November 2016
GUUUUUUYS! November is OVER. I have TWO WEEKS!!!!! left of work. I have THREE WEEKS!!!!!!! left before I leave the town that has been my home for practically 5ever and set out on a new adventure. I just… I KNOW I was complaining about how slowly time seemed to be moving, but then today happened, and I realized… No, there’s really not that much time left, what the heckles, where did it even, WHAT AM I DOING?!
Don’t get me wrong–I’m SUUUUUPER excited about the changes soon to take place. One of my siblings lives something like 4 hours from Indy, and has already started talking about driving out to meet up with me. I haven’t seen her in like…ten years? More than? so aside from A NEW START and NEW EXPERIENCES, I’m also getting the chance to see and maybe get to know family that I before now haven’t really had the opportunity to.
But…I’m also super nervous. Which, I mean, who wouldn’t be in my position? I’m leaving what has, for pretty much my entire life, been my safe zone. My nest. I left for five years for college, but I was only on the other side of the state–not SEVERAL STATES AWAY. Also, there are other things to worry about–like finding a job (I’ve already got a list of places to start applying to, soon). Like finding new insurance (I mean, fortunately I’d probably be doing this anyway seeing as it’s going to be a new year blah blah)
But with the insurance thing… I don’t know what’s going to happen there, because of Trump taking over office in January. I don’t know what his plans are, aside from “pulling” Obamacare……..thanks to which I HAVE insurance in the first place. It’s kind of terrifying, actually–with the chronic illnesses I have right now, I can’t just let things slip. This is my LIFE–as in life or death–we’re talking about. Without the medications I take 4+ times a day, I will die. Without the help of insurance to afford said medications, I’m not sure I can afford to pay for them myself, which leads back to…. I will die.
So…I’m nervous. But I’d be nervous even if I was staying where I’m at, so it’s all good.
Also, I’m COLD. In the last week or so, we went from the awesome 50-60 degree weather….to snow, and wind, and 20-30 degrees, and…. I mean, it’s Wyoming. It’s November. We SHOULD have been freezing a long time back, honestly, but…. Can’t I be a WARM penguin?! Isn’t that a thing?!
According to goodreads, I managed to read 12! books this month. Honestly, I expected that number to be a lot lower. Also, I’ll be finishing a book after posting this, so let’s say 13, because it’s still November.
Are you ready? Here’s the list (click the titles to go to goodreads):
November Rain (Bad Bloods #1), by Shannon A. Thompson
Damned If I Don’t (The Harker Trilogy #2), by Erin Hayes
The Kiss that Killed Me (The Tidal Kiss #1), by Kristy Nicolle
Magic Poetry, by Píaras Ó Cionnaoith
The Bad Boy Bargain, by Kendra C. Highley
The Boxer and the Butterfly, by Sasha Hibbs
P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #2), by Jenny Han
The Spot on the Wall, by Rob Santana
The Charming Life of Izzy Malone, by Jenny Lundquist
In a Gilded Cage, by Mia Kerick
Immortal Writers, by Jill Bowers
Love Addicts Anonymous (Part 1), by J.C. Reed
Piper Perish, by Kayla Cagan
Cover Love
Because there are some GORGEOUS covers out there, I’m adding a new section to my loved/loathed posts! My favorite covers in November were:
TBR Challenge Update:
(all titles will take you to my reviews!)
#RockMyTBR Challenge
I am going to TRY to read at least 5 books I already own each month. In November, I read:
P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #2), by Jenny Han
LOL I only read one book I “already” owned. OOPS?!
2016 Debut Author Challenge
I’m going to try to read at least 1 debut book/author every month (maybe more!) In November, I read:
Immortal Writers, by Jill Bowers
2016 Diverse Reads Challenge
I’m trying to read more diverse books. I don’t have a specific goal in mind for each month–I’m hoping for at least two, but we’ll see what happens! This also isn’t excluding any other books set for the month that also fit the challenge! In November, I read:
P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #2), by Jenny Han
In a Gilded Cage, by Mia Kerick
The Boxer and the Butterfly, by Sasha Hibbs
Loved (5 Penguins):
Unfortunately, I had NO 5 penguin reads this month! What the heckles is even UP with that, I mean seeeeeeriously?! Hopefully I’ll have at least one in December. Hopefully.
Loathed (2 Penguins):
(because I totes just realized, DUH, I don’t DO 1 penguin reviews anymore?! So let’s switch it to 2 penguins, yes? Yes.
What awesome books did YOU read last month? How are you all doing on any yearly challenges you set for yourself? Feel free to comment, or link me to your monthly wrap-ups below!
Until next time, happy book-ing!
Good luck with the big move! What an exciting/terrifying time for you. But it will be a great adventure, once you’re there. 😀
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Yassssss, and I’m SO so ready for something new–I’ve needed a new chapter in my life for a long long time, but have always been held back by my fears and what ifs. It’s about time I break free a little, I think, and let myself actually live! 😀
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Here’s to a new start and new experiences! 🙂
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Here, here! 🙂
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Oh…and thanks for plugging my poetry book!
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You’re welcome! 🙂
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I hope everything works out wonderfully for you Beth! I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you!🤗
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Looks like you had a great reading month! 12 books! That’s awesome! The only one I’ve read is P.S. I Still Love You and I loved it! Happy reading!! 🙂
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Aww, thank you so much for stopping by, Alice! I tend to read a lot of lesser known/self pubbed stuff, so it makes sense that would be the only one you’ve picked up so far! ❤ Haha here's hoping you have a great December!
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*hugs penguin Beth* I’m so sorry for your situation right now, my princess penguin! But don’t worry – I’m sure you’ll be alright! I’m a true believer that Trump is a barker rather than a biter and he doesn’t have gods power within the goverment. I’m not saying he won’t screw up, I’m saying he’ll screw up lightly because people smarter than him will put him into his place as soon as he sets foot on the White House ❤ I'm a panda journalist, I know what I'm saying ❤ Also, you're suffering way before you need to. One thing at a time, as my therapist used to say! Focus on the nice things coming your way with the moving ❤
Also, I already said so, your reading month was awesomeee!!! You go, girl!!!!! /o/
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LMAO I ALWAYS suffer before I need to–I have a problem with freaking out about things I shouldn’t, and I fuuuully know this about myself. #tellmehowtostop #showmetheways !
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Doooon’t!!! You don’t have to be a sad penguin before you do!! #what Come to the rainbow side of life with me ❤ Think of… think of books! music! food and enemy's blood! /o/
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OH OH OH I AM NOW ZOMBIE PENGUIN, food IS enemy blood! #thistookadarkturn #whateven
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Zombies are a thing right now, we must follow the trends, my friend! ❤ HAHAHAHAHAH #pandalogic
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Zombies are a thing ALWAYS in my world. I blame Pride and Prejudice and Zombies….that’s what got MY obsession going! Though honestly, lately I’ve been really loving the zombies that aren’t like NORMAL zombies. Because…self pubbed authors rock at the creativity thing! #mylittlepenguinheart #flutteringandbeatless #beeeeeeeeeeeaks
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MINE STARTED LIKE THAT TOO! OMG THAT IS SOOOO AWESOME AND SCARING HAHAHAH ❤ Hmm, just what did you mean with not normal zombies?? TELL ME MOAREEEEE!!
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OKAY OKAY so my obsession with not normal zombies started with a book called The Girl with All the Gifts, by M.R. Carey. It’s AWESOME and I highly recommend it, it’s one of my favorite zombie books EVER.
And then I recommend: Rise of the Chosen, by Anna Kopp.
I just…they’re zombies, sort of, but…with fresh and inventive twists that make them stand apart, y’know?!
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The girl with all the gifts SOUNDS AWESOME! It’s already on my tbr ❤ The other one, I don't think I'd enjoy so much given the blurb and your review… I'll start with TGWATG LMAO Thanks sooo much for the wonderful recommendations, Beth!!! ❤
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Hey, you’re suuuuuper fantabulously welcome! I’m happy to help.
AND YAAAAAAY, TGWATG is one of my faaaaaavorites and now I’m super excited to see what you think of it!
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Me tooooo!! It’s already on my Santa Claus’ ebook list, haha! Good thing my virtual sock is huge for so many ebooks I plan to put my furry little panda hands on this Christmas ❤
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WHOOT! *eager* I loooooove hearing that I’ve (forced people into) helped people realize the awesomeness of books they’re missing out on! >.>
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you and me both, sister! HAHAHAHAHA
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It DID get cold where you are!
