Demigods, Viking Lumberjacks, and Sirens… Oh my!


I’ve been so bad about doing weekly wrap-ups. It mainly has to do with the fact that I’ve slowed way down on purchasing books and accepting review requests. I just have way too many books already on my shelves waiting to be read. However, even though I’m not getting a lot of new books in every week, I am still doing a lot of reading. I also started an Instagram account last year that I don’t really talk about all that much on the blog and I would like to be able to show that on the blog. Plus, there seems to be a lot going on in my real life that has contributed in me going quiet from time to time. So, I wanted to do a weekly post where I showcase some of the books I’ve been reading, the books I may have acquired that week, and what I’ve been up to on a more personal level. I’m linking this post up to Sunday Post and Stacking the Shelves.

 

 

Newest arrivals…

I’m really excited to have received a copy of To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo. 1) I love octopuses. So that cover calls to me like you wouldn’t believe. 2) It’s a story about a deadly siren who’s actually a princess among her people. However, she’s banished from the seas and turned into a human for killing one of her own kind. She’s tasked to deliver a prince’s heart by the winter solstice. Otherwise, she will stay a human forever. I mean, seriously… how could you say no to that?! I’m all over this book and can’t wait to dive in.

 

 

Books I’ve read this week…

I’ve read two books this week and I loved both of them! Which is rare for me.Β I think I’m too picky when it comes to books. When It’s Real by Erin Watt mixes a fake romance with a celebrity romance for a swoon worthy story.Β  Survive the Night by Katie Ruggle has one of the most lovable Viking lumberjack cop’s you’ll ever meet. He’s also a huge animal lover and takes in just about any and all animals that need a little TLC.
 

 

Β Currently reading…


Fire and Bone by Rachel A. Marks

I’m really enjoying this so far. It’s the first book that I’ve read by this author, but I have a feeling it won’t be my last. There are demigods, shades (aka vampires), pixies, and so many more mythical creatures in this story. We follow Sage who goes from being a homeless 18yr old on the streets, to being kidnapped and told she’s a demigod. There’s also a surly mentor who apparently feeds off of plant life. Still don’t know what he is yet, but he’s super powerful. So, you know it’s going to be a good one.

 

 

 

What I’ve been up to on Instagram…

So I’ve got a confession to make… I haven’t taken down our Christmas tree yet. I know there are people out there who keep their tree up year round and just decorate for the current season/holiday. I told the Mister that we could do that, but he wasn’t on board with that idea. Something tells me the tree will be coming down this weekend.

 

 

Some of the books I’ve gotten in the past month that I had planned to read in January. So far I’ve only read Heart of Fire by Amanda Bouchet. Since we’re at the end of the month, something tells me I won’t be meeting my goal. There’s always next month though, right?

 

I’m obsessed with this bakery down the street from me. Never thought I’d like a pastry filled with kale and spinach, but I’m in love. It’s like a guilty pleasure and health food all wrapped up in one delicious Danish.

 

I did a little urban gardening for my tortoise. I usually let her graze around on the weeds out back, but I like to have a back-up supply of leafy greens for her in the house to munch on when I can’t let her out. So, I decided to grow my own lettuce for her so that I don’t have to worry about all the pesticides and chemicals they spray on the produce prior to harvesting. I’m not a huge gardener, I’ve already killed one batch of greens I bought her a couple years ago. So, we will see how this goes.

 

 

In the real world…

I’ve been going to the gym with the Mister every morning for the past couple of months. Basically, his gym buddy moved away and he wanted someone to go with him in the mornings. So I stupidly nicely volunteered as tribute. Not sure what I was thinking there. Most of you don’t know this but the Mister is in the military, so just imagine a bookworm lifting weights with G.I. Joe. Yeah, it’s been a struggle. However, this past week was the first week EVER that I’ve gone all five days of the week with him. Usually, for some reason or another, we only go to the gym four days out of the week, but this week we went all five… and I’m hurting.

I also got news this week that my best friend from home is looking to come out to visit us next month. I don’t get to see my family and friends all that often since we live across the country from each other. So I get really excited about visits. Usually she comes out to visit right after we’ve moved to a new location, and because I’m so new to the area, I don’t know the area too well and we end up doing light touristy things. However, I’ve been here for a little over a year and there are places I want to show her this time around. Plus, there are places that have opened recently that I’ve been dying to check out.

Oh, and the biggest news of all. :drumroll: I got a smartphone! Up until this point I’ve been rocking an old school slider phone. So yeah, I’ve been having fun snapping photos on the go and being able to use Instagram. Before now I used to take a picture on my camera, upload the photo to my desktop to resize it, transfer it to my Dropbox, and then use the Mister’s tablet to upload the photo to Instagram. Whew! It was a lot. So, if you follow me on Instagram expect more updates on there since I can now post with ease. πŸ˜€

 

Did you read any good books this week?

 

 

 

52 Thoughts on “Demigods, Viking Lumberjacks, and Sirens… Oh my!

  1. Thanks for visiting my blog. We just took our tree down yesterday πŸ™‚

  2. It’s great when you end up loving the books you’re reading. I’m not crazy about going to the gym, but I always feel better after I exercise. I have a buddy who gets me going there, thank goodness! Have fun when your best friend comes to town, and thanks for visiting my blog.

    • Honestly… I hate going to the gym. It doesn’t help that we get up early and are at the gym at 6am. I definitely need someone to push me, otherwise I would be content being a couch potato.

  3. Congratulations on the phone! I didn’t really start doing IG until I had a smartphone. Not that I do that much with it now, but I do post!

    Also congrats on going to the gym. I can imagine it’s tough, with your husband being used to staying in shape and you more of a bookworm. But I wish I had someone to exercise with!

    So many bloggers I know seem to love Katie Ruggle. I guess I’m really going to have to try her books.

    I’m sure your tortoise will love the fresh lettuce. What’s her name?

    • Thanks. My friends keep asking me if I have this app or that on the phone. Meanwhile, I keep accidentally hanging up on people because I swipe the answer call button the wrong way! LoL I really miss having buttons to push. πŸ˜€
      Her name is Hailey. She’s a sassy lil thing. She actually escaped her outdoor enclosure last month when a side panel broke open. I was a wreck until I found her the next day. Needless to say, I’ve been spoiling her rotten since.

  4. Oooh, I’m jealous about To Kill a Kingdom! I’m still waiting to get a response to my e-arc request, but it looks so good!

  5. Fire and Bone sounds good! I just checked it out and it looks like it’ll be on Kindle Unlimited when it releases so I’ll be able to read it too! *Happy dance*
    (I’m on book buying ban outwith my current giftcard balance. I NEED that to cover my pre-orders, lol, so if it’s not KU or a freebie I’m stuffed for a while!)

  6. Have to kill a human…hmmmm

  7. everyfreechance on 28 January, 2018 at 1:09 pm said:

    We took down our tree at New Year’s. We were done with the holidays early this year. That’s great your friend is coming to visit!!! Have fun!

    Have a great week!

  8. Me and the hubby are trying to start working out but we haven’t managed to be consistent yet. I’ve heard of To Kill a Kingdom and want to read it, hope you enjoy!

    • If it wasn’t for The Mister waking me up in the morning, and then my cat badgering me the moment I grumble back at him, I probably wouldn’t be as consistent. He’s been going every weekday for years so he’s on a schedule. I think just setting a specific time to work out helps. I know that it’s coming every morning, so I don’t fight it as much as I did the first couple of weeks.

  9. OMG!! Thank you for being a military wife and thank your hubs! And I’ve got to ask.. do you end up standing around waiting for him to be done with his workout?? I used to do that and it was soooo boring!! I couldn’t make my workouts long enough, no matter what I did!! My hubs isn’t military (well he’s ex and he’s law enforcement) but he’s in shape and I just can’t work out with him… it’s annoying!! So MORE POWER to ya!! Tribute, indeed!!

    I need to pick up Ruggle’s series again.. .I love that one b/c of the dog handlers AND the suspense. I get too sidetracked with new releases that forget to read all the books on my TBR. If only I could NOT take new books and stop buying books on sale. BTW, you read Kenyon? Fist bump!!

    Have a great week!!

    • I actually do his workout with him… I just don’t lift as heavy of weights. LoL For the first couple of weeks I was so sore that I couldn’t rouse up the interest to take the pup for his daily walk afterwards. I’m getting better though, and am able to function throughout the week now. Ha!

      I really liked Survive the Night. The first was a favorite of mine, the second one didn’t really do it for me, but this latest installment is my bread and butter. I just loved it from the first chapter. I know what you mean about falling behind on books. If it’s not a review book or something my library has in right when it comes out, I tend to forget about it. There’s just always a new book coming out that I want to read. It’s just so hard to keep up. And yes, I really like Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-hunter Were-hunter series. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet her a couple of times at Comcic-con and she’s such a nice person. I haven’t read the whole series yet. I’ve slowly been building up my collection. So, I’ve kind of been bouncing around as I get the books in. LoL

  10. We finally took down are tree few weeks back. That was late for us. My hubby likes to have it down like asap. Your turtle is so cute.

    JoLee
    My Sunday Post

  11. Ooooo, To Kill a Kingdom! I adored that book, which was a pleasant surprise. It’s a standalone (for now?) but I’m excited to see what more the author will publish. I hope you enjoy all of your new books!

    Have a lovely week. =)

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

    • Yay! I’m glad to hear that. I would have been sad if you said you didn’t like it. I’ve never read a retelling like this before. They are usually always Beauty and the Beast. So, I’m really excited about this one.

  12. Good for you, going to the gym all those mornings. I applaud you! How exciting that your friend is coming to visit. That’s something wonderful to look forward to. Congratulations on your new smartphone. May your screen never crack. I enjoyed When It’s Real. I wasn’t sure at first, but the hero really won me over.

    • Thanks. It’s not easy, I can tell you that. Especially since he likes to leave by 6am. I have been a bit of a spaz with my phone. I mean, it’s essentially a handheld computer. So, I bought a special case for it, and hold it with two hands at all times. LoL I’m so afraid I’m going to drop it. I’ve seen way too many people drop their phones over the years.

  13. To Kill a Kingdom sounds super good! Will have to put that on my wish list.

    Working out with the hubs actually sounds like fun! hehe. It’ll get easier.

    Hope you have a great week!

  14. I’m an Air Force veteran, so I know how it can be to hang out at the gym, and I’d much rather be reading. (lol) That Acheron book is one of the best I’ve ever read. Some portions are tough to read, but there are all kinds of feels in that one Kristin. I know how you feel, there are so many books on the shelf and somehow we keep adding more. What’s a girl to do?(lol) Hugs…RO

    • I keep hearing that about Acheron. That seems to be everyone’s favorite book. I have a ways to go until I get there. I have kind of bounced around in the series based off the books I get. I’m slowly building up my SK shelf. There’s so many books out though that it’s taking me a while. LoL

  15. Gotta be honest – that cover of To Kill a Kingdom is kind of wigging me out. LOL Those tentacles are just… *shudder* Nope, nope, nope.

    I’ve heard good things about When It’s Real but have yet to pick it up. Glad you enjoyed it!

    Too funny that your tree is still up! Guess your guy wasn’t on board for the year-round thing, huh? Boo.

    Oh my gosh, the gym 5 days in a week? Uh, yeah, I think they would have to scrape me off the floor. Go you!

    Hooray for the smartphone!! πŸ™‚

  16. I just finished reading Unearthed by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner and it was okay. I LOLed when you said bookworm and G.I. Joe… I thought that was cute!
    Writing weekly round-ups are ALWAYS a chore for me so I have one every other week. It actually helps!

    Glad you finally got a smartphone! ☺️

    • I used to be really good about doing a weekly wrap-up post when I first started blogging. Then it started to get put on the back burner and I haven’t done one in a over a year. We will see how long I’m able to keep up. πŸ™‚

  17. To Kill A Kingdom has been on my TBR since I saw the cover. It looks so good and I hope you enjoy it.

    A special thank you to your husband and you for your service. I can’t imagine trying to do a work out with a G.I Joe. I’d probably not be able to move for a week or two. I hope the soreness isn’t too bad for you!

    Yay for getting a smartphone! Last year, I bought myself a camera just for bookstagram pictures but I lost the charger and I still use my phone lol. I’d love to follow you! I’m @asreadbytina on IG.

    Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!

    • I hope you get your hands on a copy. I know I put in a request for it on Netgalley. I’m not sure if it’s still up or not. I actually follow you on Instagram. I’m @BookSniffersAnonymous πŸ™‚

  18. Kathy_A on 28 January, 2018 at 8:15 pm said:

    That is great you have been going to the gym. I tried with a friend but they dropped the zumba classes I loved taking. Now I’m exercising at home, which is easier to fit in to my schedule. I also have To Kill A Kingdom and can’t wait to read it. I hope you have a great week and thank you for visiting my blog.

    • Oh. I love Zumba. I used to go just about every day a handful of years ago. Then we moved away and I haven’t found a class that’s during a convenient time slot. I think Zumba is the only time I’ve enjoyed and had fun WHILE working out. :applause: Good for you for working out at home. I say that I will, and then I sit on the couch and read instead. I think working out at home is much harder than getting up and going out to the gym.

  19. I loved When It’s Real, I borrowed it on audio from the library and ended up purchasing the book. When my husband was in the military I never worked out with him, I couldn’t keep up. Good for you for going to the gym, its a wonderful habit to keep.

    I had to laugh about your Christmas tree. My husband would like me to leave it up until the New Year, but I have a hard time with all the decoration clutter and have to take it all down as soon I can.

    Your such a good tortoise mommy, I’m sure she loves the fresh lettuce.

    Congrats on your smart phone. Have a wonderful day.

    • The copy I have is from the library, too. I think I will purchase a physical copy soon though.

      My husband actually took the tree down yesterday afternoon. The moment he cleared it out of the way, I immediately went into hyperdrive cleaning mode. It looked good, but the second it was gone and there was a huge void in the corner, I HAD to get in there and clean and reorganize the room. LoL

  20. Vani | Off-Color Literature on 29 January, 2018 at 4:23 am said:

    I am SO excited for To Kill a Kingdom!!! I feel exactly the same. I adore octopuses, so when I saw the cover I died.

    • There’s another book coming out later this year called Sea Witch that I think I will buy just for the cover alone. It’s a retelling of Ursula and how she became a villain. I’m just in love with the fact that so far I’ve come across two books this year with sea witches in them.

  21. YOU HAVE A TORTOISE!!! I love her! What kind is she? I’ve always wanted one but they aren’t very common up here in Canada. I hope your gardening adventures on her behalf pay off. πŸ™‚

    • LoL She’s a Russian Tortoise. I got her as a graduation gift from my parents. She’s traveled across the country with me twice now. She’s a sassy lil thing but I do love her.

  22. Mr. Lex is similar to your GI Joe, Kristin. He’s very sporty, and there’s just no way I could go to the gym with him. I really do need to get back to a workout routine, though.
    How nice that your friend is coming to visit you soon! I love it when I get visits from where I grew up, too. It’s so nice to spend time with life-long friends.
    Your new book looks great! I hope you’ll enjoy it πŸ™‚
    Have a wonderful week and happy reading.

    • Thanks for stopping by! Going to the gym with him has definitely been an adjustment. He keeps a log book of everything and this past week I realized that I’ve been going up in how much weight I can lift and that made me really happy and want to stick with it. I normally have a really hard time sticking with a routine but having him as a gym partner helps kick my butt into action.

  23. Oh wow, congrats on getting to the gym five days last week. I’m thinking of joining a gym next month but I know I won’t make it there that much. LOL

    How fun your friend wants to come visit. I’m sure it will be nice knowing the area better so you can actually show her places you enjoy.

    -Lauren

  24. Yay for the smart phone and WOOHOO @ Going to the gym. I need to start exercising more *hangs head*

    • LoL Yeah, the smartphone was a long time coming. Although, I’m so confused by it. I’m only 30 and yet I feel like one of those old people who have no idea what a laptop is. LoL I actually accidentally put my phone on “do not disturb” over the weekend without realizing it. I think I took it off yesterday… but I’m not overly sure. HaHa

  25. I think I need To Kill a Kingdom NOW! That looks and sounds amazing! Also, this is the first year we actually got our Christmas tree down in January (thanks to a tinsel eating dog) Usually I’m proud if it comes down by March – that thing is just a lot of work! Happy reading (and working out) Kristin – hope you have a great week!

    • Oh no! HaHa My dog has no interest in the tree. It’s my cat who likes to jump at the tree to see which ornament she can knock down first. Thankfully, there were no casualties this year. Which is a first.

  26. You win the internet for “viking lumberjack” as a character description!! That is amazing!! You have lots of pretty books! And I love your turtle!

    • HaHa. Thanks! I can’t take credit for it since that’s what the heroine describes him as. It was just so funny and sort of stuck with me throughout the story. I had to include that in the description.

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