Tag: popsugar reading challenge

July 2022 Wrap Up
wrap up

July 2022 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

I’ve once again waited until it was almost next month to wrap up my reading for last month. This has become a trend 😬😅 Still, let my lateness not reflect on how my reading went in July. I read a ton of incredible reads last month and I’m excited to share them with you! Last month is also the first time I think ever that I read more audiobooks than physical books. I suppose I’m officially in my audiobook era.

Alright, let’s get to the post!

Books Read

  • Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes: This book was everything I wanted it to be! It was space horror at it’s most spine-tingling. I loved the atmospheric writing, the characters you don’t know if you can trust, and how everything was explained in the end. I will say there were moments that dragged a teensy bit and the ending wrapped a little too neat, but I still had a great time with this one. ★★★★
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: Well, this book is definitely going on my list of ‘favorite classics’. This was such a weird, horrific time and I loved every minute of it! I enjoyed Oscar Wilde’s writing style and how he created such a compelling character that I also wanted to kick. The descriptions of things that I did not care about could get a bit out of hand, I have to admit. Still, this was an engaging and excellent read. ★★★★
  • Ariadne by Jennifer Saint: I finally read Ariadne and it was just as good as everyone has been saying! As Greek mythology retellings go, I thoroughly enjoyed how Saint centered Ariadne and her sister in a myth that usually sweeps them under the rug. I was completely engaged throughout the story an, even though I knew how it would end, I was riveted. I’m certainly interested in reading whatever else Jennifer Saint writes next! I need to get my hands on Elektra. ★★★★
  • Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie: I continued my Poirot reading last month and this was the first book I read. This was an interesting story with a intriguing mystery. I enjoyed all the characters, though never as much as Poirot himself. There was no Hastings, however, so that made me a little sad. But I liked the twists and turns in this story and how it all wrapped up in the end. ★★★★
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June 2022 Wrap Up
wrap up

June 2022 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

Here I am, once again bringing you a very late monthly wrap up 😅 Perhaps in August I’ll get my act together, but, let’s be honest, probably not. This summer months have been busy and stressful and, though I’ve been reading quite a bit, I’ve been terrible at keeping track the way I used to that made making my monthly wrap up posts easier. So then I just put it off until I finally make myself sit down and do it, haha.

We’ve arrived at that point, so it’s time to tell you all about the books I read in June!

Books Read

  • The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James: This was my first Simone St. James and, though I enjoyed my time with it, I have to say I was a little underwhelmed. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this book. I thought they were intriguing and messed up and definitely interesting to follow. But this is a book that bounces back and forth between POVs and timelines and I found the timelines set in the past so intensely dull. Still, I enjoyed the spooky elements and the writing was good. That plus the great characters helped me pull through the duller chapters. ★★★
  • The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake: I went into this one unsure of how I was going to like it. I’m a fan of dark academia, but there are so many mixed reviews about this book! Thankfully, I fell on the side of loving it. The vibes were incredible, the characters were fascinating, and I loved the (admittedly convoluted sometimes) plot. There were moments were the writing felt a tad overwrought and boring, but those were few and far between. All in all, this was a wild ride and I’m eager to read the sequel. ★★★★
  • Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan: Here’s another book that has a lot of mixed reviews. And, again, I ended up on the side of loving it! This book was absolutely beautiful, inside and out. The writing was stunning! Like, so beautiful there were passages I listened to over again because I just loved them so much. The plot is fast-paced and intriguing and the worldbuilding is fantastic! The best part of this book, however, is the characters, especially Xingye. She’s such a nuanced and fierce character to watch grow throughout the story. Definitely looking forward to the sequel! ★★★★
  • Son of Shadow by John Lenahan: I read this book for a blog tour hosted by The Write Reads. It’s a fantasy that is focused around Irish mythology and it was quite a bit of fun! I loved how this book was a fantasy with a very contemporary feel. And the land of Tir na Nog was enchanting to read in this book. I have to admit to feeling a little lost for most of the book because this is the first book in a new trilogy, but there’s an entire trilogy before this. It felt like I was missing a lot of information because I hadn’t read that series. Overall, though, I had a good time with this book. You can read my full review here. ★★★
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April 2022 Wrap Up
wrap up

April 2022 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Hello, reader!

