End of the Year Book Tag: 2021 Edition

Well hello everyone! I'm excited that it's finally time to do my 2021 edition of the End of the Year Book Tag! I've been doing this every year for the past few years now and it's always a fun time. Let's dive in! 

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1. Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

The answer is yes. There's actually a ton of books that I got a few pages into, set down, and forgot about. That isn't to mean those books weren't good but, rather, that my reading slump is still kicking my ass. Most notably, though, is my current read: Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard (which I've been currently reading for a month now). 

I read Red Queen in October and started reading Glass Sword almost immediately afterwards. But the reading slump prevails and I'm still only about 1/4 of the way through. I do have high hopes for December, though, and can only hope that the books I want to read will make my general stress and reading slump disappear. 

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2. Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

Once again, I've sort of done this tag a bit too late for this question to fully make sense. However, I do have a list of holiday books I want to read that will act as a bit of a transition. Most of them are winter/Christmas themed romcoms if I'm being honest. However, romance books are what have mainly driven my reading this year so I can't be too surprised there. 

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3. Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

Well, this has kind of a complicated answer. The books on my most anticipated list for 2021 have all released as of this post but I haven't received all of them yet. For example, The Gilded Cage by Lynette Noni has been out for a bit but my Fairyloot edition hasn't yet shipped. Additionally, I did get off the waitlist for Fairyloot this month so I'm assuming there will be some new releases coming this month (though I'm not sure what they are). 

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4. What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

I would like to finish Glass Sword and read King's Cage and War Storm by Victoria Aveyard. This would end the main series apart from the novellas for me (which I do still want to read). I have only finished one series this year, which is disappointing as I finished over fifteen in 2020. Plus, this series has been on my TBR for such a long time that I feel it would be only right to finish it out in 2021. 

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5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

I have some romcoms on my TBR for December, but otherwise I wouldn't say so. My TBR for December basically consists of the rest of the Red Queen series, a few rereads, a couple romance books, and some holiday romcoms. I already know how much I like Red Queen, so it wouldn't be a shock if the rest became favorites. However, the holiday romcoms I have on my list could surprise me enough to land a spot on my favorites. 

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6. Have you already started making reading plans for 2022?

I definitely have. I've had a few more periods of active reading the past few months of this year and I'm hoping the momentum will continue into the new year and pick up a bit. I won't pretend and say that 2021 was a great year because it truly sucked in all aspects. Usually I have books to pick up the slack where life is falling short, but the reading slump I've been in for ages has made that difficult. Normally I read over 100 books a year but, so far, I've only read 38. While that's still an impressive number for someone who doesn't read, I do miss when I would be reading all the time. 

So, yes. I have reading plans for 2022, though I'll call them goals or tentative starting points. There's lots of books that came out this year that I wanted to read immediately that I haven't yet. There's many series I thought I'd have finished by now. And I was hoping my TBR would shrink a little instead of growing twice as large this year. Overall, though, I just want to enjoy reading as much and as often as I used to before the pandemic hit. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Twelve Days of Christmas Book Tag

Hello all! The holiday season is upon us and I recently found a Christmas-themed book tag that I just absolutely had to do. It's the Twelve Days of Christmas Book Tag and it combines two of my favorite things: Christmas music and books! This tag was originally created by Lizzie Loves Books on YouTube and if you're interested in her tag, you can find it linked there. There are twelve questions and each one corresponds with a different day of Christmas, so, without further ado, let's go ahead and dive in!

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1. ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE... 

The partridge stood alone in the pear tree. What is your favorite stand alone?

I think I have to go with Internment by Samira Ahmed on this one. I read it at the end of 2018 and it was one of the most impactful books I've read in a while. It deals with so many real world issues and I don't think my eyes were dry for the last  quarter of the book.

 

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2. ON THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

TWO TURTLE DOVES...

Love is in the air! Who is your one true pairing?

I have to go with either Aelin and Rowan or Rhys and Feyre for this one. Both of them are Sarah J. Maas pairings and I love both of them so much. I think both pairings are different from each other and each set of characters just seem to fit in their own ways.

Art by @faeriereverie

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3. ON THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

THREE FRENCH HENS...

In the spirit of threes, what is the best trilogy you have read?

I think I have to go with The Dark Elements by Jennifer L. Armentrout for this one. Every book in the trilogy just absolutely hits the spot. I love each of them and it's probably my favorite JLA series to date.

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4. ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME:

FOUR CALLING BIRDS...

Since series usually consist of four or more books, what is your favorite series?

My favorite series is Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. It's been my favorite series for a while now and I absolutely love it. I've had so much good come from this series and it means so much to me.

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5. ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

FIVE GOLDEN RINGS...

One ring to rule them all! Who is your Favorite Villain/Antagonist?

I honestly can't think of a specific character for this one. One of my favorite things in a book, though, is when a character or group of characters struggle against an internal battle or against another group (such as a small group of rebels trying to overthrow a corrupt government). I guess my favorite books aren't always Good vs Bad but deal with people trying to create change in an imperfect situation.

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6. ON THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

SIX GEESE A LAYING...

Creation is a beautiful thing. What is your favorite world/world-building?

The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty has an amazing, vivid, and complex world. I fell in love with the world from page one and I cannot wait to return to it when the third book releases in 2020.

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7. ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME:

SEVEN SWANS A SWIMMING...

Who needs seven swans when all it takes is one good animal sidekick? Who’s your favorite animal sidekick?

Abraxos from the Throne of Glass series. He's the cutest and reminds me so much of Toothless. He also plays quite a big role in the series, so he really was the first animal sidekick to pop into my head.

Art by mialythila

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8. ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

EIGHT MAIDS A MILKING...

Milk is so 18th century. Which book or series takes beverages/food to a whole new level?

The first one that popped into my head was To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. Lara Jean is constantly talking about baking and all the things she creates throughout the trilogy. It's only  natural to immediately think of that when this prompt comes up.

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9. ON THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

NINE LADIES DANCING....

Dancing is just one skill of a Lady! Who is your favorite kickass female lead?

Since I've done too much SJM already, I'm going to go with Lou from Serpent & Dove for this one. She goes through so much and has already been through so much. She's funny and strong and overall an amazing character.

Art by Monica A. Borg

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10. ON THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

TEN LORDS A LEAPING...

How about your favorite leading lad?

Once again barring any character from the Sarah J. Maas megaverse, I've decided I'm going to go with Thomas Cresswell from the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco. He is one of the best male characters I've ever read and I am honestly in love with him. He's sweet and kind and fights for what he wants, but mainly he's just the most charming character I've ever read.

Art by PhantomRin

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11. ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

ELEVEN PIPES PIPING...

What is your favorite book or bookish thing with musical influence? (It can be about music, reference music a lot etc.)

The Veil Diaries by B.L. Brunnemer was the first series to pop into my head when this prompt came up. While it's not heavily about music, the main character does join a band and music is used a lot throughout the books. It's also one of my favorite series!

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12. ON THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME

12 DRUMMERS DRUMMING...

Drum roll please…what is your favorite read of this year?

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin definitely takes this spot! I fell in love from page one and read this massive book so quickly. I've been wanting to reread it ever since I finished but haven't had the time yet! It was such a stunning book and I can't wait for the sequel to come out in 2020. If you'd like to know more of my thoughts, you can find my review here.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

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Studying Abroad in London: Last Days & An Early Christmas

It's time to wrap-up my second to last week in London! At the time I write this, I'm already home and have been for a few days. But there's still so much I did in the last week and a half abroad and there's plenty for me to talk about. So, without further ado, here we go! 

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Monday

December 9, 2019

We slept in a little bit on this day before Isaac and I got lunch and I headed to my last tutorial of the semester. It was a chill meeting that went pretty well and was over quickly enough that I got out relatively early in the afternoon. That was it for classes and tutorials! After that, I just had to finish all of my assessments.

When I got back we watched Psych for a while before heading to the library where we stayed most of the night. I had to make serious progress on my biggest assignment of the semester so that I could finish it all on Tuesday. When we finished there, we headed back to the flat, ordered chicken, and watched Psych till late. 

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Tuesday

December 10, 2019

We slept in pretty late on Tuesday before going to get lunch and chilling throughout the afternoon. I booked a study room a bit later so we ended up picking up dinner to go and bringing it to the library. We ate that and I got all settled in for the next few hours.

I worked for a long time on my creative writing portfolio. It was comprised of 5 short stories, each of which had to relate to a different excursion outing we did in London. Trying to write all of these in a short period of time and revise them was so draining creatively. I definitely want to explore a few of the pieces further and maybe make them longer, but for now I am burned out on writing. By the time I revised everything, formatted the portfolio, and turned everything in, we'd been at the library for EIGHT hours.

We got back a little after 2 am and watched some more Psych before crashing hard from exhaustion. 

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Wednesday

December 11, 2019

Again, Wednesday we slept in before heading to lunch. The lunch that day in the diner turned out to be Christmas roast that was a nice surprise and super yummy for the equivalent of cafeteria food. The British really do know how to do roast dinner.

That afternoon, I went to a farewell celebration with a friend of mine, Sarah, that was put on by the abroad team. We got a swag bag and free food and drinks before the presentation started--I tried mince pie and mulled wine! The pie was alright but the mulled wine was delicious. Then there was just a short presentation and information session about leaving, options for further studies at Roehampton, and general stuff.

After that, Isaac and I chilled for a bit before getting ready to go out. We--Isaac and I with a group of our flatmates--went to Revolution Putney, a bar/restaurant/club that Isaac works at. It was a really fun time. The food was really yummy and we got quite a few drinks to try that were nice.

When we left Revolution, we went to a chicken shop up the street that Isaac and I liked. It sells some of the best chicken I've ever had and I knew I wanted to have it at least one last time before I left London. A bunch of us got it and then brought it back with us. When we got back, we hung out in the kitchen eating and just chilling.

A little later, Isaac and I went back to his room to play some video games since neither of us were really tired. Not to brag or anything, but I definitely kicked his ass. After the video games, we stayed up pretty late just talking before we finally fell  asleep.

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Thursday

December 12, 2019

We slept in late again before Isaac went off to go vote. We got to hang out for a bit before he head to head to work. In the end, I mainly just hung around all day, though I did sit in the kitchen for a bit at dinner time before retiring to my room to get some work done. I revised and turned in my second longest assignment of the semester and then did some other blog-related stuff before I started in on another assignment that I had due on Monday.

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Friday

December 13, 2019

On Friday, we slept in and then packed up half of my room into one suitcase. Isaac's family was in town so we managed to send it with them, which I'm still grateful for since I didn't have to drag it on two trains.

I'd like to say I worked on my essay when Isaac went to work, but I didn't. I worked on Christmas presents for a bit before falling asleep actually really early and not waking up until Isaac got back hours later. 

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Saturday

December 14, 2019

On Saturday, we both slept in before continuing packing up the rest of my room. Isaac went to work and I just continued working on Christmas presents and packing for a bit. I was really hungry so I ended up ordering food and Skyped my dad while I ate.

When I got off Skype, I was bombarded with hugs from my flatmates. We were all hanging around to say goodbye and there were a lot of tears involved. It didn't hit me at first that this was goodbye, but the tears came when I started to think about the fact I wasn't going to see all of them for a very long time, if ever again.

After the hug fest, I worked a bit on my essay and packing before Isaac got back from work. 

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Sunday

December 15, 2019

We decided not to sleep and instead just finished packing and cleaning before catching the earliest train to Basingstoke since we wanted to be there by noon and it was already 5 AM. I did take a Dramamine-induced nap on the train and then we both napped when we got to Isaac's house.

After our long nap, we hung out with his family for an early Christmas which was really fun. We opened a few presents and then had an absolutely amazingly delicious Christmas dinner (I'm still thinking about it a week later) followed by desert while we played some of the new games that had been opened.

We all vegged out for a bit and ate watched a show I'd never heard of before. Snacks were brought out and were so tasty. Isaac and I both passed out on the couch, though, during that. We ended up going to bed early after that.

I forced myself to only take a short nap, though, before making myself get up and finish my essay that was due then next day. I managed to finish it and turn it in relatively quickly, even though it's not the best essay I've ever written, before reading a bit on my phone and falling asleep. 

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Overall, it was a pretty good week. I was mostly focused on my final assessments and packing to leave, but I also had a great last few days with my flatmates. I still have a few more days to talk about in my next (and final) post but I can already say that I'm home and feeling very homesick for London already. What they say about struggling to adjust back to normal life is definitely true. But that's all talk for the next post!

For past weekly diaries, check out my study abroad page here.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

To get more awesome content like this post, click the follow button to the right!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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Studying Abroad in London: Date Nights & Gift Giving

This past week was pretty chill with a few exciting events here and there. I had a lot of homework that I was starting on (and am still working on) but I mostly spent the week hanging out with Isaac and my other flatmates to get some quality time in before I leave in 9 days. Anyway, without further ado, let's go ahead and jump straight in!

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Monday

December 2, 2019

Monday was a pretty chill day. The strikes were still going on so we slept in and just chilled for a bit since we didn't have lectures. I continued working on homework throughout the afternoon and then it was time for the flat Secret Santa!

I had been excited about Secret Santa for days since I'd gotten my gift all put together and wrapped and cute so when the time finally came for it I was pumped. We all gathered in the kitchen and did the system with one person opening at a time and then guessing who it is.

The funniest moments were when people were opening their gifts but the wrapping was completely extra, such as one of our friends who Isaac had. He wrapped their gift in approximately a million shopping bags and taped each individual one and so they had to open all of those to get to the gift. It was hilarious.

I also got an amazing Secret Santa present from one of my study abroad friends: a bookstore gift card! Obviously I love books and I've already spent it but I've been so excited since I opened the gift and saw that.

After Secret Santa ended, Isaac and I retreated back to my room to watch some more Psych and open our advent calendars! I'd never had an advent calendar before and I love it so much, especially because it means I get a daily dose of chocolate.

(Also, I thought I had pictures of that night but I apparently don't, which is very sad)

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Tuesday

December 3, 2019

Tuesday was very chill. It was the last day of the strike so neither of us had lectures and were able to sleep in. Other than sleeping in, we didn't do much other than watch Psych and get lunch, though I did do some homework.

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Wednesday

December 4, 2019

Wednesday morning I did have to wake up at a reasonable time so that I could go to a tutorial in place of class. It was my last scheduled event for that class, so once I turn in my creative portfolio on the 11th I'll officially be done with it!

After my tutorial I went to lunch before watching Psych most of the afternoon with Isaac. He had to go to work that evening so I made myself dinner and then headed to the library to work on homework for a few hours. 

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Thursday

December 5, 2019

Thursday was a big day for us, aka our day out in London. We--being me and Isaac--woke up at a reasonable time so that we could catch our train into Central London. Luckily, we didn't have to go far so I was able to avoid having to take dramamine. We arrived at the Victoria Palace Theatre a little bit early for Hamilton.

After I'd seen Hamilton the first time, we looked up tickets to see if there were any cheap ones left this semester so that Isaac could see it and we were lucky to find a pair for less than 40 pounds each. We were the very last row of the theatre where there was absolutely no leg room but I still enjoyed the show, though I wouldn't get those seats again. Last time I saw Hamilton, I was closer and in the Stalls so I was able to see emotions and characters easier, but this time, because we were so far back, I could see how all the dancing and choreographed bits worked as a whole, which was cool.

When Hamilton got out we hopped the tube over to Leicester Square to go to the Christmas Market there. Surprisingly, it was quite tiny, especially compared to the one in Edinburgh. However, we were then able to walk to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Market, too, so it was like a two-for-one.

We were quite lucky on timing because when we got to Trafalgar Square, they were actually doing the tree-lighting ceremony there. Apparently the tree in Trafalgar Square is the most famous tree in London and is actually a gift from Norway every year. A bunch of the officials and important people  from Norway were there to give speeches and help light the tree, so it was quite cool to see that since we weren't planning on going to it.

After that, we wandered over to Piccadilly Circus and found a restaurant to have dinner in. It was a steak restaurant and quite busy. I had a really nice meal, though I think Isaac and I both agreed the other steak place we'd gone to before was better.

When we left dinner, we wandered around a bit to some different souvenir  shops to find a very specific item. It took us going to SIX different souvenir shops before we finally found it, so that was definitely an interesting experience.

