Weekend Tidbits {#3}: That Time There Was A Humming Bird

When I originally thought of doing some kind of occasional weekend post, I already knew that it wasn’t going to be a weekly thing. It’s going to be, as I said above, occasional. All this post is about is the things I’m currently doing or maybe even look forward to. And at the very end I’ll name a place that I wish was a book setting and my choice of tea for the day. (Links for Weekend Tidbits can be found on the Features Page.)

I actually didn’t post a review last week, but I do have a couple that I want to finish writing this weekend. However, I did start the week out with a post about DNFing books which you can view HERE. I do have a book about cookies to read and review so I’m looking forward to trying out some of the recipes. Also, the giveaway to win a copy of The Wrath and The Dawn is still going. If you want to enter CLICK HERE

In other news, there is a humming bird nesting right outside the window of my house. I knew there was a nest there and I’ve seen the bird, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I finally got a picture of it actually in the nest. And it happened to be raining too. The left photo is farther out, but the bird is just below the middle of the picture. And the right one is a closer photo of the bird & the nest.

Today’s location is Gullfoss Waterfall, Iceland. Check out the Places I Wish Were Book Settings Pinterest board HERE to see today's place.

Today's choice is something that I haven't had in a while, and that is ginger. 

The Friday 56 (26)

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

I finished this book a while ago, and I hope to get the review up soon.

"The mission specialist is responsible for ensuring the success of the specific mission to which he's assigned. Mission specialists can lead spacewalks, run experiments in space, operate all of the equipment for a mission, and otherwise assist with the functioning of a mission."--Space Exploration for Dummies by Cynthia Phillips & Shana Priwer

What's on your page 56 this week?

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway: The Wrath & The Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

I am so excited that The Wrath & The Dawn by Renée Ahdieh releases today and that I get to share the news, along with a special introduction from Renée herself! If you haven’t yet heard about this book, be sure to check out all the details below. And don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of the post for a giveaway, which includes a chance to win signed copies of the book and some beautiful book inspired scarves, courtesy of Renée, Penguin Teen, and Rockstar Book Tours. 

A letter from Renée Ahdieh

There are not enough words to express how thrilled I am to share The Wrath and The Dawn with you! From the moment I typed the first word, I felt connected to Shahrzad and her world in a way that carried me through the long process of publication to where we are today. 

Everything about this process has been a dream come true, and hope you love my book half as much as I enjoyed writing it. In celebration of release day, I'll be giving away a signed, first edition hardcover of the book, as well as a gorgeous scarf . . . or two!

Always remember to make it a story worthy of you!

Renée

About The Book

Title: THE WRATH & THE DAWN

Author: Renée Ahdieh

Pub. Date: May 12, 2015

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Pages: 388

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend. She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all. 

About Renée

Renée lives in North Carolina (Go Heels!) with her husband Victor and their dog Mushu. Her YA fantasy novel, THE WRATH AND THE DAWN, will be published on May 12th, 2015. In her spare time, she likes to cook, dance salsa, and wreak havoc on the lives of her characters.

She’s also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, as well as an active member of theScience Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

WEBSITE| TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | TUMBLR  |PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM

And now for the giveaway. 3 winners will receive a hardcover of The Wrath and The Dawn and a beautiful book inspired scarf (IMAGES BELOW)! US Only. Ends on May 22^nd at Midnight EST!

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Musing Mondays (28)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB(Jenn) at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

And I’m back to blogging! I hope everyone had a lovely day yesterday. So, moving right along, this week my musings have to do with DNFing books. It’s a topic I haven’t really spoken much on before, so I thought I would do a post about it.

Usually, if I feel the need to DNF a book it’s because I’m not personally enjoying my reading experience. I give the books the first 100 pages, sometimes even a little more, to impress me enough to want to keep reading. But on some occasions I just give up and move on. It could be for a number of reasons—sometimes its the story itself despite the writing, which could be some of the best I've ever come across, it just depends.

I have no problem DNFing a book or sharing my reasons for doing so. Think of it this way. Why would I want to spend hours finishing something that I’m not enjoying? I have a bunch of books sitting on my shelf that are practically calling my name—I figure that it would be better to spend time reading what I enjoy rather than the other way around. I used to be the kind of reader that tried to finish every book I ever started, but by doing that—even trudging through books I didn’t like, from start to finish—I ended up in too many reading slumps.

The bottom line is that DNFing when necessary works for me, especially when I don’t have the enthusiasm to continue on with the book in question.

So, what are your thoughts on DNFing? Do you feel the need to finish every book you start?

A Quick Update...

I'm writing this post just to let you guys know that this week is going to be really slow here at Our Thoughts Precisely. I'm not sure if I'm going to be posting anything for the next few days, but I will be back next week. I will still make the occasional post on twitter, tumblr, & pinterest during this week. Thanks for stopping by!