Life gets crazy this time of the year. My workload is heavier. Then there’s the holiday stuff: shopping for gifts, planning our Christmas menu, and grocery shopping. By the end of the day, I’m so exhausted, I can barely hold up a book.

I feel lost when I go too long without picking up a book. I do my best to make time for some fun reading each day. Escaping into a book relaxes me and keeps me from feeling too stressed. Emphasis on the less stress part. Basically, I’m happier when I read.

Though, when life gets busy, I adjust the manner in which I read. I’ve got some tips that can help you get your books in even during the hustle and bustle of life.

3 Ways to Keep Reading When Life Gets in the Way

1. Listen to audiobooks: My list of errands is miles long, which means waiting in line at the post office or running out to the store for gift wrap. Luckily, it’s easy enough to pop in my earbuds and listen to an audiobook on my Audible app. I get to read and cross off items off my shopping list at the same time.

Tip: Download your Audible audiobook to your phone via wifi so you don’t incur and data overages.

2. Read novellas or anthologies: When I have a tough time slowing down my brain, I find it tough to dive into longer books. Shorter stories are easier for me get into. They usually have less backstory for me to keep track of and move fairly quickly. Just because they’re shorter doesn’t mean they’re not as good. If you’ve never tried an anthology of short stories, you’re missing out!

3. Escape into genre fiction: I love a good literary novel, but I also love a good suspense thriller or a laugh out loud historical romance. Because they are so different from my own life, I can relax into the story instead of analyzing it. I turn off my reviewer lens and just enjoy the story.

Want to try an audiobook while you’re running holiday errands? Get a free book with your 30-day trial to Audible. There’s a huge selection of books to choose from on Audible–there something for everyone. I like that you can listen to samples of the audiobooks to help me pick out my next book.

If you’re not sure where to start, download Bruce Springsteen’s memoir Born to Run as your free book. I’m looking forward to learning about his life in his own words and voice. In addition to his vocal performance, Springsteen also played and recorded short instrumental versions of songs that serve as background and introductory music to his narration You can’t get that from a print or e-book!

How do you find time to read when life gets busy?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Audible. The opinions and text are all mine. Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand.

This year my reading has come in bursts. I go weeks without finishing a book and then, BAM, I finish 2 or 3 within a week.

Last week I finally finished  The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin. It’s taken me a few weeks to get through the novel. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but I didn’t have the time or brainpower to fully immerse myself into Jemisin’s well-established world. I wanted to savor each secret that her characters revealed.

In order to keep this review spoiler free for those who have not read the first book The Fifth Season, I’ll go easy on the details. In fact, I won’t even copy the synopsis to The Obelisk Gate as the first sentence is a spoiler! But if you’re dying to know, feel free to click on link.

I love reading series, especially trilogies, where there’s a definite ending to the story. I’m not a fan of never ending series because they seem to run out of steam. Trilogies have their pitfalls too, mainly that the second book becomes a setup for the final book. (See Justin Cronin’s The Passage Trilogy and  Erika Johansen’s The Queen of the Tearling. I’d even add The Empire Strikes Back to this list.)

The Obelisk Gate worked for me. It managed to move the story along without being dragged down by foreshadowing for the final book. Jemisin reveals more and more layers to the main characters. She unveils the history of orogenes and how the Seasons might have begin. It’s obvious Jemisin has put much thought in the history of her world.

I have no idea when the final book will be released, but it’s an auto buy for me.

This post contains affiliate links.

Guess what I’ll be reading over the long weekend? The second installment of N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Obelisk Gate. I wanted to buy a copy but back-to-school shopping has tightened our family budget for the month. Then I remembered to check my library!

I was glad to see that my library system had multiple (double digits!) copies of the book available so soon after the book’s release. You bet your sweet butt that I put myself on the hold list. Two days later, I have The Obelisk Gate in my hot little hands.

If you  haven’t read the first book The Fifth Season yet, it just won a Hugo Award. I reviewed it last year and it’s a keeper on my bookshelf.

What are you reading over the Labor Day weekend?

This post contains affiliate links.

I even finished the 600+ page City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin. I’ve been eagerly awaiting for him to release the final book in The Passage trilogy. As you know, I’m not a fan of vampire stories, but The Passage drew me in because of Cronin’s intense characters and humanity’s need for survival. I devoured The Twelve, the second book.

So how did City of Mirrors hold up?

I got my hands on an advance galley of the book in May and didn’t finish it until August. That’s three months! It took me less than a week for the previous two books in the series.

While I was happy to dive right back into the post-apocalyptic world that Cronin created, the pace was incredibly slow. About 1/3 of the way through, the book jumps far back to the very beginning (as in before book 1) to give what is basically a novella about Zero’s past. The detour threw me off and the entire time I wondered what the significance of telling his story now. Cronin finally tied everything together but the payoff took too long for my wander attention span.

I won’t give too many details about the plot as not to spoil the entire series. There was a little too much foreshadowing and setup for the big battle between the humans and Zero. But when the action started, it went non-stop.

City of Mirrors did deliver a satisfying ending to the long, intense journey for me. It just took a long time to get there. I’m glad I read it.

Have you read any of the books in The Passage trilogy?

This post contains affiliate links.

The t-shirt design was created by Kelly at Delicious Reads. You can read her full story and inspiration behind the shirt on Cents of Style. The boyfriend fit tee is available in sizes  S-XXL. (XXL fits 20-22). It retails for #29.95 but is only $14.98 with code READERSPILLOW.

AND if you have young readers in your home, there’s even a kid sized Readers Gonna Read. With the 50% code, this cute shirt will only put you out $12.48. Perfect for back to school.

If that’s not enough, you’ll want the pillow cover for your favorite reading chair, only $11.98 after the discount.

Don’t forget you can save 50% off the tees & pillow cover and free shipping with code READERSPILLOW? The code is good through 8/10/16.

Do you like the shirt or pillow cover? Or both?

This post contains affiliate links. Photos courtesy of Cents of Style.

June was so incredibly busy with work that I hardly had a chance to read. Thank goodness things have slowed down a bit for July and I read 3 books! Ok, 2 of them were audiobooks but after staring at a screen all day, it’s nice to listen to a book.

For my July Book of the Month Club box, I selected Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. I was sold by Liberty Hardy’s blurb about the sci-fi novel:

“Like the Martian, this is a fun, fast-paced novel about man’s hopes for the future.”

SOLD.

In Sleeping Giants, 11-year-old Rose Franklin falls into a giant hole in the ground. The rescue team finds her sleeping inside a giant hand set inside an alien chamber. She grows up to be a brilliant scientist and by some twist of fate, becomes the head scientist on this hand’s research team.  With the help from an unnamed but well connected person, Dr. Franklin assembles a team to find and assemble the body parts. The more pieces they find, the deeper the mystery becomes.

I’ll stop there with the book synopsis as not to give anything else away. Part of the fun in reading Sleeping Giants is seeing everything unfold.

The novel is told via interviews between the unnamed figure and those involved in the research project. Journal entries from the research team are also interspersed to tell the narrative. This unnamed person (I am not sure of their gender) obviously has a hidden agenda.

I agree with Liberty Hardy that Sleeping Giants is a fun read. However the comparison to The Martian is a bit of a stretch for me. There’s very little science in Sleeping Giants, which might be a positive for some people. I never got a good grasp on most of the characters, except for Kara, even though the book description bills Dr. Franklin as the main character. I just wanted a little more substance.

Sleeping Giants is a fun, summer read. The short “chapters” make it easy to read and won’t make you think too hard. I wouldn’t be surprised if it has already been optioned for a movie. It certainly reads like a movie script.

Want to give it a try? The Kindle version of Sleeping Giants is currently only $1.99. I’m not sure what the e-book format is like, but I enjoyed reading it in hardback.

