Last week on FYFA (and in my life):
This week totally kicked my butt. I’ve told you guys that our homeschool co-op kicked into full gear and all of the classes I’m teaching have started. I guess I underestimated how busy I’d be. The kids’ other classes are generally more challenging too, so I spend more time helping them (especially my daughter). To make things more complicated, my older son and my daughter both made the swim team, so we have evening practices (though we’re totally done with gymnastics now), AND I started a new editing project.
So, I only posted twice this week, and I honestly feel like I’m lucky I managed to get those up. (Though, I will say that at least I got reviews up for a few books I really enjoyed!!) I’ve also been horrible about traveling the blogosphere, so I guess it’s good that I spent LOTS of time doing that last week. I promise I’ll get this whole schedule thing figured out and I’ll be back soon!!
Here are the couple of posts you may have missed on the blog:
- The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron – An Unforgettable All-Time Favorite!
- The Copper Gauntlet and The Bronze Key by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare – Bite-Sized Reviews
Next week on FYFA:
- Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake – 5 Star “That Was Awesome” Review, Fall Favorite Things Blog Tour & Giveaway
- Some other stuff. I’m not even going to pretend to be organized enough right now to know what. I’m going to try to get a review written for Metaltown, since it comes out this week – and Stalking Jack the Ripper. And the Nocturnals series books … September 20th, why do you have to have so many amazing new releases!!!
- Let’s Discuss: Something bookish! 🙂
Book Blogger Birthdays and Blogoversaries:
All of these bloggers have birthdays and blogoversaries today (and since Mishma’s in Sri Lanka today is already half over for her!), so hop over to these blogs and wish them all a very special day! Also, check out the calendar to see what you might have just missed or what’s coming up. (If you want to be added to the calendar, you can always fill out the birthday/blogoversary form!)
- September 18th – Mara Was Here‘s Blogoversary
- September 18th – Mishma @ Chasing Faerytales‘ Birthday
- September 18th – Tanya @ Girl Plus Books‘ Birthday
This was THE WEEK FOR ALL THE BOOKS here. I don’t know what happened that made everything show up at once, but I got book mail practically every day. It was kind of awesome.
For Review:
Thanks, Dreamscape Media and AudioBook Jukebox!
These are for the Fall Favorite Things Blog Tour. I already own Three Dark Crowns, so you guys will have the chance to win this copy when I post my review next week!! Thanks, SparkPoint Studio!
These paranormal reads are for an upcoming tour as well. I’ve already read (and really enjoyed) the first two. Looking forward to finishing the series. Watch for a chance to win these!
I love Kate L. Mary’s Broken World series! I thought it was over, but she’s written a companion series that takes place twenty years later. I got this book from the author and then I picked up another–and two short stories–that I didn’t know existed. They’re on Kindle Unlimited (we’re trying out a free trial – not sure if I’ll keep it or not, but I’m taking advantage while I can!)
Won:
I won this one from Caffeinated Book Reviewer‘s blogoversary giveaway! Thanks, Kimba!
And I won this whole series from Beachbound Books! I didn’t realize John Grisham had written a YA series. I think my son will really like it!
Great Discussions/Goings On Around the Blogosphere:
I didn’t get around much this week, but I did love this post:
- Kristen over at Metaphors and Moonlight asks Are There Any Textbooks You Actually Enjoyed Reading?
Other Current Giveaways on FYFA:
(Besides the ones listed above)
- September Discussion Challenge Link-Up & Giveaway – Join us and enter the giveaway!
- August Wrap-Up Round-Up Giveaway! – Still time to enter to win! You don’t need to have linked up a wrap-up post to participate in the giveaway.
Pre-Order Deals:
There are a TON of these right now!!!
- Pre-order GILT HOLLOW by Lori Langdon and get an ebook copy of the first Doon book, the first 3 chapters of Gilt Hollow, a digital poster, and a set of bookmarks.
- Pre-order REBEL GENIUS by Michael Dante DiMartino to receive a signed poster
- Pre-order GLITTER by Aprilynn Pike and get a fun Glitter swag bag!
- Pre-order DEAD GIRLS SOCIETY by Michelle Krys & get an invite to join the Society, a code to access exclusive content & signed poster!
- Pre-order REMEMBER YESTERDAY by Pintip Dunn and get a Remember Yesterday bookmark, a signed bookplate, and an eBook version of Before Tomorrow, a Forget Tomorrow novella from Logan’s POV, before anyone else can read it. (INT readers can get the novella only.)
- Pre-order HEARTLESS by Marissa Meyer to get a Heartless branded magnetic bookmark.
- Pre-order HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS ILLUSTRATED EDITION and get a wall sticker and 20% off. Order the deluxe edition to get a tote and 20% off. Or order both to get both the sticker and the tote and 30% off. (UK/AU/NZ residents only)
- Pre-order LITTLE BOT AND SPARROW by Jake Parker and enter to receive a signed print (while supplies last) by Jake Parker. All entrants are also automatically entered for a chance to win one of five custom prints by Jake!
- Pre-order CROOKED KINGDOM by Leigh Bardugo or the SIX OF CROWS DUOLOGY Boxed Set and you’ll get a fancy dice set in a branded pouch and a signed bookplate.
Even More Awesome Giveaways on Other Sites:
Again, lots of giveaways going on around the blogosphere this week!!!
- Mishma at Chasing Faerytales just turned 18, and she’s giving away a book of your choice to celebrate!
- The Fictional Reader is celebrating her two year anniversary with a giveaway!
- Lots of blogs participating in the September New Release Giveaway Hop!
- Tanya over at Girl Plus Books has a Freebie Friday Giveaway that she apparently does every Friday!
- Head over to Lili’s Reflections for a chance to win a Roald Dahl 100 Celebratory Prize Pack
- Writing My Own Fairy Tale has a weekly Friday Grab Bag where you can enter to win an ARC from her list!
- Head over to Jessabella Reads to enter to be one of three winners who will receive a finished copy of THE FORGETTING courtesy of Scholastic. US Only.
- The Bookavid is celebrating its two year blogoversary with a giveaway! Enter to be one of three people to win $20 worth of books from The Book Depository (INTL)
- Head over to The Reading Date for a chance to win The Possibility of Somewhere
- Head over to Lilybloombooks for a chance to win a signed copy of all eight Middle Grade books featured on her Back to School Bookshelf Tour!
- Insane About Books is celebrating its fifth blogoversary by giving away a Mystery Box of Books (US) and $20 for TBD (INT)
Lots of good stuff! Have any giveaways or great discussions happening on your site right now? Feel free to share them in the comments!
Sorry this week was so rough. I hope things settle down for you soon and you get a schedule worked out. I know how that is when you just cant seem to find the time to get those posts up.
I have heard mixed reviews for Three Dark Crowns but I am actually excited that you enjoyed it. I am hoping to read that next month. I am so behind on getting books read before the release day.
I hope you have a great week, Nicole! Happy Reading!
Well, this month there were SO MANY releases that it’s practically impossible to keep up. I still have several September books to review and more to read! I’m sure I won’t get to them all before the month is over.
Ah sounds busy!! Hope you enjoy your new book and congrats on your wins. Have a great week!
Sorry it’s been rough! I hope things settle down and you are able to get in a routine! and yay books! It always seems like winning giveaways come in waves. You win a lot at one time but only once a year LOL
Have a great week!
I hope your schedule works itself out. The start of the schoolyear seems crazy for everybody. I also got book mail almost every day last week. For some reason, Amazon split up my order and shipped each book separately. They all ended up coming in the same week.
Yeah, one of the giveaways is one that I actually won way back at the end of June. I had actually just thought of it that day, wondering why I hadn’t gotten it, and then it showed up that day. So everything just happened to come at once!
This past month has been a struggle for me as well. Looks like you got a ton of great books! I hope you enjoy them!
Real life is so selfish interrupting all the for fun things we like to do! Hope this next week is a bit calmer for you!
Oh, some weeks should not happen at all! Hope the new one is better, and enjoy those lovely books.
Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
I should just get used to the fact that craziness is a way of life around here. 🙂
Sorry you have had such a rough week. I remember the school year and lord was I busy. Enjoy the new books, hopefully you settle into a routine and you find some much needed “me” time.
Whew, you are definitely busy! I hope you can get back into the groove of things soon. My week last week wasn’t too bad but I DID start a new job, so that will take some getting used to as well. This is my first full week of work though – meaning I work my full hours. It’s a part time job, but I have a couple later nights and yeah, we’ll figure out how to make it all work soon!
-Lauren
It’s such a busy time of time of year! It was nice to see your mini- reviews of the Holly Black/ Cassandra Clare books since I think those look like really good MG’s. I’ve been wanting to try more Holly Black. And I love the covers of the Bloodrealms books- those would look nice on a shelf. They’re new to me, I’ll go check em out.
Have a great week and hope you get some reading time in!
I’m so excited for Three Dark Crowns!!! Enjoy 🙂
I loved it!
Eep! Sorry that your week was crazy! Hopefully it won’t be too bad this week!
And wow!! Look at all those reads!! I’m really curious about Gilt Hollow and the Wendy Darling books–I still need to read the first one! Hope you enjoy all your lovely new reads!
Here’s my STS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
You are super busy! I have also overextended myself at work and I don’t quite now how to make up for the additional 8 hours I need in each day. :/ Que sera, sera!
I’m always in awe of how much you do with your kids at school, Charlie!
I am seriously in awe of homeschool parents! I have several friends that do it for their kids so that is multiple grades, multiple curriculums. As a teacher, I can’t even imagine trying to keep it all straight!
Enjoy your week! Hopefully things calm down a bit!
I’m in awe of teachers who have a room full of students all day long. Last year I taught three co-op classes in a row, and I always felt exhausted afterward!
You sure are a busy mom! I hope you’ll managed to take a break in between all the running around you do, and oh, you have the patience of a saint.
i hope you’ll have a great week ahead!
Ha! I think my kids would disagree with you on that saint comment, but I’ll take the compliment anyway. 🙂
You are always so busy with your kids. I think it is awesome that you even found time to post one post this week. The blogosphere will still be here when you find time to visit, don’t worry. What a great week for wins for you. I was a little upset that I wasn’t able to join The Fall Reading Challenge at BookSparks this year. I guess that is what I get for waiting to enter it this season. I hope you find some “you” time this week. Hang in there!
Wow. It sounds like you’re really busy! I’m sure this will happen to me too once my kids are in high school and wanting to do more sports. They just aren’t sporty kids, not sure why. Anyway, good luck fitting everything in!
My son has never been sporty. This is the first time he’s been interested in any sort of physically active thing, so we’re happy to support it! My daughter has done gymnastics for years and likes being physically fit, but she’s not into any of the standard team sports (Not that you don’t have a team for gymnastics or swimming, but you compete individually). My husband and I aren’t sporty people, so we’re not surprised our kids aren’t either.
I’m so with you on the being busy! I’m ready for a slow week! I just started Three Dark Crowns last night, I’m supposed to be reviewing it on Thursday for a blog tour, so I have to get it done! I’m so glad to hear it is really good from you, and a lot of other people. Hope you have a great week coming up! You can check out my Sunday Post in the link below!
Lately that’s how I’ve been too. Everything is last minute!
I have been horribly out of the blogisphere for a LONG time. There is just to much going on here, that I don’t usually have time to sit for 10 minutes, let alone long enough to visit blog, and read. It’s so sad. You teaching an extra curriculars sound like they are keeping you on your toes! Good luck. 🙂
Yes, sometimes we go through seasons where it just seems impossible to keep up with everything. Hope things settle down for you!
Oh my goodness, your schedule is making me tired just reading about it, Nicole! Between all the schoolwork and the swim practices and the editing… sounds rather exhausting. Looking forward to reading your review on Three Dark Crowns (although I am *so* behind on blog posts; hence me commenting on your Sunday Post on a Wednesday). I’m hearing/seeing so much buzz about that one! Loved seeing that I have some birthday twins! Three birthdays mentioned this week and all of us on the 18th. That’s pretty neat. 🙂 And thanks so much for mentioning my Freebie Friday giveaway! So sweet of you. Hope you’re having a great week, Nicole… and that this week is less hectic than last week!
Yay for your kiddos making swim team! But isn’t it so crazy how busy our lives get with all of their activities and school stuff?! I was just telling my husband my schedule for next Monday through Friday for the boys and all of our house appointments and I was like I’m done, I’m officially refusing any other appointments haha. Here’s hoping life slows down a notch or two soon. ♥ And a huge congratulations on all of your wins!