Getting Back to the Basics

My little ones chowing down on some homegrown cherry tomatoes. Woohoo for me actually keeping plants alive!

I've been mentioning for months now that I would like to make some blogging changes. But as of yet, it really hasn't happened. I could use a dozen excuses but it really comes down to the fact that I haven't pushed myself yet. I like safe and comfortable so the idea of change always tends to make me nervous. But after the latest rounds of controversy that seem to just keep on coming, I've been forced to re-evaluate my blog and the reasons why I blog about books. I started this blog 4 and 1/2 years ago because of my love of books. That fact hasn't changed in all of the years that I have been blogging. In fact thanks to all of the lovely bloggers out there, I may love books even more now than I did 5 years ago.

Changes. For me to continue blogging about books and my family, they need to happen and sooner rather than later. As the title of this post indicates, I need to get back to the basics of why I started blogging. This means less drama and more of the following:

• Reading challenges that create community
• Group reads that expand my reading comfort zone
  
• Read-a-longs that create discussion
  
• More commenting and meeting both new and old bloggers
• Personal posts that allow for me to develop friendships with other bloggers

With all of the positive, I'm hoping to jump start my love of blogging once again. And I'm going to need less of the following:

• Review copies that make me feel like I owe something to the author and publisher. I don't.
• Stress because blogging about books is supposed to be enjoyable and not a chore.
• Pressure because I'm the only one who is putting pressure on myself. Time to take it off :)
• Drama that just creates negativity. I don't want that here on my blog.
  

2012 has been a CRAZY year for blogging but I think with a little bit of change it can end. It's time to focus on what is important and get back to the books.

Deadline by Mira Grant (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.

But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.

Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun."

My Thoughts:

I couldn't seem to coherently come up with my own summary of this book without giving away spoilers so I decided to use the above summary. I adored this book! Loved it so much that after turning the last page (and reading the little bonus section in the back) I was ready to start it all over again. I'm going to admit that I didn't think that it could live up to the amazingness that was Feed. But I'm happy to say that Deadline was JUST as good as Feed! That's two, blow me out of the water, recommend to everyone, AMAZING books that make up a trilogy. I cannot read Blackout. How could it possibly live up to these two books??? These may be two of my favorite books ever.

One of the things that I loved about Feed was how surprised I was that I fell in love with the book. It was just SO good and the ending...all of it knocked me over in reading ecstasy. When I started Deadline I was excited to be reading it but I was super nervous as well. I was sure that I wasn't going to enjoy it as much...there was just no possible way to love it as much as the previous book. But it instantly sucked me back into Shaun's world and I loved every minute of it! I keep using the word love but there is no other way to describe it. I adored each and every page of this book and was left wanting more. This book instantly skyrocketed to my top 10 reads of 2012...heck, it may be my favorite book that I read this year. I suppose it is too soon to tell but it could be. I haven't really told you anything about this book and I'm not going to. I think that you should go into reading these books with little to no knowledge of the plot so you have no expectations. Just expect awesomeness. And if you ask me for a book recommendation I'm probably going to mention these. Just saying :)

Bottom Line: An amazing read. An amazing 2nd book in this trilogy. One of my favorites easily! What else could you possibly need to know???

Disclosure: I purchased my copy of this book from the now closed Borders bookstore. BEST purchase ever!!!!

I wanted to leave you all with a link to my thoughts on Feed. Do you know what is even better than reading an amazing book? Having Twitter conversations about said amazing book with other book lovers who love it as well. Bliss!

Library Loot - Bookish Goodness

Library Loot is hosted by Marg and Claire and asks us to share our latest library finds.

Oh my goodness! I had such an amazing day for books that I decided instead of posting a review or other randomness that I NEEDED to do a library loot post. Because after one trip to the library and one trip to the used bookstore, I am now overflowing with books. In fact, I find myself a tad bit overwhelmed but that never seems to slow me down :) Nothing makes a Friday better than a bunch of good books, right?? Somebody remind me not to put any more holds on at the library for a few weeks though....seriously! Here are the books that were waiting for me at the library:





So many gorgeous covers here that make me want to sit down and have my own mini readathon! Except I work tomorrow so that isn't going to work out very well :/ But that isn't all of the bookish goodness. Oh no. I told you I visited my local used bookstore (one of my other favorite places ever!!). I have more to share but without pictures this time because I'm feeling a bit lazy. And I should probably be doing laundry! LOL! Here is what I grabbed:

• Storm Born by Richelle Mead
• Someone in the House by Barbara Michaels
• I'll Be Watching You by Andrea Kane
• Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
• Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison
• A Perfect Evil by Alex Kava
• House of Many Shadows by Barbara Michaels
• F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton
• The Good, The Bad, and The Undead by Kim Harrison

Woohoo for finding more books by Barbara Michaels to read as I adore her! I picked up the next book in the alphabet series to fuel my Sue Grafton addiction. And the rest is a good mix of thrillers and urban fantasy thanks to fellow bloggers always adding to my TBR list :) I'm officially swimming in books. Happy Friday!

The Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts (thoughts on a reread)

Way, way back in my college days I discovered Nora Roberts. I'm about 80% certain that was about the time that I also discovered and fell in love with her J.D. Robb series. Anyways, I can remember gobbling this trilogy down...impatiently waiting for each book to be released. Homework got shoved to the side on those days especially when I was deep into a book. Rereading this trilogy was a fun way to spend the week as I had a foggy memory in regards to the overall plot and once again found myself sucked into these books. These books were exactly what I needed when I was going through a slump in my reading and I'm now eager to go back and pick up some of her standalone novels.

Key of Light begins the trilogy and tells the story of Mallory and Flynn. This book sets everything up for the rest of the trilogy without giving too much away. I've always enjoyed the romance that develops between Mallory and Flynn even though Mallory can be a bit much at times. Overall, I found that it was just as good of a read as I remembered and I couldn't wait to pick up the 2nd book!

After finishing Key of Light, I couldn't resist making a trip to the used bookstore to grab the final two books in the trilogy. I was already good and hooked; ready to revisit the characters once again. Key of Knowledge is all about Dana and Jordan's relationship as they work together to find the second key. What I really like about this book is both the history and the tension between the two of them. It added to the story for me and really made me root for them to work everything out! That being said, this is my least favorite of the three books, but I'm hard pressed to tell you why. I still really enjoyed it and as soon as I set it down, I knew that I was going to be cracking the 3rd book open!

Key of Valor is the last book in the trilogy and ties the overall storyline up nicely in my opinion. The first time that I read these books I loved the final ending, and rereading it all made me feel the same way. Brad and Zoe's relationship is fun to read about especially as they are so prickly with each other from the very beginning. In the end, I was a bit sad to put these books down....I just wanted to keep reading. They went straight to my keeper shelf so I can reread them again at some point maybe a few years down the road.

Reading these books showed me once again how much I love taking the time to reread a favorite series. I'm definitely going to be revisiting Nora Robert's backlist in the future. It has been such a long time since I read any of her actual novels that I could probably reread them and not tell the difference. I'm thinking that my next rereads should be the Harry Potter series. I'm WAY overdue for some Harry Potter love! What's the last book you reread and why???

May and June in Review 2012

Baby steps to getting back into the blogging world. Baby steps. I know that I haven't been absent for a long period of time but the last couple of months have been VERY hit or miss with me in regards to books and blogging. I have over 11 books awaiting review so reading isn't my problem. Finding the time to blog and comment is. And I know that I've been saying (for the past few months) that I'm going to be making some changes around here, but I haven't found the time for that either. I've decided to just shuck everything off for the rest of the summer. No pressure, no worrying, no feeling bad if I can't find the time to comment on all the posts that I want to. I'm not going to worry about what books I feel like I "should" be reading and am instead going to read whatever I want to. I'm not going to worry in general. I'm planning on taking the rest of the summer easy and just relaxing. Maybe less pressure on myself will turn things around. So with that being said....let's see if I can actually stick to it :)

On to the books! May was a pretty weak month of reading for me. According to my reading list and Goodreads, I only read 3 books in the month of May. Life gets in the way sometimes and I have a feeling that I spent a good majority of my time on the computer that month. Darn you Twitter! Here is what I read in May:






My favorite book of the month would have to be Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb if I had to pick one. They were all really good reads though and the other two books are series that I will be continuing on with. In June, I had a much better month of reading and was able to finish 5 books. I read the following books in June:







Favorite read for the month of June was definitely The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams. I didn't realize when I was reading it that it was the beginning of a series and now I'm really excited to continue on. All of the rest of the books were pretty solid reads as well except Blue Dahlia which was only okay for me.

All in all, it was once again two solid months of reading when it comes to enjoyment levels even though the quantity wasn't quite there. Now I'm going to take some baby steps and get myself back into blogging. And commenting because that is another thing I've been horrible at. Hope everyone is beating the heat lately!!!! And because I can't resist adding to the TBR list a bit...what was your favorite read of June??

Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson (thoughts)

Royal Street begins right before New Orleans is hit by Hurricane Katrina and the world that D.J. (Drusilla) knows is changed forever. Because after the storm hits, D.J. finds herself caught up in a search for her mentor, Gerry, who went missing during the storm. Determined to not only prove Gerry's innocence but also find him, D.J. finds herself caught up in a dangerous mystery filled with creatures from the dark.

