Discussion: When an awesome book temporarily ruins all other books.

You know that feeling when...

you finish a wonderful book....

 and go to start a new one and just can't?

Like, you had a pile of books you were fully planning on reading next and suddenly none of them look appealing anymore? 

You just stare at your shelves that are literally OVERFLOWING with books but you just can't bring yourself to feel interest in any of them?

Poor things... it's not their fault...

It's just that the book you just closed... it was SO satisfying. It had everything you wanted. You were so invested in the story. You became friends with the characters. Not it's over and there is a hole. A missing piece you didn't even no was there until it was full for a few hours/days while you were reading. And you're left missing these characters like they were truly your friends.

The latest book to do this to be? Brazen. I seriously had three books I was planning to read following it and now I have no interest. 

Other books that have done this to me:

-The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

-Just One Day by Gayle Foreman

-The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher

-The Harry Potter series

-On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Has this ever happened to you? How long does this feeling usually last for you? And do you have strategies to deal?

Discussion: On Being A Reader

“Some books you read. Some books you enjoy. But some books just swallow you up, heart and soul.”

—  Joanne Harris

The first book I ever remember reading where a set of Sesame Street hardcover picture books. I had to have only been around 4-ish and I think I only looked at the pictures and made up my own stories. My next reader memory is reading Dr. Seuss books a lot to my mom in the morning on our car-ride to drop me off at school. And my first favorite book? The Little House on the Prairie series, which I first read in 2nd grade. Second grade is also around the time my teacher decided I needed to be checking out and reading books on a fifth grade level. Fifth grade is when my teacher let me use her school library card on Fridays to check out a whole pile of books to get me through the weekend.

And speaking of libraries: that was my magic place. We went to a story-time group once a week, every week, in the summer. After the reading was over I would get to roam the shelves to pick out my next pile to read over the next week. So many Nancy Drews and Sweet Valley Highs.

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Then high school came and books took a serious backseat to boys and friends. I remember reading Twilight and Harry Potter but that's about it. Then about a year into college I was in the library waiting on my boyfriend to finish up on the computers. To pass the time I began to search through the shelves and decided that maybe I should pick up a book to read. That book was The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. That was the catalyst to rekindling my love affair with reading. Five years later and I read about two books per book.

I currently have:
228 unread books on my bookshelves
30 unread books on my kindle
44 unread books on my nook

I have virtually no one in real life who loves to read. Not my friends, fiance, or family. This is why I love book blogs and sites such as Goodreads so much. I also have a hard-time finding people in real life who even understand my love for reading. They usually just look at me funny when I say I love books. Oh, and don't even get me started on how they look at me when they find out how many books I own...

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My Favorite Books of All-Time:
- The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
- Tatiana and Alexander by Paullina Simons
- Gone With the Wind by Margerat Mitchell

Other Favorites (in no particular order):
- The Harry Potter series
- The Hunger Games series
- On Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
- Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
-Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

The only negative thing I can see about being a reader is that there is too many books I want to read and now enough time!
So that's it. That's a little bit more about me and why I do this.

xoxo

Back to School Book Blogger Challenge: Day 4

Day 4: If you are a parent, or have advice for parents... what do you do (or think would work) to foster the love of reading in your kids?

Well, first off, I am not a parent. I'm not going to pretend I know what I am talking about when it comes to children, because I don't. Parenthood isn't too far into my future though, I'd say about three or fours years and I know what I will try to do when that day comes. Because I really, really want my kids to love to read!

I know I am going to begin reading to them every night from the time they are in the womb until the day comes that they may ask me to stop.

I am going to surround them with books! Books will be in every room! And they will always see me reading a book myself. Maybe if they see my love for reading they will develop their own.

I will try and tailor to there interests.  If they have a certain hobby or love an activity I will try and find them books that feature those things.

I will try and come up with activities we can do after they read a book that is related to the book itself and try to make discussions about the books fun. 

xoxo

Back To School Book Blogger Challenge: Day 3

Day 3: Share you most memorable school memory.

I have many! School was actually always a really great time for me. I wasn't really ever one to not like school. I liked seeing my friends, learning new things, participating in all the activities. High school is filled with "memorable memories" for me, but I think I will throw it way back to elementary school where my love for reading really began to bloom.

I was always the "advanced" reader: reading way above my grade level. I could also fly through books like nothing else. We had this reading program at my school where we could read the book, take test on it, get a certain number of points, and then trade our points for prizes. One year my best friend (and we are STILL best friends sixteen years later!) and I where in the top first and second places for points for our grade and we got to leave school and go to an Olive Garden lunch with our principal and teacher. We thought we were so cool!

Here are some of my favorite books I read throughout 1st- 5th grade that helped me get those points. These are also part of my most memorable memories.

-The Little House series

-The Nancy Drew books

-Sweet Valley series

-This one about a magic attic or something, but I can't remember the name

-All the "horse" books

-Hank the Cowdog series (loved this one!)

-Where the Red Fern Grows

-And so many more!

Back to School Book Blogger Challenge: Day 2

Day 2: If you were/are an English Teacher, share with us your dream lesson plan as far as reading assignments.

When I was in HS we read Romeo and Juliet in 9th Grade, Julius Caeser in 10th Grade, and Hamlet in 12th. In my dream lesson plan, I would fit in A Midsummer Night's Dream somewhere. I had to read that one on my own, but I would have loved to have gotten the classroom experience with it.

I discovered Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights because of my AP English summer reading lists and have always been grateful. Those two would definitely stay. I am also grateful for getting the opportunity to read To Kill a Mockingbird in 9th grade.

We'd also still read The Great Gatsby because I really enjoyed that as well, but I would fit in some of Fitzgerald's short stories, too.

And if it was my dream lesson plan, I would personally switch out Catcher in the Rye for Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Oh, and Sarah Dessen would be an option of summer reading lists. Not for an AP class or anything, but just in general. Sarah Dessen is one of the reasons I fell in love with reading again in HS.

And one last pick: The Book Thief! This one wasn't out when I was in HS but I think it's something most kids today could enjoy.

I did this in a HS perspective because I could go on and on and on for days with books I would choose for late elementary or middle school!

xoxo

Back to School Book Blogger Challenge: Day 1

Day 1: It's time to stand up in front of the class and share with the rest of us a little about you!

I am 24-year-old book blogger (of course!). I live in the southern United States and my favorite place to read is by the pool. My favorite genre is historical fiction and romance. I have an "old soul" and I love all things from the past. Old music, old movies, and things people my age don't typically do (like crocheting). 

I just graduated college after changing majors many times. I began my first semester at 18 as a business major, changed to teaching, changed to English, and settled on nursing. I just graduated recently with a nursing degree, passed my state boards, and I am going to begin my first "real" job this week. This after working minimum-wage serving and customer service type things for ~6 years. 

I have my very own love story in the making. I am getting married next year (and I have something really cool planned at the beginning of 2015 to tie that in the the blog)! Even though he doesn't quite understand my love for reading or the fact that I need to by three books for every one that I read, he still politely listens to my book rants and gushes...and that's really all I need.

The kids in my town really did go back to school today and I am overjoyed that this is the first year that I didn't have to! It's fitting, however, for me to begin a new job this week. And hey... more money... more books!

xoxo

#Readingcram : Top Books I Read in 2013

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Chasing the Star Garden by Melanie Karsak

The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Actually, these books (excluding Bloodlines) were the ONLY nine I rated 5 stars this year. Bloodlines was my best 4 star. Hopefully, I'll get a lot more 5 star winners in 2014.