High Five (Mini Challenge #5)

Hosted by Alexa Loves Books

 This challenge is all about what's making us bookishly happy these days!  Originally it was supposed to be broken into 5 categories - books, genres, authors, bloggers, and bookish merch...but I was having a hard time coming up with 5 of each. (And then I realized she probably meant 1 of each, but I didn't feel like redoing everything).  So here are 5 generally bookish/bloggy things that are making me happy!

1. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - Shannon recommended the audiobook version of this, and I absolutely fell in love.  If you're a fan of Stiefvater, love audiobooks, or are looking to try an audiobook I definitely recommend this one.

2. Everyone who's been commenting on the blog (or returning comments).  Seriously, there's been a comment on almost every post I've written in 2015, and it's totally making my whole year awesome!  Shannon, Stephanie, LaLa, Kirstie, and Wattle get uber brownie points since ya'll comment like every post!  This is the whole reason I got into blogging in the first place, so it's been pretty much amazing that I get to chat with bookish friends regularly!

 3. Lindsey did an awesome Daughter of the Forest readalong. It was my first readalong ever, and it was super laid back and a lot of fun.  She did a really fantastic wrap up post on the whole thing too!

4. LaLa has a really fun meme called Tell Me Tuesday where you basically just talk about whatever bookish thing is going on in your life, and I've just started joining in.  It's a lot of fun and you should totally do it too!






5. I'm actually in the process of getting this engraved lengthwise down the back of a wooden phone case:

Want to customize one of your own? Here's where I got it done!

Book Shelfie! (Mini Challenge #4)

This is the fourth mini challenge in the whole weekend event that Alexa Loves Books has put together. If you guys are late to Love-A-Thon, head over to her blog because you can still join in all the fun!

So...I have quite a few bookshelves. Unfortunately, two of my big bookshelves are in my closet behind all my boyfriend's clothes, so I couldn't really photograph them.  The one that's hardest to get through mostly consists of cookbooks (...I don't know why I still have cookbooks. I NEVER remember to use them!) or books I haven't read yet.  The bookshelf closer to the entrance of the closet (I have a GLORIOUSLY giant closet!!) is full of childhood favourites that I definitely want to hold on to, but am unlikely to reread regulary.

Aka:...all but like 3 of the Redwall books.

The shelf above this one is chock full of Enid Blyton's Famous Five series.  I've kept the Redwall series over pure sentimentality, but I'm pretty sure you can't find the Famous Five series (easily) in America. Although in the age of internet, I could always buy them overseas I suppose, but I am attached to the actual physical copies of the books I read as a child.

In living room, I have an antique ladder that I've converted to a bookshelf that's for books I haven't read yet, but plan to soon.  Of course...I ran out of space for some of the books I'd sort elsewhere, so they got stuffed in here too.

I try to keep my nonfiction/philosophy books all in one place...but...well that wasn't possible.  And I have a giant pile of books underneath the tv which you can't see haha.  I thought I'd be able to start moving books out of the suitcases soon but...I'd forgotten about that pile.

In my room I keep my picture books, really, really special books, and books that I reread pretty much on a yearly basis.  

This bookshelf has all of my grandmother's leather bound copies of the Jane Austen novels, poetry by Keats, and Jane Eyre (or possibly Wuthering Heights, I can't remember at the moment). It's also got leather bound copies given to me by my grandfather, as well as all the Middle-Earth Tolkien books (...that I may have appropriated from my brother).  The books on the middle two shelves house my most frequently reread books. (The Alanna books are with a friend currently...I'll have to rearrange when I get them back).

This bookshelf is actually right underneath the previous one.  I keep my records here (despite the fact that my record player is missing its cord so I can't even listen to them ARGH) and I keep all my fairy tale-related books. Some of those were my mom's when she was a kid!

This is the shelf where I keep my few manga novels, picture books, and the rest of my frequently reread books. (Although slightly less reread. Except for Harry Potter which would just take WAY too much shelf space up on the other book shelf). It's also where I keep my non-music/fairy tale nonfiction books and photo albums.

And last but not least, I have a designated Jane Austen/non-fiction music/philosophy mini bookshelf on my window sill. (I'd have it be entirely Jane Austen, but since it's next to the window I'm terrified something terrible might happen to my grandmother's copies of the books).

So what's on your bookshelves? How do you organize them?

30. A Day in the Life (In which Elizabeth still doesn't understand Bellarke. Can Jonty be a thing?)

Not much has been going on in the past two weeks.  My best friend/manager is taking a cross country trip, AND the mom I nanny for is traveling, so I'm working extra shifts at BOTH my jobs. So life has mostly been work, work, work and otherwise I've been vegging.  I FINALLY got out of my reading slump (I think) thanks to Lindsey's Daughter of the Forest Readalong (yes I KNOW I only reread it 8 months ago. So what!). She's going to do a wrap up post on the whole thing (I think) so I'll probably add that to my next weekly round up/Tell Me Tuesday - whichever happens first. But I think I'm going to hold off on the bookish talk since I'm pretty sure I'll be doing a TMT post this Tuesday, so I'll save it for that. So let's talk about what else I've been doing a lot of:  watching TV.

I forgot JUST HOW MUCH I get sick of the whole Ross/Rachel thing.  The first 2 seasons of this show are awesome. Season 3 and 4 are fun but start wearing on my patience on that front....but now I've hit season 5. And it makes me want to punch my head through a wall. But I love everything else about the show!  Too bad they make Ross/Rachel the focal point.

And speaking of love hate relationships...

