February's #ReaderInterview with J: part one

February's reader is J, whom, like Madi, I actually first met on Instagram (isn't social media the greatest?) Howdy, lady! Thanks so much for doing this month’s Reader Interview! Let’s begin with a great question:
 
 
What’s your favorite book cover of all time, and what makes it so special?
 
Whether we want to admit it or not, I think we all, to some degree judge a book by its cover.  (Some are just too gorgeous not to be drawn to.) If I'm going to pick a more dramatic cover, I'd probably have to say The Blue-Eyed General by Rebecca Inman. The entire cover is shades of blue and it has the main character Cecelia looking out into the city. I love the edgy, moody feel of it. It really compliments the story.

If I'm going to pick something simpler, but no less lovely, I'm leaning towards Significance by Shelly Crane (which just so happens to have the same cover models as the gorgeous original paperback covers for the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.) These covers are super simple, yet super stunning and I love that about them. They effortlessly capture the main characters' relationship and that's such an important part of this wonderful series. They are by far among my favorites on my shelves. The stories they contain are no less stunning than their covers!

Same cover models as the Lux series, huh? I love that you're mentioning books I haven't heard heard of... more to add to my TBR! :) NOTE: Significance is currently free on Amazon!

   
How about your favorite interior? (Font, design, ect.) 
 
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. The original hardcover. What can I say? I'm in love with the cross-outs. The cover is black with "Shatter Me" sliced through in silver on the spine. On the front it reads "My touch is lethal." (which is crossed out) and underneath is says "My touch is power." I think it's such a powerful element. The book is very poetic and I feel like the cross-outs add a certain grittiness and help to further connect you to the protagonist, Juliette, as well as the story.
 

Is there a book you would love to see adapted into a movie that is not yet currently in the works? What element would you look forward to seeing most, and why?  
 
I would probably start crying if Under the Never Sky was made into a movie. It is literally one of my favorite series ever. It's a dystopian, but it is so incredibly unique. I think quite a few of the elements could be difficult to work with, but there is also a lot of potential for it to be  one of the best book to movie adaptations ever done. There is an energy source called aether in the series (it's kind of like extremely volatile blue lightning). I think it would so cool to see an aether storm play out on screen. There is also a host of very diverse characters. Aria is an awesome heroine, but while she's never really "helpless" she doesn't really start out like Katniss or some of the more "typical" dystopian heroines. She has amazing character development and I would be very excited about watching that. Maybe even more so than anything else. (Well, except for Peregrine perhaps.)

What is your favorite reading location?
 
My all time favorite place to read is on my bed with my gray blanket.

Ebook or paper?

Both! I love the feel of a paper book, but at the same time I love ebooks, because I can take lots of stories with me wherever I go!

 
Name a character you would hate to be stranded with on a desert island.
 
Cassia Reyes from Matched.

Go to page 84 of your current read. What does the third sentence say?
 
'Could be him,' he said to himself. 'Sort of thing he'd do.' - Ranger's Apprentice book 12: The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan

Tell us the most recent book that made you laugh:
 
The Royal Ranger. A couple of the characters are really witty and sarcastic. These books are hilarious! I love them :)

 
How about the last book that made you cry?
 
I've never actually cried over a book before (I really just don't cry), however, I was very, very close when I read Prodigy by Marie Lu. It's the second book in the Legend trilogy (which is totally awesome). The end of Prodigy KILLS though. It's amazing, but it really hurts. (Especially when you have about a year to wait for the next book to come out.)

Oh the pain of waiting for the next release! (I actually had a hard time with the end of Champion, too, but let's not go there right now...)

Name a book you didn’t think you would like, but ended up being pleasantly surprised by.
 
Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger. I just didn't think I'd be thrilled about it, but I fell in love with it. It's funny, well-written, creative, and an all-around great series!

 
And last (for today), if you could meet one author and hang out with them for an entire day, who would it be, and why?
 
I'd actually want to meet you! I just get the feeling that we'd have a lot of fun! I really love your books and we also share a love of coffee and foxes. 

Aw, shucks, girly! I'd love to meet you, too. We could discuss allll the bookish things! One day! It *will* happen! :)



Well that's all of the first part of J's interview... check her out at the locations below and come back tomorrow for part two! :D

Instagram: @life_love_fandoms
Twitter: @lifelovefandoms
Kik: @life_love_fandoms

November's Reader Interview with Madi (@NeverTrustDucky), part one

November's reader is Madisyn, whom I actually met on Instagram (shout-out to social media!) Thanks so much for being here, Madi! 

Hey there! I’m so happy to be here! J Thanks for inviting me!

How long have you been avidly reading YA? Was there a particular book that got you into reading YA in the first place?

Well, I’ve been into reading for a long time. I loved any book by Wendy Mass, and she had two YA books, Leap Day and Heaven Looks a lot like the Mall. Those were my first two YA books I read, and ever since then I’ve been avidly reading!

You recently went to Yallfest. How many books did you end up getting signed, and what was your most memorable experience?

I believe I came home with 36 signed books. Not completely sure though! It was such of an amazing experience! I went there and was able to meet many of my Instagram followers and friends. I met a ton of awesome people while waiting in lines, and I met a ton of authors. Everyone was so down to earth and awesome, and I’m really hoping to go back next year! Will you be attending Yallwest in Santa Monica? J

Wow, 36??? That's so great! And finally, a west coast event! I would love to go! We'll see! 


Do you have a favorite book quote?

I’m not sure if you’re talking about a quote about books or a quote from a book, but one of my favorite quotes is from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, “Songs are as sad as the listener.” But then my favorite book quote is from A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly, “I listened as the words became sentences and the sentences became pages and the pages became feelings and voices and places and people.” 

I LOVE A Northern Light! Such a great book!

Have you ever heard a song on the radio/TV and immediately thought of a scene from a book? If so, what was it, and what book did it make you think of?

Oh, yes! All the time! I just thought of one yesterday, but I can’t remember what it was. But anytime I hear Warrior by Beth Crowley, it makes me think of books. It reminds me of any weak (at the time) female protagonist training to like save the world. Often times I think of Tris, but it all depends on my mood and what book I’m currently reading.

Favorite book boyfriend (hard to narrow it down to just one, I know):

This is a very mean, hard question. I hope you know that! I used to keep a list in middle school of all my book boyfriends, but I lost it and acquired many more. *thinks for 20 minutes* This is like such a hard question though because even though I can love a guy, he might be different after the books or if he was in the real world! UGH! Ummm…I probably will pick Jase Garrett from My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick.

Good choice! (Love his big family, too!)

How about your OTP:

OTPS! Well, I honestly have two: Maxerica (Maxon and America from The Selection) for times when people actually want to fangirl with me and understand. But my ultimate OTP is Beth and Derek from Sing Me to Sleep, but no one ever knows who they are and understands and things get complicated.

Okay now I have to add SMtS to my TBR! 

Favorite YA title (as in, the wording of the title itself):

I love the Mara Dyer books. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, The Evolution of Mara Dyer, and The Retribution of Mara Dyer. They’re so obviously in the same series, and they show the actions of the book so well without actually expressing what is happening.

What character would you never want to be stranded with on a deserted island?

I would have to say Professor Umbridge. No one can stand her. She’s crazy and controlling, and I just-no.

If you could be friends with one secondary character in real life, who would you choose, and why?

Ohmigod, Kenji! Most definitely Kenji!  He could totally save my life and help me out. He’s smart. He’s strong. He can be invisible, but he’s extremely outgoing and can make any situation light-hearted and yeah.

(For those of you who don't know, Kenji is from the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi.)

What merits a book making its way to your favorites list?

Honestly it’s not hard to get 5 stars from me. If a book makes me feel a lot of emotion and I get emotionally attached, I will give it 5 stars. But just because I give a book 5 stars, doesn’t mean it’s my favorite. It has to really strongly affect me, and if I feel like I would spend time rereading it, it would be a favorite because I don’t have time to reread books.

If someone borrowed a book from you, what would be the first thing they’d notice?

