Blogmas day #9 – Goodreads Choice Awards 2020 – results *reaction*

Hello lovelies!

Welcome to day 9 of Blogmas!!

The Goodreads Choice Awards 2020 results came in and I wanted to talk about the results, who I voted for and what I think of the winners in the following categories: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult Fiction, Debut Novel and Young Adult Fantasy.

I’m really happy about the number of diverse reads that were nominated and won this year; I think 2020 was really a turning point (at least I hope so) for the publishing industry and I hope this trend will continue in 2021 and in the following years.

Historical Fiction

I voted for:

Winner:

I’m am absolutely thrilled that this book won. I don’t read a lot of Historical Fiction but this just blew me away. This book is incredibly well-written with a unique plot and it deserves all the praise it gets. You can see my review for the book here.

Fantasy

I voted for

Winner

This is kind of funny because I did not read this book, yet I still voted for this because I knew that it wouldn’t disappoint and I’m conforted in my opinion by the fact that it won. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue (see my review here!) was an amazing book too so I’m glad that it was also nominated in this category.

Romance

I voted for

Winner

I was torn between so many books in this category – from Beach Read (which came in second place with 60k votes against 70k votes) as well as Take A Hint, Dani Brown and Party of Two! Several other books that are nominated are also high on my TBR which is the case for From Blood and Ash which I haven’t shut up about in my later posts. I still would have liked Beach Read to win because to me it was so much more than a romance. The story dealt with so many other topics than just a typical love story and it’s now one of my favourite books ever. However, that does not mean that From Blood and Ash is underserving and since it won, I’m really excited to read this! (see my review for Beach Read here).

Debut Novel

I voted For

Winner

Once again, I haven’t read either of these books so I really can’t say which one I like better but I was so happy that such a diverse, inclusive book as Cemetery Boys was nominated that I voted for this one.

Young Adult Fiction

I voted for

Winner

This was one of my favourite reads of 2020 and I couldn’t be happier that this book won!! It was such a beautiful tale about grief, sisterhood and love and I couldn’t recommend it enough! You can find my review for this wonderful book here. I also love the fact that so many of the nominees featured BIPOC characters as well as LGBTQ+ characters! This warms my poor little heart. I honestly think all of the nominees equally deserved to win.

Young Adult Fantasy and Science-Fiction

I voted for

Winner

Okay hear me out: The Folk of the Air trilogy is one of my favourite series ever. I even broke my book buying ban for the new Cardan novella. But I think it’s a little unfair that this book won because it was published in 2019. And there are so many and I mean so many amazing books that were published this year that are predicted 5 stars reads for me (hello Legendborn, Cemetery Boys, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, and These Violent Delights) and i wanted one of them to win. I’m really excited to read these books this month or in 2021. However, I’m still very happy that Holly Black won this because The Queen of Nothing is an amazing book and it was such a beautiful ending to the series and I miss the characters so so much. (see my review here).

What did you think about the winners? Are you satisfied or disappointed by the results?

Reading Project Wrap Up!- Week 3/3

Hello lovelies!

Woohooo I did it! *Happy dance*. I managed to read 10 books in three weeks! The first two weeks were off to a rocky start but I managed to catch up this week since I read 5 books. FIVE BOOKS. IN A WEEK. I usually manage to read five books in a month so I’m very proud of myself.

I really liked challenging myself and I think I might do this project again in the future. I want to hank you for taking this journey with me. Here’s a list of all the books I read with ratings and small reviews :

5 STARS ★★★★★

Beach Read: I love romance with my whole heart. I scarcely read books that do not contain a romantic relationship in it. It can be the worst plot ever, if the romance works, then I’m sold. This book was the best romance I have read in a long time. The chemistry between the characters was wonderful and the banter was just so well-written I couldn’t spot grinning. The plot was complex and exceeded my expectations and the writing style made it an enjoyable and swift read. I want to put this book into everyone’s hands. Full review to come.

Bérénice: This is a French classic. I love everything the playwright Racine writes and this play was no exception.

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4 STARS ★★★★

Shatter Me: It’s my sister’s favorite series and what got her into reading. I cannot believe it took me so much time to read it. The beginning was too slow for me but once the plot picked up I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

Party of Two: It’s as though the author looked inside my head, saw the kind of book I craved for and wrote it. It was perfect.

Get A Life, Chloe Brown: This was so cute. It was a healthy, sexy and funny romance and I couldn’t get enough. I also want to get a life…and a Redford Morgan please.

The Hunter and the Mage: this is the second book in The Raven and the Dove series. This was an ARC and I will release a review closer to publication date. I was so afraid it wouldn’t live up to my expectations but it did and that makes me so happy.

Clap When You Land: This was heartbreaking in a beautiful way and reconciled me with books written in verse. A true masterpiece. See my full review here.

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3 STARS ★★★

The Wicker King: This has highly been recommended to me and I ordered it immediately. I initially gave it four stars but it was very different from what I expected and I think I was trying to convince myself that I loved it but I didn’t.

Her Royal Highness: This story was really cute and had all the elements I like: a sapphic relationship, a school in Scotland, great friendships and royals. What’s not to love?

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2 STARS ★★

The Siren: this was a big disappointment especially since I love The Selection series. This was a lot darker than I expected and the romance was lukewarm. I couldn’t wait to get it over with.

That’s all folks. Spot any favorites? Let me know in the comments!

Karla.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo – Book review

Hello lovelies!

It’s been a while since my last review. This book was a nice surprise because I’m not a fan of books written in verse, which is surprising because I love poetry. However from the praise this book has received I knew it would have been stupid to miss the opportunity of reading a gripping and necessary story.

Title: Clap When You Land

Author: Elizabeth Acevedo

Summary (Goodreads):

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.Separated by distance – and Papi’s secrets – the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other. In a dual narrative novel in verse that brims with both grief and love, award-winning and bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

• Aphrodite: 4 stars
• Medusa: Sexual assault
• Iris: Sapphic relationship
• Athena: BIPOC
• Pheme: Hyped book

Reading Project Week 1/3

Hello lovelies!

This is my weekly check-in where I tell you what I have been reading for my project of reading 10 books in three weeks and how it’s going!

I was in a reading slump at the beginning of the week but I have managed to read 3 books between July 27th and August 2nd.

Monthly Wrap UP – July 2020

Hello lovelies!

I really hope you are all well and safe. There are so many bad things happening lately and July has been a little overwhelming. I’m really excited for August because I haven’t had this much free time on my hands in a while. August is also my mom’s birthday month so it’s always a month I have enjoyed.

Join The Six Readathon – July 27th-August 5th

Hello lovelies!

Daisy Jones and the Six is one of my all-time favorite books. It crushed me. It’s the only book I reread this year, so when I heard there was a readathon inspired by the book, I couldn’t miss the opportunity. I also thought that it would help me in my challenge to read 10 days in three weeks!

Goodreads Monday – July, 20th 2020

Hello lovelies!

I am back with a Goodreads Monday tag! Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme that was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners. The meme is pretty easy to follow, to participate simply choose a random book from your TBR and explain why you want to read it!

Title: Clap When You Land

Author: Elizabeth Acevedo

Summary (Goodreads):

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people… In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance – and Papi’s secrets – the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other. Papi’s death uncovers all the painful truths he kept hidden, and the love he divided across an ocean. And now, Camino and Yahaira are both left to grapple with what this new sister means to them, and what it will now take to keep their dreams alive. In a dual narrative novel in verse that brims with both grief and love, award-winning and bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

General rating: 4.45/5