Hello friends! I first saw this post over on Rachel Tea Reads blog and I thought it was pretty interesting so I decided to make a spreadsheet of all of the books that I’ve read this year, as well. Today, I’ll be sharing with you all my reading stats so far this year. Let’s get to it!
Books Read: 51
Pages Read (excluding audiobooks because goodreads doesn’t have page counts for those): 11,173
Average Rating: 3.72
I just want to add, here, that the zeroes are for books that I didn’t rate. I choose not to rate memoirs and biographies, most of the time, because it just doesn’t feel right putting a star rating on someone’s life/story/what have you.
So, looking back on this information; wow. I really didn’t think I was reading that much young adult! Bahaha Pffft, and I say I don’t read fantasyđ Ebook’s are definitely a go-to. I’ve had a really good reading year, so far, and I hope that trend continues.
I really enjoy looking at information in pie charts and graphs, etc. I hope ya’ll enjoyed this as well and if you decide to make some visual reading stats for us to look at, please let me know!
Hello friends and happy Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend and a happy father’s day, if you celebrated. It was my husband’s birthday on father’s day. We didn’t do too much just stayed home, had grilled out and had a couple of his friends over. How was your weekend?
Down the TBR hole is a meme created by Lisa at lost in a story that revolves around cleansing your TBR of all those books youâre never going to read and sort through it all to know whatâs actually on there. The Rules
The Rules
Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if youâre feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Ok, this has one of my favorite tropes, fake dating. I definitely want to read this one and also see the movie.
All of these books are separate books but because I want to keep them all on my TBR I’m combining them for this post. One Million Project is several different anthologies in different genres, but all of the proceeds (after production costs) goes toward cancer research and homeless charities.
If you have been here for any amount of time, you know that I, mostly, don’t read historical fiction. Honestly, this sounds like a good book and something that I could potentially get into and enjoy but I just don’t think it’s for me.
Whew! Usually I only do five books at a time but today I doubled that to try to clear some of them out faster. What do you think of this list? Are any of these a favorite of yours?
Wow, can you all believe that it is already the middle of the year?!! đ€Ż I’ve seen this tag floating around and I thought it would be fun to do it as well. I don’t know who started it but if you do know, let me know so I can acknowledge them. Let’s get to it!
Best book you’ve read so far in 2019
Omg I’ve read some pretty good one’s this year and I think I may have to list two for this question because it’s just too hard to choose!
I think I gushed enough about this book in my smutathon wrap-up post. If you want to know about why I loved this, check it out here.
I definitely jumped on the hype train with this one, and I love this book to pieces.
Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019
This is hands down the best sequel I’ve read this year. I loved this book! I was enthralled from the very beginning. Stephanie Garberâs way with words and descriptions had me entranced. I love the atmosphere in this book. I love the characters and the story.
New release you haven’t read but want to
I’ve already talked about this one as well in my post Six for Sunday: 2019 books I’m excited for. So, if you want to click over there and see what I have to say about this one and it’s synopsis then go ahead and do that.
Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
For one, this is set in my hometown of, Nashville, Tennessee. I never come across books that are set in Nashville so I’m sooo excited for that! Also, basically, Sarah’s review sums up what this book is about, “A book about a bunch of guys creating a book club to read romance as they try to understand their wives better? Oh this is going to be hilarious!”
I think this is going to be really sweet and funny and I can not wait to read it!
Biggest Disappointment
Honestly, it was Girls of Paper and Fire, and let me tell you, I want to love this sooo much. This book has gotten so much hype from literally everyone but it just didn’t do it for me and I’m still sad about it. I can appreciate what it was trying to do but, again, I didn’t like it.
Biggest surprise
I think I’m going to have to go with Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee. I had heard some kind of not so good reviews about this one, by some pretty popular booktube folks and a couple of other reviewers that I follow, but this turned out to be a five star for me. I loved this one!
Favorite new author
Thea De Salle hands down. I read The King of Bourbon Street last month and absolutely loved it. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series and anything else that Thea De Salle writes!
Newest fictional crush
Ryan “Renegade” Kepler. I mean, that cover thoughđ also he was just the perfect guy.
Newest favorite character
Simon from Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. He’s just so adorable and lovable.
Book that made you cry
Um, I’m not really a crier at books so I don’t think that I have an answer for this one.
Book that made you happy
I loved this graphic novel so much! It definitely made me happy and if you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend it!
Favorite book to film adaptation
I think I have two for this answer but the first is for sure Big Little Lies.
And I know I had Love, Simon for another answer but this is one of my favorite book to film adaptations as well.
Favorite post you’ve done this year
Hmmm. I feel like I’ve had a few that I really liked and thought that I did really well on them. I think my Unpopular Bookish Opinions was my favorite, though.
Most beautiful book you’ve bought this year
Honestly, I’ve bought a lot of beautiful covers this year but I think I’ll go with The Smell of Other People’s Houses as the most beautiful of the year.
What book do you need to read by the end of the year
I don’t really have an answer for this one either because I don’t really put a timeline on my books. I just get to them when I get to them. đ€·đ»ââïž
Well, that’s all for the Mid Year Book Freakout Tag! Happy Sunday and Happy Father’s Day, if you celebrate. I hope you all have a good week!
Hello friends! Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a good week. So, Smutathon ran from June 3 until June 9, but I had an unintentional extra day because I thought it ended on the 10th. Oops. If you want to know more, you can click here and I will go over what this readathon is and what I had planned to read. Today, I’ll bring you my wrap-up where I’ll talk about what books I read and some of my thoughts about each one. I had 5 books and one short story on my TBR for this readathon. I finished reading four of the books, but didn’t get to one book and the short story. Alright, let’s get to my ratings and thoughts!
The King of Bourbon Street (NOLA Nights #1) by Thea de Salle
LGBTQ+ ll New to you author
Hotel chain mogul Sol DuMont is about to learn that some of lifeâs biggest surprises come in deceptively small packagesânamely a petite heiress named Rain whoâs hell-bent on upsetting her familyâs expectationsâin this first book in the all new series by Thea de Salle, set against the sultry backdrop of New Orleans.
Thirty-seven-year-old Sol DuMont is a divorcee and the owner of a mid-sized hotel chain in New Orleans. Since Hurricane Katrina, his fatherâs death, and the decision that he and his ex-wife Maddy are far better off friends than lovers, heâs lost interest in almost everything he held dearâparties, people, and pushing limits.
All his limits.
Then Arianna Barrington checks into his hotel.
Twenty-four-year-old Arianna âRainâ Barrington could have been societyâs sweetheart. Her family is moneyed, connected press darlings, and make sweeping headlines from coast to coast for reasons both good and bad. But when her mother shoves her at Charles Harwoodâthe obnoxious, entitled heir of Harwood Corpâto cement a billion-dollar business merger, Rain does the only thing she can think of to escape: she creates a scandal so big Harwood doesnât want her anymore before fleeing to New Orleans for much-needed rest and relaxation.
All she wants is jazz piano, beignets, and to sail the Mississippi. What she gets is Sol DuMont, a whirlwind affair, and a hands-on education in sex, power play, and pushing limits.
I đ¶đžđđđ¶đđđ love this book sooo, so much.  đ
The characters are done really well. You will fall in love with them. Sol is bisexual, hot as hell, super funny and witty. I was laughing out loud at this book! Arianna is bubbly and just so adorable. She is also fat and never once was that seen as a bad thing or as a hindrance from her point of view (or any one else’s) and I loved that sooo much. I have so much love for these two that I wish they were actual people and we were friends.
The atmosphere, omg. Iâve been to New Orleans and it truly is a magical, beautiful place and you can totally feel the vibe and spirit while reading this book. It had me yearning to go back!Â
Also, the sex scenes. Whew. I need a cold showerđżđđ€·đ»ââïž
Renegade (Moonshine Task Force #1) by Laramie Briscoe
Forbidden romance ll One word title
When you fall in love with the most unexpected person, at the most unexpected timeâŠâŠ
Ryan âRenegadeâ KeplerÂ
Iâm the type of man who knows what I want. I make up my mind and stay in my lane, never veering off the course I set for myself.Â
Going into the military? Did it. Serving overseas? Did it. Youngest member of the Moonshine Task Force? Thatâs me. Get my best friendâs older sister in bed? It was my pleasure. Convince the older sister to give me a chance? Working on it.Â
Age means nothing to me. Iâve seen and done things men half my age never will. What I want more than anything is someone to share my life with. The work I do is dangerous and knowing I have someone at home might keep me under control. Everybody says I need a woman, and I know I do, but I also know which one I want.Â
That woman, whether she admits it or not, is Whitney Trumbolt.Â
Whitney TrumboltÂ
Ryan is ten years my junior, but damn, being a cougar never felt as good as it did the night we spent together. Now all I want to do is go back to how things were before.Â
But Ryan is my younger brotherâs best friend, and where Trevor goes, Ryan goes. Instead I put my head in the sand and do my best to go about my life.Â
Build up my confidence from a horrible divorce? Working on it. Make my wedding planning company the best in the south? Did it. Ignore the way my body trembles when I see Ryan? Epic fail. Freak out when I see a positive pregnancy test staring back at me? Complete with mascara running down my face and clutching my pearls.Â
Looks like things arenât gonna go back to the way they were. Thereâs a man in my life that wonât take no for an answer. Gone is sweet Ryan, and in his place is the one who makes my blood run hot, my cheeks turn red, and my heart beat heavily within my chest.Â
The one Iâm up against is the one I canât say no to. Not when he becomes Renegade.Â
I’m really happy that I chose to pick this one up too!
I loved this story from the steamy first chapter until the sweet, satisfying end.
I fell in love with these characters as well. Ryan is so patient and loving and it is real hard not to fall in love with him. Whitney is sweet and lovable and I love these two together. Even the side characters are well developed and they are very supportive to the main characters. They aren’t overbearing or pushy in any kind of way towards the relationship or the unplanned pregnancy.
This is just a really adorable story and it left me with all the feels and not wanting it to end.
Addicted to You (Addicted #1) by Krista and Becca Ritchie
Fake Dating II Read a host’s fave romancell Out of your comfort zone
She’s addicted to sex. He’s addicted to booze…the only way out is rock bottom.
No one would suspect shy Lily Calloway’s biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own.
Loren Hale’s best friend is his bottle of bourbon. Lily comes at a close second. For three years, they’ve pretended to be in a real relationship, hiding their addictions from their families. They’ve mastered the art of concealing flasks and random guys that filter in and out of their apartment.
But as they sink beneath the weight of their addictions, they cling harder to their destructive relationship and wonder if a life together, for real, is better than a lie. Strangers and family begin to infiltrate their guarded lives, and with new challenges, they realize they may not just be addicted to alcohol and sex.Â
Honestly, I was really conflicted on what to rate this. I was unsure if I wanted to rate it a 3 or a 4, so I settled on 3.5
I guess what really had me second guessing my rating was that I just didn’t connect, really, with the narrator and one main character, Lily. She is just absolutely infuriating. Also, it was hard to connect to the other main character, Loren, in a way, because the story is told entirely from Lily’s point of view. They’re addicts, they’re trust fund babies and they are broken individuals.
I don’t want to do a super long review here, but if you’re interested in more of what I thought about this book, this review pretty much sums up my feelings about it.
A Prince on Paper (Reluctant Royals #3) by Alyssa Cole
Author of color IITakes place in a foreign country ll Bad girl/Bad boy
The Reluctant Royals series returns with a good girl searching for the life thatâs not too big, and not too small, and the bad boy prince who might be just right for herâŠ
Nya Jerami fled Thesolo for the glitz and glamour of NYC but discovered that her Prince Charming only exists in her virtual dating games. When Nya returns home for a royal wedding, she accidentally finds herself up close and personalâin bedâwith the real-life celebrity prince who she loves to hate.
For Johan von Braustein, the red-headed step-prince of Liechtienbourg, acting as paparazzi bait is a ruse that protects his brotherâthe heir to the throneâand his own heart. When a royal referendum threatens his brotherâs future, a fake engagement is the perfect way to keep the cameras on him.
Nya and Johan both have good reasons to avoid love, but as desires are laid bare behind palace doors, they must decide if their fake romance will lead to a happily-ever-after.
ââââ
I really, really liked this book!
I picked this one up thinking it was the first book in this series when it is actually the third and final (as far as I know), oops, again. đ€Šââïž I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series but I didn’t have a hard time enjoying this one or the characters. I guess I just didn’t have the full portrayal of the characters as I would have if I read the other books first.
Johan is a playboy prince, who has a soft side for Nya. Nya is a sassy, inexperienced woman trying to navigate her feelings for Johan.
Overall, I really enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. They are adorable together and the ending is just so mushy and had me grinning from ear to ear.
I am one thousand percent picking up the other books in this series and I can’t wait to devour them as well!
And that’s my smutathon wrap-up. Have you read any of these? If so, how did you feel about them? What are some of your recent reads and recent favorites? I’d love to know!
Hello friends! Happy Monday! How was your weekend?Â
Welcome back to another down the TBR hole post! Down the TBR hole is a meme created by Lisa at lost in a story that revolves around cleansing your TBR of all those books youâre never going to read and sort through it all to know whatâs actually on there. Letâs jump right in!
The Rules:
Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if youâre feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?
Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile
I added this after watching the first season of the TV adaptation. I have the audiobook on hold from my library right now.
Ugh, I think I added this because I was going to read it and then watch the movie adaptation but I just don’t thin I’ll get to either, at least not anytime soon. Also, this series has thirteen books! I’m terrible at continuing on with series’ so that’s a big reason why I don’t want to start this.
I don’t know, yall. I’ve heard really rave reviews for this book as well but oof. I know it is sad and heartbreaking and I just don’t know if or when I’ll ever be in the mood for that.
Hi friends! Itâs time for Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby at Something of the Book! This is a weekly meme hosted every Friday where you can show off your favorites (or least favorites) based on her weekly prompts. Go on over to her page to see the rules and prompts.
This weeks prompt is favorite urban fantasy and here’s the thing, I don’t really read too many urban fantasies. I was scrolling through a goodreads list and I only saw a few that I knew, a few that I have read and a few that are on my TBR, So. I’m going to make this list for the two urban fantasies that I have read (and are actually favorites) and a few that are on my TBR that I think I will really enjoy (and be possible favorites). Ready? Let’s get to it.
Image: unknown source
I have read and watched the TV series of the Sookie Stackhouse series. I will also admit, here, that I am terrible about finishing book series so I haven’t read them all, although, I have read half of this series.
And the second favorite is The Wayward Children series. I’ve read three out of the four books in this series and I actually have the fourth one checked out on audiobook from my library right now and I will start it once I finish the current one that I’m listening to. I loved the first two in this series and they are favorites bu the third was just, meh. This whole series is still a favorite of mine, though.
Now, let’s jump into some urban fantasy books that are on my TBR that I think will become new favorites.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman I heard Natasha at myreadingisodd talking about this book and it sounds so intriguing and I hope to check this out during the fall/spooky season.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater. I’ve heard and seen alot of reviews for this series and I’ve heard nothing but good reviews and I think this will be a new favorite series.
Image origin unknown
The Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Now, I’ve heard a lot of different reviews of the first book in this series and. what I gather is, you either love it or you hate it. Which makes me kind of hesitant to pick it up but I’m going to anyway. I really hope that this is a new favorite series for me.
And that’s my list for my favorite (and hopefully new favorite) urban fantasy books/series’.
What did you think of my list? Are any of these same books/series some of your favorites too? Do you have any favorites that you think I will love as well?
Hello friends! Happy Monday! How was your weekend?
Welcome back to another down the TBR hole post! Down the TBR hole is a meme created by Lisa at lost in a story that revolves around cleansing your TBR of all those books youâre never going to read and sort through it all to know whatâs actually on there. Let’s jump right in!
The Rules:
Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if youâre feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?
Honestly, I’ve read some pretty bad reviews about this one.
I don’t really think of myself as a huge Stephen King fan bu I do like to give his work a go. Also, I bought the movie adaptation, of this, last fall and I’d really like to read the book first.
