This week I participated in a Read-a-thon and my first Bloggiesta. Plus I publish two extra posts, for a total of eight.

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.

The Good: My "Creating Community" efforts, along with the events I have been participating in, are having an effect. I have almost reached 500 followers across my various platforms. Although I am doing well at not obsessing over the numbers, 500 seems to be a magic number with many publishers; so, I'm excited.

This was a busy week; with the help of Bloggiesta, I now have an updated Review Policy that includes an online submission form. You can see what else I've been working on at my "A Work in Progress" post (linked below).

And finally, I got Futhermore from the library just last night! Thank you to those unknown readers ahead of me in line who read it quickly and returned it.

The Bad: I was busy this week and wasn't able to do much visiting. And, despite my successes, I'm still struggling to implement my Twitter plan for sharing other Blogger's stuff. Even with Lists, the increased number of people I'm following is a bit overwhelming. I am tweaking the plan right now. Plus my efforts to start a Boosters Club bombed (only one person used the tag)

And to top it all off, I'm having (possibly expensive) car troubles and still only working 20 hours per week, which would make paying for repairs stressful. I wish the Universe would drop the perfect job in my lap (you know - the one where I get paid big bucks, with great benefits, and am allowed to listen to audiobooks while I work), but I'm probably going to have to do a (dreaded) job hunt instead.

Still Seeking: SFF&F, Audiobook, & Discussion posting Twitterers to follow (see here) + Goodreads Tips

On GMB: Last week

• SUN: I Have an Interesting Week | Sunday Summary #19
• MON: A Work in Progress: GMB 1.5 (Bloggiesta & More) | My Musings
• TUE: Mary Sue & her Magical Menagerie: Baehrly Breathing | Review - ★★★★ Contemporary Fantasy / Cozy Mystery
• TUE: Increase Readership & Engagement with a Wrap-up Post | Bloggiesta Mini Challenge - although Bloggiesta is over, this article contains suggestions and tips for anyone who wants to start or improve a wrap-up post.
• WED: Times, True, Tide | New Audiobook Releases
• THU: Got Better in the End: The Treasure of Isian | Review - ★★★½ YA Fantasy
• FRI: 12 Tips for Authors Requesting Reviews from Bloggers | My Musings
  
• SAT: A Bit of a Rocky Start: Sandry's Book | Review - ★★★★ MG Fantasy

I completed the first of two weeks for this Read-a-thon. Check out "Reading: Update" below to see how I did.

There's still time to join in, just click on the image to be taken to the sign-up post. "What can you read as part of the read-a-thon? Anything. It can be an audiobook, ebook, physical book, published, ARC, etc. There are no restrictions. The idea is to lower our TBR piles and any way you want to do that is just fine by me. :)"

I am making good progress. It ends tonight and, while I probably won't complete my whole list, I feel good about what I've done.

"Bloggiesta is a blogging marathon revolving around ticking off those items on your to-do list and improving your blog while in the good company of other awesome bloggers doing the same thing."

On GMB: Coming Up

• MON: Dear Audiobook Producers: I Really Want These | Top Ten Tuesday
• TUE: Double Star | Review - ★★★★★ Classic Science Fiction
• WED: New Audiobook Releases
• THU: Atone | Review  - ★★★★½ YA Contemporary Fantasy
• SAT: The Bronze Key | Review - ★★★★ MG Contemporary Fantasy
• SUN: Sunday Summary #21

Week 2 of the Read-a-thon

In October I will be joining: Blog Ahead (all month) / Virtual Fantasy Con (10/3-10/16 on Facebook)

Exploring Cyberspace

• "There’s No Such Thing as an Original Idea" by Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
  

"The bottom line is: Write what you want to write, regardless of whether it’s been done before. Bring to it your own unique perspective, your own voice, and stop censuring your writing because someone else already had that idea. Make it yours."

• "Six (Book) Blogging Time Savers" by Margot @ Lectito

"You spend a lot of time crafting your content, and repurposing it across multiple platforms isn’t cheating; it’s smart. For example, if you spend ages crafting the perfect bookstagram shot, why not reuse it as a featured image in a blog post? Or if you’re really proud of something you wrote in a review, use it to promote the post on social media (in my reviews I typically include a sentence that summarises my thoughts for this exact purpose). Even something as simple as saving your frequently used hashtags to cut and paste into your posts can save a few minutes here and there, leaving you more time to focus on the bigger things!"

Reading: Update

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

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

Reading: Up Next

Acquired: For Review

Thank you to Audible Studios

Acquired: From the Library

Acquired: Freebies

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

*Whispersync price (subject to change). Must purchase Audible version after obtaining a Kindle copy to get the discount.

Some of the other Kindle books I acquired.

Talk to Me (pretty please)

• Do use an online review request submission form?
• What is your biggest blogging time saver?
• What was the best book you read this week?

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

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