Catch up with my blog and booktube channel via a recap of January: my posts, videos, current reads, and recently read.

We are all pretty busy, so I wouldn't blame you if you haven't much time to read this blog or watch my videos, and don't know what's been going on here. You remember how I set that goal of commenting on all the blogs listed in my bookish rounds posts? Yeah, that became quickly unrealistic, but I am glad to reply to all comments here and visit my commenters's blogs or videos, and I'm glad to give y'all a recap video & post of everything that's been going on here on the blog and booktube. Maybe this weekend, I'll catch up with some of my favorite blogs again...

The pictures in the video will take you directly to the videos & blog posts, but for your convenience, I've also typed everything out below the cut!

This month, at my booktube channel, I recorded videos on:

• 14 2015 Books That I’m Anticipating

• 12 Young Adult High Fantasy Recommendations || also on the blog HERE.

• Books Publishing in 2015 That You Should Anticipate || also on the blog HERE.

• The Bias against Young Adult literature from my coworkers || also on the blog HERE.

• The Best Books of 2014 || also on the blog HERE.

• A Tour of My Bookshelf || also on the blog HERE.

• My New Year's Bookolutions for 2015 || also on the blog HERE.

• Book Byte videos, aka shorter Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds, focusing on MG / YA / NA book related news: book byte (3), book byte (4), book byte (5) & book byte (6)

Here at the blog, I've written posts on:

• Reviews: The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick; The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand; In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis;The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson, The Vault of Dreamers by CaraghO'Brien, Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sarah Farizan, and The Curefor Dreaming by Cat Winters.

• Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds: edition 67, edition 68, edition 69, and edition 70.

• A Top Ten Tuesday post on which books I'd pick for my book club.

• A Discussion post in which I compare blogging and booktubing.

• Plus the posts mentioned above with their accompanying booktube videos!

Aside from the titles I've mentioned reviewing, I've also read:

• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. This book is SO SO SO beautiful. We read this as the January pick for my book club and YESSSSSSSSSS. I don't usually tend to like verse novels, but Ms. Woodson has such a talent for depicting moments. I've bookmarked so many pages and I'm so so so glad that I actually have a physical copy of this! Read it if you haven't already: you're missing out hugely!

• Burned by Karen Marie Moning. The Fever series is something like Faerie lore + Dublin + kickass, dangerous immortals + sexy times + women forced to become their own weapons. At the heart of the series is a struggle with the Sinsar Dubh, a Dark Book, that has a lot of Unseelie dark, evil magic, and the different factions within Dublin that are trying to get this book. Also at heart: the protagonist, Mac's, ability to see (and interact with) the Fae. Burned is the seventh book in the Fever series, and the second book in the Dani O'Malley trilogy, which means that in addition to focusing on Mac, the protagonist of the Fever series, it also focuses on Dani O'Malley. The sixth Fever and first Dani book, ICED, was pretty isolating: people either tended to hate or love it... and apparently that is also happening with Burned. I love both books and after waiting two years, I'm mostly pleased to have gotten another book that raises so many questions! If you clicked the link above, you would've been taken to my review. You see like five spoiler tags. That's because of all my theories and questions and the beautifully complex plotting and characters, and I can't wait for October and the next Fever novel!

I am currently reading:

• Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs. This is a read-along with Kristin, and I am so very glad for that because YAY to finally reading a book that I own and that is on the TBR pile. I'll report more later on the actual book. This past Monday was our goal for being 100 pages in.

I downloaded for review:

• Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. This is the sequel to Seraphina. Despite me sayingNO MORE ARCS, I AM AHEAD ON REVIEWS, I was still like omg omg omg looooooooooook Shadow Scale is READ NOW on Netgalley. Doooo it! *sigh*

I purchased:

• Open Road Summer by Emery Lord. So many bloggers love this title, I feel a little deficient in not having read it already. My book club continues to mention it, so after our meeting, I went to the Strand and got myself a copy.

