Monthly Wrap Up/ Favorites

August Wrap Up!

Hello lovelies!

I can’t believe we’re in September already! This year has been pure chaos and the month of August certainly lived up to that. Let’s dive into my wrap-up!

August was my best reading month ever!! I had the time of my life. I read so many amazing, diverse and interesting books. I highly recommend all of them! (Except the one I gave two stars to).

August statistics

Books read: 11
Total pages: 3654

5 Stars ★★★★★

Beach Read – Emily Henry. This is one of the best romance books I’ve ever read and it was the perfect summer read. It dealt with so many topics and had so much depth and I might never recover. You can see my full review here.

Take A Hint, Dani Brown – Talia Hibbert. This was so so cute and Zaf and Dani live in my mind rent free. I cannot recommend this book enough. You can see my full review here.

Bérénice – Racine. This is a French Classic and my friend recommended it to me and it was one of the best plays I’ve ever read. I would love to see it live.

Queen of Shadows – Sarah J. Maas. WORTH THE HYPE. It’s my favourite of the series so far.

4 Stars ★★★★

Party of Two – Jasmine Guillory. It feels like the author looked inside my head, saw exactly what I wanted and needed to read and wrote it.

Get A Life, Chloe Brown – Talia Hibbert. This was one of the steamiest, funniest, healthiest and cutest books ever written. It tackled so many subjects and Talia Hibbert handles them with care and love.

The Hunter and the Mage – Kaitlyn Davis. I received this ARC for the second book in The Raven and the Dove series and I think I even liked it more than the first book. Full review to come.

Shatter Me – Tahereh Mafi. This is a beloved books in the book community and my sister’s favourite series so I just had to read it. I think the beginning was too slow-paced for me but once it picked up I couldn’t put it down. I really can’t wait to read the second book in the series since it is a lot of people’s favourite and we get to see Warner a lot more so there’s that too.

3.5/5 Stars ★★★

This book. Phew. I had such a great time reading this book because it was a historical romance with a Black main character!! How haven’t I read this sooner? Since it dealt with the Civil War, the topic of slavery and racism were dealt with but it was more triggering to me than I thought so I can’t give it more stars but the romance is definitely 10/10.

2 Stars ★★

I had so many expectations for this book but it was so bad it nearly made me angry. This is quite sad because I love The Selection series by the author.


Favourite posts by fellow bloggers

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS | STANDALONE BOOKS EDITION BY SOFII @ A BOOK. A THOUGHT.
I loved the format of this book recommendations! And Sofi has impeccable taste so I cannot recommend this post enough.

5 Reasons I Love Audiobooks by Liza @ The Inharmonious heroine
I'l a fervent defender of audiobooks and Liza summed up perfectly why you should like audiobooks too!

Blue chocolate chip cookies for the best character ever – Happy Birthday Percy Jackson 💙 by erin @ Reading On A Star
This is one of the cutest and heartwarming posts I've ever read! I love that people get attached to characters so much that they feel like our close friends, even if they are fictional; and this post celebrates this.

6 books that feel like a hug by Margaret @ Weird Zeal
Let's be real here, we all need a hug right now. 

September is Snatching my Check ~ My 10 Most Anticipated Book Releases BY: Rachelle Saint Louis
Rae just shared so many incredible books that are coming out this month and I love how she puts forth diverse books!

August was so weird because there were really good moments but also very bad ones so I really don’t know how I feel. I’m really grateful for the escapism books offered so it wasn’t so bad.

I am also under a lot of stress because I am moving to Paris on Saturday and it’s what I’ve always wanted but it is also intimidating and scary since we’re in the middle of a global pandemic.

I’m still very hopeful because I’m going to meet so many new people and start my master’s degree and I missed going to class. This new chapter is so exciting!! I’m going to send positivity into the world and pray for the best.

I have mostly watched dance movies for some unknown reason and I loved it! My personal favourite was Work It because the chemistry between Sabrina Carpenter and Jordan Fisher was off the charts! It wasn’t perfect but I had a good time. Also is there anything Jordan Fisher cannot do?? Feel the Beat was good too and I loved the representation! But the romance wasn’t very convincing even if the actors had chemistry. My sister recommended Battle to be because there’s Lisa Teige and she also stars in Skam but it was quite disappointing and the ending was quite abrupt and so many questions.

I also watched Ghost for the first time ever and it is now one of my favourite movies!! The cast and their acting was phenomenal and the plot was so interesting and clever! I loved it.

Spot some of your favourites? What were some of yours? Let me know in the comments! Karla xx

Reading Project

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.


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.


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?


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.

Book Tag

The HOWL Book Tag

Hello lovelies!

It has been a while since I have done a book tag on my blog. I have been tagged by the wonderful Meghan @Whimsically Meghan. Meghan is the kindest and most supportive person ever! She’s always the first one to comment on my posts and support me and I’m very grateful for her. Everyone go check out her blog and return the love!