This is a pretty awesome question. Unless it is an almost brand new book, someone would probably notice that I dog-ear my book pages. The only time I don’t is when I get a brand new book, but then 90% of the time I leave my bookmarks in there.

Name the most recent book that made you laugh:

Either Ignite Me or The Retribution of Mara Dyer. I absolutely love Kenji who amuses me very much, but there were so many amusing Ebola jokes in Retribution. Does that make me sound bad? They weren’t like bad jokes, but just simple little things that amused me. 

Come back tomorrow for November's reader interview with Madisyn, part two! :) In the meantime, feel free to connect with Madi, here: Blog | Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Figment | Pinterest 

October's Reader Interview: Kaitin from Reading is My Treasure

October's reader is Kaitlin from Reading is My Treasure. Hi, Kaitlin! Thanks for being here!

Hi Jessica! I’m glad to be here. :)

Most readers have a specific book/series that they can pinpoint as the book that opened the door to their love for YA. What was yours, and what made it so special?

Mine was The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman! I can’t recall specifically why it opened the door to my love of YA (and reading in general). I just remember loving the characters, world, and story then starting to read more and more books than I had before that point.

You’ve been blogging for a while now. What have you seen change since you started? What’s remained the same?

I feel like not much has changed in the past 16 months I’ve been blogging. The most noticeable thing is the people I interact with in the blogosphere. Most of my regular commenters from early in the year don’t seem like the ones that comment regularly now. My fellow bloggers that I talked to the most back in January are not necessarily the same one that I talk to the most now. The love and excitement for reading in the blogosphere has remained the same, though, no matter who I was interacting with the most.

Name a favorite feature on someone else’s blog:

I love Trending Tuesday on YA Romantics! The posts are always interesting.

Ooh, yes! I love that one, too!

Name your favorite feature at Reading is My Treasure:

My current favorite is a new-ish feature called Q&A Discussion. I answer a question (submitted by one of the blog’s visitors) in a post and turn it into a discussion!

What would be the single most important advice you’d give to readers interested in reviewing and/or blogging about books?

Review and blog the way you want to review and blog. If you blog the way other people say you should blog and don’t do it the way you want to, you would probably not get as much out of it. You would probably not have as much fun either.

Favorite thing about the book blogging community, overall?

The people! Hands down.☺

Agreed!

A while back, one of my daughters left a book too close to the stove, and the spaghetti sauce I was cooking splattered all over it. We wiped the cover down, but to this day, it’s still covered with orange dots. ☹ Have you ever had anything like that happen to a book? If so, was it yours?

I can’t recall doing anything like that to my book, but my friend left one that I lent her (Dreamland by Sarah Dessen, which is really special to me) out in the rain once. It’s by far the most damaged book I own. Despite being wrinkled and water stained, it’s still very much readable (thankfully).

Okay I just checked my library because I knew I had that book, and mine is damaged, too! *sad face*

Do you ever dog-ear your pages?

NO. Just . . . no. (Like in the last question, though, I’ve had friends dog ear my books.)

Ack! I am so sorry!

Have you ever used lines from books in real life situations, and if so, did anyone notice?

That would be cool if I had done that, but I don’t remember quotes that well to do that. :(

Worst book hangover ever?

I got a really bad book hangover after finishing The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas. It was heartbreaking and actually made me very nervous about reading another book because I thought that certain events at the end of the last novella would happen in the other book I was reading.

Favorite female character, and why:

Celaena from the Throne of Glass series is my favorite right now. She is awesome. She’s grown a lot throughout the series so far and has both a lot of strength and many flaws. Plus, she’s an assassin that loves books and nice clothes. I don’t see a lot of assassins dressing up real nice in books because they actually want to and I love how comfortable Celaena is with doing that.

Favorite male character, and why:

Adrian Ivashkov from the Vampire Diaries/Bloodlines series is amazing. He’s funny, flawed, loyal, and so, so sweet. I love him!

Thanks so much for being here, Kaitlin! Come back tomorrow for part two of Kailtin's reader interview. In the meantime, connect with Kaitlin at Reading is My Treasure! 

September's Reader Interview: Geeky Chiquitas, Part one

Welcome to Reader Interviews, a monthly feature here at Let Me Tell You a Story!

This month's readers are Beryl, Audrey and Kimi. Together, they run a blog called Geeky Chiquitas!

Welcome, ladies! Thanks for being here! :) Please share a quick bio about yourselves so we can get to know you better! 

Geeky Chiquitas is a blog owned by three teenagers from the Philippines, namely Kimi, Beryl and Audrey (who are actually cousins!). This is primarily a book blog, and occasionally a blog about lifestyle, food, DIY, TV, film, and all things random. 

What inspired you to start Geeky Chiquitas? 

The idea to create a blog came to mind during a carride - and the rest was history. At first, the blog was simply personal and for fun, but we decided we wanted to make it into something more. We started to revamp and promote the blog in December 2013, and officially opened on January 1, 2014.

Since "officially" starting to blog at the beginning of this year, have you learned anything about blogging that you'd like to share? 

A LOT really. We have learned how to write better. Writing reviews isn't also easy just as we thought before. It takes a lot of reflecting and analyzing. It's also really important to always write an honest review, so that readers would trust your opinions as well. It doesn't matter if the book is given to us for reviewing purposes. Honesty is the best policy. We also learned to appreciate the hard work of all the bloggers and authors out there. 

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community?

The best part is absolutely the people in the blogging community. Everyone's just so nice and enthusiastic. We have already made some friends since we officially started this year. 

Most readers have a specific book or series that they can pinpoint as what pulled them into their love of reading YA. Do you have one? If so, what was it? Tell us one thing that you appreciated about it.

Audrey and Beryl: Eleanor and Park is the book which lead both of us into reading YA. Audrey loved reading even before her love for YA started, but Beryl actually didn't, so for her, Eleanor and Park was the book that lead her into loving reading.

Kimi: I've loved reading ever since I was a kid, and I read anything I could gobble up. My love for YA came about though when I read Princess Diaries, and I fell in love with YA ever since!

The three of you write a lot of reviews. Would any of you like to share your methods for people who have been thinking about reviewing but are a bit intimidated about the entire process? 

Beryl: I don't actually do anything in particular, but before I write a review I basically tell Audrey the recap (who doesn't really listen) about what I love and dislike about the book and that really helps get my thoughts organized. 

Audrey: I write my first draft right after reading the book so that I am still able to communicate my emotions well. After that, I wait for maybe a day or a couple of hours to reflect on the book. When I'm sure about what I think of the book, thats when I fix my first draft. I just proofread and just edit a little bit then BAM! I'm done.

Kimi: My review process is actually a bit complicated and not the same for every book. Sometimes it's so easy for me to pinpoint what certain parts I liked and didn't like, but sometimes it takes some time for me to figure out what to write about a certain book. I'm always speechless when it comes to beautiful books, and what I usually do when that happens is I read the book again until I finally am able to write about it. 

Most recent book that made you laugh:

Beryl: I haven't been reading any books recently that is for reviewing since school started everything's been so hectic. School is VERY time consuming which really sucks, but I would say that the most recent book that made me laugh is Summer in the Short Bus by Bethany Crandell. I wrote a review about it, if you maybe want to check it out. :) 

Audrey: Umm, Confessions of a Shopaholic. I have only started reading this but already, I find that it is quite hilarious. I can totally relate. Haha, when I like something, I'm always like, "oh I NEED this!!!" even though I really don't. Like not even remotely need it. 

Kimi: Made me laugh? Well, I've mostly been reading sad books lately but I recently reread Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and it was so cute and funny!

Most recent book that made you cry:

Beryl: This is very embarrassing to admit but I don't remember crying in any particular book. Maybe I should read more, cause I'm definitely missing out on something. Haha.

Audrey: I don't cry. I don't have emotions. I am a robot programmed never to feel sorrow. But, seriously, I have never found a book that has made me cry. I'm sticking with the robot story if anyone asks why. Oh my God, that rhymed!

Kimi: I love crying after or while reading a book! I don't really cry easily but when it comes to a really good book, my tears just easily flow out. The most recent tearjerker I've read is We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.

Click HERE for the second half of Geeky Chiquita's reader interview. :)

August's Reader Interview with Nikki W.

Welcome to Reader Interviews, a monthly feature here at Let Me Tell You a Story. 

This month's reader is Nikki W., my Twitter pal and fellow lover of sweet, churro-y goodness. Welcome, Nikki! Thanks for being here! 

BUT OF COURSE. What are churro and slightly insane friends for?

You’ve been blogging for a couple of years now, so it’s safe to say you’ve done it long enough to know what does and doesn’t work for you. What would you say is the biggest lesson you’ve learned about book blogging/reviewing?

It's a bit hard and I'm going to sound like a hypocrite: but views and comments aren't necessarily all that dictates a good blog (but yes you'll still find me sad if I only get two comments on a post.)


Also? TWITTER IS THE BEST THING. For networking, for squealing with people, for ranting, for pretty much everything.

Most readers have a specific book or series that they can pinpoint as what pulled them into their love of reading YA. Do you have one? If so, what was it? Tell us one thing that you appreciated about it.

I actually credit three books. Goose Girl by Shannon Hale was the first actual YA book I read but...well, I didn't know it was YA. What even was YA? Then there was Stolen by Lucy Christopher which made me realize--oh wow, I can actually CRY because of these words. And then The Iron King by Julie Kagawa because I discovered that THERE WERE A TON OF YA AND YA WAS A THING. (But in order, I loved the fantastical world of Goose Girl, Stolen was just all around heartbreaking and my ten year old self reread that book as much as possible, and The Iron King...well, Ash.)

I completely agree with all of your reactions to Stolen: A Letter to My Captor (as it comes up on Goodreads). Ugh. That book messes you up.

Most recent book that made you laugh:

Finnikin of the Rock. I mean I had SO MANY FEELS, but there are some especially hilarious moments with Finn and Evanjalin that made me giggle if only because the two were adorable.

Most recent book that made you cry:

I sort of kind of made the stupid mistake to read Ruin and Rising, Strange and Ever After, Heir of Fire, and Deliverance (not in that order) back to back to back sooo...just choose one of those and I pretty much cried EVERYWHERE.

Tell us one character you'd never want to be stranded on a desert island with.

Note from Jessica: Nikki basically pointed me to a creepy book as the answer to this question. So, her answer? 

If someone were to borrow a book from you, what would be the first thing they'd notice?

So, uh, ha. Funny thing is I only pretty much lend out my hardbacks. Because it comes with a very stained (okay not that stained, nothing dirty can touch my precioussss) blue book cover that's far too big and baggy for my books. I bought it in sixth grade for my math textbook, if that gives you an idea.

Have you ever connected with a secondary character so much, you wanted to hang out with them in real life? If so, who was it, and what made them so special?

Pretty obvious answer. But Zuzana? Daughter of Smoke and Bone? Who doesn't want to hang out with her, SERIOUSLY. (But also, Puck from The Iron Fey because...well prankster. With magic. Yes.)

What merits a book making its way onto your personal favorites list?

I ACTUALLY MADE A POST ABOUT THIS...set to go up sometime in February. But if it has political intrigue, a road trip, or a vivid world, I'm there. Or anything historical with a lot of nobles because their lives make pretty much the perfect story. Also tearjerkers.

What is your favorite book cover of all time?

Holy crap. Oh, this is hard. My favorite cover changes all the time, so here are three: Outcast by Adrienne Kress, Starry Night by Elizabeth Giles, and Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne.

The popularity of social media has made interacting with authors easier than ever for readers/fans. In a recent Reader Interview, Matt said he preferred Twitter over other social media platforms. Do you agree? Why or why not? 

ABSOLUTELY (if you could tell from my above answer.) It's a surefire way to get a quick and easy answer from someone, almost every blogger and author is on there, and it's easy to keep up with everything. 90% of everything I know (national news, local news, cover reveals, author interviews, author signings, blog tour sign ups) pretty much comes from Twitter! And if I need advice, twitter is always always there.

And... that's it for part one of August's Reader Interview! See you back here tomorrow for part two. In the meantime, check out Nikki at her blog and on Twitter!