Friday, August 23, 2019

July Monthly Wrap Up (2019)



Off the Blog:


Hey everyone! July was a pretty slow month in regards to much activity.  However, I did watch a ton of great movies this month, which included "Spider-Man: Far From Home," which I loved!  Also, a tragic thing had happened in July and that was the passing away of book blogger Rebel Mommy, who was battling cancer. May she rest in peace...



On the Blog:



I had a pretty good reading month, although not as big as June.  But, I managed to finally finished reading "Illuminae," which I really enjoyed and I can't wait to dive into "Gemina" next!  I'm also currently reading "The Cruel Prince," which is pretty good so far!  Also, I had managed to buy a couple of my own designs from Society6 and they look awesome!  Look at my photos down below and if you like these designs (they are the "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" sticker, the "A Thousand Perfect Notes" Mug and the "Alice in Wonderland" tote bag), then please feel free to buy these products on my Society6 account! 















Books Read this Month:










Other Reviews and Activities Completed this Month: 




MISCELLANEOUS


1. [Miscellaneous]  ARC August Challenge Sign Up!


GUEST POSTS


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BLOG TOURS


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DISCUSSIONS


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OLD BOOK REVIEWS

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READING CHALLENGE UPDATES


2019 European Reading Challenge:
2019 Beat the Backlist: 3
NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2019: 6
2019 Picture Book Reading Challenge: 14
2019 Humor Reading Challenge:
2019 Alphabet Soup Author Edition: 3

2019 Discussion Challenge: 1
2019 Diversity Reading Challenge: 3
2019 Color Coded Reading Challenge: 2
2019 Read It Again, Sam: 2
2019 12th Annual Graphic Novel / Manga Challenge: 






 Book Stats for July:

Total Number of Books Read: 3
Children's Books: 2
Young Adult Books: 1
5 Star Reads: 2
4 Star Reads: 1
Average Rating: 4.7
Male Authors: 2
Female Authors: 2
Unknown Authors: 0
Series: 2
Stand Alone: 1
Re-Reads: 0
Total NetGalley Books for the Year: 4
Total ARC Books for the Year: 2
Total Edelweiss Books for the Year: 2
Total Re-Reads for the Year: 2
Total Number of Books Read for the Year: 17


Genre Stats:

Humor: 0
Science Fiction: 1
Horror: 0
Fantasy: 2
Drama: 0
Family: 0
Romance: 0
Paranormal: 0
Contemporary: 0
Historical: 0
Total Science Fiction Books for the Year: 1
Total Humor Books for the Year: 7
Total Horror Books for the Year: 0
Total Fantasy Books for the Year: 4
Total Drama Books for the Year: 2
Total Family Books for the Year: 1
Total Romance Books for the Year: 2


Blog Stats for July: 


Most Viewed Post: The Sunday Post Meme (175) 166 views
Most Commented Post: The Sunday Post Meme (176) - 32 comments




POST SPOTLIGHT:





BEST OF THE MONTH: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff






Books Bought in July:



* I actually bought mostly books that were by Jay Kristoff (which is awesome since I wanted to buy his books for awhile now). I can't wait to dive into these books soon!







August TBR:

* I finally finished reading "Illuminae" and it was AMAZING!  I just loved the sci fi aspects of this book and now I can't wait to read "Gemina" next!  Also, I'm currently reading "The Cruel Prince," which is pretty awesome so far!









