Welcome to August’s Monthly Minutes at Midnight! Do I have to change the graphic when fall comes? That would be sad…
Here’s the deal: I’ll share the books I’ve obtained, posts of interest from others, giveaways I have happening, and just general random shenanigans. You know I love a shenanigan.
The Books
For Review:
The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova
Thanks to Abrams, Keymaster Press, Simon & Shuster (and Irish Banana Tours), and Penguin!
e-ARCs (Pictures link to Goodreads)
Via Netgalley, Xpresso Tours, & Edelweiss. Thanks to HarperTeen, Sky Pony Press, Acorn Publishing, Random House, and Bloomsbury!!
Purchased:
This picture quality is awful, but I was too lazy to retake it so… yeah.
Won:
Ninth City Burning by J. Patrick Black
Cure for the Common Universe by Christian McKay Heidicker
The Telling by Alexandra Sirowy
Thanks so much to Penguin, Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl & author Christian McKay Heidicker , and author Lee Kelly
Traded & Gifted:
Thank you the loveliest Val for Unplugged and for getting Metaltown signed for me at BEA because I am an asshole who takes Tylenol PM at 4am and sleeps through her alarm. Thanks so much for the trades, people I traded with!! ♥♥♥
Shenanigans Since Last Time:
So, I feel like I did stuff this month. The Olympic Book Tag was, quite frankly, an unexpected hit, and I thank you all for joining in! You made my heart happy! I wish I could link here to every one of yours, they were awesome! I also want to direct you to the Shattering Stigmas posts at Novel Ink, The Fox’s Hideaway, Of Wonderland, and Six Impossible Things. Because they are simply not to be missed, but I would be kind of annoying if I listed them all here. And here are mine, ICYMI.
ARC August Recap- these are the things I read!
The lovely Octavia & Shelley @ Read Sleep Repeat hosted ARC August! I decided to cut myself some slack this year, and make my goal 12. So that was nice, right? How did I do, you ask?
12 Lovely ARCs!!
That was my goal, guys! Look at me, succeeding at goals. So precious. Also not linking, because time. This is why Goodreads and Google are your friends. I also read The Beauty of Darkness which I very much enjoyed!
Giveaways: Click Here, or on Sidebar
Blogosphere Bulletin
I admit I didn’t have as much time as I’d have liked to visit all the amazing blogs this month, with Shattering Stigmas happening, but because you guys are geniuses, I still found all kinds of greatness 😀
- Val @ The Innocent Smiley wants to know if we favor attractive bookish characters
- Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog talks about 5 things that affect her ratings
- AJ @ Read All the Things! shares things she’s learned after three years of blogging (they’re good lessons, guys!)
- Julia @ A Perfection Called Books wants to know how you find time to read
- Cait @ Paper Fury shares 10 requirements of all book bloggers
- Mishma & Jillian @ Chasing Faerytales host the second edition of “Learnt it the Hard Way”
- Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction discusses sex versus violence in books.
- Jeann @ Happy Indulgence shares how to move ALL the books without having a breakdown
- Nereyda @ Nick & Nereyda’s Infinite Booklist shares her favorite stress relievers
- Molly @ Molly’s Book Nook tells us about her must-have on the go apps for blogging
- Karen @ Kissin’ Blue Karen talks about cosmetic surgery (and I left an actual novella comment)
- Lola @ Lola’s Reviews talks about why she doesn’t read excerpts (me either, friend!)
- Emma @ Miss Print celebrates her ninth (yes, 9th!) blogoversary!
- Larissa @ Life as Larissa wants to know if book blogging is going out of style.
- Cynthia @ Bingeing on Books questions if a character can be TOO relatable
- Aila @ Happy Indulgences asks if you rate genres differently
- Shay @ The Story Goes… has a great new writing blog, be sure to check it out!
- Cait @ Paper Fury wants to know if the “special snowflake” trope needs to meet its end.
- Nori @ Read Write Love 28 announces that she is not an actual poodle.
- Jeanene @ Got My Book wants to know how we feel about spoilers– and if they’re ever a good thing.
- Becky @ A Fool’s Ingenuity explains why it is awesome to follow bloggers with different tastes
- Liza @ Quite the Novel Idea questions why so many book bloggers suddenly call it quits
- Michelle @ Pink Polka Dot Books discusses her favorite movies of the 2000s in case you’re in need of some nostalgia and a book break/Netflix binge.
- Tonyalee @ Lilybloombooks asks if you review every book you read
- Liselle @ Lunch Time Librarian ponders whether characters with low self-esteem are realistic, or an overused trope
- Kristen @ Moonlight & Metaphors asks if abandoned series are still worth reading
- Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction talks about how books can change our perspectives on unseen disabilities.
- Nicole @ Nicole’s Novel Reads discusses the state of #booksfortrade
- Laura @ Boats Against the Current talks about commenting guilt (the struggle is so real!)
- Rachel @ Quite the Novel Idea offers some suggestions on what to do with old books
Random Musings:
::Sobs that it is September; Has stupid Green Day song in head for entire month:: What have I done this month? I have no idea, other than #ShatteringStigmas. This month flew by. I know I say that a lot, but seriously! Also, I tried to watch Stranger Things because Val said so but… I don’t know if I care enough to continue? Is that bad?
Fancy & New Since Last I Saw You!
I love looking at pretty covers! So here are some new ones that I have fallen in love with since our last update!
Slow cover month, no? But hey, at least the ones that are pretty are really freaking pretty.
Things we need to talk about at this juncture:
- I am basically ignoring this blog from now until Monday. Well, that’s a lie. I will be trying to comment back and play catch up, and pretend like I am going to schedule posts. I am just tired, guys! I posted for two weeks straight which never happens!
- But, I will be back soon, with a review of The Graces, and the blog tour for The Ones, and I even have some actual post ideas in my head, wooo!
- I am also the friendly neighborhood Vicar Raven in The Alchemists of Loom Guild Games! So I mean, I assume it goes without saying that all the cool kids are in the Ravens Guild? If you want to join us, follow on Twitter, or Facebook!
- I also am almost done with the final season of True Blood. I used to be such a fan, and then I kind of got obsessed with other stuff ::cough:: The 100 ::cough:: but I only have two episodes left, and that makes me sad. No spoilers, y’all!
OHHHH SUCH PRETTY COVERS. I have Timekeeper too and I am excited because it sounds SO SO GOOD and also scared because it also sounds steampunky and I + steampunk = have a bad history. (Also everyone keeps talking about Stranger Things and I want to see it??? Because I’m always left out of the conversation when it comes to TV shows/movies BECAUSE I’M SO SLOW. Seriously how do people manage to blog AND read AND watch things?!? I cannot manage it all. All I can manage is a few posts and half a dozen books and a nap. I’m getting old.? I CAN FAIRLY FEEL THE GREY HAIR COMING.) ahem.
Also I hope you have a nice break!! Posting 2 weeks straight is like…woah. *bows to these skills of yours*
I am always obsessed with something hahahaahhaha. OH DEAR. Usually it’s the same thing for AGES though, but currently it’s a mix between just one of the many many books I’m plotting (like it’s totally humble to be obsessed with your own books right??) and the idea of starting a bullet journal (except goodness knows I’ll never keep it up) and also just my bookshelf. Like I literally vaulted onto the top of my bookshelf to take a photo and I THINK I PUT MY BACK OUT but #worthit. I just want to hug my bookshelf…is that normal?? PROBABLY YES?? I’M FINE RIGHT???
DUDE I feel you with Steampunk! I am super wary of it myself, we have been… not besties, basically. Also, I do not understand how people read and watch things either- I have ONE obsession, but some people watch all kinds of stuff! Also, you cannot complain about grey hair unless you HAVE IT 😛
Ugh, I thought that the 2 weeks straight would be EASY, because guest posts… but that was wrong. SO WRONG. Because I had to still make titles and graphics and format it all and link to all their sites, and make bios… so yeah, exhausting.
