Tips and Tricks for the Beginner Bookstagrammer

As you can tell from this super-excited (and a little guilt-ridden) tweet, Instagram has finally succeeded in sucking me in:

Lara Liz ‏@otherteenreader  10h10 hours ago

So, I joined @instagram after three years of denial. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, I SWEAR! Username is @otherteenreader (same as Twitter)

Now, obviously, I have been a Bookstagrammer for all of ten hours, so I know basically nothing - NOTHING I TELL YOU - about taking bookish photographs. Insert me Googling frantically. Then, when that doesn't work, I might live on the wild side and Bing frantically too.

Luckily, it turns out the book / blogging world is really into Instagram, so thank you, everyone! I've put together this list of guides, which should take you in chronological order through the process, from the I-think-I'm-gonna-join-instagram moment to when you hit publish on your first photo. (Please, please remember that I am the exact opposite of an expert, and all the amazing advice is courtesy of other lovely people. I'll tell you who . . . promise.)

#1 - Choose a username.
http://loopdigital.ca/choose-the-perfect-username/

I'm assuming that you've already worked out how to sign up and that you can only do most of these things on a phone. If you're on a computer, shift to your mobile (which is as smart as a pack of smarties, as ever) and download the app.

Now. Names. Although IRL, and in Shakespeare's time, a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, the same is not true of Instagram. If you've got a twitter feed, making your usernames as similar as possible would save a lot of confusion. Other than that, I'd say you're fine as long as you put some thought into it, and reading the article above by Loop Digital's resident geniuses would certainly help.

This is from the amazing Matilda the Musical. If you value your awesomeness, at least Google it.

Oh, wait. Please, please, for the love of chapter headings, make it obvious who you are through your username, maybe adding the name you go by in the bloggersphere (e.g. Lara Liz) in the full name box. One of my best school friends is on Instagram, and I think I know what her profile is because I can tell by her friends, but because her username is utterly unintelligible, I can't follow her, and you wouldn't want that to happen.

#2 - Decide who you want to be friends with.
http://www.themilelongbookshelf.com/2015/10/5-bookish-instagrams-you-need-to-follow.html#.VjOrB_nhDWI

Photo credit to article linked above.

On Instagram, as with the rest of the world, powerful friends are everything. I mean, it's up to you who you follow, of course - the link above, by the brilliant Amber @ The Mile Long Bookshelf, just contains a few kick-butt suggestions - but if you want to mostly use the book aspect of Instagram, I'd recommend having mostly bookish peeps on your 'Following' list, so people know what you're into without having to look at the profile (I don't think they can before they've followed you.)

However, please don't think I'm trying to tell you who to follow. Follow the people who you want to show up on your home feed.

#3 - Pick a theme.
http://www.thewonderforest.com/2015/01/reimagining-your-instagram-profile.html

Photo credit to article linked above.

I would like to note that this step is both OPTIONAL and DIFFICULT. As far as I can work out, and for me anyway, it's really hard to know where your photo style is going to end up as a beginner bookstagrammer. I've included it here because it's a big trend right now, and a lot of people will want to at least know themed feeds both exist and are popular.

That said, if you do want to go the hard (but will-probably-pay-off-more-in-the-end) way and pick your theme when you start, this article should be your Bible. It's short and sweet, and the examples give you so much motivation because you can see the benefits. It's by Dana @ The Wonder Forest - a new find thanks to Google - and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on that blog, because although it isn't book-y (oh, the blasphemy) there are some great tips and the design is just. So. Fabulous.

#4 - Take your first photo (or, more accurately, million photos)
http://www.quirkbooks.com/post/how-photograph-your-books-instagram

Photo credit to article linked above.

Taking photos is easy. Taking great photos can be very, very hard, as told by my other new find, Andrea @ Quirk Books, but like with blogging, a little thinking outside the box goes a long way. You'll have to be very patient, as one of the best ways to get the brilliantist results you can is to take photos from every angle you can, but seriously. Try anything. You can always crop or change out little things you don't like at the editing stage, and you'll slowly get used to working out what you can fix and what you can't - apparently. I'm still finding my feet here.

