My Ramblings: Vampires Should Make A Comeback!

It's been a while since I've written one of these!

So I'll come back with a hot take:

Vampires Should Make A Comeback! 

Well, let me rephrase that: PNR (paranormal romance) should make a comeback. I'm not just saying that because I'm a big fan of PNR (because I am). We haven't had a big boom in YA (young adult) since Twilight happened. Remember back in 2007 and 2008 when vampires and werewolves were in almost every YA novel? Well, I want that back, so could the publishing industry get themselves together and give me maybe 3 years of YA PNR books, k thx bye.

What had me in this thought bubble was a video I watched recently where Alexa Donne made a lot of things about YA publishing very clear. So many YA specific imprints are closing as of late and have been dwindling for the past few years. YA is a relatively new division (though I call it a genre because it's what it felt like to me all these years) and after the boom with Twilight and Hunger Games happened they (the publishers) were always looking for and publishing what they perceived as the "next big thing". That mentality basically maimed YA and here we still are. 

I'm probably not a great example in reading YA because I've grown away from it in the past few years. I can probably count on 2 hands the number of specifically YA books that I've read and loved. Considering that I read mostly PNR and UF (urban fantasy) there's a lot less variety in YA than there was in the beginning when I fell in love with YA. Don't get me wrong, there still are gems to be found in the PNR and UF but they're a little bit harder to find. While we're at it let's take a second to appreciate the amazing stories that YA brought into our lives because there was a time that there wasn't even a YA division and my little 13-year-old self was stuck reading adult PNR. Oof. 

Basically, I wish vampires and werewolves and all the other amazing paranormal creatures out there in all the lore and myths in the world were at the forefront again so I can stack up a few thousand books to read within the next decade of my life and then restart the cycle again. 

Once every ten years sounds fair to me, how about you?

Book Tag: The Thanksgiving Book Tag

This tag was created by Fangirlscity.

I came across it on Angel's Guilty Pleasures.

Bread: What book is purely fluff, and has no real plot line?

The Difference By Kaylee Ryan

Don't read this book if you're looking for

an actual plot with your romance.

My review will be coming later this year.

Turkey: What book made you want to fall asleep?

Unborn By Amber Lynn Natusch. Everything was robotic. Even the narrator couldn't save it. I ended up being SO bored throughout this novel. My review can be found here!

Gravy: What book makes the whole series worth reading?

Keystone By Dannika Dark

I just had to get one of my favorite series

and authors in this post somehow! My review is here!

Stuffing: What book is stuffed full of action scenes?

I don't think I've ever said a book had too many action scenes. Maybe I've gotten lucky in the sense that the books I usually read are fairly balanced in plot and action sequences.

Mashed Potatoes: What book looked good, and then wasn’t?

I would not recommend this to anyone. Read my review and you'll understand why. This book has left quite the bad impression on me.

Cranberries: What book has the sweetest romance?

Fighting Silence By Aly Martinez

My Review

Green Beans: What book is too long and needs to be shortened?

SO many! One that come to mind straight away is Lock And Key By Evageline Anderson. It's a great story but it would have been even better if it had been a tad bit shorter. You can check out my review on it here!

Pumpkin Pie: What book do you read to get out of a reading slump?

An old favorite! It has to be something I know I've liked in the past that will keep my attention. It also helps if I haven't read in a few years.

Dog/Cat: What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food that you would steal from the table?

Mashes potatoes! It's not something I eat regularly anymore because their empty calories and won't do me much good in the long run but they're SO good!

What do you usually hoard from the table while no one is watching?

Let me know in the comments below!

Book Tag: Disney Channel Halloween Movies (Book Tag)

This tag was created by Book Princess Reviews.

The Rules:

- Tag the creator (@bookprincessreviews) of the DHM Tag;

- Thank the person who tagged who. (No one tagged me to do this tag!);

- Answer the questions;

- Tag five more people.

1. Halloweentown | Where is your favorite place to go for Halloween or a place you want to go?

I'd love to explore a location that is said to be heavily haunted close to Halloween. Even though I get freaked out easily I'd love to get a small group of people and do this for an hour or two.

