Saturday, February 22, 2020

I Read All Of The Mortal Instruments In One Month

So as we all know Chain of Gold is to be released on March 3rd. My plan for this year was to read all of the Shadowhunter books before the end of December. Well I kind of sped up my challenge and wanted to read them all before Chain of Gold is released. So since I had already read The Infernal Devices Trilogy in January that just meant that I had to read The Mortal Instruments and The Dark Artifices. I decided on reading them when it was 18 days before CoG is released. 

So today I have finished City of Heavenly Fire, the last book in The Mortal Instruments. I was tearing up at the end with how well it was concluded and from how much time I had spent with the characters. I don't normally read series longer than 3 books, other than Harry Potter, so spending so much time with one set of characters was amazing.

Here are my star ratings for each books:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved this series! I can see why so many people are talking about it still after years and why there's so much love for the books. 
I can't wait to get to The Dark Artifices series to continue the journey in the Shadowhunter world!

I'll be preordering my copy of Chain of Gold ASAP!


Friday, February 21, 2020

The Twin ARC

So in my post about books that are coming out in March, you might have seen that I posted The Twin by Natasha Preston. Well I hope you all can imagine the jumping for joy I did when I was allowed to read an ARC of it!

After reading The Cellar, I was instantly intrigued by Natasha's writing. It was so creepy and atmospheric that I knew that I had to read more of her work. When I saw her newest book was on NetGalley, I immediately put a request in. I thought what's the worst that can happen? I get rejected, but I knew I would still read it because I want to support her and her work.


Iris and Ivy are identical twin sister. After their parent's divorce, Ivy went and lived with her Dad, and Iris with their mom. After their mother's death, Iris moves in with Ivy and their dad. But Iris ends up dealing with their mother's death in a completely different way than Ivy. One that could leave one of them insane, or that's what she wants you to think.

It gave me the feeling of "I'm screaming and no one is hearing me!"

"Somewhere over time and our parents' separation, our silly dreams died, and we stopped sharing any new ones" 
"Do you want to talk, Iris?" 
Her haunted eyes look right through me.
"I want so much more than that."

The entire time I thought the ending was going to play out one way, but not to my surprise Natasha Preston leaves you on the edge of your seat. The book was creepy, disturbing and uncomfortable. I was hooked and was desperate to know the ending.

The build up to the end was perfect. It gives you a good amount of time to try to figure out what's going to happen and to be shocked when your idea flies out the window. 

I have a feeling if I was younger, I would have given this a solid 5 stars. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Natasha Preston for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Adult Conversation ARC

About I believe a week ago I signed up for NetGalley. I was excited and nervous about reading ARCs. What if my reviews weren't good enough? What if I didn't like the book that I was allowed to read? What if life got in the way and I couldn't read the book in time? Well with all these questions, I had to put them in the back of my head and just go for it.

The first ARC that I've read from my shelf is Adult Conversation by Brandy Ferner. I read the description and thought hell. yes.

April, a mother of two, who's sarcastic and cares a whole lot about her kids. She's struggling with the fact that modern motherhood has become this impossible task that we all signed up for but had no idea of the consequences. At her breaking point, she signs up to see a therapist who helps her find a way to pursue her passion but also be the mother she wants for her children. Soon she finds herself friends with her therapist, driving off the Las Vegas for the night, and desperately wanting to see her family again.

It's scary how much I was connecting with April. I'm a stay at home mom of 2 and sometimes it feels like everyone is crying all at once including myself. Everyone is so sweet in saying things about your kids and how you handle things at home, but in reality is all part of this psycho circus juggling act that I continue to fail at but have to keep going no matter what. The feelings of being overworked and overlooked are not far from what I feel on pretty much a daily basis. As a stay at home mom it's so easy to lose who you are as a person and just in mom mode the entire time.

