February Wrap Up 2016

It's time for my February (Adult Literature Month) wrap up. I had fun but every time I do this I want to bathe in YA books after. Adult books can be heavy and actually love heavy books but I need to mix it up, you know? So this month I only managed four books. It would have been more but I started Life After Life by Kate Atkinson for book club thinking it would fit nicely into my Adult Literature Month and, well, that's about all it did. It took the whole rest of the month to slog through! Anywho, here are my reads for February.

Pines by Blake Crouch 
Very mysterious and exciting. I couldn't put it down.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
LOVED!

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
Um, Not sure why this one was a best seller. It was just weird.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Long, slow, repetitive and BORING!

So there you have it. Favorite of the month was What Alice Forgot. Least favorite was...can you guess? Life After Life.

I hope you guys didn't get too bored reading my reviews this month. At least I posted a few discussion posts

I Can Relate
Does Writing Make Better Readers?
Book Banter #8 Depth vs Fluff

And there was that whole BBAW thing. It was a fun month. The weather is getting warm, I've done some gardening already and I can't wait to delve into March. I'm hoping to get some series finished this year. If you want to know what I'll be reading in March, I'll be posting pictures on Instagram. 

Book Blogger Appreciation Week Day 5

It's the 5th and final day of BBAW. I've had a lot of fun participating in the weeks events. Today we're talking about blogger burnout. Do you get it. And what to do about it.

I've been blogging since 2011. In 2013 I met a handsome fellow and began dating, got engaged and married. As a result of this, my blogging fell by the wayside for a year or two. Now, I wouldn't call this blogger burnout but it definitely felt like it. I was just so busy dating and then planning a wedding etc that blogging just wasn't a top priority. If I'd tried to keep it up it might have become a burden.

I've seen many bloggers over the years post about taking a break and then go silent for awhile but they return. I've also seen some of my favorite bloggers disappear completely from the blogging world. Did they fall victim to blogger burnout? I'm not sure but I think in their case and in mine it's clear to see what the culprit is: LIFE! Stupid, mundane yet busy life! So what do we do?

A few suggestions:

• Take a break if you need one. A guilt free break! 
• Blogging is not and should not become a chore. Remember why you started book blogging? It's because you loved books and reading. When books become just one more thing you have to read and review, take a step back and reevaluate. Reading should be enjoyable not a chore. 
• Don't read books you don't want to. It can seem overwhelming to get requests for reviews either from self published authors or a genuine publisher and it's hard to say no, but guess what? You can say no. Again: don't feel guilty! 
• Don't feel guilty! 

I can't stress the whole not feeling guilty thing enough. Guilt makes everything worse. If you need a break just take it. This wonderful blogging community is very forgiving. They'll stick around so don't worry.

And that's my advise. Not very exciting or mind-blowing, I know but hey.  Thanks again to the lovely ladies who brought back BBAW and hosted it. I had a ton of fun!

Book Blogger Appreciation Week Day 4

And here we are at day 4 of BBAW! Today's Topic: Social media and blogging!

Honestly, besides using Feedly to follow my blogging friends I don't do much else. Well, I am on Goodreads and I get on Twitter occasionally. I'm on Instagram but mostly I just post pictures of my silly cats there. I'm also on Facebook and while I have a few blogging buddies that I follow there, I'd say Facebook is more for keeping in touch with family.

So, yeah. Super boring post today. I have no advice on keeping up with it all. It's hard but I guess if you care, you make time.

If you want to follow me on any of the above mentioned sites you're more than welcome! You wouldn't want to miss all my kitty pictures!

Twitter
Goodreads
Instagram
Facebook

Happy Reading!

Book Blogger Appreciation Week Day 3

It's day 3 of BBAW! Today We're supposed to talk about books we've read because of a fellow blogger.

Oh my gosh! My TBR list used to be like maybe 200 books. Now It's over 700 and that's with me going through it every once and awhile and purging it! So, how did it get to be that much? I started blogging!

I used to keep track of every book recommendation and add it to my reviews. So if my friend Suey read and loved a book that looked good to me I'd add it to Goodreads and make a note that she was the one who recommended it. Then link back to her review in my review. Alas, I stopped doing that. I was never sure if anyone even noticed or used the link. Maybe I should bring it back? What do you think?

Back to talking about books that I've read because of a fellow blogger. I'm going to give a shout out to my friend Susan of Bloggin' 'Bout Books. Lately everything she reads looks just fascinating. Her reviews (when they're in favor of the book) make me want to go right out and buy said book right now and read it RIGHT now!

Here's a few books I've read because of her...

Pines by Blake Crouch.
This one just looked too mysterious and weird not to read! I inhaled in in two days and am very intrigued. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series.


Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
This was one of my favorite books last year. This book deserves way more praise than it's getting. Magical realism at it's best here, folks!



And because of Susan I've added these little gems to my TBR list. I have no doubt they'll be just as good.

Black-Eyed Susans Julia Heaberlin
It's about a survivor of a serial killer. It sounds very mysterious and exciting!
(I didn't link this one to Susan because I can't find her review of it. Now I'm thinking maybe I didn't even see this one on her blog but I SWEAR I did. So maybe she was talking about it?? Correct me if I'm wrong, Susan)

The Sparrow Sisters by Ellen Herrick
It sounds like a delightful magic realism reminiscent of Sarah Addison Allen only maybe a bit darker.




So what about you? What books have you read because of a fellow blogger?

Book Blogger Appreciation Week Day 2

It's day 2 of BBAW! Today we're interviewing bloggers. I signed up to interview another blogger to get to know someone new. Then I got the email with the name of the blogger I'd be interviewing. Wouldn't you know it...It was my good, IRL friend Suey! We had a laugh over this but decided to just go ahead and interview each other anyway. Enjoy!


 I actually know you pretty well but tell me something about you that I don't know. 

Um... what don't you know? I think you truly know it all! Let's see:
* I recently sent a DNA test into Ancestry.com to learn where I come from
* I tried to play Skyrim once, but it didn't go over well
* I drive past your house probably six times a day at least. (I think you know that one!)
* I want to learn archery and also how to box.

(Besides you driving by my house I didn't know any of these things! How fun! I want to learn archery too but I already know I'm quite awful at it.) 

2 Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?

I always list The Book Thief as my favorite book, though there are so many that could be named. But this one seems to have it all. I love its uniqueness, its message, its characters, the writing style, the power of the words and the setting. It's truly an amazing book.

3 What's your favorite book to film adaption?

There are so many! I can't list a favorite! Probably the Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice. Also, Lord of the Rings. Also, Holes. Also, The Hunger Games. I'll stop there...

4 I know you like TV. Is there a book you wish would become a TV series?

My first thought is the Starbound trilogy, but not sure if that would work as a TV show. Some long drawn out saga would be fun to do as a TV show, but I haven't read something like that for a long time it seems. Gah! I can't think of a good answer here! What do YOU want to see as a TV show?

(Well, look at what they did with The Vampire Diaries. I read the books and, wow, they weren't at all like the series. So maybe they could make it work. I'd like the Mathew Swift Series to be a TV show. I think it might be a movie one day but a TV show would work better.)

5 How long have you been blogging and what does the future of your blogging life look like?

Next month it will be nine years of book blogging. (I blogged for a year before that on Yahoo's 360 thing, which was awesome at the time. So in fact, it's been ten years this month since I actually started writing blog posts. Wow.) And my future is... steady. I think I will perhaps not be posting as often as I have been, but will probably never quit intentionally. My blogging may shift to have more of a writing spin then a reading spin. But that remains to be seen too. Here's hoping I can just ride the wave of change and keep up with it all!

Thanks for the fun interview, Suey! I learned things about you that I didn't know! 

Be sure to check out Suey's blog for my interview. Thanks for stopping by! 

Book Blogger Appreciation Week Day 1

I know I've been focusing on my Adult Literature Month this...well, month, but I decided to participate in BBAW. So this week I'll following their prompts. It's probably a good thing because I haven't finished another book yet so I don't have anything to review. So today the lovely ladies hosting BBAW have asked us to: "Introduce yourself by telling us about five books that represent you as a person or your interests/lifestyle."

I'm not sure I understand what they're going for but I thought I'd go ahead and try naming five books that will give you an insight into my personality.  Here we go.

A Madness Of Angels by Kate Griffin

If you've followed my blog for any amount of time you probably know that this series by Kate Griffin is one of my favorite series of all time. If you didn't know this let me just tell you a little about it. Matthew Swift is a sorcerer. Matthew Swift live in London. Matthew Swift was murdered. Though his body was never found there's no doubt of his demise. But he's back and full of vengeance...and something else, something powerful. 

The reason I chose this book as an insight into my personality is because this "thing" (can't say much without being spoilery) that is now a part of Matthew makes him incredibly powerful, special and unique. I LOVE stories like this. Call it low self esteem or boredom of the mundane life I live but I always wish I was all powerful, special, and could still be as humble as Matthew is. Love it! 

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

There's this deep part of me that wished I was as self sacrificing as Odd. I know if I had some power or ability I'd become some super villain. Seriously. Wouldn't it be nice to have telekinesis around crappy drivers in rush hour? I'd be flipping cars out of my way blaring Flight of the Valkyries and laughing manically. Sigh! But deep down I really wish I could be as humble and selfless and giving as Odd.

 Elevated by Elana Johnson

The message I got out of this book is one I loved and so desperately wish I could apply to my life. I don't want to be too spoilery but I kind of have to be so if you haven't read this one and plan to, you might want to skip this. At the end of the story Eleanor finally puts herself first. As hard as it is to walk away from Travis she does it. Not because she didn't love him but because she had learned how destructive and damning the relationship was. I'm not saying I need out of my marriage or anything. I just wish I had more love and respect for myself and could learn to put myself first. Not in a selfish way just in a necessary way. 

Getting the Girl by Markus Zusak

If you read my guest post on Suey's blog a few years ago you know all about this one. If you missed it you really should check it out. If you don't want to click on over there. Let me just say this. You know the song Killing Me Softly by the Fugees? About this girl who goes to a club and this guy is singing this song and she swears it's all about her? Well, that's how I feel about this book. I read it and just sat there crying. I swear Markus was writing about me! 

  

Persuasion by Jane Austen

I'm actually a hopeless romantic. I know, you'd never guess it by how much eye rolling goes on around here over the romance in books but I really am a romantic. This book is my type of romance. When Captain Wentworth picks up Anne and puts her in the carriage when they all went for that walk and she was tired...Sigh!!! I just about die. And of course the letter he writes! I cried like a baby the first time I read that. 

So there you have it. WAY too much information about me....well, this is awkward...Just kidding. I hope you enjoyed this insight into my personality.