tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44851719789871813692024-03-27T18:54:00.699-05:00Shell's StoriesShellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.comBlogger1800125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-8175668244379389582024-03-23T08:00:00.088-05:002024-03-23T08:00:00.131-05:00Stacking the Shelves: The Lux Replacement Editions<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oops. It's been two weeks since I posted. That's crazy. Not because two weeks is long for me not to post, but because it feels like I just wrote a post two days ago. Time is really flying right now. It's been a fairly busy couple of weeks, which I'll talk about one of the reasons why down below, but I've been trying to get my life back on track when it comes to working out and cleaning/organizing around the house. It's definitely a work in progress. I've checked a couple of tasks off my list, though.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmomWdB06by9mrb8gTxYJhKVySgpfCG4Aos_77j21eCPUh-AGPCWQ1qOMgDYH7im8XlXwt4sinakX8O2iTo3NhVFUp6VRVkUzFQyVdyaSjZqaXT8irbQUha2xfM78Qa6rLIToR9kcrUHGKXYZwmSKLU3xklRB5M8KYy5pyXJUbntQVNP915EMSn8MxtVM/s4624/20240301_110429.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHhUk0WwJs0AqzfJ1IhQWdN7EgeepPLSSbAaPYm-NMl-_Xxb4qdDPmKYNvCZbfedED4QpjvC_o8SWQBkwkcTkdYhI81uGkwRzXieLBXchYnKcesnUO4eAQLT4ScSDoxSp6Go7_hJ7TAZZDnORX765duD7KZDu2lD94bq0DyT8iWlfy2BQbRZ88ZIIi0Q/s4000/20240322_083738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHhUk0WwJs0AqzfJ1IhQWdN7EgeepPLSSbAaPYm-NMl-_Xxb4qdDPmKYNvCZbfedED4QpjvC_o8SWQBkwkcTkdYhI81uGkwRzXieLBXchYnKcesnUO4eAQLT4ScSDoxSp6Go7_hJ7TAZZDnORX765duD7KZDu2lD94bq0DyT8iWlfy2BQbRZ88ZIIi0Q/w400-h300/20240322_083738.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">As for books, I received four this week. My FairyLoot <i>The Atlas Complex </i>copy arrived. Well, it was technically delivered to my parents' house, and then they brought it to me this past weekend. I really need to update my address for FairyLoot deliveries, but I'm waiting until after my trip to D.C. My replacement copies of three of the Lux series Books for Days Crate editions also came in. Two out of three of them came in perfect condition, but <i>Obsidian</i> has some small nicks in the naked hardback. I'm not going to try to get another replacement, but it is irritating. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTg6ufqz2LyND8Lsr572Kpt8911pzDARuYOgt2BC7Hleyt5snIW1MGnVLNBwDDJfRsK_Vu24qvqeV-V9xgiKmUbHQz79STgaHgh4ind3TY4eh7cyONOzE0Cr28-9hE4d2634oYDPpWzwg1TinA3KovXHHwJ0GTMj4BsYvTTuLvRGV9Fn46kY2pNTC7jB8/s4624/20240318_120425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTg6ufqz2LyND8Lsr572Kpt8911pzDARuYOgt2BC7Hleyt5snIW1MGnVLNBwDDJfRsK_Vu24qvqeV-V9xgiKmUbHQz79STgaHgh4ind3TY4eh7cyONOzE0Cr28-9hE4d2634oYDPpWzwg1TinA3KovXHHwJ0GTMj4BsYvTTuLvRGV9Fn46kY2pNTC7jB8/w400-h300/20240318_120425.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The big thing that happened this weekend, and why I was too exhausted to really post was these monstrosities. Yep, I ordered new bookcases. Two of them, with another on the way, though that one is for a separate room. I originally went to Menards and bought two smaller, similar shelves (4x2 cubbies vs. 4x4), but even though the box pictured black wood, the shelves were actually dark gray when I opened them. So, all of that work to get the boxes to my car and in my house by myself was for nothing. I immediately gave in and ordered the ones I'd really wanted online, and thankfully, AliExpress had a deal going on, so they weren't as expensive, but I still felt bad making the delivery driver handle the enormous packages. (I'm so sorry, UPS person!) I pretty much built most of these myself, with some help from my dad and mom at the end to get some screws in. Overall, I'm really proud of how it looks, and the best thing is, I have room for another one on the left side of my wall if I ever need more shelf space.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTUq0Meu-td1v4rZFwik_gg8QqrIuA7KgZjlyPlqmAOr1Q_mzG75-OogtoLL3geewTDoRWydPsYSEf53gQsKBpllJyGC_l-xMnjxW0TpqblnF2qzLVMh1gbjlUYX_QmFIrBNayjh5bCgMw7gOv71epFAf6t_YRhZvrD0Vt5ufsQpDsWXJvdGLMucANW0/s477/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20122143.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzopSJ3iDf2OD4g3-N9sIV6y8vxo1NhhGq4vu2g3-IIu8Z9zHZzokDVwvqKPfstKnTwklD7P20gQpBpHB0XlG8SDelTmM1Wo3ohgm6TX5xBlXtz2fErgbBxgdr7RJEIAXinTHJPM8mFDU_gD90Vi9mty2XRj9D8pozMc3niGTivN51icO_WmEqCucNVlQ/s422/Screenshot%202024-03-22%20085011.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="422" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzopSJ3iDf2OD4g3-N9sIV6y8vxo1NhhGq4vu2g3-IIu8Z9zHZzokDVwvqKPfstKnTwklD7P20gQpBpHB0XlG8SDelTmM1Wo3ohgm6TX5xBlXtz2fErgbBxgdr7RJEIAXinTHJPM8mFDU_gD90Vi9mty2XRj9D8pozMc3niGTivN51icO_WmEqCucNVlQ/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-22%20085011.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">And now, it's time for the ebooks. Up first is the NetGalley e-ARC I received of <i>The Sins on Their Bones</i> by Lauara A. Samotin. It comes out in May, so I really need to get started on this one. With the reading slump I'm in, it'll take me a bit to get through it, even if the book is amazing. I also downloaded <i>Twisted Pretty Things</i> by Ariana Nash for free on Kindle. </span><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. What books have
you bought/received lately? </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-45525823969852395112024-03-09T08:00:00.002-06:002024-03-09T08:00:00.148-06:00Stacking the Shelves: The Shades of Red Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Once again, it's been a relatively quiet week. I visited my parents last weekend to eat some food and grab some books from my shelves in my room there, but that's about it. I also cleaned my place a little bit, but that's because a friend stopped by to drop off a couple of books that you'll get to see below.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkIC0Q_pfgseVyHK-BBYoRP92DaSLikFb2SsMr_thEE0pA1pLa8svHIGRdopTTT_1wBbFHdfLQ0w0tvcuIit0JximV25XwWf9hFRCSI9j4f2kmbDKVPq_tVVytQRQfXcsf0ozyhNQiUAdDxdy3bYmWzLN0J9rHRaGJ7_0nLeFaOLw_cVBO0FMQhT3Cnk/s4624/20231226_112145.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmKkZwSI9y2pz4l65oQI9f1zVHa9FCGEd3rah7fLL_obDMN2AGvqXZpPJBAELYhAkxg7i9nvJc-tjQ0_fXcbzAyDDmgN4cBaf_F3-HQNP_1SNiTZDYiInLCuCiiXYXzGhM9lgjywLkkbUZT4RMWYiI67k6FelV81IFeFLTVnQAkLZwcr3Oh3odhCcaB4/s4624/20240308_094350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmKkZwSI9y2pz4l65oQI9f1zVHa9FCGEd3rah7fLL_obDMN2AGvqXZpPJBAELYhAkxg7i9nvJc-tjQ0_fXcbzAyDDmgN4cBaf_F3-HQNP_1SNiTZDYiInLCuCiiXYXzGhM9lgjywLkkbUZT4RMWYiI67k6FelV81IFeFLTVnQAkLZwcr3Oh3odhCcaB4/w400-h300/20240308_094350.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Now, for the books. They're all pink or red, which I thought was funny. Wish they would've showed up in February. Ha ha. But anyway, the two Bookish Box orders that my friend dropped off include <i>Fall of Ruin and Wrath</i> by Jennifer L. Armentrout and <i>The Spanish Love Deception</i> by Elena Armas (reverse dustjacket on display). Because I was working at the time the sub box for BB went on sale, and I knew I wanted to sign up in time to get FORAW, I had my friend sub for me. And she was just now able to deliver them. My Barnes & Noble preorder of <i>Fate Breaker </i>by Victoria Aveyard also came in. I'd totally forgotten I preordered this one, but at least now I can binge the entire trilogy. And my <i>Empire of the Damned </i>by Jay Kristoff came too. I got the UK version from Blackwells since it's free delivery.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. What books have
you bought/received lately? </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-82165717227466019132024-03-05T08:00:00.153-06:002024-03-05T08:00:00.158-06:00February Wrap-Up & March TBR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Another month down, and I read twice as many books as I did in January. Which, unfortunately isn't saying a lot. Ha ha. But as for the personal life, I just did the same ol', same ol'. I read a little, scrolled a lot, worked, worked out, and slept. Yay.</span><br /></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In this wrap-up,
I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received,
and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!<br /></span></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Read in February<br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPCqHb9NJq9aYObmn5M9e1XpR4rocFJ3ysZRKz20poYeUw7MWHNIh44gy9qk-OtZ0VY_lyc5cUzkrAifDqxQ7qTVnr0ZTxFF87U-4e-1ArEpkCNGTfxOE0xxJuFvIgpiRUjWeuYJW9MeV40QpROXNhD2mJrMdheBWXLpN0FBPV8iED2HxuYdo9NAj4x8/s414/Screenshot%202024-03-04%20090103.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="414" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPCqHb9NJq9aYObmn5M9e1XpR4rocFJ3ysZRKz20poYeUw7MWHNIh44gy9qk-OtZ0VY_lyc5cUzkrAifDqxQ7qTVnr0ZTxFF87U-4e-1ArEpkCNGTfxOE0xxJuFvIgpiRUjWeuYJW9MeV40QpROXNhD2mJrMdheBWXLpN0FBPV8iED2HxuYdo9NAj4x8/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-04%20090103.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></div>
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>House of Flame and Shadow: </i>3 stars</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>A Fate Inked in Blood:</i> 4 stars (my <a href="http://wulfluva-shellsstories.blogspot.com/2024/02/review-fate-inked-in-blood.html" target="_blank">review</a>)<br /></span></span></span></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I read two books in February. To be fair, one was an obnoxiously long book. <i>House of Flame and Shadow</i> had no reason to be over 800 pages. Honestly, at least 200 pages could have and should have been cut. And while I thought the third book was slightly better than the second one, I definitely put emphasis on <i>slightly</i>. I am just really disappointed in the direction the CC series has gone, and I'm not really excited about the next installment. I also read Danielle L. Jensen's new book, <i>A Fate Inked in Blood</i>, which I very much enjoyed.<br /></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Bought/Received in February<br /></span></b></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANLFCnGwO9ut9ZuXviqAaXceUobEvazgt537xiSccfG3YWRo1KDbVpZQIXYfXVcyIE0Qto4NcP8GVZWwx_rNIrHe-hRlW3PcMnCSqekx4K57agdLQXwPsMWKcZZGejiHDUMVTc2wBAAwMbBrnircF2vOKVv-kghjBMAe_knnu7w38HXASpUyw7choZ7A/s4624/20240301_110144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANLFCnGwO9ut9ZuXviqAaXceUobEvazgt537xiSccfG3YWRo1KDbVpZQIXYfXVcyIE0Qto4NcP8GVZWwx_rNIrHe-hRlW3PcMnCSqekx4K57agdLQXwPsMWKcZZGejiHDUMVTc2wBAAwMbBrnircF2vOKVv-kghjBMAe_knnu7w38HXASpUyw7choZ7A/w400-h300/20240301_110144.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></div></div></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Okay, so this month I let myself get a bit carried away. I bought a total of 20 books this month and received 12. And boy, are a lot of the books I bought some expensive preorders.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">As for the 12 books I received, a majority of them were preorders. The orders included <i>House of Flame and Shadow</i>, <i>Gothikana</i> by RuNyx, and five copies of <i>Visions of Flesh and Blood</i> (two BN editions, one regular hardcover edition, one Kindle edition, and one Nook edition). I also received my preorder of the Lux series from Imagine Books, but I had to send three copies back because they were slightly damaged, so I only got to keep <i>Opal</i> and <i>Onyx </i>right now. And my FairyLoot January book, <i>The City of Stardust</i> by Georgia Summers, was delivered to me in February, along with my February FairyLoot book, <i>A Fate Inked in Blood</i>. My Bookish Box edition of <i>Between Despair and Hope</i> finally arrived as well. All in all, I got ten physical books this month, and two ebooks. And thankfully, I've already read four of the books, so that's nice.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">I paid for six of the 12 books that I received in February within the month of February. Those include the February FairyLoot book and all my VOFAB copies. Other than those, I had 12 other preorders, including five ApollyCon author preorders: <i>A Kiss of Iron</i> and <i>Slaying the Shifter Prince</i> by Clare Sager, <i>Between Wrath and Mercy</i> special author edition by Jess Wisecup, and <i>Broken Bonds </i>and <i>The Crown of Oaths and Curses</i> by J. Bree. I also had one Blackwell's order, the UK edition of <i>Empire of the Damned</i>, which arrived in March. As for special editions, I preordered the Chest of Fandoms German edition of <i>A Soul of Ash and Blood</i>, the Illumicrate editions of the Silver Under Nightfall duology, the FairyLoot edition of <i>The Atlas Complex</i>, and the Bookish Box editions of the Daevabad trilogy. And I have a BN preorder for <i>Fate Breaker</i> by Victoria Aveyard that I completely forgot about until just now.<br /></span></span></span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Currently Obsessed With<br /></span></b></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>I haven't been watching a lot of stuff lately. I've mostly been rewatching <i>The Office</i> reruns. As per usual.</span></span></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDG7DqF_FenSyz5CBaKgkJ1G-w2Cq6zJmJlKrK8GPJu2oasstpGZApjV8-lhKPN5WU0VmtCQq0WeHTsi_HufWutrYf5mRUzhEOu2L5b0KQQI79FAdQ9PdaUMOTIjZgpzFkQea96hvnS9XqHqFCfAZXE7izy0NtPZsuWzoZNoKXazVWHrHn4pYwSc8QgYE/s1600/elf2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhU730AfHPAbuuCqnMTI6U2TiSSVI2dOGDEF9ilTMg3YEZQ38TBtbqQLx4O5-vjZJxCSMJZfKSgBO_1y_XCq02Te4qNEMXL9OzW7-X7sUfYj-ELyvG7KL5KJYGoB_I6Z3j1Myj_v8t9dOT9dNuseiUqmODdmR5xSZkMZ8hb_jKPQfkLkUsxWxOWT_ZsNM/s1500/Taylor-Swift-Travis-Kelce-021324-df88e9a2fcab494f8346483192d40bbb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhU730AfHPAbuuCqnMTI6U2TiSSVI2dOGDEF9ilTMg3YEZQ38TBtbqQLx4O5-vjZJxCSMJZfKSgBO_1y_XCq02Te4qNEMXL9OzW7-X7sUfYj-ELyvG7KL5KJYGoB_I6Z3j1Myj_v8t9dOT9dNuseiUqmODdmR5xSZkMZ8hb_jKPQfkLkUsxWxOWT_ZsNM/s320/Taylor-Swift-Travis-Kelce-021324-df88e9a2fcab494f8346483192d40bbb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></span></span></div><p></p></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Other than <i>The Office</i> reruns, I've been watching a lot of TikTok. And honestly, I think that's it. It's still the Taylor Swift x Travis Kelce videos. They're cute. I can't help it. It's like a real-life romcom.</span></p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">March TBR<br /></span></b><br /></p></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqmDQWeRvyRAj79vJQEUSdJAH9781vlq-Jh1V_zSjq3KVID5psdogJI8YPvG-IzuE2bDFIcjDD3j8yB-zaMuXvsG2mMLNwFxYmhXz6hBJmKs7JukGjOWMUkKfcqw_U3j3rnIlfT9BZO1qCchyH6QEZgZdUf2s8bLa-bzFlshb9mv-a_kptkIPZVDte-o/s458/Screenshot%202024-03-04%20091920.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="305" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqmDQWeRvyRAj79vJQEUSdJAH9781vlq-Jh1V_zSjq3KVID5psdogJI8YPvG-IzuE2bDFIcjDD3j8yB-zaMuXvsG2mMLNwFxYmhXz6hBJmKs7JukGjOWMUkKfcqw_U3j3rnIlfT9BZO1qCchyH6QEZgZdUf2s8bLa-bzFlshb9mv-a_kptkIPZVDte-o/w266-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-04%20091920.png" width="266" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">I don't have any must-reads, just a couple of things I'd like to read. Most of which are repeats and have been on my TBR for sooooo long now. That includes <i>Charm</i> by Tracy Wolff and <i>The Last Sun </i>by K.D. Edwards. I'd also like to read <i>Visions of Flesh and Blood</i>, the FBAA compendium book. It's not a real story, though, just a bible of the world, so it's not something that will take super long or be super interesting. There are a few diary entries and short snippets, but that's it. I also want to finish <i>A Ferry of Bones and Gold </i>by Hailey Turner. I downloaded it on Kindle Unlimited earlier this month, and I'm almost done with it.</span><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">***</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Okay, well, that's
the month of February, plus some March sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one
post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><p></p>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-64326154625889624442024-03-02T08:00:00.120-06:002024-03-04T11:29:13.866-06:00Stacking the Shelves: The Visions Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well. I finally have some books to share. I haven't been posting many Stacking the Shelves simply because I haven't received anything. That all changed this week. It's actually quite bad. My poor wallet. Other than looking at my dwindling shelf space, I've mostly been working, sleeping, working out, lamenting over awful current events... you know, the usual.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkIC0Q_pfgseVyHK-BBYoRP92DaSLikFb2SsMr_thEE0pA1pLa8svHIGRdopTTT_1wBbFHdfLQ0w0tvcuIit0JximV25XwWf9hFRCSI9j4f2kmbDKVPq_tVVytQRQfXcsf0ozyhNQiUAdDxdy3bYmWzLN0J9rHRaGJ7_0nLeFaOLw_cVBO0FMQhT3Cnk/s4624/20231226_112145.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmomWdB06by9mrb8gTxYJhKVySgpfCG4Aos_77j21eCPUh-AGPCWQ1qOMgDYH7im8XlXwt4sinakX8O2iTo3NhVFUp6VRVkUzFQyVdyaSjZqaXT8irbQUha2xfM78Qa6rLIToR9kcrUHGKXYZwmSKLU3xklRB5M8KYy5pyXJUbntQVNP915EMSn8MxtVM/s4624/20240301_110429.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmomWdB06by9mrb8gTxYJhKVySgpfCG4Aos_77j21eCPUh-AGPCWQ1qOMgDYH7im8XlXwt4sinakX8O2iTo3NhVFUp6VRVkUzFQyVdyaSjZqaXT8irbQUha2xfM78Qa6rLIToR9kcrUHGKXYZwmSKLU3xklRB5M8KYy5pyXJUbntQVNP915EMSn8MxtVM/w400-h300/20240301_110429.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Now, onto books. The biggest thing that came in this week was my preorder of <i>Visions of Flesh and Blood</i>. Barnes & Noble/UPS/USPS took almost an entire week to get all three copies to me, versus the four days it normally takes. I'm truly getting tired of this. Why won't B&N ship their preorders a day or two earlier? It's so ridiculous. I preorder because I want my book delivered during release week. Ugh. Anyway, I bought one of the regular VOFAB copies and two of the B&N copies. I didn't remember preordering two, but I guess I did. I usually preorder an extra when they're on sale just in case I need one for replacement dust jackets later on. My preorder incentive bookmark and temporary tattoo also came on the same day all these showed up. So that was fun. <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPy3Hk5V5GkYMi-Z4kn8r1QQFhWpdsyKiusBBQJhyphenhyphenv5pPLmLPDbVVbZe-Kpe4u9zQFKQVWzqzoE8M63ZjP0X9ml9mIzlNDrJSvA5wx-4KTHchebp0TR3kgQJ3WDfJbDoimjY2_aKNlPFk6ZE154Vi2vSjxOrFTQWjpXVUHZEE_45JB1H_mG9r9xIcEHQo/s4624/20240301_112537.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPy3Hk5V5GkYMi-Z4kn8r1QQFhWpdsyKiusBBQJhyphenhyphenv5pPLmLPDbVVbZe-Kpe4u9zQFKQVWzqzoE8M63ZjP0X9ml9mIzlNDrJSvA5wx-4KTHchebp0TR3kgQJ3WDfJbDoimjY2_aKNlPFk6ZE154Vi2vSjxOrFTQWjpXVUHZEE_45JB1H_mG9r9xIcEHQo/w400-h300/20240301_112537.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l0cdczXXM8MPENIk89fWWbuXv9daatUsjrRwhZtFnnNabndVqA2y79A0bBttCqNtuqNrK27h75dOQCp9eRRq2p3o4wKSKzrfcxjKQF7IO5gHW4VGhpTUmQ7qnm_y_Gj4cwporI5tTdzocOtXcJ_Eifo3mvz8CNp3otrLpK93bq2zSddFGE53_SOQiYg/s4624/20240301_112347.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l0cdczXXM8MPENIk89fWWbuXv9daatUsjrRwhZtFnnNabndVqA2y79A0bBttCqNtuqNrK27h75dOQCp9eRRq2p3o4wKSKzrfcxjKQF7IO5gHW4VGhpTUmQ7qnm_y_Gj4cwporI5tTdzocOtXcJ_Eifo3mvz8CNp3otrLpK93bq2zSddFGE53_SOQiYg/w400-h300/20240301_112347.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><br /></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Another package that came on the same day was my preorder of Imagine Books Shop's Lux special edition set. Unfortunately, three of my books were slightly damaged, so I'm shipping them back for replacement copies. The box was completely ripped open on one corner, so I'm actually impressed they looked as good as they did. However, <i>Onyx </i>and <i>Opal </i>made it alive and well. The box also came with a bookmark of each cover character, two replacement pages for a mix up in the printing process, one page overlay, five JLA signature bookplates, and a Daemon and Katy sticker. Overall, I'm really happy I ordered this set. The inside character art foiling looks great. I honestly can't decide how I'm going to display these. I'm kind of glad I can wait until the replacements get here before really thinking about it. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMC-uY3WvPj6awZfNHNVZqxtQfq1WvLZkccIqzJUhwb63tyBFqihSyuJCIt2CB2NR94uAyMxjqsAhxziK1x4f4lkQ0mmgvM5qXapf0JGj0tLe_LUKNvJAKk3PavQqNwDR1Qna94-b6eTHp_uA7-uqnr7I_876-uj81w2pKXBCCSnvkLfRGyRsFN5eAAiA/s4624/20240301_111142.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMC-uY3WvPj6awZfNHNVZqxtQfq1WvLZkccIqzJUhwb63tyBFqihSyuJCIt2CB2NR94uAyMxjqsAhxziK1x4f4lkQ0mmgvM5qXapf0JGj0tLe_LUKNvJAKk3PavQqNwDR1Qna94-b6eTHp_uA7-uqnr7I_876-uj81w2pKXBCCSnvkLfRGyRsFN5eAAiA/w400-h300/20240301_111142.