Category: Update Post

• Top Five Books of 2016

  Posted at 3:25 am by Laura, on December 30, 2016

  

  LEAVE ME by Gayle Forman || I fell in love with Forman’s writing all over again, and every step of Maribeth’s journey felt sure, raw, and honest. I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation of all her decisions, and simultaneously relaxed, like I was leisurely catching up with an old friend.

  SALT TO THE SEA by Ruta Sepetys || I cannot stress enough how important it is to read Salt to the Sea, to read Between Shades of Gray, to reflect on your life and the lives lost after reading. Sepetys understands the nature of humanity on such a deep level. I trust her completely.

  ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes || Me Before You isn’t a full-blown romance. It’s about two individuals from very different worlds, experiencing life in very different ways, coming together and finding love in the most unlikely circumstances, and, belatedly, navigating the effects of that love and their diverging life plans. It’s not sudden and sweeping, but slow, heartbreaking, tense.

  TRAITOR ANGELS by Anne Blankman || I am astonished, and I want nothing more than to roam Oxford again and picnic by the river and revisit my studies on the English Civil War, with a copy of Milton by my side and Renaissance historians gushing about the Italian progress. When an author can make me miss academia at this level, I promise you the book they wrote is excellent. And Blankman’s is exactly that.

  THE LIE TREE by Frances Hardinge || First, this is proper gothic literature. The muffled, dark atmosphere — a never-ending sense of foreboding, a constant feeling that one is being watched, hair-raising, spine-chilling — is all you need to develop the urgency in Faith’s quest, to really paint the unstable time in history and fluctuating dynamics of the household. While there’s a death, a creepy plant, and some bumps in the night, this isn’t blood and gore. This is proper horror, proper suspense, proper uncanny, and thus creates proper gothic.

  Which books made your Top Five for the year?

  Posted in books, Update Post | 3 Comments | Tagged books, personal, top five books

• End of Year Book Survey III

  Posted at 3:15 am by Laura, on December 28, 2016

  

  This is the third year I’m participating in Jamie’s (@ The Perpetual Page-Turner) End of Year Book Survey. Last year it was so much fun to share my bookish life through Hermione gifs, I decided to share it through Pevensie gifs! I am looking forward to reading your 2016 book survey, too.

  Note: This includes all books read in 2016 – they do not have to be published in 2016. 

  

  

  Number Of Books You Read: 52
  Number of Re-Reads: 1
  Genre You Read The Most From: contemporary

  

  

  1. Best Book You Read in 2016

  ARG! Goodness. The first that comes to mind is The Lie Tree. It had everything I could ever want from a novel: compelling, excellent voice, intelligent protagonist, unique circumstances, beautiful atmosphere. While it’s historical fiction with a touch of fantasy (magical realism?), it’s first and foremost a Gothic novel. And ya’ll know I love me some Gothic.

  2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

  It’s a tie between Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here and Summer Days and Summer Nights. Everyone raved about Epstein being the snarkier, more forward version of Fangirl and I was not into it whatsoever. And I so looked forward to Summer Days and Summer Nights and found I wasn’t interested in many of the short stories from some of my own favorite authors! Wah wah. (Also, yes, I realize in my review I typed “Claire” instead of “Clare” and that’s because I still think of her fanfic days and I can’t be arsed to correct it.)

  3. Most Surprising (in a good way or bad way) Book You Read in 2016?

  Re Jane definitely surprised me. I’m of the view no one should touch the precious Jane Eyre, but Patricia Park really knew how to modernize this classic and make it stand on its own. Toss in the beautiful way she incorporated Own Voices, and this was a treat and absolute pleasure to read.

  4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (and they did) in 2016?

  The Hating Game was pushed on me by my client Nina, and then I recommended it to Ginger, Lindsey, Morgan…next thing I know, it’s all over the place in the blogging community. I’m not saying Nina or I started it, but it was certainly a whirlwind!

  

  

  

  

  5. Best Series You Started in 2016? Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016?

  Series Started: The Queens of Renthia series with The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst OR Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
  Sequel: Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter
  Series Ender: Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins, though it was the only series ender I read this year

  6. Favorite New Author You Discovered in 2016?

  Emma Mills with her book First & Then captured my heart. I’m eager to dive into This Adventure Ends now.

  7. Best Book from a Genre You Don’t Typically Read/was Out of Your Comfort Zone?

  Fever at Dawn was out of my comfort zone because it’s a translation. Sometimes the heart and emotion in the story, in the voice, can be lost in translation. This novel though? So good. I really enjoyed it.

  8. Most Action-packed/Thrilling/Unputdownable Book of the Year?

  Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman, but that’s not a surprise at all! Her novels always leave my heart pounding.

  9. Book You Read in 2016 That You are Most Likely to Re-Read Next Year?

  Perhaps Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella because WHY NOT *heart eyes*

  10. Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2016?

  A tie between Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman and Traitor Angels. I love ships in bottles (both IRL and on covers), as they remind me of my grandfather, and the art department did a great job of making the bottle really stand out. As for Blankman’s book, please just look at that dripping-ink-that-looks-like-melted-chocolate. Balzer + Bray’s art department is fantastic.

  

  11. Most Memorable Character of 2016?

  Lou in Me Before You is one incredible young woman, inside and out.

  12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2016?

  The language, voice, and artistry of The Star-Touched Queen left me longing for more!

  13. Most Thought-Provoking/Life-Changing Book of 2016?

  Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys should come to no surprise. Sepetys always makes me think and wonder, and her books do change my life.

  14. Book You Can’t Believe You Waited UNTIL 2016 to Finally Read?

  Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ KINSELLA?!

  

  

  

  

  15. Favorite Passage/Quote From a Book You Read in 2016?

  “I saw a girl who races to help others but doesn’t help herself. And right now you need to help yourself. No one should walk up the aisle feeling inferior or in a different league or trying to be something they’re not.”
  –I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

  16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read in 2016?

  Shortest: Buddha in the Attic
  Longest: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

  17. Book That Shocked You the Most

  Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, only because I was happily surprised with how much I enjoyed it. I haven’t read any of her other books, and The Jane Austen Project has been pretty successful thus far. I was just genuinely shocked how much I adored it, and how much the reviews were right.

  18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

  I didn’t read a whole lot of shippy stuff this year! WHAT. So how about I go with a manuscript I read this year that I will go down with and you will all hear about in 2017? Matt and Tabby in Jared Reck’s The Short History of the Girl Next Door.

  19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of the Year

  Ven and Daleina in The Queen of Blood, possibly. I can see where people would root for them to get together, but he’s at least 15 years her senior and he’s her Champion (intructor and defender of sorts). But their platonic dynamics were perfect!

  

  20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 from an Author You’ve Read Previously

  The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller, hands down. I learned so much in that book, too!

  21. Best Book You Read in 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY on a Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure

  Hands down, it was Walk on Earth a Stranger, and I’m glad I did. Everyone was raving over it, and over Carson’s previous books, plus there was the appeal of the Oregon Trail story, so of course I gave in. And loved it.

