Monthly Wrap Up | March 2020

I almost forgot to do a monthly wrap up for March! I want to forget about March altogether. It’s been the most anxiety filled, stressful month ever and April might be worse. All the news about the coronavirus is messing with my ability to concentrate on a book. I have so many books piling up on my nightstand, they do not hold my interest right now. 😞 It’s frustrating but I’m trying not to force anything. If I don’t want to read it, I put it aside and pick up another. I have a lot of books haha – maybe I need a book cleanse and not read for a good week. What will keep me occupied? Probably the new Animal Crossing game on the Nintendo Switch that I’ve been playing ~ plus home schooling my son takes up more than half the day.

Another thing I forgot because of everything going on? My one year anniversary for my blog! Yup, my first post was on March 13, 2019!! Oh how time flew by and how much has changed in one year exactly. I was bored and starting a blog last year, and today I’m worrying about my loved ones, friends, strangers – everyone in the world and pray, pray, pray for a vaccine or anti-viral to help with this deadly virus.

But thank you so much to my followers who stuck through with me as I find my way in this book review blogging world. It’s been fun meeting so many bloggers and book lovers out there. I’m grateful to all of you!

Anyway let’s see what I read in March 2020:

The next titles I had read months ago but reviews were posted in March 2020:

I think I did pretty good and read more than I expected. Let’s see if how I do in April. At least I can somewhat escape the news of the day with a book, even if I don’t finish it – I just keep trying to find one that will take my mind off current events for awhile. Stay safe everyone and stay healthy. Positive vibes to you all!

Monthly Wrap-Up | February 2020

Well I totally forgot to do a monthly wrap up post for February! I’ve been doing resin crafting and my brain has mostly been on that and also this coronavirus or COVID-19 news. We finally have a first confirmed case in Hawaii…but I’m pretty sure it’s been in the islands since February when a tourist went back home and his symptoms appeared. So…it’s been crazy right?

This was the year I was supposed to go on my first trip since becoming a mom 8 years ago! I haven’t gone anywhere, stayed home raising my first child, then number two came alone and yup have been chillin’ here in Hawaii dying to go on vacay. Planned a Disney Alaska cruise with my whole family (mine, my sister’s and my parents)…we’ve been so excited and now this. The cruise is the first week of June and this thing looks like it isn’t dying down soon but ramping up here in the USA…SO…that’s that. I’m sure our trip isn’t happening and now I’m wary of even being on a cruise ship. Oh well…it is what it is. Safety/health first, right? Yes.

So this is what I read and/or posted a review for in February:

I didn’t read a lot in February but that’s okay. 😍 I’m itching to buy so many new books but I’m trying to control myself and finish reading what’s still waiting on my shelves. Hope everyone has a good reading month in March!

Monthly Wrap Up: January 2020

It’s February already? I think January was a good month for me. I read less, and slower. It was a really nice change of pace! Especially since I’ve taken up learning how to do resin crafts and re-opening my Etsy shop. It’s been a month of learning a lot of things! But it’s a nice exercise for my brain.

I only read thirteen books though the photos below show much more because that’s how many were posted in January.

So here are the books I read and/or scheduled to post in January.

So it’s not in any order and I really need to update my book reviews list in my menu! How was your January reading? Did you meet your reading goals?

Monthly Wrap-Up | November 2019

Hi everyone, so yes I almost forgot about my monthly wrap-up post! I read much more than what reviews got posted in November. I decided to post later publication titles closer to when they will be released because when I post them right away, I think they get forgotten.

Thanksgiving weekend was wild! I had lots of fun and took a break from reading really – I had a weekend filled with socializing and lots of food. So I need to get back in gear, stop eating desserts, and get some exercise in. I can’t believe Christmas and Hanukkah (because we celebrate both) will be here in about twenty days! Then it’s the New Year and my daughter turns 3! Where does time go? Really…

Anyway here is what I reviewed in November!

If you want to check out the reviews for these books please check out my archives or do a search.

How did you do in November?

Monthly Wrap-Up | October 2019

Happy Halloween everyone! What a month it has been and here we are at the end of it. That means there are 2 more months of 2019 left…WOW.

Tonight we are going to dress and go trick-or-treating. My daughter will be Princess Aurora, I’ll be a fairy but not one of the Sleeping Beauty ones haha, my son is going to be an Angler Fish and my hubby doesn’t have a costume. After trick-or-treating we will pass out candy and then call it a night. I hope all of you have an amazing night.

I read a bunch of arcs, borrowed books and owned books. But there are the books I posted reviews for in the month of October:

I read a bunch of dark stories which was cool but I didn’t get through some of my library books, which is a bummer. So many books left unread lol…oh well, so many books, so little time! I hope I have some time in November to catch up. I did read a bunch of NetGalley eARCS but they will be posted nearer to their publication date. Here’s a list of those arcs:

And that’s been my October! How was yours?

Also yesterday, I got a notification I finally hit 200 followers! I absolutely appreciate all of you for following my little blog. If you have instagram I’m doing a few birthday giveaways on there that end on 11/03, so definitely try and enter them!

Happy Reading everyone and Happy Halloween!

Monthly Wrap-Up | September 2019

Hello October!

If I thought August was busy well…September was mostly about me trying to get my household over sinus issues, colds, and ear infections. Yay…not really. 😫 I managed to read a few books while my kiddos were under the weather. And it’s been HUMID, ewww, yuck, I want cooler weather and look at that, today I get that wish and now I’m dealing with more sinus issues and even vertigo. Enough of that depressing stuff, what did I read this month?

And that’s all I got. I read some really good books in September, so I’m really happy about that. If you want to check out my reviews for these books just check out my archive. Hope you had a good reading month and let’s have a great October.🎃

Monthly Wrap-Up | August 2019

August is over? What?! Where did the time go? I spent a lot of August at the beach folks and in the heat but it was nice because we were visiting with family. My kids had a lot of fun hanging out at the beach or pool – so much that my son already has two absences this month for school. He had so much fun he got a runny nose and sore throat. 😩 And he just started school…oops! 👀

But I am seriously ready for cooler weather and all things fall. We don’t get fall weather in Hawaii so I love all the fall decorations in the store, pumpkin bread in the stores and gearing up for Halloween. I love the holidays. 😍

So let’s get to it! Here’s what I read in August:

I read some awesome books! I do say 2019 have been really good with releases. 💃🏻 If you want to see the reviews for these books, just type the title in the search box or check out my archives menu. I promise I will update my book reviews list sometime this week.

What did you read in August? Leave your link below in the comments!

Let’s move on to September shall we? ☺️

Monthly Wrap Up: July 2019

And here we are at the end of another month! Wow! Time flies when you are reading and reviewing books. 😂 I didn’t realize it was the end of July until my hubby asked me what today was!

My goal for July was to read less books than I did in June. So let’s see if I accomplished my goal:

Looks are deceiving! Haha, I read more books than what is shown here because I pre-scheduled posts for August already. So in reality I read more books than I did in June. 🤦🏻‍♀️ But that’s okay because I’ve been reading some amazing books lately! 😍 I do think I need some more adult romance or just some good adult fiction to read so if you have any suggestions, please drop them in the comments.

Usually I list the titles and my ratings and a link back to the post but I’m pressed for time today and wanted to get this post out before I forget. Check my archives to see my reviews!

My in-laws are visiting in 2 weeks so I’ve been reading and writing posts that are scheduled to publish in August while they are here. Also, my son starts school on Tuesday so today I’ll be labeling all his school supplies since tomorrow is meet & greet and I can drop his things off to his classroom. August will be crazy busy!

With that said, and before I run off to do errands today – I just wanted to share some of my favorite photos I took this month. They are unfiltered and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking it that day.

A vibrant pink and purple sunset in Hawaii
My kids and I spied a double rainbow the other day!
My son enjoying the view from the ground.

Just a little sneak peek into my life outside of read and reviewing books. 🥰

Okay I hope all of you have a wonderful day or night and please, drop your monthly wrap up links in my comments section so I can read yours! And as we say in Hawaii, ALOHA…(hello, goodbye, love…)

Monthly Wrap Up: June 2019

I was so busy this weekend, I almost forgot it is the last day of June! There has been so many things going on.

I went back to school shopping for my son, attended a library book sale this weekend and sometimes I feel I just can’t keep up. I hope July is less busy for me because August is going to be super crazy with back to school and my in-laws coming to visit.

So let’s see what I read this month:

I think I did pretty good! I feel like I need to read less in July just to give myself a break.

Sweetbitter by. Stephanie Danler – 4 stars

The Bone Witch by. Rin Chupeco – 4 stars

The Heart Forger by. Rin Chupeco – 4.5 stars

The Shadow Glass by. Rin Chupeco – 4.5 stars

Sky Without Stars by. Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell – 3.5 stars

Enchantee by. Grita Trelease – 4 stars

The Storm Crow by. Kalyn Josephson – 4.5 stars

The Lovely War by. Julie Berry – 4.5 stars

The Orphan’s Song by. Lauren Kate – 4 stars

The Culling Trials (Shadowspell Academy) by. K.F. Breene & Shannon Mayer – 4.5 stars

Heartwood Box by. Ann Aguirre – 3.5 stars

Testimony From The Perfect Girl by. Kaui Hart Hemmings – 4 stars

Legendary by. Stephanie Garber – 4.5 stars

On The Come Up by. Angie Thomas – 4.5 stars

Dream Keeper by. Amber R. Duell – 3 stars

Crown Of Feathers by. Nicki Pau Preto – 4 stars

Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by. Jacqueline Firkins -4.5 stars

Spin The Dawn by. Elizabeth Lin – 4 stars

Crown of Coral and Pearl by. Mara Rutherford – 4 stars

Sorcery of Thorns by. Margaret Rogerson – 4.5 stars

Oh and we can’t forget the children’s books I read….

You can find these reviews at Starting Small Reads.

And to end this month I did something bookish! Yesterday and today I attended the Friends of the Library Annual book sale here in Hawaii. And yesterday everything was 50% off! Today, was the last day and everything was only 50 cents each! So I went both days and came away with these:

This is a two day total of……$14!!! Woohoo! Now…I wish I went on opening day, because the regular sale prices for these books were already like $1-5 each, which I would have paid. I used to attend this book fair when I was single and had lots of time on my hands. Now with my kids, I just wouldn’t take them – it’s held in a high school cafeteria, no A/C, some fans, some open doors, lots of time perusing and lots of sweating bodies. I live on an island so it’s been hot and humid.

One of my besties, J, came with me yesterday and we got a chance to peruse the tables for a good hour. I decided last minute to go again today but had no babysitter, so I took my 2 year old daughter with me, and my hubby took our son to swim class. She lasted about…15 minutes…I pushed it to 30 minutes, but by then she wouldn’t even enter the aisles with me. 😂 She wanted a lady bug book and there was none to be found! So I grabbed whatever covers appealed to me today. I’ve read a bunch of these already, but I wanted to re-read them. Next year I’ll plan for going on opening day, with no kids in tow and a ice cold bottle of water.

As for everything else, I’m trying to read, review, and enjoy summer with my family but I feel like everything is so rushed. School starts in 4 weeks! I have house guests in 6 weeks and soon it’ll be Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. 🎃🎄😂 You know how there is that Mid-Year Freakout Tag circling the book blogging world? I am freaking out…but not about books…or my TBR list…just about LIFE. 😂

How did you do in June? Read anything fabulous? Are you ready for the second half of the year? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Reading! 😘

Monthly Wrap Up: May 2019

Another month is done! Wow, I can’t we are in June…I’m not ready for the second half of the year. I think I did pretty good this month despite not reading anything before the GoT finale. 😂 Here’s what I read:

In Bloom by. Katie Delahanty – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lady Smoke by. Laura Sebastian – ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Pretty Reckless by. L. J. Shen – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beau & Bett by. Kathryn Berla – ⭐️⭐️1/2
Rule by. Ellen Goodlett – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Bluestocking by. Christi Caldwell – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What The Woods Keep by. Katya De Becerra – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Breakout by. A.M.Rose – ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Spin by. Colleen Nelson – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Four Dead Queens by. Astrid Scholte – ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Some Like it Scandalous by. Maya Rodale – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rebel Born by. Amy A. Bartol – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Kingdom of Exiles by. Maxym M. Martineau – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Memory Thief by. Lauren Mansy – ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Brazen and the Beast by. Sarah MacLean – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Children’s Books:

I did manage to review some Children’s Books – I read so many of these to my kids, I haven’t been able to keep up with reviewing them. I will probably be moving all my Children’s book reviews to a new blog to keep things separate. Stay tuned with that!

Stinky Science by. Edward Kay – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Boy From The Dragon Palace by. Margaret Read MacDonald – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bye Bye Big! by. Margaret Read MacDonald – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Look Inside Space by. Rob Lloyd Jones – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Llama Llama Mess, Mess, Mess by. Anna Dewdney – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m caught up on my NetGalley reads, just waiting to get approved for a few books. Since I’ll be waiting on that, I can catch up on the hardcover books I have waiting on my shelf and books I borrowed online as well. 😄 There are a few books I am really looking forward to reading in June. 🤗

Happy reading everyone! And hello June…😘