My 2021 Goodreads Challenge Books Read

 

Hello everyone! I'm back to blogging and sharing updates! It's going to take me a few days to straighten everything out, but I will say my dreams have finally come true. I'll explain more later...

The best New Year's resolution I made this year was to read 50 books AND make sure to leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and post to my Instagram. I'm proud of myself saying I have read and reviewed 38 books this year so far!  I have 12 books left to reach my 50 book goal and I hope to make it across the finish line! 

 We are all in this chaos together, and every little bit helps. I will be updating this post as soon as I read more! Here is my "READ" list for the year.

2021 Melanie Hoffer's Read List

1. In a holidaze by Christina Lauren

2. Sicko by Amo Jones

3. Once Upon a Dream by Sierra Simone

4. Stoke of Midnight by K. Webster

5. Layla by Colleen Hoover

6. Beautiful Sinner by Sara Cate

7. Dirty First Dates - The Meuseum by Harley Laroux

8. Follow Me Darkly by Helen Hardt

9. My Beautiful Poison by T.L. Smith

10. Devil's Day Party by C.M. Stunich

11. Cum Inside by Selena Moore

12. Gravity by Sara Cate

13. What if it's You by Shauna McDonnell

14. His Ballerina by Darcy Rose & J.L. Beck

15. Mercilesss by Eleanor Aldrick

16. Consumed by Love by Selena Moore

17. Sinfully Good by  Dakota Issacs

18. Loved by Aries by Loreli Johnson

19. Thunder Thighs by Evie Mitchell

20. Saint by Ruby Vincent

21. Mercer by Ruby Vincent 

22. Just Once by Kate Hunt

23. The Fire Within by Aldra Morin

24. We are not a thing by Halo Roberts

25. No One But Me by Autumn Bluestone

26. Dirty Dom by Sara Bailey

27. Speechless Breathless by Allie Everett

28. Dying to Love by Reese Rivers

29. Sips & Strokes by Sarah Skye

30. Teach Me Dirty by Jade West

31. Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann

32. The Medusa Project by Lou Wilham

33. The Sandman by S. Courtney

34. Broken Bonds by J. Bree

35.  Lessons in Sin by Pam Godwin

36. Stolen Crush by C.M. Stunich

37. I hated you first by Rachel John

38. In Charge by Aria Bliss

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If you like what you see follow me on Instagram at @MelanieHoffer_Author. 

If you like Erotic Romance please feel free to check out my debut novel, Falling for Two, published by The Wild Rose Press.

Purchase at Amazon.com

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My October 2018 Goals

October is a big busy month for me and I already feel slightly behind. Hopefully #Blogtober will help keep me on track with my goals this month. 31 Days, 31 Blogposts. I decided to come back to blogging last month and this everyday posting schedule should be great motivation for me!
 
On top of my busy month, I'm a marketing analyst by day and deal with the weekly ads in your local newspapers, therefore we are already preparing for the extended holiday workload. Lots of busy work, long hours, and mental burnout. Self care is definitely going to be key this month.

When I feel overwhelmed I sit down and write everything out. I probably spent too much time today organizing my bullet journal but I honestly feel better and made sure I had plenty of space for everything in my very minimal October weekly spread. Space is key for me!

First Week of October Weekly Bullet Journal Spread

I'm actually glad I took a "Before" picture because this pretty clean bullet journal page is no longer clean & pretty.

 Alright, let's get started on the my goals for October.

Thursday Thoughts: Movies + TV Shows + Books!

Well I blinked Monday morning and now it's Thursday morning. This week went by super fast. Work has been crazy, but it's kind of a good thing because I find myself snacking less at my desk. lol.

I'm a big Book + Movie + TV person. I always have been. I've been very caught up with work and missed a few things I really wanted to see. I can't wait for a few things to finally come out! 

A Wrinkle In Time

I completely missed seeing this in the theater and I had no idea it got released on DVD this week. The marketing campaign for this movie was insane but then it just came and went so fast. I know there were mixed reviews but I still can't wait to see it. I'll watch anything Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon do. Oh and we mustn't forget Chris Pine. He's my of my favorite Hollywood "Chris". 

I never read the book while I was in school so I'm going in fresh and new! I might check it out On Demand first before I buy it!

New York City Book Con 2018 Recap!

I came, I saw, I conquered Book Con 2018! Woohoo! 

This weekend Saturday and Sunday I went to Book Con 2018 at the NYC Javit's Center. I have to start out by saying once you've gone to a New York City Comic Con almost every other convention is a walk in the park. I went into this weekend with absolutely no expectations because I've never been and it was so much fun and rewarding that I can't wait to go again next year. 

Ten Exciting Things I'm Looking Forward To Do!

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When you get home from work at 8:30pm, after a long 12 hour work day, you need to look to the bright amazing things you have planned because damn today sucked! I barely got up at all. This is a short work week for me so I have to cram in all the tasks I would usually take my time on. Once I get it all done I can play and relax for a glorious 3 and a half days. I hope tomorrow goes by fast!

Now on to the fun stuff! The months of June, July & August are going to be crazy busy and I'm going to love every minute of it!! =)

Stolen Moments Sunday

 This weekend was a quiet one but there was still a few cool things that happened.

~ A lot of times my Sundays revolve around family. I spend it catching up with my parents and visiting my grandmother - my mother's mother - at the nursing home. My grandmother suffers from dementia but somehow when I say "Hi Grandma!" she perks up and smiles. Somewhere in her subconscious she knows it's me. It's always my favorite stolen moment just between her and me.

Friday Favorites!

My first week back and I'm already so happy I started to blog again. I really missed it. There is so many great exciting parts to blogging and I'm only scratching the surface.

I always struggled with the balance of work, blogging, social life, tiredness, and writing. There's so much pressure to post every day, like every blog post, read this and that. This time I'm going to take it slow and enjoy the process without driving myself crazy on stats and numbers. If I don't post everyday, it's okay. If I can't think of the latest and greatest and need another day to process my thoughts, it's okay. This time around it's for me and I'm so grateful all the other amazing bloggers motivate me so much!

 Here are some of my favorite things from the week...

Book Before Movie: A Review of "Me Before You" by Jo Jo Moyes

**PLEASE NOTE...This is a book review and not a summary review like we all love/hate to read on Amazon. I will disclose the ending of the novel after the "Read More" option and my opinions on the novel.  If you are hoping to read the novel or see the movie please DO NOT READ AFTER THE "READ MORE" OPTION...Thank you! I really don't want to spoil anything for you!**

We've all heard about them...those epic "viral" books that has everyone ears buzzing. 

Gone Girl, Eat Pray Love, Water for Elephants (Still can't seem to finish this one), The Time Traveler's Wife, and lately "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes.

I saw the book cover "Me Before You"  long before it was popular and a must read. The author choose a book art style that reminded me of V.C. Andrews "Flowers in the Attic" series. I passed then but alas I bought it anyway in the Newark NJ airport gift shop waiting to pick up a good friend from her trip to Iceland.

To be honest, I didn't want read this book. I don't read these tragic love stories that will have me crying and mad at certain characters for their actions. I read love stories but usually on a more risque note..But like the other viral novels I decided to give it a chance and put down my smut for a little while. 

HS Book Project: ReReading My High School English Reading List

On my little trip I noticed something I seem to forget about airports. There are always those lil over priced stores and kiosks with a random assortment of novels, usually consisting of the next best title & the classics I can't remember reading in high school. The high school books always call to me and catch my wandering eye. I can slightly remember the plots from the cliff notes and the films I know I watched but alas I know I didn't read the whole book for a lot of them. 

For some reason lately this has been bothering me more and more...

Life Lesson: Five Things I've Learned Never to Ignore in My Life...

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There are Five Things I've Learned Never to Ignore in My Life...

1. Suspicious Lumps in my Breast
2.  Credit Card Bill Deadlines 
3.  Six Month Dentist Cleanings
4.  Smoke Alarms & Co2 Detectors
5.  Car Maintenance Lights 

Each one can equally be a bitch in their own right... I've overcome #1 - Here, I monitor #2 very closely, #3 is easy for me, #4 makes me mad every time I cook anything, but #5 can be the biggest bitch of all.