Celebrate the Small Things! (#1)

"Celebrate the Small Things" is a blog meme hosted by VikLit at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author

I'm a little late with this, but I'm doing it anyway. 

I've actually been wanting to participate in this blog meme for a long time now, but I guess I've been having trouble seeing my small accomplishments as worthy of an entire blog post. But, that is what this whole meme is about, so insignificance, be as insignificant as you want! You are getting your day in the sun today....


Now that March is over, I can look back and see that I did accomplish something pretty great for me, personally, last month. I am a book buying addict and need serious therapy, so I've been trying to place book buying caps on each month since this year started. I have SO, SO, SO many books to read and cannot possibly read them all in the next three decades, so this nonsense needs to stop!

January was a super bad month due to Christmas gift cards (although, I always love them! I just shouldn't use them for books so much). February was on track with only 2 book purchases because that is what I've decided on as my limit each month. But, last month I did even better and bought only ONE book the entire month.......... O_O (Am I even me anymore?)

This book was one I wasn't even going to buy at all because I know I won't be reading it any time soon, but I knew I would buy it one day. It was a copy I found from a small indie bookstore online and much cheaper than any new versions of the book I'd seen anywhere else. I had to take advantage and I don't regret it at all. I one-upped myself and proved I can control my book buying habits, after all.

Besides this, I've been churning out some word counts for a new Young Adult sci-fi/apocalypse novel I decided to impromptu-start last week. Somehow, this makes me feel accomplished, even though it meant putting my YA fantasy novel on ice for now. But, that's just my way. Out with the old and in with the new!


Join the "Celebrate the Small Things" Blog Hop Every Friday! 

The rules are simple: you post something small you'd like to celebrate - tidying that cupboard, finally getting to the gym. You join the linky list. You hop around other people's blogs and say YAY and CONGRATS and join in the happy feelings.  

Cover Reveal: The Faerie Prince by Rachel Morgan

Hey, peeps! Last year I discovered this amazingly cool self-published YA fantasy novel called The Faerie Guardian by Rachel Morgan. It's about a faerie girl named Violet who is training to become a fully-fledged faerie guardian and all the funny and interesting antics that ensue. I highly recommend reading it if you haven't already. 

The great news today is that author Rachel Morgan is gearing up to release Book 2 in the Creepy Hollow series, The Faerie Prince and I've got the gorgeous cover to reveal to you all! 

Whoa... Nice, eh? Another beautiful cover to add to collection. Now on to the deets about this here new book....


Book Description:

Guardian trainee Violet Fairdale is just weeks away from one of the most important occasions of her life: graduation. After messing up big time by bringing a human into the fae realm, Vi needs to step up her game and forget about Nate if she hopes to graduate as the top guardian of her year. Everything would be fine if she wasn’t forced to partner with Ryn, her ex-friend, ex-enemy, current ‘sort of friend’. They might be trying to patch up their relationship, but does she really want to spend a week undercover with him for their final assignment? On top of that, the possibly-insane Unseelie Prince is still on the loose, free to ‘collect’ as many specially talented faeries as he can find—and Vi is still at the top of his list. Add in faerie queens, enchanted storms, complicated not-just-friends feelings, and a murder within the Guild itself, and graduation is about to become the least of Vi’s problems.

Add THE FAERIE PRINCE to your to-read list on Goodreads.
If you haven't yet read the first book in the Creepy Hollow series, THE FAERIE GUARDIAN, you can find it at the following places:

Amazon, B&N, Apple iBookstore, Smashwords

To connect with the author, visit Rachel Morgan's blog.


 

An Artist Is...

 _________________

I think this is why I write so very, very slow and why I drop some projects like a bad habit. I can't write anything without my heart being fully infused in it. And when it is, I'm squeezing every last drop of juice I've got. It has to be just right, or it ain't worth it.... 

 

Top Ten Tuesday (#2): Books I HAD to Buy...But Haven't Read

"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly (super fun) book blog meme hosted by the awesome folks at The Broke and the Bookish.

Geez... I am so guilty of this week's topic and am currently trying hard to correct my ways. I make sure every other book I read is one I've had around for at least one year or more. I am soooo bad.....

TOP TEN BOOKS I HAD TO BUY...BUT ARE STILL SITTING ON MY SHELF UNREAD

 

1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

I'm so bad about reading the HP series and I still need to read Book 2. I know y'all are looking at these words cross-eyed right now, but don't hate! Some people were older when these books came out. Old enough to not want to read children's books. And, some still don't really dig Middle Grade. ("Someone" is me, by the way. HP is good, though!)

2. Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

I've been excited to read this one for a long time now, since late last summer, and I still haven't read it. It dismays me quite a bit to have to admit that. I read the prequel novellas and they were fabulous, so I don't know what it's going to take to get me to finally read the first novel. (I like the cover of the UK edition better than the U.S. one.)  

3. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

I haven't read any Westerfeld, but he's super popular and I just need to sit down and read one of his books. I like steampunk, so I figure I'll like this one. 

4. The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

I've had this one for over a year and was so sure I would have read it by now...but no. I have way too many books and not enough time or energy to read them! This book has one of my favorite covers. Gorgeous. I need to find out if the contents are equally as gorgeous. 

5. Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

This book has a super interesting premise and I should have read it ages ago... ugh. Story of my life. I think I read some of the first chapter and was blown away, so why haven't I dived into this? I'm clonking myself on the head as I type this (because I have three arms, actually. Very handy...). Victorian men in portrait paintings totally speak to me, too. And, you thought having three arms made me weird...? Heh.

6. Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney

Is this one about a man in a mirror? Actually, I don't know, but it seems to be about a school for magical people. Maybe it's like HP for the teenagers of the Regency era. Seriously, that sounds so cool! I'd probably love a book like that more than HP on premise alone.

7. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

I actually have Linger and Forever and it is taking me forever to read these books. I read Shiver, Book 1, what feels like ages ago (nearly 2 years) and I think I'll have to reread it, since I can't remember too well what happens in it. There are werewolves that turn when they get too cold, or something like that. It was really good! 

8. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

I'm not even familiar with The Twelve Dancing Princesses, but it sounds pretty sweet. At least the synopsis for this book sounds pretty sweet and like something I should have read a really long time ago...but I haven't. I need a second pair of eyes so I can read while I'm doing other things (like blogging). 

9. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken       

This book is fairly knew (December 2012), but I meant to read it as soon as I got it after Christmas last year and still haven't. It's being hailed as super good dystopian fiction and I want to see what I think of it. 

10. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

I like the premise for this book as well, and I downloaded a free audiobook version of this last summer, but I still haven't listened to it yet. I'm not big on audiobooks, but a free book is a free book, especially when it's this book. I just take what I can get. I'm starting to realize how much I dislike ghosts, but I still love the idea for this story. I only hope it's not too heavy on the horror, since I'm not big on horror. 


What books do you have on your shelves collecting dust because you've been slacking off about reading them? I can't be the only person who has too many books to read and not enough time to read them! Or, can I...?