Happy first birthday to my blog!! Yes, my baby blog is one year old! I had to title this post "October 2021" because this is my second ever October Reading Wrap-Up. It's amazing and mind-blowing and kind of terrifying to realize that I've been blogging for over a year now. It feels like it's been both forever and no time at all. I'm so grateful to all of you for supporting me on my blogging journey! October was a weird reading month. 2/3 of it was rather blah with a bunch of 2 and 3 Star reads. However *cue dramatic music* A Lesson in Vengeance, Horrid, and Not Here to Be Liked swooped in at the end of the month and came to the rescue! So while October may have been a little iffy at first, it happily ended with a 5 Star read, and isn't that all that any of us could possibly ask for? Books read: 11 Pages read: 2,985 Genres read: Contemporary, Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, LGBTQ+, Horror Favorite book read: Not Here to Be Liked, by Michelle Quach Love & Luck, by Jenna Evans Welch ⭐️⭐️ I had such high expectations for this one after adoring Love & Gelato but unfortunately I was very disappointed. Literally all of the characters annoyed me, and where was the romance?? However, I did have a fun time complaining and making fun of it with Paige @pagebypaigebooks 😂. The Falling Girls, by Hayley Krischer ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ This book tackled toxic friendships head-on. It was tough to read about at times but an important topic nonetheless. It had an almost thriller-esque feel to it that I enjoyed. See my full review and tour stop post here! The Dead and the Dark, by Courtney Gould ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was dark. And there were a lot of dead people. Huh, I wonder where the title comes from? Anyway, joking aside, it was a spooky read for Halloween-time. I liked all the small-town mystery vibes, but I didn't feel very connected to the characters, maybe because it was in 3rd person. For Better Or Cursed, by Kate Williams ⭐️⭐️✨ This book was fun, but not much actually happened. Yeah, there was a villain with a half-baked motive and some drama at the end, but otherwise...not much. The Woods Are Always Watching, by Stephanie Perkins ⭐️✨ This book was very gory and very disturbing. It also effectively destroyed any happy ideas I had about going camping someday. Act Cool, by Tobly McSmith ⭐️⭐️⭐️ The book had a lot of excellent elements to it, but I found nearly all of the characters massively irritating at one point or another. The theater aspects of it were fantastic, though! All These Bodies, by Kendare Blake ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ I'm still slightly torn about how I feel about this book; on one hand, I loved it and couldn't put it down, but I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Part of me likes it, part of me doesn't. Overall, though, I adored this book. Another great read by Kendare Blake! Gods & Monsters, by Shelby Mahurin ⭐️⭐️✨ This book made me want to claw my eyeballs out of my skull. That's all I have to say. A Lesson in Vengeance, by Victoria Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Oh. My. Gosh. Ahhhhhhh this book was so good. I also loved Felicity as an unreliable protagonist. AND THAT ENDING. Please go read this book so we can scream about it together!!! Horrid, by Katrina Leno ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book is the definition of unputdownable. The long "chapters" kept me reading and the suspense and creepiness were perfectly written. That ending, though...😱 Not Here to Be Liked, by Michelle Quach ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I absolutely loved this book! The enemies-to-lovers was so good and I enjoyed all of the thoughtful conversations about the true meaning of feminism. I highly recommend!! That's all for my October Reading Wrap-Up! How many books did you read in October? Which one was your favorite? Let me know in the comments!
Have a fabulous day and a great start to the new month!
