Blogger Recognition Award

 

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A big heartfelt thank you to Laura Spoonie, who nominated me for the Blogger Recognition Award.

She runs an amazing blog, Laura Spoonie Blogs, about her journey through chronic illness, filled with content that inspires, educates and makes you feel a little less alone in the world. 

Definitely do yourself a favor and click here to check out her blog!

 

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The requirements for this award are as follows:

 

• Thank the blogger that nominated you

• Write a post to show your award

• Give a brief story of how your blog started

• Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers

• Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to

• Comment on each blog and let them know you’ve nominated them, and provide the link to the post you’ve created

 

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My blog focuses mainly on books, along with other positive lifestyle content. Lately I’ve been making an effort to make it more well rounded and focus on quality content. Look out for Self Care Sundays and Friday Fun, coming soon … 

 

But onto the reason I started my blog.

 

I created my blog, because I felt I had something to contribute to the bookish community and the world. A unique voice that I hadn’t read in other blogs. Not that I’m some super special unicorn of a person. However, there’s so many unattainable lifestyle posts and I wanted to bring something a bit more realistic. Also I’ve found very few people who read the unique set of genres that I do. I was constantly having people tell me, on Twitter and Goodreads, that I was introducing them to books they hadn’t heard of before. So that’s when I knew I had a unique voice among book lovers.

I also am a lifelong learner and love sharing new information with others. A blog seemed like a great way to do just that! Blogging and instagramming is also a fun but goal directed creative outlet. I’ve so enjoyed getting to know so many wonderful like minded people since starting my blog earlier this year.

 

While I still consider myself a newish blogger … 

 

When does one consider themselves a seasoned blogger? … 

When you’ve put enough thyme into it? 

 

Okay, that was a bad cooking joke, but I’m kind of loving it anyways. 

 

Here’s my advice to new bloggers

 

1. Be yourself

The best content I’ve read is always authentic. Even if it’s a topic I’m not super interested in, the authenticity will always shine through, making the writing so much more captivating. There are so many blogs out there already, why not be yourself? Also I’ve found the writing process to be so much easier when I’m being authentic. And bonus, more people have commented, liked and in general been receptive to my most authentic, vulnerable posts. 

Photo by Artem Bali on Pexels.com

 

2. Interact with other bloggers and people in general

With so many people creating content, most people aren’t going to just stumble across your blog. Put yourself out there. Get on social media. Interact with other people. Type in a hashtag that related to your blog content. Comment on people’s photos, tweets, etc. Start a genuine discussion. Even if it doesn’t drive a ton of people to your blog, you’ll make some meaningful connections and have fun. That really is the most important part of blogging, anyways!

Also if you’re in a blogging slump, interacting with others might just pull you out of it.

 

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

 

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My Nominees for the Blogger Recognition Award

 

There are so many wonderful bloggers out there, I wish I could nominate all of you. Here are just a few of the amazing people, whose content you should check out. Thanks for brightening up my day, lovelies. 

Jasmine’s Reading Blog 

Crazy Little Things

Thrifty Bibliophile

Tammy’s Reading Life 

Perpetual Fangirl

Sarah June

Swift Coffee 

Life Should Be Lit

For the Love of Books

Kook Bookery

Ruth In Revolt

Jill’s Book Blog 

Read with Allison

Reader Voracious 

The Past Due Review 

 

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I hope you all learned a little more about me and my blogging story, motivations and goals. If you want to join me on my journey for lifelong learning, books, self care and some fun positivity sprinkled about, subscribe to my blog. Thanks for reading this, all you lovelies. 

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Twitter: Follow @BooksAndLife1

Instagram: Follow @BooksLifeAndEverythingNice

Goodreads: Follow Amanda (Books, Life and Everything Nice)

Facebook: Follow @BooksLifeAndEverythingNice

 

 

Thanks for reading. 

Peace and love, 

Amanda 

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Guilty Reader Tag

 

I most recently saw this tag on Pages and Pugs and was inspired to do it. I don’t actually believe in guilty pleasures as far as reading. Reading is all about fun with none of the guilt, but it’s super fun to answer the questions for you all!

I tag all of you. Send me the links to your posts if you decide to do the tag!

 

1. Have you ever re-gifted a book that you’ve been gifted?


No, not as an actual gift. But I will let people borrow/keep books I think they’ll really enjoy.

 

2. Have you ever said you’ve read a book when you haven’t?


Maybe? Occasionally I’ve misremembered reading an assigned book for another similar book by the same author.

 

3. Have you ever borrowed a book and not returned it?

No, I’m super careful about returning my books. Once I accidentally left a book in a lecture hall in college, searched everywhere for it, and then went early to the librarian to pay for the replacement.

 

4. Have you ever read a series out of order?


Yes, all the time. I frequently read mystery and psychological thrillers out of order. Usually those types of series can be read as stand alone too. Think Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson, Kathy Reichs, Lisa Gardner, etc.

 

5. Have you ever spoiled a book for someone?

Yes, but not in a mean way. I’m not going to spoil the big ending or something, but I will tell other aspects that some might consider spoilers. I think it helps better describe some books by giving a few spoilerish details.

 

6. Have you ever doggy eared a book?


Occasionally. It doesn’t really bother me. I do prefer to use post its to mark passages I want to come back to.

 

7. Have you ever told someone you don’t own a book when you do?

Nope

 

8. Have you ever skipped a chapter or a section of a book?

Rarely, only if it’s boring but I want to find out what happens at the end.

 

9. Have you ever bad mouthed a book you actually liked?

No. Do people do this? Why?

 

 

Book Blogger Test Tag

I’ve been really getting into Blog Tags lately. There’s something fun about them. Answering bookish or personal questions and getting to know fellow bloggers better. Fun! That’s why we spend hours each week blogging. Right? So let’s get into it!

 

Special shout out to Julia at Fable Hunter who unofficial tagged anyone who wanted to do the tag. That would be me! Thanks!

 

THE RULES:
1) Thank the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog.
2) Answer the questions asked on this post — don’t stress it’s quick!
3) Nominate and notify some peeps. 5 preferred.

 

1. What are your top 3 bookish pet peeves?

• Great books with mediocre endings

Seriously annoys me that the clearly very talented author rushed through the ending. I hate being disappointed by the ending of a book I loved so much.

• Ugly covers

There’s nothing better than a gorgeous book cover. Please don’t deprive me of that!

• Disliking all the main characters

For me I need to like, at least a little bit, the main characters. Or at least understand their bad behavior. Or maybe have a few redeeming qualities. Something that makes them relatable or likable.

2. Name a perfect reading spot:

Sitting outside at home on the deck. Preferably a comfy chair but I don’t own one. Anyone want to buy me one? Lol. 60 to 75 degrees F and sunny. Slightly breezy. A mug of green tea next to me and I’m enjoying all the beauty that Mother Nature has to offer. Nothing better while reading an amazing book.

 

3. Give 3 reading confessions:

• Lately I’ve been really getting into the romance genre. Fun, light reading seems to help me destress!
• Describing a wonderful book is easy in my head, doable in writing but so hard when someone asks “so what’s your book about?” I end up sounding like a rambling idiot. But I’m an intelligent reader, I promise!
• Reading only 1 book at a time seems weird to me after reading 2-3 for so long

 

4. When was the last time you cried during a book?

??? I had to look through my last read books for this one. Rush by Lisa Patton. Can’t give away why because of spoilers but trust me, it’s good!

 

5. Number of books on your bedside table?

Zero. Don’t read in bed.

 

6. Favorite reading snack?

Green tea/peppermint tea

Don’t snack too much while I read, for the messy hands reason. But I’ve bene loving homemade kettle corn with peanuts lately. A perfect salty sweet snack that’s easy to eat with one hand and hold my Kindle with the other.

 

7. What are 3 books you’d recommend to anyone?

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life by Amy E. Herman

 

8. Provide a picture of your bookshelf:

So embarrassing because it’s not organized or pretty at all!

