We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme 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’ve spent this Sunday in bed with The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I remember seeing this book on Kindle Unlimited a few years ago, but although it sounded interesting, I never got around to reading it. Then I joined bookstagram and saw this book receive so much hype, and as often happens, I felt a little wary about picking it up. I don’t think I would have picked this up yet if not for the buddy read I’ve joined for it. Unsurprisingly, I’m really enjoying it and have sped through it; mostly because I needed to get the reading done for our discussion of the first half tonight, but because it’s pretty easy to read. I’m a big fan of historical fictions, especially about WWII, the holocaust and the Nazi’s invasion and occupation of many countries in Europe. This is the first time I’ve read their occupation in France though so it’s been an interesting read. My mind boggles at how these people were so cruel, so fixated on their idea of purity and the need to cleanse society of millions of people just because of their ethnicity and religion. Obviously, it wasn’t just Jews that were targeted though. I’m thinking this one is going to at least be a 4-4.5 star read, but I have a feeling the really heart-wrenching stuff is coming up in the second half of the book. I can feel my tears gearing themselves up for release 😂
In Indonesia, the holidays have already begun for everyone as Idul Fitri/Eid is coming up next week. Unfortunately though, my office is only closed on Wednesday & Thursday, and I’m taking Friday off, which means that it’s back to work for the next two days. Oh Monday, I really thought you were still a day away! There’s a lot of family visiting right now, and I’m gutted that they’re all relaxing and I have to think about getting up early for work. The long weekend honestly can’t come soon enough! June is going to be a very busy month but I’ve got two buddy reads planned (one of which is for The Nightingale) and I’m hoping to read a lot more ARCs, and to read more LGBTQIA+ reads for Pride month! Despite my ridiculous work schedule, I have a feeling June is going to be a really great reading month! But for now, here’s a wrap up of the posts I made this week:
Friends, May is over and the only thing going through my mind is: how is it possible?! I have no idea where the days went in May. It was ridiculously busy at work and I took that week off for my best friends and my birthday. I can’t believe my birthday has come and gone already too and I’m another year older. I feel like this year is just flying by… Despite the work struggles and feeling more restless than ever this month, May was actually a pretty good month overall. For some reason I feel like I didn’t read much but when I checked on Goodreads, I saw I read 12 books. I also read one webcomic, but since it’s only the first season of the comic, I won’t officially add it to my tally. Here’s what I read by order of date:
★★☆☆☆
★★★★½☆
★★★½☆☆
★★☆☆☆
★★★★½☆
★★★★½☆
★★★★☆
★★☆☆☆
★★★★☆
★★★★★
★★★★☆
★★★★★
The majority of these were e-books and I managed to read and review 4 ARCs. I’m honestly so behind on my NetGalley reads, and I feel so guilty about it, but I’m hoping to make up for it in June. I really need to get better organized because my head has been so all over the place lately, it’s a miracle I manage to get anything done at all! May was also AAPI month and I attempted to read more books by Asian authors; however, being a mood reader, I only managed to get three books in by AAPI authors. It did make me realize that although I do have quite a few books by Asian authors on my shelf, I tend to read the latest releases and other popular books because of FOMO. I need to make more of a conscious effort to read these other books, so I will be working on that throughout the rest of the year!
Of the books I read, I think Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren was my favorite. While I only had two five star reads this month, the majority were 4.5 stars, so it made it quite difficult to choose, but Josh and Hazel was the lighthearted romantic comedy that I didn’t know I needed. These characters really lifted my mood and made me feel giddy with happiness and hope, and I know I won’t be forgetting them anytime soon! Thank you CLo for writing stories that sucker punch me in the feels and for writing characters that make me laugh uncontrollably!
As with May, there are quite a few books I’m looking forward to adding to my shelves in June. But all I’ll be doing until I manage to cut down my highly unmanageable giant of a TBR list by a lot. I’ll be posting about the books I’m most excited for, plus a list of all the books that I’ve acquired this month in the coming days!
How was your reading month? What was your favorite read? Come drop me a comment below 🙂
Friends, we’ve come to the end of yet another month. I realize this is what happens when each day and week ends, but my head’s spinning at the fact we’re already moving into JUNE. What have I done with all these months that have passed?! Damn. So it’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
What did you read last?
