Blame the holiday weekend for this post being a week late...!!!♥
Last weekend was the Fourth of July, which is a major holiday in the USA. So I didn't post June's wrap-up until now. Forgive me?
How was your Fourth??
We had a potluck at work, and I brought in Rice Krispie Treats loosely shaped like the USA with the thirteen colonies surrounding them:
All the Musicals!!!!♥
I was in hog heaven this past month!!!
I got to see TWO shows while I was in NYC for BEA. PLUS the only Awards Show I ever watch (+ record!!!) is, of course, The Tony Awards, honoring the bests and brightest on Broadway! ...And yep, they were also in June!!!
I went to see Come From Away, which was nominated for Best Musical of 2017. I had NO CLUE about what happened in Newfoundland (Gander, Canada) on September 11, 2001, but the story was so emotional and wonderful and I'm glad I saw it!
I also relived my childhood. My friends and I were SO excited to finally see Anastasia. We preordered tickets the day they went on sale in October!!!
I don't really watch awards shows. I don't watch the Oscars. I don't watch the Grammys. I can't participate in water cooler discussions about these award shows because it's all just SO BORING!!!
But the Tony Awards? Those awards nobody talks about at the water cooler? Those are the awards I can get behind. (Although, let's face it, my co-workers are AWESOME and quite a few of us watch the Tonys, which is awesome!!!! I know how rare that is!) I love watching all the performances by nominated and currently-playing Broadway shows. It helps me decide what shows I might want to see! (For example, I had never paid attention to A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder a couple of years ago until that stellar, hilarious performance!)
This year, thanks in large part to a Broadway-obsessed manager at work, I've been lucky enough to see THREE of the four shows nominated for Best New Musical.
THREE!!!!!
I've never seen that many at once before!!!
The only show I would have seen irregardless is Dear Evan Hansen, but because of her, I also saw Come From Away and ...The Great Comet.
And having seen three of the nominated shows? (Four if you count Anastasia, but that show only had two nominations, and not in the biggest category for Best Musical) It made the Tonys so much more fun because I could actually take part in "judging" what should go where because I've SEEN the show, you know??
If you plan to see The Great Comet, Dear Evan Hansen, and/or Come From Away, be forewarned: TGC and DEH are NEXT TO EACH OTHER on a crowded street, and CFA is RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET. And next to another theater. And they're on the same road as Disney's The Lion King. (And the Hello Dolly line from the next street over wraps into CFA a bit, as does Anastasia...) So the street is a mess. But the company it keeps? Brilliant!!!
BEA MADNESS!
So the Book Expo was in June and I was lucky enough to attend for...I think the fourth time? I've STILL only posted two of my promised vlogs so far, I know, I know. (Adult Buzz Panel/Blogbound, Day One, YA Buzz Panel) I have the rest filmed...it took me a week or so just to have time to film after BEA because I didn't have time to finish DURING. ^^;;; I still have to cobble it all together; I just haven't had a lot of free time in the evenings lately to do so!
We've had a lot of blog tours this month, and I haven't wanted to post on days Mandy says she does...but then when things come up and one of us doesn't post on the day we thought we'd have time to review what we'd wanted to...well, I could have posted then!!! But usually it's too late by then. And...I still do have to cobble them together.
Is it too late? Are you guys even interested still in what I found or seeing an overview of the hall?
(I'd also planned this epic Tony video and spent time filming all the theatres and....yeah...)
Some of my favorite moments were:
MEETING NEIL PATRICK HARRIS:
MEETING KRISTIN CASHORE:
INTERVIEWING TILLIE WALDEN (Check back this fall; I can't wait to share it with you when her graphic novel memoir SPINNING releases!)
BEING PART OF ISABELLE BANDEIRA'S LAUNCH PARTY FOR DRAMATICALLY EVER AFTER.
MMMM, CAKE!!!
BOOK OF DUST STEPS!!!!
BOOKS OF WONDER PANEL!!! Feat. Kendare Blake, Megan Whalen Turner, Lexa Hillyer!
#OTSPSecretSister
I was SO excited by what my OTSPSecretSister sent me this month!! A beautiful fairy tale-inspired plaque/catch-all and a framed photo! Very cool!! Plus, I've been wanting to read the rest of Maria V. Snyder's books, but have been waiting for these three to finish coming out. And here's the final one!!!
Thank you again for everything, Sis!
NAIL POLISH!
My nails were finally getting to be the right length again in June!!!
I love how this dotted manicure came out:
But, as you can see, they started to break a little again when I painted my nails blue (as my three year old niece requested!). Maybe I shouldn't have done texture...that just makes them weaker!
And now, they're even SHORTER. *sigh* Here we go again!!!
But I did buy all this cool neon polish to do something fun this summer! (And I already had yellow thanks to Macmillan putting a LOVELY RECKLESS polish in our BEA party swag bags!)
JUNE BOOK HAUL!
HAH. Well...I'm not taking a picture of all the BEA stuff because it's NUTS.
And I still have a really big haul video from Day Two to post that has 20-30 books in it. ^^;;;
If you want to see what I've posted so far from BEA, go here:
(Adult Buzz Panel/Blogbound, Day One, YA Buzz Panel)
Here's everything ELSE.
I purchased all of these:
I was sent all of this for review:
PHOTOS OF THE MONTH
Here are some of the photos I've taken and shared this month!
MUSIC 🎶
It's all Broadway, of course! I've been listening to Dear Evan Hansen and I WANT to be listening to Anastasia because it keeps getting stuck in my head (probably because I was just watching it on Netflix...), but I asked for it for my birthday later this month, SO. I listened to Hamilton a lot last week because FOURTH OF JULY. INDEPENDENCE. FREEDOM. YAY ALL THE THINGS. Umm, and last night I was watching Moana on Netflix, so now that's in my head!
Ooh, I also started listening to Be More Chill (Based on the book by Ned Vizzini) this week because the musical went viral with the Dear Evan Hansen/Hamilton crowd. It reminds me of a mash-up of Little Shop of Horrors and Avenue Q and Dear Evan Hansen!!!
MOVIES AND TV
We finally caught up on Agents of SHIELD, so we're ready for the new season. And what the heck is up with that ending, Coulson!? We're not sure what to watch this summer when everything is in re-runs. What are you guys watching?
Here's a look at everything that happened this past month!
Last weekend was the Fourth of July, which is a major holiday in the USA. So I didn't post June's wrap-up until now. Forgive me?
How was your Fourth??
We had a potluck at work, and I brought in Rice Krispie Treats loosely shaped like the USA with the thirteen colonies surrounding them:
All the Musicals!!!!♥
I was in hog heaven this past month!!!
I got to see TWO shows while I was in NYC for BEA. PLUS the only Awards Show I ever watch (+ record!!!) is, of course, The Tony Awards, honoring the bests and brightest on Broadway! ...And yep, they were also in June!!!
I went to see Come From Away, which was nominated for Best Musical of 2017. I had NO CLUE about what happened in Newfoundland (Gander, Canada) on September 11, 2001, but the story was so emotional and wonderful and I'm glad I saw it!
I also relived my childhood. My friends and I were SO excited to finally see Anastasia. We preordered tickets the day they went on sale in October!!!
I don't really watch awards shows. I don't watch the Oscars. I don't watch the Grammys. I can't participate in water cooler discussions about these award shows because it's all just SO BORING!!!
But the Tony Awards? Those awards nobody talks about at the water cooler? Those are the awards I can get behind. (Although, let's face it, my co-workers are AWESOME and quite a few of us watch the Tonys, which is awesome!!!! I know how rare that is!) I love watching all the performances by nominated and currently-playing Broadway shows. It helps me decide what shows I might want to see! (For example, I had never paid attention to A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder a couple of years ago until that stellar, hilarious performance!)
This year, thanks in large part to a Broadway-obsessed manager at work, I've been lucky enough to see THREE of the four shows nominated for Best New Musical.
THREE!!!!!
I've never seen that many at once before!!!
The only show I would have seen irregardless is Dear Evan Hansen, but because of her, I also saw Come From Away and ...The Great Comet.
And having seen three of the nominated shows? (Four if you count Anastasia, but that show only had two nominations, and not in the biggest category for Best Musical) It made the Tonys so much more fun because I could actually take part in "judging" what should go where because I've SEEN the show, you know??
ALSO???? COOL FACT!!!
If you plan to see The Great Comet, Dear Evan Hansen, and/or Come From Away, be forewarned: TGC and DEH are NEXT TO EACH OTHER on a crowded street, and CFA is RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET. And next to another theater. And they're on the same road as Disney's The Lion King. (And the Hello Dolly line from the next street over wraps into CFA a bit, as does Anastasia...) So the street is a mess. But the company it keeps? Brilliant!!!
 |
| (Left: Dear Evan Hansen; Right: Come From Away) |
So the Book Expo was in June and I was lucky enough to attend for...I think the fourth time? I've STILL only posted two of my promised vlogs so far, I know, I know. (Adult Buzz Panel/Blogbound, Day One, YA Buzz Panel) I have the rest filmed...it took me a week or so just to have time to film after BEA because I didn't have time to finish DURING. ^^;;; I still have to cobble it all together; I just haven't had a lot of free time in the evenings lately to do so!
We've had a lot of blog tours this month, and I haven't wanted to post on days Mandy says she does...but then when things come up and one of us doesn't post on the day we thought we'd have time to review what we'd wanted to...well, I could have posted then!!! But usually it's too late by then. And...I still do have to cobble them together.
Is it too late? Are you guys even interested still in what I found or seeing an overview of the hall?
(I'd also planned this epic Tony video and spent time filming all the theatres and....yeah...)
Some of my favorite moments were:
MEETING NEIL PATRICK HARRIS:
MEETING KRISTIN CASHORE:
INTERVIEWING TILLIE WALDEN (Check back this fall; I can't wait to share it with you when her graphic novel memoir SPINNING releases!)
BEING PART OF ISABELLE BANDEIRA'S LAUNCH PARTY FOR DRAMATICALLY EVER AFTER.
MMMM, CAKE!!!
BOOK OF DUST STEPS!!!!
BOOKS OF WONDER PANEL!!! Feat. Kendare Blake, Megan Whalen Turner, Lexa Hillyer!
#OTSPSecretSister
I was SO excited by what my OTSPSecretSister sent me this month!! A beautiful fairy tale-inspired plaque/catch-all and a framed photo! Very cool!! Plus, I've been wanting to read the rest of Maria V. Snyder's books, but have been waiting for these three to finish coming out. And here's the final one!!!
Thank you again for everything, Sis!
NAIL POLISH!
My nails were finally getting to be the right length again in June!!!
I love how this dotted manicure came out:
But, as you can see, they started to break a little again when I painted my nails blue (as my three year old niece requested!). Maybe I shouldn't have done texture...that just makes them weaker!
 |
| Oops, didn't realize this image was blurry. Sorry!!! |
And now, they're even SHORTER. *sigh* Here we go again!!!
But I did buy all this cool neon polish to do something fun this summer! (And I already had yellow thanks to Macmillan putting a LOVELY RECKLESS polish in our BEA party swag bags!)
JUNE BOOK HAUL!
HAH. Well...I'm not taking a picture of all the BEA stuff because it's NUTS.
And I still have a really big haul video from Day Two to post that has 20-30 books in it. ^^;;;
If you want to see what I've posted so far from BEA, go here:
(Adult Buzz Panel/Blogbound, Day One, YA Buzz Panel)
Here's everything ELSE.
I purchased all of these:
 |
| Three of these books were for book signings, whoo-hoo!!! |
 |
| Gotta love ebook deals!!!! These were all on sale this month!!! Between $1-3! |
I was sent all of this for review:
PHOTOS OF THE MONTH
Here are some of the photos I've taken and shared this month!
 |
| Sleeping doggie!!!! So sweet! |
 |
| Unboxing June 2017 Funko Treasures! |
 |
| Unboxing OwlCrate past box! This NIGHT CIRCUS tote!!! |
 |
| Pre-order swag! |
 |
| More pre-order swag! |
 |
| Mmm, Pinkberry!!! |
 |
| Eating Japanese food in NYC at Wasabi!!! |
MUSIC 🎶
It's all Broadway, of course! I've been listening to Dear Evan Hansen and I WANT to be listening to Anastasia because it keeps getting stuck in my head (probably because I was just watching it on Netflix...), but I asked for it for my birthday later this month, SO. I listened to Hamilton a lot last week because FOURTH OF JULY. INDEPENDENCE. FREEDOM. YAY ALL THE THINGS. Umm, and last night I was watching Moana on Netflix, so now that's in my head!
