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Showing posts from September, 2015

September Wrap Up

 It's finally fall and I couldn't be happier!  I love this time of year so much. I normally post my monthly wrap up once the month is over but I know I'm not going to finish anything else so here it is.  I felt like September was a really slow reading month for me but when I look at the numbers, it doesn't really look that bad.  I could have read a lot more but I got really sucked into NetFlix and spent an exorbitant amount of time watching Criminal Minds and Justified. I'm now at 75 books read for the year so I know I'll meet my reading goal in October.  I'm really hoping that I can get to at least 90 books read this year.  If I read 8ish books a month for the rest of the year, I'll hit 100 which will be awesome!  The most I've read in a year since Julia was born was 88 books so I'm hoping to exceed that this year.  Here are my September numbers: -9 books read    -1 non-fiction    -3 historical fiction    -3 review books    -4 li

Review: "The Sisters of Versailles" by Sally Christie

 Synopsis:  A sumptuous and sensual tale of power, romance, family, and betrayal centered around four sisters and one King. Carefully researched and ornately detailed, The Sisters of Versailles is the first book in an exciting new historical fiction trilogy about King Louis XV, France’s most “well-beloved” monarch, and the women who shared his heart and his bed. Goodness, but sisters are a thing to fear. Set against the lavish backdrop of the French Court in the early years of the 18th century, The Sisters of Versailles is the extraordinary tale of the five Nesle sisters: Louise, Pauline, Diane, Hortense, and Marie-Anne, four of whom became mistresses to King Louis XV. Their scandalous story is stranger than fiction but true in every shocking, amusing, and heartbreaking detail. Court intriguers are beginning to sense that young King Louis XV, after seven years of marriage, is tiring of his Polish wife. The race is on to find a mistress for the royal bed as vario

Mailbox Monday (52)

Happy Monday y'all!  I'm linking up with Mailbox Monday again this week! The past few weeks I've gotten a lot of books but life has been crazy so I haven't been posting much. My daughter is, once again, not sleeping so that's making things really complicated.  I'm hoping it gets better soon.  This post is only going to include the books I received in the last week otherwise it would be pages long. From the Library:   The Three by Sarah Lotz In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins   For Review: Medici's Daughter by Sophie Perinot What books did you get this week? 

Book Spotlight: "Decorum" by Karen Christopherson

Decorum: A Novel by Kaaren Christopherson Publication Date: March 31, 2015 Kensington Publishing Corp. Foramts: eBook, Paperback, Audio Pages: 425 Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance Kaaren Christopherson's brilliantly observed novel captures the glamour and grit of one of the world's most dazzling cities during one of its most tumultuous eras--as seen through the eyes of a singularly captivating heroine... In 1890s New York, beautiful, wealthy Francesca Lund is an intriguing prospect for worthy suitors and fortune hunters alike. Recently orphaned, she copes by working with the poor in the city's settlement movement. But a young woman of means can't shun society for long, and Francesca's long-standing acquaintance with dashing Edmund Tracey eventually leads to engagement. Yet her sheltered upbringing doesn't blind her to the indiscretions of the well-to-do... Among the fashionable circle that gathers around her there are mistresses, scandals, and

Bookish (and Not So Bookish) Thoughts (12)

Hey y'all!   I'm linking up with Bookish (And Not So Bookish Thoughts) over at Bookishly Boisterous this week. 1.) I'm feeling a little burned out on historical fiction right now.  I have one historical fiction book for review right now but otherwise, I think I'm going to take a little break from the genre and read other things.  Usually more than half of what I read is HF but this year that is so not the case. 2.) As always, I've been a terrible blogger lately.  I have lots of things I want and need to post but just haven't had the motivation to do it. 3.) I'm so excited for Fall!  I love when the weather starts to get cool and I love all the fun holidays.  I'm also excited to start baking pumpkin treats.  I hate pumpkin spice flavored things but I love pumpkin bread, pie, cookies, cake, etc.  Last year my favorite pumpkin treat was this pumpkin pie cake .  It's so good! 4.) Speaking of Fall holidays, I ordered this Rockford Peach costume

#FitReaders Weekly Check In (8)

#FitReaders is hosted by The Geeky Blogger and That's What I'm Talking About . I really should stop calling these 'weekly check ins' because I haven't posted one in over a month.  August was a rough month for my diet.  I started off the month having 8 lbs and was hopeful I could lose the last 4.  Well, that hasn't happened.  I have consistently exercised 5 days a week (except one week where I only exercised 4 days) but my diet has been a mess.  I am about 50/50 when it comes to staying within the calories that MyFitnessPal allows.  I haven't weighed myself (too scared) but I'm guessing that I have gained some weight back. For September, I'm hoping to keep up the exercise 5 days a week AND do a better job of sticking to my eating plan.  I've started a new Jillian Michaels DVD (Ripped in 30) and I like it so much more than the 30 Day Shred so that's helping my motivation.  I plan to weigh myself every week because it keeps me acco

Quick Review: "The End of Tsarist Russia" by Dominic Lieven

From Goodreads:  World War I and the Russian Revolution together shaped the twentieth century in profound ways. In The End of Tsarist Russia, acclaimed scholar Dominic Lieven connects for the first time the two events, providing both a history of the First World War’s origins from a Russian perspective and an international history of why the revolution happened. Based on exhaustive work in seven Russian archives as well as many non-Russian sources, Dominic Lieven’s work is about far more than just Russia. By placing the crisis of empire at its core, Lieven links World War I to the sweep of twentieth-century global history. He shows how contemporary hot issues such as the struggle for Ukraine were already crucial elements in the run-up to 1914. By incorporating into his book new approaches and comparisons, Lieven tells the story of war and revolution in a way that is truly original and thought-provoking. My Thoughts:  The End of Tsarist Russia is an incredibly well

August Wrap Up

I'm so glad August is over.  I felt like I was in a funk for the whole month and I am hoping that September will be better!  Surprisingly, I did pretty well with my reading.  The first half of the month was pretty slow for me with regards to reading but I picked up some speed during the second half of the month.  I read 9 books this month for a total of 66 books read this year.  My goal is to read 80 books which I'm very confident I will meet; I'm actually hoping to make it to 90 this year but we'll see. I have completely failed at blogging this month (see above mentioned funk) and am hoping to get my butt back in gear this month.  I hope to have posts up more frequently and I'm considering participating in RIP this year. Here are my August numbers: -9 books read --3 Non-Fiction --7 Library Books --2 Historical Fiction --2 Review --5 ebooks --0 Books I own What I read in August: 1.) Making the "Terrible" Twos Terrific by John Rosemond - 1