Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope this week has treated you well.
The first part of my week wasn’t terribly eventful, but I’ve been in Florida for some family stuff since Thursday, and my flight leaves tomorrow. It’s been…very hot to say the least, but I’ve had plenty of time to read, write and draw, so it’s okay. Plus, I found that awesome Kaz cane the other day! (See the Grishaverse Book Tag linked below for a picture…) I can’t wait until we can ship it home…
Reading-wise, I’ve been reading everything on my Kindle this week, both library holds and books I bought for the trip. I got an unexpected 5-star read though, so expect a review next week! I’ve had a lot of writing progress as well, which I can mostly owe to the fact that I got to my favorite favorite scene in my sci-fi WIP and ended up chugging out a longish chapter.
Other than that, I’ve just been drawing, playing a bit of Minecraft, watching a few episodes of Alien Worlds (for a show with a name like that, there’s…less aliens than I expected?), and trying to beat this Florida heat.
Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.
I’ve seen this one floating around on the blogosphere quite a lot in the past few months, and even though I go in stages of getting jaded with YA fantasy, this one sound like a lot of fun! Plus, I’m told there’s LGBTQ+ rep… 😳😳😳
Let’s begin, shall we?
GOODREADS MONDAY (8/2/21) – OF SILVER AND SHADOW by Jennifer Gruenke
Ren Kolins is a silver wielder—a dangerous thing to be in the kingdom of Erdis, where magic has been outlawed for a century. Ren is just trying to survive, sticking to a life of petty thievery, card games, and pit fighting to get by. But when a wealthy rebel leader discovers her secret, he offers her a fortune to join his revolution. The caveat: she won’t see a single coin until they overthrow the King.
Behind the castle walls, a brutal group of warriors known as the King’s Children is engaged in a competition: the first to find the rebel leader will be made King’s Fang, the right hand of the King of Erdis. And Adley Farre is hunting down the rebels one by one, torturing her way to Ren and the rebel leader, and the coveted King’s Fang title.
But time is running out for all of them, including the youngest Prince of Erdis, who finds himself pulled into the rebellion. Political tensions have reached a boiling point, and Ren and the rebels must take the throne before war breaks out.
So why do I want to read this?
First off, I just now noticed that the “And Shadow” part of the title ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE A SHADOW ON THE BOOK COVER? Insanely cool, in my humble opinion…
[ahem] anyways, I feel like this one could go either way for me, but I have highish hopes. It looks like the synopsis has everything that I usually love in a fantasy – shady dealings, multiple POVs, and three radically different strangers being roped into a magical conspiracy. I’m sensing some Six of Crows and Smoke Thieves vibes, which were both series that I adored, so this could be good…
And apparently, there’s a sapphic romance that plays a major part in the book? SIGN ME UP!
Today’s song:
you fool, you thought this was a book blog? Nothing but a front to spam everybody with this summer’s Blur obsession
That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope this week has treated you all well.
This week’s been fairly quiet – lots of reading indoors and outdoors. I got through all of the books that I bought last week, plus a couple on my Kindle and a bit of my summer reading. Of course, I had another unfortunate DNF, which…why did I escape them in the first half of the year, only to have all of them in July?
Writing-wise, everything’s going fairly smooth! I think I’m…oh, maybe a third of the way through where I want to be with my WIP, and my word count’s steadily been going up!
Other than that, I’ve just been making some fan art, volunteering at the library, watching Loki, hiking, and watching one of my close friends get through Fargo. (She’s coming up on one of my favorite twists in season 3…) I also had my first in-person guitar lesson since the pandemic started, and it’s so good to be back!
Happy Wednesday, bibliophiles! I hope this last Wednesday of June has treated you well.
It’s finally summer, and now we’re halfway through 2021! Crazy to think about, but honestly? Good riddance. Online school was horrendous. But now that’s all done for, and I still have a bit more free time before I go back to school.
Anyways…
GENERAL THOUGHTS:
Summer has freed up a lot more time to blog, which I’ve enjoyed! Even though I took a break with my vacation, I had time to make a lot of posts that were loads of fun to write.
