Whoa another month is already gone. And here we are at yet another recap. And I know I'm late - it's September 4th. Ha! But who cares? It's up anyway, and it's an overview of what I've done this August (or what August has done to me, I'm not sure which). Spoiler: it's not much.
So ... we come to the moment of truth. You remember I wrote a post about my summer tbr and the 33 books I wanted to read? Did I accomplish my goal? Hahaha. Nope. I read, like, 20 books? And only 7 from the list. :P But I learned two things:
1. Next time when you make a tbr don't just pile in everything your whim tells you but actually calculate how much time you'll have for reading and how thick the books are.
2. Unfortunately, creating a list of 33 books for Lisa to conquer takes the fun away from reading. She DOES NOT want to have all her summers reading all planned out. She DOES NOT want to follow preset plan. SHE WANTS TO FOLLOW HER WHIMS AND READ WHATEVER SHE WANTS WHENEVER SHE WANTS... In other words - this made reading seem like a chore, not the fun and freedom it should have been.
As you can see however, I read only 66% of my pile, and basically everything that wasn't on the list. :P
THE BOOKS OF THIS MONTH:
Chasing Jupiter. (5/5) This was one of the best reads this month - and the only book I actually bought (I buy books very rarely). I wrote a review here, and again I say to you - you have to experience this. It was fun and summery and sweet and tragic all at the same time. And for the record, it's basically the only hi-fi to be on my five-star shelf in three years!
Angel Eyes. (4.5/5) Just wow. This one. It was unlike anything I have ever read. The most similar thing I can think of is Frank Peretti. Because it includes the supernatural. But in ... right perspective.
A Question of Honor. (4/5) This indie published hi-fi about WWII was a really fantastic read! And as soon as I get a free day on my blogging schedule I will be reviewing this! If you like WWII books - and a really interesting story about three people who are wildly different - you really ought to read this one!
Brothers of the Buffalo. (3/5) I borrowed this from the library on a whim. Was it a good read? I was done with it in about three days, and while it gave me a marvellous history lesson, it seemed so much like ... exactly that. A history lesson. Too slow. And the thing that attracted me to this book was the synopsis on the back cover that said this featured an unlikely friendship between our African-American soldier and a Cheyenne warrior - but hahaha, was there any? Not nearly enough. :P
The Blood Race. (4.5/5) You might remember me yelling about this last month? This was such an amazing story! I AM STILL SO PUMPED THAT I ACTUALLY GOT TO READ IT!!! The awesomeness we've been hearing about this is all real - with mind-bending superpowers, fabulous characters, deep allegory, and high-flying excitement (hehehe, pun intended xD).
The Coronation. (4/5) This one really needs a review here too. This adorable bundle of fluff is a must read for anyone who likes royalty and intrigue and romance. The author was super nice and GAVE HER WORK OF ART TO ME FOR FREE. FREE! SHE DIDN'T EVEN ASK FOR A REVIEW IN RETURN.
Where Dandelions Grow. (4.5/5) This one though <3 <3 <3 All you writers out there - you must read this wonderful little contemporary! You will relate so beyond explanation to the setting and the main characters dream! Besides it's about cousins + bookstore + dandelions + success + dreams + the higher road.
Siren's Fury. (3.5/5) The sequel to Storm Siren. I think ... the first one was better? This seemed to drag a bit. Buuuut, this is worth your while for the villain alone! It's torture, guys. Plain torture. And if it weren't so slow, I would have screamed the whole book through. But me lungs gave out. Because it really stretched. But anyway. xD
And then I'm beta reading a book for friends but I don't know if I can actually link you to it at all? I'd have to go look around and see if it's synopsis is up anywhere on the writers' sites xD
Ahahahahahahaaa ... #nope. Sorry I wrote ... hardly anything ... at all. At least anything worth mentioning. Other than all my blog posts + book reviews + correspondence (eh, and trust me, my correspondence life would drown anyone) + transcribing old writings. But I am working on plots for my two/three books and I'm quite happy with what I've worked out so far.
I spent so and so many minutes staring at this heading and yelling at myself, "WHY DID YOU EVER START THIS IN THE RECAP???" Because seriously, I just don't take notes on what epic stuff is happening. So everything I give you is just spur of the moment. Most likely I'll forget something important :P But the good think about this is that you'll get that which was so important to me that I actually remembered it!
- Keturah, Audrey, Tracey, Jonathan, and Liv all did Realm Makers recaps and wowwowowowow I was just living off them for the time being! (+ there's one from Jill Williamson too :D)
- And Abi is working on a new book - Matinee Regulars and wow you should just see the excitement about it on this post!
- And can you believe it our friends met Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti both this summer!!! I MEAN, HELLO, I LOVE THESE AUTHORS SO MUCH. I'm so ... star-struck.
- Abby is getting ready to compile an amazing blogger yearbook again and you have about one more month to sign up - so go do it now! And you really should check out last year's one to get a good idea as to what it's like!
- Josiah is doing this hilarious series about his old writings and you have to follow. It just cracks me up!
- Anna had this contest earlier and I AM FEATURED.
- Nadine did this beautiful post and also she signed a book contract (yay!!!). Another reason to look forward to 2018 (help...)
- Brett Harris is looking for people to do this survey and one of those who does it gets a free hour of coaching from him on the phone and I'm yelling "NO THAT'S IT I WILL NOT DO IT IT'S TOO SCARY" even though I don't even believe in random drawing. But like, what if it's me??? NOOOOOO. But. To quote what this is about: "I need your advice. I'm working with Jaquelle Crowe (bestselling teen author of This Changes Everything) to create a series of writing tips specifically for young writers. Because let's face it... Being a young writer comes with unique challenges. So our question to you is this: When it comes to being a young writer, what’s the single biggest challenge you’ve been struggling with? We want to use your input to create more free resources like the WriterScore and the Young Writers Guidebook. And as a huge thank you for sharing, we're actually going to use your answers to create a series of writing tips just for young writers and we want to give it to you for free. So if you're a young writer, would you share your experience with us? And feel free to pass it along to any young writers you know!"
- Jane started an author website and new blog - so get over there! And there's an INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY! WHOO!
- Savannah is having the. most. epic. blog anniversary celebration - FOR THE FULL MONTH. And so far there's been a giveaway, a contest, and a sneak peak at her Snow White novella! You don't want to miss out on all this fun! So go!
- And Aimee and Caroline had this genius idea about a Friendly Neighborhood Journal which circulates our writers'/bloggers' community, and you should go have a look! I'd totally do it, but we're moving house and I live in Canada so I'll have to wait and see if it's still going on by the time I'm ready.
Sooo ... I have no idea why I started a section called "stranger things" and it's giving me a headache wondering what it's for. Basically anything I feel like saying.
But something worth mentioning is that I WATCHED THREE NEW MOVIES. This is kinda a big thing. Some people have a whole section dedicated to movies in their recap, but not me. I won't risk it, because most months it would say, "so I watched nothing new..."
But this time, I saw Moana, The BFG, and The Jungle Book! I just got crazy and borrowed them all at the library, but guess who was the one putting them on every evening? #notme
Moana was a hilarious musical magical adventure, and it was great! It's set in Hawaii and draws on their legends! So bonus points - I have a great liking for Hawaii (all due to Hawaii Five-0 ...). I was really funny and a great ride with a fabulous twist at the end. Maui tho <3 But it had a lot of singing and slower parts which kind took away from the excitement for me xD (Besides I studied the trailer for school and had a pretty good idea what was going on :D).
The BFG was actually pretty interesting and the climax + resolution was really ... creative. I was not expecting all that. Plus it was just plain funny and rather cute and heart warming. But. It was sloooooooow for our tastes xD
The Jungle Book. Being very fond the book (and not too happy about the changes the original cartoon movie made) I was really interested to see this one and how it compared. This one was different from the original movie, and it was better, in my opinion. It changed the story a little, and followed the book more, but still kept the characters and songs and feeling true to the first film. I was fond of all the animals, the action, the suspense, and the full idea of the tale. But we felt that the animals were not portrayed accurately. That King Louie was basically prehistoric and the tiger just about had superpowers. And my sisters felt the movie insulted wolves' ferocity. Other than that - terrific <3
And that's another recap over, and another month over! August was super busy for the family and probably the reason I didn't get so much done? Haha. I'll get back on track :) September has suddenly become so cool over here - like autumn just attacked us. But hey, I DO like autumn (because my birthday, hahahaha). The good news is - I'M STILL ON HOLIDAY. NO SCHOOL YET. It's becasue we're moving house but more on that later this month.
A final note: to those of you who follow me by email, my feedburner is not working? It says the file size is too big. I'm working on fixing it, so bare with me and I apologize for the fact that you aren't getting any notifications D:
And I fiddled with my sidebar. I still have to get a good profile picture though *shakes head* xD
But, all that aside, here's to September <3
Lisa
WHAT HAS AUGUST DONE FOR YOU?
HOW'S THE WEATHER THERE?
whatever you have for me, shoot!
I love hearing from you <3
Awesome wrap up! I love the graphics and the Fall vibe. I can't wait for Autumn to get here already. How's the move going? Are you excited or sad about it?
ReplyDeleteAll those books!!! I wish I read that much in a month. I don't read enough books, in my opinion. XD
The Blood Race is amazing!!! I'm working on my review for my blog. I've got most of the review written. Its a bit different than my Goodreads review since I needed more time to think than I allowed myself.
