2019 5 Star Review #14 - Thrall

Thrall by Carina Cook
Supernaturals of Las Vegas, book one
Published Jan 2018

Format Read: eBook I Own

Description from Goodreads:
Liss Lorensson is a thrall–born to be a servant of the vampire crown prince.

Gregor Valdemar is a vampire prince who chafes under the strict rule of his sire and longs for a different life.

When the two finally meet on Liss’s 21st birthday, sparks fly. But blood magic, murder, and political intrigue stand in the way of their growing romance.

My Review: 

Okay, upfront confession. I know (and am friends with) the author of this book.  However, when I say I gave this five stars it is in no way because of who wrote the book.  I love urban fantasy and paranormal romance and when I realized - and I did NOT realize this right away because I'm a dummy - that my YA author friend had branched out to adult UF/PR I was delighted to try her other books.  I LOVED the YA books she wrote (under her real name Carrie Harris) featuring a SMART girl protagonist and weird happenings, so I was pretty sure I'd like her other books, as well. 

Anyway, so I purchased the first book in her Supernaturals of Las Vegas series and dove in, emerging only once I'd finished it.  This was a consuming, quick, amazingly enjoyable read! I loved the main character, Liss, and her love interest, Gregor. They both felt real and relatable, even though they were a vampire and his thrall, so I shouldn't really have felt that way at all! LOL. The book was written in a way that divulged the necessary information to set up this world where vampires exist without taking away from the immediate storyline and romance.  

If you're a fan of books that take place in our world, but have vampires or any other "supernaturals" and you love action and romance, this would be a great series to check out.  I read the second book, as well, and even though I didn't love it quite as much - the standard was pretty high after book one! - I plan to continue on and read book three, as well. 

2019 5 Star Review #11 - Morning Star

Morning Star by Pierce Brown
Red Rising trilogy, book three
Published Feb 2016 by Del Rey

Format Read: Audiobook I Own

*SPOILER WARNING*
Description from Goodreads:
Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society’s mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.

Finally, the time has come.

But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied—and too glorious to surrender.

My Review: 

It's hard to write a review for book three in a trilogy without getting into spoilers, so I'm going to be somewhat brief.  This book, like all the other books in this series, is phenomenal. Brown is a master at weaving action, cunning politics, and brutal emotions into a storyline that just won't let the reader go.  This particular book had a lot of highs and lows and kept me on the edge through almost its entirety.  I've become so invested in these characters that their betrayals cut me to the bone, their deaths made me grieve, and the small joys they find had my heart singing.  The moments of triumph left me speechless in the best possible way.  I thought about this one for quite a while after I read it. It was the perfect end to the trilogy, but also I was super happy to know there are also more books going forward.  I highly recommend this series to adult science fiction fans, but with the caveat that there are language and brutally violent scenes so if you like the lighter-hearted variety (like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) this series is NOT the one for you... 

June and July Challenge Wrap Up Post

2019* Book I Already Own Challenge

So, here is my confession.  Work and life got a little crazy and I never realized that I did not post a June wrap up!! *sigh*  So, instead you are going to get two months worth of reading in one nifty little post and I'm going to try to keep up with things again! *fingers crossed*

Here's what I read in June/July:

Audiobooks I Own - June
Buried Heart by Kate Elliott
Arcana Rising by Kresley Cole
The Beholder by Anna Bright

Audiobooks I Own - July
Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
Even Tree Nymphs Get the Blues by Molly Harper (novella)
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Spirit of the Witch by Deanna Chase
Scythe by Neal Shusterman *5 star*
A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire
The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole (novella)

Physical Books I Own - June
A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer *5 star*
The Falconer by Elizabeth May *5 star*
The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May *5 star*
The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May *5 star*
Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym Martineau *5 star*
Day Zero by Kresley Cole (novella)

Physical Books I Own - July
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire *5 star*
Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep
Smitten by the Brit by Melonie Johnson
Ain't She a Peach by Molly Harper
The Magicians: Alice's Story by Lilah Sturges and Lev Grossman
Roar by Cara Carmack

eBooks I Own - June
A Stranger Thing by Isla Neal and Martin Leicht
The Year of Shadows by Claire Legrand

eBooks I Own - July 
Prey by Carina Cook
Loving My Pack by Lane Whitt
A Few Pecans Short of a Pie by Molly Harper

Required Reading 
(for work - June) Still Life by Louise Penny
(for review - July) The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman *5 star*
(for work - July) Lethal Licorice by Amanda Flower
(for review - July) Here There are Monsters by Amelinda Berube

Book Borrowed from the Library
Crazy Cupid Love by Amanda Heger

So, that's quite a few books over two months.  Thirty-two to be exact.  I'm not sure how I managed that with things being as busy as they were!! I will say that audio books have been a godsend for me this year. I can listen while doing chores, in the car, putting on my makeup, etc. It gains me a lot of reading time. I was also lucky enough to pick up a few books that were such page turners they turned out to be one-sitting books! I haven't had one of those in a while... 