Without Book of the Month Club, I wouldn’t have even picked up this book. I’ve really enjoyed my subscription to BOMC because it made me look outside my usually types of books. I highly recommend the subscription box. (See my full review on Book of the Month Club)

Don’t miss the Book of the Month coupon code for 30% off a 3-month subscription and get a free summer survival kit!

With the mad rush of end-of-school year activities, I totally forgot to post my Book of the Month Club Unboxing photos. But the kids are settled for the summer and life has slowed down a bit.

I received my first box in May and was pleasantly surprised by the care taken in the packaging. Similarly, my June book was shrink wrapped to a piece of cardboard to keep it from bouncing around the box during shipment. It also keeps the book’s corners from getting dinged and bent–which I hate.

Again, there were 5 books to choose from.

•  Veins of the Ocean by Patricia Engel – Guest Judge: Roxane Gay, author of An Untamed State
•  Shrill by Lindy West – Judge: Joel Stein
•  Modern Lovers by Emma Straub – Judge: Morgan Jerkins
• Before the Fall by Noah Hawley – Judge: Liberty Hardy
• Enchanted Islands by Allison Amend – Judge: Alexander Chee

After careful consideration–these things are important-I opted for Emma Straub’s Modern Lovers. It sounds like a good beach read. I’m doing a bit of traveling this summer so it will be good airplane reading.

One thing I love about Book of the Month are the bookmarks they include in each package. The bookmark is made of high quality, thick paper. It feels good against your fingers. I often hold my bookmarks while I’m reading a book. It’s a weird habit. You’re learning all about my weird reading quirks!

Along with my book selection, I received a postcard with  the same print as the Modern Lovers book cover and a note from Judge Morgan Jenkins on why she choose the book.

Verdict: Once again, I’m pleased with the selection and process of the Book of the Month. The 5 book choices each month cover a wide range of topics to suit a variety of tastes. There really is something for everyone.

Coupon alert: When you join between 6/10 – 6/30, Book Of The Month will give you:

• $5 off their 3-month subscription
• an exclusive Book Of The Month beach bag and
• custom sunglasses!

Just join with code SSK5 by June 30 to get your Summer Survival Kit!

How Book of the Month club works

Here’s a quick refresher of the Book of the Month subscription box.

Each month there are 5 newly released (or soon to be released) books to choose from. BOTM invites famous authors and celebrities to become Judges as a way of curating each month’s selections. May Judges were Josh Radnor, Alexander Chee, Nina Sankovitch, Leigh Haber, and Liberty Hardy.  The selections span a wide range of genres. Click on each title to learn why the Judge chose it and read more about the book.

Once you’ve enrolled (more about pricing later), BOTM sends a reminder email to choose this month’s selection. Current subscribers have until the 6th of the month to choose their book or skip a month (without penalty). Boxes ship on the 7th.

I joined late, around May 10th and was given until the 14th to choose my book. Being the impatient book reader I am, I chose my book as soon as I signed up. BOTMC still sent me a reminder email, which I appreciated.

When you choose your book, you can add up to 2 other books (from previous months, I assume) for only $9.99 each. Not a bad price for hardcovers. Shipping is still free.

The hardest part: waiting for your book to arrive.

Book of the Month Pricing

Book of the Month currently has 3 plans to choose from:

• 1-month plan = $16.99 per month
• 3-month plan = $14.99 per book, or $44.97
• 12-month plan = $11.99 per book, or $143.88

Shipping is included in your monthly fee. Obviously the 12-month plan offers more bang for your buck. You can skip a month without penalty and your subscription expiration date will be extended a month.

Just a note that membership plans will automatically renew at the end of your term unless you cancel. BOTM sends you a reminder email. You’ll have to call to cancel.

June is Audiobook month so that means lots of freebies for us! Not only can you download free books from AudioFile all summer, this month Audiobooks.com has freebies and sales all month long!

In addition to free books, there are also $5 kids audiobooks and contests, such as the Win Your Wishlist contest.

Each weekend in June, Audiobooks.com will offer one audiobook title for free download. Getting started only takes a few steps, but it might not be very intuitive. Here’s how I download my free audiobooks.

How to get free audiobooks from Audiobooks.com

For me, the easiest way is to to download via the website (easiest)

1. Visit Audiobooks.com to create your free account.  You’ll also receive a a free trial and can download your first book for free.
2. After you create your account, navigate to back to the Audiobook Month page.
3. Scroll down and click on the cover of the free audiobook you want to download.
4. Click “Download Now” button to add it to your library. As long as you download it during the free time period, you will not be charged for it.
5. Listen via your browser, your computer, or on the Audiobooks.com app under “My Books.”

To download via Audiobooks.com app

1. Download the app through your app store (iOS and Google Play)
2. Create a free account
3. In menu, go to “Featured Books.”
4. Tap on banner that says “Audiobook Month Free Premium Download”
5. Tap “Download.”
6. Listen via your app.

Audiobook Month Free Book Schedule

Each free audiobook is only available for a limited time. As long as you claim them when they’re free, they’ll always remain in your library. Bookmark this page and come back every Friday in June to download your free books!

Here’s the Audiobooks.com schedule for their free audiobooks giveaway. Some are only available in US/Canada. The ones marked with (W) denotes world rights.

• Literary Fiction Weekend Giveaway (Friday June 3 – Sunday June 5)
  • The Past by Tessa Hadley (CA/MX/US)
• Memoir Weekend Giveaway (Friday June 10 – Sunday June 12)
  • Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson (W)
  • Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton (CA/US)
  • Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo (W)
• Romance Weekend Giveaway (Friday June 17 – Sunday June 19)
  • January by Audrey Carlan (W)
• YA Fantasy Weekend Giveaway (Friday June 24 – Sunday June 26)
  • The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (CA/US)
  • The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (W)

Happy reading! Follow us on Facebook for weekly reminders to download your free audiobooks.

Oh the joys of receiving books in the mail! There aren’t any bookstores close enough for me to make a spontaneous visit, so I depend on the web and my library for my reading material.

It’s been a while since I’ve looked at Book of the Month (BOTM). I’m glad to see it’s still around and was glad to try out their new subscription box. I mean, BOTM was the OG of book subscription services! Instead of receiving a flyer in the mail with only 2 book choices, now BOTM has something for everyone.

How Book of the Month club works

Each month there are 5 newly released (or soon to be released) books to choose from. BOTM invites famous authors and celebrities to become Judges as a way of curating each month’s selections. May Judges were Josh Radnor, Alexander Chee, Nina Sankovitch, Leigh Haber, and Liberty Hardy.  The selections span a wide range of genres. Click on each title to learn why the Judge chose it and read more about the book.

Once you’ve enrolled (more about pricing later), BOTM sends a reminder email to choose this month’s selection. Current subscribers have until the 6th of the month to choose their book or skip a month (without penalty). Boxes ship on the 7th.

I joined late, around May 10th and was given until the 14th to choose my book. Being the impatient book reader I am, I chose my book as soon as I signed up. BOTMC still sent me a reminder email, which I appreciated.

When you choose your book, you can add up to 2 other books (from previous months, I assume) for only $9.99 each. Not a bad price for hardcovers. Shipping is still free.

The hardest part: waiting for your book to arrive.

Book of the Month Pricing

Book of the Month currently has 3 plans to choose from:

• 1-month plan = $16.99 per month
• 3-month plan = $14.99 per book, or $44.97
• 12-month plan = $11.99 per book, or $143.88

Shipping is included in your monthly fee. Obviously the 12-month plan offers more bang for your buck. You can skip a month without penalty and your subscription expiration date will be extended a month.

Just a note that membership plans will automatically renew at the end of your term unless you cancel. BOTM sends you a reminder email. You’ll have to call to cancel.

Unboxing My May Book of the Month

My box arrived over the weekend, but I waited (impatiently) until today to take photos as I unboxed it. The things I do for my readers! My May book arrived in a fairly plain brown box, with “Book of the Month” printed on it. I like that it wasn’t flashy because the kids would have stolen it from me!

Inside, there’s a fun pop of color. Let’s be honest. The packaging matters for subscription boxes. Part of the excitement is unboxing your shipment. The first thing I see is a bright red ring pop and a shrink wrapped package. Yay, more things to unwrap! It’s like my birthday came early!

Along with the inserts and a bookmark, my book was shrink wrapped onto a larger piece of cardboard. I had my box cutter, but the plastic might be harder to open if you don’t have a sharp object nearby. As someone who’s a bit type-A about how my books look, I appreciated the shrink wrap. The book looked brand new, with no dented corners due to bumps during shipping.

I had a tough time deciding which book I wanted, but settled on The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan. It fits into our Diversity Reading Challenge. Along with the book were a note from Judge Alexander Chee, a very nice stiff BOTM bookmark, and a postcard announcing a contest that involves the Ring Pop.

I’m not sure what I expect from my first Book of the Month package, but I’m pleased with it. I wished my note from the Judge was something new, instead of paraphrasing what Chee wrote on the BOTM website. That’s just me being overly nerdy and nitpicky.

Final Thoughts

Book of the Month is a good way to learn about new to you books and authors. I’m not sure I would have found The Association of Small Bombs on my own. Maybe eventually, but not so close to its publication date. Of course there’s more popular books like Curtis Sittenfeld’s Eligible and suspense thriller Let You Go. There’s definitely something every interest.

It’s also a low investment for the thrill of receiving a new book in the mail and the hours of reading entertainment otherwise.

I’m looking forward to learning about next June’s selections.

Which May book would you have chosen?

It’s that time again!

SYNC Audiobooks for Teens is back to offer 2 free audiobooks downloads each week. The program started last week and runs until August 17th. Each week, the site offers a pair of books for download. That’s 30 free audiobooks!

The audiobooks can be played through via Overdrive on your desktop or on the Overdrive app on your mobile device. I recommend downloading them on your computer and transferring them to your phone one at a time in order to save memory on our smartphone.

Did I mention that the audiobooks are free? All you have to do is enter your email address to get immediate access to the books. The program is geared towards teens. Every week, a YA book is paired with an adult title, but there’s plenty of crossover.

Image courtesy of AudioFile

I spy some really awesome titles such as Juba! by Walter Dean Myers, The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez, Boy Meets Boy by David Leviathan, and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

Make sure you bookmark this post so you can come back each week to download your free audiobooks.

Here’s the full summer line-up:

• May 5 – May 11:
  •  VIVIAN APPLE AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Katie Coyle Narrated by Julia Whelan (Dreamscape Media)
  • THE GREAT TENNESSEE MONKEY TRIAL by Peter Goodchild Performed by Edward Asner, Bill Brochtrup, Kyle Colerider-Krugh, Matthew Patrick Davis, John de Lancie, James Gleason, Harry Groener, Jerry Hardin, Geoffrey Lower, Marnie Mosiman, and Kenneth Alan Williams (L.A. Theatre Works)
• May 12 – May 18
  • THE SIN EATER'S DAUGHTER by Melinda Salisbury Narrated by Amy Shiels (Scholastic Audio)
  • DIVINE COLLISION: AN AFRICAN BOY, AN AMERICAN LAWYER, AND THEIR REMARKABLE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM by Jim Gash Narrated by Brandon Batchelar (Oasis Audio)
• May 19 – May 25
  • 100 SIDEWAYS MILES by Andrew Smith Narrated by Kirby Heyborne (Tantor Media)
  • THIS BOY'S LIFE by Tobias Wolff Narrated by Oliver Wyman (HighBridge Audio)
• May 26 – June 1
  • EVERY LAST WORD by Tamara Ireland Stone Narrated by Amy Rubinate (Ideal Audiobooks)
  • EGG & SPOON by Gregory Maguire  Narrated by Michael Page (Brilliance Audio)
• June 2 – June 8
  • WORDS IN THE DUST by Trent Reedy Narrated by Ariana Delawari (Scholastic Audio)
  • THE BOY BORN DEAD: A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP, COURAGE, AND TRIUMPH by John Driver Narrated by David Ring, David Wideman, and John Driver (christianaudio)
• June 9 – June 15
  • ZAC AND MIA by A.J. Betts Narrated by Kristin Condon and Nicholas Mondelli (Dreamscape Media)
  • I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson Narrated by Julia Whelan and Jesse Bernstein (Brilliance Audio)
• June 16 – June 22
  • HOW IT WENT DOWN by Kekla Magoon Narrated by Cherise Boothe, Shari Peele, Kevin R. Free, Avery Glymph, Patricia R. Floyd, Brian Hutchinson, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Ezra Knight, Peter Jay Fernandez, Hubert Point-Du-Jour, and Korey Jackson (Recorded Books)
  • THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN EX-COLORED MAN by James Weldon Johnson Narrated by Alan Bomar Jones (Tantor Media)
• June 23 – June 29
  • BOY MEETS BOY by David Levithan Narrated by Nick Robideau and a full cast (Full Cast Audio)
  • DONNY’S BRAIN by Rona Munro Performed by Paul Fox, Jared Harris, Siobhán Hewlett, Moira Quirk, and Sophie Winkleman (L.A. Theatre Works)
• June 30 – July 6
  • THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA: THE SECRETS BEHIND WHAT YOU EAT (YOUNG READERS EDITION) by Michael Pollan Narrated by MacLeod Andrews (Listening Library)
  • GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE by Andrew Smith Narrated by Philip Church (Listening Library)
• July 7 – July 13
  • THE YOUNG WORLD by Chris Weitz Narrated by Spencer Locke and Jose Julian (Hachette Audio)
  • SYMPHONY FOR THE CITY OF THE DEAD: DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH AND THE SIEGE OF LENINGRAD by M.T. Anderson Narrated by M.T. Anderson (Brilliance Audio)
• July 14 – July 20
  • FAT ANGIE by e. E. Charlton-Trujillo Narrated by Angela Dawe (Brilliance Audio)
  • ON THE JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta Narrated by Rebecca Macauley (Bolinda)
• July 21 – July 27
  • MANDELA: AN AUDIO HISTORY by Nelson Mandela Narrated by Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and Joe Richman (HighBridge Audio)
  • THINGS FALL APART by Chinua Achebe Narrated by Peter Francis James (Recorded Books)
• July 28 – August 3
  • JUBA! by Walter Dean Myers Narrated by Brandon Gill (HarperAudio)
  • PENNIES FOR HITLER by Jackie French Narrated by Humphrey Bower (Bolinda)
• August 4 – August 10
  • THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS by Cristina Henríquez Narrated by Yareli Arizmendi, Christine Avila, Jesse Corti, Gustavo Res, Ozzie Rodriguez, and Gabriel Romero (Penguin Random House Audio)
  • MOST DANGEROUS by Steve Sheinkin Narrated by Ray Porter (Listening Library)
• August 11 – August 17
  • BONE GAP by Laura Ruby Narrated by Dan Bittner (HarperAudio)
  • CLASSIC AMERICAN SHORT STORIES by Jack London, Ambrose Bierce, Stephen Crane, Kate Chopin, James Fenimore Cooper, Mark Twain, and O. Henry Narrated by William Roberts, Garrick Hagon, and Liza Ross (Naxos AudioBooks)

Which audiobooks are you most excited about?