Armchair BEA #5: Topic of Choice and YA

Design by Amber of Shelf Notes

Armchair BEA 

I can't believe today is the last day for Armchair BEA. It has been a lot of fun for me to write these posts. And you can't imagine how much you all have made me smile when I come back to see so many comments.

Thank you all for visiting my blog during Armchair BEA. And I know if I am still unable to go to BEA in 2015, I will definitely watch and participate in Armchair BEA again!

Topic of Choice

Today is the day to talk about something that you feel we have missed or that you want to spend a little extra time chatting about. Ideas include, but are not limited to: a genre that does not fit into those featured earlier this week; logistics, such as blogging resources, procedures, or advice; or something completely fun with book to movie adaptations or favorite blogging games, features, memes, events, and/or activities. It’s your freebie day to choose what you like!

For my topic of choice I want to go back to talking about features. And before I didn't share the few ideas that I have thought of, but I think now I am going to list them and what I would do. 

I would like any feedback. If you already know a blog doing this, please let me know. I did some Google searches, but I can't search every blog on the internet. 

Also, I am wondering if there is any interest in participation from fellow bloggers. 

Idea 1: "Blogger Collaborative Storytelling"

I know that like myself there are several bloggers (and bookish people) that I follow that enjoy writing stories/books. And I was thinking how much fun it could be for us to write a story together.

Each story would start with a given prompt. 

Then I would have open signups and anyone could participate. 

Once sign-ups are closed, I would post a list for the order (and a sense of when that blogger would post their part of the story). 

Each week the next blogger on the list would post their section of the story continuing on what has previously been written.

(Does this make sense?)

For example: 

This story's prompt is: One dark and stormy night, Mitchell was rushing home to his family when suddenly...

1. Blogger 1

2. Blogger 2

3. Blogger 3

Blogger 1 would then continue the story for a couple paragraphs (I'd say 1 or 2). Then they would email it to me and I would post it on that feature's day.

Blogger 2 would then have several days to then complete their section of the story to be emailed to me by the day before the feature's post date.

Then it would go to Blogger 3 and so on.

Then when we come to the end of the list, either the last person can finish the story or we could start a new list and continue it.

Does this idea make sense? Would anyone be interested in it?

Idea #2: "Undress the Book"

This feature would focus on looking at the book cover under the dust jacket. There are so many beautiful hardback covers that are under the dust jacket. One of the first things I do when I get a new hardcover book is to undress it and look at the book. 

And I thought it would be cool to spotlight these covers and the lettering on the spines. 

The feature would have pictures of the undressed book. And I would share why I like that certain undressed book. 

I also thought it would be cool to have other bloggers guest post and share some of their favorite undressed books.

Thanks for reading my ideas. I hope they made sense. 

Middle Grade/Young Adult

Our final genre of discussion is one that we know is a popular one these days: books for the younger crowd, from middle grade to young adult. If you do not normally talk about this genre on your site, maybe you want to feature books that you remember impacting you during this stage in your life. If this is where you tend to gravitate, maybe you want to list your favorites, make recommendations based on genres, or feature some titles that you are excited to read coming later this year.

I am a pretty avid YA reader. (Most of the books that I read are YA).

YA Dystopians:

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
2. Under the Never Sky Trilogy by Veronica Rossi
3. Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu
4. Blood Red Road Trilogy by Moira Young
5. Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld
6. Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth
7. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
8. Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie
9. Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver
10. The Giver by Lois Lowry

YA Science Fiction and Fantasy:

1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
2. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
3. Daughter of Smoke & Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor
4. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
5. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch (Release Date: October 2014)
6. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
7. NIL by Lynne Matson
8. Unremembered by Jessica Brody

YA Contemporary:

1. The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes
2. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
3. Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens
4. The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu (Release Date June 3, 2014)
5. Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

YA Retellings:

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Cinderella Retelling)
2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Litter Red Riding Hood Retelling)
3. Cress by Marissa Meyer  (Rapunzel Retelling)
4. The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd (The Island of Dr. Moreau Retelling)
5. The Trouble With Flirting by Claire LaZebnik (Mansfield Park Retelling)

Armchair BEA #4: Giveaways

Design by Amber of Shelf Notes

Armchair BEA 

Wow, it is already day 4 of Armchair BEA. Time is flying by! I have been having a lot of fun participating in this. I hope everyone else is enjoying it as much as I have been!


Giveaways

One of the favorite days of past years is our day of giveaways! You host the giveaway on your own site and link it up here for all our participants to come and visit. Don’t forget to give Armchair BEA a little love when advertising, but you can choose your own guidelines and deadlines.

I have decided for the Armchair BEA giveaway I am going to give away 1 hardback copy of Cinder by Marissa Meyer.
I LOVE this book, this series. And I hope that the person that wins this will love it as much as I do.

The giveaway will be open for one week.
Open to US only (I'm so sorry, but I can't afford international shipping costs)

Winner will be contacted through email. Please respond within 48 hours or I will pick another winner.

Best of luck to everyone! Thank you for entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, you are welcome to check out the other giveaway that I currently have open on my blog:
1 Kindle e-book copy of New Adult Romance book Getting By (A Knight's Tale I) by Claudia Y. Burgoa

Armchair BEA #3: Expanding Blogging Horizons

Design by Amber of Shelf Notes

Armchair BEA 

I am a bit late posting my Armchair BEA post today, my daughter had her award ceremony at school this morning. I can't believe she is almost done with 1st grade. I am one proud Mom. 

Expanding Blogging Horizons

What do you think about when you think about going beyond blogging or expanding your horizons? Is it a redesign of your blog? Have you branched out into freelance writing or even published a novel of your very own? Or, have you moved into a different venue like podcasts or vlogging? This is the day to tell us about how you have expanded on blogging in your own unique way.

I have been blogging for less than a year, but I do have some thoughts on wanting to expand my blogging horizons.

I want to have a few more posts about movies, TV shows, and games. I mostly focus on books. (Which I love).

I also really want to come up with a Feature for my blog that is original. I have had a few ideas but I haven't expanded on them for fear that someone else is already doing it. I don't want to step on any toes. And I definitely don't want to make anyone mad. So I have held off on those ideas (even though there are a couple that I really love). 

I have also have been thinking about vlogging. But I keep thinking there are so many vlogs about books already so I am trying to think of a cool thing to do to make mine different.

But unfortunately I haven't been able to come up with any ideas. I feel like I am creatively blocked. The only thing that passed my mind was making finger puppets for books, but that is VERY time consuming. And I don't think I have the time between my family, reading, reviewing, blogging, and everything else. 

Armchair BEA #2: Author Interaction and More Than Just Words

Design by Amber of Shelf Notes

Armchair BEA 

Author Interaction

Let’s talk interacting with authors IRL (in real life) or online. This is your opportunity to talk about your favorite author readings that you have attended. Or, you can feature your favorite author fan moment (i.e., an author sent you a tweet or commented on your blog). Maybe you even want to share how your interactions have changed since becoming a blogger or share your own tips that you have learned along the way when interacting with authors as a blogger.

I am a newbie, so I haven't had too many author interactions, but all the ones that I have had have been pretty awesome! Like total fangirling moments for me.

The first author I have ever met was Isaac Marion (author of Warm Bodies). Oh. My. Goodness. I was a nervous wreck. I blushed every time he talked to me. I was so flustered that when I got him to sign a book for my (practically) brother & sister-in-law, I spelled her name wrong. It was so embarrassing! (For me!) 

He asked me to spell it like 5 times (I guess I was talking too low) and the last time I spelled it wrong. 

But I got to meet him, (which was and still is one of my favorite memories) and I got my picture taken with him and one of my bestest friends. 

Tip: Maybe write on a sticky note the name that you want written in your book when you get it personalized at a signing. Even if it is yours. Because if you are shy like me...you might even spell your own name wrong when you become a flustered mess.

But of course, I didn't follow this tip when I went and met Anna Banks. I was once again a nervous, shy mess. And I almost spelled my own name wrong. (Again embarrassing!) 

But it was amazing. I got to talk to her for a little bit and get Of Neptune signed. Also got a picture with her. She is funny and so, so, nice! I am SO happy that I got to meet her.

And she is also awesome online. I love her tweets (they can be really funny!)

And she even commented on my blog post for of Of Poseidon Fan Cast.

I was SO EXCITED when I saw that! Like ready to flail and I even texted my friend to share with her. It was a pretty awesome moment. She also shared my fan cast on her Twitter. 

And I was so excited that she gave me a good idea for a character that I couldn't come up with. And I love her pick! 

I also recently met the lovely Lynne Matson (author of NIL). Which was another amazing moment. This time I brought my two girls with me, and Cutie Pie drew a picture of an island for Lynne. Which was fun. She signed my book and gave me some bookmarks and a poster. So nice. She is a very warm, sweet person and I am so glad I was able to meet her! 

I have had a couple author interactions online as well.

Marissa Meyer (author of Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress) is one of my absolute favorite authors! Serisoulsy, I completely fangirl over her. And if when I finally get the chance to meet her in person, I am going to be a shy mess. 

So back last year, Marissa had a challenge for NaNoWriMo. So I decided to participate, knowing that I wouldn't win, but I was so happy for the challenge. It was the first time I ever participated and it was WONDERFUL being so motivated to keep writing. And at the end of November, I emailed her to thank her for the inspiration and she responded. It totally made my day/week/month. In fact, I am still giddy that she emailed me back. 

Also, this past February, I decided to make my Love a Lunar Chronicles valentine. Featuring Iko (well as best as I could draw, which is not very well) and a quote from the book. And I shared it on Twitter tagging Marissa, because I hoped she would see it. And she did, she even retweeted it, which also made my day/week/month!

Also, (seriously if you can't tell...I just adore Marissa!) she has answered a few of my questions. She answered one in an interview by RayKayBooks. Which was very exciting. 

She also answered a question I had during her online Cress launch party live-stream. Which was also incredible. 

