Top Ten Tuesday: About Me

 This week's topic is posts about me. I haven't done one of these in a while...

Here's a post from 8 years ago (if you want to compare answers)

Blogging:

1. I've been blogging here for almost 8 years.

2. Before that, I blogged on Myspace (remember that?)

3. I always think that I'll get ahead of blogging

4. But I almost always write the blog post for the day

5. For one year of my blog, I haven't been a librarian, but the rest of them I'm a librarian blogger, which leaves me on the fringes of the YA blogging community.

Personal:

1. I started a new job as a Children's and Teen Librarian this year and I"m excited to start planning Children's programs for the first time in my career.

2. At least half the books I've read this year, I haven't reviewed on my blog (no space/time)

3. I Love meeting authors (who doesn't?)

4. I'm still writing and one day soon hope to find an agent

5. Last year I opened an Etsy shop filled with mostly jewelry (a few bookish items)

And here are today's answers.

Blogging:

1. I've been blogging for 16 years

2. I did have a lot of posts scheduled for blogging over the summer, but I've caught up on that. I really do love that feeling.

3. I joined TikTok and create book review videos over there.

4. I try to create bookstagram posts, but not many people see them.

5. Still a librarian blogger

Personal:

1. Still a Children's and Teen Librarian - at the same library.  And it's still a great job that I love. I have a lot of favorite families that come into the library.

2. I read less books these days

3. I don't meet any authors these days because I travel less

4. Still Writing - still no agent

5. Working on reorganizing my craft room so I can function better and craft more. I no longer have an Etsy Shop. 

Book Blogger Tag

I found this on Bring My Books blog and decided to give it a try.

Go ahead and fill this out if you're interested. 

---

How old are you?

36

What book are you reading?

OTP?

(One True Pairing, for those who don’t know.)

Yikes this is hard!

Darcy and Lizzie 

Ron and Hermoine

Luke and Lorelai 

Wes and Macy

Mia and Michael

Blogger or WordPress?

Blogger!

Going outside being active or staying in and reading a book?

Depends on the day - I love hiking, but I also love reading inside. Usually if the weather is nice, I'd pick hiking. But if not, reading for sure. 

What is the last book you read?

Super cute Children's book

What is the book you’re going to read next?

Ebooks – yes or no?

NO! I love feel of print in my hand. 

Where do you prefer to read?

Mostly anywhere but usually on the couch or in bed

Who is the last person you tweeted?

@aleciawhitaker To wish her a happy book birthday for

Whose blog did you look at last?

Andi's for her ABCs

Who is your favorite blogger?

I'm not sure I can choose....

Who is your favorite book-tuber?

I don't have one - I don't watch these videos, but maybe I should. Who should I be watching?

What do you do when someone tells you reading is boring?

I'll try to help them find a book they will love.

Who is your all-time favorite book character?

Yikes again! 

Um...

Elizabeth Bennet 

Harry Potter characters

What is your preferred drink whilst reading?

I'm a diet coke addict

How many bookshelves / bookcases do you have?

7, including four my husband made me and 1 built in bookcase (which in no way influenced my house buying decision - ok it totally did!)

Insta-love: yes or no?

Nope - not unless there's a REALLY unique twist on it

Favorite author?

Yikes Again!

Meg Cabot, Jane Austen, Sarah J Maas, JK Rowling...

What is the number-one book on your wishlist?

The new Meg Cabot or Sarah J Maas book (whenever they are coming out)

Do you prefer books with female or male protagonists?

Doesn't matter to me as long as the story is good.

Top Ten Tuesday: About Me

This week's topic is facts about me. This could be hard...

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish 

Blogging:

1. I've been blogging here for almost 8 years.

2. Before that, I blogged on Myspace (remember that?)

3. I always think that I'll get ahead of blogging

4. But I almost always write the blog post for the day

5. For one year of my blog, I haven't been a librarian, but the rest of them I'm a librarian blogger, which leaves me on the fringes of the YA blogging community.

Personal:

1. I started a new job as a Children's and Teen Librarian this year and I"m excited to start planning Children's programs for the first time in my career.

2. At least half the books I've read this year, I haven't reviewed on my blog (no space/time)

3. I Love meeting authors (who doesn't?)

4. I'm still writing and one day soon hope to find an agent

5. Last year I opened an Etsy shop filled with mostly jewelry (a few bookish items)

About Me: Candy

One of my resolutions this year (and to be honest almost every year) is to talk more about myself on the blog. Me in a nutshell: I'm a Librarian. I'm a blogger. I'm a reader. Here's a little bit about me outside the bookish world.

