The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and It's a chance to share news, recap what has happened on the blog, what is upcoming and anything everything in between. Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! This week I'm linking my recap post to both memes.
My Weekly Re-Cap
I’ve had a pretty quiet week, which isn’t a bad thing really. No drama! Yay! I’m planning on taking a few days off in September, and I’ve been feeling the pressure to conquer a blogging schedule I like and can stick to once and for all. I try to maintain roughly a week’s worth of posts in advance, and I’d like to build that up to two weeks over time. This has been playing on my mind since last month, and it sort of spilled over this week.
You know when you get into one of those moods where you are determined to be the most organised person you can possibly be? Well, that was me this past Monday. I wanted to get caught up on some reviews and draft up a few advance posts like a good blogger. So, I settle in, quickly check my emails, pop into YouTube… and two hours fly without a single word written. Yeah. I think I’m a natural born procrastinator. Or else very easily distracted! The more I’ve tried to focus this week, the more I veer the other way. Maybe it’s not me! Maybe it’s the stars… or the water… or something! Here’s hoping next week will be a lot more productive!
On the Blog this past week
Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Ten Books I’ve Been Told I Must Read
WoW: The Loop
Review: Resistance by C.J. Daugherty
Mystic Monochrome: 8 Striking Black and White Book Covers
Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
Books I Bought This Week
I’ve only added two books to my physical shelves this week. I hate to say it, but this is actually a good thing! So much Maggie Stiefvater love is all around the blogosphere, and I finally took the plunge and got one of her books. I’m starting with her Raven Cycle series, and we’ll go on from there. I loved the sound of Lifers, and I took a chance and bought it. I love second chance stories, and this one really appealed.
For Review
What I Read
I’ve read quite a few books that have blown me away recently: Resistance, Grave Mercy and Dust to Dust being the first three that come to mind! I’m finding it hard to leave the characters and the worlds behind. Thankfully I chose to read Throne of Glass this week. Oh my gosh, it was so bloody amazing! But... the down side? My expectations have gone even higher and I have no idea what to read next. I want to continue with my good book streak, and I’m afraid of choosing a disappointment! I got accepted for Rock Addiction yesterday, and it’s completely different to all the other books I was planning to read over the next couple of weeks – it’s a NA for starters. It’s perfect timing, and I decided to read it straight away.
Posts I loved
Rainy Day Ramblings asks whether we are always honest in our reviews. I definitely feel the pressure to sugar coat my opinions for blog tours and the like. I still say what I think, but I will admit that I tend to edit more than I normally would.
Rachel @ Confessions of a Book Geek demands to know what all those Unknown Search Terms really are. Read it! It's absolutely hillarious!
Trish @ Between the Lines discusses Authors using their initials rather than their names. I've noticed this myself lately, they're becoming so common lately!
Charnell @ Reviews of a Bookworm talks about different series and is The Final Destination What Matters Most? I have to say that, yes, the ending will overshadow. There is nothing worse than a bad ending to a favourite series, be it bookish or otherwise.
Books for a Delicate Eternity talks about the cost of ebooks. I get the need to cover costs, but I refuse to buy ebooks if they are the same price as a physical book. It's not worth it to me.
Soundtrack for the Week
The Show Must Go On -- Queen
I really enjoyed The Raven Boys!
ReplyDeleteMissie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Oh, that's great! I hope I love it too :D Have a great week, Missie!
DeleteOOh nice! Haven't heard of these! Hope you enjoy them all!
ReplyDeleteMy STS will be up tomorrow, so be sure to stop by then!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
Thanks Jessica!
DeleteGASP. THE RAVEN BOYS. I guarantee you will love it (well, I HOPE YOU DO). And you read Throne of Glass this week??? UGH that means I need to read it soon too!
ReplyDeleteAnd I feel you about the whole blogging schedule. I think it would be awesome to have everything all ready, but I'm just not that consistent in reading and reviewing! I mean, if you can't get it done, then don't feel pressured to do it! Or else blogging won't seem like fun anymore.
BUT YEAH. I hope you enjoy all of your books! They look good!
