Welcome to April’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. As always, I link up with the Wrap Up Round Up, too!
The Books
For Review/From Publishers:
The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper ♦ We Made It All Up by Margot Harrison ♦ This Is Not the Real World by Anna Carey
Hugest of thanks to the publishers!!
eARCs:
Huge thanks to the publishers for these lovelies! I am so excited for all of them!
Purchased:
The High House by Jessie Greengrass ♦ Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton & Gareth L. Powell ♦ You Feel It Just Below the Ribs by Jeffrey Cranor & Janina Matthewson ♦ Dead Space by Kali Wallace ♦ Boys of the Beast by Monica Zepeda ♦ Remember Me Gone by Stacy Stokes ♦ The Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis ♦ The Gilded Ones by Naima Forna ♦ Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate ♦ Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel ♦ Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum ♦ Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
Yes, now we’re back on our bullshit. The responsibility couldn’t last forever, right?
I also bought this beauty- featured in episode 6×09 (What You Take With You), which is such an emotional fave!
Won/Gifted/Traded:
Nothing this month!
Shenanigans Since Last Time:
I read 12 books this month. Oof at the number.
Okay so while it was small in quantity, it was high as hell in quality. A lot of wins here, friends. More than one new favorite, I daresay.
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!
- Beth @ Bethwyrm shares her favorite non-romance tropes
- Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction shares her very useful, totally legit new writing method
- Nyx @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books offers some of her favorite YA Dystopian novels (you guys know those are my jam!)
- Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Reviews proposes adding a “Not Right Now” category
- Briana @ Pages Unbound explains why book blogging is definitely not a dying art
- Nicole @ Thoughts Stained With Ink talks about the importance of commenting on book blogs
- AJ @ Read All The Things! shares childhood books she’ll keep forever
- Sam @ We Live and Breathe Books shares her bookish quirks
- Louise @ Monstrumology discusses celebrity authors
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!
Pretty covers are pretty.
Things we need to talk about at this juncture:
- I want to give you fun, upbeat, positive news! But I don’t have any. Sorry. Look guys, one day, maybe I will, if you cross your fingers and send good juju my way. But as it stands, my juju is garbage. I have gotten expired, rotten juju I guess? Work has decided it’s laying people off (because the school board doesn’t want to raise their own taxes basically) and as someone who was just hired this year… yeah. My roof was leaking, so that had to be replaced, along with some drywall that got ruined, and half of Sam’s bedroom. Also, I am tired.
- Easter was nice enough though. I finally got to attend after a few COVID-y years, so that was nice! Lena is playing softball, Sam got his next rank in karate, and I went on a fishing trip with our class and none of the kids drowned or ate any bait! So, small wins heh.
Ooh first comment. 🙂
Aww what a cute pic! And fishing??!?
I’ve been curious about three Miles Down ever since it was announced. And the Danwhounds- what a cover. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on those. I see you got Dead Space- can’t remember if you’ve already read it? All the books are jambling together for me. Loved it.
Aw thanks! And not by CHOICE hahah. It was a field trip, which seemed… terrifying to me. Like we really letting a bunch of autistic kids around open water and fishhooks? Seemed like a recipe for disaster, but alas, it worked out okay! I got made fun of a LOT for literally never having touched a fishing pole before, but I can live with it 😂
I am excited for those, too! I will let you know, of course. And nope, I have been meaning to get Dead Space since you were raving about it but I hadn’t- then a BookShop.org sale came along and here we are!
Ha my dad used to take me fishing and I was like wait- I gotta handle worms? I don’t handle worms voluntarily lol. But I got used to it…
Dead Space is bomb. I liked it way more than dead Silence (what’s with Dead stuff) which is also super popular right now but to me Space was funner.
Bwhahah I did not get used to it, and instead asked the grizzled old men to do it for me and the child I was with. The kid didn’t want to touch tehm either! 😂
I am so sad that you didn’t like Dead Silence more because I was so such a huge fan, BUT I am glad to hear that Dead Space was so good- and funny! I like funny!
I’m looking forward to your thoughts on Dead Space. And I did like Dead Silence I guess I just didn’t love it as MUCH as I thought I would. Mainly the ending- I was hoping for a different explanation. But it was still good! And ha sounds like you handled the about right 🙂
Hey! Thanks for the shout out. Glad you liked that post!
Aw of course! And I definitely did!
sorry you’re dealing with so much stress! My work is laying people off too, on a rolling basis. It’s absolutely horrible. Hugs!
Thank you so much! And UGH I am so sorry, I really hope that you are okay too ♥♥
I just love seeing pics of your kids, they’re so cute😁 12 books to me sounds great, and I’m glad you enjoyed a lot of them. I’m reading Mercury Rising right now, it’s so different and I’m really enjoying it. Can’t wait to read Just Like Mother! I’m looking forward to your reviews😁
AW thank you so much!! I mean- 12 isn’t BAD bad but I started the month of pretty well and I have no idea what happened hahah.
So I LOVED Mercury Rising. The first couple chapters, I wasn’t sure, and then at some point it sucked me in, and it sucked me in HARD. Just Like Mother was… definitely bananas! I am looking forward to your reviews too, we must compare notes!
At this point, the universe owes you, so I am hoping you get some upgraded juju. The kids are adorable and that picture made me smile. Thank you for sharing. You got a lot of new books to look forward to as well (I mean, a lot) I am crossing all my fingers and toes that a fantastic job finds you soon.
Aw thank you! Honestly I feel like I must have been really awful in a past life or something because HOW did I get this particular juju? 😂 And thank you so much! I really appreciate it ♥♥
I’m sorry life is really rough right now. It’s been such a bad few years and we all just want some relief not more bad news. Hugs
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it ♥♥ Hope you are having a good May!
I hope your job is able to keep you! I started a new job on April 23, and I’m still shocked that they hired me. I guess a lot of places are short staffed and will take anybody. I’m glad the fishing trip went well. It’s always a win when no one drowns or eats bait. 🙂
Aw congrats on your new joB! I hope it is going really well for yoU! I am hoping so too, ugh. It’s going to be a really stressful month- luckily I don’t have to worry about fishing again 😂
The Dawnhounds and Mere Mortals sounds like fun! And I see you bought Dead Space, which I loved and deserves WAY much recognition!
It’s thought that you got laid off. Friday was my last work day as well. I hope we both get to find something soon…
“sound” 🙄
YES! I am so excited for Dead Space- I really hope I get to it asap! I hear great things! Ugh I hope you find something for sure. I will hear in another MONTH whether I need to start looking yet again. So stressful, right?
I am sending you all the good juju I can find because it sounds like you’ve got it rough right now. You deserve some good news to arrive soon. Why is it bad news seems to come all at once like a wrecking ball on life but good stuff comes in tiny drips?
Thank you SO much ♥♥ It’ll be another month likely before we know anything, which is so rude, right? I feel you with the bad stuff versus good- like at least the good could offset it, if there was any! 😂
So sorry about how things are going. With all the lack of teachers and how people are leaving education, you’d think they’d keep those who want to be there! Ugh! How cool you got something from a favorite show! I would love to get something like that from Buffy or The Big Bang Theory. Great books, I need to get the new Blood Like Fate book. I was hoping for a physical ARC, but will definitely have to get the e-ARC because the first was one of my favorites last year!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2022/05/02/the-looooong-and-the-short-of-it-with-a-giveaway-april-2022-wrap-up-post-and-what-to-expect-in-may/
Thank you so much! And you are SO right- the irony is, they are literally still hiring, and have job postings on their site. Like….? Because we ARE very understaffed, so how exactly is this going to work!? Stupid school board, tbh- it’s on them, not the school itself.
I bet they have Buffy or TBBT floating around! I hope you can find something one day! YEP I loved book one last year SO much, hopefully we both enjoy the sequel!
I’m so sorry about the job situation. That’s frustrating and on top of the roof thing too…yikes. But I’m glad the kids are doing well and you got to attend Easter festivities! Hopefully all the other bad stuff now will clear space for better things going forward. I’m around if you want to chat or brainstorm or just decompress a bit. Keep hanging in there!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate you ♥♥ I am just sick of bad stuff, you know? Time for some good news hah. How are you doing?
Ooof, I am so, so sorry about the not-fun drama. I’m a little worried that your new decor means your house (or room) is slowly turning into the pit and you’re on the path to Blodreina. 😀
I hope things turn around before Boston, but you’re gonna have a good time on that trip even if I have to set something on fire to make it happen. I also hope you’re able to rest and recover, despite the scariness of life right now. Maybe you won’t be laid off, after all?
Dude I am like, one shitty day away from legit becoming Blodreina, no joke. Just because I get to stab anyone who doesn’t agree with me. 😂 AW thank you! I am SO excited for it, and not just for The 100 (but obviously also for The 100 heheh). My fingers are crossed, but I have to wait til late June to know for sure, so. I feel like the tension over it is crueler than just laying us off at this point!
Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry about your job. I can’t even imagine the stress that must be causing you (and meanwhile I’m messaging you with like petty grievances that will not be named). I hope you find something else very soon!!
Awww thank you, and also, no worries at ALL- it isn’t petty, it is legit because it is causing you (wildly unnecessary) stress! Which you a million percent never deserved!
Ugh, I’m so sorry about the job stuff. That is never fun to deal with, on top of everything else. I hope you’re able to keep your job (if you want to) and that things look better soon!
And thank you so much for sharing my post!
Thank you so much! I do really want to keep it, I mean, it is hard (a room full of kids with autism at varying levels is never like, relaxing 😂) but I do like it, so I hope so too! ANd of course!! ♥♥♥
Oh gosh, I hope you don’t get laid off! That’s stressful. I hope that May is a wonderful month. Yay for beautiful books at least. 🙂
Thank you so much! I hope not too ugh. I won’t know for awhile still, so. That’s stressful heh. And thank you, I hope you are having a lovely May too!