The Weekly Update: 9/25/16

 
 

Alright, last week I mentioned cinnamon brooms because, drumroll please…

I gots myself a cinnamon broom and I’m all excited about it! I also promised you a story though, so here it is. Cinnamon is probably my favorite scent. I just LOVE it. (I also like to eat it, but that’s not the point right now.) So for years growing up I begged my mother every holiday season to buy a cinnamon broom, but she never would because she said the smell was too strong. Last year was the first season I spent in my own apartment though, which meant I finally FINALLY got to have a cinnamon broom! And you know what the first thing my mother said was when she walked into my apartment one day after I had bought it? “Wow, it smells really good in here! What’s that smell?”

-_-

But anyway, I am going to enjoy my cinnamon brooms while they last!


Blog/Bookish Updates:

Is anyone else who uses WP having an issue with searching in the image files? Like, when I want to add an image to a post and I bring up the media thing, if I try to search for the image, it tells me there’s nothing. So then I have to scroll until I find it -_- Is it just me having bad luck with technology again??

And oh! Ok. I stopped reading a book at 10% this week, but is that DNFing? See, to me it just feels like I sampled the book and decided not to read it. I read the preview for books in Amazon all the time, I’ve always read at least the first few pages in books before deciding if I wanted them or not. And I guess 10% is more than a few pages, but I just feel like that’s not enough to actually count as a DNF… But I did promise I would tell you all if I ever DNFed and I don’t want to break my promise if that counts. Although I’m already plagued with indecision and wondering if maybe it would improve, so I might eventually give it another chance.

Also, apparently last Sunday I did not know how to do math. I had 23 posts ready, not 28. But today I actually do have 28 since I finished up some half-done posts and added a few new ones. Except seriously some of these aren’t going to be posted until like April lol because I’m trying to spread things out.

Books I Received for Review:

The Pedlar and the Bandit King by Kirby Crow | reading, books
Mariner's Luck by Kirby Crow | reading, books
The Land of Night by Kirby Crow | reading, books
The King of Forever by Kirby Crow | reading, books
The Immortal Coil by J. Armand | reading, books
 

Gah, I am SO HAPPY with my book haul again! I am so grateful to these authors for sending me their books (this week and every week), and I am so very excited for these. The Immortal Coil because it’s been on my TBR forever (I’m trying really hard not to get my expectations so high that I end up ruining it lol). And the Scarlet and the White Wolf series because if the first few pages are anything to go by, it’s going to make the newfound high fantasy lover in me very happy, and I’m already swooning over the characters just from the cover art <3

And I realized that I have been slacking on reading vampire books this year (last year I read 40-something, but so far this year I’ve only read 26, and 5 of those were re-reads), so I am attempting to remedy that which is why one of these is about vampires as well as one ARC that I should be getting next week. Plus I just read two vampires books last week 🙂 October is going to be like Vampire Fest on my blog. I should’ve just made it a thing.

Also, you all don’t even want to know how many books are going to be in my end of the year Best of 2016 cover post. It’s getting ridiculous, but LOOK AT THOSE GORGEOUS COVERS.

Books I Finished:

The Beast Without by Christian Baines | reading, books
The Orchard of Flesh by Christian Baines | reading, books
Shadow Fall by Audrey Grey | reading, books
 

The Beast Without had potential but didn’t quite reach it for me. The problems seemed like the type of things that could get better though, so I gave the series another chance, and lo and behold, The Orchard of Flesh was actually better! So it turns out I made the right decision. I have conflicting feelings about Shadow Fall, but the good outweighed the bad.

Song of the Week:

“Don’t Stay Here” by Frames – I don’t normally listen to instrumental, but this came up on YouTube, and it caught my attention because it’s actually really pretty.

 

In Case You Missed It:

– I reviewed The Ghost Chronicles by Marlo Berliner, a YA paranormal about a boy getting accustomed to life as a ghost.
– I discussed school required reading books and asked which were your favorites and least favorites.
– I reviewed A Triad in Three Acts: The Complete Forester Trilogy by Blaine D. Arden, a M/M/M elf trilogy with incredible world-building and intriguing mysteries.
– I reviewed Unleashed by Chani Lynn Feener, the second in a series about a girl who went to the Underworld and made a deal with Hades to get her dead boyfriend back.

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?
What's YOUR favorite smell?
Have you had problems with the search function in the media files?
How far into a book do you have to be before you consider it DNFing?

 
 
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Your Thoughts

 

64 thoughts on “The Weekly Update: 9/25/16

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  1. Deborah

    I sometimes struggle finding pics in WP because I merged two blogs and the media files for one didn’t import properly… so my old diet blog posts are missing lots of pics (and I deleted the old files when I ‘thought’ it worked). I also name files badly so struggle to find them.

    And… I’m gonna have to google cinnamon broom cos I’m wondering if you mean a broom that sweeps floors or something else!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Oh that sucks about it not uploading properly :-/ I didn’t even do anything though! It just randomly started. And I do name my files really well, so it’s aggravating to still have to scroll and search for them anyway.

      And lol, I responded to your tweet 🙂

  2. Literary Feline

    I could use a cinnamon broom or two. I wonder what my husband would think. Haha My nose is much more sensitive than his is, but I like strong scents like that. I’m not sure if he does. LOL

    I’d never really considered if there was a limit to what constituted sampling and DNFing. I suppose it’s however you feel about it, really?

    An October Vampire-Fest sounds like fun. 🙂 I look forward to seeing what all you read.

    I hope you have a great week, Kristen! Happy Reading.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I seem to have a pretty sensitive nose too. I actually don’t like a lot of strong scents, my poor roommate in college once had to move her flowers to her bedroom because they gave me a headache when they were in the living room lol, but I love certain smells, like the cinnamon brooms.

      I like that, we each get to decide. It’s really confusing though when you think about it because where is that cut-off? If you read 10 pages it’s sampling, but if you read 11 it’s DNFing? Lol.

      I should totally do a Vampire-Fest next October, haha. I love vampires, so I figured I’d try and post some vampire-y stuff in October since that’s when other people might actually be more interested!

      Thanks, you have a great week too 🙂

  3. Greg

    I don’t really know cinnamon brooms but I do like the smell of cinnamon. Funny story. 🙂

    And yes that is a DNF!!! See? Join us on the dark side lol… . 🙂

    Vampire month should totally be a thing. I’m going to do some Creatures of the Night posts (and there’s a CotN tag out there, you should do it) in October- I love scary stuff this time of year.

    Nice covers this week, I especially like those first three. And Shadow Fall I like even if it was kinda iffy. And I do like instrumental or moody music sometimes- nice tune.

    1. Kristen Burns

      They’re just twig brooms with a cinnamon oil or something like that. But I still love them because they make the whole apartment smell great!

      Lol idk, it still doesn’t feel like a DNF to me! I don’t want to join the dark side! 😛

      I’ll look up the CotN tag 🙂 Maybe next year I really will do some sort of Vampire-Fest blog thing.

      I LOVE THE BOOK COVERS I GOT THIS WEEK. I’m like way overexcited about them since they’re just ebooks, haha. But I still like having pretty covers! And Shadow Fall is a nice cover, though there’s no in the book that actually looks or dresses like that…

      1. Greg

        Cinnamon seems like an autumny scent. I seem to gravitate towards the spice/ food scents this time of year- I was in a Yankee candle recently and all that pumpkin/ maple syrup/ whatever flavors were calling me. lol funny how I seem to like different smells at different times of the year.

        Aww I tried. TBH I’m not sure 10% is a DNF… I think Wendy’s right it’s up to each person. I couldn’t resist tho…

        I liked the CotN tag but I’m tweaking it a bit (naturally). When I saw it I was like yesss- just in time for October. 🙂 Vampire Fest would be fun…

        1. Kristen Burns

          To me cinnamon is definitely an autumn-y and even winter-y scent, probably mostly because I associate it with the cinnamon brooms they sell this time of year lol but also because you put it in apple cider and holiday type foods. And I guess those heartier kind of scents seem more like autumn/winter whereas lighter scents seem more like spring/summer.

          There is no real cut-off, so who knows. All I know is, I stopped at 10% lol. But I still haven’t completely written it off, so I might give it another chance.

          I’m looking up the tag now. And I was just thinking there should totally be a real Vampire Festival, you know like Ren Faires, but then I realized I probably wouldn’t want to go to that lol. Though there probably is one out there somewhere.

          1. Greg

            There probably is. 🙂 I’ve been to gaming conventions where they do vampire LARP’ing (live action role playing) but it was pretty boring. Although it’s always entertaining to see dark robed “vampires” on the street at 2am. A “real” Vampire fest though- yeah that could be really cool or really scary lol.

            1. Kristen Burns

              Oh, yeah, when I said real, I definitely meant real life, not real actual vampires lol. But I was thinking more along the lines of some people being into actually drinking blood and whatnot. And, you know, to each his own if they’re being safe, but not the kind of convention *I* want to attend. Either that or it would probably just be a bunch of really corny vampire role play lol. The latter could be fun, but I’ll stick to reading about vampires for now. Unless I really do come across a *real* one one day 😛

  4. Geraldine @ Corralling Books

    “What is a DNF’ would be an awesome discussion post topic, tbh! Because yeah, I usually read some of a book, and then stop reading because I’m not interested at the time…but yeah, is that really a DNF? How much of a book do you have to read before it’s considered ‘read’ and able to be DNFed? #realquestions

    1. Kristen Burns

      Haha, it would make a good discussion! You’re totally welcome to use that idea, just let me know if you do so I can comment and see what everyone says 🙂 It’s weird when you think about it though because what exactly is the cutoff? 20 pages? So if you read 20, it’s not DNFing, but if you read 21, it is? Lol. Some people consider a few pages DNFing, but I definitely don’t because I read a few pages in, like, every book just to make a decision.

  5. Kei @ The Lovely Pages Reviews

    How do you get so much reading done and drafting all those posts I’ll never know. I draft a couple of posts and I feel like I’m nailing this blogging thing, and then there’s you. Amazing. But then again I do spend all my non blogging time and non rl time watching TV, so there might be an issue with that hmmm…

    1. Kristen Burns

      I have no life, that’s how lol. But I also hardly watch TV, and I pretty much never watch movies, so that leaves me with more reading and blogging time. But hey, a couple posts is still great!

  6. roro

    Hold the phone! ( i don’t know if this exists but i stole it from Steven Universe) Cinnamon brooms are a thing !?!!?!?! I must have one lol. It sure sounds expensive . Happy reading Kristen. The Scarlet and the White Wolf series has been on my wish list for 4 or 5 years now. The paperbacks were so expensive and now they’re out of print :/

    1. Kristen Burns

      Haha, it is a real phrase. The cinnamon brooms aren’t actually made of cinnamon though, they just have cinnamon oil on them or something like that, so they’re not too expensive 🙂

      I’m so excited for the Scarlet & the White Wolf series, the characters already look adorable just from the covers. But you don’t read ebooks? That sucks that you’re not able to get them :-/

  7. Lampshade Reader

    Good morning Kristen!

    I have never heard of cinnamon brooms before. I’m afraid if I get one, my cats would be all up in it LOL My favorite scent is pine and fall smelling scents. I have a warmer and this time of year I load up on all the fall waxes.

    As for your image problem, I’ve actually had a hard time searching as well and end up scrolling through tons of images. :/ So I guess you shouldn’t feel bad… ~Aleen

    1. Kristen Burns

      Hi! Haha, yeah, cats would probably tear it apart. Pine is definitely a great scent too! I’ve been meaning to get some candles. I’ve never used a warmer or waxes though, I’m not sure what the differences really are.

      Huh, it’s weird that the search is acting up for us both :-/

  8. Lola

    I never heard of cinnamon brooms before and was wondering if it really was a broom that smelled like cinnamon, a google search later and I’ve concluded that’s the case. And your mom’s response is exactly something my mom would do, lol. Typical mom behavior. Enjoy your cinnamon broom! Now I am wondering if I can find those over here, now I want one.

    Nope I am not having issues with WP. I sometimes search and sometimes just scroll, both I did both this week and they work fine. Did you update something? maybe another plugin that mixed things up?

    Reading 10% would count as a DNF to me, I once read the first few pages of a book and then DNF’d it. I am at 19 scheduled posts at the moment, that’s low for me. Luckily next month is Blog Ahead, so I hope I can get some extra posts written and scheduled then.

