Password-protected posts contain heavy spoilers and are there to prevent accidental spoiling. They can each individually be accessed with the password "SPOILME(#of the post)". That means if the post is numbered #0000, the password is SPOILME0000 - SPOILME all in caps, no space in between.
Enter at your own risk. And have fun!
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
Cold, Cats, Cookies
I was in a funk this week. I didn’t have my usual energy this week and spent a couple of days being moody and just laying in bed reading (might be I was just using the moodiness as an excuse to stay in bed and read, but you have no proof).
To be fair, it was a really cold week, with temperatures going down to -36 Celcius, so it’s just much more comfy to hide under the covers than try to do anything else. Even the cats were so cold, all three cuddled up together, which they very rarely do! Also, to be clear, I didn’t have a cold. It was just really cold, and I had a mood.
I did bake some cookies though, which took a lot of time because I made 4x the recipe, but it was yummy and totally worth it! And we got some heat from the oven too, so win-win!
On the reading front, I finished The September House and The Librarian Spy, so yay! I also posted my notes and reactions for The September House that I wrote in my e-reader as I was reading. It’s password-protected and spoiler-filled, but if you’ve read it and are interested in my notes, password is “SPOILME0002”.
I also finally got Light Bringer by Pierce Brown on audiobook. It’s the sixth book in the Red Rising series, and I’ve been so anxious reading about characters that I’ve loved since the first book. Things haven’t been going their way for a while, and I’m just really afraid for them. If this was the final book, I would be expecting a good resolution, but there’s going to be a seventh book, so I’m not sure if we’re going to be left hanging again.
For nonfiction, I’ve started reading The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner and it’s really kicking my ass, to be honest. I’m reading it very slowly, and it’s bringing up a lot of difficult topics. I’m sure it’s good for me to work through them, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for it right now.
I’m pretty sure I can finish Light Bringer this week. I’m not so sure about The Dance of Anger, I’m contemplating if I want to leave it for another time, but even if I decide to continue, I will be going slow, so it’s going to take me a while.
I also just got The Switch by Beth O’ Leary on audiobook, and I got a physical copy of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries from the library, so they are on the list right after Light Bringer. I’m feeling pretty happy because I’m doing well with actually reading the books I listed on my Winter TBR a few weeks ago. Let’s hope I keep it up!
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2024
There are so many that I’m so excited for!!! Almost all of these are authors I have read and loved, and I would read anything they write so that’s why I can’t wait for these. I know they are going to be good!
Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing Jan-Jun 2024
Top-Bottom, Left-Right:
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo – releasing Feb 13. She’s a Malaysian author writing about Malaysian Chinese folklore. I’ve read The Ghost Bride and The Night Tiger, both written by her and I loved them. I’m very excited for this one.
The Bride Bet by Tessa Dare – releasing Jan 15. This is the fourth book in the Girl Meets Duke series, and I’ve read the first three, so obviously this is next on the list!
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher – releasing Feb 13. I love T. Kingfisher, and I loved the first book in this series. I didn’t even know there was going to be a second book, but of course I have to read it too!
Funny Story by Emily Henry – releasing Apr 23. I’ve read several of Emily Henry’s books and always enjoy them. This one has a storyline that is just too good to pass up.
The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe – releasing May 14. The first book I read by Tess Sharpe is the first book in this series, The Girls I’ve Been, and I was hooked. I love her strong female protagonists, and I was so excited to find out she wrote a sequel.
The Dark Fable by Katherine Harbour – releasing Jan 30. The only author on this list whom I’ve never read. I’m not sure what to expect and I hope I won’t be disappointed, but I love the premise and I love fantasy stories, so I’m excited to read this!
You Like It Darker by Stephen King – releasing Mar 21. I mean, it’s Stephen King. I haven’t read all his books but I’m sure going to try, and his new stories keep getting better so of course I’m going to read this.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo – releasing Apr 9. I loved many of Leigh Bardugo’s books, and I am very interested in this story too. Anticipating it very much!
The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz – releasing Jan 23. I’ve only read one of Koontz books so far and I loved it, and I keep meaning to read more. I love the premise of this book, it sounds so deliciously creepy and I just can’t wait to read it.
Have you read any of these authors? What did you think of them? What are your most anticipated books this year?
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
A Very Book Blog-ish Week
Happy New Year!
I hope the first week of 2024 went well for everyone. My first week was pretty slow, I haven’t gotten back into the groove of work yet, but I did manage to read some books and write some reviews. I also posted a few book tags which I thought were fun, and I hope if you’re so inclined, you’ll do some of them too. Let me know if you do! Or if you already did!
