Category Archives: Bookish Discussion

#November2020CalendarGirls

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Hosted by Flavia the Bibliophile, Dani @ Mousai Books, and Darque Reader Reads. Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile. It is designed to ignite bookish discussions among readers, and was inspired by the 1961 Neil Sedaka song, Calendar Girl. Just like the song, each month has a different theme. Each blogger picks their favorite book from the theme, and on the first Monday of the month reveals their pick in a Calendar Girls post. Make sure to post back to the hostess’s post, and I will make a master list for the month. The master lists allow everyone to see the other Calendar Girls’ picks and to pop on over to their blogs. Thus, we all get to chat about books and even make some new friends!

The theme for November is Author’s Day: your favorite authors.

My favorite authors, in no specific order are:
Angie Thomas
Nic Stone
Romina Garber
V.E. Schwab
Tiffany D. Jackson
Robin Roe

There are more authors that I love but these authors are my auto-reads.

#June2020CalendarGirls

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Hosted by Flavia the Bibliophile, Dani @ Mousai Books, and Darque Reader Reads. Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile.  It is designed to ignite bookish discussions among readers, and was inspired by the 1961 Neil Sedaka song, Calendar Girl. Just like the song, each month has a different theme. Each blogger picks their favorite book from the theme, and on the first Monday of the month reveals their pick in a Calendar Girls post. Make sure to post back to the hostess’s post, and I will make a master list for the month. The master lists allow everyone to see the other Calendar Girls’ picks and to pop on over to their blogs. Thus, we all get to chat about books and even make some new friends!

The theme for June is Drive-In Movie Day: Favorite Book Adaptation.

My pick for this month is:

Screenshot from my Nook

*Disclaimer: When the theme was announced for this month, I knew that I was going to pick this book.  My decision to pick this book, especially right now is very timely.  

I thought that the movie adaptation of this book was done very well, and really helped to bring the story to life.

#HowToGetFreeLegalEbooks

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Today, I’m going to discuss how to get free eBooks LEGALLY outside of the obvious Nook and Kindle deals that you can get from emails such as Bookbub, Bookperk, LitFlash, and other email newsletters that send out eBook deals.  Yes, I put an emphasis on legally, I do not condone or support piracy, however, I do acknowledge that I come from a place of privilege that not everyone has and might not have any other option.

Epic Reads Insiders– Sign up to become an Epic Reads Insider.  Epic Reads is a YA imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.  Every once in a blue moon Epic Reads Insiders will send out surveys whereupon completing the survey you can download a free eBook, you will need the Glose app to read on your Nook, Phone, or Kindle and you can also read the books on your computer on the Glose website.  You’ll also need to create an account with Glose.  Epic Reads Insiders also has giveaways where you can win Advanced Reader Copies.

RivetedLit– RivetedLit is a website from Simon Teen.  Every month RivetedLit posts full-length books that can be read for free.  There is no app for RivetedLit so you’ll need a WiFi connection to read the books online.

NetGalley– You’ll need to create an account.  Most book bloggers use NetGalley.  NetGalley is a great way to get free eBooks, while they are Advanced Reader Copies, it’s still a great way to read and review upcoming publications.

Edelweiss– Edelweiss is similar to NetGalley but I don’t use it, as it’s not as user friendly and I have better luck with NetGalley.

And last but not least my favorite place to get free eBooks:

The library.  Yes, the library is my favorite place to get eBooks for free and my favorite apps for this are Libby and Hoopla Digital.  Libby is an app created by OverDrive and I use it more than I use OverDrive.  Hoopla Digital is also a great app as there are never any waitlists for eBooks.  The difference between Libby/OverDrive and Hoopla is that you can read books borrowed from Hoopla in your web browser, with Libby/OverDrive I’m pretty sure you need to download the apps.  However, I do not recommend having eBooks borrowed from Libby/OverDrive sent to your Kindle device, read the eBooks right in the Libby/OverDrive apps.  I personally love reading right in the Libby app, it gives you estimates on how long it will take you to finish the book you’re currently reading.  If you want to know why you should never have your Libby/OverDrive eBooks sent to your Kindle device, I highly suggest reading this article from Publisher’s Weekly.

I did not include Audiobooks in this as I don’t listen to them often.  I also did not include Scribd as it’s a subscription service, and the whole point of this post is FREE.

#May2020CalendarGirls

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calendar girls

Hosted by Flavia the Bibliophile, Dani @ Mousai Books, and Darque Reader Reads. Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile.  It is designed to ignite bookish discussions among readers and was inspired by the 1961 Neil Sedaka song, Calendar Girl. Just like the song, each month has a different theme. Each blogger picks their favorite book from the theme, and on the first Monday of the month reveals their pick in a Calendar Girls post. Make sure to post back to the hostess’s post, and I will make a master list for the month. The master lists allow everyone to see the other Calendar Girls’ picks and to pop on over to their blogs. Thus, we all get to chat about books and even make some new friends!

The theme for May is World Turtle Day: Favorite Slow Burn of a Novel (either a slow burn romance or a book that was really slow).  I actually had to consult Goodreads to see if I’ve actually read any slow burn romance books, and I discovered that I have read some, but very few. 

My pick for this month is:

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Cover screenshot from my Nook

The Wrath and the Dawn is a book that I consider to be a romance book for readers who don’t really read romance.  It’s a book that I love, and I loved the romance in it too.  I will read anything that Renée Ahdieh writes.

