Pretty Little Pages: FF

Showing posts with label FF. Show all posts

Follow Friday #11: The Furbabies

Have any pets? Tell us or show us!

I'm so excited for this Feature and Follow! I love my furbabies, and I can't wait to see everyone else's!

Story time. Last year, I went to a psychic in Atlantic City. (Because that's what you do whenever you've gambled away your money and hate the beach.) She told me that I have two soulmates. One of them I was in love with and in a relationship with (my guy, obviously). And I have a second that she thought was a pet or friend, not romantic. Cue: my cat. Crazy psychic lady or not, I'm totally going with my cat being my second soulmate. Meet Absinthe "Abi" Maye:

I, also, have two guinea pigs (Caesar and Milo) and a hamster (Fuzzbutt). My love for small creatures goes deep. They're all too fast for me to snap any good, non-blurry pictures of them. So just know that they're very adorable!

Leave a comment below and tell me about your furbabies!

Feature & Follow #10: Spring Break Edition

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

Spring Break. Where would be your favorite destination spot if you could join the Spring Break festivities?

I hate the beach. I know. Practically sacrilegious. Trying to find honeymoon destinations that aren't beach related is just as bad as finding Spring Break ones that aren't.

Pretty much me at the beach.

My pathetically boring choice would be Washington D.C., which the guy and I are taking a trip to in May!

Besides the weird throb in my knee when it rains, pretty great.

I used to live in Baltimore which is a train ride away from D.C., so my love goes deep. But in all the time I spent in D.C., I never went to the White House! This time, we're going. So you guys enjoy sand in your crotch. I'll be spending Spring Break with the President. ;)

What are your spring break plans? Dream plans count, too!

Feature & Follow #9: Permission to Rant

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

Tell us about a book that you didn’t like and why we shouldn’t read it…nicely.

I was a slacker and missed last week's FF because life likes to take over. It's a pesky bitch. Anyway, I am so ready for this week's FF! Bring it on!

First up, I have a really sore spot about abusive book boyfriends. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship. It ruined me for awhile. Whenever you're actually living it, it isn't sexy. It's terrifying. Yesterday, I did a review on a book (Forgiven by Rebecca Brooke) that really got under my skin with an over the top abusive asshole. You can click here to read my rant-y review.

That brings us to my second book for this list. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. If it's kinky sex you like, do your thing. But Fifty Shades is not the way real BDSM relationships are handled. (If you are interested in BDSM, go here instead of reading FSoG.) Christian even admits that he wants to hurt Ana. No. Shut the front door. I'm not an erotica fan. I think I'm still too childish for them, because most of the sex scenes seem so awkward that I laugh. But I promise if you're looking for some steamy scenes, you can find better than this book. We won't even talk about the whole fanfic controversy. Or the inner goddess. Or the lip biting. Or the tampon scene.

And now we're almost finished! The end is nigh! No one is going to be surprised that I'm wrapping this up with the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. Instead of boring you with more ranting, I'll let Rob Pattinson do the talking for me.

My version of how things should have went with Twilight? Easy. This:

Feature and Follow #8: Things That Make Me Happy

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

Snap it Time! A picture is worth a thousand words. Anything and anything. Just give us a pic.

Because it's late, I'm taking the easy way out and raiding my Instagram (@prettylittlepages) to show off the things that make me happy!

Home Sweet Home

Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee

My ~~cat~~ kid, Absinthe Maye.

From the last vacation Chris and I went on.

My favorite president's grave.

Thanks for stopping by Pretty Little Pages! Leave a comment below so I can check out your pics as well! Happy Friday, y'all!

Feature and Follow #7: Change is good!

How have your reading habits changed in the past few years? Did you get interested in a new genre? Do you read more? Less? Why do you think your habits changed, if they did.

My reading habits have definitely changed. Whenever I was a kid and even in high school, I stuck to classics. Shakespeare was a big one that I always read. Poe was a master at scaring my younger self. The Brontë sisters dominated my bookshelf. As I've gotten older, I've discovered how great the YA and NA genres are. Oldies are goodies, but so are newer books. There are too many great stories and authors out there to restrict yourself to one certain genre or sub-genre.

Don't forget to drop by my post on the Booking into Spring Giveaway Hop and visit the other participating blogs, too!

Feature and Follow #6: Hammocks and Sweet Tea

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

Spring is in the air! Show off your favorite outdoors reading spot. If you don’t go outside…well where else do you read that isn’t inside your house? We want pics!

I'm very fortunate for where I get to live. As much as I complain about living in the middle of nowhere, I get a pretty sweet deal. Laying in bed, I can look out the french doors to my deck and see the Great Smoky Mountains. I have an obsession with hammocks, and my favorite place to read is on my hammock on the deck. During Spring and Fall, the weather is perfect for it. Mountains to one side and a river to the other and a glass of sweet tea in my hand. I'll take it.

I'm not at home (sad face) tonight, so I'm going to share other pictures I have of the view for now!

Don't forget to stop by my Giveaways page while you're here!

There are a ton of giveaways happening with plenty of books, gift cards, and swag to win!

Feature and Follow #5: A Blast from the Past

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

Recommend some of your favorite back-list books – books that are at least a few years old (I’m thinking 5-10 years old rather than classics)

The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris (2001-2013)
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (1997-2007)
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown (2003)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (2009)

Honorable mention (Books that I want to read, but haven't yet)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2005)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (2006)
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (2002)

Happy Friday, everyone! I have a ton of giveaways, so stop by my Giveaway page while you're here and enter to win some fab stuff!

Feature & Follow #4: The One I've Been Waiting For!

Change the plot. If you could, what book would you change the ending or a plot thread? Go ahead and do it... Change it.

