Making Waves (1)

Making Waves is a weekly question feature created by the Waterwitch Babes (part of Susan Dennard’s Truthwitch Street Team). Every Thursday, we’ll have a fun question that all are welcome to answer on their blog. Anyone can join! The questions will be random and/or relate to the upcoming book Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. A linky is provided so that everyone can link up their post and participate in the fun!


Before I get to the question, let me just say that I am extremely extremely extremely (LIKE I CANNOT CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT-LEVEL) excited for Truthwitch and can't wait for it to be released in January, so when I saw this feature, I just knew I had to join in!


This week's question is... Why do you think water is an important element?


I think water is important for many reasons. First of all, without it there wouldn't be any life on earth and we'd all die, from starvation (because nothing would not be able to survive) or we'd just die of dehydration ourselves (let's just be honest). Also, water is really important because it can be really soothing and relaxing. Rain pattering, waves lapping on the shores... It's all just very calming and beautiful to watch and listen to. It is also fascinating because water can be really deep and frightening as well. I know as a kid (I hate to admit this but it's true) I used to be afraid of going to deep and being attacked by something lurking below. There are so many mysteries in watery depths that are still yet to be explored.

In addition, water is what our tears are made of, and sometimes we all just need a good cry. Crying is something most of us hate to do, but sometimes it makes us feel at ease once we're done, like the bad things are in the past. Crying (of course) can also be a good thing: there are times when we cry from happiness or from laughing.

Water can be something strange and deadly (see what I did there, Susan Dennard fans? *wink wink* yes, I know I'm not funny), but ultimately it is a fascinating element that can sustain life, but also endanger it.

~Alexandra

Waiting on Wednesday (14)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

Arrows by Melissa Gorzelanczyk 

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Page Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Date: January 5, 2016

Via Goodreads:

A modern cupid story set in present-day Wisconsin combining the fantastical elements of Greek mythology with the contemporary drama of MTV's Teen Mom.People don’t understand love. If they did, they’d get why dance prodigy Karma Clark just can’t say goodbye to her boyfriend, Danny. No matter what he says or does or how he hurts her, she can’t stay angry with him . . . and can’t stop loving him. But there’s a reason why Karma is helpless to break things off: she’s been shot with a love arrow. 
Aaryn, son of Cupid, was supposed to shoot both Karma and Danny but found out too late that the other arrow in his pack was useless. And with that, Karma’s life changed forever. One pregnancy confirmed. One ballet scholarship lost. And dream after dream tossed to the wind.

A clueless Karma doesn’t know that her toxic relationship is Aaryn’s fault . . . but he’s going to get a chance to make things right. He’s here to convince Danny to man up and be there for Karma. But what if this god from Mount Olympus finds himself falling in love with a beautiful dancer from Wisconsin who can never love him in return?
 
This fast-paced debut novel explores the internal & external conflicts of a girl who finds herself inexplicably drawn to a boy who seemingly doesn't reciprocate her  feelings, touching on the issues of love, sex and responsibility, with a heroine struggling to control her destiny--perfect for fans of Katie McGarry's novels and MTV’s 16 and Pregnant.

I am so so so so so psyched to get my hands on this one!!!  The plot sounds absolutely fantastic.  To be honest I always wanted to play around with the idea of Cupid in my own writing, but now I won't have to because this book is something I always wanted to read and now it's already written.  Can't wait to read this and see how everything works out for Aaryn and Karma!

Ten Bookish Items On My Wishlist - Top Ten Tuesday #2

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week, we get to choose the topic of our list, so I decided to do Ten Bookish Items I Need Want. (I apologize in advance that nearly half of it consists of Harry Potter-inspired items.)

1. Throne of Glass Eye of Elena necklace

2. The Hunger Games-inspired bakery poster

3. The Fault in Our Stars converse sneakers

4. Harry Potter Marauder's Map phone case

5. Lord of the Rings ring necklace

6. Alice in Wonderland-inspired Mad Hatter ring

7. Wizard of Oz-inspired bookmark

8. Harry Potter Ravenclaw varsity jacket

9. Harry Potter Albus Dumbledore quote/poster 

10. Harry Potter light switch decal

~Alexandra

Our Favorite Swoony Quotes (with Kaina from These Flying Pages!)

Hello lovelies! For the past few weeks, Kaina @These Flying Pages and I have been discussing the swooniest guys in books, and decided to come up with a list of our favorite swoony quotes from books. To give a bit of background, we were originally talking about nicknames/pet names we absolutely hate (and would hate to be called), which developed into what pet names we didn’t mind being called, and eventually led us to discuss our favorite male love interests in books and the way they spoke to the protagonist/person they loved. So let’s get started!

WARNING: Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk ;)

“There is no one I would rather see the sunrise with than you.” 
- Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“You're like a grey sky. You're beautiful, even though you don't want to be.”
- Jasmine Warga, My Heart and Other Black Holes

“I hold the bottle out into the rain and watch as the steady flow slowly fills it. When there is enough, enough that Beth can clearly see, I close the bottle and hand it to her.

She raises a skeptical eyebrow, but accepts the bottle.

"It's our rain Beth."

Her head barely shakes to show her confusion while I rub the back of my neck and search for my courage. "I told you I loved you in this rain and when you doubt my words, I want you to look at this bottle.” 
- Katie McGarry, Dare You To

“You can be Han Solo," he said, kissing her throat. "And I'll be Boba Fett. I'll cross the sky for you.”
- Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park

"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you.” 
- John Green, TFIOS

“Oh, I wouldn't mind, Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.” 
- John Green, TFIOS

“Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.

"After all this time?"

"Always," said Snape.”
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

“But the you who you are tonight is the same you I was in love with yesterday, the same you I’ll be in love with tomorrow.”
- Gayle Forman, If I Stay

“You don’t share me. You own me.” 
- Gayle Forman, Where She Went

“You're perfect," He said roughly, cutting off my protest. "And if I had to do it over again, I would save you every time." His mouth closed over mine and there was no more thought. No more worry. No more pain or loss or fear.”
- Sara B. Larson, Defy

“It's okay if you're crazy," he said softly.

"You don't even know-"

"I don't have to know," he said. "I'm rooting for you.”
- Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl

“I like your glasses,” he said. “I like your Simon Snow T-shirts. I like that you don’t smile at everyone, because then, when you smile at me.… Cather.” He kissed her mouth. “Look at me.”

She did.

“I choose you over everyone.” 
- Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl

“If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If we were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.” 
- Michelle Hodkin, The Evolution of Mara Dyer

“You're the girl who called me an asshole the first time we spoke. The girl who tried to pay for lunch even after you learned I have more money than God. You're the girl who risked her ass to save a dying dog, who makes my chest ache whether you're wearing green silk or ripped jeans. You're the girl that I--" Noah stopped, then took a step closer to me. "You are my girl.” 
- Michelle Hodkin, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

“You’re not a pit stop. You’re my finish line. There’s no one after you.” 
- Krista Ritchie, Kiss the Sky

“I want to be the friend you fall hopelessly in love with. The one you take into your arms and into your bed and into the private world you keep trapped in your head. I want to be that kind of friend. The one who will memorize the things you say as well as the shape of your lips when you say them. I want to know every curve, every freckle, every shiver of your body.

I want to know where to touch you, I want to know how to touch you. I want to know convince you to design a smile just for me. Yes, I do want to be your friend. I want to be your best friend in the entire world.” 
- Tahereh Mafi, Unravel Me

“I didn't know what to say, but my heart was racing as he slid his hands down to mine. He placed them on his chest, right above his heart. "I have hope," he said, his gaze never leaving mine. "I have hope because I love you-I've been in love with you, Avery. Probably before I even realized that I was."

"You loved me?"

Cam dropped his forehead to mine and his chest rose sharply under my hands. "I love you."

My heart stuttered. "You love me?"

"Yes, sweetheart.” 
- J. Lynn, Wait for You

“I love you,” he says again, “and no other man will ever say those words and mean them the way I do.” 
- Krista Ritchie, Ricochet

“I am catastrophically in love with you.”
- Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess

So those were our favorite swoony quotes!!! What are yours?
~ Alexandra

Bookshelf Tag + Tour

I wasn't tagged by anyone, but I saw this over on Cyra's blog, Rattle the Pages, and thought it would be fun. I've been meaning to do a post about my bookshelves anyway, so I'm going to kind of combine the tag with a bookshelf tour :)

Describe your bookshelf (or wherever it is you keep your books-it doesn't actually have to be a shelf!) and where you got it from:

I got my shelves at IKEA. They're white, and are not the most attractive but not the ugliest bookshelves either. I guess they're pretty standard and plain *shrugs*

Do you have any special or different way of organizing your books?

At the moment, my books are (to a certain extent) sorted by genre. My realistic fiction, historical fiction, nonfiction, and classics all share a shelf though since I didn't have enough of each genre to constitute them having their own shelves. And I also have a fantasy favorites shelf and a shelf for my comic books. Some of my genre shelves also have manga that fall into the category as well.

What's the thickest (most amount of pages) book on your shelf? 

The Mists of Avalon with 876 pages (with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in a close second, with its hardcover at 870 pages)

What's the thinnest (least amount of pages) book on your shelf?

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Is there a book you received as a birthday gift?

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher is a book that I got from my friend for my birthday a few years back. To be honest a lot of my books are gifts, but that's usually because I ask for them. The Water Wars was a complete surprise, and I enjoyed it when I read it a few years back.

Is there a book from a friend on your shelf?

I have a ton of borrowed books, but if it means books friends gave gave you, then...

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare

Most expensive book?

The Art of Betty and Veronica

The last book you read on your shelf?

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Of all the books on your shelf, which was the first you read?

Oohhh... well most of the books I read from when I was younger are on a completely separate bookshelf (and I have no idea which one I read "first" there because there are tons of picture books in said bookshelf), but on my current one I use all the time...? Hmm... I'm probably going to have to say The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan since I read it about 6 years ago, and I'm pretty sure most books on my current bookshelf are more recent reads than that.

Do you have more than one copy of a book?

I randomly have two copies of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, one in hardcover and one in paperback, but then again those are my brother's that I kind of borrowed from him and never returned. I used to have two copies of I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You, but I gave away a copy to a friend who hadn't read it... So I guess I don't technically own two copies of a book.

Do you have the complete series of any book series?

OF COURSE!!!!! Here are a few:

• Harry Potter (although they're technically my brother's) by J.K. Rowling
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Legend by Marie Lu
• Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
• Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter
• Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
• Matched by Ally Condie

What's the most recently published book on your shelf?

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas and Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman (they share a book birthday!)

A book you won?

Lois Lane: Fall-Out by Gwenda Bond

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

A book you'd hate to let out of your sight (aka a book you never let someone borrow)?

Soooo many. An Ember in the Ashes, The Wrath and the Dawn, All the Bright Places, Illuminae, A Court of Thorns and Roses. To be honest though, I don't really want any of my books out of sight.

Most beat up book?

Probably Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. I got it from my friend because I needed it for an assignment, and I think she got it from someone else so it's been through many hands. And it's also one of those huge mass-market paperbacks so the spine is really bendy.

(Actually, my most beat up book isn't on my shelf anymore, but it was the third book in the Artemis Fowl series. Long story short, it got jammed in my locker door and the front cover pretty much completely ripped off. Yep. Worst bookish nightmare.)

Most pristine book?

Most of my books are pretty pristine. I'm very protective of them.

A book that's not actually your book? (aka soooooo many)

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Oh and the whole Harry Potter series (it's technically my brother's but I borrowed them from him a few years back and he never asked for them back, so I kind of kept them.)

A book with a special/different cover (e.g. leather bound, soft fuzzy cover etc.)?

The Grim anthology

A book that is your favorite color?

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead. My favorite color is something like maroon or burgundy at the moment, so the color of this cover is perfect.

Book that's been on your shelf the longest that you STILL haven't read?

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare

Any signed books?

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

And I used to have a signed copy of The Goddess Test, but I gave it to my friend :)

AND NOW FOR A TOUR OF MY SHELVES...

Top shelf: my favorite fantasy series

Second shelf: realistic fiction/contemporary, historical fiction, nonfiction and classics

Third Shelf: fantasy

Fourth Shelf: science fiction/dystopian

Fifth (Bottom) Shelf: comics

[this shelf is too hazardous to be shown]

~ Alexandra

5 Blog Pet Peeves

Although I am still really new to blogging, I have been reading blogs for several years, and I thought I'd share some of my blog pet peeves or turn-offs. I will ignore these things (except for 1 and 2) if the content is that amazing, but otherwise these things can often drive me absolutely nuts.

1-2. Grammar and Typos

Bad grammar is one of my biggest my pet peeves in general, but in terms of blogging, if I can't read through it and know what someone's talking about, or if a person just doesn't understand the difference between tenses or how to use different words with different pronouns (among many other things), I just can't read it without shuddering. I'm sorry. It just drives me completely and utterly nuts. And as for typos, I can deal with an occasional typo here or there, but honestly? It's a blog. Online. There is something called spell-check. And of course there's also proofreading. I highly recommend it. I'm not saying I don't get lazy sometimes and don't proofread, but it really does help catch typos or any grammar mistakes you may have accidentally made in the writing or editing process. I know I've had my fair share of weird grammar issues because I had edited a post and forgot to take out a word or two...

3. Font

I know we all get extremely excited about books sometimes and JUST WANT TO USE CAPS TO EXPRESS OUR EXCITEMENT (!) but if posts are in all caps (all the time), chances are I'm not going to read it, or at least not read it as often. It is not that I don't like those fonts that capitalize/bold words, but I'd recommend using them as blog headers or supplementary fonts, rather than using them for the body of blog posts/texts. Something about it just messes with my head and gives me trouble reading it.

4. Blog layout

This is a really important one. I've found some blogs are extremely narrow with extremely wide side columns. For me, I'd prefer a wider body with what appears to be smaller chunks of text. From an aesthetic standpoint (and a scrolling standpoint), it looks less intimidating. Another issue with this is that half of the time the side columns are wide and barely have anything in them to necessitate said columns. By this, I mean these columns have maybe one or two bits of information in them (like a brief bio or blog archive), and really do not need all the extra space.

5. Background

This one isn't a huge deal, but sometimes blogs just have these bright colored backgrounds, and it just gets really distracting for me. I know I had an issue with this earlier on in my blogging "career" (if you can even call it that yet), as I had chosen this hideously bubblegum pink background for my blog, but once I realized how bad it was, I guess I started noticing other people's as well.


What are your blogging pet peeves (if any)? Do you avoid reading some blogs for a specific reason?
~Alexandra

Waiting on Wednesday (13)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Page Length: 384 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: October 6, 2015

Via Goodreads: Rainbow Rowell continues to break boundaries with Carry On, an epic fantasy following the triumphs and heartaches of Simon and Baz from her beloved bestseller Fangirl.

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO EXCITED FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have had such good luck with Rainbow Rowell books (aka I've loved every single one of the ones that I've read) and absolutely loved Simon and Baz in Fangirl (and just Fangirl in general). I am so excited to read more of Simon and Baz's story!