This past week on FYFA (and in my life):
This was a quiet week at home. Which was a good thing, since I ended up being sick with a nasty summer cold. Luckily, two of the three kids were at summer camp, and my older daughter was happy to be left mostly to her own (electronic) devices. The two of us did go see Incredibles 2 before I got sick, and we both really enjoyed it. She also got me watching My Hero Academia with her—we’re five episodes in at this point and while I don’t think I worship this anime quite as much as she does, it is great fun. Oh, and she also roped me into playing Puyo Puyo Tetris on the Switch. I’m not very good, but that’s okay. Other than that, I binged a whole lot of The Office.
I did get some editing in too, though! I think I’m going to be sending out my first query very soon, so wish me luck!
Here’s what you may have missed on the blog since my last Sunday Post:
- My Personal Connection to Pride Month, Some Recent LGBTQ+ Reads, and Integrating My Faith and LGBTQ+ Issues – Warning that this post is a lot more personal than book-related.
- Kiss of the Royal by Lindsey Duga – Giveaway & Duga’s Top Ten Addictions – Still time to enter to win a copy of the book!
- Top 10 Writing Tips I Learned at WIFYR – Some great writing tips that I learned at the conference I attended.
- June 2018 Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up – Make sure to link up your June discussions here!
Book Blogger Birthdays and Blogoversaries:
Here are the birthdays and blogoversaries for last week AND next week! (Since I missed a Sunday Post.) 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.)
- July 2nd – Alice @ Arctic Books‘ Birthday
- July 3rd – Princessica of Books‘ Blogoversary
For Review:
I received The Year of Living Awkwardly as a surprise from Simon Pulse. Thank you!
I also got The Girl with More Than One Heart in the mail. I’m super excited to read this one because it sounds incredibly touching!
Purchased:
I picked up The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray because … well, just look at it. Could you resist? This story sounds magical and wonderful!
Great Discussions/Goings On Around the Blogosphere:
- Dani @ Perspective of a Writer gives us 18 Middle Grade Summer Reads for Tweens and Under
- Laura @ Boats Against the Current gives us some wonderful Instagram prop ideas
- Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra asks if there’s such a thing as too many reading challenges.
- Jo @ Once Upon a Bookcase points out that Representation Matters on Covers, Too – And the UK Doesn’t Always Get It Right
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 THE BRINK OF DARKNESS by Jeff Giles to receive an exclusive enamel pin! (Open to some INTL) (ends 7/9)
- Pre-order SPINNING SILVER by Naomi Novik to receive a special edition foil jacket cover. (US)(ends 7/10)
- Pre-order THE DARKEST LEGACY by Alexandra Bracken to receive an enamel pin. (INTL)(ends 7/11)
- Pre-order ARCHENEMIES by Marissa Meyer to get your name printed in the back of the Renegades paperback! You will also be added to the list to receive the Renegades Trilogy Character Art poster this fall. (US)(ends 7/13)
- Pre-order ALL YOUR PERFECTS by Colleen Hoover for a chance to win a signed bookplate! (US)(ends 7/14)
- Pre-order NYXIA UNLEASHED by Scott Reintgen to receive a signed postcard featuring one of four favorite characters from the Nyxia series. (US, CAN Only)(ends 7/16)
- Pre-order KILL THE FARM BOY by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne to receive a themed 4 button set! (US Only)(ends 7/16)
- Pre-order CONTAGION by Erin Bowman to receive a bookmark, signed bookplate, 2 stickers, an art print, and the Kate & Jesse e-novella. Plus a chance to win the grand prize. (INT)(ends 7/23)
- ***Pre-order SANCTUARY by Caryn Lix to receive a digital download of an Omnistellar Concepts wallpaper and a short story about two of Sanctuary’s most popular characters. Plus, you’ll be entered to win the grand prize! (INT)(ends 7/23)
- 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. (INTL)(ends 7/24)
- Pre-order THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US by Katy Upperman to receive a signed bookmark, a sticker with a quote from the story, and a signed, personalized bookplate. (INT)(ends 7/30)
- Pre-order VENGEFUL by V.E. Schwab to receive your choice of a VENGEFUL or VICIOUS tote. (US, District of Columbia, Canada)(ends 7/31)
- Pre-order THE LAND OF YESTERDAY by K.A. Reynolds to win one of several prizes. (INT)(ends 7/31)
- ***Pre-order THE CHEERLEADERS by Kara Thomas to receive a creepy but cute iron-on patch! (US Only)(ends 7/31)
- Pre-order DANCE OF THIEVES by Mary E. Pearson to receive a special, die-cut bookmark. And one grand prize winner (and a guest) will be able to attend Texas Teen Book Festival this October, where Mary is a featured author. (US)(ends 8/6)
- Pre-order CATWOMAN: SOULSTEALER by Sarah J. Maas to receive a cat-tastic PopSocket! (US Only)(ends 8/6)