How is it already May?? I feel like April flew by and I’m not ready for it to already be the fifth month of 2022. We’re already almost halfway through the year! Still, with as fast as the month went, I still somehow managed to one of my best reading months of the year, so far. Dare I say, one of my best reading months ever. I managed to read 19 books last month. NINETEEN BOOKS! That is definitely a new personal record! On top of that, I also have 5 five star reads. Like, what?!

I fully credit two things for how great my reading was last month: rediscovering the wonderful world of audiobooks and the incredible Magical Readathon hosted by G @ Book Roast. Seriously, I had so much fun participating in the Orilium Spring Equinox round of the Magical Readathon. I managed to complete all the classes my character needed for her chosen calling, plus six additional side quests. G did a fantastic job of building a creative and fun readathon and I’m excited to participate again in the fall!

Alright, enough stalling… let’s talk about all the great books I read in the month of April.

Books Read

  • Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick: I read this for a The Write Reads blog tour and found myself loving this creepy middle grade horror! If you’re not a fan of spiders, I would maybe steer clear. Otherwise, this was a fast-paced, properly spooky story that had me on the edge of my seat. You can read my full review here. ★★★★
  • The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman: The printed version of Amanda Gorman’s incredibly compelling inauguration speech was just as moving as watching it live. It was profound; a rallying cry for a country that was finally getting a smidge of hope. And that’s what the tone of this poem was, overall… hopeful. I adored it. ★★★★★
  • Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica: This was my first Mary Kubica book, but it certainly won’t be my last! I loved this twisty, suburban mystery. I thought the characters were intriguing and the twists had my mouth hanging open! There was one plot point that felt a little out of left field, but, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. ★★★★
  • Scorpica by G.R. Macallister: I was given an e-ARC of this book on Netgalley. I knew nothing about it until the publicist emailed me, but, once I read the synopsis, I knew I wanted to read the book. I’m glad I gave it a go, too, because I ended up being sucked into this world! Slow on plot, but tons of great character building, which I love. And all the tangled political maneuverings were a definite bonus, as well. You can find my full review here. ★★★★
  • The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary: This contemporary romance was SO STINKIN’ CUTE! I mean, it dealt with some heavier topics, like emotional abuse and stalker behavior, so know that before diving in. But the romance between Tiff and Leon was absolutely everything I could have wanted and more. They are so cute and made this book a joy to read. ★★★★
  • The Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie: I was truly in my audiobook era during April and used that mojo to try and catch up with a Poirot readalong. Still not quite there, but I did manage to read two last month and they ended up being two of the more enjoyable ones! This was probably my favorite of the two because I enjoyed the set up much more. A little sad that Poirot wasn’t a big part of this book, but, overall, I had a ton of fun with it! ★★★★
  • Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie: This was the other Poirot novel I read in April and, though I enjoyed it, it definitely wasn’t as good as Three Act Tragedy. I do love a locked room (or plane, in this case) mystery and this delivered! My only sticking point with this one was that the big reveal felt so underwhelming. There was more Poirot in this one, though, so he made up for it. ★★★★
  • May Day by Josie Jaffrey: This was another blog tour read, this time for the first place winner of last year’s Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA). I can see why this book won first place because it was a wild ride! Who knew that all you needed to do to get me to like a vampire novel was to make the vampires detectives 😂 This was a gruesome and intricate mystery that definitely left me wanting to pick up the next book. You can read my full review here. ★★★★
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March 2022 Wrap Up
wrap up

March 2022 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

We made it through another month of 2022! I feel like March went by super fast which was not at all what I wanted, haha. I feel like I got nothing done because the month just slipped through my fingers! At the same time, I’ve been unusually stressed with nothing added to my daily routine that would explain all the stress. It was a weird month, y’all. Here’s hoping April will be a bit more chill.

