October 2020 Wrap-Up/TBR Update

I had high hopes for this month, but I ended up feeling so slumpy. Nothing sounded good and I had no motivation to actually read. On the other hand, I did catch up on some graphic novel series and ended up doing some rereads so I read more than it felt like I did.

• The Umbrella Academy vols 1-3 by Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba (reread) – Finished volume 1
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (preorder) – Read and reviewed
• Boop and Eve’s Road Trip by Mary Helen Sheriff [ARC 10/6]
• Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch [ARC 11/10] – Currently Reading
• The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – Read and reviewed
• Emma by Jane Austen (book club)

Also read/reading:

• Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody – Currently Reading
• The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand – Read, review coming
• Lumberjanes vol 12: Jackalope Springs Eternal by Shannon Watters et al – Read
• Lumberjanes vol 14: X Marks the Spot by Shannon Watters et al – Read
• The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen – Reread, dream cast
• The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton – Read and reviewed
• Runaways vol 4: But You Can’t Hide by Rainbow Rowell – Read
• Runaways vol 5: Canon Fodder by Rainbow Rowell – Read
• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black – Reread
• The Wicked King by Holly Black – Reread
• The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black – Currently Reading

Books finished this month: 12
Books currently reading: 3

Overall TBR:

TBR at the beginning of the year = 296
TBR at the beginning of October = 319
Books added to TBR = 14
Books read/deleted from TBR = 8
Total on TBR now = 325

How did your reading go this month?

15 Best Book Deals for 10/23/20: In Cold Blood, the Princess Diarist, Bitter Orange, and more

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $1

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Less than $2

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

If You Ask Me by Betty White

The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco

An Assassin’s Guide to Love and Treason by Virginia Boecker

Less than $3

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

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25 Best Book Deals for 10/8/20: Lock Every Door, Pumpkinheads, Anna Dressed in Blood, and more

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $1

Themes and Variations by David Sedaris

Less than $2

Room to Breathe by Liz Talley

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Everything Here is Under Control by Emily Adrian

Faith by Julie Murphy

The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties by Camille Pagán

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Less than $3

The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley

The Pursuit of William Abbey by Claire North

A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell

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California Winter | November Wrap-Up & TBR Update

This month hasn’t been great blogging wise (you might have noticed) but it’s been pretty good reading wise! I was able to snag some library copies of a couple of my anticipated November releases, so that was awesome. It always feels like I’m slogging through a book that’s taking me too much time, so then I’m surprised when I see how much I’ve actually read in a month.

• The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
• Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim [ARC 1/7]
• The Map from Here to There by Emery Lord [ARC 1/7] – Read, review coming
• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens [Book Club] – Read, review coming
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Caraval by Stephanie Garber [Book Club] – Read
• Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black – Read, review coming
• The Toll by Neal Shusterman – Read, review coming

Also read/reading:

• Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson [ARC 11/5] – Read and reviewed
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke – Finished Listening
• Inkspell by Cornelia Funke – Currently Listening
• Twenty-One Truths About Love by Matthew Dicks [ARC 11/19] – Read
• Legendary by Stephanie Garber – Read, review coming
• Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks – Read
• Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake – Read, review coming
• The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White [ARC 11/5] – Read and reviewed
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles [Book Club] – Currently Reading
• Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins [BT 12/13] – Currently Reading

Books finished this month: 12
Books currently reading: 3

Overall TBR:

TBR at the beginning of the year = 383
TBR at the beginning of November =305
Books added to TBR = 2
Books read/deleted from TBR = 7
Total on TBR now = 300

How did your reading go this month?

22 Best Book Deals for 11/21/19: The Bone Witch, The Knife of Never Letting Go, Attachments, and more

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $1

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Pemberly: Mr Darcy’s Dragon by Maria Grace

Less than $2

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker

Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in the Digital World by Maryanne Wolf

The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco

Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Can’t Escape Love by Alyssa Cole

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton

Black Water Rising by Attica Locke

Navigating the Stars by Maria V Snyder

Beauty by Robin McKinley

The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman

The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden

Less than $3

Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks

The Prey by Tom Isbell

The Short Novels of John Steinbeck by John Steinbeck

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick

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10 books to read before the end of the year

I set my reading goal at the beginning of the year to be 70 books. As of right now, I have surpassed that number beyond my wildest dreams. I reset my goal for 100, but I’m currently sitting at 90 and I think I’ll easily be able to hit that new number. However, I’m going to make another goal to at least read these 10 books before the end of the year:

Legendary by Stephanie Garber – Sitting on my shelf…mocking me. I will get to it this year!

Order: Hardcover | Paperback | eBook

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – This was on my year TBR so I better finish it before the end of the year!

Order: Hardcover | Paperback | eBook

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell – Just got this one from B&N. I’ve loved all of Gladwell’s books so I’m especially excited for this one!

Order: Hardcover | eBook

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern – Preordered! So pumped. I LOVED The Night Circus and this book just sounds AMAZING. I never preorder (because $$$) but I made an exception with this one (and I had a gift card).

Preorder: Hardcover | eBook

Bad Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett – I’m hoping to get to this one next month! I’ve got it on my Kindle ready to go.

Order: Hardcover | Paperback | eBook

Queen of Nothing by Holly Black – I read a ton of Holly Black when I was in junior high and I’ve reinstated my status of Holly Black trash recently (see below). No one does faeries better!

Preorder: Hardcover | eBook

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black – **Shrugs**

Order: Hardcover | Paperback | eBook

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater – I started this one so long ago and haven’t gotten around to finishing it. I want to finish it before the end of the year!

Order: Hardcover | Paperback | eBook

The Umbrella Academy vol 3: Hotel Oblivion by Gerard Way – SO PUMPED FOR THIS.

