Currently Reading + Future Reading Plans

Published on November 20, 2018November 20, 2018 by Jessica2 Comments

***This post is going up late and I actually finished 2 of the books I talk about, but I’ll give reviews of them in a wrap-up

I didn’t post a TBR this month, mainly because I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo, and wasn’t sure how much time I would have for reading- but I’m actually managing pretty well.

But if I’m being honest, I sort of hate TBRs. I just never really stick to them, and I hate feeling like I’m forced to read certain books.

With that being said, though, I actually do plan out what books I’m going to read next in my mind. I like to have some structure in my life (even if it’s just me faking it till I make it).

Anyways, I thought I would share what books I’m currently reading with you, as well as what I plan on reading next- which is totally subject to change!!!

Currently Reading

Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset

My Husband’s Wife by Jane Corry

I’m currently buddy reading this with my lovely friend, Kimberly. We both agreed that it had a bit of a slow start to it, but if you push through, it gets really interesting. There are definitely a few things that I don’t really love about it, but I’ll probably post an in-depth review of it once I’m done (or I’ll talk more about it in a wrap-up).

It’s a mystery/thriller that I honestly don’t even know how to explain because so much is going on and I feel like I wouldn’t do it justice, but definitely check it out and give it a shot!

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

I picked this up on my last trip to Barnes and Noble because I heard it was being turned into a movie/tv show (I can’t remember which) and I wanted to read it before then! It’s been on my TBR for so long, and now is the perfect time to read it.

It’s another mystery/thriller- there’s a tend here- but I’m not really familiar with the plot. I’m only on chapter 2, so I can’t really say much about it, but I wanted to read it after hearing multiple Booktubers talk about it and how much they loved it!

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

Oh, look- another mystery/thriller. I had been waiting for this audiobook on the Libby app for so long. The hold line was SO. LONG. But finally, it’s my turn to borrow it!

This is a pretty recent release that I’ve heard so many people talk about. It follows a woman with agoraphobia (which is something I really like to read about) who watches her neighbors through her window. One day she sees something she’s not supposed to, and a ton of secrets get revealed.

I’m really loving this so far! The audiobook is great, and it’s a good way for me to distinguish it from the other two thrillers I’m reading.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

I’m reading this for one of my classes, and like almost all required reading, I’m not really enjoying it. I never would have picked this up on my own. It’s just one of those classics that I find really boring, personally.

There are a ton of classics that I really enjoy, but this is just not one of them. It’s honestly pretty hard to follow with all of the different characters, and the storyline is a bit confusing. It’s not the worst book I’ve read, but it’s been hard to get through since I’m analyzing it for academic purposes.

Next Up

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

I read Summer Bird Blue by Akemi and absolutely adored it! It is definitely a character driven novel, not a plot based one (just letting you guys know), but I love that. I am a sucker for good characters and that is one of the main things I look for in a book.

I can’t wait to dive into this one because I have a feeling I will love it even more!

I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

This has been on my TBR since before its publication. I follow Alice on so many platforms and she is just the sweetest human ever.

I finally got my hands on a copy of this book, so I want to read it ASAP! The cover is stunning, and the plot just gives me some warm vibes.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I know for a fact that I will be picking this up soon because I am actually going to buddy read it with Taryn from Taryn and Her Books! This has been on my TBR ever since I read Caraval (which was so so long ago now) because I know people compared the two.

I’m not a big fantasy reader, but I can’t resist circus stories! Besides, this book is just so gorgeous.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Let me know if you want to see more like this in the future :)

October wrap-up 2018

Published on October 31, 2018November 12, 2018 by Jessica2 Comments

Happy Halloween! Tomorrow officially marks the end of spooky season. How did that go by so quickly?? As sad as I am about this time of the year being over, I can now look forward to my birthday (which is in about 2 weeks!!). Also, NaNoWriMo begins tomorrow, so I will have a very stressful month.

But, this also means that another month is over. And of course, it’s time for another wrap-up.

