Monthly Recap (4) - July 2014

Monthly Recap is where I share everything that's happened on Courtney Reads A Lot over the past month. I read some great books over the past month. In fact, all of these books were rated 3 stars or higher! That's a good month in my book (ha! puns)!

Book Reviews:

-Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo

-Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

-The Bitter Kingdom (Fire and Thorns #3) by Rae Carson

-The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

-Half A King (Shattered Sea #1) by Joe Abercrombie

-Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

-The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

Other Posts: 

-Top Ten Classic Books I Want to Read

-Courtney Reads A Lot Has A New Look

-Bookish to a Fault (2) - I Have A Seriesish Problem

-Showcase Sunday (6)

-Top Ten Authors I Own the Most Books From

This summer is just flying by, and I cannot believe it's going to be August already. This past month, I read a decent amount of books, thanks to listening to audiobooks along with reading physical copies. I finished two debuts, Paula Stokes' The Art of Lainey and Joe Abercrombie's YA debut Half A King, and both count towards the Debut Author Challenge! As for my personal challenge, I read The Bitter Kingdom and finished the beloved Fire and Thorns series, and I'm sad to see that one come to an end.

Courtney Reads A Lot has a new design which I love! I also picked out the flooring, cabinets and counter tops for my house! And (drumroll please) they broke ground! Which is all very exciting! Otherwise, July was pretty uneventful up until this week when I was hit with some bad news. My mom-mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer out of nowhere, and it's going to be rough for awhile. She'll be going in for radiation treatment, and I hope it goes well, but I'm terrified. In the meantime, my blog posts might be a little more sporadic, as I'm having trouble focusing while reading, and I'm constantly distracted by my thoughts.

In September, there's a book tour event/book signing I'm hoping to go to. In preparation, I will be reading some books this month by a couple of the authors attending. Sarah Maas, Susan Dennard, Elizabeth Norris, and Tiffany Schmidt will all be there, and I'm really looking forward to meeting all of them and getting some books signed!

Goals for Next Month:

-Read one debut for my Debut Author Challenge

-Finish 1 series for my personal challenge

-Read at least 2-3 books by Sarah Maas and/or Susan Dennard in preparation for the book signing

-Write a Bookish to a Fault post and another discussion post

How is everyone's summer going? What books are you planning to read this month?

Monthly Recap (3) - June 2014

Monthly Recap is where I share with you everything that happened on Courtney Reads A Lot during the past month. As always, this month flew by way too fast. And once again, I was not satisfied with the number of books I read, but I don't think I ever will be. Well, as long as I'm reading regularly, I am happy.

This past month was super busy for me! Not only was it my birthday month, but I was also house hunting, and now my boyfriend and I are official homeowners! Whoop whoop! We'll be moving into a townhouse sometime in November once it's built, just in time for the holidays! Although I am not looking forward to moving all of my books, as there's way too many of them, I am still really excited to take this big step! Anyways, here's all of my posts from the last month.

Book Reviews:

-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

-Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

-The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman

-Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

-Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas

Other Posts:

-Top Ten Books That Will Be In My Beach Bag This Summer

-Waiting on Wednesday (37) - I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

-Showcase Sunday (5)

-Grow Up and Read Young Adult: A Response to that Slate Article

-Waiting on Wednesday (38) - Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

-Waiting on Wednesday (39) - The Fall by Bethany Griffin

As for the goals I set for myself this month, I did not meet any of them. I only read one debut and not two. I finished one series, The Grisha series, and not the two I was hoping for. I did not read at least 7 books this month, and I was planning another Bookish to a Fault post, but alas, I didn't write it. I'll have to post it this month. I'm beginning to think I might need some more realistic goals in the future, given how little time I have for reading some weeks.

Goals for Next Month: 
-Read 1 debut
-Finish 1 series
-Write another Bookish to a Fault post
-Don't buy a single book the entire month (this one will be difficult, but I have to save money and read some unread books I already have)

So what has everyone else been up to? What were some of your favorite reads this past month? And what are some books you're looking forward to reading next month?

