Feature and Follow #3 and TGIF #2

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. If you'd like to know more, click the button above. 

This Friday's question is: 

What would you do over if you were to start your blog again from scratch? 

Hmmm...I'm thinking. I would have put a little more thought into my earlier reviews. I edited them a little recently. They weren't offering enough information about the book, or at least not as clearly as I wanted. I want my followers to have well-written reviews, and I realized how important that is to book bloggers. Obviously. So I had to hit myself in the forehead for not thinking. :) Reviews need substance, and I put more effort into writing my reviews now.

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TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by GReads! where a bookish question is posed to followers. 

This week's question is: 

Unexpected books: Which books did you have reservations about reading, but ended up loving once you did? 

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley 

It is 2008 and Carrie McClelland can't hit the right note for her next novel, but an unplanned detour in Scotland, and a stop at the castle that inspired Count Dracula, sets her on a different path; a path that took her back in time exactly 300 years, to that same castle, and to a rebellion doomed to failure. Alternating between the contemporary setting and the past, The Winter Sea takes us at every turn into little known worlds; historical footnotes writ large, a history of Scotland and the Jacobite rebellion of 1708 and the possibility of genetic memory. Historical fiction at its best and Susanna Kearsley at hers, The Winter Sea evokes the writing of Thomas Raddall, Daphne Du Maurier, and Mary Stewart. 

-Goodreads

This book was a random pick, and I was worried it would be cliched or the story would just fall flat. I was wrong. I loved it! I want to travel to Scotland so badly, so the setting appealed to me, and the descriptions were breathtaking. Plus, a wonderful story and romance. Loved it! 

I can't wait to read everybody's answers! 

Happy reading,

Courtney 

Feature & Follow Friday and TGIF

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. For more details, click on the image above. 

Q: What was your favorite book you were required to read when you were in school?

That's a hard one because I loved reading books for school. For the most part. I was one of the minority who actually read the summer reading and didn't read SparkNotes. My favorites were A Brave New World, Angela's Ashes, and Catch 22. I would probably pick Angela's Ashes if I had to pick an ultimate fave. 

Such a touching and lovely book! One of my favorite reads ever. 

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TGIF is a meme hosted by GReads! Every Friday brings a bookish question. This Friday's question is: 

Christmas in July: If Santa were to come down your chimney in the middle of the summer, which books would you want him to leave under the tree? 

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare - Please bring me more Will, Santa! I am beyond excited to get my hands on this book! Love this series so much and can't wait to read more! Plus, the cover art is incredibly beautiful. I don't know if I can wait till next spring for this book!

The Archived (The Archived #1) by Victora Schwab - This book sounds so trippy and strange and so my type of book! When I heard about it and read its premise, the dead resting on shelves like books where each tells a story, I was already hooked. I have such high expectations for the first of this series. Santa, bring me this book before its publication date in January! I can't wait! 

Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey - I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I do it all the time. And this cover is enchanting. Plus, the storyline sounds fantastic. It's been very popular, and I've read reviews, but I want to read this book for myself. Dear Santa, please bring it now! 

Enclave (Razorland #1) by Ann Aguirre - Another dystopian book! Why not? In Enclave, you only earn the right to a name if you survive your first 15 years. Harsh. I've heard good things about this series, and I would love to read this first book before the sequel comes out in September. 

There's my Christmas list! It's really hot out but I'm still hoping for snow and a sackful of books! 

Happy reading, 

Courtney