My Goings On in August:
- I submitted to #PitchWars! I know it’s a complete long-shot that I’ll get chosen as a mentee (they got 3,452 entries), but really that’s the way all of publishing is, so I figured it doesn’t hurt to try. Cross your fingers for me!!
- Things I watched:
- I binged all of the latest season of The 100. It was great motivation for working out!
- I also watched a bit more of Fear the Walking Dead, but I’m getting a little burnt out on it already, and I’m only in season two.
- I just watched the first episode of The Innocents on Netflix. I’m definitely intrigued!
- And I watched To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before on Netflix and Ready Player One on DVD. I thought both adaptations were really well done. (I think I actually liked the movie of TAtBILB better than the book. Shhhh!)
- I fell in love with Dear Evan Hansen! Guys, this musical is so amazing, and I now spend all my days walking around singing “So Big, So Small.” Sometimes I even manage to do it without tears in my eyes. I think almost any parent can relate to the feeling of wanting so much to be there for your kids in every way and sometimes failing. I’m also super excited that Anderson’s Bookshop has a Dear Evan Hansen event coming up in October for the book based on the musical – and there will be performances of some of the songs. I can’t wait!!!
Instagram:
I was a #bookstagram slacker again this month!
Features & Discussions:
August 2018 Discussion Challenge Link-Up & Giveaway – Still a few days left to link up your discussions and enter to win!
Make Me Read It Readathon Sign up and Poll – You guys helped me choose what books to read for the readathon.
July Wrap-Up Round-Up “Make Me Read It” Giveaway – This is your last chance to enter!
Goodreads’ YA Books Lists. Let’s Discuss.
I Love Me Some Purple Prose. Let’s Discuss.
Where to Find Book Series Recaps. (Since most books don’t have a synopsis.) Let’s Discuss. – I discuss my semi-viral tweet about wishing that books in series had synopses and then I also give some resources.
My 2018 Reading Progress:
I’ve read 89 books, which puts me at 23 books ahead of schedule for my Goodreads goal!
August 2018 Reviews
- Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf | Review | Rating: Devoured It
- The Mermaid by Christina Henry | Review | Rating: Fed My Addiction
- A Thousand Beginnings and Endings by various authors | Review | Rating: Fed My Addiction
- Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart | Review | Rating: Devoured It
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak | Review | Rating: Fed My Addiction
- Crank by Ellen Hopkins | Review | Rating: Devoured It
- The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams | Review | Rating: Devoured It
- Writing Irresistible KidLit by Mary Kole | Review | Rating: Devoured It
- Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson | Review | Rating: Devoured It
- The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin | Review | Rating: Devoured It
- Unwritten by Tara Gilboy | Review | Rating: Devoured It
- The Girl with More Than One Heart by Laura Geringer Bass | Review | Rating:
August Best of the Bunch:
(Best of the Bunch is hosted over at Cocoon of Books. We link up our favorite reads of the month!)
I’m going with a nonfiction book this month since this book was so helpful to me!
2018 Reading Challenges/Goals Progress:
If you didn’t see my update a couple of months ago, I decided to stop doing most of my challenges. Priorities.
Status: 21/31-40 Discussions Posted
I posted three discussions this month.
Goodreads’ YA Books Lists. Let’s Discuss.
I Love Me Some Purple Prose. Let’s Discuss.
Where to Find Book Series Recaps. (Since most books don’t have a synopsis.) Let’s Discuss.
The Mid-Year Book Freak-Out Tag
The WIFYR Workshop Experience
Goodreads’ Mid-Year Book Lists. Let’s Discuss.
A Break in Our Regularly Scheduled Programming (& Reasons I’m Excited for WIFYR)
Some Changes Around Here
My Personal Connection to Pride Month, Some Recent LGBTQ+ Reads, and Integrating My Faith and LGBTQ+ Issues
Top 10 Writing Tips I Learned at WIFYR
My Newly Organized Bookcases!
My First Time Switching Between an Audiobook and a Print Book.
The Rain on Netflix: Danish or English? (Subbed or Dubbed?)
Why Is Voice in Writing So Hard? And Do You Think About It When You Read?
Expectations About POC Names in Books.
Great Reasons to Get to Know Your Bookish Friends Better
Top 10 of 2017: Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2018
2017 End of Year Book Survey
My Writing & Reading Goals for 2018
My Book Outlet Weakness (& Why My Latest Haul Is All Your Fault)
Which Types of Reviews Are Most Effective? Let’s Discuss!
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Feed Your Fiction Addiction & It Starts at Midnight
My 2018 Goals Progress:
Complete a second edit of my MG novel. Done!Attend a writing workshop. I went to WIFYR in June! AND I’m heading to another workshop in October.- Read more writing craft books/materials. I’m working on this. As you can see, I read one book. Besides the book I posted about this month, I’ve got a couple others out from the library right now, and I’ve been reading a lot more articles, etc. as well!
- Finish the first draft of YA novel. I still haven’t really touched my YA book.
- Read one review book for every one that I request/receive. ) I received 9 books (once again, I’m killing myself with NetGalley/Edelweiss), and I posted reviews for 7. A definite fail, but not as bad of a fail as I was expecting. (So far for the year, I’ve received 59 and read 57, so now I’m 2 behind!!)
- Read more middle grade. I reviewed 3 MG books this month and I read one other one that I decided not to review. Not too shabby (I’ve read and/or reviewed 18 MGs so far this year.)
- Work out! I’ve done MUCH better this month. The 100 has been great motivation.
Wrap-Up Round-Up!
Don’t forget to link your August wrap-up posts up to the Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up. And enter the giveaway! (I posted it with the actual link-up this month.)
So many of those reads I want to read! I just finished The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead all seasons. It is a bit of an up and down thing with that show but I hope you will keep going. Happy September!
I don’t think I’ve given up on either series, but I’m in a bit of a funk with them right now. I’ll come back, I’m sure.
I watched Ready Player One last week and while I enjoyed it well enough, I think it would’ve been so much better if it was half an hour or so shorter. It seemed to go on forever for no reason. ☹️
I loved To All The Boys I Loved Before. Haven’t read the book but thought the movie was perfection. ?
Have you read Ready Player One? What do you think they should have cut from the movie? Just curious. 🙂
The books yhou’ve shared look so interesting. Will have to check them out.
Enjoy!!
I’ve also watched To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and enjoyed it. The Book Thief has been on my shelf for awhile now, I will definitely read review. Have a great month ahead.
I thought they did such a good job with it. You never know with adaptations!
Good luck with #PitchWars! I’ve seen that around Twitter, but I don’t actually know what it is. Great job with your goals. I need to get back to working out. I was forced to take 3 weeks off because I hurt my shoulder pretty badly. Everything’s fine now, so I have no excuses.
Basically #PitchWars is a contest where authors mentor new writers. You can submit to up to four mentors, and each one chooses one manuscript (and writer) to work with. They help you make your book really shine and then a bunch of agents look at the manuscripts at the end of the process. (That’s a simplified explanation, but I think it gives you the idea). It’s an amazing opportunity! Like I said, it’s a long shot, but there’s nothing to lose in submitting (besides my pride if I have to face another rejection—but that’s par for the course in a writer’s life).
I crossed everything but my eyes for you. Best of luck! My daughter told me she like Peter K better in the movie than the book, but the movie only focused on the romance (which was so well done), and the book touched on a bunch of other things. I liked both, but really appreciate how happy the film version of TATBILB made me. You had a good reading month. Lots of “devoured it” books.
I’m trying to remember what else the book focused on, but I honestly can’t (not saying your not right about that—just that my memory’s shot). I remember being aggravated with the MC in the book and more frustrated with the romance. They made it a little less of a triangle in the movie, which I preferred.
DUDE. You finished Damocles 2!?!? I have been DYING to hear your reaction! GO, tell me your thoughts!!!!
Also, congrats on Pitch Wars! My fingers are definitely crossed for you- such an accomplishment though either way!!
I know I was slow on getting over there. I don’t know why!!
Good luck with #PitchWars! I hope to see the movie version of Ready Player One at some point. i am glad to hear you liked it. Sounds like you had a great reading month! I really want to read
The Mermaid by Christina Henry. I loved Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf. I haven’t yet posted my review, but, boy, was I hooked! I hope you have a great week!
I was really surprised by Bring Me Their Hearts. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did!
YAY! You had such a great month! That writing book sounds good I need to check it out too… Have you heard of The Benefits of Being an Octopus Nicole? I read and reviewed that this month and it may take the top spot for 2018 and its a MIDDLE GRADE BOOK! I know, it was so amaze! <3 Happy reading and writing!
I just recently heard of The Benefits of Being an Octopus, but I hadn’t heard all that much about it. I’ll have to go check out your review!!
I am crossing my fingers for you then 🙂 good luck!
Your Instagram looks amazing 🙂 and it’s seems we’ve read a similar amount of books this year. I’m also ahead of my goal 😀
I hope September is good to you 🙂
Thanks for the compliment on my Instagram—that’s one area I’ve struggled in and it’s nice to have some better pictures now with my rainbow shelves. 🙂
I have heard so many good things about Grace and Fury! I will need to check out your review. Your August looked productive – hoping September is too!
Definitely check it out. I enjoyed it much more than I expected to.
I loved the Ready Player One book, so I’ve been meaning to watch the film for a while. Hopefully I’ll get around to it soon! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
And everyone has been talking about the To All The Boys I’ve Love Before film, but I haven’t read the book yet, and I ideally wanted to read it before I watched it, but the film is so hyped I’m considering just watching it immediately!
Have a great September! Best of luck with Pitch Wars and writing your YA novel 🙂
I will confess that I sometimes watch the movie first. I don’t think it’s ever kept me from reading a book (though sometimes I’ll still skip the book if it’s one I was never really planning on reading) and it occasionally gets me to pick up a book I wouldn’t have otherwise.
Good luck with #PitchWars! You just never know. I still need to actually listen to the music from Dear Evan Hansen but I love the premise, and I’m reading the book right now and LOVE it. The musical is coming to my city next year so I’m crossing my fingers I can actually get a ticket. haha
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
I need to read the book ASAP because I SO love the musical.
Congrats on submitting to #PitchWars! Publishing is a lot about fighting odds, and you have already taken the first step! I wish you the best of luck!
Also, I LOVE Dear Evan Hansen. I never really used to be a musical person, but Hamilton completely changed that for me. Now, I think I am more susceptible to musicals. Also, I am a huge of Ben Platt (especially his role in Pitch Perfect!). The Found/Tonight mashup with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt made me cry the first time I heard it.
I hope you have a great September!
I used to listen to musicals all the time when I was younger, but then I stopped for some reason. Dear Evan Hansen has reignited my love for them!
I have an arc of Dear Evan Hansen but I haven’t even heard any of the songs from the musical. I might have to look into that before I start reading. I really liked Fear the Walking Dead at the start but had a internet glich somewhere along the line and just haven’t watched any more of the show. It was okay but the characters were starting to get on my nerves. I hope you have a great September!
Oh, definitely listen to Dear Evan Hansen! It’s SO good!!!
Fingers crossed for #PitchWars! Better odds than the National Lottery 🙂
True. Very true. 🙂
Good luck with the whole #PitchWars deal-y! XD <3
Thanks so much!
I was so over Fear the Walking Dead after the first 4 episodes and then I never bothered to finisht the season after episode 6 or 7 or something. It couldn’t grab my attention at all. It felt so weird to go back to the start.
Fingers crossed for PitchWars!
Yeah, it hasn’t held my attention either. I’m taking a break from it for now. Now I started watching The Innocents instead.
So I tried to read To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and it just didn’t work for me, I never connected to her so I put the book down *hides face*. But it seems like everyone else loves it, so I’ll definitely give the movie a chance because the preview looks so adorable! I’m so glad you had such a wonderful month and here’s hoping September is going fabulously!
I actually liked the movie better than the book. I was one of the few people who didn’t love the book, though I might eventually give the sequels a try.
Oh good to know, thanks!! 🙂
🙂