Month Round Off | December 2014

It's that time of the month again, the round off time! So, here I am, listing out everything I have (or haven't) accomplished.

Advice and Thoughts:

Let's Go Christmas, Christmas, Christmas!

Time to Get Replying to Those Comments

Blogging Over Christmas | 101

 

Tags and Awards:

Winter Wonderland Challenge: 1

Where in I Reveal My Fandoms and Dream Friend

 

Writing:

One Sentance Story #2

One Sentance Story #3

 

Guest Posts:

Guest Poster: Vanshi | Christmas Joy

Guest Poster: Emily | 5 Tips for Surving Winter Running

Guest Poster: Bryleigh | Fever Review

 

Reviews:

Come All Yee Bookish Ones

Let's Talk About Facebook, Is it Really All It's Made Out To Be?

 

Other:

Two Massive, Earth Shattering Anouncements!

Party, Party, Party!!!

Get to Know...Katarina Grace Joyce

What's My Style in Winter?

Change Is Hard

Top Ten Goals for 2015 | I'm Back!!!

 

Favourite Friend's Posts:

Blogging: 5 Tips about blog designs (via Reflections of a Jollygirl)

How To Customize Your Scrollbar (via Self Known)

5 Things: A Few Blogging Tips (via The Joys of Being Paige)

The Pros and Cons of Short Hair (via Lynde Avenue)

New To Me Blogs (via The Joys of Being Paige)

App Review: Dulingo (via A Little Yarn Blossom)

Oh hello there, Christmas (via Paper Fury)

Author Christmas | Review (via A Free Mind)

Blogging (via Eve of Womanhood)

Doctor Who Companions Best and Worst- My Opinion (via An Amazing Case of Wanderlust)

How Do You Take Your Series Finales? (via Paper Fury)

5 Reasons to Take a "Me" Day (via Called His)

Spotify (via A Little Yarn Blossom)

 

Well that rounds off the list of what I've done. I honestly am surprised that I've done this much! All month it feels like I've been doing nothing.

 

I'd just like to give a massive thank you to everyone who has/is going to guest post for me. I wouldn't been able to do so much without you!

 

From now on I should be back to posting more often, so look out. I am starting to get really excited again now Christmas is over, which is the best feeling ever. Also, Happy New Year you guys! May it be a good one. I'll see ya'll later in another post!

-Kat 

Top Ten Goals for 2015 | I'M BACK!!!

It's ME! IT'S REALLY ME TODAY!!! I'm really excited that I'm finally getting around to writing a post. I've been really busy and haven't had much time, but luckily, I'm back! Which I'm really excited about.

So today I'm going to be listing out my goals for 2015. This is for the Broke and the Bookish Top Ten Tuesday.  I'm braking it into two parts: blogging related and un-blogging related. Here we go!

Blogging Related:

One...Get better at replying to those comments and start properly commenting back. Commenting is one thing I struggle with a lot and so I'd love to get better at it in the coming year!

Two...Work out a posting schedule and stick to it. You may have noticed that my posts are kind of random and I don't always post on time, so a posting schedule might help me out a great deal. This is one thing I really have to fix!

Three...Visit more blogs. To tell the truth I don't visit many new blogs unless they find me first and leave a comment. This is something I really need to fix because there are so many amazing blogs out there and I'm just dying to make some more friends.

Four...Writing better and deeper posts. I love writing my posts, but I'm certain that some of them could have been written better or in a different way. My goal for the coming year is to write not more, but better ones.

Five...Start taking photos for my blog. I don't use many photos on my blog, so taking some of my own for the posts would be great! I do actually have a camera, so this is something I should have thought about long ago. Hopefully I can keep this one!

 

Un-Blogging Related

 

One/Six...Start doing different workouts. You properly know that I run, but I don't do much other exercise than that. So I'd love to try something different. Maybe mix things around a bit, but don't worry, I'm going to keep with the running!

 

Two/Seven...Read more books. I LOVE reading, but I never seem to have the time to do it. I'm always writing, listening to music, watching YouTube, playing games and countless other things. So what I'm going to do is enter the Goodreads challenge and see how much I can read in a year. Really challenge myself!

 

Three/Eight...Start a diary. I've never done this, but I've always wanted one. It would be wonderful to go in the future look back at what I was doing, thinking and feeling back now when I was a teen. Back when I was a newbie blogger and what silly mistakes I was making.

 

Four/Nine...Actually start my YouTube channel. Well it is started, but I've only posted one, terrible video on there. In the future, I want to get it going properly and make more, better videos. Look out for this because it's something I'm sure I'm going to do!

 

Five/Ten...My last one is to write and edit at least one novel. Hard I know, but I want to do it. Writing is my passion, so this would really please me. I hope to do this one!

 

Well those are my resolutions for 2015. What are yours?

 

I'm currently trying to get some posts scheduled for the coming year so that you all have something to read. I have some great ideas coming your way!

-Kat 

Guest Poster: Bryleigh | Fever Review

 

Bryleigh from A Little Yarn Blossom kindly offered to guest post today because I'm so busy. And I'm really excited to be sharing her post, she has some great thoughts!

 

There are two words that come to mind when I think of this book:

Smoky.
Intense.

This book is so well written. There were so many twists, and then it left me on edge when it ended. I can't wait to get the next book from my library! It's sinister, but innocent. I just can't get over what all has happened! I love authors that keep me on the edge of my seat. Y'all need to read these books. I can't wait to see what Lauren DeStefano does next!

