My Goings On in February:
- I SIGNED WITH A LITERARY AGENT!!! Which I’m sure you already know because I have no chill and I’ve been shouting it from every rooftop.
- Does the rest of the month even matter? I mean, I guess I’ll go ahead and tell you a few other things that happened, but…
- I celebrated my 45th birthday on the 11th.
- My mom and I went to see Dear Evan Hansen the Musical. It was awe-inspiring, and I just want to go see musicals every week now. Okay, that’s unreasonable. Every month?
- I went on a field trip to the Holocaust Museum with my son’s class. It reminded me how very precious life is and how easy it is for people to ignore other people’s suffering.
- I attended lots of writing groups and events (check out my Sunday Posts if you want to see what they all were).
- Things I watched:
- I finished watching YOU on Netflix. Very creepy!
- We checked out The Hate U Give from the library. Spectacular and heartbreaking!
- I starting watching Superstore on Hulu. It’s pretty hilarious, though I’m wondering if the humor might wear thin after a while. Have any of you guys watched this one?
Features & Discussions:
February 2019 Discussion Challenge Link-Up & Giveaway – A few days left to link up & enter the giveaway!
Bookworm Confession: Swag Isn’t My Thing. Let’s Discuss.
Fun with Spam #6!
Why Audiobooks Are Important. Let’s Discuss!
An Exciting Announcement… – I’ll bet you can’t guess what this is!
February 2019 Wrap-Up Round-Up & Giveaway
My 2019 Reading Progress:
I’ve read 31 books so far in 2019, which puts me 7 ahead of my Goodreads goal.
I’m still trying to get over my weird sense of guilt over the fact that many of these are verse novels and graphic novels, which are quick reads. Why does this bother me? It’s not like I can cheat on my Goodreads goal—it’s just a random goal that no one but me is really paying attention to. I really need to get a grip!
February 2019 Reviews
Here are the reviews I posted in February:
- Firestarter by Tara Sim | Review | Rating: Fed My Addiction
- The Lonely Ones by Kelsey Sutton | Review | Rating: Absolutely Addicted!
- We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan & Brian Conaghan | Review | Rating: Fed My Addiction
- The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story by Marie Kondō | Review | Rating: Fed My Addiction
- Between Before and After by Maureen Doyle McQuerry | Review | Rating: Fed My Addiction
- A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer | Review | Rating: Absolutely Addicted!
- The Simple Art of Flying by Cory Leonardo | Review | Rating: Fed My Addiction
- The Language Inside by Holly Thompson | Review | Rating: Fed My Addiction
February Best of the Bunch:
(Best of the Bunch is hosted over at Cocoon of Books. We link up our favorite reads of the month!)
Now that I’ve decided to go with a MG BotB and a YA BotB, it’s made my job much easier. My choice this month was clear because I LOVED both of these books! Hmmm… guess I was feeling Lonely in February…
2019 Reading Challenges/Goals Progress:
Progress: 4/21-30 Discussions (Chatty Kathy)
I ended up changing my goal for this challenge because I realized that two discussions per month is feeling pretty comfortable right now, especially when I want to leave room for things like my spam posts and the occasional TTT post. I don’t want the challenge to become a point of stress for me. If I end up with more, great, but I’ll be happy with two per month.
Why Audiobooks Are Important.
Bookworm Confession: Swag Isn’t My Thing.
Why I Love the Book Blog Discussion Challenge (Even When I Fail)
Things I Learned About Fairy Tales By Reading the Grimm’s Versions
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Feed Your Fiction Addiction & It Starts at Midnight
Progress: 1/12 Classics Read
Well, I just pretty much forgot my challenges existed this month, so I made no effort to read for them. And since I don’t normally read classics… no progress made.
19th Century Classic
20th Century Classic
Classic by a Woman Author
Classic in Translation – Grimm’s Fairy Tales
Classic Comic Novel
Classic Tragic Novel
Very Long Classic
Classic Novella
Classic From the Americas (includes the Caribbean)
Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia)
Classic From a Place You’ve Lived
Classic Play
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Books and Chocolate
Progress: 19/24 Library Books Read
I haven’t reviewed all of these on the blog yet, but the ones that were rereads have short reviews on Goodreads (the links go there). Reviews for the others will probably be included on the blog next month. I’m way behind on reviews!!
