My Trip to Iceland!

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

Recaping my Trip to Iceland 

This past February, my husband and I took a trip to Iceland with a group of friends.  It was absolutely stunning.  I have seen a lot of Europe and loved it but Iceland thus far has been one of the most naturally stunning places I have visited.  The expanse of white landscape, that most awe-inspiring Northern Lights, and the unique terrain made it a magnificent trip.  

Sun Voyager, View from the Church Tower, Me with an Elf, Reykjavik at Night

Geysir, Me with a hot spring, Gulfoss, Justin and I at Gulfoss, Thingvellir National Park

The Blue Lagoon, The city Opera House, and more Blue Lagoon

 Black sand beaches at Vik

 Waterfalls and beaches 

 The most amazing view from our Glacier walk plus ice tunnels and ice caves! 

Last but not least, the Northern Lights!  They were truly amazing! 

I highly recommend visiting Iceland, it was a great experience.  I found everyone to be super helpful and friendly.  I also get asked a lot how cold it was, it was actually not too bad.  Cold but definitely manageable!  

How Far Would You Go For Your Favorite Books?

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

How Far Would You Go For Your Favorite Books?

Created by Christina @ Christina Reads YA | Tagged by Kay @ It's A Book Life

1. We would give up the internet for a month for a signed first edition of this book: 
 Nicole: Umm... I actually can't think of a book that I would want a signed first edition of bad enough to give up the Internet for a month. I go on vacation for a week without internet and I feel like the world has ended.

Ashley: I am with Nicole on this one, I can't think of a book I would want a signed edition of so bad that I would give up the Internet for a month.

2. We would give up pizza for a year if it meant we could sit next to this author on a long plane ride: 

Nicole: Jay Kristoff. And I LOVE Pizza so Jay if you are reading this you better be flattered and I expect a plane ride of witty remarks and a sneak peek at the rest of the Illuminae series. ;)

Ashley:  Maggie Steifvater.  I think she has so much awesome personality and she is one of my favorite authors.

3. We would sit through a 1,000 hours of commercials if it would ensure that Hollywood made this book into a (really good) movie: 

Nicole: The Red Rising Trilogy staring Pierce Brown himself because this series is EPIC and Pierce Brown is HOT.

Ashley:  The Lunar Chronicles. I love re-watching Disney movies, so I can totally see re-watching the Lunar Chronicles, plus the books are fantastic!

4. We would never read a new book again if it meant we could live inside this this book: 
 Nicole: HARRY POTTER. I would sell my soul to live in this world so giving up reading is a no-brainer.

Ashley: HARRY POTTER. There really is no debate here at all.

5. We would let our Google search history be made public if it meant we could be best friends with this author: 
 Nicole: Sarah J. Maas. My Google search history isn't even embarrassing but even if it was riddled with inappropriateness, I would still make it public to be best friends with Sarah because she is awesome (just attend one of her events and you will see).

Ashley: My Google search history is not really embarrassing, it is full of sewing, weather, books, and tv.  I would make it public though to be best friends with Rainbow Rowell.

6. We would donate everything we own to Goodwill if it meant we could date this book character in real life: 
  Nicole: STURMHOND. And I would donate MY FAMILY to Goodwill if it meant I could date Sturmhond. My god, I love him.

Ashley: ROAR.  Goodness, Roar for sure. 

How Far Would You Go For Your Favorite Books?

We tag anyone that wants to participate :)

Things That Make Us More Happy Than Not

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

Things That Make Us More Happy Than Not

We were tagged by Erica @ Novel Ink and Liza @ Reading with ABC

What Makes You More Happy Than Not?

We tag anyone that wants to participate :)

Exploring Outside My Book Comfort Zone

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

Exploring Outside My Book Comfort Zone and Need Recommendations!

So I have semi-recently expanded my reading comfort zone and read my first New Adult book (Cora Carmack's Losing It) and I LOVED it.  It made me laugh and smile throughout the whole book.  I wanted more just like it so I quickly finished the Losing It series and read the Rusk University series in May.  I am thrilled to have ventured into New Adult books; I have enjoyed the ones I have read so far but I need more, especially for reading outside this summer! 

 So this is where I ask you, what are some of your favorite New Adult books??

