This past week on FYFA (and in my life):
This week was another busy one! My two acting classes (at our homeschool co-op) had their final performances on Tuesday and Saturday. It was a little bittersweet since these are my final final performances. With Danielle headed off to public high school next year, our time at the co-op is done (at least for now—I suppose you never know what the future might hold!).
I’ve been having some weird nerve pain in my arm this week as well, which has made all sorts of things unpleasant—including typing for too long. But I still managed to get a couple of posts up (luckily I had them mostly written early in the week before the pain kicked in). Hope this goes away soon. Yesterday, I made it a lot worse by grabbing my bathroom towel—yeah, who knew a towel could be so dangerous! (My husband joked that we must have bought the hundred-pound Egyptian cotton ones.)
Here’s what you may have missed on the blog this past week:
- Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi: This Book Is the Definition of Delightful!
- Bite-Sized Reviews of Tyler Johnson Was Here, Dark Breaks the Dawn, Tom Sawyer and What Maya Saw
Recent FYFA Giveaway Winners:
I haven’t posted these in a while, but I recently had a slew of giveaways and lots of lucky winners! Congrats to:
- Danielle H., who won the January Wrap-up Round-Up Giveaway. She chose The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things. Watch for a dual review, coming soon!
- AJ @ Read All the Things, who won the February Wrap-up Round-Up Giveaway. She chose Refugee by Alan Gratz. Can’t wait to read it and do a dual review!
- Sydney, who won the Macmillan Collector’s Library giveaway!
- John S., who won my blogoversary giveaway! He chose Evil Librarian (a personal favorite of mine!)
- Jessica @ a GREAT read won both the January and the March Discussion Challenge giveaways! For February she chose Heart of Ash by Kim Liggett. (I haven’t informed her that she won March’s yet since I just chose the winner a minute ago!)
Book Blogger Birthdays and Blogoversaries:
Here are the birthdays and blogoversaries this week! I hope you’ll go wish these bloggers well on their special days! Make sure you 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, it’s easy! Just fill out the birthday/blogoversary form.)
- April 8th – jessicasblog45‘s Blogoversary
- April 9th – Tina @ As Told By Tina‘s Birthday
- April 10th – Jen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog‘s Birthday
- April 12th – Nighttime Reading Center‘s Blogoversary
- April 12th – Gayathri @ Elgee Writes‘ Birthday
- April 13th – Julie @ Chapter Break‘s Birthday
For Review:
Couple more surprises this week! A Touch of Gold is a King Midas retelling—what fun!! Meet the Sky takes place in the aftermath of a hurricane, and I’ll confess that that concept has me completely hooked. Thanks Blink!
Purchased:
Of course, I had to pre-order this one! It has The Young Queens novella AND The Oracle Queen, which I need to read IMMEDIATELY!
Pre-Order Deals:
Listed in order of release date. Any new deals that I just added to the list this week will be denoted with a *** so you can easily find them!
Please note: Almost all pre-order giveaways run “while supplies last,” so I can’t guarantee that they’ll be open until the date listed. Pre-0rder early for your best chance to get all the goodies!
