would you rather for book nerds

I have family visiting and I'm headed to ALA so I'm going to be a little scarce around here and with commenting for a little bit, but I saw this fun Would You Rather tag over on Sunny Buzzy Books and it sounded fun so I decided to join in.

1. Would you rather have a friend who loses your books, or one who dog-ears them?

I’ve had friends lose my books so dog ear. Of course, I only loan to my most trusted friends now and they would replace my book if they ever lost it so maybe lose?? lol

2. Would you rather secretly love a book everyone else hates, or secretly hate a book everyone else loves?

I’m not so secret about these things – I say what I think either way but I guess if I had to choose I would rather love a book everyone else hates because hey! I still read a great book right?
I always hate books everyone loves so that’s more likely to happen though


3. Would you rather be stuck on a very long plane or train ride without a book?

I can’t read in public places so neither but I guess the plane because at least there are TV/movies on the plane. and it’s usually a shorter trip.

4. Would you rather have dinner with your favorite author or your favorite character?

A favorite character! Although I have had dinner with two favorite authors and it was fun.

How about my favorite author WITH my favorite character they wrote? Wouldn’t that be fun??!!
Maybe the character would complain about something the author wrote and there would be a food fight. lol

5. Would you rather date a character you have a crush on or your crush from real life?

Book crushes are usually kind of perfect so maybe the character because then it’s mostly guaranteed to go well. But it seems unhealthy. lol

And I married my real life crush so...AWWWW lol

6. Would you rather have your favorite book turned into a movie, or your favorite movie turned into a book?

I don’t like many movie adaptations so I don’t usually watch them and once I see the movie then same problem – I won’t like the book I don’t think.

7. Would you rather read a book with an annoying cliffhanger, or one where your favorite character is killed off?

Cliffhanger. I don’t like them but at least there’s a chance the character is alive.

Dead is dead. Unless....it's a cliffhanger in disguise and they are really alive. Hmmmm

8. Would you rather lose the ability to read any new books, or the ability to reread books you’ve already read?

The ability to re-read. I used to re-read ALL the time but I’ve been to overwhelmed by newer books to bother. I do want to get back into re-reading my faves but to not have ANY new books. No.

But what if they’re all awful and then I don’t have my gaurenteed good re-reads?? Sophie’s choice.

9. Would you rather live in a library or a bookstore?

Bookstore. There’s food & coffee (hopefully!), usually a stationary section, new books…

10. Would you rather lose your place or get a paper cut every time you read a book?

Lose my place.

Why would I want a paper cut??? OW! And I’m actually pretty good at remembering when I am – even without a bookmark (although I do use them)


11. Would you rather have to always read in the dark, or always read books with tiny text?

I can’t see tiny text anymore. I need strong reading glasses now so I guess dark. But both would be bad for my eyes. I do read my Kindle in bed but it’s backlit.

12. Would you rather read by a fireplace, or on the beach?

Fireplace. As I said earlier – I can’t read in public so the beach is a no go. Hopefully, this is in a big comfy chair in front of the fireplace.

What are some of your Would You Rather answers? If you decide to join in leave a link so I can check it out!

whatever wednesday: summer fun a to z

TBB Asks is hosted by The Blended Blog

1. Walk or bike ride? I just started bike riding over the winter and I loved it. It’s waaaay too hot to do it in the summer though – so walking but either early in the morning or very late afternoon.

2. Favorite picnic food? I’ll eat anything lol I don’t really picnic but if we go to the beach I bring PB&J sandwiches, fruit and some chips.

3. Pool or lake? Pool! I live in FL so while I love lakes – GATORS, and brain-eating amoeba that goes up your nose and kills you so NOPE.

4. Favorite flavor of ice cream? Oooh I love most flavors of ice cream. Coffee, pistachio, cookie dough, even vanilla…I like it all.

5. Ice cream cone or in a dish? If it’s really hot, then a dish because I can’t eat it fast enough before it melts. If it’s a little cooler then a cone because…mmmm cones. 

6. Flip flops or slides? I guess flip flops but I usually just wear sneakers.

7. Jean shorts or jean capris? Shorts. I’m only 5 feet tall so capris make me look chopped in half lol

8. Favorite summer fruit? I LOVE fruit of any kind but I guess watermelon for summer. I feel hydrated after I eat it when it’s hot.

9. Corn on the cob or cut off the cob? On the cob – loads of butter and a little salt. Even if it’s super messy. And we always leave one row for the dogs who nibble when we’re done :-)

10. Favorite summertime song? I love The Boys of Summer by Don Henley but the song that makes me all summery – happy is Island in the Sun by Weezer. The video is adorable. Puppies. Kittens. Baby animals!



