Bookmark Lit is FOUR!

Posted July 16, 2018 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 9 Comments

I never know what to say in these things anymore … clearly, since I didn’t even bother writing a post last year? This one isn’t going to feature a giveaway or statistics or anything. I’m just going to talk for a little bit and pop in some favorites/pictures/etc. Enjoy it or skip it in your reader. 😉 The hobby quitter I am well-known for starting hobbies or sports and quitting them quickly. A brief rundown of things I’ve done for a year or less: playing clarinet, gymnastics, basketball, softball, knitting, bullet journaling, planners (with all the stickers – I still use them for regular plain planning), calligraphy or lettering, various other blogs over the years, sort of starting a consulting business, various blog features that never got going, rainbow loom, friendship bracelets, crafting/bookmark-making… the list goes on. I can never say enough how proud of myself I am for sticking with this book blogging thing for four years straight. Aside from being a reader my whole life, this is the ONE hobby I’ve stuck with for this long. I have a few other things that have been stable in the background lately (mostly Lego and wrestling) but neither of them for four years. Why I keep going Honestly, my reasons for blogging still are somewhat selfish. I have the WORST memory ever, so I use my blog to record alllll of my thoughts. This is why I’ve expanded beyond book blogging in a lot of ways. I talk about my personal life, […]

Lauren Lately | July 2018

Posted July 13, 2018 / Features, Lauren Lately, Wrap-Ups / 5 Comments

Because my Bookmark Lit Bulletin wrap-ups got out of hand, I wanted to break up my monthly wrap-ups into two posts: one personal and one bookish/bloggy. I created Lauren Lately here to highlight all of the personal happenings in my life: events, activities, shows I’m addicted to, things I’m obsessing over, recipes I’ve loved, and goals for the next month. I decided to space them out so this wrap-up happens around the mid-point of the month and the bookish one happens at the end of the month. ✨ Check out my most recent bookish and bloggy wrap-up HERE ✨ I’m here a little early this month because I don’t usually post on the weekends, and I have plenty to report as of right now! We successfully moved home this month and enjoyed the remaining days in Portland, so here’s the standard rundown of my life lately! Popham Beach State Park / Bath, ME | We have plenty of time to explore southern Maine (Portland and under), but we probably won’t be venturing north as much as the years go by. We wanted to check out Bath because it’s a cute little town (kind of city maybe?) and there’s an EXCELLENT beach up there called Popham Beach State Park. Sandbars are exposed during low tide and there’s a little island kind of thing you can walk to when the timing is right, which was so fun. We spent the day there and then grabbed dinner at a random oceanside restaurant in Bath. California trip […]

On My List (5)

Posted July 12, 2018 / Features, On My List / 6 Comments

I love Jamie’s New to the Queue feature because it highlights new things she’s added to her different “to do/ read/ watch/ etc.” lists. This new random feature – called simply On My List – will show off the most recent books, movies, shows, podcasts, recipes, crafts, and other things to make it on my to-do list. Blog Posts & Goodreads Those Other Women by Nicola Moriarty | This is the first of two books I added to my TBR, thanks to Hannah’s cute summer adventure TBR post. I read and LOVED another Nicola Moriarty book within the last year so it’s odd to me that I never went through her Goodreads page for more reads by her! I was excited to see this one and add it immediately to my TBR. Matchmaking For Beginners by Maddie Dawson | I loved the sound of this one from Hannah’s post too! When the main character’s marriage ends and her great aunt passes away, she inherits her Brooklyn brownstone… and her matchmaking ways. Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren | Despite her popularity in the book blogging world, I haven’t been overly interested in reading a book by this author. I know a lot of friends love her! This synopsis really appeals to me and Ginger’s Goodreads review made me add it to my TBR. It doesn’t come out until September, despite being in this section, because I wanted to call out her review as inspiration! Dreams of Falling by Karen White | I […]

Jan-June Releases I’m Surprised I Haven’t Read Yet

Posted July 11, 2018 / Book Lists, Features / 5 Comments

I usually do these kind of “midyear recap/review” posts, as evidenced by everything last week, and I thought this would be another fun addition. I always get to this point and wonder why the hell I’m so behind on new releases that I was dying to read. I’m trying to keep this list somewhat short by mostly including books on my “jazzed up for this” shelf instead of ALL the new releases. I’m also not going to feature books I thought I wanted to read but have since seen meh reviews about. (Looking at you, THE WEDDING DATE…) January and February Releases Love and Other Train Wrecks by Leah Konen | I love the whole “meeting someone unexpectedly” trope, as I’ve discussed many times… and this book was on my list for a WHILE. I almost started reading it a few months ago but got sidetracked somehow. All We Can Do is Wait by Richard Lawson | I could probably say the same thing about this book as I just said above. I was super excited, love the premise, etc. etc. I will be requesting this from the library ASAP when I get home. People Like Us by Donna Mele | I’m not sure why I didn’t get into this one earlier because I’m pretty sure I had it out from the library? I must not have been in the mood at the time. April Releases I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman | I got this one out from the […]

Top Ten Tuesdays #191: Best Books of 2018

Posted July 10, 2018 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 5 Comments

Best Books of 2018 So Far Top Ten Tuesdays were started by The Broke and the Bookish and are now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review. I love this topic! I haven’t read a LOT of books that sincerely blew me away this year, if I’m being 100% honest, but here’s the breakdown of some amazing ones in the top star ratings. As always, I’m not including rereads. I also skipped on adding GONE ROGUE by Marissa Meyer because it’s hard for me to rate graphic novels and I think I gave it 4.5 stars because of the overall series feels instead of the book itself. 9 Days and 9 Nights by Cotugno | Foolish Hearts by Mills | Dear Martin by Stone All in Pieces by Young | Save the Date by Matson | The Leading Edge of Now by Curtis Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Oelke | Starry Eyes by Bennett | Obsidio by Kaufman/Kristoff Love & Luck by Welch | The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls by Spotswood

Takeaways from my Mid-Year Stats

Posted July 9, 2018 / Discussions, Features / 2 Comments

I didn’t plan to do another post about my stats (goals and numbers post HERE and challenge post HERE), but I noticed a few things as I was reading it through again and analyzing the numbers. Keep in mind, I had read 77 books in total by this time last year. I’ve only read 60 this year because my challenge is down. This shouldn’t skew the numbers THAT much (especially not the averages), so I still think these are valid conclusions. My average star rating is higher than last year’s so far, but I have less books that I would call a “favorite.” In 2017, my average rating after the midway point was 3.3 stars and I had 8 books that I put on my “favorites” shelf on Goodreads. However, 2018 has the opposite situation. My average rating is 3.7 stars and I only have THREE books on my “favorites” shelf. I feel like this is the result of a few different things. I’m reading less overall so it could just be that I haven’t hit as many favorite books yet. I am reading better quality books overall (or being more picky about the books I pick up in the first place), but just less of them. I think I’m trying to be a bit more discerning in what I’d consider an all-time favorite book too. It’s also worth mentioning that my whole theory of favorites can differ in some spots. I don’t know how I got the 8 number […]

Blog Tour | The Year of Living Awkwardly: Sophomore Year

Posted July 6, 2018 / Book Reviews, Cover Colors, Features / 1 Comment

I was extremely excited to see the opportunity to join the blog tour for this one, since I SPED THROUGH and LOVED the first book so much. I really put myself in Chloe’s shoes as a freshman in high school. I even said in my review that I wished the author would write a book for each school year! Needless to say, I hopped on this quickly. Chloe had some immaturity and normal-ish “high school related” flaws to work through in the first book. I rooted for her so much in both stories because I could really see her growing and changing. She constantly recognized how privileged she was and how she was often complaining about silly (in the grand scheme of things) issues, but they were still HER issues to work through. I absolutely LOVE her voice and her authenticity. I don’t think I’ve ever read a YA book that feels more real. The diary format helps but the overall voice in the story is so natural. I remember feeling so many of the same emotions throughout my early high school years. She goes through illogical and logical reactions to what’s happening around her, and has her mature and immature moments. Like the first book, I placed myself right in her shoes and remembered what I felt like during those years. I LOVED the ending so incredibly much, but I need more. PLEASE let there be a junior year book next. Please. Keep em coming for the next two years […]

Review Round Up | The Cottages on Silver Beach and Listen to Your Heart

Posted July 5, 2018 / Book Reviews, Review Roundup / 4 Comments

In an effort to cut down on posts and burnout, my Review Roundups will feature 2-4 books I’ve read or listened to recently. Sometimes they’re newer releases and sometimes they’re all backlist titles. My ARC reviews usually get the solo treatment. Enjoy the mini reviews! The Haven Point series is one of my favorites, set in the adorable town with the same name. My favorite thing about companion series in these small towns is that you meet up again with old characters, visit the same local spots, and really get to know everything there is to know. The latest installment of this series follows Megan, the owner of the Inn that we actually met at the VERY beginning of book one, when it had just burned down and Eliza moved to town. The love interest is Elliot Bailey, another member of the Bailey clan that we’ve encountered in recent stories as well. I loved the parts of the book involving the Inn, Haven Point, and the Helping Hands… but there wasn’t enough of that for me in this book. I missed the setting and characters too much because a fair amount was spent on the road and in Hope’s Crossing (another companion series setting that I’m currently working through). I generally liked Megan and Elliot but the back-and-forth and arguing annoyed me more than usual. Like many of the books in the series, the couple realizes that they love each other very quickly and then proceed to ignore it for most of […]

2018 Mid-Year Challenge Progress & Future TBRs

Posted July 4, 2018 / Book Challenges, Features, Wrap-Ups / 6 Comments

I love tracking my TBR and trying to see what else there is to accomplish by halfway through the year. I always hope it shocks me into completing challenges and really focusing in on my bookish goals. I decided to split this year’s check-in into two posts so I could really hone in on some specifics. Today’s post is about about my challenges’ status and TBRs for the rest of the year. Monday’s post was about what I’ve read and my goal progress. Check out last year’s post if you’re curious! I’m a big fan of reading challenges and decided to expand a little bit. Instead of doing ones I’d finish very easily, I wanted to do some more specific ones with categories that would open up my reading a bit more. Netgalley/Edelweiss Challenge Goal: 80% ratio ||| Current ratio: 71% Pretty Dead Girls – Murphy As You Wish – Sedoti The Upside of Falling Down – Crane Surprise Me – Kinsella The Sweetest Kind of Fate – Cestari Legendary – Garber Finding Felicity – Kade Starry Eyes – Bennett Frat Girl – Roache No Filter – Collins The Elizas – Shepard Love Songs & Other – Pennington August/Everything After – Dotorksi Love & Luck – Welch Herons Landing – Ross From Twinkle with Love – Menon Dating Disasters/Emma – Seager Last Summer/Garrett – Spotswood The Summer List – Doan The Similars – Hanover To Catch a Killer – Scarborough Your Destination/Left – Spieller Popsugar Reading Challenge Goal: 40 prompts completed […]

Top Ten Tuesdays #190: 4th of July

Posted July 3, 2018 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 6 Comments

Red, White, and Blue Top Ten Tuesdays were started by The Broke and the Bookish and are now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review. Any time I can feature book covers, you know I will do it. Today’s post is around the 4th of July holiday happening tomorrow. I prepared this post weeks in advance so I don’t have to worry about it when my life is crazy at the moment! I decided to attempt an actual flag image too because I’m fancy 😉 All of these books have been read by me sometime in the last two years. Yes, I scrolled through my “read” shelf to get all of these covers.