Stacking The Shelves, Vol. 21: Christmas-January Haul, Plus My Reading Plan for 2016

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Stacking The Shelves is a weekly event hosted by Tynga’s Reviews that shares the books (both physical and virtual) that you recently purchased, borrowed from a fellow reader or the library, won from a giveaway, or received as gifts. Stacking The Shelves will post on Saturdays as new books are added to my shelves.

It’s been a while since the last Stacking The Shelves post! I always try to be good (i.e., not buy any books) in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and I did pretty well with my ban again this year. Of course, I put books on my Christmas list instead, just to make up for it. 😉

Today’s post will be a mix of gifted books and other additions to my (overflowing) bookshelves. And, since last year’s reading plan worked out amazingly well, I have a new one for 2016 and will share that, too.

Finally, this is the first post using photos taken with my new camera. I’m still learning some of its functions, but for the most part the pics came out pretty well!

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Time Flies!: October 2015

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Welcome to the latest edition of Time Flies! It’s my version of a monthly update, where I recap the past month’s accomplishments and articles, share news and random things from my offline life, and hint at what may be coming in the month ahead.

As much as I enjoyed parts of October, I’m relieved it’s over. Between a hectic work schedule, my first head cold of the season, and being busy at home, the past month sent me spinning. All the craziness also cut into my blogging time. So if it seems like things have been less active than usual here recently, that’s why. :/

Hermoine sighs

It’s OK, though. Sometimes life happens, and blogging (both writing and visiting other blogs) has to go on the backburner temporarily. But now things are slowing down and deadlines have been met, so I can *hopefully* start catching up. My biggest priorities right now are a) finishing the fourth Character Evolution File so it can go live during the first or second week of November, and b) taking care of myself by relaxing, reading, and remembering to “smell the roses.” Or, in this case, the orchids.

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Tea Time At Reverie: Inspired By Jane’s Pemberley Green & Herbal Tea

It’s tea review time again! And if you’re a fan of herbal tisanes and literary-themed teas, this one might tickle your tastebuds. Head over to A Bibliophile’s Reverie to learn more about Pemberley Green & Herbal Tea from Inspired By Jane – and find out why the timing for this particular review was impeccable from a health perspective.

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“Every disposition of the ground was good; and [Elizabeth] looked on the whole scene – the river, the trees scattered on its banks, and the winding of the valley, as far as she could trace it – with delight.”
– Jane Austen, “Pride and Prejudice”

It’s fall here in the Northern Hemisphere. That means cooling temperatures, leaves falling from the trees, scrumptious dishes featuring apples and pumpkin, and – unfortunately – the dreaded cold virus. I’m just getting over my first cold of the season, and my body’s been craving more tea than usual. Especially herbals. Anything with chamomile, spearmint, or lemongrass is my best friend right now.

Which means it’s the perfect time to introduce you to Inspired By Jane, which offers a line of five teas that pay tribute of the works of Jane Austen. (Yay, more literary-themed teas!) Three of its teas include herbal ingredients, and…

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Tea Time at Reverie: Sanctuary T’s Serenity Herbal Tea

New tea review is up at A Bibliophile’s Reverie! Today I’m tasting Serenity, an herbal blend from NYC’s Sanctuary T. If you’re a fan of chamomile, lemongrass, or peppermint – or, even better, all three – then consider giving this soothing tisane a try. Also, find out which historical fantasy novel I recommend to go with it!

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Not everyone considers herbal teas to be… well, teas. But whether it’s rooibos, honeybush, or other goodies, you can’t deny that an herbal blend infuses hot water the same way that black, green, oolong, and white teas do. Plus, some of my favorite teas happen to be herbals. 😉

We’ve been happy to include such tisanes in our Tea Times here at A Bibliophile’s Reverie. Today’s is no exception. Serenity is our last sample from Sanctuary T in New York City, and it’s just as heavenly as the description says. Read on to find out more about it!

The Basics

Serenity_Loose cropped Photo courtesy of Sanctuary T

Sanctuary T’s Description:“M-F getting too hectic and stressful? This tea can’t add more hours to the day, but it will make your day slow down for a moment. With its refreshing, flowery blend of peppermint, lemongrass, jasmine, lavender and chamomile, a cup of Serenity…

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Freelance Article Round-Up: November 2014

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Welcome to this month’s Freelance Article Round-Up! And a belated Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans and others who celebrate the holiday. I hope your travels were safe and smooth, and you enjoyed platefuls of delicious food and good company.

November turned out to be quite exciting, so I’ll start off with the new venture that launched a couple weeks ago.

DIY MFA

This month I joined the staff of DIY MFA for their new column Theme: A Story’s Soul. The ongoing series will explore the importance and wide variety of themes in literature, and how readers and writers alike can think about theme more consciously. Click here to read the column’s introductory article, “What Is Theme and Why Is It Important?”

Tea Time at Reverie (Tea Reviews)

Two more tea reviews went live at A Bibliophile’s Reverie this past month. Here are the links again, in case you missed them:

What’s Coming in December

Currently I’m drafting my next article for DIY MFA, which will cover how to identify a novel’s possible themes by studying the book’s title and jacket copy. My next tea review for A Bibliophile’s Reverie should be online in the next week or so. It’s on a bold, complex black tea that’s wonderful for this time of year. I’ve also picked out my next tea to review, an invigorating herbal / floral blend.

Other Happenings

The fantasy WIP passed 100,000 yesterday! (YIKES.) Now I’m due to write the next Chronicling The Craft – and since this one celebrates another 25,000-word milestone, it means another reveal from the story. 😉 As for the novel itself, I’m definitely going to overshoot my word count goal of 115,000… so I’ll just continue following my outline until it’s done. Here’s hoping January or February will be the golden month!

What else for the blog? I’ll have a new author interview here during the first week of December (yay!), and I’ve yet to start a review of Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina. And since 2014 is almost over, I also need to get cracking on my end-of-year lists for music and possibly one for books. So, I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me this month.

Offline and apart from creative projects, November has been absolutely nutty. Lots of holiday preparations, Christmas shopping (I have to do a lot of it early due to December birthdays and out-of-state gift-giving), and simply trying to stay on top of everything else. I’ll be relieved once the end of the December has come and I can relax a little.

Since New Years Eve will be a busy night, I’ll post the next Freelance Article Round-Up on Tuesday, December 30th. Lots will be going on here between now and then, so I hope to see you here again! 🙂

Feature on 27 Good Things, Plus a New Tea Review

27 Good Things has been kind enough to invite me for their ongoing feature series! In this article, I recommend four good things to read, four good things to watch, and three good things to use. Click here to read the article at 27 Good Things.

Also, some of you may know I’m writing tea reviews for A Bibliophile’s Reverie. I’ve really enjoyed it so far, and my latest review for the blog went live last week. Click here to read my thoughts on Teavana’s ToLife® White Tea.

Coming Soon: Come back tomorrow for the latest installment of my novel-writing series, “Chronicling The Craft”!