We then started walking towards Waterloo station. We took a new bridge over the Thames and ended up at another Christmas Market, which was cool. There was also a bookstore there so we browsed for a bit before going through the rest of the market and then hopping a train back to campus.

When we got back, we just hung out for a bit watching Psych before bed.

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Friday

December 6, 2019

I missed my alarm on Friday and was almost late for class, but I was able to get ready in five minutes so I just barely made it. It was my last lecture of the semester, though, so I didn't want to miss it. Plus, our lecturer gave us chocolate and we did a little Gothic-themed quiz which was fun.

After class, Isaac and I went to lunch and then just chilled for a bit before he had to go to work. While he was gone, I worked on some homework and watched Netflix. He came back early and brought CHICKEN. I about died--it was the best chicken tenders I'd ever had--and I get so hungry whenever I think of them. We watched Psych while we ate and ended up going to bed pretty late.

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Saturday

December 7, 2019

We slept in again on Saturday before getting lunch and then Isaac had to go to work. I made myself dinner and hung out with my flatmates for a bit before I dived into a long night of homework. 

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Sunday

December 8, 2019

On Sunday, it was pretty much the same. We slept in, got food, and then went to the library where I worked on homework. When we got back, we stayed on brand and watched some more Psych to round out the week. 

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Well there you have it! Another week in the books. The next week is not going to be very interesting  for most of the week since I'm just going to be cramming in homework and stuff so that I can enjoy my final week here. I can't believe it's the 10th right now and I got home in in just 9 days. I'm both excited and sad to be leaving. I obviously miss everyone back home and when I do go home I'll be able to see my family and books and have Christmas, but I'm going to miss my friends and London, but especially Isaac. Hopefully I can make the most of this last week and a half!

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

To get more awesome content like this post, click the follow button to the right!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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'Tis the Season Book Tag

Hello all! It's almost Christmas! Today is Christmas Eve and that means tomorrow is the big day! I will say, I'm not as excited as I usually am but I am still very looking forward to tomorrow. I'll get to hang out with my niece, spend time with family, and eat a lot of cookies! What better way to Christmas-fy my blog than to do a Christmas-themed book tag? So here we are with the 'Tis the Season Book Tag. Let's just go ahead and jump in!

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1. Do you have a favorite winter read?

I don't generally read a book every year on Christmas, but this year I am planning on rereading A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas on Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day. It was so cute and festive when I read it back in May and I just knew I had to reread it when it was finally the holiday season. 

2. Find a book with blue on the cover!

I'm going to go with Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. This cover is absolutely stunning and I've been wanting to read this book for the longest time. I'm hoping to get to it in the spring of 2019, maybe February or March? Plus, those sprayed edges! 

3. Find a book you’d use as the star on a Christmas tree!

I'm going to pick Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas for this one for two reasons. (1) Its cover is a bright yellow color and (2) it was my favorite book of the year and so it is the "star" of my favorites list. A bit cheesy, I know, but I don't know what other book I'd pick for this prompt.

4. Pick one fictional place that would be perfect for a winter vacation!

Velaris. Maybe it's because we have a holiday novella set there, but I can definitely see myself in all the festivities of Velaris and with the Night Court. It's kind of sad that we won't have a white Christmas here, but I can always escape into reading about Velaris. 

5. Pick one fictional character you’d take with you on your winter vacation!

There are so, so many I could choose for this one, but I think I'm going to go with Fenrys from the Throne of Glass series. As much as I love some other characters, Fenrys is single and doesn't have a close family and I feel as if the holidays may be lonely for him. Plus, if we're going to Velaris I'd love for Fenrys to meet Cassian. That would just be hilarious. 

6. Name one book on your wish list this year!

I have so many, but I asked for The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. I actually already celebrated Christmas and received this one, which was super exciting. But if I had to chose a book that I haven't gotten yet, I'll go with Scythe by Neil Shusterman. I've heard so many people raving about this book and I've been interested in it for a while so it's be nice to get to read it soon. 

7. Favorite holiday drink, treat, & movie?

Holiday drink: Hands down, I adore hot chocolate as long as it has plenty of whipped cream.

Holiday treat: I love my mom's thumbprint cookies. They're my favorite type of cookies anytime of the year.

