants to earn her way back to the Big Apple, she has to prove she can still be the perfect daughter.

Which means no vandalism art, no trouble at school, and absolutely no Tru Dorsey, her serial screw-up neighbor, who loves nothing more than pushing her buttons.

But from the moment he vaults onto the roof outside her bedroom, there is something about him that makes her want to break every rule. Suddenly it’ s not the ten things she hates about Tru that are at the top of her list. It’s the ten reasons she doesn’t want to be without him.

*Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC in exchange for an honest review

I know this has probably been mentioned a few times by different reviewers, but my first thought when I saw the title was to thing of the movie Ten Things I Hate About You, which to this day is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is probably because of that connection that I had such high expectations for this book.

I enjoyed the fact that the main character was in the school of arts, as it's something I haven't read about before. I thought Sloane was an interesting character. The story hinted a few times at "the incident", which you get to find out about towards the end of the book. I really hoped that Sloane would be more accepting with how things are because of that thing that happened because of her. Most of the book she kept saying how much she hated Texas and the fact that she had to move, which at times got to be a little too much for my liking.

I liked Tru. Like Sloane, he has his secrets that he doesn't want anyone to know about. His story did break my heart, because he is a great guy, despite his family and his relationship with his parents.

This was a quick and fun read, although the ending did feel a little bit rushed. I found out there's a sequel, so I'm hoping that some of the questions I was left with will be solved in later installments.

Comic Book Tuesday #7: The Wish List Edition

Hey guys! Since I haven't read any comic books recently, I decided to do something different for today. I thought I'd share with you some of the books I want to read in the future. So without further ado, here are some of the comic books I hope to get to read this year.

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home - One of my favorite TV shows of all time is Buffy and I was super sad when the show ended. And since I started reading comic books I've decided that I will be reading the spin-off comics, because, among other things, I miss Spike and Xander.
2. Supernatural: Origins - Supernatural is another of my favorite TV shows. Although I've been a fan for years, I've only recently found out about the comic books (and the tie-in novels). I'm very curious about the years between Mary Winchester's death and where the show starts in the Pilot. I know the show explores a little bit of what happened, but I'm really interested in seeing John's struggle with hunting and raising two kids on his own. 
3. Vampire Academy - I've heard really mixed things about the comic book version of the series, so I'm really curious to see for myself how it looks like. I'm also a sucker for all things having to do with Dimitri
4. The Wicked + The Divine - A lot of people are loving this book and I've seen some sneak peeks online, in reviews, and it looks amazing. Also, anything relating to ancient gods and mythology is going to be of interest to me, so I can't wait to check this one out. 

Obsessed With Covers #31: Collide, Once Upon A Dream

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

Little known fact about me: I love guitars. Probably more than I love coffee and chocolate combined. I know, it sounds impossible to love something more than those two things, but it's true. Which is exactly why this cover caught my eye. The second thing that made me love this cover is the use of water and fire. I love that at the center is a guitar, making it clear that the instrument plays a very significant role in this battle, whatever that is.








Collide - H.M. Ward

I absolutely love this cover! Growing up, one of my favorite Disney movies was Sleeping Beauty. Besides the fact that Aurora had three fairy godmothers, Maleficent had a pet raven. A RAVEN! Which is 80% the reason why I love this cover so much. I also like the colors used on this cover. I'm curious about this book too, because I wonder how exactly the story will change and how not waking Aurora up will affect the story. The thing is, I love how the green smoke is concentrated around her head area, which is really interesting. And her eyes are open, but I have a feeling that she's not able to see anything, really. So I am definitely curious about this book

Once Upon A Dream - Liz Braswell

Comic Book Tuesday #6: Sensation Comics #1

When I was about 5 years old there were two TV shows I was crazy about: Star Trek and Wonder Woman. Like I said when I first started this feature, I wasn't a comic book reader as a kid. But I loved Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman. Why? Well, because it was a woman. I remember being fascinated with the idea that she was her own hero and that she could take care of herself, that she could save the day. I don't have many memories about the show itself, except for being absolutely in love with the way she'd change from her regular, civilian clothes, into her superhero outfit. I also remember her cuffs, which I've had an appreciation for even then. So I was very excited to read the origin story of Wonder Woman because of those reasons.

Before starting the book, I was kind of scared, in a way, that the story wouldn't live up to my expectations. I'm happy to say that the book was a very good read. I loved the vintage feel of it too. Since this issue was from what it's known as the Golden Age of comics, it doesn't have the flashy, every-panel-is-a-mini-painting look to it, but that's actually what made the read more enjoyable. Obviously, with the books I've reviewed before, I was impressed by the art, but this comic was exactly like I imagined old comics should look like.

Diana's storyline isn't as rich as I wanted it to be, in a way. I would love to read about her childhood and about life on Paradise Island. I don't know if this is addressed in later versions of the character or in later issues from this story line, I hope it is. The thing I liked most was that she was just as badass as I remember her to be. I am curious about the later issues and how her story is continued. I also am very intrigued about the other versions of the character, so I might dive into those as well, once I finish this original story line.

I'm glad I read this book and that my expectations were met, even though they were pretty high. I cannot wait to read more. Also, this made me curious about the origin stories of other superheroes, so I might try to get my hands on those as well.

Obsessed With Covers #30: City Of Light, Roadside Magic

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

Hey guys! Happy Monday! Sorry I went missing last week, but I had some stuff going on. This week I'm bringing you Urban Fantasy covers.

The beauty of this cover stands in its simplicity. The POV used is rather interesting, making it look like the dark night sky is the focus. There's what looks like either a bridge or the deck of a yacht/ship in the lowest part of the cover. Whatever it is, it seems like it's full of water. What hits me about this cover is that despite the title, that city has no lights that I can see. So I'm really curious about that, about the discrepancies between the title and the city shown in the cover. I love the font used for the title, I've always had a thing for neon signs. I also like that the letters "bleed" light around them. I'm actually very excited about this book, because this looks like an interesting read. 

City of Light - Keri Arthur 

This cover makes me think of Ghost Rider. That and the bike are what first got my attention and made me love this cover. Because bikes are awesome! I also love the sleeve tattoos the cover model has. That's a very interesting pattern and I'm very intrigued by it. I wonder if the tattoos have a story. I also like that it seems as if his powers are coming from the tattoos. I am curious about who he's chasing, because he looks ready to go to war, dangerous, angry and very, very concentrated. I have a feeling that being on his bad side is not a good place to find yourself in.

Roadside Magic - Lilith Saintcrow

Confessions of a Weird Reader #6: To All The Reads I Put On Hold

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today I want to talk to you about a special kind of books, the ones I decide to put down for a little while.

As you probably already know, I have no issue DNFing a book. If I don't enjoy it, I don't finish it. Seems reasonable, right? But what happens with those tough-to-read books? Those are really painful to DNF, mostly because I really don't want to. The decision to put them aside for a little while isn't easy for me. Which is why this blog post is dedicated to them, to the books that I just had to put on hold for a while in 2015. Here we go!

Things I Want My Daughters To Know - Elizabeth Noble

How much I read: 22%

Why I put it on hold: It's not you, it's me. You had the misfortune of being picked up right after I finished reading Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon, a book with an equally sad topic. I thought I could read you right away. I was wrong.

Will I finish it: Definitely. The story is sad, but also inspiring. It also shows how different people react in very different ways to the same situation, even if those people are siblings. It's a great story and I do plan to finish it.

The Dream of the Child Who Walks On Snow Without Leaving Traces - Gabriel Chifu

How much I read: 56%

Why I put it on hold: The subject is a difficult one to read about. It's about the communist regime in the 70s in Romania and the saddest part about this book is that most of this stuff (if not all of it) actually happened. To real people, in real life. It's not just some what-if situation, it's a real life story at the end of the day. It's hard to get through without wanting to scream. Or cry. Or both.

Will I finish it: Yes. I do. I will. Maybe that could be January's resolution!

The Strange Journey of Mr. Daldry - Marc Levy

How much I read: About 50%

Why I put it on hold: It was you. Well, kind of. Mostly me. See, I'm used to Marc Levy writing great stories, stories that don't always make sense right away. Stories that aren't always light and funny. I picked up this book, feeling hopeful. I also had super high expectations. It is possible that those expectations were way too high. Maybe I wasn't paying attention, maybe it's my fault.

Will I finish it: I think so, I'm not sure. That's the sad part, because I do want to know how the story ends, what they find on their journey.





Let's talk. Did you put aside any books last year? Or this year? Why?

Comic Book Tuesday #5: Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War

Author: Mike Johnson, Angel Hernandez
Series: Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War #1-6
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Release Date: March 29th 2016
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Two iconic franchises collide for this blockbuster crossover event! The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise meets the Green Lantern Corps for the first time in an all-new adventure that spans the cosmos! Kirk and Spock make a most unusual discovery on a lost world... igniting events that will change the fate of empires!

*Disclaimer: I received an e-galley of this book from Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors in exchange for an honest review.

When I was growing up I was a huge Star Trek fan. So it's no wonder that when I saw this book on Netgalley I just HAD to read it. Also, I like when two apparently different fictional worlds have a crossover, because it's a great opportunity to introduce people to new characters and get them interested enough to find out more about them.

The first thing I noticed was that, unlike most comic books that I've read so far, this one seemed easier to read and the story was a bit easier to follow. This might be due to how the panels were created. Not too many characters were present in the panels and I really enjoyed that fact. Although that doesn't mean there was a lack of details. On the contrary, the drawings were fabulous, the colors were extremely rich and vivid and they helped add a little extra layers to the story.

Because I've only seen the Green Lantern movie (and that was a while ago), I was surprised to hear that there were more Lanterns out there. Of course, it makes sense now, but at the time I was reading it, I was surprised. I enjoyed seeing new Lanterns being chosen. As a newbie to the Green Lantern world, I feel like my confusion was pretty much reflected by the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise ship and their reaction to the flying green man they meet in space during a fight. I did love the fact that most of my questions were answered, although it also made me curious about the Green Lantern comics and the entire history of this world.

I have to say that the ending felt a bit rushed, but the story did have only 6 issues, so I probably shouldn't have been that surprised by that fact. I greatly enjoyed reading about these two world together and I am actually hoping there's going to be more crossovers between the two franchises. I am curious if this will have any impact on future movies or if there's a plan for a Star Trek/Green Lantern movie crossover? That would be interesting to see. All in all, I greatly enjoyed this book and I will add the Green Lantern comic books to my TBR.

Obsessed With Covers #29: The Raven Cycle, Riders, Stars Above

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

Happy Monday guys! I have pretties for you!

The Raven Cycle is a series that has some of the prettiest covers out there, but the one for this upcoming novel is my favorite. The first thing that I noticed is the stag. Since I haven't yet read this series (I only stared at the pretty covers), I'm not really sure what to make of this cover. Is it that the stag has a light shining on it or is that blue shade on it a symbol for what's happening in the book? Is it fog that conceals the ravens and the stag's antlers or something else? This cover is really making me insanely curious about the series.







