Friday, October 18, 2013

Stacking the Shelves + What's Happening October 18th

 
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews

FOR REVIEW:
 
Unhinged by AG Howard {GoodReads}
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz {GoodReads}

UNHINGED!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot tell you how freaking excited I am to read this book. Splintered was one of my favourite books ever, and although I rarely do rereads I'm going to reread it before starting Unhinged. I can't wait! :-D
I was browsing Edelweiss this week and came across A Tale Dark and Grimm, and while I normally don't read MG books, this sounded so good and I figured I could squeeze it in and do a review in the next week or so for the Spooktacular Paranormal Reading Challenge

*Thanks so much to Amulet and Dutton Juvenile for these awesome books*

BOUGHT:
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong {GoodReads}
I read and loved this book last year, but decided to buy it because Kelley Armstrong is coming to my library next weekend (!!!!!!) to talk about her latest book, Omens, and do a signing. I'm so freaking excited I can't even tell you, and since Omens was really expensive and I'm really poor, I picked up a copy of The Gathering for a really good price.

LIBRARY:
 
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black {GoodReads}

 
 
The Calling by Kelley Armstrong {GoodReads

   
Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer {GoodReads}
This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E Smith {GoodReads}
Apparition by Gail Gallant {GoodReads}


SUPER slow week this week, which I will explain below in 'All the Rest'

  • I reviewed Belladonna by Fiona Paul and gave it 3 stars

I had good intentions for the blog this week...I have a bunch of reviews written, and I intended to post them, but I was so busy it just didn't happen. On Monday I went on a short road trip with my sister-in-law, Amanda, and one of her friends so they could get passport stickers for the drivers' licenses. Why? Because we're taking a trip to the States next month! We're going on Black Friday (which is absolute insanity, as I have no desire to either sit in line at customs for half the day or be trampled to death by crazy bargain-hunting shoppers, but that was the only time everyone else was available to go, and I'd rather go then than not at all) and staying two nights. I don't really care so much about the shopping, I just like the idea of getting away since I've never done a big girls' trip before (there will be 5 or 6 of us). Plus since the party for my 30th birthday in December fell through (stupid too-close-to-Christmas birthday) I told my Amanda I'd be more than happy with this trip as my birthday celebration. I'm really excited about it!

Other things that kept me busy this week: formatting an ebook for one of my besties (in case you're wondering, it's If Only We by Jessica Sankiewicz, which comes out on October 27th!). As I was working on it, it occurred to me that I could start up a little side business for self-published authors - cover design, beta reading, editing, proofreading, ebook formatting, etc. - all things I know how to do and am fairly good at. I've had 3 or 4 friends tell me I should go for it, despite being nervous about messing up lol...so I'm working on putting together a plan for that.

And finally, on Thursday, my mum, Amanda, nephews, niece, and I went on a road trip to visit my brother, Jamie, and his friend where they're camping and hunting for the week. It took us about an hour and a half to get there, and it was a perfect fall day for a drive. The boys' campsite is huge and surrounded by woods. My nephews and I spent quite a bit of time wandering through the forest (which was exciting for me for several reasons - I love spending time alone with the boys (they're 3 and 11); I rarely get to spend time outdoors; and I hurt my back really badly at the beginning of the year and have spent the last 8 months recovering, and even though I'm mostly better, I still have some issues...but I was able to hike through the woods on my own, which felt pretty much like a miracle to me, especially since it was pretty hilly and rocky). Amanda and I went out on the ATV, which was super fun since I haven't been on one since I was about 12. 

Then Jamie decided we needed some brother-sister bonding time, and he wanted me to come with him and his friend to see where they hunt. What do they hunt, you might ask? BEAR. Oh yeah. And who just had to come with us? The boys. So, the five of us drove down to where the guys hunt, and we tramped through more woods, and watched the guys set up bait for the bears, before driving to their other hunting site to see their tree stands. Despite worrying about the kids, I was actually glad they were along, because they were good distraction from the fear of being eaten by bears, plus I had someone to talk to while we walked for miles through the forest. Oh, did I mention my brother and his friend are deaf? Yeah...deaf hunters. Don't ask me to explain that one, 'cause I really can't. At one point my 11-year-old nephew asked the 3-year-old "Are you scared?" and his response was "No, I not scared, I just happy to be with Daddy and you and Jamie and Mimi." He's so freaking cute. Anyway, we made it back in one piece, and then played around the campsite some more, had dinner, and headed home. It was such a great day.


Part of the campsite

Noah and Logan during the first of our many trips into the woods - how freaking adorable are they??

Logan and me...I never would have believed a 3-year-old could be my best friend, but he is

Miss Maddy

Me and Amanda

The Jamies - my brother's the one on the left

It was a perfect autumn day



 So that's my week in books and other things. How was your week? Did you get any new books? Have you read any good ones that you'd recommend? Tell me in the comments below or post a link to your Stacking the Shelves/Book Haul/In My Mailbox/Showcase Sunday, etc. Happy reading! <3


10 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had a very exciting week. :) I hope that your trip to the states is awesome. :D And I, too, would be freaking out if someone wanted me to go somewhere they go to hunt BEARS. Eeeek!

    Starting to offer some services could be a good idea for you. The challenge will likely be getting word of mouth and building a clientele. I wish you the best of luck, though. :)

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  2. YOU'RE GOING TO THE STATES WHERE?!?! COME SEE MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! <3

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  3. I hope you have fun when you visit here. Black Friday is totally insane. Happy reading.

    Tsuki’s STS

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  4. I've been thinking about reading Splintered for a while! Sounds like I will have to get that ASAP. :D And camping looks fun!!

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  5. It looks like you and the kids had a good time. Spending time with family is wonderful and good for the soul. You got some really good books.

    Grace
    Books of Love

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  6. Your week looks so fun! So happy you got to go and hang out with your family, and have nephew and niece time! And gosh, that scenery is GORGEOUS.

    Ahhh, Unhinged. I finally remembered to go request it. So hoping I get approved.

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  7. Wow, now THAT was a good week. Beautiful pictures! And how fun your trip will be. Yeah, Black Friday can be crazy. That's why I stay home. lol. Anyway, Unhinged has a colorful cover. Hope you enjoy you books.

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  8. As long as you don't attempt to go to any stores before noon on Black Friday you should be fine. All the chaos is early in the morning.
    I'm with Jessica too. Come see me!! ;)

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  9. Looks like you have one heck of a week ahead of you. Happy reading! :D

    By the way we our celebrating "300 Likes on Facebook" so make sure to enter HERE! :)

    Our Stack
    Andy @ Owl Always Be Reading

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  10. SO excited for Unhinged! I reaalllly enjoyed Smart Girls & This is what happy looks like is on my TBR

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Thanks for visiting Ramblings of a Daydreamer! I love hearing what you have to say, and I appreciate every single comment. I hope to see you here again soon! ♥
~Marie

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