Monthly Recap (2) - May 2014

Monthly Recap is where I share with you what I posted on Courtney Reads A Lot over the past month. For me, this month flew by so fast, and, as always, I felt like I didn't read as much as I wanted to. There's just never enough time for all the books I want to read, and this month especially. So much was going on this month, but I did manage to fit in some reading time at least.

Book Reviews:
-Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (Necromancer #1) by Lish McBride
-Fourth Comings (Jessica Darling #4) by Megan McCafferty
-Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1) by Danielle L. Jensen
-Perfect Fifths (Jessica Darling #5) by Megan McCafferty
-Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

Other Posts:
-Top Ten Book Covers I'd Frame As Art
-Waiting on Wednesday (36) - The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
-Courtney Reads A Lot Adopts a Puppy!
-Showcase Sunday (4)
-Top Ten Books About Friendship
-The Book Blogger Confessions Tag
-Top Ten Book Quotes

Armchair BEA:
-Day 1: Introductions & Literature
-Day 2: Author Interaction & More Than Just Words
-Day 3: Expanding Blogging Horizons & Novellas/Short Stories
-Day 4: Giveaway & Beyond the Borders
-Day 5: Recovering from a Blogging Slump & Young Adult
-Day 6: Armchair BEA Wrap Up Post

Yes, Armchair BEA gets its very own section! As you can tell, this month was very post heavy even though I did not actually read any more books than I usually do. I participated in Armchair BEA for the first time this year, and I loved it! I'd definitely do it again next year. I made an effort to post on others' blogs, but I still wish I could have visited everyone's. If only! If you're unsure what exactly Armchair BEA is, you can check out the Armchair BEA website here.

In other news, there were some interesting developments this month, as in I adopted a puppy! Or well, a three year old dog. There's been ups and downs with the training, but Riley is settling in very well, and I'm so happy to have him. As for my monthly goals I set in my first Monthly Recap post, I read 1 author debut (Stolen Songbird) and finished 1 series (the Jessica Darling series), taking me one step further for each of my 2014 reading challenges. Hey, I'll take it. As for Bout of Books, I did not end up participating, but there's always this August. I did not read more books than last month, but oh well.

Goals for Next Month: 
-Read at least two debuts for Debut Author Challenge
-Finish at least 2 book series for personal challenge
-Read at least 7 books by the end of the month
-Write another Bookish to a Fault post

How was everyone else's month? What was your favorite read for May? Are you ready for summer? I am!

Monthly Recap (1) - April 2014

This is my first Monthly Recap post. I've seen similar posts on other blogs, and I thought it was a great way to rewind and take a look at what has been going on with Courtney Reads A Lot over the past month.

Book Reviews:
-Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier
-Night of Cake & Puppets (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2.5) by Laini Taylor
-A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin
-Hyperbole & A Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
-Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3) by Laini Taylor
-The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

Other Posts:
-Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read
-Showcase Sunday (3)
-Top Ten Characters Who Are Bookish
-Bookish to a Fault (1) - Confessions of a Bookaholic

After a long break from book blogging, I am thrilled to be back! I have less time than I'd like to read, but I try to fit it in as much as possible, especially when I'm reading a book that's difficult to put down. This month, I was starting to get back into the swing of things and I was having so much fun rediscovering what makes book blogging enjoyable - connecting with fellow book bloggers and sharing reviews among other reasons. I hope to read more books next month, and I'm considering participating in Bout of Books! We shall see!

Goals for Next Month: 
-Read another debut for my Debut Author challenge (perhaps I'll read two but let's not get ahead of ourselves)
-Finish 1-2 series for my personal challenge
-Participate in Bout of Books?
-Read more books!

How about everyone else? How was your month? Did you get a lot of reading done?