I haven’t done a monthly wrap-up in the LONGEST time because I haven’t been reading as much in a month as I would have liked to. But, I read 8 books this month (which is my longest in a while), so I knew it was time to do one again.

The Books:

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

I was literally so happy when I got approved for an ARC of this book. Jenn Bennett is one of my all time favorite authors (as of this year). I have read 3 of her books now, and I just bought a fourth. She just writes such amazing characters and her storylines are all so unique. I really fall in love with her writing time and time again. When this one comes out, please check it out! It is so worth it.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

I had an e-book of this for a while now and I finally got around to it. This was such a good book and I highly recommend checking it out. It deals with grief/loss but in such a powerful way. It is definitely more of a character driven story (which I personally love), so I fell in love with each and every person. I loved the writing in this, and I immediately purchased Akemi’s previous release, Starfish, after reading this one.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Best American Poetry 2018 by Dana Gioia

This next book is a collection of poetry I received from Netgalley. I didn’t really find myself connecting with the poems, and I felt as though there should have been a few popular contemporary/modern poets included. 2018 was a big year for poetry, and I just feel like these poems did not do the year justice personally.

Rating: 3/5 stars

All the Things We Lost by Kayla Tirrell

If I’m being honest, I can’t even remember what this book is about. I just know I really, really didn’t enjoy it. It was another book I received on Netgalley. I had high hopes for it because I loved the cover and when I read the description I thought I would enjoy it. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed by it.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Girls Write Now (Anthology)

This is an anthology of stories written by young women which I requested a while back. It was a wonderful read and many of the stories were so powerful. I am so happy that a book was created solely by women and features such diverse voices. I highly recommend checking it out.

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This is a book I was assigned to read in my Children’s Literature class this semester. It was actually an interesting read (although definitely written for a child). Some people read this as kids, but I never did, so it was fun to pick it up.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

This is another book I read for school, but one that I actually didn’t really enjoy much at all. I know it’s a classic, but I found it so pointless. I never really cared for the movie as a child either, so clearly it’s just not for me.

Rating: 2/5 stars

A Poet’s Notebook by Stewart Henderson

I wasn’t even sure if I should include this one because I DNF’d it. But, I figured I would just put this at the bottom of the list and let you decide. The book is supposed to be about the poet’s process and where he found inspiration for all of the poems. However, I found the stories to be very dull and I couldn’t get through them after reading the first one. I did read the poems at the end of each chapter, but I skipped through the actual prose.

Let me know what you think about these books if you’ve read any! What books did you read this month?

ebook-a-thon wrap up

Published on October 20, 2018November 12, 2018 by JessicaLeave a comment

Today is the last day of the ebook-a-thon! Unfortunately, I did not complete all of the books that were on my TBR, but I did manage to read 3 ebooks during the week.

The Best American Poetry 2018 by Dana Gioia

I started off the week with this ARC because I knew it would be a quick read for me and it would help me get start this read-a-thon on the right foot! I finished it quickly, but unfortunately did not really enjoy it very much. There were a few good poems in the collection, but as a whole, it really disappointed me.

All the Things We Lost by Kayla Tirrell

Next, I picked up another ARC (there is obviously a theme here, haha) that I wanted to get done. I honestly can’t even tell you what it was about because I already forgot. That’s how un-memorable it was. I think I only gave it about 2 stars, so even though I was getting some reading done, the read-a-thon wasn’t going too well.

A Poet’s Notebook: Stewart Henderson

Finally, I began this book- another ARC. I have been really behind on Netgalley, so I felt guilty picking up anything other than an ARC this week. I actually DNF’d this book because it was so painfully boring. Each chapter begins with a story, description, or some other anecdote and is followed by a poem by the author. It is supposed to be a look into the writing process and where inspiration comes from for poets. However, I skipped all of the chapter introductions and just read the poems, because I really wasn’t interested.

Overall, my reading week was a bit of a bust considering all of the books I read were 3 stars or less. However, I am glad I got to 3 different ARCs at least!

