The Cookie Book Tag

Hey guys! I’ve been crazy swamped with studying for my AP exams coming up in May, so I haven’t had time to write out the book reviews and discussion posts that I had time—but I didn’t want to abandon you guys…so I’m doing another book tag!

I found this one on Nicole’s blog, Sorry I’m Booked. She created the tag as one of her 2016 goals, which I think is really cool. You can see her rules post here.

Chocolate Chip: A Classic Book That You Love or Really Enjoyed

I read Jane Eyre in English class freshman year and I loved it. I keep meaning to reread it, but it’s a lot of emotional turmoil to inflict on myself.

Thin Mints: A Fandom That You Really Want to ‘Join’ AND/OR a Hyped-Up Book You Want To Read

I really want to read Six of Crows and the Grisha trilogy. The fandom seems to be in love, and I actually own a few of the books, but I haven’t picked them up yet!

Shortbread: An Author You Can’t Get Enough Of

Libba Bray! I love her writing so much, and I really appreciate how every series she writes is unique. She creates vivid characters and complex worlds no matter the genre, and she is amazing at working social commentary into her stories.

Samoas/ Caramel DeLites: An Emotional Rollercoaster

The first book that popped into my mind was Love and Other Unknown Variables. I never laugh out loud from books, but I did for this book…and then I sobbed like a baby at the ending.

Oreos: A Book Whose Cover Was Better Than The Story OR Vice Versa, Where The Story Was Better Than Its Cover

The cover of Everything, Everything was definitely better than the story. I know a lot of people love that book, but the “twist” just didn’t work for me—and I saw it coming. The cover, though, is gorgeous.

Tagalongs/ Peanut Butter Patties: A Book That Wasn’t What You Expected

I didn’t know what to expect when I started Dream Things True, but I wasn’t prepared for the complex, emotional roller coaster of a book that it was. I didn’t end up giving it a perfect rating, but the story definitely surprised me.

Snickerdoodles: A Book You May Never Stop Rereading/ Loving

The Scorpio Races! Because Puck. And because Sean Kendrick. If you haven’t read it yet—go do it!

Bonus: Choose a cookie I didn’t list and make up a question!

Ginger snaps: a book with a main character who loves to make sassy, biting retorts. (Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s what I came up with)

The Thief, because Gen invented the sassy retort (and because I hope that if I keep pushing this series, more people will discover the amazingness).

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I tag:

RiverMoose Reads

A Piece of Paradis

And YOU!

Have you read any of these books? What is your favorite cookie?

What It’s Like Reading YA as a Girl Who Cries…A Lot

Okay, it’s a dramatic title, but don’t freak out. I’m not an emotional wreck or in any kind of downward spiral. I’m just the kind of girl whose body only seems to have one reaction to stress of any kind: tears.

Difficult math homework? Definitely tears.

Confronting authority figures? I can do it, but they probably won’t take me seriously because of the tears falling off my face.

A surprise of any kind? There will probably be crying.

Lots of little things go wrong in one day? You guessed it—tears.

A sad book? Don’t even get me started.

The point is, my tear reflex is very active. Which is something I’m used to at this point, but it does change the way that I read YA books.

Don’t get me wrong—I love the current trend of badass, take-no-shit, cool as a cucumber under pressure, stoic protagonists who face fifty million kinds of stress without any outward sign of freaking out. I could read about these characters for the next ten years and I wouldn’t get tired of watching them rise to the challenge, confront evils, and save the world, all without shedding a tear (though there might be a dramatic, sob-filled death scene).

I love these characters, but I could never be these characters.

Most of the time, that isn’t a problem. We read to escape life, to become people that we could never be in real life (at least, that’s part of it).

But other times, it is really frustrating. I’ll be facing a difficult decision or a stressful moment and I know exactly what my favorite MCs would do—but I also know that I won’t do those things.

It’s not just the crying-reflex, of course. There are more basic personality differences between introverted me and my favorite MCs. I probably will never be the girl that quirks her eyebrow at authority figures or smirks in the face of everything falling apart.

And I’m guessing that I’m not the only bookworm who’s ever felt this way.

I love those stoic, brave protagonists, but I also want to read stories about girls who are shy, who get flustered, who can think the right words but can’t seem to say them out loud, who want to do the brave thing but generally don’t. Who are awkward and know it. I want introverted heroes. Heroes who freak out, not just at the world ending, but at smaller problems too.

