Are You Up for a Game of Catch-Up?

The start of a new year (or month or week) is always a fitting time to get yourself organized and begin anew, right? So this afternoon I want to take a bit of time to catch up on a few things and let you know my bookish catch-up plans for 2015...

Winners

From Lena Goldfinch's Christmas giveaway, we had four winners!

1. Grand Prize (paperback + earrings): bn100
2. Runner-Up (ebook): Wendy N.
3. Runner-Up (ebook): Merry
4. Runner-Up (ebook): Shelley S.

And everyone's a winner with a romantic short story for only $.99, right? :) Congratulations, winners!

Regarding a previous giveaway winner, I have a big, shameful confession to make. While talking with a friend this weekend about where authors get character names, I mentioned that some authors hold contests for readers to help name their characters. A spark of memory went off in my head. Wait... Didn't I do one of those?

Ummm...yes, and to my great embarrassment, I went back and looked at that post today and realized that I hadn't included the winning name in How a Star Falls. So I offer my sincerest apologies to the winner (Carissa), and will do my utmost not to forget to include the lovely name Rose in my next published story!

Books

I really ought to review more of the books I read, even if a lot of them are "just for fun." I mean, as an author, I know that the more reviews, the merrier! They can be both helpful and encouraging. So I hope to try harder to review most of the books I read this time around. I have some scheduled reviews coming up over the next few months for books I've agreed to review, but be on the lookout for some snack size reviews for some of for-fun books, too. :) (And don't forget that you can always check out my ratings for books on Shelfari or Goodreads.)

Also, I came across this super cute and clever reading challenge that seems very doable and addresses another reading problem I have: the never-ending TBR that just keeps on growing.

I'm joining the {Something Old, Something New} Challenge hosted by PidginPea's Book Nook! I'm going to stick with the two-book plan. Even though I'll hopefully get to read more than that amount each month (not including work-related reading or for-review reading), I like the idea of picking two books from my shelves to commit to and enjoy.

For the purposes of more often turning to my current collection for reading material, I'm going to have both the "something old" and "something new" options come from my TBR shelf - the difference being that "something old" will be a book I acquired a year or more ago, while "something new" will be a book I acquired within the past year. Hope that makes sense!

My January 2015 picks are...

{Something Old}
Acquired Fall 2010

Can a Canaanite harlot who has made her livelihood by looking desirable to men make a fitting wife for one of the leaders of Israel? Shockingly, the Bible's answer is yes. Pearl in the Sand tells Rahab's untold story. Rahab lives in a wall; her house is built into the defensive walls of the City of Jericho. Other walls surround her as well—walls of fear, rejection, and unworthiness. A woman with a wrecked past; a man of success, of faith...of pride. A marriage only God would conceive! Through the heartaches of a stormy relationship, Rahab and Salmone learn the true source of one another's worth and find healing in God.

Amazon | Goodreads

{Something New}

Acquired Winter 2014

From Award-Winning, Young Adult author Rajdeep Paulus comes the sequel to Swimming Through Clouds, a powerful reminder that life is a battle you don't fight alone.

"I live in the in between. Between yesterday and forever. The way forward haunts me. The gap I must cover daunts me. And hope beckons, 'Run to me,' but I just learned to walk."

After a lifetime of abuse, the Vanderbilt siblings flee their home, finally free to pursue new dreams while running from yesterday's nightmares. Once bed-ridden Jesse navigates the Chicago streets, concealing his identity and planning revenge. A chance encounter in the rain introduces a girl who offers Jesse a glimpse of a sunnier future, but how will he weather the growing storm inside himself?

Separated from her Post-it note prince, Talia hides at a safe house for survivors of domestic violence while her father turns the city upside-down to find her. Surrounded by women fighting their own demons, Talia faces her past at every turn.

Amazon | Goodreads

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Watch for my reviews later this month! And please check out PidginPea's Book Nook if you'd like to join this fun challenge. :)