{Month in Review/Monthly Preview} July was for birthdays and family time, and August is plotting to be way too hot!

Summer is in Full Swing!

We've been lucky to have a summer where the days aren't in the crazy upper 90s or 100s for the most part, but the heat has been really bad for the past week or two. I'm not looking forward to how hot it will get in August! I'm not a fan of super heat. Thankfully I can stay indoors for the most part (But that's also sad because I like sitting outside to read or write in fair weather). I have a lot of afternoon hourrs at work right now, though, so I still have to experience some of that heat, yuck!! Sometimes, the heat makes me really lethargic or gives me nasty migraines, so I've been pretty unproductive lately! ^^;;;

But it was my Birthday!

Last weekend was my birthday, and I had a really nice time! Every year for my birthday, I pick a special book to begin reading. It can be something I'm dying to read, something I've been dying to get to, or something I'm looking forward to re-reading. Just something I WANT. This year, I chose THE LAST EVER AFTER by Soman Chainani, which came out a few days before my birthday, and began reading that. Ironically, last year, I chose the second book in his series, A WORLD WITHOUT PRINCES, because I'd been trying to get to it for months and hadn't had time. This year, I just desperately wanted to read the finale--and what a book!

I also got some amazing presents from my family: A new caddy to hold my nail polish, some actual nail polish from ORLY (Walgreens is exclusively selling three ORLY Disney Collections featuring Ariel, Mulan, and Pocahontas, and I was lucky enough to get mini-kits of all three!), a movie based on a musical I love (The Last 5 Years), a beautiful peacock mug complete with a reusable container, and, of course, some books!!!
 

You just want to know more about those books, don't you!?

*BLOOD RED by Mercedes Lackey
*SECOND STAR by Alyssa Sheinmel
*CHARM by Sarah Pinborough
*POISON by Sarah Pinborough
*BEAUTY by Sarah Pinborough
*A BOOK OF SPIRITS AND THIEVES by Morgan Rhodes
*UPROOTED by Naomi Novik (And it's signed!!!!)
*ONCE UPON A DREAM: From Perrault's Sleeping Beauty to Disney's Maleficent by Charles Solomon
*A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES: From the Grimm Brothers' Aschenputtel to Disney's Cinderella by Charles Solomon

FAMILY TIME. 

During the Fourth of July weekend, my mom and I spent a day in New York City. We had tickets to see On the 20th Century starring Kristin Chenoweth, and tickets were SO hard to get that it was the only day available when I called! So I jumped on it. My mom's ankle was acting up and it was hot and all her bead stores she wanted to shop at were closed for the holiday, so we decided to go to TKTS, and she chose Finding Neverland for us to see. I've always been a fan of that movie, and the musical is very similar, but with music. And with Matthew Morrison, who I've enjoyed as a performer since before the rest of the world "discovered" him through Glee, lol!

I also attended my sister-in-law's baby shower and will be a second-time aunt sometime between the end of August and mid-September! Her and my brother have chosen not to find out the baby's gender until the big day. I've also seen my niece (my sister's daughter) a few times this month, and shes' growing so fast! Can't believe she's one and a half already!

MUSIC. 

I went to Broadway and saw On the 20th Century and Finding Neverland so it's always nice to have musical music in your head. The reoccuring theme song from OTTC is so darn catchy! 

Melanie Martinez had a couple of new music videos drop, and while I don't like the songs as much as the first couple she revealed, I'm still excited to hear her full album later this month.

MOVIES!!! 

I finally saw Jupiter Ascending and was disappointed by how little of the Snow White story was at the forefront. But the CGI was good and the costumes were gorgeous. Especially Jupiter's wedding dress!

I also watched the premiere of Disney's Descendants on Friday night, and, mmmm it was about as cheesy as I expected it to be (Especially after making my way through the prequel novel ISLE OF THE LOST this week to get ready...), but there was a lovely song performed by Kristin Chenoweth that Andrew Lippa wrote, so that was probably my favorite part. ^^;; 

 
That was my July. 

How was yours???

Here's a look at everything that happened in July!
 

ONGOING GIVEAWAYS:

*$25 GC from TRUTH & TEMPTATION Author Riley Edgewood (8/22)
*$25 GC from DESTROYING ANGEL Author Missy Wilkinson (9/26)
*NEVER ALWAYS SOMETIMES by Adi Alsaid (8/11)

Check out the August Blog Tour Schedule for more upcoming giveaways!

AUGUST BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
(Most blog tour stops feature giveaways as well!)


*NEVER ALWAYS SOMETIMES by Adi Alsaid {8/1 Review/Excerpt}
*NEVER BEEN TEXTED by Linda Joy Singleton {8/3 Cover Reveal}
*DAUGHTER OF DUSK by Livia Blackburne {8/4 Blitz}
*THE LEMORIAN CREST by Hannah L. Clark {8/5 Blitz}
*THE GLASS MERMAID by Poppy Lawless {8/6 Blitz}
*MECHANICA by Betsy Cornwell {8/20 Review} 
*RIOT OF STORM AND SMOKE by Jennifer Ellision {8/21 Interview} 
*CAGE OF DECEIT by Jennifer Anne Davis {8/21 Review} 
*DEAD UPON A TIME by Elizabeth Paulson {8/26 Interview}
*SHATTERED FROST by Liz DeJesus {8/27 Excerpt} 

 

READING NOW:
{All links to Goodreads!}

I'm about to start a book! I'm not sure what yet. It will either be DUMPLIN' by Julie Murply, THE ACCIDENT SEASON by Moïra Fowley-Doyle, or LET'S GET LOST by Adi Alsaid. 

Help me choose!!!! Which would you read!?


PLANNING TO READ IN AUGUST:

*FLINTLOCK by Ashley Nixon
*DUMPLIN' by Julie Murphy
*THE ACCIDENT SEASON by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
*LET'S GET LOST by Adi Alsaid
*COURT OF FIVES by Kate Elliott
*RED GIRL BLUE BOY by Lauren Baratz-Logstead
*MECHANICA by Betsy Cornwell
*CAGE OF DECEIT by Jennifer Anne Davis 
*A WHOLE NEW WORLD by Liz Braswell
*SERPENTINE by Cindy Pon 
*SPINNING STARLIGHT by R.C. Lewis
*PASSENGER by Alexandra Bracken

 

[link to my GoodReads account so you can see my blurb feed as I read]

READ IN JULY:
{All links to Goodreads!}

TOTAL: At least 11 Books
(Okay....I haven't used Goodreads in a LONG time. IDK why. I need to catch up! So I'm doing this from memory and might forget some books. So...at least 11? Sorry!!!)

*I KILL THE MOCKINGBIRD by Paul Acampora {MG}
*A GIRL CALLED FEARLESS by Catherine Linka {YA}
*A GIRL UNDONE by Catherine Linka {YA}
*WILD HEARTS by Jessica Burkhart {YA}
*ALL LINED UP by Cora Carmack {New Adult}
*ALL BROKE DOWN by Cora Carmack {New Adult}
*ALL PLAYED OUT by Cora Carmack {New Adult}
*DEAD UPON A TIME by Elizabeth Paulson {YA}
*THE IMMORTAL HEIGHTS by Sherry Thomas {YA}

*THE LAST EVER AFTER by Soman Chainani {MG}
*THE ISLE OF THE LOST by Melissa de la Cruz {MG}

REVIEWED IN JULY:
{All links to my review!}

*THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE by Jennifer E. Smith {YA} [Redux]
*JESSE'S GIRL by Miranda Kenneally {YA}
*THE MOCKINGBIRDS by Daisy Whitney {YA} [Redux]
*I KILL THE MOCKINGBIRD by Paul Acampora {MG}
*WILD HEARTS by Jessica Burkhart {YA}
*INTERSTELLAR CINDERELLA by Deborah Underwood {Picture Book} [+Design Vlog!]
*TRUTHWITCH by Susan Dennard {YA} [You're Gonna Love Me Spotlight]

FEATURES IN JULY:

*{A Twist in the Tail} Announcing STARS ABOVE by Marissa Meyer AND Spread the Word about WINTER by Officially Joining the Resistance!
*{Month in Review/Monthly Preview} June Means...It's Summer!!!!!
*Happy Book Day to THE HEART OF BETRAYAL and Reviewing THE KISS OF DECEPTION by Mary E. Pearson!

*65 E-Book Deals From 99¢ to $5, categorized by genre! *{Mad About Nails} Patriotic Water Marbling with the brand-new OPI Color Paints!
*{Blind Unboxing Vlog} A Box of Pre-Orders and an HMH ARC Package!
*Go Behind the Scenes at the Cover Shoot for Gena Showalter's A MAD ZOMBIE PARTY, Book #4 of the White Rabbit Chronicles!
*{Mad About Nails} Minion Nail Art
*{Cover Reveal} Fairy Tale Confessions Collection--An anthology of 14 Twisted Tales!!!
*{Blind Unboxing} A Box of Pre-Ordered Purchases and one ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt!
*Top 10 Books For Diversity in Fantasy!
*I Won a #JoinTheResistance Prize Pack from Macmillan & The Lunar Chronicles! Come See Everything They Sent Me!!!
*{Blog Tour} Interviewing Hester from THE LAST EVER AFTER by Soman Chainani [School for Good and Evil Series]
*{Excerpt} TRUTH & TEMPTATION by Riley Edgewood
*{Author Interview/Excerpt} DESTROYING ANGEL by Missy Wilkinson
*Sneak Peek!! You'll LOVE Susan Dennard's TRUTHWITCH if you enjoy Avatar: The Last Airbender, Final Fantasy, X-Men, and more!