WWW Wednesdays #238 – September 18th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I’m binge reading the Reykjavik Noir Trilogy by Lilja Sigurdardottir in preparation for my stop of the blog tour for the third and final book… I’m currently reading book number one Snare. I’m also starting Finding Henry Applebee by Celia Reynolds and I’m looking forward to the change of genre and read a contemporary again.

WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

1. All Cats Are Introverts by Francesco Marciuliano (4,5/5 stars) REVIEW 15/10
I know I don’t read a lot of poetry, but give me cat photos, give me humor and give me a relatable topic and I’m sold. As a true introvert and a cat owner, it was extremely easy to relate to the poems included in this bundle. I literally laughed out loud multiple times, my own cat Delilah Bard frowning at me as apparently I was making too much noise to her liking. The dry, sometimes slightly sarcastic humor is right up my alley and some poems definitely have a mean pun. The cat photos in this bundle are of a high quality and it shows that they have been chosen carefully as they suit each poem extremely well.

2. The Birthday House by Jill Treseder (3/5 stars) REVIEW 08/10
Look out for my review during my stop of the blog tour next month!

3. Muse Of Nightmares by Laini Taylor (5/5 stars) REVIEW 11/10
After being blown away by the first book of this duology, I was afraid it was going to be almost impossible for the sequel to live up to expectations. But I shouldn’t have doubted the power of Laini Taylor‘s absolutely gorgeous prose! Like with Strange The Dreamer, I was absolutely mesmerized by the words she uses to describe both the high fantasy world, its characters and the plot itself. Things can be said about the fact that not all that much seems to be happening considering its 500+ pages, although I did feel there was more going on in the sequel. But personally I didn’t really care as long as I was going to be able to keep lapping up those gorgeous sentences.

4. Here To Stay by Mark Edwards (4,5/5 stars) REVIEW 29/09
I just HAD to get a copy after reading Meggy’s review and seeing others raving about it as well… And there is no doubt that this book delivered. I basically felt uncomfortable and threatened during the whole book, feeling what the main character feels while also just wanting to shake him and tell him to do something about his situation. I definitely didn’t see the ending coming either! I might need some time before I can get my thoughts together and write a review that does it justice. Mark Edwards has a new fan!

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I just remembered I still had to read this month’s Criminally Good book club read! Since I really want to read it in the first place, I’m picking up The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup next. Afterwards it’s time for more ARCs… First up are The Huntress by Kate Quinn and I Will Make You Pay by Terese Driscoll. My latest TBR jar pick is still The Museum Of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get to it this month as I have a huge pile of books I need to read first. xD

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Stacking The Shelves #95 – September 14th

Stacking The Shelves is hosted at Tynga’s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

My Netgalley shelf is quickly spinning out of control… Even though I’ve been trying to catch up by reading mostly ARCs in the first two weeks of August. After reading Meggy’s review, I just couldn’t resist getting a copy of Here To Stay… And I never would have guessed my request of The Huntress would actually be approved, but I’m super excited to have this one to read now! I love my WWII historical fiction and I keep hearing fantastic things about this title. The same goes for The Missing Sister, a March 2020 release… I didn’t think my request would actually be approved, but I’m stoked to have it on my kindle as the blurb sounds absolutely fantastic!

I then couldn’t resist adding the two cat related humor books to my shelves as well, both because I love cats and I read one of Francesco Marciuliano’s other titles last year… They were short and fun reads and I already finished both.

Afterwards, Harper Impulse And Killer Reads uploaded a couple of new Read Now titles I just couldn’t resist, and Bookouture added a new title by a favorite author I just HAD to add… Also, I saw a cute 2020 contemporary Read Now I just couldn’t say no to. And somehow I now have a mountain of Netgalley ARCs to read. xD

I think most of you know by now I’m a huge fan of Rachel Amphlett’s books, and Kay Hunter is hands down one of my favorite detective series. I literally squeeled when book number eight landed on my kindle, and now the cover has been revealed I can safely gush about this book. I can’t wait to read this one! ❤

I also couldn’t resist signing up for two blog tours… Especially as I’m joining #Orentober month in the first place and the more Orenda books to celebrate during October, the better, right? ❤

# NETGALLEY #

# SENT BY AUTHOR #

# BLOG TOURS #

Click on the summaries below to go to the Goodreads page…

WWW Wednesdays #237 – September 11th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I needed to cleanse my palate after finishing Blood Song, so I decided to finally pick up Muse Of Nightmares by Laini Taylor. I LOVED Strange The Dreamer when I read it last year, and I’m still not sure why it has taken me this long to pick up the sequel… The writing is definitely just as gorgeous as the first book so far, and I can’t wait to read more of it today. I’m also picking up the ARC Here To Stay by Mark Edwards soon, as I don’t think it will take me long to finish Muse Of Nightmares at this pace.

WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

1. The Liar’s Sister by Sarah A. Denzil (4/5 stars) REVIEW 13/09
The Liar’s Sister is a psychological thriller filled to the brim with secrets and lies and without doubt packs a mean punch. Both focused on family relationships, grief and something possibly sinister happening in past and present, this story will appeal to both fans of more domestic thrillers and those who enjoy a healthy dose of suspense and action.

2. Secrets Of The Mist by Kate Ryder (4/5 stars) REVIEW 19/09
I know romance is not my typical genre, but I do love my historical fiction and there was just something about this timeslip romance story that caught my attention. Not only has Secrets Of The Mist a stunning cover, but the blurb instantly intrigued me. And I’m definitely glad I made the decision to read this story, because it was without doubt a beautifully written and poignant read.

3. The Lies We Tell by Debra Webb (4/5 stars) REVIEW 17/09
I had The Lies We Tell wrongly identified as romantic suspense (I’m not sure why), but there is nothing mild or tranquil about this story. Oh no, this is a full blown serial killer thriller where things will get dark, disturbing and violent and some scenes are definitely not for those with a weak stomach. The fact that the main character is an undertaker and her connection to everything that is happening gives the story an unique touch. Fans of darker and fast-paced crime thrillers will have a great time with this series!

4. Sorry I Barfed On Your Bed Again by Jeremy Greenberg (3,5/5 stars) REVIEW 07/10
I’m what you call a cat lover and I just couldn’t resist what sounded like a combination of a fun read and cat photos. It’s without doubt a great gift for anyone who likes cats and some of the letters are very funny. I do hope they will make the photos less dark in the printed version, because some details were lost in the ARC copy.

5. Blood Song by Johana Gustawsson (5/5 stars) BLOG TOUR REVIEW 20/09
Look out for my review during my stop of the blog tour!

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

Next up are more ARCs… The Birthday House by Jill Treseder for an upcoming blog tour and All Cats Are Introverts by Francesco Marciuliano because I’m in the mood for a funny read. I also want to pick up Snare by Lilja Sigudardottir in preparation for the blog tour of the third book Cage next month. My latest TBR jar pick is still The Museum Of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get to it this month as I have a huge pile of books I need to read first. xD

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#FlashbackFriday – September Edition

After seeing Nicki @ Secret Library doing this meme lots of times, I decided to step up my game in 2019 and finally join the fun again. This meme is hosted by Kerry @ Chat About Books and is all about sharing my reviews from previous years.

Since I tend to read 10+ books per month on average, I’ve decided to only share my top reads for each year (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018). This means either a 4,5 star or 5 star rating depending on which was the highest rating that year (if there are not that many titles, I’ll share the books of both ratings).

Let’s go to my reviews, shall we?

SEPTEMBER 2018

5 STARS: Absolutely and entirely mind blowing! I suggest you to pick up a copy now.

The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo – by Taylor Jenkins Reid

4.5 STARS: This one was almost perfect. Surely fantastic! 

Father Christmas And Me – by Matt Haig // Gone To Ground – by Rachel Amphlett // City Of Ghosts – by Victoria Schwab // Radiance Of Tomorrow – by Ishmael Beah // The Wife’s Secret – by Kerry Wilkinson

SEPTEMBER 2017

5 STARS: Absolutely and entirely mind blowing! I suggest you to pick up a copy now. 
This Savage Song – by Victoria Schwab (REREAD) // Our Dark Duet – by Victoria Schwab

4.5 STARS: This one was almost perfect. Surely fantastic! 
Cold Blood – by Robert Bryndza // The Surrogate – by Louise Jensen // Flowers For Algernon – by Daniel Keyes // Murder Game – by Caroline Mitchell 

SEPTEMBER 2016

5 STARS: Absolutely and entirely mind blowing! I suggest you to pick up a copy now. 
The Honor Was Mine – by Elizabeth Heaney

SEPTEMBER 2015

5 STARS: Absolutely and entirely mind blowing! I suggest you to pick up a copy now.
None Of The Above – by I.W. Gregorio

4.5 STARS: This one was almost perfect. Surely fantastic! 
Queen Of Shadows – by Sarah J. Maas

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Have you read any of these titles yourself? Any of these on your TBR? I can highly highly recommend all of these!!

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WWW Wednesdays #236 – September 4th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

My shelf of pending Netgalley ARCs has grown way too much in the last few weeks, so I’ve decided to read a couple of them in a row to bring the number below ten again. I’m currently reading Sarah A. Denzil‘s newest title The Liar’s Sister and I hope to finish it later today. I’m also in the need for a change of genre and decided to pick up the romance title Secrets Of The Mist by Kate Ryder… I really like the sound of this one.

WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

1. The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (3,5/5 stars) REVIEW 24/09
I really like the idea behind the Shades Of London series. It’s YA paranormal fantasy and horror with a twist, the snarky humor giving you a break from the darker scenes. I do believe this sequel is not as strong as the first book though… This feeling has to do both with the plot itself, the characters and the romance involved. The plot, while interesting enough, did miss that spark of the first book. It might have been the simple fact that it’s hard to live up to the previous Jack The Ripper inspired plot, but I found certain parts of the plot quite slow and sometimes not all that credible. I also had issues with certain actions and the behavior of certain characters…

2. The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor (3,5/5 stars) REVIEW 24/09
It might have been that I set my expectations too high, but I ended up having mixed thoughts about this book. The first thing that stands out is that I underestimated just how dark this story was going to be… I personally didn’t mind, but I do believe The Hiding Place would be classified more accurately with a (paranormal) horror label rather than just a ‘regular’ thriller. Especially the paranormal aspect took me by surprise, as I have to be in the mood for those kind of stories and don’t always react to them positively. It really shows the author uses the work of Stephen King as her inspiration though; The Hiding Place definitely has that King feel with the horror elements, the bugs and the paranormal.

3. The Passengers by John Marrs (5/5 stars) REVIEW 26/09
I’ve read his work in the past and I already knew I was going to like it, but The Passengers simply blew me away. What a read! The writing, the plot, the near-future setting, the twists, the characters… I loved it all, found myself to be glued to my seat and couldn’t stop reading until I discovered how it would all end. Both plot and character development are well executed and there are so many secrets and twists involved that you will never guess what is going on or who is behind it all… I liked how this story was divided into three different parts, and the ending was satisfying. The Passengers is an absolutely brilliant book and hands down one of my favorites of 2019.

4. The Unbound by Victoria Schwab (4/5 stars) REVIEW 26/09
I loved The Archived and have been looking forward to dive into the world again. And while I have to say I didn’t enjoy The Unbound as much as the first book, I can’t deny it was still a solid book. The worldbuilding is still strong, the urban fantasy feeling with a paranormal touch right there and center, and I really like the idea of the Narrows, the Archived and the Keepers and Crew using doors to move around and do their job. My main issue is with the new direction of this story and the focus shifting towards the ‘real’ world, including a lot of private school scenes, cliches and even a love triangle.

5. The Essence Of Evil by Rob Sinclair (4/5 stars) BLOG TOUR REVIEW 07/09
Look out for my review during my stop of the blog tour!

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

Next up are more ARCs… The Lies We Tell by Debra Webb and Here To Stay by Mark Edwards are NG ARCs I recently received and I’m looking forward to. And I can’t wait to read Blood Song by Johana Gustawsson for my upcoming stop of the blog tour! The first two books were absolutely brilliant and I have a feeling I’ll find another new favorite here. My newest TBR jar pick is still The Museum Of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman.

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Month In Review: August 2019

August turned out to be a busy reading month and despite trying to take a break from blogging, I can’t say I was able to relax much… I blame the #NEWTsReadathon2019 haha. August was the month of a fantastic buddy read with Nicki (The Willow Woman), lots of baking, enjoying the winter sunshine and garden preparations. I’m hoping next month will be more relaxed though! And I’m more than ready to welcome the Spring season…

Now to the bookish numbers:

• Number of books read in August: 24
• Total number of books read this year: 181
• Total number of pages read in August: 8.403
• Total number of pages read this year: 60.650

August turned out to be another excellent reading month and I read way more books than expected, mostly thanks to the NEWTs Readathon. I also found myself not one, not two, but THREE new 5 star reads! On top of that, FIVE other fantastic titles were given the almost perfect rating… Oh yes, I definitely got lucky last month.

It’s a wrap!! #NEWTsReadathon2019

Remember I signed up for the N.E.W.T.s Readathon in July? It’s now September 1st, which means that the #NEWTsReadathon2019 is now officially over! I managed to read a lot more than originally planned this year, and I managed to finish all prompts for the Magizoologist career with time to spare. Not only that: I managed to pass all subjects with at least an Acceptable as well! Woohoo!!! Curious to see what I read for each prompt? You can find a full list of what I read below.

BOOKS READ FOR N.E.W.T.s

(T) Troll Run out of time around 20%
(D) Dreadful Run out of time around 50%
(P) Poor Run out of time but read around 80% of A
(A) Acceptable
(E) Exceeded Expectations
(O) Outstanding

# Hogwards Subjects #

– Care Of Magical Creatures (O) Outstanding
– Charms (E) Exceeded Expectations
– Herbology (O) Outstanding

– Defense Against The Dark Arts (O) Outstanding
– Divination (A) Acceptable
– History Of Magic (A) Acceptable
– Muggle Studies (E) Exceeded Expectations
– Transfiguration (E) Exceeded Expectations
– Potions (A) Acceptable
– Ancient Runes (A) Acceptable
– Arithmancy (E) Exceeded Expectations
– Astronomy (E) Exceeded Expectations

1. AUG 1st: History Of Magic: The Archived (A)
2. AUG 2nd: Care Of Magical Creatures: An Unwanted Guest (A)
3. AUG 3rd: Herbology: Apple Of My Eye (A)
4. AUG 4th: Care Of Magical Creatures: What You Did (E)
5. AUG 7th: Care Of Magical Creatures: The Dream Thieves (O)
6. AUG 8th: Muggle Studies: The Willow Woman (A)
7. AUG 9th: Astronomy: Outrun The Moon (A)
8. AUG 10th: Astronomy: Date Night (E)
9. AUG 12th: Muggle Studies: The Sixth Wicked Child (E)
10. AUG 13th: Transfiguration: Darius The Great Is Not Okay (A)
11. AUG 13th: Transfiguration: To Drink Coffee With A Ghost (E)
12. AUG 14th: Herbology: 29 Seconds (E)
13. AUG 16th: Defense Against The Dark Arts: Twisted (A)
14. AUG 17th: Defense Against The Dark Arts: I Am Malala (E)
15. AUG 20th: Charms: Smoke In The Sun (A)
16. AUG 21st: Defense Against The Dark Arts: The Sleepover (O)
17. AUG 22nd: Herbology: The Cellar (O)
18. AUG 23rd: Charms: The Old Man And The Sea (E)
19. AUG 24th: Ancient Runes: Stalking Jack The Ripper (A)
20. AUG 27th: Arithmancy: Keeper (A)
21. AUG 28th: Divination: The Madness Underneath (A)
22. AUG 30th: Arithmancy: The Hiding Place (E)
23. AUG 31st: Potions: The Passengers (A)

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Did you join the N.E.W.T.s readathon this year? Have you read any of the books above as well? I definitely found myself a couple of new favorites during #NEWTsReadathon2019 month!

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