Ramblings

Things are a changin’…but we’re all still here

Hey Guys,

It seems as if we’ve all disappeared, doesn’t it? Well, we have, in a way. But I wanted to write a post to let you all know that we’re still here, and we aren’t going anywhere. I will admit my priorities have changed-my little baby girl was born on March 18 (10 days early) and I didn’t get to finish a lot that I had planned to complete before little Aubrey Rose came. In fact, I even had to have an emergency C-Section after a full day of labor and an hour and a half of pushing. So…I have a LOT more recovery time to ‘look forward to’ than I previously planned.

Alas, as fate had it, I wasn’t meant to finish those things. For example:

-I have multiple ARCs that I needed to post reviews for (and, you know, finish).

-I visited an all time favorite author and had all my books signed, so I have yet to post pics and shout out to her. (I plan to do this next week since it’s been forever-sigh).

-And I also have a blog t-shirt that was sent to me that I need to also give a shout out for…

and I have done absolutely none of these things. It bothers me more than any of you could know, because I hate fading away while other members on the blog flourish. But, again, as fate (and life) would have it, they have all but faded as well, haven’t they?

But I’m writing this post to clear that up-

First, meet little Aubrey-

<3<3<3

I have a new little girl, but I plan to post my old reviews I hadn’t posted, and I plan to post my ARC reviews that I owe. And, I mean, just because I’m extremely tired doesn’t mean I can’t read anymore-In fact, I’ve started reading again this week and it’s an amazing feeling. I even wrote a review for Flame in the Mist (ARC from Penguin) today and plan on posting it Thursday. I plan to keep up with my reviewing (seeing as I’m at home for a bit), even though it won’t be three reviews a week, like before. I have a lot of catching up to do, but I am still here. Don’t forget me!

And Anna-she had faded for a bit, but after the birth of my girl and Jen’s untimely leave of absence, Anna is coming back full force and with some great ideas to fill the gaps that you might notice for a bit-One even includes my favorite thing of all time-QUOTES!!!! Come on now…..Check back on Fridays to see this wonderful-ness!

Brittney-She’s new, but she’s a great addition to the blog-She has so many reviews to post that I can’t even count them-that’s just a catch up game 😀 And she has continued posting-she rocks!

And my darling original blogging buddy, Jen-She is going through a rough time and has chosen to focus on her family. I love her for it. I respect it…

My apologies to Victoria Schwab for my delayed post, and apologies to the T-Shirt company that so graciously sent me a wonderful shirt for free with my blog logo (and a quote-I mean, duh, it’s me we’re talking about here)-I have just dropped the ball like no other.

Thanks for reading my ramblings…. and I’ll see you soon, then 😛

europeanblogger1

Hey guys! Welcome to the Wonderful World of European Blogging on American Plateforms ™ or should I say the Wonderful World of Blogging About English Books in a Non-English Country™. You’ll love it. I swear.

More seriously, I shouldn’t feel obligated to say it, but as I’m well-aware of the Rude™ label many people put on the French shoulders (not entirely undeserved, but this is another story for another day), I’ll start by renewing my faith in (wow, creepy) reminding everyone that I love blogging about books and talking with book lovers from all around the world – no matter how much some little things annoy me.

I’ll talk about these little things today.

TRIGGER WARNING : Any resemblance to a whiny person is completely intentional.

10am

While editing a post on your blog, you’ve noticed that something wasn’t quite right : either the pictures won’t load, or your …. Alright, those of you who run a blog know that it could be anything, really. Anyway. So what tips did you learn at school for when you’re stuck on something? No, not asking the teacher, the other thing that made her breathe easily : you ask a friend, of course! Team work and all that jazz. The thing is, when you’re running a blog about English books, your co-bloggers most likely live thousands of miles away. Hours away.

10 AM in Paris = 4 AM in Indiana = 1 AM in Nevada.

Well, I’m not a jerk who feels entitled to get an answer in the middle of the night, SO. I’ll have to wait (and probably find the answer alone, so spamming the blog thread with my questions then answers then never mind, I found it! texts).

11am

Let’s say that I want to read Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta during my vacations. Where do I start? Bookstores, of course. Unfortunately, after 1 hour of thoroughly searching for English books in my bookstore (in any bookstore except if you live in Paris/are fucking lucky/want to read Shakespeare or Steinbeck), I had to face the facts : French bookstores don’t sell English books, and when they do, they’ll most likely be classics.

So of course I thought, hey! Amazon is your friend! (well *coughs* except if you take the fact that they don’t pay any taxes in your country into account *coughs* who cares if they’re the best at disloyal deals *coughs* taxes and good employment conditions are overrated anyway right? *suffocates*)

europeanblogger_kindle

europeanblogger_kindle2

“European country” is such a weird concept anyway. Let’s confuse them, because really, who the fuck cares.

2pm

tours

Yep, that’s right. Your favorite authors won’t fly to you, and most publishers won’t consider you because…. rights are a bitch. But moving on.

5pm

Don’t you hate it when you’ve done everything you had to do to enter a giveaway, only to realize that the US ONLY tag didn’t mean “us, the book lovers” but more “US, you just wasted your time”? Because I do. EUROPE ONLY is such a rare tag that I’ve decided to run my own giveaway and offer you not one, but two of my favorite novels on paperback, The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves (RONAN! Ronan is life) by Maggie Stiefvater and a signed postcard. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

8pm

But fear no more! Living in a Non English speaking country when reviewing is not so bleak. Indeed you can learn wonderful skills thanks to it!

1) You ROCK at devises change : what, now you know that 10$ means “a little less than 10€, I’d say 9€ but really I’m not sure,where is the paypal change widget when you need it”. Wonderful. Just wonderful. (Alright. It’s 9,16896 €. You’re welcome.)

2) When you’re texting your real life friends, you frequently use LMAO even though they don’t know what it means. Fuck! (← they always know what that means) Anyway, you’re twice as likely to confuse the hell out of your friends and coworkers. Isn’t it awesome? Here’s some French abbreviations for you if you want to … Well, I’m not sure why you would want them, but oh well.

mdr = Literally, “dead by laughing”, because we’re fun like that.

tkt = Literally, “you worry”, buuuuut it means the opposite : “don’t worry”

pk/pq/pkoi = Whyyyyyyyy do French can’t bloody agree on anything? (It’s “why”)

stp = “please” when talking to a friend (otherwise, for your boss, it will be svp)

dsl = sorry for being a jerk (okay, just “sorry”)

VDM = (my personal favorite) You know when you’re late for work, shoved by an asshole who doesn’t even apologize and you ruin your clothes by spreading coffee all over them? Well, it’s VDM. Literally, “FML”.

3) You regularly pause while speaking French to wonder how the fuck do we say that word in…. French. Yikes.

3am