Showing posts with label the monthly digest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the monthly digest. Show all posts

January 31, 2015

The Monthly Digest: January 2015


Welcome back to The Monthly Digest here at Late Nights with Good Books. With these posts I hope to recap everything reading- and blogging-related for the past month.

Books I Read

Favorite Read from January:
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Notable Quote from January:
They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.
―S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders
January Features:

In My Life
1. I participated in this year's Mock Awards held by my library system. Our winners were: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett (Caldecott), The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier (Newbury), and The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton (Printz).

2. Classes started up again for me. This semester I'm taking classes on the public library, collection development, and young adult literature. The good news is that I'm excited for all three of my classes. The bad news is that I will have a ton of reading and writing for the next few months. I'm just hoping I can find a way to balance everything so I don't end up with another blogging hiatus.

3. I attended a Summer Library Program workshop through my job that was so inspirational. It helped me to think about new ways to encourage literacy in children and ways to make kids want to come to the library. Plus, I met a few awesome people there.

4. I started listening to the Serial podcast and I'm hooked. It's much easier to and it makes the time go by much faster than just watching TV does (I'm checking the clock every few minutes now, rather than every few seconds). Though I'm not sure what I'll do once I finish Serial...

5. As this posts, I'll be on my way to ALA-Midwinter. Prior plans fell through, so now I'm only attending for the day, but I'm still excited about it. I'll have a recap up within a week or two.

How was your January?
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January 2, 2015

The Monthly Digest: November & December 2014

Welcome back to The Monthly Digest here at Late Nights with Good Books. With these posts I hope to recap everything reading- and blogging-related for the past month.

The Books
Favorite Reads from November & December:
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Notable Quotes from November & December:
People die, I think, but your relationship with them doesn't. It continues and is ever-changing.
―Jandy Nelson, I'll Give You the Sun

Fear creates the strongest illusions. Everyone has darkness inside them, however hidden.
―Marie Lu, The Young Elites
 
“Memory is a tricky thing, Sophia,” he had said to her. “It doesn’t just recall the past, it makes the past. If you remember our trip as a few minutes, it will be a few minutes. If you make it something else, it will be something else.”
―S.E. Grove, The Glass Sentence
November & December Features:

In My Life
I ended up with another unintentional blog hiatus in November and half of December. Although these past two months were great in terms of reading, I just had no time or desire to write reviews or schedule posts. It was unfortunate, as I had some blogging plans, including participation in Sci-Fi November. Oh well.

Reading was basically my main way to relieve stress as I worked to complete final papers and projects for my classes. Not only did I read a great variety of books in terms of audience, genre, and format, but I just had two pretty good months of reading choices in general. I didn't really dislike anything shown here, so yay! Always a good thing when that happens.

This month I'm planning on catching up on reviews and reading a lot before I get busy once more with my classes. Also! I have tentative plans to attend ALA Midwinter in Chicago where I can represent myself both as an aspiring librarian and a book blogger. So I'm really excited for that. Here's hoping that January is both restful and very much book-focused.

How were your November and December?
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October 31, 2014

The Monthly Digest: October 2014

Welcome back to The Monthly Digest here at Late Nights with Good Books. With these posts I hope to recap everything reading- and blogging-related for the past month.

The Books

Favorite Read from October:
I'm actually not sure. I enjoyed a number of these, but nothing really stood out to me. If I had to pick, I'd go with Starglass by Phoebe North.

Notable Quote from October:
And there comes a time in your life when you realize that if you don't take the opportunity to be happy, you may never get another chance again.
―Richard Russo, Empire Falls


October Features:


In My Life
Unsurprisingly, October was a pretty busy month for me. So much has been happening that's required me to keep moving that I haven't had much of a chance to reflect on all the changes.

First off, I was offered a part-time youth reference assistant job at a public library. Yay! It's been a wonderful experience so far, and has really helped justify my desire to become a public librarian (not to mention it's now making me strongly consider becoming a youth librarian in particular). It's also been really nice to finally start practically applying all that I've been learning from my classes.

Because my job is focused on children, I am going to make some slight reading and reviewing adjustments. I haven't read many books targeted at an audience younger than YA recently, but now I'm going to start reading more MG fiction. I want to be able to give recommendations for books I've actually read, after all. So expect some more MG reviews on here (though probably not books for any audiences younger than that).

Between the new job, my classes, homework, and splitting my home between two locations, blogging's kind of had to take a backseat, and this trend will probably continue at least until the semester ends. However, I am participating in SciFi November. I plan on having about five reviews and two or three other posts going up throughout the month (just have to write them up), so be on the lookout for them!

How was your October?
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September 30, 2014

The Monthly Digest: September 2014

Welcome back to The Monthly Digest here at Late Nights with Good Books. With these posts I hope to recap everything reading- and blogging-related for the past month.

The Books

 Favorite read from September:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

 Notable quote from September:
“Miss Fitt, you know curiosity gets men killed."
I grinned. "Then I daresay it's good I'm a woman.”  
―Susan Dennard, Something Strange and Deadly

The Blog
September Reviews:
The Dinner by Herman Koch
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Four: A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth
Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper
Firebug by Lish McBride

September Features:
ARC August: A Recap
Showcase Sunday #17
Heir of Fire Tour
Top Ten Authors I've Only Read One Book From But Need to Read More From Soon
Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR List

In My Life
As you can probably tell, my reading time slowed down significantly this past month. Between becoming a full-time graduate student, searching for part-time jobs, working part-time jobs, and doing homework, I haven't had a lot of free time, and I just haven't felt as motivated to spend my little free time reading. Hopefully that will change once I have a set schedule again!
 
Outside of having no free time for reading, the other frustrating aspect about my life right now is that I have no free time for writing. I got to meet Sarah J. Maas, Susan Dennard, and Erica O'Rourke earlier this month, which was wonderful. Even more wonderful, however, was talking a bit with Susan and Erica about my love of writing. I left the event feeling invigorated and full of creativity, but unfortunately writing keeps getting pushed back on my priority list. I want to get back into it again sooner rather than later but it, like everything else, is kind of on hold while I get my bearings right now.

It's been quite the adjustment becoming a student and regaining that sort of mentality, but even though it's been exhausting, this past month has also been really exciting and I'm becoming more convinced that librarianship is the field I want to base my career around. So, definitely some good can be found in all of this.

How was your September?
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August 31, 2014

The Monthly Digest: August 2014


Welcome back to The Monthly Digest here at Late Nights with Good Books. With these posts I hope to recap everything reading- and blogging-related for the past month.

The Books

Favorite Read from August:
Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

 Notable Quote from August:
I know that people change. I thought ... I thought we're going to change together. I thought that's what it meant to be in love.
―Rainbow Rowell, Attachments

 The Blog
August Reviews:
Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeton
Legend trilogy by Marie Lu
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

 August Features:
ARC August Sign-Up
Showcase Sunday #16
Top Ten Books I'm Not Sure I Want To Read
Ready to Become a Fan of... Patrick Ness
Top Ten Books I Really Want To Read But Don't Own Yet

In My Life
August was a crazy month for me. I quit my job in preparation for becoming a full-time Library and Information Sciences grad student starting this September. My priorities for the indefinite future will be classes and finding a part-time job. And blogging, too.

 Immediately after finishing my job, I went to visit relatives for an extended weekend. Then the following weekend my boyfriend and I traveled to a college friend's wedding; she's actually getting married today!

 All in all, I'm a bit surprised by how much reading I got done. But a couple of plane rides and a bit of free time helped tremendously. As did participating in ARC August - I'll have a recap of my challenge posted early next week.

 So much change is a bit scary, but I'm trying to learn to embrace all the uncertainties and maintain a positive attitude. After all, change is exciting, too.

How was your August?

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July 31, 2014

The Monthly Digest: July 2014

Welcome back to The Monthly Digest here at Late Nights with Good Books. With these posts I hope to recap everything reading- and blogging-related for the past month.

