Search Results for: read-bait

Review Roundup | PS I Like You, The Forgetting, Kiss Cam, and Reunion

Posted March 8, 2017 / Book Reviews, Review Roundup / 6 Comments

Before the regularly scheduled programming… Happy International Women’s Day! In an effort to cut down on posts and burnout, my Review Roundups will feature 2-4 backlist books I’ve read or listened to recently. My ARC reviews usually get the solo treatment. Enjoy the mini reviews! I think you’re aware of the fact that I tend to hoard my favorite authors’ books so I always have at least one to read when I REALLY need it. Kasie West is one of those authors. Sometimes I just need to read her words because I know she won’t let me down. For PS I LIKE YOU, my sister had been hounding me to read it and lent me her copy. I went ahead and got the audiobook from Hoopla to crank it out and MAN do I love Kasie West still. I read it just as BY YOUR SIDE was coming out and I was borrowing LUCKY IN LOVE from a friend. So, it was safe to read this one finally ? The story was cute, albeit incredibly predictable. I don’t mind the formulaic nature of many YA books because it’s comforting to get that HEA at the end. I knew who the secret pen pal was literally within the first chapter or two of the book and the rest of the story was equally predictable from there. I know my romance tolerance is lower than usual, so I tried to not let it sway my opinion of this fluffy book by a favorite author. There was […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | February 2017

Posted March 1, 2017 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 7 Comments

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin was created to wrap up each month and prepare for the next. I share my book haul, books I read and reviewed, posts I shared, challenge updates, and more from the previous month. I also let you know what may be coming up on the blog in the coming month. You can read past bulletins here. I recently split out my personal posts into the Lauren Lately feature, so this is a bit shorter! I had another great reading month! I was surprised to DNF something, but I wasn’t feeling it. I’m glad I got over that fear! Otherwise, I read SO many four star books in a row at the beginning of the month. I was happy to have some good ones but I kept waiting for something interesting! I wanted a book to wow me… or even disappoint me, just for some variety! 😉 Either way, a good month of reading overall. I’m pleased with 2017 so far! Average rating for books read in February: 3.9 stars Highlights & Lowlights All of the books read this month: Year-Long Contemporary Romance Challenge 8 this month | 14 read total | 67% complete Books read from the pre-planned TBR: 1 this month | 1 total Flights of Fantasy Challenge 5 this month | 11 read total | 37% complete Seasonal Winter Bingo Challenge Completed! // All the books: Green cover • The Names They Gave Us – Lord Banned book • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Carroll Not YA • Winter Street – Hilderbrand Crime • […]

Even MORE Upcoming Books I’m Super Excited For

Posted February 3, 2017 / Discussions, Features / 18 Comments

I hope you’re ready for even MORE (x2 basically) unreleased books I’m super excited about! Back in March, I talked about some other new and upcoming books I was excited for and then I also shared books that aren’t releasing for a loooong time but I wanted them immediately. I also did another installment in November. I’ve been trying to highlight newer and upcoming releases (both in the far future and the near future) lately because I have a lot of fun putting bookish lists together and never doing anything with them. I always love adding new books to my TBR and creeping on other people’s posts like this! Without further ado, here are some more upcoming releases (2017 books that now have cover art) that I need. 180 Seconds by Jessica Park • April 2017 This book involves a social experiment where you have to spend 180 seconds with someone. Naturally, the MC and the guy hit it off and you wonder what will happen next. I’ve read articles about dating and how if you maintain eye contact for a certain amount of time then ask specific questions, it helps you fall in love? I think that premise is what intrigues me about this book! Margot & Me by Juno Dawson • January 2017 The premise of moving to her grandmother’s (Margot) house for a few months and having to deal with a new school is usually appealing enough for me. However, the MC then finds her grandmother’s diary from the 1940s and uncovers a […]

