Wordpress, Mail, and Other Blog Headaches

In my post on Tuesday, during my blah-blah-blahings, I mentioned the fact that I felt stuck. Being stuck is not fun. When my sister was younger, if she was in a position for a little while (not even that long sometimes), her knees would get stuck. Like, I'm afraid to move because I don't want to hurt something. I would usually be with her so I would yell for my mom to come over because moms can fix anything. Mom would massage her legs and Little Sister would be good to go like W-40 on a too-rusty-to-move door hinge.

Wouldn't it be nice if moms COULD really fix everything? Despite what we (and they wish), it can't happen. So this stuck feeling can't be solved from me crying out to my mom (but it does help to get the pent-up emotion out sometimes). Instead, I'll be...well, just read.

What IS going to happen: 

Bye, bye, Feedburner! My mom informed my older sister and I that Feedburner has been dropping people's subscribers without letting the bloggers know. I am one of them. So because I was already annoyed with Feedburner to begin with, I'm swinging hopping over to MailChimp. The good news is that I was able to export my subscribers out of Feedburner and import them into MailChimp. The bad news is that I lost several of you while I still had Feedburner since it kept randomly deleting people. Because of that, I urge you to (re)subscribe. Right now, you can see the whole form on the right hand side so all you have to do is type in your email address and PRESTO! You're subscribed (after you confirm). 

Here's proof that all this computer stuff is not meant for me: it took me 5 hours to figure out how to do all this and it's the simplest "email campaign" out of the bunch (well, after I ditched several other templates). I'll be hosting a giveaway on Sunday so go ahead and subscribe now, you'll be one step ahead once Sunday comes around. If you have any suggestions, complaints, or comments on MailChimp and how it's working for you on my blog, feel free to contact me! 

What I'm THINKING about: 

I fear for my future child's life because I am such an indecisive person that who knows when that poor kid will be able to leave the hospital since he/she needs a name before we can leave. So it's really hard for me to make a decision on the Wordpress vs Blogger debate. When I started blogging, I thought Blogger sounded easier and better and went with it. Now, I regret that decision. However, I'm not sure if I should jump over to Wordpress since it involves SO MUCH WORK (at least it seems like it). I feel like moving would help me...but I wonder if it'd be pointless since it's not as if I'm a "big blog." Another worry I have is that I would lose the amount of followers I DO have. What're all your thoughts on Wordpress? Have any of you moved from Blogger to Wordpress? Tell me your experience!

What I'm trying to FIND: 

Let's say I do move to Wordpress. I'll probably need a new design and I was thinking about even a new blog name. But I don't know. I don't know how I exactly feel about my blog name. Is it really good enough? I'm trying to figure out a name that impresses me. I'm trying to come up with a blog design that impresses me. I want to be impressed. How did you find your blog design?

This is not to say that I AM moving. Just considering. Weighing all my options, gathering all the information before me. Analyzing the water in case there's something dangerous in there so I don't dive in and DIE. 

I want to hear YOUR thoughts on this, whether it's about Wordpress, blog designs, Feedburner or MailChimp, or your personal experiences about this. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2013

Property of The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where bloggers who enjoy lists (like myself) can participate every Tuesday in making a list that goes in accordance with the topic for that week. Go to their site for more info, to participate, or to look at who else is participating!

This week is Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2013. In no particular order:

1. Go to an author signing/book conference. 
Actually, my sister and I are already planning to go to one in February! I also would LOVE to go to BEA, but alas, that is out of my control. Up to my sister and parents. 

2. Have more giveaways. 
Unlike most teenagers, I actually WANT a job. However, unlike most parents, my mom keeps telling me to cool it since I already have too much on my plate. So right now, I'm saving for trips (like BEA) and pinching every penny. I resolve to be more generous though. 

3. Give more books to people I know in person (including suggestions/borrowing). 
This goes hand-in-hand with #2 above. 

4. Participate in a reading challenge. 
Or, you know, just make sure I read a minimum of 100 books this year. 

5. Get on top of my reviews! 
I have this awful habit of waiting too long to review a book (like I'm doing right now with one) or simply don't write a review because of the procrastinating. Read more. Review more. 

6. Do an author interview. 
Although it might be stressful, you don't know how much I want to interview someone, especially an author! But it's not really up to me. I have to boost those follower numbers! 

