It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favourites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: favorite books from my childhood! I feel like this is a topic that I’ve already done once or twice, most recently with my TopTenTuesday: Childhood Favorites post, so I don’t want to repeat myself (I’m also feeling particularly lazy tonight as it’s already late and I’m tired AF–soz folks). But here are some other favorites that have just come to mind!
I have to admit that until today I STILL try to watch The Snowman as much and as often as possible! It still makes me feel all the feels and immediately transports me back to my childhood. Such a beautiful story and haunting music!
What are some of your childhood favorites? Please come tell me in the comments below and let’s chat!
This week’s answer is gonna be hella short because my Friday at work has been a helluva Friday and I’m not gonna be making it home until much later tonight due to some family stuff (all is fine, just have people visiting). I’ve been so exhausted over the last few days and I think I finally had it today when I basically started crying (literally) over I thought I had lost a design file I’d been working on all day when my application crashed? It was a little embarrassing 😅So I’m sorry in advance for the mediocre-ness of my post today!
It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favourites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: favorite characters that other people hate! Wow, I’m blanking really hard on this one. I cannot for the life of me recall one character that I love and other people hate because most of the time I’m in agreement with the people who hate these same characters? And I’m over here hating on the characters that other people love so… 🤷🏻♀️I’m going to really try to pick my brain here but I’ll probably only end up with one or two characters. Bear with me! LOL
The first two characters that come to mind after some digging in my brain are Marianne and Connell from Normal People by Sally Rooney. This book isn’t for everyone and I totally get why. Marianne and Connell are so bad at communicating that it sometimes made me want to throw my book at the wall out of frustration with how much they seriously sucked at it. That said, oh man, I totally loved both of their characters and felt so much for them in this story. What they thought, felt and experienced was so relatable to me and made me love their characters all the more. They’re completely imperfect and sometimes there are just no happy endings, but that’s life.
Another character that comes to mind is Penny Lee from Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi. I’ve heard many people say how they found her character annoying and immature, and it lost the book points because they couldn’t get into it because of her. Honestly? I agreed at the start but Penny very quickly grew on me because there was so much more behind her attitude and her actions that really made me feel for her. She’s a complex character, especially because of her upbringing and particularly her mother, and she suffers from a lot of insecurities and anxiety which I can absolutely relate to. I loved Penny by the end of the book!
What character do you love that others hate? Please come tell me in the comments below and let’s chat!
It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favourites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: favorite words! Okay, this is such an interesting prompt! Is it odd that this isn’t really something that I’ve really given that much thought about this? Maybe these aren’t my favourite words of all time but definitely some fo them! I had such fun with this prompt, and making some graphics for each word (although I realize that the text is probs a little small now. Oops)!
I mean, do we really need a definition for FLOOF!?
What are some of your favourite words? Do you love any of these?! Please come tell me in the comments below and let’s chat!
It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favourites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: autumn reads! If you’ve been following my blog or any of my socials for a while now, you’ll know that I’m an epic mood reader. I don’t really set TBRs, they’re more like possibility piles that I never really get to in the end? But I also don’t generally read based on seasons. While this is mostly because of my mood, I also live on a tropical island where there’s only one season: STEAMING SAUNA HOT. But when I think of autumn, I tend to think of thrilling/spooky reads a la Halloween, pumpkin spice and all things nice, and also, witches? Here’s a list of 5 books I haven’t read yet, but that I think would make the perfect autumn read. Kidding, I’ve already read one of them!
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks (Illustrator) This is the first book that comes to mind because in my eyes it is the epitome of fall. Just look at that cover! But it’s set in the Disneyland of pumpkin patches, it’s filled with delicious fall foods/drinks, and the story warms your heart and makes you want to wrap yourself up in flannel!
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman I haven’t read this one yet, and neither have I read Practical Magic, but this definitely fits with my thoughts on Halloween vibes with a little bit of witchy magic! I hope it doesn’t freak me out lol
These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling I’ve heard a lot of good things about this read. I’ve actually just now noticed that it’s a series (oops) but I think witches + fall do make for a perfect combination!
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness When I think of autumn and the cooling weather, I also can’t help but get some melancholy twinges, and I think that fits well with how this book is likely to make me feel. I’m gonna be a wreck!
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman Sometimes you just need a book that you can cozy up with under your doona and that’ll make you feel all warm inside after you finish reading it. I think Nina Hill is going to be one of those books!
Are you a seasonal reader? What are some of your favourite autumn reads?Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!
