Book Blogger Hop: Do you get any books for Christmas? If so, name the titles.

Did you get any books for Christmas? If so, name the titles.

Can you call yourself a bookworm if you didn't get any books for Christmas?

What kind of madness would that be?
Well actually... I didn't get any books for Christmas.
To be fair, I rarely do as I'm primarily an ebooker. You can't really wrap those and pop them under the tree. I did get a fabulous bookmark though, from my mum. It's for those rare occasions I have a print book in my hands...

What I did get for Christmas are Amazon gift cards. These feed my book buying demon for months!
Seriously, last years Christmas gift cards got me through to June! To be fair, I was being very restrained due to a bulging TBR, my KU subscription and penny pinching to buy my house but still... 6 months on Christmas gift cards.
It was awesome.

This year, I reckon I'm aiming to reach June again as I still have my KU subscription and I have soooo so many books on the backlist that I'm committed to whittling down.

Did you get any books for Christmas this year? What were they?

A Netflix Christmas

Late November, early December, I was ill with a couple of back to back bugs that left me too drained to read but with plenty of time to sit in one place.

It was a potential recipe for a case of the bah-humbugs but, thanks to the mighty Netflix, I found myself binge-watching random Christmas movies that I'd never seen - nor would I usually watch! - and I found myself really enjoying them.

They brought Christmas into the house and kept my spirits up while I was in pain and miserable so I thought I'd share what I watched - alongside a few comments on the movie - in case others are looking for some new movies this Christmastime!

The Holiday Romances... 

These were so corny, cheesy and predictable that it was almost painful to watch them but I enjoyed them all anyway. 

Maybe because they were so cheesy and predictable?

A Christmas Prince

In A Christmas Prince, we have the plucky young American jetting off to some fictional little pseudo-European kingdom where she wiggles her way into the palace and into the affections of the future king. 

Naturally.

I'm surprised I didn't develop eye-strain from the amount of rolling they did watching this one but what saved it was the fact that the sweet - purer than freshly fallen snow - romance gave me all the happy feels despite how ridiculous the plot was and the chemistry between them was grand.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding

Oh, come on! I had to watch the sequel! I had to... What fresh challenges would befall the happy couple after their happy ending in the first film?

A wedding, of course, and misunderstandings galore!

Sadly, the sequel just didn't produce the same amount of giddiness as the first but it was still enjoyable enough to pass the time and I think fans of the first will defo want to watch it.

The Holiday Calendar

Painfully predictable but oh so addictive. 

I loved the magic advent calendar and I loved the chemistry between the main characters but I think my favourite thing about this one was that family was at its heart, not the romance. 

The Princess Switch

Another fictional, presumably European, country where the royals all have suspiciously British sounding accents... Another ordinary young lady who captures the heart of a prince. 

This one, however, has an awesome identity swap thing going on so you get two romantic sub-plots to go alongside your festive fun.

Plus, it was funny and full of heart. 

The Christmas Chronicles

I watched this one with the little dude and we both loved it.

It's a proper family fun-filled, feel good, Christmas film and it had us giggling and smiling throughout. 

The little dude liked it so much he wants to watch it again and I liked it enough to happily comply!

Kurt Russell was fantastic as Santa. He made the movie for me.

Arthur Christmas

You have a family where the title of Santa is inherited... Like a king passing on his crown.
A story where Christmas is run as a major military operation and the current Santa's youngest son is clumsy and random but embodies the soul of Christmas where the elder (heir apparent) is good and decent but does not. Throw in mad elves and grumpy former Santas (aka Grandad) and you get lots of good giggles and fuzzy feels.

Christmas Movies That Aren't Christmas Movies

Today, I bring you a very important, topic: Christmas Movies.
But, I don't want to talk about all your typical Christmas movies.
No, I want to talk about the movies that make you feel like Christmas even though they aren't what you'd traditionally think of as Christmas movies.
Everybody has them!
They're the movies that, for whatever reason, your brain associates with the season even though the content of the movie has little, if anything, to do with Christmas!

So, here it is! My Top Ten list of non-Christmas, Christmas movies!

🎄

Edward Scissorhands

This movie just screams Christmastime to me!

I don't care that it's Tim Burton and slightly twisty and odd. It's festive.

That scene where Winona Ryder's character is dancing in the slowflakes from Edward's sculpture is just gorgeous!

It touches a little part of my soul and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and therefore Edward Scissorhands will always be a festive movie in this house.

Gremlins

I know that this movie isn't warmth, sweetness and light but it's definitely festive! 

Snow, holiday jingles, giant snowmen, Christmas trees... It's perfect!

The murderous little monsters just make it funny.

The Lord of The Rings

This trilogy of movies will forever be associated with Christmas for me. I think it's because they were all released at the cinema in December and my original - and strongest - memories of them are tied to going to see them at the cinema with friends and family surrounded by holiday shoppers and decorations. 

Don't get me wrong, I can watch them at any point of the year but watching them at Christmastime is an absolute must!

The Phantom of the Opera

Again, I think I associate this with Christmastime because of when I originally saw it at the cinema. It could also be because it has the gorgeous snowy scene in the graveyard which triggers that "I want to tuck up warm and cozy with a hot chocolate" feeling that Christmas also triggers.

Beauty and the Beast

I blame this being a Christmastime movie, for me, on the snowy scenes once again. And the triggering of the hot chocolatey feeling. 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

It's Christmas for about 10 minutes in the movie but, for me, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone will always be a Christmas film. 

I saw it at the end of November. It's always on the TV at Christmas. It is Christmas.

While You Were Sleeping

There's much debate about this one in my house... Is While You Were Sleeping an actual Christmas movie? 

I'd say no. It's set 100% at Christmas - that is true - but it doesn't have that whole Christmas magic, Santa-ish, vibe that Christmas movies always have. 

It's just a lovely romantic comedy that happens to be set during the holidays, therefore, I say no and it goes on my Christmas movies that aren't Christmas movies list....

And the same goes for this one.

Bridget Jone's Diary

It begins at Christmas and it ends at Christmas but Bridget Jones is not a Christmas movie. It is a movie that can be watched all year long.

That said, every year, since I was a teenager, I have watched Bridget Jone's Diary at Christmas thanks to my mother.

This year will be no different.

🎄

So, what's your non-traditional Christmas movie(s)?

My Favourite Christmas Songs

Not book related but it's Christmas time so I'm sharing some non-book related bits and today's post is... Christmas songs.

There are so many! And so many versions of the same songs.
It can get a bit much, but I've chosen ten that I adore, for many different reasons and decided to share them below! It's a random bunch of songs and they're in no particular order.

Check 'em out and let me know what your favourite songs are this time of year!

One More Sleep - Leona Lewis

Last Christmas - Carly Rae Jepsen

All I Want for Christmas is New Years Day - Hurts

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues & Kirsty McColl

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra

Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley

O Holy Night - Josh Groban

Sleigh Ride - Prokofiev

Walking In A Winter Wonderland - Dean Martin

Don't Shoot Me Santa - The Killers

Book Blogger Hop: Do you tend to visit the same blogs each week but also try to look for new blogs?

Do you tend to visit the same blogs each week but also try to look for new blogs?

I'm a creature of habit so I do tend to visit the same blogs on a regular basis. However, that doesn't mean that I don't visit new blogs. I just don't actively hunt out new blogs. I tend to find new blogs by bookish osmosis. I see a comment on another blog that I'm commenting on and I go visit them to see what their blogs about. I take part in bookish tags & memes and try to visit the participants thus finding new blogs to visit regularly... When people comment on my posts, I return comments and this also leads me to new blogs.

My problem with keeping up with blogs I like is finding an easy way to remember them all!
Some, I visit so often I can type the first few letters into my browser and they pop up. Others I have to google their blog or find their link from a past link-up or go to a list of hyperlinks I keep, and this is time-consuming and annoying.
I'm time-poor. I like quick and efficient!
I need a way to manage things! I've tried bloglovin' and while pretty good, I still end up lost.

How do you find and manage blogs to visit?
Let me know in the comments!

Book Blogger Hop: Do you take notes about the book you are reading as you read?

Do you take notes about the book you are reading as you read?

Nope!

I used to but it just got in the way of actually reading the book so I stopped.
I found it jarring and it was causing a disconnect between me and the book.
I know that I blog about books, and post reviews, but I'm not a professional reader.
I'm a recreational one who shares her thoughts.
I care more about the impression a book left on me and whether I was entertained than critically analyzing a text page by page...
I limit myself to just highlighting quotes as I read now and then writing a rough review once I'm finished which I'll spiff up a bit later before posting.

Favourite Halloween Themed Movies!

I know this is a book blog but I'm branching out a little with this post and sharing my favourite Halloween movies because it's the season of things that go bump in the night and because I'm taking part in blogoween and have so far had only posted 3 out of 13 pledged posts... Huh. That means I've already failed my blogoween challenge but nevermind! 

I can still do better than 3!

Therefore, my favourite Halloween themed movies!

🎃

Hocus Pocus

Another one from my childhood and one my little dude watched for the first time last year... And got a little freaked out by, lol. I didn't remember it being that creepy but it is a little! It's also quirky, funny and so seasonal there is no better movie for watching on Halloween!

