Category: wrap up

October 2021 Wrap Up
wrap up

October 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Hello, reader!

Now that we are solidly into November, I figured it was time to do my October wrap up. October was a pretty decent reading month, though my lack of horror reads is truly disappointing! Still, there were quite a few books I read that had proper spooky vibes, so I’m not too mad about it. I also picked up and finished a duology that I has been on my radar for awhile and I loved it. And I read a new favorite that will most likely end up in my top ten books of the year, so bonus!

That being said, why don’t we dive into my wrap up.

Books Read

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

Book: Shadow-Stained by Rachel Hobbs

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: I read this book for a The Write Reads blog tour. I enjoyed my time with it, though it didn’t blow my mind. It was a paranormal romance that did slow burn in the best way. I also loved Drayvex, the main male character who was a sarcastic legend. You can read my full review here.

Book: Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: Slowly catching up with an Agatha Christie readalong I’m participating in with some bookish friends! I do enjoy her Hercule Poirot stories, though I always have to remind myself of the time period they were written in. Especially when two separate racial slurs are dropped on one page. Still, this was an interesting mystery and I loved the twist.

Book: The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: I read this book because I was on a blog tour for the sequel. It had also been on my TBR for a minute since watching a rave review about it. I think this is an underrated YA gem! I had such fun reading this exciting and beautiful book. And I enjoyed the sequel just as much!

Continue reading “October 2021 Wrap Up” →
September 2021 Wrap Up
wrap up

September 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd6 Comments

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.

Continue reading “September 2021 Wrap Up” →
August 2021 Wrap Up
wrap up

August 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

Guess who just had her best reading month (both in quantity and quality) in August?? Yup! This girl! Not only did I read a whopping 16 books (!!), but I read not one, not two, but four 5 star reads! Let’s take a moment to appreciate this because it won’t be happening again 😂 I have to give props to the Trope-ical Readathon and my competitive nature for bumping them numbers, lol. Though I didn’t finish all the books on my TBR, I read more prompts than I ever have before! After a kind of lackluster July, I’m happy that August really brought its A game. I read so many incredible books (and a couple of duds…) and found a couple of new favorites.

But enough chit-chat, let’s get to what I read in August!

Books Read

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

Book: The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: The Rivers of London readalong continues and, this time, I went with an audiobook! Which, I have to say, I really loved. The narrator was top-notch! This is a novella that I quite enjoyed, especially since we get to see a lot of Abigail. She’s quickly becoming one of my favorite characters in this series.

Book: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Rating: ★★

Thoughts: This one hurt, I have to say. This was one of my favorite books when I was younger. The adventure! The love story! I remember falling for this book so hard. And then I re-read it with TWR book club and yiiiiikes. The fatphobia! The sexism! It was just… not it. Nostalgia is the main reason this got a two star instead of a one. I think I’ll just stick with the movie 😅

Book: The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: And then came my first five star read of the month! My goodness, this book was incredible! This is the first book in the Singing Hills Cycle and it completely captured my imagination. Nghi Vo has beautiful writing that pulls you into the story in the best way. I loved the cleric and their talking bird and I loved hearing Rabbit’s story. This book made me want to read everything Nghi Vo ever writes!

Continue reading “August 2021 Wrap Up” →
July 2021 Wrap Up
wrap up

July 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

We’ve made it to a new month, which means it’s time to wrap up my reading for the last month! July both flew and dragged by and, though I’m happy we’ve moved on the August, I’m also shocked that it’s already the eighth month of the year. I will say, though, that July was definitely a much better reading month than June! I ended up reading 11 books and I found myself really enjoying all of them! I also got away from the weird reading mood I had been in all of June. I think the fact that I was, for the most part, reading whatever I wanted certainly helped with that. I even picked up a couple books that weren’t for blog tours or buddy reads!

But enough rambling. Let’s take a look at what I got to read in the month of July.

Books Read

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

Book: Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: My Rivers of London readalong with some of the TWR gang continues! This was the most recent full-length novel I read in the series since we’ve started diving into the graphic novels and novellas. I really liked it, though I wish there had been more Nightingale. What can I say? He’s my favorite! Still, this was a solid addition to the series.

Book: Rivers of London: Night Witch by Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: Speaking of Rivers of London graphic novels, this was the next book I completed in July. Though I found myself not loving this one as much as Body Work, I still had a fun time with it. The story just felt a bit disjointed, but, once I got into the flow, I enjoyed the ride. Also, it was interesting learning a bit more about a certain Night Witch.

Book: Gargantis by Thomas Taylor

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: Aaahh, I loved this book!! I honestly can’t decide whether I enjoyed this one more than the first book in the series, Malamander. It was such a fun, eerie, exciting read and it made me anxious to snatch up the third book once it comes out. I need more Herbie and Violet adventures!

Continue reading “July 2021 Wrap Up” →
June 2021 Wrap Up
wrap up

June 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

We’re over halfway through July, so I figured it might be time to throw up my June Wrap Up, lol. I’m not gonna lie, June was kind of a rough reading month for me. Not only did I not read as many books as the three previous months and fail hard at Pride month, but I found it so hard to get into most of the books I picked up. Not saying I didn’t enjoy the books I read. I didn’t rate anything below four stars, it was just getting myself to actually pick up the books felt like such a chore 😅 I don’t know what brought it on, but it lead to June feeling like a very odd reading month!

Still, it’s not about quantity but quality right? Like I said, I didn’t rate anything I read last month under four stars and I had two five star reads! So why don’t we get to the post so you can see what I loved in June.

Books Read

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

Book: Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: I read this YA contemporary for a The Write Reads tour and I absolutely loved it! I went into this expecting a light-hearted story about young love and relationships, with a dash of magic. What I got was so much deeper and more emotional than that! This book ripped my heart out, but then gave me a warm hug afterwards. Ugh, I want to read it again and that’s always a mark of a great book to me! You can read my full review here.

Book: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This was another The Write Reads tour book and another hit. I don’t know why I’m also so nervous to go int space opera books because I always end up loving them. This was the beginning to a new epic sci-fi and it was a wild ride! I had a lot of fun reading this book, even though it was a thick one, and I’m eager to continue the series when the next book comes out! You can read my full review here.

Book: Rivers of London: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: I’m currently buddy reading this entire series with some bookish friends and we’ve gotten to the moment where we’re diving into the graphic novels. I found myself really enjoying this story and seeing characters I’ve been following for awhile come to life. Also, Nightingale is just awesome and I love when he gets to show off, lol. This was a fun, quick read and a great addition to the series.

Continue reading “June 2021 Wrap Up” →
May 2021 Wrap Up
wrap up

May 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

Somehow, we have already made it through May and my mind is legitimately boggled. Like, how is it already June?! Of course, I’m a happy girl because summer is when I ✨thrive✨! I’m a creature of sun and warmth, so summer is my favorite. But, before we go full force into the summer vibes, I still need to wrap up our last full month of spring.

May was a month where I read quite a bit, but wasn’t as into the books I managed to read. It wasn’t like anything was particularly bad, but I could feel a reading slump gnawing at the edges of my consciousness and I think that affected my reading enjoyment. Still, I managed to read 11 books last month and I’m astonished about that! That’s impressive when I was starting to feel slumpy.

But enough rambling for now. Let’s see what I managed to read in the month of May!

Books Read

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

Book: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: I finally made it all the way through the second book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy! This was the book that stopped me from completing it years ago because I could not get over the long, drawn out descriptions. Something about listening to it on audio, though, made it vastly more enjoyable. I will say, I didn’t enjoy it as much as Fellowship of the Ring but it was still a good time.

Book: The Gallery of Wonders by Marc Remus

Rating: ★★

Thoughts: Sigh… this book had so much potential. It’s a story that follows a young girl and her friends who get sucked into a magical painting. They get to attend a school that teaches you how to wield magic paintbrushes and it’s all super fantastical. Unfortunately, it’s also basically Harry Potter, but make it about painting. Seriously, the comparisons where vast and, after awhile, it took me right out of the story. The writing was also stilted and just… not it. I’m sad cause it sounded so good!

Book: Things to Do Before the End of the World by Emily Barr

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: I read this book for a blog tour hosted by The Write Reads and, quite honestly, I had no idea what I was going into when I picked it up 😂 It was categorized as a thriller, though lots of people where calling it a contemporary, so I went in with an open mind. I found myself really enjoying following our main characters journey as she came into her own while the world was literally dying around her. You can read my full review here!

Continue reading “May 2021 Wrap Up” →
April 2021 Wrap Up
wrap up

April 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd6 Comments

Hello, reader!

It’s time once again for another monthly wrap up. Which makes no sense because didn’t April just start? I swear, I blinked and it was May! This year is already going much faster than 2020 which, hey, I appreciate it. April was a pretty stellar reading month, with most of the books I read being four stars. I even found a new favorite book! I’m excited to share with you all the books I managed to read and some thoughts, so let’s jump right in!

Books Read

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

Book: Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes by M.R. Noble

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: I read this book for a blog tour and, for the most part, I had a good time! It was an intriguing and fast-paced paranormal romance that definitely kept my interest! I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance and I would have appreciated a little more world-building, but I still had a fun time reading it. You can read my full review here!

Book: What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: What an absolutely beautiful book! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went into this novel for a blog tour and I was blown away! This is a dark and enthralling young adult thriller that will chill you to the bones. The writing was my favorite part, it was so lyrical and hit me in the feels. You can read my full review here!

Book: Fireborne by Rosaria Munda

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: In April, I was trying to bring my Netgalley ratio back up after getting a bit behind on reviews. Which meant I need to re-read this book because I never got around to reviewing it when I read it the first time. I didn’t mind, though, because this book about two dragonriders with a lot of secrets was incredible! I adored our two main characters, Annie and Lee, and the world-building was *chef’s kiss* You can read my full review here!

Continue reading “April 2021 Wrap Up” →
March 2021 Wrap Up
wrap up

March 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

Now that we’re in the middle of our first week of April, I figured it was time to do my wrap up for March! I’m also trying to be more punctual with my wrap ups than I was in 2020, lol. March was quite the reading month for me, what with buddy reads and participating in the Trope-ical Readathon. I read the most I have all year and I thoroughly enjoyed most of what I read! I also realized that I am super behind on my non-blog tour reviews 😅

But let’s not focus on that right now! Let’s talk about what I read in the month of March.

Books Read

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

Book: Ranger’s Oath by Blake Arthur Peel

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: This was one of my blog tour books for the month of March. I ended up enjoying this one, though it could be a bit info-dumpy. The characters were interesting and the world was easy to get lost in, so it made for a quick read! You can read my full thoughts here!

Book: Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This book made me realize that I don’t dislike all werewolf stories. This was so good and not at all what I was expecting! For the Trope-ical Readathon, I was on Team Mystery/Horror/Thriller and this was one of the choices for the team book. I’m so glad it was because I probably would never have picked it up otherwise! I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.

Book: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: I’ve finally decided to give the Lord of the Rings trilogy another go with a little prodding from some of the Write Reads gang. I… was not a fan when I first tried these books, to state it mildly. However, I’m going the audiobook route this time and, I have to say, I’m absolutely loving the experience! It helps to have friends to talk to about the story as we go 💕

Continue reading “March 2021 Wrap Up” →
February 2021 Wrap Up
wrap up

February 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd10 Comments

Hello, reader!

Look at me getting to my monthly wrap up before the middle of the month 😂 One day, I’ll be a blogger that is actually on the ball. One day…

Anyways! As you can tell by the header, today I’ll be going over my reading from the month of February. Though it is the shortest month of the year, I somehow managed to read the most books I have in a long time. I got through nine books and, though that probably doesn’t seem like much, it’s a ton for me! I also rather enjoyed my reading, which is always a great thing. This is also turning into the year of the buddy read and I ain’t mad about it. But more on that later! For now, let’s get to the wrap up.

Books Read

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

Book: Bad Habits by Flynn Meany

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: I read this book for a The Write Reads blog tour. This was a fun and interesting look at feminism at a Catholic boarding school. It made me legit laugh out loud, though I do wish more time had been spent showing the main character’s growth. Still, I had a good time with this one! You can read my full review here.

Book: The Darkwater Bride by Marty Ross

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: This was an Audible Original that I picked up awhile ago. The cover looked creepy and it has a full cast, so I was in! This ended up being… fine? Nothing spectacular, nothing terrible. It was overall pretty meh, if I’m being honest, but the full cast made it much better than it would have been if I had read this physically!

Book: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: After reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd with some of the Write Reads gang last month, I jumped at the chance to join their Hercule Poirot buddy read! The book for February was The Murder on the Links but, to catch up, I had to read this one first. I enjoyed it, though it’s not my favorite Christie. It was fun seeing Poirot in his first book appearance, though.

Continue reading “February 2021 Wrap Up” →
January 2021 Wrap Up
wrap up

January 2021 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

We’re into the second week in February, so I figured it was about time I wrapped up my reading in January. I’m planning on doing things a little bit differently this year. I’m not going to be including my year-long reading challenges in my wrap ups anymore because all it did was cause me stress 😅 It felt like I was barely doing anything because I would only have one or two books a month in that section! I’ll be keeping track of that separately and talk about it in a dedicated post, I think. I’m also only going to focus on my best book of the month as opposed to doing highs and lows. This is because what may be a low for me might be someone else’s favorite book and I always felt bad drawing attention to the fact that I just didn’t jive with it. We’re focusing on the positive in this blog! Of course, that’s not to say that I’ll never talk about books I didn’t like (it’s part of being a reviewer… you can’t enjoy every book!) but I’m not going to make it such a feature, ya know?

Alright, enough blabber. Let’s get to my first wrap up of the new year!

Books Read

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

Book: The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: This book was as good, if not better, than the first one in the series! The Poppy War hurts and this book was no different, but, for some reason, I welcome the pain. Rin’s story is just so compelling and it’s interesting to watch her rise and descent.

Book: Fly Free by Allison Rose

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: This was a quick, enjoyable read that throws you into the land and intrigue of the land of fae. I really enjoyed the plot and the world-building, though the love interests (and the romance, in general) fell a little flat for me. You can read my full review here.

Book: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: Ahhhh, this was so CUTE! I absolutely loved the romance between Dani and Zafir 😍 This was the perfect mix of adorable and steamy. I can’t wait to get my hands on the last Brown Sisters book!

Continue reading “January 2021 Wrap Up” →