Month: June 2022

Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag

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Hello, reader!

It’s the last day of June, which means we’ve made it halfway through the year! There’s been a lot of ups and downs (mostly downs, if I’m being honest), but I can say with all honesty that I have been having a fantastic reading year. I love doing tags like this one because I get to look back fondly on all the books that I’ve read and loved already in 2022. It’s just the bit of happiness I need these days!

Now, sources seem to differ on who created this tag. I’m going to say it was originally created by ReadLikeWildfire and Earl Grey Books because that’s the version of the tag I’ll be completing today. Thank you to them and all the other credited creators with slightly different tags for such a fun idea!

Alright, now let’s get to it.

Best Book You’ve Read So Far In 2022

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

I’ve read quite a few five star books this year. The one that stands out the most in my mind, however, is The Fifth Season! What can I say about this book other than it was absolutely incredible? All that hype? Worth it. This book took my expectations and launched them into space. It has incredible characters, superb world-building, a plot that kept me engaged throughout… in short, it has everything!

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far In 2022

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse

This has to go to Fevered Star! There’s really no contest, at this point. Any book that can get me to like Naranpa automatically gets five stars 😂 I’m kidding, of course, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the character growth in this sequel is on another level. Every single POV character is Going Through It and the author makes you feel their struggle as though it were yours. I connected so much with all of these characters and that’s quite a feat. I cannot wait til the next book 😆

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

Probably the new release that I’m most excited to read and that I actually own is Gallant. I’m a big fan of V.E. Schwab’s writing. I’m also a big fan of books with big, creepy houses in them. This seems like it’s a guaranteed win for me! I’ve been wanting to read this since it arrived in an Illumicrate box and just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Which is the fate of so many of my anticipated reads these days, heh. Soon, though… soon.

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WWW Wednesday: Jun 29, 2022

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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

  • Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid: I started this gothic horror a few days ago and, so far, it has me hooked! I’m taking my time reading it because this feels like a story that you need to settle into. No rushing through the pages with this one and I’m perfectly okay with that! It lets me enjoy the beautiful writing and the interesting setting. Current vibes? I feel like I’m gonna love this.
  • Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes: I just started this last night and I stayed up way past my bedtime because I just wanted to keep reading. The synopsis instantly made me think “Dead Space in book form” and, so far, that is absolutely true. And I ain’t mad about it! This is perfectly creepy and I’m loving that were flashing from the present to the past when the events of the book actually take place. The spooky vibes are incredible and I can’t wait to continue reading.
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Top 5 Tuesday: 2022 Reads

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Top 5 Tuesday is a fun, weekly meme that asks you to pick 5 books that fit that week’s theme. It was created by Bionic Bookworm and is currently being hosted by Meeghan Reads. You should check out their wonderful blog for more details and the list of prompts!

Hello, reader!

It’s a lovely Tuesday here in New England and I’m with another Top 5 Tuesday post! And this one is focused on a great topic: my top five reads of 2022 (so far). Now, I did an entire post at the end of last year just listing all my five star reads because I didn’t want to have to choose. I’m bad at making decisions when it comes to favorite books, okay?! However, the tiny caveat of ‘so far’ works to make me feel less guilty about picking up five books to feature.

That being said, let’s get to my list!

#1. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

I gotta give a shout out to my first five star read of the year! Actually, this was the first book I read in 2022. Talk about starting my reading year off with a bang! This duology has been everywhere and I had an e-ARC that was staring at me accusingly from my Netgalley shelf. I’m so glad I finally picked it up because it was phenomenal! It was a fast-paced thrill ride through 1926 Shanghai and I fell in love with our two main characters, Juliette and Roma.

#2. The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

This is probably one of my biggest surprises of the year, so far. I had seen the cover of this book and that was enough to make me want to read it. I knew very little about the book before picking it up, so I had no idea what I was getting into. I then proceeded to devour it in one day! Which is an accomplishment for me as I’m typically a slow reader. This fantasy wrapped in a mystery was truly captivating and made me want to read everything this author has written.

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May 2022 Wrap Up

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Hello, reader!

Now that’s it’s almost July, I figured I would share my May reading wrap up. Yeah… I know 😅 I really slacked on the wrap up this month! I’m going to blame it on life being kind of a jerk lately. And that’s not even taking into account the recent Supreme Court ruling… that was just the horrible cherry on top of the awful sundae.

Things in life are starting to look up, though, and it’s time to finally sit and do my May wrap up! So let’s go ahead and dive in.

Books Read

  • Piranesi by Susanna Clarke: I’m so glad I finally read this book! It was such a freakin’ delight, I swear. It’s a weird book, but I loved it precisely because it was weird. Our main character is so intriguing and I love the strange House in which he lives. Also, I don’t know why, but I didn’t realize this was a parallel universe book and I tend to enjoy those anyways, so I was presently surprised! The writing was *chef’s kiss* as well. ★★★★
  • Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire: This was another fantastic addition to the Wayward Children series. I think I liked this one better than the previous installment, actually. It has the darker feel that I loved from the second book, Down Among the Sticks and Bone. It also followed one of my favorite characters, Cora. I had a great time with this novella and it’s made me excited for the next one! ★★★★
  • The Knave of Secrets by Alex Livingston: I read this for a blog tour hosted by The Write Reads. I signed up for the tour because I was promised high stakes and I was not disappointed! Bonus: there was a great found family vibe. This was a great read that kept me entertained from beginning to end! You can read my full review here. ★★★★
  • The Night Shift by Alex Finlay: This was my first Alex Finlay read and it won’t be my last! This was such a twisty, intriguing thriller that kept me on my toes. I loved the writing and the early 2000s vibes that are in certain chapters set in the past. I will say that I guessed most of the twists in this book, but they were executed in a way that kept them interesting. I’m eager to read more from this author. ★★★★
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Sundays In Bed With… Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

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Sundays in Bed With… is a meme that 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 spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

Hello, reader!

We’ve made it to the end (or beginning?) or another week and I, for one, am ready for this week to be over. It’s been a stressful couple of weeks, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. So, I’m going to spend my evening curled up with a book and I want to tell you all about it. The book I’m featuring today is a gothic horror that just released last week. I’m a fan of horror and gothic horror is the top tier of horror, in my opinion!

Want to learn more about the book? Keep reading!

My Sunday Read Is…

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

I’ve had Ava Reid’s debut, The Wolf and the Woodsman, on my TBR for awhile. So it’s a little funny that I started reading her second book first 😅 I received an e-ARC through Netgalley and I’m trying to catch up with my Netgalley backlist, so here we are! Besides, I do love gothic horror, so that aspect intrigued me. Now that I’ve started reading it, I can firmly say that Ava Reid’s writing alone is going to get this book at the very least three stars. I love her writing so much! The story is engaging and definitely has that unsettling vibe that I expect from a gothic horror. I’m not too far in, only about 21%, but I’m loving what I’m getting so far!

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Book Blogger Hop: Jun 24 – 30

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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

What is your reading preference – fiction or nonfiction?  

Submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer.

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First Lines Friday #50

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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 (I cheat a little bit here *cough*)
  • Finally… reveal the book!

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

Hello, reader!

It’s Friday and that means it’s time for feature another book in a First Lines Friday post! It’s been a rough week and I gotta work this weekend, but at least I have this little corner of the internet to take my mind off things. Today, I’m featuring a book that I’m hoping to lose myself in soon! I won it in a giveaway and it sounds like it’s going to be an intriguing read.

Let’s see if the first few lines can draw me into the story!

The Line(s):

“The wind has stopped. I sway, suspended in place and holding on by a one-handed grip on the protrusion from the face of the cliff. It is jagged, eroded by the elements, causing the dense mesh of my gloves to dig into the skin of my palm.”

The Hints:

This is a science fiction novel that was released in 2021.

It is self-published.

And it’s the first book in a series!

Reveal:

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20 Questions Book Tag

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Hello, reader!

It’s Thursday and that seems a perfect day to do a tag! Today, I’ll be doing the 20 Questions Book Tag, which looks like a ton of fun. I was tagged by the awesome Esther @ Cozy With Books. She has such a fun blog! The aesthetic is so bright and cheerful and, if you like authors like John Sanford, you’re going to love her content. You should check her out if you haven’t already!

I went into a blog deep dive to try and discover who originally created this tag, but I came up empty handed. If any of you know, please fill me in so I can give credit where credit is due!

For now, though, let’s jump in.

1. How Many Books Is Too Many Books In a Series?

I tend to get bored with a series when it moves past ten books, I’ve realized. That’s what happened with the Anita Blake series and I started losing steam on the Wheel of Time series around book ten. I do want to re-read the Wheel of Time series, though, because now I know there’s an end, haha. I think that’s what turns me off… I start to wonder if there will ever be resolution and then I get annoyed 😂

2. How Do You Feel About Cliffhangers?

Again, as long as I know there’s going to be a resolution, I’m all for it! I love the suspension of a good cliffhanger and how hyped it gets me for the next book. That being said, I’m okay with an open-ended ending to a book or series, but if it has the excitement and the nail-biting quality of a cliffhanger, then I’m upset. I guess I just don’t like being left in suspense!

3. Hardback or Paperback?

My heart says ‘hardback’ but my baby wrists say ‘paperback’, haha. Honestly, though, a far amount of my books are hardback and I love the feel of holding/reading one. At the same time, as a fantasy reader who finds herself drawn to epics, I have a lot of chonky hardbacks on my TBR that just look like they’re gonna hurt to hold/read. Like The Jasmine Throne… my wrist were crying out for relief once I finished that book! So, sometimes, I’m kind and give them a break by picking up a nice paperback.

4. Favorite Book?

This is just a cruel question to ask a book lover! How am I supposed to pick just one?! I have quite a few favorites, but I suppose I’ll pick a more recent favorite to feature here. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin was a recent read that instantly jumped onto my ‘favorites of all time’ list. I had been wanting to read it for forever, but the hype intimidated me. Thankfully, this blew the hype out of the water. It was so good!

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Blog Tour: The Dark Matter of Natasha by Matthew R. Davis

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Hello, reader!

Today is my stop on another blog tour hosted by The Write Reads! This one is for a dark thriller with an emphasis on dark: The Dark Matter of Natasha by Matthew R. Davis. This book took me for a ride that I didn’t always want to see but I absolutely couldn’t look away! It’s a novella that packs a powerful punch.

But, before I get into more of my review, I want to thank Dave @ The Write Reads and all of the crew for giving me a spot on this tour! I also want to thank the publisher and author for sending me a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! It is, as always, much appreciated.

Alright, let’s get to it!

  • Title: The Dark Matter of Natasha
  • Author: Matthew R. Davis
  • Publication date: June 21st, 2022
  • Genre: Thriller
  • 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

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

Natasha stalks the quiet streets of dead-end Lunar Bay like doom in a denim jacket. She’s a grim reminder that some teenagers can never escape the ever-tightening noose of their lives. Burned out and benumbed by a traumatic past, dogged by scurrilous small-town gossip, she finds solace in drugs, sex and Slayer. What horrors have her flat eyes witnessed? And how far will she go in pursuit of the one tiny spark of hope that still flickers in her haunted heart?

When a naïve transplant crosses her path, he’s drawn into shadow and doubt. With his girlfriend ghosting him, Natasha’s fresh introduction to her half-lit world is darkly appealing. Now faced with confusing quandaries—connection or convenience, relationship or exploitation—can he help any of the women in his life?  Or is he just helping himself? The untold tragedies of Natasha’s lonely life may be more than he can handle. And in a town whose history is littered with dead girls, there may be no happy ending for anyone.

A tar-black coming of age story, this gritty psychological thriller from Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author Matthew R. Davis, eloquently chronicles the crushing gravity of small-town hopelessness, the double-edged catharsis of sex, drugs, and heavy metal, and the brutal weight of youth’s first lessons in accountability.

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Top 5 Tuesday: Rainy Day Reads

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Top 5 Tuesday is a fun, weekly meme that asks you to pick 5 books that fit that week’s theme. It was created by Bionic Bookworm and is currently being hosted by Meeghan Reads. You should check out their wonderful blog for more details and the list of prompts!

Hello, reader!

It’s time for another Top 5 Tuesday post! This week’s theme is all about rainy day reads. Now, me personally, when it starts raining outside, it immediately puts me in a mood for a spooky read. Whether it’s thriller, mystery, or horror, I want to read something that’s gonna make my spine tingle.

That being said, here are some of favorite rainy day reads that definitely delivered on the spooky/thrilling factor!

#1. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

This is my favorite Ruth Ware novel so far! And I think it definitely qualifies when it comes to spookiness. I spent most of the novel wondering whether or not there were ghosts involved. There were so many moments that just added to the tension in such a great way. Add in some creepy little kids and this book is just A++. I had such a good time reading this one!

#2. Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

This is technically billed as a fantasy, but the second installment in the Wayward Children series definitely leans into horror. Not only is this an incredible novella, but the setting, the Moors, is pretty much the perfect setting for a rainy day read, imo. This continues to be my favorite installment in this series and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I just love how creepy and odd the Moors are and I could read an entire series set there.

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