Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

I was tagged by Lili from Lili's Reflections. Not only did I love reading her questions and answers, but it was a fun blog post to do!

Guidlines: 

• Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their website.
• Post the award's logo on your blog.
• Answer the ten questions you have been asked.
• Nominate 10 other bloggers and ask them 10 other questions. 

Questions:

When and why did you start blogging? 
I started in October of 2012 after my sister pressured me to. A whole community who loved books as much as I do? Sign me up.

What is your favorite genre and why? 
This is awful. How do you pick? I guess I'd have to say fantasy. I honestly love many genres for different reasons. Contemporary comes close because it was my first love and dystopian is third because it introduced me to a whole new world of books. But I guess I'd have to pick fantasy because I have read so many great (and diverse) books in this genre that I think happy thoughts.

Recommend a book you love that you think deserves more hype. 
I'll always say Gallagher Girls, but I LOVED Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley and didn't see a lot of feedback. Maybe I missed something, but I think it deserved a lot more hype.

Aside from reading, what are your favorite hobbies?
Of course I get asked this when I feel completely lost in a list of have-tos. I guess working out, but that's a love/hate relationship. Basketball, maybe. Does watching TV count? oh my gosh I sound boring

Top 3 books you have ever read?
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, and Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter (although The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes comes close)

Who are your favorite authors and why? 
Ally Carter, hands down, because she wrote two amazing series, which was a stepping stone for me in YA. Meg Cabot, Janette Rallison, and Jen Calonita, because their contemporaries make me happy. Marissa Meyer, because she's a genius. And so many more.

What is the best book you have read so far this month?
Well, I haven't read this much this month, but even so, The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord.

What book is responsible for the reader you are today?
I could take this question so many ways. If it's for the "more mature than juvenile" reading, then The Hawk and the Jewel by Lori Wick. If it's to show that my sister actually has good tastes (which is very important to how I am now), then it's Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen and Bahija Lovejoy. But if it's for the diverse-loving reader (who doesn't snub non-contemporary books) I am today then it's all to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

I over-answered this question, but I didn't think it fair to ignore such important books.

Do you collect anything other than books?
You could probably count notebooks/notepads. I love notebooks and never want to throw them away. I'm such a pro-notepad kind of girl too (yellow legal pads make me happy to write on).

Tell us a weird fact about yourself that we probably didn't know.
I'm super picky in my personal music. I don't mind listening to the radio (I actually enjoy it) or to others' music. But when I'm listening to my headphones, I can only stand certain music. Usually it has to make me feel something, I can daydream to it. I love OneRepublic and all, but oldies are my jam.

My nominees: 
1. Jen at Starry-Eyed Revue
2. Lisa at Lost in Lit
3. Danielle at Love at First Page
4. Kel at Booked til Tuesday
5. Emily at Forever Literary
6. Emma at Awkwordly Emma
7. Jessica at Just Another Teen Reading
8. Marley at Flyleaf Review
9. Lauren at Love is not a triangle
10. YOU! 

Questions for YOU: 

1. What YA book to movie adaption is your favorite?
2. Do you listen to music while you read and if so, who's your go-to artist?
3. What's the best book you read this year?
4. What's your favorite and least favorite genre to read?
5. What did you rate the last book you read and why? (DNFs count)
6. Do you like reading outside or inside better?
7. Who's your favorite OTP? (one true pairing/fictional couple)
8. Gifs or no gifs in reviews?
9. Do you read more ebooks or physical copies?
10. What's one book you wish everyone would read?

What would you answer to the questions I was asked and to the questions I'm asking you? Tell me below or make your own blog post! 

Disappointments of a Blogger

Here's the no-duh statement that I would like to get out: Book bloggers love books. You can get those scoffs, eye rolls, and sarcastic statements out of the way now, but I had to say it first. Book bloggers love books so much that they devote lots of time to them by making a website, reading, and talking to others about reading/books/authors. However, with that large amount of love for books, there will evidently be disappointments too.

You meet somebody who doesn't like to read.

Credit

I have met way too many of these people. I admit it, I still wonder if they're joking whenever someone says they don't like reading and my heart still breaks when I realize that they are, indeed, telling the truth. Those poor souls. As a book blogger, I can't comprehend how they don't like them and why they won't give my favorite worlds a chance. It's so strange. 

You meet somebody who hasn't read one of your favorite books.

Credit

This goes with the one above because it just DOES NOT COMPUTE. I have a favorite book and when I see or hear that someone didn't like it (specifically a friend), I can't understand it. I have this huge love for a certain book/series and then someone doesn't like it? Excuse me? 

You see somebody got a coveted ARC..that you didn't get.

Credit

Yes, it's petty. Yes, it's warned all the time. Yes, it's pure jealousy. But if you know me well, you know that I have a continual problem with jealousy. It's a bad thing, that monstrous little green bug. You request an ARC, hear nothing, but then see on someone's blog that they got it. So then you can't help, but wonder why didn't you get it? 

You read an anticipated book and it didn't live up to the hype.

Credit

Another disappointment related to feeling insecure. You know, there's always that one book that you are so excited for and you see only positive reviews. All the trusted bloggers and friends rave about it and not a one rated it lower than three stars. Then you get to it and you keep checking the cover to make sure that you really did pick up the right book. When I write a negative review, it's relieving in a way, but when I see that so many people liked it and I feel like that I'm the oddball, I feel like a failed reader. Of course, that feels like a failed blogger. Expectations are powerful. 

You realize you now have less time to read.

Credit

This may be only me, but after the start of blogging, I go through phases of reading. I'll either have tons of time to read or suddenly life happens and blogging feels like a pressure and I suddenly have no time to read. With reading being a strong passion, this is one of the most disappointing things to ever happen. I see great posts encouraging bloggers to not feel pressured about their blogs and to not let reading become like a chore. I definitely appreciate those posts and this is me saying that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Also, congrats to the bloggers who don't find themselves in this situation. 

You get negative comments.

Credit

Thankfully, I haven't had to experience this one, but I know it can be a disappointing thing to bloggers. Some of them brush it off, some of them might even like it, but I can imagine it to be pretty deflating. As a devoted reader to others' blogs, I hate when I hear that commenters are nasty to them or write something that tears them down. So thank you to everyone who has written the sweetest things on here. 

I know there must be way more so go comment below! I appreciate hearing your thoughts, you lovely people. I promise this week I will be better at blogging, reading, and commenting on others' blogs because I desperately miss it.