Month: May 2020

book tag

The Quarantine Book Tag

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Quarantine Book Tag

Hello, reader!

It’s been a bit since I’ve done a book tag, hasn’t it? Thankfully, the lovely Danni @ _ForBooksSake, recently tagged me for one! The Quarantine Book Tag was created over on Words About Words and it looks like fun! So let’s take a look at the rules and jump in.

Rules:

  • Pingback to the creators, @WordsAboutWords , so they can see all your answers.
  • Tag the person you found this from. (Thanks for the tag, @_ForBooksSake!)
  • Don’t stress and have fun! (& also stay safe!)

#1. Favourite reading spot at home?

Propped up in my bed with a hot cocoa cooling on the bedside table. I always read before bed and it’s just become my go-to spot when I’m ready to get into a book.

#2. An unread book in your physical TBR?

Heh… *glances nervously at her bookshelf full of unread books*

Alright, let’s just pick one randomly. And the winner is…

Heh… 😅😅😅 One day I will actually finish this duology, I swear!!

#3. A book you’ve actually read from your physical TBR pile?

Haha, I feel called out 😂 But, thankfully, I have a few to choose from since last month! I’ll just pick my favorite one.

My only five star read from last month and a graphic novel I think everyone should pick up. It’s just so good, I promise!

#4. Next book release you’re hyped for?

This one is easy!

The Henna Wars is a sapphic rivals-to-lovers romance that I’ve been dying to read. It comes out next Tuesday (!!) so I don’t have much longer to wait! And I have it pre-ordered, so hopefully it will be here sooner than later 😁

#5. Favourite bookish world to escape to?

The answer for this will probably be Harry Potter, lol. I was older when I read the books, but I can still vividly imagine myself riding the Hogwarts Express, hanging out with Nearly-Headless Nick, and spending all my money at Honeyduke’s! I love that world and it has a way of igniting the imagination. J.K. Rowling may be problematic af, but the world she created will always be one of my favorites.

#6. A bookish world you would NOT want to visit?

As much as I enjoyed Gideon the Ninth, the world where Gideon came from sounds… just awful. I don’t think I would want to visit the Ninth House at all. I mean, I loved the dark nature of this book, but I would most definitely die if I was dropped into Gideon’s universe, lol.

#7. Favourite author to follow on Twitter?

Oh man, so many… In fact, I made an entire Top Ten Tuesday post about it! We’ll pick one from that post and go with Margaret Owens. She’s the author of The Merciful Crow and her Tweets range from hilarious to very informational.

https://twitter.com/what_eats_owls/status/1257025821488762880

#8. A bookish craft you’d like to try?

I am probably the least crafty person you will ever meet 😬 That being said, I’d love to try doing a bullet journal for my reading. Does that could as a bookish craft? Cause that’s all I’ve got, lol.

#9. Something you’d like to practice/get better at?

I’ve always wanted to be able to draw. I’ve been wanting to try my hand at it/practice it to see if I could finally draw something beyond a stick figure. I just want to be able to draw all my favorite characters/scenes from books!

#10. How many times has your reading been interrupted by a family member/living mate?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 😂🤣😂 Literally multiple times a day unless I hide in the bathroom. And that doesn’t even guarantee me some alone time.

#11. Have you bought a book since you’ve been in quarantine? Which & from where? [No? Well, there’s still time…]

I’m technically on a book buying ban, so I was trying so hard to be good… but I broke 😩 I mean, I’m not really sad about it. I honestly lasted longer than I thought I would. But someone linked Bookshop.org, which donates part of it’s proceeds to indie bookstores, and I couldn’t resist! I ended up buying four books:

#12. What TV shows/movies have you binged watched?

Honestly, I’m not a big TV/movie person. I don’t know what it is, but my attention span is not built for marathoning a show. We have been watching Tiger King, which is a trip. I’m a big fan of true crime shows, so that one is right up my alley. Other than that, I’ve watched some random Disney movies… 🤷🏾‍♀️

#13. What other media are you consuming?

I’ve been playing A LOT of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. My daughter asked for it for her birthday and I was curious. I had never played an Animal Crossing game, but everyone was losing their minds about it so I wanted to see what the hype was about. And now I’m hopelessly addicted, so there’s that!

#14. Favourite song to wash your hands to?

I usually just count to twenty seconds because, if I start singing a song, I’m gonna be washing my hands for the duration of that song, lol. We’ll just saaaaay…

(I haven’t even watched the show but this song is CONSTANTLY STUCK IN MY HEAD!)

Did you enjoy this post? Did you find the questions interesting? Then consider yourself tagged! I would love to see your answers!

And, as always, happy reading!

wrap up

April 2020 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

April Wrap Up

Hello, reader!

It seems like it was just March and now it’s suddenly May. April went by in a blip! This was a busy month, settling into our new normal and trying to keep up with all the closures. And I definitely think my reading suffered. I’m an essential worker and it felt like I had even less time than usual to relax and read. And, when I could relax, reading just wasn’t keeping my attention. Still, I managed to get through five books this month and complete all the books on my O.W.L.s TBR! So, I’m feeling fairly accomplished!

Let’s take a look back at my reading month.

Books Reads

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

  1. The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton::★★★★::My review
  2. The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne::★★★::My review
  3. The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith::★★★★::My review
  4. The Whisper Man by Alex North::★★★★::My review
  5. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson::★★★★★::My review

Challenges

Popsugar Challenge prompts completed: 3

  1. A book you meant to read in 2019 (The Whisper Man)
  2. A book with a pink cover (The Heart’s Invisible Furies)
  3. A book written by an author in their 20s (Nimona)

Book Riot Read Harder Challenge prompts completed: 2

  1. Read a mystery where the victim(s) is not a woman (The Whisper Man)
  2. Read a book that takes place in a rural setting (The Vine Witch)

#StartOnYourShelfathon books completed: 3

  1. The Heart’s Invisible Furies
  2. The Whisper Man
  3. Nimona

Highs/Lows

I decided to change the title of this section from “Best/Worst” since, just because I may not enjoy a book doesn’t make it the worst. So now I’m going to my top book of the month and my bottom book of the month. This month’s top was actually the last book I read in April, which was…

I had heard of this graphic novel before, but hadn’t picked it up until it fit one of my Magical Readathon prompts. I’m so glad I finally read it because I absolutely adored it! This was such a wonderful way to finish out my reading month. The art was gorgeous, the story made me feel a lot of feelings, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Now, my bottom book of the month was one that very nearly knocked me into a reading slump. If you read my O.W.L.s mini-review post, you’ll know the book I’m talking about is…

Now, as I said in my review, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy this book. When I could convince myself to pick it up, I really enjoyed the experience! But it felt like such a chore to read. It was just far too slow for my liking and probably could have benefited from being a tad shorter. Still, I did think it was a well-written book and definitely worth the read. As you can maybe tell, I had an odd relationship with this one 😅

Reflections

As I’m sure it was for many, April continued to be a strange month. I think the family and I are still adjusting to our new normal. I mentioned that my desire to read took a hit and I definitely think it has to do with… *vaguely gestures at everything*

With that being said, I’m still pretty happy with how my reading month turned out! I finished all of my O.W.L.s for the Magical Readathon, which sets me up rather well for the N.E.W.T.s later on this year. I read the same amount of books as I did in March, and, while there may have only been one five star read in April, I still enjoyed everything I picked up. I’ve never been the type of reader who can tear through over ten books in one month, though I definitely envy them! One day…

I think the thing that I’m most excited about, though, is how many challenge prompts I checked off! After a month where I didn’t tic off a single Book Riot challenge, I knocked off two! And I honestly could have made a couple more books fit some of the prompts if I was being generous with interpretation, lol. I’ve consistently been checking off Popsugar prompts, as well, as this month was no different. But the biggest thing is that I’m finally making a dent in my #StartOnMyShelfathon challenge! 3 out of the 5 books I read were books on my physical TBR. I’m hoping to keep that momentum going in May!

So what is the focus for May? Honestly, I have quite a few books/ARCs to read for blog tours/reviews this month. I don’t know how it happened, but here we are 😬 Of course, I’m incredibly excited to read all of them, else I wouldn’t have requested them! I’m also excited to get more involved in blog tours. It’s always something I’ve been interested in as a blogger and I’m happy to help promote new books! Especially with the current state of things in the publishing industry. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for folks who are publishing books during this pandemic, whether they are a debut or an established authors.

And, perhaps, I’ll break out of my five-books-per-month reading trend! Fingers crossed 😂

I hope April treated you well, reader! Did you read a new favorite book? Did you participate in any readathons or challenges? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

book reviews

ARC Review: The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

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Title: The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

Author: Jamie Pacton

Genre: YA Contemporary/Romance

Publication Date: May 5th, 2020

Source: Author (Thanks, Jamie!)

Rating: ★★★★

Book Links:

Bookshop::Indiebound::TBD::B&N::Amazon::Goodreads

One Sentence Synopsis

Kit Sweetly works as a wench at The Castle, a medieval themed restaurant which is distinctly patriarchal, but wants to fight as a knight and decides to make that happen.

Favorite Quote

This quote is from an uncorrected copy and may change in the final version

“Well, at first, I didn’t think I was going to be able to change or prove anything – I was just helping my brother out. But, as I was fighting, I realized I liked it. I wanted to show kids they can do anything, regardless of gender identity. So, yes, it might be symbolic. But what better way to smash the patriarchy than with a lance and sword?”

Jamie Pacton, The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly
Continue reading “ARC Review: The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly” →
book blogger hop

Book Blogger Hop: May 1 – 7

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The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Crazy-For-Books and is currently being hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer. Every Friday, a new question is posted for book bloggers to answer in the coming week. The purpose of the hop is connection and community. You can discover new blogs to follow, new books to read, and you may end up with some new followers, as well!

This Week’s Question

Image by Coffee Addicted Writer

This week’s prompt submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer.

Okay, there’s no way I can pick one favorite author, so ya girl is gonna cheat and pick three 😂

“What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”

–The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone’s soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.”

–The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

“You’re nobody’s doorway but your own, and the only one that gets to tell you how your story ends is you.”

–Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

What are some of your favorite quotes from your favorite authors? Did you do your own BBH? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!