stress and book buying.

I buy books all the time, but there's something about splurging a little when you're feeling a little stressed.

I am guilty of this!

While I very much enjoy going to the mall and shop for clothes here and there, I will say my biggest form of retail therapy is buying books. I am sure you all understand this problem - buying more books than you really need. That saying, "So many books, so little time" definitely rings true, especially when your book order comes in the mail and you realize you have no more space for them in your room/house. Not to mention that you don't really have the time to read one more book... when you have about 100 ones you should be paying attention to first. 

I know this is kind of random, but I want to know and hear from you guys because I know for sure I am not alone in this! Do you ever treat yourself to a little retail therapy when stressed out? Do you keep buying books when you don't necessarily need another one? Tell me. 

stopping in the middle of a read.

Do you ever do this? Stop reading a book without finishing it? If so, when do you do it? What makes you decide to just drop the book and give up on it?

I personally have a hard time just 'giving up' on a not-so-good read. I always hope that it will get better, or will pick up, or I will somehow end up liking it. Sometimes though, I have to admit, a bad book is just that - a bad book. If I feel like the story isn't going anywhere, or the direction it's going to isn't something I am remotely interested in, I feel like it's time to put it down.

One example I can think of that made me give up on it is the very popular, The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I'm not sure to this day why people love it so much, as I couldn't get into it at all, but to each his own! 

I don't really do this often, because I feel like every book has something to offer, but I know I've thought about it a lot. I also have to admit there have been books that I first wanted to put down but ended up sticking with stuck, and ended up adoring. So for the most part, I try to keep at it. 

Do you have any particular books that made you just simply give up on it, or get close to giving up on it and putting it down? I'd like to hear your thoughts. 

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

This book! I really, really liked it. I read it in a week and probably will reread it again sometime. First off, the story is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. It's realistic, and I really liked how the author handled the issues and topics talked about here, such as depression, among others related to this. I felt like everything was handled perfectly.

While the story could just be like any other contemporary fiction, I think what truly made it stand out to me was its main character, Pat. I fell in love with its main character the moment I first started reading about his thoughts. His voice seems so painfully real to me, as if he is simply somebody I knew personally. He is likable enough, and I just couldn't help but not only empathize with him and his situation, but also root for him all the way. It's truly something when you are able to hope for the best for a character. 

Everything about this book I truly enjoyed, but I definitely loved the main character and the fact that the author had given him such a loud, realistic voice. I highly recommend this if you enjoy contemporary fiction. 

P.S. - The movie was also lovely. Jennifer Lawrence is my favorite and she plays the supporting character flawlessly. Bradley Cooper is Bradley Cooper, and that's enough. 

Who should I follow?

I feel like I'm slowly getting back into blogging again after a long hiatus, and notice that I think I really need to update my feed and the blogs I follow. This of course means I need help from you. Do you have any favorite blogs out there?

I love bookish blogs (not necessarily just review blogs). I like when the blogger has a personable voice, and talks about random things and even personal stuff every now and then. If you feel like your blog is this, or you know of any, please leave the links below.

Also, I still have the giveaway going on. Click here if you'd like to enter. Other than that, I hope you are reading amazing books this week. 

Bookish Things I Own and Love

As a book lover, bibliophile, and reader, I can't help but be drawn towards bookish things. If they're reading and/or writing related, I'm all for it. Here's some bookish things I own. Some I bought, but most are gifts from family and friends that just know me very well. 

 My Deathly Hallows necklace from Hot Topic! 

 A beautiful handmade gift that has all my favorite book quotes. 

 Sorry it's so inappropriately wrinkly! I bought this at a bookstore in Seattle. I will be doing a review on it on my next post maybe! 

 Got this butterbeer mug as a souvenir from our April 2012 trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

 Hogwarts hoodie from Hot Topic. 

 Jane Eyre scarf from a shop on Etsy. It was a birthday gift and don't recall the Etsy store name.

 A typewriter mug from Barnes and Noble.

 Two book-looking storage boxes. I think I got it at Michael's. 

 A gift from someone who knows me so well. Hogwarts houses bookmarks. So lovely.

 Another gift from a friend. I believe it's also from an Etsy store, but I don't know which one. But if you search for Harry Potter bracelets or jewelry, a lot of them will show up! 

A gift from my aunt. I'm not sure what it is, but they're little handmade Harry Potter copies. There's also only 6 of them, because my niece played with them and lost one of them somehow in my room.

And a wand. It's Harry Potter's official one from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Also a gift. 

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As you can see, most of this stuff are Harry Potter related things. Haha. I'd love to see the bookish things that you own as well. You can share links below to your own posts (if you have one or if you write one after this) or tweet - @ramblings2010 - or instagram - @jillmray - me the photo! 

Blog Birthday + small giveaway

It's official. Random Ramblings is now three years old. Yesterday the 10th was its birthday, and I am so excited that even after a few years, we're still here! Blogging and reading slumps come and go, but the readers and followers of this little blog seem to always stick with me. So thank you if you are one of the 682 followers that have stayed around here, whether you've been here all three years or just followed recently. I loved hearing your thoughts, opinions, recommendations, suggestions, advice, arguments, rants, and raves, and I am looking forward to hearing more of all of the above in the coming years.

Also, I haven't done a giveaway in a while so I thought I'd do a small celebratory one. All you have to do is to be a follower of this blog. Write down your preferred contact email down below. If you've been reading here for a while - just out of curiosity -  please let me know if you have any particular favorite post/series of posts on here. If you don't recall, an email will do. The first prize is a book or item of your choice at Book Depository for up to $20. If there's more than 50 entries, one can win a book/item of choice for up to $10 worth at Book Depository.

Thanks again. Happy New Year! <3>

rate 2012 + resolutions?

We here rate books all the time. I figured though since it's 2013 and we're all looking forward to a fresh new year ahead, I would ask you guys two things:

1. If you could rate your entire 2012 from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest) what would you rate it? You can elaborate on why you rated it that way, but I guess I'm just curious.

2. Do you have any new year's resolutions? And do you firmly believe you would keep it?

I would rate 2012 with an 8. An 8 is awesome, I think. There's plenty of room to grow and improve, but overall, it was a happy time. Compared to 2011 (which I will rate as a 5.5) that is a huge step up. I am most definitely looking forward to this year. And as far as resolutions go, mine would be to blog more. I love blogging. I can't quit it. I hate it when I have a blogging slump. So my goal is to inspire myself even more to continue on here. Try something new. Write more. Write better. Learn basic photography. Comment on people's posts. And of course, be happy.

Cheers to the new year!

The Bell Jar + Seattle

Since I haven't yet found the 'perfect' next book to cure this incredibly annoying reading slump disease, I decided to reread a book I read and liked a lot. Now I'm only a few chapters in this book, but reading it makes me realize that this really must be one of my favorites. It's a very depressing book to read, but it's such a great and realistic work nonetheless. I highly recommend you read it at least once if you haven't already. 

In other news, I am currently in Seattle, Washington for a mini vacation. I'm only here until Friday so I thought I'd ask you guys if you're from here - or have visited here before - if there are certain bookstores I MUST visit. 

Also, I am curious to know what you LAST read and what you are currently reading at the moment. Let me know! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and have a great new year ahead!