The Weekly Update: 4/24/16

 
 
I had a few incidents this week, one with the AC and one with some freaky-ass spider-looking/giant-mosquito-looking bugs, but both were handled without too much trouble.

And I even have a bit of good news this week! So I have this *other* laptop that was the first laptop I ever owned and served me well for like six years (ok maybe not *well* for the last couple years, but it worked, at least) before it finally broke. I figured my unsaved stuff was most likely lost forever, but I finally, some years later, decided to take a look at the hard drive, and lo and behold, the hard drive is in perfect condition! I had a bunch of poetry on there that wasn't saved anywhere else, but now I've got it transferred over :-) I was going to regale you all with a poem, but then I chickened out.

Other than that, not too much happened during my week.

Blog/Bookish Updates:

I’m still dying to hear back about whether I’ll get Girl in the Shadows from Netgalley because it’s the sequel to Girl on a Wire, which I loved, and because CIRCUS. Each day that goes by, I get more and more sure I’m going to be rejected. Does anyone else feel that way when they request?

In other news, I might finally give up on TTT for good soon (the topics just aren’t working for me and it doesn’t seem very social anymore) and start posting book reviews on Tuesdays and Thursdays rather than Thursdays and Fridays. My blog always slumps on the weekends, and I want to figure out if it’s just the fact that it’s reviews I’m posting (since I think it’s pretty universal that those get less interaction) or if it has something to do with the actual days/schedule.

Books I Received for Review:

North to Zombieville by Meg Bawden | reading, books
Whereafter by Terri Bruce | books, reading, book covers
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg | books, reading, book covers
Deadgirl by B.C. Jonhson | books, reading, book covers
Deadgirl: Ghostlight by B.C. Johnson | books, reading, book covers

Books I Finished:

Thereafter by Terri Bruce | books, reading, book covers
Wish for Me by A. Star | books, reading, book covers
A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly | books, reading, book covers

Thereafter was another thought-provoking book in the Afterlife series. Wish for Me, however, was too alpha male, romance-y. But A Criminal Magic! I’ve dying to read this ever since I saw it, so why did I wait so long?! I haven’t quite finished but plan to today, and so far it’s really well-written and a great read.

Song of the Week:

“I Want to Know Your Plans” by Say Anything – I didn’t find any new music this week, so here’s a random older song I like.

In Case You Missed It:

– I shared book covers with alcoholic drinks on them.
– I asked your opinion on revamping and reposting book reviews.
– I reviewed The Labyrinthians by J.A. Armitage, a book with a suspenseful plot and likeable characters.
– I reviewed Blood Stain Vol. 1 by Linda Sejic, a quirky, entertaining graphic novel.

The Sunday Post Link-Up:

Once again, I’m linking up to The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer 🙂

 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

Did you find any good books or music last week?
Do you get more anxious the longer you wait to hear about an ARC you want?
Are there any days in the week when you've noticed your blog visits/interaction always slumps?

 
 
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Your Thoughts

 

40 thoughts on “The Weekly Update: 4/24/16

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  1. Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

    Spider / mosquito giant? I’m glad you were able to deal with that thing without too much trouble, Kristen! Sounds a little scary, and at the same time, I’m wondering if you took a picture 😀
    Please share a poem with us! I’m sure we’ll love it 🙂 And I’m so happy you were able to get back into that hard drive. It’s very frustrating to think you’ve lost stuff and so rewarding to find it again.
    I have a discussion post either next week or the week after about memes, and if I’ve grown out of some of them… I used to always do the TTT posts, too, and then, I just kind of stopped.
    Have a wonderful week ahead and happy reading.

    1. Kristen Burns

      No pictures of the bugs lol. I was too busy freaking out over them. I mean, they didn’t seem like they wanted to attack me, but they were still freaky. And they were flying bugs, so…

      I have contemplating sharing some poems, so maybe one day soon.

      I will definitely join in on that discussion post! Thanks, you have a great week too 🙂

  2. Greg

    Hey glad you were able to save some stuff! That’s gotta be a good feeling, especially when you think it’s gone. I’ve pretty much given up on TTT , at least for now. the topics lately are meh and it’s sorta become my discussion post day- either that or a review. I’m just tired of trying to shoehorn in a TTT if I’m not into it. 🙂

    Some of those reviews copies look pretty good, some nice covers on those.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks, it was a good feeling 🙂 And since it had been years, I didn’t even remember half the poems, so it was kind of interesting to look through them lol. That’s exactly how I feel about TTT though, like too often I just have to force myself to come up with stuff for a topic I don’t care about.

      Not sure which covers you’re talking about, but I love the covers for Whereafter (and that whole series) and the Deadgirl books. Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet isn’t bad either.

  3. Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog

    Oh that bug situation makes me itchy lol. I am so not good with bugs. Yay for being able to get the stuff off your old computer. TTT is one I still do but I agree sometimes the topics aren’t that great and I am trying to come up with stuff. Hope you have a great week!!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I’m not good with bugs either which was why I got a nearby maintenance guy to help me lol. TTT was fun when I participated in the beginning, but I guess I just became disenchanted by the “Great list, here’s mine!” type of comments and all that. I just don’t read a lot of the same books as other bloggers, so it seemed like I wasn’t actually connecting with anyone else through that meme. You have a great week too!

  4. Samantha

    I have been struggling with TTT lately as well. The topics are hit or miss for me, and I feel like the blogs that participate are mostly YA, which is fine, but that is not what I blog about so when I visit other blogs, I don’t have much to say! Also, I wish their linky was more like Kimberly’s for Sunday Post where you could see which blogs you have visited.
    But, all that being said, I will probably keep participating since it does help me find new blogs and get some traffic to my blog, which I need DESPERATELY! Have a great week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah, it does seem like most of the blogs that participate are strictly YA whereas I also read adult, and I just don’t read a lot of the popular, current books, and it’s hard to connect through that meme if you haven’t read any of the same books. And I agree that the linky was terrible with how it was always switching around! I liked it for the traffic since I don’t get a lot either, but it just wasn’t the right kind of traffic for me. You have a great week too!

  5. Geraldine @ Corralling Books

    Ahhh hopefully you get accepted for the ARC soon!! 🙂
    And i totally understand about TTT – sometimes the topics are awesome, sometimes they can be a bit repetitive. Its up to you what you want to do though! 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thank you 🙂 I’m so afraid that I won’t get it though!

      Yeah, the topics do seem very repetitive since I guess there are only so many ideas out there, but part of me just isn’t sure I want to give it up lol.

  6. La La in the Library

    I think reviews tend to get less traffic, especially if it is not about a high profile book. Waiting to get approved for the sequels to books I have loved, or new books from a favorite author, is the WORST! As far as music goes, I was listening to a fair bit of Prince because of his passing. Have a wonderful week. 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah, my book reviews definitely do the worst in terms of interaction on my blog, especially since I don’t usually read those high profile books you mentioned lol. But ugh, yes, the wait is killing me! That makes sense that you’ve been listening to Prince, I’m sure lots of people are right now. You have a great week too!

  7. Maureen's Books (@MaureenHinten)

    My blog visits/interactions really slump on Wednesdays. I always have a weekly thing called ‘Wednesday’s Favorites’ on my blog, but it doesn’t seem to get much views. I’m thinking about quitting that post actually. I’m not quite sure yet though.. I love making it.
    Awesome that your old hard drive is still in such a good condition. Sounds like you finally had a good thing on the laptop/pc part. 😉
    Have a great week and happy reading!

    1. Kristen Burns

      So it probably is just the book review posts, not the days, since my blog does well on Wednesdays as that’s my discussion day. If you love making the post, I say keep making it, unless it’s really too much work. My book cover posts don’t get a lot of traffic, but I love making those 🙂

      Thanks! Yeah, finally something good related to computers lol. You have a great week too!

  8. Molly @ Molly's Book Nook

    Any news about the other laptop? Is that one still out getting “fixed”? lol Also, I gave up TTT a while ago xD I was just bored with it. You should do whatever you want with your blog 🙂 I don’t even post on weekends, those are my days “off” (well, not Sunday, more Friday and Saturday). I only post if I have an extra review or random post. Do you, girl, do you!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I gave up even tracking it. I’m over it. Lol. Last email I got, it was at the repair center, but I don’t have high hopes. It’s not that I’m worried about what other people think about me stopping TTT, it’s just my indecision lol. I’m just not sure I’m ready to completely give it up, even though I haven’t done it for like over a month at this point and haven’t missed it. But haha, yes, do you is always solid advice!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I’m still trying to find a zombie book I actually like lol, so maybe this’ll be the one. Thanks! *fingers crossed* And yeah, definitely not cool, but I think the problem has been taken care of 🙂

  9. Lola

    I am glad to hear both the AC and the spider creature incidents where handled without much trouble. And that’s neat you managed to recover some documents from your old laptop that you thought you had lost.

    I am still waiting to hear back from netgalley about Artificial. I always hate waiting so long, it makes me anxious to know whether they will approve or decline me. And yes I always feel it’s more likely I get rejected with each day that passes by, although that makes no sense as I also have been rejected a few times very shortly after requesting a book.

    Sunday are usually my busiest days in terms of comments, but Saturdays don’t seem to get much interaction when i post a review, but when I do the my to-be read list meme I do get a nice amount of comments. So I think it might be both the day and the type of content?

    Nice haul you got this week! A Criminal magic sounds interesting, looking forward to your review of that one!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks 🙂 The problems were annoying, but at least they were minor.

      Curiosity Quills seems to take a while sometimes on Netgalley, but I think they’re good about approving people, so I think you will get Artificial eventually. I’m just really impatient though when I’m actually waiting for a response lol, so I get anxious after like two days on Netgalley.

