OK, I’ve been super busy. So I haven’t been blogging on my personal blog as much. I’m very sorry, I just am losing my mind.

In June I completely rearranged my living room, which happens to be where I have my four overstuffed bookcases. I also painted it and the hallway a lovely orangey melon colour. (Thanks for the help, Melanie! I loves ya, MWAH!) I’ve nearly picked out my colours for the kitchen/dining room, too.

I also started a photography website and have spent so much time setting up the blog there and what have you. It’s kept me so busy that i just haven’t been keeping up with my regular blog.

I barely finished my reading for June! And July? Oy it’s the 15th now and I’ve finished three books, one of which I can’t even use for my 9 book challenge. Yikes!

I’m trying to get my house together for our new exchange student, get some rooms arranged better, that sort of thing. I’ve already tackled the majority of the boys’ room so next up is this extra room of confusion and the spare room for the exchange student (Yay for Som!). My problem is I’m STUMPED for what to do with these two rooms. (Shameless begging for ideas here. Anyone wanna decorate and rearrange with me?)

I’ve also been busy with some photo jobs. Yay!

So now you know where I’ve been and have my appology. I promise to start things back up when I have more time. I think I need to figure out my new schedule… hahaha. It’s hard to fit in reading, homeschool, cleaning, rearranging, photography business, shopping, cooking, gardening, or the 800 other things I am doing each and every day. Oh the joys of being a mom!

So what did I read in June? Well let me tell you, the challenge this month was rough. And not helped by all those books getting pulled off my shelf and dumped into four nearly tall as me stacks in my bedroom. And since I haven’t decided about my baseboards, the books are still stacked in my bedroom. I really do not want to put them back up until I paint the baseboards. However that’s not happening any time soon sooooo… yeah. Colour me frustrated.

June’s challenge was to pick 9 books from the first 20 pages tagged “paranormal-romance” at goodreads.com.

Yikes. That scared me, but as I learned in a previous challenge that sometimes all it takes to be named paranormal-romance is for… it to be a book. (Seriously, some of those books I am STILL trying to figure out where the romance was!)

My problem was I have over 200 books, there was no way I was gonna buy any more. No freaking way. I had to struggle to find books on my shelf that were already sitting here. Which put me behind because there’s a book I swore I’d read so I could put a podcast up this month. (Yeah I need to find the time to get the podcast up and running again. I need a time and space travel device… Doctor Floyd? You out there?)

Somehow I managed to do it. Whew. Lucky for me some series that I read had new books that my mother brought to me. Well she was going to anyway so I looked at that as OK. And I began reading. Got distracted. Read some more. Still distracted.

But, with three hours until midnight local time on June 30th? I finished. I closed up my last book for the challenge and sighed with relief. Whew.

I broke 75 in June with that last book. Seventy five books for 2009. Go me!!!!

Some of these books were not high on my list of “I want to read right now” but they were on my shelf so I went for them.

1. Because Your Vampire Said So – Michele Bardsley
2. Romancing the Dead – Tate Hallaway
3. Dead and Gone – Charlaine Harris
4. Undead and Unwelcome – MaryJanice Davidson
5. Dead if I do – Tate Hallaway
6. You Slay Me – Katie McAlister
7. Hunter’s Moon – Lori Handelhand
8. Fire Me Up – Katie McAlister
9. Like a Charm – Candance Havens

Most were brain candy quick reads. Which worked well for me for June, what can I say. I just didn’t have the time to devote to reading. Because of aforementioned distractions.

Most were interesting. But I don’t even feel like giving up full reviews. So let’s just go short and sweet for each:

1. Because Your Vampire Said So – Michele Bardsley — Ok, so it’s another Broken Hearts, Oklahoma story. I gotta say I still like the fact that this author just dumps every supernatural thing you can muster up into one little book. That said, this one wasn’t near as enjoyable of a 3 hour escape because the main character’s voice was annoying for the first half the book. She chilled and got normal after that.

2. Romancing the Dead – Tate Hallaway — I still love that Goddess dwelt Garnet. Crazy girl!

3. Dead and Gone – Charlaine Harris — Yes, finally the new Sookie but Oh. My. Gosh. It’s gone mega on the dark. I don’t want to spoil but I nearly cried at the end. Let’s just say that it got bad. Real bad. I don’t even know what to expect next. I was so stoked to read it but man… Charlaine got mean. To everyone. It was interesting to watch the were’s “come out”. Go shifters!

4. Undead and Unwelcome – MaryJanice Davidson — I love that shoe obsessed Queen Betsy! Long unLive the Queen! This one was sad because she was dealing with the aftermath of the death of her werewolf bud. While she’s off in New England dealing with that, Devil Spawn Sister goes a little nutso and that was a bit worriesome. Mama Lucy shows up, and I love that… but whew. It wasn’t near as dark as Charlaine’s, but wow the two back to back sent shivers up and down my spine.

5. Dead if I do – Tate Hallaway — Yay Garnet is getting married, if her fiancee’s Vambie (Zompire??) ex’s curse doesn’t bring the whole event crashing down. Love it!

6. You Slay Me – Katie McAlister — This is the first Aisling Grey novel. It was OK. I definitely like the idea of a Wyvern Mate Guardian over the portals of you know where gallavanting around Europe solving murders. What a creative idea. I do love the fact she’s gotta do this all while not at all sure what any of that means.

7. Hunter’s Moon – Lori Handelhand — Nazi Werewolves. Again, need I say more? Everything is better with Nazi’s. Though this one had a seriously damaged main character that I had a hard time getting to the point where I cared about her.

8. Fire Me Up – Katie McAlister – Aisling number 2. She’s still clueless so she goes to a conclave of supernatural sorts. In another European town. Love it! But not enough to throw this series to my “must reads” list or anything. Good filler book.

9. Like a Charm – Candance Havens – Now this was an interesting change of pace. What I liked: Library to Ghosts. Seriously? That’s hillarious. What I didn’t like: Hippies in country trotting business and Virgins who give it up after decades of virginity for almost nothing. You wanna throw in the smut, just don’t make the chick a virgin. Thank you. It just seems lame to me. Like I WAS going to wait for marriage and all, but suddenly since meeting you yesterday I’ll just chuck that out the window. After all, I’m like 30 whatever now. So sure. It’s about time. *SIGH*

So there you have it. That’s my update for June. Unfortunately none of these fit into the alphabet challenge. That’s OK, the book I’m currently reading does! Huzzah! So here’s the stats:

Books completed in June: 9
Books completed in 2009: 75
Books completed for alphabet challenge: 19

ABC Challenge Titles Read:
The) Accidental Werewolf by Dakota Cassidy
Blueberry Muffin Murder by JoAnne Fluke
Circus of the Darned by Katie Maxwell
Dead Over Heels by Mary Janice Davidson
Echoes by Nathan P Butler
Fudge Cupcake Murder by JoAnne Fluke
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
Heaven by Mur Lafferty
I Love You To Death by Amy Garvey
J
K
Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by JoAnne Fluke
My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon by Various
N
(The) Other Woman by Jane Green
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
Q
(Doctor Who: The) Resurrection Casket
(The) Scot, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Annette Blair
Tall, Dark and Dead by Tate Hallaway
U
(The) Vampire of Venice Beach by Jennifer Colt
Welcome to the Jungle
X
Your Planet or Mine by Susan Grant
Z

–Lady O
PS Feel free to go see my blog posts over at emeraldlens.info if you want to see some of the photography I’ve been doing and more on the trips we’ve taken. 🙂