The Spotify Wrapped Book Tag 2023 is for matching 3-5 songs you listened to in 2023 to the books you read in 2023, in any way that makes sense to you.
The 2023 End of Year Book Survey helps you look back on your stats and best books of the year. There are some very thoughtful questions and I had fun thinking back to the books that fit the questions.
About password-protected posts for spoiler-y discussions
I also wanted to find a way to discuss spoilers in books without spoiling it for those who haven’t read them, because I just finished reading Holly by Stephen King, and I have to talk about the ending. I ended up posting it as a password-protected post, so if you’ve read the book and are interested in reading my post, go to Notes & Discussion for Holly by Stephen King, password is “SPOILME0001”.
I’m happy with the set up, I think. It’s too early to tell.
But I do like feeling like I can be free to talk about all the spoiler-y stuff with abandon on password-protected posts. I hope to add more spoiler-y discussions posts as I go, and I hope you will join me for some of them if you’ve read the books. Each of the posts have to have unique passwords, but it’s going to be the same formula for all of them, and it’s posted at the top of my blog so anyone who wants to can access them.
As for the upcoming week, my intentions are to read books that count towards all the reading challenges I signed up for!
The book tags and memes haven’t been good for me, I keep adding new books to the TBR, and reading some of them before reading the ones that had been on my TBR for ages and are the reasons I signed up for those challenges in the first place! Book gods, give me the strength to resist new books!
I believe I can finish The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin this week, and The September House by Carissa Orlando. Both are new additions to my TBR. Sigh.
I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Favorite Books of 2023.
Happy New Year 2024, everyone!
2023 wasn’t the best reading year for me because I felt like there were way too many books I read that I didn’t like, did not finish, or otherwise felt lukewarm about. But there were a few books that were amazing and some that have found a place as my all-time favorite books in my heart.
I hope 2024 will be an incredible reading year for all of us with lots of great books!
Top Ten Favorite Books of 2023
Top-Bottom, Left-Right:
Labyrinth’s Heart by M.A. Carrick – The third and final book in one of the most incredible trilogies I have ever read. The world-building and magical system in this book is so rich and detailed, the authors ended up creating a real-life divination deck that reflects the one in the book. They had a very successful Kickstarter launch, but I missed it and I’m sad.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros – One of the most hyped books I’ve read this year. At first I was skeptical, because it can’t be that good, right? But it is! The plot kept moving, there was so much action and drama and emotions, I just couldn’t stop reading! Admittedly there were a few cliches and eye-rolling moments, but everything else was so good it’s worth overlooking the problems.
Jade War by Fonda Lee – I read both the second and final book in this trilogy this year and they were both so good. I mean, the whole series is amazing! The scope of the books, the story, is so vast. The character development is incomparable. This might be one of the best books in terms of character development. It’s just so good.
Morning Star by Pierce Brown – I read books 2 through 5 of the Red Rising series this year, and I’m currently waiting on the 6th book. The whole series is great, but I think the 3rd book is my favorite so far. I’m hesitant because the 5th book left me on an uncertain note, and I’m holding back my heart until I read the 6th book and know that my beloved characters are doing okay.
Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe – This is the second book I’ve read by Tess Sharpe and I have to say that I am loving her writing and her books! They have such bad-ass young female MCs, and the stories are so compelling and completely just sucks you in.
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub – This one hits me in the feels. It’s a time-travel story, which I love, but ultimately, it’s the everyday mundaneness of the story that gets me. It’s the things you take for granted.
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey – The first book in another amazing series. It’s so interesting from beginning to end, and I love how technology is presented as artifacts in the story, and I love seeing how the characters learn to work with the technology.
Sooley by John Grisham – This is not your typical John Grisham story. It is not a legal thriller, it’s a story about an athlete. I’m not typically a fan of sport stories, but this one… It’s not really about the sport, anyway, it’s about the people.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes – This one hurts. Those of you who have read it know what I mean. I have so much awe and respect for the author’s portrayal of Charlie and the way he changes throughout the book, and yet he’s still the same character talking to us. So masterful.
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
An Ice-Skating Christmas Day
The week started out wonderful with Christmas Day and a small ice-skating gathering in the morning. We made some new friends and had a lot of fun even though it was outdoors and really cold! We didn’t do much the rest of the day but we did have some really yummy leftovers.
I’m also happy because I did quite well this last week with finishing and reviewing three books. And I got out of my comfort zone and signed up for three more reading challenges for 2024!! That means that I’m currently signed up for nine reading challenges in 2024. NINE!
To be fair, Finishing the Series and Series Enders are complementary, and the Library Love and Audiobook challenges would have a lot of overlap since I get all my audiobooks from the library! Also, the Classics challenge is technically a five-year challenge, so if I don’t do well in 2024, I can catch up in the next years!
I really hope I don’t regret this! Have you signed up for any reading challenges? How many reading challenges are the sweet spot for you?
I also managed to get A Christmas Carol finished! Holy description, Dickens has got a way with words! I’m familiar with his works in pop culture and adaptations, but I haven’t actually finished any of his books. This is my first, and will definitely not be the last.
I will probably be writing the review for A Christmas Carol this week, but also, it’s the first week of 2024 and I can finally get started on all the books that fit the challenges I signed up for!
Holly by Stephen King – for the Finishing the Series and Series Enders challenges
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson – for the Nonfiction challenge
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin – for the Bookish Books challenge
Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson – for the Bookish Books challenge
These are books already on my digital bookshelf, and will count for the Library Love and Audiobook challenges too! I don’t know if I can finish them all this week, but they’re the first ones on my list.
I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
Books from the Backlog is hosted by Carole @ Carole’s Random Life and features neglected books that’s been sitting on your TBR for a while.
This must be one of the oldest books on my bookshelf that I brought with me from my old life. Not sure why I kept it or if I’ll ever get to it one day.
This week’s neglected book
Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder
One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: “Who are you?” and “Where does the world come from?” From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.
– Goodreads
Why did I add this book to my bookshelf?
I got it when I was a teenager and questioning philosophical questions a lot. I did try reading it but I think it was too much for me at the time, and I was going to wait until I was older and in a better frame of mind to understand it better. I never got to it, and I’m not sure if I ever will. I’ve actually forgotten I had it, and only got reminded of it because of this meme. Now I’m not sure if I should give it one more try or just let it go.
What are your thoughts? Have you read this book? Would you recommend it?
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Most Recent Additions to my Bookshelf, but I didn’t buy or get a lot of books recently (I did get a couple of gift cards to the bookstore though!), so I’ll do the Most Recent Books I Borrowed from the Library instead. These are a mix of physical books, e-books, and audiobooks I currently have from the library. I have to say, I love my library and I love that we get such a wide catalog of books.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and got many of the books they wanted!
Top Ten Most Recent Books I Borrowed from the Library
Top-Bottom, Left-Right:
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – I actually think I played myself with borrowing both this one and the next one. They are both thick books and I didn’t know they’d be ready at the same time! It’s very likely that I’ll have to return one or the other unfinished and have to go back on the waitlist.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – See above!
The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner, Ph.D. – This has been on my TBR for a while. I don’t remember exactly, but I think it got on my radar because of a conversation I had with someone about how men are shamed for crying and women are shamed for showing anger. I could be remembering wrong, but I’m curious to read the book anyway.
Lighter by Yung Pueblo – I flipped through a copy of Yung Pueblo’s newest book, The Way Forward, and loved the few pages I read, so I placed a hold on all his books from the library. This was just the one that became available first.
Accountable by Dashka Slater – A fellow book blogger, Anne @ Head Full of Books, featured this book on her blog and I was intrigued!
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin – I recently read Madeline Martin’s The Last Bookshop in London, and I loved it, so of course I have to read her other books too!
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson – This book has also been on my TBR for a while, but it took another fellow blogger recommending this book because we both loved Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half, to move it up my list.
The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe – I came across this book purely by accident while browsing my library’s audiobook catalog. It’s a historical fiction set on the Titanic, so of course I was interested!
Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson – Another book I came across while browsing my library’s catalog. Books about books, I have to read it!
The Forbidden City series by Melissa Addey – The edition I have from the library is a 4-in-1, and I found it browsing the physical shelves. I’ve always been fascinated by stories of Imperial China, so I’m very interested in reading this.
I am very much looking forward to these books! Have you read any of them? I’d love to hear your thoughts. What books are on your bookshelf?
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
It’s a festive weekend and I hope you have a great time with friends and family, no matter what you celebrate (or not).
Last week was a pretty chill week and we didn’t do much, but we did go ice skating for the first time in Canada! Woot!!
I haven’t skated in about 20 years (a long, long time!) and I’m so rusty and clumsy on the ice now, but it was fun anyway. My husband has never skated before and I couldn’t teach him since I’ve forgotten everything, but there was a kind stranger at the rink helping him, and he did so well for his first time!
