Category: The Week Ahead
The Week Ahead (#7)
Last week was pretty sparse reviews-wise in part because of that awesome guest post by Don Maker. However, that left me plenty of time to read so this week is going to be review heavy.
Monday
- A review of Fire and Sword by Louise Turner. I chose to review this for the blog tour and although it took me forever to finish it I enjoyed it thoroughly. Scottish history is really not my strong point but I can confidently say that I learned something by reading this book!
Tuesday
- A review of In Defense of the Queen by Michelle Diener. I actually finished this book ages ago but I was so tightly scheduled in April that I couldn’t fit it in until now. This is the third book in the Susanna Horenbout and John Parker series and after the cliffhanger of the second book I was very, very eager to start reading this one.
Wednesday
- A review of Mine to Spell by Janeal Falor. I loved the first book in this series, You Are Mine so when I heard Janeal Falor was sending out ARCs for the second book I snapped one up right away. Cynthia is very different from Serena, the first book’s protagonist and at this point I really can’t say who I like more! They’re both good.
Thursday
- A review of Shattered Secrets by Krystal Wade. Way back when I started blogging I reviews Krystal Wade’s debut trilogy and loved it. So how could I resist starting on her latest series? My only worry was if it would live up to Wilde’s Fire.
Friday
- A review of The Curse by Jennifer Brassel. This one was a guilty pleasure read that I requested on NetGalley. I mean how could I resist ancient Egypt, romance and a little bit of mystery?
Saturday
- Discussion: Violence in Literature. How much is too much?
The Week Ahead (#6)
Last week was pretty chaotic but I think things have settled down enough that I can have a somewhat consistent posting schedule this week. My life is still a mess but I guess I’ve just become accustomed to this new level of stress. Life goes on, as the saying goes.
Monday
- Guest Post: All History is Fiction. At the beginning of the month an author of historical fiction contacted me offering to guest post so I’m very excited to finally be publishing his very thoughtful article.
Tuesday
- The missing review of Evermore by Alyson Noel. I had intended to publish it on Thursday of last week but life got in the way so I’ll publish it this Tuesday.
Wednesday
- A review of After the End by Amy Plum. I was lucky enough to receive a paperback ARC from the publisher of this novel so I can’t wait to finally be able to publish my review of the book.
Thursday
- The Best and Worst of April 2014. It’s May 1 on Thursday so of course I’ll be adding another article to my Best and Worst of…series
- A review of Sworn to Defiance by Terah Edun. I’m more than a little scared about the last book in the series but at the same time I’m excited to see how things end up.
Friday
- Cover Reveal: Blades of Illusion by Terah Edun.
Saturday
- Discussion: Separating the Creator From Their Work. Is it possible to separate an author or artist whose views you disagree with from their work that you love?
The Week Ahead (#5)
Last week saw my stats go down in general, but at least my comments have remained consistent. Outside of blogging I’ve been contemplating a new blogging business venture to help pay for my book habit and I’m actually pretty excited about launching it in the fall. I’ll announce my plan closer to the date, but I think you guys will like it better than my proposed donating option. Anyway…what am I doing this week besides dropping cryptic clues to torture you?
Monday
- An article called ‘Writing Pitfalls: Dialogue’. This article is the first in a planned ten part series designed to help authors with their writing, whether they’re just starting out or already have a few books under their belts.
Tuesday
- A review of Keeper of the King’s Secrets by Michelle Diener. This is the sequel to the first book, In a Treacherous Court and I’m very excited to see how Michelle Diener’s writing has improved.
Wednesday
- A review of Roma by Steven Saylor. I was rather reluctant to start reading Roma but I’m about halfway through it at the time of writing this and so far it’s pretty good. Sometimes there’s more showing than telling but Steven Saylor is a good storyteller.
Thursday
- A review of Evermore by Alyson Noel. I’ve heard so much about this one and it’s been on my TBR pile for so long that I finally gave in and started reading it. What have I got to lose?
Friday
- Book Blast: 1066: What Fates Impose by G. K. Holloway
- Book Blast: Destruction by Sharon Bayliss
Saturday
- Discussion: Beta Reading. If you’re a book blogger or author have you ever been a beta reader? If so, how was it? If not, would you ever consider being a beta reader?
The Week Ahead (#4)
Last week was a week consisting of generally mediocre books but record-breaking statistics, so I guess it wasn’t all that bad after all. This coming week should be even better! This is partly because on Monday I will be publishing my 500th book review. When I started my blog almost two and a half years ago I never dreamed I’d reach 500 book reviews so this is quite the milestone for me.
Monday
- I’ll admit that The Memoirs of Cleopatra has taken me quite literally months to finish but I’m loving it so much that it’s going to be the book I review for my 500th review milestone. Margaret George has such an interesting writing style and she’s obviously done her research so even though this is a monster of a book I’m enjoying it.
- I’ve been sick and grouchy lately which means that I have another rant coming up for Monday. This one is called ‘How Not to Criticize a Book Reviewer’ and it draws on some experiences I’ve had throughout the 2 1/2 years I’ve been blogging.
Tuesday
- A review of The Lion and the Rose by Kate Quinn. I didn’t expect to like Giulia Farnese so much but she comes out as one of my favourite heroines by the time Kate Quinn finishes her story. The ending of this book was quite the surprise, believe me!
Wednesday
- A review of Zombies vs. Robots: No Man’s Land by Jeff Conner. This anthology really isn’t the sort of book I’d normally pick up but the publisher approached me with a pre-approved NetGalley link so I figured I’d give it a shot.
Thursday
- A book review of Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn. After finishing The Lion and the Rose I wanted to see how Kate Quinn would handle ancient Rome and I have to say that the results were quite interesting.
Friday
- Book Blast: The Replacement by Rachael Wade
Saturday
- Discussion: Reading Slumps. Do you ever get those times when you just don’t feel like you have the energy to read? How do you get over them?
The Week Ahead (#3)
Last week was pretty sparse reviews-wise but this week I’m planning my regular 4 reviews per week, which will bring the review count up to 499. That means that next Monday (the 14th) will be a very special review for review #500.
Monday
- A review of Angeline by Karleen Bradford. I vaguely remember reading this and liking it several years ago so when I saw it at the local library I couldn’t pass it up. Is it as good as I remember it was? Probably not, but it’s still nice to dive into your childhood favourites with a new perspective.
Tuesday
- A review of The Recruit by Fiona Palmer. I was approached by a publisher to read this book and although contemporary YA really isn’t my thing I decided to give it a try. So far, so good. It has a lot of potential and I’m anxious to see how the story turns out.
Wednesday
A review of Blades of Magic by Terah Edun. If you’ll remember, I loved Terah Edun’s debut series so I’m very eager to get started on this spin-off prequel series. It will be interesting to see what really happened during the Initiate Wars whose aftereffects cause Ciardis much grief in the Courtlight series. Apparently this one is going to be a trilogy, so there’s lots to look forward to from Terah Edun in the coming year!
Thursday
A review of The Secret Eleanor by Cecelia Holland. This one has been on my TBR pile for months and I’ve finally decided to get off my butt and work through the pile. I’m not very familiar with Eleanor of Aquitaine but from what little I’ve read I can guarantee that if nothing else, The Secret Eleanor will be a very interesting story!
Friday
- Book Blast: The Towers of Tuscany by Carol M. Cram
Saturday
- Discussion: Re-reading Childhood Favourites. Are you like me and re-read some of your favourite books from when you were a child? Or do you tend to avoid doing that out of the fear of learning they really weren’t all that good to begin with?