 

9. How much do books mean to you in 3 words?

Life’s amazing experiences

 

10. Biggest reading secret?

I rarely like all the hyped up YA books. Probably because I don’t like fantasy or dystopian books, which is kind of why I started my blog. I felt I had a different perspective and things to say about books no one was talking about much.

 

I Tag: 

The Princess of Pages                  A Court of Crowns and Quills                    Jill’s Book Blog

Pages and Pugs                                  The Backwards Bookshelf 

 

 

Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag

Nobody officially tagged me for this, but a ton of people have said they tag everyone . . . and since I’m a part of everyone, here we go

 

1. Best book that you’ve read so far in 2018?

Oooh, this is a tough one, because it’s just way too hard to pick the best book of 2018! Narrowing it down to my top 5 or 10, sure, that I can do. Buuuut, if I have to choose, I would pick:

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James 

Murders, deaths that may or may not be accidental, haunted boarding schools, disturbed teenage girls. What more could a reader possibly want in a creepy, can’t put down book?

 

2. Best sequel that you’ve read so far in 2018?

Find Her by Lisa Gardner (#8 in the Detective D.D. Warren Series)

First book that I read in 2018!

Lisa Gardner does not disappoint with her jam packed novel, filled with suspense, intensity, and the courageous Detective D.D. Warren. If I’m looking for a good solid mystery/thriller I can always count on Lisa Gardner.

 

3. New release that you haven’t read yet, but want to?

Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering

The cover is gorgeous!

I keep seeing Tell Me Lies all over the book world of social media. So many people have loved it, and I hope it’s worth all the hype!

 

4. Most anticipated release for the next half of 2018?

So hard to choose. I want to read all the books!

Heart: A History by Sandeep Jauhar

I know, I know, such a nerdy choice. There’s something about a good medical book, fiction or non fiction, that I absolutely love.

 

5. Biggest disappointment of 2018?

The Corporation: An Epic Story of the Cuban American Underworld by T.J. English

So many people loved it. The description made the story seem epic, but I absolutely crawled through every page. Definitely not the book for me.

 

6. Biggest surprise of 2018?

Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik 

I went into the book thinking the premise sounded interesting. I was absolutely blown away by the gorgeous writing and storytelling about the spirited controversial Iranian poet. A close second to my favorite book of the 2018.

 

7. Favorite new (or new to you) author?

Courtney Milan!

She is the romance author I’ve been looking for. I enjoy some romance novels, but am picky about the writing, plot lines, etc. Courtney Milan ended up being the perfect fit for me.

 

8. Newest fictional crush?

I don’t get fictional crushes on characters. Everyone talks about book boyfriends, and I’m over here by myself like “I don’t get it.”

 

9. Newest favorite character?

Mikki Lincoln in Crime & Punctuation 

Smart, savvy, generally badass ~ and bonus points for a good representation of the 50 plus years characters

 

10. A book that made you cry?

Most recently,

The Crate: A Story of War, A Murder, and Justice by Deborah Vadas Levison 

There are barely enough words to describe how impactful The Crate is on people. Definitely recommend giving it a read!

 

11. A book that made you happy?

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery 

The author’s passion for these incredible creatures makes it almost impossible to not experience joy while reading the book.

 

12. The most beautiful book you’ve bought or received in 2018?

Love and Ruin by Paula McLain

The cover has an ethereal beauty to it, almost as if it’s painted with watercolors. Underneath the jacket cover the spine has a beautiful simplicity to it.

Bonus fact: Love and Ruin is the book I used in my profile photo.

 

13. What books do you need to read by the end of 2018?

So many! Too many!

Is there a thing as having too many books to read?

I actually stopped requesting books from NetGalley for a bit until I finish reading a few more books, because I was feeling way too overwhelmed.

As of now I need to read:

• From NetGalley:
  • The Secret by K.L. Slater
  • A Politically Incorrect Feminist by Phyllis Chesler
  • When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica

• From Goodreads Giveaways:
  • The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
  • Dead in the Water by Simon Bower
  • The Fifth to Die by J.D. Baker
  • Rush by Lisa Patton
  • Rust and Stardust by T. Greenwood
  • All the Way by Kristen Proxy
  • Rage Becomes Her by Soraya Chemaly
  • The 1% Rule: How to Fall in Love with the Process and Achieve Your Wildest Dreams by Tommy Baker
  • Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger by Soraya Chemaly 

• And the books I choose for the BookTube-A-Thon. (There’s some overlap from the above lists, but I can’t complete a few of the challenges with my ARC reads.)
• Also a few more books to complete the 2018 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge. I’m making good progress on this so far.

Anybody else exhausted by reading the list of books I need to read?

 

Since I’m probably one of the last people in the book blogging community to complete this tag; I tag anyone else who wasn’t done it yet. 

Mystery Blogger Award

 

Hi everyone! I am so honored to have been nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award by Julia at Fable Hunter. She’s an amazing book blogger who features a variety of bookish topics from classic literature, fantasy novels, and hunting for that new amazing book. Her passion and adventurous spirit is evident throughout. Before continuing, please visit her blog and check it out. A big thank you to Julia for nominating me!

 

Before this I didn’t know about the Mystery Blogger Award. The award was created by Okoto Enigma. The explanation on her blog is as follows:

The “Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion.
– Okoto Enigma

As a newbie blogger, I was absolutely floored and so honored to be nominated for this award. It’s such a sweet gesture and keeps my motivation up, to keep creating great content for you all.

There are so some rules and questions to answer, so let’s get into them and have some fun!

 

RULES

1. Put the award logo/image on your blog
2. List the rules.
3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
4. Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
5. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
6. You have to nominate 10 – 20 people
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
8. Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
9. Share a link to your best post(s)

 

To begin, here are three things about myself:

1. I’m a big cat lover. Over the course of my lifetime I’ve had the pleasure of caring for 9 cats, that were my pets. I’ve taken care of so many more furry friends. For some reason the cats all have had multiple health and behavioral issues. Maybe the universe knows that my family and I can and will love and care for them. One summer I even rearranged my entire schedule including staying up until 5 AM to care for my dying cat . . . essentially hospice care for kitties. The moments when she was happy and pain free, which was 90% of the time, were some of the best memories. And I don’t regret one minute of the time I sacrificed to spend with her.
2. I used to use the fact that I would read magazines from back to front cover as an interesting fact about me, in high school. I thought it made me seem interesting and quirky. Oh, teenage self what were you thinking?
3. For the past 6 months I’ve been watching the television show ER on Hulu. I’m currently on the last season with less than 20 episodes left to watch. I watched the show on and off when it originally aired on TV in the 90s. And yes, that would make me maybe 10 or 12 years old at the time. What can I say, I was a weird kid. It’s been a wonderful whirlwind revisiting the world of County General Hospital with Carter, Abby, Haleh, Luka, Morris Neela, and so many more.

 

I have 5 questions to answer from Julia:

1. What are your hobbies?

Besides reading? Because I think that’s obvious. Painting, adult coloring, cooking, caring for my cats, getting obsessed with a TV show, creating pretty planner journals, and being a life long learned which is probably why I love to read.

2. What is your biggest goal this year?

Personal- Take more time for myself and put myself first, which is something I don’t do nearly enough. Set boundaries, especially to deal with the negative people in my life.

Book blog- By year’s end reach 200 follows on my blog, 1000 followers on Twitter and Instagram

3. Do you have any pet peeves?

Sure I have a bunch of little pet peeves but those are petty and usually more about me being tired and cranky at the moment.

The things that bother me the most are people being rude, disrespectful of my time, and ignoring boundaries.

4. How would you describe yourself in 5 words (or less)?

Considerate, observant, caregiver, lifelong learner

5. What was the weirdest/grossest thing you did as a child?

Oh gosh! Too many to count; my sisters and I got into so many shenanigans as kids. The one that pops into my head right now is digging for worms in the garden, picking one up and putting it on my 3 year old sister’s head. Yuck! And kind of mean. Sorry, sis.

 

My Best Posts 

That is so hard to choose. I don’t have a favorite Book Review per say, since the books are all so different and have each taught me something.

I’m incredibly proud of my 3 part series of Underrated Books.

I love introducing people to great books that they probably haven’t heard of before.

Seriously Underrated Books- less than 100 Ratings

Seriously Underrated Books- less than 500 Ratings 

Seriously Underrated Books- less than 1000 Ratings 

 

I nominate

• Kaleena at Reader Voracious Blog
• Sarah June
• Thrifty Bibliophile
• Tammy’s Reading Life  
• Perpetual Fangirl
• Read With Allison
• Pages and Pugs
• A Single Speck Book Blog
• Life Should Be Lit
• Bibliophile Reviews 

 

My Questions:

1. What’s the funniest experience you’ve had on vacation?
2. What’s your favorite reading snack?
3. How do other people describe you?
4. Of which accomplishment from last year are you most proud?
5. What 3 things would you tell your younger self?

 

Reader Confessions Tag

 

While I didn’t get officially get tagged for this, Life Should Be Lit said anyone who wants to do the tag, can … so here we go

Don’t forget to check out her blog here: Life Should Be Lit

 

My Reader Confessions

 

1. Have you ever damaged a book?

Probably … I’m fairly careful with my books so I don’t damage them too much. Although a few days ago I knocked over a mug of tea and spilled some on the front cover of a paperback. Not cool. Dried it off, and the book’s okay in case all of were wondering. 

2. Have you ever damaged a borrowed book?

Nope. One of the books I spilled water on was a library book, but it was hardcover with a plastic covering on it, so no harm done. 

I have lost a library book though … left it in my human anatomy lecture hall in college. Definitely had to pay the $25 to replace it.

I’m fairly careful with my books and items in general, so no horror stories here.

3. How long does it take you to read a book?

That completely depends on how many books I’m reading at once. I usually read 2-3 books at a time. If I’m only reading one book, then 3-4 days for fiction or memoir. A non fiction book will probably take me about a week. 

4. Books that you haven’t finished?

Check my DNF list on Goodreads here: DNFs on Goodreads

I used to rarely DNF books, but I’ve learned that life is too short to read books that I’m not enjoying. 

5. Hyped/popular books that you didn’t like?

The Hunger Games and Twilight Series

Truthfully, I’ve never read them so I can’t officially say that I didn’t like them …. but no matter how many people have absolutely raved about them, I’ve had absolutely no desire to read either series. 

6. Is there a book you wouldn’t tell anyone you were reading?

No, I don’t think so. I might not tell every person, every book I’m reading, but I put it all on Goodreads, so it’s pretty much an open book.  Pun intended.

Am I going to tell my Dad about the romance novel I’m reading? Errr, … probably not, but if he asked me, I wouldn’t lie either.

7. How many books do you own?

Books from my childhood: a lot, probably over 200. My sisters and I shared them, so they’re not all strictly mine. 

Books I’ve acquired as an adult: maybe 50. I rarely reread books, and I borrow a lot from the library so I don’t have a huge physical collection. I think I’m a rarity in this case.

8. Are you a fast or slow reader?

Fairly fast 

9. Do you like to buddy read?

No!

Probably an unpopular opinion, but I don’t like feeling pressured to read a specific book in a certain time period as to not let someone else down. 

Also, reading is my escape from other people and the stress of the world, so I don’t really want to make it a social thing for me. Which makes no sense, that I’m blogging about reading, active on Goodreads, and social media talking about books … but I think it’s because I can choose when I want to share my reading experiences. 

10. If you were only allowed to own one book, what would it be and why?

Doesn’t really matter to me. I rarely reread books, so there’s not one specific book that I would have to reread again and again. Maybe a cookbook, that seems practical. 

Now, that I keep thinking about it, I would own a Kathy Reichs book. She’s the author that got me back into reading as a late high schooler/early college student. So here books will always hold a special place in my heart.

 

I tag: all of you

I want to hear all of your responses to this book tag! So if you write a post about it, send me the link in the comments so I can check it out.

Peace and love,

Amanda