Girl Plus Books

August #ShelfLove Challenge: Reading Rituals

Saturday, August 20, 2016

August topic: What are your reading rituals? Do you have a reading nook? What snacks or drinks must you have handy? Share pictures and recipes!

A comfy chair is a must. Preferably one with a view of All The Books (or at least some of the books).

No food while eating (no sticky/greasy fingerprints on the pretties!) but a drink is always a good thing. A glass of sweet iced tea, a bottle of water, or (during the 9 days of winter Florida gets each year) hot chocolate hits the spot.

Of utmost importance: choosing the right bookmark to go with each book. This is completely arbitrary and cannot be explained. It's a special gift, people.

Have an adequate supply (i.e. stockpile) of page tabs at the ready. Enthusiastically tab every swoon-worthy line of dialogue, every dramatic scene, every moment that Cannot Be Forgotten.

Update GoodReads obsessively. As soon as I start the book, as I'm reading the book, as soon as I finish the book. Obviously everyone needs to be appraised constantly of my progress.

Do you have any reading rituals? Let's discuss!

The #ShelfLove Challenge is hosted by Julie and Lynn at Chapter Break, Terri at Second Run Reviews, and Brandee at Bookworm Brandee.

That's What He Said Thursday #23

Thursday, August 18, 2016

That's What He Said Thursday is a weekly meme created

and hosted by Chapter Break. It's a fun way to share a quote

from a favorite book boyfriend (aka male protagonist) to his girl.

For more info, visit Chapter Break here.

When it comes to the Addicted series, it's almost impossible to play favorites. I admit to a serious soft spot for Lily and Lo, but honestly I love all couple (and all three guys) for different reasons. When it comes to Ryke, his love for Daisy is fierce and strong and it's hard to imagine two people who complement each other better.

Long Way Down by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Addicted series #3.2, Calloway Sisters series #4

What is your favorite book or series with an ensemble cast?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books With A Southern Setting

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme

created by The Broke and the Bookish.

I love books set in the South. When done well, a Southern setting feels almost like another character in the book. You can just feel the atmosphere around you: hot summer days, muggy nights, the drawl of Southern accents, the hospitality, the slower pace. When an author hits the mark with a believable Southern setting, it can make for a richer reading experience. Here are some of my favorite books with a Southern setting.

Until Friday Night - Abbi Glines (Alabama)

Sullivan's Island - Dorothea Benton Frank (South Carolina)

Wicked - Jennifer L. Armentrout (NOLA)

Never Never - Colleen Hoover/Tarryn Fisher (NOLA)

The Vincent Boys - Abbi Glines (Alabama)

Morganville Vampires series - Rachel Caine (Texas)

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - Rebecca Wells (Louisiana)

Sweet - Tammara Webber (Texas)

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (Alabama)

Rusk University series - Cora Carmack (Texas)

Have you read any of these books?

Do you have a favorite setting that you love to see in books?

The Sunday Post #21

Sunday, August 14, 2016

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week on your blog,

showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is

coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the info here:

Sunday Post Meme

Hello, hello! I can't believe it's been *five* weeks since my last Sunday Post. My how time flies and all that. I'll chalk up the first couple weeks to ~~laziness~~ being incredible busy with very important things. But the last two and a half weeks have been due to illness. I think I mentioned in a recent post that I was straddling the line between a lower respiratory infection and pneumonia. And it feels like it's taken forever just to feel human again. I haven't been at the office for a full day in weeks. I go in, work until I'm tired (which doesn't take long), then go home and rest. Thankfully my bosses are the absolute best and are so understanding. They've actually been mother-henning me and making sure I don't overdo it. :) And my angel of a husband has been bringing home take-out for dinner for over two weeks and taking great care of me. But - hooray! - the worst seems to be behind me and I'm feeling more like myself. I'm still being super careful not to overdo it (the last thing I want is to take a step backward at this point!) but it just feels so good not to feel bad. :)

Tuesday, August 9: I've been dabbling in audio books lately and on Tuesday I shared a wrap-up of three recent reads.

Thursday, August 11: Thursday was my stop on the blog tour for Renee Carlino's Swear on This Life. I loved this one and can see it being a favorite of 2016. And now I want to gobble up everything Carlino has written.

Saturday, August 13: Yesterday I shared my thoughts on Jane Green's latest release, Falling. Jane was a former favorite author but I've had a lukewarm reaction to her last several books. I had high hopes for Falling, but...