Month: October 2021

Fall Bucket List Book Tag

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Hello, reader!

As we are firmly settling into the fall season, I thought this would the perfect time to do the Fall Bucket List Book Tag! Not only does it remind me of all the things I love about this season, but I get to talk about books at the same time. Win-win! This tag was created by Read With Tiffany and it looks like a lot of fun.

First, I have to say thank you to itsKoo Reviews for tagging me! Definitely go check out her blog when you get the chance. Not only is it beautiful (love the colors!), but there’s always something interesting to read.

Alright, let’s jump in!

Light a Scented Candle – A Book That’s Lighthearted

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell/Faith Erin Hicks (illustrator)

This works doubly because not only is it light-hearted, but the fall vibes are immaculate! It is set at a pumpkin patch, after all. This was such a cute, fun read that left me aching for a chill in the air and a warm drink in my hand. The end was fairly predictable, but I still found myself loving every moment of this. It helps that the art is gorgeous!

Drink Pumpkin Spiced Lattes – A Book That Has a Lot of Hype

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

The hype was real for this book. So much so that I was nervous going into it. Well… that and the fact that I had heard about how brutal this book could be. I was happy when this story not only lived up to the hype, but surpassed it! I still haven’t finished the series because I’m just not ready to part with these characters 😩 I also suspect it’s going to rip my heart out…

Go Apple Picking – A Book That Has Fun Friendships

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

I loved Cassidy’s relationship with her ghostly BFF, Jacob, in this book! And, once again, we have a read that fits well with the fall theme. It was spooky and atmospheric and incredible! The highlight, though, was definitely the friendship Cassidy and Jacob share and seeing how much they care about one another. That and the copious amount of ghosts.

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Mini Reviews: Rivers of London Edition

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Hello, reader!

As you may or may not have picked up on, I’m participating in a relaxed readalong for the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. I had honestly never heard of this series before one of the TWR gang suggested this readalong, but the premise pulled me in. It’s a police procedural and a fantasy all wrapped up into one incredible package!

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this series, but I’m woefully behind on my reviews. Which is why I’m doing another installment of my mini reviews! Let’s go ahead and dive in.

Title: Rivers of London (UK)/Midnight Riot (US)

Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Mystery

Source: Borrowed (library)

CW/TW: For a list of content and trigger warnings, please check out BookTriggerWarnings.com

Rating: ★★★★

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

The first book in the Rivers of London series was a great starter. I loved getting to know Peter Grant, our sarcastic main character who is a PC for the Metropolitan in London that discovers that magic is very real. Not only is magic real, but there’s an entire division of the Met that is dedicated to taking care of “the weird stuff”. I mean… there was only one person assigned to the unit before Peter, but it still exists! The build up of this world that is very like and unlike our own was wonderful and definitely got me invested in the series.

Though there is a lot of set up in this book, it still has a gripping plot that completely sucked me into the book. I also loved the characters though I will admit that I found Peter a tad frustrating in this first story. Not to the point where I thought he was annoying or anything. No, I was just worried about his reckless self, lol. Peter’s tone of voice makes this story such a fun and engaging read. And the magical elements gave it an ominous feel that I love!

As first books in a series go, this one was pretty stellar.

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Book Blogger Hop: Oct 8 – 14

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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!

Hello, reader!

Today, I’m looking at the new Book Blogger Hop question of the week! Spoiler alert: this one is a lot of fun! And kind of difficult to answer, for me. There are just so many possibilities and it’s hard to narrow it down.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I? First, let me share what the question is!

This Week’s Question

Image made by Coffee Addicted Writer

What spooky creature and/or setting do you never get tired of reading?

Submitted by Nicci @ Sunny Buzzy Books.

In my opinion, this is two questions in one. I have a much easier time answering one of them as opposed to the other. Let’s start with the harder one, shall we?

What spooky creature do I never get tired of reading?

