Challenge Wrap-Up for Feb 2014

So, I forgot to do this for January so this is my post for both January and February for the wrap ups of all my posts.

However, before I start on those I am announcing a new challenge I joined this month 

As a new blogger I got in over my head last year with eArcs.  Mostly from Netgalley.  I requested a whole lot thinking as a new book blogger I will maybe get 1/20 if lucky.  Hah!  Over half my requests were approved and that meant trouble.  I am trying to get out of the hole I dug and hope this will help.  I am starting off as a Gold level which means I need to read at least 50 books from these two eArc sites.   I really hope to increase that but real life this year has me taking baby steps in my reading promises.

 So thus far this year I have only read and reviewed 1 book from them.   Please note I have read a few more but need to get reviews up here still. What I have read/reviewed toward this challenge:

  

And now for the other challenges.  Please note, some challenge books can overlap with other challenges. 

 

2 books so far this year out of 50+.

    

Again, I have read a few others but reviews are not up yet.  I still have some older reviews from books I read in Dec 2013 to get up and those were my focus for Feb. 

September Monthly Wrap-Up

  Ugh, September and I were not friends this year.  No, we were not!  As many of you many have heard already, I had a terrible spell of vertigo over me for nearly 2 weeks.  Most likely due to an ear infection (we hope!).  This is a horrible thing to suffer through.  It was like a combination of the flu, being drunk, majorly medicated and hungover all at the same time.  Dizziness, nausea and my vision literally kept shifting (think of those eye tests when the doctor asks you which lense is better but at a faster rate) and just trying to move an arm took a lot of concentration.  So guess what I could not do for over a week?  Thats right....read.  My favorite pastime was denied in a most cruel manor.  Lucky for everyone, I seem to have made a full recover and am back on me feet and hitting the books! And a huge shout out thanks to my boyfriend for aiding me in making sure at least some posts (even if they were just memes) went up every few days so that my blog was not totally dead.

 On the blog:  I still need to finish the Blogger challenge posts I started in July but with so much to post and read I fell behind even further there.  So I really want to finish that this month.  I have several big giveaways planned for this month.  Some have started.  I am even finally giving away a print Arc! So be sure to check back and keep an eye on that upper right column!  Also, see my events page to get a better idea for what is coming and going.

As for what happened specifically this past month; here we go:

 

Books I finished reading:

 

August Monthly Wrap-Up

 So, this month was a more well-rounded month than last month but still not quite what I was hoping for.  I didn't get near as many reviews posted as I wanted and I didn't quite finish the Blogger Challenge I am on, but that will just make September all the fuller.  I already have several reviews ready to go this time finally so this should be a more organized month

 

I want to somehow get YOU, the readers, more involved this month!!!  What can I do to make this blog more interactive for you?  What will have you returning on a  more regular basis?  What pushes you away?  Please be specific.  constructive criticism is welcome or any  ideas.

Books I Finished Reading:

July Monthly Wrap-Up

 So, time to recap the last month   

This month has not been easy.  Lots of personal stuff going on that kept me from getting much reading done.  Probably one of the worst reading this months I have had in several years.  

Tried to focus more on giveaways since that seems to be the only real thing of interest to most people, especially since I wasn't able to get a lot of reviews out.   While I know the giveaways are not much, I am broke so me giving gift cards and such is not going to happen.  And I have heard that I should not yet be requesting books during the first 6 months of blogging.  So I apologize that they have been less than thrilling.

Books I Finished Reading: