Author Archives: Alyssa

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Character Analysis: Robin Goodfellow

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Puck, or Robin Goodfellow is most widely known from William Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but this is not truly his first appearance, Puck has actually been around in English folklore as early as 1531. The name “Puck” first started as a representation of all mischievous sprites who lead villagers deep into faery if they stray from the path, and many believe “Robin Goodfellow” to be another name for Satan, though this is generally reserved for those with extremely active imaginations. Puck soon became the representation as the sole jester of the Fairy court, ruled over by Queen Titania and King Oberon; it is this representation in Shakespeare’s play that first grabbed my attention.

I was recently texting with Britt and Kiki and had mentioned that I had yet to read The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, my first question was, “Wait, is Puck a character?” Kiki responds with a “yes,” and I immediately text back, “sold.” That was really the point where I realized that there are some things in literature that are a sure thing for me, dragons, Celtic lore, and apparently, Puck.

I’m not sure what it says about me that one of my favorite characters in literature is one of the most mischievous and spiteful characters written, but some argue that he is simply playful and harmless so let’s go with that for the sake of saving some face – though as I am already team Slytherin and Lannister, I’m not sure there is any going back. I think my adoration of this character comes from the fact that though he is deemed a servant in the land of Faery, he is one of the cleverest beings there; he is cunning, witty and for the most part, extremely jovial and light hearted. I think I am particularly fond of his duality as he is mischievous but also endearing in the way he cares for some, predominately King Oberon, and Jack o’the forest, from R.F. Long’s The Treachery of Beautiful Things.

“I am that merry wanderer of the night.”

As a lover of Shakespeare I can’t write this post and not encourage you to read A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In fact, I will even approve if you watch the movie because there is a 1968 version that stars Helen Mirren and Judi Dench! Or, if you want something more recent, there is another film version from 1999 starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Christian Bale, Calista Flockhart, and Stanley Tucci.

In literature, Puck has been represented in a few different ways, as I mentioned above, he is a character in The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. Puck is also a main character in The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long, The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley and has a brief appearance in Neil Gaiman’s representation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in his Sandman series. I adored this representation so much that I am ordering a print of the artwork featuring Puck to hang on my wall.

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What a fun post this was, if you didn’t take part in our character analysis I would still love to hear from you about one of your favorite characters in literature. Additionally I would love to know if there are any representations of Puck that I am missing in literature or media!

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Review: Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown

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12912519Title: Deep Betrayal

Author: Anne Greenwood Brown

Publishing Information: March 12th 2013 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Fairytale

Series information: Book 2 in the Lies Beneath series

Format: Hardcover, 352 pages

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

Recommended For: Fans looking for a romantic and mysterious tale about mermaids and the importance of family relationships.

Deep Betrayal begins where Lies Beneath left off, with Lily counting the days (and hours, and minutes) since Calder has been gone. She is doing her best to move on without him but can’t completely shake his memory. As time passes, Calder returns to her and together they confront Lily’s father with his family secret. Jason freaks out a bit (within reason) and Calder does his best to teach him the ropes, so to speak. The conflict here is that “Lily and Calder time” is now being lessened due to his spending time with her father and there are bodies piling up all over the place. Obviously Calder and Lily believe that his sisters are to blame but they deny their involvement and things continue to become even stranger. On top of family, relationship, and community crises, Lily starts to discover that she has her own changes taking place, changes that may alter her life completely.

I really loved the mermaid lore in this one, most mermaid novels are focusing on Poseidon or Triton – and I’m not complaining because that is something I also love, but Deep Betrayal went a different way. Anne Greenwood Brown goes a different route in that she uses the lore of Maighdean Mara as the all mighty of mermaids, and Calder and Lily must uncover secrets about this thought to be fabled being in order to find out who is behind the murders throughout their community. I am a lover of lore of all kinds so I did my best to research a bit about Maighdean Mara and I was really unable to find any information with the exception of one source that states one mermaid tale that tells of a woman named Li Ban who survived the drowning of her entire family. In doing so she demanded (not sure who she demanded this of) that she be turned into a salmon and her dog be turned into an otter so that they could live together in the sea. Other sources are literally translating Mhaighdean Mhara to “The Sea Maiden” or simply, “mermaid,”  and telling the tale of a selkie whose skin was stolen so that she was forced to stay on land and marry a mortal, this is a common Celtic story that I have heard variations of many times. I honestly may be looking too far into this but I was thrilled to find a bit of folklore in this novel and it was fun doing some additional research!

I did enjoy Lies Beneath, but I found Deep Betrayal to be significantly more entertaining and mysterious. I loved that the point of view was from Lily’s perspective and I thoroughly enjoyed her relationship with Calder. It was quite a bit more smoldery than book one which I of course loved (Calder has green eyes and broods on a daily basis), and on top of those yummy moments the reader gained a bit more of an understanding of their relationship and why they work as individuals without being confused over the merman/human dynamic. I was able to appreciate their relationship throughout the novel, from the petty fights and quick makeups to their irrevocable mindset that they needed one another beyond all else. I especially loved how Lily didn’t pine a la Bella Swan, she missed Calder but she didn’t let it take over her life. I also adored, I’ll say it again, adored the ending to this novel. I did see parts of it coming but things happened in just the way I wanted them to and I am undeniably pleased at how things turned out. That being said, I do wish that we heard more from Calder’s sisters but I am hoping that they all come together in book three.

Deep Betrayal was a beautiful novel, it complimented the first book in the series while also standing strongly on its own. The characters were mysterious, heartfelt and expressive and I can’t wait to see where they go in the final installment.

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Review: The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

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TreacheryofBeautifulThings_JKT.inddTitle: The Treachery of Beautiful Things

Author: Ruth Frances Long

Publishing Information: April 16, 2012, Dial Books

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Fairytale

Series information: Standalone!

Format: Hardcover, 363 pages

Source: Borrowed from my local library

Recommended For: Fans looking for a magical tale about love, jealousy, mischief, and happy endings.

As Jenny and her brother Tom were walking through the woods on their way home one day, her brother was taken by the woods. That’s right, he wasn’t abducted in the sense you would think, but quite literally, the woods reached out and swallowed him whole. Before Jenny is able to leave for college she comes to the conclusion that she must make peace with the woods, so she travels back to the place where her brother was taken, and is then taken by the woods herself.

Thankfully (in my opinion) Jenny finds herself in the land of faerie and finds that her brother is now a grown man, and the lover of Queen Titania. Jack and Puck (yes – that Puck) do their best to convince her to leave the wood but she refuses, determined to rescue her brother before leaving. Thankfully she is not on her own as Jack and Puck realize that she isn’t leaving and therefore do their best to keep her safe.

I loved these characters. Jenny was determined and intelligent, but also flawed. She found herself in trouble and did her best to finagle her way out of tricky situations but I found her distress believable as she did need saving on more than one occasion. Jack o’ the forest was quite possibly my favorite. He was complicated in the sense that he believed (and some could argue) that he was not the hero of a tale, but a man bound by duty who did not always fall on the pure side of the line. Additionally, I found their romance to be believable and fun to watch unfold. It wasn’t instantaneous, but sweet and not without fault. More importantly, though the novel didn’t revolve around their romance, it was still a subtle, yet important aspect and fleshed out the novel beautifully. I was particularly fond of Puck, who you may remember from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He was the same mischievous, and fun character that I remembered but I found him to be more layered in this novel. I don’t know what it is but when he did something “good” I found my heart skip a beat a little. I liked what the author did with her secondary characters, Tom was extremely interesting in how his music took an important role in creating his character. Titania was fiercer and slightly more evil than I remember (for reasons I can’t divulge here), she was more in charge of Oberon, who truly just seemed to love the queen and be at a loss on what to do with (and without) her.

