Pretty Little Memoirs - a YA Book Blog

Where The Storyline Continues. . .

non-bookish

Home Comforts: Introduction #1

Introducing Home Comforts with Becca. I love Pretty Little Memoirs and all it’s bookish history. But before it became just a book blog, I had a few other things I talked about here like lifestyle and beauty. Those things got pushed aside when my love of books took over, and now that I’m ready to do multiple avenues on PLM, I got the idea for Home Comforts. And it’s not going to be a major thing or even a regular thing. It’s an every-now-and-then thing in between books and more.






















In Home Comforts, I’ll be reviewing non-fiction books and memoirs/autobiographies, but they’ll be more of a glance at them and what they’re about. And I’ll be sharing my baking tips. Those who know me know that baking is everything I love in one little bundle. Plus, sharing photography hacks and tutorials will be really different and new to shake things up here. You’ll also get a glance at my Lifestyle aspects, like organisation and hacks to do with reading spaces, offices and self care tips. 


What I’m trying to say is that Home Comforts is going to be something I know you’re going to love and stay reading PLM for. It’s still me, it’s still very much bookish, just a little more real. 


happy reading!

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If We Were Having Coffee Together… #1

I have never felt like any of my posts here, about books, could allow you all to get to know who I am. Yes, there’s Q&A’s, but that’s just pointless, in my opinion. There’s Twitter, but updating you on my personal life, on other things, is strange to do over Twitter (huge things, anyway. Not that there is huge news, or anything. Same old, same old.) But I wanted to do something, nonetheless. So when I stumbled upon a meme a lot of bloggers did called If We Were Having Coffee, I thought, “Brilliant! I love coffee!” But promptly realized we wouldn’t actually be having a latte at Starbucks and gossiping about stuff. Still, this is as close as we can get to it, so let’s get on with the post…


 If we were having coffee…I would tell you that a little shop I’ve been talking about for a long time called Lacuna Candle Co just opened up on Etsy. If you love bookish and seasonal candles, you’ll definitely want to stop by. They are some of the nicest scents ever! (If I may say so myself…) 


If we were having coffee…I would try to get you to listen to Kacey Musgraves new album Golden Hour. She’s such a talented writer and singer. Even if you don’t like Country music, you’ll at least like one song from her album. My favourites are Slow Burn, Rainbow and Love is A Wild Thing so far. But picking just one is like trying to decide what book to read next! 

If we were having coffee…I would tell you that I’ve started writing, again. Me and Writing have a love/hate relationship. Sometimes I feel so confident in what I’ve written, but other times are rough. I scrap and start again, over and over. So when I got this idea last week, I’ve been dabbling in it while blogging and trying to get my writing mojo back. For now, it’s going well (fingers crossed) so you never know! There could be a novel at the end! Because all jokes aside, writing is my passion. It’s what drives half of my love for blogging. So, I’ll always go back to it.

If we were having coffee…I would ask if you’ve read anything lately that’s changed the way you see yourself, or changed what you previously thought about a topic. This happens to me a lot when I read a new genre for the first time and it totally changes my opinions on things.

If we were having coffee…I would ask if you’ve seen a good movie lately. We recently saw Baywatch and I really loved it! It was funny and action-packed (the best kind of movie!). It’s probably the best movie I’ve seen since I went to watch Love, Simon, when it came out at the theater. So, I’d ask you if you’ve seen Love, Simon, as well. Because if you haven’t, well, you’re majorly missing out. 

If we were having coffee…I’d tell you I have to go and write some reviews because I’m on four blog tours this month and there’s a lot going on! But that we must, must, must do this again. Because I’ve missed getting to talk to you as non-book-review-writing Becca. 

happy reading!

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When Did Book Blogger Become Book Hater?


HELLO THERE…

Real talk: I think I’ve always wanted to be a Book Blogger. When I was younger, I’d see these fascinating blogs and how they talked about books like they were falling diamonds from the sky and my love for books could actually be like that. But over the years, something has changed. The more that I see book bloggers pop-up (and that’s a huge thing, in an age where people are more glued to their phones than their heads in a book), the more that I see people bashing books. 

So the question that I pondered today was: When Did Book Blogger Become Book Hater?

It’s a valid statement. I’ve gone over it in my head countless times, but it’s the truth. I see some bloggers – scratch that, they aren’t even bloggers. They only give books 1-2 stars and bash writing. News flash: that is not book blogging. The phrase book blogger is meant to be a community that thrives on togetherness, praising of books and constructive criticism. These readers/bloggers have not grasped the line between saying something wasn’t right in a book to downright vicious hatred toward the author, publisher and fans of the books. 

Constructive Criticism is something that you learn along the way in Book Blogging. It’s the difference between rating a book from 1-5 and noting on why. Sometimes these are called pros and cons. There isn’t a “right way” to book blog, and even if you didn’t want to review books, and just do a little book talk, that’s 100% amazing! And I love blogs, small and big! But the blogs that thrive on low ratings, the ones that seem to spin on a carousel of nit-picking an Authors hard work? That isn’t a book blogger. That’s a book hater. 

Maybe you don’t know you’re a book hater. How many books have you rated below 3 stars in the past, say, six months? Is it greater than the amount you’ve rated 3 or above? Do you only rate books below 3 stars? Maybe it’s time for a step-back and a look at your blog, at your preferred reading…I don’t know. I don’t know what makes a book hater. All I know is that they aren’t part of the hard-working and devoted bookish community that I am a part of and love with my whole heart. 

To me, a book blogger is someone who loves books. They read, fall in love with the characters and fangirl when they meet their favourite author, or when they meet someone who loves the same trilogy. They are friendly, easy to talk to and their blogs and full of praise, constructive words and togetherness. I’m not the only one who thinks that. I reached out to a select amount of random readers of my blog (as you may have seen) and 95% of them said they would unfollow or stop reading a blog if they were repetitively destructive. Aren’t those facts a little….scary, if you’re what’s known as a “book hater”? 

