Category Archives: Blog Hops

January 22, 2020 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: New Hobby I’m Trying

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Photography is my newest hobby. I picked it up last spring and have been dabbling in it ever since. January isn’t the best month for spending a lot of time outdoors taking pictures in Ontario, so I’ll share a few pictures I snapped last year when the weather was warmer.

Branch leaned up against a tree. The branch is covered in red leaves and propped up by twigs. Each one of the three arms of the branch is surrounded by red leaves. The red leaves are surrounded by yellow leaves.

This was a piece of environmental art I discovered at a local park last autumn. It was absolutely gorgeous! I only wish I knew who made it so I could credit them and thank them for creating it.

A winding path through a patch of autumn grass.

I liked the way this path provided a natural focal point for my photograph. The next time I shoot it, I’ll play around with how I frame the shot some more.

Painting of a robot's head. The head is filled with a geometric design that has all pieces connected by intersecting lines.

Toronto is filled with street art. Some of it is commissioned by the city, and other pieces just seem to randomly spring up. I think this might have been a commissioned piece. Either way, I like it.

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January 21, 2020 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Picturesque Reading Spaces

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week’s prompt was “The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf,” and it totally stumped me. I haven’t bought new books in ages, and I’ve already talked about the library books I’m hoping to read soon in a recent Top Ten Tuesday post.

Therefore, I’m going with an unrelated, but still bookish, topic for today: picturesque reading spots. I don’t know about you, but I find reading even more enjoyable if I can do it in a beautiful location. Here are just a few of the spots I’d love to read in.

Two chairs and a table carved out of large logs of wood. They're sitting in a small garden next to a stone house that is covered with wooden carvings of people and animals.

I would need a cushion for these chairs, but they look like a very restful place to sit and read.

A white chaise lounge. It has two pillows on it and is sitting next to a vase filled with dead branches.

This looks like a supremely comfortable reading spot. The minimalistic decor would also make it easier to focus on a difficult or long book.

Stone house overlooking a lake.

There’s something so soothing about large bodies of water. I’ve found that they’re often much prettier in person no matter how beautiful they are in a photo or video. There’s something about smelling that fresh water and possibly hearing it lap against the shore that makes it even more enticing.

A white bench sitting on a slab of concrete at the edge of a pine forest.

I love nature, but I also love having a clean and dry place to sit and read. This bench seems like it could offer the best of both worlds.

Two puppies sitting on a couch

Sometimes the weather dictates that one should read inside. These aren’t my pets, but I sure would love to snuggle with a couple of pets while reading. It sounds so cozy.

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January 15, 2020 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books I Can’t Wait to Read in 2020

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

There are plenty of books I’m curious about, but I can think of only one upcoming release that genuinely excites me at this point. (The year is still young, so this will almost certainly change over time!)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins book cover. Image on cover is of a gold mocking jay sitting on a branch. There is a target sign behind it.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games Prequel) by Suzanne Collins.

I’m thinking about rereading the Hunger Games trilogy before the prequel comes out in May. Here’s hoping that the prequel is well done and answers everyone’s questions about how Panem was created in the first place.

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January 14, 2020 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Discoveries I Made in 2019

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Let’s see how many things I can add to this list. The prompt for this week said “these could be books, authors, blogs, websites, apps, products, etc.,” so I’m going to try to be creative with it.

The Art of Darkness.

This is a bookish Halloween blog that I love. They have a weekly roundup of links that have introduced me to so many new authors and random literary things.

Header for the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. Image shows a laptop sitting on a wooden desk and the WWBC logo.

The Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge.

This is a fun blog hop put on by Long and Short Reviews. The topics last year range from favourite characters to recipes to books you’d recommend to people who liked a certain genre.

Open Mic Nights at My Local Library 

I don’t know how many – if any – I’ll be attending this year, but it was pretty amazing to listen to other people read their own work, share a favourite poem from a famous writer, sing, crack jokes, and otherwise explore the wide world of literature and the arts last year. If your community has a library, I’d definitely recommend checking to see if they have a similar event (and asking them for one if they don’t).

It’s such a wonderful way to spend an evening and get to know your community better.

Folklore Thursday

If you’re on Twitter, #FolkloreThursday happens every Thursday. Their website or Twitter account generally share the specific themes ahead of time. Past topics have ranged from the food to children to winter holidays.

I’ve learned about so many legends and traditions from the folks who run it and highly recommend it to anyone who loves fairy tales, folk tales, or anything similar to that.

 

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January 8, 2020 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: My Goals for 2020

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

My goals for 2020 are simple.

Woman sitting on a bench in an art museum looking at large paintings. Visit More Museums. It’s been too long since I stepped foot into a museum. That needs to change.

Try New Things. It could be as simple as visiting a new restaurant or as complicated as having a full-blown conversation in Spanish. I want to stretch my comfort zone this year.

Study Spanish Again. Speaking of foreign languages, I stopped studying Spanish last year. I want to pick it up again and hopefully get to a point where I can have conversations in that language. Learning a new language is hard,  and I deeply admire everyone who becomes fluent in a new language.

Spend More Time in Nature. While I love living in a big city, there’s something incredibly relaxing about spending time in nature. I want to do that more often.

Reply to Emails Faster.  I wasn’t always good at that in 2019. Let’s see if I can do better this year.

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January 7, 2020 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Book Releases for the First Half of 2020

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I’ve been looking forward to this prompt for weeks! There are so many amazing books coming out over the next six months.

Book cover for When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk. Figures on cover show two friends embracing, one friend walking away from the other, and then the first friend all alone.

1. When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

Release Date: March 10

Why I’m Excited for It: There aren’t enough books out there about friendship, especially when it comes to the end of a friendship. I hope this one does so well that publishers realize there’s a demand for these types of stories.

Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman book cover. Image on cover is stylized one of a trapeze artist tumbling upside down.

2. Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman 

Release Date: March 10

Why I’m Excited for It: I’m fascinated by trapeze artists and want to read more about them.

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin book cover. Image on cover is of the underside of a bridge and the skyline of a large city.

3. The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin 

Release Date: March 26

Why I’m Excited for It: This is apparently based on her short story called “The City Born Great.” I loved the world building in that story and can’t wait to see where Ms. Jemisin goes next with it.

Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner book cover. Image on cover is of a butterfly, and there is a quote by Kate McGarry on the upper righthand side that says, "an absolutely real, raw, and emotional read."

4. Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner

Release Date: April 7

Why I’m Excited for It: While the young adult genre in general is getting better at including mental illness reps, I can’t remember the last time I read about a character who was at all familiar with Dissociative Identity Disorder. I hope it’s a good read that does justice for this illness!

 Loveless by Alice Oseman book cover. Image on the front is of a young girl holding a heart that is releasing smaller hearts into the air.

5. Loveless by Alice Oseman

Release Date: April 30

Why I’m Excited for It: There have been a few great books about asexual characters that came out over the last few years. This one is about someone who is aromantic and asexual, so I’m super curious to see what it will be like.

G.O.A.T. - Serena Williams: Making the Case for the Greatest of All Time by Tami Charles book cover. Image on cover is of tennis trophy and outline of Serena Williams playing tennis.

6. G.O.A.T. – Serena Williams: Making the Case for the Greatest of All Time by Tami Charles

Release Date: May 5

Why I’m Excited for It: I’ve never been good at any sports no matter how hard I tried to play them. Serena’s talent on the tennis court amazes me, and I’d like to learn more about  where it came from and how she became a star in her sport.

The Anthill by Julianne Pachico book cover. Image on cover is of a barrio.

7. The Anthill by Julianne Pachico

Release Date: May 12

Why I’m Excited for It: As soon as I saw the phrase “literary ghost story” in the blurb, I knew I had to read this one. Hauntings of both the literal and metaphorical kinds are always interesting to me.

Supernavigators: Exploring the Wonders of How Animals Find Their Way by David Barrie  book cover. Image on cover is of a bear reaching down to touch the "U" in the title and a bird and two bees flying around the title.

8. Supernavigators: Exploring the Wonders of How Animals Find Their Way by David Barrie 

Release Date: May 28

Why I’m Excited for It: My sense of direction is honestly not spectacular. Like reading about star athletes, I find joy in learning how other living beings find their way around in our world much better than I can!

The Remarkable Life of the Skin: An Intimate Journey Across Our Largest Organ by Monty Lyman  book cover. Image on cover is of a patch of human skin that is perspiring slightly.

9. The Remarkable Life of the Skin: An Intimate Journey Across Our Largest Organ by Monty Lyman  

Release Date: June 2

Why I’m Excited for It: I take good care of my skin. Reading about the newest science on what you should and shouldn’t do for healthy skin is something I enjoy quite a bit. Here’s hoping this book will touch on that topic!

 

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January 1, 2020 · 1:00 am

The 2020 Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge Topics Have Been Released

List of Writing Prompts for the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge.

Happy New Year! Long and Short Reviews has released the list of topics for their second year of Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge posts. There isn’t a topic for today, but I will be participating in it again beginning next week.

If you can’t read the graphic above, here is the list of prompts and the dates they’ve been scheduled for. Everyone is welcome to join in!

January

8 – My Goals for 2020

15 –  Books I Can’t Wait to Read in 2020

22 – New Hobby I’m Trying (or would like to try)

29 – Best Book/Movie/TV Couples

 

February

5 – My Celebrity Crushes

12 – Books I Reread or Want to Reread

19 –  Types of Exercise I Enjoy

26 – My Favourite Memory and Why

 

March

4 –  Characters Who Remind Me of Myself and Why

11 – One Skill I Wish I Had But Don’t 

18 –  The Weirdest Thing I Learned Reading Fiction 

25 – Favourite Things to Do in the Spring

 

April

1 –  Favourite Book Series and Why

8 – Topic(s) I Could Give an Impromptu Speech On

15 –  Characters I’d Invite to a Dinner Party

22 –  My Silliest Pet Peeve

29 – Reasons Why I stopped Reading a Series I Loved

 

May

6 – Favourite Holiday of the Year and Why

13 – A Villain That I Wish Could Be Redeemed and Why

20 – How I’d Fare in a Zombie Apocalypse

27 – Books Set in My City or State

 

June 

3 – Things I Wish I Were Better At

10 –  Favourite Poems, Short Stories, or Novellas

17 – My Life in Photos or Gifs

24 – My “go to” Book or Movie for a Pick-Me-Up

 

July

1 – The Last Place I Traveled to and Why

8 –  A Project or Hobby of Mine Inspired By a Book

15 – Things I Collect

22 –  Character Names in a Book I Can’t Pronounce

29 – Stuff on My Bucket List

 

August

5 – My Favourite Tropes of X Genre

12 – What I Wanted to Do When I Grew Up vs. What I Do

19 – Favourite Book or Movies Quotes (and Why)

26 – The Strangest Thing(s) I’ve Eaten

 

September

2 – Topics That Make Me Stop Reading a Book

9 – Topics I Never Get Tired of Talking About

16 – Books with the Most Words I Had to Look Up

23 – Favourite Things to Do in the Autumn

30 –  The Non-Fiction Book Everyone Should Read and Why

 

October

7 – Recipes From My City/State/Country

14 – Re-reading Books: Why or Why Not? 

21 – My Earliest Memory 

28 – How I Decide What to Read Next

 

November

4 – Favourite Songs or Musicians

11 – Movies That Were Better Than the Books

18 –  Funniest Things That Have Happened To Me

25 – Recipes from Fiction Books That I Want to Try

 

December

2 – An Average Day in My Life

9 – A Profession From a Book I’d Love to Try

16 – Books That Would Make Great Gifts

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December 31, 2019 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Books I Read in 2019

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

2019 was an odd reading year for me. I started and finished fewer books than I usually do. The ones that I did finish were less likely to stand out as amazing in my mind for reasons that had as much to do with me being honestly a little burned out on reading in general as it did with the content of what it read itself.

So my list this week is going to be short and sweet. I hope that I will have a much longer response for this prompt if Jana decides to recycle it next year.

Becoming by Michelle Obama book cover. Image on the front of it is of Mrs. Obama smiling and looking straight ahead at the viewer.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I had no idea the former first lady was such a good storyteller! It was really lovely to read her remembrances of her childhood, college years, working/married life, and experiences in the White House.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood book cover. Image on cover is of a handmaid wearing a green shawl and white cap. You can't see her face.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (my review is here)

I adored the way this sequel fleshed out the parts of The Handmaid’s Tale that Offred couldn’t have possibly known about. I can’t wait to see how it might be incorporated into the TV show next!

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters book cover. Image on front is of the shoulder, arm, and face of a topless woman who looks like she is dancing.

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

It took me a couple of years to finish this book because of how slow the beginning was and how much other stuff I had to read, but I’m glad I slowly chipped away at it. There are other Sarah Waters books that I enjoyed more, but I ended up really loving this one once the characters had all been introduced and the mystery elements of the plot started to coalesce.

If you’ve been through a reading slump, what have you done to get out of it?

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December 24, 2019 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Hope to Find Under My Tree

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Santa's red bag overflowing with presentsThis week’s topic was a little tricky for me because the list of books that I want to read but haven’t already purchased as e-books or requested from the library is honestly pretty small. When you add my minimalistic lifestyle on top of that, I’ll admit that I can be a difficult person to buy presents for.

What I ended up doing with this prompt was coming up with a list of titles that my library doesn’t carry and that were hard to find in e-book form the last time I looked for them.

It’s quite possible that one or both of these things have changed for any of these titles. Maybe I’ll do more searches for them after Christmas ends? Or maybe it’s best to keep these as ideas for people who want to buy me stuff and are totally stumped by what to get? What do you all think?

Book cover for The Witch Under the Mountain by Audrey N. Allison

1. The Witch Under the Mountain by Audrey N. Allison 

Why I Want to Read It: A friend of mine gave it a great review a few months ago. Witches and ghosts are also things I enjoy reading about in general, so combining the two is automatically going to make me perk up.

2. Interference (Semiosis Duology #2) by Sue Burke

Why I Want to Read It: I was a huge fan of the first book! It’s surprising to me that my library doesn’t have it yet considering how popular Semiosis was.

Book cover for Defying Doomsday by Tsana Dolchva.

3. Defying Doomsday by Tsana Dolchva

Why I Want to Read It: It’s still disappointingly rare for characters who have disabilities or chronic illnesses to be main characters in science fiction stories. I’ve been yearning to read this book ever since stumbling across a reference to it on a blog earlier this year.

4. The Deep by Rivers Solomon 

Why I Want to Read It: I’ve heard amazing things about this book from other bloggers. The premise of it makes me think of a horrifying scene in the 1970s Roots mini-series that showed Africans being thrown off slave ships to drown in the middle of the ocean. I love the fact that Ms. Solomon decided to create a world where these people not only survived but thrived.

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December 18, 2019 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: 10 Gifts for People Who Love Minimalism

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Last week I had trouble commenting on some of the WWBC participants whose sites are hosted on Blogger. I will try to comment on your posts again this week! Here’s hoping that issue was solved.

So what do you buy for someone who already has everything they need and isn’t interested in collecting more gadgets? I’m writing this post from the perspective of someone who fits this description. While I’m always appreciative of the gifts people give to me, the truth of the matter is that there aren’t too many physical possessions out there that I need but haven’t already acquired somehow.

Here’s a list of things you could buy, make, or otherwise give to folks like me depending on their tastes. I mostly stuck to food-based stock photos to illustrate my point because apparently there isn’t a lot of demand out there for stock photos about slippery emotions like compliments. Ha!

1. Baked Goods

I’m an average baker, but I certainly wouldn’t know how to make anything that looks like it was made by a professional. It’s always a thrill when someone surprises me with some nicely decorated cupcakes or other treats.

2. Tickets to Artsy Stuff

To give an expensive example, the Hamilton musical is coming to Toronto next year. The tickets for it are far too rich for my tastes, but this would be the sort of thing I’d squeal over if I had a fabulously wealthy fairy godparent.

On a much more economical note, I’d also be thrilled with a general admission ticket to a museum, art gallery, comedy set, concert, or other similar event. I love the feeling of seeing or hearing things that I don’t normally experience in my daily life.

3. A Massage

My parents bought me a one-hour full body massage once or twice when I was in college. It was the nicest thing they could have given me. There’s nothing like the relief of having tense, sore muscles gently relaxed after all of those long months of studying.

It could be a massage from someone I’m really close to or a gift certificate for a professional masseuse. Either one is wonderful in my opinion.

4. Stories, Photos, and Memories

Obviously, this one depends on how well you know the person, but I love it when the older generations in my family pass down new information they’ve discovered about our ancestors or pieces of their childhoods that they haven’t shared yet. There are relatives who died before I was born that I feel like I’ve met because of how much of their lives has been recorded in our oral histories.

It’s also cool when friends randomly share an old photo or funny story from our past.

5. A Personalized Book Recommendation

It always makes me happy when someone tailors their recommendations. That’s not an easy thing to do, but it sure is lovely to receive.

Assorted chocolate and fruit pralines6. Vegan Chocolates

I’m always on the lookout for new types of vegan chocolates or pralines, especially if they’re flavoured with mint, fruit, nuts, or other mix-ins.

7. Herbal Tea

Is it possible to have too much herbal tea or even tea in general? I doubt it.

8. Random, Genuine Compliments

Being surprised with something someone honestly appreciates about you almost feels like the emotional version of a massage. They both make me feel incredibly happy and appreciated.

In order to make this more gift-like, the compliments could be compiled in an email or written on little scraps of paper and put into a fancy jar. Yes, I somehow came up with a physical item that I couldn’t eat but would still enjoy owning. I’d probably use it to store chocolate and other treats in after I’d savoured all of the compliments.

9. Shopping Advice and Support

Fashion isn’t one of those things I spend much time thinking about, but I do admire people who know how to put together an eye-catching wardrobe. It would be super cool to spend a day going through my clothes and shopping with someone who genuinely enjoyed putting nice outfits together.

10. Stargazing

I love astronomy.

This past autumn, I had the chance to do a little stargazing at a local university. The event was put on by faculty and students there, so we got to hear some interesting facts about the stuff we were looking at.

I would be so excited to do this occasionally with someone who was really knowledgable on this topic.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question. The image below is the list of upcoming prompts for this blog hop.

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