Beetlejuice

This one is good for watching anytime, I guess, but it just screams Halloween to me.

This is one of those movies that makes me laugh, smile and want to dance.

Casper

Nice, cutesy and family friendly. It's funny, atmospheric and hits you in the feels a little bit. 

Bram Stoker's Dracula

I love the look and feel of this movie.

 I remember being entranced by the posters when I was my son's age and when I was finally old enough to be allowed to watch the movie I fell in love. 

Gary Oldman was amazing, the intensity, the passion... Amazing. 

The Addams Family & The Addams Family Values

Quirky, weird and hilarious with a nice old school vibe, I've been watching both these movies since I was a kid and my kid will soon be watching them too!

Ghostbusters 1 & 2

I love them! I love both of them. I won't choose between them. They both have their own something something that makes me happy. I mean, what's not to love about a bunch of middle-aged dudes running around like goof-balls fighting ghosts with 1980's graphics?!

These movies have been with me for as long as I can remember (I wasn't even born when the first one released!) and they never get old.

🎃

These ones I haven't seen them yet. but have been recommended, therefore I will be watching them before this Halloween!

Halloweentown

Last year, I asked what people's favourite Halloween movies were and this one came up a lot. I'd never even heard of it but I took note and this year I'm going to give it a go!

Goosebumps

Everyone has read at least one of RL Stine's Goosebumps books, right?

I don't like the scaries or the creepies much but even I've read a load of the Goosebumps books. However, I've never seen the movie. 

So, I'm going to watch the movie.

The Haunted Mansion

I've heard this one is so awful that it's good so I'll defo be trying to watch this one before Halloween. 

If nothing else, I love the Haunted Mansion ride at the Magic Kingdom so it'll remind me of lovely holidays, lol. 

🎃

What're your favourites?

Book Blogger Hop: If you HAD to read one of these two genres, which would you prefer?

It's getting close to Halloween.
If you HAD to read one of these two genres, which would you prefer - urban fantasy, or horror, and why?

Had to? HAD TO?!  I LOVE to read one of these genres so this question is very easy to answer.

My answer is, of course, Urban Fantasy!

Why?
That's a good question. I used to hate Urban Fantasy... Actually, that's not true.
I never used to understand Urban Fantasy.

When Urban Fantasy first hit my radar, I was in my late teens / early twenties and very much a romance reader.
I'd discovered the likes of Christen Feehan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Amanda Ashley, Maggie Shayne and and loved their paranormal romances so I actively hunted paranormal romance.

In my ignorance, I picked up many UF series during this hunt thinking they were paranormal romance - Kate Daniels series, Mercy Thompson series, Cassie Palmer series etc - and instead of getting a nice sexy romance (wrapped up in a single book) I got stories about some random chick or another doing crazy stuff in a fantasy setting.

It wasn't that the books were bad or the stories unenjoyable, they just weren't what I wanted.
I wanted a single novel hit of passion and feeling preferably as part of a series so I could check in with past characters are see how they're doing.
 I didn't want magical adventures with very little romance.
It was like ordering chocolate and being given fruit.
Still tasty but WTF?
I read these books going, "that's nice but where's the good stuff?!"

Back then, the only UF I binge read and enjoyed was by Richelle Mead.
Her Georgina Kincaid series (about a Succubus) and her Dark Swan series (about a half fae shaman) were awesome.
They had enough romance early on (aka book one) to hook me and they aren't overly long series so I didn't have almost a decade to wait for the romantic pay off... But that's not the point. The point is I was ignorant to the charms of good, slow burn, UF.

If only I'd understood that the 'good stuff' does come in UF.
I'd have read so many good series so long ago... But then again, I'd have been waiting year on year for them to release so maybe it's not so bad that it took me years to grow up enough to appreciate slow burn romance and kick ass characters on their own merits (and not as part of a couple).
I cringe now when I think of how much I disdained UF all those years ago.

Those series I mentioned?
Kate Daniels and Cassie Palmer?
I LOVE them.
Seriously, love them.
I love Kim Harrison's Hollows, Chloe Neill's Chicagoland and Harris' Sookie Stackhouse.

In fact, it was reading Sookie Stackhouse (borrowed from the library) that started changing my mind proper about UF. From Sookie I springboarded onto Harrison's Rachel and that was me... Changing. Although, it's only been in the last couple of years that UF has become a favourite genre.

There are so many other 'classic' UF series I missed that I'm determined to catch up on such as Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Noville series, Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series and anything by Jennifer Estep.

