The Sunday Mix (14)

Well, hello there, September! September reminds me of going back to school, crisper weather and warm drinks in hands; it also is the time when the weather sometimes gets cool enough to wear some boots and light sweaters. I've been figuratively sitting on my hands in an attempt to prevent myself from buying too many new books that aren't (a) a new book in a series I love or (b) pre-orders of books I read for review and fell head over heels for; so far, it's been working out well. And, apart from cooler weather and not buying new books, I was lucky enough to visit Cape Cod again for the third time this year and it was as lovely as always! Hope you lot in the US had a lovely Labor Day weekend, and that the rest of you just had a lovely weekend in general.

WHAT I READ

• Juliet Blackwell visited Pub Crawl to talk about the importance of setting. I always appreciate when an author takes the time to bring the setting to life. It adds an extra dimension to the story, and can, in fact, make it seem richer and more complete.
• I may or may not have bawled like a baby reading about Kristin & Andrew's beautiful Harry Potter-themed engagement story. It is seriously so magical and well done (Props to Andrew for his amazing, thoughtful work!), and I couldn't be happier for these two!
• Brittany put together this fascinating post that helps you determine which YA character you share a Myers-Briggs personality type with. I took the test and got ISFJ! That makes me like Cricket Thompson and Neville Longbottom :)
• Christina shares some helpful tips for talking to authors at events. Christina's tips are definitely helpful, particularly if you're stuck on how to start a conversation at all with one of your favorite authors at an event. In my experience, it definitely gets easier with time and exposure to events!
• I'm always searching for ways to improve my photography skills (especially for Instagram tag purposes), so Josephine's tips to take better #bookthroughphone photos were extremely helpful (and timely). I can't wait to test it out for this week's #weeklybookstagram! Also related, Josephine talks about safety on Instagram.
• Most readers I know (particularly those who are book bloggers) like thinking about what books to include on their TBR for the upcoming month. Andi shares what method works for her, and I really, really want to try it. It sounds like a method that would work to my benefit, and change things up!
• Need some ideas for how to approach revisions to your WIP? Hazel shares the things she's learned as she's worked on revising her story. They're quite practical, and I really think that fellow aspiring authors will benefit!
• I've been wanting to buy my very own Instax for a while now. Rachel shared tips for taking photos with an Instax camera, and it's just fueled my desire to own one! There's one I've had my eye on from UO (since it's a color exclusive to them), but the one Rachel talks about in her post appeals to me because there are so many settings.
• Kelly shares her thoughts against book shaming. Readers are all unique individuals; we don't think or feel or react the same way to everything, nor do we have the same reasons for choosing what we read. It's important to be respectful of other people's choices, in that sense.
• Looking to try some middle grade? Prefer the whimsical sort? Well, Laura has you covered with some awesome middle grade reading suggestions! I'm certainly bookmarking her post for future reference when I'm craving a new middle grade read.
• Dahlia Adler shares five tips for book blogging. I have to state, for the record, that I agree with her on every single one! I literally want to go on and on about my personal thoughts on each bullet point, but I'll let Dahlia do the talking this time.

WHAT I ACQUIRED

from publishers + author (Thank you St. Martin's Griffin, Macmillan + Martina Boone!)
physical: Compulsion by Martina Boone / The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore / Tonight the Streets are Ours by Leila Sales

from Rachel (Thanks!)
physical: Rip the Page! Adventures in Creative Writing by Karen Benke

bought
physical: Queen of Shadows (US ed.) by Sarah J. Mass (x2 - giveaway to come!) / Queen of Shadows (UK ed.) by Sarah J. Maas / Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce / Heir of Fire (US paperback) by Sarah J. Maas / Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman / Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith
Kindle: The Gift by Julie Garwood / Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood