tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17024462854558482192024-02-18T20:53:46.765-05:00The Library CanaryA YA book review blog. Reviews, discussions and all things bookish! Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.comBlogger691125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-80171645000954712572016-03-07T00:00:00.000-05:002016-03-07T00:00:05.774-05:00The Library Canary is Getting a New Name! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For the past couple weeks I've been teasing you guys with "news" that I have to share. Well it's finally time for me to reveal what I've been working on for the last couple months! I'm so nervous, but also so excited to share with you guys. Okay, enough with the suspense. </div>
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The Library Canary will no longer exist as of Monday, March 14th. Don't freak out! I've just changed the name. Oh you want to know what the new name is? Meet Unbound Pages, your new source for books, writing, blogging and ridiculous fangirling (yeah, I think we both know the fangirling wasn't going anywhere). </div>
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Why am I doing this?</div>
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You may have noticed since the beginning of the year that the focus around here has changed just a bit. The main focus is certainly still books. Because well... BOOKS ARE LIFE. OBVIOUSLY. But I've also been doing some posts on writing, blogging tips, organization methods, etc. I didn't feel like "The Library Canary" was a name that encompassed all that.</div>
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I've also wanted to do a redesign for a looong time, but never really knew where to start. So I took the plunge, changed the name, bought a domain and am moving over to Wordpress. Bye, bye, Blogger. It's been fun. Originally my plan was to pay someone to do the new design for me, but it turns out that website design is way more expensive than I anticipated. *sigh* So instead, I bought <a href="https://www.nosegraze.com/" target="_blank">Ashley's</a> Tweak Me theme and got to work. I have been having so much fun tweaking it and designing it the way I want it. Obviously it would have been much easier to pay someone to do it for me. But I'm actually loving being able to do it myself. Gives me a sense of pride when I see what I've done. Ashley makes everything really easy and she's super awesome about answering all my questions.</div>
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What does this mean for you? Nothing really. If you subscribe via email or Bloglovin' your subscriptions will automatically carry over. (If I do everything right... please do let me know if something doesn't seem to be working properly.) The only subscription that WON'T carry over will be Feedly. But there will be a new Feedly button on Unbound Pages so just hop over there Monday and click to add it to your reader. If you visit this site on Monday it will automatically redirect you to my new site which will be unboundpages[dot]com.</div>
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You'll notice my social media handles all change so if you're typing @librarycanary into Twitter and going where the heck is Rebecca, don't forget it will be @unboundpages now.</div>
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I am beyond thrilled about this change and I hope you all are too. I'm so thankful for all of my followers and I genuinely hope you guys all come with me and love the new site. Starting this blog has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I've learned so much and met so many amazing people, some of whom I now call my best friends. The Library Canary will always mean something special to me, but I'm excited to move forward and continue to grow and develop as a blogger.</div>
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Make sure to stop by Unbound Pages on Monday, the 14th for a fun launch post with some epic and awesome giveaways that I myself am jealous of. Can I enter to win? For real. These prizes are going to make you screech. </div>
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Thank you again to each and every one of you for your support. You mean the world to me. <333</div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-20508084614959568182016-03-03T00:00:00.000-05:002016-03-03T06:36:14.708-05:00February 2016 Wrap-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's March!! You know what that means? It's almost my birthday. And we all know what that means... more new books! Hopefully. *crosses fingers* I am also going to hopefully have some exciting news to share with you guys this month which I've been teasing you about for a few weeks now. I'm almost ready to share so just sit tight and soon you'll be privy to the awesomeness that is coming!</div>
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How was my February? Lonely. Phil (the hubby) was gone on business for 3 weeks. Yes, I know. 3 weeks!! So I was flying solo for most of the month. Um, adulting is hard when he's around, but when he's not?? Impossible. But I kept myself busy. I went up to Boston for a weekend to visit my friend and her new baby who is just absolutely precious. Still don't want kids of my own, but I was more than happy to cuddle with him all weekend. We stayed inside because it was balls cold up there.. Like on Sunday when we woke up and turned on the news it said it was zero degrees. And that was before taking the wind chill into account. So yeah, we stayed curled up under some blankets and watched movies all weekend. </div>
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And then the following weekend, I was super busy playing catch up on all the blogging things that it just blinked on by and before I knew it, Phil was coming home. </div>
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I also got to go to not one, but two author events last month! The first was for Veronica Rossi's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23430471-riders?ac=1&from_search=1&from_nav=true" target="_blank">Riders</a> </i>tour. She was joined by Susan Dennard and Kami Garcia on her DC stop. Kami is absolutely hilarious. She had me cracking up the whole time. And I loved hearing about all the research Rossi did before writing <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23430471-riders?ac=1&from_search=1&from_nav=true" target="_blank">Riders</a></i>, including going to a seven day long horseback riding camp so she could learn how to ride! Thank god. Nothing drives me crazier than books featuring horses where the author clearly has no clue how to ride. I can't wait to read the book! </div>
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The other event was for Victoria Schwab's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20764879-a-gathering-of-shadows?ac=1&from_search=1&from_nav=true" target="_blank">A Gathering of Shadows</a></i>. I absolutely LOVED <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-darker-shade-of-magic-by-ve.html" target="_blank">A Darker Shade of Magic</a></i>. In fact, I'm rereading it right now before I get to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20764879-a-gathering-of-shadows?ac=1&from_search=1&from_nav=true" target="_blank">AGOS</a>. Victoria was so adorable, sweet and gracious. She was blown away by how many people showed up for her signing and you could tell that she really meant it when she thanked all of her readers. She also discussed the possibility of a <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-darker-shade-of-magic-by-ve.html" target="_blank">ADSOM</a> TV show. Guess what? She wrote the pilot! And she said we are either a). not going to get a show or b). get a show that is a seriously faithful and amazing adaptation. I want it!!! </div>
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I also didn't really get a chance to participate fully in the <a href="http://www.alexalovesbooks.com/2016/01/2016-love-thon-sign-ups.html" target="_blank">Love-a-Thon</a> this year which I was sad about. I just didn't have the time to pull it together. But I did jump into a couple of the Twitter chats and they were so fun! Thanks to <a href="http://www.alexalovesbooks.com/" target="_blank">Alexa Loves Books</a>, <a href="http://www.thedailyprophecy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Daily Prophecy</a>, <a href="http://www.thenovelhermit.com/" target="_blank">The Novel Hermit</a> and <a href="http://staybookish.net/" target="_blank">Stay Bookish</a> for hosting! You ladies are awesome! </div>
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So what did you miss on the blog? </div>
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Reviews:</h3>
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<b><i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/02/review-hunter-by-mercedes-lackey.html" target="_blank">Hunter</a> </i>by Mercedes Lackey: 4 Stars</b></div>
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About a world where every mythological creature has somehow slipped through the cracks and entered the human world. People are now sequestered to cities and are protected by an elite group of people called Hunters. Slow start, but strong finish.</div>
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<b><i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/02/review-book-thief-by-markus-zusak.html" target="_blank">The Book Thief</a> </i>by Markus Zusak: 5 Stars</b></div>
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About a young German girl who is given to a foster family during WWII. She doesn't know how to read so she steals books to try to learn. If you love historical fiction, you MUST read this book. </div>
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<b><i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/02/review-reckless-hearts-by-sean-olin.html" target="_blank">Reckless Hearts</a> </i>by Sean Olin: 2 Stars</b></div>
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The companion to <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-wicked-games-by-sean-olin.html" target="_blank">Wicked Games</a></i> about a boy in love with his best friend, but is unable to tell her. Also some thrillery stuff involved, but this one was too predictable for me. A bummer since I liked the first one. </div>
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<b><i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/02/review-power-by-jennifer-l-armentrout.html" target="_blank">The Power</a> </i>by Jennifer L. Armentrout: 5 Stars</b></div>
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Sethie!!! My cuddle bunny!! If you thought <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-return-by-jennifer-l-armentrout.html" target="_blank">The Return</a> </i>was hot, just wait until you get to this book. I needed a cold shower after reading. </div>
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This month's writing post was about slowing down. I feel like the internet is constantly screaming at writers to go faster, but I wanted to tell you guys that <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/02/better-to-write-slower-during-revisions.html" target="_blank">it's okay to slow down and take your time</a>. You may find that your writing comes out better and requires less revisions. </div>
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<b>Blogging/Organization:</b></h3>
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On the organization side of things... I told you h<a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-clean-off-your-bookshelves-infographic-giveaway.html" target="_blank">ow to clean off your bookshelves</a> and even made a helpful infographic for you. I went on this cleaning/organizing binge at the tail end of January/early February and I have to say I feel much better now that my house is more organized. Well it was... now it's a mess again. *sigh*</div>
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Other Bookish Fun:</h3>
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And probably my favorite post of the month where I talked about why <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/02/red-rising-best-science-fiction-series.html" target="_blank"><i>Red Rising </i>is the best science fiction series I've ever read</a>. I did a reread of <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/02/review-red-rising-by-pierce-brown.html" target="_blank">Red Rising</a> </i>and <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-golden-son-by-pierce-brown.html" target="_blank">Golden Son</a></i> before reading the epicness that is <i>Morning Star</i> and I was once again blown away by this series. I could get into it all here, but really you should just go read my post, then go read the books. I also tried my hand at creating a desktop/phone background for you guys and I was pretty pleased with how it turned out! You can download it at the end of the Red Rising post. The best part about reading this series? Buddy reading with <a href="http://book-scents.com/" target="_blank">Wendy</a>! She is totally my book soul sister and reading books with her is always the best!!</div>
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Stats:</h3>
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Most popular post on the blog last month: <b><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-clean-off-your-bookshelves-infographic-giveaway.html" target="_blank">How to Clean Off Your Bookshelves</a></b></div>
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I'm glad you guys enjoyed this post and I hope it was helpful! I'll need to clean mine off again soon... I'm drowning in books. </div>
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Referrals: <b><a href="http://www.alexalovesbooks.com/" target="_blank">Alexa Loves Books</a></b> and <b><a href="http://paperfury.com/" target="_blank">Paper Fury</a></b> </div>
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For the 2nd month in a row! Thanks guys! You're the best! </div>
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Top Social Network: <a href="https://twitter.com/LibraryCanary" target="_blank">Twitter</a></div>
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Twitter bumped back up to #1 this month, but <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/LibraryCanary/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> is a close second which is very exciting to me. </div>
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On Instagram:</h3>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/librarycanary/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9mIEx4d64zoXrvbnUgvH_3Fsc-rsSq92XZ0zWWszpqitx1iOqCd4HBX_wFvGlP_xHolCSd34_6YRpGJwUF1eSuw8d19UMFxJyJSQYW3gwsMJziA_569V1nLW1nev2i3PuY7AyJyc12WJ/s640/February+2016+Insta.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I think I'm slowly but surely getting better with my camera. What do you guys think? Is there anything you'd like to see more of? What's your favorite pic here? </div>
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Posts You Should Read:</h3>
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<a href="http://nellieandco.blogspot.com/2016/02/google-analytics-tutorial-beginners.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NellieAndCo+%28Nellie+and+Co.%29" target="_blank">Google Analytics Features Made Easy for Beginners</a> from Nellie & Co.</div>
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<a href="http://nellieandco.blogspot.com/2016/02/instagram-apps.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NellieAndCo+%28Nellie+and+Co.%29" target="_blank">2 Social Media Apps That Have Changed How I Instagram</a> from Nellie & Co.</div>
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<a href="http://paperfury.com/lies-bookbloggers-tell/" target="_blank">Lies Book Bloggers Tell Themselves</a> from Paper Fury</div>
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<a href="http://paperfury.com/why-do-we-love-painful-books/" target="_blank">Why Do We Love Painful Books</a> from Paper Fury</div>
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<a href="http://book-scents.com/2016/02/26/cafe-chat-steps-of-falling-into-a-book-obsession/" target="_blank">Steps of Falling Into a Book Obsession</a> from Book Scents</div>
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<a href="http://book-scents.com/2016/02/24/open-letter-to-pierce-brown-morning-star-by-pierce-brown/" target="_blank">Open Letter to Pierce Brown</a> from Book Scents</div>
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<a href="http://www.bravenewbetty.com/fitness-friday-strong-not-skinny/" target="_blank">Strong Not Skinny</a> from Brave New Betty</div>
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<a href="http://belleoftheliterati.blogspot.com/2016/02/sexy-times-for-win-kellys-list-of-love.html" target="_blank">Sexy Times for the Win, Kelly's List of Love Stories</a> from Belle of the Literati - She's the Queen of Sexy books. Listen to her! </div>
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<a href="https://www.nosegraze.com/seo-heading-tags/" target="_blank">SEO the Hell Out of Your Heading Tags</a> from Nosegraze</div>
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<a href="https://www.nosegraze.com/speed-up-blog/" target="_blank">The 6 Things You Can Do to Speed Up Your Blog</a> from Nosegraze</div>
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<a href="http://www.forestofwordsandpages.com/2016/02/discussion-post-bookish-and-nonbookish-sitesapps-i-love-that-arent-blogs/" target="_blank">Bookish and Nonbookish Sites/Apps I Love</a> from Forest of Words and Pages</div>
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<b>How was your February? What was your favorite book you read? Mine was definitely Morning Star. Did you go to any author events in February? Tell me about them! </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-90846220580492310362016-03-01T00:00:00.000-05:002016-03-01T06:26:10.663-05:00Review: Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i style="background-color: color: #333333; font-family: Copse; font-size: 13.524px; line-height: 20.286px;">***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my opinion. The review below reflects my open and honest thoughts.***</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Racked with guilt and shattered over Val’s probable betrayal, Lea sets out to even the score, with her heart set on retaliation and only one thought clear in her mind: make the Da Vias pay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">With shades of The Godfather and Romeo and Juliet, this richly imagined fantasy from debut author Sarah Ahiers is a story of love, lies, and the ultimate vengeance.</span><br />
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My Thoughts:</h3>
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I love assassins. Maybe that makes me a little messed up in the head. I wish I could be an assassin. That probably makes me a lot more messed up in the head. I don't actually want to kill someone. I just want to be badass enough that I could if I needed to? Does that sound normal? Probs not, but since when have I ever been normal. So any book with the word <b>Assassin</b> in the title is going to grab my attention. </div>
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I really enjoyed the religious aspect of this book. </h4>
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Basically these assassins are doling out this one god's justice for her. It reminded me of <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/08/review-grave-mercy-by-robin-lafevers.html" target="_blank">Grave Mercy</a></i>, a book I love so I was immediately hooked on the idea of religion being the purpose of the deaths. I also loved that the assassins were highly esteemed. People were afraid of them, but they also respected them. </div>
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The crime-mob family feeling was interesting.</h4>
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So all the assassins are a member of a different Family. And yes, the F is capitalized for a reason. You have your family and then you have your Family. And Family comes before family. This was very mob-esque and I loved the loyalty and the rivalries between the families. It gave the book that extra feeling of danger. </div>
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The plot line was interesting, albeit a bit slow. </h4>
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Basic gist of the story: the main character's Family is completely wiped out by a rival Family. She escapes and goes into hiding. Her ultimate goal is to find her long lost uncle and get him to help her seek revenge against the Family who destroyed hers. The plot line was interesting, but it was really slow paced. I found myself unable to get into the story. I would read for a bit, put it down and then have no motivation to pick it up again and that's what killed my rating of this book. </div>
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The characters were meh.</h4>
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I didn't dislike the characters. In fact I liked them. I thought they had depth. But I didn't love them. I didn't connect with them. When there was an intense fight scene, I wasn't on the edge of my seat praying that my darlings made it out. They were enjoyable to read about, but they were just characters on a page to me. They never came to life. </div>
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Assassin's Heart was an okay story, but I probably wouldn't recommend it.</h4>
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In the sea of fantasy books popping up in the YA market, I don't think this one stands out. Although it wasn't terrible and I did enjoy it for the most part, I didn't love it enough to want to continue with the series. </div>
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<b>Have you read this book yet? Did you find the plot to be slow? Did you feel more connected to the characters than I did? What was your favorite aspect? Mine was definitely the religion. </b> </div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-75641692706376031042016-02-25T00:00:00.000-05:002016-02-25T00:00:16.508-05:00Why Red Rising Is the Best Science Fiction Series I've Ever Read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8GW2hHkh0Qv_YcTWqJ-RZwbcMC6SriXLAXsF0ueW9bKm0SxPBAxrt1dacUSEjA349UFGknEH8tTmcY1ZlSzKl0dnvtiFisQV_Co40cjsh0u0-oIs6sOJr4iwR2vFiYq0Bwebxrdt69Cy/s1600/Red+Rising+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8GW2hHkh0Qv_YcTWqJ-RZwbcMC6SriXLAXsF0ueW9bKm0SxPBAxrt1dacUSEjA349UFGknEH8tTmcY1ZlSzKl0dnvtiFisQV_Co40cjsh0u0-oIs6sOJr4iwR2vFiYq0Bwebxrdt69Cy/s640/Red+Rising+1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I recently reread <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/02/review-red-rising-by-pierce-brown.html" target="_blank">Red Rising</a> </i>and <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-golden-son-by-pierce-brown.html" target="_blank">Golden Son</a> </i>in preparation for the final book in the series, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18966806-morning-star" target="_blank">Morning Star</a></i>. Don't know what this series is about? You can click the links to read my reviews, but here's a brief summary. Humans have successfully terraformed planets and moons. The have divided into an elaborate caste system of colors with Golds being at the top of the food chain and Reds being at the very bottom. The reds on Mars work underground tirelessly mining Helium 3, a vital substance to the terraforming process. They are told that they are the pioneers working diligently to make Mars a better place for the future. But the truth is that Mars is already terraformed and really they're just slaves. Enter our main character, Darrow, a Red that just wanted to live a happy life with his family. But when he finds out the secret the Golds have been keeping from them, he sacrifices everything to infiltrate the system and collapse it once and for all. Sounds cool right? IT IS COOL. And that's why I'm going to give you all the reasons that this is hands down the best science fiction series I have ever read. Yeah, shit's that bloodydamn* good.<br />
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*this is slang used in the books and you will probably see it used a lot in this post.</div>
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Elaborate world, yet still easy to understand</h2>
