Tag: WWW Wednesday

#WWWWednesday: 18 September

Dini @ dinipandareads17 Comments

It’s time for another 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?

What did you read last?

So… After writing my WWW Wednesday post last week, I managed to last ONE DAY before caving and picking up Godsgrave. That means I abandoned On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, and I do feel guilty about that, but I just couldn’t resist! I NEEDED to know what happened and I’m really glad I picked it up. Kristoff managed to really screw with my feelings yet again, and now I’m holding off on picking up Darkdawn because I know I’m going to be a wreck while/after reading it. I don’t think I’m ready for it šŸ˜‚ After finishing Godsgrave in the wee hours of Saturday morning, I decided I needed to take a break before moving on to the group read that I’ve been so skilled at avoiding, and I ended up finishing three books: a short graphic novel: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do… But You Could’ve Done Better (check out my review); and two contemporary romances: The Wrong Kind of Love and The Ingredients of Us (check out my review)! The Wrong Kind of Love was my first Lexi Ryan and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would! The Ingredients of Us was a mixed read for me… There was a lot of angst and that played against my anxiety, so I didn’t enjoy that, but it was still good for a debut. Plus I always enjoy books with baking/cooking šŸ˜

What are you currently reading?

I’ve FINALLY picked up The Priory of the Orange Tree. We all know by now that this book is a definite chunkster and I gave up on reading the physical copy the other day because my arms just couldn’t deal with how much of a work out I was giving them šŸ˜‚ So I caved and bought the e-book and my arms thank me muchly. I’ve also been so intimidated by how big this book is, so I hope that reading it on my Kindle will make it easier to digest! I’m kind of really feeling in the mood for a contemporary romance/romcom as well, so I think I might read Fake Date (Dating #2) by Monica Murphy at some point while reading Priory. I didn’t realize it was part of a series, but I loved the sound of it when I came across it this morning (on Alyssa @ A Lovely Book Affair‘s page), so yeah, IMPULSE BUY!

What will you read next?

After finishing Priory I expect that I’ll be feeling the need for some lighter reads, so I was thinking about picking up The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, which has been very hyped on bookstagram, and I just remembered I also signed myself up for a group read for Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) šŸ˜…Woopsies! This’ll actually be a re-read for me. I didn’t like it the first time and didn’t see what everyone loved about it, but I’m wondering if I’ll feel differently this time around? Let’s see! I also need to read the ARC for The Light Keeper, which … is already out (I’m so sorry) and I just haven’t got around to it yet. Grr šŸ˜¤This panda really needs to work on getting her ARC shit together!

What are you currently reading? Leave me a comment and let’s chat šŸ™‚

#WWWWednesday: 11 September

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

It’s time for another 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?

What did you read last?

Since last Wednesday, I managed to finish reading three books: Pumpkinheads (my review), A Different Time (my blog tour review) and The Love Solution (my review). I love graphic novels and I think Pumpkinheads has become a new favourite! It’s fall all over and while it left me salivating and craving all things that I can’t get here in the tropics, the ending left me feeling so warm inside.

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (The Wingfeather Saga #1) by Andrew Peterson, a middle-grade book I got on NetGalley. Apparently it was originally published in 2008, but a new edition will be published in March 2020, and that’s what I got the e-ARC for. I honestly requested this because of the cover and okay, it sounded cool too. I haven’t read middle-grade in an age but it’s been good so far with short chapters, which is always great! Interestingly enough, this new edition has footnotes in it and while that surprised me initially, I got used to it. Although the footnotes did remind me of Nevernight… Which then reminded me that I really want to read Godsgrave! I was planning to pick it up this week because you know how much I loved Nevernight. But I have a feeling that my ‘avoidance’ is kicking in and I’m not racing to pick it up for a reason; and the reason *probably* being that I’m worried that maybe I won’t like it as much? I don’t know. Feel free to check out my TTT post from yesterday to see just how amazing I am at avoiding reading books šŸ™ƒ

What will you read next?

