Now that August is here, it is time to get our kids in gear! School shopping and getting back on a school schedule is our main priority (that they've been ignoring). The summer has been full of hot, lazy days. The kids were waking up just in time for lunch. And then running through the house at midnight. A five year old running around upstairs does not equate to the adorable pitter patter of tiny feet.
And this five year old will start Kindergarten in a few weeks. Yup. The baby is technically not a baby. Only technically. He's got that whining thing down though, so I worry about his new teacher. Hopefully he'll enjoy the school routine, he always did quite well with the daycare setting. It's just been a bit boring for him this summer which is why I have both hopes and fears for kindergarten to get him back to being my happy go-lucky little guy.
Bookish news.. Have you see the Estella Society yet? They are welcoming book bloggers and your ideas to help cultivate blogger relationships. They're on Facebook, too! Co-host Andi says this about The Estella Society: 'We're pretty open to anything you want to share! This is a readerly playground so it should be fun, informative, and freeing to share your thoughts.' Doesn't that sound fun? Official launch date is August 15.
Speaking of bloggers coming together, the BEA 2013 Conference is already under discussion. Is this something you care about anymore as a book blogger? Personally, since I would never go to one in NYC it is not something that is on my radar, but I like to see what is going on there bookwise/bloggerwise. Turns out, 2012 BEA was a bit of a let-down as it was still more author-focused as opposed to blogger-focused. Serena from Savvy Verse & Wit put together some ideas for what she thinks would be a more valuable blogger conference, and you could read them here. And then I direct you to one of my previous posts where I suggest a fabulous location. Put these two together, and Yeah baby! I'm there!
I really enjoyed myself big-time during the Armchair BEA which ran online at the same time as the physical BEA, as I was able to converse with many new bloggers from the comfort of my computer. The twitter parties were awesome, and I look forward to more of those. I just wish there were more bloggers there that were representative of different genres, this time around there were a large amount of YA bloggers. But I did manage to get some intriguing book recommendations through them.
After last week's announcement of me not becoming the slave to the ARCs, I have felt like a huge weight is off my shoulders. The books are still here, but I have ignored at least 20 emails so far (pats self on back). I am on my way to reading what I want to read when I want to read it!
In the spirit of 'I hate being a robot reviewer'.. I had to mention this article I read via mediabistro.. Fake Erotica takes iBookstore by storm.. shooting to the top but can't yet beat Fifty Shades.. the point is that these comedians got their friends/fans to write fake reviews, give out five stars etc for a fake book and now it's technically a bestseller. So if they can do that, so can everyone else selling a book. Just saying. Which means finding a trusted blogger (like you and me!) is so totally important. (GRIN!) Crazy stuff in the book review world.
I have a question:
Have you read Hemingway.. recently?
What would you recommend for me to read first? For Whom The Bell Tolls was put on the top of my list.
I am intrigued. He was a sexy man.. here is a photo Erika Robuck puts of him in her book, which I am loving Hemingway's Girl:
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| Ernest Hemingway Collection. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston. |
SUNDAY SWAP LIST!
Every Sunday I will post the current books that I have available for swapping. Many reviews can be found in my Reviews Master List.
Christian Non-fiction:
I Love You to God and Back by Amanda Lamb (used paperback)
Tudor-ish:
In A Treacherous Court by Michele Diener (new pb)
At The Kings Pleasure by Kate Emerson (book #4, these are stand alone; this is a new pb copy)
The King's Damsel by Kate Emerson (book #5, signed, used ARC)
Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth (used ARC)
Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory (used ARC)
Other Royal-related:
Queen By Right by Anne Easter Smith (used ARC)
For the King by Catherine Delors (used ARC, one that came bound with that black tape)
Confessions of Catherine de Medici by CW Gortner (used ARC)
The Shadow Queen: A Novel of Wallis Simpson by Rebecca Dean (used ARC)
Royal Non-fiction:
Notorious Royal Marriages by Leslie Carroll (older ARC & has a little stain on cover even though I never read it)
Sister Queens by Julia Fox (good non fiction if you are interested in these two Queens; Used ARC)
Austenesque/Regency:
Wickham's Diary by Amanda Grange (small book, an ARC)
Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell (used ARC)
A Darcy Christmas by Grange/Lathan/Eberhart (used ARC)
The Gilded Shroud (a Georgian mystery) by Elizabeth Bailey (used PB)
Historical Romance:
The Wildest Heart by Rosemary Rogers (used ARC, this is 736 pages and a LOT of fun)
Historical Fiction:
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (used ARC)
The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan (used ARC)
Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran (used ARC)
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie (used pb)
The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott (used ARC)
The Irish Healer by Nancy Herriman (used ARC)
A Parliament of Spies by Cassandra Clark (used ARC)
Come a Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock (used pb)
Madame Bovary's Daughter by Linda Urbach (used ARC, she wrote on it, put my name etc)
Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick (used PB)
The Shadow of The King by Helen Hollick (used ARC)
Child of the Northern Spring by Persia Wolley (used ARC)
General Literature/Women's Fic:
This Must Be The Place by Kate Racculia (used ARC)
Mothers & Daughters by Rae Meadows (used ARC)
The Darlings by Christina Alger (used ARC)
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (used pb)
Others:
The Land of Painted Caves by Auel (ARC)
The First Assassin by John J Miller (ARC)
Four Sisters, All Queens by Sherry Jones (ARC)
For Easier Access, I have attempted to add these titles to my Goodreads To-Swap shelf. That way, you can see ratings etc and figure out if they are something you are interested in.
If you are interested in any of these books and have something you would like to offer in trade, you can either email me, or comment on the post. I can reply via comments as well for initial questions or offers.
There are many different books I would be interested in, but to get an idea of things that are on my official wish list, see my Goodreads wish-list shelf, My Amazon Wish List, or my paperbackswap wish list. Or, just show me what you've got! (*USA only, please).
And I am eagerly looking for Gilbert Morris novels, as well as lots of Christian Historical fiction. Just saying.
.JPG)