I think hugging your bookshelf is normal but… I am probably abnormal, so you may want to not listen to me. If course, do you even care? Let’s just be abnormal, wooooo! (I hope your back is okay though, because while we can be weirdos, we probably don’t want to be injured, immobile weirdos… ?
Wow I’m so impressed that you read 12 ARCs this month! I wish I could read that fast *sobs* The covers for the up-coming releases though – *EPIC GRABBY HANDS*. I’m so excited for Timekeeper I can’t even. I will be making an overly enthusiastic trip to the bookstore to grab it methinks.
Aww thanks! It wasn’t easy, especially while reading BOD- it was almost 700 pages, yikes! I hope you love Timekeeper- and all the other new books! 😀
I love all the cover of things coming up! I never did get Like A River Glorious, so sad about that. I am actually going to wait til next year to buy The Beauty of Darkness because I need a paperback copy of that one (to match what is on my shelf). 12 ARCs read is awesome, GO YOU! Thanks for including me in the links, although it wasn’t a bookish link at all. I appreciate it. I am off now to check all the rest of your links. Enjoy your time off. Happy reading!
Aw I am sorry about LARG! But the finished copy will be SO pretty, so you definitely have an excuse to buy it 😀 I want to buy it but my fingers are crossed for a birthday present or something, because I am poor 😉
And thank yoouuu! Of course I added your link, and it doesn’t *have* to be bookish, I mean, it was a cool post, so I linked. That is how I roll. ?
Gah so many good books!! I got Wait for Me and am so excited! Great job with ARC August. I got through 11 and have actually made a dent in my pile so woohoo!! Thanks for sharing my post 🙂 True Blood. UGH. I loved it at first. The finale was awful but maybe you will like it more?? If not it is understandable. Have a great September!!
Aw thanks! 11 is awesome!! Plus, a dent in the pile is the best part for sure! True Blood… well, I finished. I will say this- I didn’t hate it as much as the book finale? But I still didn’t love it. I tried to see if I could use spoiler tags in comments but I guess not. That sucks. Anyway, yeah, I mean, it was only marginally better than the book. Did you like the book? (I don’t think anyone did, but who knows ?) Hope you have a great September too!
I also struggled to come up with what I did in August. I must have done something, but nope. The month just went by really fast. Congrats on meeting your ARC goal, and thanks for giving my post a shout-out.
Bwhahah totally agree! It was a nice month, just nothing that exciting hahha. And of course, I loved your post! Thanks so much!! ♥
Wow way to go reading ARCs!!!
Ooo Gemini sounds great. I hope you enjoy all of these babies. ?
Aw thanks so much! Gemini was good, I read an eARC and quite enjoyed it! 😀
Wow it looks like you got so many pretty books to read! That is awesome that you reached your ARC goal for August that is always a good feeling to accomplish a goal! Happy reading!!
Aw thanks so much! I agree, meeting a goal is the BEST! Happy reading to you too! 😀
What an incredible haul as always and you did awesome with your ARCs! So I haven’t read your review of The Graces yet but I will after tomorrow when my review comes out. Needless to say, *thumbs down*
I keep seeing rave reviews of Game On so I hope you love it, too!
I can’t believe it’s Sept but I am excited since that is my birthday month! ♥
My August Recap!
Aww thank you!! I read your review of The Graces and… yeah, you did NOT like that shit! ? I DID kind of like it but I didn’t, too- writing this review is HARD. And I did love Game On! It was REALLY good! And YAY for your birthday month! I must keep an eye out so I don’t miss it 😉
I got that book with the lollipop too, sounds cute. The Wish Granter looks so good! I dont know about the 100 anymore. How about you let me know if Bellarke ever becomes a thing so I can watch again. Have a great September Shannon 🙂
Nereyda│ Nick & Nereyda’s Infinite Booklist
It does sound super cute! I hope you enjoy it too! And also… you MUST with The 100! Did you ever finish Season 3? Just… you must suffer WITH ME, Nereyda! Jeeeez. 😉
My latest obsession is the TV show The Flash. There are two seasons out now (third in October) and I have like two more until I’m finished with the 2nd season. I NEED MORE!!!
