Happy New Years!

I hope you guys had a good holiday and a great start to the new year. It’s been pretty hectic over here lately but I think things are calming down for the next few days. I’ve been with my grandparents for the entire month since I got done with finals and it has been fun. We’ve been having parties with our neighbors and family, which being an introvert can be exhausting, but catching up with family has been good too. December was an interesting month for reading as I tried to focus on books that I had tried to pick up before but never got to. There were a couple of books that I got stuck on for a while, but overall, most of the books that I read were okay. I also saw The Rise of Skywalker on thursday and it was better than I thought it would be. Next week is my last week of vacation before school starts and I am going to try and catch up on as much reading as possible between now and the 12th of January.

For December I read 15 books. I struggled with a few of the books that I had picked up for some reason and I think it was just because I was so busy during the holidays. I also think I was in a small reading slump that I finally got out of. I only had a couple of 4.5-5 stars rating this month and most of the other books were around 3-3.5 stars. Overall, I did read a lot in December, but I didn’t quite enjoy some of the books that I picked up. i have some goals for this year that I will explain in the next couple of posts that I have coming up next week.

December Wrap-up: 

This month was an interesting month as most of the books were okay with only a couple that were rated 4-5 stars. The books that I picked up this month were books that I had on my Goodreads shelf for a few years and I was ready to finish them before the new year. I also picked up some to work for a few challenges that I am working on through Goodreads. One of my goals this year is to finish some of the longer challenges that I have been working on for the last couple of years or so.

1. Sword of destiny (0.75) by Andrzej Sapkowski – This one was slightly different than The last wish by Andrzej Sapkowski but I still really enjoyed it. After reading the first novella in this series I did have some unanswered questions about how Geralt met a couple of the characters and Sword of destiny answered both questions and set up the plot for blood of elves all at the same time. I’ve started the book but haven’t been able to really get into it that much, so I am hoping to pick it up for January and continue the series (5 stars).
2. The child finder (#1)by Rene Denfeld – This one was a bit of a surprise. I was intrigued by it when I first heard of the story and it definitely took me a while to get to, but I am glad that I did. I loved the atmospheric writing and how it was set around winter and December was the perfect time to read it. The story did take me a little while to get into but once I started it didn’t take long for me to finish (4 stars).
3. The jewel (#1) by Amy Ewing – This was a trilogy that I have been wanting to finish for a long time and I was finally able to pick up all three books at once. I don’t normally do this but when I went to try and find a review that would catch me up on this novel I actually found the audio book on Youtube which was really nice. It wasn’t quite as good as it was when I read it way back in 2014, but I can see why I really enjoyed it back then (3.5 stars).
4. The white rose (#2) by Amy Ewing – I read this one not long after it came out and loved it the first time. The second time reading it, I found that it was just alright. It did seem to drag a bit at the beginning of the story, but I did love a few of the characters (3.5 stars)
5. The black key (#3) by Amy Ewing – This was the only one in the trilogy that I wasn’t able to pick up around the time that it came out and never thought about it for a couple of years at least. Ever since last year I’ve tried to get it, but I was finally able to pick it up this past month. It was pretty predictable and I think I liked Violet less in this one than the last two books. I was glad that I read it since it was a short read but I’m not sure if I will recommend it or not (3 stars).
6. And the trees crept in by Dawn Kurtagich – This was one of those books that I got super excited about, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations. I’ve been wanting to read the dead house by Dawn Kurtagich, but haven’t been able to get a copy yet, so when I saw this one at my library I decided to go ahead and get it. It started off really quickly but unfortunately I think that might have caused it to drag a bit toward the middle of the book. It got pretty repetitive and by the time we find out what happened to the characters I wasn’t as interested in it (3 stars).
7. Hunted by Meagan Spooner – This one also surprised me. I didn’t have high hopes for this one as I normally don’t have good luck with fairy tale retellings. I didn’t really have high hopes for this one but I found myself really enjoying it even though I did figure out who the beast was about halfway through the novel. I think having the Russian twist with the firebird tale helped me enjoy the story more. I have found that I love story that focus around ancient Russian history and was really interested in it. Overall, I would recommend this one (4 stars).
8. White hot kiss (#1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout – This was another reread for me as I had originally planned to try and finish this trilogy in December, but wasn’t able to get to the other two. This was another book that I read way back in 2014 or 2015 (not sure) and loved it when I picked it up. This was originally picked up on a whim as I remember being in a reading slump and I think thats why I enjoyed it so much. When I picked it up a second time I did find that it wasn’t as good but still enjoyable in some ways (3 stars).
9. After you (#2) by Jojo Moyes – I had a hard time with this one. I would definitely say that this was one that I DNF’d. I can understand why this one was written, but on the other hand, I’m not sure if it was really needed. Originally I wasn’t going to pick up Me Before You (#1) in 2018 because I don’t normally like Adult romance novels but I am glad that i did because I absolutely loved it. When I saw this one I was a bit skeptical but decided to go ahead and add it to my shelf anyways. I really didn’t like the main character in this one. I feel like it was a bit dramatized, but on the other hand, I can sort of see why the main character reacted the way she did. I’m probably not going to continue the series though (2.5 stars).
10. Carry on (#1) by Rainbow Rowell – When this first came out I was excited about it because Fangirl was one of my favorite books of the year when I read it. I feel like if it had been a bit shorter I would have enjoyed it a bit more. I really liked the characters but felt that the story kind of got repetitive and it almost put me in a reading slump. I am glad that I read it though and would still recommend it if you loved Fangirl (3 stars).
11. The Rosie Project (#1) by Graeme Simsion – This was another one of those that I was a bit skeptical about, but decided to go ahead and try anyways. I read this one on audio book and while it did make it easier to read I still had to DNF it. I probably wouldn’t recommend it (2.5 stars).
12. Hikaru no go: Descent of the go master vol. 1 by Yumi Hotta – One of my unofficial goals of 2019 was to read more manga that was on my goodreads shelf. I would say that I accomplished this one but I really only read enough for a challenge that I had started last year.  I really enjoyed this one and look forward to continuing the series at some point (4 stars).
13. A conspiracy of thieves (#4) by Megan Whalen Turner – I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as I did the other three books in this series but I am excited to read the last two to see where this series ends. I’ve been reading this series for the last year or two and it is really good. Gen is by far my favorite character throughout the entire series but I love most of the other characters too. This one was a bit different than the other three as it focuses on a different character, but it ties in really well to the series. I also love that it is so unpredictable as once you think you’ve figured out what is going on a different plot twist comes up. This is one that I would definitely recommend (4 stars).
14. The walls around us by Nova Ren Suma – This is one of those books that I am not quite sure what to think of. At first I thought I would like it, but then it kind of felt like it was all over the place and I wasn’t so sure of it toward the end of the book. I did think the story was interesting and different as your not entirely sure of the time frame. The story seems to be set in the present day, but also have flashbacks of what the characters went through. I think it wrapped up well, I’m just not sure of it (3 stars).
15. Biomega Vol. 1 by Tsutomu Nihei – This was another manga that I really enjoyed. It was darker than some of the others that I have read, but I think thats what made it interesting. It was definitely a weird one but one that I would also recommend (4 stars).

So this is my December Wrap-up. Overall it wasn’t a bad month for reading. Even though it’s a few days late my January TBR is up next. I’ve started a couple of books, but haven’t really made any progress yet though I am hoping to have a couple of reviews up once I do finish them.

Marybeth

Hello,

I wanted to get this out earlier, but things got pretty crazy toward the end of November into December with finals and papers. I’m finally free for break now so I am trying to catch up on monthly posts and end of the year stuff. I haven’t done much this year, but next year I have some reading goals that I am thinking about. I’ll talk about it more in one of my posts coming up after my December TBR (also getting out late).

Oh, I’m also trying out a new graphic for my stats information for the month. I’m not sure if I like this one or if anything needs to be changed, but I think I might continue this into 2020.

