Showing posts with label Weekly Recap. Show all posts

Sunday, 12 April 2015

Weekly Recap | 6-11 Apr. 2015

Important News!

You know that Amanda has been talking about redesigning Beautiful Bookish Butterflies for a week or two now? Well, the fabulous news is, she's convinced she's finished it and has decided that there is no better time to share the design than, well, within the next week or two. While this is all very very exciting, it does mean there's going to be interference with BBB. Firstly, on 14th Apr. BBB will be put into private mode, meaning, if you search for us, or follow any links leading to us, you won't find us. This is inconvenient and a little unlucky, but in order for the change to be as simple, easy and clean as possible, we will need just under two weeks to make changes, ensure all links and features work and make sure that we're all in working order. BBB will be back up and running by 26th Apr. and hopefully, we'll be rocking a new, cleaner, fresher look.

We know a lot of you love our current design and trust us, we love it too, there's just something exciting about feeling fresh and new and getting a new look that's just really exciting. It will still be the same great content, and we'll also be making a few changes and implementing advise you gave us in our survey, so fingers crossed, you'll be getting an even better blog when we return. Over the next few weeks, you'll see our social sites changing and we'll be posting regular updates on our Twitter account, so it you're extra nosey, it might be worth keeping an eye on that. We hope you'll still be here when we return and that you'll like our new look. We'll be seeing you again soon!

What You May Have Missed:

Offline This Week:

Stacie:

Because I'm always talking about being tired, I thought I would explain why. To put it simply, I've got a heredity condition which effects the flow of the blood around my body thus leaving me pretty anaemic. So when I don't get a lot of sleep or my iron levels are low I find it really hard to function and focus. For the past two weeks it's been spring half term for my daughter, and she has spent a lot of time jumping into our bed at night leaving me with very little sleep because I find it hard sleeping between a fidgeting 5 year old who has more energy than is normal, and a snoring man, I mean wouldn't you?. So though it seems like sometime I'm always starting off my weekly update with me being tired, that's the reason for it. (Today is the last day of her time off and though I've loved having her at home, I'm looking forward to time to myself tomorrow... or time with my sofa haha). The lack of focus over the last few weeks has resulted in my being blank when it came to posts and reviews I had wrote next to nothing. So with the two weeks blog break I'm hoping to get LOTS done!

In other news I finally started the Covenant series, and though it has a lot of similarities to the Vampire Academy series, there is a lot that’s different and I'm really enjoying it. I also finally finished the Sweet Evil series and I'll be honest, it all went down hill from book #1 for me. It wasn't a terrible read, but I wont be reading #4 (it's the 3 books but from Kaidan's POV) and I don't think I'll be rereading the series so I'm glad I only got them cheap for the Kindle. As you can see, I'm taking this month of reading series really seriously, all I've read in a April has been books for a series (I do need to get back to my review copies though!..)

Lastly, I just want to say thank you to Amanda for covering for me on the blog the last week or two, and for understanding why I've been spaced lately, I'm not sure what I would do if I was on my own. I'd also just like to say goodbye for two weeks to everyone and I hope you understand why its the best thing for me and Amanda right now, and we'll see you after with a lovely new design (of course designed by my awesome co-blogger) and more posts than you can shake a stick at :)

Amanda:

Ever had a week that just feels like it's flown by, and you know you've done things, you just can't remember what things? I've seen a lot of my best friend lately and this week hasn't been too different, and I have slowly, horribly slowly gotten back into my reading with Perfectly Ella (beautiful, so many wonderful family emotions) but other than that, honestly, I've been sleeping, addicted to watching Crash Course (again..) and stressing over the new BBB design. OH. I'm also starting a new four week work experience, again.. but this time it's for retail, something I know and feel comfortable, so while that is good, it's bad that it falls as it does. I'm in the middle of a few projects, I'm juggling new designs, catching up on blogging and booking new therapy sessions, and I'm still sniffling through life. I'm not feeling fabulous, but, I'm praying for some improvements. Soon, please life, I'd really appreciate it?

What We Liked This Week:

We haven't got a lot of in this weeks link-up. Amanda's been distracted and frazzled. What is here is absolutely fabulous though.

Jeann gave a tribute to other bloggers
Christina talked about her new reading habits
Amanda talked about clean readers and censorships
Mel shared blogging tips for beginners
Amir talked about being a wuss against series

Tell Us What's Been Happening in Your Week!

