Sunday Post #23 ~ Motivationally & Time Challenged...

As y'all probably all know, the Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share my news from the week whether it be book, blog, or just life news. 

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Ha! Well, I had thought to do Sunday Posts once a month in 2018...that didn't work out so then I decided maybe I could do it once a quarter. Uh, it's April so we're into the second quarter of 2018 and... Guess, I'll figure it out...eventually. Seriously though y'all, how is it ALREADY APRIL?!?

As the title of my posts says, I'm being challenged both motivationally and time-wise. This means I haven't wanted to write reviews. I don't feel like getting blog posts done (I'm sooo behind!). This also means I've not been a good blogger friend and I'm sorry for that. I've become a "binge commenter" to quote Anna from Herding Cats & Burning Soup. I wanted to say a "comment bomber" but that one word has such negative connotations these days, so... I *HAVE* done something that I think will help. See, I follow everyone via email because...well, I'm old-school. But y'all. My inbox was seriously overflowing. Seriously So I took a day and cleaned out my inbox... ~24,000 emails. Yep. You read that right. I deleted emails from 2016! I said it was seriously overflowing. ;) And now I'm following everyone via feedly (thanks to the suggestion from my blogger wife, Lexxie) I think this will help me comment more efficiently. 

I've also been traveling back and forth to Texas quite a bit. For those of you who've been around awhile, you may remember my grandma being diagnosed with cancer several years back. Well, her health has been declining a bit and after discovering a lump in her arm pit, we found out just last week that there's some cancer there. Fortunately, it's contained locally and she's only going to have to endure surgery to remove the lymph node involved and no further treatment will be necessary. Phew!

I wanted to tell you about some other things I've been up to but since that would involve MANY words, I'm doing it with pictures. Here's what I've been doing:

I celebrated my birthday this past week! I received a very generous gift from my blogger wife (Thanks again, Lexxie! <3) and the first book I purchased with my gift card was:

Is 2018 flying right on by for y'all, too?!? :) 

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2018 Challenges Update

I participated in #TakeControl Challenge during the month of March. I had challenged myself to reading 15 books and as it turns out, I fell way short. I changed up my lineup due to mood and the fact that the audio series I had chosen just wasn't doing it for me. But with traveling, etc., I didn't even hit my "usual" mark. Here are the books I did manage to complete. And it's a win even if I didn't read all 15. Any book off the TBR pile is a score! :) Oh, and I didn't quite finish Golden Trail by the end of March, but I'm still counting it. ;)

#2018HW Report Card for Quarter One

My goal is 1 book a month. I only managed to read 2 books in the first quarter (0 in March) so that means I got a "B" and I'm happy with that. Hopefully, I can score an "A" in the second quarter.




#2018NewRelease - 8 books

#Audiobook Challenge - 9 books
#authorluv - none yet

#BloggerShame - none yet

Read All the Books - none yet

#ShelfLove - 22 books


How are y'all doing with your challenges?

Sunday Post #22 ~ April? Wahhh? And Challenge Updates

As y'all probably all know, the Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share my news from the week whether it be book, blog, or just life news. 

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Wow! March definitely came in like a lion, didn't it? I can't believe it's April. It was a busy month for me because I had my college girl home (for not nearly long enough!), my MIL visiting, James took vacation time to spend with Sky and with Berk & Jax, who were off this past week for Spring Break. I *did* get a lot of listening done but I've gotten behind in reading and blogging. Oh well, it's a new month.

Oh, I did want to mention that I took Berk and Jax to see Beauty and the Beast last week. It was phenomenal, y'all!! I thought the sets, costumes, casting, and special effects were perfect. I particularly liked the emotion conveyed through Beast's facial expressions. Sooo good!!

Last month's list of books that made big impressions - positive or negative - are: Crash into You by Katie McGarry, The Deep End and Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley, and Rises the Night of Colleen Gleason all get the highest (positive) marks. Currently, I'm reading The Ten-Day Baby Takeover by Karen Booth. And in my ears is Your Inescapable Love by Layla Hagen.  

Are y'all as shocked as I am that it's April?!? :) 

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I have made it through the first 3 months of 2017 without spending a penny on a book! Woohoo! I did acquire a book that was free two boxsets that were free.