In the last week I finished Final Girls by Riley Sager, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren and I Spy the Boy Next Door (ARC) by Samantha Armstrong (read my review). I absolutely ADORED Josh and Hazel–they were adorable and their story of friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite kinds. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book as fast as I did theirs. You can read my full review here. I’m so excited to read more Riley Sager because I really enjoyed Final Girls. The twists and that ending was completely different to what I expected to happen and it blew my mind (and everyone at that Starbucks on Sunday morning can attest to how shocked, as I started swearing out loud–oops)! 🤦🏻♀️ My review for this one will be coming soon.
What are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi. This is another one from my #APICelebrAsian list and I’m hoping that I can finish it soon, although it’s the kind of book that I don’t feel like rushing through right now. I’m loving the characters and their stories–I honestly just want to give Sam the biggest hug in the world, and then stick him in a room with Penny SO THEY CAN TALK. This was admittedly a cover buy because I couldn’t resist this gorgeous millennial cover, but I’m happy to say that I can enjoy the content as well. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m still pretty behind on reading my galleys, but I am determined to slowly make my way through them! I started The Women by S.E. Lynes and it’s been interesting so far, but I think because I can anticipate this one making me pretty anxious, I’m not racing to pick it up again.
What will you read next?
Besides the MANY MANY ARCs that I will be reading, I’m really looking forward to starting Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I won my first ever giveaway on Instagram at the end of April, and the book I requested was Crawdads. Y’all have no idea how happy I am that this book is finally in my hands! As I’m sure many of you know, the hype for this book has been unreal and even months after its release, it’s still getting hyped. So you know it’s bound to be a great read, right? I’ve heard some say that they really didn’t like it, but mostly because they’re not fans of historical fiction, so I think it’s safe to say that I won’t find myself relating to them because I love historical fiction!
What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books? Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂
We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme was suggested by Anne @ Head Full of Books and is about favorite books released in the last 10 years (one book for each year). I think choosing one book for each year will be so tough because I normally don’t pay attention to publication years–at least, not until this year–so I’m probably forgetting a slew of backlist books that I’ve read and loved only because I’m not sure of their publication dates 🙂 That said, I’m excited to give this one a go! Without further ado…
2009: Under the Dome by Stephen King. This was first published in November 2009, but I got the edition that was published in 2010, but I’m counting it! This was my first King novel and I remember loving it so much that I was convinced King would be one of my all-time favorites and an auto-buy author. Hodder & Stoughton had these really cool alternate cover editions with different characters and I got this guy, who I assumed was Dale Barbara.
2010: Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy #1)by Ken Follett. The Century Trilogy is probably one of my all time favorite series. A friend got really excited when she saw the third book of the series in the store one day and she immediately recommended him to me and I absolutely loved it. It’s historical fiction but told through various family lenses, there’s drama, romance, politics and mystery. I honestly loved this series much more than The Pillars of the Earth (which Follett is known for). Don’t come for me, but that one was a fair struggle to get through.
2011:The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Miller’s lyrical prose combined with the mystifying, love story between Patroclus and Achilles left me a complete wreck by the end of this book. Miller’s ability to humanize one of the most famous Greek Gods blew me away. This was honestly the Greek myth retelling that I never knew I needed in my life, but I’m so glad that I picked it up because it’s now one of my favorites.
2012:Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. This is actually a hard year to pick from because there are quite a few books that were published this year that I’ve absolutely loved! I actually didn’t realize that this was published in 2012, but I remember stumbling across it at the Norwich Public Library that same year, and thought it sounded like a cute read. I was not prepared for how emotionally drained it would leave me feeling.
2013: The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) by Graeme Simsion. This book surprised me with how much I loved it. Don is such a character and Rosie is so bad ass. They’re such opposites but they work so beautifully together. This is a funny and touching story that I think everyone should read at least once.
2014: The Girl with All The Gifts (The Girl with All The Gifts #1) by M.R. Carey. This was a tie with All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. I loved both equally but I thought TGWATG was particularly unique. I’m not at all a fan of horror, but this one reeled me in very quickly and I remember being equally grossed out, scared, and incredibly fascinated by the characters, setting and overall premise. I haven’t seen the movie yet and I’m not sure I want to… But I definitely want to reread this at some point.
