It's Monday! What are you reading? :: December 29, 2014

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

I hope that you and your loved ones had a wonderful Christmas! It just flew by again, didn't it? Each year, I try my best to slow down and truly enjoy December. I've been in hibernation mode ever since Winter Break started, but I'm slowly emerging to engage with the outside world again and finally cracking open my books again. 

I've also had a little bit of ADHD with not focusing on one book at a time, so this week, my goal is to finish at least ONE of the books I'm reading. Let's see if I can hold myself to it. ;)

This week, I'm currently reading:

I'm enjoyed learning about the history of Pakistan because it is completely foreign to me. The more I learn about her, the more I love her. 

I Am Malala

Loving the little short stories in this one. It's perfect to help me through my "mourning Christmas" phase. 

My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

What are you reading this week? 

It's Monday! What are you reading? :: December 15, 2014

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

Finished:

In Real Life

My oldest was sick this week and while I stayed home with her, I had the chance to read and finish this book. It was really good. I will be posting a review soon!

This week, I'm currently reading:

I'm taking a break from my book club book to read some holiday stories. 

I Am Malala

I saw this at Target and I think it was written just for me! I love Christmas stories! I love Christmas LOVE stories. *insert sigh* :)

My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

Chip-chip-chippin' away at this... 

The Art of Teaching Writing

What are you reading this week? 

It's Monday! What are you reading? :: December 8, 2014

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

Pulse It (Simon Teen):

I just recently discovered Simon (& Schuster's) Teen online via Instagram (@simonteen) and found their site, Pulse It. I LOVE it! For the month of December, they are celebrating #31daysofreading by giving free access to a book each day for 24 hours.

I've been dabbling in them this past week and so far, Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger has been the hardest to put down. (I had the chance to meet her a local bookstore signing a few years ago and she was so sweet. I'm so happy for her success!)

I would have finished it in 24 hours, but alas, my job and those cute little girls of mine get in the way of any binge-reading I could possibly do this week.

Let the Sky Fall

This week, I'm currently reading:

Gotta finish this for my book club this week! (Procrastination at it's best!) 

I Am Malala

Another week, another chapter. Let's do this. :)

The Art of Teaching Writing

What are you reading this week? 

Five on Friday :: November 7, 2014

1) Came across this tumblr, Postcards to Authors. What a great idea! It's a project to say thank you to authors who write great books. 

2) People often ask me how I get any reading done, especially with two little kids under the age of 5. In all honesty, I don't get a LOT of reading, but I just read fast so when I DO get a chance to read, I binge read (very similar to binge-watching shows on Netflix). However, this article about how this guy Reads 60 Books a Year is full of helpful tips and strategies on how to get more reading in your schedule. On a side note, I personally get a little pressure to read regularly whenever I set my Goodreads Challenge each year. This year, I set it pretty low at 25 books this year, but in years past, I've set it at 50 books a year. 

3) I am a little (read: a LOT) obsessed with HelloGiggles.com. It's pretty much a website made just for me. I love all the articles and I love that they are also obsessed with the same things I am (i.e., Zooey Deschanel, Gilmore Girls, girl empowerment... ) I loved this list of 20 Quotes from Funny Women. 

Was searching through old boxes and found this early cover sketch for Lost and Found

A photo posted by @oliverjeffers on Feb 2, 2014 at 9:05am PST

4) In my next life, I think I'd like to be a children's book illustrator. Until then, here is a great list from Buzzfeed of 18 Illustrators You Need to Follow on Instagram. 

5) It seems like either I've knowingly (and possibly, unknowingly) have befriended many introverts on my social media networks because I keep seeing this Hamster Ball infographic to explain How to Understand Introverts. Not gonna lie, it's pretty accurate. I'm actually "hamster balling" right now next to my hubby on the couch while I write this blog post and I'm completely content. :) 

Workspace Wednesday :: 12

I finally made some time to craft last weekend after a few months of no crafting at all. Trying to carve out time for myself isn't always the easiest thing, especially when it's so late once the girls are down.

I had the chance to organize my roller stamps into a bigger container because I snatched up a couple more at my latest visit to Tuesday Morning. I also moved all of my tags into a big I found at the Target One Spot a few months ago. 

If you would like to participate in the Workspace Wednesday posts, follow the #workspacewednesday hashtag on Instagram. 

Marcy Penner is also leading a group of crafty WW posts at #hfworkspacewednesday.

You can follow me on Instagram at @jasminemarie. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? :: December 1, 2014

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

Update:
I've been MIA for most of November. We went to Vegas for a cousin's wedding and then the rush of Thanksgiving week just hit me with food poisoning leading up to it and then family was here the rest of the week. I'm hoping to get into a better schedule with blogging.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

This week, I'm currently reading:

My book club and I are reading I Am Malala and I am loving it! It's so interesting and I am so inspired by her story. Excited to talk about with the book club in a few weeks. 

I Am Malala

Also, I picked up another graphic novel while at the library a few weeks ago. I've had this on my to-read list for a little while and I'm loving it. I had to put it down while I went through food poisoning for a few days, but the illustrations are good and it kind of makes me hungry while reading it. ;)

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen

Digging back into this again this week. Still trying to meet my goal of finishing it before the end of the calendar year. 

The Art of Teaching Writing

What are you reading this week?