November TBR

Quick question. Is it too early to break out the Holiday graphics for the blog yet? I’m a major Christmas decorating person and will be decorating my house next week, hopefully, and I just wanted to know if you think it’s too early to decorate my blog too. Personal opinion, it’s never too early. But what do you think? Let me know.

But since it is still November I suppose I should just make a TBR while I have the chance. Not a big TBR mind you, but a nice one.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

This is a book club pick for the month of November and I am super excited. Recursion is one of the best Sci-Fi books I had read in a while and I absolutely loved it. I have high hopes for this one, although the mixed reviews I have heard about it give me a little hesitancy.

Isn’t it Bromantic by Lyssa Kay Adams

The Bromance Book Club series has been one of the highlights of my romance reading journey thus far. This is the fourth entry in the series and I have already started it. I’m enjoying it very much.

The Unbound Empire by Melissa Caruso

The third and final book in the Swords and Fire trilogy, I have been meaning to get to this one for a while, and just haven’t hit it yet. For shame, but I do have a problem finishing series. I just don’t want the stories to end.

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

I have been looking forward to this one for a while now, and I am going to make myself read it before the third full-length story comes out next year. My friend just finished it and was very sad the book was over. She needs more now!

And that is my small TBR for the month. Let’s see if I actually stick to it instead of wandering off the path like I normally do!

October Reading Wrap Up

Welp, Halloween is over and all I’m left with is this pumpkin cheesecake. I take comfort in that. Well, also in the 12 books I read. Almost all of them anyway.

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling picks up where the Ex Hex left off, this time the focus is on Gwyn Jones and Wells Penhallow. It was a wonderful follow-up and I couldn’t have been happier to have been in the world of Graves Glen again. What a great sequel. If you like the Ex Hex, you will love this!

Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher is the first book at the start of a brand new supernatural romance series about werewolves and witches. This one had to do with supernatural politics in a way I wasn’t expecting. Don’t worry, it’s still a rom-com. It was a fun read and I really enjoyed it.

Well Played by Jen DeLuca is the second entry in a series of rom-coms centering around a renaissance festival. I am enamored with the world the author has created and may have already finished the third book. I am also thankful there is a fourth book in the series coming out in December.

From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper is another sequel (I usually have a hard time reading sequels, what is going on?) that takes place in a town called Thistle Grove where the magic is held by four families. This time a fellow witch is attacked and members of two rival families must team up to solve the caper! I loved it! Thistle Grove sounds like a fantastic tourist spot!

If you want to read a cozy fantasy graphic novel, The Tea Dragon Society series by K. O’Neill is the way to go. This middle-grade story is adorable and I read all three in one go! It’s also available on Kindle Unlimited so you can enjoy it there. And how cute are those dragons?

Now meet the books I wasn’t too crazy about.

I know people are loving it, but I just didn’t like Fairy Tale by Stephen King. His writing style and I just don’t get along. I may try this one again later, as so many of the ladies in my book club enjoyed this one.

How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him to Villany by AJ Sherwood was a choice. The wizard is very eccentric and the knight is very quick to just go along with everything the wizard says. It’s also absurdist comedy, which may be why they do that, but it wasn’t for me. I say that, but I read the whole thing.

Three Swedish Mountain Men by Lily Gold was a book I read. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I like my romance stories to have a plot, but this one was barely there. If why choose stories are up your alley, give it a shot. But nope. Not again!

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Maris was a book I was really into until the third plot twist happened in the first half of the book. It was just a few too many plot twists for me.

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean was just a wrong book wrong time kind of thing. I didn’t get very far into it, but I am determined to try again because the plot is about a family that eats books, and then here comes the kid who eats brains? Yes, I want to like that.

And that’s how my reading month went. How did yours go?

Sundays In Bed With…Legends & Lattes

So Sundays In Bed With… is a meme hosted by Midnight Book Girl. It’s an opportunity to share what book is by your bed (or by your current resting space) at the moment. I happened across this meme on Wicked Witch’s Blog. She’s almost done with her Blogtober posts so go give her a follow! She’s fantastic!

Also, I can’t believe we have made it to the end of October! What a crazy month it’s been. The weather has finally turned here and fall has actually arrived which means cooler temps, rainy days, and, unfortunately, headaches. The migraines have been making their presence felt this season. But, I have been able to walk to work a lot, which has been fabulous. The crisp fall air does wonders for my mental health and it also means I can listen to an audiobook for the short walk to work.

Speaking of audiobooks, my current listen is Legends and Lattes. I’ve been listening to this cozy fantasy everywhere I go, or don’t go. I’ve been listening to it while I prep for my next D&D session on the sofa. It seemed appropriate. I’m also thinking of switching to the paperback copy that I have, as I want to know what happens faster than the audiobook can get to it!!!

Here’s the blurb:

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success ― not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.

As a side note if you decide to read/listen to this the way the author, Travis Baldree, describes the food in this book is positively sinful. It makes me want to go raid a bakery every time I hear him describe something.

It’s Finally Fall Book Tag

It’s fall, y’all! That means it’s time for apple cider, comfy sweaters, and cozy blankets…if you live somewhere that isn’t Texas. We still do pumpkin patches and hayrides though!!!

I saw this book tag on Book Are 42 (I love that blog name) and she was tagged by someone else, but I couldn’t track down the originator of the tag. If anyone has the info, please let me know!

In fall, the air is crisp and clear | Name a book with a vivid setting!

The Ex Hex/ The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling

The world of Graves Glen is set in a whimsical small town full of colorful characters and I could not love this series more. Both books are excellent and the second story doesn’t suffer from the dreaded second book syndrome.

Nature is beautiful… but also dying | Name a book that is beautifully written, but also deals with a heavy topic like loss or grief.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

This is a book about death. The story is about a man who dies and goes to “live” in a tea house in a small village with a reaper, a ferryman, and some ghosts, including a ghost dog!!! And yes, I cried, but in the best possible way.

Fall is back to school season | Share a non-fiction book that taught you something new.

The Player’s Handbook by Wizards of the Coast

So I know the prompt was probably looking for something a little less esoteric, but this, while about a fantasy world, is a non-fiction book as it is a technical manual for a role-playing game. And I learned a lot. It did take me two months to read it, because dense, but I still read it!!!

In order to keep warm, it’s good to spend time with the people we love | Name a fictional family/household/friend-group that you’d like to be a part of.

In Death Series by J.D. Robb

For all that they are surrounded by mayhem and murder, the bonds of family and friendship are incredibly strong within Eve and Roarke’s group. What makes it even more special is that while Roarke and Eve are bazillionaire’s, that’s not the reason the people in the group are friends with them, they like these two on their own merits. I’d like to be friends with these people.

The colorful leaves are piling up on the ground | Show us a pile of fall-colored spines!

Um…no? I just organized the shelf nearest to me a few days ago. I’m not messing that up…I’m picturing myself storming off like a petulant child who is being sent to their room. Baby Lauren would not be amused.

Fall is the perfect time for some storytelling by the fireside | Share a book wherein somebody is telling a story.

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

So I’m not recommending this book as I’m still not sure how I feel about it (I’m not done with it yet) but it is told to you by the main character.

The nights are getting darker | Share a dark, creepy read.

A Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

This book very much creeped me out when I read it a few years ago. Just thinking about that scene with the rats…eww. But, it was very well written and made me want to read more by the author, which is saying a lot, as I don’t usually enjoy horror stories.

The days are getting colder | Name a short, heartwarming read that could warm up somebody’s cold and rainy day.

Monk and Robot Series by Becky Chambers

I have heard this series referred to as hope punk, and I like it. I would also call it cozy sci-fi. It’s a series that isn’t afraid to ask tough questions, but it does so in a nice and gentle manner, you leave the stories not only questioning your life but wanting more in the series.

Fall returns every year | Name an old favorite that you’d like to return to soon.

The Last Dragonlord by Joanne Bertin

I loved the first two books set in this series, and am always up for a re-read. It’s the story of Liden, a dragonlord (a being who is also part dragon), and his journey through political intrigue and a murder mystery at a human court. It’s a fun read and I would have loved to see more in this world.

Fall is the perfect time for cozy reading nights | Share your favorite cozy reading accessories

A Cup of Tea

Does a cup of tea count? I can’t really read without one and during the cooler parts of the fall will go through several cups while I am reading. A particular fall favorite is by Harney and Sons, the Pumpkin Spice. It’s quite nice.

What a fun tag! I don’t ever tag anyone in these, because if you like a tag, you should give it a try! Let’s see what fun you can come up with!

I Missed A Few Months, Here’s a Book Haul

Howdy.

And as I am not a beloved toy cowboy, let me never say that again.

So in the few months I was away, I accumulated quite a few books. As a result, I thought you should be aware of a few of the things I picked up.

Ledge by Stacy McEwan

If you’ve been on BookTok you may have seen Stacy McEwan at some point. The Australian author started out self publishing this book and ended up selling it to a publisher thanks to overwhelming demand, helped out by her TikTok account. I loved watching her try to turn her husband into romance novel’s leading man. Twas hilarious.

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

I’ve had this book on my want to buy list for a while now, and when I saw the paperback in my local bookstore, I had to snatch it up. It’s all about the parts of feminism that the movement tends to overlook. I’m hoping to learn a lot from this one.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and art by Wendy Xu

I’ve heard nothing but good things about this graphic novel about a witch and a werewolf. It also helps that it looks adorable. I also accidentally order the special edition…so that’s nice.

Babel by R.F. Kuang

Given my love for the Poppy War, a book series I have yet to finish, I had to pick this up. I have heard some mixed things about this book, which surprised me given all the early amazing buzz about the book. But that also means I’m probably going to like it.

The Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore

I’m not gonna lie, I picked this one up for the Hubs. He likes books to have a little humor to it and I had heard this one had it’s moments. He’s read it already and his opinion pretty much matches the blurb on the cover. But in a good way?

In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu

This novella has some interesting ideas and, I’m just guessing here, a non-binary main character. The pronouns used in the description are very interesting. But it intrigued me and when I saw it at the used bookstore, I grabbed it up.

The Boy With the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith

I saw a TikTok about this book and knew immediately it was for me. A romance story about a bookshop owner and a baker? Yes please, I will take it. Here’s hoping it lives up to that TikTok. Also, I watch too much TikTok.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

What can I say, I bowed to peer pressure. No but seriously, I have two friends who spent days extolling this series’ virtues, so I figured I would at least give the first book a try.

Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter

Plus size rep and bingo playing. This rom com sounded so cute. I couldn’t resist it when I saw it in the store. Also, the cover is purple and purple is my favorite color…it was meant to be.

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

This is another one that was all over the internet, both BookTok and BookTube! It’s a regency fairy fantasy romance? Yeah, I think that’s it. I’ve also heard it’s on the cozy side, and I’m really enjoying the cozy books right now.

And that is just a small portion of the over 50+ books I’ve bough in the last several months. My TBR shelves overflow with the fruits of my many excursions. I should stop making excursions.

Also, can we take a moment to shout out the local used book store? I bought most of my recent acquisitions at Half Priced Books, and most of them were used copies. Thank you HPB!!!

A Witchy TBR

October is my favorite month. Well, one of them, it’s tied with December if I’m honest.

I decided to do a bewitching TBR this month. I have collected quite a few witchy Rom Coms over the last few months, and this is the perfect month to read them! I also have one that is not a romance…spooky.

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling

Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; she’s running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she’s started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there’s only one problem—Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow.

Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallow’s, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns he’s gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.

When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late.

From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper

Wild child Isidora Avramov is a thrill chaser, adept demon summoner, and—despite the whole sexy-evil-sorceress vibe—also a cuddly animal lover. When she’s not designing costumes and new storylines for the Arcane Emporium’s haunted house, Issa’s nursing a secret, conflicted dream of ditching her family’s witchy business to become an indie fashion designer in her own right. 

But when someone starts sabotaging the celebrations leading up to this year’s Beltane festival with dark, dangerous magic, a member of the rival Thorn family gets badly hurt—throwing immediate suspicion on the Avramovs. To clear the Avramov name and step up for her family when they need her the most, Issa agrees to serve as a co-investigator, helping none other than Rowan Thorn get to the bottom of things.

Rowan is the very definition of lawful good, so tragically noble and by-the-book he makes Issa’s teeth hurt. In accordance with their families’ complicated history, he and Issa have been archenemies for years and have grown to heartily loathe each other. But as the unlikely duo follow a perplexing trail of clues to a stunning conclusion, Issa and Rowan discover how little they really know each other… and stumble upon a maddening attraction that becomes harder to ignore by the day.

Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher

Magic-less witch Violet Maxwell wants nothing to do with alpha wolf shifter Lincoln Thorne―the man who broke her fragile, teenage heart. But when the two of them are forced by arcane Supernatural Laws to find mates, Violet and Lincoln agree to fake-date their way to a fake-mating in order to conjure themselves some time.

The joke’s on them. When old feelings make a reappearance―along with Violet’s magic―they both realize there’s nothing fake about their feelings. But there are old secrets and looming threats that could snatch away their happily ever after, again. One thing’s for sure: magic doesn’t make dating and love any easier.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules…with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos “pretending” to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.
 
But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.
 
As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world, and when peril comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn’t know she was looking for….

Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck

Emerson Wilde has built the life of her dreams. Youngest Chamber of Commerce president in St. Cyprian history, successful indie bookstore owner, and lucky enough to have her best friends as found family? Done.

But when Emerson is attacked by creatures that shouldn’t be real, and kills them with what can only be called magic, Emerson finds that the past decade of her life has been…a lie. St. Cyprian isn’t your average Midwestern river town—it’s a haven for witches. When Emerson failed a power test years ago, she was stripped of her magical memories. Turns out, Emerson’s friends are all witches.

And so is she.

That’s not all, though: evil is lurking in the charming streets of St. Cyprian. Emerson will need to learn to control what’s inside of her, remember her magic, and deal with old, complicated feelings for her childhood friend–cranky-yet-gorgeous local farmer Jacob North—to defeat an enemy that hides in the rivers and shadows of everything she loves.

Even before she had magic, Emerson would have done anything for St. Cyprian, but now she’ll have to risk not just her livelihood…but her life.

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais

Five octogenarian witches gather as an angry mob threatens to demolish Moonshyne Manor. All eyes turn to the witch in charge, Queenie, who confesses they’ve fallen far behind on their mortgage payments. Still, there’s hope, since the imminent return of Ruby—one of the sisterhood who’s been gone for thirty-three years—will surely be their salvation.

But the mob is only the start of their troubles. One man is hellbent on avenging his family for the theft of a legacy he claims was rightfully his. In an act of desperation, Queenie makes a bargain with an evil far more powerful than anything they’ve ever faced. Then things take a turn for the worse when Ruby’s homecoming reveals a seemingly insurmountable obstacle instead of the solution to all their problems.

The witches are determined to save their home and themselves, but their aging powers are no match for increasingly malicious threats. Thankfully, they get a bit of help from Persephone, a feisty TikToker eager to smash the patriarchy. As the deadline to save the manor approaches, fractures among the sisterhood are revealed, and long-held secrets are exposed, culminating in a fiery confrontation with their enemies.

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food, and who retain all of a book’s content after eating it. To them, spy novels are a peppery snack; romance novels are sweet and delicious. Eating a map can help them remember destinations, and children, when they misbehave, are forced to eat dry, musty pages from dictionaries.

Devon is part of The Family, an old and reclusive clan of book eaters. Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure, and Devon―like all other book eater women―is raised on a carefully curated diet of fairy tales and cautionary stories.

But real life doesn’t always come with happy endings, as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger―not for books, but for human minds.

And that is my TBR for the month. And yes, it is ambitious for me, but I have already read three of them so I’m hoping I’ll be okay. What does your TBR look like?

Current Read: The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

Most Anticipated Books Releasing In the Second Half of 2022

It’s Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is all about the top ten most anticipated new releases in the second half of 2022!

Well hello beautiful people! I don’t know about you, but I was busy yesterday avoiding the heat and reading. Today is going to be more of the same, as the high for the day is supposed to be 100 degrees. And it’s going to be 102 for the next 5 days. I’m going to be drinking so much water.

I’m looking forward to quite a few books in the latter half of this year. In fact, I’ve already pre-ordered all of these. Half of them are sequels. I’m going to have a hard time narrowing this list down to ten.

A Prayer for the Crown Shy by Becky Chambers-July 12th

This book is the follow-up to one of my favorite books from last year, A Psalm for the Wild Built. This story follows everyone’s favorite tea monk and robot duo as they journey amongst the human villages. The last book was amazing and I have no doubt that this one will be too.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch-July 19th

This book asks the question “what if we could hack the human genome to make mankind smarter, stronger, faster?”. After reading Recursion I am really looking forward to this stand-alone book.

Babel by R.F. Kuang-August 23rd

The story of a young man who enters Oxford to become a translator for the British Empire. I loved The Poppy War, and even though I haven’t finished that series yet, R.F. Kuang is an auto-buy author for me. I know, it makes no sense.

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood-August 23rd

This is the follow-up to the sensational Love Hypothesis. This sounds like an enemies to lovers tale, and I do have an ARC for it, but I also have it on pre-order, because I have a problem.

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas-September 6th

This story sounds fantastic, but I am cautiously optimistic. I loved Cemetary Boys but disliked Lost in the Never Woods. So I’m 50/50 on this book.

Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb-September 6th

This is going to be the 55th entry in the In Death series. I can’t believe the series has gone on this long! And there is already a book slated for release next year! This one sounds as gruesome as all the others, so as always, make sure you check trigger warnings before picking it up.

You Are Home by Catana Chetwynd-October 4th

I love Catana Comics on Instagram and have every book she has put out. She tells stories of her everyday life with her fiancee and it’s adorable and fills me with joy.

Bloodmarked by Tracey Deonn-November 8th

This is the much-anticipated sequel to Legendborne. I have been looking forward to this for a while and its release date has already been pushed back once.

The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson-November 15th

This is one of the Hubs most anticipated books of the year. It’s the 4th (and last) book in the Mistborn second era. I still haven’t finished Mistborn the first era. Sigh.

Witcha Gonna Do by Avery Flynn-December 6th

And here is another enemies to lovers story on the list. This time it’s all about witches. I like the witch romance stories. They are fun to read.

What new releases are you anticipating?

First Lines Friday: July 1, 2022

First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words, or, as her blog is going by now, Emma IRL. 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!

Well hello beautiful people. it’s been a long week. I did finish my Starry Nights Lego set the other day. After not having worked on it for over two weeks, I’m considering that a win.

Today’s book is one I got for Christmas last year. The Hubs is a good one, I tell ya!

The Lines:

When I couldn’t fall sleep, I counted the parts of the body. I used the outdated numbers. What they taught me back in school when only the ultrarich upgraded. Two hundred and six bones. Seventy-eight organs.

Intrigued?

The Book:

The Body Scout by Lincoln Michel

In the future you can have any body you want—as long as you can afford it.

But in a New York ravaged by climate change and repeat pandemics, Kobo is barely scraping by. He scouts the latest in gene-edited talent for Big Pharma-owned baseball teams, but his own cybernetics are a decade out of date and twin sister loan sharks are banging down his door. Things couldn’t get much worse.

Then his brother—Monsanto Mets slugger J.J. Zunz—is murdered at home plate.

Determined to find the killer, Kobo plunges into a world of genetically modified CEOs, philosophical Neanderthals, and back-alley body modification, only to quickly find he’s in a game far bigger and more corrupt than he imagined. To keep himself together while the world is falling apart, he’ll have to navigate a time where both body and soul are sold to the highest bidder.

It’s giving me Repo: The Genetic Opera vibes and I like it!

Would you add this book to your list?

Purging My TBR: Part Two

Well hello beautiful people! It’s a beautiful day outside today and I have decided to do another TBR purge! I was inspired by Kerri McBookNerd to do this, so go check out her most recent TBR post. I currently have 255 books on my TBR according to Goodreads. I’m pretty sure that’s off by one or two books, but I’m not going to be too picky about it.

Since books on my TBR are books that I actually own, I will also be un-hauling these books as well.

On with the purge!

The Girls With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

This book is classified as a dystopian thriller and I dislike the dystopian genre. So much. I’ve tried to read this a couple of times since I bought this years ago, and never really made it past the first chapter so I’m going to purge it.

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach

This is one of those books I’m not entirely sure about. I like books about space, but I haven’t even tried to read this since I got it. I bought it on a whim (the story of my book buying life) at a thrift store, and I wasn’t really sure of it when I bought it. So yeah, purge.

The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

So when I bought this I thought it was the Broken Earth trilogy. I made an error. Not to say I wasn’t going to read it, but I never read it, and I’ve had it for a few years. The Hubs tried to read it and wasn’t able to get through the first book. And for some reason, this wasn’t included in my Goodreads TBR, so, yeah. Purge.

The Storied Life of A.J. Frikry by Gabrielle Zavin

I also picked this one up at a thrift story and was on the fence about it. I’ve heard mixed reviews about it and haven’t been sure about it for a while, so purge.

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This is the book that made me decide to do the purge today. I’ve been debating getting rid of it for a while because the plot just doesn’t interest me. I bought it on Book Outlet because they were having a sale, and I’m no longer going to be doing that…I say as she know I am totally going to do that again. But yeah, purge.

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

This story has everything I would want, but after reading the first chapter of this the other day, I decided the writing style was just wasn’t for me. So I am going to go ahead and purge this.

So here is where I leave you with this purge. You’ll see another purge post soon, as I removed way more than this from my TBR pile. Woosh.

What books would you remove from your TBR list?

Can’t Wait Wednesday: June 29, 2022

Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted on Wishful Endings, actually originated as Waiting On Wednesday on Breaking the Spine. It’s a great opportunity to focus, for a day at least, on an upcoming new release.

Well hello beautiful people! I decided to do something new today and try Can’t Wait Wednesday. Mostly because I haven’t finished a book since A Mirror Mended, and I already wrote a review about that. So Can’t Wait Wednesday it is!

This book is something I have already pre-ordered and I am so excited to get it. It’s a sequel, to a book I loved last year. It’s also a novella so it should be a quick and easy read. It should also make me think about my life, but in a kind and gentle way.

A Prayer For The Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.

They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.

Becky Chambers’s new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?

What do you think? Will you pick up this sequel?