Saturday, May 2, 2015

Sunday Post - April Wrap-Up And Birthday Giveaway!


The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.  This week I thought I would use the Sunday post to recap the month of April.

Today is my birthday!!!! 

I am 35 years old. Even though I am not exactly where I thought I would be in my life right now, I am still way more happy now than I was ten years ago. I wouldn't do my twenties over again if you paid me.

To celebrate my birthday, my husband and I are in the amazing city of London! I am excited to see Romeo and Juliet at the Shakespeare Globe theatre (a bucket list item), seeing The Book of Mormon show, visiting the British Library, and visiting a bookstore with EIGHT floors! And I am sure there will be plenty of delicious food.

I read thirteen books in April, which is pretty good considering the fact that I was in a total slump after reading Black Iris.

Reviews Posted This Month:

Inside The O'Briens by Lisa Genova
All The Rage by Courtney Summers
Black Iris by Leah Raeder
What You Left Behind by Samantha Hayes
Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally
House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy
Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill
The Blondes by Emily Schultz
The Lie by C.L. Taylor
Undertow by Michael Buckley

Favorite Book Read in April:


Here are some discussions I posted this month:

Symptoms and Remedies of the Dreaded Book Hangover
Taking Control of My TBR Pile
Why I Decided To Quit My Challenges (yep, ALL of them!)

I posted some pics of the Amalfi Coast . . . . the most beautiful spot in Italy!

I also signed up for Bout of Books 13!

Top Ten Lists:

Characters I Would Love To Check In With
My Favorite Inspirational Bookish Quotes
Favorite Authors
Books With Strong, Kick Ass Female Characters

So in honor of my birthday, I am hosting my first giveaway! Nothing makes me feel better than to give to my fabulous readers.


I am giving away a $35 Amazon Gift Card! This giveaway is international. Once a winner is chosen, I will send the gift card by email. The giveaway goes until Wednesday, May 6. A winner will be chosen on Thursday. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

52 comments :

  1. Wow, London! So cool! Have an excellent birthday :)

    My favorite book read in April I think it was Lamb by Christopher Moore

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    1. Alaina, oh I want to read that one! I loved The Princess Bride. :)

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  3. Happy Birthday Cynthia! My favourite read in April would have to be I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson, it was a YA contemporary that blew me away!

    Eugenia @ Genie In A Book

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    1. Eugenia, I LOVED that book! I read it in January and it is still on my list of favorite books for the year.

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  4. My goodness, you call reading 13 books in a month a "slump"??? I've completely dropped the ball on reading this month. If re-reads count (my go-to book slump busting method) the best thing I've read in April was the Parasol Protectorate series, again. If not, I really enjoyed Things We Know by Heart (... but still haven't reviewed it, oops.)

    Anyway, HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, and thank you for hosting this giveaway. I hope you have a lovely time in London. :)

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    1. Thank you so much for the birthday wishes!! I definitely would count rereads. :) I am glad you enjoyed Things We Know By Heart. That one is on my TBR!

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  5. Happy birthday!

    As for the Amalfi pics.... *sigh*

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    1. Thanks so much Deborah! Oh yes, the Amalfi Coast . . . so beautiful!

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  6. Happy Birthday! Sounds like you will be having an amazing time. So many great books you read this month! My favorite that I read was The Girl on the Train. Have a wonderful week!

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    1. Thanks so much Grace! The Girl On The Train is on my TBR for sure. I can't believe I haven't read it yet.

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  7. Happy birthday and have a wonderful time in London. Thanks for making the giveaway open to all.

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  8. Probably Rook by Sharon Cameron! I LOVE THAT BOOK SO MUCH!! I actually had a pretty good reading month so it's hard to choose but still Rook... <3 <3

    Thanks so much for the giveaway! Happy 35th!!! :D *hands over a slice of cake* Enjoy the day! :)

    ~Fari 0:)

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    1. Thanks so much Fari! I can certainly use all the cake I can get. Haha. I have heard so many great things about Rook. That one is on my TBR for sure.

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  9. Oh my! Happy, happy birthday to you. I really hope it's a special one for you. As for my favorite read of April hmm that has to be the Pretty Little Liars book "The A Game" by MB Borchardt. I am so sad that she ended the series this week but its always going to be a fave of mine. Anyway, have a fantastic week ahead.

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    1. Thanks so much Daphne. I love the show Pretty Little Liars, but I have not read any of the books.

