In My Life
Gearing up for Driving Test
Two months ago I had my first driving lesson. Last week I finished my last practical assessment that allowed me to book the driving test. In the mean time, I’m taking a few revision lessons to prepare me for the day. Needless to say, I’m both nervous and excited, least of all because I signed up for manual transmission. I had one compulsory lesson for automatic transmission and my mind was boggled at how much simpler it is, particularly when moving off on a slope. Still, I like that I will have options when I finally do get my license.
New Design on Society6
Recently I felt inspired to do something about my Society6 account. I set it up last year but beyond red carnations, I didn’t add anything new. To welcome spring, I finally added a new design. I’ve finished another one and currently have a third in the works. My plan for now is to do more typographical stuff, both bookish and non-bookish. Check it out, maybe?
Book Haul
A whole bunch of books found their way unto my bookshelves. Just a few more books left among my pre-orders that I placed at the end of December. My plan for 2016 is to greatly reduce my expenditure on books. I own dozens upon dozens of books which I have yet to read, so I’m limiting myself to buying sequels and books which I expect to love. Beyond these, I’m turning back towards (digital) libraries, particularly for new releases I’m not entirely sure about.
For review:
- With Malice by Eileen Cook — initial thoughts on Goodreads
- London Belongs to Us by Sarra Manning
Bought & gifted:
- The Winner’s Kiss (The Winner’s Trilogy #3) by Marie Rutkoski
- Dreaming of Antigone by Robin Bridges
- Sonnets from the Singlish, Upsize Edition by Joshua Ip — initial thoughts on Goodreads
- Dreamfever (Dreamfire #2) by Kit Alloway
- The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter
- The Possibility of Now by Kim Culbertson
- The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) by Brandon Sanderson
- The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) by Brandon Sanderson
Books Read
In the course of two weeks I finished seven books, which is great, except that none of these put a dent in the TBR pile of books I actually bought. Hah. I got audiobooks through Scribd and Overdrive, two books I received for review and one was a gift.
- Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa —2.5/5 stars [audiobook]
- Armada by Ernest Cline —4.5/5 stars [audiobook]
- Sonnets from the Singlish, Upsize Edition by Joshua Ip — 3.5/5 stars [paperback]
- On a Clear Day by Walter Dean Myers — 2.5/5 stars [audiobook]
- The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl From Everywhere #1) by Elin Hilderbrand — 3/5 stars [paperback for review]
- Dreamland by Robert L. Anderson — 4/5 stars [audiobook]
- With Malice by Eileen Cook — 4.5/5 stars [ARC]
On the Blog
Blog Posts
After the month-long lull, I got back to drawing up Bookstagram 101 tutorials. My two latests ones examine consistency in terms of topic, theme and time, and listed 28 post ideas. Audiobooks make up a huge proportion of books I read, so I decided to point to 10 ways to acquire audiobooks.
On the Bookish Scene front, I posted the April themes of the book photo challenge. In light with these, I snapped photos related to Humour and Easter.
As always, I featured weekly YA releases for March 21 and March 28. These round-ups also spotlight paperback and re-releases. I generally include books from the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
Book Reviews
Though I’ve found my reading groove again, after my dismal 3 books in January, that hasn’t translated to book reviews yet. In any case, I did review Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate. It’s one of the rare books that did multiple points-of-view justice. At the end of the book I felt like I got to know every single character because their voices were pretty distinct. This resulted in a good portrayal of how various perspectives of the same events intersect yet differ.
Around the Blogosphere
Books
- Amber @ The Mile Long Bookshelf consolidated her top 8 books on mental health.
- Christina @ Christina Reads YA came up with her reader character wishlist.
- Rachel @ Confessions of a Book Geek formed her opinion about the controversy of Go Set A Watchman.
- Angelica @ The Bookish Angel expounded on the Stephen King quote, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
- Kritika @ Snowflakes & Spider Silk asked for book recommendations for literary non-fiction.
- Bec @ Readers in Wonderland weighed the pros and cons of cover changes.
- Aentee @ Read at Midnight considered when your favourite book is problematic.
- Cait @ Paper Fury wondered how realistic books should be.
- Stephanie @ Adventures of a Bibliophile gave her answers to does it matter who the author is?
Genres, Etc.
- Bee @ Quite the Novel Idea extolled Middle Grade even when you’re older.
- Emily @ Loony Literature talked about the power of retellings in a modern era.
Diversity
- Alyssa @ The Devil Orders Takeout declared that well-explored diversity matters way more than quantity.
- Nuzaifa @ Word Contessa shed light on Muslims represented in YA fiction.
Reading
- Kaitlin @ Reading is my Treasure tied moods to the formats she prefers to read.
- Maryam @ Great Imaginations picked apart language in books and how their levels of difficulty and formality affect reading experiences.
- Lauren @ Bookmark Lit reconciled required reading with being a mood reader.
- Tonya @ Lilybloom Books wondered if it’s possible to read too much.
- Chantelle @ Oh, the Stories You’ll Know discussed the need to like characters in order to enjoy reading a book.
Readers’ Lives
- Laura @ Boats Against the Current expressed 5 reasons to love libraries.
- Pamela @ A Writer’s Tales confessed to book piracy in the past, and explained the situation of Ecuadorians who don’t have easy access to English books.
- Jillian @ Chasing Faerytales reflected on finding acceptance for being a bookworm in the book blogosphere.
- Lola @ Lola’s Ramblings looked at ways to discover new to you authors.
- Genevieve @ The Reading Shelf one-upped OTPs and introduced OT3s (One True Trios).
- Cristina @ Girl in the Pages examined her science of swooning.
- Ceilidhann @ Bibliodaze addressed her looming TBR pile.
Events
- Joey @ Thoughts & Afterthoughts shared about Indigo Teen Summer Preview 2016 (Canada).
- Amber @ The Mile Ling Bookshelf reported from the Penguin Random House 2016 Showcase (UK).
Blogging
- Jeann @ Happy Indulgence recapped legal issues for bloggers. Such an important read if you’re a blogger uncertain about legal boundaries.
- Tamara guest blogged @ My Not So Real Life about the merits of sponsored posts.
- Joey @ Thoughts & Afterthoughts noted benefits of participating in Top Ten Tuesday and memes in general.
- Aimee @ Deadly Darlings counted 5 ways bloggers rock.
- Kaja @ Of Dragons and Hearts debunked the notion that bloggers are introverts but noted that it’s a great toll for those who are introverts.
- Ari @ The Daydreaming Bookworm reminded that it’s okay to write controversial discussions.
- Jessica @ Bookish Serendipity rounded up her advice for new book bloggers.
- Harvey @ Bookmarked identified 5 ways bloggers can learn to code for free.
Reviewing
- Ari @ The Daydreaming Bookworm tried to come to terms with the relevancy of book reviews.
- Reg @ She Latitude defined the elusive five-star book.
Social Media
- Lauren @ Bookmark Lite shared part two of her Goodreads shelves organisation methods.
- Ari @ The Daydreaming Bookworm broke down how social media has affected her reading habits.
Miscellaneous
- Alexandra @ Twirling Pages grappled with depth vs. shallowness, how they’re measured and if attributes considered shallow are necessarily a bad thing. She gave a voice to insecurities many of us have and opened them up for discussion.
- Jessica @ Princessica of Books shared her latest obsession with podcasts.
- Bee @ Quite the Novel Idea thinks bloggers and authors can be friends and that’s okay.
Thank you for sharing my discussion! :)
Your collections of posts are always great – and make for a good evening’s reading.
Good luck on your driving test! I hated the whole process of learning how to drive, and even though I have ten years of driving experience under my belt now, I still find zipping around my busy city to be anxiety-inducing. Also! Totally awesome that you’re learning to drive a manual transmission! It’s kind of a lost art.
Thank you so much for the mention! I truly enjoy your blog and it’s an honor to be featured :)
Eep, good luck! When is your test? It’s good that you’re learning manual and not just automatic. I think I’m the only person from my friend group in high school who actually learned, although I started on automatic.
I’m very selective about the books I acquire. They either have to be something I’ve already read and know I’ll read again, a sequel, a book that comes highly recommended by a trusted friend, or a book by an author I’ve loved in the past. I was a lot less picky when I used to get books as gifts as a kid, haha.
Thank you so much for including my posts <3!
Good luck on your driving test!
I hope you love the Mistborn books! Sandersons’ books never disappoint me.
Thanks so much for linking back to my post! I really appreciate it. 😊
The new designs are gorgeous<3 Best of luck for your driving test!
I quite adore these posts, and hearing about your life and book updates! Good luck with your driving test – I’m sure you’ll pass with flying colors :)
Thanks for the link-up! :D
Thanks for linking back to my post! :)