*tentatively waving*

Hello!? …Is anybody out there? It’s me! Shocked? Same here. But… this panda still lives!!! 🐼

When July rolled in and I finally made my big move from Bali to the megacity, I certainly didn’t have any plans to pull a mini-hiatus or take a break from blogging but that’s what ended up happening anyway! Honestly, I don’t even really have a “good reason” why I haven’t been blogging, hopping or active on all platforms including Twitter over the last month. I initially thought I’d give myself a weekend or so to settle in and take a break from everything because I felt overwhelmed, but that ended up turning into another week and another week, until it’s almost been one month now and I’m definitely feeling some kind of guilty about it!

So I’m going to push myself to start blogging again from today onward–and it’s not that I no longer want to blog or engage with others because I really do! I’ve missed this community and all of the friends I’ve made on here so much and I’m so sorry that I’ve been MIA and haven’t been visiting or commenting at all. I think I’ve just allowed myself to get completely overwhelmed by everything (work, big life changing decisions, family issues etc.) and then I’ve wallowed in it. But I’m taking a stand against myself and saying: NO MORE! 😂

To kick it off I thought I’d do a quick recap of what I’ve just finished reading and what I’ve currently got on and what I hope to pick up next (a lá #WWWWednesday but on a Thursday)! I still haven’t got back to reading in the same numbers as early on in the year but I’m still reading and I have to thank the blog tours I’m in for most of that. I’m honestly starting to get a little worn out with tours though, so I’ve also made more time for non-tour reads, in particular reading physical books because it feels like I haven’t picked one up in way too long!

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Earlier today I finished reading The Hollow Gods by A.J. Vrana. I read this for my first blog tour with Storytellers on Tour and it was definitely out of my comfort zone and normal genres but I still found it thrilling (in every sense of the word) and would rate it ★★★☆☆. My tour review will be going up tomorrow so be on the look out if you’re looking for a rather spooky paranormal horror mixed up with small town legends/lore! Also, me reading horror? Who am I even, right?! 😂 That said, to prepare myself for Hollow Gods, I did pick up Frostheart (Frostheart #1) by Jamie Littler. This was a cute middle grade fantasy a lá Frozen and How to Train Your Dragon. I loved that the book was fully illustrated and the story was definitely full of heart, adventure and mystery, but I sadly didn’t end up loving it as much as I thought I would. I ended up giving it a ★★★½ (out of 5). My review will be posted soon!

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I decided while I was reading The Hollow Gods that I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I read it at night so I decided to pick up my e-ARC for The Good For Nothings by Danielle Banas. I’m so glad I picked it up because it is hilarious and the characters plus their misadventures, banter and other shenanigans gives me strong Illuminae Files, Aurora Cycle and Lunar Chronicles vibes. It might be a little bit trope-y but you know what? I’m thoroughly enjoying this read and that’s okay! I’ve also picked up A Wicked Magic by Sasha Laurens for my first blog tour with TBR & Beyond Tours! My tour date is this Saturday so look out for my review. Despite being The Ultimate Chicken™ I’ve apparently decided to treat myself to all the creepy reads this month but so far I’m really enjoying it!

To give myself a break from all these paranormal stories that I’ve decided to immerse myself in recently, I’m planning to pick up some lighter and hopefully happier reads in the form of romances so next up is going to be: Always Only You by Chloe Liese. This is book two in the Bergman Brothers series and since I loved the first book, Only When It’s Us (read my review!), I’m super keen to meet the next Bergman brother!

I hope you’re all still doing well and staying safe! Looking forward to catching up with all your blogs as soon as I’m able! For those who’ve stuck around, thank you for your continued support despite my absence. You have no idea how much I appreciate you! 💜