#WWWWednesday: 25 March

March 25, 2020March 24, 2020 Dini @ dinipandareads19 Comments

I’m writing this the day before so who knows if I’ll have finished another book by the time it posts! But today is Bali’s Day of Silence and is basically the Balinese New Year. It’s a cultural/religious event that happens every year and it’s basically when everything shuts down and we’re not allowed to use electricity, listen to music or do work amongst other things. Internet gets shut down, TV and radio networks don’t broadcast and well, when we say day of silence, we really mean it! The purpose of the day has always been for quiet introspection/meditation as we start a new (Balinese) calendar year. People stay quiet and indoors or in their housing complexes and the silence is actually palpable–it’s a heavy weight but not at all unpleasant (at least to me). I know it sounds extreme to a lot of people but it’s actually pretty nice to disconnect even if for a day. As a book loving introvert it’s really no biggie for me but a lot of people freak out big time! I’m certainly getting a lot of time for reading these days (and I’m not mad about it)! 😅

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

What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?

Since last Wednesday I’ve managed to read four books:

Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu ★★★★½
I have been gushing non-stop about this web comic since I discovered it. I binged on it and caught up to the most recent episode in a few hours. I can’t wait to see how it ends! This was such a joy to read and it’s exactly what I needed this week. It’s got a wonderfully hilarious group of characters at its centre and a heartmelting and swoon-worthy LGBTQ+ sports romance 🥰 Review coming soon!

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley ★★★★★
This book basically took me by the feels, shook me and shouted FEEL IT ALL. I was not ready for how emotional this book would make me! It was a beautifully written novel about grief and love. It was a love letter to books and who doesn’t love a boo about books?! This completely swept me away and made me fall in love with words all over again and I’d highly recommend it. Review coming soon!

The Dark Between Stars by Atticus Poetry ★★★½
This is my first time reading anything by Atticus and overall I did enjoy reading this collection, even if it was a little bit all over the place/disjointed. There were some poems that were more than a little “meh” but there were also many that hit close to home and made me a little teary eyed. This isn’t the best collection of poetry but there are a few on here that might be new favourites. Review coming soon (probably)!

The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club #1) by Lyssa Kay Adams ★★★★☆
Leading man Gavin and the guys in the bromance book club are what won me over in this book. I struggled with Thea a bit, although overall found her character likeable enough. Her sister on the other hand was a completely different story and I disliked her intensely. The banter was on point and I loved how passionate the guys were to better themselves through romance novels. Read my full review!

(eARC) Eat, and Love Yourself by Sweeney Boo, Lilian Klapakowsky ★★★☆☆
The artwork in this graphic novel is superb and made me love it more. The book talks about an issue that affects so many people, myself included, so I was really excited for this storyline but I was let down. We’re promised a journey through recovery, self-acceptance and love but we don’t get much of that. Plus the ending was so abrupt and pretty disappointing. Review coming soon!

#TopTenTuesday: Best Families/Friends in Romances

March 24, 2020 Dini @ dinipandareads36 Comments

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: Genre Freebie (pick a genre and build a list around it! i.e., best/worst romances, non-fiction for travelers, memoirs for foodies, classics that feel timeless, romance novel kisses, science fiction that feels too real for comfort, women’s fiction for newbies, etc.)

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’ve been on a romance/romcom reading streak lately. I’ve tried picking up countless SFF books that I’ve been excited to read but intricate world building, science speak, and made-up/new languages do not seem to be the thing for my weary and anxious mind right now. But romances/romcoms have been a solid winner and they’ve brought much joy into my life!

I’ve come to realise that one of the reasons I love romance is because of the family/friend characters in the stories; not all of them have it but the ones that do are a shoe-in for favourites! I am a total sucker for great banter between siblings and groups of friends. They’re the kind of interactions that worm their way into my heart and make me feel happy and light–not to mention they’re usually the ones that have me “awwing” and cackling like crazy! So today I’ll be sharing a list of romances that have great families/friends and that you should definitely check out if you’re looking for something light-hearted, funny and maybe just a smidge sexy! 😉

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [48]

March 22, 2020December 4, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads17 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

I spent a good part of the day in bed finishing Words in Deep Blue and I was a silently blubbering hot mess by the time I reached the end. This one basically screamed at me to FEEL MY FEELS (I definitely did that) and who doesn’t love a book about books? There is a little bit of teenage angst in the romance and although one of the characters begged to be throttled throughout the read, I thought all of them were portrayed realistically and well. What I’m trying and failing to say is: READ THIS. You won’t regret it!

This is a love story.
It’s the story of Howling Books, where readers write letters to strangers, to lovers, to poets.
It’s the story of Henry Jones and Rachel Sweetie. They were best friends once, before Rachel moved to the sea.
Now, she’s back, working at the bookstore, grieving for her brother Cal and looking for the future in the books people love, and the words they leave behind.

What are you currently reading?

First Lines Friday – 20 March

March 20, 2020March 18, 2020 Dini @ dinipandareads19 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:

“As Sancia Grado lay facedown in the mud, stuffed underneath the wooden deck next to the old stone wall, she reflected that this evening was not going at all as she had wanted.”

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

#WWWWednesday: 18 March

March 18, 2020March 18, 2020 Dini @ dinipandareads23 Comments

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

What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?

Since last Wednesday I’ve managed to read four books:

Only When It’s Us (Bergman Brothers #1) by Chloe Liese ★★★★½
I LOVED this romcom! I was swooning the whole read through 😍 Ryder and Willa were total opposites who balanced each other out so well and their chemistry was absolute fire! The slow burn of this one really had me on my toes, demanding for it to happen already. It was perfection! I loved that this served more depth than I expected. Review coming very soon!

What the Other Three Don’t Know by Spencer Hyde ★★★☆☆
This gave me Breakfast Club vibes and it had potential but it just fell flat for me. I didn’t connect with the characters, especially Indie who is our MC and only POV. I wish we got to learn more about the characters and get the story from their POV! I did like the book’s message though. We can be whatever we want to be no matter what society tells us! Read my full review.

Best Fake Fiance (Loveless Brothers #2) by Roxie Noir ★★★½
This was another one that I was so-so on. I liked Charlie and Daniel but this didn’t pull me in as quickly or as much as I’d hoped. They were a cute couple though and Rusty was such a firecracker I was laughing so much whenever she opened her mouth. Review coming soon.

Break the Rules (Loveless Brothers #3) by Roxie Noir ★★★★☆
Yes! Levi is the one that I love 💞 Once you look past his loner “weird mountain man of nature” exterior, he has a soft heart of absolute gold and watching him deal with his feelings for June was so heart warming. I loved him! Plus I really loved June and I related to her so much. Everything about this book was sweet and it fit both their characters very well. Review coming soon.

#TopTenTuesday: Spring Possibility Pile!

March 17, 2020March 17, 2020 Dini @ dinipandareads48 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: spring ~~TBR~~ possibility pile!

To say that I’ve got a ton of eARCs that need to be read over the next few months would really be a mild understatement. Why do I keep requesting more books and why do I keep signing up for more blog tours after telling myself I’d take a nice long break from it for a while? *shrugs* I got problems. As fun as it’d be to list all those books here, there are a few others that have been sitting on my TBR that I’d like to get to soon as well, so this is my possibility pile for those reads!

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [47]

March 15, 2020December 4, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

I wished I spent more time in bed reading Warcross today! I’m finally reading this with some lovelies at TBR and Beyond on Facebook. I technically started reading this yesterday arvo but haven’t got very far coz I finished another romance. This’ll be my first book by Marie Lu and I’m excited to discover her writing! I’m enjoying it so far 🙂

When a game called Warcross takes the world by storm, one girl hacks her way into its dangerous depths. For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. When Emika hacks into the game illegally, she’s convinced she’ll be arrested, and is shocked when she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem … and he wants Emika for the job. In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all.

What are you currently reading?

First Lines Friday – 13 March

March 13, 2020March 13, 2020 Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

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:

“Most of life’s defining moments happen unexpectedly; sometimes they slide past you completely unnoticed until afterwards, if at all.”

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

#WWWWednesday: 11 March

March 11, 2020March 15, 2020 Dini @ dinipandareads16 Comments

Can someone please tell me how it’s only just Wednesday when it absolutely feels like it should already be Friday? Anyone? This week fully needs to be over please lol

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

What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?

Since last Wednesday I’ve managed to read five books:

Magic Unleashed (Venators #1) by Devri Walls ★★★★☆
This was a fast-paced and action-packed fantasy full of all the supernatural creatures that your heart could ever desire! No, seriously. There are fae, werewolves, vampires, elves, witches/wizards, goblins, giants, shapeshifters and DRAGONS! I was surprised by how quickly I read this and by how much I enjoyed it! My blog tour review post will be up tonight!

The Deep by Alma Katsu ★★★½
I was expecting to be scared out of my wits reading this but thankfully it wasn’t as scary as I thought it’d be. It was also completely different to what I expected! Katsu’s writing is atmospheric and the mystery works its way under your skin. Her characters, however, confused me a bit. Still glad I gave this a read though–it was certainly different to anything I’ve read! My FFBC blog tour review is up tomorrow!

The Guy on the Right (The Underdogs #1) by Kate Stewart ★★★★½
I wrote an extremely gushing post about how much I loved this romcom. Theo and Laney and their love are absolute perfection *chefs kiss*. Their banter was spot on and I loved watching their friendship and romance grow. The pot gummy scenes might be one of my favourites of all time! Check out my review.

The Guy on the Left (The Underdogs #2) by Kate Stewart ★★★★★
I didn’t think I could love a hero more than I did Theo but I WAS WRONG. Who’d have thought it’d be Troy to win me over as well? Definitely shook me! This was a wonderful slow-burn redemption love story and ugh, it had me seriously feeling all the damn feels. It was SO GOOD! Review coming very soon.

Enemies with Benefits (Loveless Brothers #1) by Roxie Noir ★★★½
I’m glad I checked out this series because I love the family relationships and banter, but it wasn’t my favourite romcom (I think I’ve been seriously spoiled by the underdogs)! There’s no denying that the physical chemistry between the two was hella fire, but I wanted more of an emotional/personal connection with the characters. Review coming soon.

#TopTenTuesday: Authors I Follow on Social Media

March 10, 2020 Dini @ dinipandareads38 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: authors who have a fun social media presence.

I almost skipped this week’s TTT for the first time since joining in weekly because I honestly don’t follow that many authors on my social media accounts? Not for any particular reason other than the fact that I just don’t? 🤷🏻‍♀️ I think there’s only one author who I follow religiously on all platforms I’m on and he’ll be at the top of my list. There are a few other authors whose tweets I do enjoy reading whenever they come up on my feed though so they’ll be making up my list for today!