“Beware a kiss, he told her. Kisses are powerful things. You expose part of your soul.”

It is really not question that I was bound to adore The Treachery of Beautiful Things. I mean, lets be serious, any novel that has characters from Shakespeare’s plays is bound to be an Alyssa book, not to mention the swoons, and hello? The whole thing takes place in a forest. I LOVE FORESTS. Now, don’t misunderstand me, I loved the book for those reasons but I am no fool, there has to be some uniqueness in a novel for me to have full out adoration, and friends, The Treachery of Beautiful Things has all of those things! The fey world was beautiful, intricate, and at times a tad creepy, the characters were layered and interesting, not once was I bored while reading throughout this novel. I do have to be up front here and say that though I did appreciate the way the novel ended, it wasn’t how I pictured it in my mind, nor was it the ideal ending that I had hoped for. That isn’t to say it wasn’t appropriate or lovely, because it definitely was.

Ruth Frances Long writes glorious prose, she has an innate ability to weave words together to create something magical and I can hardly wait to see what she write next, though I must admit I would like some more Jack, please!!

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Calling All Characters!

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Hello readers!

Based on a random text convo between myself and friends, I realized that I really do have adoration for a particular character in literature. Meaning, if he is featured in a novel, I will most likely read it and enjoy it simply because of his existence. That got me thinking…I wonder if there are other bloggers like myself who have a go to character they always enjoy reading about?

So I put the call out on Twitter for a fun blog collaboration for anyone who wanted to participate in this mini project and was happy to find some awesome bloggers who were interested! For those of you who missed my tweet, this post will serve as a call for participation! Here is what I am looking to do…

Next Wednesday, March 20, I am going to feature a “character analysis” of a character from popular (but dated) literature. The post is going to be simple: It will consist of an analysis of the character (background, characteristics, etc.), why I adore this particular character, and where readers can find him in more recent literature.

To get involved all you have to do is write your own post on one of your favorite characters in literature and explain why they were chosen, and where we can find him/her/it in other works. I have had a few questions on how to choose a character and what stipulations there are and the answer is easy, there are none! This can be a fairytale character, someone from classic literature, a mythological god/goddess/being, etc! The possibilities on characters are endless and you can do what you want with the post, it is meant to be simple, informative and most importantly, FUN.

If you feel like joining in (and I really hope that you do) just comment on this post letting me know so I can make sure to link over to your blog, it is up to you if you want to tell us who you are analyzing or to keep it a surprise!

I kind of hate surprises so my character analysis is going to be on Robin Goodfellow aka Puck (most commonly known from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

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I hope you will join me!

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Book Hoarders Anonymous (4)

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Okay so we made it through February (and that first week of March was a doozy) so I thought it would be nice to check in, show you my “stash” over the past few weeks (okay, maybe months), let you know where I’ve been in the blog sense, and where we’ll all be going over the next month or so.

From the library:

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The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket (audiobook) – Narrated by Tim Curry, it’s brilliant!
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (audiobook) – Admittedly, I started this on my Nook about a year ago, it’s awesome but I am wary to read it because who knows when book 3 is coming?!
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman (audiobook) – My last audio narrated by Gaiman! EEP!
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt – It was actually Marissa Meyer who stated that Lord Death was one of her favorite characters and that definitely caught my attention.
Firebrand by Gillian Philip – One of my UK friends recommended this to me and then I started talking to the author on Twitter and she’s rather fabulous so I am incredibly excited for this one!
Code Name Verity (review/discussion pending) – This one might have to sit with me for a while before I can tell you my thoughts. In a word, I feel conflicted.

From Netgalley:

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Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers (review pending) – AHHH it was as amazing as I hoped it would be!!
Of Triton by Anna Banks
Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson
Bloodspell by Amalie Howard
The Flame in the Mist by Kit Grindstaff

From Edelweiss:

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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
Falcon in the Glass by Susan Fletcher – You had me at “mysterious connection to her falcon.”
The Key & The Flame by Claire M. Caterer
Towering by Alex Flinn – New Rapunzel, yes please!
Loki’s Wolves by Kelly Armstrong and Melissa Marr
The Silver Dream by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves

Bought/Received:

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia – Thank you, Amazon daily deals! 
East by Edith Pattou – My dear friend Amy knew I would love this one so she sent it to me! ❤

and of course..some of you may have missed my haul from The Book Barn a few weeks ago so here is the picture:

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In case you were as busy as I was, here are some fun things you may have missed over the past few weeks:

I wrote a very detailed (and I must add, popular) post on the most swoon-worthy Disney men!
Project Fairy Tale was enormous amounts of fun, I reviewed books and media revolving around The Wizard of Oz.
I started reviewing middle grade novels on Bookalicious, my first choice was Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George.
Blogger Love-a-thon was a success, my attempt at book spine poetry may not have been.
Some fellow bloggers and I started an epic (and lengthy) read along of George R.R. Martina’s A Song of Ice and Fire series
I was nominated for The Most Well Written Blog on Parajunkee!

So there you have it, what do you think about my new titles? Anything in particular you think I should start with? Stay tuned this month for my review of Dark Triumph, In the Shadow of Blackbirds and other fantastic titles!

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Read Along: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

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This March, some fabulous bloggers and I are embarking on what is sure to be the most epic of journeys. That’s right friends – we are tackling A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE by George R.R. Martin!

We have all desperately wanted to read the series for a while, but let’s be serious – those are some big books, and frankly, it’s scary (I mean, I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m scared..) After realizing we were not alone in our desire (and wariness) to read this series, we decided to set up a (casual) A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE READ-ALONG.

This goal of this read-along is  for each of us to be able to read the series, with fellow bloggers to lean on and help cheer us through! Anyone and everyone is welcome to join us, as we will be having Twitter chats (#SOIFRA) while we read. We’re also hoping to set up an email thread per book where we can discuss all the things that are happening – and because we don’t want to get all spoilery for others.

Each book currently out in the series will be read over a period of two months, and every two months a different blogger will be “hosting” the read-along on their blog. You can check out the schedule below:

A GAME OF THRONES – Hosted by Alexa over on Alexa Loves Books from March-April

A CLASH OF KINGS – Hosted by Cass over on Books with Cass from May-June

A STORM OF SWORDS – Hosted by ME here at Books Take You Places from July-August

A FEAST FOR CROWS – Hosted by Kristina over on Gone Pecan from September-October

A DANCE WITH DRAGONS – Hosted by Brittany over on The Book Addict’s Guide from November-December

If you do feel like joining us in the read-along or if you have already read the book and want to chat along with us, let us know! We would love to hear from any of you! The idea is that we are keeping it casual so that everyone can enjoy the novels without getting too overwhelmed!

Head over to Alexa’s blog to read more about A Game of Thrones and to find our reading schedule for book one in the Song of Ice and Fire series. Also feel free to use our hashtag,  #SOIFRA on Twitter or grab our button on the side!

 

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Swoonfest: Favorite Disney Men

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The Top most swoon worthy Disney men

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In response to a recent post by BuzzFeed on the top 10 hottest Disney princes I decided to compile my own list since I disagreed with nearly every choice presented. I brought this to the bf and he argued that these princes didn’t really rank in manliness, and he had a point. So I went to Twitter and asked the masses, and more importantly, our expert blogger on manliness: Aaron from Real Men Read YA, head over to his blog and read his thorough and hard to argue with post. I’m going to go beyond the first glance and look for a well rounded male. Let’s see what we have…

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Prince Phillip – Let’s start from the beginning, he isn’t wearing any creepy poofy sleeves like some Disney princes and he doesn’t just sit in his palace hoping that his dad will put together a ball so that he can find a wife – he gets shit done. Like when he views a hot blonde singing and dancing with his cape (that’s right ladies, he wears a cape) he jumps right in like “HAI I’m Phillip, do you like the feather in my cap?!” Later, when a witch imprisons his beloved and is like “Yeah..imma let you in right after you slay this dragon.” HE DOES IT, then becomes so overwhelmed with LOVE for Aurora that he goes against ya know, MORALS and kisses her! SAVING THE KINGDOM! Also? Points for kissing someone he’s already betrothed too, no heartbreakers here!

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Prince Eric – Okay I have to admit, at first I wasn’t sure that he would even make the cut but then I started really thinking and Eric is totally swoon worthy. First, he plays an instrument – this shows us he has a sensitive side and those musical fingers – enough said, am I right?! Then there is the fact that he knows his way around a ship, I mean, he’s basically a pirate and who doesn’t wanna walk the plank for Captain Hook? *That’s circa 2013 – OUaT Captain Hook and not Neverland Captain Hook because when it comes down to cross dressing pirates, guy liner wins over wigs any day in my book. I digress…back to Eric – the guy isn’t pretentious, he isn’t one to promote a statue of himself and we all saw those muscles as he rowed Ariel to the middle of the lake. Finally, he is super protective of those he loves, he jumped in to save Ariel from a sea witch! Lets not kid ourselves, Urusula may be the queen of the BAMFs of Disney movies and Eric is like “That’s cool I’ll just use my pirate skills to steer my boat and pop a big ‘ol hole in your stomach!! Finally, I can’t lie to you guys, the moment when Eric goes back to the EXPLODING ship to save Max? I can’t. IT GETS ME EVERY TIME and even my tiny black heart skips a beat or two.

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The Beast – Is he a wolf? Is he a lion? Do we care? Didn’t think so. This is the kind of man we like to call “brooding” or “misunderstood.” He’s a serious grump most of the time but it’s just because no one “gets” him and this girl loves a challenge. His voice is so deep it melts the clothes right off and let’s not forget that he can fight a whole pack of wolves with just his hands! Oh my! In the end he is both protective of Belle and does that signature brooding guy move where he pushes her away because he knows that “she deserves better.” My favorite! Now if that wasn’t enough, he gives Belle a library. A whole library! With ladders! And marble! After giving her the most epic present in the history of presents, he plays with her in the snow, feeds the birds, and sits with her while she reads him Romeo and Juliet! (I’m not making this up, it’s in the deleted scenes on the new DVD – nerd alert!) *Note: This entry is for The Beast only. I’m not sure what Disney was thinking in transforming The Beast into a rather effeminate blonde. Guy was tall, and kept his blue eyes, but I’m still partial to The Beast, I don’t care how often I’d be vacuuming his hair off of the couch.

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Flynn Rider – The only man to come along and make me doubt my love for our number one Disney male. I’ve heard some people complain that Flynn was a thief, but look – the guy had a hard childhood and anyone with the first name Eugene is someone who can be trusted. Lets get into the pleasantries: That hair! Those eyes! The GRIN! That SMOLDER! Props to Rapunzel because I’m not sure many of us could say that we could easily resist that compilation! Lets not forget his excellent singing voice, I personally stop what I’m doing to watch him dance his little jig and sing about enormous piles of money. The best part about Flynn is that we are able to watch him grow as the movie progresses. He starts off as a thief but who didn’t swoon a bit when he rows Rapunzel to the middle of the ocean and brings her a lantern to partake in the festivities?! That was above the line of duty, my friends. We could end with the fact that Flynn gives up his life for Rapunzel and therefore is the epitome of all Disney boyfriends but let’s be serious, it’s the fact that he has a “thing” for brunettes that really pushes Flynn to the front of the line. Pick me, Eugene!

