Pretty Little Memoirs - a YA Book Blog

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discussion

Why YA is for Everyone

Whenever there’s a big dilemma/discussion on Twitter, I tend to stray from it. Not because I don’t believe in standing up for my opinion, but because confrontation and me just aren’t a good mix. As a lot of you may know, I have anxiety, so the thought of getting into heated arguments just isn’t my thing. 

But a few days ago, there was this Author. Let’s call her Lady. Lady was in a rather unpleasant discussion with a good friend of mine, saying that YA books are not to be read/enjoyed by Adult readers. That they are for eleven year old’s. I was outraged. The clue is in the name of the YA genre – it means young adult. When you are eleven, you’re not a young adult. You’re barely just out of being a child, on the verge of being a teen. I did a tweet about it here, but didn’t direct it at the person in question. When Lady left twitter, a lot of people were still in discussion about it. A few other twitter goers said that YA should be a “Teen Space”. While I agree that Teens are the main demographic YA is written about / for, in no way should we be singling out and pushing out different age groups from genres of reading. I would never tell a child/teen they couldn’t read an Adult book and I would never tell and Adult they couldn’t read YA. A lot of people shared my same opinions. I have always been a YA blogger/reader and grew up reading a variety of the genres within YA. I’ll always love and read YA and don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. There’s something in YA for everyone and we can all learn from the genre. No one should tell you what you can and can’t read. 

Some people might not share the same opinion. You, reading this, might think that YA is for Teens. You are completely okay to have that opinion. But logically, and physically, it’s not right. If you asked an author – one published and read by thousands of readers – that she should tell Adults they can’t read YA, do you know how many readers/fans they would lose? As a YA Blogger since a teenager myself, I helped build some of the foundations in the YA community with my Blog and putting it in the best way I can, I will not be pushed out because I’m not a Teen. 

I am allowed to have this space. We all share this space. It’s called a Book Community. There isn’t a need for cliques, dividing people by age, ranting, threatening. . .because at the end of the day, it’s books. They are meant to be loved and enjoyed. Can’t we all stick together? To not divide ourselves up? Still, you might not agree. And that’s okay. But I’m not going anywhere, and like so many of my friends, we are barely in Adulthood. I am twenty one years old, and will be reading YA for as long as I please. I have far more in common with it than Adult fiction. And that’s okay. Whatever you want to read, that is okay. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can’t find joy in. 

I held a poll on twitter with an overwhelming amount of you saying YA is for Everyone. And I am so glad you think so.


happy reading!

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Bookstagram Hacks #1 | How To Become A PRO at Instagram

Bookstagram Hacks #1
Bookstagram is hard. It’s a lot of hard work, dedication and the amount of skill
that goes into every picture is limitless. Whether you’re a book blogger,
author, or just a book lover, you’ll know the pressure of making every single
picture flawless. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs when it comes to
photography and books, whether it’s feeling like a bookish failure or not
knowing what filter is going to match my feed. When I was starting out, I wish
I had known some of these hacks and tricks that I’ve learnt along the way. So I
put together this post in an effort to help out anyone who wants to be a little
better at Bookstagram! I’m in no way an expert, but I hope these tricks and
hacks will help! This is part one of a new series I’ll be doing on Bookstagram!
Filters
It’s difficult to know what filter is perfectly
suited to you. I personally use VSCO, a free app (with in-app purchases for
upgrades, which I don’t use) and have a custom-made one adjusted that I
copy-and-paste onto all my pictures to make them fluid and match up. Below are
some custom filters that I’ve put together for you!

First up we have Rosehip, a rosy-tinted filter
with stunning elements.

Second, there’s Cocoa, a warm-and-golden
filter that screams autumnal.

And third, I made one of my favourites called
Fireflies. It’s bright and clean and everything you could want if you’re into minimalism.

These filters are completely free to use and make
on the VSCO app. I used only free elements so that anyone can create it for
themselves! If you do make it on one of your pictures, do let me know! I’d love
to see it. But please, don’t claim these filters as your own. No need for
credit on any posts, just a little consideration.
Hashtags
Hashtags make all the difference. It’s how
people on Instagram find your posts if they’re not following you. For example,
it can connect two people who both use the hashtag #bookstagram and connect
them, so that they like each others posts or follow each other. It’s how I
found a lot of my Instagram friends by following the certain hashtags. By
tagging certain ones in your post, it can also attract a lot of attention. That
way, your likes and followers can go up and you can feel satisfied that your
hard work has paid off! Remember, it’s always nice if you do like a picture in
return. That’s the community of Bookstagram in a whole—they support each other’s
posts.
Below, I’ve pasted some of the most searched
for and highly sought after hashtags. Feel free to use these to boost your
posts!

