2010 Wrap-Up & Happy New Years!

Happy New Years, guys! 

I hope you're all going to have a safe, wonderful New Years Eve tonight! I'm going to be celebrating in San Diego with my cousins! I normally celebrate in Las Vegas for New Years Eve (honestly, one of the best places I can recommend going to on NYE) but our plans fell through for that so only our parents are going. I've never celebrated in San Diego, so I'm kind of nervous/excited. I like the whole big-group-celebration for NYE (though I suppose that would suck for a zombie breakout...) and San Diego sounds like it's going to be the opposite of that, more mellow and close-knit.

I'm rambling. (When don't I?) I'm seriously ready to say goodbye to 2010. It admittedly wasn't one of my best years, but it wasn't one of my worst, either. I went through a break up, I started losing weight, I got into books and blogging, I GOT AN A IN CHEMISTRY, I had a 4.0 for both Spring and Fall '10 semesters, I broke out of my socially awkward shell, and I made a ton of great friends. While I'm not one known to stick with New Years resolutions, I made one this year (after 3 ish years of not making one) and I'm ready to apply the chances that happened in 2010 and make them even better in 2011.

Random tidbit of the day: my favorite New Years song to listen to is The New Year by Death Cab for Cutie. ♥

My personal [boring] life aside, I figured I'd make some lists of my favorite reads this year and re-cap on a few challenges I took up and post a general wrap-up. My lists have no particular order. Its only order is "chaotic mess", which is fitting since I am a frazzled book nommer. ;) [Lame joke, lawl].

Total Books Read in 2010: 59
You can see all of the books I've read in 2010 here.

Technically, my total accounts for all books read since August 2010, since that's when I began recording the books I've read. I tried my hardest to end with an even 60 but I got too busy with the holidays. 58 books in four/five months isn't bad at all, considering that I had a super hectic class [chemistry] I was currently enrolled in!


First Review in 2010: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Last Review in 2010: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Please don't read my first review - it's slightly embarrassing. I was new to blogging and reviewing and had no idea what the heck I was doing. It's so amazing to see what a long way I've come from my first review of the year to the last. And I definitely ended my reviewing year with a bang: Demonglass was a-mazing!

My Top Ten Favorite Reads in 2010: 

I tried to place these into an order, but I kept rearranging the list, and then rearranging it after I rearranged it. So it's in no particular order - I loved them all.

Entangled by Cat Clarke (look for the review in 2011!)

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
The Duff by Kody Keplinger
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Matched by Ally Condie
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins


Honorable Mentions:

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

                         Do Tampons Take Your Virginity? by Marie Simas

     No Greater Sacrifice by John C. Stipa

Favorite Review I've written in 2010:

Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw

I'm really, really proud of this review. I think the cover made my review one of my favorites. But I liked the way I reviewed it, the color scheme I used for it, and... I dunno, maybe it was just the overall book that made me feel so good, happy, and golden for this review.

Favorite Cover of 2010:
Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

There are so many contenders for favorite cover, it was hard to choose. I was going to give it to Nightshade or Paranormalcy, but Brightly Woven takes the cake for me. The model and the profile pose are great, the color scheme is awesome, the font is simple and eye catching, and the brushes they used for the corners are so pretty. Everything about this cover screams stunning. :)

Favorite ARC Tour to have participated in for 2010:
Entangled by Cat Clarke

The tour was designed by Katelyn at Star Book Tours and Quercus publishing. It was called an Artwork My ARC Tour. The participants were allowed to write notes in the columns, highlight favorite passages, put post it notes inside, doodle, etc. It was really fun seeing what other reviewers before me wrote, and it felt really interactive.

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Challenge Wrap-Ups

I participated in two challenges this year. One was a September Spectacular Reading Challenge and the other was the 2010 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren. I already did the SSRC wrap-up post, so I'll put my DAC wrap-ups here.

Debut Novels Read in 2010:

1. Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
2. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
3. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
4. You by Charles Benoit
5. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
6. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
7. Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton
8. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
9. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
10. Matched by Ally Condie
11. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
12. The Candidates by Inara Scott

Total: 12 - challenge completed!
I was ambitious and listed 50 books, but that was unrealistic (and I knew it) because I started the challenge in September. I at least made the challenge minimum - 12 books - and am aspiring for at least 30 for 2011! :)

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Most Eagerly Anticipated Books of 2011:

Illusions by Aprilynne Pike
Blackveil by Kristen Britain
Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Clarity by Kim Harrington
Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore
Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
Possession by Elana Johnson

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young
Supernaturally by Kiersten White
Awakened by PC Cast & Kristin Cast
Timeless by Alexandra Monir
Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Die For Me by Amy Plum
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
Entwined by Heather Dixon
... and like, a gazabijillion others!

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Whew, that was a long post. 2010 was a great reading year for me. I came across some great books I probably never would have read. I'm glad I took a chance with all of the books I did read. 2011 looks like it's going to be a great year for books - debuts and oldies alike! :)

Blog-wise, I'm pretty happy with how I've progressed in the last four/five months. I think October was the best month for me - social network and reviewing wise - because I had a ton of free time, and I actually knew what I was doing. I'm looking forward to 2011 to step up my blogging game and have an even better year than 2010! :)

Happy New Years again, guys! Be safe! I'll see you next year ♥

Bring on 2011!!! 

Christmas Guest Post at Books are Dreams & a Merry Christmas to all!

Hello all! I hope you are all having wonderful holidays! I sure know that I am.

Today, I'm guest posting at Katie's blog, Books are Dreams. It's my first guest post, so I'm soopah excited about it. Not only that, but it's about Christmas! To be honest, I used to be a real downer during the holiday season. I despised it and everything about it. My friends and family joked that I was Scrooge. Want to know why? Well, you'll just have to find out at Katie's blog!

And if that alone doesn't want to make you head over, there is a special youtube clip (made by yours truly) that I share in the middle of the post! I promise that it'll be worthwhile. ♥ I personally love replaying it over and over again, even if it took place years ago.

On top of that, Katie's Holiday celebration is still going on (until tomorrow, at least). There are still ongoing giveaways and lots of cheerful Christmas posts, so go check it out!

My [first♥] guest post.

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Edit: I'm going to tack on my "Merry Christmas" on here, since it seems a bit redundant to have two separate posts for it.

Merry Christmas, everyone! :) Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat!

I hope you're all enjoying some good time with the family, or having fun opening presents (or watching presents be opened), and just enjoying this day, overall! 

Family is truly what makes my Christmas special. We can really grind each others' gears all the other 364 days in the year, but Christmas is where we put aside our differences and truly appreciate each other and enjoy each others' company.

What makes your guys' Christmas special? :)

FBN has been nominated!

So, uh, wow! I just received word that I was selected to be on the ballot for Best New Blog for 2010! I knew I had been nominated (you know who you are - thank you, again! ♥), but I didn't fully know how these things worked so I got another shock when I was told I was on the ballot!

If you'd like to vote for me as the best new blog (or, heck, any of the other awesome blogs selected to be on the list), check out Mindful Musings. You can vote twice - once for Best New Blog, and once for Best Blog. The best part? You can get prizes just by voting!

Lastly, I hear that you get a free pint of Haagen Dazs for voting for Frazzled Book Nommer! You didn't hear it from me, though - I heard it from word of mouth. ;)

Kidding, but really, thank you to all of you guys! I appreciate all of your love and support - it's truly what drives me forward. I love you all, followers and stalkers alike! ♥

Hiatus for finals. Grr, finals.

I just wanted to let you all know that I will not be here for a week. Why? Finals. They're either going to a) kill me, b) eat me alive, or c) fry my brain. Or a combination of all three. The end of the semester is always the busiest for me, and that's exactly what I've been: busy.

I have three finals and am dedicating an entire week to studying for them. In fact, I've actually been studying since Thursday. Why the dedication? My chemistry professor told me that I currently have a 89.37% in the class. In order to get an A, I must score a 92% on my final. I would absolutely hate myself and cry for a week if I found out that I had been that close to an A and screwed it up by bombing the final. So I'm taking extra precautions: exiling myself from blogging, twitter, and *sob* reading.

The past week, I tried getting posts up and ready for my finals week, but I was so caught up in completing the assignments that were due before finals that I just didn't have time to schedule any posts. So, I have nothing. Except for this update post to let you know I haven't died on the side of a road or something. And possibly an interview/giveaway. But that's all there will be until the 18th.

I apologize that I'm going to be gone for so long with nothing scheduled in the meantime. And I'd like to thank all of you for being so patient with me. ♥ See you all after finals!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, all! :) Thanksgiving happens to be my favorite holiday (and not just because it's around my birthday!), even moreso than Christmas. I love the good food - turkey and gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, garlic green beans, cornbread, stuffing, apple cider - and the time I get to spend with my family.

I'm quite thankful for a lot of things this year, because 2010 was a tough year overall. I've had more downs than ups, and was struggling for a long time with depression.


So, the first thing I'm thankful for is you. All of my followers, readers, stalkers (yes, I'm staring at you, Emi). It's been such a wonderful opportunity to talk with you all over our common interest in books. It's been even greater to become friends with you guys outside of my blog, as well. I know I say this a lot, but I'm very thankful for you guys because you encourage me with your kind thoughts and comments.

I'm thankful for books and my book blog. I know that sounds weird, but it's true. I was struggling for a long time just finding a will to live. But when I turned to books, I was able to forget my woes and worries; I was able to forget the world. From books, I found this wonderful thing called the book blogging community and decided to join it on a whim. Boy, did I not know what I was signing up for. My book blog takes so much of my time, and while that is daunting to some, it made me really happy. I was able to be productive and have something to focus on other than my sadness.

I'm thankful for my mom. We may have our ups and downs (more downs, haha!) and we may fight constantly. Ultimately, though, we love each other. She's always there when I need her, even at midnight when I wake her up, crying. She's the reason I'm still here - she fought so hard to get me to graduate high school, and with my teachers and psychiatrists who didn't believe in me. The main point was that she believed in me. She's done her best to keep me happy, and I love her for it.

I'm thankful to my ex-boyfriend for breaking up with me. We were both miserable, but stayed in our relationship for who knows what reason. Through him, I found out the things I am not looking for in a guy. This might come off as petty and bitter, but I assure you - it isn't. My relationship with him was a huge learning experience for me, and made me realize what qualities I do want in a relationship, none of which he had. If it weren't for him, I would probably still be in a miserable relationship with him, and I wouldn't have started reading books as passionately as before, and I wouldn't have met you all because I wouldn't have started a book blog.

I'm thankful to my dogs. They provide me with comfort and love me unconditionally. They're always happy to see me, or be around me, and will always bring a smile to my face. They're there when I need a shoulder to cry on, or when I need someone to walk with, or when I'm just plain feeling lonely.

I'm thankful to my brother for making me not want to kill him this year. ;P

I'm thankful to my sister-in-law for making my brother change in ways my mom and I couldn't.

I'm thankful to baby Malea, my niece that is due in January. She's changed my brothers life, and my life, and she brings meaning to our entire family every day. I want to be someone she can be proud of calling her aunt, so because of her, I strive to do my best every single day.

I'm thankful to my cousins, for being beacons of support and for accepting me back into their ranks with open arms.

I'm thankful to my friends for the same reason. They had every right not to talk to me again, but most of them came rushing back to my side when I needed them the most.

I'm thankful to Gabriel for reasons I won't mention. But I'm very thankful of him.

Lastly, I'm thankful for all of the authors who have supported me and took a chance with my book blog. Your constant support and kind words are what drives me to continue to produce quality reviews.


Although this was not the best year for me, I've met some wonderful people and had a great circle of support this year. I wouldn't trade what happened this year for the world, because it made me a stronger person. I'm very thankful for this year.

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and eat so much good food you get a food-induced coma (because I know that's what I'll be doing!).

Blogging Updates and random stuff~

Hi guys! :)

As most of you know, I've pretty much only been blogging for a month (I have like, what, 1 intro-post in July, and missed a month of blogging in August due to a month-long Texas vacation). I'm pretty much just a newbie amongst pro's. So... tonight's a pretty big deal for me! Why? I hit 100 followers! It was only just last Friday that I only had 27 followers, so that's a pretty big jump from Friday-Wednesday. I'm pretty surprised, myself!

So for those of you who have found my blog interesting enough to want to stay, thank you so much! :) I appreciate all the follows and comments, and hope you all will continue to come back and visit! :) (I promise there will be muffins and cookies and books and other nommable things!)

I don't normally single out people, because I love you all equally! But I have to for Petty Witter (aka Tracy @ Pen and Paper). She was pretty much the second person to ever come across my blog (well, that I know of via comments!) and she's still here today! Not only is she insanely funny (check out her blog to see what I mean!), but she's been there since the beginning of it all and was very welcoming. I think of her as my blogging mother hen. :3 So thank you Tracy, for the advice and the comments on my reviews and being an awesome, awesome first blog-friend for me. <3

I was debating on a 100 followers giveaway, but I hadn't anticipated getting 100 followers so soon! I'm still poor. So it will have to wait until I (hopefully) get a call-back from my interview. Maybe a Halloween or Birthday/Thanksgiving Giveaway. :) Or 200 followers, who knows?

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Second, I have a blog button now! I actually didn't make it (I'm terribly graphically challenged). JR @ Story Time Under the Stars made it for me! Thank you JR! :)

<br /> <a href="http://frazzledbooknommer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i879.photobucket.com/albums/ab355/Frugalityisfree/FrazzledBookNommer-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a>

It's also located on the right, over there! ---------->

She actually made me my button because I won a 125 x 125 ad space on her blog for the Book Lovers' Blog Hop! I've never been featured for anything before, so I'm so excited I figured I'd write it up in a blog post! xD

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Also, this week I was contacted by my very first authors! Not author, authorS! Three authors contacted me to review books for them! Since these were my very first contacts, I literally jumped up and down and did a dance! I'm very, very honored (and a little starstruck!) that they asked me to review their books, so thank you guys! :)

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As you may know, I got my first four awards this week, also! My awards post is here.

I received:

Cherry Award: Tracy @ Pen and Paper

The Versatile Blogger: TheBookishSnob

Life is Good: Hafsah @ Icey Books and Steph @ Thoughts of a Book Junky.

Thank you for thinking of me, guys, and for giving me my first awards. <3

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And lastly, I'm going to be featuring an author, Raven Corinn Carluk, on the blog either tomorrow or Friday! It's my very first guest blog post, so I'm excited about that as well! I hope you guys are looking forward to it as much as I am!

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Anyway, this week has been full of tons of "firsts" for me! I've really enjoyed meeting such awesome new people and finding books and blogs I've never even heard of. Thank you all for making it special. <3