I'm Back + 2017 Blogging Resolutions

Well, I’m finally back and ready to start blogging again. It was kind of nice to take a break what with everything that’s been going on lately. 2016 is officially over and I’m praying for a better year. What I really want to tackle today are my Blogging Resolutions, because it’s that time again. Last year I set some simple goals for myself, and I mostly accomplished them. This year, I’m going to follow the same kind of theme and keep all of my blogging goals relatively simple and manageable. Of course, whether or not I actually accomplish these goals is left up to how 2017 goes for me.

• #1  Expand the topics discussed on the blog.

I don’t want to limit this goal to just exploring the different genres. I’ve always been an avid comic/manga fan, and I would like to incorporate some of the other books I've read onto the blog as well, which is what I ultimately did with nonfiction. Occasionally, I also want to talk about some of the shows I watch. But again, this goal isn’t very specific, which is how I want to keep it. 

• #2 Read more backlist books. 

I’ll still read the 2017 new releases that catch my interest, but I want to get to those books that I’ve wanted to read for a long time too.

• #3 Read more classics. 

This is one goal I want to make progress on, because, no, I haven't read Pride and Prejudice or Fahrenheit 451 either. There are so many classics that I want to get to that reading more of them had to be one of my Blogging Resolutions.

• #4 Post more discussion posts. 

I haven’t done many discussion posts, but I want to do more of them. It does take time to think of a topic worth discussing, and then finding the right words to convey that idea. So, like all my others goals, I won’t stress myself out if I can’t meet this one. 

• #5 Take breaks as needed. 

Last year, I didn’t take as many breaks as I did in 2015. Breaks give me the time to recharge and come back to blogging with renewed enthusiasm. I don’t know when I’ll need them, but I want to take them whenever I don’t feel up to writing posts or reading. Like my other goals, this one also depends on how the year goes.

So, those are my 2017 blogging resolutions. Sometime soon, I’m going to share some of my highly anticipated 2017 releases. Happy reading!

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway: Roseblood by A.G. Howard

Roseblood by A.G. Howard releases today! If you haven’t heard about A.G. Howard's latest book, be sure to check out all the details below. There's also a giveaway down at the bottom of the post, where you can enter for a chance to win a signed Roseblood poster and a mask (courtesy of A.G. Howard & Rockstar Book Tours).

Title: ROSEBLOOD

Author: A.G. Howard

Pub. Date: January 10, 2016

Publisher: Amulet Books

Pages: 432

Formats: Hardcover, paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads

In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known.

A.G. Howard was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. She always wondered what would've happened had the subtle creepiness of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland taken center stage, and she hopes her darker and funkier tribute to Carroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a child.

When she's not writing, A.G.'s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads

Now for the giveaway. One winner will receive a signed Roseblood poster and a Mask. This giveaway is US Only and ends on January 17th at Midnight EST.

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Music Monday (11) Epic Music Edition

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

I’m finally back from my blogging break, thus ends my weekly meme hiatus. To get back into the swing of things, I’m starting out with Music Monday. Adri is also back, and today, we’re going to share some of our favorite epic music (also known as trailer music).

Breana:

Besides the Christmas edition of Music Monday, this is another post I’m really excited to do. I listen to a lot of epic music, because, lets be honest here, there’s just so much of it. Many of the groups I know of I found by random on Youtube, or by recommendation (thanks Adri!). My first pick this week is Adventures of Gillock by Two Steps From Hell. This is one of my favorite songs, but it’s so short! This is one of the songs that I wish was longer than it really is. One minute and nine seconds just isn’t enough. :-(

My second pick is All the King's Horses also by Two Steps from Hell. I love how upbeat it is. And like Adventures of Gillock, I wish this song was a little longer.

Adri:

Since we're kicking off 2017 (epically), I want to start with one of my favorite songs called Wyatt Earth by Globus. I really love all of their songs on the Break From This World album, but Wyatt Earth speaks to me the most. I could type on and on about this song, but I'm not. So, here's my first Music Monday pick of 2017.

Do you listen to epic music? If so, tell us your favorite songs in the comments below. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Our Thoughts Precisely! It's officially 2017. We hope everyone has a safe and marvelous day. Regular blogging will resume shortly. :-)

End of the Year Post (2016)

Well, 2016 is just a few days from being over, and it’s time to share some of my general thoughts about my year in blogging. To make it easier on myself, I’m going to divide this post down into sections, and talk about those subjects individually.

• Books…

This year, I went back and read a lot of older releases that I’ve been meaning to get to. I have to admit, it was a lot of fun, and I realized just how many great books I’ve missed.

One of the big things I’ve come to accept this year is that I don’t need the new releases as soon as they come out. I’ve realized that I’m okay with waiting a little longer—sometimes months—to read the books I’m really looking forward to. My reasoning is that I’m still going to eventually read the book, so I just don’t worry about it anymore and feel more relaxed.

I’m still okay with DNFing books I’m just not enjoying. I used to be one of those people who tried to finish every book I started. So, I’ve tried that before, it takes forever to get to the end of the book, and I end up losing my enthusiasm for reading and blogging. In 2016, I’ve pretty much stuck to the first 100 page thing—sometimes I’ll read a little more than that if there’s something I find promising about the story. However, for the most part, I’ve set aside books that I just couldn’t get into, in favor of ones I really wanted to read, and ended up enjoying.

The biggest thing I’ve focused on is reading what makes me happy, rather than spending too much time on things that I don’t like.

• Memes…

I actually really like the memes I’m currently participating in. They’re pretty easy to do, and it’s really up to me what I do and don’t want to post. Nothing has really changed since 2015 in that regard, except for the fact that I tried out some non-book related memes. Music seemed like a good fit for Our Thoughts Precisely. So, I tried out two—one on Thursday and the other on Monday. The Thursday meme didn’t work out since it added another day to my regular posting schedule. I wanted to keep Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as the days I primarily post on. So, Music Monday stuck around. It worked out for the better since I could use the two Monday memes interchangeably, or participate in both.

For the past several weeks, Adri has been blogging regularly on Music Monday. It has been so much fun writing out the post, and sharing our music recommendations.  

• Some thoughts about the blog...

I don’t think my method of blogging has changed much since last year. A lot of the things I started doing in 2015 occurred regularly in 2016 since they worked so well for me. Could things change in 2017? I don’t really think so. I’m pretty happy with how things currently work. However, a big part of blogging is learning as I go. So, it would be kind of premature to say “never!” to any potential changes.