Procrastination at Its Finest: All Those Tags I Need to Catch Up With

This is around 6 months of tags I was supposed to do, but kept putting off, but at least we’re finally here! (To the point where I’ve procrastinated this Thursday post to Friday, but semantics.)

Anyways, you all probably know I’m super bad at keeping up with tags, but I always really appreciate it whenever y’all tag me in them! There are so many great ones going around, and I have 6 (!!!) to do today.

In the spirit of procrastination, all of these tags’ branches are dying with me as I’ve slacked far too long to additionally nominate 53 people (minimum!) for all the tags, but if you want to do them (which, like yes totally do it), I NOMINATE YOU.

(You’ll be able to find the official rules in the posts of the people who tagged me. I didn’t write any questions, but I can totally do that if you’d like me to nominate you! Just let me know in the comments!)

So in this post you get all the tea about me, books, and everything else under the sun. From random fun facts to bookish preferences and blogger recommendations, you won’t be disappointed!

Super huge hugs + thanks to Kaleena @ Reader Voracious for tagging me for the Mystery Blogger Award, Paige @ Bookish Paige for tagging me for The Unique Blogger Award, Caidyn @ BW Book Reviews for tagging me in The Awesome Blogger Award, Mandy @ Devouring Books for tagging me in the Blogger Recognition Award, Mitzi @ MitziCBooks for tagging me in The Versatile Blogger Award, and Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books for tagging me in the

Mystery Blogger Award

Thanks so much again, Kaleena, for tagging me! Y’all should remember to check out her awesome blog, Reader Voracious, because Kaleena writes so many awesome posts & also runs a really great ARC program, Flapping Pages. (Tag creator: Okoto Enigma)

Three Things About Myself

Here are three really random facts about myself. Enjoy, Internet.

1. Dark chocolate is the best chocolate and no one can convince me otherwise.
2. I think I have really nicely shaped toes.
3. I hate seeing bubbles of freshly poured water in a clean cup because it makes me feel like I’m going to be ingesting the soap that was used to clean the cup.

Kaleena’s Questions

If you could interview any author, who would it be?

Hmm, this is a hard one, but if I’d have to pick, it’d probably be Marie Lu! I adore her and her books and she’s a huge inspiration for me as being the first Asian-American YA author I’ve read. Her books (especially The Young Elites) hold a special place in my heart and I’ll always adore her writing.

What question would you ask the author?

I’d probably ask Marie about what it was like being among the first Asian-American YA authors and forging a path for the rest of us within the book community!

What is the best book you have read so far in 2018?

I CAN’T JUST PICK ONE! How about the 6 from this year that have made it onto my all time favorites list? Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough, Nothing Left to Burn by Heather Ezell, When Light Left Us by Leah Thomas, Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan, The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen, and Damsel by Elana K. Arnold were all my very favorite reads of 2018!

All of these books are not only super entertaining and engaging, but they’re poetic in a way I never imagined. Definitely recommend you pick them up!

Do you collect anything? If so, what? Show a picture?

Washi tape! I have almost as much washi tape as I do books. Okay, not really. Maybe more like half as many washi tape as books. I don’t have any high quality photos, but if you really wanna see them, you can find some of them in this tweet.

What is your favorite book quote?

“The stories we tell have power” from A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir! I’m 90% sure this is from ARatG because Penguin used it as promo, but I’m not 100% on that. I just love the meaning of this, and am really considering using it as a senior quote!

The Unique Blogger Award

Thank you again to Paige for tagging me for this! Don’t forget to check out her awesome blog, Bookish Paige–you know they’re good people when they’re a book sniffer.

What’s your favourite genre, and recommend a few books from that genre.

My favorite genre is science fiction! If you love sci-fi or want to get into it, I definitely recommend Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan, Want by Cindy Pon, Zero Repeat Forever by G.S. Prendergast, This Moral Coil by Emily Suvada, and The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson! These are all some of my favorite reads!

Why do you blog and read?

There are so many reasons why I blog and read. I read because it’s an enjoyable pastime and I love being transported to someone else’s story (also, I find it preferable to browsing the internet or watching TV/movies–I like visualizing things myself).

But I blog not only to share my love of books with other readers, but also to be able to support authors and publishers and all sorts of amazing people who put work into the books I love reading.

An under-hyped book that you wish everyone read or knew about.

When Light Left Us by Leah Thomas is a seriously underhyped book, but it’s so poetic and moving and I was absolutely stunned by this amazing debut. It’ll definitely not resonate with everyone, but I love love loved it so much.

Awesome Blogger Award

Another big thanks to Caidyn for tagging me for this! I’m so excited to answer your questions, and you should definitely check out BW Book Reviews where Caidyn and Chantel have so much awesome bookish content!

What’s your favorite music genre?

In truth? Broadway musicals. And I’m not even an aficionado or have a great passion for the classics–I just like listening to a cohesive soundtrack (movie soundtracks are pretty good too sometimes).

Do you like horror movies? If so, what’s your favorite? If not, why not?

HAHA NO. I am the most easily scared of the easily scared. The scariest thing I’ve ever watched was probably one of those Donner Party documentaries from school. Jumpscares do NOT work well with me.

What is your dream job?

I have no idea! I’m still working on getting into college *sweats nervously* But I’d love to do something I love doing (duh) and that I’m super passionate about (but I’m passionate about so many things, it’s hard to decide).

Do you write? If so, what’s a work in progress? If not, what would you like to see written?

I do write! Very slowly, and I am super superstitious talking about my writing, so I’m not gonna say anything. But I like writing YA contemporary, sci-fi, and fantasy (all of my favorite genres).

Is there a completed series you wish there was more of?

The Winner’s Curse was a really great series I binged, and I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to getting more from that series!

What’s a weird talent/ability you have?

Umm…nothing, really? Though, I’m really good at procrastinating, as you can see by how late this post is.

What genre do you want to read more of?

Science fiction! I always love more science fiction, and there’s so many sub genres I want more more more.

What’s your favorite food?

Dessert-wise–I love chocolate ganache cake. Regular-food-wise, I really like beet and goat cheese salads! Those are sooo good I honestly didn’t think salad could be that delicious.

What’s a book that was published in 2018 and didn’t like?

I really did not like The Last Girl on Earth by Alexandra Blogier. It felt underdeveloped and messy, unfortunately.

OH WAIT. You know what? I read The Continent and it was as terrible as all the reviews said. Super problematic and needed a lot of work. If I could go to negative stars, I would.

What is your favorite blog post that you’ve written?

Honestly, I’m still super proud of my Privilege in Publishing post I wrote in June! I’m so glad so many people ended up resonating with it, because this is really important to me.

Blogger Recognition Award

Thanks again to Mandy for nominating me! You definitely have to check out her blog, Devouring Books, because she has so many awesome posts–from book recs to Top Ten Tuesdays to so much more! Go go go!

How My Blog Started

Honestly, this is a little fuzzy to me. I know once a friend (Aitana Reads) talked about book blogs, and one day–as I started to fall out of love with Wattpad–I decided to start a blog and write about some of my favorite books! I already had a WordPress account, but never figured out how to use it, but then I just took the time to understand Customizer, made a new blog, and got sucked in.

I totally love the book community and think it’s such a great place, and could not imagine a better online community to be a part of!

Two Pieces of Advice for New (Book) Bloggers

I really want to give out advice you’ve never heard before, and so here are two things I feel like you should know.

If you aspire to become a published author one day, be aware. I mean, unless you change your name and start new totally unassociated accounts for your career as an author, I think it’s very beneficial to keep in mind how your blogging platform can affect your future career.

Alexa Donne on her authortube channel calls it “the aspiring writers” trap, and I’ve definitely seen how this could be really impactful. Saying something really bad or terrible about a book or author could end up in rejection later on when a lit agent goes “Oh, I remember that person! They wrote a really mean-spirited review about my client’s book.”

I’m not saying change your opinions and lie. I’m saying try and remember how words have power. Yes, you can have opinions. But no, it’s not okay to be mean. You want to act like a professional. Negative opinions are okay, but sometimes being too snarky or too potentially hurtful could bite you in the ass one day, if someone’s memory of you is that negative.

Value your friends. I know some new blogs might be fresh and have no established friends on the internet. (If so, try joining a reading challenge! That’s where I met a lot of my first blogging friends.)

Your friends will be your confidant and your support group as you go through trials and tribulations in blogging. Life isn’t perfect, and sometimes you’ll meet an asshole who totally refuses to listen to reason, but your friends are the ones you can rant to (with permission) and will support you no matter what.

The Versatile Blogger Award

Lots of hugs & thanks to Mitzi for nominating me for The Versatile Blogger Award! I so appreciate it, and if you love science fiction (!), fantasy, or romance, you should definitely check out her blog, MitziCBooks!

Seven Things About Me

7. I don’t like candles. I KNOW–I’m the worst. The book community loves candles, but I can’t stand anything overly scented (even my shampoo is annoying) and candles just make things ten times worse.

I can’t imagine sniffing bunches of candles. I not only just do not like strong smells, I probably also have no nuance whatsoever in my nose and would not be able to tell vanilla from teak from autumnal spices.

6. I am very picky about my chips. I (somewhat similar to my candle aversion) have really boring chip tastes, and I only eat lightly salted potato chips, jalapeño (but only certain brands), and the occasional Cheeto.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve eaten something besides these three, and I’ve been working on cutting Cheetos out of flavors I’m willing to eat. I like having chips with a banana because I never eat them with anything else, so this is the one time that I eat them and can feel *slightly* less bad about the junk food because I’m consuming some good ol’ potassium.

5. I will literally never finish my TBR. I 100% guarantee this, and here’s the actual facts. My to-read pile on Goodreads is only slightly less than my read pile, and both are in the high 600s. If I continue to add enough that these figures always stay around the same, my TBR will continue to grow despite me reading books. And it will be higher by the time I die.

(This also gave me a good idea, so expect A Math Lesson on this one day!)

4. I almost always wear my hair up. My mom always harps on me to put it down, but I find it annoying when it gets in my face. Especially because it’s kind of windy at my school, and hair goes flying everywhere.

Hair up is the way to go–it’s also like a power pose for me because with my hair up, I feel ready to conquer what’s ahead of me.

3. My favorite book I read in school was Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Hands down, the best school book I read. Followed closely by Beloved by Toni Morrison.

I found TEWWG to be so symbolic and I love how everything comes in threes and the ending ABSOLUTELY KILLED ME. I cried, no lie. It was really heart wrenching, and although Hurston’s writing can be hard to understand if you don’t look at it phonetically, in a way, it’s still so poignant and meaningful and will always be a favorite.

2. I still use a Webkinz mousepad from the early 2000s. I should add that it’s yellowed with age and looks totally vintage now, but it has continued to work as a mousepad, and that’s all I could ever want.

It seems like too much effort to replace it, and I don’t know why I’d need to replace it when it still does its job. It might not be aesthetically pleasing nor relevant to my age, but if it works, it works.

1. My favorite trope is famous people (Hollywood, royalty, literally anyone with some level of fame). My second favorite trope is Cinderella (which, when combined with famous people, is just such a gushy tropey story that I somehow never get sick of).

Why? Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve read so many of these stories (and a lot of them are similar) but I just love the sort of wish-fulfilling aspect of them. It just makes me happy since they have so much fluff and dreaming usually and the romances almost always end in a happily ever after.

Blogging Buddies + Books Tag

Again, huge thanks to Marie for mentioning me & tagging me in this! Marie is such a gem to the book community and she does so many amazing things for other bloggers and writes so many thoughtful posts, so definitely go follow her blog Drizzle & Hurricane Books!

Tag created by Malanie Loves Fiction & Redgal Musings.

Blogger who you super duper admire + book that reminds of you them

I really admire Danielle @ Life of a Literary Nerd. She’s one of the first bloggers I’ve met, and her extreme consistency at producing awesome content is AWE-INSPIRING.

She manages to have everything done well–she DNFs books when she needs to, she reads a bunch of them and reviews them in a timely manner, she posts very consistently, and I am always in awe of Danielle and her blogging skills. I aspire to be as amazingly consistent as she is.

A book that reminds me of Danielle is Scythe! I always remember that she really loves this one, and that I am the worst for still not finishing it, almost a year after I bought it and got halfway through *sweats nervously*

Blogger who encourages you to keep blogging + book that reminds of you them

Fadwa @ Word Wonders is someone I met through my Privilege in Publishing post, and not only does she always remind me of that post and how important it is for me to use my voice and platform to speak for what I believe in, she is also blog aesthetic GOALS.

Like, I love pink and yellow. It’s such a good color combo and it just really works for Fadwa, you know?

I am definitely 100% reminded of her by Mirage by Somaiya Daud! Not only did Fadwa LOVE THIS and the Moroccan rep, but I also just really see some of the characters’ strength in Fadwa, which is super on point. (And I really hope Fadwa gets every single edition of Mirage ever released.)

Blogger who always makes you laugh + book that reminds you of them

Cal @ Constant Raving Reviews always makes me laugh! Not only does she have KILLER use of stock photos, I read all her posts with a really bad Australian accent, and it low key cracks me up from how horrible of a person I am.

But yes! Cal is the queen of finding fitting random stock photos that go with blog posts, and hers are hilarious! Like, what’s better than watermarked random people pointing at things?

And I am, of course, reminded of Cal whenever I see Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses, even though I don’t really like the series (sorry, Cal).

Blogger who constantly recommends the BEST reads + book that reminds of you them

Shealea @ That Bookshelf Bitch always has really really good recommendations. Partly because she’s a lot pickier than I am (I have no chill) which means the books she does recommend are always super good, and partly because Shealea just has a similar (and great) taste.

I’ve referenced her Asian American book recommendation post so many times I think I’ve contributed 99% of Shealea’s blog activity, no joke.

Jade City by Fonda Lee reminds me of Shealea (naturally) because she loves it so much (and I still really need to recheck it out from the library). Also, A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna, recently!

Your doppelganger blogger (similar style, reading taste, bascially your blogging twin) + book that reminds of you them

This was the hardest one to answer because honestly, everyone in this community is SO COOL and it’s so hard picking someone who’s ~like~ me.

Honestly, I feel like I’m a lot like Nandini @ Unputdownable Books. (I mean, I went and checked on Goodreads and it says we are 81% similar for the books we both rated, so…).

I don’t know, I just really resonate with Nandini even though I feel like we don’t talk much, we’re on the same wavelength. It’s hard to explain, and it could totally just be the computer screen frying my brain.

But I’m totally reminded of When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon when I think of Nandini because we both LOVED that one and think Sandhya is amazing.

Phew! This post was a multi-hour endeavor, but I’m glad I shared all of that! How often do you do tag posts? & are you going to do any of these?

(If you want, I’ll write you questions for the ones that need it!)