How to Juggle College & Reading

When I first got accepted into my college, I was hit with a sudden moment of realization. Would I be able to continue my passion for reading books and sharing bookish content while in college? In high school, I somehow managed to keep up my grades, film for my Youtube channel and post photos on my Instagram. But even doing so in high school was a struggle, so how would I pursue this passion in college? Hopefully, this post will help you through the same problem I'm facing at the moment. In the end, the world will make time for the things that you love. Also, note that these tips are from my personal experience. They definitely won't be the same for everyone. 

Tip 1: Acknowledge That You Won't Be Reading As Much

The first step in managing your reading time right is first facing the fact that you probably won't be reading as much as you used to. College is a pretty demanding environment where you'll be asked to do things you've never done before. Some days you just won't have time to get any reading done. Acknowledging this will help you avoid squeezing time in your schedule to read as much as you read before going to college. Hopefully, it will help you step back and create a more reasonable schedule for your reading.

Tip 2: Get Rid of Your Goodreads Challenge! 

If you're an avid reading, you probably have a Goodreads challenge. Before college, Goodreads challenges were my life. I would always get super disappointed when I didn't achieve my reading goals or try to speed up my reading by the end of the year just to meet my goal. We can have a whole discussion about why Goodreads challenges hurt more than they help, but if you are even slightly pressured by your GR challenge, I would highly recommend holding off from it until winter break or something! 

Tip 3: Don't Eat More Than You Can Chew

Something I've learned in the past month of being in college is not to purchase so many books if I don't have enough time to read them. You'd think that buying more books would motivate you to read. However, studies show that when you have too many books to read, you actually feel more overwhelmed and unmotivated to read (and by studies I mean that my life has been the only test subject lol). This doesn't just apply to book buying. When you're packing for college, don't bring your entire bookshelf. Going back to step 1, acknowledge that you won't have as much time to read and pack accordingly. If you underestimate your time, you always have the chance to purchase more books or borrow from the library. 

Tip 4: Switch to Audiobooks

Let's face it, there won't always be time for you to pull out a book and start reading. Sometimes reading gets in the way. We want to read a lot of books but we don't want to take away time from more important things like studying for a test or sleeping. Audiobooks are great for multi-tasking! Usually, I listen to my audiobooks while I'm on the treadmill at the gym. That's 40 minutes of some good reading and working out. I understand that audiobooks can get a bit pricey, and as college students, we're always looking for cheaper alternatives. I find my way around the price by borrowing from audiobook libraries or simply asking friends to borrow their audible accounts if they have the book. 

Tip 5: Make It A Social Event 

Before I arrived at my campus, there was always a constant fear that if I wanted to read a lot I would have to sacrifice my social life. However, that is definitely not the case! You can host reading parties where you and your friends all come together and read. It could also be a lot simpler! You could read with your roommate while they are doing their own readings. You could join a study group, but instead of studying you could read your own book. I've found many ways around it since coming here. 

Tip 6: Change Your Reading Environment

Just because you can't read in your dorm room or lounge doesn't mean you can't read at all! I know every time I'm in my dorm all I think about is taking a nap, so I don't get any reading done in there. All you have to do is take your book and move to a different environment. The best place to go is the library, where others will perhaps be reading and it will be quiet. This method will also allow you to better explore your campus. It took me quite a while, but I finally found my reading spot! It's a giant circular window in the library (see picture below). 

As I spend more time on campus and it gets closer to the midterm season, I will come across more tips and methods for reading more. But at this time, these are just a few of the ways I've been able to come up with that have helped me so far. College is an all new experience, and I am glad that I am able to still continue my passion and do what I love on the side of my education. That's all for now folks.

Blogging & School | my thoughts + tips

We've gotta chat because there's been something I've wanted to get off my chest for a while. Remember the good old days when Alex posted 2 times a week? Yeah, I don't remember either because it was so long ago. As I'm entering my junior year of high school, I'm realizing that school isn't what I thought it was. I'll try my best not to complain too much about school in this post but no promises. 

What's the haps?

"School" doesn't actually start for you until you get to high school. Now, again, this could all totally be wrong based on what level of schooling you are in now. In short, high school has been the bane of my existence. Every morning I wake up and think to myself: "Today I get to go through another day of learning things I most likely won't need in the future, passing out fake smiles, trying to be someone I'm not." It's true, I am my worst self when I am at school. To some of my real life school friends reading this, it might not seem so. But when I'm at school, I'm not who I want to be but who my classmates want me to be. 