I realise that a lot of this has been rambling about my history with UF but the basic reasons why I love it so much are:

- Kick ass characters that you have time to really care about and love. 
You get to see them evolve over multiple books and it is so rewarding!

- It's like visiting friends! 
Seriously, you care so much about the characters and fall in love with the world that slipping into a new book is like visiting old friends.
- Amazing world building. 
- Slow burn romance (not always but in the good ones 😉)

But, even if I didn't love UF so much, I'd still choose UF over horror.
I don't like horror.
I don't like being scared for no other reason than to be scared.
What is the actual point of that?
Seriously, the genre seems to exist to scare and shock people.
It has no other purpose unless it's to remind you that the world could be so much worse than it currently is. I don't need to be reminded of that and I prefer to escape the horrors of the world and live in a fantasy one.

Book Blogger Hop: Cluttered Blogs

Does a cluttered blog have you not returning? 

By cluttered I mean too many columns, small type, too many photos, difficult to follow, etc.

It depends on whether I really like the content of the blog or like the blogger...

Generally, I'm not a fan of cluttered blogs. I don't like teeny tiny reading areas for the main body of the blog because there are multiple columns either side of the main body.
I'm not a fan of things popping out at me, constant adsense/advertising crap, tiny writing or harsh contrasts that make it difficult to read the content and leave funny patterns on my eyes after reading the blog for a while.

I like simple, functional, easy to navigate and pretty and I don't give a monkey's ass if a blog or blog article is full of pictures if they are cool, pretty and/or serve a purpose.

However, stylistic preferences aside, it's the content of the blog that matters.
You could have the best blog layout and design in the world but if I don't enjoy what you write, I'm not going to keep reading, it's as simple as that.

If I find your blog layout annoying but you write great reviews, share a similar taste in books, write articles that challenge how I think, write articles that amuse and are a blogger I like?
Then I'm going to keep reading your blog regardless of whether I like the aesthetics or not.

At the end of the day, It doesn't matter if I think a blog is messy, ugly, unwieldy or annoying.
It doesn't matter whether I think a blog's content is crap or not.
It doesn't matter whether I like the blog content but think the blogger seems like a first-class grade-A tit, all that matters is that the blogger is happy doing what they do and that THEY like the layout of their blog.
We spend way too much time on our sites to pander to someone else's preferences if they do not match our own. You have to just be true to who you are and march to the beat of your own drum and if you like harsh contrasts, advertising and clutter then crack on my fellow blogger! Crack on! I'll just do myself a favour and scroll on.
😉

TTT: Favourite Book Quotes

TTT Throwback! 

Pick a topic we’ve done in the past that you missed out on, or loved so much you’d like to do again!
(*Argh! The topic has changed... But I'd written and scheduled this one when it was a freebie... Oh well! I'm keeping it, lol*)

I choose to do Favourite Book Quotes.

This was such a struggle to choose just 10 and an even bigger struggle to restrict my Dr. Seuss quotes to just one because I have so many Dr. Seuss quotes that I adore... But anyways.
Behold!
Some of my top book quotes!

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.” 

― Dr. Seuss

How true is this?!

Just think how miserable life would be if you had nowhere to escape the stresses of life from...

“There is nothing we want quite as much as the thing we know we can’t have.”

- Friday Night Bites, Chicagoland Vampires book two, Chloe Neill

The grass is always greener etc. etc.
It's a sentiment that holds true for everyone and I love how beautifully stated it is here.

“Sometimes people put up walls, not only to keep people out, but also to see who cares enough to tear them down.” 

- Bad Romeo, Leisa Rayven

Truth. So much truth.

“He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” 

― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

Such a beautiful sentiment that made my teenaged heart sing the first time I ever read Wuthering Heights. I still adore it and it still makes my romantic heart sing. 

“There is a reason why all things are as they are.” 

― Bram Stoker, Dracula

I believe this! Therefore, I love this!

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone

You can't have a favourite quotes thing without some Harry Potter, can you? No, no of course you can't! And this one is incredibly important. Dreams are necessary to stay sane but you can't forget to live while dreaming.

“You can live your whole life not realizing that what you're looking for is right in front of you.” 

― David Nicholls, One Day

Truth. All the truths...

"The most beautiful heart of all is the one that can still love even while it bleeds, and especially after its been broken into thousands of pieces." 

— Sherrilyn Kenyon

How beautiful is this?!

😭

If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.

– Lemony Snicket

How many times do you say something like, when I've done X then I can do Y and then X is done and dusted and there's always something else getting in the way of Y! Therefore, sometimes, you just gotta jump.

“The function of music is to liberate in the soul those feelings which normally we keep locked up in the heart.” 