• A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn. I've had my eye on this one for a while now. It has a blurb by Kristin Cashore (all the books she's blurbed I've loved, and I love her books) & a blurb by Franny Billingsley. It also got a starred review from Kirkus and was named one of their best books of 2014. Lame as this makes me sound, I tend to agree most of the times with Kirkus, so that review is an excellent sign.

• Alchemy and Mysticism by Alexander Roob. So, I got the above two titles when I was in the Strand, and this one too. Occasionally I like to buy books that I wouldn't normally hear about or read, but would serve as great writer's inspiration. Obscure topics. Last time I was in the Strand, I purchased a book on sea monsters on medieval mapsand that was delightful.

• The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon. I already read this, so I just wanted to own a copy for myself :).

• Splintered by A.G. Howard. To get free shipping from Barnes and Noble, you have to have a cart of $25 or more, and I had a $25 gift certificate, so I added Splintered because last summer I bought Unhinged (dumbass me thought it was the first book lol) and everyone keeps talking about that series, might as well see for myself.

• I also pre-ordered Made You Up by Francesca Zappia and with it, to qualify for free shipping again & use another gift card, is Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, which I already read but which I gave away to a friend, so here's to restoring my copy! And y'all have already heard me wax poetic about Made You Up :).

I know most other recaps also link to other blogger posts and discuss the blogger's personal life, but y'all should check out my bookish rounds posts if you'd like to see what other bloggers have been up to this month. Have there been any posts you liked a lot from me this month? Got any blogger or booktube feedback? What are you currently reading? What have you recently purchased and what was your latest read? I hope your Januarys have been fantastic :).

Have you guys heard of "Booktube"?  It's basically this fantastic aspect of Youtube where people talk about BOOKS.  You can find Hauls, Tags, Challenges, Reviews and more on this side of the internet and it's basically like pure gold for any book lover out there.

I thought I'd compile a list of my favorite booktubers for your viewing pleasure and from there, you can find others that tickle your fancy.  This list is in no particular order.

1.  BooksandQuills

This channel was my first introduction to the Booktube community.  Sanne is from The Netherlands and has amazing taste in books.  She also reads a variety of books, which is nice (and unusual) in the Booktube community.  She always has critical and thought out reviews and opinions on each book. 

2.  PeruseProject

Reagan reads mostly YA and Adult Fantasy.  She has a sarcastic sort of wit and always creates absolutely hilarious and entertaining videos.  Personally, I love Adult Fantasy so I have always loved her channel, but even if you don't, she does many Haul/Challenge videos which can appeal to any book lover.

3.  PolandbananasBOOKS

Christine makes me laugh.  If you love YA, she's the girl to watch. She is extremely excitable and energetic, which is always really fun to watch on Youtube.  Her channel is really popular, and I think it's due to her personality and excellent editing.  What I really like about Christine, though, is that she branches out from the typical Booktuber videos.  She's really creative.  Check out her Mourning Period video to see what I mean.

4. Ariel Bissett

I like Ariel Bisset for the same reason I like Sanne from BooksandQuills: she really thinks and dissects what she's reading.  She also has videos where she discusses a topic related to books.  Her Sex in Books!? videos is one of my all-time favorites by her.  She also predominately reads YA, but has been trying to branch out lately, which I appreciate.

5.  Joel Books

Joel is a booktuber I've only recently discovered, but I completely love him.  He is hilarious.  Once again, he reads mostly YA (you will quickly discover that most of the Booktubers read YA) but he is so ridiculously entertaining that every video put out by him is worth the watch, although I particularly liked SLOW READER SHAME.

6. Chapter Stackss

I love this girl.  I love her because of the variety of books she reads.  She reads everything from YA to Anita Blake and, as I mentioned earlier, that is so rare in the Booktube community and so refreshing.  She is hilarious, insightful and quite possible one of my all-time favorites.

Other great booktubers:

Elizziebooks

Katytastic

JessetheReader

Tashapolis

Little Book Owl

Priceiswong

Padfootandprongs07

And so many more!

Book review of Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl.

Her voice was preserved. Out of the millions that were silenced, this voice was no louder than a child's whisper... It has outlasted the shouts of the murders and has soared above the voices of time.
- Ernst Shnabel