Reading Rambles {3}: Are You A Reading Procrastinator?

Reading Rambles is a sporadic feature in which I ramble about all things bookish and ask you to join in on the discussion.

Today's Ramble:

After nearly two weeks of putting off reading Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor, despite the fact that I was dying to know what would happen next, I've discovered something about myself: I am a horrible reading procrastinator. It's a real problem! As much as I want to read this book, I just keep finding excuses to put it off. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I do this more often than I originally thought. I'm curious to see if this is just me, or if you all struggle with reading procrastination too. 

Not sure if you're a reading procrastinator? Here's a short list to help you figure it out.

• Do you ever get to a point in a book when you know something horrible is going to happen and you're just not mentally or emotionally prepared to deal with it, so you have to stop, put the book down, and take a breather (which can last anywhere from a few days to a few months)?

• Do you put off reading a series of books until you have time to read them all in one go (even though this will probably never happen)?

• Do you tell yourself you'll read before bed but then end up going right to sleep because you're either too exhausted or know that if you start reading now you'll be up until the break of dawn with the phrase "Just one more chapter..." repeating in your head like a mantra?

• Do you ever feel like your TBR pile is staring at you? Do you find excuses to ignore it, such as, "Oh, my room is a mess! I can't possibly start reading until I've cleaned it up a bit!" Or, "Now feels like a good time to check the 50+ unread e-mails in my inbox." Or, "I think I'll go change the layout of my blog for the hundredth time this month."

• Do you find yourself reading reviews, watching YouTube videos, or scrolling through Pinterest and Tumblr looking for posts about the very book you're not reading, when you could be spending that time actually reading it?

• Have you ever checked out and/or bought books despite your already overflowing TBR pile?

If you said yes to any of the above, you, my friend, may be a reading procrastinator. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll get around to reading all those books.

Eventually.

Mini Review: Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor

Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company BFYR
Pub date: November 2013
Source/Format: Bought/E-book

In Night of Cake & Puppets, Taylor brings to life a night only hinted at in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy—the magical first date of fan-favorites Zuzana and Mik. Told in alternating perspectives, it’s the perfect love story for fans of the series and new readers alike. Petite though she may be, Zuzana is not known for timidity. Her best friend, Karou, calls her “rabid fairy,” her “voodoo eyes” are said to freeze blood, and even her older brother fears her wrath. But when it comes to the simple matter of talking to Mik, or “Violin Boy,” her courage deserts her. Now, enough is enough. Zuzana is determined to meet him, and she has a fistful of magic and a plan. It’s a wonderfully elaborate treasure hunt of a plan that will take Mik all over Prague on a cold winter’s night before finally leading him to the treasure: herself! Violin Boy’s not going to know what hit him.

As much as I loved Zuzana in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I wasn't quite sure how I'd feel about a whole novella dedicated to her. After all, the lifeblood of DoSaB was its dealings with magic and Karou's travels around the world (both our own and Elsewhere)--so how could a story about two ordinary humans hold up? I should have known that Laini wouldn't let us down. Night of Cake and Puppets is written in the same kind of wondrous, magical prose that first drew me into DoSaB, but with loads of wry humor courtesy of Zuzana, whose feisty voice quickly became my favorite thing about the novella. Actually, both Zuzana's and Mik's voices are fantastic: hilarious and unique and slightly weird, and their personalities shine through. The weaving together of Zuzana's and Mik's narratives is absolutely adorable, showing how they are both completely enamored with each other but too shy to admit it (until now, of course). Even in this story where there is no mention of chimaera or seraphim, Laini still creates a world full of wonder and magic, though in a slightly more lighthearted fashion. It feels, as Mik says, "like something out of a fairy tale." In short, Zuzana and Mik's story is a perfect little break from the angst left over at the end of Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

Favorite Quotes

My Rating:

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Book Covers I'd Frame As Pieces of Art

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic:

Top Ten Book Covers I'd Frame As Pieces of Art

You know how some people have their own personal movie theater rooms with a giant TV, comfy chairs, a popcorn maker, and movie posters covering the walls? Well, someday I'm going to have my own personal reading room filled with bookshelves, comfy chairs, a Keurig (because for the full cozy reading experience you need tea and coffee), and giant, framed book posters on the walls. These are some of the covers I'd frame:

1. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender: I know you're all probably sick of hearing me talk about this book, but LOOK AT THAT COVER! Just look at it! It's gorgeous!

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: I love that Gingerhaze did the artwork for Fangirl--it's so unique!

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling: Having grown up with the American editions of the Harry Potter books, I absolutely love Mary GrandPré's art. All the covers are fantastic but I love OotP the most for its blue tones and the wispy letters.

4.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: Behold, the most beautiful cover of Jane Eyre ever created!

5. Black Spring by Alison Croggon: In keeping with the Jane Eyre theme is this spooky cover of Black Spring, a retelling of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.

6. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Oh, look. It's that other book I talk about all the time (sorry, not sorry). I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to hunting down different editions of my favorite books, and I've been drooling over the beautiful manga-esque Korean editions of Twilight for years but MAN, are they expensive! (Also, there's the tiny little detail of me not being able to read Korean, but whatever...)

7. The Diviners by Libba Bray: It's purple, it's got creepy-cool designs and awesome typography. Need I say more?

8. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: This cover art is perfection! It's the main reason I wanted to read the book in the first place (although the book would be amazing even without the beautiful cover art. Seriously, go read it if you haven't already).

So tell me, do we share any of the same favorite covers? Which ones would you have framed?

Blog Event: Book Blogger Summer Reading Challenge

Remember those summer reading programs at the library that you used to participate in as a kid? Well, Katie of Katie's Book Blog is bringing back the fun of those days with the 2014 Book Blogger Summer Reading Challenge. It runs from May through the beginning of September and, in addition to the fun of seeing just how much you can read this summer, Katie will also be hosting various giveaways on her blog. You can find all the details and the official sign-up here.

Since my year-long reading challenge goal for 2014 is to read 100 books, and because I'm miserably behind so far, I'm challenging myself to read 30 books this summer. To keep track, I've made a Goodreads shelf and this fun little cross-off worksheet:

Since I'm a mood reader, I don't have a specific TBR list for this challenge. I'm just gonna go with the flow and read whatever strikes me as interesting. :) Let me know if you'll be participating and what your goal is!

That's A Wrap {1}: April

Oh, hi there, May! You snuck up on me! Seriously, you guys, where did April go and how did I end  up in such a terrible reading slump the whole month? I can't even look at my Goodreads challenge stats anymore because the number of "books behind" just keeps getting larger. Ugh!
Anyway, I decided to write my first monthly recap post. It's pretty short this time around but I hope to remedy that in May. I will get back on track with the reading challenge!

On the Blog

• I gave the Life in the Pages tumblr a fresh look for spring/summer!
• I created a new feature, Bookish Imaginings, where I share playlists and Pinterest boards I've made for my favorite books. You can link up your own posts, too, so be sure to check it out!

 
Books Read in April

• Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (review)
• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
• Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi

Curse you, reading slump!


Life Outside the Pages

At the beginning of April, I got some very exciting news: I was accepted to a publishing grad program taking place later this summer! I was absolutely ecstatic when I received the letter, and I am so excited for this experience and where it might lead me.

I also became a bit obsessed with Pinterest this month, especially after starting my Daughter of Smoke and Bone board for Bookish Imaginings. It's so addicting to make boards for everything--what clothes I'd like to buy, what I'd like my future house to look like, heck, even what I'd like my future wedding to be like. While looking at pictures home decor, I came across some artwork by PAPAYA!, Nicolas Gouny, and Katie Daisy, all of which I absolutely love because it's so bright, colorful, and whimsical. I just want my own place already so I can go crazy decorating it! Pinterest, look what you've done to me!


Favorite Posts from Other Blogs

• Charlotte of Gyspy Reviews had a thought-provoking discussion about "The Abundance of Gender-Neutral Covers."
• Alex Bracken, author of The Darkest Minds and writer for Publishing Crawl, interviewed Anna Jarzab about working in Digital Marketing at Penguin. 
• Brittany of The Book Addict's Guide posted the results from her Book Review Survey.
• Jenny of Supernatural Snark posted this gorgeous fan art in honor of the release of Dreams of Gods and Monsters.
• Publishing Crawl talks about the editing process.
• Alyssa of Books Take You Places wrote a review of Fairytales for Wilde Girls, which I totally want to read now!

Let me know what your favorite book was in April and what you plan on reading this month!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books If You Like...SAILOR MOON

 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic:

Top Ten Books If You Like "X"

If you're a child of the '90s, you're probably familiar with a famous Japanese cartoon by the name of Sailor Moon.

Via

To those of you who didn't grow up with early '90s television, or have just never heard of Sailor Moon before, I implore you to educate yourselves right now by binge-watching the first season (in the original Japanese, though. With subtitles. For the sake of your sanity, do not watch the DIC English dub--it's fine for those of us who first experienced Sailor Moon this way, but now it's just plain cringe worthy).

To five-year-old me, Sailor Moon was the epitome of cool. To begin with, she had the most beautiful name I'd ever heard (Serena), and had the most awesome hairstyle I had ever seen (which I still to this day regret never being able to pull off). She had a talking cat, fought against evil monsters with her best friends, and to top it all off was a princess, which sent her cool factor through the roof because there was nothing I loved more as a kindergartener than stories about princesses. Sailor Moon wasn't without her flaws, however--she wasn't great at schoolwork, was often lazy, and she could be a cowardly crybaby. But in the end, with the support of her friends, she always came through and saved the day. Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts oozed "girl power", and I'm pretty sure that this early obsession with kick-ass superheroines was the beginning of my love for stories featuring awesome girls. So for today's Top Ten list, I'm picking books that also have awesome girls at the center of their stories (along with some magical elements, of course).

Karou of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Clary of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Celaena Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Fire of Fire by Kristin Cashore, Katniss of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Who are some of your favorite "superheroines"?

Introducing A New Feature: Bookish Imaginings

 Happy Saturday! Today I am so excited to unveil a new feature on Life in the Pages called "Bookish Imaginings." One of my favorite parts of reading a really great book is watching the scenes play out in my mind like a movie. I love trying to visualize what the characters and settings would look like, and have gotten into the habit of creating Pinterest boards and playlists for my favorite books. Bookish Imaginings is an outlet for sharing my visions of books, and a chance for you to join in as well: At the end of each post, I'll have a link up for you to add your own Bookish Imaginings post.

So without further ado, let's kick off the first Bookish Imaginings with:

When I really love a book, one of my favorite things to do is to create my own soundtrack. It's so exciting to me when I find a song that perfectly fits the mood of the story or a particular scene. DoSaB is a gritty, dark fantastical story, so the music on my playlist is equally dark and strange.
But before we get to the playlist, I have to share a song with you guys. I'm calling it right now: this song has to be the trailer music for the DoSaB movie. It's so epic and it's got a sort of exotic vibe to it, which is perfect since so much of the book is set in Prague and Marrakesh!

Now, on to the playlist, which is a mix of vocal and instrumental tracks. I've tried ordering the instrumentals as chronologically as possible, and included quotes for which parts of the book each track fits in with! :)



1. "The Mortal Instruments - Opening" (Atli Örvarsson, City of Bones OST)
I love how magical and mysterious this track is. It really fits the mood of the beginning of the book.

2." Little Amy" (Murray Gold, Doctor Who Series 5 OST)
"She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil's lair. She wasn't innocent now..."

3. "Reunion" (Yvonne S. Moriarty, Gladiator OST)
"There was a soft glow and a smell of scorching, and when he took away his hand its print was scored into the wood."

4. "The Emperor Is Dead" (Yvonne S. Moriarty, Gladiator OST)
Karou and Akiva in Marrakesh

4. "I Had To Do That" (James Newton Howard, Catching Fire OST)
"Metal doors melted, so hot was the fire, and witnesses who stared at the flames saw, in the nimbus of their dazzled retinas, the silhouettes of wings. Karou saw them and understood. The way to Elsewhere had been severed, and she was cast adrift."

5. "Sorrow" (Yvonne S. Moriarty, Gladiator OST)
For the chapter "Dream-Lost" (Madrigal and Akiva's first meeting)

6. "Jacob Sees Marlena" (James Newton Howard, Water for Elephants OST)
"Love is an element."

6. "This Isn't Right" (Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson, Winter's Tale OST)
Discovery and the burning of the temple

7. "The Killing of Dumbledore" (Nicholas Hooper, Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince OST)
Madrigal's execution

8. "Light as a Feather" (Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson, Winter's Tale OST)
Evanescence/Saving Akiva

9. "Eli and Oscar" (Johan Söderqvist, Let the Right One In OST)
"You escaped,' she said. 'You lived.'"

10. "Sacrifice" (Junkie XL, Divergent OST)
"What have you done?"

Last but not least, have a look around the DoSaB Pinterest board I made!



So, what do you guys think of Bookish Imaginings? Let me know in the comments and be sure to link up to participate!