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2017 Challenges

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#2017HW Report Card for Quarter One

My goal is 1 book a month. I read 3 books in the first quarter so that means I got an A!!!


#2017NewRelease - 14 books

#Audiobook Challenge - 9 book
#authorluv - none yet

#BloggerShame - 8 books

Read All the Books - 2 books

#ShelfLove - 28 books

I started Mini Blog Ahead with 3 posts scheduled. I ended with 20 scheduled posts and 8 drafts. The goal was 15 so I did well! :D

I was certainly ambitious with the Take Control TBR Challenge. Here is a photo of the TBR list I had going in...

And just to let y'all know (so you can laugh) I had added 50 books to my kindle TBR Collection so I'd have a nice selection to choose from. ;) And I read exactly ONE from that collection - Rises the Night. I did listen to all three of the audiobooks. I also read The Female of the Species. But apparently, I'm not good with lining up books to read ahead of time. I *DID* read 12 books for this challenge. It's just that I only read 4 from my pre-scheduled list. Still, that's 12 books less I have on my TBR. That's a win in my book!

Sunday Post #21 ~ Almost Spring...Break!

As y'all probably all know, the Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share my news from the week whether it be book, blog, or just life news. 

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I'm run ragged, y'all. ;) Between running the kids to high school musical pit orchestra (Berk), indoor percussion (Berk & Jax), attending book club,  and participating in reading and blogging and exercising challenges...I'm feeling winded. LOL This coming week, my MIL and Sky are both arriving so there will be frantic cleaning going on here. But I'm really looking forward to the visit!

Since I'm only getting ONE Sunday Post a month posted, I'm going to list books that made big impressions - positive or negative. :) So in the past month these books affected me: Red Rising by Pierce Brown, Bounty by Kristen Ashley, and Beauty from Pain of Georgia Cates all get the highest marks. Currently, I'm beta reading for Michelle Mankin and well as reading Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason. And in my ears is Your Irresistible Love by Layla Hagen.  

How is March treating y'all so far?!? :) 

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I have made it through the first 2 months of 2017 without having spent a penny on a book! Woohoo! I did acquired a couple of books that were FREE and by authors I've been wanting to read. Oh, and a boxset that was free and continued a series.

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2017 Challenges

#COYER Blackout - I finished up COYER having read 13 books

#2017NewRelease - 9 books

#2017HW - 2 (The Female of the Species is this month's assignment)

#Audiobook Challenge - 5 book
#authorluv - none yet

#BloggerShame - 4 book

Read All the Books - 2

#ShelfLove - 18books

Sunday Post #20 ~ Where Did the Time Go?

As y'all probably all know, the Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share my news from the week whether it be book, blog, or just life news. 

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What?!? It's February??? How did that happen?
I have a newly minted driver! Yep. Berk is now an officially licensed driver. Having teen drivers is a blessing and a curse but she's a good driver and I'm proud of her. :) The college mail influx has begun and let me tell y'all, getting it all times TWO?? That's a lot of paper. Both Berk and Jax are enjoying comparing where their mail is coming from...some of the same, lots different. Sky is settling back into the college routine and she added a class this semester...biology. She's in heaven. Which is a good thing since she believes this is the field for her. :) James and Jax are in Phoenix this weekend for a drum corps camp, so Berk and I took advantage of having a weekend ourselves and went to see La La Land! It's a good movie - we both enjoyed it.

As for what I've read over the last few weeks, well I finished Fire Balls by Tara Lain as well as Breathe into Me by Sara Fawkes, The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. I also finished listening to Rule by CD Reiss and Until Harry by LA Casey. Currently, I'm reading Beauty from Pain by Georgia Cates. And in my ears is The Danger of Desire by Sabrina Jeffries.  

How are y'all feeling about it already being February?!? :) 

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I'm continuing to do really well sticking to my No-Book-Buying-Ban...I've only acquired a couple of boxsets and a book and only because they were FREE and by authors I've been wanting to read. 

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2017 Challenges

#COYER Blackout - 8 books

#2017NewRelease - 5 books

#2017HW - 1 (Red Rising is this month's assignment)

#Audiobook Challenge - 2 book
#authorluv - none yet

#BloggerShame - 2 book

Read All the Books - currently listening to The Danger of Desire

#ShelfLove - 7 books