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This world is crazy huge and elaborate. There are charts and maps at the beginning of each book telling us who the important Golds are, the important Reds, Pinks, Greens, Blues, etc. And the details get even crazier as you dive into the world. But it's easy to understand and follow and I was never once confused. </div>
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Plots within plots within plots. But it all makes sense and ties together in an amazing mash-up of awesome.</h2>
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I mean do I really need to explain that one more? So many subplots in this series and trust me, you will care about every single one. </div>
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Characters that are smarter than me, more badass than me and that I love like family.</h2>
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Okay let's see... which characters do I love? Darrow. Victra. Pax. Ragnar. Cassius. Roque. The Howlers. Mustang. Lorn. SEVRO. Pretty much every. single. damn. character. Pierce Brown is sooooo good at fleshing out his characters and making me care about every single one. Even the bloodydamn "bad guys". His characters have so many layers and depth to them. They are not perfect in the slightest. Each of his characters is flawed and a little screwed up. But god that's what made me love them. The characters absolutely make this series what it is. </div>
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Action, action and more action.</h2>
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Are you a reader who craves nonstop action and hates slow plot lines? None of that here people! It is nonstop. Even in the quieter moments you're on the edge of your seat because of all the information you're getting. But there aren't a lot of quiet moments. There are intense hand to hand combat fights. There are elaborate battles in space with warships. There is sneaky, guerrilla warfare type fighting. There's something for everyone in these books. </div>
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Plot twists.</h2>
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Just when you think you've got it all figured out, just when you relax a little bit and sit back, Pierce Brown is going to use his Jedi powers to smack you in the face with that hefty hardcover in your hands. It's going to hurt. But you're strangely going to love it? We are the masochists and Pierce Brown is the sadist. Sorry not sorry about it. I loved every second of these bloodydamn plot twists that nearly killed me at every turn of the page. </div>
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Mind fuckery.</h2>
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See above for plot twists. That's part of the mind fuckery. The characters will also screw with your head. The villains will continue to shock you at the level which they are willing to go. The heroes will do the same. You read the resolution of some subplot or the end of some battle scene and you wonder what kind of genius Pierce Brown is to have gotten the plot there. And have it all make sense. He is a mind ninja. </div>
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Really fucked up villains.</h2>
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The villains in this series will give you nightmares. One in particular will have your skin crawling the whole time reading and you will hate him with a fiery passion. These villains are fucked up and scary. Pierce Brown doesn't sugarcoat things with them. They will give you nightmares. The scariest part? He is able to humanize them. </div>
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Violence (in a good way, i.e. intense battle scenes)</h2>
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I talked about the action earlier, but I also loved that Pierce Brown doesn't sugarcoat the fact that the characters are at war in this book. War is ugly. It's brutal. Especially with the tech these characters have at their disposal. If you're squeamish, I might have to warn you away from these books. But actually no, the violence is worth it because it makes the books real. It will bring you to tears. It's authentic violence. It's not there for shock value. It's there because it's reality.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QizaQDWeg7FUcDn9O0HRct168XT4P-99FgIINzYWr1U_lgY5-6u1y5OAlHCwq6xtyXjE0kel1XaSOZLxbeq9r7s8iwWfuQawfPcM6oCyNMtFurte44jTN6Q-Oz_IYK5HWA3dVQcx0_8u/s1600/Red+Rising+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QizaQDWeg7FUcDn9O0HRct168XT4P-99FgIINzYWr1U_lgY5-6u1y5OAlHCwq6xtyXjE0kel1XaSOZLxbeq9r7s8iwWfuQawfPcM6oCyNMtFurte44jTN6Q-Oz_IYK5HWA3dVQcx0_8u/s640/Red+Rising+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A cause that I believe in</h2>
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Fuck yes I believe in this cause. The Reds are slaves to the Golds and they deserve a chance at life. They deserve to have the same opportunities as everyone else. I see the heartbreak these characters go through and I rally behind them. I root for them. I fight for them. I am a part of the Rising just as much as the characters in these books. </div>
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Moving, beautiful emotional scenes amidst the violence</h2>
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Will these books make you cry? Absolutely. And I loved that. I loved that amidst the violence, amidst the brutality that is these books, Pierce Brown would give us moving and emotional scenes that would leave tears streaking down my face. That's not an exaggeration. There were times during this series that I was straight up sobbing. Ugly crying people. Told you I'm a masochist. </div>
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Humor</h2>
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And then, amidst the violence, the emotions, the tears, the horror, there is laughter. Because these books are funny. Hilarious. Sevro cracks me up so much throughout this entire series. Pierce Brown knows just where to insert humor. To lighten the mood so you don't actually slit your wrists from all the other depressing shit. I'm not doing a good job of selling this series am I? </div>
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The Howlers</h2>
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Awoooooo! I would like to be an honorary Howler please. I say honorary because seriously I can't fight. I would die in the first five minutes of battle. But the Howlers are my favorite!!! Sevro (their leader) is definitely one of my favorite characters in the entire series. I love the camaraderie between the Howlers and the fact that they're all kind of misfits. I see myself as misfit so I related to them. </div>
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Pax and Ragnar</h2>
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These two giant teddy bears just put a smile on my face. Pax is introduced in the first book and Ragnar comes in the second. Pax is a member of the Telemanus family, which seriously just love the entire family. Uh that's why my Twitter name has changed recently... But both of these characters are these huge, terrifying guys, but really they're big softies at heart. I loved watching Ragnar discover a world he never knew existed and learning how to make his own choices. His was a beautiful journey. </div>
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Is that enough reasons for you? If you're still not convinced let me know and I'll give you plenty more reasons to read. But alas, this blog post is already too long. I mean, seriously, if you're still with me kudos to you. Now leave this blog and go start reading this series! I promise you will not regret it and you will probably come to me in the midst of reading for therapy. I could not have survived this series without <a href="http://book-scents.com/" target="_blank">Wendy</a> who I was buddy reading with. Read the books. Preferably with a buddy. But I'm always available to listen or as a shoulder to cry on when the books inevitably break your heart over and over again. *laughs evilly* *sobs quietly*<br />
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And as a reward for making it all the way to the end of this post, I have a free desktop background for you to download! Resolution sizes listed below. The Samsung Galaxy S size should work on all phones with larger screen sizes. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJotbN8k5MTGRaFgunKy9k8-dwPKDbdfONFftpQIEUn94PTA3qlBEthqjx4LtOeegMXFHhfF8oScqlTQ2i7OGgLnYFbIP9jlZSL35u-q9OcPeTjsJfulDeduhc1TbR2tsRg4vj4V1dE_7b/s1600/Red+Rising+Wallpaper+1024+x+640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJotbN8k5MTGRaFgunKy9k8-dwPKDbdfONFftpQIEUn94PTA3qlBEthqjx4LtOeegMXFHhfF8oScqlTQ2i7OGgLnYFbIP9jlZSL35u-q9OcPeTjsJfulDeduhc1TbR2tsRg4vj4V1dE_7b/s640/Red+Rising+Wallpaper+1024+x+640.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/sfcq30epu9883to/Red%20Rising%20Wallpaper%202560%20x%201600.png?dl=0" target="_blank">2560 x 1600 pixels</a><br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/5xacpsd1oem0c9m/Red%20Rising%20Wallpaper%201024%20x%20640.jpg?dl=0" target="_blank">1024 x 640 pixels</a><br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/2up1tmqgoxue6a5/Red%20Rising%20Wallpaper%201280%20x%20800.jpg?dl=0" target="_blank">1280 x 800 pixels</a><br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/rj8eiozqkpbctf4/Red%20Rising%20Wallpaper%201600%20x%20900.jpg?dl=0" target="_blank">1600 x 900 pixels</a><br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/0krq67e9rki28sb/Red%20Rising%20Wallpaper%201920%20x%201200.jpg?dl=0" target="_blank">1920 x 1200 pixels</a><br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/0gr9wcyu8siv19k/Red%20Rising%20Wallpaper%20Iphone.png?dl=0" target="_blank">iPhone 6</a><br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/cjqjjboyr7po8py/Red%20Rising%20Wallpaper%20Samsung%20Galaxy.png?dl=0" target="_blank">Samsung Galaxy</a><br />
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<b>Have you read this series yet? Are you as obsessed with it as I am? What are your favorite aspects of the series? Any reasons you think I missed? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-7322935972059162732016-02-23T00:00:00.000-05:002016-02-23T00:00:10.051-05:00Review: The Power by Jennifer L. Armentrout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcDDtjeDpJAR9YQO_jzIomxYlPzl1ZWfEFjqjJ6O4RQS6HlrCv_FstVlDP8guJKUch_cT-udEUGdk8HpXcBGljpSBYMGdfanBQLhzwgv6ckfOcpUf02yo8Xl92-YnIKAqOdhvP0hfyN9R/s1600/The+Power.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcDDtjeDpJAR9YQO_jzIomxYlPzl1ZWfEFjqjJ6O4RQS6HlrCv_FstVlDP8guJKUch_cT-udEUGdk8HpXcBGljpSBYMGdfanBQLhzwgv6ckfOcpUf02yo8Xl92-YnIKAqOdhvP0hfyN9R/s640/The+Power.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25056628-the-power?ac=1&from_search=1&from_nav=true" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></h2>
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<i>***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my opinion. The review below reflects my open and honest thoughts.***</i></div>
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Synopsis from Goodreads:</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">With any great change, there is always strife, and the Covenant University has become the frontline between pure-bloods who want the Breed Order reinstated and the half-bloods who want the right to control their own destinies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Fate has other plans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The violence is escalating and war between the races seems inevitable, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Hyperion may be out of commission, but Josie and Seth know they have only earned a reprieve. Seth must get Josie fully prepared, which means controlling her newfound abilities, and they need to find the other demigods before the Titans do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">But the gods are sensing a greater threat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Only one thing is more dangerous than a bunch of starved Titans, and that’s an out-of-control Apollyon. The aether in Josie is drawing Seth in deeper, and when lust mixes with love and gives way to power, he knows being close to her is not only dangerous to her, but to everyone around them, but letting her go requires a level of selflessness that just isn’t Seth’s style.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The paths taken in the past are becoming the roads of the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Just as chaos breaks out, familiar faces from the past return, complicating the already strained bond between Josie and Seth, and when the danger from the Titans erupts with devastating consequences, the dark allure of power calls to Seth again, but this time Josie might not be able to pull him back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">And when the struggle between power and love becomes the deadliest battleground, there may be no salvation.</span></div>
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My Thoughts:</h3>
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Holy hotness. I think I need a cold shower. For those who don't know, this series takes place after the events of <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-covenant-series-by-jennifer-l.html" target="_blank">The Covenant</a> </i>series and follows Seth's story. I was obsessed with Seth during the <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-covenant-series-by-jennifer-l.html" target="_blank">Covenant</a> </i>series even though he did some not so nice things...what can I say? I'm a sucker for the bad boy. Then I read <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-return-by-jennifer-l-armentrout.html" target="_blank">The Return</a> </i>(the first book in this new series) and fell even more in love with Seth (if that was even possible). The best part about this series? It's new adult so it is steamy as fuck. And I thought the first one was hot. But this one? Holy shit.</div>
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The Power is hot as shit. </h4>
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We pick up pretty much right where <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-return-by-jennifer-l-armentrout.html" target="_blank">The Return</a> </i>left off. I don't remember hardly anything that happened in that book. Damn it, book amnesia. But I caught on quickly enough. I'm still a little fuzzy on the details and before the next one comes out I will probably reread, but JLA gives us enough clues to let me know what the heck was going on. Josie is training on how to defend herself and use her powers. Seth is being Seth. And they're trying to figure out a way to recapture the Titans that have been released into the world. </div>
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The banter between Seth and Josie was perfection.</h4>
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I love that these two are just constantly at each other's throats. Those kinds of love-hate romances totally work for me. I love how overprotective Seth is and how defiant Josie is. I loved seeing their relationship go from a fragile thing to something stronger. They still have a ways to go because Seth has a lot to learn about himself, but their journey is one I love reading about. </div>
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Characters from the Covenant Series!!! </h4>
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I won't tell you who because obviously spoilers, but we get to see more of some old characters from the <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-covenant-series-by-jennifer-l.html" target="_blank">Covenant</a> </i>series and I LOVED that. </div>
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Deacon continues to be one of my favorites.</h4>
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Aiden's younger brother is just hilarious. He continues to be the ray of sunshine in these books. I can always count on Deacon to lighten the mood or just be silly and awesome. And his relationship with Luke is too adorable for words.</div>
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New characters</h4>
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There are some new characters, one of significance that I enjoyed. Although the one is pretty freaking annoying at times, but he definitely made me laugh. Reminded me of a more obnoxious Seth. Yeah. I didn't think it was possible either. </div>
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The plot line doesn't advance that much though.</h4>
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This is my one complaint. I felt like not much happened during <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-return-by-jennifer-l-armentrout.html" target="_blank">The Return</a> </i>and to be honest I felt the same about this one. We moved forward a bit, but not much and I could've used a little more. I mean there were tons of sexy scenes and scenes of training and whatnot, but the plot itself could have used a little push. </div>
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JLA continues to impress me with her swoon.</h4>
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The thing that really makes this series for me is the swoon. My one complaint about the plot is minor because I'll read books entirely with sexy Seth scenes all day. I'm not complaining about it. The fact that some of my old characters come back and the continued growth of Seth and Josie's relationship made this book for me. If you're looking for a sexy read with one hot guy, you should definitely check this series out. </div>
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<b>Have you read The Power yet? Were you fanning yourself over all those hot scenes? Did you feel like the plot didn't advance very much as well? Did you even care about that with all the steam and swoon going on? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-26460531405893654702016-02-18T00:00:00.000-05:002016-02-18T00:00:12.096-05:00Why It's Better to Write Slower During a Rewrite<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I feel like the writing community is really big on speed. I was browsing Pinterest last night and all of these posts like "how to write faster", "how to write 10,000 words in a day", etc. kept coming up. It's obvious speed is valued when it comes to writing. Especially with the massive popularity of Nanowrimo. For those who don't know, Nanowrimo takes place during November, national writing month. The goal is to write an entire novel (50,000 words) in a month. Which is a great goal. And I think Nano definitely gets people writing. And that's the most important thing isn't it? Putting words down on a page. I myself am an extremely fast writer. I can crank out 1,500 to 2,000 words an hour when I'm hammering out my first draft. And I think that's a good thing.<br />
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Getting the words out quickly initially is a good thing.</h4>
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But what about what comes next? The dreaded revisions. There are some authors who like revising. They are clearly not human because revisions are quite possibly the most painful thing I've ever experienced. It is awful. I just started a complete rewrite of my current WIP after weeks of character profiling, world-building, plotting and creating my magic system. And at first, I thought there was something wrong with me. </div>
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I wasn't cranking out the words as quickly as usual.</h4>
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Why? Because I was really thinking and contemplating the words I was choosing. I was working on making sure what I was writing conveyed who my characters were. I was focusing more on the tiny little nuances that make a world, that build a character. And that my friends, is where the magic happens. </div>
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First drafts are for word vomiting. Second drafts are for actually writing something good.</h4>
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My first draft is horrid. A 3rd grader could probably write a better book. Okay, maybe not quite, but it's pretty awful. I just needed to get the words on the page so I had a somewhat loose idea of what the story is actually going to look like by the end. Call it my version of plotting... But now that I have a plot and character sheets sitting in front of my face while I write, I find myself slowing down and taking my time. Choosing my words carefully. You know the famous saying "think before you speak"? </div>
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Think before you rewrite. </h4>
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This is my newest slogan. I went back and reread my first chapter of my rewrite and guess what? I wasn't entirely unhappy with it. It still needs work, but I'm actually mildly pleased with how it turned out. And I know that it's because I slowed down and took my time. It will take longer to complete this rewrite. But the quality of the writing is going to be 5,000 times better. This isn't just applicable to writing though. </div>
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Sometimes you have to slow down in life in order to achieve success.</h4>
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You can't rush a good thing. Do billionaires make their money overnight? Unless they won the lottery, then the answer is no. They woke up early every day and slowly ground away at their goals until they achieved them. And they continue to do that every day to keep their billions. Writing is no different. It doesn't matter if you write 10,000 words a day or 100 words a day. What matters is the quality of those words. Are they words you're happy with or are they words that you're going to have to go back and rewrite again? For the 3rd or 4th time? I urge you to slow down during your rewrites. Take the time to contemplate your words and your goals. Slow and steady wins the race. </div>
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<b>Are you fast writer or slower? Do you vomit out your first drafts like me? What's your revision process? Do you find yourself writing slower during revisions? Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-69861169599010121252016-02-16T00:00:00.000-05:002016-02-16T00:00:15.464-05:00Review: Reckless Hearts by Sean Olin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24980595-reckless-hearts" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></h2>
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<i style="background-color: color: #333333; font-family: Copse; font-size: 14px;">***I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my opinion. The review below reflects my open and honest thoughts.***</i></div>
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Synopsis from Goodreads: </h3>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">What do you do if you find yourself fantasizing about kissing your best friend? Sensitive guitarist Jake has been asking himself that same question for a long time, and there’s no easy answer. Telling his dream girl—talented anime artist Elena—about his feelings might lead to the ultimate rejection, but not telling her just might kill him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Before Jake can make his move, though, a new mysterious guy enters the picture in an unexpected way. In Elena’s mind, Harlow is excitement personified: a rebellious yet kindred spirit who she instantly connected with online. Jake’s gut is telling him that something about Harlow is off and that Elena is in way over her head, but the more Jake pushes the issue, the more he pushes Elena right into Harlow’s arms—and into a tragic situation that neither of them could ever see coming.</span><br />
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<em style="background-color: color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Reckless Hearts</em><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> is the second book in the sexy and suspenseful Wicked Games series, where lies, passion, and betrayal collied in the steamy beach town of Dream Point.</span><br />
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My Thoughts:</h3>