In the reading department, I read quite a few books but not nearly the amount I was hoping to achieve. I only read a few books from my Magical Readathon and WomenInMyth-Athon TBRs, but I still had a lot of fun participating in both! I suppose I shouldn’t be too hard on myself because I still managed to read nine books. Nine books in one month would have made me from a few years ago die of shock! And the quality of those books what top tier. I had three five star reads last month! I gotta remind myself of these things when I’m being too down on myself for how much I read. After all, it’s quality not quantity that counts.

Anyways, let’s get into all the books I read in the month of March!

Books Read

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

Book: Anne of West Philly by Ivy Noelle Weir/illustrated by Myisha Haynes

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This was such a cute, fun graphic novel! It’s a retelling of Anne of Green Gables, which I haven’t read. Still, I know a bit about the character of Anne and I think this duo captured her spirit to a T! The art is beautiful, the story was touching, and I had a blast reading it. You can read my full review here.

Book: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: Well, this was quite a thrill to read! From the very beginning, I was invested in Priya and Malini’s stories. They are incredibly well-written and compelling characters that made me want to keep reading. Beyond them, the lush world-building and the intriguing politics had me absolutely captivated. I’m excited for the next book in this series!

Book: The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: This book took me by surprise! I got it in my Book of the Month box and signed up for a blog tour simply because I liked the cover. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the tour, it probably would have languished on my shelves for awhile. I’m so glad it didn’t, though, because it absolutely blew me away! You can read my full review here.

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February 2022 Wrap Up
wrap up

February 2022 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Hello, reader!

I know, I know. It’s already the middle of March and I’m just now doing my February wrap up. Imma be honest with you… I apparently had a dream that I had already finished this post and it was out on the internet for all to read. Then, I started questioning myself, looked it up, and realized that my subconscious thinks I’m far more on top of things than I actually am. Really, just a snapshot of how my brain has been working this path month. Like a sloth crawling through molasses up in here *taps head*

Anyhoo! Now that I’ve realized my mistake, it’s time to go over all the wonderful books I read last month. It was a pretty incredible reading month, especially considering it’s the shortest month of the year. I read a lot of books for me and a lot of quality books, at that! So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.

Books Read

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

Book: Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This was just as much fun as the first book in the series! I loved watching Ebenezer and Bethany bond even more. I also loved watching them learn more about friendship and what it is to be a ‘do-gooder’. I read this for a The Write Reads tour and you can read my full thoughts here.

Book: False Value by Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: Another gem in the Rivers of London series and this one finally reached the full five stars for me! I think this book really shows how much Peter has grown over the course of this series. I also loved all the tech talk and, of course, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy references! I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.

Book: Noor by Nnedi Okorafor

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: Another novella by Dr. Okorafor that I truly enjoyed! I think I liked Remote Control a smidge more, but this was a great read, as well. I loved how it examines topics like misogyny and how people treat those they see as ‘other’. This was a quick, engaging read and I enjoyed discovering all its layers.

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January 2022 Wrap Up
wrap up

January 2022 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

Now that we’re solidly into the second month of 2022, I figured it was time to do my reading wrap up for the first month. I had a pretty decent month of reading in January! I didn’t read a lot of books, but the quality was certainly top notch. I also finally watched Encanto and it kind of took over my life for a little bit. Not that that has anything to do with my reading, but there have definitely been days I chose watching Encanto again over reading a book so… maybe it does?

Either way, let’s start of by going over what books I did read in January 2022!

Books Read

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

Book: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: I kicked off the year with quite a banger! I finally read These Violent Delights and I absolutely loved it. It was an action-packed, emotional beginning to what is promising to be an epic reimagining of Romeo & Juliet. I loved the vivid feel of the world and Juliette was incredible character. Roma was pretty alright, too, lol. I can’t wait to read the sequel!

Book: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: I did it, y’all. I caved to the peer pressure and I read The Love Hypothesis. I’m happy to report that I really enjoyed it, as well! Was a tad be unrealistic? Sure. But did I have a lot of fun while reading it? Absolutely! Also, Olive needs better friends, I’m just saying. The amount of cringey things she did just because her best friend kept pushing her into PDA situations was just… yikes. Still, this was a fun read and I’m glad I picked it up.

