Book Loot Box

Book Loot sent me a box to check out, so I'm sharing the pictures. 

The festive box in a bright blue 

The cute box inside

I love this quote on the box.

The inside - I love the pink and purple crimped paper

A  cool bookish tattoo - from an ETSY shop

Book Inspiration: Raven Boys

A cute pin

A short story featuring Hades and Persephone

Taffy

Ocean mist, Soap, and Jasmine - it smells delicious (Also from an ETSY shop)

Inspired by Cloud Atlas 

A really cool bookmark that looks like a thin piece of wood. With a bookish quote.

Coloring pages with pencils

Book: Library of Fates

A final picture of everything in the box. 

Over all thoughts:

It was really fun opening this box and discovering the items inside. 

The  company is a husband and wife team who want to share their love of books and bookish items.

I love that they use ETSY shops for little treats!

 (One day it would be cool if I had something to add to one of the boxes from my shop)

I like that they publish short stories from their subscribers. On the back on the booklet, they give you information about how to contact them.

What a great way to be introduced to new bookish products!

Horror is the theme for their next box out in October!

A to Z Survey

Created this one night for fun - feel free to answer to questions too.

Average number of books you read in a year? 330

Best sequel you've read recently?

Challenges - do you participate in them? I do, but I usually forget about them and just see how I've done at the end of the year.

Do you eat and read at the same time? Yes - I confess I sometimes spill too.

Ever stay up all night reading for fun? Sadly no, I've stayed up late, but never all night.

Favorite childhood/teen book? SO many but I'll stop at three

Genre you read the most of? Contemporary (Both in adult and YA books)

Happy, sad, or realistic ending? Happy - I read to be entertained.

Interested in nonfiction too? Yes - but it has to capture my interest

Just one genre - or do you hop around? I hop around genres and ages

Keep track of your reading stats? Yes - through Goodreads

Last book you read and Loved?

Made you cry?

Number of books you read at one time? Usually 3 (one upstairs, one downstairs, and one at work)

Out of order in series books or sequential? Always Sequential! 

Place you read the most? The couch

Quiet necessary when reading or can you read with noise? Depends on the book, but usually i can tune out the noise

Reviews - positive, negative, or in between? Usually positive - It's rare that I finish a book I don't like.

Start with the ending to see if you like it or read the book front to back? NEVER start with the ending - that ruins everything.

Take your time reading that book you've been waiting to read or rush through it find out what happens? A little bit of both

Underdog - do you root for these characters? YES!

Vocal about books you love? I try to talk up the books I love both in person and on social media.

Winning books - do you enter contests on bloggers' sites? Sometimes if I can't wait to read the book.

Xtra excited about meeting a favorite author or totally calm? Fangirl city here.

Yacking about book - who do you yack with the most about books? Library friends

Zappy read (where after you close the book, you smile with happiness and maybe dance around a bit.  Two recent books I loved:

A-Z Meme

A fun meme from Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Meg Cabot at 57 (Want an easy way to figure this out if you have Goodreads and keep good track of your stuff? Go to your account, hit “my books”and on the left hand side under your shelves you will see “most read authors”)

Best Sequel Ever:

Hard choice, but I think Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Currently Reading:

No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Hot Chocolate in the winter- by the fire

E-reader or Physical Book?

While I own a Kindle - I've barely read anything on it. Hands Down a Physical Book reader. 

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

Fred or George Weasley 

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

Game of Thrones 

Hidden Gem Book:

Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

Summers during college, I remember coming back from school and just reading for FUN. Loving it.

Just Finished:

Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

I try to keep an open mind, but right now, I'm all about reading books that appeal to me. There's way to many good books about there to stick with one that doesn't hold my interest. 

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Count of Monte Cristo (for fun in high school - loved it) - 1312 pages

** easy way to find this out. Go to your Goodreads “read” list, don’t scroll down but where you are on the screen there will be this little tab on the bottom that lets you choose how you want to scroll or how many books you want display. There is also a sort option with a drop down and you can sort by page.

Major book hangover because of:

Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando

Number of Bookcases You Own:

6: 4 in my library/craft room, and 2 built in bookshelves in my living room

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Winter Dreams, Christmas Love by  Mary Francis Shura - loved this book as a teen

Preferred Place To Read:

Mostly I read on the coach, but I end the day with a few chapters in bed.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

So You Want to Be a Wizard: "Reading one book is like eating one potato chip."

Reading Regret:

That I didn't get to grow up with Harry Potter - I found him in college.

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

Many, but I'd say Secrets of the Immortal Life of Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

Game of Thrones
Pride and Prejudice
Harry Potter series

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Every Meg Cabot book!

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

So Many, it's hard to choose just one! 

Worst Bookish Habit:

Book hoarding from the library - often if I don't take them home when they first come out, other people grab it and I forget to take it home.  

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Your latest book purchase:

Some board books for a friend

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis

Top Ten Tuesday

This week we're talking about Bookish Memories (waiting in line for a new release, meeting an author, or some sort of great experience with a particular book that was unlike others) - meme from The Broke and the Bookish

Oh Gosh, I can tell this is going to be a tough one. I've been so fortunate to meet so many wonderful authors.

1. Having a moment with Judy Blume. I went to a strange author panel. I went because of Judy Blume. The man who introduced the authors had no idea about her books. He gave a list of her works, which included Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Only he didn't know it was just one book, He thought it was three. I must have rolled my eyes or made a face because she called him out on it later and made eye contact with me while saying that some people knew her books. It was pretty cool!

2. Meeting Meg Cabot. I only wish I had a picture of us. I've gotten better at gushing over authors since then -but I was star struck with her.

3. Making a complete fool out of myself while meeting Scott Westerfeld TWICE. This is the second meeting, where I told him about the first meeting. He laughed...several times.

4. Talking about a book in the aisle of BEA (my first year) and being told the author was right down there, did I want to go talk with her? YES. That's how I met Lisa Ann Sandell, who was talking to Aimee Friedman - who knew me from Facebook. That's when I first realized how awesome it was meeting authors!  Love them both. Here's a photo of Aimee and I a few years later, again at BEA.

5. Meeting SO MANY wonderful authors at BEA - too many to name (I don't want to forget anyone)

6. Harry Potter Midnight Release Parties - love that there was so much LOVE for this series that bookstores/libraries hosted parties celebrating the releases. I went to two and hosted two.

7. Meeting SO MANY wonderful authors at RJ Julia - an independent bookstore. Here I am with Ally Carter.

8. Meeting Tera Lynn Childs, who I knew for years on social networking sites, love her books. She was in NYC for a conference and came to my library to help kick off our summer reading program. 

9. Any conference I've gone to where I meet so many awesome bookish (Librarians/Bloggers) and of course, talk about books.

10. Comments from authors who saw a book review I've written of their work.