#TopTenTuesday: Books with Character Names in the Title

February 1, 2022August 11, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads54 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 with Names/Character Names In the Titles (Submitted by BookLoversBlog and Lucy @ Bookworm Blogger).

Well, this prompt reminds me of one from a bookish tag that I was tagged in yesterday and it was the prompt I was probably going to struggle with the most… but not anymore! I digress though 😬 Was it just me or did anyone else have a hard time finding books for this prompt?

Since I’m attempting to tackle the TBR this year, I decided to focus on books that I already own. I tried to find ones that have been on my shelves the longest but that got too complicated so I’m just listing the ones I came across as I was scanning my shelves! 😌 Without further ado, let’s get right into it.

Monthly Wrap Up: January 2022

January 31, 2022December 6, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads21 Comments

A month of Epic reading…

Well, now that the first month of 2022 is over, I wonder just how quickly the rest of the year will pass by? If it’s anything like 2021, it’ll be a blink! 😂 This was a pretty quiet month on the life front.

I very quickly got a consultancy gig from Jan-May. It’s twice a week and not a lot but at least I have a little something!
We had one major trip this month and that was coming back to Jakarta from Bali. I love our Bali house (I miss our pool!) but ah, it feels so good to be back with my fur babies and my books! 😍
I’m still obsessed with T.Swift and if I continue to obsessively listen to her music throughout the year, I’m pretty sure she’ll take top spot on my Spotify wrap up (again).

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp

January 30, 2022August 13, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads21 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’ve found myself in a bit of a weird reading mood so I’m not sure what I’ll be reading this Sunday. I’ve got three books that I feel like I want to start reading but I’m not sure yet what will stick! The three books are a mix of MG Fantasy and Adult Contemporary: The Counterclockwise Heart, The Witch, The Sword and the Cursed Knights, and Convenience Store Woman.

What are you currently reading?

Blog Tour Review: The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies

January 29, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

Hello, hello friends! I’m so excited to be back with another blog tour hosted by @The Write Reads for The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies. Don’t forget to check out all the other bloggers participating in this tour: here or click on the banner below! 😍

Special thanks to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cover artist: **James T. Egan** of Bookfly Design

Goodreads: The Thirteenth Hour (Cruel Gods #1)
Publish Date: 13 October 2021
Genre: Adult Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

When the saints fail, the sinners step up.

Cruel gods rule the steam-powered city of Chime, demanding worship and tribute from their mortal subjects. Kayl lost her faith in them long ago, and now seeks to protect vulnerable and downtrodden mortals from their gods’ whims. But when Kayl discovers powers that she didn’t know she had—and destroys a mortal’s soul by accident—she becomes Chime’s most wanted.

Quen’s job was to pursue sinners, until the visions started. Haunted by foreboding images of his beloved city’s destruction, Quen hunts soul-sucking creatures made of aether who prey on its citizens—and Kayl is his number one target.

To ensure Chime’s future, Kayl and Quen must discover the truth of Kayl’s divine abilities before the gods take matters into their own hands.

For a city that bows to cruel gods, it’ll take godless heathens to save it.

GET YOUR COPY

CONTENT WARNINGS

Let’s Talk Bookish: Re-Reading Books?

January 28, 2022August 13, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads33 Comments

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where we get to discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! You can check out these pages for January 2022 prompts & a full list of the past prompts!

Now without further ado… The topic asks us about:

RE-READING BOOKS?

(SUGGESTED BY FIVES @ DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE)
Prompts: How many times is enough? Why re-read at all? Is re-reading just a comforting pastime? Or is there excitement to be relived? What kind of books do you re-read? Do you ever re-read books you don’t like in hopes that it will be better the second time? Were there any books you didn’t like as a child but liked as an adult, or vice versa?

#WWWWednesday: 26 January 2022

January 26, 2022August 11, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads34 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?