2015: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab because I simply refuse to choose between these two books that are some of my all-time favorites. I can’t even begin to say how much A Little Life affected me while reading. This one gave me the biggest book hangover of my life. And ADSOM is very high on my favorite series list. Schwab has a way of pulling me in with her magical worlds and complex characters, and this solidified her as an absolute fave.
Side note: Seriously though, 2015 had some hella good books. It was so hard to choose and I know it’s not going to get any easier!
2016: The Dry by Jane Harper. I only read The Dry this year but it has hands-down been one of my favorite reads so far. Harper’s writing is deeply atmospheric and it’s almost like you can feel yourself standing in the middle of the dry heat of the outback, while you’re reading this book. It’s a slow burn mystery, but it’s undoubtedly worth it. I honestly can’t recommend this one enough! You can read my full review here.
2017: How do I choose between Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid? Tell me, how? I can’t (see, I told you I was really bad at choosing favorites). So… I won’t! The first two are non-fiction and I normally have a lot of trouble reading NF because of my very short attention span. But I had no trouble devouring these two; they are both so well-written! I only read Evelyn Hugo this year but so far it’s staying strong in my Top 5 for 2019.
2018:The Lost Manby Jane Harper. Yes, that’s right. Jane Harper has made it twice onto my list. I admit that I haven’t read many books published in the last two years, but after reading both The Dry and The Lost Man, I can’t wait to read more of her books. Her character driven stories full of murder, mystery, and family drama are so compelling and unputdownable. She makes me long for a place that I once called home (Australia) and makes me wish I never left in the first place. I highly recommend her!
Oh, wow. I knew choosing this list was going to be tough, but it was even harder than I expected! I’ve read so many amazing books since becoming part of the book community, both via bookstagram and my blog. Like many others who’ve recently joined the book gang, I’ve read so much more in the last two years than I have in at least eight years combined. To say that this book community has changed my life would be a massive understatement! If I could list all the books that have become my favorites, the books that have left its mark on me, and the authors that I’ve discovered who can transport me to new worlds, I think you’d be reading on forever. But I’m sure that many of you can relate to that, right? 😉
What are some of your favorite books published in the last 10 years? If you’ve done a Top Ten Tuesday post for today’s prompt, leave your link in the comments below 🙂
We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme 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!
This Sunday I finally finished reading Final Girls by Riley Sager! I’ve noticed for months now that Sager’s books have been quite hyped on bookstagram and so when I found this book in the store two weeks ago, I scooped it up immediately knowing it would be the perfect thrilling poolside read for my staycation. This was a perfectly fast paced thriller, although it admittedly took me longer than usual to finish this because I was also reading four other books at the same time for group reads and had deadlines… 😬 I’m so glad I took the time to finish it today. I had so many theories, especially about the main protagonist, Quincy. I was so sure she was a ‘baddy’ but I kept questioning myself throughout and Sager kept me guessing up until the very end. I didn’t expect the twists at all and I was actually appalled with the ending because it involved a character that I really liked and I was just totally shook. But in the absolute best way! I can’t wait to read something else by Sager–I think he’s potentially an autobuy author.
Have you read Final Girls? What are you currently reading?
I feel like a lot has been happening over the last week-and-a-half since my bestie came to visit me for my birthday. I can’t believe that May is now already four-days from being over and my birthday has already passed! (BOO 😭) I’ve always used my birthday as a kind of “mid-way” counter for my year, since technically we’re now half-way through the year. I missed quite a few blogging days over the last week, but I think I came back fairly strong with all the posts this week? Writing out all these reviews made me feel hella productive! 😂 Also feeling productive today because I finished sorting out my books to place in the new bright yellow Billy bookcase my parents got me for my birthday. I’m so pleased with how my shelves are looking right now! How are your May reads coming along? May has been a fairly weird and slow reading month for me as so much has been happening with life and work. I don’t think I’ve got through half of what I wanted to read, but life happens, so I’m not too mad about it! Just in case you missed it, here are the posts I’ve made this week:
TGIF, book lovers! Who here is just as glad as I am that it’s the weekend? Having come back from an (almost) week-long break from work last week, it was a hella struggle to get back into the swing of things this week. Definitely going to have to knuckle down next week, but I’m looking forward to relaxing this weekend. My parents bought me two TBR carts/trolleys and a bookshelf from IKEA for my birthday, and I’m so excited to be setting it up this weekend. I’m definitely one of those people who love putting things together! Anyway, it’s time for another Friday Favourites, hosted by Something of the Book. This weekly meme is a chance to share all your book favourites based on the weekly prompts as listed on her page. Today’s prompt is: Diverse Books.