I also enjoy conversing online with Sara Raasch (author of Snow Like Ashes out in October!). She is so sweet and friendly. I definitely hope that I get a chance to meet her in real life. 

And I just LOVE watching her Youtube videos! 

I am still kinda shy when it comes to even talking to authors online like Twitter. I don't tag them often because I don't want to be bothersome. But ANYTIME an author follows, favorites, talks to me/replies...I just get very excited and it is a wonderful feeling. 

And I probably would not have had these experiences if I wouldn't have started blogging. There are times that I really wish I would have started blogging earlier, but then I remember I didn't really have much a chance, because even in High School, I wasn't on the internet that much. I still had Dial-up at my house. But I do wish, I would have started a few years ago, instead of just recently. 

Being able to talk to authors and other bloggers has made my life brighter. It makes me happy and excited. And it is nice having people that like the same books as me. :D

So yes, I am a total Fangirl. If I went to a conference like BEA, I would be very overwhelmed. But I do hope that I get the chance to meet more authors and even attend a conference sometime in my future. 

More Than Just Words

There are so many mediums that feature more than just words and enhance a story in a multitude of ways. Examples may include graphic novels and comics, audiobooks, or even multimedia novels. On this day, we will be talking about those books and formats that move beyond just the words and use other ways to experience a story. Which books stand out to you in these different formats?

I love graphic novels and comic books. I haven't really listened to any audiobooks, but I do plan on starting. 

(In fact, in case you don't already know and like audiobooks, this summer, AudioBookSync, will have audiobooks (1 YA & 1 Classic) available for download each week, until August 20. This week's YA is Cruel Beauty and it ends the 28th!)

Back, to the topic. I have enjoyed a few graphic novels like Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley and Dr. Horrible by Zack Whedon. I do want to read some more. 

And I enjoy comic books. I have some Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics. And I like X-men comics. And I have read my daughter's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comics. 

Graphic novels and comics stand out to me the most because I enjoy the drawings that are part of them. It is fun watching the picture frames change and tell us more than what is written. 

Armchair BEA #1: Introductions and Literature

Design by Amber of Shelf Notes

This is my first Armchair BEA.

Introduction:

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? Where in the world are you blogging from? 

Hi! *waves* I'm Stephanie. I am in my late 20's and the mom of two beautiful girls: Cutie Pie: 7 years old and Pooh Bear: 3 years old. 

I haven't been blogging very long. I started my blog near the end of last year, but didn't start seriously blogging until about February 2014. I started my blog because one of my favorite hobbies has ALWAYS been reading, and I don't have many people in my life that read the same books as me, so I decided to start a blog as a way to connect with others that read what I love to read.

I am blogging from Florida. (The hot, sunshine...but it rains a lot...state). 

And you can find me at the following: GoodReads, Twitter, Facebook

What was your favorite book read last year? What’s your favorite book so far this year? What a tough question. I have several favorite books from last year and this. 

Last year a couple of my favorite reads include: 

Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi.

Favorites so far this year (that have been released this year) include: 

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski, 

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. 

(Also Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas and Smoke and Bone by Leigh Bardugo)

Spread the love by naming your favorite blogs/bloggers (doesn’t necessarily have to be book blogs/bloggers). 
BooksyDaisy, The Book Addict's Guide, My Thoughts...Literally!, The Broke Book Girls, Oh Magic Hour, The Perpetual Page Turner, and Alexa Loves Books are just a few. There are several book blogs that I love to follow and read.

Share your favorite book or reading related quote. I have several favorite reading quotes, and I will try to keep it to just a few: 

"You could rattle the stars," she whispered. "You could do anything, if you only dared."-Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas 

"I just think that some things are meant to be broken. Imperfect. Chaotic. It's the universe's way of providing contrast, you know?"- The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen 

And I have a TON of favorite quotes from Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch that will be out in October. 

What book would you love to see as a movie? I would LOVE to see The Lunar Chronicles books as a movie! And the Throne of Glass books. 

Literature

What do you think of when you think of literature? Classics, contemporary, genre, or something else entirely? We are leaving this one up to you to come up with and share the literature that you want to chat about the most. Feel free to share a list of your favorites, break down your favorite genre, feature your favorite authors, and be creative about all things literature in general.

When I think of literature, I usually think of Classics. But I haven't read that many classics lately, just the ones that were required reading in High School. So instead of sharing classics, I am going to share some of my recent favorite books.

I mostly read Young Adult. And I love a lot of the sub-genres like Dystopian, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Paranormal. And I have been recently been reading more Contemporary books too.

Here is a list of some series and books that I have just loved:

1. The Lunar Chronicles (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress) by Marissa Meyer

2. Under the Never Sky trilogy by Veronica Rossi

3. Legend trilogy by Marie Lu

4. Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor

5. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

6. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

7. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

8. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

9. NIL by Lynne Matson

10. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

11. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Thanks for stopping by my blog for Armchair BEA. Like all of you I really wish that I was in New York attending BEA. But I love that there is something for us to participate in here at home. :D