June was a rather glorious month of milestones. I AM A PLEASED HUMAN, CURRENTLY. I finished my goodreads goal of 150 books (!) I got a tumblr and after Tina shared it I got a flood of followers that I’m ever so grateful for (!!) and my instagram hit 1,000 followers (!!!) and I wrote a book (!!!!!)
Do I deserve cake? I totally deserve cake. And possibly the ownership of a small planet over which I can rule firmly but cruelly. Earth looks promising.
On the reading front though? Um, meh. June has not been so good. Neither has July so far (yes, all four days of it). I was discussing this on instagram, but I feel 2015 has been quite unexciting. The debuts haven’t made me commence a pineapple flail. And 98% of my 5-stars have gone to previously loved authors (most published years ago). Am I reading the wrong books?? I will be asking for recommendations! SO PREPARE.
I’m still currently avoiding the library. I need to read what I own, right?! But but but THERE IS A LIBRARY SALE COMING UP. I am so ridiculously excited.
- HOW TO LEAD A LIFE OF CRIME: So I snagged a used copy from my library throw-out pile for 50 cents. FIFTY CENTS, PEOPLES. There’s a rip on the dustjacket but who even cares?! It’s hardcover. I love this book so much and recommend everyone read it, like, now.
- ENDERS (Starters #2): I admit, I have about 4% interest in read it but 50 cents for a hardcover?? In red (which I love)?? I couldn’t say no. I have problems. Also that eye-on-the-spine is freaky.
- FREEDOM RIDE: Thank you Walker books! Basically it was about racism in Australia in the ’60s and also a kid who mows lawns and does exactly nothing else interesting.
- DUMPLIN‘: Omg, you, guys, THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLE. If you were nervous about it (like me, because of disliking the author’s first book) do not fear. It’s feministic and fabulous and full of sparkles. Thanks Penguin for the ARC!
- REMIX: This was a surprise ARC from Walker Books. It felt New Adultish? The book and I had a raucous argument, but at least the cover is awesome.
- FRANKIE AND JOELY & TALK UNDER WATER: Thank you UPQ for the review-copies! I’m kind of excited about these because AUSSIE AUTHORS. Yes I’m biasedly loving towards my own country. Not ashamed.
- A STORM OF SWORDS PART 1 (A Song of Ice and Fire 3): I love this series so much, and by “love” I mean “it causes me excruciating pain because everyone gets hurt or dies or eaten by zombies and it’s so horrible but so good”. It’s a complex love, okay?!
I am still reeling but I REACHED 1,000 FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM. Oh gosh. I NEED FLAIL NOW. So I shall be doing a giveaway soon, keep your eyeballs peeled.
I read 20 books in June. I also quietly awarded myself for finishing A Clash of Kings because it’s monstrously huge and also monstrously boring. (Book 3 is so much better.)
- BEST BOOK? Definitely House of Hades (! LITTLE NICO !) and Son. I feel like I’ve been reading Lois Lowry’s quartet for two million and nine years. But it is done.
- WISH I’D NEVER READ? Oh gosh, The Alex Crow was so confusing. I felt like I was drowning in watermelon juice and not understanding why.
- DID I LAUGH? I snickered at my comics. When one puts growling Wolverine in a room and then makes spiderman do his laundry, things get funny. Not even joking. That happened. It was glorious.
- COVER LOVE? Extraordinary Means! Also Uprooted.
- CHALLENGES? YES. WIN. I finished The Giver quartet for my Finishing Off Series challenge. And I read Uprooted for the Fairy Tale Challenge.
- MOST EATEN GENRE? Is comic a genre? IT IS NOW. I really love comics (the art is spectacular) and they make me giggle like nothing else. Granted I never read them in order because my library has the most obscure collection. But still. Contemporary is a close second.
- RATINGS? For the first time ALL YEAR, I had a month with zero 5-star ratings. Oh the paaaain. Still I read eight 4-star books and that’s nothing to sniffle at.
WHAT YOU CLICKED ON THE MOST:
- Can I Guess What Style of Book Covers You Adore — I’m glad my quiz went down well!
- Why I Always Finish Books — We all clearly have a lot of thoughts about this and it is magnanimous.
- Am Currently — And everyone seemed pleased to read my more life/personal post. You nosey blogglings.
INTRIGUING SEARCH RESULTS:
- “boy editing” — I would like to edit boys, too, if we’re going to be honest.
- “i hate adult books” — well aren’t you a delightful little Grinch. I mostly hate them too, so we really ought to be friends.
- “is it dangerous to be a bookworm” — yes, yes it is. It’s monstrously fearful and we really ought to get bravery awards for attempting it.
- “paer fury” — hmmm, not quite. But I’m glad you got here all the same.
- “sneezing while hiding” — but seriously, how did this lead you to MY blog? And maybe don’t hide in dusty places?
- “i’m an adult who never was a teenager” — I suspect you should write a memoir, because that is quite the phenomenon.
There are a freakishly glorious bunch of cover reveals and I just have to share them, okay?! All covers linked to Goodreads. DROOL WITH ME NOW.
I need them all. And most don’t come out until 2016. SO HOLD ME WHILE I CRY OVER THE WAIT.
- Alliyah @ Risk To Write lists why reading is awesome.
- Kim @ The Midnight Garden talks about fandom hate (specifically with Game of Thrones) and how we can all just chill a bit.
- Rachel @ Secret Scribblings reviewed my Mini Book Necklaces!! SQUEE. She is so kind.
- Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight talks about part-time perfectionism. I relate.
- Looking for Alaska has a director for the movie!
I have a rather small but humbly fabulous little etsy store. I origami there. And each month I have a special and this month? It’s 35% off my bookish flowers. SO GO CHECK THEM OUT. And unless you ask for the exact shade of a blade of grass in the Tibetan mountains in the summertime, I can do custom colours.
-~-
Hmm, in the last week I attended a very fun international schools conference and read Year of the Rat, Becoming Jinn and the Cost of All things, (3, 4, 3) star ratings. The year is halfway over, which is terrifying. I’m going tramping in Kashmir, which will be excellent for the next two weeks and I have many things to read :). You might like the storyspinner, which has excellent dual narration, or I’ll meet you there or Made You Up
Shanti recently posted…A Wicked Thing- but a good book
Oh oh did you like Becoming Jinn then? YAY. I really want to read that one and I’ve heard such sad things about it. My faith is renewed. Ohhh, have fun on your trip! AND I DO WNAT TO READ STORYSPINNER. I’m seriously hoping my library buys it.
I thought for me, 2014 books sucked a lot for me, but this year hasn’t been any better! Let’s weep together yes?
AAAAHHHHHH I’M STILL SO GLAD YOU LOVED DUMPLIN’!! :’)))) SO ADORABLY GOOD.
Well, if you’re in a reading funk…GO FINISH THE EVERY SERIES BY ELLIE MARNEY. And YES, I will continue to shout it at you from the rooftops till you finish it!!! *cue evil laugh*
Plans for July? Get over my cold, get on top of my review pile, schedule some blog posts, get back into commenting, enjoy the holidays, run heaps (because omg I am so unfit and basketball nearly killed me last term), stalk Paper Fury… ;’)
Right I’ve told you my plans: WHERE’S MY CUPCAKE?!
Ella recently posted…The Find Me Tag :: I unleash my photography on you all!
Waaaah, we are just suffering at the publishing world’s meagre offerings. We ought protest. And then steal 2016’s books because they look soooooo good. HEHE. DUMPLIN’ THOUGH. <3 So close to 5-stars, but I just wasn't okay with the weirdness of the romance. (It's always odd when the girls who think they are so unlikeable literally have a whole flock of boys. Like. what?)
AND YES I WILL FINISH ELLIE MARNEY. I am in a small quandary though, because I won book 2 and I'm still waiting for it to arrive. :O So yeah. That's what the hold up is. >_>
OMG I HOPE YOU GET BETTER. *wraps you in warm blankets and stuffs chicken soup down your throat* You don’t get a cupcake CAUSE YOU’RE SICK. You get soup. Mwahahaha.
OMG YOU FINISHED YOUR GOAL. I have much jealousy. I ended up reading a lot less than I expected to, because all the writing things, but I am still reading. (Also: ASOS. Have you encountered the rather horrible and bloody plot twist yet? XD) ALSO TUMBLR. Hello friend. I don’t suppose you will climb out soon. Or ever. *wide Sherlock smile*
Alyssa @ The Devil Orders Takeout recently posted…Chinese Culture [4]: Hong Kong July 1st Protests
I can’t read and write at the same time either!! I mean, I chew a few books, but definitely not as madly as I usually do. So I’m just reading a few books on my TBR for July and then I’m off to edit copiously again.
OMG. I DON’T KNOW. Jaime just lost his hand and Tyrion married Sansa and Robb is an idiot. *nods* BUT JAIME!! I DON’T KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENS BUT I ACTUALLY QUITE LIKE HIM AND I’M CRYING.
Every time I look at the size of those Song of Fire and Ice books, I break out in a sweat! I STILL haven’t watched any of Game of Thrones! I keep meaning to but reading gets in the way…more effort is needed to get myself organised!!! Enjoy your books!
chucklesthescot recently posted…Stacking the Shelves #91
They totally are huge…and omg, that one I have just now is only PART ONE. SO THAT’S INTENSE.
I AGREE. GoT book 3 was much better than Clash of Kings — I mean, I loved it, but it was rather slow at parts, and from memory, there wasn’t nearly enough Dany. (Dragons!!) I WAS going to do Camp NaNo, but I thought I would divide my attention to other editing projects that have been nipping at my heels. 🙂
Kara @ Diary of a Teen Writer recently posted…Find Me Tag || A Wonderful, Wonderful Excuse to Take Bookish Photography
Clash of Kings was so much…setting up, I guess? I just nearly fell asleep, particularly during Davos’ chapters. >_> MY BAD. I’ve got a gif review to go up soon. DANY IS AMAZING I LOVE DANY. Good luck with editing! I am editing too! THIS CALLS FOR EDITING CHOCOLATE! (‘Cause I totally am okay with using every and any excuse for chocolate.)
The only debut I’ve read this year is The Sin-Eater’s Daughter (currently reading) so I can’t reccomend any debuts from THIS year. Have you read Heart Shaped Bruise?
You read House of Hades?!? Have I gotten amnesia/been away/had my memory wiped by a…memory wiping thing? Clearly I need to go and check out this review on Goodreads. NOW!
I am doing Camp NaNoWriMo (goal: 60,000 words) and I am highly amused by my setting right now. Seriously. It’s like I’m blending fantasy, mystery, and contemporary. …Why is it that everything I write turns into an experiment? 🙁
Ooh, no I don’t think so! I SHALL GOOGLE THIS BRUISED HEART. And afjdslk I loved House of Hades, but I liked Mark of Athena better. Percabeth are just being too cute for words and LEO IS MA BABY. Ahem. I’m waiting on Blood of Olympus in my book order. And then I will eat it and be finished aaaall the Percy Jacksons. :O NOT SURE HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THAT.
Yaaay for Camp NaNo! I SHALL BE HERE CHEERING FOR YOU. And bending settings? Omg, that sounds glorious. ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS. DO NOT DOUBT YOURSELF.
BUT YES
2015 has not been the year of the best books known to man. It really, really hasn’t. I can only think of, like, five or six books that made me yell HOLD THE FRONT PAGE THIS BOOK. Two of them were Stiefvater (I finished Shiver this morning. Ohhhhh). And three were A Song of Ice and Fire … By the by yes well done for getting through A Clash of Kings which is without a doubt the worst so far. Like, Tyrion is a bae, obviously, and I did think the battle scenes on the river were pretty good. But Davos Seaworth?? NOBODY CARES. A Storm of Swords is soooo much better. Steel and Snow may potentially be my favourite so far (though the first one is pretty spectacular. And A Feast for Crows is A++ as well).