But I think authors might be afraid to write those characters. I’ve seen characters who cry a lot or have freak-out sessions described as “whiny” or “annoying.”

Anecdote time: In Across the Universe by Beth Revis, the main character Amy spends a lot of time freaking out about the circumstances that have befallen her…and I remember feeling very connected to her character because of this. I understood why she couldn’t stop crying when she realized there was no escape. But then a read a review that tore Amy apart for her break downs, describing her as a character that only runs around and cries.

Ouch.

I will say that this wasn’t a review that I saw in this blogging community, it was one I saw on Amazon (promptly ending my habit of looking at reviews on Amazon). People in this community generally aren’t that harsh, but there are still lingering comments about characters not being strong enough or focusing too much on their problems.

Sometimes, characters are just annoying. But a lot of the time, I wonder if we write off protagonists simply because they aren’t the incredibly strong, stoic MCs that we’re used to.

I don’t want the calm-under-pressure characters to go away—not at all. But with all this push for diverse characters in the YA universe, it would be great to also see some different personality types save the world.

What do you think? Has this frustrated you before?

Do you have any recommendations for books like this?

The Entertainer Blogger Award

Thank you so much to Anna @ Space Cats and Books for nominating me!

The Rules

• Write a post with the award picture.
• Nominate 12 (sorry, it’s not going to be that many) other bloggers who are funny, inspiring, and, most important of all, ENTERTAINING!
• Add these rules to the post.
• Thank the person who nominated you and leave a link to their blog!
• Also, answer these questions down below!

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1. Why did you start a blog in the first place?

My sister had started a blog a few months before to showcase her sewing and she was having a lot of fun with it so I decided to jump on the bandwagon. Unlike her, I am not crazy-talented at sewing, so I decided to blog about my love: reading and writing.

2. What is your favorite book?

AAAAHHHH! I can never choose. My go-to answer is The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner because that book is incredible and not many people have read it, so I’m always trying to get people to pick it up. It’s the third book in a series, so if you’re interested—and you should be—you should read The Thief.

3. What do you dislike the most?

Wow, that’s a tough one. Probably people who know they’re breaking the rules, then look all offended when a teacher calls them out, then crack up with their friends when she turns away, like “What was that about?”

You were being an A-hole, that’s what it was about.

4. What is your favorite food item from the mall?

Pretzels! Any kind, I just love mall pretzels.

5. What is your favorite pastime activity?

Either reading or watching Netflix, depending on what my day has been like. I love reading, of course, but sometimes I just need to decompress and watch a few thousand episodes of TV.

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the Funny, inspiring, and entertaining bloggers I nominate

Lola @ Hit or Miss Books

Ari @ The Daydreaming Bookworm

Ava @ Bookishness and Tea

You are under no pressure to accept if you have a lot on your plate right now!

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What about you? Do you love mall pretzels?

What lesser-known favorite of yours should I know about?

The BFF Book Tag

Thank you soooo much to Kirstie Ellen @ Upside-Down Books for tagging me! If you guys don’t follow her, you should totally go check her out! She has great posts and it a really funny and sweet blogger.

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Setting the Example: A Pair/Group of Book BFFs That You Love

Everyone from Beauty Queens! At the beginning, they all hate each other, but by the end, they are one of the tightest, sweetest friend groups ever.

Childhood Bestie: Which Book Character Would You Have Liked to Grow Up With?

I think growing up with Blue from the Raven Cycle would be amazing. She is so down-to-earth and complex and cool—and I’d get to hang out with all of her aunts cooking sweets all the time.

Frenemy: Which Book Character Would Bring out Your Competitive Side?

Felicity from the Gemma Doyle series! She is really frustrating through the entire series, always drawing you in and then doing something awful. I know that if I knew her in real life, she would definitely be my frenemy.

Fashion Guru: Who Would Be the Bestie Whose Closet You’d Want to Raid or You Would Want to Go On a Shopping Spree With?

book 3

Macey McHenry from the Gallagher Girls series (once she’s had a chance to stop being an awful person) would be the best friend to have in a fashion emergency. I’d definitely raid her closet, and I’d die to go shopping with her.

The Bad Influence: Which Character Would You Want to Commit a Small Act of Rebellion With?

Either Vin (from Mistborn) or Katsa (from Graceling) would be awesome partners in crime. Both of them are badass, but have strong moral compasses, so our act of rebellion wouldn’t get too crazy.

Blood Brothers: Which Character Would You Want to Be Your Surrogate Big Brother/Sister?

Puck from The Scorpio Races! She’s so honest and protective—I think she’d make an awesome sibling.

Mother Hen: Which Character Would You Want to  Be By Your Side When You’re Having a Bad Day to Cheer You Up?

I would want Adina from Beauty Queens to help cheer me up, because she would go straight to insulting the people who made me feel bad and her sass would make me feel better.

The Counselor: Which Character Would You Go to For Relationship Advice or Confide a Secret To?

Cammie from the Gallagher Girls series because she is the ultimate best friend. I feel like I could tell her anything, and if I needed a problem fixed, it doesn’t hurt that she’s a badass spy and could definitely make that happen for me.

More Than Friends: Who Would Be Your Book Boyfriend/Girlfriend?

Gansey! (and so many, many more)

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I tag:

Sophie @ Sophie the Bookworm

Claire @ BlankSlaters Reads

Luucy @ Making Days Better

If you’ve already been tagged, you don’t have to do it again!

Who are your favorite book BFFs? Have you read any of the books on my list? 

Is Reading Homework for You?

When I was in elementary school, I read after school every day. There were days when I would come home and read for hours straight; there were days when I started a book in the morning and finished it that night. And it was awesome.

Then, sadly, high school hit, and my reading habits slacked off. Actually having homework definitely put a damper on my afternoon reading sessions. (Also the discovery of Netflix, not gonna lie.)

The thing is, I really care about school. I have good grades, and I’m proud of them, and I am constantly working to make sure that I am the dedicated student that I want to be. Sacrificing reading time to study for a test or get ahead on homework is something that I’m willing to do.

Why am I telling you this?

Recently, I’ve been in a massive reading slump. Or, not a slump, because I want to read, but I just…haven’t. I haven’t had time. AP Tests (massive exams for college-level classes you can take in high school) are coming up at the beginning of May, so it’s studying crunch time for me.

The point is, I have been reading the same book for nearly three weeks now. It’s a great book, and I know that I am hurting my enjoyment by stretching it out so much. But the problem is that I usually only read during class or on weekends, and recently, I haven’t had time in class or on weekends. Reading isn’t something I have to do anymore, it’s something I do when I have free time forced upon me.

Which brings me—finally—to my point:

Do you guys read after school? Do you treat it as homework, i.e. something that you have to do on your off time?

I don’t, and I haven’t for a while now. But this recent slump has got me thinking that maybe I should start to expect myself to read on school days. Maybe reading a few chapters every few days should be on my To Do List, alongside math homework and refilling my mini stapler.

I have started to think of reading as something that I do only when I clearly have time, which I’ve lost recently. Without that obvious time to read, I’ve basically stopped reading…and it sucks.

What do you think? Is reading something you do after school, or is it only a weekend thing for you? How do you balance being a student and a reader?

Happy 2nd Birthday 52 Letters!

AHHHHHH I can’t believe it! My second blogoversary was yesterday! 52 Letters in the Alphabet has officially existed for two years!

This is crazy for me. When I started this blog, it was on a whim. I had no idea that I was joining one of the most special communities on the Internet or that I’d have as much fun blogging as I do. I never thought that blogging would become a daily source of excitement and joy, or that I’d have formed so many friendships in the blogging community.

I never thought that I’d grow to love the random orange theme that I picked on day one, or that I’d carry that color scheme with me when I redesigned my blog. (Let’s be honest, getting me to like the color orange is one of the biggest effects this blog has had on my life…sort of.)

I never thought that you could get me to join Twitter or any type of social media. I didn’t even know that things like blog awards or book tags existed.

I certainly never thought that my blog would have nearly 450 followers or that I would have had 390 posts on this blog.

I’d like to take a moment to thank every single one of you who has read, liked, or commented on any of my posts. It means the world to me to see that the words I randomly throw out into the Internet matter to other people. And to every one of my amazing followers, thank you so much for sticking around to hear what I have to say every time I decide to fangirl about a book or share some of my writing with you.

I’m really excited to start another year of blogging with all of you guys! I hope that you continue to enjoy my posts and that I can get to know each of you more as time goes on.