MAGNIFICENT MAY BLOG SERIES!

Hi everyone!

Without further a due, I would like to announce that I will be creating yet another blog series for the month of May! May is always a super busy but MAGNIFICENT month for me. Also, My birthday just so happens to be in May!


Here are May’s upcoming posts:

May 1: May TBR
May 2: Galgorithm Book Review
May 3: Favourite Spring Quotes
May 4: Books I Want My Future Children to Read
May 5: A Court Of Thorns and Roses Book Release Day
May 6: Quick Thought: My Views on Book Pirating
May 7: Asking Siri About Books
May 8: Spring Bookmarks
May 9: Recommending Books For Readathons
May 10: Bout Of Books 13.0 TBR
May 11: BOOK TOWER CHALLENGE 2.0!
May 12: Top Ten Books I Wish Had Sequels
May 13: Conversations That Bloggers May Have about Blogging to Non-Bloggers: Friends Edition
May 14: Kissing In America Book Review
May 15: 3/4 BOB Update
May 16: My Cracking Spine “Issue”
May 17: My Day @ RINX
May 18: BOB Wrap Up
May 19: In Real Life Book Review
May 20: Three Day Summer Book Review
May 21: My Views on Escapism
May 22: Why My Book Blog is MUCH Different than Others
May 23: 20 Best Bookish Quotes
May 24: Reading Habits Book TAG
May 25: Birthday Theme Week!
May 26: Bookish Birthday Gifts
May 27: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
May 28: Bookish Birthday Haul
May 29: The Birthday Book TAG
May 30: My BIG Birthday Present
May 31: May Wrap-Up!


I hope that you guys are looking forward to my May Blog Series!

Good Night Book Owls!

April Wrap-Up

Hi everyone!

Today, I’m going going to be sharing with you all of the books I read in April.

This month was not very successful as far as reading goes. I only read 2 books and one short/picture book.

The first book I read was The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige. I actually posted a non-spoiler book review. You can check out my book review here.

The next book I read was In Real Life: My Journey To A Pixelated World by Joey Graceffa. I was fortunate enough to have been contacted by Simon and Schuster Canada to read and review the book. My review will be up very soon, but I did want to say that LOVED it!

The last book I read was a picture book called Maybe by Sanjay Nambiar. It was cute and I liked it!

I hope that you enjoyed this post! 

Good Night Book Lions!

Super Cute Bookish T-Shirts!

Hi everyone!

Today, I’m going to share with you some super cute bookish t-shirts that I have found on the interwebs!

DISCLAIMER: This is not a sponsored post, I don’t have any of these t-shirts for myself.

Those are all of the really cute bookish t-shirts that I have to show you for today! Let me know in the comments below which one your favourite is.

Good Night Book Owls!

Author…?

Hi everyone!

So, as most of you know, I like to write! I have put up a book on Wattpad called The Blue Balloon (http://www.wattpad.com/story/33979553-the-blue-balloon), and I am working on a new wattpad novel currently.

Anyways, many of you have asked me “Are you planning on being an Author?” Well, the answer is…

NO.

I enjoy writing short stories, but I feel like being an author is not for me. I have always wanted to become an English teacher, and that involves reading & writing as well!

I hope that answered your question!

Good Night Book Owls!

Quick Thought #18: The Biggest Spoiler of Our Generation: Allegiant

Hello everyone!

I’m sure that everyone knows the spoiler of Allegiant (IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED DON’T READ THIS).

TRIS DIES…

Now, I ask myself, why is this such a big spoiler?

In almost every dystopian YA book, the main character ends up dying one way or another. Since this was such a highly anticipated ending of the series, I guess that’s why it was the biggest spoiler known to date!

I thought that it would be fun to share with you how I got spoiled for this huge spoiler:

One day, I was on YouTube (like I ALWAYS am), and found Veronica Roth sharing a sneak peek of the longly awaited Allegiant.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knv76ucddfo

Anyways, after watching the video I (STUPIDLY) decided to read a few comments, and then this popped up… (or a comment like this)

Untitled

I just clicked out of the video and wanted to SCREAM!

And that was the story of how I got spoiled!

I’d love to know in the comments how you got spoiled of if you were even spoiled at all!

Good Night Book Owls!

Quick Thought #19: Translations and Why They Matter Most.

Hi everyone,

Last week, I came across a website called  Smartling, and was inspired to write this post. Smartling is a software company for websites that want to make their website available internationally by translating it into all types of languages.  Smartling takes the complexity, cost and time out of the translation process by providing companies with an automated, cloud-based translation management platform and comprehensive translation services.

Now, you are probably thinking “Alyssa, how does this have anything to do with books or reading?” Well, I have a good answer for you.

Did you know that about 50% of all classic books were translated from other languages? This list includes:

  • Les Miserables
  • Oblomov
  • The Three Musketeers

Those stories tell a rich tale, that only a good translator could write.

Most stories take an emotional tole, and many of those emotions could not possibly be put in words. For me, the story comes from the words that are not written on the page, but written on you. Everybody takes stories differently, and shouldn’t that still be captured while the story is translated? Just because the book was not written in English, doesn’t mean that it should not be enjoyable/readable for all.

Many do not realize the value of the written word. Wonderful books to this very day may not be translated into a fluent language that international readers read. A few months ago, I was walking into a bookstore and found a copy of The Mortal Instruments AND The Land Of Stories translated into another language.

Untitled

Where I live, we are lucky enough to be able to have translated pieces of fiction, although others may not be as lucky.

The most important aspect that I would like to get across in all works of any translated book would be the imagery/visualization. All people should be able to have the creativity to be able to visualize what they think is happening in the book. If most visualizations of the same book look like the same concept to everyone, then the translator has done their job to create a verified version of the same piece of fiction for EVERYONE to enjoy!

I hope that you enjoyed this post. To be honest, I believe that this is one of my favourite posts that I have ever written on my blog, and I hope that you enjoyed it as much. If you are a company or have a website that you would like to be translated, don’t forget to check out Smartling.

Good Night Book Owls!

Cover Reveal: Seconds Before Sunrise

Hi everyone!

A while back, I got in touch with an amazing author named Shannon A. Thompson! I interviewed her, and reviewed the first book in this Trilogy Minutes Before Sunset. Now, I am back with her to reveal the cover of the Second Book in the trilogy Seconds Before Sunrise, as she is now with a new publisher!

Message from the Author:

 The Timely Death Trilogy began as one teenager’s nightmare and morphed into a real-life dream of authorship. The entire trilogy re-releases with new covers and new interiors this summer and fall by Clean Teen Publishing. I hope you’ll check out this dark vs. light trilogy (mainly because the “dark” side is the good side…maybe), and I especially hope you’ll consider becoming a Member of the Dark! Each time there is a special event, you can participate and win prizes—like spotlights on my website, books, and more. Simply email me at shannonathompson@aol.com, and I’ll send a badge over to you. We might even have coffee together.

Thank you for reading about this dark journey,

~SAT

YouTube Video Reveal:

There is a YouTube Video, that shares the new cover as well! This link will work at noon (CDT).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe9Yzw_jzHM

Synopsis:

Seconds Before Sunrise (book 2 of The Timely Death Trilogy)

Two nightmares. One memory.

“Chaos within destiny. It was the definition of our love.”

Eric has weeks before his final battle when he’s in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can’t survive if he fights alone. But he doesn’t want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war.

Jessica’s memory isn’t the only thing she’s lost. Her desire to find her parents is gone and so is her confidence. But when fate leaves nightmares behind, she decides to find the boy she sees in them, even if it risks her sanity.

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Timely-Death-Trilogy/227663240691565

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18805475-seconds-before-sunrise

CURRENT GIVEAWAY: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/131705-minutes-before-sunset

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Minutes Before Sunset by Shannon A. Thompson

Minutes Before Sunset

by Shannon A. Thompson

Giveaway ends June 23, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

Now for the part you have all been waiting for… THE COVER!

SBScoverIsn’t it so neat?

