My Goings On in September:
- September turned out to be crazily busy for me because of co-op classes starting. I’m teaching a writing class, an acting class, and a blogging class AND my kids’ classes are just generally more challenging (and time-consuming!) this year. It doesn’t help that I stress about my son’s schoolwork more than I probably should. He’s a freshman this year, and he would prefer it if I were completely hands-off (all of his classes are taught through co-op, the local college, or online), but I have a hard time not at least keeping tabs on him– he’s proven in the past that he lets things go if I’m not on top of him). Sigh.
- I’m working on a new editing project.
- Nothing else. Literally. I’m barely keeping my head above water with just those two things. Yikes!
On Instagram:
Most Popular Posts:
Blogging 101: What Do You Wish You’d Known When You Started Blogging?
Sunday Posts – This month, two of my Sunday Posts made it into my top three most popular list. That’s new. I always try to pack these posts with lots of useful info, so it makes me happy that lots of people are seeing them!
Other Features & Discussions:
September Discussion Challenge Link-Up & Giveaway
A Spoiler-Filled Discussion of Me Before You: Book and Movie
September is for Sequels Sign-Up
A Spoiler-Filled Discussion of Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake – If you’ve read this book, make sure to stop by to tell me your thoughts!!
September Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up – Link up your September recaps here!
I’ve Been Known to Go Off on a Tangent … Or Two. Let’s Discuss!
My 2016 Reading Progress:
I’ve almost met my reading goal for the year!
September 2016 Reviews
Got a good number of reviews up this month. September is a crazy month for releases!!
- Assassins: Discord by Erica Cameron | Review | Rating: 3.5/5
- On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta | Review | Rating: 5/5
- Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie | Review | Rating: 3.5/5
- Spin by Catherine McKenzie | Review | Rating: 3.5/5
- Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts | Review | Rating: 3.5/5
- The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron | Review | Rating: 5/5
- The Copper Gauntlet by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare | Review | Rating: 4/5
- The Bronze Key by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare | Review | Rating: 4.5/5
- Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake | Review | Rating: 5/5
- The Mysterious Abductions by Tracy Hecht | Review | Rating: 4/5
- The Ominous Eye by Tracy Hecht | Review | Rating: 4/5
- Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes | Review | Rating: 4/5
- Egg & Spoon by Gregory Maguire | Review | Rating: 3.5/5
- Chasing Truth by Julie Cross | Review | Rating: 4/5
- Metaltown by Kristen Simmons | Review | Rating: 3.5/5
- Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco | Review | Rating: 4/5
September Best of the Bunch:
This is one of those crazy months that I reviewed THREE All-Time Favorites!! How can I possibly choose between them? I can’t really, BUT I’m going to go with The Forgetting as my top for the month, with Jellicoe Road and Three Dark Crowns coming in very close.
Reading Challenges:
Status: 31/49 Discussions posted
Two of my newest discussions are kind of borderline book reviews/discussions, but I’m counting them toward my total anyway. ‘Cause I want to.
I’ve Been Known to Go Off on a Tangent … Or Two.
A Spoiler-Filled Discussion of Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
A Spoiler-Filled Discussion of Me Before You: Book and Movie
What Do You Think of Goodreads’ New Look?
Sex and Violence in YA Books: Is There a Difference?
How Reading Can Help Us “See” Hidden Disabilities
My Foray into Anime and Manga
Audiobook Acceleration
I Dream in YA!
The Perils of Growing a Bigger Blog
Is Celibacy Shaming a Thing?
Fun with Spam!
#BEA16 Day One Wrap-Up & Giveaway!!
#BEA16 Day Two Wrap-Up & Jennifer Niven Holding Up the Universe Giveaway!!
#BEA16 Day Three Wrap-Up and Giveaway
Do Stats and Reports Help You?
Do Author Bios Ever Make You Want to Read a Book?
BEA is Coming Soon! What You Need to Know. (BEA Tips)
A Completely Useless (but kind of fun) Bookish Infographic
The Series Dilemma
Sometimes You Just Need to Disappear for a Little While
How Much Do You Read?
