The One Where I Introduce Myself For ARMCHAIR BEA

    It's that time of year again. The time when book bloggers, authors and all bookish fans get together in the NYC for the great meet and greet known as BEA. For those of us not lucky enough (read: poor college student) to attend the real life version of BEA, there is the great internet version known as Armchair BEA so that we unlucky folk can get a taste of the great big BEA in our own little corner of the internet. 

   Here is the Armchair BEA's Mission Statement:

Armchair BEA is the experience for book bloggers to participate in Book Expo America (BEA) from the comfort of their homes. This experience is created lovingly by book bloggers specifically for our peers who for whatever reason are not able to participate in the main conference in New York each year. We bring publishers, authors, and bloggers together in celebrating our love for all things literary by hosting celebrations such as sneak peeks, daily discussion topics, and sponsored giveaways.

Sounds fun right? Sure it may not be face to face, but it's a great way to meet other book bloggers and publishers to discuss all things bookish! Each day there will be a new post up with new discussions on all things books! Want more info? Here is the FAQ page for Armchair BEA.  

Now, without further ado, an introductory post about yours truly.


1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? Where in the world are you blogging from? 

      Woohoo! My narcism, ahem, I mean high self-confidence, can come out without judgement! ;) Well, for those of you who don't know, my name is Mackenzie and I've been blogging since January of 2012. Well, it really only feels like a year and a half instead of two and a half because I took a year long hiatus. I'm an Army brat, so I'm not really "from" anywhere, but "from" everywhere. I took up blogging after finding out about book blogs. I accidentally came across one while looking for a book recommendation online and just kept finding more and more. I thought it seemed like a lot of fun, the community is great, and I just like to spread my opinion, so I created it on a whim. I was once the one looking for opinions on books, now I'm helping give them. 

A little bit about myself:

   I'm currently blogging from SC, but will be moving to the great state of GA until I head back to school in the fall in VA (see? I'm from all over!). I'm a HUGE movie lover. Some of my favorites? Gladiator, LOTR, Harry Potter, any war movie, superhero movies (a la avengers), Lion King, Mulan, Aladdin, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, the Princess Bride, Major Payne, and my absolute favorite comedy - MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL! And don't get me started on TV. I also love all things shopping and fashion. Too bad I have so few funds and that my love of clothes competes with my love of books. And traveling! Oh how I love to explore the world! I've visited and lived all over and can't choose favorites. Each place holds a special place in my heart. I also absolutely love animals. I wanted to be a zoologist until I learned it was pretty useless unless I had a PhD. Too much money. Also, too much science. But I have 3 wonderful, adorable, and annoying pugs. Gotta love em. I also may or may not have an obsession with all things Pinterest and Netflix. And interior decorating. And DIY. And DIY natural makeup and beauty. I also get bored quite easily and love taking up new crafts and skills. Thank you YouTube. 

2. What genre do you read the most? I love to read because ___________________ . 

Ohhhhhh a toughy, but definitely fantasy. Especially a medieval-like fantasy. I just love to escape to a new world and get lost in it. The imagination and creativity behind fantasies are like no other. I'm always a sucker for magical realms, magical powers and creatures, warring countries, action-packed fighting scenes, assassins and all sorts of weaponry. Give me a high fantasy any day of the weak. 

        

3. What was your favorite book read last year? What’s your favorite book so far this year? 

      Another hard one! Favorite book from last year is....Gah! Who am I kidding, I can't choose! Instead, here's a list (and a small one at that):

1. Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kindoms #1) by Morgan Rhodes - high fantasy = awesome
2. Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa - the FEELINGS! ALI! KANAN! JACKAL! ZOMBIES! KATANAS!!
3. Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare - JEM!!!
4. Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas - WOEIFJSLDFWELSKDFJLIW!!! So good I couldn't write a coherent review and had to use GIFs to accurately depict my feelings. Even that didn't do it justice. 
5. Defiance (Defiance #1) by C.J. Redwine - Rachel and Logan forever!!!
6. The Mark of Athena (Blood of Olympus #3) by Rick Riordan - PERCABETH!!! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME RIORDAN! HOW?!?!!

    Yes, if you can't tell, I adored those books. Go read them. Now. Now onto my list of books I love so far this year:

1. Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer - CRESS AND THORNE!!!! Also, just all around super galactic fairytale awesomeness. 
2. The Falconer (The Falconer #1) by Elizabeth May - KIARAN!!! Also, Scotland. And evil "faeries". And Aileana is a tough, no-nonsense, vengeful, witty and awesome character who hides her emotions. Gotta love her. 
3. The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1) by Marie Rutkoski - Not what I expected but I loved it anyways. There was something just soooo....beautiful. It was heartbreaking and wonderful and imaginative and thought provoking. Definitely recommended. 

 4. What does your favorite/ideal reading space look like? (Pinterest encouraged!) 

Ohhhhh PINTEREST?!?! I'm so game. Okay, picture time. 

A Harry Potter reading nook. A HARRY POTTER THEMED READING NOOK!!!!

      And there are SOOO many more. Really, in short, I like a nice chair or couch by a window with lots of natural light. My go-to reading nooks in my house are on my couch right below some fantastically big windows or my comfy, vintage chair in my room next to another fantastically big window. I also really enjoy being outside in the shade. Also, how AMAZING is that HP reading nook. I found that and about had a heart attack. I WILL buy a house eventually and it WILL have a cabinet under the stairs and I WILL convert it into an HP reading nook. Challenge accepted.

5. Describe your blog in just one sentence. Then, list your social details -- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. -- so we can connect more online. 

A fun, sassy, and unique (hopefully) little corner of the internet where I can talk all things bookish with fellow bookish people. 

You can find me on Twitter, Goodreads, Bloglovin, and Booklikes. 

And, I can't end without saying something on this day - For my non-US friends, today is Memorial Day. It's a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our great country. For those US friends of mine, please remember that today isn't just a day for BBQ and hanging with friends, but a day to pay tribute to these soldiers and their families. 

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READ-A-THON

Okay, so I know I'm a day late but guess what guys? I'M JOINING MY FIRST READ-A-THON!

Yeah....sadly that's definitely my white girl dancing moves ;) So proud. 

Anyways, I'm signed up for my first read-a-thon and I'm pretty psyched. So what read-a-thon do you ask? Drum roll please..........

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The Summer Lovin’ Readathon is a week-long readathon event hosted by seven bloggers! (Oh, Chrys!, Tumbling Books, Effortlessly Reading, Love Life Read, Shelf Addiction, Read Sleep Repeat, and Reviewing Wonderland)


Woohoo! I really need all the help I can get right now to get reading and there is nothing better than this. Even though it started July 1, I'm not really starting mine till I get back home today. By the way, this post is going to be a mash-up between my "sign-up" post and my "Day 1 - intro and challenge" post. 

My Goal? 3 books. I'm a slow reader and I really don't know how much time I'll have, but I'll definitely make some to finish 3 books! 

What am I going to read? I'm currently reading Something Strange and Deadly and this gives me the push to make the time to finish it. I'm actually enjoying it a lot more than I thought. I'm definitely an Eleanor fan! So what else am I going to read? Hm....I honestly don't know. I just finished Clockwork Princess (My emotions are still reeling) and so I kind of want to go back and re-read her first series. I don't remember absolutely loving it as much as I did her prequel series, but I really just want to give it another go. Especially since the movie is coming out. Though, aren't there like 6 books out now? Um....well I don't know if I'll read the whole series, but I'll definitely read the first 3 since I own those. However, I don't know if I'll read them all for the read-a-thon. I may take a break and read Stormdancer. I'm totally a huge fan of fantasy so this is right up my alley! 

I'm a 19 year old movie-loving, shopping-addicted, book-lovin Army Brat. I love traveling and am so blessed to have been all over Europe, Australia and New Zealand. I'm the youngest of 3 and the favorite. Don't worry, my parents know this, they just don't want to hurt my siblings feelings. Understandable. 

I started my blog way back in January 2012 but really only blogged until about August of 2012. Once I started school, I just stopped reading and because I didn't have much to put on my blog, I just kinda let it fall through, sadly enough. What can I say, I was just a lowly freshman trying to figure out my first year of college and let my studies take precedence over reading......HA! Man, I crack myself up. More like, I let Netflix take over my life. But the first excuse sounds better, so let's go with that one. Anyways, I hope to continue reading and since I know how to balance my time better, I plan on keeping my blog up! What can I say, I missed it!! 

So that's my intro. I'd love to get to know some of the participants better so leave a comment below!

All the best ♥

Mackenzie

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Armchair BEA introduction

Hey y'all! So I just found this even called Armchair BEA that I've decided to participate in this year. It's a way for those of us who can't physically attend BEA to keep up with all the goodness :) Throughout the week I'll be putting up some posts and trying to do a giveaway. Trying being the operative word :P So, without further ado, an introduction to yours truly XD










Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?


Hi! I'm Mackenzie and I'm a 18 year old movie loving, shopping addicted book-a-holic and Army Brat. I started blogging on January 4. 2012, so not too long. I got started blogging after looking at so many other blogs and I thought "heck, looks like fun!" and voila! Oh, For the Love of Books was born! Also,
I can be very opinionated and I want to help others make good choices when picking out a book. Books cost money and I know how much of a pain it is to waste money on a book you end up not liking. So, by reviewing them, I allow others to see if they'll like it based on characters/plot/pacing etc. Sometimes something I like another person may not and vice versa so my reviews allow them to figure it out for themselves! 


What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?


I'll answer both! I'm currently reading two books: Allegiance (Legacy #2) by Cayla Kluver and Slumber (Fade #1) by Samantha Young. I have never had such a love/hate relationship as I've had with Allegiance! It's so frustrating yet so incredibly addicting. The hordes of hot men really help. Slumber is actually a re-read for me just because I felt in the mood for a good hate turned love relationship. Oh the tension! As for my favorite book? There are wayyyy to many, but here's a few:
Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers
Touch of Power (Healer #1) by Maria V. Snyder 
The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas


Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.


Hm....got one! I'm a world traveler! I've lived in Germany and I've visited Spain, Italy, Austria, Czech, Australia, New Zealand, France and England among other places. Being and Army Brat definitely has its perks! XD


What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)


To be honest, since I haven't been doing this very long, I'm not really sure. I haven't really had many opportunities to do a lot of blog tours, interviews, ect. Though I did really love my author interview with Caitlen Rubino-Bradway. However, I think my favorite things (besides reviews!) are memes. It's a ton of fun to see other bloggers thoughts or picks when it comes to the various memes. Or be completely jealous by what they received in the mail that I didn't  :P


Where do you see your blog in five years?


Ugh....I don't think that far ahead :P Mostly I just hope I'm still blogging! 


Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?


Definitely! My reading "taste" hasn't changed so much genre wise, but I'm definitely more analytical and critical when it comes to reading. I focus more on the depth rather than just the surface of the book. 

So that's just a short little introduction about myself :) If you have any questions you want me to answer, feel free to leave a comment below!

All the best ♥

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