I want so badly to love Sword Art Online! I mean it's had the potential to be everything I love! It's about full immersion gameplay, but the creator traps all the players in the game, so if they die in the game...they die in real life.  There's so much here to focus on! The dynamics between gamers, the awesome game play, strategy...and it does that. Sometimes. But despite the fact that we've got women (like the one above who is basically the second best player in the game) who are clearly capable at what they do...they're written extremely moe, suddenly become helpless and need to be saved (EVEN THOUGH ASUNA IS THE SECOND BEST PLAYER I MEAN COME ON), and there are a LOT of gratuitous shots and fanservice. And it KILLS ME. I'm over half way through now because anytime I've been like...ok I'm quitting this series, it'll come back and be freaking badass...but it never lasts for more than an episode.  And SPOILERS once they leave the game there's so much they could have focused on! Like the consequences of having lived over 2 years in a game, how that affected relationships, PTSD, recovery of body mass, survivor's guilt, the gamers finding each other in real life...and it doesn't really do ANY of that. Ughhhhhhh END SPOILERS.  But I'm watching this with a friend and at this point we're like 2/3 of the way there, so I guess I'll see this season through.

I'm also watching The Glades and Crossing Lines, and I don't even know why because they bring nothing new to the procedural world.  I guess I'm just watching them to have something on while I'm cleaning that I don't need to pay attention to.  So thank GOD for this show:

Yep. I finally caved and watched it. The book bloggers loved it, and then The Mary Sue even said it was awesom...so I decided to get off my high horse and watch it. TOTALLY. WORTH IT.  The first few episodes are straight up a mess. They're throwing instalove at you left and right and it's just all over the place. But once it hits its stride? Totally absorbing.  I'm not really shipping much of anything though...my only ship right now is Monty/Jasper because they are THE BEST together and I don't even really care that neither of them appears gay. (Or at least Jasper doesn't so far) I just want them to be together forever in any way at all. Oh and I do like Lincoln/Octavia - the only instalove I approve of. I like my strong silent man!  But really so far I just like the characters (without feeling like I need to mash their faces together and go KISS KISS). They have done such a good job of just making all the characters really, really well rounded. Even the characters that seem evil at first have reasons (that aren't just powerplays/sadistic).  They might rub you the wrong way...but they're not always entirely or even mostly wrong about things.  And I LOVE that! I mean, don't get me wrong I love shows like Supernatural and Sleepy Hollow too, where there's a big bad and it's straightforward (HA...Supernatural...straightforward?) but I lurrrrve when they're all shades of grey.  I've just started the second season, so I'll be catching up fairly soon.  And then maybe I will understand all this Bellarke madness, because I am suuuuuuuper not getting that at all right now.



Bookish News

Blogging/Reading

The Advantages of Being Bullheaded - Shannon Lee Alexander (author of Love and Other Unknown Variables) talks about learning disabilities in school and determination.
YOU’RE JUST MY TYPE | TITLE FONT SLEUTHING - This is so cool! I never paid attention to fonts until I worked with some artists who actually DO that like...all the time. That is literally

Bookish Memories (or, how my love of books started) - I wish I remembered how book stuff happened for me! This is really cute :)

WHAT MADE ME THE READER I AM TODAY -  This is such a heartbreaking and really, really brave post.  I can't imagine what Pixie went through, but I'm so glad books have made such a positive difference.
Spreading Kindness - I LOVE these Blogging Acts of Kindness, and I'll be doing my best to spread these along!

What's happening in children's books in 2015? A literary calendar - You're definitely going to want to
bookmark this page!
I have a confession to make… - I'm not alone!! There are others out there, like me, who look up the endings to a book before they finish it!
No Guilt In My Pleasures: How to Critique and Still Enjoy - I have this problem A LOT. How can I love a medium/certain show/movie/book...if it has a lot of the stuff that really bothers me (i.e. romance novels, catchy pop songs, and currently Sword Art Online which I'm having a SUPER love/hate relationship with).

Discussions

The Thing About Romance - God YES! It's not surprise that while I DO love romance...I think that in a lot (if not most) YA books, it definitely takes importance over other things I'd prefer featured - like friendship (and not ending up with the first boy you set eyes on. Or girl.)

Why Authors Write Insta-Love (No, Really – I Think I Know) - I think this is REALLY interesting, and probably right in a lot of ways!

All About Fan Fic - YES!! This is the best pro-fanfic post I've come across yet! I WILL FORCE EVERYONE TO BOW DOWN TO THE GREATNESS THAT IS FANFICTION.

Hey, Book, Don’t Do That - I'm sure almost all of these are on our bookish pet peeves list too!

Do you think the current marketing around YA books is beneficial or no? - Maggie Stiefvater on YA marketing. (Hint: The answer is no...but it's not YA specific. Definitely very interesting!)

Specific Authors/Books

An Analysis in Grief: 10 Harry PotterDeaths We Did Not Get Over - Clearly. I legit cried through this post. THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME.
Be Suspicious of the New Harper Lee Novel - It is so hard to tell what is going on with this.  I'm not sure what to believe (although I think the article has a LOT of good points.)

21 Famous Writers Reimagined As Puns - Oh my god these are HILARIOUS!! I think my favourite is either Flames Joyce or Denis Prawnston hahaha

THIS IS SO FREAKING BADASS!!! (And yet very informational at the same time.)

Nonbookish News

Are You Still an Artist If You Can't Make a Living? - Obviously this is like...the story of my life right now. This was a HUGE revelation to me, and it helped ease some of my ego issues on the matter.

I Feel Like a Fake Adult - Yep, this also pretty much describes me at the moment haha!

This is Why Obi-Wan Lied to Luke Skywalker About His Father - Definitely a very well thought out and interesting theory. I personally am totally on board with this reasoning!

The "Prince" of K Dramas? Coffee Prince - I DID IT!!! I converted someone to K-Dramas and the amazingness that is Gong Yoo!! Stephanie even does a much more coherent post on Coffee Prince that I did that really nails both everything I love about the show, and the few problems I did have with it.

If any of you are into music technology, or really just new technology at all, you will immediately understand why this is SO. COOL.

Tell Me Tuesday (#1)

Hosted by LA LA in the LIBRARY

So a few months ago I did a Getting to Know You Bloghop (hosted by the lovely ladies down at Cuddlebuggery) and it successfully introduced me to some pretty awesome bloggers.  One of those bloggers is La La, who is just all around pretty fantastic and does all sorts of fun and creative stuff on her blog which guys should all go check out like immediately.  She does this awesome feature (which I am doing...right now. You are reading the feature I am talking about as you get to these words lol) where you basically just talk about what you've been reading. It's super chill, - you just put it up whenever you have something to put up, and that's it!  It works perfectly for me right now as I'm being a lot more selective about TTT posts and it gives me a way to put up my general thoughts about books, particularly ones I'm not going to review. Which, let's face it, is like all books since I don't really do reviews anymore lol!



So, let's get to what I've been reading.  And what I've been reading mostly....

...is picture books.  I've mentioned before (or at least I think I have) that I nanny two boys - a 7 year old and a 4 year old.  When it comes to dinner time, we'll read a book while they eat - if they stop eating, I stop reading.  IT'S SO GREAT!  I'm going to be out there every night this week...so expect your Goodreads feeds to be absolutely bombarded with picture books (sorry!).

(Also speaking of the boys, we usually read a chapter book, but we've got a hitch. The 7 year old really wanted to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  Turns out it freaking TERRIFIES the 4 year old...I guess talks about being kidnapped by witches can totally do that, so we've put that on halt. I had originally planned to bring in Series of Unfortunate Events because I think the 7 year old would LOVE that...but on second thought I think that's a terrible, terrible idea for the 4 year old.  The 7 year old reads wayyyyy above his grade level - he's read half of the Odyssey. And like a crap load of classics.  So I need something that won't bore/terrify the 4 year old, but will entertain the 7 year old. I think we're finally getting bored of only reading Magic Treehouse, so any suggestions would be super welcome! I think I'm going to see if I can grab Edward Eager's Tales of Magic and see if that might be a good place to start for this week)


In reading these picture books, I'm rereading a bunch of ones I read as a kid and have come to some conclusions.

1. Dr. Seuss is overrated.  Yes, his good books are really good. Green Eggs and Ham? The best.  The other ones run between downright offensive (If I Ran the Zoo), to painful (I think my mouth went numb after Fox in Socks. I don't care how much the 4 year old loves it, NEVER AGAIN), to just kind of...dumb. Shel Silverstein does rhymes too, but they're pretty clever. I'll probably change my tune about this, but I've had a run of bad Dr. Seuss the past two weeks.

2. I like Berenstain Bears about as much as I did as a kid - they were ok but nothing too exciting.  But now I've discovered they've got religious ones, and...no. Just no.  I'm sorry, but your kite did not fly because of faith. It flew because of SCIENCE.  I'm not against religious picture books, but I do think they need to use better examples. And in general the bears get their solutions/resolutions in dreams WAY too often.

3. That being said, I've been introduced to absolute gems like Ella and The Day the Crayons Quit, which I've never read before and are now instant favourites of mine.

On the novel side of things, I've been listening to Tamora Pierce's Beka Cooper series in the car. I finished Terrier last week...and I think it is probably my favourite first book in any of her series (of which she has many). It's by far the most ambitious - and I think the longest at 584 pages.  How did I put it on Goodreads?  "It's got the epic story line of In the Hands of the Goddess, and the unflinching grit you get in Lady Knight, plus some new magic we haven't seen before, a la the Immortal series." (Yes I did just quote myself. I CAN DO THAT. BECAUSE I SAID SO.)  So basically I loved it even though I wasn't sure in the beginning. (Beka comes off quite cocky in the opening).  Also I LOVE that this is about one of George's ancestors and how did I not figure that out just from the title?  It's about a COOPER. Who else would it be about!?  I'm listening to Bloodhound right now, and it's shaping up to be just as good as Terrier.  I'm a little nervous because I heard a lot of people didn't like the conclusion to the trilogy very much (also I'm not positive my library has the third book on audiobook...) but hopefully whatever it is about the third book won't bother me!

In novel form I've been reading Outlander, which is taking me WAY LONGER than I thought it would!  Like I know 627 pages isn't anything to sneeze at, but considering how much reading I can get done at work, I wouldn't have expected this to take me all week.  I'm technically not finished yet, but I imagine by the time this posts I will be. Some of this may just be big book fatigue - I stupidly started reading this right after A Clash of Kings....so that's a lot of big books in a row. (I think I was subconsciously trying to make up for all the picture books haha).  It's also not what I was expecting at all. I think I was expecting more time travel (and there are like 7 more books to go, so I am fully expecting that to happen), and CLEARLY my prediction is not going to happen (god I'm so bad at those!). I certainly was not expecting so many sexy times, or for SPOILERS Jamie and Claire to get together in the first half of the book. It's 8 books long! I wasn't even expecting it to happen for the first entire book! I was totally expecting more of a slow burn romance, and while I'm not disappointed by this turn of events... I think I was really looking forward to that slow burn. END SPOILERS.  And having unexpected sexy times in your book while at your work is not necessarily a very pleasant surprise haha.  So I don't know. I don't dislike it, but I'm not really loving it either.  A family friend gave me the first 7 books though, so I'm definitely going to keep reading and hopefully I'll change my mind on it all.  But definitely a break from big books for me for a while!

And that's what's been going on in my bookish life!  Anything fun in yours?  And while you're at it, don't forget to check out La La's blog, and maybe join in on the fun next week!

