Weekly Wrap-Up: 5/8 – 5/14/17

Happy Sunday bookworms!

And Happy Mother’s Day to all those celebrating here in the U.S.  I will be spending the day with my family, then tonight I will be off to enjoy my Mother’s Day present, which happens to be concert tickets to see Red Hot Chili Peppers tonight in Columbus!  Sounds like the perfect Mother’s Day to me 🙂

This week was a little less productive than I wanted due to the fact that I caught a nasty stomach bug and was down for the count for 3 days.  I did get a decent amount of reading done, but I didn’t get as much done on my backlist of book reviews to write than I was planning on.  Must. Write. Book. Reviews. #TheStruggleIsReal

Let’s see what I did get done this week, shall we?

*Weekly Wrap-Up is a weekly post where I feature what posts were published on the blog for the past week, any bookish/blog happenings, what I recently finished reading, what I am currently reading, what I will be reading next, noteworthy posts around the bookish blogosphere, and any interesting bookish articles I came across.

Tuesday 5/9

Book Review: love, and you by Gretchen Gomez #Poetry

Wednesday 5/10

Book Event: SOKY Book Festival (2017) + Book Haul + #GIVEAWAY

*Giveaway ends 5/19 @ 11:59pm EST*

» In case you missed it, I am hosting TWO giveaways on my blog!   What am I giving away?

Why yes that is a SIGNED Goosebumps book…

Well for one, I’m giving away this signed copy of Welcome to Dead House by R.L. Stine.

Giveaway ends on 5/19 @ 11:59pm EST.  You can read all the details and enter here → Book Event: SOKY Book Festival (2017) + Book Haul + #GIVEAWAY

*Book titles link to Goodreads

Recently finished reading:

» The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

Like many other readers have said, this book is not going to be for everyone.  I would caution people who are easily scandalized against this one.  The topic isn’t gory or gruesome, but it is disturbing.  It is revealed very early in the book (by page 32 I think?) so at least you will know early on if you can handle the subject matter or not.  I will say that the author doesn’t get too graphic with it, so it wasn’t too hard to stomach.

Full review to come.

» Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

I’m still trying to work my feeling out about this one.  Without a doubt, this book is beautifully written.  The audiobook is narrated by Ruby Dee, whose narration made the characters come to life.  While I enjoyed the storyline, I often felt my mind wandering while I was listening, which is a tell tale sign to me that the writing was a little dense for my liking.  Also, there was one point in this book where the story shifts focus from Janie, and instead moves to her husband Joe, which I didn’t care for.  It felt as if Janie disappeared from the story for a bit.  This isn’t to say that I wouldn’t recommend this book, nor that I didn’t enjoy it, I just had a few issues with it.

» The House by the Lake by Ella Carey

This book did not work for me, which is a shame because the concept and storyline COULD have made for a great read.  This is one of those books that alternates between past and present, where the characters in the present storyline are trying to figure out the mystery of the past.   The romance in this book, in both past and present, was flat and unbelievable.  But most of all, the climax was rushed and didn’t evoke the feelings it should have.

Full review to come.

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Currently reading:

» Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I am reading this for Jane @Greenish Bookshelf’s Anne of Green Gables Read Along and am about 40% through.

» Gone to Drift by Diana McCaulay

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On deck:

» The History Major by Michael Phillip Cash

» Summer @Xingsings shares tips for more blog traffic → Summer Says: How to Gain More Blog Traffic

» Margot @Project Lectito makes a HUGE announcement → My YA novel, NEVERLAND, is Being Published by Penguin Random House Australia!

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» Books Like The Hobbit: 12 Epic Fantasies Worth Reading

What are you currently reading?

What will you read next?

Have a wonderful week, and happy reading