November was a very good reading month, considering I was doing a lot of reading in school and had a couple of papers. It was kind of a weird semester because I had a lot of stuff to do, but no big projects at least until December. Thanksgiving was a pretty busy week, so I wasn’t able to get a ton of reading done but I did get some in. I did have to DNF two books that I just didn’t like, but other than that it was an overall good month.

1. Serena by Ron Rash – I love Ron Rash and especially after getting to meet him last spring for one of my English classes, I was really curious about his other books. For my southern lit class we had to read Serena, and while I was a bit excited about it, I was also a bit weary of it. It was a good thing that I was because I really disliked Serena. I didn’t mind the other characters, though Serena got added to my top least favorite characters of all time. Overall I would recommend this book if you are interested in Rash, but Serena can be an interesting and difficult person in the story (3.5 stars).
2. The whisper man by Alex North – I’m not quite sure how I heard about this one, but I saw it on my Overdrive and placed a hold on it. I’m so glad I did because it ended up on my top favorite books of the year. October/November has always been the  mystery/horror months for me, and it was the perfect time to pick it up. It’s one I would highly recommend (4.5/5 stars).
3. The last wish (The Witcher #0.5) by Andrzej Sapkowski – A few months ago, I started watching Booktube and heard about this series being talked into an adaptation. I’d never heard of it before which surprised me, though I am slowly moving into Adult Fantasy so I’m also kind of not surprised that I did. That probably doesn’t make sense, but anyways, this year YA Fantasy has not been the best for me and I was a little weary getting into it because I’d also heard that it was a set of fairy tales introducing the Witcher. I was pleasantly surprised by how I enjoyed it though, and ended up getting the rest of the series (4.5 stars).
4. The wicked deep by Shea Ernshaw – I’ve seen this one around for a while, and I was trying to remember if I’d read it before but wasn’t really sure. I decided to pick it up and while I thought the plot was interesting it definitely felt more character driven. I also predicted the mystery right before we found out about it, so I really lost interest in it after that and decided to DNF it. If you like the paranormal genre I would recommend this one, but I am not sure if I will try to read it again. I think I had too many mystery/horror novels at the time to really invest in it (2 stars).
5. Flipped by Van Draanan Wendelin – I really liked The running dream (I think that’s what it is called), and while I thought this was a great growing up story, I did find it really cheesy at times. I definitely think it’s more on the middle grade side and would highly recommend it for someone who loves reading contemporary novels. I think if I was still in high school I might have enjoyed it more, but I am glad I read it. It allowed me to take a break from the other books that I had picked up and was a short fun read (3 stars).
6. Dumplin’ (#1) by Julie Murphy – I was a bit apprehensive going into this one, but I’d thought I would try it to see if I would like it. I had to DNF it about 20-25 percent into the story because I did get tired of the main character. I thought the plot was good and the mc had good intentions, but the things she did got kind of repetitive. I won’t say that you shouldn’t read it, I’m just not entirely sure if I would recommend it or not (2 stars)
7. The bloodline by C.S. Feldman – I usually don’t pick up free books on Amazon prime, but apparently this was exactly what I needed to read before Thanksgiving. I love stories about houses with vengeful spirits and a background, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. There was a hint of romance between the main character and one of the other characters, but it didn’t take up the whole plot of the story, which was a refresher. I tried to find this book elsewhere, but so far I haven’t found it on other than Amazon. I would highly recommend this one though if you are looking for haunted houses.
8. A gathering of old men by Ernest J. Gaines – This was the last classic that I read for my Southern lit class (we had to read three books), and it was pretty good. This one was a new one for me and I am glad that I read it. I loved learning about the culture and the times that it was set in. It was definitely an eye opener for me and I am glad to have been able to pick it up when I might not have picked it up before. Overall it’s one that I would highly recommend (4.5 stars).
9. Black lagoon Vol. 1 by Rei Hiroe – I have a ton of manga that I am interested in picking up and eventually watch, but for some reason I always go for the one’s I”ve seen and read a million times (Naruto, Vampire knight). This was a new one for me and I loved it. I’m definitely planning to continue it after I pick up a couple of others and would highly recommend this one (4 stars).

