Top 5 Tuesday ~ Books On My TBR

Welcome to Top Five Tuesday!! Top Five Tuesday was created and is hosted by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm.

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme where Shanah explores different topics. If you are interested in participating, here is a list of the upcoming topics in November, and be sure to link to one of Shanah’s posts to get added to the participants list!

Today’s topic is: Top 5 books on my current TBR! (books you’re excited to read right now)

Honestly, this is gong to be a mixture of books that I have to read before my loan is over, and some of the books that I really really hope to read this November.

Let’s get started!

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

This is on my immediate TBR, and hopefully I’m going to start it later today.

Synopsis: People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.


The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah

A friend recommended this to me, and I’m pretty excited to read it!! I also have the hardcover, so it’ll be nice to be reading a physical book curled up in bed.

Synopsis: Michael likes to hang out with his friends and play with the latest graphic design software. His parents drag him to rallies held by their anti-immigrant group, which rails against the tide of refugees flooding the country. And it all makes sense to Michael.

Until Mina, a beautiful girl from the other side of the protest lines, shows up at his school, and turns out to be funny, smart — and a Muslim refugee from Afghanistan. Suddenly, his parents’ politics seem much more complicated.

Mina has had a long and dangerous journey fleeing her besieged home in Afghanistan, and now faces a frigid reception at her new prep school, where she is on scholarship. As tensions rise, lines are drawn. Michael has to decide where he stands. Mina has to protect herself and her family. Both have to choose what they want their world to look like. 


Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

I’ve been waiting for this book, and I am so nervous, and still SUPER EXCITED to read this. Though I’m so scared because I’ve heard someone dies?? Please, don’t break my heart Bardugo.

Synopsis: Welcome to the world of the Grisha.

Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets – a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.


The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I am already 5 days late on starting this (I was going to start on the 1st of November like in the book) but I’m still very excited to read it. Oh, and that cover is absolutely gorgeous.

Synopsis: Some race to win. Others race to survive.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.

Some riders live.

Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition – the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.


The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

I’m going to be buddy reading this at the end of the month, and I’m kind of excited. I’ve heard so many great things about TGW, and I also heard that it is kind of like Six of Crows, so yes, I am 100% ready for this.

Synopsis: No one believes in them. But soon no one will forget them.

It’s 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.

Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history–but only if they can stay alive.

That’s it for this Tuesday! Have you read The Gilded Wolves or The Scorpio Races? What did you think? It’s also finally finally November! What are some of your most anticipated releases for this month? Let’s chat in the comments below!

(Be sure to link to your Top Ten Tuesday or Top Five Tuesday posts so I can check them out!!)

Top Five Tuesday ~ Books Under 300 Pages

Welcome to Top Five Tuesday!! Top Five Tuesday was created and is hosted by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm. Check out her blog and see the list of topics for August here!

Today’s topic is:  Top 5 books under 300 pages

I’ve actually read a considerable amount of books that were under 300 pages, but most of those were part of a series, or short stories. However, I did find some books that weren’t either of those two and were ones that I liked, and gave 3 stars or more.

Let’s get started!

Double Crossed by Ally Carter

60 pages | 3 Stars | No Review

This was a cute short novella with characters from two of my favorite series (when I was younger): Gallagher Girl, and Heist Society. It was fun to see Hale, Kat, and Macey, and how they worked together and used their rather different skills to fix the situation.

(Best of all, it’s FREE!! You can find it at Amazon, Google Books, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo)


No Exit by Taylor Adams

287 pages | 4 Stars | Review

I’ve been talking about this book every single chance I get! It’s amazing, gruesome, very very thriller-ly, and would be awesome as a movie (just creepy. Like really creepy.). Though implausible, especially with that ending, it was still really great and I really really liked it!


Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

288 pages | 4.75 Stars | Review

This was a great book, with epic representation, and a very relate-able main character. I loved how Aza’s mental illness was portrayed, and she and Davis are so so cute. It was just a really great book.


Wherever She Goes by Kelley Armstrong

292 pages | 3 Stars | No Review (Yet)

This was okay at best. The plot is not exactly new, but it has a unique spin and I liked Bree’s background. Her personal life, and her struggles to be a good mom to Charlotte, and to get over her feelings for her ex Paul were a lot more interesting than the mystery. It was still an okay book, and the last one that I have that is under 300 so *shrugs*


The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti

304 pages | 4.5 Stars | Review

This is only 4 pages over 300, so I shall use it as my 5th book anyway. This was great, but not much of a thriller. I had an idea about who the bad guy was when I was around 50% in, and by 70% I was convinced that I was right. I still liked the ending though, and the characters were great.

That’s it for this Tuesday! Have you read any of the books I mentioned above? Did you obsess over the Gallagher Girl and Heist Society series like I did when you were younger? Who do you prefer: Zach or Hale? What books have you read that were under 300 pages? Let’s chat in the comments below!

(Be sure to link to your Top Ten Tuesday and Top Five Tuesday posts so I can check them out!!)

Monthly Wrap-Up: July 2019

Happy Saturday my friends!! I hope you all are having a fantastic start to August. Today, I’ll be sharing my Monthly Wrap-Up post for July 2019.

July was meh. To be honest, I didn’t really want to blog, I didn’t post on time, I’m behind on two reviews, and I was really busy IRL. But I still posted when I got the chance, and I joined Top Five Tuesday for the first time which was great! I loved the A-Z book idea and you can find a link to the letters that I did, below. Let’s take a look at this meh month.

Books:

Covers are from Goodreads | Click on the titles to visit my reviews.

Key: * = Book for review | ^ = Review to come

So I read 6 books this month which is great, but I am behind by 5 books on my GR reading challenge which is bad. I really need to catch up and hopefully I’ll do that this month!

Trust Me I’m Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer // Rating: ★★☆☆☆ One sentence summary: A disappointing read with a naive main character.

Keep You Close by Karen Cleveland // Rating: ★★★☆☆ One sentence summary: A quick thriller with okay characters.

Look For Me by Lisa Gardner // Rating: ★★★★★ One sentence summary: A great mystery with strong and amazing main characters.

*The Bridge of Little Jeremy by Indrajit Garai // Rating: ★★☆☆☆ One sentence summary: An okay contemporary novel with a passionate main character.

^Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci // Rating: ★★★★★ One sentence summary: An amazing political thriller with two spectacular main characters.

^The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton // Rating: ★★★★☆ One sentence summary: A confusing, but interesting and unique murder mystery.

DNF: I also DNF’d Captive Witness by Carolyn Keene. It was a bit dated, too cliche and unbelievable for me, which is sad considering I loved Nancy Drew as kid.

Total Number of Books Read This Month: 6

DNF: 1

Tags:

Okay, so I really can’t believe this but I have done only ONE tag all month! How…???

2019 Mid Year Freak-Out Tag (I tagged myself for this one!)

Here’s a link to the Top 5 Tuesday posts that I did:

K-O | P-T | U-Z

Great Posts From Around the Blog-O-Sphere:

5 Things No One Tells You About Blogging // ft. the real truth about what bloggers do!! by Olivia @ Purely Olivia

Beyond the Blurb | How Blogging Has Helped Me as a Reader by Siobhan @ Siobhan’s Novelties

Why You Should NEVER Compare Your Blogging Statistics with Others’ by Caitlin @ Caitlin Althea

Summer Blogger Promo Tour: Blogging Made Me More…Introverted? by Tiffany @ Read By Tiffany (Ok, so this wasn’t published in July, but I loved it and had to include it anyway!)

Anything Else?

Yes! I started a weekly meme called Let’s Talk Bookish which hopefully will encourage me and others to write more discussion posts (yes, I know, I posted this yesterday, August 2nd, but I shall sneak it on here anyway). You can learn more about that here. As you can guess, I didn’t do a discussion post this past month.

Also, school starts this coming Monday, and I’m not sure how easy it’ll be for me to blog and do my school work at the same time, so please bear with me if I don’t post regularly, or on time.

I also reached 1,000 comments/pingbacks, and I believe that is an achievement so HOORAY!! I’m also close to hitting the 150 followers mark so again, YAY!! Thank you guys so much for loving my blog, chatting with me so much, linking to me, and following 💚

That’s A Wrap!

In the end, I read 6 books, wrote 4 reviews, did 1 tag, and 0 discussion posts. 3 of the books I read were either 4 or 5 stars which is great, but sadly, I am behind on my reading challenge.

I did meet one of the goals I set in June, which was to read at least 6 books, but I think my content quality took a bit of a dip instead of a rise. I did discover some new blogs, thanks to May @ Forever and Everly hosting the 2019 Book Blogger Awards so that’s definitely a plus!

For August, my goals are to: post more often, but even if I don’t, I hope that my posts are great and not generic; do maybe 3 out of the 4 discussion topics for Let’s Talk Bookish (at least 2 though); and read 8 books.

And that’s it for this wrap-up! How was July for you? Did you get as much reading as you wanted done? Did you take part in the 2019 Book Blogger Awards? Ideas for discussion posts you’d like to share? Chat with me in the comments below!

Top Five Tuesday ~ U-V-W-X-Y-Z

Hey guys and qelcome to Top Five Tuesday!! Top Five Tuesday was created and is hosted by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm.

Today’s topic is: Books that start with the letters U, V, W, X, Y, & Z.

This is actually part of a series that started the first Tuesday in July, starting from A and it will continue to the last week of July and end with Z. You can learn more about the topics and see the rest here!

P.S. I’m so sorry for posting this late!! I completely forgot!

Let’s get started!

U is for The Ultimatum by Karen Robards

I haven’t read a great book that started with the letter U, and I have exactly one book in my to-read shelf which is The Ultimatum. It’s about a girl who swindles con artists, and anything with con artists is a big YES for me.


V is for Vicious by V. E. Schwab

I loved Vicious because there was no good guy, everybody was crazy, and the science was amazing (which is a lot of praise coming from someone who doesn’t really like science…)!

V is also for A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

I loved Shirin, I loved the representation, I loved the characters, and I loved the message that was being sent by this awesome book.


W is for We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

One of my favorite fantasy novels! We Hunt the Flame was fun, with two amazing guys, one who is an annoying obnoxious too-full-of-himself pain and the other a broody assassin with a dark past. I loved the writing, I really liked the characters, and the rep was great!

W is also for The Wicked King by Holly Black

I didn’t really like The Cruel Prince, but I liked The Wicked King, and now I am super excited for The Queen of Nothing!!


X is for…nothing?

I don’t have anything in my read or to-read shelf for X, so I added two books for V.


Y is for You by Caroline Kepnes

This one is on my TBR, and it sounds perfectly deliciously creepy. It also happens to be the only Y on my TBR and read shelf…

Z is for…nothing?

I’m going to double up on W to make up for this one!

That’s it for this Tuesday! Have you read any of the books I mentioned above? Did you enjoy them? Did you also struggle to find books for each letter? Let’s chat in the comments below!

(Be sure to link to your Top Ten Tuesday and Top Five Tuesday posts so I can check them out!!)

Top Five Tuesday ~ P-Q-R-S-T

Welcome to Top Five Tuesday!! Top Five Tuesday was created and is hosted by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm.

Today’s topic is: Books that start with the letters P, Q, R, S, and T.

This is actually part of a series that started the first Tuesday in July, starting from A and it will continue to the last week of July and end with Z. You can learn more about the topics and see the rest here!

Let’s get started!

P is for Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

I actually don’t have a favorite book that start with the letter P, so I’ve decided to substitute with a book that I want to read: Prep School Confidential. A murder mystery with rich kids set in a boarding school sounds amazing and I really want to read it!


Q is for The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

I also don’t have anything for Q! A book that I am super excited to read is The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black! Hopefully it’ll be an awesome end to the series!


R is for The Restaurant Critic’s Wife by Elizabeth LaBan

This was a great book that centers around a young mother who is trying to juggle two kids with her husband’s secret job while trying to figure out what will happen to her career. It was fun, light, and entertaining so I hope you love it if you read it!!!


S is for SYLO by D. J. MacHale

I was going to put Six of Crows, but the point of this is to showcase our favorite books that we don’t usually talk about. SYLO was the first sci-fi book that I loved. The characters were spectacular, the plot was believable, and the cliffhanger ending made me continue and read the other two books in the series in two days!! I probably still won’t willingly pick up a sci-fi novel, but this one was amazing!


T is for Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus

I read the second book by Karen M. McManus before One of Us Is Lying and was super wowed by it. I really liked the plot, and the characters, and also the diversity. However, that ending left a few questions unanswered and that really disappointed me. But it was overall still an awesome book!

That’s it for this Tuesday! Have you read any of the books I mentioned above? Did you enjoy them? Who are some of your favorite authors? Let’s chat in the comments below!

(Be sure to link to your Top Ten Tuesday and Top Five Tuesday posts so I can check them out!!)