Tag: Book Tag

The Netgalley Book Tag!

Dini @ dinipandareads27 Comments

A few *months* ago Alys @ Alys in Bookland tagged me to do The Netgalley Book Tag! Of course in my typically late fashion, I am only now getting around to it. Thanks so much for the tag, Alys! You all should check out her lovely blog — her aesthetic is just ridiculously cute and amazing and her reviews and posts are awesome!

RULES:

  • Link back to the tag’s creator.
  • Thank and link back to the person who tagged you.
  • Answer the questions the best you can. If you don’t use NetGalley, you can substitute other sites or places where you get books!
  • Tag a few people to do this too.

Auto-Approved: Who’s one author whose books you automatically want to read, regardless of what they’re about?

I’d have to say Taylor Jenkins Reid for this one. I haven’t read all of her books yet but all of the ones I’ve read have been 4-5 stars and I can’t imagine myself disliking any of her books. I could end up being completely wrong, but I’m on a mission to build my collection of her books! Not that I’ve ever seen her books on NetGalley nor (I’m sure) would I ever be approved even if I wished for it 🤣

Request: What makes you want to request a book that you see on NetGalley?

The first thing that always catches my eye is the cover — I know, I know, don’t judge a book blah blah. Yeah, but it’s true, I do this. Then I read the synopsis and if I’m on the fence about it I check it out on Goodreads and sometimes I’ll skim reviews. Do other people do that? For the most part I decide based on the synopsis!

Feedback Ratio: Do you review every book you read? If not, how do you decide what books to review?

If it’s an ARC, of course! Ever since I started my blog I’ve also tried to write a review for all the books I read and for the most part I’ve done a pretty good job of it, minus a few here and there. I’m working on it!

Badges: If you could create your own badge to display on your blog, what would it be for?

I’m sure this is already out there somewhere but I haven’t seen it yet (although I honestly haven’t looked for it yet either) but I’d like to make a badge as an international book blogger for the obvious reason. Or…. SOMETHING WITH A PANDA ON IT because… pandas? 🐼🐼🐼

Wish for it: What’s one book that you are absolutely dying to read?

One of the upcoming releases that I’m absolutely dying to get my hands on is The Toll by Neal Shusterman. The release date is coming up right quick and I CAN’T WAIT to get my hands on this book. Like, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY please and thank you.

2019 NetGalley Challenge: What was the last book that you received as an ARC that you reviewed? If you’ve never received an ARC, what’s the last book you reviewed?

The last e-ARC that I received and reviewed was My Life as Marlee by Victoria Anders. Unfortunately for me, this one just didn’t work well for me. You can read my review here!

I’M TAGGING ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO THIS!

(I’m sorry, I’m just too lazy… If you do this tag, please link back to me so I can see your post too!)

Summer Bucket List Book Tag!

Dini @ dinipandareads16 Comments

The very lovely Jen @ Nen & Jen tagged me ages ago for the Summer Bucket List book tag (ages back)! I know for the majority of you summer is already over, some may even be highly anticipating the coming summer (in the southern hemisphere), and since I’m in the tropics, I live in perpetual summer. Trust me, it’s not as great as it sounds when it’s 1000% hot every damn day 🥵 But I digress… Thanks for the tag, Jen! Be sure to check out her answers over on their blog because she is awesome! I only hope my choices will be half as fun as hers! Without further ado… Let’s get back to summer 😊

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
This book is set on an island and the beaches, cliffs and ocean play a big role in the character’s upbringing. Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style (fragmented sentences), I was able to look past that and ended up really enjoying the story. It took me by surprise and I ended up bawling lol

Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas
Caleana is such a fierce and bad ass character and although she had two fiery romances in this series, the one I’m thinking about is definitely between her and Rowan. The build up and the explosion of feelings between them was 🔥!

Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse
This is one of those underrated SFF books in my opinion. The characters do go on somewhat of a journey to solve a mystery that’s plaguing this incredible Native American folklore inspired dystopian world. Maggie, while hard to like at first, really grew on me. She’s such a bad ass! And I loved Kai 💚

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Ugh, this story y’all! I still don’t have the words for how much I loved Evelyn Hugo’s story. I was swept away by the story of this ruthless and brilliant woman in Hollywood from the 50s – 80s; and of course, the story of her seven husbands and how she fought her way to the top. I fell in love with her!

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
You’ve heard me say it once and I’ll say it again: this book was nothing like I expected in the best way possible. I picked this up on a whim after finishing SJTR and I was so glad I started it on a weekend because the next thing I knew, it was Sunday and my face was blotchy after the unexpected tears I shed reading this incredible story. So damn good, peoples. So damn good!

The Simple Wild (Wild #1) by K A Tucker
Sign me up for a sky cowboy because I’m pretty sure I fell just as much in love with Jonah’s character as Calla did herself. This covered some of my favorite tropes in romance: enemies to sort-of friends to lovers and it did not disappoint! And all of it was set against the Alaskan wild, a place that I’ve developed a very weird fascination with over the years. Theirs was a sweet romance between city girl and ‘country’ boy and I was here for it!

Nevernight (Nevernight Chronicle #1) by Jay Kristoff
What’s more refreshing than a story set against a Hogwarts for assassins? 😂 Okay no, but honestly, I know this is probably a weird pick for this category, but this book is usually filled with things that I don’t enjoy (an incredible amount of blood, guts and gore) but wow, did it blow me away! It’s safe to say that this series has become one of my new favorites and I was completely wowed by it.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
It’s not just one character in priory that overcomes obstacles, it’s basically all of them. I don’t think I’ve read a book where shit so consistently hits the fan for such a long duration 😂I mean, if you think of something that could possibly go wrong, chances are it will for these characters. I really felt for them but in the end, they grew in very satisfying ways to conquer (all) the obstacles in their way.

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
This book made me SO HUNGRY. Although their main mission was to get Josie talking to his long-time crush, Deja’s personal mission was to eat her way through the Disney of pumpkin patches and it’s safe to say I was constantly drooling while they ate all the delicious festive fall foods. DELICIOUS!

Sorry I’m Late I Didn’t Want to Come… by Jessica Pan
Jessica Pan is a (sh)introvert (a shy introvert) who is in the throes of something that looks like a quarter-life crisis, when she decides to take the leap into saying “YES” to all the things she’d normally be terrified to do. I identified so much with Pan and seeing her face these challenges before her despite being utterly terrified was so inspiring! I read this book at a time when I faced a big career challenge and I had just finished a chapter where she basically head the same experience as me but on a much larger scale, and I charged ahead with her in mind. This was a hilarious and inspiring book that is definitely going on my forever shelf!

And there you have it, folks! I’m feeling completely lazy right now (it’s been a long night with sangria!) so I’m going to TAG EVERYONE! If this sounds like something you want to do, don’t forget to link back to me so I can check out your answers!

First Lines Friday – 27 September

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

Yayaya, HAPPY FRIYAY, book lovers and friends 😍We’re back with another First Lines Friday! This is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are THE RULES:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

It turns out the Leteo procedure isn’t bullshit.

The first time I saw a poster on the subway promoting the institute that could make you forget things, I thought it was a marketing campaign for some new science fiction movie. And when I saw the headline “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow!” on the cover of a newspaper, I mistook it as something boring, like the cure for some new flu—I didn’t think they were talking about memories.

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

Okay, okay, calm yourself Loki, mate...

*drumroll please!*

The book is: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

In the months after his father’s suicide, it’s been tough for sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto to find happiness but with the support of his girlfriend Genevieve, he’s slowly remembering what that might feel like. When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron starts hanging out with a new guy, Thomas. Aaron’s friends notices, and they’re not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can’t deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself.

Since Aaron can’t stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute’s revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is… 

Have you read More Happy Than Not or is it on your TBR?
Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂

I Dare You Tag

Dini @ dinipandareads13 Comments

It’s another tag, book friends! I have so many that I need to do and if you’ve tagged me in something and I haven’t done it yet, please don’t think it’s because I don’t want to! I tend to overthink my answers and combined with my awful memory, it ends up taking me forever to finish any tag. 🙈I saw this tag on the amazing Emer’s blog: @ A Little Haze Reads and I decided to give it a go because it looked like some good ‘get-to-know-you’ fun! I’m not sure where this tag originated, but if you do know, please let me know!

What book has been on your shelf the longest?

If we’re talking about my current bookshelves, I think it’s my Canterbury Word Cloud Classic Edition of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. This edition is gorgeous and I love having it on my shelf but it is one helluva tome. It’s even more intimidating because it’s not only HUGE but the text is TINY 😅

What is your current read, your last read, and the book you’ll read next?

My current read, which I’m finally almost finished with, is The Priory of the Orange Tree! You can check out my last post, #WWWWednesday, to see the books I read last and what I hope to read next!

What book did everyone like, but you hated?

I actually don’t “hate” a lot of books, either in general or that other people loved. One book that is well loved, is known to have brought Latin American literature to the world and that won the 1982 Nobel Prize for Literature is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I was so excited to read this book but I think this is where my hate/sometimes love relationship with magical realism began. I just could not grasp it and it drove me to tears in boredom 🙈It just wasn’t my jam!

What book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t?

Oof, this is hard to choose because who’s to say that I probably will never read it? But I probably will never read it 😂 If I had to pick it’d probably be something by Fyodor Dostoyevsky? I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to read his books lol

What book are you saving for retirement?

What a question! I wonder if this is something that people have actually thought about. Does anyone have a book they’re saving for retirement?! If I had to choose it’d probably be a ton of classics! That’s not a cop out to providing a real answer, alright? 😂

Last page: read it first, or wait ’til the end?

OMG MONSTERS! I had a colleague admit to me the other day that she always reads the last chapter/page first because she said if she doesn’t like the book or never finishes it, it’s OK because she knows what happened. I MEAN… I can’t 🙈 Haha reading it first just takes the whole fun out of the reading experience. Wait ’til the end!

Acknowledgement: waste of paper and ink, or interesting aside?

I admit that I don’t always read the acknowledgements, but when a book has really gripped me and has me enthralled, I will always read it to know who supported the author through the writing process. It’s lovely to see who the author thanks (and how too)!

Which book character would you switch places with?

Off the top of my head right now, I’d love to switch places with Lucy from The Hating Game. She’s at such an amazing point of her career, plus she’s doing something amazing and I’m envious of. PLUS, she has Josh. Can has the Josh in my life, please? 😂

Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life? (place, time, person?)

I have quite a few books that make me nostalgic for people and places. Harry Potter reminds me of when we were visiting America and Harry Potter came out for the first time. I remember looking through a store (I can’t remember which exactly) and the clerk recommending that mum get me Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone! It also reminds me of all the subsequent releases and how I’d be sure to get to the store as soon as mum would let me to buy the next book 😍 Funnily enough, although I wasn’t reading Jane Austen during the trip, her books (particularly Persuasion!) reminds me of when I visited Bath several years ago. I love that place 💞

Name a book that you acquired in an interesting way

Um… A few months ago I placed an order on Book Depository for a few books that were on sale. When my package arrived, I was super excited to open it and the first book that I pulled out of the box was…

It was the wrong order delivery, and even though they sent me the correct book, they still let me keep this gem. LOL It gave me a really good laugh! Haha

Have you ever given a book away for a special reason to a special person?

I’m gonna have to disappoint you with a boring answer here because I’ve never given a book away that I’ve loved to someone special. I would though, probably. On what would depend on the person lol

Which book has been with you most places?

I’d say anything that’s on my Kindle but for physical books it has to be the complete work of Jane Austen. It’s a chunk of a book but it’s precious to me! I took the cover off for this photo but it’s gorgeous, pink and flowery! It’s come with me from Australia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines and now Indonesia 🙂

Any “required reading” you hated in secondary school that wasn’t so bad two years later?

OK, I can’t actually answer the second part of this question because I don’t recall reading anything in high school that I loved reading again two years later. The book I hated reading was The Lord of the Flies–no offense to anyone that loved that book but it was just not my jam. I do wonder whether I’d enjoy it if I read it again now… Maybe one day 🙃

Used or brand new?

I love both equally. I love used books for the old book smell and sometimes I find things (receipts or bookmarks or notes) in them that make me wonder about who had the book last, what they thought of it (maybe they hated it coz it they gave it away), and where they were from. But also, nothing beats the pristine look, feel and smell of a brand new book!

Have you ever read a Dan Brown book?

Oh yeah! I was obsessed with his books for a while back in 2010. I read all of his books and I loved Digital Fortress and Deception Point just as much as The Da Vinci Code! I haven’t read any of his more recent publications, but I do have one sitting on my shelf 😬

Have you ever seen a movie you liked more than the book?

I can’t think of a movie but the first TV show that comes to mind is The Magicians! I love that show but I found the book so boring; which really surprised me because of how exciting the show was (imo)!

Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks included?

Oh yes! I love a book where the characters eat all these delicious foods. I think books that can make me hungry just from reading it get automatic star points from me. The first ones that come to mind are The Ingredients of Us, Pumpkinheads, The Cruel Prince, The Astonishing Color of After and even The Priory of the Orange Tree! 🤤And obviously, cookbooks. How can you read one and not get hungry?!

Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?

There’s not just one person but so many book friends I’ve met through bookstagram and blogging! Sorry if this is a totally boring answer, but it’s true! Lol one reviewer who comes to mind and whose book opinions/ratings I most often gel with is Larry! He’s such a sweet person and his reviews are fantastic!

Is there a book out of your comfort zone (e.g., outside your usual reading genre) that you ended up loving?

I wouldn’t necessarily say non-fiction is ‘out of my comfort zone’ but I do tend to struggle with them more often than not. So I was completely blown away with how quickly I read Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, and I was shook by how much it shook my feels. I absolutely loved it and will always recommend it, especially if you love true crime!

I TAG WHOEVER IS READING THIS! YES, YOU!
(Soz, I’m a lazy panda tonight)

First Lines Friday – 20 September

Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

Yayaya, HAPPY FRIYAY, book lovers and friends 😍We’re back with another First Lines Friday! This is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are THE RULES:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

“The Nazi officers are dressed in black. They look at death with the indifference of a gravedigger. In Auschwitz, human life has so little value that no one is shot anymore; a bullet is more valuable than a human being.”

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

Okay, okay, calm yourself Loki, mate...

*drumroll please!*

The book is: The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this is the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust.
Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezín ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious volumes the prisoners have managed to sneak past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the librarian of Auschwitz.
Out of one of the darkest chapters of human history comes this extraordinary story of courage and hope.

Have you read The Librarian of Auschwitz or is it on your TBR?
Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂

First Lines Friday – 13 September

Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

Yayaya, HAPPY FRIYAY, book lovers and friends 😍 I’m including a new meme to my Friday post line-up today with First Lines Friday! This is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are THE RULES:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

There’s something haunting about a body touched by magic. Most people first noticed the smell: not the rot of decay, but a cloying sweetness in their noses, a sharp taste on their tongues.

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

Okay, okay, calm yourself Loki, mate...

*drumroll please!*

The book is: Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin!

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.
Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.
The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.
And love makes fools of us all.

Have you read Serpent & Dove or is it on your TBR? I’m sooo excited to read this book. WBU? Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂

‘Lover’ Book Tag!

Dini @ dinipandareads21 Comments

After Taylor Swift launched her latest album Lover, Sara @ The Bibliophagist decided to create her very first tag for the songs on the album. I don’t know much about TS outside of her music and what I learn about her through the songs, but I’ve really enjoyed her last three albums. Since this one released I’ve been listening to it on repeat and you can bet that as I answer this tag, I’m listening to it yet again. Thanks for the tag, Sara! 💞

The Rules

  • Link back to the creator, Sara @ The Bibliophagist!
  • Answer the questions!
  • Tag whoever you want and link back to the person who tagged you!

I FORGOT THAT YOU EXISTED: A book from your childhood that you don’t remember anything about

♪ it isn’t love, it isn’t hate, it’s just indifference ♪

There are tons of books that I remember reading and loving as a kid but don’t remember anything about now. The covers will look familiar but that’s about it! Julie of the Wolves is one.

CRUEL SUMMER: The worst book you’ve read this summer

♪ it’s blue, the feeling I’ve got and it’s… it’s a cruel summer ♪

It sounded cute and mysterious. It was giving me all the summer vibes, but I just couldn’t with this.
I Spy the Boy Next Door was not only disappointing but creepy AF. Just read my ranting review.

LOVER: A bookish relationship that’s perfect exactly the way it is

♪ can we always be this close forever and ever ♪

JOSH AND HAZEL. They’re still one of my favourite couples and I love their hilarious & awkward banter. I’m sure there are also some other great couples out there, but I always think of them first!

THE MAN: A book with a badass female main character

♪ if I was a man, then I’d be the man ♪

I honestly don’t think I can think of a more badass female MC than Mia Corvere in Nevernight. She’s flawed, to be sure, but she’s also a super skilled, sleuth, and badass assassin with a not-cat and not-wolf as shadowy fear-eating companions. I mean…

THE ARCHER: A book with great character development

♪ I see right through me ♪

Isabelle and Vianne went through so much in The Nightingale, it was inevitable they would go through major character development. They learn so much about themselves, what they’re willing to give and how far they’re willing to go for those they love. I thought it was so well done!

I THINK HE KNOWS: Your fictional crush

♪ he got my heartbeat skipping down 16th Avenue ♪

Is it really fair to have me choose only ONE fictional crush? I mean… There are so many? I really live vicariously through my books 😂I’m going to choose the sky cowboy, Jonah, from The Simple Wild.

MISS AMERICANA & THE HEARTBREAK PRINCE: A book set in high school

♪ waving homecoming queens, marching band playing, I’m lost in the lights ♪

I’ve come to realise that I really don’t read a lot of books set in high school. But in Autoboyography, Tanner and Sebastian meet in Seminar (a high school class), and it obviously sets the ball rolling for their complicated, heartbreaking and hopeful relationship. So, that definitely counts, right?

PAPER RINGS: A book with a happy ending

♪ I like shiny things, but I’d marry you with paper rings ♪

So many books to fill this prompt but Leon and Tiffy absolutely deserved that sweet and heartwarming happy ending in The Flatshare. They deserve everything!

CORNELIA STREET: A setting you’ll never forget

♪ “I rent a place on Cornelia Street,” I say casually in the car ♪

There are just way too many settings to choose from but I think I’m going to go with one from our real life: Alaska. The brutal, breathtaking and unforgiving landscape of Alaska was so incredibly brought to life in The Great Alone. It’s actually one of my favourite book settings.

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS: A book that broke your heart

♪ I can’t pretend that it’s okay when it’s not ♪

Daisy Jones seriously broke my heart. There was so much heartache, longing and hurt. Even in the format the story is told, which you’d think would make it feel impersonal, I felt everything. I was so damn torn up about the characters–I hated and loved them and it was a rollercoaster!

LONDON BOY: A setting that plays a big role in the story

♪ show me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride ♪

The space and space ship setting in The Loneliest Girl in the Universe played a huge role in the story. The book wouldn’t have been half as psychologically creepy/eerie if the setting had been different!

SOON YOU’LL GET BETTER: A book that made you cry

♪ what am I supposed to do if there’s no you? ♪

I’m a weepy reader. It doesn’t take much for me to cry! Even though I really didn’t expect it, The Grace Year had me proper crying at the end. It wasn’t all sad tears though!

FALSE GOD: A book with a well-written sexy scene

♪ I know heaven’s a thing, I go there when you touch me, honey ♪

After the intense build up of chemistry between Jack and Rose (yes, I know), the sexy scene that *finally* happened in Marriage for One was ALL FIRE (seriously, wooh 🔥)!

YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN: A book featuring an LGBT romance

♪ shade never made anybody less gay ♪

Adam Silvera has become a favorite when it comes to LGBT romance. If you can’t tell from the title, They Both Die At the End kinda shreds your feels (just a little bit)! It’s not a happily ever after ending but I loved the romance. But I especially loved Mateo’s character, as he was honestly just too pure!

AFTERGLOW: A great second chance romance

♪ why’d I have to break what I love so much? ♪

I honestly can’t remember the last time I read a second-chance romance until That Forever Girl at the end of August. Their chemistry was waiting patiently bubbling under the surface!

ME!: Your All-time favourite book

♪ I promise that you’ll never find another like me ♪

Ugh, it’s so hard to answer this question. I really don’t have one? But if I’m really being forced to choose, I’ll say Pride and Prejudice because duh.

IT’S NICE TO HAVE A FRIEND: Your favourite friends-to-lovers book

♪ something gave you the nerve to touch my hand ♪

Love and Other Words is a great friends-to-lovers story but it’s also a great second-chance romance. This was my first CLo book and ugh, my feels! I was really not expecting it.

DAYLIGHT: A book with a positive message

♪ you gotta step into the daylight and let it go ♪

Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too it a short and sweet graphic novel with a positive message that will almost certainly put a smile on your face.

I’m tagging: Rissi | Leelynn | Nen & Jen | Veronika | Alys | YOU!
No pressure to do this tag if you don’t want to, but if you do, I’d love to see your answers!

First Lines Friday – 06 September

Dini @ dinipandareads2 Comments

Yayaya, HAPPY FRIYAY, book lovers and friends 😍 I’m including a new meme to my Friday post line-up today with First Lines Friday! This is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are THE RULES:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

The stranger came out of the sea like a water ghost, barefoot and wearing the scars of his journey. He walked as if drunk through the haze of mist that clung like spidersilk to Seiiki.
The stories of old said water ghosts were doomed to live in silence.”

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

Okay, okay, calm yourself Loki man... *drumroll please!*

The book is: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samatha Shannon!

A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

Have you read The Priory of the Orange Tree? What’d you think of it?
Let me know in the comments below and let’s chat 🙂

The Blogger Recognition Award!

Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

The amazing Emer @ A Little Haze Book Blog nominated me for the The Blogger Recognition Award last month and I was a little speechless. Thank you does not begin to cover my appreciation for being nominated, but THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! When I started this journey, I honestly didn’t expect to meet and interact with so many amazing book bloggers who have been so accepting and inspiring! Emer is one such inspiring blogger/bibliophile, so if you aren’t following her yet, I’d say GET ON IT!

Aaaand with that gushing out of the way, let’s get to the goods, eh?

The Rules

  1. Thank the blogger/s who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  2. Write a post to show your award.
  3. Give a brief story of how your blog started.
  4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
  5. Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
  6. Comment (or pingback) on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

How dinipandareads came to be

Ah, the origin story! I’d been toying with starting a book blog a few months before I actually built up the courage to do it. I used to have a personal blog for years before I stopped blogging due to lack of motivation, so I was hesitant to start a book blog in case the same thing would happen again!

I started writing reviews on Goodreads mid-2018, so in the grand scheme of things, I’m still pretty much a noob, aye?! Then when I took the plunge and started a bookstagram November last year, I discovered the magic of ARCs. I won’t lie and say that had nothing to do with my motivation!

little did I know that as an international blogger living somewhere as obscure as Indonesia, where publishing rights are extremely limited if not completely non existent, it hardly makes a difference since there aren’t many I can request anyway… 👀

But I mostly started blogging because I enjoyed sharing my thoughts on books and wanted to connect with others who were on the same wavelength. I’m fairly introverted so I don’t have much of a social life and it’s hard for me to connect with people and even more rare that I meet book lovers IRL!

Obviously dinipandareads is still a major work in progress. There are tons of things I want to do to improve it and to make my posts more interesting and less monotonous, but I find there’s always so little time at the end of every day (especially with a full-time job)?! Slowly though, slowly 🙂

Advice for new bloggers

I don’t really know if I am qualified enough to give advice because it’s only been a few months and I’m very much a noob myself. But… I’d say: pace yourself and try not to get overwhelmed. Starting a new blog can be exciting but also overwhelming. When I started I felt there was so much to ‘catch up’ on–memes, tags, challenges, reviews, recommendations! It’s a lot. Starting with reviews is great, but slowly adding weekly memes so that your blog has a steady stream of content, even if it’s not every day, can help you settle into a routine. Try not to do too much at once though or you could easily burn out the blog mojo!

Blog hop. Half the fun of being part of this community is meeting others who like the same books as you and discovering new books to add to your never-ending TBRs! I’m a big believer of reciprocating the blog love–whether it’s just likes/comments. I’m pretty wordy (if you can’t tell) so I’m always peppering people with my signature long-ass comments 😂 But if you want people to make time for you, you should make time for them, no?

Be respectful and be yourself. Putting your thoughts and opinions out on the internet is scary! But everyone has different opinions and it’ll be impossible to think everyone will always like the same thing. As long as you’re respectful and not outright bashing others, don’t be afraid of sharing your thoughts. Rest assured though, you’re not the only one who’s nervous about sharing a negative or unpopular opinion! LOL

I nominate:
If There’s a Haunted House in it I’ll Read it
Sometimes Leelynn Reads
The Geekish Brunette
Nen & Jen
The Writerly Way
Something of the Book
Nut Free Nerd
Devouring Books
Wordy and Whimsical
The Bibliophagist
Finding Wonderland
Cosmic Lattes and Books
The Reading Chemist
Global Books
Perfectly Tolerable

First Lines Friday – 30 August

Dini @ dinipandareads2 Comments

Yayaya, HAPPY FRIYAY, book lovers and friends 😍 I’m including a new meme to my Friday post line-up today with First Lines Friday! This is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are THE RULES:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

People often shit themselves when they die.
Their muscles slack and their souls flutter free and everything else just … slips out. For all their audience’s love of death, the playwrights seldom mention it.

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

Okay, okay, calm yourself Loki man... *drumroll please!*

The book is: Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle, Book 1) by Jay Kristoff

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

Have you read Nevernight? I’m trying to read Nevernight & Godsgrave before Darkdawn releases so very soon! Reckon I can do it?