‘Diversity’ has become such a hot word over the last few years, but I’ve really paid it more attention ever since joining the book community last year. I now have more diverse books by diverse authors on my list than ever before. Although I do read a range of diverse books, I know that the majority of my reads are still about caucasian characters, written by caucasian authors. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, I’d like to put more effort into consciously reading more diverse books, and not just adding them to my shelves where they remain untouched for years. Here’s a list of some of my favorites so far (although by no means is this all of them)!
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This is hands down one of the most powerful and important novels that I’ve read in the last year. It is so relevant to today’s social discourse and Angie Thomas does an incredible job of creating a story that hits hard. This book was worth all the hype that it got and more and is one of the books that I recommend everyone picks up, even if they’re not “into YA books” because it’s a stunning read in every way.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This book (and movie!) completely wrecked me. Set in Afghanistan, this is a story about an unlikely friendship between two young boys, one from a wealthy family and the other the son of their servant. In a way it’s a family saga about betrayal, love, and redemption that spans over years. I remember reading this and feeling a whole array of emotions: heartbreak, righteous anger, happiness and love. This was the book that made Hosseini one of my favorite auto-buy authors and I haven’t regretted it since!
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. It has been so long since I’ve read this book, but I remember it sweeping me off my feet when I read it in middle school. It’s told through the eyes of Esperanza Cordero, a young latina girl growing up in a poor neighbourhood, and we follow her coming-of-age as she tells us about her life, family, neighbours and friends. I remember so clearly that this was the book that made me want to start writing, and soon after I made my own short novel written as a set of vignettes in the way this book was written. I don’t know what happened to it, but I was so, so inspired! I will definitely have to read it again.
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. I think this was the first science fiction (YA or otherwise) I read where the lead characters were of Asian descent. Did I mention that this kickass series are retellings of famous fairytales (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White)? Starting off with cyborg Cinder, and Prince Khai of New Beijing. Meyer depicts an insane and amazing dystopian world with space, technology, and a slew of diverse characters.
The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon. This was a sweet contemporary YA romance that had the hopeless romantic in me swooning. I loved that Yoon drew inspiration from her own story as a woman hailing from Jamaica married to a Korean-American man. I loved learning about Natasha and Daniel as they spent the day in New York city, trying to buy time and find a way for Natasha and her family to not get deported. Their characters seemed like opposites but they had such great chemistry. I thought it was also really unique how Yoon pulled the story together through seemingly insignificant side characters. It’s not just a fun, fluffy read, there’s definitely more depth here!
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan. This was a beautifully written, sad but touching story about grief, love, friendship and family. When Leigh, a Chinese-American girl, loses her mother to suicide, she’s convinced her mother has turned into a bird. In an attempt to understand what happened to her mother, she travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. It’s a very emotionally heavy story as Leigh tries to process her grief. Taiwan is painted as a vibrant city teeming with all sorts of characters, and an endless array of rich and delicious foods. In between bouts of crying, I found myself constantly hungry and craving Chinese food while reading this one!
Wonder by R.J. Palacio. This middle grade fiction is a very touching and impactful story about August Pullman, Auggie, who was born with a facial deformity that has kept him from going to school, until now. We follow him as he tries to navigate in a new school and make friends, but with a face that scares other children, makes everyone do a double-take and at worse, gasp in horror when they see him, it’s not easy. Auggie is an amazing, inspiring and wonderful character, and his parents and sister are such good people. This book had me crying with frustration and happiness throughout!
The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. In both these novels, we not only get characters of Asian (Vietnamese) descent, but two of the main characters in both stories fall on the spectrum. The Kiss Quotient was one of my favorite reads last year, and it seems that The Bride Test will be following suit this year! I flat out love that the characters are Asian — you never read about Asians in romances. I love the diversity of the characters and getting to learn more about Vietnamese culture. These are fun, fast and sexy reads that I recommend to all (especially if you don’t mind when things getting a little steamy)!
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan. Undoubtedly my favorite graphic novel series of all time. The artwork is beautiful, the characters are diverse and have rich backstories, and the storyline itself is fast paced and full of endless action. I can’t recommend this graphic novel series enough. Basically, everyone just needs to read it ASAP!
Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu. This is a fairly dark graphic novel set within a dystopian 1900s matriarchal Asian society. Maika Halfwolf, an orphan of war, is magically linked to a powerful monster that makes her a target for both humans and otherworldly beings. It follows her story as she navigates this dangerous steam punk influenced world full of enemies. The artwork is insanely beautiful and the story, although slightly confusing at times, is fascinating.
What are some of your favourite diverse books? If you think I need to read any particular books, leave a comment below! I’m always looking to add more books to my TBR 😃
Goodreads: Some Choose Darkness Publisher: Kensington Books Publish date: 28 May 2019 Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense Rating: ★★★★
A modern master of suspense, critically acclaimed author Charlie Donlea returns with a taut, gripping novel about the deadly secrets hiding in plain sight . . .
The truth is easy to miss, even when it’s right in front of us. As a forensic reconstructionist, Rory Moore sheds light on cold-case homicides by piecing together crime scene details others fail to see. Cleaning out her late father’s law office a week after his burial, she receives a call that plunges her into a decades-old case come to life once more.
In the summer of 1979, five Chicago women went missing. The predator, nicknamed The Thief, left no bodies and no clues behind—until police received a package from a mysterious woman named Angela Mitchell, whose unorthodox investigation skills appear to have led to his identity. But before police could question her, Angela disappeared. Forty years later, The Thief is about to be paroled for Angela’s murder—the only crime the DA could pin on him. As a former client of her father’s, Rory becomes reluctantly involved with the killer—though he continues to insist he didn’t murder Angela. Now he wants Rory to do what her father once promised: prove that Angela is, in fact, still alive.
As Rory begins reconstructing Angela’s last days, another killer emerges from the shadows, replicating those long-ago murders. With every startling discovery she makes, Rory becomes more deeply entangled in the enigma of Angela Mitchell—and in The Thief’s tormented mind. Drawing connections between past and present is the only way to stop the nightmare, but even Rory can’t be prepared for the full, terrifying truth that is emerging
This was my first Charlie Donlea book and it had me questioning how on earth I was sleeping on his books before this. How is it that he wasn’t even on my radar?! Shook. But you can believe that I will be remedying this from now on because “Some Choose Darkness” was such a great read! It wasn’t that it was entirely unpredictable, but the suspense was kept high from the start, and the characters and storyline were engaging throughout. The story is told in alternating narratives, shifting from the past with Angela Mitchell and the present with Rory Moore, with some other character perspectives thrown in there at the start. Through Angela’s chapters we learn about how she discovered the identity of a serial killer known as The Thief in Chicago in 1979. With Rory’s chapters, we learn about how that past ties in with the present when her father passes away and his cases, one of which concerns The Thief who her father represented, gets passed on to her.
I really appreciated the fact that both Angela and Rory are characters on the spectrum and that being autistic was what really enabled Angela to discover the truth and what makes Rory so great at her job as a forensic reconstructor of cold cases. I can’t speak to the accuracy of how they’re portrayed, but I thought Donlea did a really good job of representing characters with autism and OCD. Reading Angela’s chapters often left me feeling itchy and restless and had my heart galloping so fast and I became so immersed in the mystery in Rory’s chapters. When it came to the “big reveal” of The Thief, Donlea kept me guessing until Angela’s most pressing discovery, when my jaw dropped in disbelief. I would have frozen cold and probably died if I had been in her shoes. I was so convinced it was someone else and the person it turned out to be wasn’t even on my radar to start with! The rest of the story was slightly predictable; I was able to easily guess about something significant to Rory’s character as I was reading, but that said, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story overall.
I did think the ending was rushed and Rory’s actions didn’t make sense to me at all (personally, I thought it was completely out of her character), so that was a bit disappointing. To be honest, it was a little anticlimactic and very ‘easily done’. I also didn’t understand how the cold case Rory was initially involved in was relevant to the story. It did make a nice segue to a big part of Rory’s life and personal character, but mentions of it kept popping up throughout the story, and I never really understood why. Is Donlea going to continue Rory’s storyline as a forensic reconstructor? It would be interesting if he did and I’d definitely read a series with her in it!
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Does this sound like something you’d be interested in reading? Keep your eyes open for when this book comes out on 28 May 2019.
Is it really only Wednesday? It feels a little like it should be Friday already, but this is probably the side effect of having my holiday end on Monday, instead of at the weekend. It’s only been a day since I’ve come back to the office and the struggle is really real, y’all. All I wanna do is go back to that poolside bed and get sunbaked with a book in one hand and an iced coffee in the other. It’s times like these I really question why I don’t read for a living?Lol.
But before I drift off into my dream world, it’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
What did you read last?
Since last week, I managed to finish reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, The Bride Test by Helen Hoang and Some Choose Darkness (e-ARC) by Charlie Donlea. I haven’t written my reviews for any of these yet, but hope to post one for Little Fires tomorrow (probably). I thoroughly enjoyed these reads though and they all received a 4/4.5 star rating from me! Little Fires Everywhere has been hyped a lot since last year and I was honestly scared to read it, but I’m so glad that my decision to take part in #APICelebrAsian / the #AsianReadathon pushed me to finally open it because I was impressed! I can’t wait to read more of her books and I’m so excited Little Fires is being made into a movie! The Bride Test was a fast, fun and super sexy read that I finished poolside while on holiday. Hoang won me over with The Kiss Quotient and she has done it again with The Bride Test! I loved the characters and the inclusiveness with characters on the spectrum. I loved the family relationships and the exploration of Asian (Vietnamese) culture and society. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a heart-fluttering feel-good read! My first finished ARC of the month, Some Choose Darkness was also my first Charlie Donlea read and it had me wondering how I hadn’t heard of him before because I loved it! While not entirely unpredictable, it still kept me on my toes and was fast-paced enough that I never felt bored. I devoured this and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! My full review for this will also (hopefully) be coming soon!
What are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading Final Girls by Riley Sager. I have heard so much about his books on bookstagram over the last few months that I couldn’t resist buying this when I came across it at the bookstore last week. I started it by the pool last week, but put it down because of my buddy reads, but now that those are out of the way, I’m back on it! Because of my hectic schedule and staycation, as well as my inability to really plan reads, I’m still also reading The Wedding Planner (Whisper Woods #3) by Eve Devon and How to Find Love in A Bookshop by Veronica Henry. The pub date for The Wedding Planner has already come and gone (03 May), but I just can’t seem to get into the story. It’s honestly too confusing jumping in without knowing the backstory between the characters and pairings. I’m feeling iffy about this, but I’m going to speed read and push through because you know I hate to DNF! As for the bookshop, there’s definitely no rush and I’m going to take my time reading it and perhaps using it as a palate cleanser between the thrillers I’ll be reading!
What will you read next?
So. Many. ARCs. Ohmygoodness, I just crept onto NetGalley on my lunch break today and there are so many ARCs that I need to get to reading. Why is my ass so lazy and disorganized? Seriously. I send myself into a tailspin every single time I go on the site to check what books need to be read. But literally 90% of the books waiting for me are being/have been published in May! Here are some of the ones I have to read because the pub dates have already passed or are coming up quick: The Vanishing Season by Dotch Hutchinson (21 May), The Women by S.E. Lynes (HAPPY PUBDAY! 22 May), and I Spy The Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong (25 May). Welp. Why do I do this to myself again?
What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these? If you’ve done a WWW Wednesday post today, leave your link in the comments below 🙂
I took a short holiday over the last week and I still kind of feel like I’m stepping out of a fog and back into a world where everything is slightly blurred around the edges. I didn’t realize how much I wanted (or needed!) a break until my recent staycation at a very quiet location surrounded by rice fields. The place itself was so aesthetically pleasing, and being able to laze in bed in the mornings, and by the pool in the afternoons, was the ultimate in relaxation and rejuvenation. That did mean spending less time on social media and falling off completely with blogging, but sometimes we all just need to disconnect, right?Now I’m back and even before the holiday ended I was already feeling pre-post-holiday-blues, and I’ve been hitting struggle town real hard today while at work. But I’m doing my best to get back on track with everything I’ve missed; hopefully it won’t take me ages to get back into my routine! So without further ado…
We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Books That Are Off Limits. I don’t have a lot of people in my life who love to read (and the ones that do aren’t anywhere near me so it doesn’t really matter)! Most of the books on my shelf right now are newer books that I’ve collected since coming back to Indonesia six years ago because moving every few years meant my parents gave away the majority of my things, books included. Maybe the books on my list aren’t some of the oldest or most well loved, but they are definitely some of the most beautiful books I own!
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I made the mistake of lending out my well-loved copy of A Little Life to a friend last year and although I trusted her to take good care of my book, it did come back in a condition that I wasn’t pleased with. I won’t be lending this book out to anyone again, even though I’m planning to get the hardcover to add to my collection.
A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab(Collector’s Edition). There’s no way this one is going anywhere but my shelves. This collector’s edition is beautiful and even I’m reluctant to touch and read it because it’s so lovely!
A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V.E. Schwab(Collector’s Edition). Basically the same as above. These are the first collector’s editions that I’ve purchased and they’ll be staying right where they are 🙂
Vengeful by V.E. Schwab. This hardback is the UK version and I’m in love with the white cover. When I bought it they only had two copies and there were already some imperfections that I noticed on the sleeves, so I chose the less obviously damaged of the two. It was that or not buy it and I knew I couldn’t leave the store without it!
Finale (Caraval #3)by Stephanie Garber (OwlCrate Special Edition). Caraval is one of my favorite series and when OwlCrate announced they’d be doing this special edition box, I set my alarm at 3:30am on a Monday morning to place my order. I’m so excited for this one to finally get in, and when it does, it isn’t going anywhere!
Owlcrate Signed Editions. I’ve been subscribed to OwlCrate for six months now and all the signed special cover editions are absolutely gorgeous. The books from this years’ boxes have been especially incredible and I wouldn’t want anyone borrowing them.
Persuasion by Jane Austen (Canterbury Classics Flexibound). I have a beautiful edition of this Austen and it’s my all time favorite alongside Pride & Prejudice. Even though I think Austen should be read by all, they won’t be reading this copy of mine!
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. Simply for the fact that this hardcover is simply too gorgeous to share. Sorry, not sorry! The jacket itself is beautiful, but the naked cover is one of my favorites that I’ve seen and I’m not risking anyone borrowing it!
The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen (Barnes & Noble Edition). I recently got this one from my best friend for my birthday on Sunday and it’s an absolutely gorgeous edition with silver sprayed edges and a dazzling cover. I haven’t even opened it to read myself but with how beautiful this one is, no one else is allowed to touch it unless they do it in front of me at home!
All the Books by Christina Lauren. They’re not special editions or signed books but this is more to do with the steamy romance in the books. My friends and family all have this idea in their head that I don’t dabble in romance, when in fact, I “dabble” a lot. The steaminess in some of these books would definitely (probably) shock them! 😅
Do you have any books that you won’t allow others to borrow? If you’ve done a Top Ten Tuesday post for today’s prompt, leave your link in the comments below 🙂
It’s the end of another weekend and I’m kind of boggled at how it’s already almost the middle of the month? How does this keep happening? 😂 We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme 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!
This Sunday morning I woke up and immediately started reading my new book: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I’ve had this book on my shelf for quite a while and for reasons unknown I just haven’t picked it up until now. I think maybe all the hype around it is what put me off reading it right away, which is normally the case for me with overhyped books. I get FOMO but then question whether I’ll love it as much as everyone else. Definite first world bookworm problems! 😂 This will also be my first book for the #AsianReadathon, which I’m excited to participate in because as an Asian, I’m very embarrassed to admit that I don’t read very many Asian authors… Not on purpose though, I just don’t consciously diversify my reads, but I’m working on changing this from this month onward! Although I just started this book after midnight, I’m already about 30% through. I can feel the tension building up between the characters and I can just imagine how it’ll all explode. I have a feeling I’ll be wanting to read this well into the night tonight, and I can already see why everyone raves about this book. I have a feeling I’ll love it too!
What are you currently reading?
For the first time in a long time I’m not actually mad that the weekend is practically over because my bestie is coming up from Brisbane on Wednesday next week and we’re going to spend six days in a gorgeous villa to work on our tans by the pool/beach, to read all the books, to eat/drink all the food and cocktails, and to celebrate my birthday 🥳 I’M SO FREAKING EXCITED!! That said, there’s a good chance I might go MIA on the blogosphere next week because I’m not sure how much energy I will have after lying in the sun all day? Jokes! Sort of… I’m hoping to schedule some posts for the week tomorrow evening, but I’m pretty bad at that, so we’ll see how it goes. For now, just in case you missed it, here are the posts I’ve made this week:
dinipandareads 