Month: July 2015

Jul 31
July Wrap-Up (and a reminder about the NEW Wrap-Up Round-Up!)

July Wrap-Up (and a reminder about the NEW Wrap-Up Round-Up!)

Best of the Bunch, Monthly Recap 16

Wrap-Up Round-Up! I know I’ve been saying for a while that I was going to start a monthly wrap-up link-up so that we can all enjoy each other’s monthly wrap-up posts. Well, the time is now! Link up your monthly wrap-up post, and then next week I’ll create a scavenger hunt style giveaway to encourage everyone to check the posts out! Click HERE  for all the details and to join us! My Goings On in July: I can’t believe how fast this summer is flying by! I’m starting to feel stressed about preparing for the school year (I homeschool my two older kids and also teach a few homeschool co-op classes, so I have to get things planned!). This past week, my two oldest were at overnight camp, though, so I had some time to get myself coordinated! Still plenty more to do! Here’s what went on in July: My family… Read more »

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Jul 31
Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid – Review & Giveaway

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid – Review & Giveaway

Giveaways (Ended), Reviews 17 ★★★½

Never Always Sometimes is a YA contemporary romance with a bit of a twist. It’s the type of romance where you’re not exactly sure how things will end. Will Dave and Julia end up together or are they truly better as friends? It’s not a simple answer, and this isn’t a simple romance. What I loved: Dave and Julia. I really loved the relationship between Dave and Julia. They fit with each other and had a sort of easy friendship, even though Dave was hoping for more. Dave and Julia understood each other on a level that no one else seemed to. They spent all of their time together, and they liked it that way – until they decided to try to complete their Never list. Never always sometimes. The concept of the list of things that Dave and Julia were never supposed to do was really fun – even if it did… Read more »

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Jul 29
Announcing the NEW Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up

Announcing the NEW Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up

Monthly Recap, Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up 69

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE monthly-wrap up posts! I can’t possibly read every post from every blog that I would like to (trust me, there are hundreds of you out there that I would like to do that for), but I CAN read lots of wrap-up posts and then go and check out posts that specifically interest me that I didn’t originally see. That way I feel like I’m not missing out. It’s perfect! BUT I often miss people’s wrap-ups, too. Even though I try to keep my eye out for them at the end of the month, I KNOW there are plenty of posts that I miss. And this makes me sad. The solution? A Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up, of course! If we have a place to link up all of our month-end posts, then we won’t miss out on what’s been happening on each other’s blogs. To… Read more »

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Jul 27
The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows – Review

The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows – Review

All-Time Favorites, Reviews 30 ★★★★½

The Orphan Queen is a compelling YA fantasy novel that will be sure to hook anyone who’s a fan of the genre! I loved this one – and that ending! Now I can’t wait for 2016! The synopsis tells you pretty much everything you need to know, so I’ll jump right into my review. What I LOVED: The characters. There were so many characters in this book that I just truly  enjoyed. First off, there was Wil herself, who I found to be extremely likable and intelligent. She didn’t jump into stupid decisions and she always had others’ needs at the forefront of her mind – but she didn’t come off as being perfect either. She was just the type of person who seemed like she would make a good ruler! Then there was Black Knife, who Wil had always seen as an enemy but who proved to be an ally… Read more »

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Jul 26
Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore 7/26/15

Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore 7/26/15

Sunday Post 27

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead. Last week on FYFA (and in my life): I am officially in a blogging slump. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I am feeling really uninspired and I’m not finding the time to write blog posts. With the exception of my Top Ten Tuesday post, which I had fun designing, I just haven’t even wanted to blog. That’s so weird for me! (I DID love the TTT topic this week, though – it even inspired me to create a new Diversity shelf on Goodreads so that I could keep track of all the books that got added to my TBR!). I really hope this is a very quick… Read more »

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Jul 21
Top Ten Books that Celebrate Diversity!

Top Ten Books that Celebrate Diversity!

Top Ten Tuesday 45

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is: Top Ten (Fifteen) Books that Celebrate Diversity! I love this topic! I actually wrote a list similar to this in my RT-inspired discussion post about reading and writing diversity, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk about it again because I’m always looking to read and recommend diverse books! While there are lots of great books that feature diverse secondary characters, I only included books with diverse MAIN characters. (And I only included books I’ve read and enjoyed!)     The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black – (YA) Ben and Hazel are a brother and sister who have to deal with a lot – after all, fae live in their sleepy little town. Ben also happens to be gay. None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio – (YA) Technically, the main character in this book isn’t LGBT – she’s intersex. But this was the category that… Read more »

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Jul 20
Get Even and Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil – Review

Get Even and Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil – Review

Reviews 7 ★★★★

Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil Series: Don’t Get Mad #2 Also in this series: Get Even Published by Balzer & Bray on 6/16/15 Genres: Contemporary, Mysteries & Detective Stories,Mystery & Detective, Young Adult Pages: 384 Source: NetGalley My content rating: Mature YA (Characters do have sex, but it’s not really shown, Some violence) My rating: The members of Don’t Get Mad aren’t just mad anymore . . . they’re afraid. And with Margot in a coma and Bree stuck in juvie, it’s up to Olivia and Kitty to try to catch their deadly tormentor. But just as the girls are about to go on the offensive, Ed the Head reveals a shocking secret that turns all their theories upside down. The killer could be anyone, and this time he—or she—is out for more than just revenge. The girls desperately try to discover the killer’s identity as their personal lives are falling apart: Donté… Read more »

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Jul 19
Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore 7/19/15

Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore 7/19/15

Sunday Post 25

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead. Last week on FYFA (and in my life): Strangely, now that I’m back from vacation I have barely managed to blog! Part of the reason is that I finished up one editing project and started two others (and a proofread!) – and I think part of it is just that I’m having a hard time getting back to “regular” life. Anyone else ever have this problem? Oh, and just so you all know, it looks like I’ll be reading Throne of Glass this month – that’s what won from my Top Ten Hyped Books I’ve Never Read post!  If you’re interested in reviewing Summer Haikus by S. J. Pajonas,… Read more »

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Jul 16
Editing in the Self-Publishing World – Let’s Discuss

Editing in the Self-Publishing World – Let’s Discuss

Let's Discuss 25

Now that my vacation is over, I’m switching back to my series of RT 2015 inspired discussion posts. These are thoughts that were inspired by specific panels, or by books from RT, or just by random passing things that happened there. So far, I’ve written posts on Faith in Blogging, Reading and Writing Diversity and how meeting an author makes you so much more eager to read their books. I love that events like this help me to think critically about books, blogging and the publishing world in general!  Today’s post is about editing in the self-published world. I attended a really informative class called Your Proofreader Is Not Your Editor, which I thought gave some fantastic information, but I left feeling like it was a bit unrealistic when it came to the self-publishing world. (It was run by an editor at Carina Press, who did a fantastic job and is obviously very… Read more »

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Jul 12
Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore 7/12/15

Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore 7/12/15

Sunday Post 20

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead. Last week on FYFA (and in my life): Well, this is it. Vacation is finally over. We spent a full month in Colorado, which was absolutely amazing! I’m going to be in vacation recovery for a little while now. Here’s what you may have missed on the blog last week: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (review) Top Ten Hyped Books I Haven’t Yet Read – You get to decide which one I will read!! The Six by Mark Alpert (review) Jesse’s Girl by Miranda Kenneally (review & giveaway)  – Still time to enter to win a $50 gift card! Anya and the Shy Guy by Suze Winegardner (review & author’s top… Read more »

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