Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [10]

We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

This Sunday, I’ve been in bed with Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Creekywood #1) by Becky Albertalli. I’ve heard a lot about this book and pretty much every review I’ve read is full of so much praise for it! I’ve already read Leah on the Offbeat, which technically comes after Simon’s book, so I kind of already know what’s going to happen at the end of this book. That said, I’m excited to learn more about the characters, especially since Simon was a favorite of mine in Leah’s book! You can read the synopsis for it below.

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised. With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

What book are you currently reading?

As mentioned in last week’s wrap-up, I pretty much went completely MIA this week because I just didn’t have the mental or physical capacity to deal with all the work stress and anxiety, as well as writing blogs throughout the week. Thankfully, I survived the week (Ha). I think I got a measly 6 hours of sleep from Mon-Thurs, and due to my already bad sleep issues, I didn’t even sleep in on the weekend because my body wouldn’t let me! Still, I’m so relieved that the nightmare weeks leading up to this is finally over. The stress left my body in a huge rush on Friday and I could’ve wept with relief if I hadn’t been surrounded by my boss(es)! Despite the high anxiety that I faced thinking about giving my presentation, I did end up enjoying myself at the conference; I met a lot of like-minded individuals, people I could even see being friends outside of work, and even an old high school classmate from Bangladesh. It’s such a small world!

Since I didn’t check in on my blog this week, I’ve only made three posts but I’m really looking forward to getting back to blogging from now. Yay! Just in case you missed them:

The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag (2019)
ARC Review: When the Light Went Out by Bridget Morrissey
Friday Favorites: Character Deaths (That’ll Never Leave Me)

How has your reading and blogging week been?
Come let me know in the comments and let’s have a chat 🙂

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [09]

We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

This Sunday, I’ve been craving to be in bed with my latest read, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I started this read a few weeks ago, but put it on hold to get through some ARCs and because work has been absolutely killing me with stress and anxiety, so I haven’t been in much of a mood to read. No, that’s a lie, all I want to do is ignore work and stay home in bed all day and read, but that’s not happening, so I’m trying to not start anything that’ll make the feeling worse for me 🙂 For those who haven’t read the book yet, you can read the synopsis below!

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. She’s barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark. But Kya is not what they say. Abandoned at age ten, she has survived on her own in the marsh that she calls home. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life lessons from the land, learning from the false signals of fireflies the real way of this world. But while she could have lived in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world–until the unthinkable happens.

What book are you currently reading?

Friends, this week has been super exhausting and as I mentioned above, full of stress and anxiety. Coming up next week is a huge conference that my office is organizing together with one of our biggest donors and we’re hoping to attract about 300 people for the first day, and about 160 for the second. While organizing these things is always stressful, the reason why I’ve really been feeling the pressure this time is because I’ve been asked to do a presentation on the second day, and the thought of standing up in front of that many people, and setting the tone for a workshop discussion makes me feel sick to my stomach. I’m probably the craziest introverted communication officer the world has ever seen, and just thinking about being put under the spotlight like that is beyond terrifying. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve sunk so far into my introversion the last few years, but while I’ve always been nervous in previous presentations, this is the first time I’ve had such a visceral reaction to even the thought of this. I haven’t been able to sleep, eat, or do the things that normally relax me (such as read or listen to music) because my body just rebels at everything and all it literally wants to do is shut down. The craving to avoid everything in the face of nerves is so real, and while I know that’s not good and I’m fighting my body’s “flight mode” like hell, it’s an insanely exhausting battle. That said, I’m probably not going to find time to post much next week, and I’ve been too stressed to prepare my posts in advance this weekend. So, sorry in advance for going MIA!

That said, here’s my weekly wrap up. It hasn’t been the best blogging week, but considering my current mental state, I thought it was pretty alright! Hope everyone has had a good week and weekend. Catch you on the flip side!

ARC Review: Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner
Friday Favorites: Books Set in High School
Graphic Novel Review: The Woods (Vol 1-9) by James Tynion IV
#WWWWednesday: 12 June
Top Ten Tuesday: Unpopular Book(ish) Opinions
The Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge
Graphic Novel Review: Fence (Issues #1-12) by C.S. Pacat

How has your reading and blogging week been? Have a great week ahead!

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [08]

We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

This Sunday I’ve been highly anticipating the moment I get to come home, crawl into bed, and pick up my next read: Mrs. Everything (ARC) by Jennifer Weiner. I’ve never read anything by this author before, but this book has been making small waves on bookstagram for a while now, so when I saw it on NetGalley I thought I’d request it! This book is coming out in two days, and I’m hoping that I can finish it by then. Here’s the synopsis for Mrs. Everything:

Do we change or does the world change us?

Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise. Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.

But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?

What book are you currently reading?

Can someone please tell me how it’s already Sunday? AGAIN? I mean, obviously I know this is what happens when a week passes, we get to the last day of the week, but how is it that it’s already the end of another week? I’m not ready for my days of lazing around reading to be over. Going into work is getting continuously more difficult after all these holidays/breaks! After finishing my last read, What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, listening to and singing the songs from Hamilton! I’m so sad that I will never get to see the original cast play their roles, but I’m hoping so much that they’ll come out with a movie version, just like they did with RENT! Watching Hamilton on Broadway would be a dream come true, and it’s quite close to the top of my bucket list. I know all the lyrics by heart, and even after hundreds of listens, it still has the ability to make me laugh and cry as if it was the first time I was listening to it! Ugh, I love the music so much. Any Hamilfans here? 🙋🏻‍♀️ If you haven’t listened to the music, please do yourselves a favor and listen to it N-O-W! I’ll even make it easier for you and put the Spotify playlist below! 😉

But I digress! I’m here to share my weekly wrap up, so you can find a list of my posts from this week below. Overall, it was a pretty great week 😊 Hope you’ve had a good one too, friends!

Review: What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Friday Favorites: Urban Fantasy Books
ARC Review: Mixed Signals by Mia Heintzelman
Pride Month Possibility Pile!
ALL THE BOOKS: My FULL Birthday Month Book Haul
Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
#WWWWednesday: 05 June
Top Ten Tuesday: Books from my Favorite Genres
Review: Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

How has your reading and blogging week been?
Hope everyone has a great week ahead!

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [07]

We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

I’ve spent this Sunday in bed with The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I remember seeing this book on Kindle Unlimited a few years ago, but although it sounded interesting, I never got around to reading it. Then I joined bookstagram and saw this book receive so much hype, and as often happens, I felt a little wary about picking it up. I don’t think I would have picked this up yet if not for the buddy read I’ve joined for it. Unsurprisingly, I’m really enjoying it and have sped through it; mostly because I needed to get the reading done for our discussion of the first half tonight, but because it’s pretty easy to read. I’m a big fan of historical fictions, especially about WWII, the holocaust and the Nazi’s invasion and occupation of many countries in Europe. This is the first time I’ve read their occupation in France though so it’s been an interesting read. My mind boggles at how these people were so cruel, so fixated on their idea of purity and the need to cleanse society of millions of people just because of their ethnicity and religion. Obviously, it wasn’t just Jews that were targeted though. I’m thinking this one is going to at least be a 4-4.5 star read, but I have a feeling the really heart-wrenching stuff is coming up in the second half of the book. I can feel my tears gearing themselves up for release 😂

What book are you currently reading?

In Indonesia, the holidays have already begun for everyone as Idul Fitri/Eid is coming up next week. Unfortunately though, my office is only closed on Wednesday & Thursday, and I’m taking Friday off, which means that it’s back to work for the next two days. Oh Monday, I really thought you were still a day away! There’s a lot of family visiting right now, and I’m gutted that they’re all relaxing and I have to think about getting up early for work. The long weekend honestly can’t come soon enough! June is going to be a very busy month but I’ve got two buddy reads planned (one of which is for The Nightingale) and I’m hoping to read a lot more ARCs, and to read more LGBTQIA+ reads for Pride month! Despite my ridiculous work schedule, I have a feeling June is going to be a really great reading month! But for now, here’s a wrap up of the posts I made this week:

My May Monthly Wrap Up!
ARC Review: The Women by S.E. Lynes
Friday Favorites: Classics
Review: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
#WWWWednesday: 29 May
Top Ten Tuesday: Books Released in the Last 10 Years
Review: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

How has your reading and blogging week been? Come let me know in the comments 🙂

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [06]

We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

This Sunday I finally finished reading Final Girls by Riley Sager! I’ve noticed for months now that Sager’s books have been quite hyped on bookstagram and so when I found this book in the store two weeks ago, I scooped it up immediately knowing it would be the perfect thrilling poolside read for my staycation. This was a perfectly fast paced thriller, although it admittedly took me longer than usual to finish this because I was also reading four other books at the same time for group reads and had deadlines… 😬 I’m so glad I took the time to finish it today. I had so many theories, especially about the main protagonist, Quincy. I was so sure she was a ‘baddy’ but I kept questioning myself throughout and Sager kept me guessing up until the very end. I didn’t expect the twists at all and I was actually appalled with the ending because it involved a character that I really liked and I was just totally shook. But in the absolute best way! I can’t wait to read something else by Sager–I think he’s potentially an autobuy author.

Have you read Final Girls? What are you currently reading?

I feel like a lot has been happening over the last week-and-a-half since my bestie came to visit me for my birthday. I can’t believe that May is now already four-days from being over and my birthday has already passed! (BOO 😭) I’ve always used my birthday as a kind of “mid-way” counter for my year, since technically we’re now half-way through the year. I missed quite a few blogging days over the last week, but I think I came back fairly strong with all the posts this week? Writing out all these reviews made me feel hella productive! 😂 Also feeling productive today because I finished sorting out my books to place in the new bright yellow Billy bookcase my parents got me for my birthday. I’m so pleased with how my shelves are looking right now! How are your May reads coming along? May has been a fairly weird and slow reading month for me as so much has been happening with life and work. I don’t think I’ve got through half of what I wanted to read, but life happens, so I’m not too mad about it! Just in case you missed it, here are the posts I’ve made this week:

ARC Review: I Spy the Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong
Friday Favorites: Diverse Books
Review: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
ARC Review: Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea
#WWWWednesday: 22 May
Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Are Off Limits (to others, of course)

How has your reading and blogging week been?
Hope everyone is having a great weekend 🙂

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [05]

It’s the end of another weekend and I’m kind of boggled at how it’s already almost the middle of the month? How does this keep happening? 😂 We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

This Sunday morning I woke up and immediately started reading my new book: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I’ve had this book on my shelf for quite a while and for reasons unknown I just haven’t picked it up until now. I think maybe all the hype around it is what put me off reading it right away, which is normally the case for me with overhyped books. I get FOMO but then question whether I’ll love it as much as everyone else. Definite first world bookworm problems! 😂 This will also be my first book for the #AsianReadathon, which I’m excited to participate in because as an Asian, I’m very embarrassed to admit that I don’t read very many Asian authors… Not on purpose though, I just don’t consciously diversify my reads, but I’m working on changing this from this month onward! Although I just started this book after midnight, I’m already about 30% through. I can feel the tension building up between the characters and I can just imagine how it’ll all explode. I have a feeling I’ll be wanting to read this well into the night tonight, and I can already see why everyone raves about this book. I have a feeling I’ll love it too!

What are you currently reading?

For the first time in a long time I’m not actually mad that the weekend is practically over because my bestie is coming up from Brisbane on Wednesday next week and we’re going to spend six days in a gorgeous villa to work on our tans by the pool/beach, to read all the books, to eat/drink all the food and cocktails, and to celebrate my birthday 🥳 I’M SO FREAKING EXCITED!! That said, there’s a good chance I might go MIA on the blogosphere next week because I’m not sure how much energy I will have after lying in the sun all day? Jokes! Sort of… I’m hoping to schedule some posts for the week tomorrow evening, but I’m pretty bad at that, so we’ll see how it goes. For now, just in case you missed it, here are the posts I’ve made this week:

Review: Little Darlings by Melanie Golding
Friday Favorites: Books That Were Recommended to You
Birthday Month Book Haul #1
#WWWWednesday: 08 May
Top Ten Tuesday: Characters That Remind Me of Myself
Review: All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover

How are your May reads coming along? Are you participating in the#AsianReadathon too? Hope you’re all having a great weekend 🙂

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [04]

The Sundays In Bed With… meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

I can’t wait to get back into bed with Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman. This week, including my weekend, has been so busy I haven’t had much time to read, so I’m looking forward to tucking in with this book. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors and this will be the first book I’ve read by Terry Pratchett. I wonder if I’ll be able to identify the differences in the writing with these epic fantasy authors. So far I’m really enjoying the pace and the dry humor in this story! It makes me even more excited for the series to come out at the end of the month.

What are you currently reading?

This week has passed in (almost) the blink of an eye. The work week has been filled with endless meetings but also good times catching up with my colleagues from all over Southeast Asia. While these periods are some of the busiest times of the year for me, the enjoyment of seeing everyone helps to make the meetings less draining and the time pass quickly! With my busy days and evenings and how drained I’ve felt at the end of every day, I’m honestly surprised and quite pleased that I was able to post as much as I did! Here are the posts I’ve made this week:

First Lines & First Impression Friday with All Your Perfects
Review: Pride by Ibi Zoboi
My April Monthly Wrap Up!
WWW Wednesday: 01 May
Top Ten Tuesday: Inspiring & Thought Provoking Quotes from Books
My Most Anticipated May Releases!

How has everyone’s first week of May been so far? Hope you’re all having a great weekend 🙂 Here’s to another productive, book filled week!

Sundays In Bed With… My #WeeklyWrapUp! [03]

The Sundays In Bed With… meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

I’ve spent my Sunday literally in bed and even though I feel a little guilty about the on-off napping/reading, I’ve been getting such lousy sleep last week, I guess my body really needed it? To be fair, my weird ass woke up at 7:30AM (on a Sunday!) and I jumped out of bed thinking it was well into the afternoon; I hate waking up feeling so disoriented! Since I couldn’t get back to sleep, I let myself laze for a long as I wanted, browsing through bookstagram, blogs, and eventually picking up Little Darlings again. I won’t lie, this book is giving me next level anxiety feels and I’m getting frustrated with the MC, which is making it difficult to get into the book. I’m only 42% in and I don’t want to get creepy feelings when I get back in bed tonight, so I’ll leave it until tomorrow.

What are you currently reading?

It’s also that time to share my weekly wrap up! I think it’s been a pretty decent blogging week. I still haven’t really had much opportunity to diversify my blog posts outside of the regular weekly memes and occasional reviews because the work days have been long and my brain is mush by the time I get back; and I still haven’t mastered the art of writing my posts ahead of time 😅 So in case you’ve missed them, here are my posts from the past week:

First Impression Friday & The Friday 56: Little Darlings
Review: Normal People by Sally Rooney
WWW Wednesday: 24 April
Top Ten Tuesday: The First Ten Books I Reviewed
Mini Reviews Monday with A Lost Man, A Summer Friendship & Naughty Princesses!

This week I also watched Avengers: Endgame and let me tell you, my feelings were not ready to be so thoroughly fcked with. I was bawling my eyes out along with about 90% of the movie theater and when the lights came on and the credits started rolling, we all stood up and started clapping and cheering. It was a moment. After catching a morning showing, I walked through the rest of the day like a zombie–I was so emotionally drained! I had to do some major retail therapy to distract myself from my drowning emotions, so I guess that was a perk, but it didn’t really work because I couldn’t stop thinking about that ending! What a journey… Have you watched Endgame yet?

Hope everyone had a great week and a fun weekend! Can you believe it’s Sunday already? Here we go Monday… Have a great week ahead!

Sundays In Bed With… My #WeeklyWrapUp! [02]

The Sundays In Bed With… meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

Fellow book friends, I’ve been suffering heavily from an intense two book hangover and it’s all absolutely Jane Harper’s fault! After finishing The Dry, I immediately started The Lost Man as part of an instagram group read hosted by @travelingfriendsreads, and I devoured it faster than I did her debut. My whole being is basically stuck in the Australian Outback and it is with great reluctance that I even think about leaving. As a result, I’ve been heading fast into a spiraling slump and before that actually happens, I’ve tried picking up several books in the hopes that one of them will bring it to a halt! How do you get past a book hangover?! All tips and recommendations much appreciated! This Sunday I’ve been in bed with… these lovelies:

What are you currently reading?

On that note, I thought I’d share my weekly wrap up of posts from this week, just in case you missed any! It’s been a pretty mediocre blogging week, but I hope to pick up with more reviews in the coming week!

Review: The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
Top Ten Tuesday: Rainy Day Reads
WWW Wednesday
Review: The Dry by Jane Harper

Also, before I forget, if you’re part of the bookstagram community on Instagram, I’m hosting my first international giveaway to celebrate 700 followers! I’m quite excited about it because I honestly never thought 50 people would even follow me, let alone 700 people! My mind is a little blown, and my heart is very happy! Check out my post below if you’d like to enter for a chance to win!😊Happy Sunday, book friends 🥰

My Weekly Wrap Up!

We have officially come to the middle of yet another month — where does the time go, people?! I’ve been meaning to write weekly wrap up posts since I started blogging, but by the time Sunday rolls around I’m usually too lazy and make up some excuse to not get on my laptop. Heh 😬 BUT HERE WE ARE TODAY!

Yes, I’m patting my own back right now…

I’ve been participating in more weekly memes this month, and that along with writing book reviews has really helped me structure my blogging schedule. I know it’s probably a bit on the boring side right now and I’d like to try spicing up my blog a bit more with other tags and book related thoughts, but I’d like to form a steady habit of regularly writing every day, before trying to write more than one! I tend to want to do all the things when I start something new and exciting, then end up slowing down until I completely stop over time because that energy is just not my speed. I believe I’ll get there eventually with this blog though! 🤞🏽

Work has been getting progressively busier too and I know the pace is only going to increase towards the end of April, but I’ve tried to keep the effect on my daily reading mood/habit to a minimum. April has been a slower month than March though, but I guess anything compared to reading 15 books would be slow?

Without further ado, here’s a recap of this week’s posts:

Favorite Read This Week: I think it’s a tie between The Dreamers and The Hunting Party. I’ll be posting my review for The Hunting Party soon, but you can read my review of The Dreamers via the link above 😉

Did you have a good reading week?
How are you going with your April reads so far?