The Monday (erm, Tuesday) Mix (21)

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!

[I know, I know - I'm a little late this week. Chalk it up to the horrid weather, my sadness over the end of an epic family vacation and just generally feeling not like myself.]

How were your holidays? I hope everyone enjoyed some time off, a few delicious meals, lots of great gifts and time spent with people you love.

Mine were pretty darn awesome because my family (mom, dad and baby sister) have been here for two weeks on vacation! It's the first time all five of us have been together for the holidays since 2009, so that was pretty darn fun. I'll be sharing more about our trip in separate posts for all of this month! (Also, the only thing that would have made it better? Macky being here with us, of course.)

I'm happy to report that I finally have a laptop again! My parents and grandmother made sure of that, egged on by Melissa who insisted it was necessary I have one since I blog. Even though I will always have a soft spot for my first Macbook, I'm happy to be the proud owner of a new Macbook Pro! If only I knew what to name it... Suggestions?

It's back to the job hunting this month, though my sister and I are determined to be even more serious about it than we were previously. Please keep us both in your prayers and send luck when it comes to finding jobs our way!

LINKS TO CHECK OUT

1. I was incredibly moved by Ashley's post dedicated to Ned Vizzini. I'm saddened by his passing,  but wish him and his family peace. I particularly loved his novel It's Kind of a Funny Story, by the way, because it was the kind of story that made me think.

2. Jana's awesome collection of Christmas ornaments is really great! I love the ones from her travels, as they serve as great reminders of places she's already been to. Perhaps I should make this a tradition for me too...

3. I'm loving the posts on Capes and Coffee, a site run by the awesome Asheley. One of my favorites that she's written so far is all about regret. You should definitely check it out!

4. Shannon Hale wrote a post about YA tropes, and it's pretty darn great. I have to say that I really agree with what she had to say about them. Even if I complain about them, I also understand that they could be totally relatable on different levels for different people.

5. I love culling books (surprisingly)! It's always a relief to get books I might never read into the hands of people who would probably enjoy them. If you're trying to figure out how to cull books from your reading pile, check out April's helpful post.

6. It was incredibly touching to read about Jessica Spotswood's learning year, and equally touching to read one reader's response to that post.

7. For those of you who are curious about what Tumblr has to offer you, this post from Jessica is helpful. I loved how she broke it down -- how to use it, how she personally uses it.

8. How gorgeous are these retro Harry Potter travel posters? I really want all of them for my (future) office walls, stat. (Thanks for sharing, Marie Lu!)

9. Shae's guest post, "Tell the Truth, Tell the World" for Chachic's EWein Special Ops week is well worth a read. I completely agree with what she had to say about Code Name Verity, and she made me even more eager to check out Rose Under Fire.

10. As always, Rachel pairs fantastic bags with awesome books for BookBags. I'm seriously obsessed with the bag that matches Let the Sky Fall, which also happens to be the book she gave me for Christmas!

11. I loved Kelly's thoughts on connecting with characters. One of the reasons I would mark a book as a five star read on Goodreads is because I could relate so well to the main characters. As I said in my comment on her post, I could totally relate to Parker in Golden, Allyson in Just One Day and Kate in Things I Can't Forget.

12. Kelly's feelings about the treatment of books are very similar to mine. I like taking care of books, particularly my favorites, but I also like it when books seem like they've been loved and re-read many times.

RECAP OF MY POSTS

Reviews:

• These Broken Stars (Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner) was certainly written beautifully, with words that flowed into and out of one another effortlessly.
• If there is one statement to sum up my feelings towards Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer (Katie Alender), it is this: it was fun while it lasted.
• The Hero (Robyn Carr) is my favorite of the series, simply because the story kept me turning the pages.
• So Tough to Tame (Victoria Dahl) certainly hits the spot!
• The Geek's Guide to Dating (Eric Smith) is seriously adorable.
• What Pawn (Aimee Carter) lacks at its start, it more than makes up for by its end.
• If there's one thing I can say about The Promise of Amazing (Robin Constantine), it is that it truly lives up to its name. 
• Ink is Thicker Than Water (Amy Spalding) is precisely the kind I meant, offering up a story that focuses primarily on Kellie and her family, even as she also has friendships and romance to deal with.
• Being Sloane Jacobs (Lauren Morrill) is a magical, fun little read that's perfect for this wintry season.
• While The Princess in the Opal Mask (Jenny Lundquist) was fantasy light, at best, and fairly predictable, I definitely enjoyed it.
• It's always interesting when a series you follow comes to an end. The endings either work, or they don't, and in the case of Taste of Darkness (Maria V. Snyder), it worked.
• Unleashing Mr. Darcy (Teri Wilson) is a book that arrived in my hands at precisely the right moment.

Features:

• I was very excited to have author and friend Kat Zhang for An Author a (Mon)day to share about her writing and her new WIP.
• As I've done for the past two years, I filled out Jamie's End of Year Book Survey.
• Nina and I have teamed up for the Under the Never Sky Read-a-Thon next February! I've heard so much about the books, and look forward to reading everything all at once.
• Trish Doller joined me for An Author a (Mon)day to talk a bit more about her second book, and the other books in her future. (Spoiler: The next one sounds fantastic.)

Personal Posts:

• Here's my Christmas wishlist, a teensy Christmas greeting from last year, as well as some holiday music recommendations from yours truly.
• 2013 was an amazing year for me. Check out my 2013 recap (complete with pictures)!
• Instead of declaring these as resolutions, I shared my 2014 list of things I wanted to try and accomplish throughout this year.

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.