2015 Reading Challenges

Hey, y'all! So at the beginning of 2014, I was just getting into reading regularly again, and I created a couple challenges for myself. The first was to read at least 1 book a month, and the second was to complete the 2014 Summer Reading Challenge (click the title to check it out). Surprisingly, I completed the challenge of reading 26 books within 3 months, but I didn't read one book every month. Although, as of now, I've read 56 books in 2014, so I feel like the fact that there was a month where I didn't read a single book should just be overlooked.

Anyway, for 2015, I'm giving myself 3 challenges, ranging from very vague to very descriptive. And I decided that sharing these challenges on my blog will help me to actually go through with it. Because if I don't succeed, I have to explain myself. So let's just jump right into it!

Challenge #1

Read 50 Books

I think that 50 books is the most over-done reading challenge, but it's also the most doable-but-challenging for me. I've read 56 books this year, and didn't even read anything in September, so I feel like I can definitely achieve this. I almost want to set my challenge to 60 so that I subconsciously succeed even though I tend to procrastinate.

Challenge #2

Read at least 5 books that have more than 700 pages

I really enjoy big books, but sometimes I get really intimidated because big books just seem so epic and I feel like I need to make myself read more big books. Although I did choose a picture of A Song of Ice and Fire, I don't necessarily intend to read these 5 books. My goal is to read the first 2 books of the Kingkiller Chronicle at the beginning of the year, and then eventually read A Song of Ice and Fire. Yes, that would make 7 books, but I don't want to make my challenge too much for me. In the end, I'll be happy if I read 5 books over 700 pages, but I would be even happier if I finish all 7!

Challenge #3

The TBR Jar Challenge!

So Katytastic had this really great idea for a 2015 TBR Jar challenge, and I decided that I wanted to do it as well. So, up until now I've just had a TBR jar, and every once in a while, I'd pull a book out of the jar and read it that month. However, Kat's TBR jar challenge is a little more exciting. So basically, rather than putting books in the jar, you put challenges in the jar, and you pull one out each month. This is especially great for me for the same reason it's good for Kat- we're both mood readers, and don't like to be super constrained to a specific book. So, I'm going to go ahead and tell you about the 12 challenges I've created for myself, as well as some rules I've given to this challenge.

Rules:

- Re-reads cannot be used to fulfill a challenge unless specified in the challenge.

- I'm not allowed to buy a book with the purpose of completing the challenge unless specified in the challenge.

- Challenge must be completed by the end of the month or it doesn't count.

Challenges!

1. Start a series!
2. Jump on the bandwagon- Read a book that everyone except you has already read and loved.
3. Read a book that's already on your "TBR med interest" shelf on Goodreads (Explanation: the books on the med shelf are books I want to read but tend to be overlooked for other books).
4. Read a book from a genre you've been neglecting lately.
5. Read a book that you've owned for a year, but still haven't read. (AKA a book you've been putting off)
6. Read a book that was published before 2000.
7. Read a book by an author you've never read before.
8. Read at least 6 books this month. (I'm allowed to re-choose a challenge ONLY if I'm in the process of reading A Song of Ice and Fire. Because I'm not going to force myself to try and read all of them in a month. Nope.
9. Re-read a favorite! Better yet, focus on re-reads this month, if you can!
10. You're a music major-- read a musical book!
11. Treat yo' self! Buy a book you've been dying to read and read it immediately!
12. Read a book from your 30 Books Before 30 list!

So, those are my reading challenges for 2015! I've got some resolutions for 2015, but I'm not sure if I'm going to share them on here. I wanted to focus mostly upon my reading challenges for my blog. Are you attempting to complete a reading challenge in 2015? Let me know in the comments!

I've started doing Booktube a little as well, so if you want to check that out, you can click HERE. I plan to post most of my videos to my blog, but just in case I miss one or decide not to post it on here, that will keep you up-to date. 

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!

End of the Year TBR!

Hey, y'all! So, I've been seeing some people post videos and pictures about the books that they want to read by the end of the year, so I decided to go ahead and do the same since I have a complete list of the books that I want to read before the new year. I'll also do them in the order that I plan on reading them. Let's jump right into it!

The Bone Season

by Samantha Shannon

When I started working on this post, I had just started this book. However, I have now finished it, so it's no longer on my TBR. Sometime in the next few days/ in the next week I plan to get a discussion up for this, so stay tuned because I have a lot of strong feelings about this book and need the next book NOW.

The Bane Chronicles

by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, because I love Magnus Bane A LOT. I planned to start this right after finishing The Bone Season, but I'm having a book hangover and I'm not sure how long it'll be until I start it. I just want more of The Bone Season, but there isn't any more yet and I'M DYING OVER HERE. Anyway, I'm really excited about this and this is what I'll be reading next.

