2017 Love-a-Thon: Let Me Introduce Myself

The Love-a-Thon is an annual event that has been running since 2012, and it's continued to grow in the five years since then. It's meant to encourage positivity, form and strengthen relationships and to just be a whole lot of fun. This year, I'm co-hosting with Cee of The Novel Hermit, Kristin of Super Space Chick & Mel of The Daily Prophecy! (P.S. If you're only discovering this event today, please know that you're still welcome to sign up to be a part of it!)

Every year, we ask our participants to write up introduction posts to kick off the event. It's a great opportunity to introduce yourself to the rest of the community, and to let other people in on the person behind the account. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's posts, whether they're new to me folks or updated answers from old pals. (P.S. If you want to see previous introductions I've shared, you can find them here, here, here and here.) But first, let me share a little about me!

Me and My Blog

Even though it's blatantly obvious from my blog moniker, my name is Alexa. I live in New York, and have lived here for the last five years. I've always been a reader, which is likely because my mom read to me pretty much daily from the minute she knew I was growing in her womb. I don't think I've ever had a period where I didn't find some time to read for leisure, no matter how busy or crazy life got for me. Reading has always been a mental escape from the world, as well as a mental reset, and I'll always love it.

In 2011, I stumbled across the world of book blogs (though I don't remember exactly how). Since I didn't really have any in real life pals who read as extensively and passionately as I did, I remember thinking, "I want to be a part of that", and immediately set up a blog (with a very straightforward blog name), typed up a few reviews and started from there. While I've gotten involved in the Twitter, Instagram and YouTube book communities as well, I'll always have a soft spot for blogging since I've been doing it on and off since 2005. I'm most comfortable and capable of expressing myself with my words, and I think that's something that'll stay true for the rest of my life. On my blog, I tend to lean towards bookish content, particularly reviews and fun posts that combine my other interests (music, travel, clothing) with books. But lately, I've been contemplating an expansion into more personal things, so keep an eye out for that!

It's been nearly six years (happening in April!) since that time, and this community still continues to mean a lot to me. I've met some of my best friends, embraced incredible opportunities, interacted with some of my favorite authors and really just grown into myself in a way that I never would have otherwise - and these are all things that I love about this community.

Let's Talk About Books, Baby

When I was a kid, I constantly made my mom and dad read me titles from Dr. Seuss (to the point where I had them memorized and would totally know if they skipped pages). When I got old enough to do my own reading, I remember reading Beverly Cleary, American Girls books, the Magic School Bus and Magic Treehouse series, followed shortly by a Sweet Valley and Babysitters Club phase. And then, I read Harry Potter and it changed everything, as I got completely invested in the world of fantasy books. These days, I tend to lean towards young adult fantasy and contemporary when looking for something to read, though I also read adult historical fiction, historical romance and contemporary as well.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Obviously, we'll start talking about bookish favorites first. I love everything I've ever read from Rick Riordan, Jodi Meadows, Sarah J. Maas, Emery Lord, Alexandra Bracken, Morgan Matson and Sarah Dessen, Tamora Pierce, and would without a doubt pick up any future books they'll be writing. It's way too hard to talk about actual favorite books because there are so many of them, but suffice to say that Harry Potter is one of the most obvious series that I'll need to mention (and I know a lot of people will agree). (Don't worry, I'm actually working on a page where I'll highlight favorite reads! I'm hoping it'll go up sooner rather than later.)

Dessert is one of my other passions, and I'm a huge fan of ice cream, cookies, macarons and donuts in particular. I'm also big on coffee and tea, which I drink copious amounts of, and will indulge in milkshakes whenever presented with the opportunity. I love the colors blue and pink, as well as gold and silver, and it shows in my clothing and accessory choices. Apart from reading, I love writing, traveling, messing around in my bullet journal, playing video games and binge watching television shows. Speaking of TV shows, I'm currently obsessed with Naruto: Shippuden, as well as loving Supergirl, Doctor Who, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and This is Us. I also really enjoy music, and love James Bay, Ed Sheeran, Michelle Branch, Gabrielle Aplin, Adele, and the Script, as well as my 90s boy bands. I'm also really obsessed with Disney, and will always have a soft spot for the parks and movies in my heart. And on that note, I think that's all I've really got to share for favorites!

We're incredibly to have received a lot of generous donations from our sponsors this year for all of this event's giveaways! As always, there are two Rafflecopter forms below. One is strictly for US participants, and the other is strictly for international participants. Please be sure to enter via the correct form! All winners will be verified before being contacted.

US ONLY GIVEAWAY

prize pack consists of:
Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter
Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson
High Stakes edited by George R.R. Marton
A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab
A Gathering of Shadows by Victoria Schwab
Shades of Magic series book huggers
Tor Teen, The Dark Talent + Amberlough pins
Game of Shadows tattoos
Game of Shadows postcards
Arabella of Mars paper doll
Becoming Bonnie newspaper
NOVL water bottle + tote bag
Ronit & Jamil by Pamela Laskin
The You I've Never Known by Ellen Hopkins
Also Known As by Robin Benway
Frostblood by Elly Blake (ARC)
The Bone Queen by Alison Croggon (ARC)
Blueberry Pancakes Forever by Angelica Banks (ARC)

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria (ARC)

INTERNATIONAL ONLY GIVEAWAY

prize pack consists of:

Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter
Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson
High Stakes edited by George R.R. Marton
A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab
A Gathering of Shadows by Victoria Schwab
Shades of Magic series book huggers
Tor Teen, The Dark Talent + Amberlough pins
Game of Shadows tattoos
Game of Shadows postcards
Arabella of Mars paper doll
Becoming Bonnie newspaper
NOVL water bottle + tote bag
Ruined by Amy Tintera
The Inside of Out by Jenn Marie Thorne
Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Traveler by L.E. DeLano (ARC)
To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough (ARC)
Geekerella by Ashley Poston (ARC)
Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer (ARC)

a Rafflecopter giveaway