Holiday movie: There are so. many. good ones! I love the first two Home Alone movies and all three Santa Claus movies. Those are the ones I tend to gravitate towards first. But I also really enjoy the old Christmas classics. 

8. Who do you tag?

I tag anyone and everyone who wants to participate in this tag during this holiday season! 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Follow my bookstagram here. New giveaway will be posted soon!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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Bookish Holiday Gift Guide!

The holidays are upon us! I don't know about you, but I always struggle with finding the perfect gift for my friends and family. It's just so hard for me because I'm constantly worried that they're not going to absolutely love whatever I get them. So, while I can't give you recommendations on gifts for everyone in your family, I figured I would use my expertise to help you find the perfect gift for your bookish friend or family member. 

In many years past, I've put books on my Christmas lists but not everyone does that. And with hardcore book lovers like myself, we prefer to pick the books we read and sometimes gifted books just don't interest us, as hard as it may be to say that aloud. However, if your gift recipient is anything like me, then they'll appreciate these bookish goodies! 

The first recommendation I have is a book sleeve. What is a book sleeve exactly? Well, basically it's a little padded pouch that you can put your book into so that it won't get damaged in your backpack or purse. I have a growing collection of sleeves and use them constantly to keep my books protected! Some notable book sleeve companies that I personally have sleeves from are Book Beau (on Amazon prime OR on their website; left photo by @bookbeau), Book Bud by Gabriel Lea on Etsy (a lot of her sleeves feature her own printed designs!), and Melvis Makes on Etsy (I have a glow in the dark sleeve and it's amazing!). Of course, you can pretty much just go to Etsy's website and type in book sleeve and dozens upon dozens of options will come up for you to chose from! There's patterns, sizes, and types for every different book lover in your life! Don't forget to check Instagram to see if these companies have reps with coupon codes! 

And, of course, no book lover can ever have too many bookmarks! They're pretty much the number one essential for a reader who prefers physical over ebooks. With all the creative people out there, there are so many different bookmarks to chose from! Again, you can pretty much find bookmarks at any bookstore or online, but here are a few notable ones. BookishTextDesigns is a small business run by Minju, who hand letters and hand paints every single piece of art in her shop! She sells bookmarks for a really good deal, too, and you can use LAUREN10 for an additional 10% off your order (left photo by @bookishtextsdesigns). I also am very partial to HappyHelloCo who makes these adorable magnetic bookmarks based off your favorite characters (right photo by me). I have so many of these and I love them all! 

Candles are also a great way to go. There are so many amazing candle companies out there that cater to all different types of book lovers. Some candles that I find amazing are the ones that smell like old books or libraries, the ones that smell like different seasons, and the ones that are themed after different books and characters. My absolute favorite candle company is ACourtofCandles (left photo by @thefearlessreader) and they make book and book character themed candles as well as teas and bath items. I love their Throne of Glass candles especially. TheMeltingLibrary (right photo from @themeltinglibrary) is another popular candle company who does book/character themed candles but also candles themed around seasons and more. Don't forget to check their Instagram's for rep coupon codes! 

Something my friend got me for my birthday and I think is really cute is a folding book light. It looks like a book but when you open it, the pages turn into a lamp. This one on Amazon is rechargeable and has two colors: warm white or plain white. My favorite thing to do with mine is open it up, set it on my bookshelf, and turn off the other lights in my room. 

Another great idea is a library embosser for those book lovers in your life who don't mind marking up their books! You can get it personalized with your gift recipient's name and then they will be able to personalize their books so that no one can ever steal it! This one here on Neiman Marcus is one of the best priced I've been able to find and they have fast shipping! 

Last, but certainly not least, a book box subscription could work! There are so many amazing subscription boxes out there and many offer one-time purchases or 1-, 3-, and 6-month subscriptions, so there's an option for each budget! Usually these boxes come with a book (often-times signed, with a bookplate, or even with an exclusive cover) and a mixture of goodies. My personal favorite subscription box is Fairyloot, a YA fantasy box with their November 2017 box pictured here, but there are options for everyone. Some are like book clubs, some are geared towards young children, some pair books with tea or coffee--there's really a box for everyone. I suggest checking Cratejoy or this list by Urban Tastebud and, after chosing which box, looking at their Instagram for possible rep coupon codes! 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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