Hodge Podge

Totally random mix of thoughts here ... enjoy!

So ... there are tons of incredible giveaways going on right now! I won't even try to list the all ones I've seen recently, but I did want to share about Crystal's Birthday giveaway. She's giving away a customized blog design. Whoop! Pretty incredible prize!!

I'm in a bit of a reading slump. Lots going on at work, which means lots of reading and editing at work. I'm guessing that has a smidge to do with it. This too shall pass, and there's always another day for reading, right?!

One of my favorite things about blogging/reviewing has been discovering some really great blogs. If you haven't read Jody Hedlund's blog, you should check it out. She has a knack for expressing her thoughts on writing / blogging / publicity / publishing issues. Fascinating, I tell you. Plus, I really enjoy all the dialogue and thoughtful comments that others leave.

I've been somewhat obsessively watching reruns of Dawson's Creek. That may also be contributing to my reading slump.

Hubs and I went to the gym Monday night. As I walked in the door, I realized that it was PIZZA NIGHT. Yes, AT THE GYM!!! Apparently, the gym sponsors pizza night once a month. (They also have donuts/bagels once a month.) I think it's totally self-serving ... to keep people overweight and force them to keep using the gym. Whatever. I totally skipped the pizza and had a great 45 minutes at the gym. :)

On Tuesday night, Hubs and I went out to eat Mexican (to make up for the gym, you know!). The waiter was a bit too helpful. (He even offered to salt my chips.) At one point, I said that my drink tasted funny and asked for fresh one. He used MY STRAW to TASTE it. I'll be honest, I gagged a little. Thankfully, he agreed that it did taste weird and got me a fresh drink ... and a new straw. It may be a while before we go there again.

Anyway. There you have it. Some links, a giveaway, two terribly strange things that happened to me this week. Have a wonderful Friday!

Thursday 3 | Glamorous Illusions

What is Thursday 3? It's a new once monthly meme, hosted by Book Obsessed, in which we will be discussing our love/hate relationship with our current read.

Here is how Thursday 3 works:
Take your current read, or book you previously finished, and tell the following 3 things about it.

1. Character from the book you LOVE (This can be a character you want as your BFF or someone you want to take home to meet the parents)
2. Character from the book you HATE (This character does not have to be the villian, just someone you disliked)
3. Your overall LOVE/HATE of the book. (If you haven't decided your feelings for the book yet, or if you prefer, just provide a snippet from the book containing either the word "LOVE" or "HATE")

Anyone can participate!! Just link your posts in the linky on Book Obsessed's post!

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I feel like I've mentioned Glamorous Illusions by Lisa Tawn Bergren in just about every post or tweet this week, but it was good, so I'll keep on going with it!

LOVE - There are so many options here, but I don't want to give anything away . . . so I'll go with the "easy" answer and say Cora. She's super sassy, which I love, and totally held her own despite terrible circumstances.

HATE - Hugh was downright creepy at times. He had his good moments, but nine times out of town he was just . . . icky.

LOVE / HATE - Yep. You guessed it—LOVE! The books in this series are NOT stand-alone. I don't know how I'm going to wait until next spring (!!!) to read the next one!

(By the way, if you haven't heard, Glamorous Illusions is free for Nook, Kindle, etc. This week only—June 4-8!)

WWW Wednesdays

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. All you have to do is answer three quick questions: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you'll read next? Easy enough, right? Click on over if you want to join in the fun!

What are you currently reading? Finishing up the Seasons of the Heart series with Spring Hope by Martha Rogers.

What did you recently finish reading? Glamorous Illusions by Lisa Tawn Bergren. I was pleasantly surprised (not sure why I was surprised)! AND, the book is FREE this week—June 4-8—for Nook, Kindle, etc. Take advantage!

What do you think you'll read next? I'm thinking Love Lifted Me by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck will be up next. I've been wanting to read this since it released in January and am hoping it will be really good!

Teaser Tuesday | Glamorous Illusions

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly post hosted by MizB on her blog Should Be Reading.

It's easy! Just pick up your current read (or one of them!), open to a random page, and choose a couple of sentences on the page to post as a teaser. No spoilers please! Make sure to tell which book you pulled the quote from so others can check it out if they're interested.

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. . . I was exhausted and eager to escape the confines of protocol. To strip off my long gloves and clinging corset and icy blue evening gown and attempt a good night's sleep. I'd decided that being a woman of society meant that you dedicated half your life to dressing for the next event.

