Hi everyone! My friend Janel had this cool idea where they chose book recommendations based on songs from their Spotify On Repeat playlist, so I thought I’d join in and do the same thing. So I’m going to pick 5 songs from my On Repeat playlist (Janel didn’t use repeats, and I’ll try to do the same where possible but honestly I usually get obsessed with an artist and listen to them and only them for months at a time). Shall we get started?
This song is a satire jam that I’m obsessed with right now. In fact I’m obsessed with the whole of the Solar Power album but there we go. It is difficult to choose a book that I enjoyed that fits with this one to be honest, but I think thematically the best one would be Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty, which I didn’t love but plays on the whole wellness vibe.
This song is just really comforting. It sounds like it’s going to be dis track but honestly it’s more about how everyone goes through ups and downs in life and it’s just a good reminder that some things don’t last forever. For this song I’m going to recommend The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue because Henry’s story is so comforting to me and made me feel less alone, just like the song.
I guess this song is about having someone who it feels safe to be with when maybe your own home isn’t anymore. I’m sorry I always recommend the same books but I’m going to go with Act Your Age, Eve Brown again because this book feels safe for me. I also feel like although Eve’s home is a safe place she needed to leave to discover more about herself and be outside the shadow of her sisters.
For this one I’m going to go with Honey Girl. This song reminds me of this sapphic book a lot? I don’t really know why to be honest, it’s just vibes. I think it’s because both characters want to be seen and loved, but commitment is a big step for Grace, the protagonist.
Here we go, my first repeat artist. I think for Solar Power I’m going to go with The One’s We’re Meant to Find, because this book has big climate change and different energy sources vibes. I mean Solar Power is a happy song really, but this book is not so, but for some reason I associate the two. So here you go!
There we go, here’s my first lot of On Repeat recommendations, hope you like them. What music are you listening to lately? Let me know in the comments. (And check out Orla Gartland’s album, Woman on the Internet. She released it independently and I love every song.)
Hi everyone! This week I’m participating in Six for Sunday, a meme hosted by Steph at A Little But a Lot. This month, the focus is 2021 books, and this week’s topic is: Books you could / will re-read. Looking forward to putting some of my faves from this year out there!
1) She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan. This book is definitely one of my favourite books from 2021, I was so glued to it. I will definitely be re-reading sometime soon, and definitely before book 2 comes out!
2) The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers. Everyone who reads this blog knows I am obsessed with Becky Chambers and honestly I can’t wait to read this final book in the Wayfarers series because it’s so wholesome.
3) Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert. OK so this is probably my favourite romance of all time. I already re-read the first books in the trilogy this year, so I’m definitely going to read Eve Brown again as it’s my favourite of the lot!
4) The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec. Absolutely heartbreaking and brilliant from start to finish. This might be my favourite re-telling ever. Just so good.
5) Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. Ah this one is similarly heart-breaking to The Witch’s Heart. I knew nothing about this Greek myth before reading this book so it’ll be interesting to see what I think the second time around.
6) Finally, I think I’ll go with Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Taylor is one of my favourite writers and I devour every book she releases. I’ve re-read a few of the others already so I’m for sure going to be re-reading this!
It was actually so hard to choose only 6 books from 2021 that I’ll be re-reading. There are so many good ones, I didn’t even mention The Unbroken by C.L. Clark, The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne, A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas…there are loads more too.
What do you think? Which 2021 books are you excited to read again?
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This is my first Top 10 Tuesday post, and this week the theme is: Secondary/Minor Characters Who Deserve More Love
Hi Guys! It’s been a while since I did a Top Ten Tuesday but I’m on holiday this week so have a bit more time to make some blog posts. This theme is really hard for me! So I might cover characters that aren’t protagonists, not just secondary and minor characters. What does that even mean haha? Here we go.
1) OK so we have Sabran from The Priory of the Orange Tree. She’s actually a pretty big character but doesn’t have her own point of view. I love her so much (and this whole book to be honest).
2) Skadi in The Witch’s Heart is one of my favourites! I loved everything about this book and it’s messy characters where you can’t quite work out their motivations.
3) All of Meddy’s aunts and her mum in Dial A for Aunties. Absolutely loved this book, it left me in stiches the whole way through. Highly recommend it for a good laugh, if you can get past how wild it is.
4) OK, so the ghost of the grandmother in Black Water Sister is also amazing, and definitely provided some great humour intermingled with the more series topics in this book. I love Zen Cho and everything she put into this book.
5) The Boyfriend Project gave us London and Taylor as the protagonist Samiah’s new best friends after they’re all being cheated on by the same guy. Honestly this was such a good book for positive friendships between women and I am here for it, hence London and Taylor making this list.
6) Just about every character in Becky Chambers’ wayfarers series is wonderful and cute. I am obsessed with them all, I can’t even name them. I think Sissix is my fave in The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.
7) Having just finished Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune, I think I’ll bring up the grandfather character again! Such a caring man, delaying passing to the other side to care for his grandson. We stan Nelson!!!
8) So Second First Impressions gave birth two two ninety something year old retirement home women named the Parlonis and I loved these icons with all my heart. These novels that include character interactions between generations really have my heart.
9) I love an eccentric mentor character and Jiang Ziya from The Poppy War is just that. Can’t believe he made Rin run up a mountain carrying a pig, but there we go.
10) Finally…Fire by Kristin Cashore. Hanna is Brigan’s daughter, she’s only 5 and I love her a lot as a minor child character. She has had a tough life but she’s also so strong, and I really felt for her not getting along with the other kids. At least she stands up for hersef!
There we go, 10 side characters I thought I’d give a shout out. What do you think? I definitely cheated a bit because I have an awful memory. What side characters are your favourites? Let me know!
Hey everyone! I’ve not done a book tag in a while. I got tagged in this one a while ago by The Bookish Mutant who has an amazing blog that you should definitely check out. The tag was originally created by Krisha’s Cosy Corner.
Rules
Thank the blogger who nominated you and give a link to the blog. (I wasn’t tagged, but thanks, Rania!)
Answer the 5 feelings given to you.
Write the reason in 5 to 6 lines of why does that particular book come under that feeling. (dunno if I’ll manage all that but we’ll see)
Nominate between 5-12 other bloggers.
Give your nominees 5 feelings too.
Notify your nominees once you’ve uploaded your post.
Let’s get started shall we?
A book with a character that made you angry
Well, this one I’ll go with The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang – there are two characters that made me furious in this one, a sister and an ex boyfriend. I reviewed this book recently, you should check it out for more info before it releases in September.
A book with the perfect setting for you to daydream about
This one is harder because a lot of the books I read do not have nice places to live. I think I’ll have to go with Velaris from A Court of Thorns and Roses series, just because it sounds beautiful.
A book that made you feel better after a long slump
Honestly Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters trilogy always gets me out of a slump because I love the characters so much. Act Your Age, Eve Brown is my favourite of the three but they’re all fantastic.
A book that you couldn’t stop thinking about for weeks after reading it
Ah, it has to be The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. This book looked into my soul and put it on paper. Captured that lost feeling of adulthood, the potential crushed by indecision, the anxiety, the desire to be seen like no other book.
A book that made you want to punch a wall
Oh this one is tricky. I’ll have to go with Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson – this is a stunning book but it really made me furious! It has some really challenging subject matter about exploiting young girls in the music industry and made me want to kill a man.
My prompts:
A book that made you laugh so hard you cried
A book that hurt so much you cried
A book that made you squeal because it was so cute
A book that made you fall in love with a new genre
Hi everyone! Welcome to my July 2021 wrap-up post. For these wrap-ups I include Book Coven book club, fave books you can buy now, books to look out for and books I want to read soon.
I didn’t read much in July, but what I did read was absolutely fantastic – such a hit month for me. So, I’m guessing this post will be a long one!
Book Club
Every month the mods of the Book Coven get us to suggest books that make up the book club bracket. We then vote all the way through to a final, and that’s the book we read together over the course of 3 weeks. Then the amazing Paragraphs and Pages asks us some super insightful questions and off we go. This month the club read:
This month we chose to read Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. I’m currently two thirds of the way through and have mixed feelings about it so far, but I’m excited to read the last section!
