NCIS LA Book Tag | aka me doing a tag for a show I've never watched

Hola! Buenos días!! How are you guys? Hope you’re having a semi-fantastic week what with all the things going on in this wonderful world.

Today, I’m doing the NCIS LA book tag, which the wonderful and lovely Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads tagged me to do in December of last year. (at least it wasn’t november like i thought?) This is utterly horrible and I can’t believe that I slacked off on tags so much. But I’m finally doing this, so yay!!

I’ve actually kind of watched NCIS, because my grandmother I think used to watch it, so I’d catch bits and pieces here and there. But I’ve never watched a full episode, so I don’t think that really counts as watching.

Maybe this will increase my interest in it once again!

Check out the original creator Clo @ Cuppa Clo‘s blog, and thank you so much Meegs for tagging me!! Let’s get started!

Continue reading “NCIS LA Book Tag | aka me doing a tag for a show I've never watched”

Tag Thursday – Fall Bucket List Book Tag

Am I the only one who doesn’t really have a bucket list?

To be honest, I don’t think I have anything much that I want to specifically do in life before I die…besides read all the books in existence which is impossible. Sadly. Anyways, at least I can share with you a few books that you should probably add to your “read-before-I-die” bucket list. If you have such a list.

Many thanks to the lovely Caitlin @ Caitlin Althea for tagging me!! Definitely go check out her blog and her posts, because they are amazing and I promise that you will not be disappointed.

Rules:

  • Link back to the original creator in your post. (Tiffany @ Read By Tiffany)
  • Feel free to use any of Tiffany’s graphics in your post, or create your own!
  • Tag 7 other people at the end of your post, and let them know you’ve tagged them. 

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

Ok, I wouldn’t suggest you add this to your “read-before-I-die” list. It’s pretty meh, but it is the kind of book that you read just for the sake of reading something funny and light.

I was left feeling disappointed by this. It was good, funny, and I really liked Clare, but that was pretty much it. I guess there are different types of introverts, but to me, Nina was a lot braver and more extroverted than me. And I felt like this book was trying ot cover too many subplots, without really doing one very well. There was so much potential with the family drama with her dad’s family that could have been explored more, or maybe it could have focused on the trivia aspect, or just done the bookshop disaster very well.

But it’s still a fun and lighthearted book. I would recommend you add this to your “read-for-some-laughs” list.


The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

I think this one had a decent amount of hype. I’m pretty sure it did, and I just ignored it, until I heard that it was similar to Six of Crows, and that Séverin and Kaz could be friends and I added it to my TBR without a second thought. Okay, I did check out the synopsis and stuff first, but still…

This was good. Not a spectacular-took-my-breath-away kind of good, but a I-loved-the-riddles-and-some-of-the-characters kind of good. Hypnos, Zofia, and Enrique were my favorite characters, and I loved the relationships between all of them. The riddles were super interesting, but the heists themselves weren’t really amazing. Basically, this book was good, but could have been much better.


The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Now this is a book that you need to add to your “read-before-I-die” list. I will never stop screaming about how amazing this book is, because it is truly amazing.

The friendships between Tess and Vivvie, and Asher and Henry are amazing, and I love how there is no possible hint of a romance between any of them. It’s all absolutely platonic, and sweet. Asher is the annoying mischievous guy who cares about everyone, Vivvie is a precious ray of sunshine and happiness, and Tess and Henry are the serious and threatening geniuses who do everything to protect everyone close to them.

I loved it the first time I read it, I loved it again when I first re-read it, and I loved it a third time when I did my 2nd re-read. This book is amazing you guys, and I plan on writing a better review than what last-year-me wrote, but in the meanwhile, I highly suggest you add it to your TBR!! If you go read it right now, that’s even better!!! But I won’t push it


The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This book didn’t just warm my heart. It broke it.

The story of Liesel, Max, Papa, Mama, Rudy, oh that saukerl Rudy, was one that brought a huge smile to my face. Because even though Liesel and her family they are in the middle of a war, even though they are trying to hide the fact that they don’t support the Fuhrer, even though they are hiding a Jew in their basement, they still lived and they were still happy at times.

As the story progressed, and Liesel got older and joined Rudy on all his mischievous adventures, I tried to hope that nothing bad would happen, that the war didn’t exist. Mama and her insults, Papa and his accordion, Max and his stories, Liesel and her books, Rudy and his shenanigans, they all made this book into a nice warm hug that I didn’t want to end or break.

And then that ending happened. This book filled my heart with these beautiful stories and people, and then it ended by shattering everything.


With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Emoni is defintiely a talented chef, and I loved reading about her and her family, and the culinary arts class at her school. The relationships between her and Buela, Babygirl, Angelica, and Malachi was super sweet and I really liked how she narrated the story.

Emoni didn’t make food that just tasted or looked amazing. She made food that brought back memories, that told a story, that went into your soul and brought out all your feelings. I loved her creativity, and the fire that she used to prepare everything she made.


Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Honestly, I wasn’t really jumping for joy, figuratively or really, about this, or about any book in general, but I do remember that I was seriously excited to hear that JLB was publishing a new series last year. And that’s how I read Little White Lies.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember what happened in this book at all. But I gave it 4 stars, so hopefully it was some good. The next book in the series was actually published last month, and since it’s JLB, I want to read it, but I’ll probably have to re-read Little White Lies first so that I know what’s going on.


Tagging:

Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads | Aimee @ My Addiction to Fiction

Jane @ Blogger Books | Evelyn @ Evelyn Reads | Octavia @ Mythical Reads

Nikki @ The Night is Dark and Full of Books | Aelyn @ Aelyn Reads


Chat with me

That’s it for this Thursday! Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Do you have a bucket list? What are some books that you think I need to read right away? Chat with me in the comments below!!

Spicy Pumpkin Latte Book Tag | Bookending Autumn 2019

Hello, and how are you? I hope your week has been great so far! Today, I’ll be sharing with you my last #BEAutumn2019 post. You can learn more about BE Autumn, see the rules and the rest of October’s topics, and sign up over on Sam’s page @ Sam Fictionally.

You can also follow them @bookend_events for more updates!!

Today, I’m going to be doing the Spicy Pumpkin Latte Tag hosted by the amazing Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads.

Spicy Pumpkin Latte Book Tag: Autumn is when the beverage names at the local coffee shop start to look more like a harvest produce list than anything from a drinks menu. What better way to celebrate this oddity than to do an autumnal drinks book tag?!

I’ve never had a latte, or coffee for that matter, or any of the drinks listed below. I’m more of a black tea, juice, soda, or water kind of girl. But this still sounds super fun, so let’s get started!!

Pumpkin Spice Latte: A book you didn’t think you’d love

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.

I really did not expect to love this as much as I did. When I read it, I wasn’t really a big fan of fantasy, however I loved it. The humor, the plot, the fantasy/paranormal aspects, it was all so awesome.

I loved, G, Jane, Edward (especially Edward), and all the other various characters. They were all hilarious and I love how the authors based it on history, and then changed it in such an amazing way! Humor + historical fiction (based on history) + fantasy = awesomeness!!!


Hot Apple Cider: A book that got you a bit hot under the collar

A Spy in the House (The Agency Series) by Y. S. Lee

This isn’t really much? But it does get a little bit more…passionate in the later books 🙂

Anyways, this still has an awesome plot, and it’s set in the Victorian Era. It’s a great series. and I love Mary and her fierceness. She’s also a new and interesting character who is different and considered inferior in her time. She’s a pretty great detective and is really determined and brave.

The mysteries are pretty great, and I finished the whole series pretty quickly. Oh, and James is an absolute darling 💖 Absolutely, annoyingly, handsomely, a bit over protective, but also super kind, and definitely a perfect darling.


Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate: A book that felt like a warm hug

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

I really loved this book for its representation, the great characters, the food, and the writing style. It was super heartwarming to read about Emoni’s struggles, how she overcame them, her family (Buela and Babygirl are the sweetest), and her awesome friends, especially Angelica.

I also really loved the way the book was written-it felt like I was in Emoni’s head and reading her words, not just being told a story in a more formal way. And let’s not forget the amazing food in this book. There are no words to describe the deliciousness of it all. It made me want to fly into the kitchen and whip up a mess lol.


Maple Pecan Latte: A book you enjoyed that was hard to get into

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

It took me 19 days to finally get past the first 10%. It was slow. Like, really slow. The murder mystery is interesting, Kya’s life is interesting, the back story is interesting but wow, it is so so slow, and it was until around the last third-ish of the book that the pace began to pick up.

However, I still gave it 4 stars because this is supposed to be a slow read, that is heavy on the description of the Marsh, and of Kya’s life before the murder. The murder mystery was a pretty small aspect of the book compared to the rest of it. But I still enjoyed it. I pushed myself to finish it (and I did skim some of the description), and I’m pretty glad that I did, because I eventually liked Kya and all her friends, and it saved me from DNFing. The only reason that I picked it up, was because of the mystery and the odd characters, so it was disappointing to see that it wasn’t a major part of the story, but I ended up liking the characters and the coming-of-age aspect much more instead.


London Fog: A vanilla character

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This was such a disappointing book. Absolutely disappointing. I hated Claire. I hated Nix. The idea of the story was okay, but the execution was horrible. This was more like a horrible Disney princess movie with a dark boy who falls in love with a girl who has never been noticed. And this girl is the most annoying character ever.

As soon as Claire meets Nix, she falls in love with him because he’s the only one who has noticed her. Hello? He noticed you because he was supposed to kill you. But obviously that’s just a technicality that doesn’t matter. And then after that, all Claire can think about is her darling Nix, and her new super powers… It’s just a horrible book, and Claire is annoying and intolerable.


Hot Buttered Rum: A book that was velvety smooth to read

Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel

I don’t think this is really velvety smooth? But it’s an easy espionage story and I liked it. Nothing super amazing, but good enough that I’ve continued on with the series.

The ending does get intense, and the court drama and intrigue is very interesting, but I also feel like it was just meh, nothing super remarkable, but pretty nice to read. I don’t really like Peggy, I wish Olivia had a bigger role from the first book (she’d make a great spy), and the drama with Sophy Howe is maybe a bit much, but it’s also kind of hilarious to read.


Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew: A character whose temperament is icy cold

The Great Lady Sarnai from Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

She’s cruel. Unbelievably so. It’s kind of interesting, while terrifying to read about at the same time. She has no sympathy or feelings for anyone (besides the guy she loved and whom she now can’t marry) and she terrorizes everyone wherever she goes.

But she’s also sad, lonely, being used as a peace pawn, and her way of life being discarded so that she can become a woman she doesn’t want to be. So it’s also kind of understandable. But then, her heart is obviously made of ice, because there was a certain point in the book where I though she might change, but instead she was absolutely brutal.


Salted Caramel Mocha: A book that you’re salty about

Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

This book was a mess. An utter mess. Audrey Rose completely went off the rails in this one. She stopped trusting our dearest Cresswell, and trusted a self-confessed liar and con man. Think about that for a minute. Cresswell who has been with her through hell and back, Cresswell who’s never attempted to cage her, and has always respected and admired her, Cresswell who would probably walk across a volcano barefoot to save her life, was deemed not trustworthy enough to keep/properly react to the secret Audrey Rose was trying to keep with a LIAR.

This makes no sense, and honestly, if you want to read the full rant head right over here, because the above is only part of the tragedy that is this book. It’s definitely the most disappointing book from the series so far.


Honey Bee Latte: A character who is sweet

Jude from The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

To be honest, JLB always manages to write amazing characters, the serious ones, the destructive/rule breaker ones, and the sweet-bring-a-smile-to-your-face kind of ones.

Jude is the latter. He is eternally optimistic and he always finds the good or bright side of things. I also love him because he was there for Kira, always supported her, and diffused situations spectacularly. He’s just a super sweet warm bun who cares more about others and about their feelings than for his own. And he forgives so easily and never holds a grudge against anyone.


Gingerbread Latte: A character you’d take home for Christmas

I have no idea? I don’t celebrate Christmas, and honestly, I’m not sure if I want to bring any character home for any celebration because it would probably end up in a disaster. An absolute disaster. It’s either they are super fun but destructive, or they are the kind to just sit there glowering and being absolutely unreasonable (and possibly the ones who someone might decide to pick a fight with, and then I have to make sure they don’t end up dead). Neither is a very good option for a party…

Tagging

Caitlin @ Caitlin Althea | Kat @ Novels and Waffles | Evelyn @ Evelyn Reads | Jane @ Blogger Books | Charlotte @ Bewitching Books, Ravenous Reads

*P.S. No pressure if you don’t want to do the tag!!

This was so much fun to do, and if you’d like to do the tag, go right ahead! Be sure to link back so I can see your answers as well!! See you guys tomorrow!

Study Group | Bookending Autumn 2019

Good morning and welcome back! I am very excited to be taking part in BE Autumn this year, and I think today’s topic is awesome!! But first, if you want to take part and learn more, head right over to Sam @ Fictionally Sam to see the rules and the rest of October’s topics!!

You can also follow them @bookend_events for more updates!

Today’s prompt, brought to us by Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads, is:

Study Group: Fall is back to school and you need to organize a study group. Pick eight characters and discuss which subjects they bring their expertise to.

I’m currently still in school, so I’m excited to use my courses for this year, though I’m going to change a few, and find characters who were born to study whatever course. And maybe they can come do my class work for me??

American Literature

Audrey Rose Wadsworth

In Hunting Prince Dracula, Audrey Rose’s love of books is super evident, and I feel like she would be thrilled to read and analyze all sorts of texts.

Also, considering the fact that we’re reading books from around her time period in class, I’m sure it’d be much easier for her to relate or understand these books, compared to my 21st century born self.

Algebra

Jack Cole

In reality, I’m actually taking Geometry, which I’m liking, but I struggled a bit with Algebra, so I’m swapping them. Quadratic functions, parabolas, all of that stuff was not really that much fun for me, but I liked solving for x or drawing normal graphs. Geometry, so far, seems kind of easier.

Jack is a child genius, and I’m sure he would love studying Algebra, or any math course in general. There were a series of equations in the book that he instantly solved and I think that that is proof enough that he will be an awesome Algebra student.

Science

Victor Vale

My actual course is Physical Science. I don’t like science much, and I’m pretty surprised to find that I’m liking the atoms/periodic table aspect, which is more Chemistry than Physical Science, but that’s what we’re learning 🤷‍♀️

Victor Vale is a genius when it comes to Science and biology (in a way). I loved reading about EO’s and how their powers worked and the experiments were fun and terrifying at the same time. Since he’s still alive to tell the tale, I think it is safe to assume that Victor would be perfect for my science class.

Spanish

Margaret (Peggy) Fitzroy

Yo estudio español en la escuela y es muy divertido aprender un nuevo idioma. Translation: “I study Spanish in school and it is very fun to learn a new language.” I won’t lie, I used Google Translate for the last part of the sentence. What can I say? I’m still learning.

As a spy in the royal court, Peggy speaks Latin, German, French, and English, so she obviously would be the perfect pupil for my Spanish class. And maybe she’d be so kind to teach me German and French…

Culinary Arts

Emoni Santiago

I actually don’t have a culinary arts class, but if my school offered it, I sure would take it! Also, I don’t think I have a character who would be awesome at Business and Technology, which is my usual class.

Emoni loves to cook. She has a gift when it comes to being in the kitchen and all the cooking and food that happens in this book is mouth-watering. She also takes Culinary Arts in her high school anyway so she’s obviously very perfectly suitable for this class.

Intro to Crimes and Heists

Kaz Brekker

Okay. Yes. I know. There is no way that my school is teaching about crime and heists, but a girl can wish. I usually have World History, but I can’t think of any character who’s good at history. And so, I chose a course I’d love to take!!

Of course Kaz is the master of heists and crime and I couldn’t pick a more perfect student. However, he’d probably end up teaching the class since he knows a whole lot more than the teacher…

These are only 6 characters, and I actually only have 6 courses in real life, so I’m not sure what other courses/who else to put to make it 8.

That’s it for this post! Which characters would you want to do your classes for you? What’s a course that you wish you could take? Do/did you like your classes in school? Chat with me in the comments below!

Monthly Wrap-Up: September 2019 ft. a 200 follower Q&A form

Hey hey hey!!!! Welcome back dear bookworms! Today I’ll be sharing with you my wrap up post for September 2019!! how is it almost the end of 2019 already??? how?? where did the year go?

So September was…I guess, a kind of good month? More meh than good, but still kind of good. I think I’ve gotten used to classes and blogging, and that’s great! But I didn’t write that many reviews, wasn’t that super active in the community, and I only read 6 books. Let’s take a deeper look below!

Books:

Covers are from Goodreads

So I read 6 books, which is better than the 5 books I read in August but not by much. I am now helplessly behind on my GR challenge, and I’m so disappointed. I’m actually contemplating doing my first monthly TBR so that maybe I’d read more if I had a schedule, or an idea of books that I can read. Let me know if you’d like to see that!!

I am also behind on reviews from August, so I’m hoping to catch up on those this month (October)!


Read This Month:

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

Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich // Rating: ★★1/2 One sentence summary:  An easy and humorous mystery, with okay characters.

*Against Their Will by Carolyn Courtney Lauman // Rating: ★★★★☆ One sentence summary: This was an incredible fast-paced debut, with great characters, and a captivating plot.

^A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman // Rating: ★★★★★ One sentence summary: A heartwarming story with beautiful friendships and a sweet grumpy man.

^Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim // Rating: ★★★★☆ One sentence summary: An interesting Mulan-inspired adventure in a world of magic with a determined heroine.

^Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco // Rating: ★★★1/2 One sentence summary: An okay mystery with a strong and complex heroine and amazing side characters.

^With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo // Rating: ★★★★★ One sentence summary: A sweet and uplifting story about family, friendship, food, and community.


Reviews completed (read in August):

Wherever She Goes by Kelley Armstrong / The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling


Total Number of Books Read This Month: 6

Total number of reviews: 4

Tags:

I did 2 tags, which is pretty low. But! I have a list of tags that I want to do, so maybe you will not see more of them this month!!

The Netflix Book Tag (Thank you so much Siobhan!)

Sunshine Blogger Award #2 (Thank you so much Kiera!)

Discussion Posts:

Let’s Talk Bookish – When An Author Has Gone Too Far

Let’s Talk Bookish – Is it bad if you don’t finish reading a book?

Let’s Talk Bookish – Should There Be A Standard for Book Reviews?

Let’s Talk Bookish – Things You Wish You Could Ask Other or More Experienced Bloggers

Great Posts From Around the Blog-O-Sphere:

50 Bookish Questions tag by Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads (Guys. FIFTY questions. Grab a cup and go have a seat, because it was so nice reading all of Meeghan’s answers!)

Bookending Autumn 2019: ANNOUNCEMENT by Sam @ Fictionally Sam (I’m so excited to be taking part this October!! Be sure to check out Sam’s post to learn more about it!)

Hard Truths I’ve Learned About Book Blogging (& a few ways to cope with them) by Caitlin @ Caitlin Althea (This is an awesome discussion post written by the amazing Caitlin, and I’m sure we’ve all related to some of her points at least once or twice before.)

Do Contemporary Novels Ever Become Outdated? by Kelly @ Another Book in the Wall (I really loved this seriously in depth discussion by Kelly on contemporary novels.)

Anything Else?

I changed my blog’s design…again!! I actually had my previous design for almost 6 months which is amazing. I wonder how long this one is going to last, and I really hope I keep it for much longer.

My stats were pretty high in September, and I’m so happy and thankful to all of you who came over and read whatever I had to say!! Also, I’m kind of close to reaching 200 followers, and after being inspired by Caitlin’s post, I’m going to host a Q&A about me/blog when I also hit 200! (It was not intentional lol!! I just felt like my letter that I wrote last time wasn’t much, and I wanted to do something more fun, and I’d seen the idea of a Q&A somewhere else, and then I saw Caitlin’s post that she did earlier this year, and it seemed like a fun way to say thank you, so here we are!)

Thank you to everyone who is following me, and if you’d like, you can fill out the form below to ask me your question, and to give me feedback about my blog!! I would really appreciate it 💚

That’s A Wrap!

That’s it for this month. In total, I read 6 books, did 4 reviews, 2 books tags, and wrote 4 discussion posts (YAY!! Honestly, can you believe that I shied away from writing discussions before??). 2 of the books I read were 4 stars, and another 2 were 5 stars so that is great! However, I am still behind, by 10 books, on my reading challenge.

For October, I hope to read maybe 8 books, catch up on 5 reviews, and try to do maybe 4 or 5 BE Autumn posts. At the very least, I’m going to do 3.

And that’s it for this wrap-up! How was September for you? Did you get as much reading as you wanted done? Are you behind or ahead on your reading goal? Will you be taking part in Bookending Autumn? Should I do a monthly TBR post? Anything you’d like to share? Let’s chat in the comments below!