Category: Features

How Do You Buy Books? Update!

Posted August 20, 2015 / Discussions, Features / 20 Comments
How Do You Buy Books? Update!

A long time ago I posted about buying books: my habits, my decision-making process, and why book-buying is hard. In a world where there are multiple formats and locations for purchasing and owning books, how do you decide what to buy and when? I had developed this nifty little chart that showed exactly when and why I’d buy a book in a certain format. My, how things change in less than a year! I’m here today to give you an update on my book-buying habits and how they’ve changed.I would buy a Kindle book if I owned the rest of the series as eBooks, if the Kindle copy was really cheap, or if I didn’t have an audiobook credit at the moment. The biggest reason would be if I just had to have the book RIGHT THEN. Now, some of the same things are true. I’ll buy a Kindle book if I own the rest of the series as e-books. This is definitely true for the Pretty Little Liars and Rusk University series. I already own the beginning books as e-books, why change that?  Otherwise, the only actual time I’ll buy a Kindle book is if there’s a big ass deal going on and I need it. I really don’t feel the need to buy Kindle books anymore! I read mostly eARCs on there at this point. I’m more than happy to accept Kindle books as gifts, but I don’t go out of my way to buy them. I think […]

Bout of Books 14 Challenge: Scavenger Hunt

Posted August 18, 2015 / Book Challenges, Features / 7 Comments
Bout of Books 14 Challenge: Scavenger Hunt

Check here for my sign-up post, TBR, and tracking of progress. I’ll be updating you with the books I’m currently reading in these challenge posts. Learn more about Bout of Books here. Challenge: Scavenger Hunt Find books that fit into the categories below. Take pictures, share them from Instagram, find them online – either way, show off the books! I decided to do a scavenger hunt through my Instagram page, since I’m completing this one at work without access to my books. Here goes… Book that begins with “B” for Bout of Books A photo posted by Lauren @ Bookmark Lit (@bookmark_lit) on Nov 18, 2014 at 6:15pm PST Book you’re planning to read or currently reading for Bout of Books A photo posted by Lauren @ Bookmark Lit (@bookmark_lit) on Aug 17, 2015 at 8:50am PDT   Blue book(s) A photo posted by Lauren @ Bookmark Lit (@bookmark_lit) on Apr 10, 2015 at 5:37pm PDT Books from your favorite genre A photo posted by Lauren @ Bookmark Lit (@bookmark_lit) on Jun 16, 2015 at 6:25pm PDT Book on your TBR shelf or your full TBR shelves A photo posted by Lauren @ Bookmark Lit (@bookmark_lit) on Jul 10, 2015 at 4:58am PDT   Currently reading and recently finished CR: Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland This book has been on my TBR for a very, very long time. I started reading it yesterday as my first read for Bout of Books! It’s actually my Book Buddies read for August and it fits perfectly […]

Review Writing: How to Stop Hating It

Posted August 14, 2015 / Discussions, Features / 43 Comments
Review Writing: How to Stop Hating It

There has been a lot of chatter in the blogosphere about review-writing and how much pretty much everyone hates having to do it. It’s a chore and a daunting task. We just want to READ and not have to stop to write down our thoughts. Do people even read reviews anymore? No one comments on them anymore and bloggers seem to have more fun writing other types of posts – discussions, memes, and original features. People feel pressured to read and review because really, that’s the core point to book blogging. Didn’t everyone start the blog with the purpose of sharing reviews and talking about books? I think the book blogosphere is growing and evolving, but there’s definitely a way to keep reviews in the mix without making it the worst part of blogging. I feel like almost everyone hates it and has been losing an interest in blogging as a result.Honestly? I don’t mind writing reviews. And I like reading other people’s reviews! I’ll admit that overall I am less likely to read a book review compared to a discussion, but I probably read about 70% of the reviews that cross my Bloglovin’ feed. Full disclosure: I do a lot of skimming and checking for the rating, but overall… I still read reviews. And I still like writing them! I have a system worked out where writing reviews is not daunting or scary or time-consuming. I am able to read the book, write the review within the next 24 hours, and […]

Inside & Out #12: Sarah from What Sarah Read

Posted August 10, 2015 / Features, Inside and Out / 0 Comments
Inside & Out #12: Sarah from What Sarah Read

Admiring book covers and bookmarks, shared by you! Welcome to INSIDE AND OUT. This feature includes two of my absolute favorite book-related things: bookmarks (inside) and book covers (out)! I’ve invited guest posters to share their favorite book covers and bookmarks here on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Sign-ups are always open (see bottom of post)! Check out past posts here. Sarah from What Sarah Read Twitter: @whatsarahread| Instagram: @whatsarahread| Tumblr| Pinterest | Goodreads Tell me a little about yourself: I feel like my Twitter bio describes me perfectly! I’m a…Boston girl, book blogger, cat lover, diet coke addict, cheeseburger expert, daydreamer, fangirl, disney obsessed, unapologetic goofball and lover of life!! Yep…that’s me in a nutshell. Talk about your blog (what you blog about/kinds of books, features, etc.): What Sarah Read just celebrated it’s one year anniversary back in May and I am so thrilled with how many friends and readers I have met along the way. You’ll find book reviews that are usually accompanied by fun mood boards, as well as special features highlighting my favorite books, weekly memes like Top Ten Tuesday, and my own original feature…Fangirl Friday. It’s a fun way to invite my bookish friends to the blog each week to have them fangirl about their favorite things. Favorite genre: Do I really have to choose? I love young adult contemporary AND fantasy. There are so many amazing books from each that I could never possibly choose. As long as a book has a lot of soul and […]

Cover Colors: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Posted August 6, 2015 / Cover Colors, Features / 16 Comments
Cover Colors: A Court of Thorns and Roses

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with book covers. I love the colors, the typography, the different designs that cover artists can create. I even have a guest post feature where people share their favorite book covers and bookmarks! I decided to start up this random feature where I draw color inspiration from my favorite book covers. I may create an outfit, pick out some nail polish, or design a quote graphic. Today’s cover is… A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas This cover is just beyond cool… and the book inside is even better. I wanted to use the purples and grays in a quote, but couldn’t resist the opportunity for a kickass outfit too! I chose a feathery black dress, like the one on the cover, and some red patent leather pumps for a pop of color.   A Court of Thorns and Roses by bookmarklit featuring cocktail dresses

Bookmark Lit Bulletin – July 2015

Bookmark Lit Bulletin – July 2015

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin was created to wrap up each month and prepare for the next. I share my life happenings, book haul, books I read and reviewed, posts I shared, challenge updates, and more from the previous month. I also let you know what may be coming up on the blog in the coming month. You can read past bulletins here and learn more about the feature here. July books completed: 22 (Listen: 8 | Read: 14)                         Number books reviewed this month: 16 Books completed so far in 2015: 113                                            Number of other posts this month: 15 Goodreads Challenge Status: 65% complete                             Guests on Inside & Out: Dahlia & AndiOverall, not a bad month over here! I got A LOT of reading done and am very ahead on my Goodreads challenge. At the time of writing this, I’m 12 books ahead of schedule! Woo! Average rating for books read in July: 3.8 stars Highlights of the best and worst…            Best of the Best  |  Pleasantly Surprised  |  Disappointed Average rating for books reviewed in July: 4.0 stars Physical copies From my Uppercase Box: The Witch Hunter by Virgina Boeker | Purchased at Books-a-Million: Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt + Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Preordered and delivered from Amazon: Jesse’s Girl by Miranda Kenneally […]

Inside & Out #11: Andi from Andi’s ABCS

Posted July 27, 2015 / Features, Inside and Out / 8 Comments
Inside & Out #11: Andi from Andi’s ABCS

Admiring book covers and bookmarks, shared by you! Welcome to INSIDE AND OUT. This feature includes two of my absolute favorite book-related things: bookmarks (inside) and book covers (out)! I’ve invited guest posters to share their favorite book covers and bookmarks here on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Sign-ups are always open (see bottom of post)! Check out past posts here. Andi from Andi ABC’s Twitter: @andiabcs| Instagram: @andiabcs| Facebook | Pinterest Tell me a little about yourself: I am always so bad at this! Um, I’m a mid 30 year old YA reading gal and proud of it. I hail from the fabulous city of Boston, MA and I’m a HUGE Patriots, Red Sox and Bruins fan. I’m a shopaholic and proud. And yes I have a strong Boston accent. Oh and I’m a huge pusher of Anna and the French Kiss (Lauren will tell you! It was the first thing I made her do. <–truth) Talk about your blog (what you blog about/kinds of books, features, etc.): My blog is my baby. It consists of YA books for the most part. I review fantasy, contemporary, Sci-fi, dystopian, romance. I also have a weekly feature called The ABCs where a guest poster selects an accessory, book and clothing item they are lusting after and tells my readers why they want each. Favorite genre: I love a lot of different kind of books but I have to go with contemporary. I love a good love story with real life issues and circumstances in […]

Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up: Make Me Read It

Posted July 26, 2015 / Book Challenges, Features / 8 Comments
Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up: Make Me Read It

Starts at 8:00am on July 20th and ends at 12:00am on July 27th #MakeMeRead tag on Twitter/Instagram Check out the intro pages (Val’s or Ely’s) and the rules below: Look at the books you own, either physical, e-book or ones you’ve borrowed from the library and pick out a few you really want to read, or feel like you should read. It’s up to you how many you pick, personally I’d pick a few more than you expect to be able to read in a week. Example: if you think you’ll only read two, pick out five books or if you think you can read seven, pick out ten. Make a list of these books on your blog, or make a video, or a Goodreads shelf or post a picture on Instagram—whatever is easiest for you. Then get friends, other bloggers/booktubers etc. to vote on which books you HAVE to read. When the read-a-thon comes along, you read the books in the order of most votes. For example, if one book gets 10 votes—you read that first, then the one that got 7 and so on. If there’s a tie, then it’s your preference. The goal is to read as many as possible. Wrap-Up The read-a-thon started on Monday of last week and ends late tonight, so here is my wrap-up! I had a few obligations to read during it, so I didn’t do as well as I hoped in the beginning… but I’m glad I forced myself to read some […]