Monthly Wrap-Up: July 2018

July!

My eyes were as irritated as ever in July and no two doctors can agree on what's causing it. So reading wasn't high on my priorities list. BUT thanks to short graphic novels and audiobooks it was still a decent month for them. I finally got into a graphic novel series which has been a goal of mine for a few months now! I'm also now banned from leaving reviews on Amazon (which was great to deal with). Amazon has restored most of my reviews. I'm just glad I can still leave my reviews on there are all at this point, so I'm just going to leave it as it is. BUT I'm still moving forward with posting my reviews on other sites such as Kobo and B&N so if this happens in the future (because with Amazon who knows what's going on at this point) it won't feel like the world is crashing down on me! Other than that life is moving ahead at a fast pace. Maybe it's just me but after June the rest of the year starts to fly by so quickly. Until next month!

Books I Read & Listened To In July

• Witchblade (2017) #1 - 6 - I’ve never read the original Witchblade graphic novels, so I have nothing to compare this to. I like what I’ve seen so far and am intending to continue reading this series! ★★★★ (My review is live on Goodreads)

• Cursed By Fire By Danielle Annett - Everything felt only surface deep. There wasn't much substance to anything or anyone in this series. The world building felt off. My review coming soon!

• Twist (Mageri #2) By Dannika Dark - I reread this novel to see if, with some perspective, my opinion would change and it did somewhat. Looking back I was shipping Justus and Silver so fervently that it got in the way of me seeing how caring Logan was towards Silver. I still don't agree and can't begin to wrap my head around what he did in the beginning, but I can see the appeal it has for the story and character development. I still adore the world building of this series and how everything feels so real.

• Bodyguard By Jennifer Ashley - The ending was rushed and way too easily resolved. Nothing made me feel like anything was a life-or-death situation so it didn't have the emotional impact the author probably wanted. This book wasn't for me, but I got through the audio book easily enough. My review coming soon!

• The Worst Things In Life Are Also Free By Jim Benton - This series was such a big part of my childhood and nostalgia does amazing things for it! The story is entertaining and passed the time quite well. I still love Jamie Kelly's commentary about all the situations she and her friends get into. ★★★★ (My review is live on Goodreads)

•  White Hot Kiss By Jennifer Armentrout - I could foresee most of what happened in this story from miles and miles away. This isn't what I'd call a book of twists and turns. Despite that, I do intend to continue on with this series considering how the book ended. I'm too invested for my own good at this point. My review coming soon!

Books I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On In August

* Book titles are linked to Goodreads.

14th

| Blackout | Wild Hunger |

          (Audio Book) | (Audio Book)                

20th

| Darkest Heart |

22nd

| Witchblade #7 |

28th

| Let Down Your Hair |

Here's What Happened On This Blog In July

I rambled on about the following topics:

• Westworld Season 2 ...URGH
• Hit Or Miss: Audio Book Narrators
• To Do Or Not To Do: Accents
• Does Age Matter Or Is It Just A Number?

I reviewed the following books & audio books:

• Silver Silence By Nalini Singh ✮✮✮ (Audio Book)
• What The Hail By Lani Lynn Vale ✮✮✮
• Wolves And Roses By Christina Bauer ✮✮ (Audio Book)
• Security Breach By Evan Grace ✮✮✮
• One Grave At A Time By Jeaniene Frost ✮✮✮✮ (Audio Book)

I participated in the Top Ten Tuesday Meme:

• Six Books with Red, White, & Blue Covers
• "Gateway" Books In My Reading Journey
• Favorite Novellas/Short Stories
• Characters I’d Like To Check In With
• Five Popular Books That Lived Up To The Hype

Awesome Posts I Came Across In July

• Sam @ We Live And Breathe Books shares her thoughts on a minor character who NEEDS their own story;
• Brigitte @ Elite Daily discusses the amazing benefits of reading romance novels;
• Katie @ The Cut asks why it's so hard to stop reading books you don't even like;
• Laura @ Boats Against The Current shares the story behind her blog name;
• Jessica @ A Great Read shares her "weird" collections;
• Zerisse @ I Heart Romance & YA discusses blogging for pleasure, not pressure;
• Sarah @ NBC News details why 'getting lost in a book' is so good for you, according to science;
• Holly West @ Swoon Reads helps decode what makes books MG, YA, NA & Adult;
• Jenny @ Imperfect Woman discusses why she read romance and why you should too;
• Rachel @ Barnes And Noble mentions 4 reasons to give paranormal romance a try

What books are you looking forward to reading this month?

Let me know in the comments below!

Monthly Wrap-Up: June 2018

June!

June wasn't a very good reading month for me. Though where TV shows and movies are concerned things went spectacularly! I watched quite a few movies that I've been meaning to watch for the last few months and I played catch up with a few TV shows. It was mostly The Originals, which got SO good in the span of 4 episodes I forgot why I put it to the side in the first place. I also started Reverie (which seems promising) and the third season of Shades Of Blue started with a bang and I'm hooked all over again! 

Books I Read & Listened To In June

• Do You Like My Wiener? By Brenda Rothert - This book, in essence, was a rather big article on how to be in a relationship and/or online date with common sense and safety. I was expecting so much more than that based on the synopsis.

• The Night Realm (Spell Weaver #1) By Annette Marie - This novel felt different from all the other novels I've read by this author which I was particularly strange considering how this is a prequel series to her Steel & Stone series (which I adored). Unfortunately, this novel didn't win me over like I was expecting it to.

• Tangled: The Series #1 & #2 By Scott Peterson - I adored the Tangled movie, so for it to also have a graphic novel series with events that happen after the movie is so adorable! It's a very short read. The drawing style is beautiful and the transitions in between dialogues and character point of views are done very creatively!

Books I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On In July

* Book titles are linked to Goodreads.

24th

| Four Day Fling |

Possibly Releasing In July

| Ignite |

This author has a tendency to announce and pull books like I've never seen before. So even though a release date (and pre-order) was announced a few weeks/months(?) ago it doesn't seem likely this will be released in July, but I would still love to read it when/if it ever releases.

Here's What Happened On This Blog In June

I rambled on about the following topics:

• Spoilers: The Bane Of My Existence
• Bookish Breaking Point?
• Where Do You Draw The Line?
• Reviewing In A Timely Manner
• Hit Or Miss: Audio Book Narrators

I reviewed the following books & audio books:

• Silence Fallen (Mercy Thomspon #10) By Patricia Briggs ✮✮✮✮
• Bad Boy Rebels (#1-3) By Jessica Sorensen ✮✮
• This Side Of The Grave (Night Huntress #5) By Jeaniene Frost ✮✮✮½ 
• Bad Blood Bear (Bad Blood Shifters #1) By Anastasia Wilde ✮✮
  

I participated in the Top Ten Tuesday Meme:

• Five Books I Decided To DNF Too Quickly
• Ten Things I Like & Dislike When It Comes To Romance In Books
• Books I Plan To Read This Summer
• Four Series I’ve Given Up On

Awesome Posts I Came Across In June

• Team Epic Reads @ Epic Reads shares this month's bookish horoscope;
• Sam @ Sharing Inspired Kreations asks if when you read the sequel matters;
• Michelle @ Chelle's Book Ramblings asks if too much anticipation can ruin your reading;
• Daniela @ Nocturnal Devices shares her top 10 reasons why she DNF's books;
• AJ Sterkel @ Read All The Things started a new series of posts about things she'd love to read about;
• Ronyell @ Rabit Tears Book Blog discusses community reviews & if they help you decide what books you want to read;
• Marie @ Drizzle And Hurricane Books shares some tips on how she avoids reading slumps (and how you can too);

What books are you looking forward to reading this month?

Let me know in the comments below!

Monthly Wrap-Up: May 2018

May!

May was a much better month for me! Medical issues aside, I'm finally feeling myself being pulled towards books again! I've been in an off and on reading slump for months now. Every book I've been reading for the past few months was me, to some extent, pushing through it. I hope this continues on in the weeks to come!

Books I Read & Listened To In May

• Wolves And Roses By Christina Bauer -  This was an unpleasant journey for many many reasons. Though it was a very interesting concept, this book is a whole other bag of worms. 

• One Grave At A Time By Jeaniene Frost - This was such an awesome book and it was also a re-read from quite a few years ago. This stood the test of time so well!

• Moon Kissed By Jennifer Snyder - Had I bothered to read a few reviews of this book before I got it things would have ended better. I had high hopes for this one too :/

• Fighting For Everything By Laura Kaye - This novel had such an interesting start, but the characters ended up becoming an annoying mess. 
• Among The Echoes By Aly Martinez - This was a backlog book I've been meaning to read for years now and finally got to it because I figured out it had an audio book version. This was a great read!

Books I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On In June

* Book titles are linked to Goodreads.

4th

| Burning Bright |

12th

| False Security | Pull You Through |


Possibly Releasing in June:

| Everlasting Violet |

Here's What Happened On This Blog In May

I rambled on about the following topics and did a book tag:

• Vampires Are Back?
• Meh Books & Why I Seem To Be Haunted By Them
• Fifty Bookish Questions Tag (Book Tag)
• Names I Can't Stand In Books

I reviewed the following books & audio books:

• The Big Bad Wolf By Jus Accardo ✮✮✮
• Dead Man Rising (Dante Valentine #2) By Lilith Saintcrow ✮✮✮
• Nameless (Broken City #1) By Jessica Sorensen ✮✮✮
• Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson #9) By Patricia Briggs ✮✮✮

I participated in the Top Ten Tuesday Meme:

• Four Books I’d Slay A Lion To Get Early
• Books With My Favorite Color On the Cover
• Eight Wishes I’d Ask The Book Genie To Grant Me
• Ten Bookish Habits I Want To Break
• Five Bookish Worlds I’d Never Want to Live In

Awesome Posts I Came Across In May

• Kristen @ Metaphors And Moonlight shares her thoughts on the portrayal of supernatural creatures;
  
• AJ @ Read All The Things asks how accurate Amazon recommendations are;
• Epic Reads combined horoscopes with books and it was too cute;
• Rhea @ Bookchanted Blog asks is there a pressure of having to read a lot In the bookish community?
• Simon @ Savidge Reads discussed if bookish size matters ;)
• Margaret @ Goldilox And The Three Weres discussed her confusion about the new adult genre & I can't help but agree with her!
• Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight shares unfortunate covers of international book releases (part 4);
• Clarie @ Book Riot presented the bookish edition to by age 35 you should

What books are you looking forward to reading this month?

Let me know in the comments below!

Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2018

Another month has come to an end!

It never occurred to me to do one of these types of posts on a monthly basis until now. Looks like I'm REALLY behind on the times. I'm usually a slow reader, but these last 3 months have been worse than usual. I've come down with an allergy that's gotten to a point where my eyes are swelling up. I'm currently getting myself checked out, but reading has been very hard. The only thing keeping me on schedule are the reviews that I have banked!

Books I Read In April

• Steel & Stone Companion Collection By Annette Marie - This was a re-read with the audio book and I adore everything about it! I can't wait for the continuation series the author intends to release in the future. Check out my review here!

• The Big Bad Wolf By Jus Accardo - This was a cute read, but the cover doesn't really go with the story in my opinion. My review will be live in a few weeks!

• The Thief (Black Dagger Brotherhood #16) By J. R. Ward - I can confidently say I "read" this book. You're probably wondering why the word read was in quotation marks. Check out the rest of my so-called review on Goodreads for that!

Here Are The Books I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On In May

* Book titles are linked to Goodreads.

15th

| Do You Like My Wiener? |

22nd

| Fighting For Everything |

29th

| The Shadow Weave |
(Audio Book)

Here's What Happened On This Blog In April

I rambled on about the following topics & did a book tag:

• Reading in Extremes (All or Nothing)
• Genres I Won't Review & Why
• The End Is Upon Us: Scandal
• The Norse Mythology Book Tag

I reviewed the following books & audio books:

• Gaslight (Crossbreed #4) By Dannika Dark ✮✮✮✮✮
• Lust (Vegas Nights #2) By Emma Hart ✮✮✮
• Destined For An Early Grave (Night Huntress #4) By Jeaniene Frost ✮✮✮✮
• Hail No (Hail Raisers #1) By Lani Lynn Vale ✮✮
• Wicked (A Wicked Saga #1) By Jennifer Armentrout ✮✮

I participated in the Top Ten Tuesday Meme:

• Five Of My OCD Bookish Habits
• Books I Loved But Will Never Re-Read
• Top Ten Blogging Confessions
• Top Five Bookish Things That I'd Like To Own

Awesome Posts I Came Across In April

• Danya from 'Fine Print Blog' asked if you step outside your bookish comfort zone
• Sam from 'We Live And Breathe Books' discusses book reviewing and its pressures
• The writers for 'Romance Rehab' helped spread the love for the paranormal romance genre
• Shayna from BookBub shared cute images about falling for a bookworm

(I decided to do this post last minute so I didn't have any saved links

from posts throughout the month. I need to do better next time!)

What books are you looking forward to reading this month?

Let me know in the comments below!