    I hope the Immortal Coil is as good as you hope and those Scarlet and the White Wolf covers sure look pretty! Have a great week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I didn’t realize so many people weren’t familiar with them, I should’ve included a photo. But yes, it’s like a twig broom with cinnamon scent. And lol, it was just so ridiculous when that happened with my mom.

      I was wondering if maybe it’s a plugin conflict or something, but it’s so much working turning them all off to check -_-

      See, I absolutely don’t count a few pages as a DNF because I read the first few pages in almost every book just to decide about reading it. If I counted that, I’d have DNFed like a hundred books by now lol. And yay I’m beating you with my posts 😛 But yeah, 19 does seem low for you. Good luck with Blog Ahead 🙂

      Thanks!

  9. Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity

    I am loving this song, I started playing it while I read your post and I am completely in love with it. I love instrumental stuff to listen to when I’m working or blogging because I am far less likely to get distracted.

    Anyway, onto your post. Can I just say I’ve never heard of a cinnamon broom. I had to google it because I was really confused. Turns out it actually is what I was imagining in my mind. Isn’t it great how you can do little things like that when you have your own place? I miss that, but it’s the easiest way to save money living at home so I shouldn’t complain.

    i don’t know if you can count DNF-ing at 10%. I mean, I have before but normally that’s when I’ve decided I’m not feeling a book and not when I’ve decided I can’t stand a book. I do have to say I wish I took greater advantage of Amazon samples, I just dive headlong into buying a book and it’s stupid. They put the samples there for a reason. I am vowing to try that more often. It would help make me start reading a book as soon as I bought it as well.

    I hope you enjoy this weeks reading anyway, and read some more vampire books if that’s what you fancy (I have a love hate relationship with them, they are either addictive or terrible, there seems to be no middle ground).

    1. Kristen Burns

      I’m glad you like the song! I keep listening to it too.

      I seriously should’ve included a picture lol. I didn’t realize so many people weren’t familiar with them. There are definitely pros and cons to living alone, but I really love being able to do what I want!

      Yeah, I just don’t know if 10% should count as a DNF or not. See, this is just another reason not to DNF, it’s too damn confusing lol. But you should totally take advantage of the previews! I’ve avoided a lot of review copies that I would’ve ended up not enjoying just by checking the samples beforehand. And I’ve avoided wasting money on buying books I wouldn’t have liked.

      I do love me some vampire books. I feel like half my reviews in October are turning out to be vampire book, haha. Plus I’ve got a bunch to read, though it really doesn’t have to be October for me to read them. I read them all the time. I think I might be reading one right now lol, but we don’t actually know yet what sort of creature one of the characters is.

      1. Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity

        I don’t know, they’re definitely not here in the UK anyway. Pictures would have helped. They sound cool, though.

        And I don’t know, I try and get a quarter of the way in before declaring it as a true DNF, otherwise I just wasn’t into the story at that time. Obviously, samples are a smart thing I have been too dim to look into. I wish I had a good excuse but I just didn’t think of it!

        And I love books where you don’t know what creature a character is. I prefer it when it’s not blindingly obvious, though. I don’t want to be telling characters they’re being stupid and blind to the obvious.

        1. Kristen Burns

          I feel like most people don’t use the previews, so don’t feel bad lol. I just find them so useful though!

          I actually usually like to know ahead of time because it can make or break my decision to read the book. That’s one of the few times I actively seek out “spoilers.” In this case though, I knew I wanted to read book regardless.

  10. AngelErin

    I still need to get a cinnamon broom to try so thanks for the reminder! I’m making a note on my phone right now. Yes, this is how bad my memory is. All the books you got for review look interesting so I can’t wait to see what you think of them. I really like the cover for The King of Forever.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Haha, I’ll be waiting for the post when you also start talking about cinnamon brooms 😉 And thanks! I’m really excited for these review books 😀

  11. Mareli Thalwitzer

    I like your viewpoint on the 10% – DNF. Never thought of that. I actually never read samples! I should do that more often. Especially on Netgalley!

    Hope you will have a good week Kristen.

    1. Kristen Burns

      You should totally read the samples! I especially use it when deciding on review copies because I hate writing negative reviews, and the samples have saved me numerous times from accepting books that I would’ve ended up having issues with. The samples can’t tell you everything, but they at least show you the writing style if nothing else. You have a great week too!

