Search Results for: planner

September Things and Autumn Bucket List

Posted September 17, 2016 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 10 Comments

It’s no secret that September is my favorite month of the year. I love summertime because the weather in New England isn’t terrible and filled with snow, but the heat and humidity are not friends of mine. September means cooler weather, fall activities, and lots of life events I love – my birthday, my anniversary, football starting up again, the Big E (a New England must), other fairs and festivals, pumpkin and/or apple picking, and so many other things. This post is to share some of my goals for the rest of this month and the season ahead, wrap up some of the things I’ve done so far in September, share my birthday book haul, and talk football. Birthday Recap I didn’t post about my birthday when it happened last week (September 9th) because I had a blog tour that day. I’ve been trying to be better about saving money and budgeting so unfortunately a giveaway didn’t happen either. Regardless, Chris took the day off from work so we could hit up some of my favorite places all day… and end with my favorite food. Here’s how we celebrated throughout the week since I was on vacation all week! Earlier in the week, I went to Dave & Buster’s on half-price-game-Wednesday with my friends. We had some good food then played games all night. Chris and I have been saving our points for about a year and, even though we don’t go that often, we have over 18,000 right now. […]

Five on Fridays #21

Posted July 8, 2016 / Five on Fridays, Weekly Memes / 9 Comments

Five on Friday displays the the top five things that have been on my mind this week! It could be book-related, but it may be music, movies, TV, personal life, food, etc. Previous posts can be found here! So I drafted up one of these back in April and highlighted some of the makeup I was using. Of the million things I was going to show off, I currently only use THREE of the same makeup items. Holy shit, my makeup life has changed. I’ve been generally interested in watching more makeup videos (mostly reviews) because I’m sick of my skin getting oily partway through the day. I finally found a mix of skincare and makeup that really works for me. If you have oily skin, I’d recommend checking some of these things out. Let me know if you have questions!! I’m listing them below in the order in which I apply them! I’ve had a lot of planner girl fails over the past year. I always become gung-ho about something and then lose interest quickly. It’s happened with just about every type of planner so far. I always enjoyed my Day Designer from Target but ended up using it at work because of the hourly format. It also was too big to fit in my purse. (It’s light and thin but very tall and wide.) When I saw a much smaller hourly version (with an adorable flower design!!) at Target, I had to pick it up ASAP. It fits perfectly in my […]

Mid-Year Blogging Update and Goals

Posted July 2, 2016 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 11 Comments

HOW????? Seriously this year has flown by. I can’t believe we’re already in the warm months, let alone being halfway done with 2016. I feel like we all say this all the time, but it’s so true – where does the time go? I love doing recaps because I’m lame, so obviously I’m here to sum up my 2016 reading life so far! I also will revisit some of the bloggy goals I created and catch up on progress. As you see in my monthly wrap-ups, I keep my stats updated each time. The spreadsheet I use is definitely the reason for my organization. I use this time of year (in addition to the end of the year) to REALLY go all-out with my stats. It also helps me create new goals or update existing ones. I may decide I really should read more fantasy or more books from my own shelves. I’ll highlight all of the books I’ve read so far in general too. All of the Books Read So Far Random Fun Smallest book read: We Should All Be Feminists (49 pages) Largest book read: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (759 pages) Most read author: Lemony Snicket (13) Books read 300 pages or under: 28% Books read over 300 pages: 72% Most pages / books in a month: 7108 pages / 23 books in April Least pages / books in a month: 4271 pages / 12 books in May I always wish there was some master list of my favorite blog posts from each year […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin – June 2016

Posted July 1, 2016 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 8 Comments

