BookBlogWriMo 2015 - Day 24: #TopTenTuesday - Top Ten Blog Posts

Today's Topic: Top Ten Blog Posts

Today, I'm going to be sharing with you my top ten most popular blog posts!  I'll post the link and a sort of summary about what I talked about in that post!  Commence the count!

10.  Bookish Discussions: The Beauty of Bookstores
In this post, I talked about how pretty independent bookstores can be and how sad it is that so many are having to close because of lack of business.

9.  #BookBlogWriMo - #FlashbackFriday - Blog's First Design
Haha this is a post from last year's BookBlogWriMo when I talked about how I hadn't changed my blog design yet (I still haven't!).  It was a pretty short post!

8.  R&R Review Friday: Bonds of Fate by Jason P. Crawford
This was a review of Bonds of Fate by Jason Crawford.  I rated it 4 stars!

7.  Bookish Discussions: Fan (or author) Art and Character Inspirations
I talked about fan art and renderings of characters and how it can influence my vision of a book.

6.  Top Ten Tuesday (7)
This Top Ten Tuesday topic was Top Ten Favorite Authors of All Time.  I listed all of my favorite authors and notable books that they've written and published.

5.  Bookish Discussions: Unmanageable TBR Piles
In this discussion post, I talked about my crazy TBR pile, what contributed to it's gigantic size, and why we put books on our TBR list!

4.  Bookish Discussions: Books and Their TV Show/Movie Counterparts
In this discussion post, I talked about books and how they relate to their TV show/movie counterparts as well as some of my most and least favorites!

3.  Giveaway and Book Review: The Guardian by Lydia Rodriguez-Clement
I posted this on Friday, September 26th, 2014.  I reviewed and hosted a giveaway for the book The Guardian by Lydia Rodriguez-Clement.  I rated the book 3.5 stars.

2.  Review and Giveaway: Who R U Really? by Margo Kelly
I posted this on Sunday, December 7th, 2014.  I reviewed Who R U Really? by Margo Kelly and rated it 5 stars.  I also posted a giveaway of a hardcover copy of the book!

1.  R&R Review and Interview Sunday: Chains of Prophecy by Jason P. Crawford
I posted this on Sunday, February 22nd, 2015 and I reviewed Chains of Prophecy by Jason P. Crawford!  He was also kind enough to do an interview with me so that's in this post as well!  I rated the book 4.5 stars out of 5.


Tada!  What's your most viewed blog post?

BookBlogWriMo 2015 - Day 23: e-Reader or Paper?

Today's Topic: e-Reader or Paper?

I actually read both of these quite frequently because I like both of them!

If I have extra time at night (say half an hour or so), I'll sit up in bed and read a print book from the library.  Or, if I'm watching a movie before bed that I've seen before, I'll read a print book from the library.  Also, if I really love the cover of a book, I'll order it in hardback form for my shelves and I'll reread from that shelf.

I really love the feel of paper and that feeling of satisfaction you have after finishing a physical book.  You know what I'm talking about?

e-Readers on the other hand, are so nice for reading when I'm laying down in bed or carrying around with me during the day.  You know how your arms get so tired holding up a book in bed?  Well my Kindle solves that problem for me!  I just lay on my side and rest it against the bed/pillow by my head so there's no lifting involved!  Look at me, getting out of exercise :D

Like I mentioned as well, e-Readers are really nice for carrying around with me during my day.  They take up less space than an actual book and I'm not worried about the pages being bent or the cover being scratched or damaged in any way.

Which do you prefer?

BookBlogWriMo 2015 - Day 22: TBR List

Today's Topic: TBR List

So today, I'm supposed to share my TBR list with you all.  That's pretty impossible to do in one post because at the moment I have 4,178 books on my TBR list.  I know.  It's a really bad situation....  So if you'd like to check out my entire TBR list, head over HERE and you can view it in it's entirety!  For this post, I'm just going to post the 10 most recent additions!

Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

Inherit The Stars by Tessa Elwood

We That Are Left by Clare Clark

Drowning Is Inevitable by Shalanda Stanley

Infinity Lost by S. Harrison

Between Us And The Moon by Rebecca Maizel

438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival At Sea by Jonathan Franklin

The Girl With Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson

The Big Green Tent by Ludmila Ulitskaya

See a trend?  I've been wanting to read more about history and more realistic fiction (don't worry, I still love love love fantasy!).

Do we have any books in common?  Have you read any of these books?  What did you think?

