book releases for '21 that im waiting for

well. 
i'm pretty sure we all have similar excitement for what coming out in the next year ... i'm going to be using my library quite a lot next year! 

so, let's get down to business 

(no huns here though... maybe some fae instead) 

in no particular order: 

 

 this installment follows our lovely side characters Nesta and Cassian so yay! Though I am still waiting Tamlin's book... he deserves better! 

 

 While i still have yet to even look at 'chain of gold', this will be a lovely new addition to my shelves for me to stare at for a while   

 

 

 the next installment of the disney's "twisted tales" series is hercules-based and i am HERE FOR IT 

 

 assumed to be the last book in the series (sob!), i can't wait to see where Riggs takes us next... at least the pics don't give me nightmares anymore .. :) 

 

 who doesn't want a puck novel, i ask you?! i love this world.. can't wait to go back. if you haven't read the Iron Fey books - whatcha waiting for?!?

 

 while i'm unsure about this one, i love her stories. and more cardan? yes please. 

 

 a battle of fae? whats not to love. this one has been on my list for a while.... 

 

 sequel to 'the queens assassins', i am anxiously awaiting this one. though i feel like i need a reread of book one *shrug* 

 

 a new series that follows the aftermath of the 'beauty and the beast' story we all know and love. Anything Belle and I'm a sucker 

:) 

 

 i wasn't a fan of book 2 (as much as book 1) so we will see how this one holds up for me. some people are already reading the ARC and they * love * it ... but i do admit i have my concerns. 

 

 YESSSSSSS a new graceling novel! with the weirdo looking new covers, but HEY, it's more Bitterblue so i can't wait 

Who knows what i'll actually get to .. a few of these come out when the baby is due so obv not much reading will be done then (unless by some miracle he settles into a decent sleep routine and doesn't keep me up all night and day) but like i said, my library is usually pretty great with getting anticipated releases so i shouldn't have any problems getting them there.... though i may have to train manfriend how to pick them up for me. hmm. i'm also v.v. behind on my 2020 releases. sigh. however, i've come to terms with the fact that i won't be reading like a maniac for another few years. 

Happy reading everyone !  

noooo-vember

What an insane year. 

even without the world going into chaos 

End of June, we lost my grandfather and then realized that i was a few weeks pregnant! so hello wrench in the plans.

which means my reading came to a full stop. 

which, is fine... though I was so on track to meet my goal of 200 books 

but oh well :) 

July I managed to read a few, in between being sick (ick!) 

- butterfly

- give and take 

- older men 

- crystal 

- # murdertrending 

- wayward son 

- unhoneymooners 

- speak 

- gravemaidens 

- sometimes i lie 

- party of two 

- raven 

September I read one, for a book club 

- darkest hour 

don't ask me what happened in any of these because I don't remember

* shrugs * 

 this put me at 162/200 for the year 

and then it all stopped 

though i have one on the go, so hopefully it's done by new years 

* crosses fingers * 

   I actually have a TBR for december. i'm feeelin a lot better these days and have some energy back. now that it's wintery outside, curling up with a book sounds like the best idea in the world

tbr for december is OVER ambitious but hey... 

 - the shadow of Kyoshi 

- crescent city 

- the stravaganza series 

- unbirthday 

- replica/ringer 

- virgin suicides 

i doubt half of these will be done, but ya never know. less work plus lockdown means i have oodles of time on my hands these days (but i'm also super tired so we will seee!) 

again, after the craziness of the summer, life took the biggest detour in our plans. with the baby, and the loss of grandpa, things came down the pipeline we weren't expecting. manfriend got a new job, moved in to the apartment with me (thankfully because he helped out a lot with the dog while i was sick) and then we got word that we had some help in buying a place. which took no time to find a cute house but the paperwork was the worst!! we're all moved in now and unpacked. just the baby room is left <3

work has been slow, as i'm sure no one is surprised by, but that's the new life. who knows what 2021 will look like. the province keeps going back and forth with their lockdown/limitations on what we can do so i stay home 99 % of the time unless i need some essentials  

December is looking better, even if it is covered in snow so fingers crossed for a fun month! 

- A 

May (the odds be ever in your favor)

well. may was a bit crazy 

but that's kinda the theme of the world lately. 

so, what can you do. 

besides, ya know, stand up for what's right 

and stand against the violence and ignorance in the world. 

so much reading. 

though not as much as april 

- HP goblet of fire 

- a court of mist and fury 

- HP order of the phoenix 

- of curses and kisses 

- a court of wings and ruin 

- sailor moon Vol 8

- HP half blood prince

- beautiful bastard 

- the magicians 

- future of us 

- lost boy 

- hunger games (audio) 

- HP deathly hallows 

- miss ellicots school for the magically minded 

- beautiful stranger 

- you'll miss me when im gone

- list of cages

- the magician king 

- catching fire 

- mockingjay 

- practical magic 

- dr stanton (ebook)

22 which puts me at 131/200 for the year ! 

staying home is helpful 

though, the reason is not

if i keep up the rate i'm going of a book a day, then the beginning of june will be filled with 

- the cruel prince trilogy reread

- the SWAP 

- ballad of songbirds and snakes 

- the wish granter 

- you deserve each other 

- circe 

- continuing the Beautiful series (at least 3) 

- ten thousand doors of january 

- star wars: queen's shadow 

and then we will see what i'm in the mood for when i'm done all these. 

i did have a percy jackson reread in mind but i feel like i'm jumping on a bandwagon since many people are rereading it in anticipation of the new series. 

shrug. 

i think many of us are going through similar situations right now. at least, mentally. 

it's stressful staying home when i feel like i'm doing something wrong when i leave the house

besides walking the puppy 

and i'm usually content to stay in and do my own thing
(i've tried to get back into my crocheting, which has been hit and miss

and i recently started a new book idea which i'm in LOVE with 

but, finding the motivation can be tough) 

but, lately, it's been getting to me. 

my library is opening mid month for curb side pick ups

and i have a bunch of things on hold 

so that should help my reading list 

and i hope that this means we're on the right path. 

being in canada we take a lot of guidance from the moron to the south of us 

and our leaders aren't strong enough to take their own stand 

(not that anyone listens anyways. the parks are FULL everywhere with this nice weather)

manfriend got called back into work the beginning of the month 

which has strained our relationship slightly

but, now we're finding a new normal 

... and still trying to find a house together. 

my paris trip got cancelled and i'm still sad about that. 

mom and i are talking about when we want to reschedule and honestly, 

i'm more nervous to go now. 

just because i don't trust people.

i've long said the world needs a reset button

but not like this... 

anyways. stay safe everyone!

 

please be smart. 

please be kind. 

april showers!

welp. 
another month of this self-isolation funtimes

shorter month than march, at least. 
look for the silver lining... 


i was more productive than i thought i'd be this month
between reading and camp nano. 
so, 
i'm happy :) 

I managed to get 37 books in. how? i have no idea. 

novels and graphic novels alike :) 

- satisfaction and revenge (lawless) 

- MMPR: Pink   (GN)

- Pink (V47)  (GN) 

- SpiderGwen Collection (GN)  

- Moto 

- Land of stories 2 & 3 

- Kingdom hearts: the novel 

- monsters of men 

- suggested reading 

- is it just me? 

- library of lost and found 

- Pokemon series 1-12 (GN)

- this boy 

- secrets of foxworth 

- ghost gwen (V3 i think)  (GN) 

-  someday, someday maybe 

- eleanor and park 

- hate drunk & love sober 

- match me if you can 

- Ruby 

- Queen of Air and Darkness 

- the Help

- A court of thorns and roses 

sheesh! this puts me at 108/200 for the year. craziness ! 

i am still working on little women and i had to DNF stain 

but what can you do 

i'm in a bit of a slump, i think i just overwhelmed my reading brain 

but ACOTAR is helping pull me out of it 

i'm in a reread mood

which my tbr isn't happy about

but too bad. 

a few weeks ago i reorganized my shelves into read/not read

and so i just pulled a random stack from the 'not read' pile 

and came up with: 

- a list of cages

- curses and kisses 

- love her or lose her 

- you'll miss me when i'm gone 

- the future of us 

- practical magic 

- the magicians (and book 2 if it keeps my interest) 

- lost boy 

- the rest of the Landry series (ruby was book 1)

- miss ellicot's school for the magically minded 

- beautiful bastard (i have all but 1 in this series so we'll see how far i get) 

and whatever else grabs my attention. 

i miss library books ... sigh. 

part of me wants to reread more harry potter too 

april 30th is my last day of being a 20-something. a lot has happened in the last 10 years and i'm kinda amazed how far i've come. 

i don't even remember my 20th, or my 21st ...

but since then? 

i've been pregnant, i graduated college, i moved away for work (and moved a few times since), i started my interpreting business, i got my wedding planning licence, i've been married, i've been separated, i started a cleaning business (that didn't last long), i became an aunt 3 times, i became a fur mama, i've been to the states for the first time, i've been to one other province, i've been on a plane (once!), i wrote a first draft of my novel, i've seen a couple of work-friends pass away, i've made some amazing memories, i've met the love of my life, i've become okay with who i am. 

it's been a busy 10 years. 

my mom and i were supposed to be on a plane today, going to paris/london for our milestone birthdays this year. but with how sick the world is we had to postpone it. we'll get there one day. 

no idea what next month is going to look like 

but i'm ready for whatever happens. 

hopefully, some May flowers <3 

series review: beneath the attic

alright. 
it's no surprise that i didn't like this series. 
did i read it anyways? yes. 
why? because i can't argue why it's garbage if i have no evidence

beware of spoilers :) 


beneath the attic 

not many of us who are "hardcore" fans were excited for this. he is really beating this horse just to get a paycheck. enough, man. please retire writing under the VCA name. we beg you.

anyways 
i ended up giving this one a 1 star on goodreads.
If it was possible to give a 0, I would have. 
How could anyone enjoy this drivel? An obvious cash-grab with the 40th anniversary of FITA soon after publishing. It felt like he took the outline for Garden of Shadows and just changed (most) of the names and no consideration of the time period.
We learned nothing about the characters and the characters we thought we knew were rewritten into sex-crazed weirdos.A slow build up to nothing happening... all of this could have been 5 chapters, instead of 350 pages that dragged on. The ramblings of Corinne's feelings about sex with her new husband and whether or not they even love each other was slow and difficult to get through.



Such disrespect. 


Out of the attic 

I had no expectations or hopes for this story. 
I find the whole series a waste of time - but, being a vca purist, i had to give it a shot.
It was at least better than the first (though not by much)

I find his writing of a toddler being so evil and rude coming out of left field. This kid is being raised by a sweet nanny, and a decent mother ... and his fathers influence is no where to be found. So why is this kid sucha jerk? The character arc makes no sense.

The author has been hyping this story up for months, but really... I can't figure out why? We all knew she ran off with another man. She seemed quite loving to her kid, well, she tried to be (* see jerk comment above) and her husband is a piece of garbage so I am okay with her running off.

after reading this one, I was curious if we'll be getting different POVs in the next one since, without it, we will have many questions left over (though the author uses that as excuses to butcher our beloved stories)
but we aren't able to find a story synopsis anywhere so us fans are left out. 


also! what does the attic have to do with any of this series? 
insert eye roll here. 


shadows of foxworth  (does not come out til june 2020~. arc was from netgalley) 


honestly sir, find another word! Shadows has been used 4 other times in book titles under the VC andrews name. expand your vocab. (secrets is another one. oy.) 

since the synopsis of the book was not updated on any platform, us readers really have no idea what we are getting into. 
and it is not corinne's story. 
it is her children's. 
conveniently, corinne and her hubby die off in the first few pages. 
oh look, another recycled plot point. 
jeeze. 
it took me a few pages to figure out whose POV i was getting 
and finally, i got it. 
Marlena, corinne's daughter, is telling us how her parents died 
after a wonderful childhood in france 
and now she must go live with an aunt they've never met in america 
(beau's sister) 
with her older brother, the two are off to find out what it means to be a member of the Dawson family in Richmond, VA. where the mysterious Foxworth family lives.
Can you guess the rest of the story? i'm sure you can. 
I did. 