  22. Newest Fictional Crush from a Book You Read in 2016?

  See, I didn’t read many shippy books! Maybe Jonah in When We Collided. He’s such a sweetheart.

  23. Best 2016 Debut You Read?

  The Star-Touched Queen, of course! Such a beautiful, stunning book!

  24. Best World-building/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

  The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst, easily. All of the trees, the spirits, the structure of the government and culture — so vivid! Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice would make a close second. I think I would need to read the following books to really sink into the world for that one.

  

  

  

  

  25. Book that Put a Smile on Your Face/was the Most FUN to Read?

  My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella (will be published in February 2017, review to come!) and Arsenic for Tea (or Poison is Not Polite) by Robin Stevens. Kinsella because she always does, and Stevens because her mystery series is so well-crafted and charming!

  26. Book That Made You Cry or Nearly Cry in 2016?

  A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Mara had me at near tears by the end. What a powerful read.

  27. Hidden Gem of The Year?

  Geek Girl: Picture Perfect by Holly Smale is the third in the Geek Girl series and it deserves all the attention in the US that it receives in the UK. I love this series! So fun and quirky and perfect chick lit for YA!

  28. Book that Crushed Your Soul?

  Me Before You probably. Tears for days.

  29. Most Unique Book You Read in 2016?

  Buddha in the Attic was told in collective perspective, rather than following one single person’s narrative. It followed countless Japanese women from Japan to America and the various lives they formed shortly before WWII. That form of storytelling is probably the most unique I’ve ever read.

  30. Book that Made You the Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

  Rebel of the Sands, because I wanted to love it and I didn’t. Not at all. Far from it. I think I’m more disappointed in myself for not enjoying it than I am at the book.

  

  1. New Favorite Book Blog You Discovered in 2016? 

  This year I didn’t “discover” new book blogs, but I did meet several bloggers I interact with all the time on Twitter. We would hang out at BEA and see movies and get breakfast and dinner together. Collectively, I was closer to the blogging community that way — but I didn’t discover a new blog. If anything, I became much closer to Kelly @ Belle of the Literati. She is such a remarkable and fun person. I want to travel with her!

  2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2016?

  My entire Kinsella series was fun to review. That One Time I Binged on Kinsella was fun to write, and I was eager to do a Part II was well.

  3. Best Discussion/Non-review Post You had on Your Blog?

  If We Were Having Coffee is a good post series I plan to continue doing in 2017. It’s a great way for me to let my bookish guard down and just TALK to you! I hope you enjoy them as much as I love writing them!

  4. Best Event that You Participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

  BEA! It was so much fun reuniting and meeting with so many people — editors, authors, bloggers — in a city near my home. While Book Expo is bound to be different in 2017 (and I’m curious to see how the changes work out), I look forward to this event because it feels like one massive reunion.

  5. Best Moment of Bookish/Blogging Life in 2016?

  In my blogging life, I was thrilled to finally meet Stacey @ Pretty Books! I was in London for about a week in June and we went out for a delicious pizza dinner and shopping at Waterstones. I don’t know if she remembers this at all, but I first followed her on tumblr back when we were both finishing up university. She inspired me to create a book blog, and we’ve been following each other ever since! It was about time we met in person.

  In my bookish life, my best moment by far was Jared Reck’s deal announcement!

  

  7. Most Popular Post This Year on Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

  Jared’s deal announcement and my first If We Were Having Coffee post received the most not-book-review views and comments, and Salt to the Sea continuously receives the most views throughout 2016.

  8. Post You Wished Got a Little More Love?

  On Reading Epiphanies was fun to write, and I would’ve loved to discuss it more with other readers! Are there reading habits you’ve lost or picked up since blogging? Since beginning a new job? Since beginning a job in the book industry?

  9. Best Bookish Discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

  Personal book discovery, though completely old hat to Londoners: Daunt Books. OH MY GOD Daunt Books. What a gorgeous bookstore. This is what bookstores should look like always.

  10.  Did You Complete Any Reading Challenges or Goals that You had Set for Yourself at the Beginning of This Year?

  *laughs hysterically* Oh, boy. I was supposed to read 5 classics this year, and I only read 1. I was supposed to reread 5 books, but I only reread 2. While those were failures, I read 8 of 5 fantasy books, 17 of 12 already-purchased-but-unread books, 20 of 10 library books, and fewer ARCs (only 9 this year). So yes, I over-completed some, and severely undercompleted  others, but I do think overall this was a good reading year!

  

  

  1. One Book You Didn’t Get To in 2016 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017?

  So many series enders, like Winner’s Kiss, and second novels like Outrun the Moon or Like a River Glorious.

  2. Book You Are Most Anticipating for 2017 (non-debut)?

  Oh, there are so many! I think even my teen self would agree with my adult self: Sarah Dessen’s next book Once and For All.

  3. 2017 Debut You are Most Anticipating?

  The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, which I’ve already started reading. I’m quite looking forward to finishing it!

  

  

  

  

   4. Series Ending/A Sequel You are Most Anticipating in 2017?

  Series Ending: William Ritter’s final Jackaby book!
  Series Sequel: Sparks of Light by Janet B. Taylor

  5. One Thing You Hope to Accomplish or Do in Your Reading/Blogging Life in 2017?

  Announce more book deals!

  6. A 2017 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

  Jared Reck’s A Short History of the Girl Next Door, for obvious (agenting) reasons. As well as Tara Sim’s second in the Timekeeper trilogy (I can’t announce the title yet!). Then there’s Sophie Kinsella’s My Not So Perfect Life coming to stores in February I absolutely ADORED and had trouble maintaining a straight face while reading in public.

  

  ^ I love that scene

  Posted in books, Update Post | 11 Comments | Tagged books, End of Year Book Survey, personal

• If We Were Having Coffee…*

  Posted at 12:10 pm by Laura, on December 10, 2016

  

  *Titled as such even though I prefer tea because saying “if we were having tea” sounds so high brow for a Midwestern American, even if I am an Anglophile.

  Ah, yes! Another round of If We Were Having Coffee! This is mostly a moment to vent my thanks (and frustration) over the many blessings (and woes) of the last few months. Grab some coffee, tea, or cocoa, and let’s get started…

  

  If we were having coffee…I’d tell you how thrilled I am to not be working in retail this holiday season. Normally December marks the beginning of the never-ending cold (which would lead to the never-ending inability to speak) and constant crankiness and general overwhelming stress. And though I do have some stressors this December, it has nothing to do with customers, illnesses, tinny pop Christmas tunes butchering the ears, management, etc. I don’t know how I lived through four Christmases in retail. It’s like selling your soul.

  To all of you who work retail, I am sending you good health and strength to maintain cheerfulness, and I hope you have beautiful, marvelous customers walking through the store’s doors!

  If we were having coffee…I would gush about how exciting it is to feel established in the library position. I’m ordering bookmarks for my Top 10 Favorite Adult Fiction Reads in 2016 to use on the staff display, preparing the book club’s list of reads for 2017 (that amazing group chose some great books to read and discuss, and I can’t wait to get started), creating displays to set up throughout the year, and looking forward to Genre Study’s (librarian book club) mystery reads in 2017!

  

  If we were having coffee…I’d tell you that it’s been an absolute nightmare trying to move into this apartment. Back in November, I provided the complex with all the material they needed with my application, and was told I could move in December 1. On November 30, when I still hadn’t heard from them about picking up the keys and signing the lease, I found out they needed more material from me. (Apparently they’d only just realized I’d marked “self-employed” on my application along with the library position, and that requires a lot of paperwork proving I’m a good citizen who pays taxes and doesn’t lie.) This means my move-in date has been delayed till just before Christmas. Hurray! Let’s add on some more tight schedules to the already packed holiday season!

  *pours Baileys into cocoa*

  If we were having coffee…I’d tell you that despite my frustration with the maybe-move, my generous and loving parents have been very supportive, and the Beau has been incredibly helpful throughout all of this. We’ve moved the boxes and furniture around in the living room to fit the tree. The Beau has indulged me with chocolates and French vanilla and caramel cocoas, watched children’s Christmas movies with me, and lets me spend my agent days at his place so I don’t fall behind on work or stare woefully at all of my packed belongings.

  *adds marshmallows to the cocoa*

  

  If we were having coffee…I’d tell you about a neat opportunity I had with choir. Normally the section leaders sing one particular service at church as a small chamber choir. They were low on altos (I’m a mezzo soprano and have a weird range) and the director specifically requested that I join for the semester and into the Christmas season. It’s been a lovely experience and a joy to sing with people who, you know, have degrees in music.

  If we were having coffee…I would gush about Tara Sim’s success with Timekeeper! She’s appearing on so many “Best of” and “Top” lists, and the overwhelmingly positive response to her book is fantastic. I’m also very excited for Jared Reck’s A Short History of the Girl Next Door, and all the work going on behind the scenes right now. His cover is gorgeous and so perfect for the novel, too!

  

  It’s not a massive update, but one I still wanted to share regardless. The holiday season can add so much stress, both good and bad, and even though things are okay on my end, you’re more than welcome to reach out and chat about yours! I do my best to find a silver lining in things, and though I’m very frustrated with the apartment situation, I know I’m surrounded by good people who will not leave me out in the cold.

  If we were having coffee, what would we talk about? Let’s chat!

  Posted in Update Post | 10 Comments | Tagged if we were having coffee, personal

• On Reading Epiphanies and Getting Back to Bookish Roots

  Posted at 3:30 am by Laura, on November 23, 2016

  For several months now, many bloggers (myself included) have talked about reading fatigue, both on their blogs and through social media conversations. Apart from making the time to read each day, it’s been difficult diving into books because we haven’t felt excited to read them. For some people, it’s the pressure of reviewing ARCs over backlist titles. For others, it’s not finding enjoyment in one’s usual go-to genres. For many, it’s something unidentifiable, but it leaves an emptiness nonetheless.

  Reading is my job. Reading is, quite truly, my life. I am an agent, so I read lots of manuscripts and decide whether or not I want to represent them in hopes of selling them and getting them published. I am a librarian, so I read lots of backlist titles in the collection to recommend to patrons as well as books chosen by the book group I run. And I am a blogger, and I [attempt] to read a mixture of ARCs, re-reads, and books on my TBR to share my enthusiasm with you.

  But somewhere along the line, my consumption of reading published books diminished. Reading was still enjoyable, but it felt like a chore.

  After staring at my TBR bookcase — packed so full with books I’ve purchased and haven’t read yet — I had an epiphany. And of course, that meant sharing it with Lindsey and Morgan, who also had similar epiphanies.

  I have to go back to my reading roots.

  

  With that light bulb flash, I decided to come up with a loose reading plan. In 2017, I’ll have to read at least 24 books for the library. With my goal to read 50 books a year every year, that leaves at least 26 spots to fill. Why not fill it with books pre-chosen from my TBR case?

  Then it became easy. I would read the books by authors whose writing I’ve enjoyed, authors I know will not disappoint me, authors I would’ve continued reading even if I never had the agent job, the library job, or the blogging hobby. I’ve forgotten how to properly binge-read, the way I would with Harry Potter and Narnia and yes, even Cassandra Clare. I lost the art of binge-reading after Book of Life, because my own life in books took off. I miss that. I want that back.

  Thankfully, I have several copies of books by two authors with series that fit this bill. It’s about time I’ve finished Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters series (Daughter of the Forest is so amaaaaaaaazing, as is the Shadowfell trilogy!) and started her new Blackthorn & Grim series. I also haven’t read Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series in a while (March 2015, in fact), and I want to finish the rest of her [published] series before the last book (or two) comes out.

  When I made this little announcement on instagram, Alyssa was quick to remind me of some other novels by Juliet Marillier I should try, and I’ve already checked out Heart’s Blood. It should get me back into Marillier’s style easily, as it’s thankfully a standalone.

  So now what? I have 11 books from my TBR bookcase to read in 2017, leaving 15 other books — new authors, other TBR books, ARCs — to fill the void. I think that’s an excellent start to my vague reading goal.

  ~

  Have you experienced reading fatigue? What did you do to get out of the slump?

  Have your reading habits changed since you started blogging? What other factors in your life have changed your reading habits?

  Do you have any books or series you’re dying to start or finish?

   

  Posted in books, Rock My TBR, Update Post | 10 Comments | Tagged books, personal, reading, reading habits, rock my TBR

• If We Were Having Coffee…*

  Posted at 6:10 am by Laura, on September 2, 2016

  

  *Titled as such even though I prefer tea because saying “if we were having tea” sounds so high brow for a Midwestern American, even if I am an Anglophile.

  You may have noticed I haven’t blogged quite as much this summer. A lot has happened in 2016, and I’ll not pretend I’m the only one experiencing a lot of changes this year. Nearly everyone I’ve spoken to, online and IRL, seems to have had quite a tumultuous year so far, the good and the bad. So coming up you’ll have the pleasure of reading an unedited, walls-down, potentially grammatically incorrect blog post — and I just don’t give a flying rat’s ass about it. I’m typing this the way I’d speak it. So…cheers!

  

  Grab your favorite hot beverage and get comfy. Let’s share some personal updates. (Shock, I know. I try not to do too much of that on the blog!)

  If we were having coffee…I’d tell you that my agent inbox exploded after Jared’s book deal and Tara’s ARC drop at ALA. This is wonderful and overwhelming. I couldn’t be happier! One of the best things about being an agent is getting to be the first (or, well, first professional ((“professional,” my gosh)) to read a manuscript, know that it’s a gem of a project, and find the perfect publisher to champion it. The onslaught of mail — and quality queries and manuscripts, too! — only means I have to be even more critical of what I’m reading. My summer has been far more dedicated to my current clients and reading new material. Thus…fewer blog posts.