So this is my November Wrap-up. It was a good reading month, though I am hoping to catch up in December. I have an ambitious TBR for December and I’m hoping to pick up some good ones too.

Hope y’all have a good start to the week.

Marybeth

(I’ll add in the links to Goodreads tomorrow when I post my December TBR).

Hello,

It feels like it has been ages since I’ve done something other than TBR or wrap-up. I think over the last few months I have lost a little bit of energy and with school and work I tend to forgot to blog. I have plans though, and some ideas that have been forming over the last couple of weeks that I think are going to work out. We are literally in our last full week of school before the holidays and it feels a little surreal to be there. I want to have a couple of posts out this week but I have so much going on with papers, work on the weekends and projects that I might not be able to get to it this week. But onward with this week’s Top Ten Tuesday.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

How life and my reading has changed over the last year:

1. This year has been a whirlwind of change for me and I used to absolutely hate change, but now I’d like to say that I think I am handling it a lot better than I used to. I think I’m starting to realize that some change is good.
2. Over the last three months I have come to realize that my anxiety had grown to the point that it had become almost hindering. I’d had a major change over the summer and then jumping right back into the school year with some minor medical issues that eventually got resolved caused me to have three breakdowns just in the first week of school alone. I was also taking 4 classes back to back with one class on my other days which was more overwhelming for me than I thought it would be so after two weeks of school I decided to drop one of the classes and I am now trying out medicine (since then) and seeing a counselor which is definitely helping it. I am in a better place today with the exception of some family stuff going on though I do know that I have a ways to go.
3. Since switching to an English major my reading has definitely broadened over the last six months and I am loving it. I have read more classics this year than I have in the past including The sound and the Fury by William Faulkner and Serena by Ron Rash. I have a greater appreciation for some of the stories that we have picked up that I would have otherwise ignored.
4. My top favorite genre of all time is Fantasy, but this year I have noticed a complete switch. All of the ones that I have picked up this year have either been 3.5-4 stars. I’m not saying that they were all bad books it just seems like I am not as invested in them as much as I used to be. Yet I still add Brandon Sanderson novels and others to my Goodreads TBR in hopes of getting back into it. lol.
5. Since fantasy has taken a back end for me at least I have found that I have really been enjoying sci-fi more than I was. Sci-fi is probably my second go-to genre, but most of the books that I have been surprised by the most have been sci-fi novels. I’ve also gotten into a thriller/horror kick as well.
6. I’m definitely a lot more picky about adding books to my TBR than I used to be. I still have some challenges that I am finishing up on Goodreads so I mostly add books that will work with those challenges. It might take me a while to get there, I hope that I will eventually finish them sometime.
7. I used to not really focus much on the critical reading, but most of my classes this semester focus on analysis works and it has started to work into the books that I read as well.
8. Over the summer I think, I started really watching booktube more than I had been before. I knew that it was there, but I mostly watched YouTube for music and movie reviews/reactions. Now I watch a lot more booktube and have quite a few booktubers that I really like. I definitely wouldn’t have discovered The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski without booktube.
9. Adding on to booktube, it has also given me more confidence to start thinking about my own channel which I plan to talk about in my December TBR post. I just have to get over my camera shyness at least a little bit. I don’t really like watching my self being filmed or listening to myself talk, but I am up for the challenge. Also if anyone has any advice on starting booktube and editing platforms, I would be very grateful.
10. As I start to transition into my final year of college (I graduate next December), I am realizing that I am reading less than I used to. May-beginning of August and December-beginning of January are still my best months of the year, but I am a bit behind in my reading goal that I am not entirely sure if I am going to finish it this year. It has caused me to start thinking about my reading goals for next year, but we will have to see how it goes.

So this is my Top Ten post of what has changed in both my reading life and my personal life over the last year or so.

What are some changes that you have noticed over the last year or so?

Thanks,

Marybeth

Good morning,

I hope y’all are having a good Monday morning. Our cold snap finally got here on Friday and I am loving the cold weather. I had a very busy week last week, but this week looks like it might be a bit quieter. I have a lot of personal stuff that I have to deal with over the next couple of weeks, but we are also in the last four and a half weeks of school before finals which is a little bit scary to think about. November is one of those months where it could be extremely busy, or not much could be going on either. This semester has been oddly weird as normally I would be very busy but I really only have a lot of reading for my classes. I do have two projects coming up that I have to work on that are due toward the end of the month.

October was one of the weirdest months of reading that I have had in a long time. I wasn’t quite in a reading slump as I enjoyed the books that I was reading and have started, but I just seemed to not have much motivation to finish them as fast as I normally do. I don’t really have a TBR this month except to catch up on the books that I am currently reading. I might add a couple more depending on how busy things are, but we shall see. I also have a couple of reviews up from books that i had read in October that should be coming up over the next couple of days or so.

October Wrap-up: 

Number of books read in October: 3 

Number of pages read: 956 

Number of books read yearly: 79 

Unearthed (#1) by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner – This one definitely surprised me. It reminded me a little bit of The Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones. I’m not sure if I like the romance of the characters (if there is one) yet but we’ll have to see in the second novel though I have heard mixed reviews about Undying. I am interested to see where it goes though and would definitely recommend this one (4 stars).

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson – I wasn’t going to pick this one up but then I realized that it would finish up a few sections of some challenges that I am trying to finish. I could definitely see the appeal to it, though it did feel like there was something missing that I can’t place my finger on. There were times where it was a bit cheesy, but overall I really liked the banter between the characters. Nimona was definitely an interesting character, and there was more to her than we initially think toward the end of the novel. I would recommend this one if you are looking for a light fantasy graphic novel (3.5 stars).

Underlying by Janelle Harris – I picked this one up from Amazon first reads and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It did drag a little bit at the beginning of the story, but the author does a good job of not telling us what is really going on until about 3/4 of the novel. This was released on November 1 so I will have a more detailed review up later this week.

November TBR: 

Normally I add these in the order that I added them to my currently reading shelf on Goodreads, but this time I decided to switch it up and start with the ones that I was close to finishing or need to read.

Serena by Ron Rash – This was one of the novels that I started for my southern lit class and will probably finish it later tonight hopefully. I love the story, but Serena is definitely one of my most hated characters. I’ve never really had a least favorite character list started that I can remember, but Serena is going on the top of the list. I’ve been reading it in short amounts of time only because I end up wanting to throw the book across the room half the time. I would still recommend it though.

The last wish (#0.5) by Andrzej Sapkowski – I heard about this one on booktube about a month or so ago and couldn’t believe that I’d never heard of it. It sort of reminds me of Final fantasy which I love so I went ahead and bought this one. I also ordered the boxed set of the first three novels and hope to start them in January. I also chose this one for my project in one of my classes. I’m only a few chapters into the first story and I am planning to really get into it over the next couple of weeks since I have a lot to do for it. I’m also excited to see how the Netflix show goes as well.

The whisper man by Alex North – I picked this one up after hearing really good reviews about it, and I am really enjoying it. It definitely has a scary feel to it and it is already tense as well. I’m only about 34% into the story though I am not sure if I will be able to finish it before I have to return it again, but hopefully I will be able to.

The wicked deep by Shea Ernshaw – This was another book that I picked up on a whim because of booktube. I also discovered that Simon & Schuster Riveted had the full copy up so I just decided to read it. I unfortunately haven’t gotten very far into it, but it is all right so far. Hopefully it will pick up once I get further into the story.

The creeping by Alexandra Sirowy – Another novel I got through Riveted that sounded intriguing. There were too many novels to choose from so I just decided to focus on these. lol. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it yet, but I shall continue through it.

The bloodline by C.S. Feldman – Another book that I wanted to pick up for October but haven’t really gotten to yet. What I have read is very interesting though, and it feels like one that I would enjoy. I think I got this one through Amazon Prime.

Black Lagoon Vol. 1 by Rei Hiroe – I unfortunately haven’t been able to find this one yet and debated about finding another manga, but I am determined to read this one as it sounds like one I would really enjoy.

A gathering of old men by Ernest J. Gaines – I completely forgot that I was starting this one about halfway through the month and forgot to add it to the list. This is the last novel that I have to read for Southern lit. I have the link up to the Goodreads description in case anyone is interested in it.

So this is what I have for November. I have plans for the end of the year as well though it might be December before I am able to do anything. Im also still thinking about starting a YouTube channel though I may start it during Thanksgiving break. November can be a busy month for me but I am hoping to get in some reading as well.

Hope you guys have a great week,

Marybeth

Hello,

I hope you guys are having a great start to the week. I can’t believe how fast this month is flying already. I would have had this out earlier this month, but October is a busy month for me with papers and midterms, so I got a bit sidetracked on some of the posts I wanted to get out. It’s also been unbearably hot here for the last few weeks, but we finally have fall weather and it is definitely nice. I have a very loose TBR this month since I’ve only read one and I finished it this weekend. Last week I had my fall break which was really nice and refreshing. I have two midterms and a test this week so I am going to be extremely busy studying and reading for school. I start my second book for my Southern lit class next week, and I am not entirely sure about it, but I am excited to start it. I also have a couple of big projects coming up where I have to read some books and do some side stuff for that as well. I think I already have my book chosen, but I am still kind of in the deciding mode right now.

Last week I also got a sinus infection and an ear infection though I am feeling a lot better this week than I was last week. I also got to go to Books a Million on my way back to campus yesterday since my grandparents were going in as well. I ended up with a paperback of The name of the wind and The last wish by Andrzej SapKowski which is part of the Witcher series. Even though I have struggled with Fantasy this year I have never heard of this series and I was intrigued enough by it to buy the first one since I’d never heard of it before.

September Wrap-up: 

Number of books read this month: 8 

Number of books read by year: 76 

Number of pages read monthly: 2,818 

   Genres read: 

Historical Fiction: 1

Sci-fi: 2

Contemporary: 2

Nonfiction: 2

Classic: 1

1. Jackaby (#1) by William Ritter – This was one of the last books that I needed to finish from when I started it back in May. When I first started it, I wasn’t in the right mood to read it since I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but I picked this one back up toward the end of August and absolutely loved it. I loved the banter between the characters and the mystery was very interesting though I did kind of predict who it was before the end. I’ll probably be continuing this series sometime next year hopefully. (4 stars).
2. Nyxia Unleashed (#2) by Scott Reintgen – I received an ARC of this one way back before it was released and for some reason I struggled with trying to start it. This month I decided to look for an audio book and stumbled across this one on my Overdrive account. I can’t remember who the speaker was, but he read the story so well that I was able to get back into it and finish it in two days (5 stars).
3. I’m not missing by Carrie Fountain – This one was also an ARC that I got from Netgalley last year that I struggled to start for some reason. Once I got into it the story picked up and it was alright. I haven’t been real big on Contemporary this year either but the ones that I have picked up have been interesting so far (3 stars).
4. The sound and the fury by William Faulkner – This one was definitely interesting and I was surprised by how easy it was for me to read. The characters did frustrate me multiple times and there were a couple of sections where it did get dense, but I am glad that I got the chance to read it.
5. I’ve been thinking…Reflections, prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful life by Maria Shriver – I was looking for something different to read and found this one on my Overdrive account. I read the audio book and it was interesting. The personal stories of the author made it more interesting than it would have been. I’d like to try and find more of these for something different every once in a while though (4 stars).
6. Skyward (#1) by Brandon Sanderson – I feel like Sanderson is going to be a hit or miss for me at this point. I’ve only read the first book in his Steelheart trilogy though I did add The way of Kings to my TBR for next year. This one took me a long while to get into though I did enjoy the second half of the story much better than the first. I liked that the first half set up the characters, but it did feel a bit slow at times. Overall I am excited to see what happens in the second book in the series (4 stars).
7. On the come up by Angie Thomas – I did not expect to like this one as much as I did, but I absolutely loved it. I picked it up on a whim and it was exactly what I needed at the time. I was invested in the characters from the very start and loved the romance though it did come as a surprise to me. This is one that I would highly recommend (4.5 stars).
8. The end of procrastination: How to Stop Postponing life and life a fulfilled life by Petr Ludwig – This was not quite what I was looking for when I was browsing through Overdrive, though it was alright. It did get kind of repetitive after a while though. I’m not sure if I would recommend this or not (3 stars).

So this was my September Wrap-up. Overall it was really good, and I was impressed that I was able to get so much read considering all of the reading I was doing for my classes this month. October and November are both extremely busy months for me, but I plan to have a TBR up for them even if I might not get to all of them until December.

October TBR:

The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy and this one looks to be just as busy but I am hoping to squeeze in some reading that isn’t for school. I do have a big project due for one of my English classes where I get to pick the book that I want to read and do a number of topics for it. I think I have the book that I want to read, but I will find out later this week, otherwise I will be searching for a couple of weeks before I make a decision.

1. Unearthed (#1) by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner – I actually just finished this one over the weekend and it was alright. I really loved the main characters though I’m not sure how I feel about the romance yet if there is one. I did really enjoy the puzzles and mystery of the temples that were in the story. I’m intrigued enough to pick up the second book but it will probably be next year before I get to it (4 stars).
2. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson – I’ve been reading this one since August and I’m not sure how I feel about it. It’s interesting and is definitely picking up now that I’ve gotten into the story, but there’s just something that I can’t pinpoint exactly whats missing. Its different though and i am intrigued enough to see how it ends.
3. Black lagoon Vol. 1 by Rei Hiroe – On one of my challenges I am hoping to read more manga this year and I am doing okay with it so far. I haven’t started this one but it sounds really interesting.
4. Under lying by Janelle Harris – This is an Amazon first read novel that I picked up on a whim while looking for a good mystery novel for the month and it is definitely interesting so far. I’ve only read a couple of chapters so far though. It definitely has fall vibes for it which is what I am looking for this month so I am excited to get into it.
5. The secret commonwealth (#2) by Philip Pullman – This is my most anticipated book of the second half of the year and I finally got it this weekend. I haven’t gotten far into it and it might be December before I am able to get back into it but I’m thrilled to be back in this world again and I am sure that I will enjoy it just as much as the first book.
6. Serena by Ron Rash – I read the world made straight last spring so when I heard that my Southern lit class was reading it this semester I was definitely excited for it. We start it next week and I am not entirely sure how I feel about it yet, so we shall see how it goes.
7. The last wish (0.5) by Andrzej Sapkowski – So, I have never heard of this series until I saw it on book tube a month ago, but it instantly gave me Final Fantasy 7 vibes for some reason and I was totally on board after that. My library has it through a different system which would take it a while to get here so I went and bought it on impulse at books a million the other day. I honestly wasn’t expecting my bookstore to have it since sometimes the books that I am looking for they don’t have at the time, but they did have this one. I really want to stop everything and read this one, but I am holding back my temptation since I do still have a very busy schedule. I am hoping to read it for my project though which would be very exciting if that worked out. I’m also interested in the Netflix show that is coming out sometime toward the end of the year, and hopefully it will air when I’m on Christmas break.

So this is my October TBR. I know I say this every month but I am hoping to get out some reviews that I have been neglecting this year. I also have a couple of fall tags that I am looking at doing as well.

I hope you guys have a good week,

Marybeth

Hello,

Happy Monday and Labor day for those that celebrate it. I had the day off school today so I’ve been blogging and working on homework though I do have a couple of papers that i need to get to by the end of the day.

This is super late but I finally have it up  even though it is in September. I also have a couple of other tags that I am thinking about adding here over the next couple of weeks depending on my schedule.

