Hi dear friends,
The shortest month of the year has already ended! Time flew by in February as it’s been an incredibly busy month in my private life and on the blog!
In my private life, this month has been the most intense at work with very long days as we were meeting vendors from all over the world for an important project!
These people stayed only a few days with us so we had to make the most of it and I ended up several times past 8 PM at home while I was away before 6 AM! I just had time to eat and crash.
Sorry for you all but this month has been hell for blog hopping and replying to your comments on a timely manner.
I ended up replying two to three days after as I privileged visiting your blogs while I had a break at work. By break I mean: lunch time or fetching coffee at the coffee machine. It was so little time that I briefly considered replying while visiting the bathroom but …. no! 😀
At home it’s been a busy month too as we visited a campus with my daughter who is in her last year of high school! Where is my baby???
She also went out twice and asked us for a ride back in the middle of the night when she had planned to have a sleepover because “everyone was drunk and sick and pushed her to drink but she did not want to!”. The second time I was hired as taxi driver for her and her two friends who stayed the night.
It’s also been a difficult month for my mom as she had finished all the never ending things you have to do when someone dies (because he does not exist anymore so you have to close the bank accounts, contact all companies like gas to change the names and accounts on the bills and …) and she really felt the emptiness.
I am lucky that she is incredibly resilient but it’s been some rough weeks for her and for me.
To sum it up: I am glad February is gone!
On the blog it’s been insane but also really motivating! (Click on the graphic to read the post)
The books I’ve read and reviewed first!
I have reviewed ten books this month and this is a great number as the month was short and I am for eight reviews a month. From lower rating to my monthly favorite, you have:
The Dysaster by PC Cast : 3 stars as unfortunately it was a case of “it’s not you it’s me”
A Pack of Blood and Lies by Olivia Wildenstein was a solid 4 stars for a very enjoyable shifter story!
The Risk by Elle Kennedy was a solid 4 stars sportsromance
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas was an excellent 4,5 stars and a new great female character!
The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros has been an emotional roller coaster! 4,5 wonderful stars with kids and mom who are heroes!
The Son and his Hope by Pepper Winters was the heartwrenching story of Jacob, son of Ren and Della. 4,5 stars. Better buy the tissues, the ice cream and the whisky to recover!
Slayer by Kiersten White was a big favorite! Totally different from the Conquerors saga but so so good! 4,5 “I had a blast” stars. I already know it will be one of my 2019 favorites.
My three favorites of the month (sorry I couldn’t choose only one!) are:
Honor Bound by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre. 5 stars for this unique scifi series! I am desperate as I have many months now to wait for the final book in the trilogy! Unique read.
Becoming by Michelle Obama which was my first audiobook ever! A real treat as it is Michelle who is reading her story for 18 hours! 5 stars and it was like having tea with the ex first lady. I think if one day she chooses to run for the presidency she would win (but I know she does not want that).
What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon was a gift from this author as I didn’t request it and yet it landed on my kindle! I read it in one sitting and Amy’s reaction was “Already? But it is a BIG book!”. But that’s how smitten I was! 5 stars and a favorite for 2019! Between historical and fantasy read.
February being Valentine’s month and my blog being a romance blog I organized an event “Romance and Love Celebration” where I invited bloggers and authors to post about that topic. I’ve been blown away by the answers and for sixteen days in a row I could host their posts! I won’t post everything here, just the first one which is my own post where I explain why I blame Disney for my love of romance 😉
If you want to read the others, just look after the #RomanceLoveCelebration Again a huge thank you to everyone who participated! It’s been a privilege to work with you all!
I also did several memes like Calendar Girl who was about books written by black authors (I chose Becoming by Michelle Obama) and the Top 5 Tuesday where particularly arduous this month as Shanah had us write our weekly choices for Hogwarts Houses! We began with Gryffindor and this week was about Slytherin! I came to the conclusion that books with Slytherin heroes were filled with anti heroes!
I also participated in the blog tour “Meet Your Next Book Boyfriend” and I chose Rowan Whitethorn!
Last but not least I decided to post once a week about a discussion topic and I have loved every reaction that you gave me! Please do go on as it is very interesting to read how everyone experiences the topic.
First discussion was about: Are audiobooks real books and do you love them?
Second discussion was about: Do you think publishing houses have it right choosing only “big” blogs? I don’t think it is a golden rule and this is why.
