

Welcome to this week’s Sunday Post. This feature is brought to you by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, so swing by after you are done here and get the full list of participants!
What I Reviewed:
- [30 Apr] Whispers from the Dead by B.L. Brunnemer ★★★★
- [30 Apr] Blaze by L. Wilder ★★★½
- [2 May] I Dare You by Ilsa Madden-Mills ★★★★
- [3 May] Tulsa by S.L. Scott ★★★★
- [4 May] Jock Row by Sara Ney ★★★★
- [5 May] Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston ★★★★★
What’s Coming Up:
- Lead Me Home by AL Jackson
- Rescuing Wendy by Susan Stoker
- Edge of Darkness by Karen Rose (set in Cincinnati-where I live!)
- The Four Horsemen: Legacy by LJ Swallow
This Week’s New Releases:
Open Giveaways:
- Any ebook of your choice up to $1.99 on my #FreebieFriday post!
- A “Cocky” titled book of choice (see the drama about this word in my non-bookish news section)
What I Found Online:
- Nothing…sorry! But there are some interesting threads in my non-bookish news section!
This Week’s Book Haul:
Non-Bookish News:
The book world was a bit aghast at an author who trademarked the word “Cocky” (there is still a lot of debate about if its the word alone, the word in a series or title, or the word in a special font) and is sending cease and desist letters to authors with the word Cocky in their book titles! The idea that someone could trademark a word is kind of crazy when you think about it. Its certainly a slippery slope. A few authors have shared that they got the letters and have either contacted a lawyer (RWA is getting involved) or, in the case of one author, changed the title of her book! If you wanna learn more about this crazy drama, check out this article from Author Grow. There is also an lawyer who is helping to explain it all at Legal Inspiration! Personally, no matter how this shakes out, I think its a bad move for this author. She is getting a lot of hate and I don’t think her career will improve….
And then Merriam-Webster joined in and I LOVED it!
‘Cockalorum’ (a rare word for “a strutting little fellow”) is thought to come from the obsolete Dutch ‘kockeloeren’ (“to crow”). https://t.co/mZWoQsPcEM
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) May 4, 2018
In other news about people losing their minds, my students have lost their minds! We still have 3 weeks left and they have just thrown in the towel! Friday, a bunch of them decided just to not come to school because they didn’t get their senior picnic. My juniors have basically just stopped doing any work at all. The freshmen and sophomores are getting in trouble daily for acting out. Seriously-we still have 3 weeks left! We won’t all survive! And I teach in a private school. These kids are usually better behaved than public school kids. I can’t imagine what my public school friends are dealing with. Shudder…
Thats pretty much my week. Everyone losing their minds and me trying to hold the hell on until June 1st! How about you all? Since I am leaving for Jamaica in like 4 weeks, I cut 3 inches off my hair. It might not seem like much but when you have super curly hair like mine, thats a lot!
So, whats new with you this week? Did you read any of the same books I did? Did you find any great book deals I need to grab ASAP? Let me know in the comments!

I’ve heard of Tulsa, I’ll have to give those other books a gander as well. theglobaldig.blogspot.com
I don’t know who the author is but I will never read any of her books, I was under the impression it was the word in that font but she sent letters telling authors to change the names of the books. She acts like it’s super easy but those authors are going to have to spend a lot of money to change EVERYTHING!
Getting close to the end of the school year can make everyone a little nutty. I am looking forward to it but it’s always a crazy time.
I hope this week is awesome for you Samantha! Happy Reading! 🙂
The whole #cockygate is insane, and I feel sorry for the authors that panicked and changed their titles. Ooo I do not envy you and kids the last weeks before school lets out. Hang in there. *hands you a cookie*
Oh my gosh I just saw the #cockygate thing last night and laughed so hard- she actually registered that word? How dumb lol!! I mean it’s kind of rude too? *shakes head* I don’t get some people! I kinda hope RWA sets her straight since I think it’s a bad precedent…
And oh no good luck with the students! I remember wanting to zone out the last few weeks but we still had to do stuff, hopefully your students will settle down a bit lol.
I had seen some posts on Twitter talking about Cocky, but I didn’t have the whole story. That’s just insane. I remember June being the most miserable month when I used to teach. Good luck, and at least you have Jamaica to look forward to.
I hadn’t heard about the trademark of the word cocky. That does seem like a bad idea. Sounds like the students at your school have caught a bad case of spring fever. I hope they fall back into task soon for your sake and theirs. I hope you have a much better week this week, Samantha!
First I heard about that mess. Awful bold for her to demand they change their titles. It’s a mad world.
I’ve heard about the mess. I don’t understand how she can trademark a word that she didn’t come up with. One that’s been around and many authors use in their titles and series names. Only time will tell how this plays out. I don’t think what she did is going to help her as an author. We’ve got 5 weeks of school left. I haven’t noticed a difference, but my son’s only 6 and well they don’t get the crazy end of school bug like the teenagers. ^_^ Hope you have a great week and happy reading!
So, this whole “cocky” controversy was started off because the author was trying to say that she came up with the word “cocky” and yet that word has been around for years? If that’s the case, then this author is definitely doing a poor job of promoting her books. I hope you have a wonderful week!
I didn’t hear anything about this whole “cocky” issue. How ridiculous, and why would an author do such a thing? Not like they invented or coined the word. *shakes head*. Hope your students regain some sanity! A school picnic seems hardly worth potential disciplinary action from refusing to go to school for three weeks. ::/
Your vacation in Jamaica is just around the corner. Hang in there! 🙂
I read a whole tweet thread today that explained the cockgate thing. It’s ridiculous and petty, and from what I can see, it’s mostly likely going to *ruin* her career, not help it. But anyway, only 3 more weeks! You can do it! Hang in there!
I’ve seen a few posts about #cockygate on Twitter. Copyrighting a word like that is stupid. The author is just going to ruin her career. I hope the last few weeks of school go quickly. Have a great week!
I just read about the Cockygate thing elsewhere and I agree with AJ. This author is just creating a negative name for herself. You really do have to wonder what people are thinking. Hope you make it though the school year alive!
NOt much going on with #cockygate today. Still ridiculous.
Sorry about your students acting up. It must be cabin fever. 🙂
Hope you have a great week!