I'll have a quick word about cameras here as well. I have a little pink Canon compact that I got about four years ago for my birthday, and it works fine; especially at this point, you don't need anything fancy. In fact, a lot of Instagrammers just use their cameraphones, as the app intends you to, but that gets me gritting my teeth because my phone's too top-heavy. It's all a matter of personal preference, so just do what you like and bear in mind any effects your choice of tech. is having on your photos.

#4.5 - Delete the rubbish ones.
http://digital-photography-school.com/taking-out-the-garbage-7-tips-for-choosing-your-best-photos-fast/

The art of photo deletion (or at least deciding which ones to edit) is a hard and time-consuming craft if you do it wrong. Just read this article by a professional photographer (check out her website here) and you'll understand.

#5 - Make your gems shine.
http://paperfury.com/tutorial-how-i-edit-my-bookstagram-photos-using-picmonkey/

Photo credit to article linked above.

Oh, Cait, you are the epitome of wonderfulness. She's the brilliant brain behind Paper Fury (utterly hilarious, I promise), and first got me into using PicMonkey to its full capacity. This tutorial is one of the best places to start on the mammoth topic of photo editing, because a) said wonderfulness,       and . . .

b) I LOVE PICMONKEY! It's an in-browser editor, which can be a bit of a problem if you have a crashy browser / unreliable WiFi, but that does mean it doesn't take space on your hard drive and you can use it from any computer in the world. Plus, as long as you resist the Royale upgrades (I might be getting a subscription for Christmas) it's completely, totally, fabulously free.

(I'd also like to comment that you can use the filters on Instagram to edit on the go. But, in my opinion, PicMonkey does so much more.)

#6 - Craft your hashtags.
http://blog.instagram.com/post/17674993957/instagram-tips-using-hashtags
I'd never really thought about it before, but hashtags are important. As this post from the geniuses behind Instagram shows, it gets your photos more views and lets you see more posts on the same theme. Also, the summary in general is a great place to smash your own individuality into each and every update, so you go from being just another book blogger with pretty photos to that girl who types really long and funny sentences. (I don't know where I got that example from. . .)

Next time you really really really wanna zig-a-zig ah - *cough* - I mean post another photo, repeat steps 4 to 6. It isn't that hard, surely?

***

As always with tutorials, this word is not the word of absolute truth. Feel free to ignore what you want - ignore Instagram entirely, like I did for years, if you'd like - I'm just voicing my opinions in the hope they help somebody. Beginners and seasoned pros alike: do you have any more tips? COMMENT! TELL US!

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5 Ways to Organise Your TBR Pile (Which Should Be OVERFLOWING)

It is the ever-present curse of every bookworm, the one that threatens the eradication of our entire species. One day, it's possible that we may actually drown in our overwhelming TBR (To Be Read) Piles, be them virtual or otherwise.

I therefore present these ten different ways of organising your TBR, if only because I am keen to avoid the eradication of the whole bookworm species. I don't use all of them, of course - that would be over-organisation - but they all come highly recommended by various high-profile book lovers. And not all of them will work for everyone, but give it a go.

(Seriously. If all you other bookworms died out, I would be lonely.)

#1 - The Wishlist Technique

Of course, with this, I mean the Amazon Wishlist, king of all Wishlists, which is my personal favourite method of organisation. I mean, it isn't everyone's favourite, because I realise Amazon isn't designed specifically for books and can create a lot of pop-up ads when you visit other websites, but there are a lot of good things going on with the Amazon Wishlist. First of all, it's public, so people can search for your wishlist and buy you the books.

Also, Amazon sample chapters make it really, really easy to decide if you like a book's writing style, and the 'Suggestions for You' section is very good. Score one for the Amazon Wishlist!

#2 - The I'll-Make-An-Old-Fashioned-List Technique

In honour of this technique, and the fact I love lists, I shall make a list.

    

Pros

     - You can carry the list with you absolutely everywhere. If someone mentions a book at school, you're allowed to get out the list and write on it, without having to turn your mobile on and be hauled off to detention.

     - Also . . . you know . . . it's pretty? And nostalgic and stuff?

Cons
     - There are no recommendations. So you're on your own.
     - Other than that, the classic technique is - undeniably - pretty darn cool.

#3 - The Goodreads Technique

I'll be honest, you guys. A load of people absolutely love Goodreads, because you can make lists and write reviews and it gives you recommendations based on what you've read. I know that Cait from Paper Fury in particular adores Goodreads (she's on there pretty much constantly, anyway) but I just don't. Get. Along. With it. Personally. I think it's probably because, as opposed to Amazon, I don't go on there very often, and I forget to update for months and then I'm playing catch-up.

(Just in case you want to follow my basically none-active account on Goodreads, it's here.)

#4 - The Post-It Notes Technique

This particularly rare organisational technique is a variant of the I'll-Make-An-Old-Fashioned-List, and I must admit that I got the idea from Kate @ The Magic Violinist. I've yet to implement it, but it sounds pretty neat - you just carry around a pack of Post-Its (other stickable paper sheets are available) scribble down To-Read titles as you get them, and then stick them in a jar. Next time you can't decide what to buy for yourself, just let the jar decide!

Note: it might be worth making a physical list for this as well, because if you want a particular book, but can't remember the title, or need something from a particular author . . . I wouldn't want to root around in a jar with Post-Its everywhere.

Says the girl who once spent six hours covered - COVERED - in Post-Its while trying to make a quotes post.

#5 - The Physical Book Technique

This one is often thought of as a bookworm's dream. Whenever you see a book you want, you can just buy it and add it to your TBR. The books are there, you can stroke them and pick one out at random and just generally love them. However, if you aren't lucky enough to get free review copies or have a massive book budget, then this can get impossibly expensive, and it also makes it hard for people to buy you books, because you already have them all. Also, it could collapse and crush you.

I am probably the black sheep of the reading community, in that I don't have a To Read Shelf or Pile unless I've been to the library. This is because I basically go to the bookshop the moment I've scraped enough money together for a paperback, and then read it instantly.

This is probably because, although I live in the middle of nowhere, the town next to my school has two Waterstone's. Two. Add a WH Smith's, and it's a wonder I've survived this long. . .

***

I call all bookworms to the stand: how do you organise your TBR Pile? And are YOU doing YOUR bit to prevent the eradication of the species (just kidding, I got it).

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Book Life Tag

A BLOG TAG A BLOG TAG A BLOG TAG!

(I'd like to note that I've just realised there's a difference between blog memes and blog tags. On this blog, I do tags, but they're filed under memes because I thought that's what they were. I'm going to try and change the label, but that might take some time.)

I would say that I was tagged to do this by Tessa @ Crazy for YA, but to be honest, I kind of stole it because it looked so awesome. I get to choose my ideal life, taking elements from all my favourite books. Incredible, huh?

I mean of course my real life is amazing and I don't want the people in it to think I hate them 'cos I don't and . . . yeah. I'll just get on with it.

Who would be your sister?

Ellie Sweet from The Reinvention of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill would be an amazing sister, for me at least. Amazing. For a start, she writes, and I can see her being really supportive to anyone else who did, especially a sister. She's bookish (read: I could steal her books) and we'd be close. Like all dream-from-a-book sisters should.

What do you mean, I'd have to let her steal my books too? I am not allowing my babies out of my sight. And I never said I wasn't a hypocrite.

Who would be your brother?

I struggled over this one for ages. AGES. But then I remembered Rory Hawthorne from The Hunger Games - you can probably tell he's Gale's little brother, but I always had a soft spot for him because he looked up to Gale so much, and signed up for tesserae, risking his life. He knew not only the risks, but also that his brother would never allow it, and he loved his family so much that he did it anyway. 


He fought the people he loved for the opportunity to die for them. I'm going to go cry now.

Who would your parents be?

