Quicky Review #13: Santa is Coming to California, Tallulah's Nutcracker and Hello Ninja

The final and last Quicky Review for 2013 is dedicated to the kids.

Two of these books I read at a LAX bookstore while waiting on my flight.  Yes, I was just standing there in the kids section looking at books and I completed two of them.  The others didn't hold my interest or were to long for my wait.  LOL!

The last one was free from Starbucks. 

Here are just a few sentences on these short (about 2 hours or less) stories.

There are other Quicky Reviews for you to check out too and don't worry there will be more to come. I like short stories because most of them are FREE and I can get in and out of one in no time.

Below are the links to the other Quicky Reviews this year. 

Quicky Reviews #10: The First, The Choice and The Sparrow  

Quicky Review #11: Riding the Bullet and Vampire Short Stories
Quicky Review #12: My Soul to Lose and The Booktaker

The 2013 DNF List

Every once in awhile I put a book down and never ever pick it up again.  Sometimes I have really good intentions of completing it.  In December I try and make a real good effort to read books I Did Not Finish reading during the year.  Sometimes Most of the time it is just one book.  but I am sad to say this year I have 2 books on the DNF list.  Both of them I will get back to one day, just not before 2013 ends.
Last year I had just one.  I never finished reading Love in the Time of Cholera but I did see the movie.  So that kinda counts?  Right?

Quicky Review #12: My Soul to Lose and The Booktaker

It's time for another Quicky Reviews.

As you know it's the end of the year and I don't like having dangling reviews starting my new year and staring me in the face. There is just something about starting the new year with zero book on your "To Review" pile. So here are two more and after these two I just have 1 book review (for next year) and 3 mini reviews to go. (Must do now!)

These two audiobooks were also read for the  R.I.P. Reading Challenge (October) and they were both free short audiobooks from Audible.com.  These are the last for that challenge.

Here are just a few sentences on these short (about 2 hours or less) stories.

There are other Quicky Reviews for you to check out too and don't worry there will be more to come. I like short stories because most of them are FREE and I can get in and out of one in no time.

Below are the links to the other Quicky Reviews this year. 

Quicky Review #9: Letter from Birmingham Jail  

Quicky Reviews #10: The First, The Choice and The Sparrow  

Quicky Review #11: Riding the Bullet and Vampire Short Stories

Book Blogging Goals and Resolutions

I love making resolutions and goals for myself. Big ones and little ones. Like having a no spending day once a week.  Book Blogging is hosting a linky for your 2014 book blogging goals.

We’re closing in on 2014! It’s time to start looking forward to the new year and making book blogging plans! Let’s make 2014 a productive and amazing year for book bloggers by setting goals and resolutions. Everyone has things they want to achieve, or resolutions they want to make. So let’s each make a list and share it with the blogosphere!

Quicky Review #11: Riding the Bullet and Vampire Short Stories

Welcome back to Quicky Reviews.

Now that it is the end of the year I am desperately trying to wrap up all my mini reviews as well.  There is just something about starting the new year with zero book on your "To Review" pile.  After these two I just have 1 book review and  4 mini reviews to go. 

These two audiobooks were read for the R.I.P. Reading Challenge (October) and they were both short audiobooks from the library. 

Here are just a few sentences on these short (about 2 hours or less) stories. 

There are other Quicky Reviews for you to check out too and don't worry there will be more to come.  I like short stories because most of them are FREE and I can get in and out of one in no time.

Below are the links to the other Quicky Reviews this year.

Quicky Review#8: New World and Spy Killer

Quicky Review #9: Letter from Birmingham Jail
Quicky Reviews #10: The First, The Choice and The Sparrow 

Diversity on the Shelf: Links and Resources

Inspired by the POC Reading Challenge

The Diversity on the Shelf 2014 Reading Challenge starts in 3 days and counting!! (Sign up here for 2015)
If you are new to making a conscious effort towards diversifying your bookshelf and need a few suggestions check out these links I have collected.  By the way they are not in any particular order and some of them are not very recent but still useful.
 This list will grow and change as I find more resources, so check back every once in awhile.

~ Former Reading Challenge~

POC Reading Challenge
The bloggers who hosted the reading challenge linked a ton of great resources and you can also read the reviews they linked up each month.

~Diversity Promoting Blogs~

Color Online
White Readers Meet Black Authors
Writers of Color Blog Tour
The Brown Bookshelf
Linus's Blanket
Kinna Reads
Reads for Pleasure
Literary Marie's Precision Reviews
Global Women of Color
SORMAG's Blog
 Reading Has Purpose
Girlxoxo
The Write to Make A Living
Sew Transformed
The Reader's Suite
Reading in Color
Gathering of Books
Nita Bee's Buzzin' Books & Poetry WebBlog
Joy's Book Blog
Diversity in YA
The Open Book
Rich in Color 
S Krishna's Books

New Reading Challenges for 2014

As I am getting my New Years Resolutions for 2014 together I want to pick a few reading challenges to help with my bookish goals.  There are just so many reading challenges out there, it makes it impossibly hard to pick which ones to sign up for.  I just keep telling myself to be realistic and not to get too carried away.  Like I did last year. So this year I am going to try a few new ones and keep up with a few old ones. 

~ New to Me Reading Challenges ~

 Host:  My Little Pocketbooks (me)

Purpose:  Read books by authors of color and/or with a main character of color

Level:  4th Shelf (19 - 24 books)

Some of the books I plan to read that will cross challenges:

1.  Legend by Marie Lu

2.  The Barbarian Nurseries by Hector Tobar

 3.  Strategic Planning for Love and War by Johnson

4.  Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright

5.  7:33am by Monda Raquel Webb

6.  Illusions by Chantilly Chanel Austin 

Book Blogger Hop: 2014 Wish List and Ice

Hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer 

Welcome everyone to another post of Book Blogger Hop (hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer).  Each week there will be a new topic submit by a blogger and everyone can join in with their answers. You should join us!  It's quite fun!

 

This weeks Topic/Question 

December 27th - January 2nd: What books are you looking forward to reading in 2014?

My Bookish Resolution for 2014

So last year I made a Bookish Resolution to not buy any books in 2013 unless it was a Mocha Girls Read book of the month.  Since there are 12 months that means 12 books in one year and nothing else. I am happy to say .... I DID IT!  But I did purchase a few books for giveaways.  Just a few. But overall I am happy about getting my book buying habits under control.

But there was a part of my 2013 resolution that I didn't really nail. I have a ton of books at home that I need to read.  A ton!  And I really want to read more than half of them.  I really want to finish this list and move on.  Call me OCD but I have 100 new books (that I didn't buy) in my house from BEA13 and I am still hooked on this list. 

Here is my 2103 list with the books I did read crossed out.

2013 Wrap Up!

 

Can you believe 2013 is over?  Wow!
Last year I did my first ever end of the year wrap up post and I thought I would do another one this year. This year was a bit of a challenge trying to keep this blog up and running.  Yes!  Blogging is a learning process and I have to learn how to budget, schedule and manage my time a little bit more.  For one, much more organized and focus about my blog than I was at the beginning of this journey but I still need to work on the time management. 

So here are the stats for my second year with My Little Pocketbooks

Well here is a few of the great highlights from my first year with My Little Pocketbooks.

First Blog Post of the Year 

This Blog is Cleaning House in 2013

 

First Comment From

 Alexis @ Refelctions of a Bookaholic 

Same person as last year.