Top 10 Tuesday | Top 10 Favorite Reads of 2017 So Far

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly tag hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s prompt is…

Top 10 Recommendations for Audiobook Listeners


I swear I feel like 2017 just started but like … IT’S ALREADY ALMOST JULY?!

I know I have complained a lot about all of the disappointing book releases I have read this year, but I think it would be nice to point out the bright shining reads as well ❤

These are listed in a completely random order.


 

Red Rising series by Pierce Brown

 


 

The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer


Monsters of Verity series by Victoria Schwab

 

 


 Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor

 


Wayfarers series by

 

 


starflight by Melissa LandersStarflight series by Melissa Landers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover


Illuminae by Amie KaufmanThe Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

 

 

 

 

 

 


 Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

This one might be a bit tough of a listen for some people … because it’s heavy with the sexual content. Surprisingly I was fairly mature enough to feel

 


What are your favorite reads so far this year? Comment below!

Advertisement

Monthly Wrap-up | July 2017

 

Weekly Wrap-ups

Weekly Wrap-up | July.02.2017

Weekly Wrap-up | July.09.2017

Weekly Wrap-up | July.16.2017


 Monthly Overview

This month I finished reading 4 books


I read 1 books that were 2017 new releases

 

 

 

Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab


I completed 1 series

 

Monsters of Verity series by Victoria Schwab


I re-read 1 book

 

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer


I read 0 ARC

 

 


My favorite read this month was …

 

 

Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab


Monthly Book Haul

This month I purchased 16 new e-books

 

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Half a King (Shattered Sea #1) by Joe Abercrombie

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Foxhole Court (All for the Game #1) by Nora Sakavic

The Raven King (All for the Game #2) by Nora Sakavic

The King’s Men (All for the Game #3) by Nora Sakavic

The Girl at Midnight (The Girl at Midnight #1) by Melissa Grey

The Shadow Hour (The Girl at Midnight #2) by Melissa Grey

The Invasion of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling #2) by Erika Johansen

Cage of Deceit (Reign of Secrets #1) by Jennifer Anne Davis

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) by Victoria Rossi

A Song of Ice and Fire (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin

The Bear and the Nightingale (The Bear and the Nightingale #1) by Katherine Arden

Heartstone by Elle Katharine White

For Darkness Shows the Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars #1) by Diana Peterfreund

 

This month I purchased 21 new hardcover books

This month I purchased 3 new paperback books

 

 


August Outlook

July will be a Kindle Unlimited month for me so expect a lot of KU reads.

I will also be participating in a Throne of Glass series buddy read (continuing with Heir of Fire) with two of my favorite people and bloggers in the world Chelsea @ The Suspense is Thrilling Me (Check out her blog and most recent post!) and Solomon @ The Bookish King (check out his blog and most recent post!).

The Falling Kingdoms Fantasy League will be kicking off again with Gathering Darkness the first week of July.

I’ll be in Florida visiting family and enjoying the beach for the first week of this month, so I may be a little sporadic with my posting and with my reading but I will try to stay on track!

As always, I wish everyone a happy and enjoyable month!


How many books did you read this month? What was your favorite read? What are you looking forward to in the upcoming month?

I would love to hear about your month as well! Comment below!

Weekly Wrap-up | July.16.2017

 

Weekly posts

Audiobook Monday | July.10.2017

Top 5 Wednesday | Top 5 Favorite Children’s and Middle Grade Reads

I’ve Been Nominated | Liebster Award

First Lines Friday | Prayer candles flicker in my bedroom …

Book Review | The Distance Between Us


Currently reading

The Copper Promise by Jen WilliamsThe Copper Promise (The Copper Cat #1) by Jen Williams

This book has been siting on my CR list for weeks! But I am honestly still reading through it a few pages at a time. It’s not a bad read and it’s not that I’m not enjoying it … I just feel like taking it pieces at a time. Not to mention how swamped I have been with my reading and writing lately!

With all the things on my CR list, I feel like I won’t get much of this one done this week either. But we will see … I was on a contemporary kick the past few weeks but I can feel my heart returning to the motherland … that is to say the fantasy genre 😉


hunted by meagan spoonerHunted by Meagan Spooner

I started this audiobook the beginning of last week but I only listened to about an hour of it at the time. I was able to get through about 60% of it yesterday before my Overdrive loan expired … fortunately I purchased this as a Kindle book during a recent sale for $1.99 so I will be finishing this book up as an e-book read this week.