- ***Pre-order LIZZIE by Dawn Ius to receive a signed bookplate and a Lizzie Borden paper doll. (INT) (ends 4/9)
- Pre-order THE CROOKED CASTLE by Sarah Jean Horwitz to receive a signed bookplate and your exclusive first class ticket to Rinka Tinka’s Roving Wonder Show! (AKA a limited edition bookmark). (ends 4/9)
- Pre-Order THE FLASH: JOHNNY QUICK by Barry Lyga and receive a limited-edition poster. (ends 4/9)
- Pre-order ACE OF SHADES by Amanda Foody to receive three bookmarks with exclusive art inspired by the City of Sin, a signed bookplate, and a bonus quiz revealing which gang of New Reynes you’d claim as your own. (INT) (ends 4/9)
- Pre-order THE DIMINISHED by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson to receive one of the 6 character cards, a bookplate, a bookmark, a postcard and a chance to win the GRAND PRIZE! (ends 4/9)
- Pre-order WINTER GLASS by Lex Hillyer to receive character cards, bookmarks, pins and a signed bookplate! Plus, you’ll have the chance to enter to win more. (ends 4/9)
- Pre-order BEYOND A DARKENED SHORE by Jessica Leake to receive a PDF of a brand-new chapter that is ONLY available by preordering. Plus a chance win more. (ends 4/9)
- Pre-order SKY IN THE DEEP by Adrienne Young to receive a bookmark, Breathe Fire sticker, and a signed bookplate, plus the chance to win more! (ends 4/16)
- Pre-order BIG GUNS by Steve Israel to receive a signed bookplate. (ends 4/16)
- Pre-order STAY SWEET BY Siobhan Vivian to receive a t-shirt, enamel pin, autographed bookplate and personal thank you card! (ends 4/23)
- Pre-order LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT by Becky Albertalli to receive a signed postcard with a scene from the book that Becky drew and painted. (INT)(ends 4/23)
- Preorder A COURT OF FROST AND STARLIGHT by Sarah J. Maas to receive a Night Court enamel pin! (ends 4/30)
- Pre-order THE LAST TIME I LIED by Riley Sager to receive a signed bookplate. (ends 4/30)
- Pre-order EVERYWHERE YOU WANT TO BE by Christina June to get an exclusive bonus chapter and Tilly’s Guide To New York City. (ends 4/30)
- Pre-order THE OUTCAST by Taran Matharu to receive a pack of Summoner Trading Cards! (ends 4/30)
- Pre-order ONLY HUMAN by Sylvain Neuvel to receive an exclusive Kara Resnik dog tag! (ends 5/1)
- Pre-order PUDDIN’ by Julie Murphy to receive pre-order swag. (ends 5/6)
- Pre-order THE GIRL & THE GROVE by Eric Smith to receive a signed mini poster, hand stamped seed paper bookmarks, a signed, hand stamped bookplate, three leaf charms, and other surprise swag from previous books! (ends 5/7)
- Pre-order MY SO-CALLED BOLLYWOOD LIFE by Nisha Sharma to receive a pin, sticker, bookmark, over-sized postcard with a mega list of Bollywood movies, and a mini bookplate. (ends 5/14)
- Pre-order FURYBORN by Claire Legrand to receive a signed bookplate and (limited) map of Avitas and a limited edition set of Furyborn character trading cards. You’ll also be entered to win the grand prize. (ends 5/21)
- Pre-order FROM TWINKLE, WITH LOVE by Sandhya Menon to receive an art card with custom character art, a signed bookplate, a bookmark and a sticker. (ends 5/11)
- ***Pre-order ONYX & IVORY by Mindee Arnett receive an exclusive short story. Also, every participant will be entered to win one of up to fifty sets of character cards. (INTL) (ends 5/14)
- Pre-order LEGENDARY by Stephanie Garber to receive a custom set of playing cards with four unique suits and a signed bookplate. (ends 5/28)
- Pre-order LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff to receive a collectible print featuring an original illustration of a map of the Grande Ol’ Yousay (ends 5/28)
- Pre-order THE WORLD OF LORE: WICKED MORTALS by Aaron Mahnke to receive an exclusive enamel pin inspired by the book! (ends 5/28)
- Pre-order BREAKOUT by Kate Messner to receive a poster and a set of 30 bookmarks to share! (ends 6/4)
- Pre-order LITTLE DO WE KNOW by Tamara Ireland Stone OR reserve it at your local library to receive an autographed, limited edition bookplate, two signed bookmarks and a chance to win the grand prize! (INTL) (ends 6/4)
- Pre-order THE BRINK OF DARKNESS by Jeff Giles to receive an exclusive enamel pin! (Open to some INTL) (ends 7/9)
- Pre-order NYXIA UNLEASHED by Scott Reintgen to receive a signed postcard featuring one of four favorite characters from the Nyxia series. (ends 7/16)
- Pre-order ENDLESS WATER, STARLESS SKY by Rosamund Hodge to receive a signed bookplate, and a print of one a portrait of one of the four main characters. (ends 7/24)
- ***Pre-order MIRAGE by Somaiya Daud to receive a set of Mirage-inspired nail polishes and a signed bookplate. (ends 8/27)
Other Current Giveaways on FYFA:
(Besides the ones listed with this week’s posts)
Even More Awesome Giveaways on Other Sites:
- Julie Kagawa is giving away three signed hardbacks of Inferno and three handmade, initialed polymer clay dragons. (I MUST HAVE ONE!)
- Chapter Break is celebrating their 5th anniversary and giving away a hand-carved wand!
- Ezrah @ I Heart Romance & YA is celebrating six years of blogging (plus her birthday!) with a giveaway of a book of your choice!
- Head over to Writer Writer Pants on Fire for a chance to win an ARC of THE MORTIFICATION OF FOVEA MUNSON.
- Head over to Literary Meanderings for a chance to win one of two copies of Now a Major Motion Picture
- Head over to Blushing Bibliophile for a chance to win one of 5 finished copies of ACE OF SHADES by Amanda Foody
- Lots of blogs participating in the April 2018 New Release Giveaway!
- Head over to It Starts at Midnight for a chance to win Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett or a chance to win The Beloved Wild by Melissa Ostrom
- Head over to Lisa Loves Literature for a chance to win THE QUEENS OF INNIS LEAR
- Head over to With Love for Books for a chance to win Books by Sarah Morgan, Tea, Chocolate, Mug, Cookie Tin & Candy.
- Head over to Alyssa Carlier’s blog for a chance to win Reflection (A Twisted Tale) by Elizabeth Lim (which is a Mulan retelling).
Lots of good stuff! Have any giveaways or great discussions happening on your site right now? Feel free to share them in the comments!
I hope your arm’s better, Nicole. 🙁 I have weird pains in my back sometimes, or my knee. And GAH, you’ve just reminded me that I really need to get around to reading One Dark Throne already. The novellas look fascinating–I hope you end up loving them!
You DEFINITELY need to read One Dark Throne. And I need to get on this novella—can’t believe I haven’t read it yet!
Those are some nice books this week. So sorry about your arm pain. I have carpal tunnel in both arms and been so long I hardly think about it. Luckily I have a high tolerance for pain as its expensive surgery. I hope your arm heals soon.
I was lucky that the arm pain only lasted a week. Hopefully it stays away!
I hope there is nothing seriously wrong with your arm. Feel better! I can’t wait to hear what you think of Queens of Fennbirn. I read the Young Queens by not the Oracle Queens. I am not huge on novellas, but I did think some good stuff was revealed in The Young Queens.
Luckily, the arm pain went away after about a week. It made me fall even further behind on stuff, though! Ugh!
Sounds like a busy week! SOrry you are having arm pain – hope it isn’t anything serious. Enjoy your new books and have a great week!
The arm pain went away after about a week. Didn’t help me when it came to keeping up with things, but that happens sometimes. I’m used to it. 🙂
Oh bummer about your arm! That’s gotta suck! Hope the pain goes away, but I know that pinched nerves and what not can take days to finally ease up! I remember I pinched a nerve in my neck somehow, didn’t even really snap it in any direction, just all of a sudden it’s searing in pain and it practically brought tears to my eyes to just stand/sit/lay still. Wonder if you might have done something similar there? Hopefully the pain goes away, I think it took me like 3 days to get to an irritating pain which was better than searing! Lol! I think it was gone by the end of the long week though. Best to keep an eye on it all the same!
Nice new reads! Touch of Gold looks intriguing! I thought I heard it was somewhat related to the King Midas story! Will look forward to your review on that! Happy Reading!
Here’s my STS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
I was very happy that the arm pain only lasted for about a week. It was an unpleasant week, but it could have been a whole lot worse!
I really hope your arm pain gets better soon! That really sucks! In the meantime I hope you manage to avoid any more dangerous towels! 🙂
Have a great week! 🙂
Yes, those dangerous towels are sneaky! You never know when one might catch you unaware!
Hi there!
Would a little bit of yoga and rest help your arm? I find it really helpful when I have pinched a nerve or strained a muscle. I hope it’s nothing permanent or serious because those type of injuries is the worst (I have hurt both my feet during manic episodes a few years back).
I hope your daughter loves public high school and makes lasting friendships. Best of luck to her. By the way, maybe you can share more about this experience (as a mom). My older brother is pursuing a degree in education. He and my sister work mostly with middle schoolers. So, education is kind of big around my family. Plus, I used to teach in college.
NICOLE. I have resurrected my Julie Kagawa books! I had put them away ages ago and then got them back to read once more. The series I have is the fae one (starts with The Iron King). But, I also put the rest of her books on my wishlist. I hope you get to win that giveaway and enjoy her latest book. It sounds like it’s part of the dragon series she’d been working on lately? Those book covers are so mysterious and promising. I am so excited to work my way up to her most recent stuff.
I’ve been listening to Kagawa’a latest series on audiobook from the library. The newest book just came out today, and they don’t have it yet, but I’m waiting eagerly!
Oh, I hope your arm starts feeling better soon! That would make doing a lot of things really difficult!
Have fun buddy-reading Refugee. It’s such a great novel.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
Luckily, the pain only lasted for about a week. Of course, that set me back a bit as far as getting things done!
I hope your arm feels better soon Nicole! My legs and back are starting to hurt but I guess that’s to be expected when you’re almost 6 months pregnant. xD Too bad my name isn’t on that list of giveaway winners but better luck next time, I suppose!
Luckily my arm issue only lasted about a week. It was annoying, but it could have been much worse!
Sorry to hear about your nerve pain! Hope you feel better soon!
Things do get very busy as we approach the end of the school year so many shows, and performances, and parties [sighs] I’m sure that is bitter sweet that Danielle is going to public school now and that the co-op is done!
I’m looking forward to a little more time. Come May, I should be a bit more free—and in the fall I’m hoping to be able to spend LOTS of time writing and blogging!
I got those two from Blink YA as well. Definitely ones that sound interesting. I have really got to read the sequel to Three Dark Crowns. I should make that a goal for a summer read. Kind of sad when the kids keep getting older and moving on to the next stages I’m sure. My niece is in kindergarten, and it is so crazy to think of how much she has grown in just 6 years!
It’s fun to get surprise books sometimes (especially when you look them up and they seem like good surprises!).
I’m sorry you are having problems with your wrist! I have lower back pain once in a while and that just sucks! Hope you feel better soon, so you can blog more!
Also, isn’t high school scary? I remember starting high school years ago thinking that I wouldn’t know anyone or have any friends at all!
High school is definitely daunting! I hope she has a smooth transition.
I have the same problem with my wrist, so I’ve taken to applying some kinesiology tape on it. The absence of numbing/tingling/ache is so instantaneous! I’m quite addicted to it now. Whelp.
I hope you’re having a lovely week.
I’ve never heard of kinesiology tape. I’ll have to keep that in mind for next time this happens!
I hope your nerve pain is better. I have carpal tunnel and typing can be really hard at times. I hope you enjoy all of your new books and have a great week!
The nerve thing finally went away after about a week. It was really frustrating!
It’s always a little sad when things come to an end, especially as there’s the move to public school happening but it brings on new challenges as well which is fun. Sorry to hear about the arm pain, hopefully, it’s a short-term problem from something as stupid as sleeping funny but have to wait and see. Have a good week.
Change is always a little hard, right? For all of us!
Ooo, I hope the nerve pain in your arm is better. That sounds awful. Congrats on your book haul and the final performances from your drama class, even if it was bittersweet. Hope you’re having a great week, Nicole!
It finally went away, for the most part. It made everything really hard for a good week, though. Like, basic tasks like reaching for something were really painful. Ugh!
Hugs for hoping your nerve pain subsides. I think it gets to the point where age finally hits us *hides face*. If I sleep wrong then my shoulder can hurt all day and that never used to happen. Just because I slept in the wrong position, so ridiculous. Thank you late 30s?. Aww thank you for the birthday shout out *hugs*.
Yes, I’m definitely getting old. No doubt about it! LOL!