Long time no see! I cannot believe how much time has gone by. This post was initially a draft of my “February Wrap-Up!” which I unfortunately never finished writing, so it has turned into a general wrap-up of these past three months. I missed posting and chatting with all of you. Even if I’m on other platforms, there is something special about book blogging.
Without further ado, here is a ranking of the 25 books I have read in the last three months.
This post was supposed to go up yesterday so here’s a joke for you:
"I was reading a great book about an immortal dog the other day.
It was impossible to put down."
Hope it made you smile. Welcome to my Wrap-Up! I had an okay-ish reading month and I blame my reading slump and my poor choice of books this month but I still enjoyed some of the books I picked up so here we go!
I only read six books this month and one was particularly awful but I did enjoy a few of them and even found new favourites!
5 stars
You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson ★★★★★. This book is exactly the type of book 16-year old Karla would have LOVED. I loved how it dealt with all types of topics but the most beautiful part was seeing a Black girl getting her fairytale-like happily ever after. The author also wrote a lovely paragraph at the end of the acknowledgements about Black sisterhood and it made me cry. I will have a full review up soon!
Damaged Goods by Talia Hibbert ★★★★★. This book was so good that I got a book hangover after reading it. It was the softest, fluffiest, loveliest romance ever; It actually deals with domestic violence and the way a woman learns to love herself after this hardship. It was so so so beautiful.
4 stars
The Shadows Between Usby Tricia Levenseller ★★★★. This is how you write a Fantasy standalone. This book was enjoyable, had a nice entertaining plot, cunning characters and a passionate romance. What more could I want? I loved the main character in this a lot because she’s ruthless and unapologetic about it and I love that.
A Touch of Death by Rebecca Crunden ★★★★. The author approached me to review this dystopian novel and I really enjoyed it! I have a fuller review and author interview for this book; so stay tuned!
No rating
I read two taboo books this month and I don’t know what to say. I don’t have a valid answer for why I read this. I don’t know what came over me. I did like reading Forbidden more than Genesis (which I do NOT recommend, even for a taboo novel). Both of these books have so many problematic aspects which I actually don’t condone but it is fiction and I’m slowly making my way into dark and taboo romances so it was an interesting place to start.
Currently reading
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore. I have the audiobook but haven’t been able to listen to it so I’m starting a craft project and I can’t wait to listen to the story as I work on my project.
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. I picked up this book in November but never got around to continue this; I am going to hopefully change that it in April!!
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I am buddy reading this with two friends and I AM LOVING IT SO SO SO MUCH.
Favourite posts by Fellow bloggers
The Definitive Book Blogger List by SOFII @ A BOOK. A THOUGHT. The wonderful Sofii published the amazing project that is the blogger list! I discovered so many new, passionate book bloggers and I cannot thank her enough for putting this list together.
10 ADULT BOOKS ON MY RADAR by NYX @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books; this was a lovely little list of some books I also have my eye on!
Nothing can top my birthday month so I knew it was only downhill from there but March was rough. I had kind of an existential crisis because I just don’t know what I want to do with my life. I am presented with so many options (which I’m grateful for) but the fact that I have to make a choice is terrifying and I’m paralyzed. I also had a reading slump and since I read books for escapism I was a little…lost and sad. Also all the context with the rise of hate crimes against the Asian community was really triggering as it reminded me of what happened this summer and it was also very eye-opening. I feel like minorities are endlessly suffering and that we never win. I’m just tired. I’m kind of back on track but it was very challenging for my mental health. But you know what really helped me? Watching SCANDAL. Shoutout to Shonda Rhimes for writing and producing this show. I owe you one. I really hope April is better!
Goals check-in
“Work on my WIP everyday. Now this is something I really struggled with this in February and I really hope I make a dent or even finish a first draft this month!” ✅ Result: I did work on it everyday!! I made it halway through my WIP so I’m happy;
“Not purchasing any book (except Act Your Age, Eve Brown)”❌. Result: I bought one book!! I failed!! But it was a second-hand book and it was only 1€ so did I really fail?
“Read at least 8 books this month” ❌. Result: I sadly only read 6 books in March but I’m hopeful for April!
“Finish Empire of Storms which I have been reading since December.” ❌ Result: I didn’t finish EoS but I am once again hopeful for April!
I am completely giving up setting goals for April. I will just try to do my best; day by day.
How was your March? I wish you all a great (reading) month and I hope you’re all well! 🥰
I sincerely wish you all the best for 2021! I am so grateful that I got to connect with so many people here, over this platform, and Instagram and Twitter. You have all made my 2020 better!
Last year has been challenging in so many aspects globally and personally. I have to say that I was still blessed in 2020 and many amazing things happened to me! But I do remember the pain, loss and helplessness we felt at times and I’m happy these dark days are behind us. I always struggle at New Years Eve and my heart is always heavy so I decided to challenge myself and I wanted to see if I could read Crescent City under three to two days to take my mind off things and I did! It was such a wonderful experience and reading throughout the day made it easier for me. I kind of missed out on all the “lasts” but I’m happy to focus on all the “firsts” 2021 has to bring!
December reading Wrap-Up!
So this month I read 8 books for a total of 2926 pages!
(ARC) Afterlove by Tanya Byrne: ★★★. See my review here.
(ARC) Dearest Josephine by Caroline George ★★★ See my review here.
How the King of Elfhame learned to Hate Stories ★★★★
Opposition ★★★★
Faking Under the Mistletoe ★★★★★ See my review here.
(ARC) The Pilots (no rating and upcoming review).
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) ★★★★★
I discovered new all-time favourite books in December: Faking Under the mistletoe and Crescent City and I highly recommend both of them! The first is a feel-good book perfect for this holiday season and the second is the best book ever written. It’s as simple as that.
I also took part in blogmas and I actually liked taking the time to sit down and write my posts; it reminded me of why I liked blogging so much and I hope I will be more consistent this year.
2020 review
I had a great reading year! I read more books than I’ve ever read with a total of 58 books which is a little more than one book a week! I’m so proud of myself for achieving that. I finished the year with a bang when I finished reading Crescent City yesterday! Let me tell you it is my favourite Sarah J. Maas Book ever!
I stepped out of my comfort zone and read some non-fiction books and a few classics that I actually enjoyed; I finished series that I had started years ago (The Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout as well as the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer) and began some others which I was always curious of (The Raven Boys series and the Shatter Me series). I really can’t wait to see what 2021 has in store for me in terms of books and as well as my personal growth.
2020 favourites
Pictured below are my favourite books of 2020! I love these books so much and highly recommend them! I would like to add Born A Crime by Trevor Noah which I don’t own a physical copy of.
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Reading stats
My average rating is very high because I haven’t read any terrible book this year and I did a lot of research of what I wanted to read and discovered that I have a genre (Romance Fantasy) and tropes (Enemies to lovers, fake dating) that I really liked and stuck to that. There have been a few books that stood out (Anything by Sarah J, Maas) but a lot of the books I read were very enjoyable but I didn’t fall in love with them as I did previous years (the Folk of the Air series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Gayle Forman books…). Really hoping to fall in love with many books this year!
Reading goals
Here are some of the goals I’m hoping to achieve in 2021:
Read 70 books.
Read more books by people of color.
Read more diverse books in general (disability rep).
Read more non-fiction books.
Participate in a few readathons and reading challenges.
Reread some books.
Be more active on my Bookstagram and my book blog.
That’s it lovelies! What are some of your favourite books for 2020 and what are your reading goals for 2021?
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.
June has been my busiest month so far. It started with me getting the responses back from my applications for my master’s degree in International Relations. I have had a lot of positive results and I got into France’s best Law School in Paris! I will begin in September! It was the best news I have received this year. Also I had my last semester’s exams from the 22nd to the 29th of June. Each day, the exams lasted six hours on end for six days and it was very demanding psychologically and physically and I’m still trying to get some rest from that. I had been preparing for the exam for two years and it was supposed to be the final step for my bachelor’s degree but due to covid-19 in was postponed from April to June, at the same time as I had my master’s applications’ results. It was very hectic. That is all thankfully over.
Then there has been the Black Lives Matter movement which has taken a lot of my time and mental health. I used to get lost in the ” bookverse” (Bookstagram, book bloggers, Booktube) has an escape and now everyone was talking about racism everywhere. It was so painful seeing everyone coming forth and sharing their stories of racism and it revived some of my own trauma so I have tried to disconnect with the Internet and everything that was going around but I was also soaking up all the resources (podcasts, books, interviews, essays…) because they were precious. It was both painful and soothing. And I’m very grateful that the world is slowly changing and moving.
November has been the worst month so far. I went to a funeral, I’ve been to the hospital – it was the worst. But I have had the a great reading month and that was nice at least. For one, I finished the Grisha Trilogy and I’m back home where my lovely mother is taking care of me.
Just like the month of August, my summer holidays are coming to an end, and I’m going back to school tomorrow. I thought it would be fun to recap everything I liked, read and watched this summer! Here it goes:
I can’t believe we’re already in August; time seems to fly by more quickly as we grow older…Anyway, let’s stop with my philosophy and let’s dive into this post!
I can’t say I’ve had the best reading month ever because I was in a reading slump which lasted two good weeks but I’ve thankfully pulled through!
Anotherbookworm 