The Chaos Walking Trilogy

Book 1- The Knife of Never Letting Go

Book 2- The Ask and the Answer

Book 3- Monsters of Men

by Patrick Ness

I picked these up last month with the intent of reading them before the end of the year. And that's what I intend to do! I plan to start the trilogy after finishing The Bane Chronicles (which shouldn't take too long). This sounds like exactly what I'll love- a sci-fi dystopian. The only thing that would be better is a fantasy dystopian, but that still isn't that far off from this. They're big books, but once I get into the plot and characters, I should just fly through this.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Book 1- The Hunger Games

Book 2- Catching Fire

Book 3- Mockingjay

by Suzanne Collins

If you've followed my blog for a while, you'll be familiar with the fact that I have not read this trilogy. And yes, I realize how incredibly shocking that is. Especially given my love of dystopians. I was told about the first book and how good it was long before the hype, but brushed it off, because I didn't trust the opinions of the person suggesting it to me because they weren't super booky and I assumed they didn't really know my taste. Then everything got so hyped and I was being hipster and avoiding because it was popular and then it just got to the point where it was ridiculous that I hadn't read it... and now we're here. But that's not the only reason I haven't read them. I also heard that Mockingjay isn't that great. BUT, I saw the first movie for a second time when it was on TV and it reminded me how much I liked the movie the first time and so I decided that I really needed to give it a try. If I'm to believe most people, these really shouldn't take too long to get through. 

The Rook

by Daniel O'Malley

Lately I've just really been in the mood for adult fantasy, and that's what this is. It's another fantasy dystopian, which is partially what drew me to it. After reading Ready Player One, I had the worst book hangover and wanted to read something exactly like it. But of course, the book is just so unique that it's impossible to find something similar enough. But I went to one of those "What should I read next?" generators, and this was like the first result. And Goodreads also told me to read it. I read the synopsis and knew immediately that I needed to read it. 

The Name of the Wind

by Patrick Rothfuss

Like I've said a few times in the past, I've been really into adult fantasy lately. And I've heard nothing but good things about this book. I thought it was a stand-alone, but apparently it's a series, which is actually even better. The second book is already out, so I may need to read the second one before the end of the year too!

OK, so that's it for the books that I want to read by the end of the year! I plan on doing a ranking of every book I've read this year (excluding re-reads), so you can look forward to that next month!

I've started doing Booktube a little as well, so if you want to check that out, you can click HERE. I plan to post most of my videos to my blog, but just in case I miss one or decide not to post it on here, that will keep you up-to date. 

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!

7 Day New Years Challenge 2014

Hey, y'all! Since it's New Years Eve, I figured I should do the New Years Challenge! It's only 7 questions/days, but there are several lists, so it took me a while to come up with the answers. Enjoy!

Day One - Ten things you did this year.

1. Turned 19, which was the age I always wanted to be when I was younger. Why I wanted to be 19, I have NO idea, but I always wanted to be 19. 
2. Started my first retail job. It was also the first job where I actually got to spend my money on myself (my first job was part of a financial aid package for school).
3. Decided on a major! Music/Psych combo!
4. Got serious about blogging. I'd blogged before, but never to the level which I do now.
5. Dyed the tips of my hair and my bangs bright red. Gone, but never forgotten!
6. Discovered several musicians who are now staples in my iTunes (Sleeping With Sirens and Pentatonix are two prime examples)
7. Got so insanely addicted to Youtube and discovered Youtubers who are now major staples in my life. This time last year, I didn't know who Danisnotonfire was. Seriously, Kristen?!
8. Started living with my two best friends. It's pretty much the best living situation ever.
9. Got Netflix and realized how perfect it is at life.
10. Miraculously passed 2 more semesters of college!

Day Two - Top five songs of the year.
This is in no particular order (seriously, I couldn't do that), and I limited it to only 1 song per artist.

1. Still Into You by Paramore. This was the hardest to choose, because there are so many tracks from their album that I love. It was between this, Grow Up, Ain't It Fun, and Anklebiters. This one had literally one more play than the other 3, so I chose this one. 
2. Save Rock and Roll by Fall Out Boy Feat. Elton John. I went back and forth on which track from their album to choose. It was between this one, Young Volcanoes, and The Mighty Fall. In the end, this one has been on repeat for the longest. I love it.
3. A Love Like War by All Time Low Feat. Vic Fuentes (of Pierce The Veil). This is such a great song, and I love Vic Fuentes. Having him on there just makes it that much better.
4. Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix. PTX Vol. II came out this year, and I've been greatly enjoying it. All the songs are great, but this one is a big standout for me.
5. Love Is On The Radio by McFly. The latest single by my favorite band. It's been playing on repeat ever since it was released.

Day Three - Five favorite photos of 2013.

Mount Rushmore (July)

Dorm room (August) before all the posters!

Me & my roommates on the first day of class (August)

Jazz at the Levitt Shell! (September)

Roomies! (September)

Day Four - Three people who influenced you this year.

1. My academic adviser. She taught a psychology of music class, and it helped me to realize the direction I wanted to go with my major and in life.
2. My roomies. They made me do stuff even when I didn't want to, which is a big reason I survived this past semester.
3. My parents. Mostly obligatory, since I live with them! 

