Jana assigns each Tuesday a topic and then we all post our top ten list that fits that topic. Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
You’ll find the schedule of upcoming TTT topics here you can plan ahead.If you don’t have a blog, post your picks in the comment section below! Have tons of fun talking books and getting to know your fellow bloggers!
I love doing top ten tuesdays. This week I tried to only include books I have read or intend to read. As always, the pictures of the books are linked to Goodreads.
I just read this book in September and I thought it was okay! It wasn’t my favorite but it left on a cliffhanger so I want to read the sequel.
I’ve been pretty vocal about my feelings for this book. I didn’t enjoy it at all.
You will be seeing a post later today that talks about my feelings for this book.
I read this book for the first time in high school. I should probably reread it again at some point to revisit my feelings on it,
This book is super sad but I adored it.
I haven’t read this one yet but I want to read it in December! Duh!
I haven’t read the first two books in this series but I intend to read them all by the end of the year.
My Aunt told me to read this book when I was in high school and I did. I don’t remember much about it though.
I just read Tell Me Three Things last month and I think I gave it 3.5-4 stars!
Once counts right? I plan on reading this in October so I thought I would throw it in here.
And that’s ten! Do you participate in Top Ten Tuesdays? Let me know below if you do, I would love to check them out.
I’m going to start with a few “blog or book” related thing I did this month
I group read the Legend Trilogy and thought it was great!
I think I posted 20 new posts??? That sounds like a crazy amount but I posted almost twice a day every day that I posted. I fully intend to back down on this next month.
I interacted with one of my favorite authors on twitter and then cried!
I preordered a book for the first time. I can’t wait to read Conceal Don’t Feel in October!
I started organizing my Goodreads books (kinda, sorta…. some of them)
I took part in two read a thons. I thought I would crush the ATLA readathon since it was only 3 books but I didn’t get the group book in time.
I did REALLY well on House Battles though! I read 5727 pages and completed 11 class challenges scoring 6377 points for Hufflepuff
And in personal life….
This month has been hard. Being back as a host is reminding me of being sixteen when my mental health was at its worst. Even though I am at work, surrounded by people, I feel isolated because most of them are so young. On top of this, some of my family has gotten various bad news. We are also in the home stretch before we get married and while I am excited, there are a lot of details we need to finish.
On some happy notes, this month I got a new phone and started a bookstagram ( devourbookswithdana).
Also my sister/best friend announced she was getting married and asked me to be a bridesmaid! I said yes, of course and booked my tickets to go out in January. I can’t wait!
Some of you make have seen that Leelynn and I were supposed to meet up one Saturday in September and unfortunately that didn’t work out. However, I ended up going to the zoo that day because it was beautiful out and we got to see a lot more animals than we normally do! Here are some pictures we got that day! We made sure to see the panda because at least one is leaving soon and then we went into the small mammal house and the little guy in the middle! He sat like that for probably five minutes and I got that picture right before he went back inside. Lastly and my favorite part, THERE WAS A NEW BABY SEA LION!!!!! I love sea lions and Alice and I actually got engaged right by their exhibit at this zoo! The new baby’s name is Celia (all the sea lions have C names) and this was her first week allowed out! I could have spent all day watching her.
TV shows and Movies
Alice and I are watching Golden Girls through again on Hulu.
I really didn’t watch too much tv but I have been watching the Try Guys on Youtube!
I started NCIS because Ziva FREAKING David is back and my heart is hers yet again.
Music
Hamilton has been a constant
This Supercorp playlist is breaking my heart and I love it
Blogging is fun and important but you are more important. I love this because it makes me feel less bad about saying that sometimes I need a day or more away from books and blogging
I was tagged by Jana @ Pages Among Ravens to do this tag. Thank you so much, Jana. I’m sorry it took me almost a month to do this!
Y’all are always welcome to tag me in things, even if it takes me a bit to get to them!
Rules:
Name a book title from your TBR for every letter of the alphabet (can exclude words like ‘the’ if need be) these must be books that you have physical/e-book copies of and not ones you intend on getting but haven’t yet.
Try and include different authors for every single one
At the bottom of your list put how many you could fill in (out of 26)
Tag other people to join in and link back to the person who tagged you!
I had to fudge the rules because I don’t own that many unread books? I try to read my books right away. So I’m using my Goodreads TBR. I’m sorry!
Another books I actually own! My Dear Hamilton was also a gift from Leelynn.
Neverland is supposed to be a retelling of Peter Pan. It sounds kinda sad though so I will probably hold off on reading this.
I’ve seen On a Scale of One to Ten in store and I want to get it but I hate buying Hardcover at full price.
P-R
I’ve talked about this a lot but I want to read more wedding books before I get married! The People We Hate At The Wedding sounds like a good choice!
Queer Baiting and Fandom is also an ARC. I can’t wait to see what the author has to say because Queer Baiting has hurt me so many times. *Cough Cough* Rizzoli and Isles *Cough Cough*
The Royal We is both wedding and royal related so honestly, how could I not read it?
S-U
I also own Save the Date! I love this cover and I can’t wait to read it!!!
In November I am getting married! As such, I need to have a ton of blog posts planned out and this month, I am planning on reading a bunch of books based on certain topics to do so. You’ll probably see a lot of these books again at the end of the month and then in posts in November so sorry about that!
First off as most months, I have some ARCS I need to read and review. For October, I have four so far. (Hopefully I get 1-2 of these done in September but we will see how it goes.) I also have one ARC for November.
On the off chance I don’t get around to it in September (considering I forgot about it until now, it’s likely), I’m throwing this in here. I Wanted You to Know comes out October 3rd so it will be the first book I read in October if I don’t read it before then.
I’m very excited to be granted the opportunity to read this book and I will be surprised if I actually wait until October to read it. The Library of Lost Things comes out on October 8th so y’all can look for my review then!
Dare to be You is a nonfiction book about what happens when girls “dare to be themselves” and how “they can truly change the world.” I’ve never reviewed a nonfcition book and I don’t think I’ve ever talked about on my blog. The book comes out October 22nd but you will be able to find my review up a week early, October 15th.
My last arc is one I don’t remember requesting this but I’m sure I did. It’s about a wedding planner who finds love of her own or does she? I can’t wait to dig into this one and see what happens to Jasper and Renee. This book also comes out October 22nd and my review will be up that day.
My first blog tour book!! This book doesn’t come out until November 5th but I need to get it read and my post together since I won’t be able to do it in November.
Another book about a wedding and change within a family. This sounds a lot like A Wedding in December but not at Christmas. I hope it is because I loved A Wedding in December. I’m excited to crack this one open!
A lot wedding themed books are focused on wedding planners. This one is too but I’m going to try to find some that aren’t!
Everyone is reading this retelling of the 12 dancing princesses and I want to read it too! This book sounds so good and most people I follow have seemed to like it!
Hello my name is Dana and I would sell my soul for a chance to read this book. I love history and I love the modern royal trope. I’m excited to read all of these but this has to be in my top 5 most exciting books I plan to read in October.
I NEED THIS BOOK!!!! This is the first book I have ever preordered and it ships on the first of October. Once it gets here, nobody talk to me until I’m done. I adore the majority of this series (though all the book can be read as standalones) and Frozen means so much to me. I could write a whole page on why I want this book so bad so I’ll stop here.
Another sort of fairytale-esh book. A lot of people read this as well and maybe I just have FOMO but I want to read it too! I love sister relationships and fairytales!
This is the only currently released Twisted Tales that I haven’t read. I took it out of the library and took it back without even opening it so I want to try again. I hate knowing it’s the only one I haven’t read.
I loved Prince Charming so I hope to be just as in love with Her Royal Highness. I have such high hopes because it is modern royals AND LGBT!!!!!!!
While I do want to read the whole series of Villains, I am going limit myself to just this one this month. Mal is my favorite villain because she is so petty. She cursed a baby because she wasn’t invited to a party… or did she? There has to be more than that and I can’t wait to find out what it is that drives her.
A Beauty and the Beast retelling!!! I’ve heard good and bad things about this book but I’m hopeful.
I want to read this but how I didn’t realize how uncomfortable this cover makes me. It’s like their faces are being sucked into one.
And Peggy! You barely hear about Peggy in the Hamilton musical and the only other thing I know about her is that once their house got broken into and she had to go downstairs to save a baby and got a tomahawk thrown at her.
ELIZAAAAAAAAA. Okay, Eliza and her kindness remind me SO much of my own sister and it tears my heart to shreds whenever Eliza is upset in the musical (did you mean “the entire Hamilton musical after Helpless?” I really want to know more about her so I’m super excited.
I don’t have nearly the amount wedding themed books as I had wanted but honestly, I’ll start here and see what happens. If you guys have any happy books that include a wedding, please let me know!
Have you read any of these? Do you think you will? Let’s chat!!
Jana assigns each Tuesday a topic and then we all post our top ten list that fits that topic. Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
You’ll find the schedule of upcoming TTT topics here you can plan ahead.If you don’t have a blog, post your picks in the comment section below! Have tons of fun talking books and getting to know your fellow bloggers!
I almost didn’t do this weeks because every month, I spend the last week to two weeks planning and agonizing over the books I want to read in the coming month and then I post it. But I decided I would tell y’all the books I have out from the library because TECHNICALLY I have to read them in the fall.
I don’t really think I will get through all of these because my lists of books to read are SO out of control right now but I at least plan to read 3 of them.
What do you have on your TTT this week? Let me know!
Borrowed, Bought or ARC: This was an ARC granted to me through NetGalley and the publishers. I am very thankful for this opportunity. All thoughts published below are my honest and true opinion.
Where did I get it?: As stated above, I got this from NetGalley.
Number of pages: My arc was 268 but Goodreads says 384. That’s happening a lot and I’m not sure why?
Release date: Comes out September 24th 2019 (Today)
This funny, charming and heartwarming new Christmas novel is USA TODAYbestselling author Sarah Morgan at her festive best!
In the snowy perfection of Aspen, the White family gathers for youngest daughter Rosie’s whirlwind Christmas wedding. First to arrive are the bride’s parents, Maggie and Nick. Their daughter’s marriage is a milestone they are determined to celebrate wholeheartedly, but they are hiding a huge secret of their own: they are on the brink of divorce. After living apart for the last six months, the last thing they need is to be trapped together in an irresistibly romantic winter wonderland.
Rosie’s older sister, Katie, is also dreading the wedding. Worried that impulsive, sweet-hearted Rosie is making a mistake, Katie is determined to save her sister from herself! If only the irritatingly good-looking best man, Jordan, would stop interfering with her plans…
Bride-to-be Rosie loves her fiancé but is having serious second thoughts. Except everyone has arrived—how can she tell them she’s not sure? As the big day gets closer, and emotions run even higher, this is one White family Christmas none of them will ever forget!
This may include spoilers!
When I requested this book I had two things on my mind. One, the cover was breathtaking and two, I need material for a post I am planning for November. The last few books I had received from Netgalley were a bust so I was hoping this would be shake what I was afraid would become a book slump.
That’s exactly what it did. A Wedding in December made me so happy. I constantly fluctuate on how I feel about Christmas but this book left me with all warm feelings about the upcoming holiday season. I want to pull out my tree and start decorating. I want to curl up with hot chocolate and start this book over again.
Some of the things that I loved about this book was how Christmas wasn’t spent the way the family is used to but as the book went on they realized it was only important that they were together. I shipped all of the couples in this book which really took me by surprise! Lately romance has been turning me off and I haven’t be into any couples in the books I’ve been reading. To suddenly adore three couples was a welcome surprise.
My favorite couple was probably Nick and Maggie. Seeing that romance respark between them was so incredibly sweet. I think me in a bad mood would have rolled her eyes and groaned but as I was reading this, I was cheesing the whole time. Nick clearly still loved and cared for Maggie. He came over to help her book her flight knowing she was afraid and went along with her plan to hide their divorce from the girls. He was probably my favorite character after Rosie.
I don’t even know how to put into words why I loved Rosie so much. I just did. I wanted to jump inside of the book and become her friend. She stole my heart without pause and honestly she can keep it.