I have been really enjoying trying books out of my comfort zone but I have been very very selective so far.  I do have bookshelves full of great books that am looking forward to reading but sometimes I feel like I need a book that is a polar opposite of what I have just read.  I need to cleanse my book palette so to speak.  I recently was drawn to a book I won a while back, The Cute Girl Network, which happened to be a graphic novel.  My first one ever!  The story was cute and fun and I loved the artwork; I finished the book in one sitting.  I went to the library and did some googling in search of more like it but I was quickly overwhelmed.  I had no idea what would be another good graphic novel or other book with illustrations that a newbie might possibly enjoy.  

So this is where I ask you, do you have any graphic novel/illustrated book recommendations?

Also, are there any series or books you think I should avoid completely in either kind of category?  I look forward to recommendations and continuing to expand my comfort zone! 

We're Participating in Summer of Series!

Summer of Series, hosted by Lili @ Lili's Reflections and Danielle @ Love at First Page is a Summer challenge dedicated to reading as many books in a series as one can, but at least one series a month. Because Lili makes a compelling argument, we decided to join in on the fun! For more information on the challenge, including link-ups and giveaways, visit Lili and Danielle at the links above!

Nicole's Summer of Series

So I am scared that I am going to fail this challenge, like I do every other reading challenge BUT here's to trying... Fortunately audiobooks count so I do have a fighting chance. I feel like I've already started a lot of series and since I don't reread often, it was hard for me to come up with a list of series that would even count for this challenge. But here's a few that I think I might read and I'm definitely open to recommendations if ya'll have any! 

1. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson 

So I JUST finished listening to The Final Empire and I'm hoping I can listen to The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages before the month is over so that this series will count for June but these are BIG books and this might be too ambitious. We shall see. 

2. The Dispossessed by Page Morgan

I listened to The Beautiful and the Cursed a while ago and enjoyed it but have yet to continue on with this series, partly because I wanted to re-listen to book 1 before I started book 2. My goal for July will be to do just that since the entire series is not out!

3. Losing It by Cora Carmack or Rusk University by Cora Carmack

I've been meaning to read something by Cora Carmack for forever and Ashley really enjoyed both series. I'm hoping this Summer I will be able to read at least one of her series, but maybe I will surprise everyone by reading both! Is there one I should start with? 

4. Chronicles of Kazam by Jasper Fforde (This one's for you Kay!)

My blogging bestie, Kay, said that the first book in this series was the most fun book she has read ever. That means I have to read it, of course, but they also seem like my kind of books! And fortunately for my challenge-failing ways, these books don't seem to be too long. 

There are also quite a few series I have to finish that I've put off because I don't know if I recall enough of the previous books to enjoy/fully understand the last one (and rereading the first two books in each series just feels daunting). But maybe I'll get lucky and Recaptains will have some recaps and I can finish a few series for extra points.  Wish me luck! (I'm gonna need it, hah.)

Ashley's Summer of Series

I am excited about this challenge because there are quite a few series I have been holding off on and really have been meaning to start.   So hopefully I can knock out some of these series this summer :)

1. Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Before I started blogging I had read the first book in the series and by the time the next two books came out I had forgotten too much about book one.  So since I got the complete series for Christmas I figure it would be a good series to try and finish this summer!

2. Scarlet by A.C.Gaughen 

This series is all over many blogs and even our blog :)  I have yet to read it even though the premise sounds totally up my alley.  I also happen to now have the entire collection on my shelves so I cannot wait to start.

3. Bowler University by Megan Erickson

I have heard this is a fun and lighter new adult series which is the kind of new adult I have been loving lately.  It sounds like it would be a great pool side series!

4. The Syrena Legacy by Anna Banks 

I recently traded for book one in this series. I do love the covers and the story sounds pretty interesting so we shall see if I enjoy and finish this series.

I also really hope to finish up some series this summer that I am in the middle of  such as JLA's Lux series and I would also like to start The Remnant Chronicles since I see GLOWING reviews for those books! Wish us luck :)

I Love A Bad Boy

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

I Love A Bad Boy

Yes, it's true. It seems that it's always the bad boys that I'm most attracted to in books. The ones that have that devil-may-care attitude and aren't always on their best behavior. Adrian Ivashkov from The Vampire Academy series might be my first bad boy crush. And Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses might be my latest. I swooned over both of these boys more than I did the actual love interest. I just find them so damn sexy. 

