The Folklore Booktag

The Folklore Booktag was created by Ilsa @ A Whisper of Ink, upon the release of Taylor Swift’s new album which I have been listening to on repeat for the past few days!

The Rules:

• Link to the original creator Ilsa @ A Whisper of Ink
• Tag at least 3 people
• Declare the rules and list of prompts in your post
• Thank whoever tagged you and link to their post

I haven’t been tagged by anyone, but saw the tag on Olivia’s blog @ Purely Olivia, and I wanted to give it a try, especially since I haven’t been that much active on here this past month. I’m tagging Anna @ My Bookish Dream, Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane and Elli @ AceReads.

I’m also using the graphics created by Ilsa, so credit goes to her as well!

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I’d heard nothing but excellent reviews for this one before I picked it up, and I was hoping that it wouldn’t let me down. Well it didn’t. It kept the suspense until the very last page, and I absolutely loved it. It’s a stunning book about nature and solitude, which on top of it has a bit of a murder-mystery plot, and it’s definitely worth all the praise!

I wasn’t sure which one to pick for this one at first, because to be honest I cry a lot when I read books that I find relatable which also makes me happy. I have a lot of feelings, okay. But in the end I decided to go with I Want to Eat Your Pancreas by Sumino Yoru. This is a very beautiful book about friendship and grief. We follow a narrator who becomes friend with a girl who knows she has a terminal illness, but hasn’t told any of her friends or people close to her. So basically, he’s the only one who knows. This book made me happy, because I love reading about blooming friendships, but it’s also sad because you know, from the get go, that ultimately she is going to die.

This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. From now on, every time someone asks me about that was well-written, I’m going to say this one. In addition to that, the story is absolutely fascinating. I completely and hopelessly fell in love with every part of this book. The longing. The letters. It’s absolutely brilliant to watch it all unfold.

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp. I was honestly so annoyed by this book, I don’t know how I proceeded to read it until the end. I guess I was waiting for it to get better. Well it didn’t. (Sorry if you liked it, I just couldn’t stand the main character, and the narration infuriated me.)

This is one I read a long time ago, and I know it’s not exactly original to quote a John Green book when it comes to books that made you cry, but Looking for Alaska by John Green completely wrecked me for some reason. It’s a beautiful book that I will forever associate with Marina’s song Lies because I was listening to it while reading the book, and now every time I hear it I think about Alaska and I want to cry. So yeah, that’s a journey.

I’m going to go with a very new release for this one and say Loveless by Alice Oseman. Now, Georgia by the end of the book has figured things out a little bit better than I actually do right now, but I also needed this book. It felt like a hug or a warm blanket, or a permission to just breathe, and feel, and figure it out, and I’m thankful that it has been brought into the world!

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I read them when I was a child and they will always have a special spot in my heart. These stories are truly magical, and I remember waiting and waiting at my local library for one of the sequels that someone had borrowed before me and simply wouldn’t return! I think I have read them at least three times, and I enjoy them on a new level every time. They’re just really special to me!

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman. This book more than deserves a place in this spot (and not just because it has the word summer in the title, that was actually an accident). It screams of the concept of “a whole summer to get better” but it’s also so much more than this. It’s about family and grief, and it’s absolutely stunning. On top of that, it takes place in Hawaii and the cast of characters is fantastic. So if you don’t know yet what to read for this summer, then I’d most definitely recommend this one!

Starling Days by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan. This is one of my most recent reads, and it spoke to me on so many levels. Although I have to admit that it could be a bit triggering in some occasions, it hit close to home. Basically, the main character is struggling with depression, and is trying really hard to get better, but everything can get overwhelming. She recently got married to her ten-years boyfriend, but she also sometimes thinks that he would be better off without her. Her thought process is truly heartbreaking, but also, this book is so important.

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Seriously, this book. First of all, how dare y’all end it like this. And second of all, I did enjoy the first book in the series, but wasn’t entirely smitten with it. However, I really LOVED the second one. There was some great character development, some great plot twists, and I am here for all of this. But really, how am I supposed to wait for the sequel now? After I finished it, I just had to scroll tumblr aimlessly (and that screams book hangover to me.)

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (which could also have been my pick for the book that made me cry endlessly, but it’s even more important that I mention it here.) This book deals with both grief and depression, and I read it at a time when I wasn’t feeling well. To be fairly honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But I think it really helped me be okay with the fact that I wasn’t okay. And then I did something about it. Which is why All the Bright Places is so important to me. In addition to that, it’s one of the first books I talked about on here, and that makes it all the more important! I also recently watched the movie, and I cried a river, and it was worth it.

The Shade of Magic trilogy by Victoria Schwab, because I LOVE Lila Bard with all my heart. And honestly, did you really think I’d be able to make a tag post without mentioning a book by Victoria Schwab? I certainly didn’t because I know my limits. Lila is strong, badass, and doesn’t care about anything. Sometimes, I wish I could be like her.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power. Maybe “haunting” is not the most appropriate term when it comes to this book, so much as “disturbing” but I’ll go for it anyway. And maybe the problem is that my smart brain thought it was a good idea to read this book DURING A PANDEMIC. But you know, shit happens. Nevertheless, I was absolutely fascinated by Wilder Girls, and couldn’t get it off my mind for a long time after I finished it. It’s haunting in terms of the government doing nothing in the face of a pandemic. It’s haunting to see the people in charge being corrupted. And it’s haunting to see the very same thing happening on the news every day.

Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali. It’s another book that I’ve read during the confinement, and I completely fell in love with it. Zayneb is both badass and adorable. Adam is strong and vulnerable at the same time (toxic masculinity who? we don’t know her in this house). I was literally sitting on my couch, reading this book, and muttering to myself “just hold hands already!!”. That’s how powerful they are. And yes, they are not perfect. But they are perfect together.

Zofia from The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi, without hesitation. I would protect this girl with everything, and I would also die for her if need be. She deserves the world, and I want her to have everything she wants. Protect her at all costs.

The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg. I swear I was rooting for this book. I really wanted to like it. But I felt terribly let down by the mental health representation. I really liked the concept, and maybe this set my expectations too high. But really, I don’t know, this didn’t work for me.

And that’s it for today! Thank you so much for reading up til now, and thanks again to Isla for creating this wonderful tag. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go listen to folklore one more time.

And if you still have time for me, I remember that I took part in another tag thing with Taylor Swift songs last year, here’s the link if you’d like to check it out!

The Currently Reading Booktag

I saw this booktag on Meggy’s blog @ Chocolate N Waffles and I decided to give it a try because I’m more often than not reading several books at a time! The tag was originally created on Booktube by Charly Reynhorse, and without further ado, let’s get into it!

Question 1: How many books do you usually read at once?

It depends, but often I end up reading three books at the same time: a sometimes bigger one on paperback or hardback, an ebook (on my kindle, or now on Scribd) and an audiobook when I’m in the mood.

Question 2: If you’re reading more than one book at a time, how do you decide when to switch to reading the other book (do you read a certain amount of pages in each?)

Here’s the trick: if the physical book I’m reading is too big for me to carry, I’ll just read it at home, and carry my Kindle in my bag. Sometimes I’ll finish my paperback on my way home and pick up a book on my Kindle app, and then pick up something else when I get home. I may have one book for my way to work, and one book to read at home. And audiobooks for when I’m cooking. Or in the mood to knit or do some crafts.

Question 3: Do you ever switch bookmarks while you’re part way through a book?

I keep losing my bookmarks, and then find them weeks later when I clean up my room, so yes. I have a huge collection of them, so that’s not a problem. Sometimes I also forget them in a book. I also like to use fancy bookmarks at home, but don’t want them to get damaged in my bag. So yes, anything can happen really!

Question 4: Where do you keep the book(s) you’re currently reading?

Either in my bag, or on the huge pile of books that’s sitting by my nightstand.

Question 5: What time of day do you spend the most time reading?

If I’m going to work it will be: one hour on my way, one hour at lunch, and one hour on my way back from work. If I’m not working, it really depends. (And these days, it can be all afternoon!)

Question 6: How long do you typically read for in one go?

To be fairly honest, I’m not really good at concentrating, and tend to check out my phone a lot. Sometimes I’ll want to share a reaction to what I’m reading on Twitter or Instagram, and get lost. Sometimes, I feel the unnecessary urge to update my reading on Goodreads, and then I end up doing something else entirely. So really, I have no idea.

Question 7: Do you read hard covers with the dust jacket on or off?

I take them off, I’m not some kind of monster!! And if I’m carrying the book with me, I leave it at home.

Just kidding, you do what you want.

Question 8: Which position do you mainly use to read?

Either sitting on my couch, or lying down on my bed.

Question 9: Do you take the book you’re currently reading with you everywhere you go?

Yes! At least one of them. And I know I can also read on my phone if for some reason I need to.

Question 10: How often do you update your progress in the book you’re currently reading on Goodreads?

Too often, it’s ridiculous. When I pick up a book. When I reach 10%(ish) because I feel like it’s acceptable to make an update. When I put down the book. When I feel like I made some progress. It doesn’t really make sense. And sometimes I forget. But you get the gist of it: I like using Goodreads.

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And that’s it for today, thanks for reading, and feel free to participate as well if you’d like to! Stay safe, and happy reading!

In Which I Match Songs With Books

Back in April I made a post where I associated songs with fictional characters, and I really enjoyed doing so. I am obsessed with music almost as much as I am obsessed with books, and my most recent reads have really inspired me to make some more of these associations. This time it’s more of a “vibe of the book” rather than the whole matching of a song with a particular character… But anyway, here are eight more songs associated with books!

Red by Taylor Swift // Again, but Better by Christine Riccio

Of course it had to be a Taylor Swift song. She is mentioned so many things throughout the book, she is practically there in the background serenading Shane and Pilot. I chose RED because of all the emotions mentioned — and this book was a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions.

Like a Prayer by Madonna // Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian

Of course, I had to considering how many time this song is mentioned in the book. So of course I listened to it on repeat, and now every time that I hear it I will thing about Like a Love Story. Which you should read, by the way!

Killer Queen by Queen // The Folk of the Air by Holly Black

The Folk of the Air being one of my latest addiction, I simply had to find a badass song that would fit with Jude and the whole badass / murder-y attitude of this book, and what best than Killer Queen by… Queen? Because really, Jude is all gunpowder and dynamite, with an insatiable appetite. Have I mentioned how much I loved those books? Because I did!

Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Lorde // Vengeful by Victoria Schwab

Vengeful introduced an incredible new character in the person of Marcella Riggins. She knew what she wanted, and how an incredible power to achieve it. Drawn by power and revenge, she was mostly unpredictable and dangerous, and could be perfectly summed up with those lyrics:  “It’s my own desire // It’s my own remorse // Help me to decide // Help me make the most of freedom // And of pleasure // Nothing ever lasts forever // Everybody wants to rule the world.”

Ta Reine by Angèle // Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

There is a very line in this song which I wanted to share: “Tu voudrais qu’elle soit ta reine ce soir, même si deux reines c’est pas trop accepté” which translates as: “You’d like her to be your queen for tonight, even if two queens isn’t something that is generally accepted” and this just reminds me of Leah and Abby going to prom together, and Leah pining after Abby, and Abby coming to terms with her own feelings… Every time I hear this song I think about them.

I hate U, I love U by Gnash & Olivia O’Brien // The first books in the Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery

The whole love/hate relationship thing is FIRST OF ALL a trope that gets me soft every single time, and it’s the perfect depiction of Anne and Gilbert until they actually get together. “I hate you I love you, I hate that I love you, don’t want to but I can’t put nobody else above you” is a perfect rendition of  Anne realising that she has feelings for Gilbert. (Am I obsessed with that book series? Why, yes.)

Consequences by Camila Cabello // Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

“Loving you had consequences” pretty much sums up Claire’s relationship with Jaime, influencing whether or not she would return to her own timeline and whatnot. I have to admit I am not up to date with the whole storyline, but I can easily assume that the whole consequences thing is everlasting til the end!

Missile by Dorothy // King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

I find that the line “This war is mine” has a very strong Zoya and Nina vibe for starters, and of course, I also wanted to talk about how much I loved it because it’s been a while. I also managed to recommend it to a customer the other day, and they thought it looked really great so I was delighted!

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And that’s it for today, thank you so much for reading my endless rambles, and I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Booktag

I found this tag on Diana’s blog @ Thoughts on Papyrus and I thought I’d give it a try. It was originally created by Madie @ The Book Pusher.

I love Autumn (I’ve been annoying everybody with that fact throughout the month of September because I love me a good SWEATER WEATHER) so when I saw those prompts I knew that I had to participate. I also love pumpkin spice latte, so you know, there was no escaping this! Here we go with the list of questions!