as a "dollanganger" book, this was terrible. 
if he had made it a new series, yes it is all recycled plot but it would've made a good 
first book in a series. 
well, decent, at least. 

that ending was rushed and made no sense 
and while i'm happy malcolm doesn't become a baby daddy to his half sister 
(enough with this story too!) 
it made for a flat ending of happily ever after. 

~~~ 


I do NOT recommend this series to anyone. 
everything under the VCA name until 2004 was great, and since then, the stories have decreased in creativity and excitement 
there was a time when he jumped on the supernatural bandwagon, and we got some interesting stories, but nothing beloved like those original stories. 

if you are interested in the vca fellowship, start at flowers in the attic and work your way through the books following publication order. that's really the best way to see the progression of the writing and characters*.

*i mostly say this because if you read My Sweet Audrina, and then Whitefern you will be very, very confused. wait 40 years (or longer). same with the diary series and now the above garbage. wait at least 40 years. i promise you, you'll thank yourself. 



i am also happy to report i got these off netgalley/the library and spent no money. 
i would be returning them. 

march madness

welp. this month is FINALLY over. 
hallelujah. 
because this was a ridiculous time for the world.
in both good and bad ways. 

but honestly, yes I was more careful
but i didn't freak out like many people did 
unnecessarily 

so
with everything being cancelled 
i got to stay home 
and read 
which, lets be honest, work was taking up too much time anyways 

i got sick with a yearly cold 

so my reading wasn't as great as the past few months 

which is fine by me 

but i managed to get these beauties read: 

- ruthless

- girls made of glass and snow 

- fix her up 

- into the woods

- daughter of smoke and bone

- red hood 

- unexpected reality 

- a heart so fierce and broken 

- unexpected odds (arc) 

- straight on till morning

- tweet cute 

- midnight at the electric

- harry potter & philosopher's stone

- down and across

- knife of never letting go 

- crazy rich asians

- the ask & the answer 

- subtle art of not giving a fuck 

plus i'm in the middle of an ebook and little women. 

so overall, 19 done. 

putting me at 70/200 for the year 

yay ! 

as long as i don't get sick again

i should be able to read 

- monsters of men 

- is it just me 

- MMPR: pink (graphic novel) 

- ghost spider (GN) 

- spider gwen collection (GN)

- someday, someday, maybe 

- days of blood and starlight 

- stain 

- land of stories V2 

- kingdom hearts

- satisfaction / revenge 

- the library of lost and found 

- suggested reading 

however

 i've noticed that since manfriend is living with me during this nonsense 

that i've been reading less

and playing more mario party 

so we will see ! 

i also wana do camp NaNo ... but my motivation is not there to keep to a schedule. who knows. my mom keeps bugging me to edit my 2017 NaNo book and it's been in my head lately so there's a good chance i get to it.  fingers crossed. (anyone else doing it? i want a good cabin!) 

other than that, nothing really is going on. work getting cancelled was not fun (for anyone) because it gave me an excuse to get out of the house. sigh. my life is really boring. 

i also want to be crocheting but i don't have a project and i hate making things just for the sake of it. it's fun having a reason to make it, y'know.  if anyone wants a blanket or scarf, let me know! 

april is going to be quiet, which is fine. hopefully those who celebrate easter will be able to use technology to do it (i'm just in it for the chocolate) 

i hope you're all being safe and using your best judgement (or ask someone in a different house for a second opinion) on how to take care of yourself and your family in this difficult time. 


- A

i'm all alone, theres no one here besides me ...

it's been a crazy few weeks 
and while the self- isolation has been enforced more in the last week-ish 
not much has changed in my life, since i stay home most of the time anyways 
i've been mostly ignoring the news 
bc it's all the same stuff


however 
it's been a.week! 

to escape the craziness, and my cold, i grabbed a bunch of books

so here's what's on my lap these days 



Straight on til morning - twisted tale 

i love the twisted tale series, and i love peter pan, so this seemed perfect. but there was too much tinkerbell for my liking. i hate her lol no idea why, always have. 
hook and wendy should've had more time together... but that's just me cheering for the villain 


because you'll never meet me

i liked this one in the beginning, and then it got weird. Ollie was cool, but Mo is a jerk. the boys are unable to meet each other for medical reasons, so their common doctor puts them in contact via letter writing. 
The "twist" at the end was ... weird, to say the least. i'm not going to bother with book two. 


girl from everywhere 

i couldn't even tell you what this one is about. pirates and maps ... that's all i remember. the writing wasn't great and the story wasn't captivating. i hate dnf'ing but it definitely wasn't memorable. 


tweet cute 

a new ya contemp that everyone seems to love. I thought it was cute... but that's about it. when two kids take over their parent's twitter accounts for their businesses, they don't realize that they are each other's competition. a local mom&pop bakery fighting a massive burger chain fighting over a grilled cheese sandwich makes for a recipe of cute teen lit. 


midnight at the electric 

this one had been on my list forever. finally picked it up at the library, randomly, while i was grabbing my holds before everything closed. and i loved it. 
a story spanning generations (of 120 years) told through letters of the past, and jumping back into the present, it keeps you glued to the pages to find out what happens next. Slowly it begins to get predictable, but that doesn't change how fascinating it is. 



knife of never letting go 

this is my final book for the week, and its about time! i've had this one since it first came out, but i finally found the other two in the series with the same cover (bc bookwormproblems!) so i can finally start it. so excited, hopefully my expectations are met. 



Hope everyone is staying safe <3 

Review: unexpected odds

Unexpected odds 
Kaylee Ryan 
(unexpected arrivals #5) 


*Thank you to GiveMeBooks for the ARC 



Everything has been unexpected in this series, and Kent's story is no different.
Kent and Delaney's story is an adorable tale of second chances and knowing your heart.

Kent can't get the girl from his past out of his mind. She may have been a part time fling, but he felt so much more for her. When the construction company gets a contract for her childhood home, Kent is shocked to find out that Delaney has no idea who he is, or what they were to each other.

As we get further into the story, more secrets are found about what happened back in the day, but Kent is determined to show Delaney that he hasn't stopped loving her and will do what it takes to keep their family together.

While the dialogue was a bit repetitive (we get it Kent, you're sorry for what happened that night), this was just as adorable as the previous books - though, heads up to readers, read them in order or beware spoilers! Ryan's stories always leave us wanting more and this series is no different. Her characters quickly become best friends and a place of comfort for us readers. 

Lovely read, 4 stars.


Get it here: https://amzn.to/2U1kmfq 

leaping in february

what another crazy month

at least, as far as books go 

how i am reading so much, i dont know. 

but i'm not complaining 

- possession 

- pippi longstocking 

- perversion 

- lady midnight 

- bookworm crush 

- the right swipe 

- two can keep a secret 

- ps i still love you (reread) 

- maze runner (reread) 

- peep show 

- pretty little player 

- tycoons pregnant lover

- tycoons fake fiance 

- highfire 

- home, a memoir 

- land of stories: wishing spell 

- curse so dark and lonely

- once and future 

- delayed satisfaction

- yes no maybe so 

- school of good and evil (#1) 

- lord of shadows 

- scavenge the stars

- star touched queen 

- queens assassin 

sheesh. 25 total 

this puts me at 51/200 for the year. 

which is wicked! 

maybe i'll calm down in march 

(but doubtful) 

another giant pile is ready on my cart 

- Ruthless (trilogy) 

- Daughter of Smoke and Bone (trilogy) 

- knife of never letting go (trilogy) 

- girls made of snow and ice

- the girl from everywhere

- bc you'll never meet me 

- the library of lost and found 

- crazy rich asians 

- straight on til morning 

- little women 

- down and across

- a heart so fierce and broken 

- queen of air and darkness 

- into the woods/ hidden leaves (for book group) 

21 is the goal. not sure if QoAaD is going to make it through 

but we shall see ! 

i can't see anything changing in the next few weeks. 

which is annoying. 

life is pretty stale these days 

but i'm unsure how to change it ... 

work is decent 

boyfriend is still amazing 

honestly, 

life is pretty good 

it's just not exciting 

and i wouldn't mind some excitement these days 

it's also ridiculously cold out 

so maybe the excitement could wait til spring 

happy reading everyone 

- A