Well hello folks 😀 As this is my first time in…gosh 9 years of blogging not attending BEA I found myself feeling the anxiousness of not being around my blogging buddies. Armchair BEA is here to fill that hole!

Firstly let me introduce myself shall I? Note I co-blog with my friend Tasch, but its just little old me hanging around with ABEA 🙂

Questions:

1. What is the name you prefer to use?
   Lexie! Though some of my friends may still remember a time when I was going by Alex 😉 and my family refer to me as Aley.

2. How long have you been a book blogger?
   Been book blogging since 2008 so almost 9 years! Though I guess technically I was life-blogging before I started book blogging…does that count? ‘Cause then I’m at 14 years!

3. Have you participated in ABEA before?
   I have not, no. Normally I attend physical BEA so I don’t have much time sadly.
4. What is your favorite genre and why?
   Fantasy! That’s not even a question – all fantasy all the time. Well…80% of the time. If we don’t include my academic interests. Fantasy means I can have a unicorn, dragon and be a swashbuckling Princess who’s kiss makes you fall asleep. Go ahead and try to make me think that’s not cool.

5. If you could create a playlist that reflects your bookshelf, what would be the first song you choose?
   Well I mean its reading so of course it’s a good time so Owl City featuring Carly Rae Jepsen – “Good Time”
   
   
   ….no wait I totally lied I think it would actually be:
   
   
   Clover the manga in general speaks to me on a level I can’t fully explain (everyone should read it, I don’t care if you aren’t’ a manga/comic fan CLAMP created something truly magical that the above video barely captures).

6. How do you arrange your bookshelves? Is there a rhyme or reason? Or not at all? (#ABEAShelfie)
   So currently I have my hardcovers just by author – its easier to find them that way and eliminates the need for me to figure out if a book crosses genres. Then I have my Brandon Sanderson/Loaner bookcase next to my bed – which has my Brandon Sanderson collection, various foreign language editions of special books and the bottom two shelves are my self-pub/indie print Loaner books which are simply in size order since its primarily three authors. My ARC short shelf is merely by release month/year. Once I finally have my other bookcases built they’ll be by genre, then author, then series.

7. What book are you most excited for on your TBR? What are you most intimidated by?
   Kameron Hurley’s “The Geek Feminist Revolution” is the one I’m both excited by and intimidated by. I’ve followed Hurley for a long time (via her blog as well as her books) and she has always sort of put me in awe of her ability to discuss things that I care about, but often feel too worried to talk about. Or just too…out of the loop to talk about. So I started this and keep poking at it.

8. What is the most interesting thing that you have learned through your reading this year so far?
   That nothing should be considered too sacred to question. Without naming names there’s an author that I once devotedly followed – everything this person put out I was excited about. Until…well until the author’s bad behavior began to show. What used to be  an odd story here or there became a deluge of stories. What was once speculation became fact. I took a hard look at whether it was worth sacrificing my principles to enjoy this person’s work…and it really didn’t. There are always new authors and new books to gush over. I don’t think I’ll ever be one of those people who can fully separate an author’s personal opinions from their works. And I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.
9. If you could choose three characters to have lunch with, who would they be and why?
   • Yelena from Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder – because she’s freaking AWESOME. And has lived an exciting life. And she can introduce me to Ari.
   • Shallan from The Stormlight Archive books by Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance), mostly because I think we’d get along really well.
   • the Rowan from The Tower and the Hive books by Anne McCaffrey (The Rowan, Damia, Damia’s Children, Lyon’s Pride and The Tower and the Hive) – I grew up worshiping that crabby woman and wishing I could one day be as cool as she was.

   So that’s pretty much me…looking forward to spending time with everyone!!