Since I posted my last update about the Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge at the end of July and then announced joining ARC August at the start of this month, I hit a pretty big reading slump that derailed basically all of my plans to keep my amazing July reading streak going. Thankfully, I’m past it now, but since August and therefore summer too is over, I thought I’d put these challenges to bed and see what the rest of the year has to bring!
The GRSRC had 11 ‘For Beginners’ prompts and I completed 8 of those! While I was sure that I’d be able to finish this challenge, I’m not mad at what I did finish. I mean, yeah, there were only eleven prompts, but I feel like August didn’t even count 😂 So here are the ones that I managed to tick off the list:
Short & sweet: Read a book with less than 100 pages (or a book you can finish in one sitting) – The Woods, Vol. 1: The Arrow by James Tynion IV | (my review)
On the bandwagon: Read one of the most read books right now on Goodreads & New voices: Read a debut novel – Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens | (my review)
Actually want to read: Read a book that’s been on your Want to Read shelf for more than a year. This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel | If I’m being honest, this was the book that set off my slump this month. I didn’t review this book yet because it took me ages to get through, but I really did love the characters and Claude/Poppy’s story. I think it was the meandering writing and very floaty? dreamy? writing style that I didn’t gel with. So in this case, I think it was definitely a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ moment.
In the friend zone: Read a book that a friend has recommended – The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary | (my review)
Wheel of format: Read a book in a format that you don’t normally read in (a graphic novel, poetry, a play, an audiobook, etc.). – Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Full disclosure, I’m cheating a bit with this one because while I did listen to Daisy Jones on audio, it wasn’t the audio I set out to finish when I made my list! I’m still counting it though because flexibility and all that, right?! This is another review that I haven’t gotten around to blogging yet, but I did gush about it on Goodreads, so you can check it out there.
Armchair traveler: Read a book set in a destination you want to visit – The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah | (my review)
The three prompts that I didn’t manage to complete were: Good as gold: Read a book that won a Goodreads Choice Award | The book is better: Read a book being adapted for TV or film this year | Not from around here: Read a book set in a different culture from your own. I’m surprised that I haven’t even picked Vengeful up yet, but I’m not surprised by my reluctance to get into the other two. The Goldfinch has sat unfinished on my shelf since February and I finally picked it up again to take with me to a doctor’s appointment to read while waiting, but I didn’t even touch it 😭 I’m still determined to finish it before the movie comes out coz I really do wanna know what happens!
I’m actually really bummed that I only managed to read 5 ARCs for ARC August. FIVE ARCs IN ONE MONTH. I’m quaking with disappointment 😫 It’s not like I planned to only read ARCs in August, but I still hoped to make a bigger dent in my pile! While I might not have ‘fast-tracked’ my progress, I hope to get a 100% rating before the end of the year! Is it ambitious? Yah. Though I’m not taking or making new requests at the moment, let’s see how long I can resist the urge 😅 I’m hoping I can cut down at least five *cough* more ARCs before I cave! LOL
So what other challenges are there for the rest of the year? I think I heard about one called Series September, which involves wrapping up a series or reading the next book in the series, to get caught up. I could be completely making this challenge up based on something I heard in passing and my fragmented memory just pieced it together as this challenge, but it kinda sounds like a good idea! There’s also Non-Fiction November, which I think will be fun because I’m always looking to read more NF and a challenge will give me some good incentive to do it! There’s also the PopSugar Reading Challenge, which I’ve been doing since the start of the year, although I’ve been (unsurprisingly) horrible at actually keeping track of my progress! I did take a peek at the prompts the other day and realized that I’ve made a pretty good dent in the basic challenges, so I’m quite happy with that! I’ll probably make a post for that challenge soon too.
And that’s wrap folks! Sorry for blabbering so much 🙃
Did you participate in the summer reading challenge or ARC August? Will you be participating in any other challenges this year?I’d love to know your progress! Leave me a comment and let’s chat about it!
Two weeks ago I was nominated for the Leibster Award by Amanda @ if there’s a haunted house in it, i’ll read it and by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads! When I first started blogging I saw quite a few very popular bloggers being tagged for this award and I never in my wildest thought I’d ever be nominated for it even once, let alone twice! Thank you ladies for even thinking of me and putting my blog just a little bit further out there on the radar! Deciding to start blogging again, this time focusing solely on books, was one of the best decisions I’ve made this year. I’m so thankful for all the friends I’ve made and for finding an online community where I can just happily be my geeky, fan-girling, bookish self with others who just really get it.
By the way, if you’re not yet following either of these two ladies, what are you even doing!? They’re so sweet and engaging, plus they have really great bookish content on their pages. So, go follow them now!
Since I’ve been tagged twice, I’ll be answering two sets of questions, so this might be a bit of a long one but hope you’ll stick around until the end 😬 Without further ado, let’s get to it!
THE Rules
Say thank you to the person who has nominated you for the Award.
Answer the 11 questions the person has asked you
Nominate 11 people
Ask the people who you have nominated 11 questions
AMANDA’S QUESTIONS
What’s your favourite movie?
I honestly can’t say I have one favorite movie (of all time). I have a few that I watch time and again, but there’s not just one that I favour most… I’m going to choose Spirited Away! I love Sen/Chihiro, Haku, all the incredible spirits, and creepy AF and deeply misunderstood No-Face and Boh. Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate how freaking amazing the food looked in this?! Just thinking about it makes me salivate 🤤 Ah, I can watch all of Miyazaki’s movies forever and they’re all very close to my heart.
Who was your favourite childhood author?
This is another tough one! There are so so many 🙈 One of them that’s high on my list is Shel Silverstein. His books were my first taste of poetry and I still remember reading his poems over and over again because I loved how they were clever and cute rhymes! Where the Sidewalk Ends is one of my favorites!
What’s your favorite guilty pleasure read?
There’s not just one guilty pleasure read, for me it’s more one guilty pleasure genre? Which is romance. And by romance I mean the ones that have those extremely heated scenes (not erotic fiction per se) but I do love a good sexy romance! 😏 Yes, I admit it, and no, I’m not embarrassed to say that I love it! It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s one of mine 🙊 hehe
Where would you like to travel?
Um… Everywhere? 😂 But the places that have been topping my list over the last three years are New Zealand and South America (specifically Nicaragua, Colombia, and Peru).
Do you have any pets? Share pictures, if you do! If you don’t, do you want pets?
TRIPPER
COOKIE
YES HI I DO! 🙋🏻♀️ I love my floofy boofs,Tripper and Cookie. We got them when we moved to Cambodia in 2010 and since then they’ve traveled with us to the Philippines and Indonesia. They’re pretty well travelled doggos but hate it so much! I think one of the hardest things I’ve had to do was to say bye to them when I left for the UK in 2012. I’m pretty sure I cried harder leaving them than I did leaving my fam (lmao, I’m sure many can relate to this right?)! Unfortunately, I haven’t lived with them since then… It makes me sad, but bringing them to Bali would be too complicated. I try to see my bubbas whenever I can though!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be many things including a vet but I’m pretty sure that I wanted to be a marine biologist for the longest time. I was in the marine biology club at school for 4 years, until I moved to Australia for boarding school and had to leave it behind! Since then my imagination started getting the best of me and I now can’t stop imagining Jaws attacking me in the ocean. No dice!
I have to say Autumn/Fall. I know it’s ironic since I live in the tropics and only get one season: HOT. But when I lived in Australia and the UK I loved experiencing the changing temperatures. I love cold weather more than hot weather (you can wear more clothes, but you can’t walk around naked! Well, you can but…)
Do you listen to music while reading?
Sometimes. If I’m in the mood for some background noise, I put on my favorite reading playlist that I found on YouTube. It has some of my favorite classics and it’s the perfect reading playlist (and it’s also perfect for writing)!
Are there any books you would never read?
I’m not a fan of horror. I just can’t with the supernatural (ghosts) and haunted houses, and all that stuff. It just ain’t my jam. Also, gore! The descriptiveness of American Psycho is probs my hard limit 🙈
Why do you like blogging?
I’ve always kept a diary when I was a kid, then when I was 16 I started my first blog. I switched sites a few times over the years but stopped blogging about 3 years ago. I started the book blog because I love sharing my book thoughts and connecting with others over books. I tend to blabber a lot (even in writing lol) but I enjoy getting it all down/out. It comforts me, plus I meet so many cool people 🙂
leelynn’s QUESTIONS
What is your favorite mythical creature and would you want to be one?
I’d love to be a mermaid because growing up Ariel was one of my faves. I’ve always loved the idea of being able to swim underwater without needing to surface for air and I get a thrill every time I think of exploring the deep unknown!
Would you rather be a professional singer, or a professional actor?
Professional singer! I’ve always loved to sing. I used to be in the chamber choir in high school and we’d travel to different countries to compete with other international schools. I’m way too self-conscious to willingly make a fool of myself by acting lol
Take a picture of the view outside your building today (or if you’re outside right now, the view in front of you). Do you feel at peace?
I’m at home finalizing this post and since it’s evening, there’s not much of anything you can see if you look out. But this was my view looking out over the office pool earlier in the day from when I was having lunch! Did I feel at peace then (or now)? Well, actually I wasn’t 😅 as I’ve had a splitting migraine for two days now and it’s draining me of all my energy and ability to function. I hope that it’s gone by the time I wake up tomorrow or I might just have to take the day at home.
Do you prefer to read ARCs or backlist titles?
So… one of the reasons I started blogging was in the hope of being able to access more ARCs. That said, it hasn’t been easy. There are tons of limits because of my international status (especially living in an obscure publishing country like Indonesia LOL), plus I’m a mood reader and the pressure to read ARCs by a certain date always gets to me and it’s no bueno. But I’ve really enjoyed getting ARCs and the challenge of reading them before time! Obviously with #ARCAugust I haven’t been so successful… But I’m making a dent!
Which book character do you wish could be your real life best friend and why?
Um, tough question! Off the top of my head I’d wish to be BFFs with either Elisabeth (Sorcery of Thorns), or Hazel (Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating). I’d be able to totally geek out in the Great Libraries with Elisabeth, and I’d have no doubt that Hazel would be able to always cheer me up by making me laugh at her hilariously loveable self. I also think they’d both be very loyal friends. This question actually reminds me of the TTT from a few weeks ago!
Would you rather be a superhero, super villain, or an anti-hero?
I’m not gonna lie; I think being a super villain might be really really fun, even if I’ll probably die some horribly satisfying death at the end. It’d be fun to unleash unholy terror for a book’s length of time 😈😂 Muahahaha
What book or type of book would you turn to during a dark time?
I’m that person who compulsively listens to sad music, reads sad books, and watches sad movies when I’m feeling low. I try to watch happy and funny things but it just doesn’t do anything for me. I need to completely immerse myself in the sadness in order to let it go ❄️ It doesn’t even have to be like insanely sad stuff; it can just be a heart tug and I’m off. But it definitely helps me to feel better (albeit slowly).
What is the latest book you’ve read that made you extremely happy?
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. This book filled me with so much warmth and good feelings. It was cute, sweet, heart warming and all of the things I’m a sucker for in romance. Plus, I loved the characters too and became so invested in them! This left me with a satisfying & lingering happiness!
What’s one advice you would tell your past self about reading?
Don’t let other people’s judgements about the books you read make you feel like any less of a reader or that you should be reading something different. Just because you’re not reading “super serious” “highly intellectual” books or the greatest classics, doesn’t mean that you’re less of a reader or shouldn’t be considered a reader at all. Read whatever you like because screw what people think of you! You gotta do the thing that makes you, and not them, happy!
What’s a genre that you didn’t like at first, and what was the book that changed your mind on that genre?
I don’t know if it’d be classified as a genre(?) but I’ve always struggled with magical realism. I don’t know if I can claim a 100% change of heart but after reading books like Shadow of the Wind and The Astonishing Color of After and absolutely loving both, I’m definitely more willing to try books with magical realism.
What kind of diverse rep are you wanting to see more of in books, and which book out now has that rep that you recommend?
I’m going to say (Southeast/East) Asian rep specifically because it’s so rare to read mainstream or popular books with Asian representation; especially in romances and YA books! With books such as the Crazy Rich Asians series, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Helen Hoang’s Kiss Quotient Series, Pachinko, and The Astonishing Color of After (to just name a few), it has been so refreshing to read about people who look like me and who’ve grown up in more similar cultures to my own. I’d obviously love to see Indonesian rep in these books, but seeing more Southeast/East Asian rep in general is already a good step in the right direction!
MY QUESTIONS
Do you have a bucket list? If yes, what are the top five items on your list? If not, what do you think would be in your top five?
What is a song you listened to recently that you haven’t been able to get off your mind?
What are three things you love most about the book community (blogs, book twitter, bookstagram)?
What’s on your Top 3 list of favorite books you’ve read this year?
What’s your phone background?
What popular/hyped book have you been put off reading?
If you could have one super power or magical power, what would it be?
What’s a book that everyone loved but you didn’t?
If someone was going to cover your travel expenses to anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?
What book do you wish you could forget, just so you could read it again for the first time?
If you didn’t have to work another day for the rest of your life or think about money, what would you love to do with your time?
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life. Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.
This book has received a lot of love in the community and I think I had pretty high expectations going into it, so I was little bit flummoxed that it ended up being very different to what I expected. That’s not necessarily in a bad way, but I think this might be a big case of it’s not you, it’s me. I mean, I liked it well enough but I didn’t love it. I read this as part of a big group read on Twitter, and they’re continuing on with the series throughout the month but I think I’ll put off continuing it for now.
SJTR was told through the perspective of Audrey Rose Wadsworth, who was smart, fiercely independent and very ahead of the times for that period, and she wasn’t at all shy to show it. I found her rebellious and spunky character refreshing. I love that she was a bit of a nerd, who just wanted to do cool things like autopsies and solve murders, but that she also loved fancy clothes and dressing up. She spends the majority of the story with her uncle, a famous doctor who people think is insane, and Thomas Creswell. Everyone who has read this book seems to have loved Creswell’s character the most. He definitely gave me Sherlock vibes, with his observant deductions and brilliant mind, but I liked that he was also sassy, sarcastic and bold. I felt a little like the romance between Audrey and Thomas was a little insta-love and I wasn’t actually here for it (sorry, please don’t kill me)! I just didn’t feel any spark between them and because of that their romantic interactions fell flat and felt forced! With how quickly the romance evolved between Audrey and Thomas, it was easy to forget the period which this was set in. If it was realistic, half the things that happened with Audrey traipsing around on her own, and especially alone with men, would not have happened. I mean, we’re talking the late 1880s here, so it’s a bit unrealistic. While the more modern tones of the story made it a much easier read than it would’ve been otherwise, I think it also detracted from the whole vibe/setting of the story.
I’ve always had a morbid fascination with the ‘legend’ of serial killers and murderers, and Jack the Ripper is one of the most infamous even until now. While reading, the names of his victims were familiar, but since the last time I went into a spiral binge of reading up on The Ripper was over a decade ago, I didn’t actually remember all the details of what he did to them. So I really enjoyed the fictional liberties that Maniscalco took to develop this story around his legend, while still remaining as close to what happened as possible. I also appreciated Maniscalco’s author’s note that detailed what she took liberties with. That said, I was a little shocked by how easily I deduced who Jack the Ripper was. I won’t say that I figured it out from the very beginning, but it was like a lightning strike moment when I figured it out and I was a little upset that Audrey didn’t see the <b>very obvious</b> clue that was like a big, bright red waving flag in front of her. I ended up wanting to shout at her for the rest of the book because it was SO OBVIOUS and the fact that Thomas didn’t pick up on it when he’s supposed to be a genius who sees everything, was kind of disappointing. I thought the ending was also a bit too rushed, and I was a little disappointed with how it was so… easily resolved and a little too picture perfect happy for such a horrifying story!
Another thing I appreciated was the detail of added photos to some of the chapters. I always find black and white photos a little creepy, even when they’re innocent, and these fit so well with the content of the story. I think only one of them, which I wasn’t expecting at all, gave me a right fright when I was reading this at around 3am on Friday/Saturday, and so I made sure to check the photos ahead of time (during the day!) so I wouldn’t get another shocker. I will say though that this book was a lot darker and more gory than I anticipated, so a word of caution if you’re looking to pick it up and aren’t so good with gore!
I was thinking about going straight into Hunting Prince Dracula, but I’m glad that I didn’t because it would’ve been too much for me. Apparently as I get older my constitution gets weaker LOL I am interested in continuing the series eventually though. So while I did enjoy this thrilling historical fiction, I felt a little too detached from the characters to really fall in love with the story. I’d still recommend it to anyone who likes a thrilling mystery, historical fiction, quirky characters and great banter, as well as a strong female lead ahead of her time.
Have you read Stalking Jack the Ripper? Did it live up to the hype for you?Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!
It’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
What did you read last?
Over the last week I managed to read these five books. While it’s not crazy impressive, I’m happy that I managed to keep the reading momentum going! Probably the Best Kiss in the World was okay but it wasn’t what I expected and felt a bit let down by it; you can read my review here! I still have to write my reviews for Stalking Jack the Ripper, Luna and the Lie and The Simple Wild, which I only finished last night, but completely loved! Luna and the Lie was my first Mariana Zapata and holy mother of slow burns! I mean, I’m all for a slow burn romance but when it gets to 80% mark and nothing indicates something more will happen between the characters, I felt a little miffed. Did I mention that this is probably the longest romance that I’ve ever read? It comes in close to 600 pages, and yet thanks to my sleeping issues, I managed to finish it in one day! SJTR was… interesting. Different to what I expected and while I enjoyed it, I’m sorry to say that I didn’t love it 😫 All reviews coming soon (I hope)!
What are you currently reading?
Although I’m not in a slump I’m still finding it difficult to choose what to read next, which is why I’ve been sticking to contemporary romances that I know won’t give me too much bother. That Forever Girl (Getting Lucky #2) by Meghan Quinn just released yesterday and I’m planning to start it tonight! I’m trying to get out of the romance stream, so I’ve also picked up Miracle Creek on a whim! This was one of the highly anticipated additions to my physical shelf since it released and it’s still been sitting untouched for a few months now 😅 I’ve also still got My Lovely Wife going but haven’t picked it back up again since SJTR was gorier than I expected and I needed a break (is this my age speaking?)!
What will you read next?
I feel like I’ve failed epically with #ARCAugust but I’m going to continue steadily whittling my ARCs down as I go. I recently put myself on a requesting ban but a whole bunch (that I forgot about since it’s been months since I requested them) got approved last week and whelp, here we go again! 😅 But September is coming up and with it a buddy read and a blog tour that will take priority! I’ll be participating in my second TheWriteReads blog tour this time for A Different Time by Michael K. Hill and I’m really looking forward to it! My date is set for the first week of September so I have to get cracking on that read soon. I’ll also be doing a buddy read for The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, which will take place over the month of September coz have you seen the size of that tome?!
What are you currently reading? Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂
In a voice that is inclusive and open to all, Courtney Peppernell presents a tribute to her readers in the third installment of her bestselling Pillow Thoughts series. A beautifully raw and poignant collection of poetry and prose, Pillow Thoughts III continues the series from poet Courtney Peppernell. Fix yourself a warm drink and settle into Peppernell’s words as she pens a tribute to her readers who are bravely continuing their journey from hurt to healing.
I didn’t know that Peppernell was coming out with another Pillow Thoughts book, but when I saw that the title was “mending the mind” I knew I had to read it. I love a good book of poetry and prose that I can connect with and I’ve done that with Pillow Thoughts I & II, although I connected most with Pillow Thoughts I. I still enjoyed this read though. Peppernell’s poetry/prose is simple yet effective in reaching into the hearts and minds of her readers to either give a gentle nudge or hug. There is an undercurrent of hope that runs through the words and ties them together in this book. That said, I do wish that I felt more connected to the work in this book, but there was a lot here that I felt was a little ‘recycled’ and nothing that I hadn’t heard of before.
As always though, when Peppernell speaks a thought that resonates with me, it gets me hard, and right in the heart! I teared up reading the chapter on “if your mind needs repairing” and I felt hopeful reading “if your mind needs inspiration”. I’ve been struggling a lot with my mental health over the last few months and reading some of these passages really got to me. They were a small reminder to keep going and to believe and trust that I’m much stronger than I think I am; especially for making it this far in life when every single day is a struggle.
“There is nothing beautiful about wishing you’d never been born There’s nothing poetic about believing you are a burden There is nothing sadder than thinking you’re ruining the lives of the people you love But there is nothing stronger than you I am in awe of the way you live even with all these dark thoughts You are brave in the way you begin again each day”
Probably my favorite part of this book is still the illustration of the jellyfish; which is me, and you, and us. I wish that the illustrations weren’t only shown at the start of each new section, but used throughout the book! Overall, even though this didn’t end up being a favorite, I’m still glad that I read it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is now available for purchase! Have you read any of Courtney Peppernell’s Pillow Thoughts?What do you think? Let’s chat in the comments!
It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: books I want in my personal library (perhaps you checked it out, borrowed it from a friend, received it for review, etc. and want to own it yourself). This week’s prompt was submitted by Annemieke @ A Dance with Books! If you haven’t checked out her blog yet I’d suggest you do it! She has awesome posts about all things fantasy 😊
For this week’s prompt, I decided to focus on books I want to add to my physical library specifically. Since purchasing a Kindle several years ago, I’ve started and finished many a book and series on it, but there are some that I want to add to my physical shelf because I enjoyed them so much! It was actually a little difficult to narrow this list down to ten books, especially when I’ve read at least a few hundred on my Kindle. I do have the physical paperback copies for two of these, but I want to splurge on special editions/hardcovers so they’ll last longer! Without further ado…. Here’s ten (e)books I love that I want to add to my physical library!
The Name of the Wind: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition by Patrick Rothfuss This edition has loads of extra goodies that I want to get my hands on as soon as my budget will let me! It’s pretty expensive, but considering all the extras that we get inside plus the sprayed edges, I think it’s worth it. I’ve seen some of the illustrations and they’re BEAUTIFUL!
The Oremere Chronicles by Helen Scheuerer I admit that I haven’t read the full series yet, but I read Heart of Mist (Book 1) and I loved it. I have the other two books in the trilogy already lined up, plus I’ve got 10 of the prequel stories that the author shared with her mailing list with the release of Book 3: War of Mist. The covers are beautiful and I think they’d look good on my shelf 🤪
A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3): Collector’s Edition by V.E. Schwab I have the first two collector’s editions and the third one will be coming out in October 2019, so I’m excited to scoop that up. You (might) know by now that the Shades of Magic series is one of my all time favorites, and this collection is the first collector’s editions that I’ve added to my library. Yay!
Saga Series Book One & Book Two by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples This series was my first foray into graphic novels (as an adult) and I haven’t been able to stop raving about it since I picked it up. Saga isn’t finished yet and it ended in THE WORST CLIFFHANGER OF CLIFFHANGERS EVER and I’m just dying to know what happens next. But Vaughan and Staples are taking a break right now (since last year, actually) and I’m trying to ever so patiently wait for the next issue/volume to come out. For now, I want these two babies in my personal library. They’re $$$!
An Ember in the Ashes Series by Sabaa Tahir I started this series on my Kindle because at the time I don’t think An Ember in the Ashes was available in the bookstores here. I’ve continued to get the new books on my Kindle because living in Indonesia means I don’t get newly released books for ages, even if I pre-order them! 😭 It sucks but I’m so grateful to have a Kindle so that I don’t have to wait impatiently, not knowing if and/or when the book will ever arrive! 😅
The Sixth World Series by Rebecca Roanhorse This series isn’t finished yet (two more books to go!) and I also haven’t picked up the second book? But I loved the first book and I think it’s one of the more underrated series, which is unfortunate because people are missing out on awesome story based on Native American mythology, a badass female lead, and insane world building with gods and demons alike. It’s so so good.
The Getting Lucky Series by Meghan Quinn Throwing in a contemporary romance series because I don’t actually have many (I can only think of one) on my physical shelves! The second book in the Getting Lucky series was just released today (WOOHOO! I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR IT!) and there should be two more after this. But I know I’m going to love this series because it’s full of tropes that I love in a romance and I’m already a total sucker for the Knightly family, the brothers especially! Duh. 😬
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman I read Eleanor Oliphant last year before I joined the book community and before the crazy hype for the book really took off. I absolutely loved it! This story broke my heart and filled it back up again. I definitely want to add this to my physical shelf because I think it’s a story I’ll want to revisit often!
Sourdough and Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan I think Robin Sloan is another author whose books are unfortunately underrated. They’re both such feel good, slightly bizarre, highly improbable stories with a quirky cast of characters that worm their way into your heart. I feel like I can read Sloan’s books repeatedly whenever I need a pick me up!
Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner Mrs. Everything was released earlier this year in May and I thoroughly enjoyed this multi-generational family saga following the lives of the Jo and Bethie Kaufman. The sisters experience so much in their lives and so the book covers a wide range of issues that shaped the sisters as much as it shaped America from the 50s until the present(ish) day. It’s an emotional historical fiction but I think it’s one I’d like to keep on my shelf because it’s full of hope!
What are books that you want to add to your physical library? If you’ve done a TTT for today, don’t forget to leave your links in the comments below and let’s chat 🙂
Goodreads:Sea Prayer Genre: Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Picture Book Rating:
A short, powerful, illustrated book written by Khaled Hosseini in response to the current refugee crisis, Sea Prayer is composed in the form of a letter, from a father to his son, on the eve of their journey. Watching over his sleeping son, the father reflects on the dangerous sea-crossing that lies before them. It is also a vivid portrait of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city’s swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone. Impelled to write this story by the haunting image of young Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed upon the beach in Turkey in September 2015, Hosseini hopes to pay tribute to the millions of families, like Kurdi’s, who have been splintered and forced from home by war and persecution.
A short but impactful read. Hosseini knows how to tug on readers’ heartstrings even in a book as short as this one! This touches upon on issue that will remain relevant in many years to come!
Sea Prayer isn’t so much a book as it is actually a heartfelt prayer. One that has undoubtedly fallen off the tongues of the countless thousands who have fled their communities, homes and families to avoid war, death and destruction, for a chance of survival in an unknown land. This story was inspired by Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy who died when his family fled across the sea. That little boy whose body washed upon the shore in 2015, and whose image was splashed across newsfeeds all over the world for months, that called desperate attention to the refugee crisis.
It’s so easy for us watching from thousands of miles away to feel sadness, frustration and despair when hearing/reading/watching the news about the war and refugee crises taking place in parts of the world the majority of us have never been to, and most likely never will. It is easy to think that we can understand the plight of these families based on what we’re fed, but really, imagining what it’s like to be forced to flee the only life you’ve known just to ensure that you and your family stay alive? That’s a different kind of fear. In this short story book filled with beautiful illustrations, Khaled Hosseini, with his ability to transport and immerse readers into foreign worlds with his words, was able to give us an idea of what the fear might be like. But he not only captures the fears, but the beautiful memories and the hopes.
“But that life, that time, seems like a dream now, even to me, like some long-dissolved rumor.
First came the protests. Then the siege.
The skies spitting bombs. Starvation. Burials.
These are the things you know.”
This is a heavy book. It literally took me 5 minutes to read this but within those 5 minutes, Hosseini was able to evoke in me feelings of hope, sorrow and despair. Of course, my eyes were no longer dry. He paints a vivid picture of a bustling city life and the war torn communities that suffer the consequences of the actions of those filled with greed, hatred and pride. Often times we become so desensitized to the news we hear every day that we forget these people who are fleeing and suffering have stories of a life just the same as you and me. They are not just a large group of people with nowhere to go. Each and every refugee that makes it across that sea is not just another number to add to the growing masses. Every refugee is human. With all the bad news that makes it to our screens every day, sometimes I think we forget that they are people who each have their own story; and this is simply one of them.
Short but impactful, this book feeds into a dialogue that will continue to be relevant for many years to come. Khalid Hosseini will donate all proceeds from this book to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund lifesaving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe.
Have you read Sea Prayer? What did you think of it? Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!
We’re back with another Goodreads Monday, a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners that invites you to pick a book from your TBR and explain why you want to read it. Easy enough, right? Feel free to join in if you’re feeling it!
Doaa and her family leave war-torn Syria for Egypt where the climate is becoming politically unstable and increasingly dangerous. She meets and falls in love with Bassem, a former Free Syrian Army fighter and together they decide to leave behind the hardship and harassment they face in Egypt to flee for Europe, joining the ranks of the thousands of refugees who make the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean on overcrowded and run-down ships to seek asylum overseas and begin a new life. After four days at sea, their boat is sunk by another boat filled with angry men shouting threats and insults. With no land in sight and surrounded by bloated, floating corpses, Doaa is adrift with a child’s inflatable water ring around her waist, while two little girls cling to her neck. Doaa must stay alive for them. She must not lose strength. She must not lose hope.
Why do I want to read it?
I honestly don’t remember when or how I came across this book. If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you’ll know that I’m not shy in mentioning that I struggle with NF and I don’t read it often. I do like the *idea* of reading NF and so I’m not opposed to adding them to my TBR list whenever I stumble across one that I think I’ll like. Melissa Fleming is Head of Communications and Chief Spokesperson for the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Whenever I think about the refugee crisis, it always breaks my heart. I cannot imagine the fear and desperation people must face to choose to leave their home and move to a completely different country and continent, just to find safety and live a better life. This sounds like a moving read, but I have heard some mixed reviews, particularly about the writing. I don’t know if I’ll get to this anytime soon, but I think I will keep it on my TBR!
Have you read A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea? Or is it on your TBR too? Let me know in the comments below and let’s chat books!
It’s Sunday again already?! I don’t think I’m ever going to stop questioning how my weekends go so quickly. I only wish that the weekdays would do the same 😂 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 been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!
I spent the majority of my day finishing my first Marina Zapata book (review coming soon!) but I’m now in a contemporary romance mood. I think I’m going to pick up From the Start (Walker Family #1) by Melissa Tagg next. I’m a sucker for small town romances and from this week’s TTT, which looked at favorite tropes, I came across quite a few other book bloggers who loved the same trope and gave some book recs that sounded up my alley.
Kate Walker used to believe in true love and happily ever after. While her own love life may have left her brokenhearted, it hasn’t kept her from churning out made-for-TV romance movie screenplays…until a major career slump and a longing to do something meaningful send her running back to her hometown of Maple Valley.
Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is temporarily hiding out in a friend’s hometown to avoid the media and the reminders of all he’s lost. Maple Valley seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life. The only trouble is he’s never really done normal before.
While Kate plays things safe and Colton is all about big risks and grand gestures, they both get what it’s like to desperately need direction in life. An unexpected project gives them both a chance to jumpstart their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn’t part of the plan, but could it be the best thing that’s ever happened to them?
What are you currently reading?
I’m officially out of my book slump and this week has probably been my best reading week since August started. I spent my Saturday out and about with my bestie on the island and ended up going a little crazy with the retail therapy! I wasn’t looking to buy anything but I managed to come home with four bags full of shoes, clothes, beauty care and general knick knacks for home. I shocked myself (and my friend!) by walking into a book store and walking out without a purchase though! Who am I even?! It might’ve been the rampant shopping I’d already indulged in prior to stepping into the bookstore that made me feel a little guilty so I managed to hold myself back! I think I’m going to do a post-summer Marie Kondo of my closet and bookshelf next weekend, just to clear up the clutter that’s hanging around my tiny flat!
Overall it’s been a pretty good week. Work didn’t drive me too mental. I had some issues with my laptop that I took care of. I’ve started reading again. I’ve also been listening to Lover all weekend. I wasn’t fan of a few songs on the album when it came out on Friday, but as I expected, they’ve all mostly grown on me now. Have you been listening to the album? Do you have a new favorite track? Cornelia Street and Death by A Thousand Cuts might be new faves but Lover has really grown on me! I’ve still got quite a few reviews to catch up on but I’ll be working on posting those in the coming week! I also have quite a few book tags that I want to do from when I was tagged over the last few weeks! I find that I always just take forever to think of answers and then questions to ask 😂 It’s not been my greatest blogging week but I’m okay with that–life happens after all! On that note, here’s what I did manage to post last week, in case you missed it:
It’s time for another Top 5 Saturday, a weekly meme created by Mandy @ Devouring Books and this week’s topic is: books about dragons. As I was thinking about preparing this post, I realized that while I love a good book about dragons and with dragons in it, I can’t actually recall reading many of them? That’s crazy right? I officially cannot call myself a sucker for dragons coz I’d flatout be lying. Yikes! I’m counting on you good bookish friends to do me a favor and after you read this post, give me all the good recs for dragon books, please! 🐉
The Written (Emaneska #1) by Ben Galley I think this was the first fantasy that I read in 2019 for the The Write Reads’ Ultimate Blog Tour for Ben Galley. The Written had awesome dragons (and dragon riders!) in the story. I love dragons are given their own thriving society and individual personalities on top of being insanely large, fierce and growly. I became very quickly attached to these dragons and can’t wait to read more about them!
Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1) by Christopher Paolini I think I picked up Eragon in high school and immediately fell in love with the story. I remember loving the bond between Eragon and Seraphina, but I have to admit, I don’t remember much about the story or series now (coz I’m old)… But I’d definitely like to re-read it at some point!
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin This might be a little predictable but obviously I’m going to include ASOIAF on my list! I might be influenced by the show and how awesome the dragons were in it, but I liked their appearance(s) in the books too. I did stop reading after Book 4 though (it was just too much of the same for me)!
The Tea Dragon Festival (Tea Dragon #2) by Kate O’Neill Well, you asked for dragons, right? And these little tea dragons are absolutely the cutest things alive! I mean, little floofy dragons that grow different types of tea on their backs!? How can you not love them? But in the Tea Dragon Festival there is also a real dragon, that can shift between being a full sized dragon and a human-dragon creature named Aedhan who is just as cute! So much warmth 🥰
The Hobbit or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien Okay, so I might’ve mentioned multiple times how much I didn’t enjoy this book and how disappointed I was that it was incredibly different from the movie (which I watched first). But we’re not going to get into that now. Smaug was a pretty awesome dragon with all his billions of trinkets and jewels to keep him cool inside the mountain. I might not have enjoyed the story, but I can still appreciate the dragon!
What are your favorite books about dragons? GIVE ME ALL YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS in the comments below please!
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