Would This Book Make A Good Movie?
No. Since it's a trilogy, they'd just cram everything into one movie, or stretch it out into 4 movies and add in parts that were not there before. It's also very detailed, and people would most certainly skip over important parts.

Book Cover Rating:
5/5 stars. The cover perfectly represents what happens in the book. You don't notice at first, but it makes perfect sense as you get farther into the story.

Character Development:
Perfect. I learned more and more about Rhine and Gabriel. I can see them clearly in my mind, and the emotions are perfectly written.

Bad Stuff?
Not really in terms of the book. In the terms of the story, ohhh yeahhh. But I won't spoil any more details. Go read the books!

The first book is called Wither. The book after Fever is Sever.
Go check out the website, it's got all the info!! The Chemical Garden Trilogy

Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!
Ciao!

Bryleigh is a redheaded 15 year old professional procrastinator. (Not really) She's really an entrepreneur and an avid knitter, crocheter, and reader among other things. She's a life learner and a mandala maker. You can find her over at her lifestyle blog, A Little Yarn Blossom, where she posts about music, contests, photography, tags, her life and many other things! She also has a shop where she does amazing craft, you can find that HERE!

Thank you to everyone who has/is guest posting for me over the Christmas season. I'm really busy, but hopefully I will be able to write some more posts up soon. Thanks for sticking by me. Now, I've got to go and find this book!

-Kat 

Guest Poster: Emily | 5 Tips for Surviving Winter Running

Today we have another guest poster, Emily from Lynde Avenue. She's kindly offered to write a post while I've been too busy. So without farther ado, the post...

Hey, everyone! It's Emily from Lynde Avenue, and I'm very honored to be guest posting on my friend Kat's blog today. We're both runners, so I thought it might be cool to do a piece about winter running! (Ironic though, seeing as it's actually summer over there in Australia.) But enough chit-chat - let's get to it, shall we? Read on for my tips for surviving that 7 mile winter run.

1. Lay out your clothing the night before. No skipping out! It's easy to say that you're going to go for an early morning run now, but when tomorrow rolls around, you might find yourself feeling quite differently. Lay out your clothing and gear to remind yourself - no giving up before you've even started!

2. And while we're at it, have the right clothing! Are you really going to want to keep going when it's 30 degrees out and you're freezing your butt off in shorts and a T-shirt? Make sure you start out with the right clothing! When it's down in the 20's I usually wear yoga pants (or leggings if you prefer), cotton socks (I actually think this might be a no-no...), a T-shirt, and thin fleece jacket. I know that some runners get hot quickly and have to start shedding layers, but this ensemble actually works out quite comfortably for me!

3. Have a destination in mind. You know how hard it is to just run up and down your street? Or to the park and loop back around? (For me personally, anyway.) It helps to have a destination, so you have a concrete goal to strive for. Instead of doing loops, why don't you run to the Dunkin' downtown? And while you're at it, you might pick up breakfast for your little brother too. You'd be surprised by how much that solid layout of where you're going helps you actually get there!

4. Tell someone the route. And what time you anticipate getting back. It's pretty dark in the morning in the winter, making it more likely for accidents to happen by sleepy / tired drivers not seeing pedestrians. By telling someone the route and what time you plan to be back, they'll know your plan if anything happens.

5. Start out early. While on the topic of motivation, you'll also want to start out early so that you don't have time to think it through and say no. I usually head out at 7 or 8 - better to get it over with than drag it out! And, bonus - you'll feel great throughout the rest of the day knowing that you did it, and you might also surprise yourself by unconsciously making healthier food choices.

I'd like to thank the wonderful Kat again for letting me guest post - it's been awesome! If you guys want to see more of me every week, you can find me either chillin' on Lynde Avenue or redesigning at Twenty-One Designs. I'm also on Bloglovin, GFC, and Twitter - stop by and say hey! See you guys soon.

PS - Like this post and want to see more on athletics? Also check out...

+ The First Mile

+ An Interesting Kind of Breakfast

Emily is the 16-year-old blogger behind lifestyle blog Lynde Avenue. A lover of slippers, sheet music, and exotic tropical smoothies, she's never one to miss sleeping in on a snow day nor curling up with a good book! You can find her over at her blog, Lynde Avenue where she posts beauty tips, bucket lists, tags, tips and many other helpful things. Be sure to check it out, you won't regret it!

And before you all go, may I just wish that you're all having a wonderful start to your Christmas season. I sure know I am. I'm enjoying spending my time with my family, reading and drinking many cups of tea!

-Kat 

Change Is Hard

Does anyone else have a certain font for their blog? Like one they use all the time? Or is it just me?

You see, it all started a while ago, when I was scrolling through a font site (always a bad idea). Then one font caught my eye:

That gave me the idea of a signature font and so for a small while I've been using it in all my blogging graphics.

But then I came across a problem. I looked back through all those graphics the other day and...they're really hard to read! When small, Everything Holiday is harder than hard to read.

So now I have a choice, should I change this font and get a new one? Keep using this one because that's what I chose? Or just give up this signature idea because it's stupid.

I've made another voting box so that we can get results!
 

 

And now, just in case we decide to get a new font, let's go and show you the options I've come up with!

 

 

Now to end this very long and boring post, let's just have...ANOTHER POLL!

 

 

 

Want to guest post? I'm still taking people. Just leave me an email: almostcompletelymad@gmail.com. Also, if you want to interview me or have me guest post on your blog over the Christmas holidays, I'd be more than happy. Just leave me a email or comment!

 -Kat

Guest Poster: Vanshi | Christmas Joy

Today we have a guest poster, Vanshi from Upwardss! Enjoy her post.

Merry Christmas to all of Kat's beautiful readers! I'm Vanshi, from Upwardss, a place for a crazy and loud optimist, me, to burst and write about the things I love. The lovely Kat has allowed me to guest post on her blog, and I'm so grateful to do so!

 

merry christmas, lovelies~


christmas brings irreplaceable cheer, something that I find no other holiday brings.

with christmas comes the mugs of hot chocolate, the christmas movie marathons, the classics- home alone, the polar express...

christmas brings the desire to surrender yourself to your pillow and mattress forever.

it cherishes memories fetched from the depths of your mind.

with christmas comes the warmth of not only the ongoing fire, but the warmth of the beautiful souls around you.

christmas brings family and friends from afar together, even for just a couple honored hours.

it brings hot cocoa to the lips and a smile to the soul.

with christmas comes the need of the white flakey things we tend to call snow.

i hope you and your loved ones have a very, very, merry christmas, truly, from the bottom of my heart. xx

 

 

 

 Vanshi is an Indian, blogger, chai drinker, dreamer and beautiful writer! She blogs over at Upwardss, where she posts about her life, photos and many other exciting thing. Please pop over and say 'hi!'.

 

 

 

 

Most importantly guys, MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope you all enjoy your Christmas day.

-Kat 

Let's Talk About Facebook, Is It Really All It's Made Out To Be?

I've been told by so many people to join this and join that, so today I thought I'd start a series of posts where I write about those sites I've joined and what I think of them. Every post in this series will highlight a different site.

Today's site is: Facebook! Yep, the classic. I know. This will be really interesting.

Firstly, let's talk about how I use it. When I first got Facebook, I decided to use it mainly for a blog page, but use my account for more personal things. Well, that's how I planned it.

Here's how everything turned out. I did create that page, but guess what?! I hardly ever post anything on it! It's really hard to remember to go on. The most I normally do is post my latest posts and nothing much extra. Though if I like something really well, I will share the link.

Even when posting my posts, it's really hard to remember to do it. It would be much easier if there was a way of doing it automatically, but there isn't for pages!

I never did end up using my personal timeline. Sometime I'll share something amazing from my feed, but that's like once in a million years!

Can I ask about the feed? This really annoys me. There doesn't seem to be any order to how it's laid out. It's just me or is it really badly laid out. It took me forever to work out how to change it from most popular posts up the top and make it most recent instead!

Another really annoying thing about the layout is that there are adds in the sidebar distracting you from the feed, like WHAT?! The add bar is nearly as thick as the post bar. That's crazy!

Is it really needed to get your blog out there? Where did this myth come from? I doubt that any of my views come from FB. In fact, hardly anyone even 'likes' my page.

I've found that's it's really hard to just get your page out there. Maybe it would help your blog, but only once you get the page itself noticed.

So it's another thing you have to keep advertising!

It sends a lot of emails. The default setting is to send you an email about just about everything! I don't even know if there is a way of changing this.

Most of the emails I get in my inbox are from FB, which is not the way I want it to be. I'd rather read about what's going on in the blogging world than who I might (or might not) know I FB.

This is a massive bugger, which I'm hoping to find a way of stopping. If you know how, please tell me!

There are plenty of cool things, though. Let's say that as a plus for FB, there are plenty of cool things on it. If you're following the right people and 'liking' the right pages, you can find helps of cool quotes, jokes and links.

But finding those people is just so hard! I don't know how I found the few people I did. Unless you know the name of who you want to find, then search isn't much good for you.

There are also a lot of games on FB, I've never played them personally, but I've got friends who've and they say that they're heaps of fun.

Let's finish this up. These are only a few things and they're all from just one girl, but I hope this helps you. If you have FB, feel free to send me a friend request!

Was it worth it? Honestly, no. I don't have much I do on FB, so it's honestly just a big waste of time for me, but who knows, it might be better than you.

What's my rating? 3 out of 5. I know it's low, but I was really disappointed with this one. If I'd known all about it earlier, I wouldn't have joined.

Maybe I'm doing thing wrong on FB, but I'm still learning. For the moment I'll keep using it, if you want to have the links to my blog posts in your feed and the occasional link, then please like my page!

Also, before you go, I still looking for guest posters. So if you're interested in writing a post for (Almost) Completely Mad, then feel free to send me an email: almostcompletelymad@gmail.com I'd also be willing to guest post on your blog as well. Just ask me and I'd be more than willing. Thanks for stopping by! 

 -Kat

Let's Go Christmas, Christmas, Christmas!

Everything I've written about Christmas so far seems to be me complaining about things being so busy and not having enough time, but the thing is, Christmas is much more than that! It's special, it's Jesus's birth, and sometime it's too easy to forget this.

Today, I've decided to help myself remember this by posting seven way to get into the Christmas mood!

1. Turn on that music! There is nothing like a bit of Christmas music to get yourself in 'the mood'. For me, classic carols normally does the trick. There is nothing like those old pieces like 'Away in a Manger'.

Even if you don't have any CDs, you can always call upon the trusty old internet to give you something to listen to. Some great places to go are Grooveshark and YouTube.

And if you don't know any good musicians, here are a few who I love: Peter Hollens, Taylor Davis and Piano Guys.

2. Pull out those crafty supplies. Try some Christmas craft. Make some presents, decorations, anything. There is nothing like a bit of Christmas craft to get you excited for Christmas, trust me.

My favourite Christmas crafts involve, making angel Christmas tree decorations out of tissues (yes, very sophisticated, I know), salt dough Christmas trees (anyone else done this?) and painted boxes (to be filled with chocolates as a present).

3. Put on your baker's hat. Everyone likes Christmas food, but not all of it has to be bought. Why not try making some of your own this year?

I love going online and finding new recipes. Just one thing though, has anyone ever had success with ginger bread? Is it just me is there no way to cook it without it going really hard or being under cooked? Why do I try to make this every year?

4. Go shopping. Yes, I'm encouraging you to go shopping and spend money! But, remember, those presents have to be bought sometime or another. Why not now?

I don't normally like shopping to tell the truth, but with Christmas presents, it's another matter. There's something nice about walking around those isles, trying to find the perfect present for someone.

Not being very crafty, I end up buying most of my presents, but I do like to try and make them really cool and something they'd really enjoy. Most of all, something different!

5. Wrap those presents. Once you've got all your presents, there's nothing to stop you from wrapping them up. Getting it out of the way earlier rather than later makes sure you're not doing on Christmas Eve like me.

If you want to be really adventurous (and crafty), why don't you even try to make your own wrapping paper. This gives you two things to do in one!

6. Decorate the house. Every house needs some kind of decoration. Why don't you put that tree up? Is that wreath just dying to be on the door? Come on, put some effort into how your house looks at Christmas.

I'm not normally very good at this. I don't have the eye for this sort of this, but it's lot's of fun to do, so long as you don't leave it till the last moment (yes, I'm always doing that).

7. Sing those carols. Let's start and finish with music. If you are a brilliant singer, or plain horrible, get those carol books out and start singing. This is sure to make you SMILE.

And if you're really brave, why don't you even try a little bit of busking? Busking is a great way of getting a few extra dollars to spend on Christmas.

But better than that, it's so much fun and it's really Christmassy!

There you have it, my seven ways to get in the Christmas spirit. I hope you try at least a few of these out.

Also, I'm looking for guest bloggers over the Christmas holidays. So if you'd be interested, or would like a little bit of free advertising, then please email me: almostcompletelymad@gmail.com. I'd also be willing to guest post back on your blog. So just give me an email!

-Kat 

What's My Style in Winter?

Today I'm linking up to Yasmine's Winter Wonderland Challenge. This test today is to express your winter style.

It being summer here, I had to do this all online, not being able to dress up myself, but I hope that's ok.

 

As most of you know, I'm a geek and this jumper completely sums that up. I've always loved Darth Vader. If I could get this shirt in real life, I'd be more than happy.

I'm a really comfy sort of person, so I decided to go with jeans. Because it's not often you can go wrong with a pair of them in winter.

Hey, does anyone know where I can get that bag? It's so perfect. An Alice in Wonderland book bag. That's so cool.

Yup, total geek over here.

Now I'd team all this with a  ponytail (I'm boring) and no makeup. Because honestly I've never worn makeup in my life and I'd have no idea how to do it. But to mix it up, I might try a sock bun if I could work it out.

And there you are. Note to Yasmine: Sorry this took so long!

I'm looking for guest bloggers over the holidays, so if you're interest, please email me: almostcompletelymad@gmail.com. I'd also be willing to guest post on your blog or be interviewed, if you'd like that. Just leave me an email and I'll get back to you as fast as I can.

 -Kat

Time to Get Replying to Those Comments!

Recently my posts just haven't been coming out properly. I start a post, but I never end up finishing it. They always seem silly or boring. But today I'm going to try getting this out, because it seems really important to me.

So without farther ado...FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD REPLY TO YOUR COMMENTS.

It let's people you read and acknowledged what they said. This I think is really important. They spent the time to write those comments and leave you some feedback, the least you can do is say thank you. It makes people feel like their comments mean something to you when you reply.

Replying helps you get to know your readers. Who knows, maybe you will start a conversation with someone in the comments. You might even make a new friend. And making friends is what blogging is all about, remember.

People are more likely to leave a comment if you reply. Everyone loves getting comments, but when there is no way to know that you're reading the comments they're more likely to just leave. Which none of us want to happen!

I've also noticed that people are less likely to read a blog with someone who doesn't reply. Because it looks like the author is only writing for themselves and doesn't care if anyone reads.

Replying makes you more likely to read the comments properly. Admit it, all too often we just skim the comments we get given, but if we have to reply, we tend to read the comments properly, seeking out things to say back.

You learn a lot about how a post went down. I don't know about you, but when I strike up a conversation in the comments, most of the time I end up finding out what people really think about my posts. What I could do better and what people like most?

This is a great way to learn what to do better in the future and make your blog even better! Everyone wants that, right?

Well those are my FIVE reasons, there are many more, but these are just five of them. If you have anything to add, please tell me!
I know replying is hard work (especially for you popular bloggers out there), but it's really worth it. You can learn a lot from just replying to comments.

But on this note, I'm also planning on writing a post on 'How to Make Time to Reply to Comments', so look out for that.

And to clear things up, this is not directed at anyone! I'm not pointing fingers, this is just my views. If you don't reply to comments, that's fine. There's nothing to be ashamed of! These are just my thoughts for my blog, things might be different on yours.

-Kat

Come All Yee Bookish Ones!

Today, I'm getting deep. In November, Blood of Olympus came out and of course, I just had to get it. After putting off reading it due to mixed feelings about House of Hades and many other books just begging to be read, I finally picked it up and got on with it.

In this post I've decided to do something I've never done before, I'm going to post a book review! Like WHAT?!

To start with, let's just mention the narrators!
One thing I love about Rick Riordan's books is that he always shows his books from several points of view. So you get to hear everyone's thought and feelings.

I think that Blood of Olympus's choice of narrators where especially awesome. Now Percy is amazing (in fact he's amazing), but we do get to see quite a lot of him. It's like he's always in the limelight, which is ok, but the team is rather big and it's nice to hear about the others.

But this book wasn't didn't have Percy as a narrator. I literally couldn't believe it! WHY NO PERCY?! I thought that being the last book they'd try to put the light on Percy, but they didn't.

Instead, Jason, Leo and Piper got to shine along with two really surprising people...Nicko and Reyna. I was pleasantly pleased with pick. I've always secretly wanted to know more about these two and it turns out that they're both really deep and deserve to be counted as part of the team.

Can we just take a moment for the planning that went into this book?
Some books you can just tell have had hours spent planning them. Blood of Olympus is one of those books. Everything about it worked like a clock work.

Things that most people would over look had been mentioned and put to good use. Which is really nice to see.

The characters, I just can't describe them.
I simply adore character with personalities and feelings! What's better is characters that you can relate to.

Leo is one of those character. I'm sure it's a well known fact that I simply adore Leo, but there's a reason.

One thing I like most about Leo is how he's always cheerful, but underneath he's suffering and worrying away. But unlike some characters I could mention, he doesn't ever moan about, in fact he does the opposite and tries to hide it from everyone else.

Also, the end. I can't believe that Leo was brave enough to do that. He knew full well what he was heading into and he just did it. Come on, how many characters can do that?

And Nikko, the way that he changed and matured was CRAZY! I couldn't believe how he got over Percy and moved on. He seemed to grow up.

What really surprised me though, is how his mood changed! Everyone knows him to be the really moody guy who doesn't like talking to anyone else, but this Nikko was so different thanks to Reyna. Seriously, that girl needs a gold medal!

I couldn't talk about these characters forever, they all were really deep, but let's move on!

The ending, let's talk about this!
Ok, I have mixed feelings about this. In some ways it was amazing, but in others it was really mean. Let me explain as best I can.

In the other books it did all this working up to Gaia and how she wouldn't be easy to defeat and they seemed to continue that in this book, but then at the end it changed!

It was almost like Rick Riordan couldn't decide how to write it or had a certain amount of words he wanted it to be.

Everything seemed rather rushed. After the first bit everything hurried up. The big battle didn't really seem that big anymore.

And can I just say, it didn't seem like it was that hard to beat Gaia. It seemed almost too easy, yes I know that 'HE' died, but come on, they could of played it out just a bit more.

But on the plus side, after the battle, everything seemed to be perfect. It was just how I like things to be. Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter becoming friends was amazing. I can't just imagine that amount fun they'd get up to together. Can you imagine those games of Capture the Flag?

I liked how there were regrets, that everyone didn't just move on, forget which so often happens in these books. People seemed to suffer from the dead and be sad.

Also, Leo, can we just say how amazing he was at the end. No one could have done as much as him. I think he needs a silent moment.

Lastly, let's just talk Jason.
Jason's promise was so perfect. I hope he actually can finished off what Percy started. I think that this is amazing and also, can I just hope that this means that there will be more books with both Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood? Maybe a new group of demi-gods evens.

Do you remember when Jason made the promise to finished the job off? And how it was under water? Wasn't it just so funny how Jason saved Percy when they were underwater? I just had to mention this because it was one of my favourite parts in the whole book.

Round off time!
My finally thoughts on this book are: AMAZING!!! The ending might have been a bit of a let down, but it was still totally worth the read..

I rate this book 5 out of 5. So if you haven't yet read it, go and go it...NOW!

Until next time,

-Kat

Where In I Reveal My Fandoms and Dream Friend

I'm feeling all special (and glittery *thanks Cait*) because Cait @ Paper Fury has tagged ME for the Sisterhood of the World Blog Award. I'm so EXCITED!!! Thank you Cait.

So before I get too hyper, let's get onto this award, shall we?

RULES:
1. Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their website.
2. Post the award’s logo on your blog.
3. Answer the ten questions you have been asked.
4. Nominator ten other bloggers and ask them ten other questions.

 

 

Well, let's just say Cait went all out and there are seventeen (?) questions to answer (she's a rule breaker), so I have quite a bit of answering to do!

What was the last 5 star book you read?

 

Ok, so I read like  a LOT. I can't read enough, so properly this well be different by the time you read this (I only seem to read good books).

 

But at the moment, my last 5 star book would be...Cress!I waited forever to get this book. I love the Lunar Chronicles.

 

Sadly though, after getting my hands on it, I didn't read it straight away due to other books begging to be read, but be rest assured, it's read now!

 

How many books are on your yearly reading challenge?

 

To tell the truth, I only joined Goodreads the other day, so sadly I couldn't make a goal for this year. I'm definitely doing it for next year though. I think I will be going for 150, but I'm not sure.

 

Have you met any authors?

 

No, sadly, I haven't, but I would give anything to meet one. It's my dream to get one of sign a copy of their book in person (you know, while I'm there)! That would be amazing. One day, one day (hopefully soon).

 

Are you the only reader in your family or are you a reading family?

 

I wish I had a reading family, but unfortunately I'm the only reader. Sometimes I get the feeling my family thinks I'm slightly strange and a bit loopy, but book are my LIFE!!!!

 

Which book published in 2014 surprised you the most (good or bad)?

 

Blood of Olympus. I don't know what I expected, but for some reasons, House of Hades slightly disappointed me. I wasn't sure about Blood of Olympus, but it turned out to be amazing and all my bad thoughts about House of Hades were cleared up at the same time.

 

What new author did you discover this year that you think people should keep an eye on?

 

Juliet Marilla (or however it's spelt). She's not a new author, but I've only just discovered her and she's a really good author.

 

If I was to give you a hint, go read Wildwood Dancing.

 

Which book-to-movie adaptation was your favourite this year?

 

I must admit, I don't actually watch my book-to-movie adaptations. But I did see the second Hobbit movie (was that this year it came out on DVD?). That was amazing. So I have seen something and hopefully I will be seeing the last one before next year.

 

Do you prefer writing negative or positive reviews?

 

Positive! I love telling people about what I love, I'm not so much one of those people who like to moan about made things. I try to just move on from them.

 

Is commenting on blogs an easy thing for you to do?

 

Ah, no! I love getting comments and talking to people, but it's not easy for me. I find it hard to find the right words and I'm always worrying that people won't think I've read the post properly and can't be bothered to take the time to write something unique

 

I do try to comment back for every comment I get and I love talking to everyone. I adore getting comments as well, so I shouldn't really be complaining.

 

What’s the book/series that everyone raves about but you just didn’t get?

 

I don't know. I'm not really one of those people who follow the trends,so I don't read what everyone else is crazy about! Sorry about that.

 

What bookish merchandise are you dying to get your hands on?

 

A graphic tee. Something to do with a favourite series hopefully. Here's what would be ideal:

 

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What’s your most anticipated book of 2015?

 

Winter! I am simply in love with the Lunar Chronicles at the moment. Nothing would be better than getting Winter. Come on, be released quicker!

 

Which book character do you wish you could be best friends with?

 

Leo Valdez! Ok, I know I mention him all the time, but hey! He's amazing. Can you imagine being friends with him? He's got a metal dragon, can set himself on fire if I get cold and could make me anything I would want. Yup, I'd love him to be my friend!

 

What’s your favourite book outside of the genre you read most often?

 

Love Comes Softly. I never read Romances, but Love Comes Softly is different, it's kind hearted, clean, and the characters are crazily real! I love this book to the moon and back.

 

Any TV shows in particular that you’re addicted to right now?

 

I don't watch TV very much, but Doctor Who is amazing (especially Eccleston). I could rant for ages over how good it is. Doctor Who gives me feels that nothing else will. It's exciting and full of action and the best thing is, unlike other good things, it doesn't end. And it doesn't get old either. Seriously, just watch it!

 

Do you listen to audiobooks and, if so, where do you get them from?

 

I love audiobooks. I don't have many though. I can't afford to pay for them. What money I do have normally goes towards more kindle books, but sometimes I do stumble upon free audiobooks or things like that.

 

I don't really have a site for them though, sorry about that. 

 

What is the thing you love most about blogging?

 

I love this questions, it never get's old. My most favourite thing about blogging is being about to get to know of all you guys and talk to you.

 

I also love sharing my thoughts, hobbies, writings and other stuff with the world. Let's admit it, I wouldn't have much of a life without blogging.

 

Sadly I'm not nominating anyone else or asking any other questions today. My brain is kind of burnt out and useless, so sorry about that.

 

If anyone else wants to do this, feel free. Just answer these questions (or however many you want to) and leave me a link to your post.

 

-Kat

One Sentace Story #3

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Let the sun shine in your face, it's another day!

 

-Kat

Get To Know...Katarina Grace Joyce

I've only just realised that when I created this blog, I didn't put much information about me on it. I didn't expect anyone to find or read it back then, so I didn't go to much trouble about telling people about me.

But, it seems people are actually interested in hearing who I really am. So today I'm going to write a post completely devoted to ME, so, be warned!

If you're new to this blog, this post is the post for you, hopefully I will answer every question you might have about me, so let's get on with this.

Hi! I'm Kat. The teen who is more than a slight bit nutty, with an obsession for Dr Who and a love of all things nerd. What else? Oh yes I can't live without chocolate, I would die without my books and I adore movies. That's me! -This is the short summary of me.

My full name is Katarina Grace Joyce, but please just call Kat, I prefer it. You can also call me Tiny, Minnie Mouse and Munchkin (I'm sure there's more, but I can't remember them at the moment).

I'm an Australian, which means that Christmas is in summer, no snow in winter and a lot's a BBQs. Australia's a great place to live, even if it does sometimes feel like you're living on another planet from everyone else. You know I once was talking to someone on the internet and when I told them I lived in Australia, they said 'Australia? Where's Australia?'

Some of my past times involve reading copious amounts of books, writing moody pieces, playing the piano and guitar and taking crazy photos. I spend like 99.9 percent of my time thinking about Doctor Who and I might just believe I'm a hobbit.

I'm a Catholic. I've got baptized when I was three. Before then my family was atheists, but got converted after hearing about St Padre Pio's story.

I learnt to read when I was really little. I think I was only five or six when I read my first book. Since then reading has been my life. If anything comes before this blog, it's my books! I'm never seen without a book in my hand.

When I was ten I became interested in writing. I haven't yet finished a novel, but I'm working towards it. My last novel was a fantasy, but I love writing all kinds of genres.

I'm the youngest in my family with two older brothers. I've kind of grown up doing my own thing, which means a lot of mistakes and mishaps. By the way, I would love an older sister, any volunteers? It can be over emails?

Anyway, I hope this helps all you new readers or just you people who would like to know a little bit more about me.

All credit for this ideas goes to Mackenzie @ think. eat. write. read. I hope you don't mind me stealing it!

-Kat

Blogging Over Christmas | 101

Blogging over Christmas is hard work, so today I thought that I would post a few tips on how to keep your blog active over the Christmas season. So here we go...

Schedule. I know I've mentioned this so many times, but I will mention it again. Writing as many of your post for the Christmas time ahead of time will help you a lot later.

Reduce How Many Posts. Christmas is the time for hanging out with friends, being with family, having fun. Let's face it. With everything else you want to do, you might not have the time to write all the normally post. Writing a few less posts a week isn't such a bad thing, so long as you are still posting.

Have Guest Posters. Don't be afraid to ask for other people to write your posts for you. It might be nice to have a small break over Christmas where other people write for you. It might also give your readers a chance read something slightly different.

Set Yourself a Limit. Sometimes we fuss just a little bit too long over our posts. We want ever word to be perfect, amazing grammar, beautiful images. Sadly that will never happen and we spend just a little bit too long fussing over it. Try setting yourself a limit on how long you have to write your post in. This might also help you write more posts in a shorter amount of time as well.

Writer Shorter Posts. However good long posts are, over Christmas people have better things to do than read your posts. Writing slightly shorter posts doesn't only help you, but also gives your readers slightly less to fit into their busy schedule. But remember, go back to those longer post after Christmas!

Take a Break. Don't worry if you don't have time to write. Just tell your readers that you don't have time for this, you need a break. They'll understand, family and friends come first.

Well those are all my tips on how to keep blogging through Christmas. Do you have any tips to add? If you do, please feel free to leave them in a comment and I'll add them to the post with credit from you.

Edit:

added tips!

 

In the past, scheduling has been my biggest help. Another idea could be to write easier types of post, so a post of link occasionally instead of a complex post, or a short book review or something like that. Or you could rerun an old post that hasn't been seen much or that you particularly liked. Just a couple of ideas. Imogen @ Gossiping with Dragons

Also, I'm relaxing my posting schedule a bit over Christmas, but I will still be writing. Just be warned!

-Kat

Pary, Pary, PARTY!!!

Hi guys! I'm back again. And today I'm PARTYING!!! Cait from Paper Fury is holding a blog party for her new blog name and change over to WP. SO, let's start eating cake!

SORRY! I COULDN'T GET THE BUTTON IN. BLOGGER MUST HAVE A BUG

‘BOUT THIS BLOGGER

1. Why did you start blogging?
I started because I wanted somewhere to share my work and have a bit of fun. I didn't really know what it was at the time, but just thought it sounded like what I needed to do.

It turned out that blogging is the best thing I've ever done. I wouldn't stop blogging for anything now! *Well, maybe the world supply of chocolate*

2. What’s the story behind your blog’s name?
Oh, this is so thrilling *not*! In my house, everyone calls me 'MAD'. 'You're Absolutely Mad' is something I hear more often than not. So when creating my blog, the name (Almost) Completely Mad just popped into my head.

3. How many designs have you been through since you started blogging? (Pictures! We demand pictures!)
I'm currently on my second! I've only just changed it and I'm still trying to decide whether I like it or not because it's so different. I'm giving it two months and if I haven't changed it by then it can stay!

Here are the pics:

4. Have you ever switched blog platforms? What made you move? If you haven’t ever changed…why?
No, I never have! I wasn't sure what blog platform to have when I created my blog and I ended up going to blogger because of how cheap everything is. And honestly, I've never paid anything for this blog.

WP sounds awesome, but I'm not sure if I could handle everything. It sounds much more professional,  but I'm sticking with blogger for a bit.

5. How long does it take you to write a post? What’s your postly process like?
Oooh, nice question! It normally takes me around half an hour to do Top Ten Tuesday posts, fifteen-twenty minutes for a ramble post and a few days for the writing post. Everything else varies.

6. Have you ever been super nervous about a post? Why?! What was it?
Yep! It was a very hard post for me to write. I wasn't sure how people would react and think of me afterwards. You see, I was talking about my faith.

I'm a Catholic, but I'd never even let on I had a faith up until then. I wasn't sure what people would think of me. Would they still listen?

Luckily I have awesome friends and they all ended up sharing their own faiths as well. So, all was well.

To tell the truth though, I did loose a  few followers from it, but it was worth it I reckon.


7. Do you have a blogging schedule?
I was just thinking about this. I was wondering whether I should make one. Let me show you the schedule I have thought of and you can decide whether you would like it or just have me how I am.

MON: Writing
TUE: Top Ten Tuesday
WED: Ramble
THU: Whatever
FRI: Writing
SAT: Whatever
SUN: Catch up on anything that I need to do

What do you think? Yes? NO?


8. Do you tell people In-Real-Life about your blog? Their reactions?
Um, no! I love my blog. It means the world to me, but sadly I don't have the comfidence to tell real life people about it. What if they judge? You know what I mean? Or what if they think I'm crazy? Like come on, how sane does, 'I write whatever pops into my head and try to make people laugh,' sound?

9. Top ten blogs you read/comment on the most! Go! Go!
Called His
Gossiping with Dragons
Paper Fury
Eve of Womanhood
The Ups and Downs of My Not-so-Average Life
Cloudy Dreams
Truly. Madly. Deeply
Hello, Cathy
Lynde Avenue
Banana and Bear
10. If you could change/improve things about your blog, what would they be?
My design (it's ok, but not perfect), my insecurity about what I write, my sidebar!

Congrats on getting the site up Cait. I've really enjoyed the party!
Now, I've got just one more thing to say, Bryleigh from A Little Yarn Blossom tagged me for the Handwriting Tag. So here we are:

I really hope you can read that. It was written late at night, so sorry if you can't!

Anyway, see ya'll later!
-Kat

Two Massive, Earth Shattering Anouncements!

Wow! Gosh! I don't believe it. In case you're wondering, there is a reason why I'm so excited! I have two massive pieces of information to celebrate today.


First off, I've just hit 60 followers GFC, which is crazy! I never dreamed of having that many people reading and enjoying what I write. It's amazing and I just want to thank every single one of you for helping me to get where I am!


I know people normally do this at 50, but I missed it and isn't 60 so much better than 50 anyway? I just need to thank everyone. So THANK YOU AWESOME PEOPLE!!!


And if you think that's crazy enough (yes I like the word crazy), then this next piece of news will blow your mind away!


It is...I've just hit 100 posts. This is officially my one hundredth post. I can't believe it! I started this blog about five months ago and I've already hit 100 posts.


I can't believe what a good blogging year this has been for me (even if it is my first). I've hit 100 posts! What?


Honestly, I can't believe it. I had no idea that I was even coming close to it. It seems like only yesterday I was celebrating 10 posts! Do you remember how excited I was? Well that's nothing compared to how I'm feeling now!


I would never made it to where I am without all of yours help. Thank you again! You're the most amazing people who have ever lived.


I hope this blog keeps going on for years and years to come and that I get to have heaps more fun with all you:)


Thank you for everything!


-Kat


p.s I mean every THANK YOU, I've said. Sorry if it was a bit over the top, but I'm really excited.

Winter Wonderland Challenge : 1

Today I'm posting my very first post for Yasmine's Winter Wonderland Challenge. The theme this time is a tag. So, here we go!

IMAGE BEIING ADDED LATER

stupid blogger is having problems

The rules:

Answer the questions.
Link back to this post. :)
Nominate one more blogger (but make sure they don't tag anyone else because that way the tag will go on and on and on until the end of the competition, which I can't have.)
Have fun! ♥



The questions:


1.What is your favourite winter drink? How do you make it? Why is it your favourite?
Hmm, my favourite winter drink would be tea. It tend to drink it all year around though. So I'm not sure if it counts.
If I was to pick one drink I only drink in winter though, it would be green tea. I just love the taste of it. At first I wasn't sure about it, but now I can't stop drinking it.
I think the reason I like it so much is because of all the memories it brings up. My grandmother used to love green tea. It was one of the only drinks she'd drink. Now that she's dead, drinking a cup of green tea comforts me.





2.What is your favourite winter month (don't feel awkward to put June or July @Kat)?
Thanks Yasmine! My favourite month of winter is August, because it's just starting to warm up and head out into spring again.
Autumn is my favourite month, so I'm normally reluctant when June arrives bringing winter with it. And by July I'm just sick of cold weather.
So yes, August. *enough talking Kat*






3.Do you get snow where you live? How much?
Sadly, no. It's too warm where I live. In fact I've only seen snow...once? It was very light and didn't settle on the ground. So no snow fun.
I dream of going some where with real snow one day. That would be awesome! *Yasmine, can I visit?*




4.What is your favourite winter activity?
Reading. I'm a bookworm through and through. Nothing is better for me than curling up with a book in some warm spot (hopefully by the heater) and devouring as many books as possible. *oops, that makes me sound like a vampire*



5. What is the best thing about winter?
This is going to sound really antisocial of me, but my favourite thing is having an excuse not to go outside and talk to people and just stay where I am (and read.)
I guess this is mainly because I have no snow or anything fun to do, so there is no reason to be out and about.



6. What is the worst thing about winter?
Getting colds. I'm one of those people who spend the entire of winter stuffed up and coughing. Not the most pleasant way to spend your winter. But I've learnt to get by, so it's not that big a problem. I just have to remember to keep a tissue in my pocket.

7. Favourite winter-associated symbol? (E.g; Father Christmas or a snowflake)
A star (I know this is more Christmas than winter, but still). Not only because it's cool, but because of the religious reasons as well. Stars always make me think of sitting in midnight mass on Christmas!






I tag Imogen from Gossiping with Dragons to do this.






If anyone else would like to do this, you can't sign up here!






-Kat

One Sentance Story #2

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Let the inspiration flow!

-Kat