Month: December 2018

New Additions to the Cover Love Shelf

Posted December 6, 2018 / Book Lists, Features / 6 Comments
New Additions to the Cover Love Shelf

Just use the search bar on the side if you’re looking for more cover-oriented posts because MAN do I post too many to even include links anymore! Today’s installment of Cover Love features some new covers I added to my Goodreads shelf. They’re most likely newer releases or upcoming releases, because I usually add to that shelf as soon as a gorgeous cover makes its appearance. Here are some recent/new/upcoming favorites! Cover trends I’m loving lately There are plenty of things I love on book covers and I’ve talked about it extensively before, but I’ve noticed some amazing new trends lately — these gorgeous illustrated, cartoony covers with gorgeous typography. This is increasingly popular in romance novels, like in so many of the covers above. I always prefer illustrated people on a cover instead of actual human models; I think it’s perfect to help you picture the main character(s) without having an actual person in mind, if that makes sense. You’ll see a bunch of these illustrated covers above but there are still a few others that just fall into my usual trap of beautiful typography, cute colors, and pretty scenery. Link to my Goodreads cover love shelf so you can read summaries and add books – HERE!

Top Ten Tuesdays #212: Cozy Winter Reads

Posted December 4, 2018 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 4 Comments
Top Ten Tuesdays #212: Cozy Winter Reads

Cozy Winter/Holiday Reads Top Ten Tuesdays were started by The Broke and the Bookish and are now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, 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’m the queen of holiday reading, as you probably can see from my two-month-long holiday celebration each year on the blog! I’ve given general recommendations of favorite holiday books before but thought I would REALLY lean in on the “cozy winter” theme here. Yes, there will be plenty of holidays involved, but all of these books will be cozy and snowy at the very least.     Jenny Hale’s Books ICYMI – there’s a read-a-long happening right now! They’re the epitome of cozy, somewhat cheesy, holiday romances. I always read my annual Jenny Hale book the week of Christmas because they give me the very most Christmassy feels. There’s always snow, a grumpy leading man, family feels, and lots of gorgeously described decorations. Bonus information: COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is also a Hallmark movie! Snowed In Trope   I love books where the main characters are snowed in together and ~love happens~ in the meantime. The first two books above were pretty good, quick reads, but nothing major to write home about. SNOWFALL ON HAVEN POINT is one in a series I LOVE that has season-based reads. It alternates between summer and winter stories, so […]

TRULY DEVIOUS Paperback Release Celebration

Posted December 4, 2018 / Book Reviews / 1 Comment
TRULY DEVIOUS Paperback Release Celebration

If you remember back in January, I read and loved TRULY DEVIOUS by Maureen Johnson. There were a lot of twists and complexities that I really appreciated. I remember continuing to flip the pages way later than I planned on reading that night! So, when I was approached to share some excitement again for the paperback release and the upcoming sequel, THE VANISHING STAIR, it was a no-brainer. Here’s more about this one: New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson weaves a delicate tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a striking new series, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and E. Lockhart. Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place,” he said, “where learning is a game.” Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym “Truly, Devious.” It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history. True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the […]

#AllHaleXmasWishes Read-a-long Kickoff & Interview with Jenny Hale!

Posted December 3, 2018 / Book Challenges, Features / 1 Comment
#AllHaleXmasWishes Read-a-long Kickoff & Interview with Jenny Hale!

The first Jenny Hale book I read was A Christmas to Remember – I could see the holiday feels right from the beginning of the story and knew she’d become my go-to holiday romance author. I immediately read her debut, Coming Home For Christmas, in the same month. I’d receive a copy of her newest book for review ever year since then and the rest, as they say, is history! When Forever approached me to host this read-a-long, I was so excited to share one of my go-to authors with you all for the millionth time. If you’re a fan of the classic Hallmark Christmas movie, I can’t imagine you’d be disappointed with any of her books. This story in particular happens to be one of my very favorites of hers. Read-a-long Details If you’re in the mood for the perfect holiday read, you’ve come to the right place today! I’m kicking off the Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses read-a-long with Forever Romance. Jenny Hale’s novel is now available in paperback from major retailers. You can learn a bit more here and see our suggested schedule below. Please read at your own pace if you’d like. Be sure to use the hashtag #AllHaleXmasWishes on Twitter so you can chat with me (@bookmarklit), Jenny Hale (@JHaleAuthor), and the Forever Romance team (@ReadForeverPub)! Read-a-long schedule: December 3: Chapters 1-6 December 4: Chapters 6-12 December 5: Chapters 12-18 December 6: Chapters 18-24 December 7: Chapters 24-30 Forever Romance holiday giveaway: If you purchase […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | November 2018

Posted December 1, 2018 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 1 Comment
Bookmark Lit Bulletin | November 2018

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin wraps up the last month in reading and what was on the blog, as well as what’s coming up next. You can check out my book haul, books read, posts shared, challenge updates, etc. You can read past bulletins here. If you’re looking for more personal updates, you can check out my Lauren Lately feature; it highlights my life events and non-bookish fun from the previous 30 days. I was DETERMINED to finish my reading challenges for the year in November, with the exception of the Netgalley/Edelweiss Challenge (I just didn’t see it working, especially when I kept requesting books and making my percentage go down instead of up, even though I have been reading for it!). Because of this, I read a lot of books “out of my comfort zone” that were in line with my two challenges. It was a weird month but I’m glad I pulled through and did it all! I’m officially caught up because I read 11 books this month, meaning I just need the final 10 to finish off the year. All of the books read this month: Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge 5 read this month | 42 read total | 72% NG ratio Popsugar Reading Challenge 4 read this month | 40 read total | 100% complete Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge 2 read this month | 12 read total | 100% complete Seasonal Bingo Breakdown:  2 bought  |  0 borrowed  | 2 free/gifted | 11 for review  Review Copies – […]