I'm skipping this question for two reasons. Firstly, I don't want to anger my IRL parents by suggesting there's anyone who would be more awesome than them - we live together, you know. Things could turn ugly very, very fast.

There's also the thing that really annoys me: in most books I read, the parents are either non-existent, really really mean, or have died / die at some point. I'll stick with the Mum and Dad I've got, thank you.

Who would be your pet?

There are many, many pawesome (see what I did there) animals I could choose from, but the moment I saw this question, my mind flashed back to LARA (Liscenced Assistance and Rescue Animal) from Andrew Cope's Spy Dogs series. Admittedly, I grew out of those books a long time ago, but I always thought that the fact a dog smart enough to be my teacher - I'm serious - had the same name as me was amazing. Also, she was knighted. I so want a dame dog.

Where would you live?

Easily, easily, this is St. Ives as portrayed in the Laura Marlin Mysteries by Lauren St. John. I love the idea of cute little coffee shops arranged over ivory cliffs, walking to school over open, wild beaches. I mean, sure, Laura always manages to be almost killed by bloodthirsty criminals, but to avoid that, you just need to be a little sensible.

And, you know, not aggravate said bloodthirsty criminals. That helps too.

Where would you go to school?

Now, a million people are going to say Hogwarts for this question, so I won't. Even though it would be brilliantly awesome, all those stairs don't seem exactly wheelchair accessible.

I would, however, adore going to Malory Towers, from the series of the same name by Enid Blyton, just because it sounds like the epitome of sisterhood. I cannot think of anything better than having to eat marshmallows for midnight feasts so matron wouldn't hear, and I also really, really want to play lacrosse. That isn't a bad reason, is it?

Who would be your best friend?
I'm sorry to be stereotypical here, but I would hang out with Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood, because they basically represent the two conflicting aspects of my personality. Case closed.

Who would be your significant other?

Prince Luka from Dragonskin Slippers (Jessica Day George) is dreamyyy. I mean, sure, he'd be busy being a Prince and stuff, and I'd hate to tear him away from Creel (she's very cool, so I wouldn't like to get on her bad side). But if it was ever possible to get together without breaking up one of my favourite ships, and he lived on Earth, that would be ideal . . .

Yes, all the parts of my book life tag are from different genres and make very little sense together. But then I rarely make sense, anyway.

***

What about you? Would you have a crazy book life full of manic jigsaw pieces that are only likely to make sense when fantasy finally becomes real? Or would it be more boring  - I promise I don't think you're boring - chilled?

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The Witching Hour: A Review

So, yes, this is a proper book review, with stars and everything. I've not done one of these before, which as you can imagine, is scary and exciting and nerve-wracking because OH MY BOOKWORM GOSH I AM WRITING A REVIEW.

I must remain calm in order to actually finish this, so I shall. I shall, do you hear?

The book I have so carefully chosen (well, I just finished reading it, so it seemed natural) is The Witching Hour (also known as The Betrayal of Maggie Blair) by Elizabeth Laird. I read a print copy, but it was a library book, and was . . . inadvertently returned before photographing.  You'll have to make do with a stock photo.

Firstly, I would like to announce that Miss Laird (of the awesomeness brigade) is basically my favourite historical author because she researches her books so well. This particular collection of words is set in seventeenth-century Scotland, in the years coming up to the English Civil War. BTW, if you don't have any idea what I'm on about, click here. The Civil War was far too complicated for me to explain here.

At the beginning of the book, fourteen-year-old orphan Maggie Blair is living with her Grandmother on the tiny Isle of Bute. It's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and Maggie's gran isn't the best at getting along with the neighbours.

But no-one ever thought she'd be arrested as a witch.

Guilty by association in the eyes of the island authorities, Maggie flees for her life toward the mainland - away from everything and everyone she's ever known. But with the English Civil War brewing in Southern Scotland, she's jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire . . .

Okay, so pros - Maggie was pretty amazing. She adapted quickly, wasn't afraid to work hard, and was all - round tough as nails. As for the downsides, I struggled at first to work out how old Maggie was, but it turned out my initial guess of 'my age' was about right.

