The Divergent Tag! {video!}

On the weekend I filmed the Divergent Tag with my sister!!! 

Questions: 

1)Which faction would you most likely choose to be in?

2)Which faction would you least likely choose to be in?

3)Which character did you most like/identify with the most?

4)Which character did you like the least?

5)What was your favourite moment?

6)What was your least favourite moment?

7)If you had the power to cast one character, which character would you cast and who would you choose to play that role?

8)Do you think Summit can pull it off?

9)What are your top predictions for the next book Insurgent?

Book Blog Do's/Don'ts : Formatting (my preferences)

These are just a few things I look for on the home page when I'm visiting a book blog for the first time and I want to gauge whether or not I should bother following. 

(NB: this post is similar to the post I did last December entitled Book Blog Pet Peeves. It covers different things though.)

1. CONDENSE THE HOME PAGE: Please don't make me scroll down the page for yonks and yonks in order to look for certain info/widgets. This probably means the size (or quantity) of your posts need to be reduced. Use jump breaks so I don't have to scroll through long posts, or limit the number of posts that show on the home page to about a dozen. Otherwise it's just way too much content for a first-time visitor like myself to look through.

2. ARCHIVES: Have them somewhere I can find them easily! I want to know what kind of posts you put out - some book bloggers do a crapload of reviews, some only post about books they are pining for, some tend to mainly post about books they have bought, and some bloggers post a lot about the publishing world. The easiest way for me to see what sort of stuff you like to write about is to have an archives widget that allows me to see post titles, not just dates. 

3. I LIKE PRETTY THINGS: But don't over do it. I respond well to things that entice me visually. However, too much of anything is a bad thing, so if you want a fancy background, don't use lots of bright colours or too many graphics. It's possible to have funky or ornate backgrounds but you can mute the tones so the focus is still on the content. Also, when I see an awesome header I'm more likely to follow the blog. Possibly shallow of me, but nevertheless true.

4. DON'T OVER BUTTON IT: Too many banners and buttons will give me a headache! Promoting friends/challenges/contests is A-okay with me, but don't sacrifice the integrity of your blog for any reason - whether it's for showing everyone how active you are or for getting a couple extra entries in a giveaway. All I'm saying is, as long as it's important to you and aligns with the purpose of your blog, it's alright. But if you really must have a lot of buttons down your sidebars, think about the placement of them.

5. BLOGROLLS: I like to see your blogroll. Especially if you're an Aussie blogger - there are less of us, so it's interesting to see which other Aussie bloggers you like.

Well that's about it for this round of Arielle-whining-on-about-book-blog-stuff-as-if-it-would-actually-help-someone-ha-ha-but-really-it-makes-her-sound-so-critical-who-is-she-anyway?

image source: cherryblossomgirl

Reading According to Me: my bookish preferences & pet peeves

These are some of my preferences and pet peeves when it comes to reading books. Let me know if you share any of these! Or if you disagree with any. Or if there are others I may have missed out on! 

I'm just hoping by the end of this post you don't think I'm completely crazy. 

1. A reading preference of mine is reading print copies. As long as I don't have to peer into a screen and further destroy my eyesight in the process of reading something, it is a win! I already watch enough TV and read enough blogs on my laptop so if I can avoid further damage I shall. That doesn't mean I would never own a Kindle or some sort of e-reader. Those devices can be pretty useful for travelling. :)
2. I dislike glossy book covers. Whether it is the jacket of a hardcover or a normal glossy paperback, if it's slippery in my hands I won't like it. Yes, of course I'll read it because most of the time I have no other choice, but the point is that I get clammy hands sometimes so fabric covers (or just normal paper/cardboard covers) are far more hand-friendly than the sleek, glossy kind. 
3. I have no qualms about dog-earing pages from my books. Especially if I know I will keep the book permanently, not re-sell it or give it away or swap it. I dog-ear probably for the only reason people ever do it - because I don't have a bookmark handy. I do try to always use bookmarks, but there will always be times where I misplace them or I need one right away and there are none around. Obviously, I would never dog-ear someone else's book if I was lent it. That's utter disrespect right there.
4. I secretly hate it when I lend a book to someone and they return it to me with stains splattered on the pages inside. Like, seriously... you can eat and read, but BE CAREFUL! I totally don't mind if the book is returned to me with creases down the spine and the corners slightly tattered, because that's at least natural book behaviour, but stains can be easily avoided. Or should be more easily avoided it seems.
5. Bending the book back against itself. I'm sure there is a better way of describing this deplorable action, but every time I see someone doing this to a paperback book or novel I cringe. Like, just rip the whole thing in half why don't you!!? 
6. I like stories written with short sentences. Divergent by Veronica Roth for example. If that can't happen, then I like stories written HILARIOUSLY. Like Sophie Kinsella, or Louise Rennison, or Jaclyn and Liane Moriarty. Be funny, and we'll have no problems on my end. This is because I'm a very lazy reader. If you can't captivate me by one means or another, I will probably give up before the end. 
7. When reading on public transport I get extremely defensive about people seeing the title of the book I'm reading. Or just the cover in general. Rarely would I ever wish to flaunt the title of the book I'm currently reading. But thank goodness I no longer need to take the train/bus to get to uni because I have a parking permit now! (By the way.. I'm also this way about music. Really really defensive about  telling people who my favourite bands and artists are. Like I want to keep it all a secret. Forever.)