Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by a blog of the same name, Booking Through Thursday! The idea is simple:

 

"Copy the questions, paste them into your blog and answer them.

When you're done, come back here and post a quick comment or trackback letting everyone know so we can read your responses. Be sure to leave a link to your actual post! (Just type in the web-address--Wordpress will automatically turn it into a link for you.)"

 

So this week's topic is:

"I’m usually torn. I love giving and sharing books, but it can be hard. The giftee can be difficult to please, or you don’t know what they’ve read (or what they thought of books they have read). Even people who love to read and love to get books can be hard to gift books to … so, does that make you pause and reach for the neckties or DVDs or sweaters … anything BUT a book at gift-giving time? How do you feel about getting books yourself? Are you picky or easy?"

 

I LOVE giving books as gifts, haha. Most of my family and friends do not like to read as much as I do.... or at all. I bought my boyfriend a book for Christmas - The Walking Dead, Rise of the Governor. Sounds nice, right? Uh.. well we've been together for almost six years and I've seen him reads maybe a total of four books in the last six years. Why did it buy it? because I cant help myself!

 

My sister just had a baby 2 1/2 months ago and I told her I'm going to buy my niece books for every holiday and that I am going to read with her all the time. I bought my 2 months old niece a book for Christmas. I mean it was a squeaky Elmo book that she could chew on, but still.

 

As for me, if I could get ONLY books for holidays, I'd be set. However, I don't like just any book. A couple of times, I gave my mom or boyfriend lists of books I wanted so they could buy them for me - or just asked for gift cards to the local bookstore. I got gift cards for Christmas and the next day went to the bookstore to load up... they then tell me their system is down and they cant take gift cards at that time. What did I do? Went home and ordered four books online - express shipping, thank you very much!!

 

So yes, I am a book/reading girl through and through. Become my friend, I'll be gifting you a book and you're GOING TO LIKE IT! :))

 

What about you? How do you feel about giving/receiving books as gifts?

 

Happy Readings!

Manda C. :)

Waiting on Wednesday & WWW Wednesday

 

It's Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Breaking the Spine!

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted [at Breaking the Spine], that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating."

This week's upcoming release is Sever by Lauren DeStefano!

Release date: February 12, 2013

 

From B&N:

Time is running out for Rhine in this conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Chemical Garden Trilogy.

With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them.

Meanwhile, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.

In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

 

I cant wait for this one! I havent read Fever yet but it's sitting on my shelf calling to me. It'll be one of the next I read I'm sure.

 

Whats your waiting on pick!?

Top Ten Tuesday - 2013 Bookish Goals

Hey hey!

It's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke & The Bookish!

This week's topic is top ten reading goals/bookish resolutions for 2013!
Funny, my some of my goals are the same or very similar to Paula's and a few other's I've seen who are linked on her page. Well here are my top 10 bookish goals:

1. Read 100 books this year;
2. Read three (3) books at a time from my shelf before I buy more - in other words, one purchase (not one book) per three books read. (Paula has five and that is ambitious but it hurts me to commit to that);
3. Read at least five (5) classics this year;
4. Read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy in its entirety.
5. Review every book I read this year (oh, God that one is going to be rough);
6. Read at least five (5) books by "new" authors (new to me);
7. Read two (2) non-fiction books;
8. Finish all of the books that are currently TBR on my book shelf by the end of the year, so that all of the books on my shelf next year are TBR from this year,haha;
9. Finish up all series that I'm in the middle of, at least up to the latest release, if the final book hasnt been released yet;
10. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Give away/sell some of the books I know I wont read again (not including Jodi Picoult or Nora Roberts books. I just cant do it).

Whew. Making commitments like that has me sweating over here. Okay, it helps to call them goals, not promises or commitments or resolutions. Just goals.

I like the idea of having book related goals this year. I didnt really make a New Year's Resolution until I decided to make a blogging related one, and that was to get back on the blogging bandwagon in general. The only non-book/blog related resolution I made this year was to be more positive. I tend to get bogged down in my every day life with so much going on, and I let myself stray toward the negative. It's rather unfortunate for all parties involved, and I resolve to be more positive, blog a whole lot more, and try really, really hard to complete the ten goals I listed above!

What are your Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2013?!

Happy Reading
Manda C. :)

See.. I told you!

Haha, here I am two+ months later, and I’ve yet to review anything.

I have a confession… I’ve barely been reading. Not for lack of trying anyway, but for lack of time and because I’ve been draaaggginnnggg through the Hobbit for the last MONTH!

I couldnt take it, honestly. It wasnt a bad book at all. Actually, when I started reading it, I flew through the first half. Then it started to slow down, and I started ordering books with my birthday and Christmas money and I had all these new books begging to be read and that can really get distracting and…
Well you get the point. Really though, I’m not going to do a review on the Hobbit because I struggled so much getting through the second half and when I finally finished it I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders, and I really dont want to go back into that right now. I’m postponing the plans I had to read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy because as many wonderful things as I’ve heard about it, if they are like the Hobbit, I will need A LOT of time and patience and dedication to get through THREE of them. Ugh.
However, I did hear marvelous things about the movie and I have plans to see it soon. I never like to see movies before I read the book, no matter what it is, so now that I’m done, I may go. I’ll let you know!

I havent yet figured out what to read next. My next confession is that I have way too many books to read. I just keep buying and buying faster than I can read them. I need help, I know. But you can see how hard it would going to be for me to pick ONE to read right now. I’m torn between Fever by Lauren DeStefano, The Last Hope by Nora Roberts, or picking up the Giver by Lois Lowry again to read the entire series ending with her bran new book, Son, which is the one I’m totally pumped about. However, I’m not quite ready to go into a four book series, so I think I’m going to go with a different one for now until I get out of this reading funk I’ve got going.

I did make a New Year’s resolution to blog more. I know that that is probably a bad idea. I mean who keeps New Year’s resolutions? I hardly ever do. But it’s 2013, a new year, and new me… maybe? I hope.

What is your New Year's resolution? Anything to do with books or blogging?

Happy Reading!

Manda C

*This post was previously published on 1/7/13 then moved to this new blog site.

Back to blogging!

Hey there!

I’m giving myself a warm welcome back to the blogging world, if you couldnt guess.

For those of you who never followed me, I have had a blog previously, and have since deleted it, for several reasons. That blog was called Happy Readings Reviews. It was on WordPress and Blogger. I’d had it for a while, maybe a year or so, and I sort of fell off the wagon and hadn’t posted anything since May of this year. – YIKES!

Needless to say, I wanted to get back on the wagon, but I’m still iffy as to how it will work out. I am so strapped for time that my posts could be daily or monthly (at best). But I’ve missed everyone so much, and missed having an informal method of creative outlet that I just had to come back.

So why did I create a new blog, you ask? Wouldnt it behoove me to keep and continue with my old one, you say? Well, sure, except I felt like I’d tarnished my reputation a good honest and blogger and become the blogger who couldnt get it together, who made promises to post things and didnt come through. Well that blogger is long gone! I just wont promise things anymore! Haha, no – I kid.

In all seriousness, I’m not planning for frequency, I’m planning for consistency. I will make one promise: to give honest reviews! My goal is for my fellow readers and bloggers to read a brief review, written by yours truly, and to have a solid idea on whether a book is worth reading. (My reader/writer’s heart tells me that every book is worth reading, but you know what I mean!)
So tune in, for my first review on my new blog will be coming shortly. I’m currently reading Insurgent by Veronica Roth, the second in a trilogy, second to Divergent, by the same author, and I’ll be letting you all know what I think.

Happy Readings!

Manda C.

*This post was previously published on 10/31/12, then moved to this new blog site.