― Sebastian Faulks, Birdsong

There is a reason music speaks to people. The reason it can save a life, break down barriers... A reason why you can enjoy a song in a language you do not speak and music that has no words. It unlocks the soul. Therefore, I love this quote!

What's your favourite book quotes?

Book Blogger Hop: Do you have an Instagram account? If so, do you only follow book folks?

Do you have an Instagram account?  If so, do you only follow book folks?

Yes, I have an Instagram account.

I set it up with the intention of creating a 'bookstagram' to compliment my book blog but it didn't work out that way. 

I love taking pictures but I'm not the type who will spend hours playing with my bookshelves to make them look pretty (honestly, they're a bit of a dusty disgrace!) or the type to collect bookish memorabilia that could be used to make beautiful pictures... In the end, I just decided not to even try.

I do share bookish things on my Instagram but it's not the sole focus of my Instagram. 

I like to post lots of cat pictures.

I also post random pictures of places and things I find interesting.

As for who I follow, I follow authors I like, bloggers I like, people I find interesting and bookstagrammers who post all the pretty book spreads. 

Ultimately, I'm just not a big fan of Instagram. 

I'm a simple creature and I haven't spent anywhere near enough time working out how it works and how to get the best out of it. 

Book Blogger Hop: What author have you read the most in the past two years?

What author have you read the most in the past two years?

This is a really simple question.

I didn't even have to think that hard about it.

Two years ago, I was in the middle of a reading crisis and by crisis I mean I was barely reading a book a month because I'd lost my mojo and nothing was pulling me out of my funk, pretty much because I was in a dark place and until I managed to dig myself out of the hole I was drowning in, nothing was going to be fun.

As part of the digging myself out of my misery pit, I deleted my old blog, cut off social media and simplified my life.

Simplifying my life worked a treat and before long I was reading regularly again and I discovered I missed my blog but it was too late to reinstate it - and the associated social media - so Sunny Buzzy Books was born.

Within weeks of starting Sunny Buzzy Books, I decided to read the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. I was in an Urban Fantasy mood, I had about 6 of them already, between the book shelf and the kindle, so I picked them up and started reading... And I didn't stop until I'd inhaled all nine plus multiple novellas set in the Kate Daniels world.

But I didn't stop there.

Over the past year, I have read everything available by Ilona Andrews with the exception of the two Kingsman novels and two of The Edge series.
That means I have read approximately 25 novels and novellas by this writing duo since May last year.

Two more Ilona Andrews novels - and one more novella - are on the TBR for this year: all pre-ordered.

I just LOVE their world building, their attention to detail and the strong characters they develop. The romance junkie in me also loves how they build the relationships between characters in their books. It always feels so genuine... Raw, real, believable and sexy.

So, yeah.
The simple answer to this would have just been to say Ilona Andrews, but that would've been boring.
😝

What about you? Who have you read the most of in the past two years?

Book Blogger Hop: What Are Your Worst Movies Based Off Of Books?

What were your worst movies based off of books? 

I think it'll always be universal fact that the book is better than the movie but there are some where I've read the books, and then watched the movies, and still really enjoyed the films. 

For example, I really enjoyed the first Twilight movie. I thought that was pretty close to the book and well done.

The Hunger Games movies I thought were excellent.

The Lord of The Rings movies (extended editions) were pretty damn awesome too.

The Notebook will always be a romantic favourite.

There are countless others that I quite enjoyed, and even more that I know are from books but I've never read the book so can't comment on whether I thought the adaptation was good or not.

A book to film doesn't always have to go badly... It's just maddening how off the mark they can be sometimes.

😖

Here are some perfect examples of what I considered a horrible book to movie translation:

Vampire Academy. 

Did you SEE what they did to that book? To Dimitri? To all of it? Gah! 

I shudder in horror every time I think of it and seeing as I only watched it recently the horror is still fresh. 

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. 

The book is awesome, the film is garbage. 

The little dude enjoyed the film and is so very confused - now he's listened to the book - over why the film is so different. 

I had to give him the 'Hollywood like to butcher lovely books' talk. 

I mean, they butchered The Lightning Thief movie too but I think because I saw it before reading the book that I'm possibly more forgiving of the changes made in that one... 

Harry Potter. 

Yep. I've said it. I hate them. 

HATE THEM.

And I'm not sorry. 

I will always hate them and I will argue in great amounts of detail with anyone who thinks they were done well... 

Except for The Philosopher's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets. They were okay. 

The rest should be cast into a fiery pit and tortured for all eternity for being the abominations that they are.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

It doesn't matter how annoying I found the book, the film was worse. A bazillion times worse with a cherry on the top.

If you haven't seen it, be thankful.

