TGIF at GReads! {28}

TGIF is a weekly feature hosted by Ginger over at GReads! Each week, Ginger asks her followers a question to help us get to know one another better. It's also a chance to re-cap blog posts from the past week.

Buy or Borrow: Where do your books that you read come from? The bookstore? The library? Do you prefer to own a book, or have it on loan?

 I prefer to own a book, even though it's going to put me into debt for the rest of my life. I like to know that if I really love a book, I have it at my fingertips. So many times books are a source of comfort, so I like knowing they're there if I need them. One of the reasons I got an ereader was so that I could carry around 300+ books with me. You never know when you'll be stuck in a traffic standstill for untold hours and might need a book or two. It was also less weight in the purse than the 2 or 3 books I would need with me. (This doesn't mean you won't find me with an ereader AND print book in my bag. In case the battery dies, right?)

Now, this doesn't mean I'm opposed to borrowing a book! I lend books back and forth with friends all the time, and am always willing to loan out a book of mine. I'm all about sharing the love. I will also use the library, although sometimes I have moments of "OMG WHERE HAS THIS BOOK BEEN?!" I"m also really bad about returning the books to the library. I'm an ace at returning books to people I know, but the library...forget it. In fact, today I'm going to confess my sins to the Library Pope and pay my fine so that I can become an active library patron again. I'm trying to become more financially aware and that includes purchasing less books. This will only work if I can return the library books and not pay the same in fines that I would purchasing the dang book.

Tune in Tuesday {23}

Tune in Tuesday is one of my favorite features! It's hosted by Ginger at GReads! and helps bring attention to new and/or old songs or artists. Music makes my little world go round, and I love sharing what I like and finding new music through this feature.

Last week, I featured one of Jenny Lewis' solo songs. This week is her band, Rilo Kiley! 

Fun fact: Anyone remember the Nickelodeon show Salute Your Shorts? How about the character Ronnie Pinsky, played by Blake Sennett? WELL! Blake Sennett (then known as Blake Soper) is the lead guitarist for Rilo Kiley! Yes, that's right. It's 80's child star heaven in Rilo Kiley. Not only that, but they are a seriously awesome band. 


I couldn't decide which song to put up, so you're going to get two. The first one is the first song I heard by Rilo Kiley and it was instant love. (This is also seriously old school Rilo Kiley.) Their music makes me happy, that's all I can say! They have some songs like this one that are just completely random and others that tell awesome stories. (I have a thing for songs like that, can you tell?) The second song is just one that I love.

"The Frug"

"Breakin' Up"

Cover Reveal: Predestined (Existence #2) by Abbi Glines

If you've been following me for a bit, you might have noticed that I love Abbi Glines. Her books are awesome, she's super sweet, and I've been lucky enough to have had the chance to review all of her books so far. I'm extremely excited to be part of the cover reveal for Predestined (Existence #2)! If you haven't read Existence, you may want to skip the description. It's a tad spoilery. And by 'tad', I mean very. But you can still gaze upon the cover with delight!

Without further ado:

You would think after helping save her boyfriend from an eternity in Hell that things would go back to normal. Well, as normal as life can be when you can see souls and your boyfriend is Death. But for Pagan Moore, things are just getting weirder. 

The high school quarterback and reigning heartthrob, Leif Montgomery, is missing. While the town is in a frenzy of worry, Pagan is a nervous wreck for other reasons. Apparently good ol' Leif isn't your average teenage boy. He isn't even human. According to Death, Leif doesn't have a soul. The quarterback may have skipped town but he's still showing up in Pagan's dreams...uninvited. 

Dank has known from the beginning that Leif wasn't human. But he hadn't worried about a simple soulless creature. Now, he realizes he made a grave mistake. Pagan's soul has been marked since birth as a restitution, to a spirit so dark not even Death walks near it. Dank knows saving Pagan's soul won't be easy but Pagan is his. And he's already proven he'll defy Heaven to keep her. If Hell wants a piece of him too, then bring it on. (Summary from Goodreads.com)

I think this cover is freaking fabulous! Predestined will be released in April 2012. In the meantime, check out the Facebook page and keep an eye on Abbi's website for more information. Also, please check out my reviews and features for Abbi's books!

To help you get ready for the book release, and wet you appetite just a bit, I have the Predestined Playlist! I love book playlists because they can help set the tone for the book. Music expresses so much more than words, and I love getting to see into the author's head through the playlist. Enjoy!!!

Tune In Tuesday {22}

Tune in Tuesday is one of my favorite features! It's hosted by Ginger at GReads! and helps bring attention to new and/or old songs or artists. Music makes my little world go round, and I love sharing what I like and finding new music through this feature.