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I really enjoyed the first book in this "series", <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-wicked-games-by-sean-olin.html" target="_blank">Wicked Games</a></i>. Okay, it's not really a series. They are companion novels, but same concept as far as plot goes. The first one was a total guilty pleasure book for me. It was entertaining and screwed up and I couldn't look away. But this one just didn't grab me the way the first one did. Here's why:<br />
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I didn't care about the characters.</h4>
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This is the number one reason why books lose stars for me. Flat characters. If I don't connect with the characters, I'm docking a minimum of one star, if not more. I didn't like the MC. So much so that I don't even remember his name right now and I read this less than a week ago. Oops. I thought he was really whiny and angsty and I just never cared about him or his romantic plight. And the female lead. She was so... stupid. I can't use a better word for her. She was kind of an airhead in my honest opinion. She was very focused on getting a man and being with a guy and it annoyed the crap out of me. And she made the dumbest decisions. Getting on a motorcycle with some random dude you met on the internet? And even before that, giving the random guy on the internet your home address before making sure he's not a sociopath? Seriously girlfriend, use your brain.<br />
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The plot was extremely predictable.</h4>
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I figured it out almost immediately and that made the book boring. I remember reading the first one and being surprised at what ended up happening, but this one was just way too predictable for me. I wanted to be shocked, but nothing about this book surprised me. </div>
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The one thing I really liked was the music. </h4>
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The main character is a musician and I did enjoy that aspect. I enjoyed reading about him writing new songs and how music gave him an outlet for his emotions. I loved that music brought him and his dad together. When something happens to his guitar, I'm not going to lie, I was a little heartbroken. </div>
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The sister relationship was on point.</h4>
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The female lead has this sister who is pregnant and in a bad relationship. The sisters are nothing alike and so they don't always get along. But even though they were completely different people, they were there for each other no matter what. They would drop everything for each other and even put themselves on the line to stick up for the other. This was so realistic and I really loved reading about their relationship. </div>
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Overall this one was a miss for me. </h4>
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I didn't enjoy Reckless Hearts as much as I thought I would. The predictable plot and characters I couldn't connect with kind of killed the book for me. I did like a few aspects of the story, but it wasn't enough to make up for the things it lacked. </div>
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<b>Have you read this one yet? What did you think of the two main characters? Did you figure out the plot right away? Did you read the first one in this companion series? Which did you like better? </b></div>
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Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-85734134664628569592016-02-11T00:00:00.000-05:002016-02-11T00:00:13.629-05:00January 2016 Wrap-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know I'm almost two weeks late here...but aren't I always? I'll try better next month? January was a pretty busy month for me. I settled back into a normal blogging schedule post-holiday craze which was nice. I've already realized that I won't be reading as many books this year as I did last year which is both good and bad. Good because I'm spending more time with the hubby and with friends. Bad because, well, books. I've also really cut back on my number of posts per week on the blog. I used to post 4-5 times, but I'm down to just two now and it has been amazing! I don't stress so much on the weekends now, trying to get 4 posts scheduled. I'm able to slow down and take my time with the two posts I'm working on so they're better quality. I take the time to take pretty photos (hopefully you think they're pretty...) and just overall improve the quality of the posts. I hope you guys like what you're seeing. And get ready for some more big changes in the near future that I'm not quite ready to share yet. Just know they're coming and I think you're going to love them. </div>
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So what did you miss on the blog?</div>
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Reviews:</h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/01/review-just-few-inches-by-tara-st-pierre.html" target="_blank">Just a Few Inches</a></i> by Tara St. Pierre: 3 Stars</h4>
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About a girl who takes diet pills and ends up shrinking vertically. Lots of good stuff in this one on body image and the societal pressure on women to be perfect. </div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/01/review-anna-and-french-kiss-stephanie-perkins.html" target="_blank">Anna and the French Kiss</a> </i>by Stephanie Perkins: 5 Stars</h4>
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About a girl who is sent to Paris for a year of studying abroad. She then meets a swoony British boy. No, that was not a typo, he's British. And cuteness and squishy feels ensue. This was probably my favorite read of the month. </div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/01/review-chronicles-of-lincoln-park-fashionista.html" target="_blank">Chronicles of a Lincoln Park Fashionista</a> </i>by Aven Ellis: 3 Stars</h4>
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About a girl fresh out of college trying to carve out a career for herself in Chicago. Awesome setting and super hot guy, but the main character annoyed me for the first 80% of the book... </div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/01/review-this-is-where-it-ends-marieke-nijkamp.html" target="_blank">This is Where it Ends</a> </i>by Marieke Nijkamp: 4 Stars</h4>
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A moving story that takes place during a 54 minute long school shooting. This one was poetic and beautifully written. A very important story in this day and age. </div>
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Writing: </h3>
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Something I wanted to focus more on this year is writing. Not even necessarily my writing, but just writing in general so I'm trying to post some kind of writing tip or related post once a month. This month's post was<b> <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/01/how-to-use-mbti-build-better-characters.html" target="_blank">How to Build Better Characters Using MBTI</a></b>. For those that don't know MBTI is the Myers Briggs personality types and it is quite fascinating and very useful when trying to develop a character's personality. </div>
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Blogging/Organization:</h3>
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The blog is going to have three focuses this year: books (obvi), writing and blogging/organization. The focus will definitely be remaining on books, but once a month I plan on doing some kind of blogging and/or organization tip. This month's was <b><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/01/how-to-maximize-weekdays.html" target="_blank">How to Maximize Your Weekdays</a></b> and I even made you guys a <b>free </b>weekday goal planner to use! </div>
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Other Bookish Fun:</h3>
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And of course, my other bookish fun...two posts this month including a list of <b><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/01/books-i-swear-im-finally-going-to-read.html" target="_blank">books I vow to read this year</a></b>. Yes, Harry Potter is one of them. Please don't kill me. And I also made a list of <b><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/01/best-bookish-instagram-accounts.html" target="_blank">ten bookish Instagram accounts you should be following</a></b> if you like drooling over fabulous book photos. What bookworm doesn't enjoy doing this, let's be honest? </div>
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Stats:</h3>
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Most popular post on the blog last month: <b><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/01/how-to-maximize-weekdays.html" target="_blank">How to Maximize Your Weekdays</a></b></div>
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This makes me so happy! I hope a lot of you are getting use out of my goal planner I created. It was my first ever pdf so please comment with some feedback for me so I can improve in the future! </div>
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Referrals: <a href="http://www.alexalovesbooks.com/" target="_blank"><b>Alexa Loves Books</b></a> and <a href="http://paperfury.com/" target="_blank"><b>Paper Fury</b></a></div>
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Thanks guys! You're the best! I believe Alexa shared by how to maximize your weekdays post on her blog and Cait shared my bookish Instagram post. </div>
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Top Social Networks: <b><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/beccadenbraven/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></b> actually came in at #1 last month which surprised me. Normally it's Twitter, but I guess that means I'm getting better with my graphics right? <a href="https://twitter.com/LibraryCanary" target="_blank"><b>Twitter</b></a> was still a close 2nd though. </div>
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Search terms: <b>"a book for my husband"</b></div>
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This one probably landed them on a Top Ten Tuesday post I did a while back called <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/11/top-ten-books-i-recommend-to-my-husband.html" target="_blank">top ten books I recommend to my husband</a>. </div>
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<b>"how do u write a love letter" </b></div>
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Well first of all you spell out the word "you" because you're writing a letter and please dear god can we use actual words and not text speak. I have no idea how this got them to my blog. Maybe some of the Blogger Loveathon posts I've done in the past. </div>
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On Instagram: </h3>
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I've been working really hard on my photo-taking skills and this is what I came up with for the month of January. I hope you guys are enjoying the more bookish feed I've been providing on Instagram. If you're not following me yet, you can find me <b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/librarycanary/" target="_blank">@librarycanary</a></b>!</div>
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Posts You Should Read:</h3>
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<a href="http://nellieandco.blogspot.com/2016/01/blogging-investments.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NellieAndCo+%28Nellie+and+Co.%29" target="_blank">8 Worthy Blogging Investments Guaranteed to Save You Time</a> from Nellie & Co.</div>
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<a href="http://nellieandco.blogspot.com/2016/01/free-ecourse-review.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NellieAndCo+%28Nellie+and+Co.%29" target="_blank">Free Ecourses: Blueprints, Brands, Business & Pinterest</a> from Nellie & Co.</div>
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<a href="http://paperfury.com/book-blogger-social-networking/" target="_blank">How to (nicely) Attack People with Friendship on the Internet</a> from Paper Fury</div>
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<a href="http://paperfury.com/do-you-need-scrivener/" target="_blank">Do You Need Scrivener in Your Precious Writerly Life</a> from Paper Fury</div>
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<a href="https://www.nosegraze.com/dont-need-e-course/" target="_blank">3 Reasons You Don't Need an E-Course</a> from Nosegraze</div>
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<a href="https://www.nosegraze.com/stressed-book-blogger/" target="_blank">If You're a Stressed Book Blogger, Then Why Are You Doing It?</a> from Nosegraze</div>
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<a href="http://www.loonyliterate.com/6-fairytale-mash-ups-that-would-make-excellent-books/" target="_blank">6 Fairytale Mash-ups That Would Make Excellent Books</a> from Loony Literate</div>
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<a href="https://fieryreads.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/discussion-why-dont-we-love-female-villains/" target="_blank">Why Don't We Love Female Villains</a> from Fiery Reads</div>
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<a href="http://bookmarkedbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/discussion-is-traditional-book-review.html" target="_blank">Is the Traditional Book Review Dead?</a> from Bookmarked</div>
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I've really been slacking on hopping around the blogosphere. I'll do better next month, I promise! </div>
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<b>How was your January? What was your favorite book you read? What blog posts did you enjoy that I should be reading? Are you enjoying the new focus on this blog? Do you have any suggestions or comments? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-56384962755331080102016-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:002016-02-09T00:00:20.679-05:00Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19063.The_Book_Thief?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></h2>
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Synopsis from Goodreads:</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: merriweather, georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This was one of the books on my list of <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2016/01/books-i-swear-im-finally-going-to-read.html" target="_blank">books I vow to read in 2016</a> so I'm very excited that I get to check one off the list. Go me! I've been meaning to read this book forever... is this what every single review starts with? I feel like it is... Oh well. It's true. My mom got this for me two years ago for Christmas. She teaches 7th and 8th grade and they do a Holocaust unit every other year. She read this book in the hopes of using it in her classroom and fell in love with it and has been bugging me to read it ever since. I finally did it and even though I thought I was prepared for how emotional it was going to be, I wasn't. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The Book Thief destroyed me.</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">In the best possible way. As most of you probably know (since the entire world has read this book except for me...) this book is narrated by Death. I thought that would be strange, but it worked. Actually, it more than worked. It was incredible. Completely blew my mind. Death has such an interesting perspective on things. I loved how philosophical he was at times. How matter of fact he was. Death doesn't sugarcoat things as I'm sure you can imagine. I loved the brutal, raw honesty that this narrator brought to the story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">What really moved me about this book though was the books. Liesel wants to read so badly at the start of the book and she works so hard to do just that. She reads anything she can get her hands on and resorts to stealing books so she can read. I can't think of a better thing to steal, can you? This poor little lost girl finds solace and comfort in books. I loved watching her go from a shy, timid girl to a young woman who can tell right from wrong. To a woman who sees through the prejudices surrounding her. To the girl who steals newspapers from the garbage cans to bring to a lonely Jew hiding from the hateful world around him. And I loved how, in the end, Liesel wrote her own story. I think that books saved Liesel just like they save countless people every day. Books have saved me. Books have provided an escape from the brutality of the world and they've taught me how to expand my mind and see more than what's in front of me. They did the same thing for Liesel and without them, she would never have grown into the young woman she became. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Liesel's foster dad was an incredible, brave, strong man.</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Liesel's Papa was one of my favorite characters in the whole book. He loved Liesel so much. Right from the very start. When her new Mama is screaming at her to get inside (don't worry she's not so awful...) her new Papa was soft-spoken and brought her into his home. He made her feel safe. He sat with her all night so she wouldn't be alone when she awoke from the never-ending nightmares. He spends hours teaching Liesel how to read. But during those hours, he's teaching her more than just how to read. He teaches her values. He shows her through his actions that regardless of what Hitler and the Nazi party was telling her, all people were created equally and if given the chance, they must help the less fortunate. This man was absolutely incredible. He brought me to tears multiple times throughout the novel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This story was heart-breaking and earth-shattering.</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">There is a point in the book, and of course I won't spoil you, that just broke me. Completely, 100% broke me. It was the perfect example of how unfair life was and it showed how awful the war was. How it affected everyone, Jews and Germans alike. When you go into a historical fiction set during WWII, you know you're probably not getting a happy ending. So I thought I was prepared, yet tears were still streaming down my face. I'm tearing up again just thinking about it. Markus Zusak is incredible. He wrote words that turned into emotions. He made pages come alive. He made my heart break and soar over and over again. And even with the tears streaming down my face and my heart in a million pieces in front of me, I loved every second of it and I would do it all over again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">It's a story that <b>deserves </b>to be visited over and over again. It's a work of art, a masterpiece. Raw & emotional, hauntingly beautiful, this is a book that should be read by everyone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>Have you read The Book Thief? Did you have the same visceral reaction I did? Did you love Death as the narrator? </b></span></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-86089891096898698582016-02-04T00:00:00.000-05:002016-02-04T00:00:02.073-05:00How to Clean Off Your Bookshelves (with Infographic & Giveaway!)<div style="text-align: center;">
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We've all been there haven't we? Shelves stuffed to the max with books. Books stacked on the floor because there's no more space on the shelves. Hundreds (literally) of books that we own and haven't even read. Or we've read them and now they're just sitting there collecting dust. But it's not like we can just throw them away. Blasphemy! No book should ever go in the garbage. Even if you hated it. Because somebody else out there may love it and may get something out of it.<br />
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There's also the issue of the emotional attachment you may feel towards the books. Or the simple unwillingness to let them go. Because we all have a little inner hoarder in us. A few weekends ago, I was sitting in my house, staring at all my books (as one does) and thought to myself, "this is absolutely ridiculous." I was being taken over by books and it was making my home look messy, cluttered and disorganized. My immediate thought was, I need to move out of this tiny apartment and into a house where I can have a whole room as a library. Well that's not happening anytime soon so I had to get creative.</div>
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I decided to pull all my books off my bookshelves. Well that might have been a little crazy. But I had logic behind what I was doing. A few months ago I cleaned out my closet using the <a href="http://goop.com/the-illustrated-guide-to-the-kondo-mari-method/" target="_blank">KonMari method</a>. Basically I took every single piece of clothing out of my closet and heaped it into a giant pile. Wow, was this eye opening. It was a mountain of clothes. Seriously, it was insanity. I was disgusted with how much I had. Then I went through each piece, picking it up, holding it and deciding if it brought me joy. Guess what? Those skinny jeans that were a size too small that always make me feel bad about myself? Those didn't bring me joy. So I got rid of them. And it felt great. </div>
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So while I was staring at the massive amount of books I have, I decided to try out the same method for cleaning off my shelves. I took every single book down and had them in stacks in my living room. Again, I was a little bit <strike>disgusted</strike> impressed with just how many books I had. Not going to lie, I kind of just wanted to roll around in them all. Like dollar bills on a bed or something. #thuglife </div>
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My method for which books to keep and which ones to get rid of went like this: </div>
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And I felt so much better when I was done! I managed to get ALL of my books on my shelves and they're organized and beautiful and I could just stare at them all day! I'm trying real hard not to mention that the very next day I bought two more books... Oops. Guess I'll have to do another shelf clean-off in another few months. </div>
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I know what your next question is. Get rid of the books???? And I want you all to take a deep breath. There is no way I would ever throw a book out. Jesus, I'm not an animal. I plan on doing three different things with the books. </div>
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1. Donate them to a local library</h3>
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I plan on donating any of the finished copies I have to a local library. I say finished copies because most libraries won't take ARCs. Boo. </div>
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2. Donate the ARCs to my mom for her classroom</h3>
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Your mom's not a teacher? No problem. Just call your local middle/high school and tell them you have books to donate. Most of the teachers will be thrilled to have them to put in their classroom libraries. I know my mom always is. </div>
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And last, but certainly not least....</div>
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3. Do a giveaway for my faithful blog followers! </h3>
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That's right people! Some of my books are going to you! Here's how it's going to work. Two lucky winners will each get a mystery box of FIVE books. Could be a mix of finished copies and ARCs (ARCs are all older). This giveaway is US only. Sorry international peeps! I love you guys, but I can't afford to ship to you. Use the rafflecopter to enter and may the odds be ever in your favor! </div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="0a46d12410" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0a46d12410/" id="rcwidget_vzzupyuh" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<b>Are you a book hoarder like the rest of us? Do you ever clean off your shelves and purge books? What does your process look like? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-44843322079255417552016-02-02T00:00:00.000-05:002016-02-02T06:33:21.472-05:00Review: Hunter by Mercedes Lackey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UCpo5_X4PiJvjQTYJEzFZ0rI11nCU1A0zEvWi9GWfOigfBVsTSsSODOtFjod9juB3i-Smju0BWDzbeMIaKEjlYgXGmBmRPQr4jIarAjTGrunVQqFyh9tRIUokru30fTetBOuONtLJxP8/s1600/Hunter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UCpo5_X4PiJvjQTYJEzFZ0rI11nCU1A0zEvWi9GWfOigfBVsTSsSODOtFjod9juB3i-Smju0BWDzbeMIaKEjlYgXGmBmRPQr4jIarAjTGrunVQqFyh9tRIUokru30fTetBOuONtLJxP8/s640/Hunter.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24397041-hunter?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></h2>
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<i style="background-color: color: #333333; font-family: Copse; font-size: 14px;">***I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my opinion. The review below reflects my open and honest thoughts.***</i><br />
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Synopsis from Goodreads:</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">They came after the Diseray. Some were terrors ripped from our collective imaginations, remnants of every mythology across the world. And some were like nothing anyone had ever dreamed up, even in their worst nightmares.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Monsters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: merriweather, georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Long ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were ripped open, and it’s taken centuries to bring back civilization in the wake of the catastrophe. Now, the luckiest Cits live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the hideous creatures fighting to break through. Others are not so lucky.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">To Joyeaux Charmand, who has been a Hunter in her tight-knit mountain community since she was a child, every Cit without magic deserves her protection from dangerous Othersiders. Then she is called to Apex City, where the best Hunters are kept to protect the most important people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Joy soon realizes that the city’s powerful leaders care more about luring Cits into a false sense of security than protecting them. More and more monsters are getting through the barriers, and the close calls are becoming too frequent to ignore. Yet the Cits have no sense of how much danger they’re in—to them, Joy and her corps of fellow Hunters are just action stars they watch on TV.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">When an act of sabotage against Joy takes an unbearable toll, she uncovers a terrifying conspiracy in the city. There is something much worse than the usual monsters infiltrating Apex. And it may be too late to stop them…</span><br />
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My Thoughts:</h2>
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Monsters. Reality TV. Some kind of sinister underlying government plot. Yes, please! Anything with lots of fun monsters/creatures is right up my alley. And that had to be my favorite part about this book, along with a few other awesome things:<br />
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The Creatures</h3>
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If you're into mythology like me, you're going to love this. Every mythological creature you could think of makes an appearance in this book. From vampires to Fae to hobs to hell hounds. This book has them all. And the author does a fantastic job of describing them and really making us completely terrified of what they're capable of. They're grotesque and twisted and I totally want more. The one thing I wanted more of was the Fae. There was an encounter at the beginning of the book and then we see no more and I was kind of disappointed about that. But I'm hoping/sure that we'll see more in the next book and I'm very excited for it!<br />
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The Hounds</h3>
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Okay so here's the way it works. There are these people called Hunters. They came around after all the creatures got through into their world. Hunters have magic. They also have Hounds that come through from the Otherworld to help them defeat all the evil, scary monsters. And the main character's hounds are So. Freaking. Awesome. I'm in love with them! They're both terrifying and cuddly. Yeah, Mercedes Lackey somehow made the hounds equal parts both. All of Joy's hounds are kickass and awesome. Bya was my favorite, the alpha of her pack. He was always there for Joy when she needed him. Warm, scary dog cuddles for the win! </div>
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But...</h3>
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There were also things that didn't work for me... one big glaring thing actually. </div>
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The Pacing</h3>
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This book was so slow. It was until the last 50-100 pages that the plot really picked up. There was so much world-building and that was great, but the pacing suffered because of it. Nothing happened during most of the book. It was just the same old thing happening over and over again. Joy goes out to hunt. Joy kills this creature. Joy eats a lot of food and sleeps to recover. Joy goes out to hunt. Joy kills different creature. Joy eats a lot of food and sleeps to recover. You get the point? There's all this speculation that something bigger is going on behind the scenes, but we don't get anything! Not even a nibble at what's to come. And then there was this thing that happens at the very beginning and the whole book I kept thinking oh that's going to come into play now and then IT NEVER DID. What was the point of that??? I mean, I assume there was a point and I <strike>hope</strike> pray that we see the point in the next one, but to be completely honest this book felt like an introduction, not a first book. It couldn't stand on its own and I don't really think it had its own plot. </div>
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Joy Was Too Good</h3>
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Things came way too easily to Joy. She was a fantastic Hunter. I'm okay with that. And the fights were cool and intense - for the other hunters with her. For Joy it was always easy. She never seemed to face down death. She always had the answer, always knew the way out. Make my characters struggle! Make them bleed! Make them give everything they have. Take everything away from them. And then let them come out on top in all their glorious victory. I just wanted her to have to struggle. And then I thought at the end, we were going to see her really have to fight for something and then I was just let down. I know that's vague but spoilers people. </div>
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So... </h3>
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I ended up enjoying this one because of the last 50-100 pages. But if the ending hadn't saved it, this would have probably been a two star book. I'm definitely going to continue the series because I still want to know what the point of that one thing was, but I really wish the plot had been more exciting in this one. My advice? Wait for the second one so you can read them back to back. </div>
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<b>Have you read Hunter yet? What did you think of the pacing? Did you find it to be slow? Are you also mad that we never saw that one thing that happened at the beginning again? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-13434106067072621822016-01-28T00:00:00.000-05:002016-01-28T00:00:09.435-05:00Ten Bookish Instagram Accounts You Should Be Following<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIK-t4_Z55YJvsryHgnFlKIbJB9gWZz31q3l3UJtGrs9Z8wfhzaUMYNKrfrYk0Jvd3H81I1XHlNGAjjEcJLJyTf9YOzZmBLX3tBIss-XVik_c8SQQp6IC3E_TFZpmeyiItmQJvKUHHPV7/s1600/Bookish+Instagrammers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIK-t4_Z55YJvsryHgnFlKIbJB9gWZz31q3l3UJtGrs9Z8wfhzaUMYNKrfrYk0Jvd3H81I1XHlNGAjjEcJLJyTf9YOzZmBLX3tBIss-XVik_c8SQQp6IC3E_TFZpmeyiItmQJvKUHHPV7/s640/Bookish+Instagrammers.png" width="426" /></a></div>
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I've recently become quite obsessed with Instagram. Maybe it's the new camera I got for Christmas? But no. I don't think that's entirely it. I think I'm completely enraptured with people's creativity. The beautiful pictures they take just capture me and I spend hours and hours scrolling through my feed, people's profiles and hashtags. I can't stop myself. I'm addicted. In fact, before I even started writing this post I clicked over to IG for just a second and then like fifteen minutes later I was like "Damn it!" Instagram can make me lose my focus like that. But it also inspires me to be more creative, to see the beautiful things in life. And if you're a book lover like me (I assume you are or else you probably wouldn't be reading this blog post...) then you also love to look at all the pretty bookish pictures. So here are my favorite bookish Instagram accounts you all should be following.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/paperfury/" target="_blank">@paperfury</a></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8YPTja4WqdPtnRhPel5D2vwQWhKKIndmLMbiuqoQ09OH2sMLekDCtYD60BpbgqwcbubdxTHNg7rx6iz9pr0em0vzWr_FRDHmVTy0s6e9oE_woMa4Rqvff03difd-1GCJSZpRCEK1b401/s1600/Paperfury.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8YPTja4WqdPtnRhPel5D2vwQWhKKIndmLMbiuqoQ09OH2sMLekDCtYD60BpbgqwcbubdxTHNg7rx6iz9pr0em0vzWr_FRDHmVTy0s6e9oE_woMa4Rqvff03difd-1GCJSZpRCEK1b401/s640/Paperfury.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Aside from the fact that her pictures are absolutely stunning, Cait also writes the most hilarious captions to go along with her photos. Love this girl and you're missing out if you're not following her. </div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/hafsahfaizal/" target="_blank">@hafsahfaizal</a></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZl0cJuY2czPYb11tIUoUFEZcM2jfd958s_u4CmeaQv2j8xjet0L2MR95gnUzYK2ZFCn5gSZIUFDgD3qfoUMfnjvD9jGqE8EQs07pLoWeWozl_zXygryIcywUpVQ5mM6ky1YXzYWR-Cd65/s1600/hafsahfaizel.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZl0cJuY2czPYb11tIUoUFEZcM2jfd958s_u4CmeaQv2j8xjet0L2MR95gnUzYK2ZFCn5gSZIUFDgD3qfoUMfnjvD9jGqE8EQs07pLoWeWozl_zXygryIcywUpVQ5mM6ky1YXzYWR-Cd65/s640/hafsahfaizel.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I don't know how Hafsah just happened to have a freaking pirate ship in her home but this picture is beautiful. She also posts lots of pictures of her planner/journal/pencil lines from her <a href="http://iceydesigns.com/" target="_blank">Icey Designs</a> shop. Definitely need to be following her!<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/perpetualpageturner/" target="_blank">@perpetualpageturner</a></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRgXPtAjWYf725mD7qQWLGQHgSWwBGLoARxset2Az3ZhqnxBOR_ev4kv8bvoPEuNpnZaUm4GC5CCNUtxLHTxDA4KYuNPzSd_oCSDOkHLFz3B8bf1cOx0uMm0ixsIBbxX2OVlzuPM44WVY/s1600/perpeturalpageturner.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRgXPtAjWYf725mD7qQWLGQHgSWwBGLoARxset2Az3ZhqnxBOR_ev4kv8bvoPEuNpnZaUm4GC5CCNUtxLHTxDA4KYuNPzSd_oCSDOkHLFz3B8bf1cOx0uMm0ixsIBbxX2OVlzuPM44WVY/s640/perpeturalpageturner.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Jamie must be a dog whisperer to get her puppy to take this perfect picture. Adorable. I love that Jamie has a mix of bookish pictures with her own personal photos. And I love all the pictures of her adorable puppy! </div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/novelsandnailpolish/" target="_blank">@novelsandnailpolish</a></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3tLUAzTHyfhl5oTffUtOCdH8VlSZr-RBirDlCJhsWM2p8v9zgJcFd3x_XbXfZXNGk9lsPTdGvnv6zhAt_SDKupg91paFkPUvYx-KbhKsr8SuSLytJBBTXjLXU4z8nNi3TEZkeMhlGnMa/s1600/novelsandnailpolish.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3tLUAzTHyfhl5oTffUtOCdH8VlSZr-RBirDlCJhsWM2p8v9zgJcFd3x_XbXfZXNGk9lsPTdGvnv6zhAt_SDKupg91paFkPUvYx-KbhKsr8SuSLytJBBTXjLXU4z8nNi3TEZkeMhlGnMa/s640/novelsandnailpolish.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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You had me at Louboutins and books. I mean seriously. I stumbled across this picture and the fashionista and bookworm in me screeched. Taylor posts all kinds of gorgeous pictures. And she's super talented at nails. I need to befriend her and have her paint some gorgeous designs on my currently unpolished nails... </div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/clockworkbibliophile/" target="_blank">@clockworkbibliophile</a></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9rVileAW9XHfBSns5mVVqVg4q37evtUIVX0taXHFk6e2kOnhSn4WpFNqGKxc6glp0rnRCWMDGbZ8o8HueqhvOS6Bkm_r6Bgg0nxStmpcY5Cbws-wgYWL7pAQvIiBbGQv0QpjNm1buQvv/s1600/clockworkbibliophile.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9rVileAW9XHfBSns5mVVqVg4q37evtUIVX0taXHFk6e2kOnhSn4WpFNqGKxc6glp0rnRCWMDGbZ8o8HueqhvOS6Bkm_r6Bgg0nxStmpcY5Cbws-wgYWL7pAQvIiBbGQv0QpjNm1buQvv/s640/clockworkbibliophile.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I just discovered Olivia's account, but I'm obsessed. Lots of books in nature and I'm absolutely in love with this one. </div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/bloomsbery/" target="_blank">@bloomsbery</a></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGClFdxJ5AUZuQ9-jaZzUXGk7rS87uEytQzJAc1gNEi1Rr8BGxYxAR6hRupPZ5MRtZvaZKDGk8TB8K6U2Ef2C4S9tcHVacQW5f_pfqP3kvGGVRFZMW43Hm1gqeW0c1hYntriw2ogNkUzfS/s1600/bloomsbery.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGClFdxJ5AUZuQ9-jaZzUXGk7rS87uEytQzJAc1gNEi1Rr8BGxYxAR6hRupPZ5MRtZvaZKDGk8TB8K6U2Ef2C4S9tcHVacQW5f_pfqP3kvGGVRFZMW43Hm1gqeW0c1hYntriw2ogNkUzfS/s640/bloomsbery.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oh my gosh, Ava takes some of the most gorgeous pictures I've ever seen on Instagram. I love her creativity and the white background she usually features behind her photos. </div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/bookaddictsguide/" target="_blank">@bookaddictsguide</a></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXfovxgqJNyIUPj_EmaZBilVBRVl78HNMu0xt_38Iqo-rlgIGrWgTtDBwGT5brafFldo_N9YR1j30Ek-LadSSyROdx6xJiwqychl7RzNJvGC7Wm0sDEEt5Jd8fkS-iXTpim-spume_XLe/s1600/bookaddictsguide.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXfovxgqJNyIUPj_EmaZBilVBRVl78HNMu0xt_38Iqo-rlgIGrWgTtDBwGT5brafFldo_N9YR1j30Ek-LadSSyROdx6xJiwqychl7RzNJvGC7Wm0sDEEt5Jd8fkS-iXTpim-spume_XLe/s640/bookaddictsguide.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've been following Brittany for a long time, probably since I started blogging almost three years ago. But lately she's really stepped up her Instagram game. Girlfriend's photos are on point. I'm in love with them. </div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amberinfandomland/" target="_blank">@amberinfandomland</a></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VXR0BDmVAlsdmcyAyHPh07zgcO5iGwJKVVFiTPtII34woEKZo1AGAnjs-hngijKcFXKfKPXt3QOcpIH_v3VcuMiETMJSn2hfqdH2vH9PfylJUjhX8XyP_7FbjMb5UDAkP5rfUT75VeT_/s1600/amberinfandomland.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VXR0BDmVAlsdmcyAyHPh07zgcO5iGwJKVVFiTPtII34woEKZo1AGAnjs-hngijKcFXKfKPXt3QOcpIH_v3VcuMiETMJSn2hfqdH2vH9PfylJUjhX8XyP_7FbjMb5UDAkP5rfUT75VeT_/s640/amberinfandomland.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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CAN WE JUST? CAN WE JUST? LOOK AT THIS PICTURE! IT IS MAGICAL. Seriously I'm obsessed with this picture. I absolutely love the petals and the twigs on the map. I don't know exactly what it is about this one, but gah I just love it! </div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/paperiot/" target="_blank">@paperiot</a></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkeqf0uiDHauUHRL_r-f8IQlfrbwJYiIA8MrhG4azUQRIu5_WjdvMV6mAbIseqihh4lldr-oFr3TOXOFGtOPQQUoZTLQGOcPF1mxNpVi3014RyZqEJZ3IC-9gRFydZ3w4EgVGnyzn-DPL/s1600/paperiot.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkeqf0uiDHauUHRL_r-f8IQlfrbwJYiIA8MrhG4azUQRIu5_WjdvMV6mAbIseqihh4lldr-oFr3TOXOFGtOPQQUoZTLQGOcPF1mxNpVi3014RyZqEJZ3IC-9gRFydZ3w4EgVGnyzn-DPL/s640/paperiot.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Maybe I just have a thing for maps. I mean I know I do, but Judith's account is beautiful!! She takes amazing pictures and is just a generally awesome person. I also love that her account is a mix of books and her real life. </div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/runawaypages/" target="_blank">@runawaypages</a></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiY1Umnkzu2S_UaMnpDxq4PRpRw4CCfnGqfk9QIxn8ZXv-AUkyGjD11tp0ybVT2MorWCNSfpPtuz0lH1bKVhThe8gTS2CvF9w0sVNleU8xAOOyqN-y6ye0z7jpwxnkJ2w6nuuriUPaYOS/s1600/runawaypages.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipiY1Umnkzu2S_UaMnpDxq4PRpRw4CCfnGqfk9QIxn8ZXv-AUkyGjD11tp0ybVT2MorWCNSfpPtuz0lH1bKVhThe8gTS2CvF9w0sVNleU8xAOOyqN-y6ye0z7jpwxnkJ2w6nuuriUPaYOS/s640/runawaypages.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love the flower in the pages along with the adorable illustration. Totally makes me want to read this book. </div>
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There you have it! My top ten bookish Instagrammers you should be following! I'm working on my photography as well and trying to improve. The struggle is real. Photography is hard. But I think I'm slowly getting better so if you want to check out my own feed you can find me <b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/librarycanary/" target="_blank">@librarycanary</a></b>! </div>
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<b>Who are some of your favorite bookish instagrammers? </b></div>
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Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-65860714725565570742016-01-26T00:00:00.000-05:002016-01-26T00:00:19.756-05:00Review: This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKYE4PpjG5ql_OA7JZNL-8O9wMNKT51toIvsfSyFiqE7x5RLZqaySCRvrHENVjs37hZpfVq8V9MT1ghwIIDFLk4lVzWJgyuZyR3DsLG7jM_GsHn-Jxq0wQjEKO-dEyQyFCmZNFNkwDKii/s1600/This+is+Where+it+Ends.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKYE4PpjG5ql_OA7JZNL-8O9wMNKT51toIvsfSyFiqE7x5RLZqaySCRvrHENVjs37hZpfVq8V9MT1ghwIIDFLk4lVzWJgyuZyR3DsLG7jM_GsHn-Jxq0wQjEKO-dEyQyFCmZNFNkwDKii/s640/This+is+Where+it+Ends.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24529123-this-is-where-it-ends?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></h2>
<i style="background-color: color: #333333; font-family: Copse; font-size: 14px;">***I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my opinion. The review below reflects my open and honest thoughts.***</i><br />
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Synopsis from Goodreads:</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">10:00 a.m.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">10:02 a.m.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">10:05</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Someone starts shooting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.</span><br />
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My Thoughts:</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">It feels like once a week we hear about another school shooting - be it in a high school, at the university level, in the U.S. or in another country. And every time I see this heart-breaking news, I wonder why. Why is there so much violence in this world? What causes somebody to snap like this and go on a rampage, hurting and killing innocent people? So when I read the synopsis for this book, I knew that even though it may be a difficult, emotional read, it was an important story that needed to be heard. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This book is poetic. Beautifully written with so many quotable moments. We follow a few different characters throughout the story. One being the sister of the shooter, Autumn. Her perspective was definitely the most interesting to read about. I can't imagine being locked in an auditorium, paralyzed by fear at the realization that there was someone with a gun in the room and then to discover that person is your brother? My heart went out for this girl. Not to mention her situation at home and the recent loss of her mother. This girl had so much to deal with and all she wanted to do was escape the small town she was confined to and dance. I loved that she was a dancer and I loved seeing her passion leak through the brick walls she has built up around herself. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Then there's Sylv, Autumn's girlfriend, the only one that Autumn lets in. Sylv is terrified of Tyler, the shooter, for many different reasons. Obvious ones and not so obvious ones. I loved how Sylv wanted to protect Autumn. I loved how she wanted to help her escape. But I also loved how much Sylv cared about her family. She was close to her mom and her siblings and I loved seeing those family relationships. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">There were a few other characters we followed like Sylv's brother and Tyler's ex-girlfriend, but Autumn and Sylv were definitely my favorites. I loved their relationship together. I loved their strength and courage. This was a moving book filled with raw emotion. It will make you think. It will make you cry. Most importantly, it will show you that humanity is strength and that in the face of tragedy, humans band together and out of all that pain and misery comes a thing of a beauty. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><b>Have you read this book yet? What did you think? Did you find it to be realistic and believable? Did you enjoy Autumn and Sylv's relationship as much as I did? </b></span></span></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-4495228398371771912016-01-21T00:00:00.000-05:002016-01-21T00:00:00.853-05:00Books I Swear I'm Finally Going to Read In 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdFU5bm8lTB0-Yao1xVD4lfvm11MOTUl8_VQdZE05TtQ5xDhh7ZG1xm01hlayjlhNHc4OCI3sYk7yVc_MotGdJ7m1EIXQTuPRgBym3u1YocOxoTWYlannj-OhhY05SotTBonuljaC53bG/s1600/Books+I%2527ll+Read+In+2016.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdFU5bm8lTB0-Yao1xVD4lfvm11MOTUl8_VQdZE05TtQ5xDhh7ZG1xm01hlayjlhNHc4OCI3sYk7yVc_MotGdJ7m1EIXQTuPRgBym3u1YocOxoTWYlannj-OhhY05SotTBonuljaC53bG/s640/Books+I%2527ll+Read+In+2016.png" width="426" /></a></div>
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I promise a lot of things in regards to reading. Every year I have this huge list of books that I swear I'm going to get to and then the end of the year rolls around and I've read maybe two from that list. It's not my fault. Not really. I blame those shiny new books that the entire world is talking about. If everyone else is talking about it, I have to see what it's all about! So I pick up the shiny, tempting new book and let the ones I've been meaning to get to continue to collect dust on my shelves. Poor, poor books. But I am putting a stop to this behavior this year! And I need your help to do it! Basically, I'm enlisting all of you to hold me accountable. <a href="http://book-scents.com/" target="_blank">Wendy</a> has promised to help me with at least one of these, though I'm sure she's going to be helping me with at least two... And I need the rest of you to help me actually accomplish my goals this year. What do you say? Are you in? Excellent! </div>
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Let's just get this over with... </div>
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No. 1: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.Harry_Potter_and_the_Sorcerer_s_Stone?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a></h2>
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*ducks in cover* I know, I know! What is wrong with me??? Okay, I have a sort of good excuse. We weren't allowed to read HP when I was a kid. I grew up in a pretty religious family and my parents did not approve of the "witchcraft" in the books. Sigh. So I was deprived. And now that I'm an adult (am I?) and can make my own decisions I just haven't gotten around to it. For the past two years, I've been saying that I'm going to start the series and the past two years I just...haven't. But never fear, my friends! 2016 is the year I pop my HP cherry! Wendy is on this one - but it won't hurt to have the rest of you harassing me about it either. Help me learn what a muggle is! </div>
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No. 2: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11408650-the-unbecoming-of-mara-dyer?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">The Mara Dyer Series</a></h2>
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My mom got me this entire series for Christmas. Last year. As in 2014. And they are still sitting on my shelf collecting dust. Ugh. What is wrong with me??? I've heard nothing but excellent things about this series and yet, I still can't seem to pick it up. I am such a failure. Somebody please yell at me to read this series!! </div>
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No. 3: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4932435-finnikin-of-the-rock?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">The Lumatere Chronicles</a></h2>
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This is the other one I'm pretty sure Wendy will push on me, but I need more harassment from you guys. Everybody I know who has read this series has loved it. I mean LOVED it. After my <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-queen-of-shadows-by-sarah-j-maas.html" target="_blank">Queen of Shadows</a> </i>heartbreak, I really need another fantasy series to fall in love with and I think this may be the one. </div>
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No. 4: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68428.The_Final_Empire?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Mistborn</a></h2>
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Or really just any Brandon Sanderson, but I happen to have the first book in the <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68428.The_Final_Empire?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Mistborn</a> </i>series so I'll probably start there. I keep hearing great things about Sanderson and I consume every fantasy I can get my hands on so why the hell haven't I picked up his books?? I wish I could tell you darlings. I really do. But alas, I have no good excuse. </div>
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No. 5: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19063.The_Book_Thief?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">The Book Thief</a></h2>
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Another book I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't read. I am baring all of my bookish embarrassments right now, people. I hope you appreciate it and can picture me hiding behind my computer in shame. I love historical fiction, especially of the WWII variety. And this book is narrated by death which sounds awesome and pretty much everybody and their mom has read it and love it so... again...what the heck is wrong with me? This year, I swear it. </div>
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Okay, I'm only going to do five because four of these are series and that's a lot of books to commit to and I can already feel my noncommittal self screaming in terror. Which is why I desperately need your help. I respond well to threats and offers of pizza. Or food in general. I'm pretty easy. </div>
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<b>Which ones are you going to take responsibility for and push on me? Are there any of these that you need to read too? Do you want to read together? Please tell me there are more Harry Potter virgins out there and that I'm not alone. </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-55486240369454399242016-01-19T00:00:00.000-05:002016-01-20T06:18:59.166-05:00Review: Chronicles of a Lincoln Park Fashionista by Aven Ellis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAD1cPh4ZWtI3-OgUSGnLKzhKTXHNz6HgNqexF-xM9O-gVaLYgXz8Z9Hhi-ISenw7fA7Vb5cRwNCI695wpnW5cSUBgmPy9L2FIcfOJ2t_JaCuATE0udsnUhy9SbyVooPGv0Y61nTd6BGn/s1600/Chronicles+of+a+Lincoln+Park+Fashionista.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAD1cPh4ZWtI3-OgUSGnLKzhKTXHNz6HgNqexF-xM9O-gVaLYgXz8Z9Hhi-ISenw7fA7Vb5cRwNCI695wpnW5cSUBgmPy9L2FIcfOJ2t_JaCuATE0udsnUhy9SbyVooPGv0Y61nTd6BGn/s640/Chronicles+of+a+Lincoln+Park+Fashionista.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22846835-chronicles-of-a-lincoln-park-fashionista?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></h2>
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Synopsis from Goodreads:</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Recent college graduate Avery Andrews is ready to begin a new life in the big city. She’s landed an apartment in Chicago’s famed Lincoln Park neighborhood–and has her eye on the cute commodities trader just a floor above.</span><br style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">If Premier Airlines knew about her fear of flying, they never would have hired her to be their marketing assistant—but it’s not like Avery wants a lifelong career. Right now she simply wants a job to pay her bills…and fund a few little shopping excursions, too.</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Her new lifestyle comes with a price tag, as Avery is not only faced with paying a ridiculous rent but finds she’s perceived as one of the vacant, husband-hunting fashionistas who live in the area. Avery resents this stereotype—so she doesn’t want a lifelong career, and she loves fashions she can’t afford, but that doesn’t mean she is empty-headed and spoiled, does it? </span><br style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">When an opportunity to participate in a documentary at work arises, Avery finds a two-fold solution to her problems. She’ll earn extra money for it, and the documentary will show her as a serious career woman, enabling her to shed that husband-hunting fashionista label for good.</span><br style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">When the camera is on, Avery attempts to be a motivated professional woman. But when she is challenged by Deacon Ryan, the videographer assigned to cover her story, Avery finds herself wanting things she was never supposed to want—like a lasting career—and Deacon. And Avery might just gain more from the experience than a perfect career image and extra cash to put in her Tory Burch wallet…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">My Thoughts:</span></span></h3>
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I'm always a little tentative when it comes to new adult. I've read enough terrible, cliche plot-lines that I'm pretty picky and cautious. But <a href="http://book-scents.com/" target="_blank">Wendy</a> praised this book so highly and then when I won a copy from her (funny story, I didn't even realize I had entered her giveaway...) I decided to give it a go. I definitely don't think I liked it as much as her and some of my other blogging friends who have read it, but I did enjoy it. It's about a girl, Avery, who's just graduated college with a degree in marketing. She takes a job at a luxury airline because she can't find anything in the fashion industry. Her biggest secret? She's terrified of flying. When her company asks her to participate in a documentary about her life as a marketing assistant, she agrees. Enter Deke, the hot camera-man. Here's what I liked:<br />
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Deke!!! </h3>
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Is it a surprise to anyone that I fell in love with the smoldering camera-man? Nope. Not even a little bit. Deke was all kinds of sexy. He's kind of this quiet, quirky guy. He wears vintage tees and doesn't say much and is completely not Avery's type. But that's the best thing isn't it? Phil (my husband) was so not my type when we met, but I decided to give him a chance and fell in love. I completely believe that you'll find love in the places you won't normally look. So this romance was perfection. I loved slowly getting to know Deke as he slowly let Avery in throughout the book. And when we finally got some action? Steamy!! </div>
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The Career Aspect</h3>
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I actually really enjoyed following Avery's story as a new graduate in her first job. Being somewhat close to that time in my life it was really relatable and I loved watching her stretch her wings. I thought the way she carried herself at work was believable. She's kind of quiet at first and tentative, which I think we all are in any new job, but particularly straight out of college. But she gains more confidence the more she gets her feet wet and I was so proud of her at the end for what she accomplished.<br />
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The Fashion</h3>
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In case you don't know, I'm a bit of a fashionista. I went to college for fashion merchandising and although career-wise I'm not really doing anything with it, I still LOVE fashion. There's something about spending a day at the mall, trying on tons of clothes, bringing it all home and adding it to your closet. There's something magical when I create a new outfit that's just perfectly me. I especially love when I haven't gone shopping in a while and create a brand new outfit out of pieces I already own. I don't own a lot of designer stuff because well...money. But I was drooling over all of Avery's pieces that she purchased and wore around the city. The Burberry scarf, her various dresses and shoes. My fashionista heart was singing. </div>
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The Setting</h3>
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I'm from Chicago so I was instantly able to connect to the setting of this book. I loved reading about the places Avery visited and it really allowed me to take a trip down memory lane and fondly remember my city. I live just outside of DC now, but I miss Chicago badly. </div>
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But I also had some definite issues with this book... the biggest one being... </div>
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Avery</h3>
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Avery drove me batty. The whole book she questions whether or not Deke likes her even when we got to a point where it was blatantly obvious. And she whines about it so much and I just couldn't deal with it anymore by the end. I was just so annoyed at the constant, "I can never have him." "He doesn't want me." "He's with Isabelle." Oh. My. God. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Sorry. I just couldn't deal with her. And because I was so annoyed with her throughout most of the book, I just never warmed up to her. </div>
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Avery's Roommate Sasha and her Coworker Rebecca</h3>
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Nope. Couldn't stand these two women. They were awful. Sasha was just so superficial and shallow. She had no self-respect and I could not deal with the way she spoke to Avery. I felt like Avery never really stood up to her which is what really annoyed me. And then there was her coworker Rebecca who complains constantly about being overworked, but spends all day flirting with another coworker and making passive aggressive comments to Avery. Again, I didn't like that Avery never spoke up and tried to talk to Rebecca about the situation. In the adult world, you have to communicate with people and Avery never really did that. She didn't handle either situation poorly per se, but I think she could have handled them both better.<br />
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<b>Have you read this book yet? Did Avery drive you crazy? Were you swooning over Deke with me? How did you feel about the fashion? And the setting? Have you ever been to Chicago? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-14115708252505463322016-01-14T00:00:00.000-05:002016-01-24T17:44:07.009-05:00How to Maximize Your Weekdays w/Free Weekday Goal Planner! <div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMEvWDsm5SuyME1SHLf_LDX19QkRN5GhM7Q6mKrVpiSz1S09sX6dZVIQ_Zttd5UbCHBRCsc-JCral347LPJ5RRyNS8KS55iuB2BABv9dp5dwKXdMCm3GD6lzQl_msliYq_JAo8AM7QYzo/s1600/How+to+Maximize+Your+Weekdays+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMEvWDsm5SuyME1SHLf_LDX19QkRN5GhM7Q6mKrVpiSz1S09sX6dZVIQ_Zttd5UbCHBRCsc-JCral347LPJ5RRyNS8KS55iuB2BABv9dp5dwKXdMCm3GD6lzQl_msliYq_JAo8AM7QYzo/s640/How+to+Maximize+Your+Weekdays+%25282%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Lately I've been struggling with my schedule and getting everything I want to accomplished. And after the whirlwind that was the holidays, my weekends are getting busier and busier playing catch up. I'm losing the time I normally spend reading/writing/blogging. And I was thinking about the fact that during the week I don't do much of any of those three things - the things I'm most passionate about. And that's a problem. I was talking to a coworker at work and he had me write down my daily schedule. After doing that he showed me that I was only devoting an hour a day to my passions during the week, which really isn't okay with me. But how can I devote more? My schedule is already full. The truth is that I may not be able to with my busy schedule. And I don't even have kids. I can't imagine finding the time to do everything dealing with kids as well. Kudos to all you parents out there. But even though I may not be able to increase the time I spend on my passions, I can make sure that the time I do spend is productive. And now I'm going to help you do the same thing.<br />
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Make a Schedule</h2>
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You have to make a schedule for yourself. Without this in place, you're just squeezing reading/blogging/writing or whatever is you want to do more of, in wherever it fits. And most days, it's not going to fit. Carve out specific time to do the things you love. For me, I carve out one hour every morning for writing and another hour every night for reading and/or blogging. I set a specific time that I'm going to do these things because if I don't I inevitably get sidetracked and don't end up doing it. You think one hour a day isn't enough? How about no hours? Make a schedule gives you the structure you need to reach your goals. Not only does it do that, it also will help you create a habit. </div>
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When I first started writing in the mornings it sucked. My brain didn't want to work, I was half asleep and I just wanted to crawl back into my bed. But because I made it part of my schedule and forced myself to keep going, now it's just a part of my daily routine. And now I'm used to it. Waking up at 5am doesn't hurt quite so badly as it used to. And I actually think I write better now in the morning than I do in the evenings or on the weekends. Because my brain is already in a writing state when I sit down. I've trained my brain to know that mornings are for writing so my creative juices are flowing. </div>
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Write Down All Special Events</h2>
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We can try to stick to a normal routine as much as possible, but life is crazy and things come up all the time that aren't "normal". For example, author signings for me aren't a normal part of my week. So when I have one, I put it in my calendar immediately and I start to think about what I'm going to sacrifice to go to the event and how I'm going to make up for it. Maybe that means I schedule an extra hour of blogging on the weekend. But if you don't write it down, you won't remember to plan for it. </div>
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Set Realistic Goals & Stick to Them</h2>
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Set weekly goals that you can actually hit! Don't say you want to read five books in a week and write 20,000 words in your WIP if you don't have the time for that. Most of us work full-time jobs and that's just not feasible when you spend 40+ hours a week at work. It's important to set goals, but to set goals that you can actually achieve. If you can't hit your goals you'll become discourage and may end up giving up entirely. And that's not what we want at all. Write your goals down prior to making your schedule and then plan your time so you can achieve them. </div>
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Prioritize</h2>
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You're not always going to have time to do everything. You're human and life happens. But when things get crazy and you're worried about missing your goals for the week, take a step back, breathe and prioritize. What goals are the most important to you? Which ones can slide to next week or to the weekends? Once you're done prioritizing, execute. It's okay to scale back your goals some weeks. Prioritizing will help you focus on the ones that are most important to you. </div>
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Be Firm When People Try to Get You to Deviate</h2>
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A lot of people don't understand the blogging/writing life. I have a couple friends who are very social. They always want to go out and do things - even during the week - and I have to constantly put my foot down and say no. I do go out with them sometimes, but not as often as they'd like. At first they gave me a lot of hell for it, but I calmly explained to them how important my writing is to me and now they get it. And they appreciate it even more when I do come out, because they know what I'm sacrificing. Don't succumb to peer pressure. I'm not saying become a hermit crab and never leave your home, but don't let yourself be bullied into doing something you don't really want to do. </div>
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Don't Beat Yourself Up If You Don't Hit Your Goals</h2>
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Most importantly, don't beat yourself up if you don't hit all your goals for the week. Life gets crazy and things come up. If you have a bad week, regroup over the weekend and get back into it the next week. If you are consistently missing your goals, scale them back a bit. You might be over-committing yourself. There's only so many hours in a day and we do need to sleep. Don't wear yourself out. If you don't have enough sleep, you won't be productive. Allow yourself to be human and know that we're all in this together.<br />
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How do you put all this into practice? I've made it super easy for you with a free pdf weekday goal planner! Just click the link below to download your FREE pdf and start planning! Let's make 2016 a more organized, successful year!<br />
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Here's a little preview, download the full pdf using the link below!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIszzM_2JsU2TSZFtryaSfCIq0QuHeJ6vIqsZriKXJrwG6uIH40pb7SBO03VLUQ-Jw0-sG9Ml8uf0kTGeHUxrIjTqXDns25ySGVUpVT2yna37Pa5_beTfSf8cTBkmItEDr7_rTtfcgr5k/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIszzM_2JsU2TSZFtryaSfCIq0QuHeJ6vIqsZriKXJrwG6uIH40pb7SBO03VLUQ-Jw0-sG9Ml8uf0kTGeHUxrIjTqXDns25ySGVUpVT2yna37Pa5_beTfSf8cTBkmItEDr7_rTtfcgr5k/s640/2.png" width="451" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/1gyyur8um227uuq/Weekday%20Goal%20Planner%20%281%29.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Get your free printable pdf!</a></h2>
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<b>How do you maximize your time during the week? Do any of these steps work for you? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-38883902970350400452016-01-12T00:00:00.000-05:002016-01-12T00:00:08.688-05:00Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6936382-anna-and-the-french-kiss?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></b></h2>
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<b>Synopsis from Goodreads: </b></h2>
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<span style="background-color: color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, </span><em style="background-color: color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">beautiful</em><span style="background-color: color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?</span><br />
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<b>My Thoughts: </b></h2>
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Oh. My. Gosh. You guys. You guys. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS BOOK???? WHY DIDN'T I LISTEN TO YOU SOONER???? WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME????<br />
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Basically this was the cutest, squishiest, fluffiest, most perfect book ever and I want to hug it close and never let it go. Here is everything I loved about this book in no particular order.<br />
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Paris</h3>
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Freaking Paris!! Okay so maybe I'm a little biased because I was just there in September, but I loved reading about Paris. It was so cool to read about the places they were visiting and go "oh my gosh I was there!" The city is just so romantic. I loved reading about the little cafes, the tiny movie theaters and all the touristy sites. And the food!! I was drooling reading about some of the food. Especially this one part where Anna is in a bakery and she buys macaroons and I died of jealousy a bit. </div>
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Anna's Movie Review Blog Thingy</h3>
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So it's not books, but still. She runs a movie review website which felt like a book review website and I just instantly connected to it! Her enthusiasm for movies directly translated to my enthusiasm for books. I loved how excited Anna got over her movies and I loved how she slowly discovered all these tiny movie theaters. And the repeat one that became her spot? Adorbs. </div>
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Friendships</h3>
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The friendship between Anna and Mer was awesome. And Anna and Rashmi. And Anna and Bridge. For real. All these friendships were messy and they fought, but that's what made them so perfect. Relationships, any relationships are messy and I loved the raw, honest look we got at these friendships. I loved how some of them were lifelong friendships, some of them were instant connections and some of them took time to develop. Every one of these characters was fleshed out and real and I loved each and every one of them. </div>
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The Romance/Etienne St. Clair/Feels</h3>
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So. Many. Feels. Over this slow-burn, messy, awesome, fantastic, adorable, perfect relationship. It had such a messy start. And it's not easy at all. And both St. Clair & Anna make tons of mistakes throughout the course of this book. But my god was it all worth it. Because these two are clearly made for each other. I loved their adorable teasing and banter. I loved how open and honest they could be with each other - like how Anna opens up to him about her family issues and he listens, really listens. And how St. Clair slowly opens up to Anna about some really tough issues he's dealing with. And I love how this started as a friendship, developed into best friends and then into romance. It was literally watching two people each fall in love with their best friend. I was literally squealing and freaking out the whole time reading. Fantastic. </div>
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<b>Have you read this book yet? What was your favorite thing about this story? Did you get mad feels from it as well? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-48674971994883024212016-01-07T00:00:00.000-05:002016-01-07T00:00:12.416-05:00How to Use MBTI to Build Better Characters<div style="text-align: center;">
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This year one of my goals is to blog more about writing. Because I feel like if I blog about writing it will motivate me to actually write? We'll see how it goes. Recently I decided that I need to do a complete rewrite on my current WIP. Before I start though, I want to plot the entire thing out and develop really strong character profiles. One of the issues I discovered while reading my WIP was that one of my main characters was really flat. And I think it's because I didn't have a good handle on his personality. Building profiles for each of these characters prior to the rewrite will hopefully help me strengthen these characters and more fully flesh them out.<br />
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As I was starting this process, I began thinking about how I wanted to develop their personalities. At the company I work at, every single employee takes the Myers Briggs personality test and then we do all kinds of training and development to go over it. It helps us understand how each other's brains work and how best to communicate with different personality types. When I was going through the program, I found it fascinating so I decided I was going to implement it for my character profiles.<br />
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The Myers Briggs personalities are made up of four different letters. I'm just going to give you a brief overview of each letter, but you can read more about them <a href="http://www.myersbriggs.org/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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E or I</h2>
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Extrovert or Introvert</h3>
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<b>Extroverts</b> are outgoing, enjoy working in groups and have to speak in order to process their thoughts. </div>
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<b>Introverts</b> deal with their thoughts, ideas, etc. internally. They think to speak. They feel comfortable being alone. </div>
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S or N</h2>
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Sensing or Intuition</h3>
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<b>Sensing</b> types pay attention to physical details. Things they can see, smell, taste, touch, or hear. </div>
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<b>Intuition</b> types pay attention to impressions or meanings they get from information. They like to read between the lines. </div>
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T or F</h2>
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Thinking or Feeling</h3>
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<b>Thinking</b> types are very logical and don't let their own feelings or other people's feelings get in the way of their decision making. </div>
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<b>Feeling</b> types make decisions based on the people around them. They are in tune with others emotions and take them into consideration before making decisions. </div>
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J or P</h2>
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Judging or Perceiving</h3>
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<b>Judging</b> personality types are very organized and like to have things planned out. </div>
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<b>Perceiving</b> types are more spontaneous, tend to wait until the last minute to complete tasks and are very flexible.</div>
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I evaluate each of my characters based on these criteria and decide which type fits them best. Then I go peruse Pinterest and just search whatever type I'm looking for. Say it's ENFJ. I type that into the Pinterest search bar and bam! I'm hit with tons of information about this personality type that helps me flesh out my character better. I take notes and write down things that stand out to me on a large sticky note which will eventually be added to my storyboard. </div>
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Pinterest also has tons of resources on MBTI types of famous characters. Like The Avengers for example. So if you think your character is a lot like Tony Stark or Black Widow, you may be able to find the correlating personality type. </div>
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Once I'm finished with this process I have a solid foundation for each of my characters' personalities. I know, based on the type I've discovered for each of them, how they will react in certain situations. I think MBTI is such a valuable tool to writers and I'm so happy that I was able to learn more about it through the company I work for and through my own research. </div>
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<b>Have you ever used MBTI to help you fully flesh out your characters? </b></div>
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Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-80505277181148867892016-01-05T00:00:00.000-05:002016-01-05T17:42:39.166-05:00Review: Just a Few Inches by Tara St. Pierre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYv-PTT1z5ptGK0yKzXbJ5iKTqQnjEu5qQ_dPlP19m1k2cFganJItnLIBkVW39StB2a-f-qcNGgAvgJQBqAWbG-6GykIRPrnR5W264jCVzsM55NPmfrZaeoRVsGH932kCvFCer16m3X26/s1600/Just+a+Few+Inches.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYv-PTT1z5ptGK0yKzXbJ5iKTqQnjEu5qQ_dPlP19m1k2cFganJItnLIBkVW39StB2a-f-qcNGgAvgJQBqAWbG-6GykIRPrnR5W264jCVzsM55NPmfrZaeoRVsGH932kCvFCer16m3X26/s640/Just+a+Few+Inches.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25636813-just-a-few-inches?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></h2>
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<i style="color: #333333; font-family: Copse; font-size: 14px;">***I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my opinion. The review below reflects my open and honest thoughts.***</i></div>
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<b>Synopsis from Goodreads:</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">All Carrie Roberts wants is to be a little bit smaller.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">To fit into the perfect dress for the Valentine’s Day Dance. To look beautiful for her boyfriend, the school’s star basketball player. To keep his jealous ex-girlfriend, a rival cheerleader, away from him. And to be noticed by her classmates.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Exercising and dieting don’t work, but an advertisement for weight loss pills promises a quicker solution to her problem. As time runs out, she takes more than the recommended dose until she’s just a few inches slimmer. Heads turn when she arrives at the dance, and the wonderful night with her boyfriend is beyond what she dreamed it would be.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Days later, Carrie discovers that her body is changing in ways that should be impossible. While her doctor searches for a cure, she desperately turns to her friends and family for support. Everyone is noticing her now whether she likes it or not, and even the media is intrigued by her incredible story. Getting everything she once wanted has created new problems—problems that are growing more terrifying every day.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Because Carrie Roberts is shrinking.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: font-size: 14px;">I really enjoyed this book up to a certain point. And that point was when I stopped believing the story. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: font-size: 14px;">The story follows a girl who takes more than the recommended dosage of diet pills in order to fit into a dress for a Valentine's Day dance. After trying the dress on at the store and not being able to zip it, Carrie is determined to make it work. Especially after the school mean girl wanders into the story and makes fun of her for not fitting into it. Words can cut deeply and I know how much one tiny little comment can crush your self-esteem. Those words worm there way into your head and they sit there and fester. You begin to obsess over them, unable to block them out. It doesn't matter if you know for a fact that you're in your healthy weight range. It doesn't matter how many other people have told you you look great that day. The </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">only thing that matters is that you can't fit into that red dress and everyone is going to call you fat if you don't prove them wrong. I've been there. So I was instantly able to connect to Carrie. Her determination causes her to make a bad choice and that choice causes her to start shrinking - vertically. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">And here's where I started to have an issue with the book. I liked the idea of shrinking as a side effect. I thought it was interesting and unique. But by the end of the book, when she's literally shrunk all the way down to Barbie size, I just could no longer believe it. I mean, I'm not a medical expert, but it seemed really far-fetched to me. And because of that I stopped taking the book seriously and it almost became comical. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Placing that aside though, I found the story to be a great look at the pressure teens and really all women, are under to be perfect. No, not perfect. Better than perfect. Barbie doll perfect. Retouched model perfect. We all know the studies that have taken place. Someone with Barbie's proportions would tip over and nearly all models' photographs are retouched, skin literally cut away in the pictures to make them appear slimmer than they already are. We can't achieve that. We never will, but still the pressure is there to be skinnier, drop another size, tone those abs more, get that thigh gap. This book does a great job of showing what the consequences of that pressure can be. It also does a fantastic job of teaching the reader that it's not worth it and to accept yourself as you are. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I'm not sure how much this book will actually stick with me, but I do think it teaches some important lessons despite it's lack of believability. The underlying issues were authentic and relatable and I definitely think that teens and adults alike will be able to relate. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Have you read this book? Did you find the final height to which Carrie shrunk unbelievable? Did it affect your rating of the book? How do you combat the insane pressure society puts on women to be perfect? </b></span></span></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-40080450863234384532016-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:002016-01-01T00:00:18.419-05:002016 New Year's Resolutions: Bookish and Personal<div style="text-align: center;">
Happy New Year!! It's 2016 and it's time to talk about all those New Year's resolutions. I'm still in Chicago right now visiting family, but as soon as I get home I'll start working on all these resolutions and goals I have for 2016. I have a feeling it's going to be a great year and I'm hoping will become my best blogging year yet. I have a lot of thoughts and ideas for the blog and I really want to put them into effect this year and take things up to the next level. But before we get into my goals for this year, let's see which ones I accomplished from last year. </div>
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Clean My Desk & Keep It Clean</h2>
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Nope. Not even a little bit. I epically failed on this one. I have this cute little built in desk in my apartment and I thought that if I kept it clean it would motivate me to work on my WIP and my blogging more, but I just couldn't keep it clean. I throw all my junk mail on it and then it just stacks up for months until I finally decide to go through it all. I typically work at my kitchen table or on my couch on the weekends, but I still think that a clean desk would help me stay focused so maybe I'll try to work on this again this year. </div>
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Go to Europe</h2>
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Holy shit I actually accomplished this one. When I typed this up as a goal last year I didn't think that it would actually happen because planning is HARD. But we did it! Phil and I traveled to <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/europe-recap-part-1-london.html" target="_blank">London</a> and <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/europe-recap-part-2-paris.html" target="_blank">Paris</a> this year and it was amazing!! </div>
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Blog When I Want To</h2>
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This goal was about not forcing myself to blog when I didn't feel like it and I think I accomplished that especially towards the end of the year. I've really stopped being so obsessed with having 4-5 posts scheduled a week. If I can get two really good quality posts put together I'm satisfied. And if there's a week where I'm really busy and don't have time I don't stress about it anymore. </div>
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Have More Date Nights</h2>
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I think this is something that Phil and I still need to work on. Life gets so crazy sometimes and it's hard to slow down and appreciate date nights together. But I think in the last few weeks we've gotten better and we're going to continue to work on this next year. For his birthday I bought him tickets to a magic duel show in DC at the end of January so I'm really excited for that date night. </div>
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See My Dad</h2>
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This didn't happen this year and it was entirely due to our trip to Europe. So I was able to accomplish one of my travel goals, but not the other. My dad lives in California so it's really difficult for me to find time to fly across the country to see him. It's not exactly a weekend trip. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to see him this year. It sucks that it's literally been about 3 years since I've seen him. </div>
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Less ARCs</h2>
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For those of you who don't know, an ARC means advanced reader copy. I did so much better with egalleys this year. I really cut back on Edelweiss and Netgalley, but my physical ARCs were still pretty high at BEA and I'm still horribly behind on review copies. But I'm starting to think that just comes with the territory of being a book blogger and I'll never really resolve it. But one can try. </div>
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Finish My WIP</h2>
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I shelved the WIP I was working on at the beginning of the year last year and started a new project. I didn't finish it, but I did a lot more writing last year and I'm so happy about it. I'm going to continue to push forward on my current project because I'm so excited about it and I think it has a lot of potential if I can fix all the gaping plot holes and other problems it is currently plagued with. </div>
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Go to BEA Again</h2>
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Check! I made it to BEA again last year and it was so much fun! I can't wait for Chicago this year! I already have a bunch of people I'll be sharing a hotel with and we've determined that it's going to be a giant blogger sleepover. Yay!! </div>
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I think I accomplished a fair amount of my goals from last year. So now let's talk about what I want to work on this year, both blogging and personally. </div>
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Overhaul My Blog</h2>
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This is my biggest blogging goal this year. I want to migrate to Wordpress, do a complete redesign and find a really solid focus. I have a lot of ideas and now it's time to execute them. So get ready for a new and improved Library Canary this year. </div>
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Write More</h2>
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Last year I got into a really good weekday writing habit. And when I say writing I mean working on my WIP. But this year I'd like to carve out some weekend time for writing. My writing is really important to me and I need to continue pushing forward and making it a priority if I ever want to get something published. </div>
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Read My Backlist</h2>
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Every year I try so hard to keep up with my review copies and I let my backlist just sit there and pile up to the ceiling. Well no more. This year I'm going to work really hard to read that backlist. There are so many books I've been meaning to read forever and just haven't gotten around to yet. And so many series that are finished that I have yet to read. Or series that I have yet to finish. Along with this, I also want to do more rereading. I actually did quite a bit of rereading last year and it was so much fun! Definitely something I want to continue this year. </div>
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Audiobooks</h2>
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I really want to get into audiobooks this year. I don't have a super long commute, but I'd like to try audiobooks when I go running or on my drive home which tends to be somewhat long with traffic. I feel like if I can get into audiobooks I'll be able to get through more of my backlist. </div>
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Photography</h2>
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My super amazing husband got me a really nice, shiny new camera for Christmas!! So next year I hope to improve my photography skills and come up with really unique and pretty bookish photos to use on my blog and on Instagram. I could sit on Instagram drooling over book photography all day so this is definitely a huge goal of mine for this year. If you know any good photography blogs, send me a link so I can check them out! </div>
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<b>What were your goals from last year? Which ones did you accomplish? What are you hoping to accomplish in 2016? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-86831351581601495832015-12-24T14:34:00.000-05:002015-12-24T14:34:08.281-05:00Holiday Traditions<div style="text-align: center;">
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The holidays are a time for family and traditions. There's something so comforting about traditions, is there not? I think it's because they're so constant and familiar. Does anybody really like change or new things? I don't think anyone is 100% comfortable with it. So traditions are able to ground us, they are something familiar we can return to time and time again. No matter how crazy your year has been, the holiday traditions you share with your family will always be there. My traditions are something I look forward to every year. Of course, we are always making new traditions, but there are those age-old ones that will be around forever. </div>
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Christmas Cookies</h2>
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Every year my family is in charge of the cookies. So every year on the 23rd, my sisters and I bust out the Kitchen Aid stand mixer and get baking. We make traditional chocolate chip & peanut butter blossoms. But not just any peanut butter blossoms. We dye one batch of the dough red and the other half green to get that ultimate festive look. We each have our roles when baking. My older sister, Megan, typically is the one making the batter for the chocolate chip cookies. My younger sister, Allie, and I are working the oven, putting the cookies on cooling racks, packaging them up, etc. </div>
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Peanut butter blossoms are my babies. I make the dough while Megan and Allie unwrap candy kisses. We always make the biggest foil ball we can out of the candy kiss wrappers. Then we each go to our stations. I roll the dough into balls. Allie rolls them in sugar and puts them on the tray. Megan runs the oven and puts the candy kisses on them when they come out. </div>
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We also make rice krispie treats and chocolate covered pretzels. Sometimes my mom gets crazy and makes a couple other things, but those are our traditions. </div>
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Pierogis</h2>
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We are Polish and every year for Christmas we make homemade pierogis. We do potato and onion and we make at least 5 pounds of potatoes Christmas Eve morning. Since we are hosting this year, we'll be making ten pound of potatoes. Get ready, family. Pierogis are a huge, messy process. We use the handy Kitchen Aid to mix the dough, but you still have to roll it out on the counter. The filling is made by boiling the potatoes, cooking up a lot of onion in a lot of butter and then adding the onion, salt & pepper to the potato mixture. Roll your dough out, use a glass to cut it in circles. Then you have to put some potato mixture onto the circle, fold it over, seal it with a little water and use a fork to get that pretty shell look. Then you boil in a pot with some oil. This process takes hours, but we jam to Christmas music, stay at our stations and inevitably end up covered in flour. We eat the pierogis on Christmas Eve which is when our big celebration always is, but we also have a tradition of frying them up in butter on Christmas morning for breakfast right after we open presents. I'm drooling just thinking about it. </div>
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<img alt="Polish Hill Pierogies" src="http://shopnsavefood.com/Portals/1/Images/recipes/Pierogies.jpg" /></div>
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Christmas Movies</h2>
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I love Christmas movies, but there are three that have become tradition for my family to watch. <i>A Charlie Brown Christmas</i>, <i>How the Grinch Stole Christmas</i> (the cartoon version, NOT the Jim Carey version) and <i>Elf</i>. It's not Christmas until I've watched all these movies. I also try to sneak in <i>The Year Without a Santa Claus</i>. </div>
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Trans-Siberian Orchestra</h2>
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This is a more recent tradition, but TSO comes to Chicago every year around Christmas and we've started going to see them every single year. Listening to them at home is always good, but this is a group you NEED to see live at least once before you die. There is a laser light show and flame throwers and it's just absolutely incredible. </div>
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All Night Gift Wrapping</h2>
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We are very last minute gift wrapping kind of people. It's generally on the 22nd or the 23rd, but one of those days, my sister and I are staying up all night wrapping presents. Your back is killing you by the time you're done because you've been on the floor for so long, but won't those look beautiful under the tree?? Yes. Yes, they will. </div>
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<b>Those are some of my favorite Christmas traditions! What are some of yours? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-35307344582257450432015-12-22T00:00:00.000-05:002015-12-22T00:00:14.460-05:002015 End of the Year Bookish Survey<h3>
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Hi everyone and welcome to the 2015 end of year bookish survey! This is always one of my favorite posts to do at the end of the year and I want to give a huge shout-out and big thank you to <a href="http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/" target="_blank">Jamie @ The Perpetual Page-Turner</a> for hosting and organizing it! This survey always takes me a million years to fill out. Seriously, I've been working on this post for like two weeks now. It just takes so long to go through all the books I've read this year, all the ones I'm looking forward to next year, checking blog stats, reflecting on my favorite moments of the year, etc. But it's so much fun to look back on everything and relive all those memories. Though some of the bookish memories of the year are painful... You'll see what I'm talking about in a second. So without further ado, I give you my year in books! </div>
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Number Of Books You Read: 117 as of 12.08.15 - goal is 125, but I'm thinking I'm only going to hit 120...</h3>
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Number of Re-Reads: 13 - maybe 14 if I get through <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-winterspell-by-claire-legrand.html" target="_blank">Winterspell</a></i> like I want to.</div>
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Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary - followed closely with a difference of 3 by fantasy. This question always surprises me. I always think that fantasy is going to win, but I always end up reading more contemporary. </div>
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<strong>1. Best Book You Read In 2015?</strong></h3>
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Oh god I read so many great books in 2015. What's the best??? How can you ask this of me, Jamie?!?<br />
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<b>Sci-fi:</b> <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-golden-son-by-pierce-brown.html" target="_blank">Golden Son</a> </i>byPierce Brown</div>
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<b>Retelling:</b> <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-winter-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">Winter</a> </i>by Marissa Meyer</div>
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<b>Fantasy:</b> <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-darker-shade-of-magic-by-ve.html" target="_blank">A Darker Shade of Magic</a> </i>by V.E. Schwab</div>
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<b>Historical:</b> <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/10/review-wolf-by-wolf-by-ryan-graudin.html" target="_blank">Wolf by Wolf</a> </i>by Ryan Graudin</div>
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<b>Contemporary:</b> <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-dumplin-by-julie-murphy.html" target="_blank">Dumplin'</a> </i>by Julie Murphy</div>
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<strong> 2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/10/review-black-widow-forever-red-by.html" target="_blank">Black Widow</a> </i>by Margaret Stohl. I was so excited for this book. Marvel YA? Yes, please! And then I read it and was completely underwhelmed. If the story had been about Natasha Romanov as a teen that would have been kickass. But I just hated the whole sidekick thing and there was a serious case of instalove. Just no.<br />
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<strong>3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? </strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-dumplin-by-julie-murphy.html" target="_blank">Dumplin'</a></i>. I did not expect to love a book about a girl entering a beauty pageant, but man was this book amazing. It really made you think about how you look at yourself and being comfortable in your own skin.<br />
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<strong>4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-cinder-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">The Lunar Chronicles</a> </i>series. With the release of <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-winter-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">Winter</a></i> in November I was pushing this series on everybody so they could catch up just in time for the final book. Wendy finally got around to it and our voice message/text exchanges were amazing!! So much love for this series.<br />
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<strong>5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/03/bird-in-fishbowl-original-sinners.html" target="_blank">The Original Sinners</a></i> by Tiffany Reisz. Huge thank you to Kelly for introducing me to these amazing books!! In January I plan on rereading them all and finally getting the last two. What will I do once this series is over???<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnfIue1YtWilB2OiztlYawM4se3YFI7pEdO3mALYToDBxTVmiX2nZKOjJ-lXUk7BHXBG736h5ky2ofqpPVpjsgJUcpMe83B_yzzaGg5itUhVlxza0ICWCGdy2ll1OCE3TAIW7xDOdQRCv/s1600/The+Original+Sinners+Red+Years.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnfIue1YtWilB2OiztlYawM4se3YFI7pEdO3mALYToDBxTVmiX2nZKOjJ-lXUk7BHXBG736h5ky2ofqpPVpjsgJUcpMe83B_yzzaGg5itUhVlxza0ICWCGdy2ll1OCE3TAIW7xDOdQRCv/s640/The+Original+Sinners+Red+Years.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Best sequel was definitely <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-mime-order-by-samantha-shannon.html" target="_blank">The Mime Order</a></i>. I actually wasn't super crazy about <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/04/review-bone-season-by-samantha-shannon.html" target="_blank">The Bone Season</a></i>, but the second book was incredible and I think it just took me a little bit to warm up to the series. I'm hooked now and I actually want to reread <i>The Bone Season </i>to see if my opinion will be any different now.<br />
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Best series ender was a tie between <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/10/review-immortal-heights-by-sherry-thomas.html" target="_blank">The Immortal Heights</a></i> and <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-winter-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">Winter</a></i>. Both were absolutely incredible. I have so much love for both of these series.<br />
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<strong>6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?</strong></h3>
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Can I say Tiffany Reisz for every answer in this survey? Please say yes. No? That would be boring? Damn you. Fine. I didn't really "discover" this author in 2015 because I read one of her books in 2014, but I didn't like said book. But this year I gave <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-walled-city-by-ryan-graudin.html" target="_blank">The Walled City</a></i> & <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/10/review-wolf-by-wolf-by-ryan-graudin.html" target="_blank">Wolf by Wolf</a></i> a go and LOVED both of them. So Ryan Graudin is definitely a new favorite of mine.<br />
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<strong>7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?</strong></h3>
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Stop it. I could seriously answer <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/03/bird-in-fishbowl-original-sinners.html" target="_blank">The Original Sinners</a></i> for everything. But this one I'm going to because I wrote a post about it called Bird in a Fishbowl which is a feature I created to talk about things out of my comfort zone! So definitely <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/03/bird-in-fishbowl-original-sinners.html" target="_blank">The Original Sinners</a></i> by Tiffany Reisz. I had only read a small handful of erotica before this series and most of it didn't work for me. But this series crushed it. I can't tell you how much I love it. Just read it people.<br />
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<strong>8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-golden-son-by-pierce-brown.html" target="_blank">Golden Son</a> </i>by Pierce Brown. If you guys haven't started this series yet, you need to. It's an awesome sci-fi with a kick-ass main character and a plot that will make you either want to throw the book across the room, scream, cry, or all of the above.<br />
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<strong>9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-six-of-crows-by-leigh-bardugo.html" target="_blank">Six of Crows</a> </i>by Leigh Bardugo. I loved this heist novel set in the Grishaverse and with the second one coming out next year, I'll definitely be rereading.<br />
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<strong>10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/10/review-immortal-heights-by-sherry-thomas.html" target="_blank">The Immortal Heights</a> </i>by Sherry Thomas. I love all the covers of these books. They are gorgeous!!<br />
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<strong>11. Most memorable character of 2015?</strong></h3>
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Kingsley Edge from <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/03/bird-in-fishbowl-original-sinners.html" target="_blank">The Original Sinners</a></i>. I know, I know. I need to stop with this series. But you guys. YOU GUYS. You don't understand. It's amazing and Kingsley is one of my top book boyfriends of all time. That sexy French man does crazy things to me.<br />
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<strong>12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-another-day-by-david-levithan.html" target="_blank">Another Day</a> </i>by David Levithan. David's writing is beautiful and this book brought me to tears. It's a companion to <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/03/every-day-by-david-levithan.html" target="_blank">Every Day</a> </i>a story about a person who wakes up in a different body every day. This person falls in love with a girl and the book will really make you question if you love the car or the driver.<br />
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<strong>13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-falling-into-place-by-amy-zhang.html" target="_blank">Falling Into Place</a></i> by Amy Zhang. This book is about a girl who decides she no longer wants to live. It's beautifully written and will really make you stop and think about the consequences of your actions. Not just how your actions affect those around you, but how they affect yourself as well.<br />
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<strong> 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? </strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/06/series-review-grisha-trilogy-by-leigh.html" target="_blank">Shadow & Bone</a></i> by Leigh Bardugo. I don't know what took me so long to read this series, but I absolutely LOVED it!! The Grishaverse is so unique and amazing and I totally ship Alina and Mal for life. And I might be a little bit in love with the Darkling. Sorry not sorry.<br />
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<strong>15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015? </strong></h3>
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"There will come a moment in your life where you find yourself confronted with two choices, and both are bad ones. For me it was to stay in a place where I was choked and had nothing to look forward to and no way to prove my talents, or to leave everyone I knew and loved behind forever for a chance that might not work out. That is how the gods test us, by laying before us what seems to be a choice and yet is no choice at all. When we come to that fork in our path down which no road is clean, all we can control is with what dignity and honor we take our inevitable step." - Kate Elliott, <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-court-of-fives-by-kate-elliott.html" target="_blank">Court of Fives</a></i><br />
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<strong>16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?</strong></h3>
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Longest: <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-winter-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">Winter</a> </i>by Marissa Meyer at 824 pages. It was still too short.<br />
Shortest: <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/03/review-lux-series-by-jennifer-l.html" target="_blank">Shadows</a> </i>by Jennifer L. Armentrout at 179 pages.<br />
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<strong>17. Book That Shocked You The Most</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-golden-son-by-pierce-brown.html" target="_blank">Golden Son</a></i>. That ending. Insanity.<br />
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<strong>18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)</strong></h3>
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(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)<br />
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Iolanthe and Titus from <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/11/review-burning-sky-by-sherry-thomas.html" target="_blank">The Elemental Trilogy</a></i> by Sherry Thomas. I reread this whole trilogy this year and I freaking love these two. The banter between them is perfection and every moment between them is intense and perfect and just *sigh*.<br />
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19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year</h3>
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Thorne and Cinder from <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-cinder-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">The Lunar Chronicles</a></i> by Marissa Meyer. I love the snark and the banter between these two and I love how much they really care about each other even though they'll deny it to the death.<br />
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<strong>20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-young-elites-by-marie-lu.html" target="_blank">The Young Elites</a> </i>by Marie Lu. The <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/11/mini-review-legend-and-prodigy-by-marie.html" target="_blank">Legend</a> </i>series is my all-time favorite dystopian series so of course I was dying to get my hands on Marie's newest and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It's super dark and the main character is kind of awful, but I loved every second of it!<br />
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<strong>21. Best Book You Read In 2015That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/03/bird-in-fishbowl-original-sinners.html" target="_blank">The Original Sinners</a></i> by Tiffany Reisz. One day I texted Kelly and told her I was in the mood for a sexy book. And then she told me about this series. I downloaded a sample of the first book and then preceded to keep reading until I was completely caught up with the series, six books later. Kelly is the queen and I am so happy that I listened to her on this one.<br />
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22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?</h3>
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Noah Hutchins from <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-pushing-limits-by-katie-mcgarry.html" target="_blank">Pushing the Limits</a> </i>by Katie McGarry. Yes, I finally met Noah and damn is he smoking hot. *swoons*<br />
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23. Best 2015 debut you read?</h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/04/review-girl-at-midnight-by-melissa-grey.html" target="_blank">The Girl at Midnight</a> </i>by Melissa Grey. I loved this fantasy about a race of people with feathers for hair living underground in Manhattan.<br />
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24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?</h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-darker-shade-of-magic-by-ve.html" target="_blank">A Darker Shade of Magic</a> </i>by V.E. Schwab. I loved the different parallel Londons and the explanations for each one in terms of magic. The world-building was fantastic and I loved how all the Londons may be laid out the same, but they all looked and felt so different. Incredible book!<br />
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25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?</h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/03/review-mr-brightside-by-jay-clark.html" target="_blank">Finding Mr. Brightside</a> </i>by Jay Clark. This book was just plain adorable. The romance was so stinking cute. It was light and fun and just the perfect book for when you want to smile.<br />
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26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?</h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/10/review-scorpion-rules-by-erin-bow.html" target="_blank">The Scorpion Rules</a> </i>by Erin Bow. Not exactly a book I expected to make me cry, but this one made such a huge impact on me. The themes of humanity and what makes a person human were intense and a sacrifice that was made was beautiful and heart-breaking. I loved this one.<br />
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27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?</h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/06/review-every-last-word-by-tamara.html" target="_blank">Every Last Word</a> </i>by Tamara Ireland Stone. I didn't hear much buzz about this book, but I absolutely loved it. It was such an honest look at OCD and anxiety. It was clear the author did her research and I loved the way words were used as a sort of therapy.<br />
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28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?</h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-queen-of-shadows-by-sarah-j-maas.html" target="_blank">Queen of Shadows</a> </i>by Sarah J. Maas. And not in a good way. Yes, there is a good way to have your soul crushed. But this book just kind of destroyed me because I hated the direction the story went. I hated the way the characters acted. With the <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/09/review-throne-of-glass-by-sarah-j-maas.html" target="_blank">Throne of Glass</a> </i>series being one of my favorite series ever, it was a soul crushing disappointment to read QoS.<br />
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29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?</h3>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-illuminae-by-amie-kaufman-and.html" target="_blank">Illuminae</a> </i>by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. First of all, have you guys seen this book???? It's gorgeous and just so unique and different. It's a story told in a sort of dossier of correspondence between crew mates, along with audio recordings of conversations, AI stuff, etc. There are blacked out words, diagrams and pictures, crazy artwork. If it sounds like it would be a difficult read, it's not. I was a little worried at first, but I flew through it and loved every second! Most unique book I've ever read.<br />
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30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?</h3>
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Unpopular opinion alert... <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-queen-of-shadows-by-sarah-j-maas.html" target="_blank">Queen of Shadows</a></i>. Sorry not sorry. I hated what Sarah did with this book and I'm still really bitter about it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KKpSjaM3EvWr-UoKo6tICcMp3R6qFRZTbbcyj-1IfcV3CsKFNUckSCYg5mGuzwZKWB-_SW4NxmIAemp0z7TEaECmOuqp73MEFXVld51Ejr_l-0y9uHMBC5C57Xxj3cmCUfDqBjsL6HT0/s1600/2015+Blogging-Bookish+Life.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KKpSjaM3EvWr-UoKo6tICcMp3R6qFRZTbbcyj-1IfcV3CsKFNUckSCYg5mGuzwZKWB-_SW4NxmIAemp0z7TEaECmOuqp73MEFXVld51Ejr_l-0y9uHMBC5C57Xxj3cmCUfDqBjsL6HT0/s640/2015+Blogging-Bookish+Life.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<strong>1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?</strong></h3>
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<a href="http://paperfury.com/" target="_blank">Paper Fury</a>. I love Cait so much! I just discovered her actually a couple months ago and she is hilarious, awesome and loves cake. So winning. Her reviews and posts are snarky and there really hasn't been a single thing she's written that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed. Oh and she takes beautiful Instagram photos.<br />
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<strong>2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?</strong></h3>
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My sort of review of <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/03/bird-in-fishbowl-original-sinners.html" target="_blank">The Original Sinners</a></i>. This is my favorite post I've written all year actually. It's not so much a review as a discussion of things the series made me think about and things I loved with a little bit of gushing on the side.<br />
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<strong>3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?</strong></h3>
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My two personal favorites are a post about <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/10/my-social-media-insecurities.html" target="_blank">my social media insecurities</a> and my <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/04/an-open-letter-to-my-ya-self.html" target="_blank">open letter to my YA self</a>. I still tear up reading my letter and my social media post got a lot of love from the blogging community and made me feel not so alone.<br />
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<strong>4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?</strong></h3>
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I'm going to have to go with <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/06/bea-2015-recap.html" target="_blank">BEA</a>. I had such a blast at <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/06/bea-2015-recap.html" target="_blank">BEA</a> this past year. I got to meet Kelly, Ashley and countless other bloggers. I got to talk to some amazing people working in the publishing industry. It was incredible and I can't wait for next year!<br />
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<strong>5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?</strong></h3>
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I can't pick just one. There are so many moments that are amazing. When you get to meet one of your bookish friends for the first time at an event. When you get to talk to your favorite author on Twitter. When someone comments on a post and says that they completely 100% agree with me and they're so happy they found someone who gets it. Doing epic rereads with your friends and sending obnoxiously long voice messages about those books. Blogging has opened up a whole world to me that I never knew existed. A world filled with my people. I love each and every one of you and I really do treasure each moment.<br />
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6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?</h3>
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Time management. I've really tried to kick my writing into gear this year and because of that, I've had less time for reading/blogging. I haven't read as much and my blog posts have been slowly decreasing as the year goes on. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing though and I have some big plans for next year so stick around people.<br />
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<strong>7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?</strong></h3>
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My sort of review of <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/03/bird-in-fishbowl-original-sinners.html" target="_blank">The Original Sinners</a> </i>by Tiffany Reisz. I did this by page visits and you have no idea how happy I was to see this pop up. This might be one of my favorite posts I've ever written. I'm giddy over this.<br />
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<strong>8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?</strong></h3>
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My <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/12/bookrecommendations.html" target="_blank">book recs post</a> complete with infographic. Granted, I just posted this, but I worked so hard on the graphic and just trying to find the best recommendations out there and I just wish it would get a tad more love.<br />
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<strong>9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?</strong></h3>
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<a href="https://society6.com/evieseo" target="_blank">Evie Seo's Society 6 shop</a>. So. Many. Things. I need them all! I bought an awesome <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-six-of-crows-by-leigh-bardugo.html" target="_blank">Six of Crows</a></i> bag from her and it's so beautiful!! I want all the things.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqY-L5OwYXziAT-TPgPlT4ulKH8s5FjXaFV6d8J467D26w_MCyo4MQQLpmqidSeK-K0bVbDfL6QU4eB06HQ2jPcVH39ImUOJbheyVTpcJydDl0z4Aeh7f3dqaFYuiFcRbjojAn1w9YBckb/s1600/Six+of+Crows+Bag.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqY-L5OwYXziAT-TPgPlT4ulKH8s5FjXaFV6d8J467D26w_MCyo4MQQLpmqidSeK-K0bVbDfL6QU4eB06HQ2jPcVH39ImUOJbheyVTpcJydDl0z4Aeh7f3dqaFYuiFcRbjojAn1w9YBckb/s400/Six+of+Crows+Bag.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong>10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?</strong></h3>
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The only reading challenge that I really participate in is the Goodreads challenge and I don't think I'm going to hit my goal this year. I think I'm going to be five books short. Five books!! Noooooo!!! But it's okay. I tried to not worry so much about hitting my reading goals this year and devoted more time to friends and family which I'm okay with. I'm still happy with hitting 120.<br />
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<strong>1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?</strong></h3>
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So many. I mean for real. Ugh. How do I choose? I think I'm going to have to go with <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/57115-lumatere-chronicles" target="_blank">The Lumatere Chronicles</a></i> because Wendy has been hardcore pushing that series on me all year and I trust her judgment so I know I'll love it. I wanted to get to it this year, but it just didn't happen.<br />
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I also still have the final two books in <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/03/bird-in-fishbowl-original-sinners.html" target="_blank">The Original Sinners</a> </i>series so I'm going to do a massive reread and binge the entire series again. And Wendy will be joining for her first time reading. So excited!!<br />
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And last, but certainly not least....<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.Harry_Potter_and_the_Sorcerer_s_Stone?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a></i>. I meant to get to it last year (like 2014) and then didn't. And then I meant to get to it this year... and then didn't. Fail. Yes, I have not read HP ever. I promise to make it a priority in 2016. And seriously harass me about it until I just do it. Help a girl out so she knows what the term muggle means.<br />
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<strong>2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?</strong></h3>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20764879-a-gathering-of-shadows" target="_blank">A Gathering of Shadows</a> </i>by V.E. Schwab. I LOVED <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-darker-shade-of-magic-by-ve.html" target="_blank">A Darker Shade of Magic</a> </i>and even though it didn't end on a cliffhanger, I'm still eagerly awaiting the sequel because I want more! And I'm hoping for maybe a little romance between the two main characters this time...please???<br />
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3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?</h3>
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There are so many to choose from!! I don't think I read enough debuts this year so maybe I will make that a goal for next year. But I'm going to have to go with <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23203252-a-shadow-bright-and-burning?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">A Shadow Bright & Burning</a> </i>by Jessica Cluess. About a badass girl who can burst into flames set in Victorian London. Sign me up!<br />
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4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?</h3>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18966806-morning-star" target="_blank">Morning Star</a> </i>by Pierce Brown. After the ending of <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-golden-son-by-pierce-brown.html" target="_blank">Golden Son</a></i> I am DYING to read this book! I'll definitely be doing a reread of the first two before getting to this. If you haven't started this series you definitely should. If you like space and action with a side of brutality, then this series is for you.<br />
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<strong>5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?</strong></h3>
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Overhaul my entire blog. I want to do a complete redesign. I'm probably going to be moving over to Wordpress and I think I might even be changing my blog name. *gulp* It sounds so scary and like it's going to be a ton of work, but I've been wanting to do this for a while now and I think 2016 will be the year. I really would love to take my blog to the next level and I don't think I can do that with the current design. It needs a face lift.<br />
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6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:</h3>
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I haven't read any yet! I have a bunch from Edelweiss and a few from BEA, but I just haven't gotten around to any of them yet. Have you read any that should be on my radar??? </div>
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<b>Phew! That was long. If you made it all the way through, congratulations! You win... a virtual cookie! Woohoo! Your choice of chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip or snickerdoodle. Homemade with love. Nom nom nom! Did you participate in Jamie's survey? Leave the link below so I can check out your year in books! And have a very Merry Christmas everybody! </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-20369867980992412432015-12-16T00:00:00.000-05:002015-12-16T00:00:05.010-05:00Rewind and Fast Forward: November 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsCtUq76rFFCsAP-gPNQHG_udcMSBteGE87KjQ06ekFhENaKj6MwW-v50-l_E80rCox5jMv7WgPQYmQwPjPxDT4_cLGS2d3nMXxVYL5HDmCvBg0gDkXP1Awl9TtFHgxutNOIf0coyjb2p/s1600/Rewind+and+Fast+Forward.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsCtUq76rFFCsAP-gPNQHG_udcMSBteGE87KjQ06ekFhENaKj6MwW-v50-l_E80rCox5jMv7WgPQYmQwPjPxDT4_cLGS2d3nMXxVYL5HDmCvBg0gDkXP1Awl9TtFHgxutNOIf0coyjb2p/s320/Rewind+and+Fast+Forward.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I know. I'm horribly late. It's halfway through December and I am just now wrapping up November. December has been a complete whirlwind so far and I expect the rest to be just as crazy so I apologize in advance for the lack of new content on the blog. I promise I'll be back in full swing in January and I have lots of very exciting things planned, lovelies! </div>
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Reviews:</h2>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-fairest-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">Fairest</a> </i>by Marissa Meyer: 4 Stars</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-winter-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">Winter</a> </i>by Marissa Meyer: 5 Billion Stars</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-need-by-joelle-charbonneau.html" target="_blank">Need</a> </i>by Joelle Charbonneau: 2.5 Stars</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-da-vincis-tiger-by-lm-elliott.html" target="_blank">Da Vinci's Tiger</a> </i>by L.M. Elliott: 4 Stars</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-dumplin-by-julie-murphy.html" target="_blank">Dumplin'</a> </i>by Julie Murphy: 4 Stars</div>
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So obviously book of the month was <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-winter-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">Winter</a></i>. This was such an amazing ending to <i>The Lunar Chronicles </i>series. I also reread <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-cinder-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">Cinder</a>, <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/07/review-scarlet-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">Scarlet</a> </i>& <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/02/review-cress-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">Cress</a> </i>which was amazing of course. I'm already planning on rereading them all on audio next year because I've heard the audio is amazing!! I think I'm still in a bit of a book hangover from <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-winter-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank">Winter</a></i>, weeks later. I can't seem to move on and I've only read three books since I finished it. I know. Who am I? What is this life? What does it mean? Am I dying? *sigh* I've also just been really busy lately and haven't had much reading time. Ugh, adulting sucks sometimes. </div>
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Other Posts:</h2>
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I gave you my <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-1-reason-you-should-read-lunar.html" target="_blank">#1 reason why you should read The Lunar Chronicles</a>. Just do it, people. Trust me. It's incredible. I talked about <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/dream-big.html" target="_blank">pursuing your dreams</a>, regardless of how scary it might be and I also talked about not being afraid to <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/dont-be-afraid-to-share-your-passions.html" target="_blank">share your passions</a> with the people around you, even if you think they may think it's stupid. Who cares what they think? If it's something you love and are passionate about, you should share it! And for Thanksgiving I wrote a post about all the things in my life <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/contemplate-good-in-your-life.html" target="_blank">I'm thankful for</a>, which are so so many. </div>
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Still trying to finish up some holiday shopping? I've put together a <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-library-canarys-bookish-gift-guide.html" target="_blank">bookish gift guide</a> to make life easier. </div>
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And finally, last month I got to meet the beautiful and talented <a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/leigh-bardugo-event-recap.html" target="_blank">Leigh Bardugo</a>. Leigh was so amazing. She was funny and super sweet and I'm so happy I got to go to her <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-six-of-crows-by-leigh-bardugo.html" target="_blank">Six of Crows</a> </i>event and be the girl that slapped down 5 books to be signed. I always seem to be that girl... Sorry not sorry. </div>
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In My Real Life:</h2>
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November was a whirlwind. I don't even know what I did. Seriously. Um... well for Thanksgiving Phil and I went to our friends house which was nice. Normally it's just Phil and I for Thanksgiving since we fly back to Chicago (where we're both from) for Christmas and it's always a little lonely with just two people at the table. So it was nice to be surrounded by friends. I didn't do any Black Friday shopping because it's just too crazy for me. I'd rather pay full price. For real. How was your Thanksgiving??? Did you eat all the pie? </div>
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Fast-Forward:</h2>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13138736-their-fractured-light" target="_blank">Their Fractured Light</a></i> by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner: December 1, 2015: So I haven't even read the second book in this series yet, but now that the third one is out, I'm going to reread and binge the whole thing because I LOVED <i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-these-broken-stars-by-amie.html" target="_blank">These Broken Stars</a></i>. </div>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23208417-this-raging-light" target="_blank">This Raging Light</a> </i>by Estelle Laure: December 22, 2015: The synopsis has sisters in it so I'm in. I'm a sucker for sister stories and while I don't think this is going to focus on the relationship, I have a feeling it's going to play a big part. </div>
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That's it apparently... December is a slow month for everyone I guess, including the publishing industry. Do you know any other December releases I should have on my list??? </div>
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<b>What was the best book you read in the month of November? What December release are you most looking forward to? Have any big Christmas plans?</b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-35789306752353837992015-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:002015-12-04T00:00:10.471-05:00If You Like...Then Read...<div style="text-align: center;">
With the holidays right around the corner, I thought it might be a good idea to put together a guide to help all the husbands out there when purchasing books for their bookish significant others. But then as I got started, I realized that I didn't have a single place on my blog for book recommendations. What??? How? Why?!? How can I be a book review blog, but not recommend books??? I guess in a way I recommend when I review, but there's no clear cut place to go when you're looking for your next read. And that's just unacceptable. So I set to work creating an infographic to help point everyone in the right direction. So whether you're shopping for the book lover in your life or just looking for the next thing to read, you've come to the right place.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkfSIoOFRFQkJ-LF-e2os87D0CBPAY_Q-RC6b5d_5uARXe1trSDexzY2vhFmPP0INBxzUV_uU-nGyTZ9WugnGBbQzxrvPHR1Knc-cwEW6CXvUpzZ6bCObl5XNzeZ4RCIZR2z9b2h4IvCGR/s1600/Reading+Rec+Infographic+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkfSIoOFRFQkJ-LF-e2os87D0CBPAY_Q-RC6b5d_5uARXe1trSDexzY2vhFmPP0INBxzUV_uU-nGyTZ9WugnGBbQzxrvPHR1Knc-cwEW6CXvUpzZ6bCObl5XNzeZ4RCIZR2z9b2h4IvCGR/s1600/Reading+Rec+Infographic+2.png" /></a></div>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11594257-under-the-never-sky?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Under the Never Sky</a> </i>by Veronica Rossi</div>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8525590-wither?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Wither</a> </i>by Lauren DeStefano</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/05/review-partials-by-dan-wells.html" target="_blank">Partials</a> </i>by Dan Wells<br />
<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/11/mini-review-legend-and-prodigy-by-marie.html" target="_blank">Legend</a> </i>by Marie Lu</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/11/review-burning-sky-by-sherry-thomas.html" target="_blank">The Burning Sky</a> </i>by Sherry Thomas</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/06/series-review-grisha-trilogy-by-leigh.html" target="_blank">Shadow & Bone</a> </i>by Leigh Bardugo</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-six-of-crows-by-leigh-bardugo.html" target="_blank">Six of Crows</a> </i>by Leigh Bardugo</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/02/review-darker-shade-of-magic-by-ve.html" target="_blank">A Darker Shade of Magic</a> </i>by V.E. Schwab</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/04/review-bone-season-by-samantha-shannon.html" target="_blank">The Bone Season</a> </i>by Samantha Shannon</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-illuminae-by-amie-kaufman-and.html" target="_blank">Illuminae</a> </i>by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/02/review-red-rising-by-pierce-brown.html" target="_blank">Red Rising</a> </i>by Pierce Brown</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-these-broken-stars-by-amie.html" target="_blank">These Broken Stars</a> </i>by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-between-shades-of-gray-by-ruta.html" target="_blank">Between Shades of Gray</a> </i>by Ruta Sepetys </div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-mad-wicked-folly-by-sharon-biggs.html" target="_blank">A Mad, Wicked Folly</a> </i>by Sharon Biggs Waller</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/08/review-grave-mercy-by-robin-lafevers.html" target="_blank">Grave Mercy</a> </i>by Robin LaFevers</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-da-vincis-tiger-by-lm-elliott.html" target="_blank">Da Vinci's Tiger</a> </i>by L.M. Elliott</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-winterspell-by-claire-legrand.html" target="_blank">Winterspell</a> </i>by Claire Legrand</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/05/review-court-of-thorns-and-roses.html" target="_blank">A Court of Thorns and Roses</a> </i>by Sarah J. Maas</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/05/review-crimson-bound-by-rosamund-hodge.html" target="_blank">Crimson Bound</a> </i>by Rosamund Hodge</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/03/every-day-by-david-levithan.html" target="_blank">Every Day</a> </i>by David Levithan</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/04/things-we-know-by-heart-by-jessi-kirby.html" target="_blank">Things We Know by Heart</a> </i>by Jessi Kirby</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/11/review-dumplin-by-julie-murphy.html" target="_blank">Dumplin'</a> </i>by Julie Murphy</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-falling-into-place-by-amy-zhang.html" target="_blank">Falling Into Place</a> </i>by Amy Zhang</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/11/review-cracked-by-eliza-crewe.html" target="_blank">Cracked</a> </i>by Eliza Crewe</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2013/02/black-city-by-elizabeth-richards.html" target="_blank">Black City</a> </i>by Elizabeth Richards</div>
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<i><a href="http://thelibrarycanary.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-trial-by-fire-by-josephine.html" target="_blank">Trial by Fire</a></i> by Josephine Angelini</div>
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And now you have no excuses for not buying the perfect book for your bookish friend and/or significant other. And you have a simple guide to help you choose your next read! Huzzah! Hope this helps and if you want more recs you can also email or tweet me! I love recommending books. *rubs hands together gleefully* But be prepared. I'm going to give you a laundry list of all the books you HAVE to read. Happy reading and shopping everyone! </div>
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<b>What books would you recommend based on the categories I put together? </b></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1702446285455848219.post-11332622694418815242015-11-30T00:00:00.000-05:002015-11-30T00:00:06.566-05:00Review: Dumplin' by Julie Murphy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMceM3siQVW07VYgUcz2eTlPf8e4UCW00diXwLO9AN0SdZc69OEGNIPyGD1-gsxgnLk-a2j39X5glVe-FX2-taQMPtuk97074Vdt4nyPSoX098_zzRBZXQpgXHK1HLp0eKfTjH24e1W6b/s1600/Dumplin%2527.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMceM3siQVW07VYgUcz2eTlPf8e4UCW00diXwLO9AN0SdZc69OEGNIPyGD1-gsxgnLk-a2j39X5glVe-FX2-taQMPtuk97074Vdt4nyPSoX098_zzRBZXQpgXHK1HLp0eKfTjH24e1W6b/s640/Dumplin%2527.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18304322-dumplin?ac=1&from_search=1">Add to Goodreads</a></h2>
<i>***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my opinion. The review below reflects my open and honest thoughts.***</i><br />
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Synopsis from Goodreads: </h4>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Self-proclaimed fat
girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has
always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini
body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen,
by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the
local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock.
Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when
he seems to like her back.</span><br />
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Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo,
Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by
doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City
beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world
that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the
way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.<br />
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With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly
unforgettable heroine—<i>Dumplin’</i> is guaranteed to steal your heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">Do you ever stare into the mirror and nitpick every piece of your body? Do you ever wonder what other people see when they look at you? Do you ever get self-conscious when someone touches a part of you that you're not happy with? Do you hold yourself back from doing things that you want to because of body image issues? Like strutting around in a swimsuit? Or walking into a particular clothing store in the mall? Or even entering a beauty pageant? Who hasn't done all of these things at some point in their life? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">I'm going to let you in on a secret. I'm not always the most confident person when it comes to my body. During college I put on some weight (who doesn't?) and I'm still slowly trying to take it back off. And sometimes I look in the mirror and am really unhappy. And Willowdean gets that. I was instantly able to connect with her. I've never been overweight like Will is, but I've had the same insecurities she does. And that's what I think people connect with in this book. The feeling of not being good enough. Will is actually pretty comfortable in her skin which was refreshing to read about. But once she starts dating hot guy Bo, she starts to question whether or not she's good enough for him. Which leads her to question whether or not she's good enough to compete in the beauty pageant. She is fighting against the knowledge that she should be comfortable in her own skin and the thought of Bo discovering all her imperfections. The internal struggle that Will goes through is something that everyone will be able to relate to and that's why I loved this book. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">Julie Murphy made me laugh, made me cringe, made me clench my fists and made me cry during this book. There were so many different facets to Dumplin' that I enjoyed. There was a heart-breaking mother-daughter relationship that brought me to tears. Will's mom is not nice. I couldn't stand her for the whole book. But I could see her mom's own insecurities and they felt like kindred spirits to me. I knew that eventually they would get to an okay place with a lot of hard work because Will's mom understands her better than she thinks. There was a relationship between Will and her best friend, Ellen that was complicated and messy. Ellen is skinny and beautiful and Will feels like she's living in her shadow and slowly being left behind. I loved watching Will slowly realize that maybe she can't blame everything on Ellen. Maybe she has to shoulder some of the blame herself. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">And then there was the Will and Bo relationship. I loved these two together. I loved how they both had to learn about relationships and the importance of fostering those relationships. Neither of them were perfect, far from it, and their relationship has a really rocky start. But the journey was fantastic and I got all the feels watching them slowly figure things out. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">The pageant is actually not a huge focus of this book. We barely get any pageant stuff and I was happy with that. The focus is on Will and how her choice to participate is changing her entire outlook on herself and on others. The lessons she learns from competing are amazing and her transformation is a thing of beauty. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a contemporary that will make you laugh and cry at the same time. If you want to learn how to accept yourself as you are, Willowdean can teach you a few lessons. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"><b>Have you read this book yet? Did Willowdean teach you a few lessons as well? What other books out there on body image should I be reading? </b></span></span></div>
Rebecca @ Unbound Pageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14609128581185079525noreply@blogger.com2