Hello, reader!

Here’s me trying to catch up on my backlog of tags once again! I love tags so much, both reading and doing them, but they usually get lost in the book review/bookish memes/blog tour ether. Take this tag, for instance. I saw the Three Bookish Things tag floating around awhile ago and loved everyone’s posts! Yet it’s taken me forever to actually do it 😅 Still, I’m excited to finally participate because this one looks like fun!

First, I want to thank the ever-awesome Jenny @ JenJenReviews for tagging me! She runs an incredible blog where she reviews books from a variety of genres. She and her partner also host the Trope-ical Readathon which is A) super fun and B) one of the only readathons I look forward to every year. Go check her out when you have a chance!

I couldn’t locate who created this tag originally. If any of you know, please pass the info on because I would love to give credit where credit is due! Now, let’s get to it.

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Three read once and loved authors

• Jordan Ifueko: You know the author of Raybearer was gonna be at the top of this list! I fell in love with that book and Ifueko’s writing. She has a way of weaving a world that is completely enthralling. And the worlds she creates are so vivid and exciting! I can’t wait to read everything she writes.
• Margaret Owen: Similar story with this author! I read her debut novel, The Merciful Crow, and knew I wanted to read everything else she would ever write. I love the sinister bend to her stories and the way she tackles social issues in a fantasy setting. I also love that her heroines tend to be of the snarky, irreverent sort! I’m currently reading her most recent novel and it’s just cementing my love of her writing even more.
• Rebecca Roanhorse: The story here is a bit different. I haven’t read Rebecca Roanhorse’s debut. In fact, the first thing I read by her was a short story in the vampire anthology Vampires Never Get Old. And I freakin’ LOVED IT! After reading that, I knew I wanted to try one of her novels. Luckily for me, I got approved for an e-ARC of Black Sun. That book is currently my favorite read of 2021, hands down. Now I want to go back and read all her backlist!

Three titles I’ve watched but haven’t read

• Invincible: I recently watched the show on Amazon Prime. It’s kind of funny because I’m not a huge TV watcher, but my husband watched the first episode and insisted I try it. We watched it together… and ended up binging the entire season in the next couple of nights 😅 It certainly made me curious about the comic series!
• The Silence of the Lambs: I kind of hint to this in this week’s 5 On My TBR. I love this movie but have yet to read any of the source material. There’s something so intriguing about Hannibal Lecter as a character and I can only imagine we delve into him so much more in the books. I dunno if I’m gonna make it through the whole series, but I would like to at least read the first two books.
• Dune: Imma be honest with y’all. I fell asleep watching this movie 😂 That makes me less than eager to try the source material. Maybe one day… perhaps if I make it through the new version they’re making, I’ll be hyped up enough to pick up the book(s).

Three characters you love

• Zachary Ezra Rawlins from The Starless Sea: I think one of the reasons I love The Starless Sea is because I connected with the main character so much. He reminds me of myself as a young and slightly anti-social college student. I love his bookish-ness, his curiosity, and his determination to see things to the end. I’m also a sucker for his love story, omg. Dorian + Zachary 4eva!
• Tarisai from the Raybearer duology: And the Raybearer series has made another appearance on this post! What can I say, Tarisai is one of the main reasons I adore these books. She’s so strong, but in a way that feels vulnerable. She makes mistakes, she learns, she adapts, and she refuses to give up on what she believes in. I love her determination and her stubbornness. Though I also love when she allows herself to rely on others. She’s just so multifaceted and I think that’s why she’s stuck in my head so much.
• Mosscap and Dex from A Psalm for the Wild-Built: Okay, okay, I know that’s two characters, but I LOVE MOSSCAP AND HIS TEA MONK BFF!! This is a more recent love, but no less intense! Becky Chambers has a way of writing compelling characters that worm their way into your heart and her newest book is no exception. I can’t wait to get more stories with these two!

Three series binged

• The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series: I didn’t read these books as a kid, but I was curious what all the fuss was about. I think this was around when the movie was coming out? I’m glad I read the books and stayed away from the film because I absolutely loved it! I keep meaning to read more of Rick Riordan’s series, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Perhaps I’ll make that a goal in 2022.
• The Six Stories series: I’m currently in the middle of binging this as part of a series buddy read. I’m so glad this one came up because I’ve been absolutely loving it! The stories have that perfect creepy atmosphere that I love. And the endings! Every time, even if I’ve kind of guessed what might happen, the endings blow my mind. I’m so excited that we’re getting a new story in January!
• The Rivers of London series: Similarly to the last one, I’m in the middle of binging this for a buddy read and having a great time! I think we have a few more books before we’re all caught up, but I’m loving the ride so far. The fact that there are also novellas and graphic novels adds a nice bit of variety to this series. I’m excited to see where it goes.

Three favorite book covers

You expect me to pick just three?! Okay…

• Empire of the Vampire (Illumicrate Edition): I have never read a book by Mr. Kristoff, but oh man does this cover do things for me! It’s absolutely stunning and definitely makes me eager to pick this one up. Also, the UK cover in general, special edition or no, is vastly superior to the US cover.
• Among the Beasts & Briars (OwlCrate Edition): The regular edition of this cover is already a stunner, but there is something about this black cover that is just 😍 The sprayed edges on this edition are some of the most complementary I’ve ever seen on a book, as well! I’m happy to report that I loved the inside almost as much as the outside, as well.
• She Who Became the Sun (Illumicrate Edition): You’ll note a theme here, lol. Even though I’ve chosen the special editions for all three of these covers, however, I think the regular editions are equally stunning. This is another book I have not read, but my beautiful edition makes me want to pick it up next! I also prefer the UK cover to the US cover, but the US cover isn’t terrible. It’s just… not quite as beautiful.

Three goals for this year

Seeming as this year is almost over (my bad for taking so long) this will be goals for both 2021 and 2022!

• Post consistently to my blog: It seems like I definitely get more engagement when I post more regularly, so I want to make sure I can either post once or a day or at least keep to a schedule. What usually happens is that I post consistently for a month or so, burn myself out, and then post sporadically for a couple of months. I want to break out of that cycle! Which leads me to my next goal…
• Schedule posts more frequently: Instead of rushing to write a post so I have content for the day, I’d like to take a day out of the week to schedule my posts. That way, I have consistent content that I’m not writing under (my own perceived) pressure. One less thing to worry about!
• Be more organized: This not only applies to my blogging life, but my life outside the bookish world. I am a forgetful bean, but I don’t seem to recall that when people tell me things or I make appointments and I think to myself “I don’t need to write this down, I’ll remember!” Sigh… I want to get better at writing things down, making schedules, and using/checking my planner on a more frequent basis. Hopefully this will help cut down on some of the stress in my life, as well.

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Tagging:

Everyone and anyone who would like to do this! I feel like most folks I already have, but, if you haven’t and you thought this was fun, consider this your tag!