The Raven King - Maggie Stiefvater

I've been staring at this cover for a while now and every time I see it I think about the same thing. I don't know if you guys saw The Last Unicorn, but this cover reminds me of that movie a lot. I love the image used and I really want to know if the horse is on fire or if the horse has an armor of fire. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that the next books in this series will be similar to this one. Obviously, reading the blurb makes it seem that the horse belongs to one of the Four Horsemen, but that tagline makes me wonder. Anyway, I love horses, so this cover needs to prettify my shelves :D

Riders - Veronica Rossi

Another series with fantastic covers. And Stars Above doesn't fail. This cover is more than gorgeous. I love the crown and I love the image of the lightning coming out of it. It also makes me think about plasma globes and I love those too. The crown is also very pretty. It seems like it's make of crystal (or glass). It's an easy cover to love, really. I wonder if the crown belongs to someone and if the stories in this book reveal that someone. I haven't kept up with the series, to my shame, so if that was revealed in the previous books, I'm sorry :P






Stars Above - Marissa Meyer

Book Review: Shadows by Paula Weston

Author: Paula Weston
Series: The Rephaim #1
Publisher: Orion Children's
Release Date: January 3rd 2013
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

It's almost a year since Gaby Winters watched her twin brother die. In the sunshine of a new town her body has healed, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn't help that every night in her dreams she fights and kills hell-beasts. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who's been appearing in Gaby's dreams, he tells her things about her brother and her life that cannot be true, things that are dangerous. Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And who is Gaby? The truth lies in the shadows of her nightmares.

*Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from Netgalley and Hachette Children's Group in exchange for an honest review.

Shadows was one of those books that everyone around me seemed to read and enjoy, so I will admit that I was a bit nervous when I decided to read this book. I am glad I did it though, because I ended up liking it a lot.

Gaby is one of those characters that is full of surprises. I felt very sad for her and for her twin brother. She is a loyal friend and I liked how she was willing to do anything to protect her best friend. What was interesting about her character is how the author managed to make Gaby seem different than the person that Rafa and his friends tell her she was in the past. It was almost like reading about two different characters and that was something that I enjoyed a lot.

Rafa is a difficult character to like. Actually, half the time I wanted to smack him, while the other half I wanted to hug him, because his side of the story was sad too. At times he was infuriating, other times he was a charmer. He is loyal though and I really do want to know more about him and his story.

The plot was pretty well paced, not too fast and not too slow. There were a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming, a few scenes that I did anticipate but that I enjoyed. There was a very powerful scene near the end, a scene that really made me question what is actually going on. It kind of made me question a lot of the things that Rafa knew and that were presented by different characters throughout the book. But I also loved that it showed that the Rephaim were a true family in the end, and that even though they might not agree with each other or even fight each other, they would stand united against enemies. I really loved that scene.

I liked how the book ended. It seemed fast and it came out of nowhere to be honest, but that just made me even more curious about the rest of the story. I will definitely read the rest of the series.

Wednesday Chatter #12: The Struggle To Write A Decent First Paragraph

Wednesday Chatter is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books where we'll be talking about anything and everything related to books and reading. Click here if you want to see what we talked about in the previous weeks


WARNING: Some bad words might be used in the following post. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Hey guys! Happy Wednesday!

Last week I was trying really hard to get some book reviews done and I noticed something. I always have a problem starting the review in a semi-intelligent way. You know, something other than "OMG THIS WAS SO GOOD" or something similar. The funny thing, though, is that not all reviews are so difficult to write, for me. Oh no, my issue is with books I've received for reviewing. This struggle led to this discussion post and I really hope I'm not the only one that has this issue.

See, here's the thing. I've always felt the pressure of a perfect beginning when reviewing books that I'm supposed to review. This probably has to do with the fact that, in school, I was told that all essays should have a strong, good beginning. That a good start will always make the readers enjoy the entire article more than they would if the first paragraph is mediocre or bad. Is it true? I have no idea. Maybe, maybe not. I don't judge an article by how it starts, unless the first paragraph is full of typing errors that are really "in-your-face". But for me there's this huge pressure to sound intelligent and somewhat professional. Like I know what I'm doing. Which, spoiler alert, isn't always the case.

For some reason this pressure, this strange idea of mine regarding reviews and the first paragraph, only comes to me to kick me in the butt when I'm writing reviews for books I've received for review.

Do you guys have that issue? I know I need to loosen up a bit, I'm not denying that. But am I the only one really struggling with this? Also, do you have any tips? 

