Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello fellow bibliovores! I'm wishing everyone a happy belated Thanksgiving - for those celebrating! I had a wonderful day yesterday with my family, and I'm going to enjoy the day off today as well. The online deals are on my mind!

So I'll be taking today off (so to speak) in terms of blogging, but I want to share a few things with you!

First, my gratitude giveaway is still open! As a thank-you to all of my lovely readers and supporters, I am giving away a prize pack of recently published YA books. Super easy entries. Good luck!

(Click on the image!)

I've also got my November new release giveaway going strong!

(Click on the image!)

You can enter to win a copy of The Reckoning of Noah Shaw!

(Click on the image!)

Not giveaway-related, but right now on Amazon, if you buy $20 worth of print books, you can get $5 off! Enter the promo code "NOVBOOK18" when you're making the purchase. I believe it's good until 10/25, so you have a few more days!

BookOutlet.com is also having a huge Black Friday sale! 30% off already discounted merchandise. Tons of books to buy! Might I recommend Sky in the Deep?

Happy shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is a belated post - happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! I had a great (but tiring) day with my family and I'm currently resting my feet as I type this post. I know Thanksgiving has passed buuuuuut I thought I'd share some of the food from the day!

Photo Credit: my sister Lily!

We had 14 people total, so we cooked a feast! We're Indo-Trinidadian so most of the food is Indian/Trinidadian food, but there were "neutral" dishes like baked mac n cheese, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, and corn! The Trinidadian dishes included callaloo (spinach), roti (like naan), curry goat, curry chicken, curry channa, and curry mango.

I took this straight from my Insta story -- we were tired! It was a lot of cooking, washing dishes, setting up, serving, washing more dishes, and breaking down. Everything went really well!

I hope everyone had a lovely, safe Thanksgiving! The roots of the holiday aren't great but what it is supposed to represent is meaningful. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and this blog in some way - you all are amazing. Please know that I appreciate EVERYONE. Enjoy the time off and the good food!

What's Been Going On: It's Kind of a Long Story

Hi everyone! It's Tuesday! The last day of February. Where has the time gone? Today I'm sharing my exciting news that I've been holding onto for several weeks. You might make it to the end of this post and be like, no big deal, Alyssa? But so much has happened in the last two weeks, and in the last two months (really in the last four years in general), and everything I'm about to talk about was/is a huge deal to me. 

First I'll provide a little bit of context...

Most of you know that I'm currently a senior undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins University. Senior year in college is especially tough, because midway through the year, applications for grad school, med school, law school, teaching/mentoring positions, internships, or jobs are due. It's one of the most pivotal points of a person's life (for those choosing to pursue higher education).

I personally knew I wouldn't be applying to grad school, either at Johns Hopkins (the 5th-year Master's program), or elsewhere. I'll be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering, Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, and a minor in Earth & Planetary Science. These last 3.5 years (4 years, in May) have been such a trial, and I'm burned out. I love learning, and I'm going to miss the classroom type of learning. But I knew I didn't want to pursue a Master's degree immediately after my undergraduate studies concluded. There is a good chance I'll do a part-time graduate program starting in Fall 2018, but nothing for now.

My plan was to apply for jobs in the fall/winter of senior year. I also planned to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, to become an Engineer-In-Training (EIT). Side-note: if there are any engineering students reading this post who want to know more about this licensing/certification exam, you can email me or check out NCEES's website. Email me about anything engineering-related, really. Anyway, becoming an EIT would be the next step in becoming a Professional Engineer (PE), which is where I'm heading. 

Fall semester ended in December, and I spent the holidays with my family. Just after New Year's Day, I came back to the university and immediately began studying for the FE exam. I scheduled the exam for Feb. 8th, which only gave me about five weeks to study. Logically, five weeks isn't a ton of time. The FE exam is extremely difficult, especially the environmental discipline. But I really didn't want to take it in May, because I wanted to apply for jobs and have that EIT certification on my resume. I'd be a more marketable candidate, you know?

Meanwhile, I'd been applying for full-time entry-level engineer positions since November. I applied to so many firms and agencies, public and private. I knew the job application process would be difficult, but it was honestly so discouraging to be completing so many applications and not hearing back from any of the companies. Especially with so much backing me - the university name (JHU), my degree, my GPA, my coursework, my activities, my internship experience, my research, my work experience. People say that you need connections to get a job, and it's mostly true, in the engineering world. Simply applying for a position most likely won't get you a call, let alone an interview. 

So, I applied to companies, and in January, started studying for the FE exam. I applied for more jobs in January, moped, kept studying, kept applying, kept working (I work part-time in a department at the university). 

