Tag Tuesday:The Beauty and the Beast Tag

The Beauty and the Beast tag was created by Krista at Books and Jams and Lisa at Brand New Book Smell.

 I am so excited for the release of the new live action Beauty and the Beast movie coming out on March 17, 2017!  I’m not often a movie goer, I tend to wait for movies to be released on DVD or on streaming services to watch them.  I’m such a fan of Beauty and the Beast that I will be going to the movie theater to see this movie.  I can’t wait!  🙂  So, I thought it was the perfect time for a Beauty and the Beast book tag.

1.Belle: She just wants more then this provencial life.  Tell about a book that takes you to another place. 

When I think about a book that takes me to another place, the book the immediately comes to mind is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  The circus that just appears and nobody knows when or where it will appear, is filled with so much beauty.  Erin Morgenstern writes with such beautiful imagary that I was swept away into the magic of the circus every time I sat down to read it.  It’s a book that definitely took me to another place, the beauty that is that of The Night Circus.

Goodreads

 disney beauty and the beast beautyandthebeast2. Beast: He can be a bit scary, but inside he’s a softy.  Choose a book who’s cover doesn’t match the story.

I’m going to go with a book I read a few years ago that I remember to be quite a gripping, page turning read.  However, by just looking at the cover, it hardly looks like a book that will tug at your heart stings and keep the reader wanting to know what happens next, rooting for this young boy and his mom…

Goodreads

 Disney beauty and the beast idea maurice inventor3. Maurice: Belle’s eccentric but loveable father.  Choose a book that is out of your comfort zone or your normal reads, but you ended up loving it.

I recently read Cinder by Marissa Meyer and I loved it!  I put it off based on the cyborg and science fiction elements in it’s Cinderella retelling.  I don’t read a lot of science fiction novels.

Here is my recent review of Cinder if you are interested in more of my thoughts on this book.

Goodreads

beauty and the beast 4. Mrs. Potts: Nurturing and motherly character.  Choose a character who takes care of others like a mother might.

I’m going to go with the cliche answer of Mrs.Weasley from The Harry Potter series for this one.  I can’t think of a better mother/mother-like character.

Goodreads

 beauty and the beast5. Chip: Adorable and makes us smile.  Choose your favorite children’s book.

My favorite children’s books that always make me smile are the Anne of Green Gables series.  I am in the process of re-reading this series as an adult and it is just pure joy to read them again.

Goodreads

*Goodreads link is for a different edition of the Anne series.  The edition shown above is not currently on Goodreads.

 Cheezburger disney beauty and the beast gaston6. Gaston: Smarmy and arrogant.  Choose a character who’s over the top with his (or her) arrogance.

I’m going to choose a character from one of my most recent reads, Queen Levana from Cinder.

Goodreads

 dancing singing beauty and the beast twirl7. Lumiere: Smooth-talking, swoon worthy cassanova.  Choose a character with these characteristics.

I don’t swoon over characters in books, so this is a tough question for me.  The only answer I can think of are the men in the Colleen Hoover books that I have read, Slammed, November 9 and It Ends With Us.  Colleen Hoover creates male characters who are extremely flawed, but also have a loveable side especially to the main female character in her books.  Somehow, as the background to these flawed male characters is revealed, you find a part of you loving them and rooting for the relationships.  Since, they are characters that could be unlikeable, but become likeable in some ways, I would say that they are smooth-talking cassanovas.

  

 disney cartoon beauty and the beast8. Cogsworth: He was a bossy, no-nonsense leader of the household.  Choose a character who takes charge and is the voice of reason for those around them.

Elfrida and Aunt Carrie from Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher were both take charge, voice of reason characters.  They pull this unlikely cast of characters together who all end up at an old Victorian home in Scotland and they find love and family in a most unplanned, unlikely way.

Goodreads

If you would like to do this tag, then I tag you!  🙂  If you do this tag, please link it below so I can read your answers.

