April 2015: Recap & Wrap-Up!

April was a bit of a hodge podge… Not too much was going on and yet I feel like I didn’t get anything done! I actually DID spend a lot of time on behind-the-scenes stuff like updating ALL of my reviews from the old graphics to new, switching to UBB format, and cross-posting them to Goodreads, Amazon, and Edelweiss. WHEW. It was a ton of work but I also feel REALLY glad that it’s done and out of the way so maybe I can focus on more reading and coming up with posts now instead of formatting & updating!

• Number of Books Read: 7 — not great but also not too shabby!
• Popular Search Terms:  “lunar chronicles character quiz” // “books to read if you liked divergent” (and similar terms) // “where she went ending” (how many times  // “we were liars discussion questions”
• More Amusing Search Terms: “a good book is the best friend” (truth)  // “to love a scoundrel” (I do!) // “lunar chronicles like star wars” (high five!)
• Most Referrals (non-social media): Andi’s ABCs, Rather Be Reading, GReads!
• Where My Blog Most Often Leads You (non-internal/social media): The Cheap Reader,  Books Take You Places, Book Soulmates

• Once again, my “Guide” to Crossover books was in the top of my stats! Hooray! This is one of my favorites.
• People had a lot of questions on what to read after Divergent! Looks like this little post came in handy
• My three-year blogoversary was in April! I had fun recapping the last year + held a giveaway! (now closed)

Other Reviews Posted

• I adored DISSONANCE so I read the novella HARMONIC by Erica O’Rourke and loved it!
• Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard series is SO much fun. I had a blast listening to THE REPUBLIC OF THIEVES on audio!
• I put together some mini reviews for THE AUDITION (a Seraphina short), PLUM SPOOKY, and a DNF “report” for TETHER
• I feel like I’ve had a rocky road with Lauren Oliver’s books. I enjoyed VANISHING GIRLS but not as much as I had hoped
• On the Same Page read THE WRATH AND THE DAWN together for April! It was a slow start for me but I ended up really enjoying it!

Goodreads Reading Progress

Bloggers featured on Book and a Beverage

• 4/2/15: Morgan from Gone With the Words
• 4/9/15: Alison from The Cheap Reader
• 4/16/15: Danielle from Love at First Page
• 4/23/15: Holly & Amanda from Gun in Act One

Other Features & Discussions

• I was on the blog tour for Emery Lord’s latest book, THE START OF ME AND YOU talking about how I adore the friendships in her books!
• I was a part of Ginger’s Open Letter to My YA Self event!
• I played along with Top Ten Tuesday on 4/7 and wondered where my favorite characters might be now
• I came up with a fun new feature called Redesign Reactions, talking about original covers and their new designs. April featured Anna and the French Kiss and The Book of Broken Hearts
• THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE was released in paperback and I got to be on the blog tour with Q&A from Leila Sales!
• I have trouble remembering to post for daily photo challenges so I started a weekly photo challenge called #weeklybookstagram! Check out the post to play along!
• This month’s Pub Date theme was travel and I really had a blast sharing my favorite beer & brewery spots!
• May’s theme for the Book Blogger Organization Challenge is all about spring cleaning! Join us to cull your shelves, catch up on some borrowed books & ARCs, and more!

Events

• I got to see Melissa Gray, Rachel Hartman, and Arwen Elys Dayton on April 24th! I went to mainly see Rachel Hartman since I hadn’t read the other authors yet but they were such a fun group! They were all so funny and I had such a lovely time!

April’s Top Instagrams

What’s in store for May?

• I’m heading to BEA but only for one day! Because of my honeymoon being only six months ago, I couldn’t really afford to stay the whole week (time off and money) so it’s just one day of BEA for me! But I hope to see you on Friday if you’re going!!!
• I’m excited for a few spring/summer reviews like THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, THE SUMMER OF CHASING MERMAIDS, and LAST YEAR’S MISTAKE!