The Bit

Phew, the holidays are finally over! Did everyone have a festive season this year? Well, we didn't pursue Christmas with our usual vigor this year, but I think the kids had a fun time and that's all that really matters. I put away three good books this month to finish off the year. And in January, I'm going to do a Top 5 of 2018 to talk about my favorite books from this year. It's going to be a hard decision, but it'll be fun to revisit and gush about some of my favorite titles once again. I hope you'll tune in for that one! Let's get started! "Girls' Night Out"- Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke This was such an exciting book. Imagine you're on a getaway with your besties in a foreign country. Everything is beautiful beaches, fun in the sun, and endless margaritas. Then on your last night together, one of you goes missing from the bar. Of course, it's not nearly as simple as that. What fun would that be? Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren were

I am so sorry for my absence you guys. Especially if you follow me on the social medias, I have been exceptionally quiet the past two months. I'm sorry. The holiday season is in full swing, and I'm barely keeping up. Can anyone else relate? I'm feeling more overwhelmed than ever these days, and taking a break from social media and blogging seemed like the best solution for my mental health. I'm easing back into it. But, just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean I've neglected my reading! I read some particularly interesting books this month that I am so eager to share! Let's get started. "It Happens All the Time"- Amy Hatvany This book was so heartbreaking on multiple levels. And I've preached on this topic many times, but the rape culture in this country is astounding. I won't say we are any better than some other countries, but it's devastating all the same. As the name suggests, rape does happen all the time, and this

Let me start with an apology. I'm so very sorry for my absence this month! For those of you that are regular readers, I haven't been very active with my posts this month. We've done quite a bit of traveling, I was pretty sick for about two weeks, and we had doctors appointments we had to travel for. So. Sorry. I did manage (barely!) to read three horror books this month and do a special review for an Indie author. You guys know I love to theme October as an all horror month. It's my favorite month. I wait all year for it! So many exciting things seem to happen in October, I like to call it the magic month. Anyway. Let's talk about what I read! "172 Hours on the Moon"- Johan Harstad I was a little skeptical about this book when I first came across it, but the reviews sold it to me. I was worried it wouldn't be scary enough for me since it's a Young Adult, but I was pleasantly surprised. I slept with the closet light on the night I finished it.

Welcome to another special edition! I'm always so happy to work with authors and participate in blog tours, especially when it comes to this particular lady. I absolutely love Hannah Lynn's work! To see my review of her book (which she also published this year. I mean, what!?) The Afterlife of Walter Augustus , you can find that here . It was also wonderful and I recommend everyone read it. But let's focus on her newest book today! "Peas, Carrots and an Aston Martin"- Hannah Lynn Lynn prides herself on not fitting into a specific category. Instead she simply loves to write people's stories. This book is no exception. Is it a thriller? Romance? Drama? No. It stands on it's own as being the story of Eric Sibley, a workaholic who's just lost his estranged father. Eric had no idea his inheritance would come with conditions, let alone that his biggest inheritance would not even be given to him. His father left him a gardening plot and the coveted Asto

I'm so ready for fall, you guys. I'm officially over summer. Bring on the leaves, sweaters, pumpkin spice, jack-o-lanterns, and Halloween. I'm ready! I'm always so stoked for October. It's seriously my favorite month of the entire year. And our October is already packed full of activity! Don't worry, I've already got a stellar lineup of reads secured. It's going to be amazing. Enough of that, let's talk about what I read this month! Both of these books took a little bit more of my patience (for very different reasons) but overall, I wasn't impressed with my choices this month. Not to say they were terrible, but neither one of them blew me away. Before we get started, there will be a Special Edition to the Book Bit in October, so keep your eyes peeled! "The Hunt for Red October"- Tom Clancy Everyone knows who Tom Clancy is. He's written a ton of books, a lot of which have been made into films, and even some video games. I me

So, let's get a little real today about the mom talk. Who among us is a perfect mom? *looks for raised hands* That's what I thought. I know, for sure, that I am (on a good day) and OK mom. Right in the middle. Some days I succeed at the mom thing, but it's a rarity if I'm honest. And it's taken me a long time to be fine with just being average. There's a lot of pressure out there to be that super successful, amazing, put-together mom with well behaved, angelic children. -The Lies Let's start with how we got this idea in our heads to be perfect mother's. In all fairness, it probably stemmed from all of those ads in the fifties where Mom ran the hoover in one hand and read a book in the other. Or had well-behaved children waiting at the door for Dad, while Mom handed him a drink, took his briefcase, and his coat and had the roast timed to come out of the oven at his arrival. That's probably where it all began, and then our lovely feminist foremothe

Hey, guys! As many of you know, I'm in the midst of publishing my very first novel. Yikes. What a journey it's been already, and I'm not even done! While there are several things you should do before you publish, the one thing I highly recommend is participating in a writer's share. I'm shocked that more writer's don't do this on a regular basis before publishing. I've talked with other indie authors (several) who have never participated and still produce great novels. That being said, joining a writer's share has drastically improved my writing. So, I'm here today to discuss it with you. -What is a Writer's Share? I'm so glad you asked! A writer's share is an agreement to critique another writer's work in exchange for yours. You can do this chapter by chapter or the work as a whole, depending on the agreement set. It also depends if the work (manuscript) is finished or still a work in progress. These are all laid out beforeh

Summer is gone, guys. Like, over! Can you believe that!? While I'm ready for fall (because hel-lo! Fall!) I'm a little bummed the summer is already over. My kid started school this year, which pulled pretty tight on my heartstrings and the semi-carefree life I've been leading the last few years. Our schedule is officially like every else's now. *sigh* Moving on. Did you guys have any good beach reads this summer to share with me? You know I'm always looking for recommendations, so if you have them, send them my way! I put away three books this month, and I had mixed feelings about two of them. The winner came by default, you'll understand soon enough. Let's get started. "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas"- James Patterson To be clear, I enjoy James Patterson. He writes fantastic books, really. But this book, to me, proves that once you write enough best sellers and establish a strong fan base, you can pop out a terrible book and people will s

Guys, summer is over. Ummm, is anyone else at a loss for words? Where did the summer go? I swear, just last week it was too cold to go out and now school has started and the temps are dropping again. It's been nonstop rain up here for us. Every day. Flood warnings are a regular on the news right now. So, at the beginning of the summer I decided to make a bucket list! A little something to give me a boost and motivation to have a summer of fun. And we did! I didn't get everything crossed off, but we made a pretty good dent. If you follow me regularly on Instagram, you've seen some of my photos of our fun summer activities. But, I'm here to update the list and let you guys know how it went! Make Homemade Ice Cream and Waffle Cones Waffle cones were not accomplished, but two flavors of homemade ice cream were a success! (strawberry ice cream and lemon custard) Have a Picnic Go on a Legitimate Date   Hubs and I went to a Hibachi restaurant! We'd never been b

Hey, guys! So, some of you may know that I'm currently in the midst of editing (first round) my novel that I'm going to publish independently. Yes, I do more than write quippy blog posts about being a mom and other facts about my fantastic life. In fact, I have a few finished manuscripts (that I haven't looked at in a long time, they probably suck) and I'm working on a new one even though I'm not done editing my book yet. And, to answer your question, yes, most writers are like this. It's just what happens. Anyway. Now that you know a bit about what I do besides blogging (which also involves sitting in front of a computer for an obscene amount of hours per week), I think we should have a little talk about writer's block. I know, I'm not a published author, do I really know what I'm talking about? I think so. Any writer, whether published or not, reaches a point when the words are no longer flying out like doves at a wedding. Right? Well, that's

Hey guys! Hope everyone has had an excellent summer, our's is winding down over here. And for the first time in a very long time, "Back to School" actually means something. My son is starting preschool in three days. *silent crying* I honestly cannot believe this is already happening. And let me tell you, I did not realize how much we like to travel during the school year. And now we can't/ are extremely limited. We used to go home (seven-hour drive) for almost two weeks in the fall. Well. That won't be happening this year. We'll see everyone at Thanksgiving, I guess! Anyway, to the real point of this blog post. The best piece of baby gear I ever bought? Hmmmmm. Is it a rocker? A stroller? Maybe one of those jumping gym thingies? No! Probably one of the most researched and reviewed baby products (outside strollers and car seats) is the personal baby carrier. And I happen to have a lot of experience with those things. Where I've Been For those of you

Summer is almost over! These last few months have been jammed packed with family fun, and it all flew by in a flash. This month I perfected the art of procrastination. By the time I realized what day it was half the moth was gone and I hadn't started any of my books! Long story short, I put away three books in record timing. I don't think I've read that fast in a while. So I managed to read all three in time to post this before the end of the month, plus we did loads of traveling, and my kids require the outdoors every waking moment, apparently. I'm just gonna pat my self on the back. Now, that that's out of the way, let's get started. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"- Stieg Larsson This was the book club selection, and I think we were all presently surprised that none of us had read it. It's one of those books I always meant to read, but never got around to it. Once it hit the U.S. (origins: Sweden), it was impossible to get this book. Every