Me staring at my inbox, hoping for it to ding…
The Worst Reading Pact Ever
The other day I was sitting in my living room about to buy another book…
You see, some people buy shoes. Some people splurge on fancy meals or a nice bottle of wine…
Me?
I buy books.
I read mostly e-books, a habit I picked up living overseas where that was basically the only way I could read current books without paying a fortune. It’s also a way I can read relatively inexpensively thanks to Epic Read’s edeals.
But here’s the thing. e-Books are invisible so you can’t actually SEE how large your to-read pile has become. You don’t realize, until you start counting, how it’s teetering in a pile stacked to the ceiling, ready to topple over on your head while you lay there blissfully unaware.
So there I sat, about to purchase a book I’d been really excited about and then I thought… maybe I need to cut down on my to-read pile before I buy something new. My husband – who has recently taken over our finances and now actually sees how much $ gets spent at the bookstore – has been nicely telling me to chill out a bit and so I thought, you know? I’m going to read a few books before I read this one. He’ll be proud of my self control.
So I checked my i-cloud library and was quite shocked to see that I had TWENTY-SEVEN unread books on my Kindle and six unread physical books…
The worst is that I made the mistake to actually inform my husband of this fact and he then promptly made me promise to not buy any new books until I had read at least ten of the ones I already had… say what? Did he not read my last post about all the amazing books coming out in the next few months? (of course he didn’t. I’m pretty sure he has no idea this blog exists.)
But then I had to remember that it’s not like these books will disappear if I don’t buy them the day they come out.
So here is my list of ten books:
The Beginning of Everything
Birdbox
The Brokenhearted
Panic
Say What you Will
TalonÂ
The Body Electric
Throne of Glass (Currently Reading)
Find MeÂ
The Evolution of Mara Dyer
After these, I am going to buy ONE book and then read five more I already have. Rinse. Repeat. until I am caught up on my TBR pile!
Hmmm… let’s see how this pact goes…
P.S.
This is the worst pact ever.
2015 YA Releases I’m Ready For!
I just saw Jamie Morrow’s comprehensive (and color coded!) list of 2015 releases and I’m so extremely excited!
This is a fantastic list and it got me thinking about how the year is really kicking off top-notch as far as releases. There are a several coming out in the next few months that I am more than normal excited for:
Golden Son by Pierce Brown– it’s the sequel to the sci-fi Red Rising, which I LURVED.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – they’re saying it’s a mix of Eleanor & Park and TFIOS.
The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall – thriller version of The Amazing Race… um yes.
Please Remain Calm – Courtney Summers– loved, loved, loved THIS IS NOT A TEST, so I’m excited about this novella
The Seeker by Arewen Elys Dayton– been dubbed as mix between Game Of Thrones and The Hunger Games… I’m in.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard– I was sold on the cover alone
City of Savages by Lee Kelly– NYC as a POW camp? I’m game.
Now these are just in the next two months, people. This year is such a fantastic year for YA!
Be sure to check out the full listing at Jamie Morrow’s blog.
I miss food…
So I passed my one year anniversary of moving back to Texas. It passed without even a mental acknowledgement and I guess that’s fine because this is my home.
This is the place I grew up and where I feel most comfortable.
But living in Belgium got me spoiled to one particular thing and I just haven’t been able to get over it as of yet…
THE FOOD!
I’m not talking about delicious croissants or quaint boucheries… I’m talking about the quality of food. Not having to worry AS much about what is going into my body because it’s not poisoned. Not having the option of a bazillion fast food places enticing me to not cook and just order in. I’ve sadly gained about 15 pounds in the one year I’ve lived here (no excuses, I’ve overindulged)
I mean, have you read this article about 17 Dangerous Foods Americans Eat that Are Banned in Most Countries? It’s enough to have you going on a water only diet, until you read that bottled water can contain four different ingredients!!
So what is my alternative? Insanely over-priced “organic” food that has become it’s own industry.
Since moving back to Texas, our weekly grocery budget has gone up – even after you convert Euros to Dollars (already a 30% difference).
Unfortunately, I can’t afford to eat 100% organic, but I do my best. Everything my kids eat the most of is organic. Sandwich stuff, cheese sticks, fruit. I’m trying to make cookies instead of buying them. I’m trying to cook more and use organic ingredients when I can. It’s a lot more stress than I ever thought it was going to be when we were deciding to move back here!
But alas, these are the cards I’ve been dealt, so I’m making the best! So what if my kids eat Pop Tarts every morning 🙂
Everything JK Rowling told us about Harry in 2014
I first read Harry Potter when my conservative parents told me they were full of witchcraft and I wasn’t allowed to read them.
It was like waving a red cape in front of a bull.
I read the first one, but being that I was already in high school, I didn’t connect. I thought they were too juvenile (this coming from a girl who rarely read YA books when she was in fact a young adult). I never ended up finishing the series until I went with one of my Potter crazed friends to see Prisoner of Azkaban in movie theaters.
I was like, “Say what?” and promptly went and bought Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. I was beyond hooked and then went back and read books 1-3 and salivated until Half-Blood Prince came out.
Even after finishing the series and watching the final movies, I have never been able to shake my Potter love. (I’m actually going to Potter World in May with my fellow Potter geek Nikki!)
We’ve had a lot of fun HP news this year thanks to the author’s crazy detailed world building! It has been so fun to be able to dive back in and get a glimpse of sorts. As a writer it shows that sometimes all the crazy behind the scenes biographies and story lines that never make it on the page, one day could be relevant.
To end the last day of the year, here is an article that tells everything J.K. Rowling Revealed About Harry Potter in 2014!
Enjoy!
Destiny Cole 