Saturday, 4 April 2015

Weekly Recap | 30-4 Apr. 2015

Welcome to Beautiful Bookish Butterflies Weekly Recap. Once a week, Stacie and Amanda take the time to talk about the weeks goings on, both on the blog and in our lives elsewhere, any new books we may have received and want to mention and what's interested is within the blogging community. Stacie and Amanda link up this recap with Caffeinated Book Reviewers Sunday Post and occasionally Tynga Reviews' Stacking the Shelves.

If you haven't yet, take our survey!

Our survey is still open, and we'd still really like your input and would love to know what you think of Beautiful Bookish Butterflies. It'll only take a few minutes with really simple, easy questions, and you'll be helping us, a lot. For our Blog Survey post, follow that link, or to for a direct link to the survey, click here.

What You May Have Missed:

- Bookish Musings: How to Encourage Me To Read Your Content
- Top Ten Tuesday: Recent TBR Editions
- Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
- Bookish Musings: Stacie's April Reading
- Book Review: Burn Bright by Bethany Frenette
- Bookish Musings: Libraries Make Me Read More Series

Our Lives This Week:

Stacie:

This marks the end of the first week of half term, and boy have I been busy. We've stayed in maybe two days, and others we've been seeing family and I took Caitlyn to the library. It's gone a lot quicker than I thought it would, and Glenn is off all next week so we get to spend some time together. It's his birthday on Wednesday so we'll be with family and we are going to be taking Caitlyn up to London for day out, maybe go to London Zoo depending on what to weather is like. Though we haven't done really exciting things other than visiting the family members we don’t get to see while little legs is in school, its been nice and a I'm not overly tired. However I just haven't had the time or concentration to sit and write, every time I start I come up blank. So tomorrow I plan on having a day with my head phones in, notes at the ready and post scheduled. I'm pretty behind!.

This week for reading has been rather productive. I finished Steelheart, and by god it was amazing, I'm running to the library to borrow the rest next week. I also managed to read 3 review books, Remix, My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend and Day Four. Remix was rather good, I liked the way the story was set out and how the two POV's were completely different. MSRB was so so, I liked the idea behind the story I just think it was a little bit too young for me. Day Four... was creepy read but it just wasn't as creepy as I was expecting and the ending felt rushed. Wait For You, I know more people than I expected have issues with the story but I fell head over hills with Cam, and I really need to start reading more NA. Right now I'm reading The Three, but I think that’s going to be put on my DNF pile, its really not what I expected.

Amanda:

I'm not completely sure I know what's happened this week.. There was a few naughty meals consumed, there was a lot of restless and disturbed sleep, weird waking up early mornings, and quite a big loss in my life. Nobody has died mind, I don't want you all worrying, there's just been a lot of BIG changes occurring this week and it's felt a little weird. I'm torn in a crossfire between wanting to furiously read and blog, but I just can't seem to muster enough umph, and it's not that I'm in a slump, I think life's just kicked me hard and it's taking a while to get back up. I am however, as some of you may have been made aware by my many blog design related questions, in the middle of a new design for BBB and it's.. different. Very different. Hence I'm a little nervous about everyone's reactions, but there's still playing around to be done, so you won't be seeing huge changes for a little while yet.

I haven't read an awful lot either, which is a shame, because I've got some super duper awesome reads for this month and I just want to read them you know? World After and Fire Fall are my main current read, and I'm planning on getting to some much needed e-arcs this month. Hopefully I can get back on track before I totally lose myself. Oh, and guess who's going for a weekend away in Blackpool in September? I AM.

What We Liked This Week:

- Cait talked about talented teen authors
- Lauren shared her no spend april plans
- Asti talked about her love for the villains
- Kelly revealed her new blog design and is throwing giveaways!
- Brittany shared some recommendations for fans of Anna and the French Kiss
- Ginger introduced Letter to my YA self!
- Anya talked about publicists and review copies
- Jeann asked: do fantastic endings save books?
- Jeann and Zoey both reviewed The Naturals and made Amanda a happy blogger!
- Amber talked about what makes a great story
- Gillian talked about when the last book ruins everything!

Tell Us What's Been Happening in Your Week!

Sunday, 29 March 2015

Weekly Recap | 23-29 Mar. 2015

Welcome to Beautiful Bookish Butterflies Weekly Recap. Once a week, Stacie and Amanda take the time to talk about the weeks goings on, both on the blog and in our lives elsewhere, any new books we may have received and want to mention and what's interested is within the blogging community. Stacie and Amanda link up this recap with Caffeinated Book Reviewers Sunday Post and occasionally Tynga Reviews' Stacking the Shelves.

Take Our Survey!

What You May Have Missed:

- Book Review: Half Wild by Sally Green
- Book Review: I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
- Bookish Musings: So You Don't Like Writing Reviews..
- Book Review: Made For You by Melissa Marr
- Five Friday Favourites: Cover's of Books I'll Never Read
- Book Review: Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
- Personal Pickings - The Show That Hijacked Stacie's Heart

Elsewhere Online:
- Amanda was featured on The Book Addicts Guides Book and a Beverage
- Amanda also reviewed We Are All Made of Molecules by Susan Neilsen

Our Lives This Week:

Stacie:

As you may or may not remember from last weeks catch, I talked about my other half being on earlies at work this week. He had to be up at 4 and despite how silent he tried to be, it woke me up and I found it hard to go back to sleep. That would be bad enough if you didn't add my daughter waking up twice this week at around half 1 thinking it was time to get up and not going back to sleep till at least 3, so this week I have been literally running on empty and it's now half term, what joy! Which means I'm not going to have a lot of sleep again for two weeks and in all honesty I'm pretty sick of feeling exhausted all the bloody time, it's horrible. So yeah.. my week hasn't been too good. I'm currently writing this before I take Caitlyn to a party so I have to put up with a room full of kids and noise and blah, not looking forward to it.

Best of March:

This month hasn't really been the best for reading for me, I've gone a week or two only reading a few books and a week of reading 5 books, so it's been up an down a bit. I think the book I was most surprised at would be Mindwalkers. I got it for review after requesting it just to give it a go and I never thought I would like it as much as I did, it was a really interesting book. I've read my air share of fluffy contemporaries this month and I think I'll Give You The Sun was my favourite, I liked The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson but this book was just in a different league. I also finally got around to reading Half Bad by Sally Green and it was actually really good. I borrowed it from the library in October last year but after getting about 100 pages in I just wasn’t feeling it, not because of the book but just because I really wasn't in the mood. So after Amanda (and everyone) going on and on about it I borrowed it again and I'll be honest, it didn't wow me but I was hooked page for page and I did enjoy it.

Amanda:

This week was a whole manner of nice things, things that made the month end just that little bit more positively. First of all, I didn't really get the opportunity to talk about some of the nice things that occurred days before the last Weekly Recap, but Saturday was a really nice day that involved a lovely dinner with my best friend, a trip around our local shops and then an evening of TV and snuggles, something I definitely needed. Then I got myself a copy of Fire Fall by Bethany Frenette this week, which was just the best feeling in the entire the world, seriously, you do not understand how much this series means to me. Then, Friday came along and saw my best friend and I celebrate her starting a new job with some drinks, pizza and lots of films and tipsy conversations, which is almost always a wonderful thing. Oh, and I also dog-sat my uncles little devil of a dog on Saturday afternoon/evening too, which means I can actually start preparing for Christmas with money, yay! As weeks go, this has been a lovely one, even if I have been nursing being ill (again!) and a great almost ending to quite a mixed up, weird feeling month.

Best Reads of March

March has been both a great one for books and a terrible one at the same time. Where I've usually read about 14 books per month, so far this month I've read 7, and I'm currently reading two more. That's 9 people, 1 book more than in December which is usually really busy, BUT, the books I have read, minus one (which I will not talk about, such a disappointment!) have all been 4 stars upwards, as are the two I'm currently making my way through. Honestly, even though I've only featured two of the books, you need to read the others - Flesh and Blood, Half Wild, Burn Bright and Red Queen - my average rating this month has gone up by over 1.3 stars, I've been loving the books I read and really have some cracking reviews coming up. I'm obviously hoping to improve upon this amount next month with my many series reads, if I can push myself, but there's a lot of exciting books coming up to read, and some really great review copies too. Maybe I didn't have the most ravenous week of eating books, but I sure loved what I ~~ate~~ read.

What We Liked This Week:

- Cait talked about how she's always forgetting things and John Green
- Bekka talked about male POV's in general fiction
- Amber talked all things space and planets
- Bec talked about blogging slumps and reviewing
- Brittany shared some blogger spotlight features in the community
- Danielle shared some popular 2015 cover trends
- Cait created an Author Memory Test
- Asti talked about reuniting with books

Tell Us What's Been Happening in Your Week!

Also, answer us this: What feelings would you have towards us redesigning BBB.

Tell us what you currently like and what you'd like to see, your opinion matters!

Sunday, 22 March 2015

Weekly Recap 16-21 Mar. 2015

Welcome to Beautiful Bookish Butterflies Weekly Recap. Once a week, Stacie and Amanda take the time to talk about the weeks goings on, both on the blog and in our lives elsewhere, any new books we may have received and want to mention and what's interested is within the blogging community. Stacie and Amanda link up this recap with Caffeinated Book Reviewers Sunday Post and occasionally Tynga Reviews' Stacking the Shelves.

Take Our Survey!

News Concerning Month of Series..

Due to a lack of participants, we've come to the decisions to not host a huge event for Month of Series which saddens us and is a little disappointing, but due to other commitments and changes in circumstances, we both don't think we can honestly handle the extra commitment, so, anyone who is still interested in posting series related discussions or posts, feel free to link them Amanda on Twitter @BookBadger_ and she'll still promote them as she would have anyway, and there will still be the opportunity for a giveaway near the end of the month via a game. If you still want to personally challenge yourself, then please, do feel free, we're just sorry we cannot help encourage you all. Thank you again.

What You May Have Missed:

- Book Review: The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- Top Ten Tuesday: Books on our Spring 2015 TBR
- Booking Musings: Lovereading(4kids): UK Review Opportunities
- Book Review: The Assassins Blade by Sarah J. Maas
- Who Wore It Better: The Well of Ascension
- Film Review: Mockingjay: Part 1 (the Hunger Games)
- Book Review: Flirty Dancing by Jenny McLachlan

Our Lives This Week:

Stacie:

So this week Caitlyn had chickenpox and was off school since Tuesday. I love her dearly, but because she hasn't been sick with it and her normal self, she's be bored at home and hasn't sat still, nothing I suggested or tried to do with her worked, she just didn't want to do anything. I really feel like I need a complete day to myself just to relax, I feel really tightly wound at the moment and that's horrible to say but it's how I feel. Caitlyn has so much energy, like more than the average kid, and she's on the go from the minuet she wakes up till the second she goes to sleep, so not being able to take her out and having her say no to every suggestion was a bit stressful. Glenn's on earlies next week, 6am till 2pm so I might ask him to pick her and I'll go to my mums for the day.

This week I received two physical ARCs, Mindwalker and The Last Summer of Us. I've already read The Last Summer of Us and I thought it was a really nice read, it didn't blow me away but as far as perfectly flowing contemporary goes it was bang on. I'm currently reading Mindwalker and its got this wonderfully unique summary, I'm only about 80 pages in but I have a really good feeling about it. As far as reading this week I actually managed to get through 4 books, all review copies so I'm feeling like I've got my flow back finally haha. I also received Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda which sounds rather fun and I will be receiving a copy of The Three sometime soon which sounds like a super duper spooky read (I got an email yesterday saying I won a copy of Day Four from Goodreads so I can marathon the two). Very good week for books I would say :D

Amanda:

Er.. things got a little hectic, shocking and surprising this week when we're talking personal. I had a few off days - actually, I've been having a few off weeks, but someone encouraged me to go back to the doctors and see if there was anything that could be done, so, that's happening soon, and it feels like admitting to being weak sometimes, that I have to go back, but it also feels like admitting that somethings gone not right again and that I want to undo that not right-ness. Alongside that, my Nanna went back into hospital Tuesday into Wednesday and while it was nothing seriously serious this time, she's definitely not a spring chicken anymore, and for as long as she refuses to confront that, the more worrying she'll have us all doing, but for now, she's doing okay. Bringing up the rear with some positive news though, do any of you remember aaaaaaaall the way back in May of last year (the last time Nanna was in hospital) and I started making an effort to change my eating and lose some weight? Well, drum roll please.. I've lost a total of 56 pounds since 26th May 2014, that's 4 stone! I'm aware it's not the biggest weight loss in history, but, that feels like a lot to me, and I've lost 4 (3½ really, damn awkward sizes) sizes in my jeans, and almost 3 sizes in my tops. It's definitely made my mood a little lighter and made me realise that even when things are looking doom and gloom, I've made progress in something.

Just some of what's been happening on Instagram.
Book wise, you've probably notice that lately, I haven't been reading quite as much as I would usually (see my iffy few weeks as mentioned above), and it definitely bled through into the beginning of this week, however, I gave myself a kick up the ass and decided I needed to sort myself out and read Red Queen, which was actually pretty good which surprised me, Killer Instinct, which was just as good as it's prequel, some of The Last Summer of Us which is a buddy read with Stacie and *whispers* I started A Court of Thorns and Roses which so far, is.. good? It's not been my biggest reading week, nor month, but I'm seriously trying my best to get back into it. I've also received a few really interesting sounding books lately such as The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle, Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, Me Being Me is Exactly As Insane as You Being You by Todd Hasak-Lowy and Conversion by Katherine Lowe, but there are many other books I've gotten copies of and hope to read soon, so wish me luck!