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 passing phase for me. Maybe I’ll be all back to normal next week.
One fun non-blogging thing that happened this week, though, is that we adopted a new dog! A lot of you probably remember that we had to put our older dog to sleep on Mother’s Day. Well, I finally convinced my husband that we needed to get another companion for our younger dog, Snickers. We adopted Bella, a one-year-old Aussie mix, and she’s just adorable! Come to think of it, she may have added to my blogging slump. Who wants to blog when there are doggies to cuddle!
I also finished up editing Dare You Forever, a novella from Allie Juliette Mousseau’s Brothers of Ink and Steel Series, and worked on The Future, the next book in Kate Thomas’s Equilibrium Series.
Here’s what you may have missed on the blog last week (still not much, I know):
- Get Even and Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil (review)
- Top Ten Books that Celebrate Diversity
- Awake by Natasha Preston (review – AKA When Books Let You Down)
Next week on FYFA:
I’m not going to pretend that I’m going to post a ton this week, but these are a couple of things that HAVE to go up!
- Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid (review & giveaway)
- Monthly Wrap-Up Round Up Announcement – I actually had this pretty much written for this week but decided to hold off until closer to the end of the month to post it.
- Let’s Discuss – something (hopefully)
From NetGalley/Edelweiss:
What can I say, I was entranced by Entangled’s books this month and I needed them all!
For Review:
I actually had this one waiting for me when I got back from vacation, but forgot to list it. Thank you, Sourcebooks Fire!! Can’t wait to read this one!
From my OTSP Secret Sister:
This was the last month of this round of Secret Sister. I loved getting to know Lisa at Reading, Writing and Random Musings (thanks so much for my gifts!!) and my own Secret Sister, Heidi at YA Bibliophile!
Other Current Giveaways on FYFA:
(Besides the ones listed above)
- Faking Perfect by Rebecca Phillips – Still time to enter to win a copy of the book and lots more!
- July Discussion Challenge Link-up & Giveaway – Join us for the challenge and enter to win a book of your choice!
Even More Awesome Giveaways on Other Sites:
There are tons of giveaways going on around the blogosphere!
- Mostly YA Lit is hosting a blog tour for Just Like the Movies and they’re giving away a set of IF ONLY books!
- Lili’s Reflections is hosting a blog tour for The Last Ever After and they’re giving away the complete series of THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL!
- What Sarah Read is giving away an ARC of THE BOY MOST LIKELY TO!
- Danielle over at Love at First Page and Lili at Lili’s Reflections are doing a Summer of Series promotion and giving away LOTS of books, including a signed copy of Lion Heart, an audiobook of Stolen Songbird, hardcovers of Shadows and Haze, a preorder of A Gathering of Shadows by VE Schwab, a signed copy of Breaking Point, a signed set of the Roaring Twenties Series, a set of both titles in the Of Metal and Wishes duology. Plus, there are lots more coming!
- Shannon over at It Starts at Midnight is doing a really fun giveaway because she reached 1000 Bloglovin’ Followers! She has a US only giveaway AND and International giveaway!
- Nikki over at There Were Books Involved is going on a little hiatus and having a giveaway to tide us over. You can win a preorder of any fall/winter release!
- Shannon over at It Starts at Midnight is giving away an ARC of The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle
- Nicole over at Quality Fangirls is hosting a BookCon giveaway. There are tons of different prizes like a signed Throne of Glass hardcover and lithograph poster, some TMI Swag, Illuminae and lots, lots more!
- Candace’s Book Blog and Pure Imagination have a weekly post called Saturday Situation, where people can link up their giveaways and reviews that need some more love. There are hundreds of posts listed there, so you should definitely check it out!
- Kritika over at Snowflakes and Spider Silk is doing a read-along of The Gentleman Bastard series (AKA Lies of Locke Lomora) and is giving away a pre-order of the fourth book in the series.
Lots of good stuff! Have any giveaways or great discussions happening on your site right now? Feel free to share them in the comments!
Blogging slumps are the worst!I hope you snap out of it soon, but until then, do stuff you actually want to do. No use forcing yourself to do stuff that you don’t want. :/
I am glad you liked Awake so much because I have been moving it from week to week on my google calendar without reading it, and now I want to pick it up 🙂
I hope you have a wonderful week! Happy reading 🙂
Here’s my weekly wrap up
Michelle @ Book Briefs
Actually, Awake wasn’t my favotrite, unfortunately. I only gave it two stars. Maybe it will work better for you though!
Awesome stack of books. I hope you love all your new books. They look amazing.
Grace @ Books of Love
Lots of new awesomeness to read!
Sucks to be in a slump – of any kind. I hate when I sit in front of my computer and stare at that blasted cursor for hours on end. Sigh.
Have a great week, regardless!
Yeah, these past couple of weeks, I just haven’t been feeling it! Hopefully I get past it soon!
Ugh, I hate blogging slumps. I seem to be in one of those myself. I just have no energy to come up with blog posts and I don’t even want to write the reviews I need to. I hope yours passes soon. Congrats on getting a new dog!
I recently read What you left behind and reviewed it for my blog. I really enjoyed it. I wasn’t sure I would like it at first because it was kind of different. I am not used to books with a male POV. I did find it very realistic though. It was great!
I’m so glad you liked it! I’ve been looking forward to reading this one a lot – the story sounds really compelling.
OOoh nice! Those are new to me reads, but seeing a few of them today! Wanted to do the OTSP Secret Sister, but losing my job earlier this year hit me hard. Still looking for one so I can’t even sign up for the new round. Sigh…hoping that the next go around I’ll be able to! It sounds so fun and I want to participate sooo badly, but funds are needed. 🙁
Hope you enjoy all your lovely new reads!!
Here’s my STS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
Sorry you’re still looking for a job, Jessica. Unemployment can be incredibly stressful, I know. Hope it works out for you soon!
Aww that is a bummer about your slump! It’s so easy to get in one but so HARD to get out of it!
I received STEPDOG in the mail last week (totally forgot until now) and i am still debating on it. Curious to see your thoughts!
Stepdog is not my typical type of book, but, I don’t know – maybe I’ve just been in a dog mood lately with everything around here. It sounded cute, and I thought I’d try it.
I was thinking this morning, when I got up earlier than normal and started catching up on some blog writing that I wished I was a morning person because I felt really good after I got done. I also got out the door late to run my errands because I was focused. So maybe it’s a good thing I like sleep so much.
I hope the slump ends soon. Congratulations on the new puppy!
Terri M., the Director
Second Run Reviews
I wish I was a morning person – I’ve forced myself to get better about it, but it is NOT my natural inclination AT ALL!
If I could sleep all the time…or near the same hours as a cat…I think I would be a much happier person.
Yay! A new family member… although you said Aussie mix… does he look like me?? lol
Slumps happen, I know how you feel… I wrote 5 reviews last week, then had to go back and tidy them up and I am sooooo over it. But I started Fool’s Quest, and being huge, it is going to be a while before I can do the review. So I should be better by the time I finish!
Have a great week!
I totally think she has your eyes! 🙂
Oh no! I hope you get out of that slump soon! I know how it goes… it’s happened to me much too often this year =/
Very interesting haul–I actually have not heard of any of those titles so I’ll definitely need to check some out. Especially The Body Institute! I am intrigued! 🙂
Doesn’t The Body Institute sound so interesting? I love the concept of taking over someone’s body so they can lose weight – it’s crazy and yet … yeah, I could almost see it happening. 🙂
Sorry about the blogging slump. I know what you mean. I’ve been trying to schedule things as much in advance as I can, but even then, I’ve just been so busy lately I haven’t wanted to review things or whatever. haha
I just can’t seem to get caught up – and then when I sit down to do it, I’m not particularly motivated. It’s frustrating!
Boo to blogging slumps! But YAY to new doggy. I love dogs and have been trying for us to get another one since I am nuts. Really great haul this week! I can’t wait to read Everything, Everything. I already read What You Left Behind and really liked it. Hope you enjoy all your new books!!!
I’m loving our new pup! She’s such a sweetie!
Blog about your cute dog!! I want photos! 🙂 I am in a blogging slump too, and if I weren’t posting Summer Haikus teasers twice per week, I wouldn’t be blogging either. But I attribute it to summer vacation and how I need a little break. I’m sure that once school starts and the fall season kicks off, I’ll definitely be blogging more. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Once or twice a week is fine for the rest of summer!
But I totally want to see your dog 🙂 Lol.
I totally meant to put up a picture!!! I was planning on taking a better one and adding it to the post before I put it up, but then I got distracted by getting my kids ready for summer camp (which we drove them to on Sunday) and forgot all about it! I realized halfway through the day that I hadn’t done it. Next week – I promise! 🙂
You’re not alone! I was in a blogging slump for a large chunk of this year! I was really struggling to get it together until this past month. You may still be suffering from postpartum vacation. And nobody wants to blog when there are cute, cuddly dogs. I hope you have a fantastical week!
Post-partum vacation – I love that! Yes, I think I’m suffering from that for sure!