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2019?

• I’ve read a lot of books this year that were disappointing, but I think the ones that I really enjoyed was the red rising series, both Golden Son (#2) by Pierce Brown and Morning star (#3). I think Morning star was probably my favorite in the series so far as Golden Son took me longer to get through. I enjoyed both and would highly recommend if you are looking for a really good sci=fi series.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019?

• I don’t usually read many new releases as I have a lot of books that came out over the last two years that I still need to get to, but the best sequel that I have read this year is Daughter of the siren queen (#2) by Tricia Levenseller.

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to?

• I’m thinking about picking up Slayer (#1) by Kiersten White. I finished Bright we burn (#3) toward the beginning of the year and really loved that trilogy so I’m kind of interested to see if I enjoy this one too. Kiersten White’s novels are kind of a hit or miss with me so we’ll see how it goes.

4. Most anticipated release for second half of 2019?

• The secret commonwealth (#2) by Philip Pullman. My library already has this on preorder on Overdrive and I am number two in line. It’s unfortunately coming at a really bad week for me since I have midterms to study for in the first week of October, but I am excited for it as I enjoyed the first book.

5. Biggest Disappointment?

• Windwitch (#2) by Susan Dennard. I really enjoyed Truthwitch and thought I would enjoy this one. I really like Merik’s POV but didn’t really care for anyone else in the story.

6. Biggest surprise?

• I actually have two for this one. Toward the beginning of the year I really enjoyed Forest of a thousand lanterns (#1) by Julie C. Dao. i’m not usually a big fan of retellings but I really enjoyed this one.
• Another one that I really enjoyed was Lock in (#1) by John Scalzi. Even though some of the tech did get a little complicated it was an interesting and unique read. I would definitely recommend this one.

7. Favorite New author?

• Probably Bethany Griffin. I read The fall back in June and really enjoyed it. I feel like I have tried some of her other works before but if I did it was probably when I was back in high school.

8. Newest fictional crush?

• I don’t really have one for this one.

9. Newest favorite character?

• M. Savage from Alive (#1) by Scott Sigler. I looked at the summary for this one when I first started it and then having to double check it again while I was reading it. I didn’t have any idea that this novel was going to go into the direction that it went but it turned out to be a good thing. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing the trilogy.

10. Book that made you cry?

• The shadow glass (#3) by Rin Chupeco. This was my most anticipated book of the year and I was kind of expecting the ending to go the way that it did but it still surprised me at the same time.

11. book that made you happy?

• Right where I belong by Kristen McGee. I read this at the very beginning of the year in January and was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It is a YA christian novel which i haven’t seen many of. I actually found this one on my Overdrive account when I was looking for a good standalone to read. It also helped with some challenges that I was working on at the time as well.

12. Favorite book to movie adaptation you saw this year?

• I haven’t really watched many movies this year other than Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. For book to movie releases I haven’t seen any since Wonder I think.

13. Favorite review that you wrote this year?

• I sadly have not been writing reviews this year. I have some planned for the next couple of months along with some mini reviews.

14. Most beautiful book that you have bought this year?

• I don’t get to buy many books unfortunately, but for my birthday I bought The last magician (#1) and The Devil’s thief (#2) by Lisa Maxwell. I really like both book covers.

15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

Waaay too many, lol. I do have 5 that I really want to get to but it all depends on my school schedule and my mood.

• The secret commonwealth (#2) by Philip Pullman.
• Raging star (#3) by Moira Young – tried to get to this over the summer but ran out of time to read it due to school starting. I’ll get to it someday.
• Batman: Nightwalker (#2) by Moira Young – looking forward to this one since Batman is my favorite DC superhero.
• Firefight (#2) by Brandon Sanderson
• Hero at the fall (#3) by Alwyn Hamilton

So this is what I have for this year. I haven’t been able to read quite as much as I have wanted to due to school, but I have read quite a few that were interesting.

I hope you guys have a good week!

Marybeth