July is gone, and I’m posting this today so I can focus on Harry Potter’s birthday tomorrow. I swear, I’m not a Harry Potter nerd.
LIES! #Ravenclaw4Life
I’ve had mixed feelings about this month’s books. There’ve been a couple of DNFs, but on the other hand there were books that I really loved! It was a high/low month and nothing inbetween.
THE JULY HAUL
Click the image to go to the Goodreads page!
HARD COPIES
DIGITAL AUDIOBOOKS
LENDING HAUL
I had a good run at Barnes & Noble earlier in the month, and I’m beginning to clear out my audible credits as well. As for lending – that’s all Overdrive!
JULY READS
Click the cover to see my review!
HARD COPY
DIGITAL AUDIOBOOKS
CURRENTLY READING
WRITING LIFE
In a touch of insanity, I decided to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo this July; I needed a kick in the butt to write. I pulled out ‘Tweens, a guilty pleasure story I wrote a couple years ago, for revisions.
On a roll, I wrote 30k, realized that the plot was really boring and predictable. Trashed it, started over.
I wrote the first chapter in six different perspectives. Trashed all but one.
Realized the plot needed a better outline and went to do that instead.
I’m presently sitting on a complete outline, scene for scene. Now I just have to write the bloody thing and stay on topic
MY PHOENIX FIRE (AKA BLOG STUFF)
In which the sparks of popularity, tags, and attempted memes make themselves known.
TOP THREE POSTS
- So Many Classics! #MailboxMonday (7/24)
- A Star Wars Confession – #BookBloggerHop (7/28)
- I Can’t Wait For… “The Winds of Winter” by George R. R. Martin (#Can’tWaitWednesday) (7/26)
So I guess last week was a good week for the blog! Merci beaucoup, mes amis!
MEMES
- 15 Minute Ficlets
- Mailbox Monday
- So Many Classics! – 7/24
- It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?
- Can’t Wait Wednesdays
- Book Blogger Hop
- Do You Read Tie-In Books? – 7/28
TAGS
- The Book Titles Tag – 7/29
SOCIAL MEDIA LOVE
This is what’s been going on in the social media sphere! I’m on Twitter & Instagram… although my Instagram is not so bookish and contains much cats.
My top tweet this month makes me chuckle, since it was a musing before bed and as I was posting it I was thinking, Well this is super lame.
Writing is like cracking open an egg and finding a universe inside. Then possibly creating the most complex omelette ever. #amwriting
— Amber Calkins (@Morteana) July 10, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
I guess it wasn’t!
Unsurprisingly, my most-liked Instagram post this month was the one of my silly kitten yawning.
She’s the cutest thing.
BLOGLOVIN’
I’ve finally connected with BlogLovin’! I’ve never used the site before, but I hear it’s great, sooo here goes nothing!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin!
IN THE BLOGOSPHERE
- Cait @ Paper Fury talks about her writing process and other authory things.
- Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm lists her Top 5 Tuesday Topics for August!
- The Historian @ A Historian About Town offers a recipe for 2 Ingredient Ice Cream.
- Em @ Keystroke Blog talks about the overabundance of green eyes in YA Lit in and now I can’t stop noticing all the green/blue eyes and blonde hair!
- Jay @ Running in My Head started cooking through the Bob’s Burgers Cookbook.
- Lori @ Majestic Reading Blog shares tips on contacting people for ARCs.
- Kyera @ Kyera’s Library unboxes the latest Wizarding World Crate (love the bookends!)
- Fernanda @ The Wanderlust Reader shares her reading origin story.
IN OTHER NEWS
My personal life has been pretty *meh* this month. I CAME BACK TO THE BLOG! So there’s that. I’ve also read WAY more books this month than I have in a while. July has been a get-your-crap-together month so there’s been vet visits, dentist visits, doctors visits.
Family-wise… my dad is trying to set my brother up with a super right wing redneck girl because apparently this is the 1800s and he can’t find his own life partner. Also, each to their own, but it’s not his jam. So happy I’m married!
My monster-in-law mother-in-law is in convalescence after a long hospital stint. I want to feel bad for her because it sucks, but she’s being very rude to nurses and assistants and doctors and family members and NOPE. I’m a bad person.
I was a big girl and dragged myself to my BFFs house for the first time since the miscarriage a couple weeks ago. She has two adorable girls and I was feeling NOPE NOPE NOPE about children because… yup. So I went over there and it was find and the toddler is speaking really well now and I’m proud of her.
WHAT’S COMING NEXT?
August is a month filled with birthdays. Matt & I have a getaway planned over his birthday weekend, which will be fabulous! I’m really looking forward to it.
This month you can continue to expect blog reviews. I don’t have any special features planned other than the weekly 15 Minute Ficlets. Top Ten Tuesday will be coming back midway through the month, so I’ll be jumping on those as well. Since I’m just getting back into the blogging swing, I don’t have any scheduled posts (I KNOW IT’S A TERRIBLE IDEA). I’ll do better for September and try to promise at least four original thoughts. Cool?
There will probably be something Harry Potter tomorrow tho. Because HARRY POTTER IS MY LIFE. … ………..
… 🙂
Okay. That’s all loffs. If you got this far in reading this post, treat yourself to a cookie. You deserve it.
Cheers!
Linking up to The Sunday Post, Mailbox Monday, and It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? … because they’re awesome.
I honestly love how much work you put into this post & the openness of tellling others your life. You & your memes are hilarious! I LIVE for gifs lol. Thank you for the sweet tag btw☺️😘✨
Aw, thanks! I’m not a private person. 😛 I probably should be! I really like doing wrap-up posts. And I thought your post was really great! Happy to include it!
I love reading wrap ups!! And yours is great! Thanks so much for including my link in there!
I seriously can’t get past the green eyes thing! Right after I read your post, I started listening to “Bloodlines” by Richelle Mead… I think all but one of the characters is blonde with green eyes. WHY.
Right!?!?!? Like WHYYYYYYY
Thanks for including my link in there! (#Ravenclaw4Life)
It was a great unboxing! (#RavenclawsUnite!)
LIES!! I laughed so hard at that!!! Great wrap up! Hope your August is awesome!
Haha, glad I made you laugh! I hope your August is superb as well! LD
BTW thanks for the mention! I didn’t even catch that at first. I saw the other ones but my mind skipped over my own name! Lol I need sleep 😂
Anytime! I think it’s great you’re running that, especially while Broke & Bookish is one hiatus. 🙂
I had no clue they even had that meme when I started doing this almost two years ago on books Amino! Works out that people still have lists to do on Tuesdays
Too cool! And multiple linkups is fun, too. Sometimes one theme doesn’t really work with a blogger, but the other is perfect. 🙂
Great wrap up. You got some really amazing books this month. Happy reading and listening. 🙂
Jenea’s Book Obsession’s Sunday Post
Thanks, Jenea!
Wow you read a ton of books this month! I’ve been going back and forth on buying The History of Ancient Egypt because I’ve always been fascinated with their culture. I’m definitely looking forward to reading your thoughts on it! And I shall now follow you on Bloglovin 🙂
Crystal Book Snob
YAY! To be honest it took me almost a year to get through the last of my Great Courses – not for lack of interest, but because I wanted to devote the time to it and didn’t have as much as I wanted. I wouldn’t hold your breath on a review about Ancient Egypt, BUT I will share that the Audible reviews for that particular course are really good… people seem really pleased with both the content and the professor.
Happy HP Birthday!
How is Bright Young Things on audio? I’ve been meaning to read that one.
I didn’t particularly love it and ended up putting it down; however, my qualms with it were mostly I didn’t feel that it was the right book for me. The narrator wasn’t bad. I had a little trouble distinguishing the voices of the two main characters, but I DNF’d it only a couple hours in, so they probably became more distinct. 🙂
I hope you pick it up and love it though!
Your book haul reminds me I need to read Menagerie (especially since I think Spectacle is now out, or will be).
Love the cat pic, wow! Talk about catching just the right moment.
Haha, thanks. She’s a goose. I got lucky! She’s usually very interested in the camera and difficult to photograph!
Spectacle came out and May, so yes good sir, get on top of that! 😉
Great post!!
Love the animations and your post.
Have a great week.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Mailbox Monday
Thank you!
Wonderfully full wrap up! I love the gifs and your sharing. Could some of your m-i-l’s rudeness be a result of meds? My DH was awful while in the rehab center. Of course he was mostly good with the nurses but was very nasty to me. Good thing I love him. (He apologized when he got home.) Hope this new month is good to you. Happy Reading!
WOW! You did a lot on that revision…and a complete outline should help immensely. I hope you enjoy your reading week…and that cat picture was hilarious.
Haha thanks. Lizzie is a silly goose. 🙂