Favorite Blog Posts from Around the Blogosphere: 


☀  Cait @ Paper Fury discusses about 24 YOUNG ADULT ENEMIES TO LOVERS BOOKS YOU’VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR
☀  AJ @ Read All the Things!discusses about Discussion: Best Books Of 2019 (So Far)
☀  Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addition discusses about Goodreads’ YA Books Lists: 2019 Edition. Let’s Discuss.
☀  Jessica @ a GREAT read discusses about Toy Story 4: Part Review, Part Rant
☀  Greg @ Book Haven discusses about Liveblogging Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom  
☀  Sam @ We Live and Breathe Books discusses about Is It a Dealbreaker - Secondary Character Deaths
☀  Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight has reviewed THE 100 EPISODE 6×10: MATRYOSHKA  
☀  Genesis @ Whispering Chapters discusses about Underrated Authors + Books | Top Ten Tuesday
☀  Jenna @ Happy Indulgences discusses about HOW TO START A BOOK BLOG IN 8 EASY STEPS





This will be linked to Feed Your Fiction Addiction's Monthly Wrap Up and A Cocoon of Books Best of the Bunch! 




Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Waiting on Wednesday #147: Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin




Hello everyone! "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that is hosted by Breaking the Spine and the purpose of this event is that we spotlight upcoming releases of books that we are excited for!  This will also tie into Wishful Ending's Can't Wait Wednesday post!







This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:






Title:  Serpent & Dove
Author:  Shelby Mahurin
Expected Publication Date:  September 3rd, 2019


Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou's most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.


Cool! I hadn't read a book about witches for awhile now!  Definitely checking this book out!



So, what upcoming books are you looking forward to?  Please respond below!




Monday, August 19, 2019

Bout of Books Readathon #26 Sign Up!



Hey fellow book bloggers!  It's time for another Bout of Books readathon, which will start on August 19th - August 25th!  I have always enjoyed doing this readathon and I'm hoping to complete at least one chapter book during this readathon! 

If you want to join in the fun, sign up HERE.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Waiting on Wednesday #146: Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford




Hello everyone! "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that is hosted by Breaking the Spine and the purpose of this event is that we spotlight upcoming releases of books that we are excited for!  This will also tie into Wishful Ending's Can't Wait Wednesday post!







This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:






Title:  Crown of Coral and Pearl
Author:  Mara Rutherford
Expected Publication Date:  August 27th, 2019


For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine…

Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.

Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen… and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.

In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.


Oooh! A young woman has to save her home from an evil kingdom!  Can't wait to read this book soon!



So, what upcoming books are you looking forward to?  Please respond below!



Friday, August 9, 2019

[ARC REVIEW] The Fairy in the Kettle Gets Magical by Pauline Tait (@PTait_author)








Title:  The Fairy in the Kettle Gets Magical

Author:  Pauline Tait

ArtistDebbie Bellaby

Genre:  Fantasy / Adventure / Travel / Fairies

Year Published: 2019

Year Read: 2019

Publisher:  SilverWood Books

Series: The Fairy in the Kettle #3

Source:  eARC (NetGalley)

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository







I would like to thank NetGalley and SilverWood Books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


A few years ago, I had read a book called “The Fairy in the Kettle” by Pauline Tait, along with artwork by Debbie Bellaby.  So, imagine my surprise when I found out that this book was turned into a series and I actually got my hands on the third book in the series “The Fairy in the Kettle gets Magical” and it was quite a cute read!


One day, Leona the Kettle Fairy was being awakened by one of the other fairies and it was then that she knew that something was wrong.  When Leona met up with her friends and the elders, she finds out that the citizens of Fairy Glen were running out of fairy dust and they needed the fairy dust to maintain their powers.  So, Leona and her friends decided to go out of Fairy Glen and find the fairy dust to restore the fairies’ powers.


Pauline Tait has done a great job at writing this book as it was both cute and interesting to read through!  I liked the fact that this story is much more adventurous compared to the first book as the fairies have to go on a mission to save the fairies’ source of power.  I also loved the great friendship that Leona has with her friends as they go on missions together and I love how supportive they are of each other!  Debbie Bellaby’s artwork is adorable to look at as all the fairies look so cute and I loved the simplistic yet colorful look of the characters and the world that they live in.


The only problem that I had with this book was that the pacing was a bit slow at times and there was not a lot of action sequences in this book that would keep me interested.


Overall, “The Fairy in the Kettle gets Magical” is a great read for anyone who loves reading about fairies and magic in general!  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.


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