I am a chronic series dropper, but this week I finished one. (And was happy with the ending) / I am also working on diversifying my discussion posts.

The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @Caffeinated Book Reviewer, is a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Caution: Her site has sidebar ads that sometimes contain cover images which may be offensive to some.

On Monday I received and listened to the final book in my current favorite series, "The Pillars of Reality" by Jack Campbell. This is a series with 6 books and, although I will always like the first 3 best, I loved every one. I am crossing my fingers hard for a spin off series (such as he has done with his adult SF series).

As I have been scheduling and blogging ahead, I have identified a number of different types of discussions I would like to do & created a rotation. I will be updating my Features page to reflect the changes as soon as the last new sub-type has been debuted.

Do you borrow digital books from the library? If so Jamie Canaves is asking that you to Be Kind, Return your books as soon as you are done with them (rather than just waiting and letting them expire).

Blogger News

There are 2 blogger "events" that I know of, and will be taking part in, during August.

• Rereadathon #4 (8/10-8/21)
• Bout of Books #17 (8/22-8/28) - the sign up isn't available yet

Last Week on GMB

• SUN: I Am Still Seeking SF Recommendations | Sunday Summary #13
• TUE: Sleepless, Solar, and Swarm | New Audiobook Releases
• WED: Made Me Pout a Bit: The Servants of the Storm | Review - ★★★★½ YA mixed genre SF
• THU: Goals I Can Control: Creating Community | My Musings
• SAT: Trying to be a Lover as well as a Fighter: Firefight | Review - ★★★★ YA Superpowers Dystopia

Next Week on GMB

• TUE: New Audiobook Releases
• WED: See Me | Review + Author Interview - ★★★★ YA Contemporary Fantasy
• THU: Whetting Your Appetite or Pure Torture?: Excerpts | My Musings
• SAT: True of Blood | Review - ★★★★ YA Contemporary Fantasy
• SUN: Sunday Summary #15

Exploring Cyberspace

• "Fantasy: The (Not So) Easy Genre" by Joanne Maciejewska (Thanks to Sarah @ Brainfluff for the link)

"Everybody says that writing fantasy is easy. You don’t have to do research, and you can create just about anything your imagination conjures. It’s all inexistent anyway, right? As a writer of speculative fiction, both fantasy and science-fiction, I can say from my experience: quite to the contrary. I think fantasy is one of the most difficult genres to write."

• "Reviews are Only One Form of Promotion" by Holly @ The Fox's Hideaway (Thanks to Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight for the link)

"7.  Writing a discussion post about a certain aspect of the book. Was there something about the book you just HAVE to talk about? Did it spark your imagination? Was it personal for you? If you don't want to write a review on the book as a whole, just talk about the part of it that stood out to you. Or tie something about it into blogging, social media, your life, etc. The great thing about some books is that they make us think and make us feel. Or make us angry. ;) You can also talk about a problematic aspect of the book you read and the larger context of it in the world. Publicity doesn't mean what you write about it has to be positive. Just be honest."

• "A Place to Be Quiet" guest posted by Donalyn Miller @ Nerdy Book Club
  (thanks to Jen Robinson's Book Page for the link)

"I spend a lot of my time convincing people that reading matters because of the outward benefits it provides—academic and professional success or social awareness and empowerment—but we cannot disregard the power reading has for the individual. I don’t mean the knowledge or skills we gain when we read. I mean the emotional and physical value of walking away from ourselves when we fall into a book. At an ALAN Conference a few years ago, John Green said, “Reading gives us a place to be quiet in a world that doesn’t give us a place for that.” In a society that demands our attention and active participation, the process of reading a book gives us all a chance to hit pause on our lives."

• "Why It’s Important to Talk About Mental Health in YA" guest post by Beth Reekles @ Jenny in Neverland
  

"Articles inform. Books make people feel. Books can make you laugh, cry, and everything in between. If you don’t have a mental illness yourself but read a book with a character who suffers from one, you might begin to understand what someone is going through, and be able to offer them better support."

Reading Update

I re-listened to the following in preparation for upcoming reviews:

I read/listened to the following for the first time:

Up Next

Received For Review

Thank you to Audible Studios for the following:

Other Acquisitions

All the Kindle books I acquired that have Audible versions available.

Some of the other Kindle books I acquired.

Talk to Me (pretty please)

• Are you a chronic series dropper also?
• What is your favorite non-review method to promote the books you love?

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• If you are a first time visitor, how did you discover my blog?

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