Monthly Wrap-Up: March ’18

I feel like a ton of things were going on with my reading and blogging life in March even though I spent a week out of the month away from the blog. I took a two-week hiatus and am officially back with this wrap-up. At the beginning of the month, I did a buddy read of N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season with Annemieke @ A Dance With Books. I did a guest post for Lili @ Utopia State of Mind‘s blogiversary which you can check out here.  All the guest bloggers were fantastic, so I urge you to check them out. I hosted a bookmark giveaway earlier in March as well. I do have a book haul post that will go up this upcoming week (I completely forgot about this before I went on hiatus), so be on the lookout. I have an ARC review (Jenn Bennet’s Starry Eyes) that should have been posted a week ago, but I was on hiatus, so I let myself off the hook. This will go up tomorrow if my plan to edit it does today does not go up in flames. In March, I read six books which included a reread (These Vicious Masks). April plans include preparing for the Comment Challenge this summer and revamping an original feature on the blog. Stay tuned!

(Book covers below are linked to my reviews, unless otherwise specified.) 

Favorite Book This Month:

My favorite read in March was Tomi Adeyem’s Children of Blood and Bone. I know we all had exceedingly high expectations for this debut and I just thought this entire story and its world was nothing short of epic. I did manage to write a review of this one while on hiatus, so hopefully I will edit and post it in the next week or so. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No book this month received less than three stars from me.

Reviews Posted This Month:

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Dread Nation – I officially have this one in my possession. *does happy dance* This might be my next read. I’m feeling kind of slumpy and I don’t want that to affect how I read this one, so I’m just waiting for the ehhness to pass.

Top Ten Tuesday: Give Me These 2018 Spring Releases Now – My enthusiasm for these upcoming titles knows no bounds.

Reading Challenges:

Aside from the Goodreads challenge, I’m only participating in one reading challenge this year.

1. The 2018 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This month I read one debut book: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 3 books

April Releases I’m Excited For:

How was your March? How are your reading challenges going so far this year? Let me know in the comments and feel free to leave me a link to your own wrap-up post and I’ll be sure to visit.

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Monthly Wrap-Up: February ’18

I’ve been in a bit of a weird head space for the last couple of weeks. I DNFed an ARC for the first time and feel like I wasted almost a week trying to get through it before doing so. I’m trying to feel better about reading less, but it’s a really hard switch to flip. I decided to join Can’t-Wait Wednesdays as a way to fill the blog and not feel so much pressure to produce a certain number of reviews a month. Still, I managed to finish five books in February. I’m planning a two-week hiatus at the end of March, going into April, so expect an announcement around March 24th. Also, I will be posting a giveaway tomorrow for a few bookmarks I made, so look for that.

(Book covers below are linked to my reviews, unless otherwise specified.) 

Favorite Book This Month:

My favorite read this month was Sandhya Menon’s When Dimple Met Rishi. I can’t believe it took me this long to pick up this adorable rom-com. I loved both leads and smiled way too much reading it. My review will be posted in March. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No read this month received less than three stars from me.

Reviews Posted This Month:

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

Valentine’s Day: Book Recommendations to Make You Swoon – Loved sharing some of my favorite swoon-worthy contemporary novels for this year’s Valentine’s Day.

Top Ten Tuesday: Popular Romantic Movies I’ve Never Seen – I have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to rom-coms and the like. Here are ten romantic movies (now nine), I have yet to see.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo – This is my first time participating in this meme, which will be appearing on the blog at least a couple of times a month.

Reading Challenges:

Aside from the Goodreads challenge, I’m only participating in one reading challenge this year.

1. The 2018 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This month I read one debut book: A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 2 books

March Releases I’m Excited For:

How was your February? Which March release are you most looking forward to? Let me know in the comments and feel free to leave me a link to your own wrap-up post and I’ll be sure to visit.

Monthly Wrap-Up: January ’18

January went by so quick. I felt so sluggish at the beginning of the month, but finally feel like I’ve gotten back into the swing of things. I actually found time to blog hop before the month was out. Can you believe it? This month I read five books. My goal this year is to actually spend more time reading books and as a result, I will be reading less. I’m still working on those DIY bookmarks I promised I’d have a giveaway for. I’m almost done, so look for a giveaway to come your way late February, early March. Ish.

(Book covers below are linked to my reviews, unless otherwise specified.) 

Favorite Book This Month:

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Beautiful Ones was my favorite read in January. It was my first five-star read of the year and I fell in love immediately with it. Cover is linked to Goodreads. Gushing review coming soon.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No read this month received less than three stars from me.

Reviews Posted This Month:

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

2017 Fourth Quarter Book Haul: No Self-Control – I bought far too many books toward the end of the year and as a result, I’m going to try really hard not buy too many books this year. Yeah, I’m laughing at me too.

Kernels of Nonsense: Why I’m Reading Less in 2018 – A more in depth look at why I’m planning to read less this year.

Reading Challenges:

Aside from the Goodreads challenge, I’m only participating in one reading challenge.

1. The 2018 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This month I read one debut book: By a Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 1 book

February Releases I’m Excited For:

How is your 2018 going so far? Have you read a five-star read yet? Let me know in the comments and feel free to leave me a link to your own wrap-up post and I’ll be sure to visit.

Monthly Wrap-Up: December ’17

I cannot believe it is 2018. Where did the time go? There was a time where I was really pessimistic about the year, but I have to say that being a part of the bookish community really helped me get through 2017. So I just want to say thank you to everyone. This month I was really busy and only managed to read four books (this includes one graphic novel). I feel like this month went way too fast because I have been hastily putting posts together before the month is out. I would normally post my book haul post before the month ends, but like I said before, I’ve been really busy. Expect that one to go up this week however.

(Book covers below are linked to my reviews, unless otherwise specified.) 

Favorite Book This Month:

My favorite read this December was Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu, illustrated by Sana Takeda. It’s my favorite graphic novel that I’ve picked up so far. The illustrations are so beautiful and the story compelling. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No December read earned less than three stars from me.

Reviews Posted This Month:

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

End of the Year Book Survey – Annual bookish survey I always enjoy taking part in. I may or may not have mentioned Anna-Marie McLemore’s Wild Beauty a lot.

Reading Challenges:

I did it! I completed both of my reading challenges. I’m so proud of myself because there were moments in 2017 when I wasn’t sure I was going to meet my goals.

1. The 2017 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. I read several debuts to close out the year: Margaret Rogerson’s An Enchantment of Ravens, F.C. Lee’s The Epic Crush of Genie Lo, and Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 16 books

2. Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2017 is hosted by Alexa Loves Books and Hello, Cherry. I actually can’t remember if I included graphic novels when counting these books, but I included one for December. I read An Enchantment of Ravens, The Epic Crush of Genie Lo, The Hazel Wood and Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening.

• Challenge Goal: 20 books; Current Count: 21 books

January Releases I’m Excited For:

Did you meet all your 2017 reading goals? What will be your first 2018 read? Let me know in the comments and feel free to leave me a link to your own wrap-up post and I’ll be sure to visit.

Monthly Wrap-Up: November ’17

I’m back from my hiatus! I took a two and a half week break in November and so this monthly wrap-up will be a little small. Not going to lie, I also took a sleeping pill last night and I think I’m still half asleep. Excuse anything I write here that might sound like nonsense. I didn’t read very much this past month, only finishing four books (I know, can you believe it?). I bought far too many books over the last couple of weeks and am eagerly awaiting all my packages. My final book haul post is going to be huge. Also, I changed my profile pic just in case you think someone else has taken over my blog.

(Book covers below are linked to my reviews, unless otherwise specified.) 

Favorite Book This Month:

My favorite book in November was Anna-Marie McLemore’s Wild Beauty. I was so stoked for this book and it turned out to be more beautiful than I imagined. I did write a review for this one while I was away, but I need to transfer it, so look for a review this upcoming weekend. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

I’m in the minority for this one. I really wanted to enjoy this Pride & Prejudice inspired contemporary, but Emma Mill’s First & Then did not do it for me. I will have a mini-review of this one on the blog soon.

Reviews Posted This Month:

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

FLYTIP: Font Fervor – Got fonts? I wish I had more experience with fonts. It’s something I’d like to be better at in the future.

Reading Challenges:

Whoops, I didn’t read very much toward my goals again this November. I only have one month to meet my Flights of Fantasy goal! Panicking a little.

1. The 2017 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. No debuts picked up this month.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 16 books

2. Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2017 is hosted by Alexa Loves Books and Hello, Cherry. This month I read Tricia Levenseller’s Daughter of the Pirate King.

• Challenge Goal: 20 books; Current Count: 17 books

December Releases I’m Excited For:

How are you reading goals going now that we’re entering the final month of the year? Did you enjoy your Thanksgiving? Let me know in the comments and feel free to leave me a link to your own wrap-up post and I’ll be sure to visit.

Monthly Wrap-Up: October ’17

Goodbye, October! I’m really sad that this month has come to an end. My blog is no longer rocking a Halloween theme and it’s time to take down all my creepy decorations. I had so much fun with October Fright this year where I put together many spooktacular posts. This month I read six novels plus three graphic novels. No five-stars this month, but still a really good reading month. Though I’m not fond of Christmas decor in stores so early, it’s time to start thinking about gifts. I have an upcoming blog hiatus that is going to take me from the middle of November into December. I’m preparing for it now, so when I get back I don’t have a ton of blogging stuff on my plate.

(Book covers below are linked to my reviews, unless otherwise specified.) 

Favorite Book This Month:

It was really hard to decide which four-star read was my favorite this month. I’m going with Kerri Maniscalco’s Hunting Prince Dracula. I loved the Gothic feel of this sequel and can’t wait for more.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No books this month received less than three stars from me.

Reviews Posted This Month:

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Graphic Novels Read This Month:

(These received four stars from me; covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

October Fright 2017 – As mentioned before, I put together Halloween-themed posts that you can check out. My favorite from the bunch was October Fright 2017: Your Guide to Avoiding the “Just Moved Into a Haunted House and Am Now the Lead in a Horror Movie” Trope. It’s a bit wordy, but I had so much fun with this advice post.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Long-Winded Titles That Aren’t Necessary But Are Undeniably Charming, Much Like This One — Long-Winded That Is, Maybe Not So Charming – Apparently I’m a fan of long-winded titles. Here I list some of my favorites.

FLYTIP: Make Your Mark – Got a chance to share some of my favorite bookmarks including some DIY ones. I am planning a giveaway in the future, but probably won’t announce anything until after my hiatus.

Reading Challenges:

My October reading TBR was devoted to creepy reads, so I made very little progress toward these challenges.

1. The 2017 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. No debuts picked up this month.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 16 books

2. Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2017 is hosted by Alexa Loves Books and Hello, Cherry. This month I read Hillary Monahan’s The Hollow Girl.

• Challenge Goal: 20 books; Current Count: 16 books

November Releases I’m Excited For:

 

Are you preparing yourself for the holiday season? How are your reading challenges going now that the end of the year is near? Favorite read in October? Let me know in the comments and feel free to leave me a link to your own wrap-up post and I’ll be sure to visit.