Did any of you participate in this read-a-thon? Let me know how it went for you if you did :)

ebook-a-thon TBR

Published on October 13, 2018 by Jessica5 Comments

This post is extremely late because I completely forgot this TBR is happening and it starts TOMORROW!! I have way too many e-books/e-ARCs that I really need to catch up on, so this read-a-thon is going to help me out so much.

I also just bought myself an Amazon Fire tablet so that I can read the e-books I have without hurting my eyes too much on my phone. The timing of this read-a-thon is just so perfect, especially since I have Monday and Tuesday off from school.

I am going to try to read a book for all of the challenges except for the group read book (The Picture of Dorian Gray) because I don’t own it and don’t have an interest in it right now!

Here’s my TBR:

Daily Deal Impulse Day

My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni: I just bought this the other day because I received a $5 e-book credit and this was only about $1.50. I have been really into mysteries/thrillers recently, so this book caught my eye. I have no idea what it is about but I hope it’s a good book!

Try a New Author

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter: I have been wanting to pick up a Karin Slaughter book for ages. A friend of mine on Twitter (if you’re reading this, Hey Kim!) talked about this book and I knew I had to finally check it out. She said it made her cry so I am hoping for the same reaction.

Oldest Book in Your Kindle

Sociable by Rebecca Harrington: I received an e-ARC of this from Netgalley so long ago and I started reading it but never finished. I am determined to finally start it again and finish it because God only knows how long I’ve had it at this point.

Free Choice

All the Things We Lost by Kayla Tirrell: I just got accepted for this book on Netgalley a little while back even though it came out over a year ago! It looks interesting and should hopefully be a quick read.

Ugly Cover

Best American Poetry 2018 by David Lehman and Dana Gioia: This is another book I got from Netgalley, and I think it’ll be perfect for a read-a-thon since it contains a lot of poetry and will be a quick read.

I don’t know if I will be able to get to all of these, but my goal is to at least read 2! Let me know if you have read any of these books, and which I should get to first.

October TBR

Published on October 1, 2018October 13, 2018 by Jessica4 Comments

HAPPY SPOOKY SEASON EVERYONE! I am writing this from the comfort of my home which is so amazing. It feels incredible to shower and not wear shoes, and sleep in my own bed.

Don’t get me wrong, college has been great, but nothing beats being at home.

It’s already October, which is insane. How did September fly by so quickly?? I love October and I love Halloween and scary movies. It is just a great month.

Anyways, with a new month comes a new TBR! It’s a little ambitious, since I haven’t been getting a lot of reading done with all of my schoolwork in the way, but I really want to try and get some more reading done in October.

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

This is my current read, but I’m only about 15% into it. I am so so excited to have this e-ARC in my possession because Jenn Bennett has been my favorite author of 2018 so far! She is such an amazing author and all of her novels are so relatable. So far, I am really enjoying this one, and I can not wait to finish it!

Girls Write Now

This is another current read. It’s a collection of essays all about feminism and girls rising up! It is really right up my alley. I don’t have any expectations going into it, but I hope that I can really find at least 2-3 essays that I fall in love with!

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

This is the last book that I am currently reading! It’s another one that I have an e-ARC of but the book has already come out and I didn’t finish it yet! I am really determined to finish it soon though.

Gerald’s Game by Stephen King

I was supposed to buddy read this with my friend Julia ages ago and we just never got around to it! I am determined to finally get to it, because it is the perfect time to read Stephen King!

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

This has been on my TBR for the longest time. I purchased it at bookcon but still haven’t gotten around to reading it because I keep putting it off. I want to love this book so bad but many people have mixed feelings towards it so I am terrified! But it is a major priority for 2018.

From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan

This is a book I brought to college with me and still haven’t read, so I want to get to it soon. Ariel Bissett (aka one of my favorite booktubers) talked about it and I won a giveaway for it from her! I have heard so many good things about his writing, so I’m extremely excited to get to this!

I am really, really going to try to get to all of these this month! I have so many books left that I need to read before the year ends, so these last few months are going to be crazy reading months for me!

