RTW: Best Book of August

Ahhh! I read some pretty good books this month, and they're all SO different. I'm not sure where to begin.

 

As you can see I've had a busy reading month. In part of the vacay and our 14 hour drive to LA. But It's been a good reading month also. I'm just having a hard time picking a favorite since they're all in different genres (all YA, that's about the only thing they have in common).  One was about angels and demons, star-crossed lovers caught in the midst of a war. Another a fantasy-dystopian (i didn't even know such a thing existed!) about a girl lost in a decaying world, and her reluctant hero. Another about a new goddess who can't seem to get her husband to notice her, and is then forced to confront his ex. One about a girl who stalks the family next door who's suddenly a part of said family. The last about four brothers with extraordinary powers, the youngest of whom falls for a girl trying to move on from the past. They were all good and all different, and I enjoyed them all for different reasons. So I guess I'm cheating by not picking one. Oops. Sorry...but I hope you pick at least one of them up and enjoy it as much as I did.

 

Five for Friday

 1. So, I'm back. The vacay was great. We went to the beach (Santa Monica Pier was crazy busy, Redondo Pier, and Malibu). My husband and children had their first planetary experience at the Griffith Park Observatory. The boys loved it since the Transformers have hung out there before. We visited Universal Studios and took a tour where I got to see Wisteria Lane and the Bates Motel. On the way down and back we stayed in Las Vegas and went swimming because walking in 116 degree weather is like a death wish. And we all got go to the Hoover Dam! We had delicious food and good company. The only down part was not spending as much time with my dad as I would have liked. He was working the first half of the trip and sick the last half. Oh, and we also broke down in the middle of Utah...yeah, that was fun. But I guess you can't have a family vacation without some sort of car trouble.

That's me and the babes in front of the Hoover Dam. The sun was glaring in my eyes so I'm kind of squinting.

                                         

2. Wanted to let you guys in on an awesome even taking place in September lead by the awesome Deana Barnhart Gearing Up to Get an Agent. I've already signed up (lucky 150) and it sounds awesome! So if you're looking for an agent or getting ready, Click Here for more details.

3. School starts back up on Monday and I'm kind of freaking because I'm going to have a child in first grade and my baby boy is going to be gone ALL DAY. I'm not sure how many tears I'll shed, but there will be many.

4. I just finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor and holy crapoli! Fabulous, in a word. I can't wait until Novemeber. BTW, the covers are beyond gorge.

5. My wonderful husband got me a Kindle for our seven year anniversary. It came in the mail right before we left for our vacay so it was perfect timing. I was able to download a few books and read them on our drive over to Cali. Good times.

Hope all of you had an awesome month! Can't wait for GUTGAA!

Vacations, back-to-school, and writing

Just wanted to pop-by and say I'm going to be a little less present in August. We've got an awesome family vacation coming up, school starts up in a few short weeks, and I'm desperately trying to get my manuscript ready to query. It's going to be the August of insanity! I'll stalk you all every now and then, there might even a be some sporadic blog posts here and there, but for the most part I'm going to be busy trying to wrap my head around the fact that Fire and Ice might finally be getting there. Hope you all have an awesome month full of fun adventures, whether in real life or in your writing!

RTW: Best Book of July

What's the best book I've read this month? I read several good books in July, including:

and

But my favorite would have to be Something Like Normal by Trish Doller. I mentioned it before in a post, but I was really impressed with the way the author wrote from a guy's POV so authentically. The book is a quick read and never felt slow-pacing. I think she handled the subject of PTSD in a way that's sensitive to those going through it themselves, especially those fighting for our country. All in all July was a great reading month and I'm looking forward to what August brings around!