Rewind and Fast Forward: November 2014

I always forgot how fast time begins to go as the holidays arrive. Once November hits, it's a whirlwind of activity and before you know it, we're ushering in the New Year. I still can't believe that it's a). December and b). that it's snowed. Seriously snow, go away and don't ever come back. I HATE snow. All it does is make the already idiotic Northern Virginia drivers drive even more idiotically. *sigh* Oh, and it makes everybody call into work. Which means being stuck with lots of work... Anyway... the holidays are upon us and I have to really get going on my Christmas shopping. I'm determined to avoid last minute gifts this year. I'm going to get it all done on time! (stop laughing all of you; it's going to happen.) 

Let's see, November was, as always, a busy month for me and for the blog. I got myself back into my usual blogging routine (for the most part). It felt good to be back on schedule and back in the swing of things. Hopefully I can keep it up this month. 

Reviews:

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray: 3.5 Stars

Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little: 2 Stars

True Fire by Gary Meehan: 3 Stars

City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster: 4 Stars

Empire of Shadows by Miriam Forster: 4 Stars

Watched by C.J. Lyons: 3 Stars

Half Lies by Sally Green: 2.5 Stars

Trust Me, I'm Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer: 4 Stars

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini: 4.5 Stars

Nine books! Not bad, if I do say so myself. The month wasn't that great, but I definitely loved Trial by Fire and Miriam Forster's series surprised me. I also really enjoyed Trust Me, I'm Lying, a fun contemporary thriller. 

Other Posts:

I wrote a couple discussion posts last month about commenting on other blogs and blog design. I did a little bit of simple redesign on  my blog this month. It's definitely not professional, but I was proud of myself, seeing as how I know nothing about design. My favorite Top Ten Tuesday post this month was on characters I wish would get their own book. And that's about it. I started getting back into my routine like halfway through the month, so hopefully I'll have more to offer you guys in December. I also wrote a guest post for Violet @ Paper Worlds and Swirls of Ink with a bunch of tips for new bloggers. 

In My Real Life: 

Work, work and more work. Work has been crazy busy lately. Supposedly this is usually our slow time, but let me tell you, it's not slow at all. I've been going into work before 7am everyday just to try and get things like filing done because I have no time during the normal day to do tasks like that. I've been working through lunch just about everyday and staying at least half an hour late. It's been a bit exhausting and overwhelming, but at least I'm making some extra money before the holidays right? 

I've also continued running with my friend Michelle. We go 2-4 times a week. I'm super proud of us for sticking with it even though the weather has been cold. Michelle hates me for making her run outside, but I just can't stand treadmills. And she always thanks me when we're done. :) 

Thanksgiving. Turkey Day was quiet this year. It was just Phil and I here at our little apartment. We can only afford to go back to Chicago for one of the holidays so we always pick Christmas. The past couple years we've done Turkey Day with friends, but this year just didn't work out that way. But it was okay. I still made the full dinner. Turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, rolls, pie, etc... We stuffed our faces and then watched Elf. It was a great, relaxing day. It was so nice to just spend the day with my hubby. :) What did you all do for Thanksgiving? 

I saw Mockingjay!! It was amazing. I cried four times and am now completely obsessed with the song, Hanging Tree. If you haven't seen the movie yet, get on it. 

Fast-Forward:

December is going to be a great month for books! I'm super excited about all of these, but especially the JLA one, because let's be honest, it's JLA. And it's NA so there are bound to be some super steamy scenes. Bring it on. 

This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Love and Other Theories by Alexis Bass

Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

Zodiac by Romina Russell

Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

That's all I got for you guys! How was your November? Read any good books I should know about? How was your Thanksgiving? What December releases are you looking forward to?