I enjoyed reading books for fun when I was younger (I was especially obsessed with the Harry Potter series), but I went through a period of time during/ after University when I had absolutely no interest in reading. Since I was an English major in University, I had to read (and analyze) multiple books in a short time (most of which weren’t really of interest to me). Thankfully, a few years after I graduated from University, I had some free time on my hands and decided to pick-up a YA romance from my local library. Since then, I have become absolutely obsessed with reading fiction and I typically read (at least) one book per week! So, what’s my secret? I read books that I’m excited about! I read books with loveable characters and enjoyable plots that I simply can’t put down. I never force myself to read a book (or finish a book) that is of little or no interest to me. Here’s 5 ways that I find books that I’m excited about reading: 1. I look for books that are about to be adapted into a movie or series
2. I look for more books written by authors that I’ve enjoyed in the past If I read a book that’s 5 stars, I immediately check to see if the author has written any other books (or perhaps even a sequel). Odds are, if I enjoyed one book by a certain author, I’ll probably enjoy their other books as well! For example, after reading It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (which was one of my favorite reads of 2021), I checked out Bailey’s Hot and Hammered trilogy from my local library and I ended up enjoying it just as much! 3. I go browsing (virtually or in-person) at my local bookstore or library
4. I see what my friends are reading on GoodReads This has been especially helpful to me in recent years! I follow a few of my friends on GoodReads and I love seeing what titles they are currently reading and adding to their TBR lists; it’s especially helpful that I can see my friends’ ratings, check out book summaries, and add books to my TBR list (so that I don’t forget about them) right from my GoodReads page. I also love that most books on GoodReads have a “readers also enjoyed” section because it’s a great way to discover new books that are similar to ones I’ve enjoyed in the past. For example, in the “readers also enjoyed” section of one of my favorite book series, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, I discovered another amazing series (which has become a new favorite of mine), From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Check out my Goodreads profile to see what I've been reading and loving! 5. I check out what’s popular on Bookstagram
0 Comments
About the Book: According to Annabelle Pierce (2022), “this book is aimed at providing a framework to embracing self-love as a way out of the myriad of problems young girls face ranging from appearance, education, dating, bullying, friendship, peer pressure, self-esteem, substance abuse, menstruation, depression; not omitting very subtle yet significant issues like grades, high parental expectations, and weight gain”. Furthermore, the aim of the workbook is to “guide you in practical ways to activate love for yourself, remain positive, forgive yourself, put the past behind you, celebrate yourself, be decisive, pursue your own happiness, and nurture a healthy self-esteem” (Pierce, 2022). 5 Things I Liked About the Book:
Thank-you so much Annabelle Pierce for asking me to review your workbook! Want to learn more about the Guided Self-Love Workbook for Teen Girls Annabelle Pierce? Check it out on Goodreads.
Similar to What I Like About You (Marisa Kanter) and The Kissing Booth (Beth Reekles), I could not put Super Fake Love Song down because I wanted to see if/ when Sunny would get caught in his lie! Since I love making book playlists, I decided to compile a mini list of my favourite rock and roll songs inspired by Sunny Dae’s “band” in Super Fake Love Song (I also included 2 pop-rock songs that are mentioned/ sung in the book as well as 3 songs that David Yoon mentioned in the Q&A discussed below).
Exciting news: I got to do a Super Fake Love Song Q&A with author David Yoon for The Nerd Daily’s website! You can check out this article by clicking here or pasting the following URL into your web browser: https://www.thenerddaily.com/david-yoon-author-interview/
The Secret Garden book turned 110 this year! 🗝️
I was so excited to be asked to help the Book Fairies hide 1,500 copies of The Secret Garden as a part of #secretbookfairies 💚 From Thursday October 22nd until Sunday October 25th 2020, book fairies in 31 different countries sought out hidden gardens, beautiful gates, sheltered spots and passageways, in which to hide over 120 different editions of The Secret Garden book! 🌼 In every single copy that was hidden, there was a handwritten note from actress Dixie Egerickx (who portrays Mary Lennox in the 2020 Sky Cinema film adaptation). In the note, Dixie says that she hopes the finders enjoy the book as well as the fresh look given to the story in the new film adaptation. Also, 10 of the copies hidden in the UK were signed by actor Colin Firth (Archibald Craven in the film)! 🦋 I was able to hide 5 copies of The Secret Garden during this event. Check out some of my pictures below... I am currently studying graphic design in College so I decided to create some fun bookish templates :) I created the templates with Instagram stories in mind but you are free to use them in any way you wish. All of the images that I used are copyright-free. The "read-a-likes" template was inspired by goodreads, the "monthly wrap-up" template was inspired by Epic Reads, and the "last now next" template was inspired by @emmasfavoritebooks on Instagram. If you use one of my templates, please make sure to tag me (@butterflybookblog on Instagram) or share the link to this website (butterflybookblog1.weebly.com) - thanks so much! Check out my examples above and then right-click on the templates below to save them. Enjoy :) 1. What I Like About You (Marisa Kanter) 2. The Fault in Our Stars (John Green) Be like Augustus Waters and plan a picnic inspired by your favourite author's hometown. If you want to take it a step further, you can write a letter/ email to your favourite author(s) like Hazel Grace Lancaster. 3. The Beginning of Everything (Robyn Schneider) Go treasure hunting in your area (a.k.a. geocaching) like Cassidy and Ezra. Check out geocaching.com for more information on how to find geocaches in your area. Make sure to bring a pencil/ pen so that you can sign the log. 4. Five Feet Apart (Rachael Lippincott)5. Since You've Been Gone (Morgan Matson)Create a summer music playlist to play while you are road tripping, running, completing dares, etc. Make sure that you include all of your favourite songs and make sure the playlist has a secret code (like Frank's playlist on pages 422 & 423). Note: I tried my best to ensure that all of the above activities can be done while you are social distancing. Please be safe and make any necessary adaptations to the above activities so that you can abide by the social distancing regulations in your area. <3
1. America Singer Cupcakes ("The Selection" series by Kiera Cass)
2. Hogwarts Pencil Pouch (the "Harry Potter" series by J. K. Rowling)
3. Lara Jean's Cookie Bonanza ("To All the Boys I've Loved Before" by Jenny Han)
4. Wandering Rocks ("All the Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven)
I am going back to College soon (to study Website Creation and Design) so I have decided to do a “Back to School” blog post. I have previously completed 2 degrees in University (English and Teaching). Thus, I am sharing some of my favourite tips and tricks for studying for a test… Photo credit: "Pinterest" Step 1: Make sure you have all of your lecture notes including diagrams, charts, formulas, significant photos, etc. (I would highly recommend writing your notes or writing out additional notes on printed out lecture slides because this helps you to pay more attention in class). If you’ve missed a class, make sure to get those notes from a peer. Also make sure that you have completed all of the readings for the class (I recommend highlighting important points e.g. definitions). Step 2: Type out all of your notes (or re-type them if you initially took your notes on a computer). I know that this might seem like a pain, but it definitely makes it easier to read through your notes if you type them all up in one big document. This is also a great way to refresh your memory as to what you have learned in the class. Step 3: Read through your typed notes and highlight any important information (e.g. names, dates, key terms, formulas, important concepts, diagrams, etc.). Step 4: Make flash cards for all of the information that you’ve highlighted (e.g. put the key term on one side of a cue card and the definition on the other side). Step 5: Keep on going through your stack of flash cards (either by yourself or with the help of a partner) until you have all of the information memorized. Step 6: If applicable, write out a brief summary of what happened in each of the novels you have read for the class (including the proper spelling of characters’ names and settings). Review these notes until you are able to describe each of the novels in detail without looking at your notes. Step 7: If you have time, go back and re-read your typed lecture notes and read the highlighted sections of your textbook. Note: I found that most Professors didn’t ask a lot of questions about concepts from the textbook (that weren’t also discussed in lectures), so that’s why I focused my studying on the lecture notes. Step 8: Review any other materials needed (e.g. study guide, practice test, steps for writing a proper essay, etc.). I hope that you find these study tips helpful! In my experience, (even though it’s time consuming), if you follow all of the above steps, you will probably get a good mark on the test. Disclaimer: this method might not work for everyone and every subject (e.g. one time, I had a Professor give us all of the test questions beforehand and we had to find and memorize the answers) so make sure that you do what works best for you :) If you have any study tips that have worked really well for you in the past, make sure to share them in the comments down below! Good luck on all of your tests and I hope you found these study tips helpful :) Photo credit: "Odyssey" 1. Rent your books from your school or local library Not only will you be saving paper but you will also be saving money since renting materials from the library is free. The library tends to have all of the popular and classic books (as well as magazines, CDs, DVDs, and even video games); and if they don’t have what you’re looking for, you can always recommend that they purchase it. The only downfall is that you maybe have to wait a few weeks to get your book (if it’s on hold). Photo credit: "Quirk Books" ("Arthur" TV show). 2. Buy your books used /second-hand Again, you will be saving trees while saving money (as books are cheaper used than they are new). Great places to find used books are book sales (at schools, libraries, malls, etc.) and second-hand stores. Sometimes, schools will even sell used textbooks for a cheaper price. The drawback to this option is that you may have to shop/ call around if you are looking for a particular book. 3. Use a Kindle or e-reader This option produces no paper! It is also usually cheaper to buy an e-book than a paperback/ hardcover book. Libraries typically rent out e-books for no cost (e-movies and e-music too). The downside to this option is that you have to purchase a Kindle or another type of device that supports e-books (if you don’t already have one). It also uses electricity to power your device and your device will eventually become e-waste when it breaks. 4. Use an audio book Again, this option is paperless! Audio books are also often cheaper than paperback/ hardcover books and can be available at your local and school libraries. Although, this option does require you to buy a device that supports audio books (if you don’t already have one); which also uses electricity and will eventually become e-waste. 5. Lend out your books I understand that sometimes you have to buy your book (e.g. it’s not available at the library or you need to highlight the book for school). But when you are done with it, you can lend it (or give it) to a family member or friend so that they don’t have to buy their own copy. You could even start your own “mini library” at your house (people can take a book from the “mini library” at no cost and/ or leave a book for someone else to read). Photo credit: "Rochester Public Library". 6. Sell your old books You could try selling your books online. Sometimes second-hand book stores will give you store credit for donating your old books (in good condition). Also, school bookstores often buy back used schoolbooks for a partial refund or bookstore credit. 7. Donate your old books Books can often be donated to charities that have book sale fundraisers. Used books can also typically be donated to school libraries, second-hand stores, Churches, nursery schools, etc. This is a great way to reuse your old books while also making a charitable contribution! Photo credit: "High Country Conservation". If you think of any more tips for how to conserve paper with regards to reading, share them in the comments down below :)
|
Go to "Miscellaneous" Posts Published in:
November 2022
|