7. Trim down my TBR pile. 
By no means is it as big as others' piles, but there are a few books on there that have had a place on the list for a while. They have also been published for a while. I need to get on it (which is basically with #4)

8. Reach 500 followers minimum. 
Most of you guys have probably skimmed over this or just gone down to the comments already to put in your link so you might not have even SEEN this. But really, although it's a major goal for me, I hate to put it on here. I hate to put anything about followers on here. Why? Well, if I don't reach any goal I have with followers, I don't want people to think, "Wow, she couldn't do THAT? She had a year." Oh well, I turn my cheek on those people. 

9. Finish The Thief series. 
If you know my sister, Shelver, at all, you would know that she's Megan Whale Turner's and The Thief's BIGGEST fan. Nonstop nagging to finish the series (I have book #1 as a bribe from her) and get on to reading The Queen of Attolia. I know, I know. 

10. Make my blog better. 
So broad and generic, right? Well, as I mentioned in my post about how pretty my blog looks yesterday, I mentioned how I want EVERYTHING on my blog to be way BETTER. Everything. I hope with some of these points on the list, it will make that happen. I also have to work on myself so that I can improve what I want to improve...if that makes sense. 

Can I add a bonus one? 

11. "Meet" new bloggers/readers/authors. 
I put meet in quotes because I don't think I'll ever actually meet every single one of you out there. I DO want to actually meet some of you (it'd be awesome if it's this year. Hint, hint, at BEA), but I also want to read about new authors, interact with more readers, and visit new blogs! 

What are some of your bookish goals this year? 

My blog feels pretty, oh so pretty...

It feels pretty and witty and bright! Although none of you can hear me, I'll stop singing now. I'm probably more excited than I should be. But come on, just look at my blog!

What brought this change on from someone who hates a lot of change? Well, I knew for a while that I wanted to make Blue Sky Bookshelf better. It needed to look better, be better, produce better posts, everything needed to be better. So after perusing blogs, I emailed Megan from The Book Babe about her blog design. I wasn't happy with my banner and definitely not with my gray navigation bar. So I thought, "I'll ask Megan and start small with the navigation bar."

Being the super helpful and nice blogger she is, Megan emailed me back, but then told me about her friend Lizzy from ReadAHolicZ who does great banners and such...for FREE.

As my mother would like to put it, doesn't that just rock your socks? If you ever want your blog redone, see her. Although, really, she has a great blog so see her anyways!

She worked her magic and voila! Here it is. Take it all in. She's also working on a blog button for me so that means if you ever want to put me on the sidebar of YOUR blog, you'll be able to do so. I was hoping to put a giveaway with this post, but being a teenager with no job, I have to check over my money again.

However, when I get my blog button, it's possible that there will be a GIVEAWAY...but you'll have to keep checking back to find out.

It'd be wonderfully nice if you checked back anyways. Maybe even spread the love to ReadAHolicZ and The Book Babe!

What do you think of the new design? 

Comment below!

2-in-1 mini reviews by Robin Benway!

One of the great things about being in this blogosphere is when you read someone else's blog, you will usually come up with tons of great book recommendations. When I was reading one of (the amazing) Alice's (at Alice in Readerland) posts, she mentioned Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway. I think it was only about a week later when she mentioned the book again. So, of course, what do I do? Get it!

That, my friends, is when I fell in love with Robin Benway. 

California high school student Audrey Cuttler dumps self-involved Evan, the lead singer of a little band called The Do-Gooders. Evan writes, “Audrey, Wait!” a break-up song that’s so good it rockets up the billboard charts. And Audrey is suddenly famous!

Now rabid fans are invading her school. People is running articles about her arm-warmers. The lead singer of the Lolitas wants her as his muse. (And the Internet is documenting her every move!) Audrey can?t hang out with her best friend or get with her new crush without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi.

Take a wild ride with Audrey as she makes headlines, has outrageous amounts of fun, confronts her ex on MTV, and gets the chance to show the world who she really is.

Title: Audrey, Wait!

Author: Robin Benway

Published: April 10th, 2008

Publisher: Razorbill

ISBN:159514191X 

Mini-Review:

"The day I broke up with my boyfriend was the day he wrote the song." 

While she doesn't explain everything right there, you aren't tip-toeing around the subject matter either. Like she puts it in the next sentence: "You know, the song." If you read the very intriguing synopsis, you know that Audrey is suddenly thrown into the spotlight thanks to her ex-boyfriend Evan writing a song about her that strangely gets millions of hits. Think of those Youtube videos and such that people never think would land them a guest spot on Ellen or a record label or on the front page of Yahoo! But that's what happens to Audrey and she didn't do anything except break up with a egotistical boyfriend who is the lead singer in a band...and didn't turn around when he called out for her.

Although you get the point that there are many reasons not to like Evan, and I even went, "Why did you stay with him so long again?",  Audrey is wonderful. Robin Benway has a fantastic writing style. She's humorous, delightful, and attention-grabbing. In turn, that makes Audrey amazing. 

I thought the whole plot was fun because wouldn't it be weird (but cool to imagine) suddenly getting thrown in the limelight, having reporters come at you, and your world turn upside down? To me, I loved that it didn't happen RIGHT AFTER he sang the song at the gig. It wouldn't be realistic. Everybody loved the song at the gig, but Audrey forgot about it after a couple months until wham! there's the shocker of it going big (to her, not us, of course). 

The two annoyances I had with this book is her best friend Victoria and the cursing. It was might have been realistic, I'm not sure, but Victoria was frustrating me with her pushy ways. Every way she could, she pushed Audrey. Push, push, push. I wanted to scream at her to grow a backbone. However, I did see Victoria's side of it. Audrey began to complain about all the attention and was starting to always talk negatively about it, which would definitely grow weary and just plain frustrating. She wasn't the same anymore, as it would be normal for her not to be. So really, I wanted to grab both of them by the shoulders and shake them. 

The cursing, though, was another problem. I don't like cursing. Period. I know it's "teen-realistic" for people to have cursing in their novels, but I have read great YA books where they avoided it quite nicely. They might have implied it or at least had a couple minor ones and that was it, and I didn't feel gipped in the slightest. So after a bit, my eyes just blocked it out because I wasn't able to put down the book. 

Verdict: Audrey, Wait! grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go until I was sleep deprived the next morning. 

I hugged my sisters and they fit against my sides like two jigsaw pieces that would never fit anywhere else. I couldn't imagine ever letting them go again, like releasing them would be to surrender the best parts of myself.

Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait! Around the time of their parents' divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood--powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?

April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds--everyone's but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they'll always have each other.

Because there's one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.

Title: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June

Author: Robin Benway

Published: August 1st, 2010 (first published June 1st 2010)

Publisher: Razorbill

ISBN: 159154286X

Mini-Review:

After I read Audrey, Wait! I scoured the library for more Robin Benway novels. I saw this and didn't even read the synopsis before I checked it out. When I read the inside flap at home, excitement bubbled inside of me. Sisters with superpowers? I'm a sucker for superpowers or superheros. 

We start the book off with the eldest, April, narrating the first chapter. They rotate each chapter in the same order: April, May, then June. They tell their side of what happened and each day and what they're feeling. 

April sees the future. After she comes to terms with having this power, she explains how each time she wakes up and sees her mother, she quickly assesses her future for the day to make sure nothing tragic happens. April is like a second mother to her two younger sisters, even though they're all only a year apart. And like all generalized firstborns, she's the brainiac and overachiever. 

May disappears. I like to call it invisibility, but they just say she disappears. Her power goes hand in hand with how she feels about her life. My mother and sister would say that she has the "middle child syndrome" where middle children exaggerate about how hard it is being a middle child and how life isn't fair for them. However, while I do not feel as horrible as May does, I understand what she says about being a middle child probably because I'm a middle child myself. May is also the one who started the chain of events that led them to move to another state. Their parents got divorced, May got hammered, then they moved. My problem with this is that they never really explained how that led them to moving, but I'll go on.  

 June reads minds. She's a incoming freshman in high school who is a very perky, very self-conscious teenager. She wants to be popular and not a friendless outcast like May and neither is she interested in school like April. Of course, she uses her mind reading abilities to gain popularity and friends...and to see what her big sisters are thinking about. With her power, she gets out of hand with trying to be "cool" and is accused of being unethical. 

At first, I had trouble with the ever-changing narrating views. Some people might hate it throughout the story, but I grew to love it. April is clearly the main narrator, with her starting and ending the novel. For different reasons, May was my favorite. She's witty, humorous, and lovable. She might be moody and have problems, but that's a good thing. 

There were a couple scenes that I thought was unrealistic (I know, it's a book about superpowers, hush) where I stopped reading and squint at it in mild disgust because that would just never go over well and no one would ever do that. The plus with this book is that there was way less cursing so blare the trumpets for Robin!  

Verdict: I definitely liked Audrey, Wait! better than The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June, but clearly, Robin Benway is a winner. 

I would like to thank again Alice from Alice in Readerland for being the great blogger she is by recommending me a new author to enjoy. Sadly, Robin doesn't have any other books until her next book Also Known As comes out (February 26th, 2013) which I highlighted in my Wishlist Wednesday post.

Do you recommend another author for me to try? 

Comment below!

My confessions

Oh, every blogger has some confessions. I have seen several posts from several different bloggers who have revealed them whether it be in a Top Ten Tuesday post or just a post like this one. I thought it would be fun to join in on the confessions! Hello, who doesn't like them (think: sleepovers) and it involves a list. 

Lists = greatness which I thank my mother for. 

~~*~~

1. I am 16 years old.I'm still a junior in high school, but I AM in college at the same time. Might be a bit confusing, I know. However, I dual enroll in a college nearby while I still do high school work. I have heard of high school bloggers, but usually, they are seniors in high school. So if any of you are high school junior bloggers, give me a shout-out! (I also hope adult/older bloggers on here do not now regard me as "too young." Please still like me!) 

Mother/daughter reading duo! 

2. Adult books have a place in my heart.It sounds shocking since this is a YA blog, but I was first introduced to reading through adult books. Well, at least that's how I remember it. I was always very picky about my reading and the only books I actually remember (right now) only really liking were the Christy Miller series, the Mandy series, and the Elizabeth Gail series. The other books were my mom's. The Hawk and the Jewel (and the rest of the Kensington Chronicles) by Lori Wick will ALWAYS have a place in my heart. It, along with other Lori Wick books and books in my mom's closet (even Amish!), are my go-to read when I want to reread something. You know how when you pack for a vacation, you will bring new books, but always have at least one book for "safety?" What if you don't like the new books? What if you're not in the mood for them? The books my mother introduced me to are definitely my safety books. (Seven Daughters and Seven Sons is the book my sister introduced me to that got me to start liking her books a bit more) 

3. I haven't read Harry Potter.I know I really should considering the characters and books pop up in every Top Ten Tuesday post! To be honest, it never really interested me and my mom wasn't big into me reading witchcraft of any sort (Narnia does not count). Now that I'm a blogger, I really want to know the appeal. Hermoine sounds awesome and it helps that I can picture Emma Watson. Also, I have to confess that I have not read Twilight either. I will NEVER read that. I'm sorry to you all Twi-hards. 

4. I am a Les Miserables fan.It might not be a whoop-dee-doo to you all, but it IS to me. I read it for school last year and it was one of the most interesting school books I ever read. Sure, I had check cliff notes some and there was a bit of skimming, BUT it was interesting. Goosebumps pop up whenever I watch the Les Mis trailer to no fail. 

I CANNOT WAIT. 

5. Mr. Darcy = love.Yes, there are LOTS of fictional guys that I absolutely adore and wish I had. Peeta, Michael, Perry, Roar...I can go on. You can actually see my list of Top Ten Fictional Crushes if you click on the link. Hint, hint. But Mr. Darcy is so swoon-tastic. However, I didn't list him in my Top Ten because I don't remember much of what I thought of him in the book. I had to read Pride and Prejudice for school in, I think, middle school? Was not impressed. I am, though, in love with the 2005 movie version. All the girls in my family can re-watch it and keep re-watching it without it ever getting old. 

6. Blogger friends are awesome.A perk of being in the blogosphere is the friends! Sure, we never meet (some do) and they don't even know my REAL name, but they are a great bunch of people. We get to squeal over books, encourage each other, comment on posts, and support! I'm new to blogging, but I have already "met" some awesome people. I thought my sister was crazy when she said she had friends on here, but (don't tell her) SHE WAS RIGHT. 