I’ve been going through books like a speed demon lately. Since last week I’ve read… a lot of books! More than I’ve ever read in a week but it does include graphic novels and mostly novellas! I also buddy read 3 books with Leslie @ Books Are the New Black, which have really moviated me to keep up the reading momentum this month! 😃

Silver Shark (Kinsmen #2) & Fated Blades (Kinsmen #3) by Ilona Andrews ★★★★☆
The Kinsmen world is amazing and I loved these books! So much action, so many amazing abilities, such wow world building and amazing romances! I want more 😍 I can definitely see IA becoming a fast fave for SF romance!

#TopTenTuesday: New to Me Authors I Discovered in 2021

January 25, 2022August 11, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads62 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: New to Me Authors I Discovered in 2021

If you’ve seen my yearly wrap up or read any of my ‘favourites’ posts for my 2021 reads, none of these authors (or books) will be a surprise. I didn’t really keep proper track of it but I’m pretty sure that the majority of the books I read last year were by new-to-me authors and I enjoyed a lot of them! Since the majority of my reads were romance I’ve grouped the authors into genres: first, everything else (including fantasy, mystery, contemporary) followed by romance. Also, this is a list of 15 authors because it was too hard to narrow it down more and this is actually already quite narrowed down! 😂

Blog Tour Spotlight: Frozen Hearts and Death Magic by Day Leitao

January 24, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

Today is my stop on the TBR & Beyond Tours for Frozen Hearts and Death Magic by Day Leitao.
Special thanks to Sparkly Wave and the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the amazing bloggers on tour!

Goodreads: Frozen Hearts and Death Magic (Of Fire & Fae #1)
Publisher: Sparkly Wave
Publication Date: 22 January 2022
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance

It all started with a kiss. A forbidden fae kiss.

Naia was raised in the shadow of her twin brother, the crown prince, who has iron magic much more powerful than hers. But Naia has wishes of her own.

They awaken when she finds a white fae almost dying in the woods. She only heard of them in stories; the dreaded race that razed cities to the ground, killed her grandparents, almost rid Aluria of humans—until they disappeared. Now, twenty years later, are they back? Is there another war coming? But the fae is evasive and secretive. He’s also alluring and fascinating, more beautiful than anyone she’s ever seen. And then it happens: she kisses him—and nothing will be the same again.

In another kingdom, Leah, a necromancer princess, has to find a husband in less than four days, during the Gathering, when royals from all over Aluria meet. Her family makes it very clear that she can pick any prince she wants—except one: Naia’s brother. And it turns out that he’s the one; the one who makes her heart beat faster.Meanwhile, war looms over the land. One of the kingdoms is amassing immense power. The White Fae might be returning. Amidst it all, Naia and her brother struggle with newfound magical powers, family secrets, and most of all, their own treacherous hearts.

GET YOUR COPY:

AMAZON

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp

January 23, 2022August 13, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads21 Comments

I’ll be spending the rest of my Sunday in bed with Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. I’m buddy reading this with Leslie but I’ve fallen a bit behind since we started yesterday because I picked up another book that sucked me in so quickly that I ended up bingeing all five books overnight? Oops! Acevedo’s book is in verse though so I have a feeling I’ll speed right through it!

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.

What are you currently reading?

ARC Review: School of Love 1. Secrets of the Heart by BeKa, Maya

January 22, 2022January 17, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads4 Comments

Special thanks to Europe Comics for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: School of Love 1. Secrets of the Heart
Publisher: Europe Comics
Published: 17 November 2021
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle-Grade Contemporary

Panda Rating:

_{(4 pandas)}

Linon and Garance are best friends with very different ideas about love. To get to the bottom of what all this romance stuff is really about, they decide to conduct an investigation into some of the older students at their middle school. Why are certain kids more popular than others? Why do some already have a “bad reputation” by the 8th grade? Why is everyone so obsessed with appearances? Along the way, the pair discover that, for best friends who are supposed to share everything, they’ve both been keeping some pretty big secrets of their own.

TL;DR: A cute coming-of-age graphic novel about two friends who just want to know a bit more about love. The friendship between Linon and Garance was so sweet and I loved their little investigative adventures to understand their classmates’ experiences with love and to understand what exactly love means to others. With a fun and contemporary art style and a sweet storyline, I would recommend this to readers of all ages but I know middle-grade me would’ve absolutely loved this!