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Has anyone heard of Swoon Reads? It's a somewhat new company that publishes YA books. When they originally started, it was romance only, which kinda made me think of Red Dress Ink. ;) They are now taking all YA books. The way it works is that you submit it to their website, and then users can read, rate and comment on your book. Then they pick the top books and publish them. One of my writer friends was picked! It is my goal to submit a book to them. I'm going to attempt NaNoWriMo, so maybe I'll have something for the next submission time!
Hiiii I miss you guys!! It's been forever since I've posted. Life has been so busy - got married in September, bought and moved into a house in November, out of town for the holidays and started a new job. So I haven't read as much as I would like but I'm picking it back up. :)I just finished re-reading The Friday Night Knitting Club. I read it years ago and I'm not one to re-read books just because, BUT I wanted to read the last 2 books and finally finish the series. But I don't remember much from the first book, so I re-read it. And reading about a group of women who are friends and knit made me think of you guys - except we read, not knit (at least I don't know how to knit, haha).
So anyway, how is everyone's new year going? Any resolutions?
Hey, Bianca! I am hanging in Chamblee like always. I am getting ready to have surgery again. So I am trying to get my summer reading list together before going into the hospital. I will post this evening the next challenge. I hope that you are enjoying married life!
Hi Bianca, and everyone! I am in the same boat as having just got married last August, going back to work and having a child who is about to turn 2 has been exhausting! I have started reading more before bed and have loved it. I miss you all as well!
Another newlywed here! I got married in October! :) We just got back from our honeymoon. We went to Iceland, which was amazing, but very cold, rainy and snowy. We also spent a couple days in Copenhagen.I'm planning on going to a book signing with my sister next month for Jenny Han and Jennifer E. Smith. Can't wait!
Jencey - yay I'm excited for the next challenge! I'm going to actually do it this time. :) Keep us posted on your surgery!Kourtney - congrats on your new job! I remember reading that you were looking for one. How are you liking it?
Suzanne - wow that's awesome that you went to Iceland and Copenhagen! I've never been to either of those before. That's so cool. Which one did you like better?
And congrats to Kourtney and Suzanne on their weddings :)
Ugh it feels SO good to be reading again. I've missed this group!
Happy Memorial day weekend! I hope everyone is doing okay. I just wanted to let you know that the challenge has been up. I received the okay from Stacy to publish on group page.
Mod
I have a friend that works for the merchandising company for concerts in our area (sort of - the ones I've done have been in Detroit), and when they need extra people, she can have friends come help. I've done three so far (Metallica with Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat, U2 with Beck, and Matchbox 20 with Counting Crows), and they're a lot of fun. I get paid $15/hour to set up, sell, and take down merchandise, then, at the end of the night, I get half off any remaining march. BONUS!!! So I've pretty much just been working for t-shirts and hoodies. LOL
My dumbass decided to go back to school for my Master's and I just started that at the beginning of September. Math for Business and Statistics - ugh! I am never going to use this crap, and I absolutely hate that I have to pay so much money to take a class for something I'm not going to use. This class should be for those that are getting degrees in more.....technical things, like engineering or accounting. Not Human Resources. Anyway, going through Southern New Hampshire University, all online again. Classes are 10 weeks long, and I'm almost done with week 4. I've put it off a lot this week because I've been super stressed at work (since about June) and by the time I get home, I don't have the mental energy to do anything.
On top of that, I'm having a hysterectomy on the 9th, so I may be able to post more while I'm off work - when I'm not working on school. Those who know me well, know that I do not do well with being told I have to take it easy. I only do that on my own terms. So it's going to be a struggle....probably not for the first few days. LOL
And if I didn't have enough going on, I fell hard into LulaRoe-dom and have decided that I want to sell it. But I had to wait until we sold the old house. We were renting it to Greg's younger daughter, but predictably, she couldn't afford it on her own, and didn't want to play mom to her roommate anymore (long story). So we finished everything we needed to do for it, got it listed, and received the first offer in 12 hours. :) Now, we've passed inspections and it's just the waiting game.
In the meantime, I am signing up for the LLR que today, apparently you have to wait 6-8 weeks before you can actually be a consultant because they have so many people signing up all the time. Which is a good thing because I'll be done with this math class an on to a different one that doesn't require as much brain power. (Math is THE HARDEST type of class for me to take.) So if all goes well, I'll be selling by the time I go back to work. I'm so excited for this!!!
Hi Stacy, Wow a lot truly has happened. I sympathize I had a hysderectomy too. I cannot tell you how much better I felt afterword. My only issue was the weight gain. Then when I went for my recent test at the hospital although I had the above mentioned surgery I was required to sign that am not pregnant. I will be out soon for surgery myself. I am finishing reconstruction. Touch base with me during those weeks and maybe we can make each other's life less boring feel like you are in a prison.
Good luck on your masters! I will be going back too!
Hi Stacy! Thanks for the update - it's been so quiet in this group! Sounds like you are keeping busy, as always! Sorry to hear about your upcoming surgery. I hope everything goes well! Haha, I do remember that you do not do well with being told to take it easy. ;) Hope you get some time to read and relax, though! I don't have much to update on. Same old, same old here. I'm a bit behind on my reading goal for this year. I've been slacking. I have so many good books to read but I've been lazy. I've also been re-watching this show called Make It or Break It on Hulu, which is taking up a lot of my free time lately. haha.
My one year wedding anniversary is coming up soon! It's so hard to believe that one year ago it was the final countdown to the big day. We are planning on going out to dinner at the restaurant where we had our reception (it is a restaurant/bar but they also have separate rooms for events).
That is about it here! Nothing too exciting going on, but overall everything is good so I can't complain!
STACY!! OMG I was so excited when I saw we had new comments in this discussion board haha. I miss you guys SO MUCH. I've tried other discussion groups for chick lit too and they are just not the same. :(What is Lu La Roe? My sister-in-law buys from them but I don't really get it. Maybe it's a good thing since I love online shopping and need to stop haha.
That's awesome that you are getting all those concert tees and hoodies haha. And hopefully you get to listen in to the concert too!
I'm so sorry to hear about your surgery - and you too Jencey! Wishing you both speedy recoveries, and let us know if there is anything we can do for you. :)
I've been slacking on my reading goals this year too. :( I was actually planning on getting a lot of reading done when my husband and I went to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for our anniversary last month. But then while we were there Hurricane Irma happened, which is just as awful you would imagine. Maybe more. Our resort evacuated us to another resort on the south part of the island which was safer. Thank God they did that. But it was still scary, loud and I thought the roof was going to blow off seriously. We were all put on curfew one night when we couldn't leave the room after 10 pm. They cut off alcohol at 8 pm, which is smart so drunk people don't run towards a hurricane, but at the same time if we're going to be stuck there a little alcohol wouldn't hurt lol. Anyway, we survived, thank God. And now we have a story to share. :)
Other than that just been working, hanging out with my husband and family/friends and excited for the upcoming holidays! I am dying to know if we get trick or treaters!! We bought our house in November last year, so we haven't spend Halloween in it yet. I hope we get lots of trick or treaters - seriously I am so excited! Especially because if they don't come we'll end up eating all the candy ourselves lol.
Bianca - So sorry to hear you were in Punta Cana when Irma happened. So glad you were safe! My husband and I are planning on going there in May for my birthday. I hope it works out because I really want to go!
Stacy! You have your hands full! Email me if you need something to pass the time lolHi ladies!! My reading goals are shot as well. With a two year old and working full time I am exhausted. Well that and (shhhh) I'm 7 weeks pregnant! So if I'm not throwing up, begging my daughter to do things for me or sleeping then I am...well...not reading.
We leave for Scotland in a week and I am not looking forward to this flight. *sigh*
I guess I can join the club of falling behind on reading. We had a nice big hurricane-Harvey come through. You would think with being out of work for 2 weeks, I would get caught up on my reading-nope too many other things took priority. Plus now I have been fighting walking pneumonia for about 5 weeks now. Kind of hard to read when you are coughing all of the time. Hopefully I will be able to get back on track soon.
Newbie here. I regretfully joined this group too late, but am excited to see some activity here! I'm just getting back into ready now that my son is a bit older and a bit more hands off. RDI was by far my favorite publisher. I remember having a list and adding their two new books a month so I wouldn't miss any. Now I'm so far behind that I have to play mega catch up!Anyone remember their Softlips promotion and read their free e-book. HAHAHAH Anyone remember that?
Wow--lots of big updates! Best wishes to everyone. Nothing new with me, but I did discover that Carrie Pilby (RDI from 2003) is now a movie on Netflix! I'm just about to start watching it. Has anyone else seen it?
Mod
Wow a lot truly has happened. I sympathize I had a hysderectomy too. I cannot tell you how much better I felt afterword. My only issue was the weight gain. Then when I went for my recent..."
Hi Jencey,
Hope all goes well with your upcoming procedure. No weight gain for me, I've actually lost about ten pounds, which is crazy. But I'm feeling much better now than I was last week or even at the beginning of this week. Still trying to be conscious and mindful about my weight limit for picking things up, and not overdoing it. But, I have been able to focus a lot of time on my class, which is good. And I've been able to finish a book. I've also been coloring. :)
Mod
Awww, congrats on your upcoming anniversary! That year flew by fast! I haven't been reading much lately either...I'm not sure if I'm burned out, in a slump, or just busy with other things. The busy part is a given, especially with online classes again. We also have a pretty close-knit group of friends that we hang out with on a pretty regular basis that probably doesn't help with trying to read. :) And, like you, there are some great shows on TV right now that we're hooked on. Also....it's football season. :)
Mod
Oh holy cow, you were there during one of the hurricanes? I'm so glad you guys are ok! You're right though, you do have a good story to tell, and I'm guessing you probably have some amazing, yet sad at the same time, photos.
So yeah, LulaRoe......well, that's changed. They are a clothing company that is supposed to work along the same lines as AVON or any other MLM company. The exception being you buy your inventory and own it. You're supposed to be able to sell at whatever price point you want, but you're not allowed to advertise prices below the set retailer pricing. Before going in whole hog, I did my due diligence and did a little research on them. Turns out, as a company, they're shady AF. And it sounds like a lot of the clothes aren't the best quality. Some of the leggings get holes in them after one or two wears, even when washing per their guidelines. (That said, I have several pairs of leggings, and I love the hell out of them, and I've only gotten a hole in one pair.) And their sizing tolerances are kind of crazy. I've seen a FB post of two pairs of leggings that are the same size stacked one on top of the other, but you can see that they are different because the bottom ones are larger. That's just part of the issue though - there are a TON of consultants trying to get out of the business, and are having Going Out of Business sales. They join GOOB groups on FB because the company says they will buy back their inventory for 90% of what they originally paid, however, there's a 5% restocking fee, AND the consultant has to pay shipping to send it all back. Given how much inventory some of them have left, that can be up to $1000! On top of THAT, if they deem something not acceptable, the consultant does not get their money back, NOR does LLR send the item back to them! This item that the consultant already paid for and owns. Then it's taking months for this stuff to be processed and a check sent out. It's ridiculous how long some of these women have to wait to get their money back.
And, I've also heard that those that are still in the game and make commission off of those that have signed up underneath them have had their commission checks bounce! No thanks, I'm good.
So instead of investing about $5000 - $8000 into "my own business," I have decided to help out those that are part of the GOOB groups on FB and buy their inventory from them at cheaper than retail. I kind of went a little crazy this week and spent way too much. Don't tell Greg. LOLOLOL But I don't help that much, because I won't buy unless it's 50% off or more. The markup on that stuff is ridiculous. Regular leggings (non-holiday/Disney) are $10.50 for wholesale pricing (what the consultants pay), and the "retail price" is $25. Ok, stepping down from my soapbox.
The concert thing is super fun, but also really fast paced. For the most part, I can hear them, but the last one not so much. It was at a natural amphitheater, and the merch booths are on the other side of the hill, effectively blocking most of the noise. But I still heard enough, and I got to see them on stage doing their warm ups and sonudchecks. :)
It sounds like a lot of us are in a reading slump...weird. I agree with you about other groups on here, no other group has quite the same mix of awesome members that this one does. I think a lot of us have been busy and not able to post as much. I know that's what my lack of posting is.....that and being on a computer all day at work, actually being busy on the computer all day, rather than trying to look busy. :)
Mod
Hi ladies!! My reading goals are shot as well. With a two year old and working full time I am exhausted. Well t..."
Oh yay! Another one on the way! Congrats!!!! I'm so excited for you guys!!!!!! That news hasn't made it to FB yet, has it? I don't remember seeing it. But then again, I haven't been on there much unless it's to shop LLR GOOB sales (to be honest, I had to get out of all buy one group because those posts were clogging my newsfeed) or post my own crap.
I so desperately owe you an email, but I wouldn't even know where to start. :(
Mod
Oh Jill, I hope you're on the mend! And to deal with a hurricane on top of that? I'm so sorry you've had to go through that. I hope things are looking up for you. I have a friend in Florida that was slightly affected by Irma. Luckily for her and her family, they're far enough north that it only caused some minor damage.
I know we're all pretty spread out throughout the country, but let us know if there's anything we can do!
Mod
Hi Amy! Great to have you in the group! I unfortunately did not start reading RDI books until close to the end of when they were publishing, and I have SO MANY to read still. I was really hot & heavy on them for a while, and I've unfortunately gravitated away from these types of stories over the last couple of years. Lately, I've been preferring mysteries. But I do still have a ton of the RDI books on my shelves because I know some day, I will read them. :)
Who's your favorite RDI author or authors?
Mod
I didn't know that was on Netflix! I finally read that one a few years ago, I'm going to have to look for it. What did you think?
Stacy wrote: "I didn't know that was on Netflix! I finally read that one a few years ago, I'm going to have to look for it. What did you think?"I loved it!! I haven't read Carrie Pilby since it came out, so I'm not sure how much it matched up (at the very least there were some updates--Carrie has an iPhone) but it had the stuff that I remembered as important.
Mod
I loved it!! I haven't read Carrie Pilby since it c..."
I watched it Monday, it was really cute. It's been a few years since I've read the book as well, but it seemed to fit the general story as I remember it. :)
Stacy wrote: "Amy wrote: "Newbie here. I regretfully joined this group too late, but am excited to see some activity here! I'm just getting back into ready now that my son is a bit older and a bit more hands off..."Wendy Markham, Carole Matthews, Sarah Mlynowski. . .ones that come to mind. I'll be honest though - there wasn't an RDI book I read I *didn't* like!
Hi, Stacy I am glad your recovery is going well. I had a hiccup with my procedure which means more surgery. I am glad that you have gotten so much accomplished. I am never sure that I could focus on a class. What are you coloring?
I hope that everyone else is doing well! Still resurfacing from the latest procedure and hoping for uplifting reads.
So odd... I've only been getting notifications about some of the messages to this group, not all of them. Good thing I decided to come on here and check! I missed a lot!Stacy- Sorry to hear LLR didn't work out, but I think it's for the best. And I'm glad you found all that out now, instead of after you spent thousands of dollars! I have a couple friends who are doing pretty well with it, but it just seems so risky. What if you get a box full of ugly designs that no one will buy?! ha. But I do have some items (maxi skirts, classsic tees, Randys) that I absolutely love. I sell Perfectly Posh (naturally based skin care and bath stuff) and I have a hard enough time selling that. My sales are almost non-existent. Posh just launched a long-wearing lipcolor today and I'm hoping that will help! Let me know if you want a sample. ;)
I'm still behind on my reading goal for the year. I'm considering changing it. Shhh... ;) Haha. I change it almost every year so that I can complete it.
Congrats Kourtney! How was Scotland?
Hope everyone is doing well!
Went to a book signing for Laura Caldwell's (she wrote 4 RDI) Anatomy of Innocence tonight. She's the co-editor and also wrote one of the stories--all about people who were wrongfully convicted. She seems to have moved away from chick lit now, but I definitely recommend Anatomy of Innocence if you've been following Serial, Making a Murderer, etc.
Oh I love Laura Caldwell's RDI books! I read one of her mystery novels and loved that too. Stacy - I haven't announced anything on FB yet so SHHH! :)
Our trip to London and Scotland was AWFUL. My morning sickness went from an 8/10 (10 being absolutely horrible) to about 100/10. I threw up in every airport...on every plane...in every hotel...in every restaurant...and then to top it all off we lost our daughter's favorite toy in a cab on the first night! I was never more happy than the moment I was home. Oh glorious home.
I don't know what's happened but this morning I woke up wanting to re-read all my favorite RDI books. I'm hoping they were just as great as they were when I was in my 20's!
I’m in the process of reading Laura Caldwell’s Izzy MacNeil mysteries - they do have a little RDI flavor with the romance parts. Speaking of RDI, did anyone see the Carrie Pilby movie on Netflix? It was really cute!
I saw it! I actually liked it better than the book.
Hiiiii guys!! Happy late Thanksgiving! Hope you all had a great time with family and friends and got to eat a lot of mashed potatoes (my favorite side, haha).I was in St. Louis over the holiday with my husband's family. It was fun and really cold. Also, we just ordered our very first Christmas tree!!! We got it from Home Depot online, and it'll be here this week. We also had to get some ornaments because we literally only have one - it has our wedding date and bride and groom on it that my mother-in-law gave us. Other than that, zero ornaments. Not even a star for the tree. But now we got it all ordered, and I'm so excited for this weekend to put up our very first tree. :)
On another note, I just got back into reviewing books. I used to have a blog but then deleted it because I wasn't keeping up with it. Now I started a new one, and I'm really excited about it (https://fuzzynovel.blogspot.com/). I'm trying to read three Christmas books this month (three because that's how many I have on my Kindle). We'll see how that goes. :)
Bianca - I remember your blog! Mostly because I LOVE the name of it. :) Did you design that logo? It's so cute!Mashed potatoes are my favorite side too!
Also, general question to the group - I think we have talked about Beth Harbison's books in this group, right? I just started reading this book called "New Girl" and I was surprised to find out it's written by Paige Harbison, who happens to be Beth's daughter!
Suzanne - haha thank you! Yes, I did - I didn't create the image of the cocktail in the logo, though.Yummmmm mashed potatoes are the best. Has anyone had the ones from Costco? They are in the deli section and they will change your life. The only problem is that they are seasonal - my mother-in-law and I discovered them last year right around Christmas and I was HOOKED after that. Then I had to go all this year without them. I just found out they're back in stores, so I ran over there after work to get some. But now they are sold out. :(
Anyway, I love Beth Harbison!! I didn't know her daughter wrote books - I'm gonna have to get that book. :)
HEY GUYS!! I was thinking of you all earlier today, logged on here and noticed we haven’t posted in ONE YEAR! How crazy. Anyway, missing you guys and hope you’re all doing well. :)How was your 2018? Any highlights worth sharing?
Was thinking about the group a few days ago. Highlights for 2018 is the that my son is on a full academic scholarship at Lamar University. Downside is that I now live alone and really don't know what to do with my spare time. I expect my reading will pick up.
Hope things are going well!
Hi! My cancer came back. I started Graduate school at the University of Alabama. I received a promotion at work to Senior Library Specialist. I am still going to author events but have backed off of my blog activity with school.
After the worlds worst pregnancy (we are talking morning sickness day and night for 9 months straight) my son was born in May. I was then super tired for a few months. But right before I was to go back to work a new job contacted me and hired me. I have a hell of a commute (1 hour to work 1.5 back) but it’s more money. We bought a house and just moved in the beginning of December. And now I’m hoping to start reading again. Goals for 2019? Unpack and lose the baby weight!! I also need to catch up on net galley books or they will never give me another one again!
Hey everyone! I've missed this group and I am enjoying reading everyone's updates.Nothing too exciting here. I started a new job over the summer and it's going well. We got a cat in November. Her name is Luna. Went to California a couple times.
Really hoping this year will be the year I finally finish writing my book. My Goodreads goal is 36 books this year.
Kourtney - I almost took a job with that long of a commute. My current job is 1 hour each way but I get to work from home 4 days a week. Makes it a lot more bearable to only have to do it once a week. Congrats on the house! We are going to start looking for a townhouse next year I think.
I actually don’t mind the commute for the most part. It’s the only time I’m alone 🤣
Hi all!Not really anything new with me. My workload increased and that has really cut down my reading time (I did most of my reading at work!), but I’m really enjoying what I’m doing and got to be in on the launch of the expansion.
And I got to take some great vacations in 2018. If anyone was a fan of the show Nashville, I went to Nashville (I live in Phoenix) to see their farewell concert at the Grand Ole Opry—it was a great time.
HIIIIII!! It's been like more than a year since we've chatted, and I miss you ladies!! Just wanted to say hi and see how you are all doing. :)
Has it really been over a year!? Shame on us! Is anyone reading more in lockdown than before?Raising 2 toddlers (one of which is about to turn 5 on Thursday!) does not give me much time to read anymore, but I have been sneaking some time here and there. I did start a book review blog back in February (long overdue) but I haven't advertised about it much until I get more time to devote to it.
www.familywithbooks.com
I am lucky that both my husband and I have been allowed to work from home for the foreseeable future, especially since we lost our daycare spots and my daughter's Kindergarten year will now be half in school, half home school. It's a weird time, but we are making it work!
How has everyone else been?!?
Hello everyone! I have been working from home. I am in Graduate School and not paying a lot of attention to Goodreads. I do miss you all!
Kourtney, your blog is so cute! That's so exciting! Happy birthday to your 5-year-old. :)I wasn't good about reading during quarantine at first. I chose, instead, to binge TV shows, haha. But now I'm back at it! And so happy about it. My big thing is going to be clearing out my NetGalley shelf. I have several in there that I got access to but haven't read yet and it's been a while. Need to get on it!
Jenny, that's awesome about grad school! Assuming you are taking classes from home. What are you studying?
Kourtney,I just took a look at your blog and it looks great. I still have mine but it can sometimes be hard to say no when having so many. I have had some interesting experiences with authors and publicists. I think what is great about your blog is that you are clear about what you will accept and what you won't.
Hi Bianca,I hope you are well. I am currently studying for my master's in Library Science. I am taking an Adult Services class right now. What are you up to?
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Kourtney,
I have heard the same thing. The independent booksellers that I frequent share the same information. So the physical book is not dead Bianca! :)