Read, Sleep, Repeat has been hosting ARC August for 3 years now and it's a really great time for me to catch up with my Netgalley ARCs along with other few ones here and there, but mostly my main goal is to catch up on my Netgalley ARCs, I know I probably won't ever have 100% as there are DNFs but I'd like to get at least the 80-90%, does anyone have 100% for their Netgalley? Click on the button above or the link to sign up, and hope to see you there! 

• It may be a physical ARC or and eARC but it MUST be an ARC 
• Yes it can be an ARC that has released as long as it’s an ARC I’m not going to nit pick much
• HAVE FUN WITH THIS! Feeling like you are being “forced” to read is the best way turn a fun event into a yucky obligation 
• Update post! I personally will do a post for each Saturday in August but that’s just me. You can update once a week, every other week or once for the whole darn event. This update can be in the form of a blog or tumblr post, vlog, link to your “ARC August 2015″ shelf or even an instagram pic! I want to make this as easy and low pressure as possible for you

The Write On review-a-thon is a monthly event created and hosted by Brianna at The Book Vixen. It’s 2 days dedicated to getting reviews done, whether you have one review to write or 30+. This edition of the review-a-thon takes place all day Saturday, July 25th and Sunday, July 26th. Let’s get those reviews done!

To-Do List

• Created a Pocket (Read it later) and Evernote account...check out the past mini challenges post to see what you can do with these
• Printed my Monthly Blog Planner from Confessions of a Homeschooler click here for your FREE copy and started to fill it out with pre-planned posts e.g. tours, memes. 
• Updated my GCal blog calendar
• Fixed up my email so all my emails goes to my Gmail account. I couldn't make my blogging one on Gmail because the email address I wanted was sadly already taken ~ Email Best Practices by Heylade
• Deleted some files that I no longer need ~ Digital Decluttering
• Created 6 post templates (Review Tours + Blog Tour Guest/Author, Weekly memes etc) 
• Drafted 8 of my posts, but still have to put the main content, the review
• Did quite a bit of research into the Migration from Blogger to Wordpress and even emailed a few services that do it to ask some questions
• Visited and commented on quite a few Bloggiesta participants

My Goals

• Participate in the Scavenger Hunt and knock out at least 10 categories
• Participate in 2 Read-a-thons
• Read 20 books average of 2 per week
• Be supportive - 20 blogs/comment/tweet per week
• Participate in one Twitter Chat
• Participate in one of the Social Media Fun per week

The first Read-a-thon for COYER is the "Red, White or Blue" to commemorate the 4th of July Independence Day for the United States. So pick books that have Red, White OR Blue in the cover and a short review to enter in the Rafflecopter giveaway. For all the official stuff including rules and how to get bonus round points click here or the event button above. 

Day 1 ABEA - Introductions

Tell us a bit about yourself: How long have you been blogging? Where are you from? How did you get into blogging?

I absolutely love series' but I think that if an Author captivates a reader and impacts ones life in one book, then you know that book must be amazing. The one book that I think EVERYONE should read at least once in their life is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

What book are you reading right now?

Please keep an eye out for my upcoming review and I will also be kicking off the blog tour for this fantastic book with an Author Interview. 

What is the top book in your TBR pile right now? 

Instagram Challenge

Omnific Publishing is celebrating all things Omnific, Romance, and Angels! August 5th-10th, participating blogs will be featuring different guest posts, interviews, and excerpts by the authors of The Omnific Angels. Don’t forget to enter the giveaways and visit the other stops by clicking the linky list below.

Omnific and the authors would like to invite you to join the Angel Goodreads Group! Head over to Goodreads and see what’s going on: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/100102-angels-in-romantic-fiction.

About The Books

Ember

by Carol Oates

When Candra Ember wakes up in hospital after a dangerous encounter with a red-haired woman, she is shocked to discover that seeing a winged boy wasn’t her imagination. Candra is exposed to a world of rivalry and sacrifice she never knew existed, and the aftermath of a war to save humanity thousands of years ago. Soon she finds herself relentlessly stalked by Sebastian, a beautiful and arrogant Watcher Angel and romantically pursued by his darkly seductive rival, Draven. Ultimately, dubious about her own goodness, Candra’s very existence compromises a tentative peace in the city of Acheron.

Excerpt

Iridescent

by Carol Oates

Series: Ember #2

Published: October 16, 2012

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

Candra Ember used to dream of saving the world one person at a time. She never expected to become an angelic weapon and the last hope in the battle against ultimate darkness.

Falling for a Nephilim wasn’t part of Sebastian’s plan. Distraction is something he can’t afford when his rival, Draven, wants what Sebastian has.

Lies, manipulation, and corruption are twisting the lives of the citizens in Acheron. The Arch is missing from Heaven, and a demon is intent on claiming the city. At a time they should be growing closer, grief and paranoia is driving Candra and Sebastian apart.

If the price of restoring the Watchers to Heaven is a human soul, who deserves to be saved?

Excerpt

Sebastian had showered and the scent of death and Guinness no longer clung to him the way it did to her. Instead, he smelled of soap, spices and heat. His damp hair brushed against her forehead. In moments like this, his embrace made her feel secure and loved unconditionally. On other occasions, it was much easier to doubt herself and doubt him. Watchers perceived an innate goodness in her that Candra wasn’t sure of. When given a choice between love and war, she was very much tempted to choose war. Sebastian made no secret of the rage in his heart, a rage she knew could easily destroy him. 

“I do,” she murmured, shifting to sit across his lap and linking her fingers around his neck. As always, it brought on a strange little flutter in her stomach. Loving Sebastian was one of those things that was never meant to happen. It had blindsided both of them. If there were two people in the world less likely to fall in love, it was Sebastian and Candra. 

She pressed her lips to his quickly, weaving her fingers up into his soft as silk hair. One of his hands tightened on her thigh and the other slid up her spine, stopping between her shoulder blades where his fingers spread out wide. 

She pulled back and giggled when Sebastian’s lips chased her with a playful pout. “I wasn’t finished.” 

“I haven’t brushed my teeth,” she told him, making a show of covering her mouth when she spoke. “Morning breath.” 

“It’s eleven at night.” He pushed forward. 

Candra applied pressure against his shoulders, blocking his advance. “And I need a shower. I smell like an Irish man.” 

Breath left her in a whoosh followed by a squeal as Sebastian spun her around and pinned her to the bed beneath him. His full weight pressed down on her, giving Candra a comfort she didn’t fully understand. He made her feel protected, hidden away and small. She shivered all the way to her toes. Sebastian would die to keep her safe if he had to. 

“Who would have thought I’d find the smell of an Irish man so appealing.” He breathed the words close to her ear and then glided his hot lips to the throbbing artery just below. 

Candra felt the warm, grainy flesh of his tongue peek out and swirl in a small circle over her skin. She bit down on the inside of her cheek to hold back the whimpering noise she was sure would escape her lips otherwise. She squirmed below him until she was breathless, and he dragged his fingers down the length of her forearms to secure her wrists by the side of her head. 

“You fight me on everything,” Sebastian reprimanded her, slipping his fingers between hers and clasping them firmly. “When will you ever give in quietly?” His eyes blazed and flickered to her mouth.

About The Author

Carol Oates

Carol Oates has never been one to remain still for long. After her parents' mad dash to the hospital through the empty city streets of Dublin, Ireland, Carol made her debut into the world in the early hours of Christmas morning. Since then her pace has not slowed down in the least.

Carol was introduced to the world of supernatural books when, as a child, her family moved to a coastal suburb on the northern border of Dublin known as Clontarf, famous as the birthplace of Bram Stoker, the prolific author responsible for breathing life into the legendary story Dracula. This stirred in Carol an early passion for reading about all things supernatural. Combine that passion with a deep interest in the history and folklore of Ireland, as well as an active and vivid imagination, and Carol Oates the author was born. Carol's love of writing about anything not entirely "human" emerged, and the premise for her debut novel, Shades of Atlantis, was born.

Carol Oates Favourite Quotes

~ Giveaway ~

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Most of y'all know I love Read-a-thons it really gets my butt kicked into gear and read more and I love the whole socialisation and community of Read-a-thons, maybe that's why I love it so much. Anyhow, a new Read-a-thon is taking place, a Beat The Heat Read-a-thon co-hosted by a blog I follow; Phantasmic Reads. To join and for all the official stuff click on the banner above. This page will be updated when the Read-a-thon begins with the books I hope to read during the two week period along with my updates and goals, so stay tuned...

ARC August is a month long challenge hosted by Octavia and Read, Sleep, Repeat. It's main purpose is to challenge us bloggers to read as many of our ARC books in the month of August. To sign up and for all the other official stuff, click on the link or banner above.

Goals

These are books from Netgalley/Edelweiss. Only the latter three are for blog tours in August. 

As I finish reading each one I'll remove the picture and link my review to my weekly updates. So the less book covers that are on here the better! I don't think I'll finish all these, but I'd like to at least get through half of it. 

AND I may even have books that I do read that ARE ARC's but aren't on this list, I'll just update those with my review links on my weekly updates. 

Week 1 (August 1-7) 

Banish by Nicola Marsh
Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater
Tragic by JA Huss

Week 2 (August 8-14)

Date with the Dead by Chris Myers
Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross

Wicked Wildfire Read-a-thon (#WWReadathon) is hosted by My Shelf Confessions. It's a week long read-a-thon from Friday June 7th through to the 14th. For more info (Challenge Schedules, Rules etc) and to sign up, click on the event button above. Signups close on June 11th, so hurry. There are challenges and Twitter chats that aren't compulsory, however, if you want to enter the main prize, you must participate in at least one challenge and do one update/wrap-up post.

My Goals

Total Pages Read = 576

Sunday June 9th

Books & Pages Read:

Hourglass by Myra McIntyre = 80
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell = 40
Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton = 23

Total Pages Read Today = 143
Total Books Finished = 2
Total Pages Read = 719

Monday June 10th

Books & Pages Read:

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa = 78
Hourglass by Myra McIntyre = 55
Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton = 13
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell = 16
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin = 10

Total Pages Read Today = 172
Total Books Finished = 3
Total Pages Read = 891

Tuesday June 11th

Books & Pages Read:

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell = 59

Total Pages Read Today = 59
Total Books Finished = 3
Total Pages Read = 950

Wednesday June 12th

Books & Pages Read: 

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell = 41

Total Pages Read Today = 41
Total Books Finished = 4
Total Pages Read = 991

Thursday June 13th

Books & Pages Read:

Hourglass by Myra McIntyre = 110

Total Pages Read Today = 110
Total Books Finished = 5
Total Pages Read = 1101

Friday June 14th

Books & Pages Read:

Double Crossed by Ally Carter = 89 

Total Pages Read Today = 89
Total Books Finished = 6
Total Pages Read = 1190

Books Finished

Wrap-Up

Verdict - Success

Total Pages Read = 1190
Total Books Finished = 6 (book list below)