If you have any suggestions of tags you’d like to see me do for Tag Tuesday, please comment and let me know.  Thanks! 🙂

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March 2017 TBR

I definitely have some big and ambitious reading plans for the month of March.  As I always say, I’m a mood reader so my TBRs (To Be Read List) are just a loose suggestion of what I think I’ll read each month.  They are always open to change throughout the month. However, I’m excited to dive into these books so we’ll see how I do.  🙂

In March I plan to participate in the Borrow-a-thon which runs from March 19-March 26.  Borrow-a-thon is about reading borrowed books from the library, a friend, a family member, a coworker…any books that are borrowed from someone or somewhere. You can use one book for more then one challenge, which I definitely will be doing.

Here are the books I plan on trying to read during the week of Borrow-a-thon:

 

  

By Your Side by Kasie West: Goodreads

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier: Goodreads

Maus A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman: Goodreads

Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan: Goodreads

1.Try Before You Buy

All four of these books would fit into this category for me.

2.A Graphic Novel

3.Try a New-to-You Author

 

4. A Book Recommended to You

 

5. A Book with Your Favorite Color on the Cover

My favorite color is purple.

6. A Book that Involves a Library in Some Way

Besides participating in the Borrow-a-thon, I plan on reading these other books throughout the rest of March:

Goodreads

I’ll be reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel with Books and Jams Read-a-long hosted by Krista.

Goodreads

Goodreads

Goodreads

I’d like to try to read The Zookeeper’s Wife before the movie comes out on March 31st.

This is a very ambitious list of books for me to read in March, but February has ended on a high note.  I’ve been reading quite a bit at the end of February and I’m hoping to carry this through into March.

What books are you most excited to read in March?

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Love-a-Thon Challenge: On the Road (Trip)!

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Love-a-thon 2017 will be taking place from February 18, 2017 -February 20, 2017.  This will be my first year participating in the Love-a-thon and I’m so excited!  🙂 ❤  The purpose of the Love-a-thon is to bring the online book community together, meet new booklovers across all social media platforms and to spread love to those online booklovers we have already met along the way.  This years hosts of the Love-a-thon are Alexa of Alexa Loves Books, Cece of The Novel Hermit, Kristin of Super Space Chick and Mel of The Daily Prophecy.

This challenge is all about creating a virtual road trip with 3-4 people (fictional characters, readers/bloggers, authors, etc) and to talk about all different aspects of the trip.

I have decided that on this road trip, I would take real readers, bloggers and BookTubers. That being said, I’ve met so many wonderful readers through all kinds of social platforms that choosing only 4 people is tough.  I would love to take each and everyone I’ve met and had great bookish (and otherwise) conversation with on this trip!  That’s saying a lot from someone who is as shy as I am!  This community has been so kind and welcoming that I wish I could take all of you on my virtual road trip.  🙂

Since I can only take 4 people with me, here’s who I would take:

  1. Krista from Books and Jams
  2. Katie from Life Between Words
  3. Amanda from Cover 2 Cover Mom
  4. Lauren from Two Birds, One Blog

While on the road, we would talk about books, of course!  I would love to chat with Amanda more about recently meeting Brit Bennett, the author of The Mothers.  I recently read The Mothers and really enjoyed Brit Bennett’s debut novel so I would be really interested to hear from Amanda all about meeting Brit Bennett and any insight into her writing of her first novel.  Lauren and I have both already read The Mothers and I believe the other ladies are planning to read the book.  Hopefully, by our November virtual road trip, they will have read The Mothers too.

We could also talk about Anne of Green Gables and Harry Potter.  Hopefully by November, I will have read the last two Harry Potter books.  Yes, I am one of the last people to still be reading the Harry Potter series for the first time!  LOL

We would probably talk about what authors we’re most excited to meet and why?  Part of our trip would include a book festival, more details to come.  Talking about why we’re excited to meet certain authors might introduce others to new others or inspire us to try out the authors the other ladies are excited about.

Of course, for those of us who have kids on this trip, I’m sure talking about our kids would be part of the conversation as well.  🙂

As far as music on the road trip…we are all book lovers, so I think we would probably choose an audiobook to listen to along the way.  As far as what audiobook?  I’m not sure, I think we’d choose that as a group.

