First of all, I’d like to say sorry for not posting anything yesterday. I’m an incredibly lazy person and so I decided that I was going to read instead of writing a post.
Today I’m going to write a list of a few things I’d like to do in my next year of blogging.
1. Talk to more book bloggers. Although I do talk to quite a few book bloggers, I only talk to a limited amount of people and I think I need to come out of my shell a bit and start interacting with new people. That’s not to say that the people I do talk to aren’t amazing but sometimes I do need to be better at communicating!
2. Get better at reviewing on time. Sometimes I’ll leave it the night before a post it supposed to go online to write a post, mainly because, like I said above, I’m extremely lazy. I need to organise myself!
3. Experiment with blog posts. I’m not very adventurous when it comes to blog posts and so I’d like to start writing discussion posts that are more interesting and exciting.
4. Set Embracing My Inner Geek up as a meme. I’m running it tomorrow as a trial run but would like to set it up permanently in the future. I’m really looking forward to it!
5. Keep up the hard work! Well, my opinion of hard! I’m so pleased with the way that my first year has gone and I can’t believe how much I’ve achieved. It’s surreal!
Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow to link up your EMIG posts!
Hi Amy! Can you introduce yourself and your blog? I think I can… *waves* That’s it. Haha, kidding. Amy Bookworm had no intention of just waving. So, my blog- it’s fairly small, new and all that stuff which doesn’t sound too great to say, but hey- I’m a teen and as such this is far from a career. I mean, I don’t post a ton (like 2-3x a week) but I love posting content to my blog & it doesn’t matter if it gets less comments than others as really, I haven’t just been posting what I think of as insignificant. I like remembering what I’ve written and having posts stand out to me. Obviously posts on other blogs, whether they have my input to me, can stand out but it’s not a reflective process as much- I’ve probably had less free reign or am reading a post with different opinions to mine. I understand that but this blog… Liking it. Even it’s just a stepping stone! I love posting elsewhere but as they say, “home is where the heart is”. You don’t forget your first blog (even if you might forget the first post & rearrange your blog… oops). Yes, it’s included post deletion, renaming, hyper posts, calm posts- you name it). Hopefully it’s getting better but it may go downhill. Hope not- as I’ve said, I love blogging, reviewing & reading. Oh, and you guys!
2. What inspired you to start your own book blog? Ah. Vlogging has. I don’t mean I vlogged but I used to watch just vloggers until I stopped off at booktubers (yes, vloggers but bookish ones who basically video what I blog now). Lots had goodreads & I’d been a referral from google many a time. I always googled bookish things and it’d direct me there even for quotes! I didn’t realize much about it until I signed up, followed these vloggers, started reviewing, doing other stuff & ended up finding out about the non-video equivalent. I liked those reviews too and the blogs were a good idea so… hey, presto! I wish I could say a certain blogger did but really it was a journey which took months & eventually I blogged myself, not understanding quite the size of the community just knowing that I’d seen some pop up here & there. Now I know the truth 😉
3. If there was a book that you could re-read as many times as you want and it would be new every time, which book would it be and why? I don’t really re-read lots. For me it’s just too easy to pick up a new book than pick up an old one thus not really cutting down any TBR. Not that it’s really my to-read pile that’s stopping me- before I really had one (the days when I was much more of an impulsive reader) had be hunting down new books & re-reading NEVER. It’s rare for me to think I’m going to get anything new out of it. I may forget little bits but I’d know how it ended soon after I’d started it & got into the mood of the book. If the plot isn’t the crucial bit, or the extreme and it’s really crucial, complex yet forgettable for this, then I may re-read. I’ve re-read some books and my next re-read shall be ‘The Iron Witch’. Need I tell you the reason is because it’s in a series? It sounds harsh but I can’t really remember what I got out of it so reading it again should be enjoyable- especially will the rest of the series! I mean, that’s really why I’m reading it not just because I can’t remember it (not a reader’s nightmare really) but because I’m excited about reading the whole trilogy. I rarely re-read standalones but if I did it’d be Perks. That is one book I didn’t expect to get as much out of as I did! Will it happen again? I care to see!
4. Your blog is called Spreading UKYA 2013. Is supporting the UKYA community important to you? It wasn’t for a long time. When I found the British Book challenge I started thinking about what a good idea was. Turns out I’d have to re-name my blog as it was turning completely UKYA based. What had been a muse suddenly became a mission. There was so much in this genre & there still is- I like to spread the old, the new & everything in between. If the author was born or lives in Britain I suddenly feel a buzz. It’s a connection I hope will continue beyond 2013 but I’m not wishing to be entirely nationality-picky for long. It seemed sort of a challenge but in the end I realized I was a bit behind, and wrong about the challenge bit- it’s been surprisingly easy & fun. UK bloggers have been doing such challenges (and much more in the case of say, Fluttering Butterflies) for ages & hadn’t found reading books by British authors harder than any fiction. I don’t either now & I love supporting it as sometimes it doesn’t seem the ‘big deal’ it is in other countries. I understand we’re not the size of America but the authors deserve just as much recognition & the fact is, quite often I wonder how UKYA isn’t as known- it’s worthy competition! The funny this when I divided my bookcases into ‘British author’ and ‘Other’ the British author one was already bigger (as in had no space left)… I swear I didn’t know! Only about 50% was YA then though, now it’s a lot more dominated by a genre I like a lot now, YA!
5. When you’re not blogging, what do you like to do?Go round telling people about my blog. Ha, kidding! My mother does keep telling people though (no link giving, I’d kill her) and I just explain that I love reading more. I think that’s true though the balance isn’t always easy. I like (and am forced to give about a third of my time to) Art (coursework). I like chilling a lot- if it’s not on Twitter or with books (mostly is though) it might be with friends, family, a TV remote, singing and/or listening to music (get me to accompany that with dancing/instrument playing & you’ll be rolling on the floor laughing like a hyena though), perhaps RPing (I used to be addicted) and such things. School doesn’t let me chill 24/7 & you’ve seen how much I tweet/read/blog so there’s not a massive range of things. I’m the Queen of surfing the internet & getting distracted. You better believe that.
6. Name your top ten favourite book blogs. Ten? I follow over a hundred (blogs) but follow 108 on Twitter I’m leaving so many out & I’ll probably decide I’ve missed out somebody I really love so that’s why I’ve linked that. Literally the ones I cannot miss (but this is still quite a random selection; it’s hard to choose) are: From The Shadows I Review (http://shadowsireview.blogspot.com), Say It With Books (http://nuzsaysitwithbooks.blogspot.com), Between The Lines (http://betweenthelinesisanendlessstory.blogspot.com), Paper Fantasies (http://paper-fantasies.blogspot.com), Chasm of Books (http://chasmofbooks.blogspot.com), A Bookish Heart (http://abookishheart.com), Miss Fictional’s World of YA (http://missfictional.blogspot.com/), Feed Me Books Now (http://feedmebooksnow.blogspot.co.uk), Readiculously Peachy (http://readiculously-peachy.blogspot.co.uk) & obviously yours. Queen Of Contemporary is a great blog, so glad you’re all here 😉 I adore so many book bloggers, UK or not, and visit so many blogs many times a week (even if they don’t post every day). I treasure so many & comment on a tiny amount of blog posts compared to how many I’ve seen! Now go check out all of them too; you should see my comments on some of their posts 😉 Those girls are amazing!
7. Do you have any tips to give to future book bloggers? Get a bookish Twitter. Best decision I made after signing up for Goodreads. Yes, it was a choice that was better than setting up my blog. Obviously I did that and you will future book blogger J But y’know, one can’t thrive on blogging & Goodreads alone. Far from it. Get a Twitter. NOW.
Before you start your blog actually, OK? That’ll take more time is all 😉 Twitter FTW!
Welcome to day four of my blogoversary! Today, I’m going to be sharing a giveaway with you. I’ve put this giveaway together myself and so, although not that spectacular, I hope you’ll understand that it won’t be the most elaborate prize ever but I’d like to give something to one of you because you’ve all supported me so much in this past year.
Prize: -A copy of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa -Various book swag that I have collected over the last year
Terms and Conditions:
-This giveaway is only open to people living in the UK because I am funding it myself. I hope you’ll understand this, international readers! -I’ll contact the winner of the giveaway straight after the giveaway has ended and will be expecting a reply within two days of the closing date, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.
Ruby is the writer behind the brilliant book blog, Feed Me Books Now, one of my favourite book blogs. I’m so lucky to have her here today on day three of my blogoversary celebrations and I’m hoping that once you’ve read the interview you’ll go away and follow her blog because you won’t regret it.
1. Hi Ruby! Can you introduce yourself and your blog?
Heelllloooooooooo, I’m Ruby hehe! 😀 I have a tendancy to use WAY too many smiley faces and most of what I write turns into COMPLETE gibberish! Oh how I love that word! 🙂 Anyway, um… Did I mention I say ‘um’ a lot? Well I do, hehe. Sooo, where was I? Oh yeah. I have this blog called Feed Me Books Now where I basically talk about books (duh!)… And, ah, ahem… Yeah. I’m SO bad at introductions! 😛 Let me start over: I’m Ruby a complete and utter bookworm and nerdfighter, I write book reviews and occasionally fangirl over Will Herondale! Yeah, that’s me in a nutshell…
2. What inspired you to start your own blog?
Sometime last year I discovered two AMAZING book blogs (Anna Reads and Xpresso Reads) and I literally fell in love with them! I knew immediately that a book blog would be the best way for me to combine my love of both reading and writing. 😀 So here I am today… YAY! 😛
3. You’ve recently started a feature called Character Wars. Who is your favourite love interest and who is your favourite female protagonist?
Well my love interest is pretty obvious. William Owen Herondale is the one for me! Back off Tessa because he’s MINE! Mwahahaha. 🙂 I’m pretty sure that I’m the biggest Will fan ever! Well, apart from Rachel (from Booktastic reviews)… She’s just obsessed with him! But jokes aside, I believe he really is the best fictional love interest! He’s snarky and sarcastic & he loves to read… What more could you ask for? As for favourite female character… I’d have to say Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I mean, she’s just so quirky and unlike any other female leads! AND she has a totally amazing best mate! 😀
4. What are your thoughts on ‘sick-lit’?
Asdfghjkl I just hate the connotations that come with that categorisation! There was this really terrible article about ‘sick-lits’ on The Daily Mail (I don’t read actually read The Daily Mail by the way!!!!). They said The Fault In Our Stars (one of my all-time favourite books) ‘glamourises terminal illnesses’… I mean WHAT?! That book is so beautifully told, how dare they say… Just… I mean… Urghhhhhhhh. I think that books about terminal illnesses (‘sick-lits’) are often written thoughtfully, and I really hate the way that they are often so frowned upon. 🙁 Woah, I actually wrote a whole paragraph without a smiley face… 😛
5. If you could turn in to an author for the day, who would you choose to become?
JOHN GREEN!!!!! 😀 Who wouldn’t want to be a fab author, the founder of nerdfighteria and the brother of Hank Green?? 😀 Turning into Cassandra Clare would also be pretty cool though… Then I could rewrite the end of Clockwork Princess and say that Will married this girl called Ruby… Hehe. 🙂
6. Name your five favourite book blogs.
Oooh tough one. (I’m not going to include Queen of Contemporary as if you’re reading this you probably already know how fab it is!). I have so many favourites, but here goes with my top five…
1) Booktastic Reviews: This blog is just… Just amazing! Rachel (the blogger behind it) is so friendly, and she has such a good taste in book boyfriends *cough* Will *cough*. 2) Bookhi: I only recently discovered this blog… But it’s now my number one go-to blog when I’m looking for book recommendations. Zoe’s reviews are just fab! 3) The Book Babe: I just love reading this blog. Although I sometimes do (admittedly) just go on it so I can stare at the amazing graphics! 4) A Day Dreamers World: Again, I’ve only just started to read this one, but I love all the fab features & Sophie is such a brilliant writer! The header is also just stunning. 5) The Mile Long Bookshelf: Sooooo, a lot of my choices seem to be ones I’ve just discovered… but The Mile Long Bookshelf is so much fun! I love all Amber’s posts. Seriously, check it NOW!
7. Your blog has a brilliant design. Do you have any advice to give to people who are re-designing their blogs?
Aw thank you, glad you think so! 🙂 I’m extremely unprofessional though… I drew the monsters on paint! 😀 Anyway, I’d just say to come up with a colour scheme/theme you can stick to, and to get a basic knowledge of html. There are blogs like Oh Bean! which do some pretty brilliant tutorials! 😀
8. Do you have any tips to give to future book bloggers?
Um yeah… Here’s one tip: enjoy blogging! Don’t feel like you have to post everyday or people will unfollow you… Blogging isn’t a job, it’s a hobby… And just embrace that! 😀
Thank you soooooo much for inviting me to do this interview! Answering the questions was great fun! 😀
There are so many people that I must thank for making my first year amazing. Without you all, I would have given up a long time ago and so every second that I’ve spent talking to you all has been totally worth it. I’m really worried that I’m going to miss somebody out when writing this because my list is huge and my brain has also gone quite blank. If I do miss you out then please don’t take offence because I was probably supposed to add you but then forgot.
So, without further ado…
Awesome bloggers!
Amber- The Mile Long Bookshelf– I’ve only been talking to Amber for a few months but it seems like forever. I loved her blog but then she took a blogging break so I decided to keep tweeting her to see when she would start blogging again. I’m so glad that she decided to because I love reading all of her posts and talking to her really makes my day.
Kyra- Blog of a Bookaholic– Kyra was one of my original blogging buddies and I really wouldn’t be anywhere today if it weren’t for her. When I first started blogging, her advice was invaluable and I really love talking to her.
Emma- Never Judge a Book By It’s Cover and The Graphicness– Emma is the lovely designer of my header, blog button, Embracing My Inner Geek header and now this blogoversary header! She’s one of the most skilled designers I think I’ll ever know and I know that I’ll be going to her many times in the future. I’m surprised she hasn’t had enough of me by now because I’m useless at replying to emails and she’s always left waiting weeks for my reply to her designs!
Sophie- A Daydreamers World– Sophie has read many of the books I’ve recommended to her and I’m surprised she hasn’t stopped and said ‘Lucy, I can’t read all of these books!’ by now. I love both her blog and her posts and I’ll never tire of talking to her.
Jessica- Booked Up!– If it weren’t for Jessica, I wouldn’t be writing this post right now. Her blog was my main inspiration behind Queen of Contemporary and I can remember visiting her blog before I’d started blogging and totally idolising her. Thank you, Jessica!
Rebecca- Rebecca-Books– Rebecca runs one of my favourite blogs of all time and I really do love her to pieces. She wrote this lovely thing about me in an interview she did with Clover at Fluttering Butterflies (here) so I’m trying to say something equally amazing but there’s so many things to say! To be honest, I think her blog is seriously underrated and she really should have thousands of followers- I know she deserves it!
Zoe- Bookhi– If Zoe were to be standing across the room from me right now, I think I would probably scream and then start flailing. I really know where to go when I need to gush and fangirl! Bookhi was one of the first blogs I visited once I’d started visiting and I haven’t been able to stop going back since then (not that I’d want to!).
Rebekah- The Reflections of a Bookworm– Rebekah has helped me a lot over the past year, especially with my writing. I’ll be forever grateful for all of her help and I’m looking forward to going into a bookshop one day and finding her titles on the shelf.
Eileen- **Singing and Reading in the Rain**– Eileen runs her blog, The Unicorn, and is an extreme Spazzy Alligator and croissant-obessed person. No matter how many times we speak, it will never be enough and her general awesomeness is incredibly infectious. AND I LOVE HER.:P
Clover- Fluttering Butterflies– Clover runs another one of my favourite blogs and I really love reading all of her posts and tweets, which are all amazing. I particularly love her discussion posts which I urge you to go read now.
Nina- Death, Books and Tea– I’ve loved talking to Nina over the last year and am particularly fond of the posts on her blog where she talks about weekly news and also, at the end, posts a picture and I love seeing what it will be each time it’s posted because they’re always really awesome pics.
Carly- Writing from the Tub– I was lucky enough to meet Carly at the start of February at a talk she did on blogging and her advice has really helped me become a better blogger and I know that I’m much happier because of it. Her blog is another one of my favourites.
Sophie- So Many Books, So Little Time– Sophie was another one of the people I met back at the start of February, at the same talk, and I’ve loved talking to her throughout the year. Her blog is another of my favourites and I love reading all of her blog posts.
Fiona- Eventide Reads– Fiona runs a lovely book blog which, in my opinion, is seriously underrated. I’m in love with everything to do with her blog and have loved every minute I’ve spent tweeting her.
Hawwa- Ebony Black Lines– Ebony Black Lines was another one of the original blogs that inspired me to start my own and I’ve always loved her blog. Her blog design is also sooo gorgeous and I’m super jealous of it.
Ruby- Feed Me Books Now!– I love everything about Ruby’s blog- the content, the design, the general awesomeness. I’m only a recent follower but have really enjoyed getting to know Ruby through her posts and through the comments I’ve left on her blog and the comments she has left on mine.
Bella- Cheezyfeet Books– I love Bella’s blog and it has quickly become one of my favourites. We’ve only been talking since December but it seems like a lot longer than that and I love reading all of her blog posts and tweets.
Thank you so much for making my year amazing. I wouldn’t be blogging if it weren’t for all of you!
I really can’t believe that a year ago today I started this blog. It feels like I’ve been blogging for much longer and I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed every second of my time blogging so far.
Today, to celebrate my blogoversary, I’m going to be looking back over my year and going over a few of my blog statistics. I have a week full of posts planned including interviews, a giveaway and a few tips to give to future bloggers.
I started this blog on the 20th April 2012 after reading and loving other book blogs like Girls Heart Books and Booked Up!. The blog was first named Read, Write, Sleep, Eat but I then renamed it Queen of Contemporary on January 13th 2013.
My first blog header
This here was my first blog header, which I designed using Picmonkey. It was something that I did on my own and I think it’s a pretty good graphic for someone with no experience.
I think the first book I ever reviewed on the blog was Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman but I can’t be sure because I decided to delete the majority of my old posts one day, much to my horror now.
One of the first followers I can remember getting is Beverley from A Reading Daydreamer. I can clearly remember walking home from school one day and seeing a comment from her arrive in my inbox and it made me so happy. Did I really have someone viewing my blog?!
On my first day of blogging, I received 60 pageviews which was amazing to my new blogger self. I later found out that all sixty of those views were my own, constantly looking at my new website. It’s a memory that will always make me laugh.
When I first started blogging, I had no clue that there was a massive community out there that would accept me for book-obsessed fangirl that I am but they’ve been so supportive and I know who to go to if I’ve had a bad day, need advice or just want to talk. I must admit that I never thought I’d be able to talk to you: I thought you were all very scary! But as I got to know you all, I realised that we’re all very similar and united in our love for books. You’ve all been rolemodels to me, so thank you!
Statistics:
(These are all at the time of writing this post so will most probably have changed by the time this post goes live.)
I can’t believe how many pageviews and followers I’ve got! I never thought I’d get past two followers, let alone 150! Thank you so much to anyone who has followed and commented over the last year. It means so much to me and it really does make blogging better, no matter what anybody tells you!
A Plea for Help!
Next Saturday, the 27th, I will be running Embracing My Inner Geek as a meme! I’d love it if you could write your own post to add to the link up to help celebrate my blogoversary and I’m really looking forward to seeing all of your posts.
Here are some ideas:
-What being a geek means to you
-Ways in which you express your inner geek
-A talent that you want to show on your blog (for example, artwork, a video of yourself singing, a piece of writing etc).
-Your life as a geek (I know some people are writing about their day jobs, whether it be as a librarian, bookseller or something else).
I’m going to leave the posts up to you but don’t forget to tweet me your links (@LucyTheReader) and add your link to the Linky on the day!
Ebony has always known that she is different. Her violet eyes mark her out, and her protective parents have kept her in a gorgeous valley, home-schooled, safe from everything—almost as if she’s being hidden. But she’s changing: glowing, getting more and more beautiful, and stronger than anyone knows. Ebony can’t stay hidden for ever, and when she meets complicated, intense Jordan, something explodes inside her—something that can be seen from the heavens; something that changes everything. Ebony is a stolen angel, concealed on Earth. Now the heavens have found her, they want her back.
I received this for review from the publisher via Netgalley
I must first of all say that I did not finish this book, through choice of my own, so my review will not be a reflection of the entire novel, only the part that I did read.
I had high expectations for Hidden, mainly because I know a few people who had really enjoyed it but, sadly, this wasn’t the case for me. Maybe it’s because I had such expectations that I didn’t like it, but I guess we’ll never know.
From the start, it is evident that Ebony is different. Even she knows it, but she doesn’t know why. Why can she run faster than everybody else? Why does she have violet eyes? Why does she have the ability to heal? These were questions that were answered fairly early on in the book so the reader isn’t left guessing, something that I really liked about the novel.
Narrated by Ebony and Jordan, both of our protagonists, we got to see this book from a multiple perspective. I liked that because it meant that we got to see a larger part of the story rather than a tiny part if there were only one narrator.
I haven’t read a lot of books featuring insta-love but this is one of the few that I will be adding to my insta-love shelf. I’ve now found that insta-love bugs me and I won’t be reading another book with insta-love featured in it for a long time.
I loved the concept of this novel and, although I’ve read quite a few books with a similar plotline, this one had many unique aspects.
I found the characterisation very poor and wanted to scream at Ebony and Jordan on numerous occasions. Jordan irritated me more and more as the book progressed. This was one of the reasons why I put the book down. Whenever I pick up a book I want to be able to relate to the characters and feel something towards them, whether it be sympathy or hate for an antagonist. I didn’t, however, feel any of those things for either Ebony or Jordan.
I don’t think I’ll be reading anything else written by this author because I think I’m slightly too old to be reading this thing. It felt forced to me and I wasn’t comfortable with reading it. I do understand, however, why it may appeal to other people.
This book was sent to me for review by the publisher via Netgalley
Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.
America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.
Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.
A copy of this book was provided for review via Netgalley
To say that I loved The Elite would be the understatement of the century. I had my theories as to what would happen in this novel but there were so many surprises and so I was just so pleased with everything that had happened.
Sometimes in YA, sequels can be a bit of a disappointment but, in my opinion, this was miles better than The Selection. There was more action, more character development and, most importantly, more Maxon.
It’s no secret that I was strictly Team Maxon when reading The Selection but in this novel we get to see more of Aspen and I actually grew to really like him. I’m actually really torn now between Aspen and Maxon because I think they’d both be perfect for America but I would like to keep Maxon for myself so I’m hoping that science will develop soon and it will be possible for book characters to travel to our world.
With the competition whittled down to six girls- the Elite- the book is a lot more focused on them and we get to see a lot more of the characters. There were quite a few scenes that were key to character development and we’re given subtle hints for the next book in the trilogy.
My parents got very annoyed with me when I read this because I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to read through the night but sadly had school the next day so couldn’t. I would have done, though!
The Elite will make you gasp, shout at your book/Kindle and also cry. I know I had to pull myself together because I was about to go to school and didn’t want to be seen with a tear-stained face! I was also very close to throwing my Kindle out of the window because some scenes were so painful and sad.
I have no idea how I’ll last a year without the third Selection book; I know it certainly won’t be easy! I love these books so much because they’re fun, refreshing and a really great read so I’ll be buying the third as soon as it comes out.