Day Five - Five things that have changed this year.

1. My major. Well, kinda. I'm still doing music, but I'm doing both music and psychology now, which was unexpected.
2. My friends. Again, this is only somewhat. Some of the people I was close with last year just aren't people I enjoy being around anymore. People who I considered to be very close friends are now people I don't even talk to because they completely shut me out and were jerks. But now, I know who I can actually trust.
3. Blogging. This has become a big part of my life since the summer, and it's a great change!
4. My living situation. I'm living with people I get along well with, and it's a very happy change.
5. Me. That's so basic and cliche, but it's true. Although it feels like 2013 has gone by really quickly, when I think back to this time last year, SO much has changed, and I'm a different person than I was last year.

Day Six - Top five movies of the year. 
I've barely seen any of the movies that came out this year... I'll list the ones I liked, and then give you a list of all the movies I want to see from this year.

1. Insidious: Chapter 2. I usually don't like sequels, but I really enjoyed how this one played with time, and began with you being really confused and allowing you to figure it out as it went along.
2. Evil Dead. As good as the original? Of course not. But it was nice and gory and I liked it.
3. Warm Bodies. I actually forgot I saw this because it was so long ago, but I did actually like it. I can't remember a ton about it except that I liked it.
4. The Lone Ranger. This wasn't necessarily a good movie, but I barely saw any movies this year, so I figured I should include it. And I love Johnny Depp regardless of what he does. 

Yeah, those are the ones I saw. Now here are the ones I wanted to see: The Hobbit 2, Frozen, City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments), The Great Gatsby, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The Conjuring, Ender's Game, Dallas Buyers Club, The Purge, and The Bling Ring.

Day Seven - New Year’s Resolution

I have a few, but my main resolution is to be better about blogging on a schedule. I've made an official schedule on the new "About Kristen's Brain..." section of my blog, which has a little about me section, as well as a section about the blog. If you'd like to check that out, you can click HERE. I'm going to try and stick to that as much as possible. There will probably be more posts than that, if the idea strikes, but I won't know that until then. 

What I DO know, however, is that TOMORROW will be the release of my fanfic teaser! Obviously I haven't told you what it's a fanfic of, but all in good time! I was going to give you a hint, but I always FIND it hard to do hints without giving it away. See, while some diehards might have understood that hint immediately, the majority of people have no idea what I'm talking about. And I siriusly can't come up with a good hint, so you'll just have to see tomorrow!

The first section will be posted Saturday, January 4, in accordance with the new schedule. It's something I've been working on and editing for quite a whole, and I really hope y'all enjoy it!

Also, as an added bonus, I think I'm going to make a post about my favorite CDs that came out of 2013. If it's not within the next few days, it'll probably be the CDs On My Shelf post for next week!

Hope y'all have a very happy new year, and I hope to see y'all back here again tomorrow and in the next few days!

Exciting Announcements/ 2014 Is Gonna Be Awesome!

Hey, y'all! Now, it may not look like much has changed, but this blog has just gone through an extensive overhaul! What happened, you may ask?

This is now my ONLY blog.

Wait, what? But you have "CDs On My Shelf" and "One Day Tumblr Challenges" and "Adventures of a Makeup Noob"! What happened to those? In short... nothing. Except Adventures of a Makeup Noob. That one bit the dust. Most of its posts were on here already. But I digress.

All of my posts are completely intact. They have simply been transferred over to this blog. As you can see at the top, there are tabs up above labelled "One Day Tumblr Challenges" and "CDs On My Shelf." These two blogs have been absorbed into From Kristen's Brain. On each of their individual pages, you will find a list of the posts within that section, with links to each individual post, as well as a link to ALL the posts in one place. My "Adventures of a Makeup Noob" blog has now become a smaller "series" on From Kristen's Brain, since it will have more infrequent/ unscheduled posts. 

Since this blog has completely absorbed the other ones, you can find all of the posts from "From Kristen's Brain...", "CDs On My Shelf", and "One Day Tumblr Challenges" in the Blog Archive in the sidebar. Their original post date has been retained, so all 3 have been intermingled. All of my blogs (save Makeup Noob) are still available for viewing for now. I'm not sure how long I'll leave them up for- they might be removed soon.

I hope y'all enjoy this change, because it's a bit easier on me. In the next few days before the New Year, I'll be working on my fanfic that I promised you. My plan is to release the teaser on January 1st, and from there, I'm going to choose a day of the week to release sections (I can tell you now, it'll probably be Saturday). I plan to release them every 2 weeks (Or maybe every 2nd/4th Saturday?). I'm also in the process of creating a schedule of when different things get posted, to get at least a little organized with my life. When that's done, it will be posted under a NEW top tab (which may or may not be finished by the time you read this. It's next on my to do list). This tab will be called "About Kristen's Brain..." and it will be an about me/about the blog page. So, that's what's going to be going on in the next few days. 

I'll see y'all again in a couple days. Thanks for reading, y'all.