#books #book #bookworm #booklover #bibliophile #reading
#booknerd #instabook #bookaholic #bookporn #read #igreads #bookish #bookaddict
#booklove #instabooks #booknerdigans #bookphotography #love #currentlyreading
#yalit #bookshelf #reader #booklovers #vscocam #ilovebooks #goodreads
#literature #ya #BookTitleHere

Interaction
Finally, if you’re expecting fans and followers without
any effort or interaction, you’re definitely not going in the right direction! Bookstagram
is a community full of book lovers that want
you to reach out, share your thoughts and comments! It’s always lovely to
meet new people and discuss books. Sharing a like and comment can lead to further
opportunities for your own Bookstagram and boosts others. These small
back-and-forth actions over time can work out amazingly in your favour.
Comment ideas if you’re stuck, can be:

Beautiful
picture!

I
loved this book! What did you think?

Simple
emojis: 😊😍💜

I
haven’t read this book. What is it like?

Thank
you for sharing this picture!

Where
did you get ____ from? I love it! 

Join me next month for my Bookstagram Hacks #2 when I’ll be discussing props, follower apps and how to plan out your feed using my favourite FREE apps!


happy reading!

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Why YA: the life of a Young Adult Lit Lover

We’ve all been there, enamoured by our bookshelves bursting with adventure, love and mystery. But have you ever wondered why you love a certain type of read? I’m first and foremost addicted to Young Adult (YA) Literature. It’s my first love, the one genre I can always count on for security and a thoroughly great read. So, if you’re like me and you love YA above anything else, I’ve been thinking about this post for a while. After talking with some fellow book lovers, I settled on the idea. Why YA: the life of a Young Adult Lit Lover, for example, all the reasons why I love YA (and you might too).


So, sit back and relax, grab a cup of tea (or coffee) and read on…


The Characters are role models

It’s touch-and-go who you can count on to look up to these days. For people who haven’t got a female or male role model in their lives, book characters can be a ton more reliable than celebrities that from reading on social media, can sometimes commit actions that lose a little of our respect for them. 

When I read Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After, they remained fixed in my mind as stand-up, kind-hearted girls that had my respect. When I read them, the girls were around my age (and still kind of are at twenty one) and I found myself finding myself looking up to them. They made mistakes, sure, but they were human and had this lifelike personality that made them feel like my best friends. Just because they’re fictional doesn’t make them any less of a role model, and I think they’re pretty cool. 

The community is like family

I’ve made so many friends because of the YA community, mainly on Twitter and Instagram (shout-out to my bookstagram family!) and they’re the sweetest, most passionate people you will ever meet. I love that I can tweet a question and get a response from people that share the same mindset. Recently, YALC took place and I wish more than anything EVER that I could have been there, but I sadly had other commitments I made months before. I’m determined to go next year, because all those tweets I saw from the event made me so book envious! But being a part of the YA community made me feel like I was there, because of all the pictures and videos and talking to people who were right there in the heart of it. I’m lucky to know some amazing book bloggers who share my great love of YA and without that community, YA would be nothing but a sub-genre – it’s the people within it that create a ying and yang balance with authors that makes some kinda of magic. 

The authors get it

When I’m reading an Adult book, sometimes I just can’t relate and that can make me stray away from the plot..but with YA, I can always feel some kind of magnetic pull to the characters who share my thoughts and mindset. Yes, some authors can totally miss the point of teenage and young adult years, but others? They TOTALLY get it. It just makes reading all the more enjoyable when you can relate to the main character (or secondary ones) and feel some kind of belonging amongst the plot. I’m not saying adult authors don’t get it, because they do (just for adults, more than YA readers) but it’s open to discussion. I remember reading the Morganville series by Rachel Caine and even though it was a fantasy novel and Vampires totally don’t exist, I still felt like I shared the same thoughts as Clare, who was in college when I was reading (and so was I at the time). 

So, do you feel the same way about these things? 

Let me know in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs! I’d love to know your thoughts on why YOU pick YA. 

happy reading!

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Discussion: Why Being a Book Blogger Is Amazing

The other day, I was thinking back to when I first started my blog and was kind of new to everything and was just reviewing everything on my bookshelf, slowly building up Pretty Little Memoirs. And not because I wanted it to be popular or even noticed by a whole bunch of people, but because I cared about books and wanted everyone else to know just how incredible the book I was reading was. 


A few years on and things are quite different here! I get requests to do so many fun things on my blog with AMAZING authors, get to go on Blog Tours, book blitzes and blasts, get to read ARC’s (which is kind of like the best thing ever), hold giveaways and a whole lot of stuff that seems pretty important and huge for a girl who started this with just a love for books. 

I still get just as excited about the new reads coming out, about shopping for books, talking to my favourite authors on Twitter, etc. The “book-buzz” as I like to call it, hasn’t faded. Being surrounded by books hasn’t made me feel like “UH, I really hate them now” or “I can’t be bothered to read anything anymore” or anything like that.

Books are still my Number One and I could literally be surrounded by them forever.



But, here is a list of the things that I think might just be the best things about being a Book Blogger (or blogger in general), to maybe entice new book-lovers to start blogs, get involved, or just reignite your enthusiasm for reading!


1. Creative People

If you’re the creative type of person, maybe you like crafts and making things yourself, or things like HTML code making, etc, then the whole “making your blog the best it can be” part is definitely one of my favourites. 