Book: Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

Rating: ★★★

Thoughts: This was an interesting horror novella that would have been much better if the ghost had been more present. Which is saying something, since the ghost is quite murderous! I just did not care about any of the characters in this book. The spooky stuff, however, was on point! Give me more of that and I would’ve been happy. Overall, this was a good, quick read.

Continue reading “January 2022 Wrap Up” →
2022 Reading Goals
book discussion

2022 Reading Goals

kerrimcbooknerd7 Comments

Hello, reader!

We’ve made it to 2022 mostly intact, which is nothing to sneeze at these days. Now that we’re here, I figured it was time to share my reading goals for this new year. I realized, as I was preparing to write this post, that I never made a 2021 reading goals post. It’s not that I didn’t have anything I was striving towards, reading-wise, but after the year that was 2020, I wasn’t feeling putting anymore pressure on myself.

Now, you’re probably thinking “Why would sharing your goals put pressure on you?” And the only answer is because of who I am as a person 😂 The need to seem On Top Of Things is real in Kerri-land, so putting goals out there for people to see makes my brain see them as something I have to do. But 2022 is the year that I’m trying to be much kinder to myself. I’m trying to look at these goals as something fun, not like they’re chores. As goals that would be cool to achieve, but won’t send me into a shame-spiral if I don’t quite get there. It’s… a work in progress, lol.

That being said, I’ve only set myself a few reading/bookish goals this year that I think I quite attainable. Let’s take a look at what I have in mind for 2022!

My Main Bookish Goals

As I mentioned, I don’t have a ton of bookish goals I’m focusing on this year. I think that will help me not only focus to achieve the goals I’ve set, but not stress myself out too much in 2022. I was a ball of stress by the end of last year and it was not fun. So I’ve picked out four goals that I’m hoping to focus on throughout the year:

#1. Read more of my owned TBR.

Ya girl has… a lot of books that I own, but have not read. Like…

My overstuffed TBR bookcase

A lot. And that’s just the bookcase! There are three stacks in my office that aren’t included in this picture! So my main focus for 2022 is to the actually read some of these before adding even more books to this fire hazard.

And maybe get a new bookcase.

First, though, I’m gonna read more of my owned books! These are all books that I bought because I truly wanted to read them at some point, but they’ve all been neglected for newer, shinier books. I really got caught up in the new release hype last year which is how my owned yet unread library has grown so monstrous. My plan for right now is no new books until I’ve read a significant portion of my owned library. The only exception to that rule is my Illumicrate subscription (which is already paid for since I pay every 6 months) and my Book of the Month subscription (which I’m going to limit to just my BotM pick… no add-ons!). I have yet to decided what a “significant portion” entails because I have yet to actually count the number of books that encompass my owned TBR.

Mostly cause I’m scared 😅

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December 2020 Wrap Up
wrap up

December 2020 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

Hello, reader!

We’ve made it to 2021 and I, for one, couldn’t be happier! I know the changing of the year on the calendar doesn’t instantly mean all the bad things from last year are gone, but I still feel like a weight has been lifted. It’s a fresh new year with fresh possibilities and I’m excited to make the most of it! Before we can move on to 2021, however, it’s time to wrap up my last reading month of 2020.

December was a busy month that had me going a mile a minute. Work was a mile a minute, getting ready for the holidays had me stressed, and we got a new puppy who has been keeping us busy! Thankfully, though, the books I read really ended the year on a high note!

Books Read

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

  1. The Cousins by Karen M. McManus::★★★★★::My review
  2. Check Please Book 2 by Ngozi Ukazu::★★★★
  3. Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston::★★★★★::My review
  4. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia::★★★★★
  5. Winterling by Sarah Prineas::★★★
  6. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton::★★★★

Challenges

Popsugar Challenge prompts completed: 1

  • A book with a pun in the title (Check, Please Book 2: Sticks & Scones)

Not a strong end to the year, is it 😅 I’ll be going over my 2020 challenge stats in a later post!

Highs and Lows

This is a tough one because I had three five star reads in December! It’s hard choosing the one that I loved the most. As I think about them, though, there is one that stands out just a bit from the other two. They were all incredible, but this book had one of my new favorite characters of all time! My high this month is…

Tristan is such a phenomenal character that I just have to pick his book to be my favorite of December. I’d been wanting to read Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky for quite some time and I’m glad I finally did because it’s now a new favorite. I adored Tristan and I adored seeing legends that featured Black people being retold in this contemporary middle grade fantasy. It was interesting and beautifully written and I really need to write my review because there’s a lot I want to say! I’m so thankful to Middle Grade Marvels for finally compelling me to read this fantastic book.

Funnily enough, my low for the month was also a Middle Grade Marvels read, heh 😅 It was my only three star read last month and, while I enjoyed it, I think it suffered from being read in a month of truly incredibly books. My low this month is…

Like I said, I did enjoy this book, but it didn’t love it as much as I had imagined I would. I liked the story, I thought the plot was fine, and Fer was a great character. At the same time, I wish we had gotten to see more of the magic and been able to see more of Fer after she figured out who she was. The fae magic was the most interesting thing in the book and I felt like we didn’t get nearly enough. Still, since this is the beginning of a series, I am interested in continuing as I think we’ll get more of that in the subsequent books.

Reflections

2020 was… a year and I feel like December was a concentrated dose of all the insanity we’ve experienced throughout the year. I’m so glad that, overall, my reading was an incredible escape! I read so many fantastic books in the last month of 2020 and I’m thankful I ended my reading year on such a high note.

Now, I didn’t do so hot with the challenges this month and I didn’t read a ton. And I may have headed into January feeling a little burnout and slumpy, but that had nothing to do with the quality of the books. I think that was due to my trying to do ALL THE THINGS at the end of the year. Though I never officially stated I was doing Blogmas, I was trying to post every day before Christmas. I almost got there, too! I pushed myself a little more than I probably should have and, as a result, I entered the last week of 2020 and the first week of 2021 not wanting to write anything. I think I’ve rounded the bend and am feeling the blogging love again, though! Going into the new year, I need to find a posting schedule that will keep my blog lively, but won’t make me want to hide from my laptop 😂

Overall, I think this was a pretty stellar reading year. I read a ton of great books and I became more active in the bookish community. I met some fantastic people and discovered the joy of buddy reads. Although 2020 was a bit of a dumpster fire, I will always be thankful for the books and the bookish community because they made this year pretty great 💖 Now on to 2021!

How was your reading in December? Did you find a new favorite? Make any progress on some challenges? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

October 2020 Wrap Up
wrap up

October 2020 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd8 Comments

Hello, reader!

It’s that time again to look back at how my reading went last month. I’m gonna tell you right now… it wasn’t great in October 😅 I hit a pretty bad reading slump last month. Absolutely nothing could hold my interest! Not even The Dragon Republic, which I was dying to read! But we’ll talk about it in a moment.

First, let’s take a look back at what I read in the month of October.

Books Read

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

  1. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang::★★★★★
  2. Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger::★★★★
  3. The Wolf and the Water by Josie Jaffrey::★★★★::My review
  4. Sentience by Courtney P. Hunter::★★★★::My review
Continue reading “October 2020 Wrap Up” →
September 2020 Wrap Up
wrap up

September 2020 Wrap Up

kerrimcbooknerd8 Comments

Hello, reader!

We’ve entered into a new month (Hello, October!) which means it’s time to say goodbye to the last one. September is my birth month, my favorite month of the year, but uuuuugh did it feel hectic this year! I think part of that is the fact that the kiddos started back at school which caused a major adjustment in all our routines. There was also the fact that I signed up for what seemed like ALL THE BLOG TOURS! I have no sense of balance, y’all…

Either way, I still had a rather good reading month, so let’s talk about it!

Books Read

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

  1. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn::★★★★★::My review
  2. Vampires Never Get Old edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker::★★★★::My review
  3. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes::★★★★::My review
  4. Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis Pickney and Brian Pickney::★★★★★::My review
  5. Frozen Rage by Steve McHugh::★★★★::My review
Continue reading “September 2020 Wrap Up” →