I really don’t know what I want to read next. I know what I SHOULD read next as it’s for a group read, but… I’m feeling wishy washy with it. I’ve tried reading the first page of the first chapter about ten times and my mind just won’t focus. So… I thought I’d try doing something new and ask for your help picking my next read! Yes, that’s right, I’m entrusting you, dear readers, friends, followers, to please help me choose what I should read next. Halp?

What are you currently reading? Leave me a comment and let’s chat šŸ™‚

#WWWWednesday: 04 September

Dini @ dinipandareads4 Comments

It’s time for another 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?

What did you read last?

Since last Wednesday I’ve managed to finish four books and two of them were audiobooks (I followed along to the audiobook for Nevernight and it made me love this book even more)!
That Forever Girl (Getting Lucky #2): ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜†
(Audiobook) Naturally Tan: ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…
(Reread) The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1): ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…Ā½
Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1): ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…ā˜…Ā½

I just finished Nevernight this morning and HOLY MOTHER. I can’t believe I waited so long to read this but now that I’ve started this series I know that I don’t want to stop. Perfect timing as well because now the final book has come out and I’ve only gone and ordered the Illumicrate box for it didn’t I? I’m planning to listen to the audiobook before then though because since I ordered the box yesterday it’ll only ship mid-October and you know I won’t be able to wait until then to read it! šŸ˜‚ If the rest of the series continues to be as amazing as the first book, I think this will be one of my new favorite series! The hype was so real y’all šŸ˜

What are you currently reading?

I’m part of TheWriteReads blog tour for A Different Time by Michael K. Hill and my tour date is this Saturday so I’m prioritizing this, no matter how much I want to be diving into Godsgrave right this very second! Pretty much everyone on the blog tour has loved this book and they’ve all said it made them emotional messes so I’M READY FOR IT! I love a book that can get me hard in the feels and since this is novella length I’m even more curious to see how hard it’ll hit!

What will you read next?

I’m joining two reading challenges this month: #SequelSeptember and #StandAloneSeptember and I’m excited to be taking part in both. For #SequelSeptember I’m planning to finally catch up on series that I’ve put off reading (for no particular reason) and finally finishing some that I don’t want to end! Since I just did a reread of The Cruel Prince, I’m planning to pick up The Wicked King while it’s still fresh in my mind. Obviously, I’m going to be starting up Godsgrave asap. #StandAloneSeptember is the first month of the year-long Hype-A-Thon reading challenge organized by Noly and Ellie, inspired by all the hyped and unread books on their shelves! Each month is going to have a different prompt, but what you read depends on the hyped books on your own shelf. I’m so excited for this–anything to knock more books off my TBR, right?

On top of those challenges, I’m also taking part in two group reads. One is organized by the amazing Leelynn (go check out her blog because she’s one of the most amazingly supportive people I’ve met in the book community) for The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. This tome has intimidated me ever since I snatched it up earlier this year, so I’m glad to be reading it with a group! My second group read is for Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) by Sylvain Neuvel. I’ve read this a couple of years back and I really didn’t like it, but I’m curious to try it again and see if my opinion changes because everyone seems to love it!

What are you currently reading? Leave me a comment and let’s chat šŸ™‚

#WWWWednesday: 28 August

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

It’s time for another 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?

What did you read last?

Over the last week I managed to read these five books. While it’s not crazy impressive, I’m happy that I managed to keep the reading momentum going! Probably the Best Kiss in the World was okay but it wasn’t what I expected and felt a bit let down by it; you can read my review here! I still have to write my reviews for Stalking Jack the Ripper, Luna and the Lie and The Simple Wild, which I only finished last night, but completely loved! Luna and the Lie was my first Mariana Zapata and holy mother of slow burns! I mean, I’m all for a slow burn romance but when it gets to 80% mark and nothing indicates something more will happen between the characters, I felt a little miffed. Did I mention that this is probably the longest romance that I’ve ever read? It comes in close to 600 pages, and yet thanks to my sleeping issues, I managed to finish it in one day! SJTR was… interesting. Different to what I expected and while I enjoyed it, I’m sorry to say that I didn’t love it šŸ˜« All reviews coming soon (I hope)!

What are you currently reading?

Although I’m not in a slump I’m still finding it difficult to choose what to read next, which is why I’ve been sticking to contemporary romances that I know won’t give me too much bother. That Forever Girl (Getting Lucky #2) by Meghan Quinn just released yesterday and I’m planning to start it tonight! I’m trying to get out of the romance stream, so I’ve also picked up Miracle Creek on a whim! This was one of the highly anticipated additions to my physical shelf since it released and it’s still been sitting untouched for a few months now šŸ˜… I’ve also still got My Lovely Wife going but haven’t picked it back up again since SJTR was gorier than I expected and I needed a break (is this my age speaking?)!

What will you read next?

I feel like I’ve failed epically with #ARCAugust but I’m going to continue steadily whittling my ARCs down as I go. I recently put myself on a requesting ban but a whole bunch (that I forgot about since it’s been months since I requested them) got approved last week and whelp, here we go again! šŸ˜… But September is coming up and with it a buddy read and a blog tour that will take priority! I’ll be participating in my second TheWriteReads blog tour this time for A Different Time by Michael K. Hill and I’m really looking forward to it! My date is set for the first week of September so I have to get cracking on that read soon. I’ll also be doing a buddy read for The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, which will take place over the month of September coz have you seen the size of that tome?!

What are you currently reading? Leave me a comment and let’s chat šŸ™‚

#WWWWednesday: 21 August

Dini @ dinipandareads17 Comments

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:

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

What did you read last?

So… I think I’m finally out of my reading slump thanks to these two great books right here! Despite the wedding shenanigans over the weekend, I managed to start and finish The Whisper Man by the time I landed back in Bali at midnight on Sunday. I’ll be honest and say that based on the insane horror hype it’s been getting on bookstagram, I thought this would be a lot scarier than it was. It was still sufficiently creepy, especially that rhyme (I mean c’mon), and there were some paranormal aspects that had me cowering, but for the most part it was okay. I survived! šŸ™ŒšŸ½I then picked up the ARC for The Grace Year by Kim Liggett afterwards, thinking it would be something completely different, and while it was, the story was also a lot creepier and horrific in comparison to The Whisper Man! I wasn’t expecting it, so I was a little shook, but WOW. THIS BOOK. I have no words for it. It might be one of my favorite reads this year. It’s dark, horrifically gory, but also beautifully crafted and carries a strong and important message that I think many (women especially) will be able to relate to. I can’t wait for everyone to read this book when it comes out in October! I’ll be posting my review for both these books soon, so be on the look out!

What are you currently reading?

I’m not reading nothing anymore (woot!) and I’ve actually got two books that I’ve been reading at different times during the day since yesterday, and I’m adding one more to the mix for a group read for Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper #1) by Kerri Maniscalo that I completely forgot about! I’m hoping to start that tonight as I think we’re discussing the first book at the end of this week before starting the second book in the series on Sunday. My current reads are: Probably the Best Kiss in the World by Pernille Hughes and I’m enjoying it so far. I forgot that it’s based in Edinburgh and uhm, have I mentioned that I’m a sucker for books set there?! My other read is My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing and all I can say is it’s so twisted, holy wow. It’s had its fair share of hype too, but I’ve gone into this only knowing the blurb. I was initially a little confused by what I was reading because why do I feel a little sympathy for this guy(?), so I felt compelled to keep reading to find out if I’m just a psycho myself šŸ™ƒ or if this guy is just that good at not letting his creep and psycho shine through. The truth is slowly coming out!

What will you read next?

I was tempted to join the #Owlcrateathon since 90% of the Owlcrate books from when I started subscribing late last year have been sitting unread on my shelf (the books must hate me)! But since I’ve just come out of my reading slump, I’m trying to take it easy and go with whatever strikes my mood at the moment! I think I’m leaning towards some contemporary romance, although the one that I’m desperate to read doesn’t come out for another week! But I downloaded a few off KU that I’m looking forward to try. Also, I’m still going to try to tuck away more ARCs for #ARCAugust so… MORE BOOKS YAY!

What are you currently reading? Leave me a comment and let’s chat šŸ™‚

#WWWWednesday: 14 August

Dini @ dinipandareads15 Comments

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:

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

What did you read last?

So… I did manage to finish reading two books: Party Weekend (Sweet Valley High #143) by Francine Pascal and A Random Act of Kindness by Sophie Jenkins. SVH was short and I read it pretty quickly, and while A Random Act of Kindness wasn’t particularly long, it took me a good four days to finish! This book slump though, am I right?! BUT two books is definitely better than no books, so I’m just going to keep pushing my way through this! Reviews for both coming soon(ish).

What are you currently reading?

I’M READING NOTHING!!!

Well, I’m still trying to find the next book that’ll stick for me after finishing A Random Act two days ago… It’s not going so well, but there’s one thing I haven’t tried yet and that’s switching genres. So I’m going to be attempting to read a few thrillers. I’m hoping one will stick! I’m looking at: Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus, Truly Devious (Truly Devious #1) by Maureen Johnson and TH1RT3EN (Eddie Flynn #4) by Steve Cavanagh (because YAY for finishing another overdue ARC)!

What will you read next?

I’m hoping that in the spirit of ARC August I’ll be able to get to a few more of these overdue ARCs before the month passes me by! I mean, how are we already in the double digits of this month?! I mean, what? šŸ˜’

What are you currently reading? Leave me a comment and let’s chat šŸ™‚

#WWWWednesday: 07 August

Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

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:

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

What did you read last?

So you know how I said in my last post that my group read for A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult probably wasn’t happening anymore? Well, coincidentally after I posted someone revived the group chat and I had to rush this read, but it was very easy to speed through. I’ve loved Jodi Picoult since I discovered her in high school so I’m very comfortable with her writing style — the detailed research that goes into her work is very obvious but she also knows how to tug on your heart strings! This wasn’t an easy read due to the topics that were covered, mainly abortion, but it was very well done. My review is coming up right after this! šŸ˜‰

What are you currently reading?

So… This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel was supposed to be another group read in July, but for some reason I just kept pushing it back. I actually started it on Sunday night, while the discussion was supposed to take place Monday morning (for my time zone), so I did miss the group chat and as it turns out, I’m really struggling to get through this book. It’s not because I don’t like it. I am enjoying it but there’s something about the writing style that is making me struggle to pick it up again after putting it down for work and life things. I like the characters; Poppy is so precious, Penn is my favorite fairytale spinning and magic loving dad, and it makes my heart hurt (in a good way!) and soar when her brothers support her 100%. They’re a beautiful and incredibly sweet family although by no means are they perfect. STILL, I’m struggling to get through this. I’m so tempted to pick up something else but I have a feeling that if I do, I’ll never finish this šŸ„ŗ

What will you read next?

In the spirit of kicking off ARC August well into the second week of the month (I’ve always been late for everything so of course it extends to my book life too), I’m hoping to read at least two of these by the end of this week! Let’s see how I manage because right now, it’s looking like a bit of a stay in struggle town. Yikes! …Oh no, this isn’t the makings of a book slump is it?! šŸ˜©

What are you currently reading? How do you deal with an impending book slump?! Leave me a comment and let’s chat šŸ™‚

#WWWWednesday: 31 July

Dini @ dinipandareads13 Comments

Friends, it’s August tomorrow. We’re eight months into the year and… I don’t even know what I’ve done with my year besides read! I think it’s kind of scary how quickly time is going. Don’t you think? Or is it really just me? Lol 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:

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

What did you read last?

My recent ‘big finish’ was Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Daisy Jones is probably one of the most hyped up books in 2019 and I admit to a great load of wariness in picking it up because even though I’ve loved everything that I’ve read by TJR so far, I was worried this one would let me down. Let me put those shameful thoughts to rest right now because wow, I really had nothing to worry about. I absolutely LOVED it. I will be posting a longer review on my blog soon (because I really can’t stop gushing about it) but for now, you can read my review up on Goodreads! After finishing Daisy Jones on Monday, I was a little worried about having an epic book hangover so I decided to read a fluffy romance (or two). I finished That Second Chance (Getting Lucky #1) by Meghan Quinn and The Consequence of Falling by Claire Contreras. Reviews coming soon!

What are you currently reading?

I’m kind of not reading anything at the moment? I really can’t decide what to pick up next after finishing The Consequences of Falling earlier today. I feel like I’m still in that ‘book hangover zone’ from Daisy, so I’m wondering if I should stick to romance (The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker), move on to some thrilling YA (Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson) or if I should just pick up a fantasy that I’ve been wanting to read for a while (We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal)? I might be reading all three of these before the night is over šŸ˜¬

What will you read next?

I have a feeling that my buddy read for A Spark of Light has fallen through because nobody is saying anything in the group chat (lol) but if I’m in the mood for it, I think I’ll still pick it up. There are also some ARCs that I want to get to and I’m considering participating in ARC August(?) that I’ve seen a few people mention. I’ve got a few that are fairly overdue and my guilt is kind of eating away at me but I’m also so good at ignoring it? This is why being a mood reader can be so frustrating sometimes!

What are you currently reading? How do you avoid a book hangover?! Leave me a comment and let’s chat šŸ™‚

#WWWWednesday: 24 July

Dini @ dinipandareads5 Comments

Omg, is it only Wednesday?! Welp, my brain keeps tricking me into believing it’s Thursday and that there’s only one more day standing between me and my beloved weekend. Well, on that note, 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:

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

What did you read last?

This weekend I finished reading The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (solid 5 stars!) and in the very early hours of this morning, I finished my first read for The Reading Rush: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. Y’all, I’m really sorry to say this, but I didn’t love it as much as everyone else seemed to and trust me, no one is more disappointed about it than me. While the last 30% of the book really shifted my feelings about it and I did leave the book feeling, lifted, warm and happy, it still wasn’t enough for me to give it more than 3Ā½ stars. I’ll be posting my review for both these books in the coming days, so keep your eyes out for it! Finishing RW&RB means I can tick my first prompt for the RR challenge: ā˜‘ļøRead an authorā€™s first book!

What are you currently reading?

I’m putting all my other reads aside for now and I’m focusing on these next three reads, which are also for The Reading Rush this week, not to mention my buddy read for TIHIAI is coming up this Sunday so I really gotta get going with this read! Here’s the list of challenges that I’m reading these books for:

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan: Read a book with purple on the cover
Everyone’s an Aliebn When You’re an Aliebn Too by Jomny Sun: Read a book in the same spot the entire time and Read a book with a non-human main character
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel: Pick a book that has five or more words in the title

What will you read next?

After my current reads, I still have two other books (three if you count reading seven books for the challenge), plus my buddy read for A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult. The other books and prompts for the RR challenge are:

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo: Read a book you meant to read last year
The Green Mile by Stephen King: Read and watch a book to movie adaptation
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein: Bonus/ Read 7 books

What are you currently reading?
Have you made good progress on your Reading Rush TBR?
Leave me a comment and let’s chat šŸ™‚

#WWWWednesday: 17 July

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

Omg, is it only Wednesday?! Welp, my brain keeps tricking me into believing it’s Thursday and that there’s only one more day standing between me and my beloved weekend. Well, on that note, 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:

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

What did you read last?

Yaaas, I finally finished Aurora Rising (Aurora Cycle #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff and I kind of hate myself for not reading it right away, but also for not waiting even longer to read it because now book two feels even further away. #bookwormproblems or is it just me? Anyway, I absolutely loved and adored this book and Squad 312, and I wrote a super gushing review about it stuffed full of artwork taken from Jay Kristoff’s website. So if you want to read my review, follow this link! I also recently finished The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James (review coming) and e-ARC for The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill, which was a really cute prequel to The Tea Dragon Society! You can read my review of it here.

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, Marriage for One by Ella Maise, Evidence of the Affair: A Short Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, and I’m still going with The Good Kill: A Killian Lebon Novel by Kurt Brindley. The Great Alone and RW&RB are buddy reads on Instagram. It’s been slow going with both of these books, probably because I’m reading five books at once, but I’m making them top priority right now.

What will you read next?

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult and This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel are two other buddy reads that I totally forgot I said I would join this month so after I finish my two current buddy reads, these will take priority because I wanna get them read! I’ve been looking forward to both and I’m hoping the buddy reads will give me motivation to finally pick them up.

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books?
Leave me a comment and let’s chat šŸ™‚