I have been on a bit of a Beauty and the Beast kick lately which has been a fun ride. This book is interesting but a bit on the slow side. The writing is really well done which is nice. I am excited to see how this all comes together.


Heir of fire by sarah j maasHeir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J Maas

I started this book a while ago when I finished Crown of Midnight. Unfortunately, I was not feeling it at the time so this book was moved to the backburner … and then into the currently reading list of forgetfulness.

Well … this book has fallen back to the wayside as I have literally only read the first chapter … oops. Seriously this is the most failed BR of all time as my buddies have also abandoned the read! I’m still going to keep it here on my CR list and hopefully I’ll get back into this one sometime soon.


Caught Inside by S Briones LimCaught Inside (Caught Inside #1) by S. Briones Lim

As many of you know … I recently returned from a week and a half visit back “home” to the Florida beaches ❤ AND I MISS IT ALREADY! There is just something about living a life that most people only have when on vacation. I love the sun and the sand and the heat and the water and the waves … and I wasn’t ready to let it go! So I found this collection of surfer romance books that I was hoping would be the perfect light beachy reads to keep me in the spirit ❤

I have read about 50% of this Kindle Unlimited read and it’s okay at best. It’s a little too simplistic and sort of anticlimactic and I’m really not connected to the characters. Still a quick easy read … but not great.


Gathering Darkness by morgan rhodesGathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3) by Morgan Rhodes

This week the Falling Kingdoms Fantasy League completed chapters 1-5 … this upcoming week we will be tacking up to chapter 10. This is book 3 in the Falling Kingdoms series and the next book being read by the Falling Kingdoms Fantasy League. The series has some serious issues, but reading with this group has been a lot of fun!

 

 


Finished Reading

Our Dark Duet by Victoria SchwabOur Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab

I listened to this audiobook while driving to and from Florida over the past few weeks … and I am crushed! In the best ways of course! Schwab is masterful in her writing and storytelling and this series has been no exception ❤

IT’S SO GOOD OMG! 5/5 stars ALL DAY EVERY DAY!

The worst part though was driving with tears streaming down my eyes … probably not the safest move tbh … but I’m still here … albeit missing a piece of my soul … but still here.

SCHWAB WHY DO YOU DO THESE THINGS … I’m not mad at you though … I love the pain!


the wall of winnipeg and me by mariana zapataThe Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

Roxy has been on my case about reading this book for all of FOREVER! But I don’t run into contemporary kicks too often so it took me a while to pick this one up! I’m very glad I did too! While the writing definitely had some issues and I feel like there was a need for some more aggressive editing in this book … in the end I loved it. It was a really great story with characters that I truly cared about and felt for.

This book is not a dramatic tumultuous romantic relationship but a slow burn building of a true friendship that blossoms into lasting love. It was true and fresh and real and I really enjoyed it (once I started ignoring the exhaustingly long monologues and the repetition of the narrators thoughts) ❤ This one is getting a solid 4/5 stars rating though I have not reviewed it yet. (I literally finished this book 6 hours ago).

Plus it’s on Kindle Unlimited!


beauty and the goblin king by lidiya foxgloveBeauty and the Goblin King (Fairy Tale Heat #1) by Lidiya Foxglove

“I really want to read a smutty fairy tale retelling” are the exact words I recall telling my bookish bestie only a few days ago. Well my friends … ask and you shall receive because while looking up “erotica” for some good laughs on Amazon I came across this collection of fairy tale erotica that is sure to please. And on Kindle Unlimited too!

I mean come on! An erotica retelling of Beauty and the Beast and with the inclusion of the classic Goblin King … just what I was looking for when those words were spoken 😛

If you are thinking of trying this book … please keep in mind that this series is essentially erotica. It’s sex with a plot … not plot with sex. The sex and sexual innuendo takes on a much heavier presence in this story than it would in a basic romance novel and the plot is glazed over quicker and with less emotion than a basic romance novel. It’s fun.

What I was surprised at though was how good the writing actually was for a book of this genre as well as the intricate plotline which was really well done (again for a book of this genre).

I feel like this description is quickly becoming a full review here lol so I will stop now … review to come though. 3.5-4/5 stars for this erotica retelling of Beauty and the Beast.


Weekly Outlook

This next week I will continue tackling my Goodreads Currently Reading list. Somehow I let it get even more out of control this past week! So I have sworn to get it down to a manageable number by focusing on completing the books I have already started before adding a million more.

I will be adding my bookish bestie Roxy to the blog as a guest reviewer this week starting with a meet and greet interview and introduction post this upcoming Thursday. which should be great! She reads more contemporary books while I tend to sway more toward the fantasy genre. I think this will be an awesome new partnership and allow me to get more reviews up on the blog in both genres. We also have a new idea for a fun conversation style buddy read review feature.

This week will be pretty chill … we are starting to get back into a basic routine around here so nothing too exciting. The good news is I should be able to get a lot of reading, writing, and reviewing done! Here’s hoping *crosses fingers*

As always, I wish everyone a happy and enjoyable week!


What books are you currently reading? What books did you recently finish reading? What do you have planned for the upcoming week?

I would love to hear about your week as well! Comment below!

Weekly Wrap-up | July.09.2017

Well this week was an epic failure as far as blogging goes … as far as vacationing goes though … it was beautiful 🙂

Ok so yeah … I literally only posted one blog post this past week … and I didn’t get nearly as much reading done as I was hoping for … and I only wrote 1 book review … and I may have broken down and had a complete fantasy slump and abandoned all my currently reading books to switch gears … but whatever!

Reading is about enjoying what you want and my beach vacation (which ends tomorrow) was a major success and so were the few books I did manage to read ❤

Weekly posts

Book Review | The Girl From Everywhere


 

Currently reading

The Copper Promise by Jen WilliamsThe Copper Promise (The Copper Cat #1) by Jen Williams

I continued reading The Copper Promise. It got pushed to the backburner for a while but now I am focusing on it more. I just reached the 50% mark and it is a very interesting and enjoyable read. I love Wydrin and her snark. I love the brutal stuff … AND DRAGONS! So basically ALL GREAT THINGS! I am very much looking forward to reading more of this story over the following week.


Our Dark Duet by Victoria SchwabOur Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab

I listened up to about 80% of this exciting and heartfelt audiobook while stuck in traffic for 15 hours on my way to go on vacation. This book definitely has me HOOKED! Schwab is masterful in her writing and storytelling and this series has been no exception ❤

I look forward to the return drive home tomorrow (hopefully NOT 15 hours of driving) so I can listen to the rest of this book! IT’S SO GOOD OMG!


Heir of fire by sarah j maasHeir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J Maas

I started this book a while ago when I finished Crown of Midnight. Unfortunately, I was not feeling it at the time so this book was moved to the backburner … and then into the currently reading list of forgetfulness.

But this week I re-started this book with a buddy read group and I am looking forward to getting back into this world.

 

 


the wall of winnipeg and me by mariana zapataThe Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

 

Roxy has been on my case about reading this book for all of FOREVER! But I don’t run into contemporary kicks too often so I am just not getting around to starting this one! I have been on a smutty contemporary binge the past few days so this one is the next on my list. I hope it’s as epic as my girl tells me it is ❤

Plus it’s on Kindle Unlimited!

 


Gathering Darkness by morgan rhodesGathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3) by Morgan Rhodes

I will actually be starting this book sometime this upcoming week, but I already have it added to my currently reading list. This is book 3 in the Falling Kingdoms series and the next book being read by the Falling Kingdoms Fantasy League. The series has some serious issues, but reading with this group has been a lot of fun!

 

 


Finished Reading

Forbidden by Tabitha SuzumaForbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

I put this book off for quite some time because of the content … it scared me. It still scares me and I loved it. This book was beautifully broken and tragic and enjoyable and heart wrenching. I thought I would find myself cringing and unable to finish … but instead I found myself hoping for happiness for two people (whoever they were) in love. Again, a beautifully broken tale and not at all what I was expecting. This book wrecked me though. 5/5 stars.

 

 


the hating game by sally thorne The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

 

 4.5/5 stars.


Weekly Outlook

This next week I will continue tackling my Goodreads Currently Reading list. It has gotten out of hand so I have sworn to get it down to a manageable number by focusing on completing the books I have already started before adding a million more. I am buddy-reading Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J Maas (FINALLY!) with the lovely Chelsea @ The Suspense is Thrilling Me (Check out her blog and most recent post!) and Solomon @ The Bookish King (check out his blog and most recent post!).

The Falling Kingdoms Fantasy League will be starting with Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3) this week.

I will be adding my bookish bestie to the blog as a guest reviewer soon which should be great! She reads more contemporary books while I tend to sway more toward the fantasy genre. I think this will be an awesome new partnership and allow me to get more reviews up on the blog in both genres. We also have a new idea for a fun conversation style buddy read review feature.

I’ll be heading home from my fabulous and refreshing vacation tomorrow and will be getting the blog back on track this week!

As always, I wish everyone a happy and enjoyable week!


What books are you currently reading? What books did you recently finish reading? What do you have planned for the upcoming week?

I would love to hear about your week as well! Comment below!

Monthly Wrap-up | June 2017

 

Weekly Wrap-ups

Weekly Wrap-up | June.25.2017

Weekly Wrap-up | June.17.2017

Weekly Wrap-up | June.10.2017

Weekly Wrap-up | June.02.2017


 Monthly Overview

This month I finished reading 12 books


I read 6 books that were 2017 new releases

 

Roar (Stormhearts #1) by Cora Carmack

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas

The Black Witch (Black Witch Chronicles #1) by Laurie Forest

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Nenon

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

 


I completed 1 series

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas


I re-read 1 book

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity #1) by Victoria Schwab


I read 1 ARC

Hearts are like balloons by Candace Robinson

Hearts are Like Balloons by Candace Robinson


My favorite read this month was …

Roar by Cora Carmack

 

Roar (Stormheart #1) by Cora Carmack


Monthly Book Haul

This month I purchased 4 new e-books

A Different Blue by Amy Harmon

Furies of Cauldron (Codex Alera #1) by Jim Butcher

The Last Kingdom (The Savon Stories #1) by Bernard Cornwell

Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault (Glass Vault #1) by Candace Robinson

This month I purchased two new hardcover books

Roar (Stormheart #1) by Cora Carmack

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee


July Outlook

July will be a Kindle Unlimited month for me so expect a lot of KU reads.

I will also be participating in a Throne of Glass series buddy read (continuing with Heir of Fire) with two of my favorite people and bloggers in the world Chelsea @ The Suspense is Thrilling Me (Check out her blog and most recent post!) and Solomon @ The Bookish King (check out his blog and most recent post!).

The Falling Kingdoms Fantasy League will be kicking off again with Gathering Darkness the first week of July.

I’ll be in Florida visiting family and enjoying the beach for the first week of this month, so I may be a little sporadic with my posting and with my reading but I will try to stay on track!

As always, I wish everyone a happy and enjoyable month!


How many books did you read this month? What was your favorite read? What are you looking forward to in the upcoming month?

I would love to hear about your month as well! Comment below!

Top 10 Tuesday | Top 10 Favorite Reads of 2017 So Far

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly tag hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s prompt is…

Top 10 Favorite Reads of 2017 So Far


I swear I feel like 2017 just started but like … IT’S ALREADY ALMOST JULY?!

I know I have complained a lot about all of the disappointing book releases I have read this year, but I think it would be nice to point out the bright shining reads as well ❤

These are listed in a completely random order.


 

Roar by Cora CarmackRoar (Stormheart, #1) by Cora Carmack 

Hardcover, 380 pages

Published June 13th 2017

I just finished this book just over a week ago and I loved it SO so much! I still feel like I’m living in this world! My review is basically me fangirling for 15 minutes. Read the review here. 5/5 stars.

Continue reading

Seven Deadly Sins | Book Tag

Woohoo! Ok so I am such a book tag lover it’s not even funny! So I was excited to be tagged for this one by Destiny @ Howling Libraries (check her out!). I was able to track this one down to a video that is no longer live so unfortunately … I will not be able to link to the creator of this tag. Sorry!


GREED: What are your most expensive and inexpensive books?

