July Monthly Chit Chat

July News

My family kicked off July with a new baby and my brother came home from Hawaii for two weeks! Unfortunately, we didn’t get to keep the baby – my aunt was a surrogate carrier for a friend who could not carry to term.

I received news back from my June surgery – everything was benign!

I also took the plunge and became a Pink Drink-er! I have started drinking Plexus Slim to help regulate my blood sugar and to lose weight! If you would like to check out the products, have heard of Plexus, or you’re interested, I can help you out! I am excited to start a new journey to a new me and share my own success story.

Most Popular Posts

• Thoughts on Thursday ~ The Art of Commenting – One of my most popular posts EVER!
• Review ~ A Batter of Life and Death

Other Posts of Note

• Thoughts on Thursday ~ My Shipshape Shelves – I finally organized and got it together!
• Top Ten Tuesday ~ Diverse Books & Characters – There are so many really good recommendations from everyone in this week’s TTT!
• Top Ten Tuesday ~ Hyped Books I’ve Never Read – I had a lot of people recommending I should read many of the ones on my list.

Tours & Blasts

• Blast ~ Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity
• Review ~ A Batter of Life and Death
• Blast ~ The Arrangement
• Promo ~ Peace, Love and Romance
• Release ~ Mandy’s Father
• Guest Post + Review ~ Teresa of the New World
• Reveal ~ Hollie Porter Builds a Raft
• Teaser ~ Collapse: The Illustrated Guide
• Spotlight ~ The Kiss That Launched 1000 GIFs
• Reveal ~ On Thin Icing
• Blast ~ Falling
• Interview + Review ~ The Secret Sister
• Release ~ Bachelor.com

Reading Challenges

First, I’m actually sad that there is no summer BINGO series. I was checking back every day at Great Imaginations to look for the new BINGO card and get cranking on it. 😦 BUT! I discovered there is something similar – maybe better – that they have started instead called Story Sprites.

Goodreads — Goal Met. It’s the end of July and I have read a total of 100 books this year, far surpassing my goal of 52.

NetGalley —  Progress Made. I’ve completed a total of 14 NetGalley books. My goal is 50. I’m wondering if I’m going to meet it by the end of the year.

Shelf Love — Goal Met. I’ve read 66 books already on my shelves so far this year.

TBR Pile — Goal Met. I’ve read 71 books on my TBR by the end of June.

Story Sprites — NEW! This is a brand new challenge taking place of the BINGO challenges. Although I miss those, this one sounds just as interesting to complete. There are only 20 squares, and I have completed 9 already.

Alphabet Soup  — On Track. I’m down two! N and Q titles are still needed.

Book Blog Discussion Challenge — On Track. I am preparing for September discussions.

Reading Updates

I think this has been the most successful reading months of the entire year. I read THIRTEEN books! Look for most of these reviews in August.