Ooh YAY! I really want to love The Raven Boys, but I'd better keep my expectations in check! And yep, I did read Throne of Glass this week. It. Was. AMAZING! And yes, you need to read it. NOW! :D
DeleteI know what you mean about consistency. One week I can manage three books, the next I'm only in the mood to finish one! I like the idea of having more free time, so I'm trying to have enough done so I can walk away from the blog for a day and not fall behind. *fingers crossed* it works out eventually!
Hope you have an awesome week, Val! Happy reading :)
I really do need to read some Maggie Stiefvater! I hope you enjoy your books. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Chrissi, have a great week!
DeleteI used to schedule posts in advance, but once I got behind it was difficult to get back. So nowadays I usually just schedule posts a few days in advance. I hope you enjoy your new books!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lola!
DeleteI have the same problem with scheduling. It's so nice when you have breathing room for a few days, and know you don't have to write up anything immediately. Then it's full-on panic stations when those posts start dwindling down and I know I need to get caught up again!
I really dislike it when ebooks cost as much as a physical book. I buy them anyway because ebook is my preferred format and I don't like to clutter up my house, but I grumble about it.
ReplyDeleteYep. I prefer paperbacks, but if the prices are similar, I'll chose the physical copy every time. I've ended up limiting myself to a £1.99 ebook limit, unless it's from one of my favourite authors that only publish ebooks, and that's a very small list in honesty. Thanks for stopping by Jenna, have a great week!
DeleteSometimes quiet weeks are nice :) I loved The Dream Thieves but found Lifers kind of so-so, but I hope you like them both! I adore both Grave Mercy and Throne of Glass – so glad you liked them!! Hope you have a lovely week and happy reading.
ReplyDeleteMy StS & Weekly Review .
Zareena @ Books and Books
Throne of Glass was amazing! Grave Mercy surprised me, I'm not the biggest fan of historical novels and I was so happy I love it. Thanks Zareena, have a great week!
DeleteI accepted Kimba's challenge to visit new blogs, so hi! I'm a natural born procrastinator too.
ReplyDeleteGreat books this week. I hope you enjoy them :)
Happy Reading!
My Weekly Recap Post
Michelle @ Book Briefs
Hi Michelle :) Nice to meet another procrastinator, teehee! Have a great week :)
DeleteGood luck with Raven Boys, its a really good series. Also, love Grave Mercy and Throne of Glass haha so I glad you enjoyed them :).
ReplyDeleteHappy reading.
Thanks Stacie, I've seen lots of good things about the Raven Boys, hopefully I like it! And yay, glad you loved Throne of Glass and Grave Mercy, too! Have a great week :)
DeleteSometimes slow weeks are definitely nice! I always have these grand plans to get super organized but somehow I end up wasting all my time, haha.
ReplyDeleteLovely haul, The Raven Boys is definitely one of those books that's been on my TBR list for far too long, need to read it soon. Hope you enjoy it!
Yep, that sounds very familiar to me too! I always start out with so many good intentions and I end up doing the exact opposite, eep! Thanks for stopping by Cyn, have a great week :)
DeleteHi! So good to meet another Irish blogger :) I'm a big fan of The Raven Boys as I just love Maggies writing. I think she is genius! Hope you enjoy your books.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for linking in my post! Much appreciated.
Hiya Trish! It's awesome to meet a fellow Irish blogger! I loved your post, and you're more then welcome for the link up ;)
DeleteI can't wait to try The Raven Boys. I've seen so much praise for her books, and I really hope I love them. Have a great week!
"Natural born procrastinator", I think that would make a great t-shirt and I'd wear it too lol ! I need to read Throne of glass... when I have some time. And you've got Rock addiction, hope you'll love it - I love her Psy-changeling series. Have a great week ;)
ReplyDeleteLOL! It would be such a good t-shirt idea! Definitly try Throne of Glass, for me, it lived up to all the hype :)
DeleteHope you love Rock Addiction, it wasn't quite what I was hoping for. Thanks for stopping by!
I love the way you make your sunday post ! your favorite posts of the week are really clever! Ill have to check them out for sure. As far as your books go they look great. I have read some of Maggie's other series so the Raven boys I should check out for sure , and the cover for The Wilds looks amazing! New Bloglovin follower, and thanks for checking out my STS ~ Katie @ Inkk Reviews
ReplyDeleteAwww thanks Katie! I plan on reading more of Maggie's books, so I hope I love The Raven Boys. And I totally agree, I really like The Wilds cover! Have a great week :)
DeleteI like the slow weeks these days! I try to schedule ahead, and I'm better than I used to be, but if I'm a week or so ahead that's about as good as it gets... :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review of Grave Mercy, I thought that was quite good as well. Really liked Ismae and Duval and their relationship.
It's such a tricky balancing act isn't it! I like taking a break for a day here and there, and I always feel guilty when I could have got a post or two written up.
DeleteThanks for stopping by Greg, have a great week!
Hope you loved the Raven Boys more than I did.
ReplyDeleteEeek, that doesn't sound too good! Thanks for stopping by Jennifer :)
DeleteAww, thanks for featuring my discussion post! Even after almost a year of blogging, I'm still embarrassingly excited if someone does that! Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to get ahead too, your description made me laugh so much because that's basically me every time I go to write up posts. I have it all planned out, I feel great and ready to get some scheduling done. Then somehow 3 hours have gone by and I haven't written one post, although I have probably watched 200 YouTube vids.
I recently bought The Raven Boys, mainly because of all the love the author gets on the blogs. I'm excited and nervous to read it, a little worried it will disappoint. I hope you enjoy your reads this week :)
P.S Totally get the Throne of Glass book hangover, I had to just hunt down all the other books after I read that. Once I was done, I had no idea how I was supposed to pick up another book and read it.
You're so welcome, Charnell! I loved your series post.
DeleteAnd LOL! YouTube is so addicting, and it's always right there and if I'm searching for anything on google, an interesting video will pop up... and bye bye writing time! I love having a few posts scheduled ahead of time, and the dream would be to be a month ahead, but I know I'm never going to be that organised! I'll be happy if I can stick to a week! I used to write a post up today for tomorrow, and the pressure of it started to make blogging a chore.
I have the same feelings about The Raven Boys. I really want to love it, but I'm afraid of letting my expectations get out of hand. I really hope we both love it! And I think I'll be going exactly what you did with the rest of the Throne of Glass series. I need to read the next book as soon as I can get it!
I absolutely LOVE The Raven Boys! I think I've read every book Maggie Stiefvater's written and ohhh she's such an amazing writer. I love ALL her books. x) I totally understand the procrastination thing. *sigh* You and me both. Sometimes ti's just easier to do anything but what you're supposed to be doing. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by @ Notebook Sisters!
Teehee, Cait, you're one of the main reasons I bought The Raven Boys! I really hope I love her all her books as well. I can't wait to start it, but I'm trying to tame down my expectations a little!
DeleteAnd yep, that's it exactly! LOL, I end up making a list of what I need to do, and everything on that list is everything I end up NOT doing! Thanks for stopping by Cait, have a great week :D
Thanks for the link-up! Glad you liked my post :D
ReplyDeleteI need to get on the ball with The Raven Cycle series, keep hearing so many wonderful things!
R x
I loved your post Rachel! I had such a good giggle reading it :D Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by :D
DeleteI love quiet weeks! It gives me time to get caught up on the things that get left behind on the not so quiet weeks. I totally understand what you mean about being more organized and not letting time slip away. I hate days when I feel like I got nothing done. To make it worse those are the days that are the most exhausting!
ReplyDeleteOh, those days are the worst! For me, the days I'm expecting to get stuff done, and lots of silly little things crop up and I'm called away and I never manage to get quarter of what needed to do done are the worst. Thanks for stopping by Katherine, have a great week!
DeleteI love knowing I have four or five post taken care of, it take so much immediate pressure off your shoulders, but keeping the motivation levels up to maintain it in the long term can be so hard! Thanks Sharon, and have a great week :)
ReplyDelete