So as I've read in some of the other reviews that the Las Vegas part of the story kind of lost them, I totally get it. As a mom who gets to leave the house maybe once or twice in a month, finding a good friend and them needing help seems like a good reason to escape for a little bit. Plus sometimes you need to see your life from the other side, that's why I believe the author includes this part, among other reasons.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It hit home for me and not many books can do that. It put all of what I've been feeling of motherhood into words and that was actually really helpful and nice to see that I'm not the only one struggling.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for allowing me the opportunity of reading Adult Conversation, and thank you to Brandy Ferner for a truly wonderful book and experience. 

These Shallow Graves

During the weekend of January 25th, my mom and I went to a Friends of the Library book sale and a thrift store that I have found is my secret treasure trove of books. The book sale didn't wield as many good finds as the thrift store that's for sure. At the thrift store hardbacks are priced for $1 and paperbacks are a quarter! With those prices I mean how could anyone pass on those?

So in my finds at the thrift store I found a few books that I've never heard of and bought completely based on the cover. I know, I know, but I mean some covers just have a way of bringing you in and it's like they're just asking to be bought. One of those books was These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly. I knew nothing about the book, never heard of the author, I went into the novel completely blind. Sometimes that's the best way to do though, right?


Jo is a beautiful and rich young woman who, like all the other girls in her class, are to finish school and be married to a wealthy bachelor. Except that's not really wants she wants for her life, she want to become a writer. Out of nowhere while she's at school, her father dies. She returns home with doubts on how her father died and she is determined to find out the truth. With the help of a handsome young reporter, and some unlikely characters Jo chases of clues around New York in 1890, she finds out the truth about her father, and realizes how much she has to lose.

Normally I'm not a historical fiction reader, but this book made it so easy to enjoy. While I was reading it was like watching a movie. The author had a way of describing everything that made it clear to me, the reader, to see everything as if it was right in front of me.

The characters were so well described that I could imagine each one of them like they were friends of mine. They each had there fit in the right places and helped build the story really well. Jo and Eddie's relationship was so, not perfect, but pretty darn close. There was no instalove, but a love they didn't see coming working with each other.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA historical fiction or YA mysteries. I will definitely be reading more of her work in the future!

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

March New Releases

We all love new books, and when they're just released it's even better!
I'm comprised a list of a few new releases that I'm looking forward to. Maybe this list will add some books to your TBR. I can't wait to see what everyone thinks of them when they come out!

Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebrations of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in a idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes with the Blackthrown and Carstairs families come to London...and so does a remorseless and inescapable plague.
James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. 
When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero...and falling in love. 



Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life--working hard all day and partying all night--until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself and the heart of the investigation. She'll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths. 
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. Hus brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose--to assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But when a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach. 
As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion--one that could set them both free, if they're only let it. 



You probably know someone like Shay Miller.
She wants to find love, but it eludes her. 
She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end.
She wants to belong, but her life is so isolated.

You probably don't know anyone like the Moore sisters.
They have an unbreakable circle of friends.
They live the most glamourous life. 
They always get what they desire.

Shay thinks she wants their life. 
But what they really want is hers


Tala Warnock has little use for magic--as a descendant of Maria Makiling, the legendary Filipina heroine, she negates spells, often by accident. But her family's old ties to the county of Avalon (frozen, bespelled, and unreachable for almost 12 years) soon finds them guarding its last prince from those who would use his kingdom's magic for insidious ends.
And with the rise of dangerous spelltech in the Royal States of America; the appearance of the firebird, Avalon's deadliest weapon, at her doorstop; and the re-emergence of the Snow Queen, powerful but long thought dead, who wants nothing more than to take the firebird's magic for her own--Tala's life is about to get even more complicated.



After their parents divorced, 10 year old twins Emmy and Iris were split up--Emmy lived with Dad, Iris with Mom. Now, after a tragic accident takes their mom's life, the twins are reunited and Iris moves in with Emmy and their dad. Devastated over Mom's death, Iris spends the first few weeks in almost total silence--the only person she will speak to is Emmy. Iris feels her life is over and she doesn't know what to do. Emmy promises her twin that she can share her life now. After all, they're sisters. Twins. 
It's a promise that Iris takes seriously. And before long, Emmy's friends, her life at school, and her boyfriend, Tyler, fall under Iris's spell. Slowly, Emmy realizes she's being pushed out of her own life. But she's being paranoid, right? And Mom's accident was...just an accident. Right? It's not like she--or Dad--or Tyler--are in any danger...



All these novels come out on March 3rd. Are you looking forward to any of these books? Any that you've had the pleasure of reading already? How did you like them? I can't wait to see what everyone thinks of them! :)

*All descriptions were taken from their Goodreads summaries, links on titles will take you to their page.*

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

The Kiss Quotient

So as it's getting closer to Valentine's Day, what do we normally associate with the 14th of February? ROMANCE.

Now I'm a big thriller and fantasy reader, but I've been wanting to try different genres. About a month ago, I was talking to my mom when we were in the car and was telling her about a current book I was reading and saying that I wish I could read more genres. Telling her that there are booktubers that I was that are mostly romance readers. I told her I was nervous to read that genre since I had always associated them with middle aged women reading smutty romance novels on the beach and those 5$ books you can find at the grocery store.

So that day I told myself that I was going to try to find a romance novel that I would read so I could at least take my prejudice and throw it in my mental trash can. Well I stumbled upon The Obsession by Nora Roberts, a romance thriller. I borrowed it on Libby and starting reading that day. Well guess who stayed up way past her bedtime and read? ME! I was so surprised on how much I enjoyed it.

So since it's the month of love, I thought I needed to try to read more romance novels and get my heartstrings all pulled willynilly. I'm in a facebook group for books, and I posted on there that I was looking for cute adult/YA romance novels and boy did they deliver with their suggestions.

I found The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang and thought why not? let's take a crack at it.

Well I was hooked as soon as it started. Not to mention there were sex scenes in the first like 25% of the book. But I loved the way that the female protagonist wasn't a normal girl who needed a guy to fulfill her and make her a person. She is a person on her own. She had autism but during the timeline of the novel she realizes that it's not a disability, it's just her, it's how she is, who she is.

The male protagonist is a male escort who is try to make money to help his family. The entire novel he's caring, kind, but also very sexy. He's a son, a brother, and an amazing friend.

The way that the two connect is hilarious, but you can totally see that they're going to end up together but you're still completely interested in the ride to get there. The way the two characters fall in love is adorable and steamy.

Those that aren't as used to romance novels, I definitely recommend this to you. It really makes me want to read more by Helen Hoang. Good thing for me is that this book is a part of a series, so I can continue to read more in this storyline! I've seen that her other two books in The Kiss Quotient series involve different characters from the family of Michael, and now I'm super excited to read them!

The Ultimate Book Tag

I was searching Pinterest for fun book tags and came across this one from Anjail from This Splendid Shambles. I thought it looked fun so I decided to do it too!

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?
Yes. Well I can read for about 10-15 minutes and then I get a headache and feel a bit queasy. If I'm driving by myself or with the boys I'll listen to an audiobook.

2. Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you and why?
Erin Morgenstern. Her writing is so whimsical and fantastical that sometimes it takes me a few times reading a sentence to understand what it means. 

3. Harry Potter Series or the Twilight Saga? Give 3 points to defend your answer.

  • I'll take magic and wizards over vampires and werewolves anyday. 
  • The love interest in Twilight was so "I can't live without you Edward." "Bella, I can't have you but I need you." It fit the phase that YA books where in at that time, but it's definitely not something that I would reach for now. 
  • Harry Potter has such a great focus for friendship and the fact of good over evil that it will withstand decades and readers of all ages.


