Tag it Thursdays: I occasionally get tagged by fellow bloggers to complete various tags. Once a month I will post my response. Please, feel free to tag yourself if any of these tags interest you!

This month’s tag:

How I Read Tag

I found this tag last summer on two blogs: Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian and later, McKenzie @ Bookish Things and Tea’s blog. I wanted to do this particular tag because it asks some cool questions about reading and blogging–not just the typical/standard ones. Enjoy:

How do you find out about new books to read?

Definitely Goodreads! Their “Readers Also Enjoyed” side widget is deadly! Kobo also does a great job of recommending books to me as well since I do get so many from them.

And of course, all the other blogs out there! I’ve made it a point to make sure I note which books I find from others (because how many times do we comment that we will let someone know our thoughts and never follow up?) along the way.

How did you get into reading?

Both of my parents are active readers so reading has always been a part of my life from an early age. But I credit The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants for reigniting my regular reading habits. I devoured that book in a weekend and loved every minute of it. Afterwards, I wanted to get that feeling back and so I became an active library patron from then on. It also helped I had to commute 1 hour each way to my high school and so I had time to kill and reading was a great way to do that.

How has your taste in books changed as you’ve gotten older?

When I was a teenager, I couldn’t get enough of YA paranormal reads. I pretty much picked up every title my library had. However, I’ve recently discovered I can’t stand them! All the petty problems are just not for me anymore. I find myself getting more annoyed by the character’s and their antics than I am enjoying them.

I’m also outgrowing certain authors as well. I adored Meg Cabot as a teen and as I get older, even her adult novels are loosing their appeal. Lots of authors have a formula that works for them and I find the more you read by them, the more you start to see it. It can make books rather boring.

How often do you buy books?

This year I’m on a bit of a self-imposed book buying ban while I try to clean up my eReader. So lately, I’ve been buying books sporadically whenever there is a very good sale. And that varies month by month so I would say that I buy 0-5 books on a monthly basis.

How did you get into book reviewing?

Because I read so many books in a year (150+), I wanted to help others decide what was worth their time. My friends always ask me about books and so it’s a role I’m comfortable in. I decided to focus on series in particular because I had just finished a series I had invested 3+ years in and it had the shittiest ending ever and I wish someone had told me the whole series wasn’t worth my time. (That series was Delirium BTW)

My other motivation was to have a place to remember how I felt about a particular book! I have a crappy memory and sometimes books get lost in the shuffle so it was great to have a place to keep track of everything.

How do you react when you don’t like the end of a book?

This one is tough! Anger is the first thing that pops into my mind. If it’s a physical book, I probably close it a little too forcefully but since I mostly eRead, I don’t get to do that. Then I take some time and try to rationalize why the ending would be what it is before I compose my review.

How often do you take a sneak peak at the ending to see if there is a happy ending?

NEVER! I hate spoilers with a passion and why reveal the biggest one of all!

Don’t forget to check out Krystianna’s & McKenzie’s answers! Thanks for bringing it to my attention <3

Please Tag Yourself and Link Back for me to read!

Tag it Thursdays: I occasionally get tagged by fellow bloggers to complete various tags. Once a month I will post my response. Please, feel free to tag yourself if any of these tags interest you!

This month’s tag:

This or That Tag

I love tags that make me choose between a set of predetermined choices–less work for me…in theory. There are a few categories down here that I wish had a third option for.

This tag was originally created by Ayunda @ Tea and Paperbacks and I was tagged by the awesome Jordan @ The Heart of a Book Blogger. Definitely check out her answers because she’s got some great ones.

The Rules:

• Mention the creator of the tag (Ayunda @ Tea and Paperbacks).
• Thank the blogger who tagged you!
• Choose one of the options, you don’t have to tell the reasons why you chose that but you can also do them if you want to.
• Tag 10 other people to do this tag to spread the love!

1. Reading on the couch or in the bed?

I’m a bed reader. It’s how I wake up in the morning and how I go to sleep at night.