11. Favorite summertime activity? Olympic style couch sitting and ice water drinking. I mean…I’m in FL. I just try not to move much until October lol

12. Favorite berry? I love all berries! Sadly, our berry season is in the late winter/early fall. (basically winter is my summer)

*Do you sense a theme?? I like food lol

13. Bikinis, tankinis or one pieces? I own them all but I guess it depends where I’m going. At home – bikini, to the beach or public pools – probably a tankini or one piece. I usually wear a swim guard shirt too to protect myself from the sun so it doesn't really matter.

14. Dresses or skirts? I have just recently started wearing skirts and dresses. It still feels weird to me but it is a heck of a lot cooler than wearing shorts.

15. One word to describe summer? HOOOOOOOOOT

tell me something tuesday: goals and favorites so far

Tell Me Something Tuesday is hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings and discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging.

Question: Midyear update – favorite reads and goal progress


Answer:

I’ll start with GOALS:

I’m not big on setting very rigid goals but I do the Goodreads reading challenge and for 2018 I REALLY wanted to tackle my physical TBR pile. So how is that going?

---

Goodreads Challenge:

My goal is 100 books for the year and I’m at 86 so boo-ya! I’m kicking Goodreds challenge butt!

2018 Reading Challenge

Karen has read 86 books toward her goal of 100 books.

hide

86 of 100 (86%)

view books

* Hits publish and doesn't finish another book this year and fails challenge lol

---

TBR Reading:

I started 2018 with about 89 physical books to read. My goal was to get down to 50-ish before I go to ALA next week.

I haven’t done an official count since last month but had hit 50 then and I’ve read even more – so I’m going to guess I’m around 40-ish physical books on my TBR pile. This makes me happy, HAPPY. HAPPY! And such a stress reducer. I don’t feel pressured reading anymore and it’s heavenly.

Talk to me again when I get back from ALA with more books though lol

Blogging:

Now, this is where I’m faltering. Some days I feel like I have a lot to say and loads of ideas for posts.

Actually sitting down and writing any of it??? No urge. It’s hot and I’m having more fun playing in my garden. I really hope this phase passes because I started the year having fun blogging again and had 3 posts per week – which felt like a manageable schedule. But now even that is a struggle. Maybe I’ll come back refreshed after ALA.

---

Favorite reads:



Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett – to me, she’s the undisputed Queen of contemporary YA. Her books are quirky, sweet and relatable.

Favorite New Author:



Talia Hibbert – A Girl Like Her and Wanna Bet – Sexy, witty, relatable romances that also tug at your heartstrings.

A few more books that I loved so far!



Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee – Demons, Chinese mythology and interesting relationship dynamics made this one a winner

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake – Beautiful LGBQT, MG novel about self discovery, first crushes and family




Saga, Vol. 1 (Saga #1) by Brain K. Vaughn (writer), Fiona Staples (Artist) – I’m new to graphic novels and this was one of the first that I read. Loved the art and the writing but more importantly the relationships and gravity of the situation shined through on every page.

Heels Over Head by Elyse Springer – This M/M, NA romance kind of gutted me more before putting the pieces back together again. LOVED it!

Books I kind of hated but maybe loved??




The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black – I’m not a fan of the fae but I liked Black’s twist when it came to the heroine and her sister. But I found the fae to be cliche and little more than an elite group of frats kids pulling hazing pranks. Even so, I kind of want to keep reading the series.

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena – I had read several books like this previously so, for me, it didn’t really stand out and the mulpitle POV’s/timelines were jarring but it has a lot to say about rape culture, misogyny, double standards, religion and mental health. It is set in in Saudi Arabia but it would be foolish to think it doesn’t apply to all of us.

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi – the story was a little unfocused, the male protagonist annoying, and ultimately I felt like I was mislead and left hanging when it came to the romance but it was realistic and for some reason I can’t stop thinking about it and wanting to revisit Penny and Sam to see how they’re doing now.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo – Clara is a seriously unlikable protagonist for much of this book but the heartfelt family dynamics and romance totally won me over and I even ended up liking Clara.

The Handsome Girl & Her Beautiful Boy by B.T. Gottfred – This is going to be a polarizing book. Gottfred explores masculinity/femininity/sexuality as Zee and Art uncover new sides of themselves and how they fit into a world that says they are wrong. This author often uses offensive language to get to where he’s going and I imagine Zee & Art’s experience isn’t everyone’s and may even be problematic. but this book pissed me off and made me think sooo…

How are you all doing with your goals so far?

What are your faves?