Like my father and my grandfather, I have a sweet tooth. I'm a bit of a candy freak.

Earlier this week, I was leading a book club on the book Candymakers (which is a fabulous book and made my mouth water while reading it). We were talking about candy we liked and candy we didn't like. While I LOVE candy, there are certain kinds I don't enjoy which made me think of this list.

Of course I'm picky about everything I eat and candy is no exception.

I'm a strictly dark chocolate lover. It's hard for me to enjoy milk chocolate or white chocolate anymore, unless it's in say a Snickers bar or peanut butter cup.

I love gummy candy, fruit slices, SPKs, mounds bars, Reeses pieces, Flavored M&Ms (dark chocolate, peanut, and peanut butter). I love truffles.

But I don't love black licorice, really sour candy, taffy or anything that will stick to my teeth, I like soft caramel, but not hard caramel.

When I was a kid, I loved going to my great-aunt's house because she had a candy drawer filled with various types of candy and I was allowed to take anything I wanted. I thought it was the best thing ever and swore that I would have one too when I was old enough.

I don't have a favorite kind of candy, because it always changes. I'm a seasonal candy eater. I love jelly beans around Easter. I love dark chocolate covered marshmallow eggs around Easter. I like a few candy corn in the fall. I like mint candies around Christmas.

I feel better when there's candy in the house; when it's not I tend to feel cranky. I like a little something sweet after lunch and dinner. It doesn't have to be big, just a little something will do.

Of course I like to make candy too. I make it usually for Christmas - various types of truffles. Last year I tried my own Mounds bars, which went over really well. My Pinterest page has lots of recipes that I'm looking forward to testing out.

Are you a candy lover too? Do you have a favorite kind or are you more like me?

About Me: Writing

One of my resolutions this year (and to be honest almost every year) is to talk more about myself on the blog. Me in a nutshell: I'm a Librarian. I'm a blogger. I'm a reader. Here's a little bit about me outside the bookish world.

I've talked about my writing a little bit before on the blog. But here it all is...

I started writing a Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice Fanfiction in 2007. I never finished it, although I think about going back to it. 

Then in the middle of November I heard about NaNoWriMo and I thought it sounded awesome, but it was too late in the year to start something, so I kept in my mind for the next year. 

I've been writing books (finishing drafts) since 2008.

Being a YA Librarian influenced my writing choices. I wanted to write about a girl heading off to college and experiencing freedom for the first time. It's a novel in verse, influenced by Sonya Sones and Lisa Schroeder's works. I really loved this book and it's the first piece I ever finished.  But, I wrote it before New Adult became a thing and no one was interested in a girl going off to college because it couldn't be marketed or placed on bookshelves. Naively, I thought that because teens in my library wanted stories about older characters, there was a market for them. It didn't work that way and someone gave me a straight answer, which I appreciated. Recently I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and while mine is different and much shorter, it's sort of similar. 

The second year, I wrote a YA fantasy novel about a Princess who couldn't rule her kingdom. Her father died before having the law changed. In order to prove her worth, she must locate a magical item lost to their world. She goes off on her quest with her lady in waiting and a knight for protection. There are dragons (who are the librarians of their world), an evil man who wants control of the kingdom, and a council of men who may or may not take the Princess's side. I really love this book, but the middle needs some work. Of  course there's a feminist side to it and a romance. I'm  coming back to this one because I think I can fix it...

The third year, I wrote about video games and camp - mostly a modern Ender's Game minus the aliens. This one will probably never see the light of day, but it was interesting to write. 

The next year I tried writing an adult cozy set in Vermont. It's about a travel writer who is writing up an article for the grand opening of her best friend's new inn. At the party, her friend's ex-husband shows up and is murdered. Of course, she knows her best friend is innocent and of course she stays in town to hang out with her and to solve the murder. Small town charm. This one is super fun, but needs a little work tying the ending into the beginning. 

After that, I wrote up a sequel to cozy, set in Bath, England during the Jane Austen festival. Mr Darcy is the murder victim (or rather an actor who played Mr. Darcy.) My character spots the body and has the perfect cover to nose around and ask questions. Of course the lovely city of Bath and it's history comes into the novel.

After that, I decided to write a YA novel set on a Christmas tree farm - set in Vermont. Here the main character is a senior in high school and has been dating a boy for just about two years. And it's not going well. Should she stay with him when everyone tells her it's a bad match? They do have fun together - sometimes. They fight sometimes. Her best friend is tired of hearing about her relationship drama. The book takes place during the three weeks leading up to Christmas. I call it my hot chocolate romance (thanks to Jessica Miller) because it's a perfect book to read over a cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows.

Then I decided to try my hand at YA version of Pride and Prejudice - set during basketball season. Jane and Lizzie aren't sisters, but best friends. There's a twist here (doesn't there have to be?) and lots of friendship, family, and romantic drama.

After working on this, I realized that I could do something like Stephanie Perkins and Miranda Kenneally and write about characters in the same high school in a connected series way. So I wrote Emma and then Persuasion. Both are different from the original tales. Emma takes place during the summer and Persuasion takes places during the fall. Emma works at an ice cream parlor and attempts to help Harriet find true love. That doesn't go well. She and her friends spend their time at the beach and meeting boys. Wentworth plays football and it's his ticket for the future. Anne's family owns a chocolate shop that she wants to take over eventually, but right now it's struggling and no one wants to listen to her ideas. Persuasion is a duel POV story (my first).

Next up is Sense and Sensibility retelling.

I also started working on a Taylor Swift song inspired book. I haven't finished the first draft yet. It's a nonlinear unreliable narrator story. And if I can work out the issues, it would be amazing. 

So there you have it - my years of writing in a nutshell. 

This is around the time last year I joined RWA (Romance Writers of America) and the CT Chapter. It's been hard for me because I'm an introvert, but the people are really nice and really helpful. Last year I went to the national conference (it was in NYC). This year, I'm going to the CT conference Fiction Fest. I'm excited about it. Lots of great ideas and lots of inspiration come from these conferences. 

I still have a bunch of ideas to write. I'm still writing. I'm still in the process of trying to find an agent. I don't know if anything will sell, but it would be amazing if they did. I have had some close moments and some good feedback from various agents. One day it will work out. 

About Me: Traveling

One of my resolutions this year (and to be honest almost every year) is to talk more about myself on the blog. Me in a nutshell: I'm a Librarian. I'm a blogger. I'm a reader. Here's a little bit about me outside the bookish world.

Of course I travel anywhere in the world through books, but they also inspire places I wish to travel.

I'm lucky enough to have traveled to a few places: England, Wales, Paris, Rome, Florence, and Venice. But there are places I'd like to return to, places I didn't explore properly, and places I'd like to see with my husband.

I spent four months studying abroad in Bath and it was one of the happiest times of my life.  I followed the footsteps of Jane Austen. I would love to travel back to Bath with my husband. But I also want to see London, I've never really been there. Of course there are several places I'd like to visit. Chatsworth being one of them. When I was there, foot and mouth disease was everywhere, and some places where closed. When the powerball was huge, I bought a ticket ad said if we won, we were going to go on a Pride and Prejudice tour

Bath - this was almost my view

During this time, I traveled again to Wales to visit my sister who was doing her Masters work there. I've been there twice and would love to go back and visit friends.

Luckily our Spring Break fell in the same weeks and we went off to Paris and Nice. BUT this is one of those places I'd like to return to with my husband. Mostly for the romance of the city. But also because some of the major places were closed for strikes. I have a list of places I want to see, but also I just want to get lost of the streets of Paris and eat some great food.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/183099541073186428/

We went to Italy on a tour, but I wish we had more time in Florence and Rome - so much more there to see, but we say so many great pieces of art. Although the food we had - was terrible. I suspect that's more because we didn't have time to search for it and because the tour took us to certain places.

Other places I want to travel:

Grand Canyon

Hug one of those Giant Trees

Machu Picch

Scotland

Alps

Austria (Sound of Music tour anyone?)

New Zealand - hobbiton

I'm sure there are other places, but off the top of my head, that's it.

Where would you travel if you could go anywhere?

About Me: Hiking

One of my resolutions this year (and to be honest almost every year) is to talk more about myself on the blog. Me in a nutshell: I'm a Librarian. I'm a blogger. I'm a reader. Here's a little bit about me outside the bookish world.

I've always liked taking long walks, but recently some travel plans have included hiking as a key factor. And it's been great. We've seen things I've never imagined and climbed places I never thought I could go. Some of it has been scary. I have on occasion felt stuck and unable to go further, but for the most part, it's been really fun and a great sense of accomplishment at the end.

So much so that we've decided to attempt hiking in the Grand Canyon. I've never been there, but I've always wanted to go. So, we're gearing up for that trip next year. I have some work to do before then.

Here are some photos from recent hikes:

This was the start of a rugged trail that kicked my butt

I wasn't sure we were going to make it up here - and back before dark. 

Here's a mountain climb - this is on the way up when I didn't realize how strenuous the hike would be

The view from the top was amazing

Do you know of any great hikes in New England? I'd be happy to know about them!

BBWA: 5 Books that Represent Me

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books that I discovered in high school (thanks to Clueless)

I discovered The Princess Diaries in graduate school and it lead to me becoming a YA Librarian

Winter Dreams, Christmas Love was an early romance that I read and adored. I wanted more books just like it.

Loves Music, Loves to Dance was my first jump into adult books in 7th grade. There wasn't too many YA novels that I read, but I tore through Mary Higgins Clark.

I discovered the Harry Potter series thanks to my Dad when I was in college. I fell hard for Harry and his friends after the end of the first chapter. I love Hermoine who's bookish and brave, smart and pretty, and loyal. 

Honorable Mentions: 

Throne of Glass because I love books about strong feisty characters who kick butt

Book of Three: Based on Welsh mythology (I'm 1/4 Welsh) and an excellent high fantasy book

About Me: Crafting

One of my resolutions this year (and to be honest almost every year) is to talk more about myself on the blog. Me in a nutshell: I'm a Librarian. I'm a blogger. I'm a reader. Here's a little bit about me outside the bookish world.

I've always been crafty - partly because it's fun and partly because I love homemade items. I like giving them as gifts and receiving them.

I started knitting in high school - I thought I would knit a scarf for a boyfriend for a present - we didn't last that long. But the knitting took. I only knit baby blankets and scarves but someday hope to include hats and sweaters. I knit most nights while I'm watching TV, it keeps my hands busy. I give a lot of them away at Thanksgiving to charities who make up Christmas baskets. Recently I found out about Knit Your Bit, who donates scarves to Veterans. Last year I boxed up 18 (all I could fit in the box) and sent those along. I like to make a difference where I can.

In my adult life, my college best friend introduced me to jewelry making. And I became hooked. I spent hours making necklaces - some great and some not so great. Then I moved on to earrings. Now I dabble with necklaces, earrings, charm  bracelets, and pendants. I love finding new ways to make jewelry. Jewelry making is perfect for gift giving because each piece is made with love.

I also started making cards. I send out a lot of cards for Christmas and I remember thinking that I should start making them instead of buying them. From then on, I was hooked. I now send out Christmas, Valentine, and Halloween cards for the holidays. Birthday cards, thinking of you cards, and special occasion cards are also fun to create. The only cards I don't create is sympathy cards, because I never know what say inside.

I dabble in making soaps and spa scrubs. The scents combine to make the house smell wonderful.

I just purchased a sewing machine. I haven't worked on it yet, but it's waiting for me. I'll probably try making a few gifts for Christmas this year.

Of course, I'm addicted to Pinterest. I have boards filled with ideas.

During my years a Teen Librarian, I had an outlet for crafts. Everything I wanted to try out, I did as a program. Teens loved it and I loved it. Since I left the library, I've missed it. So I decided to start up my own Etsy shop. It's not big but it's a little something.

If you're on Etsy - would you take a look and maybe favorite an item if you find one you like? I would appreciate it!

About Me: Dogs

One of my resolutions this year (and to be honest almost every year) is to talk more about myself on the blog. Me in a nutshell: I'm a Librarian. I'm a blogger. I'm a reader. Here's a little bit about me outside the bookish world.

When I was a kid, I desperately wanted a dog. I used to ask for one all the time. Instead, I got dog stuffed animals, which I loved, but it wasn't the real deal. Finally when I was heading into middle school, my parents gave in. We got a Shetland Sheep dog (just like a family friend's dog Jack who used to shake paws). I helped pick her out. She crawled into my lap and it was love at first sight.

Isn't she the cutest?

She would wake me up in the morning by racing up the stairs and jumping on the side of my bed, barking until I reached my hand down to put her. 

I taught her tricks. She loved playing ball. She loved food. She would wait at the edge of the driveway for me to come home from school. She always knew when I was coming - unless I was at practice. 

She hated the word college. Her tail would droop and she would get cranky. 

 She was the perfect dog. 

She died after I was gone from the house. My parents got a new dog (same breed) Ivy. Here she is in a fun Christmas photo. 

Isn't she adorable?

She's cute, but I didn't spend too much time with her as a puppy and then I got a dog. She wasn't thrilled about sharing the house with another dog. Ivy isn't one for cuddling too much, but she does love food and she loves to play.

And then there's my playful dog who isn't a puppy any more, but acts like one (especially on days like today when it snows)

He's a good sport about taking funny pictures. He loved going for long walks - his nose leads him everywhere. He loves sleeping and snuggling (even when we read)

He loves smelling books. He's super curious and he knows a fair amount of tricks. He loves having his belly rubbed. He has the most expressive eyes.

