Saturday, July 26, 2014

The Weekend Update - 7.26.14

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!  =)


Alas, my stay-cation is almost over. Katie and I didn't really do a lot besides be lazy, read (me), play Minecraft (her), paint our nails, and swim, but we had a great time doing it. :) Oh, and Katie got her first official haircut. She'd had a trim before, but this time, we took off a substantial amount, and she loves it. But it makes her look older, more mature, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that. :( Still doesn't seem like we had enough time together. I am not looking forward to her going back to school in a month, though I am better prepared than I was last year when she was going into kindergarten. ;0)

Anyway, here's what I scored this week:


For Review:


The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas - I really enjoyed The Burning Sky last year and I've been hearing the best things about this sequel. I already had a galley from EW, but I'm super happy to have this gorgeous cover in my hands, as well.
The Jewel by Amy Ewing - April and I will be buddy-reading this one soon. I've heard comparisons to The Selection, which has me worried, but I'm not sure if that's because of the similar but pretty covers or if the story is that comparable.

ETA: audiobook copies for review

The Vanishing SeasonFinding Cinderella (Hopeless, #2.5)

The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson - I had a galley of this for review, but then I was offered a copy of it on audio, and since I've been seeing mixed reviews, I thought this might be the better route. Some books are just better on audio.
Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover - I've already read this, but I'm dying to hear the voice put to Daniel. :)

Purchases:


Shimmer by Paula Weston - I feel like I've been waiting ages for this to arrive, but that's probably because I pre-ordered it like five months ago. o_O I know some people are only now getting review copies of Haze so I should feel lucky to have this, but you know how entitled us bookish types can get when it comes to our favorite series. :P

Library:

The Taking (The Taking, #1)Breathe, Annie, BreatheSix Months LaterThe Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)

The Taking and The Queen of the Tearling were both review books I didn't make it to prior to release, plus I'd seen a lot of mixed reviews, so I wasn't sure they were worth spending my precious reading time on. Hence me picking up the audio versions from the library. I've read nothing but good things about Breath, Annie, Breathe and even though I haven't read any of the other books in the Hundred Oaks series, I'm taking a chance on this one. Let's call it an experiment to see if that whole "this book can be read as a stand-alone" thing holds true. :) I've been intrigued by Six Months Later since Summer went crazy for it last year, and my library finally got it on audio. Yay me!


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




The Week in Review:

Reviews:
Current Giveaways: 

Midsummer Romance Blog Tour

Win a copy of COURTED, the PB compilation of GILT & TARNISH!

Look for new giveaways in the coming weeks, including our first ever Twitter-only contest and a giveaway of the complete Maze Runner series in anticipation of the new film!


Promotional/Discussion Posts:  
Jen's Currently Reading/Listening To:

The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)Shimmer (The Rephaim, #3)AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! It's happening. I'm trying to pace myself because I know it's still another year or so until the next book but it's SO hard not to sprint to the end. On a side note, how freaking gorgeous are these covers? I usually detest angel books with girls in pretty dresses on the covers, but these are so different and rather inspired if you ask me. I could be biased, though, since it is one of my favorite series. :D



I'm hoping the audio was the way to go with this book since the reviews are so varied for Tearling. So far, it's not bad. But I've only been listening sparingly as I do laundry, which is to say, not very much since I'm on vacation and spending most of my time in a swimsuit. =)


Upcoming Reviews:


Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)I'll Give You the SunA Midsummer's NightmareThe Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling, #1)




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17 comments:

  1. I want to read the Paula Weston series so so so baaaaad! I actually got a review copy of Shimmer, but I hadn't read the first, so it's not very useful to me right now. :( But I WILL read them. I WANT TO. And I'm keen for The Jewel too, although, heh, the cover definitely does remind me of The Selection.
    Katie looks fabulous with her new haircut! XD

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  2. Katie is so cute. :) Great haul! The Jewel is just so pretty... Is it even prettier in person?? :)

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  3. The Jewel has such a pretty cover indeed. I see that you got The Queen of Tearling which I've heard is excellent.

    Grace
    Books of Love

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  4. Ooh... I've heard Vanishing Season and Six Months Later were really good.
    Katie looks so cute~!! I love her new haircut <3

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  5. Katie look adorable. :) And a little older. It's sad.. they need to stay little forever.

    I'm so excited to read Jewel with you. You just let me know when you're ready! :) And I so have to read finding cinderella. I'm sad that I haven't gotten to it yet.

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  6. Great haul this week. I really want to read The Queen of Tearling, it looks so good! The Jewel is one I will be reading very soon, it sounds really great and the cover is gorgeous. I hope you enjoy all your reads this week :) Here's my STS.

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  7. Woohoo, we're haul twinnies! Kind of! I also got The Jewel and The Perilous Sea. I absolutely did not like The Vanishing Season, but I know it got some decent reviews... her novel Tiger Lily was a hit though, I might still read that one. For what it's worth, I LOVED The Queen of the Tearling :D I hope you enjoy your new books, Jen! :)

    Have a fabulous weekend!

    Check out my STS post!

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  8. I love The Perilous Sea and Heir of Fire. I hope you enjoy all of your new books.

    My StS

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  9. What an awesome book haul!!
    New follower @bloglovin!
    Anna's STS

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  10. We have a similar haul this week! I got The Jewel and The Perilous Sea for review and purchased Shimmer :-) My kiddo starts pre-k next month and I'm nervous--I can't imagine when he goes to kindergarten (in a year!!). I imagine it'll be easier this go around for you.

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  11. INCREDIBLE book haul!! I see you got "The Perilous Sea"!! I've been lusting after that one for a while now..... I also want "The Vanishing Season", "The Jewel", and "Shimmer"! The cover of "The Jewel" reminds me so much of the one for "The Winner's Curse", which is yet another book I want.

    How cute that you have a little gnome enjoying the sun next to some of these books, too. Lol.

    Thanks for sharing, and hope you enjoy all your reads!!

    Come on over and take a look at my own STS:

    http://anightsdreamofbooks.blogspot.com/2014/07/stacking-shelves-38-cephraels-hand.html#comment-form

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  12. Love Katie's new haircut and yes it does make her look older. I really want to read The Vanishing Season. Heard great things about it. happy reading.

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  13. I enjoyed The Taking, Breathe Annie Breathe, and Six Months Later. With the movie and all the talk about The Queen of Tearling I really want to read that one. Enjoy!

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  14. I really enjoyed The Queen of the Tearling. It's a lot different from the things I've been reading. It's a nice blend of fantasy and epic.

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  15. The covers of those ARCs are so gorgeous. Enjoy!

    Check out my blog as well. Maybe even hit the follow button? It’d be greatly appreciated! http://bundles-of-books.blogspot.com

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  16. I'm glad you had a good week with your daughter before she has to go back to school. Sometimes a lazy week is exactly what you need. Her haircut is so cute. I love it. I've not read The Burning Sky, but the cover to The Perilous Sea is really cool. I'm not sold on The Jewel. I'm excited to hear what you think. Great haul and happy reading!

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