4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what is it in (besides books…)?
Well the only book bag I carry is the one that I use as a diaper bag. LOL. But about 99% of the time I have my phone on me and I use the Libby Library app to read so I use that. Or sometimes I'll have my kindle with me and I'll read on that. 

5. Do you smell your books?
YES. I love the smell of books. It's kind of weird but since I buy most of my books secondhand they each have a different scent. 

6. Books with or without little illustrations?
I don't really mind either. But I'm used to reading without illustrations. I really enjoy books with old photos in them, like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn’t quality writing?
Twilight. Loved reading it in middle school, but I definitely wouldn't touch it now. 

8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!
I don't remember a funny story particularly, but I know that when I was in elementary school I used to read Goosebumps and at night wake up with nightmares. My parents literally took all my Goosebumps books away, LOL now that I'm older I understand why they did it. But I always found a way to read them anyway ;)

9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?
Stargirl. I found it at a thrift store for a dime. I read it when I was younger and absolutely loved it so I knew for a dime I had to have it again. 

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?
IT by Stephen King, clocking in at a whopping 1156 pages.

11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being an author?
I've tried writing before and just never got past a few pages. I think if I wrote anything it would probably be a short story. I don't have the ideas for a full length novel or the ability to describe the way that's needed for a book.

12. When did you get into reading?
I got into reading when I was young, I remember going to the library with my mom on the weekends, reading throughout elementary and middle school. After middle school, when I got into high school I stopped reading for enjoyment, I only read the required reading and hardly did I do that. So from 2009 to 2019 I didn't read novels. Then in April of 2019, I challenged myself to read a classic novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. That brought me back into the world of reading and I'm so glad I challenged myself then. 

13. What is your favorite classic book?
Hmm. Since I've only read a handful of classics I don't feel comfortable choosing once since none of them were more than 3 stars for me. I think since I've gotten older I'm able to understand them more than before so I think this year, I'll be trying to read more classic novels. 

14. In school was your best subject Language Arts/English?
Not really. Middle school yeah, but High school no. I routinely skipped class and was late handing in papers. I felt that at 15-18 I had so many better things to do than focus on school work. I still regret those decisions that kept me from school work. But I try to believe that if I did anything different, then I wouldn't be where I am now. 

15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated…what would you do?
I think I would just say that I've read it before and laugh about it. Maybe donate it to a school, littlefreelibrary, or give it to someone who hasn't read it before. 

16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?
As I'm still a reading newbie since I went 10 years without reading, I don't really have an answer here. :(

17. What is a bad habit you always do while filming while blogging?
Hmm since I've just started blogging, I mean so far I've had the trouble of self-doubt that no one's ever going to read it and my posts aren't good enough. 

18. What is your favorite word?
It's funny, I wrote this question and the first word that popped into my head is allegory(n) a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

19. Are you a nerd or a geek?
I would more likely say geek. I'm not too book smart of certain subjects that a nerd would be. 

20. Vampires or Fairies? Why?
Fairies. I would much rather read about magical happenings than vampires. 

21. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?
Angels. Cassandra Clare did this for me LOL

22. Spirits or Werewolves? Why?
Spirits. I love a good ghost story.

23. Zombies or Vampires?
Hmmm with this choice I choose Vampires. I don't like anything apocalyptic or end of the world kind of thing, literally gives me nightmares. 

24. Love Triangle or Forbidden Love?
Love triangle. I would rather read about someone trying to decide between two people than the whole romance of the book saying they can't have them and then needing them at the same time. 

25. AND FINALLY: Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?
Hmm since I enjoy both, it's a tough decision. If I'm reading a fantasy book then action-packed with a few scenes, but if I'm reading a contemporary then full on romance.


If you have a blog, I challenge you to do this tag! Let me know so I can read your answers!

Monday, February 10, 2020

The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti


Zoe Whittaker is living a charmed life. She is the beautiful young wife to handsome, charming Wall Street tycoon Henry Whittaker. She is a member of Manhattan's social elite. She is on the board of on of the city's most prestigious philanthropic organizations. She has the perfect Tribeca penthouse in the city and a gorgeous lake house in the county. The finest wine, the most up-to-date fashion, and the most luxurious vacations are all at her fingertips. What no one knows is the five years ago, Zoe's life was in danger. Back then, Zoe wasn't Zoe at all. Now her secrets are coming back to haunt her. As the past and present collide, Zoe must decide who she can trust before she--whoever she is--vanished completely. 

It wasn't until about the last half of the books that I was finally interested. The whole beginning was just where Zoe was at now and how she got there. Nothing "thrilling" happened until the last half, and even then it wasn't until the last about 50 pages that things started to fall into place. I do have to say that while I was correct in guessing the "villian", I didn't guess why he was doing what he did, so it was interesting to find out. I highly recommend the audiobook. If I hadn't have listened to the first half through audio, I'm pretty sure I would have DNFed this book. 

Sunday, February 9, 2020

My Favorite 10 Books of 2019

2019 was the year I refound reading and fell in love with books. I didn't read too many books last year but I did find 10 of my favorites. I'm going to list them for you, not in any order since how can you choose a favorite book?


The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
In 1969 in New York's Lower East Side a woman has arrived. A traveling psychic who claims that she can tell anyone the day of their death. Four children, the Gold's siblings, seek the woman to hear their fortunes.
The woman's word ring with them for the next five decades. The youngest Simon runs off to the West Coast to search for love in 1980's San Francisco. Youngest daughter Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy. Oldest son Daniel craves security and becomes an army doctor post 9/11. Oldest of all the children, Varya obsesses herself with her research, seeing how far she can go between science and immortality.

I read this book with my online book club and it was a perfect book with lots of discussion questions and many things to think about and take into consideration.


Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck living with his mother's sister and her husband and their horrible child Dudley. His life changes when he receives a letter telling him that he's a wizard, soon after a strange rescuer brings him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He finally feels like he's somewhere he belongs. Then he finds that he's The Boy Who Lived: the only person who has survived the killing curse conducted by the evil Lord Voldemort.
The first year at Hogwarts is the best year of Harry's life, but things take a dark turn for a bit. There's been an object that has gone missing from the Wizard's Bank, Gringotts. Harry believes and take's on the responsibility to keep it from evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he could have ever imagined.

This was my first time reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and I really wish I hadn't have waiting this long to dig into it. This is my favorite Harry Potter movie and I so enjoyed the book. It brought me back to when I first watched the movie. The characters, the first time Harry walks into Hogwarts, and the action that never gets old. If you've never read Harry Potter I strongly suggest you do!


Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Scarlett Dragna has never left her island, where she lives with her sister Tella, and her horrible, powerful, and cruel father. Scarlett's father has arranged a marriage for her, and she thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval--the faraway, once a year performance where the audience participates in the show--are over.
But this year, Scarlett's long--dreamt--of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailer, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval's mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season's Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic.

Just writing this synopsis makes me want to reread this trilogy. I loved it so much, it completely captivated me!


A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 
Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill - the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price...
Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a Faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presences at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

This was my first Fae book and I loved it! Ugh, reminiscing about all these books makes me want to reread all of them!


The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Far beneath the surface of the earth, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. The entryways that lead to this sanctuary are often hidden, sometimes on forest floors, sometimes in private homes, sometimes in plain sight. But those who seek will find. Their doors have been waiting for them.
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is searching for his door, though he does not know it. He follows a silent siren song, an inexplicable knowledge that he is meant for another place. When he discovers a mysterious book in the stacks of his campus library he begins to read, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities, and nameless acolytes. Suddenly a turn of the pages brings Zachary to a story from his own childhood impossibly written in this book that is older than he is. 
A bee, a key, and a sword emblazoned on the book lead Zachary to two people will will change the course of his life: Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired painter, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances. These strangers guide Zachary through masquerade party dances and whispered back room stories to the headquarters of a secret society where doorknobs hang from ribbons, and finally through a door conjured from paint to the place he has always yearned for. Amid twisting tunnels filled with books, gilded ballrooms, and wine-dark romance and mystery. But a battle is raging over the fate of this place and though there are those who would willingly sacrifice everything to protect it, there are just as many intent on its destruction. As Zachary, Mirabel, and Dorian venture deeper into the space and its histories and myths, searching for answers and each other, a timeless love story unspools, casting a spell of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a Starless Sea.

This was the most beautiful book that I have ever read. The writing was magical, it just brings you in and you're in the world of the Starless Sea. I was in a reading slump that lasted months and this brought me out so quickly.


The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It's called Le Cirque des Reves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway--a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this a game in which only one can be left standing, and the curcus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love--a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.
True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats over head.

After reading the Starless Sea from Erin Morgenstern, I knew that I had to read her other book. It was just as magical as the Starless Sea. I knew after I read both of her novels how so many readers can be entranced in her writing. 


A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries--and she is the only creature who can break it's spell.

My grandmother gave me this series and I'm so happy that she did. I read through all three books in one week and holy moly, they were amazing!


The Turn of The Key by Ruth Ware
When she stumbles across the ad, she's looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss--a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten--but the luxurious "smart" home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.
What she doesn't know is that she's stepping into a nightmare--one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.
Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn't just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the household with booming music, or turned lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn't just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn't even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant. 
It was everything.
she knows she's made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn't always ideal. She's not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she's not guilty--at least not of murder. Which means someone else is.

I could not stop reading this! It was such a good thriller, and I can't wait to read more of Ruth Ware's work!


The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
On Christmas Ever five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.
She didn't.
And then she died.
Now she's stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge--as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past. Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends gon on living without her. So far, Holly's afterlife has been miserable. 
But this year, everything is about to change...

It's funny, I read this book before I read the Christmas Carol. I mean I've watched different versions of it. But this was such an interesting read. Taking the Christmas Carol and making it into a modern version of a normal work day. Loved it!


10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston
Sophie wants one thing for Christmas--a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation.
Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents' house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That's when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.
When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she's started to have feelings for someone else... Someone who is definitely no available. This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever...or is it?

This was so cute! I tried to read more contemporaries around Christmas and this was definitely the best one. It would be such a cute movie and I would watch it in a heartbeat.


These are my top 10 books of 2019! Were any of these your favorites? Have you read any before? Let me know! I would love to heard what you think!

Saturday, February 8, 2020

About the Blogger!


Hello everyone, my name is Kathleen. I'm a 25 year old mom of two wonderful little boys.

My reading journey is a bit rocky. I began enjoying book back in elementary school. I loved the way that there was a whole other world that you could just open up a book and travel to. I remember reading Goosebumps and Animorphs, going to the library with my mom almost every weekend, and circling everything I wanted in the Scholastic book fair flyer.
I found friends in middle school around 6th grade who loved reading and that's about when I read Twilight, everyone was reading Twilight.
Highschool kinda had me distracted from reading with school work, afterschool things and of course boys. I wish I would have had different priorities then but we live and learn.
April 2019, for my 25th birthday I decided to challenge myself to read a classic novel. I read Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. That then sparked the reader in me again. I bought a new kindle, and just kept reading and reading. Since April 2019 I've read 94 books. I don't think I could go a day without reading some part of my current book, or listening to an audiobook.
I'm still finding my reading preferences so I enjoy reading different genres of books. So far right now my go tos are thrillers and fantasy. I love a good psychological thriller, I also love a nice fae fantasy. It's funny because I remember with my reader friends in middle school that they would read fantasies and I would just turn my head since I thought I hated fantasy. Boy was I wrong!
So here I am creating this blog to share reviews, lists, and to connect with other readers to discuss all things books!
Thank you for stopping by and I hope that you enjoy my posts!