The Sunday Mix (28)

Another Sunday, another line-up of links to share with you, my dear readers (even while I'm off in Paris on an adventure with my family)! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, and find something that you can use for inspiration, encouragement or advice. If you've found any fascinating links of your own, feel free to share them in the comments section! 

• Samantha Shannon has sold a new book! Her new novel is going to feature dragons, and Eastern and Western cultural influences - and you guys know that I am very much here for that. I love Shannon's ability to tell a tale, and in case you haven't yet, here are ten reasons to read The Bone Season, her debut novel.
• London has always been a dream destination for me, ever since I was in the sixth grade. Kelly kicks off her new feature with tips on visiting London, and you can bet I bookmarked the shit out of that. Kelly is my go-to travel adviser, and I can't wait for more of her posts! (I also really love her Q&A!)
• I've been on a graphic novel kick lately! I've read my fair share over the past few weeks, and it's really invigorated my love for this form of storytelling. Cee shares some upcoming titles from Image Comics that we can look forward to, and I'm so excited about these. I'm particularly looking forward to Isola, Afar and Prima, which all sound right up my alley.
• Spring cleaning is one of my favorite things about the season. (I've already gone through my closet twice and my shelves twice, and plan on doing it again when I get back from my vacation.) Brittany has some suggestions for spring cleaning your shelves, your Goodreads account and your blog!
• Gillian wrote an entire post about something that's been on my mind lately: the problem with fantasy (which is also my favorite genre). I've read a lot of fantasy this year (considering it's only been around four month), and I have to say that I've had my fair share of disappointments. Personally, I feel like it's because we're getting too many of them and I might be feeling overwhelmed and finding it all too easy to compare books and notice the things I might not have noticed normally. What do you think?
• Alexandra talks about why it's okay to give high ratings for your reads. Personally, I don't find anything wrong with having consistently high ratings, especially if you're great at choosing reads that you're guaranteed to enjoy. I'm usually pretty good at that! And I am extremely diligent about dropping books when I'm not enjoying them, and I don't give ratings for books I DNF.
• Kelly Van Sant talks about re-reading, and I have to say that I certainly agree with everything she has to say. While I don't think I re-read novels as often or as much as she does, I do love indulging in them for the very same reasons she mentions. Are you a re-reader? (P.S. If you do enjoy re-reading, why not sign up for the Re-Read Challenge?)
• Cait weighs in on the difference between inspiration and copying when it comes to blog posts. This is extremely helpful whether you're a blogging veteran or newbie! I really liked seeing her take on originality, and I definitely agreed with a lot of what she said.
• Ladies and gents, I've found my new favorite post - Gillian's sharing her thoughts on YA books that could be musicals. I love all of the suggestions and the songs, but I'm so partial to Anna/Lola/Isla. It would be such a cute musical, and filled with fun dance songs and swoony ballads. Plus, the costumes! The settings! The art!
• Any of my lovely readers heading to BEA? You'd do well to check out Brittany's BEA Part of It post featuring some Chicago trips (and those from the other girls joining her). I wish I were going, as I've never been to Chicago and want to go one day! (There's also this fab post full of advice from Fiction Fare.)