Story time!!!

When I was growing up, one of my favorite movies was Troop Beverly Hills. I thought it was absolutely fabulous and would go around my house pretending to be Phyllis Nefler, clomping around in my Mom's heels. Adorable image, right? I know. I was pretty darn cute. Moving on. 


Jenny Lewis is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. Her voice is beautiful and her lyrics can both break your heart and make you laugh. Some of my favorite songs by her have these wonderfully cheeky lyrics. And every song tells a story. If I'm ever trapped on a desert island, there had better be some Jenny Lewis music to get me through! As I watched more videos of her performing, I realized there was something familiar about her, so I did a little research. Jenny Lewis played Hannah Nefler in Troop Beverly Hills!


BAM! My childhood and adulthood collided! 


Today I'm featuring one of my favorite Jenny Lewis videos. This is a great story song, and the video is perfect for it. Enjoy! 

"See Fernando" by Jenny Lewis

2011 Reading Wrap-Up

So, yes, things have been a little slow here at Surrounded By Words this year, but you'll have that sometimes. And perhaps some of you think that 16 days into the new year is a little late to do a wrap up of my reading of the year before. It's also a little late to finish the first book of the new year, but that happened yesterday. Such is life.

I set a reading goal of 75 books for last year and I read 80! According to Goodreads I only read 72 books, but some of them were re-reads and I didn't want to change the original "Read On" date. So boo hiss on Goodreads and Yay! for me exceeding my goal! This year's goal is 100!
 
Here's my 2011 reading list:

1. My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers # 0.5) by Rachel Vincent 1/11/11
2. My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1) by Rachel Vincent 1/12/11
3. My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers #2) by Rachel Vincent 1/27/11
4. Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison 1/28/11
5. My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers #3 by Rachel Vincent 2/3/11
6. Reaper (Soul Screamers #3.5) by Rachel Vincent 2/3/11
7. Across the Universe by Beth Revis 2/5/11
8. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell 2/7/11
9. Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky 2/9/11
10. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan 2/11/11
11. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan 2/13/11
12. Feed by M. T. Anderson 2/22/11
13. Matched by Ally Condie 3/8/11
14. The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson 3/12/11
15. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 3/18/11
16. White Cat by Holly Black 4/3/11
17. The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin 4/4/11
18. The Baby-Sitters Club #1: Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin 4/5/11
19. The Baby-Sitters Club #2: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls by Ann M. Martin 4/8/11
20. The Baby-Sitters Club #3: The Truth About Stacey by Ann M. Martin 4/10/11
21. The Search by Nora Roberts 4/14/11
22. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery 4/16/11 (re-read)
23. Bumped by Megan McCafferty 4/22/11
24. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins 4/26/11
25. Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan 4/26/11
26. The Baby-Sitters Club #4: Mary Anne Saves the Day by Ann M. Martin 5/1/11
27. The Baby-Sitters Club #5: Dawn and the Impossible Three by Ann M. Martin 5/2/11
28. Cold Case by Julia Platt Leonard 5/13/11
29. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen 5/17/11
30. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling 5/23/11 (re-read)
31. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling 5/26/11 (re-read)
32. Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson 5/29/11
33. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher 6/1/11 
34. Shadow Magic by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett  6/3/11 (re-read)
35. Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett 6/5/11 (re-read)
36. Dragon Soul by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett 6/7/11 
37. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray 6/11/11 
38. Die for Me by Amy Plum 6/13/11 
39. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma 6/20/11
40. Montana Sky by Nora Roberts 6/24/11
41. Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz 6/27/11
42. Nerds Girls: The Rise of the Dorkasaurus by Alan Lawrence Sitomer 07/02/11
43. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 07/08/11
44. Love Story by Jennifer Echols 07/18/11
45. Breathe by Abbi Glines 07/20/11
46. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer 07/30/11
47. Wildefire by Karsten Knight 07/31/11
48. Wake by Lisa McMann/ 08/01/11
49. Fade by Lisa McMann 08/02/11
50. The Help by Kathryn Stockett 08/13/11
51. Steel Hands by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett 08/17/11 
52. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann 08/20/11
53. Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon 08/22/11
54. Damage Control by Denise Hamilton 08/24/11
55. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld 08/25/11
56. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld 08/29/11 
57. Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst 09/04/11
58. Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock 09/2011 (I waited too long to add it and forgot the date)
59. Divergent by Veronica Roth 09/2011 (Same with this one)
60. Goliath by Scott Westerfeld 10/07/11
61. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 10/08/11
62. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness 10/14/11
63. The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines 10/15/11
64. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson 10/16/11
65. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman 11/01/11
66. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley 11/02/11
67. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World by Bryan Lee O'Malley 11/04/11
68. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols 11/08/11
69. Forget You by Jennifer Echols 11/12/11 
70. Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O'Malley 11/17/11
71. The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols 11/18/11
72. Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together by Bryan Lee O'Malley 11/19/11
73. Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe by Bryan Lee O'Malley 11/22/11
74. Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O'Malley 11/22/11
75. Existence by Abbi Glines 11/26/11
76. Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols 11/27/11
77. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 12/03/11
78. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare 12/08/11
79. Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley 12/14/11
80. Cinder by Marissa Meyer 12/26/11

John Green Week {Day Two}

Welcome to John Green Week Day Two! 

I have this notebook full of quotes. Whenever I hear anything I like, be it from a book, movie, TV show, etc, I write it down in this notebook. Some are funny, some are serious. All have touched some part of me. The beauty held in words will never cease to amaze me. I wanted to share some of my favorite John Green quotes with you all, from both videos and books.

...if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane. ~Looking for Alaska

Jesus, I'm not going to be one of those people who sites around talking about what they're going to do. I'm just going to do it. Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia...You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the prison. ~Looking for Alaska

And I wanted to tell her that the pleasure for me wasn't planning or doing or leaving; the pleasure was in seeing our strings cross and separate and then come back together. ~Papertowns

Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they'll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you  back. ~An Abundance of Katherines

You like someone who can't like you back because unrequited love can be survived in a way that once-requited love cannot. ~Will Grayson, Will Grayson (Admittedly, I haven't read this one yet, but I say this quote on Goodreads and thought it was beautiful.)

 What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person. ~Papertowns

When did we see each other face to face? Not until you saw into my cracks and I saw into yours. Before that, we were just looking at ideas of each other, like looking at your window shade but never seeing inside. But once the vessel cracks, like can get in. The light can get out. ~Papertowns

{This next quote is from a Vlogbrothers video, and John said this statement with such passion. Of course, I can't for the life of me remember which one.}

In the contemporary world where things fall apart and the center cannot hold, you have to imagine a community where there is no center.

True love will triumph in the end - which may or may not be a lie, but if it is a lie, it's the most beautiful lie we have.

{And finally, one that sums everything up.}

Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than about the stories and people we're quoting.

John Green Week: Jan. 3rd - 10th {Day One}

Happy John Green Week!! 

John Green Week is being hosted by an awesome group of bloggers and runs from January 3rd through 10th, which is also the day his latest book, The Fault in Our Stars, is being released. This is a week dedicated to celebrating the awesome that is John Green. In addition to sharing my love for John Green and his books with you, I will also be reading Will Grayson/Will Grayson, which is the only book of his that I have not read.

First, a thank you to all the blogs hosting John Green Week:

Britney and Farrah - (I Eat Words)

Ginger - (GReads Books)

Anna - (Anna Reads Books)

Lindsi (Books, Sweets, and other Treats)

Melanie (Reclusive Bibliophile) 

Tara (Fiction Folio)

Yani (The Secret Life of an Avid Reader)

Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)

Liz (ElizzieBooks)

Heidi (YA Bibliophile)

Priscilla (The Readables)

I was introduced to John Green in 2008. Before I had read any of his books, I had made my way through at least half of the Vlogbrothers videos. For those of you who don't know, in 2007 John and his brother, Hank, decided to go one year without any textual communication. No texts, e-mails, Skype chats, etc. Instead, they started making daily YouTube videos in a project they called Brotherhood 2.0. This not only brought them closer as brothers, but created a massive community of people dedicated to decreasing world suck. These people are called Nerdfighters, and I'm proud to count myself among them. 

One of my favorite things about John Green is his ability to make me laugh. He's also brilliant and poignant, but he's brightened many a dreary day for me, and decreased my own personal world suck, by being hilarious.  I thought I would share a couple of my favorite funny John Green videos with you today. I'm sure I will share more videos with you this week, but this felt like a good place to start. I'm going to start with one of his most recent videos that had me laughing my butt off.

During the first year of the Vlogbrothers, John and Hank agreed to post videos on alternating days (except for Sunday) with the agreement that if one missed a day, a punishment was to be issued. This video is one of my favorite John Green punishments.

This next video isn't necessarily one that made me roll on the floor with laughter, but I love it and think it's brilliant. How Nerdfighters Drop Insults.

Don't forget to stop by I Eat Words, or any of the hosting blogs, and check out all the blogs participating in John Green Week! And leave a comment to let me know you were here!