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Hi, y'all! Happy October! I don't know about you, but I'm so happy that it's finally October. I'm ready for cool weather, pumpkins, and general autumn coziness. But first, before I start snuggling up in sweaters and baking pumpkin bread, it's time for my September Reading Wrap-Up! September was a pretty average reading month for me. School prevented me from reading as much as I would've liked, but I feel good about at least having read ten books. So let's get into the details! Books read: 10 Pages read: 3,789 Genres read: Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, Dystopian, Contemporary, Romance, Poetry Favorite book read: Daughter of Sparta, by Claire M. Andrews As Good As Dead, by Holly Jackson ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ What was this??? I definitely was not a fan of how Pip's character changed in this book. See my tour stop for this book and more of my thoughts here! Insurgent, by Veronica Roth ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Continuing my Divergent binge-read with this one! Overall I enjoyed it. Allegiant, by Veronica Roth ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was definitely not a fan of the multiple POV in this book (why did Tris and Four sound exactly the same??). Also, I don't know how I feel about that ending... Four: A Divergent Story Collection, by Veronica Roth ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Didn't add a whole lot to the series but it was still a fun read! Wonder, by R.J. Palacio ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ April @bookedtillmidnight and Asher @asher_reads harassed me into reading this, but I'm glad they did! It was really heartwarming and the ending made me cry. In Deeper Waters, by F.T. Lukens ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I read this one because Tobi @tiefling.reads loved it and it didn't disappoint! I loved all the magic and the super cute romance! Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another buddy read with the amazing Paige @pagebypaigebooks! Unfortunately this one wasn't quite what I'd been expecting, but there were some good action moments. You Don't Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves, by Diana Whitney (editor) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Beautiful poetry! It was really inspiring and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves poetry. Daughter of Sparta, by Claire M. Andrews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Paige highly recommended this one, so I had to pick it up. I absolutely loved it! The characters, the romance, and the mythology were all spectacular. I can't wait for the sequel! So, This Is Christmas, by Tracy Andreen ⭐️⭐️ It was a bit awkward reading a Christmas book in late September. This book was so cheesy, and some parts were just straight-up weird. It was rather amusing to read, though?? Well, that's all for my September reading! Now onto October! I'm hoping to read lots of spooky books in preparation for Halloween.
How many books did you read in September? Which one was your favorite? Let me know in the comments! Okay, I must admit: August wasn't as bad as I expected it would be. I mean, for one thing, it was a flawless excuse to blast Taylor Swift's 'august' 24/7. Going back to school was actually a lot more fun than anticipated. And it rained quite a bit, so the excruciating August heat wasn't tooooo excruciating. It was also a good reading month, albeit a strange one. I had a weird amount of 4 Star reads (7 out of 12 books I read were 4 Stars), and two books actually made me cry (and they were the ones I least expected to make me cry?? I thought they were going to be fluffy contemporaries). Well, with that having been said, let's take a closer look at what I read this month. Books read: 13 Pages read: 5,139 Genres read: Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance, Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Verse, Retelling, LGBTQ+, Graphic Novel Favorite book read: Rule of Wolves, by Leigh Bardugo The (Un)Popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez, by Jasper Sanchez ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Authentic and heartfelt! I always enjoy books with political elements and this one didn't disappoint. The friendships and romance were wonderful, too! The Corpse Queen, by Heather Herrman ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I'd pitch this as "Stalking Jack the Ripper but minus Thomas Cresswell." This book was good but I feel like the characters were missing something--idk what exactly. I did like the feminist elements, but overall it just needed a little extra pizazz. Full review coming soon! She Drives Me Crazy, by Kelly Quindlen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ So good! The messages about toxic relationships and loving yourself were beautiful. Almost made me cry several times. The romance was amazing, too! Definitely recommend to anyone looking for an excellent sapphic enemies-to-lovers. Clap When You Land, by Elizabeth Acevedo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The verse in this book was beautiful! All of Elizabeth Acevedo's books are stunning. I really enjoyed this buddy read with Paige @pagebypaigebooks! Rule of Wolves, by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I still haven't recovered from Rule of Wolves. It was so good...but so heartbreaking...and so emotional... Zoya is definitely a new favorite character of mine! And of course Nikolai was amazing as always. I honestly can't recommend the King of Scars duopoly enough! It's exceptional! Go read it! The Other Merlin, by Robin Schneider ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was much more lighthearted and fun than I anticipated! Definitely a new favorite King Arthur retelling. The characters were brilliant! Full review soon to come. The Darkness Outside Us, by Eliot Schrefer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Okay, I'm not usually a sci-fi person (actually, I actively dislike most sci-fi), but Paige convinced me to give this book a try and I actually really loved it! The characters were great and the plot was unique and so full of twists! I highly recommend this one whether you like sci-fi or not. Counting Down With You, by Tashie Bhuiyan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ AKA Book #1 on the Books That Made Rose Cry This Month list. That ending, though...so packed full of emotions. I was genuinely sobbing. I also thought the anxiety rep was really accurate. Overall, cute romance but also presented some important issues. Ace of Spades, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Around time I finally read this. It deserves the hype! The eerie mystery vibes were spot-on, and it didn't hesitate to tackle issues like racism and homophobia. Highly recommend! Cool For the Summer, by Dahlia Adler ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I intended to binge-read this the night before school, but I only ended up getting halfway through (for the record, I would have stayed up late to finish it if my class hadn't started at 7:40am the next day...ugh). However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! Also, this is #2 on the Books That Made Rose Cry This Month list; something about that ending hit me hard and left me teary-eyed. Divergent, by Veronica Roth ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I read this for a fun little mother-daughter buddy read with my mom! I actually ended up liking it way more than I expected. I also watched the movie last night and was pretty impressed with how well it followed the book. Mooncakes, by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Very cute graphic novel with lots of great representation! The artwork was beautiful and the characters were great. I loved all the magic, especially the magical creatures! Perfect on Paper, by Sophie Gonzales ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Super fun group buddy read with April @bookedtillmidnight and Asher @asher_reads! Honestly this book was even better my second time reading it. The humor was golden and the characters are the absolute best. I can't recommend it enough!! So that was my reading for August! Weird but enjoyable. I guess August was just the month of 4 Star reads. Also, I wanted to share some personal life highlights from August:
And....yeah. I think that's all of August summed up in one blog post. Onto September! I'm so ready for it to be autumn.
How many books did you read in August? Which was your favorite? Let me know in the comments! Welcome to the last day of July, aka bookish wrap-up time! July was truly a summer reading month, packed full of contemporaries and romances. I'm pleased to say that I enjoyed just about everything I read this month, and I read a whopping 13 books (amazing, what with my evil time-and-brain-cell-sucking summer course). I also found a horror novel that I actually, genuinely love (Five whole Stars, people!) which I thought would never happen. Hereby I declare that July was an excellent reading month for me. Books read: 13 Pages read: 4,773 Genres read: Mystery, Paranormal, Horror, Thriller, Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQ+, Graphic Novel Favorite book read: The Girls Are Never Gone, by Sarah Glenn Marsh When All the Girls Are Sleeping, by Emily Arsenault ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Boarding school mystery! Y'all know how much I love those. Check out my full review here! You Know I'm No Good, by Jessie Ann Foley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This one dealt with all kinds of important issues and featured super realistic characters. Great read! I highly recommend. As Far As You'll Take Me, by Phil Stamper ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fun buddy read with April @bookedtillmidnight! The writing left something to be desired, but there were lots of heartwarming moments, self-grow, and Britishisms. Overall, delightful! Bloom, by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganuchaeu ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loved the music and baking that starred in this graphic novel. The pacing was really weird, though. The State of Us, by Shaun David Hutchinson ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I've kind of got a thing for political romances?? That's a category, right?? Some parts of this one were a bit iffy, but generally I enjoyed it! Sugar Town Queens, by Malla Nunn ⭐️⭐️⭐️ The mystery element and vivid imagery in this one was great! Unfortunately the characters were either massively underdeveloped or deeply unlikeable (or a lucky combination of both!). See my full review here. Like Other Girls, by Britta Lundin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loved the friendships in this book! We've also got some kickass girls challenging gender norms. I vote yes. Full review coming soon! The Girls Are Never Gone, by Sarah Glenn Marsh ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Love love love this book!! All sorts of paranormal ghost-y stuff going on; also, great diabetes rep and an adorable dog named Waffles. Full review to come! The Henna Wars, by Adiba Jaigirdar ⭐️⭐️⭐️ So heartwarming and full of emotion! Fabulous sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance. Plus I adore the sisterly love in this one. As If On Cue, by Marisa Kanter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Nerdy characters abound! Seriously, these characters are the best, and I loved the focus on music and plays. The enemies-to-lovers in this one was so good too. Especially recommend this for fans of What's Not to Love by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka! Admission, by Julie Buxbaum ⭐️✨ This was just a bit boring. The main character's ignorance irritated me too. Pretty disappointing. Love & Gelato, by Jenna Evans Welch ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was adorable and the perfect summer romance! I loved the Italy setting, and the romance was so sweet. Fantastic buddy read with Paige @pagebypaigebooks! Beasts of Prey, by Ayana Gray ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was my only fantasy read of the month, but it was really good! The world-building was fantastic and I loved how the author incorporated mythology into the book. Full review to come! Okay, now that that's done, we can move on to August! Does anyone have any plans for August, reading or otherwise? I'm personally planning on finally diving into Rule of Wolves (it's so thick, it intimidates me so much), and my Fall school semester starts mid-August. Also, exciting news, I got a job! It's at my school's campus library, and I should be starting work around when my classes start.
How many books did you read in July? Which one was your favorite? Let me know in the comments! Okay, so please be honest with me: yesterday, on June 30th, did you realize it was the last day of June?? Because I most certainly did not until about 10:26am when I saw someone's June wrap-up and was like, Huh isn't this early? Pretty sure I was still under the impression for some reason that it was only, like, June 27th?? I don't know why, but I was absolutely convinced I still had a few days left in the month. But then I had the brilliant realization yesterday that *surprise surprise* it was the last day of June and I did not by any means have my own wrap-up put together. Ugh. Anyway, I still managed to throw together my June wrap-up in time, so here it is! I feel like I had a good reading month and read some great books (and actually some off my tbr! Hooray!). Some were hilarious, some were heartbreaking. I actually cried while reading a book for the first time in a while. So let me tell you all about them! Books read: 13 Pages read: 3,929 Genres read: Mystery, Contemporary, Romance, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Retelling, LGBTQ+ Favorite book read: Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly The Box in the Woods, by Maureen Johnson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A new mystery for Stevie Bell to solve! Yay! I had a great time reading this book. Check out my full review and tour stop for this book here! Switched, by Cassie Mae ⭐️⭐️ Kayla and Westley's obliviousness to their own feelings was aggravating. Ugh. But there were some cute moments. The ending was interesting, though--I'm still not completely sure if I liked it or not, but it was definitely a bit far-fetched. The Extraordinaries, by T.J. Klune ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Was this book full of cringey, second-hand-embarassment moments? Yep. Did some of the characters (I'm looking at you, Nick) make me want to scream and throw the book across the room? Absolutely. But was it an entertaining buddy read with my amazing friend Paige at @pagebypaigebooks? It really was. We had lots of fun predicting things (and we did predict nearly everything in this book!) and laughing over characters' awful decisions. So hooray for buddy reads! Fence Volume 1, by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad, Joana LaFuente, and Jim Campbell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really fun graphic novel! I love these characters and learned a lot about fencing. Fence Volume 2, by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad, Joana LaFuente, and Jim Campbell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I flew through both Volume 1 and 2 of Fence in one day! These are great quick reads! Fence Volume 3, by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad, Joana LaFuente, and Jim Campbell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fantastic volume! I really need to read Volume 4 now! Curses, by Lish McBride ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really enjoyed this gender-swapped retelling of Beauty and the Beast! Hob is my favorite character and the curse support group was fabulous. Full review soon to come! You Have a Match, by Emma Lord ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loved the Parent Trap vibes in this one! Plus it took place at a summer camp, making for a perfect summer read. The Taking of Jake Livingston, by Ryan Douglass ⭐️⭐️ I really wanted to like this one, but I just didn't. It has some great representation, but it was too gory for my liking and there were some very disturbing scenes. I'm just not a horror fan! Heartless, by Marissa Meyer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Omg my heart 😭 This book was SO GOOD and broke my heart into a million pieces and just whyyyyy. (Fun fact: I saw someone picking up Heartless at my library the day after I finished it and kind of went total fangirl on them, like OMG YOU'RE GOING TO READ HEARTLESS?! AHHHHH!! They were probably a little freaked out, but they did seem excited to read it after all my animated gushing over it.) Dark and Shallow Lies, by Ginny Myers Sain ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ This book was seriously so good!! I didn't know exactly what to expect going in, but I absolutely loved it. The small-town-mystery vibes were perfection. Full review coming soon! Not My Problem, by Ciara Smyth ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ The levels of hilarity in this book were off the charts. It had the ideal balance of humor and good ol' real life problems. Highly recommend this especially for fans of Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales! Poisoned, by Jennifer Donnelly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another fantastic buddy read with Paige! This book was amazing, even better than I'd hoped, and it made me really nostalgic since Stepsister (another great book by this same author) was Paige's and my first-ever buddy read! This book had so many heartwarming messages about kindness, love, and being your true self. I highly recommend it! And with that, June is now over! Time to move onto July...
Have an awesome start to the month, everyone! 'Tis time to say farewell to May and move onto June! And that means that it's time for another monthly reading wrap-up! May was, to put it simply, a weird reading month for me. The majority of my reads were either in the "omg I loved this SO MUCH!!!" category or the "ugggggh...not a fan" category. There wasn't much in between. I had three 5 Star reads and a 4.5 Star read this month, which I very rarely have, but also two 2 Star reads and a 2.5 Star read. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I rated a book 2 Stars before this month, and now all of a sudden there's three of them all at once?? I feel like I've entered the twilight zone...or maybe I've just been more judgmental of books this month. Who knows? (Nobody. Nobody knows.) Anyhow, I'm interested to see if my June reading month is as quirky as my May one has been. Only time will tell. But for now, let me tell you about all the books I read in May! Despite the general strangeness of it, I do feel like it was a pretty good reading month. So let's get into it! Books read: 15 Pages read: 4,956 Genres read: Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Graphic Novel, Poetry, Mystery, Thriller Favorite book read: Heartstopper: Volume Three, by Alice Oseman Heartstopper: Volume Two, by Alice Oseman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Omg Charlie and Nick are so cute I can't even-- 😍 If you haven't picked up this series yet, DO IT NOW!! Heartstopper: Volume Three, by Alice Oseman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ These books make me so happy! Seriously, I'll just be smiling at the page while I read. I loved watching Nick and Charlie's relationship develop in this volume, and it was also fun to learn more about some of the side characters! Sweet and Bitter Magic, by Adrienne Tooley ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Fabulous world-building in this one!! Sweet romance and interesting plot, too. Good Girl, Bad Blood, by Holly Jackson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If Pip ever asked me to solve a mystery with her, I'd immediately say heck yeah. Unfortunately, the chances of that happening seem slim, so reading this book is the next best thing. Twisty, chilling mystery! We Are Inevitable, by Gayle Forman ⭐️⭐️ The MC drove me absolutely crazy and none of the other characters were much better. The bookstore setting was this book's only redeeming quality. Read my full review here! Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Beautiful artwork and sweet story! I especially enjoyed the messages about the importance of healthy relationships and abandoning toxic ones. Kate in Waiting, by Becky Albertalli ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Are you looking for a book packed with theater references and laugh-out-loud moments? Then Kate in Waiting is the book for you! Becky Albertalli never disappoints, folks. The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I couldn't put this book down! Absolutely beautiful verse and touchingly important messages. Everyone should read this one. Happily Ever Afters, by Elise Bryant ⭐️⭐️ This could've been a cute, nerdy novel but it just...wasn't. The protagonist's horrific life choices (especially in regard to friendship and romance) kinda ruined the book for me. Instructions for Dancing, by Nicola Yoon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ It's one of the unfailing truths of the universe that Nicola Yoon never fails to deliver a stunning book full of feelings, love, and hope. I absolutely adored this book! Also, X is 100% a new book boyfriend of mine. Check out my full review here! Full Disclosure, by Camryn Garrett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really interesting and heartfelt novel. I learned a lot from this one and I highly recommend it! This book should be required reading. They'll Never Catch Us, by Jessica Goodman ⭐️⭐️✨ Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of this one. It wasn't as murder-mystery-ish as I would've liked, and the two POV voices sounded exactly the same. View my full review here! Both Sides Now, by Peyton Thomas ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Quick read full of valuable messages and delightful characters. I really enjoyed the debate element of it. Full review soon to come! If I'm Being Honest, by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another fabulous Wibbroka book! How do they write such adorable romances? It's one of the mysteries of the universe. Can't wait to read their other two books! The Real Thing by Cassie Mae ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Okay, I was surprised by how much I liked this one. I expected it to end up more in the "trashy guilty pleasure" category, but the writing and characters were actually pretty good! That's a wrap on my May reading wrap-up! Time to start my June reading now...
Happy June, y'all! I hope everyone has a fabulous start to the new month! Happy May, bookworms! I hope you all had a great April and are ready for a new month. And since it's a new month, that means it's time for a reading wrap-up! I know it's been a while since I've done a wrap-up, but I'm hoping to get back into them. I finally had the realization that wrap-ups are a lot easier if you construct them throughout the month and add books as you read them instead of freaking out at the end of the month trying to remember what books you read and why again didn't you like this book?? The ends of my months shall be much less chaotic from now on, and I'm hoping to get back to posting wrap-ups each month. Also, I tried a new format for this wrap-up, so let me know if you like it! I'm happy to say that April was a fantastic reading month for me: I read quite a few books and dared to step out of my comfort zone and read not one, but two classics. *mind blown* I also read my first-ever James Patterson book, plus finally finished King of Scars (yes it took me way too long to read...it was much better once I got into it, though!). Now let's dive into the details of what I read last month! Books read: 15 Pages read: 5,251 Genres read: Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance, Mystery, Thriller, LGBTQ+, Classic, Horror Favorite book read: Perfect on Paper, by Sophie Gonzales From Little Tokyo, With Love, by Sarah Kuhn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Heartfelt novel with sweet love discussed important topics. Some parts seemed a tad unrealistic, but overall I adored this book! Full review soon to come! 10 Truths and a Dare, by Ashley Elston ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a cute, lighthearted read. I enjoyed 10 Blind Dates by this author, so it was fun to see the same characters up to their shenanigans once again! Olivia's quirky family was hilarious to read about, too! Check out my full review here. The Princess Will Save You, by Sarah Henning ⭐️⭐️ I was expecting a Princess Bride retelling and this wasn't it...even though it was supposed to be. I sadly ended up skimming most of this book. My Princess Bride-retelling dreams have been crushed. 😭 The Revolution of Birdie Randolph, by Brandy Colbert ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I expected more than this book gave me. Plus, I saw the "plot twist" from a mile away. I liked The Voting Booth by this author a lot more! Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Fun buddy read with April at @bookedtillmidnight! All the symbolism and old-timey humor went completely over my head, but I'm proud of myself for understanding the general gist of this book. Yay for classics! The Ivies, by Alexa Donne⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Boarding school mysteries are the best, especially when paired with immensely shady characters. Check out my full review here. We Set the Dark on Fire, by Tehlor Kay Mejia ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Inspiring feminist novel packed full of political intrigue. I can't wait to read the second book in this series! Perfect on Paper, by Sophie Gonzales ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Omg omg omg this book was amazing!! The humor was spot-on and my inner psychology nerd adored the attachment style talk. Why are you still here? GO READ THIS BOOK! (Also, shout-out to April @bookedtillmidnight for recommending this book!) Sunkissed, by Kasie West ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sweet and fun summer story about discovering yourself. I easily identified with the main character, and the romance was adorable. Quick, lighthearted read. All Kinds of Other, by James Sie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book had lots of important messages and the characters felt authentic and realistic. It was inspiring to watch Jack and Jules grow, learn, and become their best selves. I also enjoyed the vlog excerpts, tumblr posts, and text messages interspersed throughout this book! The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ I expected this book to be more scary than it actually was, but since I'm not a horror fan, this was the perfect level of scariness for me. The characters were kind of bizarre, but this was an overall interesting read. Confessions of a Murder Suspect, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro ⭐️⭐️✨ Interesting buddy read with the fabulous Paige from @pagebypaigebooks! We had some entertaining discussions about this book...but I wasn't a fan of the loose ends and "dear diary-esque" writing style. At least I can say I've read a James Patterson book now! Hello (From Here), by Chandler Baker and Wesley King ⭐️⭐️⭐️ It was interesting to read a book set in the COVID-era, but my anxiety kicked into action about halfway through, which kind of ruined the experience. *I don't recommend this book for people with anxiety!* The Passing Playbook, by Isaac Fitzsimons ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The third-person POV threw me off at the beginning for some reason, but I really enjoyed this book nonetheless! It had some really important messages and really great representation. I felt like the ending wrapped up a bit too nicely to be realistic, but overall this was a quick, heartwarming read! King of Scars, by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ This book took me a while to get into (like most of the Grishaverse books, except for the Six of Crows duology because it's golden) but once I did I really enjoyed it. I'm a little confused over what exactly went down at the end, but I did adore all the characters (ESPECIALLY NIKOLAI!!! 😍😍) and the action was fabulous. Huge thank-you to Tobi at @tiefling.reads for gifting me a copy of this book and being a fellow Nikolai fan! That's all for my April wrap-up! Have you read any of the books I read last month? And how many books did you read in April? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great start to this new month! Hey, bookworms! Today I am so excited to share with you my most recent baking project: the cover of The Upside of Unrequited recreated on a cake! I had a fantastic time combining my two favorite hobbies--reading and baking--to make this book-inspired cake. As many of you already know, Becky Albertalli is one of my all-time favorite authors, so I'm really happy to have made a cake inspired by one of her books. The Upside of Unrequited is such an adorable, fun novel with great representation and lots of laughs. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it already! Anyway, back to the cake: I thought it would be fun to show you all how I went about doing this cake cover recreation, so keep scrolling to see my process! I made this cake from a mix that had been sitting in my pantry for a very long time 🙄. It was clearly due time for it to be used! Does cake mix ever expire? I probably should have checked before I made it into a cake, but oh well...it tastes good so it must be fine! I combined all the ingredients with the help of my adorable pig spatula. In this photo, the cake mix sort of looks like some lumpy, bubbly witch's brew *cackle cackle*. Once it's in the pan, off it goes into the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Bye, cake, see you soon! It looks delicious when it comes out of the oven and I'm tempted to eat it then and there, but self-restraint *sigh*. Next up: frosting! I made buttercream frosting (and ate, like, a fourth of it; 3/4 frosting: cake, 1/4: directly to Rose's stomach) and spread an initial layer of it on the cake. Please ignore all the crumbs in the frosting...it'll all be covered up by more frosting soon enough.
Here's the cake about halfway through the icing process. And then... *drum roll please*
Hello, fellow readers and book nerds! Today I have a fun post about what books I think my pets would read if they could read! This is actually something that I think about on a weirdly frequent basis--like, I'll be reading a book and think, I bet Snuggles would enjoy this book if she could read. Is this weird? Probably. Do I care? Not really. In case you don't already know, I have two cats, Cuddles and Snuggles, and a rabbit, Fluffy. They're the best furry reading companions I could ask for, and I like to imagine that they'd enjoy reading as much as I do! So without further ado, let me tell you which books I'd recommend to them if they could read. CuddlesCuddles knows that he was born to rule, but since the world hasn't gifted him a kingdom quite yet, he's settled for ruling the household instead. He always announces his presence with a loud meow, calling for his subjects to bow down to him. He holds an air of regal loftiness about him, and he knows that he deserves only the best cat food and cat toys. I think that Cuddles would have posh reading tastes, so I'd recommend him a good mystery like Murder on the Orient Express, in which he could read about the posh detective Hercule Poirot. I think he would also enjoy reading about royalty like himself, so I would recommend The Shadows Between Us and The Cruel Prince to him, both of which are not only centered around royalty, but also filled with intrigue and deception. (Note: I personally was not a big fan of The Cruel Prince, but I think Cuddles would enjoy it. We have different reading preferences.) SnugglesSnuggles likes all things cozy--soft blankets, warm laps, and small boxes she can curl up in. She's a little kitty, but she's a dreamer. I think that she would enjoy books filled with fantasy worlds, magic, and plot twists that keep your mind spinning. She would also enjoy books that have cats like her in them. I would recommend the Three Dark Crowns series to her; I think she would enjoy the amazing world-building in the book, and she would love reading about Camden, Jules's loyal cougar companion. I think she would also like The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding and be entertained by the flying cat in the book. I'd also recommend Sorcery of Thorns to her because of the cozy library setting, magic, strong female protagonist, and a demon who sometimes takes the form of a cat! FluffyLittle Fluffy is a sweetheart, always looking for love and pets, staring at you longingly with his big dark-chocolate-brown eyes until you give him some attention (and if you don't give him attention, mischief shall ensue). When the humans in the household are busy, he tries to befriend the cats, who, devastatingly, do not want to be friends with him (a fact which he has yet to come to terms with). He's trying to find his place as the only rabbit in a house full of humans and cats. I think that he would like lighthearted books with lots of sweet and funny moments, mainly romance and contemporary reads. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a book I believe he would particularly enjoy because it's full of laughs and heartfelt moments, and it's a story about finding and fully accepting yourself. Plus, in my opinion, Simon has one of the best friend groups in YA literature, which might make Fluffy feel happy since he longs for friendship of his own. Though I have yet to read The Magic Fish and Heartstopper, they're both high on my TBR; Paige from Page by Paige Books recommended them as really good graphic novels and thought that Fluffy would enjoy them because of how they are sweet and full of heartwarming friendships and romance. Thank you for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Do you have any pets--and if you do, what books do you think they'd like if they could read? Let me know in the comments!
Hello, bookworms! I hope you're all having a wonderful start to the new year. 2020 was a weird, crazy, stressful year, but for me it was also filled with many good things, included some amazing books! It was so difficult for me to choose my top ten favorite reads from 2020, but these books below were not only some of the best books I read last year but also some of my new favorite books of all time! All of them were five-star reads for me. I hope you'll check out some of these books if you haven't read them yet; you won't regret it!
Thanks for reading! I hope you'll pick up some of these books, and let me know if you do--I'd love to hear what you think of them! What were some of your favorite reads of 2020? Let me know in the comments!
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Hey there, bookworms!My name is Rose (she/her) and I'm the creator of Books of Magic and Mystery. I love reading YA books, especially fantasy and mystery. When I'm not reading, you can find me baking, studying, or cuddling with my super-furry pets. Visit me on Instagram @booksofmagicandmystery! Archives
October 2021
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