Turning point - towards the middle of January, I heard back from a few firms and agencies. I scheduled and went on interviews, sent emails, kept up correspondence... received offers. I almost cried in January, when I received my first offer. The firms are so competitive with their salaries and benefits, and that was awesome (and intimidating) to experience. The interviews weren't as grueling as I expected. Luckily, I was granted some time to contemplate, and go on more interviews.

Then Spring classes started on January 30th, and I was still studying for the FE exam. Can you imagine - juggling interviews, studying for a $225 exam, working, and then attending classes? I lost my mind a little, in the first two weeks of the semester. Taking the FE exam on Feb. 8th was a huge relief... even if it was so difficult I wanted to cry as I left the testing center.

I'd like to think I'm a fairly smart student, and I studied well for the FE exam, but finishing the exam made me feel like a failure, because it was such a difficult exam. It's pass/fail (no score given unless you fail), but I legitimately worried that I failed. I had to guess for the last 15 questions or so, which made me feel awful. I didn't even have time to solve them! Waiting for my result was torture. Did I mention that the exam costs $225 (not paid by the university)? It's like the MCAT, but for engineers (kind of). Did I mention that John Hopkins has a 100% pass rate, for environmental engineering students? Talk about pressure... I didn't want to be the first to fail.

To make this long story slightly shorter, my good news:

I passed the FE exam! I'm officially an EIT!

and...

I have a job after graduation! I accepted an offer that was pretty perfect and entirely amazing, and I'm excited. 

Why I waited so long to share this - I found out my result from the FE exam on Feb. 15th. And then the job hunt - I accepted this offer on Friday (Feb. 24th). I was still deciding certain things up until Friday. Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself by sharing this so soon (in terms of accepting that job offer). January and February were such stressful and wonderful months, filled with both extremes of the spectrum.

I'm truly grateful for having offers and accepting the one that I did - many fellow seniors and even 5th-year Master's students are still looking for jobs (the ones that aren't doing grad school). You might think, it's so early to have things finalized! But the hiring process is cyclical. Companies might stop hiring in March, or April, and then you're too late and might have to wait months for positions to open up again. I did my best with the hiring process, and I'm so happy where I landed.

I'm also over the moon with joy, about passing the FE exam. It was so hard! I don't even think studying more would have helped! I churned out hundreds (possibly thousands?) of practice problems to study for the exam (because it's 110 computational engineering problems), so I honestly didn't expect to feel so clueless. After taking the exam, I figured I knew at least 50% of the questions - but the cutoff to pass is around 65%, for the environmental discipline of the FE exam. But clearly I knew more than I thought, because I passed! YAY!

So, now you know! I'm so excited to share this news. I've blogged since midway through my senior year of high school, and here I am, four years later, blogging midway through my senior year of university. Some of you have been here since I started my journey at Hopkins. I know things are going to change around here in June, when I start working. 

On another note - I am ashamed to say that I am well over a month behind on replying to comments on my blog. I've done a good job of commenting on other blogs, but leaving comment replies on my blog has really suffered since the beginning of January. Now you know why. February 2017 has been my "worst" month in posts - only 31 posts for the month, which is an all-time low, in my 4+ years of blogging. You can kind of tell how the job hunt, interviews, the FE exam, and the start of the semester on top of all of that has affected my blog. So please forgive me as I work through so many comments! I am so grateful to all of you who stuck with me over the last two months, without even knowing why I wasn't as active on my blog and around other blogs. There are so many of you and I appreciate every single one of you! 

I didn't want to get too emotional or deep, but this is a deeply personal post for me. I don't share a lot about my personal life, but with everything that I've gone through, and everything that has happened in the last two months, I feel comfortable sharing this. And if you've made it to the end of the post, I salute you and thank you. Thank you for letting me share this with you.

And finally - thank you to everyone who helped in bringing The Eater of Books! to ONE MILLION unique pageviews! I don't want to detract from this post but I will definitely be writing a separate post about that milestone. I am honored! Be on the lookout for that post. 

Until then - have a lovely day, friends!

Four-Year Blogoversary Celebration and Giveaway!

Check it out, friends! I've reached my four-year blogoversary today! Whaaaaaaaat!

(I'm a Star Wars mood today. Unapologetic about it.)

Book blogging has changed my life. I started while I was halfway through my senior year of high school, and here I am, halfway through my senior year of undergrad/university. My final semester in college is coming up, and I'm scared, excited, and hopeful.

Blogging has been such a wonderful outlet for me, over the years. College is hard, but reading has always been something "there" for me. I could say the same about blogging. I've not missed a single day of posting on my blog in the last four years, and that is a privilege as much as it is hard work.

I'm so grateful to everyone who has had a hand in my blogging journey. There have been so many, some who have come and gone, some who have been there from the start, some who I've just met. I'm thankful for all of you. And I'm listing as many people as I can remember because I adore you all. You've inspired me, cheered me on, put up with me; know that I appreciate everything!

Pili, Carina, Liza, Erin, Sophia, Jessica, Nereyda, Nick, Cyra, Meredith, Katiria, Jessica, Jessica, Jana, Cookie, Grace, Eileen, Kel, Jess, Shannon, Anna, Rachel, Rachel, Jasprit, Heather, Aila, Aneeqah, Jaime, Jaime, Lily, Brooke, Lauren, Cyn, Zareena, Angela, Theresa, Keionda, Becky, Di, Lis, Steph, Teresa, Renee, Kristyn, Rachel, Zeee, Jess, Lisa, Amy, Danya, Carole, Genni, Julie, Genesis, Tammy, Lauren -- thank you for being there for me, in some capacity, during this year. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. <3

Publishers and publicists - there are so many of you that I had a chance to work with this year, and I am so grateful to all of you. Team Berkley, Sourcebooks Casa, Macmillan, Fierce Reads, Epic Reads, Penguin Teen, Griffin Teen, S&S, HarperTeen, Avon, Disney-Hyperion, Entangled, Tor, Random House, Forever Romance, SMP Romance, Loveswept, Kensington, Bloomsbury, Big Honcho Media, Barclay,  Inkslinger... I could go on and on. THANK YOU!

Authors - all fifty million of you - you are rockstars. Believe me, I'd be here for days if I started listing all of you. Thank you. Good luck with everything!

Traders - Raquel, Jennzah, Erin, Michelle, Leah, Ashley, Carrie, Maryssa, Danielle, Samantha, Fallon, Pam, Crys, Flo, Michelle, Jen, Ashley, Elle, Sondra, Alice, Tatiana, Casey, Carlotta, Leslie, Zulfa, Ariel, Liz, Angel, Rachel, Becky, and Tracy. Thank you for the successful trades throughout the year! And thanks to Rachel, for making my life by sending a certain book. HUGS!

Jamie, and Kaitlyn - thank you for organizing #TBTBSanta (Jamie), and being an amazing Santa (Kaitlyn). Kaitlyn, I loved everything, and appreciate all of the gifts!

Jaime, Rachel, Hannah, and Jamie (again) - thank you for all of your time with blog tours (and in Jamie's case, #TBTBSanta). Your hard work is much appreciated! I'm a grateful host, always.

Waterwitch Babes - Lou, Katrina, Charlene, Carine, Steph, Cat, Kim, Olivia, Maddie, Ale, and Shanna. Always a pleasure to work with you ladies! I'm really excited to have met Shanna in person this year. Maddie, thank you for the sweet holiday gift. 

Nick and Charlene - thank you for being wonderful, as always, but especially for making graphics for me at some point during the year. I have zero graphic arts skills, so your help is so appreciated!

And to everyone I forgot, because I'm human, as well as to all the people who are reading this, thank you. To everyone who has interacted with at some point, blog-related or not, thank you. Thank you thank you thank you.


As usual, be sure to check out my year-end blog stats post in two days. For now, I will move on to my giveaway!


Giveaway #1:

Win the six diverse/diversely written books above! Two are hardcovers, four are ARCs. All are 2016 publications with the exception of Allegedly, which publishes very soon, in January. Open internationally. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway #2:

Because I'm lazy - win a book of your choice! $17 USD maximum, open to any country to which The Book Depository ships. Check the Rafflecopter for terms/conditions. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! The holiday has disgraceful roots, and this particular Thanksgiving is one following a brutal election here in the States, but I hope the sentiments of Thanksgiving and what this day is supposed to represent will shine.

I am so thankful to everyone who has made an impact on my blog in the last four years - followers, commentors, publishers, publicists, authors, librarians, booksellers. Thank you thank you thank you. These words cannot be said enough. Blogging has often been the light in an endless tunnel, especially during college, and I'm grateful for all/any support, past, present, and future.

My gratitude cannot be expressed sufficiently to my family, friends, peers, fellow students, professor, colleagues, supervisors, and leaders in life. Especially to my parents - everything I do comes back to you two in some way, always.

Thank you to God, for bringing me through and seeing me forward. 2016 has been rough on everyone, and I've hurt so badly this year. Faith has been a huge part of me moving forward every day.

I hope everyone has someone today! Give someone a hug, a call, a text, show some love. The world needs it. I'm not really a touchy-feely spread-the-love kind of girl, but today is a good day to be one. Be grateful, be kind, be safe, and do some good eating! =)

Three-Year Blogoversary Celebration and Giveaway!

Three years! I've been blogging for three years! *commence flailing*

(No minion gifs this year - sorry! They'd probably be Star Wars gifs anyway, hehe.)

Sometimes I can't believe I've been at this for so long. Sometimes I feel like I'm still a newbie, finding her way in a sea of voices. Sometimes I still feel like I'm finding my way.