- Pre-order CATWOMAN: SOULSTEALER by Sarah J. Maas to receive a limited edition cosmetic bag! (UK/ROI Only)(ends 8/8)
- Pre-order CITY OF GHOSTS by Victoria Schwab for a chance to win a signed copy of the book, a book themed necklace/pendant, and a secret treat from Edinburgh. (INT)(8/27)
- Pre-order MIRAGE by Somaiya Daud to receive a set of Mirage-inspired nail polishes and a signed bookplate. (US Only)(ends 8/27)
- Pre-order UNCHARTED by Erin Cashman to receive a bookmark, signed bookplate, 3 stickers and a card. Plus you’ll be entered to win even more! (INT)(ends 9/3)
- Pre-order LEADERSHIP IN TURBULENT TIMES by Doris Kearns Goodwin to receive a signed bookplate. (US Only)(ends 9/17)
- ***Pre-order GRIM LOVELIES by Megan Shepherd to receive a branded tote bag. You’ll also be entered to win the grand prize! (US Only)(ends 10/1)
- ***Pre-order BRIDGE OF CLAY by Markus Zusak to receive a book club kit containing a Collectible Print, a
Book Thief/Bridge of Clay Discussion Guide , 6 Coasters, a Debossed Notebook and 6 Pens. (US Only)(ends 10/9) - Pre-order ALL THE WANDERING LIGHT by Heather Fawcett to receive an exclusive world map, a signed bookplate, a bookmark and two stickers. (INTL)(ends 12/3)
- Pre-order THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE by Samantha Shannon to receive an exclusive signed poster. (USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand)(ends 2/25)
More Awesome Giveaways:
- Head over to Angel’s Guilty Pleasures for a chance to win a Three Month Audible Gift Membership
- Wendy @ Falconer’s Library is celebrating her third blogoversary with a giveaway!
- Louise @ Foxes and Fairytales is celebrating her birthday with a giveaway!
- Head over to Brittany’s Book Rambles for a chance to win a King of Scars Sampler!
- Win all of Penguin YA’s July books!
- Head over to YA Books Central for a chance to win Heroine by Mindy McGinnis
- Head over to Batch of Books for a chance to win a Drawn Together Prize Pack
- Head over to Bookish for LOTS of giveaways!
- Head over to Book Slaying for a chance to win YOUR DESTINATION IS ON THE LEFT
- Anne @ Books of My Heart is doing a Read-Along of the Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series and she’s giving away a Signed print copy of Magic Triumphs (US only) or an Amazon digital copy (INT). She also has several other giveaways going on with the event as well, so check them out in her sidebar!
- Head over to Wishful Endings for a chance to win a Book from Tressa’s June TBR on Amazon
- Teen Reads is giving away a Beach Bag of Books!
- Head over to the June 2018 Discussion Challenge Link-Up & Giveaway
- Enter Read It Forward’s weekly giveaway! This one is: The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
- Head over to Writer Writer Pants on Fire for her weekly giveaway! This week’s is a chance to win Typewriter Rodeo
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 don’t know why, but summer colds are worse than colds any other time of the year. I hope you are feeling better soon. I absolutely loved The Year of Living Awkwardly. The drama is not as high stakes as the first book, and I think I sort of liked it better because of that. Chloe grows a lot and comes to terms with some things, and she is hilarious as always. I hope you enjoy it.
I might like that better as well. Sometimes a little less drama is preferable.
Oh gosh, getting sick in the summer is just awful! I had strep throat one year, and it’s like “WHY?? It’s June!!” I hope you are feeling better though. Yay for enjoying The Incredibles 2. I just adored it – so cute. 🙂
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
Exactly! It seems so unfair!
I’ve been binging FBI Files and CLAWS. PLUS falling back in love with reading. I am glad it was a quiet week – if there is a time to get sick, that is ideal. I hope you’re coming over the end of it. I still haven’t seen Incredibles 2 – my mom went and saw it without me after we made a plan to go see it! I couldn’t believe it! I’ll be on vacation this week so I look forward to really being back next week.
Bad Mom! Isn’t it a requirement that she see it twice, then?
Summer colds are the worst! It’s like, it’s hot and whatever out…how about the ability to not breathe on top of it! They are dreadful! I hope yours goes away quickly!!
Nice new reads too! Some new to me ones but I hope you enjoy them all!
Here’s my STS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
Yes, and it always seems so nonsensical. How do you get a cold in the middle of summer?
Ohhhhh, good luck with the query process. I’m going to be there soon! Hope you have a great week.
Good luck to you too!!!
Booooo sickness! I hate being sick, especially when I still have Mom duties to do. I hope you’re feeling better!
I actually really love anime. My brother got me hooked on it when we were in high school. Has your daughter seen Your Lie in April? I think it’s something you’d both enjoy! <3
L @ Do You Dog-ear?
