Well June has come and gone 🙁 June is one of my favorite months because it’s my birthday month and this year was especially great. Normally I detest the weather in June because it’s always so ridiculously hot but this year it’s been quite nice. We had a few spells of muggy, hot weather but altogether it was mostly just warm and pleasant. I started running again as well which feels fabulous and can also be accounted for the lack of reading I’ve done. I’m getting back on track and I’ll be participating in two read a thons for July so here’s to hoping!! I have also spiced up my wrap ups a bit. I’ve now included pictures from June, which I always enjoy in wrapup posts and some blog love for June. I’ve decided to add it into the end of month post and it’s worked well with me organizing it throughout the month! ANYHOW… onto the wrap up!
*Click for review
Like I said… I didn’t read as much as I normally do although I did get into audiobooks this month which excites me because I’ve always wanted to love them!
*Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins(Audiobook) – 5/5 Stars
*Faking It by Cora Carmack – 4/5 Stars
*Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn – 5/5 Stars
*The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan – 4/5 Stars
*Fang Girl by Helen Keeble – 4/5 Stars
*Yellow Socks & Blood Spots by Bailey J. Thompson – 4/5 Stars
*Live Through This by Mindi Scott – 3/5 Stars
*Fall From Love by Heather London – 4/5 Stars
*Spellcaster by Claudia Gray – 2/4 Stars
*Freshman Forty by Christine Duval – 5/5 Stars
My progress was pretty good, all challenges combined. I’m not disappointed and I hope to have much more progress for July!
Goodreads Challenge: I added 10 books complete to the challenge. It is my worst month so far but I am 18 books ahead so I have a little bit of room to relax 😛
2013 Debut Author Challenge: I read two debuts, Another Little Piece and The Beautiful and the Cursed! I’ve just about completed my goal(I’ve read 12 out of 16) so I don’t need to rush through this one!
2013 TBR Pile Challenge: I’m all over the place with this one… I’m not behind but I’m definitely not reading any TBR books lately 😛 I’ve read 17 out of 30 so I’m a bit ahead of schedule.
Summer of Stand Alones: I made a lot of progress on the SoS 🙂 It just started this month but I’ve already read 5 out of my 15 goal. I plan on doing a lot of stand alone reading in July so I should be much closer to completion !!
-I hosted my very first author interview! I had a blast hosting Bailey J. Thompson for her Yellow Socks & Blood Spots tour. I also reviewed Fall From Love by Heather London for a tour and I ADORED IT!
-I posted my picks for Top Ten Book Featuring Travel, Top Ten Books at the Top of my Summer TBR and Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far in 2013.
-I participated in only one Book Blogger confessions which was about promotional posts. I also made the announcement that I was no longer(or at least for the rest of the summer) be participating. I am going to be starting my own discussion posts shortly so I’m busy preparing those!
-I was so excited to participate in the Barbie World Book Blitz! I LOVED the first book and I will be featuring a tour stop for Barbie World here in July! I also posted an excerpt of the lovely Aberrant! I read this back in April and adored it! I’m so sick of dystopian lately but this was unique and refreshing. J.L Bryan revealed his cover for Nomad, his new book and I am beyond excited! Look for a review of that in July as well!
-I posted about how I will be making some changes this summer! I can’t wait to start some of the things I have planned 🙂
-I posted my intro for the Summer of Stand Alones! I am so excited to be participating in this… I really need to get some standalone reading done because series are all I seem to be reading lately.
It was my FIRST BLOGOVERSARY!!!! I had so much fun and hosted a giveaway! Thank YOU so much to everyone who has stuck around for the past year, and to all my new followers as well!!
-The Gayle Forman Read Along started. I am loving Sisters in Sanity so far and cannot wait to read the others! You can still join up if you’re interested(links in my start-up post).
Because I haven’t done a link love post within my stacking the shelves for quite some time I’ve decided to add it here. I actually like putting it far better so I will be continuing this going forward! So many changes and mixing up I’ve done lately 😛
- Reading? Ew. at Through the Looking Glass
- Am I Cut Out to be a Book Blogger? at Fiktshun
- A Blog Readers Confession at A Bookish Heart
- Book Borrowing Etiquette at Snuggly Oranges
- Negative Reviews at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
- My Latest Book Addiction at The Book Addict’s Guide
- What Numbers Mean or Don’t Mean at On A Book Bender
- Repeat Offenders: Crooked Smiles at Another Novel Read
- Rating Troubles at Paper Riot
- Another Little Piece at The Real Fauxtographer
- Darn those Frizzy Curls at The Annex
- What Book Bloggers Need to Know about FTC Disclosures at Nose Graze
- The Art of DNFing and Letting Go at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
- Books Make Me Hungry at Another Novel Read
- Are You Addicted to Buying Books at Starships and Dragonwings
- Audiobook Discussion: How Much Is Too Much? at Reading In Winter
- The Ever Growing To Read List at Characterized
- The Art of DNFing at Queen Ella Bee Reads (Clearly I love posts on how to DNF :P)
- The Woes of Having a TBR Pile at Gypsy Reviews
And that’s all for this month 🙂 How is your first month of summer going??! Here’s to a wonderful July! Ohhh!! And Happy 4th of July to everyone celebrating in the US today <3
Happy Reading
xo Lauren
Yay for having a great June! That cookbook looks like it’ll be fun! Are you going to share any of your attempts at cooking from it? And OUCH that sunburn!! That looks painful just looking at it! Hope July is a great month for you, even though you prefer June 😉 Oh, and thanks for linking to me 😀
Asti, I will definitely be sharing my attempts to cook 🙂 I haven’t started yet because of the extreme heat that is happening but I would say that once the fall starts I will be cooking from it quite a bit. Harry reminds me of the fall anyway 😛 Thanks so much for stopping in, and sorry for the late, late reply!
Oo, that sunburn looks paaaaainful D: I hope it was a good run though? Thanks for linking me <3
It was a good run! Despite the heat I faired out well lol. Thanks for asking 🙂
Aww, thanks so much for linking to TWO of my posts! It sounds like you had a pretty good month, except for that monster of a sunburn — ouch!
Your welcome Kelley! I LOVE your discussion posts 🙂
Good for you getting back into running. I need to get back on a good exercise routine. Looks like you had a great month! I look forward to what you have in store for us in July!
It is really hard to get BACK into it but once you do it becomes kind of a mini obsession, lol 😛 Good luck Tanya!! And thanks so much for dropping in 🙂