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1. Pumpkin Spice Latte: A Book That Everyone Criticises But Is Actually Delicious

After A LOT of thinking, I realised that I cannot for the life of me think about a book I really enjoyed that was actually unpopular and/or getting a lot of negative reviews. Maybe it’s because I’m super easily influenced? I’m not going to dwell on this, and I came up with a super original answer because I’m basic like that: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Boy did I enjoy these books when I first read them, and I think that’s worth mentioning. Isn’t Twilight the pumpkin spice latte of books after all? A guilty pleasure that’s criticised by everybody, but that we secretely enjoy?

2. Fall Is My Favourite Season: A Cliché You Can’t Get Enough Of

I’m soft for the enemies to lovers romance trope. I fall for it every single time, and I can’t get enough of it. I’m also completely for the best friends to lovers trope, that too gets me melting every single time.

3. Sweater Weather in the AM and T-Shirt Weather by the Time You Get Out of Work/School: A Book You Thought Was One Thing But Was Completely Different By the End

For this one I’m going to go with one of my most recent reads, What Have I Done? by Amanda Prowse. This was the first time I read a book by this author, and I came into the story expecting a murder/mystery about a wife who killed her husband. And while I did get the whole murder thing, there was no mystery. We dived a bit into the psychological aspect of it all, and all the abuse Kate went through, and how she tried to reconstruct her life. This book was not at all like what I expected!

4. Spoops: Spooky Books on Your TBR List

I don’t actually read that many spooky books, but I’m definitely looking forward to reading Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab, first and foremost because I love everything she writes, and really enjoyed City of Ghosts, but also because this one has to do with the Catacombs in Paris, and I absolutely love the topic!

5. Tarot Reading: A Five-Star Prediction

Another book that I want to read soon (and I guess October will be a Victoria Schwab month!) is Vengeful, and I’m totally expecting I will love it and give it 5 stars. I cannot wait. I just mean to finish my current read (The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix) and then I will jump into Vengeful. I’m so ready for it.

6. Sephora Sage & Crystal Set: A Book That Means Well But Missed the Mark by a Landslide

And for the last question, I’m going to go with Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. I do love what she makes (I’m actually desperately waiting for my copy of Wayward Son) but the racism in this book when it comes to Park and Korean culture in general is no good, my friends.

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And that’s it for this tag! I had a lot of fun doing it, I’m not tagging anyone but feel free to join if you want to do it as well!

Five Books I Read Because Of The Hype

In a recent video, Jesse The Reader talked about books he has read because of the hype (link), and whether it was worth it or not, and it inspired me to share some of my picks as well! I realised that since I joined bookstagram and the book community in general, of course my reading has been influenced by that of others. Sometimes it allows me to discover books that are right up my alley, and sometimes I end up picking up books that I keep hearing and hearing about, and that’s where the hype played its part. So here are five books that I picked up for that very reason!

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is probably the most recent one on my TBR. I’ve seen so much talk about it that I simply had to know what the fuss was about. Was it worth it? Yes. Absolutely. I loved everything about it: the format, the characters, the story. This book was amazing and I’m so glad that I discovered Taylor Jenkins Reid through it. I’m going to dive right into the hype and say it:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I feel like the hype has died down a bit when it comes to this one, but it used to be really everywhere when YA dystopia was the shit (I feel like things have shifted a bit). While I did enjoy the first book, the sequels were a bit disappointing in my opinion. I don’t regret reading them, but I do think they didn’t deserve the hype. Although to be fair I also have to state that I did finish the series, including both prequels, which is quite rare considering the amount of trilogies and series that I have started and never completed…

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

There was a lot of hype surrounding the release of this book, and I can’t say whether I would have picked it up without it. I kept hearing and hearing about it, even before it was published. So I had to see for myself. Was it worth the hype? Yes, definitely, I loved it and I cannot wait for the sequel.

A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab

If I remember correctly the first book of hers that I read was Vicious because I got it in a giveaway on Instagram. I wasn’t necessarily planning on pursuing my reading of her other books, but the hype convinced me to give ADSOM a try and I’m so glad that I did. This trilogy was absolutely fantastic.

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

I kept hearing about this book around the time the movie was released. I heard a lot of praise, so I was curious about it. I remember hearing that if I liked John Green’s books I would like this one, so I thought that for sure I had to pick it up. And eventually, I read it. Well let me tell you, I was thoroughly disappointed. My standards aren’t actually that high when it comes to books, and I usually enjoy most of what I read but here I simply couldn’t stand the main character, and wasn’t drawn to the story at all. Maybe this just wasn’t the book for me. Actually we don’t hear much about it these days, and I’m fine with it. (Have I mentioned that I’m all here for the new releases?)

Other books I read because of the hype: Divergent by Veronica Roth (liked the first one, but was disappointed by the rest of the series) and The Mortal Instruments series which I am enjoying, but have yet to finish!

Next on my list of hyped books that I want to check out: American Royals by Katharine McGee. I have been hearing about this book for MONTHS, so much so that I was SURE that it was already released, but it’s actually being published in early September, and now I really have to read it ASAP!

The I Hate Spring Booktag

I honestly do not hate Spring at all but I stumbled upon this fun original booktag while I was blog hopping and I decided I had to give it a go! The tag was created by the amazing Biblio Nyan, feel free to click here if you want to see the original post!

The Time Tantrum: Name a book that had large time lapses that frustrated you greatly

Honestly as soon as I saw this prompt I knew that I had to do this booktag, because I have the PERFECT ANSWER for this question. I absolutely LOVED this book but oh boy did it frustrate me with its time lapses… I’m talking about one of my favourite books of all times The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. And yes, this book is quite a chunky piece already, but it covers about 80 years of time if I remember correctly and includes some crazy ass time lapses which frustrated me greatly: I simply wanted to know more!

Bugs, Begone! Name an insect, or creepy crawlies, centred novel that you’ve been interested in reading, but feel too grossed out by to give a proper shot

I know this is super random because despite its title, the book doesn’t have to do with insects but my answer for this one would be Lord of the Flies by William Golding. And I want to read this book because it’s a classic but it kind of creeps me out a little bit although I’ve never opened it? If you have some arguments in favour of me reading this book please feel free to let me know in the comments!

Tax Trouble: Name a special edition that was worth every penny

For this one, I’ll go with my illustrated edition of the Harry Potter series. I have The Philosopher’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets and I love them SO MUCH they are SO PRETTY!!!

Atrocious allergies: Name a book that you loathed so fricking much, that you may as well be allergic to it

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn. I got this book because it was a freebie on kindle and I love freebies but I just did not like it one bit? It was overly cliché and annoying? The writing was meh and I simply did not like the characters. There are very few books that I tend to REALLY dislike but this one really disappointed me. And while I’m complaining about books I did not like I also want to say The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp because honestly, what was the point of this book, I disliked Stutter so much it was so frustrating y’all.

Moody meteorology: Name a book, or book series, that has inconsistencies that drove you mad

Although I greatly enjoyed this book, there are some things that bothered me because they were a bit over the top and unrealistic, and sometimes inconsistant. I’m talking about The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald. It’s a very sweet book and all, and I loved it all the more considering it dealt with the main character’s love for books, but come on y’all, you can’t just save visa problems like this, you have to keep it real a little bit even if it’s a romance novel! (That being said, I really loved that book! I’m just really bad at finding inconsistencies so I couldn’t think of anything else!)

See, I’m not that mad about those inconsistencies! Anyway, thank you so much for reading, I hope you had as much fun as I had writing it! And kudos to Biblio Nyan for coming up with such a fun tag!

In Which I Associate Songs With Fictional Characters

This idea of associating songs I love with fictional characters I equally love has been sitting on my mind for quite some time, and I’m finally committing to it. I included a Spotify playlist with all the songs at the end of the post if you’d like to listen to them, and in the meantime, I hope you enjoy!

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King of the Clouds – Panic at the Disco
Séverin from The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

“I don’t trust anything or anyone below the sun
And I don’t feel anything
At all”

I feel like the lyrics of this song as a whole really fit Séverin, and his whole revenge plot as well as his status as a leader. Someone who has been hurt by the world, and wants to distance themselves from it, someone who feels above the rest.

A Little Wicked by Valerie Broussard
Astrid Dane from the Shades of Magic Trilogy by V. E. Schwab

“No one calls you honey when you’re sitting on a throne”

First of all let me tell you how much I ADORE this song. It’s so powerful. And every time I hear the lyrics, I immediately think of Astrid Dane, sitting on her throne of bones in white London. If you haven’t listened to this song, I highly recommend it!

Warriors by Imagine Dragons
Clarke and Bellamy from The 100 by Kass Morgan

“We are the warriors that built this town”

I have such a great list of song that I associate with The 100 in general, both the books (which I still haven’t finished) and the show. In the books, Bellamy and Clarke are this great power couple, and I feel like the song Warriors would totally fit with them.

