Author: Lauren

I'm not a good writer, so I'll just keep writing until I am.

WWW Wednesday- January 24th

Lauren2 Comments

Hello beautiful book people! I can’t believe it. I have now posted more in this first month than I did by mid-July of last year. Whoo hoo!! I’m very motivated to maintain a good posting pace, even if it’s just once a week. But enough about that, on to the books!!

WWW Wednesday is the day when we answer the three W’s: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? It’s hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was previously hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm.

What am I currently reading? 

Is it weird to claim a collection of six short stories/novellas as one book? I’ve read two of the six so far (they came out yesterday!) and they are pretty good. The Abby Jimenez one made me emotional, which was rude, but it was actually cute so I’ll give it a pass. If you have an Amazon Prime membership they are free to read or listen to.

Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter is a cute rom-com. But does it count if the library app took the book back before I could finish it? I have a physical copy, but I had heard the audiobook was good, so I wanted to try that, I just couldn’t finish it in time! 

The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco by Talia Hibbert is adorable. I love the heroine and her back story. I am a Talia Hibbert book stan and will forever add her books to my shelves. This is also a library selection, by the by. I had a whole bunch of holds dumped on me at once. so I am trying to get through them as fast as I can. 

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas. Yup, I’m still reading this. I have about seventy pages left and for some strange reason, I am just struggling with it. I switched to audiobook and that went better, but yeah. It’s not a bad book, I actually enjoy it. I just don’t know. Just can’t seem to finish it.

What did I recently finish reading?

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen ended up being just delightful. I even ended up using those little tabs in the book!!! I don’t tab books! So many good quotes. It was a book club book, so a few people recommended her back catalog and I’m probably going to check that out.

What do you think you’ll read next?

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn is one of the ones I will be reading in the next two weeks. Why two weeks? Because it was one of the selections Libby (my library app) thought I needed right now. I’ve wanted to read this for a while, so I’m excited about it! 

After Hours on Milagro Street by Angelina M. Lopez is another Libby drop that I have been excited about. Hopefully, I’ll be able to finish it before it disappears! 

By the by, how are you doing today? Having a good one? How’s your mental health? I hope it’s well. 

WWW Wednesday January 17

Lauren1 Comment

Welp, I almost said “Hello True Believers”! Who do I think I am, Stan Lee? Have y’all been staying safe and warm in this polar vortex? No frozen pipes? One of my neighbors forgot to turn off their sprinkler system, and, well, the sheet of ice that was their front lawn was quite the sight. 

But even in these frozen times, the books must be read! And it’s WWW Wednesday! Huzzah! WWW Wednesday is the day when we answer the three W’s: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? It’s hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was previously hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm.

What am I currently reading?

Other Birds by Sarah Allen Addison is a quirky magical realism tale. I tried listening to the audiobook, but the Southern accents made my ears bleed, and given that this book takes place in the South, well, that is a problem. I am having a much better time since I switched to the physical book. So far it’s cute.

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas is one that I started over a week ago and just haven’t finished. I am going to finish it this week! I promise…she says as if she doesn’t have twelve other books she needs to finish first.

What did you recently finish reading?

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher is one of those books I was really hoping to love, as I really enjoyed the last book I read by her. Alas, I did not enjoy this. It was more of a vibes thing for me than anything else. The writing was good and the story had good potential, I just wasn’t feeling it. Still want to read other stuff by her though.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Horse by Geraldine Brooks is a book I know I have to read. It’s for work book club next month, so they make me read it. But if I’m the one who runs the program and picks out the books, I make me read it? So it’s my own fault? Yes…yes it is.

What are you reading right now? Inquiring minds want to know!

Board Game Haul

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So I mentioned last year that I had developed quite the obsession with board games. This has not changed in the slightest. If anything it has only grown with time, fed by board game influencers on TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube. 

Yes, I have been influenced to acquire the following games. Please keep in mind that I have not played any of the following games as I just got them around the Holidays, be it as gifts or at our Friendly Local Game Store on sale. As a result, I will not be speaking about the gameplay. 

