2017 Resolutions

It's that time again when everyone takes a moment to contemplate the previous year and make plans for the new one. Here's my list of what I'd like to work on in 2017. 

Read 120 books total. This one is pretty explanatory. I used to aim for 150, but I discovered that 120 is a good number for a "bad" reading year for me, and if I go over, great.

Read at least 60 inclusive titles. Previous to 2016, my ratio of white-cishet-able books by white-cishet-able authors to diverse books by diverse authors was not so great. By September, I made a goal to actively increase the amount of diverse titles I was reading, and I did okay. In 2017, I am going to aim for at least 1/2 of the books that I read to be inclusive in some way. Although I am open to books by marginalized authors that aren't necessarily own voices or books written by non-marginalized authors as long as they contain good, inclusive rep that has been vetted such as Becky Albertalli's The Upside of Unrequieted or I.W. Gregorio's None of the Above, I do want half of those (at least) to be #ownvoices titles.

When I wrote this goal, I was initially aiming for 40, but then I realized that was way too low a goal for overall inclusivity so I decided to increase it by double. I don't think I'm asking too much of myself for 1/2 of the books I read to feature positive diverse rep. And that's still leaving room for plenty of whiter than white bread books so.

Read 50 new audiobooks. I've really gotten into audio the past couple years. It helps to have a book playing while I work or do chores or whatever. This year I read over 74 audiobooks, some of them a few times. I'm aiming slightly less than that because I'm sure I'll be doing a few more audio rereads for certain series as they conclude (like I'll listen to Illuminae & Gemina before Illuminae 3 and ACOTAR & ACOMAF before ACOWAR, etc).

Finish at least 10 series. I am so bad about finishing series. I'm great at starting them, but HORRID at finishing them. I have a Goodreads shelf called Unfinished Series that has NINETY-SEVEN books from, I think, about FIFTY series that I've started but not finished. I am not a finisher, but I want to try in 2017.

Read at least 3 entire series start-to-finish (2 backlist). If you think it's embarrassing that I have over fifty unfinished series, you might actually die if you hear which series I've never read at all. I want to pick up a couple backlist series while I'm at it and give love to older books.

Themed bingo. There are so many fun themed bingo challenges, and I want to try one. Do you have any recommendations which one I should give a whirl?

Publish 52 posts. I'm always touchy about picking resolutions for my blog because while I enjoy blogging, I always want the freedom to be able to set it aside if I need to and come back when I want. But when I did the 2016 Statistics Survey, it made me sad that I'd only posted 44 times. I want to aim for 52 so that it's about once a week, but I don't want to hem myself in with that goal so I'll go with a weekly average.

Post more reviews. I don't have a specific goal in mind here, but I want to be better about posting here about the books I love. So often I gush on Twitter and Goodreads, but I don't always post here or cross-post on retail sites where my comments can actually help sales more directly.

Cross-post old reviews. I tried to do this back in November, but I definitely didn't finish. I want to go back and cross-post all my old stuff on Amazon and B&N for sure.

Update old posts. I've tweaked my formats a little and added purchasing links over the years. I want to go back and update links in my old posts so everything is more uniform and easy to read.

Work on in-post design. I want to be better about spicing up my posts with graphics and designs. I'm trying to get used to using Canva, and I want to give PicMonkey and Creative Market a shot.

Walk 30 minutes every day. Oof. This one will be hard, but when I used to live in Tennessee, I was a lot more active, and I loved going for walks. I want to get back into this. Not only is it good for my body, it's great to destress and also listen to audiobooks.

Learn how to cook better. My mom is a really good cook, and I did not take after her. I own a ton of cookbooks, and I've found a few good ones at my library too and also pinterest exists so there's no reason not to learn how. Plus, it saves money, it's healthier, etc etc. I'm going to look into maybe a basic class if I can.

Create a library. I own a ton of books. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that my personal library is large and also sort of homeless. While most of the books at my parents' house in Tennessee are housed on several shelves, my Texas books are not so lucky. They are haphazardly stacked in my living room, which is no way to truly enjoy them. Buying new shelves and organizing them is on my to-do list for 2017!

Save more money and keep to a budget. I'm a horrendously unorganized person so I want to take better control of my personal finances, set and keep a budget, and put more money away. I definitely need to trim my book-buying budget for sure, as sad as that may be, but I need to look out for the future. Plus, I work in a library. Finding books is not difficult. And, as stated before, I have a massive personal library right at home! Time to give my own books some love.

Get back to church. For several years, I've been experiences not exactly a questioning of faith but a lack of it. Now more than ever, I think it's important to have hope and work for a better world. Those two things are of complete importance, and I think going back to church and actively practicing will help.

Be more active politically. I've never been particularly active when it comes to politics. I vote in elections and... well, that's it. If 2016 has taught me anything, it's that I need to be aware of what my representatives are doing and let them know both when I agree with their words and actions and when I don't agree and want them to change course. Since the election, I've called my senators and congressman a couple times, but I'd like to be more informed on local, state, and federal levels.

