February Recap || I’m Pretty Sure I’m Deceased

Posted March 1, 2020 by Sammie in chat with me, monthly recap / 20 Comments

This is ghost!me, coming to you with an update from February, which has clearly done me in.

And the biggest insult here is that even in my afterlife, I get no rest. Nope. Instead, I’m here, talking to you about books and stuff, when I should be off in some paradise, surrounded by books and coffee and dragons. I’ve been cheated y’all. Not that you’re not lovely, of course, but … my version of paradise includes none of you. That would just be too crowded. You can come visit, though.

I don’t even know where February went. We got an extra day and everything, but somehow it’s gone already? I’m not sure what the heck happened. I’ve been so busy with work and blog and reading that I’ve barely had a chance to eat and sleep, and I’m running completely on coffee fumes, ADHD, and hope at this point. But I’m sure it’ll be fiiiiine. Here’s how my month was:

โœฆ My Minion turned 9 years old, and my sister turned 13. One is officially a teenager … and the other just acts like it. Their birthdays are actually exactly four years and one day apart (one on the 14th and one on the 15th), so that’s fun. Minion dragged us to Chuck E. Cheese, and I’m pretty sure hubby and I had more fun than she did, but she was just happy that she got the unicorn stuffed animal at the end thanks to our combined efforts, so let’s call it a happy ending.

โœฆ I survived my first blog tour! Without spontaneously combusting! Which is a plus, because who would clean it up if I did? Pffft. I may do many things as a deceased person, but cleaning up my own ashes isn’t one of them. Even I have to draw a line somewhere. I’m the sort who gets really nervous doing new things, and I’m a really awkward onion and don’t always know what to say to people or what etiquette is, so I get tripped up on things easily. It’s why it’s taken me so long to even start the whole blog tour thing. But I survived! Better yet, you can expect many more blog tours going forward (several coming up this week, in fact).

โœฆ I secured my first author interview, and I can’t tell you with whom just yet, and it won’t be posted until the end of the year, but I’m freaking excited, guys. Re: me being an awkward onion. Interviewing is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but I have this weird social anxiety where I think people are going to hate everything I ask, and then the world will open up and swallow me, and it’s probably really hot down there, and full of dirt, and I hate both of those things. So I just … haven’t done it. I’m really trying to branch out and try new things, though, so when it is finally time to post, I hope you love it.

โœฆ I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but today marks a 59-day post streak for me on the blog, and I have no idea how much longer I can keep this up, but boy am I tickled. My record before this is, like, 7 days? But by the time I hit 15, I was like … well, I should at least see how far I can take this, right? And now, every time I feel lazy and don’t want to write a blog post, it just feels like a shame to waste such a streak. Maybe we should start a betting pool for how long it’ll last. xD

โœฆ My director tore her meniscus, which is HILARIOUS. You know, because now she looks like me. A few weeks after I ditched my brace and cane, she’s now walking around with an even worse brace than I had. xD I offered her my cane, but then thought better, in case she decides to hit me with it. Does this mean I officially started a trend?!



#AmReading Update
Books Read This Month: 14

Deathless Divide     Twist     The Unspoken Name     The Golden Key     Why Don't You Write My Eulogy Now     You Can Only Yell at Me for One Thing at a Time: Rules for Couples     Watch Hollow Alchemist's Shadow     Black Leviathan     The Wonder of Wildflowers     The Shadows Between Us     All Systems Red     The Revenge of Magic     Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor     The Last Dragon    


Click titles for my review.



Follow me on Goodreads






Discussion Posts


Top Ten Tuesday


WWW Wednesday


First Line Friday






Blogger Post Love
Here are some great posts this month from other bloggers:

โœฆ Dini @ DiniPandaReads talks about her process for writing reviews (spoiler alert: panic is involved).

โœฆ Betty @ The Geeky Bibliophile discusses whether or not you should allow comments on your blog.

โœฆ Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight reevaluates her relationship with fantasy.

โœฆ Krysta @ Pages Unbound talks about states censoring libraries.

