Wrap Up: June 2018

Hi everyone! June was a very strange month for me. I was incredibly busy with finals (yes I know, I’m still in the process of completing my finals, and I still have three more to go), my birthday, and quite a lot of other things.

The weird thing is that I really felt like I had hardly read anything this month, but when I looked at Goodreads I found out that I had actually read a lot? But for some reason this month went by so slowly that I could hardly remember the books I read at the beginning of the month, and it feels like I read them forever ago.

I still really hope that July might be an even better month for me because, with my birthday presents, my TBR is quite big and I would very much like to make a dent in it. But first, some more studying.

Check, Please! #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu – I loved this so much!! It was so cute and I can’t wait to continue this series.
Rebound by Kwame Alexander – I might have cried while reading this. My review.
From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon – I didn’t like this as much as I liked When Dimple Met Rishi, but it was still a very fun and cute read.
Not the Girls You’re Looking For by Aminah Mae Safi – This book was a bit of a disappointment. You can read my full review here.
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani – This was an incredibly difficult, but very important and good read. I’m glad I read it.

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey – The synopsis of this book always intrigued me, and it was a quick and fun read, but just not as good as I expected.
Lights, Camera, Cook! by Charise Mericle Harper – The perfect read for when you’re super stressed out. Adorable, a lot of fun, and it has super cute illustrations.
Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks – This was a bit different than what I expected, but I loved it. The characters, the plot and the art were all really great.
Meet Cute by various authors – I have mixed feelings on this one, but overall, I quite liked it. My review.
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang – I got this one for my birthday, and it was one of the best birthday gifts because I just loved it so so much.

The Oddysey by Homer – Uh yes, I actually read the Oddysey. Wow. And I didn’t like it.
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow ad Jen Wang – I was excited to read another Jen Wang book after loving The Prince and the Dressmaker, but it was kinda underwhelming. Still loved the art, though.
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki – Great art, but the story just wasn’t my thing.
The Science of Breakable Things – A very difficult story about a girl who’s mom has depression, but very well done. I cried quite a lot while reading it.
After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay – Really really good. My review. 

Yes, I’m really still reading The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie. Or rather, it’s still on my currently-reading list. For some reason I put it down once my exams came around, and I never picked it back up. The same goes for Lemons by Melissa Savage. I really liked both of these books, so I definitely plan on continuing them this month.
I also picked up Front Desk by Kelly Yang tonight. I was super excited about this book, and I heard really good things about it, so I couldn’t help myself even though I know it would’ve been better if I finished one of the two previously mentioned books first. Oh well. I don’t regret anything though, because I’m about 50 pages in and I’m loving it.

So, that’s everything I managed to read in the month of June! What about you? What was the best book you read last month?

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Wrap Up: May 2018

Oh boy, this month was difficult to say the least. I already wrote about it a little in this blog post, but long story short: I had finals which I was incredibly stressed about, and my grandma was rushed to the hospital with severe heart problems. So yeah… I’ve had more panic attacks this month than I’ve had in quite some time. But I’m very glad that my grandma is home and doing a lot better, and that I have some time off until my next finals start.

As you can probably guess, I haven’t had time time to read as much as I usually do, but luckily I loved the things I did read. Next month is still going to be pretty hectic because of my other finals (still 5 to go, aaah!), but hopefully I’ll be able to read a bit more!

ALSO, June is my birthday month (I’m turning 21!) and if you want to buy me a birthday present you can do so here. Anyway, I hope June will be a lovely month for all of you, and let’s get to the books!

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli – I was super mega excited about this book, and while I did end up loving it (Leah was super relatable and I loved seeing the other characters again) it didn’t fully live up to my expectations. I still gave it 5 stars, though. Maybe 4.8 stars, if I want to be precise.
The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde – LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED here’s my review.
Puddin’ by Julie Murphy – I read Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy last month and was a bit underwhelmed by it, which is why I didn’t expect much from this book, but I ended up loving it!

Goldie Vance vol. 4 by Hope Larson, Jackie Ball, Elle Power and Sarah Stern – I’m a huge fan of the Goldie Vance comics and this new volume definitely didn’t disappoint. I love the characters, the plot is always fun, and the art is gorgeous!
Fence vol. 1 by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad and Joana Lafuente – I’m such a sucker for sports comics, so it was pretty easy for me to like this. Sadly, I just didn’t love it… I just can’t put my finger on why.
The Van Gogh Deception by Deron Hicks – This was an incredibly fun middle grade mystery that had a lot of things going for it, but a few things kept me from enjoying it as much as I wish I had. Read my full review here.

I’m currently reading quite a few things (and I’m also planning on picking up The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang tonight) so that’s a bit chaotic, but I just keep switching between books instead of actually reading and finishing one. Anyway, I started The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie a few weeks ago and I loved it, but I had to put it down when everything started getting so… panicky and I’ve honestly forgotten about it since. I didn’t even remember I started it until I saw it on my Goodreads shelf. Woops.

I’m also still reading Meet Cute, just like I was in my last wrap-up. I think I have about 4 stories left and I should really push myself to actually finish it soon. And lastly, I’m listening to the audiobook of From Twinkle With Love by Sandhya Menon. I’m… having complicated feelings towards it. Sometimes I really love it, and sometimes I don’t like it as much. I really hope I’ll love it in the end!

So, those were all of the books I read in May. Now tell me, what’s the best book you’ve read last month? And what are your reading plans for June?

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Wrap Up: April 2018

Hi everyone! This month has really been… something. I was in a bit of a reading slump at the beginning of the month, but guess what happened once I realized that my exams were very very close and that I needed to buckle down and study? Yup, I wanted to read all the things.

Luckily I did manage to behave a bit adult-ish and devote a lot of time to studying, but that has made me incredibly stressed and anxious. My first exam is now only a week away and I feel like I need to be doing so much more and that I’m not ready at all and AAAAH. Please help.

Anyway, the April TBR that I made was a complete fail but I’m still pretty proud of the things that I did manage to read this month, considering how stressed I’ve been! Now let’s hope that I won’t spend the whole month of May having panic attacks because of my exams, and that I’ll still get to read a few books!

The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding – This was so cute and so lovely and I just really liked it. Check out my review here.
Girl Reporter by Tansy Rayner Roberts – This book had a vlogger, superheroes, an f/f relationship and a very epic battle. What more could I want?
Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – I reread this in preparation of Leah on the Offbeat and I loved it even more than I remembered.

The Final Six by Alexandra Monir – I picked this up on a whim and it completely blew me away. I can’t wait for the sequel!
We Carry the Sky by McKayla Robbin – I reread this because I remembered loving it so much when I first read it but it ended up being a bit underwhelming?
I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman – So good??? I loved the characters, the plot, the anxiety rep, basically everything.

The Crossover and Booked by Kwame Alexander – I didn’t expect to love these books as much as I did. Check out my reviews here and here.
Sunny by Jason Reynolds – It’s no secret that I love Jason Reynolds and the Track series, and I had super high expectations for this one, but somehow I was still surprised by how much I loved it.
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy – I still feel a little conflicted on this one. It was okay; I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. I just expected a lot more. 

I started listening to the audiobook of Leah on the Offbeat today and I’m only 1.5 hours in so far, but I’m loving it! It’s amazing to be back in this world, to see the characters again, and to get to know Leah better. I’m also currently reading Meet Cute, which I didn’t expect to pick up because 1) I’m usually not the biggest fan of anthologies, and 2) the reviews for it haven’t been the best, but I’m liking it so far! It’s perfect for me right now, because everytime I need a break from studying because it’s just too much, I can just sit down and read a story.

That was everything I read in April! Now tell me, what was the best thing you’ve read this month?

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Wrap Up: March 2018

Hi everyone! March went by so incredibly quickly for me. I honestly have no idea what to tell you about it, because on the one hand I feel like I basically got nothing done, but on the other hand I feel like I was incredibly busy and everything was super chaotic, so that’s fun.

I did manage to read quite a bit, which was partly thanks to my Scribd subscription. I used to have a subscription with them before, but where we used to only be able to read 3 e-books and 1 audiobook a month, you now have unlimited access. So, of course, I got quite a few audiobooks in.

I have no idea if I’ll be able to read just as much in April. My finals are in May, which means that I’ll have a lot of studying to do, but that can mean two things. Either I actually study and I hardly read, or I procrastinate and end up reading a lot more than I plan on reading. Let’s hope it’s going to be the former…

Joe Speedboot by Tommy Wieringa – I tried to read this for school but I hated it so much that I ended up DNF’ing it.
My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma – I quite liked this! The romance was cute, I liked the film aspect of it, but I didn’t *love* the main character.
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya – This was incredibly wonderful and touching and there was a lot of food involved, which I’m always a fan of.
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor – It took me way too long to finally pick this one up and I really enjoyed it!

