agirlabookandtheworls

[agirlabookandtheworls]

The Lost Library

I read this because of the title. I was a few chapters in before I read the synopsis. I only did this to get a feel for the book since I had not picked up on the plot. Told from 3 points of view – The Lost Library – takes place over a few days. Evan through the actions of Al and Mortimer comes across a mystery. The mystery – what happened to the town’s library. While Evan pieces together what…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

No Rest for the Wicked

This is Cole’s follow-up to A Hunger Like No Other, which was an improvement to the first; which I will get to later.  No Rest for the Wicked follows Kaderin, a Valkyrie introduced in A Hunger Like No Other, and Sebastian Wroth. Both characters are deeply affected by their past trauma. Sebastian was forced to become a vampire by his brother, while Kaderin has been emotionally numb for 1,000…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

The Forest King's Daughter

I’m not sure how this will develop into a full trilogy. This was written where there could be a follow-up, but also not.  We will have to wait and see what happens in the coming year. This is my first Elly Blake book, and there was a moment when I was unsure about my feelings. The world-building was well-executed; it provided enough detail without overwhelming the reader. Whenever I needed more…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

A Rebel Without Claws

I love a good campy romance. I first discovered Juliette Cross last year with her book Wolf Gone Wild. When I found A Rebel Without Claws, I was pleasantly surprised to learn it was by the same author. This novel is the beginning of a new series that follows her previous series, Stay a Spell. If you read Wolf Gone Wild, the last name Cruze will sound familiar, as this story features Mato and…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

The Digital Nomad Handbook

This is both an enlightening and engaging read, but it’s important to note that it is not a how-to guide. LP’s The Digital Nomad Handbook serves as a resource that outlines the steps involved in becoming a digital nomad: the before, during, and after phases. There isn’t a single formula that applies to everyone. This applies just as much to aspiring YouTubers or Instagram influencers. Each…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

The Start

The start of my travels began in late spring/early summer of 2016. Since undergrad, I had wanted to do a study abroad program, but nothing worked out. So, I researched grad programs overseas and landed on one in Bournemouth, England. After spending a crazy 3 months getting all my paperwork together, I was travel-bound for England. The crazy thing is I’m not working in that field at all. Knowing…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

How to Win at Travel

This travel guide offers insights on how to travel effectively. Honestly, I didn’t know what to fully expect from this book. I was familiar with Brian Kelly and his website, The Points Guy, and I was hoping to find more tips for booking inexpensive travel. I tend to fly and stay at budget-friendly accommodations while maintaining reasonable standards. The last thing I want is to run out of money…

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What's happened...

January was a slow month, but we are making progress. I’m down to the last Harry Potter book. Once I am done with that, it will either be A Dance with Dragons or A Day of Fallen Night. I am thinking that once I am caught up on these audiobooks, I might start knocking out either the James Bond series, Agatha Christie, or Jane Austen.  Due to several side projects, the plans and changes for this…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

The Midnight Library

I wish I could pinpoint what initially attracted me to this book, but I can’t. This is my first book by Matt Haig, and it has convinced me that I want to read more of his works. I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Carey Mulligan, and it’s definitely worth the listen; she does a fantastic job. If you had the chance to change how your life has unfolded, would you take it? This is the…

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December recap and what has been Happening

This is kinda late but I have been in a bit of a slump. It has been a slow month of reading. I’ve finished one title, Why I Read, you can see my thoughts here. (add hyperlink) Last month was a little all over. I finished 2 ARCs: Georges Bess’s graphic novel rendition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and On the Hippie Trail. I do need to get around to reading Hugo’s classic. Who knows, maybe I will…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

On the Hippie Trail

This is what I envision for my travel books. It took me about three days to finish this one, as I was reading it during my desk shifts at work and right before I went to bed at night. Reading it felt akin to watching some of the travel bloggers I follow on YouTube, and I absolutely loved it. So, what exactly is the Hippie Trail? The Hippie Trail was an overland journey that began in several…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

Why I Read

This book falls somewhere between My Year Reading Dangerously and How to Read Literature Like a Professor. I went into this book based solely on the title. I was thinking ‘hey this is why I read x book or x genre’ but it’s not. Lessor does a very brief and more in-depth depending on the chapter on what a book has to have for her to read or re-read it.  Hence, I read romance books for a solid…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

2025 Reading Goals

It’s that time of year again!  What are you planning to read or tackle from your TBR pile?  Reflecting on last year I only completed a few of my goals. I read more than my goal number of 50 books, a total of 92. I finished A Feast of Crows and The Kazam Chronicles. I re-read the first book of The Bone Season, read five biographies or memories, and read all but 4 of Reese’s Book Club titles from…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

Richard Ayoade’s book serves as a bridge between young adult and adult fiction by exploring intriguing questions posed to our favorite fairy tale characters. It employs a structure reminiscent of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events to engage readers in discussing the questions that arose after reading these tales and how the characters might respond. By blending Ayoade’s sense of…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

Changes are coming...

Although this site has primarily focused on book reviews, I wanted to expand beyond that. I don’t like to fit into just one category. I originally intended to share my love for both books and travel. This is why there is a dedicated page for travel-related books. Inspired by Rick Steves’ upcoming book, On the Hippie Trail, I plan to share my adventures so far. In the coming weeks and months, you…

[agirlabookandtheworls]

If I Understood You

It’s funny how some books have a way of sitting on your shelf until the right time. Alda’s book is one of those. There has been some unwanted drama at work, and as I was browsing the titles in my collection, this one jumped out at me. So for the last week, I’ve been listening to Alda’s “If I Understood You. Who would have thought that there is a science behind communication? For Alda, there is.…

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Adulting

This was a read based on the title to see if it was going to provide any entertaining pieces of advice. Self-help books fall into 3 areas for why I read them  1. is the author full of shit. Is the book an actual book that provides relevant advice or is the author just talking out of his ass by marketing it as a self-help book when in fact it either did not need to be published or should be…