Favourites
I completed my reading of the Sapphic Trifecta by picking up The Unbroken by C.L. Clark. This slow burning military fantasy was exceptionally written and I found the characters to have so much depth. There’s also loads of room to expand in the sequel so again, I’m super excited to see how this foundation is built upon. Again, you can check out more of my thoughts in my review.
I really did read a lot of good fantasy this month – this time a YA by Tricia Levenseller called Blade of Secrets. This one is close to my heart thanks to the socially anxious protagonist and found family elements. If you want a fantasy a bit lighter on the detail but with a lot of heart, Blade of Secrets is the one. You can check out my review for more info!
The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken was definitely a surprise love for me. This book has one of my favourite protagonists in it, Keeley Smythe. She’s a really powerful blacksmith with a super soft heart and I loved her instinct with animals so much. Like Blade of Secrets, The Blacksmith Queen is also a story full of heart. You can read more about it in my review.
I read one science-fiction novel this month and that was A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. This book is so unique with everything from the technology to the names of the characters. It also absolutely destroyed me, we love a sci-fi murder mystery with amazing characters at the centre. Here’s my review for more info! Can’t wait to read the sequel when it comes out in paperback.
Now onto the YA book I read. Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson was one of my most anticipated books of 2020, but I only got around to reading it this month for some reason. Nothing says this book emotionally destroyed me like Grown, a book about abuse in the music industry. This one comes not recommended for young readers for good reason. Further thoughts in my review.
In contrast to Grown, Blackout is an anthology about Black joy and romance. Tiffany D. Jackson is also one of the authors! I loved this collection of stories so much, mostly because they were all interlinked in the best ways. I’m so excited that this is being adapted for TV because honestly, it’s made for it. There were no weak links to be seen, which is only to be expected when a group of great authors like these come together. You can check out my review for more thoughts.
Books to Look Out For
I read 5 ARCs this month and all of them were awesome! I was most excited when I got approved for the sequel to A Deadly Education, The Last Graduate. Naomi Novik didn’t disappoint as this sequel builds on El’s character, changes her role in the Scholomance and grows her connections with the other characters. More in my review, though not too much because it’s hard not to spoil!
The first book I read in July was She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan. I actually think this was my favourite book of the month, the characters just really had my whole heart and I loved the plot. I’m very excited to finish this duology when the sequel comes out. You can read more of my thoughts in my review!
I also read my first noir – Velvet was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I think this is my favourite book by this author! loved the blunt writing style, was totally gripped by the mysteries in the plot and really related to Maite, one of the protagonists. I loved how this book through an ordinary woman into a crazy situation. Check out my review for more! You won’t want to miss this when it releases in August.
On the YA side of things I read Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance, which is out now so go go go! This book introduced me to Kathak dancing, and I learned so much about a new culture. I loved Radha and Jai a lot as protagonists, and really enjoyed following Radha’s healing journey to love performing again. If you like dance novels, definitely give this one a go, it’s so different to anything I’ve read before! For more, see my review.
And finally, the first ARC I reviewed this month was the new Jasmine Guillory, While We Were Dating. I really liked this spin on famous / ordinary person romance as Anna, an actress, was a really lovely person who cared a lot for her family. The guy, Ben, was also really genuine and kind which gave me all the good feels. Here’s the link to my review!
Next month?
I have no idea which books I’ll be reading in August! Reputation by Lex Croucher is definitely on the list as I could do with a feel good read. I’m also going to read my ARC of The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang, an author I’ve enjoyed reading so far. Hopefully I’ll have a great time, just like in July.
So even though I didn’t read many books in July (compared to usual), all of them except one were 4 or 5 stars hence so many reviews! It made me so happy to read amazing book after amazing book and I hope to build on that throughout August. Work is still a bit crazy so might be another small reading list but I’m so excited about my to be read pile!
How are you doing at the moment? Hope you all had an amazing July and wish you all the best for August. Sending love!
Hi everyone! Welcome to my June 2021 wrap-up post. For these wrap-ups I include Book Coven book club, fave books you can buy now, books to look out for and books I want to read soon. June continued Book Coven’s Taylor Swift Lyric challenge so I actually read some books!
Sorry that this post is a few days late, I’ve been so busy with work and it looks like July is going to be a little crazy for me. Hopefully I will still get to read some awesome books!
Book Club
Every month the mods of the Book Coven get us to suggest books that make up the book club bracket. We then vote all the way through to a final, and that’s the book we read together over the course of 3 weeks. Then the amazing Paragraphs and Pages asks us some super insightful questions and off we go. This month the club read:
The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
I’ve already read The Girl’s I’ve Been and let me tell you it is a wild ride. Set in two timeframes, in one you follow the protagonist as she grows up pulling off cons led by her mum, and in the other she’s in a bank with her friends being held hostage by thugs. It’s a really excellent read – heart-breaking backstory but uses her skills to get herself and her friends out of a tricky situation. You can check out my review of this book here.
We haven’t chosen our next book yet as the timelines don’t match a particular month anymore, but I am sure we will have a difficult vote yet again.
Favourites
I read some absolutely incredible books in June that I’d never picked up before. I had a couple of book shopping trips for the first time in ages leading to some new books for my collection. The first book I’m going to add to my favourites is Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. I honestly have a hit and miss relationship with re-tellings but this one completely blew me away. I was frozen after reading it because I was that caught up in the story that having it end felt like something was missing in my life. As I mentioned in my review, I don’t know anything about Greek Mythology so every plot point was a surprise to me.
Another fantasy I found to be a surprise new favourite is Black Water Sister by Zen Cho. This book follows Jessamyn as she moves back to Malaysia with her family only to be haunted by the ghost of her Ah Ma who had died the previous year. This is book is absolutely wild with it’s blend of spirits, ghosts, gangsters and family dynamics. It was such an emotional rollercoaster as it’s filled with humour but also hits hard emotionally. You can check out my review for more!
Sticking with the fantasy theme, I found The Atlas Six was everything I’ve been looking for after Vita Nostra left a hole in my life for weird and wonderful dark academia. It is a great example of how to handle writing six different points of view. I loved the way this format allowed us to see each character from their own perspective and from the perspective of the others. Loved the magic system in this one, you can check out my review here.
Now onto romance! I finally picked up Love at First by Kate Clayborn after loving her previous book Love Lettering. This one was such a tender read as two characters who have opposing desires for a block of apartments fall in love, both of them handling their own grief for loss of family members in completely different situations. This one builds slowly, but I adored every moment. If you’re interested check out my review for more!
Finally, I will mention the best of the Young Adult books I read in June. Ace of Spades is probably the book that I’ve done the biggest U-Turn on ever. It started off being really average for me and became something completely different. It is a stunning thriller centred on two Black queer characters who are targeted by a mysterious anonymous instagram account that reveals their secrets. Honestly this is not one to miss, and if you’re feeling undecided at the halfway point, keep reading! Here is my review if you would like more of my thoughts.
The first book I read this month is Muted by Tami Charles – this is a novel in verse that completely destroyed me. It’s so well executed and follows a young Black music star as she is caught up in a nasty industry with her friends. This one really doesn’t shy away from the horrors the teenagers face and the ending was devastating. You can read my review for more details!
Books to Look Out For
OK, I only read two of my arcs this month but both of them were 5 star hits. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is honestly one of the best YA books I’ve ever read. It blends the science fiction and fantasy genres to tell the story of Zetian, a girl in a world where boys are revered and girls are only ever meant to be their support. Zetian has no cares left to give and fights the misogyny around her with such intensity that I was completely behind her immediately. If you pick up one book in the second half of 2021 then Iron Widow should be it. You can see further why I think this in my review.
Finally, a romance novel! I read The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren, which I actually loved so much. A mathematics / statistics based romance novel was written to get after my own heart and it did not disappoint. It follows Jess and River as they are a surprise diamond match on River’s soulmate rating app. It’s such a rarity that the company decides that they should really explore what this means so Jess and River get to know each other. Honestly this was adorable, I loved both of the characters and even though the science was sketchy it didn’t really detract from my enjoyment at all. Read my review for more opinions!
Next month?
