Looking Back: Shifting from Spooky Mode to Holiday Mode. Happy First of the Month!!!

How was YOUR Halloween?

That's the first thing everyone's going to ask you today, right?
Might as well join the party!!!

This year, my niece (almost 2) and my friend's daughter (almost 5) were both black cats for Halloween. Soooo my friend and my sister and I decided to get the girls together in their kitty outfits. They looked sooooooooooo cute and they kept meowing at one another!!! (No photos for the web, sorry!!!!)

I decided to paint my nails with black cats to match the girls:

I'm not an artist, I know!!! They're not great and I debated posting this at all,
but oh well!!! At least they sort of look like cats!!!

We actually got together on Friday, not Saturday....and I didn't know until that evening that Friday was National Cat Day!!!! We could have had some extra fun!!!

Speaking of Nail Polish...Some of My Favorite Nail Art!!!

I didn't do anything too fancy this month in terms of nail art until this past week.

I mostly just had single-color nails, sometimes with a different color on an accent nail.

The cats were my fancy!

Buuuuuuuut OPI just came out with their brand-new holiday collection, "Starlight," and it is SO GORGEOUS. I wanted them all!!! My mom and I went to the store together to look during a BOGO, and between the two of us, we picked up these six beauties:

This lightning does NOT do them justice!!!
So much sparkle and glam, though!!!

MUSIC 🎶

In September, I listened to The Killers for the first time in a while, which I talked about a little in last month's write-up. I'd been researching if they'd had anything new that I'd overlooked, and discovered that lead singer Brandon Flowers had two solo albums. SO I've been listening to that.

And of course, the big news of the month was the drop of Adele's brand-new single "Hello." I'm eager to hear her full album later this month---ahhh, it's November, so THIS MONTH!!! 

Ellie Goulding has an album dropping this week, but I want to hear samples first. I wasn't impressed with the one song I've heard off the album so far, and thought the tone was so different from what made me love her. SO WE'LL SEE.

I'm also about to get a couple of musical recordings to listen to, Hamilton the Musical and The Light Princess, so I'll have more on those in the next wrap-up!

MOVIES!!! 

....Recommend me some stuff? ^.~  I have Netflix now! It doesn't recommend things I like, and the few things I've found on my own are meeeeeeeeeeh.


I went to the movies for the first time since...probably Inside Out? I saw Pan! The movie was supposed to come out in July and I was going to go for my birthday, but it was pushed.

I went with my friend and her two children. The kids LOVED it. It was a magical experience. My friend and I both enjoyed it, too. We think it was unfairly raked across the coals. It's not THAT bad, especially not if you like Peter Pan! And Hugh Jackman? He was SUPERB as the villainous Blackbeard! Garrett Hedlund also made a great Hook! We hope the movie does well  in its second life on DVD so there's a sequel, because who DOESN'T want to see how Hook and Pan become enemies!? Definitely worth at least renting when the time comes, everyone!

That was my October. 

How was yours???

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

ONGOING GIVEAWAYS:

*THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS by Marieke Nijkamp  (11/2)
*THE DARK HEART OF MAGIC by Jennifer Estep (11/2)

*SOUNDLESS by Richelle Mead Pre-Order Campaign (The things you GET when you pre-order!!!!)

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

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


*A WEEK OF WINTER:
November 8-15, 2015!

 

READING NOW:
{All links to Goodreads!}

*About to start TRICKS by Ellen Hopkins



PLANNING TO READ IN NOVEMBER:

*RED GIRL BLUE BOY by Lauren Baratz-Logstead

*THE GIRL WHO COULD NOT DREAM by Sarah Beth Durst

*TRICKS by Ellen Hopkins
*TRAFFICK by Ellen Hopkins
*THE WRATH AND THE DAWN by Renee Ahdieh
*THE ACCIDENT SEASON by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
*SERPENTINE by Cindy Pon 

*MINOTAUR by Phillip W. Simpson

*THE SHRUNKEN HEAD by Lauren Oliver
*COURT OF FIVES by Kate Elliott

*ASH & BRAMBLE by Sarah Prineas
*BRAZEN by Christina Farley
*LEGACY OF KINGS by Eleanor Herman
*PASSENGER by Alexandra Bracken

 

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

READ IN OCTOBER:
{All links to Goodreads!}

TOTAL: 7 Books and 4 novellas

*THE ORPHAN QUEEN by Jodi Meadows {YA} [Re-Read]
*THE MIRROR KING by Jodi Meadows {YA}
*THE HIDDEN PRINCE by Jodi Meadows {YA} [Novella]
*THE GLOWING KNIGHT by Jodi Meadows {YA} [Novella]
*THE ROSE SOCIETY by Marie Lu {YA}
*FOREVER WITH YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout {Adult}
*ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins {YA} [Re-Read]
*DREAM OF YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout {Adult} [Novella]
*BELIEVE IN ME by Jennifer L. Armentrout {Adult} [Novella]
*CAPTIVATE by Vanessa Garden {YA}
*NOW AND AGAIN by Jennifer Ellision {YA}

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

Slow month...I'm sorry!!! I need to be online more in November, okay? ^_^

*MADLY (THE POTION DIARIES in the UK) by Amy Alward {YA}
*DUMPLIN' by Julie Murphy
*MY THREE BEST FRIENDS AND ME, ZULAY by Cari Best {Picture Book}

*PRINCESS CUPCAKE JONES AND THE QUEEN'S CLOSET by Ylleya Fields {Picture Book}

*THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS by Marieke Nijkamp {YA} [redux] [Spotlight]

FEATURES IN OCTOBER:

*Get Under the Covers with FOUR of This Week's Hot New Releases!
*Looking Back: My First Ever Writer's Retreat, Fun Nail Art, Fantastic Books, and even more to look forward to in October!
*If you could re-read a book from your book boyfriend's POV, who would you choose!?
*{Excerpt} H2O and H2O: THE STORM by Virginia Bergin
*{A Twist in the Tail} Why I love THE LIGHT PRINCESS and am excited for the new Tori Amos cast recording adapting the fairy tale to stage!
*Top 10 Wishes I'd Ask The Book Genie To Grant Me!
*Once Upon a Time is having its STRONGEST SEASON EVER and if you've given up on the series, it's time for a second chance!!!
*Top Ten Spooky Middle-Grade Novels!
*{Excerpt} DARK HEART OF MAGIC by Jennifer Estep
*Special Giveaway + First Look at........THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS by Marieke Nijkamp!
*Announcing Soleri, a brand-new epic fantasy series from best selling author Michael Johnston!
*Special Pre-Order Campaign for SOUNDLESS by Richelle Mead gets YOU an autographed copy, EXCLUSIVE dust jacket, & special sampler of just-announced THE GLITTERING COURT!!!