We would be headed to…Austin, Texas!  On November 4-5, 2017 Austin, Texas has the 2017 Texas Book Festival.  So, we would head out on our road trip later this year in time to participate in this book festival.

The Texas Book Festival features: 

  • 250+ nationally and critically recognized authors
  • 20+ venues including the State Capitol
  • 80+ exibitors
  • live music
  • local food trucks
  • opportunities to meet authors

We would also make time to visit Book People, a two story independent bookstore that has been awarded the best bookshop in Texas for the past 15 years!

I think it would be a lot of fun to add some book buying challenges to our group to accomplish in between our time at the Texas Book Festival and Book People.  If we were really going on this trip, I would include the rest of the group in the creation of these challenges, but for the purpose of this post, I came up with some possible challenges for our virtual trip.

  1. Buy a book for each of the other lovely ladies on this trip that you enjoyed and you think they would also enjoy (write a note to each of the ladies inside the book to make this purchase an extra special reminder of our trip)
  2. Cover Buy: Choose a book totally based on it’s cover.  No reading of the synopsis! 😉
  3. Buy a book from a favorite author that you either do not already own or haven’t read yet
  4. Choose a group book together to read when we return home.

Since, this is a virtual trip, cost is irrelevent right?!?!  So, why not stay in the #1 rated hotel in Austin, Texas, the Four Seasons Hotel Austin!

Room with a balcony and lakeside view  🙂

 

Spa Day! 🙂

I think this would make the perfect book lovers getaway and I wish I could share it with every book lover I’ve met through social media.  This community is the best!  ❤ If, this wasn’t a virtual trip, I think I would share it with the rest of you, by daily blogging about it, of course!  🙂  I would also look for the perfect items for all of my book loving friends and have a giveaway when I returned.

Oh how I wish this was a real trip!  Friends who love books, books, authors, bookshops, luxury hotel stay, good food, adventures to blog about, time at the spa…what could be better?!?!

 

Teaser Tuesday (Jan. 10)

Teaser-Tuesdays

Teasr Tuesday is now being hosted by Ambrosia at her blog, The Purple Booker.

Here’s what you do for Teaser Tuesday:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Goodreads

“Toby told me to take a taxi from Grand Central to the apartment.  I stared out the window the whole way, because it was raining, which is how I like the city best.  It looks like it’s been polished up.  All the streets shine and the lights from everywhere reflect off the black.  It’s like the whole place has been dipped in sugar syrup.  Like the city is one big candy apple.”

– pg 139  “Tell the Wolves I’m Home” by Carol Rifka Brunt

That is my teaser for this Tuesday.  If you posted a Teaser Tuesday, feel free to post the link here.  I’d love to get a taste of what you are reading.  There’s always room on Mt. TBR for just one (…or two…or three…) more books, right?

Teaser Tuesday (Jan. 3)

Teaser-Tuesdays

Teasr Tuesday is now being hosted by Ambrosia at her blog, The Purple Booker.

Here’s what you do for Teaser Tuesday:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Goodreads

“Standing happy and slightly drunk in my kitchen, I’m unaware that tonight is the end of all this.  The end of everything I know, everything I love.

No one tells you it’s all about to change, to be taken away.  There’s no proximity alert, no indication that you’re standing on the precipice.  And maybe that’s what makes tragedy so tragic.  Not just what happens, but how it happens: a sucker punch that comes at you out of nowhere, when you’re least expecting it.  No time to flinch or brace.”

– pg 1  “Dark Matter” by Blake Crouch

“One of the things I love most about Daniela is her honesty.  She has a direct link hardwired from her heart to her mouth.  No filter, no self revision.  She says what she feels, without a shred of guile or cunning.  She works no angles.”

– pg 93  “Dark Matter” by Blake Crouch

Those are my teasers for this Tuesday.  If you posted a Teaser Tuesday, feel free to post the link here.  I’d love to get a taste of what you are reading.  There’s always room on Mt. TBR for just one (…or two…or three…) more books, right?

Musing Mondays (Jan. 2)

Musing Mondays is now being hosted by Ambrosia at her blog, The Purple Booker.

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

  • I’m currently reading…
  • Up next I think I’ll read…
  • I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
  • I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I can’t wait to get a copy of…
  • I wish I could read ___, but…
  • I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Have you joined any challenges in reading for the new year? Do you have any general goals book or even not book related for 2017?

I’m currently reading…

Goodreads

I just started reading Dark Matter by Blake Crouch yeasterday.  I’m about 60 pages in and so far so good!

Up next I think I’ll read…

Goodreads

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt was selected for me for my most recent Recommendation Swap.  I’m really looking forward to jumping into this book!

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Have you joined any challenges in reading for the new year? Do you have any general goals book or even not book related for 2017?

I answered these questions in my Bookish Goals for 2017 post.  Please check out that post to see what reading challenges I will be joining this year and what reading goals I have set for myself.

As far as general goals, I don’t really make New Year’s resolutions.  I do try to set goals for myself throughout the year, but I don’t specifically make goals for myself at New Year’s time.

Do you make New Year’s resolutions?  Reading goals for the New Year?

Feel free to post your Musing Monday link.  I’d love to read what you’re musing about this Monday

Musing Mondays (Dec. 12)

Musing Mondays is now being hosted by Ambrosia at her blog, The Purple Booker.

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

  • I’m currently reading…
  • Up next I think I’ll read…
  • I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
  • I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I can’t wait to get a copy of…
  • I wish I could read ___, but…
  • I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Does reading help you to release stress during stressful times? If it does do you have a favorite book that you return to for calm?

I’m currently reading…

Goodreads

I’m a little more then 2/3 through this book and I’m still really enjoying it.

Goodreads

So far, I’ve read the first two short stories in this collection.  I enjoyed Minights by Rainbow Rowell, but I didn’t care for The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link.  We’ll see what I think about the rest of the stories.  I’ve heard a lot of good things about this compilation so I’m looking forward to reading more of the short stories.

I can’t wait to get a copy of…

Goodreads

As Christmas is fast approaching, of course there are many books on my list.  I think this might just be the book I’m most looking forward to recieving…hopefully!  😉

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Does reading help you to release stress during stressful times? If it does do you have a favorite book that you return to for calm?

Sadly, usually books do not help me to release stress.  If I’m stressed, I struggle to focus so it makes it harder to read.  If I read when I’m stressed it has to be a light and fun book that doesn’t require a ton of focus.

What book(s) are you most excited to receive this Christmas/Holiday Season?

Feel free to post your Musing Monday link.  I’d love to read what you’re musing about this Monday

Top 5 Wednesday (Dec. 7)

Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes and there’s also a Goodreads Group where you can find the Wednesday topics for the month.

This Wednesday’s topic is:

Books You Want to Finally Read in 2017

Here is Sam’s explanation for this topic from the Goodreads Group page: “These are those books you meant to read in 2016 or 2015 or 2014 and never got around to. Those books that have been sitting on your TBR for a while, and you really want to get to. These aren’t upcoming 2017 releases; these are older books that need your love too!”

1. 

          Goodreads

2.

          Goodreads

3.

          Goodreads

4.

          Goodreads

5.

          Goodreads

Feel free to post your Top 5 Wednesday.  What books did you have the best of intentions to read, but they’re still on your TBR list for 2017?

 

Musing Mondays (Dec. 5)

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Musing Mondays is hosted by Jen at her blog, Books and a Beat.

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

  • I’m currently reading…
  • Up next I think I’ll read…
  • I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
  • I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I can’t wait to get a copy of…
  • I wish I could read ___, but…
  • I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Do you visit your local library regularly? If so, what’s your earliest memory of visiting a library?