Hive by Gen 24 Games, Designed by John Yianna, Art by John Yianna. The objective of this game is to trap your opponent’s queen bee. It has a 7.8 player rating on Board Game Geek (a very useful website, by the way) and a difficulty rating of 2.3 out of 5. 

HerStory by UnderDog Games, Designed by Nick Bentley, Emerson Matsuuchi, Danielle Reynolds: Art by Eunice Adeyi and Cristina Aguirre. HerStory invites you to tell the stories of remarkable women throughout history. It has a 6.9 player rating on BGG and a difficulty rating of 1.36 out of 5. With an age range of 8 and up, I can imagine this would be a great game to play with the younglings in your life. This could be a great jumping-off point to teach them about some amazing women.

My City by Kosmos Games, Designed by Reiner Knizia, Art by Micheal Menzel. This one is basically Tetris, on a board, with a city. But it’s cooler than that, I promise. It has a 7.7 player rating on BGG, and a difficulty rating of 1.99 out of 5. 

Crystallo by Lightheart Games, Art, and Design by Liberty Kifer. I’m not gonna lie, I asked for this game based purely on the vibes I got while watching someone else play it…six months ago. I don’t even remember the game mechanics. Sigh. Sure has some pretty components though. It has a solid 7 player rating on BGG, and a difficulty rating of 1.78. 

Unrest by Pandasauras Games, Designed by Brendan Hansen, Art by Jor Ros. This game just looked like fun. Each player picks a side, Empire or Rebellion, and then battles it out during the revolution. Player rating of 6.6 on BGG, and a difficulty rating of 2.

LOTR Adventure Book Game by Ravensburger, Designed by Jay Little, Ryan Miller, Marcus Ross; Artist N/A. Rob and I played this just the other day, actually. Oops. It’s a fun co-op game that has strategy and time components to it. We had a great time, even though we lost. The player rating on BGG is 7.3, with a difficulty rating of 2.06.

Small World by Days of Wonder Games, Designed by Phillipe Keyearts, Art by Miguel Colmbra and Cyrille Daujean. I have been looking for this game for what feels like years. It has expansion packs and spin-offs that you can play, but finding the base game was hard. It’s always sold out! We finally found a copy at our Friendly Local Game Store after the holidays! So excited to play it! It has a 7.2 player rating on the BGG and a 2.35 difficulty rating.

Lost Ruins of Arnak, by Czech Games Edition, Designed by Min and Elwen, Art by Ondřej Hrdina, Jiří Kůs, Filip Murmak, Jakub Politzer, František Sedláček, and Milan Vavroň. Well if this game doesn’t speak to the Indiana Jones fan in me, I’m not sure what will! The good people of BGG gave this game an 8.1, with a difficulty rating of 2.9.

Have you picked up any new board games recently?

Bookish Ins and Outs for 2024

Lauren2 Comments

I have been scrolling the internets (as one does when one is attempting to avoid ones responsibilities) and stumbled across this rather peculiar trend: people declaring what they want to see “in” for the year, and also what they would like to see less of for the year. I figured I could jump on this particular bandwagon. Why not? Might be fun. So, with no explanation, and all the opinions this librarian can muster, here are my bookish ins and outs for 2024.

And there you have it. What are your thoughts? What would you add to this list?

Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2024

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It’s been a while since I’ve done a TTT, so I knew I had to do this one!! I have a lot of anticipated reads for this year! Having to narrow it down to just ten is not going to be easy though!!! Pretty sure I can do it! Full disclosure, I have already pre-ordered these books!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish.

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne: May 7

So I may or may not already own a copy of this book? But it’s the indie-published version, and the traditionally published version will have extra material that wasn’t in the original version! Also, I love it when I can support authors whose work I enjoy! 

At First Spite by Olivia Dade: February 13

I loved the last few books I read by Olivia Dade, and I absolutely love the stories behind why people build Spite Houses. Seriously, look some of them up, they are always hilarious. 

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez: April 2

Abby Jimenez has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. Sure, she writes romance, and they have all the tropes, but her books have made me cry. When was the last time you could say that a contemporary romance made you cry? 

Bride by Ali Hazelwood: February 6

Ali Hazelwood is also an auto-buy author for me. Bride is a departure from her usual fare, and I am excited to see where this paranormal romance goes.

