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Six Degrees of Separation - October 2021

Six Degrees of Separation – October 2021

This is a monthly meme I came across, hosted by booksaremyfavouriteandthebest. The idea is to use the book chosen as the starting point for the month to create a chain of books linked in some way. Sounds fun, so I thought I’d give it a go. This month’s book is The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. This is the first time I hear of this book, but apparently it’s a well known short story. Based on the…

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(OMG) I was tagged by toetoro

The 11 questions tag thing Rules Rule 1: always post the rules. Rule 2: answer the questions the person who tagged you asked and write 11 new ones Rule 3: Tag 11 people and link them to the post Alright, let's do this~ 1. What's your favorite color? Purple! :D 2. How many ships do you have? @.@ I....have no idea.... I get a number and then I remember more... 3. Favorite fandom? I don't think I could possibly choose one! 4. Favorite song? Oh... My list of favorite songs is endless... but one i'm listening to a lot lately is "†he Epilogue" by ††† ([Three]Crosses) it's hard to figure out what to call tgem, all three are technically right 5. Favorite sport to play? Maybe volleyball or soccer. 6. Favorite sport to watch? I don't really watch sports, but it's fun to watch baseball with friends around here. The fans get really into it, but not so into it that it is scary most of the time and it's really a lot of fun. 7. What color(s) are your bedroom walls? They're a really weird color... and the same color they've been for about 8-9 years....It's like a purple-ish, gray-ish, tan-ish, light color... I dunno... 8. Have a "lucky" piece of clothing? If so, what is it? Uhh.... I don't think I have any. Unless you count the orange hairtie I wear almost all of the time. I wear it to remind me of my boyfriend—his school's colors are orange and black... I've never admitted that to anyone before. Huh. 9. Do you collect anything? If so, what is the collection of? I have a small collection of Japanese soda bottles, and another small collection of Jones' soda bottles. I also have some seashells. My collections are useless xD 10. Favorite candy? Yes. 11. What color sheets do you have? White with pink flowers, but I was going to change them to my deep red ones soon. 2. Who's your favorite singer/songwriter? (I'm pretty sure there's a mistake, but I don't mind. Questions are fun~) I've been a big fan of the Gorillaz since I was little, so I might have to go with Damon Albarn :3 My questions! 1. Do you have a dream vaccation? If you do, tell us a little about it! 2. What is your favorite TV Show (anime can count too)? 3. Absolute favorite type of music? 4. Do you have any siblings? 5. Favorite animal? 6. Favorite movie? 7. Do you play any video games? If so, what are some of your favorite games? 8. Do you like your name? 9. (Still on the topic of names) Have you ever met anyone with the same first name as you? 10. What kind of phone do you have? 11. Do you have a favorite something that comforted/comforts you? (Like I have a stuffed animal dog that I have never slept a night without in the 10 years I've had it... A long time, I know.) Tags: j-e-s-s-i-c-4 Achibi-chi Abooknerd mikkeli-suohhh nalukima fandomsandshiz Hannahxgrengar datenshi1 Freerangecommunist Nepetatier Sinclaritinker Also, if you guys ever have any other questions/opinions for me, don't be afraid to ask! :3 I literally have 10 new notes. It's new year's and we're all blogging. XD

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Just got my new books in the mail! Yay so excited to read them, you don't even know. #imanerd #abooknerd #books #ilovebooks #andreading #soexcited #illbeupallnightreadingone (at Imagination)

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Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco - Review

Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco – Review

Rating: 4.5 stars Published: 2020 Genre: Fantasy, NA Author: Kerri Maniscalco Synopsis: One sister.Two sinful princes.Infinite deception with a side of revenge…Welcome to Hell.After selling her soul to become Queen of the Wicked, Emilia travels to the Seven Circles with the enigmatic Prince of Wrath, where she’s introduced to a seductive world of vice.She vows to do whatever it takes to avenge…

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Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Rating: 4.5 stars Published: 2020 Genre: Fantasy, YA Author: Kerri Maniscalco Synopsis: Emilia and her twin sister Victoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Victoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin…desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out…

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August 2019 Wrap Up

August 2019 Wrap Up

August was a super slumpy month for me. It’s probably the least I have ever read in one month in a while. I have completed only one book in August. I did start several other books, but because of the slump, I didn’t progress very much with them. The last week or so of the month, I started enjoying reading again, and that’s when I read my one and only book for the month. So let’s talk about it.

To…

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I did this in 2016 and 2017 and then I skipped it last year, but I think it’s a nice way of reflecting on the books I’ve read so far this year. And it’s really interesting to see what my answers were like in previous years and how my reading tastes have changed. As of writing this, I have read 35 books this year.

Best book you’ve read so far in 2019

I’ve read so many good books this year. However, some of them were re-reads so I will give this one to Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence. This has become one of my favourite series. I’ve talked about it a lot, it’s amazing and I can’t wait to see what Mark lawrence has for us next in this world.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019

Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel. This is another one of my new favourite series and Waking Gods was my favourite book in the series. Again, I’ve talked about this a lot already. It’s definitely worth checking out if you enjoy sci-fi.

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence. I’ve read the first book in May and the second book has now been released with the third one upcoming later this year. These are very short and i really enjoyed One Word Kill. I think I’m going to wait for the third one to come out and just binge read them though.

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff. It’s interesting that my answer for 2017 was Godsgrave. So it’s nice to see that some things haven’t changed.

Biggest disappointment

I’ve been pretty good about picking books I really enjoy this year, but I think the book I was most disappointed with was Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I had a lot of issues with this and I was expecting to really enjoy it. So it really disappointed me. I recently reviewed it so you can check that out for more details.

Biggest surprise

I think for this, it’s a tie between Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst and City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty. I enjoyed both of these way more than I was expecting and I’m glad I read them.

Favourite new author (Debut or new to you)

Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples. I started reading Saga this year and man was that a great decision.

Newest fictional crush

I don’t know, I don’t think I have one.

Newest favorite character

Nona from The Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence. Technically, I was introduced to her last year, but since I didn’t do this tag last year, i think it’s fair and I don’t really have anyone else.

Book that made you cry

I don’t think any books have made me cry so far this year.

Book that made you happy

The Martian by Andy Weir. It genuinely brightened my mood. I loved it so much.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

Some of my faves I got this year.

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

All of my owned TBR, really.

Mid Year Book freak Out Tag – 2019 Edition I did this in 2016 and 2017 and then I skipped it last year, but I think it's a nice way of reflecting on the books I've read so far this year.

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I haven’t done a Top 10 Tuesday in AGES. But this week’s topic is top 10 books in your favourite genre and I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to talk about my fantasy babies. If you don’t know, Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, though originally it was created by The Broke and the Bookish. So here, we go, ten of my favourite fantasy books! Well… series, for the most part. Because I can’t just recommend one book in the series.

The Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence

This should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been here for any length of time. I talk about this all the time. You can read my review of it for more details, but it’s basically a series about magical assassin nuns.

The Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin

Again, I never shut up about this. It’s amazing, you should read it. It’s about the end of the world and people who can control earthquakes.

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

I don’t talk about this one quite as much as the other two, but it probably still doesn’t come as much of a surprise. I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Brandon Sanderson. I’m so thankful to whoever it was who introduced me to him (I can’t remember who it was). I’m currently reading The Way of Kings and it might dethrone Mistborn as my favourite Sanderson series, but we’ll see. In case you didn’t know, Mistborn is about a bunch of people trying to steal something and they live in a world where certain metals give people certain abilities.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

One of my all time favourites. Please, please, PLEASE give us book 3 before I die. Please. This is one of the most difficult series to summarise in my opinion, because it sounds so boring when you try to summarise it. This is a frame story following a guy who’s basically a legend and it’s just the story of his life as told by himself after his kind of… fall from grace and presumed death. If that sounds boring… well it isn’t. give it a try. I have reviews of the first two books (Book 1 | Book 2), so check those out if you want to get more of an idea about the series.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

I’ve only read the first two books in the series, but there is talk of the fourth one being released soon-ish. So I’m hoping to read the third one soon. This is a series about a band of con-artists. And it’s basically them planning and executing heists and getting themselves into trouble. I love heist stories. They’re so much fun and this is one of the best heist stories I’ve ever encountered. I have reviewed both of the books I’ve read, if you’d like to know more (Book 1 | Book 2).

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I talk about this one a lot less, but I love this duology so much. It’s another heist story. This time it’s YA, but it does remind me a lot of The Lies of Locke Lamora. In vibe, more than anything else. The world, story and characters are very different, but they both have a vibe that I adore. I’ve also reviewed both the books in this series so check those out for more details (Book 1 | Book 2).

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Another one I don’t talk about as much, mainly because it’s not as recent in my mind since it’s been 2 years since the last book came out. But I absolutely love it and I’m so excited to read the conclusion this autumn! This is also about assassins and very much reminds me of The Book of the Ancestor. Again, in vibe, rather than anything else. Reviews of the first two books: Book 1 | Book 2.