The HOWL Book Tag was created by Tova (Petyr Baeish Books) and is inspired by Rachel Lynn Solomon’s forthcoming enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance, Today Tonight Tomorrow!

1. Rowan: Name a book that features your favourite romance trope

The enemies to lovers trope is the superior trope. I’m ready to fight anyone on this.

Salome Totladze, @morgana0anagrom on instagram

I instantly thought about so many characters but I think Jude Duarte and Cardan Greenbriar from The Folk of the Air series and especially in The Cruel Prince represent this trope in a perfect way. The angst? confusion? hatred? and…love? Yes, please and thank you!

2. Neil: Name a fictional character, who turns out to be a lot more than you initially thought

Augustus “Gus Everett from Beach Read. He is rude and cold at first but he is really a soft boi™️ (and I love him for it).

3. Cinerama: Name a book that transports you back in time

I read The Selection series back in high school when it was the peak of my YA addiction and I miss those days, man.

4. The Fremont Troll: Name a fictional character who is always there for you, no matter what. In other words, what fictional character is the centre of your universe?

So this book is my all-time favorite book. And I used to pretend I was the main character  Allyson “LuLu” Healey because I wanted to be her so bad. What would Lulu do? What would she say? That’s pretty much it.

5. Pike Place Market: Name a book from your past that is kind of basic (popular), but will always remain special

The Hunger Games series is a very well-known and popular (rightfully so) series , and I miss waiting for the next movie installment to come out and the cast announcements etc. I loved that era. Finnick will forever have a place in my heart.

6. Starbucks (with your name wildly misspelled): Name a book that features a character who has the same name as you—especially if the name is spelled slightly differently

So my name is Karla and I haven’t come across a single character with that name and spelling. However Carla is derived from the name Claire so I went with Claire Fraser.

7. Seattle Public Library: Name a book that holds a special connection in relation to the library for you

I’m very ashamed to say it but I don’t go to libraries for the very good reason that I live in France and most of the books I read are written in English and I hate translations. However since I am moving to Paris in a few weeks I will try to find a library with a large selection of English books. The prompt made me think of Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson where the main character wants to become a librarian and has a close relationship with libraries and books.

8. Delilah Park & Nora Roberts: Name an author you’ve met and/or an author you’d love to meet!

I met Anna Todd!!! It was a very awkward experience for me because I was flustered and self-conscious about my French accent. And I’m sad to say that she wasn’t very….welcoming?

I would LOVE to meet Gayle Forman, Tahereh Mafi, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Holly Black, Stephanie Perkins, Gail Honeyman, Casey McQuinston, Jasmine Guillory, Talia Hibbert, Sarah J. Maas, Marissa Meyer and many others!!

9. The Seattle Skyline: A book that features a location that has a personal connection for you

My family and I went on holiday a few years ago in Barcelona because Isla and Josh went on a romantic getaway there. I went to every single place the characters went and I really felt connected to them somehow. It was a very beautiful time.

10. HOWL: Name a book that features a game that kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time

I was hooked from the beginning and I wanted to know who killed Simon. It was extremely interesting and made me want to explore the mystery genre further.

TAGS

 SOFII RaeTanya

Book Tag

Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 Dystopian Books

Hello lovelies! 

Here’s my weekly Top 5 Tuesday hosted by the wonderful  Shannah @Bionic Bookworm Blog (go check out her blog; it’s amazing!). This week will feature (as the title suggets) my Top 5 Dystopian books. When I started reading all the time when I was 16, Dystopian books were all I wanted to get my hands on. It was also a golden era for Dystopian books. The books featured in this list are therefore very popular.

Continue reading “Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 Dystopian Books”
Reading Year

My 2016 Reading Year in Review

Happy New Year 2017!! Yay we survived 2016, I am grateful for all the things I got to experience, the people I got to meet and the wonderful books I got to read! But here’s to all the beautiful books I will read in 2017! I plan to read 50 books this year and hopefully I’ll succeed. In 2016, I’ve read much more books than I did in 2015 and I’m really happy about it! So I guess 2016 wasn’t completely bad!


READING STATS:

Read: 49 books – 16,200 pages

Shortest Book: Oedipe-Roi by Sophocle – 80 pages

Longest Book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling

Average Length: 345 pages

My Average Rating for 2016: 4,1/5 stars


Continue reading “My 2016 Reading Year in Review”

Book Review

The Crown by Kiera Cass – Book review

Hello everyone!

This is my review of The Crown by Kiera Cass. It is the fifth and *cries* last book of The Selection series by Kiera Cass. I read it in french so maybe the words I use for quotes are going to be inexact. I will warn you before giving any spoiler.

2016-06-13 20.17.45 Goodreads’synopsis: When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.
Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.
Continue reading “The Crown by Kiera Cass – Book review”