Get Up Offa That Slump: Interview with a Mary



Lately the bookish community has expressed a communal lack of inspiration for our blogs. Even Twitter, a longtime oasis for us bookish weirdos, has felt off somehow. So Rachel of Beauty and the Bookshelf has created a short blogging challenge called Get Up Offa That Slump and created a series of post themes to help jog the old brain box. The challenge is still open if you're interested in joining. Today's theme is

Interview with me!

Mary: What's your name?
Mary: Mary. I will also answer to Marg (if you are one of about 10 people), Mare Bear (if you're my family), knoxdiver, and {insert all my siblings', niece's, and former pets names here}oh-what's-your-name-again (if you're my mom specifically).

Mary: How old are you?
Mary: A recently minted 28. 10 year high school reunion, here I come!

Mary: Are you sure you're 28?
Mary: I mean, physically I'm 28. If you ask my sense of humor, though, she'll say she's a 13 year old boy.

Mary: Where are you from?
Mary: Originally, Tennessee, but currently I'm sitting pretty in Texas, y'all.

Mary: Did you really say y'all?
Mary: Yeah. It's kind of a southern thing. I rarely say it irl though.

Mary: Do you have a southern accent?
Mary: Mmmm, not really. Sometimes you can hear it, but compared to other southerners, mine is tame. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Mary: So what do you do in Texas?
Mary: I used to blow stuff up, but now I work at a library, and I also attend as many book events as possible, sometimes traveling to Austin, Houston, or even San Antonio.

Mary: Traveling? That must be—hang on, did you say BLOW STUFF UP?
Mary: Yep! I used to work at a science museum for kids, and setting things on fire and esploding them was literally in the job description. The only things I refused to do were dissections (EW) and hold the snakes (EWWW).

Mary: Um, snakes?
Mary: Yeah. There were two of them. The first was Salazar, and the second (I named him) was Draco.

Mary: Are you a Slytherin?
Mary: Nope. According to Old Pottermore *glares at New Pottermore* I was a Ravenclaw, but I think I have the heart of a Hufflepuff.
Mary: Why's that?
Mary: I'm big on loyalty.

Mary: Let's do some fun facts!
Mary: Hit me. OW, not literally. This isn't Fight Club, you monster.
Mary: Sorry.
Mary: You're forgiven.

Mary: Favorite color
Mary: Blue
Mary: How original
Mary: What can I say? Blue loves me, and I love blue!

Mary: Coffee or tea
Mary: Hot chocolate. I don't drink coffee OR tea.
Mary: Weirdo
Mary: I'm Mormon. It's a Mormon Thing.
Mary: Really?
Mary: Yeah.

Mary: Pet peeve
Mary: I HATE when people pronounce mischievous as "miss-CHEE-VEE-ous." Hate it. If I hear a narrator do it in an audiobook, I will knock a star off, I kid you not. There is no I after the V. The proper pronunciation is "miss-chuh-vuss." Get it right, or I'll judge you. Also, Texas drivers are the worst. Learn how to drive, idiots!
Mary: Harsh!
Mary: I regret nothing. The roads are awful, construction is non-stop, and Texans are awful behind the wheel.
Mary: And you drive to other cities because....?
Mary: Authors, duh. And all my non-Dallas friends.

Mary: Furthest you've ever gone for a book event?
Mary: I once took a bus from Dallas to Knoxville (my hometown) and drove down to Atlanta for a signing. That was roughly 18 hours worth of drive time. Another trip I drove with my sister to Nashville for a signing, home to Knoxville for a couple days, down to Atlanta for a signing, and then back to Nashville for a third signing before heading back to Dallas. I went to a signing the day after I got back.
Mary: That's dedication, and also, you're a weirdo.
Mary: It's been established, thanks.
Mary: How many miles are on your car?
Mary: 195,000-ish.
Mary: Wow. Poor car.
Mary: Percy's a Honda so he can take it.
Mary: Um...Percy?
Mary: My mom's fault.

Mary: Strangest food you've ever eaten?
Mary: Cheetos dipped in chocolate pudding. My eight year old self thought it was a good idea at the time since I didn't have time to eat both at lunch. She was right; it was amazing.

Mary: Okaaaaaay, favorite movie, book, song, album.
Mary: Blech, these questions are the worst.
Mary: Stop whining and at least attempt it.
Mary: You're the worst.
Mary: We're ridiculous.
Mary: Movie is She's the Man. Classic Amanda Bynes, baby Channing Tatum, plus soccer and Shakespeare. Yes, please!
Mary: I heard you can quote the whole thing.
Mary: Yeah, once I had my back turned to my roommate who borrowed it and was watching with earplugs. I was quoting along despite not seeing it or hearing it. She made me stop.
Mary: So don't watch movies with you is what you're saying.
Mary: Yeah, I kind of like to talk and if I've seen it before, I might quote or sing along.
Mary: You're a monster.
Mary: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Favorite book always changes, but young adult is Fangirl and my favorite series is Harry Potter, Gallagher Girls, Vampire Academy/Bloodlines, and Artemis Fowl. New Adult is probably The Deal because I read it all the time.
Mary: How many times?
Mary: Like...four in less than a year?
Mary: Wow.
Mary: Such is the power of Garrett and Hannah. Favorite song... is it cheating to say "Bohemian Rhapsody"? It's probably not my favorite OF ALL TIME, but it always makes me happy. Favorite album... At the moment, it's Hamilton, obviously, but ever.... I'm a huge fan of classic Taylor Swift so maybe Speak Now (although my favorite Swift song is actually an unreleased one that's not on any of her albums), and as far as movie scores go, I love a lot, but probably The Fellowship of the Ring. Howard Shore is incredible. And for funsies, my favorite audiobook is probably Libba Bray's Beauty Queens because she reads it herself, and her voices for each character as well as all the production...things are ON FREAKING POINT.

Mary: This has probably gone on long enough.
Mary: I think you're right. Weird that you didn't think you'd come up with enough questions.
Mary: Right??? Anyway, what if someone wants to know something we didn't talk about?
Mary: I mean, there's a comment section RIGHT THERE. They can use that, or we're literally always on Twitter.
Mary: Literally? Are you literally always on Twitter?
Mary: It's pulled up right now, and I have a phone that blinks at me whenever someone @s me so yeah. Literally always on.
Mary: Fair enough!

So....this was the weirdest thing ever, but Rachel was right: it was really fun. And if you read all the way through to the end, bless you. I'd say I'm not this odd regularly, but that would be a lie. Thanks for reading, and yeah, if you want to ask me something I didn't ask me, feel free to drop a comment or tweet me or something. And if you're up for it, join Get Up Off That Slump. It's fun!

Happy Anniversary to Me! + New Feature Alert

Last week Mary Had a Little Book Blog celebrated three years (more or less) in existence, but this week I'm celebrating another personal and professional anniversary: my one year mark working at the library!

Last year I mentioned getting the job, but I haven't talked very much about my life at the library, but I'd like to start doing that so I'm also going to start a new feature on the blog called 

(that's kind of the first time I've made a
graphic for the blog. Does that look terrible?)

So mixed in with reviews and discussions and rambly things, I'll also be posting about life in a library in the hopes that you'll understand library policies a bit better and ways to support authors/libraries/books. Do you have any questions about life behind the shelves? Let me know in the comments, and I'll try to answer in an upcoming post!

Mary's Minute: What's going on with Mary

Mary's Minute #1

I dreamed up my discussion feature months ago and figured I would use it to talk about bookish things: trends, genres, themes, whatever. Big publishing news like the Random/Penguin merger or current events like the Life in Publishing tumblr or even that thing that happened in October that I have decided I will never talk about on the blog (I don't want to give free publicity to people who don't respect me or other bloggers). But for various reasons, I never launched my new feature. Well, I want to do that now because I feel like I need to explain why I'm not around so much anymore, even though I desperately love reading and blogging and the entire ya/na book community.

In fall 2013, I decided to post at least once a day (although Sundays I usually skipped). But then in March, I went through a huge reading and blogging slump. By the time I was "back to normal," I was promoted to a position that required me to work 40+ hours a week. When combined with 10+ hours worth of commute a week, my schedule became out of control. I was exhausted and couldn't really dredge up the energy to write posts regularly. In August, I thought things would again go back to "normal," which for me included those daily posts. It didn't happen. Over the past two months, my posts have decreased to the point that some weeks, I even miss my weekly wrap-up or Waiting on Wednesday, which have both been regular posts even when other features or reviews slowed down.

So what's the deal?

Here's the thing: The Mary you know here on the blog and on Twitter is a real person. Yes, that's my name, and yes, the way I talk on here is pretty much how I talk in real life. I haven't created a different person online (although I totally respect anyone who has created an online persona for safety/privacy issues!), and yet...the person you know is not entirely how I am in real life. The public Mary, the one on the blog and on Twitter, is a bit of a jokester. She's silly and (I think) funny. She tries her hardest to be positive and kind and friendly and open. IRL Mary is too–but usually only with people she knows well and is comfortable with, like her family and really close friends.

IRL Mary, the person behind the screen, is actually a huge introvert (I know you're all shocked there because it seems like a lot of bloggers are so nbd). IRL Mary also has anxiety. Like a lot. IRL Mary constantly second-guesses herself and right now is trying to figure out if it wouldn't just be better to delete this post because OH MY GOSH HOW ARE PEOPLE GOING TO RESPOND TO IT. IRL Mary hates to be late for the fear of missing out, but IRL Mary also sometimes just can't show up to things like parties or events or even church for the fear of being judged, of not knowing what to wear, of not knowing if someone will be there that I can talk to. IRL Mary stresses about every. damn. thing. I found an article in the HuffPo a couple months ago about people who are highly sensitive, and yeah, this just about says it all.

