My 25 Bookish Habits

25 BOOKISH HABITS

Last week I posted a blog that listed 25 Facts about myself. Well today, I decided to give you all the inside scoop on 25 of my bookish habits. HERE WE GO! 

1. Once I start reading, I’m in a zone and nothing distracts me. I can read in the car. I can read with the TV on. I can read with the radio on. I can read while conversations are going on all around me. I can read anywhere! 
2. I am hardcore TEAM HARDCOVER. I honestly want nothing but hardcover books taking up room on my bookshelves.
3. I’m not a big fan of owning paperbacks, especially mass market paperbacks.
4. However, I do prefer reading paperbacks, because they are lightweight and easy to handle. I know, I’m a weirdo! 
5. If I read a hardback novel, I have to take the dust jacket off first. I have lost many dust jackets due to this habit. 
6. I like to read New Adult and Paranormal Romance books on my Kindle app versus reading a physical copy. 
7. I have a slight addiction to owning German editions of my favorite books.
8. Over 50% of the books I own are signed. 
9. 99.9% of the time I have a book in my possession.
10. I use a book tote bag as a purse. So not only do I have my essentials, like wallet, lipbalm, etc., in my purse/tote bag, but I also carry along at least one book (sometimes two).
11. I keep a copy of The Catcher in the Rye in my glove compartment of my car.
12. I organize my books alphabetically by the author’s last name. 
13. The only exception to my alphabetical organization is that I have whole shelves dedicated to my Jane Eyre collection, Harry Potter collection,  A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) collection, Marie Rutkoski’s The Winner’s series, and my Leigh Bardugo collection. 
    

    
14. Last year I started a To-Be-Read shelf on one of my bookcases, but it turned into a TBR bookcase. 
15. I’m an interactive reader. I write and highlight in my books, and I even add post-its/stickynotes to flag important passages.  
16. I don’t mind reading secondhand books that are marked up or highlighted. 
17. If I am unable to highlight, mark, or flag my favorite passages, I will dog-ear the pages. I DON’T CARE IF IT BENDS THE PAGE! 
18. I don’t have a specific place where I like to read. 
19. I read every day, but I do a majority of my reading (90% of the time) on weekends.
20. If I’m not going through a reading slump, I can read 2 to 4 books a weekend. 
21. I have to read chapter by chapter. I cannot bookmark at some random page to save my spot. 
22. I’m not a big fan of audio books. I feel like audio books take away from my interactive reading skills; how the hell do people highlight or note their favorite quotes/passages with audio books?
23. I am a mood reader, and I often go on genre binges.  
24. I don’t really have a snack or drink preference when I read. 
25. Sometimes I will go to the last chapter and see how the book ends while I’m in the middle of the book. I usually do this with books I’m thinking about not finishing. The process of reading the last chapter, determines if the book is a DNF for me. I really hate not finishing books, though. 

What are some of your own bookish habits? Have you ever observed odd bookish habits from your fellow book friends? If so, what were they? 

Top Ten Tuesday: 02/23/2016

TOP TEN TUESDAY

HOSTED by The Broke and the Bookish

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This week’s topic is…Top Ten Books We Enjoyed Recently that Weren’t Our Typical Genre or that Were Out of Our Comfort Zone:

I’ve stated many times in the past that my go-to genres are fantasy, magical realism, and science fiction. I usually have a hard time getting into contemporary books, but 2015 will forever be known as the year of breaking out of my typical genres and reading all the Contemporary books I could get my hands on! 

1. My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga 
2. Mosquitoland by David Arnold 
3. The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
4. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson
5. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
6. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
7. I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
8. The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi
9. Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs
10. Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry 

A lot of these books listed above will definitely be “feel-good” rereads for me in the future.

Have you ever got caught up in a genre and couldn’t stop reading it? What books have you read that took you out of your comfort zone/typical genre? 

Book Review: Station Eleven

Title: Station Eleven
By: Emily St. John Mandel
Release Date: September 10, 2014
Pages: 352 (Hardcover)
Publisher: Picador
Format: UK Hardcover
Source: Purchased

GOODREADS’S SUMMARY

DAY ONE

The Georgia Flu explodes over the surface of the earth like a neutron bomb.

News reports put the mortality rate at over 99%.

WEEK TWO

Civilization has crumbled.

YEAR TWENTY

A band of actors and musicians called the Travelling Symphony move through their territories performing concerts and Shakespeare to the settlements that have grown up there. Twenty years after the pandemic, life feels relatively safe.

But now a new danger looms, and he threatens the hopeful world every survivor has tried to rebuild.

STATION ELEVEN

Moving backwards and forwards in time, from the glittering years just before the collapse to the strange and altered world that exists twenty years after, Station Eleven charts the unexpected twists of fate that connect six people: famous actor Arthur Leander; Jeevan – warned about the flu just in time; Arthur’s first wife Miranda; Arthur’s oldest friend Clark; Kirsten, a young actress with the Travelling Symphony; and the mysterious and self-proclaimed ‘prophet’.

Thrilling, unique and deeply moving, this is a beautiful novel that asks questions about art and fame and about the relationships that sustain us through anything – even the end of the world.

 

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My Review

I started Station Eleven in July 2015 and finished it over the weekend (February 2016). I usually gobble books up in one sitting, but this book sat by my bedside for months with occasional reading; it’s definitely a book meant to be savored.

Station Eleven is an intricate and well-written novel that consists of a non-linear storyline, unraveling plot twists, huge character development, and a post-apocalyptic wasteland concerned with humanity, humility, and survival.

All of the main characters revolve around one man, Arthur Leander, who died a few days before the Georgia Flu epidemic that kills 99% of the world’s population. But before Arthur, a famous actor, passes away, he leaves behind a memorable legacy among his family, ex-wives, friends, fellow actors, and cohorts, which spans out through a 15-year-plus wandering plotline.

Because the chapters jump from character to character, pre-apocalypse v. apocalypse v. post-apocalypse scenes, and place to place, I had to pay close attention to detail, dialogue, and which characters were involved in each scene.

I was very much ingrained in Kirsten’s storyline. As an 8-year-old actress, Kirsten admired Arthur, a kind man that gave her acting advice and gifted her his ex-wife’s self-created comic books, “Station Eleven.” As we follow Kirsten from a young girl to a young woman, she explains her struggles to survive in a world filled with disease, nomadic living, scarce medical supplies/expertise, limited food, cults, and religious fanatics like the Prophet. As a fellow member of the traveling Symphony, a nomadic group that performs Shakespeare plays and music concerts, Kirsten provides a very detailed account of her 15 years of survival in an post-apocalyptic world. She is smart, resourceful, diligent, and more importantly a survivalist.

Overall, Station Eleven is an eventful novel that significantly impacts the reader’s perception of humankind’s endurance. It plunges the reader into a intricate web of storylines that examines humanity, personal versus group choices, fate, and what it takes to survive a non-governmental society.

RANTS:     There are a lot of  time-shifting scenes and characters, so be sure to keep notes or be really good at multi-tasking. 

RAVES:     This book will plunge you into apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic scenarios that seem too real to turn way from. Station Eleven is filled with realistic, surreal, and nightmarish scenes that will leave you questioning nature, humankind, and personal “what if” situations. I personally savored each storyline, setting, and character like it was my was last encounter with them.  Also, I own both the UK and US hardcover of this book, and the UK cover is so simple and beautiful–definitely my favorite between the two hardcover choices. 

NOTE:          All statements and opinions are mine.

My Rating

 

Unpopular Opinions: Twitterless Edition

In the last few days, people have been tweeting this picture for “likes” and in response posting their “unpopular” opinions. Instead of tweeting the image, I decided to just do my own list of Unpopular Opinions that I have. 

1. I love making lists: to-do lists, checklists, pros and cons, ALL THE LISTS!
2. I think eating pork is disgusting, and that includes you, bacon! 
3. John Green books are always a DNF for me.
4. I’m an English major who loves math. 
5. If I ever get married, I’m not changing my last name. 
6. I’m not a fan of audio books. 
7. I think the show Modern Family is overrated. 
8. Having Shailene Woodley play Tris in the Divergent movies was the worst movie mistake ever made. 
9. I don’t get the over-hyped love for Jane Austen and her books. 
10. I love washing clothes. 
11. Avocados and raisins are gross.
12. Words like “moist” don’t bother me. 
13. I hate reality TV shows. 
14. I’d rather go to historical/literary landmarks than the beach for vacation.
15. I enjoy sending out cards and letters through snail mail. 

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Day 4 #BBAW

Book Blogger Appreciation Week (#BBAW) is hosted by Estella Society. 

Day 4 How do you stay connected to the community? Examples: social media, regular commenting, participation in blog events, etc. Tell us your faves!

We all know that the book blogging community is BIG, and it’s growing every day. It’s really easy to feel overwhelmed or totally lost. We want to know how you feel connected. Is it a specific tribe you run with? Events that keep you grounded? Twitter? Instagram? Comments?~Estella Society

I am a newbie blogger, so I am still learning the ins and outs of book blogging. However, I have a strong connection with my fellow book bloggers and book-loving friends through social media outlets like Twitter and Instagram. I’m an introvert, so I have a hard time connecting with people, but I am very thankful to people who understand by cautious demeanor. But I swear, I’m a good person and I’m working on my flaws and odd, standoffish personality. 

More importantly, I am very thankful for the #OTSPSecretSister Project that has provided me the opportunity to not only share my love for books and cheer of gift giving and letters, but it also has been a huge outlet for me to meet new people and gain some awesome friends.  To learn more about the On the Same Page Secret Sister Project visit their fact page found HERE, and chat with the awesome people that run #OTSPSecretSister:   Brittany @bookaddictguide, Alyssa @withthebanned, and Amy @trippingbooks.

HOW TO CONNECT WITH ME

Please feel free to follow my blog, connect with me on Twitter via @CassieopiaB, find me on Goodreads, or leave a comment on pictures of books and my poodle, Josephine, on Instagram.

♥ I would love to hear from you! ♥

I also attend a lot of book events and author signings throughout the year. You can definitely find me at author signings in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and sometimes Nashville, Tennessee.

More importantly, I attend the following book events each year: Southern Kentucky Book Festival in Bowling Green, Kentucky; Books by the Banks in Cincinnati, Ohio; Decatur Book Festival in Decatur, Georgia; Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, Tennessee; and YallFest in Charleston, South Carolina.  I’m usually on a strict self-created signing schedule when I go to these events, but please feel free to stop by and chat with me. I love connecting with other book lovers. 

MY GOALS TO CONNECT WITH BOOKISH PEEPS

This year, I have made it a goal, more of a challenge for me, to connect with other bookish people through as many outlets as I can. My options are limitless, but I do plan to start connecting with more people through some of these goals:

• Following and commenting on book blogs.
• Replying more to comments that people leave on my blog. 
• Saying “hi” and meeting people at book events.
• Saying “hi” and meeting people through social media. 
• Participating in blog events.
• Sharing the love of books by hosting giveaways. 
• Challenging myself to step out of my comfort zone, and participating in more Twitter chats or real-life chats at book events. 

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Day 3 #BBAW

 

Book Blogger Appreciation Week (#BBAW) is hosted by Estella Society. 

 

Day 3’s Prompt:

Have you ever read a book because of a book blogger? Be it a good book or bad, bloggers recommend books every day of the year. Sometimes we take their advice and it’s great! Hello every graphic novel I’ve ever read! Sometimes, it’s not so great. Damn you Like Water for Chocolate (ducks). Today, tell us all about the book or books you’ve read because of a book blogger and be sure to sure to spread the blame around.~Estella Society

I’m not a huge young adult contemporary reader. However, every now and then I get on a contemporary kick, (side note: I blame the romantic kissage), and I read like ten contemporary or New Adult books in a row. As a hardcore fantasy and sci-fi book lover with this odd obsession with contemporary novels, I usually turn to my friends and fellow book bloggers for their recommendations. Now it’s time for the blame game…

 

I BLAME KAYLA

As I admitted before, contemporary is a hard genre for me to enjoy, but once I get started, I can’t stop reading them. A few years back, my friend Kayla, my brother Johnny, and I went to Decatur, Georgia for their annual book festival. One of the guest authors attending the festival was Stephanie Perkins. So of course based on Kayla’s recommendation and her being the book pusher that she is, I bought all of Stephanie’s books. After meeting Stephanie and acknowledging how sweet and adorable she is, I read Anna and the French Kiss. Then I fell into the Anna and the French Kiss series’ rabbit hole.

Before reading the series, I specifically remember Kayla stating (I’m paraphrasing here), “In Lola and the Boy Next Door, Cricket is sweet and adorable, but Lola is a spoiled brat and does not deserve him.” So obviously, I am going to blame Kayla for my must-read-marathon obsession I had with Stephanie Perkins’s books, but also, as I was reading Lola’s story, I kept thinking, “nope, nope, nope…Cricket you deserve so much better than Lola.” I also did not read Lola’s story until last, because I was so afraid I was going to despise her. HAHAHA!!! Thanks for putting that disapproval towards Lola in my head, Kayla.  

 

Waiting On Wednesday: Love Charms and Other Catastrophes

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY:

Love Charms and Other Catastrophes

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that highlights pre-publication/upcoming releases that readers cannot wait to get their hands on. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week my most anticipated read is…Love Charms and Other Catastrophes by Kimberly Karalius

A picture of the AMAZING cover and a brief summary provided by Goodreads are below:

Goodreads’ Summary: 

Aspiring love charm maker Hijiri Kitamura was excited to come back to Grimbaud for her sophomore year-until she learns about the upcoming charm making competition. Grimbaud has just started to recover from the tyranny of Zita’s love fortunes and it would be too easy for the winning charm maker to take Zita’s place. The only solution is for Hijiri, with the support of her friends and fellow rebels, to win the contest herself.

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, especially when Love itself has decided to meddle in Hijiri’s life. Concerned that it’s favorite charm maker has given up on finding a boyfriend of her own, Love takes matters into its own hands and delivers the perfect boyfriend to her in a giftwrapped box…literally.

Get ready to be charmed by this magical, quirky sequel to Love Fortunes and Other Disasters. 

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Waiting on Wednesday’s Top 5 Rants and Raves of why I need this book in my life…

1.  ♥ Kimberly Karalius‘s first novel,  Love Fortunes and Other Disasters, was a well-crafted mixture of Young Adult contemporary, romance, and magic realism. After reading the synopsis, I have a strong feeling that Love Charms and Other Catastrophes is going to reflect this same powerful concoction. ♥
2.  ♥ The romance, the characters, their motivations, and the friendships established in LFaOD were so well contructed and executed, so I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for Hijiri Kitamura’s story and the little town of Grimbaud. ♥
3. ♥ Speaking of Grimbaud…THE GRIMBAUD LIFE CONTINUES! After reading the first novel of this series, I fell deeply and madly in love with this cute, charming, and obsessed-with-love town. Even though Grimbaud is the setting of Karalius’s novels, it is definitely a character itself. Please, can I live there?! ♥
4. ♥ Kimberly Karalius has created a fantastical world with smart and witty characters, and I look forward to once again experiencing character dialogue and banter that is quick, clever, and, most importantly, swoonworthy.  ♥ 
5. ♥  I have to comment on the cover. The color scheme is bright and phenomenal. But OH MY GRIMBAUD, I can not get over how cute and intricate the details are, and more importantly how accurately the people, potion bottles, etc. reflect the synopsis and setting. Well done, cover gods! ♥

Release Date: May 17, 2016 A.K.A. TOO FAR AWAY! 

Check out my review on Goodreads of the first book, Love Fortunes and Other Disasters, by clicking here. 

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Day 2 of #BBAW

 

Book Blogger Appreciation Week (#BBAW) is hosted by Estella Society. 

Today’s official topic was Interviews. I did not do an interview and/or have not been interviewed, so instead I have decided to do “25 Facts about Me.”

25 Facts About Me

1. I prefer to read on weekends. I usually read 2 to 3 books a weekend (if I’m not in a reading slump a.k.a. my current situation).
2. I own 8 bookshelves, and still do not have enough shelf space for books that I have in boxes. 
3. I have a slight addiction to owning signed books. I currently have over 300 signed books. 
4. Last year, I bought several Out of Print Clothing tote bags that look like library cards, and had each author I met throughout the year sign it. At the end of 2015, I ended up with three tote bags signed front and back. 
5. I have a Master’s in English Literature with a focus on Victorian Literature. 
6. I have been told numerous times by strangers that I look like Alyson Hannigan. (Supposedly having red hair equals being confused with other redheads).
7. Also, my hair is not naturally red; it’s blond. 
8. I am not a fan of Jane Austen. The only book I enjoyed by Austen is Pride & Prejudice. I have read and studied three other Austen books and I have despised each and every one of them.  
9. My first iconic hero was Amelia Earhart. 
10. I am a strong believer in intuition, fate, and karma. 
11. I like to make lists, and I’m in the process of creating a Bullet Journal (I just learned about Bullet Journaling last night through YouTube).
12. I love animals, and usually name my pets after literary/fictional characters. I currently help raise a toy poodle named Josephine. She is named after one of my favorite literary characters, Josephine March from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. 
13. I am an impulsive buyer. I tend to buy tote bags, mugs, and fandom-themed candles on a whim. 
14. My favorite food is Indian food. I swear I could eat garlic naan, vegetable samosas, and Chicken Jalfrezi every day.  
15. I could also eat Salt and Vinegar chips every day of my life.
16. I am an introvert. I also have a hard time trusting people. I’m working on it. 
17. My favorite TV show is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Say a quote, and I can most likely tell you which character said it and name the episode they said it in.
18. I have never been on an airplane. 
19. I have not eaten pork and beef in over 10 years. This is a personal choice. 
20. I own over 100 Funko Pops! I am an in-box collector, and only collect Funkos from fandoms/characters I love. My younger brother has over 200 Funko Pops, so I don’t feel too bad about my collection. 
21. Fantasy, magic realism, and sci-fi are my favorite genres to read. 
22. I have four siblings. We all have five different shades of eye color. Mine are blue, but vary in hue by my mood. 
23. My whole family is really close. My younger brother is my best friend and a booknerd like me. 
24. I tend to buy a book based on its cover; thus my lack of shelf space for all my books.
25. I drink coffee every day, and I love having a variety of flavors to choose from. This week I’m trying out Starbuck’s Cinnamon Dolce…YUM! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books and Music

TOP TEN TUESDAY

HOSTED by The Broke and the Bookish

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For this week’s topic, I picked the Top Ten Songs that Make Me want to Write

 

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is themed around the idea of books and music. So like many of my fellow English majors and book lovers, I relate much of what I’m writing or reading to music. As a result of this connection, I decided to create a playlist of songs that make me want to write and/or create art. I am a mood listener, so a lot of these songs are my go-to-feel-strong songs, or songs that remind me of my mom and what an amazing person she was. 

1. “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons
2. “Between the Bars” by Elliott Smith
3. “One” by Mikah Young (Not an official video, but I actually discovered this song through Kayley’s Lookbook video in 2012)
4. “Gonna Get Over You” by Sara Bareilles
5. “Royals” by Lorde
6. “Feel Good Drag” by Anberlin
7. “After the Storm” by Mumford & Sons
8. “Let it Be” by The Beatles
9. “All I Wanted” by Paramore
10. “Best of You” by Foo Fighters

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Day #1

Hello fellow bookish friends. Today I am joining the conversation with my fellow book bloggers for Book Bloggers Appreciation Week, #BBAW, hosted by Estella Society. 

DAY #1: INTRODUCE YOURSELF 

Day #1’s challenge is to introduce yourself by choosing five books that represent you as a person and/or your interests/lifestyle.

HERE WE GO! 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is my all-time favorite book. My mom gave me a copy of Jane Eyre when I was eleven-years-old, and from then on, I became an avid reader and lover of the Victorian Period. Even though Jane is described as a plain, female protagonist she embodies all the characteristics I have or I hope to achieve: strong-willed, determined, witty,  intelligent, and independent. 

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey: My father named me after the late 1970s show Battlestar Galactica character, Cassiopeia. I have never met someone with the name Cassiopeia and when I found out that a character shared my namesake, I was super excited. 

The Walking Dead, Vol. 01: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman: A lot of people that are fans of the show The Walking Dead don’t know that in the original comic books/graphic novels, the main character, Rick Grimes, and his family are from Kentucky. I am a proud Northern Kentuckian, and every time I drive through Harrison County, Kentucky, I always shout out, “Welcome to Zombieland.”  

The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace: The title of this book is a big reflection of me as a writer. Since I was a toddler, according to my parents, I have loved telling stories and adding my own spin to them. Even though I haven’t written a story in a long time, I promised my mom, before her passing last year, that I would write a book for her. One day, I hope to spin my own story that will make my mom proud. 

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare: I have a strong fascination with spells, witches, witch trials, and history, so this book is not only one of my favorites, but it is deeply rooted with my studies of American colonialism and witches.