Tag: bookish

Monthly Wrap Up-November 2021

Lauren1 Comment

Well hello happy people! How are y’all doing today? I’m doing pretty well. I’ve been running around like crazy trying to get a bunch of things done. Did I procrastinate doing these things before I left town? Yes. Am I considering procrastinating them now? Also yes.

Sigh. I’m such an adult.

Anyway, it’s monthly wrap up time. This was a good month for me. Not reading wise, I’ll get into that in a later post, but other than that, good month.

I was busy getting ready for our trip to see the Hubs’ folks. And then there was the actual trip to see them. I learned how to make a quilt top! That was so much fun. I really have a good with Hubs mom. She is such a wonderful person. Speaking of wonderful people, my mom was at Thanksgiving dinner! It was so much fun to be surrounded by both parts of my family and the food was amazing.

But on to the wrap up! I managed to get 22 posts up last month, which seems impressive, but the week month started on a Monday, so that gave us a few extra days of posting.

I didn’t manage to post that much to Instagram. I hoping to make more of a effort this month. I require nice pictures for the monthly wrap up posts!

On to the Wrap Up!

More New Releases- November 2021: November has a lot of new releases. Heck, a book that I bought when it came out (that wasn’t on this list) has sold out pretty much everywhere. It’s pretty crazy how it’s working out right now. Basically, buy those books when they release!

TTT-Books I Would Hand to Someone Who Claims to Hate Reading: This was a fun one to do. I enjoyed all of these books an liked getting to share them with you.

WWW Wednesday-November 3rd: I’m not gonna lie, I struggled with the books in this post. It was a rough start to the month.

All The Books I Read-October 2021: I hit October’s reading out of the park. I read 11 books in October and am pretty pleased by that!

First Lines Fridays-November 5th 2021: Who would have thought that when I started doing First Lines Friday I would enjoy doing it so much? I sure didn’t.

Biggest Book Haul Ever-October 2021: October holds within it that most sacred of days…my birthday. I got a few gift cards, which I used to buy a fair few books. Just a hint, want to make me happy with gifts, buy me gift cards so I can buy books.

TTT-Memorable Things Characters Have Said: A Top Ten Tuesday with my favorite quotes from books! I couldn’t remember who said what, but it was fun remembering the quotes!

WWW Wednesday-November 10th: Another week were I struggled to get through the books on the list. Reading was not my friend this month.

A Turkey Day TBR-November 2021: I had a pretty decent sized TBR this month. The question of whether or not I failed will be answered later.

First Lines Friday-November 12th: This FLF is an anticipated read that I probably won’t get to for a thousand years because that’s just how I roll. It’s sad, I know.

You Feel It Just Below The Ribs-A Book Review: So…yeah. spoiler alert, I didn’t like this book. Read the review to find out why.

TTT-Books to Read if You Love/Loved X: So I totally failed at this one. But I have a few options on this list. Go check it out to see what I recommended.

WWW Wednesday-November 17th: Oh look, another bad reading week. There is a theme to this month, you may have noticed.

Bookish Gift Ideas: With the holidays coming, I thought I would throw out some, well, book themed gift ideas that

First Lines Friday-November 19th: So this particular book I have picked up no less than four times to try and finish. I’m guessing it will live forever on my TBR.

Thanksgiving Book Tag-Part One: I really enjoyed this turkey day tag. T’was a fun, festive post!

TTT-Characters I’d Love An Update On: I really enjoy looking back on characters I love. I will say, fanfiction is a good way to imagine the characters lives after the story ends. Anyway, go see who I picked for this list.

WWW Wednesday-November 24th: Well this post ended up being a lie. I wrote it before I left town for Thanksgiving and just…failed at it. Le sigh.

Thanksgiving Book Tag-Part Two: I was very careful not to make every answer the same between the two Turkey Day tags. It worked, for the most part.

First Lines Friday-November 26th: This FLF was for a book that has sat on my TBR for over two years. I’m embarrassed. Kind of.

Piranesi-A Book Review: So I read this book. I had some thoughts. Not all of them bad. Go see how many stars I gave it.

TTT-Bookish Memories: I feel like I bared a part of my soul here. It was a very fun post to write and brought up a lot of fun memories for me.

And there it is. All of last months post. I love looking back and seeing what I wrote. It’s a fun little habit.

My most read post was All the Books I Read-October 2021, and my most liked post was that same post. It doesn’t always work that way. But sometimes it does.

How was your November?

WWW Wednesday-December 1st

Lauren1 Comment

Well hello folks! And how are you today? Have you recovered from your Turkey Day festivities yet? I still have a suitcase that I need to unpack from my travels. I will probably get to that today. I was too busy running around town trying to be an adult yesterday that I forgot to do it.

Life happens.

But today is WWW Wednesday! WWW Wednesday is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was previously hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm. WWW Wednesday asks three simple questions: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

I started this one this morning and I am only a few pages in but it’s off to a promising start! It was a book club pick this month and I just so happened to already own it! Carmen gets laid off from her job and has to go live with her sister, Sofia. This is not ideal for either of them. But Sofia gets Carmen a job working in her client’s bookshop just in time for the Christmas. It has cute and sweet written all over it. I can’t wait to get further into it.

What did you recently finish reading?

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

I read this book on the flight back from Florida and finished before the flight ended. Which meant I had to listen to the talkative drunk without a distraction the rest of the flight. Fun. I can’t tell you much about the plot of this book, just that it’s not what you think it is. Also, it’s the 7th of the Mercy Thompson series, so you know I loved it.

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

The 8th book in the Mercy Thompson series. I adore this series and I’m excited to read this next book in the series. I know, I’ve already read it before, but that doesn’t stop me from looking forward to it!

TTT- Bookish Memories

Lauren2 Comments

Well hello, beautiful people! I returned from a family trip late last night. We went to see the Hubs’ parents for Thanksgiving. Because the Hubs parents get along with my mom so well, they invited her for Thanksgiving dinner! Also, I learned how to make part of a quilt! Twas a fun time had by all!

It’s Giving Tuesday here in America. It’s a day to make a charitable donation to your favorite non-profits. I prefer The Hefier Project and No Kid Hungry. If you’re interested in finding out more, click the links. Both charities do amazing work and help a lot of people.

But since it’s Tuesday it’s Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and originally created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is bookish memories. I’m excited about this one because I’ve been reading, or have been read to, since I was an itty bitty human.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

This book came out in 1990 when I was 10. When I was 12 my mom saw no harm in letting me read this very grown up book. I got the movie tie-in cover, which, as far as tie-in covers go, is not bad. A few months later, while I was still 12, I was allowed to accompany my family to see Jurrasic Park the movie. It was my first PG-13 film. I think I was a little too young for this book at the time, but I still love this book to this day and recently had to buy another copy, as my original was falling apart.

The Stack of Books

So I had bookcases in my bedroom growing up. I also had a queen-size bed. Guess where most of the books lived? That’s right, on one side of the bed. Up until the day he passed, my dad loved telling people about the time he went into my room to ask me a question and saw the pile. It was his “my daughter reads more than your kids” story. I wish I had a picture of it, but it was kind of embarrassing at the time.

The Scholastic Book Fair

So here’s the thing. The book fair was always a special day for me. My parents sacrificed a lot for my brother and me to go to a good school. That meant we didn’t often have money for the coolest clothes or newest video game station. But there was always extra money for books when the book fair came to town. Could I get a lot? No. But what I could get was treasured. It’s probably why, to this day, I try and treat my books so well.

Having a Bookish Bestie

We’ve known each other for over half our lives and she’s super special to me. And one of the things we share is a love for books. We don’t always read the same books, but we both have libraries to share with each other. It was fun growing up with someone and you had a love of the written word in common. 10 out of 10, would recommend.

Nancy Drew Books by Caorlyn Keene

My mom doesn’t read very much, if she reads at all. But when she was younger, one of the things she did read was the original Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene. When I was younger, she passed her collection of various editions on to me and we read them together. I treasure those memories and I love that I have something bookish to share with my mom.

Going to The Library As a Child

A great deal of my formative years were spent in the library. My mom would drop me and my brother off (back when it was safe to do so) and would come back an hour later and I would have a stack of 15 books. She would always try and get me to put some back, and I never would. The borrowing time lasted for two weeks. That was a book a day! I could read more than that. Especially kid’s books! I loved those hours at the library and look back at them fondly.

Reading Rainbow

Levar Burton made up a lot of my childhood. I loved him as Geordi LaForge in Star Trek: The Next Generation. But I really loved him in Reading Rainbow. I loved the way he read the stories to us as children and the way the show’s animators made the book’s illustrations come alive. Plus the bookish adventures he would have! PBS was, and still is, awesome.

The School Library

My middle school had a very small library. But for several years, they had a time where each class would go to the library each week. Yeah, that didn’t make me happy at all. The library had everything you would need to research your classwork, but it also had The Nancy Drew Files, which is what I was really there for. The Nancy Drew Files were an updated for the ’80s and ’90s Nancy Drew and my school library had a plethora of them. I was in heaven.

Starting My Own Personal Library

This was a big deal for me. The day we were able to bring home those bookcases to fill with books was amazing. Everyone should have a library. No matter how big or small. Whether e-reader or physical. Books are meant to be enjoyed by everyone.

Cuddling With My Cat And Reading

Cuddling with KoKo has gone on for as long as I have had her. She especially love to jump on my lap when I have a book in my hand. It means, for her anyway, that she is more likely to get londger streches of cuddles. And it’s nice to me too. It keeps my legs warm while I read. It’s a happy memory that I will always treasure of my crazy feline.

Piranesi-A Book Review

Lauren2 Comments

Well hello beautiful people! It’s that most chaotic of days where everyone returns to work after the holiday and tries to Cyber Monday shop at the same time. If this is what you endeavor to do today, I wish you luck and happy hunting. May your clicking be fruitful and the deals plentiful.

But I’m not here to talk about Cyber Monday, any more than I have already, I mean. I’m here to talk to you about Piranesi. A book that had been sitting on my TBR for a year just screaming at me to be read. It was my online book club that got me to read it this month, so thanks Literarily Wasted book club!

Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls, an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house-a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

I must confess I was very excited to read this book. It currently sits at 4.28 stars on Goodreads, so I had high-ish expectations. I have to say, I was a little disappointed.

This is a book that clearly wants to be read. It craves it. And yet, it doesn’t quite fulfill that promise.

Piranesi’s journey to finding himself and answering the mystery of the House was promising. I loved watching as he discovered more in the mysterious journals even as it made him question both himself and The Other.

One of the things I found interesting was the way Piranesi looks at the House with this sort of child like wonder, despite being an adult of some age. Piranesi journals his days in the House so you can see his thoughts and feelings towards the House and the Other. But, the question does come up as to whether or not he is an unreliable narrator. Can you trust Piranesi as a narrator?

I felt that the characters that fill the House, such as the Other, could have been fleshed out a bit more. They all felt like they were missing just a little something.

Another problem is that I wasn’t as entertained as I would like to be by a book. It had moments where it gripped me, don’t get me wrong, but those weren’t as often as I would have liked.

At the end of the day I just didn’t feel like Piranesi lived up to the hype. I gave it three stars.

First Lines Friday- November 26th

Lauren3 Comments

It’s Black Friday peoples! This means I’m going to be busy sitting at home reading and eating leftovers for the most part. I’m sure if the deal on the books is good enough I will venture forth. Because books! But alas, I might not go anywhere but my couch.

I’m more of a Cyber Monday person anyway.

On top of it being Black Friday, it’s also First Lines Friday.

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author, or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

The Lines:

“Come on,” Mingzha begged. “Please, I want to see.”

Nezha seized his brother by his chubby wrist and pulled him back from the shallows. “We’re not allowed to go past the lily pads.”

“But don’t you want to know?” Mingzha whined.

Intrigued?

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

The war is over.

The war has just begun.

Three times throughout its history, Nikan has fought for its survival in the bloody Poppy Wars. Though the third battle has just ended, shaman and warrior Rin cannot forget the atrocity she committed to save her people. Now she is on the run from her guilt, the opium addiction that holds her like a vice, and the murderous commands of the fiery Phoenix—the vengeful god who has blessed Rin with her fearsome power.

Though she does not want to live, she refuses to die until she avenges the traitorous Empress who betrayed Rin’s homeland to its enemies. Her only hope is to join forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who plots to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new republic.

But neither the Empress nor the Dragon Warlord are what they seem. The more Rin witnesses, the more she fears her love for Nikan will force her to use the Phoenix’s deadly power once more.

Because there is nothing Rin won’t sacrifice to save her country . . . and exact her vengeance.

I’m embarrassed to say that this book has been on my TBR for two years and I haven’t picked it up yet. Heck, it’s been on there longer since I got the ARC for free from a bookstore. I really need to buckle down and finish this series. There are just way too many books out in the world.

Have you read The Dragon Republic? What did you think?

The Thanksgiving Book Tag- Part Two

Lauren6 Comments

Happy Turkey Day everyone! I hope all is well with you and you aren’t running around like a turkey with its head cut off trying to prepare for the day. Remember to take time and relax, drink plenty of water, and actually spend time with your loved ones today. It’s not just about the food on the table.

