Jessica from Sweet Green Tangerine & The Book Chat

Hello there! I am Jessica and I am the voice behind the quirky web-space, Sweet Green Tangerine. Kimberly has asked me to a part of her Preview to Summer series and I was super-excited about her plan to bring all the book-lovin' to one place. Well, if you read The Simplicity regularly (which you should) then you have probably seen Kimberly link-up with the Book Chat on Thursdays. Well, that's my baby.

What is the book chat?

Well, a little over a year ago, I had been grappling with the idea of being a quasi-book blogger, meaning this: I wanted to blog about books as well as life and not be tied down to reviews and promotions. I wanted to find other regular ol' bloggers who love to read as much as I do. I wanted to have a time and place where we could bring the same topic together and share interests and ideas and laughs and lots of Harry Potter.

And that's where it started. We've had the same ol' regulars along the way as well as some awesome newcomers, which always makes my day. The Book Chat was never about attracting thousands or getting new followers. It's more personal than that.

Here's how it works:

I post a topic every Thursday, like favorite fictional couple or best movie adaptation. We all have a week to think of our answers and then we link-up our posts the following Thursday. I have tried to make the topics something we would actually blog about. I wanted to avoid this become a question:answer prompt. I have seen some excellent stand-alone posts come from book chat topics.

Every Thursday evening I do my rounds and read each and every link-up for the book chat, and my favorite part is seeing everyone commenting on everyone else's posts. It's truly a coversation and not just a link-up. I have found some of the best books and made some of the greatest friends.

It's certainly grown over time. We've added co-hosts every week and we even did our own book swap last fall. We've become a community, and our arms are always open to book-loving bloggers eager to join in.

You can find us here every Thursday. Please join in!

This Thursday's topic is Best Literary Mothers...and I'm still looking for a co-host!

Thanks for having me, Kimberly. And thanks for spreading the book love.

 

Venus Trapped in Mars is having a little competition and I would like to win. If you like my blog, my posts, or just want to see me with that special victory button, please vote!

The Book Chat: What Are You Currently Reading

Linking up with Sweet Green Tangerine and the Semi-Charmed Kind of Life 

for The Blogger Book Chat.

I'm trying to fit in three books this month for three different reasons but who doesn't love a challenge that involves books?  The first is The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin and the book selection for Literary Junkies book club.  It deals with an American woman who travels Europe and ends up with a suitor.  I feel like it will cover the idea of not having expectations met and good doses of reality.  The second, Total Frat Move, is a book I'm reviewing that is completely hilarious.  I stopped following TFM on Twitter because most of the tweets are beyond ridiculous, but while reading the book, it is wildly entertaining.  The last is Gone Girl, which I have been dying to read and the selection for Bonnie's Book Club.  Life of Bon was one of my Blog Obsessions for February and I am so excited to see her with this new "novel" idea.  Hardy har, I've got jokes.

The Blogger Book Swap is underway!  If you haven't linked up and you're participating, check out the post below.  It is wonderful to see so many avid readers sharing their experiences.  My swap buddy, Christina, has been a joy to work with and I can't wait to send her the complete package (still waiting on the book to come in...le sigh).  Anywho, I can't wait to share on the page what I received from Christina.

I also just found out about Real Simple's No Obligation Book Club- I am a sucker for a book club.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out the link-up!

Favorite Things Friday

It's Friday and a wonderful opportunity to comment on the awesomeness of this week.  To start off, I'd like to share some of my favorite finds on the interwebs, including Disney princesses, a mountain of a reading challenge, book chats over at Sweet Green Tangerine, a different workout plan that involves loving your body instead of loathing the treadmill, and my start to becoming a book reviewer.

Stephanie from My Creative Brightside was the most perfect Cinderella at this little girl's birthday party.  In case y'all didn't know, I love all things Disney and had (let's be real, still do) really wanted to be a Disney character princess.  You know what kind of stinks? They don't get paid really well and before I get a rotten tomato thrown at me for saying that, I mean they're about minimum wage.  Can't save a lot with that, so alas, I'll just admire how adorable that birthday party looks.  Anybody need a 23-year old Disney princess? ;)

My favorite reading challenge that I've discovered involves climbing a mother truckin' mountain. You definitely heard right, a mountain. I'm signing up with the blog, My Reader's Block to participate and take care of the mountain of books that need to be read :)

The Mount TBR Challenge 

"to be read"

How does it work?

Challenge Levels:

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR piles/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 60 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100 books from your TBR pile/s Mount Olympus (Mars): Read 150+ books from your TBR pile/s

And the rules:
*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade.

*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2013.

*You may sign up anytime from now until November 30th, 2013.

*Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2013. No ARCs (none), no library books. No rereads. [To clarify--based on a question raised last year--the intention is to reduce the stack of books that you have bought for yourself or received as presents {birthday, Christmas, "just because," etc.}. Audiobooks and E-books may count if they are yours and they are one of your primary sources of backlogged books.]

Now I don't know if I have that many "backlogged" books, but I do have a lot and I can't wait to participate! I know I have a lot of bookaholics following this blog, so y'all should sign up with me and we can hold each other accountable!  Now once I tackle all those bad boys, if you have another reading challenge that you recommend, definitely let me know and comment below.  I love insight and feedback on everything I post here.

I also am really excited to participate in Jessica's Book Chats this year.  Her Book Chat link-ups have a different topic every week and they're a lot of fun.  I wish I had discovered her blog sooner but know you all know about it and can participate next week!  Her Reading Resolutions for 2013 are so on par with what I would like to accomplish this year.  How many books do you want to read this year?  I fell short of my goal and that alone was encouragement for me to start picking a novel more often than searching Instagram (there's gotta be a way to have my cake and eat it, too).  Visit her blog at Sweet Green Tangerine because I'm obsessed with it and you can expect it to be a good contender for my January blog obsessions.

I used to work out a lot and I get all kinds of bored with running.  I'm good at it but I hate it.  The double-edged sword of fitness.  You know when you're hot, sweaty and starting to get bored and you're thinking, "nooooo it's only been a mile."  So if I can avoid running, I try to.   So I came across the Tone It Up blog hosted by Katrina and Karena.  They're doing the Love Your Body Challenge for 6.5 weeks.  

I've made their January calendar my background and these ladies are so cute!  Not only do they focus on health and fitness, but they work on you!  It's a mixture of a Nike fitness ad and a night in the lounge back at the Theta house.  That's probably a bad example unless you were in a sorority, but it feels like you're chatting/texting/blogging with your best-friends.  They're all about the motto: loving your body and I'm excited to give this a try.  I started doing this today and it was fun and my glutes are definitely feeling it.  DO IT...you'll like it, promise.  Here was the workout for today: 

They're fun, they're fabulous and I just love watching their videos after a good workout.  Health and fitness is important but so is your self-esteem and overall well-being.  Have fun while working out and love your body! Don't beat yourself over it!

 

One of my 100 in 1001 things is to become an advanced reader/test reader for publishers and I've done just that.  I literally (does anyone think of Parks and Rec whenever they say this?) signed up for NetGalley last night and I can request eBook versions of soon-to-be popular (hopefully), great reads.  It's been so much fun looking around and requesting books.  I've already had twelve books approved for me and I can't wait to start reading and providing reviews.  So ladies and gents, you'll be seeing a lot more of that on here. #yearofopportunity

A lot of wonderful things have happened this week, including the start of the Blogger Book Swap.  In case you're reading this and haven't signed up, you have roughly one week.  I'm closing the sign-up on the 12th as long as we have enough pairs and right now, we have a ton of great readers signed up.  I cannot express enough thanks to my co-hosts for going above and beyond in spreading the word.

Another great opportunity is your chance to win a free necklace from Glass Chic Designs.  If you haven't read the post on #onelittleword, you may be lost from time to time on my future posts.  I may be biased, but it's good stuff, and I recommend you check it out and enter to win a free necklace from a great Etsy shop owner.

As if this week hasn't been inspiring enough, I've decided to participate in a year of gratitude and mail out 52 letters to the people I care about.

Whew, that's a lot going on and it's only the first of twenty13.  It's great to feel this energized and motivated...like hot damn I can do this!  

What are some things that are getting you amped up for the new year?     

Thanks for Reading!

  

P.S. I've seen folks anonymously saying mean things on other blogs and the subject coming up frequently.  One, that's just not ok to do.  A blog is someone's personal space and yes, they've chosen to share it with the world, but with the expectation that they'll receive courtesy with that.  If you don't like a blog, then unsubscribe from them.  Stop being mean or rude and show a little heart.