  If we were having coffee…I’d tell you about my new part-time job as a reference assistant at the library! I’m the moderator of a book group for 20- and 30-somethings, which means I have a book a month to read from their list. The librarians also have their own in-house book clubs, and I’m in the genre study one. The theme this year is multi-cultural literature (perfect for WNDB and #ownvoices), so there’s another required reading book a month. You’ve read some of the reviews already (Re Jane, Buddha in the Attic, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky) for ones I felt needed and deserved attention. For the most part, though, it feels like homework reading instead of pleasure reading. Thus…fewer blog posts.

  There are other aspects of the library job I enjoy. Going through the collection and finding ways to promote material through bookmarks and programming, teaming up with a colleague (also a published author!) to develop a writing program for NaNo and beyond, and assisting patrons in finding materials are other perks. It’s just a much better environment for me than the bookstore. Retail really wasn’t my cup of tea.

  Speaking of tea…*sips*

  

  If we were having coffee…I’d tell you how my mind wanders off on tangents, dreaming up the next big adventure. I really want to go to the London Book Fair in March 2017, but that dream is starting to look a little far-fetched. Maybe next year! However, my best friend (also a med student, bless her) and I are thinking of taking a little trip to San Francisco in the spring during one of her rare breaks in rotations. Any suggestions of places to visit, explore, or eat would be welcomed!

  If we were having coffee…I’d tell you about this great guy I’ve known for a few years now, how we finally took a chance, and it’s been quite possibly the most amazing thing ever ever ever. Ever. He met my best friends and their husbands, passed the test, and now they’re all asking when they’ll see him next (in case you were curious: Labor Day weekend BBQs!). Also, he gives the best hugs. The best hugs.

  

  I’m meeting the rest of his friends and his massive family next month…wish me luck!

  If we were having coffee…I’d tell you about my on-going search for an apartment. Now that I’m more comfortable financially, it’s time to finally move out and find my own place. The trouble I’m running into is finding a good place to live with low rent in a safe neighborhood. The search may take a few more months, and I may not move out till early 2017, but at least it’s happening!

  If we were having coffee…I’d tell you about my buckling bookshelves (another reason to move). It’s really getting out of hand, all the unread books that I own. Now that I’m at the library, my spending impulses have quickly died down in favor of checking out books instead. BUT…that doesn’t address the nearly 300 books crammed onto shelves in my room, piling on the floor, ARCs that keep arriving for review…! Wouldn’t it be nice to  have more than 24 hours to the day, so that a good chunk of it was for reading (or even just doing anything you love)?

  If we were having coffee…I’d tell you about the Great Tostitos & Queso Takeover, and my lack of yoga. I just might have an addiction to salt more than sugar (though I LOOOOVE sugar), and it’s becoming a major issue. I love Tostitos Restaurant Style chips with the white queso. I could eat a party size bag entirely on my own. The problem? I get bloated after. Plus all that salt is NOT good for you at all. And to top it off, I’ve been slacking in the yoga department. I used to do it every day, and then after my Europe trip in June it turned to once or twice a week…and now it’s just sad. So, health wise, I need to get back into it! Cut back the chips and queso! Bring back the yoga!

  

  Tell me what’s going on in your life! If we were having coffee, what would we talk about?

  Posted in Update Post | 14 Comments | Tagged if we were having coffee, personal

• Book Expo America 2016: A Chicago Experience

  Posted at 6:15 am by Laura, on June 29, 2016

  

  

  

  Book Expo America 2016 was held in Chicago this year, and there were so many pros and cons to the switch in locations. Because I attended this event with two different hats again — Agent and Blogger — I could see the benefits and drawbacks of a non-NYC BEA from the business side and fun side.

  I also didn’t do quite as much planning for this year’s BEA. Last year I was reading all the blog posts and preparing for all possible scenarios and planning out routes and where to eat and what books to grab and making lists after endless lists. This year, I bought my snacks a week beforehand (yay granola bars, fruit chews, and applesauce pouches!), devised my list of books to look out for the day before (will they be at BEA? Who knows!), and then drove my merry way to the hotel.

  One of the best things about BEA is seeing all the people. “I recognize you from Twitter!” was heard all over the floor, and seeing so many smiles and hearing so many voices of all these people I see online or interact with through email will never stop feeling exhilarating. We may be introverts at heart, but throw all the bookworms into a convention center and we have a blast!

  Authors in the Flesh

  

  

  

  This will never stop being one of the most exciting things about BEA and book signings: meeting authors who wrote our favorite books, authors we interact with online, authors that have the same hobbies and interests as us. It’s that great reminder we’re all people in this journey together.

  Sharon Cameron (Rook) arrived late Tuesday evening, and Lindsey arranged for us to meet her for drinks. Sharon, Lindsey, and I gushed over a variety of BBC period dramas several months ago — we even watched Jamaica Inn on Acorn together, live-texting and tweeting the whole experience. So yes, of course we had to get drinks! Lindsey, Morgan, Ashley, and I were first in her signing line for The Forgetting the next day too. Drinks with authors = dedicated followers 😉

  On the very first day, I was scrolling through Twitter and found Charles Finch (The Last Enchantments) tweeting about the long line at Starbucks for BEA. “Are you here?!” was my stupid question, but Charles took it in stride and we met in a central location just before the convention floors opened. On the last day I ran into him again. Full circle: excited anticipation for the big expo, followed by sheer exhaustion at the end.

  Jennifer Niven (All the Bright Places) told me she would be at BEA months ago, but it wasn’t until I was searching for any sign of Holding Up the Universe in the PW Daily papers that it was confirmed (she’s so busy!). I waited in line for her signing, wasn’t expecting her to recognize me (LINK), but she looked up and squealed “LAURA!” and came around the table to give me a hug. She congratulated me and welcomed Jared to “the Knopf family,” too. That felt pretty good!

  On Saturday at brunch, Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy, Salt to the Sea) was sitting at the table behind ours, quietly talking on her phone or scrolling through the news. Lindsey and I wanted to turn around and say something to her, but because she was about to deal with Book Con madness, we wanted to respect her privacy. While the other bloggers got up to grab some stuff from the rooms, we went over to her anyway and introduced ourselves — and she was so surprised and happy, and very eager to share some clips of her upcoming movie!

  I had many other moments of author run-ins, like gazing at Ransom Riggs and his spiffy, stylish outfits; showing Aime Kauffman how to get to the book floor (and didn’t even know who she was till we arrived); bumping into author and editor giant David Levithan (again! I was always running into him last year); and gushing to Nicola Yoon about her books and contribution to WNDB.

  Agent Hat

  

  I met with some wonderful editors from Penguin, Macmillan, and Albert Whitman, ran into agent friends, and represented the agency at the BEA YA Editor Buzz Panel and BEA YA Author Buzz Panel. TriadaUS is so excited for and proud of Billy Taylor, author of YA contemporary Thieving Weasels. I love when stories are inspired by true events — so when Billy told the audience about his personal experience with identity fraud and weird con-artist issues from his neighbors, it made his book even more thrilling and enticing.

  This is where the con of moving BEA outside of NYC comes in: there was less business to conduct. In many ways it felt strange to not have back-to-back meetings. Instead, I wandered the floor and observed what the various publishers were pushing. It’s neat seeing the different personalities within every imprint.

  Blogger Hat

  

  

  

  This year I was lucky to room with seven other fabulous Marvel-and-Disney-loving ladies (Boozy Lady Knights!): Lindsey, Ashley, Morgan, Gaby, Gillian, Dani, and Jessie. Some of our off-the-BEA-floor shenanigans included dinner at the movies with Captain America: Civil War (with Meg!) and Zootopia, wine and Cards Against Humanity hilarity, and a night of Disney tattoos and Disney Netflix singalongs. Real life stopped with these ladies, and I had an absolute blast!

  There were fun times with other fabulous ladies, too! Another night of Cards Against Humanity with Wendy, Danielle, Jess, Sabrina, Mary, and Rebecca; line hang-outs with Brittany, Alyssa, and Amy; and several hugs and run-ins and singalongs with Angie and Nikki. We’re a pretty great community, and I feel lucky to have a home with you wonderful people.

  Moving BEA out of NYC to a more affordable location made this possible. So from a blogger perspective, BEA Chicago was a good thing.

  Book Haul

  

  

  

  A Measure of Light || The Secret Keepers || Holding Up the Universe
  The Hawkweed Prophecy || Two Days Gone || The Secrets of Wishtide
  Stalking Jack the Ripper || Caraval || Victoria: The Queen
  When the Sea Turned to Silver || The Forgetting || How to Hang a Witch
  Ghostly Echoes || A Deadly Affection || The Comet Seekers
  Invincible Summer || The Lie Tree || Strange the Dreamer (sample)
  The Lost Property Office || Blood for Blood || The Muse

  Posted in books, Update Post | 12 Comments | Tagged bea, book expo america, books, personal

• 2016 Bookish Resolutions & Reading Challenges

  Posted at 3:10 am by Laura, on January 2, 2016

   

  

  READ 50 BOOKS || Easy peasy. I’ve been doing this every year. It’s always a challenge to see if it’ll get done, what with agenting and all. 2016 will be especially difficult because there are a lot of travels planned (and, strangely enough, I don’t read much when I’m traveling).

  READ FEWER ARCs || ARCs are important. I’ll always love receiving them. But I think I hit my max in the number of ARCs to read and review in 2015, and I’d like to take a step back from that in 2016. My primary job is to find new manuscripts — to be the hipster in the publishing industry (cause that’s what agents are!). I’ll be more selective in the ARCs I accept for review, just like how I’m selective in the manuscripts I read.

  REREAD 5 FAVORITES || Last year I made a goal of rereading 10 favorite books, and only managed to complete 3 and nearly finish another. Five seems like a more achievable goal.

  READ 10 LIBRARY BOOKS || I’m debating between making this 10 library books and 15 library books — either way, read more books from the library! One does not need to buy all the new books when you could easily check them out from the library and decide if they’re worth keeping in your own personal library later on. I managed to read 7 books from the library in 2015, so I think 10-15 seems a good range.

  PURCHASE NO MORE THAN 5 NEW BOOKS || This will be the tough one. I could never quite follow the “for every 5 books read, 1 unread book can be purchased” resolution I’d make in previous years, because…well, are ARCs part of the list? Or was it 5 already published books? And because I was wishy washy with the definition, I wouldn’t keep track of the number of books I read and just bought stuff whenever I felt like it. Now I have something to keep track. Only 5 completely-new-to-me, never-been-read-in-any-format-ever-before books.

  Reading Challenges

  This year I’m participating in four reading challenges, all quite naturally. While I have a goal to read fewer ARCs, more library books, and tackling my TBR, these challenges can also keep me in line a bit with all of them.

  

  I’ve told Stacey @ The Pretty Books that I would participate in her Classics Challenge ever since she started this, and two years have gone by and I haven’t kept my word. NOW I WILL! I plan to read at least five classics in 2016, four of the five on my TBR bookcase and one of them I’ve been eyeing for a couple years now. Might as well snag it from the library!

  

  Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books is a massive fantasy fan, and we tend to share similar reading preferences. This year I decided I would join her Flights of Fantasy reading challenge. It’s quite simple: read fantasy books. Well, I have loads of those on my TBR bookcase, so I’m planning to read at least five fantasy books in 2016.

  

  I’m continuing in the Re-Read Challenge in 2016, now hosted solely by Kelly @ Belle of the Literati (because former co-host Hannah @ So Obsessed With will be busy with a little bundle of joy!), and like I said in my resolutions, I plan to re-read five books in 2016.

  

  And last but not least, there’s actually a challenge out there for reading books off your TBR shelves! Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler is hosting the Rock My TBR Challenge, and all you need to do is read at least one book a month off your shelves. I will certainly read more than one a month in 2016.

  As you can see, these challenges will easily overlap with one another. They’re not challenges so much as ways to make me accountable for what I’m resolving to do in 2016. We all need a little something to keep us in line, right?

  What are your bookish resolutions for 2016? Are you participating in any reading challenges (and if so, which ones)?

  Posted in books, Classics Challenge, Flights of Fantasy, ReRead2016, Rock My TBR, Update Post | 18 Comments | Tagged 50 book challenge, books, classics challenge, flights of fantasy, personal, reading, reread2016, resolutions, rock my TBR

• Flipping Through the Pages: Autumn Rewind 2015

  Posted at 6:05 am by Laura, on January 1, 2016

  

  Instead of participating in the Monthly Rewind meme, every three months I’ll update the world on my life from the previous season. Enjoy the Seasonal Rewind!

  Through the Lens

  

  

  

  I fell down the Book Outlet Black Friday hole and managed to snag some books cheap. Gotta love those sales upon sales! Shortly before Thanksgiving, my friend Amanda (the one whose wedding was featured in my summer post) was able to announce the gender of her baby! IT’S A GIRL! And finally, a wonderful gift from my parents: a signed edition of Outlander.

  Life Highlights

  SEEING BRITISH BEAU FOR CHRISTMAS.

  

  We were disgustingly adorable and I miss him gigantic amounts.

  

  But it’ll be okay because SUMMER ROAD TRIP.

  

  (Can you tell my emotions have been all over the place?)

   

  Tunes on Repeat

  This season was all about Christmas music — and not your usual pop tunes like Sleigh Ride or All I Want For Christmas. Most of the music were choral pieces and carols. Rather than list all the songs on here, the two I played the most (one Christmasy, one not) were…

  Adele’s “Send My Love” is just a fun, weird, dance kind of tune. Not quite like Adele’s usual stuff, and if that makes it more pop than anything else, fine. I don’t care. I enjoyed it immensely.

  And Nutcracker “Act 1 Scene 6 (The Magic Spell Begins)” is just…yes. I love this. The music across this transitional scene is so varied and wonderful and tells a story on its own. And what’s great about this scene is that there’s typically very little dancing on stage. All lighting and props and music telling the story.

  Bookmarked in the Community

  1. I Value My Time @ Perpetual Page-Turner — Jamie talked about her struggle to DNF, and whether or not it’s okay to DNF. While I’m on the side of “DNF if you’re just plain not into it,” she presented some great points about valuing time (DNF) and waiting to see if you strike gold (reading to the end).
  2. Inside Out #17: Laura from Scribbles & Wanderlust @ Boomark Lit — Lauren hosts this awesome book cover + bookmark feature on her blog and lets guest bloggers gush over their favorite cover designs and bookmarks. Check out my guest post!
  3. Is Twitter Replacing Blog Interaction? @ The Fox’s Hideaway — I stumbled across Holly’s post and it resonated with me (and many other bloggers, it seems). Bloggers are writing up posts and reviews and sharing links on Twitter, and while the blog may receive traffic, somehow, someway, the comments are next to nothing on the blog but quite high on Twitter. I noticed in the #back2basicsblogging hashtag on Twitter mentioned a lot of personal goals for 2016 to comment on blogs more than replying to tweets. Perhaps there will be a change?
  4. Recovering From Blogging Blues @ So Obsessed With — Well, now we all know one of the main reasons for Hannah’s blogging blues (yay bundles of joy!), but her post was still universal for many bloggers this summer/autumn. So many of us felt a little burnt out in blogging or reading, and Hannah’s post sums things up quite nicely.
  5. Home For the Holidays with Lindsey from A Bookish Sinister Kid @ What Sarah Read — Sarah hosts a cute holiday feature each day of December, and this particular post from Lindsey was my favorite: a Holiday Musical Playlist!

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. Book Buying Habits — Similar to Jamie’s post linked above, I expressed confusion on what I should buy, how, when, and why. You guys seemed to connect to that, too!
  2. Thankful For…in 2015 — This Thanksgiving-themed post linked some of the things I’m thankful for this year, and the books that best represent what I’m thankful for.
  3. Top Five Books of 2015 — Well, no surprise there. We love our Top Fives, don’t we? (Do you have Top Tens? Fifteens?)
  4. Book Review: “The Lake House” by Kate Morton (ARC) — I am so happy this review was a popular one! Kate Morton is amazing, and it was so much fun to read this book with the #KMflails ladies!

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis ★★★★★

  Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown ★★★★★

  Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor ★★★★★ (review to come!)

  Cherished Quotes

  “There is more to you than beauty. There is more to you than strength.
  There is more to you than intelligence. You are a whole person,
  and I would have you treat yourself as such.”
  –A Madness So Discreet, by Mindy McGinnis

  Safety of any kind is just an illusion.
  —Velvet Undercover, by Teri Brown

  Progress Update on Reading Challenges

  Library Books: 6 / 10
  Odditorium || The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency || Emma
  Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? || The Girl With the Glass Bird
  Murder is Bad Manners
  

  #ReRead2015: 3 / 10
  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire || Fangirl
  Anna and the French Kiss

  Overall Challenge: 66 / 60

  Random Obsessions

  On TV: What started off as “I’ll just watch the Thanksgiving episodes” turned into marathoning FRIENDS again. I just wasn’t ready to start watching a new TV show this season. My Netflix is all queued up with some great stuff, so hopefully a new show will crop up next season.

  On Film: The Age of Adaline is todiefor. I could watch that over and over again. Super huge thanks to Hannah for the recommendation!

  In the Shopping Bag: Etsy and Redbubble, for my Secret Santa and British Beau. I’ve recently added the Target Cartwheel app and the Starbucks app. Discounts abound!

  Miscellaneous: Harry Potter Ambience! Seriously, if you want to add a little Hogwarts magic in the background of your working day, check this out. I’ve also fallen into the crazy cat lady hole with a lot of you bloggers and downloaded the Neko Atsume cat app. Guys, it was a great day when I could remodel their little home.

  Looking Towards the Future

  I am looking forward to a quiet January after a wild December, a snowy but lovely February with an international Valentine’s Day, and my a-little-beyond-mid-20s birthday in March! Low-key winter. Just what the doctor ordered!

  What have you been up to this season / this month? Any new obsessions or good reads or great music? Share some of your favorites here, and let me know if I should check out any great blog posts! 

  Posted in books, This Season's Rewind, Update Post | 2 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• End of Year Book Survey II

  Posted at 3:40 am by Laura, on December 28, 2015

  

  This is the second year I’m participating in Jamie’s (@ The Perpetual Page-Turner) End of Year Book Survey. What started off as a fun recap on her blog has turned into an excellent way for other bloggers to catch up with each other and what happened to them/the blog that year.

  So without further ado, here are some of my reflections on my 2015 book life! Note: This includes all books read in 2015 – they do not have to be published in 2015. 

  

  Number Of Books You Read: 66
  Number of Re-Reads: 3.5 (I’m halfway through a 4th one!)
  Genre You Read The Most From: contemporary

  

  

  1. Best Book You Read in 2015?

  AHHHHHHH of course we must start with the toughest question. I think, of the top five books I chose, it would be Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier.

  2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

  Uprooted by Naomi Novik was definitely a good read, but I didn’t love it the way the blogging community seemed to. A lot of it had to do with the romance plotline. That particular kind of romance with that kind of guy isn’t my cup of tea, but everything else about the book was fantastic. A forest as a villain? Yes.

  3. Most Surprising (in a good way or bad way) Book You Read in 2015? 

  Most Surprising (Good): The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski, only because I didn’t have very high expectations for it, and now I’m gaga over the trilogy.
  Most Surprising (Bad): This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer Smith. I thought I would fall to pieces over it, and instead the book fell flat for me! Major bummer.

  

  4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (and they did) in 2015?

  A lot of what I recommend when I’m working at the bookstore tends to be contemporary YA that’s a bit on the lighter side (plenty of teens and parents ask for books that “aren’t so dark and heavy” or “the romance isn’t the main focus of the plot”). So with that in mind, I’d say I pushed Sophie Kinsella’s YA debut Finding Audrey and Holly Smale’s Model Misfit the most (and equally).

  5. Best Series You Started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?

  Best series started: The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
  Best sequel: The Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman
  Best series ender: The Wondrous and the Wicked by Page Morgan (mostly because this is the only ‘series’ (rather than duology) that I finished this year)

  6. Favorite New Author You Discovered in 2015?

  Stacey Lee! Her debut Under a Painted Sky convinced me to read all of her future work, forever and ever amen.

  7. Best Book from a Genre You Don’t Typically Read/was Out of Your Comfort Zone?
  

  Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling, because I’m not a memoir person at all.

  8. Most Action-packed/Thrilling/Unputdownable Book of the Year?

  Teri Brown’s Velvet Undercover was definitely thrilling and hard to put down. Right up there with Blankman’s books. It’s that espionage element I’m surprised I love so much.

  9. Book You Read in 2015 That You are Most Likely to Re-Read Next Year?

  Probably Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest cause it’s so damn good.

  

  10. Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2015?

  Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch for series continuity and overall Balzer + Bray brilliance, or The Silver Witch by Paula Brackston for the way it almost looks like a portrait (the background has brush strokes and everything!), or Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy, again a credit to B+B brilliance. I DON’T KNOW. I love covers!

  11. Most Memorable Character of 2015?

  Sorcha (of Daughter of the Forest). Gosh, she’s nearly everything I could want in a character. Sorcha is strong, intelligent, wise beyond her years and yet still innocent, determined, driven by instinct.

  12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2015?

  Daughter of the Forest. How many times will I need to mention this book before I convince you to read it, too? We’re only on Question Twelve!

  

  13. Most Thought-Provoking/Life-Changing Book of 2015?

  It sounds terrible to say I didn’t read a thought-provoking/life-changing book (well, Daughter of the Forest, again, is close on the life-changing), but there are a couple books I read this year that can inspire great conversations.

  • Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman is all about the underbelly of German government before Hitler became Chancellor, a period of history so rarely discussed in American schools.
  • A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis opens up a whole host of discussions about mental illness, asylums, feminism, and crime in nineteenth-century America.
  • Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway dissects the ways a tragic incident can change not only the life of the victim but other lives surrounding him as well.
  • Dumplin’ has a body positive message, one I’d never seen before (but surely had been mentioned or discussed in literature at some point…right?)
  • Finding Audrey is one of few positive mental health books where things do not end in tragedy (why must mental illness always end tragically?)

  14. Book You Can’t Believe You Waited UNTIL 2015 to Finally Read? 

  Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon. I think I’ll be answering this question with Outlander books forever. For shame I didn’t read them before!

  

  15. Favorite Passage/Quote From a Book You Read in 2015?

  Perhaps he could still weave together the broken threads of his life. And yet, I wanted him here now. I needed him here. In the darkness, if I sat very still, I could almost feel his presence by me, quite near, but not too near. Didn’t I promise to keep you safe, he would say softly. I have never broken a promise. Don’t look so worried, Jenny. And yet, he would be careful. Careful not to move too close. Careful not to frighten me. Waiting still. I am your shelter. Don’t be afraid.
  —Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

  16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read in 2015?

  After checking my Goodreads stats, the shortest was picture book The Animals’ Santa by Jan Brett (my favorite of her books!) at 32 pages and the longest was Drums of Autumn at 1,070.

  17. Book That Shocked You the Most

  Rook by Sharon Cameron. The intricacy, the plot, the world, the way it both mirrored and differed from Scarlet Pimpernel. Gosh, that door stopper was good. I remember I wasn’t quite in the right mindset to read the book, so it’ll be reread again eventually.

  18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

  RED AND SORCHA.

  19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of the Year

  Grace and Dr Thornhollow from A Madness So Discreet. I said in my review:

  What an individual. And what an opportunity for Grace to fall in love and forget her entire past and the scars it left behind, an opportunity for a scientific man to crack open his shell and break free and fall in love. Thank goodness McGinnis did not go that route!

  

  20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 from an Author You’ve Read Previously

  The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord. She’s an automatic read and buy for me, and I didn’t think it was possible to love a YA male character more than Matt Finch, but then Max Watson showed up and SHUT THE FRONT DOOR I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT.

  21. Best Book You Read in 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY on a Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure

  The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, recommended by Hannah @ So Obsessed With, and thank goodness! I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy…well, frankly, “royal family fanfiction” (because WHAT), and I TOTALLY DID.

  22. Newest Fictional Crush from a Book You Read in 2015?

  Red. ‘Nuff said.

  

  23. Best 2015 Debut You Read?

  Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee, again. Best newly discovered author and best debut!

  24. Best World-building/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

  Gosh, those are two completely different things in my head. The best world-building may go to A Court of Thorns and Roses by SJ Maas, and the most vivid setting will (of course, you guessed it) Daughter of the Forest. Both are fantasies, but one is entirely new and the other based on Ireland.

  25. Book that Put a Smile on Your Face/was the Most FUN to Read?

  Murder is Bad Manners / A Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens. Talk about a classic MG detective mystery!

  26. Book That Made You Cry or Nearly Cry in 2015?

  Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey, but I think that has something to do with the fact it was late at night and it reached a point in the story that touched me so deeply I couldn’t help but cry. I’m emotional like that.

  

  27. Hidden Gem of The Year?

  Kate Alcott holds a special place in my heart, so I’d say her “Gone With the Wind”-behind-the-scenes book A Touch of Stardust was a hidden gem in 2015.

  28. Book that Crushed Your Soul?

  The Winner’s Crime. Right in the feels.

  

  29. Most Unique Book You Read in 2015?

  The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon. It’s a quirky and unique adventure-that’s-not-quite-an-adventure MG, and the author used his own artwork to enhance the story. He’s definitely someone to watch.

  30. Book that Made You the Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

  I Remember You by Cathleen Bell was…odd. I still don’t know what it was I read, and I remember feeling unsettled the entire time I read it. Again, not mad, necessarily, just…frustrated.

  

  1. New Favorite Book Blog You Discovered in 2015? 

  Probably Kelly @ Belle of the Literati. I stumbled across it after joining the ReRead 2015 challenge, and I love her mixture of discussion, challenges, tags, and reviews (plus she reviews a lot of historical fiction, which is hard to find in a YA-saturated blogosphere).

  2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015? 

  A Madness So Discreet because there were so many things I wanted to talk about and discuss. The quotes alone said it all, though!

  3. Best Discussion/Non-review Post You had on Your Blog?

  Best discussion: “Finding Yourself in YA Contemporary” received a lot of traffic on the blog / “Book Buying Habits” received a lot of traffic on the blog and feedback on Twitter.
  Non-Review post: “First BEA Experience” had a lot of comments, received a lot of traffic, and is picking back up in stats again.

  4. Best Event that You Participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

  My very first Book Expo America! I met so many bloggers, had meetings with my favorite editors, gathered up some excellent reads, and successfully navigated New York City solo.

  

  5. Best Moment of Bookish/Blogging Life in 2015?

  Making my first sale as an agent!

  7. Most Popular Post This Year on Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

  Most popular non-review post of 2015: First BEA Experience.
  Most popular book review post of 2015: The Doldrums

  8. Post You Wished Got a Little More Love?

  My Thankful For post for Thanksgiving should’ve received a little more love, I think. We all need to take a moment to be thankful for what we have and what we’ve been given.

  

  9. Best Bookish Discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

  BookOutlet.com, though if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, the jury is still out…

  10.  Did You Complete Any Reading Challenges or Goals that You had Set for Yourself at the Beginning of This Year?

  I made a goal to read 50 books in a year, and I read 66! I also participated in ReRead 2015, but only read 3 books, so I don’t think that was…completed or successful. Haha!

  

  1. One Book You Didn’t Get To in 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?

  I genuinely can’t say. Maybe The Fiery Cross (Outlander‘s fifth book) or Son of the Shadows (the second Daughter of the Forest book).

  2. Book You Are Most Anticipating for 2016 (non-debut)?

  Anne Blankman’s Traitor Angels or Stacey Lee’s Outrun the Moon or Ruta Sepetys’s Salt to the Sea.

  3. 2016 Debut You are Most Anticipating?

  Apart from my answer for #6 in this section, I’d say Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor. I’ve already read it (review coming in February!), but it’s one of those books I have to have my hands on now. There’s also Evelyn Skye’s The Crown’s Game, too.

  

   4. Series Ending/A Sequel You are Most Anticipating in 2016?

  The next Jackaby book, though the title and publication date have not been announced. If the publication timelines are anything like what’s already been published in the series, we’ll see it this fall!

  5. One Thing You Hope to Accomplish or Do in Your Reading/Blogging Life in 2016?

  Announce more book deals!

  6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

  Tara Sim’s Timekeeper, coming out in the fall. For obvious (agenting) reasons.

  

   ~

  What books were highlighted in your End of Year survey?

  Posted in books, Update Post | 10 Comments | Tagged books, End of Year Book Survey, personal

• Bookish Stats of 2015

  Posted at 1:30 am by Laura, on December 26, 2015

  I’m all about the top books of 2015 lists, favorite reads, year in review, and other kinds of posts cropping up late December and early January. It’s already starting on this blog, too! But this particular “year in review” is inspired by Hannah @ So Obsessed With‘s statistics reflection on her 2014 reads. She broke down every little detail you could possibly know about the books she read and examined the results closely to gauge her reading habits. She used this as a way to change, improve, or keep her reading habits the same for her resolutions in 2015.

  The incredibly organized person that I am drooled over this. Hannah was kind enough to send me her spreadsheet and I’ve used it throughout 2015. So, as of December 22, these are the results of my reading habits!

  Ratings in Review

  It’s all in the numbers . . .

  

  The majority of my reviews (20 of 66 books) were 4 stars. Seems like I’m tossing them pretty liberally, doesn’t it? When I look at the books I gave 4 stars, not once have I thought “those need to be less/more than 4 stars.” These are books I would highly recommend to other readers, series I would continue, and books that I enjoyed immensely but didn’t necessarily fall to pieces in love with/think they were phenomenal works of literature.

  Those 5-star books, though. Wow. I gave more than I expected, and as I’m looking at the books they belong to, I can say maybe a handful “moved” me, and the rest were very much heightened-emotions-in-the-moment kind of books. It would be interesting to re-read those 5-star books and see if I’d still give the same ratings.

  

  This chart is based on 2+ books I read from that particular publisher. I read from several small publishers as well, but because it was 1 book per small press, they were not included in this chart.

  I’m not at all surprised by the top two publishers, Random House and HarperCollins. HC has my favorite imprint, Balzer + Bray, and I tend to gravitate to their YA books more than any other imprint or category. The number of Simon & Schuster titles — and the fact there are more of them than Penguin, and less of them than Macmillan — surprised me. I can’t exactly say why. Just that I am!

  

  Bloomsbury may have been small in numbers, but they were knockouts in rating. Solid fives all around! Same could be said for Penguin as well. One thing I find worth noting is that, though there were few Scholastic titles read, they were solidly rated 3. Good, enjoyable reads marketed perfectly for the right readership (two MGs and two YAs, all four with great crossover appeal). You’ll never doubt Scholastic’s capabilities in targeting!

  What I Held in My Hands

  Hardcover, paperback, and digital, oh my!

  

  *facepalm* I knew this would happen. Remember my mad and wild April ARC issue? Clearly shown here.

  35% of the books I read I already owned. They came from my TBR of books purchased in the past, or they were purchased within the last month and read immediately. 15% of the books were borrowed in some capacity — from the library, from a friend, from a family member — and never purchased. Gifted books were presents from the last few years that I finally got around to reading, and I’m sad to say that 8% is such a dreary, low number.

  But that 42%? That needs to be cut way back. Nearly half of the books I read in 2015 were meant for advance review. Galleys from BEA and editors, digital ARCs from NetGalley and Edelweiss — they kept piling up. I’m hoping to cut back on a lot of ARCs for 2016, maybe reviewing 1 or 2 a month instead of the monstrous issue I had in the spring and fall.

  

  Similar to how I tended to read a lot of ARCs (separated into eARC and galley, here, totaling to 42%), I tended to also read anything recently published, and therefore in hardcover. The majority of my reading habits contained books published within the month read. The paperbacks, mass markets, and one audio book were published in previous years.

  I plan to read more paper books in 2016. I’d like to be able to train myself to think in Work Mode when I read digitally — that is, manuscripts and samples on my ereader — and Pleasure Mode with paper. This can also reinforce the “read fewer ARCs” goal for 2016 as well, since the majority of them are sent digitally.

  Meat & Bones

  This book on my shelf is a __ novel.

  

  I’m genuinely surprised at the number of standalone novels I read this year. Looking back, it feels like every book I read was the first or second in the series, but the numbers don’t lie! Quite happy that I’ve read several standalone books. Not everything needs to be a duology, trilogy, or series. (So it feels somewhat hypocritical of me to say that I have a feeling I’ll be reading a lot of books in a series in 2016. But there it is.)

  

  While several of the books I read contained many of these main genres (parallel narratives with historical and contemporary settings, contemporary romance, historical fantasy, historical or contemporary mystery, and many more), the data reflects what I considered to be the primary focus of the story. Romance, for example, could be in a fantasy, historical, or contemporary setting. If Plot B was the romance, the other category (Plot A) was listed first.

  My reading preferences are very apparent in this chart. I love all of these genres, but am incredibly picky when it comes to historical fiction, fantasy, and mystery books. I want to read historical fiction that’s well-researched, I want to read fantasy with world-building that’s not a massive pile of info-dumping, I want a mystery that keeps me guessing to the end. It needs to be well-written and convincing. Not that contemporary and romance get a free pass, but because we live in a modern world and experience romance of some capacity in our lives, it seems a bit “easier” to dive into those books than other genres.

  

  And lastly, to no surprise, the most-read category of 2015 was YA! What I did find surprising was that the number of MG reads matched the number of adult fiction. I always feel like I don’t read enough MG or enough adult, and end up experiencing these phases through the year of reading exclusively in that category to “make up for it.”

  ~

  After spending some time with the British Beau and hearing how he chooses what books to read in the following year, and using Hannah’s tactic of examining the statistics of one’s reading habits from the current/ending year, I’m starting to build up an idea of what my 2016 reads will look like. I want to read more from my shelves, read books that were gifts, read more from the library, read fewer ARCs. In short, I want to be selective. As a literary agent, I hold manuscripts up to a certain standard — and in doing so, I find pinpointing the client I want to represent an easier task. Why not hold those same standards to books I want to read, enjoy, and review?

  What are some of your surprising (and not-so-surprising) reading statistics? What did you do this year that you’d like to change or stay the same for 2016?

  Posted in books, Update Post | 6 Comments | Tagged books, reading habits, reading statistics, statistics

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• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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