2016 Year-End Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up

Posted December 31, 2016 / Personal / Information / Etc. / 1 Comment

Folks, I cannot believe this year is over. I really just can’t fathom it at all. I remember putting this post together for my mid-year check-in and I was baffled that it was halfway through the year. And now we’re entering 2017 somehow. This has been such a bizarre year all over the place, between politics and celebrity deaths and other kinds of internet drama. I had a pretty great year in my personal life (and reading life), so I’m going to focus on the good and see what 2017 has in store for us. Hopefully something a little better… As you see in my monthly wrap-ups, I keep my stats updated each time. The spreadsheet I use is definitely the reason for my organization. I use this time of year (in addition to the end of the year) to REALLY go all-out with my stats. It also helps me create new goals or update existing ones. SO HERE WE GO! All of the Books Read This Year Monthly Breakdown & Totals Random Fun Smallest book read: We Should All Be Feminists (49 pages) Largest book read: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (759 pages) Most read author: Lemony Snicket (13) Books read 300 pages or under: 47 Books read over 300 pages: 119 Most pages & books in a month: 7,108 pages from 23 books in April Least pages & books in a month: 2,519 pages from 7 books in October I did a full wrap-up in different categories for my midpoint check-in, but wanted to highlight just […]

Book Blog Post Ideas and Discussions

Posted December 8, 2016 / Book Lists, Features / 29 Comments

For some reason, I don’t often run out of content ideas. I feel like I always have too many ideas in my head at once and want to post them ALL immediately. It’s an issue. I know, I know – it’s a good problem to have. I figured I would share some really general blog post ideas for book bloggers! Most of these I pulled out of my own head or looked through old posts I wrote. A select few are ideas from other blogs that I credited. General Bookishness Recent book deal announcements you’re excited about Favorite book covers Book synopses that grabbed you right away Your read-bait words/premises Do an old TTT topic you never did (I do this sometimes and credit them!) Create or do an existing book tag Update an old post you wrote if your feelings have changed Favorite ships, OTPs, or families in books Books you were disappointed by OR exceeded your expectations Ask for book recommendations under certain categories you want to explore more Do a deep dive into a specific genre you like: faves, least faves, why read it, etc. Resources you use for finding new books or buying/reading books Do a March Madness bracket for your favorite books during a certain timeframe, within a genre, of all time, etc. (inspired by Andi’s post) Pick careers for book characters based on their stories Recommend books for readers based on their favorite TV shows or movies Books you wish they’d make into movies or TV shows Thoughts […]

Favorite Holiday Books and Tropes

Posted December 5, 2016 / Book Lists, Features / 11 Comments

I’ve done holiday things on the blog basically since it first started. I only read 14 holiday books before this 2016 season, but I think it’d be worth recapping all of those here! I’m going to rank them from favorite to least favorite, plus include a mini review or summary about the book so you can decide if maybe you’d like it more than I did! But first, let’s look at some of the elements of holiday books that make me love them. ? ? ☃ ❄️ What makes me love a holiday book? | Favorite Tropes Perfect snowy, cozy setting | This is the biggest thing I look for. I need to FEEL like its Christmas and let there be snow all over the place. Some of the books below have really fun settings like a B&B in a cold place, or a big mansion full of Christmas decorations and cozy rooms with fireplaces. Lots of holiday feels | I need there to be days leading up to the holidays and then a full exploration of Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I love the anticipation of the day coming and then getting to celebrate with the family. Snowed in | There are a couple books on here where a couple gets snowed in together and ends up falling for each other. This “stuck together” trope is one of my favorites (and will hopefully be a read-bait topic sometime soon!). I love the cozy feeling of being snowed in and trying to keep warm. Short stories | I […]

MORE Upcoming Books I’m Super Excited For

Posted November 4, 2016 / Discussions, Features / 23 Comments

I hope you’re ready for even MORE unreleased books I’m super excited about! Back in March, I talked about some other new and upcoming books I was excited for and thent I also shared books that aren’t releasing for a loooong time but I wanted them immediately. I’ve been trying to highlight newer and upcoming releases (both in the far future and the near future) lately because I have a lot of fun putting bookish lists together and never doing anything with them. I always love adding new books to my TBR and creeping on other people’s posts like this! Without further ado, here are some more upcoming releases (2017 books that now have cover art) that I need. The Young Wives Club by Julie Pennell • February 2017 I really love books involving groups of women coming together to ~bond~ about something. In this case, a few young wives deal with a wide variety of relationship situations and lean on each other to work through them. I also would like to say this cover is perfect and now I need cake. Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle • August 2017 I didn’t read this author’s debut even though it really intrigued me, and this concept is no different. Various people in the town start losing things… only to have them reappear in the fields. Then there’s some kind of spellbook and other crazy and mysterious things start happening! I’ve been intrigued by magical realism lately, clearly. This is Not the End by Chandler […]

Top Ten Tuesdays #102: Beach Setting

Posted August 16, 2016 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 16 Comments

Ten Beach Settings in Books that I Loved 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 TTT is the top ten books with X setting (boarding school, England, etc.). I chose one of my favorite bookish settings – BEACH TOWNS. I was thinking of the boarding school thing but I recently talked about this since it’s one of my read-bait terms for sure.I’m usually all about the summery, beachy contemporaries during the warm months. I often save books specifically for summertime for that reason. I don’t go to the beach very much, even though there are plenty closeby, so these books are a perfect alternative for me during the summer. Fluffy contemps are perfectly fine during this time of year, but the ones that are literally set on the beach or in a beachy town location are THE BEST. Here are ten of my favorite books with beach settings. Keeping the Moon and Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen The ultimate book setting is Colby, North Carolina. I’ve never had more desire to visit a fictional place in my life. Colby appears to be the perfect little beach town and acts as the main setting for a handful of Dessen’s books. It’s referenced in a few more. NEED […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | July into August 2016

Posted August 1, 2016 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 10 Comments

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin was created to wrap up each month and prepare for the next. I share my life happenings, book haul, books I read and reviewed, posts I shared, challenge updates, and more from the previous month. I also let you know what may be coming up on the blog in the coming month. You can read past bulletins here and learn more about the feature here. This reading month got off to a good start, I’d say. I finished a few books really early on and kept being in the reading mood through the rest of the month. I struggled during the readathon a little because I found myself not exactly in the mood for certain books.This feeling kind of continued through the rest of the month – I read some MEH books and that impacted my reading mojo. I’m well on my way to finishing my Goodreads Challenge early! Average rating for books read in July: 3.86 stars All book covers link to their Goodreads pages Best of the Best • Pleasantly Surprised • Disappointed All of the books read this month: Average rating for books reviewed in July: 3.77 stars My final Secret Sister package from Ginger was perfect. I can’t believe this round is already over! Insanity. She filled it with my favorite snacks (Oreos, Sour Patch Watermelons, Junior Mints), two books I’ve been super excited for, bookmarks, and some cute sticky notes/paper. I’ve loved receiving her thoughtful packages because she always seemed to intuitively know when […]

Top 10 Most Anticipated Romances for the Second Half of 2016

Posted July 30, 2016 / Book Lists, Features / 11 Comments

As you (probably don’t) know, one goal I had when starting this blog was to feature recommendation lists for people seeking new books to read within different topics. Top Ten Tuesday kind of took over for this area for me, which is perfect, but sometimes I like to create my own. The Contemporary Romance Challenge hosts a monthly topic to partake in. Past topics this year: Anticipated Early ’16 Romances • Recs for Newbies • Favorite Tropes • Favorite Contemp Romances Ever • Underrated Romances Here’s July’s topic: Anticipated Romances through the EOY I love sharing a few sentences straight from the synopsis to really show you why this book made it on my list. Sometimes certain parts of the book summaries just go right to my heart and insist I add the book to my TBR right away. Kind of like my read-bait! Enjoy the shippy goodness below. A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody “So when she wakes up the next morning to find she’s reliving the exact same day, she knows what she has to do: stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her.” → Groundhog Day/Before I Fall kind of deal that I LOVE Cherry by Lindsey Rosin “Four best friends make a pact during their senior year of high school to lose their virginities—and end up finding friendship, love, and self-discovery along the way.” → I can smell the sex-positivity from a mile away Game On by Michelle Smith “But when he needs a way to stay on the team, she proposes a plan: […]