The Sunday Mix (24)

Welcome back to The Sunday Mix! It makes my heart happy whenever I'm able to share the amazing posts I'm able to read in the two weeks that happen between each post, and I've been loving the responses from all of you lovely people who read it. So, I just wanted to say one massive THANK YOU for reading these posts every other Sunday. That having been said, let's move on to the awesome content I encountered on the internet recently!

• Josephine talks about reading off the radar. While it's definitely hard not to be part of the constant conversation about books (especially as a blogger and book enthusiast), I definitely share her sentiments about wanting to discover titles for myself at times. It's always a cool experience to go into a book knowing little to nothing about it (and that's whether or not you end up loving it). How do you feel about reading under the radar titles?
• Cait reveals some of the lies we bookworms tell ourselves. And to be honest, I'm guilty of quite a few! I'm particularly guilty of second and third. Which lies have YOU told yourself? Are there any you can think of that aren't in this post?
• Stacey Lee & Stephanie Garber shared their thoughts on moving beyond rejection, from the perspective of authors. It's one of the most encouraging posts I could have read as an aspiring author, and that's why I wanted to share it here! I hope it encourages those of you who are struggling to finish that story or even keep motivated when it comes to your writing.
• Interested in making your book reviews a little more critical? Tara offers some advice that focuses on six basic book elements. I personally tend to focus on plot, character and settings when I talk about the books I read, and occasionally throw in theme too. 
• Marissa Meyer is writing a two part graphic novel series called Wire & Nerves, a spin-off about Iko and, ahem, a certain Lunar guard (!!!). Honestly, I just love this world and these characters so much, and I definitely, definitely, definitely cannot wait for these to come out.
• Jamie asks how readers decide whether or not to continue with a series. I'm usually open to giving a second book in a series a shot if I gave the first book at least 3 stars. If it's anything lower than that, I most likely will not continue the series - unless one of my trusted book recommenders insists I should. 
• Rebecca talks about cleaning off your bookshelves (and there's a handy dandy infographic). I'm a big fan of curating and culling my shelves, and do it seasonally. While I would love to have a library with all of the books in it (a la Beauty and the Beast), it's far more important to me to keep books that I've loved and want to share with my future family and my friends.
• Erin Bowman's companion novel to Vengeance Road is going to be published! Retribution Rails sounds amazing, and you guys should add it to your TBRs. I really loved Vengeance Road, a fascinating YA Western about a girl out for revenge.
• Brittany talks truth: saying no is hard to do. When it comes to book blogging in particular, it is sometimes really hard to turn down opportunities (ARCs, blog tours, blog events) because you fear missing out or you fear that it will make you look unreliable or bad. However, it's GOOD to say no once in a while. And it definitely means life is a little less stressful!
• You all already know how much love I have for Susan Dennard & Alex Bracken! Check out their travel diary for the #PassTruthTour (which is adorable!), and make note of their tips for being on the road. They're helpful whether you're an author or just a regular ol' traveler.

Have you read any interesting posts this week?

It's also brand new book haul time! I'm sharing all the new goodies I picked up over the course of the last month in my latest BookTube video. (If you wanted to subscribe to my channel, I'd be so happy!) I'm sharing all the details for the books below:

The Beautiful & The Cursed (Page Morgan) / Rebel of the Sands (Alwyn Hamilton) / Wink Poppy Midnight (April Genevieve Tucholke) / The Dark Days Club (Alison Goodman) / The Uninvited (Cat Winters) / Once was a Time (Leila Sales) / I Was Here (Gayle Forman) / Traitor Angels (Anne Blankman) / Ivory and Bone (Julie Eshbaugh) / City of Bones (Cassandra Clare) / City of Ashes (Cassandra Clare) / City of Glass (Cassandra Clare) / A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) / Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (J.K. Rowling) / The Distance from A to Z (Natalie Blitt) / The Circle (Sara B. Elfgren & Mats Strandberg) / Thorn Jack (Katherine Harbour) / Passenger (Alexandra Bracken) / Truthwitch (Susan Dennard) / Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone (J.K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale) / The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis) / The Mirror King (Jodi Meadows) / The Gilded Cage (Lucinda Gray) / The Square Root of Summer (Harriet Reuter Hapgood)

Thanks Jaime, Lili, Leila, Chronicle Books, Penguin Teen, Harper Teen, Julie, Rachel, Jodi!