Liebster Blog Award

I feel so honored to have received this award!!! I never imagined I would ever get any followers on my blog, so I am so thankful to all of the other book bloggers out there for being awesome examples for me as I start on my blog journey and therefore helping get my name out there and just reading my blog! I am just so grateful! Although I love all of my followers (the few I have), I have to give special thanks to Sarah @ Book-A-Holic. She is the one who nominated me for this award! I am so thankful to her for this opportunity.

Rules of the Liebster Blog Award:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog and link back to the blogger who presented this award to you.

2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself and create 11 questions for your nominees.

3. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen. (No tag backs)

4. Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.

 Questions from Sarah:

1. Why did you start blogging?

    A: I started blogging because my English teacher told us that we could do our reading logs on a blog that year. I had never had enough room to write on my reading logs, so I was very happy I finally had a much more fun and easier option. :) Around the same time, I got a Goodreads, and I discovered book blogs, the "Blog this Review" HTML option on Goodreads, and discovered "book reviews" that I had a ton of fun writing simultaneously. I was like, "Why not post my reviews to my blog?!" So, I did. And then, I began to learn that people had whole blogs with GIVEAWAYS *drools* and reviews!! Like AHHHH!!!!!!!!

2. If you could meet any author alive or dead who would it be and why?

    A: Herbert Anderson Toops (my great-grandfather). I am more interested in meeting my ancestors than my fave authors, although he was as an author.

  

3. What is your favorite novel that you were forced to read in school?

     A: Romeo and Juliet. Loved it!

4. If you could travel to any world from a book which would it be and why?

    A: Either Hogwarts from the Harry Potter series or the Gallagher Academy from The Gallagher Girls series.

5. If you could be friends with any book character who would it be?

   A: Either Maximum Ride from the Maximum Ride series or Cammie from the Gallagher Girls series.

6. What is your favorite color?

    A: Light blue. =) (As you can see from my blog design ;)

7. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

    A: I love being able to share my opinion on books with others as well as compare opinions. I also love learning about the hottest new releases as well as less popular books.

8. What is the one thing that bothers you most in books (pet peeve)?

    A: Pet peeve is probably...hmmm...I don't really have any big ones but I'd have to say when books drag on a lot? I guess? Yeah.

9. What was your favorite book of 2012?

    A: Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls #5) by Ally Carter

         Goodreads

10. Have there been any books that you have read recently that have suprised you? Which ones?

      A: Hope's Daughter (The Ambrosia Sequence #1) by Melanie Cusick-Jones

           Goodreads

           I was expecting to like this book, maybe even love it. But I had no idea it would become my second favorite (after Harry Potter) book or series OF ALL TIME!!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! Totally surprised me and blew me out of the water!

11. Who is your number one book boyfriend?

      A: I don't really have one I'm super crazy about (I prefer real guys ;) but I guess it would have to be Ethan from the Beautiful Creatures series. I <3 him!!!!! He was great. =)

Random Facts About Me:

1. I am a popcorn NUT. My favorite foods are pasta and popcorn. My favorite drinks are root beer <3 and lemonade.

2. I am a procrastinator. *sigh*

3. I am super competitive and get very, ah, <i> passionate </i> about things I care about.

4. I'm awful at all sports (especially volleyball) mostly because I don't know the rules. I have good hand-eye coordination though, which kind of goes to waste.

5. My friends think I'm crazy because when I'm tired (which is most of the time) I go all nuts and start laughing like a maniac.

6. My favorite restaurant is Elevation Burger. *mmmmmm licks lips*

7. My favorite TV shows are Dance Moms and Dance Academy. I know, shallow. As well as most things on The History Channel. Which brings me to my next fact....

8. I am a HISTORY NERD!!!!! I love everything history pretty much, except I'm not a big fan of history about all wars (in America) from the 20th century to now (unless of course it's info about my ancestors in those wars).

9. I have a dream of traveling to many historical sites all over the world!

10. I am related to lots of awesome people from history. No one extremely big that I know of, but people I wish I could meet. Though, who knows, I haven't done my family tree research yet.

11. I like to sing, dance, and act. And SHOW CHOIR!!! WOOT WOOT!!!!

Okay, so now after seriously creeping you out with my tell-all (not everything MWAHAHA) and causing you to reconsider your follower status, let's move on to....

My Nominees:

1. Magen Corrie @ Corrie the Book Crazed Girl

    I cannot BELIEVE this blog only has 54 followers! She deserves WAY more than that! So please, check out her blog. I COMMAND YOU!!!!

2. Beth @ Curling Up With A Good Book

3. Sarah @ Sarah's Reviews - Reading

4. Chantel Law @ Little Miss BookWorm

5. Bonnie Erina Wheeler @ Bonnie Erina Wheeler

6. Stephanie Parent @ Stephanie Parent, YA Author

7. Melyssa @ The Daze of Us

8. Annie @ Just One More Chapter

9. Karina A. @ CouchPotato Reader

10. Kari @ Kari's Crowded Bookshelf

11. Noellie @ The Literary Forest

My Questions:

(which I really just copied from Sarah because she came up with some really awesome sauce ones and I'm not that good at questions!)

1. Why did you start blogging?

2. If you could meet any author alive or dead who would it be and why?

3. What is your favorite novel that you were forced to read in school?

4. If you could travel to any world from a book which would it be and why?

5. If you could be friends with any book character who would it be?

6. What is your favorite color?

7. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

8. What is the one thing that bothers you most in books (pet peeve)?

9. What was your favorite book of 2012?

10. Have there been any books that you have read recently that have suprised you? Which ones?

11. Who is your number one book boyfriend?

Calling All Bloggers! You Are Wanted for The List!

NOTE: This text was taken from the post by Sarah over at Book-A-Holic.

A list is being made by Kate over at Kate's Blog and one of the publicists at Entangled Publishing. It's the blogger list! If you're interested, you can check out Kate's post on the subject here.

You should join. Here's more info:


Calling all bloggers!

Calling all bloggers!

Entangled needs you! *points at you*

Be part of The List.

Here's what you need to know:

One of my awesome publicists at Entangled is compiling a list of bloggers.

Here are the requirements:

Do you have a blog?

Do you love to review books?

Do you want access to books before they release?

If your answers to these questions is a resounding "YES" then you're the right blogger for the job.

We want you! Now's a great time to join The List.

Feed My Reader Friday #1

This post will contain all of the e-books I have received in the past 2-3 weeks for my iPad Mini.

 

 

FEED MY READER FRIDAY

• Just put up a post sharing the new ebooks you've added to your reader, computer, phone, etc.
• You can grab the graphic I have on this post, make your own graphic, skip the graphic, whatever works for you.

I will be absent for a while...

So my semester ends on the 24th, and I have finals coming up and tests next week on stuff I'm still learning and I'm at a really critical point with my grades and GPA, so I will probably be doing less commenting, giveaway entering, and memes. Since Friday of last week, I've pretty much been swamped with work, so I haven't done any memes or reviews. I really wish I could be on to have fun blogging to my heart's content, but right now I have to think about the future and be responsible enough to push my grades up at this critical point and work hard. Thanks for all of the continous support and keep reading! =D

Stacking the Shelves #2: Winter Break Edition

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. You basically share your new books/ebooks/swag you got this week/recently.

Waiting on Wednesday #1

Waiting on Wednesday is an awesome meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights the upcoming books I am currently anticipating.

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer: Evie's Knight by Kimberly Krey - Blog Tour Guest P...

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer: Evie's Knight by Kimberly Krey - Blog Tour Guest P...: On tour with Prism Book Tours Up For Grabs? $50 Amazon Gift card, book swag, and much more! Evie’s Knight by Kimberly Krey P...

Enter this giveaway because there is some ah-mazing swag such as chapstick, Amazon gift cards, and ebooks of an awesome novel! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enter above in the first line there's a link.

2012 End of the Year Book Survey

 

Hosted by The Perpetual Page-Turner

Best in Books 2012

1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)

Oh, this is so hard. I sat there looking at my list debating back and forth, and back and forth. So...my number one book of 2012 is probably:

1. Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

    Goodreads

2. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

    Goodreads

3. Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer

    Goodreads

4. Runaway by Meg Cabot

    Goodreads

5. That Summer by Sarah Dessen

   Goodreads

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Fifties Chix: Travel to Tomorrow by Angela Sage Larsen

   Goodreads

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

    Goodreads

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

I recommended WAY more books than usual this year, but I would probably have to say:

Gallagher Girls series (Goodreads) and the Betsy-Tacy series (Goodreads)

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

I am a big series fan, so I will be doing multiple for this one:

Kingdom Keepers

Goodreads

Betsy-Tacy

Goodreads

Caster Chronicles

Goodreads

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Maud Hart Lovelace, Cherry Cheva, Joan Bauer

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

Disney After Dark (Kingdom Keepers #1) (Goodreads) or Betsy-Tacy (Goodreads)

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

All of my top three equally (see above; first question)

9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Goodreads) and maybe the Betsy-Tacy series (but I think there are WAY too many books on my TBR for that) (Goodreads)

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?

                                                         

 11. Most memorable character in 2012?

  Betsy Ray from the Betsy-Tacy series (Goodreads)

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Goodreads) and Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter (Goodreads)

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?

Hands-down: That Summer by Sarah Dessen (Goodreads)

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?

Almost all of them, I guess. I read mostly 2011 or earlier releases this year. But top:

. The Sorcerer King (Faerie Path #3) by Frewin Jones (Goodreads)
. The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins (Goodreads)

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012? 

"I didn’t think while I drew. The pencil flew across the page making marks, almost as if it had a mind of its own. Often times I didn’t know what it was going to be until it was completed. The cemetery was still with only a few birds calling off in the distance from time to time. When I finished I was not at all surprised by what had taken form on my paper. It was a portrait of my dad. He was sitting behind the tombstone, using it as a desk, his laptop open in front of him. He wore a peaceful smile. I smiled, too, as another tear fell.”

Excerpt From: Marysue G. Hobika. “Nowhere.” MuseItUp Publishing, 2012-06-08. iBooks. This material may be protected by copyright.

     -On top of the fact that this is an amazing, beautiful, heartfelt, wonderfully written quote, I just LOVE it. I recommend reading this quote when coping with death.

Nowhere Goodreads Link

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?

Shortest: Marco Polo: Geographer of Distant Lands by Clint Twist (Goodreads)

Longest: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Goodreads)

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

 

Both equally:

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Goodreads)

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter (Goodreads)

 

 

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Betsy and Tacy/Betsy and Joe from the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace (Goodreads)

Ethan and Lena from Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Goodreads)

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs (I had previously read her Oh. My. Gods. series) (Goodreads)

Home for the Holidays by Heather Vogel Frederick (Goodreads)

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter (Goodreads)

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace (based solely upon the fact that Home for the Holidays had the girls in the book club reading it ;) (Goodreads)

Kingdom Keepers series (Goodreads)

 

Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2012

 

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012?

Corrie the Book Crazed Girl

Emily's Crammed Bookshelf

 

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2012?

My The Perfect Prom Date by Marysue G. Hobika Review

My Nowhere by Marysue G. Hobika Review

 

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

I don't really get much discussion on here...hehe. Don't have many followers yet *scratches back awkwardly*

 

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

Review on Goodreads for 50 Shades

 

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

This event. And probably Stacking the Shelves.

 

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012?

Finally getting other bloggers commenting on my blog and getting more followers!

 

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My Fifties Chix: Travel to Tomorrow by Angela Sage Larsen Review

 

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Hmmm...I guess all of them. But:

My The Perfect Prom Date by Marysue G. Hobika Review

 

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Book blogging, memes. Up until this year, I had no knowledge that there was something called "book blogs" and I guess my best discovery is book blogs and GIVEAWAYS!

 

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

My Goodreads 2012 Reading Challenge was to read 100 books, which I did NOT complete. I completed goals of reading more and growing closer to God, and maybe some other stuff but I don't have my goals list from the beginning of the year with me at the moment.

 

 

Looking Ahead…

 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?

Nevermore by James Patterson OHMYGOD YES!!!! I AM STILL BEATING MYSELF UP I HAVEN'T READ IT YET!!!!! (Goodreads)

 

The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus #1) by Rick Riordan I KNOW! I KNOW!!!! WHERE HAVE I BEEN? HONESTLY GUYS, I. DON'T. REALLY. KNOW. (Goodreads)

 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (Goodreads)

 

Wish You Were Eyre (The Mother-Daughter Book Club #6) by Heather Vogel Frederick (Goodreads)

 

Shadow by Jenny Moss (my friend loaned this to me two years ago and I still haven't returned it...hehe *again scratches back of neck awkwardly* so I need to return it) (Goodreads)

 

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?

Untitled (Gallagher Girls #6) (Goodreads)

 

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?

FINALLY finish writing reviews for all of the books I read in 2012 and am still dying to write reviews for but can't find the time to.

AND finish my Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge for ONCE IN MY LIFE! hahaha xD

Thanks to Lauren @ A Little Bit of R&R

So Lauren over at A Little Bit of R&R made me two SUPER amazing sigs! I'm so thankful to her for making me these because now I am becoming more official! YAY! Haha ;) xD I will now be using them from here on out on my blog. I like the first one better, so that is probably the one you will see.



2013 Reading Challenge Here I Come!

 

So, the 2012 Reading Challenge has finally come to an end. *sigh* My goal was to read 100 books in 2012 and guess what? I didn't get there. I got to 78 books. So close, and yet so far.

Teaser Tuesday #1

This is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

To participate you:

* 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!

 

Hello! So for this week's (my first) Teaser Tuesday, I am taking teasers from:

Hope's Daughter by Melanie Cusick-Jones

“I know you know,” he murmured huskily at my ear. I could feel his lips – the smallest distance away from my throat – as his breath wafted beneath my hair and dispersed the air next to my skin. “Are you going to make me say it?” I heard the smile in his voice, beneath the whisper.”

Excerpt From: Melanie Cusick-Jones. “Hope's Daughter.” iBooks.

This material may be protected by copyright.

 

*******

“He took a deep, self-conscious, breath as he paused – searching for the words I was afraid of hearing – which made the flesh of my throat rush with excitement and come out in goose bumps when he exhaled and the air caressed my skin.”

Excerpt From: Melanie Cusick-Jones. “Hope's Daughter.” iBooks.

This material may be protected by copyright.