Poems and Poets

Rissi @ Finding Wonderland submitted this wonderful idea to That Artsy Reader Girl. Today, I'll be listing the first 10 books I ever reviewed! It'll be a trip down memory lane for all of us! Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay  I reviewed this book way before my blog was even about books! It's the first book I ever reviewed on here- and I have to say, it got me pretty hooked to book reviews!  More Than This by Patrick Ness  I'm still not sure what I was thinking when I wrote this review! It was a paragraph about suspense and then a little bit about genre...  Carry On by Rainbow Rowell  I've done my fair share of Rainbow Rowell reviews over the years- and while this wasn't the first book of hers I read, it was certainly the first book of hers I had the courage to review!  Annexed by Sharon Dogar  A historical fiction that tries to tell the story of Anne Frank from Peter's eyes. Landline by Rainbow Rowe...

Final installment in the Australia mini-series: 'Vivid Sydney'! Vivid Sydney is an outdoor lights and music show that takes place in Sydney, and I was fortunate enough to attend their June 2018 exhibition. We viewed the 'exhibits' from a Sydney ferry- and thanks to Melinda @ A Web of Stories , I get to share these images with you! Sydney Opera House in the Daytime And showtime! Have any of you ever attended an outdoor lights show? It's an amazing feeling watching a visual artist perform their work for you- I'd love to go back again! 

Next stop on the Australia Diaries- Whale Watching on the Gold Coast! Thank you Melinda @ A Web of Stories for hosting Saturday Snapshot and allowing me to share my travels with you all! You can see the rest of the series here.  Alright here we go!  Waiting to board the ship Spotted our first fin! Get ready for the big jump! Now my photography skills aren't the best- and I was a little bit preoccupied with not falling off the boat, so I couldn't get any pictures of the whales completely out of the water. It was a surreal experience though!

Hey everyone, I'm finally back with the next installment in my Australia Saturday Snapshot series! Thanks to Melinda @ A Web of Stories for continuing to host this series! Photo credits go to my dad for this one! Here are some stunning rock formations along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. View from the Twelve Apostles Have any of you driven the Great Ocean Road? Let me know in the comments below. Have a great weekend!

Hey guys! This summer, my family and I traveled to Australia. I'm linking up with Melinda @ Westmetromommyreads to bring you pictures of my travels through Saturday Snapshots. I'm starting a series on my trip, so get ready to see loads of Australian sights! This week, I'll be sharing pictures of some Antique cars we saw while at Queen Victoria Market (Melbourne). Hope all you car buffs enjoy! Have any of you been to Australia? Or do you recognize any of these cars? Let me know in the comments below!

Hey guys! I'm back with another challenge- The Summer Comment Challenge! I've signed up with Alicia and Lonna twice already and I'm looking forward to my third experience! I believe that this challenge is a great way to make new friends, encourage yourself to post and explore the various blogs out there!

Hey guys- it's that time of year again! Those of you who've been around for a while will know exactly what I'm talking about- Sue Jackson's Big Book Summer Challenge! What is the challenge? Every year, she hosts a challenge which encourages participants to read books over 400 pages. For those of us who're in school, reading large books over the course of the year can be a slow process. Working parents may also share in this struggle. Sue relegates her big reading to the summer- and all participants follow her at least partially. I've participated in this challenge for three years already- and I'm really glad to be joining Sue for my fourth year! You guys should consider joining as well, even if you don't have a blog. You can check out all the details by visiting her blog or Goodreads page.

Hey everyone, I'm back for another Saturday Snapshot! My mini-series on Russia has ended (At least for now), so I have some pictures of a short trip we took to Jaipur a few years ago. I'm linking up at Melinda's blog for Saturday Snapshot this week. Inside a fort Hotel Courtyard Have any of you been to Jaipur? Maybe somewhere else in India? Let me know in the comments below!

Hey, everyone! Whew- it's been a while since I've done one of these! I probably won't do one every week, but I'll try my best to get one in at least every two weeks. IMWAYR is hosted by Kathry @ Book Date Here's what I've been reading this week: I finished reading " The Gene " by Siddhartha Mukherje . It's a non-fiction about the evolution of the study of genetics. It took me a really long time to get through this one! I started reading " India After Gandhi" by Ramchandra Guha . The book is a comprehensive history of post-independence India. Normally, this period is considered a part of the present, never studied in classes- or even colleges. This one is also going to take a while! For some lighter reading, I've picked up "Ask the Passengers " by A.S. King , I'm currently reading this one. I've barely  made any progress though- so I'll let you know how it is next time! How has your ...

Hey guys! It's been a long time, boy, does life get busy! I'm doing my best to get out at least one post a week from now on though, so hopefully, you'll all be hearing more from me! I decided to start off with a post I already had the content for- a Saturday Snapshot! I'm joining Melinda @ West Metro Mommy Reads for this post. Hermitage Museum @ Winter Palace General Staff Building, Former home of General of Imperial Army Panorama of Palace Square Have you been to Russia? Perhaps you're from St. Petersburg? Let me know in the comments below!

Hey guys! I'm linking up with Kathryn @ Book Date to participate in IMWAYR again. I know I'm not very consistent with these posts- but I figured that since I had some things to update you on, I might as well participate. School just ended, so I'm going to have a lot more time to read (and blog!), which is why I'm hoping to be more consistent with these posts. Okay, here goes: This week I finished reading Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly, a fabulous book about World War II. It's the story of 3 ladies (Polish, German and American ) that intertwine into a great novel. Look out for my review soon- and pick up this book! I also finished reading "Origin" by Dan Brown. The latest installment in his "Robert Langdon" series, this one knocked my socks off! I finished the book in less than 24 hours- not usual for a 400+ pages novel- and desperately wanted more! I should have a review out sometime next week.  I am currently reading "Thi...

Hello! I'm back with more pictures from our trip to Russia! Last time, I shared pictures of a ballet we watched in St. Petersburg. This week, I'll be sharing some images of the Peterhoff Palace and Gardens, also in St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the palace, so I'll only be showing you some pictures of the gardens. I'm participating in Saturday Snapshot, a weekly  meme hosted by Melinda @Westmetromommyreads It had just begun raining when we took this picture!

Hey guys! I'm back with another Saturday Snapshot- I know it's been a while since I posted my last one. Today, I'll be sharing more pictures of my trip to Russia this year. I'm linking up with Melinda @ West Metro Mommy Reads for this post. Curtain call  Beautiful theater with stage curtains Have you ever been to St. Petersburg? Perhaps you're a fan of ballets? Let me know in the comments below!

Hey everyone! Today, I'll be starting a new mini-series for Saturday Snapshot*, about our trip to Russia this year. This post has some pictures of the Red Square and St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. We didn't get to see the full square, because Moscow was celebrating its birthday and a large part of it was being used for the festivities. *This meme is hosted by Melinda @ West Metro Mommy Reads St. Basil's Cathedral  A mall near the Red Square 

I'm back with a Top Ten Tuesday Post-after a really long time! My list this week is "Top Ten Books that feature characters that are LGBTQ". I'm linking up with The Broke and the Bookish for this post. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz  I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson  Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas  This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills  The Gallery of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz  You're Welcome Universe by Whitney Gardner  The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone  This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp  Unbecoming by Jenny Downham  Any other titles you think should be on this list? Let me know in the comments below!