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Aladdin – Ahh my first love. I know he could use a new wardrobe but have you seen those patches in his knees? That means the dude knows his way around a needle, ladies, and we all know we love a man who can take care of himself! Ain’t nobody got time to be sewing our husband’s favorite pair of pants while he’s out playing with his monkey – and I mean that literally. Moving on..he’s flexible, knows how to carry a tune and he not only stops stuffy princes from picking on small children, he gives them his last scrap of bread! Sure he stole it and he will most likely just pilfer some more but those kids were hungry, and I gotta be honest, I’d share a few nibbles but there’s no way those kids need a whole loaf when I’ve yet to have my breakfast. Now the fun stuff – he has a magic carpet! One who saves him on more than one occasion, because Aladdin is so awesome, even fabric stays loyal to him. Fancy a trip to England? Lets take a magic carpet ride, baby. We’ll be there in no time. Finally, his best friend (besides the monkey) is a genie! Now you might be thinking that Genie left to travel the world but let me assure you that he comes back, I saw the tv show so I know these things. Overall Aladdin is scrappy, clever, and undeniably good looking. I’ll show him a whole new world any day.

Honorable mentions (because I CAN):

Kronk from The Emperors New Groove – He’s muscly, knows his way around the kitchen, speaks the language of tiny forest animals, and succeeds in creating his own theme music.

Hercules – Any guy who can win over Megara (who is totes my home girl, btw) is a winner in my book. Not to mention those muscles and his bff is a flying horse – a guy who can drive, yes please!

Robin Hood – He’s an outlaw because he steals from the rich to give to the poor! Also? He jumps out of a flaming tower into a very shallow moat to escape hundreds of arrows being shot at him and survives.

Prince Naveen – The accent, ’nuff said.

Woody from Toy Story – Because every gal likes a cowboy.

Things to note:
  • As mentioned in the buzzfeed article Snow White’s Prince, though the first to be seen by the general public, has few redeeming qualities. Unless you need someone to confess his love for you while harmonizing perfectly and showing you up in physical attributes then immediately forgetting your address and refusing to ask for directions, move along m’dears, you can do better!
  • Simba could very well have made this list for the sole reason that his dad is Darth Vader and his uncle is Jeremy Irons. Unfortunately, having BAMFs as family members doesn’t help you if you’re Matthew Broderick.
  • Sure Tarzan looks nice but I can’t be bothered by a man who consistently uses improper grammar. “Me Tarzan.” “Yeah and me not have the patience.”

*I’m not saying that you should Google “disney men by david kawena” but it could be a good idea. Possibly.

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Blogger Love-a-Thon Mini Challenge (5)

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Welcome to Blogger Love-a-Thon! This is a 24 hour event that helps us bloggers take some time to show love to one another! If you are so inclined, head on over to the Announcement Post! This event is hosted by Alexa from Alexa Loves Books and Katelyn from Kate’s Tales of Books & Bands! This Mini Challenge is to showcase my top blogging moments! The whole experience has been an amazing ride so I am going to keep this short:

Book Expo America – I had the best time. I met some superstar bloggers who I had been following for years prior to starting my own blog, some AMAZING authors and picked up some amazing debuts that became some of my favorite reads of all time!

The community – As I have mentioned a few times today, the blogging community is amazing. They are always there to open you with welcome arms and I am lucky enough to have found some of my best friends through blogging!

New genres – I used to read a lot of adult fantasy and some young adult novels, very rarely did I read middle grade novels and never horror or contemporary. I am so glad to say that I have found a new love in these different genres – specifically middle grade – and I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to blog over on Bookalicious about my favorite MG reads starting very soon!

The authors – Nothing compares to that feeling when an author replies to a tweet or sends humble thanks or kind words in answer to one of your reviews.

 My (blog) favorites:

– My favorite (non-review) post has to be the post that went up yesterday about the hottest Disney men. It has been shown some of the most love but it was the most fun to write and I hope you all get a chance to read it!

– My favorite reviews are probably my reviews of Scarlet, Splintered, and The Heroes Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. They were the most fun to write and the authors are just amazing people all around.