#my botm results

[nerdynatreads]

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book review || Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

video review || Raid My Shelves 6: Reading Vlog — BOTM Books

Right out of the gate, holy crap this was cute and sweet and pure, with a solid helping of spice too.

I fell in love with London and Dahlia, each of their personalities really sprung off the page, their voices were well distinguished, and they had great banter and chemistry. The pacing was solid when it came to their romance, balancing between a whirlwind vacation fling and a serious start to something real, which really impressed me.

With the setting of a cooking show, I knew I’d be hooked by all the food talk and I was! The fun adventures they took and the little moments which occurred between them were tender and sweet, all had me squealing. However, I will say, as far as stakes go, this didn’t quite hold up. Contestants disappeared and I wasn’t sure when or how it happened a lot of the time and when one of our MCs is in danger of being kicked off, the results would be stated in a very anti-climatic way.

The handling of London’s identity was well done. Even when another contestant misgenders them, it isn’t explicitly stated on the page! Their father wasn’t accepting of their identity, which did cause some heart-aching moments, but thankfully, didn’t turn into an angsty, dramatic arc that took away from the main story. The respect given to London as a character was fantastic.

I really liked Dahlia as well. Chaotic, bubbly, high on life, she was just entertaining to read about and was so, so protective of London. She just wants to find new happiness for herself but is terrified of disappointing the people she cares about. The discussion with her mom seemed so healthy and wholesome, particularly after the third act conflict. While that drama did make sense and I could understand where both side were coming from, it did seem a little over the top.

The grand gesture had me swooning. I can’t wait to see more from this author.

4 / 5 stars

[proseandpinotnoir]

‼️Just READ IT ALREADY‼️

God bless @avidreaderali for creating the #JustReadItAlready April stack challenge, which is geared towards knocking off some of Those Books™️ that you own, that you KNOW you want to read, and that...you’ve been staring at for so long they’re starting to feel like mountains to be moved instead of books.

In order of my sense of urgency:

⠀

📚Crooked Kingdom: including because I’ve wanted to reread it FOREVER, and since I’m right at the 3/4 point I like the idea of knowing I’ll be able cross a book off this list soon and feel good about myself😂

📚Legendborn: I’m going to throw myself a party when I finish this book. A really big, King-Arthur-themed party with balloons and champagne and Merlin hats and a giant Excalibur-shaped cake that says “congrats but like what tooketh you so long” in neon icing.

📚Pachinko: I started this, put it down, and...yeah. My v brilliant best friend recommended it to me and to be honest, I’m a little intimidated by the profundity of it all. Imposter syndrome is very real and extends to books, because even though I rationally know there is no such thing, I feel too...not smart enough to read it🤠

📚Addie LaRue: picked it up twice, put it down twice. This book is my Everest and I will finish it or die trying.

⠀

📚Detransition, Baby: I wanted to read this in time for The Readheads episode SO BADLY, but I got very engrossed and therefore sidetracked by The Four Winds. It feels like I missed a deadline so my mentality slipped from “HURRY UP” to “what’s the point?” But I’m actually excited about the premise and shall persevere.

📚Opal and Nev: worrying about the previous month’s BOTM when the current box is out for delivery? Groundbreaking.

📚Chain of Iron: these characters are so dear to me I’m scared to read the book. Knowing I own it brings me a strange sense of peace and security; actually reading it will likely result in the opposite.

📚The Dating Plan: I’ve heard such mixed reviews that I’ve become incredibly apathetic about even opening it. But I paid for it so READ IT I SHALL.

Do you struggle to read a book you’ve had forEVER for any of the same reasons I do? Pls tell me I’m not alone!!!

[thelivebookproject]

End of the Summer Bingo, Thoughts, and Conclusions

[Summer Bingo I]

I did it! I finished the Summer Reading Bingo Challenge II with almost a whole month to spare. So here is my usual finishing post, with the complete card and the list of what I read. I already can’t wait fot the next edition!

But first, what is this?

Everything is explained here, but basically this is a summer bingo done for fun in the Forgotten YA Gems group over at Goodreads, organized @brightbeautifulthings​. There were different timelines and different cards to choose from, so there was something for everyone! I decided to go with three months and the biggest card.

How did you do it?

I basically tackled my TBR and all those books I’ve been known to say “I’ll have to read that one” for this. There were some backlist YA, which is basically the main aim of the group, but there were also some recent releases (such as Loveless) or books that had nothing in common with the group. And I tried my best to diversify my reads a little, too. 

I’m super happy with my end result, because I read a lot and, while I enjoyed the few challenging squares there were, overall I had an easy time choosing books and could just focus on reading. Aaaaand I read four more October Daye books, which makes it clear that I use all my challenges to keep reading the series (I also tackled four books for the Comfort Zone Bingo, haha).

Here is my card, and below, under the cut, the complete list of what I read, with ratings and reviews.

Retelling/adaptation: Dido para Eneas - María García Esperón* --> 2.5/5

Award winning book: Death at the Priory: Love, Sex, and Murder in Victorian England - James Ruddick --> 3/5

First book in a series: The Heist (Fox and O'Hare #1) - Janet Evanovitch & Lee Goldberg --> 2/5 [Review]

One word title: Lysistrata - Aristophanes

Illustrated: Contes - Hans Christian Andersen --> 3/5

Made into a film: Les Misérables -Victor Hugo --> 4/5

Mystery/thriller: Twist of Faith (Ava Saunders #1) - Ellen J. Green --> 2.5/5

Found family: Chimes at Midnight (October Daye #7) - Seanan McGuire --> 3/5 [Review]

LGBT+: Marriage of Unconvenience - Chelsea M. Cameron --> 2/5

Non-American author: El bergantín de los sueños - Belén Pastor* --> 3.5/5 [Review in Spanish]

Rom-com: The Boyfriend Project - Farrah Rochon --> 3/5 [Review]

Feminism: Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language - Amanda Montell --> 5/5 [Review]

Paranormal: The Winter Long (October Daye #8) - Seanan McGuire --> 3/5

Author of colour: Egg Drop Dead (A Noodle Shop Mystery #5) - Vivien Chien --> 3.5/5

Graphic novel: Heartstopper: Volume One - Alice Oseman --> 3.5/5

On TBR forever: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender - Leslye Walton --> 4.5/5

First person POV: A Red-Rose Chain (October Daye #9) - Seanan McGuire --> 3.5/5

Historical: The Dark Days Deceit (Lady Helen #3) - Alison Goodman --> 3/5 [Review]

YA Gems BOTM (July): Binti - Nnedi Okorafor --> 3/5 [Comment I made on GR]

Fantasy: The Missing of Clairdelune (The Mirror-Visitor #2) - Christelle Dabos --> 3.5/5

Disability/mental illness: La respiración cavernaria - Samantha Schweblin* --> 4/5

Ensemble cast: Once Broken Faith (October Daye #10) - Seanan McGuire --> 3.5/5

Middle grade: Los agujeros negros - Yolanda Reyes* --> 2.5/5

Ownvoices: Loveless - Alice Oseman --> 4.5/5 [Review]

*Not translated

Are you participating in the bingo too?

[lilyevane]

alright, so choosing the march botm winners was extremely hard, cause all of you had absolutely amazing blogs! i basically pulled my hair out in the process of choosing the winner and runners-up, and i think i might add a few more categories next month, cause it was really difficult to narrow down over 90+ entries to just two! thank you so much to all those who entered, and if you weren’t chosen this month, enter in the next one, i’m hoping to add a few more categories for more varied options, and remember that all of you have absolutely amazing blogs and if i had a choice, i’d probably make all of you my blogs of the month, tbh x

the winner for this month’s blog of the month is:  — @lovegoodd​

the runner-up for this month’s blog of the month is: — @petuniaevans

it was extremely difficult choosing winners, as i said before, all of your blogs were absolutely brilliant! there are also many blogs i wanted to choose which i purely couldn’t out of favouritism, and i’m sure you all know who you are tbh! for april, i’m definitely going to be tweaking the categories, though thank you to all those who entered! 

for the winner and runner-up, reminders of prizes are below the cut:

for the winner:

unlimited promos for the entirety of march

a follow from me

my eternal love and friendship

a spot on the hall of fame

a spot on my updates tab for the entirety of march

for the runner-up:

up to 3/4 promos upon request throughout march

a follow from me (if not already)

my eternal love and friendship

a spot on the hall of fame

a spot on my updates tab for the entirety of march

[pondmelody]

hi lovelies, i reached 3.5k a few days ago and i wanted to do something to thank you all for following me, reblog and like my stuff ♥ (lmao i still have to finish some graphics from my previous celebration but don’t worry, i’m gonna do them all)

rules;

— must be following this v for vendetta obsessed bitch — reblog this post (likes don’t count) — 1 winner & 1 runner-up — deadline is july 31 (results will be announced soon after) — check out my creations (optional) — maybe enter my fandom family? (optional)

awards;

✰ amethyst award » best url ✰ aquamarine award » best icon ✰ emerald award » best desktop theme   ✰ opal award » best mobile theme ✰ ruby award » best original creations*  ✰ sapphire award » best rising blogger** ✰ topaz award » best overall  ✰ tourmaline award » personal favourites

*please include your creations tag **please submit a screenshot of your follower count

prizes;

(under the cut)

— a follow from me (if not already) & my eternal love — a place in my updates tab until my new tumblr awards/botm winners: 1 promo upon request, 2 graphics/moodboards/gifsets upon request runner-up: 1 promo upon request, 1 graphic/moodboard/character poster upon request

[thestudyfeels]

february’18 botm winners!

hello everyone! talking about Jan, it hadn't been that much of a grind for me but I did love spending my days reading magazines in the sun (like finally, winter go away already lmao), drinking hot chocolate, reading lots & lots of books and basically enjoying the little joys in life. my finals begin on the last day of feb, so feb is def going to be full of work and hustling! kind of stresses me out, but bring it on. anyways! here are our two amazing winners for the month of february! :”)

@scholarlysuga

what I like about her blog: Jax's blog is so cute!! like honestly I can’t get over it. I love the lil font in which the blog’s title has been written, the updates tab (again, it’s so cute, I can't stop smiling) and everything so organized including the navigation! I also rly like how she interacts with her blog (i’m still smiling oops, my cheeks hurt) and she seems like a rly friendly person! <3

@studycave

what I like about her blog: Chiara gives off the vibes of a hardworking and passionate person, which I rly like!! also, I was legit dying over how cute her handwriting is, like please! I’m also totally in love with her bujo (send help). she seems to be a rly cool person 10/10 and I love her blog sm!! sending hugs :”)

   and in case you forgot, here are the goodies!

   a spot on my blog’s front page for the whole month

   promos whenever you want for the month

   a follow back if I’m not following already

   a mood board/playlist (let me know which one!)

   we can collab on posts and be friends if you want! :^)

thank you to everyone who participated! I love doing these (ahem, even tho I'm always late with posting the results) and looking at what everyone has to offer! as always, I hope you are well, stay strong and conquer life, you conqueror.

- nandini (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

[joeytrlbiani-archive]

NOVEMBER BOTM RESULTS

okay so i was really lame and crappy and this is waaaay overdue so the winners from last months botm are now november’s winners bc i took so long (i am so so sorry) - prizes are under the cut.

blog of the month

w; @malfoycissy

ru; @drvgonstone

creator of the month

w; @ohmelisandre

ru; @fierygritte

lucky dip

w; @lilttlebird

prizes

runner ups have until the 31st of december to request their promos; requests for creations are valid until the next botm results are posted (first week of jan)

+f (if not already!)

a spot on my updates tab for the month

a permanent spot in my hall of fame

for winners; weekly promos for the month of december, and two requests (for icons and/or edits ~ inc. moodboards, aes, posters, gifsets, or caps)

for runner ups; 3 promos upon request during december, and one request (for icons and/or edits ~ inc. moodboards, aes, posters, gifsets, or caps)

[ananecdotebybreanna]

I had plans today; big productive plans. Did I do any of them? No, I did not. Like a fool, I said to myself this morning that I would start a book that had been sitting on my TBR pile since September while I enjoyed my morning tea. The tea was drunk, but “Bringing Down the Duke” and I remained together until it was finished. For the curious, it’s a great book. Romance is not my favorite genre, but this one subverted the classic romance tropes we find all too often in the historical romance novel. The result is a funny, romantic, and -at times- poignant book that can be enjoyed by the romantic and the cynical alike. I’ll be productive tomorrow. #itwasagoodday #bookstagram #bringingdowntheduke #bookofthemonth #botm #eviedunmore https://www.instagram.com/p/B7xBdIZlkck/?igshid=q85v14tltif9

[leaiorganas]

My birthday is in three weeks and I have not done one of these in ages! Plus I just miss you guys since I have not been around in a long time.

RULES:

mbf this crazy cat

reblog this (LIKES DONT COUNT AS ENTRIES)

must reach 20 notes

maybe enter my birthday page or my August BOTM?

there will be 1 winner and 2 runner-ups per category

ends the 5th of August (my birthday); results will be posted shortly after

CATEGORIES:

best url

best theme

best posts

best mobile theme

best doctor who

best aesthetic

best multi-fandom

best original content (your edits/graphic link needs to be found easily) 

best overall

michelle’s favourite

PRIZES: W I N N E R S

+follow if not already

4 screenshot promos on request (valid until the end of August)

graphic on request

love and friendship

PRIZES: RUNNER-UPS

+follow if not already

2 screenshot promos on request (valid until the end of August)

love and friendship

Any questions, feel free to message me!

[moon-cxctus]

🏆🎉 BOTM Winner! 🎉🏆

Here are the BOTM winners!!

My new BOTM will receive a double screenie along with a 5 liner, and get featured on my blog! The three runner ups will receive a screen and 3 liner each and will automatically go into my faves page!!

So.. results are:

🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁  🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁

🏆  BOTM: ci0rn0

🥇  1st runner: callmezett 🥈  2nd runner: shelbevdwesthuizen 🥉  3rd runner: smashingdiamondz

A huge well done to all! And you if you are not following them I suggest you do so… their blogs are FLAWLESS and AMAZING!!  💖

[galileogalilei]

here are the results for my may botm:

winner

@chirrutimwae

runner-up

@@lejaorgana​

honorable mentions

@obiswan @flinthamiltons @daenerysn

msg me for details about your prizes !!

[thelivebookproject]

Book Review: Red Rising, Pierce Brown

This book takes part in the Summer Reading Bingo Challenge, square: August BOTM.

Trigger warnings: Classism, violence and gore, mentions/explanations of rape and tortures, deaths and killings, animal deaths, lots of blood, mutilations, swear words, boys battling to be the Alpha male, petty squabbles with deathly consequences. 

Title: Red Rising (Red Rising #1).

Author: Pierce Brown.

Goodreads page.

Summary: “I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.” “I live for you,” I say sadly. Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.” Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies… even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

I don’t like sci-fi or dystopias, so of course I wasn’t psyched when this was the book chosen for this month. However, I tried my best to read it with an open mind in hopes of liking it. Sadly, it didn’t work.

Many of the reasons why I didn’t really like this book can be found in this quote:

He is not angry, just pissinginyourboots scary. He reminds me of me before I go into a rage. Quiet. Unhurried.

What do we have here?

A 1st person narrative, not particularly well-written, but repetitive and tiresome. 

Pissinginyourboots scary? REALLY? There are many instances where things like this happen and I just, ugh.

A main character that of course is perfect and fantastic. Basically, the main character (Darrow) is a Gary Stue.

I don’t know why this quote [book] irks me so much, but it does.

Overall, I personally think this book relies way too much on violence and gore to really develop much plot. Yes, there’s political intrigues and whatnot, but everything is laced with killings, and more killings, and hey some more, violence and violence, and here’s some gratuitous descriptions of blood, and let’s add some rapings! I don’t get why the author would rely so much on this instead of showing the Golds’ ruthlessness in literally every other way, but I do think it was a bit over-the-top and not really important to the plot. It’s one thing to show a political death, it’s another to just show deaths and pretend it’s because of politics.

About the main character, wow, I have so much to say but I’ll just repeat myself: he’s a Gary Stue. He has the perfect plans, superhuman strength, everything goes as he wants to and when it doesn’t, he solves it. I liked him at first, but he gets tiiiiiiiring. He’s a Red passing for a Gold in situations of EXTREME danger and stress, and not once does he commit a mistake? C'mon, man. Be serious.

The rest of the characters were okay, I guess. I didn’t feel anything for any of them except for Eo (I cried for her), so you can imagine me reading like I-don’t-care-at-all-about-anything.

The plot was ? I know the author had to start his incredibly long saga somewhere, and I suppose everything will really take off in the next book, but I just read almost 400 pages of useless violence. Darren decides to infiltrate the Institute to fight Golds as a Gold, and then spends the next 300 pages killing in a “school game”. That’s it. That’s the plot. As I said before, there was too many violence and too little advancement of the plot.

About the narrative, um. It was written in 1st person from Darrow’s perspective, and while it was fast and easy to read, it kind of drove Darrow’s Gart Stue-ness home. I think, with another kind of narrative, I would have liked Darrow more, but this way I was fed up with him.

This was definitely not my kind of read, and it shows. I didn’t care about the characters, or the plot, or anything at all, and the violence really put me off. I don’t mind reading about wars, but this was excessive and useless plot-wise. 

The best part: The first twenty or so chapters were good. 

The worst part: THE VIOLENCE. 

I rate this book a generous 2.5/5. 

[pikechris]

Thanks to everyone who entered! Here are the results:

WINNER

@daeneyrstargaryen

RUNNERS-UP

@lunalocegood @hosgmeade @shelrokc

Congrats! Here is what you’ve won. ♥

[pondmelody]

hi guys! first of all, happy 2018!!! so, i've decided to do my very first botm to start this year, maybe find some new amazing blogs to follow and why not to spread some love? ♥ you are all amazing and i love each one of you! (pls don't let this flop)

rules;

— must be following this multifandom mess — reblog this post (likes don’t count) — 1 winner & 1 runner-up  — deadline is january 20 (results will be announced soon after) — maybe enter my fandom family? (optional)

awards;

✰ galadriel award » best url ✰ leia organa award » best creations* ✰ sansa stark award » best rising blogger**  ✰ luna lovegood award » personal favourites

*please include your creations tag  **please submit a screenshot of your follower count

prizes;

(under the cut)

— a follow from me (if not already) — a place in my updates tab for a month/until my new botm winners: 3 promos upon request, 2 graphics/moodboards/character posters upon request runner-ups: 2 promos upon request, 1 graphic/moodboard/character poster upon request

[thestudyfeels]

here’s jan’s schedule! its also up on my blog if you want to have a look! x

jan 01 - reflecting on 2017

jan 08 - feb botm

jan 11 - hacking at distractions

jan 17 - things to do before break ends - challenge

jan 21 - bouncing back from failure

jan 26 - interview # 3

feb 03 - feb botm results

[gaypvnks]

april botm results !!!!!

@basemntgerard is gon b my new botm !!! ❤️