It is FINALLY February! I don’t know about you guys, but January seemed to drag on FOREVER! Especially this last week. But it’s a new month, and I’m going to try to hit it hard with my reading!
Below I’ll show you the 15 books I have on my TBR and the criteria I’m using them for! Book Battle stars anew today, and I’m hoping to lead my team to victory! Come join in the competitive reading fun here!
So, eleven of my books are ARCs. I’d love to put a dent in my ARC pile! The club reads are sequels – we can read any books in the series! I received a lovely finished copy of Blood Countess so I’m excited to check that one out as well!
What’s on your TBR this month? Have any thoughts on mine? Let me know in the comments below!
Yall, this was NOT my month. I said I wanted to read 15 books a month. Well. I only got to 9. I was in a super huge slump for a majority of the month and I’m not sure why.
Anyway, I’ll tell you what books I read, my monthly stats, and how my Goodreads goal is looking!
EBOOKS READ
Grey by EL James – 3 stars. Not my favorite. Took me almost a week to read.
First off, my Goodreads goal. 9/165. I’m 4 books behind schedule. I already have a plan for next month and I’m hoping to hit it!
I read 1697 pages and did 14 hours, 32 minutes of listening! My average rating was 3.88 stars. I read three nonfic, two contemporary, two erotica, one horror, and one thriller. There were seven adult books and two YA. I only read one ARC this month. One of my books was #ownvoices!
What does your monthly wrap up look like? Did you read any of these books! Let me know in the comments below!
Wow! Another week! Of me not reading…. What is my deal?! I’m already six books behind my GR goal. I need to get my ass in gear. And like…. read a book. Or six.
Anyway, when last we left our TBR, we were at 1954. We are currently sitting at 1957. I joined a great community of bloggers on twitter, and they’ve been giving me some great books to read! Oh yeah, I started a twitter last week too! Follow me @Mithah_Reads!
So lets jump right in! First look at the covers of these next 10 books, I’m not sure I’ll keep any? Maybe one. Maybe the synopses will change my mind though!
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Date Added: June 27, 2015
Thoughts: Girl has too many drinks and sleeps with bff’s fiance. Now a decision to risk it all for happiness. I think too chick lit
Keep or Delete: Delete
Hush by Kate White
Date Added: June 27, 2015
Thoughts: A thriller! MC is going through a divorce and the guy she sleeps with ends up dead. Yes, please!
Keep or Delete: Keep!
Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock
Date Added: June 27, 2015
Thoughts: Another thriller! This is about two young girls, an unstable mom and abusive step father. Sign me up!
Keep or Delete: Keep!
Faithful by Kim Cash Tate
Date Added: June 27, 2015
Thoughts: Chick lit Christian fiction. I think I’ll pass
Keep or Delete: Delete
The Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King
Date Added: June 27, 2015
Thoughts: Chick lit about a group of friends getting together every two years to catch up on life.
Keep or Delete: Delete
The Deed by Keith Blanchard
Date Added: June 27, 2015
Thoughts: Honestly, it was hard for me to get through this synopsis. I think that means its not for me.
Keep or Delete: Delete
The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright
Date Added: June 27, 2015
Thoughts: This might be cute. A husband writes his wife every week and they both die. Kids find the letters and secrets. I’m just not sure It would keep my interest.
Keep or Delete: Delete
The Shattering by Karen Healey
Date Added: June 27, 2015
Thoughts: This was the one I thought I’d keep based on the cover, and I was right! It’s YA (yay!) and a thriller!
Keep or Delete: Keep!
Blood Orange by Drusilla Campbell
Date Added: June 27, 2015
Thoughts: Eek. About a daughter going missing. Since having a kid, I can’t read these books.
Keep or Delete: Delete
In This Way I Was Saved by Brian DeLeeuw
Date Added: June 27, 2015
Thoughts: This sounds like horror/thriller and I think I’m here for it.
Keep or Delete: Keep!
Wow! I kept way more than I thought I would, but there were a lot of thrillers! So that’s pretty exciting!
I am ending at 1951, so I kept four and deleted six. I am so close to being under 1950! Next week FOR SURE! Unless I keep adding to my tbr…
Have you read any of these novels? What did you think? Let me know below!