IRL Mary also suffers from depression, which I've talked about a bit on Twitter this week because everything just got to be Too Much. I'm having trouble at work with my new supervisor, and there is NO solution. I have tried and tried to talk to my boss and have a real conversation about why we aren't able to agree on anything, but...we can't agree on anything! As a part-time employee, I feel like I'm always stressing about money issues. This isn't helped by my extreme addiction to books. I'm a stress eater so I've gained weight in the past couple years, and I HATE IT, but I can't seem to cultivate healthier habits. I'm 26 and single so there's this constant fear of being alone forever. Yeah, I'm a single (mostly) independent woman; hear me roar blah blah blah. That does not prevent me from feeling less like an unwanted loser. Plus, my anxiety keeps me from going places and doing things that would help me meet people (ie guys). Add in the stress of some at-home things (no specifics here because they involve other people), and I'm basically a hot mess all around. There's that phrase in books "bone-weary," and honestly, that's how I feel. Some days I can't drag myself out of bed; others, I can barely get myself to the couch for a marathon of crappy daytime tv. And that's it. That might be all I do that day because it's all I CAN do.

I've always been very careful about how I've said things in regard to my blogging. I don't like to say I'm taking an official break because if the mood hits, I don't want to be like, "JK now I want to blog!" But clearly, blogging is falling by the wayside because it feels like One More Thing I have to worry about while I feel like the weight of my world is resting on my shoulders. I don't want that. I love blogging. I think part of me is avoiding blogging while I feel so down because I don't want to associate books and blogging with the negative feelings I'm having. Because happy-go-lucky Online Mary? I really like her. I like ME. I like being that positive, open, friendly person because it's who I am. When I'm on Twitter or here on the blog, I feel like the rest of the bullshit just slides off. I can forget the rest and just be happy about some awesome books. 

What was the point of this post? I don't know. I just wanted to share that I'm still here. I still love books. I still want to share them with you. It's just hard right now. I just want to say thank you to those of you who have stuck with me, thank you to those of you who will read this entire post. I'm not quitting. But...it might be a while before I'm back where I was, and that's okay. I need to take care of myself first, and I really, REALLY appreciate everyone's kind words and support. You guys are the best! <3

Afterthought:

 By the way, some of you who have met me at events might be wondering wtf am I even talking about. Well, I basically gear up before events. I get my happy Mary game face on so that you don't wonder why the Mary you just met is totally different from who you know online. I really do want to be the same person on and off the internet. And honestly sometimes, when I'm not feeling it, I won't go. That's happened twice this year. But most of the time, I'm really excited because I'm at a book event with other book people. Yeah, I'm usually around friends and people I've gotten to know well (both on and off the web), but there's something about books that just brings us together and makes it not so hard to pretend I'm happy.

Wish You Were Italian launch bucket list

This week marks the release of Kristin Rae's Wish You Were Italian! I've been a fan about this book for months before I even read it because I took a trip to Italy seven years ago. Kristin and I became instantly bonded on Twitter due to our shared Italian experiences. 

Pippa has always wanted to go to Italy … but not by herself. And certainly not to sit in art school the entire summer learning about dead guys’ paintings. When she steps off the plane in Rome, she realizes that traveling solo gives her the freedom to do whatever she wants. So it’s arrivederci, boring art program and ciao, hot Italian guys!

Charming, daring, and romantic, Bruno is just the Italian Pippa’s looking for—except she keeps running into cute American archeology student Darren everywhere she goes. Pippa may be determined to fall in love with an Italian guy … but the electricity she feels with Darren says her heart might have other plans. Can Pippa figure out her feelings before her parents discover she left the program and—even worse—she loses her chance at love?

Book Buy Links:

   

In Wish You Were Italian, Pippa makes a list of the ten things she wants to see/do/accomplish while she's visiting. Her goals are: 

Don’t get arrested
Don’t make a fool out of myself in public
Get my picture taken at the Colosseum

Find random souvenir for Morgan

Get a makeover
See Pompeii
Swim in the Mediterranean Sea
Have a conversation with someone in only Italian
Eat a whole pizza in one sitting
Fall in love with an Italian

Out of this list, I have done...let's say five and a half things on this list. Don't get arrested? Check! 

I don't know why we called ourselves that, but we definitely did NOT get arrested! Front row, left to right: Brianna, Chelsea, David D, David S (who was one of my high school BFFs. We were in band [he's wearing our band shirt in this pic] and scholar's bowl [the academic quiz bowl team] together. He now works at Disney, lucky punk.). Back row: Brianna's dad aka my dentist, Caleb (avid UofTennessee fan & fellow band guy), our European history & US government teacher Reeves (I went to his wedding because my family was friends with his wife. I was probably about 6 when that happened. Weird), Graham (also a band guy; but he and I butted heads a lot), and me! I was the oldest student on the trip. The others had just graduated high school, but I had just finished my freshman year of college. The Euro class my senior year didn't go on the trip since Reeves' wife had just had a baby, but he invited my class to come back the next year for the trip. I was the only one who took him up on the offer. Suckers.

See Pompeii? Check. 

 Pompeii was one of my favorite stops. We had lunch at this AH-MAZING restaurant and walking around the ruins was unbelievable. Hee hee. Pompeii has a red light district. *is immature for a second*

Random souvenir & swim in the Mediterranean? Double check. 

 For some reason, I HAD to have this leather bracelet, and I wore it nearly every day for about four years.

