Full Time Working Mom AND An Avid Reader

Where are my book-worm Mom’s out there? ….I know you’re out there!

Struggles of being a full-time working mom and an avid read? Or the best of both worlds?

If you are an avid reader and not a mom, please don’t take this as me saying you’re not busy and you have all the time in the world. Not what I am saying at all! I know everyone is busy and we all have our struggles doing the things we need to be doing instead of want to be doing. This is just my rant on my personal situation.

I am a full-time working mom of two amazing boys! My oldest is going to be 9 on September 17th, 2018 already and my youngest is almost a year and a half! Man how the time flies.

My absolute favourite personal thing to do for myself is reading a good book. It truly is an addiction. But such a good, healthy (yet expensive) addiction! ..haha. But getting time to read is so hard. Aside from working full-time I am either cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, bringing my boys to school or daycare, helping with homework, packing bags and lunches, running to Taekwondo, running errands, bathing my little one, trying to get a workout in, etc. With doing all these things I am also running a bookish YouTube channel and a Bookstagram page. WHERE do I even get the time sleep, let alone read?

Autopilot! It has to be autopilot. Somehow I get it all done. Sure I get frustrated at times, when there is something I want to be doing but know I have to put it off and complete my adulting for the day!

But I wouldn’t give it up for anything. I mean I have the best of both worlds. I have a beautiful family that I get the joy of taking care of every day and who love me unconditionally. Yet I make time for myself when I can to sit down and do a little something for me.

Maybe not enough, but I do.

I also get to share my love of reading and books with my precious boys!

Fingers crossed they grow to have the same love for it as I do.

So all you book-worm Moms out there… kudos to you! You run every job there is in the world being a mom! But you are sure to take the time to enjoy and expand your mind.

Let’s not forget, enter into a new world with each book you pick up and escape from reality for a short time.

Let’s hear it for living the best life!

-Nichole

Indie Authors

Indie Authors!

Are so underrated !!!! — I just want to put that out there!

Joining the bookstagram community has really broadened my knowledge on a lot of things when it comes to reading! and here I called myself a true booknerd! Indie authors being one of them.

Indie authors are over looked time and time again. I have met some absolutely AMAZING indie authors over my last 1.5 years or so in the bookstagram community. Don’t worry I promise, I will leave a list below of some of my absolute favourites, that I have met so far. I mean I can’t not share that with my wonderful readers! A lot of these books have become some of my all time favourite reads EVER! And if you’re a “true booknerd” you know how much it means to be saying that!.

It takes a lot to step out into this brutally honest world with a dream, actually work toward fulfilling that dream and NOT giving up! For that I admire each and every author I meet! They are truly chasing their dreams and maybe with the help of our advanced social media world they will go all the way to the top. I mean they have to start somewhere right?

So….if you have ever over looked an indie author, whether they approached you or not. DON’T! Give them a try, I am not kidding when I say that each of the authors I am about to mention need to be nabbed up by an awesome publishing company and need to be in ALL major stores across the world. Some of them are already on their way with that.

To each indie writer that has reached out to me on social media, whether you asked me to read your book or not! THANK YOU! I am more than honoured and can’t wait to read more of your master pieces in the future!. Don’t ever give up on your incredible talent!

-Nichole

P.S.

I hope to eventually do separate book reviews for the amazing novels I have read by each of these authors in the future. Keep you eye out for those.

Authors:

Nathan Parker – Author of “The Disappearance of Timothy Dawson”

https://www.instagram.com/parker_book/

Michael Lackey – Author of “The Bad Seed” and “The Key of Knowledge”

https://www.instagram.com/mikelackey23/

Natalie Banks – Author of “The Dark Room”, “The Water is Wide” and “The Canary’s Song”

https://www.instagram.com/officialnataliebanks/

Donnalyn Vojta – Author of “The Teddy Bear Chronicles” Vol.1 – Hope in Paris and Vol.2 – Chloe’s Crusade

https://www.instagram.com/suspense_author/

Author Anonymous – Author of “The Legends of Eve” (My Review is already up!… GO check it out!)

https://www.instagram.com/thelegendsofeve/

New World by Jennifer Wilson

New World Trilogy by Jennifer Wilson – Just recently completed by yours truly!… 🙂

New World Rising #1 Published August 14, 2014

New World Ashes #2 Published September 18, 2015

New World Inferno #3 Published September 12, 2017

This Trilogy! …Wow 5 out of 5 stars across the board for me! Jennifer Wilson absolutely knows what she is doing!.

Dystopian is one of my most favourite genres to read! And this did NOT disappoint.

I won’t go into explaining book #2 and #3 as I don’t want to give anything away. All I will say is if you have not heard of this trilogy, or have not read this trilogy… you NEED to! Stop what you are doing right this minute and go and pick it up!… you’re welcome 🙂

Through this raw world Jennifer has created. You follow Pheonix, a recently orphaned young girl, after watching her parents brutally murdered right before her eyes at age 11. She is forced to do as she promised her mother and find a way to survive.

But surviving outside the walls of the Sanctuary is not easy. Pheonix is up against 5 different tribes, all very unique but exceptionally powerful in their own way.

You have the Wraiths, Ravagers, Adroits, Taciturns and Scavengers. Each of these tribes all believe in join or die. Pheonix refuses, she chooses to find a way to survive on her own on the streets of Tartarus.

In Pheonix’s eyes it’s each person for themselves, until she spots a young girl being taunted by one of the tribes and chooses to give in this one time and save her!. Pheonix gets caught in a tricky situation, this is when the tables turn and someone comes to Pheonix’s saviour.

The Story then follows Pheonix and this group of people who saved her life through good and bad. Relationships are created and a family is built!

I absolutely adored this triology. As soon as I put a book down I was ready to pick the next book up!. The main character, Pheonix is smart, stubborn but most of all powerful, she truly is a force to be reckoned with. To see this young, alone girl grow and find people worth keeping close in this gruesome, ruthless world is such a whirl wind of a story.

This trilogy will always be close to my heart and as I said before, it is a MUST read!

-Nichole

***Photo is mine, from my bookstagram account nichi.i_readpastmybedtime. Go check it out!

The Legends of Eve by Anonymous

The Legends of Eve – Author: Anonymous

Expected Book Release: January 27, 2019

Goodreads for The Legends of Eve: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41026160-the-legends-of-eve?from_search=true

First official book review on my new book blog!.. Yay.

What a great way to start off my book reviews on my new blog. The Legends of Eve was 5 out of 5 stars for me!

Author Anonymous approached me on Instagram asking if I would be interested in reading a E-ARC copy of this book, for an honest review and I gladly accepted.

First before I get into my quick review on this book, I just want to give you a little history on what the author went through to get where they are.

The Legends of Eve is 20 years in the making!… 20 years! At age 12 the author promised themselves that they would never give up on this story. By age 15 the author had 5 subject notebooks filled with notes and ideas. Hitting many snags and complications along the way, drawing them into a different path in life. But this didn’t stop them and they were pulled back wanting to completing the first book to a 7 book series! more then ever. And it was all worth it!

The Legends of Eve follows your main character S’rae. A lonely, bitter girl that doesn’t have any family or friends of her own, but don’t let that fool you. S’rae is smart, hard headed and doesn’t give a care in the world as to what others may think of her (This trait is so admirable). She is one picked out of a small group of only 12 students chosen to visit the Valley of Gaia, where they will learn magic and SO much more! No one has seen the valley of Gaia in over 3000 years!

While following S’rae’s journey, in this breath taking magical world of Gaia. She follows a book that is found, the story of Destrou.

Destrou was born decades before S’rae and while reading his story S’rae finds that she has the ability to effect its world, and change the words of Destrou’s story.

This magical ride of a story is written from dual perspectives of both S’rae and Destrou.

I found The Legends of Eve to be such an enchanting story. I mean who doesn’t love a book filled with magic. There is something so relate-able about the characters, making you almost feel as if your the one visiting the valley of Gaia.

The Legends of Eve pulls you in. You fall in love with each one of the characters and explore this amazing, colorful, fascinating world that has been created.

I can’t believe this story was 20 years in the making! All I can say is it was well worth it. I soaked up every word and can’t wait for the next book and to follow this story further.

Ohh and don’t even get me started on the cover!…Ohhhh the cover…GORGEOUS!