Scenes From The Week:
I made one of my favorite meals — this Enchilada Quinoa Casserole — for lunch this week and it was SO GOOD.
Ellie decided that she was going to help me organize my closet!
Yup, still helping!
Brent and I had a date night last weekend, and I really liked how my makeup came out! I did a pink smokey eye with peach blush and pink lipgloss.
Two books I recently ordered came in…The Sea of Tranquility and Lola and the Boy Next Door! I’ve read both of them, but can’t wait to add them to my bookshelf that I can re-read them one day 🙂
Ellie in a box!
Ellie in another box!
I scored this really cute dress for only $12 at Deb! While I was cleaning out my closet, I realized that I didn’t have a black dress to wear if (god forbid) there was suddenly a funeral to go to. Brent thought that I was being morbid, but really it’s just practical! And cute 😉
Merit Books sent me these finished books to review! I absolutely love the cover of the one on the right. I’m going to start Who R U Really tonight!
And, last but not least, I had to share this hilarious yet slightly inappropriate photo of Ellie hanging out in the hamper, clearly insisting that she’s almost enough to go bra shopping.
Books I Finished This Week:
- The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank
- I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
- A Triple Knot by Emma Campion
- Opposition (Lux #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Awesome Posts From Other Bloggers:
Books & Authors:
- Word Revel discusses bookstore shelving systems
- Books and Cake wants to know how important cover design is to you
- Lit Up Review recommends 10 books set outside the US
- Writer of Wrongs talks about when authors are able to convince you to like something that you normally wouldn’t
- Happy Book Lovers recommends YA books set at boarding school
- Pages Unbound wants to know how to teach readers that e-book piracy is wrong
- These Paper Hearts is curious about multiple books in one binding
- Lite-Rate-Ture recommends some 2014 New Adult releases that have caught her attention
- Ode to Jo and Katniss talks about when books take place where you live
- Great Imaginations lists some of her favorite examples of great book cover typography
Reading & Characters:
- My Friends Are Fiction talks about when your book pile becomes overwhelming
- YA Asylum discusses unlikely strong female characters
- Boricuan Bookworms confesses that she dog-ears pages!!
- Katelynn @ Oh, the Books! discusses the pros and cons of marathoning series
- Rinn Reads shares a list of her favorite fantasy characters
- So Obsessed With encourages you to try more nonfiction books with these smart tips!
- Strung Out on Books wants to know: does your gender limit what you read?
Blogging & Reviewing:
- The Novel Hermit doesn’t like to use the term “DNF”
- Say It With Books shares 20 truths from a part-time blogger
- Novel Heartbeat wonders if having a Facebook page for your blog is useful
Other:
- It Starts at Midnight keeps getting ARCs instead of finished copies from sellers on Amazon — has this happened to you?
- Reverie Rhapsody celebrates being wonderfully weird
Giveaways!
New:
- The Perpetual Page-Turner — 3 books in the Anna and the French Kiss series by Stephanie Perkins & swag (US only) (ends August 27th)
- It Starts at Midnight — August 2014 new release up to $17 (INT) (ends August 31st)
- Book Nerd — $19 August 2014 new release (INT) (ends August 31st)
- Bumbles and Fairytales — $18 August new release (INT) (ends August 31st)
- About to Read — 1 of 6 August new releases (INT) (ends August 31st)
- Reading Fictional — $20 August new release (INT) (ends August 31st)
- The Bookish Outside — $20 August new release (INT) (ends August 31st)
- A Wonderland of Reading — Personalized Sarah J. Maas book (US only) (ends September 10th)
- Laura Plus Books — August new release e-book (INT) (ends August 31st)
- Writing My Own Fairytale — 1 of 5 August new releases (INT) (ends August 31st)
- Novel Heartbeat — Signed copy of While You’re Away by Jessa Holbrook (US only) (September 14th)
- Great Imaginations — Signed paperback of Anna and the French Kiss & Signed Isla and the Happily Ever After (US only) (ends August 22nd)
- Rather Be Reading — The Good Girl by Mary Kubica (US/CA only) (ends August 24th)
- Writer of Wrongs — Anna and the French Kiss series prize packs (INT) (ends August 25th)
- The Starry-Eyed Revue — (3 winners) The Matched trilogy, The Maze Runner trilogy & The Nightshade series (US only) (ends August 27th)
- The Starry-Eyed Revue — Along for the Ride & Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (US only) (ends August 26th)
- Deadly Darlings — $10 towards the Book Depository (INT) (ends September 9th)
- The Novel Hermit — Signed HC of Unremembered by Jessica Brody & PB of Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally (US only) (ends August 27th)
- I Heart YA Fiction — (2 winners) 4 YA books from the shown pile (US only) (ends August 27th)
- Love is Not a Triangle — Box of contemporary(ish) books (US/CA only) (ends August 27th)
- Love is Not a Triangle — Box of non-contemporary books (US/CA only) (ends August 27th)
Reposted From Previous Week(s):
- Lite-Rate-Ture — Signed copy of Reclaiming the Sand by A. Meredith Walters (INT) (ends September 6th)
- Novel Heartbeat — Signed paperback of The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes (US only) (ends August 31st)
- Shae Has Left the Room — $10 to TBD or 2 books from her giveaway pile (INT) (ends August 22nd)
- Nose Graze — The Aftermath by Jen Alexander & prize pack (US/CA only) (ends August 21st)
- Paper Riot — One of the books reviewed on this blog (INT) (ends September 1st)
- Alexa Loves Books — 10 of her favorite books! (INT) (ends August 31st)
- Effortlessly Reading — 9 Cassandra Clare books (INT) (ends September 7th)
- Book Munchies — $13 for The Book Depository (INT) (ends August 31st)
- Effortlessly Reading — Signed & personalized copy of any Sarah J. Maas book, including Heir of Fire (INT) (ends August 31st)
Haha I love all the pictures!! 😀
Oh I used to have Quinoa all the time for my diet 😛 But it was good, and it did help me lose weight so I’m happy with it 😉 Glad you enjoyed it too! The make-up is lovely too, your boyfriend is really lucky! 😀 Oh and Ellie is absolutely adorable! ^^ Lots of lovely posts you’ve shared, thank you for sharing mine as well, Miranda! 😀 ❤
Haha thanks 😀 You’re so sweet!
Oh my God, your cat is hilarious. XD And how did you like I’ll Give You the Sun? I loved Nelson’s other books and am really excited for this one!
Thanks for sharing all these posts, including my giveaway! ^-^
Hahaha yes she is 😀 And you’re welcome!
To be honest…I DNFed I’ll Give You the Sun
My review will be up next week. And I’m also going to be giving away my ARC, because I know that a bunch of people want to read it & I think it was an “it’s me, not you” thing…so make sure to enter! 🙂
I read The Sea of Tranquility earlier this year and it’s earned a spot on my top 10 book list of 2014 🙂 And the bra picture is awesome, lol.
Oohhh that quinoa thing looks so good! And Ellie, as usual, is adorable 😀 The Sea of Tranquility is so beautiful in person!
I knowww. I LOVE my copy. It’s seriously even prettier than I thought it was going to be!
Omg ahaha, Ellie is the most adorable cat ever! I don’t think I could ever get enough photos. That casserole is making me drool. :O Yuuummm!
Thanks for including a link to my blog. And seriously, your cat is just so cute, even if she is mischievous! 🙂
Thanks for linking to Lit Up Review! And enchilada quinoa casserole sounds SO good. I need to try it out.