I’m currently reading…

Goodreads

This is my first time reading anything by Rosamunde Pilcher and I’m loving it!  I’m about 100 pages in and the book is so beautifully written.  It is definitely more of a character driven story then a plot driven story, but the characters and scenes are written so beautifully that I’m just so drawn into this story.  If this book continues to be as great as the first 100 pages have been, I’ll definitely be reading more of Rosamunde Pilcher’s work.

Up next I think I’ll read…

Goodreads

I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…

Goodreads

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is set to becaome a movie and a T.V. series.  Lin Manuel Miranda has signed on to produce both adaptations.  I haven’t read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss yet, but it’s sitting on my TBR shelf waiting to be read.  I’ve heard so many great things about this trilogy. From what I know about the trilogy, I think it could make a great movie and T.V. series.  Of course, I will read the trilogy before watching any adaptations of it since the book is almost always better. 😉  However, I’m intrigued about these potential adaptations and Lin Manuel Miranda producing these adaptations.

Here’s an article with more details about The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss being adapted into a movie and a T.V. series: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-lin-manuel-miranda-joins-the-1480459239-htmlstory.html

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Do you visit your local library regularly? If so, what’s your earliest memory of visiting a library?

This was quite a timely random question this week for me!  I sort of go in and out of visiting my local library.  I have so many books sitting on my TBR shelf right now (and so does my daughter) that it’s been awhile since we visited our local library.  Until…this past weekend!  I had checked out a library copy of a book that my daughter’s class was reading because she kept forgetting to bring her school copy home.  That book was due back at the library on Saturday so my daughter and I spent some time there on Saturday.  Of course, both of us checked out some books!  I really do enjoy my local library and there are times that my family and I use it on a weekly basis, but it really depends on what else is going on. I also use the Overdrive system through my library for e-books and audiobooks pretty regularly, but that isn’t the same as just browsing the library shelves.

I remember visiting my local library as a very young child.  The importance of reading was always stressed in my home as a child.  I remember when I was very young (maybe preschool/kindergarten or so) often choosing the picture books with the shiny pages.  🙂  My local library was also within walking distance from my elemantary school.  I remember in 5th and 6th grade after school walking to the library with classmates to do our homework, chat and checking new books out from the library.  The library was also a requirement for school reports when I was in school since there wasn’t the Internet  to research from the comfort of home.  Yup! It was the good old Dewey Decimal System and hoping to be the first one at the library to check out the books on the topic I wanted to research.  Otherwsise, the shelf would be clear of the books to get the needed information from and a second topic would have to be chosen.

Here’s what my daughter and I checked out of the library on Saturday:

       

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva: Goodreads

I Will Send Rain by Rae Meadows: Goodreads

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi: Goodreads

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt: Goodreads

Relish by Lucy Knisley: Goodreads

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki: Goodreads

Audiobook: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan: Goodreads

Have you read any Rosamunde Pilcher books?  Thoughts? (No spoilers please)

Do you use your local library?  Regularly?  Sometimes?

Feel free to post your Musing Monday link.  I’d love to read what you’re musing about this Monday

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Musing Mondays (Nov. 28)

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Musing Mondays is hosted by Jen at her blog, Books and a Beat.

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

  • I’m currently reading…
  • Up next I think I’ll read…
  • I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
  • I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I can’t wait to get a copy of…
  • I wish I could read ___, but…
  • I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: If you were a character, which author would you trust with your life (to write your story)?

I bought the following book(s) in the past week…

I’m not a huge fan of Black Friday shopping.  I love Christmas, but I don’t like crowds and it puts me in a bad mood very quickly.  So, I don’t go out shopping on Black Friday.  My husband and I went out on Saturday afternoon and one of our stops was of course…Barnes and Noble!  I picked out a few of their Black Friday weekend autograph books.

Goodreads

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The naked cover of this book is so beautiful!

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This cover is even more beautiful in person! ❤

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Oh yeah, and I had to add these two to my shopping spree…

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Barnsie and Noble are perfect additions to my bookshelves. 🙂

Feel free to post your Musing Monday link.  I’d love to read what you’re musing about this Monday.