Have a rocking September! <3
~Ivie
iviewrites.blogspot.com
Aww thanks so much Ivie :D Yeah you live in Texas so it takes longer for fall to arrive, huh? The move prep is going quite nicely, thanks :) Guess what's the most traumatic part? TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO KEEP THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE AND IF I DO HOW TO STUFF IT IN MY ALREADY FULL BOXES. Also when adorable stuffed toys look so lonely in the giveaway pile D:
DeleteI don't think I read enough books either! But as long as your finds are good ones, I think it's okay :D
YESSS THE BLOOD RACE <333 So much love for that one! You know, it is true! Spur of the moment reviews are great for getting that excitement and fangirling on the page but then when you think a bit, you find you are able to get more substance down and are able to better sort out and express your thoughts! Your review will be great - and I can't wait to see what you thought about The Girl Who Could See as well. I need to read that one!
Same!
This was an incredible wrap up, and GAH i love your blog design and your incredible aesthetic. <333
ReplyDeleteAnd where dandelions grow is the sweetest story ever, I am reading that and the Blood Race still...such a procrastinator. :P
OH ANNA YOU ARE TOO KIND AND YOU MAKE ME SO HAPPY <333 I try, you know, I try ^-^
DeleteOh yes - Where Dandelions Grow! I'm so glad you agree and got a chance to read it already! Hurry up with the Blood Race (in all honesty I actually procrastinated finishing it too - because I didn't want it to be over so fast :P)
I didn't know you lived in Canada! XD Good luck with the move!
ReplyDeleteGIRL, I totally get what you mean about the TBR struggles! I try to plan it out, and then I pick up like 200000 books from the library on a whim and read those :D
Sounds like you had a great August, Lisa! XD
YES I LIVE IN THE TRUE NORTH WILD AND FREE XD Thank you; we need it!
Delete#relatable ME TOO. I have a tbr all planned out and I go to the library and I'm like, "eh, who even cares, I'll just pick up Strange the Dreamer (a whopping 560 pages) and Brothers of the Buffalo" and then I come home and I see someone offering review e-copies, and I'm like "ohmyword, can't miss that, I must accept this and this and this and that ..."
*shakes head*
I sure did! Hope you did too! Thanks for tagging me also! I have Sunshine Blogger Tag obsession!
Hey, lookie! I finally made it over to your corner of the internet! xD (and can I mention that you're doing an EPIC job over here? Seriously. *scrambles to follow*)
ReplyDeleteI've been waffling on reading Siren's Fury for months now. LITERAL months. I don't know why? I didn't enjoy Storm Siren terribly much, but I feel like I should give the trilogy another shot ... *ponders*. AND YOU READ BLOOD RACE. IT'S OFFICIAL, I NEED THAT THING. (and AWK, YOU LINKED TO ME *hugs*. I'm so glad you're enjoying the blogoversary bash! <3)
~ Savannah | Scattered Scribblings
*whispers* also, I must mention that when I first popped over here, I thought FOR SURE you must have had this blog for at least a year, with how good it looked. But you've only had it for THREE MONTHS?? You go, girl!
Delete~ Savannah | Scattered Scribblings
YOU AMAZING HUMAN. You just made my day complete with these awesome comments! That's so encouraging <333
DeleteHmm. You know, if I were you, I'd wait till I (the real me here) finished Siren's Song, and if I as me gives it a good rating and say the two second books are worth it, then I as you could give it a shot! (ugh I hope that ridiculous sentence makes sense)
YES READ THE BLOOD RACE. I think they say it'll knock your socks off? I'm not sure if that's exactly the quote about this book, but it's a great saying anyway xD
*hugs back* Oh but of course! Your celebration plan is THE BEST.
WOW THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME <333 You're so sweet! I just TRY so hard to make it as good as possible as soon as possible and I look at other blogs with amazing aesthetics, and fyi Scattered Scribblings is one and I come there every so often JUST TO LOOK and see how you do things :D
*high fives* thanks so much for commenting and following <3
I keep meaning to do post like this, but I too don't keep track enough to do it. I loved reading yours!
ReplyDeleteUgh I know! I STARTED TO WRITE THIS AND WAS STUCK FOR TEN MINUTES BECAUSE HOW DO YOU REMEMBER A FULL MONTH??? Thanks tho! Recaps are quite a nice overview anyway!
DeleteANGEL EYYYYYYYEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!! I loved that book. <3 And the Jungle Book was stunning, wasn't it????
ReplyDeleteYESYESYES! SO DO I! HAVE YOU READ THE OTHERS? I AM IN BROKEN WINGS NOW! But it's an e-book so it takes longer for me to go through those! And yup, Jungle Book, tho <333 It WAS amazing! I just love ... the whole idea and all those animals and the animation and all that impossible action and the thrill and the suspense ... oh don't get me started ...
Delete