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I had a drop off of mail from my parents. I need to change my address for my FairyLoot subscriptions, but I'm going to wait until after I go to ApollyCon. I already think I'm going to have a few orders arrive right when I'm out of town. Boo. But, that's what sisters are for. To pick up your mail for you. Ha ha. Anyway, my February Adult FL box came. I've actually already <a href="http://wulfluva-shellsstories.blogspot.com/2024/02/review-fate-inked-in-blood.html" target="_blank">read and reviewed</a> this book, <i>A Fate Inked in Blood</i> by Danielle L. Jensen, and I very much enjoyed it. At first, I didn't love the FL cover redesign, but I actually like it now. I didn't like the original cover, so this one is nice.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijegqM7LFK7GbdIww-J-WJoIWi2trweoqzD21Kl8OHBltqCZg5XMZpKvaRV8-SMmbv4UoECYnzhugZQgqlaYEl7xkvudyBc0VIoxChIIo7dzim1LNuH3HmJ46ZI5qCTmaTN3Q0rjWqtXYUe5W3io0rP43fRsimOigs30Q1XunFnAe5-eq8afR0QbHoDR8/s4624/20240301_111758.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijegqM7LFK7GbdIww-J-WJoIWi2trweoqzD21Kl8OHBltqCZg5XMZpKvaRV8-SMmbv4UoECYnzhugZQgqlaYEl7xkvudyBc0VIoxChIIo7dzim1LNuH3HmJ46ZI5qCTmaTN3Q0rjWqtXYUe5W3io0rP43fRsimOigs30Q1XunFnAe5-eq8afR0QbHoDR8/w400-h300/20240301_111758.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">And this is my last physical book for this week's StS. It's also one that my parents dropped off. This is the Bookish Box edition of the second book in Jess Wisecup's The Divine Between series, <i>Between Despair and Hope</i>. I read the first book last year and enjoyed it, so I got the pretty BB edition and, when it was available to preorder, I got the second book too. I think I preordered this back in August of last year, so this has taken forever. BB needs to pull themselves together. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTUq0Meu-td1v4rZFwik_gg8QqrIuA7KgZjlyPlqmAOr1Q_mzG75-OogtoLL3geewTDoRWydPsYSEf53gQsKBpllJyGC_l-xMnjxW0TpqblnF2qzLVMh1gbjlUYX_QmFIrBNayjh5bCgMw7gOv71epFAf6t_YRhZvrD0Vt5ufsQpDsWXJvdGLMucANW0/s477/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20122143.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="477" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTUq0Meu-td1v4rZFwik_gg8QqrIuA7KgZjlyPlqmAOr1Q_mzG75-OogtoLL3geewTDoRWydPsYSEf53gQsKBpllJyGC_l-xMnjxW0TpqblnF2qzLVMh1gbjlUYX_QmFIrBNayjh5bCgMw7gOv71epFAf6t_YRhZvrD0Vt5ufsQpDsWXJvdGLMucANW0/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20122143.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">And finally, it's time for the ebooks. I actually forgot to cancel my Kindle Unlimited sub, so I still have that for another month after my free one-month grace period ended. So I went ahead and downloaded <i>Villain and the Geek </i>(book seven in The Wolf's Mate series) and <i>Prince of Agony </i>by Tavia Lark. I also downloaded <i>The Bastard and the Heir</i> by Eden Finley and Saxon James, but the cover is a little naughty, so I decided not to share it here. Heehee. I also hadn't realized I'd already preordered the Kindle edition of VOFAB and I ordered a Nook copy too, using B&N reward money. I'm just a mess. But, whatever, I now have two ebook copies and three physical copies of the same book. Nothing obsessive and crazy about that, right?. </span><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. What books have
you bought/received lately? </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-9068585289653795732024-02-27T08:00:00.143-06:002024-02-27T19:09:54.533-06:00Review: A Fate Inked in Blood<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeCdVsmqC5Aw6OKHMPvFrKRwnPMcS5uGpc1MAXT27qZMWLa_iAR2eKbHb24LpeOLbY2r5SN60uqRVqOnc-_oz9GypLIxMuLI-Obbcnepdrn8JO42K7F663X4YoTW7hHTtpAvHqI5i2_Oyu0LgToUDZbQUK7d0AAyEfBshHfwxPekmCr5WWg_KKoqfNX0/s2560/A%20Fate%20Inked%20in%20Blood.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeCdVsmqC5Aw6OKHMPvFrKRwnPMcS5uGpc1MAXT27qZMWLa_iAR2eKbHb24LpeOLbY2r5SN60uqRVqOnc-_oz9GypLIxMuLI-Obbcnepdrn8JO42K7F663X4YoTW7hHTtpAvHqI5i2_Oyu0LgToUDZbQUK7d0AAyEfBshHfwxPekmCr5WWg_KKoqfNX0/s2560/A%20Fate%20Inked%20in%20Blood.jpg" width="265" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 20pt;">A Fate Inked in Blood</span></b><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/www\.goodreads\.com\/book\/show\/51475353-master-of-one\0022 ";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7091823.Danielle_L_Jensen" target="_blank">Danielle L. Jensen</a></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/www\.goodreads\.com\/book\/show\/51475353-master-of-one\0022 ";">(Saga of the Unfated #1)<br /></span></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Publication
Date: February 27, 2024<br /></span></b>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hardcover, 432 pages, Del Rey<br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance<br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165940202-a-fate-inked-in-blood?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=GoGcYrGHw8&rank=1" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><b> </b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.</i></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.</i></span></p><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></span></i>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My Review</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Do you miss shows like <i>Vikings </i>or <i>The Last Kingdom</i>? Are you craving magical worldbuilding with battle axes, shields, and mischievous gods? Then pick up <i>A Fate Inked in Blood</i>. <br /><br /><i>A Fate Inked in Blood</i> starts out a bit slow, as it's setting up the main character, Freya's, bleak life as a fishmonger's wife. And boy, is it depressing. But the story picks up pretty quickly when the jarl come to mess things up and expose all of Freya's secrets. And of course, that's when she meets Bjorn, the fire axe wielding son of the jarl</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Freya is a complicated character. She wants to be a warrior, but she's forced into terrible positions by the men around her due to her loyal nature and desire to protect her undeserving family members. Bjorn, meanwhile, is secretive, but suave. He's got that Hawke/Rhysand personality, but he's a tad more patient; he waits to see how things work out before acting on anything. It was quite frustrating when you are constantly hoping he'll come in and save Freya from all of the terrible situations she's put in. But, he just bides his time. His power is pretty cool, though. I want a fire axe. Freya's shield power is cool too, but it's still a bit of a mystery how her power plays into the king-making prophecy, though I do have some theories for book two.<br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The side characters in this story don't have a ton of dimension to really make them stand out. Snorri is the corrupt jarl</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Ylva is the evil, jealous stepmother type. And Geir is the worthless brother. Everyone else is barely in the story enough to really care about them, which is fine. It's a fantasy romance story, so that makes sense.</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As for the worldbuilding itself, while Jensen used existing Norse gods and concepts, like Thor, Loki, and Valhalla, I think it could've been relatively easy for her to not use them at all and create her own god system. I would have preferred that, honestly. It was a little jarring seeing Thor mentioned midway through the story. I do love the idea of having people blessed with powers given to them by the gods, though. It's really interesting to learn about the different abilities. And the action that results from those powers is intense too. I hope it gets even more ramped up in the sequel.<br /><br />All in all, if you like books like Adrienne Young's <i>Sky in the Deep</i>, Jennifer L. Armentrout's <i>Fall of Ruin and Wrath </i>or <i>From Blood and Ash</i>, or Tricia Levenseller's <i>Warrior of the Wild</i>, then <i>A Fate Inked in Blood</i> is the book for you. There's a solid hate to semi-friends to lovers storyline mixed with forbidden lovers and a very chaotic ending. I'm super excited to see what happens next.</span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEuyGYsQQKnA_nmefh3LD1m0ucEyJd75auHJpBhcXvaZcl2rAswnXKWbf_i1ZI55VODxcPtahVBSc9mgOl2-igi2_MqV6NTxgcw3dJo8DyIUYH7_W807M4Yhx0WeuGCJczHhFgKYVfgXXNjjNEnlyApKkNIDgsnWQWZOhQK7JL83UVxASYkMWK06_d9c/s99/2%20stars.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF95c8bd6TOLBN5TdUGcjuOzHN-pFkkQU7PZso7gBTgeuBrAtYsJPW6E9-wn-HXeACxdn9ITsS5hQhP-1TRERr3PXMdCTJR8Ri3WBjju-hs0PvSumOJtNtDUdI3592foHrKJkP9j5kbTtaRFHvfknfqWqNOwY02YmwXoMDtsS8aUPe5fkx6QrM8CJp5lA/s197/4%20stars.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="59" data-original-width="197" height="59" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF95c8bd6TOLBN5TdUGcjuOzHN-pFkkQU7PZso7gBTgeuBrAtYsJPW6E9-wn-HXeACxdn9ITsS5hQhP-1TRERr3PXMdCTJR8Ri3WBjju-hs0PvSumOJtNtDUdI3592foHrKJkP9j5kbTtaRFHvfknfqWqNOwY02YmwXoMDtsS8aUPe5fkx6QrM8CJp5lA/s1600/4%20stars.png" width="197" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><p></p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;">*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.</span></i></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-79930748484108514682024-02-10T08:00:00.042-06:002024-02-26T09:07:27.794-06:00Stacking the Shelves: The Untitled Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I can't believe February is already almost halfway over when January took 8,000 years. Like last week, I don't think I did much. Just worked, worked out, slept, ate, rinse and repeat. I'm ready to decompress this weekend, though. I plan on finishing up <i>House of Flame and Shadow</i> and taking many naps.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyP4ifNDYV2i2Xjo24HJY5NMHXgbftMJijDNb2rFF3IxTL-2TiFzp7vIXT8cbvo19Tvu57ezXpF6O54o87lP3aGOWuBIc7dt1M3ZNcdqk-Pt36w3jh4SrcMF0kGJJp8GNxHWE2T0kotL_Z3k9owZUTpnXJ-hJuGpO91v4eYcApArvwulcEBZgXAHwrNtk/s4582/20240209_083616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3273" data-original-width="4582" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyP4ifNDYV2i2Xjo24HJY5NMHXgbftMJijDNb2rFF3IxTL-2TiFzp7vIXT8cbvo19Tvu57ezXpF6O54o87lP3aGOWuBIc7dt1M3ZNcdqk-Pt36w3jh4SrcMF0kGJJp8GNxHWE2T0kotL_Z3k9owZUTpnXJ-hJuGpO91v4eYcApArvwulcEBZgXAHwrNtk/w400-h286/20240209_083616.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">My FairyLoot January Adult sub was delivered to my parents' house, and they came by this week and were able to drop it off. The book is <i>The City of Stardust </i>by Georgia Summers, which has an awful cover. Honestly, I think it's just the shiny font. It's giving "Graphic design is my passion." Honestly, the regular cover is prettier, so I'll be turning this one inside out to show the reverse dustjacket. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_7gaIQK2nf1K9bg9uqaRQmNpOIoNSTnYO17I8nX1Hlv1D8uWCST-Y7boh6sEod9pSAOGYPVCyMveKIoX4elwBIU7IEMpwWKfQ8s6O_OfTifhSUoHbkVO_pJon6DAFxAPZn5FSKAc2sAZE2CkzdFvKcwlvEjys_fLmjsS3fPZw4Zhwc1kxKWW1KydF2M/s3072/Phoenix%20Chosen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="2048" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_7gaIQK2nf1K9bg9uqaRQmNpOIoNSTnYO17I8nX1Hlv1D8uWCST-Y7boh6sEod9pSAOGYPVCyMveKIoX4elwBIU7IEMpwWKfQ8s6O_OfTifhSUoHbkVO_pJon6DAFxAPZn5FSKAc2sAZE2CkzdFvKcwlvEjys_fLmjsS3fPZw4Zhwc1kxKWW1KydF2M/w180-h271/Phoenix%20Chosen.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I downloaded what will probably be my last book from Kindle Unlimited, <i>Phoenix Chosen</i> by Ashe Moon, this week. I canceled my KU sub and it ends February 14, I believe. So I need to read this one quickly if I want to get it done before then. I need to read some of my physical books and Amazon is a shady company, so I thought it'd be better to just cancel. If I want an ebook, I can just buy it. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. Let me know what books you have bought/received lately. </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-32818327486814231182024-02-06T08:00:00.077-06:002024-02-06T08:00:00.141-06:00January Wrap-Up & February TBR<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, the first month of 2024 has officially ended, and I feel like I barely did anything worthwhile. I basically just worked and vegged out the entire time. There's more sunshine out now, though, so hopefully that motivates me to get things done. I definitely feel less energized when it's dark outside.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In this wrap-up,
I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received,
and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!<br /></span></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Read in January</span></b></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASz6V1ba1zGkc7444fPxGDlBBW6se2n9wZ20wIYC0X_UbrLQ8348eDs81-j5TpdqS1HUjLlQADhyR6qnvIanXIsxp9SiNnjwhThi0kvlzgSJx8cUO8Bkuo-cpiumm8ckp6xogHjAJWasJcEXc5It1GM5hEs3qW3CJk4Djmh8I6_-pQYlXhQR12OYM2yg/s752/Screenshot%202024-01-01%20161430.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPP-3VN28j5wRIFPfnHWbI0q_3VkzleX8ylbCF418w5M0_iO9oOQ8VAR569xNb7d2pSEHBg4Qze901Aam4hC-DdhVe3lHfKXooZSy2Filk6K50Sef4r1rx6FIN8KZn2DJJ6C5XJYD9musqq9d-_BsU8GxOmftEgbtf1I669hb2P6EGBvyp7wJ0i5xGFuc/s901/Gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="563" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPP-3VN28j5wRIFPfnHWbI0q_3VkzleX8ylbCF418w5M0_iO9oOQ8VAR569xNb7d2pSEHBg4Qze901Aam4hC-DdhVe3lHfKXooZSy2Filk6K50Sef4r1rx6FIN8KZn2DJJ6C5XJYD9musqq9d-_BsU8GxOmftEgbtf1I669hb2P6EGBvyp7wJ0i5xGFuc/w176-h261/Gold.jpg" width="176" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></div>
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Gold:</i> 4 stars</span></span></span></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Another month where I only read one singular book. Good grief. To be fair, it was a long one, but I really need to pull myself together. I've just had such a terrible time with finding books that actually interest me. I want stuff similar to <i>Silver Under Nightfall</i>, <i>Crossing Acheron</i>, and/or the Beautiful Monsters series, but there's nothing really like that that I've been able to find. Again, to be fair, I haven't looked very hard, though. I've been too distracted by TikTok.<br /></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Bought/Received in January</span></b></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSz8G_F-OU1klpCwR0g068rve8F5r9z_UnR0SybV-UKOxL9Iip5iA604e5pmGIysg6fsGKUYCEhRndwAIYB9unFvAiXa5Sff7dT566A2fkDmSq5Qgb_O_IeUARA-O85j5S_Gm-fZnbemR6NXjz0NDVTne7QtMaBA8V4DNdFYuojuaicyi8JLxG7zk-wU/s4624/20231231_132333.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Nuhh1LHIgF0v-lexAuRWiM_8IHj2j3jhiubo71Ug9LB2Qs7As5GgzN0Uv4PY1IOtJ03R_JMPkIGK5F-F9RXNcD9LxtWps-UgUVMB7ypUemHO2ucns0bMeA0NxueWNwmAoGqU8ush3XedTaHzc9hTiPk4QzY6rl0-7PVkgX8Rp2B2mqoH4MInY6TfMGE/s4624/20240202_093342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Nuhh1LHIgF0v-lexAuRWiM_8IHj2j3jhiubo71Ug9LB2Qs7As5GgzN0Uv4PY1IOtJ03R_JMPkIGK5F-F9RXNcD9LxtWps-UgUVMB7ypUemHO2ucns0bMeA0NxueWNwmAoGqU8ush3XedTaHzc9hTiPk4QzY6rl0-7PVkgX8Rp2B2mqoH4MInY6TfMGE/w400-h300/20240202_093342.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></div></div></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">I don't have a ton to talk about this month, thankfully. I've been pretty good at limiting my book orders so far this year. I hope it stays that way, but now that I'm going to ApollyCon, I'm not sure what will happen. I'm volunteering, but still... There's potential for financial disaster. In total in January, I bought four books and received four books, all of which were physical copies.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">All of the books I received in January were FairyLoot preorders. They included the Red Rising trilogy and the December Adult book, <i>Faebound</i> by Saara El-Arifi. I didn't receive any of the books I ordered in January within the month of January, however. They either came in February or are set to come at a later date. Those include two Barnes & Noble orders, <i>Gothikana </i>by RuNyx and <i>House of Flame and Shadow</i> by Sarah J. Maas, and two FairyLoot orders <i>The City of Stardust</i> by Georgia Summers, and <i>Tales of the Celestial Kingdom</i> by Sue Lynn Tan. <i>The City of Stardust</i> was the January monthly book and <i>Tales of the Celestial Kingdom</i> was a preorder. Oh, technically I guess I did receive a copy of <i>Gothikana</i> in January, but it was water damaged, so the replacement version didn't arrive until February.<br /></span></span></span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Currently Obsessed With<br /></span></b></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>I actually have new things to talk about this month! Woohoo! Though I am still watching <i>The Office</i> reruns. No big changes there.</span></span></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDG7DqF_FenSyz5CBaKgkJ1G-w2Cq6zJmJlKrK8GPJu2oasstpGZApjV8-lhKPN5WU0VmtCQq0WeHTsi_HufWutrYf5mRUzhEOu2L5b0KQQI79FAdQ9PdaUMOTIjZgpzFkQea96hvnS9XqHqFCfAZXE7izy0NtPZsuWzoZNoKXazVWHrHn4pYwSc8QgYE/s1600/elf2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNaLNPTR4vvWkbUrMKsta6oNZW3YpqsvZfdVlraM_40n14cQvWk9Y0FWE2m1UDZ7d2syp6veO9b9CoqP85g91quC_QZwjLWYgGp0tgCiWh1yAZN8ZZ4d6gy2OcSf-gLwwrrmSZnEs63wJY5cnlOnnIzZgu-THJcsFrIrdis3GF72mvyv3ZXyKaQ64Jco/s1500/The+Last+Kingdom+S1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1500" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNaLNPTR4vvWkbUrMKsta6oNZW3YpqsvZfdVlraM_40n14cQvWk9Y0FWE2m1UDZ7d2syp6veO9b9CoqP85g91quC_QZwjLWYgGp0tgCiWh1yAZN8ZZ4d6gy2OcSf-gLwwrrmSZnEs63wJY5cnlOnnIzZgu-THJcsFrIrdis3GF72mvyv3ZXyKaQ64Jco/w400-h225/The+Last+Kingdom+S1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></span></span></div><p></p></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I started watching <i>The Last Kingdom </i>on Netflix in mid-January. I'm on the last episode of season one, I believe. I think there are four seasons in total, so at least I have something to watch for a bit. I also binged the entirety of Netflix's <i>The Night Agent </i>with my parents on a random Saturday. We started episode one in the morning and didn't stop watching until we'd finished episode ten at 8 p.m. that night. Oh, and the night before, I'd watched a bit of <i>Queen Charlotte</i> with my mom. She hadn't watched it, so I just introduced her to the series.</span></p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">January TBR</span></b><br /></p></span></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5Enfc8z22c7U9EInT00wc37kgiTIZ2fGA5RC2qL7EJG9K5rABHlO2Z55NNoX3coRaNNBq6B-kOWvQ6GhHiKtMpedaKtmPDzP6i_sqLpJqNkfrf0OtnI8tB-UxdI5f6DI5DLgdm6jVmTHISK1nOI8fg2hr1OIhZ0_Sbay_slCfFel92gJ7UBuJyaNvSY/s423/Screenshot%202024-02-02%20122200.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="276" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5Enfc8z22c7U9EInT00wc37kgiTIZ2fGA5RC2qL7EJG9K5rABHlO2Z55NNoX3coRaNNBq6B-kOWvQ6GhHiKtMpedaKtmPDzP6i_sqLpJqNkfrf0OtnI8tB-UxdI5f6DI5DLgdm6jVmTHISK1nOI8fg2hr1OIhZ0_Sbay_slCfFel92gJ7UBuJyaNvSY/w261-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-02%20122200.png" width="261" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Super big surprise, <i>Charm</i> by Tracy Wolff is on this list. Yes, I still haven't finished it even though it's been like six months. Ugh. I'm going to read it, it's just not calling to me right now. I also need to read <i>A Fate Inked in Blood</i> by Danielle L. Jensen, as it's a NetGalley review ARC, and I need to read <i>House of Flame and Shadow </i>for my book club. <i>The Last Sun</i> by K.D. Edwards is a book I started during a reading slump that I'd also like to finish. I'm almost 100 pages into it.</span><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">***</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Okay, well, that's
the month of January, plus some February sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one
post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><p></p>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-77200833514993073532024-02-03T08:00:00.021-06:002024-02-03T08:00:00.160-06:00Stacking the Shelves: The HOFAS Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's been two weeks since I actually received a book in the mail. That's pretty good. Honestly, I'm hoping to slow down my purchasing a lot in 2024. I don't think that's super realistic for me, but I'm going to pretend to make a good effort at it. As for my regular life, nothing amazing to note there. Just chugging along. Though I was selected as an ApollyCon volunteer for 2024, so that should be fun.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-pYAq_y8JDSZoFmQPCPPMkr7DvzxFpD498Xh5VKU1SgyGfhAHASlSoEnUMTHORbh6lb03HmEdntHh_W_Z06O2-1HOty2v_dvGjI5qqfH_G6K5qxDMyJ5Ad8U5PXhYqKtC9m3PBDCB5KOc4852NiYrTLROzF77dzFoIjjoWzTBECTLHokkiPE1q1xIV4/s4624/20240202_093222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-pYAq_y8JDSZoFmQPCPPMkr7DvzxFpD498Xh5VKU1SgyGfhAHASlSoEnUMTHORbh6lb03HmEdntHh_W_Z06O2-1HOty2v_dvGjI5qqfH_G6K5qxDMyJ5Ad8U5PXhYqKtC9m3PBDCB5KOc4852NiYrTLROzF77dzFoIjjoWzTBECTLHokkiPE1q1xIV4/w400-h300/20240202_093222.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">So I kind of lied. I did actually get a book last week, but it was damaged in transit (stupid, rain), so I had to get a replacement. That was <i>Gothikana</i> by RuNyx. My copy not only was completely soaked through, but it also had a major dent on the bottom that had likely occurred before the book was even packaged. Yeesh. B&N, pull yourself together. But, they sent me a replacement that looks great, so I can't complain too much. My copy of <i>House of Flame and Shadow </i>also arrived. It's freakin' ginormous. Ugh. I don't even want to read it just because it's so long and I know it'll take SJM five more years to get book four out. Boooooo... <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. Let me know what books you have bought/received lately. </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-72282716521537038862024-01-21T08:00:00.067-06:002024-01-21T08:00:00.152-06:00Review: Calamity by Constance Fay<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1uBEO50tVYx_A_XQtrB_Aem4trGYRlm-sp2qi3lAKd8ZPzOL4SiPdbEv8fzEDsctuEKcwYI1UjdLdVu9llaPPEZRTxQtAgyJp47H-nrVlexoc3QI_FihIomD7-kKrqiRjtCUCI8ModYXvhb6O4yCqZlZTrt9aJDYXXUTHLXL8MLnbCkuXXgWsmLTNjY/s2475/Calamity.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1uBEO50tVYx_A_XQtrB_Aem4trGYRlm-sp2qi3lAKd8ZPzOL4SiPdbEv8fzEDsctuEKcwYI1UjdLdVu9llaPPEZRTxQtAgyJp47H-nrVlexoc3QI_FihIomD7-kKrqiRjtCUCI8ModYXvhb6O4yCqZlZTrt9aJDYXXUTHLXL8MLnbCkuXXgWsmLTNjY/s2475/Calamity.jpg" width="265" /></a> <b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 20pt;">Calamity</span></b>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/www\.goodreads\.com\/book\/show\/51475353-master-of-one\0022 ";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22164322.Constance_Fay" target="_blank">Constance Fay</a></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/www\.goodreads\.com\/book\/show\/51475353-master-of-one\0022 ";">(Uncharted Hearts #1)<br /></span></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Publication
Date: November 14, 2023<br /></span></b>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Paperback, 320 pages, Bramble<br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Genres: Adult, Sci-Fi, Romance<br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127281916-calamity?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=sCc8XQYfqc&rank=6" target="_blank"><b>Goodreads</b></a></div><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i><br /></i></span><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Bramble's inaugural debut is equal parts steamy interstellar romance and sci-fi adventure, perfect for fans of Firefly and Ilona Andrews.</i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i> </i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>She’s got a ramshackle spaceship, a misfit crew, and a big problem with its sexy newest member…</i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i> </i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Temperance Reed, banished from the wealthy and dangerous Fifteen Families, just wants to keep her crew together after their feckless captain ran off with the intern. But she’s drowning in debt and revolutionary new engine technology is about to make her beloved ship obsolete.</i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i> </i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Enter Arcadio Escajeda. Second child of the terrifying Escajeda Family, he’s the thorn in Temper’s side as they’re sent off on a scouting mission on the backwater desert planet of Herschel 2. They throw sparks every time they meet but Temper’s suspicions of his ulterior motives only serve to fuel the flames between them.</i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i> </i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Despite volcanic eruptions, secret cultists, and deadly galactic fighters, the greatest threat on this mission may be to Temper’s heart.</i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></span></i>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My Review</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Constance Fay's <i>Calamity</i> is a good book for fans of<i> </i>Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman's Starbound trilogy as well as some of the cheesier Sy-Fy space television shows that are addicting but ridiculous at the same time. Unfortunately, <i>Calamity</i> for me was a bit of a miss, but I could see some people having fun with it, especially for readers who like lighter romances with a decent amount of worldbuilding. <br /><br />So the main character, Temperance Reed, has been kicked out of her rich family and is now the captain of a ship. Her and her crew take on an odd job involving another rich family, and one of the sons of said family, Arcadio, tags along for the trip. Temperance's personality wasn't super mature. Her inner dialogue and even conversations with other characters just weren't funny. The banter was really juvenile, in my opinion. And I feel like that's what the story and the romance was leaning on: being a light-hearted, funny, space romance. Honestly, it was just kind of weird and awkward. Arcadio also never really got a chance to move beyond "hot solder" designation. The supposedly "romantic" and "sexy" scenes did not hit.<br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The action for this story was decent. The conflict between the main characters and the cult group and another evil rich family was intriguing, but it didn't make up for the lackluster chemistry between the two leads. There was no real tension between the two; it was a bit insta-lovey/lusty. With some cheesiness thrown in. Some of the descriptions towards the end were also a little hard to follow. The writing got a little clunky.<br /><br />Overall, <i>Calamity</i> didn't hit like I thought it would. I expected worldbuilding on the scale of <i>The Expanse </i>with a romance story similar to ACOTAR or FBAA, as this is published by a sci-fi/fantasy romance imprint. I think my expectations were too high. However, don't let that stop you from reading it. It could be a nice palette cleanser between heavier romantasy stories.</span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEuyGYsQQKnA_nmefh3LD1m0ucEyJd75auHJpBhcXvaZcl2rAswnXKWbf_i1ZI55VODxcPtahVBSc9mgOl2-igi2_MqV6NTxgcw3dJo8DyIUYH7_W807M4Yhx0WeuGCJczHhFgKYVfgXXNjjNEnlyApKkNIDgsnWQWZOhQK7JL83UVxASYkMWK06_d9c/s99/2%20stars.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="59" data-original-width="99" height="59" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEuyGYsQQKnA_nmefh3LD1m0ucEyJd75auHJpBhcXvaZcl2rAswnXKWbf_i1ZI55VODxcPtahVBSc9mgOl2-igi2_MqV6NTxgcw3dJo8DyIUYH7_W807M4Yhx0WeuGCJczHhFgKYVfgXXNjjNEnlyApKkNIDgsnWQWZOhQK7JL83UVxASYkMWK06_d9c/s1600/2%20stars.png" width="99" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><p></p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;">*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.</span></i></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-37533471664391351132024-01-16T08:00:00.000-06:002024-01-16T08:00:00.135-06:00My Most Anticipated 2024 Sequels<div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">There are A LOT of 2024 book releases I'm looking forward to, and my top 10 changes each day based on what genre I'm in the mood to read. But I also noticed a lot of my most anticipated books are sequels, so I'm making two separate posts for my most anticipated books (similar to what I did last year). This is the list of sequels. Later, I'll post my list of books by authors I haven't read before/new releases/start of series by authors I've read before. It's a working title. Ha ha.<br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For your reading pleasure, here are my ten most anticipated sequels of 2024. There are a few honorable mentions that I couldn't fit in the list. They include <i>Father Material </i>by Alexis Hall (disappointed with book two, so this didn't make it higher on the list), <i>The Ashfire King</i> by Chelsea Abdullah (just didn't fit in the list), <i>Red God </i>by Pierce Brown<i> </i>(skeptical this will release in 2024), and <i>Court of Wanderers </i>by Rin Chupeco (already read and reviewed)<i>.</i><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">***<br /><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghgeeIpAzw-xitcqwr02OMxN-9nWzPRhpD7Dcq_7d_jUSrkKXPps38GPkWBwl7nMZkipnrLOd2E1T49hPziXsnwkYEoGWd67Xr8ZCD2vW7M9m8kEg_e2AEPhTdz_Z7G_YZ488nq8mQhKuUpWurBHeC406UfYg8BLqJ9Nnkc3JA6W5NnsWnBHPnKnc1=s182" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="182" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghgeeIpAzw-xitcqwr02OMxN-9nWzPRhpD7Dcq_7d_jUSrkKXPps38GPkWBwl7nMZkipnrLOd2E1T49hPziXsnwkYEoGWd67Xr8ZCD2vW7M9m8kEg_e2AEPhTdz_Z7G_YZ488nq8mQhKuUpWurBHeC406UfYg8BLqJ9Nnkc3JA6W5NnsWnBHPnKnc1" width="182" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6i_-63Q-6d-6k7Gpl4bP6inblIiCM-MuhypKYhaOKk4rpz-jHAVe2qU5heapGCTs6oQt8RC8GWbgLdTJoiTm6yP-Fk6rEh_c_-684zMzTWL95sUZlHOmytCTNvKZ6HdEH2l0XvG96a85fKOwXQIkOLcFXDjy-hVeilyzDgeQHoZkV9GRrPE9yBrn5tI8/s400/The%20Exiled%20Fleet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6i_-63Q-6d-6k7Gpl4bP6inblIiCM-MuhypKYhaOKk4rpz-jHAVe2qU5heapGCTs6oQt8RC8GWbgLdTJoiTm6yP-Fk6rEh_c_-684zMzTWL95sUZlHOmytCTNvKZ6HdEH2l0XvG96a85fKOwXQIkOLcFXDjy-hVeilyzDgeQHoZkV9GRrPE9yBrn5tI8/w133-h200/The%20Exiled%20Fleet.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Relentless Legion by J.S. Dewes<br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Honestly, I had to take <i>The Ashfire King</i> out of the Top 10 when <i>The Relentless Legion </i>was officially announced in December. Literally days after I'd just wrote my Most Anticipated list. Ugh. Why does that always happen? But yeah, I forgot this series is still ongoing. I loved book one, and book two, <i>The Exiled Fleet</i>, was good, but it's been so long, I just hope I remember everything for <i>The Relentless Legion</i>.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwKJH1AAD97FBo1a6qs4GoI7PeP8EG3Mf-gFNsyqwgg5zrhOT-5vBulNxLqFsCxWQvhUiANc0sn_kZuC1fODRRn9OzIslsdCYxq2t3fQ7t_XulVkTLWewzjq830uzsz9hi1q_FNoggThnAM05nUcNLIWIacpQkp6Errpi94YedKQWqy3wy9Qb0BmSL=s169" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="169" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwKJH1AAD97FBo1a6qs4GoI7PeP8EG3Mf-gFNsyqwgg5zrhOT-5vBulNxLqFsCxWQvhUiANc0sn_kZuC1fODRRn9OzIslsdCYxq2t3fQ7t_XulVkTLWewzjq830uzsz9hi1q_FNoggThnAM05nUcNLIWIacpQkp6Errpi94YedKQWqy3wy9Qb0BmSL" width="169" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxY6rID2Nde5OHSOXTHI8kqKZh3FvyYBOjGszyyCwqeyvKqRv6wwUPo7a5Aqpo-ee_JuUVUg2Xy9Jm7bDTqmrA7Rrf-PEbw8ehZ8Lfr3YTA-cFETNvX1M0aEKD40V9H47a6j0bQu4Uxli4GV3ZAP9wzscKgjtiD9JOYFz5uKYYkdofQV93pi3o_V9wl4/s400/Spice%20Road.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxY6rID2Nde5OHSOXTHI8kqKZh3FvyYBOjGszyyCwqeyvKqRv6wwUPo7a5Aqpo-ee_JuUVUg2Xy9Jm7bDTqmrA7Rrf-PEbw8ehZ8Lfr3YTA-cFETNvX1M0aEKD40V9H47a6j0bQu4Uxli4GV3ZAP9wzscKgjtiD9JOYFz5uKYYkdofQV93pi3o_V9wl4/w132-h200/Spice%20Road.jpg" width="132" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Serpent Sea by Maiya Ibrahim<br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is the only YA book on my list. Wow. That's so weird to think about. But <i>Serpent Sea</i> is the sequel to <i>Spice Road</i>, which I loved back when I read it in 2022. It's taken forever to get the sequel, so I'm excited that it seems like it'll actually release in 2024.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFthHlsJ4yddXiAu99KicI7v_x0f0SuY1WWw8m98xOGNbUEDEICoEY2B5c1fYPCkOFx04IdNX4dP8YE3uBlQfXWYuR7NOBug3mdqLbPsLJJTirGsh7jVWEKG9lOEdVSCJl2-M-OTBjzyUZuwCPXj2mI6Ch3EPFS4Hpu5pZvZVK4zRURS_I4XzlvvS1=s166" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="37" data-original-width="166" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFthHlsJ4yddXiAu99KicI7v_x0f0SuY1WWw8m98xOGNbUEDEICoEY2B5c1fYPCkOFx04IdNX4dP8YE3uBlQfXWYuR7NOBug3mdqLbPsLJJTirGsh7jVWEKG9lOEdVSCJl2-M-OTBjzyUZuwCPXj2mI6Ch3EPFS4Hpu5pZvZVK4zRURS_I4XzlvvS1" width="166" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnP16rFO1wEXdAYDCCAbe76jGD0CL4G2zj2X8AYLYuk6-xUrNrC7u-zzjGQJ4N-cKiJdMS-Opmcof5rxHSRXHt4fJDxyODPHFZgmw5IE-SjFLifnul7SCO7Z9n85ExK3U_l1yv1yExKzstQpqeC3hiCS2L1kCJ9ORqbxXZP4RRxqmpndUaRKx8_tss5rA/s346/Kingdom%20of%20the%20Forgotten.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnP16rFO1wEXdAYDCCAbe76jGD0CL4G2zj2X8AYLYuk6-xUrNrC7u-zzjGQJ4N-cKiJdMS-Opmcof5rxHSRXHt4fJDxyODPHFZgmw5IE-SjFLifnul7SCO7Z9n85ExK3U_l1yv1yExKzstQpqeC3hiCS2L1kCJ9ORqbxXZP4RRxqmpndUaRKx8_tss5rA/w133-h200/Kingdom%20of%20the%20Forgotten.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Kingdom of the Forgotten & A Gods' War by Charissa Weeks</b></span><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The fourth and fifth books in the Witch Walker series are both supposed to release in 2024. Will they? Who knows. <i>Kingdom of the Forgotten</i> comes out in April, though, so it should release then for sure. I've read books one and two, so I'm just waiting for the rest of the series to come out before re-reading and bingeing.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrobEI8x80FnIS03vMmY8Hf3-Bqd7trbUYmZdH5LoK9lGQt_3Y6KpjTtQRaZ9yCM7vIYrkvBdNDN-BrpzV_AtcDT3U1P7pXMxNP7WNRhfP2zGLXBfdXZzn67unV1LWNP-iimeg864db-HPxFUV4OUCEGp60bSobDHrhGjbjz22Db_lK5KIodR8O6WI=s165" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="37" data-original-width="165" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrobEI8x80FnIS03vMmY8Hf3-Bqd7trbUYmZdH5LoK9lGQt_3Y6KpjTtQRaZ9yCM7vIYrkvBdNDN-BrpzV_AtcDT3U1P7pXMxNP7WNRhfP2zGLXBfdXZzn67unV1LWNP-iimeg864db-HPxFUV4OUCEGp60bSobDHrhGjbjz22Db_lK5KIodR8O6WI" width="165" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGAVdh162w8YLxzhNthNPsKBEoadGU6R1uJA3uAJzkchGtFZq4Alw4U26JvqApwnN1gNlJpq7-EGMjwDL-yHHHeVfMrSunUvyLAt9jtprtVf2frH31VK0HHsarRaYr_0tvzKfX_oiWzHJQYsNiAda3gsGpmHWE0Md65ZAiBMdrK1M3X_KPoSQaroEGsA/s945/The%20Midnight%20Kingdom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="630" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGAVdh162w8YLxzhNthNPsKBEoadGU6R1uJA3uAJzkchGtFZq4Alw4U26JvqApwnN1gNlJpq7-EGMjwDL-yHHHeVfMrSunUvyLAt9jtprtVf2frH31VK0HHsarRaYr_0tvzKfX_oiWzHJQYsNiAda3gsGpmHWE0Md65ZAiBMdrK1M3X_KPoSQaroEGsA/w133-h200/The%20Midnight%20Kingdom.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Dawn Throne by Tara Sim<br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm honestly not sure if this book will release in 2024. Goodreads says it will, but I believe <i>The Midnight Kingdom </i>was also supposed to release within a year of the first book, and it got pushed back. I'm hoping this one won't, because I would like to reread book one and then binge the entire trilogy. No cover yet for <i>The Dawn Throne</i>, FYI.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuf1t4Nj3siwMZ05MqMZ6S0yW5xJJA7uoe0mGsIX4NIiGcN0cLrqnHT2k0VcSUhBXtE46sn3am0gbigSBEG8n6PJyjoQslKkZ-Gw2p2mIQA1x64pso4QgaeIWMP26MWXNKkm0ODjcd5XlWIQeSB9GWwfibT-VHCla_B-5---o7Psxr9Bb4udfukhwN=s166" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="37" data-original-width="166" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuf1t4Nj3siwMZ05MqMZ6S0yW5xJJA7uoe0mGsIX4NIiGcN0cLrqnHT2k0VcSUhBXtE46sn3am0gbigSBEG8n6PJyjoQslKkZ-Gw2p2mIQA1x64pso4QgaeIWMP26MWXNKkm0ODjcd5XlWIQeSB9GWwfibT-VHCla_B-5---o7Psxr9Bb4udfukhwN" width="166" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQsOSAbGfhTY_EUTTe0uEnGMnFv-RK72Y9cChOc5OsJ51gr-IkW_nXnOFLO21oAHjxapO4kseJKr-e5N1p1VrkP9lKydxyEeD-avztem1xOC3Ots_oZWoi6riZ4wtM_ZbD5ihkBD61zfECLbpHHUKwMlwAhGNldNp3XxPL0JPdblkDCZGoRIQWLQhVUQ/s582/Somewhere%20Beyond%20the%20Sea.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="375" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQsOSAbGfhTY_EUTTe0uEnGMnFv-RK72Y9cChOc5OsJ51gr-IkW_nXnOFLO21oAHjxapO4kseJKr-e5N1p1VrkP9lKydxyEeD-avztem1xOC3Ots_oZWoi6riZ4wtM_ZbD5ihkBD61zfECLbpHHUKwMlwAhGNldNp3XxPL0JPdblkDCZGoRIQWLQhVUQ/w129-h200/Somewhere%20Beyond%20the%20Sea.png" width="129" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune<br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Book one, <i>The House in the Cerulean Sea</i>, was one of my favorite reads a few years ago, so I'm excited TJ Klune wrote a sequel. I am super nervous, however, that it seems to follow Arthur's POV instead of Linus's. I don't like POV shifts in series unless they're companion stories.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic1N6mnP-hmHXwAzm-nhxPTELkjjNnlNBfoPPX3eUAG4j1gEQIVDdPfG60oxjQ3gyxK_Yuq3vAxI-wmjvGON_HY_iQ-TEm--AR55xejJ8ddxQtcLWZk8fGURVnXcFk5ygNGC8h-kEJse363nhRZGQauXQFLvtCECQbVamzn3cptI4pPzS2HP59VNMB=s166" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="166" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic1N6mnP-hmHXwAzm-nhxPTELkjjNnlNBfoPPX3eUAG4j1gEQIVDdPfG60oxjQ3gyxK_Yuq3vAxI-wmjvGON_HY_iQ-TEm--AR55xejJ8ddxQtcLWZk8fGURVnXcFk5ygNGC8h-kEJse363nhRZGQauXQFLvtCECQbVamzn3cptI4pPzS2HP59VNMB" width="166" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1akjG06y3sSN9sbn710frFcx8KIWUZoYMoOU1h4TnGk-2Si8BvuA4GzEynLbuN3X4y9srsgjAT5EM2rP10JkCSqIucGjJhV8IMdNQGZF3mYXtxA1NpWwLBTTlVi7Fh5Turnhyphenhyphenufw8OMaStLbxl-6CcaOmP0Qdwsu5brAnfHcdnNHFVmVTphqFtawRJz4/s400/Goldfinch%20temporary.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="279" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1akjG06y3sSN9sbn710frFcx8KIWUZoYMoOU1h4TnGk-2Si8BvuA4GzEynLbuN3X4y9srsgjAT5EM2rP10JkCSqIucGjJhV8IMdNQGZF3mYXtxA1NpWwLBTTlVi7Fh5Turnhyphenhyphenufw8OMaStLbxl-6CcaOmP0Qdwsu5brAnfHcdnNHFVmVTphqFtawRJz4/w139-h200/Goldfinch%20temporary.jpg" width="139" /></a></div></div></div></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goldfinch by Raven Kennedy</span></b><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is the last book in the Plated Prisoner series. Have I read <i>Gold</i>, book five, yet? Nope. Do I know the wait for this one will be hard on my nerves? Yep. I'm fairly sure Raven Kennedy is going to write a spinoff book about some of the characters, from what she hinted at in a livestream once. But I'm not sure which characters that will follow. So yeah, <i>Goldfinch</i> will be bittersweet.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMrC352_PkzqHvaRMST7WyUJvaJylsQsziTCuFMm3fdtgHH5qqP35rrT-QCadsebwyCXmNBuGGvKv3BeXzuMru-vgMFc-_bmIk9AkjLnspoXySXcMDGotX2lO5YkmOrRqkkW1Iqei_AA9YbQ52VpBcSrYZ-m_gwvtbckXOhiP-ZZ4HH0zeU45VRjQg=s168" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="36" data-original-width="168" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMrC352_PkzqHvaRMST7WyUJvaJylsQsziTCuFMm3fdtgHH5qqP35rrT-QCadsebwyCXmNBuGGvKv3BeXzuMru-vgMFc-_bmIk9AkjLnspoXySXcMDGotX2lO5YkmOrRqkkW1Iqei_AA9YbQ52VpBcSrYZ-m_gwvtbckXOhiP-ZZ4HH0zeU45VRjQg" width="168" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21ohyphenhyphenLyOtKdqt7RSW1xLq92r9d8IW1sn6zDr1L_qJRaH_BHX1ELzcJQ8cZnoSEMRkQ5sGsif876nxILUIlXcxfyGRm99eSsGAdReO0Ag6GcpiHDuwgBQMqTcecu-YPBYFBo8NV3ewVx9l-HfaM602sfr7SANsxiXUuDooi7ZaeEMm8MbNNkD47YwvAjg/s522/Honey%20Cut.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="348" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21ohyphenhyphenLyOtKdqt7RSW1xLq92r9d8IW1sn6zDr1L_qJRaH_BHX1ELzcJQ8cZnoSEMRkQ5sGsif876nxILUIlXcxfyGRm99eSsGAdReO0Ag6GcpiHDuwgBQMqTcecu-YPBYFBo8NV3ewVx9l-HfaM602sfr7SANsxiXUuDooi7ZaeEMm8MbNNkD47YwvAjg/w133-h200/Honey%20Cut.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Honey Cut by Sierra Simone</span></b><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I read the first book, <i>Salt Kiss</i> back in September, and it was absolutely addicting. I couldn't stop reading. I am worried, however, because the first book followed one character's POV, and the sequel switches POV. I hope the other character gets some chapters, though. I don't like the female main character as much as I like the narrator from book one. I'm also worried because I read another series by this author and things started getting wonky in book two, so I DNF'd the entire series after that. I hope that's not the case for this trilogy.