{Month in Review/Monthly Preview} How Much Do We LOVE You Guys? Let Us Count the Ways!!! Or: The Post With ALL The Pictures!
February is SPECIAL. It's almost our anniversary with you!!! ♥
How crazy is that??? I started A Backwards Story on February 9th, 2010, which means that the site's anniversary is THIS WEEK!!! Some of you have stuck by me since the very beginning, and I love you all. Others are newer to the site, but I love you just as equally. I've really loved getting to know everyone over the past few years, especially on sites such as Twitter, and I'm so excited to share this day with you on Thursday!
Something else really special is happening on Thursday, too, and I can't WAIT to talk to you about it. I've been sitting on this news for a couple of weeks now, and I finally get to spill the beans this week!
And again....everything is only possible because of YOU GUYS!!!
The Dreaded S-Word
Sick, sick, sick!!! I got sick for the first time this season a couple weeks ago--and was sick for my mom's birthday, boo! It was a Milestone Birthday, too, and I couldn't attend her surprise dinner! ;_;
You may have noticed that Mandy hasn't been able to blog a lot lately, and that's a mix of illness and computer issues, but we hope to have her back in business soon!
We're trying to stay healthy for you guys!!!
#OTSPSecretSister
WELL, last month marked the end of the first round of #OTSPSecretSister that I participated in. SO SAD!!! I'm going to miss sending and receiving letters from both Sisters, but glad we can keep in touch on social media! AND I get two new Sisters for the next six months since I decided to do it again, so YAY!!!
My final package from my Sister was AWESOME and full of books I've been DYING to read for a long, long time, but I was waiting for all three books to be published. And THEN I was waiting to see which cover I liked the best because I REALLY wanted to support the US release so that Candlewick will import more books from Zoë Marriott, but I liked the UK covers more, and then I got hung up and never bought them one way or another, which is a TRAVESTY!!!
So my Sister took care of my indecision for me! ♥ Plus, she sent me the second book in one of her all-time favorite series (She sent me the first book in a previous box!), so I'm excited to read more about it!
*MORE* Exclusive Funko Pops!?
Unlike last month when I told you about my Ariel/Moana Hunt, I wasn't trying to find these Walmart Exclusive Pops! I didn't even know they EXISTED!!! I happened to be in the store, and they had this huge endcap, and, well...
I think it's cool the way Funko mixed their Hot Topic Exclusive Ariel's translucent dress design with their secret Chase Ariel's glitter design! I bought two of the three Walmart exclusives because, even though Belle is my favorite, the translucent yellow was a strange color to me and didn't work with the glitter!
See what I mean??
And THEN My awesome friend sent me this cool Amazon Exclusive Cinderella.
So....now I have a lot of exclusive Disney Princesses!? so happy to conclude my Funko Pop Hunt in December! I had so much trouble getting some of the exclusives I wanted, but it was totally worth it in the end!
PLUS, I've been waiting months for the Winter Beauty and the Beast Collection to release, and it finally did, and OH!!!!
(I prefer the regular version of Belle with her cloak to the HT exclusive where she has birds and no cloak!)
NAIL POLISH!
Between my mom and I, we bought a LOT of nail polish in January! ^^;;;
My favorite was buying the new Morgan Taylor Beauty and the Beast collection:
Zoya semi-frequently does a sale where you get FREE nail polish and only have to pay s/h, no strings! In January to celebrate the New Year, we could have 4 free colors! And, seriously, if you're going to pay $15 for shipping, you might as well just spend $30 on nail polish and qualify for free s/h, right!? Which means choosing SEVEN nail polishes. And, well...we wound up with ten!? ^^;;
Then, because it was my mom's birthday, she got a free $10 to spend at Sally's Beauty, and China Glaze had this intriguing new line called Active Colour that is supposed to be good on weak, brittle, nails.
AND MY NAILS KEEP BREAKING. (Hers, too!)
So I'm going to try to wear this a lot this winter and see if it makes my nails any better. I'm tired of short nails!!!
Here are the pictures I've taken of my nails this month:
JANUARY BOOK HAUL!
Here are all the books I brought into my life in January!
The left pile is For Review, the middle pile is Purchases, and the third consists of gifts from my OTSPSecretSister!
PHOTOS OF THE MONTH
Here are some of the photos I've taken and shared this month!
MUSIC 🎶
Nothing terribly new, just the same old stuff!
Though I DID find out that Lin-Manuel Miranda worked on Bring it On: The Musical in between In the Heights and Hamilton, so now I want to listen to it!!!
Ooh, wait, Dia Frampton dropped a new song, "Crave," and I was so happy to hear something new from her!!! I need to listen to this more!
MOVIES AND TV
Still behind on everything, of course! I can't remember now if it was the end of December or the beginning of January, but I did see La La Land. Which was okay, but it's got crazy hype that makes it sounds extraordinary, and it's not that good, imo!
That was my January.
How was yours???
Here's a look at everything that happened this past month!
How crazy is that??? I started A Backwards Story on February 9th, 2010, which means that the site's anniversary is THIS WEEK!!! Some of you have stuck by me since the very beginning, and I love you all. Others are newer to the site, but I love you just as equally. I've really loved getting to know everyone over the past few years, especially on sites such as Twitter, and I'm so excited to share this day with you on Thursday!
Something else really special is happening on Thursday, too, and I can't WAIT to talk to you about it. I've been sitting on this news for a couple of weeks now, and I finally get to spill the beans this week!
And again....everything is only possible because of YOU GUYS!!!
The Dreaded S-Word
Sick, sick, sick!!! I got sick for the first time this season a couple weeks ago--and was sick for my mom's birthday, boo! It was a Milestone Birthday, too, and I couldn't attend her surprise dinner! ;_;
You may have noticed that Mandy hasn't been able to blog a lot lately, and that's a mix of illness and computer issues, but we hope to have her back in business soon!
We're trying to stay healthy for you guys!!!
#OTSPSecretSister
WELL, last month marked the end of the first round of #OTSPSecretSister that I participated in. SO SAD!!! I'm going to miss sending and receiving letters from both Sisters, but glad we can keep in touch on social media! AND I get two new Sisters for the next six months since I decided to do it again, so YAY!!!
My final package from my Sister was AWESOME and full of books I've been DYING to read for a long, long time, but I was waiting for all three books to be published. And THEN I was waiting to see which cover I liked the best because I REALLY wanted to support the US release so that Candlewick will import more books from Zoë Marriott, but I liked the UK covers more, and then I got hung up and never bought them one way or another, which is a TRAVESTY!!!
So my Sister took care of my indecision for me! ♥ Plus, she sent me the second book in one of her all-time favorite series (She sent me the first book in a previous box!), so I'm excited to read more about it!
*MORE* Exclusive Funko Pops!?
Unlike last month when I told you about my Ariel/Moana Hunt, I wasn't trying to find these Walmart Exclusive Pops! I didn't even know they EXISTED!!! I happened to be in the store, and they had this huge endcap, and, well...
I think it's cool the way Funko mixed their Hot Topic Exclusive Ariel's translucent dress design with their secret Chase Ariel's glitter design! I bought two of the three Walmart exclusives because, even though Belle is my favorite, the translucent yellow was a strange color to me and didn't work with the glitter!
See what I mean??
And THEN My awesome friend sent me this cool Amazon Exclusive Cinderella.
So....now I have a lot of exclusive Disney Princesses!? so happy to conclude my Funko Pop Hunt in December! I had so much trouble getting some of the exclusives I wanted, but it was totally worth it in the end!
PLUS, I've been waiting months for the Winter Beauty and the Beast Collection to release, and it finally did, and OH!!!!
(I prefer the regular version of Belle with her cloak to the HT exclusive where she has birds and no cloak!)
NAIL POLISH!
Between my mom and I, we bought a LOT of nail polish in January! ^^;;;
My favorite was buying the new Morgan Taylor Beauty and the Beast collection:
Zoya semi-frequently does a sale where you get FREE nail polish and only have to pay s/h, no strings! In January to celebrate the New Year, we could have 4 free colors! And, seriously, if you're going to pay $15 for shipping, you might as well just spend $30 on nail polish and qualify for free s/h, right!? Which means choosing SEVEN nail polishes. And, well...we wound up with ten!? ^^;;
Then, because it was my mom's birthday, she got a free $10 to spend at Sally's Beauty, and China Glaze had this intriguing new line called Active Colour that is supposed to be good on weak, brittle, nails.
AND MY NAILS KEEP BREAKING. (Hers, too!)
So I'm going to try to wear this a lot this winter and see if it makes my nails any better. I'm tired of short nails!!!
Here are the pictures I've taken of my nails this month:
 |
| New Year's nails!!! I wanted some glittery bling! (And my nails were finally getting long again, see!?) |
 |
| Dots!!! IDK, I just love the dot effect!!! |
 |
| Trying Out the Active Colour from China Glaze! (So short, so sad!!) |
JANUARY BOOK HAUL!
Here are all the books I brought into my life in January!
The left pile is For Review, the middle pile is Purchases, and the third consists of gifts from my OTSPSecretSister!
PHOTOS OF THE MONTH
Here are some of the photos I've taken and shared this month!
 |
| The book I'm reading and the ARC that just arrived in the mail, riding the purse together! |
 |
| Whoo-hoo! Do I know my Broadway or what!? (Okay, some of these were guesses....) I did a lot better than I thought I would! |
 |
| The awesome pre-order swag I got for reserving my copy of CARAVAL! (Which is really good, and you should read it ASAP!) |
 |
| When your library is selling movies for $1.... YOU BUY THEM!!!! My mom snagged Allegiant and Deadpool, Spotlight is for me, and I'm giving the rest to my dad! |
 |
| SIGNED COPIES OF WAYFARER AT TARGET!? *PLUS* an exclusive story!?!? I HAD to get this!!! Annnnd it was signed in GOLD, which was apparently rare because the gold sharpies ran out the fastest. SCORE!!! |
 |
| How Do You Measure a Year? LOVE this Broadway Rent mug!!! |
MUSIC 🎶
Nothing terribly new, just the same old stuff!
Though I DID find out that Lin-Manuel Miranda worked on Bring it On: The Musical in between In the Heights and Hamilton, so now I want to listen to it!!!
Ooh, wait, Dia Frampton dropped a new song, "Crave," and I was so happy to hear something new from her!!! I need to listen to this more!
MOVIES AND TV
Still behind on everything, of course! I can't remember now if it was the end of December or the beginning of January, but I did see La La Land. Which was okay, but it's got crazy hype that makes it sounds extraordinary, and it's not that good, imo!
That was my January.
How was yours???
Here's a look at everything that happened this past month!
ONGOING GIVEAWAYS:
*THE 100 Complete Series Box Set by Kass Morgan (2/7)
*WINTERSONG by S. Jae-Jones (2/13)
Check out the February Blog Tour Schedule for more upcoming giveaways!
*THE 100 Complete Series Box Set by Kass Morgan (2/7)
*WINTERSONG by S. Jae-Jones (2/13)
Check out the February Blog Tour Schedule for more upcoming giveaways!
FEBRUARY BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
(Most blog tour stops feature giveaways as well!)
*WINTERSONG by S. Jae Jones {2/2 Review}
*THE WISH GRANTER by C.J. Redline {2/13 Review}
MORE IS COMING! JUST YOU WAIT! ^.~
(Most blog tour stops feature giveaways as well!)
*WINTERSONG by S. Jae Jones {2/2 Review}
*THE WISH GRANTER by C.J. Redline {2/13 Review}
MORE IS COMING! JUST YOU WAIT! ^.~
READING NOW:
{All links to Goodreads!}
*I just finished TELL THE TRUTH, SHAME THE DEVIL by Melina Marchetta so I'm between books! ^^;;
PLANNING TO READ IN FEBRUARY:
*HUNTED by Meagan Spooner
*WINDWITCH by Susan Dennard
*THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden
*RISE OF FIRE by Sophie Jordan
*THE SHIP BEYOND TIME by Heidi Heilig
*THE NAMES THEY GAVE US by Emery Lord
*A FACE LIKE GLASS by Frances Hardinge
*LIKE A RIVER GLORIOUS by Rae Carson
*Start re-reading A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V.E. Schwab so I can move onto A GATHERING OF SHADOWS and be ready for A CONJURING OF LIGHT...
{All links to Goodreads!}
*I just finished TELL THE TRUTH, SHAME THE DEVIL by Melina Marchetta so I'm between books! ^^;;
PLANNING TO READ IN FEBRUARY:
*HUNTED by Meagan Spooner
*WINDWITCH by Susan Dennard
*THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden
*RISE OF FIRE by Sophie Jordan
*THE SHIP BEYOND TIME by Heidi Heilig
*THE NAMES THEY GAVE US by Emery Lord
*A FACE LIKE GLASS by Frances Hardinge
*LIKE A RIVER GLORIOUS by Rae Carson
*Start re-reading A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V.E. Schwab so I can move onto A GATHERING OF SHADOWS and be ready for A CONJURING OF LIGHT...
[link to my GoodReads account so you can see my blurb feed as I read]
READ IN JANUARY:
{All links to Goodreads!}
TOTAL: 10 Books!
*MIDNIGHT SISTERS by Sarah E. Boucher {YA}
*THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND WOLVES by Alethea Kontis {YA}
*THE MAGICIAN'S LIE by Greer McAllister {Adult}
*WINTERSONG by S. Jae-Jones [Re-read] {Upper YA}
*ROSEBLOOD by A.G. Howard {YA}
{All links to Goodreads!}
TOTAL: 10 Books!
*COIN HEIST by Elisa Ludwig {YA}
*SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo {YA}
*FOLLOW ME BACK by A.V. Geiger {YA}
*CROOKED KINGDOM by Leigh Bardugo {YA}
*CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber {YA}*MIDNIGHT SISTERS by Sarah E. Boucher {YA}
*THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND WOLVES by Alethea Kontis {YA}
*THE MAGICIAN'S LIE by Greer McAllister {Adult}
*WINTERSONG by S. Jae-Jones [Re-read] {Upper YA}
*ROSEBLOOD by A.G. Howard {YA}
REVIEWED IN DECEMBER:
{All link to our reviews!}
*LOST GIRLS by Merrie DeStefano {YA}
*OUTRUN THE MOON by Stacey Lee {YA}
*MY LADY JANE by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows {YA}
*COIN HEIST by Elisa Ludwig {YA}
*MIDNIGHT SISTERS by Sarah E. Boucher {YA}
*THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE by Patrick Ness {YA}
*THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON by Kelly Barnhill {MG}
[+ Design Vlog!]
*THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND WOLVES by Alethea Kontis {YA}
[+ Exclusive Author News!!!]
{All link to our reviews!}
*LOST GIRLS by Merrie DeStefano {YA}
*OUTRUN THE MOON by Stacey Lee {YA}
*MY LADY JANE by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows {YA}
*COIN HEIST by Elisa Ludwig {YA}
*MIDNIGHT SISTERS by Sarah E. Boucher {YA}
*THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE by Patrick Ness {YA}
*THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON by Kelly Barnhill {MG}
[+ Design Vlog!]
*THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND WOLVES by Alethea Kontis {YA}
[+ Exclusive Author News!!!]
FEATURES IN DECEMBER:
*{Month in Review/Monthly Preview} Happy New Year...& Thanks for Sticking with Us! ♥
*Top Twenty 2017 Debuts We're Excited For!
*Reviewing COIN HEIST by Elisa Ludwig--Now ALSO a Netflix Movie!!!!
*Top Ten 2016 Releases We Meant To Read But Didn't Get To (But TOTALLY plan to)
*Celebrating the Release of ROSEBLOOD by A.G. Howard, a retelling of...PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!!!
*{Guest Post} Meet Daniela from MIDNIGHT SISTERS by Sarah E. Boucher!
*{Cover Reveal} THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND WOLVES by Alethea Kontis
* Ten Underrated/Hidden Gem Books We've Read Recently
*Fifteen of My Favorite...Award Winners!
*Design Vlog: Comparing the UK & US Editions of THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden...Which Will You Buy?
*{Cover Art Revealed} ROYAL BASTARDS by Andrew Shvarts
*Ten of My Favorite Book Covers!!!
*Celebrate the Return of CW's THE 100 Season 4 with THIS AWESOME GIVEAWAY!!!!
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