As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds – I’m a big fan of Jason Reynolds, and I’ve liked every single one of his books a lot, so it’s no surprise that I really enjoyed this one too.
Ghost and Patina by Jason Reynolds – I’m really enjoying this series, and I can’t wait for the 3rd book, which comes out in April I believe.
The Sky at Our Feet by Nadia Hashimi – I picked this one up on a whim because the audiobook was available, and I ended up really enjoying it! It’s a shame that I’ve hardly seen anyone talk about it.

Prom Queen Perfect by Clarisse David – This was very enjoyable, and I adored the romance and character development.
Want by Cindy Pon – This was GOOD. Like, really really good. Definitely one of the best SFF books I’ve ever read.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo – One of the most powerful books that I’ve read, and I’m sure it’s going to stay with me for a long time.
Better at Weddings Than You by Mina V. Esguerra – This was a fun read, and the romance was pretty cute, but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would and I just didn’t care much about what was happening.

Tempest by Beverly Jenkins – This was my very first historical romance, and I really enjoyed it. Especially the step-mom/step-daughter relationship.
The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo – I really enjoyed this book, and I’m hoping that this is going to be THE contemporary this summer. It has a cute romance, an amazing father/daughter relationship and lots of yummy food.
The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden by Karina Van Glasser – I was a big fan of the first book in this series, and the second book was just as wonderful. I had tears in my eyes while reading it because it was just so wonderful.

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman – People have been telling me to get into this webcomic for quite some time, and I finally did it this month, and I’m kind of kicking myself for not getting into it sooner because this is the cutest thing I’ve ever read.
Spider-man: Miles Morales – I, sadly, didn’t like this as much as I thought I would.
Ms. Marvel vol 8: Mecca – This series just gets better with every single comic. I love it so much.

I’m currently reading The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding, The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory and I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman. I’m currently a few chapters into each of them, and I’m really enjoying them all. If I had to guess, I’d say that all of these are going to be a 4-star read, minimum. But maybe that’s wishful thinking.

So, that was everything I read in March! Did you manage to read a lot this month? What was the best thing you read in March? Let me know!

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Wrap Up: February 2018

February was such a productive month for me! I challenged myself to try and post a new blog post every other day, which I mostly succeeded at, except for the week where I didn’t post anything because my mental health wasn’t that great. But hey, self-care if more important than some self-imposed schedule!

I also managed to read quite a lot this month (11 books!!) and all of them were actual books as well! Normally I read a few novella’s, comics or poetry collections as well, but this month I only read actual books, which makes the number of things I read quite special.

I really hope that March will be just as productive, and I hope that I’ll be able to do a lot of stuff for school this month because that’s one aspect in life where I’ve really been slacking. Especially with my finals coming closer and closer, that’s a thing I really shouldn’t be doing. But hey, let’s not talk about school right now because I don’t want to stress myself out too much, and just focus on what books I read this month!

Heartless by Marissa Meyer – I picked this up thinking I would get 50 pages into it and then DNF it, but I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would! It’s no more than a 3 star book for me, but still.
De IJsmakers by Ernest van der Kwast – I read this for school and I hated every single second of it.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – I know, it’s taken me WAY too long to pick this up, but I finally did and everyone was right: it’s absolutely amazing.
The Love Song of Sawyer Bell by Avon Gale – This was very cute and I really enjoyed all the music-related stuff.

Blood of a Thousand Stars by Rhoda Belleza – It took me so long to get into this one, and even though the plot was pretty good, I ended up not liking this one that much. It was just too slow for me.
Between the Lines by Nikki Grimes – A very powerful read, and I really enjoyed the format.
Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst – I didn’t have the highest expectations going into this one, but I ended up liking almost everything about it!
Truth or Dare by Non Pratt – The format (book you have to flip over halfway through) just didn’t work for me, and I really disliked one of the characters.

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole – I loved this so, so much! It was that kind of book that you hug to your chest once you finish it because you just loved it that much.
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed – I read this in one sitting and wow, just, wow. It’s wonderful, heart-wrenching, and hopeful. I loved it so much.
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann – This book made me very happy, and Claire and Takumi might be my favorite YA couple ever.

I received an ARC of A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena, but I hadn’t gotten around to it yet before it’s release date, so now I’m trying to read it as soon as possible so my review won’t be too late. I picked up the audiobook for it today and I’m about 30% of the way through. It’s very heavy, and I really hope it won’t affect me too much.

I also picked up my e-ARC of My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma a few days ago. I’ve only read one chapter of it so far, but I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be quite a fun read. Or, I really hope it will be.

So, that’s everything I’ve been reading this month! What is the best thing you’ve read in February?

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Mental Health Book Bingo Wrap-Up + Mini Reviews

Hi everyone! As some of you might know, Wendy, Inge, Sar, Ayah, and I hosted the Mental Health Book Bingo. The plan was to focus on reading mental health related books during January, using the prompts on the bingo sheet. (You can find all of the details in this blogpost.) I was super excited about this, but for me, it didn’t exactly go as planned.

As you can see, I read five mental health related books this month, which is not a good number for me. Sadly, January just wasn’t the best month for me. The beginning of the month was really rough, and I was in a very bad place with my mental health, and reading books about mental health when I’m feeling that way is just not a good idea. On top of that, the first MH book that I did read was awful and made me feel even worse, which made me scared to pick up any other book.

Luckily I managed to start feeling better and I got to pick up a few more MH books during the last 2 weeks of January. I’m a bit bummed about the low number of books I read, but my lovely fellow hosts reminded me that self-care is a lot more important than completing a challenge. And that’s so true.

Here are all the books I read for the Mental Health Book Bingo, plus a very short review for each book.

Love, Life and the List by Kasie West – I picked this book up on a whim because I heard that there was an agoraphobic side character. I really wanted to see that side of myself represented in a book, but I felt like reading about an agoraphobic main character would be too much for me. Sadly, the way the side character was treated was horrible, and the book made me feel awful. The only times the agoraphobia came up was when the main character talked about how it affected her, and how awful it was for her, which is plain bad. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone. (Agoraphobic main character, or in my case, side character)

Afterlife by Melissa Jennings – After my previous read, I was incredibly scared of picking up another MH book. But because the author send this one to me for review, I felt a bit obligated to pick this one up, and I’m really glad I did. I loved it. While a lot of MH-related works always make me feel anxious, this one did the complete opposite: it calmed me. And it gave me the courage to pick up even more MH books. I’m definitely planning on picking up more of Melissa Jennings’ work in the future, because I have a feeling that they might become one of my favorite poets. (Poetry about MI)

Life Within Parole Volume 1 by RoAnna Sylver – It’s definitely not a secret that I love every single thing RoAnna writes, and this is not an exception. Of course there were some stories I liked more than others (my favorites were Happy Regards, Library Ghost and Group Therapy), but there wasn’t a single story I really disliked. RoAnna’s books always feel like a warm hug, and I can’t wait to pick up even more of them. (SFF with MC with MI)

Always Be You by RoAnna Sylver – Of course I had to pick up another RoAnna Sylver short story. I listened to this on audiobook, and it was narrated by the author which honestly made the reading experience even better. RoAnna has such a nice voice! This story was so so lovely, and I love both of the characters that were in this story so much! (LGBT+ MC with MI)

Chainbreaker by Tara Sim – I’m honestly still speechless when it comes to this book. It was just so, so good and it’s one of the best sequels I’ve ever read? Maybe one of the best books in general? I’m still not over that ending, and I cannot wait to read the third book, I need it NOW. (PTSD rep) 

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Wrap-up: January 2018

It honestly feels like January lasted forever, and that’s not necessarily a good thing because the better part of the month wasn’t the best for me. I broke my phone, had to deal with some heavy personal things and I had a bit of an anxiety relapse. You can kind of see this in my reading, because I’ve read quite a big amount of middle grade books, and I always do that when I’m feeling down. It was wonderful.

Sadly, this also meant that I wasn’t able to participate in #MHBookBingo (a readathon focused on mental health books) as much as I wanted to. But self-care is more important than a readathon.

Luckily I started feeling a lot better towards the end of the month, and I managed to finish some really great books! 

The Queen’s Game by Carla de Guzman – I’d tried getting into this one a few times but always failed, until now. And I’m glad I persisted because I ended up really liking this one!
Love, Life and the List by Kasie West – DNF because the agoraphobia portrayal really hurt me.
Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu – I read this one as part of a blog tour, and you can find my full review here.
Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow – A middle grade featuring a f/f relationship set at a music camp? Yes, it was just as good as it sounds. Maybe even better.

The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon – I picked this one up because Weezie had mentioned it on Twitter, and I trust their recs. It was fun, adventurous, had great friendships, and I loved it so so much.
The Doldrums and the Helmsley Curse by Nicholas Gannon – Of course I immediately had to pick up the second book, and I really enjoyed this one as well.
Afterlife by Melissa Jennings – This was such a great poetry collection featuring topics like mental health, and it really touched me.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin – I loved the story, the characters, and finding out how everything tied together. It was such a lovely experience.

When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin – It definitely says something about a series if I marathon-read it, because that doesn’t happen with me often. I loved this one as well, but of all the three books, I remember the least about this one.
Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin – I kept mixing up the characters which made me enjoy this one a little less, but the story was absolutely wonderful.
The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan – I’d been putting off reading this one for so long because I was scared it was going to disappoint, but it definitely didn’t. It might actually be the best in the series, and I kind of hope there’ll be more books set in this world.
Life Within Parole Volume 1 by RoAnna Sylver – There were some stories I loved more than others, but overall? I absolutely adored it, and I fell in love with these characters even more.

Coffee Boy by Austin Chant – I’ve been meaning to read this for so long and I’m glad I finally picked it up, because I quite liked it.
Always Be You by RoAnna Sylver – I listened to this on audiobook and RoAnna is such a great narrator. The story was super lovely as well.
Soft in the Middle by Shelby Eileen – I loved this poetry collection so much, and I’ve tabbed at least 1/3th of the poems.
Chainbreaker by Tara Sim – Wow. This might actually be one of the best sequels (or books, in general) I’ve ever read. I was completely blown away by this one.

I’m currently listening to Heartless by Marissa Meyer, which I’m liking a lot more than I thought I would. I’m reading the physical ARC of Blood of a Thousand Stars by Rhoda Belleza, and I find it rather difficult to get into it because I’ve forgotten most of the first book. And finally, I’m reading the ebook of The Love Song of Sawyer Bell by Avon Gale, which is just as adorable and fun as people have told me it was.

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful start of the year! And tell me, what books have you read in January?

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#SapphicAThon Wrap-Up

Hi everyone! It’s been about 2 weeks since #SapphicAThon (a readathon focused on f/f books) ended, and because I’m always late with everything I’m only now bringing you my wrap-up.

I posted a TBR for the readathon a couple of days before it started, and I’ve basically completely ignored it. Woops. But I still read a couple of great books, and I really enjoyed myself those 2 weeks.

Goldie Vance vol. 3 by Hope Larson – Goldie Vance is one of my favorite comic series, and I liked this just as much as I expected.
Hi-Fi Fight Club #4 by Carly Usdin – HI-FI FIGHT CLUB IS SO GOOD and (spoiler) the girls finally got together in this issue so that was amazing.
Shattered by Lee Winter – This book was very different from what I expected, but I loved it a lot.
Echo After Echo by Amy Rose Capetta – I got pretty bored halfway through, so I DNF’d it at around 75%.

Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon – I really enjoyed this, but there was quite a bit of anti-ace language which really bothered me.
Cinder Ella by S.T. Lynn – I really, really enjoyed this. And I now kind of want more books with main characters who love to bake, garden, and have an adorable dog.
Lumberjanes #44 by Shannon Watters- I loved how most of the story was focused on Molly, because I love her so much, but I don’t enjoy this series as much as I used to. Which is 100% because of the fact that I’m now up to date, and I can’t binge read it anymore.
Carolyn for Christmas by Lucy Carey – This was a very ‘meh’ read. I kind of liked it while I was reading it, but I immediately forgot everything about it once I finished it.

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October Wrap-up | SO MANY BOOKS??

 

What a month. October went by so incredibly slowly for me, and that really showed when I was making this wrap-up. Goodreads always guides me when it comes to seeing what books I read in what month and I was so surprised when I saw what books I had read in October. I could’ve sworn I read some of these ages ago. The beginning of the month feels like ages ago.

I’ve been so incredibly stressed this October. School was a lot, anxiety was a lot, etc. Oh, and speaking of anxiety; I got a new therapist this month! She’s nice and all but I’m not too happy about it since I was basically forced to go from meeting with a therapist once a week to once a month. I mean, it’s good news because that means I’m ‘stable’ but it’s also terrifying.

Anyway, let’s look at the books I read this month!

Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski (★★★★/5 stars)
Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds (★★★★/5 stars)
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu (★★★★/5 stars)
Lumberjanes Vol. 7 (★★★★★/5 stars)
Ripped Pages by M. Hollis (★★★★/5 stars)

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao (★★★★★/5 stars)
De Passievrucht by Karel Glastra van Loon (★★/5 stars)
Familieziek by Adriaan van Dis (★/5 stars)
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (★★★★★/5 stars)
El Deafo by Cece Bell (★★★★★/5 stars)

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (★★★★/5 stars)
Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (★★★★/5 stars)
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch (★★★/5 stars)
Dear Martin by Nic Stone (★★★★★/5 stars)
Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom (★★★/5 stars)

The Young Elites by Marie Lu (★★★/5 stars)
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (★★★★★/5 stars)
Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner (★★★★/5 stars)
You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner (★★★★/5 stars)

I’ve also read a bunch of comics today, namely, Giant Days vol. 2, Misfit City #1, Lumberjanes #29-#36 and Hi-Fi Fight Club #1-#3, and y’all, HI-FI FIGHT CLUB IS SO INCREDIBLY GOOD. The art is great, there’s a kickass girls-fighting-crime squad, the setting is amazing, plus IT’S QUEER. Please pick it up, it’s definitely one of the best things I’ve read in a while.

I’m currently listening to 2 audiobooks: Max Havelaar by Multatuli and If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth. Max Havelaar is probably one of the most famous Dutch works of literature and needless to say, I hate it. I’m reading it for school and I literally have no idea what’s going on. None. If I Ever Get Out of Here is a book I’m reading for National Native American Heritage Month and I can’t say a lot about it so far because I’ve only listened to 20 minutes of it. But I am liking it so far.
I’m kind of cheating by including Love Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed because I haven’t *technically* started it yet, but I’m planning on doing so tonight. And since it’s still the 31st of October while I’m writing this, I thought I’d include it anyway.

As you can see, I had an incredibly good reading month. I hope I’ll be able to continue that in November!

Now, tell me, what was the best book you read in October?

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August Wrap-Up

August has been a bit of a weird month for me, especially reading wise since I’ve only read 7 books whereas I usually read about 10-15 a month. The main reason for this was my anxiety, which demanded a lot of attention in August.

I haven’t said a lot about this online, but I went on holiday this month. It was only for one week, and only an hour away, but it was incredibly difficult for me because of my anxiety and agoraphobia. I usually can’t even go on a highway for 2 minutes without having a full blown panic attack, and now I had to do it for an hour? And then stay in a strange environment for a week? Yeah, I wasn’t too excited about that.

So yeah, because of all the anxiety I had to deal with before, while, and after we were away, I didn’t get a lot of reading done at all. But I’m still quite happy with what I did manage to read, because I expected to read a lot less.

And the holiday? Well, even though my brain had convinced me that it’d be horrible and that I’d be panicking the whole time, I had quite a lovely time. And I think that’s worth a lot.

The Rose and The Dagger by Renée Ahdieh (★★★★/5 stars) – I went in with low expectations because I didn’t really like the first book, but I actually really enjoyed this one!
Warcross by Marie Lu (★★★★★/5 stars) – SO GOOD. READ IT. YES. Here’s my review.
The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan (★★★★/5 stars) – It was a fun read but overall just a bit… meh? Very excited about the next book in the series, though!
De Aanslag by Harry Mulisch (★★★/5 stars) – Had to read this for school.

The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan (★★★/5 stars) – Quite fun, and a great distraction from my anxieties.
Lumberjanes Unicorn Power! by Mariko Tamaki (★★★★/5 stars) – It took me some time to get used to, because reading about my favorite girl squad in novel form is quite different than seeing them in a comic, but I still enjoyed it very much.
Superior by Jessica Lack (★★★★/5 stars) – I loved this, but I really wish it was longer.

I’m currently reading The Queen’s Game by Carla de Guzman, which I put down once I realized that I wasn’t in a romance mood at all. I’m definitely planning on picking it up later once I’m in the mood for it, though, because I’ve heard amazing things about it from friends.
I’m also listening to the audiobook for Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza, which I’m liking a lot more than I thought I would, and I’m reading the ARC of Girls Made of Snow and Glass. I adore this book and I only have about 90 pages to go, so I really hope I can finish it this weekend.

So, as you can see, August was probably my worst reading month of the year. I’m expecting September to be very different though, especially since I have so many ARCs I have to get to this month. But I also downloaded The Sims 4 yesterday and I’ve been having a lot of fun with that, so we’ll see what happens. I hope you’ve all had a great month!

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