Life of a Blogger: Routines

So this week's topic on Life of a Blogger is Routines.

Hosted by Jessi from Novel Heartbeat

Unsure of how this topic works, I just decided to take you through a typical day.

 

First thing in the morning I do is have breakfast!

After breakfast, I usually shower. 

This is when I usually watch TV. Obviously, I don't watch a lot. My favorites are The Today Show, Food Network, Family Feud, and The Simpsons. 

Then it's usually lunch time. I try to eat as healthy as possible!

I almost do laundry every day. 

I always try to get some reading time in. 

I'm addicted to YouTube. Especially make-up videos. 

I usually make/eat dinner.

I try to get some blogging, whether it be on my blog, or commenting on other blogs, at every other day.

Honestly, one of my favorite times of day is bedtime. I usually curl up with a good book before drifting off to sleep.

What are some of your daily routines? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Heroines

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Heroines (TV edition)

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Daenerys from Game of Thrones

Liz Lemon from 30 Rock

 Violet Crawley the Dowager Countess of Grantham from Downton Abbey

Amy, Bernadette, and Penny from The Big Bang Theory

Lily from How I Met Your Mother

Lorelai from Gilmore Girls 

Marge from The Simpson's

Kelly from The Office

While they may not all be what we would consider your standard heroine, they all are heroines within their own rights! :) Who are some of your favorites? 

The Body Electric by Beth Revis

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): The future world is at peace.
Ella Shepherd has dedicated her life to using her unique gift—the ability to enter people’s dreams and memories using technology developed by her mother—to help others relive their happy memories.
But not all is at it seems.
Ella starts seeing impossible things—images of her dead father, warnings of who she cannot trust. Her government recruits her to spy on a rebel group, using her ability to experience—and influence—the memories of traitors. But the leader of the rebels claims they used to be in love—even though Ella’s never met him before in her life. Which can only mean one thing…
Someone’s altered her memory.
Ella’s gift is enough to overthrow a corrupt government or crush a growing rebel group. She is the key to stopping a war she didn't even know was happening. But if someone else has been inside Ella’s head, she cannot trust her own memories, thoughts, or feelings.
So who can she trust?

Book Review:
Let me start off by saying that I adore Beth Revis. She is one of my favorite author's. Period. I mourned the end of the Across the Universe series and was super psyched when I found out about this stand alone novel. I may have built my expectations up a bit. Overall, I enjoyed the story. Ella made an engaging character that I enjoyed following. Jack was an excellent supporting character. My favorite character of all was Ella's father. However, I felt that it took a little too long for Ella to fit the pieces together. I kept thinking..."this is where things will start to make sense," and then nope. Just biding a little more time. I found it to be a little frustrating. Also, I felt that the ending was a little abrupt. I would definitely find a sequel a bit more satisfying, me thinks. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but it was lacking a few key components for me.  

Cover Art Commentary:
This cover is very eye-catching. I love the green and white. I also didn't notice the bees flying out of the character's head until after I finished reading the book. Spooky coincidence.  

Rating:

Life of a Blogger: Organization

So this week's topic on Life of a Blogger is Organization.

Hosted by Jessi from Novel Heartbeat

So I'm not quite sure if this is overall organization or just for books. For my purposes, I'm just doing books. While I'd love to show you all my bookshelves, I'm currently away from home, so hopefully the visual aids below will offer some insight.

First of all, let me say it's hard to keep books organized! Especially series in which a book only comes out 1-1.5 yrs. I really need to go through and re-organize. Badly. Needless to say, I wish my books looked like this:

It's beautiful, book-y, and organized. Hopefully someday when we get our house, I'll have a whole room to do this in. Sadly, that day is not today. Instead, my bookshelves are more akin to this:

I attempt to keep authors and series together, but um...a lot of times, I just pile books back on the shelf NOT in the order I found them. At the very least, it keeps my books in fair shape, but I have been known to on occasion repurchase a book I already own because I simply didn't know that I already had it in my possession. It's sad, I know. 

I'm also known for doing this:

Yes, I am one to keep piles of books around. My most current place is on my dresser. I try to keep a small-ish pile of books that are on my TBR pile. However, recently, I've been reading from my ereader. May I just mention it is SOOO MUCH easier to keep your books organized on an ereader? I absolutely love it! I have a nook simple touch and it keeps me very organized, plus it helps keeps things light when I'm reading a 400+ page book!

Ok, dear reader. Now it's time to hear from you. What keeps you organized in the world of books?

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Book Related Problems I Have

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Book Related Problems I Have

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Sorry! I couldn't help myself! As soon as I read this week's topic, the song just popped into my head! :) Ok...on to the real list!

1. Discussing books with non-book-y types. This is usually how the conversation goes. It's pretty awkward with a lot of pauses. Person:"So, you like to read? " Person looks down at my book.  Me:"Yes, do you?" Person: "Not really. What kind of books do you read?" Me:"All kinds." Person:"Oh, well have you read that one book about the one famous person? I heard that was supposed to be good." Me:"I'm not sure how to respond to that..."
2. So many books, so little time! If I had time to read everyday, I still wouldn't get to all of the books I want to read. Priorities can be confusing some times.
3. Giving non-book-y people recommendations. Yes, I read a lot but that doesn't mean that I have any idea as to what you might like. I don't know which author's you might be akin to. Why don't you look at this magazine? It has a lot of pictures in it...
4. Being disappointed when everyone and their mother is fan-sqeeing about a book. When I don't connect with those books I feel out of the loop somehow. 
5. Unable to get my hot little hands on super awesome ARCs. I absolutely love it when I get a ARC of a book I've been dying to read. Unfortunately, it happens less often then I would like.
6. Slooooow paced books. I want to get wrapped up and scurried away into a novel not drudge my way through a story line.
7. When I find an author that I absolutely love and no one agrees with me. There are some super awesome authors out there that need more recognition. How can I get the word out?
8. Room. I'm running out of room for my physical books. This is a real serious problem. I can't get rid of them...my precious...
9. Dumb characters that weigh-down an otherwise fantastic book. Especially when each chapter is in a different character's voice. When you get to that one character, it's like you don't know how you'll be able to get through the chapter!
10. Knowing which book to read next can be a real conundrum sometimes, especially if you're totally in love with the book you just finished. 

Ok, those are my real life book problems. I would love to read about some of yours!

Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines by Katy Cannon

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): Grace: This was supposed to be Grace’s starring year, until she opened the door to a family secret that changed everything. Now she’s stuck making costumes in Sewing Club and watching someone else play the lead role – unless she can find a way to win it back.
Connor: Far from home and exiled to a new school, all Connor wants is to keep a low profile and get through the year. But agreeing to help his step-dad out with the school play means he’s soon caught up in Grace’s schemes.
Grace had a plan for this year – and it didn't involve learning to sew. But being out of the spotlight isn't the disaster she imagined, even if Connor is convinced she’s still a diva extraordinaire. Can Grace prove she’s really changed and save the play from the sidelines, even though her family is coming apart at the seams?

Book Review:
After hoplessly falling for Love, Lies and Lemon Pies, I knew I was in for a treat with Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines! Cannon has definitely stepped her game in this sophomore story. In the first book, I found Grace to be a privileged, arrogant character who mattered very little to me. In Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines, Grace's charter arc is nothing short of incredible. I felt Grace changing genuinely for the better, despite my hesitant expectation. Grace evolved into a character I really cared about. When Grace struggled, I struggled along with her trying to determine the best course of action for her to take next. Connor was an extremely adorable and lovable male counterpoint to Grace. What emotions I lacked for Mac in the previous book, Connor made up for this time around. I love that all the characters are back for Love, Lies, and Lemon Pies, with the addition of some new characters that add a pop of color. Overall, this is a cute contemporary series. I highly encourage Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines for readers looking for a light, fun read with some romantic flair!

Thanks to Stripes Publishing for this copy.
Published February 2 2015
This is my honest review.

Cover Art Commentary:
Is this not the cutest cover ever? I just adore the sewing theme. The colors are bright and eye-catching!

Rating:

Love, Lies and Lemon Pies by Katy Cannon

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): Love, Lies and Lemon Pies, the debut YA novel from Katy Cannon, is the perfect summer read for fans of Sarah Dessen and Louise Rennison. With a Bake Club recipe at the start of each chapter, this book perfectly captures the current appetite for all things baking! Lottie, our narrator, captures the experience of a young teenage girl navigating the world of school cliques, difficult teachers and new romance, creating a world that young readers are sure to recognize. Since her dad died, life hasn't been the same for Lottie - it was easier to push her friends away than cope with their awkwardness. But when the school suggest she joins Bake Club to get her back on track, Lottie reluctantly agrees. But Lottie's uncertainty about Bake Club melts away as she rekindles her love of baking and gets caught up with Mac, the school rebel and another unwilling Bake Club member. Both Lottie and Mac have secrets to keep, and as Bake Club progresses towards an end-of-year competition, the tension rises between the Bake Club members. Can Lottie keep up the facade of her perfect life without the others finding out what's really going on at home? Can Mac keep his demanding, heavy-handed father off his back - not to mention the school counselor who's written him off as a no-hoper? And can their bubbling romance survive the pressure? 

Book Review:
To be honest, I hadn't planned on picking this up. In fact, I'd never heard of it before. But then I got approved on netgalley to read the companion novel Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines. I looked into the series a bit more and discovered Love, Lies and Lemon Pies. The cover was so cute, I couldn't help myself! Also, I love cooking and baking, so that was a major enticement to pick this baby up. I'm glad I did. I gave it 3.5 stars honestly, because it's not a profound or life-changing book. It's a contemporary, and I'm sure you've read something similar to it before. However, it is an enjoyable quick read when you're in the mood for something light. I enjoyed the recipes at the beginning of each chapter. It was a little hard to wrap my mind around the metric measurements, but they sounded tasty all the same. I found Lottie to be a very relatable character (not sure what that says about me). She's sensible, smart, and very organized. I loved LOVED the supporting characters, especially Mac and Jasper. Love, Lies and Lemon Pies has a little something for everyone. I'm very much looking forward to reading Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines!

Cover Art Commentary:
I just adore this cover! First of all, I love baking, so that's already a huge plus! Second, the colors are lively and compliment the title, as well as the story. This cheery cover made me smile every time I picked up this book!

Rating:

Life of A Blogger: Favorite and most used websites

So this week's topic on Life of a Blogger is favorite and most used websites.

Hosted by Jessi from Novel Heartbeat

Bloglovin

Goodreads

Gmail

Youtube

Facebook

Google Calendar

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble.com

What are some of your favorite/most used websites?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Things I Dislike When It Comes To Romances In Books

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Things I Dislike When It Comes To Romances In Books

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

1. That "instant" connection..."I've only known you for 30 seconds, but you're my soul mate. Let's make out and then I'll constantly pine when you're gone."
2. A knight is shining armor. Yeah, I said it...I love kick ass heroines who can fend for themselves and not rely on a big strong man to come in and save them.
3. Anyone who sings. Disney, here's looking at you.
4. Love triangles. While they occasionally have their place, overall YA and romance books have become overrun by them. Just have one, genuinely good guy. That's all I'm asking for. 
5. The Bella/Edward syndrome. "I'm totally in love with you and hang on your every word...blah, blah, blah...I can't stand to live without you..."
6. The constant need to be with said "soul mate." We all need a little alone time. Really.
7. The dark, brooding man. Get. Over. Yourself. And sister, move on!
8. Constant gifting. A gift here and there is special and nice. But the man who constantly CONSTANTLY dotes on his girl is just annoying. Ex: Here's a dress so you look nice when you meet my work colleagues.
9. Vampires. I had my True Blood phase, but it's time to move on to the living. 
10. Women doing reckless things for the "love of their life," and ignoring EVERYONE else's advice. 

Forsaken (Daughters of the Sea #1) by Kristen Day

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): Once you've been touched by darkness, it never leaves you…
Abandoned by her parents as an infant; seventeen year old Hannah spent her childhood wading through countless foster families until being adopted by the Whitmans three years ago.
Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn't quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her.
Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and a dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity.
Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her’, Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendants of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she.
But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love.
She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesied to be a part of. The fate of all the descendants will forever depend upon it.

Book Review:
Well, after promising myself I wouldn't request any more books on netgalley, guess what I did? I'm really happy I did, because I got to read a copy of Forsaken! The premise, along with the cover, instantly grabbed my attention. While the beginning of the book is a bit confusing, it didn't take long before I was completely submerged in the story-line! The strongest component of this book is Hannah...a.k.a. Anastasia. She is substantial main character fighting to find her place in the world. What can be a little frustrating, but also creates a lot of suspense, is that Anastasia pieces things together throughout the story rather slowly. To be honest, I'm a little torn on her male counterpart, Finn. He genuinely seems like a good guy, but the constant aire of mystery and being told over and over again to "just trust him" left me feeling a little iffy. Why is Anastasia so quick to trust someone she barely knows and answers her questions with riddles? I adored, ADORED Anastasia's roommates. I hope we get to know them even more in the upcoming books. Overall, this was a gripping, suspenseful read. I'll definitely be reading the sequels in the near future!

Thanks to Mark My Words Book Publicity for this copy.
Published January 28th 2014
This is my honest review.

Cover Art Commentary:
To be honest, the cover is what first aught my attention. The image of the floating girl is haunting and intriguing You instantly want to know more!

Rating:

Geek Girl (Geek Girl #1) by Holly Smale

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): Harriet Manners knows a lot of things.
She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a "jiffy" lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much. So when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her Best Friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the impossibly handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves.
As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, she begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did.
And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?

Book Review:
I saw the cover of this book, and just knew this would be an adorable read. Luckily, I was correct in my guestimation. The main character, Harriet, was very relatable to me. I grew up as a geek, and well...things haven't changed much! I still wear glasses, read a lot, and find odd things fascinating. I could totally understand Harriet's struggle to find her place in the world. Heck, had I been her age and been offered a modeling job, I would have taken it too! Watching Harriet struggle and eventually become comfortable in her own skin was hilarious, intriguing, and easy to relate to. Supporting character Toby was downright hilarious! I didn't quite feel the connection to Harriet's best friend Nat, but perhaps that will be fleshed out in the next book. If you're looking for a fun, quirky read with some geeky flair, look no further!

Cover Art Commentary:
On Goodreads, it looks like there are several different covers, but this is the cover of my copy. Isn't it adorable?! I absolutely LOVE the glasses and the colors! It catches the eye...you want to know more!

Rating: