Hello bookworms!
I know, I know. Where have I been lately?! I’ll make excuses explain everything in just a moment…
*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 8/1
Wednesday 8/2
» I’ve been MIA the past two weeks around the blogosphere because I’ve been busy making decisions for our new house remodel, plus painting & getting our current home ready to put up for sale this fall. I knew this was going to take time away from blogging, which kills me, but I gotta do what I gotta do. This week, I am going on a vacation with a bunch of girl friends to Norris Lake (Tennessee), so I will also be MIA this week as well. When I get home next week, I am going to try and do my best to manage my time a little better to allow me to blog hop & be more active in the blogosphere. I want all my blogger friends to know that I have not forgotten them. I am super bummed I am missing so many greats posts & reviews, BUT I will be back towards the end of the month. I may have a few posts up here & there in the meantime.
To be honest, it is probably going to be pretty hit or miss around here until our home is complete (2-3 months), we sell our current home, and move…
*Book titles link to Goodreads
Recently finished reading:
» The Luster of Lost Things by Sophie Chen Keller
Feelings in a few thoughts: magic realism ¤ journey where MC discovers their inner strength ¤ MC with motor speech disorder ¤ recommend to food lovers, dog lovers, and NY lovers ¤ heartwarming ¤ struggled a bit with some of the magical realism elements at first – this was probably more because I didn’t read the book description
» The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman
Feelings in a few thoughts: WWII Poland under German occupation ¤ loved learning about Jan and Antonina Zabinski & how the helped save hundreds of lives ¤ interesting perspective of life living at a zoo ¤ would recommend to animal lovers ¤ felt like the author went off on tangents ¤ wonderfully narrated audiobook ¤ not sure I would have gotten through it in print form – my mind wandered a bit during the “tangents”
» The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
Feelings in a few thoughts: short story ¤ fairytale retelling – Snow White/Sleeping Beauty mash up ¤ Zombies? ¤ LOVED the twist! ¤ short & sweet book to read between books ¤ audiobook well done with full cast
» The Ship Beyond Time (The Girl From Everywhere #2) by Heidi Heilig
Feelings in a few thoughts: I still love this unique concept: time travel through maps ¤ loved seeing Kash’s POV ¤ really like the history & mythology woven throughout ¤ Slate felt off ¤ wanted a little more world building in regards to the mythical utopia ¤ despite some of my other issues, I still love this book & this series
Currently reading:
» Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Status: 30%What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
Have a wonderful week, and happy reading
I’M GOING TO FEEL AWFUL WITHOUT YOU! Are you leaving Ohio, or are you just moving close by? Currently, I’m reading a self-published book called Jolie is Everywhere that I enjoy so far, and listening to The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes, which Fiction Fan recommended not long ago. I’m in a bit of a panic getting ready for the fall semester to start in two weeks, but it has always worked itself out because it HAS to. Maybe, if you keep reading, you can post something short, like a synopsis from Goodreads and a paragraph on what you thought in general. That way, we can still comment to you and stay in touch! I know you put a LOT of work into your photographs and writing strong, thorough blog posts, but I’d hate to see you completely disappear if you get out of the routine of Cover 2 Cover Mom 😦
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This comment made my day ❤ Thank you so much Melanie.
We are moving an entire 1.6 miles away from our current house lol We live in a small town in the suburbs of Dayton. We love our community and the school district, so we are not going anywhere, especially while our children are still in school.
I am happy to report that I am back this month! I missed blogging way too much to keep being on hiatus. Can't wait to get caught up and see what everyone has been up to while I was gone 🙂
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*big squishy hugs!*
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Have a great holiday!
I wish I had listened to the audiobook of the Zookeeper ‘s Wife instead of physically reading it! I was not expecting all the tangents and I didn’t enjoy them at all!
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I commend you for finishing the paper version… I am not sure I would have been able to. Great story…. not the best execution.
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Breaks are good- especially for trips. Have fun!
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Thank you! We had a wonderful time 🙂
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Good luck with your move Amanda! Hoping everything goes smoothly. And have a good vacation. 🙂
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Thanks Rachel! We had a wonderful time. Things are going great with the renovation…. it’s exhausting!
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I really want to check out The Zookeeper’s Wife and at least try to read it before I see the movie. I love WWII historical fiction so it seems like something I’d enjoy. Fingers crossed, anyway. Good luck with the remodel and move! Hope it all goes well 🙂
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Thank you so much! Slowly things are starting to come together. Only 6-8 more weeks of this lol
The Zookeeper’s Wife is a great story, just keep in mind that it is nonfiction, so some of the book can be a little dense…
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I’m so glad to see you’re prioritizing your family and the house! I know it’s going to be super crazy over the next few months. Do you plan on putting the house up for sale ASAP? I hope that everything goes smoothly, according to plan, and EXTREMELY under budget with the remodel. So exciting! I’d love to see before/after photos if you’re comfortable with that. 😀
Don’t you worry about us. We know you care! We’ll be here when you get back. Just keep reading and be there for your family. And enjoy your vacation! These weekly wrap ups tell me a lot about what you’re reading and give me all sorts of ideas. I also really enjoyed The Sleeper and the Spindle— I listened to the audiobook, though. It was a unique experience.
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We are trying to have it so we can put our current home on the market when we are about 4 weeks out of finishing up & moving into our new house. Fingers crossed it pans out that way lol I will definitely share some after pictures… I really should have taken some before pictures…. Maybe I’ll take a few after the rough-in process and before they start drywall.
Thank you so much Jackie! I actually had a hard time without blogging this month, and can no longer take it. I am back for September! I will do as much as I can with the time I have.
I also listened to The Sleeper and the Spindle via audiobook and LOVED it! Such a wonderful listening experience.
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Oh, totally take some Before pictures now. That will still help tell the story! Was this house listen on Trello? Perhaps you could grab some photos from pre-sell which might also help? Either way– I look forward to seeing what your hard work turns out! I’m sure you’ll inspire David and I to do even more things to our tiny home.
I completely understand how it feels not to blog. It was really strange in Croatia not even really having access to technology to blog. There is something incredibly therapeutic about blogging and connecting with a community of readers, isn’t there?
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I heard you won Sammi’s giveaway for The Dazzling Heights! Congrats!!
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I sure did! Which lead me to need to buy the first book…. It actually went on sale for kindle in August so I snagged it for $1.99!
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I love that – I keep an eye out and snap up so many books that way – when I find a good one I try to share it on Twitter!
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Ooooh I’m glad you enjoyed Ship Beyond time, Kash’s POV was really great and I loved Nixies character development. More descriptions of the mythical islands would have been the icing on the cake 🙂
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I did! Minor complaints aside, I really enjoyed the series. Is it true it is a duology?! I really thought it was going to be a trilogy….
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Yep just a duo! I quite like all the duos coming out it feels good to have a book series done so fast although really they could just make a 500-600 page book. Glad you enjoyed it though 😀
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