But before I keep going, let me say that there is a difference between a bad boy and an asshole. The latter, I do NOT love (or even like). Those damaged types that treat girls like crap and justify their behavior away later can go to hell.

Now why do I like the bad ones? Maybe it's that opposites really do attract and I'm drawn to the fact that they are everything I'm not (hah). Or maybe it's because I love a challenge or that they are a mystery that needs to be solved. Maybe society has ruined me and I think I (but really the main character) will be the one to change them. I have no idea. It's even possible that I don't love them at all but only think that I do because they make the books I read so much fun and I miss them when they are not there. The point is, I can't get enough. 

I will still love and swoon over the sweet, nerdy or just boy-next-door guys (like Max from The Start of Me and You) but I'm likely going to choose the rebellious, fun, trouble-causing types. Give me Sturmhond over Mal any day. ;)

So tell me, what's your type? Do you like bad boys like I do?

How I Plan To Spend My Newfound Freedom

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

How I Plan To Spend My Newfound Freedom

So as some of you may know, I have been going to school part time for the past two years to get my MBA (Masters in Business Administration). Between school and working full time, I didn't really have much time to do anything else. What time I did have was mostly dedicated to keeping this blog going. Everything else sort of fell by the wayside, including my social life. Well as of Tuesday, I attended my last night class. *happy dance* I still have one more test to take and one more weekend class this summer before I officially finish my degree, but as far as I am concerned I am free. And here are just some of the things I hope to do with that newfound freedom (and money):

1. Cook!
No joke, I’ve been eating basically the same breakfast, lunch, and rotation of dinners for the past 2 years. Enough of that. There are so many new recipes I’ve been meaning to try but more than that, I really want to start eating healthier. Therefore, I’m definitely planning on dedicating more time to meal planning and meal prep. Maybe you'll see some posts on this topic in the future! Meanwhile, if you have any recipes to share, or tips or anything related to cooking - I'd love to hear them!

2. Tone it Up!
I used to exercise 6+ times a week back before I started school but since then it’s been drastically less (although I’ve still managed to keep it up!)  I would like to work out more regularly again and discover new ways to work out. I want to take an aerial yoga class, maybe even a barre class and I am definitely interested in joining the Tone It Up community. I've started doing some of their free YouTube workouts and I'm thinking about buying the TIU Nutrition Plan. Do any of you do their workouts or recommended any other YouTubers for good workout videos? Whats your favorite way to exercise?

3. Travel Planning/Traveling!
As most of you know by now, I LOVE to travel. I haven't stopped traveling these past two years but most of the trips I've taken have been through the MBA program - and they've been great - but I'm happy to be back to picking and planning my own trips. Honestly, it's therapeutic for me. There are so many places I want to go and I've started creating Pinterest boards for each trip to start organizing my ideas. For starters, I'll be going to Budapest, Vienna, and Prague at the end of June - have any of you been there? Any travel/trip suggestions?

4. Watching TV
I am SO BEHIND on shows it's not even funny. First order of business will be to catch up. But I also haven't started any new shows in a while and quite a few I used to watch have ended so I'll probably be in the market for a couple new ones. Maybe I'll start watching The 100 so I can join the fandom! What else should I watch? Any other TV show recommendations?

5. Riding! 
I LOVE horses and I rode for a little bit in college but I’ve barely been on a horse since then. Part of the problem is that I don't own my own horse but my dad's girlfriend does and has asked me to go riding with her. I will definitely be taking her up on her offer now that my weekends won't be overwhelmed with school work and I can't wait. What do you like to do to unwind?

6. My 15in'15!
Two weeks ago I shared my list of 15 things I hope to do this year. In addition to all of those things, I am just really excited to discover new places, hobbies, interests, etc. I just can't wait to LIVE. I feel like a new chapter of my life is starting! What are some new things you are hoping to do this year?

7. Nothing!
I can't wait to have the luxury of doing nothing, completely guilt-free. I forget what that feels like. I am reinstating Sunday Fundays and I have every intention of bumming it on my couch for long periods of time to bask in this nothingness. :D

Nicole's 15in'15

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

My 15in'15

SO I was recently stalking Emery Lord’s website to see if she had announced her book tour for The Start of Me and You and I stumbled upon her 15 in 15 list – a list of 15 things she challenged herself to do this year. I’ve wanted to make a list like this for a while, more and more so as I read books centered around this idea, and seeing Emery's finally gave me the push to do so! I know it's already April but I've already done some of the things I wanted to do so I'm not THAT behind! Regardless, better late than never!  So without further ado, here is my list!

1. Graduate from business school.
So this one is kind of a given seeing as I am almost done and will be walking in May but it is a big deal and it was a challenge so I'm counting it. After all, it's MY list. :)


2. Go someplace new #1 Argentina
3. Go someplace new #2 Chile
4. Go someplace new #3
I stole the idea for these three from Emery's list but if you know me well you know that I love to travel and make it my goal to see a few new places each year. Since I recently returned from visiting Argentina and Chile, I can already cross the first two off my list!


5. Attend a wine and paint night
If you aren't familiar with what this is, it's basically a night out where you go to a studio, take a paint class, paint a pretty picture, and drink wine while doing it. Sounds fabulous, doesn't it? I've wanted to do this ever since it became a thing.


6. Wear bold lipstick for a night out
I love the look of a bold lipstick - whether it's a cherry red or a bubblegum pink - I always think it looks so pretty and I've always wanted to wear it myself but I either chicken out or don't put in the effort.  This is the year to change that. In fact, I just bought Mac's Pink Nouveau lipstick so I am half way there!


7. Take an aerial yoga class
My best friend and I took an aerial silks class earlier this year and it was a ton of fun (but also super hard!) Now we want to do a yoga themed one!


8. Master the cat eye with liquid eyeliner
Again, I am typically very low key with my makeup but I love the cat eye look as well as the bolder look of liquid eyeliner in general. It's going to take work but I want to learn how to do this! Glam shots to come ;)


9. Make my tea from China
I bought this REALLY EXPENSIVE green tea from China when I visited back in July of last year but it’s actual tea leaves which requires actual work to prepare and therefore it has sat untouched in my cabinet for 9 months. I think it's about time I make some.


10. Learn a new feature on my DSLR
I love photography so a few years back I treated myself to my very first DSLR camera but admittedly I have given it very little of my attention since then. I take almost all of my pictures using the basic settings and I really want to learn how to do more with it. I'm going to take baby steps and challenge myself to learn JUST ONE new thing this year.


11. Get an eye exam.
I have been promising a friend at work that I would do this for probably over a year now but I keep putting it off because when it comes to doctor’s appointments, I avoid them like the plague. But I’m determined to make good on my promise this year! Plus, my last eye exam was like 15 years ago soo...


12. Go to a speakeasy bar.  Hop Sing in Philadelphia
    
Ever since I learned that Philly has quite a few of these, I've wanted to go to one! Well, I was finally out in Philly and with someone who had been there before so I suggested it and we went and it was SO COOL! Now I want to visit all of the others ;)


13. Go to a new event in Philly
I want to explore Philly more in general but I don't want to limit myself to just the nightlife. Right now I have my eye on attending The Art of the Brick at the Franklin Institute. I just need to find someone to go with me!


14. Run 6 miles (at once)
It scares me a little to put this on the list because if I fail at anything it's going to be this one. The last time I ran 6 miles was like 2.5 years ago. I haven't run much since and no more than 3 miles at that. Plus my knee has been bothering me lately. But I really want to hit those longer distances again so we'll see!


15. Cook 12 new recipes
I rarely cook, and when I do, I cook something I already know how to make. But it's about time I start testing out some of those meals I've been adding to my Pinterest board for for the last 3 years. I already made two new recipes - black bean burgers and black bean burritos - and both were a success! So 10 more to go!

And that's it! Let me know if you've challenged yourself to anything this year :) 

Do you like movie inspired book covers?

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

Do you like the movie inspired book covers?

My idea for this topic came after I was talking to a friend about reading the book Gone Girl.  She went to Barnes and Noble to buy the book but could not find a single version that did not have Ben Affleck on it from the movie poster. She was quite bummed out and I would be too.  I totally get that since the movie was coming out that was the version they were pushing in store but it made me wonder if people truly prefer the updated movie inspired book covers.  

I feel like I am a purest for the most part when it comes to book covers.  I hands down would rather have the book on the right than the book on the left.  The older version of Gone Girl just seems more true to the book.  After chatting with my friend for some time, I was reminded of my Christmas shopping experience where my husband requested a copy of Ender's Game as one of his gifts.  Of course I was excited that he wanted a book for Christmas, so I went on my way to buy him a copy. His only caveat was that he wanted it without any movie characters on it and without any sticker or logo that said soon-to-be motion picture.  Which then led me to do a bit of searching and ending up with wrong cover versions until I could get an older copy that was still in good condition.  

Do you prefer a non-movie inspired movie cover? Does it not matter to you? Or do you want both version?  Does it depend on the movie? or the book? Or am I crazy :) ?

I am a Follower of Trends

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

I am a Follower of Trends

Something I’ve noticed about my reading choices is that they are pretty significantly influenced by popular opinion. If a book starts getting a lot of attention, I am pretty quick to bump it to the top of my TBR. Mostly because I want to know what all the fuss is about but also because I trust the masses. If a lot of people are enjoying a book, there is a good chance that I will too and I obviously want to spend my time reading good books. Conversely, if I book is getting a lot of negative attention, I likely won’t read it and it would take A LOT of convincing otherwise. This is usually because I get so discouraged and am very risk-averse. This also leads me to be very selective in my review requests and to only request books I am pretty confident that I will like. I know this is not the best of habits – I am probably overlooking books that I might love - but I do enjoy the majority of books that I read so I guess it is a tradeoff that it is mostly working for me. 

Now, most of the books that I read are still in my comfort zone but I will go out of my comfort zone for a book that is getting a lot of hype. This is a benefit of my trend-following-nature because it encourages me to pick up books that I might otherwise have shied away from. And then there are books that I pick up without a clue as to what it is about because I so blindly follow the hype [and because I don’t read synopses]. Basically, I set myself up for a lot of surprises, but this can be fun too.

To give you an idea of some of the books that hype has led me to, here is a small list of some that have worked in my favor, some that haven't and some that are coming up!

Hype that has steered me well:

Hype that has steered me wrong: 

Hype that I am currently buying into:

How does hype/trends/popular opinion influence your reading choices? Are you more likely to pick up a book, or do you tend to avoid books with a lot of hype? Has this been successful for you? 

My Journey Through Feed Readers

Welcome to Thoughts for Thursday! This feature is our outlet to talk with you about whatever we currently have on our minds. It might be bookish, it might not! Now for this week's thought:

My Journey Through Feed Readers

When I started blogging, Google Friend Connect paired with Google Reader was the way to follow blogs. And when I started following blogs, there wasn't much rhyme or reason to who I followed. We participated in the meme Feature & Follow quite a few times and that encouraged a lot of "following back". In quick time, my feed reader became a mess of blogs that I didn't share any interests with nor have any personal connection with. The blogs I did care about were being overshadowed by the ones I didn't.

When Google announced that it was getting rid of Google Reader and Bloglovin emerged on the scene, I stupidly just imported my feeds from Google Reader instead of taking that opportunity to start fresh. So Bloglovin ended up being no more helpful to me than Google Reader was. One day I noticed that I stopped using it entirely and was just deleting those emails automatically because they were filled with posts I had no desire to read. Instead, I was keeping a mental list of blogs that I liked and made sure I visited them on a regular basis. But there were only so many blogs I could keep up with...

Around that time, Ashley mentioned that she used Feedly to follow blogs and I thought to myself BLANK SLATE and quickly transferred my mental list to a new account. But now that I wasn't limited to what my memory could hold, I started adding more and more of my favorite blogs. But then I panicked because I didn't want my Feedly account to become so huge that I became overwhelmed with Feedly too.

You see, there are blogs I read/comment on almost every post and then there are blogs that I read/comment on when I have time. I wanted each of those two groups to have their own home. That's when I decided it was time to clean out my Bloglovin account...

OMG that thing was a DISASTER. So many blogs I followed hadn't posted in YEARS, others I haven't read/thought of in years. And then there is the fact that my interests evolved. It took me a while to clean it up and then once all the clutter was gone I realized that there were so many blogs I liked that I never followed! WHAT? In reality you were in my mental list or I was following you via Feedly BUT STILL. This is why you might have noticed me JUST following you even though we've been friends for a while. Sorry about that. But now I'm likely following you twice so...

It's still a work in progress as I try to figure out what works best for me but I feel MUCH BETTER now that I am significantly more organized. Now I can be a better commenter too.

So how do you follow blogs/manage your feed readers? Do you have any tips and tricks to using Bloglovin or Feedly?