Well… that’s the thing. I love spooky books, in general, but I don’t think I have a favorite spooky creature. I’ve enjoyed books with ghosts, vampires, werewolves, but typically the feel of the book is more what makes it a fave as opposed to the creatures within. I will say I went through massive vampire burnout after the Twilight Years. They were just everywhere and I couldn’t be bothered anymore. But I’ve recently found myself either enjoying or very interested in books featuring vampires again.

I think, if I were forced to choose, I’d probably go with demons. More specifically mysterious and/or snarky demons who have a secret soft-spot for the humans in their lives. Think Silas from A Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. He was without a doubt my favorite character in that book! I’m failing to think of more examples at the moment. If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments!

What spooky setting do I never get tired of reading?

Now this is much easier to answer! GIVE ME ALL THE SPOOKY, SCARY WOODS/FORESTS, PLEASE!

I love a book that features dark and creepy woods, all the better if the main character lives in said woods in a dark and creepy house (probs my second favorite setting). There’s something so perfectly atmospheric and foreboding about a scary forest that makes any story (not just horror!), in my opinion, ten times better. A recent book I loved that got this setting just right is Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston. The woods in that story were just beautifully evocative and creepy enough to send a shiver down your spine. And it’s not even a horror novel! Immaculate *chef’s kiss*

Even if the forest isn’t the main focus of the story, I still love it! Take White Fox by Sara Faring. The forest in that story is certainly not at the center of the events, but it plays a small and terrifying role. And Sara Faring makes sure you know that it’s not a welcoming place. I absolutely loved the scenes that played out in the woods.

All this talk about scary, atmospheric forests and now I want to read a book with one in it… Time to pick through the TBR!

What are your favorite spooky creatures and/or settings in books? Do you have any recommendations for books that have the ones I love? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

First Lines Friday #21

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First Lines Fridays is 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?  If you want to make your own post, feel free to use or edit the banner above, and follow the rules below:

  • 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!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

We’ve made it through another week, which means it’s time for First Lines Friday! I’m sticking with darker theme this week and picking a horror book that has been on my radar for awhile. I’m planning on reading it soon and I’m pretty hyped about it! It should be a perfect read for spooky season.

Let’s see if the first few lines can make you want to read it, as well.

The Line(s):

“On the battered paper map that’s carried the two of them across they’re not sure how many of the American states now, this is Proofrock, Idaho, and the dark body of water before them is Indian Lake, nd it kind of goes forever out into the night.
“Does the mean there’s Indians in the lake, or does it mean that Indians made it?” Lotte asks, a gleam of excitement to her eyes.
“Everything here’s named after Indians,” Sven says back, whispering because there’s something solemn about being awake when everyone’s asleep.”

The Hints:

This is a horror novel features a main character obsessed with slasher films.

The chapter titles are the names of slasher films.

And, of course, people start dropping dead and our horror-obsessed MC has to use her knowledge to survive.

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Down the TBR Hole #12

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It’s time for a new round of Down the TBR Hole! This is where I go through my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ shelf and do a bit of cleaning up. If you want to see the full description of what this post is all about, check out my first round HERE.

Hello, reader!

I’m back with another round of Down the TBR Hole! I think I’ve done well with not adding a bunch of books this week. I ended the last round having whittled my Goodreads Want to Read shelf down to 654 books! And I’m currently sitting at… 658 books. Which is the number of books I started with last round. Oops 😂

In my defense, there are so many great books coming out! And we’re closing in on the end of 2021. It’s time to start thinking about those 2022 books I might want to check out. Although, typing that made me panic just a teensy bit. How are there only three months left of 2021?!

Alright, let’s focus! In anticipation of all the books I’ll probably be adding soon, let’s see if we can’t shove a few off the list this week, yeah?

The Final Conflict by Colin Duffy

Not gonna lie, kinda hate this cover. It’s doing less than nothing for me. The synopsis, however, has me intrigued. A historian finds an ancient document chronicling the near-end-of-the-world. It kind of makes me think of World War Z and it’s on 92 pages. So it gets to stay, ugly cover and all!

Verdict: Keep

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

And here we have the completely opposite reaction: love this cover but the synopsis is a snooze-fest. I’m very hit or miss with historical fiction. Most of the ones I’ve read, I’ve loved, but there have been a couple that just didn’t do it for me. This book, unfortunately, sounds like one that I wouldn’t really enjoy. So, despite the beautiful cover, I think it’s time to say goodbye.

Verdict: Remove

The Next Pandemic by Dr. Ali S. Khan

Hahaha… haaaaa… Definitely not ready to read this one any time soon! That being said, I am interested in what this book has to say about past pandemics. I used to work in clinical virology and I currently work in clinical microbiology, so this kind of stuff is fascinating to me. Which means it’s staying! I’ll get to it one day.

Verdict: Keep

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WWW Wednesday: Oct 6, 2021

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It’s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. What do you think you’ll read next?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

  • Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie: That’s right, I’m finally reading the Poirot book I was supposed to read last month 😂 Our boy Hastings is in this one and I always tend to enjoy Poirot books more when he’s around. There were two different racial slurs on page 20, so that was a yikes, but I’m still having a good time. Will I guess whodunit? Probably not but I’m gonna enjoy the ride!
  • The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah: I remember when this book came out and was floating around in my periphery. I was intrigued, but ended up never picking it up. Now I’ve signed up for a blog tour for the second book, so I figured it was about time I read this one, right? I’m currently listening to the audiobook and loving it! The descriptions of this underwater London are otherworldly and so vivid, I can picture myself there. I’m eager to finish this one and move on to the next.
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#5OnMyTBR – Characters in Their 20s

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#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook where you chose five books from your to-be-read pile that fit that week’s theme. If you’d like more info, head over to the announcement post!

Hello, reader!

It’s time for another 5 On My TBR though not on my usual day. I had a blog tour stop yesterday and I like those posts to have their own 24 hours on the blog before posting new stuff. Thus, the 5 On My TBR was pushed back to today! The theme for this week is books with characters in their 20s. Ngl, I had to look up a Goodreads list to see what books on my TBR featured 20 year olds 😂 And who knows how accurate it is, but I’m sticking with my choices!

That being said, let’s see what’s made the list!

#1. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

I’ve been meaning to read this book for quite awhile. Why haven’t I read it yet? Mostly because it’s in a genre that is very hit or miss for me. It takes a lot for me to really love a contemporary, but I think this book has what it takes! I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews, but I’m eager to follow Queenie’s journey as she tries to figure who she is and who she wants to be. Also, I freakin’ love the cover!

#2. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Sticking with the orange theme, here’s a book that has been on my TBR for a long time for a very different reason. I mean, she thicc and I’m scared. But, there are dragons, sooooo… I’ve heard so many great things about this book and I do love the fact that it’s a standalone. I have so many series going right now, y’all, I don’t need another one in my life. Still, I’m excited to get to this one once I can suck it up and get over the page count.

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Blog Tour: Shadow-Stained by Rachel Hobbs

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Hello, reader!

Welcome to another blog tour posted hosted by the ever fabulous The Write Reads! My tour stop today features a book that is perfect for this time of year. It features demons, an ancient artifact, and perhaps a touch of the end of the world as we know it. It’s a dark fantasy novel that doesn’t hold back on the gore… or the sexual tension: Shadow-Stained by Rachel Hobbs!

Now, before I jump into my stop and my review, I want to say thank you to Dave @ The Write Reads and the author for providing me with a free e-book in exchange for participation with this tour. It is, as always, much appreciated. All views written here are definitely my own!

Now, let’s get to the post.

Book Details

  • Title: Shadow-Stained
  • Author: Rachel Hobbs
  • Publication date: April 14th, 2020
  • Genre: Dark Fantasy
  • Age group: Adult
  • Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Book Links

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

Synopsis

“For her, it’s her late grandma’s legacy. For him, the mother of all black arts spoils, granting one demon the power of a God. Immortality.

When occult-magnet Ruby falls victim to Demon Lord Drayvex’s viperous allure, she loses a sentient dark relic to his light fingers and appetite for power. Like calls to like. But when Drayvex himself loses the relic to a traitor to the throne, Ruby coerces him – the tyrant king with a soft spot for humanity – into helping her save her pokey old world village from becoming a ground zero of mass demonic carnage.

Both invested in reclaiming the relic, the one thing Ruby and Drayvex agree on is that it’s in the wrong hands. Co-existing in a precarious arrangement between predator and prey, to save the planet they both love for different reasons, they must become a formidable double-team in the face of an apocalyptic takeover. Now, the fate of both human and demon alike rests with a killer that walks between worlds, and a woman with a curse in her bloodline.”

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Book Blogger Hop: Oct 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!

Hello, reader!

We’re on the cusp of a brand new week and I thought this would be a great time to check out the new Book Blogger Hop question! I’d forgotten how much I enjoy doing this meme because it’s a chance to just ramble about whatever bookish topic is on the table. And some people come up with the most interesting questions! The one we have this week is case in point…

This Week’s Question

Image created by Coffee Addicted Writer

Which book series make you crave chocolate?

Submitted by Julie @ Stepping Stones Book Reviews.

This is actually a tough one! There have been quite a few books that have made me crave food, but chocolate in particular? The obvious answer would be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, but I’ve heard some dubious things about him lately, so I decided to dig a little deeper into my read books. And that’s when I remembered the wonderful book Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James!

Though this book doesn’t focus around a magical chocolate factory, it does take place in a magical bookstore. And that bookstore has a cafe that sells some incredible treats! The descriptions of the pastries that Tilly gets to sample honestly had me drooling. Why this book popped into my mind for this question, though, was the hot chocolate. The hot chocolate sounded so good! Just thinking about it right now makes me want a mug 😋

Now I haven’t continued this series, so I don’t know if the wonderful food descriptions are in the later books, but I certainly hope so! I love a book that has such descriptive writing that you can almost taste the brownies as they are described.

And now I want a brownie…

Are there any books or book series that make you crave some chocolate?  Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

September 2021 Wrap Up

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Hello, reader!

Welcome to another monthly wrap up! September was a fairly good month when it comes to reading, though there was definitely a stressful vibe for yours truly. I went into the month with a TBR for the Magical Readathon and thinking I would be okay if I didn’t actually read all the books on it. And then I got really wrapped up in the story that G @ Book Roast created and I needed to complete it! Seeming as I had stuck quite a few bigger books on the original TBR, there were some swaps as the month came to a close 😅 Still, in the end, I enjoyed what I read and I’m happy I completed my revised Magical Readathon TBR.

So, let’s talk about what I read in the month of September!

Books Read

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

Book: The Meeting Point by Olivia Lara

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This was such a sweet, fun romance! I loved the beginning of the book, where we get to see the town of Carmel through the main character’s eyes. And I loved the eventual romance that occurred between her and our mysterious Lift driver. You can read my full review here.

Book: Rivers of London: Detective Stories by Ben Aaronovitch/Lee Sullivan (Illustrator)

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: I jumped back on the ROL graphic novel train last month, starting with this one. Though I’ll forever love these graphic novels for the beautiful art, this one was just okay for me. I think it’s because it was a bunch of little stories about Peter’s work in the force as opposed to just focusing on one. Still, it was a fun and quick read.

Book: The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: I read this book for a blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours and I’m so glad I signed up! This was such a creepy, atmospheric read! I loved the writing, the characters, and the fact that this one actually gave me the shivers. You can read my full review here.

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