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  10. Happy Birthday! I recall being 35, and must say I am happier at 54. ALso in better condition.
    Enjoy your day and may this year fulfill your wishes!
    Lucky you getting to see the plays and be in London!
    My favorite audio read in April was probably A SPOOL OF BLUE THREAD by ANne Tyler, and ALL OF ME by Jennifer Bernard.
    My post is here: http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/2015/05/time-machine.html

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    1. Thank you so much Steph! I guess the older we get, the more we learn and the happier we become. :)

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  11. Happy birthday! I hope you have a fantastic celebration and I can't wait to read all about it and live vicariously through your photos!xo

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  12. Happy Birthday! Enjoy this wonderful celebration. My favorite book which I read in April was The Time in Between. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Thank you so much for the birthday wishes!

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  13. Happy happy birthday to you and enjoy your London adventure! It must be so much fun for you to live in Europe and make your way around there :)
    Thanks for the chance to win your contest. I would have to say the best book I read in April was Memory Man by David Baldacci, though I am having a senior moment and forgetting about my other faves of the past month, lol. More coffee, please...

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    1. Thanks so much Rita! Living in Europe comes with some amazing adventures, that is for sure. Don't feel too bad . . . there are some months where I can't remember all the books I read either. Ha

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  14. Happy birthday! Sounds like an amazing trip! My favorite book read in April was Inside the O'Briens. :)

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    1. Thank you so much! Inside the O'Briens was so amazing!

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  15. London rocks, and you're a very pretty 35 year old! Happy birthday, dear girl, I wish you much happiness and an abundance of tasty cake! :D

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    1. Awww, thank you so much Ramona! You are wonderful. :)

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  16. Happy birthday, Cynthia. Have fun and be safe. this is an awesome giveaway. Thank you and I would use this to buy thomas and friends and garth brooks. :)

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  17. Have a wonderful birthday! When I decide to buy a book I check my Wishlist on Amazon. Sometimes I just wing it too and look for a new release from a favorite author.

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    1. Thanks so much Laura! I do the same exact thing. I just pick and choose books on my wish list. Or if I am dying to read a new release, I will buy that one as well.

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  18. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Hope you are having a wonderful day :) Also, I went to like, get my links to enter the giveaway and HOW was I not following you?! I feel like this is some kind of error, that doesn't even make SENSE! I check your blog ALL the time, how was I not following!? I am so sorry, the situation has been remedied! I am so very happy that you are happy in your life. I am going to try to do the same by the time I am 35 (which, um, does not give me enough time hahah). I need to read Black Iris, since it is your favorite of the whole month! I think my favorite from last month was probably The Kiss of Deception! Thanks so much for the amazing giveaway, and I wish you the happiest of birthdays!!!

    Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight

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    1. Ha, thank you so much Shannon! And I am kind of a blog stalker when it comes to your blog. It is one of my favorites, so I love hearing that you check mine all the time as well. High praise indeed. I have heard so many great things about The Kiss of Deception. I really want to read that one.

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  19. What a wonderful way to celebrate! Happy Birthday. My favorite book of April was Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb.

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    1. Thank you so much Nise! I love J.D Robb. That sounds like a great one.

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  20. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Being 20 is quite hard. *gulps* Not that I'm wishing it away, but, heh, I can understand what you mean. ;-) I hope you had a marvellous day and YAY for awesome and epic reads! I can't decide if my favourite April read was The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B or one of the Derek Landy books. xD

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    1. Thank you so much Cait!! Yes, being in my 20's was so tough. But if it helps, it looks like you are handling them beautifully. :)

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  21. Happy Birthday!!! 35 is such a fun age. I have an audio arc coming for Black Iris and simply cannot wait

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    1. Thanks so much Kimba. I love Black Iris so much! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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  22. My favorite read in April would be The Martian and a Shattered Moment

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    1. I have heard such great things about The Martian.

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  23. Happy belated birthday!!! I hope you had a fantabulous time in London! My favorite April read was None of the Above - loved it!!!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. Thank you so much Nicole. None of the Above is on my TBR for sure. I have heard great things.

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  24. Happy belated birthday to you!! Wow, sounds like you had a fabulous time celebrating your birthday this year, which is awesome!!

    I'd love to visit London sometime... I think visiting an 8 story bookstore would be awesome... Although, I may never want to leave this bookstore!!

    Reading 13 books last month was awesome!! Happy reading. :-)

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