Monthly Wrap-Up: May ’22

Friends, I read thirteen books in May. Thirteen! I can’t remember the last time I read so much and even though a big portion of it was manga, I’m still going to celebrate. I still haven’t shaken off my fantasy slump, but have a couple of SFF reads that I am eyeing for my TBR for Pride Month (should go up in the next day or two). I decided to take it easy this May in terms of blogging, so I didn’t post much. That should change in June as I did manage to come up with a variety of ideas to close out the first half of the year. The first half of the year! I am kind of terrified by the fact that the year is going this fast. Make it stop.

If you are able, friends, consider donating to the victims of the Buffalo shooting here and Uvalde here.

Favorite Book This Month:

This is a really hard question for this month’s reads. I read a lot of good books and could probably have picked a couple of others for this spot, but in the end, I am going with A Pho Love Story by Loan Le. This was a nearly perfect YA romance and if you are looking for a great summer read, I would highly recommend it. Cover linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No book received lower than three stars from me.

Other Books I Read This Month:

(Covers linked to Goodreads.)

✿ Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman

✿ Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

✿ Spy x Family, Vol. 2 by Tatsuya Endo

✿ Spy x Family, Vol. 3 by Tatsuya Endo

✿ You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

✿ The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas

✿ Join the Club, Maggie Diaz by Nina Moreno

✿ Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

✿ A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Vol. 1 by Makoto Hagino

✿ Heartstopper: Volume Two by Alice Oseman

✿ Spy x Family, Vol. 4 by Tatsuya Endo

✿ Spy x Family, Vol. 5 by Tatsuya Endo

Reviews Posted:

(Covers linked to reviews)

Notable Blog Posts:

Top Ten Tuesday: 2020 Books I Was Excited to Get But Haven’t Read – Called myself out with this post. Feel free to bully me about any of these titles.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Nonsensical Reasons Why I Love Being a Bookworm – I had such a blast putting this list together. Here are ten reasons that I love being a bookworm and I’m sure you will all agree.

What I Watched/Am Watching:

Spy x Family – I wanted to read more volumes of the manga before diving into the anime, so I am not too far into this one. I am adoring it so far. Apart from this, I am kind of stuck in a rut when it comes to shows. I haven’t really gotten deep into anything, but have watched a lot of first episodes. Still searching for what will become my next obsession.

June Releases I’m Excited For:

(Covers linked to Goodreads.)

What have you been watching lately? What was your favorite read in May? Let’s talk in the comments and be sure to leave a link to your own wrap-up post, so I can visit!

Monthly Wrap-Up: April ’22

It’s May, friends, which means it is finally my birthday month (May 7th)! Going to be shameless and drop my wish list here. Birthday celebrations ought to last a month or at least a couple of weeks. Last month I talked about how I had slid into a reading slump and although I picked up a lot more books than I thought I would, I hesitate to say I am fully over it. In April I read nine books. It was mostly a mixture of romance and manga because those were the books that gave me the most comfort. This month I want to concentrate on reading many of the fantasy books on my shelf. I have far too many that I have let collect dust over the last few months and am really itching to dive back into the genre. Here’s hoping that reading slump doesn’t rear it’s ugly head again this month. I don’t have anything special upcoming on the blog and I think I might just take it slow this month. Hopefully this will give me more time to think of new posts to put together come June.

Favorite Book This Month:

Sharing two favorite reads for April. Sonali Dev’s Recipe for Persuasion made me bawl like a baby, but I really loved it. I have a feeling it will end up being my favorite after I finish the whole series. My favorite manga this month was Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1 by Kamome Shirahama. This book was such a treat. I instantly fell in love with Coco and this world. Covers linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No book received lower than three stars from me.

Other Books I Read This Month:

(Covers linked to Goodreads.)

✿ XOXO by Axie Oh

✿ Sweethand by N.G. Peltier

✿ Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow

✿ The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams

✿ Spy x Family, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo

✿ The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

✿ The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill

Reviews Posted:

(Covers linked to reviews)

Notable Blog Posts:

Top Ten Tuesday: Upcoming Adult Fantasy Books on my TBR – This post has me so excited for so many future fantasy releases!

Book Lists: Twenty-Two 2022 Middle Grade Books To Be Excited For – 2022 is full of amazing middle grade releases. Have a look at twenty-two (technically twenty-six) MG books that should be on your radar.

Rereading Corner: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone – Started a new feature on the blog where I talk about rereads!

What I Watched/Am Watching:

My Name – This was a pretty intense show about the lengths one young woman will go to to get revenge for her father’s murder. I really enjoyed the action scenes in this one, but did feel like the romance was rushed. But it was only eight episodes long and I can’t really be mad at it for developing the other relationships it did. TW: attempted rape and sexual harassment.

Business Proposal – Finished Business Proposal (and loved it!) as well as Touch Your Heart (I struggled with this one in the middle as it felt like it moved at a snail’s pace, but luckily it picked up the last few episodes).

May Releases I’m Excited For:

(Covers linked to Goodreads.)

What May release are you most looking forward to? Let’s talk in the comments and be sure to leave a link to your own wrap-up post, so I can visit!

Monthly Wrap-Up: March ’22

Friends, I think I’m in a slump. I’ve been in denial the last couple of weeks, but I am ready to admit how I’ve struggled to get through my last couple of books (and even current read). I’ve been reading pretty much nonstop since around September and it looks like I’ve finally run out of battery power. *heavy sigh* There are so many more books I wanted to get to this month and I’m honestly impressed that I managed to get through six. I also had some personal issues come up and did not have the brain capacity to juggle that and everything else. I just went on a little hiatus in January and am already thinking of taking one in April. Depending on how this next week goes, this will determine whether I step away or not. Besides said slump or maybe because of it, this month went really fast. I thought I had more time to catch up, read, and post, but then suddenly it was the end of the month and I had so little to show for it. Gosh, this is a cynical recap. Let’s hope next month turns out better.

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

Favorite Book This Month:

Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun was an incredibly dynamic fantasy. It is also my second five-star read of the year (yay!). I’m actually kind of glad that I waited to read this one because now I don’t have to wait so long for the sequel.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No book received lower than three stars from me.

Other Books I Read This Month:

✿Our Way Back to Always by Nina Moreno

✿The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

✿This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone *reread*

✿Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

✿A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen

Reviews Posted:

(Covers linked to reviews)

Notable Blog Posts:

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Enemies-to-Lovers Books – What a fun list to put together! Enemies-to-Lovers remains my favorite trope and I was so excited to share my favorites.

Book Lists: Favorite 2021 Debut Authors – Missed out on sharing this list at the end of the year, but glad I was able to put together this list of amazing debuts.

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Spring 2022 Releases – There are so many exciting book releases happening this spring, take a look at the ones that stand out to me!

Book Lists: 2022 Adult Horror Novels on My TBR – Probably my favorite post to put together this month. I want to get more into adult horror, so made sure I had plenty of 2022 releases on my TBR.

What I Watched/Am Watching:

Abbott Elementary – I actually forgot to mention this one last month, but I’ve been just completely enamored with Abbott Elementary. I love how much heart this one has and it’s been so long since a new sitcom caught my attention.

Business Proposal – This K-Drama is an absolute delight and just when I think I have it pegged, the show introduces a new layer. This one has everything from mistaken identity to Cinderella vibes to fake dating. I’m six episodes in and am just enjoying the ride.

Arrested Development – I have never watched this show and put it off because it reminds me of my brother and I knew it would make me sad to watch and know we could never talk about it together (If you didn’t know, my brother passed a couple of years ago). So watching this one is really bittersweet for me. It is hilarious though.

April Releases I’m Excited For:

What was your favorite March read? Are you a fan of K-Dramas? Let’s talk in the comments and be sure to leave a link to your own wrap-up post, so I can visit!

Monthly Wrap-Up: February ’22

No, why is it already March? I don’t like how fast this year is already moving. This month I tried my best to lean into mood reading again and truly I’ve just really been enjoying reading a lot more. February was also Black History Month, so I concentrated on picking up books by Black authors. This included my first five-star book of the year (I was sweating there for a minute thinking I was going to go a whole two months without a five-star book). I read seven books, but almost made it to eight. If it wasn’t for a migraine that hit me the beginning of this week, I would have finished Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun. This month I’ve also been exploring crocheting more. It’s a hobby I picked up years ago, but recently got back into. I’ve been making tons of amigurumi animals and just having a blast trying new things and improving my skills. So far, this bee is my favorite I’ve made:

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

Favorite Book This Month:

My favorite read this month was Sarah Dass’s Where The Rhythm Takes You and it was also my first five-star read of 2022. It’s a Persuasion retelling that takes place in Tobago. My heart ached so much reading it. For the romantics out there, second-chance romance and mutual pining are at the forefront of this one. But I especially appreciated Reyna’s journey of self-discovery and how she learns how to let herself be happy.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No book received lower than three stars from me.

Other Books I Read This Month:

✿Shiver: Stories by Junji Ito

✿Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne

✿The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

✿Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

✿Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest

✿Orange: The Complete Collection, Volume 1 by Ichigo Takano

Reviews Posted:

(Covers linked to reviews)

Notable Blog Posts:

Book Lists: Backlists Books I’m Getting to This Year – I’ve got some ambitious goals this year and that includes getting to these backlists books.

Top Ten Tuesday: Dynamic Duologies – Really enjoyed putting together all of my favorite duologies.

Expanding My Reading Horizons in 2022 – I loved putting this post together. I really want to expand my reading horizons by exploring unfamiliar genres and mediums.

What I Watched/Am Watching:

Rain or Shine – I finished Rain or Shine and it nearly killed me. I don’t want to give anything away, but this one character could not catch a break. Everything seemed to go wrong for them and they didn’t deserve to go through the things they went through.

Touch Your Heart – I am in the middle of Touch Your Heart, about an actress who takes a gig as a secretary for an attorney. This is an incredibly cute K-Drama and a little more on the light side if you are looking for something that will make you smile more than cry.

February Releases I’m Excited For:

What was your first five-star read of the year? What have you been watching lately? Let’s talk in the comments and be sure to leave a link to your own wrap-up post, so I can visit!