Weekly Wrap Up | 2/25/24

Aloha friends!

Here we are in the last weekend of February and wow, are we ready for March?! I’m ready for spring break but I don’t know if I’m ready that after March that means my kids only have 2 more months of school and summer will be here. 😒 My son will be going to middle school in August! I’m shocked, sad, but happy for him too but wow are my kids growing up so fast. 🥲

The good thing about this year going fast is my hubby will be home at the end of this year! Yay!

We had a packed weekend already with doctor appointments, tap and piano and Sunday school so 😅. I’ll be ready for spring break very soon!

Have a good week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

The Summer She Went Missing by. Chelsea Ichaso


Currently Reading:

One Last Breath by. Ginny Myers Sain

The Poisons We Drink by. Bethany Baptiste

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

WWW Wednesday | 2/21/24

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

My kids had a few days off of school this weekend, plus they were both sick with a cold on Friday so it’s been a long weekend that I needed to catch up on sleep.

What are you currently reading?

The Poisons We Drink by. Bethany Baptiste – 4% – no progress

The Summer She Went Missing by. Chelsea Ichaso – 29% – some progress

One Last Breath by. Ginny Myers Sain – 1% just started this one

What have you just finished reading?

Snowglobe by. Soyoung Park – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

All This Twisted Glory by. Tahereh Mafi – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Fake Mate by. Lana Ferguson (audiobook) – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Bad Like Us by. Gabriella Lepore – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are you going to read next?

The Last Bloodcarver by. Vanessa Le

Flawless Girls by. Anna-Marie McLemore

The Dangerous Ones by. Lauren Blackwood

Dragonfruit by. Makiia Lucier

What are you reading right now?

#5OnMyTBR: Set in a Foreign Country

#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook and you can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. It occurs every Monday when we post about 5 books on our TBR.

This week’s theme is: Set in a Foreign Country (can be your own if you usually read about foreign ones or choose a different continent)

Title: The Guncle Abroad

Author: Steven Rowley

From the nationally bestselling author of The Guncle comes the much-anticipated sequel, in which Patrick O’Hara is called back to his guncle duties…at a big, family wedding in Lake Como, Italy.

Patrick O’Hara is finally in a league of his own…professionally. Inspired by his stint as Grant and Maisie’s caretaker after their mother’s passing, Patrick has “un-stalled” his acting career with sit-com, Guncle Knows Best . Still, some things have had to take a back seat. Looking down both barrels at fifty, Patrick is single and lonely after breaking things off with Emory. But at least he has family, right?
When his brother Greg announces his big, second wedding in Lake Como, Italy, Patrick feels pulled toward Grant and Maisie and flies to Europe to attend the lavish event, only to butt heads with a newfound Launt (Lesbian Aunt), curb his sister Clara from flirting with guests, and desperately restore himself to the favored relative status in the eyes of the kids, as they struggle to adjust to a new normal. But is it Patrick’s job to save the day? Or is simply celebrating love enough to quell the family chaos?
Gracing the page with his signature blend of humor and heart, Steven Rowley delivers the long-awaited sequel to a beloved story, all about the complicated bonds of family, love, and what it takes to rediscover yourself, even at the ripe age of fifty.


Title: Castle of the Cursed

Author: Romina Garber

A delicious and dark gothic romance from bestselling author Romina Garber!

THE HOUSE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY…

After a mysterious attack claims the lives of her parents, all Estela has left is her determination to solve the case. Suffering from survivor’s guilt so intense that she might be losing her grip on reality, she accepts an invitation to live overseas with an estranged aunt at their ancestral Spanish castle, la Sombra.

Beneath its gothic façade, la Sombra harbors a trove of family secrets, and Estela begins to suspect her parents’ deaths may be linked to their past. Her investigation takes a supernatural turn when she crosses paths with a silver-eyed boy only she can see. Estela worries Sebastián is a hallucination, but he claims he’s been trapped in the castle. They grudgingly team up to find answers and as their investigation ignites, so does a romance, mistrust twined with every caress.

As the mysteries pile up, it feels to Estela like everyone in the tiny town of Oscuro is lying and that whoever was behind the attack has followed her to Spain. The deeper she ventures into la Sombra’s secrets, the more certain she becomes that the suspect she’s chasing has already found her . . . and they’re closer than she ever realized.


Title: The Good, The Bad and the Aunties

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

What should have been a family celebration of Chinese New Year descends into chaos when longtime foes crash the party in this hilariously entertaining novel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.

After an ultra-romantic honeymoon across Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband Nathan have landed in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with her entire extended family. Chinese New Year, already the biggest celebration of the Lunar calendar, gets even more festive when a former beau of Second Aunt’s shows up at the Chan residence bearing extravagant gifts—he’s determined to rekindle his romance with Second Aunt and the gifts are his way of announcing his courtship.

His grand gesture goes awry however, when it’s discovered that not all the gifts were meant for Second Aunt and the Chans—one particular gift was intended for a business rival to cement their alliance and included by accident. Of course the Aunties agree that it’s only right to return the gift—after all, anyone would forgive an honest mistake, right? But what should have been a simple retrieval turns disastrous and suddenly Meddy and the Aunties are helpless pawns in a decades-long war between Jakarta’s most powerful business factions. The fighting turns personal, however, when Nathan and the Aunties are endangered and it’s up to Meddy to come up with a plan to save them all.  Determined to rescue her loved ones, Meddy embarks on an impossible mission—but with the Aunties by her side, nothing is truly impossible…


Title: Where the Library Hides

Authors: Isabel Ibañez

The stunning conclusion to the story that started in What the River Knows. A lush immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, and a rivals-to-lovers romance like no other!

1885, Egypt

Inez Olivera is left reeling from her cousin Elvira’s murder, and her mother’s betrayal, and when Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.

Marriage to Whitford Hayes.

Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.


Have you read any of these? Or plan to read any of these?

>>>>>

February

  • 05/02/2024 — Artsy (character/setting/non-fiction…)
  • 12/02/2024 — Title Starting with an ‘M’
  • 19/02/2024 — Set in a Foreign Country (can be your own if you usually read about foreign ones or choose a different continent)
  • 26/02/2024 — Released in the Decade You Were Born

January

  • 01/01/2024 — New Year Freebie
  • 08/01/2024 — 2024 Releases
  • 15/01/2024 — The Longest on Your TBR
  • 22/01/2024 — Speculative
  • 29/01/2024 — Part of a Series

Weekly Wrap Up | 2/18/24

Aloha friends!

What a week. I got a massage on Super Bowl Sunday which was nice, and then I watched the game at home. It was a long game and the first half was boring, unless you like a defensive game. But it was a nail biting finish! Anyway, next day I took my kids to the beach because my daughter has been itching to go and they got a day off from school which was nice.

We got there at 8am because I wanted to get parking. But 8am means the water is still cold – I mean Hawaii mornings are kind of like 72 degrees and then it warms up to the 80’s right now. My kids went into the water and I was like…nope…it’s too cold! 😅 It was such a nice morning without anyone there and we needed this beach morning for real. 

Then there was Valentine’s Day – my hubby got his gift in time, and he said he found these amazing chocolates for the kids but he couldn’t send it in time for Vday. But it’s coming! And he got my an amazon gift card so I can buy books. YAY! I did get my kids some goodies and they loved it and felt loved and that’s all that matters! 

I’m looking forward to this holiday weekend because my kids get 2 days off which means they get a 4 day weekend. I can’t believe we are almost in March.

Have a good week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

Bad Like Us by. Gabriella Lepore

Snowglobe by. Soyoung Park

The Fake Mate by. Lana Ferguson


Currently Reading:

The Summer She Went Missing by. Chelsea Ichaso

All This Twisted Glory by. Tahereh Mafi

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • NFL Super Bowl
  • Doctor Slump (Netflix) – I wish all the episodes were out for this one! I love the couple, they are so cute!
  • Pride & Prejudice (2005 movie) & Persuasion (1995 movie) – I was reorganizing a closet and had this playing in the background. 🥰

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

WWW Wednesday | 2/14/24

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

Happy Valentine’s Friends! I hope you have a nice Valentine’s day with your loved ones or if by yourself hey treat yourself! Self-love is love too! I’m spending it going to my kids lunch time for a Honey Bunch Lunch. Just going to drop in real quick to show them some love because it gets chaotic in their cafeteria lol…

Is it it crazy we are in mid-January? I felt like this weekend was so busy because there was Chinese New Year events at my kids’ school, then all their activities all weekend (tap, piano, Sunday school), then the Super Bowl. Also they had the day off after the super bowl and my daughter was begging to go to the beach so I took them! I am kind of exhausted? lol…and then was running around yesterday trying to get their V-day gifts ready.😅 I’m looking forward to this holiday weekend!

What are you currently reading?

Snowglobe by. Soyoung Park – 28% – a little progress this week

The Poisons We Drink by. Bethany Baptiste – 4% – started working on this one this week

The Fake Mate by. Lana Ferguson (audiobook) – 3% no progress this past week

Bad Like Us by. Gabriella Lepore – 19% super fast read because I just started this the other night.

The Summer She Went Missing by. Chelsea Ichaso – 22% another fast read

What have you just finished reading?

Compass and Blade by. Rachel Greenlaw ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Great Alone by. Kristin Hannah ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – a backlist book from my shelf! So proud I actually read a book from my shelf lol

What are you going to read next?

One Last Breath by. Ginny Myers Sain

The Last Bloodcarver by. Vanessa Le

All This Twisted Glory by. Tahereh Mafi

What are you reading right now?

#5OnMyTBR: Title Starting with an ‘M’

#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook and you can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. It occurs every Monday when we post about 5 books on our TBR.

This week’s theme is: Title Starting with an ‘M’

Title: Meet Me at the Lake

Author: Carley Fortune

Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in Toronto. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.

At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s Muskoka lakeside resort—something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend’s the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin.

She needs a plan—a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is.

But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?


Title: Mirrored Heavens

Author: Rebecca Roanhorse

The interwoven destinies of the people of Meridian will finally be determined in this stunning conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky trilogy.

Even the sea cannot stay calm before the storm. —Teek saying

Serapio, avatar of the Crow God Reborn and the newly crowned Carrion King, rules Tova. But his enemies gather both on distant shores and within his own city as the matrons of the clans scheme to destroy him. And deep in the alleys of the Maw, a new prophecy is whispered, this one from the Coyote God. It promises Serapio certain doom if its terrible dictates are not fulfilled.

Meanwhile, Xiala is thrust back amongst her people as war comes first to the island of Teek. With their way of life and their magic under threat, she is their last best hope. But the sea won’t talk to her the way it used to, and doubts riddle her mind. She will have to sacrifice the things that matter most to unleash her powers and become the queen they were promised.

And in the far northern wastelands, Naranpa, avatar of the Sun God, seeks a way to save Tova from the visions of fire that engulf her dreams. But another presence has begun stalking her nightmares, and the Jaguar God is on the hunt.


Title: More Than This (The Davenports, #2)

Author: Krystal Marquis

The anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller featuring escapist romance and a wealthy Black family in 1910s Chicago

Like the blazing Chicago sun, the drama is heating up for the Davenports and their social set. Before the summer of 1910 drops its last petal, the lives—and loves—of these four young women will change in ways they never could have imagined:

Newly engaged Ruby Tremaine is eagerly planning her wedding to the love of her life when a nasty rumor threatens her reputation and her marriage. Olivia Davenport has committed to the social justice cause and secretly hopes she’ll be reunited with dashing lawyer Washington DeWight—until her parents decide she’s to marry someone else. Amy-Rose Shepherd is making her lifelong wish of owning a salon come true, but when an incident forces her to return to Freeport Manor, she’s back in the path of John Davenport, who still holds her heart. Helen Davenport is determined to get over her own heartbreak and bring the Davenport Carriage Company into the new century, even if it means teaming up with a thrill-seeking racecar driver who just loves to get under her skin.

Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, More Than This is the second book in critically adored Davenports series, following four empowered and passionate young Black women as they navigate a rapidly changing society and discover the courage to steer their own paths in life—and love.


Have you read any of these? Or plan to read any of these?

>>>>>

February

  • 05/02/2024 — Artsy (character/setting/non-fiction…)
  • 12/02/2024 — Title Starting with an ‘M’
  • 19/02/2024 — Set in a Foreign Country (can be your own if you usually read about foreign ones or choose a different continent)
  • 26/02/2024 — Released in the Decade You Were Born

January

  • 01/01/2024 — New Year Freebie
  • 08/01/2024 — 2024 Releases
  • 15/01/2024 — The Longest on Your TBR
  • 22/01/2024 — Speculative
  • 29/01/2024 — Part of a Series

Weekly Wrap Up | 2/11/24

Aloha friends!

I had to take a break after finishing HoFaS since that was such a big book. The break was nice! Now I’ve reset myself and am ready to tackle the last 2 February arcs I have and the ones I have for March. There are a few new releases I also want to read but I’m trying not to spend money. I’m wondering if I have the patient to wait for it at the library. 😆 We shall see!

Today is the Super Bowl and I’m not really rooting for either team. I’m just there for the entertainment of it all and seeing Usher perform will be fun too.  May the best team win!

Have a good week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

House of Flame and Shadow by. Sarah J. Maas

Compass and Blade by. Rachel Greenlaw


Currently Reading:

Snowglobe by. Soyoung Park

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Doctor Slump (Netflix) – such a cute K-drama! I’m bummed not all the episodes are out though. 

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

WWW Wednesday | 2/7/24

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

How is your February going? So far everything is going well here and I’m still trying to push through my February and March arcs!

What are you currently reading?

Snowglobe by. Soyoung Park – 7% – no progress this week

Compass and Blade by. Rachel Greenlaw – 13% and I think I’ll be finishing this one this week!

The Poisons We Drink by. Bethany Baptiste – 1%

The Fake Mate by. Lana Ferguson (audiobook) – 3% just started this one yesterday!

What have you just finished reading?

The Bad Ones by. Melissa Albert – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

House of Flame and Shadow by. Sarah J. Maas - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

Bad Like Us by. Gabriella Lepore

One Last Breath by. Ginny Myers Sain

The Summer She Went Missing by. Chelsea Ichaso

The Last Bloodcarver by. Vanessa Le

My March arcs are coming up so I have to kind of get on it. I have a lot of mystery thrillers in March!

What are you reading right now?

Weekly Wrap Up | 2/4/24

Aloha friends!

I was planning to drop everything to read House of Flame and Shadow and that didn’t happen lol. 

There was this whole week of anxiety because my hubby who said no trips to Japan this year so we can recoup what we spent in 2023, told me to book a trip because our daughter is having a hard time again with him being gone again. 🤦🏻‍♀️ So after a few days of trying to find reasonable flights and hotels for either spring break or end of May – and the trip being a trip for the 4 of us turning into a trip for 8 people (parents and nephews wanted to come) – I said forget it. It’s cheaper and easier for HIM to come home at the end of May because it’s the kids last week of school plus our son’s 5th grade graduation and we decided on that. 

After deciding on all of that, I finally started House of Flame and Shadow and I’m halfway through!

Have a good week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

The Bad Ones by. Melissa Albert


Currently Reading:

House of Flame and Shadow by. Sarah J. Maas

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

WWW Wednesday | 1/31/24

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

It’s the last day of January! And I honestly was hoping to finish reading a few arcs before delving into House of Flame and Shadow but oh well it is what it is, I’ll just have to really push through some arcs in February.

What are you currently reading?

The Bad Ones by. Melissa Albert – I just started this arc so I’m 45% in and it’s moving a bit too slowly for my taste.

House of Flame and Shadow by. Sarah J. Maas – 7% in which means I’m not reading else because of all the world building in this book! Who is done reading this one? It’s clocking in at 839 pages lol so it might take me a few days to read this one but I’m hoping by just focusing on reading this book I can finish it by this weekend – we shall see!

What have you just finished reading?

Heartless Hunter by. Kristen Ciccarelli – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Destroy the Day by. Brigid Kemmerer – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

Compass and Blade by. Rachel Greenlaw

Snowglobe by. Soyoung Park

The Poisons We Drink by. Bethany Baptiste

I’m trying to get through my February arcs! 

What are you reading right now?