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao: April 30

Can you be excited for a sequel when you haven’t even read the first book yet? Because I am. I am also determined to read Iron Widow before this comes out. But this author is a social media darling for a reason. Plus that cover!

Sanctuary of the Shadow by Aurora Ascher: January 9

Okay, I’m gonna be honest, I do really want to read this romantasy title. But I’m also worried, based on the synopsis, that I know how this book is going to end. So now I have to know if I’m right. Thankfully it comes out today and I can find out!

That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming: January 2

This TikTok indie darling also got a book deal. I got lucky enough to read it while it was still an indie on KU, and I can’t wait to read it again. Also Cinnamon is amazing and I love her. 

The Last Phi Hunter by Salinee Goldenburg: April 9

Not going to lie, this was a total cover pick. I mean look at it. Look at it!! It’s so pretty. Also, it does sound like a book I would like. Especially because at one point in the description it mentions that our hero gets saved by a woman who just happens to be nine months pregnant at the time. 

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler: May 21

This book describes itself as Groundhog Day meets Guardians of the Galaxy and I am here for it. Time loop stories are some of my most favorite things to read. Yes, I will read this. Thank you.

The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi: January 30

This enemies to lovers, childhood rivals romance sounds delightful and I am very excited to give it a read. Also how cute does that cover look? I have a thing for purple romance covers and tend to buy them without thinking. It’s a problem. 

Naturally, all of these books are must-reads, so I won’t get to them right away, as is my habit. What books are you looking forward to?

Bookish Goals 2024

Lauren2 Comments

Hello Everyone! How was your New Year? I hope it was relaxing!

I thought I would share my bookish goals with you for this year! But first, Last year’s goals!

Buy Fewer Books: Well, I know I made the spreadsheets, and I started off the year strong. I used Thriftbooks and Book Outlet less, which meant my buying books en mass stopped. I also let my B&N membership expire so I went there less. And yet, I don’t think I bought less books. 

Read My TBR Shelf: Ha! Well, sorta. I did a lot of listening to the audiobook versions of books I already own instead of reading the physical copies that are on my shelves. It wasn’t like I was buying the books, no. I used services like the Libby app and Everand (formerly Scribd).

Work on My Re-Read of the In-Death Series: Um…nope. I don’t think I picked up a single one of them. Not even a new title. I got so burnt out on them after reading over thirty books in the series. That’s a lot of books to pack into a year. I might pick them up again in the future, but I’m not going to pressure myself like I did before.

As for this year’s goals, well, as always, the first two are more of the same.

Buy fewer books: I fully intend to make use of my library’s Libby app. It also helps that I could join the digital library in another city to get even more e-books and audiobooks. The Everand app is also a great place for audiobooks.

Read 30 Books On My TBR Shelf: I have almost 400 books on my TBR shelf. That’s a lot of books. I may have just built a shiny new bookcase (seriously, it’s really pretty) to house the TBR pile, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to whittle it down. My goal is at least 30 books read off my shelf, but I am hoping for more!!

Post More Often: So I posted 15 times last year. 15!!! I had a lot of things get in my way, but I am going to make more of an effort to be here. Blogging has always brought me joy, and I love this community! 

Use Goodreads Less: I haven’t been happy with Goodreads this year. I like keeping track of the books I DNF and Goodreads doesn’t really allow for that. I also have some other issues with it. I much prefer the Storygraph. I also built a spreadsheet earlier this year to help me keep track of all the books I own. I’m still working on that, but it makes me happy. 

Read More Diverse Books: I’m not going to make excuses, but my reading was not very diverse this year. That makes me sad. I need to work on that and make it intentional. I bought a lot of diverse books, I just didn’t read them! 

Read 75 Books: That was my reading goal for 2023 and I barely made it (I hit several reading slumps). I did manage to squeak by with 81 books last year. I’m hoping to read more this year, but one never knows what will happen. 

Read the Lord of the Rings Series: It’s been years since I read this series, and I want to pick it up again. I also want to re-read The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, so I’m going to include those too.

Read Both Mistborn Series: I have read the first Mistborn book, and then never picked up the other books. We own them, I just didn’t finish it! So this year, I will! 

What are your bookish goals? Do you have any?

Worst Books of 2023

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It is that time of the year when we reflect on the stories that, in my opinion at least, failed us. These books just didn’t live up to their summaries or the expectations my friends set. So without further ado…some books I DNF’d!

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. This was the year I discovered that I really, really don’t like historical fiction. I’m fine with fantasy set in the past for some reason. But straight up fiction? Nope. I tried listening to the audiobook, and I tried reading the physical copy. This genre just doesn’t interest me at all.

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly. This is also the year that it finally registered that I don’t like books that center around reality/competition TV. I got about halfway through this one because the characters were so fun, but I just couldn’t with the plot.

How to Marry Keanu Reeves in 90 Days by K.M. Jackson. I am in my romance era, but this one did not do it for me. I tried so hard to like it. I was struggling through it, overlooking what I thought were its flaws, when all of a sudden Chris Evans showed up. It lost me at that point. Completely took me out of the story. 

The House Witch by Delemhach is one of those books I had seen all over my social media. People were loving it. I can’t put my finger on why I didn’t like it, I just gave up halfway through. It just didn’t sit right with me for some reason.

Love Hacked by Penny Reid is the third book in the Knitting in the City series. I liked the first two books, but this one was just not it. This woman is smart and the things she puts up with for this man that she just met are not things an intelligent woman would do. Nope. Not even a little bit. Gave up halfway through when I couldn’t deal with it anymore.

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer started off great. It has great disability and Jewish representation, the latter we don’t often see in romances. I was really enjoying it, but then the male main character started being deliberately cruel to the female main character. And she is expected to forgive him and go off and have a HEA with him? Nope. Not for me.

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden was a book club pick this year, and they loved it. I did not. I had issues with the writing style and how the plot was being set up. This book was not for me at all. 

What were your worst books of the year?

Top Books of 2023

Lauren3 Comments

Wow. I can’t believe 2023 is over already. It seems just yesterday we were excited to start the new year with visions of all the new releases we were going to read dancing in our heads! To welcome in 2024, I thought I would share with you my top books of the year, in no particular order! 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, narrated by Michael Urie and Marin Ireland. This book was hands down one of my most favorite audiobooks ever. The narrators were amazing and the subject matter was moving. I need to read the physical copy, but I highly recommend the audiobook. 

The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World by Kyouka Izumi and Oumiya. This 5 volume, completed manga series endeared itself to me quite rapidly to the point that I had purchased all of it within 3 months. I loved the fact that our chosen one just basically wants to be left alone with her books. Can relate.

The Plight Before Christmas by Kate Stewart. This second-chance holiday romance is sweet, spicy, and a little bit dramatic. I read it as a Kindle Unlimited pick this holiday season and grabbed up a physical copy as soon as I finished reading it. That does not happen with KU books…ever. 

The Measure by Nikki Erlick. This book was so good I read it twice this year. Once on my own and once for a book club. And it looks like another one of my book clubs may be picking it for their January selection. I’m debating reading it a third time in a 12-month period. That might be overkill. But yes, So good.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, narrated by Kyla Garcia and Zachary Webber. This book (the second in the Part of Your World series) is sold in the romance department, and it is a romance don’t get me wrong, but it’s a drama too. I cried. And that’s bad because I driving to my hometown!! Wiping tears from your face as you are driving down the interstate is never a good idea. No idea that was going to happen, so naturally I highly recommend it. 

The Wiilmot Sisters books by Chloe Liese. I borrowed Two Wrongs Make a Right from the library and then turned around and purchased a copy of this Shakespeare retelling right away. I also may have pre-ordered the sequel that same day. Spoiler alert, I also loved Better Hate Than Never. 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi was a brilliant work. It shows how one place can tie us together, and what we think we know is not always the truth of the matter. It was both heartwarming and heartwrenching. I read it on Kindle Unlimited (it is no longer available on there I’m afraid) and bought the physical copy right away. There is an entire series set in this coffee shop, and I will be returning there soon! 

