#one time when i was a kid i did this like all night readathon thing at the library in my hometown to which i brought lovey obviously

[renegadeontherunn]

ahhhh 🧸 and 🐑 for the ask game? <3

ahhh thanks for the ask ab!!!

from these cottagecore asks

teddy bear: do you ever want to raise kids someday?

honestly, i'm not sure! i'm only 20 (about to turn 21, ayyy) so kids + all that feels pretty far in my future. i actually really like kids + interacting with + talking to them and i don't think i'd be necessarily bad at raising kids, so maybe! ask me again in like 9 years and i might have a better answer for you alsdjlajkakl

sheep: what is a comfort item you own?

ahh this is a cutie one! i would probably say my stuffed animal named lovey. i love stuffed animals in general + have quite a few, but she is i think the oldest stuffed animal i own. she's a little pink and white dog and one of her ears is like half sewn on and she has one pink eye and one white eye and i take her everywhere. any time i'm on a trip that's overnight, she's packed immediately. any time i'm having an especially hard day, boom lovey cuddle sesh. i just love her, she's so cute and has literally been with me through like my entire life and so yeah, she's definitely a comfort to me :)

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE.

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241. The Discovery by Katherine Applegate--⭐️⭐️⭐️

That poor snake.

I feel torn about this one because while in theory, it was a good addition to the series, something about how the characters were at the end of the book when they had to make a big decision sat wrong with me. Maybe it's because I've been spoiled by their easy decision making, or their teamwork when it comes to important decisions.

BUT then again, I know that these are just kids and they've been thrown into a deadly and near-impossible situation.

I do think it's a very convenient storyline to push through the next couple of books and to teach our Animorphs team a very important lesson about trust and the dangers of war.

In a way, THE DISCOVERY is a sad one. Yes, the poor snake, but it's sad to see the beginning of the end of a type of trust for these kids. And the levels that some people will go in order to survive or deal with their grief.

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242. Sing Anyway by Anita Kelly--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay, this was adorable AF.

I wasn't expecting to love this novella so much, but yes! It was adorable and the tension between the two MCs was palpable. I love that this takes place, for the most part, during one night of bravery since the one MC is incredibly shy and socially anxious.

I loved that even though this is a novella, we had a beautifully fleshed out story of two strangers letting down their insecurities for one night in order to connect. Even though we get hints of said insecurities, they both know the importance of letting themselves love every moment of their night.

My only iffy moment was the main conflict and how easy it could have been to avoid it, but I also understand the fear of something new, especially when you have presented yourself in a certain way instead of who you regularly are. But the ending was cute af and I like that the one character did the work and the other was pleasantly surprised. It was all so satisfying.

If you're looking for a seriously cute and sexy Queer novella, then I think you should 100% add this to your TBR.

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243. The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee--⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was cute, but something about it didn't have me hooked enough to keep me from putting it down often. I did love the rep and was intrigued by the bowling!

I picked this up for a twenty-four hour readathon and while I was hoping it would be a quick read since it's not exactly long, but every time I picked it up it felt like I was swimming uphill. The story itself was fun and cute, with a really unique concept--the bowling was something I haven't seen in a romance novel before--but something about the writing made it feel so bogged down. If it wasn't for me wanting to finish this for a challenge, I might have taken longer reading this or even abandoned it.

I did like the second chance trope and the fact that the one MC essentially had to win back the trust of the other MC. The tension between the two of them was pretty good and it got pretty steamy in some instances. I liked the side characters and how they interacted with the MCs. I do wish we had gotten some poetic justice against the principal. What a dick.

Anyway, this isn't the first teacher sapphic romance I've read, but it IS the first one that just didn't immediately grab me. Oh well, at least the story was still fun?

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244. Pumpkin by Julie Murphy--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Immediately HOOKED!

Okay, I had forgotten how freaking cute these books were, or how well written they were! I loved Pumpkin and his personality. One of the things, I think, that's important when reading this book is to remember that the MC is a teenager. There are high emotions in here, as well as a journey to discovering who the MC is, even if it means being angry with his twin sister.

Also, please, I knew who the love interest would be from the very beginning because it would have been a crime otherwise. These two work so well together, especially because it teaches the MC to not judge others by his prejudices.

The process of how the MC finds what he likes was great and eye-opening. Drag has always been this concept that feels so much bigger than life and I think Murphy wrote a great story of a teen boy finding something that makes him feel whole and happy.

PUMPKIN also tackles that difficult concept of change--especially for teenagers because change can feel like the end of the world for some. Sometimes change can be difficult, but PUMPKIN shows that it's often necessary for growth, even if it makes a person uncomfortable or upset. AND with that concept of "change", comes the other concept of "figuring out what the hell you want to do with your life". It's okay to follow your own path, even if it doesn't look like everyone else's.

Being different is okay and being yourself is beautiful!

___

245. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was cute, but I definitely liked THE GOOSE GIRL more!

PRINCESS ACADEMY had that similar way of writing that THE GOOSE GIRL had and that made me really excited. Something about Hale's fantasy writing feels so easy, but in the best way. Her stories flow so well and have a way of capturing my attention. Maybe it's the straightforward way of writing the situations, or if it's the personable MCs, but I love these fantasy stories.

I liked the MC in this one because she was pretty dimensional. She wasn't just a girl who was fighting for the attention of a prince, she was someone who acknowledged that she had a past before going to the academy. She was also kind and empathetic, but also rebellious in her own way. I loved her connection to her small village and the magic that can be found in that connection.

I also loved how Hale handled the prince situation and the ending. I kind of saw it coming, but it also still surprised me. Also, the level of trust and friendship that grows between the girls throughout the book was great. I think it's a great thing for younger readers to read so they know that even in the most difficult of situations, you can still make unexpected friendships.

I'd recommend this for anyone who loves the classics like A LITTLE PRINCESS, since this has that magical feeling of friendship, family, and an MC who refuses to let go of her caring personality.

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246. Shut Up You're Pretty by Téa Mutonji--⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I first finished SHUT UP YOU'RE PRETTY, I was in a haze trying to come to terms with what I had read. On one hand, there were some pretty powerful moments where the MC realizes her worth and who she is as a person. On the other hand, however, this book just made me so incredibly uncomfortable. And as I finally write this review, I'm left with that icky feeling of discomfort.

I do, however, think it's important to acknowledge the great representation of that toxic friendship that verges on one's own sexual discovery. We never see into the best friend's mind during these sexually explicit times in their childhoods (ugh), but in their actions together we see two girls who are both seemingly escaping from either abusive lives and or that feeling of inequality that comes from being the "ugly" friend of a duo. That part hit me extra hard since my teen years and a good chunk of my twenties was full of me repressing my sexuality and being best friends with the "prettier white girl". It was a cycle that was hard to break and seeing the MC being pulled back in a few times until we never hear about the best friend again was lowkey triggering.

And we see how this lingers with the MC as she goes through an eating-disorder, body-issues, and a lack of self-appreciation in some of her relationships. The title is apt because this girl was verbally abused about her looks from a young age and despite her "physical change" as an adult, that young girl who was told she was ugly still lingers with her throughout her adulthood.

The lower rating was for the incredibly creepy things these two best friends did when they were younger and how it was described. The rest of the short stories were pretty powerful and a great exploration of how childhood trauma and grief can really change the trajectory of a life and how a person ends up seeing themselves and their worth for the rest of their lives.

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247. Land of No Regrets by Sadi Muktadir--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love stories like LAND OF NO REGRETS because it explores the coming-of-age side of boyhood. The silly pranks, the moments of self-discovery, the naive perceptions of the world around them, and that hope that there has to be more/an escape from their current lives.

Muktadir's book was, of course, a harder to read version of that coming-of-age trope because these boys dealt with some serious abuse in this school. It showed the extremity of some branches of religion and how some parents will do anything to ensure that their children end up the way they want them to (without considering the fact that these children have their own autonomies). As a result, this was a great and tragic fable of a childhood stolen by parents' inability to understand that children are not extensions of themselves (among other things).

I really enjoyed the way LAND OF NO REGRETS was presented. It felt episodic and like we were being shown the most important points leading to that hell of a conclusion. We have the misadventures and the different people the characters meet. We see alliances form, and identities be challenged. They weren't short stories, but they were like snippets of a young life lived in a toxic and abusive environment.

And while religion is definitely an important topic in this book, I think this was more about the extremist side of religion and we hella know that all religions have their extreme nature. I liked that the MC still found his voice and questioned all that he could.

LAND OF NO REGRETS was poignant, powerful, and a bittersweet exploration of boyhood and the consequences of over-the-top expectations and what could happen when control becomes a weapon and self-expression/moral freedom is put into question.

___

248. Napkins & Other Distractions by M.A. Wardell--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Honestly, this author never misses. Wardell knows what he's doing and in this one, he doesn't hold anything back.

NAPKINS & OTHER DISTRACTIONS was such a sweet addition to this series. I think these characters are the oldest I've read in romance and it was great seeing them get their happy ever afters! This also introduced a sexual concept to me that I didn't even know existed, so that was eye-opening.

I loved the character dynamics and how they were each others' safe place, even when they felt those moments of insecurity. The representation of OCD was interesting and I feel like I learned a lot about the topic (I didn't know a lot more than the stereotypical information beforehand). I found the older MC so sweet in his treatment of his love interest. Let's not even forget to mention the level of respect between these two characters!

AND OF COURSE, that SPICE. Holy crap, this was a spicy one. I loved it, but it had even me blushing a bit. These two have a very healthy and active sexual connection and PHEW. Please. Excuse me, I need to get a glass of water.

My one negative might be the conflict and how it was handled (even if it was brief), but I DID love how it was resolved. I just think that for a couple that communicates so well, a part of the conflict was a bit of communication.

Other than that, I loved this book like I did the other two in this series! I am craving a re-read, but I don't know when it will happen because it's almost that time of the year when all I want to read are horror books…

Anyway, LOVED and highly recommend this series to everyone who loves beautiful relationships, spicy chemistry, and the cutest couples around.

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249. Delinquent Daddy & Sweet Teacher Vol. 4 by Tama Mizuki--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Devoured, as always.

