Welcome to September’s Monthly Minutes at Midnight!
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. Also, covers all link to Goodreads, because I am awesome.
The Books
For Review/From Publishers:
The Last Witness by Claire McFall
We Are Lost and Found by Helene Dunbar
The Pretenders by Rebecca Hanover
Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and Wunderkind PR!!
eARCs:
Huge thanks to William Morrow, Harper Teen, Gallery, and Tor Teen!!
Purchased:
Only one pre-order. Pretty good job, Past Shannon.
Won/Gifted/Traded:
Huge thanks to Tanglewood for Surface Tension, Penguin for War Girls, Wednesday Books for Foul is Fair, and Little, Brown for Girls Like Us. Oh, and I also bought this Eliza Taylor mug to support her school Koh Tao Primary!
Shenanigans Since Last Time:
I read 11 books this month. Not as many as last month, but with school starting and long work weeks… what are you gonna do?
This is one of those polarizing months: a lot of really good ones, and a few really not-so-good ones. I daresay there’ll be a few two-star reviews on the horizon! And, some five-stars, yay! Also, I won’t pretend that The Hunger didn’t send me down a weeks-long Wikipedia rabbit hole about the Donner Party. ?♀️
Giveaways: Click Here, or on Sidebar
Blogosphere Bulletin
Here are some of the loveliest/most entertaining/super helpful/just plain interesting posts I found this month!
- Lauren @ Bookmark Lit is hosting #ReadForGrace in memory of Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog
- Karen @ For What It’s Worth shares her experience at Squirrel Fest (yes, you read that right!)
- Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books provides a “If You Like this Show, You’ll Love this Book” list
- Malka @ Paper Procrastinators talks about reading books before they became popular
- Sam @ We Live and Breathe Books discusses not being a fangirl in the book community
- Amber @ Du Livre wants to know WTF is YA?
- Sammie @ The Writerly Way explains why she writes negative reviews
- Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books shares things you need to know about book blogging
- Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction is a judge for the 2019 Cybils Awards
- Cait @ Paper Fury knows how much everyone loves decisions and has made a Part 2 of the “This or That” book tag
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!
Double-dipped with Strange Exit; feel zero remorse. Also, I don’t know that I have wanted to read a book as badly as Upright Women Wanted in awhile.
Things we need to talk about at this juncture:
- The 100 is filming its final season and no you’re crying. Two Season 6 characters have been promoted to main cast: Chuku Modu as Gabriel Santiago and Shelby Flannery as Hope Diyoza. I am stoked about Chuku’s promotion (because frankly, I feel like he earned it in S6), and while I am happy for Shelby on a human level, I feel the same about Shannon Kook’s promotion after one episode: Feels a little unfair to Sachin, Jarod, Luisa, etc. Plus look at how great that worked out for Jordan’s character ? I figure we won’t get much more than some casting news really, everything will probably remain pretty hush-hush. A few newbies were cast as sleeping Eligius IV folks. Picasso the dog is back. And that’s about all we know.
- My kitchen is finally being redone! Remember that time my kitchen caught on fire? Well, the wheels of insurance and finding a contractor with five minutes to spare turn slowly, but finally it’s going to be redone! So while the next few weeks will suck, hopefully I’ll have a shiny new kitchen to show you next month!
- #ShatteringStigmas starts on Sunday! I won’t be posting every single day probably but look, life is hard and I am doing the best(ish) that I can. The guest posters also work so hard and are so brave for sharing, I really hope you’re able to check it out and send them lots of love!
- The Bookish Games are back! In fact, sign-ups start today! So get yourself over there if you want to play- it’s ADSOM, which I am sure everyone and their mom is giddy about. I read it once, like 237 years ago and remember precisely nothing, so.
Looks like you had some really good reads that look good covers. I am wondering which one that are not so bad. I hope you have some fun and enjoy those books.
Ha I know I am terrible at not giving the full scoop on the books ? Honestly I just know that if I start talking about them, I’ll end up practically writing reviews of them all! Actually, I think there were only two I didn’t like! And they weren’t *all* bad, I think they’ll appeal to certain audiences? But they’re both October 2019 fantasies, if that helps!
The pain! I hate that you spent precious time reading a book that only earned 2-stars from you. I hope that if you end up with less reading time, due to school and work, that all your books make it past that 3-star mark. My goodness! It seems like that fire was forever ago. Glad you are finally able to get the repairs. Thank you so much for sharing my post. XOXO
Aw thanks! Yeah it was in April I think? May? Who can remember! The insurance money took ages (I mean thank goodness it exists but yeah) and then when it finally came, the contractor was SUPER busy so… here we are! And yeah those two books were probably wastes of my time- though the worst part is that they didn’t suck *quite* enough to make me really super snarky. I think I have lost my touch ?
Have you read The Indifferent Stars Above? It’s about The Donner Party. I ordered it last week, but I haven’t gotten it yet. I hope your kitchen gets done quickly. Have a great October!
OOOOH I have not but now I WANT TO! You must let me know as soon as you read it so I know if I should buy it! It does sound right up my alley, I just read the description! And thanks so much, you too!
I got approved for Reverie on NetGalley (how did it even happen? I had 3 books on my shelf and still ZERO RATIO!) and I’m starting it as soon as I mange to finish my latest review. Strange Exit I downloaded from the same site (it’s a Read Now), read and loved!
Good luck with your kitchen!
OMG that cracks me up! Reverie looks quite good- I am forcing myself to wait until next month to read it, or I’ll forget when it’s time to review ? And YES Strange Exit looks fabulous, I did the same thing when it was Read Now! I hope we both enjoy them! And thanks so much!
Ha! Thank you for sharing my Squirrel Fest shenanigans.
I LOVE your gargoyle. I collect them 🙂
Stay strong during the kitchen renovations!
Karen @ For What It’s Worth
Of course! I LOVED that post, it was so fun! And do you!? That is so cool! It was an inside joke between me and my high school best friend, I bought her one too, I love it! And thank you so much!
You got some cool looking stuff this time around! The Companions huh? Looks good. And I know I’ve said it before but that cover of Five Dark Fates is so awesome. I still need to read it too!
The hunger would probably do the same thing for me, honestly? Like I keep hearing about the Donner party but I don’t really know what it is, except that it’s bad apparently? And with a title like that, I can sorta imagine? Also… love the look of Deception. Why does a biohazard symbol always get my attention??
Yay for your kitchen! And looking forward to #Shattering Stigmas.
I cannot believe you still haven’t read FDF! Though have you read any of the things yet? I hope so, anyway!
I LOVE all things Donner Party. Always have. So you know how The Oregon Trail is one of the most fascinating things ever to me, well this is when shit goes BAD on the Oregon/CA trail. And they resorted to cannibalism to live, and basically made every wrong choice there is to make along the way. It was awesome.
Deception is a sequel to Contagion, actually. I think I liked it better than book one, too!
And thanks so much!!
I am reading none of the things haha! I’ve retired from reading. At least it seems that way. I don’t even know if it’s a slump or if I’m just slacking??
I knew it was cannibalism! Why is there so much cannibalism now? I mean, really, it’s everywhere these days. I mean, take I-Land. there was no reason they needed a cannibal, right? But they added one. Just cause. I’m telling you, it’s all the rage.
Ah, I thought it might be, something about the cover but I couldn’t see the authors name. Speaking of, I need to read that series probably then.
Wowww how long has it been!? That is one hell of a slump/slack-fest!
I LOVE cannibalism. ALL the Dark Year references, please and thank you. But okay the Donner Party stuff makes sense, but in I-Land they never even let me SEE the cannibal, where the hell is the fun in that!? There really should be another season, or the cannibal storyline was for naught.
Ah yes, Teri Terry! It was pretty good, I will have a definitive opinion when I am done with the series. It’s located in Scotland or something too, which is unique!
You read a lot that is currently on my TBR or that I know I’m getting in a subscription box. So hopefully I like them if I get to them hahah Also, I NEEEEED to catch up with The 100. I am SO FAR BEHIND.
Oh yay, I liked most of them, so fingers crossed that you will too! And YES definitely catch up!! it was pretty epic! And then we can chat about it!
I love that you refer to yourself as “past Shannon.” So funny! I will be eagerly awaiting the next season of The 100, mostly because you make me love it. And I can’t wait to see your new kitchen!
Bwhahah well, sometimes Past Shannon doesn’t make the best life choices, so I have to give her props when she does ? And YESSS I am so excited but also so sad so Idk which one will win out!
Ahh Shannon you’ve read some great books this past month, I’m eager to hear all of your thoughts on all of these, especially The Light At The Bottom of the World, one of my most anticipated reads 🙂
I can’t wait for the Shattering Stigma event to get started and I’ll be looking forward to all of the posts, too. I adored the event last year and it was so wonderful to be able to co-host it .I can’t wait to read everyone’s posts. <3
I hope you'll have a lovely October <3
I want pictures of that kitchen remodel!!! I need to watch The 100. I think I only got to part of season 1 and I got so confused so I just stopped watching it. Don’t hate me! But I love your dedication to it!
That’s great news about the kitchen, Shannon! I’m so happy for you! But yes, things will be . . . interesting while the kitchen’s in demo mode. Just remember, the microwave is your best friend. Good luck! And I mean, as long as the dog survives, do we really need to know anything else? 😉
The Crier’s War looks so stinkin’ pretty. Yeay at the kitchen!
OMG Foul is Fair looks like a kind of teen Macbeth??! *grabby hands*
What would you like to know about the Donner Party? I’ve done SO much research on them. My family owned, until a few years ago, a cabin just a few miles from where they camped that fateful winter. I was pretty obsessed as a pre-teen. And it’s a sadly still-true story: Smart guy who’s an asshole gets kicked out, while charismatic idiot gets put in charge and kills everyone due to said idiocy, but of course the brown people die first.
Oh my gosh your kitchen is JUST NOW being redone?! Yikes. I figured that had happened already. How have you been eating all these months?! 🙁
I’m excited about ADSOM, but sad that so many of my favorite players are sticking to the peanut gallery instead of playing. Although, at least we’ve got some new blood in there. And 19 people….I’m already overwhelmed. 😀
Eleven books! That’s awesome!
Yay for your kitchen finally being re-done. That’s awesome. Sorry for the less than stellar books you read, but that’s awesome you read some really great ones too!
-Lauren
The cover of The Hunger makes me think of The Killer in Me and of In a Handful of Dust. Threatening red foreground and stormy sky. The only one of those books I’ve read is Five Dark Fates, which I was satisfied with, if not completely in love with. I just added a few of your October reads to my TBR, so I’m hoping I picked the ones you liked!
You are awesome! I can’t wait to see photos of your new kitchen–finally! It seems like forever. We just redid ours and it’s the best thing we’ve done to this house. I can’t wait to read Crier’s War!
I need to get a copy of The Pretenders, I really enjoyed The Similars. Looks like you read some good books this past month.
Check out my End of Month post