Great job with the Shattering Stigmas post. You all did a fantastic job with this. It’s a very important topic.
-Lauren
Aw thank you SO much, I really appreciate that! And I have heard some good things about The Flash, I shall check it out! You are so lucky the 3rd is out in October- I cannot handle my life until JANUARY when The 100 returns!
The Romantics looks way cute and I may pick that up or at least take a closer look. Love the cover for Wait For Me, and for Cure for the Common Universe too. I’m curious how The Ones turned out. And the Olympics Book Tag was so fun- so thanks for starting that shenanigan. 🙂 I’m trying to think what I’ve been obsessing over- I guess Brit shows like Marcella (Netflix) and I’ve been watching TURN: Washington’s Spies which is historically based but plays all fast and loose. It’s kind of ridiculous but fun too? It’s an AMC show, been binging on netflix. Otherwise… that’s about it sigh. I’ve never seen True Blood but I like vamps…
Have a great Labor Day!
It definitely does look cute! I hope to get to read it soon(ish). And thank you, I am so excited that the Olympic Book Tag took off- I definitely didn’t expect it to, so it was fun 😀 I will look up those shows, I need something to hold me over until January. I cannot with this long hiatus nonsense. And True Blood… well, it was good in a guilty pleasure sort of way. Have you read any of the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris? True Blood deviates WILDLY from it, but it’s a good thing! The first 6 seasons are on Amazon Prime for free, if you’re interested!
Free? Hmm that’s what I’m talking about! I am sorta between shows at the moment… I haven’t read any of the Sookie books some people seem to love ’em and others not so much? I’ve heard good things about the show though. I may try it… thanks for letting me know! If I start tweeting and posting about true Blood it’ll be all your fault! 🙂
Marcella is kinda fun, it’s not action packed or anything but she wakes up in a bathtub all bloody and can’t remember what she did, so it starts off good. She’s a cop and thinks she might have killed someone but isn’t sure. I liked it.
Congratulations for reading twelve ARCs! They are indeed a lot 🙂 And we all need to take a break once in a while, so rest and come back with amazing posts!!!
Aw thank you! I realized that I really am only having like, a 4 day break which isn’t as much as I’d like- hopefully I will be able to schedule a longer one at some point! 😀
Thanks for the 9th birthday shoutout 😉 I had so much fun doing the Olympics Book tag. I’m glad I got it posted before the Olympics actually ended. I have to run and read your review of Tumbling now which was an unexpected favorite of mine this summer. And congrats on reading 12 arcs this month–totally badass goal-meeting right there!
Aw thank you so much!! And seriously, girl- NINE years!? That deserves to be celebrated! Just think about next year- a DECADE of blogging!? I am so impressed! And I am so excited that you loved the tag- I seriously expected like, two people to do it and only because I made them ? So, you kind of made me super happy! I am glad you loved Tumbling, I definitely enjoyed it too!
So. Many. Books. *swoon* I just picked up The Call from my library after seeing a review from a friend. It sounds so out there but I’m in the need for something totally different after completing the 10th (and final) book in a series. My heart hurts at saying goodbye so I need a 180 from what I’ve been reading.Big gold star for tackling 12 ARCs – that’s awesome! We Are Okay looks so good. I’m looking forward to that one next year. I plan on hibernating this weekend myself. Tropical Storm Hermine has come through and is drenching us with rain and winds so it’s the perfect excuse to hunker down and be a little hermit all weekend.
I agree, it DOES sound out there, but that was the draw for me hahah. I should seriously read it soon. I keep procrastinatinG! And I am sorry that you had to say goodbye to such a long series! That is SO hard. I hope it was good, at least! We Are Okay does look so good! And I hope you stay safe- and dry- and have a lovely hermit time! 😀
I also read 12 books for ARC August!! I was planning on more but I procrastinated a lot haha I really love the cover for The Romantics! It looks so cute! I was obsessed with the show Firefly! It’s on Netflix and only 14 episodes and a movie. It’s so good! It’s a great show and I can’t believe it got cancelled 🙁 I’m currently obsessed with Sherlock Holmes (the tv show). I don’t know why I never watched this! 11 minutes into it and I was hooked!
Aw great job reading 12! I was originally going to aim for more, and then I was like… nah. ? The Romantics DOES look cute, I hope to get to it soon! And that really sucks about Firefly! I hate so much when that happens. I have never watched Sherlock Holmes- I am kind of scared tbh- but if you were hooked so quickly, I can try at least!
HAHAHAH I would harp on you for not continuing Stranger Things, but you’re right, I’ll probably never finish The 100. my bad. ALSO I AM FEATURED HERE SO MANY TIMES IT IS GREAT. Not only are you talking about me in comments, but on your blog too! Am I a celebrity?
Of COURSE you are a celebrity. Or I am a stalker or something, you choose. But… maybe try The 100. I love it so much my heart hurts. You understand. Like The Book Thief? I love The 100 like you love The Book Thief. #Perspective.
How far did you get in Stranger Things? I found it got better as you went, if that convinces you to continue or not ;). I’m excited for you to read Long May She Reign. It’s one of my most anticipated. Also, thanks for introducing me to The Freemason’s Daughter. I’ve never clicked “want to read” any faster. 😀
Literally only the first episode, so this DOES help! I mean, it was weird, which I knew, but I didn’t care? But i can try again if it gets better! And I am super excited for Long May She Reign too! And YAY that you found a book to add!! That makes me happy 😀
Well, I’ve recently become obsessed with web-series that are adaptations of classics (Jane Austen, Bronte sisters, Shakespeare, etc.) But I can’t recommend it because it is a rabbit hole of rabbit holes that eats all the time.
Bwhahah yes, I do NOT need rabbit holes. I mean, blogging is already kind of one, and being bookishly obsessed is another so… ? I am glad you found something that you love though!
I am just going to take a moment to appreciate you and all the time you put into this. OH my goodness. I can’t imagine how long it takes to just link all of those posts from other blogs and I just really enjoy reading through your wrap ups. Thank you!
Awwww thank you SO much! You have no idea how much that means to me! It is pretty time consuming, but knowing that people enjoy it makes it 100% worth it, you have literally made my day!! ♥♥♥
You deserve a little break after the awesome craziness that was Shattering Stigmas! Hope you get lots done!
Aw thank you!! I mean, I didn’t get a TON done, but hey, better than nothing I guess? (Also, please tell me that someday, parenting gets less…. pulling your hair out? I am begging you, even if you are lying, lie to me ? )
Parenting gets way, way, way easier. It is now a piece of cake. My hair is all firmly in place. (Was that convincing?)
No, really, it does get easier. Not that there aren’t still days of torment where I end up in tears, but they’re fewer and further between. My kids, on many days, are fully functioning members of human society and I rarely want to throw in the towel and move to Bermuda. Rarely.
I do hope you enjoyed having a bit of a break because it’s necessary to do that from time to time! I also really like the sound of all these new books D: There are too many for me to possibly be able to comment on them all, but enjoy them. Oh, and good on you for reaching your ARC August goal!
Aw thank you so much!! I need a longer break (and one where I actually, you know, take a REAL break hahah) but I guess for now it will have to do 😀
Thanks for all you contribute to the community. Enjoy your time (almost) off.
Aww thank you SO much, that was so very sweet! ♥♥♥
This is a great set up for a monthly wrap up, Shannon. Really enjoyed reading it!
…”Wait for Me” is one of my anticipated debuts of the next year! The era, the cover and the story are all fabulous. 🙂
I hope to see as busy a month in September! 😉
You have done awesome!