Some bloggers will buy a Premium theme from someone who designs as a job or hobby, so they have pretty much a theme that looks great from the offset, or some prefer to HTML it themselves, or just try their hand at designing using the skills they already have (after all, it’s not the design of your blog, it’s the things you write that people will be drawn to the most at the end). 

Pretty Little Memoirs has been through a TON of makeovers and HTML adjusts (all my own, some successful and not so much…) and I’ve been trying to learn code and spent hours picking themes for banners and finding images…and that’s fun, if it’s your thing. 

And you’ll meet tons of Bloggers alike if you’re the creative type, or maybe there’s another hobby that you’re into, Book Bloggers don’t always talk about books (even though it’s a top subject, haha). 


2. Finding your voice

Maybe you’re already blessed with a natural talent for making people feel like they know you when they read what you’re saying online, through your reviews and posts, but for others, it can take a while to get to a point where it feels like your actually writing for an audience of your blogger friends and readers, instead of just writing bland words on a web page. 

I’ve always wanted to be an Author, so finding my voice was an important part of writing my blog. I’ve been trying to find what I sound like through typed words, instead of just, like I said before, words on a page. And I *really* hope it comes across like me and not just some font on a blog.


3. Advanced readers

I read quite fast, some days I read A LOT and some days I just read a few pages, but depending on how many ARC’s I have stacked up, I move through them pretty quickly. I don’t read like skipping-through-the-pages-really-fast-and-not-really-reading, because what would be the point of that? I’ve always been a believer that every book deserves a chance to have it’s good points stated, because no one wants to see a 100% negative review, because there is always something good about a book, even if it was just one character or one chapter. 

Getting ARC’s always feels like a huge privilege to me and I am over-the-moon grateful whenever I get the chance to read a book before it’s out in stores, and even more when it’s an uncorrected proof and one of my favourite authors or a debut.  That makes the book-lover within me giddy. 


4. Bookish Events

I think BEA has always been a dream of mine to attend, to get lost in a world of books for a week or so…but, being UK-bound and all, it’s pretty hard to get across a country being a teenager and in a completely different time zone. But it’s still a goal of mine!

There are tons of events out there for book lovers, not just in certain countries (like signings and conventions) so it’s like a little community and everyone is just so welcoming. And you’re always going to find someone with a liking for what you do, too. That’s the beauty of books!


5. Experience

If you want to be an author, blogging is a great way to start. That’s not the reason I’m a book blogger, but it’s still there. I’ve written small stories, poetry, pages of ideas…since I was really young, so writing and getting published has always been a dream, and blogging definitely get’s my writing skills improving all the time, especially if I’m writing in the first person POV. 

If you’re just starting a book blog, it’s going to seem pretty scary not knowing who or if anyone is reading your blog, but that’s how every blogger starts out. No one get’s readers straight away and it can take a while to see recognition. But that’s all part of the social blogging experience and it’s been a massive help for me to reach out to blogger friends and authors. 

If I had never blogged, I would never have achieved half the things I have. 


So that’s why I think being a book blogger is AMAZING. 

(And some helpful tips, I hope?)


What are YOUR thoughts?


Let me know in the comments or on your blog, and leave the link! I’d love to see your posts on why you love blogging.  


happy reading!

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This Week I…{#1}

“This Week I…” is a new weekly sort-of meme where I generally ramble on about what happened in my week, book related and more. 



                          
Alice Through The Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter
Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison

 

                                                 

                                                
  Stormy & Heaven’s Gonna Wait by Hedley –
I could listen to Hedley all day, so it’s no surprise they’re in my playlist this week
Perfume (feat. Sia) by Britney Spears – 
I only just discovered this version of the song online and fell for it completely
Dark Horse by Katy Perry –
If there’s ever a time for a girl-power / kick-ass song, I will always pick this one. And it’s so catchy! 
Overjoyed by Bastille – 
Such a hauntingly beautiful song
I Do Not Love You by Ron Pope –
Another musician I could find so many songs that I love within the albums! This is just one of many, many favourites I have
The Funeral by Band of Horses –
I heard this in a YouTube video and just couldn’t get over how breathtakingly beautiful the song is!



Teen Wolf –
I love how incredible this show has evolved throughout the seasons, and now in Season 3, I’m more enthralled in the whole Scott/Allison/Stiles situation more than ever before
Grey’s Anatomy – 
How can you not be addicted to this show? 
Pretty Little Liars –
I can’t EVER miss my weekly dose of the Little Liars and when I’m not watching
 it, I’m thinking of A’s next move. What are Alison’s motives? Is Ezra really A? WHO IS A, already?!
Some others I need to catch up on: The Vampire Diaries (Klaus and Caroline?!) The Originals (How confusing is all this Witchy-stuff getting?!)


If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch – Thank you; Orion!
The Secret Diamond Sisters by Michelle Madow – So excited for this one! It’s been on my TBR list forever. Thanks Mira Ink!
Letting Go by Bridie Hall – I love reading novella’s every once in a while, so I can’t wait to start this one. Thanks Bridie!


What did you do this week?

Are you excited for any of these books/music/shows?

Tell me in the comments!

Happy Reading/Listening/Watching!
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