Snapshot Saturday | BEA Loot

This Thursday I had the incredible opportunity to attend BEA, also known as BookExpoAmerica. And while I know I said that today's Snapshot Saturday (now Snapshot Sunday) would be about prom, but BEA was way more worthwhile. 

This was my first BEA and I will tell you that it was amazing, way better than BookCon last year. Most booths, especially the Young Adult Fiction ones, have stacks and stacks of free books just waiting to be taken. In addition to that, there are hundreds or authors there, signing books, networking.

My friend and I heavily underestimated the number of books we would get and, as a result, only brought a fairly small suitcase. Overall we filled up five totebags, one backpack and the suitcase and then travelled on the train home. It was a long and grueling journey, but we made it. We each got about fifty books, at least a quarter of which were signed (all of them will be featured in my May Haul). There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I will be attending next year, even if it is in Chicago. 

Did any of you guys go to BEA? If so, which books did you get? 

Free For All Friday | Prom Antics

Today's the day millions of girls all over the world dream about. It's the day that is showcased in TV shows and movies to be "the best day of your life." It's prom.

If there's anything you should know about me it's that I hate unnecessary antics. And to me, there's nothing more unnecessary then spending hundreds of dollars on one night, an overrated, extremely fancy school dance. 

First there's the promposal. If you're a couple, you already know you're going to prom together so why do you need to make a big deal about it. Why do you have to plan a flash mob and force everyone to practice the dance multiple times? It seems like an unnecessary waste of time and effort. I know I seem like a cynic, but I promise I'm not. I just think promposals should be saved for those who aren't expecting it. 

Secondly there's the dress. Thankfully my dress shopping wasn't extensive. But I've heard the stories. You buy a two hundred dollar dress, then you have to spend another hundred getting it tailored so you don't trip and fall over the ridiculously long hem. Then you have to shop for all the accessories: the necklaces, earrings, makeup, shoes, etc. AND you have to make sure they perfectly match your dress. It's just too much. And if you're taking a date, forget it. They have to get you a corsage, and their tie/shirt has to perfectly match your dress. I honestly don't care if your tie is three shades greener than my dress. It makes no difference to me. 

Then there's the day of prom; the hair appointments, the nail appointments, the hours getting ready, and then the ridiculous number of pictures.

Prom never felt like a big deal for me. My high school goal isn't to be prom queen, it's to graduate as a valedictorian. I'm not saying one is better than the other, but prom queen has never been in my agenda. I'm also quite bitter since I'm missing BEA to attend prom, and while I'll try to have a good time, prom is not my scene so who knows what will happen. 

Snapshot Saturday, if it's on time, will probably showcase my time at prom. 

Do you guys have any prom stories? Good ones? Bad ones? Let me know in the comments below! 

Tuesday Talks | Biggest Reading Influence

Welcome to another Tuesday Talks, a Goodreads group started by Janie and Janelle. Today we're going to delve deep into my past and talk about the biggest influence that galvanized my reading.

My passion seems to have arouse from nowhere. Neither of my parents were huge readers, nor were any of my close relatives or friends. Back in the time when Internet wasn't as ubiquitous as it is now, an only child didn't really have much to occupy herself and so I picked up a book. I travelled to other worlds and realized how much I loved it and the habit has stuck with me ever since.

There's just this feeling that only a good book can give you. The feeling when you know the characters and are invested in their lives, when you wish you could be a part of the book. For some people it happens with movies, with others comic books. For me it happens with novels.

There's no big influence for me. It's a hobby I tried and loved as a kid so I do it now. And I think that's the best kind of hobby. 

Soaring Through Stars | Rajdeep Paulus

As the third book in the Swimming Through Stones series by Rajdeep Paulus, this book did not disappoint. It continues right where the last book left off and we continue to learn about all these wonderful characters. 

I will admit, this book wasn't as fantastic as the first two, only because I felt a distinct lack of romance, but besides that it was terrific. 

My favorite aspect of this book was by far the familial aspect. We finally get some closure to the lawsuit against Talia's father and we get to learn of other long lost family members. We get to see the bridge of trust begin to build between Talia and her family. The interactions and relationships built between these characters is phenomenal. Paulus does a fantastic job of developing these characters we already know and love. 

While the story from Swimming Through Clouds was one of struggle and pain, the one from Soaring Through Stars was distinctly of healing and rehabilitation. We get to see Talia and Jesse finally recover from the one person who has haunted them their entire lives and finally find peace. 

Though it is a great conclusion to a great series, I want to continue the lives of Talia and Jesse. I want to know what happens next. I want to see Talia and Lagan get married and raise a family together. I want to see the role their uncle plays in their futures. I feel as though I'm not done with these characters yet; I'm too invested in their lives and I sincerely hope that Paulus feels inspired to write more about these characters. 

I highly recommend this book and this series as a whole.  If you haven't already checked it out I really think it's worth trying out, I'll link my reviews down below if you want to check out more! 

Swimming Through Clouds

Seeing Through Stones 

Snapshot Saturday | Kiera Cass Meet & Greet

I've decided to start yet another segment on my blog, one hopefully I'll upkeep, called Snapshot Saturday. Here I plan to post some picture, one that I took or made, either book-related or not. I'm not much of a photography person, so I'm hoping this segment will encourage me to take more pictures and hopefully make more memories.

So the first photo I want to share with you was from a meet and greet for Kiera Cass I went to recently. After she had a short Q&A session, we got to meet her and get her newly released book, the Heir signed. Though the line was moving pretty fast, I got to tell her a little about my blog and get my book signed.

It's such an exhilarating experience to meet authors and network with them. I'm going to BEA very soon and hopefully I'll be able to network some more authors! 

Free For All Friday | Unphotogenic Pictures

Hey guys, so for this Free For All Friday, I want to talk about something very near and dear to my heart: unphotogenic photos.

If you're reading this and thinking "Man I'm the most photogenic person", trust me, I've got you beat.

I would say that I'm a fairly average looking person, not extreme either way, but for some reason photos have a way of warping all of my features into an unrecognizable and laughable face.

For those of you who are fortunate enough to not know what the term means, "unphotogenic" is essentially when someone doesn't photograph well and all their pictures turn out weird.

There are several classic things that usually never fail to happen whenever a picture of me is taken:

1. Half-Closed Eyes

I'm known for having quite large eyes, and while most of the time it's a fantastic feature, my blink timing is off and when the camera's click goes off, my eye is usually in mid blink and the camera never fails to catch that moment.

2. The Chandler Smile

Also known as the forced and painful smile. While my regular smile is fairly average, when a camera is placed in front of me, it instantly turns into a forced and unnatural smile. And I honestly have no idea why. The traditional "cheese" doesn't really work for me.

3. Awkward Poses

I'm not sure if this has anything to with being inherently unphotogenic, but when someone tells me to stand for a picture I never know what to do with myself. Am I supposed to strike a pose? Put my hands on my hips? Regardless of what I do, I feel dumb.

So from this post, I have basically come to the realization that I probably won't be a model, which I am perfectly content with, but am I the only unphotogenic person out there? Let me know in the comments below if you guys have any unflattering consequences of cameras. 

If | Nicholas Bourbaki

If is an experimental novel of ideas. You, the reader, are the nameless protagonist, a young dreamer from northern California. At the end of each chapter, you must make a pivotal decision. These choices shape your identity as the plot and literary form of the novel swerve toward twenty-two possible endings.

I stumbled upon this read on Courtney's blog: CourtneyReads and was intrigued simply by its format. At the end of each chapter, there's a choice. As the main character, the reader has some type of control over the ending of the book, and this, in itself, fascinated me.

However, I will admit, I didn't love this book as much as I hoped to. While I appreciate the difficulty and effort that may have gone into writing this book, the format didn't work as properly as, I think, it should have. Frequently, I would come to the end of a chapter that had no choice, and would continue reading, only to find myself in the midst of a different scene with different characters. And this happened often, often enough that I couldn't finish the book since I wasn't able to extricate and follow any one storyline from the book.

If I have time, I will definitely attempt to try this book again, but it didn't appeal to me as much as I'd hope. Though I don't discourage anyone else from trying out this book. If you've read this book, let me know what you think in the comments below!