Hey everyone and welcome to the second post of a super exciting project that I am apart of started by the lovely Jillian over at Jillian's Books, the Blogger Positivity Campaign! Last week, I answered some questions about myself and blogging. This project is to help spread blogger positivity and get to know more people! This week, I am writing a letter a person or book that inspired me to read! Based on the title, you can probably tell that I am writing an author who wrote this super long series of books about a group of girls in a boarding school and they are equestrians. I read this series when I was in 4th and 5th grade and a little going into sixth and it was such an addicting series. I could finish one book on an afternoon and just love it. The series is over, I haven't read the last book but I know that if I ever got a chance I definitely would. Now, letter!

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Dear Jessica Burkhart

Check out the other people doing this campaign!

So tell me: What is someone/something that inspired your love for books?

Hey everyone and welcome to another fabulous guest post! Today, I have Olivia here from Fictionally Obsessed. Today she is here to talk about her blog design, what it is like to be her own designer, and also advice to people who are going to be creating their own blog design. She runs her own design shop, which has such awesome templates, so definitely check that out!

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Hello everyone, I’m Olivia from Fictionally Obsessed! I also run a design shop at Fabulously Chic Designs.

When I first started blogging, the word “blog design” didn’t exist in my vocabulary. I don’t think I cared much about the appearance of my blog until a few months after blogging when I started to discover more blogs and came across amazing blog designs. It wasn’t until then that I realized the importance of a blog design.

In my opinion, the blog design is as important as the content of a blog. As intriguing or amazing the content of a blog could be, the blog wouldn’t attract as much attention as opposed to if the blog itself looked aesthetically pleasing. The design and the content is like bread and butter, and bloggers should definitely put thought into the appearance of a blog.

Let me tell you guys a bit about the story of my blog design. At first, I wanted to hire a blog designer, but I really wasn't sure whether I'd be totally satisfied with the final design, since a lot of blog designers have this "one design only" policy (and moneyyy). After that, I started to experiment and play around with Blogger, and soon enough became familiar with the coding and the graphics aspect of blog designing. At that point, I could practically manipulate the design as much as I wanted.

BUT for me that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. I started spending  a lot of time on my design, changing it so often that I started to neglect the content of the blog. It's even worse especially for an indecisive person like me and being a blog designer.

I want my blog to look good, but I couldn’t seem to accept that I can only have so much. Every time I finished a design, I’d say to myself: "okay, this is the FINAL design, and I'm never changing it." And then after a few months or so, I would decide that it's time for change because of an awesome design for the placement of the slider, a fabulous place for the header, a unique background that matches with a graphic or whatever reason.

The moral of the story is that while the design of a blog is as important as the content, don’t neglect one for the other! While custom made designs can be expensive, a premade design is always an option. Or you could try to learn how to code and design graphics by yourself, and while this option is pretty tedious at first, it definitely is VERY rewarding in the end.

Personally, I’d read any blog that has an uncluttered design, the most important thing is that your blog design is unique, easy to read and navigate. It doesn’t have to be super fancy, sometimes less is more, but keep in mind that you want your blog to leave an image. If I had to give one piece of advice to people aspiring to design their own blog, the little things definitely matter a lot. Things such as page dividers, a signature, and just creative aspects on the blog make the reading experience a lot more fun and satisfying.

Thanks so much to Kaitlin for having me on her lovely blog!

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Thanks so much Olivia for being here today on the blog! What are your thoughts on her story and did you /do you plan on hiring a designer for your blog or are you going to do it yourself? I would love to know!

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I’m excited to be a guest blogger today and to share with you a little bit about my experience with book photography on my blog and Instagram page, Folded Pages Distillery.

I’ve decided to note here some of the most important lessons I’ve learned about book photography and keeping my account something fun and original for me to do.

Photography

My book photos have seen a real evolution in the last year since I started my Bookstagram account. There are a few reasons for that, but I narrow them down to two:

1. I didn’t really have a vision for my account.
When I first started my account, I only viewed it as another way to get my blog book review posts out there on the web. I didn’t realize that it could be a creative opportunity.

No matter what your style is, or what kind of effort you want to put into your photos, I have found that it’s easier to maintain an account if you have a theme or purpose.

Once I decided that I wanted my account to be geared towards book reviews, recommendations, and a place to have conversations about books, the rest fell into place.

2. Photography experience
When it comes to photography, I will never be able to get technical with you. I’m just a girl with a smartphone taking pictures. But I have learned through taking pictures a little about lighting, which has made all the difference for me. You can get photography tips online, I’m sure, but since this is about my experience, I say: “practice makes perfect” AND “lighting = everything.”

So. Let’s talk about lighting.

Many people have asked me if I use fancy photography equipment. The answer is no. I only use my phone (iPhone6 Plus), a white tablecloth, and my kitchen table pushed up underneath a window.

Photographing under the window gives me lots of good light. I have learned what times of day I have the best light through those windows and that’s when I try to photograph. At the same time, I’m a mama and I have a job, so I’m not always able to take photos during those golden hours. If I need to take a photo during a time where there is hash light coming through the window, I hang up a white sheet, so the light still comes through, but it’s muted. Some times I set up a photo at night, go to bed, and take the picture in the morning when the lights is good.

If I’m photographing outside, I try to photograph in the morning or in the evening when the light isn’t directly above me. I have been known to hold an umbrella over my shot to reduce the light and glare, and that works well for me. (umbrella = ultra fancy photography equipment.)

Find a spot with good natural light, then practice taking photos there during different times of the day. You’ll learn quickly which times are best for you to shoot there.

Editing apps

VSCO app:
Filters can do some pretty amazing things for your photos. You can pump up the color, mute the color, brighten, or make it look like you’ve used a professional camera. I am sure there are many different filtering apps out there, but I only use VSCO because I love it so much. There are a variety of free filters in VSCO you can use that are excellent, or you can purchase other filter packs for $1.99. I have only ever used the free filters, and love them.

PHONTO app:
Phonto also provides different filters, but I only use it to add text to my photos. I like to have my Blog and Instagram name on my photos so people know they are mine. Phonto is the easiest I’ve used. It’s very straightforward, incredibly easy to use, and free.

Photographing on my phone, and using only these two editing apps makes my process easy and quick. I can do it all from my phone, and that’s important to me. Once you find the apps that work for you, posting can be a quick and easy thing.

Ways to make Bookstagramming fun and not get burned out:

I have had a lot of Bookstagram friends get burned out or delete their accounts altogether after awhile. They felt a lot of pressure to take fancy or extremely curated photos. It’s hard not to get sucked into that mentality every now and again. So:

1. Pick a theme that is sustainable for you:
If putting tons of things and arranging them in a photo is a lot of work for you, don’t do it or don’t do it all the time. Pick a style or theme that pushes your creativity, but remains doable. There is no one “best” way to take photos. Find a style that represents you and own it.

2. Make friends:
I have made many good friends on Instagram. Just by commenting on other photos, or responding to comments on my own photos, I’ve made some very good internet friends— some of whom have turned into real life friends. It is so fun to be in a community where you can talk about books and your opinions on stories with others who enjoy it too.

3. Use the library
Bookstagram is not about owning lots of books. Over half of the books I photograph are from the library. I only buy books that I really really love. Libraries are a great way to read books without spending money. Just because your personal bookshelf isn’t packed with books, doesn’t mean you can’t get your hands on plenty books to photograph and share!

4. Use book tags
Whenever I am stumped on creativity, I use book tags. Book tags are hashtags that are prompts to what you can put in different pictures. Most people think that I come up with all my ideas on my own. But in reality, I really rely on book tags to help me curate a photo. When I first started Bookstagramming, I never ever considered putting any props in my photos. But after getting tagged in things like #bookandmakeup, #bookandnecklace #bookandootd #bookandwatch #bookandtreat I realized that my home was filled with fun props.

5. Post when you can
Post however much you like, but don’t feel like you need to post several times a day. Keep it to one post or one every couple days. That way you’re still engaged, and not burning yourself out quickly.

I love the Bookstagram community. I love taking pictures of books, pushing my creativity, and talking about books with people who love them as much as I do. I hope that some of these tips and suggestions help you make the most of your Instagram account!

So tell me: Did you get any tips from Hikari's post? I know I did!

Hey everyone, Happy Thanksgiving! I just wanted to write up this quick post saying thanks. Thanks to everyone that follows me, reads my posts, comments on my blog, tweets me, I see y'all! I do. I never expected to ever be at this place, right here with a blog and internet friends, and especially followers. Just want you all to know I am super grateful for every one of you, and I hope you have a fabulous day stuffing your faces with food. Now, go! Give thanks :)

Book Buddies is a discussion-style review that takes place with Lauren @ Bookmark Lit. (Learn more and see past reviews here) We both read the book and then have a private discussion about it. We post our discussion as a review on the last Wednesday of each month. You’ll be able to see our similar/different opinions on the overall book, characters, writing style, etc. – just like a regular review. The first half our discussion will take place right here, and the second half will be on Lauren's blog! (Link at the bottom)

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Blackhearts

Why I'm Waiting...

So tell me: What are your thoughts on this book and have you heard of it?

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme held over at Broke and Bookish. Each week there is a topic and we list off our top ten items based on that topic.

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three ways you could improve your book photography

hiiiiii! i’m so excited to be on kailtin’s blog today. (she’s one of my favorites *hugs*) if you don’t already know, i’m alexandra and i blog at twirling pages! *releases confetti* i joined the book community over a year ago, and it was actually because through bookstagram (books on instagram) that i sparked my interest to start a blog. and so… here i am! i’ll be sharing a few tips on how to improve your book photography. (because admit it: i’m the QUEEN of book photography) (that was sarcasm, if you couldn’t tell. it’s hard to tell through the inter webs.) (no, but seriously, i have some awesome tips.)

LET’S GET THE PARTY STARTED. *cracks knuckles*

BE SO CREATIVE THAT IT BECOMES WEIRD
you know the saying, “think outside of the box”? well, the same goes for book photography (or any photography, really). it’s hard because there are only SO MANY THINGS you can do with a book in terms of photography. you can stack them, uncover them, open them… and it kinda ends there. let your creative juices flow and think of weird and fantastic things to do to your books! you never know; you might become a trendsetter in the process!

HAVE A CONSISTENT AESTHETIC
i like to have my photos look clean and cute. whatever you decide, stick to it! if it’s gruge-y, you go! if it’s vibrant, own it! if it’s desaturated, do your thing! i want people to look at my photos and think, “wow, that’s is so nice!” then think, “it must be twirling pages!” because of the way it’s set up/is.

DON’T SETTLE FOR LESS
be picky with yourself! if the photo’s blurry, take it again. if the composition is weird, fix it. you should have a criteria for you pictures. don’t just take pictures “just because.” i mean, you CAN do that but i can’t guarantee they’ll all be nice.

are you snapping at books already? (have you TRIED snapping at books?) (warning: it becomes strangely addicting.) if not, GO TAKE PICTURES OF BOOKS! it’s fun, challenging, ad ultimately satisfying.

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Thank you Xan for being here today and I hope you enjoyed the post. Let me know if any of Xan's advice helped you if you have an instagram page!

Hey everyone and welcome to the first post of a super exciting project that I am apart of started by the lovely Jillian over at Jillian's Books, the Blogger Positivity Campaign! This project is to help spread blogger positivity and get to know more people! So, without further ado, here are some questions that I am to answer.

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Picking a good colour palette for your book blog is tricky business, so today I want to inspire you!
I've chosen 10 books that I've recently read or am hoping to read soon and created colour palettes based on the cover art. Feel free to love them, drool on them, or use them when you next redesign your blog.

1) The Martian by Andy Weir

The colour palette of Mars! This one has dusty, firey colours (Which is funny, because Mars is actually very cold.)
Also, this book is insanely awesome if you're into science and nerdy technical stuff like I am.

2) Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch

Speaking of fire... here's Ice Like Fire! This one has a smoky, almost cold volcanic feel to it. Is cold volcanic a thing?
Sadly when I read this one I couldn't stand Mather's chapters. Booooring.

3) Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Hello everyone! Welcome to November's Mid-Month Update! I hope you all have had a pretty okay November so far and are excited for Thanksgiving which means, a shit ton of food, Black Friday, and no school. I know I am. Now? To the update?

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The Rose Society

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all. Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her. But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?

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What I Have Read...

• The Rose Society
• The Raven Boys
• The Truth About Lies
• Hunter
• Dare to Dream
• For the Record
• Diamonds are Forever

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What's Been Happening

So tell me: How is your month going?

Author: Kate Brauning
Pages: 303
Publisher: Merit Press
Release Date: November 3rd 2014
| Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound | Walmart.com | Books-A Million | Book Depository | Powell’s | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk |

Ever since Jackie moved to her uncle's sleepy farming town, she's been flirting way too much-- and with her own cousin, Marcus. Her friendship with him has turned into something she can't control, and he's the reason Jackie lost track of her best friend, Ellie, who left for...no one knows where. Now Ellie has been missing for months, and the police, fearing the worst, are searching for her body. Swamped with guilt and the knowledge that acting on her love for Marcus would tear their families apart, Jackie pushes her cousin away. The plan is to fall out of love, and, just as she hoped he would, Marcus falls for the new girl in town. But something isn't right about this stranger, and Jackie's suspicions about the new girl's secrets only drive the wedge deeper between Jackie and Marcus. Then Marcus is forced to pay the price for someone else's lies as the mystery around Ellie's disappearance starts to become horribly clear. Jackie has to face terrible choices. Can she leave her first love behind, and can she go on living with the fact that she failed her best friend?

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Guest Post

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For the Record

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I got this book via NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. None of my thoughts are affected by that.

I always get excited about reading books that include a character being famous in some sort. Chelsea may not be the most famous person in For the Record but I still enjoyed reading it. It was definitely not what I had expected, and I say that in a positive way. I really enjoyed the plot line and characters that Charlotte wrote about. The one thing that brought my rating down was how annoyed I got with some of the characters at one point. Other than that, For the Record was a fun book that takes you on a huge emotional roller-coaster and leaves you speechless by the end of it.

Chelsea, our main character, was a pretty okay main character considering the fact that she does become famous and blah blah blah. Some of her actions definitely made me really annoyed with her but overall she was a pretty good character who was famous but not snobby and annoying 100% throughout the book. She had definitely learned a few lessons throughout this book and that had caused a small amount of character development for sure. It wasn’t a huge change in her character but I loved how much more confident about performing because she did get a lot of chances to get used to performing. You could definitely see the change in her performances with Melbourne and I loved that.

I enjoyed the plot the most when it comes to For the Record. I mean, like I said, this book was not what I expected. I was expecting a dramatic book filled with annoying snobby characters and I can say I definitely got different from that. I loved how it basically told the story of Chelsea’s time with Melbourne. It was interesting to see because rarely do I ever feel like I know what it’s like to be living as a celebrity on tour and For the Record definitely gave me a glance of that. Now I know what it is like to live on a tour bus and eat packaged oatmeal with ten other people! The ending was something I enjoyed the most about this book though. The tour had been such a huge part of Chelsea’s summer and leaving the tour was bittersweet. The ending just left me so speechless though and I am just excited to see where Chelsea goes next with what she has when the book ends.

I gave this book 4 stars because I really enjoyed the character and especially the plot but some of the characters did annoy me a bit.

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Spoilers Ahead!

I cannot even start to beginning with my annoyance with Lucas. I mean he was just so clingy and annoying I really just could not stand him. He was a super famous actor, didn’t he have better things to do than follow around his girlfriend when clearly no one wanted him around and he was hurting Melbourne. I’m surprised no one asked him to leave. Also, as for Mandy, she definitely handled the “getting fired” situation horribly. I mean she acted like Chelsea was the blame for her firing and got made at her when she was fired anyway. She should have just not have slept with Malcolm and then accept the damn fact that she was done already because Pem is stubborn AF.

Beckett and Chelsea’s was a really interesting one. I liked how it was always there and they both really liked each other but they really just brushed it off until the end. It wasn’t like they were kind of playing hard to get at each other but you could definitely see their feelings and jealousy for each other. Plus, the author didn't make Chelsea and Beckett's relationship and feelings for each other until the very end which is something I liked because the focus was more on Melbourne's tour, not Beckett.

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The Lies About Truth

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Spoilers Ahead!

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