January 2020 Reading Plans

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It’s 2020 already and I’m hoping to hit the ground running. For the most part I’m planning to tackle more review books that I have since I’m trying to get caught up after my slump, but I’ve also pulled some of my physical books that I would like to get off my TBR this month as well.

The Cheerleaders and Night Music are books I currently have audio books for so those should be easy to knock out. I’m already half way done with Robots Vs. Fairies and the other two books are pretty short. So I’m fairly confident I can knock these ones out – my hope is that this happens and that I’m also able to pull additional books from my shelves. We shall see what happens in that regard.

There’s also always random books that I may pick up on my kindle or via audio books as the mood strikes me. Also, there are monthly challenges I want to participate in that I haven’t been able to check out yet, so this may have additions or changes based on that.

Happy reading!

December 2019: Wrap Up

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I cannot believe December (and 2019) is already over, it went by so fast! I know a huge part of that was because of all the planning and prep I had to do for my vacation, and then the vacation itself. While I didn’t get back up to my usual reading pace, I do feel like I broke the slump and that I am getting back on track.

In total I read 18 books this month, including one on my kindle, 3 print books that were on my shelves (though one of them was a book I received for review) and 14 other review books which were either in eArc or audiobook format. While I was stoked to tackle so many review books, I was a little bummed that more print books weren’t taken care of.

For books that I acquired in December, there were a total of 11 – which is awesome for December. December and April tend to be my highest months so having less this December was a win. I got two from Book of the Month, three as Christmas gifts and the rest I purchased for myself mostly with gift cards that I received for Christmas. I also picked up the second Crowns of Croswald book from the author’s website as after reading the first one that I received directly from the author for review, I definitely wanted to pick up the next book in the series.

So that’s about it for December! I’ll be doing a full year wrap up in the next couple days to cover how many books total I read (301!) and how many books I added to my library as well as some other stats, but that’s going to take a little time since I have to organize my data.

Here’s hoping that January and beyond will see me getting even more on track with my reading (begone slump!) and get me back to my happy place. Fingers crossed for 2020 being a good year.

Happy reading!

Review: Gudetama – Love For the Lazy

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Dating is exhausting, so let’s take a lighthearted approach to exploring it with Gudetama, everyone’s favorite grumpy egg! From navigating first-date smalltalk to recovering from being dumped, Gudetama is your guide to finding love…even when you’re lazy.

Sanrio is the global lifestyle brand best known for pop icon Hello Kitty®, and home to many other beloved character brands including Chococat, My Melody, Badtz-Maru, Keroppi, Gudetama and Aggretsuko.

If you love Gudetama or Sanrio in general you should definitely check this one out. This features Gudetama and his friend as they give people advice on different dilemmas in relationships. Often the solutions are comical and more lazy, which is on brand for Gudetama.

I went into this expected something with bright and vivid colors and snappy stories that would make me laugh – and I was not disappointed. It was uplifting and funny, plus a quick read that put a smile on my face.

Gudetama: Love For the Lazy is out January 14th from Oni Press – if you’re interested make sure to pick up a copy. Happy reading!

Top 5 Books I Read This Year

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Since we’re at the end of the year I figured it was time to pick some favorites. Though I don’t give out a ton of five star ratings, this year I had a fair amount so it was harder to pick only five. Still, I was able to narrow it down to some that I know I would read again and probably love just as much.

Great Goddesses – I read most of Nikita Gill’s works this year and I believe gave five stars to each one, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be this one. I just fell in love with her poetry and honestly it reignited a love of poetry that had fallen away for a number of years.

If I’m Being Honest – I absolutely loved this duo’s debut book Always Never Yours when I read it so I had to pick up this one when it came out. I love their unique spin on “retelling” Shakespeare, where it’s not strictly a retelling, but modern characters relating to Shakespeare and using it as a mirror to their lives. The first one uses Romeo and Juliet for this while this one uses Taming of the Shrew. If you’re looking for a contemporary story that will make you both laugh and cry, you have to check out these books.

The Kiss Quotient – I know everyone went crazy over this book last year, but I was a little late to the party and read it this year. Helen Hoang has easily become one of my autobuy authors with this book and then The Bride Test. I love how fully dimensional so many of her characters are and how thoughtfully she writes a number of subjects. At this point I will read pretty much anything she writes.

Truly Devious – Maureen Johnson has been a little hit and miss for me, but I absolutely loved this story. A cold case murder mystery and an exclusive private school with very quirky characters? Yes please. This is one I would definitely recommend the audiobook for as I was fully immersed in it and felt it was extremely well done. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing on with the story; however, I’m scared to continue before more books are out because I don’t want a cliffhanger to kill me.

Moonlocket – Moonlocket is the sequel to Cogheart which was such a great story in and of itself, but with the second book the characters have so much growth and really gain even more dimension. (Spoiler – I’ve been graciously given an eARC of the third book, so watch my blog for a review of that one as well!) If you enjoy middle grade adventures I definitely recommend picking this series up!

So that’s it – my top five books of 2019! What were some of your favorites?

Happy reading!

Review: Small Hours

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Valérie Minelli’s tremendously popular Mrs. Frollein comics have been stirring emotion in people all over the world with heartfelt and earnest strips making fun of the mundane. These perfectly poignant webcomics find inspiration in the everyday, encompassing rainy coffee mornings, playful relationship adventures, and quiet introspective moments. The small, unexpected minutes that quilt life together.