The whole problem could probably have been solved by READING THE BLURB. I'm a silly pumpkin sometimes.

I'm going to give The Witching Hour 3.5 out of 5, not because it was mediocre. IT WASN'T. The sheer fact that I've given it a score above halfway should show that - methinks - I just think that, when I'm listing my favourite books, I won't remember this one as much as other books by Elizabeth Laird (who I still think is awesome). Plus, I'm a pretty harsh marker. One has to remember this.

***

Now, I really, really want to get better at book reviewing, so do you guys have any tips? And what would you like me to review next?

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How to be a Terrible Teenage Writer

This post is inspired by the brilliant Citra over at Fiction Book Review, and her amazing 'How to Suck at Everything' posts. So you know where to go if you like that sort of thing.

Let me tell you that being a teen writer is hard. You'll know that if you are one. There's so many things to juggle and do exactly right if you want to be good at it.

But the good news is that it's incredibly easy to be terrible. You just need to follow these tips, which are pretty intuitive, to be honest, and there you have it! Who needs to be Mr or Miss goody-two shoes, anyway?

Step 1 - Don't Bother Trying to Manage Your Time.

To be honest, as a teen writer, you don't actually have a lot to worry about. Schoolwork, writing, blogging and actually maintaining some form of social life are all kind of important, but let's face it - they're not exactly difficult. Just do what you fancy at the time, even if that's watching telly, and it'll probably turn out okay. Who cares about detention? Who needs to learn about anything when you're going to be a super rich author someday?

Step 2 - Only Write What's Popular.

We all know that writing's only really about the money, and a book sells much better if it's predictable. As long as you write quickly (quantity, not quality), you won't even be behind the trend, and publishers always love something that follows the crowd.

And - do you know what - I bet no one would even notice if you stole lifted some plot points from a bestseller. The formula's already there, so why not use it?

Step 3 - Don't Take Advice From the Pros.

Whatever you do, you should never take your writing tips from a "knowledgeable" source. That goes for blog posts, other writers or especially creative writing courses. They're only pretending they understand you: these days, no one gives others help if they don't want something in return. Not to mention the fact that they'd SO squash your creativity - the only people you should take advice from are the people who barely know anything. They might accidentally give you an awesome idea.

While we're on the subject, you shouldn't give well-meaning advice to people who need it. You had to learn on your own, so they should too.

Step 4 - Never Edit Anything you Write.

Please. Editing is for sissies; practically anyone who's any good knows how to get it right first time, especially all the top authors. Grammatical mistakes don't matter, and it's a proofreader's job to fix spelling errors. 

You're so much better than everyone else, so an editor won't care about sloppy formatting or iffy speling. Remember, editing takes too long and isn't worth it.

Step 5 - Don't Give Yourself Any Free Time.

Just because you don't manage your time doesn't mean you should let yourself have a break now and again: if you love writing, you should be working all day every day.

If you do have a break, take as long as you like. You've already done the unthinkable, so you don't deserve to call yourself a teen writer anymore.

Hey presto! With these five easy steps, you can become the most terrible teenage writer ever. Every single sentence is the exact opposite of how to be a good one.

Try switching all of them, really. Now that would be crazy advice to follow.

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The Scary World of Adult Fiction

If you've been hanging around this blog over the summer and gotten used to my daily posts, then I hate to disappoint you, but school happened. And writing an actual book. I make a few more excuses and whine about homework here.

I've been meaning to delve into 'proper' adult fiction for a while now, so when my Dad told me I absolutely had to read Time and Time Again by Ben Elton, I decided I could give it a go. With some serious trepidation, of course, because I am a YA pumpkin and do not feel grown up yet.

But I had a good time. It's amazing. And although it's an absolute trap that will melt your brain with the horrible possibilities, you need to read it. Mostly so I can yell at you because OH MY BOOKWORM GOSH THE WORLD IS ENDING.

The stakes are high - the main character in this one is travelling back in time to stop World War I, for heck's sake, so it wasn't going to be light.

But I'm not just here to fangirl over a Ben Elton novel. I also want to have a very serious debate about when one should read adult and when one should read YA. Are you guys ready? Have you cracked your knuckles yet?

You'd better. Because it's so one-sided it's practically a rant.

Especially when I was younger, I would freak out if someone told me to read an adult book. I mean, I did it for school, but when I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and then realised it was for adults, I got very upset, because I thought it meant I couldn't read YA any more.

Which was a bit stupid, now I look back. Just because you watch one 12A film doesn't mean you can't choose Us any more. The whole point of reading is that we read what we feel like, and if it's appropriate (I wouldn't recommend Time and Time Again to anyone younger than me) why shouldn't that be Adult and YA?

I know a lot of adults who will scorn YA as 'kids' books', which they kinda are, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't read them. In fact, for my Mum's book club, they accidentally chose The Chimes by Anna Smaill, and now they've realised it's YA, they've got me to read it and give my opinions. Because sometimes a book doesn't speak to you if it's not for your age group, and sometimes it does.

What I'm trying to say here is that we can read any book we choose. Adult Lit. shouldn't be scary, in the same way that Middle Grade shouldn't be scary.

AND NO-ONE SHOULD JUDGE A PERSON BASED ON WHAT THEY READ. Please, peoples. It's just another way to be superficial.

So, if you are a teen reader, here are a couple of brilliant Adult books you could try. The ones with asterisks contain slightly raunchy scenes, but frankly there's not anything more than you'd see in a YA book. I promise.

• Time and Time Again by Ben Elton* 
  
  I won't repeat this anymore. All you need to know is that time travel + World War 1 + a broken future = mind-melting magnificence.

• To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  
  The only reason I read this is because we had to for English. But I absolutely love the whole thing with its cultural interesting-ness, and you have to read it because it's the height of innocence and poignancy.

• Airframe by Michael Crichton*
  
  Wow. Wow wow wow. I'm a sucker for anything even remotely to do with investigation, including aircraft investigation, and I love that the main character is a strong woman in a male-dominated field.

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
  
  If you'd like an insight into life when you think differently, I am reliably informed that this is very realistic. Plus there's the whole investigation thing I mentioned earlier.

          Also, did you know that the title is a Sherlock Holmes quote?

• Landline by Rainbow Rowell
  
  This is the one I haven't read, but have been constantly reminded of its utter amazing brilliance. I mean, it's Rainbow Rowell. And the characters meet via email.

          I LOVE IT when characters meet by email.

So I would like you guys to take two things away from this blog post. First, you can read whatever you want, but second, you have to read this list first.

I never said I wasn't a hypocrite. :-)

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Big Blogging Bonanza Roundup

I am actually feeling very upset today. Because it's the LAST POST OF THE BIG BLOGGING BONANZA! *Hysterical sobbing*

I can't believe I made it through - I only missed a grand total of two posts, which is very good for me, and it's been such a ride. Before I started this, I could barely imagine writing posts on two consecutive days, let alone five. And I think I've done pretty well, actually, but only because you guys have been being so positive on Twitter, checked on my posts the whole time, and chatted with me in the comments. I really appreciate it.

Here are ten posts which, if you people are new(ish) to this blog, I think you'd like. These are my personal favourites, anyway:

• The Essence of Being a Teenager - my first ever post. I kid you not. Ahh, how innocent I was back in April. . .

• A 5-Point Ode to Hermione Granger - we all love Hermione. These are my personal reasons.

• Books versus eBooks - this one's actually serious. I'm tossing up the pros and cons of electronic publications, don't you know (just imagine a posh accent here)?

• Life Without Reading - my slightly tongue-in-cheek look at why the end of reading could bring about the apocalypse. With GIFs, naturally.

• The A to Z of Authors Parts 1 and 2 - this one took me ages. So just read it!

• An Ode to Libraries - I love my libraries. And my odes.

• The One Word I Hate Reading - I have a disability, and this is my way of speaking up about it.

