Book Photo Challenge: Part 2

I'm back with round 2 of the photos I've collected for Books & Cupcakes' August Book Photo Challenge.  I'm uploading my pictures to Instagram and Tumblr as I go, but since I've been so bad at keeping up with it they're coming out at weird times and slightly out of order.  Sorry.  Anyway, that's part of why it's nice to keep track of them here; where I can see the photos laid out all orderly and organized.

9 // New Book Discovery - Short story collections!  It's so interesting to see a writer's signature style from so many perspectives.
10 // Favorite Author - Neil Gaiman, of course.
11 // Reading Outside - This is one of the best things about summer.
12 // Sunny Book Cover - I wasn't sure what this meant until I scanned the other books posted under this tag, but finally dug out the two sunniest cover designs I could find.  Though they look a bit more like sunsets than bright, daytime sun.
13 // Bookish Item - My two favorite bookish items are my Books. Cats. tote and Gatsby flask.
14 // Back To School Reads - I don't buy textbooks for another few weeks, but here are some books from past classes that I've especially liked.
15 // Book Store - One of my favorite Chicago bookstores is Myopic Books in Wicker Park.
16 // Favorite Fandom - I couldn't find a good picture of the Harry Potter books so I had to settle for this, even though I can't stand J. K. Rowling's adult fiction. Quit while you're ahead girl!

This has been fun!  Be sure to check out Part 1 of the challenge here.

Read on,
Elizabeth

My Summer According to Instagram

It's almost the end of July and I haven't had the chance to post here nearly as much as I had hoped.  But this behavior wasn't born out of laziness; it's been a busy summer of concerts, shopping, parties, and, of course, reading.  Here are a few of my favorite moments so far, in all their filtered glory.

1 // Wayyy back in June, I took home seven books for under $30 from Printer's Row Lit Fest.  I've only had a chance to start The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, and even though at 100ish pages in I'm having trouble keeping myself invested in the characters, I'm determined to finish it and as many other books from my Printer's Row loot as I can before the end of the summer.
2 // Even though I'm not a sports fan, it was exciting taking part in the Chicago madness following the Blackhawks' victory, and I could not get over the adorable helmets on the Chicago Art Institute lions.
3 // In a fit of artistic inspiration, and craving a fresh look for my bulletin board to start off the summer, I decided to collage an ode to Chicago out of cut-up city maps.
4 // I've seen few things more picturesque than the view from the high-rise apartment where I spent the 4th of July, watching countless firework shows take place all across the skyline as soon as the sun began to set.
5 // With most people away from school for the summer, I've found dozens of cozy outdoor reading nooks around my quiet campus.
6 // My favorite Creative Writing buddy Izzy and I had to buy these matching word nerd rings, if only just to use them as an excuse to model our attempts at nail art.
7 // I was hanging out at a friend's apartment when I noticed her copy of Breathless, one of my all-time favorite French films.  When she offered me a second copy of the DVD that she had received as a gift, I freaked out.  I'm sensing a Godard movie marathon in my future.
8 // Finally, this past weekend I had the chance to volunteer at Pitchfork on behalf of the organization I intern for.  The whole festival was a blast, but MIA was easily my favorite performance.

Summer in Chicago is seriously the best.  Follow more of my adventures on Instagram @elizabethshere.

Happy summer,
Elizabeth