Our first mini challenge is hosted by Nyx Book Reviews: Bookish Dress Up. The challenge is: I would love to know which character you would dress differently, and how!
If I had to pick any character to dress up, I’d say Susan from Chelsea Cain’s Archie Sheridan / Gretchen Lowell series. Susan is often described as wearing nothing but jeans, t-shirts (such has her beloved The Pixies shirt), and combat boots. Susan in part dresses the way she does because she has a hippie mother. I’d like to see her wear more dresses and take pride in her looks, but not as a way to impress Archie. Susan also sports a different hair color in a each book, but I think if it were up to me, I’d have Susan sport her natural hair color for shock value.
The first three dresses are from Anthropologie and I think they can work for Susan and it provides a bit of a bohemian style for her and yet lets her look feminine. The last dress is ModCloth and I picture it as the dress Susan wears on a night out with Leo or maybe in the future one day with Archie (oh how I ship those two).
Our second mini challenge is hosted by Bookgoonie: Name Your Book Crack. The challenge is: What is your Book Crack? What can you NOT SAY NO to? What bookish things make you blissful
Autographed Books
I can’t say no to signed books! I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about an author taking the time to sign a book. It doesn’t have to made out to me (although it make makes me all warm and fuzzy when it is), but a basic signature is fine. I wasn’t like this, but over the past few years it has become impossible for me to say no to a signed book. I admit I never was one to collect signed books from authors I read because I had no idea how to get them other than book signings, but living where I do it’s rare popular or well known authors stop by. A majority of my signed books were academic books by visiting scholars and I adore those, but I do love the books signed that friends have been able to get me.
Bookmarks
I also can’t say no to bookmarks, which is funny because I NEVER use them. Um yeah I’m known to dog ear my pages, but not all the time! The primary reason why I don’t use them is because I’ve made the switch to an e-reader (first Sony which still works just fine and still use and now for Christmas I received a Kindle Fire HD) and if I’m reading an e-book then the theory is I don’t need a bookmark. I do hate to see beautiful bookmarks go to waste so I do use them and the really pretty ones are kept hidden so they won’t get damaged.
Bargain Books
Last but not least, I can’t say no to bargain history books. As a Medievalist in training (meaning I’m still in grad school with a master’s, but no PhD yet), if I come across any bargain book on the Middle Ages or Ancient History I buy it. I’m also a fan of Regency / Victorian culture and I’ve been known to purchase guides to costume or period dress. My thinking always is, “as a professor one day, I could use a page or two for reference.” What I do like about bargain history books are the collection of essays and the illustrations. I bought a medieval warfare book a few years ago and recently discovered it was edited my former master’s thesis advisor!
Literary, etc 
I can understand the draw to signed books. It makes it more special and fun! I also love funny bookmarks. I have some in the same style as that Guilty Pleasures one, but it says “Yes I’m actually reading this.” 🙂
I feel sad when I’m suppose to get a signed book from an author and don’t, but then remind myself it doesn’t matter. They sent a copy along. Funny bookmarks are the best! I’ve seen the ones that say “Yes I’m actually reading this.” 🙂
I love Signed Books too. It always Busts my Budgets. I also keep Bookmarks and don’t use them either. I am a sticky note, sticky flag and dog-earer and it is the one thing i actually don’t like about ereaders. I just love the sticky flag sticking right to the sentence in the book I dug.
Getting books signed can bust the budget! I’ve spent way more the past 4 months than I should have, but I love them so I can’t say no. I’m a sticky note person too! I think in part because as a postgraduate student, it’s easier to go back to a passage or section with a sticky note especially when you have tons of notes to make.