Tag: International Book Blogger

#WWWWednesday: 17 February

Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

Since last Wednesday I’ve finished six books and I’m happy to say that I’ve written and posted a few of these reviews already! We’re ignoring the fact that I have weeks of “I’ll be posting my (mini-)reviews soon” that I still need to tackle but something is better than nothing, right?! More reviews to come 😉😂

Bad Habits by Flynn Meaney ★★★★☆
This was so different from what I usually read but I absolutely loved it. It was hilarious, it had a strong message and it’s a book that I really wish younger me had access to–although adult me still really appreciated it and I think so many readers of all ages can get something great out of the read. Check out my review!

Enjoy the View (Moose Springs #3) by Sarah Morgenthaler ★★★½
I was so looking forward to Easton’s story so I’m quite sad that this ended up being my least favourite of the series. Easton is still my kryptonite but our heroine really set my teeth on edge in this one! I tried to be understanding of her drive and the adventurous thrill but… Nope. Morgenthaler’s signature humour was still enjoyable though! 🤷🏻‍♀️ Check out my review!

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ARC Review: The Project by Courtney Summers

Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads: The Project
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: 02 February 2021
Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Thriller

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died, Lo’s sister, Bea, joined The Unity Project, leaving Lo in the care of their great aunt. Thanks to its extensive charitable work and community outreach, The Unity Project has won the hearts and minds of most in the Upstate New York region, but Lo knows there’s more to the group than meets the eye. She’s spent the last six years of her life trying—and failing—to prove it.

When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with Bea once and for all. When her investigation puts her in the direct path of its leader, Lev Warren and as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her—to the point she can no longer tell what’s real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren . . . but now she doesn’t know if she can afford not to.

Note: The quotes below are taken from an advanced/unfinished copy and are subject to change in the final version.

TL;DR: Ever since I was blown away by the gripping mystery of Sadie, I’ve been keen to read more by Courtney Summers and so I was thrilled to get my hands on The Project. A book about sisters and a cult? Didn’t know I needed it but I definitely wanted to read it! I’d seen some mixed reviews about the book prior to picking it up so I went in with tempered expectations and I’m glad that I did because if I went in hoping for another book that’d give me the ‘Sadie vibes’ I would’ve been so sorely disappointed. As it is, the pacing ended up being a bit more of a slog than I anticipated but I’m glad that I kept reading and finished it. Also, the cover is STUNNING and I’m loving all the promo artwork and creative content that’s being shared for it!

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#TopTenTuesday: Mardi Gras Colour Covers!

Dini @ dinipandareads21 Comments

So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: Purple, Yellow, and/or Green Book Covers (in honor of Mardi Gras, which is today!)

I’ve never celebrated Mardi Gras/Carnival in real life although I spent a few hours yesterday participating in the Festival event in Animal Crossing New Horizones and it was a definitely a fun time! 😉 So today’s prompt was a really fun one and I know I’m probably gonna be missing out on a ton of purple, yellow and green book covers but I tried to get a good mix of colours and genres on my list today (lol who am I kidding it’s mostly romance and fantasy! 😂). I’ve loved all of these books (and highly recommend them!) but it also doesn’t hurt that they have great covers too! 😍 I love the brightness and colour pop of all three colours but especially the purples and yellows! Anyway, without further ado, let’s take a look at these popping covers:

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#5OnMyTBR: Where’s the Love?

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

Hello Mondays, welcome back to #5OnMyTBR, a meme created by the wonderful E @ The Local Bee Hunter’s Nook. This bookish meme gets us to dig even further into our TBRs by simply posting about five books on our TBR! You can learn more about it here. You can find the full list of prompts (past and future) at the end of this post!

This week’s prompt is: No Romance

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Goodreads Monday – The Shadows by Alex North

Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

Welcome back to Goodreads Monday! It’s been a very hot minute since I did one but I figured I might as well get back into it! This weekly meme was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners and it invites you to pick a book from your TBR and explain why you want to read it. Easy enough, right? Feel free to join in if you want to! I’ll be using a random number generator to pick my books from my insanely long GR Want-to-read list.*

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

This week’s featured book is The Shadows by Alex North. This is a mystery/thriller with some horror that was published in 2020.

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Book Review: The Switch by Beth O’Leary

Dini @ dinipandareads16 Comments

Goodreads: The Switch
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 16 April 2020
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

Leena is too young to feel stuck.
Eileen is too old to start over.
Maybe it’s time for The Switch…

Ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, Leena escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Newly single and about to turn eighty, Eileen would like a second chance at love. But her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen… So Leena proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love, and Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with a rabble of unruly OAPs to contend with, as well as the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – local schoolteacher, Leena learns that switching lives isn’t straightforward. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, and with the online dating scene. But is her perfect match nearer to home than she first thought?

It took me a while to get around to it but I’m so glad that I finally picked up The Switch. I buddy read this with Leslie @ Books Are The New Black and it was so much fun! It made me wonder why I didn’t do buddy reads more when it’s so great to have someone to gush and whine to while reading 😂 We both tried to pace ourselves but we ended up devouring this book because it was so easy and mostly enjoyable to read! Don’t forget to check out Leslie’s review! This has, without a doubt, cemented O’Leary in my auto-buy and favourite authors list because she definitely knows how to write those feel-good heartwarming stories that leave you wanting more. 🥰

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ARC Review: Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler

Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads: Enjoy the View (Moose Springs #3)
Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca
Publication Date: 19 January 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

A grouchy mountaineer, a Hollywood starlet
And miles of untamed wilderness…
What could possibly go wrong?

Former Hollywood darling River Lane’s acting career is tanking fast. Determined to start fresh behind the camera, she agrees to film a documentary about the picturesque small town of Moose Springs, Alaska. The assignment should have been easy, but the quirky locals want nothing to do with River. Well, too bad: River’s going to make this film and prove herself, no matter what it takes.

Or what (literal) mountain she has to climb.

Easton Lockett may be a gentle giant, but he knows a thing or two about survival. If he can keep everyone in line, he should be able to get River and her crew up and down Mount Veil in one piece. Turns out that’s a big if. The wildlife’s wilder than usual, the camera crew’s determined to wander off a cliff, and the gorgeous actress is fearless. Falling for River only makes Easton’s job tougher, but there’s only so long he can hold out against her brilliant smile. When bad weather strikes, putting everyone at risk, it’ll take all of Easton’s skill to get them back home safely…and convince River she should stay in his arms for good.

TL;DR: I was so excited for Easton’s story because he’s my hero kryptonite and while this didn’t end up being what I expected, I still enjoyed it enough to continue the series. I loved Easton and getting his perspective and even though our heroine, River, wasn’t always my fave, I still rooted for their HEA. There were also some great laugh-out-loud moments with blush inducing ‘Sexy Hagrid’ comments and a very kooky yet adorable marmot that made the story even more enjoyable!

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Top 5 Saturday: Books with Unique Formats

Dini @ dinipandareads21 Comments

Welcome back to another Top 5 Saturday! Just in case you don’t know Top 5 Saturday is a weekly meme created by Mandy @ Devouring Books and it’s where we list the top five books (they can be books on your TBR, favourite books, books you loved/hated) based on the week’s topic. You can see the upcoming schedule at the end of my post 🙂 This week’s topic is actually: Book with Unique Format (Diary entries, verse, documents, podcast, blog, etc.)

I can’t believe I had such a hard time coming up with five books for this week’s prompt because I do love a book that’s written in mixed-media format. As it turns out though, I don’t seem to have a lot of them on my TBR although I can think of quite a few that I’ve read and loved, such as the Illuminae Files–which you MUST read if you haven’t yet! In the end, I’ve managed to come up with five books that are a mix of verse and epistolary, and some have been on my TBR for way too long (looking at you, Dracula!) but all of them are high on my priority list for this year!

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First Lines Friday – 12 February

Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, 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 day Somebody McSomebody put a gun to my breast and called me a cat and threatened to shoot me was the same day the milkman died.”

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

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#WWWWednesday: 10 February

Dini @ dinipandareads17 Comments

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

Since last Wednesday I’ve finished five books and basically I’ve finished an NA romance series, picked up the first book in the spin-off NA series and finished my buddy read for a contemporary romance. It’d be super accurate to say that my February is shaping up to (unintentionally) be a month of all the romance! Other than my two scheduled blog tour reads this month, I think I just might stick to the romance kick until the month ends but as a mood reader, it’s possible this could change on a whim. 😂

The Mistake (Off-Campus #2) by Elle Kennedy ★★★½
The Score (Off-Campus #3) by Elle Kennedy ★★★½
The Goal (Off-Campus #4) by Elle Kennedy ★★★½
The Chase (Briar U #1) by Elle Kennedy ★★★☆☆
I’m planning to write a series review for Off-Campus and I’m going to clump in The Chase in that review as well because I don’t think I’ll be continuing the Briar U series… While this series was a whole lot of fun banter, feisty heroines and smouldering heroes, I felt that the crazy college party and sex vibe of the story became too much in the end and the quality of the romances suffered for it. There were definitely great moments, I still rated the books 3+stars but the constant reminder that these players could get all the girls they wanted and that they frequently did prior to meeting their heroines became pretty gross and tiring in the end. 😅 Full series review to come soon!

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