I'd like to disclaim this entire post by saying I am so blessed and lucky enough to attend a school that cares about my learning. Everyone (well, most people) hates school at one point, and this is just that point in my life. I know that a lot of people can't afford education or don't have the same resources and opportunities I've had, and I am beyond grateful. I am. In fact, this post is going to be a lot more than me just talking about the effect school has had on my life but more of how to handle the workload and continue doing what you love :D 

So school... where does that leave time for blogging?

The short answer to the above question is... it doesn't. School doesn't leave time for blogging, that's just the sad truth. I have to squeeze in time before I go to sleep and on the weekends just to get these posts out and flowing. And nobody's kidding themselves, I haven't been posting consistently for the past 6 months. I'm not even going to lie about it lol. It's one thing if I didn't post for months on end but it's a totally different thing when I just don't post consistently. I tried doing a once-a-week kind of thing, but then 7 days turned to 8 days and 8 days turned to 10 days. I couldn't keep up with my own set schedule, and that was the most disappointing thing to acknowledge. Then I noticed that the quality of my posts were going down. It went from long discussion posts to short lists just rambling on and off about a certain book. That's just not the content I want to be creating. I started this blog in an effort to share my passion and personality. How are a few sentences and a list going to do that? 

I really don't want to keep talking about the many ways in which school has ruined my blogging life but instead, I want to impart some beneficial advice to many of you struggling bloggers and readers out there. I've seen one too many bloggers stop blogging all because school got in the way. It really hurt to think that one day that could be me because school just keeps getting harder and harder. I don't want that to happen to anybody. Go through with your passion, write blog posts, share your favorite reads, but don't ever let school get in the way of any of it. If school is taking you away from doing what you love, that's a problem (in my opinion). Sure school is important and it's what you should be focusing on, but don't feel miserable at it. 

A lot of people always ask me how I handle being a book blogger, booktuber and bookstagrammer, while being a busy high school student. I never really thought of it but hell yeah I do do all that! I thought to myself: "maybe I really do have some things to share." Although these tips may not be anything unique or ground-breaking, they are few simple things I do in order to stay sane while creating content. From fellow student to student, here are my tips for blogging through the school year! 

1. Leave those weekends open!

Like I stated above, I mostly blog on the weekends. That also goes for booktubing and bookstagramming. I write blog posts, edit and film videos and take pictures for Bookstagram all on the weekends. Considering that my weekends aren't all that laid back and chill, I think this is something anyone can do. On the weekends, you are also a little bit more flexible with your sleeping times. Because you can stay up later, you can also just sit on your bed and write those blog posts for an hour or two straight (like me right now hehe). Weekends are imperative, so even if you want to be lazy and do it on Sunday take the initiative and tell yourself that it must be done NOW. 

2. Take notes in class. 

I never said I was a good influence. Whenever I'm in any of my boring classes (APUSH *coughs* APUSH), I like to take out my little moleskin and jot down any video ideas or blog posts ideas. That way, by the time I'm ready to draft a post or film a video, I already have everything I need to say drafted out on a piece of paper. Trust me, it's going to work okay! I'll attach a little snippet of some of the things that I write in my notebook for videos. 

3. Watch other creators and constantly read other's content. 

Most, if not all, of my content ideas are obtained from other blogs and other booktube channels. I get inspired by the people around me and, of course, I give credit where credit is due. Sometimes when I watch something that my favorite blogger has come up with, I am inspired to create something similar. It's really easy to be inspired by the thousands of blog posts that are published every day by creators just like yourself, so don't hesitate to use the resources at your disposal. 

It's sad that I could only come up with three tips, but when used in tandem, I promise you're going to be the sharpest blogger on the block. I would love to know some of your tips in the comments 😉

Spice Up Your Life This Christmas | Decorating Tips & Tricks

Thanksgiving is officially over and that means we're switching gears into Christmas! I've got some adorable Christmas tips to decorate and transform your space into the ultimate holiday hangout. These are just pictures from my room but I do also have some pictures from online. 

1. Tassel Garlands

The things hanging on my bookshelf are changing with the seasons. In the wintertime, I like to put up Christmas lights but now I've decided to do something different. You could easily spice up your shelves by purchasing some of these tassel garlands. But you could also make them yourself, which I have before. These are a great way to make the holidays even more decorative if you don't want to commit to those Christmas lights that get tangled all the time. The colors are also very customizable for the different seasons and holidays. 

To learn more about making these tassel garlands, click here! 

2. Stand-up Lights

Cute, huh? Don't mind the succulents. We're looking at the big Christmas tree light in the middle. I got this one from Home Goods for a very cheap price of like $14.99. I think that these small ornaments around the house really make the holiday season bright! I love having them light up at night when I go to bed. What's great about this one is that is also has a four hour timer so when you turn it on, it turns off automatically in four hours and turns back on in the next 20 hours. In order to reset the cycle of four hours, you would do it manually from the back. 

3. Throw Blankets and Pillows 

Throw blankets and pillows are a must for the holiday season. They are warm, cozy, and stay true to the festive colors of the season. You can basically find them anywhere! I got this red, black, and white one from American Eagle when they were doing a buy something and get a blanket for free. I think it's limited edition so sorry I can't tell you where exactly to find it. I'll leave links to some good DIYs and Pinterest photos of throw pillows. 

Photos taken from Pinterest: (Photo 1, Photo 2) 

4. Holiday Canvases 

Christmas canvases are so easy to DIY. Just buy a plain canvas, some brushes, paint, and get creative with it! There are really endless possibilities and canvases are fairly inexpensive when bought in bulk.

My favorite DIY canvas is simply taking a brush and going down the canvas with several different colors. It's easy, simple, and very shabby-chic looking. 

Next tip: Flash tattoos on canvases. This has been my holy grail lately when it comes to easy canvas ideas. Flash tattoos are easily found everywhere and can go for as cheap as $5-10 dollars. It's easy! Just stick on the tattoo as if you were going to put it on your skin and then stick it on the canvas. No joke, this really works and it works well because once the tattoos dry, you'll have yourself a beautiful metallic outline. 

5. Mini Christmas Trees

Still want a vibrant and colorful tree to remind you of nature? A fake tree is an awesome way to get really festive with the holidays without going through the hassle of watering and maintaining a real tree. Small trees are also perfect for table side decorations and for garnishing your shelves with some Christmas spirit! 

Have any decorating tips? Comment below! 

Blogging Gets You Into Job Interviews!

Photo from here!

A recent event has led me to sit down and write this post. I've been apart of the blogging community for a year and a half now, and although that's not as long as some others have been doing it, I consider what I've done thus far to be a significant achievement in my life. I don't think people regard bloggers with as much praise and respect as we deserve. Blogging, in the past year, has honestly taught me more than school has. Being a blogger and having this experience is priceless, and I'm here today to bring some exciting and revolutionary news.

What does blogging teach/help with?

• Social skills- Talking to other bloggers, your readers, authors and publishers is one very important and vital step in the blogging community. You learn how to talk to public figures, such as authors, writers, publishing companies, and etc. Communicating with other bloggers is a must for a successful site and it's a great way to get some new friends along the way. 
• Coding or graphic/web design- The thing about creating your blog and website in the first place is the fact that you need a brand or logo to promote. This logo can represent what you love to talk about and what you want your site to represent in the long run. I'm The Book's Buzz, so my logo is obviously the bee. Doing this forces you to learn how to design your own header and even add some spiffy details to your site. 
• Commitment- If you start a blog, you have to be willing to commit. You must be willing to spend 50% on life and 50% on your blog. That's the way it works. If you don't commit, your readers can see right that and they will sense your disinterest. 
• A whole lot of other things but this isn't my main point so I'm going to stop listing them!

Being a blogger gives you advantages, that others don't have. 

In recent events, I applied to this program that would put together a campaign to fight microbeads that get polluted into the ocean. They are the Wildlife Conservation Society group, working with Blue York, and they were looking for teen representatives to put together this project for other teens! In my application it said to tell them a little bit about myself, so I wrote that I am a blogger and am always in contact with fellow bloggers, readers, and authors. 

I received a phonecall a few days later for a phone interview, and as I was talking to the lady she said something that immediately grabbed my attention. She mentioned how she read on my application that I was a blogger and that was really cool because I would understand what kind of social media outreach and information teens were looking for. We talked about that for a while and it was so nice just sharing what I loved most about this community. 

I was then called for a group interview where I was tasked to work with a group to create a tiny campaign using a specific audience and our social media outlet of choice. Let me just say, that I had one of the best days of my life working with strangers, forging something from my own ideas, and just working together and collaborating with other people close to my age. That's the kind of thing I want to be doing my entire life-- working with others in creating new and innovative ideas. Without blogger and Youtube, I don't think I would've done a good job at this interview. I would've been the same shy girl that was in her nutshell a year and a half ago, who was always afraid to make that move to get further in life. Blogging has changed me in ways I can never explain thoroughly, and I am blessed to be apart of such an amazing community. 

I say this all the time- that I love you guys- but I MEAN IT! Blogging gets you a long way and all the hard work you put in will get you far! You have something different that makes you you, somethingsthat others don't have. You can walk on the street and say, "Hey I own a blog!" and not many would be able to say "Hey, me too!". It's that feeling of satisfactory that you can own and think of when you're feeling not so great. Always remind yourself that YOU HAVE A BLOG/YOU ARE A BLOGGER and that's what makes you special. If you're looking to start a blog and are terribly shy with crappy ideas, do it anyway! Who knows what will end up happening a year later. And as far as the ideas go, you can choose to learn from other bloggers and even use some of their ideas (with credit of course). 

I'm not saying that non-bloggers are special and awesome. This post is directly geared to all my blogger friends and people I've happen to meet along in my blogging career. And to those that want to desperately embark on this journey, but don't have the guts to. 

Find Your Color: Instagram Tip #1

Welcome back readers! If you do not follow me on Instagram, you wouldn't know that I've been posting five photos a day on there. I've recently changed the theme of my feed around and am feeling so confident with this new bold one I've chosen to stick with! For this Instagram Tip post I've planned a very special and helpful advice that you could take if you've been struggling lately with the types of photos you want to take or have too many ideas about a feed you really want to do. Let me make things 100x easier for you! 

WHAT COLOR SPEAKS OUT TO YOU?

I find that sticking to a color scheme for Instragram posts is what really attracts me to scroll through someone's entire feed. It's nice to see some cohesion and how each post is connected by color. 

WHAT DO I MEAN BY "FIND YOUR COLOR"? 

Find a color that you'll want to center every photo around, whether it be the entire background, the filter, or just one object that's common in every picture you take. I will show you some examples with my feed. Because I'm obsessed with anything mint or teal-colored, that was the color I chose. Here's how I set my entire feed around it!

 

Do you see the coherence behind the mint colors present in every photo?

So that's basically my interpretation of centering photos around a specific color. Please I have to stress this... CHOOSE A COLOR YOU'RE GOING TO STICK TO. If you're going to try out this method with your feed, it's not something that you just do for 8 photos, and then change it all over again after. It would no longer look coherent like that. If you're a bright and sunny person, you'd want to choose a lighter tone color like yellow or pink. Another tip for choosing the perfect color for you is choosing one color that most of the items in your house center around. I chose mint because not only is it my power color but I have a ton of things increasing and decreasing in the shades of mint and blue.

I promise promise promise with a cherry on top that it is actually easier than it looks. I know taking photos is sometimes hard and you don't want to waste money on professional equipment to make your photos good and so that people will like following you. I just took the picture with my iPhone 5 and used a bunch of editing apps. It's as simple as that and doable for anyone who just has to know the right tips and tricks for getting that perfect angle. You have to know what angles look good for the books and how you want them to face the camera.

Lighting. Lighting is a huge thing because you really want to avoid shadows and harsh, dark  fragments in your photos. The best way I can tell you to take pictures without professional lighting effects is to wake up pretty early like I'd say before noon to use the morning light to take pictures. This is the best time because you still get a decent amount of sunlight but it's not overbearing and creating a shadow to your objects. If your photo ends up looking a little darker than you'd expect it to, turn the brightness up. Play with the saturation and warmth of your photo.

Quik Tip: If you take a photo of a white background and it's looking a little bit yellow because of the sun, turn the 'warmth' towards the blue scale side/or the left and you should see the yellow almost disappear and turn white.

And finally... the outcome 

Enjoy your new feed!

Dear readers... This blog has been empty for 5 days. 5 DAYS!! That's insane because you know I post like every two or three days. I love blogging, absolutely love it! This isn't some announcement where I say I'm leaving or anything. This is just a little section where I say I'm sorry for being so MIA and that I'll catch up the posts as long as I get settled back into school. I've taken such a long break and sometimes I just don't want to go back so I have to get used to the feeling. Anyway ya'll have a great day and I hope you enjoyed the post!