Weekend Recap

This post is inspirited by a feature that Jessica at Thoughts At One in the Morning regularly does on a Thursday. I thought I might do one today since I've been fully MIA the whole weekend and partially MIA for a while now.
      It was my birthday last Tuesday and I've been a bit melancholy that I'm now leaning very much towards the adult side of things. YA is well and truly a thing of the past. But I'm not going to turn this blog into a whining tool so instead, I want to ask you guys if you can recommend any adult paranormal books I can start reading. I figure it's high time I ventured past the YA realm to see what else may be out there. I will try anything unless it's full on romance. I somehow got over those when I was 14.
     Any suggestions?

Reading news:
-Have finished reading Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld and The Piper's Son  by Melina Marchetta.
- Currently reading Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep (Yes BJ I finally started this series!)

Writing news:
- Aside from frantically trying to get something ready for my next writing workshop (in 3 days), and semi outlining for NaNoWriMo, not much in the writing section. Oh yeah, a while back I asked you guys to help me out with some names for Seeders in THIS POST. Just wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten and many of the suggestions you guys made will be used. Except for Jenny's  suggested name Ember, who has graduated to her own novel idea :)

Just stuff:
-I got an e-reader for my birthday AND a voucher to an online seminar on how to write, publish and market your own book so I am pretty excited.

Guest Post: Which YA Heroine Are You?

Following on from last week's pretty fun guest post, I've invited BJ from Dark Side of the Covers to do a little presentation of her own. BJ's blog is completely awesome and I love that her reviews are sometimes interactive. It's a unique concept and it also get's the reader involved and tailors the results to suit the reader's answer. To a technophobe like me, it's almost like magic. Not to mention the fact that BJ is just generally a great blogger with a very refreshing take on YA books! She also has a weekly discussion on Sunday entitled "Let's Talk About...' which is way interesting. Take it away BJ!

There's been some great discussion here on The Write Obsession about YA heroines, and what makes a good one...which got me to wondering...do we prefer heroines who resemble us, or heroines who represent what we wish we could be? I decided to hijack Lan's blog - I mean, ah, use this opportunity - to find out...and because I'm all about the interaction, that means it's quiz time!

Which YA Heroine Are You?

1. Your hair smells like...

A. Soap
B. Lavender
C. Citrus

2. Your idea of a romantic evening is...
A. Climbing a ferris wheel to look at the stars
B. Walking through the forest, hand-in-hand
C. Going for a run, then practicing your combat moves

3. The first thing you notice about a guy is...
A. His hands
B. His eyes
C. His moves

4. When you have money to spend on yourself, you...
A. Get a tattoo
B. Buy something for your sweetheart instead
C. Get a manicure

5. If you were to admit your greatest weakness, it would be...
A. Selfishness
B. Lack of confidence
C. Insensitivity

6. Which song title best describes your love life?
A. "Vulnerable"
B. "Love Story (Romeo & Juliet)"
C. "Oh Where Oh Where Could My Baby Be"

7. Your evening reading consists of...
A. Um...there's no time to read
B. Melancholy classics
C. Non-fiction

8. Your best friend is in trouble, so you...
A. Think of a way to get her out of it
B. Um...I don't really have any friends
C. Find out who is upsetting her and kick that person's ass

9. Your relationship with your mother is...
A. Strained at the moment, but you usually get along
B. Complicated; it seems like you're the adult most of the time
C. A ticking time bomb that neither of you knows how to diffuse

10. At the end of the day, you would...
A. Fight against impossible odds to save the ones you love
B. Sacrifice your life for the ones you love
C. Protect the ones you love, even from themselves, no matter what

11. It's the weekend, and you're...
A. Sneaking out for some adrenaline-inducing fun
B. Spending one-on-one time with the one you love
C. The life of the party!

12. When facing a difficult situation, you...
A. Keep quiet and think through all the possibilities
B. Ask your guy for his opinion
C. Jump in fist first - whoever is standing at the end can figure out the details.

If you answered mostly...

A's - You're most like Tris from Divergent - strong, smart, and on the path to self-discovery. You're a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and your inner moral compass complicates life sometimes, but you're starting to realize that you're stronger than you ever knew.

B's - You're most like Bella from Twilight - kind, compassionate, and a little reserved. Ignore the nay-sayers; we can't all kick butt all the time, and when push comes to shove, you do everything you can for the ones you love...and that's what makes a girl a hero.

C's - You're most like Rose from Vampire Academy - tough, brave and self-sacrificing. Your impulsive behavior gets you into trouble, but your fierce loyalty has earned you friends who will always have your back. Life isn't easy on you, but you're resourceful and resilient, and you'll always land on your feet.

Equal or near-equal combination of A's, B's & C's - You're complex, interesting, and definitely beyond the scope of this quiz. Have you considered writing a novel? You'd be a fascinating character...

So...what do you think? Are you most like your favorite heroine, or are your favorite characters the opposite of your own personality?

Thanks for playing! - BJ

________________________

Don't forget guys, if you liked what you saw here, hop on over to BJ's Blog and follow her too! She's totally interactive and I guarantee you'll be making a great blogger friend.

And The Blogger Award Goes To.......

You guys! I never thought this would happen in a million years when I started blogging but I've been given my first blogger award. Wheeeeeeee!! I can't believe it. I never thought anyone would bother reading my admittedly angsty brand of blogging but I've made such awesome blogger friends on here. Thanks so much to Lani @ Sleepless In Samoa who nominated me for this award. My only complaint is that I can't nominate her for an award back because she deserves that and more!

The rules of the award are:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun.


I'm having a hard time choosing who to nominate because there are so many I want to give it to. In the end, I decided on bloggers that I've built up a good friendship with, who always give great advice and comments and who have put up with my recent rants with much patience and good humor. Here are my nominees (in no particular order):


BJ @ Dark Side of The Covers: BJ is one cool lady. Her blog is the most interactive one I have seen in the blogosphere and I love popping over and having a look around. Her reviews are funny and engaging and she has a great sense of humor. I can always count on BJ for an honest review and to tell me things that other reviewers don't!

Ashley @ Bookaholics Anonymous: Ashley is my go to lady for all things Vampire Academy, so I'm bugging her a lot with my constant Rose & Dimitri talk. Ashley is writing a very cool vampire book at the moment so I feel we have a bit of a connection there too. I very rarely warm to people straight off but Ashley is so genuine and nice that I felt I knew her right away.

Beth @ Sweet Books'n'Stuff: Beth's blog name describes her perfectly. She is a very sweet lady  who always finds the time to visit my blog. Her insights are always on the money and I love that she is a bit obsessive about TV shows the way I am. Plus she has a cute dog and I'm a dog person.

Jinny @ SkyInk: Jinny's blog is my inspiration to keep reading. She is an overachieving reader and I love her for it. Jinny has introduced me to a great many books that I would never have heard of and her reviews are always in depth without giving anything spoilery away.

Alexia @ Alexia's Books and Such...: I'm not sure anymore if Alexia found my blog or if I found hers. I just got a comment on my blog one day and that was it. That's what's so great about her. Even though her readership is pretty big Alexia always finds the time to return a comment. Alexia's reviews all types of books and I count on her to widen my reading net. Yeah I am lazy :)

I realise that if this were an Oscar's speech they would be cutting over my acceptance speech with music but it's my blog and I'll babble if I want to. Thanks again guys for being such great blogger friends!