These are the books I read from the library this month:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future for You by Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, & Georges Jeanty (reread)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wolves at the Gate by Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard, & Georges Jeanty (reread)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Time of Your Life by Joss Whedon, Jeph Loeb, & Georges Jeanty (reread)
Winter by Marissa Meyer (audio)
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (audio)
Far From You by Lisa Schroeder
Rebound by Kwame Alexander
The Color of Lies by CJ Lyons (audio)
A Friendly Town That’s Almost Always by the Ocean! by Kir Fox
Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Earlier books for this challenge:
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (audio, reread)
Cress by Marissa Meyer (audio, reread)
Fairest by Marissa Meyer (audio)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon & Georges Jeanty (reread)
The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story by Marie Kondō & Yuko Uramoto
We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan & Brian Conaghan
The Lonely Ones by Kelsey Sutton
The Language Inside by Holly Thompson
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures
Progress: 1/1 Connect 5 per month
I didn’t feel like I could make a really good Connect 5 with my books this time, so I’m holding off. I was very close to a couple, so I think these will be a lot easier as the year goes on and I’ve read more books.
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Book Date
Progress: 1/12 Books Read
Well, I finished Winter, but I never looked back at this list to pick up another one. I’ll do better in March!
- Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (2016)
- The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner (2016)
- Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab (2017)
- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (2015)
- Winter by Marissa Meyer (2015)
- Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (2015)
- UnBound by Neal Shusterman (2015)
- Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes (2016)
- Geekerella by Ashley Poston (2017)
- History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera (2017)
- Every Last Breath by Jennifer Armentrout (2015)
- Alienated by Melissa Landers (2014)
Alternates:
- The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis (2016)
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman (1973)
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Roof Beam Reader
Goal: 12 TBR Books Read
My bookish resolutions for 2019:
- Write the first draft of new MG. I’m working on it!
- Read 1 review book for every 1 that I receive. So far in 2019 I’ve received 11 books for review. I’ve read/reviewed 9. So, I’m 2 behind! (I have reviews for two more going up in a couple of days, though–I just couldn’t squeeze them in at the end of the month).
- Read at least 6 books on the craft of writing. I’m still working my way through Story Genius, doing the exercises as they apply to my new book.
- Read at least 12 books written in verse. (Since I’m writing my next book in verse.) I read 2 books in verse this month, for a total of 5 so far!
Query 50 agents. Or get an agent. ? (I was a wimp and I only queried 12 agents in 2018. At that rate, I might get an agent in like 2050.)It’s only February and I can cross this one off!! Life is good!
Non-bookish resolution for 2019:
(This one doesn’t count for the challenge, but I’m putting it here so it’s with my other stuff and I’ll hopefully pay attention to it.)
- Work out 3 times per week. Um… Let’s move along now, shall we?
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Because Challenges Make Reading More Fun
Wrap-Up Round-Up!
Don’t forget to link your February wrap-up posts up to the Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up. And enter the giveaway!
I loved The Hate U Give. Other than a couple things they changed from the book, it was pretty good. I tried watching Superstore, but just couldn’t get into it. I know what you mean about forgetting about challenges, it seems like I’ve done that a bit myself. Still so excited for you about your agent!
I had to go back and read what the differences were between the book and the movie because I couldn’t actually remember (except that I was pretty sure they ended up moving at the end of the book—that was a small change, though). I thought the movie did a good job of staying pretty true to the original, at least in spirit, even though some details were changed.
I really didn’t like how they had her younger brother pick up the gun with the cops, that was a big change in my opinion, more than just a detail. On a lesser note, I missed all the Fresh Prince stuff that made me get that tune stuck in my head as I read. 🙂
You’re definitely right—that was a big change. I’ll confess that I didn’t remember when I watched it how the original ended, so I wasn’t upset by it. It wasn’t until I went and read about the differences between the book and the movie that I saw how the book ended. I also read a whole thing about WHY they made that change, and it made sense to me, so that helped as well. But I can certainly see how that huge change would be disconcerting for people with normal memories that don’t forget the important endings of books within months of reading them. 🙂
I am really glad you had an amazing month! I can see why signing with an agent kind of takes top place 😉 I just finished reading THUG and need to watch the movie so I am glad you could enjoy them so much ^.^ And it sounds like you had a good reminder and learning experience when going to the Holocaust museum with your son.