2. Male main character or female main character?

I want to read more books where the lead is a male. I tend to stick to genres where female characters are more prevalent; though, duel POVs seems to be very popular in New Adult fiction…

3. Sweet snacks or salty snacks?

I have such a sweet tooth, it’s insane.

4. Trilogies or quartets?

Trilogies though I honestly prefer duologies. Trilogies have a more natural progression to me, even if they slump a bit in the middle. Quartets are hard to write plot-wise.

5. First person POV or third person POV?

Man, sometimes I wish these questions had a situation to give some context! I tried to answer this exact question in a Throwdown Thursday post earlier last year. Short answer: I prefer my romances to be first person but my mysteries and thrillers to be third person.

6. Reading at night or in the morning?

Damn, I do both. But I find the morning to be most productive in terms of reading more. I get up earlier than I have to in order to get a few chapters in before work/school.

7. Libraries or bookstores?

I am cheap but I also love to support my local library. I would say that 90% of the books I read are from the library though I’ve tried to read more of the books I own over the last year.

8. Books that make you laugh or books that make you cry?

Let’s go with cry. I usually read alone so no one can judge me as I shed a tear or fill a bucket. I prefer my movies to be humorous.

9. Black book covers or white book covers?

Are we talking the hard cover the dust jacket covers? In that case black because it shows less dirt.

If we are talking the cover itself, I like the clean contrast a white cover provides.

10. Character driven or plot driven stories?

I’m going with plot. I can hate the lead characters but still enjoy the plot of a novel; it just helps if I like them or if they have strong character development.

Thanks again Jordan!

Please Tag Yourself and Link Back for me to read!

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Tag it Thursdays: I occasionally get tagged by fellow bloggers to complete various tags. Once a month I will post my response. Please, feel free to tag yourself if any of these tags interest you!

This month’s tag:

R.I.P. or Ship Tag

So I know the officially holiday for romance was two days ago, but when you create a tag feature that can only be done on Thursdays, you just have to post things on that day of the week. So keeping with the theme of love, I decided to do this tag.

When I saw this tag on Em @ Em’s Book Corner last year, I wanted to give it a shot. It’s originally created by Booktuber emmmabooks.

The idea: you choose characters from the books of your choice, write down their names and put them in a jar. Then you pull out two names and decide whether or not you like (“ship”) or dislike (“R.I.P.”) the new relationship.

For my tag, I used 10 books that I’ve marked on Goodreads as my “fav couples” ever. I figured if any character has a shot with another random character, its the one half of my favourite couple/friend combo ever.

1–Lily (Touch Me Not) & Devi (Porn Star)

When I first pulled these two ladies out, I thought: OH the irony. See Lily has an issue being touched and Devi makes money by being in pornography videos–pretty polar opposites. But part of Lily’s journey in Touch Me Not is to be comfortable touching another person, so who better than Devi? Devi has great self-confidence and I think she would be a fantastic influence on Lily. And can probably give her some nice tips on how to handle her new relationship in more ways than one.

Verdict: friendSHIP

2–Drew (Tangled) & Haley (Until It’s Right)

Drew needs someone who can put him in his place but still appreciate his charms and I don’t think that is Haley. Haley is a nice girl but doesn’t quite have that self-confidence (yet) that Drew requires.

Verdict: R.I.P.

3–Dmitri (Vampire Academy) & Chloe (Crushed)

Haha what a combo! At first, I was a hard NO with these two but I could definitely see Chloe giving Dmitri a piece of her mind when the occasion calls for it. Dmitri is a pretty intimidating guy but I don’t think that would stop Chloe from being honest with him. Oh, but don’t forget that Dmitri is technically part vampire so…

Verdict: R.I.P.

4–Dylan (Schooled) & Sophia (Rook)

I’m not even going to elaborate on this one. Dylan wouldn’t be able to handle Sophia and her scheming, mysterious lifestyle and Sophia wouldn’t like Dylan’s straightforward approach to life and relationships.

Verdict: R.I.P.

5–Logan (Porn Star) & Lola (Dark Wild Night)

Oh, this has potential! Both Logan and Lola know what is means to have a missed connection that they know could be more. My only concern would be the Lola couldn’t handle what Logan does for a living and seeing him around other girls on a regular basis so unfortunately:

Verdict: R.I.P.