What are your plans for October? Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments below.

Xo, Jess

booktube-a-thon wrap-up

Published on August 8, 2018November 12, 2018 by Jessica3 Comments

I can’t believe the booktube-a-thon is over already. I had such a fun time for my first year of this read-a-thon, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I did not successfully complete all of the challenges, and I didn’t end up sticking to my TBR, but I did well.

I read 5 books in total, which you might have seen if you follow me on my blog Twitter.

In my original TBR post, I said that my goal was to read at least 3 books, so I did pretty well, considering my low expectations! I’m not usually great with read-a-thons, but I really wanted to try hard for this one, and I’m proud of myself.

Let’s just get on with what books I read!

The Books:

Thin Space by Jody Casella

This book completed the challenge of letting a coin toss decide your first read. It was a little disappointing as my first booktube-a-thon read because I only gave it 2/5 stars. I did not relate to any of the characters, and I found it difficult to get into this book. I thought the plot twist at the end was really interesting, but the first 100+ pages of the book were just too slow (and the book is less than 300 pages).

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

This is the second book I finished during this week, but it was not part of my TBR. It’s a re-read that I started before booktube-a-thon began, but I finished it once it started. If you are new to my blog, then you wouldn’t know that this is one of my all time favorite books ever. The re-read just confirmed my love for it, and I can not wait to see more from Tamara. I can count this book for the “read a book about something you want to do” challenge because I would love to be part of a poet’s club like the main character is a part of!

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I read this for the first time a few years ago and loved it, but I couldn’t remember much. This time around, I listened to it as an audiobook, and it was such a great experience! I really loved it and gave it 5/5 stars. Right after, I watched the movie (and completed the challenge of reading and watching a book to movie adaptation), which was just as good. This book is super dark but really interesting and heartbreaking.

By Your Side by Kasie West

This book was just on the list to complete the challenge of “read 7 books.” Clearly, that did not happen. I could move this one to the “read a book with a beautiful spine” challenge instead. Initially, I did not think I was going to like this book because I thought it was going to just be a super fluffy read with no depth. I was wrong about that. There are so many heavy topics discussed in this book which I really appreciated, and it ended up being so much more than I expected. I gave it 3.5/5 stars.

Girls Resist by KaeLyn Rich

This is another that wasn’t on my TBR, but I wanted to finish it before the book came out! Thank you to Quirk Books for being kind enough to send me this book! I loved it so so much, and I am so happy that I got to read it. It is super informative, and I think every girl needs this guide in her life. I know I will refer back to it from time to time :) I gave it 5/5 stars, and I can count it towards the challenge of “reading a book with green on the cover.”

I had such a great booktube-a-thon! I am so happy with how I did, even if I didn’t complete all of the challenges. Did you participate? How did you do?

Xo, Jess

August TBR

Published on August 5, 2018October 13, 2018 by Jessica1 Comment

We are already 5 days into August. How did that happen? Well, I feel like I’m already behind on this TBR, but I decided I would post it anyways! The books below are all ones I’m hoping to read this month before I go to school in the fall! Plus, there are a few books I have already read/am reading as part of the booktube-a-thon, so you can check out my TBR for that here.

The Books:

Joyride by Anna Banks

This book has been on my TBR for a while because I bought it off of bookoutlet on a whim, and it has just been sitting on my shelves. It’s a fairly short book, so I really want to knock it off my TBR soon!

Afterparty by Ann Stampler

This one is another random bookoutlet find, but I am absolutely intrigued by it. The premise sounds really interesting, but what really drew me in was the cover. I think it is so stunning, especially in person. I have been wanting to read it for months now, but have yet to get around to it! Hopefully this is the month it gets read!

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

In case you didn’t know, I have been absolutely DYING to read this book ever since it came out. I bought it at Bookcon back in June, but I had so many other books that needed my attention first, so I haven’t gotten around to this one yet. I definitely plan on reading it this month. In fact, I have already started it but then the booktube-a-thon started so I put it down for the time being.

The House by Christina Lauren

I really want to get more into mystery/thriller novels, so I have been wanting to read this book for quite some time. I know I will love it, so I really, really hope I read it this month. However, my TBR is getting a little long this month, so I don’t know if I will have the time to get to it with the other books being a bit higher priority.

Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone

If you didn’t know, Every Last Word, also written by Stone is in my Top 3 of favorite books of all time. I just re-read it recently, and I fell in love with it all over again. Tamara came out with this book just a couple of months ago, and of course I bought it immediately! I can not wait to sink into this book and fall in love with another one of her reads.

Aside from these books, I also have some ARCs I need to read, but I don’t want to talk about them just yet!

Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you thought of them in the comments below :)

Xo, Jess

July Wrap Up 2018

Published on August 1, 2018November 12, 2018 by Jessica3 Comments

It’s that time again where I get to discuss all of the books I read this past month!

I fell into a huge slump this month, which is really unfortunate after last months amazing reading. I was on vacation at the beginning of the month, and then I just had so much going on with packing before I move in a couple weeks, and other things. In the past few days I have picked up some more books, but haven’t finished all of them yet. Hopefully I will finish them soon which will add a lot of books to my August wrap up!

Finished:

Looking For Alaska by John Green: I went into this book very optimistically because I am a huge John Green fan (even though I know not many people are), and I am happy to say my expectations were exceeded. The book was a little slow for me initially, and I had a bit of a hard time getting into it. BUT, once it picked up, I couldn’t put it down! It was very thought provoking and left me craving more from that world.

4/5 stars!

Thin Space by Jody Casella: This was my first book for the Booktube-a-thon this year that completed the coin toss challenge! I was not enjoying it too much up until the ending, which I ended up really loving. But, I did not find myself enjoying the majority of the book, and the only reason I even continued it was because of the read-a-thon. The characters weren’t relatable and the plot was pretty boring.

2/5 stars!

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone: I have talked about this book many, many times on here. It is one of my favorite books of all time because it was one of the first books that I really related to. It features a main character with OCD and anxiety, and I have never seen that in literature before until I read this for the first time 3 years ago. This month, I re-read it, and I loved just as much, if not more than the first time. I highly recommend it!

5/5 stars!

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: This is another book I read for the booktube-a-thon! I listened to the audiobook this time around. I read it for the first time like 5 years ago, so I wanted to change up the way I read it this time around. It was such a great read. It is heartbreaking yet beautiful. As I write this, I am actually watching the movie adaptation! Such a sad book but I really enjoyed it.

5/5 stars!

Currently Reading:

Girls Resist!: I was sent this book to review by Quirk Books which are such lovely people! I am so happy that they sent me this book because I am loving it so so much! It is a book about feminism, leadership, how to start campaigns, etc! It is such an insightful guide and I think it is going to be super helpful to teen girls everywhere. I can’t wait to finish it. I will do a full review once I do!

What have you read in July? I hope you had a better reading month than me!

XO, Jess

Booktube-a-thon TBR!

Published on July 29, 2018October 13, 2018 by Jessica9 Comments

I am so late with my TBR and by the time this is up, the booktube-a-thon will be starting TOMORROW! I am so excited to be participating for the first time ever. Obviously, this is not booktube, but I still think the read-a-thon looks like a ton of fun, so I want to participate :)

The read-a-thon takes place from July 30th-August 5th and the goal is to read 7 books. There are 7 challenges in total, so I picked a book for each one, and hopefully I can read at least 3! I am going to be moving very soon, so my days are filled with packing and getting last minute things done, so I don’t know how much reading time I will have.

The TBR/Challenges:

1/ Let a coin toss decide your first read.

For this challenge, I decided to flip a coin between The Death of Us by Alice Kuipers and Thin Space by Jody Casella just because they are two of the shorter books I own. I always try to pick shorter books on my TBR for read-a-thons if possible, because you do need to read so much. Plus, both of these have been on my TBR for so long, so it would be nice to knock one off. Obviously, Thin Space won, and I am actually pretty happy about that because I was leaning towards it a little bit!

2/ Read a book about something you want to do.

This one is a bit of a stretch, but I chose November 9 by Colleen Hoover for this challenge because I read in the description that the love interest in this novel is an author, and one of my main goals in life is to be an author.

I have heard so many negative things about this book, but I own it and didn’t want to give it away without at least giving it a shot first. It has a really high Goodreads rating, but I think I heard that it is problematic, so I’m not sure why the rating is so high. But, I am (hopefully) going to read it either way.

3/ Read and watch a book to movie adaptation.

I read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold in 8th grade, which was like 5 years ago and I do not remember much of it. I have watched the movie as well, but it was also around that time. I have been wanting to re-read this for AGES, so I finally decided I would do it for this read-a-thon!

4/ Read a book with green on the cover.

I got The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls by Jessica Spotswood at Bookcon, and I actually met Jessica, too. She was super sweet, and this book sounds like it will be a really amazing read. There is a bit of green on the cover, so it fit perfectly!

5/ Read a book while wearing the same hat the whole time.

I absolutely hate hats, so I chose Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams for this challenge because it’s a pretty short book. I think instead of a hat, I will actually wear a headband, because I don’t know if I could do the whole hat thing.

6/ Read a book with a beautiful spine.

The spine and the cover of Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker are both so beautiful, so I knew this book would fit right in. I got it for my Book of the Month a while back, and I have been dying to finally pick it up. It is a mystery/thriller which is a genre I have been wanting to read more of because it is one of my favorites! I really hope I enjoy it :)

7/ Read seven books.

For my seventh and final book, I chose By Your Side by Kasie West because I know it will be really quick to fly through. It is a fluffy YA contemporary, which is perfect for read-a-thons because they are super easy to read. I have heard amazing things about this book, and it is on my Summer TBR!

Are you participating in this read-a-thon? Let me know what books you’re reading if you are, or link your TBR post!

Xo, Jess

Cram-a-thon TBR

Published on May 19, 2018October 13, 2018 by Jessica5 Comments

This read-a-thon starts in a little less than a month, so this post is a little early. BUT I’m usually really late on these posts so I wanted to be early for a change. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s basically a week long read-a-thon where you try to read as many books as you can that. It takes place from June 10-17th.

The Challenges

A predicted 5 star book

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett: I have only read one of Bennett’s books, but I absolutely loved it! I can not wait to read this one, and I know it will be a good read for me!

A book out of your comfort zone

The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett: I never ever read sci-fi. I think the only sci-fi book I’ve read was Illuminae (which I loved), so this is definitely out of my comfort zone. I received this arc unsolicited a really long time ago. It’s probably been like a year now, but I finally want to pick it up!

A book that has been on your TBR a long time

Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley: I got this from BookOutlet a long time ago and I only added it to my cart so that I could get free shipping. But, it’s been on my TBR for so long that I think it’s time to finally read it.

A book that is LGBTQ+ ownvoices

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire: I’ve heard many great things about this book, and I have been meaning to pick it up for a really long time. I have some points racked up on BookOutlet, so you can guess what I am going to use them on! Plus, it’s a shorter book so that’ll help me get through more books!

Something that is not a standard novel (graphic novel, audio, comic, novella, poetry, etc)

The Universe of Us by Lang Leav: This is a poetry collection that I bought because I saw a signed copy at Barnes and Noble. I knew I needed to have it! I’ve read one other Lang Leav book and I really loved it. I can’t wait to get this one

A book that has your favorite color on cover

Wanderlost by Jen Malone: This book is a baby pink color, and it is so beautiful! I honestly do not remember what it is about at all, but I definitely want to pick it up during this read-a-thon!

Read 7 books

The Death of Us by Alice Kuipers: The seventh book that I am adding to this TBR is a short one that I’ve had for a while. It looks like it’ll be a quick read, so I will hopefully accomplish the goal of 7 books in one week!

Are you participating in this read-a-thon? Let me know what books you are adding to your TBR in the comments below!

Xo, Jess