Tag: recap

• Flipping Through the Pages: Winter Rewind 2018

  Posted at 7:30 am by Laura, on April 5, 2018

  

  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

  

  

  

  As you may have noticed, I did not update and post about October through December. I was barely on the blog then, which in turn meant I barely looked at other blogs, or commented, or any of that. With the start of the new year, I wanted to begin with a blank page! It’s still a bit quiet here and my participation throughout the community, but life happens and I don’t ever want this blog to feel like a chore.

  So in images, here were my top six favorite books of 2017, and celebrating the release of Chainbreaker and Impossible Saints, both on January 2!

  Life Highlights

  So many great things happened between October to now. Nina’s deal announcement! Tasha’s deal announcement! My birthday (here and here)! My friend’s second baby was born! Another friend announced her first pregnancy! The holidays were fun too, with Bach’s Magnificat at Christmas and Beethoven’s Mass in C in March. And finally, my best friend’s wedding just a few days ago, in which I was her maid of honor. Needless to say, life’s been busy.

  Bookmarked in the Community

  Ah yes, this is going to look very sad, okay? Please, no judgement!

  1. A New Year of New Books: My 2018 TBR @ GReadsBooks — Ginger has some excellent contemporary YA and adult recommendations here. She doesn’t go for the overly fluffy or the overly dark. There’s a sweet spot right in the middle of the spectrum, and her recommendations tend to be pretty spot on to my taste, too.
  2. Slacking Off on Your Favs @ Bring My Books — Lindsey talks about how life can really get in the way of doing your favorite things, and when you finally have those free days to do all the things you love, you find yourself…not doing them. Being a couch potato. And that’s okay.
  3. 10 Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2018 @ Pretty Books — Stacey shares some of her most anticipated reads in 2018 and I, too, am looking forward to many of these! Plus, she managed to share some UK recs I have on my TBR now from Book Depository *wink*

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. MSWL for 2018 — Not surprised one bit. I’m glad it’s getting traction. Hopefully writers find it helpful!
  2. Book Cake Tag — This was a lot of fun to put together. Gosh, I love GBBO!
  3. Book Review: The City of Brass by SA Chakraborty — What a beautiful and wonderful fantasy. If you haven’t had the chance yet, read this book immediately. A gem.

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan ★★★★

  The City of Brass by SA Chakraborty ★★★★★

  Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins ★★★.75 (review to come!)

  Progress Update on Reading Challenges

  Required Library Books: 4 / 17

  The Passion of Dolssa || Big Little Lies || The Zookeeper’s Wife
  Saga Volume 1

  Fun Library Books: 2 / 5

  Mr. Churchill’s Secretary || Surprise Me

  Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 0 / 8

  Fantasy:

  The City of Brass

  Historical Fiction:

  Between Two Fires || Mr Churchill’s Secretary || The Passion of Dolssa

  Rock My TBR: 5 / 16

  Crazy Rich Asians || The Passion of Dolssa || The City of Brass
  Between Two Fires || Now That You Mention It

  Overall Challenge: 10 / 50

  Random Obsessions

  On TV/Netflix: I’m including everything I’ve watched since October, so this list feels quite long. I’m all caught up on Outlander and I loved how they tackled all the topics in Voyager. On New Year’s Eve, friends came over to watch The Crown and eat baked Brie with me and the Beau. I’m also caught up on The Great British Bake Off on Netflix, and finished the first season of Big Family Cooking Show (cute and fun, not as perfect as GBBO). Lately I’ve been rewatching New Girl on repeat, waiting for season 6 to arrive (!!!). Otherwise, the TV is on to sportsball for the Beau, so I sit on the couch with him and read instead.

  On Film: Saw and loved The Darkest Hour and OF COURSE  Black Panther (I can’t wait to see how they do Infinity War now!). I also saw Dunkirk and I’m glad I saw it at home and not in theaters. The music put me on edge and I was near sobbing and tense the entire time. If I saw it on the big screen I wouldn’t have been able to finish it!

  In the Shopping Bag: All the new clothes. Seriously. I gained weight in the last year (hurrah! I know that sounds weird but I’ve always been too small for my height and age, and this year I finally reached the goal weight), which means all of my bottoms and some of my tops no longer fit properly or comfortably. So now I’m in the middle of a wardrobe change. Ack!

  Miscellaneous: I kinda splurged on a lot of books when my birthday rolled around… Oh, and raving over my new watch!

  Looking Toward the Future

  I’m looking forward to the most relaxed April through June I’ve had in years. There is literally nothing planned on my calendar, mostly because I needed to afford my trip to Greece in July. So! This means adding cooking classes, getting planters, celebrating the royal baby and royal wedding, shopping for clothes that fit me properly, and lots of spring cleaning. When I moved into this apartment it was very much unpack-and-deal-with-junk-later, but now our closets are overflowing with random boxes and miscellaneous stuff. Time to weed through things!

  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 | 2 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• Flipping Through the Pages: Summer Rewind 2017

  Posted at 5:05 am by Laura, on October 1, 2017

  

  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

  

  

  

  The last few months have been dedicated to travel, wishing for cool weather, and reading. Lots of reading. Lots of reading manuscripts, that is. As you may have noticed, I didn’t post very many reviews. While I did read books for fun, many of them were kinda meh and I don’t want to put poor reviews online. Thankfully I found lots of enjoyment in reading clients’ revisions, new projects, and potential clients’ manuscript submissions over the summer. The highlight of the last few months was Jared Reck‘s A Short History of the Girl Next Door release!

  Life Highlights

  The Beau and I traveled to Iowa for his high school reunion, and I was genuinely surprised how much I loved Des Moines. His friends and family made me feel so at home there. Even the people I briefly interacted with at the reunion itself were very kind. Ah, Midwesterners! (PS I went to Raygun and I promise you, it’s just as awesome as their website. My Christmas wishlist expanded tenfold.)

  Every summer in July my family would travel to Cincinnati to celebrate Grandpa’s birthday, July 4, and just being together. We worried that since his passing, this tradition would fall apart. Thankfully it did not! We were able to gather for a family BBQ in August, and all the dogs tumbled and ran around in the backyard with the cousins. The Beau joined us too, and he went off with the boys to race around the neighborhood in a newly acquired go-kart. Haha!!

  One of my dear friends and old college roommate Lauren got married in September! Her wedding was an event we were all looking forward to in the friend group, as there were many joys and concerns going on in our lives this year. Being reunited with one another from near and far was so rejuvenating! We danced all night, and Amanda’s toddler Hazel was the best dancer in the house.

  Tunes on Repeat

  I think this section will be removed starting in 2018 recaps, because I’m at least a year behind on music. However, if you want something new and different and more on the classical lines, check out this guy! He sings Schubert arrangements with guitar (instead of piano, violin, or organ). Doesn’t his voice just make you melt?

