Follow Friday (#33)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: Resolutions: Put together your blogger resolution list for all of us to see!

1. Participate in at least one meme per week
2. Attempt to read at least two books every week
3. Comment on other blogs more often
4. Request less on Netgalley (because I request so much and it's building up)

A very boring list I'm afraid, but I need to do all these things! I've let a lot of the blog slide, especially since beginning my A-Levels. I need to make it more active again.

So what are your blogging resolutions? Leave a comment below!

Follow Friday (#32)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: Bookshelf Tour. Give us a tour of your bookshelf.

Okay, so for the Christmas of 2011, I decided I wanted two new bookshelves - Nerd Problems 101. 

This is the first bookcase. The top shelf holds my classics and a range of other random books (and my Captain America mini-figure, which is adorable!)


The second shelf mainly holds my series...and then a bunch of other random books (see a theme here?)

I probably shouldn't complain about lack of shelf-space considering I've dedicated this last shelf to DVDs...but where else was I supposed to put them?






Now this is my second bookcase. I probably shouldn't favour one over the other, but for some completely odd reason, this is my favourite. That may be because the top shelf is dedicated to my most favourite of reads - Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Divergent, John Green, The Perks of Being a Wallflower...you get the picture. It also holds my HP DVDs.


The second shelf is, you've guessed it, random books! It's got my HoN series on it, as well as Game of Thrones and The Maze Runner, with a bit of JLA next to my Supernatural John Winchester journal.

Now the very last shelf is my review copy shelf. All of these are my review books, aside from the ones on the left which are books I've borrowed.

And last but not least, by my bookshelf is a little pile of books I've borrowed from the library (*tries not to fangirl over the Black Dagger Brotherhood*)










So that's it for the bookshelf tour, folks! Now it's your turn. Leave a link in a comment below, and I'll come and check out all your shelves!

Follow Friday (#31)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: If you could only have ONE – one book – for the rest of your life. Don’t cheat…what would it be?

Part of me wants to reply Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, purely because as a HP nerd, I feel like I should pick one of them. However, if I had to have just one book...it's got to be The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I have never enjoyed a book as much as that, and I can reread it endlessly without growing bored (but not without breaking down in tears)

So what book would you choose, if you could only have one? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to enter the giveaway as it ends tomorrow night!

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Follow Friday (#30)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: Book Selfie! Take a pic with your current read.

I know I look kind of crazy, and I guess this book is making me crazy. Boo for school reading! But the book is actually pretty good (comparing this to Wuthering Heights where we go around in circles for a while). With this in mind, I should probably say that I'll be posting less reviews since this will take me a while...sigh.

So what books are you guys reading? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to check out the giveaway!

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Follow Friday (#29)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: Share something you’ve learned about book blogging or just blogging in general in the last month

A few things, I guess. I've learnt to appreciate scheduling posts - this is a life saver! (Well, when it works, at least.) I've recently become part of an ARC Share group in the UK, so I'm learning a lot about that, too - and leading on from that, I'm learning how important it is to actually connect with your followers and other book bloggers. I mean, what's the point of reading and loving a book if you can't share that excitement with others?

Thinking about it, I think the best thing I've learnt about book blogging in the last few months is how important it is to add a Goodreads button to any reviews or book showcases. It's a complete hassle reading a good synopsis for a book and then spending ages trying to find it on Goodreads - if someone adds a link on their blog, you can quickly add it to your TBR list.

Okay, I admit it: my answers this week suck. Do you have any better blogging tips? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to check out the giveaway!

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Follow Friday (#28)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: Back to School time! Create a reading list for the imaginary English Lit class you'll be teaching this semester. 

BEST. QUESTION. EVER. Okay, so how many books would I make the class read in a term? Can they be over-acheiving, fast readers?

• To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (everyone should read this, okay?)
• Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (because I have to read it next term and this imaginary class can struggle through it with me!)
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (why isn't this on the curriculum? SHAME ON YOU, SCHOOLS!)
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (a nice, light read for the end of term...joking, this book will rip your heart out :) )

So what books would you make an English class read? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to check out the giveaway (where you can't actually win any of the books on the above list - sad face)

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Follow Friday (#27)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: How do you handle a book you don’t like? Do you DNF or do you power through?

It honestly depends on my book backlog. If I have a lot of books that need reviewing and I don't like what I'm reading, I will DNF it - sometimes, if it's due to my patience, I'll put it on hold and will pick it back up again, but usually I'll just stop, write a short explanation on Goodreads, and will move on to the next thing.

I guess it also depends on whether I want to write a review or not. I eventually finished Fifty Shades of Grey, something I would have DNFed aside from the fact that I wanted to review it - I wanted to write out a long, lengthy rant (and I did.) So if I want to rant about how bad a book is, I'll usually power through it.

So what about you? Do you DNF books you didn't like, power through, or put them on hold? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to check out the giveaway!

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Follow Friday (#26)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: What do you do with your books after you are done reading them?

Normally, I just stick them back on my bookshelf, because although I'm not a hoarder in general, I will admit that I'm a hoarder of books; they're just so pretty and difficult to part with! If I've read a book and know someone who will really enjoy it, then I will most likely lend it out to them (like The Hunger Games - my copies are so battered from being here, there and everywhere!) or just give it away permanently (I knew that when I started using the Twilight series as a fly swat that I needed to pass it on.)

So what about you? What do you do with books after you've finished them? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to check out the giveaway.

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Follow Friday (#25)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: Book Vacay: Where is the best destination reading spot for you? (Where do you like to go to read other then your home)

This is going to sound really lame, but I love reading on the bus. I travel on it a lot - to and from school, to and from work - and I just plug in my headphones and lose myself in music and a book. I'm so used to the routes I take that I subconsciously know where I am, so it's not like I'm breaking away every other minute to check if I've missed my stop. It's oddly peaceful.

So what's your favourite reading spot? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to check out the giveaway!

Follow Friday (#24)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: Today’s is the US’ Independence Day. Share your favorite book with a war in it, or an overthrow of the government.

I'm pretty sure the majority of the hop will pick this one, but The Hunger Games still has to be my ultimate favourite. However, I also love Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, Divergent by Veronica Roth, and Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

So what are your favourite taking-over-the-government reads? Let me know in the comments below, and don't forget to check out the 2nd blogaversary giveaway!

Follow Friday (#23)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: What is your preferred reading format? Hardcover, eBooks, paperback etc?

I prefer print, whether that is hardcover or paperback. Hardbacks usually look nicer, but paperbacks are cheaper and easier to carry around. Though with that said, I guess eReaders are even easier than that! I only got a Kindle because a lot of requests I got were eGalleys, and whilst it is convenient at times, I still prefer print.

So what do you think? Print or eBooks? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to follow via Bloglovin'!

Follow Friday (#22)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: Favorite Literary Quote?

Can I have a few? Oh gosh!

“My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.” 

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

“If you expect nothing from anybody, you’re never disappointed.” - The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K.Rowling

“You love me. Real or not real?" I tell him, "Real.” - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I guess this quotes are a real collection of random - some of them I like because of fangirl reasons, others because they hold a lot of truth in their poetic words, and some because there is something sadly beautiful about them. So what are some of your favourite quotes? Post them below!

 

Follow Friday (#21)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: What blogger would you most like to meet in real life? Tell us about him or her.

Oh gosh, there are so many to choose from! I don't think there is anyone in particular, I'd just like to meet a whole bunch of bloggers. Everyone is so lovely and kind online, and I think that all together, it'd be wonderful.

So who do you want to meet? Leave a comment and a link below, and I'll go and check out your answer!

Follow Friday (#20)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: If you could hang out with any author (living) who would it be and what would you want to do?


Do you even need to ask?! John Green, for sure. I read my first book by him (Papertowns, if you were wondering) just over two years ago, and I immediately fell in love with his easy style of writing and the way he can create this fantastically quirky characters who you can't help but fall in love with. I'm currently rereading The Fault in Our Stars (again, ssssh) because it is so amazingly amazing and I have a lot of love for Augustus Waters.

If we met, I guess I'd like to go for coffee in a quiet Starbucks somewhere and probe his brain - I want to find out the futures of all my favourite characters, and I'd try to smuggle some information about his new book from him.

So who did you pick, and what would you do? Leave a comment below, as well as a link - I follow everyone back!

