Hi dear friends!

Time for a little weekly chit chat about how my week went and what happened on the blog. As usual I will link it up with @CaffeinatedReviewer.

This time I will combine with my August Wrap Up as I have much to say!

Personal life first

I won’t dwell on my dad’s health and choose to focus on my son who had his Dutch exam yesterday! We will have all the results tomorrow but the teacher told him he was impressed with his written texts (thanks mom who worked dozens of hours with him to write and improve the texts!).

I’ve had a migraine since Friday afternoon and I suspect this is due to all the stress this past month created! Now the good news is that I have a week off work and I plan to sleep and read! Lots and lots of reading!

The kids will be back to school this week beginning with my daughter on Tuesday and my son on Wednesday. I will be ALONE WITH THE DOG!!!! Pfew some relaxing times ahead!

As I had family visiting today I will catch up with the comments and like tomorrow! Promise <3

On the blog

Now this month I managed to read 10 books. I consider this a success as I try to read two books a week since blogging and one of them was a beta reading!

Read their review clicking on the graphic and I will choose two winners (yes two because choosing is difficult enough!)

A real success as I wondered how Meg Kassel would make me fall for a villain but she did it brilliantly! 5 stars!

Crew by Tijan has her signature all over ! 4 stars

This is an enjoyable read written in Tijan’s no nonsense style. Heads are butting, people fight then high five. It’s heated, it’s sometimes messy but above all else it’s loyalty and family.

Blind Kiss by Renee Carlino was simply not my kind of book as I HATE angst! Or at least the back and forth and unnecessary angst. But if you are an angst junkie it will be your next fix!

Fallen Angel by JL Myers: 4 stars and a refreshing view of Angels and God!

I found Lucifer to be very likeable and despised Michael!

Children of Blood and Bones by Tomi Adeyemi had me frightened to read it due to the hype! But attending YALC and meeting Tomi pushed me to read and …love this incredible story! 4,5 star the only 0,5 star missing because the romance left me wanting more.

Tomi Adeyemi wrote an epic and desperate story happening in an imaginary world filled with fantastic beasts and people with hair white as snow and silver eyes.

I have Lost my Way by Gayle Forman was another YALC read and ….fabulous! Really emotional, touching, right, gripping…. 4,5 stars.

With short sentences, showing rather than telling Gayle Forman brushed a realistic and moving portrait of these three young people all desperate in their own way. Gayle Forman’s writing is efficient. To the point. Her sentences cut through your soul like a surgeon’s scalpel cuts through flesh.

Star Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi let me rekindle with her world and poetic writing. 4 stars.

.

The Chase by Elle Kennedy was nearly a DNF as the heroine grated on my nerves in the beginning yet I ended rooting for her! 4 Stars.

My winners of the month:

YA Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff! Extraordinary but evil! How can he leave us like that????????

I’ve become a fan that’s for sure and many recommended Nevernight as my next read. Do you agree?

Adult: Bring Down the Stars by Emma Scott: 5,5 stars. Survival kit needed!

This epic love and friendship story will push you through your limits. It will frustrate you. It will hurt you. It will also fill you with so many beautiful emotions you won’t be able to contain them. Read this with a survival kit composed of: ice cream, alcohol, tissues and punching bag. It is also best to protect your E-reader with the latest and bulkiest case or have a good insurance.

I wrote several discussion posts this month! Here again click on the graphic to read the post.

Two posts about YALC on “how to prepare: dream vs reality” and “anecdotes/fun facts”

I was so smitten with Bring Down the Stars, especially by its characters, that I wrote a discussion post presenting my dreamcast and their typical character traits!

As we gained 1000 members on the facebook Group beware, Book Boyfriends Alert we organized a special even that had me sharing my top 10 books read in 2018 so far (it was excruciating to choose!)

Then one last discussion post that had me rant when faced with some strategy by authors / PR agencies.

It left a bad taste in my mouth and I think it creates a cleavage in the blogger worlds that is unealthy. When ARCs are “Invite Only” and not mentioned before asking to promote ….

I also got to interview one of my favorite authors, queen of darkness yet able to produce unbelievably touching and deeply moving stories: Pepper Winters!

On the meme “field” Calendar Girls is back!!!! I did my first one this month and the next one is due tomorrow!!!! (I still need to write it *gasp*)

The topic was best read in summer and …we won!

I also participated each week in the “Top 5 Tuesday”, the “WWW Wednesday”, the “I Heart Characters” and the “First Impression Friday”.

Here are these of last week …laugh and snark expected!

I Heart Character was about a characcter you’d like as your firts crush in High School and I chose Neanderthal Ehd from Transcendence by Shay Savage! yes yes some relooking would be in order but he would be THE BEST!

In the blogosphere this week

Now from The Book Jotter (thank you for highlighting this one Paula)  she chose to link to a very interesting article from The Guardian wondering if Instagram or rather Bookstagrams influence book covers!

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/aug/28/is-social-media-influencing-book-cover-design

That’s it for August!

Oh and right now I began Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas thanks to you! You voted for this one on our last WWW Wednesday.

Now do tell me how was your month? Any good read? Discussion?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie