In My Life
Life’s been good. I’ve mostly recovered and stopped coughing. I only cough when I sing too much; probably if I were to exercise too but I’ve not tried that yet. Of course, there have been ups and downs but things have mostly been quiet for me lately, which has been a nice change of pace. I also look forward to spending a week in the Philippines this coming month.
Book Haul
Over the past two weeks I only hauled one book: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Wait a minute, you say? Yes, this book is slated for publication on May 5, 2015 but for some inexplicable reason my local bookstore has been carrying it for a couple of weeks already. I had initially pre-ordered the hardcover from Amazon but decided to cancel my pre-order because it’ll take weeks till it reaches me and I prefer paperbacks anyway.
Guest Post on Blogger’s Bookshelf
I recently wrote a guest post for Blogger’s Bookshelf on the rise and lure of bookstagram. In case you didn’t know, besides book blogging, I’m also a very avid bookstagrammer. I love the bookstagram community as much as I love the book blogging community, so I wanted to introduce bookstagram to book lovers who hadn’t heard of it before or are unsure of joining.
On the Blog
Blog Posts
An important point of contention I have with Goodreads is how audiobooks are tracked. That’s why I discussed, how many pages are in an audiobook. Odd question, isn’t it?
If you’re looking to join a book photography challenge that doesn’t require a daily investment of time, why not join Mise-en-scène, which Georgie and I run on a weekly basis. This week’s theme is candles. It’s still open for link-ups if you decide to join. The week before the theme was typography.
Book Reviews
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart was nowhere near as great as the hype had led me to believe. The plot annoyed me, the writing style didn’t do it for me and saddest of all, issues of race and class could’ve been explored so well in this book yet failed on that front too.
My Stolen Photos on Bookstagram
As quiet as things have been for me, one thing did rile me up the past week. Someone on Instagram posted two of my photos without my permission. One of the photos was credited half-heartedly (by tagging me, which technically doesn’t even count) and the other was credited to Tumblr! Like I said, I was upset. I sent a takedown notice. This person obliged but in the first place, this shouldn’t even have happened.
Whenever this happens, I feel like withdrawing from Instagram. Why put in so much effort into something only to have others steal it? That’s a huge problem in the digital age. As much as most people on bookstagram are very lovely people, experiences like these tend to leave a sour taste in my mouth.
Around the Blogosphere
- Rachel @ Parajunkee outlined ten tips on copyright. In reference to my stolen photos on Instagram, this is such an important post to read if you’re a content producer. You don’t even need to blog. If you’re on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook etc, copyright matters.
- Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts made a brilliant commentary on love triangles. He maintains they usually aren’t triangles at all and I agree.
- Lily @ Lily’s Book Blog defended the practice of taking photos of ARCs. Posting photos of advanced reader copies allegedly contributes to ARC envy. Lily’s defence is very much on point. After all, review copies are a marketing tool for publishers.
Ugh, your stolen pictures on Instagram makes me mad and sad. Why can’t people just understand that stealing other people’s content is NOT okay.. And I’ve been so busy lately I never got to admire your new design, it’s so pretty!
Mel@thedailyprophecy recently posted Review 226. Heather Dixon – Illusionarium.
What, you sing?! I didn’t know!
Oh, I hope you have fun in Philippines and are fully recovered by the time you have to travel.
Yay for receiving A Court of Thorns and Roses early!
Sana // artsy musings of a bibliophile recently posted Interview + Giveaway: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Blog Tour
Lol. I used to sing in choirs when I was younger. Now I only sing for fun when nobody’s around to hear me ;) And thank you! I’m feeling much better, so I think I’ll be ok when travelling. Although I am a little worried about motion sickness. Can’t wait to start ACOTAR this week! :D
Have fun in the Philippines! I just went back for a visit myself, and loved it in spite of the fact that it was incredibly hot ;)
Alexa S. recently posted A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J. Maas
Thank you, Alexa! Thankfully it won’t be the hottest season just yet when I visit.
I was sad to see that someone stole your photos. I’m glad it’s been resolved. *hugs* I know how you feel. I think no one would steal my photos, but I am hyper paranoid that it’s going to happen, which is why I put my watermark on my lettering on some inconvenient places, even though it’s small. I am just so, so paranoid.
And you know how excited I am you’re coming here! Pack all your summer clothes. :D
Shannelle recently posted ARC Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Thank you, Shannelle :) I’ve considered watermarks before but I’ve decided against using them. It’s not that hard to remove them and I find them generally quite distracting. Although maybe I should reconsider at least when I post on Tumblr. Sigh.
I know you’re excited :D No worries, my wardrobe is filled with summer clothes.
I’m a little jealous! I’m really looking forward to ACOTAR and have no idea when I will hold it in my hands. I shouldn’t complain, though. I’ve more than enough books to read till then.
That’s exactly why I’m not that keen on really getting into Instagram. I always hear about stolen pics left and right and I just don’t feel like I want to put my stuff out there for the taking. I never upload any pics on my blog without a watermark but since I don’t want it to be completely off putting, it could be retouched easily.
Ellie recently posted The Golden Trio of Game of Thrones
I was so surprised when I learnt ACOTAR is already available here. Apparently it’s been out in Australia for a while now as well. But you’re right, there are so many other exciting books waiting to be read! :)
Ah, yeah. It really sucks whenever photos are stolen. On the other hand, it can happen in blogging too. I’ve heard of bloggers who copied entire blog posts from others and tried to pass them off as their own. Since I love both writing and photographing though, I’m not about to stop blogging or posting photos. I’ve just become more wary about it all.
I love finding books on sale earlier than its slated release date! The earliest I’ve seen is around two weeks but that’s still pretty good–I mean, I’ll take anything. Which is why I WILL hound stores a few weeks earlier in advance and ask for The Rest of Us…or I might see if I can grab a UK copy. Derp. The difference in dates hurts. #BACKTOCRYING.
Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts recently posted [Miscellaneous] Awards/Tags — The Brotherhood of the World Bloggers Award
At first I panicked because I didn’t think I’d be able to cancel my Amazon pre-order since that would mean falling below the minimum order for free international shipping. My friend tried and couldn’t. Turns out I could cancel but she can’t because she used a gift card. So, while I am happy, she isn’t. Heh. But yesssss! I’m so hoping for The Rest of Us Just Live Here to hit my bookstore earlier too! *fingers crossed* And please don’t cry anymore :( Fill your well with more books, not tears ;)