Sometimes I feel lost. 

I spent a year (2011-2012) in the blogging world, following blogs (like Erica's and Gail's!) before I started my own blog in December 2012. I was a high school senior, just finished with college applications, tucking in for the long wait to March. 

My life has changed so much in these three years; I honestly feel like a completely different person, and yet, wholly the same. Nothing about these past three years have been easy - my college experience especially has been, well, challenging.

I have no idea who or where I would be without my blog, without the blogging community, without books and reading and escapism in the form of words on pages.

Thank you to everyone who has touched my life in some way. Everyone who has tweeted something to me, commented here, viewed a blog post, read a blog post, liked my reviews, followed me on Goodreads, entered a giveaway, put up with me. I have so much respect for people who deal with me! I'm sassy and opinionated and bold and not afraid to speak my mind. In books, people LOVE these types of heroines. In real life, people really appreciate my candid nature. On social media, it doesn't always come across as "sassy" or "opinionated" - but rather, possibly rude or flippant. Soooo, a special thanks to those who understand me, or maybe don't, but love/like/put up with me anyway.

(I'm slightly - very - stressed and anxiety-filled right now because I know I'll leave someone out but it's not my intention! I hope I don't hurt or offend anyone if I don't mention a name - I truly appreciate so many lovely people! Forgive me if I forget you - I DO appreciate you!)

Pili, Carina, Liza, Lily, Erin, Sophia, Jessica, Brooke, Lauren, Nereyda, Cyra, Danielle, Nick, Mary, Alexia, Aila, Fatima, Meredith, Katiria, Rita, Amber, Jessica, Jessica, Jessica, Sajda, Cookie, Grace, Eileen, Danielle, Sam, Kel, Juhina, Celeste, Andrea, Shannon, Anna, Gail, Rachel, Racquel, Heather, Nikki, Karina, Aneeqah, Jaime, Maura, Crys, Kaitlin, Cyn, Britt, Kristen, Steph, Kelly, Marilyn, Zareena, Jessi, Thais, Therin -- maybe it was one thing you tweeted to me, or a card or package that you sent to me, or a comment you posted on my blog. Constant comments, conversations on Twitter, Goodreads likes and comments, kind words - you all are amazing for a number of reasons, and I thank you all! Thank you for showing my blog or Twitter or Goodreads or ME support. It means the world to me!

Katie and Kelly -- my AMAZING Secret Santas this year! Katie spoiled me in #TBTBSanta and Kelly spoiled me in #SecretWitch. Thank you so much, both of you!

Lori, Lori, and Rachael -- thank you for your generosity! Recently you helped me track down those last three buttons and I am GRATEFUL! Lizzie, Skye, Kelli, Sondra, Jessica, Jen, Cyra, Brittany, Mary, Emma, Crystal, for successful trades throughout the year. You all are rockstars!

The three publicists at Avon, as well as the Avon Addicts -- I am so thankful to Avon for selecting me to be a round five participant! It is a privilege and honor. The Addicts are a lovely bunch, and the publicists are so kind and generous. Thank you!

Jaime, Rachel, Hannah, the folks at YA Reads and FFBC -- thank you all for being amazing tour organizers, and general LOVELY people! I adore all of you and working with you all is always super easy and fun. Thank you for all of your hard work! Also Jamie for being a fabulous human being, but also for organizing so many nice things like #TBTBSanta for so many years! Rockstar!

My Waterwitch Babes -- Lou, Gabi, Katrina, Charlene, Carine, Steph, Kaina, Kit, Kim, Olivia, Maddie, Ale, and Shanna. It has been an HONOR to get to know you all, work with you all, share love and excitement for Truthwitch together. I love all of you! And Nicola -- the Babes would not exist without you (or Sooz)! Thank you for all of your effort and enthusiasm! Another special thanks to Jess, who is an honorary Waterwitch - she and I have something special coming your way on January 7th. ;)

Susan Dennard - Empress Sooz, you are amazing. And so generous. I wish the world of success to you - Truthwitch is destined to be a successful book! 

All the amazing authors I got to meet at the Baltimore Book Festival this past September! I mentioned them all HERE - thank you for coming! Thank you for letting all of us book nerds fangirl all over you. I love you all!

Kathy MacMillan -- thank you for reaching out to me! I so enjoyed the opportunity to work with you and present (omg so exciting and nerve-wracking and exciting!), and I'm honored to know you, have met you, to have read (and loved!) Sword and Verse. I'll see you in a few weeks!

I could sit here and list a thousand and one authors who have done wonderful things with and for me, as well as fabulous authors who wrote amazing stories that touched my heart. Kimberley, Elissa, Melissa, Nicole, Lynne, Michelle, Christina, Emily (whose book The Accidental Movie Star was one of my first Kindle books I owned - and a favorite!) and all of the rest of the lovely authors who are amazing beyond words - thank you for being you! I'm honored to know you. 

Publishers and publicists too -- it's been an honor working with you all! I look forward to continue doing so in the future. Keep on rocking the publishing world!

And to everyone I forgot (because I sooo did - post-semester + holiday brain = holes in brain), as well as to all the people who are reading this, I adore you! I appreciate everything that you have said or done for or to me, and for putting up with me. Thank you to my parents, for housing my preciouses (my books!). Thank you God, for everything, especially for giving me a passion for reading (who even would I be if I didn't love reading?!). Thank you to everyone who has touched my life in some way - I am grateful!

I usually go through my stats but I also do that on my Dec. 31st post, so catch that in two days. For now, I will move on to my giveaway!

Winner picks two books. There will be one winner chosen from my blog, one chosen from Twitter (HERE). Feel free to enter both! The top row is hardcover, middle is ARC, bottom row is paperback. This is open internationally! Anyone can enter. Good luck! And THANK YOU!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow USA celebrators! This holiday is one of my favorites of the year, because it represents something universal - giving thanks. I'm thankful for so many things, and I hope to never take anything for granted. 

THANK YOU to everyone who has followed my blog, commented, tweeted, shared, viewed, done anything to support my blog.

THANK YOU to authors, publishers, bloggers, reviewers, editors, publicists, etc. Books are a massive part of my life, their impact too large to quantify. I can't imagine my life without so many amazing and powerful stories to read.

THANK YOU to my educators, from Pre-K to university. Not just anyone can do what you do.

THANK YOU to my kind and wonderful friends, both "IRL" and "online" - hopefully I can meet the friends around the country and world in person some day. 2014 and 2015 were rough on my personally, but my friends supported me through everything.

THANK YOU to my family, especially my siblings, for being who they are. You can't choose your family, but sometimes, why would you want to? Families are imperfectly perfect just the way they are.

THANK YOU to my parents, who have always had my back, who love me more than anyone else loves me in this world, my life supports, my guides in the dark.

THANK YOU to my God - I rarely bring religion to my blog, but I can thank no one if not in whom I believe. 

Have a wonderful day, bibliovores! Stay safe, and be kind to one another.

Two-Year Blogoversary Celebration and Giveaway!

IT'S MY TWO-YEAR BLOGOVERSARY!

Woohoo! Two years feels like a long time, and yet, no time at all. A lot has happened in two years, and in the last year specifically. 2014 and I have not agreed on most accounts, and I can safely say that it was my worst year yet, blogging/academics/personal/family/otherwise. But I really could not have made it through the year without so many incredible people, events, actions, gestures, kind words. As cliche as that sounds, it's so true.

(All gifs came from HERE.)

Like last year... I'd like to do my Grammys/Oscars/Academy Awards Thank You Speech. But first, let me share with you some blogging milestones/achievements that I have hit over the two years of blogging.

- 1100+ published posts

- 320,000 pageviews

- Nearly 5000 total blog followers

- Over 400 reviews published

- A new Facebook account - with over 2,400 fans

- Have not missed a day of posting... at all. Yet. Ever. 

People. Thank you all, every one of you, who followed my blog, viewed a post, commented, tweeted, pinned, posted, liked, favorited, etc. I see every interaction, and I respond to all of them, and I love them. I love you all. With such a demanding academic career, it's easy to see why blogging and reviewing and reading is so important to me - my escape. So, thank you all for being here.

My IRL peeps: my parents, my sister Lily, my friends at home, my friends from Hopkins (Nicole, Christina, Matthew, Bria, Sophia), my amazing roommates/friends Adrienne and Janay, my gilipollas boy (who caused me so much grief this year, but I had to include him here for certain reasons) ---- THANK YOU.

My blogging buddies: Pili, Danielle, Nikki, Liza, Kel, Carina, Jess, Jess, Jess, Kelly, Lili, Nereyda, Rachel, Rachel ---- you all are a pleasure to know, work with, chat with. Personally, I'm sorry for not making more of an effort to make my presence more known, beyond the blog! But you all are always here, or on Twitter, supporting me. *hugs* Special shout-out to my soccer-loving Twitter buddy and fellow engineer Juhina, and fellow tennis and soccer fan, Racquel! *squishes*

Specifically to Pili - we both had a difficult year, for very similar reasons. Every time I needed to talk, she was there. IS there. I know she has my back, regardless of the situation. There definitely were times when I needed here opinion and support, and she always delivered. Thank you! Words cannot express the gratitude! Different countries and time zones have nothing on our friendship! :)

To the authors, publishers, publicists, editors, reviewers, bloggers, booksellers, librarians, and anyone involved in the literary world - you all rock. And I like you a lot. I respect the heck out of anyone who devotes time and passion to something as simple yet crucial as reading. THANK YOU.