Angel With a Shotgun by The Cab
Tris from Divergent by Veronica Roth

Sometimes to win, you’ve got to sin
Don’t mean I’m not a believer

Maybe it’s because I heard this song in a Divergent themed playlist but I just think it really fits Tris, and how merciless she is. It’s ruthless, and doesn’t think much, just like Tris through the trilogy.

Run Boy Run by Woodkid
Kaz from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Run boy run!
The sun will be guiding you
Run boy run!
They’re dying to stop you
Run boy run!
This race is a prophecy
Run boy run!
Break out from society

This song really has a sense of emergency that seems to fit with Kaz, the king of outlaws. It addresses a character who is on the run from the rest of the world, and that’s just how Kaz is on his impossible quest with his gang of misfits, in both Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.

Netflix Trip by AJR
Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Now the finale’s done and I’m alone
I’m on a Netflix trip here on my phone
But who I am is in these episodes
So don’t you tell me that it’s just a show

While this song is a bit different from the rest of my selection, I just love its light tone. I love how dreamy and realistic it is, and I think the immersion in a fictional world really applies to Cath and her obsession with Simon and Baz!

Immortals by Fall Out Boys
Victor and Eli from Vicious by V. E. Schwab

They say we are what we are
But we don’t have to be

I still have yet to read Vengeful, but I think both those two lines, and the idea of being immortal really fit with Victor and Eli in Vicious. I absolutely loved that book, I found it extremely fascinating and unique, and every time I hear Immortals, it reminds me of it.

Irony by Christopher
April May from An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

I’m addicted to my phone
Getting anxious every time that it’s out of reach
I lie awake, screen right up in my face
And I wonder why I can’t sleep

As a whole, I feel like this song really represents a cliché of my generation. A cliché that is not entireally wrong (I can really relate to most of it to be honest), and April May and her journey through instant fame also really matches both that characterization and that song, so I thought it’d be fun to include them in the list! Honestly if you have never heard that song I highly recommend you give it a listen ~

Migraine by Twenty One Pilots
Kiko from Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Am I the only one I know
Waging my wars behind my face and above my throat?

Migraine is yet another song I really love because it hit me right in the feels with how relatable I found it. It really applies to my anxiety and how I can get stuck in my head, so of course when I read about characters like Kiko (♥) I also find that it immediately applies to them.

Sweet but Psycho by Ava Max
Kate Harker from the Monsters of Verity duology by V. E. Schwab

She’ll make you curse, but she a blessing
She’ll rip your shirt within a second
You’ll be coming back, back for seconds
With your plate, you just can’t help it

I feel like Kate is such a complex character, but also a really fascinating one. She both attracts and scares people at the same time, which makes this song perfect for her in my opinion. (Truth be told, it would also work for a lot of other V. E. Schwab characters I guess?)

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So did this post half turn into a Victoria Schwab appreciation post? Kind of, I have to admit. Do I mind? Not one bit! I had a lot of fun writing it as it combines two of the things I love the most: books and music. Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing!

Bonus: here’s the list of songs if you’d like to listen to them

The Wonderstruck Booktag

I found this tag on Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books‘ blog, and as I’m particularly weak for Taylor Swift’s old songs (I basically learnt English with her album Fearless) I decided that I should give it a go, especially considering that I haven’t been very active lately.

This lovely tag was created by Purely Olivia, you can find her own post here. She is also the one who made all the pretty designs for the prompts ♥

Here are the rules:

• Link back to the creator
• Answer as many or as few of the questions as you’d like.
• Feel free to use any of the graphics in this post. 🙂
• Tag however many people you’d like at the end!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This was such a beautiful book, and I am so glad that I read it, but oh boy did I cry. I cried so much while reading this book, it was so sad and heartbreaking… Worth it, true, but it did break my heart.

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green. This book left such a deep impact on me because of the fantastic mental illness rep it contained. I will always think about it and cherish it in my heart.

As soon as someone mentions the words “gorgeous cover” I immediately think about Sara Barnard’s books. Just look how beautiful they are.

I have yet to read Fierce Fragile Hearts as it was just released in February, and I can’t wait because these books are just as beautiful and precious inside as they are outside.

