The 3 bookish things tag (me rambling about books, authors and other stuff bibliophiles talk about)

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Welcome back to my itsy-bitsy corner of the web! I really wanted to write something bookish today but had no idea what to write about, so I stumbled across this amazing tag by one of the most legendary books bloggers/ authors, @paperfury (aka C.G Drews) Its called the 3 bookish things tag, and basically its a tag where you write three bookish answers to a bunch of different bookish questions!

Speaking of bookishness (is that even a word? XD) I really have missed being a book blogger, as much as I love making lifestyle posts I think I’m going to go back to being a book blogger! The book community is so fun and its a lot more enjoyable for me, I feel happier when I write bookish posts and I don’t feel like I’m comparing myself to others as much. What do you guys prefer to see on my blog?

Anyways, enough of my rambling let’s start the tag!

3 Favorite Authors

This is honestly a really hard question. There are so many amazing authors and I find new ones every day, but I guess my 3 all-time favorites are;

Marissa Meyer: Because the worlds and the characters she crafts are amazing. also, the lunar chronicles are just too amazing

Leigh Burdugo: I have one word for you (actually three words) SIX OF CROWS! I also love how all of her books have diverse characters! Its really hard to find interesting books that represent lots of different races, and Leigh nails that.

Marie Lu: because WARCROSS IS AMAZINGLY AWESOME (wildcard kind of let me down though)

3 Weirdest things used as a Bookmark

To be honest I don’t use bookmarks often because I usually read a book in one stand, meaning I spend the whole day reading a book which probably is very unhealthy but sometimes it’s worth it! (I read the whole To all the boys I loved before series in like three hours with no breaks)

Marker/pen/paper: I use these the most because I always have one on me.

Another book: surprisingly it works pretty well!

Sock: I have no comment XD

3 Series Binged

Lunar Chronicles: When I found out about this series, almost all the books were out already, so it was super easy to binge read. This series is honestly so amazing.

Shadow and Bone: These books surprisingly took longer to read than The Lunar chronicles, despite the books were a bit shorter.

To all the Boys I loved before: Like I mentioned before I read all the three books in less than 4 hours. The series is such a page-turner and probably one of the first ya “Romance” Series I actually finished.

3 Characters YOU LOVE

So I don’t know if she meant, characters you ship yourself with or characters you love (like platonically) SO I’m just gonna list both.

Carswell Thorne-The Lunar Chronicles: I’m sure we all are in love with him, let me just say that.

Kaz Brekker- Six of Crows: Again, who isn’t in love with him

Anne Shirley-Anne of Green Gables: Anne has always been one of my favorite characters! She is clever, fun and so imaginative. I can relate to her so much.

 

3 Unpopular Bookish Opinions

 Before I share these I just want to beg you to please not come and kill me. I am not trying to offend anyone, these are just my thoughts.

Harry Potter seems overrated: I feel like almost every bookish person loves this series and I personally don’t get the huge appeal. (please don’t hurt me)

I feel like POC aren’t represented a lot: Now I know there are plenty of great books with POC, but I feel like the types of genres I like to read don’t represent them enough. Or like the only books with them in it that get so popular are the books like “The Hate You Give.” I have a hard time finding cute, fluffy ya books that feature POC, that don’t overly focus on race.

Too much cursing in books is kind of annoying: I find it really annoying when I’m reading a book and the characters curse/ cuss so much. For some characters, Its a part of their voice, or their talking style, and I guess that’s okay. But its really annoying when there are 5 cuss words on each page. Is that really how normal teens talk all the time?

3 Favorite Book Covers

in which ava is too lazy to rebel and collect pictures of all the book covers she loves

Dance of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, #1)   The Tea Dragon Society Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)

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Thanks for reading this post! I tag anyone who needs something to blog about, or is obsessed with bookish stuff like I am! What are your Top Three go-to reads? What are some books that are on your TBR List? Do you like my bookish posts?

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5 easy ways to boost productivity! + free to-do list printable

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Welcome back to my itsy bitsy corner of the web! Or if your new here, thanks for checking out my blog. You can find more about me here!

Today’s post is all about how to boost productivity and get more done in less time.

lets get started to

1. Set a Timer

Estimate the time you need to tackle different tasks and set a timer for each of your tasks. When it comes to the time limit, move on to another task.

2. Eliminate All Distractions

I recommend putting your phone on airplane mode or turning off your notifications. If you’re using a computer to work on a project close out all the other applications. Try to go to a quiet place or alert the people around you to not bother you.

3. Listen to Music

Distractions should be avoided, but sometimes a bit of music in the background can help you focus.

Of course, it doesn’t need to be the Hamilton cast recording on full blast, but a bit of Beethoven may do you some good. If you’re not a fan of classical music, there are plenty of relaxing, lofi study playlists on youtube. The songs are really nice and it does help you focus.

4. Take a break from technology

The Internet has become one of the number one distraction. To increase your productivity, try to do as much of your work offline as possible.

I find it easier to brainstorm with pen and paper than on a notes app, because not only is it relaxing, it’s easier to stay focused on.

5. Just Start

Often times, starting is the hardest part. People often wait for the perfect time to start a project, but usually, there is no perfect time, and they are really just procrastinating and they never start.

Once you get started, you will quickly get into a rhythm that could last for hours!

The last thing I have for you guys is a little printable to-do list/ planner. This is great for jotting down things to do and planning your day out.

Get it done girl!click here to download!

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Thanks for reading this post, I hope the tips helped! What are some ways you stay productive? What projects are you working on? How do you manage your time?

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Why I’ve been gone//+ I hit 1k on instagram?!

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Welcome back to my itsy bitsy corner of the web! Or if your new here, thanks for checking out my blog. You can find more about me here!

If your one of my regular visitors you might have noticed that I haven’t posted for quite a while. Recently I have of been in a creativity block, I have been a bit unmotivated and it has been a little harder to come up with unique and interesting blog post ideas. You may have even noticed that some of my more recent posts have been a little jumbled and not as long as my other posts. It has been pretty refreshing to take a break from my blog, It has helped me focus on some of my priorities like studying more, but I have really missed blogging and sharing my thoughts with you guys. So I’m happy to say that I am back.

I am going to try to post twice a week; Tuesdays and Fridays, like I tried to do before. Tuesdays will have a more bookish theme and Fridays will have more of a lifestyle theme. And I will try to keep you guys updated by posting on my Instagram @elysianartiste.

Speaking of Instagram, I recently hit 1k+ followers which I am sooo thankful for. As a teen blogger, It can be easy to get discouraged and feel like your content is trashy, So it means so much that 1000+ people appreciate my content and enjoy it! I honestly never imagined I would get that far. I am really thankful that my parents entrusted me with Instagram because they aren’t really huge fans of social media, so I am so grateful that they allowed me to use it.

If you are allowed to use Instagram, I really recommend you follow my page @elysianartiste, I post daily, and I have fun quizzes and stuff on my story and its easier for me to engage with my followers.

If you arent allowed to use Instagram I totally feel you. It took many tries to get my parents to agree to let me use Instagram as another platform to express my creativity. If you really want Instagram, I recommend setting aside a time to talk to your parents when they are not busy or working on anything else. Explain why you want it, The benefits of having it, and ask what the boundaries are and If they do allow you to have it, respect the boundaries. Once they see you obeying the boundaries it allows them to trust you more and eventually they will give you more freedom.

So yeah, short story long that’s why I have been gone and not so active with my posting. I am really excited to get back into the blogging world. I have a bunch of great content that I cannot wait to share with all of you!

Thanks for reading today’s blog post! I am excited to get back into the blogging world!

 

keep smiling, ava 

 

 

how to read more during the summer

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Welcome back to my itsy-bitsy corner of the web! Today’s post is going to be all about how to read more during the summer without missing out on the exciting and warm summer days.

Let’s get started!

Read Outside:

A great way to spend some time outdoors is to read outside. Reading outside is really relaxing because you can enjoy nature and enjoy a good book.

☆Bring books with you everywhere:

The wonderful thing about putting a small paperback book into your bag is that you always have a chance to read. Waiting in line? Pull out your book. On a car ride? Pull out your book. Eating Lunch? Pull out your book. The possibilities are endless.

☆Audio Books:

Audiobooks are great for when you’re on the go during the summer. Whether your hanging outside, at the beach or adventuring in a new found city, you can always pop in your earbuds and listen to a great story.

☆Read graphic novels:

Graphic novels are fun and can be easily read in under an hour. Plus, lots of graphic novels have cute summer themes.

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I hope you guys all enjoyed today’s little post! what do you read in the summer? how do you read more in the summer? what are you doing this summer?

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summer bucket list 2019

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Welcome back to my itsy-bitsy corner of the web! Summer is coming! And I am so excited! In today’s post, I am going to be sharing my Summer Bucket list!

Let’s get started!

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grow my audience: I want to grow my audience more and stay more consistent on my blog and my socials

☆Make summer themed lifestyle posts: I want to make more summer lifestyle posts. If you have any ideas, comment down below!

Host blogging activity: I have always wanted to do this! Hopefully this summer I can 😀

☆ Start my blog design business! (I’m starting it sometime in June)

☆ Start Youtube Channel: I have always wanted to do this, Hopefully, it will be live sometime in August!

☆ Post three times a week: I want to make my blog exciting and have new posts more frequently

☆ Post more photography: A lot of people like my photography, so I am going to try to post more of it.

summer goals reading

☆ Read Less: I actually want to read less this summer. Last summer I read 50 books, but this summer I only want to read 25. I want to spend more time outside and with my friends and family, instead of chilling in my room and spending the whole day reading.

☆Read more nonfiction: I read way too much fiction. Fiction is amazing, but I also want to develop more skills this summer and learn more. So I am going to try to read at least 10 nonfiction books.

☆Get ahead of my TBR list: There are so many books that I haven’t read that I really want to read. This summer I want to read some of those books.

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☆ Draft the rest of my novel: I wrote a bit of my novel during Camp Nano and I really want to finish it. I love the story so much and I hope that it can become published. I plan to work on it a little bit this summer.

☆ Write every day: I started a diary a while back and I want to finish it and start writing every day again.

☆ Write more poetry: I love writing poetry, but I haven’t really had a lot of time for it. I want to work on it this summer.

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☆ Study More: In the fall I am going into high school and I want to make sure that I study during the summer so I won’t forget everything I learned before.

☆ Practice Math: Math is not my best friend, so I want to do some math warm-ups every day.

☆Sign up for college classes: I got accepted into two colleges’ College Credit Plus program, so I want to spend some time picking out the classes I want to take in fall.

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☆ Get my nails painted: I got a nail salon certificate for Christmas and thought it would be perfect to use in the summer. I’m thinking about painting them yellow, or white.

☆ Take some morning runs: I want to start running every morning, and exercising a bit more.

☆ Make some money: I am saving up for a Mac, and new camera and an Ipad Pro. I want to start some buisness and make some money during the summer to go towards my savings and so I can have some extra cash.

☆ Volunteer: I really want to volunteer at the library or the animal shelter. I think it will be a fun way to help support organizations I love.

☆ Spend more time with friends: I have a lot of great friends, but sometimes I don’t always get to spend time with them, because of everyone’s schedules. I hope to spend more time with them and develop deeper friendships with them

☆ Go thrifting: I have found some really cute clothes and local thrift shops and I hope to go there again with one of my friends that are obsessed with vintage clothing.

☆ Learn More French: I love french, and I want to really take some time to learn it.

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☆Practice more piano: I love the piano, and now that I am a worship leader in my youth group, I want to be the best pianist I can be.

☆Practice Clarinet: I love clarinet and I want to practice it so I can do well when I go into the intermediate group.

☆ Write songs: I love singing and songwriting and I really want to write a song.

☆ Use my uke: I don’t always use my ukelele and I want to use it more this summer.

☆ Learn some French songs: I think this will be a fun way to practice French.

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☆ Go to the movies: A lot of great movies are coming out and it would be really fun to go to the movie theatre to see them.

☆ See a musical: I love musicals and I would love to see one!

☆Go to the beach or swimming: I would really love to go to the pool or the beach.

☆ Go to the funfest: Our city has a fun festival every summer and I would love to go with one of my friends.

☆ Get boba tea: I love Boba and I really would love to get some.

I hope you all enjoyed my Summer Bucket List! I hope this post inspires you to have a fun summer!

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What’s on your summer bucket list?

What movies are you excited about?

Do you want to have a retro summer like me?

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