Category: bookish

Random Post – It’s Friday!

I don’t even know why I’m cheering because my weekend is jam packed with events! 🤦🏻‍♀️

How are you bloggers and readers doing so far? We have only a few more weeks of 2019, are you ready for 2020?

I feel like the weeks are going by so fast! I have birthdays, holiday events to plan, and less time to read or blog, but know that I’m trying my to best to check out all your posts and keep up with all your reviews. 😘

I was feeling a bit of a reading “slump” in the ending of October and not because I couldn’t find anything to read…it’s because I’ve officially read TOO much this year and I think my brain/body is telling me, no more. My yearly average is usually 50-60 books, at least that’s what I’ve tracked on Goodreads for the last few years. But this year because of my blog and wanting to build a following I have now read 178 books….😱, how is that even possible?! And that doesn’t even include all the children’s books I’ve read to my kids all year, only some of them are listed on there. If I minus those from my Goodreads list it still brings it down to maybe 150. My children’s books review blog faltered this year because I was reading so much of everything else.

A few of these books are arcs that publish in 2020 but wow…I’m curious how many books do you usually read in a year? I have a goal to read LESS starting next month because I have too many things to do as is, and am definitely going to have a limit in 2020.

Did you meet your reading goals this year or exceed them? Are you like me and need to read less? How many books do you read a year? Leave me a comment below!

Top 5 Tuesday – 11/12/19

Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm. Check out her blog for more Top 5 Tuesday topics and other bookish content. Here is this week’s topic:

Top 5 authors I NEED to read!

I’m going to list the top 5 authors I haven’t read a book by yet that I NEED to read…so here they are:

Neal Shusterman – I keep seeing this series everywhere and even found it on discount at Book Outlet, but I haven’t bought it yet! But I think I will look for it at the library to borrow.

Jay Kristoff – Another very popular series that I haven’t read. I’ve yet to read anything by Jay Kristoff but I better start. Maybe next year?

Lisa Jewell – I see Lisa Jewell’s books everywhere and I haven’t read one yet, but I know I eventually will.

Helen Hoang – I saw reviews of Helen Hoang’s books all year and I am ready to read one!

Christina Lauren – Another popular author I saw all over my Instagram in 2019! I haven’t read a book by her yet, but I will very soon!

Have you read these authors? Leave me a comment down below!

Top 5 Saturday: Books with a Survival Theme

This prompt is hosted byMandy at  Devouring Books so check out her blog for bookish content. 😊

Rules!

  • Share your top 5 books of the current topic– these can be books that you want to read, have read and loved, have read and hated, you can do it any way you want.
  • Tag the original post (This one!)
  • Tag 5 people

Day Zero is a book I’m actually trying to finish this NetGalley arc right now. It takes place in the era of a New Recession and so far there are characters on the run after some doomsday events take place. This book comes out on November 12, 2019.

The Bear is also a NetGalley arc I reviewed a month or so ago and it is a story of two people surviving on Earth after some apocalyptic event. This title will be released on February 11, 2020.

The Nightingale is an amazing story by Kristin Hannah about two sisters in France who survive Nazi occupation in different ways.

I mean talk about a survival story, try surviving a grace year in The Grace Year! 😫

And then of course I can’t forget to put this on the list. Surviving The Hunger Games, let’s be honest I’d have been out in the first round.

And that’s all I got for today! I’m trying to catch up on reading because I have been slacking on my posts. 😩 So here’s to a great reading weekend! Happy reading everyone!

Top 5 Tuesday | 11/5/19

Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm. Check out her blog for more Top 5 Tuesday topics and other bookish content. Here is this week’s topic:

Top 5 books on my current TBR! (books you’re excited to read right now)

I’m so happy it’s coming out this month! I love this series.

I enjoyed The Wicked Deep a lot so I’m definitely looking forward to Winterwood. This one is out today, but I have to wait to read it at the end of the month when my OwlCrate box arrives. 😦

This is an eARC I just got approved to read on NetGalley, it comes out today also, so I hope I’m finished with this book by the time this post publishes.

Day Zero is a title I’m doing a blog tour for, so hopefully I can finish this one soon.

I got this title at the library last week, so I hope I can finish this one before it’s due back.

What are you excited to read this month? Leave me a comment below!

Unboxing | LitJoy Crate | October 2019 Box

Hi everyone! We are at the end of October and for this month I only got one book box because I have a few coming for November. And my birthday is next week so it makes sense to treat myself during my birthday month right? HAHA…right!

This is the LitJoy Crate for October so let’s see what we got!

Here is everything that was in the box, so let’s break it down:

The book this month is Angel Mage by Garth Nix and I haven’t read anything from this author before. The card with the character photos illustrated by Stephanie Brown and it has a note from the author on the back which I always like to read. The book is signed and actually has a reverse dust jacket with a beautiful illustration by Lorena Lammer (just forgot to photograph it, sorry!). Every book from LitJoy Crate comes with a book sleeve and this time it’s pink, which is cute.

One of my favorite things in this book is these collectors trading cards and look at these villains! I LOVE Ursula and Maleficent, the past Halloween’s I’ve dressed up as one of them. 😂😍 The art on these are AMAZING.

Here’s a super cute Shadowhunter Rune bracelet. Very cute but probably going to give it away.

A Daughter of Smoke and Bone collector pin! Super duper cute! You know I’m not big into pins, what do you do with them? Wear them or just collect them? Trade them? I’ve been accumulating a lot from the different box crates I’ve purchased.

Another pair of fingerless gloves! These are so cute but I don’t need gloves in Hawaii, it’s too hot, so these will probably be given away.

And my least favorite thing in the box was this notepad. But I’m sure it’s the most useful thing in this box so…🤷🏻‍♀️.

Overall I can say it’s not my favorite box of LitJoy Crate I’ve gotten. I will be skipping their November box because they have the same book as OwlCrate coming out and I’m opting for the OwlCrate box this time around.

Stay tuned for more unboxing in November – I think I have 3 or 4 boxes coming in!

Goodreads Monday } 10/28/19

This is a weekly meme that was started by Lauren’s Page Turners so check out her blog for more bookish content! 

All you have to do is choose a title on your Goodreads Want To Read category and say why you want to read it.

Book Blurb:

She never felt like she belonged…until magic pulled her into a world beyond her wildest imagination. 

Sixteen-year-old Aurora wishes she were anyone else. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she believes things can’t get any worse. But when she’s kidnapped and dragged through an ancient tapestry into the magical world of Avalonia, she soon discovers that some dreams can easily turn into nightmares.

Hunted by the evil tyrant Queen Morgana, who will stop at nothing to get rid of the last surviving heir to the powerful Firedrake dynasty, Aurora struggles to fit into her new life as a mage at the prestigious Academy of Evolon. Threatened by treachery at every turn and desperate to prove herself worthy, she uncovers a dark, complicated web of political intrigue that threatens the very existence of the seven kingdoms of Avalonia.

Aided by the powerful Duke of Silverthorne, a fae friend, and a handsome but mysterious outlaw called the Black Wolf, Aurora struggles to master her magic and get her rare powers under control before it’s too late.

If she fails, her new home and her family will be enslaved forever…

The Last of the Firedrakes is the first novel in The Avalonia Chronicles series of enchanting YA fantasies. If you like resilient heroines, plentiful magic, immortal fae warriors, and sizzling romance you’ll love Farah Oomerbhoy’s enthralling story.

Why Do I Want To Read This?

  • Cover love haha – I picked this out of the list today because the cover called to me.
  • Love stories that have Fae in them.
  • Had this on my TBR since 2015! I think it’s a complete full series now which is much more appealing because now I can read it straight through.

Has anyone read this series? Is it any good?

That’s all I got today, and this post is so late! I had a crazy busy weekend and I don’t have my posts scheduled for this week. 😫 I haven’t gotten much reading done either but that’s okay, hopefully I’ll have more time after Halloween. Thanks for reading!

All About Halloween Book Tag

Hi everyone! Since Halloween is a few days away I thought this tag was perfect to add to my blog. I found it at Kristin Kraves Books, check out her beautiful blog and give her a follow!

What are your favorite Halloween movies?

I admit I haven’t binged on Halloween movies since my son turned like three because he’s scared of all things Halloween…except he did sit through The Nightmare Before Christmas. Now my daughter loves Jack Skellington, Sally and Zero as well but she hasn’t seen the movie yet. So it’s a favorite in our house.

But this Halloween, I have a craving to watch Beetlejuice! I need to find a moment when my kids aren’t around me haha.

And of course Practical Magic because sisterhood and witches! 😍


And oh yes the cheesy, I can’t help myself for loving it – Teen Witch! LOL

I grew up with many male older cousins, I was the youngest of the bunch and for years as a child I was stuck watching Poltergeist, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc…😭. Weird though, of all those movies from my childhood, Poltergeist probably freaked me out the most but I have a strange love for it, maybe because it’s nostalgic? But for sure I can’t watch that movie around my kids. 🤣

What is your favorite Halloween book?

I don’t think I’ve ever had a favorite Halloween book. 🤔 But the book I read this month that gave me lots of witchy, Halloween vibes has to be:

What other Halloween books would you recommend?

For another witchy read I’d recommend, The Wicked Deep:

Do you own any Halloween ugly sweaters?

I didn’t realized they existed haha, and it’s not sweater weather in Hawaii at all. It’s 85 degrees! So I don’t.

What are some of your favorite Halloween costumes?

I’m always a villain! I was Maleficent, The Evil Queen and Ursula the last three years! But I love seeing when people have creative costumes.

What are you doing for Halloween this year?

We will be trick or treating first, my kids can’t last long and sometimes my son opts to stay with my hubby at the house and pass out candy. After trick or treating we pass out candy. We have a lot of trick or treaters!

What is your favorite childhood Halloween memory?

I don’t have a favorite memory. Trick or treating around the neighborhood was so much fun as a kid. Back in the 80’s, I didn’t dress up for Halloween, at most maybe my mom bought me a mask at the store. My parents didn’t trick or treat as kids, they lived in farm country and they didn’t spend money on candy. So as a kid, I don’t think they understood the whole going all out in a costume haha, they gave me a plastic bag, a mask and we went around the neighborhood. I loved it! Every year was awesome, and I love going trick or treating with my kids it reminds me of being a kid again! 😍

I hope all of you who celebrate have a Happy Halloween!

First Lines Fridays | 10/25/19

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

It’s the LAST Friday of October! Can you believe that? I can’t and we have a jam packed weekend and last week of October. It is Scorpio season which means my birthday is in less than two weeks. 😲 For my birthday I just want a sick-free ending of 2019 haha.

Let’s get to the lines:

“Understand what I do to my enemies. You’re one of them now.”

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I’m having a hard time finishing up my library hauls on time lately! And I don’t know why I keep borrowing more books.

We’ll see if I even have time to get to this one. It’s the sequel to Rule and here is the book blurb:

Sisters Akeylah, Ren, and Zofi are all a step closer to their dying father’s throne, a step closer to the crown that will allow one of them to rule over Kolonya. But the sisters’ pasts continue to haunt them. Each hides a secret marked with blood and betrayal, and now their blackmailer is holding nothing back. When King Andros discovers the sisters’ traitorous pasts, the consequences will shake the entire kingdom to its core.

As Kolonya’s greatest threat stalks closer and closer, weaving a web of fear and deceit around Ren, Zofi, and Akeylah, even the people they love are under suspicion. If the sisters are going to survive, they’ll have to learn to trust each other above all else and work together, not only to save themselves, but to protect everyone and everything they hold dear. 

The Blogger Recognition Award

The Rules

  1. Thank the blogger/s who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  2. Write a post to show your award.
  3. Give a brief story of how your blog started.
  4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
  5. Select up to 10 to 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
  6. Comment (or pingback) on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

Thank you so much to Emer at A Little Haze Book Blog for nominating for this blogger award. She has been such an awesome support of my blog and I appreciate it so much. Check out her awesome blog and give her a follow, she has fun book tags and fabulous book reviews!

How Past Midnight came to be:

Honestly? I wanted to read arcs on NetGalley because money is tight when you have two kids! 🤣 When I was single with no kids, I bought books without a care. Having kids…well, my kids can’t eat books, right?

I found out about NetGalley and I wanted in! I used to blog, years ago…even got paid writing wedding planning articles for blogs so I thought I’ve done this before…mind you I’ve been out of it a few years though. I’ve been a lover of books since I was eleven…I’ve been reading for thirty years so I would consider myself experienced. Then one day in March 2019 I said I’m going to do it. And here I am. I called it Past Midnight because I start reading as I put my daughter to bed at night and when a book is good I read “past midnight”. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It’s been so much fun, I love having access to arcs, I’m back at buying books too because I have a bigger space to house them. I’ve made such awesome friends in the blog world and on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter. It’s been more than I could have imagined and I love it. 😍

Two Pieces of Advice to New Bloggers:

I think the obvious and best advice would be to be YOURSELF on your blog. Because seriously…that’s the best advice to give! But here are two more pieces of advice that helped me build this blog:

#1 – A thing that helped me a lot with posting everyday even if I didn’t have a book to review is doing book tags, blogger awards (if you are nominated), and weekly memes that bloggers host. There is so much out there! I have two young children that want my attention constantly, even if one is in school, the other is still home with me and we run errands and do activities some days so at times I have no time to read or even post. So PRE-SCHEDULE some book tag posts, or weekly memes for your blog. Currently some weekly prompts/memes I’ve tried are:

All of these are fun, easy and adds some different content to your blog other than book reviews. Especially when you don’t have a book review lined up – these have been a lifesaver for me!

#2 – I’m never satisfied with the way my blog looks, I’m always changing something after a few months. But I found an easy way to add some graphics and that’s by using Canva. It’s how I make blog banners or just add some simple graphics to my page and it’s free! I’m all about free. I paid for one graphic I think and it was only $1. So it doesn’t break the bank at all.

And that’s that! As always you are not obligated to do this post, only if you want to 😘 – here is who I’m nominating:

TheGeekishBrunette

Prose & Pancakes

Storme Reads

Somewhere Lost In Books

Sometimes Leelyn Reads

Biblio Jojo

Yna the Mood Reader

Kitty Maries Reading Corner

abellafairytale

Jessica E. Larsen

Goodreads Monday } 10/21/19

I love seeing these Goodreads Monday post from my blogger friends so I’m going to try it out and maybe it will actually help me remember what is on my TBR list on Goodreads. 😅 This is a weekly meme that was started by Lauren’s Page Turners so check out her blog for more bookish content!

All you have to do is choose a title on your Goodreads Want To Read category and say why you want to read it.

Here is my choice for today:

Book Blurb:

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Why Do I Want To Read This?

How have I not read this yet? It’s been on my TBR forever and I see that it was published in 2011. I remember it being published and I think it was the same time as Divergent and maybe I just overlooked this one?

  • I see that Rebel, by Marie Lu came out and I definitely have to read Legend before that right?
  • A lot of people love it and it makes me want to see why.
  • I read Marie Lu’s Warcross series and enjoyed it so I definitely want to read more of her work.
  • I’ve been reading so much fantasy that maybe it’s time to swing back to Dystopian haha. It’s like how vampires seem to be coming back again.

Have you read this book? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about this book! 😘