Preorder: Paperback | eBook

Runaways vol 4: But You Can’t Hide by Rainbow Rowell – I recently got back into Runaways. I read the originals way back when they came out and I’ve been pretty happy with this reboot. The Hulu show is trash though.

Preorder: Paperback

What are some books you’re hoping to read before the end of the year?

What a crazy summer | August Wrap-Up & TBR Update

I can’t believe August is over already! It seems like we just moved to California last week, but we’ve actually been here for almost three months. As I’ve been seeing everyone’s back-to-school/end of summer vacation social media posts, I’ve realized that we’re in a super interesting time of life where our summer vacation doesn’t really end? We don’t have any kids in school yet and we’re not in school anymore either. The weather will get cooler but like…we’re in California so it’s not going to get that cold. My husband has been working full-time all summer and he’s going to continue to do that…things just aren’t really changing for us like they are for everyone else. We can still go do summery, outside things basically as long as we want. Anyway, unrelated to book things but it was an interesting realization that I had.

• King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo (buddy read with Audrey Writes Abroad) – Read and reviewed
• Descendant of the Crane by Joan He – Read and reviewed
• Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach – Read and reviewed
• Color Me In by Natasha Diaz [ARC] – DNF 43%
• Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford [ARC] – Read and reviewed
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – Read and reviewed
• Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley – Finished listening to #6 and #7, currently listening to #8

Also read/reading:

• Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz – Finished listening
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling – Finished listening
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling – Finished listening
• Runaways vol 2: Best Friends Forever by Rainbow Rowell – Finished
• Runaways vol 3: That Was Yesterday by Rainbow Rowell – Finished
• Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills – Read and reviewed
• Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob – Finished

Books finished this month: 14 with 1 DNF
Books currently reading: 1

Well, would you look at that! I actually managed to complete my TBR and then some this month! Way to go me!

A couple other things real quick, I finished my Goodreads Reading Goal this month! I had no idea how this year was going to go (especially with last year being a bit of a dud reading year) so I set my goal to 70. Luckily, I’ve exceeded my expectations! My new goal for the year is 100. Second, I’m working on a TBR weeding project. I’m going alphabetically and I’m trying to just take one letter at a time, figuring out what I want to keep on my TBR and what can go. So you’ll see my TBR count going down significantly and that’s why.

Overall TBR:

TBR at the beginning of the year = 383
TBR at the beginning of August = 469
Books added to TBR = 8
Books read/deleted from TBR = 65
Total on TBR now = 412

How did your reading go this month?

Not as bad as April, but still so busy | May Wrap-Up & TBR Update

Today is my last day working at the library. It’s super bittersweet. On one hand, I’m looking forward to living in a new place and spending more time with my baby, but on the other hand, I’ve really loved my job. As we get ready to actually move, I probably won’t be on here a ton, but I hope to still be reading in between packing boxes. Hopefully the rest of this Summer is a little calmer!

• The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater – On Pause
• King of Fools by Amanda Foody [ARC] – Read and reviewed
• Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno [ARC] – Read and reviewed
• Happy Messy Scary Love by Leah Konen [ARC] – Read, review coming
• The Chosen by Taran Matharu [ARC] – Currently Reading
• Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal [ARC]
• Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka – Read, review coming
• King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
• The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon [Book Club] – Read, review coming
• Circe by Madeline Miller [Book Club] – Read, review coming

Also read/reading:

• The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton – Read, review coming
• Runaways vol 1: Find Your Way Home by Rainbow Rowell – Read
• Lumberjanes vol 11: Time After Crime by Shannon Watters – Read

Books finished this month: 9
Books currently reading: 1

Overall TBR:

TBR at the beginning of the year = 383
TBR at the beginning of May = 466
Books added to TBR = 14
Books read/deleted from TBR = 20
Total on TBR now = 460

How did your reading go this month?

TTT | I NEED MOOOOOOORE

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Standalone Books That Need a Sequel

Man, going through my Goodreads for this list made me realize that I read very few standalone books! A lot of the standalones are contemporary romance, but I didn’t want my ENTIRE list to be that! So here’s my list. I tried really hard to add some variety.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

This is supposedly getting a sequel, but I won’t believe it until I have it in my grubby little hands.

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

I listened to an interview where she explains why she doesn’t do sequels and I get it…but I’d still like one. Honestly, I’d take a sequel for any of her books, but I’m particularly curious about Remy and Dexter.

Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

I feel like this book ended feeling a little unresolved to me. I didn’t really think Sloan was a very good friend, so I’d like to giver her a chance to redeem herself.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Levi and Cath are just so sweet together. A book about their last year of college would be amazing.

Invictus by Ryan Graudin

More time travel heists plzzzzzz.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Yes, more Night Circus would be fantastic. I literally cannot get enough.

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

The two main characters are best friendship goals! I’d love to see what other situations they get themselves into!

A Million Junes by Emily Henry

I feel that there could be more to explore here. The book resolved, but let’s see what happens after!

Odd & True by Cat Winters

A new book with Odd’s daughter as the lead would be so interesting I think!

The Comeback Season by Jennifer E Smith

More Cubs!

Do you agree with my list? Link your TTT in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: YA Books for Introverts

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic and this week’s topic is: Ten Books Every X Should Read

I’m going to fill in the blank with “YA Introvert”. This also applies to those who are not traditionally classified as YA but enjoy reading it nonetheless. Not all of these books necessarily feature introverted characters, but they all feature people who are trying to come out of their shells.

1. Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer
2. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson
3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
4. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
5. The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
6. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
7. Things I Can’t Forget by Miranda Kenneally
8. Flat-Out Celeste by Jessica Park
9. Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
10. So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti