The Monday Mix (25)

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!

Okay, seriously, this cold needs to end. I was walking to work today, freezing my butt off and dealing with a stuffy nose and I have decided that I can't take it anymore! "The cold always bothers me every day." (And you can sing that to the tune of "Let It Go" from Frozen -- which won an Oscar yesterday!)

Speaking of the Oscars, I thoroughly enjoyed viewing it. Ellen made me laugh, particularly with the most epic selfie in the world (with lots of my favorites in it!) and the pizza bit. I also relished the chance to see all my favorites glammed up and looking mighty fine last night. I feel like such a failure though, because I've not seen all the films nominated for Best Picture yet! Got to remedy that -- and do better next year.

So, it's March, and that means a few things! Spring should be arriving (PLEASE!). Lea Michele's album Louder just released (and I'm pretty psyched about that). The New York Teen Author Festival is happening in the middle of March. A few awesome movies - Veronica Mars, Divergent, Need for Speed, Muppets Most Wanted, Noah - are also coming out, and I want to see them all! Once Upon a Time is back on TV. It's my mom's birthday, my grandfather's birthday and death anniversary, and my mom and dad's wedding anniversary. Therefore -- fun times ahoy!

LINKS TO CHECK OUT

• I just had to share this, because Hannah's reasons for loving being a reader so clearly match my own. Debby's reasons for loving being a blogger/reader are also pretty spot on, too! And then there are Asheley's reasons she loves being a reader, which are easy to relate to as well.
• Maggie Stiefvater has shared her thoughts in the form of a guide for writers looking to get published. It's very helpful!
• I loved Jen's take on the whole "don't do it if it's not fun" mentality about writing.
• Looking to be a more productive writer? Susan Dennard talks about the power of routine in the third of her productivity series. (Seriously, just check out all her posts -- they're AMAZING.)
• I do love a good historical romance cover, even if I usually just buy mine on Kindle these days. Jen's collected a rainbow of covers in this post, and they're so pretty!
• Love books AND shopping? Jen's new feature, The Literary Shopaholic, might be for you!
• I loved Veronica Roth's thoughts on getting a character in. Say what you want about her series, but she does know what she's doing when she gives this advice.
• My best friend/roommate Jaymee shared this article about coping with your impending quarter-life crisis. Even though I'm in a good place right now, the article definitely struck a chord with me!
• I loved this article that was shared via the Books of Wonder Tumblr! It's about Tim Federle and his Better Nate than Ever series, which I'm definitely reading this year.
• Reading before bed is my favorite thing to do, and I enjoyed this article (shared by Mundie Moms) about it.
• This is a lengthy, but thoughtful post about diversity in YA. Cynthia Leitich Smith really got me thinking, and I hope you take the time to read what she has to say.
• I loved Alyssa's thoughts on anti-heroes. It's so well-written and I completely agree (and love her chosen examples)!
• Sometimes, it feels like Hannah gets in my head. She wrote about admiring & acquiring books recently, echoing a lot of my own thoughts in it. 
• While I have yet to read Ignite Me, I loved Hannah's take on the entire series. She really made me think about what I expect from this series and these characters!
• Ah, commenting. It's a fun activity for me, and also fun to receive comments on my blog! Hannah shares her new commenting plan, and it's pretty brilliant.
• Magan and Estelle celebrate their friendiversary! These two are some of the sweetest, kindest, most inspiring people I know -- and I'm happy to be able to call them my friends too.
• Love a good retelling? Well, the team at Epic Reads made this EPIC chart of 162 YA retellings. I've only read 29, and I think that needs to be remedied!
• Negative reviews are rarely spotted on my blog, but I do appreciate seeing ones that are well-done on other blogs. Melissa shares her thoughts on negative reviews here.
• I got hungry after seeing Estelle's post on food in Queens, NY on Cassie's blog. I think I need to visit all the places she's mentioned when the weather is warmer!
• I'm actually not too turned off by slow starts at the beginning of books. On Brittany's blog, author Anne Leonard talks a bit about that in her guest post.
• Even though I complain (lovingly) about Estelle making my TBR grow, I love her Big Kids Table posts! This time, E did something old & something new, tackling authors whose books she's read and their newer releases. Go forth and add to your TBR!

POSTS RECAP

Reviews:

• The Countess Conspiracy - Courtney Milan
• The Lavender Garden - Lucinda Riley
• The Twistrose Key - Tone Almhjell
• While Beauty Slept - Elizabeth Blackwell
• Year of Mistaken Discoveries - Eileen Cook
• The Luckiest Lady in London - Sherry Thomas
• The Theory of Opposites - Allison Winn Scotch

Features/Events:

• Stacking the Shelves (3)
• It Takes Two || February 2014
• An Author a (Mon)day: Rebecca Serle
• Big Brother is Watching You... Or At Least Someone Is (Guest Post + Giveaway)
• A February 2014 Retrospective

Other Posts:

• Wednesdates: Fantasy Boyfriend Draft
• Wednesdates: Sibling Tag
• Wednesdates: The Boyband Battle
• Lit Ladies: Thursday's Favorite Couples

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.