The Monday Mix (19)

The Monday Mix basically gives me the opportunity to share with all of you the links I loved online from weeks past. This includes everything from great reviews, articles about writing, inspiring posts and perhaps other things too. I've always valued the opportunity to share the great things I've read or seen, and this is my way to share the love with all the bloggers, authors + pubs out there!

Even though the weather outside has been pretty frightful (read: I most definitely don't want to be out there!), the past two weeks have been pretty great!

I got a chance to have dinner with Rachel; catching up and talking about books + life with her was lots of fun. I also watched Catching Fire with my sister (spoiler before I post my movie review: it was INCREDIBLE!), before heading off to New Jersey to spend Thanksgiving with family over there. My sister and I checked out the Black Friday shopping, scoring the Vampire Diaries S04 DVDs for her and a couple of book deals for us both!

I've finally caught up on Once Upon a Time (and I love it. How I avoided watching this show for so long, I do not know). I went through a bit of a reading slump in November, but I'm happy to report that things are starting to look up for me reading-wise.

In other life news, I've been applying for a new job, but so far, no luck. Here's to hoping that something arrives before the new year! I'm looking forward to the holidays, as I love Christmas and everything about it. Plus, it looks like my Christmas 2013 might just be extra special if things pan out the way they should!

LINKS TO CHECK OUT

1. One thing I don't own nearly enough of in my life is a good, sturdy bag. Rachel shares a couple of really awesome choices (that Rebecca Minkoff one is seriously tempting) in her Thanksgiving BookBags post.

2. Marie Lu talks about twisting your plot, which is something that I need more practice in. Her tips are pretty simple, and I'm thinking it's high time I try out one or two on my own writing.

3. As always, Elena has created an amazing wallpaper for The Book Thief. This girl is SO talented, and you need to check out all the other wallpapers she's made in the past.

4. If you've got any questions about ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies), Molli shared some helpful, practical thoughts on how to get them, and what to do after you've read them.

5. Here's a literary road trip featuring some classic novels, care of the guys at Zerve.

6. How amazing is this Harry Potter party? I want to have one (and thanks Gillian for sharing this link on Twitter!)

7. Here 's a link that gave me warm, fuzzy, positive feels this week -- 20 things we ought to say more often (thanks Jamie!).

8. The amazingly talented Ashley has set up this new site that's a directory for book bloggers. It's pretty darn awesome! (You can add me as a friend and like the blog on it!)

9. 'Tis the season for the gift guides! Magan gave some ideas for gifting children's books, while Anna shared some pretty darn awesome bookish gifts.

10. If you're looking for more books to lust over that are coming out next year, check out the December 2013 ARC Party hosted by Epic Reads. I guarantee that your to-read lists/book wishlists will grow tremendously!

11. I quite like what Jessica Spotswood had to say about writing romance in YA. The thoughts she expressed are definitely worth keeping in mind if you're planning to write your own YA story!

12. The ever-talented Margot posted a fauxto of Code Name Verity. It is seriously one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring fauxtos she's done so far, and I LOVE it.

RECAP OF MY POSTS

I kicked off my Friends with ARCs feature (done in tandem with Rachel) with my review of Crash Into You. announced the Incarnate Series Read-A-Thon that I'm co-hosting with Bonnie, which I am very excited about. I reviewed Freaks, as part of the blog tour. I get quite personal and tell you what I'm thankful for this 2013. In case you missed it, here's my November retrospective (and I posted a vlog for this one!).

Here's an interview with 2013 debut author Amanda Sun. I shared an excerpt of the novella Proxy (and there's a giveaway)! I decided I need to tell you all why I loved Catching Fire (the film). I never thought I would read The Host, but I did and I liked it! I shared some photos of Christmases past for your viewing pleasure (and I pretty much look the same in each one).

I hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I did! Now it's YOUR turn - are there any posts (on your blog or other blogs) from last week that I missed out on? Please feel free to share links in the comments and I'll try to check them out.