Thank you! Yes, signing with an agent definitely overshadowed the rest of February’s events, but I’m okay with that. 🙂
I’m so happy for you! I knew you’d get a literary agent. You’ve definitely inspired me and I NEED to get back into my own writing. And verse novels and graphic novels totally count as Goodreads goals. I’m reading a lot of graphic novels this year too. 🙂
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
Yes, don’t give up! If I can do it, you can too!!
This month definitely takes the cake! Congrats again on signing with the literary agent, that’s such a huge deal!
Thank you!!
Congrats on signing with a literary agent, that’s awesome! Happy March!
Thank you, Freda!
sounds like an awesome month, and again, I’m so happy for your upcoming book!
I see you read Kondo’s book. I loved it, but since, I have read an even better one, with tons of very practical tips on how to do it: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39810030-the-minimalist-home?from_search=true
Thanks for the recommendation. I need some more inspiration in that area, so I’ll definitely pick it up! 🙂
You had a pretty incredible month. I love hearing about your writing journey and will continue to cheer you on. I love Kemmerer’s contemporaries and am almost tempted to read Curse because of all the raves.
You should try it. You never know…
Happy (very late) birthday! I still haven’t seen The Hate U Give movie, even though I liked the book. I’m such a slacker. I hope you have a great March!
I’m always behind on movies, but I get to the bookish ones eventually!
I’ve been wanting to check out the Holocaust Museum for awhile now…..you’ve brought that back to the forefront for me. You is definitely creepy…..I’m curious where they are going to go with Season 2! Congrats again on signing with a literary agent!
You should definitely check it out. I got so much more out of it as an adult than I did when I was a kid learning about the Holocaust.
Hugest congratulations on getting an agent! That’s so brilliant.
And Happy Birthday too. Hope you got some good bookish gifts?
My mom gave me money for my birthday—which I promptly spent on books. 🙂
WOOHOO congrats with your literary agent !! And happy belated birthday also xx
Though my bestfriend did recommended it to me, I haven’t got into YOU yet.. I kinda got sucked in by anime instead aahaah and binging is not my thing.
OMG I so understand you ! When I read poetry and such I felt so guilty too.. which is indeed wierd as all books counts if it’s on the website (like I feel they have the right to be counted) and YET It goes on my conscience that they are shorter and stuff..
Right–I feel like if I read shorter books I’m cheating or something. But I want to keep track of the books I’ve read (including verse novels and graphic novels) on Goodreads, so I’m not going to change anything. I guess it all balances out in the end since I also read some VERY long books!
Congrats on being agented!!! That is awesome!!! Best of luck with the writing and I hope March is a great month for you as well. 🙂
I haven’t seen Superstore but I’ve heard a little about it. If I get Hulu again I might give it a try! And YOU is sooo creepy. I’m about halfway through.
Have a great weekend!
I don’t watch Hulu nearly as much as Netflix, but I can’t quite part with it. We don’t have cable anymore, and there are a few shows that I can only watch on Hulu.
I’m sooo excited about your literary agent, yaay! Have you probably celebrated with friends, family, and your writer groups??
I really loved A Curse So Dark and Lonely as well, I can’t wait until the next one!
I’ve definitely been celebrating! 🙂
Congrats again on getting a literary agent! That’s amazing! 🙂
And I totally have the Goodreads guilt too! I’m up to 25 out of 65 books, but 16 of those were manga volumes, so I feel as if I’m cheating somehow!
Have a great March 🙂
Right? I definitely want to keep track of everything I’m reading, though, including manga, so I just have to get over the guilt thing. 🙂
Congratulations again on getting a literary agent, this is so, so, so exciting, can’t wait to see where this publishing journey will take you! 🙂
Wow, you’ve read so much this year already, this is amazing! I’m so happy you enjoyed A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I’ve only heard amazing things about this book, I should give it a try! Same goes for the Timekeeper series 🙂
I hope you will have a lovely March! 🙂
Thank you so much! I’ve been so blessed with encouragement around here, and I know it’s kept me going!!
I think your news is so awesome! Congratulations again! Happy belated birthday! Welcome to 45. I love going to see musicals. It’s been awhile since we’ve been to a professional one. There was a time my husband and I went all the time. That seems so long ago. I really want to see The Hate U Give. I’ve heard it is good. I loved the book. I hope you have a great March!
When I was young, I went to A LOT of musicals. I LOVED them! But then you get older and you have to spend money on other stuff and the cost of going to the theater starts to feel like a whole lot. I really want to go to more again, though. I’ll just have to start asking for tickets for all the events in my life. 🙂
Congrats on signing. That is so great. And happy belated birthday!
Haha that is funny they both of lonely in the title.
Thank you! And, yes, I thought it was funny that the two books matched so perfectly. 🙂
O
M
G
I am SO HAPPY for you I cannot even!!!
Nope sorry to say this but NOPE… the rest of the month doesn’t matter. I think I saw some great book cover when the post was loading but.. WHO CARES??? (At least not at this very moment. I’ll come back and check the rest of the post later)
This is IT! THE BEST post I have ever seen on your blog!
For now. There will be even better posts to come with all your new releases and all the beautiful things authors post 🙂
Ok I guess I could say happy birthday that’s kinda important too 🙂 and that I’m glad you read THUG 🙂
But.. AN AGENT!! YAAAAAAYYY!
Hahahaha! Yes, it was hard to care about anything else that happened in February because there was only one thing I really cared about!!!
[…] Linked up to Feed My Fiction addiction […]
Congrats, congrats, congrats on getting a literary agent, that is so fantastic! I wish you the best of luck in your career!
Thank you so much!!
Congrats on your exciting news! I think it’s cool that your two favourite books last month were so similar, they even have the same colour cover. You’re doing good on your bookish resolutions too.
I know! I thought that was funny too. I didn’t even notice until I put the pics next to each other—it’s like I chose matching books. 🙂
Wow… 31 books already? That’s amazing! I don’t think my goal is much more than that!
I still need to read Brigid Kemmerer… I might just have to get to it soon!
Like I mentioned, lots of those books have been graphic novels and books in verse, which are MUCH quicker reads. But I’m still pretty happy with the number! 🙂
Congratulations again on getting signed, that’s so exciting! And also here’s wishing you a happy belated birthday! I still have to read A Curse so Dark and Lonely. I absolutely love the stories she crafts and the characters she creates, I have a good feeling I’m going to love it just as much as you!
I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
I watch Superstore! I actually really enjoy it! I’m excitedly anticipating its return in a few weeks!
Congrats again on getting a literary agent! I feel like for such a big accomplishment the congratulations can be continue to be repeated!
The ending for We Come Apart bothered me so much! Especially since I was really looking forward to that book after loving Sarah Crossan’s One.
I hope you have a wonderful March!
I actually didn’t realize that Superstore is still running. That’s good to know!
Congrats on the agent!!!! And Happy Birthday! 🙂
Thank you!
Congratulations and happy birthday! Are you in the DC area or did you go to a different Holocaust Museum? Visiting there can be overwhelming but it’s so important.
I’m in the Chicago area, so I went to a holocaust museum near me. I’m sure it’s a lot smaller than the one in DC, but we have a pretty vibrant Jewish community around here, so they have great resources for the museum. One of my favorite parts was hearing a Jewish speaker who actually lived through WWII in Poland—it sure puts life in perspective!
Happy belated Birthday! Also, I am so proud of you for finding an agent! That is so so awesome! Congratulations!! I also watched The Hate U Give and I was so amazed and heartbroken. I’m also so jealous that you managed to squeeze in so many books! I miss reading like that.
I hope you have an amazing March!
Thank you!!
Happy Late Birthday! Looks like you had a great February! Congrats on the Agent! How exciting. I hope March you burn those pages up! =0)
Mary
Thanks so much!!
Congrats on getting an agent! I really want to get an agent for my book!
Thank you!! I’m wishing you all the luck in finding the perfect agent!!
Your February was a great birthday month! I’m going to watch THUG movie this weekend (thanks to Netflix) and it’s always interesting to me to compare the book to movie. I also feel weird having Goodreads include my shorter book reviews, but I also know I increased my goal this year, knowing I had picture books to review.
I still don’t include picture books. That’s the one category I can’t bring myself to add—but I do want to track everything I read, and if I were reviewing them, I’d certainly need to add them. Don’t know why we bother with guilt over our Goodreads goal. Nobody cares but us. LOL!