So, here’s hoping that the second half of the year will be better!
PS congratulations on the book. Did you post about it? I’ve not been around much but I may do a lil quick stalk …
Emily @ Emily Etc. recently posted…SWC #3: Year Seven
Omg, thaaank you. I was beginning to think I was the only one sitting here whining about it. All the books I’ve adored have been older books. Like HELLO RICK RIORDAN. And I don’t think I’ve read a Stiefvater book this year??? Because I as waiting for the Raven King AND I DON’T GET IT UNTIL NEXT YEAR SO, UM, I NEED TO CRY A SECOND. EMILY. HOLD ME. And faljdsk I have absolutely been loving A Storm of Swords. But OMG YES. Haha. Davos. I really couldn’t care less. >_> I really hate Stannis’ story line because it’s boring and he’s a guava brain. The Bran/Riccan twist made me cry and then scream and then dance, SO YEAH. I’m nearly finished Part 2 of A Storm of Swords though!! EXCITING. I happen to accidentally really like Jaime. Omg, his haaaaaand. *cries*
I did! I should’ve linked to it, right? Gah. I posted a bunch of snippets here.
ARE YOU LIKING JAIME YET?? YOU WILL! YOU WILL GROW TO LOVE HIM SO MUCH!
Clearly, Cait, this is why you need to switch favourite genres to CONTEMPORARY, because there have been some AMAZING contemporary debuts this year that have blown me away (ALSO, HOW EXCITED ARE YOU ABOUT AMY ZHANG’S NEW BOOK WITH THAT COVER??? OMG IT’S SO PRETTY).
ALSO, you can’t tell us you wrote a book in June and then NOT MENTION IT AGAIN. That’s just cruel. I demand details.
Emily @ Loony Literate recently posted…Denton Little’s Deathdate // Poorly-Done Gallows Humour
I knoooow, I’m clearly missing out. All the epic is just not being epic enough for my sad little brain. Boo. OH OH BUT I AM RIDICULOUS ABOUT AMY ZHANG’S NEXT BOOK AND THAT COVER. IT ALSO SORT OF MATCHES THE FIRST BOOK SO THAT’S AFJLKDS BRILLIANT. JUST LET IT BE 2016 ALREADY SO I CAN READ IT.) I am editing my book this month so so so hoooopefully more posts about it?! HOPEFULLY.
Oh Cait, it’s wonderful that you got a Tumblr. And I followed you as a-noveltea. (I really need to get a consistent brand name across all platforms) And fabulous little poppet, you deserve all those followers! *blasts confetti*
I’m also very excited for Amy’s new book. It simply sounds amazing, and when I read that synopsis, I wanted it to be 2016 already.
Shannelle recently posted…The Summer Story of July 4, 2015
I THINK I FOLLOWED YOU BACK?! I am confused because I don’t recognise everyone’s user names. XD HAHA. But yes I love it so far!! I LOVE PICTURES OF BEAUTIFUL BOOKS.
Congrats on the milestones! I feel like 2015 hasn’t been a great reading year for me, either. A lot of books I was looking forward to has really disappointed me and most of my reads have been pretty middle of the road. There have been several 4 star books, but not as many as I would’ve liked.
Stephanie @ Stephanie’s Book Reviews recently posted…Review: Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
Omg, that’s a relief. NOT JUST ME. XD I’ve had so many mehs, too. Maybe I read too much? But gah, all the ones I HIGHLY was looking forward to (like Sin Eater’s Daughter an Ember in the Ashes) both had me wailing with anti-climatic feelings.
I laughed SO HARD at the ‘sneezing while hiding’. I LOVE IT when you post the search results. They are beautiful and amazing.
Lisa Canfield recently posted…Hallo der Summer
PEOPLE ARE SO WEIRD, YET FUNNY. I must take advantage of them somehow. *nods*
It cracks me up the search terms that have lead people to my blog. Such as “which of cinder’s hands is metal?” and “fitzsimmons in love fanfiction”.
I guess the FitzSimmons one kind of makes sense because I gush about them, but still…
I don’t know about the book thing. Honestly, I think 2016 is going to be a really fantastic year for debuts. There’s this one coming out in January or February called A Study In Charlotte and it’s about the great-great-great-grandson of John Watson and it sounds amazing.
Aine recently posted…The Liebster Award and what I do when I’m not blogging part 3
I don’t even know how people think of these things to search. xD SOME ARE JUST SO WEIRD. Hehe. And it’s funnier when it gets them to my blog. XD
Omg, I am already dying for 2016. Mostly because of The Raven King, but THERE ARE SO MANY EPICALLY BEAUTIFUL COVERS TOO. Epic Reads did a list of upcoming books and I just about died wanting them all. AND YES A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE LOOKS SO SO GREAT!
WHAAAT 150 BOOKS??!!! *buries my incomplete 80 books goal in the depths of the earth* haha but no really, that’s just amazing 😀 Congrats on 1K on instagram too! The Alex Crow sounds as confusing as all of Andrew Smith’s books, I don’t know what genius madness goes on in his mind xD I really love your pie chart graphics, it makes me want to read a lot of books this month so I could do something like that too! Are they made by you or is there a website I could make it in?
Ju @ Fictional Skylines recently posted…June 2015: Good Trash, Diverse Shows & Hansol Memes
OMG DO NOT BURY YOURSELF. *digs you out* I am a weird overachiever. xD Oh and the pie charts are just infogram. (I think it’s http://www.infogr.am) AND IT IS AMAZING AND SUPER EASY TO USE. It makes such pretty graphics.
Wow 150 books! 😀 Congrats!
AWK. THANK YOU! *dances amongst piles of books*
The section on intriguing search results literally made me snort with laughter :’) also thank you so much for mentioning my little blog again! (I had to screenshot so I can remember this moment forever)
Alliyah recently posted…THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS #2
N’aWWW. YOU’RE ADORABLE. I love your blog!! And search results are the BEST. Editing boys? Omg. I love whoever googled that.
I totally would want to recommend great books from 14′ and 15′. So I took a look at my top twenty list. Here’s what I found (series are all included. I’m listing by the last book I read in the series)
14′ books: 4 (shadow throne, night gardener, blood of olympus, battle of the beasts)
15′ books: 0 (seriously!)
So out of all the books that I find worthwhile screaming over (or just talking about since i’ve found that I won’t lose my voice over any book below the 10th spot. Sorry B.O.T.B.) only four were from 14′ and nothing from 15′.
SOMEBODY HOLD ME!
moral of the story: someone needs to seriously recommend some 15′ books or I will lose myself (and I think its also clear that I am a huge Middle school genre fan.)
Anyway, June was pretty light on the reading and the writing. However, i did finally come up with my NaNoWriMo project. So thats good. The only interesting thing that happened was that school ended and i am officially a Freshman (that doesn’t mean I have to act like one though! Mwhaha). My goal for July is to finish my first draft. So I should probably get my butt of the internet and start working.
SO IT’S NOT JUST ME???? 2015 HAS BEEN A BIT SLACK FOR GOOD BOOKS??? PHEWF. xD But seriously I haven’t even heard of half of those so I’m looking them all up now (middle grade is so epic though) And I have yet to read Blood of Olympus but IT’S ON ORDER!! So hopefully soon.
YAY FOR NANO PROJECTS. And my my aren’t you organised. 😉 I sort of have mine planned out, but I’d like to write it before NaNo. I’m not sure if I will or not BUT I’D LIKE TO. I’ve really been so slack in the writing department this year. xD Gooo write though. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE FOREVER. XD Um, says me while I’m procrastinating editing…shhh.
We are total opposites on the reading front because I feel like 2015 has been a FABULOUS year for debuts. Lots of 4 and 5 stars from me (but also a ton of 1 and 2…) I can’t think of any at the top of my head, but definitely check out my GR for recs. 😉 On the other hand, YOU ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH IN JUNE! *showers you with cake* Hurrah for those well-deserved 1k followers and Tumblr love. 🙂
I totally got Starters on sale too, despite not being even 50% interested in it, so I get you for getting the sequel. BUT YAY HOUSE OF HADES IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK OF THE MONTH! I’m curious about what you’ll think about the last one because I *really* didn’t like it.
Aimee @ Deadly Darlings recently posted…Mini Review: Tape by Steven Camden
OKAY SO IT’S JUST ME. I am being epically fussy. xDXD I need to just chill and enjoy instead of analysing I think. hehe.
Sometimes books just NEED to be bought even though we have like 4% interest in reading them, right?! XD But hardcovers call to me. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO RESTRAIN WHEN HARDCOVERS ARE FIFTY FREAKING CENTS. *cuddles all the books* Omg, but really? No to Blood of Olympus? NOW I AM SO SO WORRIED XD.
congrats on finishing your goal + on getting 1k on instagram 🙂 i see that you’ve read house of hades! i love the series omg percabeth in tartarus :-(((
Isha recently posted…// roadtrip to the vast and inarguably beautiful grand canyon
PERCABETH IS EVERYTHING. I’ve got to read the last book yet (I have it on order) but afjdkls Percy and Annabeth keep slaying me with their utter adorableness.
I’m an adult who never was a teenager! I was talking about this to my mother just yesterday, when I said I really should dye my hair bright purple or something because I never really did any of that sort of fun stuff when I was a teenager. I was so boring. Eat, sleep, school. (I can’t even say I made up for it by immersing myself in wonderful bookish worlds; I didn’t read much through high school. Not for pleasure, anyway.)
I’ve read a few good 2015 books, but you’ve probably heard of most of them, or even read them already. I will recommend Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai. It’s middle grade, but it’s at the upper end of that age category (the main character is twelve, but she’s crushing on boys and getting embarrassed by her family, so she comes across as more of a young teenager). It’s quite cute.
July so far has been hot. Too hot to read some days. My brain shuts down in extreme heat. I think by the time I finish my current read, I will have actually read it more than once (because I keep having to go back and reread paragraphs due to my overheated brain not taking anything in)! Air-conditioning isn’t really a standard thing here, as we didn’t used to get so much heat for such long stretches. So we all just sit around and complain about being sweaty. Thanks, climate change!
La Coccinelle @ The Ladybug Reads… recently posted…New to the TBR Pile (32)
Okay BUT I WAS THAT KIND OF TEEN TOO. Except I read and wrote…but all the hooligan stuff and being rebellious/adventurous? Bah. But I probably have the flailing mechanisms of a 16-year-old teenage girl. SO YEAH THERE’S TAHT. XD
*dashes off to write Listen Slowly down* I like middle grade, particularly if it’s incredible. SO YEAH. I shall look for it.
Omg, no air-con?! I CANNOT IMAGINE. Actually, it’s funny, though, because in Australia we really don’t have indoor heating. So when it gets mega cold we’re all waddling around in fifty-two jumpers whingeing as well. xD
Your Majesty,
I await the glorious time when you shall rule earth. I am sure your reign will include many free books and lots of cake and plenty of flailing. As well as torture and slave labor. Really, I can’t wait.
I agree, 2015 has been pretty boring for new releases, I mean, Winter is coming (ha…ha…haha), but otherwise, 2016 is shaping up to be more exciting (at least, that’s what I tell myself). This is depressing. I’ve been spending most of my time rereading my current inventory, because the newer books look lame.
Sincerely,
Your humble servant.
Liz Brooks recently posted…Dystopian Discussion: Part Two
GOOD LITTLE MINION. *awards you with cake crumbs*
The free books will help with the torture/slave labour/listening to my evil laugh, though, right? I am balanced, if nefarious.
WINTER IS COMING BUT NOT FAST ENOUGH. Omg, I am literally busting my eye sockets for that book. GAH. And also Heartless, although that’s not coming forever but stiiiill. Alice in Wonderland. *hyperventilates with longing*
I put the audio of A Game of Thrones on my library because you loved it so much. Terrified and excited for it to come in. Also, I didn’t think I wanted to read Dumplin’ until I saw you reading it on Goodreads. Now I want it in my life.
-Monica @ Tomes Project
Monica recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [19]: Libraries are Great
AHHHH YAYYY!!!! Let me know how you go, okay?!! I found it quite slow going because I only listened to it in half hour segments per day and, um, it’s like 30+ hours long.
You want Dumplin’. TRUST ME ON THIS. Everyone needs Dumplin’.
Ohhh Cait, You have no idea how much your posts put a smile on my face!! Those search terms are so funny! I was laughing by my self in the dim glow of the computer when my mom walks in, asking why I’m laughing by myself. Oh shell never know…
Congrats on 1k on Instagram! AND Congrats on finishing your book goal! My my, 150 books. I’m a measly 13 books into my 100 goal. *Looks down in shame* Books are too expensive. I can’t buy all. *Sigh* Well, I still do have 6ish months left to read 90 books.
Oh dear.
OH MY GOSH I LOVE THOSE BOOKISH FLOWERS. I NEED one! Especially since that’s basically my blog name. June was a wonderfully successful month for you, but just how did you manage to snag a hardcover for 50 cents?! That’s ludicrous. I need that type of luck.
Daisy @ A Bookish Flower recently posted…6 Apps That’ll Make Writing Your First Draft MUCH More Bearable!!
OMG OMG!! REALLY?!! *flails* That is the best thing to hear. HONEST IT IS. It makes blogging worthwhile. :’)
BOOK ARE EXPENSIVE THOUGH. I am like a library eater. I eat libraries and review copies and dollar books from second-hand stores, because I’m also a Scrooge, hehe. But it is hard to read library books and have to return them. *pouts* HEY BUT YOU CAN DO IT. 90 books? Pfft. Breeze. 😉
YES YOU NEED BOOKISH FLOWERS. Everyone needs them. They are highly useful, I promise.
Grats on the followers! I’m going to read Enders soon, too (and by soon I mean eventually.) Where do you keep FINDING all of these books when you read so many of them?! What are you going to do when you’ve read all of the books in the known universe?
I AM AIMING FOR THAT. I AM. Zomg, there are so many though. Although, I was looking at the next Top Ten Tuesday prompt and it’s like “popular books you haven’t read yet” and I’m like “BUT WAIT. I’VE NEARLY READ THEM ALL.” XDXD I am literally trying to read all the books of ever.
So. Looking back at 2014, apparently the FIRST half of the year was a huge reading fail for me. I had added books with only 3.5 stars to my “Favorites so far” post. What is that!? BUT by the end of the year, I had more 5 stars than I knew what to do with (not even exaggerating! SO MANY). So maybe that is how this year will be too? Ironically, most of my favorite 2015 books were books I actually read in 2014 so… there’s that.
I feel like June was a really bad reading month for me too. I assumed it would be epic because of BEA, but as it turned out, I read ZERO BEA books last month! Well, I DNFed The Witch Hunter, but shhh let’s not talk about that.
AND- congrats on the 1K on Instagram! Impressive for sure, but your pictures are gorgeous so I am not really surprised 😉 And I have a Tumblr too, though I don’t really know what I am to do with it? So I have like, 10 followers (also not an exaggeration), but I mean, it exists! And now I follow you and I see the luxury editions. Maybe I shouldn’t have followed you 😛
Thanks for mentioning my post, by the way! That makes me smile! And let’s just hope that July gets better for you in terms of reading. No one likes reading awful books, or even “meh” books, all the time.
Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight recently posted…This Week At Midnight (68) + A Giveaway!
Ohhh, so maybe I’m only hitting the good part of the year now?? I HOPE FOR THIS BADLY. I think I’m being too picky and need take a break, but I caaaan’t. I loooove reeeeading too much. *pouts in the corner of quandaries*
Pfft, tumblr is weird. I do not know 100% how to use it BUT I’M LEARNING. I was massively surprised to have one of my posts explode with notes…and the next two wither and die. HAHAH. So clearly I have no idea what I’m doing, but photos and fun. MWHAHA. I post those luxury editions just to taunt you. 😉
*waves*
Let me see if I can remember how to do this here commenting thing…
I don’t get Tumblr 🙁 I think it is because I am old now. I signed up for it but then I didn’t understand what I was supposed to do on it so apart from searching for gifs I never use it.
I haven’t read many 2015 releases actually this year. I’ve been reading a lot of backlist from the library most of the time so even though there were releases I was looking forward to I haven’t got around to them yet. The few I have read haven’t blown me away though (ACOTAR I’m looking at you). Sigh.
ALSO YOU MUST NOT HATE ADULT FICTION. There is lots of good stuff and if you can survive A Song of Ice and Fire you can survive anything.
Charlotte @ readalotte.com recently posted…The best books I’ve read so far in 2015
HIIIII, CHARLOTTE!!! I am hanging out
stalkeryavidly on your blog now. 😉Omg, tumblr is weird. I totally didn’t get it and then thought “SCREW IT. I’M GONNA SIGN UP ANYWAY.” I played around for hours this morning trying to customise it and things are sloooowly making sense. Customising and playing with the coding is actually surprisingly easy. 0_0 And this is coming from someone who is absolutely horrendous at that kind of thing. SO YAY.
I feel like I’ve been attempting more older books this year too!! Which is great because I feel like I’m catching up on them, but 2016 is going to glare at me. 😉
I SHALL TRY NOT TO GLARE TOO MUCH AT ADULT BOOKS. BUT THEY SCARE ME. If I’ve got an audio, though, there’s an 80% chance I’ll like it better. I would not be okay with ASoIaF if I didn’t have audio. xD
YAY on the milestones. They are pretty impressive so CAKE for you! As always your Instagram is lovely. I love your search results – they always make me laugh!!
Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog recently posted…Review ~ Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
*gobbles cake* Search results are nearly my favourite thing. xD PEOPLE SEARCH SUCH WEIRD STUFF. It never ceases to be amusing. heheh
““i’m an adult who never was a teenager” — I suspect you should write a memoir, because that is quite the phenomenon.” <— Hahahaha, that's pretty much the exact opposite of this site.
Let's see. Last year I read 26 5-star reads and this year I already have 22. So once again, I'll say that you're reading the wrong books. 😉 Only three of those are debuts, though: Simon vs., Mosquitoland, and The Storyspinner (I thought The Wrath and the Dawn was a debut, but I looked at GR and now I'm confused). Only three from last year were debuts. So I really think the difference is that I'm *picking* my books (and ruthlessly DNF-ing), instead of reading what's handed to me. When do you want recommendations?! I feel like I've already given you several, but maybe that was in my head?
Question: why on earth did you make your reading challenge only 150 books? I mean, I know it's good not to have completely unrealistic goals, but this is YOU we're talking about. 😉
Congratulations again on writing an entire book! It still amazes me how you can start writing and then *BAM* suddenly have a book.
I KNOOOOW. How on earth did they get to my site?!! All I do is whinge about adulthood and declare I’m Peter Pan. (But, tbh, I probably have the mental flailing fangirlishness of a 16 year old sometimes. -_-) STILL. I love search results, they make me giggle so much.
I WANT SIMON. I have requested my library to buy it because I’m poor. hehe. And I don’t think Wrath & Dawn is a debut, right?? She’s written an adult book? I think? I HAVE NO IDEA. I could google, but let’s be honest: I’m far to lazy for that. YOU HAVE GIVEN ME SOME. I’ve written a list. I need to library. 😉
ZOMG I DON’T KNOW. I read 200 last year, but I had this weird thought that I wouldn’t read so much this year and I’d focus on writing. haaa hahaaha. Ahem. No, but really, I only read 20 books this month instead of 30. I AM SLOWING DOWN. *hyperventilates*
Well, hopefully that sad, poor person who never got to be a teen learned something useful by stumbling on your blog. Something like: “Books are life and adulting is overrated.” I didn’t realize until recently that people could see data like that, and now I wonder what kind of weird things I’ve searched for in the past.
Yeah, that’s what it looked like on Goodreads about Wrath. Okay, good, glad those recommendations weren’t in my head, haha. I’m impatient, too, which is why I obsessively stalk my library’s website so I’m first on all hold lists. 😀 I hope Simon comes soon! People need to read faster – it’s such a short/quick book, there’s really no excuse.
Oh man, I *almost* read as many as you did last year (191). 200 is my goal for this year, but I don’t set it on GR because none of my many re-reads would be counted. “Only” 20 books, Cait? You disappoint me. 😛 20 is a really good month for me, haha. You’re only slowing down because you’re reading such crappy books, which is NOT OKAY.
HEH. Yes, BEWARE OF WHAT YOU GOOGLE. XD Although I think it depends? Because half the time I have like 30 results I can’t see, or whatever. So you could be safe. 😉
Gah, I’m the only one in my entire LIBRARY (at least it feels like this) that reads books and returns them in a week. Everyone else takes the allowed 3 weeks to the last day AND THEN GO OVERDUE. OMG. PEOPLES. OBSESSIVE BOOKWORM HERE NEEDS BOOKS. *growls and prowls around library like a toothy bookworm*
Yes, I am totally disappointing. Gee, 20. I’m ashamed. I am. Bleh. Aaaand I’m slowing down because I’ve been writing AND I CAN’T BALANCE THE TWO. I just, nope. I get too confused.
I should start coming up with weird things to search and see what takes me to your blog.
Ughhh, why, people? If other people have a hold on a book I’m reading, I try to get it back as soon as possible, because who likes to wait? (On the flip side, I also renew books repeatedly if there are no holds. My library allows up to 99 renewals, so usually I renew everything daily. It’s become a weird habit.)
I can see why it would be hard to read a lot while writing. It’s amazing how things can influence your writing without you even realizing it. I don’t think *most* people set out to plagiarize, you know?
Okay, so I have a rec for you. Mark of the Thief by jennifer A. Nielsen. Not sure if you’ve read her trilogy, The Ascendance Trilogy, but Mark of the Thief is a new series she started. It’s a fantasy set in ancient Rome and involves a snarky enslaved main character and a girl with a knife, plus a little uncontrollable magic, power-hungry generals and senators, arenas, and a griffin. Seriously, go get your paws on THAT one. It was released this last February.
Oh and another one (or two, I guess) is the Uninvited Trilogy by Sophie Jordan – I noticed you had a cover reveal of one of her books on here already. The second book in the trilogy was released this year and it was pretty good – it’s a duelogy and it has a nature/nurture theme along with a hint of dystopic American government. You might like it.
As far as July, I’ve been averaging around 4,800 words per day for Camp NaNoWriMo and I’m already exhausted. But if I could rewrite 2/3 of my second draft (100,000 words) in one month when I’m not at school, I’ll take it. Also, I’m in America so we’re watching a fireworks program on tv for Independence Day, even though celebrations are dampened because of terror threats and we may not be going to see live fireworks because of that. I’ll just stay home an eat apple pie, listening to my English father say that England let America win the war (for about the hundreth time since I was born) instead. My patriotic loyalties are a little confused. xD
And I’m not calling you “your majesty” mostly because I hope to rule the world myself one day. You seem like you could be a worthy opponent.
Annika @ Writer and Proud recently posted…My Conjumbled and Ever-Changing Writing Process
I read The False Prince but never read the rest because my library is disagreeable and only had bk 1. -_- BUT I SHALL LOOK UP MARK OF THIEF BECAUSE ROME?? SNARKY??? ZOMG. You have sold me in, like, two words.
I heard a lot of negative things about Uninvited…but tbh, I still kind of want to try it because dystopic-y stuff.
THANK YOU FOR THESE RECS THOUGH. YOU’VE PROBABLY SAVED MY LIFE.
Wait wait wait…you wrote 100K in one month?? I AM INTENSELY IN AWE OF YOU. *bows*
Omg, but terror threats? That really sucks. I hope it’s still a goodish holiday/celebration anyway. I have American relatives so we did a sort of small Fourth of July tonight, which was fun. 😉 I’m totally all up for eating s’mores, hehe. APPLE PIE THO.
Awk, you are adorable though. *flips hair majestically* There can only be one world ruler. ‘Scuse me, but I must hire an assassin.
I think you’ll need an entire battalion of assassins, since there is an entire group of us from Go Teen Writers who are planning world domination. You have quite a LOT of competition. 😀
Haha, snarky is a word that will sell me too. XD
i haven’t written that yet. But it is my goal, and so far I’m on track. 🙂 Wish me luck in not running myself ragged while sitting on a couch for hours on end. That would be quite a feat.
Oooh, s’mores. Mmmmmm. 🙂
Annika @ Writer and Proud recently posted…My Conjumbled and Ever-Changing Writing Process
HAAAH HAHAHAAH. Yes. But look at all my minions. I have thousands of them. I’m clearly winning. *prances around in cloak of villainous fabulousness*
I haven’t seen anyone pledge allegiance to you yet. 😀 Plus, some of the people here are in my group planning world domination (*cough cough* Aimee @ To the Barricade! *cough cough*). Plus, I have a Death-star-esque space station, without that silly exhaust port thing.
Annika @ Writer and Proud recently posted…June Recap
Congrats on the 1,000 Instagram followers Cait, that is awesome! Taking bookish photos is fun 🙂 I love how different everyone’s review copies they received are this week! Glad to hear you loved Dumplin’, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Side Effects May Vary either. Have a lovely week!
Jeann @ Happy Indulgence recently posted…Indulgence Insider #33 – Arkham Knight & June Wrap Up
*dances in showers of confetti* THANKS, JEANN. I think you will like Dumplin’. I think everyone will like Dumplin. *nods sagely*
CONGRATULATIONS on finishing your Goodreads goal! And yayyyyyyy for 1000 followers on Instagram! I still need to get an Instagram, lol.
Ahhhhhhh your library has the two-part edition of ASoS?! My library has the editions that are just one GINORMOUS book. It hurt my hands to hold the book open for a long time. 🙁 #firstworldproblems
nevillegirl recently posted…Graduation Celebration, Part I: Holly & Shalom
INSTAGRAM IS GLORIOUS. And you totally should since you do so much photography too!! It gets addictive though., heh, Although is that a downside? I SEE NO DOWNSIDE.
I actually was annoyed at the two part edition! I wanted the full ,but there are like 8 billion reserves on it and…nope. I needed the book NOW. But I’m pleased now, because I can technically mark ASoS as two books. 😉 COME ON. I’M NOT CHEATING. IT’S FREAKISHLY HUGE. The first part is 600 pages. 0_0
Yay for all the milestones!! That is so EXCITING. YOU DESERVE ALL THE CAKE.
I absolutely adore those flowers you made. I love the buttons. 🙂
Kaitlin @ Reading is My Treasure recently posted…Stacking the Shelves (73) ~ A Very Happy Week
Congrats on all the milestones! *offers cake* I haven’t read any of those books your working on yet, but I hope you enjoy them. I didn’t know you had an etsy account! Those are the cutest things ever! I don’t know what I am going to do with it, but I may have to order one or two.
Dreams recently posted…With These Lesson Learned I Can Take Over The YA World – 25 Things YA Books Have Taught Us (discussion)
AWK. YOU TOTALLY DO NEED BOOKISH FLOWERS IN YOUR LIFE. I promise, they’re a billion percent needful *whispers* Once you look past the fact that I totally mutilated books to create them. *whistles innocently*
I wish I can be like you… my Goodreads challenge is 17 books behind! But it’s only half a year, so I am hoping that I will be able to catch up before the year ends. I just followed you on IG! Lovely photos <3
Dre @ Sporadic Reads recently posted…Review 238 : Paper Towns by John Green
YOU CAN DO IT. I BELIEVE IN IN YOU. *throws books like confetti in motivation*
OMG CONGRATULATIONS ON 1K ON INSTAGRAM CAIT! You completely deserve it 110% – your photos are absolutely amazing and I love them so, so much. You really have a gift!
And yes to House of Hades being your favorite book of the month! *throws confetti* #BookishTwinsStrikeAgain Haha…can’t say I’m surprised. 😉 I know that the first two books of the series were definitely a bit boring for both of us, but I’m glad you
listened to mehung on because Mark of Athena and House of Hades is where it gets really intense! AND OMG NICOOO *coughs*Curious to see what you think of Enders actually. Our bookish twinness didn’t strike with Starters (I actually really liked it), but the sequel is definitely nowhere as good. Tweet me your thoughts when you finish, okay?
And gah…I really need to get a copy of How to Lead a Life of Crime! Thanks for sharing Cait and, as always, fabulous review! ♥
Zoe @ Stories on Stage recently posted…An Ember in the Ashes
AFLDKS THANK YOU, ZOE. THAT IS SO NICE OF YOU TO SAY, THO. I’m actually totally surprised about the instagram boom. It seemed to happen all at once?! YAAY THOUGH. I AIN’T KNOCKING IT.
Of course I listen to you. I AM WISE. heh. I can’t decide which is my favourite though…House of Hades or Mark of Athena? OMG IT’S TOO HARD TO PICK. I’m waiting on my order of Blood of Olympus tho. WAITING IN TREPIDATION.
heh, I don’t think I’ll be attempting Enders for a while. Really? YOU LIKED STARTS? D: Omg, Zoe. You fail me.
JUUUUST KIDDING. *whispers* But really…
No, why would you even have a copy of Enders when I am in DYRE need of a copy myself. Oh my god, it matches my Starters and everything *cries* Very jelly of you woman. I’ve got to say, the debuts I’ve read haven’t all been fabulous, but I’ve had a few I’ve loved, so that’s super duper good, you know?
NELLIE AND CO. OPENS IN LIKE, A FEW DAYS. Excitement abound, this is going to be fun, other than that, nthing huge to talk about (so disappointing..) I am working on my reading this month, once I’m at home, so there’s that. Hopefully things get good! 😀
Amanda @ Nellie and Co. recently posted…Book Review – The Traitor by Allen Zadoff
HAHA. OMG. COME VISIT ME IN AUSTRALIA AND I’LL GIVE IT TO YOU. I really don’t think I’ve had good eye at picking debuts. >_< Or else I'm just too mega fussy. OMG I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NELLIE AND CO IS OFFICIAL. Although I kinda have been sneakily commenting. Hhhhhhe. I'm sneaky like that.
0_0 Where do I even begin?! You got tumblr – yay! I have it too, though I’ve never used it and I have absolutely no idea how to. I also don’t understand how to follow others and view their pages. Yeah, I’m feeling pretty old about this. Also – you wrote a book!! Eek!! Congrats! That is downright fantastic! Also 1,000 IG followers?! Holy awesome you!! That’s incredible!! I can definitely see why you’re such a happy girl right now. And you definitely deserve all the happies. <3
Lisa @ Lost in Literature recently posted…June 2015 Wrap-Up!
I’ll be honest. This is the first time I have visited your blog. And I must admit, I LOVE IT, and I think you rock. I’m now a loyal follower. The end. Oh, and I’m so jealous that you finished your goal. I’m not even close to mine!
Cheryl recently posted…Stacking the Shelves #3
You succumbed to Tumblr! I’ll be honest. There will be weeks that you will be so obsessed, it’s all you will want to check on social media. Then there will be weeks where you don’t even check it, but when you go back to it again, the obsession starts. It’s sad really haha Wow you read so many books in June! I barely had time since I had two summer classes in college *sighs* (never do that..it’s terrible). Until We Meet Again is so gorgeous!! I love that cover the most! And I love your bookstagram. I love how you do this zoom-in on the pictures and the rest goes blurry. It makes the picture looks so professional and awesome. I’m definitely checking out your etsy store!! I need to get paid so I can buy stuff but 21st birthday is next weekend so if I get money, I’m buying those flowers!
Genesis @ Latte Nights Reviews recently posted…Latte Nights Obsessions #7 | Books, TV, New Tag!
Hahaha, I’m laughing so much at those search results! “paer fury”.
Congratulations on 1k followers on Instagram! And I’ll have to check out your tumblr. I don’t actually have one but that doesn’t mean I can’t stalk people, right?
And my plans for July? I have school holidays. YAY FOR HOLIDAYS! and then I’m going to Comic Con. Which I’m very excited for. Very.
Felicity Green recently posted…Rick Riordan Is Writing A New Series?!
I followed you on Tumblr. I was impressed with my Hunger Games boxed set UNTIL I saw your special sauce set. And too bad I don’t live in Oz because I DO want to read Enders! What did you think of The Son? I am very very curious. I have the Dumplin’ eARC from EW, and you have me so excited to read it now! Congrats on your Instagram followage (is that a word)! I would follow you but the IG app is not Kindle friendly. *raspberries*
La La in the Library recently posted…THE SUNDAY POST #17
Two things:
Firstly, I feel like you missed an opportunity to pun by saying you succumblred to tumblr, and secondly, your “Intriguing Search Results” is my favorite thing of your Monthly Recaps. It never fails to amuse me. *bows*
Cait, you deserve a billion cakes! Writing a book AND getting 1K on Instagram AND completing your reading goal are wonderful achievements – WELL DONE!
And also, oh my gosh those book covers are GLORIOUS – I could stare at them all day.
Kyra @ Blog of a Bookaholic recently posted…Personal Post: I have been a very bad book lion and haven’t been reading or blogging. FORGIVE ME.
I don’t know how you’ve already read that many books. I guess maybe if I didn’t work two jobs I could get more read, but even then, don’t know how I’d get 150 already! I wish I could, so many books, so little time. Jealous of Dumplin as well! You can see my post in the link below!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Stacking the Shelves July 5th, 2015
Crap, Cait, you’ve read 150 books. Stop being so impressive!! House of Hades was awesome — it and Mark of Athena are the best books in the series. And Son was really good, too, although I’ll always like The Giver the most. I loled at “sneezing while hiding”. So random! I get a few weird search results for my blog, too, but none are as good as yours. And your origami is so beautiful!! *Drool.* Last, I am not doing NaNo this month, sadly. I tried it in April and failed. And this month I’m just really busy and don’t want to add another huge project. I am planning to write some short stories, though, to at least keep writing something. 🙂
Mallory @ The Leaning Tower of Tomes recently posted…Review — The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Congratulations on all your accomplishments! You have a fabulous blog. It is very artistic and very well designed.
Theresa recently posted…Magonia By Maria Dahvana ~ Book Review
I was trying to read this post in dignified silence. Those search terms thwarted me. XD “Well, aren’t you a delightful little grinch.” I literally snorted. After covering my mouth and recovering for a bit, I continued down the list. Then “paer fury” and “sneezing while hiding” got me. XD Those are hysterical!
Writefury recently posted…A Good Bet
Eeepers! How do you read so many books in a month!?
(awesome wrap up btw :D)
Maria recently posted…(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_fSvGzDsIc)Things on your…
150 BOOKS?! That’s AWESOME! I envy you haha. Also those search results are hilarious. Though the boy editing is also slightly disturbing…
Michelle recently posted…Music Monday: Girl Power
Congrats on reaching 1000 Instagram followers!! That is amazing!! And I was resistant to Dumplin when I first heard about it. I didn’t think it was for me. But now, I have seen so many rave reviews that I must have it!
Cynthia @ Bingeing On Books recently posted…Bedtime Book Tag!