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. There were some really busy reading days and some low-key ones. I was either voraciously reading and in the mood for books… or completely the opposite. I’m super ahead on my Goodreads challenge so I’m not entirely worried if I get “behind” on the usual number of books I read per month. Ah, life and TV shows. Average rating for books read in June: 3.92 stars All book covers link to their Goodreads pages Best of the Best • Pleasantly Surprised • Disappointed All of the books read this month: Average rating for books reviewed in June: 4.04 stars This month’s package was amazing – simple and full of things I love! I’ve been pining over a Friends role call tee shirt and this one is GREAT. It fits super well (I always get nervous about shirts, especially in women’s styles) and I’ve worn it too many times already. Ginger also sent one of my favorite books that I somehow didn’t own yet – Nowhere But Home by Liza Palmer. (Read this ASAP if you haven’t, omg!) Ebooks purchased (mostly) on sale: Anything Could Happen by Will Walton | […]

Adjusting My Blog Post Schedule

Posted March 9, 2016 / Discussions, Features / 22 Comments

Many moons ago, I wrote a post about my blogging schedule. At that point, I had just started up the blog and had maybe a little too much time on my hands. I was incredibly specific about when I posted certain things and making sure I had 15 book reviews up per month. This was in addition to participating in 4 memes per week and posting 2 “random” things (like recommendation lists or discussions). I’d also post sign-ups for readathons and both mid-month AND end-of-month wrap-ups. You can do the math: that means that most days of the month had 2 posts. I even said, “I really try not to bombard people with any more than 2 posts per day!” SO EXCESSIVE. I mean, I’m glad I dove into this hobby headfirst… but good lord, woman. I can’t lie though, I definitely blog a bit too much still. I love signing up for readathons, participating in tags, and writing so many posts that I’m scheduled out until next year. (Slight exaggeration, but not that much. I’m insane.) I LOVE making lists and TBRs even if I know I’m never going to follow them. I love making graphics and messing around with layouts for my posts. I CAN’T STOP. I’ve changed my organization methods SO many times and I feel like I’m finally getting used to my latest plan. Today I’ll share my new blog schedule and talk about how I organize and plan… everything.Do you have a planned schedule for your […]

Five on Fridays #19

Posted March 4, 2016 / Five on Fridays, Weekly Memes / 9 Comments

Five on Friday displays the the top five things that have been on my mind this week! It could be book-related, but it may be music, movies, TV, personal life, food, etc. Previous posts can be found here! I’m aware that I’m probably the last person to listen to Serial. Chris started getting addicted to podcasts because he was sick of listening to books at work. (Rude, right?) I recommended Serial to him without ever having listened to it myself, just because of the hype. We’re both not thriller/murder mystery kinds of people. He was hesitant (and so was I) but he ended up loving it and demanding I start it right away. He also started season two but I’ve already decided not to bother with it. ANYWAYS, holy shiiiiiit we’ve been talking nonstop about this case for the past week. I binge-listened to Adnan’s case in a matter of a week. Just so addicting, it’s unreal. He also started Undisclosed, which is a podcast by some other people involved with the case. I guess it goes into more detail about everything (like, way more than Serial does) and can get pretty addicting too. I decided to start that one this week but only allow myself one episode per week. I can’t handle binge-listening to another podcast like I did. Did you listen to Serial?? Who do you think did it? I don’t think Adnan did but I’m also not entirely sure that Jay did either…I’ve referenced this a few times so […]

2016 Love-a-Thon Mini Challenge: Mix and Match

Posted February 20, 2016 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 28 Comments

If you aren’t familiar with the Love-a-Thon, check out the the sign-up post! Mini Challenge: Mix and Match Objective: We all love books, but there are other things we’re passionate about too! Mash-up a non-bookish hobby/passion/talent/fandom with your bookish life. Do it through photos, art, videos, etc. Get as creative as you’d like! One of my goals for 2016 was to actually read less. I am somewhat succeeding with this so far. Instead of reading nonstop, I take breaks to binge shows and re-watch the Marvel movies with Chris, decorate my planner, start a bullet journal, and get back into Lego. I’ll be highlighting all of these fandoms, hobbies, and passions below… and connecting them to books! One of my bigger hobbies (and I mean this just by sheer volume of Lego bricks within my apartment) is Lego. My boyfriend, Chris, and I collect sets, come up with our own creations (the Lego term for this is “MOC,” or “my own creation”), and build together. Here’s one project I worked on completely by myself: a Disney Princess apartment building. The pictures are terrible, so I apologize, but hopefully you see the idea. Lego has Princess sets out right now, so I took some of mine and reworked a lot of the elements. I made the entire building myself. It has three floors and contains beds for multiple princesses: Rapunzel, Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Aurora, Elsa, and Anna. Each of their rooms and beds are reminiscent of the characters themselves and feature pieces from their Lego sets… but […]

2016 Love-a-Thon Kickoff and Questionnaire

Posted February 20, 2016 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 16 Comments

I had a really great time participating in the Love-a-Thon last year, so I knew I would be carving some time out to join in this year! I am planning on going skiing tomorrow (Sunday) so I’m not sure how much I’ll be around, but I will definitely be giving it my all for as many hours as I can! This year it is hosted by Alexa, Cee, Hazel, and Mel. For those not familiar with the Love-a-Thon, here’s what was shared on the sign-up post: The Love-a-Thon is an event dedicated to spreading positivity and love. It’s time dedicated to visiting other bloggers/Instagrammers/BookTubers, leaving a comment or two, making new friends and fostering positivity among the members of our amazing community. As in the previous years, the event will include mini challenges, Twitter chats and giveaways galore! The first event is a kickoff questionnaire so other participants can get to know you a little better! Here are my answers… What’s your name? Lauren! I’m the only blogger here at Bookmark Lit. Where in the world are you blogging from? I’m blogging from a small town in Connecticut, USA. How did you get into blogging in the first place? I was a HUGE reader in my younger years, all the way until college. During school, I wasn’t able to read nearly as much as I’d hoped, but I kept it going during summer and winter breaks. (Thank you, lunch breaks at my internship!) Anyways, once I graduated from college, I […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin – January 2016

Posted January 31, 2016 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 12 Comments

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. I don’t know what was going on at the beginning of the month, but I couldn’t stop reading! I read quite a few addicting ebooks in a row and just never let up for the first half of January. I did try to slow it down a little towards the end of the month because my resolutions told me to! Average rating for books read in January: 4.12 stars Highlights of the best and worst… Best of the Best | Pleasantly Surprised | Disappointed All of the books read this month: Average rating for books reviewed in January: 3.65 stars Secret Sister Project The last fabulous package from my Secret Sister came this month. She also revealed herself to me – Ashley from The Quiet Concert! She’s done such an amazing job of surprising me each month and really getting things I’d love. This package was no exception – two books I’ve been really wanting for a long time, actually – Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella and The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg. She also got some fuzzy socks, an ornament shaped like an L, cupcake […]

Five on Fridays #18

Posted January 15, 2016 / Five on Fridays, Weekly Memes / 8 Comments

Five on Friday displays the the top five things that have been on my mind this week! It could be book-related, but it may be music, movies, TV, personal life, food, etc. Previous posts can be found here! As usual, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve had anything worthy of sharing for Five on Friday. I’ve also been on a big blogging kick lately where I have so many posts and nowhere to put them. I don’t even give myself a chance to fit in a Five on Friday! I’m hoping to start combining review posts a little better to free up my weeks, because I have a lot of more fun ideas. ANYWAYS, here’s what’s been going on in my life!YES. The biggest reason for this post is that I had the pleasure of heading to ALA Midwinter up in Boston last weekend. Because I live only about an hour and a half away from the city, I was able to take a quick day trip to meet up with everyone there. It was a lot of fun. The day started at 9:00 when I got into the city and to the convention center. I met up with Brittany, Amy, and Alyssa and we killed it on the exhibit floor for about an hour and a half. We got so many books in a very short time period! We were hot and exhausted so we sat outside for a bit, then hung around in their hotel room. We went down […]