But on to the second of my Thanksgiving tags. I found this one on The Sassy Book Geek’s blog and it originated with Erin and Becca at Fangirlscity on YouTube.

Bread- What book is purely fluff, and has no real plot line?

Anita Blake Series by Laurell K. Hamilton

So I can’t remember which book exactly it is in this series where it went from “hey, this book has a plot” to “hey, where did the plot go?” but it happened. These books used to be good, but somewhere along the way, it became about how much smut the author could squeeze in. So yeah. This whole series.

Turkey- What book made you want to fall asleep?

Divergent by Veronica Roth

I don’t know what it is about this series, but I just…yeah. It wasn’t very great. It just bored me. To the point where I didn’t really care how it ended. At all. Ever. I think I only watched the movie one day because I was bored. Le sigh. I know. You probably love this series. I just…don’t.

Gravy- What book makes the whole series worth reading?

Magic’s Price by Mercedes Lackey

Have y’all gotten tired of me talking about these books already? No? Good. In all seriousness, this is the rare third book where the payoff is absolutely worth it. It will inspire you to read every book in the Valdemar world.

Stuffing- What book is stuffed full of action scenes?

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

While this book does have its slower moments, its action scenes are superb. It’s a grimdark book, to be sure. But it is excellent.

Mashed Potatoes- What book looked good, and then wasn’t?

The Power by Naomi Alderman

This book sounded like it would be great. It had everything going for it. All the things I like in a book, and yet here we are, putting it in the dislike/disappoint pile. I don’t feel too bad though, my book club didn’t like it either.

Cranberries- What book has the sweetest romance?

The Ex Hex by Erin Starling

I don’t really read books for the romances, so this was the first one I thought of. Probably because it was my most recent romance read. It was good. Rhys and Vivienne were cute together and the book left me wanting to know more about them in the “I want a sequel way”.

Corn- What’s the corniest book you’ve ever read?

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

This has one of my favorite genre tropes, the time loop. And though the main character didn’t spend a lot of time in it, the book did still have the cheese factor I expect from that trope. It was still a cute book. But totally corny.

Green beans- What book is too long and needs to be shortened?

Dune by Frank Herbert

There is a lot of unnecessary exposition in this book. It could be because I don’t like this “epic masterpiece” but it doesn’t need to be that long. Did enjoy the recent movie release though. What? I’m weird.

Pumpkin Pie- What book do you read to get out of a reading slump?

Naked in Death by JD Robb

It’s not just this book, it’s the whole series. I can also get out of a reading slump with the Heralds of Valdemar series. Both work equally well. Besides, there’s something nice (and possibly daunting) about knowing you have 53 books to get to know your characters.

Dog/Cat- What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food that you would steal from the table?

Pumpkin Pie

It’s my absolute favorite thing on the Thanksgiving table. Well, that and dressing and gravy. Oh, and mashed potatoes with lots of butter. But yes, pumpkin pie!

What would your answers be? I tag you to do this! You know, if you have time.

WWW Wednesday- November 24th

Lauren3 Comments

Hello fellow humans! I hope you are ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow and don’t have to go out into the throngs of people today. If you do, I wish you luck and will pray for your safe return to your domicile.

Despite the chaos of the day, today is WWW Wednesday! WWW Wednesday is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was previously hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm. WWW Wednesday asks three simple questions: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

The Unbound Empire by Melissa Caruso

This poor book has been staring at me from my TBR cart for the last year. And I finally picked it up. I just started it last night, so I haven’t been able to form an opinion yet, but what I have read I am really enjoying. So I guess I have formed an opinion. I will say this book, which is the final book in the Swords and Fire series, has a lot to live up to. Good luck book!

What did you recently finish reading?

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

I basically hit a wall in my reading this month so I decided to pick up a book I know I would enjoy to help me get out of the slump. I really enjoy the Mercy Thompson series, if you haven’t guessed from my previous posts where I wax poetically about the books. It’s only a problem if you admit it. This, by the way, is book number six in the series.

Out Of The Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

It was quite a surprise when I learned that C.S. Lewis, who brought us The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, also wrote a sci-fi novel. Naturally, I grabbed it as soon as I saw it. It’s a short book, so it’s perfect to try and read during the next couple of crazy days.

Good luck today with your Thanksgiving prep. And I promise you, your house is clean enough.

TTT-Characters I’d Love An Update On

Lauren3 Comments

Well hello everyone! And how are we doing today? Did your bank account survive Cyber Monday? I hope so. I will say I put a sizeable dent in mine buying things I “need” for the holiday season. Like Christmas t-shirts. I need so many of those.

I’m kind of addicted to Christmas t-shirts.

It’s a problem.

Speaking of problems…today is Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and originally created by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s a fun meme of Top Ten lists that are put out every week. I love doing it. This week’s theme is Characters I’d Love An Update On. Last week I had a hard time coming up with ten things to the point where I only came up with six…things. Let’s see where this week takes us, shall we?

Pol From the Dragon Star Series by Melanie Rawn

This trilogy is the sequel to my beloved Dragon Prince series. I love this series just as much, but strangely never talk about it. I should fix that. This series follows Pol, Rohan and Sioned’s son, and a terrible war that rages across the land. I want to see what happens to the characters once the book is over. Pol in particular is really well written and has a lot of internal conflicts, not just the ones caused by the war.

Addie LaRue from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

The ending of this book was terribly wonderful and I want to know what happens to Addie next. I won’t give anything away, but it was such a good book, and that ending was amazing. To catch a glimpse into Addie’s life after what happened would be divine. Everything I’ve seen points to this being a standalone book, so we probably won’t get any more in her world. But…ugh. I would love more.

Merlin From The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

This book is set in 1980’s London, but a fantasy London, with magic. And I loved the characters in this book Merlin in particular was my favorite. They were clearly influenced by the androgyny of David Bowie in the ’70s and of all the fashionable stars, and starlets, of the times. He’s fabulous and I want to know more about him. The author has said he has more material for another book but has been vague about whether or not he will write more.

That One Character From Project Hail Mary by Andy Wier

I’m being vague on purpose, because if you haven’t read the book then you don’t know. But if you had, I want to know more! I know, there is an epilogue in the back of the book but that’s not enough! I need more! And yes, you must read this book to know who I’m talking about. It’s worth it, I promise.

Gallowglass from the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

He featured pretty heavily in Shadow of Night and was in The Book of Life as well, but he needs a more fleshed-out back story and a life of his own. He’s such a fascinating character and I would absolutely love to see how he’s doing in future books. And Deborah Harkness has said she is writing more in the All Souls universe.

Ariadne From To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

This book had a very interesting ending that I loved, but it left me wanting to know more about every single character in this book, not just Ariadne. But it just, yeah. I need to know. If you have read this book you know this ending and this character just…tell me more!

Yadriel From Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Yadriel was such a great character to read. He was wonderfully complex and not just a one-dimensional stereotype. I want to see more of him coming into his own after the end of the book. And as far as I can tell, this is a standalone story. Which makes me sad.

Barry From Recursion by Blake Crouch

Barry was intensely complex. Let’s be honest, this whole book was intensely complex. But Barry, he broke my heart a few times with his poor family and the constant reset of time. I would love to know more about how things went for him after the end of this book.

Harry From the First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

While this wasn’t my favorite book (I only gave it three stars) I found the characters fascinating. Harry relives his life over and over again, I love a good time loop, but this takes it to the next level, where the people can affect the world around them. And Harry did that. Now, how will he do it going forward once the book has ended. I must know!

Buttercup and Westley in The Princess Bride by William Goldman

So William Goldman teases a sequel, that doesn’t exist, in this book. And I want it! I want to know what happens to Westley and Buttercup after they flee Prince Humperdink. No, I don’t just want it, I need it. I need it like I need more Christmas t-shirts!

Hey, look at that! I had ten! I know that I didn’t go too in-depth into the actual characters here, but I was afraid I would give too much away if I did that. I do try to keep things here as spoiler-free as possible.

Anything on this list that you agree with? Or would you have picked different characters from these books?

Update: wow, I really paid attention to when this went up, as it posted before Cyber Monday. I’m gonna see myself out now.

The Thanksgiving Book Tag-Part One

Lauren3 Comments

Hello beautiful humans! Welcome to Thanksgiving Week! Why is it a week, you may ask? Because this is one of the biggest travel weeks in America. And it’s anticipated to be extremely busy this year. Go us. There is also Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of the biggest shopping days of the year. It’s a week of craziness!

To celebrate, I decided to do two Thanksgiving Book Tags. The first one you will find here!

The rules to this Thanksgiving tag are as follows:

Thank The Person Who Nominated You (um…no one nominated me, I found this on the interwebs)
Give Credit To The Creator (Annasbooknook)
Answer The Prompts
Tag Others If You Desire! 

Friends and Family: A Book With Characters That Feel Like Family

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

This group of put-together people is a found family if I ever read one, and you feel like you belong. This could be unfortunate, as this house holds a doorway to the afterlife and the proprietor is the ferryman that guides you there. I really enjoyed the family aspect of this group. Even the dog has a purpose in this book, and it’s just absolutely heartwarming…and heartbreaking.

Fallen Leaves: A Book That Fell Flat (Didn’t Meet Your Expectations)

Child of Light by Terry Brooks

This book, about a young woman who escapes a prison camp only to wind up in the hands of the fae only to find out she may be one of them, did not live up to my expectations of it. I had high hopes going in because it’s by Terry Brooks, but this book fell very short of those. I ended up DNF’ing it.

Thanksgiving Dinner: A Book You Want to Read Every Year During This Season

A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness

This book is right up there as one of my favorites of all time. It’s amazing. I know I just read it earlier this year, but the final season of the TV show comes out in January and I am currently thinking of re-reading the series again…this year! I’m not saying I have a problem, but I probably have a problem. And who doesn’t want to read a complicated love story between a witch and a vampire that isn’t a love triangle?

Turkey: A Book With A Bird In It

Dragon and Phoenix by Joanne Bertin

Does a mythological bird count? I’m counting it. The Dragonlord series is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we only have three books set in this world, and the third book is more of a prequel than a sequel so we don’t get all of the characters we know and love from the previous two books. I still enjoy reading this series though. Especially because it deals with humans who can turn into dragons! Huzzah!

Ham: A Book That Made Your Eyes Glaze Over (Boring)

Outlawed by Anna North

Apparently, I just don’t like westerns because this one just…le sigh. I DNF’d it.

Dinner Rolls: A Book That Melted Your Heart and Made You Feel Warm

How Y’all Doing? by Leslie Jordan

I loved this audiobook. Something about Leslie Jordan makes you feel glad and happy to be here. His life wasn’t always easy, but his delivery of said life made you smile. Check him out on Instagram if you want a taste. He’s a hoot.

Mashed Potatoes: A Book With a White Cover

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

This grim-dark book series features white covers for all its books. At least for the hardcovers anyway. It’s a really good series if you’re looking for something dark to read.

Gravy: A Book You’re Not Totally Sure Why You Love, But You Do

Naked in Death by JD Robb

I have never been able to explain why I love this series so much. I have never been a big fan of this kind of mystery, or of romance, but I enjoy the heck out of these books! I’d say they are a guilty pleasure, but I feel no guilt reading them!

Pumpkin Pie: A Dessert Book That You Love

The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn

I guess I will always hype this book up as one of the sweetest books I have ever read. It’s so cute I bought both sequels, even though one seems absurd. Really absurd. I still bought it!

Bonus: Black Friday: The Top 5 Books On Your “I Want To Buy Them” List

In no particular order we have The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta, Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Man by Emmanuel Echo, What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell, The Guinivere Deception by Keirsten White, and The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox. I just bought a whole bunch of books back in October, so it’s going to be a while before I can actually add these to my TBR pile. I might pick up the Holiday Swap in December…maybe.

So where does that leave me? Oh yeah, tagging people. Consider yourself tagged! Have fun with this tag. I know I did!

The next Thanksgiving Tag will be up on Thursday!

First Lines Friday- November 19th

Lauren1 Comment

Hello beautiful humans! And how is everyone doing today? This post is up a little late today because yesterday was crazy and I didn’t have time to write it and this morning got completely away from me. Unfortunately, life happens.

But I did have a book picked out for First Lines Friday!

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author, or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

The Lines:

“The palace still shook occasionally as the earth rumbled in memory, grumbled as it would deny what had happened. Bars of sunlight cast through rents in the walls made motes of dust glitter where they yet hung in the air. Scorch-marks marred the walls, the floors, the ceilings. Broad black smears crossed the blistered paints and gilt of once-bright murals, soot overlaying crumbling friezes of men and animals which seemed to have attempted to walk before the madness grew quiet.”

Intrigued?

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

This book has been on my TBR forever. It frustrates me to no end that I can’t seem to finish it. I think the problem is that I am listening to it. The audiobook is great. I just put it down, so to speak, and can’t seem to pick it back up. I will finish it eventually! It will happen.

Also, the show just so happens to have been released today, so how could I not do this book! Me and probably everybody else is doing this book.

Have fun watching Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime!