Book Blogger Posts Round Up

A collection of blog posts by book bloggers

This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning, I get a commission if you purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Welcome to the July Book Bloggers Round Up!

Finding the time to scan through various social media feeds to find suitable content can take up valuable time and so I figured I'd make it easier and put together a collection here on the blog.

Each month I'll include a wide variety of content so there's something for everyone. You'll find book reviews, interviews, discussion pieces and more...

So if you're looking for new bookish content to read and/or want to discover some new book bloggers to follow, look no further!

I introduced this new feature here on the blog in May 2021 to showcase blog posts by other book bloggers. I'll be linking up a variety of blog posts so hopefully there will be something to suit all tastes.

The following posts were submitted for inclusion in this round up via my Twitter, where I asked for posts. I'll be continuing to do this every month.

Want to be included in future round ups? Follow my Twitter profile and keep an eye out for the submission tweet.

July 2023 Book Blogger Round Up

@ReadingLadiesBC reviewed No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister. "I highly recommend No Two Persons for fans of beautifully written and poignant short stories, for readers who appreciate books about books and a unique premise, and for book clubs. I’m certain this will be on my best-of-year list." Read the full post here.

@kalventure did a review where she shared four reasons to read The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro. "This book is nothing short of a masterpiece and has landed on my favorites list. The Haunting of Alejandra is a powerful and heart rending blend of women’s fiction and horror that will stick with you long after reading." Read the full post here.

@Desilu0526 did a post Exploring the Darkest Depths: A Dive into the Best True Crime Books. Read the full post here.

@GinaRaeMitchell shared a review of Miranda Nights by Gail Ward Olmstead. "Gail Ward Olmsted delivers another gripping installment in her Miranda Quinn Legal Twist series with 'Miranda Nights.' This legal thriller takes readers on a rollercoaster ride filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and a resilient protagonist at the center of it all." Read the full post here.

@WordsofMystery did a recap 'What I Read in Spring 2023'. "It’s an interesting mix of titles and I even found some new favourites to add to my bookshelf!" Read the full post here.

@cjfriess reviewed Rebel Girls Celebrate Pride by Alexis Stratton, Jestine Ware & Shadae Mallory. "Each short, easy to read story is shown on the left of a double page spread and accompanied by an illustration on the right. The illustrators, female and nonbinary artists from around the world, are all credited and it’s fabulous to see a variety of illustration styles." Read the full post here.

@Mehsi_Hime did the Currently Reading Book Tag. This is great if you're looking for a quick and easy book tag to do. Read the full post here.

@amloughrey took part in the blog tour for The Grinning Throat by Kate Wiseman where she interviewed the author. Read the full post here.

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@owlbookworld reviewed How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. "His books are great for those who are just getting into horror and want to dip their toes in it." Read the full post here.

@DarkMatterzine recapped an event they attended with Sisters in Crime at Kingston Arts Centre called Kingston Libraries Presents Crime Chat (with authors). Read the full post here.

@lauriereads_ reviewed The Court of Shadows by Victor Dixen. "...I struggled a little with the predictability of the whole story. Plot twists and revelations came just at the right moment every single time. Therefore it felt all too coincidential. Despite this, I still was intrigued because I wanted to know if Jeanne would succeed in her mission or not." Read the full post here.

@bookswithbunny talked about her summer anticipated book releases. Read the full post here.

@LadyInReadvt did a post Call Me Adnan + Books of Color: Diversity is Wonderful. In the post she reviewed Call Me Adnan by Reem Faruqi. "Call Me Adnan is a roller-coaster of emotions wrapped within lyrical verses full of stunning imagery, emotions, and visuals. Hope and healing within tragedy, faith, family, friendships, life, heartbreak, and more rush at you as you read the book." She then included a list of books of colour "where I mean it is books with specific colors on their covers. Of course, many of them also feature diverse characters, and hence are also books of color and diversity too." Read the full post here.

@alitescape reviewed North Queen by Nicola Tyche. "NORTH QUEEN has the potential to please fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and To Bleed a Crystal Bloom. This is without a doubt flying under the radar of dark fantasy romance readers and deserves its chance to shine." Read the full post here.

What bookish blog posts did you enjoy reading in July? Have a favourite book you read in July that you want to share?

In case you missed it, don't forget to check out the June Round Up for even more great bookish posts by different book bloggers.

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Are you a book blogger? Check out 101 Blog Post Ideas For Book Bloggers

Product Review

Schwarzkopf Natural and Easy Hair Dye 522

Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full disclosure about all the legal stuff here.

I decided to change my hair colour again.

For those of you that don't already know, I love playing around with my hair. I'm constantly changing the cut, the colour, or both.

Having experimented with going blonde last year, at the start of this year I decided to go red and then mid brown. Well, I've now decided to want to be blonde again. I know, I know...

I have decided to be a bit more gentle about it this time round though. Last year I fried my hair with bleaching multiple times. I was going from black to platinum blonde though so it was a necessary step... just probably should have done it gradually over several months and not over a couple of weeks. Oops!

Anyway, I decided that this time I'd try a different approach. As my starting colour this time round was brown I figured it was worth giving just the box dye a try in the hopes of skipping the bleaching and hopefully therefore causing less damage to my still recovering hair.

I chose the Schwarzkopf Natural and Easy Hair Dye 522 as the box promised it could take me from dark blonde to light blonde. My starting colour was not too different from the darkest shade shown on the box.

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Product details

Schwarzkopf Natural and Easy Hair Dye 522 is a permanent hair dye designed for light blond to dark blond hair. The vegan formula containing up to 93% naturally derived ingredients deeply nourishes hair and covers up to 100% of grey, for natural-looking colours full of multi-tonal highlights and healthy-looking shine. The hair-strengthening conditioner with cold-pressed oil, leaves hair irresistibly soft from root to tip.

Permanent hair dye
This color is suitable for light blond to dark blond hair.
Up to 100% grey coverage and contains cold pressed oil for nourished hair
Vegan formula, up to 93% naturally derived ingredients
Multi-tonal, natural-looking colour

Schwarzkopf top tips:

Always perform an allergy alert test 48 hours prior to colouring
For long or thick hair we recommended using two packs
This shade is recommended for hair colours light blond to dark blond hair.
Results may vary on previously coloured hair

Pack contains:

1 tube Colour Cream 60ml

1 applicator bottle with Developer Lotion 60ml

1 sachet Care Conditioner 22.5ml

1 pair of gloves

1 instruction leaflet

Suitable for

Vegan

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Review

Having previously used Schwarzkopf Natural and Easy Hair Dye and had great results I figured this was worth a try.

It was super easy to use and one box dye was enough to cover my hair. If I grow my hair any longer I'll probably need two boxes to get good coverage though.

After using it my hair was also significantly softer, shinier, and less dry in general. Unfortunately it didn't make my hair blonde or cover my white ones.

When I choose this hair dye I knew it was a long shot as going from a darker shade to a lighter one without bleach is not easy. That said I'd done some research and found videos of other people who had managed to make this work on their hair. Maybe their hair wasn't previously dyed and it was their natural hair colour?

Whatever the reason, it just didn't work on my hair. It did make it several shades lighter but not the light blonde on the box.

The thing that surprised me the most was that it didn't cover the grey. Past dyes I've used in this range did a good job covering my grey hair (the box says 100% and whilst that might not always be the case it usually gets most of them). This time was definitely more miss than hit.

Which is your favourite brand of hair dye? Have you ever gone blonde just with using box hair dye?

Click here for more hair and beauty related reviews and posts.

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Book Club Kit

Five Will Die by L.A. Detwiler

Disclosure: The FTC Disclosure Provision is a law that requires influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. So please know that if I'm not making money through affiliate links/sponsored content on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon. Read the full disclosure about all the legal stuff here.

Please be aware going into this post that it is for people who have read the book and therefore contains some spoilers.

About the book

Publisher: Self published

Genre: Serial Killer Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Crime Thriller

Number of pages: 249

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8215686058

ASIN ‏ : ‎B0BCHFD8HW

Published: February 7, 2023

Purchasing links: Amazon

Goodreads

Book Covers

Book Synopsis

By Friday, one will kill and one will die in the Evermore Publishing offices. But this is just the start of a horrifying chain of murders because the killer has much bigger plans.

From the USA Today bestseller comes a shocking thriller that will keep you guessing up until the very last page.

When a new girl, Becky Rusett, joins the Evermore Publishing team, she’ll start to realize no office setting is as safe as it appears. The secrets, lies, and underhanded dealings of the publishing house are unsettling enough–but now some sinister events are putting the entire office in real danger.

Decades before Evermore Publishing existed, a group of five meanspirited children terrorized a young child in a small town. The Fab 5, as they were called, set off the chain of events that would lead to the horrific events at Evermore. But what’s their connection to the New York City bookworms…and can anyone solve the mystery before there’s a brutal murder?

You never really know if there’s a killer in the cubicle beside you. This tense mystery is only the first of five books tracing the footsteps of a killer.

About the Author

L.A. Detwiler is a USA TODAY Bestselling author with Avon Books (HarperCollins) and a high school English teacher from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. During her final year at Mount Aloysius College, she started writing her first fiction novel, which was published in 2015. She has also written articles that have appeared in several women’s publications and websites. L.A. Detwiler lives in her hometown with her husband, Chad. They have five cats and a mastiff named Henry.

Authors website

Book Reviews

My Review of Five Will Die by L.A. Detwiler

"If you work in an office environment, reading this book might just have you watching everyone; while you think you know the people you work with, you really don’t. There are plenty of plot twists and lots of action and it’s a fun, quirky read, especially for those interested in thrillers." - Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

"This book had me at the edge of my seat. Trying to guess who the unaliver was. This book and the scenes were well written and will have you guessing left and right. Until the end where one of the five ceases to exist . I can’t wait to read the next book in this series." - Reviewed by Amy (Burkett) Espinoza for Amazon

"I found myself second guessing the true nature of each character and analyzing their likelihood of being The Killer. Certain twists weren’t shocking and others were unexpected. Overall, it was a very thrilling and dark read. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next in this series." - Reviewed by Courtney Mason for Amazon

Discussion Questions

1. A lot of the characters had a difficult time growing up. How much do you think this influenced the people they grew up to be?

2. What do you think Becky did in the past?

3. Everyone at Evermore seemed to have secrets and a past they were trying to escape. Who do you think was hiding the most/ did the best covering up?

4. Why do you think Chuck helped Alex that night when they were younger?

5. He waited 15 years to start getting revenge. Why do you think he waited so long?

6. Do you think we should be judged by mistakes made as children/teens even when we become adults?

7. How much blame do you think the Fab 5 had in the death of Tommy? Was it also their fault?

8. In what order do you think he'll kill the Fab 5? Who do you think will be number one on his list and why?

Quotes from Five Will Die by L.A. Detwiler

As they baked under the harsh glow of the break room’s fluorescent lighting, the cast of five had no idea that by Friday, one of them would kill and one of them would die.

It could easily have been the other way around. She easily could’ve been me. But that’s the thing about humanity, isn’t it? We don’t care unless it’s happening to us.

I’d learned what I needed to learn—not even from college necessarily, but from the books I’d read. From the places I’d traveled in those pages. From the tenacity I’d learned from my shitty circumstances.

But if my father could see me now, would he change his mind? I’ve followed the family business, but I’ve been even better. Every father wants better for his child, no matter how depraved or criminal. I’m better, aren’t I? Would I make him proud?

How? How could she be paying for the sins of her youth, for a time when she didn’t even understand that actions truly had consequences? What kind of man held a grudge like this? And who had he already killed?

If plagued your life if you let it.

She smiled to herself, thinking of how well she’d played the part. Thinking about how easily she adapted, how fun it was to reinvent herself. And now, as she gathered her backpack and walked away into the night, she thought about how fun it would be to reinvent herself again.

More Book Club Kits

Book Club Kit Five Will Die by L.A. Detwiler

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Blogging

The Ultimate Guide to Launching a Successful Blog

Have you been dreaming of sharing your passions as well as making an impactful statement through an engaging blog? Creating an effective blog is something that takes dedication, determination as well as the right mix of creativity. This blog post will give you some tips as well as tricks in order to build a successful blog!

Do you need help promoting your products and/or services? Let's work together! Book your sponsored post now!

1. Spark Your Passion and Stay Engaged

At this pivotal juncture in your journey in order to run a successful blog, finding your passion should be step number one! Allow your curiosity to run free as well as explore various interests whether that means travel blogging, cooking tips, fashion trends or mental health advocacy in order to create an engaging blog.

Once you find your passion, you will know you have found success. Be true to who it is that you are; embrace what makes you different as this may help open readers' hearts to you.

2. Nurture Your Mental State

Building a successful blog is something that requires time, dedication as well as plenty of patience in order to become successful. Yet even the best bloggers need time off in order to recharge as well as rejuvenate themselves - this is why self-care becomes so crucial in the blogging world. When you are first starting out you may want to pour all of your energy into your blog as well as work long hours to ensure success. But that is just a quick recipe that will lead to burnout.

By taking care of your mental state, you can make sure that all of your content is consistent and high quality. If you are struggling with your mental health, consider getting professional help to improve it. For example, if you are suffering from depression, consider rehab for depression to get you back on track in order to produce great content and love what you are doing.

3. Be Consistent

Consistency is something that is very crucial in order to have a successful blog. Posting regularly not only keeps readers engaged but also signals search engines that your blog deserves consideration. Set an ideal pace that works for you by posting once weekly, twice monthly, or whatever you find works best.

Life may present unexpected obstacles and blogging may need to take a backseat from time to time; that's okay! Find your balance and return to blogging when you are able to produce high quality content consistently.

4. Engaging With Your Audience

Understanding your target audience is another very essential component in order to run a successful blog. In order to make your target audience happy, you need to be able to understand their needs, dreams as well as struggles in order to indeed be able to connect with them.

Make them feel seen as well as heard, speak in terms of language your audience understands while allaying their fears as well as doubts with confidence-boosting assurances from a guidelight. Use vivid images as well as captivating storytelling techniques that will be able to capture their attention in ways that other blogs can't.

Conclusion

And now you have it, the roadmap in order to create an impactful blog! So, in order to achieve success, embrace your passions with open arms, practice self-care, be consistent, as well as speak your target audience's language with ease and grace!

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Book Review Enola Holmes 2 - The Case of The Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer

My thoughts about Enola Holmes 2 - The Case of The Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer

The book synopsis for Enola Holmes 2 - The Case of The Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer

Reintroducing London's newest and greatest detective: Enola Holmes in this second exciting mystery - from the series that inspired the films, starring Millie Bobby Brown.

Enola Holmes is on the run from the world's most famous detective - her brother Sherlock Holmes.

As she roams the dark and dangerous streets of London disguised as a doctor's secretary called Miss Ivy Meshle, Enola is reminded more and more that her name backwards spells 'alone'.

But when she finds a concealed cache of dazzling charcoal drawings, she feels drawn to the girl who drew them. Only, that girl, young Lady Cecily, has mysteriously vanished.

It's up to Enola to find her, but false appearances can only last so long... Enola's adventures continue in this thrilling second instalment.

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4 stars

Discussing Enola Holmes 2 - The Case of The Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer

Where to find Enola Holmes 2 - The Case of The Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer online:

Amazon affiliate link

Goodreads

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