In addition to many of the most recent fan-favorite Mrs. Frollein strips, Small Hours also includes twenty-five all-new, never before released comics as well as a foreword from fellow web-comic luminaries, Jonathan Kunz and Elizabeth Pich of War and Peas.

I had never heard of this comic before, but the description made me think they would be heartwarming comics often dealing with a loving relationship and I was right. The comics had a lighthearted vibe that perfectly showcased their loving subject matter. If you’re looking for something that will make you smile and be totally relateable this is a great example. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through these comics and they put a smile on my face.

Happy reading!

Review: Forgive Yourself These Tiny Acts of Self-Destruction

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Singer’s highly anticipated debut book collects and transforms work from his ten years as a mainstay of the NYC poetry scene. With work that ranges from the laugh out loud funny to the silence and rage of loss, Forgive Yourself These Tiny Acts of Self-Destruction is a must read. As the book unfolds Jared guides the reader through fresh takes on the discussion of body image and body positivity side by side with all too familiar discussions of mental health, anxiety and suicide. It explores the complex cloth that is American culture and New York in particular, taking extra time to examine his identity as a Jewish American and how that underpins the authors daily experience. Forgive Yourself is a modern handbook for finding yourself and your place without losing your way.

This collection was another book of very hard hitting poetry, which examines a number of sometimes difficult subjects. Singer discussed a number of personal experiences and triggering subjects for him. With this in mind it made the poems more full of depth and more jarring.

There are a number of triggering subjects so if subjects like suicide, body image issues, loss of loved ones and more so if those subjects are too triggering for you go into this with caution. The poems are very heartfelt and definitely show a journey that hopefully lead towards acceptance and growth.

All in all it was a great collection that is sure to pull at the heartstrings and have great impact.

Happy reading!

2020 Reading Challenges I Want to Participate In

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There are so many different reading challenges that it can be hard to decide which ones you want to participate in. Typically I have trouble sticking to them, or I find a ton I want to do and then am too unorganized or too much of a mood reader. This coming year I want to pick a few that I definitely participate in, then fill in where I can or where I feel like it.

Clearing the Hoard – My backlist is pretty enormous and it is something I would like to improve. I’m a little hesitant to make an actual list of all the books I have which are unread because, well, there are a lot, but I think it’s a great idea to tackle all those books which may not be at the top of the TBR.

TBR and Beyond – I’m a member of the TBR and Beyond facebook group, which has monthly and a yearly reading challenge, so I definitely plan on tackling those challenges as well.

20 For 2020 Reading Challenge – This one is based on prompts and it looks like a really good list, so I’m definitely going to try and tackle it. We’ll see how we do!

What reading challenges are you going to participate in next year?

Happy reading!

2020 Book Resolutions

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We all have those things that we think about when heading into the new year, things or habits that we want to change. I have these for my general life, but also for my reading life. Here are a few of the things I want to improve upon.

My “Currently Reading” pile – I think I may have already brought this up this year, but I have a few books currently sitting on my currently reading pile. I would like to clear this pile and finally finish these books.

My Neverending TBR – Ok, may of us have this problem and it is not unique – but it’s still something I need to work on. I did a great job this year to not bring in more books than I read, but I really need to take care of my backlist and dramatically decrease it.

Stay More On Top of Review Books – I do pretty well with this, but with the epic slump I fell into in the last few months of the year this one kind of slipped. I’m confident I can get it back on track and power through these books.

Continue To Grow This Blog – I’ve done really well in the last few months of posting every day and I would like to keep that up. It’s led to some great growth and really kept me accountable, I’d like to keep that trend going!

So those are the big ones, things that I hope to really ramp up on or continue doing. What are some of your reading resolutions for 2020?

Happy reading!

Happy Holidays!

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After a long day with my boyfriend’s family (and in laws) I don’t have a whole lot of time left in the day to write much, so I will keep today’s post brief for the most part.

No matter what religion or holiday you celebrate, my wishes for you are to have a safe and happy end of the year. I know that a lot of people have a hard time at Christmas, sometimes the hard memories are too difficult to overcome, but remember that somewhere around the corner you can always find a little joy.

Don’t let the small things or the lurking memories get you down, we’re about to enter the new year which means time for regaining your center and starting new projects (and books!).

Happy reading and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!

Review: Killer Domes and the Chosen One

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As the old world burned, the elite departed to colonise space in search of a new home. Most of the human species perished on earth’s surface, but a protected few remained. Many generations passed without question, but now suspicions are starting to rise.

Follow the story of Maz and her best friend Hap, as a chance encounter with a stranger lures them into a mission to decide the future of humankind.

Killer Domes and the Chosen One is not your typical start to a sci-fi adventure. In this world the Elites have left behind some people on earth, but left them within domes to protect them from the world as it burned. We primarily follow Maz, who prides herself on excelling and gaining status in the dome.

The world building itself as well as the descriptions of how things worked within the dome provided for a very strong beginning and a good foundation for the continuing story. While things seem pretty perfect and without conflict at first, this soon changes and we go on a twisting adventure that is full of surprises.

If you want a quick adventure that will make you want to continue on in the series be sure to check it out. Starting today (December 24th) this book is available for free on Kindle, but make sure to grab it as this deal only lasts three days!

Happy reading!