The Perpetual Page-Turner

Bookish Wedding Centerpieces & Other Table Decor - Wedding Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:12:00 +0000

As we've been SLOWLY trying to figure out the colors and ideas of our general "theme" for the wedding, I've been lusting over some bookish centerpieces and other bookish decorations I've found on Pinterest and elsewhere. They make planning a book themed wedding so easy! I keep hoping that Will will come around and let me have the bookish wedding I so desire or at least let me find ways to incorporate it in. Here are some of my favorites:

Centerpieces

This would be a simple and pretty inexpensive bookish centerpiece idea by using opened books. Don't know you'd get it to stay but I'm sure you have a whole bookshelf to experiment with. Found here.

Simple yet stunning! Found here.

I love all things garden party-ish for a wedding and this centerpiece is amazing with the candles and flowers set on top of books and the SCRABBLE tiles. They used the tiles to also designate table numbers. Found here.

Really love this one. LOVE the color scheme..as you know that I love yellow. Found here.

Love this idea of making votives using modpodged book pages (RIP, dear book). Found here.

Is this not perfection on a table? Look at table runner made with book pages, books used as part of the table decor and OH the bookish decorations that are hanging. Found here.

OTHER wedding table decorations

I LOVE this idea for escort cards to be put on the table when you come in. If you are a librarian and you are getting married, you must do this. Found here (and the wedding was at a library. SWOON)

This would be PERFECT to put on your tables at the reception! I am DEFINITELY thinking I'm going to make these for ours. Just a little infusion of my love for books. Found here!

Well, I still haven't figured out what the heck WE are going to do for our centerpieces but I know I'm so inspired and ready to find something unique and maybe even something a little subtly bookish!

Stay tuned for next week when I show you some AMAZING alternatives to flowers using books! You guys are all going to hate me for all this book death for the sake of DIY wedding projects, aren't you? And if you missed last week, check out some great bookish wedding readings!

Review: Looking For Alaska by John Green

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Wow! I just really love John Green. I read and reviewed Paper Towns a few weeks ago and I just didn't think anything could top my love for that book...but this one did! I wholeheartedly, from the bottom of my soul, loved this book. I wanted to hug it, implant it in my brain for forever, prance around in sunflower fields with it, etc. etc. But seriously, this is one of those books that I can feel in my soul and so many things about it resonate with my own teenage experience and my life 7-8 years out from my teenage life.

Looking For Alaska was so hard to put down, not only because of the characters and the humor, but because of the unique structure. Each start to a chapter or a section is a timeline counting down to some unknown event that we are just waiting to happen. You know it has to be earth-shattering or something and that anticipation doesn't wear at all as we get to know the characters and the setting of their boarding school. The "after" just rendered me a lifeless little rag doll.

I really enjoyed the characters in this one-- such a fun group of friends that seemed real -- they didn't always treat each other right but they had each other's back. They all had their flaws - real flaws..not things that just are made to seem like some flaws but then are all cleared up by the end of the novel. While I think Alaska could be really selfish and impulsive, I really understood her quite a bit. I identified so much with her on so many levels (although I'm not at all that quirky and eclectic) and found myself a deeper connection with this character that I typically come across in YA. I feel as though if you ask some of my high school and college boyfriends, they'd find some similarities in Alaska and I. It's funny how I connected so much more with her than with the Pudge. I did like him though.

My only gripe? Sometimes I felt like the dialogue was a little too contrived. I didn't really know anyone who talked like that in high school. I think we all wanted to believe we sounded that mature and poignant but we never did. I mean, I had some pretty "deep" conversations but in my dreams could I spout witty, intelligent things all the time. I think it's like the same way that I always wanted to emulate the witty banter of Gilmore Girls. I totally imagine that I sound that way. But nonetheless, I loved this book but I just thought that should be noted because it crossed my mind a few times. That aside, I really appreciate that John Green knows and appreciates the fact that teens DO think about the bigger pictures and really do want to seek understanding. Teens can HANDLE the stuff he presents and he treats them as competent individuals who can handle the message and the deeper thought in his books.

My final thought: It's hard to really put all the raw feelings and emotions that this book unearthed from within me. I know that sounds dramatic but it was one of THOSE kind of experiences for me. John Green does it again with memorable characters whom I swear have a real & audible heartbeat, the kind of thought-provoking life questions that keep me up at night and the kind of humor that makes me giggle. Oh and did I mention that I cried a lot at different points but especially when I realized what the answer was to their little "investigation" before they did. I understood that all too well.

Warnings: It IS a more mature YA read -- drugs, sex talk, cursing. Just so you know. If that sort of stuff bothers you or if you are of a very young age, you might want to skip this one for now.

Review On A Post-It

Find out more about it on Goodreads

3 Lessons My Mom Taught Me - PART TWO

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:05:00 +0000

Last week I shared some lessons that my mom taught me and how I apply them to my experience as a book blogger. I told you I'd share the final 3 this week so that's just what I'm going to do.

Last week's lessons were:

- The World Doesn't Always Just Revolve Around You
- If Your Friends Jumped Off A Bridge Would You?
- Say Please and Thank You!

"Life Just Isn't Fair"

This one was probably the most irritating out of all the things my mom would say. Sometimes I would just want to complain about something like "it's not fair that all my friends can wear makeup" or "it's not fair that I have spend all day cleaning my room" but she'd always follow it up with a serious or sometimes sarcastic "life just isn't fair, now is it?" or "well, life's not always fair." But it's true..life just sometimes IS NOT FAIR and no matter how much you complain about it it isn't going to make it more fair. As many of you know, my mom passed away from brain cancer in 2006 and "life isn't fair" felt like my mantra around then. But really..life IS never fair..it's not. It made me realize how much I say "but that isn't fair"...about things that don't matter and things that DO matter. And the thing I've learned, it's true..life isn't fair for a lot of people and in fact it could be much worse. But dwelling on what's fair never helps me. It's always about being grateful.

How I apply it: Blogging life is never "fair"..it's not. It's easy to say it's not fair that so and so gets so many books for review and you don't, that people have more followers than you in a short time, that people get more recognition than you. etc. etc. It feels like it's not fair when you work so hard. I won't argue that. But, bitching about it never helps. I've tried to be THANKFUL for what readers I have, what books I do get for a review and of everything that has happened to me as a blogger. And most of all, I try to remember the BIG PICTURE of when I say "but that's not fair"..neither is the fact that people are oppressed by their leaders or that good people get sick and die or that people don't even KNOW how to read. All those unfair things seem a whole lot more important than someone getting a book that I didn't. It's a hard pill to swallow on certain days but I do. I find a good friend to bitch about it with and then get over it..because y'all...LIFE ISN'T FAIR.

"Honesty is the best policy"

My mom harped about honesty and telling the truth. I was always scared to tell her the truth for fear of consequences but I realized I always got into more trouble when I didn't. I know this one seems "cliche" and easier said than done but it's so true. Honesty goes a LONG way. It's about being honest in your dealings with people, in the way you act and being honest to yourself, honest about your feelings and being open to having honest conversations about important things. Being dishonest doesn't help the blogging community. The best part about this is that we are REAL LIVE READERS who talk about our books. We can give others who like to read something that professional reviews in publications can't. We shouldn't ever give in to letting our opinions be swayed because publishers are giving us books for review. That's what will kill the book blogging world if nobody can trust a word we say.

How I Apply It: I tell the truth. If I don't like a book, I say that and I explain WHY it wasn't for me. I may offer up a recommendation about who I would think like this book. I don't act maliciously but I'm not going to pretend I like something and lie to my readers. People read your blog for a reason...to hear what you think about books and such....not to hear you spew out what you think publishers and authors want to hear. How can they trust a recommendation if you lie?

"You Aren't The Only One Living In This House"

I'd always get this one because of too-loud music or making too much noise while others were sleeping or by hogging the television or just generally acting as though the space in our house was just mine alone. It kind of goes along with "the world doesn't just revolve around you" but I take this a little bit differently. As book bloggers, we share this "space" with a lot of other people -- authors, publishers, readers who aren't bloggers, librarians, bloggers who read different genres than we do etc. etc. We are not the sole pulse of this world of readers.

How I Apply It: Really this is more just being cognizant of this fact in everything I do as a blogger -- an overarching idea. Book bloggers are not the only people who promote books or who read books or go to conventions about books. Remembering that we share this wonderful space is key to working together towards a common goal of promoting reading and literacy!

Wedding Readings From Literature - Wedding Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:03:00 +0000

Wedding Wednesday is a feature I created here to chronicle my wedding planning journey until August 17, 2012 when I get married! I'll also be featuring fun bookish weddings and cute ideas I find around the blogosphere.

Jeez, you guys. I haven't done a Wedding Wednesday in a while! I've doing a lot of random parts of the wedding planning lately and one of those is picking out readings for the ceremony. I always keep a notebook of quotes that I like from books I read or poems I come across. Since I'm not having a bookish wedding myself (since obviously Will does not share this passion of mine), I do want to incorporate it in subtle ways and I think that a reading from a book I love would be great! I also put some shorter "love" quotes from books in here, even if they aren't long enough for a reading, to maybe incorporate them into things like the program or something like that. The ones with asterisks are ones I'm really considering for the wedding!

* Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

"Once for all, I knew to my sorrow, often and often, if not always, that I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be. Once for all; I loved her none the less because I knew it, and it had no more influence in restraining me, than if I had devoutly believed her to be human perfection."

*Sonnet 17

Pablo Neruda

I don't love you as if you were the salt-rose, topaz or arrow of carnations that propagate fire: I love you as certain dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that doesn't bloom, and carries hidden within itself the light of those flowers, and thanks to your love, darkly in my body lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth. I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where, I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I know no other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you; so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.

In One Another's Arms - Rumi

The moment I heard my first love story I began seeking you,
not realizing the search was useless.
Lovers don’t meet somewhere along the way.
They’re in one another’s souls from the beginning.

* Jane Eyre

I have for the first time found what I can truly love – I have found you. You are my sympathy – my better self—my good angel—I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my center and spring of life, wraps my existence about you—and, kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one. --

"The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun."

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

“Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.”

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

“The highest function of love is that it makes the loved one a unique and irreplaceable being.

Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.”

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

"I will love you forever; whatever happens. Till I die and after I die, and when I find my way out of the land of the dead, I'll drift about forever, all my atoms, till I find you again... I'll be looking for you, every moment, every single moment. And when we do find each other again, we'll cling together so tight that nothing and no one'll ever tear us apart. Every atom of me and every atom of you... We'll live in birds and flowers and dragonflies and pine trees and in clouds and in those little specks of light you see floating in sunbeams... And when they use our atoms to make new lives, they won't just be able to take one, they'll have to take two, one of you and one of me, we'll be joined so tight..."

*Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

“If there is no love in the world, we will make a new world, and we will give it walls, and we will furnish it with soft, red interiors, from the inside out, and give it a knocker that resonates like a diamond falling to a jeweller's felt so that we should never hear it. Love me, because love doesn't exist, and I have tried everything that does.”

So which one is YOUR favorite? What other passages from books do you think would make a great reading for a wedding? Do share! I'm looking for more!

Can't get enough of bookish weddings or planning a book themed wedding yourself? Check out bookish Save the Dates or realistic bookish ideas for your wedding.

Top Ten Books For People Who Don't Typically Read Books

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is hosted at my other blog -- The Broke and the Bookish

I always take great care in recommending books to people who don't really read. I want it to be something that will make them realize that reading is AWESOME. I don't want it to be too difficult of a read nor do I want to insult their intelligence. I want it to captivate them but I don't want them to miss out on the beauty of words. I deliberate and deliberate over this decision. My recommendations are always highly specific.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (review): This is my go-to book for reluctant readers who I think will need/want something action packed to keep them interested. I actually just gave this series to a guy friend of mine who definitely wouldn't enjoy something slow moving. I also give this to younger male readers who don't, as they put it, want to read a "girly book"...Katniss is a girl but she is kickass..let's be real here!

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: I can't help recommend this to EVERYONE. And so far, my friends who only read once in a while, have really loved this one! The writing is great, the story is just...AHH, it's heartfelt, thought-provoking and just great! It's definitely a must for those who are at all interested in Nazi Germany.

3. I Love Everybody And Other Atrocious Lies by Laurie Notaro (review): I always recommend this to friends that I know would appreciate this humor and perhaps are the type of people who don't typical read because they don't have time! Shorter stories might get them more into reading!

4. The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: I seem to always recommend this one (even though I only LIKED it because I wanted more from it) because I find it to be accessible, have memorable characters and a plot that moves at a pretty good pace. And mostly now that it's a movie a lot of my friends will recognize it!

5. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen: I seem to recommend this a lot. It's got a good amount of drama and action, romance but also really great character development, in my opinion. It's one of those books that has it all for people who don't really read. It will keep their attention and give them a full range of emotions -- at least I felt a lot of emotion reading this. ALSO again..they dig the fact that it's a movie.

6. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty (review): Are you all sick of me putting this book on all my lists, yet? The only list this book will never end up on is "Books I loathe". I think some of my girlfriends would appreciate the humor of this one and love the romp through our adolescence. Also, Jessica Darling is freaking awesome. It's a fun, light beach read that I would definitely give to those who don't really read but want to pick up a book for the beach. BEWARE: I laughed my face off while on the beach..in public..while reading this.

7. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (review): I have been recommending this one a lot for people (who aren't opposed to read YA) looking for a good summer read. This one is great because it's fun but there is also a lot of seriousness. And Roger...we all need to feel a little pitter patter in our hearts.

8. Rebecca by Daphne Du Murier: I always recommend this as one of those book for people who tell me that they DID like some of the books they read in high school because I know that maybe they won't mind a classic. I love Gothic lit and this one is great. Mystery, romance and fabulous characterization.

9. If I Stay by Gayle Forman (review): I can't help it guys. This book just captivates you from the start and then twists your heart in all sorts of shapes like freaking balloon animals. And then you end up SOBBING and looking like a crazy person all in a matter of 4 hours..because that's how fast I read it. I recommend this to people who I know get hooked by heartfelt dramas and don't mind a good ugly cry.

Hmmm..oddly enough I can only think of 9 at the moment. I'm sure I'll think of 1 more at some point throughout the day and have to fix this! But right now I'm have one of those durrrr moments.

Book Review: Under The Never Sky By Veronica Rossi

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:56:00 +0000

Aria and Perry live in two completely different worlds. Aria lives comfortably in Reverie -- a very science fiction type city of enormous domes where technology allows you to do anything you want or be anywhere you want within different realms. You could be walking around the ancient streets of Rome or singing at the opera. When news that her mother, a scientist working in a top secret pod, goes missing Aria seeks answers at any cost which leads to Aria getting exiled from her home...into the Wastelands where she meets Perry, a Savage. Their journey for answers and redemption forge together as they realize they need each other to survive and to find the answers to the get them back to the ones they love.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi is exactly what I needed to read right now! This post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel was fast-paced, highly imaginative and made for one exhilarating ride. I loved that part of this novel was more science fiction-y than most of the dystopian reads I've encountered but there was still that wild, badlands feel with the "outside" world where Perry lived that seemed more like a post-apocalyptic world. The world-building was incredible in this book because of this. I was equally interested in both worlds and how they operated, what they looked like and how they became separated in the first place. Veronica Rossi built these worlds so intricately that I couldn't shake the images that my mind was conjuring up. I am in awe of these worlds she created.

I really LOVED the characters of this novel. I loved seeing Aria come to learn more about herself through this journey. She proved to be so strong but believably so. She was still vulnerable, seemingly weak and scared when she first started it all but I loved watching her power through it all and WANT to learn how to protect herself and learn that she COULD survive in the outside world. I think the thing I loved about her is that she wasn't some badass, superpower female lead but she was a normal girl who took her horrible circumstances and really became brave and made smart decisions to keep herself fighting. And Perry..he isn't without flaws but it's so hard not to like him. And their relationship...PERFECT. I loved how their journey and their inner turmoil helped them to really start to see each other for who they really were rather than the labels they had assigned to each other as "Savage" and "Dweller." I fully enjoyed watching their relationship and tensed up quite a few times waiting for some sparks. The rooftop scene...YEAH...tension galore.

While I really enjoyed this novel and couldn't put it down, there were a few things that bothered me about it. I felt really confused at first in the beginning. I felt like I missed a first chapter or something where things were explained about the world. There was just a lot of things thrown at you all at one time and it really took about 50 pages for me to really get into it. I really had no context for what happened to the worlds that they were like this.

The biggest source of contention, for me, was the Aether storms. They were mentioned so frequently and I didn't feel like I even understood what the heck they were or how they came to be. The only way I can think to explain it is if you've ever seen Lost. The Aether storms to me seemed like the Smoke Monster. It just always seemed to be in the storyline and you don't know where it came from or why it's there but it just keeps showing up and that when it comes around BAD SHIZ HAPPENS. That's how I felt about the Aether sky and the storms. I just didn't get them. I hope that we come to understand it in the next book but it honestly did make me really confused that there seemed to be no explanation about them -- not even a little. I didn't need to know everything but I felt I was missing something...

My final thought: If you are seeking a fast paced, exciting YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic from start to finish..Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi definitely a good pick. The world-building was fantastic and I could picture it all. It wasn't without its flaws..there were a few elements that made it confusing in the beginning and I wished I would understand some things at least a little bit because..well I just felt like I was missing some things. Great characters, accessible writing & lots of action from the get-go! AND HEY..no cliffhanger. I was actually really satisfied with the ending!

Review On A Post-It

* I received this book from the publisher -- HarperTeen -- in exchange for an honest review. I swear on my bookshelves full of great books that this in NO way shaped my opinions in this review.

Library Pulls & Cabinets For Your Home - Retail Therapy

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:22:00 +0000

Retail Therapy is a feature here at The Perpetual Page-Turner book blog in which I combine my love for bookish things and shopping. Each time I'll feature bookish accessories, bookish themed items, bookish goodies or gifts that are perfect for that bookish person in your life.

I've been very sporadic with this feature since I started it in August -- partly due to laziness and partly feeling like there are too many features like this lately and so maybe it's not a good use of my time as it may be redundant. But nonetheless, I am a freaking shopoholic so I must share when I find something I love.

I was cruising Anthropologie, who always seems to be good for a random bookish item, and came across this library pull for your drawers.

I'm a sucker for vintage and quirky drawer pulls and hardware and this just brings out my inner interior design bug. What a subtle way to incorporate your love for books into your decor than adding something that reminds you of those library card catalogs. What a cute way to add some bookish style to your home pretty inexpensively and subtly!

I was curious after I saw these library pulls to see if anyone sold cabinets or drawers that looked like vintage card catalogs and what do you know! Lots of people are selling drawers and cabinets that like look like an antique library card catalog. The one I found is from BBC America Shop but you could probably google "library card catalog" and find a slew of them like I did.

What do you think? Would you buy these?

3 Lessons My Mom Taught Me That I Apply To My Blogging Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:56:00 +0000

I used to roll my eyes at the things my mom would say and think I was above the lessons she was trying to teach me. But boy am I glad she did because these lessons are things that I've applied to all sorts of avenues of my life -- especially blogging! But seriously, sometimes your mom is JUST RIGHT. Even when she told me that "cupcakes are not a healthy breakfast" or that "that boy is not going to be your world for forever"...her advice was usually pretty solid.

"The world just doesn't revolve around you"

I would get this one a lot when I was stamping my feet about something not going my way or somebody not catering to my needs. When I got older, I would hear this a lot because I was becoming so absorbed in my daily life that I wasn't paying a lick of attention to anybody else's needs or feelings. I feel like that happens so often in blogging. It's easy to get absorbed in your own blog and your posts and your reading list and who is commenting on YOUR posts, sharing YOUR stuff (I've struggled with bouts of this from time to time). It's easy to hop on Twitter or Facebook and promote your own post and not even care about what your timeline is doing. The fact of the matter is that the best part of blogging (for me) IS the community. Pay attention to what they are doing or you'll miss out on some truly great posts and ideas from other bloggers and from building amazing relationships. Stay away from the ME ME ME attitude. Trust me, it shows. I can pick those kinds of people out a mile away.

How I apply it: Make commenting and sharing what others are doing an integral part of your blogging routine. Schedule even just 5 or 10 minutes (or more when you can) a day to comment on posts and share the ones you love. Read through your timeline to see what awesome things people are sharing. I've also been using to set a balance between promoting myself and promoting others. For every time I promote myself or my blog, I make sure I genuinely find something worth promoting of somebody elses.

"If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?"

When I first started blogging I tried so hard to do all the things that everyone else did. I would think - "I must do these memes, I must review this many books per week, I must read what others are reading, I must try to emulate these successful bloggers in every way I can!" I realized after a while that I was just blending in and I wasn't feel very inspired. It was when I started doing the things I wanted to do with my blog and being more of myself that I felt like, "hey, this feels right!" and it's been key for me to feel like I'm doing things right. I still get the urge sometimes to do things that I see people doing that MIGHT be working for them but then I realize that, at the end of the day, it might not be right for me.

How I apply it: I started taking inventory of all the things that I didn't feel really added to what I wanted my blog to be. What did I dread doing? What was more pain than it was worth? I decided whether to get rid of those elements or not and then moved on to how I could infuse more of myself into my blog. What could I bring to the table? What other interests do I have? I then began to build new features and ideas that I fell in love with and ENJOY doing. This lesson also applies to times when I so badly want to get in the middle of drama, because I see others talking about it and posting about it, but then I sit there and determine whether or not it would feel right for ME to weigh in. Sometimes I decide I need to say something and sometimes I decide I don't.

"Say please and thank you"

I remember when we were younger my mom would ALWAYS say the dreaded words, "Now what do you say to Miss so and so who gave you the nice present?" WHY saying please and thank you seemed like such a horrible thing to me as a child but it did. I have to say I'm glad this lesson was harped on because I have encountered children (AND adults!) who I'm pretty sure don't even KNOW these words exist. A genuine please and thank you goes a LONG way. What I love about this lesson was that my mom instilled this lesson through the years by not just making us say "thank you and please" robotically but showing us how to mean it and be truly thankful and grateful for things. I've seen a lot of "gimme" attitudes and people thinking they are entitled in life and there are few things that are that more offputting than when people don't take the time to say please and thank you.

How I apply it: Now I'm not perfect with this but I always try to make an effort to thank people when they comment whether or not it's on their blog or in reply to a comment they made on my blog. I always try to personally say thank you when someone retweets something of mine or promotes a post out of the blue! I am genuinely thankful that people think what I shared is worthwhile to share with their followers or that they took the time to comment on something I spent time on. ALSO..when dealing with publicists, authors or anyone who I'm collaborating with...I genuinely ask politely and say thank you...even if I don't get the answer I want. I've always been told I'm too polite but sometimes when I'm at places like BEA, I feel like I need to overcompensate for the rudeness of others (NOT just bloggers). I remember their names and say thank you so and so for speaking with me about this book before I leave a booth after TALKING to them....because my momma wouldn't approve of me running up to a table and filling a bag of books without so much as even a genuine thank you.

Stay tuned for next week when I share 3 more lessons my mom taught me that I've applied to blogging.

What lessons did YOUR mom teach you that you apply to blogging?

Monthly Rewind: January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:07:00 +0000

Image From January

My niece Genevieve was born!

January In One Word

BABY!!

5 Things That Happened In January:

1. My niece was born -- Genevieve Grace. I am in LOVE.
2. Will and I celebrated 5 years together.
3. I found an amazing Thai place in my area! HUZZAH!
4. We met with and booked our photographer for the wedding!
5. I spent WAY too much on makeup from Sephora. More than I've spent on books in the past 2 months combined. BAD JAMIE IS BADDDD.

5 Songs That Were Most Popular On My Ipod This Month:

1. Someone Like You - Adele
2. Skinny Love - Bon Iver --- I've always been obsessed with this song but I've become RE-OBSESSED with it recently..probably after hearing this amazing cover of Flume/Skinny Love.
3. Love Love Love - Of Monsters & Men (Little Talks is up there too!)
4. Rivers and Roads -- The Head and the Heart
5. Paradise -- Coldplay

Top 2 Books I Read This Month:

1. Paper Towns by John Green
2. The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

Oh snap...PLL Has Done It Again..A GREAT Giveaway!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Paper Lantern Lit has done it again! They were generous enough to want to team up with me for an AWESOME giveaway of a SIGNED copy of Kate Ellison's debut literary thriller -- The Butterfly Clues-- published by EgmontUSA!

Blurb: "Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad's consulting job means she's grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place--possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home. But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire"--a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind. As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined--a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death."

Reasons You Want To Enter This Giveaway/Read This Book:

1. Mystery, intrigue and thrills as Penelope, the main character, tries to solve a crime!
2. Quirky characters abound; a main character who has OCD and is a klepto -- definitely an interesting POV! Not one I come across too much in YA lit.
3. It has a pretty fantastic book trailer!

4. The cover is awesome and kind of creepy with the bloood.

5. It's refreshingly different!

How To Enter?

* Simply follow the directions on the Rafflecoptor below!
* This giveaway IS International.
* You don't have to be a follower but hey...I'm pretty cool so you should definitely come by again :P

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best Books To Read For A Book Club

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:42:00 +0000

Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is hosted at my other blog -- The Broke and the Bookish.

This week the topic is: Top Ten Best Books For Book Clubs

You guys, you have no idea how badly I want to start a book club. LIKE SO BAD. I envision this book club being a place where we read Young Adult books and Adult Fiction books of every genre with a smattering of non-fiction. I want yummy food, lots of wine and adult beverages and LOTS OF LAUGHS. Basically I want to hang out with other book bloggers like I did at BEA because YAH..we would have the best book club ever. In one of my Retail Therapy posts, I found a pin that sums up our mantra:

My Top Ten Book Club Picks:

1. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepytus: This book. I HAD SO MANY THINGS to talk about and I couldn't cram them all in my review of Between Shades of Gray. So much to talk about with this book and I think there'd be some great discussion.

2. Paper Towns by John Green: I think there are SO many things to talk about with this book. It's one of those books that NEEDS to be talked about because it's quite the thinker of a book. My mind was BLOWN, as evidenced in my review of Paper Towns by John Green, and I'm STILL thinking about this book. As a book club book, it would give much too talk about and I think I'd get even MORE from it.

3. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer: This book has been a favorite of mine since I read it in 2008. I can't get it out of my mind and WOULD LOVE to read it with others and talk about it. Hopefully everyone else would love it as much as I did or else I'd probably cry.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusack: I swear I pick this book for every top ten book list I ever do..but REALLY..it's that amazing. I'd love to read this alongside a group. I think people would fly through it and there'd be much to talk about!

5. The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen: Oh this book! So much to talk about. SO MUCH. I won't say it will be a happier read for a book club but still good!

6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: It would be wonderful to read this series as book club. Can you imagine grown women (under the influence of the vino) getting rowdy over Team Peeta or Team Gale?! SHOWDOWN.

7. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver: Some parts of this book were sluggish but overall I think it'd be a great discussion starter.

8. Blindness by Jose Saramago: This book was SUCH an interesting read and I wished that I had people to talk about it with after I read it. It wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea but it'd be one of those books that would stretch some people and would definitely provide some thought provoking discussion.

9. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by AS King: I wish I had a teen book club so I could make everyone read this! A lot of really great things to talk about.

10. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum: LOVE this book and think a book club of women would enjoy it too!

AHH this makes me seriously want to find or start a book club in the Philadelphia area. Maybe part of my goals for this year?!

My Bookish Calendar For February & March

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:29:00 +0000

Oh you guys! I AM SO STINKING EXCITED!! If you are anywhere close to the Philadelphia area you probably need to check out these events -- 2 of which are taking place on the weekend so that means ROAD TRIPS ARE ENCOURAGED!!

February

February 18 & 19:
Breathless Reads Tour with Beth Revis, Andrea Cremer, Jessica Spotswood and Marie Lu

Thanks to the lovely people at Penguin Teen, we have TWO stops within 45 minutes of me. One is in my town at Doylestown Bookshop (the 19th) and the other one on the Saturday, the 18th, is at an indie bookstore in Collegeville, PA that I've never been to but is only 45 minutes away from me! I will for sure be attention both!! If you are anywhere near the area, you should really come! If not, check out the Breathless Reads Facebook page to see if the tour is coming to a city near you!

February 24th (Friday)
Lauren DeStefano Fever Book Release Party - Tour Stop At Doylestown Bookshop

I literally spit my drink out when I saw my local indie tweet this. If you've read my review of Wither or my review of Fever...you will know I adore this series AND I adore Lauren DeStefano. I'm so excited to finally meet her!!

MARCH

March 14 (Wednesday) --Oxford Valley Barnes and Noble - Fairless Hills, PA
Ally Carter & Rachel Hawkins book signing

I haven't read either of their books but have Ally Carter's books on my shelf AND I saw Rachel Hawkins at another event and vowed to get her books since I found her to be hilarious and entertaining! I've still got a few months to rectify this!

March 29 (Thursday) - Princeton, NJ Barnes & Noble
Lissa Price Starters Tour

This is one debut I'm really excited about that's coming out in March 2012 from Random House. It's dystopian and it sounds so intriguing. Excited to meet Lissa and super excited to read this book!

What book events are you going to in the upcoming months??! What book events have you BEEN to in the past few months?

Review: Paper Towns by John Green

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:11:00 +0000

Crushing on the girl next door? It happens. Crushing on the girl next door who is NOTHING like the "girl next door"...that happened to Quentin. As kids they were best friends and they grew apart -- Margo became popular and Quentin didn't. Quentin continued to watch her from afar until she climbs into his window at the wee hours of the night and asks him to join her on the adventure of his lifetime to execute her masterful plan of revenge. After their epic night in which Quentin learns a little about this quirky and one of a kind neighbor of his, Margo vanishes and Quentin is left to piece together the crazy clues Margo left behind while he gets to know the real Margo that been a mystery to him since they were kids.

Paper Towns. Wow. This book has been on my bookshelf for a while but I just never got around to reading it. I'd read Let It Snow and Will Grayson, Will Grayson but had never fully immersed myself in a John Green novel. To say this book was fabulous is an understatement. To say it's easily been put on my little shelf of "favorite books"...well that's just the truth.

John Green's Paper Towns was one of those books that I will undoubtedly read over and over again. It was smart, witty, quirky and beyond thought-provoking. There were so many pages I wanted to dog-ear or highlight or tattoo onto my freaking body. The prose was lovely, the characters were dynamic and the adventure was just downright fun yet had many soul-searching moments. This was the type of book that held immense truths that I couldn't stop thinking about. It kind of gave me the warm and fuzzies thinking about things like accepting people for who they are, the dynamics of friendships and more!

The 3 things that really made love this book were:

1) The characterization -- Every single character just really seemed to seem very dimensional and added a lot to the novel. I could relate to a lot of them or recognize these people as REAL people I've encountered. Margo was such an enigma and I loved how Quentin begin to see her for who she REALLY was rather than the picture he had painted of her and wanted her to be. Quentin was just a really great character to be in the head of -- so introspective, observant and just very relatable. I loved watching him learn about himself as he learned about Margo and what might have happened to her. Quentin's friends were so memorable and their roadtrip in the book was just such a great scene in the book.

2) The little details -- The black Santas, that one passage of Whitman's Leaves of Grass (I have always loved Whitman!) that really drives a lot of the novel, etc. etc. I could go on.

3. The writing -- John Green has a gift and I don't really know how to explain his writing. It seems trite to say it's AMAZING but he really does write in that way I love -- accessible but packed with SO many truths and observations and SO many quoteable passages that just make me remember why I love reading so much. I haven't read a book in a long time that made me think and reflect and peak into the innermost part of my being. AND I LOVE THAT. And the dialogue? A+ for sure.

If you haven't read Paper Towns yet or given John Green a chance, I would recommend it. As I mentioned in my list of 10 books I recommend to non-YA readers, this one is definitely one I will recommend all around. I am going to be taking Looking For Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines off my bookshelf sooner rather than later and will also be picking up his newest book -- The Fault In Our Stars -- soon!

Two Quotes I Love:

“What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.”

"When did we see each other face-to-face? Not until you saw into my cracks and I saw into yours. Before that, we were just looking at ideas of each other, like looking at your window shade but never seeing inside. But once the vessel cracks, the light can get in. The light can get out.”

Review On A Post-It:

Check out John Green's website, his AMAZINGLY entertaining Vlogbrothers channel or check out Paper Towns for yourself! Or check out my reasons why John Green should rule the world!

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To Those Who Don't Read YA Books (But Want To Try!)

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:38:00 +0000

Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is hosted over at my other blog -- The Broke and the Bookish

Since Top Ten Tuesday is Freebie Week I'm going to go back to last week's topic (I know, how original) because I was REALLY excited about it but didn't get a chance to do it since my niece was born the night before! YAY.

As readers of my blog know, I'm a reader of both YA fiction of all genres, Adult fiction of all genres and even non-fiction! So anytime I can try and persuade people to try books out of their comfort zone, I'm all over it. I'm not saying, "Hey..you need to read YA all the time!!"...really what I'm saying is..if you want to give YA and are looking for really great quality young adult..then here are some of my favorites that I'd recommend to get you started!

1. Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Septyus: I can't recommend this one enough. It's set during Stalin's reign and chronicles a young girl and her family's life as it gets uprooted by Stalin's forces coming into their home country of Lithuania. It's heartbreaking, written beautifully and sheds light on a part of history that I never really knew about. Really great as an audiobook! I recently recommended this to a friend who reads mostly adult fiction and she LOVED this one!

2. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty: I'm confused as to whether this is considered YA or adult fiction BUT I've seen it mostly labeled as adult fiction in stores. Either way, it's FABULOUS and HILARIOUS and so perfectly captures what it is to be a teen without being overwritten or dramatic. I found myself, at 25 when I read this, relating so perfectly and recalling so many similar feelings or situations that Jessica Darling found herself in. And by the way, Jessica Darling is one of THE most memorable characters I've ever come across!

3. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by AS King: AS King's books are just so smart and well written and very emotional! Please Ignore Vera Dietz was such a good, powerful book and I'm excited to read her latest book!

4. Paper Towns by John Green: I just finished this a week or two ago and OH MY GOODNESS. I have to write my review still but this book is one of my new all time favorites. It's funny, smart and reminds me of why I love reading! The characters are great and there were so many pages that I just wanted to highlight or dog ear or blow up and put as huge posters on my room.

5. If I Stay & Where She Went by Gayle Forman: Oh my goodness. I can't even put into words what I feel about these books. I bawled through If I Stay and did my fair share of crying through Where She Went. It's not overwrought in emotion but really does shake something in your core with this story.

6. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater: I recently posted by review of The Scorpio Races and was pretty honest about that I LIKED it but didn't LOVE it like so many people did but also mentioning that there was so much about it that was strong. I guess I just didn't connect with the characters and my state of mind at the time probably hindered my ability to concentrate on really descriptive and lush prose (which I love typically but just couldn't connect with in this case). All that aside, I would still really recommend this to a lot of people because Maggie's a hell of a writer and there was SO much good about this book despite my inability to get into it as much as I would have liked! This is also why I don't do star ratings..too complicated to give a star to capture my feelings.

7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusack: One of my all time favorite books! Apparently in Australia, where it was originally published, it was labeled as adult fiction but here it seems to be labeled as teen here in the US. Either way, this is one of those books I've made everyone I know read and everyone raves about it and says how memorable it is. The narrator is DEATH. Right there...doesn't that sound memorable?! But seriously..this book is phenomenal and I know so many people who don't typically read YA and loved this book!

8. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins: If you like a thrilling series that is a dystopian and seriously hard to put down, try this one! I really grew to love the characters in this one and I was just so engrossed in the world and the politics of it all. I've gotten some of my friends who read sporadically to give this one a try and they loved it!

9. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: When I think of YA greats, Laurie Halse Anderson is at the top. Speak was a powerful book that opens up quite the dialogue for teens and adults to have with each other. Highly recommended!

10. You Are My Only by Beth Kephart: This book really surprised me! It alternates between a mom whose child was kidnapped and the child who was kidnapped, as a young teen, who has no idea she was kidnapped. It was quick read but quite engrossing and I love Kephart's style!

What books do YOU recommend to readers who shy away from YA? I also plan on doing a post about adult books that teens/readers of YA should read!

One Of The Most Terrifying Things In My Bookish Life...

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:31:00 +0000

One of the most terrifying things to me, I've learned, is lending someone a book that is an all time favorite or when someone tells me that they are reading a favorite books of mine because of how much I rave about.

I get excited for a few seconds where I get entirely too giddy that they are reading the book and that someone else will realize the GREATNESS AND AMAZINGNESS that this book is. I think of how people will THANK ME for my superb taste in books and they can't believe they lived their life without reading this book but THEN I, the Book Recommendation Superhero, flew in to save the day. Watch out, Clark Kent. But then this cold-hearted biotch named Reality taps me on the shoulder and reminds me that "Hey, there's a good possibility that this person may actually HATE this book." ERRRR. Wait, what? Oh yeah. In my geeky fantasy I forgot that there is this thing called "differing tastes." With bated breath, I find myself waiting to hear the verdict. Did they love the book? Will they think I have piss poor taste in books and never trust a single recommendation of mine again?! PLEASEREADITFASTOMG.

But honestly, as dramatic as it might sound, that's how I feel when I lend someone a favorite book or I know they are reading it because of a recommendation I gave them. I WANT them to love it and feel the same feelings I felt towards it, naturally. I want everyone in the world to sing its praises. Maybe it's because many of my favorite books I had very personal responses to or the moved me or I really identified to the character so it feels like a part of me? Or maybe I want people to trust my recommendations? Or I want them to feel the same way I felt because it was such a great experience? It's probably a combination of all of those things but I really do get all anxious when I KNOW someone is reading something because I either lent it to them or recommended it to them.

I'm very aware that everything isn't for everyone. I can't understand how my fiance doesn't really like chocolate or how my sister thinks my music is weird...but I can recognize that everyone has different tastes. I get it. But I still get super nervous when I'm sharing a FAVORITE book or song or movie with someone because there is that CHANCE that this might be something that won't like. I had my best friend read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and she really didn't like it or "get" it. I felt a little crushed. I did. I thought for sure she'd find it amazing. It's one of my favorite books. But luckily, she didn't let that "dud" of a recommendation for her make her reluctant to take my recommendations. Since then she read The Hunger Games and loved it and she read Between Shades of Gray and loved it. YAY ME. It's always those moments that make my heart happy when someone says, "I'm reading this book because you raved about it!" and then ends up loving it as much as I did and having a similar response to it. It makes me connect to that person more, I think. For example, the lovely Asheley from Into the Hall of Books (a blog you should check out -- she reads YA and adult..YAY my kind of girl!) told me she was reading The Bird Sisters, a book that was a favorite read of 2011, and I was SO nervous about that. She ended up LOVING it and had a very strong response to it. It made me feel closer to her, as a reader and friend, to read her thoughts and know where my own head was.

I think that's the beauty of this community. Sharing books and connecting with others who love them as much as you...even when particular books don't strike everyone the same way. You KNOW there's always someone out there who DID love it.

Does this happen to anyone else when you lend a favorite book or know someone is reading it because of you? Or am I just super neurotic? lol

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:03:00 +0000

Book/Author: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Standalone/Series: I believe this to be a standalone book. HUZZAH FOR STANDALONES.
Publisher/Year: Scholastic 2011
Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher during BEA in exchange for an honest review.

My feelings toward The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater are rather muddled. I feel like I can't give a straight answer when asked if I liked this book. There are some parts of this book that made me love it and some aspects that really made me not feel like picking it up. I wasn't really rushing to pick this one up (but I'll be the first to admit that I was really stressed out while attempting to read this book) but when I DID pick it up I found myself utterly immersed in the story itself as it is quite magical and captivating.

The major source of contention for me was the writing:

Good: Maggie Stievater has this knack for writing in a way that makes everything seem so alive and vivid. Her descriptions of the setting in particular are breathtaking in the way that I feel I'm gazing into that same sunset or standing right next to that horse feeling tense and afraid but so alive that my blood is pumping and my chest is thumping. I can see it clearly. I can smell it. I can hear it. Maggie Stiefvater takes me there in an intense way that most writers cannot achieve. Her prose is lovely and spellbinding and takes on ethereal qualities.

Kinda Meh: That same writing that I am memorized by sometimes also hindered my love for the story. Now, this is one thing you must know about me. I am not one that always needs a fast plot that whips me around and keeps my interest. I love a good, slow story with lush prose and descriptions that can go on for pages. I do. I mean, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of my favorite authors and THAT MAN is overly verbose. A whole chapter goes by and you realize nothing freaking happened but it was lovely and wonderful all the same. For whatever reason, sometimes I just felt as though some of the descriptions weren't doing much for me to move the story, thus not making me dying to pick it up. I think one of the issues is that I wasn't ever feeling SUPER connected to any of the characters so even THAT couldn't propel me forwards. It may have been my state of mind needing something fast paced but sometimes the writing, while I would get lost in the beauty of it, would also slow me down to the point of exhaustion.

I'm not sure why I never felt too much for the main characters but I just couldn't. I wanted them to be ok and I was obviously wanting the best outcome for them but I more so wanted to learn more about these crazy horses! They were magical and mysterious and I felt the same brimming curiosity that Puck felt despite knowing they were dangerous. The story itself was so unique and intriguing and that is what ultimately kept me reading and desiring to finish it. I rather like the romantical aspect of this book. I was rooting for that for sure despite the fact it was kind of predictable, to me, what was going to happen but despite that I found myself excited for their every interaction but happy that it didn't overtake the whole book. I mean romances are a dime a dozen but KILLER HORSES?!? Thank you, Maggie, for not doing one of those tricks where you give me an interesting premise to lure me in but instead focus on the romance.

Final Thought: This was my first encounter with Maggie Steifvater's writing and I'll be for sure picking up Shiver soon as I have high hopes for it. I loved so many of the qualities of her writing (despite my issues which could very well have been my frame of mind) but hopefully this time I'll connect with the characters more and find myself feeling more compelled to pick it up. I definitely enjoyed aspects this one but I won't say that it was unputdownable. If you get distracted by kind of flowery prose, you probably will have troubles with this one. If you like unique storylines (with a hint of something supernatural..everything was normal except the killer horses) and love the feeling of being transported into the story by means of prose that is quite descriptive and flowery (in a really beautiful way), then you'll dig this. I'd point this one out for all my readers of the blog who only dabble in YA once in a while. Also, I could see this being a kickass movie.

* Review on a post it note to come. Again, I'm writing this at work on my lunch break*

Very Exciting Things That Explain Why I've Been MIA

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:52:00 +0000

My sister had her baby -- Genevieve Grace -- this Monday (the 16th!)! She was 7 lbs 12oz and 20.5 inches! I am so in love with my little niece so this week I've been doing a lot of hanging out at the hospital when I'm not at work and helping to get things clean and ready for when my sister comes home! I'll be back soon...I promise!!

Look at this future bookworm, you guys! As her aunt, it's my duty to make sure she becomes one of us :P

Look..How Pinteresting! (2)

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:21:00 +0000

Since so many of you enjoyed my first round of Pinterest board fun a few months ago I thought I'd keep doing it! I'd love if others joined in...I LOVE finding new pins so seeing your recaps would be nice! Link me if you do any sort of Pinterest recap on your blog!

From my "All Things Bookish" Board:

Seriously guys..every day of my life and Will thinks I'm abnormal.

From My "Going To The Chapel" Board:

I love this!

From my "Get In My BELLLYYY" Board:

Mint Chocolate Brownies..PLEASE YES.

From my "See, I Can Be A Proper Girl" Board:

Hopefully I can learn how to do this!

From my "Things To Save For A Day You Need A LOL Or A Smile" Board

From My "I Wish I Was Crafty" Board:

I am so making this. It fits my style perfectly.

From My "Wanderlust" Board:

Zakynthos Island, Greece. I WANT TO LIVE HERE.

And from my "Random" Board:

Words to live by for my new, fresh attitude for 2012.

From My "Things On Pinterest I Actually Made/Did" Board

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip...YUM. SO GOOD.

PS. If you want an invite to Pinterest..send me an email! And let me know if you are on Pinterest so I can stalk your boards! :P

An Open Letter To Time

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:53:00 +0000

Dear Time,

Please speed up so that my quality of life can increase once again. I love when I can do this

or this

I do not really enjoy reading inside (even though I do love reading in my tub or next to my fireplace) as much as I do reading outside in parks, in pools, at the beach, on a boat. I feel at peace. I feel a sense of bliss. I NEED THIS AGAIN. Please skip past winter and then the weird thawing of Pennsylvania spring until it becomes blooming and sunny and wonderful.

Love,

Jamie

I've told you my favorite places to read before and you know that I just love reading outside. When it's nice out...I'm reading outside. I actually think I get more reading done because there is NOTHING I'd rather do than get outside and bring a book with me. I think that's why I find myself reading more in the summer than any other season -- which is strange because you'd think I'd do more reading when I'm hibernating from the cold rather than when I'm super busy in the summer. I guess I just take every moment I can to sneak outside -- especially at work...my whole lunch hour is spent at the park reading in the summer.

It's also funny because honestly some of the moments that I cherish the most are times I was reading outside. They are these vivid memories where I can feel the sun on my back, the wind blowing lightly through my hair and just falling into a book. I think of the quiet moments reading in my backyard (the first picture is one of those times), reading in Santa Monica on vacation in a park before we went to the airport (the second picture) or reading while in a park in Paris. I cannot wait to wander the world and read in memorable places.

Where are your favorite places to read? Are you more of an outdoor reader or indoor reader? Any memorable places that you've read?

Five Reasons Why John Green Should Rule The World

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:27:00 +0000

Did you know that it's JOHN GREEN WEEK (hosted by the lovely ladies at I Eat Words)?! Well, it is and I'm here to tell you why John Green, Nerdfighter King, should rule the world. If you don't know John Green, please consider this an introduction and then remedy the situation immediately. Even if you don't enjoy YA books, I think you'll still find John and Hank Green's vlog channel a riot and appreciate all of his awesome projects too!

1. He writes kickass books and is passionate about literature: It's no secret that John Green writes amazing books for teens and adults alike -- solo and in collaboration with other great authors. If John Green ruled the world, literacy would abound and people would realize how COOL it would be. And hey, if John Green ruled the world..he'd probably write his own damn memoir and it would 1) be actually interesting and entertaining and 2) it wouldn't have a lame-o, serious cover. Presidential reading I could care about!

2. Press Conferences & Presidential Announcements Would ROCK: John Green (and his partner-in crime & brother Hank) makes the most entertaining, smart and hilarious vlogs ever on their Vlogbrothers channel. EVER. He'd get to the damn point, skip the bull and there would be something actually worth quoting...that people would read. People would actually walk away smarter and more informed because they actually PAID ATTENTION and could understand what the hell what was going on. Exhibit A -- His discussion on the healthcare debate!

3. Nerds Would Get The Recognition They (umm I...we?) Deserve: Let's be honest, being called a nerd in school was never a GOOD TIME. As nerds we all knew how awesome we were but the rest of the world didn't. With John Green ruling the world, it would be revenge of the nerds and the world would see how fantastical we are. I mean, the coolest people I meet are self proclaimed Nerdfighters ( a project/website of John Green's). All the nerdy & awesome things of the world would replace all the generic "cool" things.

4. Awesome Would Increase & World Suck Would Decrease: The whole decree of the Nerdfighters is to "fight to increase AWESOME and decrease suck." John and Hank are known for doing things that do just that and they highlight people who are doing the same thing. Maybe the news wouldn't be so damn depressing when all the awesome things were happening and the suckage would be effectively taken care of. Exhibit A: The Project For Awesome to raise awareness for great causes and then raise money for them!

5. Decrease of WORLD Confusion & Miscommunications: Bad grammar would no longer lead to confusion. People would understand the importance of grammar (I'd benefit from this as well). Countries would probably not ever get blown up nor would we think Snooki has 3 hands. YAY GRAMMAR! Maybe people would also stop using the word "conversate"...it's CONVERSE. I try to tell all the reality stars this.

* John Green's newest book The Fault in Our Stars comes out January 10th! Check it out along with other great books from John Green -- Looking For Alaska, Paper Towns and more!

Top Ten Books To Look Forward To In 2012 (In My Humble Opinion)

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Top Ten Tuesday is, as always, hosted over at my other blog The Broke and the Bookish. If you like lists of books and authors...you will enjoy TTT.

I am SO STOKED about every single one of these. I wasn't sure whether I was going to post about my top ten books I'm excited to read in 2012 (so I could include anything; not just new releases) but I decided that I'm really super excited about some books that are coming out this year and so I must go that route!!

1. Diva (The Flappers) by Jillian Larkin -- I REALLY love this YA Historical Fiction series! I loved Vixen the best but I thought Ingenue was riveting and the ending just makes me desire Diva even more!! I've always been enthralled with the 1920's and the flappers but this series has made me rekindle my love for learning about this time period and I've been taking out all my Fitzgerald novels again. LOVE.

2. The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges -- I LOVE LOVE LOVE books set in Russia (and I won't lie...totally a fan of Russian literature) and I don't see it enough. The Gathering Storm is a YA historical fiction with paranormal elements set in 1888 in St. Petersburg. It looks pretty interesting and it comes out next week!

3. Pandemonium (Delirium) by Lauren Oliver -- It took me a while to get into Delirium by Lauren Oliver as I mentioned in my review. I was really getting ready to give up because I just couldn't understand WHY everyone loved it so much. But then I was suddenly sucked into the world and the ending just left me with my jaw on the ground. I am currently in possession of this one and I can't wait to read it!! I'm hoping some of my issues with Delirium aren't issues here.

4. The Academie by Susanne Dunlap -- Oh you KNEW I'd be excited about this, right? YA Historical fiction set in Paris (the subject for my first Of Literature & Locations post) and there is a BOARDING SCHOOL. The main character is President Monroe's daughter and she ends up at boarding school in Paris being classmates with Napolean Bonaparte's daughters who seem like quite the troublemakers! I'm EXCITED. If there is one thing that gets this little francophile excited it's French history...oh and French cuisine. :P

5. The Last Echo: A Body Finder Novel by Kimberly Derting -- I loved The Body Finder but didn't LOVE Desires of the Dead but it DID have some interesting things setting up for The Last Echo. I'm excited to see what happens to Violet and Jay! If you like a good YA mystery, this one is pretty darn good! I got this one in the mail the other day so I'm hoping to start it soooon!

6. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins -- OH HI. Do you know me? I'm the girl who gushes about Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door. While it took me a while to give Anna a try because of the horrid cover, I relented and OH MAN. Stephanie Perkins is now one of my favorite young adult writers of contemporary! She writes contemporary young adult novels in a way that I love and her characters are unforgettable to me. I GET THEM.

7. Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz -- All I had to see was someone say that this was a good one for fans of Will Grayson, Will Grayson...and I was GAME. It sounds really good though...even without that comparison!

8.Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard -- I've had this on Netgalley and have yet to read it but I'm so STOKED for it. If I could do anything in the world (ANYTHING)..it would be to travel the world. I am obsessed with travelogues and travel themed novels so this one is a must read for me! THE TRAVEL BUG IS BUZZING THROUGH MY VEINS!

9.Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson -- I was quite fond of Amy & Roger's Epic Detour so there is NO WAY I'm not picking up a book written by this author.

10. The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long -- This world sounds so magical and enchanting and the cover drew me in immediately. I am excited to hear more about this one!!

Some honorable mentions coming out soon:

+ Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
+ Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
+ The Catastrophic History of You & Me by Jess Rothenberg

ALSO..I didn't add it on this list because I already read it but FEVER by Lauren DeStefano. YOU MUST READ IT!

What books are you looking forward to? Does anyone have any 2012 adult fiction books because I realized all the books on my radar for 2012 are all Young adult! Normally I have a good amount of adult fiction books to be excited about!

Ways To Challenge Your Bookish Self In The New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:24:00 +0000

Maybe your New Year's Resolution for 2012 is to read more? Or maybe it's just to read a book in general. YAY YOU! If you are already a voracious reader, here's a few ways I'm going to challenge you this year...

- Read Outside Your Normal Realm of Reading: If you only read YA paranormal, try a YA contemporary or a historical fiction. If you never read adult novels, give one a try. Read a classic! Try a YA book if you've always scoffed at being an adult reading teen books. It spices up your reading life so much to try new things that you've never read before. This year I'm going to try to read more fantasy and maybe a romance novel. I find that when I read something vastly different than what I'm used to, I either find something new that I like or just learn to appreciate the things I like to read even more. I'd be HAPPY to give recommendations since I read pretty much anything. THERE ARE SOOO MANY NEW THINGS TO DISCOVER!! I'm not telling you to stop reading what you KNOW you love...but there is such a place for venturing out and trying new things! I promise! Variety is the spice of life, *insert more cliche things about variety and trying new things* Follow a blog that covers different books than you do!

- Try an audiobook: I never thought I'd enjoy them but let me tell you...I am no longer a raging bitch during my commute anymore. Ask around for good recommendations. I've never been steered wrong when I ask people what are good audiobooks! If you think you can't concentrate on an audiobook, try something that is a reread for you.

- Don't be afraid to pick up that 400+ book: I know huge books can be daunting. I've been staring at my bookshelf wanting to pick up a few HUGE books but I've been too focused on the NUMBER of books I read rather than the page count. I've been such a slave to my blog because I've wanted to read books more quickly that I don't pick up those HUGE books that I know will take me longer to read. This year I vow to let myself read these long books and not worry about the fact I could have 3 books read and reviewed in the time it takes me to read a longer one. Which leads me to my next one...

- Allow yourself to savor what you are reading: It seems that ever since I started blogging I also started being really aware of how long it takes me to read a book. I keep trying to read faster so that I can get more books read for my blog (and my final books read count for the year--which I have begun to NOT tally up this year and it feels so FREEING!). This year I'm going to allow myself to really savor some books. It's like food...sometimes you need to just savor all the tastes and really enjoy a meal rather than devouring it....to really appreciate it.

- Read with a group: Whether it's a real life book club, an online book club, a group read-a-long or just a few friends...read a book in a group! It's amazing the discussion and the new understandings that come from a group read. Plus it's way more fun to have people to be reading the same thing as you so you can freak out about something or mourn the death of a character knowing that someone is experiencing it right along with you. It also really helps to continue to make reading a social activity.

- Re-read more often: Along with savoring your books, I think re-reading also helps you to enjoy great books that you read. I always learn something new when I reread or sometimes I've grown up since I've read a book and relate a little more to it.

- Don't be a slave to new releases: I've found myself abandoning all the backlist books for all the new, shiny books. As a book reviewer I know it's important to highlight what is new and upcoming but it's also important to take some time to read "older" books.

- Write your own blogging manifesto. This is more blog related but writing my blogging manifesto really helped me in my blogging/reading life.

My specific goals for 2012:

- Reading more books from my shelf. I've neglected them for packages of shiny, new ARCS so this year my ratio of "old" vs. "new" needs to be a little more split.

- Re-reading at least 5 books. My Re-Readathon this year was a good start so I'm hoping to read more beloved books or books that I think I can get more out of a second time around.

- Getting back to being an eclectic blogger/reader. I've always read a little bit of everything but this year seems that it was the year of YA for me...which was GREAT. I found some amazing young adult books but towards the end of the year I started to get burnt out on them and really craved some good adult novels and some non-fiction. This year is going to be a year of balance for me. I'd love to help other readers see the beauty of reading a little more eclectically from time to time.

- Try reading fantasy and romance. I've avoided these genres for a while.

- Find or start a book club in the Philadelphia area.

- Reading the 2 lengthiest books on my shelf.

I'm hoping that writing them down here will keep me accountable. It seemed to help last year with my bookish resolutions.

What are some of your bookish resolutions or reading goals?

Adios 2011...You Were A Mixed Bag For Sure.

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:11:00 +0000

Last year I wrote up this HUGE long, kinda sad post recapping my year..I chronicled each month. I was really kicking 2010 out the door quickly and I was fully embracing 2011 and what it had in store. I had hoped 2011 would be epic...and in some ways it was..it really was but in some ways it was a little bit of a disappointment and there were some tough things I had to navigate through. But..I'd say 2011 was a good year overall. I learned a lot about myself, which is always important, and I had some really great times.