We haven’t seen that one, but I’m definitely interested. A lot of people mentioned it in comparison to Cait @ Paper Fury’s book, A Thousand Perfect Notes. Apparently the subject matters are very similar.
Eerily similar. The plots are almost exactly the same… I haven’t read her book, so I can’t really comment on anything but the synopsis, but I thought of this movie the second I read about the book. Kid is awesome at piano, abusive parent who can no longer play, tries to find love of music again, etc.
I watched one episode of the anime, and I really like it. I do see some parallels with the book, but it’s pretty different at this point. The book focuses on Beck’s inability to escape his mom’s pressure and abuse and it looks like the anime takes place a few years after the MC’s mom is dead. Both are roughly based on Beethoven’s childhood, though (in real life it was Beethoven’s dad who was abusive) so it’s not surprising that there are similar themes.
Noted! It’s definitely a book I want to read! I’ve heard wonderful things about it. It’s like a retelling in its own way… <3 I'm so glad you enjoyed the first episode! 🙂
Summer colds are the worst. Hope you feel better soon and can dive into those wonderful new reads.
Thanks! I just have the vestiges of a cough now.
Thank you for featuring one of my giveaways!! Have a great week and happy reading!
Always happy to share! I try to get as many in this post as possible, so always feel free to tell me if I’ve missed some of yours!
Every Wednesday I have a new Win It Wednesday post up featuring a different book someone can win. This will go on through the month of August. I also have a book of choice going and some hops. You can see all giveaways on the side-bar or under the Giveaway page. Hope your week is going well and Happy 4th.
Sorry I somehow missed this reply earlier. I’ll be sure to add your giveaways!
I caught a cold too. I think it’s because I went from our hot weather to Seattle’s colder weather on our vacation. I hope you feel better! We just got a Switch for my daughters birthday so I’ll have to look for that game. I hope you have a great week!
Even just the free demo is really fun. You should definitely check it out.
Ugh, it is no fun being sick in the summer! I got to meet the author of The Girl with More than One Heart, but she had no books by the time I got there. I need to keep editing and revising my short story. Also, loved your post from your writing conference, very helpful to me!
Check out my Wrap-Up Post
Oh, yay! Where did you end up meeting her?
She was at ALA! She had no books left by the time I got there, or else she was one of the authors who had their books not arrive in time.
I saw your post about ALA. Looks like you had a fantastic time!!
Getting sick in summer is the worst. Hot weather and feeling awful turn me into a psycho witch. Good luck with the querying. I hope you feel better soon!
It’s such a miserable combination, right?
Good luck with your query when you do it! That must be exciting. And I’m glad to hear Incredibles 2 is good. I’ve been hearing it is, and I was so hoping it would turn out good!
Hope you’re feeling better! And have a great 4th!!!
I’m both excited and terrified to query. 😉
Ick on the summer cold. Those can be miserable.
How exciting that you’ve reached the query stage! Good luck, Nicole!
Thanks, Tanya! I’m very excited (and terrified too).
Summer colds are the worst. I hope you are feeling better now. Sounds like you had a good week with your daughter. I do want to go see Incredibles 2 so I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it. Have a great week and enjoy all of your new books!
The cold only lasted a few days. Now I just have a bit of a cough that I can’t quite shake—but otherwise I feel back to normal.
Ugh, summer colds are so annoying. I really hope that you’re feeling better.
I still need to go see The Incredibles 2. My son keeps telling me he doesn’t want to go, so I may just go on my own, haha.
Thanks for featuring my discussion post too. It made my day to see that 🙂
Oh, yay! I’m glad that I could brighten your day by featuring your post. That makes me happy too! 🙂
Ugh. So sorry you’ve been sick. I hate being sick in the summer. It’s the worst. I hope you feel better soon!
It’s a lot better now—I’m just left with a bit of a cough. But I agree that summer colds are miserable. They seem so unfair somehow!
Awww hanging out with your oldest is the best! I love when my mom does that and I’m grown now. 😉 Thanks for including my post and getting it seen… I think I need you add your new book to the list! It does look dynamite… ❤️
I’m eager to read LOTS of the books you listed, so I’m more than happy to share! 🙂
AHhh best of luck with the querying!! That’s SO exciting and such a big step. I hope you’re not too nervous. *sends good wishes* And ugh to being sick in summer, that always seems so unfair. Glad you’re getting better though!!
Yes, I just sent out my first queries this week (I’ve gotten one rejection so far!). It’s scary, but I know that I have to jump in and take a risk sometime if I want to succeed.
Boo to summertime lurgy! That sucks. At least you got to see the Incredibles 2. It’s not released here (in UK) for another week or so. 🙁
Good luck with your query! Fingers crossed you get responses.
Definitely see Incredibles 2 when it comes out there!!
Hugs for being sick in the summer, that’s so horrible! Here’s hoping you are feeling better by now and got to celebrate the 4th of July and that this week will go much better for you!
All I have left is an occasional cough—much better. Thanks!