This week’s discussion was motivated after reading Alexandra’s comment on the “publishing houses” post! It was “Reading ARCs is that such a good idea? And why do you want them so badly?”
I don’t know if it is fate or something else but after having written about audiobooks I read my first audiobook (Becoming) and began to look into audiobooks that might please me. I came to the conclusion that romance did not work for me AT ALL in audiobooks (while it is my favorite reading genre) and true stories or historical work wonderfully! More next week.
And after explaining how publishing houses should also accept “smaller” bloggers I got accepted by Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC of Calling What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer!!!! It was not available for me on Netgalley (just “wish for it”) but I contacted the publishing house directly and pleaded my case, following Evelina’s instruction of some weeks ago and … I got accepted! As she is one of my unicorn authors in YA I was overjoyed and really astonished!
Pfew that’s been my month!
As I am linking up to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimberly @caffeinatedreviewer I want to share with you some quizzes (yes Greg that’s for you) and my favorite post written by one of you this week!
Quizzes
Epic Reads let you know “What Important role would you play in a rebellion”? I was the strategist here. Not astonishing either as I am always planning and organizing and analyzing 😀
And asks you if you would be “More like Bri or like Starr”? I got Starr and was not suprised
On the blogosphere my favorite post this week was a review! But not any review. A review of one of the books that I found exceptional and keep raving about all the time! Trisy @bobosbookbank reviewed Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma and loved it!
It may seem like nothing to you but I am so happy when a book I pushed on everyone is loved by one of my friends!
🌹Throwback Thursday! Check Out This Taboo Romance: Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma!🌹
That’s it!
Now please do tell me how your week and your month were! What were your favorite reads? Did something special happen? And please if you have ideas about discussion posts you’d like me to post just shoot! The more ideas the better 😀
Thanks for reading and happy Sunday!
Sophie
It sounds like you were very busy last month! I hope March is much calmer for you. Your daughter sounds like a very responsible girl. I hope my daughter will be when she’s older. What did she think of the college campus? I still remember the tours I took when looking for a school to go to. And that was a very long time ago. 🙂 Yay for your first audiobook being a 5 star listen! I have a copy of Becoming, but haven’t yet read it. I hope you have a great weekend!
It sounds like a busy month! I hope you will have some time to rest and relax in March because it sounds like you did so much in February, and your daughter sound so grown up and responsible – ready for that university life she is looking into at the moment!
Ugh, I hate work months like that! March is like that for me… Joys of being a project manager in the civil service, I guess! Fingers crossed March is MUCH calmer for you. (I’ll celebrate in April!)
I swear The Last Letter has damaged me. I see the cover or mention of it, and I just want to cry.
I need to add What the Wind Blows(did I get that title right?) I am sorry February was so exhausting. i hope March brings easier times! You had a great blogging month.
Hahaha Kimberly no it’s What the Wind Knows! And I know february was exhausting for you too being sick and all. I really do hope that your energy will come back in March!
Ah February sounds exhausting. Hugs for you Sophie. Great that your daughter didn’t want to drink and didn’t let herself be pressured into it. <3 Good for her.
Thank you so much Annemieke!!
Hugs to your mom and yourself! What a month, you must exhausted
I’m in the middle of Honor Bound and excited to see how Zara handles these outlaws! Hope March slows the pace ❤️❤️
Thank you Dani and as I am answering super late I could see that you liked Honor Bound! Yay!
I hope work gets less busy soon. February sounds like it was a stressful month. I hope March is better.
Thank you AJ!!!
I hope that March is a quieter month for you. I’m glad to hear that your mom is a resilient lady. All of those things we have to take care of after the loss of a loved one really are just so emotionally draining.
Exactly Suzanne. As my daughter said today: we should hire someone to deal with all this! Like a wedding planner but for a “death handler”?
I’m sorry to hear this was a tiring, stressful month at work, I hope that March will be a little more relaxed and that you will be able to take some time to rest, too <3 <3
I'm sending all the love and positive vibes to you and your mom <3
Congratulations on getting that anticipated ARC, this is SO EXCITING, I'm so happy for you! I hope you'll love the book! <3
Have a fantastic March! <3
Thank you so much Marie! I hope you’ll have a great month too 😉
I’m sorry that your mom is having a difficult time! And congratulations on getting your first ARC from the Publisher. I’m pretty excited for the Brigid’s upcoming book. Hope you love it! I’ve just picked up Honor Bound and hope I’ll enjoy it as much as you did.
Have a Great March! 🙂
Thank you Raven!!! And I hope you’ll love Honor Bound too!
I’m so sorry for your mom, that must be unbelievably hard. I am glad she is hanging in there tho! Sounds like you had a super busy and stressful February! I hope March calms down a bit for you <3
Thank you so much Brittany!
I am glad February is over too! It has been cold and miserable where I live. Sorry that your mom is having difficulties. I am reading On the Come UP right now and enjoying it. Think Spring!
I hope you really loved On the Come Up Jolene! And yes thinking of spring 😉
Those were some seriously long days at the office! I hope this month is much calmer… or at least back to normal. I hope your mom is doing okay. It’s hard when all the necessary work is done because it keeps you busy and your mind occupied. When that’s done reality sinks in. 🙁 Does your mom work? My mom was supposed to retire last year but after my father passed she decided to keep working. It was the worst time possible to be at home alone with time of her hands.
Yesterday I was deciding what to read next and I kept looking at both The Son & His Hope and The Last Letter. I decided I just wasn’t ready for either of them. LOL Maybe next week… 🙂
Tanya my mom is retired but luckily has tons of activities! And I can understand why you are not ready yet.
Thinking of you!
Thank you Jay! Me too as you could see yesterday.
Oh, congrats for getting that book from that publisher!
Hopefully March will you a better work/life balance! I had to a performance review for my new colleague I’m mentoring and had to tell her she needs to go home on time and enjoy herself
Yes Norrie I have read about your annoying colleague LOL
You make me tired just by reading everything you did this month, busy bee! 🙂 I hope this month is a bit easier for you, Sophie…hugs!
Thank you Trisy! The same for you <3
I knew you were crazy bust at work. Yet you still write these amazing posts, putting a lot of time and thought into them. Let’s hope March is less hectic and you can relax with some good books:)
Thank you Laura!
Wow you have been busy! And I think February flew by too! I can’t believe it’s March…
Glad to hear Slayer was good. And Michelle Obama’s book too, I’m not surprised, she’s pretty awesome.
Ooh a quiz. I love quizzes haha
Yes yes more quizz next week Greg LOL
Aww we understand, No worries- of course work comes before blogging !
Goodluck for your daughter !! I hope she’ll get picked in the one she wishes
Seems like february was the month of “letting go” .. both for your daughter going into university, and your mom with grief. Hopefully March will be a better one for all of you ! xx
Thank you Kristina! 😉
((HUGS)) to your mom (and you). It must be very difficult to go back to everyday things after losing someone, who had been a part of your everyday for so long. Those are some long work days you are putting in. It sounds pretty exhausting. It amazing how well you used your time with all that on your plate.
Thank you so much Sam!
I’m glad February is over for you! Sounds like a LOT to deal with. Hopefully March is amazing to you!
Thank you Samantha!
Phew! There’s something to be said for Feb being the shortest month, it’s over with quicker. And I hope you and the family are doing okay, Sophie. I know what it’s like after the death of a parent. It feels all-consuming at times. My thoughts are with you.
Meanwhile, you crammed in some great posts, some fun posts, and some really interesting posts (the discussions). Hopefully, March will give you more time to relax and blog at a more gentle pace. Look forward to the reviews and discussions, as always. 😀
Well March is still busy but ..I think it’s life these days Alexandra!
You still got a lot of reading done with being so busy at work. Bravo! I’m sorry to hear about your mom’s loss. The extra stuff you have to deal with makes it even harder.
I’m looking forward to What the Wind Knows even more now that I see your 5 stars! This is the second time today I’ve seen praise about Rebecca Yaros’s book. I’ll have to check it out.
Rachel I hope you’ll love them both!
You’ve had a crazy hectic month and handled it like a rock star! You’ve done really well and even read and reviewed some interesting books! Let’s hope for an even better March!
Thank you so much Anne!
I’m sorry you had a pretty stressful and tiring month. Now, I can’t help but imagine how stressed I am once I start working, haha! But I see that you had pretty great reads! I hope you still get to enjoy a few things from February. Also, I’m wishing you a happy March!
Thank you Erica!
I am reading Becoming, in between fictional thrillers, but listening to her narrate would be awesome.
Thanks for sharing your books…and for visiting my blog.
You are so welcome Laurel!