#April2020CalendarGirls

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calendar girls

Temporarily hosted by Flavia the Bibliophile and Dani @ Mousai Books. Normally hosted by Katie @ Never Not Reading and Darque Reader Reads. From Katie’s blog: Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile.  It is designed to ignite bookish discussions among readers and was inspired by the 1961 Neil Sedaka song, Calendar Girl. Just like the song, each month has a different theme. Each blogger picks their favorite book from the theme, and on the first Monday of the month reveals their pick in a Calendar Girls post. Make sure to post back to the hostess’s post, and I will make a master list for the month. The master lists allow everyone to see the other Calendar Girls’ picks and to pop on over to their blogs. Thus, we all get to chat about books and even make some new friends!

The theme for April is National Library Week- Favorite book I discovered at the library.

I think this is a great topic, while many libraries are closed right now, it is still important to show support for them.  One of the ways that you can support your library through this time is to utilize digital resources for borrowing eBooks, Audiobooks, Magazines, and Movies.

Since being a volunteer at a local library I have come across some great books.  My choice isn’t a single book it’s a series and an author.  My pick for this month is The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer.  I think Chris Colfer is a brilliant author who has a way with building amazing worlds and creating great stories.

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Photo from Bookstagram (which I no longer have but downloaded all my data)

 

#Bookstagram4.0

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At the beginning of the month, I wrote a post about how I was going to delete my Bookstagram and I wanted to give my readers an update.  I deleted my Bookstagram, and honestly, I am so happy that I deleted it, I am much happier since I left Bookstagram community.  I follow my favorite authors, publishers, and Etsy shops on my personal Instagram.  Speaking of my personal Instagram, I have been posting my current reads in my stories and even created a highlight.  I also created a photo album on my personal Facebook page so family and friends that don’t follow me on Instagram can see what I’ve been reading.  Who knows, maybe the Bookstagram community will change and I’ll feel like joining again at some point down the road, but for now, it’s best that I’m not a member of it.

#RecentBookishThoughts

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With everything going on, there have been a few things I have seen on Twitter regarding the book community that has kind of bothered me a little bit.  I have seen tweet after tweet from members of the community about how to still support local and independent bookstores through this situation.  While I do think it’s important to show support for indie/local bookstores, what has bothered me is that some of these people have yet to acknowledge the fact that there are so many people that can’t afford to buy books from local and Indie bookstores and rely on libraries.

What I haven’t seen a lot of people tweeting is how to show support for libraries during this time (I do have a thread which you can read here).  All 24 branches of the Boston Public library have closed along with many other libraries in the Commonwealth.  All schools in the Commonwealth are also closed.  For some students, school and public libraries are their only source and access to books. School libraries do offer online resources and eBooks, however, eBook selections might not be as extensive as public libraries but should still be utilized.  Also, for others, libraries aren’t just a place to get books, it’s their source of internet access, a place to get help, answers to questions, learning how to use technology.  I also have to acknowledge that there are people who don’t have any access to libraries at all.  During this time it’s important to support both local/indie bookstores and your public library.  You can support your public library by using OverDrive/Libby, Hoopla Digital, Kanopy, RBdigital or whatever eBook/Audiobook service your library uses.

I hope through this time everyone stays safe!

#ReReading2.0

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If you’ve been following my blog for a while you know that I have made it no secret that I love to re-read books. You can view that post here, and a few years ago I even created a challenge with the goal of rereading books. I saw this meme:

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And it put things into perspective. This meme made me realize how important it is to reread books but not only that, it made me realize the books that I always find myself re-reading other than Harry Potter. The books that I always find myself re-reading are:

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Stuart Little by E.B. White
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

There are other books that I re-read but not as often as the ones that I listed.

#Bookstagram3.0

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Today’s discussion is going to be about Bookstagram.  I’ve written two previous posts about Bookstagram which can be found here and here.   In the last one that I wrote, I discussed how I thought that Bookstagram was changing and how I didn’t like what it was becoming.

Today I’m going to discuss my new feelings about Bookstagram.

I’m still not a fan of what Bookstagram has become, I love it for following my favorite authors but other than that I don’t like it at all anymore.  Bookstagram has changed so much since I first joined, and in my honest opinion it hasn’t changed for the better, it has changed for the worse.  I feel that Bookstagram is no longer about the books, I feel that it has become about who has the best theme, who has the most likes and followers, which account has the best props and I’m not about that.  I’ve also stopped posting, the last time I posted was January 28, 2020.  With that being said, I have made a list of authors and publisher accounts that I follow and at the end of the week, I will be deleting my Bookstagram and following the authors and publishers from my personal account which I will not be giving out.  Deleting my Bookstagram is what is best for me. 

I will of course still be active on Twitter and Goodreads.

#March2020CalendarGirls

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calendar girls

Temporarily hosted by Flavia the Bibliophile and Dani @ Mousai Books. Normally hosted by Katie @ Never Not Reading and Darque Reader Reads. From Katie’s blog: Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile.  It is designed to ignite bookish discussions among readers and was inspired by the 1961 Neil Sedaka song, Calendar Girl. Just like the song, each month has a different theme. Each blogger picks their favorite book from the theme, and on the first Monday of the month reveals their pick in a Calendar Girls post. Make sure to post back to the hostess’s post, and I will make a master list for the month. The master lists allow everyone to see the other Calendar Girls’ picks and to pop on over to their blogs. Thus, we all get to chat about books and even make some new friends!

The theme for March is Saint Patrick’s Day- Book with favorite Mythical Creature.

For me, this one was easy, as I had a few choices and one of them was obvious but I decided against going with the more obvious one and went with something different.  My pick for this month is:

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I went with Lord of the Rings because it has such a variety of mythical creatures.  If you want to know my favorite creatures from this gem of a novel (not a trilogy) they are the Hobbits and the Elves.