Top 5 Most Influential Books

Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter series is the probably the most obvious series to put on this list, and at the same time to most widespread to everyone else who would make a list like this.  This doesn't make it any less important and essential to this list.  How many of us grew up with Harry Potter?  I'm constantly reminded how lucky I am that it came out when it did, because my childhood in many ways was shaped by Harry Potter.  As I came into my own, so did the characters in Harry Potter, so it honestly feels like we actually grew up together, as weird as that may sound.  And having Hermione to look up to as I grew up was really fantastic.  While for the most part being known as a bookworm didn't bother me, it wasn't particularly comfortable either.  It meant that people made judgements about who I was..simply because I actually read books.  It also meant a lot of teasing, although I'll make no claims to being bullied - almost all the teasing was well-meaning.  I think I probably would have been a little more sensitive to it if I didn't have a character like Hermione around - she was a total bookworm, and she was AWESOME.

The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

I can't remember the first time I read this series, but I generally place finishing the third book in my middle school years, because my brain was like...whaaaaaat?!  Don't get me wrong - I absolutely adore The Golden Compass.  It sets up some truly amazing world building, and the characters are just *sighs happily*.  The Subtle Knife feels too much like a middle book for me to easily separate it from the first or third, I often muddle what happens in which book.   But the third book...the third book was a life changer for me as far as life philosophies.

SPOILERS ENSUE. Sort of?

I've always had issues with the Catholic church (the church I was raised in), but it wasn't until probably middle school that I really started questioning things.  As a kid I was mostly just pretty bored (as I imagine most kids are anywhere they have to sit for an hour quietly lol).  When I read the third book my world turned upside down.  God could be a phoney?  It was ok to think there was no such thing as God?  I'd always thought people just passively went to church and said they were Christians, whether they were faithful to the idea or not.  Or if not Christianity, some other religion.  That it was acceptable to think otherwise was incredible to me.  I can understand why the Church feels threatened by this series - I am kind of a perfect example of why they'd hate the series.  That being said, it's not like I suddenly became an atheist after reading this (and I'm not an atheist now).  I did a lot of questioning, and then decided I'd still try things with the Church.  I don't credit this series from taking me away from being a Catholic - I think I'd have gotten there on my own any way - but I do credit this series as the one that opened me to questioning not only religion, but a lot of basic beliefs I've held - even now.

Plus, this book features my favourite doomed couple ever.  And it was beautiful, and it broke my heart.

Song of the Lioness - Tamora Pierce

This series was the start of a life long obsession love for Tamora Pierce.  Beyond that, this series pretty much defines the way I see the whole world.  My introduction to Alanna was pretty much my introduction to how I view feminism.  Alanna is badass, strong, but she is more than all that.  She embodies all that it means to be a woman - and that includes being badass and strong, but it doesn't exclude things usually considered more feminine, like caring about how you look or being nurturing. (Not that I think those things are feminine, it's just generally viewed that way by society as far as I can tell).  And it doesn't mean having to be all those things either.  Women don't have to be super heroes.  While Kel has the patience of an angel, the same can not be said of Alanna.  All the characters here are treated like people, not a stereotype of gender identity, sexuality orientation, race, or class.  Really every single one of Tamora Pierce's books fall on this list, Song of the Lioness was just the first series I discovered by her.  This also features a heroine who has multiple sexual partners, and it's shown as a positive not shameful thing.  Which is SO, SO important to read when you are growing up! 

Deerskin - Robin McKinley

I love all of Robin McKinley's works (really guys, this can't possibly be a surprise!), but Deerskin stands out from all of her other works for a very specific reason that has little to do with the book itself and more to do with me.  This is the book that taught me how much children (and people) can self censor when reading.  This is the book that I think of any time someone wants to talk about censoring books.  The first time I read this, and maybe even the second, there's a fairly big SOMETHING that happens that just went right over my head.  I had a totally different explanation for what happened, and it's really frelling clear what happens in the book - I guess my brain just decided that nope, that's not what it wanted to interpret.  And I was definitely old enough to know what had happened, I just wasn't ready to understand it, I guess.

Spoilers. Like for real. Really, really.

This book is based off the fairy tale "Donkeyskin".  If you don't know it, it's about a father becoming obsessed with his daughter and raping her.  In the Robin McKinley book, I understood that her father was attracted to her.  But when it comes to the rape scene, I thought he ended up just beating her up, but that she escaped without being raped.  So when it comes to the scene in the forest where she miscarries, I was a bit confused why having what was apparently a super bad period warranted so much attention, but I just went with it.  I'm pretty sure I was in high school when I read this, possibly junior high school? Either way, that's old enough (definitely high school!) to know what's going, especially since the book really. isn't. vague.  I reread this in undergrad and when I got to those points I was like...what??? How on EARTH did I think that's what happened? Like I seriously can not understand how I came up with the scenario I did!  I was pretty stunned.  And that's when I began to take self-censoring as a legit 100% real thing...and started wondering what else I'd misinterpreted.

Going Bovine - Libba Bray

All the other books on this list are books I grew up with, books that I own and have reread so many times they're falling apart, so to have a book I only read a couple months ago take a spot there were many, many other books that I had expected to put here should tell you just how much impact it had on me.  It's also the only book on this list that I listened to instead of read. (I'm quickly becoming to believe that I actually absorb way more everything when I listen to books)  It has made me think really hard about what I believe life and reality to mean.  And...it's one of two books that I just don't want to talk about, which is really strange for me. (The other is The Book Thief)  I have mentioned this so many times on the blog since I read it...but I've never really talked about it. I think it's just that my reaction to what was written was so personal, and hard to describe (much like the book itself).  So much of this book was totally revolutionary for me. And I never thought I'd be so attached to a garden gnome.


Bonus:

I would definitely consider both of these books worthy of huge sections of this list. Luckily I've already written pages about them :)

I've spoken on the blog before on how Madeline L'Engle opened my eyes to the way spirituality and science can meld perfectly, and how specifically her book A Ring of Endless Light has always comforted me when my life has gotten out of control and confusing.  I wouldn't consider myself religious or spiritual now, but it gives me hope that someday I might find something that works for me on that front.

I also recently talked about how Fire helped me start dealing with my anxiety and fear after I had harassment issues.

A Day in the Life (27)

Sooo....new plan. Let's just not talk about my last two weeks. Clearly I have learned from my first world problem complaining: don't do it because then the gods think you need something to real to complain about. 

I'll show you how my recent weeks went. Interpret as you will (But I refuse to confirm or deny. You will never, never know mwahahahahah)

(Just kidding. I just think this is awesome and I can't stop watching it. I want one! It is Christmas soon you know...)

Good news: For those of you who saw I was stranded in the middle of the city: I have a working car again.  Also I survived being broken down in a-let's-never-stop-there-again part of Baltimore.  And we're just not going to talk about it.  I am just going to pretend that those two weeks happened in an alternate reality.

Moving on!

Bookish News

Discussions

Socioeconomic Class in Contemporary YA Lit: Where Are The Poor Teens? - Man, Stacked posts are always the most thought provoking awesome things.

The YA Divide - This is totally a thing! There's definitely a younger/older audience thing that goes on here that is often impossible to tell before you start reading the book.

Classic Lit And Teen Flicks: Why It Works - I always just assumed it was because I loved retellings, but 10 Things I Hate About You and Clueless have always been favourites of mine. WANT. MOAR. NOW.

I Sacrifice, Therefore I Am Good: Young Adult Fiction Heroines and Self-Destruction - Wow. There is definitely a lot to chew in this article.  I don't agree with some of what is implied (censoring "bad things" like self harm or that glorifying it makes people do it), but there is definitely a lot of content here that resonates with me.
Love Triangles: [Insert That Overused Line From A Robert Frost Poem] - Probably one of the best posts I've seen on love triangles. It's not a "I don't like love triangles" rant.  It's a "these are what I don't like about certain love triangles, and here are some examples of ones that are done well" and it's a good read!
The Genre That Is Called Gaslamp Fantasy - So I totally didn't know that this had a name, but I actually really, really love this genre. And it has a pretty freaking awesome name too!
Sci-Fi Month 2014: Blogger Panel #4 - Favourite Alien - YES!! "I'm just a sweet transvestite
From Transexual, Transylvania" ...I really wanted to sneak this into my gym playlist but thought it might not fly in my super bro-y gym I work at. I did at least put in Time Warp. And Rent. I WILL make you bros listen to K-Pop, Latino music, and musicals. YOU CAN'T STOP ME!!
Someone should write a book where the MC falls in love with the reader - I'd seen this idea before, but it's fleshed out here. And it's beautiful.

Specific Books and Authors

Rainbow Rowell’s Next Book Carry On is a Fangirl Spinoff Starring Simon Snow - Ummm enough said! Yes!!

What to Read Next if You Never Stopped Loving Robin McKinley’s The Hero and the Crown - Yes! To all these books! God I love Robin McKinley's books.
Peter Pan’s “Greatest Pretend” is Heroism - You know, I think this says a lot on why I don't actually like Peter Pan. 
Mira Grant Talks Tapeworms in a Lively Reddit AMA! - My newest favourite author!

Blogging

You Know You're a Book Blogger When... - Umm...yeah pretty much all these things. Particularly #3 haha!
Kat Kennedy gives a clear, helpful guide on how to name your blog. - Kat being hilarious as per usual haha

OH MY GOD SEND ME HERE PLEASE NOW K THX

Non-bookish News

Homelessness - Although the streetwise guy on my corner wasn't homeless, it was definitely a struggle and I know he was homeless at one point.  And he's definitely one of the coolest dudes I knew in Chicago.
On Being a Black Male, Six Feet Four Inches Tall, in America in 2014 - This just sucks all around.  As a woman...I can't say that I wouldn't have acted that way. Which is both parts I think understandable (If not ok? I am uncertain on my feelings here), and sad for everyone involved because it just keeps self perpetuating itself.
Full Grown Black Rage - "Because it’s not that you should fear me, it’s that you deserve to."
Questlove: Trayvon Martin and I Ain’t Shit - More on the same issues.
Composer Stereotypes As Described By Cats -  Oh my god I died laughing when I saw this haha
Princess Bubblegum’s Rule by Science - On the dark side of Princess Bubblegum.
The Pomplamoose Problem: Artists Can't Survive as Saints and Martyrs - Definitely something that's important to me, but can be applied to writers and artists in general as well.

Evil Couture, Inc. — The Best Fashionable Villains! - Villains seriously have the best wardrobe. And seriously, no evil wardrobe list is complete without Regina. I seriously need like all of her evil queen clothes. NEED.

So..I think I've finally jumped on the Taylor Swift train. I've been more or less indifferent to her for like the last...god how old was she when she started making music?!  Anyway, I heard Blank Space come on at the gym maybe a month ago now (the one where I don't control the music *scowls*) and I was like man, this song is great! (Not a normal reaction to songs I hear on the radio. Also why working at that gym is like 6 hours of torture.)  And then I found out it was a Taylor Swift song and I was like...whaaaa?  I hadn't thought about her new album really though until this week and now I've been watching the youtube videos on like...repeat. (I blame Kirsty. You've turned me into a convert!) 

I don't understand how people can hate someone who is clearly having so much fun simultaneously being awesome (and showcasing some really fantastic performers) while really, truly making fun of herself.  Also she writes her own music. That automatically demands my respect.

Sisterhood of the World

Can I just say that these tag thingies are the best?  One, because I am completely addicted to quizzes and surveys, so this makes me happy!  Two, because I have just not been feeling any bookish posts, so this is the perfect way to keep me writing something...anything.  So a big thanks to Kirsty at Studio Reads for tagging me!

1. What's the one book/series you'll always recommend to everyone?

Ok, well this is kind of hard.  I'll have to go with The Handmaid's Tale, because I think it is both very enjoyable and an incredibly important book.

2. The last book that you wanted to hug?

Going Bovine by Libba Bray. I just. I can't even talk about that book (and yet I have been continuously thinking about it for the past week).

3. One character you wish were real?

Hermione Granger. I don't even have a real reason why her above everyone else, she's just the first character who popped into my mind. (Also I love her beyond belief, so I guess that's a good enough reason)

4.  Favourite book boyfriend?

GAH. Actually, it's not that hard. Chaol. Obviously.

5. Have you ever highlighted a book? (You evil person, you.)

I actually haven't. I love doing it in my kindle..but real books? It just..feels painful to do it somehow.

6. Have you ever "forgotten" to give a book back to a friend?

Ok, so not counting the books I steal from my family, I'm usually pretty good about returning books.  Just not, you know...in any kind of timely fashion. (...like maybe a couple years...)

7.  Do you make music playlists for books?

That would be so awesome! I'm always a little bit in awe of people who do. You'd think being a musician and all I would, but it's just not something that my brain does.

8. The first book you ever read (that you can remember)?

I actually have the first book I ever owned..but it doesn't have any words so I don't know if it counts haha!  The first big chapter book I read when I was 7 - The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong

9. Ever sniffed a book? ;)

...doesn't everyone? Am I alone on that front?

10. The evil question: Been through the Twilight phase? (Be honest!)
I've been pretty open about my reaction to Twilight. I think it did a lot of really amazing things for readers, but personally it's never been for me. Paranormal romance is just not my jam. I thought the first book was a lot of fun, and the second was alright, but the third and fourth were the stuff of nightmares. Literally. I have had baby nightmares. Thanks, Twilight.

I'm opening this tag to anyone who wants to do it!  Feel free to leave me your answers in the comment section if you don't feel like doing a post, or leave a link to you post if you've already done this tag/if you use my questions to do your post!  I'd love to hear from you guys :).  I'm also going to go ahead and do a shout out to Shannon from Rex Robot Reviews and Stephanie from Don't Be Afraid of the Dork if they are interested in doing this!


My ten questions:
I'm totally going to steal some from Kirsty. Because I can.

1. Favourite book boyfriend?
2. Book you would consider most important/impactful to you as a person? (Not necessarily your favourite)
3. Character you think most resembles you? (As a person. Or physically if you wanted, I suppose)
4. Favourite OTP? (Throw in your favourite movie/tv/anime/anything OTP as well if you have one!)
5. A ship you have just never been able to understand?
6. First book you can remember reading?
7. What book is your black sheep? (Book that either you hate that everyone loves or vice versa)
8. Book you most want to be adapted into a movie/show? (Or favourite adaption)
9. Character whose closet you want to shop in?
10. Unsung book/character/ship/setting you wish more people knew/talked about?

A Day in the Life (26) - In which Elizabeth acts like a spoiled two-year old

This should be retitled: In which Elizabeth kept not posting this so she's been adding onto this post for over two weeks now...

Man, I am in an irritable and whiny mood these days. I don't know what's up, but I hope it stops soon because I don't like listening to my brain these days!  But I'm feeling whiny enough that I'm going to unload it onto all of you poor unsuspecting souls and hope I feel better.

Amongst my first world problems:

Tamora Pierce is going to be near where I live. TAMORA PIERCE. Aka my freaking hero.  Guess where I'll be?  A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PART OF THE COUNTRY. *Sobs*

Next on the list: my favourite band Mae (I've mentioned them before) is back together! And touring! *Shrieks and flails with joy*! And they're going to be near me in a few months!  But guess what. Did you guess that once again I will be across the country when this happens? If you did, you're right.

*Throws myself on the floor and has a tantrum*

Uggghhhhhh whhhyyyyyyyyy.

(But on the upside I'm seeing family during both of these absences, which I'm really excited about since I don't get to see them often. You know, being across the country and all. At least I'm closer to my mom now that I've left Chicago! Closer being relative, and only lasting a little while until she too moves. Then I'll be all alone on the east coast agaaaainnnnnn.  And now I'm whining again. BRAIN. STAHP.)



Lastly, is something that I'm actually legitimately hurt by.  In case you didn't know it, I'm hosting a giveaway as part of Cuddlebuggery's blog hop. (Which is super awesome - getting people to know each other in the blogging community!)  This was my first blog hop, which I was already excited about, but I'm also excited because I'm giving away one of my favourite books.  So what's there to be upset about?  Well, I was looking at my Rafflecopter, because I wanted to see how many people entered vs. number of entries, and I noticed something funny. Huh. This person entered all 5 times, but I don't recognize their name. Maybe I just forgot? *goes to check entry thingies*. You have GOT to be kidding me.

This person didn't do ANY OF THE THINGS.  Like...guys, I put a free entry in.  It's totally cool if you don't feel you have anything to say and if you don't want to follow me, you get a free entry just for stopping by because why not?  You can even go back and do the free entry every day.  It's just...I didn't really think people did that. I'd say I'd lost faith in humanity, but I actually don't hold a particularly high opinion of humanity, so I guess it's that I lost faith in the book community. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised, because we are comprised of such a diverse community in all ways - and that's awesome! Unfortunately, that also means people acting like assholes.  On top of being unreasonably cranky for the past week for no good reason at all, I now actually have a reason to be irritable. Plus now I know I'm going to have to check all entries for every giveaway ever.  It's not all bad though - I've already met so many awesome people through this bloghop!  There have been so many interesting people who I never would have gotten to meet if it weren't for the bloghop.  AND I've met people who share the other fangirl/actual parts of my life - music and K-dramas/anime! And I always get excited about that :)


Anywho, no more moaning.  Onto fun linky things from around the interwebs!  Other things this post should be known as: that time when Elizabeth found all of the disturbing, weird, but hilarious videos.

Yeah. I know. What even was that?! But it's also crazy awesome - I mean you don't see many cross-discipline productions like that!

Bookish News

Discussions

Common Archetypes: Invisible Bisexuals - Yes. Just yes.
Here's The Scientific Reason Why You Get Lost In a Book - This is so interesting! I mean I'm unsurprised at what they found I guess, but it's awesome that there have been studies done on it.
Fiction and Pretext - Janet talks about her theories on why pretty much every other genre appeals to her more than contemporary fiction. I have to say it's a very similar case for me.
21 STAGES OF FINDING A NEW OTP - Oh yeah, we have TOTALLY been there. Tv, books, it doesn't matter.

The Scary Place: The Art of Binging and Total Fictional Obsession - Speaking of ^ - man. I mean, I knew you guys loved books the way I do (and most of you love tv the way I do), but I've never truly believed people go into these dazes/obsessions the way I do. Let me tell you, it makes me feel SO much better. The way that Gillian describes the feeling is spot on.
The Habits of Bibliophiles: Observations - Nafiza's put together a pretty funny post about us readers!
On Being Bookishly Awesome - And on a similar note...
Sci-Fi Month 2014: Blogger Panel #2 – Scientific Knowledge - I do like to have a little prior knowledge, but I rarely require it to enjoy the book.

Do You Write in Books? - Oh the dilemmas involved!

Nerding Out: YA Books We Wish Were Video Games (3)- These would be so. freaking. awesome.
 

Ready for another weird video? Good.

This is the creepiest, most hilarious thing EVER.

Specific Books and Authors

From ‘Mockingjay’ to Narnia: Fantasy Series Conclusions, Ranked - I have to say I pretty much agreed with all of these. More or less anyway.
The True Stories Behind Classic Fairy Tales - I actually didn't know most of these! This is...horrifying yet interesting?
9 writers on the inspiring books that shaped them - Hey-o there was a Redwall shout out on the list!
Not A Drill: Dragonriders of Pern Movie Nabs Female Screenwriter! - AHHH I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS!!!
The Blogging Unicorn and the Goblet of Fire: A Harry Potter Newbie Visits Hogwarts - Shae's finally visited the 4th book! Hilarious as per usual :)
The Harry Potter Alliance’s #MyHungerGames Brings Awareness to Stories of Income Inequality - I had no idea this was a thing, but I LOVE that it is! ...has anyone noticed that like 1/3 of these posts here always end up being HP related?
Holy Crap Tamora Pierce Showed Up: The Mary Sue’s Favorite Comments Of The Week - GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS!!! I wish I'd written a comment Tamora Pierce commented on!!! SO JEALOUS.

Beyond the Pages: Bright Before Sunrise - Jaimie talks about how this book made her think about how much people's opinions used to matter to her

On a significantly less creepy, but still charmingly odd note, here's a renaissance band covering a Metallica song!

Blogging

What's Your Reading Personality? - I got the Lionizer!
The Reality Is … - Yash has some recommendations for contemporary fiction graphic novels
I Am A Hopelessly Peer Pressured Reader - I'm a bit half and half. I very, very rarely comment on reviews of books I haven't read (because I feel like I don't have anything to say, and there's always the threat of dreaded spoilers). But, on the other hand, the more a book is pushed on me, the longer it usually takes for me to pick up, because for some reason reverse psychology works on me at the worst times.
13 Best Book Beginnings Of Ever - I actually thought I'd already posted this...shows how long I've been making this post haha!  But yeah. These really are the best book beginning of ever!

You go Meryl! So much color in this song!! I'm excited/dreading this movie so much gahhhhhh!

Nonbookish News

In Defense of Indiana Jones, Archaeologist - I adore Indiana Jones. There doesn't need to be a justification for loving this post. (Except that it is, in fact, very interesting)
This Hella Old Book of Spells Has Finally Been Deciphered - So apparently I'm way more superstitious than I thought because I think freaking out is a totally reasonable reaction haha

Morning Meanderings… What I Have Been Doing While I Was Away - So interesting!  I'm a bit obsessed with bees, actually, so I though this was really awesome!
What it really means to be a public school educator today - YES. I couldn't agree with this article more. 
27 Nerdy Scarves To Get You Ready For Winter - So I pretty much want ALL THE SCARVES. But especially the maps. And vaporeon (aka probably my favourite pokemon)



And on a final note, I can't stop listening to K-Pop!  My brother recently discovered that I was not in fact a crazy person, and that K-Pop can actually be really, really awesome!  So he wanted some recommendations.  Cue video montage of Elizabeth only watching K-Pop music videos for an entire weekend.  I CAN'T STOP. I've had a total relapse!!  So here's a couple of my favourites.

Guys. I didn't think I liked Hyuna. But this music is so freaking catchy, and the music video is hypnotic! I seriously can't stop watching it.  It's pretty risque by Korean standards (as far as I've seen anyway), but nothing too scandalous by American mv standards.  But seeing as Hyuna is kind of the bad girl of Korea, I guess that isn't too surprising haha.

Actually, you know what? I think I'm just going to do a whole post on K-Pop. Maybe I'll do a series of posts on K-Pop/Dramas/Anime. If I ever stop being lazy.  So I'll just leave you with that music video (but if you feel like jumping down the rabbit hole and exploring K-Pop in the meantime, I have a handy youtube playlist just for you!), and since I've waited so long to post this that it is officially Thanksgiving here in America, happy Thanksgiving!

Getting To Know You Blog Hop (And Giveaway US/UK)

So I suppose the first thing to know about me, is that I am extremely forgetful.  Seriously.  Even the four year old I babysit constantly laughs and says..."You forgot again didn't you?"  (It's seriously taken me 3 months to remember their pet fish's name. Sometimes I am shocked at my own extreme lack of ability on this front)

Point in case:  My reaction when I saw a ton of hits on my blog (considering I've been crazy busy and therefore haven't posted anything in practically a week)

These are from...Cuddlebuggery...blog..hop? *squints trying to think back*

Wait...hold on...something's coming back to me...

 Bloody hell was that today??

1.  Most followers of my blog already know I'm a musician. (Mostly because I spent the month of April and May freaking out about my graduate recital)  I'm an oboist, which is both one of the most rewarding and most painful things I do on a regular basis haha.  Most people also don't know what it is, which is totally fine, because really most people don't have a reason to.  But, if you're wondering what it sounds like,  I posted my recital performance up a while back.  BUT you should really listen to Eugene Izotov play.  I was lucky enough to study with him for a bit, and he's hands down my favourite oboist (Other than Albrecht Mayer). Really they're both amazing artists!

2. I also used to dance a long, long time ago, but I still consider it one of my biggest passions (although as an audience member, not a performer!)  Last year I was lucky enough to see the Joffrey Ballet and it was one of the most memorable performances I've ever seen.

3. I pretty much credit Tamora Pierce, Madeline L'Engle, and Robin McKinley for shaping me as a reader, and Tamora Pierce in particular for shaping who I have become as a person.  Not that I didn't devour plenty of other authors, but these three were particularly influential.  

4. That being said, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy was probably the first time that I pretty much questioned everything about life after reading it.  I can still remember exactly how I felt upon completing the trilogy the first time, and I can't really say that about any other book.

5. I LOVE Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  For those of you who haven't listened/read/watched any it, that's where my blog title comes from.  It's the title of one of the books (admittedly, not one of my favourites - I tend to think of it as a quote from the first book, which is how I originally chose it for my blog).  As of this moment, I've done everything except listen to the radio series (which was its original format I believe)

6. I originally started this blog because I didn't really have anyone in my life I could probably geek out on about the books I read.  I tend to get...really...really excited when I talk about things I love, so I often get kind of disbelieving/terrified looks haha!  I've been so lucky that I've truly met some awesome people in the past year, so I'm incredibly glad that I ended blogging. I don't really go by a day without talking to someone about books now!

7. I do try to read a ton of different genres, (and until pretty recently I thought I did) but I have definite rather extreme leanings towards fantasy.  Even though I've found books I really enjoyed in almost every genre, I just get really reluctant (particularly with contemporary).

8. I've also been lucky enough to find a few blogging friends that read manga (and watch K-dramas!) which was really exciting for me!  Even though I date a Korean, he mostly just laughs really hard any time he sees me watching a K-Drama haha.  I read pretty diversely in manga, although I mostly stick to shoujo, and I don't actually know that K-dramas have exact genres really?  In any case, I am ALWAYS happy to flail over these!

Eight's my lucky number (mostly I ran out of things to say), and I want to give myself plenty of room to talk about the book I'm going to be giving away.

Goodreads Summary: Candy lives in Chickentown USA: the most boring place in the world, her heart bursting for some clue as to what her future may hold. She is soon to find out: swept out of our world by a giant wave, she finds herself in another place entirely...

The Abarat: a vast archipelago where every island is a different hour of the day, from the sunlit wonders of Three in the Afternoon, where dragons roam, to the dark terrors of the island of Midnight, ruled by Christopher Carrion.

Candy has a place in this extraordinary world: she has been brought here to help save the Abarat from the dark forces that are stirring at its heart. Forces older than time itself, and more evil than anything Candy has ever encountered.

As is often the case, this summary really doesn't do justice to the magnitute and awesomeness that is Abarat.  Not a lot of people know about this series.  My guess is that a lot of it has to do with the slow release.  Clive Barker, the author of this books, does A MILLION projects in all medias.  He seriously does film, video games, books (and lots of different ongoing series at that), and art.  So considering the book came out in 2003, I guess I shouldn't be as surprised as I am that not a lot of people know about that.

BUT I'M HERE TO CHANGE THAT.  Muahahahahaha!

I've talked on the blog at length (aka every TTT post ever) about why I think this series is amazing.  Not only does it have fantastic characters and world building - they're so unique I honestly can't relate them to anything to give you an idea.  I know everyone says that every story has already been told, but I can honestly say that if I though that there was an exception to that rule, this book would be it.  It is like nothing else I have ever read.  If that isn't enough for you, Clive Barker paints around 200 paintings for each of the books in this series. TWO. HUNDRED. PAINTINGS.  In real life, they're full size. I mean the artwork is just...mind blowing.  In the book they can be as large as two full pages, or so small they fit in the margins of the page.   In one of my posts on Abarat, I show a few of the amazing paintings you can find in the book.  But because I love you guys and know some of you might be too lazy to click on the link, here's two of my all time favourites of his paintings:

The paperback version doesn't have this artwork, so I am giving away a HARD COPY of this book so that whoever wins this can revel in the full amazeballsness of this book.  On my link in Cuddlebuggery it says US only, but since I've ended up choosing a book I'd be getting from a store, if you're in the UK go ahead and enter if you live in the UK!  Sadly it's actually rather difficult to get your hands on a hard copy, and the only other store I could find it in was in the UK, or I'd open it up completely internationally.  (Hopefully I won't break the bank on accident by doing this) And because I can't help myself...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Guys. There's a dude playing a very oboe-like instrument in this book. NO ONE PLAYS THE OBOE! Ok, I'm done now. Really.