Reading is Inevitable

Back in early July, I published a post titled  "Summer 2017 Challenge - Reading Popular YA Books" , in which I explained that, this summer, I wanted to challenge myself to read some books I don't typically read. Actually, these books are what a lot of bookstagrammers read — the more popular young adult fiction books that tend to be of the fantasy genre. These books include well-known series such as Harry Potter , The Hunger Games , and The Mortal Instruments series, as well as stand-alone titles such as Thirteen Reasons Why  (a controversial one, however, due to the Netflix series adaptation) and Anna and the French Kiss . And it's not that I hate all young adult books. I just tend to not read ones more centered around fantasy and romance. But I wanted to read some of these books and give them another shot. Because every book is different, right? And I know that everyone has their own preferences, and that's perfectly okay! Like I said in my last post, ...

This summer I am challenging myself to read some popular young adult books. Why would I do this? And why would this even be a challenge? Well, if you know me or have paid attention to the types of books I read through the blog or bookstagram, you would know that I typically don't like the popular young adult or teen books. The books that are popular these days tend to lean towards the fantasy or dystopian genre. Series such as Harry Potter or Divergent or The Mortal Instruments are examples of these fantasy/dystopian popular books. And, personally, I'm not as interested in these genres. Other popular books include those with romance in them, and I've never been too fond of these books as well. For instance, The Fault in Our Stars ? Eh, not much of a fan. And, sure: Having different preferences in books is perfectly okay. I just thought that it might be a good idea to read some of these books because I am completely lost when going on bookstagram. What's a shadow...

On the fourth of February, Em and I made another trip to Barnes & Noble, and I thought I would share what we got! Together, we got a total of three books and two little blind boxes! Looking around the store, it was a bit difficult to pick exactly what it was I wanted. I mean, there’s such a large selection! Sure, I’ve seen most of the books before, but there’s always ones that I’m thinking about reading later. And then there’s the question of if I want to buy the book, or give it a try first with my library’s copy of it. (If they even have it!) There were some sections I knew I could skip over. That’s the first step towards progress. For me, that was skipping the usual fantasy-action-“I must save the world” type of teen book. (Sorry. They’re just not my thing.) I also could pass by this table of popular teen books, which mostly had those type of books. On my book-searching journey, there was also books that I have read, such as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. W...

All the way back in the beginning of April, I published a post on shoutout-for-shoutout sessions (SFS's) in the bookstagram community, specifically entering  them. Now, I will - after promising to do so back in my first SFS post - finally discuss hosting your own SFS. Em and I have done two shoutout-for-shoutout sessions in the past: one on our own when we hit 1,000 followers, and one with a group of bookstagrammers in honor of the then-new year, 2017. Therefore, shoutout-for-shoutout sessions can be hosted by one account or a group of accounts. As mentioned in my previous post, besides single and group shoutout sessions, there are now two types of SFS's. These two types are post SFS's and story SFS's , the latter available due to the relatively recent addition of Instagram Stories. Basic Guidelines for All SFS's No matter the format of your SFS, there are some basic guidelines that most bookstagrammers follow when hosting a shoutout session. To start, s...

Hey there everyone! If you've seen our bookstagram recently, you would know that we got some amazing new Denik notebooks! Now if you've never heard the name "Denik" before then I think it's time that you know, and after you read this post go check out their website , okay? (They actually came out with a new website design, too. It's amazing.) Denik is so much more than just a notebook/sketchbook-selling company. The word Denik describes the whole community and cause that surrounds the company, a "grassroots, artsy-eclectic bunch", as it is so beautifully described on their website. The designs displayed on the covers of their products are made by artists around the world, no matter who they are or where they come from. With the income from the notebooks and sketchbooks they sell, Denik gives some to support these artists and to build schools for children around the world. The whole idea that Denik is built upon is that, together, art and peop...

So, since 2017 is officially here (and has been for about two weeks), I figured I might as well post about our reading goals for the year! I'll also attempt figuring out all of the books I read in 2016, but I know it'll be far from accurate as I did not write it down and I know I won't remember everything! For 2016, I actually didn't make any reading goals. I just wanted to finish one book a month, I guess! I can happily say that I did complete this very small goal of mine. (Some people aim for 100 books a year!)

Here's a little situation that's very common for me: It's the day before a blog post is supposed to publish. (I have no blog post.) I think to myself, Oh, I have the whole day [afternoon, on school days] to come up with something and write it! No biggy! Soon it's past the afternoon: evening moving into night, and I still don't have a blog post done. I don't even have an idea. What's next? Why, the only thing I really can do: Panic. That's what happened this time, sad to say. (Whoops: I did it again!) I have a little list of blog post ideas that I have conjured up with hours of research spent on the internet, and as I was mentally going through the list, I recalled an idea that I had seen at  http://www.getspokal.com/i-challenged-myself-to-create-100-blog-post-ideas-in-30-minutes/ . In this little post, the writer - Sarah Burke - challenged herself to create 100 blog post ideas in only 30 minutes. I thought to myself, Hey! I have time since it...

Something I think that us bookworms or really anyone who is reading a book is that sometimes we aren’t really prepared to read a book. Not in the sense that we don’t know some words or the subject/events of the book are not what was expected. What I’m talking about is bookmarks. We never can really seem to find them when needed, or we don’t want to use that special bookmark we made or bought for $20. Whether it’s because you decided to start reading a book you found at a library/bookstore that you didn’t intend to get, or because you lost your bookmark or some other reason, we all face that big imposing question: Should I try to remember the page number, or should I dog-ear the book? If you’re someone who deeply cares for all books - your own and others’ - then the last option isn’t really an option at all. So here is a solution that might come in handy at school. Do you have a regular-sized square sticky note? Have a few seconds? Well, this little trick might save your book’s...

Hello, everyone! As you may or may not have known, this blog has been going on for almost six months now! I have actually been blogging for longer, as I had another blog with Em before we started this one. So, yeah: I guess you could say that I have a good deal of knowledge on blogging. Blogging is definitely fun and I would recommend it to anyone who was interested in starting a blog, but there are a few things that I think you should know before jumping into the blogging world.

About a month ago, back in July, I had published a post on how to create a bullet journal. I went through the basics of a bullet journal and briefly covered the uses for a bullet journal. (If you haven't read that post yet, click here.) That post was also partially on my own bullet journal, and how I was choosing to set it up. That was July, and now August is here. So, how did I do with my first month of bullet journaling? Read on to find out, and to see my bullet journal plans for this month.

Only a few months ago, I stumbled across the idea of a "bullet journal". At the time, I had no idea what it was, so I did some investigating. What I found out was that bullet journals were a relatively new way for organization in a simple way. The basic bullet journal includes a yearly planning log, a monthly planning log, and a daily planning log. In these spots, you write down things to do and events planned in a bullet format. (Hence the name bullet journal.) That's basically it, and there's always room for personalization. I decided that I would try to make my own bullet journal. There are a lot of different articles and bullet journals that you can find on the internet, so it was difficult for me to start. Everyone had their own systems and styles of bullet journals, and it was all very confusing. That's why this post is dedicated to those confused and curious beginner bullet journalers. Don't worry: you aren't alone.

You can't read forever. Even I, an experienced reader, get aching eyes after reading for even an hour. If you are like me and sometimes end up reading for several hours, you may find yourself not feeling too well. Of course, you could be like my co-blogger, Em, who surprises me by not appearing to be bothered at all by reading for several hours. And if you are not affected, that is great, but I have always preferred not to finish a book in a single sitting. If you too get tired eyes or like to have a break, then be glad, for this post is completely dedicated to activities to do on these breaks!

In a poll conducted from the 14th of March to the 20th, we asked you what you would like to see on our blog. This was the from the first week that we had actual content on our blog, so we wanted to know what you all liked. From this poll, we learned that a lot of you would like to see "art (pictures or tutorials)" on our blog. That is why art is the topic of this post! This is a picture of my notebook dedicated to Zentangle, a book on Zentangle, my Zentangle art supplies, and some tangles done on smaller sheets of paper. (No: I did not draw the design on the stack of sheets of paper.) Ever since an art project that I did in elementary school, I have enjoyed doodling with abstract shapes and lines. I would create sections with sweeping curves or straight lines and then think of a pattern to put in each one. Almost a year ago, I attended a short drawing class (5 days). One day, the instructor introduced the class to a type of doodling that was new to me. I immediately ...