On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she’d become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways. She didn’t. And then she died. Now she’s stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge–as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past. Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly’s afterlife has been miserable. But this year, everything is about to change…
– Goodreads
This was the perfect holiday read. I was so glad it won the discussion poll over at Book Battle! I was a little hesitant at first. I’ve never read an A Christmas Carol retelling, and I wasn’t sure how it would work. Cynthia Hand did an amazing job of keeping the spirit and key elements in the original story and mixing them with a little fantasy! Honestly, this is something I will probably reread every holiday season.
So we start with Holly. She isn’t a good person. But what does that matter? The three ghosts visit her on Christmas Eve. She thinks it’s a crazy dream or a prank. The next day, she’s dead. Now 5 years have passed and she works for Project Scrooge. They are the ones who pick the hero each year. The ghosts come to them and try to get them to change for the better. This year the Hero is young – like Holly’s age. He’s cute. Is he really that bad?
Holly develops feelings for Ethan, which is totally against all the rules. She just can’t help it. She has to be near him. But falling for Ethan also opens up wounds of her own. Will she be able to keep changing for the better?
I read this book in just over a day. It was so enthralling and fun. I loved the forbidden romance. I also loved how Holly kept growing and changing. I don’t want to give away the ending – it was good! But I just wanted something… different. But I see why Cynthia ended it that way!
If you haven’t read The Afterlife of Holly Chase, you need to put it on your TBR for this holiday season! It’s already on mine again.
Ginny’s life suddenly comes to a screeching halt one fateful Monday when a shooter shows up at Southwestern High School during first period. In lockdown with both the homeroom sub and her secret crush Owen badly wounded, Ginny finds herself teamed up with Kayla, one of the “barbies.” Together, they must try to keep their classmates alive amid terror and pain. As the chaos continues, Ginny is plagued with questions. Has she judged Kayla too harshly? Will she ever have the chance to ask Own to prom? Will the fight she had with her mom before school been their last interaction ever? With the uncertainty of everyone making it out alive growing with every minute, there’s only one thing Ginny knows for sure: no one is making it out unchanged.
– Goodreads
I don’t know why I love such tragic books. I love true crime. I love disaster books. So when I saw this book on Netgalley, I wanted to read it. It goes through the harrowing hours while a high school in Canada is on lock down due to a school shooting.
It was interesting that this was set in Canada. They have much different laws than we do – which are shown in the book. I know their gun control is much stricter.
The novel is told through the eyes of Ginny. She’s a typical teen girl. She had a blow out fight with her mom before school. Honestly though, what teen girl doesn’t? It normally wouldn’t matter, the fight would be forgotten about by dinner. Only today, it does matter. What if Ginny never gets to see her mom again?
Throughout the story, you are told of teens texting their parents and loved ones. Last ditch efforts to say they love them. You are told of the killer at the door. Will he get in? Teachers are trying everything they can think to save the kids. It’s honestly a haunting novel. My son is 2.5 years old. I can’t imagine him going through this. It’s getting all too common in America. During the story, you are shown parts of Ginny’s past. It was a nice reprieve from the horror that was occurring.
#NotReadyToDie was a quick read. At 200 pages, I could have read it in an afternoon if someone wasn’t so distracting -cough-child-cough-. The novel moved at a nice pace, it never seemed rushed. You got to know all the kids in the class with Ginny – including her crush and a girl she thinks hates her. They both have surprising ends. However, I did have a problem with some of the dialogue. The actions of the teens totally fit, but I felt their conversations were somewhat juvenile.
I do wish the ending gave me a little more. You didn’t find out who the killer was or the motives. As a true crime buff I just HAD to know! I think that was my biggest gripe about the book.
If you are like me and are a fan of true crime/tragedy books, I think #NotReadyToDie is definitely worth picking up!
Have you read #NotReadyToDie? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.
Divya Sharma is a queen. Or she is when she’s playing Reclaim the Sun, the year’s hottest online game. Divya—better known as popular streaming gamer D1V—regularly leads her #AngstArmada on quests through the game’s vast and gorgeous virtual universe. But for Divya, this is more than just a game. Out in the real world, she’s trading her rising-star status for sponsorships to help her struggling single mom pay the rent.
Gaming is basically Aaron Jericho’s entire life. Much to his mother’s frustration, Aaron has zero interest in becoming a doctor like her, and spends his free time writing games for a local developer. At least he can escape into Reclaim the Sun—and with a trillion worlds to explore, disappearing should be easy. But to his surprise, he somehow ends up on the same remote planet as celebrity gamer D1V.
At home, Divya and Aaron grapple with their problems alone, but in the game, they have each other to face infinite new worlds…and the growing legion of trolls populating them. Soon the virtual harassment seeps into reality when a group called the Vox Populi begin launching real-world doxxing campaigns, threatening Aaron’s dreams and Divya’s actual life. The online trolls think they can drive her out of the game, but everything and everyone Divya cares about is on the line…
And she isn’t going down without a fight.
– Goodreads
Omg yall. This book. It’s my first 5 star read of the year and so deserving of every single star it gets. Don’t Read the Comments is a great look at the sexist nature of the video gaming community. That just because you are a female, you automatically aren’t as good as a male. Like, honestly. What do genitals have to do with gaming skill? NOTHING.
I’ve been gaming since I was 15. I started with Halo online, then went to World of Warcraft. I’ve tried various other MMO’s, FPS’s, everything. And no matter how good I am, if I speak, I’m either just trying to find a boyfriend or I’m a boy who hasn’t hit puberty yet. It’s so annoying, so I felt what D1V did. I knew how it was – people saying nasty things about you because they think you don’t belong. It was so nice to have that rep. To have a strong, GOOD female gamer, who didn’t let them see her break. She was so brave and so strong. Even when she got doxxed. If you don’t know about doxxing, check this out. It happened to a lot of females in the gaming/geek world and it it SO.SCARY.
Okay, now you see why the books means so much to me. I imagine it will mean a lot to the female gaming community who are also readers. Let’s get into this book review, shall we?
I first featured this book on my First Impressions Friday post. I read the first chapter and was immediately hooked. I was so interested in Divya, or D1V as she is known online. I immediately felt a kinship with her and her best friend, Rebekah. They were part of the streaming community, which is something I so desperately wanted to do back in the day.
In the next chapter you meet Aaron, a casual gamer who also plays Reclaim the Sun. The descriptions of the game make it sound like No Man’s Sky. Which I immediately had to play. I’ve logged three hours since finishing the book. Anyway…
A doxxing group attacks D1V and her armada of followers. She has to start over in game. She happens to meet Aaron when grinding to level back up. They end up playing together a lot, growing a friendship, then something more.
The romance was definitely in the background of this book. The main focus was D1V and Rebekah and how they have been attacked over and over. Both physically, verbally, and mentally. I think a lot of people don’t understand what it’s like to be in their position until they’ve been there. No, I’ve never been physically attacked, but I have been verbally and mentally.
There were so many great references in this book. All kinds of games, gamer news sites, and pop culture. I think I highlighted about 10 of them! It was so fun to read! The dual POV was so fun, too. I loved getting both sides of the friendship and romance.
I feel like I just rambled at the beginning of this, but this book is so important to me. I was so fortunate to get an ARC. I would recommend this to anyone in the gaming community or who loves geeky things!
There’s also an amazing pre-order incentive going on! Check it out here!
Thank you to Netgalley and KCP Loft for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.
Grace Carter’s mother — the celebrity news anchor GG Carter — is everything Grace is not. GG is a star, with a flawless wardrobe and a following of thousands, while Grace — an aspiring astrophysicist — is into stars of another kind. She and her mother have always been in different orbits. Then one day GG is just … gone. Cameras descend on their house, news shows speculate about what might have happened and Grace’s family struggles to find a new rhythm as they wait for answers. While the authorities unravel the mystery behind GG’s disappearance, Grace grows closer to her high school’s golden boy, Mylo, who has faced a black hole of his own. She also uncovers some secrets from her mother’s long-lost past. The more Grace learns, the more she wonders. Did she ever really know her mother? Was GG abducted … or did she leave? And if she left, why?
– Goodreads
I don’t know what it is with me and 500+ page books this month. First Grey, now this! After this I will read some shorter books for sure.
I’ll admit, I stalk reviews for books before I read them. I like to know what I’m getting into. I used to be scared that they influenced me into liking or not liking something I normally would. I read so many 5 star reviews for this book, but it just fell flat for me.
Gracie, the main character, was somewhat flat to me. A lot of people said she was relateable because she was normal. Sure, she was normal, but there wasn’t anything special about her. And I’m not talking about powers, or being super pretty, or anything like that. Just, nothing sticks out to me about her. I thought her best friend, Iris, and her boyfriend, Mylo, were way more interesting. I think Mylo should have his own book, but I won’t tell you why because ~spoilers~.
The Center of the Universe takes place in Canada and is written by a Canadian author, which I think is awesome! This past year I have become really good friends with some Canadians in Words & Whimsy. It was nice to read a story set in their lands! I think this is the first book set in Canada I’ve ever read.
So a little about this book. It’s 506 pages. It has 100 chapters. It’s a little intimidating. I mean, the chapters are short, which is great since I like to stop reading at the end of a chapter. However, some chapters were only half a page or so long, and I couldn’t really find a reason for them being there. There were also 7 space analogies in chapter 1. Yes, I counted. Yes, I thought it was a little much. Like, I understand this is a space book. I promise. That did get better throughout the book. There were less, but I still didn’t really understand them since I don’t know much about space.
However, there were some great things about this book! It did not read like a normal 500-pager. It was a quick read. I loved the mystery of why her mom was abducted. Or did she go voluntarily? Some of the descriptions were so.beautiful. Like this one –
“Mylo talked into my ear, his voice rolling and pitching like a sea made of sound…”
It’s so beautiful and romantic! Also, this book features a real astrophysicist, Dr. Elizabeth Tasker. There is even a Q&A with her in the back of the book! I love that it brought in a real astrophysicist.
So, this book got 3.5 stars from me. I felt there were a few too many space references when other things could be used. However, it was a quick read with a great mystery! I’d recommend it to anyone who likes ya mysteries and especially anyone who loves space!
Hey guys! Here’s my TBR for January! I have two books off my TBR list, a libby book, some arcs and other ebooks to read!
I said I was going to try to read 15 books a month, so here is what I plan on reading! 11 are for Book Battle criteria, and four will count as freebies – if I read them before the 26th! That’s when Battle ends.
Book Battle Reads
Freebies
So far, I am only 43% into Grey. It’s one of my TBR books and my libby hold came in, so I wasn’t thinking it would be my first book of the year. So far I’m not loving it. Grey makes me aggravated with this thoughts. But I feel like I’m too far in to DNF. So a more thorough review to come when I finally finish it.
I have a blog tour coming up for Cub on Jan 6. Be sure to come back and check it out!
Halfway to the Grave was recommended to me by my friend and fellow Book Battle and Words & Whimsy modmin, Jordan. I’m excited to read it! She always gives the best recs.
My ARCs for this month are: The Weight of a Soul, Every Other Weekend, Cub, Second Star, Lost Boy, Don’t Read the Comments, The Weight of the Stars, Center of the Universe, You Too?, A Beginning at the End and Say Something.
Here are the Goodreads links to the books I plan on reading this month!
Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.
A speculative thriller in the vein of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Power. Optioned by Universal and Elizabeth Banks to be a major motion picture!
SURVIVE THE YEAR.
No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.
In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.
Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.
With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.
– Goodreads
Oh man. This book. Top 5 reads of 2019 for sure. It blew me away with all the emotions and feels and I just loved it. I have recommended it to everyone.
The Grace Year was a beautiful, tragic and desperate tale of female empowerment and fighting back when you know the way you are living is wrong.
Each year when girls turn 16, they are released in the wild to let out their ‘magic’. They only have each other and have to find a way to live this long, long year. The girls’ magic makes men do terrible things – or so they say. Not all the girls will make it home alive, and those that do are forever changed.
This is a story about sticking together, building women up, and the knowledge that female friendships are the strongest bonds. The girls went through a lot during their Grace Year. They were tricked, manipulated, turned against one another. No one expected them to turn toward each other. Bit by bit they try to change the way of life and make it better for their future girls.
There was romance involved, but it was really the backdrop. The story had twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The ending had twist after twist after twist. It was wrapped up in a beautifully tragic way.
There is no happy ending here, however, there is hope that there might one day be.
I recommend every girl and woman read this. It really rings true in times like these.
Mithah Reads 