A Monthly Round Up (2) : January (and perhaps some pictures...)

A Monthly Round Up is a meme hosted at Feed Me Books Now!!!. The purpose of this meme is to sum up the month's blogging in one post.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!! 新年快乐,恭喜发财! New Year Festival is the most important traditional holidays in China. Every year, families gather together the at New Year's Eve to cherish the passing of the previous year and celebrate the beginning of a new chapter. For those of you who don't know, 2014 is the year of horse. If you were born in 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, or 2002, here are some fun fortune forecasts just for you. Enjoy ;)

This year, you're looking at six unfavorable months, five of the good kind and one neutral. How can that be -- after all, this is your year, right? But there's actually luck in those percentages and lots of good hidden in this year. First off it's a Wood year, which is the luckiest element for the Horse. However, beware of too much of a good thing: you can be a bit reckless when you are in pursuit of adventure. Make sure you keep your stamina up if you're going after a long-desired goal. Sometimes you make rash decisions. If you can rein in that tendency over the next year, you should be just fine.

- Astrology.com

This past month on Spare Reads

Reviews (click on cover to see post):

   

Memes:

• 1/1 Waiting on Wednesday (2): Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
• 1/7 Top Ten Tuesday (2): Resolutions for 2014 (a blend of bookish goals and others)
• 1/8 Waiting on Wednesday (3): Hollow City (Miss Peregrine, #2) by Ransom Riggs
• 1/10 Friday Share (4): Heroines in Classics
• 1/15 Waiting on Wednesday (4): Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
• 1/22 Waiting on Wednesday (5): The One (The Selection, #3) by Kiera Cass
• 1/29 Waiting on Wednesday (6): City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6) by Cassandra Clare

Other Cool Stuffs Around the Blogosphere

• Bec from Readers In Wonderland started a discussion about how she cannot DNF books. I have the same exact dilemma too but I think I might embrace it in the future.
• Cait shared a great blogging tip last week on How to Make a Blog Button @ Notebook Sisters. Spare Reads is actually in need of a blog button, let's see what I can come up with ... :)
• Aneta from Angelic Reviews composed an awesome poem using book titles in her Feature & Follow Friday post this week.
• Oooo Lisa @ Turning Pages reached her 1000th post and she is making vlogs!!
• Jackie D from Bookcharmed did a redesign of her blog! Love those new banners :D

I'm by the Sea, by the Sea

Recently I went on a trip to Maui Hawaii and it is for sure the most gorgeous place I have ever laid my eyes upon. The fact that I'm able to enjoy sunshines and warmth during this rough cold winter is already an incredible treat. Snorkeling, riding horses, watching dances in a Luau, witnessing the breathtaking view of sunrise on the top of Haleakala Mountain... I had a marvelous time. Hope these photos can bring the Hawaiian warmness to you too in this harsh season.