  Bookmarked in the Community

  1. What I’ve Read @ Pretty Books — Stacey gives a great review for When Dimple Met Rishi and it made me all warm and fuzzy inside, haha. So I thought I’d share!
  2. Fangirl Friday with Laura @ What Sarah Read — Sarah hosts this fantastic feature for other bloggers to participate in on Fridays called Fangirl Friday. Bloggers can fangirl about anything and everything in a theme of their choosing. It’s a cool way to build community and break out of the standard bookish posts. I had a post in July entirely dedicated to British TV and movies (primarily BBC and ITV), and swooned over North & South and Belle!
  3. Meet Riley Josephine @ Perpetual Page-Turner — Jamie gave birth to a beautiful girl! Come for the cute baby photos, stay for the pregnancy and birth real talk. Jamie opened up about her experience, and her honesty is refreshing. Love you, Jamie!
  4. Back to School: History of Fictional Worlds Syllabus @ The Bookish Beagle — Morgan has worked on this epic post for ages, and I’m so glad it’s finally public! It may not look like a lot of text, but check out this concept: what if we could study the history of fictional worlds? You could major in Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings! Or any other fandom you’re a part of! It’s so cool seeing the classes she came up with. I wish this were real!
  5. Three Ways I Tackled My TBR This Summer @ So Obsessed With — Hannah’s methodical posts are probably some of my favorites. She’s shared her reading trends with stats, she’s worked on the Picky Pledge to be more selective about what she reads, and she’s shared a process to determine whether or not she should buy a book. In this post, she shares her step-by-step process for weeding through her TBR (to read or to sell/donate). I’ll have to try this!

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. Book Review: What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum (ARC) — I’m still reeling from this novel. I want to put it in so many people’s hands.
  2. The Intimidating TBR Tag — Not surprised this was a popular post. I think it’s pretty universal for many people! Have you done this tag yet? Which question was most difficult for you to answer?
  3. Book Review: The Dire King by William Ritter — The last book in the Jackaby series, and boy was it a winner! Great on its own, great as a series ender, and it kinda leaves things a little bit open for a spin-off (though I’m fine with it not doing that too!). Have you read the series yet? If not, I highly recommend it!

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  

  The Map That Leads to You by JP Monninger ★★★★.5

  The Dire King by William Ritter ★★★★.5

  The Paris Architect  by Charles Belfoure ★★★★ (review to come!)

  The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper ★★★★

  Cherished Quotes

  A book is a companion, though. You can read it in a special place,
  like on a train to Amsterdam, then you carry it home and you
  chuck it on a shelf, and then years later you remember
  that feeling you had on the train when you were young.
  It’s like a little island in time.
  — The Map that Leads to You by JP Monninger

  “But didn’t the Jews kill Christ, Father?”
  “That’s debatable, my son. But even if they did,
  I would still help them.”
  — The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

  Progress Update on Reading Challenges

  Required Library Books: 15 / 22

  The Light Between Oceans || The Husband’s Secret || W is for Wasted
  The Miniaturist || The Astronaut Wives Club || The Burning Room
  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet || The President’s Shadow
  Orphan Train || Still Life || The Paper Menagerie
  Stiff || Damaged || Dreaming of the Bones || The Paris Architect

  Fun Library Books: 13 / 5 // Complete!

  Heart’s Blood || The Bear and the Nightingale || The Silver Gate
  Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies || A Window Opens
  Alex, Approximately || The Baker’s Secret || Troubled Waters
  Once and For All || Saints and Misfits || The Scribe of Siena
  The Royal Nanny || The Best Man

  Flights of Fantasy / Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 2 / 9

  Heart’s Blood || Son of the Shadows

  Classics & ReRead: 0 / 2

  Rock My TBR: 13 / 12 // Complete!

  Caraval || You and Me, Always || The Miniaturist
  Son of the Shadows || The Sun is Also a Star || Outrun the Moon
  The Secret Life of Violet Grant || This Adventure Ends || The Alice Network 
  Like a River Glorious || The Map That Leads to You
  The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals || A Cold Legacy

  Impulse Buys: 5 / 5

  You and Me, Always || Flight of Dreams || Wait for Me
  The Hate U Give || The Map That Leads to You

  Overall Challenge: 46 / 50

  Random Obsessions

  On TV: WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO WATCH THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF?!?!?!

  

  It’s such a great competition show — it doesn’t even really feel like a competition. These bakers are just trying to improve for themselves and for the judges, not necessarily take one another out. They’re helping each other on numerous occasions, actually, and it’s so heartwarming! Guess that’s the biggest difference in British and American television.

  

  This show also makes me wish I were a baker. Yeah, yeah, I hear you, anyone can bake — but I literally cannot. I can make boiling water catch on fire. So instead I’ll eat another’s baked goods and dream of butter sticks and dough and pastry as I watch this show. I never thought something so nice and relatively calming could make for such an intense, emotional show, too! I NEED MORE. But only ones with Sue and Mel and Paul and Mary! No one else! Just them!

  

  On Film: Gifted. I wanted to see so many movies this summer and didn’t get a chance to, so I Redboxed Gifted and just…lost it. What a fantastic movie. So many tears. It’s about a young girl who’s a math genius, raised by her uncle (Chris Evans) who was given custody of her after her mother (his sister) committed suicide. It’s about brilliant minds and parental upbringing, about the importance of family and social relationships, and breaking records.

  In the Shopping Bag: Target and ModCloth, once again, burned a hole in my wallet. I’ve gained weight in the last year (yay (I’m finally in the healthy weight category for my height and age, which has never happened before) and boo — it was the right amount but just too fast), which meant cleaning out pretty much my entire wardrobe and buying replacements.

  Miscellaneous: The Beau and I are moving into our apartment in a couple days! So most of my time and energy the next two weeks will be preparing for that and nesting. It means I’ve been making lots of insurance and utility phone calls…

  Looking Towards the Future

  As I stated previously, in October I’m moving into an apartment (yay! And for real this time!), and then the whirlwind of holidays and holiday prep begin. I’m always looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas — any time to be with my family and friends — and this year the choir is singing Bach’s Magnificat, so it’s bound to be an excellent music season too.

  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 | 4 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• Flipping Through the Pages: Spring Rewind 2017

  Posted at 5:15 am by Laura, on July 3, 2017

  

  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

  

  

  

  One of my friends had a very lovely, private wedding (or engagement party? She’s having a big to-do this time next year, so it was quasi-engagement party, quasi-wedding because she and her husband signed papers), and the cupcakes were too pretty and delicious not to take a picture! Rossetti has been joining me for a lot of my reading this spring, and I love her company. Finally, The Alice Network was my first 5-star read of the year and I was absolutely blown away by the writing, the story, the characters, the plot…

  Life Highlights

  The biggest news is that I was recently promoted to Associate Literary Agent!

  I talked a little bit about Book Expo in an If We Were Having Coffee post, but I also recently went to ALA! The morning was spent attending as many panels as possible for the library, and the afternoon was spent wandering the exhibit floor and documenting Jared Reck’s first public appearance and galley signing. Big day for this agent/librarian.

  Finally, the Beau and I went on a mini trip to see his friends for a pub crawl. Two couples in the friend group are moving out of state within a few weeks of each other, so we all got together and went on a massive bar crawl. It started off with 7 people, and somewhere in the night we had 25+ total. So much fun — and a mandatory brunch the next day was just what the doctor ordered. It’s so hard when you/your friends move away. They’re going to neat places in the country, so hopefully this means more travel opportunities.

  Tunes on Repeat

  Maybe I should eliminate this bit of the feature, because it’s just not happening for me. I’m not into what’s on the radio (and I’m already missing out on John Mayer’s latest, Ed Sheeran, and the 1D solo boys’ music), I’m listening to audio books for the library in the car, and (to be completely honest) what I have listened to is mostly choral music that most of you aren’t all that interested in. Unless you want to hear something? Let me know. Feast your ears on this, in the meantime.

  Bookmarked in the Community

  1. Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro @ Belle of the Literati — For Kelly’s 30th birthday, this adventurer went on her own and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro! Her experience was incredible. Read about it here!
  2. The Intimidating TBR Tag @ The Bookish Beagle — Morgan’s TBR post was both intense and awesome. I fully plan to do this tag at some point (…just like I fully plan to read all those books on the TBR pile at some point…*ducks*)
  3. On My Nightstand @ What Sarah Read — In a similar vein, Sarah started a new feature called On My Nightstand to showcase some books she’s interested in reading immediately.
  4. When the Movie is Better Than the Book @ Writer of Wrongs — Gillian went there. She went there and admitted what we all know to be true: sometimes, the movie is better than the book. *gasp*
  5. Library Dreamin’ @ Alexa Loves Books — What does your dream library look like? I gotta say, my dream library looks a lot like Alexa’s IRL library…

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. Book Review: Hunted by Meagan Spooner (ARC) — I LOVE this book, and it makes me ridiculously happy to see this was such a popular post!
  2. Book Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (ARC) — IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK YOU MUST REMEDY THAT NOW.
  3. If We Were Having Coffee… — This post is always so popular. For random updates, feel free to read my unedited, walls down, conversational post. In this one, I talk about Band of Brothers, Book Expo, Forge of Empires, and my never-ending war with chips and queso.

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  

  Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee ★★★★★

  The Alice Network by Kate Quinn ★★★★★

  The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams ★★★★.5

  What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum ★★★★.5 (review to come!)

  Cherished Quotes

  “Why don’t you sit with the others?” I ask her.
  “I find the company of a book much more interesting.”
  — Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

  Emma suffered daily for friends and neighbors. [The Allies] were doing it for strangers, throwing themselves on that beach, slaughtered tillt he sea ran dark, and another wave came, and was slaughtered, and another, whole cities of men. They have never met Emma, she would never meet them, and still another wave.
  It was so humbling, Emma clung to the tree and did not think she could continue to breathe. The weight of their sacrifice might crush her. Here they had died, and up the beach they were still dying, in flocks and willingly for the idea that she, Emma herself, and her friends and family and neighbors, ought to live in freedom. Who on earth deserved such a gift?
  — The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan

  My hands are flapping again. Tears are running down my face. I am losing control.
  Slipping into a vertiginous vortex. I used to think loneliness was being stuck
  with only the one voice in your head. I was wrong.*

  Here’s the thing about making a friend that I didn’t understand before I started talking to Kit: They grow your world. Allow for previously inconceivable possibilities.*
  — *the following quotes taken from uncorrected proof of What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

  Progress Update on Reading Challenges

  Required Library Books: 10 / 22

  The Light Between Oceans || The Husband’s Secret || W is for Wasted
  The Miniaturist || The Astronaut Wives Club || The Burning Room
  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet || The President’s Shadow
  Orphan Train || Still Life

  Fun Library Books: 8 / 5 // Complete!

  Heart’s Blood || The Bear and the Nightingale || The Silver Gate
  Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies || A Window Opens
  Alex, Approximately || The Baker’s Secret || Troubled Waters

  Flights of Fantasy / Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 2 / 9

  Heart’s Blood || Son of the Shadows

  Classics & ReRead: 0 / 2

  Rock My TBR: 10 / 12

  Caraval || You and Me, Always || The Miniaturist
  Son of the Shadows || The Sun is Also a Star || Outrun the Moon
  The Secret Life of Violet Grant || This Adventure Ends || The Alice Network 
  Like a River Glorious

  Impulse Buys: 5 / 5

  You and Me, Always || Flight of Dreams || Wait for Me
  The Hate U Give || The Map That Leads to You

  Overall Challenge: 32 / 50

  Random Obsessions

  On TV: Grantchester is back!

  

  I CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF SIDNEY CHAMBERS. He’s making poor life choices so far this season (go AWAY, AMANDA.), but I love him all just the same.

  On Film: I mentioned watching Band of Brothers for the first time in my If We Were Having Coffee post, and weeks later I’m still blown away by the show. So let’s add Wonder Woman to the mix! OH MY GOD. When we left the theater, I said to The Beau, “This must be what it feels like to be a white man!” I FELT POWERFUL AND UNSTOPPABLE. More female superheroes, please!!!

  In the Shopping Bag: Shopping? What is shopping? All my money went to travel, conferences, and hotel fees. Wah wah.

  Miscellaneous: I mentioned it before and I’ll say it again: Forge of Empires. I’m seriously obsessed with this app. People have described it like Sim City, and I can’t tell you if it is or not but I’m enjoying every second of it. Have you played it?

  Looking Towards the Future

  Lots of traveling coming up this summer! In July I’m heading to Nashville for a writers conference. Hope to hear some great pitches while I’m there. In August I’m traveling with The Beau to Iowa to visit family and some of his high school friends. And then in September, Jared’s book publishes! HURRAY! Oh, and it’s wedding season for like…a bazillion people, and I’m really looking forward to dancing many nights away!

  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 | 3 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• Flipping Through the Pages: Winter Rewind 2017

  Posted at 3:45 am by Laura, on April 1, 2017

  

  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

  

  

  

  Most of my winter months were spent catching up on manuscripts and submissions, reading from my TBR pile, and reading ARCs. Many of my afternoons looked like the far left picture, in a nutshell. In March, my best friend and I went to San Francisco and one of the mornings we met Karl the Fog and walked across the Golden Gate Bridge! But the biggest event in my life happened at the beginning of March. My grandfather passed away from lung cancer. I won’t go into the details about his journey, but I’m glad I was able to say goodbye in person on one of his last few good days. He was a rock for this family, and we miss his presence deeply. It’s hard.

  Life Highlights

  In work news: January was huge for my clients Tara and Jared! Tara announced the title for the second book in the Timekeeper trilogy as well as the release date for Timekeeper on audio (add Book 2 and the Timekeeper audio book to your TBR!). Jared’s A Short History of the Girl Next Door had a cover and publication date reveal, and early ARCs are already making the rounds. In February I negotiated a deal that was announced in March for my client Clarissa Harwood! She’s an adult historical fiction novelist, and I can’t wait for the world to read Impossible Saints!

  My birthday was in March, and my friends and family treated me well (especially considering my grandfather’s death a couple days prior). The Beau took me to a lovely Italian restaurant the evening before. On the day of, we had brunch at a new-to-us place in town (mouthwateringly delicious!), went to Barnes & Noble to buy some books, finished The Secrets of Great British Castles on Netflix, ate dinner with my parents, and then went out for drinks and dessert with my friends. The following day we had another big brunch, went for a long walk in the woods, attended an afternoon organ concert (“Job” by Petr Eben), and finished off the weekend with another dinner with my parents. So yeah. It was a great birthday!

  Tunes on Repeat

  Y’all, I wish I could share a playlist for you, or songs I listened to, but I have to be honest: all the music I listened to was in preparation for the choir concert (Durufle’s Requiem) OR it was an audiobook for the library bookclub.

  I know! How awful! How in the world does a musical person not really listen to music?! Especially when Ed Sheeran and John Mayer came out with new music?!