BookBlogWriMo 2015 - Day 21: Social Media Links

Today's Topic: Social Media Links

I'm only on a couple of different platforms for this blog.  Here they are!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22129064-laura-w

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lauraew333

Instagram: http://instagram.com/lauraew333


Feel free to share your links down below!

BookBlogWriMo 2015 - Day 20: Book Pet Peeves

Today's Topic: Book Pet Peeves

Things that bother me in a book?  No problemo!  Here are five of my largest pet peeves.

1.  Insta-love.  I realize this is probably on everyone's list but it just annoys me so much when I'm reading a book and all of a sudden, in like an hour, a character has fallen deeply in love with someone.  One, this is entirely unrealistic.  And two, it trivializes love and what it means to love someone.  Personally, I really don't like throwing around the word love to people.  If I don't love you, I won't tell you I do.

2.  Drawn-out love triangles (or squares or pentagons or whatever!).  Quite honestly, I don't mind love triangles if they're done right.  But I hate it when a love triangle is drawn out simply to add tension to the book when clearly we know who the character is going to choose.  It's just terrible to keep reading a book when you know the other character doesn't stand a chance.

3.  Being unable to picture a scene because it doesn't make sense.  I really like being able to picture scenes in books so it's like a movie in my mind.  So it really irks me when authors write confusing passages or don't do any world-building so I can't imagine the space where the characters are.  I'm a very visual person so I like to have everything set up before the characters are dropped in.

4.  Cookie-cutter worlds/storylines.  Maybe it's just because I've read a ton of books but honestly it gets really annoying and boring real fast when every book has the same setting, the same world, or the same plot with different character names.  This especially bothers me in fantasy worlds because the author had the opportunity to make it their own and instead, they just went with something someone else already created.  And I'm fine with authors using pre-created worlds.  It's just when they refuse to chance anything.  At least add a little something!  Anything!

5.  Contractions.  This is such a big thing for me.  Actually, I'm reading a book right now where contractions aren't properly used.  People in the modern age don't say things like:

"I will not go with you."
or 
"I do not understand you."

No no.  Maybe in fantasy or historical worlds but not realistic fiction people (with the exception of the character's personality).  It makes everything sound so stiff and formal and just prevents me from diving into the story.


What are some of your book pet peeves?

BookBlogWriMo 2015 - Day 19: #ThirstyThursday - Book Character Crushes

Today's Topic: Book Character Crushes

Hmm this is a tough one!  I'll just list a couple ;)

Tamlin from A Court of Thorns and Roses

So obviously I have a thing for this book and the characters in it!  I don't know, immortal fey warriors are just so awesome to me.  Tamlin is just so sweet and so dangerous at the same time!  Haha I know that sounds horrible :)

Sergei from Queen of Someday

This guy is just so kind and understanding and warm and fuzzy and badass and amazing!  Love him to pieces!

Prince Kai from Cinder

He's my favorite love interest in The Lunar Chronicles!  He's so passionate and caring and has so much ambition.  Of course it doesn't hurt that he's a prince :)

Anden from Legend

While I'll always love Day and June together, my favorite character in this series is definitely Anden.  His temperament is so wonderful and, like Kai, is so passionate and caring and truly wants the best for the Republic.  He's adorable!

This is a list I pulled from the top of my head so there are dozens that I'm forgetting - obviously :D

Who are some of your book character crushes?

BookBlogWriMo 2015 - Day 18: Book Wishlist

Today's Topic: Book Wishlist

There are only a couple books I've had my eye on for a while in terms of buying a copy.  Here they are!

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

I read this a couple of weeks ago (review to come!) and I really want a hardcover copy to go next to the other books in the series that are sitting on my shelf!  I can't wait to read this book over, and over, and over again.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Same as above!  I really loved this book and it's a book that I'm going to want to read over and over again!  It would also look really pretty on my shelf :)

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Same sort of deal here although I wouldn't mind getting an ebook copy of this series.  I'd love to reread this series and have it so I can reread it at my convenience.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I have an ebook copy of all of the other books in the series except for this one!  I'd really love a copy so I can reread the whole series in it's completion.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I really liked this book (as well as the movie!) but really I'd only like a copy of this book and not the others in the series.  You know how you read a really good book but you never want to read it again?  That was what the rest of the series was like.  I really liked it, but I'll never want to reread it.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

This is my favorite book of the series and I'd love to reread it!  It also has a gorgeous cover so that doesn't hurt :)

That's all for now!  What books are on your book wishlist?