And my vacation! Being in an airport for the first time since mid-2019 was…weird, to say the least, but Glacier National Park was beautiful! Being back in nature for a solid week definitely mended up some of the pieces that learning from a screen broke down.
Somehow, June has been one of my lowest reading months, though. I think it’s partly because while I was reading on vacation, I spread the three books I bought out a little bit more, but hey, I’m officially halfway to my goal of 250 books for the year! (I’m at 132 right now.) I also read a lot of great queer stuff for pride month, and I found some amazing books as a result. (But hey! Read queer all year long!) I hope you all had a lovely pride month. As always, here’s a reminder: you are loved, you are valid, you are beautiful, and nobody has a say in your identity except for YOU. ❤️🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
I’ve made some good progress with my sci-fi WIP as well! I had a nasty case of creative block for a few days after getting back from Montana, but with a little help from sci-fi Pinterest and my sketchbook, I’m back on track. I just passed 100 pages yesterday!!
Other than that, I’ve just been drawing little aliens, getting back to volunteering at the library, watching Loki and Invincible, and enjoying the warmer weather.
[sniffles]
Also, I changed my profile picture to Rabbi Milligan from Fargo on a whim…hey, why not?
READING AND BLOGGING:
I managed to read 20 books this month! Not as many as I would’ve liked to, but at least I got to make some trips to my favorite bookstore. Didn’t have any 5-stars that weren’t re-reads, but I have a few 4.5-star reads that I adored!
I haven’t listened to Neighborhood #3 but #1 and #2 are just gorgeous
This might just be my favorite song right now?? So many childhood memories of being in the car…big thank you to my dad for putting this on the playlist while we were in Glacier
The new Danny Elfman was hit or miss for me but I loved this one
SOPHIE RETURNS
this whole album is incredible
AND NEW CAR SEAT HEADREST! The remixes EP wasn’t that great but I loved this covers EP
DID I FOLLOW THROUGH ON MY JUNE GOALS?
Make a list with some Pride Month recs: see the SOME POSTS I’M PROUD OF section!
Read at least 20 books: 20!
Enjoy the first month of summer: absolutely!
ACTUALLY start that first draft of the sci-fi WIP: done, and I’ve made lots of progress since then!
GOALS FOR JULY:
July in Colorado is ✨way too hot✨ and we already had a heat wave recently…wheee…
Read at least 20 books
Get into Camp NaNoWriMo for the sci-fi WIP
Don’t melt into a puddle from the heat
First month of summer? I’d say it’s been a success.
Today’s song:
guess I’m on a Blur kick hehe
That’s it for this month in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope this week has treated you well, and for everyone in the Texas area, stay safe out there. Lots of love. 💗
Reading-wise, I’d say it’s been a bit of a hit-or-miss week. A lot of what I read fell in the 3-star range, but I did find another 5-star read! I still have some of my library haul from this week left to read, as well as some Hellboy books my dad lent to me (thank you!) and 3 eARCs I got approved for. So expect a lot of reviews in the next few weeks!
Writing-wise, I’m nearly done with my sci-fi outline, but I switched gears later in the week because my mom found this writing contest that I’m interested in. I’m now shifting over to outlining/writing a short story, and I’m really excited to get into it!
Other than that, I just drew a bit, rewatched more Fargo, got caught up on WandaVision (OH MY GOD THAT LAST EPISODE), volunteered at the library, and drank a whole lot of hot chocolate.
Also, I thought that the new Julien Baker album came out today, but no, not until the 26th…[cries]
Happy Monday, bibliophiles! Hard to believe that September’s almost over, but at least SPOOKY SEASON starts on Thursday! 🎃🦇☠️🍁😈
Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.
I put this novel on my TBR at the very beginning of this year. I haven’t heard much about it–it’s from an indie publisher, so I haven’t seen many reviews, if any, floating around the blogosphere–but it looks like an intriguing fantasy!
Let’s begin, shall we?
GOODREADS MONDAY (9/28/20)–SONG OF THE DRYAD by Natalia Leigh
Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Barclay is still haunted by an encounter she had eight years ago – a run-in with a fairy beast that had eyes like witchlight and a taste for flesh. Charlotte has avoided the Greenwood ever since, pretending fairies don’t exist and choosing instead to focus her energies on graduating from high school and perfecting her audition piece for the Bellini Institute. However, everything changes when her mom goes missing, kidnapped by the fairies that haunt the forest behind Charlotte’s home.
When Charlotte’s search for her mom leads her into the fairy realm, she discovers that she hails from a line of Shrine Keepers – humans tasked with maintaining ancient fairy shrines. Charlotte’s family has failed their duties to the fae, and now she has no choice but to strike a deal with the dryad, an ancient and powerful tree nymph responsible for her mom’s disappearance. But the dryad only gives her a month to complete her task: retrieve five stolen fairy stones and return them to the ancient fairy shrine. If she doesn’t return the stones in time, the dryad has threatened to imprison another of Charlotte’s loved ones.
Charlotte dives into a world as magical as it is deadly, coming face-to-face with fairy creatures that never get mentioned in the story books – including the creature that haunts her dreams. She must embrace her task and conquer her fears, or else she’ll never see her mom again.
So why do I want to read this?
Accidentally wandering into the realm of Fae and discovering that you have a connection with it is a fairly common trope I see in a lot of YA fantasy, but Song of the Dryad looks like it’s put an inventive twist on it! I also hardly ever see dryads as the star of the show as far as mythical creatures go in fantasy novels, so I’m excited to see how Leigh handles them. They hold so many possibilities for twists and plotlines, not to mention atmospheric imagery.
All in all, Song of the Dryad admittedly has the possibility of falling into several unfortunate tropes, but having the plot center around a dryad is giving me enough faith to keep reading.
Today’s song:
That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.
This one has been on my TBR for quite a while (a good three years, to be exact), and while I’m by no means expecting perfection, this one sounds like a fascinating read! Only time will tell, I suppose…
Let’s begin, shall we?
GOODREADS MONDAY (8/3/20)–THE NAMED by Marianne Curley
Ethan lives a secret life as a Guardian of the Named. Under the guidance of Arkarian, his mentor, and with the help of Isabel, his unlikely but highly capable apprentice, Ethan has become a valued member of this other-worldly corps. As the only defense against the evil Order of Chaos, the Named travel through time to prevent the Order from altering history and thereby gaining power in the present and the future.
As the threat from the Order intensifies, secrets of the past are revealed and villains and heroes are exposed. This gripping fantasy is set in modern times, but is infused with intrigue from the past, super-natural characters and surprising plot twists.
So why do I want to read this?
“I see this as an absolute win!”
Looking back, I’m a little bit hesitant, but only because of the fact that it’s Marianne Curley–I read another book of hers (Hidden) a few years back and I wasn’t a fan. But I’m willing to see if that was a fluke, and that her other works are better than that. Again–I have no memory of it, but I just remember it being startlingly mediocre.
That aside, the premise sounds fascinating! I’m excited to see how Curley handles time travel. Altering history is a common trope in all sorts of time travel novels, so it makes sense that there’d be a task force of sorts to make sure that it doesn’t happen in the first place. I don’t read a whole lot of time travel literature, so if everything’s executed nicely, it should be a fun and fascinating read!
Today’s song:
That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.
Continuing on with LGBTQ+ books, this one’s been on my TBR for a while. And from the description, it’s virtually everything that I’d ever want in a sci-fi novel. I am on an eternal search for quality YA sci-fi, so I REALLY hope to read this one soon!
Let’s begin, shall we?
GOODREADS MONDAY (6/8/20)–THE SOUND OF STARS by Alechia Dow
Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world’s population.
Seventeen-year-old Janelle “Ellie” Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. Deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, humanity’s emotional transgressions are now grounds for execution. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library. When a book goes missing, Ellie is terrified that the Ilori will track it back to her and kill her.
Born in a lab, M0Rr1S (Morris) was raised to be emotionless. When he finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more. They’re both breaking the rules for love of art—and Ellie inspires the same feelings in him that music does.
Ellie’s—and humanity’s—fate rests in the hands of an alien she should fear. M0Rr1S has a lot of secrets, but also a potential solution—thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous road trip with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while making a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.
So why do I want to read this?
✅ Aliens
✅ Music
✅ Libraries
✅ LGBTQ+/POC representation
I might be setting my expectations too high, but I might have just found another dream book…
Like I said, I’m a huge lover of sci-fi, and the addition of a secret library and a shared love of music seems like the exact type of thing that I would immensely enjoy in a novel. A friendship between a human and an alien and bonding over secret art is just the kind of content that I’ve been wanting to read for ages.
And in times like these (and all the time), it’s so important to support POC/LGBTQ+ authors, so I encourage all of you to spread the word about such novels, review them, and recommend them to friends. 💗
Today’s song:
(Why yes, I did watch Baby Driver yesterday, why do you ask?)
That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful day, and take care of yourselves!
Hey there, bibliophiles! Sorry for not being super active this week, other than Goodreads Monday/Book Review Tuesday; it’s been a longish week for me, but I’m glad that I have a 3-day weekend to look forward to. 🙂 I also just got back from the Womxn’s March, and I had such a wonderful time! I always forget the overwhelming sense of community that always comes with these marches.
Anyway, I found this tag over at Prose and Pancakes, so I figured I’d give it a go. Let’s begin, shall we?
You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How in the world do you decide what to read next?
Um…hmm. I usually just pick a random shelf number, see if I’m still interested, and see if it’s available at the library. I dunno.
You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you quit or are you committed?
It depends. If I’ve gone past 100 pages and I loathe it with every cell of my being, it’s a goner. If it has some semblance of promise, I’ll try to stick around. But when it comes to DNFing books, I have zero shame. None.
The end of the year is coming and you’re so close, but so far away on your Goodreads reading challenge. Do you try to catch up and how?
One word: COMICS. Since they’re shorter, I can often fit in several in the time that it takes for me to read a good-sized book, whether they be single issues or trade paperbacks.
The covers of a series you love do. not. match. How do you cope?
I’ll probably feel the slightest bit annoyed, but hey, at heart, it’s the same book. However, covers replaced by the movie poster, if there’s an adaptation, are a different story…
Every one and their mother loves a book you really don’t like. Who do you bond with over shared feelings?
Once in a blue moon, I’ll find a review from one of you lovely bloggers that expresses similar feelings. It’s nice to see that you aren’t alone in your feelings. (Shoutout to Beck in particular. SO glad someone else didn’t enjoy Red Queen.)
You’re reading a book and you are about to start crying in public. How do you deal?
[sheepishly whispering] Been there…done that…
I usually just keep on crying, but if I start getting weird looks, I’d just shield my face with the book.
A sequel of a book you loved just came out, but you’ve forgotten a lot from the prior novel. Will you re-read the book? Skip the sequel? Try to find a synopsis on Goodreads? Cry in frustration?!
Most of the time, I’m just too lazy to do any of the above options. Of course, I’ll end up getting hopelessly lost while reading said sequel, but something usually triggers my last, decrepit brain cell into remembering “oooooohhh, right, forgot about that scene…”
You do not want anyone -ANYONE- borrowing your books. How do you politely tell people nope when they ask?
Ooh, this is dangerous territory…
I wouldn’t be very good at telling people exactly why I don’t want them borrowing my books without it coming off very rude, but as a last resort, maybe I’d just lie about borrowing it from the library, and that the copy wasn’t mine in the first place. Sheesh, this is a tricky question…
You’ve picked up and put down 5 books in the last month. How do you get over your reading slump?
Re-read my favorites, of course! Another round of B.P.R.D., Heart of Iron, Pumpkinheads, or Aurora Rising never fails to invigorate my reading again.
There are so many new books coming out that you’re dying to read! How many do you actually buy?
Only the ones that are sequels to my favorite trilogies, or a book that I borrowed at the library first and decided that I needed. And in that category, books that I can actually…y’know…afford…
After you’ve bought the new books you can’t wait to get to, how long do they sit on your shelf before you get to them?
Not very long, usually. After I get through my library haul, they’ll usually be in my hands a few days after I buy them.
And that just about wraps this tag up! Anyone who’d like to do this tag, feel free to do so! I’d love to see your responses 🙂
Today’s song:
(This was stuck in my head all day yesterday…YOU’RE ALL SUFFERING WITH ME…)
(Just kidding about the last part, I love this song)
The Bookish Mutant 