The only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of in this book was the constant “are you sure?” from Rosie’s mom and sister. Of course someone is going to start doubting anything they are doing if two people close to them are constantly saying they think it’s a mistake. Katie, especially, got on my nerves at times but most pessimistic people do.
This book was great and if you are looking to get into a christmas mood, I definitely would say pick it up!
Do you have a favorite holiday themed book? If so, what is it?
I’m back with another down the TBR hole post. I haven’t added many books to my TBR since last week so hopefully the number keeps going down! As always, here are the rules.
Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re 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?
As a recap, last week I got rid of 5 and kept 5. This week I hope to get rid of 6 or more but I am getting into my more recently added books so we will see how it goes.
Sometimes, the cost of love is too steep
Olivia’s twin brother, Liam, has been her best friend her whole life. But when he starts dating, Olivia is left feeling alone, so she tries to drive away Liam’s girlfriends in an effort to get her best friend back.
But she meets her match in Zoey, Liam’s latest fling. A call-it-like-she-sees-it kind of girl, Zoey sees right through Olivia’s tricks. What starts as verbal sparring between the two changes into something different, however, as they share their deepest insecurities and learn they have a lot in common. Olivia falls for Zoey, believing her brother could never get serious with her. But when Liam confesses that he’s in love with Zoey, Olivia has to decide who deserves happiness more: her brother or herself?
I’m going to skip on this one just because I don’t tend to like hate to love which it sounds like this might be.
A new heart saved her life—but will it help her find out what really happened to its donor?
Seventeen-year-old Leah MacKenzie is heartless. An artificial heart in a backpack is keeping her alive. However, this route only offers her a few years. And with her rare blood type, a transplant isn’t likely. Living like you are dying isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But when a heart becomes available, she’s given a second chance at life. Except Leah discovers who the donor was — a boy from her school — and they’re saying he killed himself. Plagued with dreams since the transplant, she realizes she may hold the clues to what really happened.
Matt refuses to believe his twin killed himself. When Leah seeks him out, he learns they are both having similar dreams and he’s certain it means something. While unraveling the secrets of his brother’s final moments, Leah and Matt find each other, and a love they are terrified to lose. But life and even new hearts don’t come with guarantees. Who knew living took more courage than dying?
I wasn’t sure about this one at first but I read through the preview on Goodreads and I think I will give it a chance.
Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. When Corey moves away, she makes Kyra promise to stay strong during the long, dark winter, and wait for her return.
Just days before Corey is to return home to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated―and confused. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones about the town’s lost daughter, saying her death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she’s a stranger.
Corey knows something is wrong. With every hour, her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets―chilling secrets. But piecing together the truth about what happened to her best friend may prove as difficult as lighting the sky in an Alaskan winter.
Two sisters who shared everything. One unforgivable moment.
And a second chance…There’s something to talk about in every chapter of Elizabeth Joy Arnold’s poignant, insightful debut novel—the perfect summer read for all those who loved Elisabeth Robinson’s The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters, Judy Blume’s Summer Sisters, and Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper.
Once, Kerry and Eve Barnard did everything together: sailing the Block Island harbor with their father, listening to their neighbor Justin’s magical fairy tales, and all the while longing for their absent mother. They were twin girls arm in arm, secrets entwined between two hearts. Until the summer of their seventeenth birthday, when their extraordinary bond was shattered. And thirteen years later, it will take all the courage they can summon to put the pieces back together—at a time when it matters most.…
Every summer, Samantha Wheland joins her childhood friends Isabel, Kendra and Mina on a vacation, somewhere exotic and fabulous. Together with their mixed bag of parents, they’ve created a lifetime of memories. This year it’s a beach house in Honduras. But for the first time, their clan is not complete. Mina lost her battle against cancer six months ago, and the friends she left behind are still struggling to find their way forward without her.
For Samantha, the vacation just feels wrong without Mina. Despite being surrounded by her friends, the closest thing she has to family, Mina’s death has left Sam a little lost. Unsure what direction her life should take. Fearful that whatever decision she makes about her wealthy French boyfriend’s surprise proposal, it’ll be the wrong one.
The answers aren’t in the journal Mina gave Sam before she died. Or in the messages Sam believes Mina is sending as guideposts. Before the trip ends, the bonds of friendship with her living friends, the older generation’s stories of love and loss, and Sam’s glimpse into a world far removed from the one in which she belongs will convince her to trust her heart. And follow it.
One pregnancy. Four friends. It all adds up to a profound time of change in this poignant, sensitively written YA novel.
Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How they begged for more. And when she gave it to them, she felt loved. For a while anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows. But their “one-time thing” is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result. Told alternately from each character’s point of view, this deeply insightful novel explores the aftershocks of the biggest decision of one fragile girl’s life — and the realities of leaving innocence behind.
“Gritty and suspenseful, Chosen draws us into the obstacle-strewn path of domestic adoption.” —Juliette Fay, author of Shelter Me
A young caseworker increasingly entangled in the lives of adoptive and birth parents faces life-altering choices when an extortion attempt goes horribly wrong in Chosen. Written in the spirit of Jodi Picoult and Anna Quindlen, Chosen is an extraordinary debut novel from Chandra Hoffman that deals with the controversial subject of adoption while providing a riveting read that will equally ensnare lovers of suspense, domestic drama, and literary fiction.
A startling novel about love and grief from the author of the acclaimed memoir I Don’t Want to Be Crazy.
Annaleah and Brian shared something special – Annaleah is sure of it. When they were together, they didn’t need anyone else. It didn’t matter that their relationship was secret. All that mattered was what they had with each other.
And then, out of nowhere, Brian dies. And while everyone else has their role in the grieving process, Annaleah finds herself living outside of it, unacknowledged and lonely. How can you recover from a loss that no one will let you have?
Titanic Love Stories The sinking of the RMS Titantic was a terrible tragedy for all the 1,517 people who died – but the stories of the 13 brides and grooms who joined the ship to celebrate their honeymoons are especially poignant.
Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…
Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.
Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.
Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.
Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.
But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.
I did it! I got rid of six of them and had no undecided books this week! Have y’all read any of these? What did you think?
Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.
Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.
This book covers a lot of serious topics such as
Teen pregnancy
Unstable parenting
Talk of custody of a child
Poverty
Race/ blended race
However, none of these topics felt too heavy to handle. They blended into the story in a understandable way but the story also kept some strong and lighthearted elements that balanced them out. The book also focused on a strong female lead which I loved and her relationship with her daughter and grandmother. I loved that it was never “Babygirl ruined Emoni’s life, only “Babygirl changed her plans.” The cover of this book is breathtaking and the hardback has a special surprise under the dust cover that I adored. I really liked the writing style as well and I hope to read more by Elizabeth Acevedo soon.
I rated this book really high even though I wasn’t a huge fan of Emoni and her new boyfriend but that was mainly because I was hoping the book would focus on a young single mother. Also at one point in the book her boyfriend just kinda disappears and I was like hello???? What’s going on with that? Maybe
I didn’t like how at one point Emma’s daddy tried to act like he could date or see other people and Emoni couldn’t, even though they weren’t a couple and I am so freaking glad that our girl put him in his place cause I was about to fight.
So many people have read this book so have you? What did y’all think of this book if you read this?
This post is basically what the title says, I thought I would show you some books I marked as not interested on Goodreads and get your opinions.
This isn’t all of them because as of right now, that would be about 7 times as long but I just picked out a few that stood out to me as still not interested. I tried to put a link here but it didn’t work out!
So! Have you read any of these? Are they worth trying out? Let me know!
Jana assigns each Tuesday a topic and then we all post our top ten list that fits that topic. Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
You’ll find the schedule of upcoming TTT topics here you can plan ahead.If you don’t have a blog, post your picks in the comment section below! Have tons of fun talking books and getting to know your fellow bloggers!
This weeks list was so hard to make! Not because I don’t eat while reading but because I normally just eat whatever I want. So here is a list of some of my favorite snacks and drinks.
Those are five snacks and five drinks that I typically have while reading. Do y’all like any of these? What is your favorite snack?
Just a YA book reader sharing her thoughts with the world 