For this one I have to go with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I just love the Narnia universe, it warms my heart and makes it all fuzzy and nostalgic! I’ve (re)read this series so many time, and every time it takes me back to my childhood, while also teaching me new things. Those books are so precious ♥

For this prompt I’m going to pick one of my latest reads, which was An Absolutely Remarkable Thing! Although it took me more than a month to finish it, as soon as I opened it I knew that I would love it. Not only is the main character April exactly my age, but it also deals with topics I love talking about such as social media and instant fame. I also feel in love with Hank Green’s writing style, and I can’t wait for the sequel!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is one of my absolute favourite books. I really loved it while reading it, and I always think about it fondly. I remember getting really involved in the story, and I actually own several copies of it. I read an abridged version of it in French as a child and the story fascinated me. I later read the whole book in English when I was in high school, and fell deeper in love with the story: I’ll definitely have to read it some day!

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han. The fake relationship trope ALWAYS works for me (especially when I read Bellarke fanfics, but oh well) so obviously I immediately fell in love with To All The Boys when I read it last summer. I read the whole trilogy in just a few days and have been recommending it to all of my friends ever since.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. As soon as I heard about this book I knew that I would become obsessed with it, and sure as hell, I fell in love with it with the first pages. From the concept to the writing style to the characters, I loved everything about it and I just have one more thing to say: YOU SHOULD READ IT.

*****

And I’m tagging YOU if you want to do it! Feel free to also check out the original post I linked at the beginning because it contains more prompts, as I chose not to do them all. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day ♥

Year of the Asian Reading Challenge 2019

Did I just decide to take part in another reading challenge for this year? Why yes. Along with the Audiobook Challenge, I have decided to take part in th Year of Asian Reading Challenge, also known as YARC 2019. This challenge is hosted by Lily @ Sprinkles of Dreams, CW @ The Quiet Pond, Shealea @ Shut Up, Shealea, and Vicky @ Vicky Who Reads.

The aim is simple: read as much books by Asian authors as you can! I will keep track of my reading progress on a new shelf on Goodreads, and obviously in my monthly reading wrap ups.

As it turns out, one of my first reads of the year was Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman, and it matches the challenge perfectly! The January prompt is family, which is one of the theme of Starfish from my point of view. This book was an emotional roller coaster, and I absolutely loved it. I will have a review coming up soon. [TW: abuse]

In addition to monthly prompts, you can attempt to reach a level by the end of the year:

• Philippine tarsier: 1 to 10 books read
• Indian cobra: 11 to 20 books read
• Malayan tapir: 21 to 30 books read
• Giant panda: 31 to 40 books read
• Asian elephant: 41 to 50 books read
• Bengali tiger: More than 50 books read

I’m aiming for the cobra level. Considering the amount of books I read per year (something between 80 and 100 these past few years), that seems like something I can reach!

The challenge will also host events as the year goes by, and I guess I’ll figure it out as I go!

Audiobook Challenge 2019

Join Hot Listens and Caffeinated Reviewer for the 7th year of audiobook fun.

This is my first year actually doing this challenge, and I thought it might be fun! I used to listen to audiobooks more often, like, back in 2016, but haven’t really been listening to them this past year, and I have decided to change that for 2019!

I am currently listening to Michelle Obama’s book Becoming, which she narrated herself, and I REALLY enjoy it.

Anyway, here are the challenge details:

• Runs January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019. You can join at any time.
• The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2019 than you did in 2018.
• Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
• ANY genres count.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc.
• If you’re a blogger grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook or Tweeting about the challenge.
• Updates plus a giveaway will be posted twice during the year. The first update will be June 30, 2019, and the last update will take place on December 15, 2019.

Achievement levels:

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multitasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
• Marathoner (Look Ma No Hands) 50+

I renewed my audible susbcription at the beginning of the month, which means that I will have at least one audiobook to listen every month, but maybe I will try other things (like a Scribd subscription? I don’t know, we shall see what happens). My plan is also to listen to longer books. I was considering picking up the sequel to Outlander but I’m not sure yet as I had mixed feelings on the first book (see my rant). I will also look for more books narrated by Davina Porter because she is a FANTASTIC narrator, and I can’t get enough of her.

In terms of my goals I’m aiming for the “Stenographer” level, because it matches my idea of listening to at least one audiobook each month and also because I can definitely listen while multitasking, I do it all the time, mostly while driving, cooking, or folding my laundry. So hopefully, that helps me listen to more audiobooks!

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And that’s it for today’s post, feel free to join as well on Caffeinated Reviewer’s Blog!