      It sounds like it probably is mostly the type of post, but I’m sure the day also affects things at least a little. I guess it’s time for me to do an experiment and switch up my blog schedule 😛

      I finished A Criminal Magic today and thought it was great, except the ending kind of bothered me. I’ll review it soon 🙂

  10. Kei @ The Lovely Pages Reviews

    Oh, you can totally post old TTTs, that’s what I do when the topic is not working for me! As for NG, it always surprises me, I still have books I’ve requested at least a year ago and never heard back and sometimes I get approved on the spot. You can always connect the author for an ARC, good luck!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Haha, yeah, sometimes I’ve just changed the topic for TTT if I didn’t like it. But idk, that doesn’t feel as much fun. And yeah, I have another request on Netgalley that’s just been there unanswered for like a month and honestly I don’t even care about that book anymore so I kind of don’t even want to get accepted for that one lol.

      I feel weird contacting authors directly though, unless I’ve seen them mention somewhere that they give ARCs to reviewers. And I think this author is a little too popular. Has it worked well for you contacting authors directly? I’m honestly curious about this since I like indie/self-pub books, and those are often not offered on Netgalley.

  11. Deborah

    Ugh re the bugs and aircon but yay re your old laptop! That happened to my previous mobile phone. It (ummm) threw itself into my bathtub and stopped working. I did the rice thing to no avail. So I bought a cheap interim phone and could still use the SIM card so that was okay.

    But about 9mths later I got the phone out and plugged it in and it (mostly) worked. The ‘flash’ stayed on and photos were a bit murky but it did me another 2yrs until I upgraded at Christmas!

    I’ve got my fingers crossed for you re the NetGalley approval!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Ugh sums up my thoughts on things like that perfectly lol. As for the phone, newer electronics probably don’t come back to life or have surviving parts the way our old ones did -_-

      Thank you! You’ll see me complaining next week if I don’t get it lol.

  12. Laura Thomas

    North To Zombieville is going on my reading list. Can’t pass up more zombies. LOL Glad to hear your AC is fixed. Curious what the spider bug thing is. Could it be a mosquito hawk?
    Good luck on your Netgalley request. I’ve been trying not to ask for any but caved and did get one last week.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I just looked up “mosquito hawk” and you know what? I think that’s what it was lol. You have solved the mystery! At least now I know they’re harmless, albeit still freaky, if they do come back.

      Thanks! There was hardly anything I wanted on Netgalley for weeks, and then all of a sudden a whole bunch at once -_- So I’m just trying to prioritize.

      1. Kristen Burns

        Ok, wait, it’s a crane fly. That’s where my search for mosquito hawk led me. Don’t know if they’re quite the same thing but still, figured it out lol.

  13. Daniela Ark

    Spider-looking/giant-mosquito-looking bugs sounds like a great sci-fi writing prompt 😉 OMG I’m so glad to hear all that great work in the hard drive is safe now 🙂 poetry is NOT easy to write!

    Man! I don’t think anyone has make me sure so much with their writing as you. Com’on! poem! poem! poem! WE DEMAND THE POEM! 😀

  14. Daniela Ark

    hahaha I think I copied and pasted the rest of your post here by mistake LOL LOL SORRY!!! I think I had TOO MUCH cough syrup tonight and I’m high 😀 please EDIT it out! Thanks!

    1. Kristen Burns

      JUST BECAUSE I WRITE THAT DOESN’T MEAN ANY OF IT IS GOOD. Lol. But ok, I will consider posting a poem. Or reposting the short story I posted once and then removed, all before we were friends. But it wasn’t dystopian or even fantasy, it was just normal contemporary, so don’t get too excited lol.

      And hahahaha I fixed your comment for you. You’re excused for being high on cough syrup 😛

    1. Kristen Burns

      Aww you saw it on Netgalley and thought of me?! But yes, totally already waiting on my response 🙂 It’s going to be a circus-tastic week if I get since tomorrow’s cover post is also circus-related lol.

      1. Daniela Ark

        I knoooow. I saw it and I thought.. KRISTEN! 🙂 Now I have to go check your cover characteristics. Trying to catch up with your blog after a hiatus due to last week of Camp NaNo

        1. Kristen Burns

          Oh that’s right, it was the final week! I figured you were busy with something, but stupid me forgot about that lol. Speaking of which, I gotta go check the group on GR. I’m gonna stick to my promise to participate lol.

  15. Lauren Berman

    So glad you were able to rescue your poetry from the long lost harddrive?
    One of the things that I was most disappointed by when moving over to a Mac was losing my notes from Microsoft Onenote. Thankfully, there is now a version for Mac so I was able to go back it get them all.

    Have a great week and enjoy your books!

  16. Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature)

    I’m still waiting to hear about Girl in the Shadows as well! I loved the first book, love the author, and will be so sad if I don’t get approved! It’s awesome when we find those old computers start working enough to get what we need on them. Hope you have a great week! You can check out my Sunday Post in the link below!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Ok good, now I don’t feel as bad about not getting accepting yet because maybe they’re not just responding to anyone right away lol. I’m gonna be so sad too if I don’t get it!

      It really is great to get old stuff we thought we lost from our electronics. Such a relief!