And finally... I'm cutting and pasting this from my post last year because it hasn't changed: thank you to all of you. Every single person clicked on a link to my blog, or read a review on my blog or Goodreads or Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or commented on my blog, or entered a giveaway, or tweeted at me, or retweeted my promotional tweets, or did SOMETHING for me... thank you. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, and hope that one day, your kind deeds will be repaid. Blogging is NEVER easy when you don't have an audience. And I may not be the most popular blogger out there, but I love all of you who read and support my blog. *huggles*

The Giveaway:

You've survived my speech! I think it was slightly shorter than last year's, but I hope it felt just as meaningful and sincere. 

So, for the giveaway prize. I have this giant box of ARCs. I have no idea how many ARCs there will be in this box - I'll just grab a box and fill it. Probably more than ten. This giveaway is open to ANYONE - USA, Canada, Bhutan, Venezuela, wherever. Void where prohibited and whatnot (see Rafflecopter for more terms and conditions).

Also, the lovely publicist at Disney-Hyperion has offered a couple of prizes! One winner will win one copy of The Darkest Minds, Never Fade, and In the Afterlight. Another winner will win one copy of Dark Metropolis, and one copy of The Ring and the Crown. Both prizes may involve a mix of finished hardcover and paperback copies. USA and Canada ONLY. USA and Canada residents may enter all three giveaways, if they so choose.

So, three winners total! The giant box of books is open to ANYONE, the next two giveaways open to USA and Canada residents ONLY. Which means that USA and Canada residents may enter ALL THREE giveaways. 

Read the GIVEAWAYS page and/or the Terms and Conditions in the Rafflecopter. Good luck! And THANK YOU!

Giveaway #1 - a giant box of books! (Open to anyone)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway #2 - The Darkest Minds, Never Fade, and In the Afterlight (mix of HC and PB - open to USA/Canada)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway #3 - Dark Metropolis and The Ring and the Crown (mix of HC and PB - open to USA/Canada)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all of those that celebrate, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! I hope you all have a fabulous holiday - eating lots of turkey and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie and whatnot. And to those that do not celebrate (or perhaps are not in the United States), I hope you all have a wonderful day!

In the States, it's a day of thanks, to express our gratitude. Honestly, just in terms of blogging and books, I have so much for which to be thankful. To every person who clicked on my blog link from somewhere (a linky list, a comment, on Twitter, on Facebook, etc.), to every person who commented on my blog, to every person who followed/follow me in some way, to every that has read or liked a review or post, to every person who entered a giveaway... to every person who helped, supported, boosted, stuck with, believed in me...

THANK YOU.

Seriously. Thank you all so much. You all are wonderful. I've had a tough year for so many reasons, but definitely in terms of blogging, and I really, REALLY want to make sure everyone knows how grateful I am for everyone who has begun and continued to support me throughout the year, throughout everything. It means so much to me to know that people look at me, my blog, my work, a reflection of me, and see something worth time and effort.

So, thank you! In addition to all of you wonderful people in the blogging world, I'm thankful for my family, for supporting me in everything. My mom specifically, for being so understanding of my stress about school, and my situation with my gilipollas boy. My dad, for never saying more than was necessary, for understanding me. Nicole, for being an amazing friend, for listening, for always being my photographer whenever I spontaneously decided that we needed pictures of this or that, for knowing ME, and still loving me - you're a lifeline! Christina, for listening, always, every Monday. Matthew, for all the chocolate, whether known or surprise. You are a rockstar. Adrienne, for knowing, understanding, and not judging. Bria, for listening, but also, for empathizing. We will survive, girl. Aunt Becky, for just being there. To Johns Hopkins, for giving me a chance, seeing my potential, and letting my dream come true. 

My gilipollas boy, who won't be named - for breaking my heart, and continuing to do so, but for showing me my worth, that I'm so much better than whatever I thought I was. I miss you.

God - to whom I owe everything. I know many of you all might not be religious, but I find comfort in religion. Thank you for everything.

While 2014 hasn't been the kindest, I have so much for which I am grateful. That's how it should be, right? We can't go through life and be thankful for nothing. In all of the darkness, light always appears. Or something like that. 

I hope you all have a wonderful day with family and friends!

One-Year Blogoversary Celebration and Giveaway!

IT'S MY ONE-YEAR BLOGOVERSARY!










YAY! Can you believe it!? One year ago, I decided to switch from Webs to Blogger, and start blogging and reviewing for real. I've survived college applications, AP exams, moving out, starting a new life and school, FINALS WEEK... all while never missing a single day of blogging. All while so so so SO many people were supporting me, and my blog.





Before I do my Grammys/Oscars/Academy Awards Thank You Speech, let me share with you some blogging milestones/achievements that I have hit over this year of blogging:

- 600+ published posts
- 150,000 pageviews
- Nearly 3000 total blog followeres
- Almost 200 reviews published
- Harper, Harlequin, Harlequin TEEN auto-approval on Edelweiss
- Macmillan auto-approval on NetGalley
- My first requested ARCs from Disney, Amazon (Skyscape), Harlequin TEEN, Harper, Simon and Schuster, Scholastic, Penguin Teen, Macmillan (mailing list for Macmillan)
- Have not missed a day of posting... at all. Ever. 


Squee!


And, as with everything, there are some people that went the extra mile for me, that helped and supported me in so many ways, that gave my blog some love even when they were too busy with their own life, or that just rock.



Bloggers:

- Jess of Lovin Los Libros: it's funny, because we met because she started blogging and I gave some advice about blogging. Jess started blogging a few months after me, and even though I had only been blogging for a few months, she took my advice. She's a fabulous blogger now (though in no way can I take credit for that). She lets me borrow books, and she even went to a C.J. Redwine event, and bought and shipped to me a signed hardcover copy of Deception! WHO DOES THAT FOR RANDOM STRANGERS ON THE INTERNET?! Jess did. And I will never, ever forget it.

- Nereyda of Mostly YA Obsessed: if you all haven't heard of Nereyda or her blog, then you are MISSING OUT. Nereyda is flat-out talented. Her Book Looks posts are genius! And Nereyda is a blogger that is super dedicated. She let me borrow (and have) ARCs of hers! HUGGLES!

- The Team at The YA Bookcase: I've never met such a nice team of young adults who are wild about books! Most of the teens are younger than me, which is awesome because I love following their college admissions :D Shout out to Rachel and all the other seniors - you got this! And everyone, follow them on Twitter, because they like to give away pre-pub ARCs. Very, VERY pre-pub ARCs.

- Jessica of Step Into Fiction: I've never met this Maryland blogger, but she ROCKS! She's always commenting on my blog, or replying to my tweets on Twitter! And she sees and follows my Goodreads updates! SHE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT I KNOW THAT DOES THAT! :D

- Meredith of Pandora's Books: for letting me give her advice, whenever she asked questions. Meredith is about half my "blogging age", but she is already a terrific blogger. She's also a wonderful person. You need some nice in your day? Hit her up on Twitter :D

- Christina of Ensconced in Lit: this lady is a very successful blogger, and she is a fellow math/science nerd YAY! There are like, ZERO math/science bloggers out there, so when I find one, I get excited. Most of you all are teachers and English majors and whatnot. NOT that there is anything wrong with that. Anyway! Christina is fabulous, and she is writing a novel! She helped me with my first Twitter party, which was a huge success. I hope we can do that again sometime! :)

- Jessica of Read My Breath Away: my lovely Canadian friend! This girl is awesome. She's a fellow college student, so I feel extra bonded to her because she knows all about blogging and college and THE STRUGGLE OF STUDENT LOANS. Also, we both love historical fiction. *fist bumps*

- Alexis of Alexis Adores Books: another college blogger who is simply fantastic! I'm not sure when she started following me on Twitter, but she did, and she would always reply to my tweets. Shame on me for not following her sooner. The persistence pays off, Alexis! Thank you :)

- Rachel of Paper Cuts: a third college blogger! This girl is awesomesauce! I love commenting on her blog, because I know that she will always reply with a sassy and terrific and unique comment. Also, she is one of the few people that followed MY college admission process, and was excited with me when I got into JHU, and when I was moving in, and when finals week came around, and so on. Rock on, girl!

- Nikki of Fiction Freak: there's only one way to describe this girl: A GIANT BALL OF ENERGY :D Seriously though, Nikki is one of the most energetic and excitable bloggers I know. She and I both have an eye for detail and organization - something that I don't find often. I love knowing someone younger than me, even if she has over a year of blogging and experience on me. More power to her!

- Eileen of Singing and Reading in the Rain: this girl was one of two bloggers that answered the like, two questions I had when I started my blog. The other was Annabelle of Sparkles and Lightning. I was shy and didn't ask much, but both ladies did not hesitate to answer my questions and help me. *squishes*

- Hannah of The Irish Banana: HANNAH BANANA IS SO NICE! I *finally* met her (and Jen) at the Baltimore Book Festival this year. Hannah gave me books! And hugs! She's an incredible person and a wonderful blogger - check out her ARC Essentials posts sometime!

- Jen of Jenuine Cupcakes: CUPCAKES. That is all you need to know ;D But in all seriousness, Jen is one of the kindest bloggers I know. All that time and money and effort she spends making cupcakes is much appreciated! And somehow, she STILL has time to blog, do YABC editor things, and have a family. Rock on, lady!

Authors:

- Paula Stokes/Fiona Paul: this lady is probably one of my favorite authors out there, and it has very little to do with me loving her books. Granted, I DO love her books. But I didn't love Venom, Fiona's debut. In my review, I kind of ripped apart the book. BUT. Fiona read my review, and contacted me personally to tell me that she saw some of the things I pointed out, and thanked me for reading and reviewing. She sent me the first ARC of Starling, and I believe I was the first blogger reviewer. You bet I felt special. Anyway, my point is, Fiona/Paula didn't just get mad about my review and shun me. She thanked me for the review AND enlisted my help with the third book. That's incredible, people. I don't know many (if any at all) authors that would do that.

- Livia Blackburne: my favorite debut author of 2014! No offense to the authors. I've been squeeing over Midnight Thief for many, many long months (way early this year). I've also being squeeing over Livia herself, because she is like, my role model. She went to Harvard and MIT, she studied neuroscience, and she writes fantasy novels. I'm going to Johns Hopkins, I'm studying environmental engineering, and I would love to write fantasy books. Score! Plus, she sent me her novella, Poison Dance, and I believe I was the first blogger reviewer to read and review it. Special feels!

- Kathleen Peacock: she's putting my name in the acknowledgements of Hemlock book three. Because I recommended Radioactive (Imagine Dragons). WOW! That's so nice, right?! Also, I believe I won the first ARC of Thornhill, from Kathleen. I was NOT the first blogger reviewer, but hey, I read and reviewed the book eventually! :D

- Amy Butler Greenfield: AMY IS SO SUPER SWEET! I feel like I bug her a lot about Chantress and things, but she takes it all in stride. *thumbs up*

- Patty Blount: one of the nicest authors I know! Her books are definitely under appreciated - meaning, I think more people should read her books. Tough issues, real characters, beautiful writing. She let me beta-read TMI last year around this time! I was supposed to beta-read Some Boys around this time as well... I can't even come up with a good excuse for not reading it. Finals, maybe? Mushy brain? Shoot. ***EDIT: she sent me the final version and I read it and OMG NOBODY MISS THIS BOOK IT IS AMAZING!!!***

- Ellen Oh: she is a Maryland author! WOOHOO! Also, Ellen crossed all of her fingers and toes and joints for me on Regular Decision Day (March 28th). When I told her I didn't get into UPenn, she was like, there is still your Hopkins decision! And then I got into Hopkins, and she was so proud of me. LOVE YOU, LADY!

- Sara Walsh: another Maryland blogger, and a lovely person! When The Dark Light was released, I believe I won a signed copy from her. I was totally going for a poster, but a signed book is great too! But I had been entering so many poster contests, and I didn't win any, and Sara saw this. She saw just how much I wanted one, and you know what she did? She contacted me personally, and sent me not only a giant poster, but a mini-sized poster as well. *dies* SO NICE! I'll never forget that kindness done to me - it made me tear up. And Sara has worked with me here on the blog before, and she is a joy to work with. Seriously, there is no one cooler than Sara!

- J.R. Johansson: one of my favorite debut authors of 2013! She's a Friday the Thirteener (my favorite thirteen debut authors of 2013), and she is fantastic! I won a prize package that included her book, and I read and LOVED Insomnia. Apparently, I gushed over it so much, Jen remembered this, and enlisted me to help reveal the cover of Paranoia (which was revealed on only a select few blogs)! I was touched, because try as I might, I never get to do exclusive (or semi-exclusive) cover reveals! Just group ones. So, thank you, Jen!

- Maurissa Guibord: this lady is sweet and oh-so talented! I LOVED her 2011 release, Warped, and when I found out that she had another book coming out in 2013 (Revel), I was all over the promotion for that book. I contacted Maurissa, and she worked with me on a post and giveaway on my blog. She is so giving and inspiring - I really appreciate her :)


And finally... all of you. Every single person clicked on a link to my blog, or read a review on my blog or Goodreads or Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or commented on my blog, or entered a giveaway, or tweeted at me, or retweeted my promotional tweets, or did SOMETHING for me... thank you. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, and hope that one day, your kind deeds will be repaid. Blogging is NEVER easy when you don't have an audience. And I may not be the most popular blogger out there, but I love all of you who read and support my blog. *huggles*

The Giveaway:

You've survived my Thank You speech! Not too bad, right?! ;D

Anyway, the giveaway prize is a giant box of finished copies of books, or a giant box of ARCs. The finished copies box has about 20-30 books in it, and the ARCs box has around 20 books in it. Most of the ARCs are recent.

Two winners, INT welcome! Read the GIVEAWAYS page and/or the Terms and Conditions in the Rafflecopter. Good luck! And THANK YOU!

a Rafflecopter giveaway