I love this series so much and I'm so happy we got a new volume! In this one explores insecurities that can sometimes come up in relationships we think we don't deserve. I liked how these two characters worked through that and communicated, while also moving forward in their relationship.

There isn't much I can't say because of spoilers and it's further into the series, but this was just as cute as before. Even as things start to change and get a bit more serious when their secret relationship moves that forward step into maybe not being as secret.

I'm excited to see what's next for this couple! I'm loving their growth, not just as a couple but their independent growth as characters.

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Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts?

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Happy reading!

[whatmarisays]

The Racing to Reading Tag

I was tagged by one of my all time favorites @pleasedontlookatmeaight

Warm Up: A book that stretches your mind: So is it fair to say a text book in this category? I mean Laboratory Techniques in Organic Chemistry, Fourth Edition by Mohrig et al. definitely put my mind to work. (Shout out to Dr. V for making us figure out IR/NMR spectroscopy on our own and didn’t explain what he wanted until the last zoom meeting before the final)

Start Line: What’s a book that you started but never finished? Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. The thing with this book is that I enjoyed every second and every page  I read however, i did get terribly depressed in which I decided it would be easier to put the book on hold and finish it when I felt I had the energy to continue it. Ive been feeling better now so I think its time to pick up where I left off. 

Sprint: A book you read really quickly: That would probably be the Judy Moody books by Megan McDonald. I swear I used to eat those up as kid. Like my parents would by me one every once in a while from the scholastic book orders or the book fair and by that night I would have finished them. I used to be such a speed reader as a kid. 

Marathon: What’s your favourite long book? Umm the only book that comes to mind is Angels and Demons by Dan Brown ( which was my summer reading assignment for AP Art History)

Finish Line: A book you were proud to finish: Is the dictionary a valid answer? I mean to be fair, I did read straight through the whole thing as a kid because my mom thought it would help me learn English (i was an ESL kid until I was able to test out at around 7/8 years old). 

Gold Medal: Best book you’ve read during a readathon: the best book I ever read in a readathon…oh man that one is tough. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had proper readathon. Umm I’ll count my English 103 class as the most recent readathon because the professor made us read like 6 books that semester. I would probably say Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates. We had a section on psychos and serial killers in that class and that was one of the books we analyzed. 

Participation Ribbon: An underrated book you wish got more attention: Oh yes that would probably be Tananarive Due’s My Soul to Keep. I had to read this for my Gender and Sexuality in Science Fiction class last year and it was the quickest book that I had read for that class haha. I don’t want to give too much away but it involves immortal people. 

[inloveandwords]

I saw this over on Sahi’s blog, My World of Books, and I thought it looked super fun!

1. What was the last book you read?

I misread this and thought it said, “what was the BEST book you read” and I almost immediately gave up on answering, because that’s impossible to answer. However, the actual question is much easier.

I reread A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer since it is FINALLY released on audio and I just finished A Heart So Fierce and Broken.

2. Was it a good one?

I loved it just as much the second time as the first.

3. What made it good?

You can read my full review here, but honestly? The characters. The subtleties, the humor, the perfect depiction of The Beast and his sorrows/guilt/regrets.

4. Would you recommend it to other people?

As always, I would recommend this to people who I think would enjoy it. For example, I forced my niece to read it because I knew she’d love it. And she did.

5. How often do you read?

Every day 🙂

6. Do you like to read?

I mean… obvi.

7. What was the last bad book you read?

Hot Doctor by Hope Ford. I read it for the KU Weekend Readathon and it was kind of the worst.

8. What made you dislike it?

All things that made romance short stories bad. No character development, no plot, no point.

9. Do you wish to be a writer?

I’d love to be a full time writer.

10. Has any book ever influenced you greatly?

As far as writing style, I love Jandy Nelson’s writing in The Sky is Everywhere. Mariana Zapata has some sports romances in which some of the characters are so badass and dedicated to their sport, it inspires me to be more active.

11. Do you read fan-fiction?

I’m not a big fan of it.

12. Do you write fan-fiction?

Nope.

13. What is your favourite book?

I think I have to go with A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas. Sorry. Gotta be that b*tch.

14. What is your least favourite book?

That I’ve actually finished? Recently? The Kiss Thief by LJ Shen. It just solidified that this author is absolutely not for me. It has the one and only one-star rating I’ve ever given. Usually I will DNF books that I dislike this much, however, I kept waiting for it to redeem itself since so many people like it. And it never did.

15. Do you prefer physical books or reading on a device (like Kindle)?

I love the look and feel of real books, but man, the convenience of a Kindle is so glorious.

16. When did you learn to read?

I have no idea. Probably around 4 or 5 I would assume.

17. What is your favourite book you had to read in school?

As a little kid, I remember I was absolutely taken with The BFG – my teacher read it to us in class. When I was older (in high school), I was so surprised by how much I loved The Great Gatsby.

18. What is your favourite book series?

Right now it is The Caraval series by Stephanie Garber, but it’s likely the Cursebreakers series by Brigid Kemmerer could become my favorite. However, it’s unfinished. But from book one to the last book in the series, Caraval was perfect.

19. Who is your favourite author?

I think I have to look at this as, who consistently writes books that I love, and that would be Mariana Zapata. I’ve read every single one of her books and have loved them all and reread them all multiple times.

20. What is your favourite genre? Adult contemporary romance.

21. Who is your favourite character from a series? Rhen. He is, by far, the best beast in any Beauty and the Beast retelling. Also, I just adore his character so much. I want to give him a big hug and tell him that everything is going to be ok.

22. Has a book ever transported you somewhere else? I’m absolutely got swept away in Caraval. (Just as the book warns you not to do!)

23. Which book do you wish had a sequel?

Mother effer I’m still made about My Name is Memory not having a sequel!

24. Which book do you wish DIDN’T have a sequel? Honestly? I think the Black Dagger Brotherhood series can stop now, thanks.

25. How long does it take you to read a book? That depends on so many thing. I’ve finished books in a matter of hours, in a matter of days, or in a matter of weeks.

26. Do you like when books become movies? I’d much rather books become TV shows because they tend to have more time to develop and include everything.

27. Which book was ruined by its movie adaptation? (Twilight)

28. Which movie has done the book justice? The Hunger Games was done pretty well!

29. Do you read newspapers? Nope.

30. Do you read magazines? Nope.

31. Do you prefer newspapers or magazines? None.

32. Do you read while in bed? Every night!

33. Do you read while on the toilet? Occasionally.

34. Do you read while in the car? Only audiobooks. Reading in a car makes me nauseated.

35. Do you read while in the bath? Yes!

36. Are you a fast reader? I’m fairly fast.

37. Are you a slow reader? No.

38. Where is your favourite place to read? My reading chair.

39. Is it hard for you to concentrate when you read? Nope, I can pretty much zone everything out when I read.

40. Do you need a room to be silent when you read? I actually prefer some noise.

41. Who gave you your love for reading? My mom is just as obsessed with books as I am. I grew up seeing her with a book anytime she had a moment to sit and relax. She’d never deny me books. She always encouraged my love of reading.

42. What book is next on your list to read? Eek! I’m not sure. I just started my latest book. It’ll depend on what I’m up for reading when I’m finished.

43. When did you start to read chapter books? I was pretty young. I think around 6 or 7 I started reading The Babysitter’s Little Sister series and the Goosebump series. Then I graduated to The Babysitter’s Club and Sweet Valley High and Fear Street.

44. Who is your favourite children’s author? RL Stine

45. Which author would you most want to interview? Brigid Kemmerer just because her book is so fresh in my mind. I want to pick her brain.

46. Which author do you think you would be friends with? Mariana Zapata seems like so much fun!

47. What book have you reread the most?

OMG. Probably The Hating Game by Sally Thorne.

48. Which books do you consider ‘classics’? Probably the same as everyone else?

49. Which books do you think should be taught in every school? I think there are a ton of more modern books that would be worth reading in school.

50. Which books should be banned from all schools? I mean… it depends on the age of the kids in the school. I wouldn’t put a Sierra Simone book in an elementary school. LOL!

50 Bookish Questions I saw this over on Sahi's blog, My World of Books, and I thought it looked super fun!

[ishouldreadthat]

  Happy Friday! I can’t believe the weekend is already here. So as you know, I had been on hiatus until earlier this week. I thought that I’d do a wrap-up of the books I read this week and the books I read while I was away from my blog — and I certainly read a lot of them! So without any further ado, here is my weekly wrap-up (plus hiatus reads). You might want to grab a snack — this is going to be quite a long post!

  Books I read

  The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

Mistborn: A Secret History by Brandon Sanderson

The Last Namsara by Kristen Cicerelli (Review)

Artemis by Andy Weir

Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor

A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

  I told you I read a lot! Happily, almost all of these were in the 4-5 star range, the exception being The Last Namsara, which came in close at 3.5 stars. You can read my review of that book here. My five star reads were The Language of Thorns (fantasy perfection!), Artemis (spacey perfection!), and Night of Cake and Puppets (Zuzana is perfection!).

My most recent reads were The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and An Enchantment of Ravens, which happen to be two of my most highly anticipated books this year. Regarding Gentleman’s Guide, I liked it a lot (as anticipated), but I was a little disappointed that it veered slightly into another genre. I prefer my historical fiction to be just that: historical. I am not a huge fan of when authors pull in fantastical elements. For me, it just doesn’t work. But I did really love the characters and the representation! It’s such a fun and fast read, despite being just over 500 pages.

An Enchantment of Ravens is a weird one. There were parts I absolutely loved and part that really didn’t do it for me. I struggled a bit with some of the pacing and the characterization. But I love the descriptions and anything to do with painting. It’s a tough one to rate, and I’m going to have to think for a day or so.

Pretty much every book I read will get a review, but I need some time to catch up! You’ll start hearing about all of these soon 🙂

  Books I DNFed

  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Otherworld by Jason Segal and Kristen Miller

Satellite by Nick Lake

  I usually don’t have a section for DNF’s, however I’ve put down a enough books to justify one for this period. Victober was a bit of a disaster for me, as I’ve not read a single Victorian novel. However, with all the real-life things going on, gloomy tales of childhood trauma just aren’t cutting it for me right now. I may give Jane Eyre another shot at some point, but it will be my third attempt at reading it. I think the Brontes and I just don’t get along (I hated Wuthering Heights).

I also did not finish two young adult sci-fi books. I just realised that they both feature male protagonists. I set aside Otherworld pretty early because it became very apparent very quickly that it was not my cup of tea. I don’t like the cocky, overconfident rich kid vibe I was getting from the main character. He just seemed like a pain in the ass, and I wasn’t keen to keep going. 

Satellite is a different story. I put this one aside because I couldn’t work my way through the strange writing style. Satellite is essentially written in ‘text speak’. As in ‘u’ instead of ‘you’, no capitalization, etc. I thought I’d be fine with this, but I ended up really struggling to concentrate on the actual story — the writing style was just so distracting! I’d find myself rereading sentences because with the lack of capitalization, my eye couldn’t differentiate between one sentence and the next. I feel like this wont be a problem for some readers, but it just didn’t work for me. I’m a bit sad about that because it sounded like a promising story!

  Books I am currently reading

  The Seventh Decimate by Stephen Donaldson

The Dollmaker of Krakow by R. M. Romero

  So I’m doing the Sbooktacular Readathon — you can check out my hastily edited TBR video here. An Enchantment of Ravens was the first I read for this readathon, and The Dollmaker of Krakow will bet the second. I only got a couple of pages in before I fell asleep last night, but it looks like a beautiful book!

The Seventh Decimate is my current proof read. I’m liking it well enough, but I’d be curious to see what other people think. It has definitely got a strong 80’s fantasy vibe — which makes a lot of sense as Donaldson was writing in the 80’s. I would love to know if this will resonate with modern readers.

  Books I bought

(Buckle up, you guys. I was bad.)

  An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Steivater

The Dollmaker of Krakow by R. M. Romero

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Slated by Teri Terry

The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

  Bad bad bad bad Justine. I acquired a month’s worth of books in only a couple of weeks. I guess it’s a comfort thing! I’ll do a proper book haul at the end of the month where I talk about these individually, but I’m basically building a fort of books and no one is allowed in. Except the cats. Maybe Scottish Fiance.

  Book mail!

  A Bargain in Silver by Josie Jaffrey

Geronimo Stilton: Cat & Mouse in a Haunted House 

Austral by Paul McAuley

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

I Am Thunder by Muhammad Khan

Blade Runner by Philip K. Dick

Rhyming Rings by David Gemmell

  I got some fab book mail recently! I won a Twitter competition run by Josie Jaffrey and won her book A Bargin in Silver. Sweet Cherry Publishing sent me a package with a Halloween proof of a Geronimo Stilton children’s book, sweets, and some wee spiders (which Dax stole, forcing me to chase her. I eventually gave up and we played fetch). I received a review copy of Austral by Paul McAuley, which looks amazing!

Yesterday was a seriously good day for book mail. I received a package with Renegades and I Am Thunder. I didn’t think I was approved for these, so it was certainly a pleasant surprise! I also got Blade Runner (unsure if this is a novelization of the film or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep with Blade Runner on the front). I may have gone overboard with requests.

  Netgalley approvals

  Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View by various authors

The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin

Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

  So I’m really looking forward to reading all of these! The Wicked Cometh and Birdcage are particularly exciting — I’m so happy that I got approved for them! I had requested Renegades because I didn’t think I’d be approved for a proof copy — surprise!  Fortunately for me, a few of these don’t come out until next year so I’m delaying some of the pressure.

  Right, this has been one heck of a wrap-up — sorry if I rambled on too much! I’ve been busy over the past couple of weeks, and now it’s time to write some posts and get cracking on my reading.

  What have you read this week? Do you have a book buying problem? Let me know!

Catch up on my hiatus reads and this week in books (there's a lot)! #bookbloggers Happy Friday! I can’t believe the weekend is already here. So as you know, I had been on hiatus until earlier this week.

[musicislife1396]

I had another pretty amazing reading month, although just as last month, the majority of the books I read were audiobooks (I sadly don’t have much time for actual reading 😦 ). Still I managed to read 11 books (plus a novella), DNF one and get partway through three others. So overall, pretty pleased with the amount of reading I’ve done.

As some of you may know, Tome Topple also happened in November and I participated in it this time around. You can check out my TBR for it here. I’m going to do this wrap up a bit differently. I’ve decided that from now on, I will also include DNFs and books I’m only partway through in my wrap up. It’s going to be a bit longer than usual, but I think this way more accurately captures my reading month.

Tome Topple books

For tome topple, I had 6 books on my TBR, 3 audio and 3 physical books. I was not expecting to read all of them by any means, but I wanted to have options.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

This was the first book on my physical TBR for the readathon and I started with it. I did not finish it, I got 150 pages in and I put it down. I’m not officially DNFing this, I still want to read it, but it was just not what I was in the mood to read at all. So I’m putting it to the side until I am in the mood to read it. My impressions from what I read so far were mostly positive, although as with The Night Circus, there’s just something about Erin Morgenstern’s writing that doesn’t quite click for me. I still think it’s beautiful, but I find it hard to read. I also think I like The Night Circus better. This is less magical. At least so far. My prediction is that this will be a 3.75-4 star read for me.

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

This was the second book on my physical TBR for the readathon and I DNFed it. I’d started reading it a while ago and put it down because I didn’t like the characters. Any of them. I decided to give it another go because the world and the story seem cool, but I just don’t like any of the characters. I find them all annoying to the point that I can’t be in their heads. They all piss me off. I can’t tell you why exactly, they just all have thins… thing in common. I don’t know what it is, but basically you can tell they’re all written by the same person, because they have that je ne sais quoi in common and that’s what annoys me in all of them. I don’t know if I’m explaining that in a way that makes sense, but the gist of it is I don’t like the characters and I’m not going to commit to a series of 700 page books of being in their heads. I got about 180 pages in.

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

This was the third book on the physical TBR and I didn’t finish it. It’s huge, but it’s what I’m currently reading. I’m not sure how far I got during the actual readathon because I forgot to write it down, but I am currently on page 240 of it. I’m loving it as always. I do think there’s slightly too much Shallan and not enough Kaladin in it so far, but I’m sure I’ll get plenty of Kal in the remaining 1000 or so pages.

I also read the novella, Edgedancer before reading this. It’s not included in the Tome Topple TBR because it doesn’t fit the criteria for the readathon, but I’m mentioning it here because it’s the same series basically. I absolutely loved the novella, Leaf is one of my favourite characters in the series and I can’t wait to see more of her. She’s so funny, she makes me laugh and she’s really interesting. I want to know more about her. I gave the novella 5/5 stars.

A Feast for Crows by G. R. R. Martin

Moving on to the audiobook section of my TBR, I first listened to this one. I don’t have much to say about it that you haven’t already heard. I love this series and I’m enjoying the re-read. I’m noticing things I hadn’t before and also remembering a lot of things I’d forgotten. It’s a good time and I really, REALLY hope we’ll get book 6 in this lifetime. 5/5 stars

The Toll by Neal Schusterman

Then I listened to this, which was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I was disappointed by the finale. I have mixed feelings about it. I didn’t give it a rating because I genuinely don’t know how to rate it. I didn’t like the ending. At all. It blindsided me in a way and normally I like that, but I think in this case, I found it to be stupid. I’m not going to go into it too much here, but I’ll probably have a discussion post about it. But I found it very unsatisfying.

That is it for the Tome Topple. Overall, I think I did okay, but could have been better. I wish I’d enjoyed more of the books I’d read, but can’t love everything. Moving on to the rest of the books I read this month.

Non-tome topple books

Winternight books 2 & 3 by Katherine Arden

After reading the first book at the end of October, I quickly binged the rest of the series and it’s now one of my favourite series. I put it off for so long and I ended up loving it so much (story of my life). I read it at the perfect time as well, it’s perfect for winter and now I’m trying to get my friend to read it too so I can gush to her about it. I was tempted to immediately start reading it again when I finished, but I resisted. 5/5 stars for the whole series. I hope Katherine Arden writes more fairy-tale books. Her and Naomi Novik just please write more fairy-tales.

The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien

I also completed my re-read of this series in November as well. It made me cry. I love this series so much, it’s such a huge part of my childhood and and just who I am as a person and it is so special to me. I don’t have words. Of course I gave it 5/5 stars.

Narnia books 1-6 by C. S. Lewis

After finishing LOTR, I had the urge to also re-visit the Narnia books and I honestly think I’m enjoying them more now as an adult than I did as a kid. I listened to the first 6 books in rapid succession and I’m kind of sad that there are only 7 of them.

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

Finally continue with the Farseer books. As with the first one. I liked it, but I don’t care about the characters (except for the animals). I don’t dislike them, I’m just indifferent and detached from them. So I’m not loving the books as much as I could. I still find the story interesting, particularly once you get past the one third mark in each book, it’s actually quite gripping. I will continue with the series and hopefully, I will eventually come to care about the characters, if not in this series, then in consequent ones. I gave it 3.5/5 stars.

Books I have started

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang

This is my current audiobook. I’m maybe 30% into it. I’m enjoying it thus far, but… I don’t think It’s going to be a favourite. It might surprise me, I don’t know. But so far I’m not loving it as much as everyone who’s been raving about it. I like a lot of aspects of it, but I also have issues with a few things like the blatant drug abuse that goes on and at least so far, it seems like it’s almost… encouraged? It’s really weird and btw, if drug abuse and addiction is a trigger for you, definitely stay away from the series. And then there’s this scene (minor spoiler ahead) where Rin destroys her uterus and like fair enough, that’s her decision to make, but it was done so quickly. Like, there was no pondering or consideration for it. One of the characters does briefly address that fact that it’s literally removing one of your major organs… to get rid of your period? And yeah, she was young and didn’t quite understand what that means and she was scared because she hadn’t known about period. But still, I feel that should have received more page time than it did. (spoiler ends) 

That concludes my wrap up. Sorry, I know it was a long one, but I had a lot going on this month!

November 2019 & Tome Topple Wrap Up I had another pretty amazing reading month, although just as last month, the majority of the books I read were audiobooks (I sadly don't have much time for actual reading 😦 ).

[gracewithducks]

There is your heart (Matthew 6:19-24)

For the first few years of our marriage, Mike and I didn’t have a budget. We know, vaguely, that budgeting is important – but we didn’t bother. And as a result, just about every month, we found ourselves looking at the bank account and wondering, “Where did all our money go?” We would scramble and scrounge to pay our bills and rely far too heavily on credit cards.

 When we finally did learn to budget, we were shocked to realize just how much money we were wasting on things that didn’t matter. Hundreds of dollars every month disappeared to quick and easy restaurant lunches, to impulse buys, to “just because it’s on sales” and “it’s only a few bucks.” And because we weren’t paying attention, when it came time to pay the taxes, to pay the medical bills, to try to plan for trips or dream for the future – or even to fulfill our pledge to the church – sometimes, the money just wasn’t there.

 These days, we pay attention. You can ask my husband: we pay attention. We track every dollar that comes in, and we know where every single dollar goes. Nothing is wasted – and what’s amazing is, for the most part, we don’t miss those restaurant lunches and impulse buys. We don’t miss them, because instead of wasting and chasing our money, we’re making it work for us: we give to the churches off the top, we pay our debts, we save for our big bills – and we invest in our kids, in dance classes and swim meets, in saving for trips and camps and experiences that will become memories that we can share together.

 Money is a powerful tool – when we’re paying attention, when we’re controlling it instead of letting it control us.

 Something strange has been happening at our house lately, though. We’ve been going over budget, consistently, every month for the last few months. Thankfully, we had some flexibility – but as I’ve been moving money around, I was wondering, “What’s going on?”

 And then on Friday night, I looked around our dinner table: and there were ten people at the table. Our family has been growing: college students, exchange students, colleagues and friends – ours has become a table where there is always room to set another plate and another place. And that, to me, is something worth investing in.

 This month, we didn’t put hardly any money into our savings – and that’s because, instead, we gave to the CROP walk, and we supported our daughter’s school readathon, and we donated pizzas to the swim team, and yes, we did buy a few of those fast food lunches – but we did it on purpose, so that I could have a break in my day and spend time with a certain four-year-old who’s been missing her mommy, since I’ve been working so many extra hours the last few weeks.

 Feeding hungry people, and supporting our schools, and investing in the community, and sharing time with my daughter: those are investments I’m willing to make. And we’re reshaping our budget so that those priorities are accounted for.

 I recently spent some time with a colleague who pointed out that money, in itself, doesn’t make us happy – until we use it. It’s when we buy that thing we want, when we trade our money for resources and for experiences – when we’ve spent it, that’s when we realize it is possible, sometimes, to use your money to buy some happiness, for yourself and for the people around you.

 The joy comes when we use it – when we use it with intention, when we use it on the things and the people that matter to us.

 And how we use our money can reveal what it is that’s really important to us. Or, as Jesus says in our scripture for today, “Where your treasure is, there is your heart.”

 For too many of us these days, our treasure is in our treasure itself. We spend our lives in the relentless pursuit of more – more money, more stuff, more power, so we can get more stuff and have more money. And as a result, we’ve created a world where a few people have stockpiled away more money than they could ever even possibly use across several lifetimes – while others beg on street corners, or carry water for their families, or work in factories for pennies an hour or a couple of dollars a day.

 Where our treasure is – what it is that we treasure – says a lot about our hearts. It’s very telling to me that there are leaders – even self-professed Christian leaders – who will support a violent regime that murders through torture, simply because that regime is a great business partner. There are professed Christian leaders who will even say right-out: the money is worth more than one man’s life.

 Money is a dangerous thing – because we forget what really matters. We forget that, as Christians, we profess that one person’s death can change everything. We profess that God loves everyone, every single human being on the face of the earth, that every single person is made in the image of the eternal God, and that God loves every single one of us so much that God would rather suffer and die than let us suffer and die, forgotten and alone.

 We say the words. We know the story. But when push comes to shove – that’s when we find out if we believe it. That’s when we find out if we love God, or if we love money; that’s when we find out if we’re willing to count the cost of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.

 Too often, we choose money. Too often, we choose ourselves.

 And sometimes it’s because of greed. But if we’re being honest, often, our selfishness and greed is actually borne out of our fear.

 We’re afraid. We’re afraid, because we’ve seen what kind of world we live in. We’re afraid, because we think there’s not enough to go around. We’re afraid, because we know that this world can be a cruel and callous place – a place where nobody cares if you’re hungry, where they’ll let you go bankrupt if you get hurt or get sick, where – if tragedy strikes, there’s no safety net to catch you when you fall.

 So we squirrel away what we can – because we’re afraid. We’re afraid that one day, there won’t be enough. One day, we will be all alone, and our resources will have run out.

 We are so terrified no one will help us, that we are afraid to help others. But what if we imagine, what if we envision, a different way of living? What if we actually make it so? What if we were willing to risk being generous with our neighbors, to risk setting another seat at our table, to take care of one another – and maybe we’ll find that that one day, when it’s our turn, we’ve created a world where someone will be willing to care for us?

 We don’t like to talk about money in the church. We don’t like to talk about it, because it makes us uncomfortable. It makes us uncomfortable for lot of reasons – for some of us, we don’t like having to look at what we have and how we’re using it; we don’t like to be reminded that we are rich, and others are struggling, and we have a moral and Christian obligation to do something about it. And for some of us, we are struggling. We may be rich from a global perspective – but most of the time, we are barely scraping by; there are many of us on a fixed income, many of us who are mired in debt, many of us who would love to be more generous, but genuinely don’t see any way to do it. And when the pastor starts talking about money, it can feel like we aren’t welcome if we can’t give or give more.

 And I want to acknowledge all of that today. You heard me tell you up front: my family has had some lean years. My family has made mistakes and gotten ourselves so mired in debt that it was hard to imagine any way out. And if that’s where you are – I’d love to talk to you, to share our journey, to offer any resources I might be able to share – and more than that, to reaffirm for you that you are welcome here, that your presence and your gifts – your skills, your passion, your friendship, your faith – are worth so much more than money. And I hope you know that God loves us, not because of what we can give or what we can do for God – but because of who God is.

 Throughout the gospels, Jesus meets people where they are. Jesus loves people where they are. And that welcome, that love, continues today.

 At the same time, though, Jesus sure does talk about money a lot, too. He warns his disciples: you can’t serve both God and wealth. He tells them, and tells us: be careful of storing up treasures for yourself; where your treasure is, there is your heart.

 Jesus has a lot to say about money, because it’s dangerous. It’s easy for money to get in our way. It’s easy for our debts, our bills, our obligations, our worries, our greed and our fear to overwhelm us, to make us want to hold back, to keep us from loving God with all we have and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

 As I was preparing for the sermon this week, my husband shared with me a story told by one of his favorite theologians, Peter Rollins:

 Early one morning a man turned up at the house of his minister in tears, saying “Please, can you help. A kind and considerate family in the area is in great trouble. The husband recently lost his job, and the wife cannot work due to health problems. They have three young children to look after, and the man’s mother lives with them because she is unwell and needs constant care. They have no money at the moment and if they don’t pay the rent by tomorrow morning the land lord is going to kick them all out onto the street, even though it’s the middle of winter.” The minster replied, “That’s terrible. Of course we will help. I will go get some money from the church fund to pay their rent. Anyway, how do you know them? To which the man replied “Oh, I’m the landlord.”[1]

 It’s so easy for us to say “someone should do something” while letting our own greed or our own fear get in the way of seeing what it is that we, ourselves, can do. That’s why money is so dangerous.

 But at the same time, money is also one of the most powerful tools for ministry that we have. With money, we can feed people; we can clothe the naked; we can comfort the afflicted; we can help the sick and hurting be healed; we can invest in education and relief and offer individuals and families and communities hope for the future. How we use our money matters. It matters to us; it matters to the world; and it matters to God.

 Over the last few years, our congregation has been stepping up ministries: we’ve brought on new staff members to invest in our members through education programs and congregational care; we’ve added new kids’ classes, and new small groups; we’ve held our first Love in Action day of service; we’ve built community through pancake dinners and summer picnics and harvest potlucks. We’ve been investing in our worship together, in building relationships, in growing in our faith, and we’ve been generous – giving locally and globally to help meet people where they are, to bring help and hope in the name of Christ.

 Our congregation has been stepping up our ministries. And this year, we’re asking our members to step your support of those ministries – to look at what you’ve been given, and prayerfully consider how you might step up your giving, your investment in the work that God is doing here.

 Over the next couple of weeks, if you’re on our mailing list, you’ll be receiving some information about the work the church is doing and our hopes for the coming year – and an invitation to be a part of that ministry, to share some of what you have so that we can share the good news in ways that matter.

 We’ll talk more in the weeks to come. But for what it’s worth, I want to let you know that my family is going to be stepping up our support of the church. We believe in the work that happens here. We believe that the work of this church –  our worship, our fellowship, our learning, our service – it matters. And we want to do what we can to make sure those ministries don’t just continue but they continue to grow in the year to come. My hope is that you’ll join us; that you will prayerfully consider stepping up, too.

 How we use what we have – it matters. Where your treasure is, your heart follows. I want my heart to follow Christ, so I want my treasure to follow him, too – I want to use what I have to love people, to transform the world, so the love of God might be revealed and lives be changed.

 May you listen for God’s call. May you find the courage to be generous, in spite of your fear. And together, may we invest our resources and our lives in God’s work.

  God, you know what holds us back. You know the debts we carry, the fears we face, the struggles before us, the wounds within us. We pray that you would surround us with your grace, that you would renew in us the assurance that you love us, just as we are, without one plea. And we ask that you would pour out your Holy Spirit upon us once more, to empower us to follow where you lead us, to use our time, our talents, and yes, our treasure, for the sake of your work in the world. May your love be revealed in us, and through us; in the name of Christ we pray. Amen.

[1] Peter Rollins (via patheos.com]