The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead.
This past week on FYFA (and in my life):
- Reading
- Still doing lots of reading for the Cybils Awards (since I’m a round one judge).
- For Cybils, I finished Race to the Sun and then also read Ghost Squad, Dragons in a Bag (which isn’t a nominee, but it’s the first in the series) and Dragon Thief. I also listened to The Forgotten Girl and read half of Paola Santiago and the River of Tears.
- I finished listening to Honor Bound by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre.
- Weird dizziness. Yesterday, the dizziness came back. I also had some sparks at the edges of my vision and a headache, so I’m wondering if it might be a weird migraine thing (the doctor suggested this as a possibility). Who knows?
- Painting. This week’s painting project was a cabinet that we painted black and white to go in the basement. There’s a possibility that Jade might move back home and do her school online, and she would prefer to be in the basement, which is a little more “out of the way.” At the very least we’ll have it as an extra room for when she’s home—I don’t know why we didn’t turn it into a bedroom years ago!
- The Dogs! I got one of those toy subscription boxes for the dogs, and wow, am I loving it! Like, honestly, I was a little skeptical at first because my dogs are really good at destroying toys (you’ve seen the pics of Digit’s beheaded unicorn). But after learning that Barkbox allows you to return toys if your dog destroys them or if they just don’t like them and seeing a couple of people I knew who loved this box, I decided to jump in and try it out. And I am seriously amazed at how durable they managed to make their stuffed toys. Like, I honestly didn’t know stuffed toys could possibly be so durable and interesting (with details like rope arms that slide through the skeleton so that they’re more fun to tug–and they’ve stood up to Bella and Digit tugging them)! Plus, Digit absolutely LOVES the treats they included. It’s only my first box, but it’s a big win!! If anyone wants to try this service out, I’m including a referral link to Barkbox here. I hadn’t planned to, but honestly, I love the service enough that I figured I might as well share!
And, while I’m at it, I’ll share a pic of Snickers with her favorite toy: the box that some other toys from Petsmart came in. Basically, she wasn’t interested in playing with any of the actual toys, but she was beyond thrilled to attack the box and tear it to shreds (all while barking incessantly)!
Here’s what you may have missed on the blog since my last Sunday Post:
- Fun with Spam #14
- Bite-Sized Reviews of Cybils Nominees: A Wish in the Dark, Ghost Squad, Scritch Scratch, & Midnight at the Barclay Hotel
Book Blogger Birthdays and Blogoversaries:
Here are the birthdays and blogoversaries for 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.)
- October 18th – Michelle @ Book Briefs‘ Birthday
- October 22nd – Lisa @ Lisa Loves Literature‘s Birthday
- October 22nd – Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra‘s Birthday
Book Haul:
None this week! (Except for the million Cybil’s nominees I got from the library.)
Great Discussions/Goings On Around the Blogosphere:
- AJ @ Read All the Things does an experiment to find out if Instagram gives good book recommendations
- Chana @ Paper Procrastinators tells us her scientific opinions in Science vs. Fiction: Rating Sci-Fi as a STEM Student
Pre-order Campaigns
(Make sure you scroll to see them all!) Listed in order of release date. Any new deals I 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 they might not be open until the date listed. Pre-0rder early for your best chance to get all the goodies!
- Pre-order PET THAT DOG! by Gideon Kidd and Rachel Braunigan to receive a sticker sheet and a signed bookplate. (US only)(ends 10/19)
- Pre-order AMONG THE BEASTS & BRIARS by Ashley Poston from an indie bookstore OR request it from your local library to receive a beautiful print by Nicole Deal on cream shimmer paper, a sticker with a forest design, and a signed bookplate. (US/CAN)(ends 10/19)
- Pre-order THE WORLD OF CRITICAL ROLE by Liz Marsham to receive a set of digital desktop and mobile wallpapers.Plus, a bundle of coupons and special offers from Hero Forge, Wyrmwood, Die Hard Dice, Roll20, and Beadle & Grimm’s. (US only)(ends 10/19)
- Pre-order ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS Collector’s Edition by Stephanie Perkins to receive an exclusive Eiffel Tower keychain! (US only)(ends 10/26)
- Pre-order THE LIVES OF SAINTS by Leigh Bardugo to receive an exclusive laptop sticker. (US only)(ends 10/27)
- Pre-order SHADOW AND BONE: THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION by Leigh Bardugo to receive an exclusive patch. (US only)(ends 10/27)
- Pre-order BOTH and also receive a deluxe tin pencil case with branded pencils!
- Pre-order WARMAIDENS by Kelly Coon OR request it from your local library to receive a Maiden’s Tonic mocktail card and a WARMAIDENS bookmark. Pre-orders will also receive a scorpion laptop sticker, a signed bookplate, and a 5 x 7 quote print of your choice. (You’ll choose when uploading your proof of purchase.) (INT)(ends 10/27)
- Pre-order BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL by Mara Fitzgerald OR request it at your local library to receive a signed bookplate, art prints with matte velvet-touch finish, and at least 1 random sticker of eyeballs. (INT)(ends 10/31)
- Pre-order A CUBAN GIRL’S GUIDE TO TEA AND TOMORROW by Laura Taylor Namey to receive an illustrated two-sided recipe card for Torticas de Morón, a bookmark, a signed and dedicated bookplate sticker, a Lila and Orion sticker, and a mini pastelito de guayaba button/pin. (INT)(ends 10/31)
- Pre-order THE FALL OF NIGHT by D.K. Stone OR any of the Stonehouse thrillers to receive a limited-edition signed print, a vintage Waterton postcard, a signed bookplate, and a bookmark. Ordering multiple books will get you more gifts! (INT)(ends 11/1)
- Pre-order KINGDOM OF THE WICKED by Kerri Maniscalco to receive an enamel pin, a signed bookplate, and a pair of oracle cards. (INT with limitations)(ends 10/26)
- Pre-order INSTANT KARMA by Marissa Meyer to receive a limited edition enamel pin! (US/CAN)(ends 11/2)
- Pre-order THE RAVENS by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige to receive a Raven enamel pin. (US only)(ends 11/2)
- Pre-order THE FANGIRL’S GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE or THE FANGIRL’S JOURNAL FOR LEVELING UP by Sam Maggs to receive a signed bookplate. The first 150 entrants will also receive a bonus sticker sheet featuring artwork from the books. (US only)(ends 11/3)
- Pre-order THE CAMELOT BETRAYAL by Kiersten White from Mysterious Galaxy to receive a signed, personalized copy, a bookmark and an exclusive art print! (ends 11/5)
- ***Pre-order A LADY’S GUIDE TO MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM by Manda Collins to receive exclusive bonus content. (US only)(ends 11/9)
- Pre-order NO READING ALLOWED: THE WORST READ-ALOUD BOOK EVER by Raj Haldar and Chris Carpenter, illustrated by Bryce Gladfelter to receive a Ptolemy the Pterodactyl enamel pin. (US/CAN)(ends 11/9)
- Pre-order DON’T JUDGE ME by Lisa Schroeder from Annie Bloom’s to receive a signed/personalized book, a fun little pin and some bookmarks. (ends 11/9)
- Pre-order ANYA AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Sofiya Pasternack from The King’s English to receive a signed copy, plus a bookmark & sticker! (ends 11/9)
- Pre-order THE BURNING GOD by R.F. Kuang to receive a PDF of exclusive bonus content from R.F. Kuang, with three key scenes from the trilogy presented from Nezha’s point of view. (INT)(ends 11/16)
- Pre-order SOULSWIFT by Megan Bannen from Raven Bookstore to receive a signed book, along with a bookmark and sticker. You’ll also be entered to win a grand prize! (ends 11/16)
- Pre-order RUINSONG by Julia Ember to receive a character art print, postcard and enamel pin. (US/CAN/UK)(ends 11/23)
- Pre-order THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS by Chloe Gong to receive an art print, a bookmark, and a signed bookplate. (INT)(ends 11/24)
- Pre-order CAST IN FIRELIGHT by Dana Swift OR request it from your local library to receive a bookmark and an art print. Pre-orders will also receive a signed bookplate and two character cards (Adraa and Jatin) and will be entered into the grand prize giveaway! (INT)(ends 11/24)
- Pre-order NEVER AFTER: THE THIRTEENTH FAIRY by Melissa de la Cruz to receive a laptop sticker and signed bookplate! (US only)(ends 11/30)
- Pre-order THIS IS HOW WE FLY by Anna Meriano to receive headbands, cover stickers, and a brand-new batch of nerdy fandom bookmarks. (ends 12/14)
- Pre-order BLOOD AND HONOR by Miranda Lyn to receive a signed bookmark! (US only)(ends 1/3)
- ***Pre-order ONE OF THE GOOD ONES by Maika and Maritza Moulite and Inkyard Press will donate $1.00 to the Center for Black Equity. (ends 1/4)
- Pre-order LORE by Alexandra Bracken to receive a Liam prequel short story (to The Darkest Minds), cut scenes from TDL, and a special extra Liam POV if they hit 1,000 submissions. You’ll also get one LORE email a week for nine weeks that includes an early look at a chapter and some other aspect of the book. (You can opt out of this at any time and still receive the rest.) (INT)(ends 1/5)
- Pre-order A VOW SO BOLD AND DEADLY by Brigid Kemmerer and you can choose to receive either the Emberfall or Syhl Shallow Kingdom Crest patch. (US, CAN, UK, IRE, AUS, & NZ)(ends 1/11)
- ***Pre-order TALES FROM THE HINTERLAND by Melissa Albert to receive a set of three postcards! (US only)(ends 1/12)
- Pre-order CAST IN FIRELIGHT by Dana Swift OR request it from your local library to receive a bookmark and an art print. Pre-orders will also receive a signed bookplate and two character cards. Order from Books and Books to also get a sticker! (INT)(ends 1/18)
- Pre-order THE GILDED ONES by Namina Forna to receive a gorgeous foiled & embossed limited edition print, plus a signed bookplate (first 250 preorders). (INT—excluding US, Philippines & CA)(ends 2/3)
- Pre-order NOT QUITE OUT by Louise Willingham to be entered to win multiple giveaways, including an annotated copy of the book. (INT)(ends 2/8)
- Pre-order WITCHSHADOW by Susan Dennard to receive SEVEN limited-edition character prints! (US/CAN)(ends 2/15)
- Pre-order HOLES IN THE VEIL by Beth Overmeyer to receive a button pin, a signed bookplate, three charms: 1 horse, 1 dagger, & 1 goblet. (US only)(ends 2/15)
- Pre-order WE ARE THE FIRE by Sam Taylor from River Bend Bookshop to receive a signed & personalized copy of the book, as well as a 5 x 7 inch character art print, a 5 x 7 inch full-color map of the Vesimaan Empire, and a bookmark. (ends 2/15)
- Pre-order I THINK I LOVE YOU by Auriane Desombre to receive access to special bonus content. Read the two scripts that Spark Emma and Sophie’s rivalry and join Team Emma or Team Sophie to vote for who should win the festival! (INT)(ends 3/1)
- Pre-order FRAGILE REMEDY by Maria Ingrande Mora OR request it from your local library OR create and share fanart to receive 3 character bookmarks featuring Alden, Reed, and Nate, and a holographic Queen of the Tinkers die-cut sticker. US pre-orders will also be entered for additional giveaways. (INT)(ends 3/10)
- ***Pre-order WHERE WE USED TO ROAM by Jenn Bishop OR request it from your local library to receive a signed bookmark and a personalized signed bookplate. Plus you’ll be entered to win more prizes! (US/CAN)(ends 3/22)
- Pre-order SOMEWHERE BETWEEN BITTER & SWEET by Laekan Zea Kamp OR request it from your local library OR create & share fanart to receive recipe cards, bookmarks, and a sneak peek at the instrumental soundtrack. Plus, you’ll be entered to win more! (ends 4/5)
- Pre-order THE ONES WE’RE MEANT TO FIND by Joan He to receive swag (to be revealed). (INT)(ends 5/3)
Awesome Giveaways:
(Make sure you scroll to see them all!)
- Twitter Giveaways:
- @TiffanyGiovino is hosting a $15 Book Depository Giveaway (ends 10/31)
- @thebookbratz is giving away a finished copy of QUIET NO MORE by Nikki Barthelmess
- On my blog, you can enter the giveaway for the October 2020 Discussion Challenge Link-Up & Giveaway and the September 2020 Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up & Giveaway.
- Head over to Lisa Loves Literature for a chance to win POISONED
- Head over to Book Briefs for a chance to win BROKEN WISH, Welcome to Superhero School, and BEYOND THE RUBY VEIL.
- Head over to Shooting Stars Mag for a chance to win a Vegan Leather Bookmark
- Head over to Batch of Books for a chance to win Ronan the Librarian
- Head over to BookHounds YA for a chance to win RURAL VOICES, Pretty Funny for a Girl, FIENDS ON THE OTHER SIDE, and more (check the site’s sidebar!)
- It Starts at Midnight turned 7 and Shannon is celebrating by giving two people four books each!
- Also head over to It Starts at Midnight for a chance to win Signed Copies of FEAR THE DROWNING DEEP and DREAD THE HARVEST MOON
- Head over to Pop! Goes the Reader for a chance to win an advance reader copy of The River Has Teeth
- Head over to Afire Pages for a chance to win Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia & Anna-Marie McLemore
- Head over to Bookcrushin’ for a chance to win Any New Release Featured there This Month
- Lots of blogs participating in the October 2020 Of Books Giveaway Hop!
- Book Riot has lots of giveaways, including a $250 B&N gift card!!
- Read It Forward does a weekly giveaway. This week you can enter to win their Favorite October Books!
Lots of good stuff! Have any giveaways or great discussions happening on your site right now? Feel free to share them in the comments!
So, dogs are like kids and are all about the box, huh. That subscription box looks awesome. I hope the pups enjoy all their new toys.
I admire your ability to always have those projects going. Your dogs make me laugh! Actually, my daughter was more interested in the boxes than the toys as a toddler. I’m impressed you can keep up with the reading. Have a lovely week!
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
I tried Bark Box and my dog torn each and every toy to pieces within an hour. lol I stopped getting the box after the 3rd one.
Oh, how weird—I thought my dogs were pretty amazing at destroying toys, but these have lasted really well for them. Hope you got replacements when the dog destroyed yours!
I love that dog toy think. Never found any stuffed toys that my Leia couodn’t obliterate, wish something like that were available in my country
Yeah, my pups can usually kill a toy in 30 seconds flat!
Lol. Dogs are almost like babies, they say forget the toys, I want the box! Or Tupperware as my nephew discovered was way more fun than all the toys at his disposal. Lol. Well, at least the box of toys had something for everyone right down to the box itself!
Hope you have a great week ahead!
Here’s my StS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
Dizziness is the worst, I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. 🙁 My first thought was blood pressure issues, but you mentioned your doctor and I’m sure that’s the first thing they checked. I hope it goes away soon.
Your dogs are just too cute!
I thought about getting BarkBox, but my dog is old and not as interested in toys as she used to be. I wish it had been around when my other 2 dogs were alive and my current dog was younger. They would have loved it. Have a great week! I hope you feel better.
Yeah, my oldest dog is the one who just wants to bark at the box. LOL! (Actually, she barks at toys too, she just doesn’t do much actual playing with them.)
I hope your dizziness goes away! How annoying, and a little scary, too.
I had to laugh at the dog toys and what the dog did to the box.
Enjoy your books and your week, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
It has definitely been annoying. It seems to be a bit better, but I wouldn’t say it’s completely gone.
That’s awesome that the toys in Bark Box are so durable. I love that you can return them if they are destroyed by your pets though. That’s awesome!
I wasn’t selected for the Cybils this year, which I’m kind of bummed about, but it may be a good thing. Not sure if I’d have the time anyway. haha
-Lauren
I think they have fewer judges this year because they combined some categories. Glad it ended up working out for you in the end, though!
Wait. Do you have three dogs? For some reason, I thought you only had two! Lol. Sorry about the weird dizziness but with the vision issues it does sound like a migraine. Any chance you could get an MRI?
I probably could get an MRI. At this point, I’m basically just waiting to see if it gets better since it hasn’t been too terribly bad.
And, yes, I have three dogs. I’m kind of crazy. I usually don’t put pics of Snickers up because it’s practically impossible to get a good picture of her. Bella and Digit are much more photogenic.
Sorry to hear that the dizziness is back. Maybe vertigo? My sister has that. It’s mostly under control now but it took a while to be correctly diagnosed and treated. I hope this week is better, heath-wise.
Yes, vertigo is definitely a possibility, though I didn’t think there was much of a treatment for it. If it continues, my doctor wants me to see a neurologist, just to be safe.
Sounds like some great Cybils reading! I really want to read Race to the Sun, Dragon Thief, and Paola Santiago.
I’ve been really thankful that the Cybils have gotten me back on track with my reading!
Oh no- hope the dizziness goes away and doesn’t get worse. I used to have problems with vertigo but it’s been mostly gone the last few years (knock on wood).
The dog box sounds neat! Dogs need to have fun too haha!
Hope you have a happy and healthy week!
Hope your vertigo stays away. It’s definitely no fun!
Sending all the hugs your way! Not sure if a second opinion would be something you’re interested in, but even though we love our doctors, when my youngest was having some medical issues we took him all the way to UCSF in California and it was a complete blessing. I felt soooo guilty seeing someone else, but it was the best thing we could have ever done♥. And that dog box looks AMAZING! Such happy dogs!
I don’t think I’m at that point yet, but I definitely have no problem with second opinions. My doctor has actually said that I should see a neurologist if the problem doesn’t go away.
I developed migraines in my late 30s to early 40s – sometimes just the aura, and then later the headaches too. I saw a neurologist who gave me prescription meds, but then I learned that for me, caffeine actually worked even better. I’m not a coffee drinker but if I have a strong cup when I start to feel the signs coming, that often does the trick. Hope you get it resolved; it’s really not fun!!
Caffeine does help me when I have a headache coming on—I always assumed it was just a headache because I was too addicted to caffeine and needed more. LOL!
I hope that dizziness you’ve been experiencing goes away soon. That is definitely no fun. That subscription box sounds like a fun idea. I’ll have to look into that for my dog. Thanks for the birthday wishes! 🙂
I hope your pup loves Barkbox if you try it! I’ve still been really impressed. My pups are usually great at destroying toys. 🙂