Month: October 2017

Top Ten Tuesdays #156: Halloween

Posted October 31, 2017 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 4 Comments

Halloween Freebie: Bookish Costume Ideas Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review. I always love the creativity from some bloggers during the Halloween freebie TTT week! I usually do something more basic relating to my favorite Halloween costumes (paired with books of course!), Halloweeny or creepy books I’ve read or plan to read, and other media to get you in the mood for the holiday. This year, I wanted to be creative and do something else – bookish costumes! I know this has been done before by everyone but it involved some thinking for me, which is tough 😉 Heartless – Queen of Hearts This is an obvious one, but who can resist? I wanted to add in some baking-related elements, since that’s primarily what this story is about. I went all red, hearts, and queenly for the accessories. Typing in “Queen of Hears” on Polyvore was very fruitful for me 😉 In Some Other Life – Different Versions of Kennedy This is a paired costume you could do with a friend (or even better – a twin sister!). Kennedy lives out two timelines in this book, so each person could represent one of them. The left is the prep school girl she almost was; the right is the […]

November TBR | Netgalley November!

Posted October 30, 2017 / Book Lists, Features, TBR Lists / 6 Comments

I recently started a monthly TBR feature, where I try to pin down which books I plan to read in the upcoming month. It also helps remind me throughout the month which books I’m supposed to be reading, for various reasons. I add a little poll at the bottom too, so you guys can vote and help me narrow down some of my options as well. Here are my top TBR choices for this month and how I did last month… October Progress I feel pretty good about this, even though I didn’t do a great job at reading my physical copies. I did, however, get KISSING MAX HOLDEN done to return to my sister when I’m home (aka now). I read a good portion of my library books and only had to return one unread (it was a summery book anyways so I wasn’t in the mood). Otherwise, banged out an ARC from my list and two new fall releases. On Deck for November Netgalley November I’ve decided to give myself a mini challenge for November, which I am calling NETGALLEY NOVEMBER. This basically is me forcing myself to read alllll of my backlist review copies on NG this month. Not gonna lie, my percentage on there is around 75% so I don’t have too much to do to get it past 80%. However, I don’t think I’ve ever crossed that “ideal” threshold and THIS month I will do it. There are honestly a handful on here that I don’t have […]

Giving Authors Another Chance

Posted October 27, 2017 / Discussions, Features / 9 Comments

I saw a gorgeous cover and description for a new book the other day, then realized it was by an author that I previously did NOT enjoy. I debated for a few minutes: do I add it to my TBR and give them another chance? What was it about the first book that I didn’t like? Should I add it to my “consideration” shelf and see if the mood strikes? There are a lot of pieces to consider when I think about giving an author a second chance. The main points, for me, are the following: What did I dislike about the book? If it was the writing style – or something else that wouldn’t necessarily change from book to book – I probably won’t read more. If it was something more story or plot-specific, I may consider giving the author another chance. What did I like about the book? Conversely, did the book have any redeeming qualities that may make the author worth revisiting? Again, if I didn’t like the plot of the first book but really enjoyed the writing style or pace, I may give another book a shot. Does the newer book sound more like a ~me~ book than the first one? I sometimes try new books because other people liked them or they sounded like a fun step out of my comfort zone. This doesn’t always work for me. If the second book sounds like it’s actually up my alley, I’d give it a shot. I decided to examine […]

Fall-Themed Q&A

Posted October 26, 2017 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 3 Comments

I saw this tag on Grace’s blog and then Madalyn’s, so I decided it was a sign to give it a go. This Q&A is hosted by The Blended Blog. Favorite fall sweet treat? I’ve tried making apple crisp two times and it came out horribly. I mean, it obviously tasted good, but the top was more like goop instead of crisp? Not sure what the problem is. I don’t actually love apple pie or even apple crisp too much, but I always feel the need to indulge in that one during the fall. My favorite sweet treat would probably be pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake though. Red, yellow, or green apples? I’m a fan of McIntosh apples the most, because they’re little and sweet. I don’t mind green apples or sometimes yellow apples if the mood strikes. I’m definitely not a fan of Red Delicious. Is anyone? Yuck. I’m also down with Pink Lady, Fuji, and Gala for sure. Favorite fall sport to play? I don’t play sports, but my favorite fall sport to watch is obviously football. I like to go for hikes and ride bikes in the fall because the weather is cooler, I don’t sweat as much, and the foliage in the northeast is gorgeous. Those count as sports, right? Best drink for fall? Hmmm, I think this is covered later in the survey so I’ll avoid the PSL question for now. I LOVE apple cider. So much. I feel like a fraud if I only have one gallon throughout the season, so […]

Series Review: Mara Dyer Trilogy

Posted October 25, 2017 / Book Reviews / 6 Comments

As you know, I love to binge a good series when I can. It takes a lot for me to really keep engaged and read “the same thing” back-to-back like this… So when I do it, you know it’s worth it! I was definitely late to the party on this one and have no one to blame but myself. I love getting addicted to a world and seeing what happens post-cliffhanger in the next book. That was definitely the case for the Mara Dyer trilogy. I had put off reading these books for a while because they seemed a little… not Lauren-y? I like books about memory loss and the aftereffects, but this series seemed to weird and creepy for me. The plot summary gave almost no information and I really didn’t know if this was a mystery or paranormal series. Turns out, it’s a bit of both. Goodreads shelving can spoil you on that, so sorry if you didn’t know! Here are some mini reviews: This book caught me so off-guard. We chose it for book club and I was happy to finally read this series, since it’s been on my TBR foreeeever. I found myself incredibly addicted right off the bat. I was intrigued by the memory loss concept and honestly didn’t know what to expect genre-wise. It seemed like a big ol’ mindfuck… and that’s kind of exactly what happened. I was hoping to read a little bit before bed and absolutely could not stop reading no […]

Top Ten Tuesdays #155: Unique Titles

Posted October 24, 2017 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 2 Comments

Ten Unique Book Titles Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review. This week’s topic is “Top Ten Unique Book Titles.” I guess this can really mean anything, but I decided to highlight some books whose titles definitely intrigued me (or I just thought were super weird). I’ve read all of these except the last three; those are all on my TBR.

More Podcast Recommendations: True Crime

Posted October 23, 2017 / Media, Personal / Information / Etc. / 6 Comments

In follow-up to my other podcast recommendation post, I wanted to share a few more that I’ve been enjoying. It’s not going to be as detailed as my last one because they’re all still ongoing; I don’t want to rate them without actually completing them. Unconcluded What it’s about: Jennifer Kesse disappeared from her Orlando home in 2006. There is very little evidence, except some security footage of a hooded man and the fact that her car was left in a nearby apartment building lot. Why I love it: The production definitely gets better as the podcast goes on, so don’t let the first episode or two deter you. The case is really interesting here because there is some evidence, but not enough to draw any major conclusions. I love that it’s a real-time podcast, so they’re investigating as we listen. Most of the others have been produced AFTER they fact-checked everything. In this case, we get ALL the same information as the hosts. It feels like you’re really helping with figuring things out. A few people have come forward and been interviewed throughout because they feel like they may have seen Jennifer. I hope there’s a resolution to this one, like Up and Vanished, because they’re working hard to gather the facts and spread the word. The Fall Line What it’s about: Twins Dannette and Jeannette Millbrook disappeared from Augusta, GA in 1990. They were sent out by their mom to borrow money from their uncle and were last seen at a convenience store. […]

Updates on Scribd

Posted October 20, 2017 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 2 Comments

I talked a loooong time ago about how much I was loving Scribd. At the time, they offered unlimited books and ebooks each month for only $8.99. Since then, they’ve (understandably) had to adjust their cost structure. It’s hard to offer so many books that people want to read (i.e. bestsellers, new releases, etc.) and keep a low price like that. I had a feeling that it wasn’t sustainable, but still felt a little cheated when they announced their switch. I had paused and cancelled my membership a couple of times since then just because I found I wasn’t using it as much as I should. There are so many great books on Hoopla that I didn’t really need Scribd. However, I’ve recently had a resurgence in using Scribd over the last couple of months and have to say, their new model is still worth it. For about the same price each month, you get a specific number of ebook and audiobook credits. On top of that, there’s a large selection of freebies that don’t count toward your monthly credit. They’re called “Scribd Selects” and have some pretty good books in there. So, because of all this, I wanted to chat a bit about the newer version of Scribd, how I use it, and why I think it’s worth it. This post was not sponsored or anything, but if I’ve convinced you and you sign up using this link, I do get some credit on my account! Quick Details and Pricing Cost: […]

Review Round Up | Ringer, The Broken World, and Turtles All the Way Down

Posted October 19, 2017 / Book Reviews, Review Roundup / 8 Comments

In an effort to cut down on posts and burnout, my Review Roundups will feature 2-4 books I’ve read or listened to recently. Sometimes they’re newer releases and sometimes they’re all backlist titles. My ARC reviews usually get the solo treatment. Enjoy the mini reviews! The cool thing about this series is that there are multiple ways you could read it. You can read one girl’s story all the way through and then read the second girl’s, or you could alternate back and forth to create a dual POV. I can’t help but compare this experience to REPLICA. In that book, I was equally interested in both Gemma and Lyra’s stories as I was reading them. I liked reading Gemma’s all the way through and then learning Lyra’s after to see how they connected. I could see how reading the book that way OR alternating back and forth would both work. I wish I could say the same about RINGER. I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. Gemma’s story, which I read first, was somewhat boring and not as shocking as I thought it would be. I wish I read Lyra’s chapters in between because I think that method actually would be better for RINGER. Lyra’s story was generally more interesting than Gemma’s and would have provided some extra context in between, plus balance out the boring parts. SO if you’re curious about what it would be like with both reading experiences for this series, I recommend trying REPLICA with all […]

Capsule Library

Posted October 18, 2017 / Book Lists, Features, Personal / Information / Etc. / 8 Comments

Alexa from Alexa Loves Books | Kelly from Belle of the Literati | Hannah from So Obsessed With | Rachel from Hello, Chelly When I saw the Capsule Library posts by some of my favorite bloggers AND they turned it into a “tag” of sorts, I knew I had to hop in on it. It’s even better that Alexa tagged me to participate 😉 Header image is credited to them and their post links are up there too. You’re allowed to have 10 total pieces in your library, just like a capsule wardrobe. (You can also choose an actual clothing item and accessory for each of the items below too!) Here’s what you get: The Clothes: 5-7 authors (any/all of their books would be in library) The Accessories: 3-5 individual books (and series couldn’t be grouped into one) The Clothes Favorite authors and clothing pieces Old Navy Darker Wash Rockstar Skinny Jeans | Taylor Jenkins Reid My favorite jeans are sort of a mid-dark wash from Old Navy and I pretty much only wear skinny jeans. I know they’re going to be tight when I put them on, but I look great. TJR’s books are often really hard to read because she brings up so many uncomfortable realities about life and love. They make me cry every time… just like my skinny jeans when I’ve eaten too much 😉 But they’re too much of a staple to ever NOT have in my wardrobe… or library. Black Cotton/Jersey Swing Dress | Kasie West One of my favorite things to do […]