I'm Dini (she/her) and I'm a thirty-something book lover based in Indonesia. I mostly read romance and SFF though I love to dabble in other genres but tend to stay away from horror and ghosty things because I'm The Ultimate Chicken™️. I'm always happy to meet other book lovers so feel free to chat with me!
This week’s topic isactually Reading Goals I Still Want to Accomplish Before the End of the Year (We’ve just begun the last quarter of the year! What bookish goals would you still like to accomplish? If you participated in TTT’s Bookish Goals for 2023 topic this past January, update us on which goals you’ve achieved, which you’ve given up on, and which ones you’re still working on!) BUT I’M GOING ROGUE!
It kind of feels like I blinked and woke up when September ended. 😂 Most of the month was business as usual. The highlight was getting to leave Jakarta for a work retreat.
Another plus is that we’re one day closer to the upcoming “treat yourself, besties” holiday in mid-October! ☀️
But now that September is over, there are also so many things that I need to prepare for work-wise that have me sinking into my anxiety just a little bit more than usual. I signed a new contract that upped my pay, which is amazing, but it also really upped my responsibilities and I don’t know if I’m ready for that. My boss tells me it’s my lack of confidence that always gets in my way and I know she’s right, to an extent, but it’s still a lot. I’m incredibly thankful but also extremely nervous about living up to what the team needs and expects, too. Anyway, maybe I should focus on my holiday before thinking too hard about the rest of it, eh? 🫠🫣
We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time curled up reading in bed with or which book you wish you had time to read today!
I still haven’t decided what to pick up next after finishing my last read this morning. It’s a toss-up between these options:
You, Again by Kate Goldbeck, My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher, A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating A Demon by Sarah Hawley
Have you read any of these? Which would you recommend or which do you think I should read next?
A librarian’s quiet life becomes a page-turner of adventure, romance, and murder in a thrilling novella by USA Today bestselling author Beverly Jenkins. For Jasmine Ware, curating books for an exclusive clientele is her passion. Until an old friend, a dealer of rare books, goes missing and his partner is murdered. Linked to an artifact smuggled out of the ancient library at Timbuktu, the mystery draws Jasmine deeper into a plot that could cost her her life. Air force veteran and private security ace Torr Noble is accustomed to adrenaline-pumping stakes. He never expected a private librarian would be so intriguing, but Jasmine is full of surprises. As the connection between them burns hot, a powerful old enemy raises his head. Torr and Jasmine must work together to find the missing dealer. Will the search be the start of a happily ever after or a disastrous THE END?
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Child sexual abuse (recounted), depictions of blood & gore, car accident, gun violence, kidnapping
TL;DR: Rare Danger is a well-balanced blend of romance and suspense and I really enjoyed the writing and character development! This was my first Beverly Jenkins book and it definitely won’t be my last! If you’re looking for a quick sensual romance between sensible and mature characters mixed with an intriguing fast-paced mystery, I would recommend giving this a try (FYI: it’s on KU)!
Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly featurefor book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?Here are the rules:
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!
First lines:
“Hex-A-Gone. The name didn’t quite inspire visions of magical greatness. It was a pun. A bad one but funnily apt for a local emergency on-call curse-breaker.”
Hello, friends! I’m back with a blog tour review + my favourite quotes for Alex Wise vs. the End of the World by Terry J. Benton-Walker. Special thanks to the TBR & Beyond Tours team for organising the tour and including me in it!
Thanks to Labyrinth Road for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the fantastic bloggers on tour!
Alex Wise vs. the End of the Road Publisher: Labyrinth Road Publication Date: 26 September 2023 Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy Rep: Queer, Black, Non-binary
Panda Rating: (4.5 pandas)
📖SYNOPSIS
Welcome to the summer of the apocalypse. One 12-year-old boy is up against the forces of evil as he tries to stop the Four Horsemen from taking over the world in the start to a wildly funny and addictive fantasy series about accepting yourself and finding your inner hero.
Alex Wise feels like his world is ending. His best friend Loren is leaving town for the summer, his former friend and maybe sort of crush Sky hasn’t spoken to him since he ditched Alex on first day of sixth grade, and now his mom is sending him and his annoying younger sister, Mags, on a cruise with the dad who abandoned them. And, as if things couldn’t get worse, a creepy shadow monster may or may not be stalking him.
But none of this could prepare Alex for the actual end of the world. Too bad that is exactly what’s coming, after the definitely-real Shadow Man kidnaps Mags and she is possessed by the ancient spirit of Death–one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Luckily (depending on who you ask), Alex is possessed as well by a powerful god who imbues Alex with their powers in an effort to stop the Horsemen…if he can figure out how to use them. So begins an epic battle between good and evil: Alex, Loren, a grumpy demi-god and Alex’s fourth grade teacher vs. Death, Pestilence, Famine, War, and the waves of chaos and destruction they bring to LA and soon the rest of the globe. Just your average summer vacation.
Alex is more used to being left behind than leading the way, but now he’s the only one who can save his sister–and the world. That is, if he can unlock his new powers and and see himself as the hero he is.
TL;DR:Alex Wise vs. the End of the World was an emotional, action-packed and engaging MG fantasy. From start to finish, I didn’t want to put it down. I loved the exploration of difficult family relationships, sibling bonds, and best friendships. The found family vibes were great and I also adored how the author explored identity and self-love. Alex’s journey toward loving and accepting himself made me feel sad at times but ultimately, so happy for him. For those kids who never saw themselves in books, especially being the heroes of said books, this one is definitely for you. A great read and recommendation for young readers but also readers of all ages!
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
This week’s topic isactually Secondary/Minor Characters Who Deserve Their Own Book… But I’m going rogue today and I’ve combined the Birthstone Book Covers monthly meme with this week’s list!
Special thanks to SparkPoint Studio and HarperAlley for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Northranger Publisher: HarperAlley Publication Date: 04 July 2023 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, Graphic Novel
Panda Rating: (4.5 pandas)
📖SYNOPSIS
In this swoony and spooky teen summer romance graphic novel set on a Texas ranch, sixteen-year-old Cade Muñoz finds himself falling for the ranch owner’s mysterious and handsome son, only to discover that he may be harboring a dangerous secret.
Cade has always loved to escape into the world of a good horror movie. After all, horror movies are scary–but to Cade, a closeted queer Latino teen growing up in rural Texas–real life can be way scarier.
When Cade is sent to spend the summer working as a ranch hand to help earn extra money for his family, he is horrified. Cade hates everything about the ranch, from the early mornings to the mountains of horse poop he has to clean up. The only silver lining is the company of the two teens who live there–in particular, the ruggedly handsome and enigmatic Henry.
But as unexpected sparks begin to fly between Cade and Henry, things get… complicated. Henry is reluctant to share the details of his mother’s death, and Cade begins to wonder what else he might be hiding. Inspired by the gothic romance of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Bloom comes a modern love story so romantic it’s scary.
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Homophobia, racism, homophobic and racist slurs, death of parent (breast cancer), misogyny, alcoholism, mention of attempted suicide (past)
TL;DR:Northranger was an unexpected surprise in the best way. This was spooky and gothic and delivered a very emotional coming-of-age story featuring compelling main characters, entertaining side characters and an important story about learning to be yourself in a place where you won’t be accepted for who you are.
We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time curled up reading in bed with or which book you wish you had time to read today!
I’ll be spending my Sunday night finishing Alex Wise vs. The End of the World. This has been an awesome MG fantasy with great characters to root for and friendships! I’m not sure if this is a series but I’m really looking forward to seeing how this book ends.
dinipandareads 