The Whimsical Mama

<3 Such is the life of a stay at home mommy and Army wife (:

Please Be Kind, Rewind: 18-24 May 2014 May 24, 2014

Ack! I’m not as ahead as I was on my schedule. I’m still getting a ton read and written, I just have to get it up on here to post. Sheesh. Time is flying by and we’re getting things ready for the summer. Hopefully this week will be a tame one so I can get caught back up on things! (:


Completed:

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (physical copy & audiobook)

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (physical copy & audiobook)

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (physical copy & audiobook)

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (physical copy & audiobook)




Currently Reading:

The Everything Mother Goose Book by June Rifkin (yes, we’re still working on it!)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling (audiobook)

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (physical copy & audiobook)



Read to the Kiddos:

I was bad and didn’t keep track. ):


New to my shelf:


From the library:

Narnia audiobooks! (:

 

Please Be Kind, Rewind: 4-17 May 2014 May 17, 2014

I’m such a goof. I had last week’s post scheduled and never worked on it so it posted in part. oops! So I combined two weeks. I have gotten a ton of reading done which has been NICE! For reviews, I’m now scheduled through the middle of July. Whoa. Since I’ve read so much, I took a few days this week to get ahead on here and not just on paper. Thanks to City of Heavenly Fire coming out in two weeks, I’m re-reading The Mortal Instruments so it should give me enough to get ahead so I can launch another new feature soon! (: Well, it’s a rework of a feature I started and abandoned cause I wasn’t as prepared as I wanted to be. New name, same idea. I have to get The Selection books soon because Bug keeps trying to steal the library books. She grabs them, points to America, and says, “pitty! (pretty)” I’m not complaining, because I really enjoyed them! Hopefully she’ll read them and like them when she gets bigger!


Completed:

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (audiobook)

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch (ARC)

The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Prince by Kiera Cass

The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Guard by Kiera Cass

The One by Kiera Cass 

The Midnight Heir by Cassandra Clare

The Rise of the Hotel Dumort by Cassandra Clare

Saving Raphael Santiago by Cassandra Clare

The Fall of the Hotel Dumort by Cassandra Clare

What to But the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything by Cassandra Clare

The Last Stand of the New York Institute by Cassandra Clare

The Course of True Love (and First Dates) by Cassandra Clare




Currently Reading:

The Everything Mother Goose Book by June Rifkin (yes, we’re still working on it!)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling (audiobook)

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare



Read to the Kiddos:

Ladybug Girl Feels Happy by David Soman and Jacky Davis

Pete the Cat: Pete’s Big Lunch by James Dean

Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis

Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anne Dewdney


New to my shelf:

Find Me by Romily Bernard (Thanks Mary for hosting the giveaway and for HarperTeen for supplying copies!)

Gone by Michael Grant (two copies, future giveaway!)

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Altered by Gennifer Albin (future giveaway)

Until I Die by Amy Plum (two copies, future giveaway!)


From the library:
The Selection trilogy & novellas by Kiera Cass 

Delirium novellas by Lauren Oliver

a bunch of audiobooks!

 

Top Ten Tuesday #28: Rewind: Bookish Confessions February 25, 2014

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Each week, the girls over at The Broke and the Bookishthink up a fun theme for the week and participating bloggers around the net join in. The theme for this week is:

Rewind: Top Ten Bookish Confessions

I wasn’t blogging the first time this one came up, so I decided I wanted to have a little confession time.

1. I own Harry Potter books in 5 (yes, FIVE) languages. I own the whole series in American English, books 1-4 in a boxed set in British English (they’re the books I talked about last week in why I love reading because of their SMELL), 1-3 in French, 3 in Spanish (my mom’s failed attempt at getting my favourite series in Spanish to tempt me to take Spanish in high school. I took French haha), and 6 in German (German exchange student junior year in HS I became good friends with gave it to me before she flew home. I can’t read any of it, but I treasure it immensely!) I want to get a copy in Italien and Greek because I’ve been to both countries and that’s my thing. I want to collect Harry Potter in every language of countries I’ve visited. I’m good on them except for those two languages. (Another perk on having the German copy!)

2. I have a bad book buying problem. My TBR pile is ridiculous. I keep buying books. Not like I used to, broke college student, broke newlywed, and now broke parent keep that leash short. Now, I try to order my favourite ARCs or most anticipated reads and stagger purchases. I still hope to have a library like Belle’s one day! (:

3. I used to be a binge reader. Now, let me explain. I still binge read. I love binge reading a series. What I mean though is that I used to go on reading binges and then spans of time of not reading. I would knock out a bunch of books then go weeks and sometimes even months without reading. I’m trying to do better about it, now I usually go a few days without reading at most.

4. I used to be really REALLY bad about dog-earing and highlighting in my books. Well, highlighting in Harry Potter. I would dog-ear my place in anything and everything. I’ve thankfully outgrown that.

5. I DESPISE hardcover library books. I have a love-hate relationship with jacket covers as it is. I love looking at them, but I hate reading with them on. I REALLY hate reading hardcover library books because of it. They bother me so much. It might be a complex haha.

6. I love-hate paperbacks. I love their price. I really love that they are cheaper on the wallet. I can buy more books if I buy in paperback. I hate them. They don’t last as long as hardcovers. The spines get all funky looking after they’ve been read a few times. You can spot my favourite or used books a mile away on my shelves. I try to be careful with them, but it just sucks.

7. I’ve always wanted to be a writer. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to write. For as long as I can remember I have written, or at least made up stories even if no one was around to hear them. It seemed like destiny spoke the first time I heard “Paperback Writer” by The Beatles. It WILL happen one day!

8. When I went to Scotland back in 2007, I HAD to go to Balmoral Hotel. I had to stand in front of the building where Harry Potter was finished. Lyndsay and I didn’t go in, but we both kinda just had a moment. We were both huge Harry Potter fans it just seemed like a perfect way to have closure. A few short weeks later, she called me, bragging, when she had Deathly Hallows in her hands and I still had hours to wait. MEAN.

9. I am (figuratively) DYING to finish The Royal Diaries series. I loved this series as a kid and I still want to finish the books. I have nine pretties sitting on my shelf and I can’t wait to share them with my kiddos! (And complete my collection! Haha)

10. I am SUPER thankful for my mom instilling a love of reading in me. I also am thankful to my Gran for encouraging me to give Harry Potter a chance when I got it for Christmas. I hope that I can pass on my love of reading to my children. They already bring me books all the time to read to them, I hope that this never changes!

Tell me, what are your bookish confessions? Or let me know what you picked for this week’s rewind! Leave me your links, and I’ll drop by! (: