Tag: Bookish Chatter

Updated Blog Schedule

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So I announced a bit ago that I will no longer be doing promotional posts and blogs. I later amended that to state that I will still do blog tours. Especially for certain companies. Whether or not I do a review for the tours depends on how many books I have to read for that week. So I’ve decided to update the schedule to reflect the changes.

Monday:

12 PM- Blog Tours (If Any)

4 PM- Weekly Reading Goals (Will discuss the books I plan to read during the week and any goals I have)

8 PM- Book Reviews (If Any)

Tuesday:

12 PM: Blog Tours (If Any)

4 PM: Top Ten Tuesday- This is a meme blog that I used to participate in that I will be doing again.

8 PM: Book Reviews (If Any)

Wednesday:

12 PM: Blog Tours (If Any)

4 PM: Featured TV Show- I’ll talk about a tv show I’m really enjoying that week.

8 PM: Book Reviews (If Any)

Thursday:

12 PM: Blog Tours (If Any)

4 PM: Featured Book- Will showcase either a book that has recently been released or a book I’m really enjoying.

8 PM: Book Reviews (If Any)

Friday:

12 PM:Blog Tours (If Any)

4 PM: Weekly Coloring Projects- Will showcase four of my favorite coloring projects. Will show both actual and digital projects.

8 PM: Book Reviews (If Any)

Saturday:

12 PM: Blog Tours (If Any)

4 PM: Weekly Progress- How I did on goals and reading for the week.

8 PM: Book Reviews (If Any)

Sunday:

12 PM: Blog Tours (If Any)

4 PM: Sundays in Bed With- Talk about the books I’m reading for the day. Sundays are my off the grid days.

8 PM: Book Reviews (If Any)

All times are EST. Please feel free to follow my blog or my page here Star’s Books & Tea.

I feel good about this! I’m excited to see how things go! Have a good night everybody!

An Unreliable Reader and Blogger

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In September, I’ll have been a blogger for 10 years. Ten. Years. I just can’t believe it. I remember living and breathing blog things. I haven’t always been Star’s Books & Tea. I can’t tell you all my blog names, but there have been a few. This one really fits me. Anyway, I’m so far left field with the topic I wanted to talk about today. To be fair, this thought process brought about the topic I wanted to discuss.

For the past two to three years, I’ve really been a very unreliable reader and blogger. I say that I’m going to do things and then don’t. It’s not that I don’t intend to. I have had a lot going on in my life. I will not go into detail about what has happened in my life. For one, I don’t want pity or judgment. For two, I feel like they are just excuses at the end of the day.

Rather than dwelling on what I’ve done and what I haven’t done the past few years, I plan to let it go and move forward. It’s going to be hard. I still feel the guilt. I still feel the pressure. I will just take it one day at a time. I will slowly get back into how things were before. I will get back in both my love for reading and for blogging. I still love them, but it’s different now. I can’t explain it.

For those who are struggling with anything, it will all look up. Sometimes you just have to step back and reconfigure if you will. Find the groove that works for you. It’s not going to be easy. There will be some hard days. There will be some good days. Just hang in there. It will all work out in the end.

BOTM Yearly Challenge Update

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Another challenge update. I haven’t been good with this one either. I think I need to average 2-3 books a week for the rest of the year to pull it off. It might be tough, but I think it’s doable. Anything is possible. I’m almost done with one, so there’s that. From what I understand, there’s a second stage to the challenge this year. If there is, I’m definitely not going to try for it. I’ll be lucky to get this one done!

Yearly Recommendation Challenge Update

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I’m sad to say that I haven’t really been doing good with this challenge at all. I finished January And February. I need to do March and April. I have finished May and June. I need to do July and August. I finished September. I need to do October and November. I will also need to do December as well. I’m stubborn and determined. I want to finish them all by the end of the year! I am also considering doing this again next year. It was really fun! We will see!

A Long Game Project

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This was my favorite series in high school. I loved finding them in the library. I always wanted to own all of them. I had attempted a few times in the past and due to circumstances, I have not succeeded and lost what I did have. I have been working on getting them all in ebook. They are $2.99 each. Lately, I have been using all of my gift card and promo credits on getting them. I now own more than half of them. I’m going to be so excited when I finally own them all. I actually also own the first six in the University series, but I own physical copies. I own the diary specials too. I really do want to read them all one day and in order! I’ll probably do that once I own them all. I may even try to find some more university ones as well.

My Bookish Icks

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I want to disclose this by saying that I have no problems with these things existing. I also have no problems with people enjoying them. I’m just saying that they are a no for me. Keep in mind that I identify as a demisexual (on the asexual spectrum). I’m also more into women than I am men.

  1. Books that are more about the sexual aspect than the actual plot itself. I don’t mind books that have sexual situations in them. As long as its not the entire story.
  2. Instalove. I just really find it a little questionable. It’s also not really for me. Though I can say that I do find it cute in short stories, but it depends on the situation.
  3. Miscommunication tropes. I just can’t. I didn’t really enjoy it in tv shows either. It annoys me really quickly. I’ll still read it, but I will be agitated. Along the lines of miscommunication, I really don’t care for the jumping to conclusion and running off situations either.
  4. Prolonged situations. I mean I get that things have to be drawn out for drama purposes. However, there is an extent where it goes too far. At least for me. It just gets really annoying.
  5. Short book series. This one I feel the need to explain a bit. There are circumstances where it’s okay. Like standalone series for instance. They told their point and it was done. However, the ones that are broken up into short segments that really could have been combined into one book and been just as good irk me. If the point is made by a certain point, that’s fine.

I hope these make sense. I want to point out again that I am in no way judging people’s preferences. I’m just saying what I don’t personally like. I’d love to hear your bookish icks.

Bookish Chatter: Readathons

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Topic: Readathons

For those of you who know me, I’m completely obsessed with readathons. Lately, I haven’t been fully successful with them. I keep trying though. I will continue to keep on trying as well. They are especially helpful in reading slumps. Some are a day. Some are a weekend long. Some last a week. Some are even a month long.

I actually host a readathon once a month. It’s called a TBR Jar readathon. It’s held in the Facebook group The Introverted Readathoner. The goal behind the readathon is to take some books and put them in a jar or spreadsheet. Whatever the person chooses. When it’s time to pick a read, you pick at random. However, treating it like a normal readathon is okay too. I just find it more fun to do it the at random way.

That’s all I can really think about on this topic. I’d really love to participate in readathons. Please feel free to comment any readathons that you enjoy. If I’m not familiar with them, I will definitely be checking them out! Especially if there are some upcoming!!!

Times are hard. If you would consider helping me out by the links below, I’d really appreciate it.

Bookish Chatter: Book Fairies

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Topic: Book Fairies

For those of you who don’t know, book fairies are people who go to another person’s wishlist and send them a book as a gift. I’ve gotten two or three book fairy gifts. I’ve sent quite a few as well. There’s just something amazing about both getting and giving books. I wish I had the money to send more. It would be nice to get more as well. Just saying! LOL!

I really think book fairying is a great way to connect with other readers and share books that you love or that you think they will love. I also recognize there will probably be some negative aspects too. I am sure there are people who beg for people to fairy them and have no intention of passing it on. It happens in many different areas. Not just the book world.

What are your thoughts on book fairying? Do you book fairy? Do you get fairied? Tell me your story!

Got a book topic you want my opinion on? Let me know!

Bookish Chatter: 2022 Book Reviews

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I’ve been really lazy with reviews this year. There was a time when I was starting to see writing reviews as a chore. I’ve been writing them up though. I have set up a OneNote for reviews. I have a tab for each month. It’s been really inspiring.

My plans are to write up two reviews a day (if time permits) until I’ve gotten caught up on all reviews. Once I’m caught up, I’ll do my best to write reviews right when I’m done with the book. Also, starting Monday, I’ll be posting a review every day until they are all posted. Once they are all posted, I will post them as I finish books.

I am seriously hoping that writing all of this out and posting it will hold me accountable. We shall see! I’ve been debating in also posting a video review every day as well, but I’m really not sure about that. I’ll put some thought into it!

How are you doing on reviews? Is anybody else slogging through them? What are some tricks you’d give to make reviews less of a dread?

My Week

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I’ve officially completed the third week of training! I really feel with everything in my being that this is going to be a job I stick with for a long time. I have five more weeks of training and then I move on to production!

It has been an intense week though. I took on too much that was due in a limited time! So I basically had work mode and then deadline mode all week long. I was go go go until I fell asleep!!!! I’m looking forward to doing nothing tomorrow. Well, I do plan to read, but yeah!

Now that I’m finally in the groove of things, my blogs will balance out a bit more. I’ll have a personal post every day. On days I have scheduled promos, you’ll see two blogs from me. This will start on Monday. Until I’m caught up on reviews, you may see that as my personal blog for the foreseeable future. I won’t lie. I am excited though!

I think I’ve talked myself out of things to say! Thank you for following my blog! I appreciate you! I’m going to get better about reading and commenting on blogs again! Have a great rest of your weekend!!!