Follow Friday (#19)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: Write a letter to your favorite character. Rant, rave or gush…just pretend like they are real and you just want to let them know a "few things". - Activity courtesy of author, Kelly Walker.

Now I need to choose a favourite character! Decisions, I'm really not good at making decisions.

Dear Alaska,
What was Miles to you? Part of me is annoyed at him for falling all over you in the first place, trying to pursue you and fix all your problems, even though you obviously had a boyfriend. But then part of me is annoyed at you, Queen of Mixed-Signals; what was Miles to you? What did you feel for him? Was he a friend, someone you cared for deeply? Or a romantic interest? Or did you just lead him on, not caring whose feelings were hurt in the process?
Even though I love you both, Miles was a jerk, and so were you.
Love, Nina

Follow Friday (#18)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: What book do you think everyone should read? If you could gift the entire population with one book?

The obvious answer would be Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - but considering everyone has already read the series (that is a hint for those who haven't!) so my answer would have to be Before I Die by Jenny Downham. I haven't read the book in a few years, so I therefore haven't got a review to link you to, but it was seriously brilliant. Even after all this time, I'm still reeling from it. Note to self - read it again soon!

So what book would you suggest I read? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to check out the New Year, New Books! giveaway - there are only four days left to enter!

Follow Friday (#17)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: What have you learned from book blogging that you didn't know before about the publishing industry?

Well, I never knew what ARC meant, for sure! I think the best thing I've learnt about the publishing world is how accessible it is. When I used to just read novels, you'd see all these big names - HarperCollins, Bloomsbury, Simon & Schuster - and they'd just seem so foreign and, frankly, intimidating. Since I started Project Read and Review, I've talked to so many publishing companies, and now I know how lovely all the workers there are, and how easy it is to talk to them. The same goes for authors - they're not just a name on a book cover, they are actually real people who do have the time of day to talk to you. 

So what have you learnt from book blogging? Post a comment below - and don't forget to enter my New Year, New Books! giveaway.

Follow Friday (#16)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: What is the last book that made you cry? Tell us about the scene...

Oh dear. Is it sad to admit that I cry a lot at books? I think the last one I cried at was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. There wasn't a specific scene - it's about World War II, how can you not cry at pretty much everything? But I remember four scenes that really set me off. Not to post spoilers, but the first one was about Max, the second was about Hans, the third...the third really got the waterworks going, and it was again about Max (yes, favourite character right there!), and the last was the scene with Rudy...if you've read it; yeah, that scene.

However, my all-time worst tear-jerker was My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I kid you not when I say that I finished it and just wept - I was literally hysterical. How lovely.

So what books are your ultimate tear-jerkers? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to enter the New Year, New Books! giveaway!

Follow Friday (#15)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: Activity! Who is your to-die-for book crush? What do you think they look like? Add an image to make us all happy.

EASY. Tobias from Veronica Roth's Divergent series! Although I love other characters like Jem from The Infernal Devices series, and Dimitri from the Vampire Academy series, Tobias is just perfection. Why aren't all real guys like him? I think that with book characters, you will never find a model who truly fits the image of that character in your head. However, I think for Tobis, I've found one pretty close:

Yeah, Max Irons. I thought about a few different actors, like Tom Hardy and Logan Lerman, but I feel like Max is the balance between a man and a boy, just like how Tobias is.

Follow Friday (#14)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: What writing device or trick most irritates you when reading a book?

Oh dear, this will set me off on a rant. I hate hate hate it when author's force love triangles on the reader! Love triangles happen in a lot of different novels, and if they occur naturally, then I'm fine with them. But when authors spend most of the novel with the heroine contemplating on whether to be with the sweet, loving guy who cares so much about her, and the mysterious bad-boy who acts as if he couldn't give two hoots, it really gets on my nerves. Unless it is a trashy romance, novels should have more of a depth to their story than just a girl choosing between two guys.

Another thing that annoys me is when an author attempts to make the reader's believe that their novel is a piece of amazing literary work, when in reality, it isn't that great. A fantastical example of this is Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L.James - I've read it, and I honestly believe she was sat with a thesaurus open on her lap, changing every other word to something that sounds more prestigious. It didn't work.

So - what writing tricks annoy you? Love triangles? Wrong thesaurus use? Leave a comment below!