Today we'll talk about surviving fictional worlds. We all know that sometimes, the worlds we love in fiction can be dangerous. Which fictional worlds would you want to live in? Which worlds do you never want to dive into? Which worlds are you content to stay behind the glass, so to speak, rather than wishing to dive through the page? And once you get there, what would you do?

Hey guys! Welcome to Day 3 of ABEA! Today's topic is one that I'm super hyped for: surviving fictional worlds!

I've never really had a home. Yes I've lived in houses, apartments, and even homeless shelters, but God knows, those places certainly aren't home.

I guess that's part of why I read. To find a home. I get swept up in the words, in the worlds being built, I slip into a character's shoes, and suddenly the places and people they call home are mine too.

It's easy to think a fictional world is better than the real one. The grass is always greener on the other side, right? We've all wanted to jump on the train to Hogwarts or hop through the wardrobe to Narnia.

But sometimes, we get so caught up in the magic of literature, that we blind ourselves to the fact that often these fictional worlds aren't so great. Example: This totally happened to me with Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago, especially the Dauntless sector. Who wouldn't want to live a reckless life of jumping on and off trains and zip lining through the city? Um, probably people who actually want to, oh, you know, keep their life!

I think about the beautiful world of Sara Raasch's Snow Like Ashes...and then think about the oppression that happens there. I imagine the gorgeous settings of Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone...and then remember that those settings are actually a warzone. Conflict happens in every novel and, more often than not, it makes the world in which the novel takes place a pretty ugly place to be in. So in this way, novels also remind me that I'm thankful for the world I live in, no matter how messed up and warped it can be.

Here on Day 3, we are moving our focus beyond the traditional format of the media we consume and create! 

Beyond the traditional form of the novel, what are your favorite alternative forms (graphic novels, audiobooks, webcomics, etc)? Do you have any favorite works within these alternate forms? How do you think the changing format affects the reading experience? 

Our secondary topic, beyond the blog could focus on the ways you engage in talking about books outside of your blog. Do you participate in book clubs, take classes, meticulously maintain your goodreads profile? Let the world know!

HELLO AND WELCOME TO ABEA DAY 3!!! Today's topic is really cool! As you can see from the above blurb, it's "beyond the books & beyond the blog"! On the book related side of things, we're going to be taking a closer look at our favorite formats of books beyond the traditional, physical format! On the blog related side of things, we're going to be talking about how we share and spread our love of books offline! So let's dive in

Topic 1: Beyond The Books

As y'all now know, I "read" and review primarily audiobooks. I always feel odd, because so many book bloggers I know either don't like audiobooks or are really, really hesitant to give them a try, but I love them like no other! I even recently made a post about the joys of audiobooks (psst! you should really check it out!).

A lot of people are hesitant to try out audiobooks because they're afraid the narration will affect their reading experience. And I won't deny that that's true, it does. The pacing, tone, emotionality, and voice of a narrator can absolutely affect how you percieve the book you're listening to. But I've found that most voice actors know what they're doing. There are a lot of narrators who have narrated hundreds of books to the point that I recognize their names and know they're good narrators. So I don't worry too much. Worst comes to worst, I can always actually read a snippet of the book and see if I like it.

A lot of times I also see people looking for a place to start with audiobooks. My all time favorite audiobook series is definitely J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, narrated by Jim Dale. But if you've already read Harry Potter and want something new, I cannot recommend the audiobook of Libba Bray's The Diviners enough! It's just...heavenly! The narration is AMAZING!!! It feels like you're listening to an old radio show! Some great narrators are Julia Whelan, Jennifer Ikeda, Ariana Delawari, and Elizabeth Evans, to name a few.

Another "non-traditional" format of books I've recently gotten into is graphic novels. I LOVE them! I have no idea why on earth it took me so long to get into them. I guess I thought they might be too overwhelming to read, having to pay attention to both art and text. But honestly, they're really easy to read for me, even easier than a novel. I can't pinpoint exactly why this is, but whatever it is, I'm glad!

Topic 2: Beyond The Blog

Honestly? It's kinda sad but online is my main place for fangirling about books. I do however have one real life friend, Claire, who co-blogs at Book Conversion with me, who is just as passionate about books and stories as I am. And when we get together it's a bubbery, melting mess of fangirling, lol! But other than that, I don't have many outlets for my bookish obsession. I'm a science major in college, so I haven't taken any English or creative writing courses about anything other than academic essay writing (bleh!). I did try out booktube once and failed miserably! It was laughable. I just felt like I was standing in a room talking to myself...which I was...I've also tried and failed at being in book clubs. My ADHD/ADD makes it hard to really dig in and commit to stuff, so that's why book clubs are hard for me.

But I'm happy with my blog. I've connected with a lot of people and made so many good friends! It would be a dream come true if one day we could all meet in person, though!

So that's all there is for today! I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you on the flip side!

I'm not gonna lie, as a reader of books and blogs, a blogger myself, and especially as an artist, aesthetics matter to me. They matter to me for blogs and for books. They just do. They're the first thing you see. Like clothes and makeup, book covers and blog aesthetics are often symbolic of the message you want to convey to the world. As an artist, I'm often hyper aware of how things look and the care placed into them. So this is what I think about blog aesthetics and book covers.

Blogs

Crisp And Clean
Don't clutter your sidebar. Don't have distracting things flashing at me from all over the screen. Use simple colors or a nice ombre that don't distract from text as your background. These are just a few examples of how I think you can make your blog design tighter. A crisp, clean blog means that it's easy to view and easy on the eyes and doesn't assault your senses. It just makes it easier for readers to focus on what matters: your content.

Infused With A Bit Of Personality
Get creative! Let me see a bit of you in your designs? Are you loud and colorful? Or maybe sophisticated and classy? SHOW IT TO ME! Personality makes you stand out from a crown of blogs and adds that special something to your blog!

Books

Books are a lot harder to pinpoint what I like because I like many different styles of covers. The only thing I can point out as something I dislike is if it looks like an amateur took to Photoshop and designed your cover. Getting creative and bold with fonts and placements always draws my eye. As I'm an artist, I am often aware that the book cover usually is symbolic of the book in some way--it's shows off certain elements, symbols, themes, and/or messages that the designer thinks is important to the story. That's why book covers are so important to me. Because when done right they can give you hints to the story.

So that's it for today! I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you all on the flip side!

Hey guys!
This is my first time doing ABEA and ohmygosh I'm so excited! First off, let's get the introduction over with!

Group 1

1. What is the name you prefer to use?
Hello peeps! My name is Lila!

2. How long have you been a book blogger?
I began my bookish edits blog, Inspired by Books, blog back in 2014. I started my Tumblr for The Bookkeeper's Secrets in early 2015, and then moved The Bookkeeper's Secrets to WordPress in December, 2015!

3. Have you participated in ABEA before?
Nope! I'm a total newb!

Group 2

1. If you could recommend one book blogger, who would it be and why?
I would definitely recommend checking out Cait at Paper Fury! She's so unique and bubbly and enthusiastic. You can really tell how much she loves books and blogging and her passion just totally draws you in! I look up to her so much!

2. If you could create a playlist that reflects your bookshelf, what would be the first song you choose? (You can include more than one if you want)
Oh! I'd probably choose "Castle" by Halsey, because it reflects how many awesome fantasies with strong, kickass heroines I own!

3. How do you arrange your bookshelves? Is there a rhyme or reason? Or not at all? (#ABEAShelfie)
At the moment, my bookshelves actually aren't organized. I mean, I try to keep series and books by the same author together, but other than that my bookshelves are overflowing to the point that I just put books where they fit. Here's a shelfie to give you an idea:



4. What book are you most excited for on your TBR? What are you most intimidated by?
I'm so excited to get to The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi! I've heard such AH-mazing things about it and it seems so mysterious and intriguing!

The book on my TBR that I'm most intimidated by is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. First of all, it's huge. Second of all, it has medium-ish size font. Third of all, and finally, it's an adult book and those just intimidate me because they tend to move a lot slower and I (having ADHD/ADD) am afraid I'll lose interest.

5. If you could choose three characters to have lunch with, who would they be and why?
Hmmm...Let's see...I'd choose Zuzanna from Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, because she's an incredible friend and is hilarious, I'd choose Aza Ray from Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley, because I love her sarcarm and her outlook on life and death, and I'd choose Manon Blackbeak from Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series, because I think she's just interesting and would actually be really awkward and funny if forced to dine with Zuzanna and Aza Ray (and me)!

Now let's chat about today's subject, diversity!

Diversity