The Weekend Update - 6.28.14

So, since my end-of-the-week post isn't just about what I got in my mailbox or on my Kindle each week -- though that is a big part of it, I won't lie -- I decided to change up the title and intro a bit.  I might tweak the format a bit over the next few weeks, but for the most part, it'll contain the same stuff: stuff I got, stuff I did, and stuff that's coming up on the blog.  Plus, I get to use the awesome GIF you see here and blow kisses to all the people who sent me lovely books and bookish things.  Oh, and I've started linking up to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews since I'm not using a specific meme title anymore.  April's also doing her own Stacking the Shelves posts on Sundays.  Stop by and say hi!  =)

It's been a nice, abnormally rainy week here in North Texas, but that just means I've spent a good amount of time curled up on the couch with a good book. =) I've also been enjoying the unseasonably -- for Texas, anyway, we're usually topping out near 100° by now -- cooler temperatures, and I'm hoping they stick around next week for the Fourth of July holiday. If only there were some way to ensure that the Texas-sized mosquitoes didn't hang around, too, though. *sigh*

In other news, I'm apparently raising a really good kid. Not really news to me, but I thought I'd share this little anecdote. :) So, I go to pick up Katie from daycare on Thursday, and her teacher Miss Dianne pulls me aside, which is usually an indication that the girl got hurt again. (She's very accident-prone.) Instead, she proceeds to tell me how Katie's been playing so well with the new girl who has Down's Syndrome, sharing her toys and spending a lot of time with her. Katie's been talking about the new girl -- I'll call her Cindy for privacy purposes -- for the last two weeks, but not once did she mention that Cindy was any different from her or the rest of her classmates. She just said she was nice and that she had fun playing with her, that she'd made a new friend. So, I wasn't even aware there was a child with special needs at the daycare this summer. But to find out that my daughter treats her with the kindness and fairness that she does everyone else -- even when Miss Dianne tells me other children are not so nice to Cindy -- well, that makes my heart happy and full. Katie's always been a tender-hearted, caring child, but this just reaffirms everything I've ever believed about her. *sniffles*

Anyway, here's what I scored this week:

For Review:

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper - I am sooooooo unbelievably, ridiculously excited for this book!!!
Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer - this just sounds so interesting!
Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater - Cole & Isabel's story!!!!! =)
The Fall by Bethany Griffin - love her Poe retellings!
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon - paperback received from publisher for re-read-along ;) - I read and reviewed the audio last year

Library, Freebies & Deals:

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas - from library for re-read/listen in preparation for Heir of Fire


Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson - audio from library - missed reviewing my galley but I want to get to it sooner rather than later...feels like cheating, but whatevs ;0)
Broken Hearts, Fences & Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn (aka Morgan Matson) - ditto
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - audio on sale, purchased ebook a couple of weeks ago; all told, I think I spent $5 on both versions, which is quite a steal  =)

So, that's my haul. How about you? What did you get this week?

The Week in Review:

Reviews:

• My Life Next Door (April)
• The Thousand Dollar Tan Line - audio (Jen)
• From What I Remember - DNF (Jen)

Current Giveaways:




Win an audiobook from our list of favorites!
2 winners - INTERNATIONAL

Promotional/Discussion Posts:  

• Cover Trends We Can{not} Live Without
• SYNC 2014 - Week 7 Books Up for Grabs - Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock & October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
• Bloomsbury 6 Month Sparkiversary
• Love and Other Theories Cover Reveal
• To Read or Not to Read - a discussion on audiobook narrators

Jen's Currently Reading/Listening To:

I had to put I'll Give You the Sun on hold in favor of review books that release early in July, like Wild and Boomerang, both of which I'm enjoying/enjoyed. And both of which I'll be reviewing next week. :)

I'm in the process of re-reading/listening to all of the previous books in the Throne of Glass series so that I can hurry and read Heir of Fire -- for review and hopefully before anyone has a chance to spoil it for me. And it's going splendidly. I just finished the book of five novellas -- my first time reading them -- and I loved getting to know Celaena even better. Dying to get to HoF!!!

Upcoming Reviews:

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Labels: in my mailbox (imm), stacking the shelves, the weekend update