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo. This is part of a series of novellas about a cleric named Chih. Chih collects stories for their order to preserve history. I’ve only read the first two but they are enchanting. The author does a wonderful job of creating a colorful world in such a short story. If you need a quick read to get ahead of your reading goals, pick this series!! 

What were your favorite books of the year? I hope you had several! 

WWW Wednesday December 27th

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Well hello! It’s been a minute! How ya been? Me, I’ve been good. I picked up more hours at work back in October and, well, I put the blog on hold for longer than I intended. I’m not going to say I’m back, but I am going to make more of a conscious effort to be present here in the blogosphere! 

And hey! It’s WWW Wednesday! WWW Wednesday is the day when we answer the three W’s: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? It’s hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was previously hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm.

What are you currently reading?

In the Weeds by B.K. Borison is the sequel to Lovelight Farms, which I loved. And, shocker, I am loving this one too. This series started as an indie darling and was picked up by a traditional publisher. Makes me happy to see indies break it big! 

What did I recently finish reading?

The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese was a short little novella that I finished just in time for the holidays. I really love rom-coms that center around book stores, and this one also has some fantastic disability rep. The downside is that the e-book version is only available on something called KOBO (never heard of it) so when I got it from my library I had to read it on my phone. On the plus side, there is a paperback that exists, and I will be purchasing that.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come by Jessica Pan is a book club pick for the month. I have to read it by Saturday and I haven’t started it yet!!! Eep! It is under 300 pages long though, so it should be a quick read. 

Have a wonderful new year!!!

September Reading Wrap-Up

Lauren4 Comments

Well hello everyone! And how are you doing today? Me, I’m doing pretty well. The hubs, the roommate, and I are all adapting to being, well, roommates. It’s going pretty well so far in the sense that no one has died from food poisoning…yet. She reads my blog and will be highly offended by that!

I also celebrated my birthday yesterday! So far, 43 is a lot like 42, except now I’m not a Douglas Adams reference anymore. The hubs and I did see a great movie called The Creator last night. It has a few plot holes, but we really enjoyed the movie. It was filmed largely in real-world locals, not green screen, so the scenery was spectacular. If you like original Sci-Fi stories, you might want to give this one a shot.

But on to the books!

I read 7 books in September.

Yours Truly still resonates with me a month later. It was one of the first books I read in September. The main male protagonist has some pretty bad anxiety, and I can relate to that. Abby Jimenez did a great job covering both of her character’s mental health issues. However if you aren’t a fan of the “they should just talk about this but don’t” trope, you may not like it.

Dating Dr. Dil has some fabulous Aunties in it. This book made me laugh and I can’t wait to read the sequel, which is out, just not on audiobook, which is how I want to read it. Sigh.

True Biz is a book about a deaf school and the community surrounding it. It has a lot of interesting perspectives in it and my book club had a lot of interesting and insightful things to say on the topic! It was a great read! I co-read (audio and physical at the same time) as there are actual depictions of sign language in the book.

Back in a Spell is the third book in the Witches of Thistle Grove series. Lana Harper is not scared of featuring diverse relationships in her stories, and this one was no exception, what with a pansexual female protagonist and a nonbinary (uses he/them pronouns) protagonist. It was a very good read and I will be venturing back to Thistle Grove for book four!

The Love Con was a book I really wanted to like, and I think if I had not read the audiobook, I probably would have. I will say that while stories about reality TV shows are not my favorite and that I usually DNF them, I did finish this one so, draw forth from that what you will. The narrator for the audiobook was just lacking something. I have the physical copy, so I may give it another try in the future.

Better Than Fiction was a fun romp into found family, actual family, and a truly chaotic bookstore situation. I found myself getting genuinely angry on behalf of the female protagonist every time her father appeared. I really enjoyed this read!

Go Hex Yourself was the second witchy book I read last month and I loved it. It was fun! I will say this much though, I had to look up the book to see what it was about because I forgot! So fun, but not hugely memorable.

The Matzah Ball was my one DNF this month. The writing style was great and I liked the female protagonist. That being said, the male main protagonist starts acting terribly towards her about halfway through in a way that I couldn’t stand behind. I know he would probably redeem himself, but women going on to be with men who treat them cruelly in some way just doesn’t sit right with me.

What books have you DNF’d lately?