โœฆ Lin @ The Reader of A Thousand Stars talks about their favorite romance tropes and gives some great recommendations. โœฆ For the spreadsheet inclined among us, Nicole @ BookwyrmKnits has shared a spreadsheet to track your owned TBR.





Twitter Fun
Not following me on Twitter? Maybe you should.







Instagram Fun
Not following me on Instagram? Maybe you should.

View this post on Instagram

Happy February! We get *a whole extra day* this month, so might as well start the month off right to set the tone. Whatโ€™s on your TBR this month? . I #amreading Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland. Getting in those delicious zombie vibes. Om nom nom. . As for the rest of the month? Pffft who knows? Iโ€™m a mood reader, so I have some books that I think Iโ€™ll read this month, but itโ€™ll be a fun surprise as to what I actually pick up. I have a couple buddy reads coming up for Wicked Saints, Equal Rites, and The Unspoken Name, so those will be definites. . Why donโ€™t we peek at my ARCs for just a moment, too? February is seeing a bunch of awesome releases, and I just canโ€™t wait to dig into these: โœถ Black Leviathan by Bernd Perplies โœถ Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold โœถ The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller โœถ The Wonder of Wildflowers by Anna Staniszewski โœถ Watch Hollow: The Alchemistโ€™s Shadow . #letsgetitlitfeb20 #wildadventuresfeb20 #cozyascanbee #ampersandfeb20 #readingintheweb #readingadventuresfeb20 #lanjenbooksfeb20 #moonbooksfeb20 #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookworm #bookblogger #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #currentlyreading

A post shared by Sammie B. (@srbetler) on

View this post on Instagram

The weekโ€™s almost over, and how are you lovelies feeling today? Iโ€™m feeling very ๐ŸŒŠ . This is day, like, three of rain? We still have at least two more days to go according to the meteorologists, and Iโ€™m at the point of considering whether I should hollow out a log and make a canoe or something just so I know I can get to work. . So today, Iโ€™m really feeling all these WATER themed books. Looking for a little something watery yourself? All the Stars and Teeth came out, and not only does it take place on the water (and islands), for maximum water exposure, but it also features: โœถ Sexy, suave pirates. โœถ A variety of elemental magics (including โ€ฆ you guessed it โ€ฆ WATER!). โœถ Blood magic, too, which isnโ€™t elemental but for sure was in its element because daaaaang. โœถ Fierce women working together. โœถ Feisty mermaid. โœถ Lots of conniving and plots and secrets. โœถ A group of unlikely heroes forced to work together, through no fault of their own. โœถ Giant water beasts that I totally want to own, even though theyโ€™d eat me without a second thought. . #feb2020inemojis #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookworm #bookblogger #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #booksofig #allthestarsandteeth

A post shared by Sammie B. (@srbetler) on

View this post on Instagram

QotD: Whatโ€™s your favorite February read? Recommend something to me. . I know, I asked you the dreaded favorite question. Choosing favorites is hard. Unless itโ€™s something like Hogwarts Houses. I mean, that oneโ€™s easy. . I had SO MANY good reads in February, but I highlighted a lot of them already, so I tried to choose something I havenโ€™t talked about as much: THE SHADOWS BETWEEN US. Itโ€™s a dark and twisty Slytherin romance (and Iโ€™m not even much for romance!). Itโ€™s full of scheming characters, murder attempts (and successes!), and a slow burn enemies-to-lovers. Phew. It was everything my Slytherin heart needed. . A few other reads I loved this month: โœฟ BLACK LEVIATHAN: Moby Dick but with dragons and vivid, lush world-building. โœฟ ALL SYSTEMS RED: A snarky, socially awkward murderbot learning what itโ€™s like to have free will. โœฟ TWIST: An MG about what happens if the imagination of kids come to life (spoiler alert: itโ€™s a little terrifying). โœฟ WATCH HOLLOW: THE ALCHEMISTโ€™S SHADOW: What happens when a magic house becomes infected by dark forces. . #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookworm #booknerd #bookaholic #bookblogger #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #instabooks #igreads #booksbooksbooks #booksofig #bibliophile #bookish #bookrecommendation #bookishlife #allthebooksfeb20

A post shared by Sammie B. (@srbetler) on





Chat With Me

Have you survived February, lovelies? Or are you all ghosties, too? What’s on the horizon for March?

20 responses to “February Recap || I’m Pretty Sure I’m Deceased”

    • Sammie

      Thanks! I can definitely see how it could get out of hand really easily. I have four blog tour posts in the next week, because I didn’t realize that one company usually has a fast turnaround from signing up to scheduling you for a tour. So … oops? Lesson learned, though (and they were all books I really wanted, so I’m so not complaining!). I’ll definitely have to be choosier in the future, though.

      Reply
    • Sammie

      Thank you! It’s been an all-around amazing month, so as long as March doesn’t squash me under its heel, we’re good haha.

      Reply
    • Sammie

      7 days is about where I can get before failing until this one. xD Seeing the numbers climb has *definitely* helped on the motivation aspect, though.

      Reply
  4. Alexandra

    I love coming here to read your posts, coffee in hand, as itโ€™s a treat. Good luck on your first blog tour and, as Tammy suggests, be careful, theyโ€™re tiring to do.

    Reply
    • Sammie

      Thank you! I also enjoy writing them, coffee in hand. Really, I think coffee’s the key factor in this. ๐Ÿ˜‰ I’ll definitely have to keep in mind not to overbook myself on them. It seems like it’d be really easy to do.

      Reply
    • Sammie

      Well, I’m glad to hear you haven’t joined me among the (un)dead. I hope you feel better, though. It seems like everyone was sick this month around here, too, but we at least held out until the past week or two.

      Pffft, who needs to turn pages when you have a Kindle? And everyone knows ghosts can influence technology. ๐Ÿ˜‰ That’s just a fact. I mean, the battery drain when I’m trying to read is a little annoying, but … that’s what chargers were made for!

      Reply
    • Sammie

      Thank you! It took me a long time to start taking blog tours. xD I’m so socially awkward that I’m afraid I’ll mess things up. I totally recommend doing a few blog tours, though. They’re fun. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  8. tirilu

    Teach me this sorcery that is posting every day! ๐Ÿ˜ฑ Seriously, I wish I was this committed or better, I wish I had that many ideas to post and would be able to write that many reviews.
    Also, yay, for birthdays. (I have no idea what Chuck E. Cheese is but I gather it’s some kind of indoor playground?) Also, I don’t know if it’s right for your smol one yet but the Menagerie books by Tui and Kari Sutherland. I adore those books. I need everybody to read them. (I’m also always happy about Middlegrade recommendations. If you have one, immer her damit!)๐Ÿ˜ƒ

    Reply
    • Sammie

      If I knew what spell I cast, I would share it! I’m pretty sure it was an accident. Something probably backfired and did something right by mistake.

      Chuck E. Cheese is like a big indoor arcade type thing, with a bunch of different games. The games give tickets, which you can turn in for prizes. It’s actually pretty fun. xD

      Wow, that’s so funny. I actually *just* bought the Menagerie books 1 and 3 from a local book sale. They didn’t have two, so I figure I’ll grab it off eBay. I’m so happy to hear that you recommend them!

      Reply
  10. Dini @ dinipandareads

    Aww YAY! Thanks so much for featuring my post, Sammie ๐Ÿ–ค Ya girl has survived Feb but feeling halfway to ghosty. What a month! I hope that things go on the up from March onwards because I’m just done with all the sickness and blah feels! Haha it looks like you had a super awesome month of reading and blogging! I loved reading all your discussion posts and you have been seriously SLAYING these reviews! Go YOU! ๐Ÿ˜ Hope March is less deadly but more awesome!?
    Dini @ dinipandareads recently posted…#TopTenTuesday: One Word TitlesMy Profile

    Reply
    • Sammie

      Only halfway to ghosty? Does that mean you can pass through walls but still also eat food? This seems like the perfect combination here.

      Thanks! I honestly am not sure how I’ve done it? To be fair, I bought the Ultimate Book Blogger plugin, and it’s done wonders for my book review process. Cut down A LOT on the time for each review.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

CommentLuv badge