He can be a bit of a handful. He gets super excited around new people - jumps all over them. He's also a bed hog. 

But I love him dearly.

Having a dog is the best thing in the world. They're always happy to see you. Hugging my crazy dog makes me feel better, especially when I'm sad. I'm not sure I could ever not have a dog. I often think about getting another one, but I'm not sure my puppy wants to share the house. 

My Grandfather and Me

21 years ago today, we lost my grandfather very suddenly. I was a freshman in high school and I was devastated. February 5th is always a hard day, but today I'm going to take time for the happy memories over the sadness and gaping hole in my heart.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my sister and I with our grandparents.

You can read the rest of my post from last year here about what I remember most about him. 

About Me: Sports

One of my resolutions this year (and to be honest almost every year) is to talk more about myself on the blog. Me in a nutshell: I'm a Librarian. I'm a blogger. I'm a reader. Here's a little bit about me outside the bookish world.

I've been sporty as long as I can remember. Everyone in my family is sporty. And my family was very supportive to sports - coming to watch the games/events or picking me up from practice or dropping me off at those dreaded 5 am practices (thankfully we didn't have many of those).

I've tried my hand at lots of sports - some just for fun, but others on a team.

In elementary school, I played midget league. Finally 5th grade came and after school sports became reality. I played soccer, but mostly I lived for the basketball days.

Me in Midget League - my grandfather is to the right of me.

In the spring in middle school, I played softball and summer softball. In the summer league, during all the years, I think I played every position except for shortstop. For most of the years, I was on the team with my sister. When we both stopped playing, we used to organize pick up games in high school with our friends. I don't play softball much anymore, but I'm not opposed to a game of catch or a trip to the batting cages.

Last year at the cages

I'm 5' 8" now, which meant I was one of the tallest girls in the class (and that was hard for some reasons, but not for basketball.) I loved it when winter rolled around. I played in elementary school, middle school, and through 2 years on the JV team in high school. I wasn't the best scorer, but I added a few points to the score. I wasn't good enough to make the Varsity team and I wasn't going to play for the Varsity coach, so I stalled out after my sophomore year.

And afterwards I lost heart for the other sports. By my junior year in high school, I wasn't interested anymore.

But I was still sporty. When my husband and I moved into our second apartment, there was a sports field nearby. We played basketball, tennis, and threw a Frisbee in the fields. We'd take our cute puppy on long hikes.

I've been kayaking and snow shoeing

Just last year, I learned to do a crossover!

But we also watch sports. Chris got me into the Celtics and now I too bleed green. I miss Paul and KG something fierce. I'm glad to see that Rondo's back on track. The rebuilding years are hard, but the young guys try hard. 

We've been to a few games, some preseason like this one where we got great seats thanks to spotting an upgrade on twitter.

Usually these are our seats:

And the boys I've watched the most games with:

I'm a New England girl, so I cheer for the home teams, even though I may not follow the sport too closely. 

And our course I like sporty books too! 

Are you sporty? What sports are your favorites?

About Me: Baking

One of my resolutions this year (and to be honest almost every year) is to talk more about myself on the blog. Me in a nutshell: I'm a Librarian. I'm a blogger. I'm a reader. Here's a little bit about me outside the bookish world.

If you follow me on Instagram - I post a LOT of pictures of food. First because it's easy to snap a picture. And second because I like to eat - a Lot. 

I don't mind cooking but my real love is baking. 

Most of the time, I find it relaxing. Although sometimes I don't read the recipe all the way through and that causes issues. 

I have a Good Eats board on Pinterest - mostly filled with desserts with over 1200 pins. Some of it is more substantial food. Lots of bread too! Yes I'm addicted to Pinterest.

I love tasting desserts in restaurants, but often I'm disappointed.

I think I could make it better. Or more the way I would like it.

I'm not crazy about fancy desserts. I'm more of a brownie - cookie - cake kind of girl. 

How did I get this way?

Well, both my Grandfather and my Father have the same sweet tooth. My parents like to bake and it just seemed natural to me. I would get care packages in college with homemade cookies from my dad. It was the best! Having a homemade baked good makes me happy. Plus it's one of the ways I show people I care.

So what kinds of things are my specialty?

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes 

Lemon Rolls

Apple Crisp

Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie pie

Not Pictured: Brownies, S'more Rocky Road Brownies, cookies, Blueberry Cake, donuts...you get the idea.

Do you have a favorite dessert?