2. Under Wraps | What’s something that used to be scary to you, and then you realized it wasn’t just the mummy in this movie?

Is the dark a good enough answer? I used to be SO scared of the dark up until I was in my early teens. It's not present anymore while I'm in my house but if I'm walking down the street and it's dark I will convince myself I'm being followed. It does nothing to diminish my anxiety LOL

3. Tower of Terror | What is the scariest place you’ve ever been?

I have a post on an apartment I lived in for a few years that was legitimately haunted. You can check out that story here!

4. Twitches | If you could be any supernatural creature, what would you be?

If I had to pick a regular paranormal creature it'd be a vampire. I already hate the sun and love wearing all black. Living for centuries and gathering treasures sounds like a fun time! 

BUT if I could be a "different" paranormal creature it'd be a mage from Dannika Dark's novels. They're powerful, live for a long time and have a corrupt governing body. Sounds like I'd be right at home with how the world is going lately :/

5. Don’t Look Under the Bed | Were you scared of monsters when you were a kid? When did it stop?

YES. Up until I was around 4 years old I could watch horror movies and sleep like a little baby. After that, I had to stop because they gave me nightmares, made me lose sleep and I would overthink them into oblivion. Even at 25, I don't think I could watch a horror movie today and sleep well at night.

6. Phantom of the Megaplex | Do you watch scary movies? If so, what is your favorite or the one you got most afraid of?

I don't watch horror. I've gotten into watching suspense and thrillers but that's as far as I'm willing to go at the moment and I don't have any favorites yet!

7. The Scream Team | Who would be on your dream team if you went on a ghost/supernatural creature hunt?

via GIPHY

Sam & Dean Winchester. There's no doubt about it! I'd probably have a 50% chance at survival (considering everyone around them dies unexpectedly at some point or another) but who's counting?

8. Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire | Have you ever witnessed something/someone that could only be explained by the paranormal? If yes, what/who?

Again, I have a post on an apartment I lived in for a few years that was legitimately haunted. You can check out that story here!

Are you a believer in the paranormal?

Let me know in this comments below!

My Ramblings: Terms I Dislike In Books

Terms I Dislike In Books

I think the quarantine may be finally getting to me because a few nights ago I was half asleep and this thought just came to me. So I wanted to comment on it and see what everyone else in the bookish community thinks about it. I'm an avid romance reader and sometimes things that get to me may not get to other people. So I'm very interested in hearing feedback and more opinions on these terms and how they're used in books. Maybe I'm in the minority on this subject, so without farther ado here we go!

"Clean" Romance/Book: When an author/publisher makes a point to market and state in a book's synopsis that it's a "clean" book. My first question off the bat: Since when is doing the deed dirty? Do people not know how babies are made at this point in life? If you're reading romance I certainly hope you've had a health/science class or two. 

Wouldn't it be more prudent to state that there are no explicit scenes in said book then if that's the "problem"? On a whole other note, do people not know that you can skip a few pages when you don't want to read about something? Maybe these people are reading in the wrong age bracket? Then again a lot of YA novels sometimes feature something close to going all the way. (Note: I can also understand when an author doesn't feel comfortable writing explicit scenes but make a note of it that way instead of using the term "clean" romance)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't understand how people can create a problem where there wasn't ever even supposed to be one in the first place. Then again, I don't go into novels looking for or not looking for a couple to go all the way. I just let the story flow. If it goes there great and if it doesn't that's also great. 

The Curvy woman/BBW (Big Beautiful Woman): This is usually also included in the title of the book, as a note in the synopsis or as a woe the heroine has throughout the novel because "no one wants her since she's curvy". Just no. 

Most of the time the term curvy describes a woman who has a bigger than "average" (aka skinny) butt and thighs that touch but still has a flat stomach (I call witchcraft on behalf of the majority of women here!). I don't know about you but that's not the average size of e.g. the american woman (which as of 2020 is size 14). According to the clothing charts I looked up it would be someone who wears XL and can weigh up to 170 lbs. 

Granted there probably are bodies with the proportions described above out there but those are in the minority. If you're going to write about bigger women how about doing it better? Not all bigger women are shy, hate their bodies and conclude that they've never dated because of their bodies. Let's let go of that stigma because it's in too many of the paranormal romance novels I read and it's damaging. Period.

The Alpha Male: This is also included in the title of the book and/or as a note in the synopsis. Can you see a pattern here? *Eye Roll*

Let's get one thing straight first: I have read and still read about alpha males in novels. It's a very popular trope in shifter romances (and paranormal romance in general) and when well written and done well does make for an interesting story.

However, as popular as this trope is I have a love/hate relationship with it. I've realized in the past few years that reading about a guy who actually emotes and knows how to use his words to communicate with his partner is so much more fulfilling than the stoic traditional grunting muscular guy thing "pure alphas" do. I would like to see that incorporated more into the alpha trope or have it as a subcategory of some kind. 

Until I read a book that showed the guy having emotion I didn't realize that that was what a lot of alpha male novels need. It makes for a much more engaging and "realistic" (even in fantasyland) set of characters and stories. 

There's definitely an audience for them and I'm not calling out anyone who likes to read alpha male type books but maybe I want to carve out a bigger chunk of stories of alpha males with emotions category for myself and everyone else that felt that there was something always missing in those stories and could never put a finger on it.

(This turned into a very long and ranty post!

Thanks for reading until the end!)

I'm genuinely interested to know your thoughts on these terms used to describe books/stories in the comments below!

My Ramblings: Dear Middle-Grade Mystery & Horror

Let's celebrate this coming Valentine's Day by remembering our first love! By that I mean I'll be writing a heartfelt letter to my first bookish love: the middle-Grade mystery & horror genre.

Dear Middle-Grade Mystery & Horror,

First and foremost, I'd like to say I'm truly sorry. I left you behind as the years past. Many can say I grew up and ended up thinking I was too good for you and needed to move on. I assure you that's not the case! I loved you, once. It's unfortunate to say but it was just puppy love, you and I.

That may sound harsh, but please hear me out! We grew up together. You were a great big stepping stone to who I am today. We had such amazing and memorable moments together! Do you remember when I let my 6th-grade crush borrow one of you? If you could only have felt the rush I felt in that moment with me. It was exhilarating! I have you to thank for that! Though nothing ever came of it and I never got up the nerve to tell him you were there with me through all those times! Helping keep me an introvert through it all.

Oh, the wonderful worlds we traveled through! There isn't enough time to name all the places and faces we met during those long few years we were with each other. Please, know it was special and very much appreciated at that time!

Though I grew out of you, I hope you have found someone else to fill the void I left. I wish you nothing but the best for there are many more people who will be much more grateful than I was to hear of your adventures. Please don't let my leaving you make you bitter and closed off for all the other souls who are looking for you and want to enjoy your company. 

Forever & Always,

Mikky

What was the first genre that you fell in love with?

Let me know in the comments below!

Book Tag: End Of The Decade Book Tag

This tag was created by Cat (Booktuber - Brews And Reviews)! Be sure to watch her video after reading this post! I won't be tagging anyone so feel free to do this yourself. Leave your links in the comments below so I can check them out!

Here’s how the tag works:

The decades have been split into three sections: 2010-2013, 2014-2016 and 2017-2019. For every section, there are five questions about the books you read and after everything is said and done there are two general questions to finish off the tag. 

__________________________

2010-2013

1. How much did you read?

I have no record of the number of books I read in 2010 - 2012! I used to keep them in a word document to see if I could get to 100 books a year but somewhere along the way and a few computers later I ended up losing the file so I can only guess.

According to my first Goodreads account (started in 2010), I read a total of 123 books from 2010 - 2012. Though I don't think that's very accurate because I wasn't using it as diligently as I was using my word doc, so it's probably quite a bit off. I know for a fact that I read more back then than I read today. 2013 was the year I created my blog and according to Goodreads, I read a total of 42 books.

2. What genre did you read the most?

Almost exclusively paranormal romance and contemporaries.

Not much has changed!

3. What were your favorite books and authors?

| Altered | Alienated | Kiss Of Fire |

Abbi Glines & Jennifer Armentrout's books were everything to me! They could do wrong in my opinion back then!

(Linked to the author's Goodreads page)

4. Is there a book you wish you’d read during this time period?

I think if the Angelbound Origins Series By Christina Bauer was around I would have adored it back then! I was just starting out with the paranormal romance genre and I didn't know what I liked and disliked. This series would have rocked my socks off when I was younger!

5. Do you have any regrets about your reading during this time period?

Yes. In my search for paranormal romance books, I went into adult books at a very young age. I don't think YA (young adult) was a very prominent thing in 2010 and I was transitioning from reading only middle-grade mystery books to "teenage" vampire books. I went from swimming in the shallow end to diving into the deep end before I figured out how to swim.

__________________________

2014-2016

1. How much did you read?

2014: 57 Books

2015: 40 Books

2016: 57 Books

2. What genre did you read the most?

Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy & Contemporaries

3. What were your favorite books and authors?

The books that stand out to me from these years are The Veil Series By Pippa DaCosta and the On The Ropes Series By Aly Martinez!

I adored and still adore Pippa Dacosta, Jus Accardo & Annette Marie! I discovered these three authors in this time span and I'm still addicted to their titles to this day!

| Pippa DaCosta | Jus Accardo | Annette Marie |

4. Is there a book you wish you’d read during this time period?

No, by this point I've already grown up and had decided the kinds of books I like to read. I'm a mood reader so not every book is for every mood but I can read anything from YA to adult urban fantasy and be happy!

5. Do you have any regrets about your reading during this time period?

Also no! The YA genre at this point was on fire (in a good way) and I got to read a lot of awesome books due to that!

__________________________

2017-2019

1. How much did you read?

2017: 64 Books

2018: 67 Books

2019: 82 Books & Counting

2. What genre did you read the most?

I'm beginning to think I'm a broken record at this point:

Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy & Contemporaries

3. What were your favorite books and authors?

My favorite books from these years are hands down

the Crossbreed Series By Dannika Dark!

My favorite authors from these years are Dannika Dark and Sybil Bartel!

| Dannika Dark | Sybil Bartel |

4. Is there a book you wish you’d read during this time period?

No! I'm happy with the books I read during this time and I'm looking forward to continuing the habit going forward!

5. Do you have any regrets about your reading during this time period?

I regret not going back and restarting the Black Dagger Brotherhood series all over again instead of skipping books like an idiot. I missed so much because of that! I also wish I liked the narrator for the audio books so I could do it that way when my eyes aren't cooperating with me.

__________________________

* When did you find Book Blogs/Booktube and/or did it change your reading habits? If so how?

I'm pretty sure I found out book blogs were a thing in 2011 or 2012. That was also when I started finding more books in the genre I was looking to get to know because I found blogs that catered to me as an audience. I still remember which book blog I found first and stuck from there on out: YA Reads.

* How do you think your reading has changed over the last decade?

I don't think it's changed much! I still read predominantly paranormal romance and urban fantasy. What I think has developed more is my taste in books and writing styles. I'm also much better at figuring out what I like and dislike in books before I even pick them up.

Over the last decade, I read a total of

532 Books!

What was your favorite book of the decade?

Let me know if you can't decide in the comments below!

My Ramblings: What Happened To The New Adult Genre?

A Gap In The Market:

What Happened To The New Adult Genre?

I came across a tweet that made me stop and think why I've been having a heck of a time finding books I'm over the moon about in the last year or so.

Why do so many adults still read YA?

There's a serious gap in the market for readers in their 20s that feature strong female characters they can relate to. I prefer YA fantasy because of the tough female characters- often absent in adult fantasy (mostly written by males).

— Jeann (@happyindulgence) July 23, 2019

I aged out of YA, the love of drama and overall immaturity a few years ago. I'll freely admit that, at one point, I lived for those books! They meant SO much to me, and they till do, but I don't enjoy them as much anymore. I'll never say never but it's currently not what I love.

Finding heroines in their early and late 20's who kick butt, swear and live their lives in the new adult genre is hard. Not impossible but hard. I've read and still occasionally do read books in the so-called adult edge of urban fantasy and they're just ok to me. I still find myself wanting more. I want a heroine who's still learning to adult, dealing with having magic and making reasonable mistakes along the way while not being so serious about everything.

All that begs the question: What happened to the New Adult genre that was booming for a little while there? Publishers don't seem interested in it. YA and romance are the heavy hitters in the business. I understand that they need to make money but there's a huge gaping hole for people between the ages of 20 and 30 that aren't as well represented in the books being released today.

According to Kristen Kieffer (Well-Storied) "Unfortunately, when NA books emerged roughly ten years ago, they did so almost exclusively with plots that can rather unanimously be summed up as “Young Adult fiction with explicit sex.” In other words, NA mainly consisted of erotica set most often within universities where Greek life clichés reigned and no one actually matured into adulthood". It seems probable that publishers still think of the new adult genre in this way. Though the genre has come a long way from 2017 (when her article was first posted) it can still be better. 

Why can't the genre new adult have more diverse sub-genres like romance does? Why not new adult romantic comedies, contemporaries, sci-fi, and paranormal romances. How about LGBTQ+ representation in the genre as well? Why are we stuck with YA + explicit sex? Being someone in the new adult age range is so much more than having friends, being unstable financially and sleeping around. Where are all the coming-of-age stories of being an adult, getting to know who you are without your parents, or (because I adore paranormal romance) where's my tall, dark and handsome vampire waiting for me to help him save the city?

* YA - Young Adult; NA - New Adult; PNR: Paranormal Romance; UF - Urban Fantasy

What genres do you find yourself drawn to?

Has it changed as you've gotten older?

Let me know in the comments below!

My Ramblings: S.A.D. But In Reverse

S.A.D. But In Reverse

I've noticed in the last few years that I'm much more productive and that I feel SO much better (mentally and physically) on cold and gloomy days. I've always ignored it and would sometimes throw a joke out there about how I'm a vampire because I already wear all black clothes and thrive at night, blah blah blah. These past few days I decided to confront that feeling and do some research.

Lo and behold what I found:

While many of us are familiar with SAD, there are, in fact, people who get SAD in reverse. For a small group of people, the dark days of winter don’t elicit depression, but renewed vigor and improved mood.

- Psychology Today

So maybe a fraction of my overwhelming anxiety can be correlated to living in Brazil where the sun, on an average day, makes me want to stay still and not move a muscle so maybe I won't feel the sweat dripping down my skin after I just got out of the shower.

Before today I had no idea reverse S.A.D. was even a thing but now that I do it gives me better insight into what I'm feeling and not pile it all on my anxiety. I'll also be nicer to myself when I know I should be reading a book but just can't bring myself to pick it up because everything feels so overwhelmingly hot and sticky. If only I could blast my A.C. unit all day and night and not have to fork over my kidney at the end of the month to pay the astronomical electric bill.

Do you have S.A.D.?

I'd love to get more insight on it in the comments below!

TV Show Review: Lucifer Season 4

Lucifer
Season 4

Reeling from the aftermath of Chloe seeing his devil face, Lucifer faces a new challenge: Eve, the original sinner herself, is back. Does she want revenge for when he tempted her out of Eden oh so many years ago… or something else entirely? Lucifer Season 4 premieres May 8 only on Netflix.

| IMDb | Netflix |

My Review:

I adored Season 4 of Lucifer! I'm SO glad that the #SaveLucifer campaign on Twitter made a difference. Now my fingers are crossed for Netflix to renew it for a fifth season.

Considering how things left off at a huge cliffhanger thanks to Season 3, I thought I knew what to expect going into Season 4. I got everything I was expecting and so much more!

Eve was such an interesting character! When paired up with Lucifer it was even more interesting to see how they misconstrued simple things and went on their merry way with what they thought they knew and messed everything up.

The Detective seemed to go off the deep end at the beginning of the season but eventually came around but by then it was kinda-sorta-a-little bit too late. I liked her struggle to come to terms with what was revealed and figure out a way to deal with it.

Lucifer was Lucifer. There's not much more to say! He's sassy, sarcastic and dangerous when push comes to shove. His perspective from his origin story is so fascinating to wrap my head around. 

The ending broke my heart yet again. There's so much room for Season 5 to continue expanding this universe and continue to tell the story they set out to tell from the beginning. In a way though, it was an ending if it were to stop there. It may not be an ending everyone would like and/or accept but it was an end overall.

My Rating:

TV Show Review: Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Season 2

Chilling Adventures
Of Sabrina
Season 2

Reimagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina: the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist, this adaptation finds Sabrina Spellman wrestling to reconcile her dual nature - half-witch, half-mortal - while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.

| IMDb |

My Review:

This show is everything I ever wanted a witch-y show to be and never knew how to put it into words! I adore how dark and humorous it is while featuring outlandish characters and amazingly unique storylines. I never read the comics this was based on but it definitely makes me want to play catch up with those.

Before watching this rendition of the Sabrina I knew of and watched a few episodes (over a decade ago at this point?) of the original more sitcom-style show called Sabrina The Teenage Witch. From what I remember (and don't quote me on this I may be wrong) it was a much lighter take on the Witch world with much more regular comedic relief.

The best part of this show aside from the awesome story arc's they are building are the phrases! Replacing words in common phrases some use on a day to day bases with Satan instead of God and Heaven instead of Hell. It's refreshing that they flipped the script on those. It's also kind of intriguing seeing how they "normalized" and play up the so-called "other side". I'm really looking forward to a third season!

My Rating:

My Ramblings: Why I Prefer To Read In One Language & Not The Other

 Why I Prefer To Read In
One Language & Not The Other

This post by Catarina (Pages & Plots) inspired me because rang true on so many aspects of this subject.

Before we get into it you'll need a little background on me. I've mentioned before that I'm fluent in English and (Brazilian) Portuguese but what I never brought up was that my first language is technically English. I say technically because it was the first language I was alphabetized in but while learning English I spoke broken Portuguese at home. I was officially alphabetized in Portuguese at age 12, which was no easy feat.

The big question then becomes why do I prefer to read in English over Portuguese? Well, I won't lie and say that both languages are the same in my head because they're not. English comes much easier to me than Portuguese. I find it relaxing to read in English. I'm pretty sure this stems more from the teachers I had that cajoled and humored me into developing a love of reading with books I actually liked early on in my development (something that the Brazilian teachers I had never paid attention to or did for me).

Where I agree most with Catarina is how straightforward English tends to be and how annoyingly flowery and descriptive most translations get. I've been obligated to read quite a few books for school over the years and, let me tell you, they were just as boring as they were flowery in their writing. Maybe it's the way each language is spoken and the culture surrounding it that has flowery writing as a "consequence" of some sort. 

Do you read in your native language?
Do you like overly descriptive writing in general?

Let me know in the comments below!

Book Tag: TBR Tag

I originally saw this tag on Coffee, Cocktails & Books. This tag was originally created by Rachel @ A Perfection Called Books!

Without farther ado, let's get to the questions:

1. How do you keep track

of your TBR pile?

Goodreads & a separate list on Word with the titles I can't miss!

2. Is your TBR mostly

print or e-book?

It's mostly eBooks!

3. A book that’s been on

your TBR the longest?

Unreleased: Transcendent (Denazen, #4) By Jus Accardo

Released: Invaded (Alienated, #2) By Melissa Landers

4. A book you recently

added to your TBR?

The Alchemist and an Amaretto

(The Guild Codex: Spellbound #5)

By Annette Marie

5. A book on your TBR strictly

because of its beautiful cover?

Wolf Rain

(Psy-Changeling Trinity #3)

By Nalini Singh

6. A book on your TBR that

you never plan on reading?

I don't plan to not read a book that's on my TBR list. I'm a mood reader so I'll get to it when I feel like it. Other than that I don't know what to tell you :)

7. An unpublished book on

your TBR that you’re excited for?

Moonstruck

(Crossbreed, #7)

By Dannika Dark

8. A book on your TBR that

everyone has read but you?

The Darkest Star

(Origin #1)

By Jennifer L. Armentrout

9. A book on your TBR that

everyone recommends to you?

I haven't had that many recommendations over the

years to have one particular book stand out :)

10. A book on your TBR

that you’re dying to read?

Witch's Honor

(Bloody Hearts #2)

By Anya J. Cosgrove

11. How many books are on

your Goodreads TBR shelf?

125 C:

How many books are on your current TBR shelf on Goodreads?

Let me know in the comments below!