2016 Book Blog Discussion Challenge Sign-Up

One of my resolutions for 2016 was to post more regularly on my blog. But for me having a blog full of reviews and the occasional meme post isn't all that enjoyable. I also love discussion posts, but I suck at writing them. Last year I saw a lot of bloggers doing the 2015 Discussion Challenge, so I decided that if the challenge will be up and running in 2016 that I'd join in on the fun. And so here I am, joining in. See, I'm also socializing more. Two resolutions in the first month of this year. I'm growing up, guys!

This challenge is hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight. To read the rules or to sign up, click on the graphic above or click here. The challenge has 5 levels:

1-12 – Discussion Dabbler

13-24 – Creative Conversationalist

25-36 – Chatty Kathy

37-48 – Terrifically Talkative

49+ – Gift of the Gab

I'm aiming for 25-36 discussion posts. I want to publish a discussion post a week, every week, but I'll be honest with you and myself and say that that might not be always possible. So I'm choosing Chatty Kathy as my desired level. If I manage to post more than 36 discussion posts, I'll feel immensely proud of myself.

Obsessed With Covers #28: The Reader, Firstlife

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

I absolutely love this cover. I love the color palette used, first of all. Blues and greens are my favorite combination in the world. I also like that the pages of the book seem to envelop the girl and some pages even seem to float away from the book. And the designs in the pages, they look like waves for the blue pages and leaves for the green ones. I am very curious to see how this cover looks in real life. I also hope there's some embossed elements on the cover.








The Reader - Traci Chee

It's no secret that Gena Showalter has some of the most gorgeous covers out there. This is one of them. I love hourglasses, which is the first thing I noticed when I first saw this cover. But I love how the image of an hourglass is used in this cover to show what it looks like an imminent threat to the beautiful, "heavenly" city, how the chaos and evil from the city from above is slowly enveloping the second city. Reading the blurb makes the cover even more interesting, because now I'm wondering why exactly it's an hourglass. What does it mean?

Firstlife - Gena Showalter

What covers did you see recently that you liked?

My 2016 Blogging and Reading Resolutions

Hey guys! I hope you partied hard last night and that you had an amazing time. And I hope that 2016 will be fantastic for you!

I saw a bunch of bloggers that I follow make posts about their 2016 resolutions (*waves at everyone*), so I thought I'd join in on the fun. Here are my blogging and reading resolutions for this year:

• Make a dent in my TBR pile.

Now, I know what you're thinking. I say this all the time. But this time I'm serious. I've signed up for the Shelf Love Reading Challenge and I plan on finishing it. Last year I had my thesis to write, so my free time was dedicated to sleep. Now I have a bunch of time on my hands (when I'm not working, of course) that I want to dedicate to reading. Or a part of it, anyway.

• Post regularly

This is another thing I need to correct this year. I need to plan my posts ahead and I need to blog regularly. Which is what I'm going to do.

• Comment, comment, comment

Being an insecure introvert means that I rarely comment. Not because I have nothing to say, but because sometimes I fear my comment my be sorely misinterpreted. So I end up deleting a huge and thoughtful (in my opinion) response to a blog post because of that. I will change that this year and push that "Post" button more often. And if I offend anyone, it usually isn't my goal, so I'm sorry. (If it is my goal to offend, you'll know).

• Be more active on social media

This includes Twitter, Instagram, Facebook (maybe), Goodreads and all the other fun sites a book blogger usually uses. I'm one of those people with an irregular online activity, but I really want to change that. Which I'll do this year.

• Keep an open mind

Last year I discovered comic books. I am hooked on them, to be honest (which is probably why I managed to not only achieve my 2015 Goodreads goal, but to surpass it). So I'll keep an open mind to new genres, new authors, new everything. (That still doesn't mean I'll try audiobooks though, sorry!)

So this is it, folks. These are my 2016 resolutions for my book blogging self. What are yours?