Monthly Wrap-Up: January ’19

After starting the month kind of sluggish, I feel like January ended up being a really good month in terms of reading and blogging. My Kernels of Nonsense feature feels like its been in hibernation for the last couple of years, but I’ve already done two posts for it with a couple more drafts in the works. I’m really looking forward to all the backlist books I have lined up and am hoping in general to get to more of the books I own. With my Goodreads challenge goal set at 50, I feel like I have more time to spend on the books I’m reading and maybe even some more time rereading. This month I read six books which included two rereads. I did another buddy read this month with Carolyn @ A Hundred Thousand Stories. We tackled Holly Black’s The Wicked King which was really good and whose review is already up on the blog. I have three ARCs lined up for February and they are all by Latinx authors. I’m very excited to get started. I introduced a different format for reviews called the snapchat review this month, which might be replacing my mini-reviews. I’ve already done two and am kind of in love with the format.

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

Favorite Book This Month:

My favorite read in January was Susan Dennard’s Bloodwitch. I’ve been waiting for this one for ages and it lived up to all my expectations. It’s my first five-star read of 2019 and I’m so happy that I made time to reread the first two books before diving into this one. I forgot so much. My review for this one goes up this upcoming week, so be on the lookout. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No book this month received less than three stars.

Reviews Posted This Month:

 

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

2018 Fourth Quarter Book Haul: Is This Self-Control? – My final book haul of 2018 where I actually didn’t spend that much money on books.

2019 Beat the Backlist Challenge TBR – I was a little late getting this out, but here is my list of priority TBR books I’m going to get to this year.

Kernels of Nonsense: I’ve Been a Bad, Bad Book Blogger – In which I showcase all the ways in which I fail at book blogging. Despite the title, this was actually a really fun post to put together.

Kernels of Nonsense: Favorite Four-Star Reads of 2018 – I’m on fire with two Kernels of Nonsense posts this month. Here I highlight my favorite four-star reads that even though they weren’t five-stars, still deserve a lot of love.

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I Read in 2018 – Let’s also go ahead and highlight those 2018 five-star reads though.

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2019 by Latinx Authors – There are so many amazing books by Latinx authors coming out this year. Here is a peek at some of them.

Reading Challenges:

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

1. The Beat the Backlist Challenge 2019 is hosted by NovelKnight. I haven’t picked up any books toward this goal yet.

• Challenge Goal: 10 books; Current Count: 0 books

February Releases I’m Excited For:

 

Did you have a sluggish start to your 2019? Anything new on your blog you’re featuring in 2019? Which January read was your favorite? 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: December ’18

I am literally putting this monthly wrap-up together last minute because I completely forgot about it (let this not be an omen for 2019). I didn’t read as many books as I thought I would in December, but it still felt like a quality month. I picked up five novels in December including two rereads (Uprooted by Naomi Novik and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black). The latter I buddy read with Carolyn @ A Hundred Thousand Stories. One of the things I was itching to do (and still am) was to do a few rereads and I’m glad I at least got to these two. For 2019, I will be joining the Goodreads challenge yet again, but am making my goal 50 books. This is the least amount of books I’ve ever aimed for and my main reason for doing so is I don’t want to feel a ton of pressure in the latter part of the year. I will also be joining the Beat the Backlist challenge as well, which I still need to put together a post for, but look for it soon.

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

Favorite Book This Month:

My favorite read in December was Tashi Suri’s sweeping fantasy Empire of Sand. Loved the world-building and I swooned so much because I am a sucker for a slow-burn romance. My review for this one will go up in a week or so. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

Rebecca Hanover’s The Similars was a bit of a mess. I really liked the concept, but didn’t feel like the story was very well-executed. Expect my mini-review of this one sometime this week.

Reviews Posted This Month:

 

 

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Wicked King by Holly Black – I already have plans for this second novel and after finishing my reread of the first book, I could not be more excited.

Top Ten Tuesday: Fifteen Winter Releases I’m Excited For – There are a ton of wonderful sounding books coming out this winter. Check out my most anticipated list.

End of the Year Book Tag – A quick tag that helped to wrap-up December.

9th Annual End of the Year Book Survey: 2018 Edition – The annual questionnaire is back in which I look back at all the books that stood out in 2018.

Reading Challenges:

Aside from the Goodreads challenge, I only participated in one reading challenge. I can’t remember if 2019 debuts can be included in this number, but I’m going to count it. So I missed my goal by two books which is kind of surprising because I’m so used to picking up a bunch of debuts, but this year I didn’t get to as many. It happens.

1. The 2018 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. I read one debut in December and that was The Similars by Rebecca Hanover.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Final Count: 10 books

January Releases I’m Excited For:

 

Which read was the highlight of your December? Which book will be your first priority in 2019?  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. Happy New Year!

Monthly Wrap-Up: November ’18

I’m officially back from hiatus! I will be catching up on comments both today and tomorrow, particularly ones left on my Top Ten Tuesday post I put up this last week. If I have time today, I will also be doing a little blog hopping. I missed my blog, but I also missed all of yours as well.

I cannot believe that it is already December. Where did 2018 go? My November was defined by the most part by the aforementioned hiatus I took in the middle of the month. I didn’t work on my blog for a whole two and a half weeks. I wish I could say I picked up an absurd number of books while away from the blog, but it was more of the same. I read 6 novels in November, only bought a couple of books for myself (here’s to self-control!), and feel really confident going into December. There are a few books I really want to get to as we say goodbye to 2018 and a couple of blog posts I’ve been thinking about that I at least want to start on. We’ll see how it goes.

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

Favorite Book This Month:

Rebecca Roanhouse’s Trail of Lightning is the book I’m going to be screaming about for the rest of the year into next year. I kid you not, the day after I finished my library copy, I was on the hunt for my own copy. It was that good. The world-building was top-notch, the characters hard not to root for, and the action took my breath away. I cannot wait to share my review with you. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

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

Reviews Posted This Month:

 

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – I am already salivating over this release. Chokshi is one of my favorite writers and you can bet that this is at the top of my preorder list (I preordered this while on hiatus).

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Sibling Relationships – I “broke” my hiatus so I could do this topic because I love sibling relationships in books and had to share this list with everyone.

Reading Challenges:

Aside from the Goodreads challenge, I’m only participating in one reading challenge this year. I close the second to last month accepting that I am not going to meet my goal. I’m okay with that.

1. The 2018 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. I read one debut in November and that was Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 9 books

I have no December releases on my TBR, so instead here are a few books I’m hoping to pick up before the end of 2018:

 

Do you take a break from your blog during the busy holiday season? How was your November? Did you have an enjoyable Thanksgiving? Any books you need to get to before we end 2018? 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 ’18

I had such a busy September and October that I’m kind of glad we have moved into November. Even though I love October and Halloween, I am ready for a little break. I will be going on hiatus around the middle of November and won’t be back until the beginning of December, just to give you a heads up (I will be posting a hiatus announcement around the 15th). This month I picked up an interesting variety of books. I read two graphic novels, four novels, a novella, and an anthology. I wrapped up Latinx Heritage Month with a couple more posts this month and had a myriad of Halloween-themed posts go up for October Fright 2018. Kind of sad my blog is no longer Halloween-themed, but until next year, I suppose. I’m already thinking about Christmas despite my resolve to wait until after Halloween. Already bought Christmas gifts for my nephews (yes, they are books).

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

Favorite Book This Month:

I read several really good novels in October, but no five star. Still, Courtney Summers’s Sadie was a really great mystery read that had me wishing for a better outcome for several of the characters even when evidence indicated otherwise. Going to see if I can squeeze in my review of this one before I go on hiatus. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

I wish I enjoyed Welcome to Lovecraft (Locke & Key, #1) by Joe Hill (illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez) more, but we just didn’t vibe. I really don’t have any complaints about the story, but it just wasn’t for me.

Reviews Posted This Month:

 

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

Latinx Heritage Month 2018, Part IV: Backlist TBR – In this post I list some books by Latinx authors that I still need to get to. Crossing my fingers I get to most of these in the next year.

Latinx Heritage Month 2018, Part V: Wish List – For my final post for Latinx Heritage Month, I discuss things I’d like to see more of in books about Latinx characters and by Latinx authors.

October Fright 2018: The Bone-Chilling Recap – Instead of listing every October Fright post, I made a wrap-up post where you can find all my posts.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Resolutions by Mia Garcia – Mia Garcia’s upcoming sophomore novel is perfect for contemporary readers and those looking for books that focus on friend groups.

Can’t Wait-Wednesday: Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard – I am beyond excited for this third book in the Witchlands series. I’ve been waiting almost two years for this one!

Top Ten Tuesday: Fictional Villains I Can’t Help But Root For – This was a fun post to put together where I talk about some bookish villains that I absolutely love and sometimes root for.

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. I read two debuts this month and wasn’t even trying. I read The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw and Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer. There might still be hope for this challenge!

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 8 books

November Releases I’m Excited For:

How was your October? Do you pick up any great, creepy reads? Any hiatus plans now that the holidays are coming around? 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: September ’18

I don’t say this often, but I had a really lovely and productive month in terms of books and blogging. I started a blog series in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month (will continue into October), currently have a Twitter giveaway running (check it out here), and got started on some spooky posts for October. I also ended up reading seven novels and two poetry books. Yay, me! I also got an ARC in the mail (Julie C. Dao’s Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix) from the publisher which made me really happy. As you may have noticed, the blog looks a little different today and that’s because I love giving A Kernel of Nonsense a little bit of a spooky makeover for October. Hope you stick around all month long and find out what I have in store.

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

Favorite Book This Month:

Anna-Marie McLemore is one of the most talented authors I’ve read in recent years. If you enjoy magical realism and fairy tale retellings, Blanca & Roja needs to be on your TBR. I cannot wait to hold the final copy of this novel in my hands. My review for this will go up this Thursday. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No book this month received less than three stars.

Reviews Posted This Month:

 

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke – I probably won’t get to this one soon, but I’m still really excited to check this one out.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C.Dao – It was pure coincidence that I had this post in my drafts when I ended up receiving an ARC for this one from the publisher in the mail. Now I’m even more stoked.

Summer 2018 Comment Challenge Wrap-up + Newsletter – Lonna and I end our seasonal blogger challenge with a wrap-up post and an opportunity for bloggers to signup for our newsletter to let you know when we bring this challenge back.

Latinx Heritage Month, Part I: Favorite Reads – I share my top eleven reads I read over the course of the last year by Latinx authors. Includes shout outs for Anna-Marie McLemore, Elizabeth Acevedo, Lily Anderson, and Adam Silvera.

Latinx Heritage Mont, Part II: New & Upcoming Releases – I put together a list of 51 books by Latinx authors being released September 2018 through 2019. Be sure to check it out!

Latinx Heritage Month, Part III: Latinx Poets You Should Know – I share a few Latinx slam poets that I love.

Top Ten Tuesday: Hidden Gems You Should All Read – I share some hidden gems I’ve read over the last year. I recommend all of these books if you haven’t done so already.

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. Hey now, I read a debut this month! I picked up Mirage by Somaiya Daud and it was so good, but my progress for this challenge has been so bad.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 6 books

October Releases I’m Excited For:

How was your September? Have any spooky plans for 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.

 

Monthly Wrap-Up: August ’18

I didn’t read much in August, but this is the first month this year where I don’t feel guilty about it. I took a little hiatus at the beginning of the month which went by real quick, but I’m still happy I took it. I read four books in August, but still felt really productive because I’ve gotten an early start on September and October posts. August marks the end of the Summer 2018 Comment Challenge that I cohost with Lonna @ FLYLēF. We have a wrap-up post coming up at the beginning of September, so be on the lookout. I’m really excited about Latinx Heritage Month which begins September 15th. I’ve got a lot of awesome posts in store, including a giveaway, so keep an eye on my blog and Twitter account. I can’t believe fall is just around the corner. I for one have been dreaming about cooler weather. I want to wear all the cute sweaters. I just need the weather to cooperate.

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

Favorite Book This Month:

I had high expectations for this one and am happy to say that Natalie C. Parker’s Seafire lived up to all of them. If you like pirates and the sound of an all-female crew, you must read this one. Click on the cover to read my review.

Least Favorite Book This Month:

No book this month received less than three stars.

Reviews Posted This Month:

Read, Review Coming Soon:

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Notable Blog Posts This Month:

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Mirage by Somaiya Daud – I probably won’t get to this one soon, but I’m still really excited to check this one out.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore – If you know anything about me, you know how excited I am for another Anna-Marie McLemore book. Can’t wait to read this one!

Top Ten Tuesday: Five Blogs I’ve Followed the Longest and Five I’ve Recently Followed – Loved giving a shout out to bloggers I’ve followed the longest and those I’ve recently followed.

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. I went another month without reading any 2018 debuts. I might not make my goal for this one.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 5 books

September Releases I’m Excited For:

(so many, but only picking five to highlight, but SOOO many)

How many books did you read in August? Which September release are you 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.