I'm not the biggest fan of Twilight. The first three books were eh. Just eh for me. But Breaking Dawn was a mess. I would revamp the entire last book of the series. No Renesmee (who names their kid that, anyway?!) and no creepy infant imprint. No anti-climatic non-battle. I wanted to see blood, guts, and death. The movie, even though it was a cop-out and not real, delivered that for me. Mostly though, I'd do away with Renesmee. I've always hated that whole part of the story. Hate me for it, but she was creepy.

Case in point; this picture.

Nope, nope, nope.

Alright, you've listened to me rant. Hit me up with yours in the comments!

Feature & Follow #3: I Have An Ugly Cry Face

What was the last book that made you cry?

Beneath a Meth Moon

by Jacqueline Woodson

My Review

This book... Oh my gosh, this book. Some of you already know this, but for those of you who don't: I live in a rural town in East Tennessee at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. Like many places you hear about around here, my town has a huge problem with drug and substance abuse. People that I graduated from high school with (only 8 years ago) have died from their addictions. And if they haven't died, they're a shell of their former self. It's truly an epidemic.

Beneath a Meth Moon follows the story of Laurel as she is sucked into the world of being a meth addict. Like I said in my review, I know Laurel. There are thousands of Laurels in my town. This was book was so powerful at getting across the reality of addiction.

There were countless times I'd have to stop reading this book to cry. So many things that Laurel experiences, I've seen mirrored with friends that have fallen into the world of meth. It was heartbreaking. If I could, I'd pass this book out along the streets of my town. It's that important to me.

Which book made you break out your ugly cry face last?

Feature & Follow #2

Find a “new to you blogger” and feature their button on your post this week. Tell us why this blogger stands out to you.

Terri, the owner of Second Run Reviews, came with the awesome idea to do a Q&A with each other since we're featuring each other for this week's F&F! (She's always full of great ideas!) I hope everyone enjoys these as much as we did asking and answering them! And don't forget to check out her blog, Second Run Reviews.

1. What's the one book you think everyone should read? Why?

If I had to chose just one, I think it would have to be The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. I've posted about this book a lot recently because, for me, the book is very empowering. It's a wonderful historical fiction novel about Charlotte who is the only passenger on a ship bound for the United States. Because she is a young girl and the only passenger on this long voyage, Charlotte has some life changing experiences. In the end, she makes a very brave decision, which for the time the book is set, I've always found very inspiring.

2. Which book, song, and/or movie is your happy place to escape to?

I'm a huge fan of Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. I'm a huge romantic and there's something so inspiring about the story of a naive girl trying to find her way in NYC and unknowingly falling in love that makes me just melt. The scene where Holly is sitting on the window sill singing Moon River is just divine.

When I visited London in 1999 for a college class I brought home a print of the official movie poster (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tmleblanc01/688471666) which now hangs in my movie themed living room. And this past year, when I visited NYC for the first time, I had my picture taken in front of Tiffany's (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tmleblanc01/8862890434) and the play I chose to see on Broadway was an adaptation of the novella. I have read the novella, but I don't find it as uplifting as the movie.

Fun fact: Emilia Clarke, who currently plays Daenerys Targaryen on The Game of Thrones, played Holly Golightly.

3. Where's your favorite place to curl up with a good book and read?

My bed with my cats. It's been so cold in Iowa this year with all the snow and Polar Vortices (I hope that's the right pluralization!) that I've probably been spending way too much time in our bedroom. The window is on the south side of the building so for a good portion of the day the sun shines in there and makes it so summery!

4. What's the most amusing thing that you've had happen to you that involves your horse?

Oh, boy, good question! I've been pretty lucky with Jezebel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tmleblanc01/5172085866). She's an older horse with a good temper; there isn't much that sets her off. But in the spring, we have some amusing moments jump out of your skin moments (shying) because she seems to forget what lawn mowers are and moving tall grass. In the fall, when we ride around the property where the Barn is we can't go near the fields with the dry corn. The whispering of the corn freaks her out. We joke that its because the Children in the Corn really do exist.

5. What do you consider the most interesting part of your blog?

I love my theme. I'm a huge theatre and movie fan. I've tried to name the different sections of my blog after the theatre. Center Stage is Home. Meet the Cast is the About Me section. A Note from the Director (often found in playbills) is where I explain why I started my blog. The Marquee is an overview of upcoming posts, challenges I'm participating in and local bookish events. If you look down the right side you'll notice that my Currently Reading list is called "What's on Stage" and my To-Read list is called "Waiting for an Entrance." And finally, my followers are called fans. It seems really quite clever to me!

Feature & Follow #1

If you could read a book for the "first time" again, which book would it be? Why?

I wanted to say Harry Potter. Getting to visit Hogwarts again for the first time would be amazing. But ultimately, I'd want to read Lord of the Rings again for the first time. I've always been a bookworm since I can remember, but reading the Lord of the Rings sparked something inside of me.

I would give nearly anything to be taken back to my first moments discovering Rivendell and meeting Strider for the first time in the Prancing Pony. Aragorn is my only book boyfriend. Even though he was left out of the movies, Tom Bombadill will always hold a place in my heart as a favorite character. Discovering all of Middle Earth with a band of mismatched heroes is the highlight of my reading experiences.

Tolkien is the be all, end all for me in the literary world. Since I discovered Lord of the Rings, I've been searching high and low for more of his work. As I'm drawing to a close on reading all of his stories, it comes with a sad realization that I will never get to experience the rush of being introduced to another work of his for the first time. I am truly envious of those who have not read his work before and get the chance to do so. At the risk of sounding like Billy Madison, cherish it.

What about you? Which literary world of wonder would you chose to experience again for the first time?