I'm sure there are more, in fact I know there are more, that I've found appalling but these are the ones that jumped immediately to mind.

I'm really looking forward to seeing other people's answers to this question!

TMST: Do you really read excerpts when featured on blogs?

Do you really read excerpts when featured on blogs? 

That depends on whether the blurb sounds interesting. 

If the blurb sounds interesting then I'll read the excerpt. 

If I like the excerpt, I'll add the book to the wishlist. 

Would I visit a blog to specifically read an excerpt? 

No. 

But considering how many books are available in every genre you can imagine now, an excerpt can go a long way towards making an informed choice on whether to spend the hard-earned cash, and take a chance on an unfamiliar author, or not. 

Book Blogger Hop: Have You Ever Thought About Writing An Angry Letter To...

This Week's Question: 

Have you ever thought of writing a respectful, but angry letter to an author to ask them WHY they killed off one of your favorite characters in a novel? 

My Answer: 

Erm, no. I can't say that I have.

I can honestly say that I haven't even thought about doing it either.

In fact, as I write this, I'm struggling to recall a character whose death sent me into a flying rage which is the state I'd get ranty -respectful or otherwise - and I can't think of one.

I've been saddened by the death of many a favourite character before, a little angry sure, but never enraged. 

I think you'd have to be truly incensed to send a howler to an author over what they chose to do with a character of their own creation.

My propensity for getting emotionally involved with fictional characters is a running joke amongst my family and friends but I obviously just don't care enough about their deaths.

However, you switch this around and make it about romantic interests doing shitty things or bad things happening to my favourite couples and I'd be tempted, lol. 

That's one of the reasons I read romance... You're almost certainly guaranteed a happy ever after!

Book Blogger hop: Do you Overextend Yourself With Reviews?

This Week's Question: 

Do you over-extend yourself with too many reviews because you can't pass up a book in hopes you will get them all done or do you carefully plan and be sure you can fulfil the deadlines for all the promised reviews? 

My Answer: 

No. Yes. Sometimes... I'm much more careful nowadays than I used to be.

Back when I ran my previous blog - The Book Lovers Codex - I used to jump at the chance of a review copy. I said yes to all the books because I felt I was supposed to and so many of the books offered to me sounded appealing. 

However, it didn't take long for the review copies to overtake my life. I felt pressured to read, stressed while reading and wanted to hide from my blog because it was all too much. 

Everything I read was because I 'had to' read it not because I wanted to read it right at that moment. 

It didn't matter what mood I was in, if a review was due I'd have to read the book.

It got me down and though it wasn't the reason I decided to quit blogging it did play a huge part in sucking the joy out of blogging and making it a chore.

That's why when I decided to start blogging again - and created Sunny Buzzy Books - I decided I wasn't going to do it. I was going to read only what I wanted to read, when I wanted to read it.

This has meant that I have to be very selective in what I sign up for and I have mostly managed it, although April is going to be insane as a result of being accepted for everything I applied to take part in... Ooops! 

In my defence, I'm really excited about all the tours I'm on this month and reading the books has been anything but a chore seeing as I'd buy them all to read on my own anyway. 

However, I guess it shows though that no matter how wise you think you have become to something - and no matter how selective you are - every now and again you'll get bit in the butt, lol.

Book Blogger Hop: Hardcover dust jackets, on or off?

This Week's Question: 

Do you read hardcovers with the dust jacket on or off? Why or why not? 

My Answer: 

Oooh... It's been a really long time since I read a hardcover. 

I avoid them like the plague. 

They take up too much space on my shelf, they're heavy and, in my humble opinion, a complete rip-off.

I especially detest it when a series starts off in paperback and then part way through flips to hardcover. I mean, seriously?! What is the point? You suddenly realise that people like it and decide to milk them for as much cash as you can? Not only by making them spend double - or more - on a hardback but my manipulating a bookworm's OCD and forcing them to re-buy the previous books in hardback so their shelf matches? Or forcing them to wait months more for the continuation of the story when it finally releases in paperback? 

Not cool publishers. Not cool.

Don't even get me started on publishers charging hardback prices for an ebook... 

However, long before Kindle, I did cave to the machine and buy hardcovers on occasion, because I couldn't wait to continue a series. 

When I did this, I always took the dust jacket off and stashed it somewhere refusing to put it back on until I had finished reading. 

They're fiddly and pointless and just make an already fiddly book even harder to read unless it's stripped off. 

What about you? Do you like hardbacks? Do the dust jackets annoy the ever-loving bejeezus out of you? 

Book Blogger Hop: Do you prefer to blog about specific book genre(s), or do you have an eclectic blog?