Expensive

Strange the Dreamer by Laini TaylorStrange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor

This book is probably one of the most expensive book splurges on my shelf … mainly because I insisted on preordering the signed UK cover version and paid quite a bit more for overseas shipping. BUT LOOK AT IT!!! IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

Inexpensive

My least expensive would be one of the many free Kindle books I own or ARCs provided my publishers or authors. I’m just choosing one at random here to highlight … how about …

the midnight sea by kat ross2

The Midnight Sea (The Fourth Element #1) by Kat Ross

Which was a free Kindle book at the time (actually as far as I know it still is) and I plan to read this one soon! I have actually seen some really good reviews.

Continue reading

Burn, Rewrite, Reread | Book Tag

I was tagged by Danielle @ Life of a Literary Nerd (check her out!), and it looks like so much fun!

Start by randomizing your Goodreads “read” shelf, pick the first three books, and assign an option to each. 5 rounds …. let’s do this!


Round 1

Burn

The Notebook (The Notebook #1) by Nicholas Sparks

This was an easy choice because I hated this book. This book was SO BORING! I was literally listening to this audiobook while watching paint dry and I think the paint situation was more exciting. I gave this book 1/5 stars.

Rewrite

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This was a little tougher because The Great Gatsby is honestly one of my all time favorite stories! Unfortunately I find Fitzgerald’s writing to be a bit cumbersome. This is the only reason I chose it for a rewrite vs. City of Ashes. I just feel like it could be cleaned up a bit to make it an easier read. Still this book garnered a 5/5 star rating from me.

Reread

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare

I didn’t love this series as much as I did Clare’s other works … but it was a solid read and I would be down for a reread at some point. No complaints really. Somewhere around the 4.5/5 stars on this one.

Continue reading

Book Review | A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J Maas

Hardcover, 1st Edition, 421 pages

Published May 5th 2015

2.5 stars

So am I kneeling at the altar of Sarah J. Maas along with the masses right now?
Well… no.
After starting and dnf-ing Throne of Glass about a bazillion times (that’s an approximation of course)… and then reading this book… I have resigned to the fact that … take out your pitchforks everyone … I just don’t like Maas’ writing.

There… I said it. Fight me ok!


The Story

Feyre.

She’s a human girl
In a human wooorld
Life is tragic
Not fantastic

She likes to set up snares
Shoots wolves without a caaaaare
Dedication, keeps them from starvation

(Tamlin): Come on Feyre let’s go Feyre
(chorus): Ah ah aaah yeah
(Tamlin): Come on Feyre let’s go Feyre
(chorus): ooOoh ooOoh

…..Oh god what am I doing?!
Seriously…. If you picked up on that… I equally love and pity you.
So …. we will both pretend that never happened.

Feyre is a human, living in poverty on the small sliver of mortal land that borders the land of the Fae. The evil maniacal murderous Fae that is – at least that is what she has been led to believe. Soon, a series of unfortunate events bring her face to face with one of the dreaded folk and Feyre is forced to pay back a debt by traveling beyond the wall and into enemy lands.

Continue reading

Mid Year Book Freak-out | Book Tag

I was mentioned over on A Court of Books and Love (check it out!) on this book tag and it seriously looks like a lot of fun! So I’m joining in 🙂

This is normally where I would mention the creator of the tag, but I have researched and researched to no avail. It seems the original creator’s  identity has been lost to the internet so whoever you are … I’m sorry!


Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2017

A Conjuring of Light by V E Schwab A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3) by V. E. Schwab

THIS BOOK OWNS MY SOUL!

Oh. My. God. This book was so beautiful and intricate and action packed! I laughed, I cried, I felt ALL THE FEELS! This book was one of my top 5 most anticipated book releases of 2017 and WOW!

My actual post read comment was:

“What turns a book into a knife that carves out a piece of your heart and then becomes a part of you? Because … this book is now a part of my soul!”

This whole series was a major surprise for me but quickly became an obsession. I felt like it got better and better and BETTER with every book. Obviously I gave this book 5/5 stars ❤

If you have not given this series a chance and you like magical worlds and intricate plots and characters … I encourage you to give Shades of Magic a try! NOW! GO!

Continue reading