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Books To Read - Blog Posts
no one:
me: here’s a flow chart of 41 lgbtq+ book recommendations, have fun!
disclaimer: this is a very non-comprehensive list since I’m only including books that I’ve read
Can anyone rec me some wilderness romance? More hiking and surviving together, less small town. I loved the Simple Wild by KA Tucker and want more like it.
Book launch
I need readers. Launching on Amazon Feb 1 the 3rd series novel - Leaderboard. It involves a global conspiracy, a hidden cure for cancer, and the rescue of a friend. Sam Hook is meeting Crystol Lombardo in Columbus to heal. http://samsneadhook.comwww.amazon.com/Leaderboard-Novel-Sam-Hook-ebook/dp/B0CSF2QMY2……………
Stories of Your Life is weeeeeiird
But good. Ted Chiang sort of feels like the new Borges - sort of.
(The film Arrival is based on one of the stories in this book)
not quite fall, but i want it to be fall reading list
don't judge me, i know its not technically fall ( and still 105 degrees where I live), but I can do what I want.. anyway here is what I plan to read this fall/academic year
books i'm rereading
the outsiders
the hunger games
the hunger games- finished
catching fire-need to annotate
song of Achilles-need to annoatata
the poppy war-reading
if we were villains-rereading
5 survive- rereading
the girls Ive been
ace of spades
the girls I've been
the gold finch
how to be eaten
a good girls guide to murder
good girl, bad blood
tiny little fires
things have gotten worse since we last spoke
lock the doors
all the young dudes trilogy
the illiad
jayne eyre
the atlas 6
if we were villains
dune
little women
circe
the raven boys triology
a little life
bunny
a song of ice and fire
dark rise
six of crows series
neon gods
red queen sereis
the perks of being a wallflower
the last thing he told me
the good lie
this might hurt
the meaning of night
my dearest darkest
the bell jar
summer reading list(2024)
the nightstand pile
The Hunger Games Trilogy If we Were Villians A Good Girls Guide To Murder Trilogy 5 Survive Bunny Dune All The Light We Cannot See The Illiad
need annotate
everything i never told you
rumblefish
taming the star runner
that was then and this was now
summer reading list
everything i never told you- finished
that was then and this was now-finished
elena vanishing- finished
hench-annotating
the hunger games- rereading series
song of achillies
a good girls guide to murder
my year of rest and felatation
the foxhole court
the sunshine court
circe
the illiad
all your twisted lies
the raven cycle series
5 survive
they both die at the end
dune
bunny
all the light we cannot see
No longer human
the girls i’ve been
all the young dudes trilogy
things have gotten worse since we've last spoke
a little life
a song of ice and fire
hope and other luxuries
anne of green gables
the idealist
dark rise
six of crows series
little fires everywhere
neon gods
red queen series
the perks of being a wallflower
A Secret History, otherwise known as what the fuck Richard
(the last few bullet points will be talking about CSA so if that triggers you or makes you uncomfortable, don't read this)
Hi pookies, sorry for being awol, I've been prepping for finals, as well as annotating a secret history, and I had some thoughts I felt like sharing.
first of all fuck Henry
Bunny being the one to say " to live forever" is the definition of being doomed by the narritive
there is no version of the story where bunny lives, and by him being the one who says that, is in a way a challenge to Henrey
Richard opens the book by claiming to be a good liar, and in every situation where he lies he does it horribly is the funniest thing ever
Henry was a budding serial killer, and I think that by the simple fact of giving poor Charles those pills
I also don't think Bunny was as bad as the group made him out to be. Richard is obviously a self-admitted unreliable narrator, but I really don't think Bunny was as bad as they were making him out to be
sure he was probably really annoying, but the week before his death I don't think he was being purposely antagonistic but acting afraid
and in a sense when Richard found out about the murder, that was bunny signing his death certificate.
i think Henry was always going to kill Bunny, he was just waiting for a good enough excuse
when Jullian left Henry started decompensating like a serial killer, and that's why he lost control when talking to Charles
and while it is clearly the best choice to send Fransis to the police, Henry tells Charles to go because Charles is easy to manipulate
i think Fransis is obviously disalutioned by Henry from the beginning of the book, while Charles and Richard were still drinking the Kool-aid
Camilla is obviously romantisized by Richard, and I think that in all reality he probably viewed women in a simmular way Bunny did
in Camilla's descriptions she is often barefoot, and he makes note to mention that during the act of the murder she wasn't present
he also compares most women to Marion a person he thinks is too stupid and girly
people forget how physically imposing henry is, by Richard describing him it almost infantilizes him, in a way.
he is physically imposing which made him look odd, but he lifted camila with great ease, and lifts weight despite is limp
i think he hurt camilla by pulling out her hair, and hurting her wrist
i feel bad for bunny because while he was teetering over the edge he must have been so afraid
richard and henry could have been the same under slightly different circumsances
camilla is not as oblivious to things as people belive she is, obviously she is a victim, but the narrative implies that she is for lack of a better term, not completely innocent
she is a victim of her circumstances, but not completely innocent
richard clings to the group because they are every thing he wanted to
henry killed himself to achieve some fucked up version of godhood.
fransis is the most complex character because by the end of the book we feel bad for him despite taking advantage of 2 of the other characters in the book
he is also clearly in love with Charles but yk
CSA TW BELOW
okay so i think its pretty clear that Charles is a CSA victim
he very clearly has an eating disorder, and a alcohol problem which Fransis exacerbates by getting him drunk and hooking up with him frequently
not only that but he is really dependent on his friendships and is constantly paranoid that they are talking about him, but needs constant reassurance like a child
but also when bunny is making digs at the group, he starts talking about the preversions of the catholic church, i don't think that group cared, nor do i belive that any of them are particularly religious, but I do belive that Bunny was making a dig about Charles being molested by a preist
and if that's the case than his ultimate outcome makes the most sense,
that also makes sense why he would frequently sleep with camilla and fransis
feel free to message me so we can chat about it... this book has recently become my greatest obsession, or we can chat in the comments.
books, books, and more books
THE NIGHTSTAND PILE
The Foxhole Court
5 Survive
All Your Twisted Lies
If We Were Villains
CURRENT TBR
Everything I Never Told You
Hench
The Hunger Games Trilogy
Song Of Achillies
A Good Girls Guide To Murder
No Longer Human
Good Girl Bad Blood
Of Mice and Men
The Girls I've Been
Freak The Mighty
Dune
A Song of Ice and Fire
The Raven Boys Trilogy
NEED TO ANNOTATE
A Secret History- Donna Tart
Taming the Star Runner- S.E Hinton
Rumblefish- S.E Hinton
NEED TO REREAD
The Outsiders- S.E Hinton ( Writing Style, Diction, and narrations, and Structure)
If We Were Villians- ML Rio (Genre Analysis, Structure and Literary Devices)
WANT TO READ NEXT
The Sunshine Court
All The Young Dudes
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
A Little Life
Anne of Green Gables
The Idealist
Dark Rise
Six of Crows
Little Fires Everywhere
Neon Gods
Red Queen
The Perks of Being A Wallflower
2022 End of the Year Wrap-Up
I am so excited to be back from my hiatus! It was a much needed break and I am happy to announce that I have finished my 3rd semester of college and was able to spend more time with friends and family.
2022 was certainly a year of growth for me. I really grew into my responsibilities and I could not be more proud of myself. Not only was I productive in self care this year but also in reading. My Goodreads reading goal this year was 40 compared to last year’s goal of 29. I was also able to complete my goal this year and read a total of 40 books! This makes me very excited, last year my goal was far less and I wasn’t able to complete it so I am extra proud of the progress I have made. Another goal I had this year was to not re-read as many books and make myself branch out into new territories, I was also able to do that, only re-reading 4 books.
I will not be going in depth for many of these books as I have given reviews for many on Goodreads or they have made it onto this blog already. I'm going to keep my comments on what I read this year brief unless there is something special I want to mention. As always, full thoughts (during and after reading) are on Goodreads, so if you want to know more about what I thought, check there or DM me (here or on Instagram @Jooniens )
(also note before reading, on Goodreads I will round up my scores accordingly hence why you will see a difference in ratings!)
No more waiting, here are all of the books I read in 2022!
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
I love Hendrix’s work but his other novels definitely outshine this one.
3.5/5 Stars
Gumiho by Kat Cho
A little over dramatic for my taste, an interesting concept though.
3/5 Stars
Scythe by Neal Shusterman (2018 Re-read)
Just reaffirmed my love for this series, full thoughts on Goodreads.
5/5 Stars
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Fairly unmemorable, I enjoyed reading it.
3/5 Stars
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
An instant favorite.
5/5 Stars
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Not my favorite book by this author but enjoyable and memorable.
3/5 Stars
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philya
An excellent collection of short stories that touched my heart.
4/5 Stars
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
A quick and easy read, not my favorite book by this author.
3/5 Stars
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
A surprisingly good read that kept my drives to work interesting.
3.5/5 Stars
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
A touching book that sticks with me to this day. A favorite to come out of YA.
4.5/5 Stars
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
An excellent and action packed sequel to Mistborn.
4.5/5 Stars
I Kissed Sarah Wheeler by Casey Mcquiston
I think Mcquiston should stick to Adult novels, it doesn't compete with other YA on the market.
2.5/5 Stars
American Panda by Gloria Chao
A cute coming of age story. Enjoyable but not exactly unique.
3.5/5 Stars
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
A very disappointing book for a Pulitzer Prize winner. Full thoughts on Goodreads
2.5/5 Stars
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
A super cute summer read. Not the height of literature but fun to read.
2.5/5 Stars
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
Such a fun concept with an unlikable main character.
3/5 Stars
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
The hype got to this one for me but I still loved reading it.
4.5/5 Stars
Palm Beach by Mary Adkins
The Worst of The Year. I hated this book.
1/5 Stars
First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel
A cute romance book, super formulaic but enjoyable.
3/5 Stars
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
My second Jenny Han book, I liked it a lot more than TSITP.
4/5 Stars
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
A truly excellent novel. One of my favorites of the year.
5/5 Stars
Hot Under His Collar by Andie J. Christopher
A trash romance book, not much else to say.
2/5 Stars
The Grace Year by Kim Ligget
A book that I wasn’t expecting to like nearly as much as I did.
4.5/5 Stars
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
This is THE murder mystery. This sets the standard.
5/5 Stars
Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson
Awful thriller. Like what the hell was this.
1.5/5 Stars
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
You all know how I feel about these books.
3/5 Stars
Furyborn by Claire Legrand (2020 Re-read)
This was technically a re-read but I remembered nothing about it and I am so thankful for that.
5/5 Stars
Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
A solid sequel but I much prefer the first book.
4/5 Stars
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
A really good conclusion to the series. I have complaints but y’all know them.
3.5/5 Stars
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
This is certainly one of the books of all time. I liked the first one better.
3.5/5 Stars
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
This was a massive book. Not just in terms of size but also in content. An instant classic.
5/5 Stars
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
I went into this book with no expectations and it was an okay read.
2.5/5 Stars
The Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
This is another case where the hype really got to me for this book, wish I would have read it earlier.
3/5 Stars
Kill Creek by Scott Thomas
Entertaining and worth the read, especially in October.
4/5 Stars
Flame in the Mist by Renée Adhieh (2nd time re-reading)
My favorite comfort book.
4/5 Stars
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
Not what I was expecting to read but I absolutely loved this book.
4.5/5
Ink by Amanda Sun
Showed me just how much my reading taste has changed.
1.5/5 stars
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
OMG did I love this book. It instantly became a favorite of all time
5/5 Stars
Serpent and Dove by Shelby Maurin
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to lovers of enemies to lovers.
3.75/5 Stars
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
An amazing sequel, this series is becoming a favorite.
4/5 stars
Now for some re-caps:
My Favorites of 2022:
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Furyborn by Claire Legrand
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
My Worst Reads of 2022:
Palm Beach by Mary Adkins
Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson
Ink by Amanda Sun
Hot Under His Collar by Andie J. Christopher
I am so happy to be back doing this blog. I truly missed this and I hope y’all did too. I only have one goal for 2023 and that is to finish all of these series that I started this year. Unfortunately, I won’t be posting a January TBR as I’m currently traveling but I will be bringing back the Mid-Month reading update and will be making one for January.
I’m happy to be back and I can’t wait for the new year.
Much love,
June <3
HIATUS ANNOUNCEMENT
Hey reader babes!
School is becoming my main focus in my life as well as my personal relationships. Because of this I will be taking a hiatus until further notice. I will not be posting a November Wrap-up or December TBR
I will still be posting and updating on Goodreads as well as my Instagram (@jooniens).
I plan to be back by the New Year.
Have a safe and Happy Holidays. I love you all and you will be missed.
November 2022 TBR and Some Schedule Changes
Hello my reading pals
I can’t believe that it is already November. This year has blown by. I felt like as a child days lasted forever and now it seems like I neve have enough time to do anything.
That doesn’t mean I don’t have time to read of course ;)
As mentioned in my last post, I didn’t get around to reading much in October as I had fallen into a reading slump (which is okay). However, I am feeling far more motivated a week into November (yes sorry this is taking so long to get these posts up) and I want to read a lot more this month. In November I plan on finishing up a few series and getting into sequels so that I can start with some new series in 2023 (that can’t be a real year come on).
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
It is no shock that I absolutely love Brandon Sanderson. I loved Mistborn when I started it earlier this year and I’ve really wanted to complete the series for the past few months now. I don’t want this story to end at all but I know that I will love this book and it will allow me to dig into other series by Sanderson without feeling guilty
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
It is definitely ambitious for me to have 2 of Sanderson’s novels on here but that is why it is called a TBR. I loved Way of Kings and if I may be wrong but I think the next Stormlight book comes out in 2023 and if I could catch up with the series it would make me very happy.
Lightbringer by Claire Legrand
You all saw how much I raved about the first two books in this series when I read them yet I have not read the conclusion of the series (this a common theme for me). I’m not sure if it was the length that got to me or the fact that I read the first 2 back to back and just needed a break. Regardless, I want to see how this series ends and I miss these characters so much and there is so much in the first two books that need to be explained.
As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson
I read A Good Girls Guide to Murder this year and was absolutely blown away with it. It was truly a phenomenal book. I read the sequel and wasn’t as thrilled with it and I almost put the series down completely. However, after reading some of the reviews and the synopsis for the conclusion I think I want to read it (as soon as I can find a paperback copy).
These are just a few of the series that I am wanting to conclude/continue this month. I need to be better about finishing the series if I like them. I’m sure you have noticed that a lot of these were the final books in a series and that is because when I like something, I don’t want it to end. Yet, I need to make more space for new favorites.
You may have noticed the title and saw that I am going to be doing some schedule changes. I am a college student and finals are coming up very soon so I will be reducing posts to just twice a month. I will be doing a wrap up and a TBR list instead of all of those plus a mid month check in. If at any time you are interested in what I am currently reading check out my Goodreads, I also tend to post fuller reviews there and you get to see my thoughts as I am reading. This is hopefully just a temporary change and I will be back on a normal(ish) schedule in 2023.
Have fun with your fall adventures!
Much Love,
June <3
P.S. If you are in the U.S. and able to vote go do so! Make the change we need to see in this world!
Mid-Month Reading Check-in + My Goodreads Shelves
Hello reader friends!
Going to be completely honest, this was supposed to go up Sunday. I had drafted out the post but it never made its way to be published (I didn't like it). So here we are.
As of this post I have completed 2 books this month. That feels a little underwhelming but I have been in a bit of a reading slump and I'm ahead on my Goodreads reading challenge so I am allowing myself to relax a bit. I'm actually drafting this at work and I'm certain that I will be picking up a new read tonight (most likely Jade City by Fonda Lee) but we shall see once the wrap up comes around.
Because I'm not currently reading something, I knew this post was going to be a bit short so I thought I would add something that I find interesting, Goodreads shelves. I love looking through other peoples shelves, it gives me a glimpse of their personality. Every Goodreads account has 2 shelves 'want to read' and 'read'. Users can add onto these allowing them to organize their shelves further.
Along with the two shelves that every Goodreads account has, I have 5 personalized shelves:
Emma Approved Romance:
This shelf is pretty self explanatory. If I enjoyed the romance in the book, it made its way onto this list. This list is not exclusive to romance books as there are plenty of non-romance included on this shelf. That being said, not all of the books on here I particularly enjoyed. If the romance didn't make me want to vomit, its probably on this shelf.
Made Me Cry Shelf:
Another shelf that is pretty self explanatory. If a book made me cry it makes its way onto this shelf. Many of these were just sad character deaths although one was out of pure frustration with a character.
Trash in a Bad Way:
These books sucked. No sugar coating, no "well..." I simply did not like these books. I have a grand total of 5 books on here so if you made it onto this shelf, go sit in time out and think about what you did.
Trash in a Good Way:
These books also sucked but I had fun while reading them. A lot of this shelf contains old books that I read as a younger teen/child that I revisited later in adulthood. They could also be books that even though the writing style was bad, I enjoyed the plot and characters.
Truly Excellent:
These books were the ones that had me on the floor. They were so good that 5 stars wasn't quite enough to describe them. What is also called the "6 star shelf" contains some of my favorite books of all time.
While my descriptions aren't super concise hopefully they will make more sense to those just perusing my Goodreads page (although I doubt people do that).
I will update you guys when it comes time for the October Wrap-Up (that feels wrong to say, where did this year go?).
Much Love,
June <3
October 2022 TBR
Hello reader babes!
Despite what the weather tries to tell me, it is full on fall. My house is full of pumpkin spice scent and my closet has been restocked of my favorite, cozy sweaters.
I'm super excited for October and like any other normal person, I save all of my horror/thriller books for this season. To be honest, after reading the chunky book that was The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson I have felt a bit of reading slump coming on and while I am ahead of my reading goal, I don't want to start falling behind.
No more rambling, let's get into my reading plans this coming month.
Hide by Kiersten White
When I first saw this book I was immediately intrigued because it reminded me of a book that I read as a child called Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn. I love the concept of a spooky, haunted amusement park. I have seen quite a few mixed reviews but when it comes to thriller/horror books I am easily entertained.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
According to Goodreads, I read this some July 2-3 years ago but I don't think I actually finished it (I didn't realize how to properly shelf things at the time). But now that I have more understanding of fantasy under my belt and more of a grip on V.E. Schwab's writing style I think I will be able to actually enjoy the story this time around.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
I remember when this book first came out and everyone was losing it. Yet, a couple of years later I hardly hear anyone talk about it. I know that with the release of the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix that any of Bardugo's work has taken the back burner while the Grishaverse runs its course on booktok. I don't know much about this book other than it contains a murder mystery (I think). It all seems very dark academia and I love it.
The Troop by Nick Cutter
I've seen this book pop up multiple times in the vlogs that I have seen from the booktubers that I like and honestly their reactions are enough to have me interested in the book. Small confession; One of my biggest fears is parasites. I hate them all and they all creep me out so it makes sense that this book would rightfully terrify me. I'm going to try and brave through it and hopefully I'm not a wimp and it will make it's way onto my October Wrap-Up.
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
I absolutely adore Chloe Gong as a person so it is a mystery as to why I haven't read this yet. I have started this multiple times and each time I have been intrigued especially with the beginning scenes and the idea of a scary monster terrorizing 1920's Shanghai? Wonderful and it sounds so spooky and a perfect autumn read.
While this isn't a concise list of all of the things that I want to read in October I think it really provides a snippet of what my reading mood is for this month. Hopefully this new schedule will work for all of you lovely readers and I'm working on bring you guys more content . Side Note: I'm working on getting a YouTube Channel set up so that I can hopefully reach a wider audience and bring more bookish content into this world.
Anyways, I'll check in with you guys on my Mid-Month reading check in and I hope you are all enjoying your fall reading.
Much Love,
June <3
September 2022 Wrap-up
Oh, look who is on schedule for posting something.
Hello reader babes!
I dub September "The month that June did not read a lot". Don't get me wrong I am super proud of what I read.
You may have noticed that I made some changes to my August 2022 Wrap-up and that was because that is because some of the books I read on there were actually completed in September (The first week of September blended together with August in my brain). I am including those original reviews here so you are still able to see my thoughts and opinions on them.
This month I read a total of 4 books. I was just shy of my goal for September but I am proud that I was able to finish a rather large book this month. The other books I have read this month kind of fell short of my expectations although I did have one five star read.
*Spoilers will be indicated by asterisks around the book title*
*City of Glass by Cassandra Clare*
This was all in all a very good conclusion to the end of the series. It was action packed and kept me wanting to read. However, I have a massive issue with this book and that While I adore this series, the world and the characters, who the hell let Cassandra Clare publish this. I get that late in the book (like way later) we learn that Clary and Jace aren't siblings but while they still believe that they are siblings both actively say "aha who cares lets bonk anyways" and it is gross and not okay, especially for a YA novel. I get that it's far too late to change now and Cassandra Clare has been kind of infamous for her incest kink(? gross) but I still hate it. To be honest, I only read the Mortal Instruments so that I could read the Infernal Devices which I'm told is far superior.
2/5 Stars
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
As y'all now, I read A Good Girls Guide to Murder and absolutely loved it. I was excited to pick this up when I finally was able to (seriously this book was sold out everywhere!) I have to say I was a little disappointed with this book. It just didn't grip me like the first one did and the investigation seemed to fall flat. I liked the ending and it was still fun to be in this world with these characters. I'm not sure if I will continue with the series unless the last book involves a plot line from this book.
3/5 Stars
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
I finally did it. I read my first "Adult" fantasy novel and by was I glad that it was this one. My first thought for this is "Wow can Brandon Sanderson world build." His histories, politics, characters, geography, all of it sucked me in and I could imagine myself in this world. At times it felt like I was a scribe just recording everything going on and I loved every bit of it. This book was slow, don't get me wrong but with a 1,000 page book, what do you expect. That isn't to say that things didn't happen. From start to finish I was intrigued with how things were happening and what was going on. I loved the switching perspectives although, towards the beginning I was far more interested in Shallan's story than I was Kaladin. Speaking of Kaladin, he is my new book boyfriend. I love that man with my whole heart. In one of my reading updates on Goodreads (follow me on Goodreads) I said that Kaladin reminded me a lot of Kelsier from the Mistborn series and I think that is why I love him so very much. This book was intense and I loved every bit of it.
5/5 Stars
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
While I *technically* finished this on Oct. 1, I am counting it here because a majority of it (88%) was read in the month of September and it was finished in the early morning hours (2:27 AM to be exact) of October 1st. I didn't know a lot about this book going into it. I was fresh off of my Furyborn YA fantasy reading kick when I picked this up from my local Barnes and Noble and the premise was interesting. Going into this I did not know that it was a retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses fairytale and honestly that gave this book a huge boost for me. That being said, this book was certainly interesting and don't get me wrong it was good and I'm glad that YA is allowing darker fantasies onto the scene but this book just wasn't all that for me. The romance felt thrown in and unnecessary, the characters didn't feel fully flushed out and I didn't feel like the plot was super cohesive.
3/5 Stars
I'm disappointed I didn't read more higher rating books but The Way of Kings really over shadowed my other reads for this month and to me, that is okay. Hopefully October will be a spooky month for some great reads. October TBR will be coming later this week.
Much Love,
June <3
August 2022 Wrap-Up
Hello reader babes!
I have really no excuse when it comes to writing this the second week of September. But hey, better late than never right? I'm literally writing this at work so I hope you guys enjoy it.
In the hot month of August I read a total of 4 books which was my goal! Some were excellent, others...not so much. Some of these I discussed in my Mid-August reading update however, fresh faces are here as well.
*Spoilers will be indicated by asterisks around the book title*
NOTE: From here on out mid-month updates will only discuss my current read and how many books I have read thus far. Just to keep the Wrap-up interesting :)
Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson
I have already tore into this book pretty hard in my Mid-August Update so I don't feel the need to do so again here. I just didn't like this book, the plot was odd and it didn't feel flushed out at all. It read like a fanfiction that shouldn't have gotten published.
1/5 Stars
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
I liked this book. That seems like a bad review but I truly feel neutral about it. It felt like a middle book, lots of filler and just weird plot line. The ending battle scene was super good and I will never forgive Ms. Clare for what happened to my baby Simon in this book. He deserves better. I have a lot to comment on regarding Clary and Jace but that will come with my blurb on City of Glass.
3/5 Stars
Furyborn by Claire Legrand
I read this for the first time in September of 2020 but I think God decided that it wasn't the time for me to read it and blanked it from my memory so that when I read it this time it was like the first time reading it. I knew the overarching plot but holy crap did this novel blow my socks off. I loved the characters, their bonding moments, the action just everything had me on the floor and head over hills in love.
5/5 Stars
Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
I finished Furyborn while on shift at my job and as soon as I got home I ran for my bookshelves and grabbed this. I gave this book a lower rating and not just because it had tons of filler. I loved focusing more on Eliana's character, is was great to see a protagonist struggle and not be just immediately good at everything. The twist at the end was fantastic. I only have one real complaint with this book and that has to deal mainly with the amount of spice in it. The first book definitely had spice but it was about what I would expect for a YA novel but this book seemed to have a spice scene each chapter and some of it was very explicit. It kind of took away from the rest of the book and those scenes definitely could have been used in other ways.
3.5/5
August was a really good reading month for me and I'm glad I slowed down a bit from the book monster I was in July. Now that school is in full swing it's hard to read as much as I used to (and thus, posting is more difficult too). I'm glad y'all are sticking with me and I'm thrilled to see what September has in store.
Much Love,
June <3
Mid-August Update
Hey y'all!
Nice to see you again. Remember how in my last post I said I was working on a reading/writing vlog? Yeah well, my camera decided to fill up with memory and I can't afford a new one.
Anyways, I am starting my sophomore year of college this week and I plan for my reading to slow down quite a bit (P.S. I started a studygram, let me know if that is something you would be interested in seeing here).
Other than all of that, I figured I would give you all an update for this month and what I have been reading, and how I felt about the books I decided to shove my nose into this month. I have to admit I was hoping I would have been able to read more this month, it is so hard to believe that this month is already halfway over. So far, I have read 3 books and am currently reading the 4th book. This brings my Goodreads total of books read to 27 (as of writing this 2 books ahead of schedule).
Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson
I picked this up randomly and I went in with absolutely no expectations. I have never heard of this author (despite them being fairly prolific in the thriller genre) and I have to say this was NOT a good first impression. This book had both awful writing and terrible storytelling. The plot was absolutely all over the place and all of the characters were absolutely awful. The main character was just...so flat. Not to mention this thriller was not thrilling, if anything I kept reading to see how I'd want to slap the characters next. I don't this book had any redeemable qualities. Initially, I gave this a 2 star review but after comparing to it another book I gave a 2 star I bumped it down to 1 star.
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare *this review contains spoilers*
I tried to read this book late last year sometime and the incest REALLY got to me. I expressed this to my friend and she told me that later Jace and Clary end up not being siblings (which helps me) but the fact that they really had a moment where they both basically said "I don't care if we're siblings" made me want to vomit. Their "romance" is set up to seem like they are star-crossed lovers and it is disgusting. Apparently, Cassandra Clare is kind of infamous for her incest "kink" so I'm not surprised looking back.
Beyond that, I really enjoyed this book and plan on continuing the series. I'm so mad that Ms. Incest Clare put my baby Simon through all of that, he really deserves better. I thought the writing was okay and I was entertained enough to keep reading fairly consistently. I gave this a 3 star out of 5 on Goodreads.
Furyborn by Claire Legrand
The final book for this update (and something that was actually on my August TBR, not that we are surprised). Let me start by saying that I have read this before but I did not remember absolutely ANYTHING about it. I don't know if it was because I read it almost 2 years ago or if God said "Nah, this isn't the right time for you to really appreciate this book" and just wiped my memory. Whatever happened to wipe my memory, I'm glad it did because o m g did I LOVE this book. If you go through my updates on Goodreads it's just being confused that I didn't remember this absolute work of art. I loved the double perspective and while Rielle's story was much more interesting (at least to me), I still loved Eliana and all of the characters (Including Corien even though he's toxic). I have already started Kingsbane (the second book) and Am already taking notes. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.
Like I said, I'm a little disappointed that I haven't read more this month but 2 out of these 3 books were 300-400 page fantasy novels so I'm cutting myself slack, especially since I am 2 books ahead of my goal (for now).
Good luck with the rest of your month and to those who are going back to school, I hope you have a good semester and study hard. I do expect my reading to slow down but I plan on continuing to update here. Starting from now a lot of my focus is going to be on my studygram but I won't abandon you all I promise.
Much Love,
June <3