TMST: Book Blurb Turn-offs

Tell Me Something Thursday? Although a bit delayed on my end, this week's Tell Me Something Tuesday from Rainy Day Ramblings was suggested by my friend at Offbeat YA, Roberta.

1) The greatest dystopian since The Hunger Games!
I hate two things about this. I don't enjoy comparisons to other novels, and I despise when people list things as "the greatest" or "the best" unless you are 100% certain that it is. And with something as subjective as a book, you definitely can't make that statement.

2) It continues from the front inner leaf of the dust jacket to the back.
I'm sorry, but if you needed all of that space to describe the book, then your description is too long and has likely gone into far too much detail. It's also a total pain to flip from the front to the back simply to figure out if I want to waste my time on this book. Yes, I am aware that is petty.

3) The entire plot.
That was a fascinating short story, thank you. I'm going to put this down for the next three years until I completely forget the spoilers I just read...if I even ever pick it up again. Related to the previous point, it's super important to give browsers just enough detail to get them intrigued, but not enough to spoil things beyond the first few chapters.

TMST - Winter Blues

I haven't participated in one of these for a while, but I did want to talk about this one today because it definitely can affect us here in the blogging world as well. This week's Tell Me Something Tuesday by Rainy Day Ramblings is about beating the winter blues.

First thing's first - I live in Canada. For those not particularly aware of our climate...it's - 22℃ (about -7℉) where I live today. The skies are grey, and it is stupidly cold. In all honesty, I think most of us here suffer with the winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder at some point. So, what do we do about it? Here are some of the things I find can help.

1) Vitamin D, vitamin D, and more vitamin D. 

I can't stress how important this is. Not only is vitamin D important for the metabolism of many nutrients and for bone health, it is also something we get from sunlight. Trick my body into thinking there's sun (in a sense)? Sure, why not. Everyone is different, but I find it helps - and in moderation (of course), it keeps my body healthy.

2) Getting to sleep on time. 

Although always important, it feels harder and harder to maintain a proper sleeping routine during these cold months. I find that since it feels dark all of the time, my circadian rhythm is completely thrown. Trying to get to sleep at a good time needs to be a priority (but I fail at this more often than I care to admit).

3) Get fresh air and be active when you can.

Sometimes it's just too cold, and being outside makes me more miserable than it helps...but I walk to work most days, and it definitely helps wake me up and feel a bit better. Not a cure-all, but I get at least a little vitamin D this way too. If you can do something fun, or exercise inside (because I don't blame you for not wanting to venture out), that can also really help.

Musicals: Yentl

One of my all-time favourite musicals, Yentl is a passion project of Barbra Streisand based off of the short story Yentl the Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Bashevis Singer.

tcm.com

What It's About:

In the early 1900s, women are forbidden from studying the Torah and Talmud - the Jewish religious scripture. But Yentl is bright, curious, and has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and her father teaches her in secret. When Yentl's father is no longer with her, she has but one choice - learn to become a housewife and get married, or be true to herself by studying, yet have to pose as a boy. Yentl's journey is equal parts humorous, heartbreaking, and inspirational.

2019 TBR Pile Challenge

Yes, I'm doing it again! Originally I had decided that there was no way I was going to do Roof Beam Reader's TBR Pile Challenge again, but when I started going through some of my books, I realized that I still have so many that I want to get through, and have for many years. Now I don't particularly mind if a book is a year or two old before I get around to reading it, but some of these I've wanted to read for about 10 years now...and I really want to finally get them off my TBR list!

So, how does this work?

Pick 12 books that have been on your TBR (to be read) list for at least a year and finish them by the end of 2019. Two alternate books can be chosen to replace any books in the challenge that are just "unfinishable". All of these books must be reviewed and linked back to the original post.  

For a full explanation of the rules for this challenge, check it out here.

Here's this year's list: