#TopTenTuesday: 10 Favourite Dynamic Friendship Duos!

February 22, 2022August 11, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads58 Comments

So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s prompt is: DYNAMIC DUOS (Submitted by Elley @ Elley the Book Otter)

With so much focus on romantic couples this month, I wanted to stick to friendship duos for this week’s prompt and I have to admit, I struggled (oh, this weak memory of mine)! 😂 I was tempted to go in the same direction as Leslie this week but although it took me *a while* to do it, I eventually managed to come up with a list of ten of my favourite dynamic friendship duos! Without further ado, let’s get right to it…

Goodreads Monday – Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

February 21, 2022February 21, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

Welcome back to Goodreads Monday! It’s been a hot minute since I did one of these but I’m excited to shine a spotlight on and talk a little bit about this book, which is coincidentally going to be released tomorrow (22/02/22)! Stunning. 😍

This weekly meme was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners and it 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 want to! I’ll be using a random number generator to pick my books from my insanely long GR Want-to-read list.*

*Sorry if a book has been featured twice. I need to make better note of which ones I’ve done already!

This week’s featured book is Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. This is an upcoming release (as I mentioned above, it’s out tomorrow!) and it’s a “novel of high fantasy and low stakes”. It’s only got a few ratings on Goodreads so far but it seems well-loved!

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp

February 20, 2022August 13, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

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 time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

I’m happily spending my Sunday night in bed with Beneath Cruel Fathoms by Anela Deen! I’m part of the blog tour organised by The Write Reads for the BBNYA top 10 winners and this book was number 6. I’ve heard great things about this romantasy so I’m very excited to dive in!

What are you currently reading?

ARC Review: What the Fang? by Stacey Kennedy

February 19, 2022February 14, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

Special thanks to Stacey Kennedy for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: What the Fang? (Undead Ever After #1)
Published: 25 January 2022
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Panda Rating:

_{(3.5 pandas)}

Willa Farrington’s magic is broken. Shunned by her coven for failing to pass the Summer Solstice Rite, Willa escapes to the one place no witch belongs – Charleston, a city that belongs to vampires. Determined to embrace her new life, Willa opens Cauldron Boil Books, and unexpectedly finds some friends among the vampires…

Until one terrible night Willa ends up on the wrong side of a pair of fangs. Thankfully, her captor’s plan is ruined when Killian Constantine, the drop-dead gorgeous Warden of Charleston, shows up to save her. But just when Willa thinks she’s safe, Killian, rumored to be the most feared vampire in the city, furiously demands to know why she – a witch – telepathically called him for help.

Intent on finding answers, the two embark on a journey to unravel the mystery behind Willa’s attack and their unusual connection. As they get closer to the truth, the fiery passion between them ignites. But their forbidden romance isn’t making them many friends, and just as Willa starts to think that her entire existence is a lie, deadlier forces come out of the shadows. She will need to believe in her malfunctioning magic, trust bloodthirsty vampires, and cross her fingers that she and Killian make it out together… and that neither end up dead.

TL;DR: What the Fang? is one of those books that I would recommend picking up if you’re simply looking for a purely entertaining read—it’s one that you don’t have to think much about and can happily consume in the span of a few hours, which is what I did and it was exactly what I was looking for!

The Sunshine Blogger Award V

February 17, 2022May 7, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads22 Comments

So, it was several months ago when Becky @ Becky’s Book Blog tagged me for the Sunshine Blogger Award! Becky is one of my favourites in the book community—I always love her reviews and recommendations, and she’s always fun to chat with. If you’re into SFF then you’ll definitely want to give her blog a follow! Thanks so much for the tag, Becky! 🥰

#WWWWednesday: 16 February 2022

February 16, 2022August 11, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads15 Comments

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:

What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?

Since last Wednesday, I’ve managed to read six books and all of them were reads I really enjoyed!

Across a Field of Starlight by Blue Delliquanti ★★★½
A fast-paced, action-packed and wonderfully diverse sci-fi graphic novel! Check out my review!

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna ★★★★☆
This was another buddy read with Leslie 💜 Though this was slow to start, once the action picked up we both sped through this read! I definitely get the hype.

#TopTenTuesday: 10 Books Too Good to Review Properly!

February 15, 2022August 11, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads23 Comments

So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: Books Too Good to Review Properly (I have no words!) (Submitted by Dedra @ A Book Wanderer).

Yay for a topic that I don’t think I’ve seen done before and one that I kinda struggled to make a list for! 😂 For the first three books, I was left too speechless to write a review and by the time I composed myself, I was too intimidated to write one because I knew my words could never do the book even a smidge of justice. The other seven I read before I thought to start writing reviews but they were all 5-stars and I can still recall the thrill of discovering the magic and the gutwrenching emotions these books made me feel! I’m hoping to attempt re-reading a few of them at some point but for others, such as A Little Life, I don’t think I could handle anymore! 🙈

ARC Review: From the Top by Jaqueline Snowe

February 14, 2022February 17, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

Special thanks to the author for providing an ARC via Grey’s Promotions in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: From the Top (Central State #2)
Published: 15 February 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

_{(4 pandas)}

Falling for the captain was never part of the plan…
Cami Simpson is the ‘it girl’—at least until a string of terrible decisions leads to no boyfriend, no captainship of the dance team, and no fancy apartment. Due to a mold outbreak at her place, she’s forced to relocate to a co-ed dorm as a senior. And to top it off, she finds out she’s at risk of not graduating due to an error in her schedule. Talk about the worst senior year ever.

Frederick Brady the IV would never admit the massive crush he once had on the dance darling. Not to anyone. They’d almost had a moment a year ago, but she crushed him, so she’s the last person he wants to live next to. It doesn’t matter though. He’s on his way out to an internship and almost done with school where he can leave his heartbreak and data foes behind.

Neither expected to form a friendship or know what to do about their insane chemistry. With late nights, inside jokes, and the rare comfort they find in each other… lines blur, and the popular girl gets with the nerdy guy. Only, Freddie’s done this before and knows how it ends. His insecurities clash with Cami’s need to be picked first, so when Freddie has to choose where to attend his internship, he can either pick the job or the girl. And for the guy who’s set on protecting his heart, well, he might break hers in the process.

GET YOUR COPY!

add to Goodreads

Jaqueline Snowe lives in Arizona where the “dry heat” really isn’t that bad. She prefers drinking coffee all hours of the day and snacking on anything that has peanut butter or chocolate. She is the mother to two fur-babies who don’t realize they aren’t humans and a new mom to the sweetest baby boy. She is an avid reader and writer of romances and tends to write about athletes. Her husband works for an MLB team (not a player, lol) so she knows more about baseball than any human ever should.

TL;DR: If you’re looking for a fun/fast read and a steamy frenemies-to-lovers situation between a popular girl and nerdy guy that’s full of sweet vulnerability and explosive chemistry, then I would definitely recommend checking this out!

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp

February 13, 2022August 13, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads16 Comments

I’m spending the rest of my Sunday in bed with What the Fang? by Stacey Kennedy. I came across this one after reading a review on Julie’s blog and it looks/sounds like such a fun read. I’m looking forward to something lighter to round up this hellacious week!

What are you currently reading?

The Book Blogger Memory Challenge

February 12, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads15 Comments

Hello, book lovers! Since it’s been a long while since I last did a tag, I decided to finally do one this Saturday and went for The Book Blogger Memory Challenge! I was tagged to do this by the awesome Kerri @ Kerri McBookNerd, who you should follow if you haven’t already done so, especially if you’re a fantasy lover! Knowing how atrocious my memory is, I’m probably gonna struggle with this one (read as: I’ll sit staring at the screen for ages trying to come up with answers)

I knew from the moment I saw this that I was going to struggle to come up with answers for many of these (lol, welp, my memory), so without further ado… Let the struggle begin? 😂

This tag was originally created by Laura @ Laura’s Book Reviews.

The Rules

You have to answer the prompts without using the internet or looking at your bookshelves.
Your answers have to all come from memory!
Make sure to link to the person who originally tagged you (thanks, Kerri! ❤️)
Once your done, you can tag five other people if you’d like.

Name a book written by an author called Michael

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. I started off my sci-fi journey with Michael Crichton back in 2010 when I came across his books in a second-hand bookstore in Cambodia and I ended up buying all of his books from that place soon after. Glad I remembered his name! 😂

Name a book with a dragon on the cover

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon! Although I ended up really struggling to get through this great beast of a book, it’s still one of the most gorgeous covers I’ve seen. This one definitely sticks out a lot in my mind 😊

Name a book about a character called George

Uh… Curious George? 😂 (I’m honestly surprised this was the book that came to mind cos when was the last time I read a Curious George book?!)

Name a book written by an author with the surname Smith

Ugh, why is the only name coming to mind Sam Smith?! 😭 The other name coming to me is Ali Smith and I don’t even know if they’re an author? I don’t know… FAIL! 😂

Name a book set in Australia

The Dry by Jane Harper. Btw, if you’re a fan of extremely atmospheric, slow-burn mysteries with fascinating characters, I would highly recommend Harper’s books!

Name a book with the name of a month in the title

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by … I forgot the author’s name OMG 😭 BUT *evil laugh* cos I can’t believe I actually recalled a book title with a month in it!

Name a book with a knife on the cover

My Lovely Wife by… someone? 😬 This book has been on my TBR for ages and I actually remembered this one because I actually really love this cover where the wife is holding a knife and her husband’s face is reflected in it!

Name a book with the word ‘one’ in the title

Uhm… One Day by Dave Nicholls? David Nicholas? Is this even the right author? I’m truly so terrible with names and I think that this book title is correct 🤔 I think it is… I haven’t read the book yet but I did watch the movie and oof, what an emotional journey it was!

Name a book with a eponymous title

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Thank you to this Top Ten Tuesday post from a few weeks ago for helping jumpstart my memory for this prompt 😂

Name a book turned into a movie

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. Popular opinion time that will make the Tolkien lovers want to slay me but I loved the movie so much more than the book! 🙈

Phew, okay, that wasn’t as terrible as I thought I’d do. I did spend a lot of time staring accusingly at my screen for some of these answers but I happily only botched one answer—yay! 😅 I’m not planning to tag anyone but feel free to do this if you want!

Joanna @ The Geekish Brunette
Maria @ The Character Study
Julie @ One Book More
Elli @ AceReader
Andie @ Books, Coffee, Passion
YOU and anyone who’d like to do this tag! 😍