 1. The Mediterannean is SALTY. Not only will your mouth taste super duper gross, but any miniscule cuts or scrapes on your body will burn very, very painfully as soon as you step in. 2. I scooped some rocks and water into a water bottle and brought it home with me. That bottle is now sitting on my trophy shelf in my room at my parents' house. 3. I'd apologize for blinding you with our whiteness, but if you just went blind, you wouldn't be able to read my apology anyway. 4. I'm the one on the right.



Don't make a fool out of myself in public? Wellllll....I think I behaved most of the time. so...check!

Making fools out of ourselves in private was an entirely different matter, though. We played an epic game of spoons throughout the entire trip (that was how we amused ourselves at night in our hotels), and we got into epic scuffles. David and I, though we were best friends, got into a full-on WWF match one night. I am sorry to say he kicked my butt, which is surprising because I'm taller and outweighed him by...let's say a bit.

Get my picture taken at the Colosseum? 

I went to the Colosseum on my trip, and I took pictures OF the Colosseum, but I don't know if anyone managed to get a shot of me there. That one's a maybe.

I definitely didn't get a makeover while in Italy, and at the time, I couldn't speak Italian (but I took it in college when I got back so now I could have a rudimentary conversation with someone about food), so those are no's for me. I also didn't eat an entire pizza, one sitting or no, but this pizza in Venice made me want to.

And sadly, I did not fall in love with an Italian boy on my trip. I was actually a little surprised because I only saw a handful of men who were anything close to handsome. That was kind of a downer. This boy, though, was my favorite. Yes, I'm a total creeper and took a picture of a cute stranger. Sue me.







I would love to go back to Italy one day because I had an AMAZING time. I saw so many beautiful places, and there are many others I'd love to visit! In honor of Pippa and Kristin and Italy itself, here are my top ten goals on my Visit Italy: Part 2 bucket list:

1. Explore Rome. I want to see EVERYTHING. Due to a flight scheduling error and one the worst weather delays in aviation history (I am actually not exaggerating. The day we flew out had some of the worst storms ever. Delays across the US were at a record high), we missed one of our Rome days, which was a real bummer. That meant the day we did spend in Rome, we were shuttled from the airport (while smelling like plane and travel and B.O.) directly to Vatican City (SISTINE CHAPEL!!!), then we walked around with our tour group (mostly at some church that just couldn't quite stack up to what we'd already seen at the Vatican), ate dinner, went to the hotel and passed out. No Trevi Fountain. No Spanish Steps. No happy meandering around cobblestone streets.

Jet. Lag. (I am in the pink, questioning my life choices)

2. Return to Florence. Florence was my favorite of the cities we visited. Everything about it was grand and breathtakingly beautiful. I am not an artist, but I felt more creative, more artistic there than anywhere else I've ever been.

 Helloooo, Florence!

3. Hike Mt. Vesuvius. We went to Pompeii and Naples, but we had to skip the hike. I think it would just be cool to reach the top and look around.



4. Visit Milan. Milan wasn't on our itenerary so this would be a first-time visit. Not that I could ever afford anything, I do enjoy fashion. I'd love to walk around and just people watch all the pretty fashion people.

5.Visit Capri again. This little island is quite possibly the most gorgeous place I've ever seen, and I want to go back so so so so badly! We took a boat tour around the island (and it took less than an hour because it's so tiny) and saw the entrance to the Blue Grotto and took a rail car up to the top and I want to go do it all again!

Told you: GORGEOUS.

Yes, please!

6. Buy a leather jacket. I know what you're thinking. I could buy a leather jacket anywhere, and you're right. But here's the thing. There are master leather crafters in Florence. I went to this one shop and fell in love with this beautiful caramel-colored motorcycle jacket that felt like butter. It was absurdly expensive. I could have bought it, yes, but I would have been without funds for the rest of my trip. I did the Right Thing and left the jacket there. But I still dream about it. Well, at least one like it, since this was seven years ago.

7. See Tuscany. I don't drink, but I'm still sad we skipped most of wine country when driving from the coast up to Florence. It's supposed to be utterly enchanting so I'd like to be able to say I've been.

8. Hold up the leaning tower of Pisa. Cheesy, but it's classic, you know?

9. Skinny dip in the Mediterranean. Swim? Been there, done that. Skinny dip? Well, that could be interesting. ;)

10. Kiss someone special. I am single so I don't have plans for someone specific, but I also don't want to kiss a stranger. I saw that season of Jersey Shore, and while entertaining, so not me. Italy is a land of love. I hope one day I'm able to revisit my trip, but I think I would most want to do it and share that incredible experience with someone who means a lot to me.

That being said, there's no one else with whom I'd rather have taken my first trip abroad.

Playing cards with the spoons I straight up stole from 

our hotel in Florence. I told you I "mostly" behaved. 

In public.

Obligatory canal shot of Venice

 

Napping on the bus with my oh-so-stylish airline blanket.

 

Oh, my gosh. I just really want to go back!

So that's my list. A touch silly, a splash naughty, a healthy serving of nostalgia, and extra sentimentality, which I think is also fairly accurate if you're describing me. I hope you guys enjoyed taking this trip through my past. Now it's your turn: what would YOU do on a trip to Italy? Please share your thoughts & Italian travel plans in the comment section!



