3 Month Blogoversary!!!

I was going to have pictures or something to make this post look nice and whatnot, but I'm worn out and tired and have nothing exciting to show or giveaway, SO.

But anyway, today is my 3 month blogoversary! I've come far since I've started, but I'm still not as well established as some of my other fellow 3 months or so bloggers. BUT THAT'S OKAY. I like being a small blog at the moment. Although it's a bit hectic, I can get away with not posting much some weeks because of school. I know I'll still have people that will read my blog posts and that understand.

As I said, I've come a long way since July. I've really tried to improve the quality of my posts and reviews, although I still need to work on balancing book reviews with music, TV show, and movie reviews. Back to the positive though, I've "met" some amazing people and though I may not know much about them personally, I call them my friends, and I truly love and appreciate every one of them. I have more than 10 GFC followers, which is quite a feat for me. I also have 576 Twitter followers (!). I have been reading more than I have in probably the past 3 years combined. I've learned about so many books I never would have known about. I've talked, via Twitter, to a couple of authors. I've received emails from authors asking me to review their book. I've received ARCs, books, and swag from authors (usually via bloggers). I've been approved on NetGalley. I was invited to be on a street team. I've bought more books in 2 months than I have in the past 2 years. I've stayed up past 1:00 on a school night mainly for reasons that don't include because I was procrastinating by watching TV shows (now it's because I'm blogging, reading, or talking to bloggers). I've gotten rid of my Tumblr obsession, although it's more because I've been so busy blogging that I've neglected my Tumblr. I've participated in author chats on Twitter. I've kept this up for longer than I ever thought I would. And I've been having a great time!

And before I finish, I want to say a few things.
1) THANK YOU to anyone that has ever taken the time to talk to me, help me out, give me advice, cheer me on, comment on a post, read a post, featured me in a #FF on Twitter, followed me on my blog/Twitter/bloglovin', watched one of my videos, or even came on this page and stayed on for longer than a minute.
2) The authors that have been so kind, especially those that have sent me stuff or talked to me on Twitter. (I still freak out every time, and I probably have a screenshot of at least one of your tweets to me on my iPod.)
3) Websites and blogs that have really helpful suggestions and tips and tutorials.
4) The friends I've neglected on my personal Twitter, Tumblr, or otherwise because of this blog.
5) And last, but no least, a few bloggers/friends/people that stand out above the rest for just everything. You guys have helped me so much, and I'm really glad to be able to consider you all my friends. I would not be here after 3 months if it weren't for you. You know who you are, even if I weren't about to list you all out. (Also, if I leave you out and you think you should probably be on this list, it's probably not because you don't deserve to be on the list. I might have forgotten to add you because I'm beyond tired.)

• Nova--You and I are so alike in so many ways, and you've always cheered me on and supported me. You've helped me so much, and I just love talking to you. You're one of the few people that get it, and you're an awesome person. I am honored to be your blogging older sister. :D (ALSO! Sorry, but I still haven't gotten Winner's Curse, and no, sorry, you still can't have it, no matter how much I love you.)
• Meredith--New Yorkers unite! I've only known you for a a bit, but you've been so kind to me. You've cheered me on since we started talking, and I just really enjoy talking to you.
• Stacie--Like Meredith, I've only known you for a bit, but you've always given me advice, talked to me, and cheered me on (I really need another phrase to use). Also, you seriously said that you might be sending me a bday present, which is huge, and you don't get how much it means to me.
• Crystal--Like the lovely bloggers already mentioned, you've supported me ever since we started talking. You're always there to cheer me up, and you're just fun to talk to!
• Kayla--WHY ARE YOU GUYS ALL SO NICE?! Basically the same as everyone else above. You always cheer me up, and you're really encouraging! I love talking about NCIS, and our conversations are always fun, and they make me smile.
• Momina--You're so sweet, and I always love talking to you!
• TAYLOR--You've literally supported me since the beginning. I don't know if you look at all my posts, but I'm always glad when you comment on one of my posts. You're the one person I knew before blogging, and I probably would have quit a long time ago if you hadn't encouraged me. <3 you!

And some honorable mentions (aka I haven't really talked to you much or gotten to know you, but I appreciate everything, and I'd love to get to know you better):

• Melissa
• Jessica B
• Katie
• Allison
• Laura--I have to add a little something for you because I'm really glad to have found a fellow blogger that doesn't just blog about books (though it sometimes seems like I'm just a book blogger). Also, I love responding and reading your comments! Thanks so much!
• Candace
• Vanessa (aka my sister)

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Event Recap: Books of Wonder Signing (9/22/13)

This is long overdue, but here's a quick recap of the Books of Wonder signing that I went to in September. It was my 2nd book signing ever and my first as a blogger. Needless to say, I was beyond excited.

So the author's present were Alex London, Robin Wasserman, Patrick Ness, and Gene Luen Yang.

Robin was running a bit late so it started about 15 minutes after it was supposed to. Robin explained how she had just flown back to NYC and how she had been up since 5:00 in the morning. The others, especially Patrick, teased her about it. They started by introducing themselves and explaining how they each got the idea for their books. Robin explained how she was freaking out over the fact that Patrick was there but also about how she had grown up reading a lot of horror. Alex talked about how the MC in Proxy just came out and how he never really intended to write a gay character. Gene talked about his Asian American roots, which I definitely relate to. Patrick talked about how he had always wanted to write something like More Than This but that it had never been the right time.

Then they answered some questions. I didn't write anything down and didn't have enough space on my iPod to record them, so I don't have that. (I am very sorry about this. I remember quite a bit of it, but I don't remember exact words or questions.) But they did talk about their writing habits and about writing advice. Robin talked about the word "influence," and how one of her professors had prohibited them from using the word. Patrick joked around a LOT. He's extremely entertaining and funny, and if you ever get the chance to see him, GO! Alex and Robin joked around about how Robin usually NEEDS a brownie at 2:00, but she wasn't able to get one because of her flight and then the signing, and Alex was eating a cookie. Gene was pretty quiet, but he's really nice (well, all of them are). All in all, there were just a lot of jokes, including some about Twilight and about how even though a lot of people don't see it that way, Stephanie Meyer wrote the book that she wanted to write (they were talking about advice and how you should write what you want to write about, not what others want you to write about). 

Really, it was just really fun, and they're all funny, kind, enjoyable authors. And of course, there was the signing itself. Patrick's line was HUGE, but I really excited to meet Robin. I also felt really bad because I didn't buy Proxy. :(

Anyway, here's some pictures from that.

(I was kind of hyperventilating b/c Robin is made of awesome. Also, I worked up the courage to tell her that I loved her picture with Zelda (on Maureen Johnson's twitter), but I was so nervous and excited to talk to her that I couldn't form a sentence very well. Also, I was really excited and nervous to meet her because I just learned that she had really bad scoliosis when she was younger, and as someone who has scoliosis, it's always nice to find someone that understands. (Which reminds me of a funny story Patrick told, but if you want to know about it, you'll have to ask me either in the comments or on Twitter.))

(Gene Luen Yang--He's an amazing drawer, and I got a signed poster too! Also, we talked a bit about being Asian American, which was cool.)

(Patrick Ness)

(Alex London (and Robin)--I still feel bad for not getting Proxy.)

I was originally going to take pictures of the signed books, but I haven't gotten around to it.

But here's a list of the books that I got:

The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Boxers&Saints by Gene Luen Yang

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Invisibility by David Levithan and Andrea Cremer (both of whom were supposed to be there but weren't able to make it; the book was signed though)

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller (free)

Sadly, I do not have a giveaway. Apologies!