6–Michael (Crushed) & Kate (Tangled)

This could actually really work! Kate has great self-confidence and is a lot of fun. Michael is a little scorned but I think Kate could mend his broken heart.

Verdict: relationSHIP

7–Dean (Hopeless) & Alexis (Schooled)

I really like this one! Dean is a very patient guy and so, so sweet. Sure he has a bit of a reputation but underneath, he’s a keeper! Alexis is determined to succeed and she is very understanding. I think she could see past Dean’s reputation and they could be great together…if their ages were closer.

Verdict: relationSHIP

8–Rose (Vampire Academy) & René (Rook)

I kinda like this one. Rose can handle a life of adventure and scheming–I mean that’s what happens all the time in Vampire Academy. René reminds me a bit of Adrian who I thought had great chemistry with Rose throughout the VA series. René exudes confidence, has a bit of mystery and is very intelligent. Their relationship would be fast and furious I think but perhaps not long lasting.

Verdict: relationSHIP

9–Oliver (Dark Wild Night) & Kyle (Until It’s Right)

What a great match! These two would hit if off I think. Both are nerdy, slightly geeky guys who are just super nice!

Verdict: friendSHIP

10—Sky (Hopeless) & Nikoli (Touch Me Not)

At first, this was a no-go for me. But I see an older Dean (Hopeless) when I think about Nikoli. Sure, he as a reputation but throughout Touch Me Not he showed that he has a heart of gold and can be patient when he needs to be. So I think he really could help Sky navigate her life…if they were the right age.

Verdict: relationSHIP

What do you think about my pairings?

Please Tag Yourself and Link Back for me to read!

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Tag it Thursdays: I occasionally get tagged by fellow bloggers to complete various tags. Once a month I will post my response. Please, feel free to tag yourself if any of these tags interest you!

This month’s tag:

ABBA Tag

I was just 11 years old when my mom introduced me to the music of ABBA. We had just gone to see Mamma Mia and I loved it! To this day, I’ve seen is 3 glorious times and I count it as my favourite musical that is based on previously released songs (ie not an original score).

As for the movie…it was a bit of a miss for me. I love Meryl Streep but not as Donna. Otherwise, I enjoyed the casting and it was fun. I still watch it when I get a hankering for ABBA and sing all the songs.

When I read Ranu @ Araliya Bookshelf‘s post of this tag, I had to give it a shot. I’m glad she corrected the titles of the songs from the original tag because that is a little irksome. So, for those songs where the lyrics were misinterpreted, I’ve changed the tag to better suit what the song actually is about.

	Take A Chance On Me A book you unexpectedly liked After feeling underwhelmed by the first two books in the Broken Series, I almost didn’t pick this one up. But I’m so glad I did! It was amazing and completely unexpected!
The Winner Takes It All An Overhyped Book The Grisha Trilogy was such a disappointment for me. While I loved the concept, I did not love Alina nor the execution of this series.
	Waterloo An amazing historical fiction I loved this one! Violins of Autumn takes place during WWII and focuses on one girl’s role in the war. It was an enthralling adventure!
Does Your Mother Know? “A newly released novel you want to read” The next line in the song is “does your mother know that you’re out” so I went with a newly released book I can’t WAIT to read. I eagerly awaited Starflight and adored it, so I am STOKED for the sequel, Starfall.
	I Have A Dream A favourite, ‘ideal’ book You can read my fangirl babbling of The Winner’s Trilogy in my review. But I loved this series for the political intrigue and the intelligent heroine. This book reminded me of why I love to read.
Dancing Queen A book with royalty Cross the Stars grabbed my attention because it focuses on the cultural and political issues revolving around an American girl and a Jordanian Royal.
	Money, Money, Money A book you’d pay good money for. The Red Rising Trilogy absolutely blew me away. It’s the next series I plan on purchasing for my collection.
Lay All Your Love On Me A book that needs more attention I don’t usually read YA contemporaries but Adorkable was AMAZING! I laughed, I cried and I most definitely swooned. It was perfect and it was Cookie O’Gorman’s debut!
	Mamma Mia! “A book that gave you a serious book hangover” “Blue since the day we parted” That was the lyrical inspiration for this redo of the original tag. I waited for YEARs for Lady Midnight but it didn’t disappoint. When I finished it, I was so upset…I wanted it to go on forever.
S.O.S. A book that should fall in trouble and never be rescued. I don’t even think I got past chapter 2 for Until I Met You. I have never disliked a character as much and so soon as I had with this one.
	Knowing Me, Knowing You “A book that just wasn’t for you“ I really wanted to like this book. I was excited to read another Western novel and I had heard great things about Walk on Earth a Stranger. But this novel was just too slow for me to fully appreciate it.

Man, I love that GIF 😛

Please Tag Yourself and Link Back for me to read!

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Tag it Thursdays: I occasionally get tagged by fellow bloggers to complete various tags. Once a month I will post my response. Please, feel free to tag yourself if any of these tags interest you!

This month’s tag:

Burn, Rewrite, Reread Tag

I found this tag on Analee @ Book Snack in January of 2016 and thought it was a lot of fun to do. I thought it would be a fun way to wrap up my 2016 reading year by only using books I read in 2016. Which, was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Why Goodreads doesn’t have a random feature is beyond me, but I figured it out!

The Rules:

-Randomly choose 3 books.

-For each group, decide which book to burn, which one to rewrite, and which to reread. (A lot like Kiss, Marry, Kill.)

-Repeat until you completed three rounds (I like 5 as a better number)

Round 1

Burn: Dangerously Damaged is the first of a serial that was never finished. Something I didn’t know when I started to read it in August. Super disappointing…probably why you don’t see it for sale anywhere.

Rewrite: While I enjoyed The Revolution of Ivy, I wouldn’t have minded a little more excitement. I always wanted this series to be a little more “dangerous” and that’s what I would hope for in a rewrite.

Reread: Wicked Sexy Liar was a lot of fun to read. The Wild Seasons is one of my favourites!

Round 2

Burn: Incarnate was a huge disappointment. It was slow and dull and not what I expected at all. It would be shame though to burn such a beautiful cover.

Rewrite: This one is tough because Schooled was AWESOME! The only thing I would rewrite about it would be giving us Dylan’s POV as well as Alexis’.

Reread: The Winner’s Trilogy (The Winner’s Kiss) is one of my all time favourite series so this is a given. I’ve even bought all the books (a rarity for me) just so I can have them later in life to reread–and share!

Round 3

Burn: I’m going to go with Why Not Me? for this one. I much preferred Why is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Rewrite: This is tough because nothing comes to mind immediately in terms of what to rewrite for Kick, Push. Maybe rewrite it so I don’t get all those feels? Haha. No, in all seriousness, maybe more focus on the skateboarding aspect?

Reread: Cress is one of those books I appreciated a little more in hindsight I think. The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favourite reads and this one was one of my favourites in the series. Oh Captain Thorne…

Round 4

Burn: This really isn’t fair because I truly enjoyed Modern Romance. It was very interesting and the audiobook was hilarious. But it’s kind-of a one time read…

Rewrite: YES! Rewrite Gambit! This book had so much potential but really lost it on the execution if you ask me. It had a weird flow and the exposition was much too long. But it has all the right stuff there just itching to be put to good use.

Reread: The Speak Series (Say Nothing) has a great couple in Ari and Ben. Their story and connection was so sweet and heartwarming, why wouldn’t you want to reread this?

Round 5

Burn: The List had pretty much every trope I hate in New Adult romance: love at first sight; a love triangle and a selfish heroine. One of the most frustrating reads of this year.

Rewrite: I really enjoyed the concept of 27 Days to Midnight but I wanted it to be a little more exciting. Maybe some more romance?

Reread: Courtney Cole writes fantastically heartbreaking New Adult novels and If You Leave is no exception. One of my 5 star reads of this year and one I wish I had read earlier!

Disagree? Let me know!

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