Finding Time For Blogging

I must not be the only person facing this: I started book blogging years ago when I was in college. As busy as I was, I always found time mid-week or on school vacations to give this blog the full love and attention it deserves.

Now I'm working full-time. Between my two jobs, I work 50+ hours a week. Not just that, but bartending is exhausting - I can practically feel all my creative juices flowing out of me!
This year has been an uphill battle to keep up with both my reading and my blogging. I by no means have this system down, but here are some tips I use to remind myself to keep blogging:

1. Emphasize E-Books

No matter how busy I get, I always keep up reading Fanfiction. I swear, I've read every AO3 story possible for The Raven Cycle, All For the Game, and Check, Please! So how do I find time for those but not for book-books? Because I take them with me everywhere! I rarely have an hour to sit down in a comfy chair to read a hardcover, so as much as I love doing that, I've found myself much more likely to read an e-book on my phone on-the-go.

2. Expand My Social Media

I used to just blog, Goodreads, Bookstagram with a few Tweets to point back at my posts. I recently joined Litsy and it's been a huge push to re-engage with the bookish community! The standard of photographs is so much less daunting than Bookstagram, and people interact and respond to each other much more often than on Goodreads. Litsy might not be for everyone, but find the platform that keeps you motivated!

3. Plan My Blog

I used to Bullet Journal which worked wonders for me, but with my workflow being entirely Google-based at work, I've had to migrate everything to technology. Wunderlist has been an absolute blessing, and I've adapted the same organization to my blog posts! When I have an idea for a post, I make a note, and within the app I can organize and schedule where I want my ideas to go.

4. Ask Myself, Who Am I Writing For?

I used to write long and incredibly detailed reviews...when I reviewed at all. Because I was setting such a high standard of review quality, I often kept putting it off until I didn't review the book period. Unless the review was a request from an author or publisher, why was I killing myself to do this? My reviews are for me, and all I want my followers to do is feel inspired to pick up the books that I loved. That doesn't need an hour and a wall of words to communicate, so relax and write the kind of reviews that you want to read.

5. Set Goals, But Be Kind to Yourself

There have been entire months that I've lapsed any reading or blogging whatsoever. Even my Bookstagram - something I used to keep up religiously - has run dry. While I wish I was posting on a schedule and keeping followers who looked out for my content every week, that just doesn't fit into my lifestyle right now. I have to let my "brand" stand on its own - keep my content consistent and post when I can. One post a month is better than no posts, and I have to remember that.

What do you do when your life gets too busy for consistent blogging? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday!

Books That Surprised Me

In a Good Way:

1. All For the Game by Nora Sakavic Why: Everyone said these books were next-level amazing, but take one look at the covers and it's hard to believe. It took me about a year to come around to them, but they are insanely good!
   
2. The Sum of Its Parts by E.M. Holloway Why: Another self-published series that doesn't have all the frills on the outside. But the characters are amazing and the plot is always refreshingly kick-ass.
   
3. They Both Die at the End and History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera Why: I have legitimately never been so emotionally devistated by works of fiction. Cried like an actual baby. Both times! This man has a gift and that gift is gut-wrenching sadness.
   
4. Divergent series by Veronica Roth Why: I was so over the dystopian thing by the time these were a big thing. You couldn't pay me to pick this book up. I eventually pulled the trigger, and to this day, I think this was the most refreshing addition to the genre since The Hunger Games! I'm not a fangirl for the characters or plot, but the emotional complexity to the story gets mad respect from me.
   
5. The Skinjacker Trilogy by Neal Shusterman Why: These are riding the fine line between YA and middle grade. I picked them up at age 18 and figured I'd be too old to enjoy them, but I was totally wrong! This series was so moving that I honestly regret not having them as a part of my childhood.

In a Bad Way:

1. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher Why: It's no secret how much I loathe this book. Unfortunately for me, it was required high school reading long before the hype. It was assigned in the aftermath of a classmate's suicide, and I was blindsided by the insensitivity of both the author and our faculty for choosing it.
   
2. The Selection series by Kiera Cass Why: Okay, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. I figured with all the hype these must have had some depth to them. But nope, it's all the trashy of reality TV like The Bachelor but in YA book form. Guilty pleasure? Yes, Good books? Yeah, no.
   
3. To All the Boys I've Loved Before series by Jenny Han Why: Was I missing something? Dumb girl is supsrised when an honestly not-that-offensive teenage guy is, well, a teenage guy? Add in some slut shaming and hella shallow characters and you lost me.
   
4. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green Why: I think we all saw this one coming. Not exceptionally bad, just not exceptionally good. Heck, I can barely even remember the characters writing about it now.
   
5. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas Why: Book One? Meh. Book Two? Holy hell this is amazing I re-read it like five times. Book Three? What garbage did you just feed me? I am not joking when I say I read a fanfic that was a better sequel for this series.

Top Ten Tuesday feature courtesy of of That Artsy Reader Girl

Announcement: Looseleaf Reviews is Moving!

Hello, followers!

I'd like to formally announce that Looseleaf Review will be moving!

Don't worry - it's not yet, and the URL and content will still be the same! I have just realized that I've reach the limit of what I can do on Blogger. I've been clinging to this interface because of all the love and attention I gave it over the last two years, but the fact is, Blogger will never look clean enough.

Even though it doesn't have the customizability I want, I will be moving over to Wordpress!

Until my Wordpress is fully up and running, I will be cross-posting both here and there. Once I formally close this down, I'll move my URL over there. In the meantime, if you want to start following my future blog, here's the link:

https://looseleafbookreviewsblog.wordpress.com/

Many thanks,
Nina @ Looseleaf Reviews

Top Ten Tuesday!

Favorite Book Quotes 

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"I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race - that rarely do I ever estimate it." - Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

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"It was at that moment that he realized that his spirit was truly human once more. For he no longer remembered how to be alone without being lonely." - Neal Shusterman, Everwild

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"In this world of numbness and information overload, the ability to feel, my boy, is a rare gift indeed." - Patrick Ness, The Ask and the Answer

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"You're everything. You're... you're chaos and order and everything in between. Like sunshine kept back by clouds. Like the entire world's imploded inside you, but all I see are the stars are sewn into your skin. You are filled with soft, dark music. I hear it all the time. Your music." - Tara Sim, Timekeeper

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"His feelings for Adam were an oil spill; he'd let them overflow and now there wasn't a damn place in the ocean that wouldn't catch fire if he dropped a match." - Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven King

"If you can't be unafraid, Henry said, be afraid and happy." - Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven King

Weekly feature courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl

Beat the Backlist 2018!

I'm officially enrolled in Beat the Backlist 2018! This is a challenge hosted by NovelKnight to knock off some of your old TBR. It runs from January 1 - December 31. you can go at your own pace, but you can also be a part of a team that's wracking up points. Specifically, you could be a part of the best team like me, the Story Sorcerer'!

Full rules and signup are HERE.

Follow my progress on my Twitter HERE.

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GOAL: 20 books, 10 reviews

STATUS: 2/20 books, 0/20 reviews

BOOKS:

Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Fortitude Smashed by Taylor Brooke

Homeland by Cory Doctorow

It Devours! by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Coffee Cake by Michaela Grey

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Wolfsong by T.J. Klune

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

How Not to Summon Your True Love by Sasha Miller

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz

3 by Hannah Moskowitz

Release by Patrick Ness

Replica by Lauren Oliver

Ringer by Lauren Oliver

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

The Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Body Counts by Sean Strub

It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sugiura

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

February Wrap-Up

February, man. Not my month. Let's call this the "month of lame excuses not to read." Kicked in the butt by my school work? Check. Distracted by the Olympics? Check. Regularly working 50 hour weeks? Super check. And being too sick and hopped up on cold meds to even read? Yup, that happened, too.

I'm super dedicated to my 75 book goal in 2017, so I squeezed a measly 5 books out of this month. it's okay to be ashamed for me. I'm ashamed of me, too 🙈




Overview

Books Read: 5
Pages Read: 1,173
Reviews Written: 3
Blog Posts: 8

Books Read

★★★★★

Check, Please! Year Three by Ngozi Ukazu [GR]

★★★★☆

Check, Please Year Two by Ngozi Ukazu [GR]
Check, Please Year One by Ngozi Ukazu [GR / Review]
Caroline's Heart by Austin Chant [GR / Review]

★★★☆☆

The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter #2) [GR / Review]

Currently Reading

Top Ten Tuesday!

Books I Could Re-Read Forever

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

What year is complete without the annual pilgramage through the Harry Potter series? In all honesty, I have probably read it through 6 times by now.

2. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

I'm sure everyone knows by now that this is my all-time favorite series. Between re-reads and reading like, everything published on AO3, a measurable percentage of my life is dedicated to reading about these nerds.

3. All For the Game by Nora Sakavic

I love these broken children to little tiny bits. I'll pull up my e-books for frequent re-reads, and I recently bought the whole series in paperback. Just to hold them, and gaze at them fondly sometimes. You know, important reasons to spend $40.

4. The Mediator by Meg Cabot

I grew up on this series. Legit. As a pre-teen I'd re-read the series in a week maybe a couple times a year. I recently had the trip down memory lane because there was a sequel to the series oh my goood. So another re-read occurred, of course!

5. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I feel like this one was published in that small window where YA wasn't cool, so the amount of people who haven't read this breaks my heart! Where is the fandom for Dustfinger or Farid or Moe? Give! Me! Fan! Content!

Honorable Mention: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

The more Maas I read, the more I'm honestly a little bit over her. But dead in the middle of a fairly mediocre series is this gem. It's over 600 pages and I've read it cover-to-cover three times! Why was the rest of the series not this perfect?

What books could you re-read into eternity? Let me know in the comments!

Weekly feature courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl.