A New Starry-eyed Reviewer

Okay, so you guys probably remember back when I announced that my sister Mendy was going to start blogging with me.  And then she posted a few reviews and a slightly stalkerish post about Leo.  Good times. But real life has taken its toll on my dear sister and she just isn't able to find the time to read and review like she thought she'd be able to.  *cue the sad faces*

But, I've been chatting with April from Sim~Sational~Books for the last couple of days, and she was looking to co-blog with someone instead of spending all of her free time trying to keep up with her own blog.  I haven't been actively seeking a co-blogger, but I've wanted one for awhile.  One that would actually be able to help out and post every once in awhile. I'm just picky, and after Mendy didn't work out, and her being family and all, I thought I was doomed to wander the earth, er, blogosphere, alone.  (If you get that obscure reference, you are now my new best friend.)

When April indicated that she was totally serious about co-blogging AND that she wanted to do so on my blog, well, I was beyond ecstatic. I've known April for most of the three years that I've been blogging, and she just gets me.  We are so much alike that we could almost be the same person:  happily married, early 30s, parents of only children -- both 5yo's in Kindergarten, drama haters, and of course, booknerds. I told her that she and her hubby sound like the Pennsylvania versions of me and Jerrod, and it's funny but true. We'd all be besties if we lived nearer to each other.

Anyway, you may or may not have encountered April around the blogosphere, but either way, you're going to be seeing a lot more of her around here.  Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you guys to my new co-blogger:

Hi! My name is April.

I like books. Of course I do! Why else would I be here? I'm kind of at a loss when writing these things. I feel the same way sometimes when I sit down to review books. So I just wing it. Up until now, I was reviewing on my own blog. I was drowning, because the truth is, I don't have the time or motivation to run a blog myself. I didn't want to quit blogging because I love it, so when Jen offered for me to join her, I couldn't pass it up. I'm so excited to be here.

I've been an avid reader since I was in my early tweens. Back then I would sneak adult books off my mothers shelf and hide in my room to read them. Now as an adult, I'm more drawn to YA. I do read some Adult and New Adult occasionally, but YA is what I like best.

I'm that girl in the office at work who doesn't go out to lunch. I pack my lunch just so that I can have extra reading time. I've visited so many exotic places while sitting in that desk chair, it's unreal. My evenings are spent snuggling my 5 year old, kindle in hand, while she watches her shows. Life doesn't get much better than that! Books are awesome!

Besides blogging, April is responsible for some really awesome SIMS-based book trailers.  You should check out her YouTube channel, too.  Now that she's going to be doing her thing over here, I hope she has more time to work on those...I've really missed them and they are pretty great.  She always infuses her zany sense of humor in them, too. Seriously, the girl is FUNNY.  =)

We are both extremely excited about this joint venture, and we look forward to where it takes us.  I hope you'll all give April a warm welcome and treat her like family, 'cause she already feels like it to me.  Except that I actually talk to her and don't feel the need to be all passive-aggressive with her. :P  You'll see...she's totes good people.

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Labels: 2014, april, book bloggers, updates

Thoughtful Thursdays: Changes

For some reason, I've had David Bowie on the brain lately.  Maybe because I've decided it's time for a change.  Or a lot of them.  You may have noticed the blog got a face-lift, for which I will forever be grateful to the awesome Stephanie at Hopeless Romantics.  And, yeah, more changes are on the horizon.  I have to do something to get out of this slump I'm in.







For your viewing/listening pleasure:



This is me...to myself:

I put so much pressure on myself to post often, to post daily, and to post the best damn content I can.  I think I do alright.  If I didn't have a real job, I could do better.  =)  But it doesn't look like I'm going to win the lottery any time soon, so I'll have to make do with the time I've been given.  Which also has to be split with reading.  Oh, and the family.  And they demand a LOT of time, not that I'm blaming them. I love them and I want to treasure the precious years I have with my daughter while she's still little.






I feel like I'm always under pressure to read, to post, to meet deadlines.  And no one's really putting that pressure on me but myself.  There's like a six-week window for reviews of new releases, and yet I feel the need to always post those reviews prior to a book's release.  And I feel responsible for reading and reviewing every title I request or receive from publishers.  I have sixty books on the schedule right now through the end of April.  o_O



And that would totally be doable, if I didn't feel the compulsion to read books NOT on that list.  I have become such a mood reader these days, and yet, I don't allow myself to stray much from the schedule.  My friend Christina at Christina Reads YA has been urging me to give into the moods, though.  And those few times that I have, I ended up having a truly awesome reading streak.  I just read a book not scheduled on the list for a few weeks, and it was kind of a wake-up call.  The one I desperately needed.  I try and try to keep up with other bloggers and read what's scheduled so that my review goes up close to when everyone else's does, but I'm tired of feeling rushed, tired of the pressure that I put upon myself.  And to the schedule, I say NO MORE.



I'll keep the schedule to help me keep track of what's releasing and when and where I got it from -- and also just 'cause I'm a nut like that and love the organization it provides -- but I'm not going to force myself to adhere to it anymore.  I know I've said that before, and I meant it when I said it, but that old familiar guilt always creeps back in.  This time, though, I can't let it.  I've got to prove it to myself -- and to my family -- that I do still have a life outside of reading and blogging.

I'm not saying that I won't still be posting daily or that I won't still be reading.  I most definitely will.  But I'll probably spend less time reading -  and definitely less time reading things I don't feel like reading -- and I'll hopefully rearrange things so that I can get all of my posts scheduled once a week so that I'm not spending so much time in the evenings working on the blog.  And hopefully I'll have more time to visit you guys when all this is said and done.  =)


Just curious...does anyone else suffer that same guilt, that same need to review all the books?  I mean, I requested it...I'm supposed to review it.  But I don't think it's fair to the author or the book to read it when I'm not in the mood for it.  I'm more likely to be apathetic and probably rate it lower than I normally would if I didn't feel like I was being forced to read it.

Also, what's up with books with similar themes and premises releasing so close together?  I don't want to read three similar books in a row based on their release dates and then have to try not to compare them when I'm reading and reviewing.  I like to mix it up.

Okay, I'm rambling now.  I just needed to decompress.  Also, this was an excellent reason to bring out the David Bowie.  (I warned you that this would be a really David Bowie-heavy post, didn't I?  And now I just want to go watch Labyrinth.  =)  That movie's almost as old as me, but it's timeless, as is Bowie's music.  :D)

Happy reading!

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Labels: blogging goals, changes, thoughtful thursdays, updates

Super Awesome Amazing Fantastic News!

So, I opened up my email as usual on Wednesday after a less-than-awesome day at work, expecting the usual SPAM and a few notifications of blog posts from my favorite blogs.  You know...the usual.

Instead, what I found was an email informing me that I've been selected as a Preferred Blogger for Paper Lanter Lit!  To be honest, after I applied, I promptly put it out of my mind.  I knew there'd be a slew of awesome bloggers vying for the ten spots being offered, and I didn't want to get my hopes up.  So, I was doubly shocked to open that email and find out I'd been chosen.  But I am so honored and excited!  I can't wait to start working with these awesome people and the books they're responsible for!

In case you're unfamiliar with Paper Lantern Lit and their work, here are a few books you might recognize:

Title:  Meant to Be
Author:  Lauren Morrill
Series:  stand-alone
Publisher:  Delacorte
Publication Date:  November 13, 2012
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").
 
But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.
 
Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

My FIVE star, totally gushy review can be found here.

Title:  Venom

Author:  Fiona Paul

Series:  Secrets of the Eternal Rose, book #1

Publisher:  Philomel

Publication Date:  October 30, 2012

Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.

When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?

Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.

My review of Venom can be found here.  I just adore the new covers, don't you!?!  I'm currently reading the sequel, and it's totally even better!  Check it out:

Title: Belladonna
Author: Fiona Paul
Series: Secrets of the Eternal Rose, book #2
Publisher: Philomel
Publication Date: July 16, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

In Renaissance Italy, love, lust, intrigue and secret societies converge to stunning results!

In the second in the stunning Secrets of the Eternal Rose series, Cassandra Caravello is trying to forget Falco, the wild artist who ran off with her heart, as she grows closer to her strong, steady fiancé, Luca. But Luca seems to have his own secrets. When he’s arrested by soldiers in the middle of the night, Cass’s life is once again thrown into chaos. She must save Luca, and that means finding the Book of the Eternal Rose—the only evidence that will prove he’s innocent.

So begins her journey to Florence, a city haunted by whispers of vampirism, secret soirees and clandestine meetings of the Order of the Eternal Rose. And home to Falco, who is working for the Order’s eerily stunning leader, the Belladonna herself.

Can Cass trust her heart to lead her to the truth this time?

Nothing is as it seems in this seductive thriller, where the truth may be the deadliest poison of all.

Look for my review early next week...and I'll be giving away my ARC!!!  :D

Paper Lantern Lit also has a couple of new titles I'm ruheally looking forward to:

I loveloveLOVE the cover for Being Sloane Jacobs!!!  Don't those both just sound awesome?

PLL is also responsible for The Fury Series by Elizabeth Miles, though admittedly, I've only read the first book in that series:

(click on the images above to be taken to the Goodreads page)

So, have you read any of these yet?  Do you plan to?  'Cause I totally recommend Meant to Be if you're a fan of contemporary!  That book was just so stinkin' cute!!!  Seriously, I gush to everyone about it.  =)

Gah, I'm so glad I can finally tell you guys my fantastic news!!!  Seriously, I am like perma-grin over here!  No joke!  :D  I shall now go forth and spread rainbows and sparkles across the interwebz to celebrate!

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Labels: book news, funfunfun, paper lantern lit, updates

Starry-Eyed Updates

Guys!  Guys!!!  You may have seen a couple of changes in the sidebar recently, but in case you didn't...The Starry-Eyed Revue has a new contributing writer!  A little back story, and then you can meet her:

So, I feel like I haven't been the best blogger recently.  I don't get around as often to visit everyone and I don't respond to comments as quickly as I used to.  And I'm sorry about that.  But I'm one person.  I have a full-time job and I'm mother to a rambunctious 5 year-old.  And, I'm sure some of you might agree, sometimes this blogging thing can feel like a full-time job itself.  Mind you, I still enjoy it, but it takes a lot of work.  Especially when you're an overachiever like me and you tend to stretch yourself thin with too many projects, tours, etc.

So, I enlisted the help of my (slightly) younger sister.  It took some coaxing -- and begging and I may have promised things -- but she finally relented.  =)  Mendy is pretty new to the reviewing aspect of this blogging thing, but she's just as passionate about books as I am, and I just know that'll shine through in her posts once she gets going.

Needless, to say, I am super excited about this news!  Mendy's my sister, my best friend, and now she's my co-blogger!  Even Stefon's excited!  =)



Here's a little more about Mendy in her own words:

Hi. I’m Mendy, Jen’s lil sis.

Up until about a year or so ago, I hadn’t read much since high school. All those wretched, forced-to-read books really did a number on me. Then, here comes J (I will never get used to calling her Jen) with her fancy Hunger Games trilogy. I thought, “Oh, fine. I’ll read the first few pages of the silly book as proof that I just don’t like to read. Then, she’ll leave me alone about it.” Next thing I know, I’m sitting in my living room telling my boys to “Play nice,” “Stop being mean,” and “Just get along so Mommy can read!” Every chance I got in between doing dishes and helping with homework, I was reading about Katniss Everdean. It was that pivotal moment that I decided I DID like to read. I had just been so traumatized by books in high school, you see.

The rest is history. I owe my fondness of reading to my bookworm sis. Other than reading, I am very passionate about natural living. Once a self-proclaimed city girl who preferred the finer things in life, I now enjoy the more natural things in life (I find the finer things have harsh chemicals and GMO’s in them..lol). I recently started a new blog in hopes of learning and growing with others who also enjoy natural living. J, look over there, is that the author of… (Okay, here’s my shameless plug for my blog Naturally Compelled - check it out!) What, J? Oh, sorry, I thought I saw Suzanne Collins. My bad.

Happy to be here!  =D

You can also find Mendy on:  

Look for Mendy's first review soon!!!

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Labels: apologies, blogging goals, mendy, updates