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqfEmnE5pTNYD5JvtmI2o4ocoKV0fekhd5z1ZRHAjjX8RuPjvYKBUGecmChS8R-RKf1gCcODbd_9SVX6NXwzOwoOhBYz6XbACT0PmJBgMRT55HIZGsWGhQBU6wPuHjJSM66dE2hlo9JuB9HBwisFL6cHF5oimlc9yg3VlPXvUQTs3NQsBgdFlQfX3g=s167" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="36" data-original-width="167" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqfEmnE5pTNYD5JvtmI2o4ocoKV0fekhd5z1ZRHAjjX8RuPjvYKBUGecmChS8R-RKf1gCcODbd_9SVX6NXwzOwoOhBYz6XbACT0PmJBgMRT55HIZGsWGhQBU6wPuHjJSM66dE2hlo9JuB9HBwisFL6cHF5oimlc9yg3VlPXvUQTs3NQsBgdFlQfX3g" width="167" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJCdIBIWTJamFkBEiAKpQe-3l9ok-zAGZdZ9kCa2dnKde6Mlx3LRhzyArv66YBZNyL9JRHetW4-MlieO5L0A0sdDTqckOCmvGI8pxDw0kNDzJGnDRto7evy6i7Fy7woyF44wS1R53WB5EHhMEnWxbHutrM9T5T_bxvAJHZceDzVPez5zGY8b1cN_hBCc/s500/Crossing%20Acheron.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJCdIBIWTJamFkBEiAKpQe-3l9ok-zAGZdZ9kCa2dnKde6Mlx3LRhzyArv66YBZNyL9JRHetW4-MlieO5L0A0sdDTqckOCmvGI8pxDw0kNDzJGnDRto7evy6i7Fy7woyF44wS1R53WB5EHhMEnWxbHutrM9T5T_bxvAJHZceDzVPez5zGY8b1cN_hBCc/w133-h200/Crossing%20Acheron.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Hare Underneath by H.G. Birde</b></span><br /></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I read <i>Crossing Acheron</i> this past summer, and it was awesome! So addicting, with a dubious dark romance and wicked paranormal creatures. I'm very excited for book two which I think is supposed to release in June 2024. But, like all of my top three, it doesn't have a cover yet. <br /><br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLRT8ZJ38XrPu-HUbqClPE7ZLCLvlZ8JSvKRQxdpJHZPxsBlaZsR4UNQAnOv5l2mebpfWCpwkfKiePyH85PH6VvwAxDSNtGZvvi4SXtWE8_b3tRCX-bVJXpurIn_FD8tQD6DotIERKU1kWsqMye48n6DA4uITEiAXKFyxHxjIKCJnbJY6egZAxTRU6=s165" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="37" data-original-width="165" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLRT8ZJ38XrPu-HUbqClPE7ZLCLvlZ8JSvKRQxdpJHZPxsBlaZsR4UNQAnOv5l2mebpfWCpwkfKiePyH85PH6VvwAxDSNtGZvvi4SXtWE8_b3tRCX-bVJXpurIn_FD8tQD6DotIERKU1kWsqMye48n6DA4uITEiAXKFyxHxjIKCJnbJY6egZAxTRU6" width="165" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnvSny67-ZQoyP3G0_Z5-71oOMOERC_ImHX2ou9b5J8EQsTaXB7OZziBT7cLrdsjG4IoKiRzwxgVbrHBM9xpM-xE8T0kK75AAeYC87fQOkYSufkhDIpQjWGmc78jWh8C9XpJXXDi0Zmbiet5X2-CUv5gfjim3zblLr_ItxVmXZk4I65_Z0jT28VhjLCk/s2500/ZA%209%20temporary.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="1563" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnvSny67-ZQoyP3G0_Z5-71oOMOERC_ImHX2ou9b5J8EQsTaXB7OZziBT7cLrdsjG4IoKiRzwxgVbrHBM9xpM-xE8T0kK75AAeYC87fQOkYSufkhDIpQjWGmc78jWh8C9XpJXXDi0Zmbiet5X2-CUv5gfjim3zblLr_ItxVmXZk4I65_Z0jT28VhjLCk/w125-h200/ZA%209%20temporary.jpg" width="125" /></a></div></div></div></div></b></div></span></b></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Zodiac Academy 9 by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti<br /><br /></span></b>GAH! This series! It's so frustrating and addicting, and I just want more, but I don't want it to end, but I also do want it to end with happily ever afters for everyone. Ugh. This last book is supposed to release in April, so if I can't go to ApollyCon, at least I can read a book in one of my favorite series as consolation. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-IP9yQl1qXqedrNVoBC41X2zc__o_jGeGLBWFs3v_NXkGGO6uwNoPEm0PLVvPLNzPnhp37S8hwEQV33M_GRCkeu4PdfPb03ABZsJKSZeDYTy0dlSmaxc1hDp1DJjX0luBHbbej6nw8V2uFJZesi7fhRSecGptwgK5vK9f4nMsYSQ9X-OH36kzgbfQ=s164" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="39" data-original-width="164" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-IP9yQl1qXqedrNVoBC41X2zc__o_jGeGLBWFs3v_NXkGGO6uwNoPEm0PLVvPLNzPnhp37S8hwEQV33M_GRCkeu4PdfPb03ABZsJKSZeDYTy0dlSmaxc1hDp1DJjX0luBHbbej6nw8V2uFJZesi7fhRSecGptwgK5vK9f4nMsYSQ9X-OH36kzgbfQ" width="164" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3U55js1tfcBi7tXObimMnvjRIDGsTzKPp43DV6EhzqAsKEFw4F_-PYMnfvurMimQ9tLuT7gwb9E9_Lu7ASPRNuNxlfr_8GfHhTPUZkXO4BGdovBP9n2Ij2oC0p_6mcOtg0oMLlA64PIw8xBn93Uwf4YDwPKVAkD9pcxC4itgJaHqUA8nQheh-c88s7E/s2500/Visions%20of%20Flesh%20and%20Blood.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="1667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3U55js1tfcBi7tXObimMnvjRIDGsTzKPp43DV6EhzqAsKEFw4F_-PYMnfvurMimQ9tLuT7gwb9E9_Lu7ASPRNuNxlfr_8GfHhTPUZkXO4BGdovBP9n2Ij2oC0p_6mcOtg0oMLlA64PIw8xBn93Uwf4YDwPKVAkD9pcxC4itgJaHqUA8nQheh-c88s7E/s320/Visions%20of%20Flesh%20and%20Blood.jpg" width="213" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Visions of Flesh and Blood & Primal of Blood and Bone by Jennifer L. Armentrout<br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm cheating and putting two books because <i>Visions</i> isn't a full book. It's a compendium of series information. Also, it's my most anticipated book for the first half of 2024, while <i>Primal </i>(no cover yet) will likely be my most anticipated for the last half. If it releases this year. It's supposed to be the final book in the Blood and Ash world through Poppy's POV, but I don't think that'll be the case. JLA said that for the third book in the Flesh and Fire series too, and look how that turned out!<br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">***</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Alright, there you
have it. My most anticipated 2024 sequels. What 2024 books are you looking forward to? Let me know in the
comments section.</span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-23978180873246239932024-01-13T08:00:00.112-06:002024-01-13T08:00:00.149-06:00Stacking the Shelves: The December FairyLoot Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I don't even know what to say anymore. I could say my week has been fine. That I've gone to work like normal. Gone to the gym. Gone out to eat with my family to celebrate my sister's birthday. But then I think about the people in Palestine, the people in Congo, and now the people in Yemen who are suffering because of evil people and evil corporations, and it's hard to feel like my week has been fine. Why is the solution to every problem violence? Governments should be above this. It's sick.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm going to share the books I got this month with you, because that's what this blog is for: books. But please know that books and reading are very low in my mental space right now. It's really hard to be excited about a hobby you used to love with war on the horizon. It's also awful to see people who have read books like <i>The Hunger Games </i>and<i> The Poppy War</i> just do/say nothing in the face of injustice. So yeah... Here are the books.</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb_kgYTNcWsfKKh85zCMzUVryEX6Fwd_i7sPovbu5ganR0s954SGTzhnonM_pt2OXGJLVW4I0COR1ZBRVVJ9WttYTi4Vt6s0EuzM0ECiBNbzm9fpluSvd7fS7WC77QVhxsLx32jz58pd61Jm-IDKhUrIhsNNG6NLGKL1qYw7keImXOfZH5BaSNgcaSIA/s4624/20240112_085740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb_kgYTNcWsfKKh85zCMzUVryEX6Fwd_i7sPovbu5ganR0s954SGTzhnonM_pt2OXGJLVW4I0COR1ZBRVVJ9WttYTi4Vt6s0EuzM0ECiBNbzm9fpluSvd7fS7WC77QVhxsLx32jz58pd61Jm-IDKhUrIhsNNG6NLGKL1qYw7keImXOfZH5BaSNgcaSIA/w400-h300/20240112_085740.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">My FairyLoot edition of <i>Faebound</i> by Saara El-Arifi. This book sounds like it'll be great, and the edition is so pretty. I actually prefer this one over the Goldsboro purple edition, and I normally love purple. I just think Goldsboro went a little overboard with the purple. Also, I do have to mention that FairyLoot went under fire for their support of an author that supposedly writes pro-Isr@el messages. I have not read the book, so I do not know this for sure. I'm disappointed FairyLoot is continuing to sell the book with what is going on in Palestine right now, but I am choosing, in this instance, to believe that the author and publisher were contacted and expressed views that did not support Isr@el, either truthfully or lying so the book would continue to be sold by FairyLoot. I do hope FairyLoot was not lied to. I will be watching the situation closely to see if canceling my subscription is best. <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFOQMTz7E584yOSGW5YSW84MksraamMdveTQcdMGoXQ3EEWKBx0s89nuf55FHAdV1-Ss3jMTDoBK0cB6KZoAWQqtS7c8SZBAcy-CTmZxO1sDEpmR3m6WIF785vIuebHtIolseZ4DxosEblMwl8wemFS-KmDgtyij7VwYUvB4o_X173tJzMXRP7lvdpnI/s4624/20240112_085853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFOQMTz7E584yOSGW5YSW84MksraamMdveTQcdMGoXQ3EEWKBx0s89nuf55FHAdV1-Ss3jMTDoBK0cB6KZoAWQqtS7c8SZBAcy-CTmZxO1sDEpmR3m6WIF785vIuebHtIolseZ4DxosEblMwl8wemFS-KmDgtyij7VwYUvB4o_X173tJzMXRP7lvdpnI/w400-h300/20240112_085853.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I received another FairyLoot order. This is a series set from another author that is under fire for Isr@el views. I will not mention their name here. I purchased this before the news came out. I personally did not see the post/story on Instagram, so I don't know what the content was. Right now, I am being optimistic and hoping the author shared the Isr@el propaganda out of simple misinformation. It's sad to say, but there are a lot of lies out there right now, and sometimes we as American citizens don't take the time to look into things before posting. I am 100% guilty of this as well. Like with the FairyLoot situation, I will keep an eye on this situation. I, perhaps naively, want to believe that any author who writes about overcoming injustice would not side with an oppressor as large-scale as what we're seeing right now. I truly hope none of them do. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. Sorry this post was a bit more depressing than normal. The world is on fire right now. Please cheer me up and let me know what books you have bought/received lately. </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-50344297158496677432024-01-11T08:00:00.003-06:002024-01-11T08:00:00.367-06:00My Top 10 Books of 2023<div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Another year over, which means another barrage of Top 10 lists for January. This list is for my top 10 reads of 2022. I read 101 books in 2023. That's great! I'm hoping to do similar numbers in 2023, but as long as I get over 50, I think I'll be fine. <br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Enough of the future talk though, let's take a look at the past. In this top 10 you'll notice a theme of fantasy/paranormal books. Only one contemporary allowed. Ha ha. And unlike previous years, most of these books are solid where they are at, meaning their rank doesn't change based on my mood. It was a decent reading year for racking up some favorites, so let's get started.<br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">***<br /><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghgeeIpAzw-xitcqwr02OMxN-9nWzPRhpD7Dcq_7d_jUSrkKXPps38GPkWBwl7nMZkipnrLOd2E1T49hPziXsnwkYEoGWd67Xr8ZCD2vW7M9m8kEg_e2AEPhTdz_Z7G_YZ488nq8mQhKuUpWurBHeC406UfYg8BLqJ9Nnkc3JA6W5NnsWnBHPnKnc1=s182" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="182" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghgeeIpAzw-xitcqwr02OMxN-9nWzPRhpD7Dcq_7d_jUSrkKXPps38GPkWBwl7nMZkipnrLOd2E1T49hPziXsnwkYEoGWd67Xr8ZCD2vW7M9m8kEg_e2AEPhTdz_Z7G_YZ488nq8mQhKuUpWurBHeC406UfYg8BLqJ9Nnkc3JA6W5NnsWnBHPnKnc1" width="182" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVqCekX0dy34KGf-zr5LT8ZpD3Ko5Z1dl3WA9ZuKy9JRRQUGnt9S-fjAeNx5r9k8dJhU1r8bHEqOGqpEjD6emFRuTsY5hngVsgtXLMaLio8A0mPl9NUSfkslTsdi7yLEGQDiiKoy3jEm0dULZaNnfqeCskJXUIK_arVbkw67FJ-E3LLM4paf8WxIXQT8/s452/A%20River%20Enchanted.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVqCekX0dy34KGf-zr5LT8ZpD3Ko5Z1dl3WA9ZuKy9JRRQUGnt9S-fjAeNx5r9k8dJhU1r8bHEqOGqpEjD6emFRuTsY5hngVsgtXLMaLio8A0mPl9NUSfkslTsdi7yLEGQDiiKoy3jEm0dULZaNnfqeCskJXUIK_arVbkw67FJ-E3LLM4paf8WxIXQT8/w133-h200/A%20River%20Enchanted.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross<br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This book was so lyrical and surprising. I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. Jack is definitely my favorite of the four main characters, but the others all grew on me as well. And, while I didn't love the sequel as much, this duology will always be one I think fondly of.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwKJH1AAD97FBo1a6qs4GoI7PeP8EG3Mf-gFNsyqwgg5zrhOT-5vBulNxLqFsCxWQvhUiANc0sn_kZuC1fODRRn9OzIslsdCYxq2t3fQ7t_XulVkTLWewzjq830uzsz9hi1q_FNoggThnAM05nUcNLIWIacpQkp6Errpi94YedKQWqy3wy9Qb0BmSL=s169" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="169" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwKJH1AAD97FBo1a6qs4GoI7PeP8EG3Mf-gFNsyqwgg5zrhOT-5vBulNxLqFsCxWQvhUiANc0sn_kZuC1fODRRn9OzIslsdCYxq2t3fQ7t_XulVkTLWewzjq830uzsz9hi1q_FNoggThnAM05nUcNLIWIacpQkp6Errpi94YedKQWqy3wy9Qb0BmSL" width="169" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnRgZaKf6ln5vbxWO6RTSTummGVkBDrHC9g_WhDjQA9K9BNq4jKIS77DVEfUGIapj7iqiGPIV-ZCcPrfEwKuMQVWEFV8A9JMez5bdUe-Pfu7OzQWMObQoUOqZbJfLPMR6S7QNq5N3Gz1WDARvkBW1ghI9bJudcRygzo4lQtriKFbVY36vsSD4wOWtCPY/s500/Broken%20Bonds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnRgZaKf6ln5vbxWO6RTSTummGVkBDrHC9g_WhDjQA9K9BNq4jKIS77DVEfUGIapj7iqiGPIV-ZCcPrfEwKuMQVWEFV8A9JMez5bdUe-Pfu7OzQWMObQoUOqZbJfLPMR6S7QNq5N3Gz1WDARvkBW1ghI9bJudcRygzo4lQtriKFbVY36vsSD4wOWtCPY/w125-h200/Broken%20Bonds.jpg" width="125" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Broken Bonds by J. Bree<br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oh man, this series started off so strong with <i>Broken Bonds</i> and the first 2-3 sequels. Yes, it went downhill towards the end, but the worldbuilding is so fascinating. I loved the relationships between the characters and the powers were awesome! I just wish the books had slowed down a bit. The author was definitely rushing to complete the series towards the end.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFthHlsJ4yddXiAu99KicI7v_x0f0SuY1WWw8m98xOGNbUEDEICoEY2B5c1fYPCkOFx04IdNX4dP8YE3uBlQfXWYuR7NOBug3mdqLbPsLJJTirGsh7jVWEKG9lOEdVSCJl2-M-OTBjzyUZuwCPXj2mI6Ch3EPFS4Hpu5pZvZVK4zRURS_I4XzlvvS1=s166" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="37" data-original-width="166" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFthHlsJ4yddXiAu99KicI7v_x0f0SuY1WWw8m98xOGNbUEDEICoEY2B5c1fYPCkOFx04IdNX4dP8YE3uBlQfXWYuR7NOBug3mdqLbPsLJJTirGsh7jVWEKG9lOEdVSCJl2-M-OTBjzyUZuwCPXj2mI6Ch3EPFS4Hpu5pZvZVK4zRURS_I4XzlvvS1" width="166" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5EeFeGup1JjLfsPueFyCGI6RJ6Cedm9JvOKuGggZ9SJPUTXPU1FjY8WkozhCygxmUBZR4pHSgpF2ixYZOaXLQN6uEuqDxwpn87v5YXCmjLPAirKcKN7XDysmyWRPJED-bfFEJBOS-BjdJyTUscR8NFnp9JU4SAo5AvhLyxOfTGXRhI5itoQHtBJVCHI/s475/Fall%20of%20Ruin%20and%20Wrath.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5EeFeGup1JjLfsPueFyCGI6RJ6Cedm9JvOKuGggZ9SJPUTXPU1FjY8WkozhCygxmUBZR4pHSgpF2ixYZOaXLQN6uEuqDxwpn87v5YXCmjLPAirKcKN7XDysmyWRPJED-bfFEJBOS-BjdJyTUscR8NFnp9JU4SAo5AvhLyxOfTGXRhI5itoQHtBJVCHI/w133-h200/Fall%20of%20Ruin%20and%20Wrath.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout</b></span><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">JLA's new book in her new adult fantasy series had its ups and downs for me. But I read it so fast that I couldn't not put it on this list. I devoured it in 24 hours, I believe. I loved the beginning of this book and the end of this book. The middle was a bit to slow-paced for me, but still, a great time overall.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrobEI8x80FnIS03vMmY8Hf3-Bqd7trbUYmZdH5LoK9lGQt_3Y6KpjTtQRaZ9yCM7vIYrkvBdNDN-BrpzV_AtcDT3U1P7pXMxNP7WNRhfP2zGLXBfdXZzn67unV1LWNP-iimeg864db-HPxFUV4OUCEGp60bSobDHrhGjbjz22Db_lK5KIodR8O6WI=s165" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="37" data-original-width="165" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrobEI8x80FnIS03vMmY8Hf3-Bqd7trbUYmZdH5LoK9lGQt_3Y6KpjTtQRaZ9yCM7vIYrkvBdNDN-BrpzV_AtcDT3U1P7pXMxNP7WNRhfP2zGLXBfdXZzn67unV1LWNP-iimeg864db-HPxFUV4OUCEGp60bSobDHrhGjbjz22Db_lK5KIodR8O6WI" width="165" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfNWkcRavQWfLCEx9uVAHFqcUer-CSZBJ5WbM-bihgh2Nielkp4aEHyqNioTIKPU5I4s52aeUK8-5NBCHBpViyp4gkW32VYzmM-hGY78mD8TflJeAv-yQOlU37YbANZVWocTBVP0e2zOdyN38PmJRTiMFZQ8gm8Hq_nWvHzW06CQQCysZnjQld_eIGKU/s1260/A%20Soul%20of%20Ash%20and%20Blood.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="840" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfNWkcRavQWfLCEx9uVAHFqcUer-CSZBJ5WbM-bihgh2Nielkp4aEHyqNioTIKPU5I4s52aeUK8-5NBCHBpViyp4gkW32VYzmM-hGY78mD8TflJeAv-yQOlU37YbANZVWocTBVP0e2zOdyN38PmJRTiMFZQ8gm8Hq_nWvHzW06CQQCysZnjQld_eIGKU/w133-h200/A%20Soul%20of%20Ash%20and%20Blood.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">A Soul of Ash and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout<br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">You might be asking why ASOAAB is so low on this list. Well, it's because JLA promised something with this one that I don't think she delivered on. She said that there would be important storylines for book five in ASOAAB. And while there were a few chapters that were present day, 90% of the story was set in the past in Cas's POV. I just think she got everyone too hyped up for new information when the story was really just FBAA retold. I still love the characters, though, and the new info we did get was amazing!<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuf1t4Nj3siwMZ05MqMZ6S0yW5xJJA7uoe0mGsIX4NIiGcN0cLrqnHT2k0VcSUhBXtE46sn3am0gbigSBEG8n6PJyjoQslKkZ-Gw2p2mIQA1x64pso4QgaeIWMP26MWXNKkm0ODjcd5XlWIQeSB9GWwfibT-VHCla_B-5---o7Psxr9Bb4udfukhwN=s166" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="37" data-original-width="166" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuf1t4Nj3siwMZ05MqMZ6S0yW5xJJA7uoe0mGsIX4NIiGcN0cLrqnHT2k0VcSUhBXtE46sn3am0gbigSBEG8n6PJyjoQslKkZ-Gw2p2mIQA1x64pso4QgaeIWMP26MWXNKkm0ODjcd5XlWIQeSB9GWwfibT-VHCla_B-5---o7Psxr9Bb4udfukhwN" width="166" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40PfHBw6mRDF6kO48JqxQ-6Wup3tfomRwwlt7jVZopmWuJaZqDgfsx21mdzckK5p7_l4z9FLvhHzILMyHXkjYBxIPLbH1QtRK9nsdnPiaPDlxZhW4LZD8oaYh6LnKIRnZuAcZ_1dNfL3iRSwW_7OBaLgJvMeEV6rb_wxPdP8fEeDYvhyphenhyphene4c9BFmPNhYA/s2560/The%20Jasad%20Heir.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1706" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40PfHBw6mRDF6kO48JqxQ-6Wup3tfomRwwlt7jVZopmWuJaZqDgfsx21mdzckK5p7_l4z9FLvhHzILMyHXkjYBxIPLbH1QtRK9nsdnPiaPDlxZhW4LZD8oaYh6LnKIRnZuAcZ_1dNfL3iRSwW_7OBaLgJvMeEV6rb_wxPdP8fEeDYvhyphenhyphene4c9BFmPNhYA/w133-h200/The%20Jasad%20Heir.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem<br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This Egyptian-based fantasy story is addicting. It reminded me a lot of <i>The City of Brass</i>, which I adore. I can't wait to read the sequel, whenever it comes out. I'm not even sure. But, <a href="http://wulfluva-shellsstories.blogspot.com/2023/07/review-jasad-heir-by-sara-hashem.html" target="_blank">my review</a> for this one is up now, if you'd like to check it out.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic1N6mnP-hmHXwAzm-nhxPTELkjjNnlNBfoPPX3eUAG4j1gEQIVDdPfG60oxjQ3gyxK_Yuq3vAxI-wmjvGON_HY_iQ-TEm--AR55xejJ8ddxQtcLWZk8fGURVnXcFk5ygNGC8h-kEJse363nhRZGQauXQFLvtCECQbVamzn3cptI4pPzS2HP59VNMB=s166" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="166" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEic1N6mnP-hmHXwAzm-nhxPTELkjjNnlNBfoPPX3eUAG4j1gEQIVDdPfG60oxjQ3gyxK_Yuq3vAxI-wmjvGON_HY_iQ-TEm--AR55xejJ8ddxQtcLWZk8fGURVnXcFk5ygNGC8h-kEJse363nhRZGQauXQFLvtCECQbVamzn3cptI4pPzS2HP59VNMB" width="166" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLIwowitV7n3kR09v923GCiN1q-MLPzHfIydb9g9vQDWIN_jxAN4tRJ59PaPrFIgS4TfqUauTMAG_b2y7dfP1BwoREAjKc5S33fNGkGPb7kPNIRZvkfDdNHSQMd4Z0yF6c48OCKCJunWeDYlMTX59c24PdRsuDLF08Xa0AdmpD11ktCrdgh5ODmYC8jU/s475/Untainted.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLIwowitV7n3kR09v923GCiN1q-MLPzHfIydb9g9vQDWIN_jxAN4tRJ59PaPrFIgS4TfqUauTMAG_b2y7dfP1BwoREAjKc5S33fNGkGPb7kPNIRZvkfDdNHSQMd4Z0yF6c48OCKCJunWeDYlMTX59c24PdRsuDLF08Xa0AdmpD11ktCrdgh5ODmYC8jU/w134-h200/Untainted.jpg" width="134" /></a></div></div></div></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Untainted by Lilian T. James</span></b><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I didn't expect to love <i>Untainted </i>as much as I did. It was a book I read to prep for 2023's ApollyCon to see if I liked the author. Well, it's safe to say that I did. I met her and got my books signed. This series gave me major<i> Heir of Fire </i>vibes, if anyone is missing SJM right now.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMrC352_PkzqHvaRMST7WyUJvaJylsQsziTCuFMm3fdtgHH5qqP35rrT-QCadsebwyCXmNBuGGvKv3BeXzuMru-vgMFc-_bmIk9AkjLnspoXySXcMDGotX2lO5YkmOrRqkkW1Iqei_AA9YbQ52VpBcSrYZ-m_gwvtbckXOhiP-ZZ4HH0zeU45VRjQg=s168" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="36" data-original-width="168" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMrC352_PkzqHvaRMST7WyUJvaJylsQsziTCuFMm3fdtgHH5qqP35rrT-QCadsebwyCXmNBuGGvKv3BeXzuMru-vgMFc-_bmIk9AkjLnspoXySXcMDGotX2lO5YkmOrRqkkW1Iqei_AA9YbQ52VpBcSrYZ-m_gwvtbckXOhiP-ZZ4HH0zeU45VRjQg" width="168" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTuLNncfbBL_PRnyr8jUltjuRBEK4yXfrdvuTvZLcIVl1ImLTQqVn6mECK59Uivs9jZw-UenxRuQQba-3jTWxWGCWaW2eGKU1D7sxJcvy10GS8rlWvXnBqd73BBA1Xa7D7jDDo4LnBgmuM7qhVgvZw9e-ZycoBj3WW5NIKYe4GNYvbQsR2VPiCvBsr=s2560" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5CcmIUXLoS_h9C1mkjUU2E_OWv1Ryu43V-dY9pVGqeb8arylu7P5O9tIfjwpFFdzzE52_uwBcReO_bGkjtDHC_47s6TqF6DYddSvek89-FBf5guLEKdvSyXzq7kPPyk8y7NWHjagCZiJ_TbQVidpNRYZrvutU0dGBrjEhdGQswXhsjmE-VL711pbMig/s2048/Salt%20Kiss.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5CcmIUXLoS_h9C1mkjUU2E_OWv1Ryu43V-dY9pVGqeb8arylu7P5O9tIfjwpFFdzzE52_uwBcReO_bGkjtDHC_47s6TqF6DYddSvek89-FBf5guLEKdvSyXzq7kPPyk8y7NWHjagCZiJ_TbQVidpNRYZrvutU0dGBrjEhdGQswXhsjmE-VL711pbMig/w133-h200/Salt%20Kiss.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Salt Kiss by Sierra Simone</span></b><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The only contemporary title on this list. Wow. I went into <i>Salt Kiss</i> thinking I'd really enjoy it, and I'm happy to say it exceeded some of my expectations. I wouldn't think that a story about a mafia/political gangster type and his bodyguard would be a top 10 read for me, but I really liked it. I am worried the sequel won't quite hit the same, though, as it follows a different narrator. Ugh.<br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqfEmnE5pTNYD5JvtmI2o4ocoKV0fekhd5z1ZRHAjjX8RuPjvYKBUGecmChS8R-RKf1gCcODbd_9SVX6NXwzOwoOhBYz6XbACT0PmJBgMRT55HIZGsWGhQBU6wPuHjJSM66dE2hlo9JuB9HBwisFL6cHF5oimlc9yg3VlPXvUQTs3NQsBgdFlQfX3g=s167" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="36" data-original-width="167" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqfEmnE5pTNYD5JvtmI2o4ocoKV0fekhd5z1ZRHAjjX8RuPjvYKBUGecmChS8R-RKf1gCcODbd_9SVX6NXwzOwoOhBYz6XbACT0PmJBgMRT55HIZGsWGhQBU6wPuHjJSM66dE2hlo9JuB9HBwisFL6cHF5oimlc9yg3VlPXvUQTs3NQsBgdFlQfX3g" width="167" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxOjHgbdG3TS8dhfXnNVilmfZkCxHbrFEuWvc-KcypQSB0RhsjELSXK2PbT44RpTgFXrWZQw70XwHDvHze_chkm27qTjN1P6tf5HPis4sthJm1oLlaLrjY5pYpkgJyJUW9HH5tCnH-19OmJgzXrWWb_WLuUygegeXGTdtttfxy98rJvVJeO23F2my0aQ/s1500/Mysteries%20of%20Thorn%20Manor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1066" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxOjHgbdG3TS8dhfXnNVilmfZkCxHbrFEuWvc-KcypQSB0RhsjELSXK2PbT44RpTgFXrWZQw70XwHDvHze_chkm27qTjN1P6tf5HPis4sthJm1oLlaLrjY5pYpkgJyJUW9HH5tCnH-19OmJgzXrWWb_WLuUygegeXGTdtttfxy98rJvVJeO23F2my0aQ/w142-h200/Mysteries%20of%20Thorn%20Manor.jpg" width="142" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson</span></b><br /></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's been a while since I read this one, so it's hard to discuss some of the details, but I know I laughed, I cried, and I just had the greatest time back in this world with the characters from <i>Sorcery of Thorns</i>. Do I wish this had simply been a full-length novel instead of a short novella? Absolutely. But I'm thankful for more, nonetheless.<br /><br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLRT8ZJ38XrPu-HUbqClPE7ZLCLvlZ8JSvKRQxdpJHZPxsBlaZsR4UNQAnOv5l2mebpfWCpwkfKiePyH85PH6VvwAxDSNtGZvvi4SXtWE8_b3tRCX-bVJXpurIn_FD8tQD6DotIERKU1kWsqMye48n6DA4uITEiAXKFyxHxjIKCJnbJY6egZAxTRU6=s165" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="37" data-original-width="165" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLRT8ZJ38XrPu-HUbqClPE7ZLCLvlZ8JSvKRQxdpJHZPxsBlaZsR4UNQAnOv5l2mebpfWCpwkfKiePyH85PH6VvwAxDSNtGZvvi4SXtWE8_b3tRCX-bVJXpurIn_FD8tQD6DotIERKU1kWsqMye48n6DA4uITEiAXKFyxHxjIKCJnbJY6egZAxTRU6" width="165" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTLVxkiBBbikYUiwa-7tZysG7OmdEY1uEsV5KOtYykzFU2MJZSqNvpkfBeOyOuZhnvlOc3zCHQL8zUQVkUdTVIytF8jVVjX6qH1s3cDQG6EN8fcV3iPKTPQnPPAewDfNKLGhEyckYlJYN0lsieLE2Ap0R58pzqkA5gVwetY5ckEMIJBqRdksfX-h1PLk/s500/Crossing%20Acheron.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTLVxkiBBbikYUiwa-7tZysG7OmdEY1uEsV5KOtYykzFU2MJZSqNvpkfBeOyOuZhnvlOc3zCHQL8zUQVkUdTVIytF8jVVjX6qH1s3cDQG6EN8fcV3iPKTPQnPPAewDfNKLGhEyckYlJYN0lsieLE2Ap0R58pzqkA5gVwetY5ckEMIJBqRdksfX-h1PLk/w133-h200/Crossing%20Acheron.jpg" width="133" /></a></div></div></div></div></b></div></span></b></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Crossing Acheron by H.G. Birde<br /><br /></span></b>I downloaded<i> Crossing Acheron</i> on Kindle Unlimited on a whim, and boy do I not regret that one bit! This story had me sucked in immediately. I had a whole period of time this summer where dark, gritty vampire romance stories were consuming me, and this one just really hit the mark. Same with the next books on my list.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-IP9yQl1qXqedrNVoBC41X2zc__o_jGeGLBWFs3v_NXkGGO6uwNoPEm0PLVvPLNzPnhp37S8hwEQV33M_GRCkeu4PdfPb03ABZsJKSZeDYTy0dlSmaxc1hDp1DJjX0luBHbbej6nw8V2uFJZesi7fhRSecGptwgK5vK9f4nMsYSQ9X-OH36kzgbfQ=s164" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="39" data-original-width="164" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-IP9yQl1qXqedrNVoBC41X2zc__o_jGeGLBWFs3v_NXkGGO6uwNoPEm0PLVvPLNzPnhp37S8hwEQV33M_GRCkeu4PdfPb03ABZsJKSZeDYTy0dlSmaxc1hDp1DJjX0luBHbbej6nw8V2uFJZesi7fhRSecGptwgK5vK9f4nMsYSQ9X-OH36kzgbfQ" width="164" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEmM5aUUrsSir9O22YAjHTWoDrJV9ndHUKAXjMpheoR5_LRoAub4wfr_Smm522pvWrikUFd-wKh-9IlsWuAQizxS5gBBui3BxmoOFWdlY7_O4x78oNCfuyShj6u4m2Tj-pbqiZ4Coe5Eui10txYli9-VJMZYTdqbyAPpVFX2DDHRSiakPZcZeyCVvs0w/s250/Screenshot%202023-12-22%20100529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="250" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEmM5aUUrsSir9O22YAjHTWoDrJV9ndHUKAXjMpheoR5_LRoAub4wfr_Smm522pvWrikUFd-wKh-9IlsWuAQizxS5gBBui3BxmoOFWdlY7_O4x78oNCfuyShj6u4m2Tj-pbqiZ4Coe5Eui10txYli9-VJMZYTdqbyAPpVFX2DDHRSiakPZcZeyCVvs0w/s1600/Screenshot%202023-12-22%20100529.png" width="250" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Silver Under Nightfall & Court of Wanderers by Rin Chupeco<br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I've already mentioned that this duology would be my favorite reads of 2023, so it shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. This series had action, adventure, vampires, weird zombie creatures, and a cinnamon roll protagonist stuck in the middle of everything. I loved it so much, and I'm sad to see it end.<br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">***</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Alright, there you
have it. My top 10 reads of 2023. What 2023 reads were your favorite? Let me know in the
comments.</span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-83900069056819459292024-01-08T08:00:00.000-06:002024-01-08T08:00:00.255-06:00My 2023 Wrap-Up<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yeesh! 2023 is over! I, once again, moved and went to ApollyCon, just like I did in 2022. However, this time I also went to Iceland instead of Disneyland. Sadly, I don't have more fun stuff planned in 2024, but I'm also looking forward to having some time off to focus on organizing my house. I might do that in the spring. However, before I get into the future, I need to discuss the past. Specifically, all of the books and book-related stats associated with my 2023 reading year!<br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Read in 2023</span></b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSnGhJt-hI3cqD5-pTeqtVLxOYmhBAztY_sm3aM7_MSSkJ6dDI-PaF5IDTMjPsicE4PYcbZVXnpPrmkV9sqoWuX98KCpzZJHJIrCyyAhQGeyIONGaqNE9w_3t6cyT9keEwd8iZR_G-B6MgW3B5NZvmfWT8RmUI2Xob4FzCY5upfJah4pv1ZF5F94c68A/s652/Screenshot%202024-01-06%20120907.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuS6lluagTAIT9ZfyugdGZep0xZv3goa0ufEH7xrowb3ljbRWR6SSKuqfdhknhRLip-w8ADUOk2OJK2sIQt7EKy3z7OglsZVDW9ey84aKkwKqThNlPLwJ0YtBeNYCmIjoMMgzh_W22StaiG9L3uJb1xUl-N3aY4Ahv1-rK71ky57xwaYj3QBSL75h2upI/s651/read.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="651" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuS6lluagTAIT9ZfyugdGZep0xZv3goa0ufEH7xrowb3ljbRWR6SSKuqfdhknhRLip-w8ADUOk2OJK2sIQt7EKy3z7OglsZVDW9ey84aKkwKqThNlPLwJ0YtBeNYCmIjoMMgzh_W22StaiG9L3uJb1xUl-N3aY4Ahv1-rK71ky57xwaYj3QBSL75h2upI/w400-h100/read.png" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></i></div><p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">This year, I read 101 books! That's more than last year's 90! I honestly can't believe I read that much, but I guess it has a lot to do with Kindle Unlimited. Being able to download books I'm in the mood for at the push of a button has made reading a lot easier. Unfortunately, I'm going to get rid of my KU sub soon, so I can focus on my physical TBR. I'm still hoping I can reach around the same number in 2024, but I'm not holding myself to that. I'm setting my 2024 reading goal at 30, like always.<br /><br />I'm not going to list out every single book I read in 2023, but I do have some fun stats to share.<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_4S-q9iE6dVxofZm1ypMFNJrLWShkPI5RS0jDLeDjkbFNnv-pIyPCGN2F9qRiX00YHGg1gPdXmw-jNDS791_W2tlP3gCIyTX-BHkGSPiDHYmSCIp60adDM7IGzLBc4uobkLaUSXMYSdKczbdl5pNT_58qNP1k-CuSGRnPA1pGJmK63xQU2VO30qAIHs/s610/Screenshot%202024-01-06%20114443.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="610" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_4S-q9iE6dVxofZm1ypMFNJrLWShkPI5RS0jDLeDjkbFNnv-pIyPCGN2F9qRiX00YHGg1gPdXmw-jNDS791_W2tlP3gCIyTX-BHkGSPiDHYmSCIp60adDM7IGzLBc4uobkLaUSXMYSdKczbdl5pNT_58qNP1k-CuSGRnPA1pGJmK63xQU2VO30qAIHs/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-06%20114443.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">In 2023, I read:</span></b></u></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 28 fantasy books<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>38 paranormal/urban fantasy books<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>4 sci-fi<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>28 contemporary</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 3 historical fantasy<br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDxgPzDn49dltz5FUVKk5twR-W9pmHPX_8QSJBjLge1Yd69KztSL6Yh1z_KmE0wZMpa576vgfO5Q9d_tihCGB6K6oG3sEo0FHTJtrOpwGik2ZZEh5kKHNUmozFlUkSOkg-AVSAC23IO48_Y9AkfotxM08i-3pYyochNOUnxG8BHx1sseHqd0B1mvSp9g/s645/most%20least%20shelved.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="645" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDxgPzDn49dltz5FUVKk5twR-W9pmHPX_8QSJBjLge1Yd69KztSL6Yh1z_KmE0wZMpa576vgfO5Q9d_tihCGB6K6oG3sEo0FHTJtrOpwGik2ZZEh5kKHNUmozFlUkSOkg-AVSAC23IO48_Y9AkfotxM08i-3pYyochNOUnxG8BHx1sseHqd0B1mvSp9g/s320/most%20least%20shelved.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>10 young adult<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 91</span> new adult/adult<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>21 physical copies bought/received<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 9</span> ebooks bought/received</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>4 library ebooks<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>4 </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">e-ARCs</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>📚 </span>63 Kindle Unlimited ebooks</span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSId-TZVeGZiYocaD8VZjNBx4iZwPlPA6JTcXdJ2AqBM06U5IVhzlTasXW9lLD6j51d5u0gQN5-K8aNAjyczvAaGkWmskb15zRQn970BcJLb9OsTYdy5iLks1pvVuOEEcdTSivcGCh7fcPVm3A3bTd5rgBNlquUSOj0siYuCJpiTQt1VNrDSZ0Wse/s379/avg%20bk%20length.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6pK9K-Jn8KxShP2bmHVHHPq1fRIqw_U3FMesORbb4Kcu0d5cr5NytwfY-KK42vEN8TH3Hq4kAt2i5CxqxWG4UvgFfga0sS0mbSMFiJld5nEabjm39mLBowyDKqjfn9UIn2AHwNotOx_KBPcWdSn6wsr_iPz0FcsEX353McLFSDoRxY6tWR-rGvpbVCk/s462/avg%20bk%20length.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="119" data-original-width="462" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6pK9K-Jn8KxShP2bmHVHHPq1fRIqw_U3FMesORbb4Kcu0d5cr5NytwfY-KK42vEN8TH3Hq4kAt2i5CxqxWG4UvgFfga0sS0mbSMFiJld5nEabjm39mLBowyDKqjfn9UIn2AHwNotOx_KBPcWdSn6wsr_iPz0FcsEX353McLFSDoRxY6tWR-rGvpbVCk/s320/avg%20bk%20length.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 10</span> books owned pre-2023</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span> 24 books acquired in 2023 (not counting KU)</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>2 rereads</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdTtOwTBBA5qlGQ4QpBs6o4smDt3q0Hb1-1K2NMhY6OrOiEyi0ilVyg8EWQtD_NfZ6oon60xpu_mtLIiwzLF_bDkFsRKmJQaE1-a9Xs33v2fi-U2DVbqV3x1cZTRNRq4RzCn-XB3YyL8SWUJAhsNFRE9oned4d2u6wCB4Q1asHAU0yTbheVROYQy6Dds/s628/shortest%20-%20longest%20books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="628" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdTtOwTBBA5qlGQ4QpBs6o4smDt3q0Hb1-1K2NMhY6OrOiEyi0ilVyg8EWQtD_NfZ6oon60xpu_mtLIiwzLF_bDkFsRKmJQaE1-a9Xs33v2fi-U2DVbqV3x1cZTRNRq4RzCn-XB3YyL8SWUJAhsNFRE9oned4d2u6wCB4Q1asHAU0yTbheVROYQy6Dds/s320/shortest%20-%20longest%20books.png" width="320" /></a></div></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>Finished reading 2 series that I started pre-2023.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>Started 38 new series in 2023 (some of which I don't plan on continuing).<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Started 12 series in 2023 and caught up with the series in 2023.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span></span>Started and finished 7 series in 2023.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Continuing 6 ongoing series.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbRL_tb0GX6EzLx69ibAEnJVz8-8vtjaoMRIhxK6Daa_X1RE1nPrwoNaTz-h5wTNQ4_-SjDqWHgb0CmHHSHG0Xzz2CWbi_eAvg05yKfDAwgR2e0PX3HvnxsbVewXU3aYePOTwTxs4MIAaaVIUlh_VFYYN_AEUgvoFZf0Opn8mJVRZdnfidl_KNz4w/s382/avg%20rating.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdLRykQURZcLb9DuVEEcQdfzFFbYXxxwjoPH5stkTtp5m5uZdWDIS6TiViOZ4AYlp_1Q2bHcXenUXQlKPh8UlS288f-VXJsnNnD2KBu6oVMocyuqUsYrnjBiARxozkMOdOi5GD0w7AYlx0QqKwVXg_3DAO-WOUyivZPM9w1MY8C_l584XgM64-2QGqj8/s465/Avg%20rating.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="126" data-original-width="465" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdLRykQURZcLb9DuVEEcQdfzFFbYXxxwjoPH5stkTtp5m5uZdWDIS6TiViOZ4AYlp_1Q2bHcXenUXQlKPh8UlS288f-VXJsnNnD2KBu6oVMocyuqUsYrnjBiARxozkMOdOi5GD0w7AYlx0QqKwVXg_3DAO-WOUyivZPM9w1MY8C_l584XgM64-2QGqj8/s320/Avg%20rating.png" width="320" /></a></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>My highest rated books at 4.5 stars: <i>Silver Under Nightfall</i> and <i>Court of Wanderers</i> by Rin Chupeco, <i>Mysteries of Thorn Manor</i> by Margaret Rogerson, <i>Crossing Acheron</i> by H.G. Birde.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">📚 </span>My lowest rated books at 2 stars: <i>To Bleed a Crystal Bloom</i> by Sarah A. Parker, <i>Enchanted to Meet You</i> by Meg Cabot, <i>A Court of Honey and Ash </i>by Shannon Mayer, <i>American Prince</i> by Sierra Simone, <i>Violent Secret</i> by Ariana Nash, <i>Calamity </i>by Constance Fay.<br /></span></p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Bought in 2023<br /></span></b></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6EbjYCRtCTMX1uVp_SKNi5rygCV2U5Au3V7QpZ-hJA_R_URMBAYqD2XlY44V3xb6JefkxrRp0dqnnJKQhD7nZbzUwGHQjRlJWxMylwsyYRvH67NOCmzpCtoHkmncZK3f78aIcqqt4hx3znuDkGJwIR7T4g_sCSkdg5evPIhQAPqSVnbsiF1ojvUq/s300/Screenshot%202023-01-01%20111928.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJX7N76XgYWQ_DmS7Iy6H7CPwo1k7dUdvNVuLPkHon05qzgXiR_0mJ_kjE3w8gEf2eZb7KwNW1VXL4P9hvfWANVnp0h4MPsRzhyphenhyphenKkf2_5RA8ZRayqiRGOnL2kb4_9oh_mp_eHX92pspOLOElcuKCfbX4hhBuJfOVjBaH0onrfkHZBUoyC5nRea2vlFewk/s302/Screenshot%202024-01-06%20171448.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="302" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJX7N76XgYWQ_DmS7Iy6H7CPwo1k7dUdvNVuLPkHon05qzgXiR_0mJ_kjE3w8gEf2eZb7KwNW1VXL4P9hvfWANVnp0h4MPsRzhyphenhyphenKkf2_5RA8ZRayqiRGOnL2kb4_9oh_mp_eHX92pspOLOElcuKCfbX4hhBuJfOVjBaH0onrfkHZBUoyC5nRea2vlFewk/s1600/Screenshot%202024-01-06%20171448.png" width="302" /></a></div></div></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">In total, I bought 152 books in 2023. This came out to over $4,380. Yikes! That's $1,300 more than last year. Oof. ApollyCon probably contributed to the first few months of damage. Oh, and those special editions are killing me. I'm not even reading them, so I'm not sure why I have the subs. I guess I need to do some major soul searching this year to decide if its worth spending all this money on books. This table doesn't even include my monthly Kindle Unlimited subscription. That was $9-12 each month. I also didn't think my swag spending was that bad, either. As I had a few months with pretty low amounts, some were even $0. But it still added up to almost $1,800, and I don't even remember if I got anything that was worth it. I'll be attempting to cut back a lot in 2024.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Because I bought 152 books but only read 101, I have to get rid of 51 books in early 2024. We'll see how that goes, as I don't have a local used bookstore anymore, just a library to donate to. Plus, books don't really sell well online. Just to note too, I only included books I bought. This doesn't include books I received for free (e.g., gifts, review copies, free ebooks, etc.), so I actually acquired much more, but I don't want to calculate all that. I'm sure it's around 225 books. Additionally, some of the books I bought are duplicate copies, like FORAW, FBAA, Lux, Dark Elements, Red Queen, and other special editions, so I don't necessarily have to read all 152. I think I only spent money on 59 that I need to actually read. That's just insane. The rest I've either already read since I bought them or are special edition sets.<br /></span></p></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">***</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Okay, well, that’s the summary of 2023, all wrapped up into one
post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last year? If so, share in the comments!<br /></span></p></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-11277679542773390612024-01-06T08:00:00.001-06:002024-01-06T08:00:00.148-06:00Stacking the Shelves: The Fangirl Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The first week of 2024 is over, and it was uneventful for me personally. I don't think I did anything of note the entire time. I was just scrolling through TikTok, reading a couple of chapters here and there, and doing adult things like sleeping, working out, and working. I need some excitement in my life, darn it. I really wish I was going to ApollyCon so I could have something to look forward to. Oh well...</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGmMJUNuFy-fiKg4hz-Wk1zkxwiO_wYQQaNgPlEaLXcb4o7-rcWn8B3tSSDy6VTtqVpK4NNCtUulyiiRh-tAfTT2NdmL8ki1TXK3v0XESr4j35pZtfewZg-pIRTO821blWmrZJoDRQtCV65jtjvi5PmgcwdOVS-LbabENDuJ43fWw0ff__OOgxEqc6CM/s4624/20240105_085410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGmMJUNuFy-fiKg4hz-Wk1zkxwiO_wYQQaNgPlEaLXcb4o7-rcWn8B3tSSDy6VTtqVpK4NNCtUulyiiRh-tAfTT2NdmL8ki1TXK3v0XESr4j35pZtfewZg-pIRTO821blWmrZJoDRQtCV65jtjvi5PmgcwdOVS-LbabENDuJ43fWw0ff__OOgxEqc6CM/w400-h300/20240105_085410.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Normally I would say "Now onto the books," but I actually didn't get any physical books this week. I have a couple of orders that are stuck at my parents' house, but other than that, all I got was a surprise envelope in the mail. It was my preorder incentive stickers from my <i>Fangirl</i> 10th anniversary edition purchase. I completely forgot this was even a thing. Also, that book released in November, so these stickers are very late.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1qLBRuYokaIuf3Y81jHLi0hVpvEyawo8JRSolHzImJlqK9rtDTaPg7H6FC6glhCrH3tiIv5j_X2pnghyx4yrwkeyQNOrFQ6ZMlpXU4OSYOfTcN8Go9Wi0el4C5FhygDKeVXbmtjCU1ZPeN3gHHhyBj6cd6nbDn0G9xGL3OOdKG2Y8yRocUTnvU-ePLA/s3000/and%20then%20you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1qLBRuYokaIuf3Y81jHLi0hVpvEyawo8JRSolHzImJlqK9rtDTaPg7H6FC6glhCrH3tiIv5j_X2pnghyx4yrwkeyQNOrFQ6ZMlpXU4OSYOfTcN8Go9Wi0el4C5FhygDKeVXbmtjCU1ZPeN3gHHhyBj6cd6nbDn0G9xGL3OOdKG2Y8yRocUTnvU-ePLA/w201-h285/and%20then%20you.jpg" width="201" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I also only got one ebook this week. It was a download from Kindle Unlimited. <i>And Then You</i> by Briar Prescott is the second book in the Until companion duology. I read the first book in a single day and then decided to start this one and finish it up on New Year's Eve. It was my last read of 2023.<br /></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. What books have
you bought/received lately? </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-59856288118705825292024-01-02T08:00:00.207-06:002024-02-02T12:09:53.748-06:00December Wrap-Up & January TBR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, December and 2023 are over, and now I need to write up a bunch of top 10 posts and yearly wrap-ups. Ugh. My brain hurts just thinking about it. Monthly wrap-ups are bad enough. But otherwise, December wasn't too bad. I had a decent holiday and recovered from some various workout injuries. Getting older sucks. But...onto books.</span><br /></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In this wrap-up,
I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received,
and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!<br /></span></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Read in December</span></b></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASz6V1ba1zGkc7444fPxGDlBBW6se2n9wZ20wIYC0X_UbrLQ8348eDs81-j5TpdqS1HUjLlQADhyR6qnvIanXIsxp9SiNnjwhThi0kvlzgSJx8cUO8Bkuo-cpiumm8ckp6xogHjAJWasJcEXc5It1GM5hEs3qW3CJk4Djmh8I6_-pQYlXhQR12OYM2yg/s752/Screenshot%202024-01-01%20161430.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="752" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASz6V1ba1zGkc7444fPxGDlBBW6se2n9wZ20wIYC0X_UbrLQ8348eDs81-j5TpdqS1HUjLlQADhyR6qnvIanXIsxp9SiNnjwhThi0kvlzgSJx8cUO8Bkuo-cpiumm8ckp6xogHjAJWasJcEXc5It1GM5hEs3qW3CJk4Djmh8I6_-pQYlXhQR12OYM2yg/w445-h227/Screenshot%202024-01-01%20161430.png" width="445" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></div>
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>A Fire in the Flesh: </i>3.5 stars</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Villain and the Geek:</i> 3.5 stars</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Violent Secret:</i> 2 stars</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Calamity:</i> 2 stars (NetGalley e-ARC, review to come)<br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>God of Fury:</i> 4 stars</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Riverbanks: </i>3 stars</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Prince and Bodyguard:</i> 3 stars</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Prince and Betrothed:</i> 3 stars</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Knock Knock:</i> 2.5 stars</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Until You:</i> 4 stars</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>And Then You:</i> 3 stars<br /></span></span></span></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I read 11 books in December. Well, technically it was more like eight books and three novellas, but Goodreads doesn't count it like that, so neither do I. Ha ha. I only read one physical book, <i>A Fire in the Flesh</i> by Jennifer L. Armentrout. It took me like a month to read. I bought one ebook using Kindle credits. It was one of the novellas: <i>Violent Secret</i> by Ariana Nash. I also finished<i> Calamity</i> by Constance Fay which was another book that took me over a month to read. It's a NetGalley ARC, so I need to write my review soon. I just haven't had the motivation. Ugh. And <i>Riverbanks </i>by H.G. Birde is a 34-page novella I downloaded from the author's newsletter. I needed something quick to help get to my 100-books-read count on Goodreads. Other than those four, everything else was a Kindle Unlimited download. Those include <i>Villain and the Geek</i> by L.C. Davis, <i>God of Fury</i> by Rina Kent, <i>Prince and Bodyguard</i> and <i>Prince and Betrothed</i> by Tavia Lark, <i>Knock Knock</i> by Nordia Night, and <i>Until You</i> and <i>And Then You </i>by Briar Prescott.<br /></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Bought/Received in December</span></b></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSz8G_F-OU1klpCwR0g068rve8F5r9z_UnR0SybV-UKOxL9Iip5iA604e5pmGIysg6fsGKUYCEhRndwAIYB9unFvAiXa5Sff7dT566A2fkDmSq5Qgb_O_IeUARA-O85j5S_Gm-fZnbemR6NXjz0NDVTne7QtMaBA8V4DNdFYuojuaicyi8JLxG7zk-wU/s4624/20231231_132333.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSz8G_F-OU1klpCwR0g068rve8F5r9z_UnR0SybV-UKOxL9Iip5iA604e5pmGIysg6fsGKUYCEhRndwAIYB9unFvAiXa5Sff7dT566A2fkDmSq5Qgb_O_IeUARA-O85j5S_Gm-fZnbemR6NXjz0NDVTne7QtMaBA8V4DNdFYuojuaicyi8JLxG7zk-wU/w400-h300/20231231_132333.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></div></div></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Okay, so this month's haul is kind of a mess. I paid for six books this month and received 21 books. A lot of them were free ebooks, though. The physical books I ordered in December include <i>Obsession</i> by JLA, <i>Gold</i> by Raven Kennedy, the LitHaven edition of <i>The Witch Collector</i> by Charissa Weaks, the adult FairyLoot book for December, and two books in the Arcane Society book sub. I've only received two of those, however: <i>Obsession</i> and <i>Gold</i>.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">As for free ebooks, I got 12. One, <i>Riverbanks,</i> was downloaded via the author's newsletter, and <i>Violent Secret </i>was bought using Kindle credits. The other ten were all free Stuff Your Kindle books. Those include <i>With Shield and Ink and Bone</i>, <i>Queen of Roses</i>, <i>A Pack of Storms and Stars</i>, <i>The Hollow Gods</i>, <i>Of Mist and Shadow</i>, <i>Blood of Desiderium</i>, <i>Shadow and Moonlight</i>, <i>Living Legend</i>, <i>Helfyre</i>, and <i>Heavenly Bodies</i>.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">I also received seven books this month that I either didn't pay for in December or were gifts. My <i>Fire Study</i> FairyLoot replacement arrived, along with <i>The Midnight Kingdom</i> and <i>Fall of Ruin and Wrath </i>FairyLoot editions. My <i>A Shadow in the Ember </i>French edition arrived too. As for Christmas gifts, my mom got me the newer editions of FBAA and TCOGB along with <i>Insatiable</i> by Meg Cabot. All in all, I got nine physical books in December and 12 ebooks.<br /></span></span></span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Currently Obsessed With<br /></span></b></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Once again, I haven't been watching a lot of stuff lately. It's mostly been reading, holiday stuff, and TikTok. I am still watching <i>The Office</i> reruns though. Surprise, surprise.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1kmhHMwx2MjAgLyYAAJ2ChgwT31hsxrNFCty0dOv4QKdR3v6VfB6JzD3HRmZzdD0ovExSpuThqYqBzcI0KHidvpKOhBRbcogvC5PEIfIPuvycqAL6nHu-q9wW35a5ydW015s9mCmECCH1PHxCCcp0VIUmBjiXXT6h_BP8WcQTtxrwhCSGJ10fn3V8AM/s2000/85qas7rZZnTaWJMjwYjVBZ.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDG7DqF_FenSyz5CBaKgkJ1G-w2Cq6zJmJlKrK8GPJu2oasstpGZApjV8-lhKPN5WU0VmtCQq0WeHTsi_HufWutrYf5mRUzhEOu2L5b0KQQI79FAdQ9PdaUMOTIjZgpzFkQea96hvnS9XqHqFCfAZXE7izy0NtPZsuWzoZNoKXazVWHrHn4pYwSc8QgYE/s1600/elf2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDG7DqF_FenSyz5CBaKgkJ1G-w2Cq6zJmJlKrK8GPJu2oasstpGZApjV8-lhKPN5WU0VmtCQq0WeHTsi_HufWutrYf5mRUzhEOu2L5b0KQQI79FAdQ9PdaUMOTIjZgpzFkQea96hvnS9XqHqFCfAZXE7izy0NtPZsuWzoZNoKXazVWHrHn4pYwSc8QgYE/w400-h225/elf2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></span></span></div><p></p></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I think I watched some holiday movies in December, like <i>Elf</i>, <i>Home Alone</i> 1 and 2, and Netflix's<i> The Christmas Chronicles </i>1 and 2. That's about it. It's been a pretty blah month for shows and movies. I hope next month has some good stuff, but I doubt it. I guess this is part of the writer's strike coming into play. There's just not anything new to get into right now.</span></p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">January TBR</span></b><br /></p></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVP_MRJRE_b1PBjs26reutUlxqDOq7F7TT2Zl0Y5PTugWEfwDTavI439Zqaz-zQJrF38AosWgDYXgI6KkC8lQYeY8UQW-4KSbGECE1qPLDLS6sMRJSQ6e0p0L5BzIz-myWqMH2OtBQ3sYuAcw29Iil-8uQ0XdWo5NgjNuCUDM4lxqJwkSMZ4qZEOvbQA/s348/Screenshot%202023-12-31%20165432.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPRur-Ei2TEMd6BZqA8hxwATh9AVSD0NcXm7DiFLtjmuGukhhj3VWq13_D63eG_H8w5yZo3FZQaMPTgxuW2unEQHO2wEhUj-G79eAfFolSK815c5qm9qXr8zoaJAwzzpg93_dhWZuG7_6921ZX7BzIYMUNGZCG_FIXXmFp_gXKo_YTA0rL5IUlHz826s/s519/Screenshot%202023-12-31%20165551.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="519" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPRur-Ei2TEMd6BZqA8hxwATh9AVSD0NcXm7DiFLtjmuGukhhj3VWq13_D63eG_H8w5yZo3FZQaMPTgxuW2unEQHO2wEhUj-G79eAfFolSK815c5qm9qXr8zoaJAwzzpg93_dhWZuG7_6921ZX7BzIYMUNGZCG_FIXXmFp_gXKo_YTA0rL5IUlHz826s/w400-h203/Screenshot%202023-12-31%20165551.png" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">I only have three books that I have to read in January. I need to read <i>A Fate Inked in Blood</i> by Danielle Jensen, since it's a NetGalley ARC, and I'd like to finish <i>Charm</i> by Tracy Wolff. Yes, I still haven't finished it. I'm about halfway through, and it's ridiculously slow. I also have to read<i> Gold</i> by Raven Kennedy for my book club. I'm excited for that one.</span><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">***</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Okay, well, that's
the month of December, plus some January 2024 sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one
post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><p></p>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-29445981584885241022023-12-30T08:00:00.090-06:002023-12-30T08:00:00.144-06:00Stacking the Shelves: The Post-Xmas Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wow. It's almost 2024. That's insane. I feel like the end of the year just flew by. And now onto a new year that I'm not super excited for due to world events. But, ignoring all that, I am excited to start a new year of reading. Right now, I'm trying to shove in all the short books that I can to reach 100 books read in 2023, so I can't wait to just read whatever I want once January hits.</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkIC0Q_pfgseVyHK-BBYoRP92DaSLikFb2SsMr_thEE0pA1pLa8svHIGRdopTTT_1wBbFHdfLQ0w0tvcuIit0JximV25XwWf9hFRCSI9j4f2kmbDKVPq_tVVytQRQfXcsf0ozyhNQiUAdDxdy3bYmWzLN0J9rHRaGJ7_0nLeFaOLw_cVBO0FMQhT3Cnk/s4624/20231226_112145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkIC0Q_pfgseVyHK-BBYoRP92DaSLikFb2SsMr_thEE0pA1pLa8svHIGRdopTTT_1wBbFHdfLQ0w0tvcuIit0JximV25XwWf9hFRCSI9j4f2kmbDKVPq_tVVytQRQfXcsf0ozyhNQiUAdDxdy3bYmWzLN0J9rHRaGJ7_0nLeFaOLw_cVBO0FMQhT3Cnk/w400-h300/20231226_112145.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Now, onto books. I had some orders that I picked up at my parents' house while I was there for the holidays. They were mostly preorders from FairyLoot, but there was also the Waterstones edition of <i>Gold</i> by Raven Kennedy. The FairyLoot copies included<i> The Midnight Kingdom</i> by Tara Sim and <i>Fall of Ruin and Wrath</i> by JLA. <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntwxUccBYFfs8Uj6vbJpUm0W_-yQmZD7GGKBkb7975qtCNGOcXjFhslvO7QM97C4pg6fOgpmsyhwIdK2Y3lvQbA4Ywc8Pu7TEuHdeF5KV1-MLM4DaUmpkZP5C02DQsK6kVip9zWr_GGGRRAqbLD9FRXnxUb46cr_fYTUBJoFw3Gl_v8AMiJis9Bq713c/s4624/20231226_111509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntwxUccBYFfs8Uj6vbJpUm0W_-yQmZD7GGKBkb7975qtCNGOcXjFhslvO7QM97C4pg6fOgpmsyhwIdK2Y3lvQbA4Ywc8Pu7TEuHdeF5KV1-MLM4DaUmpkZP5C02DQsK6kVip9zWr_GGGRRAqbLD9FRXnxUb46cr_fYTUBJoFw3Gl_v8AMiJis9Bq713c/w400-h300/20231226_111509.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Onto the Christmas gifts. Most of them were from my parents. In fact, the only one that wasn't was a metal wall poster my sister got me that has a magical book/castle thing on it. It's pretty. I'm still not sure where I'm going to hang it though. From my parents, I got a fake plant for my house, a small black bookcase, sheets, a gray blanket, a vaccuum, pillows, and a Visa gift card. For bookish stuff, I got <i>Insatiable</i> by Meg Cabot, the newer editions of FBAA and TCOGB, a Solis map blanket and a Delano crispy marshmallow sticker from the JLA Shop, and a Bookish Box FBAA dagger. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyf3IOv40EduLDgbZ4ag8sZXE55lrbKm7xhhqZjeeFLvu6zaj6E9IiG1u1bfSma07deJ37fK5dQOKqxgqxkR1ewiYMVTOgtiMWSja0o0Uj_1Dird500cyRDB_yd1XO1gXNqZs_zubuaPwaADKJhuUaVMcnaRCyHf6hQx0719PB7P-Y7lNebNR20Abh5w/s631/Screenshot%202023-12-29%20093238.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="631" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyf3IOv40EduLDgbZ4ag8sZXE55lrbKm7xhhqZjeeFLvu6zaj6E9IiG1u1bfSma07deJ37fK5dQOKqxgqxkR1ewiYMVTOgtiMWSja0o0Uj_1Dird500cyRDB_yd1XO1gXNqZs_zubuaPwaADKJhuUaVMcnaRCyHf6hQx0719PB7P-Y7lNebNR20Abh5w/w400-h243/Screenshot%202023-12-29%20093238.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">There was a Stuff Your Kindle Day earlier this week, so I got a lot of free ebooks. A lot. Those included <i>With Shield and Ink and Book </i>by Casey L. Bond, <i>Queen of Roses</i> by Briar Boleyn, <i>A Pack of Storms and Stars</i> by Olivia Wildenstein, <i>The Hollow Gods</i> by AJ Varna, <i>Of Mist and Shadow</i> by Jenna Wolfhart, <i>Blood of Desiderium</i> by Ali Stuebbe, <i>Shadow and Moonlight</i> by Luna Laurier, <i>Living Legend</i> by Allie Shante, <i>Helfyre</i> by Mariel Pomeroy, and <i>Heavenly Bodies</i> by Imani Erriu.<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-zujF94J4E3qprwwH4jIJHppMorORoLW7rt_5is8PjF3SgiqcChKtNfRb7ckMROCc_O6dBnuda8Uk_dUYEjDF0fD9RPWIm-XKFFWsHcyFknGnAnpT-6G14TgG91_bY0Q9aTJfbAbZAgJx1Ah8tiSKmS-JS-9-m4tUBSQLtRt6beZY3EPANagcsb8H5A/s362/Screenshot%202023-12-29%20093332.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="362" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-zujF94J4E3qprwwH4jIJHppMorORoLW7rt_5is8PjF3SgiqcChKtNfRb7ckMROCc_O6dBnuda8Uk_dUYEjDF0fD9RPWIm-XKFFWsHcyFknGnAnpT-6G14TgG91_bY0Q9aTJfbAbZAgJx1Ah8tiSKmS-JS-9-m4tUBSQLtRt6beZY3EPANagcsb8H5A/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-29%20093332.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">And finally, the ebooks I downloaded from Kindle Unlimited this week. I got <i>King of Death</i> by Lily Mayne,<i> Knock Knock</i> by Nordika Night, and <i>Prince and Betrothed</i> by Tavia Lark. All of them are sequels to series I've been reading over the past year. I'm currently reading one of them, finished one, and haven't even started another one. </span><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. What books have
you bought/received lately? </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-85587532658387594022023-12-23T08:00:00.040-06:002023-12-23T08:00:00.142-06:00Stacking the Shelves: The Xmas Eve Eve Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's the pre-Christmas book haul. But I have to admit, it's hard to celebrate this year with everything going on in Palestine. It hurts knowing that while I'm celebrating with my family, their own families are being destroyed. I hope our leaders can get a spine over the holidays and end this madness. 20,000 people dead due to greed and hate. It's awful. #CeasefireNow</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZE35qF6Ajo_DZznepb6B7j4uRm-NwyI5cbD8-I8IjOw5B984SZm0B-ptTiZewQVSvzUTvJaE5CjFHJyMFmN3j9BgtCdDO99Em1lZuFZgedsE41VyfaWDdiXiC3zXfAv3ZphDphs6KCMUsb2pEqTBh3flxGj-hchztRc77FP3LYtyXCqolO8ppMMC9uSo/s4624/20231215_093154.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEe8y1QcmyT-tC5SMYqRTteDgX2wplxk2QA7LJ0UDjQeZVixy9FSLLRniOZL9_UH8MxjgT-0lNMv3Hb64CqKrsoX3f3kaq-Msd1V9HURsZ7CYobEGwgsy8Zh7thX0KujTa7u2sUF4jc0uhPe_vq0W7OeVKWyq5ufSIffaWpEo0qYIpUJMEuN8x0Ve_QY/s4000/20231218_175732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEe8y1QcmyT-tC5SMYqRTteDgX2wplxk2QA7LJ0UDjQeZVixy9FSLLRniOZL9_UH8MxjgT-0lNMv3Hb64CqKrsoX3f3kaq-Msd1V9HURsZ7CYobEGwgsy8Zh7thX0KujTa7u2sUF4jc0uhPe_vq0W7OeVKWyq5ufSIffaWpEo0qYIpUJMEuN8x0Ve_QY/w400-h300/20231218_175732.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The only physical item I got this week was my <i>A Soul of Ash and Blood</i> dustjacket from ImaginesBookShop. This took so long to ship out. I think I ordered it back in August? I can't even remember now, it's been that long. But, now that I have it, I have to figure out how I'm going to rearrange my shelves to fit this one in with the other FBAA editions.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmdCkQGJ7ukLr74jcIKGUrY_bAXdxyoEB3UOuL_pVUjhJ_D3aX2RAbWzmtFSlTTpPl22SaPVZVsD0HWBdmWGpSEJMWJ0PcJhFErvmOSBe4UEPfYE_CLzxAiFiWqW5ZZYnI5bdhu0AiQv1vxNdtnubwLkooZ184kJW6X6ll-akXGzT0QwQdK0HWvratEI/s1150/Riverbanks.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="768" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmdCkQGJ7ukLr74jcIKGUrY_bAXdxyoEB3UOuL_pVUjhJ_D3aX2RAbWzmtFSlTTpPl22SaPVZVsD0HWBdmWGpSEJMWJ0PcJhFErvmOSBe4UEPfYE_CLzxAiFiWqW5ZZYnI5bdhu0AiQv1vxNdtnubwLkooZ184kJW6X6ll-akXGzT0QwQdK0HWvratEI/w192-h282/Riverbanks.webp" width="192" /></a></div><br /></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">And finally, the only ebook I have is a tiny novella in the Kin & Kine series by H.G. Birde. <i>Riverbanks</i> is only 34 pages, and I decided to download it from the author's newsletter when I began panicking about how I was five books away from reaching 100 books read on Goodreads. My goal each year is only 30 books, but I'm so close to 100 that it'll be awful if I can't reach it. After reading <i>Riverbanks</i>, I'm at 96 books read. I can make it! Hopefully...</span><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. What books have
you bought/received lately? </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-30861733494118915422023-12-15T08:00:00.079-06:002023-12-15T18:12:27.489-06:00Stacking the Shelves: Another JLA Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, I'm back. It's been a while. I actually didn't get any physical books last week. Therefore, I decided not to write an StS and just save all the ebooks I got for this post, but I'll get into that in a bit. As for life in general, nothing crazy is going on. I had book club for the first time since our Iceland trip, so that was fun, and I went to visit my parents last weekend.</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aVybAHP6AHVc_7H6h9tiuMNJpPl73kHqrs8q1Uqm13HLyjQYdHgDBNBu4ewzsJV9RZUTC9RIOqoRBEREx-qZtpbELSkUKlJ_tpjf0vpef1H_neNK22RWokUR4R6Q4_5AFkY2BHWMpksl64BlsZhC29m6rH7vxcYb7s6HRZhoUCjEy0S58m7lSPwnAlw/s4624/20231201_164612.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZE35qF6Ajo_DZznepb6B7j4uRm-NwyI5cbD8-I8IjOw5B984SZm0B-ptTiZewQVSvzUTvJaE5CjFHJyMFmN3j9BgtCdDO99Em1lZuFZgedsE41VyfaWDdiXiC3zXfAv3ZphDphs6KCMUsb2pEqTBh3flxGj-hchztRc77FP3LYtyXCqolO8ppMMC9uSo/s4624/20231215_093154.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZE35qF6Ajo_DZznepb6B7j4uRm-NwyI5cbD8-I8IjOw5B984SZm0B-ptTiZewQVSvzUTvJaE5CjFHJyMFmN3j9BgtCdDO99Em1lZuFZgedsE41VyfaWDdiXiC3zXfAv3ZphDphs6KCMUsb2pEqTBh3flxGj-hchztRc77FP3LYtyXCqolO8ppMMC9uSo/w400-h300/20231215_093154.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Now, onto books. My order for the French edition of <i>A Shadow in the Ember </i>came in this week. I was actually surprised it arrived in so quickly. I ordered via Amazon.fr, and I think it came in less than two weeks. Normally international orders take FOREVER. My preorder incentives for <i>A Fire in the Flesh</i> also arrived at my parents' house, so I was able to pick those up when I visited. <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHKeZ-bH7Cu-COjn71DEQyN9-SBj5QpDkTRp4EqxyRCpOA2_ctYSjereZ-XmuA0awq6A5VrP5gqtc-pPY24uNVhe7k_RtFnBQFZku1npRivW9xQP6PycR1IN7gqW-_WSg-RC8OK1ruCietSTWJmJAVja7bZjp1kNsZqGOlORXp3SnQrxK-9tmwshti9E/s4624/20231125_055509.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvG3N21d34Ok90EZnijbleex06Ctrt0par3vOO9ZzMzj8X0-9iGLYcxSFXHUSXrqkHy6zkdeR_tzJ0ISLAZp9tRrjSmIFS4WOlRMrU8WfH7edR-zeT4GXQQSiL0-H5-Wf6d2mgtEKpzfdC5W9SgCaPkrHSGx_tMlffqgvUHxn-YVz_RGzUCPD1K3R0C8/s4624/20231215_093430.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvG3N21d34Ok90EZnijbleex06Ctrt0par3vOO9ZzMzj8X0-9iGLYcxSFXHUSXrqkHy6zkdeR_tzJ0ISLAZp9tRrjSmIFS4WOlRMrU8WfH7edR-zeT4GXQQSiL0-H5-Wf6d2mgtEKpzfdC5W9SgCaPkrHSGx_tMlffqgvUHxn-YVz_RGzUCPD1K3R0C8/w400-h300/20231215_093430.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I ended up having to make a $40 Barnes & Noble purchase to get free shipping for a Christmas present I ordered, so I threw in a JLA book that I don't own yet. <i>Obsession</i> is the adult spinoff/companion book to her Lux series. I haven't read it yet, but I might do that soon. I need some quick reads to get me to 100 books by the end of the year, and JLA's non-FBAA books are usually pretty fast reads.<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHK_CR-TNZ9wGNkLJ-XnOckJdpYV4xFHg3ov8TQ8RZEaw9uV316fnG5pZjZlu0JLXYvumB4-3JeD3M4iYHpgEiEDJGsSFKQjxCDacINR0uDkw_0B4kZ8kEbyp5DNeol-IUqKFGO8mRqPcn4UyNzMYKtt1r71Uof_sa0iHwx1BLTGL5bSPO7Trhr70yQwY/s4000/20231128_085010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nALDzplcCMi7RVSYIgecWvVqI3-C9f3wW728VuryvufTkJzTHhEArc8BdznA90015hNcwRleQuAhCj5P3NwUR6qvGBfZ_TxEVfYNAmJCK4bcVFmpe1a6IJ_T9VTidsYJnm_EyGR8baJSrfhWP77UqW4wG4jWhTm-xTtB8qHULU7vqlmiaseFOXzk5YQ/s545/Screenshot%202023-12-15%20095154.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="545" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nALDzplcCMi7RVSYIgecWvVqI3-C9f3wW728VuryvufTkJzTHhEArc8BdznA90015hNcwRleQuAhCj5P3NwUR6qvGBfZ_TxEVfYNAmJCK4bcVFmpe1a6IJ_T9VTidsYJnm_EyGR8baJSrfhWP77UqW4wG4jWhTm-xTtB8qHULU7vqlmiaseFOXzk5YQ/w400-h310/Screenshot%202023-12-15%20095154.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">And finally, the ebooks. All of these except <i>Violent Secret</i> by Ariana Nash are Kindle Unlimited downloads. I purchased <i>Violent Secret</i> using some Amazon credits. The other KU books include <i>Gold</i> by Raven Kennedy, <i>Villain and the Geek </i>by L.C. Davis, <i>God of Fury </i>by Rina Kent, <i>Until You </i>by Briar Prescott, <i>One</i> by Paulina Ian-Kane, <i>Blurred Lines </i>by Andi Jaxon, and <i>Danger Zone</i> by Brooke Blaine and Ella Frank. Can you tell I was downloading a lot of stuff to try to get out of a reading slump?</span><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. What books have
you bought/received lately? </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-89702165134129186062023-12-05T08:00:00.004-06:002023-12-05T08:00:00.149-06:00November Wrap-Up & December TBR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, November was the worst reading month of 2023. Yikes. But there were reasons for that. One, was the slump. I just wasn't feeling any of the books I was being forced to read due to my own obligations (e.g., book club, review books, etc.). I also was addicted to TikTok, and current events also make it difficult to focus on reading. #CeasefireNow. Oh, and I ended up getting COVID during Thanksgiving, which meant for two weeks it was hard to focus on anything but trying to breathe through the congestion. Lol.</span><br /></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In this wrap-up,
I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received,
and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!<br /></span></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Read in November</span></b></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_Pqdpv-vLCoRDlIOsMCJJYcLpu-hSxJ79Stmu6Ua4_3CrFjZt6lFY1jJPRU-4Duh7yHQHoTNZBlBUY5WvBKo0VZrXW2J5X5PNGj0X_VM6EC-Nk9QZ1m6oMTPBLEHcg8TcetxcUZDcda6Th62HMj0GaWOH2DfSiwendt2MFE0gPOudbVV8rfbSm-l680/s500/Court%20of%20Wanderers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_Pqdpv-vLCoRDlIOsMCJJYcLpu-hSxJ79Stmu6Ua4_3CrFjZt6lFY1jJPRU-4Duh7yHQHoTNZBlBUY5WvBKo0VZrXW2J5X5PNGj0X_VM6EC-Nk9QZ1m6oMTPBLEHcg8TcetxcUZDcda6Th62HMj0GaWOH2DfSiwendt2MFE0gPOudbVV8rfbSm-l680/w173-h254/Court%20of%20Wanderers.jpg" width="173" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></div>
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Court of Wanderers: </i>4.5 stars (NetGalley eARC, review to come)<br /></span></span></span></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Yep, I only read a single book in November. And it was at the beginning of the month. I literally finished it on November 1st in the wee hours of the a.m. <i>Court of Wanderers</i> by Rin Chupeco was a book I got for review via NetGalley. It would have been one of my most anticipated books of 2024 if I hadn't already read it for review. I devoured this sucker in a couple of days, I believe. It was amazing. I'm so sad the duology is over. I already have my review written, I just have to type it up, but it won't go live until the book actually releases in April. I will say though, this duology will make it to the number one spot on my best-reads-of-2023 list.<br /></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Bought/Received in November<br /></span></b></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEwIEbOf_sq1apbrGCPYt2dfwPLjuUsQoNIuqQa62N1Ne3vvVXNGXBNIGsy-NwDQGfsknmzEq2FdXaQbWbs3Xvji5KFbBR1-RgbgvQYSHqpLBR0jYrBaslKF3WBuZ4bgNRnyu7q1zRyQfUJ8YlxtvoQVqiOUmoKTuRIu3YxX1YGcSD2NgAnvnsZh-RYc/s4000/20231203_211838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEwIEbOf_sq1apbrGCPYt2dfwPLjuUsQoNIuqQa62N1Ne3vvVXNGXBNIGsy-NwDQGfsknmzEq2FdXaQbWbs3Xvji5KFbBR1-RgbgvQYSHqpLBR0jYrBaslKF3WBuZ4bgNRnyu7q1zRyQfUJ8YlxtvoQVqiOUmoKTuRIu3YxX1YGcSD2NgAnvnsZh-RYc/w400-h300/20231203_211838.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></div></div></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Only reading one book didn't stop me from buying 14 more in November. Yikes. And of those 14, only five of them arrived within the month. The others were preorders. I also had five other books arrive that were paid for earlier in the year. So that's a grand total of 10 books that actually showed up to my house</span></span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">The 14 books I bought included nine preorders that haven't arrived yet. Those consists of my FairyLoot preorders of <i>Fall of Ruin and Wrath</i> and The Dark Elements trilogy by JLA and the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown. I also preordered a special edition of <i>From Blood and Ash</i> from Fae & Flourish and the French edition of <i>A Shadow in the Ember</i>. For the books that I purchased that actually arrived in November, I got an ARC of <i>Blood Passage </i>by Heather Demetrios from Mercari; the FairyLoot November Adult book, <i>Sword Catcher</i> by Cassandra Clare; and three books from Barnes & Noble: <i>Fangirl</i> the 10th Anniversary Edition by Rainbow Rowell,<i> Iron Flame</i> by Rebecca Yarros, and <i>A Power Unbound</i> by Freya Marske.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></span></span><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;"> I also received five books that I'd preordered earlier in 2023. My three copies of <i>A Fire in the Flesh</i> arrived, one from Indigo and two from B&N. One was the special B&N copy and the other was the regular hardcover. My FairyLoot copy of <i>The Scarlet Veil </i>by Shelby Mahurin came in, as well as the German Chest of Fandoms edition of <i>A Light in the Flame </i>(not pictured).<br /></span></span></span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Currently Obsessed With<br /></span></b></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>I haven't been watching a lot of stuff lately. It's mostly been a TikTok obsession. Plus, TikTok is very digestible when you're ill and can't really concentrate on anything else.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1kmhHMwx2MjAgLyYAAJ2ChgwT31hsxrNFCty0dOv4QKdR3v6VfB6JzD3HRmZzdD0ovExSpuThqYqBzcI0KHidvpKOhBRbcogvC5PEIfIPuvycqAL6nHu-q9wW35a5ydW015s9mCmECCH1PHxCCcp0VIUmBjiXXT6h_BP8WcQTtxrwhCSGJ10fn3V8AM/s2000/85qas7rZZnTaWJMjwYjVBZ.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJHF8ANjCoaFLpsD6VeEl-mDIm46oqF9g1XCtJdCO8iLZlgPUn2pIFqZcsmsQ-5NGdKf9AMCQvlMGgMePqL2lKqZtDoIwJBLfgrZlsHc0hequQovpcufN5Dp4V0IYkD1CL6tMmQr8npvz0Pfp36tT3ZOSAyvBsoVHCOyUjHhOdg45Cu4kidYP91DOFos/s1066/shadows-55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1066" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJHF8ANjCoaFLpsD6VeEl-mDIm46oqF9g1XCtJdCO8iLZlgPUn2pIFqZcsmsQ-5NGdKf9AMCQvlMGgMePqL2lKqZtDoIwJBLfgrZlsHc0hequQovpcufN5Dp4V0IYkD1CL6tMmQr8npvz0Pfp36tT3ZOSAyvBsoVHCOyUjHhOdg45Cu4kidYP91DOFos/w400-h271/shadows-55.png" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></span></span></div><p></p></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I honestly don't remember what all I watched in November. I know I've been rewatching <i>The Office </i>when I eat meals, like I always do. And I also rewatched <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> for the first time in probably five or so years. I did finish <i>What We Do in the Shadows </i>season five early on in the month. It wasn't my favorite season, sadly, but it had a few funny parts. It definitely could've been better. I also started a show on Netflix called <i>Never Have I Ever</i>. It's a high school comedy that I don't think I'll continue watching. It's just not grabbing my attention. I wanted something to entertain me while I was sick, but it didn't hit the mark.</span></p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">December TBR</span></b><br /></p></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8B9YaAmIdZPbtNyRSoBIeta7Fzte2G3tV45KhdaZTZIr1fQ0wq_T7rcgVE4eUvLaOhzBQLAra3gVpYfQk8J3uhVR4IB94oHqiCRPvUb85fogNP8fdncoRKkZE847nOX0nA78DTg0D5kgrGdbt84fU0penolJ_SobK1lMeLiSWPFDC5Y5wdnNWWIySww/s500/Screenshot%202023-11-04%20204231.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPzePGnokX_bLhaEVhukoYBngVjEfT6mDU2YQKKNN847wj8RYj1XrPK1EdsDDnpZa6ni0SrSwExyujjLe0WZXz9tlZloW_qSeJHL8OryMEiBE6mYFy_5oDXOsKQyUe8Bs1oMj1PZY8iLa1URDZyzSNDaDqO-b_jWf6nGO9PQVWmXRxHDDqDjTpUlgkCY/s422/Screenshot%202023-12-04%20122030.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="413" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPzePGnokX_bLhaEVhukoYBngVjEfT6mDU2YQKKNN847wj8RYj1XrPK1EdsDDnpZa6ni0SrSwExyujjLe0WZXz9tlZloW_qSeJHL8OryMEiBE6mYFy_5oDXOsKQyUe8Bs1oMj1PZY8iLa1URDZyzSNDaDqO-b_jWf6nGO9PQVWmXRxHDDqDjTpUlgkCY/w391-h400/Screenshot%202023-12-04%20122030.png" width="391" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">I need to read nine books in December (as of today) to reach 100 books read overall in 2023. So I'm sneaking in some short books to make sure I can reach my goal. Those include <i>The River of Silver</i> by S.A. Chakraborty; some Lily Mayne titles like <i>A Monstrous Christmas in the Camp</i>, which is also fitting for the holiday season; and <i>Villain and the Geek</i> by L.C. Davis. I also need to finish my NetGalley ARC of <i>Calamity</i> by Constance Fay and start my ARC of <i>A Fate Inked in Blood </i>by Danielle L. Jensen. And finally, I'd like to finish <i>Charm</i> by Tracy Wolff. I'm only 200 pages into that one. It's taken 3+ months to get the stupid thing read.</span><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">***</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Okay, well, that's
the month of November, plus some December sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one
post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><p></p>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-43129995050947608242023-12-02T08:00:00.084-06:002023-12-02T08:00:00.140-06:00Stacking the Shelves: The FBAA Cards Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ugh. So, it's been a rough couple of weeks for me. Unlike most people who were celebrating the holiday, I ended up being alone on my couch because I was sick with COVID. Yuck. I'm still recovering even now. The congestion is unreal. But, thankfully, it's better than it was the previous week.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aVybAHP6AHVc_7H6h9tiuMNJpPl73kHqrs8q1Uqm13HLyjQYdHgDBNBu4ewzsJV9RZUTC9RIOqoRBEREx-qZtpbELSkUKlJ_tpjf0vpef1H_neNK22RWokUR4R6Q4_5AFkY2BHWMpksl64BlsZhC29m6rH7vxcYb7s6HRZhoUCjEy0S58m7lSPwnAlw/s4624/20231201_164612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aVybAHP6AHVc_7H6h9tiuMNJpPl73kHqrs8q1Uqm13HLyjQYdHgDBNBu4ewzsJV9RZUTC9RIOqoRBEREx-qZtpbELSkUKlJ_tpjf0vpef1H_neNK22RWokUR4R6Q4_5AFkY2BHWMpksl64BlsZhC29m6rH7vxcYb7s6HRZhoUCjEy0S58m7lSPwnAlw/w400-h300/20231201_164612.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Now, onto books. I have been reading very little, especially since COVID kind of shot my concentration, but the book orders do keep rolling in. First up, I have my Barnes & Noble preorder of <i>A Power Unbound</i> by Freya Marske. I also have three FairyLoot orders: <i>The Scarlet Veil</i> by Shelby Mahurin, <i>Sword Catcher</i> by Cassandra Clare (the November Adult book), and <i>Fire Study </i>by Maria V. Snyder. <i>Fire Study</i> is my replacement copy for the damaged one that came in originally. I'm also mad that <i>The Scarlet Veil</i> is taller than the original FairyLoot Serpent & Dove books. It's very irritating. I'm glad I got the regular hardcover too so my copies actually match. <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHKeZ-bH7Cu-COjn71DEQyN9-SBj5QpDkTRp4EqxyRCpOA2_ctYSjereZ-XmuA0awq6A5VrP5gqtc-pPY24uNVhe7k_RtFnBQFZku1npRivW9xQP6PycR1IN7gqW-_WSg-RC8OK1ruCietSTWJmJAVja7bZjp1kNsZqGOlORXp3SnQrxK-9tmwshti9E/s4624/20231125_055509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHKeZ-bH7Cu-COjn71DEQyN9-SBj5QpDkTRp4EqxyRCpOA2_ctYSjereZ-XmuA0awq6A5VrP5gqtc-pPY24uNVhe7k_RtFnBQFZku1npRivW9xQP6PycR1IN7gqW-_WSg-RC8OK1ruCietSTWJmJAVja7bZjp1kNsZqGOlORXp3SnQrxK-9tmwshti9E/w400-h300/20231125_055509.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Something I've been eagerly anticipating finally arrived this week. My Prettygalpins Jemlin FBAA tarot card deck arrived. And they are gorgeous!!! I think my favorites are Poppy, Vonetta, Isbeth, Kieran, Casteel, and Sera, though they all look awesome. Reaver is showing a lot of skin, though. Lol. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm56kp2GYBiCr_UW1IRlvAwpZzLLEKmHvEkSgN6xN9BVq-fRiE61m8C8AXDD8rwMW-0q9FEmSfp6jF8wdKp3__xrsZZV-uX-ZoDBBCITl8Ltrmc0okidboBQAB84VBdn56mpwMqA-qYcBwDXe0OSxNBc-oH5O1i4W1vN9kTH2lbL7s10Bog27dtQ02b1o/s4624/20231201_164355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm56kp2GYBiCr_UW1IRlvAwpZzLLEKmHvEkSgN6xN9BVq-fRiE61m8C8AXDD8rwMW-0q9FEmSfp6jF8wdKp3__xrsZZV-uX-ZoDBBCITl8Ltrmc0okidboBQAB84VBdn56mpwMqA-qYcBwDXe0OSxNBc-oH5O1i4W1vN9kTH2lbL7s10Bog27dtQ02b1o/w400-h300/20231201_164355.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">And next, I have the replacement dustjacket for the FairyLoot edition of <i>Kingdom of the Feared</i>. I think I added myself to the list to get this replaced like a year ago at this point. It's insane how long this whole process has taken. But I'm glad it came in, as the spine does not match the previous two books in the series at all. I was supposed to get a replacement for <i>A Dragon's Promise </i>too, but it wasn't in the tube, and I've already emailed FairyLoot about other things, so I'm just not going to worry about it. I don't care enough, since I don't own the other duology by the author and it's just a matter of silver versus gold font</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHK_CR-TNZ9wGNkLJ-XnOckJdpYV4xFHg3ov8TQ8RZEaw9uV316fnG5pZjZlu0JLXYvumB4-3JeD3M4iYHpgEiEDJGsSFKQjxCDacINR0uDkw_0B4kZ8kEbyp5DNeol-IUqKFGO8mRqPcn4UyNzMYKtt1r71Uof_sa0iHwx1BLTGL5bSPO7Trhr70yQwY/s4000/20231128_085010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHK_CR-TNZ9wGNkLJ-XnOckJdpYV4xFHg3ov8TQ8RZEaw9uV316fnG5pZjZlu0JLXYvumB4-3JeD3M4iYHpgEiEDJGsSFKQjxCDacINR0uDkw_0B4kZ8kEbyp5DNeol-IUqKFGO8mRqPcn4UyNzMYKtt1r71Uof_sa0iHwx1BLTGL5bSPO7Trhr70yQwY/w400-h300/20231128_085010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I also almost forgot to share the A Touch of Magic Designs order I received. It arrived in a relatively timely manner, so I'd already taken a pic and put the Vampire Academy bakery pin on my pin banner. I was too sick to take the artwork out of the plastic sheets, so sorry about the mediocre photo. I ordered the two FBAA pieces. The Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac magnet and <i>Fourth Wing</i> piece were freebies.</span><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. What books have
you bought/received lately? </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-27743140832155732822023-11-28T08:00:00.121-06:002023-11-28T08:00:00.144-06:00Review: Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizu1oOO7tE07Y8p7ZZKqUk0tmetBnfXJzN-Ff67UQMAn3xaInrFqmYdEFb1O7EEQQsljDvTjUWKxrR21RsmX109TUyR0eDHXukJ8Kzg8DLmmBfWYYFVrXkNvE8B1WROz-B5iRHYG9k3NwDlGHbn031o7OxFjn_mI9lSu1iQwfxwdr1Thd0FbDMIdDfSMw/w259-h400/Gwen%20and%20Art%20Are%20Not%20In%20Love.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizu1oOO7tE07Y8p7ZZKqUk0tmetBnfXJzN-Ff67UQMAn3xaInrFqmYdEFb1O7EEQQsljDvTjUWKxrR21RsmX109TUyR0eDHXukJ8Kzg8DLmmBfWYYFVrXkNvE8B1WROz-B5iRHYG9k3NwDlGHbn031o7OxFjn_mI9lSu1iQwfxwdr1Thd0FbDMIdDfSMw/w259-h400/Gwen%20and%20Art%20Are%20Not%20In%20Love.jpg" width="265" /></a> <b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 20pt;">Gwen & Art Are Not in Love</span></b>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/www\.goodreads\.com\/book\/show\/51475353-master-of-one\0022 ";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18654974.Lex_Croucher" target="_blank">Lex Croucher</a></span></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Publication
Date: November 28, 2023<br /></span></b>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hardcover, 416 pages, Wednesday Books<br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Genres: YA, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+<br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61885131-gwen-and-art-are-not-in-love" target="_blank"><b>Goodreads</b></a></div><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i><br /></i></span><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale in this queer medieval rom com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.</i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i> </i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.</i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i> </i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.</i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i> </i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i> Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother. Lex Croucher's Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.</i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></span></i>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My Review</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you're missing the fun of BBC's <i>Merlin</i> show or want a book similar to Alexis Hall's writing style, then <i>Gwen & Art Are Not in Love</i> might just be for you. It has some hilarious and disaster characters, along with some crazy situations with a bunch of young people just trying to find love. It's a lighthearted historical fiction comedy with romance and sword fighting thrown in.<br /><br /><i>Gwen & Art Are Not in Love</i> follows two POV characters, Gwen, the current king's daughter, and Arthur, a descendant of King Arthur with none of his capabilities. Against their wishes, the two are engaged, even though Gwen likes a certain female knight and Arthur is very into men. So, they agree to make each others' lives easier and keep their secrets. What's entertaining after that is watching them become enemies to allies to sort-of friends. Both characters are complete messes. <br /><br />I will say that in addition to the two protagonists, the other side characters, such as Bridget Leclair, the knight, and Arthur's friend, Sid, all are pretty flushed out characters. Bridget reminds me of Brienne of Tarth in personality, not appearance, which was very fun to read. However, I don't think the members of the royal family truly got a lot of development. I would've liked to have seen more, especially from Gabriel, Gwen's brother, and the king and queen. They felt a bit like afterthoughts at times. <br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now, though I did enjoy this book, it took some time to get into. I think I had to get about 15% into the story before I truly immersed myself into the world, especially since I thought this was going to be an actual King Arthur retelling, just with gay characters, and instead it ended up having very little relevance to King Arthur at all. Honestly, that whole plot point could have been taken out. But anyway, I guess I should have read the description more closely. The plot overall, is very fun, though. Gwen and Art are trying to figure themselves out while fitting in some romance, and it's a wild ride. But the ending. I was not expecting the action that happened. Just when you think you're in a fluffy historical fiction book, BAM! Everything goes crazy! My eyes were glued to my Kindle.<br /><br />All in all, <i>Gwen & Art Are Not in Love</i> is simply a cute, entertaining read. It will give you all the feels and make you wish to live in an age of knights and princesses. Just don't go into it thinking you're getting the actual tale of King Arthur, and you'll be all set for a quick, cheery read.</span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi7EcxMjQN4HQ4XRODw1G7Z736aYHhNsZo7pmbZJw2GfgaKOJlzqMVX0ysM575vKv241RGuhI0Gibu5o1tFXXBXt-98pL7qNjPqaRFRC1QgisUwSTwtfWfVWz02WLThFPU_1Osr13ixTwYK4xPau-wdHM5POGfF_EeUcSCBoUSq9mu7-LmfO0K9J0/s197/4%20stars.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="59" data-original-width="197" height="59" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvi7EcxMjQN4HQ4XRODw1G7Z736aYHhNsZo7pmbZJw2GfgaKOJlzqMVX0ysM575vKv241RGuhI0Gibu5o1tFXXBXt-98pL7qNjPqaRFRC1QgisUwSTwtfWfVWz02WLThFPU_1Osr13ixTwYK4xPau-wdHM5POGfF_EeUcSCBoUSq9mu7-LmfO0K9J0/s1600/4%20stars.png" width="197" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><p></p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;">*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.</span></i></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-16068477307595232082023-11-18T08:00:00.001-06:002023-11-18T08:00:00.152-06:00Stacking the Shelves: The Priority ARC Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wow. It's almost Thanksgiving. Where the heck has November gone? I have so much to do before the holidays and absolutely no energy to do it. It doesn't help that I've been completely integrated into the world of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Yes, it's become a huge problem. They've suckered me into their various fields, and I hate it. But I also love it. Ugh. I didn't have become-obsessed-with-a-celebrity-romance on my 2023 bingo card. Also, #CeasefireNow.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPcNQx7QgKlB-4-4BYI7JaydJukOi6BWPZYYUHk4tedPPk-y7iR3OPoBECfjKEhGl4rI2rH5ZHuAPFyNeumBpr2_8oLt-Kc7bUSo57L-U4IRyYk51xtPx8zwF5ID1osOpJBk0S4XC8O9WausOLJhsyjQgUXMbNcTqIY2CwOYU9JWldauPWQpyT2yDaFk/s4624/20231117_092537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPcNQx7QgKlB-4-4BYI7JaydJukOi6BWPZYYUHk4tedPPk-y7iR3OPoBECfjKEhGl4rI2rH5ZHuAPFyNeumBpr2_8oLt-Kc7bUSo57L-U4IRyYk51xtPx8zwF5ID1osOpJBk0S4XC8O9WausOLJhsyjQgUXMbNcTqIY2CwOYU9JWldauPWQpyT2yDaFk/w400-h300/20231117_092537.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Now, onto books. I haven't been reading very much at all. Again, the TnT situation has taken over my life and all romance books (which is primarily what I read) pale in comparison. I still have preorders coming in though, and one major buy that has made me extremely happy. My Indigo order for <i>A Fire in the Flesh</i> by JLA arrived this week. It took way longer than my Indigo orders normally take. It got stuck in Canada for an extra week. My Barnes & Noble preorders for <i>Iron Flame</i> and <i>Fangirl</i>, the 10th anniversary edition, also came in. The <i>Fangirl</i> copy is so cute! It has pink and white stenciled edges. But the big news for this post is the ARC of <i>Blood Passage</i> by Heather Demetrios. I've been trying to find an ARC of this book for sale somewhere at a decent price for about two years now. And someone was selling it on Mercari. Gah! The hardcover got a cover change, but I loved the original cover design, so I wanted this copy, as this series is one that really inspires me when it comes to daydreaming about writing my own fantasy worlds.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. What books have
you bought/received lately? </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-32924633805726351572023-11-07T08:00:00.186-06:002023-11-07T08:00:00.150-06:00October Wrap-Up & November TBR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, October was probably my worst reading month of the entire year. Which isn't surprising. My vacation took up a full week of the month, and then after, I needed to catch up on life and decompress. Also, the world is on fire right now, so reading has just been difficult overall. I'm hoping November will be better, but holy cow, it isn't starting off great. #CeasefireNow.</span><br /></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In this wrap-up,
I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received,
and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!<br /></span></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Read in October</span></b></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfC-Z2z-gs4Ptfpx6rdhsiDhpx07oDbCukeeFJJuasnbtpOx_7OgKg3vYb8pRn1U9zs5oWIJcGjaiDiPrboLfmXVALdVRM1ICXdLtG11uawBh7gjpmI53D_BU7oGqzWkez_dj_TUaASaJcnATkxurw6SlCJQA4ht0zu5x2I1X-fJJkwEs20794byseR8/s499/Screenshot%202023-11-04%20203016.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="331" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfC-Z2z-gs4Ptfpx6rdhsiDhpx07oDbCukeeFJJuasnbtpOx_7OgKg3vYb8pRn1U9zs5oWIJcGjaiDiPrboLfmXVALdVRM1ICXdLtG11uawBh7gjpmI53D_BU7oGqzWkez_dj_TUaASaJcnATkxurw6SlCJQA4ht0zu5x2I1X-fJJkwEs20794byseR8/w265-h400/Screenshot%202023-11-04%20203016.png" width="265" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></div>
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Devil's Dance: </i>3 stars (KU)<br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Saint's Song: </i>3 stars (KU)<br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>The Fall of the Orc</i>: 3.5 stars (eARC, my <a href="http://wulfluva-shellsstories.blogspot.com/2023/10/review-fall-of-orc-by-finley-fenn.html" target="_blank">review</a>)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><i>Violent Demand:</i> 4 stars (KU)</span></span></span></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I only read four books in October, and all of them were ebooks. Three of the books were Kindle Unlimited downloads: <i>Devil's Dance </i>and <i>Saint's Song</i> by Garrett Leigh and <i>Violent Demand</i> by Ariana Nash. The other book was an eARC sent from author Finley Fenn for me to review her book <i>The Fall of the Orc</i>. It was one of my most anticipated books for the remaining of 2023, so I'm glad I was able to get it a bit early.<br /></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Books Bought/Received in October<br /></span></b></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlSCpzcOz1nibpIbta_w_17OHfJJUVxVYqWS96sWtgBZBkESzjvQUmYfBv3jn_TzbHm86bGUeahvBcU5CHxcf6mgozE759JYQelHWchyphenhyphenZHk8GxDjQV2BKqVBVAItCPVcmMZSRuwPNgokUrrwhP373_mTA16p8pEnVdErZb4fS9IB4Ff8cakTEjj-PFWY/s4624/20231101_191832.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlSCpzcOz1nibpIbta_w_17OHfJJUVxVYqWS96sWtgBZBkESzjvQUmYfBv3jn_TzbHm86bGUeahvBcU5CHxcf6mgozE759JYQelHWchyphenhyphenZHk8GxDjQV2BKqVBVAItCPVcmMZSRuwPNgokUrrwhP373_mTA16p8pEnVdErZb4fS9IB4Ff8cakTEjj-PFWY/w400-h300/20231101_191832.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></div></div></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">I thought October was pretty chill, but there was actually a lot of stuff added to my shelves this month. I bought 12 books, and of those I bought in October, I received seven of them within the month. And in total, I received 15 books, which includes those seven</span></span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">The 12 books I bought include five preorders that haven't arrived yet or just didn't arrive until early November. Those include my FairyLoot preorders of <i>The Scarlet Veil</i> and <i>The Midnight Kingdom</i>, as well as my Indigo and B&N orders of <i>A Fire in the Flesh</i>. I purchased the regular and B&N edition from B&N. I had seven orders that were actually delivered to me within the month or were directly purchased in the store. Those include <i>Night of the Witch</i> and <i>10 Things That Never Happened</i> from B&N, <i>Throne of the Fallen</i> from Blackwells, two copies of <i>The Hurricane Wars </i>(Waterstones and FairyLoot editions), the FBAA Walmart edition, and a fairy book I purchased in an Iceland Christmas shop on Rainbow Street.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></span></span><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;"> I also received eight books, either from preorders or review copies. They include four FairyLoot editions: the first three books in the Vampire Academy series and <i>Sun of Blood and Ruin</i>, the September adult book, which I paid for in September but didn't arrive until October because it was shipped to my parents' house while I was on vacation. My B&N edition of<i> The Scarlet Veil </i>also didn't arrive until I was on vacation, though I was charged in September, and the last book in Brandon Sanderson's Kickstarter, <i>The Sunlit Man</i>, arrived this month as well. I paid for that last year. Other than those, I had two ebook review copies. One was <i>The Fall of the Orc </i>by Finley Fenn, which I received from the author, and the other was <i>Court of Wanderers</i> by Rin Chupeco from NetGalley.<br /></span></span></span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Currently Obsessed With<br /></span></b></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>I've been watching a rollercoaster of things this month. It's been crazy. There's been a lot of movies and shows to take my attention off of everything I need to do. It's also taken away from my reading a bit.<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1kmhHMwx2MjAgLyYAAJ2ChgwT31hsxrNFCty0dOv4QKdR3v6VfB6JzD3HRmZzdD0ovExSpuThqYqBzcI0KHidvpKOhBRbcogvC5PEIfIPuvycqAL6nHu-q9wW35a5ydW015s9mCmECCH1PHxCCcp0VIUmBjiXXT6h_BP8WcQTtxrwhCSGJ10fn3V8AM/s2000/85qas7rZZnTaWJMjwYjVBZ.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1kmhHMwx2MjAgLyYAAJ2ChgwT31hsxrNFCty0dOv4QKdR3v6VfB6JzD3HRmZzdD0ovExSpuThqYqBzcI0KHidvpKOhBRbcogvC5PEIfIPuvycqAL6nHu-q9wW35a5ydW015s9mCmECCH1PHxCCcp0VIUmBjiXXT6h_BP8WcQTtxrwhCSGJ10fn3V8AM/w400-h225/85qas7rZZnTaWJMjwYjVBZ.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></span></span></span></span></div><p></p></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Like I mentioned in last month's wrap-up, I've been really into the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce romance. This lead to me going to see the Taylor Swift Eras Tour film on its Thursday opening night. There were only two other people there since most people already had tickets for Friday's original release showing. I also watched a couple of her other streaming films. One was the Reputation tour and the other was the <i>Miss Americana</i> documentary. I also finished my rewatch of <i>Schitt's Creek</i>, and I moved back to <i>The Office</i>. I did finish season two of <i>The Wheel of Time</i> as well. I slowly made my way through season five of <i>What We Do in the Shadows</i> too (I finished it in early November). My family (mostly my mom and sisters) watched the <i>Barbie</i> movie too. It was... something. I was disappointed. I don't think I mentioned this in last month's wrap-up, but I also watched <i>Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves</i> on Prime in September as well.</span></p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">November TBR<br /></span></b><br /></p></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8B9YaAmIdZPbtNyRSoBIeta7Fzte2G3tV45KhdaZTZIr1fQ0wq_T7rcgVE4eUvLaOhzBQLAra3gVpYfQk8J3uhVR4IB94oHqiCRPvUb85fogNP8fdncoRKkZE847nOX0nA78DTg0D5kgrGdbt84fU0penolJ_SobK1lMeLiSWPFDC5Y5wdnNWWIySww/s500/Screenshot%202023-11-04%20204231.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="500" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8B9YaAmIdZPbtNyRSoBIeta7Fzte2G3tV45KhdaZTZIr1fQ0wq_T7rcgVE4eUvLaOhzBQLAra3gVpYfQk8J3uhVR4IB94oHqiCRPvUb85fogNP8fdncoRKkZE847nOX0nA78DTg0D5kgrGdbt84fU0penolJ_SobK1lMeLiSWPFDC5Y5wdnNWWIySww/w400-h199/Screenshot%202023-11-04%20204231.png" width="400" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">Only one new TBR book for the month. The other two are repeats from last month. No surprise there. The newbie is <i>A Fire in the Flesh</i>, since that just released last Tuesday. The other two include my NetGalley ARC of <i>Calamity</i> by Constance Fay and <i>Charm</i> by Tracy Wolff. I'm only 200 pages into that one, and it's taking me forever to get through it because I liked the side characters and they're not really in this installment, sadly.</span><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">***</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span>
</span></span><p align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Okay, well, that's
the month of October, plus some November sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one
post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><p></p>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-21015026341257295242023-11-04T08:00:00.041-05:002023-11-04T08:00:00.140-05:00Stacking the Shelves: The AFITF Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, October is over. It's Christmas season! While I do love the Christmas festivities, I do not have the energy to buy presents this year. Ugh. People may just be getting gift cards from me. As for the most recent holiday, I did nothing special for Halloween. I just ate candy in front of my TV in my pajamas. It was very attractive. Lol.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7OiwUqskmSVYdgGL3wrHKZzigsnpPcYCPg_DGanFm4oZD8AcH085McrLguLmsqVbnAUbw4rqmfrFCeciMES2li4B3X9W4QWl2GZ5cBe56SOmGIg96SfDusdDES_9-qeX23LZPA4naLvH44j5Q-C-a8mdMERAhQkSb_MpDWSHd4dmNGOqfdTqyFfmVus/s4000/20231103_191942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7OiwUqskmSVYdgGL3wrHKZzigsnpPcYCPg_DGanFm4oZD8AcH085McrLguLmsqVbnAUbw4rqmfrFCeciMES2li4B3X9W4QWl2GZ5cBe56SOmGIg96SfDusdDES_9-qeX23LZPA4naLvH44j5Q-C-a8mdMERAhQkSb_MpDWSHd4dmNGOqfdTqyFfmVus/w400-h300/20231103_191942.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">As for books, I had two Barnes & Noble deliveries, neither of which should be a surprise. My preorders for the regular hardcover and the B&N hardcover of Jennifer L. Armentrout's <i>A Fire in the Flesh</i> arrived Friday. I really wish B&N had some faster shipping. I don't like ordering books from Amazon unless I just have to (e.g., independently published), but B&N takes sooo long. At least I'm not as excited about the Flesh and Fire series, so I don't have to worry about downloading the ebook to read this one day-of like I do with the regular Blood and Ash series. My Chest of Fandoms German order for <i>A Light in the Flame</i> also arrived. Well, technically, it was delivered to my parents' house and they dropped it off.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1w9voM8XXFPGRfDc4_4VqioiYiF5JW_3yq-iwI0ND54weff_1tpAgNOqwEziBPBR_pEcheuBLbqlVjnP-Qggll0mlb0wbDWHe1iEqnp-eQOJVJMQika2NdMsI6y6xQKXupPNsjOokj2wR59GLzIQnsCd_F_sqqnkaeOGn8cRYT_qJFgNnMIZnB9khgA/s500/Blurred%20Lines%20ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9zG9JFOcVHzAo-IZw2q8Jh-YaQ8L1wiVqXH87-PRwTTsAw2qdPQ6hwCQ_Sl-9G2cKXrbwd2VMTrymB9Q-7tHMZHv6903dMWAysmK6_PPO5V5gcBPLz0Rk-PrlyjJToltylpXCfwS9O6mFoX6IVMI95Phv0FGSJiVHtHqLzu8UnCQYtde5iAGVXkhQJE/s369/Screenshot%202023-11-03%20192650.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="369" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9zG9JFOcVHzAo-IZw2q8Jh-YaQ8L1wiVqXH87-PRwTTsAw2qdPQ6hwCQ_Sl-9G2cKXrbwd2VMTrymB9Q-7tHMZHv6903dMWAysmK6_PPO5V5gcBPLz0Rk-PrlyjJToltylpXCfwS9O6mFoX6IVMI95Phv0FGSJiVHtHqLzu8UnCQYtde5iAGVXkhQJE/s320/Screenshot%202023-11-03%20192650.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> As for ebooks, I have two for the week. I downloaded <i>Blurred Lines</i> by Andi Jaxon and <i>Danger Zone</i> by Brooke Blaine on Kindle Unlimited. <i>Blurred Lines</i> is the sequel to a MM hockey romance book I read earlier this year. I think it follows a different couple though. Also, this is a special edition cover. The regular cover is a bit spicy. Not terrible, but more skin is showing for two characters than I normally show on my blog. I think... I honestly can't remember if I've shared other spicy book covers here or not. I've been blogging for so long. <i>Danger Zone</i>'s cover is on the edge a little too, but I figure most everything is in shadow. Plus, it didn't have another US cover.</span><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. What books have
you bought/received lately? </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4485171978987181369.post-78705107993920693632023-10-28T08:00:00.072-05:002023-10-28T08:00:00.137-05:00Stacking the Shelves: The FairyLoot Overload Edition<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s768" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="768" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGVG99dmR7K-Yd83zF5tt7ve9ZEDdejxS4JURX0K7YQr_jh5aMqknf7anAiKh9KM6dyuTq9XfNUCq1QdfbIMhDBbhPY16n8rdyY8PuxZl43KCnKSs5j6EuCdBT3hCkJouRagGbmEmfpAEPpyPnyFmK5UnHbA5bE4exji9KZqpXplZXzM8LRqcwxTn=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Stacking the
Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/05/staking-shelves-official-launch.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reading Reality</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. It allows book
buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving
community.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm having an interesting time right now. I've been on TikTok watching Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce videos practically 24/7, but I did manage to finally read something that I liked. Hopefully that means I'm getting out of this godawful reading slump. Oh, my older sister came to visit this past weekend too, that's why I didn't post an StS. I also only had one ebook to share, so it wasn't worth the effort.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZ3ITQKIRVL9WGj4HXdVzFUzgNC-oNaQwmfOjHZJRYtfrhFtEH2gpTuL4h5WDhHo4itwGjZVioO-X9PbAlBlsIyl5nryOqRtFfTVjVOJisxjz8ycnpmsRhKPkO5p2zpVRHydrfu5qSY5n2yuMCnJ3L6jnLIy7YiVLgrpV1U-OSLJ3LxxUTZyME_VsTBE/s4624/20231026_144751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZ3ITQKIRVL9WGj4HXdVzFUzgNC-oNaQwmfOjHZJRYtfrhFtEH2gpTuL4h5WDhHo4itwGjZVioO-X9PbAlBlsIyl5nryOqRtFfTVjVOJisxjz8ycnpmsRhKPkO5p2zpVRHydrfu5qSY5n2yuMCnJ3L6jnLIy7YiVLgrpV1U-OSLJ3LxxUTZyME_VsTBE/w400-h300/20231026_144751.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I had quite a few deliveries show up at my parents' house while I was on vacation that I was just able to pick up this past weekend. It's some good stuff too. My FairyLoot order of the first three Vampire Academy books arrived, along with the September and October Adult books. They're all very pretty, though I think I prefer the Waterstones edition of <i>The Hurricane Wars</i>, which you'll see below! <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0y9DoBG0ldheYGec-RuZEQUPopCUkLKCok554xsrf5kZuwylnNzawjYSYccv3MHNEB2edlp0YFRY7KmkuUgn2zy6RTciutZxJv3DkfGraO5FpGSHDxHDL36OCKmq9rGE2g8afOIG52dGW-4taY9SLJonl5-Sx_WUSRJvwc36DMObBF2SlSVX_ro_7EQE/s4624/20231026_144636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0y9DoBG0ldheYGec-RuZEQUPopCUkLKCok554xsrf5kZuwylnNzawjYSYccv3MHNEB2edlp0YFRY7KmkuUgn2zy6RTciutZxJv3DkfGraO5FpGSHDxHDL36OCKmq9rGE2g8afOIG52dGW-4taY9SLJonl5-Sx_WUSRJvwc36DMObBF2SlSVX_ro_7EQE/w400-h300/20231026_144636.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">And next up is the Waterstones edition. I just like the lighter color scheme of this one versus the FairyLoot edition. I actually think I might sell the FairyLoot copy since I like the Waterstones one so much better. But, I'll wait until I read it to officially decide. I had a Blackwells order of <i>Throne of the Fallen </i>by Kerri Maniscalco arrive and a B&N preorder of <i>Night of the Witch</i> by Sara Raash and Beth Revis as well. And <i>10 Things That Never Happened</i> by Alexis Hall was a B&N preorder that was actually delivered to my place instead of my parents'. Yay for progress! My JLA FORAW preorder incentive bookmark was shipped to my parents' house though. Sigh. One day I'll get all my orders to go to my own house. Maybe.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRy4hgEWEKFcmLLh6WKkGHYuBGkWijcAPDS6zjXcajigHV4opgtrgyVY3mq-93U_5lmasXr4mVe5Yf5rChLy5srcYikkVeMeeu3bNx5o_juUYnCtgDaIOMgZz13vBgaap_Ykpl0troY3PRWdnB3F2HxOH8F-5s0yEN86Mf7TidcVmYO0WMXWDK5hpLVGw/s4624/20231026_144428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRy4hgEWEKFcmLLh6WKkGHYuBGkWijcAPDS6zjXcajigHV4opgtrgyVY3mq-93U_5lmasXr4mVe5Yf5rChLy5srcYikkVeMeeu3bNx5o_juUYnCtgDaIOMgZz13vBgaap_Ykpl0troY3PRWdnB3F2HxOH8F-5s0yEN86Mf7TidcVmYO0WMXWDK5hpLVGw/w400-h300/20231026_144428.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Next, I have the last Brandon Sanderson box for the year: <i>The Sunlit Man</i>. Have I read any of the books from Sanderson's Kickstarter yet? Nope. Will I one day? I hope so. I think I'm going to wait until the first five Way of Kings books are all out, so then I can get into the overall Cosmere story without having to read Mistborn. I read the first book and it was fine. I just don't want to reread it anytime soon to finish up the trilogy + spinoffs.</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xf1yKBcDoVGg8nRgly8B3LD-ngquFHHzJWq7DKIhz0T6iVaGLnMYGit7_iy5O54ncEO5gKtCZBqqyE83iPvV3E5S0XDEql0Ac1FTm8Za8BDTRkowN0KgK5_RtEyqhKbdIHEq-0pTYutA_zER0quI9Rlwo11FArqUUDc9IfAz-F4neZ_TirzltoEsPdY/s351/Screenshot%202023-09-24%20182440.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhspBPY1XEub75IJW0NgzIbqfmbpHdba7g_xTiMWjnzNldj8WbGzuxQENmZGpgWDc2e6IiSa2e-sZHXKkQtDB-R1E1nfyEYRN9tXJFFFHKH7bx9dNOTlspev0oAa6NxJxxkfMOWSDTy0ovJL9CfimPz7qwk8fqvsEMv_WMAzJlJ3DqzVkx_N0Kh5LREE/s377/Screenshot%202023-10-27%20083913.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="377" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhspBPY1XEub75IJW0NgzIbqfmbpHdba7g_xTiMWjnzNldj8WbGzuxQENmZGpgWDc2e6IiSa2e-sZHXKkQtDB-R1E1nfyEYRN9tXJFFFHKH7bx9dNOTlspev0oAa6NxJxxkfMOWSDTy0ovJL9CfimPz7qwk8fqvsEMv_WMAzJlJ3DqzVkx_N0Kh5LREE/w346-h175/Screenshot%202023-10-27%20083913.png" width="346" /></a></div><br /></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> As for ebooks, I have three. I downloaded <i>Violent Demand</i> by Ariana Nash on Kindle Unlimited, and it's been the book that's helped get me out of a slump a bit. Thank goodness. I was sent <i>The Fall of the Orc </i>by Finley Fenn for review, and it was good. I also was able to get a copy of Rin Chupeco's <i>Court of Wanderers</i> on NetGalley!!! I plan to read it as soon as I finish another NetGalley book that's releasing very soon. Ugh. I'm so behind on reviews.</span><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, that's all for me. What books have
you bought/received lately? </span></div>Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05825037414785205085noreply@blogger.com1