Thanks to Shannon A. Thompson for collaborating with me on this post!

Good Night Book Owls!

Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon TBR

Hi everyone!

Today, I’m going to be sharing with you the book I plan on reading for Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon.]

I will actually be at a confrence from 8:30am-3:15pm, so sadly I won’t be able to read from that time frame, but I will be able to read in the afternoon/evening!

22875069

The book I have chosen to read is I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives
by Caitlin Alifirenka, Martin Ganda, Liz Welch.

Synopsis:

The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from an impoverishedcity in Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.
It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin’s class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but when Caitlin saw Zimbabwe written on the board, it sounded like the most exotic place she had ever heard of–so she chose it.
Martin was lucky to even receive a pen pal letter. There were only ten letters, and forty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one.
That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.
In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends –and better people–through letters. Their story will inspire readers to look beyond their own lives and wonder about the world at large and their place in it.


I also wanted to mention that I will try to do a few hourly updates, so you can see how I’m tracking!

Good Night Book Lions!

Participation: Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon!

What is Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon? For 24 hours, we read books, post to our blogs, Twitters, Tumblrs, Goodreads and MORE about our reading, and visit other readers’ homes online. We also participate in mini-challenges throughout the day. It happens twice a year, in April and in October.

It was created by the beloved Dewey (her blog has since been taken down, so the link won’t work). The first one was held in October 2007. Dewey died in late 2008. We’re still saddened by her absence, but the show must go on. The read-a-thon was renamed to honor its founder in 2009.

Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon is hosted by Heather and Andi of The Estella Society, with help from volunteers.

More on the read-a-thon’s history.

DIY Bookish Card Game!

Hey guys!

Today, I thought that I would create another beloved DIY! Some of my most viewed posts are my DIY’s, so I like to make as many as I can!

Materials:

Playing Cards (These are the exact ones that I used.)

A Sharpie (This was the exact sharpie I used).

Directions:

Create fun challenges on the cards related to bookish things! This is a list of all of the ones I wrote! NOTE: I used a deck that had lost a few cards, so you will probably have more cards then I had used.

A Card:

  • Name an Author that has the same starting letter of their name that your opponent chooses.
  • Spell out a book title of your opponents choice.
  • What do you prefer to read: Book Reviews or Book Recommendations?

King/Queen/Jack Cards:

  • Who is the King of your book world?
  • Who is the Queen of your book world?
  • Who is the Jack of your book world?

Number 2 Cards:

  • Name 2 books that are in the genre that you least read.
  • Make your opponent draw 2 fictional characters, and guess who they are.
  • List 10 characteristics of 2 of your favourite characters.

Number 3 Cards:

  • Name 3 books that one have a one word title.
  • Name 3 desserts that you would eat while you read.
  • List 3 reasons why you love books.

Number 4 Cards:

  • Create 4 different titles for 4 different books.
  • Name 4 books from the Contemporary genre.

Number 7 Cards:

  • Guess 7 of your opponents favourite characters.
  • Guess 7 of your opponents favourite books.
  • Name 7 of your opponents favourite genre.

Number 8 Cards:

  • Name 8 characters from 8 different books.
  • Draw 8 items that relate to your favourite book.
  • Name 8 books in 40 seconds.
  • List 8 things you love to see in a good book.

Number 9 Cards:

  • Name 9 books that are in your TBR pile.

Number 10 Cards:

  • Name 9 books in 10 seconds!
  • Name 10 favourite books from your childhood.
  • Name 10 books that you would recommend to your opponent.
  • Name 10 tips for choosing a book from a bookstore.

Joker Cards:

  • Choose your own challenge to give to your opponent.

Instructions:

  1. Evenly divide the cards among the players.
  2. Each player takes turns to select a card, and every player participates in the challenge.
  3. Whoever wins the challenge/does the best, collects the card.
  4. Whoever has the most cards at the end wins!

That is my DIY bookish card game! If you make these cards and play the game, make sure to tweet me @iireadingii and use the #readingreadingreadingdiy!

Good Night Book Owls!