The Sunday Salon: My Bookish Week

I've really enjoyed getting back into the swing of things last week, both with blogging and reading. The bottom line is, I'm happier when I'm busy. Though the number of comments is down, traffic to the blog is thriving, so I'm happy knowing people are visiting! Has anyone else noticed a drop in comments? (Just wondering)

A Look Back:

Last week was a productive week for me. I posted two reviews.  THE WEEKENDERS , is a new release from Mary Kay Andrews. Then I reviewed an audiobook, THE BLUE by Lucy Clarke. (It came out in paperback last Tuesday). Both of these books are great summer reads from two different genres.

The book I was reading last week is a yet-to-be-released psychological thriller by Lisa Unger called INK AND BONE. I'm a little more than half-way, so I'll be finishing it up this week. This is a new author for me. It's a lot different than what I was expecting. It has paranormal elements that were a surprise for me. I wonder, Do all of her books include paranormal activity? Luckily for me, I like it as long as it's not over the top weird and so far I'm liking this book. INK AND BONE hits shelves June 7th.

I started a new audiobook this week as well. It's another new-to-me writer. THE GOOD GIRL by Mary Kubica is another suspense/thriller involving an abduction. I haven't gotten very far into it yet, (only about an hour or so) but I have liked what I've heard so far.

A Look Ahead:

I've got two reviews planned for this week if all goes well. COMETH THE HOUR by Jeffrey Archer, is book 6 of the Clifton Chronicles series. I've enjoyed it from the beginning and there's only one book left due out early next year.  The audiobook I'll be reviewing is from one of my favorite authors, Karin Slaughter. PRETTY GIRLS is the first stand alone novel I've read from her. I really enjoy her thrillers though I've heard some readers say her stories are too violent. Sometimes they are, and this one was tilting more that way, but it doesn't discourage me from reading them.

The books I plan to start this week are both new books from authors I've read before. Matthew Norman's WE'RE ALL DAMAGED and Ann Leary's THE CHILDREN are two of my most anticipated books. Both of thir previous novels were favorites of mine and I can't wait to get started. I'm not planning a new audiobook for this week. I'll just be finished up Kubica's and then I'll be waiting for END OF WATCH by Stephen King to be released in a few weeks. As you may know, it's the final book in the Bill Hodges Trilogy. It's bittersweet because it's coming to an end. The title alone makes me nervous and in true King fashion, I know it will end with a bang.

Wednesday, I'm excited to be attending a book discussion at the local library here in Amelia. I've never been there and my friend, Kathy is taking me. She's a big reader too! The book being discussed is the amazing ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE.by Anthony Doerr.

I want to thank you for stopping by and wish you all a Happy Memorial Day! I've been invited to a cookout Monday with my second family, the Whitaker/Franco clan. They're a bunch of crazies that I love so much and I know we'll be having a great time! Be safe and enjoy your holiday!

Throwback Thursday: June 2008

Welcome to another of my Throwback Thursday posts where I'm revisiting my first year of blogging! Looking back, I see that June was a month of firsts.  I hosted my first giveaway and I also started participating in a weekly meme, which I previously had no idea what that was!

I read and reviewed three books in June of 2008, two of which were fiction and one non-fiction. The one that stands out the most to me was A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by Khaled Hosseini. (Click on the title to read my review from 2008). I remember losing myself in that book because I'd loved THE KITE RUNNER so much and I was anxious to get that feeling again. Believe it or not, I've had his latest book, AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED for some time now but I haven't yet read it! I honestly don't know what I'm waiting for but I do intend to read it before the end of this year.

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY was the weekly meme I began participating in that month. Each week the host would pose a book related question for the participants to answer and discuss on our blogs, then posting a link on the original post.  It was interesting to visit the other blogs and get their perspectives. That meme introduced me to so many new bloggers and I realized how quickly the book blogoshpere was growing.  BTT, as it is also known, became a regular feature on my blog and one that I really looked forward to each week. Happily, BTT is still going strong today. In fact, today's meme titled The Other Side, asks: What do your non-reader friends think about your reading habits? I think it's a great question that is bound to spark up a lot of conversation.

What I remember most about my blogging in June of '08 was how busy I was becoming with it and since I was still working a full-time job as an office manager and bookkeeper for a commercial/residential contractor, sometimes I'd find myself staying up really late to get my posts written or books read. Fortunately though, I was loving it so I didn't mind at all. I was meeting some really great people and my small world was opening up to many new things.

Thanks for taking a minute to step back in time with me to reminisce about my first year of blogging. I'll see you in July!

End of Month Wrap-Up: February 2013

February was a fantastic month for me. After suffering from some burn-out during the latter part of last year, I got out of my funk and back on track again. I've come to accept that burn-out is a normal occurrence for me that I go through about once a year. I don't let it get to me anymore, I just give my self some time and my craving for books comes back after a few weeks or so.

I also got back to visiting the blogs during February. I'd really missed that part of blogging and I missed the connection with other bloggers. In my travels I even discovered a few new blogs that I added to my Google Reader. (Let me just say, I LOVE MY GOOGLE READER!)

I started off the month with a review of a debut novel by Julie Kibler called CALLING ME HOME. This was the February She Reads Book Club selection and it was a good one. In fact, that review was my most popular post for the entire month with over a hundred views. Following close behind was my review for THE RIVER WITCH by Kimberly Brock. My other two reviews posted in February, ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE by Jess Riley and THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky, were also  very well received with over 50 views a piece. Not bad for an Indie and a book that has been out since 1999.

There was another post in February that got alot of attention and it was a Sunday Salon post that opened up a great dialogue. It was a discussion on the 1 to 5 star rating method and my decision to omit them from reviews  on my blog from now on. It was very interesting to listen to different reviewers' opinions and why they either do or don't use this method. Overall, most people agreed with my decision yet some gave good reasons for why they continue using this method. I am very thankful for the participation on this topic. That's what I call a great Sunday Salon post!

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog in February. You are the reason I had such a great month! I am looking forward to March and what it will bring. I've got some interesting books lined up and I hope you'll come back and join the conversation again. Happy Reading!