In terms of my challenge, I didn't do too badly.  Not only did the majority I read come from my own collections, but I was happy to read a few of my oldest TBR books this summer! I finished a series that I'd been two-thirds of the way through for years. I reread the first book in a trilogy and then read both other books to finish the series. (And I LOVED them... OMG why did I not finish the Falconer series sooner???) I finally read Good Omens because the TV show came out and I refused to watch it without having read the book.  And while I did have one pretty disappointing read over the two months, I had EIGHT five star reads, which is awesome! 

I'm hoping now that things might be calming back down in work and life, that I can pick up on writing my five star book reviews, because I've fallen woefully behind... like months and months worth... *sigh* 

How has your summer reading been?

2019 5 Star Review #10 - City of Brass

City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
The Daevabad Trilogy, book one
Published Nov 2017 by Harper Voyager

Format Read: eBook I Own

Description from Goodreads:
Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass?a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for . . .

My Review: 

One of the things I like best about fantasy is that a story can unfold into a beautiful new world when done right.  This book starts out a trilogy in a fantastic new middle eastern world that came alive on the pages.  Not only the beginning that took place in somewhat familiar settings, but the portion that opens up a whole new fantastic realm created by the djinn.  The descriptions were vivid and I wanted to dive in and explore the world myself. 

Additionally, the characters were interesting and the plotline was so rich with political, religious, and ethical layers that I was riveted.  This was an intense reading experience.  In a good way.  I'm so excited to see how things unfold moving into book two.  

Someone had described this book to me as a "gender-bent Aladdin story," and while on the barest surface it certainly meets that description, it is also so much more! Recommended for readers who enjoy rich fantasy and other cultures. 

(Belated) May Challenge Wrap Up Post

2019* Books I Already Own Challenge

So, I'm just full of blogging excuses! My last wrap up post was several weeks late, and again here we are mid-month and I still haven't posted my wrap up from May... All I can say is life happens? Work is busy. Today is actually the first day of summer reading, so we spent the last few weeks prepping like crazy for our busy season at work. I've been reading, I just haven't had time to do things like write blog posts lately. 

Anyway, here's what I read in May:

Audiobooks I Own
Atomic Marriage by Curtis Sittenfeld (novella)
The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King
Faerie Magic by Emma Adams *5 star*
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff *5 star*
Corpse & Crown by Alisa Kwitney
Imposters by Scott Westerfeld

Physical Books I Own
Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Finale by Stephanie Garber *5 star*

Required Reading
(for work) Murder in the Paperback Parlor by Ellery Adams
(for work) A Friendly Life by S Prestley Blake

Book Borrowed from the Library
A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman

Again, this was a very good month for audiobooks.  I was running around a lot and prepping for my trip into New York City for the Book Expo and so listening was often easier than sitting down to read.  I should mention, though, that I liked two of these audiobooks enough (Aurora Rising and Corpse & Crown) that I actually bought the physical books to add to my Personal Library.  They were both great "reads." 

I also read a bunch of physical books that I really enjoyed this month.  AND I finally finished Priory of the Orange Tree!! I didn't really give myself time to sit down and read big chunks of this book until May, so I literally read this book over a course of six weeks, which is an excruciatingly long time for me. It turned out to be very good, though not as good as I'd hoped.  I was a little disappointed in the end, but then I followed it up with Kingsbane and Finale, both of which were amazing.

Overall, it was a month that sort of passed in a blur, but it was a happy fuzz of good reading, so that's okay.  How was your May in terms of reading?

(Belated) April Challenge Wrap Up Post

2019* Books I Already Own Challenge

Okay Spring, can we slow down a little? Work has gotten busy and not only have I not been able to read very much lately because I've been both busy and tired, but I also suddenly realized it's mid-May and I hadn't posted my April wrap up yet.  So, here it is...

What I read in April:

Audiobooks I Own 
Morning Star by Pierce Brown *5 star*
Devil May Care by Pippa DaCosta
Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland *5 star* 
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse by Diana Rowland
Lucky Suit by Lauren Blakely (novella)
Never-Contented Things by Sarah Porter
Carter & Lovecraft by Jonathan Howard
Faerie Blood by Emma Adams *5 star* 

Physical Books I Own
Getting Hot with the Scot by Melonie Johnson *5 star*
Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare - group read

eBooks I Own
Thrall by Carina Cook *5 star*

Required Reading
(for work) Snobbery with Violence by Marion Chesney
(for review) An Artless Demise by Anna Lee Huber

As I mentioned work has gotten quite busy and I was also traveling to and from meetings quite a lot. So the majority of my reading was actually done via audiobook this month. I had a very hard time actually sitting down to read. Thankfully, the majority of the audiobooks I listened to were pretty stellar and eight is not too shabby a number to cross off my list! LOL.  The physical books I squeezed in were all pretty great, too, so overall it was a pretty good reading month.  I had one book that turned out to be a HUGE disappointment, but that happens. I also finished my group read of the Infernal Devices trilogy in April, and while I was really glad to have read them, I didn't love them as much as I'd expected to, so they got donated to the library.

How was your reading in April?

2019 5 Star Review #7 - Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters

The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale
Princess Academy, book three
Published Feb 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Format Read: Print book from Personal Library

Description from Goodreads:
After a year at the king's palace, Miri has learned all about being a proper princess. But the tables turn when the student must become the teacher!

Instead of returning to her beloved Mount Eskel, Miri is ordered to journey to a distant swamp and start a princess academy for three sisters, cousins of the royal family. Unfortunately, Astrid, Felissa, and Sus are more interested in hunting and fishing than becoming princesses.

As Miri spends more time with the sisters, she realizes the king and queen's interest in them hides a long-buried secret. She must rely on her own strength and intelligence to unravel the mystery, protect the girls, complete her assignment, and finally make her way home.

My Review: 

It had been so long since I'd read book two in this series, The Palace of Stone, that I was worried I wouldn't be able to fall into this world easily again.  On the contrary, I almost think the extra time between books enhanced my experience. It reintroduced me to Miri, Peder, and some of the other characters, while also drawing me into a new part of the world as Miri travels to Lesser Alva to meet three "cousins" of the royal family.  

Readers get to see smart, resilient Miri turn from student to teacher, and yet still learn some lessons along her way to the final ending.  I loved that these books demonstrate how much we can learn from one another and how we interact with and treat other people.  Friends, family, strangers, each are important and each touch and color our life experience.  I especially loved how Miri passes on things she knows to the sisters, but internalizes the things she can learn from them, as well.  And the fact that she, again, finds the solution to a MAJOR problem in the kingdom... we need to keep recognizing and valuing girls like Miri in real life.  

This book was definitely a shade darker than the first two, but as the characters had matured, it seemed only fitting.  I think these books tackle more than readers expect by looking at the covers and I cannot wait to pass them on to my niece when she's old enough. 

Recommended to readers ten and above looking for a smart, kind heroine in a neat fantasy setting.  But, start with Princess Academy so you can take Miri's journey along with her! 

March Challenge Wrap Up Post

2019* Books I Already Own Challenge

Wow. Did anyone else feel like March flew by and they somehow missed it? I did not get to read nearly enough last month! Suddenly, it was April... and I was in shock. LOL. I only read a couple of the books on my TBR, went off the rails a little, and ended the month wondering what happened.

Here's what I (managed to) read in March:

Audiobooks I Own
Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole
Circle of the Moon by Faith Hunter *5 star*

Physical Books I Own
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare - group read

eBook I Own
City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty *5 star*

Required Reading
(for work) Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron

Borrowed from Library 
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren *5 star*
Good Luck Charm by Helena Hunting

As I mentioned, this month got away from me a little. I attempted to read two epic adult fantasies at the same time, which was just not possible, so had to put Priory of the Orange Tree on hold so I could finish City of Brass.  Hopefully, I'll finish it this month!  I also ended the month *almost* finished with an audiobook, but not quite, so that's my first officially finished book in April instead.

This month I both read less and enjoyed the books a little less than in January and February, which made me a little sad.  April, though, is starting off well, so I think I may just try to wipe March mostly from my memory. *laughs somewhat hysterically*

How was your March reading?

2019 5 Star Read #6 - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Published Jan 2019 by Bloomsbury YA

Format Read: Print ARC received at Book Expo 2018

Description from Goodreads:
Fall in love, break the curse. It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom. A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

My Review:

This was one of those times I kicked myself for not reading a book sooner! I had this book for nine months before I sat down to read it, and I did so because the buzz got SO huge, I couldn't take it anymore... and I get why.  This is a STELLAR Beauty and the Beast retelling. 

The re-imagining of how the curse worked was so well done and my heart broke for Rhen (the Prince) and what he went through over the decades that he battled the curse.  The true friendship that developed between Rhen and Captain Grey (my favorite character, for sure!) was steadfast and inspiring.  The friendship that develops between Grey and Harper, our heroine, plucked at all my heartstrings.  

And Harper, if I could have created a heroine that I would root for until the very end, it is HER.  She has cerebral palsy, but never, ever lets it stop her from achieving her goals. She is smart. She is a fighter.  She is brave, and loyal, and so kind.  This is the "Belle" that modern girls can follow.  

If you like fairytale retellings at all, give this one a shot. Please.  I CANNOT wait for book two, A Heart So Fierce and Broken. 

February Challenge Wrap Up Post

2019* Books I Already Own Challenge

Hello Readers! For one of the shortest months of the year, I actually got a ton of reading done in February! How did you do?  I was amazed at how many audiobooks I managed to fit in between things.  And in the cold and snow, there's nothing I love more than snuggling up with a good book, a cozy blanket, my dog, and a good read. 

Though my February reads didn't rank quite as high as my January ones did on my one to five star scale, a lot of them were solidly in the middle, so that's not too bad.  I started hosting a group read of The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare on instagram, so we read book one in February and we'll be reading books two and three in March and April.  I also read a lot of romance, as I was trying out Audible's Romance package, which I ended up canceling after my free trial month.  I hope you read some good books this past month. 

Here's what I read in February:

Audiobooks I Own
Mikhail by Lauren Smith
Save a Truck, Ride a Redneck by Molly Harper - novella
Peachy Flippin' Keen by Molly Harper - novella
Rurik by Lauren Smith
How to Date Your Dragon by Molly Harper
Love and Other Wild Things by Molly Harper
Illusion Town by Jayne Castle
First World by Jaymin Eve

Physical Books I Own 
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne *5 star*
The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale *5 star*
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare  - group read
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer *5 star*

eBooks I Own 
Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill
Lera of Lunos by Alex Lidell

Required Reading
(for work) Death by Cashmere by Sally Goldenbaum

Borrowed from the Library
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten

Did you read anything amazing in February?
Are you also working on reading from your own collections at home?

2019 5 Star Read #4 - Greta and the Lost Army by Chloe Jacobs

Greta and the Lost Army by Chloe Jacobs
Mylena Chronicles, book three
Published Feb 2016 by Entangled: Teen

Format Read: ebook from Personal Kindle Library

*Spoiler Alert as this is the final book in the trilogy!!*

Description from Goodreads:
A fate as unavoidable as love itself...

After spending the last four years trapped in a place of monsters, demons, and magick, the last thing the fierce teenage bounty hunter Greta expected was to ever be back on Earth. But a rare opportunity gives her and the Goblin King Isaac the opportunity to do just that. Now she’s home. With a boy in tow. And her parents have lots of questions.

Although Greta finally has her heart’s deepest wish—to see her family again—every step she takes to reconnect with them drives her further away from Isaac. Greta and Isaac planned for her to return to Mylena and become his queen, but she’s not sure if she can go back to that harsh world, though staying on Earth means giving up the boy she loves.

But a powerful enemy refuses to let Greta escape. A demon who will stop at nothing to destroy her and everything she loves. Even if it means following her to Earth and forcing her to face a fate as unavoidable as love itself.

My Review: 

I'm going to try and be somewhat spoiler-free here, but again this is the last book in the trilogy, so some hints may be unavoidable as to what happened in the first two... 

Anyway, this is not the first series, nor I'm sure will it be the last, where the main character finds themselves transported to a hostile world.  What I really enjoyed about this particular book in the series was that the author takes the main character, Greta, back to her home world and then lets both Greta and the reader come to the realization that Earth may no longer be the best place for her.  It explores both the joy and guilt associated with her homecoming.  The excitement and the bewilderment.  The horrible confliction that she now feels as she realizes there are things she truly loved about Mylena, even as she was working so hard to escape it. 

I hadn't quite expected when I started this series to get so emotionally invested in it.  It seemed like it would just be a breezy, fun paranormal YA romance and I found it to be so much more by the time I finished it. The characters had depth and there was both action and romance that built in a believable way.  There was good world building and consequences to characters' actions and betrayals that moved the plot along well. As I said, I ended up really loving this series.  I was so happily surprised.  

I think this is a trilogy that never got the buzz it deserved and is well worth a shot if you are looking for something new to read!  

2019 5 Star Read #2 - Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
All Souls Trilogy, book two
Published July 2012 by Viking Adult

Format Read: Book from Personal Library

Description from Goodreads:
Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.

My Review:
Both books I have read so far in this series have been truly spectacular. They make for slow reading because the author is a historian by trade and her work is jam packed full of facts, but they are also super interesting, intricate reads. I have not for one second regretted the "extra" time it took to read either book. They are intense reads, but so engrossing, and I have not wanted to put them down to go to work! I wish all books left me with that hungry feeling between reading sessions.

Anyway, this book picked up immediately after the ending of the first.
*spoiler alert*

Diana and Matthew utilize her time traveling ability to go back to Elizabethan London to find a powerful witch that can tutor Diana in navigating her powers. There are emotional repercussions to traveling back to an earlier point in Matthew's life, which at first threaten to divide them, but Harkness does an amazing job at believably having the two lovers connect in an even stronger way after recognizing even greater depths of each of their personalities. This book is truly a homage of a type to a deep, abiding love built not on first attraction, not on fate, etc, but on the willingness and faith to push through difficulties and truly accept another person into your life, flaws and all. I LOVED that this was not an easy love story, but a strong, deep one.

Beyond that, there were soooooo many interesting scenes and details of Diana adjusting to life in Elizabethan England. The cast of real, historical characters including Marlowe and Shakespeare, himself, made for a very entertaining diversion into the past. The intersection between history, science, and the elements of the fantasy world that Harkness has created was seamless. As I read, I felt as if I could turn around at any moment and find a new history book denoting important vampires and witches of Europe. It was astounding how real the possibility felt.

*end spoilers*
I finished this book both dying to read the next one and desperate to read something totally different. Something light. The story is so gripping, but the writing is exhausting (in the best possible way). I'm hoping to read The Book of Life sometime in late February or early March.

January Challenge Wrap Up Post

2019* Books I Already Own Challenge

So, as I mentioned in December, I have decided to continue my Books I Already Own Challenge into 2019 as I REALLY would like to read through the collection of books I have at home! I decided to be a little more loose this second year, though, as I also have other goals and so while I'll still be focusing on this, you will see more library books mixed in as I participate in group reads and catch up on some books I've been dying to read, as well.

I want to get back into actual review blogging again, too, so slowly I will be adding in more reviews of the books I read this year. I think I'm going to start off just trying to highlight my four or five star reads so I don't feel the pressure to try to review every book I read - I just don't have time for that anymore... BUT keep your eye out for some upcoming reviews!

This year started off really well reading-wise! I read more than I thought I would and a lot of them were high four star or five star reads, which made me a very happy reader.

Here's what I read in January:

Audiobooks I Own
The Lost Sisters by Holly Black - novella
The Pale Dreamer by Samantha Shannon - novella
Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Endless Knight by Kresley Cole
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
Heart of the Witch by Deanna Chase
Beyond the Veil by Pippa DaCosta

Physical Books I Own
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness *5 star*
Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep *5 star*

eBooks I Own
Greta and the Glass Kingdom by Chloe Jacobs
Greta and the Lost Army by Chloe Jacobs *5 star*
A Dark Grave by J. A. Souders - novella

Required Reading
(for work) The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree by Susan Wittig Albert

Borrowed from the Library
(for group read) Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo *5 star*
Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

How was your first month's reading in 2019?

Books I Already Own Challenge... in 2019?

Books I Already Own Challenge

So, it's been a wild, challenging year trying to read the books I already owned, but hadn't yet read.  As a mood reader this was difficult because it felt very restricting at times and I had to give myself ways to cheat so that I could stick with the overall challenge for the full calendar year.  I haven't done horribly, but I didn't stop myself from buying new books along the way either, so nearing the end of 2018 I find I still have 70 unread books to tackle. 

After much thought, I've decided to continue my personal challenge in 2019... in a modified manner.  I will still be reading specific things for work and I joined in with some friends online to do group reads, so I'll be doing those throughout the year.  I also want to give myself more freedom to read additions to my favorite series without guilt as they are published in 2019, so I'll be reading those, too.

BUT... I spent the evening last night putting every unread book on my shelf's title into a TBR jar.  A What?  LOL. It's a jar where in between all of the things I have to or choose to read because I desperately want to, I will randomly pick the title of a book from my shelves and that will be my next read.  I'm only going to allow myself to put a title back into the jar ONCE a month, in case I really, really am not in the mood for a specific book, otherwise whatever comes out is what I read.  If I find that I have put a title back into the jar more than once (not in the same month), it will get taken off my shelves and donated since I obviously didn't really want to read it. 

Let's see if I can read through my bookshelves in 2019!!