I finally did it! // NEW Blog theme, headers, and profile! *Cue excitement*

I know. What are you even reading right now??!

Forget that, what are you SEEING right now??!*

You’re not mistaken, I promise!

As the title says, I finally did it! I changed my blog theme (Visual) after 2 years of blogging. *celebrates with chocolate and binge-buying all the books I said I would not buy* I am SO excited to finally go through with it.

I mentioned it a couple of times, wanting to change my blog theme, discussing the option of self-hosting as well, because I wanted more options for my blog and was getting tired of my theme, to be honest. It didn’t motivate me to blog anymore, and I’ve been restless to change it! The dark theme just wasn’t doing it and I’m a firm believer in doing whatever feels right for yourself and your blog.

So, I finally decided on this theme!! It’s super popular throughout the blogging community I noticed, and I was kind of worried people would think I’m copying their theme, but in the end I really couldn’t find many other themes that suited me and what I was looking for and I just really love the look of this theme. 😀

*That is, if you’re actually on my blog and not looking at this post on the Reader or email LOL.

Now, for the fun part! Graphics!

I made this graphic using the lovely watercolor background that Angie from Angie Makes so kindly offers as a freebie! There were several variations I played with, but in the end I thought this one looked good. I had a variation of this where I used the Playlist Script font which was so beautiful but I decided to keep the Brusher font I’ve been using for my header images. It just has the nice mix of looking elegant but playful, I guess??

I’m debating whether or not I should go for a gold theme instead though??????? GUYS I’M SO BAD AT MAKING DECISIONS. I think the pink one looks good though??? Or is it too pink? (I GIVE UP. )

But, for the sake of this post and my sanity, I’ll go with the pink theme unless there’s some serious problem haha.

So, I would totally do the whole text box thingy with the HTML code and stuff but like… laziness?? And it’s hardly necessary, this is mostly so you guys can see what my profile picture will now look like, hopefully… When I get around to changing it! It’s going to be so weird, to see the different icon, I think, I got so used to having the one I have now haha.

And that’s the new design for the dividers I plan on using! I never really used dividers before, but I think they’re a great way to break up text, especially since I don’t always have a lot of images.

I’m honestly not sure AT ALL how and if I’m going to be changing my post headers though?? I kind of like how simple and easy they are to make at the moment, and I’m not exactly sure what I’d change them to. We’ll see! I kind of don’t mind the one I have right now, just might change the font.

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Oh yeah, that’s new too! 😉 I also have another variation for the ending graphic, not sure if I’ll use this or the Let’s chat but it’s an option and I think it’s cute ahah. ❤

Have you ever changed your blog theme? I hope you guys like my new theme and graphics! Let me know your thoughts!! 

‘Tis the season for family reunions…!

Merry post-Christmas & Happy Boxing Day! (And happy holidays, in case you don’t celebrate Christmas!) I was hoping to have a Spotlight Saturday post up today since I’ve missed doing those for quite some time but unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to write it out… the reason for which I will be explaining in a second. 😉 I might most it tomorrow though!

Christmas is over, but my family and I have decided to visit some of our family over in the United States; it’s been a long time since we last saw them, and we figured it would be a nice way to spend the week. So the past couple of days I’ve been trying to get all my things in order—seriously, packing is such a torture sometimes. The neat freak in me came out and I’ve been frantically looking over everything, making sure no one forgets anything, lol. On one hand, it means there’s a good chance we have everything we need, but on the other hand it means I’ve been really short on time… oops.

Right now our plan is to leave tomorrow and be back by Friday or Saturday. We’ll start off by heading to Boston, and after a couple of days, we’ll be going to New York..! Guys, I’m actually super excited because the last time I went to New York, I was, like, 5 and only wanted to go to the zoo… lol. I’m not quite sure how much time I’ll actually have to tour Boston and/or New York, but I have my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to visit at least some of the places on my bucket list—the Empire State Building, for one, OF COURSE.

I’m going to be trying to focus a bit on spending time with my extended family, since it’s been such a long time since I saw them, but I have a few posts I’m working on that I will hopefully get a chance to post over the next few days. At the very least I’m hoping not to go completely MIA this time!

I’ll miss you guys! But once again, happy holidays!! I hope you guys are all having a wonderful time. Feel free to let me know whatever thoughts you may have! ❤ Hugs!

Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 9 Update!

Hi! Just a quick update on this week’s Popsugar Challenge progress! I read one more book throughout this week, which puts me at 33/52. (Week 1: 5 books,Week 2: 4 books, Week 3: 7 books, Week 4: 3 books, Week 5: 9, Week 6: 3, Week 7 & 8: 1) The books I’ve read so far:

• A book with more than 500 pages: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
• A classic romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• A book that became a movie: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
• A book published this year: The Heir by Kiera Cass
• A book with a number in the title: Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth
• A book written by someone under 30: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book with nonhuman characters: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
• A funny book: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• A book by a female author: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
• A mystery or thriller: Deception So Deadly by Clara Kensie
• A book with a one-word title: Aftermath by Tom Lewis
• A book of short stories: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
• A book set in a different country: Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck
• A popular author’s first book: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• A book a friend recommended: Hereafter by Tara Hudson
• A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Skinned by Robin Wasserman
• A book based entirely on its cover: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
• A book you can finish in a day: The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West
• A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: Zaria Fierce & the Secret of Gloomswood Forest by Keira Gillett
• A book that came out the year you were born: Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
• A trilogy: (Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee) Angelfall, World After, End of Days)
• A book with a love triangle: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• A book set in the future: Flash Point by Nancy Kress
• A book set in high school: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
• A graphic novel: Sisters by Reina Telgemeier
• A book by an author you’ve never read before: Animal by Nikki Rae
• A book you own but have never read: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book that was originally written in a different language: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• A book you started but never finished: Wicked by Sara Shepard
• A banned book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

At this rate I’m gonna be trying to complete this challenge for another year. But this week I’m going to be trying harder! I have my fingers crossed to read more Popsugar books this week. I’m actually on my way to finish another one, and I’m planning on actually reading the Popsugar books I’ve been telling myself I’d read for the past weeks. 😉

How are your challenges going? Are you struggling to keep up like me? Doing great? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy reading!

-A

Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 7 & 8 Update!

Hey there everyone, I skipped last week’s update so I’m going to mix it in with this week’s one. I didn’t have much progress last week (or this week, for that matter) but here is how much I’ve read so far:

So, in these two weeks, I read 1 book for the challenge, so it puts me at 32/52. (Week 1: 5 books, Week 2: 4 books, Week 3: 7 books, Week 4: 3 books, Week 5: 9, Week 6: 3) Yeah… not the progress I was looking for. In my defence, I was reading other books. But still. I’m aiming to finish more Popsugar challenge books this week and afterwards. Obviously I’m going to need more time than my planned goal of approximately end of June/start of July, but oh well. Fingers crossed!

• A book with more than 500 pages: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
• A classic romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• A book that became a movie: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
• A book published this year: The Heir by Kiera Cass
• A book with a number in the title: Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth
• A book written by someone under 30: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book with nonhuman characters: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
• A funny book: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• A book by a female author: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
• A mystery or thriller: Deception So Deadly by Clara Kensie
• A book with a one-word title: Aftermath by Tom Lewis
• A book of short stories: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
• A book set in a different country: Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck
• A popular author’s first book: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• A book a friend recommended: Hereafter by Tara Hudson
• A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Skinned by Robin Wasserman
• A book based entirely on its cover: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
• A book you can finish in a day: The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West
• A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: Zaria Fierce & the Secret of Gloomswood Forest by Keira Gillett
• A trilogy: (Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee) Angelfall, World After, End of Days)
• A book with a love triangle: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• A book set in the future: Flash Point by Nancy Kress
• A book set in high school: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
• A graphic novel: Sisters by Reina Telgemeier
• A book by an author you’ve never read before: Animal by Nikki Rae
• A book you own but have never read: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book that was originally written in a different language: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• A book you started but never finished: Wicked by Sara Shepard
• A banned book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Alright! There we have it, my update for the Popsugar challenge. 🙂 How have your challenges been going? Hopefull they’ve been better than mine.

-A

Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 6 Update!

Hey there, this is a day late from last week’s update, but oh well. I’ve been quite out of it recently. So, I read another 3 books for the challenge, so it puts me at 31/50. (Week 1: 5 books, Week 2: 4 books, Week 3: 7 books, Week 4: 3 books, Week 5: 9) Technically it would be out of 52 because of ‘A trilogy’ but whatever.

• A book with more than 500 pages: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
• A classic romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• A book that became a movie: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
• A book published this year: The Heir by Kiera Cass
• A book with a number in the title: Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth
• A book written by someone under 30: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book with nonhuman characters: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
• A funny book: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• A book by a female author: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
• A book with a one-word title: Aftermath by Tom Lewis
• A book of short stories: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
• A book set in a different country: Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck
• A popular author’s first book: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• A book a friend recommended: Hereafter by Tara Hudson
• A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Skinned by Robin Wasserman
• A book based entirely on its cover: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
• A book you can finish in a day: The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West
• A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: Zaria Fierce & the Secret of Gloomswood Forest by Keira Gillett
• A trilogy: (Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee) Angelfall, World After, End of Days)
• A book with a love triangle: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• A book set in the future: Flash Point by Nancy Kress
• A book set in high school: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
• A graphic novel: Sisters by Reina Telgemeier
• A book by an author you’ve never read before: Animal by Nikki Rae
• A book you own but have never read: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book that was originally written in a different language: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• A book you started but never finished: Wicked by Sara Shepard
• A banned book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

So that’s it for this week’s update! This is honestly so messed up; the most I’ve read for the challenge was in the week I had exams, and the least amount of books I’ve read for the challenge was in the week I had no exams. (Yes, they’re finally finished! Yes!) Talk about terrible timing.

Anyway, how have your challenges been going? Good? Bad? Let me know in the comments below!

-A

NOTE: As of today, there will only be monthly Exploring My Bookshelves posts. I will not be posting it weekly as I had been doing.

 

Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 5 Update!

Hiya! Time for another Popsugar Reading Challenge Update, this time for week 5! I’m happy to say this week has been quite productive! Since my last update, my challenge now stands at: 28/50 (Week 1: 5 books, Week 2: 4 books, Week 3: 7 books, Week 4: 3 books, Week 5: 9)! A bit more than halfway through, yes! 😀

• A book with more than 500 pages: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
• A classic romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• A book that became a movie: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
• A book published this year: The Heir by Kiera Cass
• A book with a number in the title: Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth
• A book written by someone under 30: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book with nonhuman characters: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
• A funny book: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• A book with a one-word title: Aftermath by Tom Lewis
• A book of short stories: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
• A book set in a different country: Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck
• A popular author’s first book: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• A book a friend recommended: Hereafter by Tara Hudson
• A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Skinned by Robin Wasserman
• A book based entirely on its cover: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
• A book you can finish in a day: The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West
• A trilogy: (Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee) Angelfall, World After, End of Days)
• A book with a love triangle: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• A book set in the future: Flash Point by Nancy Kress
• A book set in high school: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
• A graphic novel: Sisters by Reina Telgemeier
• A book by an author you’ve never read before: Animal by Nikki Rae
• A book you own but have never read: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book that was originally written in a different language: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• A book you started but never finished: Wicked by Sara Shepard
• A banned book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

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9 books in one week! Definitely my best. (The fact that Sisters is graphic novel and Aftermath was really short will be ignored…) I would love to celebrate my progress, but as a result of all this reading, my studying has been… procrastinated. I will most assuredly not be getting good grades this year… Oops! Better get to it. Exams almost over, though, woo-hoo! Hopefully I’ll be able to finish up the many rough drafts of my reviews that I have pending soon.

How are your reading challenges going? Let me know in the comments below!

-A

Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 4 Update!

Whoops! I seem to have forgotten to post an update on Week 4 of Popsugar Reading Challenge on Monday! So here I am now, with my update. 😀

Total number of book read for the challenge: 19/50 (Week 1: 5 books, Week 2: 4 books, Week 3: 7 books, Week 4: 3 books)

Titles of books read: (Week 4 books in bold)

• A classic romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• A book published this year: The Heir by Kiera Cass
• A book with a number in the title: Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth
• A book written by someone under 30: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book with nonhuman characters: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
• A funny book: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• A book of short stories: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
• A book set in a different country: Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck
• A popular author’s first book: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• A book a friend recommended: Hereafter by Tara Hudson
• A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Skinned by Robin Wasserman
• A book based entirely on its cover: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
• A book you can finish in a day: The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West
• A trilogy: (Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee) Angelfall, World After, End of Days
• A book with a love triangle: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• A book set in the future: Flash Point by Nancy Kress
• A book set in high school: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
• A banned book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

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I was hoping for more progress this week, but right now, eh, not the best. But to be fair, I read other books in between reading books for the challenge, which explains the low number of books this week. Hopefully I will do better next week! I really want to be able to finish this challenge max by the end of June. That gives me around 6 weeks to complete this challenge, which I’m hoping will be enough. ❤ I’ll be aiming for an average of 5 books/week. 🙂 Wish me luck! Gonna be tough to reach this goal what with school and stuff, but who knows?

How are your reading challenges going? Let me know in the comments below! ❤

Happy reading!

-A

Book News | ‘Shadowhunters’ TV Show Casting Update: Valentine & Magnus!

Yep, we have another casting update, and this time it includes the casting for our favorite warlock: Magnus Bane! So far we have:

Dominic Sherwood as Jace

Emeraude Toubia as Isabelle

Alberto Rosende as Simon

Katherine McNamara as Clary

Matthew Daddario as Alec

Isaiah Mustafa as Luke

(You can check out my thoughts on them HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE.)

Now, joining the cast as Valentine Morgenstern, we have:

Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 3 Update!

Wow, another week has passed since my last update. Time flies by fast! Anyway, here’s my Week 3 update for the Popsugar Reading Challenge:

Total number of book read for the challenge: 16/50 = 8/25 (Week 1: 5 books, Week 2: 4 books, Week 3: 7 books)

Titles of books read: (Week 3 books in bold)

• A classic romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• A book published this year: The Heir by Kiera Cass
• A book written by someone under 30: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book with nonhuman characters: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
• A funny book: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• A book of short stories: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter
• A book set in a different country: Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck
• A popular author’s first book: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• A book a friend recommended: Hereafter by Tara Hudson
• A book at the bottom of your to-read list: Skinned by Robin Wasserman
• A book based entirely on its cover: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
• A book you can finish in a day: The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West
• A book with a love triangle: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• A book set in the future: Flash Point by Nancy Kress
• A book set in high school: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
• A banned book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Looking at this, I can see how much I’ve been lagging behind on my book reviews. Better get to that! Hopefully I can have reviews up for (almost) all these books before or by next week’s update. On the bright side, my reading has been more active this week compared to the last week’s, even with all the work and things I’ve been busy with! 🙂

How is/are your challenge(s) going? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love to know whether everyone else is lagging too or I’m just special. 😉

Have a wonderful Monday! (Although small chance of that happening. It’s Monday. :/)

-A

Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 2 Update!

Hi! I’m a day late with my Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 2 Update; it had completely slipped my mind as I have been busy with studying (sigh) and other stuff. So here I am now, taking a little break to post this little update. 🙂

The first week I had completed 5/50 of the books, and now I have read 4 more books along with that. Not the progress I’d been hoping for, but with all the studying and things I’ve had to do, I’m happy. The books I’ve finished are as follows (in bold are the ones I’ve finished this week):

• A classic romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• A book written by someone under 30: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• A book with nonhuman characters: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
• A funny book: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• A book set in a different country: Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck
• A book with a love triangle: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• A book set in the future: Flash Point by Nancy Kress
• A book set in high school: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
• A banned book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

So that’s it for this week’s Popsugar Challenge update! How have your challenges been going? Let me know in the comments below!

-A

Popsugar Reading Challenge Week 1 Update!

Just a quick update on my progress for the 2015 Popsugar Reading Challenge: I’ve completed 5/50! 1/25 of my challenge! Yay me! Definitely not the rate at which I wanted to read but what’s done is done. Hopefully I’ll be picking up my pace a bit more now!

So far I’ve finished:

• A classic romance-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• A funny book-Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
• A book set in a different country-Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck
• A book with a love triangle-Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• A book set in the future-Flash Point by Nancy Kress

As you can see by the links I’ve only reviews 3 out of the 5 I’ve completed and so hopefully I’ll be posting reviews for both of the remaining ones soon. 🙂

So that’s it for Week 1 update! Obviously aiming for having the challenge finished in a month is ridiculous, so I’m thinking 2 or 3 months should be enough to fit the bill.

How are your reading challenges going? Comment below!

-A

New Updates: Weekly Bookish Memes!

Hey everyone! Some new Book Snacks updates are underway!

Apart from Top 10 Tuesdays (a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish), I will be starting Teaser Tuesdays, a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading/A Daily Rhythm, as well as WWW Wednesdays, also hosted by MizB. I will also be doing That’s What He Said Thursday, a weekly meme hosted by Chapter Break.  And lastly, I will be starting Friday Finds, (again, hosted by MizB).

What are these memes?

Teaser Tuesdays: Like mentioned above, Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB. All we have to do is (Rules from A Daily Rhythm):

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•Be careful not to include spoilers (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesdays participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

WWW Wednesdays: This is a pretty simple meme, also hosted by MizB, like mentioned above. All we have to do is answer the following questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

That’s What He Said Thursday: Also pretty simple, this meme is hosted by Chapter Break (as mentioned above), and what we have to do is post a favorite line from your book boyfriend to his heroine. These are direct quotes from dialogue in a book, and can be anything he said, not only something romantic.

Friday Finds: In this meme (hosted by MizB), we simply shows the books we’ve discovered and added to our To Be Read list (TBR).

I’m looking forward to doing these memes, and I hope you will enjoy them! Feel free to do your own, just make sure to link back to their hosts. See you next time!

-A