The Fine Line Between “Inspired By” and “Copycat”
Can Book Blogging Lead to a Job
Some Books Just Aren’t All That Memorable
Books that Intimidate Us
2015 End of Year Book Survey
Replying to Comments on Older Posts
What Blogging Has Done to My Bookshelves
What Type of YA MC Would You Be?
Culling the TBR
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Feed Your Fiction Addiction & It Starts at Midnight
Status: 5/5 Books Read
(NOTE TO LAUREN: I know I’ve been horrible about actually linking these up. So sorry! I’m going to see if I can figure out where to link them now, I promise!)
Keep Her by Leora Krygier contained letters from the main love interest to his long-dead brother.
Also, I didn’t count Stalking Jack the Ripper toward my total for this challenge, but it does contain a few cool pictures and a document or two from the real Jack the Ripper case.
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Shooting Stars Mag
Status: 14/12 Books Read
Assassins: Discord – LGBT
Copper Gauntlet & Bronze Key – Non-white main character (I think Tamara is Indian, if I remember correctly)
Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes – This one has black, Muslim and (I believe, if I’m remembering correctly) Jewish main characters. One of the main characters is also homeless.
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Chasing Faerytales & Read Sleep Repeat
Status: 11/21-30 Books Read
I’m still way behind on this challenge, but at least I read The Copper Gauntlet this month!
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Chapter Break, Second Run Reviews & Bookworm Brandee
Status: 5/12 Series Finished
None. Though, I think technically, according to the rules, I could count the Magisterium Series and the Nocturnals Series since I read the two latest books in the each of them.
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Love at First Page
Status: 7/9-10 New Series
I don’t think any of the series I read this month really qualify for this, since I either had already started the series in previous years or it’s a new series. BUT I did read my first Kendare Blake book, which I’m calling a win for this challenge (even though I’m not technically counting it).
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Lisa Loves Literature
Wrap-Up Round-Up!
Don’t forget to link your September wrap-up posts up to the Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up! And check out the giveaway, which will be posted right here on FYFA on the 8th!
Awesome haul. I hope you love all of your new books.
Grace @ Books of Love
Great updates. I’m struggling with the shelf love challenge too, and it’s my challenge. oops. Love that you’re rocking it with the discussion challenge.
Glad I’m not the only one. BEA makes the Shelf Love Challenge practically impossible because I’m barely able to keep up with review books, much less other books!
I’ve been bad with making Link-ups for the Unique format challenge. I think the last one is August, but I do plan on getting one posted for October if you want to hold off and post then! hah Congrats on finishing the challenge though!! I actually planned on doing a giveaway for people that take part over the summer, but I think I’ll hold off until the end of the year and let whoever linked up at least once enter!
Anyway, back to you! I’m sorry to hear you are feeling a bit stressed with all of your projects! You do a lot! Hopefully things will settle down a bit. I hope your son learns to manage his work so you don’t feel like you have to on him; it would make both of you happier, I’m sure. 🙂
-Lauren
I’ll watch for the link-up this month!!
I’m looking forward to reading The Forgetting. It sounds so good. Congrats on almost meeting your reading goal. I think I’m about 15 books away from meeting mine.
Yes, I’m SO close to hitting the goal. Of course, in my head I’ve just increased the goal. 🙂
I like Catherine McKenzie’s books. Read both of those and gave the same ratings, I believe. You did get a ton of reading done though.
I can relate to the son drama. My kids, 21 and 19, are the same. If you let up, they slack.
Happy October!
Yeah, I wish my son was self-motivated, but it just doesn’t seem to work that way with him.
Wow, you sound crazy busy with teaching 3 different classes. With your son it’s a hard line to straddle – knowing being totally hands off but still allowing them to be responsible for their own work while keeping tabs. Awesome that you’re almost at your reading goal for the year! I’m about 12 books ahead of schedule so I’m definitely on track to meet my goal. So amazing that you had THREE books in September that made such an impact on you – enough that you would consider them all time favorites.
Three All-Time Favorites in one month is pretty much unheard of – but I guess a lot of fantastic books get released in September!
Good luck on your editing project, and hopefully your workload eases up in October! That’s awesome that you’ve read so many good books last month though! I need to read On the Jellicoe Road soon – I’ve heard such good things about it.