Everyone has their quirks.
I personally have a number silly habits when it comes to reading and blog-hopping that I thought would be fun to share:
Continue reading “My Bookish Quirks”Tag: books
Contemporary-A-Thon Mini Book Reviews
Last week (February 12-18), I participated in the Contemporary-A-Thon hosted by chelseadolling reads, Pages and Pens, and myreadingisodd.
I’ve attempted my own self-imposed read-a-thon before, but this was my first time trying to read as many books as I could in a set period of time with a community of people. This particular read-a-thon was unlike mine in that it had a theme—contemporary books—and optional challenges to complete within the week. The challenges were to:
- Read the most recent contemporary that you purchased/acquired
- Read a contemporary book with pink on the cover
- Read a hyped contemporary book
- Read a diverse contemporary book
- Read a dark/taboo contemporary
- Read a contemporary(ish) graphic novel
- Read a contemporary book that has been recommended to you
I knocked out three books during the contemporary-a-thon (one of them went one day over but shhh let me have this) and accomplished four of the seven challenges. Even though it might not seem like much, I would call this read-a-thon a success; it dragged me out of my reading slump and allowed me to complete three, solid 4-star books. The books showed me how wide and diverse the contemporary genre is, and I have a new-found appreciation for it because of them. I’ll definitely be participating in more read-a-thons in the future (maybe I’ll try hosting my own?), and you all should join too!
Blah blah blah…
on to the mini reviews!
Continue reading “Contemporary-A-Thon Mini Book Reviews”Book Review: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo // better than Six of Crows
Title: Crooked Kingdom
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Published: September 27, 2016
Pages: 536
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Amazon / Barnes & Nobles / Goodreads
Goodreads Description:
Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.
Crooked Kingdom retained all of the elements that I loved in Six of Crows—strategic scheming, morally ambiguous characters, strained romances—and expanded on them.
Continue reading “Book Review: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo // better than Six of Crows”Remembering the Ravensbrück Rabbits in Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
The Holocaust is one of the most notorious and tragic human rights violations recorded in history. Approximately 6 million Jews were murdered and another 17 million people were victimized including Soviets, Non-Jewish Polish civilians, Serbs, people with disabilities, Romas, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). Many pieces of literature recounting the horrors of the Holocaust exist, but many stories will remain unheard and many more untold due to the massive impact of the incident on Europe during WWII. There is a need to remember these stories more than ever as we live in a world where the disappointing reality is that Neo-Nazis actually exist and are even permitted to protest.
Seeing as January 27 marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I thought I’d share a little bit about a story I recently finished that was set during that time: Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. Continue reading “Remembering the Ravensbrück Rabbits in Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly”
My Favorite Books of 2017 (Part Two)
Happy New Year!
This post is a year late, but when have I ever been good at keeping to my schedules?
Never. The answer is never.
It’s too bad though because I had plenty of holiday-slash-end-of-the-year-themed posts that I never got the chance to make. I had to at least crank out this post though since My Favorite Books of 2017 (Part One) post is floating in the cybernet already (so lonely, so cold).
I completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge by reading fifty-two books, two more than the fifty I pledged (wowow. what an over-achiever.). Here are the books from the second half of 2017 that stuck out to me:
Why I Struggle to Complete Reading Challenges
At the beginning of 2017, I set out to complete four reading challenges and failed four reading challenges.
Reading Challenges One. Belle Zero.
*Take a shot every time “reading challenge(s)” is mentioned in this post.
I set myself up for failure, and here’s why:
Continue reading “Why I Struggle to Complete Reading Challenges”
Dear Authors, Please Write More About… (Part 1)
Welcome to a new series I’m starting called Dear Authors, Please Write More About…!
There are certain topics, tropes, and types of characters that make me gravitate towards a book. In this series, I’ll share those items with you all in hopes that an author will come across these posts and answer my pleas for more books about those things. Here’s to screaming into the void (because let’s be real, this series is futile.): Continue reading “Dear Authors, Please Write More About… (Part 1)”
Book Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli // a realistic narrative of awkward, first relationships
Title: The Upside of Unrequited
Author: Becky Albertalli
Published: April 11, 2017
Pages: 336
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Amazon / Barnes & Nobles / Goodreads
I was never interested enough to pick up Becky Albertalli’s book, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, when it was front and center in every book store I visited two years ago.
When I was perusing the nominees for Best Young Adult Fiction in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2017, I came across yet another one of Alberatelli’s books and decided to give the author a chance.
Continue reading “Book Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli // a realistic narrative of awkward, first relationships”How to Be a Minimalist AND a Bookworm
One of my other interests, asides from books, is minimalism.
Minimalism is more than a white, bare room aesthetic; it’s a way of thinking and intentionally living, and I find that very appealing. There’s no right way to be a minimalist (or a bookworm, for that matter). To me, intentionally living as a bookworm means keeping the amount of books I own to a minimum by rarely purchasing physical books and getting rid of those of no value to me. Being a bookworm, it’s easy to get carried away with buying books and adding to the seemingly never-ending TBR pile. So, while my virtual TBR is always growing on Goodreads, I don’t have an actual pile of books in my home making me guilty or anxious about all the books I have to read.
Continue reading “How to Be a Minimalist AND a Bookworm”Book Review: Geekerella by Ashley Poston // a homage to fandoms
Title: Geekerella
Author: Ashley Poston
Published: April 4, 2017
Pages: 320
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Amazon / Barnes & Nobles / Goodreads
Goodreads Description:
Anything can happen once upon a con…
When geek girl Elle Wittimer sees a cosplay contest sponsored by the producers of Starfield, she has to enter. First prize is an invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. Elle’s been scraping together tips from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck behind her stepmother’s back, and winning this contest could be her ticket out once and for all—not to mention a fangirl’s dream come true.
Teen actor Darien Freeman is less than thrilled about this year’s ExcelsiCon. He used to live for conventions, but now they’re nothing but jaw-aching photo sessions and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Federation Prince Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the diehard Starfield fandom has already dismissed him as just another heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, closet nerd Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.
I totally judged this book from its title.
Although one of my semi-guilty pleasures is reading about geeky girls, Geekerella was not something I’d see in a book store and pick up. It just sounded so corny. I thought I would give it a chance anyways since it was nominated for Best Young Adult Fiction in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2017—and I was glad I did.
Continue reading “Book Review: Geekerella by Ashley Poston // a homage to fandoms”
Belle Can Read 