October Recap || The End Is Nigh!

Posted November 7, 2020 by Sammie in monthly recap / 14 Comments

If you’ve been suffering through 2020, good news: 2021 is on the horizon! It’s so close now, you can almost see it coming.

You know, not that I normally want time to fly by or anything like that, but … I think this is a special case. 2021 can’t come quick enough, because surely it has to be better than 2020 … right? Please say right. I don’t know that I can handle anything worse than this year at this point.

So how has my month gone, despite everything? Well, let’s see.

  • I’ve officially started training to become the next Director of the library I work at! Sooo … I’m a little tired of seeing words right now, as it turns out. I’m super excited about the opportunity, and I look forward to getting to learn more, but it’s been a little chaotic, as you might imagine. I’m full-time at the library and still working part-time at home on the weekends, along with everything else that’s currently going on right now.
  • The more astute among you might notice the blog has a teensy bit of a different look … by which I mean, I now have an author page and a Readathon page! I made the Readathon page, because I’ve been participating in them more and having fun. Plus, since I’ve been participating in the Clear Your Sh*t Readathon, I made my own little story of my character, Phyrre, fulfilling the quests, so I wanted to have one place for them. And the author page is obviously necessary because I have a book coming out. Ahhhhh! Still not used to that one.
  • The Bookwyrm’s Den has officially hit 500 followers!!! I’m going to be honest, I never thought this would happen. When I started this blog, I assumed I’d be lucky to get 10 followers, or even 50. 500 people?! That’s a little mind-blowing to me. I’m so thankful for all of you and for the opportunity to do this blogging thing. I should be hosting a 500 follower giveaway at some point in the near future!
  • Minion was a unicorn for Halloween! You know, in case any of you were absolutely desperate to know. 😉 I’m sure this comes as a major surprise to everyone.
  • I’ve officially completed my Goodreads challenge for the year! Well, technically. My first goal was 150 books read in 2020, and I’m sitting at 163 right now. My stretch goal, though, was 200 books, so I’m still working towards that one! I’ve been averaging around 14 books per month, so if I kick it up a notch for these last two months, I might actually be able to make 200!
  • Some of you may have noticed a decline in my interactions or a lag in my replies to comments … and I apologize. I’d like to say this is a fluke, but unfortunately, this is likely to be a thing going forward. I’m doing the best I can in trying to keep up with blogging things, but keep in mind that I’m a parent, working two jobs, attempting to blog, and publishing a book (plus working on … other writing things). Starting in January, I’ll be in graduate school. So obviously … something has to kind of fall by the wayside a little. In preparation, I’m trying to cut back on things, so I’m probably going to cut back posting to maybe three or four times a week, and I think that’ll make it more manageable for me to keep up with comments and still blog hop!

All in all, a pretty good month … so let’s get to the books!



#AmReading Update

Books Read This Month: 14

City of Ghosts     Pleasant Grove     Fiends on the Other Side     Broken Wish     The Deepdark     The Puppetmaster's Apprentice     Tunnel of Bones     Escape Pod     Sisters of Shadow and Light     The Missing Dragon     Fangirl, Vol. 1     Hollowpox     The Rage of Dragons     Warriors of Wing and Flame    




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Blogger Post Love

Here are some great posts this month from other bloggers:

✦ Briana and Krysta @ Pages Unbound are doing their annual Book Blogger Stats Survey. So head on over there if you’re interested in taking part!

✦ Melissa @ The Ramblings of a Jedi is beginning a new initiative at her library to compile a list of books featuring characters with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses. So if you have any recommendations, drop by her site and let her know!

✦ Kal @ Reader Voracious is hosting the Second Annual Bookish Jazz Awards and is now accepting nominations!

✦ If you’re looking for a fun readathon, give the Clear Your Sh*t Readathon a try! It’s eight weeks long and has a super fun story. If you’re a bit of a masochist, you can also try interacting with Narrator on Twitter.

✦ November is Sci-Fi Month! Head over to Imyril’s blog for the intro post for Sci-Fi Month 2020, to see who’s participating, and maybe to sign up yourself!

✦ Bec @ Bec & Books gives a really handy list of book terms, abbreviations, and hashtags that’ll help you keep up with the online bookish community!





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QotD: Do you have that one friend who laughs with glee as they pile more books onto your already overwhelmed TBR? . For me, this friend’s name (or one of them, anyway) is Susan. It’s like a Karen, except they delight in throwing books at you and yelling at you to read them instead (which I think we can all agree is a better way to go about your life). Specifically, Susan @ Novel Lives keeps telling me about all these good books she’s reading and insisting I do the same, like I’m not already crushed under the weight of my TBR. . I lovingly call these books Susan’s Stack of Shame. As in … shame on me for not reading them sooner! I’m getting to them, I promise. Slowly but surely. . #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookworm #booknerd #bookaholic #bookblogger #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #instabooks #igreads #booksbooksbooks #booksofig #bibliophile #bookish #bookishlife

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“Have you learned how to kill fifty grown men with a single glare yet?” ~ “A hundred grown men,” Morrigan corrected him. “And all their mates.” . Guys, if you haven’t read the NEVERMOOR series by Jessica Townsend yet … what are you waiting for?! An invitation?! Well, consider this your official invitation. You’re invited to a world filled with wonder and darkness, with charming characters that will force you to love them and then turn around and put themselves in danger so you end up fretting and questioning all your life decisions. . I was so excited to have the chance to read an ARC of HOLLOWPOX: THE HUNT FOR MORRIGAN CROW, and it is everything I’ve come to expect from the series. I had so many emotions about this book, and now I start the long slog until the next one. Because this one was SO GOOD. . Curious about HOLLOWPOX? You should expect: 🌠 A vast, whimsical high fantasy world filled to the brim with surprises. 🌠 Charming, funny characters that will steal your heart. 🌠 And then totally refuse to give it back. 🌠 How rude of them, am I right?! 🌠 Mystery with plenty of twists and turns. 🌠 A world that’s somehow both light and magical yet filled with darkness and secrets. 🌠 Commentary on the rights of Wunimals. 🌠 Lots of dark secrets that are just coming to light! 🌠 Not everything is quite as it first appears … certainly not in Nevermoor. . To read my full review, check out my blog, The Bookwyrm’s Den (link in bio). . #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookworm #booknerd #bookaholic #bookblogger #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #instabooks #igreads #booksbooksbooks #booksofig #bibliophile #bookish #bookishlife #bookreview #nevermoor #wundersmith #hollowpox #jessicatownsend #middlegrade #kidlit #kidsbooks #kidbookstagram #littlebrown #giveaway

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“The lie isn’t that we can’t be their equals. The lie is that they were ever anything but our equals.” . Helloooo new favorite epic fantasy series, to be added to the other few favorites I have. I went into THE BURNING series with no expectations, and I fell in love almost immediately! It’s a dark, brutal world, with a main character driven by a quest for revenge and all the best squad vibes. I’m always hesitant going into epic fantasy, and at one point I swore off the genre completely, but I can’t recommend this series enough! . THE RAGE OF DRAGONS and THE FIRES OF VENGEANCE will be perfect for you if you like: 🔥 Afro-inspired high fantasy with an epic fantasy storyline. 🔥 Quest for revenge trope, in all its angsty glory. 🔥 Demons and dragons and magic. 🔥 Lots of swordplay and war tactics/strategy. 🔥 Sword brothers, squad vibes, and found family. 🔥 Plot twists that will probably steal your soul … in a good way? . To read my full review, check out my blog, The Bookwyrm’s Den (link in bio). Thanks to Orbit and Caffeine Book Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. . #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookworm #booknerd #bookaholic #bookblogger #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #instabooks #igreads #booksbooksbooks #booksofig #bibliophile #bookish #bookishlife #bookreview #therageofdragons #thefiresofvengeance #TheBurningTour #CaffeineBookTours

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14 responses to “October Recap || The End Is Nigh!”

  1. Melissa

    Thank you for sharing my post! I appreciate it. Even if you did get me name wrong 😉

    You will make a fabulous fully fledged librarian one day. I look forward to hearing about your grad school journey and all the things you do.

    Reply
    • Sammie

      Lol I’m SO SORRY. xD I wrote two scholarships and a grant this week, and I’ve had a child sitting next to me gabbing ALL MORNING. My brain is shot. If that’s the only mistake I made in this post, I’ll be impressed. I HAVE FIXED IT, THOUGH. xD Apologies. I’m gonna go write Melissa on the board 50 times now. *slinks away*

      Thanks so much! I’m partially looking forward to grad school and partially waiting for it to be done already. I think it’ll be a good opportunity, though. :3 I will say that I’ve looked at their current special topic classes for the spring semester and some of their past ones from last year, and they have some really interesting classes! The requisite classes are kind of meh, but I’m definitely excited for the other ones!

      Reply
    • Sammie

      I’ve found that not all libraries are made equal. But yeah, I got a good one, thank goodness. xD

      This was their first year, but it’s had a pretty good turnout, so I think they’re planning on doing it again (or they’ve definitely talked about it). I hope they do, because it’s been fun!

      I hope you get the translation sooooon. The Dutch covers are nicer, for sure. And considering that I now have to wait another year AT LEAST for the next book, a month’s wait isn’t too terrible. 😉

      Reply
    • Sammie

      You know, if only I’d finally evolve to need only a couple hours of sleep at night, I’d have plenty of time to get everything done! xD Trust me, I’ve been working on it. 😉

      Reply
    • Sammie

      Uhhh … I dunno about perfect. She was definitely a unicorn, though. xD She had fun with it. I think she plans on wearing it next year, too lol. Hopefully she’ll actually get to trick or treat with it next year.

      Reply

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