Ooh, I also started listening to Be More Chill (Based on the book by Ned Vizzini) this week because the musical went viral with the Dear Evan Hansen/Hamilton crowd. It reminds me of a mash-up of Little Shop of Horrors and Avenue Q and Dear Evan Hansen!!!
MOVIES AND TV
We finally caught up on Agents of SHIELD, so we're ready for the new season. And what the heck is up with that ending, Coulson!? We're not sure what to watch this summer when everything is in re-runs. What are you guys watching?
That was my June.
How was yours???
Here's a look at everything that happened this past month!
ONGOING GIVEAWAYS:
*Limited Edition Collectible Print from THE BOOK OF DUST by Philip Pullman (8/1)
Check out the July Blog Tour Schedule for more upcoming giveaways!
*Limited Edition Collectible Print from THE BOOK OF DUST by Philip Pullman (8/1)
Check out the July Blog Tour Schedule for more upcoming giveaways!
JULY BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
(Most blog tour stops feature giveaways as well!)
*THE QUEEN IS COMING TO TEA by Linda Ravin Lodding {7/10 review}
*Comic Extravaganza with First Second Books! {7/11 interview}
*Celebrating the Frost Series Omnibus by Liz DeJesus {7/13 guest post}
*LUCKY IN LOVE by Kasie West {7/25 review}
(Most blog tour stops feature giveaways as well!)
*THE QUEEN IS COMING TO TEA by Linda Ravin Lodding {7/10 review}
*Comic Extravaganza with First Second Books! {7/11 interview}
*Celebrating the Frost Series Omnibus by Liz DeJesus {7/13 guest post}
*LUCKY IN LOVE by Kasie West {7/25 review}
READING NOW:
{All links to Goodreads!}
*THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STEET by Natasha Pulley
PLANNING TO READ IN JULY:
*WAR AND WIND by Alex Lidell
*THE SONG FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE by A.F. Harrold and Levi Pinfold
*THE PUNCH ESCROW by Tal M. Klein
*THE RELUCTANT QUEEN by Sarah Beth Durst
*THE SUBTLE KNIFE by Philip Pullman
*THE SEAFARER'S KISS by Julia Ember
*WANT by Cindy Pon
*SOLERI by Michael Johnston
*THE RELUCTANT QUEEN by Sarah Beth Durst
*THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden
*RISE OF FIRE by Sophie Jordan
*LIKE A RIVER GLORIOUS by Rae Carson
*Re-readA DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V.E. Schwab so I can move onto A GATHERING OF SHADOWS and A CONJURING OF LIGHT...
{All links to Goodreads!}
*THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STEET by Natasha Pulley
PLANNING TO READ IN JULY:
*WAR AND WIND by Alex Lidell
*THE SONG FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE by A.F. Harrold and Levi Pinfold
*THE PUNCH ESCROW by Tal M. Klein
*THE RELUCTANT QUEEN by Sarah Beth Durst
*THE SUBTLE KNIFE by Philip Pullman
*THE SEAFARER'S KISS by Julia Ember
*WANT by Cindy Pon
*SOLERI by Michael Johnston
*THE RELUCTANT QUEEN by Sarah Beth Durst
*THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden
*RISE OF FIRE by Sophie Jordan
*LIKE A RIVER GLORIOUS by Rae Carson
*Re-readA DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V.E. Schwab so I can move onto A GATHERING OF SHADOWS and A CONJURING OF LIGHT...
[link to my GoodReads account so you can see my blurb feed as I read]
READ IN JUNE:
{All links to Goodreads!}
TOTAL: 9 novels, 3 picture books
(I think. I forgot to update and then updated a bunch at once, so maybe I forgot one!?)
*LIFE by Cynthia Rylant and Brendan Wenzel {Picture Book}
*MERMAID by Jan Brett {Picture Book}
*SOVEREIGN by April Daniels {YA}
*UNI THE UNICORN by Amy Krouse Rosenthal {Picture Book}
*ELIZA AND HER MONSTERS by Francesca Zappia {YA}
*WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI by Sandy Menon {YA}
*DATING YOU, HATING YOU by Christina Lauren {Adult}
*THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Philip Pullman {This is shelved in MG, YA, & Adult, so all ages!} [Re-Read]
*FIREWORKS by Katie Cotugno {YA}
*MADE YOU UP by Francesca Zappia {YA}
*WINDFALL by Jennifer E. Smith {YA}
*ROYAL BASTARDS by Andrew Shvarts {YA}
{All links to Goodreads!}
TOTAL: 9 novels, 3 picture books
(I think. I forgot to update and then updated a bunch at once, so maybe I forgot one!?)
*LIFE by Cynthia Rylant and Brendan Wenzel {Picture Book}
*MERMAID by Jan Brett {Picture Book}
*SOVEREIGN by April Daniels {YA}
*UNI THE UNICORN by Amy Krouse Rosenthal {Picture Book}
*ELIZA AND HER MONSTERS by Francesca Zappia {YA}
*WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI by Sandy Menon {YA}
*DATING YOU, HATING YOU by Christina Lauren {Adult}
*THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Philip Pullman {This is shelved in MG, YA, & Adult, so all ages!} [Re-Read]
*FIREWORKS by Katie Cotugno {YA}
*MADE YOU UP by Francesca Zappia {YA}
*WINDFALL by Jennifer E. Smith {YA}
*ROYAL BASTARDS by Andrew Shvarts {YA}
REVIEWED IN JUNE:
{All link to our reviews!}
*BEACH PARTY SURF MONKEY by Chris Grabenstein {MG}
*OBSIDIAN AND STARS by Julie Eshbaugh {YA}
*A FACE LIKE GLASS by Frances Hardinge {YA} {Design Vlog Spotlight}
*INTERNET FAMOUS by Danika Stone {YA} [Spotlight]
*PERILOUS PROPHECY by Leanna Renee Hieber {Adult}
*THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Philip Pullman {This is shelved in MG, YA, & Adult, so all ages!}
*KATANA AT SUPERHERO HIGH by Lisa Yee {MG}
*LORD OF MONSTERS by John Claude Bemis {MG}
*WILDMAN by J.C. Geiger {YA}
*OBSIDIAN AND STARS by Julie Eshbaugh {YA}
*A FACE LIKE GLASS by Frances Hardinge {YA} {Design Vlog Spotlight}
*INTERNET FAMOUS by Danika Stone {YA} [Spotlight]
*PERILOUS PROPHECY by Leanna Renee Hieber {Adult}
*THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Philip Pullman {This is shelved in MG, YA, & Adult, so all ages!}
*KATANA AT SUPERHERO HIGH by Lisa Yee {MG}
*LORD OF MONSTERS by John Claude Bemis {MG}
*WILDMAN by J.C. Geiger {YA}
REVIEWED AT BROADWAY WORLD...so you may have missed it!
*Check out everything I reviewed at Broadway World this past month in Saturday's wrap-up!
FEATURES IN JUNE
*{Vlog} Showcasing All the Awesome Books from the BEA Adult Buzz Panel and the BlogBound Conference!
*{Vlog} Showcasing All the AWESOME Books from BEA, Day One!!!
*{Guest Post} "Revisiting Old Friends – A New Tale of The Frog Princess" By E. D. Baker
*Interviewing Catherine Jones Payne, author of BREAKWATER
*Rounding up all my May 2017 reviews posted over at Broadway World in case you missed seeing them! ^_^
*{Month in Review/Monthly Preview} From BEA to the Tony Awards; a whirlwind of a month!!!
*Design Vlog: Comparing the UK & US Editions of A FACE LIKE GLASS by Frances Hardinge...Which Will You Buy?
*{Vlog} Showcasing All the Awesome Books from the BEA YA Buzz Panel!
*Unboxing Funko Disney Treasures, June 2017 Box!
*OwlCrate Unboxing: Past Crate Sale! (Feb 2017 Festival Box!)
*Top Ten Series We've Been Meaning To Start But Haven't! ^^;;;
*Our "Best Of" List---for the first half of 2017!!!
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