So the book I am most excited about for July is She Who Became the Sun. I have heard so many good things about this book and I can’t wait to get stuck into my ARC. I’m also really excited to read A Memory Called Empire, and The Unbroken. As for contemporary books, both Blackout and Grown are on my list for July, and I am so excited for both. I have been meaning to read Grown for so long and after giving up on my library getting the audiobook, I finally caved and got the hardback.
So that’s me done for June! Hope you all had a great start to the summer (or winter). I honestly had such a good reading month with hardly any misses. I hope July is just as good despite how busy I’m going to be. Let me know how you’ve been doing in the comments! Have you read any of the books mentioned in this post? Tell me your thoughts!
Hi everyone! Welcome to my May 2021 wrap-up post. For these wrap-ups I include Book Coven book club, fave books you can buy now, books to look out for and books I want to read soon.May was Book Coven’s Taylor Swift Lyric challenge so I actually read some books!
Book Club
Every month the mods of the Book Coven get us to suggest books that make up the book club bracket. We then vote all the way through to a final, and that’s the book we read together over the course of 3 weeks. Then the amazing Paragraphs and Pages asks us some super insightful questions and off we go. This month the club read two books:
The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller
I’ve already read The One’s We’re Meant to Find which was a really thought provoking read, and unfortunately I didn’t get around to reading Blade of Secrets this month, but looks like a lot of the Book Coven members enjoyed it!
We haven’t chosen our next book yet but we had 16 books make the bracket and they’re all LGBTQ+ books as its Pride Month!
Favourites
I re-read Get a Life, Chloe Brown and Take a Hint, Dani Brown (this series is my fave I love it so much). Talia Hibbert’s books always make me smile and these two are no different. They also have the most adorable covers! The books just give me so many feels and I’m in a perpetual state of wanting to re-read them.
I also read A Dowry of Blood – this one is a lyrical retelling of Dracula’s brides and I found the writing to be so beautiful. I only wish it was longer so I could enjoy the writing even more! If you like gothic books that are really going to hit you in the feels then I recommend checking this out, it’s honestly so unique.
For something a little bit different to be normal reads I picked up Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I’m not usually a big mystery reader but this one was really enjoyable as it examined real people’s lives in the context of a mystery. I thought I’d hate the drama but it turned out it gave me a lot of emotions and I loved the way it all wrapped up. On the mystery theme, I also read The Girl’s I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe. This one is about a teenager who grew up as the daughter of a con-artist who ends up in a bank with her friends while it is being robbed. Makes for a really gripping story which I loved!
Last but not least for this post, I read Dear Martin by Nic Stone. This is a short YA that follows a boy called Justyce as he experiences racial profiling first hand and explores what it means for him as he never expected it. There are lots of class discussions at his school that would make for great educational material!
Books to Look Out For
Releasing on June 10th is The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri! I absolutely loved this book – it’s told from two main point of view (f/f romance!) and has other points of view intermingled which give some wider context. Loved the world building in this one, it really is unique and magical.
Hana Khan Carries on by Uzma Jalaluddin was also a huge hit with me – it was so much more than a romance with it’s interesting family dynamics and examination of racism against Muslims in Toronto. I loved Hana’s character so much – she had such strong values throughout.
Next month?
I’m not sure what I’m going to read in June – hopefully lots of LGBTQ+ books for pride! In terms of arcs I am really looking forward to reading She Who Became the Sun and Velvet Was the Night. After loving The House in the Cerulean Sea so much I’m also excited to read Under the Whispering Door.
I’ve also got to read the final book in the Isles of Storm and Sorrow series, I’m really intrigued to find out how Bex Hogan is going to wrap it up in Vulture!
I hope everyone had a wonderful reading month in May – I know I did. naturally work is still hectic, plus I had a little visit to my sister’s new house. June looks to be a bit quieter, and I’m really enjoying the sunshine we’re getting in the UK a the moment. Have a great June!!!
Hi everyone! Welcome to my April 2021 wrap-up post. For these wrap-ups I include Book Coven book club, fave books you can buy now, books to look out for and books I want to read soon. I read more books in April than I did in March – most of them being ARCs thanks to a little encouragement from the Book Coven and our arc April challenge.
Book Club
Every month the mods of the Book Coven get us to suggest books that make up the book club bracket. We then vote all the way through to a final, and that’s the book we read together over the course of 3 weeks. Then the amazing Paragraphs and Pages asks us some super insightful questions and off we go. This month the club read four books:
Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao
A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malidna Lo
I read both Blood Heir and Last Night at the Telegraph Club. Blood Heir didn’t hold my attention well at all thanks to a rushed plot and strange pacing. I really enjoyed Last Night at the Telegraph Club as you can see from my review.
Next month, since we struggled again to choose just one book, we have two!
The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller
I’m really excited to read these books, though I’ve already read The One’s We’re Meant to Find which was a really thought provoking read that I’m excited to discuss with my friends. Also, the cover is so beautiful.
Favourites
The first book I really loved in April was The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. If you’re looking for a cute fantasy that reads like middle grade for adults then this is your book. The characters and story are so soft, I melted inside reading it. I’m really glad I finally took the plunge and read this book that all of my friends adored.
Speaking of soft books, I also picked up Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne. This romance is very different to Sally Thorne’s other books but I think it is her best work. I found myself really routing for the characters to face their fears and achieve their dreams, and completely fell in love with the tortoises. If you want an adorable opposites attract and support each other romance then this is one you should pick up!
Books to Look Out For
I read many ARCs this month but my absolute favourite was The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec. This re-telling was one of the best I’ve read (I enjoyed it more than Madeline Miller). The writing is stunning and so is the character development. This is definitely a book for women.
I also read a sweet YA romance called Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating. I had some minor issues but generally really enjoyed this cute story of two gay Bengali teens! I had fun getting to know Hani and Ishu’s personalities and exploring their relationships with their families and friendship groups.
Next month?
It’s that time again! I don’t know which books I’m going to be reading in May. I have a few more ARCs to get through which I’ll be attempting to finish, and some re-reads so I finish series (The Winner’s Curse and Viper). I’ve also got some Kindle Books to get through: Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson and Dear Martin by Nic Stone being two I’ve had on my to be read for a long time! I’ve also been dreaming about re-reading The Brown Sisters series by Talia Hibbert now I have signed physical copies.
How have you been this April? It’s been a bit hectic at work and with having some outdoor family visits for the first time in ages. What have you been reading? Let me know in the comments, link me your wrap-up posts. Can’t wait to get some new recommendations. Here’s to a May full of magical reads!
Hi everyone! Welcome to my March 2021 wrap-up post. For these wrap-ups I include Book Coven book club, fave books you can buy now, books to look out for and books I want to read soon. March has been a slow reading month – I only completed 7 books. Mostly because I got the COVID vaccine and I had side effects, but also because I re-read some Leigh Bardugo and I love to take my time with her books.
Book Club
Every month the mods of the Book Coven get us to suggest books that make up the book club bracket. We then vote all the way through to a final, and that’s the book we read together over the course of 3 weeks. Then the amazing Paragraphs and Pages asks us some super insightful questions and off we go. This month the club read two books:
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell.
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers is a book that spoke to my soul. I read it back in February. because I couldn’t have been more eager to get to it. Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell is an excellent science-fiction romance and that filled the Wayfarers shaped hole in my heart after that series ended. I highly recommend both books!
Next month, since we struggled again to choose just one book, or even two, we have four! We decided to nominate lots of books by Asian authors in the bracket and these are the ones who chose:
Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao
A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malidna Lo
I’m really excited to read these books, though I’ve already read A Pho Love Story which was absolutely excellent,
Favourites
I can’t talk about what I read in March without mentioning Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom and King of Scars. I read these in preparation for the release of Rule of Wolves and honestly it took so long to read them even though it was the third or second time I’ve read each one. I love Leigh Bardugo’s attention to detail without it being overwhelming, and the characters are some of the best out there.
I think Nina Zenik is one of my favourite of Leigh’s characters and I can’t wait to see where her story goes in Rule of Wolves after the ending of King of Scars. I also love Zoya so much!
Books to Look Out For
I read a couple of arcs this month, the first being Dial A for Aunties! This book by Jesse Sutanto was just brilliant, it made me laugh so much. It comes highly recommended from me!
The other ARC I choose to read this month is Sweethand by N.G. Peltier. This romance blended baking with music and I enjoyed it very much. I can’t wait to see what else the Island Bites series has to bring.
Next month?
In April I’m going to read Rule of Wolves (OK I’m about 100 pages in and loving it so far). In the Book Coven we are also doing ARC April to try and get some of our ARCs read. I have a few good ones ready to go which is super exciting.
Anyway I hope you have had a better March than I have. It’s been long and tiring, but I’ve got a week and a half off work now to rest and try and get an offer accepted on our first house.
What are your plans for April? Looking forward to all of your April blog posts.
Hi everyone! Welcome to my first February 2021 wrap-up post. For these wrap-ups I include Book Coven book club, fave books you can buy now, books to look out for and books I want to read soon. February has been a speedy month – I read quite a few books too!
Book Club
Every month the mods of the Book Coven get us to suggest books that make up the book club bracket. We then vote all the way through to a final, and that’s the book we read together over the course of 3 weeks. Then the amazing Paragraphs and Pages asks us some super insightful questions and off we go. This month the club read FOUR books
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco (actually won the voting haha)
The Project by Courtney Summers (to break our hearts)
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon (for the month of romance!)
Shipped by Angie Hockman (the book we all thought would win the vote…)
I read the latter three, having read Kingdom of the Wicked last year. I really loved both The Project and The Ex Talk as you can see from my linked reviews. The Project is a YA mystery / thriller set around a cult, and The Ex Talk is a romance about two radio show co-hosts pretending they are exes and falling in love. Shipped is another workplace romance, but I just didn’t vibe with the characters hence only receiving a 3 star rating from me and no blog review.
Next month, since we struggled again to choose just one book, we have two book clubs going on! Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers and Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell. I have read both before but will definitely be joining in the discussions.
Favourites
In terms of favourite books this month, there are 3 standouts.
As mentioned previously in book club nominations, I read Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers. This is a contemporary book that has a poetic writing style (almost like Addie LaRue). I felt this book strongly – it focusses on the weight of expectations from yourself and others, and not knowing what to do with your life after academia when your plans aren’t working out. This debut blew me away, but be warned, the romance isn’t the main plot point and the love interest isn’t actually in the story a lot.
On the Young Adult side of things, I read Parachutes by Kelly Yang (audiobook!!) This one really was an amazing story, and taught me so much about the experience of international students in American prep schools. It’s told from two perspectives – Claire a parachute, and Dani a Filipino student whose mom decided to let out the spare room to Claire. It has a really knotty, twisty friendship, and two plotlines that focus on sexual harassment and assault. It’s not a light read but it is really empowering.
And on to fantasy…what else could I talk about except A Court of Silver Flames! Sarah J Maas blew me away with this story – I think it’s her best book. She took me from disliking Nesta to loving her, and I found it to be a really gritty, emotional read on trauma and recovering from it. I also really loved the friendships Nesta developed in this one – can’t wait to see what Sarah writes next because this was such an improvement.
Books to Look Out For
I didn’t read a lot of ARCs that I loved this month, but one that stood out was a romance called Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron. This one follows Reena, a woman who is great at cooking and baking, and Nadim, a guy who moved in across the corridor from Reena and happens to work for her Dad. I loved these two, and the plot that draws them together. Who doesn’t love a cooking competition? Really love the cover too.
And that is unfortunately it in terms of books I loved this month. A lot of my reads were disappointing, or really mediocre. Hopefully March will be better.
Next month?
In March I still have to read Six of Crows (and Crooked Kingdom and King of Scars…sigh), in time for Rule of Wolves. I’m actually really looking forward to diving into this world again, but there are so many pages to get through! Some others I want to get to are Intercepted by Alexa Martin, Dear Martin by Nic Stone, and Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson.
Hope February has been a good month for you all! I for one am really excited for March because it’s my birthday month! I am also ecstatic that Honey Girl and Winter’s Orbit are being discussed for book club, because both of them were 5 star reads for me.
Do you think you’ll be reading any of the books I read in February? What are you plans for March? Let me know in the comments.
Toastie Books 