The Good Of 2011:

+ I went to BEA and finally met some of my best blogging buddies in the world face to face. BEA was really quite epic and I got a great time meeting publishers, authors and fellow bloggers.

+ My younger (23 years old) sister found out she was pregnant!! In mid January 2012 I will be an auntie to a little baby girl who will be named Genevieve!! To say I am on baby alert right now is an understatement.

+ We booked a date and a place to get married -- August 17 2012! AND I BOUGHT A WEDDING DRESS!!! From Ella Bridal.

+ I met some of my favorite authors in the whole wide world -- Gayle Forman, Libba Bray, Lauren Oliver and more! (With Gayle Forman and some of my favorite bloggers ever!)

+ I read some AMAZING books. You can read my End of Year Book Survey or my Top 10 Books Read In 2011 to see.

+ I got a full time job!

+ My blog grew and I met amazing new readers. I want to thank you all for supporting me in 2011 and for all the amazing conversations we've had and all the book recommendations you've given me. I HEART YOU ALL FOR MAKING BAD DAYS BEARABLE!! <33

Needless to say..lots of good things happened this year! I am soooo looking forward for 2012 because I think it is going to be beyond epic.

I will be getting married to my best friend and love of my life. Quite scary since I was never a commitment sort of girl!
We will have a new baby in the family. YAY FOR BEING AN AUNTIE!

What are the highlights of your year? What are you looking forward to in 2012?

Review: Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (Audiobook Version)

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:33:00 +0000

Yesterday we discussed books that get us out of reading slumps and I mentioned that my last read of 2011 just got me out of the most epically huge reading slump that I've had in a long time. This book right here is the one that got my mojo back... :)

Title/Author: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Publisher/Year: Philomel; March 2011
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction
How I Got It: Borrowed it via my library's Overdrive program for audiobooks

I was asking for suggestions from Twitter about good audiobooks to listen to since over the holidays I would be traveling in the car for a total of 8 hours by myself to get to my dad's house. Miss Remmer's suggested Between Shades of Gray and I decided that would be the one since it's one I had really wanted to read since it came out and I saw great reviews for it. As I mentioned in my top ten books of 2011 post, this ended up being one of my favorite reads this year and it was really a great pick for my travels -- albeit a little sad and I ended up crying at some parts in the car.

Between Shades of Gray takes place in Lithuania in 1939 and chronicles the moment that 16 year old Lina's life changes when Stalin's Russia invades their country and forces her family, among many others, into labor camps. Lina and her family fight to keep hope and survive throughout their deportation and life in the labor camps in the most deplorable of conditions where they are treated as though they are animals -- all the while hoping to reunite with their father again and live to see their home again.

Between Shades of Gray is a book that cannot be ignored. This novel was heartwrenching and I mean that in the most literal way I possibly can. It hurts my heart in that this REALLY happened to people and Sepetys was able to capture the stories of many who had to live through this and really embody their fight through the story of Lina and her family. I felt the same way reading this that I did reading Night by Elie Wiesel or The Diary of Anne Frank. Though this book is fictional, I felt the same sort of anguish knowing that human beings had to suffer in this way. It was eye opening to me. I consider myself a lover of history and I can honestly say I really didn't know this had happened. I think most learn of Hitler and the concentration camps but the brutality of the Soviets and the labor camps in Siberia seem to never come up as much. Or maybe I wasn't paying enough attention in history class?

Not only was the history heartwrenching to me but the way Ruta Sepetys wrote this story really impacted me. I cared deeply and connected to these characters. I wanted them to survive. I felt their fear, their anger and their will to live. The scenes were vivid, the people were alive and I would find myself physically tensing up and feeling very emotional during certain scenes. These is one of the most emotional reads I have ever encountered and it was done so perfectly. It wasn't contrived. The real stories of real people spoke through this novel and you could feel the weight of it all.

It might seem like from my review that this novel is just super depressing. That's the thing -- it's not. There is so much hope, love and resilience within these pages and for every moment I felt sickened by humanity, I also felt invigorated by our will to fight, to live, to maintain our dignity and to love. There was hope and it was really beautiful. I love the idea of the title of this novel and the notion of "between shades of gray"...that's how this novel was. For all the darkness, there was little slivers of beauty and hope. This was one powerful story and I know it is one that will stick with me for a very long time. There are so many memorable characters and relationships in this book. I love the relationship between Lina and Andrus, Lina's mother and her children and Lina's mother and pretty much everyone...especially the one officer. That touching scene between Lina and the officer towards the end (when she is trying to steal firewood) just was so beautiful and complicated and broke me down.

Parts of this are really hard to read/listen to but I personally didn't find it to be excessively violent or descriptive. I mean, it's really hard to read about these atrocities and brutality but I don't think it's told in a way that makes it too hard to handle. It will be emotional and really hard to think about people enduring but I think there is balance in the way it is told. But I'm not someone who easily shies away from difficult subject matter.

The only thing I wish would have been better about this book was about how it ended. When the epilogue happened (as I was listening to it) I couldn't believe it was over! I don't know if I would have been as surprised had I been reading it but even so...I wanted to know HOW everything was resolved though the epilogue did a nice job of giving us the details we wanted to know (like about Andrus!). Maybe it's I cared too much that I wanted to see the whole story through. I'm not sure.

As An Audiobook:

I thought this was really well done on audiobook and the story worked really well in this format. It captured my attention in the fullest while navigating the highways and I never had to go back to clear up any confusions. The narrator did the voices pretty well and it was easy to distinguish between the many casts of characters. Her pace was perfect for me. The only thing I found to be a bit difficult sometimes was that the story would switch to memories of the past and it would, in some cases, take a minute or two to figure out that it was a past memory. This mostly happened in the beginning as in the end it was easier to distinguish between the scenes as they were drastically different.

The Bottom Line: Between Shades of Gray makes my top ten books of 2011 for a reason and is high up there in a best books EVER list. It is powerful in both the historical foundation for the story and in the storyline itself. I loved the characters and cried my little heart out all along the way -- tears of anger, of sadness and of joy in some places. It's one of those books that I just sat there soaking it all in after finishing it. This will stick with me for a long time. It's raw, poignantly told and will capture your attention and leave you wanting to learn more about this slice of history. This is a book I think teens and adults will both find special. I am so thankful I read this because this story is one that needs to be heard. Highly recommended on audiobook.

You'll like it if....

You like historical fiction -- especially that during World War II or any thing relating to concentration camps or labor camps
powerful stories that will stick with you for a long time. I assure you that I will be thinking on this book for a long time to come.
stories that deal with some heavy emotions but also show human triumph, beauty and hope.

** Review On A Post-It to come...I'm at work :P ) **

On Books That Bring Your Mojo Back

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:05:00 +0000

It's no surprise that I've been in a wicked reading AND blogging slump. I've lacked any and all motivation. I was pretty sure this was the end of this here blog. Maybe I was burnt out on reading because I was blogging about it? Maybe I was abandoning the blog because I had moved on from it? Or maybe I wasn't reading the right books? Maybe I was just in a slump? Maybe I was just never really cut out for this book blogging thing anyways? I was all ready to close shop here.

But then...

I read a book. A book that I'll be reviewing tomorrow. A book that made me remember WHY I started this blog in the first place and ignited those feelings of wanting to write about this book furiously so that EVERYONE would go read it. I love that feeling. Lately writing a review has been more of a chore...so I just haven't done it. Because, let's face it, I do a lot of things I HAVE to do and don't want to..so I wasn't about to make this become like that. BUT THIS BOOK...it moved me in such a way that writing a review just seems natural because I WANT to talk about it. I want to sing the deserved praises for this book. Maybe I just wasn't reading books that compelled me to do that lately? Either way, I'm really thankful for this book and how it brought my reading/blogging mojo back.

Will I stay around for a little while longer here? That's yet to be determined. But as long as I'm reading books that compel me to talk and write about them (whether or not I like them or not)...I'll be here.

What books have gotten you out of a slump recently? Do YOU find yourself getting into slumps because you read so much...or is it just me?