As for reading; I started reading The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks, but haven’t finished it because I was listening on audiobook and I couldn’t make out what the narrator was saying when she did the low voices. I decided to put it aside until I can get a print copy so I can read it instead. I did manage to finish If It Bleeds by Stephen King, and I’m reading A Christmas Carol for the first time!
I’m trying to finish A Christmas Carol before Christmas is over, but I’m not sure I can because of how busy the next couple of days will be. It’s not a long book though, so I’ll try. I wouldn’t rush it except it feels weird to be reading A Christmas Carol once Christmas is over, but I might not care and just do it anyway! What do you think? Is it weird to read A Christmas Carol after Christmas?
I’m still trying to read a couple of first in a series books, if I can. It’s the last week of the year, a holiday week, and we have a couple of plans, but I believe I’ll have time to read a bit.
It’s weird because almost every year end I’m usually pushing myself to read a little more so I can get more books read for the year, but this time, I’m hoarding my books so I can read them for challenges I signed up for next year.
Are you pushing yourself to finish more books before the end of the year, or are you hoarding them for next year?
I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Gilion @ Rose City Reader for sharing the opening lines of the book you want to feature.
The Friday 56 was started and hosted by Freda @ Freda’s Voice and is currently being temporarily hosted by Anne @ My Head is Full of Books for sharing a couple of lines from page 56, or Chapter 56, or at 56%, or however you want to interpret the number 56, of your featured book.
Note: For Blogspot users, I am unfortunately not able to comment on your posts if you don’t have Name/URL enabled on the comments. I’m not being snobbish, I promise! I’d love to leave comments if you’d consider enabling it. Thank you!
My Featured Book
The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks
Every harvest moon, the Witch Collector rides into our valley and leads one of us to the home of the immortal Frost King, to remain forever.
Today is that day—Collecting Day.
But he will not come for me. I, Raina Bloodgood, have lived in this village for twenty-four years, and for twenty-four years he has passed me by.
His mistake.
Raina Bloodgood has one desire: kill the Frost King and the Witch Collector who stole her sister. On Collecting Day, she means to exact murderous revenge, but a more sinister threat sets fire to her world. Rising from the ashes is the Collector, Alexus Thibault, the man she vowed to slay and the only person who can help save her sister.
Thrust into an age-old story of ice, fire, and ancient gods, Raina must abandon vengeance and aid the Witch Collector in saving the Frost King or let their empire—and her sister—fall into enemy hands. But the lines between good and evil blur, and Raina has more to lose than she imagined. What is she to do when the Witch Collector is no longer the villain who stole her sister, but the hero who’s stealing her heart?
My Book Beginnings:
It’s been eight long years since the Witch Collector took my sister. Every harvest moon, he rides into our valley, black cloak whipping in the wind, and leads one of us to Winterhold, home of the immortal Frost King, to remain forever.
My Friday 56:
“I can’t, Raina.” She glances around with wary eyes. “I swore that if I wasn’t chosen for Winterhold this year that I would convince my father to take me to Malgros to enlist in the Watch. If something happened to him… If he doesn’t return…” She sets her mug aside and frames her face with her hands. “I can’t leave my mother and sisters.”
My Thoughts
I got to Chapter 19 of the book (about 40%) while listening on audio, but it started getting more difficult to hear the low voices the narrator made, and I found myself missing too much. I decided to wait until I got my hands on a print copy for this, so I’m waiting on the library and this book is stalled until a copy becomes available.
Up until 40% of the book, and even though I’m missing details from the low voices, I quite enjoyed the book and the concept. I find the Witch Collector and the Frost King very mysterious, and I want to know more about them. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the world itself too. It’s a series, so I guess we have time to learn more, but I hope we’ll get some basic answers in this book.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? What do you think of it?
Books from the Backlog is hosted by Carole @ Carole’s Random Life and features neglected books that’s been sitting on your TBR for a while.
This one was sitting patiently waiting for me on my Kobo but I forgot I had it. Now that I’m looking at it again, it actually sounds intriguing and I might want to read it soon.
This week’s neglected book
The Therapist by B. A. Paris
A gripping psychological suspense and a powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret.
When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…
As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.
Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…
Why did I add this book to my bookshelf?
I was on a mystery/thriller binge and a friend recommended it to me. Then I got tired of the binge and moved on before getting to this one. Yes, we’re seeing a pattern, aren’t we? It does sound interesting and I might actually pick it up sometime soon. We’ll see.
What are your thoughts? Have you read this book? Would you recommend it?