PS I get to see Kristin next week for Bloomsbury's First Loves tour. It is not unlikely that I might end up with an extra copy of Wish You Were Italian to giveaway... ;)

Vacation break + epic road trip

Hey, friends! Tomorrow morning my sister, my niece, and I are embarking on a 10 hour drive from Dallas to Nashville so I can attend the Dark Days Tour for the second year running.

Then we're swinging farther east to visit our parents for a couple days in Knoxville. Then I'm heading south to Atlanta to hit up the Lovestruck tour in Atlanta, where I'm SUPER EXCITED to meet some of my fellow bloggers like Aly of My Heart Hearts Books (one of my favorite online blogger friends!) and Amy of Lady Reader's Bookstuff (who I actually met during last year's Dark Days Tour, but I was still just a newbie then). 

From there, it's back to Nashville for Courtney C. Stevens' Faking Normal launch and then home to Dallas. After a very brief reprieve (as in one day), I'll go to Abbi Glines' Take a Chance launch here in Dallas and two days later, Victoria Scott's Fire & Flood launch, also here.

Now, I'm not going to complain about the traveling and how tired I'm sure to be at the end of this super epic journey because to me this is totally worth it, but the sheer amount of time I'm going to spend driving means I'm not going to have a lot of access to the internet during these days. Even when I get places, it'll be difficult to get online because I don't want to miss out on hanging out with my family or friends. I do have some posts scheduled, but that will just about be the extent of my blogginess over the next week or so. More than anything, this is an explanation why I'll be MIA from Twitter! The good news is that this many events equates to this many event recaps and also giveaways so definitely keep a look out for those!

*hugs*

Mary

A Tale of Two Roomies...or Six

It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.

As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate.

Today, I'm talking about roommates on the blog in honor of Tara Altebrando and Sara Zarr's newly published Roomies, which details the summer before soon-to-be college roommates Elizabeth and Lauren arrive at school. Ironically enough, the girls don't even meet on-page in the novel so we never witness them in all their full roommate glory so instead, I'm going to regale you with some tales of my own adventures as a roomie. In addition to my silly stories, I also have a copy of the book to give away!

 Roommate the first: My sister Emily. 

Em and I grew up sharing a room for...maybe the first eleven years of my life? I don't remember exactly when she moved out, but it was sometime around there. Emily is a couple years older than I am, and it's probably a good thing she moved down to the basement when she entered The Teenage Years. Our experience as roommates was probably pretty typical. We fought. A lot. We were messy. Also a lot. I, in particular, am the messy one, and Emily was just stuck with me. However, when we got along, we were blessed with an overabundance of imagination, and honestly, our unicorn-wallpapered room was a magical place. Our homemade (thanks, Dad!) bunk beds became a castle or a fortress surrounded by lava. My bed, the lower bunk, was a tent, surrounded by blankets and walls and Emily's bed on top, and sometimes, we'd slip my mattress partially onto the floor and use it as a slide. Our parents were less amused of that game. One time, we played war, which basically meant we barricaded ourselves onto opposite sides of the floor–I chose the closet alcove between the dresser and the desk; Emily, the window alcove opposite–and chucked toys at each other. That was one of the best days ever. Many giggles were had over the Barbie shoes and Ninja Turtle weapons flying through the air.

With the exception of a couple of various week- or month-long summer camps in high school, I didn't have another roommate until college, when I was randomly assigned Roommate the Second: Jennifer. We were from rival high schools in the same area, although we lived about an hour apart. It is possible we had seen each other at football games during high school and never realized it. Jennifer was a pretty cool girl...for the first week of college. We had so much in common, and we'd talk all the time. But, her high school boyfriend dumped her on the first day of classes, and a week later, she thought she needed to replace him. After that first week, it was no longer Mary-and-Jennifer facing the world but Jennifer-and-guy-with-French-name. I noticed on her Myspace page (yes, Myspace was still a thing my freshman year of college, but that WAS the semester I got a Facebook) that they had taken pictures in our room and I was in the background, on my bed. Um, weird. Also, they'd make out right in front of me, which was awkward, and I felt like a stranger in my own room. When things started to get horizontal, I'd escape to my best friends', Lindsay and Alyce, rooms. Luckily, they lived on the same floor, just down the hall. Jennifer moved out after that first semester so she could go to the freshman-only dorm that French Boyfriend lived in. That led me to...

Roommate the Third: Brittany. Brittany had lived in the room across the hall during fall semester. I wasn't sure why she moved to mine, but I figured it meant she and her original roommate had problems, and that made me nervous. Brittany and I NEVER TALKED. She would go to bed at NINE PM, which was not at all an improvement over Jenn's 3 AM bedtimes. I again felt like a stranger in my own room. I had to actually go to a study room to study at night because as soon as the clock ticked over from 8:59 to 9:00, BAM! Lights out! 

Safe to say that my favorite college roommates were not my own, but rather all my friends who made me at home in their own rooms and houses. The next year, Alyce and her roommate Kalie moved in with two of our other friends, Cara and Ashlea. They lived maybe 15 minutes away from campus, but I was always welcome to come over for movies or High School Musical or Supernatural marathons or dinner or even to bring my laundry over...for FREE. Those girls gave me my vicarious experience with real roommates because I always became embroiled in their roommate drama (who didn't do the dishes, who forgot to take the trash out, etc), and I realized that being a roommate is a lot more involved than multiple people who happen to live in the same place and share bills. After that, I always got a single in my dorm, and after I left college, I lived at home, where it was just me and my parents. Having a roommate wasn't an issue for a few years...until I moved to Texas last year.

See, I was stuck in every aspect of my life. I felt like I was slowly drowning at home. I had no prospects professionally or personally. So my sister encouraged me to move to Texas, which led me to Roommates Four and Five: Emily and her husband Jared. 

This was a real learning experience. Because my mom and dad did so much for me when I was with them, I was doing Real Adult Things for the the first time. We even drew up a Roommate Agreement like Sheldon's from The Big Bang Theory (but much less involved)! There were some touch-and-go moments during my stay with E&J. There were arguments and tears and yelling. I perpetually felt like the odd one out because, duh. I was. But there were amazing moments of togetherness too. Now that we're all grown up, Emily and I are best friends, and we tend to get really punchy late at night. I'm sure Jared often felt like the only grown up as he'd referee the two of us chasing one another around the house or our random laugh-fests, but I think he liked coming home to Emily and me making dinner together (usually laughing our heads off at naughty jokes we'd told), which was often. There was one time I came home at what was my usual time when I worked a full day, but Emily body-slammed the door on the inside and wouldn't let me in for a few minutes. Apparently, they hadn't realized I would be home quite that early (again, even though it was a normal time for me to arrive home!), and Jared wasn't wearing pants. O_O We had a lot of fun, the three of us. We're a family of gamers, and nights were often spent playing cards or Dominion and shotgunning shows on Netflix. Pretty sure the three of us also kept Little Caesars in business; no matter how many meals we cooked, we also ate a metric butt-ton of pizza too. However, things change, and eventually it was time for me to leave. After all, Emily and Jared got a new roommate soon after I left. She's small and cute and at times, very loud and smelly. ;) I love my replacement, and so do they, but I think we all agree that I allowed them to get more sleep!

So that brings me to current day, and Roommate the Sixth: Camille. We haven't been living together very long, just a few months, but Camille and I get along swimmingly! I'm very grateful to have her. Our schedules are nearly completely opposite, which means we don't see each other a whole lot, so when we do see each other, we're really happy about it! Camille and I spent the holidays bonding over silly Hallmark movies. She was cleaning our tiles one day while I was blogging, and I would shout out movie info to her. "Camille! Christmas Orphans is on! And SUPERMAN is in it!" She thought the name of the movie was actually Christmas Orphans, but I just called it that because I didn't catch the title. Also, it was a Christmas movie about three orphan boys. Yeah. You already know how it ends. Or she'd say, "They're [the main characters] not talking right now. I bet they're kissing." I looked up at the screen, and sure enough, they were kissing. Our BEST story of roommatehood, however, comes from the early-ish days of rooming together. Camille works regular hours every week, unlike me, so I almost always know when she's going to come home. Almost. One day, she got home about 4 hours early because she was going on a weekend trip to see her former roommate. Our house is laid out so there is a loooong hallway with our bedrooms branching off either side, and the kitchen and the living room are in the very back. I was in the kitchen, and I could hear her walking down the hallway. I started panicking and called out to her. "Um....Camille?" "Yeah?" she answered. "So.....I'm not wearing any pants," I informed her. She started laughing and told me she'd go in her room. I quickly escaped and dressed. Oops! Even though we're both women, we're both preferential to a more Clothing Required kind of life, but that story has become one of legend, and it never fails to make us laugh. Clearly, I had learned nothing from living with Em & Jared. Oh, pants. You make for such wonderful and silly stories! When I moved out of Emily & Jared's, I was really nervous because this was truly my first experience with a real kind of roommate. Not just a family member or a random person at college, but a real roommate. I had no idea what to expect, but thankfully, Camille is an awesome roommate. Hopefully, she can say the same about me (I make sure to isolate all my mess in my own room)!

I hope you have enjoyed my tales of roommatehood, and now is time for the good stuff! Tara & Sara are starting off their Roomies tour next week. If you live anywhere near these cities, I hope you'll take the chance to go meet the ladies, and also, I'm horrifically jealous of you because I liked Roomies a lot.

• January 12, 2014 – New York, NY: McNally Jackson @ 6PM
• January 15, 2014 – Salt Lake City, UT: The King's English @ 7PM
• January 16, 2014 – Provo, UT: Provo Library @ 7PM
• February 4, 2014 – San Francisco, CA: Books Inc, Opera Plaza @ 7PM
• February 5, 2015 – Petaluma, CA: Copperfield's Books @ 4PM (PIZZA. PARTY.)

Giveaway:

Little, Brown is giving me the opportunity to pass the magic on to one of my readers. This is a US-only giveaway and will run for one week, ending at 12 AM January 17. Please follow all my giveaway policies as stated in the Site & Giveaway Policy tab at the top of the page. I will notify the winner after the giveaway ends, then I will pass the information on to LB, who will ship your book directly. Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Funday: My big blogging adventure

This month, the lovely Jodi Meadows is celebrating the anniversary of the Newsoul trilogy. As part of that celebration, she's issued a challenge to readers to talk about new beginnings and adventures. The best part is that Jodi's holding a giveaway for signed copies of all three books in the trilogy.

So today, I'm going to talk about my big blogging adventure. Ironically enough, this week marks my one year anniversary of blogging...sort of. Double irony: Jodi was one of my major motivations for starting this blog. December 1, 2012 was the first time I posted a review of Incarnate, and I did it because Jodi was holding a giveaway for an ARC of Asunder. So yes, this week last year was the start of Mary Had a Little Book Blog. Or was it?

Actually, no. It wasn't entirely. In 2011, I was an intern with a big company, and I was BORED OUT OF MY MIND. There wasn't always enough work for me so I spent much of my time daydreaming about books. That was when I joined Goodreads, and I thought to myself, "Hey, I read a lot of books, and I spend a lot of time telling other people what to read. I should start a blog." And you know what? I did. I had an intense internal debate about my blog name (MHALBB was my second choice, actually, after Bookie Monster, but 1. BM has a different connotation. I didn't want people to think I was blogging about gambling, and 2. I found out BM was already taken! Decision made!) I even wrote up AND PUBLISHED a hello post and everything. Life was good. My problem was, I didn't post ever again. I sometimes have a hard time following through with my big ideas. After that summer internship, I was in school full-time, and things were just not so good all around. I had some pretty big real life problems going on, and my big blog idea fell by the wayside.

Reading, however, did not. In January of 2012, I got a library card to the local library in my college town (for some reason, I'd never gotten one before then), and I spent SO MUCH TIME there during spring semester. I discovered a lot of amazing authors and series like Jodi's Newsoul trilogy, Delirium, Divergent, Iron Fey, Everneath, Under the Never Sky, and many, many more. I didn't have a lot of money so the library was the best place for me to get books. When I got home from school that May, I got a job, but I continued going to the library. I absolutely hated my job. I was miserable there. Things were still not-so-good. My sister invited me to move in with her...in Dallas. 14 hours away from the only home I'd ever known. I'd applied for a dream job in Tennessee, but when it fell through, I realized I had nothing holding me there except my own fear.

I packed my stuff (sadly, leaving most of my books behind), and moved to Dallas. When Jodi issued her challenge, I realized I had the opportunity to start new, not only with a new city but a new hobby as well. I started off really slow, only posting 4 or 5 posts during each of my first couple months blogging, but it felt so good to start putting my thoughts out there. I was really excited when I saw page views and comments and followers because I felt like I was making an impact on people. But more than anything, blogging made an impact on me.

I went to the Texas Library Association annual conference in April, and I really felt like a kid in a candy store. I realized that book events just make me happy. I'm naturally a very introverted person, but being surrounded by books and bookish people made me super outgoing. I made a bunch of friends at the conference that I remain close with and I met a couple of my author heroes like Ally Carter and Jennifer Echols. For the first time, I felt really at home with my life and the paths that got me there, and I began to realize that if I let it, blogging could make my life so much better.

I love my blog dearly. It's a lot of fun, and I've met so many amazing people because of it, authors, bloggers, readers, publishers, everybody! Sometimes, I've occasionally gone through periods of lethargy, but I never feel like my blog ties me down. Am I one of the big players in blogging? No. But that's okay. Blogging has helped me find my voice among my family, my friends. I've found common ground with people I never imagined. I have the freedom to do what I want, to do what I love. And that right there is the best adventure I could ever hope for.

Liebster Blog Nominee... x2!

Haven't been blogging all that long so imagine my surprise that I've been nominated for a Liebster Blog Award...twice! So many thanks to Jordan @ Jordan's Reading Nook and Cristyn @ The Book Cafe. It's really cool that you guys throught to include me.

Rules of the Liebster Blog Award: 

1. Tell 11 things about yourself.  

2. Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.  

3. Post 11 questions for those who will be nominated by you to answer.  

4. Nominate 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers.  

5. Get in contact with those 11 bloggers in order to inform them that you nominated them.

Yearly Wrap-up: 2012

Ah, 2012, you have been such a wondrous year for me as far as my favorite hobby goes. During 2012, I fell in love--several times--with new authors, new stories, and new characters (especially yummy new boys!!). I fell back in love with old favorites. I was saddened to say goodbye to old AND new friends as I completed several series like the Hush, Hush trilogy quadrilogy, Paranormalcy, The Iron Fey, The Graceling Realm, Hex Hall and more, but I was also super excited to discover growing series and future book deals, many by the authors who were saying goodbye in one sense. I mean, Fitzpatrick has a new book in the works. White has TWO set for relase in 2013 with more in the making. Kagawa's rocking a spin-off and an entirely new series. Hawkins is doing a spin-off. And don't forget all the other releases that 2013 has in promise, sequels and prequels and stand-alones included! Who said the end always has to be sad? Just because you've finished a great book doesn't mean you can never pick it back up! 2013 is going to be great and I can't wait to share it here!

Check out my 2012 reading list below.