The Knots Duology by Amy McCulloch

This is a series that is so tragically underrated and I wish people talked about it more. I read it quite a while ago and I’ve been meaning to re-read it, but it’s such a cool desert fantasy. It has an interesting magic system and as far as I remember, doesn’t actually have a romance. Which in YA is a rarity and I love it. More people just need to read this series cause it’s great. It follows a guy who gets banished into the desert because he breaks a promise he doesn’t even remember making. In this world, each promise is tied with a magical knot and if broken, the knot burns and scars the oathbreaker and they become haunted by a shadow and become outcasts. Sadly, I read this series before I started my blog, so I don’t have a review, but if I re-read them, I will review them.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

A stand alone fantasy fairy-tale retelling influenced by Russian folklore. I think at least. I’ve read this twice, it’s one of those books that I think I will never tire of re-reading. It’s magical and beautiful. I love the atmosphere, I love the characters, I even love the romance which almost never happens. It’s amazing. It’s about a girl who lives on the edge of a magical forest which kills people and she gets taken away by the wizard who protects their area from the forest for unknown purposes. The wizard takes a girl every 10 years and then lets her go, but the girls are never the same afterwards and nobody really knows why he takes them.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Inter-dimensional travel between different versions of London. Need I say more?

Favourite Fantasy Books – Top 10 Tuesday I haven't done a Top 10 Tuesday in AGES. But this week's topic is top 10 books in your favourite genre and I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to talk about my fantasy babies.

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I’ve always been a reader, but I’ve only been a part of the online bookish community for the past 5 or so years. Becoming a part of the bookish community has definitely introduced me to a lot of books, authors and genres. But there are a few series that are wildly popular in the bookish community (or at least were at that time) that I read without actually knowing they were super popular.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

This is probably the most popular and the one that is still super popular now. I started this series when there were only 3 of them out. By that point, I was already on the fringes of the book community. I had joined goodreads and that’s how I found out about it. But I didn’t realise it was so popular until after reading it. I was just browsing Goodreads and the synopsis of it intrigued me so I read it and then binged the remaining two books. And then I found out that everyone was talking about it.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Another one that I just found on Goodreads but was unaware of its popularity until later. I had read The Hunger Games, so I was looking to books similar to that on GR and this came up as one, so I read them and then found out they were even making a film.

The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore

By the time I really got into the bookish community, these were already losing popularity because of all the controversy surrounding the author. But as I was reading them, I was unaware of both their former popularity and their fall from grace.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

I actually originally started reading this series years ago. Like way, way back probably around when it first came out. But I wasn’t really fussed about it. I then re-read it (I didn’t even realise I was re-reading it until I started remembering things that were happening). I was unaware of its popularity on both occasions.

Books I didn’t know were popular when I read them I've always been a reader, but I've only been a part of the online bookish community for the past 5 or so years.

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Ssooo… I have been severely neglecting my blog. It’s been a long few months. But I have actually read a decent amount of books. So be prepared for a massive wrap up.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

I started the year with a Brandon Sanderson book because that’s always a nice start to the year. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I enjoyed Mistborn. Which is what I was expecting anyway. I am wholly satisfied with this book and if there will ever be a sequel to it, I am here for it. It’s not as well written as Mistborn, but it has a fascinating magic system and I would love to learn more about it. 4/5 stars

Saga Vol. 1-3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

I’ve read quite a lot of graphic novels this year and I have been especially loving Saga. I’m trying to pace myself with reading it because it’s currently on hiatus and I don’t want to have to wait ages. But the world and story is just so cool and creative. The art is also nice, it’s not the best I’ve seen, but it’s very creative and it’s not by any means bad.

Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel

I actually finished this series, but I read the final book in April, so I’ll save it for the next wrap up. But this was actually my favourite in the series. I mean, this whole series is just so good and underrated in my opinion. It’s one of the best sci-fi series I’ve read recently. I’ve reviewed the whole series if you want to know more of my thoughts. I gave this book 5/5 stars.

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Second Sanderson book of the year. I am on a roll with continuing with series/reading books by authors I know I enjoy. Which is something I’ve been wanting to do more. Not that I don’t like discovering new authors. But there’s just something satisfying about reading all or most of the works of an author. It just gives me a sense of accomplishment and when I also really love all the books, it’s even better. Anyway, I wasn’t disappointed by this one. I was a bit apprehensive because it’s a different genre from any of the other Sanderson books I’d read before, but I really shouldn’t have been. It was a bit slow to begin, but otherwise was great. I have a review of it if you want to hear more of my thoughts. 4.5/5 stars.

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

I enjoyed this more than I liked The Lost Hero, but still not as much as I enjoyed the Percy Jackson series. I know it’s generally agreed that Percy Jackson is better, so I was expecting thins. But it does mean that I’m less inclined to get through them quickly. Which annoys me, because I really want to get to the Apollo books. 3.75/5

Vengeful by V. E. Schwab

This book wasn’t what I expected. I still enjoyed it, but it didn’t feel the same as the first one a d I definitely liked Vicious better. The most disappointing part of the book was the ending. It just was so anticlimactic. I gave it 4/5 stars, but now in hindsight it’s more of a 3.5 really.

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Finally carrying on with this series! Once again, the physical book itslef was just a masterpiece. I think I like this one even more from that aspect, than Illuminae, because it’s blue and has drawings in it and blue is better than orange any day. I didn’t like the content as much as I liked Illuminae, but it was still pretty great. I have a review of this if you want to know more of my thoughts. 4/5 stars.

Monstress Vol. 1 by Marjorie Liu

Another graphic novel series I started this year. And it is so good. I’m struggling to pace myself, since there are only 3 volumes out at the moment and I don’t know when the next one will be out. But it’s such a cool world and story and the art is amazing! 5/5 stars

Avatar: The Last Airbender Graphic Novels

So… I re-watched the show again. I don’t have a problem, shut up. And after re-watching the show, I wanted more, so I re-read The Lost Adventures graphic novel. Then I re-read The Promise Part 1 and went on and bought The Promise Part 2 and read it as well. If graphic novels weren’t so expensive, I’d just binge read the lot of them, but alas…

The Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin

Lots of re-reads for me so far. I listened to all of these on audio, because the audiobooks are amazing and this series is amazing and if you haven’t read it, what are you waiting for? I have both a spoiler free review and a spoilery rave if you want more of my thoughts on it.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

My first Ursula K. Le Guin book. I audiobooked it and it was okay. I enjoyed it. But it was kind of… vague? I don’t know, I would have wanted more information about the world, about how the magic works and about what exactly was going on. It was just kind of vague. I know there are more Earthsea books, but I’m not sure they follow the same characters. I still enjoyed it, I gave it 3/5 stars, but I was just expecting more from it.

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Finally, I listened to the final three Harry Potter books, because they’re like comfort food and I needed some comfort in my life.

January-March 2019 Wrap Up Ssooo... I have been severely neglecting my blog. It's been a long few months. But I have actually read a decent amount of books.

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Top 10 sequels I read in 2018

Top 10 sequels I read in 2018

It may come as no surprise to you that I am pretty bad about reading sequels. But actually in 2018, I did quite well on that front. So much so that talking about all of the sequels I read would be too much. Therefore, here is a top 10 list of sequels I read last year.

10. Golden Son by Pierce Brown

I started this series in 2018 and got as far as the second book. I put this series off for years…

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November-December 2018 Wrap Up

November-December 2018 Wrap Up

The end of 2018 was pretty tough for me. I had a lot of work and also a lot of personal things going on. So I didn’t get to read as much as I would have liked. I still managed to finish 8 books in the final two months of the year, which is not too bad.

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

This is the sequel to The Blade Itselfwhich I read earlier in the year and still haven’t reviewed.…

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Over the past few months, I’ve been getting into audiobooks and I’ve gathered a little collection of audiobooks. I’ve never included any of them in my book hauls, so I thought I’d make a separate post to share my collection with you. Some of these, I also own physical copies of.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins | Ships and Strings and Wedding Rings by Jodi Taylor | The Very First Damned Thing by Jodi Taylor | Roman Holiday by Jodi Taylor | Christmas Present by Jodi Taylor

When a Child is Born by Jodi Taylor | Red Sister by Mark Lawrence | Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence | Golden Son by Pierce Brown | The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson

I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll | The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin | The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris | Life of Pi by Yann Martel | The Power by Naomi Alderman

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman | The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton | Uprooted by Naomi Novik | A Breach of Security by Susan Hill

Audiobook Collection Over the past few months, I've been getting into audiobooks and I've gathered a little collection of audiobooks.

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Blogger Tag I was tagged by SapientReader. Thank you for tagging me. What is the biggest reason you read?

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Diversity in media - Discussion

Diversity in media – Discussion

This post is brought to you by Children of Blood and Bone, which is my current read. I’ve talked a little bit about this in my review of The Broken Earth series by N. K. Jemisin (which btw, if you’re looking for diverse or just good fantasy and you’ve not read it, what are you waiting for?), but I want to take the time and discuss it properly.

As I said, I’m currently reading CoBaB and the more I…

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Books I'm glad I listened to on audio

Books I’m glad I listened to on audio