7. My dream is to travel.My first priority is New York. NY is the one place I have been strongly dreaming about for my whole stinking life. After that, I fully intend to study abroad for a semester in Europe and then travel in Africa. I hope to see Boston someday and even take my little sister to Hong Kong (I have no idea why that's her dream place, but it is). Russia is even a fascination with me since I have always loved Anastasia. So traveling is my biggest dream. They also have some very cool book covers overseas. 

8. My Christmas list is a big thing to me.I can tell a lot of how I like the book by asking myself if I would put it on my Christmas list. My Christmas list is very special to me. I don't ask for just anything. Well, I might sometimes just to beef it up, but usually I think really hard on what I want. Do I really want to own that book? Will I EVER read that again? It was good, but worth rereading? My Christmas List is basically a guideline for how I liked a book I read. 

9. I have so many book ideas.I have tried to write them, but I can't seem to do it. Writing summaries or certain scenes or even what the characters are like are more fun to me. Maybe someday I'll write a book, but I would really rather give someone else the idea. 

Property of  XKCD.com
Makes me smile every time I read it.

10. I mispronounce. A lot.You know, as a blogger and a slightly intellectual person, you would think I would not have a problem with things like mispronunciation. I guess that's the problem with reading. You see it, but they don't pronounce it for you. Genre, meme, Amish...there are so many others that I have problems with. I FINALLY got Amish down, but I keep forgetting the former two. 

~~*~~

Alright, the list is pretty tame. No shocking revelations, pregnancies, or soap opera situations. There aren't even really weird bookish confessions. These are just MY confessions, MY quirks, and MY feelings. Some people might have the same confessions, some people might think they are stupid, or some people might think differently. 

It does feel good to declare it all to the world. I recommend it. And you all know ten more things about me instead of just a pseudonym. 

**BONUS** 

11. I am Downton Abbey-obsessed.I will be happy to converse/squeal/rant/WHATEVER with you about books, but also Downton Abbey. Oh my gosh, love that show. (It got renewed for a 4th season!) 

Now... 

What are YOUR confessions? Do you have some of the same? 

COMMENT below! 

Public Announcement: Holiday Giveaway!

Gillian Berry, blogger and owner of Writer of Wrongs, is hosting a FANTASTIC giveaway. Personally, I would not have heard of it if it were not for my sister, Shelver at Bookshelvers Anonymous, who follows her. So this post is for anybody out there who may also not hear of it. While I want to win, it is the season of giving (although Thanksgiving hasn't passed and that's being thankful which means if we are being thankful, aren't we getting something? No? I don't know, I just like the food). With it being the season of giving, sharing my knowledge and lowering my chances of winning will be a small sacrifice...I guess. 

So why do I like this giveaway so much? 

The Perfect Transport

I should first introduce myself. It's only polite. I'm Sunny and the creator of this blog. If you read my "About Me" page, you'll already know a little about me. Like I say on my Twitter page, I'm tall, an animal-lover, and not very fond of handshakes. I think those are the three basic things you need to know about me. For now. Well, I also love books. Sadly, not a lot of people do. They think it's boring, waste of their time, associate it with school. But do you know why I love them? They're our closest things to time travel, in my opinion.

Books are the perfect transport. You open up a good book and you’re transported to a different world. No matter what the genre, if the author does it right, you’re no longer in your own world. You’re in the character’s home. You’re in a dystopian. You’re in New York or some hick town in Kansas. You’re in 1840 England. You’re at a different planet than Earth.

You can escape reality for a second and imagine a different world. You think like the character, you connect with them, you cry or laugh with them. It doesn't matter, you’re transported.

Not only does it connect you with imaginary dimensions and characters, books connect you with other people. How do books become best-selling? By people recommending and spreading the word about them! You talk about the books and what scenes you like the best. Even books you don’t like, you complain about it with each other.

It’s a great feeling of satisfaction when someone comes back to me and says, “Oh my gosh, I loved [insert book name] so much!” Or even when they just tell me their opinions about a mutual loved or hated book. I like hearing what other people think, but also saying my own suggestions and opinions.

Of course, starting a blog is scarier than talking in person. You just see a blank page with a blinking black line. That’s all you see as your mind races to think of the correct words for what you’re thinking. You don’t want to bore people or have them feel as if they wasted your time. Obviously, you want them to enjoy it.

 Just as books are friends, I hope in this blogosphere, friendships are made as well. 

Tell me: why do you love books?