  *hangs head in shame*

  Bookmarked in the Community

  1. My Week of Attempted Reading Deprivation @ Clarissa Harwood — Clarissa spent a week not reading a single thing to see if it would boost her creative writing or help her observe more around her. Fascinating read.
  2. The Year of Recommended Reads: All the Light We Cannot See @ Alexa Loves Books — This monthly feature between Alexa and Lindsey @ Bring My Books is so neat, and the very first one was a great start to the year. I’m definitely interested in reading this book now.
  3. The Queens of Contemporary @ The Book Addict’s Guide — Brittany curated a great list of contemporary authors and their books for anyone who is a fan of or interested in reading more contemporary YA. The one thing I would’ve loved to see more of (not just this list, but in general) is more diversity. Who are the queens (or kings) of diverse contemporary reads?
  4. Friendship Breakups @ The Pretty Books — Stacey’s touching and heartfelt post about real life and literary friendship breakups was a refreshing read. What are some of your favorite friendship stories?
  5. 30 Things I Learned By 30 @ Belle of the Literati — If you haven’t noticed already, I adore Kelly’s travel posts and general life posts. This one tops the list.

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. Book Review: My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella — WOOHOO I loved this book too! I read it in December but was finally able to post about it in January. Have you read it?
  2. Book Review: The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan — Another book I adored. If you love historical fiction, this book focuses on one town across one summer at the start of WWII in England.
  3. Deal Announcement: Clarissa Harwood, Historical Fiction — YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY CLARISSA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  4. Top Ten Tuesday: Spring TBR — My TBR this spring is kind of insane and out of control. Here’s my post about it in March, and if you hop over to IG you’ll see what I’m talking about…

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  

  The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden ★★★★

  You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell ★★★.5

  The Silver Gate by Kristin Bailey ★★★★

  Hunted by Meagan Spooner ★★★★.5 (review to come!)

  Cherished Quotes

  She rubbed a hand over her bare neck. The fringes of her chopped hair tickled her palm.
  This wasn’t a game anymore.
  It was hard for Wynn to remember things if she didn’t think about them
  over and over. Things that happened didn’t stay in her mind well.
  Now she couldn’t brush her hair and remember when Mother did it.
  She would forget. She always forgot.
  –The Silver Gate by Kristin Bailey

  Progress Update on Reading Challenges

  Required Library Books: 4 / 22

  The Light Between Oceans || The Husband’s Secret || W is for Wasted
  The Miniaturist

  Fun Library Books: 5 / 5 // Complete!

  Heart’s Blood || The Bear and the Nightingale || The Silver Gate
  Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies || A Window Opens

  Flights of Fantasy / Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 2 / 9

  Heart’s Blood || Son of the Shadows

  Classics & ReRead: 0 / 2

  Rock My TBR: 5 / 12

  Caraval || You and Me, Always || The Miniaturist
  Son of the Shadows || The Sun is Also a Star

  Impulse Buys: 4 / 5

  You and Me, Always || Flight of Dreams || Wait for Me
  The Hate U Give

  Overall Challenge: 15 / 50

  Random Obsessions

  On TV: Though it made me cringe (a lot), I watched Masterpiece’s Victoria. It was compulsive. I had to. I had to witness the train wreck. The costumes were great, everything’s pretty, and it’s staying (so very) loosely true to Victoria’s life, but man oh man. What a soap opera. ON THE OTHER HAND…I finished the second season of The Secrets of Great British Castles on Netflix and LOVED IT (of course). Plus, the last castle of the season was one I visited on the same day they finished filming the episode: Arundel! I saw Dan Jones at the pub in town, but didn’t believe it was actually him so I didn’t say hello. Curses. Anyway, watch that show if you love castles and history!

  On Film: I saw Hidden Figures and it is everything and more. If you haven’t seen it yet, go immediately. Or just plain buy the DVD/Blu-ray. It is worth every penny. The Beau also took me to see Beauty and the Beast and OH MY HEART I JUST OH GOSH YES YES YES OH MY WORD YES BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

  In the Shopping Bag: There honestly wasn’t a whole lot of shopping-related items this winter. I booked all the travel places for April through June. So it was more like massive spending for work instead of play. Wah wah.

  Miscellaneous: The disaster that is the Cheeto in Chief has made going onto social media mentally and emotionally exhausting. It’s hard to take in all that news within the echo chamber, and I grew tired of trying to figure out what news report people were referring to (and where they got that information). So I signed up for Skimm, a great newsletter that recaps the previous day’s news for you with links to the original/credible source, a nutshell overview, and ways you can take action if interested. It also includes pop culture items as well, like great book reviews, movies to see, the latest award shows, etc. But it’s mostly political news for the weary. Try it out!

  Looking Towards the Future

  April will be something of a breathing month for me, because once May and June hit, I’ll be traveling like crazy. Book Expo and ALA, here I come! I’m also looking forward to the little things, like sitting outside to read (though not looking forward to humidity), driving with the windows down, walking around barefoot… You gotta take the little things in life, right? Hello, spring!

  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 | 6 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• Flipping Through the Pages: Autumn Rewind 2016

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on January 1, 2017

  

  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

  

  

  

  In October, I held the responsibility of walking our mini schnauzer Greta, which meant seeing some beautiful autumn sunrises every morning. In November, my client Tara Sim’s Timekeeper was published, and it’s so shiny and wonderful and heart-poundly great! And in December, my best friend officially made me her Maid of Honor for her 2018 wedding (still plenty of time to plan).

  Life Highlights

  Not a positive one, but for most of October my mother was in the hospital (thus all the dog-walking). It really changed the dynamics of the household dramatically, and I am even more thankful for her strength and presence with each passing day. Positive highlights of course include the publication of Timekeeper and my best friend’s engagement, but also brunch with friends from Denver, preparing Christmas music for the holiday season, celebrating the Beau’s new job, and celebrating our first Christmas together too. Thanksgiving and Christmas were so wonderful with the family, and we’re very grateful to still have Grandpa with us. He’s been battling Stage 4 lung cancer the last year or so, and still miraculously has a lot of energy. Even the doctors are amazed he’s 86 and spritely, since he seems so much younger. All in all, a good holiday season!

  Tunes on Repeat

  Really, all of the Pentatonix holiday albums were on repeat, but this is my favorite favorite favorite of theirs (followed by “Little Drummer Boy”).

  This is a video pieced together from phone recordings over the summer tour to Germany. Not gonna lie…I think we sound pretty good, especially for a church choir. Around the 3-minute mark, our section leaders sing a piece that always teared me up.

  This piece the choir, as well as a little chamber ensemble I was in, practiced over and over because those jumps and intervals are so difficult for the voice. Yet stunning when done well.

  Bookmarked in the Community

  1. On “American” @ Laura Pittenger — Laura is one of my old college roommates and an amazing individual carving out a life in theater in NYC. She’s posted some great personal essays on her blog, and one of my favorites was this on being American, shortly after Election Day. She traces her family’s roots, finds a mixing bowl of nationalities, and shares her thoughts. Powerful.
  2. Low Reading Months @ BookmarkLit — Lauren shares her experience with recent low reading months and combats it with a plan of how to get out of the slump.
  3. If You Liked Gilmore Girls… @ The Book Addict’s Guide  — Brittany shares some YA recommendations for fans of Gilmore Girls and I agree with many of them!
  4. Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere: Packing a Purse or Personal Item @ Belle of the Literati — I LOVE this series Kelly is doing on her blog about traveling and the dos and don’ts of safe adventure. This particular post is a how-to and there were some tips and tricks she shared that had never occurred to me before!
  5. Dumbledore’s Army Readathon @ Read at Midnight — If you’re looking for a diverse readathon this month (January), this is the one for you!

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. On Reading Epiphanies and Getting Back to Bookish Roots — A discussion on reading fatigue, lifestyle changes and how it altered reading habits, and what I plan to do to combat it.
  2. End of Year Book Survey III — Not surprised on this one at all, since it’s a great wrap-up of the year!
  3. If We Were Having Coffee… — The second one! Though this is a series I plan on continuing, as it’s fun to just let go for a brief post and write whatever’s on my mind.
  4. Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne — Not surprised by this one whatsoever either. This book seemed to take the blogging world by storm.

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  

  Leave Me by Gayle Forman ★★★★★

  The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst ★★★★

  My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella ★★★★★ (review to come!)

  The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan ★★★★ (review to come!)

  Cherished Quotes

  “Were you Gchatting?” Todd asked, peering over her shoulder. “With your husband?”
  Maribeth closed the window.
  “You little hussy,” Todd said.
  —Leave Me by Gayle Forman

  You can’t help who you fall in love with. That kind of love just
  swoops in and grabs hold of you, even if you were to drop chemistry —
  or switch jobs, which god knows I should have done a long time ago —
  it’s still taken hold of your desire, and that’s a damn hard thing to free yourself of.
  —Nine Women, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen

  Pretty much everyone in the world could use some therapy.
  —Leave Me by Gayle Forman

  If the bread wouldn’t fill his stomach, it might at least fill his mouth.
  The girl had finished half of hers before he took a second bite.
  “You shouldn’t rush,” he said. “There are no taste buds in your stomach.”
  She paused to consider his reasoning, then took
  another bite. “There’s no hunger in your tongue.”
  —A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra

  Progress Update on Reading Challenges

  Library Books: 13 / 10 // complete!
  Future Perfect || Blackhearts || Rebel of the Sands
  The Buddha in the Attic || Wide Sargasso Sea || Re Jane
  The Elegance of the Hedgehog || The Girl Who Fell from the Sky
  The Gilded Cage || Leave Me || Nine Women, One Dress
  A Constellation of Vital Phenomena || The Queen of Blood

  #ReRead2016: 2 / 5
  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix || Emma

  Flights of Fantasy: 7 / 5 // complete!
  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix || Rebel of the Sands
  Lady Renegades || The Star-Touched Queen || Assassin’s Apprentice
  My Lady Jane || The Queen of Blood

  Classics Challenge: 1 / 5
  Emma

  Rock My TBR: 14 / 12 // complete!
  Walk on Earth a Stranger || Arsenic for Tea || Since You’ve Been Gone
  Picture Perfect || Twenties Girl || Remember Me? || Assassin’s Apprentice
  Eligible || The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow || 13 Little Blue Envelopes
  Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here || Me Before You || First & Then
  Mystery & Mayhem

  Impulse Buys: 5 / 5 // no more buying!
  Can You Keep a Secret? || I’ve Got Your Number || The Undomestic Goddess
  My Lady Jane || The Hating Game

  Overall Challenge: 53 / 50

  Random Obsessions

  On TV: I watched Poldark, even though he made me very angry and I’m not sure I’ll watch the third season. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was fun — I really enjoyed Lorelai and Emily’s stories, the quirkiness of Stars Hollow, and just being back in this world in general — but I had many issues with Rory and wasn’t too pleased with the last four words (yes, I know why they’re there, it still doesn’t make me happy though). What I’m very excited about is The Crown! Binged that show (finally) and I’m so pleased to see Netflix has six seasons planned!

  On Film: Arrival was STUNNING and I’m eager to see it again! I also watched The Man Who Knew Infinity from Redbox and it made me all teary (just like many scientists-face-difficulty-and-acceptance-in-their-time-and-era movies).

  In the Shopping Bag: All the Christmas presents! Including an early gift-to-self of a new iphone case that looks like a Hogwarts envelope. Thank you, Etsy!

  Miscellaneous: I’m in need of some nice, sturdy, wooden bookcases for fairly cheap. If you know of any or you’re a fan of a particular retailer, do share!

  Looking Towards the Future

  January and March are full of birthdays, so there will be lots of celebrations in the winter months. I’m also looking forward to going to the symphony with the Beau, and traveling to San Francisco with my best friend while she has a slight break from med school.

  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 | 8 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• Flipping Through the Pages: Summer Rewind 2016

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on October 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

  

  

  

  Timekeeper ARCs became available and I was super excited to receive them in the mail! My friend Audra had a lovely wedding reception after she and her husband returned from their private ceremony/honeymoon trip. This was taken while we wandered around an old, lovely neighborhood for official pictures. And finally, the symphony played the score to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone while we watched the movie. Such a blast!

  Life Highlights

  I covered a lot of topics in my If We Were Having Coffee post, so check that out first! Otherwise, the latest news: I welcomed a new client to Team Triada in late September and had a fantastic time at lunch with her while she was vacationing in the Midwest. And, speaking of agenting, Tara not only received a fantastic blurb from Victoria Schwab, but some great reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal! There’s also an excerpt from the first chapter up on Bustle!

  Tunes on Repeat

  I’ve listened to more Radio Lab and NPR shows than music this summer. However, I did listen to the whole Rachmaninoff Vespers, sang the version of Jerusalem that was performed in the Royal Wedding, and started rocking out to The Nutcracker in the car. Will these count?

  Bookmarked in the Community

  1. If We Were Having Mexican Margaritas @ Bring My Books — In the same vein as the If We Were Having Coffee posts, Lindsey opens up on her blog in a fun way. Bring your chips and queso!
  2. The YA Sorting Hat: Back to Hogwarts @ Writer of Wrongs — Gillian always has some creative posts, and this one was (of course) my favorite kind. How would you Sort any of your favorite books?
  3. What Does Your Favorite Book Say About You? @ Huffington Post — An interesting read.
  4. Do You Have Book Guilt? @ Wall Street Journal — At first I thought this article was going to be about the inability to finish all the books you want to read, or buying lots of books and not reading, but nope! It was about feeling guilty for not reading classics. Reading a classic is different from reading a modern book — it is meant to be savored, not devoured. Dive in to the article and see what others have to say!

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. If We Were Having Coffee – so pleased to see the enthusiasm for this post! I rarely write up anything personal outside of these rewinds, so I’ll probably do this kind of post more often.
  2. Book Review: “The Lie Tree” by Francis Hardinge – YES COME TO THE DARK SIDE. It’s so much more thrilling!
  3. Book Review: “My Lady Jane” by Hand, Ashton, Meadows – Genuinely not surprised this received so many hits. If I had to name a book of the summer, it would be this Monty Python-esque YA!

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter ★★★★

  The Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray ★★★.75

  First & Then by Emma Mills ★★★★

  Cherished Quotes

  “Bertram!” Jackaby patted him on the arm affably as he bustled
  past him into the front hall. “It’s been ages, how are the kids?”
  “I remain unmarried, Mr. Jackaby, and I’m afraid you can’t be seen just now.”
  “Nonsense. Miss Rook, can you see me?”
  “Certainly, sir.”
  “Well, there you have it. You must have your eyes checked, Bertram.”
  —Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

  I don’t know if it’s better to have people laugh at what you are
  or just not understand.
  —The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow

  Progress Update on Reading Challenges

  Library Books: 9 / 10
  Future Perfect || Blackhearts || Rebel of the Sands
  The Buddha in the Attic || Wide Sargasso Sea || Re Jane
  The Elegance of the Hedgehog || The Girl Who Fell from the Sky
  The Gilded Cage

  #ReRead2016: 2 / 5
  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix || Emma

  Flights of Fantasy: 6 / 5 // complete!
  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix || Rebel of the Sands
  Lady Renegades || The Star-Touched Queen || Assassin’s Apprentice
  My Lady Jane

  Classics Challenge: 1 / 5
  Emma

  Rock My TBR: 13 / 12 // complete!
  Walk on Earth a Stranger || Arsenic for Tea || Since You’ve Been Gone
  Picture Perfect || Twenties Girl || Remember Me? || Assassin’s Apprentice
  Eligible || The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow || 13 Little Blue Envelopes
  Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here || Me Before You || First & Then

  Impulse Buys: 5 / 5 // no more buying!
  Can You Keep a Secret? || I’ve Got Your Number || The Undomestic Goddess
  My Lady Jane || The Hating Game

  Overall Challenge: 42 / 50

  Random Obsessions

  On TV: YOU GUYS. Big Bang is back, as is Poldark! I also watched a lot of Olympics this summer (who didn’t?). Of course I hissed and groaned when an athlete wasn’t perfect, because that’s what you do when you’re a couch potato who doesn’t want to acknowledge the fact you have no athletic abilities whatsoever. *wink*

  On Film: The Beau and I saw a lot of movies, one of them The Light Between Oceans. No, I haven’t read the book yet *gasp* but I did enjoy the film. My favorite soundtrack composer, Alexandra Desplat, worked on this film, too. At the end, the Beau turned to me and said, “If we find a baby in the ocean, we’re reporting it immediately.” Had to laugh at that.

  In the Shopping Bag: Not much shopping this summer, though in the last few weeks I’ve started buying a lot of autumn decor. And now ModCloth has autumn apparel online, so you know I’m going gaga over that…

  Miscellaneous: I don’t know if this is a local brewery or a national chain, but I’ve been going to Hopcat more and more just because I’m obsessed with their crack fries. YUM.

  Looking Towards the Future

  In October, I’m going to see Into the Woods with Mom for her birthday, and we’re both very excited about this! A huge group of friends are going to see Star Wars and Fantastic Beasts, too. It’s prime awesome-movies-time! And of course, Thanksgiving and Christmas are holidays to look forward to, as well as all the Christmas concerts and festivities. It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

  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 | 4 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• Flipping Through the Pages: Spring Rewind 2016

  Posted at 5:15 pm by Laura, on July 2, 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

  

  

  

  There is nothing more beautiful than history standing the test of time. The choir I’m in went on tour to Germany, with visits to Prague and Salzburg. After the tour, I flew to London and stayed with my college roommate and her husband. One of the days in England I traveled up to Haworth to visit the Bronte Parsonage. June was a fantastic month! (L to R: Castle Church in Wittenberg, Prague Old Town, Bronte Parsonage)

  Life Highlights

  Hold on tight. CAPSLOCK!Laura heading straight for you…

  I SOLD AN AMAZING BOOK TO AN AMAZING EDITOR FOR AN AMAZING DEAL!

  

  I left bookselling and RETURNED TO MY LIBRARIAN ROOTS! I now work for an amazing library in town and am absolutely thrilled to be there.

  

  SEEING MY FRIENDS AT BOOK EXPO AMERICA WAS THE BEST

  

  Accurate gif of the experience both on the floor, at dinners, and in the hotel rooms. Shenanigans, folks. Shenanigans. (Also, the only non-Hiddles gif because it’s just too perfect.)

  

  But I had to include a Hiddles one anyway

  Followed by a wonderful trip back to the Motherlands (my true one, Germany, and the one of my mind, heart, soul, body, and spirit, ENGLAND)!

  

  

   

  Tunes on Repeat

  I had no idea I needed The 16 in my life till a friend posted this on my FB page. What a glorious, GLORIOUS sound. My choral nerd self is dying over here.

  Whenever I go to a public place to use their wifi for work, I immediately search Spotify for some good instrumental music in the background. I’m constantly coming back to Ludovico Einaudi and Angele Dubeau.

  To be honest, the majority of music I listened to the past three months were choral pieces. Part of it was in preparation for the choir trip. It was nice to dive back into that world.

  Bookmarked in the Community

  1. Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere @ Belle of the Literati —  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Kelly’s new travel and wanderlust feature. She shares experiences from her travels, tips, dos and don’ts, and places she’s eager to visit in the future.
  2. Harry Potter at 30 @ Perpetual Page-Turner — Massive round of applause to Jamie for reading Harry Potter for the first time! She shares some interesting insights, too!
  3. Do You Procrastinate Reading Books You’re 99% Sure You’ll Love? @ Paper Fury — Cait voiced something many readers have surely come across before: the strange habit of not reading a book you’re positive you’ll adore. She lists several potential reasons for this thought process. What’s yours?
  4. Celebrate Charlotte Bronte’s Birthday by Reading Villette @ The Pool — This year marks the 200th birthday of Charlotte Bronte, and Samantha Ellis has a few words to say on why you should read the other, angry-sister-to-Jane–Eyre classic, Villette.

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. Deal Announcement: Jared Reck, YA Contemporary — Add this book to your Goodreads TBR!
  2. That One Time I Binged on Kinsella, Part Two — Part One was a hit in the last rewind! So glad you enjoyed the posts.
  3. Book Review: “When We Collided” by Emery Lord — Such an important read. Different from Lord’s other books in a great way.
  4. Book Expo America 2016: A Chicago Experience — My second BEA was a success in many ways, though hosting it in Chicago had its pros and cons.

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  

  When We Collided by Emery Lord ★★★★.5

  Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman ★★★★★

  Re Jane by Patricia Park ★★★★

  The Lie Tree by Francis Hardinge ★★★★★ (review to come!)

  Cherished Quotes

  “I want to lie beside you and know the weight of your dreams,” he said,
  brushing his lips against my knuckles. “I want to share whole worlds with you
  and write your name in the stars.” He moved closer and a chorus of songbirds
  twittered silver melodies. “I want to measure eternity with your laughter.”
  –The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

  I have since come to know that many men always see
  another’s good fortune as a slight to themselves.
  —Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

  “For Signor Galilei’s sake, I’ll always despise the machinery of religion.”
  I nearly dropped the telescope. “You despise God?”
  He let out a pent-up breath. “I hate when people twist religion to
  suit their own purposes or force others to believe what they do.”
  —Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman

  “You know what I think? I think you’re not really in love with Chandler. You’re just grateful he loves you.”
  –Re Jane by Patricia Park

  Progress Update on Reading Challenges

  Library Books: 6 / 10
  Future Perfect || Blackhearts || Rebel of the Sands
  The Buddha in the Attic || Wide Sargasso Sea || Re Jane
  

  #ReRead2016: 2 / 5
  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix || Emma

  Flights of Fantasy: 5 / 5 // complete!
  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix || Rebel of the Sands
  Lady Renegades || The Star-Touched Queen || Assassin’s Apprentice

  Classics Challenge: 1 / 5
  Emma

  Rock My TBR: 11 / 12
  Walk on Earth a Stranger || Arsenic for Tea || Since You’ve Been Gone
  Picture Perfect || Twenties Girl || Remember Me? || Assassin’s Apprentice
  Eligible || The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow || 13 Little Blue Envelopes
  Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here

  Impulse Buys: 3 / 5
  Can You Keep a Secret? || I’ve Got Your Number || The Undomestic Goddess

  Overall Challenge: 31 / 50

  Random Obsessions

  On TV: OUTLANDER IS BAAAAACK.