Wait…whoah…this is big news about you moving. How did I miss this? Is your whole family moving? What happened to take you out of state?
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Uhm. The hubs and I split up in September, we’ve been divorced since then. I went to visit a friend in Indy and decided I kinda LOOOOVE it out there?! so while it’s a ways away from my family, I think it’ll be worth it. I’m trying to live more in the here and now, and to allow myself to take risks–I’ve lived too long holding myself back with fears, you know?
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Good for you. This is your time, babeeeeee!
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YAAAAS, YAS IT IS! I’m going to rock it so hard, it’s going to be epical! 🙂
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Good luck with the move! I completely understand why your nervous/anxious I totally would be too!
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Aww, thank you so much hon! It’s always nice to hear that my anxieties/nerves are not heedless. ❤
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Oh gosh yes, validation is always great! ❤️
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Right?! Especially when people around me tend to tell me I’m panicking over nothing and/or freaking out too early about future things. XD
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Oh that’s just silly this is a huge life change! I think it’s only natural to be nervous.
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Thank yoooooou! Hahaha I so appreciate the validation, you rock.
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Omg I love that Izzy Malone cover. It is so gorgeous!!
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Isn’t it just ADORABLE?!?! I absolutely love it and am SO super glad I have a copy already for my shelves, because YAAAAAAS! Also, the read itself is super cute too, just sayin’. 😉
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Ok I’ll check it out!! =)
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YAY great choice! Hahaha seriously, though–I hope you enjoy it, if you do decide to pick it up!
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13 books!!! Congratulations! And December will be a very exciting month for you! That’s amazing. Hope everything goes well. (Good luck with moving and new job) xx
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Thank you so so sooooo much, I appreciate the kind thoughts! ❤
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Ugh I know how you feel about Obamacare. My family is low-income and luckily, living in Connecticut, we get free insurance from the state (we did even before Obamacare existed) but it’s still scary for us. It’s hard to tell how Obamacare being repealed might affect us. And my mom is diabetic and has other medical conditions too and takes a lot of medications which we could not afford without insurance. Fingers crossed it works out for all of us.
12/13 books is an impressive amount for one month! A few of the ones you read are on my TBR. I really want to read In a Gilded Cage. 🙂
I hope December is a great month for you!
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Thank you. There are a lot of people out there who I know are worrying about the same things I do–it’s just frustrating when my family gets on one of their, “you worry too much” bouts. Because…no? This is literally my LIFE we’re talking about? XD I’m sure it’ll work out the way it’s supposed to, though, for all of us–hopefully it won’t be as bad as I’ve been imagining.
And thank you! In a Gilded Cage was super interesting and suuuuuper dark–I enjoyed it! ❤
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That’s super exciting and scary! Good luck! Also, it looks like you read some pretty good books this month. I hope you get a little time to read more soon!
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Thank you SO much–I’m super excited, it’s bound to be a good thing! 😀 And yeeeees, hopefully! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some reading time in the coming weeks for sure.
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How interesting! Thanks for showing me your post, I miss talking with you!!
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We reeeeeeally ought to talk more, I think! With all the emails I get a day, it’s easy to miss things unfortunately. XD I’m trying to work on that though.
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Ahh, I set it up on wordpress where I don’t get any emails. I kinda feel bad, but I also don’t because then my email is WAY less cluttered! 🙂
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Bahahahaha I bet it’s SO much easier on you that way! I, on the other hand, subscribe to ALL TEH THINGS……..and then read like 2-3 of them each day. OOPS?!
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A minus to the no-emails thing is that I have no idea when people post their stuff! However when I get on here and am in the mood to read blog posts, there are quite a few that I could read!
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Hahahaha you make valid points! 😀
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Ahh, I can’t even imagine how stressful making the move will be, Beth. I really hope everything goes the way you need it to and that it turns out to be the best decision ever 😀 I am sending unlimited positive penguin vibes your way ♥♥♥
Great reading month too 😀 Sorry you didn’t have any 5 star reads, but hopefully December will be full of them!!
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Thank yooooooou, Lauren! I really just… I’ve hit that point where excitement is beating out anxiety/stress, so it should all be uphill from here!
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Aw, yay!! That’s so good to hear 💕💕
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