July Wrap-Up

Another month has come and gone.  It's time once again to take a look at all that happened on Starting the Next Chapter in the past four weeks.  July marked more new milestones for my blog, including its 5 month blogiversary and reaching 400 followers (welcome to all of my new followers and a big hello to all of my old ones!).  I've gotten some great books for review, won something from a giveaway for the first time.  I've read 8 books this month and written 10 reviews (if you'll remember, I was behind at the end of last month due to computer issues).  My last big bit of news for July is the book signing I will attend today (in fact, as you read this I am most likely already there), which you can read further details about HERE.  I'll have a post about that ready for tomorrow afternoon.   

I hope you all will join me for a fun-packed August.  Starting August 29 I will be starting my fall classes, so I hope to get a lot done during the month of August.  Here are some of the things you can look forward to:

•  My first ever giveaway
• Starting Saturday, August 6, I will be running What's Your Status? for the entire month of August
• My post covering the Maggie Stiefvater signing
• My post covering the Ash 2 Nash tour Nashville stop
• Reviews of forth-coming titles such as
• Dark Parties by Sara Grant
• Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto
• The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson
• This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
• Fury by Elizabeth Miles
• Witchlanders by Lena Coakley
• The Unwanteds by Lisa McCann
• Vanish by Sophie Jordan
• Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson
• Also, other reviews in between

I'll be away all day, so I hope to see you all tomorrow!

In My Mailbox - July 31, 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme from The Story Siren where you can share your new acquisitions. They can come from anywhere: through the mail, via the library, purchased from a store, or downloaded as ebooks. It's up to you!

I had another fabulous week as far as books go. I got a nice mix of books won, books sent for review, books bought, and books borrowed from the library. There are 8 in all and I've decided to do another vlog to show you all what I have.

Won

Die for Me by Amy Plum (signed w/ swag)

Hereafter by Tara Hudson (signed w/ swag)

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Bewitched Bookworms!

For Review

Return to Exile, Book 1 of The Hunter Chronicles by E.J. Patten - Thanks go out to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read & review this title.

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey - Thank you, Bloomsbury Teen! I really appreciate it!

From the Library

Huntress by Malinda Lo

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

The Hunter's Moon by O.R. Melling

The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien-Jones

*NOTE: When I say "tomorrow" in reference to the giveaway, I mean Monday.

What's Your Status? July 30, 2011

This meme comes from Zakiya at Butterfly Feet Walking On Life. The object is to post what you have finished in the last week, what you are currently reading, what you plan to read in the coming week, and what you want to buy next. You can also post about reviews you've written and memes you have done, though these aren't mandatory. I'm also going to include the status of my reading challenges.

I had a much better reading week this time around. I finished two books and wrote reviews for both. I am working on another and will probably finish either today or tomorrow after I return from my first book signing!

Special Note: I will be hosting What's Your Status? for the month of August! I hope you all will stop by next weekend.

Books Finished: Week of July 24 - July 30














The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Misfit by Jon Skovron

Currently Reading

Dark Parties by Sara Grant

Next on My To-Read List














Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Reviews

The Replacement
Misfit

Posts of Note

A Heck of a First Book Signing! - In which I talk about my plans for Sunday.

Challenges

Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge (80/100, 80% finished) - I did much better this week. I finished 2 books and am half-way finished with another. It still isn't at the speed I had been reading, but it's better than just one!

A Heck of a First Book Signing!

On Sunday, my awesome friend Nikki from Books Most Wanted and I will be headed to Nashville to attend our first book signing.  We will be listening in on a Q&A session and having our books signed by none other than the magnificent Maggie Stiefvater!  Maggie is, of course, the author of the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, the Books of Faerie series, and a new forthcoming novel, The Scorpio Races.  If you haven't checked out her books yet, I strongly urge you to do so.  She has a way with prose that will leave you speechless.

She will be stopping by Nashville Public Library on her Forever tour and you can bet that we'll be there with bells on.  Stay tuned next week, as both Nikki and I are bound to have some awesome pictures to share, signed books to show off, possibly a video or two from the road, and maybe, just maybe, a sighting of Blue Loki, which would rock Nikki's socks off.  Also, so long as no issues arise, I will have a very special announcement on Monday!  Trust me, you won't want to miss it.  

Review: Misfit

by Jon Skovron
publisher: Amulet Books
date of publication: August 1, 2011
format: ebook
pages: 384
source: Netgalley
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

Author Jon Skovron takes on the dark side of human nature with his signature funny, heartfelt prose.

What I Thought

At first, I wasn't too sure about Misfit. It started out very heavy on the church references and I thought that I was about to have a very preachy reading experience. However, all of that was simply setting the groundwork for an interesting take on such subjects as demons, ancient gods and goddesses, and the underlying characteristics of the world.

Misfit contained some really interesting and unique characters. First, there is Jael (pronounced YAH-él, according to the book), an awkward teenage girl who has been subjected to dozens of moves by her ex-priest father, Paul. Jael has something that sets her apart, however: she is half demon. However, this means something entirely different than one might think. Her mother was called Astarte and had once been revered as a goddess (more about that momentarily). Jael has misgivings about her heritage, but soon learns that things aren't always as they seem. Jael can definitely tug at the heart strings at times, but I just wasn't able to become fully invested in her as a character. While she had some very dynamic moments, it wasn't very constant and she continued to fall flat for me. Next, there is Robby, her skater boy love interest who also just so happens to be a math and science whiz. He is a very sweet boy, though he didn't have very much "umph" as a character. Then, there is perhaps my favorite character, Dagon, Jael's demon uncle. Although alarming in appearance, he is actually very kind and quickly becomes one of the more intriguing characters in the story.

An especially interesting idea put forth by Skovron is the theory of what happens to ancient deities when they fail to be remembered. As explained by Astarte (who was once a Mediterranean goddess of fertility, sexuality, and war), when the ancient deities were no longer revered, their roles adjusted to match humanity's perception of them. Thus, in this story they became demons. I am not sure how I feel about this theory, but it does put forth an interesting concept that has given me plenty of food for thought. In any case, Astarte is a force to be reckoned with. I really enjoyed getting to know her through the various flash back sequences scattered throughout the book (probably my favorite part, overall).

Not everything about this book won me over, however. The dialogue between characters was a bit awkward to read. For example, within the same paragraph would occur conversations such as, "'Thank you,' she said. 'You're welcome,' he said." (That is not a direct quote, by the way.) There were several he-says, she-says conversations such as this throughout the entirety of the book, which really began to wear thin on my sensibilities. It wasn't my favorite treatment of dialogue, to say the least.

I had to struggle quite a bit to finish Misfit. In my opinion, it was slow to start and the aforementioned dialogue issues really left me feeling less than impressed. However, I did like some of the theories adopted within the plot, as well as some of the characters. I would probably give a sequel a chance since I was sufficiently interested in the outcome of the story line by the end. I don't know that I would like to have a copy for my own collection, but it piqued my interest enough to earn it a rating of 3 hoots.

Obligatory legal statement: This galley was provided to me free of charge via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Follow Friday: July 29, 2011

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It is a way for book bloggers to get to know each other better. To join in and make some friends, simply follow the directions listed by Parajunkee on her blog.

This week's featured blogger on Parajunkee.com is The Book Addicted Girl, while the feature on AlisonCanRead.com is The Little Book Blog. Be sure to stop by, follow, and say, "Hello!"

This week's question:

Q. Let's step away from books for a second and get personal. What T-Shirt slogan best describes you?

Well, I am in possession of a healthy heap of sarcasm and a temper to boot. If I had to sum myself up with a t-shirt, it would be this:

It reads: Consider the hair a big warning label. Yeah. Fitting. :-P

Review: The Replacement

by Brenna Yovanoff
publisher: Razorbill
date published: September 21, 2010
format: hardcover
pages: 343
source: library
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

What I Thought

Brenna Yovanoff's The Replacement is a spectacularly creepy adventure into the world of changelings and faeries. These faeries, however, are unlike anything you've ever seen before. What happens when people begin to forget the gods, goddesses, and faeries of yore? Brenna Yovanoff sets out to examine just such a scenario in her town of Gentry, where mysterious disappearances and an unexplained fear haunt the citizens. The Replacement takes place during the aftermath of just such a disappearance, and what results is a revelation about the darkness underneath the surface of a once prosperous town and the difference that a single person can make in the life of another.

Mackie Doyle isn't a typical boy, let alone a typical protagonist. Mackie isn't really a boy at all. Mackie is a changeling, left behind when the real Malcolm Doyle was stolen away as a baby. Though apparently expected to die, Mackie survives and grows to be a quiet, strange teenage boy with crushes and hobbies of his own. He has something that sets him apart from others his age, however. Mackie must contend with a horrific allergy to iron, whether it be in the form of steel or even blood. As Mackie attempts to avoid contact with such substances and hide his differences from those around him, he feels as if he is on the outside looking in. As he begins to grow more sick and sets out to find out what happened to the baby sister of his classmate and love interest, Tate, Mackie discovers that perhaps he isn't quite the outsider he thought. He is an appealing protagonist in that he exhibits kindness, a finely honed set of morals, and a hidden inner strength that completely makes the story.

Other characters in the story were a lot of fun to read, as well. Mackie's sister, Emma, was possibly my favorite aside from Mackie. She is the epitome of unconditional love and I really enjoyed the ways in which her bond with her adopted brother were portrayed. I also enjoyed Mackie's interactions with his friends, Roswell, Drew, and Danny. Each of the boys appreciate Mackie for who he is and you can really tell that they would go to bat for him no matter what. Tate, on the other hand, is a complicated character that was a bit difficult to get a read on. She shaped up to be an enjoyable character in her own right, however, and added another facet to the story overall. The one character I really took issue with, however, is Mrs. Doyle. It felt as though she didn't receive as much character development as the other characters and I wound up being blind-sided by her sudden coldness. While her past is explored, her present is perhaps left without an equal amount of attention.

The Replacement includes references to pieces of mythology that completely made my day when I read them. One such example is Morrigan, the head of the House of Mayhem, who it turns out was once the Morrigan, Irish goddess of war. I loved that Yovanoff post a what-if scenario in relation to what happens to goddesses when the beliefs of humanity begin to change. It added a dimension to the back story that was compelling and fun to ponder. Also, many of the charms the citizens of Gentry put up to ward their homes and children against the (to them) unknown menace are also an intriguing glimpse of folklore. Even the town's name is a nod toward one of the many nicknames for the fair folk. I thoroughly enjoyed such inclusions and appreciated Yovanoff's writing even more for it.

The pacing took a little while to get used to, but once things got moving, the story really sucked me in. The Replacement is a great mix of horror and fantasy that kept me on the edge of my seat. With a nice blend of characters and setting, it wasn't at all difficult to picture the happenings in the mind's eye. I look forward to reading more works by Brenna Yovanoff in the future. I give The Replacement 4 hoots.

Waiting on Wednesday: July 27, 2011

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To participate, simply share that book(s) you are eagerly awaiting the release of and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. Clicking the image above will take you straight to her post and widget. (Special note: The nifty button above comes from Lindsay at The Violet Hour. Isn't it pretty?)

This week, I am awaiting the third and final installment of Rachel Hawkins's Hex Hall series, Spell Bound. Slated for a March 13, 2012 release date, Spell Bound concludes the adventures of Sophie Mercer and brings to a head the events taking place in her world. I immensely enjoyed the first two books in the series (Hex Hall and Demonglass) and can not wait to see what happens next.

From Goodreads:

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

In My Mailbox - July 24, 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme from The Story Siren where you can share your new acquisitions. They can come from anywhere: through the mail, via the library, purchased from a store, or downloaded as ebooks. It's up to you!

I had a fantastic week in relation to books received. I got 6 books from various places and I am very excited about every single one of them. I was so happy with what I got that I decided it was time to break in the web cam on my new laptop, so I hope you all won't mind bearing with my babbling for a couple of minutes.

Bought

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Ash 2 Nash - Nashville stop info

ARCs

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin - Huge thanks to Farrar Straus Giroux/Macmillan

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - Thanks to Doubleday for making my week!

Southern Festival of Books - Information & Author List

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick - Thank you, Scholastic!

Netgalley

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa - also appearing at the Ash 2 Nash Nashville stop!

The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees

Thanks to Harlequin Teen for both of these titles.

What's Your Status? July 23, 2011

This meme comes from Zakiya at Butterfly Feet Walking On Life. The object is to post what you have finished in the last week, what you are currently reading, what you plan to read in the coming week, and what you want to buy next. You can also post about reviews you've written and memes you have done, though these aren't mandatory. I'm also going to include the status of my reading challenges.

Hello, blogger slump! I have been having a ridiculously slow week this week. Just when I thought I was starting to perk up, I wound up coming down with food poisoning. How did I get so lucky? As a result, I've only finished one book this week.

Books Finished: Week of July 10 - July 16














The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Currently Reading














The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Misfit by Jon Skovron

Next on My To-Read List














Dark Parties by Sara Grant
Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

Reviews

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Posts of Note

The Book Blogger Slump - in which I open a discussion about what to do when you're in a slump

Challenges

Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge (78/100, 78% finished) - One book. Again. This slump has really gotten me down. I need motivation!

Follow Friday: July 22, 2011

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It is a way for book bloggers to get to know each other better. To join in and make some friends, simply follow the directions listed by Parajunkee on her blog.

This week's featured blogger on Parajunkee.com is We Fancy Books, while the feature on AlisonCanRead.com is A Novella's Tale. Be sure to stop by, follow, and say, "Hello!"

This week's question:

Name 3 authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from?

This is an easy peasy question to answer for me right now. I would love to meet Julie Kagawa, Maggie Stiefvater, and Amy Plum. I will get to meet the first two in the next 3 weeks, though it will be at signings, not a sit-down, so all that will remain will be to meet Amy Plum. My super long-shot choice would have to be J.K. Rowling, though I know she doesn't tour and I honestly haven't a clue where I might possibly come across her.

Waiting on Wednesday: July 20, 2011

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To participate, simply share that book(s) you are eagerly awaiting the release of and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. Clicking the image above will take you straight to her post and widget. (Special note: The nifty button above comes from Lindsay at The Violet Hour. Isn't it pretty?)

This week, I am desperately awaiting the release of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (September 13, 2011; Doubleday). I was intrigued as soon as I read the synopsis. How could I not be when the plot revolves around a mysterious circus that arrives in the night with no warning? Add elements such as magic and a love story and you've got the total package.

ETA: Oh, the irony. I just got the ARC delivered to my door!

From Goodreads:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

The Book Blogger Slump

I have been experiencing a slump as of late. I haven't been able to write, read, or come up with fresh ideas. This leads me to wonder if there is anything I can do to get out of it. Does anyone care to have a discussion? What do you do when you encounter a slump? Do you let it ride or do you try to work it out? Let's see those tips and ideas!

Review: Wildefire

by Karsten Knight
publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
date of publication: July 26, 2011
format: eGalley
pages: 400
source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

What I Thought

Wildefire is another in a recent wave of books centered around the topic of gods and goddesses. This book, however, stands apart from the rest in its tone and execution. Wildefire begins with a very different tone than one typically expects from a YA novel. Ashline Wilde has a fiery temper. This gets her into a lot of trouble and makes for a more serious setting. In fact, Wildefire begins with a fight in which Ashline utterly loses control of herself. This is only the tip of the iceberg, however, as her errant older sister, Eve, enters the scene and things quickly go from bad to worse. If Ashline's temper is bad, it is nothing compared to Eve's seemingly subconscious need to cause chaos and destruction. The scene quickly becomes dire as Eve changes Ashline's life forever.

The characters found in Wildefire are volatile, interesting, and varied. Aside from Ashline and Eve, the main cast of characters is comprised of Colt, Ashline's park ranger love interest; Ade, a boy with a connection to earthquakes; Raja, a girl with a truly terrifying power; Rolfe, a surfer who hides a brilliant light beneath the surface; Lily, a conflicted girl with a connection to plants; and Serena, the blind girl responsible for bringing them all together. As a unit, they are a formidable force, though there a number of interpersonal conflicts that prevent a total cohesiveness. All told, they make for a fascinating group of characters that will keep you guessing throughout the book. As for the token antagonists, I found myself becoming extremely disturbed. You'll know why when you first read about the Cloak and learn about the extent a certain person is willing to go to get what they want.

As this copy of Wildefire is an eGalley, I will not hold the errors I discovered within the writing against it very much. However, there are some things that I noticed that I hope are caught before the final publication. Amongst these errors are common typos, improper word usage (for example, “tussled” instead of “tousled” when referring to hair), and seeming lack of research on a few very minor details that I highly doubt many people would notice (teenage girls are not typically addressed as “madame” by their French instructors). It was enough to distract me but not enough to truly affect the story, itself. The one issue I really had with the story was the lack of information about Serena. All of the other characters are given flash back sequences in which their backgrounds are explained. Not so with Serena. There is only the barest mention of where she comes from, who she is, and why she is at Blackwood Academy. This prevented me from feeling the full extent of her importance to the story. Even though she plays a big role in the five teens coming together, she is easily forgettable, which I found very disappointing.

Wildefire was an intriguing take on gods and goddesses. Though somewhat slow-going for me at times, I enjoyed the story overall and was left in shock by the ending, which came out of nowhere and took me completely by surprise. It was more than enough to have me hooked. I will be coming back for more and can't wait to find out what happens in Ashline's world next. As such, I give Wildefire 4 hoots.

Obligatory legal statement: This galley was provided to me free of charge via Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

In My Mailbox - July 17, 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme from The Story Siren where you can share your new acquisitions. They can come from anywhere: through the mail, via the library, purchased from a store, or downloaded as ebooks. It's up to you!

This week my mailbox post will be short and sweet. I got a notification that I am being sent and ARC and I also ordered a book on Amazon with gift cards I earned from Swagbucks, but for this week I only have two books to share. There should be more next week.


Won on Goodreads

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson (Thanks to Harper for this ARC.)

From Goodreads:

When Eve falls for the secretive, charming Dom, their whirlwind relationship leads them to purchase Les Genevriers, an abandoned house in a rural hamlet in the south of France. As the beautiful Provence summer turns to autumn, Eve finds it impossible to ignore the mysteries that haunt both her lover and the run-down old house, in particular the mysterious disappearance of his beautiful first wife, Rachel. Whilst Eve tries to untangle the secrets surrounding Rachel's last recorded days, Les Genevriers itself seems to come alive. As strange events begin to occur with frightening regularity, Eve's voice becomes intertwined with that of Benedicte Lincel, a girl who lived in the house decades before. As the tangled skeins of the house's history begin to unravel, the tension grows between Dom and Eve. In a page-turning race, Eve must fight to discover the fates of both Benedicte and Rachel, before Les Genevriers' dark history has a chance to repeat itself.

Ebook from the Library

The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

From Goodreads:

In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft's epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.
Aoife Grayson's family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.

What's Your Status? July 16, 2011

This meme comes from Zakiya at Butterfly Feet Walking On Life. The object is to post what you have finished in the last week, what you are currently reading, what you plan to read in the coming week, and what you want to buy next. You can also post about reviews you've written and memes you have done, though these aren't mandatory. I'm also going to include the status of my reading challenges.

I've been reading at a slower clip this week. My whole family had a summer cold and it was all we could do to so much as keep an eye on our 2 year old. We're all feeling much better now, however, and I was even able to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 yesterday. In case you were wondering, it was fantastic! I want to see it again already.

Books Finished: Week of July 10 - July 16














The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Currently Reading














Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Next on My To-Read List














Misfit by Jon Skovron
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Dark Parties by Sara Grant

Reviews

Between Shades of Gray
The Near Witch
Want to Go Private?

Challenges

Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge (76/100, 76% finished) - One book. One book is all I finished this week. It's pretty sad for me considering I usually read at least 2. Oh, well. Perhaps next week will be better.