  

  AND GRANTCHESTER.

  

  AND ENDEAVOUR.

  

  And all the castle documentaries on Netflix. Have you seen the wonderful Dan Jones on Secrets of Great British Castles yet? No? DO IT NOW.

  On Film: CIVIL WAAARRRRR.

  In the Shopping Bag: EVERYTHING FROM EUROPE. I went a little nuts in London and bought 17 books…and lots of silver Mozartkugels in Salzburg. Chocolate and books — what a life.

  Miscellaneous: Not much to mention here. All of my time and energy was spent on work and preparing for travel (then traveling). But I have been watching an obscene amount of TV the last few months, so let’s stick with that!

  Looking Towards the Future

  My life calms down a bit for the rest of the year. So far I know July through September will include family gatherings, a friend from college’s wedding, and Amanda’s precious baby girl’s baptism. After the year I’ve had, I think a calmer summer is just the thing I need!

  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 | 5 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• Flipping Through the Pages: Winter Rewind 2016

  Posted at 4:45 am by Laura, on April 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

  

  

  

  On one particularly rough day, the doorbell rang with a welcomed surprise: flowers from one of my clients! Just because. They brightened the following weeks in many ways. In February, I donated a foot of hair. Needless to say, my neck thanks me for it. And then in March, a couple friends from college sent me an awesome birthday package that contained these nerdy owl socks.

  Life Highlights

  To be honest, 2016 has been quite brutal so far. I’m still shocked, devastated, frustrated, heartbroken, and a whole mix of sad words, so I’m clinging to the joys of spring and March to keep me going. The birthday, taking up yoga, getting back into running, flailing over author cover reveals…March was on the right track. April has already proven to be filled with good news, so let’s hope everything looks brighter here on out!

  Tunes on Repeat

  As to be expected, the music I listened to on repeat truly reflect the state I’ve been in these last few months.

  ABBA’s “Chiquitita” and “The Winner Takes It All” were just…blasted. All the time. Day and night, in my room, in the car, on Spotify. Sometimes I cried like there was no tomorrow, sometimes I sang and danced. But they’ve been permanently imbedded in my mind and I’ve no doubt I’ll forever associate them with this time in my life.

  Little Mix’s “Wings” is a song I had on my running playlist back when I ran through Valley Forge. A good pick-me-up, girl-power kind of tune for exactly that: getting you up and moving.

  And of course, it wouldn’t be March without some Irish music. The High Kings were played on repeat as well. “The Parting Glass,” sung by anyone really, is one of my favorites.

  Bookmarked in the Community

  1. Am I Outgrowing YA? @ Novel Ink — Christy shared her thoughts on her YA slump vs reading slump, and wondered if she was outgrowing YA or just not reading the things that capture her attention. Have you felt the same about a particular category or genre?
  2. Book People Talk Movies: The Great British Bake-Off @ Bring My Books — January’s theme on Lindsey’s blog was Reality TV, and Gillian was more than happy to push Lindsey into the obsession that’s GBBO. It even inspired “Signature Dish Saturday” on the blog with Gillian’s Banana Chiffon Cake.
  3. To Continue On or Not? @ Perpetual Page-Turner — For some, DNFing a book is easy. Or the kind of DNF that’s “let me just put this down and I’ll get back to it later.” But in this discussion, Jamie questions whether to continue a series. How do you decide whether or not to continue reading?
  4. “Is this silly enough for you yet? Gothic enough, mad enough, even for you?”: Nostalgia for the ‘Victorian’ @ The Victorianist — No no, you’re not crazy, that is what Moriarty said to Sherlock in the special episode. Emily Bowles, a PhD candidate at the University of York, discusses the TV show Dickensian and the importance of nostalgia’s “shaping influence in the afterlives of the Victorians and their texts.” A part of me is still so romantically stuck in the academic world that I couldn’t help but share this!
  5. Lies Bookworms Tell Themselves @ Paper Fury — Look me in the eye, bookworms, and tell me you haven’t had at least one of these thoughts.
  6. “You Must Allow Me to Tell You…” @ So Obsessed With — Hannah highlighted twenty great declarations of love in literature, classics and contemporary, for Valentine’s Day. Check it out.
  7. Falling in Love with Revision @ Clarissa Harwood — Something I think all writers should consider reading.
  8. Taking the Guesswork Out of My Book Ratings @ Boomark Lit — It seems bloggers are very much influenced by their immediate emotional reaction to book, and thus it appears everything is 4 or 5 stars. But how can you critically differentiate a 4-star book from a 5-star book when it’s entirely influenced by an emotional reaction? How was the writing, the plot, the character development, the world-building, all the other ingredients that make a book great? Lauren’s got a neat system she’s shared on her blog.
  9. One Weird Trick That Makes a Novel Addictive @ Jezebel — While the article seems to start by saying addictive novels are dependent on the author’s gender, that’s not it at all. Catherine Nichols is instead sharing the elements of classics still read today that make them compulsively readable, relatable, and addictive.

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. That One Time I Binged on Kinsella — Intended to be Part One of a two-part post! My winter was full of Kinsella discoveries and humor, and I’ve enjoyed every page. Glad to see you have, too!
  2. Book Review: “Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Sepetys — If you haven’t read Sepetys yet, do so now. She’s phenomenal.
  3. 2016 Bookish Resolutions and Reading Challenges — One of the things we all need to do throughout the year is step back and examine our resolutions, personal challenges, goals, and areas for improvement.

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller ★★★★.5

  Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys ★★★★★

  Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella ★★★★

  Cherished Quotes

  “’Manners cost nothing, sir,’ I said. ‘It takes as much
  time to be rude as it does to be polite.’”
  –The Forbidden Orchid, by Sharon Biggs Waller

  “You have a horse, you ride wherever you want, you shoot
  things with your gun, you go out in the night and find lost
  children and jump under wagons to save little girls.”
  —Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

  “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

  Progress Update on Reading Challenges

  Library Books: 3 / 10
  Future Perfect || Blackhearts || Rebel of the Sands
  

  #ReRead2016: 1 / 5
  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

  Flights of Fantasy: 3 / 5
  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix || Rebel of the Sands
  Lady Renegades

  Classics Challenge: 0 / 5
  *currently reading Emma*

  Rock My TBR: 3 / 12
  Walk on Earth a Stranger || Arsenic for Tea || Twenties Girl

  Impulse Buys: 3 / 5
  Can You Keep a Secret? || I’ve Got Your Number || The Undomestic Goddess

  Overall Challenge: 13/50

  Random Obsessions

  On TV: The final season of Downton Abbey took over my Sunday nights, and just about any other time I was watching Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. I need more shows like MFMM! Grantchester is back for season 2, and Endeavour is on its way for season 3, but really now. More great mysteries, please.

  On Film: The Intern. Folks, if I loved Kinsella as much as I did and needed a movie that had a hardworking female career woman struggling through life, The Intern was a surprising treat.

  In the Shopping Bag: 70% off sale in January at ModCloth! Flights from Munich to London in February! All the Kinsella impulse buys in March! Guys, retail therapy was rough this season. It’s back to saving. I need money for BEA and for my European jaunt in June!

  Miscellaneous: To get back into yoga, I revisited Yoga with Adrienne. Adrienne is wonderful! I’ve completed her 30-day challenge and it’s fantastic. Do you have a favorite YouTuber or video work-out instructor you run to?

  Looking Towards the Future

  While the beginning of 2016 was rotten, I know the following months will be absolutely wonderful, no matter what life throws my way. My dear friend Amanda has her baby shower in April, I’m reuniting with all the bookish folks at Book Expo America in May, and in June I’m wandering through Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, and England. I love traveling. It’s the best.

  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 | 6 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• 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

• Flipping Through the Pages: Summer Rewind 2015

  Posted at 8:35 am by Laura, on October 1, 2015

  

  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

  

  

  

  Happy birthday to Harry Potter! I’m not a Funko Pop collector at all, but when I saw him (and Voldemort), I couldn’t help myself. Also, Amanda got married! Here she is in all her stunning, prairie fairy glory, dancing with her father. Late in September, my mother and I went on a trip around Oregon together. This particular shot is from Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport.

  Life Highlights

  While I could go on and on about the wonderful things that happened this summer (Amanda’s beautiful wedding, being featured in Writer’s Digest, my first anniversary with TriadaUS, traveling to Oregon with Mom for a mother-daughter trip), the best and most wonderful thing ever was receiving the most perfect surprise from my amazing friends. They raised money to help fund a trip to England so that I could see the British Beau before June 2016!

  It was a complete surprise. On Wednesday nights, my med school friend and I get together to study (her) and read manuscripts (me) at Starbucks — creatively called Starbucks Wednesdays. When I showed up on September 2nd, I was surprised to find a couple of our friends there as well. “We have something to give you.” They handed me a fat envelope filled with money and cards and letters of love, including one from British Beau. Obviously I burst into tears and made a scene (of joy! OF JOY!). We had to leave and take a walk on a nearby trail so that I could process this. My family knew about it, the beau knew about it, and I was completely overwhelmed. The next day, I booked my flights for a December visit.

  I can’t thank them enough. Hugs and kisses to all!

  Tunes on Repeat

  Shut Up & Dance (With Me) by Walk the Moon. Do I really need a reason? It doesn’t matter what mood I’m in, I will dance to this song anywhere at any time. Plus, the video is super cool.

  Hannah and Maggie’s The Land & the Sea, or really anything by them that crops up when I listen to Spotify. They remind me of The Wailin’ Jennys.

  Thunder by Jessie J is an excellent shout-and-dance, blast-your-eardrums-out song. Add to your running playlist!

  Bookmarked in the Community

  1. Slut-Shaming, Relationships, and Feminism in YA @ Bookmark Lit — Lauren wrote an excellent post on the difficulties of being a feminist (especially agreed with the line about objectification and feeling hypocritical), and portraying feminism and sexism realistically in YA literature. Girls are bullied and harassed on a daily basis, but when does it become too much in the span of a book? Can characters really learn quickly the consequences of their actions? Do authors need to spell things out? Give this great post a read!
  2. How to Manage Your TBR Like a Boss @ Belle of the Literati — I’m just gonna say it: Kelly really is the TBR Boss of TBR Bosses. She’s ruthless. She’s the Marie Kondo of TBR bookcases and Goodreads lists. If you need to tidy up your TBR, look no further. Kelly’s got your back.
  3. Reconstructing the Victorians @ Clarissa Harwood — Shortly after the Vox article appeared, about a couple living life as if they were Victorians, one of my clients discussed the extremes in reactions to it as well as the couple’s lifestyle. An interesting read for anyone who read the article and/or are interested in the Victorian era.
  4. Perception, Reality, and Our Super Reader Community @ Perpetual Page-Turner — Jamie, like Hannah, always has some of the best discussion posts. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, in which Jamie discusses the echo chamber of the blogging community. Are we all reading the same things, and whether or not we are, are bloggers discouraged from promoting a book because “the author already has a lot of buzz”? The situation works in reverse as well, with books “lesser known” in the blogging community. Buzz is buzz, and every little bit helps an author. As Jamie said, the community doesn’t reflect sales. It’s the enthusiasm. Give this a read!
  5. A Brief History of Dickens Bashing @ Journal of Victorian Culture Online — Along those same lines, how do we perceive authors and/or their works now or from the past? Emily Bowles discusses all the good things Dickens revealed in his work, his social contributions and the positive things he did for Victorian society, juxtaposed with his rather sordid personal life. How do we judge an author: by their lifestyle, by their deeds, by their work? How does it alter our perception of them/their work? A post for nerds!

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. Top Ten Tuesday: Hyped Books I’ve Never Read — This was posted before Go Set a Watchman came out. And I think that’s what did me in…
  2. Book Review: Uprooted by Naomi Novik — Uprooted was an excellent and unique fantasy. I read this shortly after all the major buzz hit newspapers and magazines, after several bloggers read and flailed over it.
  3. Top Ten Tuesday: Take My Money! — One of my favorite TTTs, featuring authors I will follow to the ends of the earth. As I wrote the post I had difficulty stopping at ten! Automatic buys, all of them.
  4. Book Review: Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy — No surprise here that this was a hit post. Dumplin’ deserves all the attention. I cannot get enough of this book, and apparently neither can you!

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  

  The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon ★★★★

  The Lake House by Kate Morton (review to come!)

  Beastly Bones by William Ritter ★★★★

  Dumplin‘ by Julie Murphy ★★★★★

  Cherished Quotes

  “Mom, I feel good.” My voice starts out even and calm.
  “This dress makes me feel like someone I didn’t know I could be.
  I’ve never owned anything like it. But if when you see this —
  when you see me — you think it’s a pity, that it’s a shame
  I didn’t lose a few, then screw you, Mom. Try harder.”
  —Dumplin’, by Julie Murphy

  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: 53 / 60*
  *yes! I up’d my challenge another 10 books!

  Random Obsessions

  On TV: Poldark. If you didn’t watch it, do so now. It’s like Outlander and Downton Abbey had a baby in Cornwall and this masterpiece arrived.

  On Film: After finishing Gilmore Girls, it felt strange not having a show or movie to turn to to ease out of a constant marathon. When this happens, I turn to either 10 Things I Hate About You, Love Actually, or About Time. This summer, it was About Time. (I love it so much, I dedicated a whole blog post over on Lindsey’s blog!)

  In the Shopping Bag: Oh, ModCloth. I caved and broke my buying ban. Whenever they send out sales emails, I’m suckered in. Thankfully that meant snagging the best cardigan on the planet (I’m wearing it now!) and my new favorite purse!

  Miscellaneous: That coloring book craze everyone is into these days (as if art therapy was never a thing) piqued my curiosity. But I didn’t want to buy a coloring book if I wasn’t going to devote time to it. Andi @ Andi’s ABCs offered a solution: Colorfy app! Free, fun, like a coloring book but for your phone! // In the midst of my Gilmore Girls replacement, I was looking for something to watch or listen to while taking a break from agenting. British Beau offered some BBC Radio 4 shows (Book of the Week, Book at Bedtime, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, The Infinite Monkey Cage). Nerdtastic, which means it’s up your alley, too. // Whittard tea. DIVIIIIIIINE. Oh my gosh. Toss all other tea out the window. (Also, thank you to British Beau! What a life-changer.)

  Looking Towards the Future

  Now that the holiday season is fast approaching, there are plenty of things to look forward to October through December! First, I’ll be attending the Indiana Writing Workshop again this year in late October. November is Thanksgiving, which is always excellent because the house smells wonderful and family comes to town! Now December…December wins everything. I’ll start off the month in England visiting the British Beau, come back to a flurry of Christmas concerts and activities, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s — it’ll be the best December ever!

  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 | 7 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• 

• 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 knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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