It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favourites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: unfinished series (either you haven’t read all the books or the series is still incomplete)! So after talking about books I’ve been avoiding for this week’s TTT, we’re now going into unfinished series territory, eh? I feel slightly attacked at having to confront the series I’ve left hanging! 😅 For many of the same reasons I’ve been avoiding books on my shelves, I’ve left these books unfinished not because I don’t want to read them but because I’m scared I won’t be satisfied with the ending or because I don’t want this series to end or because… Well, too many books to read, too little time, right? 😬I do feel guilty about leaving these series unfinished, especially since I keep starting new ones, but I’m determined to catch up with as many of them as possible for #SequelSeptember!
Villains: Vengeful by V.E. Schwab I loved Vicious and was so excited to get my hands on Vengeful (so excited in fact that I now have two copies of the book!) but still it sits untouched. I’ve heard that it’s not as amazing as the first, although still good. I haven’t been disappointed by Schwab yet, so I really hope I enjoy it!
The Nevernight Chronicle: Godsgrave and Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff To be fair, I only started this series two weeks ago. I’m listening to Godsgrave right now and I’m speeding through it like a demon assassin! I’m hoping to read Darkdawn before September ends. Kristoff’s writing style has grown on me and I’m absolutely loving this gorey and humorous series.
Folk of the Air: The Wicked King and Queen of Nothing by Holly Black The release date for QoN is quickly creeping up (seriously, where does the time fly?!) and I’m kind of tempted to read TWK closer to its release date. I re-read The Cruel Prince just two weeks ago, so it’s still fresh in my mind, but… If TWK ends in a cliffhanger, doesn’t it make sense to wait until I’ve got the QoN in hand so I don’t have to torture myself with waiting? 🙂
Caraval: Finale by Stephanie Garber I feel like you either really love or hate Caraval and I fell in love with it. There are tons of negative reviews, but I really enjoyed getting lost in the games and the characters; and actually I liked it much better than the famed Night Circus (don’t come for me)! But I’ve heard so many mixed reviews, even from people who’ve loved the series, about Finale that I’m TORN! I don’t want to hate it because it’s the last book but also, what if I end up loving it? Do I pick it up already?! Torn, I tell you!
Throne of Glass: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas I started ToG long before I joined the book community so I really had no idea how popular Maas and her novels were. I LOVED it and it quickly became one of my favorites. When I finished Tower of Dawn I immediately pre-ordered KoA and I even counted down the days until it arrived! But then it came, I put off reading it, and the longer I put it off, the less I remembered about the series. Oops? Now I feel like I need to re-read the whole series before touching this one? Am I crazy? Maybe 🙃
Strange the Dreamer: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor I love Strange the Dreamer. Taylor’s prose is a mildly purple but it was beautiful and swept me away! I got lost in Lazlo’s dreams and the City of Weep. As much as I loved Strange, the ending CRUSHED me. I’m pretty sure I howled into my pillow in anger. So I’m kinda scared to read Muse. What happens next? I’m dying to now but also… Call me a coward coz I might let it sit for a while more?
Arc of a Scythe: The Toll by Neal Shusterman THE TOLL IS COMING but not nearly soon enough! I’m aching to get my hands on the third book of this series. I didn’t expect to love this dystopian series as much as I did but wow, it was intense and so, so good. I love the Thunderhead and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. Will we pick up where we left off? Will years have passed by? What is going to happen!? Eeee… I hope I don’t put off reading this once it comes out. I’ll kick myself if I do 😂
The Kingkiller Chronicle: The Wise Man’s Fear, The Slow Regard of Silent Things and Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss Doors of Stone still has no release date. I raced through The Name of the Wind and tale as old as time, I couldn’t wait to read Wise Man’s Fear but it’s been sitting, waiting for me. I started a re-read of TNotW last week, in prep to reading TWMF but I’ve put it on hold since WHO KNOWS WHEN book three will come out. Rothfuss, how long are you gonna keep your fans waiting, mate?
The Dark Artifices: Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare I hadn’t read any of the Shadowhunter books and hardly knew anything about this world that Clare built before picking up The Dark Artifices. Honestly, the cover drew me in and continues to draw me in! I surprised myself by how much I’ve really enjoyed this series. It’s full of teenage angst but I’m still hooked on the mystery. I haven’t picked it up yet because have you seen it? It’s chunky AF. Is scared.
The Oremere Chronicles: Heart of Mist, Reign of Mist and War of Mist by Helen Scheuerer I actually can’t remember when I read the Oremere Chronicles. It must have been soon after the first book came out, so probably 2017? But I remember loving it, though this was before I started writing reviews, so with my memory as bad as it is, I actually can’t remember any of it 😅 Yet I continued to buy the two other books in the series because of the covers, but also because I want to see this series through. So, I’ll start from the top again!
And that’s it friends! There are 10 unfinished series on my list today, but there’s probably more that I can’t actually remember. Hah. Do you have any unfinished series to get to? What are your favorites? Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!
Anonymous break up stories from men and women, old and young, serious and silly and the cartoons that inspired them. Author and artist Hilary Campbell turns the painful into the hilarious, validating emotions from forgotten middle school tragedies to relationships that ended only hours ago. Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and cartoonist. Her films have won top prizes at Slamdance, SF IndieFest, and more. She was the co-illustrator of Jessica Bennett’s critically acclaimed Feminist Fight Club.Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, But You Could’ve Done Better is her first book of cartoons.
As the author states repeatedly in her introduction (and also at the end) of the book, people can be pretty terrible. Some of these had me cracking up (mostly in shock) at how awkward and terrible a break up went. Some had me exclaiming out loud at how awful people could be. I’ve had my fair share of awful relationships and break ups and so many of these instances and feelings were absolutely relatable (as cringeworthy as many of them are). Reading these stories and having that peek into other peoples’ lives brings me a weird kind of satisfaction. Lol not that I take pleasure in other people’s unfortunate situations, but it’s honestly comforting to know that you’re not the only one who goes through some crazy heartbreaking things, and also crazy awful things you never want to repeat. Some people are seriously twisted though. Yikes!
I enjoyed most of the graphics that illustrated and complemented all the stories but I also thought that they weren’t anything spectacular. Some did make me chuckle. I guess I misunderstood the blurb and thought that the stories would be illustrated in comic format, but it was still enjoyable the way it was. Needless to say, this was a very fast, mostly fun read! The author ends the book with a note saying that she’s still accepting these break up stories over on her website, but as I just realized this book was published two years ago, I don’t know if she’s still taking any. If she is, I might go ahead and share some stories myself! Lol
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!Have you read Breaking Up Is Hard…But You Could’ve Done Better?What did you think?
Goodreads: The Love Solution Publish Date: 15 August 2019 Publisher: Avon Books UK Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit Panda Rating:
It’s all in the chemistry… Sisters Sarah and Molly are close, but they couldn’t be more different. Sarah runs a craft business and is obsessed with all things shiny and glam, whilst Molly is much more at home in her white coat and goggles, working in a science lab. When Molly is put onto a new assignment, she’s over the moon. It’s a high-profile, top secret project – and she has a handsome new boss to ogle at when she’s not bending over a petri dish… But when Sarah finds herself on the painful end of a disastrous break-up, no amount of Ben & Jerry’s or trashy rom-coms can cheer her up. She wants to take a more drastic approach to dealing with her heartbreak, and one that only her sister – and perhaps a sprinkle of science – can help with… Will Sarah find love where she least expects it, or is it really all in the chemistry?
I’m really torn about this one. It held promise at the start, but as the story continued I only kept noticing how there was so much missed potential for character development and deepening the plot. It’s such a shame because I think it could’ve been a great read otherwise! A lot of the time I was confused because there’s no indication of how much time has passed but considering how all of a sudden characters have become “very close”, you can only assume a fair amount of time has passed. One thing I can say is that the pace of the story never really lagged, but at the same time, there wasn’t a whole lot that happened.
I enjoyed the premise of following two sisters on their journey to finding love after losing their parents at such a young age. While the idea of one sister giving up her dreams to raise her younger sister so they won’t get separated isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, I always love to see how this new dynamic has shaped them and their relationship with each other. I liked Molly and Sarah’s characters initially but again, I felt like there was so much missed potential in developing them. We never really saw how they were affected by their parents’ death or how it shaped their characters; whenever their parents would come up randomly in conversations, they’d move on so quickly and never touch the topic again. I also felt that their chapters were a bit repetitive after a while, with Sarah going back and forth on Niall, and Molly continuously thinking about having sex with Ewan everywhere. I wished that we got more beyond that! You could see that they both cared for and loved each other, but I also felt that was more told than actually shown through the writing. Can we also talk about how frustrating it is to watch characters make insanely stupid decisions — that they also know are stupid — and that you’re going to have to watch it all play out anyway? Yep. That’s exactly what happened here. It’s like a train wreck you can see coming but can do nothing to stop it and I hate that feeling!
I was also not 100% sold on the romances, although Ewan and Molly’s budding romance was a lot more believable than Sarah and Liam’s. There was absolutely no development in the latter’s relationship and yet we’re meant to believe they’ve grown extremely fond of the other and might even be in love? I’m not sold. And I won’t even go into how much I disliked Niall’s spineless character. I didn’t see what was great about him at all that Sarah would go to such lengths to make him grovel.
Overall, while I hoped to enjoy this read, it really fell short for me. It could’ve been so much more developed in so many aspects, and I was disappointed that it never happened.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.This book is now available in stores!Have you read The Love Solution?What did you think?
It has been a helluva Friday. It’s late, I’m completely exhausted and I still need to pack for my trip up to my parent’s home town tomorrow, and we leave at the ass crack of dawn! Not at all keen for the early wake up call, but we’re going to stay at nice villa with a lovely pool, so I’m hoping to spend some time next to it! That said, sorry if I ramble even more than usual in those post, and if what I say doesn’t make sense LOL! I can barely keep my eyes open and my head is spinning, so without further ado… Here we go!
It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: side characters! Who doesn’t love a good side character?! I love what they can add to a story and especially to the main characters! It’s even better when I love so much that I wish they had their own separate stories (a novella at the very least)! Off the top of my head, these are some of my favorite side characters.
Mister Kindly from Nevernight. I mean, how can Mister Kindly not be on my list?! HE’S THE BEST NOT-CAT SHADOW ‘PET’ EVER. I kind of wish that I had my own shadow animal that followed me around everywhere, made hilariously dry quips at my actions and drank in all my fear!
Grey from A Curse So Dark and Lonely. I don’t know if I consider him a side character. I mean, he’s still very much one beside Harper and Ren’s character in ACSDAL but I know that his character will get attention he so very much deserves in the sequel, A Heart So Fierce and Broken. If there were ‘teams’, I’d very much be team Grey. He’s such a steadfast and loyal companion to Rhen, and eventually a friend to Harper. I can’t wait to learn more about him!
Katrien from Sorcery of Thorns. Although she’s a fairly minor character, appearing only at the start and towards the end of the story, she’s one of Elisabeth’s only friends and a very loyal one at that. I loved her quirks, her awesome experiments and how she 100% supported Elisabeth in figuring out the mystery even from so far away.
Agnes from The Simple Wild. Although Agnes was the one who got Calla to Alaska, she was a minor character next to Wren and Jonah. She’s such a sweet and soft spoken, hardworking and loyal friend. She was always there to provide wisdom when Calla needed it and I wish we saw more of her in this story!
Large Marge from The Great Alone. Large Marge was an amazing side character and whenever she made an appearance in Lenny’s story, I just wanted to know more about her history and what brought her to the last frontier. She was such an empowering woman who gave Lenny and her mother much needed strength, safety and comfort. Everyone deserves to have a Large Marge in their life!
Mitchell Turner from Vicious (Villains #1). I know he’s an escaped convict together with Victor, but I have such a soft spot for him. He’s massively built, covered in tattoos, an insanely smart hacker, is superstitious, and has a thing for chocolate milk? I love his quiet character, his smarts, and his loyalty. He was dealt a bad hand in life and my heart feels for him. I just want more Mitch!
Harry Cameron from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I loved Harry’s character so much. He was an amazing pillar of support for Evelyn, never steering her wrong throughout her career, and their life together was the most wonderful period of the story. The reveal in his storyline had me shook and what happened at the end absolutely shattered my feels!
Roarke Richards from The Book of Essie. Oh, Roarke. He was such a sweetheart of a character and I loved how his relationship with Essie grew to something so strong in this story. He deserved so much happiness! I just wanted to give him all the hugs and support and never let go!
Who are some of your favourite side characters? Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!
It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: favorite books read in school. Thinking up my favorite reads from my school days was a bit difficult (yay for Goodreads, amiright?) but this was such a nice walk down memory lane. It’s amazing though how hearing a book title or seeing a book cover can bring memories rushing back! For this prompt, I’ve chosen to focus on the required readings we were assigned. English/Humanities was always my favorite class and I was that student who’d eagerly anticipate the start of a school year and learning about the books we’d be reading and the discussions we’d have! Ah, good times 🙂 I’m going to keep this week sweet & simple with photos and in no particular order!
Just a note: I read many of these books over 13 years ago (I’M OLD) and while I remember enjoying these books, I don’t know if I’d feel the same if I read them now. Maybe I wouldn’t with many for them, but I’m thinking about what I thought then!
What are your favorite reads from school? Did you read any of these in school? Leave me a comment below 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!
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