• Does Popularity Make a Blog Successful? - well does it? DOES IT?

• Fictional Couples: The Mailbag - this one was just so much fun to write. I could squee over ships! What else would I need?

• The Insider's Guide to Blogging - you may find this useful, you may not. But I was glad I could write it.

This is about half the posts on my blog so far, and not all of them were written during the BBB, but I couldn't pick just one or two of my babies. That would be awful.

Now this post might just be an excuse not to write some original content. I hope that's okay.

Just while I'm here, I will give you lovely people two promises.

     1) Just because the Big Blogging Bonanza is over doesn't mean I'll stop blogging.

     2) I'll keep going with Words for a Wednesday now and again, because it's fun.

Are we all good then? I'm off to go to school. 

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Four Brilliant Back-to-School Books

I lied on Friday when I said this would be the last post of the Big Blogging Bonanza. Just not on purpose. It is the last-but-one post, and I realised that when I looked at my schedule yesterday.

Yay! You get one more daily post than you thought you would! (I'm not going to stop blogging after these Summer Holidays have finished, by the way. It'll just be a little less regular.)

So today, I would like to talk about going back to school. I don't know about you, but I've got my pencils sharpened, my bag packed and my P.E kit ready - I can't wait. My favourite thing to do when getting ready for the new term is to pick out my reading book, which always seems to help me calm down and get back into the school routine. I also like to pick something reasonably classic / well-known, so I can impress my English teacher!

Here, therefore, is a list of four books which are brilliant 'school reads'. They're really interesting, but won't get you too emotionally involved, so you'll hopefully be able to put them down when it comes to actual lessons. However, we are all bookworms. I can't promise anything.

#1 - The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple novels are about a little old lady called Jane, who solves crimes using her knowledge of human beings. She's lived in the small town of St. Mary Mead all her life, and she's met almost every type of person, so she knows what her suspects are likely to do. She'll need to: The Body in the Library is not your typical Cluedo-style murder. Because no-one knows who the victim is.

I love Agatha Christie, particularly Miss Marple, and this book is my favourite of all of them. They're hard-boiled, thrilling crime novels which won't distract you while you're studying, but are enthralling the moment you crack open the spine. As classic British novels, they're bound to impress your English teacher, and the other great thing with both the Marple and Poirot series is that all books are stand-alones, so if you don't like the look of a particular plot, or your school library doesn't have the next one (which has happened to me more than once) then you can chop and change as much as you like. Plus, there are twenty Miss Marple novels and short story collections. TWENTY!

#2 - GingerSnaps by Cathy Cassidy 

Ginger Brown always suffered at school. People bullied her for her red hair, unfortunate name and her weight, so she was dreading starting Secondary school. But then she met Shannon.

Fast forward to the beginning of Year Eight, and Ginger's popular. All the boys tag after her best mate Shannon, and she's just happy to be along for the ride. After all, no-one bullies the confident girl. But then she meets Sam, a saxophone-playing, trilby wearing enigma who seems to hate everything she's become. Mix in an old friend, Emily, who knows who she used to be, and Shannon's new crush, a teacher, and things soon become complicated. . .

I love this as a back-to-school read because the characters themselves are starting a new term, and the popularity-isn't-everything vibes really gave me a confidence boost when I read it. We could all do with reassurance at this time of year.

#3 - Carrier of The Mark by Leigh Fallon

This is one of those books that was so fabulous I can barely speak coherently about it, so you will probably get emotionally involved, but it's so amazing I can't resist. ADHNHDT! DITYJ B!

I told you I struggled to speak coherently.

Carrier is about Megan, a sixteen-year-old American girl who moves to Ireland, thanks to her Dad's ever-changing job. She's already dealing with a new country, a new school (see what I did there) and a new crush, but then she realises everything isn't as it seems. Her feelings for Adam are more to do with fate than simple teenage attraction, and her mark ties her to a power as ancient as Ireland itself.

#4 - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

College! FanFiction! Twins!

That's Fangirl in three words, but if you'd like a longer summary, I'll try my best to oblige. It's basically about a new-to-college girl (Cath) who's always been in the shadow of her twin sister (Wren) and is now struggling to step into the limelight, so she writes FanFiction instead. It's good for back-to-school because although she's starting college and not school, there's still anxiety, timetables and a popularity hierarchy. Sounds like school to me!

Gah! Just read it!

Read all of these when you get back to school. You'll love them, I promise.

***

What books do you guys recommend for when you get back to school? And are you as excited about returning as I am? (I joke, of course. No-one is as enthusiastic about school as me.) 

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The Insider's Guide to Blogging

Guys! GUYS! I've just realised that today's post is the penultimate instalment of the Big Blogging Bonanza. How crazy is that? I think I've done pretty well, too, because I only missed two days (one of those was yesterday, but let's skip over that...).

Now, I wouldn't call myself an expert blogger, but I have learnt quite a bit over the last few months, and I figured I'd share some of that knowledge. Here are a few handy tips, brought together in what I call the Insider's Guide to Blogging.

(Don't expect too much, I'm only a simple munchkin.)

Tip #1 - When choosing a name for your blog, always search the internet for it first. Using a couple of different engines, preferably. I've noticed a few quite well-known blogs with similar names recently, so if you do discover something that might be a problem, you don't always have to go back to the drawing board. Here's an example:

Say you wanted to call your blog Confessions of a Book Lover. It's a good title, sure, but after a quick Googling session, you would discover that there's a book by that name, and you're unlikely to get very high up search engines with that happening. However, you could play with a couple of synonyms. Admissions of a Book Lover would work, as would Confessions of a Bookworm. Or, if you don't like the different words, you could rephrase it. How about A Book Lover's Confessions?

Sometimes, when you play with words like this, you can end up with an even better name, and blog names are definitely important. It's worth noting that I learnt this one the hard way - if you Google Another Teen Reader, you'll find IMDb listings for Another Teen Movie instead.

Tip #2 - You don't have to blog every day. Trust me when I say that blogging every day is hard. Unless you really, truly think you can do it, and know you'll have time no matter what, it'll just make you stressy, and you'll want to give up. For the first few weeks, at least, I'd recommend posting when you feel like it. You can always update more regularly later on, or create a schedule for yourself at times when you know you won't be busy.

That's why I did the Big Blogging Bonanza in summer, when I knew I wouldn't be distracted by homework or anything else. My advice is to write when you feel like it: if you make yourself do it once too often, it'll become like a chore, and you're more likely to give up.

Write for the love of it, and your blog will be just as you want. I promise.

Tip #3 - Talk! Communicate! Comment! The blogging world is a friendly place, I promise, and you'll learn a lot from interacting with other people. Posts from other blogs will often inspire you, and comments will help you to get to know other bloggers. Knowing other bloggers makes it easier to arrange guest posts and link-ups, and they can help you through writing slumps and other tough spots.

The comments space on your own blog is very useful, too. Pay attention to your followers, and always reply if you can. Even if it's just a 'glad you liked the post' sort of thing, people love to know that their contributions have been read.

Tip #4 - Social media, in particular Twitter, is insanely useful. If you post links to your blog posts whenever you release one, your readers can easily keep track of new updates by following you, and you can follow famous authors, too! If you want to use Twitter to publicise yourself as a blogger, then make sure you put your URL on your profile. There's a little space for it, look:

There's also Bloglovin', which is an awesome sharing system intended just for keeping all your favourite blogs in one place. In fact, if you want, you can follow me! The widget's just over there. >>
(They also have Bloglovin' Academy, which has some great tips for publicising your blog.)

Tip #5 - Feel free to ignore any of my tips, if you want. That's right, I said it. A blog shouldn't represent your reader's opinions or another blogger's style. It's your thing, and the most important part of blogging is that you enjoy it. If any of my ideas would get in the way of that, then don't listen to a word I'm saying.

***

Bloggers, do you have any tips you want to share? What helped you in your blogging journey?

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