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Tag: books
- Top Five Books of 2013
  
  Posted at 7:32 pm by Laura, on December 7, 2013
  Once again, 2013 was a difficult year to narrow down which books made my top five list. I read several ARCs this year (which I will not include in this challenge), as well as over 20 young adult gothic books and loads of fantasy. To see all the books I’ve read in 2013 (and to come at least in the few weeks we have left), check out my Goodreads challenge.
  
  In no particular order, here are my Top Five Books of 2013! To see my picks for 2012, click here. Those books still stand to be in a Top Five placement!
  1. Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole (see my review!)
    The epistolary format of this book was so well done. It’s rare to find a novel written entirely in letters — and done well! Plus, paralleling the storylines between two World Wars made it all the more powerful. I could go on and on about this book — all the themes of love, war, triumphs, failures, traveling across great lands and seas, life — but I’ll leave it here in hopes you get a chance to pick up this book one day.
  2. The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle (see my review!)
    This book was for my graduate thesis — and quite honestly was the one that helped me discover what I wanted to write for my thesis! I stared at it for weeks on the shelf at work, and began to wonder, “Is gothic coming back? And back in the YA format?” After those questions, I saw the gothic everywhere! So thanks, Laura Bickle, for unknowingly sparking this!
    Thesis epiphany aside, Hallowed Ones was terribly frightening. I thoroughly enjoyed it, all the gore and shock and transgressions and suspense. You’re in for a good story with this one!
  3. Shadow on the Crown by Patricia Bracewell (see my review!)
    If you’re an Anglophile in any way, or if you love history and monarchies and empowering women, this is absolutely a must-read. Follow Emma of Normandy as she begins her journey as queen of what we know today as England. It’s phenomenal.
  4. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (see my review!)
    I love fantasy, but I’m not one for dragon stories. This completely changed my entire perspective, and introduced me to a whole new world of YA fantasy I didn’t think was possible. Any musician, medieval history buff, and high fantasy indulger would enjoy this. Juliet Marillier’s Shadowfell is near-tie with this book.
  5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (see my review!)
    Every time a friend or customer asks for a good fantasy recommendation — or any recommendation, really — I always mention this book. The setting (Prague), the topic of art, the discussion on discrimination and stereotyping, the concept of war and love and tragedy and sacrifice, was daunting yet perfect. It blew my mind, I devoured the second book, and now I can’t possibly wait any longer for the third!
  The theme for favorite books of 2013 seems to be independent, empowered (and empowering) women in history and fantasy. Not too shabby!
  
  What are your favorite books from 2013?
  Posted in books, Update Post | 17 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: history, genre: young adult, goodreads
- End of Year Publishing Thoughts
  
  Posted at 7:05 pm by Laura, on December 7, 2013
  
  Now the school year has come to a close, I’ve been able to catch up on articles I found and thought I’d share some of the most recent ones with you.
  
  Why are Middle Grade books so successful? Author R.J. Palacio, the one who wrote the hit Wonder, found that even though she meant for her book to be for young readers, adults latched onto it anyway. The theory a “good book is a good book” rings true for many middle grade (and young adult, for that matter) novels. And what has contributed to the success of middle grade novels? Adult readers — particularly of the Harry Potter fan variety.
  
  Speaking of Harry Potter, author J.K. Rowling is one of the first to be named Britain’s “Literacy Hero.”
  
  The campaign was set up by the National Literacy Trust in order to find those who are looked up to because of how much they have helped others or progressed themselves with reading and writing skills, whether famous or not.
  
  Book Marketing Predictions for 2014 — Sansevieri begins her predictions with observations from this year:
  
  So, what’s the biggest change I’ve seen in 2013? Well, pretty much all things traditional flew out the window. Reviews are still important, but reader reviews took precedence over that. Engagement is still key, but direct reader engagement is even more crucial. What does this mean for you in 2014?
  
  She goes on to predict that more books will be published faster (YA market has this down, with a book a year per series, little novellas from other characters, etc. Keep pushing content out, and sales increase), shorter will become popular (in that, instead of having a couple tomes every few years, authors will sell one large tome and several little books/novellas to keep people entertained), focused writing on specific topics will be desired (to fit the “I want to know everything right now in one sitting” instant gratification that seems to be happening these days), authors will need to be everywhere to interact with their readers (because readers are becoming more and more important), there will be a higher demand for presence on social media (a publisher or author may not be on every site, but whichever one they’re on they need to keep it up to date), and many more.
  
  I’ve gotta say…I agree with her predictions! I predict they will come true. I’d also add that the YA market has a good handle on this, and the YA authors are already way ahead of the game.
  
  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged authors, books, genre: middle grade, marketing, news, publishing, reading
- A to Z Bookish Survey: Part II
  
  Posted at 9:00 am by Laura, on November 30, 2013
  
  Over the next couple weeks, if a Top Ten Tuesday isn’t posted or I feel this place has been too silent and forming cobwebs, I’ll add some more letters to The Perpetual Page-Turner‘s A to Z Bookish Survey for you to read. Here’s Part II of the alphabet!
  
  Part I || Part II || Part III || Part IV
  
  Glad You Gave This Book a Chance:
  
  There are several books I’m glad I gave a chance! The first two that popped into my mind were The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. As you may have noticed in my reviews, I adore fantasy. So why would I have an issue with these in the first place? Night Circus received a lot of attention, and there was something about the circus setting in the summary that put me off. But I kept hearing such wonderful things that I finally gave it a try, and fell in love. Seraphina was a recommendation, and I should have listened and picked it up faster. I’m not a dragon person, but this book is about so much more than dragons, and the world is phenomenal.
  
  Hidden Gem Book:
  
  Not sure if it’s hidden seeing as I know there are students who have to read this for class (which blows my mind), but it truly is a remarkable story: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. Just read it.
  
  Important Moment in Your Reading Life:
  
  Somewhere between reading Jane Eyre (which really did change the direction in my life), reading Harry Potter (which revealed to world that I have major obsessions), and discovering Goodreads (everything is recorded in one place AND I can set a challenge for myself AND discovering more books AND win giveaways AND…?!).
  
  Just Finished:
  
  All the Truth That’s in Me, although I am very close to finishing an unpublished manuscript. I’m exactly in the middle of everything right now, so my most recent review is the one I “just” finished.
  
  Kinds of books you won’t read:
  
  This’ll sound weird, but…books set in California or Nevada (I don’t know what it is, just an instant turn-off when I see the setting), zombies, pedophilia, memoirs/biographies, and erotica. From there it’s just based on whether it tickles my fancy.
  
  Longest book you’ve read:
  
  Hmm…toss-up between David Copperfield and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Game of Thrones might be in there, but the font was so small and tight that in terms of number of pages, it was shorter than OotP.
  
  What are your answers to these second six letters? Anything you’d recommend I read that could change these answers?
  
  Posted in A to Z Bookish Survey, books | 5 Comments | Tagged a to z bookish survey, books, goodreads
- Book Review: “All the Truth That’s in Me” by Julie Berry
  
  Posted at 12:05 pm by Laura, on November 24, 2013
  
  All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry
  
  Publisher: Viking
  Published: September 2013
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780670786152
  Goodreads: 4.05
  Rating: ★★★
  
  Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.
  
  Two years ago, Judith returned to her village after having disappeared without a trace. At first her friends and family were relieved of her appearance, but when they realized her tongue had been cut and she was made a mute, they begin to turn their backs on her. But after an attack on her village stirs up questions about her past and the boy she’s in love with, she is faced with a life-changing decision: remain mute about her experience in the woods, or speak the truth and change everyone’s lives.
  
  Berry uses a very unique technique in her writing: not only is the entire story told in second person — Julie’s thoughts are all directed at Lucas, the boy she loves — but it’s also fragmented. It’s just like reading thoughts, rather than reading a standard plot. It adds a whole new dimension to the story. The twists at the end — who captured Judith, what happened while she disappeared, what really happened to her friend, what happened at the battle at the beginning of the book — is so unexpected it made the entire experience worth the read.
  
  However, I’ll admit that what prevented me from giving this a higher rating is the mysterious setting. It bothered me throughout the novel that I could not place the location and time. It felt anywhere between 1650s, with the Puritans and their rigid society, and early 1800s, with the remote village setting and strong sense of community (like the Western frontier) over business (like the East). I asked the author if Roswell was the city in New Mexico, and if it was set in 1850s (settlers from Missouri set up in Roswell, NM around that time), and she said it’s not New Mexico and not 1850s, but the 17th century. Now, all of this would have been fine as an answer, but there were elements that just didn’t seem to work. Where were the Native Americans? Who were the homelanders? Why are they fighting battles? Why isn’t God a more prominent aspect in their society? Why does the clothing sound wrong for that time period? Some bits and pieces of this novel felt extremely anachronistic, and a part of it is because the time is never specified, nor is the place. I began to wonder if this was like The Village movie, because things just seemed off.
  
  I’m of the camp that thinks it’s incredibly important to give a time and place for your readers, fantasy or contemporary or historical fiction. Some sort of indicator needs to be addressed — it doesn’t need to be spelled out blatantly, but it does need context clues. All the clues we are given in this book point in different directions. Apart from this confusion, this story about a mute, about right and wrong, about captivity and abuse, was worth the read.
  
  Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 3 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
- In Need of a Snowy Read?
  
  Posted at 4:13 pm by Laura, on November 21, 2013
  
  I’ve created a list at Quirk Books — a quest of sorts — of winter-themed YA and MG books you can dive into! Everything from scary tales at night, to sword fights in the ice, to adventures through the snow with friends, to winter romances.
  
  Reading books will always be my favorite way to spend the day, but it’s especially true during the colder months. Endless hours of darkness to sit by a fire or a nice warm lamp, curled up in a comfy chair or wrapped in a blanket, a warm mug filled with a nice hot beverage in one hand and a book in the other.
  
  With these warm thoughts in mind during the cold months, it’s time to look into some winter-themed Middle Grade and Young Adult books that will melt your heart and freeze your spine. The cold, dark months may be a melancholy time for some (I cannot express how often I re-read Jane Eyre in the winter), but it can also be a time of exciting adventures or bone-chilling ghost stories.
  
  A Snowy Reading Quest:
  Great MG & YA Books to Read in the Winter
  over at Quirk!
  Click the bold and get started on those recommendations.
  
  Posted in books, Link, Update Post | 2 Comments | Tagged books, genre: middle grade, genre: young adult, quirk books, reading
- Book Review: “The Promise of Amazing” by Robin Constantine (ARC)
  
  Posted at 4:30 am by Laura, on November 20, 2013
  
  The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine
  
  Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  Publishing Date: December 31, 2013
  Genre: young adult
  ISBN: 9780062279484
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★★
  
  Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who’s always done what she’s supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.
  
  Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.
  
  One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.
  
  Wren, a junior at an all-girls private school, has been told time and again that she is too quiet for teachers to find her remarkable, and too average to be accepted into various honor societies. She is determined to break out of her passive streak and make a name for herself, but doesn’t know where to begin or what she wants to do with her future. Grayson, a senior, was kicked out of the all-boys private school just last spring for being a “term-paper-pimp,” his future at an elite college stripped and athletic skills kicked to the curb. He’s determined to set his life straight, to become a better person, but isn’t sure how to leave his past behind. But on the night Grayson attends a wedding and chokes on finger food, Wren swoops in to help, and their lives change forever.
  
  The Promise of Amazing is a typical good-girl-meets-bad-boy young adult novel, but without the cheesy lines or trashy love scenes or beachy setting. The story takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the time when seniors are getting accepted into college and juniors are told their dream schools are out of reach. While Grayson is painted as a “bad boy,” he’s not the pot-smoking, heavy-drinking, sexed-up kind of guy in most YA novels. He does, however, commit crimes, is wicked intelligent and slipped up once — that’s how his term-paper matching-making business fell through — and, if a college were to discover such things, he’d be set for life working the cashier line at a grocery store. His life was on the fast-track to failure due to all his short-cuts, but once he was caught, his cocky behavior ended. And Wren truly is average. Not in personality, but she is such a relatable character for all decent girls out there: she works, she tries hard in class, she has good friends and a nice family, but she’s not quite up to par to be qualified for all these big societies high school says helps students get into college. I felt a kinship to her.
  
  The drama in the book is never between Grayson and Wren, per se, but Grayson’s friends trying to bring him back into his business and darker past. They keep attempting to break through the relationship, and it’s up to Grayson to end those connections and that part of his life. These are all aspects of a coming-of-age novel, and life in general: cut out the toxic people in your life in order to better yourself. Through these events, Wren develops courage and a strong voice. You begin to hope her life will turn around for the better as well.
  
  It’s a nice light read, especially around the holidays. If you’re in for feeling nostalgic about your first high school relationship, your first heart-warming experiences, this book is the ticket. The Promise of Amazing is sweet, with well-rounded characters to root for and true-to-life high school experiences.
  
  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Balzer + Bray for review!
  
  Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 0 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
- Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’d Recommend to my Brother
  
  Posted at 8:30 am by Laura, on November 19, 2013
  
  Top Ten Tuesday, a concept started by The Broke and the Bookish, is a themed post that connects bloggers to bloggers, bloggers to readers, and readers to readers. Every Tuesday has a special topic, and this Tuesday is Top Ten Books I’d Recommend to X Person, and I’ve chosen my brother.
  
  He is a reluctant reader, and the only books I know he’s read are Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series, Hunger Games trilogy, and The Things They Carried. They are also the only books he’s enjoyed, which makes me think that, if he read books similar to those, he’d enjoy reading. He just doesn’t know what’s out there…
  
  1. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
  
  2. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
  
  3. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
  
  4. In Pharaoh’s Army by Tobias Wolff
  
  5. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
  
  6. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
  
  7. War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
  
  8. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
  
  9. The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
  
  10. Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard
  
  What books would you recommend to a friend, family member, or reluctant reader?
  
  Posted in books, Top Ten Tuesday | 4 Comments | Tagged books, top ten tuesday
- A to Z Bookish Survey: Part I
  
  Posted at 10:46 am by Laura, on November 10, 2013
  
  As the end of the semester looms and projects pile up, my book reviews begin to dwindle. I’m also reading several ARCs, whose reviews will be published a month prior to their book publication, and editing a few manuscripts for MFA students and friends. So my time is dedicated to work over play, which means fewer posts. So I thought…why not add in another bookish theme to split across several posts? I’ve decided I’ll incorporate The Perpetual Page-Turner‘s A to Z Bookish Survey!
  
  So over the next couple weeks, if a Top Ten Tuesday isn’t posted or I feel this place has been too silent and forming cobwebs, I’ll add some more letters to the survey for you to peruse. Or scan. Whichever.
  
  Part I || Part II || Part III || Part IV
  
  Author You’ve Read the Most Books from:
  
  At first I wanted to shout SARAH DESSEN, but that’s not the case. I’ve read more JK Rowling and Jane Austen than Sarah Dessen, but even Rowling and Austen don’t make the cut. The author I’ve read the most books from is Jodi Picoult.
  
  Best Sequel Ever:
  
  Tough one. I want to say Prisoner of Azkaban or Deathly Hallows, but I feel like a massive series like Potter shouldn’t be counted. Since I’m being hard on myself, I’d have to say Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor. Her world-building is phenomenal. You’d think she completed it all in the first book, but oh no, there’s more. (My review)
  
  Currently Reading:
  
  I’m reading four things at the moment. An ARC by Jenny Hubbard called And We Stay, re-reading Prisoner of Azkaban (can you see this Potterhead trend here?), a manuscript about a boy who discovers a dragon’s egg, and a book for my Children’s Topics in Publishing course called SPHDZ (Spaceheads). PHEW.
  
  Drink of Choice while Reading:
  
  Usually Twinings Earl Grey (decaf if reading in the afternoon/evening), Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea if the morning is off to a rough start, or hot chocolate if the book is a particularly cheerful one.
  
  E-reader or Physical Book?:
  
  Physical book. I like to see my bookshelves, my library forming. I do have a Nook, though, that I use almost exclusively for ARCs now, but I also used it for vacations.
  
  Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School:
  
  I would have wanted to date Will Herondale from Infernal Devices, but I probably would have actually dated Peeta from The Hunger Games. There’s the brooding character that no mother wants their daughter to date; and then there’s the guy whose heart and ambitions are on his sleeve. I was too worried in high school about discovering secrets and hidden agendas, and truly went after the guys who were sweet and didn’t hide anything. (Now, I also would’ve had a major major MAJORLY OUT OF CONTROL crush on a teacher. And that teacher would be Matthew Clairmont from A Discovery of Witches. Older men are better than boys.)
  
  What are your answers to these first six letters? Anything you’d recommend I read that could change these answers?
  
  Posted in A to Z Bookish Survey, books | 4 Comments | Tagged a to z bookish survey, books
- Top Ten Tuesday: Sequels I Can’t Wait to Get My Hands On
  
  Posted at 10:51 am by Laura, on November 5, 2013
  
  Top Ten Tuesday, a concept started by The Broke and the Bookish, is a themed post that connects bloggers to bloggers, bloggers to readers, and readers to readers. Every Tuesday has a special topic, and this Tuesday is Top Ten Sequels I Can’t Wait to Get My Hands On, in no particular order.
  
  1. The sequel to Shadow on the Crown — It’s too early to tell when it will be published, let alone what the title will be. But I can’t wait to read more about Emma of Normandy. (Review of Shadow on the Crown)
  
  2. The Lovely and the Lost — Thankfully, I have my hands on a digital ARC! I’ll be reading it this winter. It’ll be nice to have the hard copy in my hands in May, though. (Review of The Beautiful and the Cursed)
  
  3. Shadow Scale — YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE ME HANGING, HARTMAN. (Review of Seraphina)
  
  4. The Book of Life — YOU TOO, HARKNESS. (Review of A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night)
  
  5. The Caller — I love Marillier’s fantasy writing style and topics. True faeries, steeped in Anglo-Saxon / Celtic lore. (Review of Shadowfell and Raven Flight)
  
  6. The Madness Underneath — I know, it’s already out, but I haven’t purchased it yet! When I do, I’m devouring it. (Review of The Name of the Star)
  
  7. Her Dark Curiosity — I have a digital ARC of this book, but I’m really looking forward to seeing how Shepherd twists Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with this one! (Review of The Madman’s Daughter)
  
  8. Dreams of Gods & Monsters — OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG *hyperventilates* (Review of Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Days of Blood & Starlight)
  
  9. Allegiant — Haven’t read it yet. No spoilers! (Review of Divergent and Insurgent)
  
  10. The Secret Place — Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series is addicting. Unfortunately, I don’t have a review of the second book, The Likeness, but it is without a doubt my favorite of the series. (Review of In The Woods, Faithful Place, Broken Harbor)
  
  Posted in books, Top Ten Tuesday | 7 Comments | Tagged books, top ten tuesday
- Book Review: “Letters from Skye” by Jessica Brockmole
  
  Posted at 9:13 pm by Laura, on November 4, 2013
  
  Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
  
  Publisher: Ballantine Books
  Published: July 2013
  Genre: historical fiction, WWI / WWII fiction
  ISBN: 9780345542601
  Goodreads: 3.94
  Rating: ★★★★★
  
  March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.
  
  June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.
  
  When Margaret Dunn’s mother, Elspeth, up and leaves Edinburgh in June 1940 after a series of bombs, Margaret is left with only one clue as to her whereabouts and intentions: a letter written to “Sue” from “Davey” in 1914. As Margaret searches for her mother’s past, Elspeth is searching for David Graham, an American she corresponded without before and throughout the First World War. Told entirely through letters, these women face two very different wartime atmospheres, and are determined to uncover the past that may heal the future.
  
  The whole concept of a book written entirely in letters fascinated me. There’s something antiquated about it, something charming, and it brought me back to a time when a response from a loved one was never instantaneous. People were open and emotional and detailed in their letters — there were few forms of communication to truly and accurately keep up with friends and family. When David mailed an obscure Scottish poet, he didn’t expect a response — and she didn’t expect a letter from anyone outside of Skye or Scotland, for that matter. Their surprises, witty quips, slow exposure of their true feelings, and later their deep love and devotion through one another, all grip you and hold you from the first page to the last.
  
  Another technique I really liked was Margaret’s discovery of other aspects of Elspeth’s life that Elspeth would either never mention in the letters or it would be mentioned later by Elspeth or David. For example, Elspeth and David indirectly refer to an incident between David and her brother Finlay, but it’s Finlay who writes a letter to Margaret explaining what happened. Or, in another instance, Margaret finds a letter that was never sent, which then changes the course of the book.
  
  Like reading a friend’s diary, this book is deeply emotional, incredibly moving, and impossible to put down.
  
  Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: history, goodreads, review
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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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