  12. Ardis @ Pondering The Prose

    I also love the scent of that spice, but I have never heard of a cinnamon broom! Around here, we have cinnamon scented pine cones we get to leave in the chimney, They haven’t shown up in my grocery store yet but I will grab them when they do come out. The Kirby Crow series looks like something I will want to read. I will look them up on GR after I finish writing this. I just started following you on Bloglovin. Have a lovely week.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I think the pine cones are probably similar since the brooms are just twig brooms with cinnamon oil or however they put the cinnamon scent. And I just followed you back on Bloglovin! You have a great week too 🙂

  13. Got My Book

    I’m one of those people who don’t like the smell of cinnamon (I’m not that fond of the taste either), but I’m glad you finally got your broom. I do love mint scents.

    I don’t really track DNFs (since I do it all the time). If I start reading a book and decide not to finish, I add it to the same “Rej-Read” rejected list as the books I read all the way through and am not interested in ever revisiting.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Ah, see, I’m kind of crazy about the taste of cinnamon. You would never want to sit next to me while eating apple pie lol. Mint is nice too though!

      That makes sense, just putting all the books you don’t have interest in all together, regardless of how much you read.

  14. Emily Alfano

    I’m probably going to sound silly for asking this but…what is a cinnamon broom!? *inserts monkey emoji covering eyes LOL
    I’ve never heard of such a thing!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Not silly at all! I should’ve included a photo or an explanation since apparently lots of people are familiar with them. They’re basically just twig brooms with cinnamon oil or something to give it a cinnamon scent 🙂

      1. Emily Alfano

        That sounds awesome! I can’t believe i’ve never heard of them before! i bet your house smells amazing! I’m going to try getting my hands on one!

  15. Christy LoveOfBooks

    Yay for the cinnamon broom. That’s funny about your mom. Hmm … I haven’t done much on my blog lately, so I’m not sure about the images issue. And Idk if I’d consider 10% a true DNF.

    That music is really pretty!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah I couldn’t even believe when she said that lol. And see? Some people think it counts, other don’t, this DNF thing is far too confusing.

      Glad you like it too!

  16. Ely @ Tea & Titles

    I always struggle with finding WP images. It’s partly my fault—I upload a lot of images and then everything gets lost. I wish there was a way of organising images so I could find the ones I use every post much easier. Ah well.

  17. Barb (boxermommyreads)

    I have several vampire reads planned for October as well. An author sent me two of her newest books and is going to do an interview on my blog that month so I’m anxious to get to them. Also, her vampires don’t “sparkle” which is a must for me in the vampire realm. I like my vampires to be mean, scary and edgy and even if here is a romantic element, I don’t want them to be all hearts and flowers. Looks like you got a great haul and I feel super silly because I don’t know what a cinnamon broom is…and apparently I can’t spell it either:) Have a great week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I just read vampire books every month, haha, but I figured in October the reviews might get a little more attention. And ooh, an interview, fun! I’m still too intimidated to interview authors lol. To be honest, literally the only books I’ve ever read in which the vampires sparkled were the Twilight books. But I do like the sexy version of vampires, though I like a nice combo of sexy and predatory. Don’t worry, apparently lots of people don’t know what cinnamon brooms are, they’re just twig brooms with cinnamon scent lol, and you totally spelled it right so you’re good! You have a great week too!

  18. kimbacaffeinate

    Vanilla is my favorite scent, next to coffee, However we always had a cinnamon broom in the kitchen. My Mom also had throw pillows at the holidays filled with Christmas tree needles that smelled heavenly. Too funny about your Mom. Nope, no issues on finding media. Yay on being scheduled ahead. I usually try to read at least 100 pages before DNFing, but have quite sooner when I knew without a doubt we weren’t going to work.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Vanilla is probably my second favorite, so good! I kind of hate the smell of coffee though lol. Don’t like how it tastes either. But ooh a pillow with Christmas tree needles sounds like such a great idea! That’s weird that my WP is acting up but not other people’s, must be a plugin conflict or something then :-/ I think I read the equivalent of maybe 40-50 pages, but I didn’t like all the head hopping.

  19. Jessica

    I love cinnamon too. And some vanilla scents are good, but some are too strong. I’m reading Unravel Me. I found sadly that Overdrive doesn’t have the Kindle book of the third book. So I’m going to have to order it.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Vanilla is my second favorite! Both are such great scents. Aww, that sucks about the series. I use Overdrive and Hoopla for borrowing ebooks, but I too find that they just don’t have a lot of what I want. And it sucks when they have some of the books in a series but not all.

    1. Kristen Burns

      It makes my apartment smell great! And thanks! Don’t worry, I still fall behind on some posts anyway. My scheduling ahead is very sporadic lol. You have a great week too!

  20. Victoria Grace Howell

    I’ve actually never heard of a cinnamon broom. I had to google it after you mentioned it. It sounds lovely and reminds me of fall! I love the scents of fall. I recently bought a candle with the scent of leaves. It’s soooooo nice!

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

    1. Kristen Burns

      Apparently they’re not as common as I thought, I should’ve included a photo! But it is very fall-ish and smells fantastic 🙂 Ooh that candle sounds nice! I’ve been meaning to get some candles but always forget lol.

  21. S. J. Pajonas

    10% is a good amount of the story! And that’s usually my breaking point if I’m not going to continue. I have a 10% rule for books and a 20 minute rule for movies. Lol. And yeah, I consider giving up at those points DNF. But that’s my rule! It doesn’t have to be yours. 🙂

    Cinnamon brooms! I always smell them at WF and think they’re really strong, but probably because there are like 30 of them sitting right there. I’m going to get one some day. My kids think they’re cool. I like to wear this germ fighter essential oil and it has cinnamon in it. Smells awesome. I’m also a big fan of citrus, so I wear a lot of those too and diffuse them at home.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I feel like 10% is generally not enough for me to know, but in this case there was a bunch of head-hopping, and that just really bothers me and seemed unlikely to go away. I don’t even have a rule for movies, but those are at least only like 2 hours wasted if you don’t like them. I suppose it doesn’t even matter if what I did was a DNF or not since either way all it means is that it’s not counting toward my GR goal lol.

      Haha yeah, they definitely smell less strong when there’s just one of them! You should totally buy one 😀 Cinnamon does smell awesome. I’m not a big citrus fan. I love peppermint though. I have peppermint oil to help with headaches and concentration, but I also just love the smell. Except I just have a bottle. I’ve been meaning to get a diffuser.

  22. Bookworm Brandee

    *hehe* Cinnamon is a favorite of mine as well. 😉 AND I decided I was in the mood for vampires too so I picked up a book (The Rest Falls Away) and although it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for when I wanted vampires, I’m enjoying the heck out of it! 😀 I’m happy you’re so happy with your book haul and I look forward to seeing your thoughts on them all. Happy reading, Kristen!

    1. Kristen Burns

      You’re reading The Rest Falls Away?! I just read that whole series earlier this year and loved it. Well, I finished Victoria’s story but haven’t read the next set of books yet because they’re so expensive :-/ But I can’t wait to see what you think when you finish! You’ll have to message me on Twitter or email or something 😀 But you’re right, they’re not the typical PNR with vampires since they’re about vampire hunters instead.

  23. sjhigbee

    Cinnamon is a wonderful smell, isn’t it? I’ve found as I’m growing older my sense of smell is getting stronger – not necessarily a GOOD thing… My favourite smell is lavender and when I had a hedge of Old English lavender and our Junes were a lot warmer, I used to pick and dry the flowers and make up sachets to put amongst my clothes, but several years ago, an autumn gale ripped through and tore it apart and I haven’t got around to replacing it satisfactorily. As for DNFing a book – if I get past Chapter 1 with the intention of reading it and pull away because it simply isn’t for me, then I count it as a DNF. However, there are some books I put on one side as I realise that there’s nothing wrong with the book, I’m just not in the mood for it and I’ll get back to it at some stage when I feel more like it – I don’t count that as a DNF. Thank you for swinging by and have a great week, Kristen:)

    1. Kristen Burns

      It really is! And I feel like my sense of smell has gotten stronger too in the past few years. I hate the smell of lavender though :-/ If it’s the one I’m thinking of. Though I’ve never smelled it fresh like you described, we just used to have this microwavable heating pad thing that had lavender in it or something, and I couldn’t stand the smell. I’m sorry to hear about your lavender getting ruined though :-/

      Ah, so is it the *intent* that determines whether something counts as a DNF? This is so hard to define lol.