Top Ten Tuesday #7

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme started by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic is Top Ten Blogs/Sites You Read That AREN'T about Books:

10. Post Secret

If you’ve never heard of Post Secret before it is a site where people send in anonymous secrets on post cards and the creator posts them every Sunday for people to read. Some of them are sad, some are happy, and some are just plain freaky, but they are all fascinating and I visit this site almost every week.

9. College Website

I have to spend way too much time on my college’s website. Just boring school stuff such as checking grades, looking through email, turning in papers, and paying tuition. Like I said, boring.

8. Perez Hilton

One of my guilty obsessions is celebrity gossip. I don’t know why I care, but I do. Anyone knows that Perez is always the first one with the news.

7. Fabric.com

I don’t know how many of you all know this about me, but I am a costume design major, so usually my “school supplies” are sewing materials or art supplies. I spend a lot of time on Fabric.com looking at materials and buying supplies for my projects.

6. Hulu

I am a television addict. I follow so many shows that sometimes my DVR can’t even keep up. One of my favorite sites is Hulu because with a membership you can watch full series’ of several different shows. They also have a couple decent movies. 

5. Etsy

I love visiting Etsy because of the broad spectrum of things you can find through the site. You can find all sorts of handmade clothing or jewelry, as well as art or home decor. The strange thing about Etsy, is that what is “cute” or “crafty” is completely subjective so you can also find really strange things on the site as well. I recommend anyone else who enjoys looking on Etsy to also check out Regretsy for a good laugh.

4. Forever 21

Forever 21 is one of my favorite clothing stores, second only to the Gap Clearance store. Even when I am dirt poor I love looking on their website and window shopping for things I would like to have. I think they have very trendy, affordable clothing that is usually well-made. 

3. Busty Girl Comics

Busty Girl Comics is one of my favorite sites to visit because of how hilarious it can be. Basically, it is a blog ran by a professional artist who goes by Rampaige and she posts daily comics about the problems that go along with having a large chest. It’s like the sort of thing that so many people can relate to, but no one ever actually vocalizes. I also appreciate her blog because she is very encouraging to others and always preaches to be proud of your body no matter what shape or size. This world needs more people like her! 

2. Pinterest 

Pinterest is one of my daily obsessions. I have so many boards where I “pin” everything from delicious food to inspiration for my dream wedding. It’s a great site to organize and collect ideas or inspirations without having to use a scrapbook or something.

1. Facebook

My number one most visited non-bookish site is definitely Facebook. I feel like I check Facebook way too frequently, but it’s a great way to keep up with friends and reconnect with people who you might have not seen or talked to in a while. I would definitely consider myself a Facebook addict. 

Shameless Self-Promotion: Leather Bound and Lovely has a facebook page, too!

So, those are pretty much all of the websites that I frequent when I am not reading or blogging. I’d love to see other’s Top Ten posts this week, so please feel free to share your links in the comments below. 

Top Ten Tuesday #6

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme started by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic is (freebie)Top Ten Strange Bookish Habits:

10. I’m Obsessed with Fan Art

I just love looking at fan art! Probably a good chunk of my bookmarked internet pages are book fan art and for popular series', there is no lack of it! I like visually seeing others interpretations of characters and how they vary from my mental pictures. When I really love a book, one of the first things I do is look online for fan art to gawk at. 

Fan art done by batata-tasha on deviantart.com

9. I have a Loan System

I’m very overprotective of my books, but occasionally a friend sees me reading something and they ask to borrow. I always try to be nice and share, but under the STRICTEST of circumstances. For instance, after two weeks if I haven’t heard the person mention anything about the book, I bother them to find out if they read it yet. After a month of it being lent, I send a text message saying I would like it back soon. If it’s more than a month and a half, I will bother that person daily until I have my book back. Maybe this makes me sound crazy, but I used to be more relaxed about loaning books and too often, they went missing. 

8. I have Reading “Zones” 

Some people can read anywhere. Some people can read while listening to music, or riding in a car, but I am not one of those people. If I spend a lot of time at a place, I must create a designated reading “zone.” At my house, it is in my bed, with exactly four pillows propping me up and the bedside lamp on. At my parents house, it’s in the guest room, in that bed, leaning up against the wall. At my boyfriend’s house, it’s upstairs in his den, sitting in the overstuffed recliner. I also cannot read unless it is completely silent. I just get too easily distracted by the outside world and I can’t focus. 

7. I talk about Books....A Lot!

I just can’t help but to talk about books too much. When I am out with friends, they want to talk about a new movie or tv show and that’s cool, but I want to talk about the book I’m reading and apparently, that’s weird to everyone else. I don’t get it. I also talk incessantly about books to my boyfriend and my parents even though they very rarely care and just amuse me by listening. Luckily, the book community has helped me a little with this quirk.

6. I do “Marathon Reading”

This doesn’t seem to be as rare as I originally thought, but I like to marathon read, where I shut myself off from the world for a day and read from the time I get up until the time I go to sleep only taking breaks for food and bathroom breaks. I find that it’s really relaxing and it’s a great way to take a break from technology and outside stress.

5. I use Bobby Pins as Bookmarks

I never ever have a bookmark when I need one but I have an insane amount of bobby pins all over the place. They are great bookmarks because they are small enough to fit and they can slide over the pages to make sure it stays in place. 

4. I have Books Everywhere!

I feel insecure if there isn’t a book with me at all times. I think it’s because of all those unexpected moments when you have nothing to do and you can’t help but think, “I’m wasting perfect reading time!” Luckily for me, I have found a foolproof way to combat this issue and that’s to have books everywhere! Some strange examples are: in the glove box of my car, in my backpack at school, and on my parent’s dining room table. I guess you could say, I mark my territory with books!

3. I Smell Books

This is another one that since I became a blogger, I realize isn’t as rare as I previously thought. I don’t think it takes much explanation, but I really do love the smell of a nice, old, paper book. 

2. I have Attachment Issues

I sort of touched on this with my loan system earlier in this post, but I really do get attached to my books. But the weird part is, I get attached to books I didn’t even like! Once, when I was younger, my Dad told me I had too many books and they were overflowing the bookshelves and I had to get rid of a few. I sold several of them to Half Price Book Store and to this day, I miss those books that I let go of. After that experience, I just decided I was comfortable with being a book hoarder.

1. I Feel Obligated to Convert the Non-Readers

My number one strange bookish habit is that I must convert the non-believers! For some reason, when someone tells me they don’t like to read, to me, it sounds like a challenge. I also get personally offended when someone tells me that they think reading is stupid. I have successfully converted about 6 friends, but my greatest accomplishment is my Dad. Before I got him to start reading, he wouldn’t even read instruction manuals to household appliances, but now he sometimes reads more than I do and has very similar tastes to me so we can share books. My theory about non-readers is that they just haven’t discovered the right genre of book that will suit them best.

There you have it, my weird (and slightly embarrassing) habits! I know I can’t be the only person who has some strange bookish habits going on and I would love to hear some of yours as well as see your links to this week’s Top Ten Tuesday posts, so feel free to share!

Top Ten Tuesday #5

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme started by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic is Top Ten Tips for OLD Book Bloggers:

Originally it was tips for New book bloggers, but I am a new blogger so I decided to switch it up a little because can’t we all learn from each other?

7. Blog for Readers as well as other Bloggers

I was once just a reader. I did not blog or know book blog lingos and terms (ARC, Link-up, widget, Galleys) and that can be terribly confusing for someone whose just passing through. Just because they aren’t blogging as well doesn’t mean they don’t want to know what you’re saying! 

6. Keep Your Blog Tidy

Once you’ve been around a while, I can see how buttons and other add-ons can really add up, but visiting a messy site can be overwhelming and it makes navigation a real pain. I can say personally, if I can’t find a way to follow a blog in the first few scrolls, even if I really like them, I give up. 

5. Be Accessible

Always be accessible to your followers. By saying be accessible, I mean that you may want to have several ways for people to get in contact with you. Don’t just have an email for publishers or authors to get in touch with you, make sure you let your readers/fellow bloggers know they too can talk to you too. 

4. Be Welcoming

Just like that old song goes, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold.” Be welcoming to the new bloggers coming in. Chances are you may have been one of the blogs that made them decide to create a blog of their own! For me, book bloggers who have been around a while are like Rock Gods! I look up to so many amazing bloggers and to be welcomed by them would have kept me smiling for days.

3. Comments are Nice

As a new blogger, I have read lots of tips to help me figure out what to do and on about 90% of the older blogs that have tips they say to comment often. I think that is a great tip for new bloggers, but also it is something that older bloggers need to remember too. I comment all the time! If I visit a site, I try to comment, whether it’s a new or old blog, it doesn’t matter. I would say on my blog that most of the comments I get are from new bloggers. That’s not to say that I don’t get very nice comments from older bloggers too, but most of my regular commenters are new bloggers. So, don’t forget to comment on other blogs, as well as visiting the new blogs in the community. Like I said before, we think you are like a Rock God and it would totally make our day to hear from you.

2. Don’t be too Serious

You’re an established book blogger; that’s great! Don’t be so serious about it! I’ve never seen it but I know there is drama out there in the book blogging world and all I can think when I hear of it is, I bet this is because they take it too seriously. Remember the reason you started blogging (which hopefully was for fun) and always keep that in mind no matter where your blog takes you.

1.SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE!

I can’t stress this enough. If you have been around for over two years, you have probably gained some knowledge about how this works. You should take some time on your blog to share the knowledge. I don’t mean just tips like what today’s Top Ten Tuesday is about, I mean posts explaining how to do things, for example: how to use twitter, how to host a giveaway, how to get ARC’s, etc. There are so many things that people just really don’t understand because they are new and it’s hard to feel your way around this sort of thing some time. 

Sorry I didn’t have Ten Tips! I guess that’s just because you guys do what you do so well. I hope that we all learned a little something from this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, but most important of all, I hope that we remember THERE ARE NO RULES TO BLOGGING! So be yourself and have fun! 

Feel free to leave your links and share your tips with me. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Top Ten Tuesday #3

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme started by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic is Top Ten Favorite Book Covers:

10. Wentworth Hall
I love historical fiction and this book is obviously historical. This cover already gives me so much to speculate over. The maid is obviously interested in the rich boy sitting down, the girl on the right is obviously snooty, and the girl in the middle is ....well, in the middle of it all. That’s at least what I get from this cover.

9. Everneath
I can’t help but be drawn to covers with girls in gorgeous dresses! Not to mention, I love that it looks like the model is disintegrating into ash and dust as she walks (which kind of makes sense once you’ve read the book!) I really loved the colors used and the pretty font the title is written in.

8. City of Ashes
This was the first book that caught my eye in The Mortal Instruments series. I hadn’t read them but I saw this cover in the school library and I remember thinking “It’s a green skinned girl with hair made of fire! That’s AWESOME!” How wrong I was about the story, but I still think the cover is my favorite of the whole series.

7. Born Wicked
When I first saw the cover of Born Wicked I was all over it! I mean, what’s not to love? The font! The pretty model! The flowers in her hair! It seemed very vintage and very alluring. I’d love to have a Born Wicked poster hanging in my house.

6. Allegiance
I have read neither book in the Legacy series but I swoon over this cover every time I come across it. It has a very romantic feel to it! I love the idea of men who ride horses and whisk the girl away from her misery to live a happy, free life! Do I know if that’s what this book is about? No, but that’s the message I get from this cover. Oh, and the scrolls on this are very nice too!

5. Perfect
I don’t read Ellen Hopkins and I have my own reasons for that, but this cover almost made me give in and give this one a shot. I love the colors and the beautiful font that is used. The way it runs reminds me so much of how mascara looks when it is cried off.

4. The Selection
If you haven’t noticed the trend yet, I REALLY like covers with girls in big gowns! This one is no exception. I really like the mirrored effect going on here, the crown above the title font and the posing of the model. It looks so good!

3. Wintergirls
I purchased this book based solely on the cover and it’s attractiveness. It was a good thing I loved the book and ended up being glad I spent the money. The cover I have has a sort of reflective, prismatic sheen on it that makes it stand out a lot more than this picture. I also loved the way it looks like the girl is trapped behind ice, like she can’t escape.

2. The Peculiars
I used this cover for a feature called “Cover Crazy” a few weeks ago and I still feel the same. I am CRAZY over this cover. I love everything about it: the way the cogs are worked into the text, the girl’s wings, the cool colors that give it an icy feel. It’s gorgeous and gives you so much to look at. I can’t wait to get this book.

1. Wicked Lovely
My favorite cover of all time has to be Wicked Lovely! It is wonderful and mysterious and great! I love how there is this girl holding a flower, but she is out of focus and you just see this flower and all this dust covering her hands. Is it snow? Who knows! Is it fairy dust? Perhaps! It’s just a fantastic cover that I never get tired of seeing. So pretty!

What are your favorite book covers?

Top Ten Tuesday #2

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme started by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic is Top 10 Books I Would Save in the Event of a Disaster:

10. Time Traveler’s Wife 

This is actually a repeat from last week’s list. I would rescue it because I became very emotionally invested in this book and I feel some sort of attachment because of how much I loved it.

9. Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn is my idol! I have several books about her, including biographies, books specifically about certain films, and picture books. This one is my absolute favorite, though. It was fascinating to me and reaffirmed my love for her as not just an actress, but also a person.

8. Millicent Min
You know Scholastic Book Fairs that would come to your elementary school. Well, I am sure most of you will agree with me when I say that was like field day to us book nerds! Millicent Min was actually the first book that I ever bought with my own money. My mom wouldn’t give me the money for it and I had been admiring it in the scholastic sales ad they gave us a week early, and I did dishes every night that week so I could earn the money to buy it. Maybe that’s corny, but it meant a lot to me and I ended up really liking the book too!

7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
This was the first Harry Potter book I ever had! I know, I know it’s out of order, but my poor parents did their best. I got the other books later on, but I remember how excited I was to have this one. I even wrote “Belongs to Darlene” on the inside of the cover just to further claim it as my own.

6. The Outsiders
This was the first book I read in class for a grade. I felt so grown up reading for a grade. The class had a set for us to use but I convinced my parents that I needed my very own copy. It’s a good thing I ended up loving this book! For some reason, I also think it reminds me of my Dad....don’t know why though. He wasn’t born til the late ‘50s and he wasn’t a greaser. I don’t know, it’s still an important memory!

5. Sookie Stackhouse Series
First, I must be honest and say, no, I have not read these. Let me explain why they are on this list though! I LOVE True Blood(highly recommend it if you like vampires) and I always feel so sad when the season is over. I JUST WANT MORE! So, I bought the books so when I missed True Blood in between seasons I could read the books and be happy again. Well, now that I have them, I can’t bring myself to read them because I am afraid I will love them more than the show and I really want to like the show. I’m oddly, still attached though. I would have to take them if something happened to my house. I just know one day I will get the courage to pick them up and love them.

4. City of Bones
I love The Mortal Instruments series. I was introduced to it by a friend my senior year of high school when I was going through a very rough time in my life. I read them when I stayed weekends in the hospital with my Dad and they took me to a happier place. For that distraction, I can never thank Cassandra Clare enough.

3. The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a great book. It’s one of those books that everyone feels a connection to and I am no exception! My copy of The Hunger Games is well read and has been shared many times. It’s the kind of book that shows the signs of use and I am glad that I could share it with so many people.

2.Gathering Blue
This was a book I read in 6th grade and it, along with The Giver were the first books I read that were not contemporary novels. I don’t know if they qualify as Science Fiction or maybe Dystopian? Anywho, it is such a good book that it also became the first book I ever read twice!

1. My Nook!
Okay, not technically a “book” book, but it is definitely number one because it holds so many books that I love!

What’s on your list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme started by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic is Top Ten Books that Broke my Heart a Little:

10. Wintergirls - by Laurie Halse Anderson
Wintergirls was a book that I picked from the library one day over the summer a couple years ago. I had no clue what I was getting into. It deals with the sad subject of eating disorders and self-hate. I related to it like I think a lot of girls do, not because I have ever had an eating disorder, but because I’ve never been comfortable with my body.

9. The Notebook - by Nicholas Sparks
Not YA, but I cried and cried AND CRIED!
I read it after watching the movie, knowing what to expect already but I still cried like a baby because I just couldn’t get over how good it was and how sad I was.

8.If I Stay - by Gayle Forman
If I Stay is one of the books in my collection that I cherish because it stuck with me. It’s not my favorite book, or even one I ever think I will read again but the message I got from it was something special that I will never forget.

7.Burned - by Ellen Hopkins
My best friend loves Ellen Hopkins, so I gave this a shot. I have never picked up another Ellen Hopkins book since. Not because it wasn’t good, but because I knew I would never be able to handle the sort of heartbreak she inflicts upon readers. It’s not a happy story, there is no happy ending, plain and simple.

6.The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Maybe, this one is a little strange for it to be on my list for breaking my heart a little. However, without giving the whole story away, let me just say, although the ending was happy in a sense, it was also incredibly sad in another sense, too. Anybody catch my drift here?

5.Revolution - by Jennifer Donnelly
This book was troubled from the start with Andi’s younger brother being killed and her other family issues. It was historical and related to the French Revolution, so I really enjoyed it, but it was a very sad story and I shed a few tears along the way.

4.Mockingjay - by Suzanne Collins
Okay, I will be brief because I don’t want to say anything that would ruin it for someone who hasn’t read the series (if you haven’t, READ IT!)
It was so upsetting and didn’t end at all how I would have thought, but unlike other readers who hate the way it ended or feel like Mockingjay “ruined” the books, I thought it was an appropriate ending and I can’t imagine it being any other way.

3. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Don’t judge me! I read this book five years ago, when I was fifteen and I probably cried so hard my pages got warped. I was so upset by Edward leaving that I simply tore through the book to find out if he was alive. Then I cried tears of joy when Bella and Edward were reunited. It was the first book I ever cried through.

2. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Without even reading this book, you already know she’s going to die. That’s not the part that broke my heart. It was the way her family changed and moved on without her that tore me up. Once again, trying to be vague so I don’t spoil anything, but it was incredibly sad to realize that she was not getting the justice she deserved and her dad couldn’t get over it.

1. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
My #1 heartbreaking novel is actually the first grown up novel I read(of my own choosing). The love story between Henry and Clare is so developed that I felt like I knew them personally. So when they had troubles, I felt the pain and it killed me inside. It was so romantic and tragic at the same time. It goes without saying that every time I picked this book up I was bawling like a baby. It took me at least 2 weeks to read because I couldn’t stand crying when I was in public.





So that’s my list! Which books made the cut on your Top 10 this week?


By the way, just a little question if you don’t mind giving an opinion. I’m thinking about hosting a giveaway in celebration of the opening of Leather Bound and Lovely and I want your thoughts: What good YA books would you like to see in the giveaway?