Thoughts From the Suitcase: We're All One Big Community (I Guess?)

Okay. The book shimmy awards came out recently. There's a section that picks the best vlogger/blogger/bookstagramer. There are six vloggers, one bookstagramer, and one blogger. Check it out at the link below.

http://www.epicreads.com/blog/2015-book-shimmy-awards-semi-finals/

I was so excited to see Cait's name as the blogger who was chosen. She's great. A good friend of mine.

Mishma pointed something out. There are six vloggers. 

And that's when I got mad.

Okay, I believe we're all types of bloggers. Through pictures or videos or written word. We're all book lovers. We all share our opinions with the world. To me, we're a massive family. Not just vloggers or just bloggers or just bookstagramers. We should all work together. We should all be friends. 

So why are there more vloggers? Mind you, these awards are chosen by the people. And I know people are more on YouTube and all. That's how my generation spends their time. (In fact, I'm the only one of four people in my book club who doesn't watch booktube or YouTube in general. Sad, isn't it?) I'm not saying the vloggers on there don't deserve the attention. They're cool and all. (I've actually never seen a booktube vlog before. I'm just not interested in that. I'm on YouTube for anime and music only.)

But I still feel upset. Vloggers always seem to have way more attention than the rest if us. It makes me feel unequal. I feel like the scum on the bottom of someone's shoe, the castaway. (Okay. I'm being a bit dramatic. But still. You get the picture.) 

I went onto Twitter and asked Epic Reads why don't they make three categories for each different type of 'blogger'. There are totally awesome bloggers and bookstagramers out there. I'd love to share the love. Epic Reads agrees. They told me the nominees weren't their choice but their readers', but they hope to create more categories next year. 

And that's something that makes me smile. 

I'm That Weirdo Who Makes a Lot of Events: Things to Look Out For in 2016

So it's the beginning of January, and I'm here to introduce you to some cool events I have planned for 2016. I might add more because I adore events, hosting or participating. And if you have any events planned, please contact me over email or on Twitter. I'd love to participate.

And here we go.

I have TWO events for June. It's going to be a cool month. Trust me.

June: BiblioSummerSwag

This is a gift exchange, much like Secret Santa in December. But in June. I thought it'd be a great 'congrats on getting through the month' sort of thing. 

This will be international and for all ages. Please get parental permission if you're under thirteen, though. I don't want anything bad happening to you younger kids. Don't corrupt your innocence. 

You don't need to be a blogger or anything. Just talk about books in some way. It can be that you Tweet about books or you have a booktube. I don't want someone to be in a trade with someone they can't find gifts for because the other person doesn't like books! 

The sign up for this will come out mid-March. I'm not sure of the exact date.

For this, I need one or two hosts. I don't know if I can do this alone. Again, I'll still go through this if there aren't any other hosts. But if there aren't at least some people, I can't do this event. So tell your friends and followers! If you're interested in being a host, email me with the subject: BloggerSummerSwag: Host. My email is wrenthereader@gmail.com
And if you want to get on the newsletter, here you go! 

June: Japanese June

I can't wait for this! This is going to be so exciting. It's a three week long event with nine posts that will skim the waters of manga and anime.

Sadly, I don't need any hosts for this. This is a personal project. 

I'll be talking about the basics of anime and manga and some Japanese culture and some Otaku culture. Can't wait for this!

July: InterBlogCon

InterBlogCon is happening! Woot woot! I’m getting some excitement for this, and that is definitely great.

InterBlogCon stands for International Blogger Convention. It’s an online convention happening in July. I hope that people will get together and meet each other and learn things. (Book or blogger wise.)

I’m not quite sure of all the logistics yet, but there will be classes and giveaways and chats. And two contests. (Cosplay and fan art.) So stay with me.

If you’d like to be a moderator (who watches over the chats) or a host (who runs the event with me) or a teacher (of a session/class/breakout-session/whatever-you-call-it-it-has-no-official-name-yet), please email me with the subject: InterBlogCon: I’d Like to Help. My email is wrenthereader@gmail.com

If you’d like to subscribe for information on InterBlogCon, here’s the link.

Take On Challenges 'Wolf By Wolf'

Wolf by Wolf

Author: Ryan Graudin

Goodreads / Amazon

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's ball.

Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin's brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael's every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

City of Wolves

A town of racing and Axis Powers. A dictator rules with an iron fist. The persecution of non-Aryans is at an all time high. Motorcycles cut through the terror and incite supposed peace. Death and the spilling of blood is the catalyst to a rebellion. But will the blood be spilled?

"I just loved Yael. Her backstory was great. It fueled her fire quite nicely. And she struggled internally and externally. She had the struggle of identity. And I felt like that was one of the best parts about reading things in Yael's perspective. She had her five wolves and her past of needles and pain. She was hardened because of what happened to her. But she still was a child. It was fascinating to see the differences between what she was taught to do and what she wanted to do. Her alliances had reasons to exist. She looked at certain things with her brain and others with her heart. But, all in all, she was a complex character. She was well-developed. I was rooting for her even though she killed and hurt. She felt guilt and remorse like a real person. Yael could be someone I know. Minus the skin shifting, of course. She felt so real.

"The plot was just so amazing. Action and motorcycle races. Not that I'm into motorcycles or anything. It was just very exciting. How low will people stoop to to get their win? It resonated with me. My school is tough. People will do anything to get the grades they want. It's cutthroat honestly. That's a milder version of what's happening in the race. Not to mention all the near-death experiences. Plus, the flashbacks were cool. They weren't distracting or anything. They were interesting. We learned about Yael and who molded her into her current person. Not physically, okay...maybe a little physically. But mentally and emotionally.

"Oh my god. That ending. I'm definitely going to read the second book. You can't leave me hanging like it. I wanted to know what's going to happen. What's the rebellion going to do? How is the rebellion going to fare? Not only that, but what happened between Luka and Adele? And what does that mean for Yael? And what will happen to Luka? What will happen to Felix? I have questions I need answers to."

How Books Have Taken Over My Life in 2015 And Why I'm Probably Crazy Because Of That (Aka My End of the Year Survey)

I decided to do an end of the year survey from Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner. Because why not?

All from trusty, ol' Goodreads.

Number Of Books You Read: 136 (I thought it was more...)
Number of Re-Reads: Uh...me no re-read.
Genre You Read The Most From: Ermmm. -glares at screen- How do you find this? I'm gonna guess Fantasy for now. That's probably mildly true. 

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Uh...-insert list of almost all my darker contemporary reads, thank you very much- But seriously, I was disappointed by a lot of books. My most disappointing is a tie between these two books.

This was the worst Wren book I've read. All the sex... -shivers- I can never look at a Charlie the same way ever again.

I wanted to love the main character, but I couldn't. I wanted so much more from her. Plus, not a huge fan of the religious stuff. I'm an atheist, mind you. 

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  

FRIGGING VAMPIRE ACADEMY. It was pretty amazing. Hilariously, I read it because of the movie. And the movie did the book NO JUSTICE. I was just reading it out of curiosity, but, soon enough, I finished the whole series. 

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

I'm not pushy enough to do this? But I'm gonna say The Archived by Victoria Schwab. Who cares if I didn't read it this year? Psh.

And here's a fun fact about this book. I read the sequel The Unbound right after getting out of a hard time. And holy pizzacake...that book resonated with me on that deep level.

5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?

 I just...Six of Crows is so amazing. You have to read it. Even if you haven't read the Grisha trilogy. Plus I have Leigh Bardugo's signature and some buttons. I even cosplayed as Kaz Brekker. (Awfully, I might add.) And I hurriedly edited this picture, so it's in no way amazing. 

(Yes, I have a cat face.)

I've been with this series since Scarlet came out. I've waited for each book year after year. 
This was a great series-ender. GREAT. I have no questions and no concerns. I just want that wedding ASAP!

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

Julie Murphy without a doubt. I met her once, and she was such a dear. She was kind and very accommodating. Plus.Plus, Dumplin' was such a cute story.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I typically don't read contemporary books. But this book was such a pleasant surprise. Cute and lovable just like Willowdean. 

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

This book was not really action-y, but this book had me on the edge of my seat. I was freaking out over who would die and who would survive. Really plunged me into the moment of a school shooting. 

9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I. Don't. Re-read. 
I repeat.
I. Don't. Re-read.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

This is really a tie. 

This cover uses colors amazingly. The red hair and the blue background. And the watercolor look with the blue. Ugh. GORGEOUS.

The feather looks a little CGI, but it still looks amazing. The skills to make that must be amazing. And the color scheme! Gaaah.

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

Nina from Six of Crows was so sassy and spunky. She was great. I really loved her character. And she knew she many languages. Language goals...  I wanted more scenes from her. 

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

I really want to highlight the fact that this is written in poetry. I had never read a poetry book like this before. It was different, unique.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?

With this book, I had so many thoughts. What is happiness? How do you get it? Do your friendships bring you happiness? I had so many philosophy-related questions.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? 

I was so excited for this book. It was the end of a favorite series. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this. And I was not disappointed.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

Haha. I don't know!

I don't pay attention to these things.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

I'm talking about a surprising hallucination. Because...whoa. I did not expect that. I'm not going deeper into this. 

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Me and High School! Victor Vale. Haha. I'm kidding. But I'd like to meet high school Victor. He'd still be all grumpy, and I think that's so cute. 
I actually don't have many OTPs in anything.
Lila x Lila from A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab
Victor x Eli from Vicious by VE Schwab (Admit it, you thought about this.)
Cinder x Kai from Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Ezra x Kady from Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Sebby and Mira from Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa were so cute. They were great friends. I want a friendship like that.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

I could have mentioned Sarah J Maas or Marissa Meyer, but this first book in a new VE Schwab series is amazing. I love the characters and the plot and the world. 

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

Mishma at Chasing Faerytales kinda got me into this. I intended to read it, but she hurried me to the punch. Arigato, Mish dear!

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?

What fictional crush? I am only for Mackenzie Bishop and Wesley Ayers.
But...admittedly...High School! Victor Vale. Because he's a tad too old for me right now. College-aged Victor Vale is old, so I'm totally making up an AU with Victor Vale as a teenager in high school.

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

The couple was so cute. And the main character was a reader. So that's a plus! 

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Red London. Black London. Grey London. White London.

That's all I gotta say. 

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

This book was so cute. The drawings accurately described the scenarios and made me smile. 

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?

To sum this up, I started to bawl. 

During a car ride. It was hard to keep down the tears.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

I can't gush more about this book. The drawings. The story. I was so surprised when I saw this in the Harvard bookstore. (I was there during the summer.) It was a random book I picked up on the shelf. So surprised when I loved it. 

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

What soul? -evil laughter-

But this book had amazing though-provoking questions about life and happiness.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

THE DRAWINGS. Completely unique for me. 

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Worst Wren book ever. So icky. (Simply put.)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2015?

Uh. I kinda started reading blogs in 2015.
So...
Paper Fury
Cover to Cover
Chasing Faerytales
A Perfection Called Books
Social Potato
To name a few.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2015?

My Review of 'The Heartbreakers'

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

Beautiful Books #1

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

Blogger Positivity Project hosted by Claire at Cover to Cover

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2015?

Meeting Cait and Mishma and Nori and all these lovely people. You guys are AWESOME. Hugs and kisses to you all.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

Getting the urge to write reviews. I really dislike writing reviews. For me, it takes so much effort. To write out the unedited version...then edit it. 

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My Interview With Brittany from Book Addict's Guide

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

My Letter to Mackenzie Bishop

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Evie Seo's Society 6 Shop is a wonderful gem with beautiful prints and cases and whatnots.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I tried to do these challenges. But I just can't... I forget about these things.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?

I've been dying to read this book so bad. My library doesn't have it, though. So phooey. 

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?

-drools- Another book by Victoria Schwab. I can't wait. And it's YA!

3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Travel + YA + Magic= a spazzing-flailing Wren.

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?

I love this series. And I have to know what happens to Gansey. Don't leave me hanging!

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?

My events! I can't wait for BiblioSummerSwag in June and InterBlogCon in July. And my event with Briana from Otakutwins Reviews with blogger versus blogger. I CAN'T WAIT. -screeches-

6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

I'm not really doing that. I don't have many ARCs or anything. So yeaahh.

And you know now why I'm awful at explaining why I like or dislike things.