All I know is that I love books. I love book bloggers. And I try my hardest to be constructive in the best way possible. Most bloggers I know are like me. They don’t believe in all this new hate-to-be-popular malarkey. Do you?


What do you think about this topic?


Let me know in the comments, on twitter @LittleMemoirs or on Facebook!


happy reading!

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My Pottermore Story

I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the houses when I first watched the Harry Potter movies. I began reading the books after the first two movies were released, and even then, the houses didn’t appeal to me. But then, the more that we delved into the surface beyond the Gryffindor and Slytherin sorts of rivalry, we got to see the houses at their strongest, kindest and most valued. 

That’s when I thought maybe I was a Hufflepuff. 

Yellow has always been a colour I’ve been drawn to. In fact, it was my favourite colour for a long time growing up. There’s something about the warm, bright sunshine effect that floods over me just seeing the tones on paper. I wasn’t an official Hufflepuff until I took the Pottermore quiz a few years ago and I was delighted that I became who I thought I’d be! People always tell me that I’m kind and hard-working – even before I tell them I’m a Hufflepuff – and it gives me a secure sort of satisfaction to know there’s somewhere I belong. 

Hufflepuffs value hard work, patience, loyalty, and fair play. The house has produced its share of great wizards – not least Newt Scamander, author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

My Patronus is a Wolf. I’m not sure of the exact meaning of the Wolf Patronus, so I researched a little on the internet to find that it’s a common patronus in the Gryffindor house (OMG, what?!) and those with this patronus have a big heart but a darker side to them, although their instincts are to fight for those they love. So I’m actually quite happy with it!

On to my wand! Mine is made of Dogwood wood, has a Dragon heartstring core, 12 1/2 in length and has a slightly springy flexibility! I’m not sure what all that means, but I mean, it looks pretty cool, right? Who wouldn’t give to actually have the power to use one of them! Pottermore says that Dogwood wands are quirky and mischievous; they have playful natures and insist upon partners who can provide them with scope for excitement and fun, and that Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. 



I’m also a Thunderbird! They are said to represent the soul and favour adventure in the world. Pottermore says: named by Chadwick Boot after his favourite magical beast, the Thunderbird, a beast that can create storms as it flies. Thunderbird house is sometimes considered to represent the soul of a witch or wizard. It is also said that Thunderbird favours adventurers. Isn’t that pretty awesome?!



I love being a Hufflepuff. It’s like having a bunch of mutual friends that always have something in common with you! (Plus, getting all the merch! Am I right?!). I’d like to think that I fit in the house nicely and have some of the characteristics of my house. Pottermore always seems to get it right! You can be chosen into your own house here, too!


So, what Hogwarts House are you? 


Let me know in the comments, on twitter @LittleMemoirs or on Facebook!


happy reading, book wizards!

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Wrap Up | January 2018


I know what you’re thinking. Becca is doing a wrap-up post? When has this ever happened? (Or stuck in a schedule). But in complete seriousness, I feel like wrap-up posts can really seal a month of hard work by recapping and looking back on everything you’ve done. I’ve never done any sort of wrap-up before, so feel free to give me any hints and tips! I thought for a start, I’d round up what I’ve read this month, any bookish activities I’ve taken part in and what I’m looking forward to for the next month! 



What I Read:

I absolutely loved my reads in January. I can’t believe I got around to reading so much (and reviewing them all), but I know there’s still an ever-growing ARC stack that I WILL conquer this February! My highlights of the reading month were Coldmaker, Meet Cute and Shell. I loved all these books so much, but those three really stood out for me! You can follow the links above to read my reviews for these gems! I definitely recommend pretty much all of them. The one I’d recommend for YA fans to try is A Taxonomy of Love and for Adults, The Guilty Wife. 

What I wrote about:
In January, I wrote about a few little topics that I wanted to introduce to my readers! So many of you ask me about Bookstagram and tips on photography, filters and things, so making my post: How To Become A Pro At Instagram, felt like a good ground to build on. This month on February 10th, I’ll be posting my second installment in the Bookstagram series! In this one, you’ll get a sneak peak at how I take my pictures, how I find my props and more! 
This month, the #CroneBloggers Book Club has been started! I’ve been a part of Crone Bloggers since the start, founded by the lovely Jenn! It’s such a welcoming, incredible bunch of likeminded book lovers and now you can join in the chat and bookish fun! Click here to view Jenn’s post about how to get involved in the Book Club chat, featuring Anna Day, author of The Fandom!
image courtesy of Jenniely

What I’m looking forward to:
Okay, so February is going to be a very busy month for me! Not only do I have some *amazing* blog tours lined up, reviews and posts, I’m going to my first Bookish Event in London with Scholastic. I’ve only been to London once before last year and I loved it there (it even snowed!), so that’s going to be a huge highlight for me. It’s also my Dad’s birthday, so I’ll be arranging a little something special for that away from my blog (but you can stay tuned on my Insta story for the details on the day). 
There are so many incredible YA books out this month, too! I am SO READY FOR THEM. I’ll be doing a post very soon on my favourite February YA releases to give you a heads up! But in particular, I’m looking forward to Honor Among Theives by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre and Broken Beautiful Hearts by Kami Garcia.

So that’s pretty much my January summed up. It went by in the blink of an eye (but also seemed to last, like, forty years?), but I am positive that 2018 is going to be bursting with magic, dreams and everything bookish. 

What was your January like? What did you read? Let me know in the comments or on Faceboook or Twitter! I am always up for talking books, so don’t be shy!

happy reading!
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