This week's Question: 

Do you prefer to blog about (a) specific book genre(s), or do you have an eclectic blog? 

My Answer: 

I honestly haven't thought about it. 

I blog about what I read, whenever I read it, therefore I'd like to think that the blog is eclectic and will become more so over time as my reading whims change. 

However, looking through my reviews and posts since I started Sunny Buzzy Books, I've been very heavy on the Urban Fantasy (UF), Fantasy and Paranormal Romance (PNR) side of things. 

Some contemporary romances have been mixed up amongst it, but someone could be easily forgiven for assuming that UF / PNR are my primary bag. 

I guess, at the moment, they are. 

No matter what genre I'm reading, one thing remains the same: I read romance. 

Romance is a constant for me and is a focus for the blog. 

The genre of romance changes but I crave a strong romantic hook in the books I read. 

Lately, I've been flirting with including the books I read with my son on the blog, so that'll shake things up a bit and on the occasions I do read something that is out with the romance bracket, I wouldn't hesitate to include it. 

Therefore, I'm going with eclectic! 

😊 

Book Blogger Hop: What upcoming titles are looking forward to reading in 2018?

Following on from last weeks post on my top five books of 2017, I follow it up with the next semi-obligitory blog post of a new year; what books I'm looking forward to this year! 

This week's Book Blogger Hop question - "What upcoming titles are looking forward to reading in 2018?" - is a nice little prompt for me to do that. 

Most books I'm looking forward to in 2018 are continuations of existing book series. I think the reason for this is that I actively track my favourite series, desperate to get my hands on the next one, whereas with standalones I don't tend to know they exist until they approach release and start cropping up randomly on my radar. 

Therefore, the books I'm most looking forward to in 2018 - at present - are: 

February 2018 

I'm ever so slightly enraged that the Chaos series is returning in the form of a novella - Snapper and Rosalie deserve so much more!!! - but I'm stupidly excited for it all the same! 

March 2018 

Book 5 in the Alpha and Omega series! 

I love Anna and Charles! 

This is a fantastic Urban Fantasy series. 

April 2018 

The BDB! It's becoming an example of the series that never ends but I don't care cause it's awesome! 

May 2018

The conclusion to the Kate Daniels series! 😭 

I don't want this series to end but I'm desperate to get my hands on this book! 

May 2018 

The continuation of ACOWAR series! 

It's only a novella but from what I understand it kicks off the next story arc in this series and I'm really excited to catch up with old favourites and to see what fate has in store from them next. 

Fall 2018 

I'm gutted that this book got pushed back from May! 

After the stonker of a cliffhander at the end of Empire of Storms it's beyond cruel to make us wait until fall for the conclusion to this breath-taking series! 

However, I understand the author's reasons, family is more important than anything, and I'm sure the year will fly-by and I'll have it in my grubby little mitts before I know it! 

December 2018 

Finally! The last installment in The Dark Artifices trilogy. 

Once I have this in my hands I can finally read the first two parts sitting on my shelf for I haven't been able to bring myself to do it until now. I hate the nail biting wait in between them so I wait and then I binge. 

🌻 

I'm sure there are so many I've missed but I'll pick them up as I go on my way. 

Happy reading! 

Book Blogger Hop: Favourite books of 2017

I was contemplating whether I should do one of these posts... 

They seem to be semi-obligatory at this point in the year but I quite often lack the energy to evaluate past books and rank them against each other. 

However, when I saw that this week's Book Blogger Hop question was, "What are your five most favorite books in 2017?" I figured I might as well join in. 

Here are my 'top 5' reads of 2017, in no particular order: 

(Contemporary Romance) 

Mariana Zapata's slow-burn romances NEVER disappoint but I found Wait For It to be the best of the bunch. 

It's full of heart, great characters, love, and life. 

I can't recommend it highly enough. 

(Mature YA / NA Fantasy Romance) 

Okay. I know this one is a bit of a cheat as it's three books but the trilogy was one of my favourite reads of 2017. 

I loved them. 

I inhaled them, one after the other and wanted more when they were finished. 

If I HAD to pick a favourite, I'd choose book three - A Court of Wings and Ruin - but you can't read book three without having read the other two so... I add the trilogy to the list! 

🙂 

(Urban Fantasy) 

Ride The Storm was one of my most anticipated reads for 2017. 

A conclusion to the 'second act' in Karen Chance's Cassie Palmer series and I - being the Cassie & Pritkin shipper that I am - LOVED it. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and it certainly isn't something you can just jump into without having read previous books, but if you are/were a fan of this series then you've gotta read it. 

Now for the two/three year wait on the next one... 😭 

(Urban Fantasy) 

I know... This is another series, not a single book, but Ilona Andrews has dominated my reading list this past year. Their stories - all their worlds - are so well written and engrossing and I haven't been able to get enough! 

I've inhaled The Hidden Legacy series, The Innkeeper series, the first two books in The Edge Series and the entirety of the Kate Daniels series, including all associated novels/novellas. 

Off the top of my head, that's 23 novels/novellas written by Ilona Andrews, but the Kate Daniels series is my favourite. 

If that's not enough of a reason to break the rules again and add a series / author to my 'favourites of 2017 list' then you have no soul. 

😛 

Shade

(MC Romance) 

I enjoy Joanna Wylde's Reapers MC series and I loved how this novella continued that series but took place with a different chapter of the Reapers. 

I don't know why I enjoyed this one so much but I did... It's dark and gritty, the romance is a little unconventional, but I really liked it. It's had several re-reads already and I know I'll probably re-read it again in the not so distant future. I only wish it was longer! 

New Year Reflections...

Some might be aware that I had a book blog for three years before I started Sunny Buzzy Books. 

It was called The Book Lovers Codex and I used it as a space to post book reviews and take part in reveals, tours, blitzes and the like. 

I loved my little blog, it didn't get much interaction in the way of comments and communication with readers but it had a couple of thousand followers on twitter and facebook so I like to think it played a part in sharing the book love despite not really being a part of 'the community'. 

By that I mean I didn't spend much time getting to know fellow bloggers. I didn't visit other blogs, or comment, or participate in giveaways and hops... I just stuck to my own little corner of the bloggiverse and minded my own business. 

In the third year of The Book Lovers Codex I didn't post much. 

I didn't read much. 

Life had gotten so busy and I'd fallen into a dark little place. 

I wanted (needed) to reduce stress and decided to simplify my life and eliminate unnecessary drains on my time. 

So I deleted my beloved but hideously neglected blog. 

I deleted it's social media pages. I deleted the associated email account. 

I was done.

This was around last February and it was so freeing. 

The guilt of neglecting my blog and any sense of futility that arose when I did motivate myself to post disappeared. 

It really was a good move...  

Until I wasn't.

I missed my blog. 

I'd made enough subtle changes in my life that I had slowly started moving from the dark place. 

I started reading again.

I missed having somewhere to write up the book thoughts.

It really didn't take that long before I realised I'd been a right berk in deleting everything - it was April - but it was long enough to prevent me from recovering any of the past.

If I wanted to blog again, I needed to start from the beginning.

So I did. 

Sunny Buzzy Books was born in May 2017.

This time, however, I was doing things a bit differently.

I was going to write reviews how I liked reviews and I wasn't going to compare myself - or my reviews - to other bloggers and their lengthy and beautiful book dissections that I read on goodreads. I was just going to be me. 

I wasn't going to stress myself out with constant promo pieces - cover reveals, blitzes, tours, arcs - and I haven't. 

(Much. August was a bit hectic but I pulled myself back after that...)

I decided I wanted to connect more with other bloggers and I have. 

I visit blogs when I have time, reading and commenting on their posts and enjoying it. 

I take part in book memes and hops because I want to post more than book reviews this time around and the meme's and questions always give me something to think about - write about - and writing those posts has uncovered the sassy opinionated part of me that had slowly been smothered to the point of near death. 

I hold a giveaway once a month to give back to readers and, I'm not going to lie, to entice people to read the blog. Sunny Buzzy Books is still a new blog and I need a way of getting it 'out there'. Although, at the end of the day, I'll write the blog regardless of whether anybody reads it because I enjoy it but it's nice to think that it's not all for nothing! lol. 

In the past, I'd agree to read pretty much anything that sounded like it was my type of book. I had a happy request finger on Netgalley. I never had time to read whatever I wanted whenever I wanted as I always had a review copy of something to 'get through'. 

Now I'm extremely picky about my arc's / review requests. 

I'll only request/accept a book I'm desperate to read, and had on my TBR, or something that sounds freakin' amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on... Basically, something I'd be buying and reading anyway regardless of whether I'm granted a review copy to inhale a few weeks early. 

This helps keep me happy, engaged and sane on the reading front. 

This year, I want to continue Sunny Buzzy books as I have begun.

I want to continue writing more than just book reviews.

I want to continue keeping the 'promos' to a minimum and only sharing things I'm genuinely enthusiastic or interested in. 

I want to continue visiting other blogs.

I'm going to maintain my stance on ARCs and Netgalley. 

I'm going to continue to REFUSE to be bullied for reviews by pushy authors - yep, that actually happens! - and I'm going to continue marching to the beat of whatever drum makes me happy.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year!

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