 The Books

Favorite Read from July: 
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Notable Quote from July: 
Maybe love was superstition, a prayer we said to keep the truth of loneliness at bay. I tilted my head back. The stars looked like they were close together, when really they were millions of miles apart. In the end, maybe love just meant longing for something impossibly bright and forever out of reach. 
―Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising

The Blog 
July Reviews: 
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham 
Open Road Summer by Emery Lord 

July Features: 
Top Ten Favorite Classics of the Twentieth Century by Decade 
Showcase Sunday #15 
Ten Authors I Own The Most Books From 

In My Life 
Remember that hiatus I mentioned not wanting to take in last month's The Monthly Digest? Clearly it happened anyway, much to my chagrin. 

And what exactly necessitated this hiatus? In short: my summer class. Fifteen normal weeks of schoolwork were crammed into this eight-week course. Let's just say that being sleep deprived and in a near-constant state of stress for this past month in particular did not leave me with any desire to blog. 

But my class ends tomorrow and I have nearly a month's break until my fall classes start, so hopefully that means more reading and more blogging again. Along with everything else I need to do that's been neglected for the past two months now... 

How was your July?
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June 30, 2014

The Monthly Digest: June 2014


Welcome back to The Monthly Digest here at Late Nights with Good Books. With these posts I hope to recap everything reading- and blogging-related for the past month.

The Books
June Reads

Favorite Read from June:
Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman
Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (re-reads)

Notable Quote from June: 
Margot would say she belongs to herself. Kitty would say she belongs to no one. And I guess I would say I belong to my sisters and my dad, but that won’t always be true. To belong to someone—I didn’t know it, but now that I think about, it seems like that’s all I’ve ever wanted. To really be somebody’s, and to have them be mine.
―Jenny Han, To All The Boys I've Loved Before


The Blog
June Reviews:

June Features:
Top Ten Books That Will Be In My Beach Bag This Summer

In My Life
I know I just took a hiatus for the month of April. So I will try my hardest not to take one again in the near future, but I also need to consider the fact that life, which slowed down in May, is even more busy than ever. August will be a good month (I think), but until then I'm going to take my inspiration from Aylee and just post when I want and when I have some content prepared. I can't bother to stick to a schedule right now (more the pity because I just made one and all).

How was your June?

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May 31, 2014

The Monthly Digest: May 2014

Welcome back to The Monthly Digest here at Late Nights with Good Books. With these posts I hope to recap everything reading- and blogging-related for the past month.
 
The Books 
May Reads

Favorite Read from May:
Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta

Notable Quote from May:
"Our bodies aren't strangers,: he said, his voice ragged. "Our spirits aren't strangers." He held her face in his hands. "Tell me what part of me is stranger to you and I'll destroy that part of me."
And she wept to hear his words.
―Melina Marchetta, Quintana of Charyn

The Writing
Nothing to report, but I did finally order a new computer, which will hopefully be arriving next week! And when it does come, I have tons of writing plans (and some blogging ones as well).

How was your May?
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April 30, 2014

The Monthly Digest: April 2014

Welcome back to The Monthly Digest here at Late Nights with Good Books. With these posts I hope to recap everything reading- and blogging-related for the past month.

The Books

Favorite Read from April:
Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

Notable Quote from April: 
It’s an open horizon before us, as far as the eye can see: no angst and no games, just mutual delight. So simple, but so rich. Like chocolate. Not a gold-dusted truffle or a foofy pastry tower teetering on a crystal platter, but a plain, honest bar of the best chocolate in the world.
―Laini Taylor, "Night of Cake & Puppets"

 The Blog
I was on hiatus for the past month, so no reviews, features, or discussions to report.

The Writing
My ostensible reason for the hiatus was to work on my writing. I actually did make a bit of progress with my WIP. But, honestly, there was quite a bit going on in my life this past month, and so I primarily used my time to relax and read and write at my own pace.

I think for a while I need to work on short stories and smaller works, to get my creative juices flowing once again. For now, that will be my focus. I still like my story idea, but I'm not feeling as inspired to write as I should (and as I know I'm capable of doing). Just doing a bit of writing each day and allowing new characters and story ideas to flow into me can only be helpful at this point.

An Update
As you can probably tell, I've come back from my month-long hiatus. It was very tempting to continue my hiatus, to be honest. But I think life should slow down enough for the next month or so to allow me some time to blog again.

I still plan on devoting a good chunk of my free time to things outside of blogging, however, so I will not have a regular posting basis. I need to focus on my writing still, and I've also become more focused on my health and personal fitness. Those things are more important to me than blogging at this point, if I'm being honest.

Also, I am currently computer-less. The computer I was using ran Windows XP and was too old to upgrade to Windows 8. My Dell Venue Pro tablet actually runs full Windows 8 and has Microsoft Office Suite, so it works for now, but using it is not quite the same (or quite as easy). Just another reason why I cannot guarantee any regularity to my blog posts right now! (Though I do have a full May schedule planned - hopefully I can keep to it!)

But I'm back. I'm here. I'm ready to give things another shot. :)

How was your April?
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March 31, 2014

The Monthly Digest: March 2014

Welcome back to The Monthly Digest here at Late Nights with Good Books. With these posts I hope to recap everything reading- and blogging-related for the past month.

The Books

Favorite Read from March:
All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry

Notable Quote from March: 
Like the clanging of the bell, the truth crashes in upon me. At last I understand. He took away my voice to save me. And now, to save myself, I take it back.
―Julie Berry, All The Truth That's in Me

The Blog
March Reviews:

March Features:

The Writing
Writing research:
I finished reading The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales by Maria Tatar. It was a slower, heavier sort of read, but I liked it overall. And I know more now about Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm than I ever expected to know.

I'm currently in the process of reading The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones. It's not quite what I expected (more of a dictionary/encyclopedia than anything else), but also quite tongue-in-cheek, which is refreshing.

Writing progress:
None again. I'm ashamed, yes, but more saddened than anything else. And also flabbergasted. I love creative writing and yet somehow I manage to avoid doing any writing.

I think this Goodreads Quote of the Day from Saturday, March 22 best sums up my problems:
Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on. 
―Louis L'Amour

It's partially (or perhaps largely) fear that has prevented me from writing. It's been quite a while since I really worked on creative works, and I'm worried that I just won't be able to do it anymore. Silly worries, perhaps, but true nonetheless. It's time to face my fears head-on, which is why April is going to be a writing month for me. And with that...

An Announcement:
Except for a review or two for books recently published/being published in April, I will be taking a hiatus for the month of April. I'm having a difficult time balancing everything I want to do right now, and recently blogging's begun to feel like a chore. I still like writing reviews, but I haven't had the time or energy to devote to writing other posts or interacting with the community as a whole. I need time to recharge and reevaluate. Hopefully I'll be back to business as usual in May.

And...I'm thinking of trying out Camp NaNo. Maybe. At least, I'm going to use the fact that lots of people are attempting to write stories this month as a way to inspire me to finally start writing that WIP I've been sitting on for forever. Wish me luck! (No, seriously, I'll need it.)

How was your March?
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February 28, 2014

The Monthly Digest: February 2014


Welcome back to The Monthly Digest here at Late Nights with Good Books. With these posts I hope to recap everything reading- and blogging-related for the past month.
 
The Books

Favorite Read from February:
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch  

Notable Quote from February:
If a life can be ruined in a single moment, a moment of betrayal, or violence, or ill luck, then why can a life not also be saved, be worth living, be made, by just a few pure moments of perfection?
―Marcus Sedgwick, Midwinterblood

The Blog

The Writing
Writing Research:
First of all, I now have a Pinterest account. I had a personal one connected to my Facebook but got bored of it over time. This one is going to be primarily reading- and writing-related, and hopefully it'll last longer. Feel free to follow me! (And let me know so I can follow you back.)

Part of the reason behind my decision to create a Pinterest account is because I've been reading Susan Dennard's wonderful advice posts for writers. They're so detailed and so, so helpful. I confess that I haven't actually read her debut trilogy yet, but I plan on doing so soon!

I'm also working my way (very slowly) through Maria Tatar's The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales.

Writing Progress:
Does writing down some research/ideas in my writing journal count? I feel as though I'm failing epically when it comes to writing this story.

March will be a month for writing. My goal will be 7,000 words, but hopefully I'll end up writing quite a bit more. Positive thinking here.

How was your February?
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