Royal Street was an intriguing beginning to this new urban fantasy series and it has caught my attention! One of the things that I enjoyed most about this novel is how the author intertwines Hurricane Katrina with the storyline to make an original urban fantasy read. The author uses and references the hurricane constantly throughout the book, and I loved how you could feel her love of New Orleans while reading. It really enhanced my enjoyment of the story. D.J. is a wizard and at the beginning of the story it comes across as if she is an inexperienced wizard. I liked that as the book progressed we were able to see her grow and her skills develop into something more. The author hinted at even more than we saw though and I'm curious to see how she grows and develops in future books. My only real problem that I had with the book was D.J.'s lack of confidence in herself and her skills. It wasn't constant throughout the book so it didn't take away from my reading experience but it was there. I'm hoping that as she grows in future books that she becomes a force to be reckoned with. Because you can just see that the skills and talent are probably there just waiting to be let out. And I will definitely be there to read the next book whenever it comes out :)

All in all, I found this book to be a pretty solid beginning to this new series. And now I'm eager to read more about D.J. and see where she goes from here. I'm curious to see what happens next...which is all you can ask from a book sometimes, right?? Recommended especially for fans of urban fantasy!

Bottom Line: It didn't rock my socks off but it was pretty darn good if I do say so myself!

Disclosure: My many thanks for an e-copy of this book thanks to the publisher and Netgalley!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading??? (Reading Logjam)

It's Monday! is hosted by Book Journey and states:

"Welcome to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!"

I didn't finish any books last week. ANY! And I think that part of my problem is that I'm just reading TOO many books at the same time. When I don't concentrate on one book then it is easier for me to shove reading to the side to do something else. Which has been happening lately more and more. This week I'm going to focus on finishing up the following:

Dark Awakening by Kendra Leigh Castle

Castle is one of my go to authors when I'm looking for a good paranormal romance. I've loved everything that I have read by her so far and I'm really enjoying this book as well. I'm hoping that this book is exactly what I need to get my reading mojo restarted :)






I'm hoping to start the following books really, REALLY soon!




And of course I'm hoping to make LOTS of progress on my read-a-long of The Stand by Stephen King. If your wondering, I'm doing horribly so far and am only on like chapter 5. MUST get moving! Here is hoping that all of you have a wonderful week!

Wordless Wednesday - Summer Fun

I love these three more than words can say! Fun in the sun and a great way to spend summer :)

Library Loot (Romance, Romance)

Library Loot is hosted by Marg and Claire and asks us to share our latest library finds.

I may just be the moodiest reader EVER! I pick up a ton of horror books at the library and do you think I read any of them??? Nope, not yet. Instead I've been putting romance books of all kinds on hold. Because now that seems to be just what I'm in the mood for. Maybe because we are all still adjusting to the changes (and Jack working 3rd shift) is why I'm even moodier than normal when it comes to my reading. Who knows?!?! All I really know is by the time that I find time to read some of these (who am I kidding...any of them) I'm going to be wanting a mystery instead. LOL! For now I'm just going with it so here is what I just picked up at the library the other day:








There are some gorgeous covers here!! Now I've just got to find the time to actually read some of these while also working on reading The Stand. Still on chapter 3 of The Stand if you are wondering. Same as last week. Yikes! I really should probably focus on it this weekend. But enough out of me. I'm off to read!!

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones Giveaway!

Day 2 of Armchair BEA is here and instead of participating in the discussion posts I thought I would do something a little different around here. I can't remember the last time that I hosted a giveaway on my blog (I'm WAY WAY overdue) so I thought that it would be fun to give a book away with Participant Giveaway Day. Somehow or another thanks to the publisher I ended up with two advanced reader editions of this book. I've been meaning to give my 2nd copy away but never got around to it. Until now of course :) I haven't even read my copy yet but the book sounds excellent. Here is a summary taken from Goodreads (Although I like to know less rather than more before going into a book so I cut the summary short. Way short!):

"The Uninvited Guests is the bewitching new novel from the critically acclaimed Sadie Jones. The prizewinning author triumphs in this frightening yet delicious drama of dark surprises—where social codes are uprooted and desire daringly trumps propriety—and all is alight with Edwardian wit and opulence."

Sounds good, doesn't it?? I sure think so! To win a copy of this book you don't have to do anything besides comment with your email addy. That's it! I don't even really care if you're participating in Armchair BEA or not. Today I just want to say thank you to all of the wonderful bloggers out there no matter what kind of blog you have. And share a good book of course :) So comment away!

Disclosure: Contest ends on Friday. Or maybe Saturday. Or honestly whenever I remember to pick a winner. This copy is an advanced reader edition sent by the publisher. It is unread. That is all :)