Glamorous Illusions

Lisa Tawn Bergren

page 144

About halfway through and so intrigued to see how it ends. And how the series will continue!

Oh . . . and it's FREE for Nook, Kindle, etc. this week only (June 4-8)!

Summer Is Here!

Well, since it's June, that means it's SUMMER!!! And summer means summer reading. All through high school, I put off my summer reading assignments for as long as possible. There was just something so . . . awful . . . about being told what to read.

That's not the kind of summer reading I'm talking about though.

There are some really fun summer reading programs going on right now, so be sure to check them out!

Tyndale is hosting their summer reading program again. Get a free book for every five books that you read and share about online! Sounds good to me!

Barnes & Noble has a fantastic program for kids. Each kid that reads eight books during the summer gets a free book.

Scholastic is encouraging kids to log their minutes spent reading. I think they're offering prizes to individuals, but they're also offering prizes to schools. See if your school (or kids' school) is participating and help them out!

Check in with your local library to see what they have going on this summer. Several of the libraries in my county have activities for adults this summer. (I knew they had kids stuff but didn't know they had fun stuff for adults too!) I signed up on Saturday and Hubs told me to read as much as possible. They're hosting a grand prize drawing for an iPad 3 at the end of the summer, and Hubs wants me to win!

Do you know of any other summer reading programs? Do you have any specific reading goals for this summer?

Happy Reading!

The Travel Bug

I've realized over the past little while that this whole blogging thing is going to go in cycles. It's just the way it is. Several months ago I pulled back and really zeroed in on reviews, authors, and other book-related posts. And I'm glad I did. I've got some great ideas about how I can continue to expand the bookish side of things and I'm looking forward to implementing those into over the next few months.

From time to time, though, I've thought that it would be great to post about some non-bookish things. So I'm going to post every now and then about some other random things and hopefully you'll enjoy the diversion as well!

Many years ago—in middle school maybe?—I was bitten by the travel bug and have had the opportunity to travel a decent amount both in the United States and internationally. However, the more I travel, the more I want to travel! My list of places to visit is at least as long as my TBR list, if you can believe it! A few years ago, I took a job planning overseas group travel. It was a great fit for me—if not insanely stressful. Since I've got a bit of experience planning trips, people often ask for advice when planning their own vacations, and I thought I'd share some of my tips and recommendations with you as well.

I'm not sure if I'll post regularly or when the mood strikes, but feel free to post any questions that you have, and I'll do my best to respond!

Month In Review | May 2012

Well ... it's the end of May, which means that summer is officially upon us! I read a TON this past month, and a quick recap is definitely in order. Thanks to Crystal at Just Another Book Lovin' Girl for inspiring me to do these monthly updates. :)

Books Read [14]

Favorite book(s) this month?

After reading SO MANY incredible books it's hard to choose a favorite, but if I had to choose, I would say Wish You Were Here by Beth Vogt and My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade. As far as a historical favorite? I think The Ride of Her Life by Lorna Seilstad. BUT . . . they were ALL so great!

Reviews Posted [12]

Baroness by Susan May Warren (Litfuse Blog Tour)

Wish You Were Here by Beth Vogt

Beyond Hope's Valley by Tricia Goyer (Litfuse Blog Tour)

The Pursuit of Lucy Banning by Olivia Newport (Revell Blog Tour)

Not This Time by Vicki Hinze

My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade (Litfuse Blog Tour)
A Love Forbidden by Kathleen Morgan (Revell Blog Tour)
The Ride of Her Life by Lorna Seilstad (Revell Blog Tour)
Eyes of Justice by Lis Wiehl
The Anniversary Waltz by Darrel Nelson (FIRST Wildcard Blog Tour)
Mary's Blessing by Lena Nelson Dooley (FIRST Wildcard Blog Tour)
Trauma Plan by Candace Calvert

Blogside Chats

Olivia Newport

Update on Reading Challenges

I'm still trucking along with my reading challenges and completed the New Author Challenge, the 2nds Challenge, and the Christian Historical Fiction Challenge. Yay! You can check my progress on the rest of my reading challenges here.

Other Noteworthy Posts / Happenings

•  This has been the month of memes it seems. I just like them. I think they're fun, and I enjoy visiting others who link up. What do you guys think about memes?
• I posted the first "Getting to Know You" post. Be watching for another one soon.
• And, I posted the first (and possibly only) "Review in Haiku." What did you think?

What have you been up to this month?!