Be Good To Me: Another Round of Birthdays!

R: October being over is crazy because the year is ALMOST over but HELLO NOVEMBER! It's mine & Sharon's birthday month! The holiday season will start soon, school will be winding down... this is definitely the best time of year.

S:  What she said! I'm so excited November is here! Even though that means I've already had another birthday, and that's CRAZY. I'm so excited for the crisp fall weather (it's been pretty warm here thus far) and Thanksgiving and Christmas and just YAY!

Racquel read: 
So it was month of the romantic suspense! This started ever since I read In Death book by J.D. Robb. Since I'm an extreme moody reader, I have to continue reading romantic suspense until this obsession is over. Any recs?

1. Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard (B)
2. Without Words by Ellen O'Connell (A)
3. Fallen by Leslie Tentler (B)
4. Finding Mary Blaine by Jodi Thomas (C)
5. Don't Tell by Karen Rose (B)
6. Have You Seen Her? by Karen Rose (B-)
7. Raid by Kristen Ashley  (B)
8. Lay It Down by Cara McKenna (B-)

Racquel's October favorites: 
—Without Words by Ellen O'Connell: I mean it's Ellen O'Connell. Of course this book was going to be a subtle, slow burning amazing romance. By far my favorite of the whole month.
—Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard: I skipped around this one because I just wanted to read about the couple, who are a new favorite.
—Lay It Down by Cara McKenna: I also skipped around this one but focusing solely on the couple, I love them! Plus, Cara McKenna writes my favorite sexy scenes and dirty heroes. FAVORITE.

Other things Racquel did:

I went to see Arctic Monkeys! I did a lot of fun things in October but that definitely wins. I LOVE Arctic Monkeys and they were just as good in concert as they are on record. Plus I wasn't sure if they were going to sing one of my favorite older song by them, Cornerstore, but they did. It was a magical night.

Sharon read:
01. He's So Fine by Jill Shalvis
02. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (Re-read)
03. Wallflower Gone Wild by Maya Rodale
04. One in a Million by Jill Shalvis

I also made progress on A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin and read a good chunk of Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. I'm rereading both of them before Heir of Fire, which is hanging out and looking pretty on my shelf. As you can see, though, I was clearly not on the top of my reading game in October. I was busy with work and other things, but mostly? I was distracted. See further down for the oh-so-important reason.

Sharon's MONTH favorites:
Um, all of them? No, really. What it lacked in quantity, October made up for in substance. I thoroughly enjoyed every book I read. I mean, it's the third time I read Throne of Glass. I've never read anything by Maya Rodale before, but I really liked her style a lot. I'll definitely be looking her up in the future. And I finished the last full Lucky Harbor book. *sniff* I haven't been able to make myself write the review of it yet, but it will come! No worries.

Other Things Sharon Did
Now, the answer you've all been waiting for. Although if you follow me on Twitter, it's probably not exactly a mystery to you. But trust me, I held back like 98.8% of it. Well, except for Judith. She happened to respond to me once, and I exploded all my feels toward her. Sorry about that, lovely! Without further ado, the object of my obsession:

Once and I started innocently enough. I had held off watching a long time, though it seemed like a very "me" show. I finally gave in, but after 4 episodes, I was ready to throw in the towel. Though I was intrigued by the characters, I was frustrated because nothing was happening. But my cousin encouraged me to give it another shot, and I had a good chunk of time one day after a trip to the dentist where I didn't want to do anything but lie on the couch. It took another two episodes, and BOOM. I was hooked. Things started happening, more characters were introduced, etc. And the rest is history. I kept it healthy for a week or so, with only one or two episodes a day. But then I fell down the hole completely, full-out marathoning and fic-reading and mix-making and apple turnover-baking. Hence, very few books. But oh well. It's freaking AWESOME. I heartily endorse it. Just make sure you give it six episodes before you decide if it's for you or not. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some fic to read books to catch up on.

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Be Good To Me: Bye 2013!

R: The end of the year is here! November (and my birthday) are over. This means finals (boo) and the end of my first college semester (YAAY!) and then I'm going back home over the winter break (major yaaay!). I'm 5 books away from reaching my reading goal of the year so I will be reading like crazy the last 3 weeks of the month.

S:  I can't believe it's December already! I've officially been a part of The Book Barbies for a year! That's just crazy. Anyway, it's December! Which means I can complain about the cold but love curling up with a blanket and mug of hot cocoa/tea/chai. And, of course, CHRISTMAS! I'm a major Christmas elf. So consider yourself forewarned.

Racquel read: 

1. Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel (B)
2. Truly by Ruthie Knox (A)
3. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (B)
4. Beauty by Robin McKinley  (B-)
5. The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead (A)
6. Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh (B-)
7. Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci (A)
8. OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu (A)
9. Sekret by Lindsay Smith (B)
10. How Beauty Met the Beast by Jax Garren (B)

Racquel's November favorites: 
-The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead: This is definitely my new favorite of the series! So many awesome Sydney and Adrian moments. I'm slooooooowly reading The Fiery Heart (I'm trying to savor it), so I'm interested to see if it will beat The Indigo Spell as my favorite.
-Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci: This book is set in space! It's a quick read and it made me want to read all the space books. It's THAT good.
-OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu: I was really excited to read this book
because I knew I was going to love it but DAMN, I did not expect to cry my way through the last 100 pages of the book.


Sharon read:

01. Always on My Mind by Jill Shalvis
02. The Marquess of Cake by Heather Hiestand
03. No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean
04. Gated by Amy Christine Parker
05. Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross
06. Geek Girls Don't Date Dukes by Gina Lamm

Sharon's November favorites:
The hands-down winner of the Awesome Book of the Month award goes to No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean. I already want to re-read. I can't sing this book's praises high enough! I loved the originality, the execution, the slow burn, the characters, EVERYTHING.

Other Things Sharon Did
I finally caved and discovered the amazingness that is Sherlock! The BBC version with Benedict Cumberbatch, that is. And yes, of course, I am in love with him. Because how could you not be? I'm just glad that I only have to wait until January for the new season! The show is just fabulous, and I can't wait to get more of it.

December Releases We Want:

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Be Good To Me: BIRTHDAY Edition!

R: YAYYY BIRTHDAY MONTH! *tosses confetti* My birthday is on the 30th and Sharon's birthday was on the 2nd! *tosses more confetti*

S:  YAYYY BIRTHDAY MONTH! *tosses confetti*

Racquel read: 

1. A Soft Place to Fall by Liz Flaherty (A)
2. Hydraulic Level Five by Sarah Latchaw (B)
3. Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley (A)
4. The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley (C+)
5. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn (B)
6. Because of Joe by Liz Flaherty (A)
7. Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas (↻A)
8. Darius: Lord of Pleasures by Grace Burrowes  (C-)
9. Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay (A)
10. The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley (A)
11. The Devil's Tattoo by Nicole R. Taylor (B)

Racquel's October  favorites: 
I read a lot of good books this months!
-A Soft Place to Fall and Because of Joe both delivered the heartwarming and impossibly sweet romances that I expect from Liz Flaherty
-The 3 Highland Pleasures books I read (Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage,  The Many Sins of Lord Cameron and The Duke's Perfect Wife) only made me more obsessed with Jennifer Ashley as I read one after the other. I still have a major hangover from her writing. Seriously, I only want to read to Jennifer Ashley. I'm OBSESSED.
-Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay is an awesome, awesome, AWESOME retelling!

Other things Racquel did:
Like Sharon,  I watched a crap ton of television. First, I watched Scandal. Twice. WHAT?! I watched it all in like three days. Really, three days. I stayed up until 5 in the morning when I was supposed to write a paper and watched it. Then I told my sister about how great it is and forced her to watch it so I ended up rewatching it all with her. Y'all, Scandal is good.

Next, I watched Orphan Black. Oh. My. God. So far, only one season aired and it's 10 episodes long so it only took me a day to watch but Oh. My. God. It's so so so so so so so good. It's about clones and Tatiana Maslany legit plays 6 different people on the show and gives each one a personality. I forget that each person is actually one actor, that's how good she is. SHE IS SERIOUSLY AMAZING. Orphan Black is easily one of my new favorite shows and I cannot wait until season 2 which airs in April.

HOW ARE YOU NOT AMAZED? 6 different people, one actress! 

So yeah, I strongly recommend these two shows. Especially Orphan Black. So to tally all of that up, 2 shows, 11 books, 3 papers, 2 tests & a mid term... I'm I rocking college or what??

Sharon read:
01. The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins
02. Big Sky Christmas by C.J. Carmichael
03. On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
04. Until Fountain Bridge by Samantha Young
05. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
06. Down London Road by Samantha Young
07. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Sharon's October's favorites:
FANGIRLLLL.

Other Things Sharon Did
#01 Watched a crap ton of television. Worked a lot. Worked out on a regular basis. WHAT WHAT.

November Releases We Want:

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Be Good To Me: October 2013

R: I didn't read a whole lot during September because I didn't have any motivation to sit down and actually read which sucks because when I actually sit down and read, I couldn't be happier so I really need to learn how to FORCE myself to just pick up my Kindle, sit down and just READ.

S: Huh. Apparently September was a month for re-reading! I knew my random Julia Quinn binge entailed some, but I didn't realize I had done quite a bit more. It was fabulous, though!

Racquel read: 

1. The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead (B)
2. Unsticky by Sarra Manning (B)
3. Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller (C+)
4. Highland Surrender by Tracy Brogan (C)
5. Hold On My Heart by Tracy Brogan (B)

Racquel's September favorites: 
Unsticky by Sarra Manning - This was one hell of a romance! It wasn't even that romantic and the characters were definitely unlikeable BUT I love unlikeable characters so it worked! This book is like the antithesis of your usual romance and it was great.

Other things Racquel did:
Take two tests. Turn in like five papers. Ya know, the college life that I'm already tired of. Can a person just read and ogle hot men all day?

Sharon read:

01. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (re-read)
02. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty (re-read)
03. Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty (re-read)
04. Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
05. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
06. The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
07. A Night Like This by Julia Quinn (re-read)
08. The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn
09. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn (re-read)
10. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (re-read)

Sharon's September favorites:
Not including re-reads? Well, that narrows it down this month! Far and away my favorite of the month was Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas! It was everything I dreamed and more! I also loved The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn and The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas.

Other Things Sharon Did
#01 Fell back into the wonderful world of Castle! I was 2 seasons behind and caught up in a frighteningly short amount of time. I harbor such love of this show, y'all! You have no idea. It all started because of these awesome slow burn romance posts at Once Upon a Prologue, Shae Lit, and Writer of Wrongs (which were all SO AMAZING, as you all know of my adoration of slow burn). A couple of them mentioned Castle/Beckett as a favorite television example of slow burn. I had already been missing Castle lately, and those pushed me over the edge. Also, the combined efforts of Hannah and myself got Lauren hooked on it, as well! Spreading the Castle love! Feel free to ask more about it in the comments if you want to be my next victim client.

#02 Had my annual Day of Books and Fudge, during which I and three of my closest friends go to my town fair, visit the epic used book sale, buy the best fudge in the world, and have general merriment. I also got 33 books for a dollar at said awesome book sale.

October Releases We Want:SOOO MANY! Like I actually want to read all of these and I think I actually WILL read them all!!

 See! I'm not kidding when I say I'm excited for these releases! I have been waiting for these two books for MONTHS. I did a happy dance around my room (and obviously, a photo-shoot) when they were finally in my hands. Ahhhh, bliss.

 You tell us, dear readers, what other new releases should we be getting? Any October, November or December recs?

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Be Good To Me: September 2013

Introduction:
September is heeeeere! This means fall is near! Pretty leaves, cooler weather (HALLELUJAH!), cider, and all the other awesome things that make fall my favorite season. I'm also up for a job that I would really, really love, so I'm crossing my fingers on that front.

Racquel read: 
Everything I read this month has been amazing (except for Tempted by His Kiss) so I'm just including why these are my favorites in this section too:
1) The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen (A-) - This book is SO amazing. Dessen does something different and she does it SO well. Some people won't like this book because some people want fantasy-like contemporary but if you don't shy away from realistic contemporary, you'll appreciate what Dessen does in this book.
2) The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt (A) - Two words: HARRY PYE.
3) Tempted by His Kiss by Tracy Anne Warren  (DNF) - abandoned because I was bored.
4) Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas (B) I READ A NEW LISA KLEYPAS BOOK! This doesn't happen often because I have less than 20 LK books left to read so I'm savoring them.
5) Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (A) - this is the best ending to a series EVER.
6) A Kiss For Midwinter by Courtney Milan (B) - another amazing novella from Courtney Milan. This series so far has been so good.
7) Beguiling the Beauty by Sherry Thomas (A) - oh Sherry Thomas. Your books kill me<3

8) Like No Other Lover by Julie Anne Long (B) - I actually picked up this book like 3 times before putting it aside for other books but I've finally committed to reading it and 1) Julie Anne Long writing is THE best 2) Love me some Miles Redmond

9) Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams  (B) - heartbreaking yet so good. Awesome verse novel.

10) Since the Surrender by Julie Anne Long (B) - another confirmation that JAL's writing is fabulous and yet another hero I fell head over heels in love with... Captian Chase Eversea.

Other things Racquel did:
1) Got my car! FINALLY. I've been using my mom's/brother's/sister's car for over a year and half but I've finally got my OWN car.

2) Started COLLEGE! This is why I had to get my car. I'm commuting and I obviously need a vehicle to get from my house to campus. So far, college has been pretty good. I love not being in school all day long and sleeping in is just magical.

College has no dress code so I'm embracing the fashionstia in me (for the time being) AND I have no Friday classes. Talk about heaven.

Sharon read:
01. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales (♥!)
02. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (♥!)
03. Dare You To by Katie McGarry
04. The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller (♥!)
05. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (♥!)
06. A Legacy of Secrets by Carol Marinelli
07. Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles
08. Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams (♥!)
09. On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves
10. The Devil Wears Plaid by Teresa Medeiros
11. I Married the Duke by Katharine Ashe (♥!)

August Favorites:
Everything with a heart in the list above was a favorite of the month! As you can see, I read quite a few fantastic books this month. From the adorable, fun nerdery of The Summer I Became a Nerd to the heartrending, cried-for-half-the-book power of Waiting, August was a good month for reading.

Other Things Sharon Did
1) As an amusing bookend to to Racquel's starting college, I actually graduated college! I walked in the graduation ceremony back in May, but I had to complete my internship for it to be official. And now I have!
2) I participated in Bout of Books, which is always one of my favorite things. I had so much fun!
3) At the end of August, I started exercising using the Beginner's Workout Calendar over at Blogilates! I'm actually enjoying (in a slightly masochistic way, I guess, LOL) getting up early every morning and working out. I always thought I wouldn't like doing that, but the routine is working really well for me so far! I really like the combination of Pilates and cardio. Now, I just need to continue it...

September Releases We Want:

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