Happy Father's Day to all the papas (and mamas who are also papas) out there!!! Here are some links to interesting things I found online over the past week or so.

- Using (Google) Analytics For More Than Just Looking At Number of Visitors ... if you read one thing, read this!

- 5 Fitness Goals for 2013 {Spring Check-In} ... scary to share my failure, but also liberating!

Links to Interesting Things Written By Others

Bookish - Complicated Father Relationships: A YA Reading List @ Stackced ... I haven't read any of these books, but quite a few are going on my reading list.

Around the World in 80 Books @ Amazon ... 80 Books that represent all seven continents (even Antarctica).

16 Summer & Fall First-in-Series YA Books to Watch For @ Read Breathe Relax ... although I'm trying to keep the number of non-finished series I start to a minimum, some interesting books are on this list.

Why I'll Always Read the Printed Word @ Radiant Shadows ... I actually find it hard to read books on any digital device.

What You Should Do During the TV Show Summer Hiatus @ Retreat by Random House ... books that read like shows on the tele.

Blogging - 5 Things I Wish I'd Learned My First Year of Blogging @ IFB ... Understand that you will probably never be famous. Ever. And that's okay. Also - Don't be afraid to go outside your niche etc.

24 Rules I Follow When Creating Successful Websites @ Income Diary ... " Regularly ask yourself - If in 10 years( or in one day, 6 months. I year, 5 years) you were to look back at your actions today what would you have changed? Do that."

Why Blogging Sucks: 5 Honest Tips For Bloggers ... If you want to get serious about your blog, you need to devote A LOT of your time to it.

Proven Productivity Strategies for Bloggers on Facebook @ RX Fitness Lady ... this is not a fitness related post, but gives good information that will help you if you want more of a Facebook presence.

The secret to differentiating your brand? You. @ Red Slice ... "That is how you build a breakout brand - find your uniquity and let it shine."

Blogging Block? 10 Post Types to Get You Going @ Nikki Steele ... lists, series, discussions, pairings etc.

The Most Important Social Media Sites for Growing Your Blog @ Nose Graze ... Twitter for the win!
---
Linked to The Sunday Post @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (Facebook Group).

I LOVE summer weather - it's not officially summer yet, but the temperature is HOT and I'm in a summer frame of mind.

Eating - The husband made fajitas ... or a fajita/ burrito combo - so I'm calling it Fabitos!

It's a mixture of chicken strips with bell peppers & onions (packet of fajita seasoning), yellow rice and black beans. The condiments we use are cheese and sour cream.

Thinking - The FREE audiobook download from SYNC this week is The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, read by Will Patton. I enjoyed this book (see Weekly Reading With A Million Suns And The Raven Boys) - although I had a few problems with the ending - but if you're looking to try audiobooks, then I think this will be a good fast paced novel that will draw you in.

After writing my 5 Fitness Goals for 2013 {Spring Check-In}, I've been looking for races that I can sign up for to motivate me, and I'm looking at a duathlon on July 14th. It's a 1 mile run followed by an 18 mile bike ride and then a 3.5 mile run. I'm pretty darn scared but excited too.

I've done 1 duathlon before, 2 years ago and it was TOUGH but I finished and that's what I'm hoping to do this time.

Have you done anything you considered really hard lately? Or do you have something challenging coming up?

At the beginning of the year, I made a list of 5 Fitness Goals For 2013. This was keeping it pretty simple as I tried get back into exercising.

So, with 7 months left in the year, I'm re-committing. Can't look back and pity the past. Have to move forward. And with a new motto too - "Don't Try ... DO!".

The Plan (Reminder)

1. Workout at least 5 days every week
2. Run/ walk/ jog/ bike at least 50 miles every month week
3. At least 5 days every 2 weeks should be focused on strength training
4. Eat a salad for lunch or dinner least 5 days a week
5. Drink at least 5 cups of water daily

I might start doing more regular check-ins to keep myself accountable. So looking at last week's workouts:

MON - OFF
TUE & WED - Run (Treadmill - 3 miles) Bike (30 mins spin bike inside)
THU - Leisurely ride on paved trail with friend - (12.5 miles/ 1.5 hours)
FRI - OFF
SAT - Ride outside on paved trail (15 miles - 1.5 hrs)
SUN - Run (treadmill - 2.5 miles) Weights (quick set legs + bicep/shoulders - 30 mins)

Right now - riding on my road bike is my favorite way to exercise. Running feels hard, but I would really like to be able to run some races in the Fall.

Do you workout? What's your favorite exercise?

- Inspired by Readers' Workouts @ Joy's Book Blog

I typically do a monthly check of Google Analytics - but I'm not just looking at how many people visited this site. Instead, I check out what the top content was for that month, and look for ways I can learn and add to future content. Here are 4 things I learned looking back at the top blog posts from Mar 1 - Apr.31, 2013.

(Photo Credit: re_birf)

1/ The most popular post is from last year, 10 Creepy Books From Past Winners of Bram Stoker Awards {On My Reading List}, and it got a ton of hits because it was tweeted and linked to on Facebook by a popular author, Jonathan Maberry ... as if I wasn't already a huge fan!

What To Do - engage more with authors on social media. For example, I could have tweeted at different times to each of the authors on this list, letting them know I really liked their book covers, and linking to the article. Also - don't ignore older content - remember, this post is from October (2012), and it was linked to in April (2013).

2/ Only 1 of the 5 book discussions I wrote was included in the top content - (Weekly Reading With Nebula Award Nominees - The Diviners and Every Day {Audiobook Edition}). BUT book reviews were also on 2 other popular posts (Reading Book Award Winners {From 2012} and 10 Popular Books That Didn't Win Me Over)

What to Do - Not only write book discussions, but it's important to find other creative ways to continue the discussions.

3/ 3 items on the Top 10 list mention "Book Awards" - Bram Stoker for horror, the Nebula Awards for fantasy and science fiction and Reading Book Award Winners {From 2012}.

What to Do - Since I enjoy reading books that have won awards, do it more! And including an award name in the book discussion title might be a good way to stand out.

4/ Almost every "How To" post I wrote made the list - Plans & Schedules {Creativity Booster or Killer?} || 4 Google Reader Alternatives for Bloggers || 4 Creative Ways For Book Bloggers to Re-Use Older Content

What to Do - Write these types of posts more often!

Have you tried looking at your blog in a similar way? Here are 2 other articles (from other sites) similar to this that might also be useful - EXERCISE: Deep Dive into Your Content Analytics and 20 Must-Know Tips & Tricks To Master Google Analytics Data.

Do you have a blog? Do you use an analytics program?

Since fantaasy books took over my reading, I've sort of neglected other genres that I read a lot of in the past. No more, I've been having a feeding frenzy on mysteries, and I'm loving it!

Fuse (Pure #2), Julianna Baggott
Source: Gift from Leonicka
Published: Feb., 2013
Pages: 463 (hardcover)
Genre: YA Dystopia/ Science Fiction
Notes: Loved the first book in the series, Pure (see my discussion here)

Summary: When the world ended, those who dwelled within the Dome were safe. Inside their glass world the "Pures" live on unscarred, while those outside, the Wretches, struggle to survive amidst the smoke and ash. Believing his mother was living among the Wretches, Partridge escaped from the Dome to find her. But his father, leader of the Pures, unleashes a violent new attack on the Wretches to get Partridge back. It's up to him, Pressia Belze, a young woman with her own mysterious past, and their friends, to decode a set of cryptic clues from the past and set the Wretches free.

This series has to be read in order. Period. And not with a lot of time in between each book, so that you will remember the characters. I LOVED Pure, the first book in the series, and I really liked this one too, although not quite as much. The writing is still splendid. Baggott just has a way with words - with details that describe the brutal world of "the Wretches" perfectly, and getting me into the head of the complex characters. I LOVED that there was more from El Capitan & Helmud (his younger brother fused to his back).

And the plot - ooh it took me to places I didn't think we were headed in! There was also a lot more emotional/romantic angst in this one. I'm not sure if I was cool with all the back and forth between Pressia and Bradwell (I like him .. but I don't want to .. but I like him .. but I don't want to ... and on and on it went), but it does seem to be consistent with her character from the first book, where she's torn between wanting to be normal, and wanting to accept who she and the others are.

The Pure series is fantastically dark & wonderfully complex. I can't recommend it highly enough. (Amazon | Goodreads)

Summary: On a rainy November day police detectives Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein are summoned to a mysterious traffic accident: A woman has fallen from a pedestrian bridge onto a car driving underneath. According to a witness, the woman may have been pushed. The investigation leads Pia and Oliver to a small village, and the home of the victim, Rita Cramer.

On a September evening eleven years earlier, two seventeen-year-old girls vanished from the village without a trace. In a trial based only on circumstantial evidence, twenty-year-old Tobias Sartorius, Rita Cramer's son, was sentenced to ten years in prison. Bodenstein and Kirchhoff discover that Tobias, after serving his sentence, has now returned to his home town. Did the attack on his mother have something to do with his return?

In the village, Pia and Oliver encounter a wall of silence. When another young girl disappears, the events of the past seem to be repeating themselves in a disastrous manner. The investigation turns into a race against time, because for the villagers it is soon clear who the perpetrator is--and this time they are determined to take matters into their own hands. (Amazon | Goodreads)

Have you ever given a book a 2nd look because of the title?

- Inspired by "It's Monday, What Are You Reading?" at Book Journey.

Here are some links to interesting things I found online over the past week or so, including stuff I posted here and elsewhere.

How I Plan a Monthly Blogging Schedule In Advance

Help me choose - Which Book Next? A Feast for Crows Or The Wind Through the Keyhole

Links to Interesting Things Written By Others

Bookish - June is Audiobook Month & Audiobook Week (We're Listening) @ Devourer of Books ... I'm participating - are you?!

FREE SYNC Downloads for Summer of YA and Classics @ SYNC .. I'm most looking forward to getting Rotters by Daniel Kraus .

Your mega summer reading list: 200 books recommended by TEDsters @ TED Blog ... must read some books from these recommendations.

How to Write a Great Book Review @ Book Chick City ... simple but effective advice.

Blogging - On Realizing Your Blog Isn't Popular @ Book Brats ... my 2 cents/ real talk - some people work for years to become successful, some people become overnight successes - but so what?! Be happy with who you are and where you're at. And if you're not - spend time trying to work that out instead of trying to make it "big".

15 of the Most Important Things I've Learned about Blogging @ IFB ... "Set your own expectations of success ... Negative comments aren't always bad."

10 Sites Brands Visit to Learn More About Your Blog @ IFB ... how brands, PR or creative agencies discover your blog and determine how to pitch you.

10 Maxims of Successful Blogging @ {grow} ... "The only way to stand out is to dig down deep and bring your own story to the world. Your point of differentiation is you. You have no competitors. Write a blog post that only you could write."

12 Reasons You Won't "Make It" as a Blogger @ IFB ... "you're just regurgitating what everyone else is doing on the web. ... You're focused on your own end game; you worry about competition and growth instead of building community and quality content."

---
Linked to The Sunday Post @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (Facebook Group)

Bring on the weekend - hot weather, food on the grill, reading and relaxing!

Eating - Raw Corn and Cucumber Salad With Almonds. I have quite a love affair with using raw corn in salads. It's naturally sweet and since I LOVE corn to pieces, I try to get it in anyway I can.

Thinking - It sure feels like summer, even though it hasn't officially started yet. Well, that just means it's time for me to think about summer things. Like the 2013 BIG Book Summer Reading Challenge @ Book by Book. I only need to read 1 book that's 400+ pages, and I'm going with The Twelve (The Passage #2) by Justin Cronin (568 pages). The first book in the series totally creeped me out - I listened to the audiobook - but I'm doing it again.

And a few Truths about my blogging - As I was thinking about blogging during Armchair BEA last week, I realized that there were still a few things I DO that I really don't particularly care to. Like the monthly Book Release Excitement. You see, I'm not someone who reads books during the year in which they are published, so why the heck was I still posting this list? DELETED - every single one.

I also was still holding on to participating in Feature Follow Friday, although I like to Plan a Monthly Blogging Schedule In Advance ... that prompt doesn't post until the night before. I don't want to be preparing content at the last minute - so, no more.

Are you a blogger? Have you changed up the way you do things on your blog recently?

I really want to get to more books from my , so please help me choose my next read - which of these 2 books would you read first.

]]>

A Feast For Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4), George R. R. Martin. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. But it's not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters of the Seven Kingdoms gather. (Amazon| Goodreads)

The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel, Stephen King. I've missed King as it's been a year or 2 since I've read anything by him. Roland Deschain, Mid-World's last gunslinger, in his early days during the guilt-ridden year following his mother's death. Sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape-shifter, a "skin-man," Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, a brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast's most recent slaughter. (Amazon | Goodreads)

Let me know in the comments, and I will read and discuss the book with the most votes next month (or 2).

- Linked to What's Next? @ Icey Books

Looking back, here are the 4 most popular posts here on Girlxoxo over the last month.

10 Popular Books That Didn't Win Me Over ... weak endings, annoying girls, annoying dudes, annoying aliens and just plain annoying ... hope some of your favorites aren't on this list!

10 Popular Books That Wowed Me Too ... see I'm not a hater! I can love on books too ... Divergent, Delirium, Gone Girl, Ready Player One and more.

The Sunday Best 46 {Interesting Links to Interesting Things} ... this weekly series of links to interesting articles I found on the web is one of my favorite things to do.

I haven't read mystery books in ages - fantasy took over - but recently, I've been craving some crime solving genius in my life ... through books of course.

Salvation of a Saint (Detective Galileo #2), Keigo Higashino, Alexander O. Smith (Translator)
Format: Audiobook (unabridged)
Narrator: David Pittu
Duration: 9 hours, 10 minutes
Published: October 2012
Genre: Mystery
Source: Library
Setting: Tokyo, Japan

Yoshitaka, who was about to leave his marriage and his wife, is poisoned by arsenic-laced coffee and dies. His wife, Ayane, is the logical suspect - except that she was hundreds of miles away when he was murdered. The lead detective, Tokyo Police Detective Kusanagi, is immediately smitten with her and refuses to believe that she could have had anything to do with the crime. His assistant, Kaoru Utsumi, however, is convinced Ayane is guilty. While Utsumi's instincts tell her one thing, the facts of the case are another matter. So she does what her boss has done for years when stymied--she calls upon Professor Manabu Yukawa.

The Detective Galileo series is turning out to be one of my all time favorites! I don't know how Higashino does it, but he manages to write a captivating mystery where we know who has committed the crime ... or we think we know ... yet, it's still keenly interesting, intriguing and even had me second guessing things all the time.

Salvation of a Saint hook your attention with all the details. The intricacies of the investigation were a delightful mystery - who did it wasn't as important as to how, and in this book, the "how" revealed at the end was crazy yo!!!! And the characters too were well thought out and developed. I connected easily with them, and loved all the quirky details we learned about them - good and bad - since I though Galileo was a bit more arrogant in this book than the first. Arrogant and obnoxious sometimes.

The narrator for the audiobook, David Pittu, was excellent - especially since I could hear the proper pronunciations of the Japanese names and places. He also did a fantastic job with the male and female characters - making each character distinct and unique by changing his voice subtly.

Just like with the first book of this series, The Devotion of Suspect X (see Weekly Reading with Suspect X), this book held my attention from beginning to end and I highly recommend this series to everyone - readers and non-readers alike. (Amazon | Goodreads)

A group of survivors, led by the mysterious, charismatic Amy, go on the attack, leading an insurrection against the virals: the first offensives of the Second Viral War. To do this, they must infiltrate a dozen hives, each presided over by one of the original Twelve. Their secret weapon: Alicia, transformed at the end of book one into a half human, half viral--but whose side, in the end, is she really on? (Amazon | Goodreads)

I don't think I like to listen l to horror books on audio because they are too ... horrific! But I'm hoping this one isn't too bad.

Do you listen to audiobooks? What genre (if you do)?

- Inspired by "It's Monday, What Are You Reading?" at Book Journey.

Since I didn't go to Book Expo America this week, I participated in the online Armchair BEA, where book bloggers talked about blogging. It was absolutely incredibly, and I learned a lot, especially from Paths to Becoming a Better Blogger--Discussing Development. So this week's links are my favorite posts from that discussion.

- How I Plan a Monthly Blogging Schedule In Advance ... I'm not a planner in everyday life, so I need structure for my online activities.

My Favorite Links from Armchair BEA

Roof Beam Reader - Becoming a Better Blogger: Discussing Development ... "my approach to blogging and how I have tried to develop, personally and professionally ... Honesty. My book blog is more about me than it is about any book, author, genre, etc. I read because I love it. I engage with this community because I love it. "

Bookmark to Blog - Be a Better Blogger | Stay True To Yourself ... "If straight up reviews are what you like to do, then go for it! If reading challenges make you feel constrained, then don't sign up for them ... Don't Get Caught Up in the Hype."

Cabin Goddess - Developing myself into book blogger ... "How I went from 12 to 120K hits a month: I make the post pretty even if it a simple review ... give something of me to everyone, not just the books but photos of Alaska, my cat, anecdotes about living here with Geoff (boyfriend) and more."

Sophisticated Dorkiness - Blogger Development -- Making a Little Money ... "I earn income from blog-related activities in two ways: advertising on this site and freelance writing and reviewing." And thanks for showing actual figures Kim :-)

Shelf Addiction - Armchair BEA 2013 | Paths to Becoming a Better Blogger ... "Create your own unique feature, Visit and comment on other blogs ..."

Radiant Shadows - Armchair BEA: Development & Genres ... "I started doing memes - In My Mailbox, Top Ten Tuesday/Teaser Tuesday, Waiting on Wednesday and On My Wishlist. I met a lot of bloggers this way, but I didn't really gain a readership. It must much more of a, "if you follow me, I'll follow you" mentality ... So I cut back on the memes, and worked on creating great original content. I quickly realized that my strength laid in writing discussion posts, and they were (and still are) the ones that garner the most participation from my followers ... I also spent every available free moment I had (that wasn't spent reading) commenting on other blogs."