my 1000+ word love letter // These Violent Delights Book Review

It’s so crazy how I managed to read this book in a mere 6 hours and I already know what I will be talking about for the rest of my life.

Title: These Violent Delights

Author: Chloe Gong

Blurb (GR): The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

Likes

• This was so fun to read! – This plot was really interesting and kept you on your toes. Our main characters are Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, heirs to the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers respectively. They’re both rivals and have a long standing blood feud. A madness causing innocent people to literally rip their throats out starts infecting the city. Juliette and Roma must overcome their past as ex lovers, and their blood feud in order to save their city. This is a superb retelling of Romeo and Juliet. One book I will never forget, and coming from a person who forgets most book plots about 3 months after I read them, this is a pretty bold statement. The action, pacing was perfect and it never felt to slow.

• Deal with very important issues such as colonialism and “white man savior complex” – The time period is 1926 and currently different white powers are trying to take control over Shanghai. We get too see just how these foreign powers are taking advantage of a divided city and twisting everything for their benefit. The thing I like the most though, was how this was portrayed in such a harsh and inhumane manner because that’s exactly what this is. When we read textbooks in school we only get the basic gist of what happened, and in my opinion it’s very downplayed. Like yes colonizers did spread diseases, steal valuable resources but the (American) public education system doesn’t go deeper than that. In this novel we get too really see how this turmoil uprooted entire livelihoods and families, and set into motion an a prejudiced way of thinking that affects us today. Also with the topic of “white man savior complex,” Juliette’s entire race was called uncivilized and it was so messed up how The French, English were trying too take over Shanghai not for power, but also because they genuinely felt like this was right. I feel like These Violent Delights went into colonialism more than my highschool textbooks did and I’m so glad YA books like this are starting to be more hyped up because they offer so much more insight on historical events then what we learn in school.

• Romance – As this is a Romeo and Juliet retelling of course there is romance. This book reminded why I love the idea of star-crossed lovers so much. There was so much tension, angst, misunderstanding, heartbreak, and then more heartbreak and a tiny bit of fluff. Roma’s and Juliette’s dynamic was really cute and I was rooting for them all the way through. It didn’t overthrow the plot but instead created a nice balance.

Dislikes

• Ending! – I WILL NOT SAY ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT MISS CHLOE GONG I KNOW YOU WERE SMIRKING WHEN YOU TYPED OUT THAT ENDING AND THAT SEQUEL BETTER BE COMING OUT SOON!

• Juliette Cai – I just want to start off by saying that I love her so much and she’s one of my comfort characters. There is no Juliette slander allowed in this house!!1!1 But seriously Juliette was such a complex character and reading in her point of view was really interesting. As a reader we get too see her conflict with her duty/love to her gang and then with her own identity and not really fitting anywhere. Juliette is such a hardass not giving anyone a reason to try her and it’s just so satisfying to read about. She gives off such Azula vibes from ATLA but like more mentally stable (just a little though).

• Roma Montagov – Sweet boy. I would give up my left arm just to see him smile. I loved Roma’s character and despite being one of the main protagonists in the book I feel like he’s underrated? He’s very honest with his emotions and also not afraid to show them. He cares a lot of his sister and friends. This was a nice change of pace from the other emotionally constipated and overly angsty male mc’s I have read about in the past. But I also like how despite how “soft” he could be, he isn’t exactly powerless. He also had internal conflict with himself, his feelings with Juliette, his father, and his gang. Also, he’s freaking hilarious. And the fact that he does things in the novel that aren’t meant to be funny, but still is funny makes it even funnier. He is a true chaotic good.
• Side characters: Kathleen, Marshall, and Benedikt were my absolute favorite. Especially Kathleen because her backstory was so unique and really inspiring to read about. Her relationship was Juliette and how trusting they were with each other. Marshall was hilarious and much needed to break up several tension filled bits in the book. He is totally the type to get arrested for tying to steal a stop sign, and in his mugshot he would do the duck face. I rest my case. Benedikt didn’t make much of an impression on me as much of the other characters but I did like him and his interactions with the others.
  

• If I wasn’t so deathly afraid of needles and also a Muslim, I would get at least 25 different lines tatted on my body. I read the prologue eat least 3 times a day. Words cannot describe how beautiful Chloe Gong’s writing is; I have never read a book with such lyrical prose. It paints Shanghai as this beautiful, dangerous, and alluring city. The way the characters interactions and thoughts were described… please I could write a whole analysis on the writing ALONE.

I think it’s really obvious that this was a five star read for me! I feel so lucky to be able to end the year with such a good book!

It’s so nice to finally be active on WordPress after so long! I finally finished college applications and currently am on winter break so I have a lot of free time (finally) Have you guys read this book before? What did you think? Were you a simp for Juliette as much as I was? Have you thought about reading this book?

coming back to blogging after a year, post quarantine life // August Monthly Wrap-Up

I know almost everybody’s wrap up starts with “omg I can’t believe how fast this month flew by!!1!1” but one day I was binging Avatar the Last Airbender, and now I’m writing an August wrap up, so yeah “omg I can’t believe how fast this month flew by!!1!”

• I went ziplining! – So me and a couple of friends went to an obstacle course and I had a freaking blast! It was pretty difficult near the end and my arms are still sore as I’m writing this, but it was worth it. I got to zipline, rock climb, do a free fall 50ft in the air… I really like adventuring and having fun but with COVID obviously things are a little different (also don’t worry I had a small group and we maintained social distancing with our masks).
• I created a twitter! – Because I’m dumb I got locked out of my old account I was debating on whether or not too make a new one. I didn’t really use Twitter that much but then I started making book aesthetics and posting them and they were doing well too. But of course I got locked out. Sooo I made a new one, and if you’d like you can follow. I mostly rant about books, share fanart, but I love interacting with others!
• I also learned photoshop – So I downloaded photoshop and started taking some classes on how to use it, and it’s actually way less complicated then I thought lol. I love creating graphics on it and I really think it’s turning out great for my blog. I’m kind of brainstorming a big blog makeover, but I’m not really sure what direction I want to go in. And also there is only so many thing you could do on the WordPress free plan (#imbrokeasf).
• School starts soon and I’m kinda excited – Okay so by the time I’m posting this school will start in like 11 days and I’m not feeling bummed out about it. Mostly because I would be taking it online 😛 hehehe. Even though the spread of COVID has calmed down significantly compared to March and April, it still seems risky too go back too school so I’m doing remote learning. My school is pretty far from my house and I have to take several trains on the way and I know firsthand that it gets REALLY packed on the subways.

• I returned back to blogging *after one year* – I did return from a hiatus and I feel like such a boomer. It took me a while for me too get used too the new editor and I’m not very happy with it. Buut I do love the new features they have like the Podcast Player, and the Buttons! They are so cute hehehe.
• I plan on having more interesting posts to come for September – Things too look forward to are posts about making side money, some interesting book reviews, and maybe a tutorial on the extreme basics of Photoshop?? I’m not really sure yet on the last one, but I am excited for September!
  

• M.T Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left talks about the popularity of ya novels, and brought up a few interesting points surrounding the trends of YA.
• Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books did a lovely post on why book bloggers need to be appreciated more! (and total non biased opinion: she’s totally right hehe)
• E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook gives us a huge list of discussion prompts which I bookmarked right away.
• Sofi @ A Book. A Thought made my tbr even longer by giving us more spooky books too read for October

• This month I thought I finished a lot of books, but surprisingly I only finished three?? Turns out I just spent most of my time watching anime instead oops. But this month wasn’t entirely that bad, and I didn’t read a book below 4 stars so that’s great!
• Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson ★★★★☆ – THIS BOOK WAS SO CUTE OMG! If you’re looking for a badass yet fragile female mc, and a caring and sweet male mc then look no further. Adam and Jolene were the perfect couple, they had such sweet moments and their story is super cute. This book was my favorite of the month, and I highly recommend checking it out!
• Anna K by Jenny Lee ★★★★☆ – Honestly this did have the potential too be a five star book. It had a great cast of characters (I love Steven!), but the romance was a little underdeveloped. You can check out my review here.
• The Final Six by Alexandra Monir ★★★★☆ – This was a great sci-fi concept, and the characters were great! But sometimes it was a little bit too detailed, and some descriptions will leave you like huh?
  

SEPTEMBER TBR

September consists of a lot of re-reads, and murderous plot lines! Even though I have about seven books I want too read, I know school will take a bit get time too get adjusted too so I want too finish at least four.

• The Raven Cycle Series by Maggie Stiefvater (4 books) – This is the one series I have too finish because ohmygod I have tried too read this 3!! Times!! I always love the first book but never get too the second book for some reason because it’s never available in my library. But this time I got lucky and managed too snag the first two books and I can’t wait.
• An Ember in the Ashes by Saaba Tahir – This is a re-read because even though I loved this story I never managed to finish the trilogy.
• The Poppy War by R.F Kuang – Another re-read but I forgot basically everything except for the fact that there was this eccentric teacher who used poppies too get high. Or something like that because wow it has been a while since I read it and the hype on Twitter is driving me insane.
• If We Were Villains by M.L Rio – I’m currently on this dark academia aesthetic obsession mode, and this book definitely fits into that. Also murderous theater kids.

Here are some of my goals for September!

• Finish The Raven Cycle series – This is something I’m hellbent over doing.
• Interact with more people – This is actually going well for me already! I’ve been going over to my feed and liking + commenting on whatever I find interesting.
• Write more book reviews – I have only written one review so far so this September I’m aiming for at least four!
• Finish up blog re-design! – I am in the process of redesigning my blog and I have some things in plan, buut I’m not entirely sure what exact theme I want.

So that’s it for my August! It feels great too do this after so long lol. What about you guys? How was your August? If you are going too school this fall are you excited? What’s on your TBR? What do you think about my TBR?

Why Making Reviews Are So Scary + What Makes an Interesting Review!

Let’s face it guys, as a book blogger the posts that don’t do as great are your book reviews.

It’s honestly nothing to be ashamed of and no reason to deny it either because it’s a super common thing, and everyone faces it! 

But I admit, it is pretty depressing too look over at how well your other posts are doing, and then you see how low the stats are on your book review. A book review that you poured out your heart and soul on, something you couldn’t wait to show to everyone.

So today I will be talking about:

• Why do our reviews flop compared to our discussion posts?
• What makes ME comment on someone else’s review + how often do I do it
• New formats + ways to spice up your own review

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Reviews vs discussion posts

To be honest, I prefer discussion posts way better than book reviews and based on my own personal experience the general public feels the same. I get a lot more views on posts about things like disliked tropes, and sPiCy topics then I do on reviews. The reason why I think this is because discussion posts actively engage and entice the reader’s attention. It compels them too comment their own thoughts + opinions. And I love comments!

However, for a book review it’s just like… you liked that?? Cool MOVING ON! What else is a blog reader supposed to comment about. Especially if they didn’t even read the book. Which leads me too my next point

Lack of difference in reading taste 

Look in your WordPress reader feed, and you will notice that you follow people who you have common interests in. It goes the same for your followers, they follow you because they have interests in your posts and most likely enjoy the things you do. 

People may have already read that certain book and therefore, not really interested in your thoughts and opinions on a book they already formulated their OWN thoughts and opinions on. So why should they waste their time on something old. Especially when it comes to hyped up books, there is a good chance that I would already know what someones rating would be: 4 or 5 stars! So I’m not going to be reading that review.

Repetitive reviews

Some reviews can get so boring after a while. There is only “Omg I loved this book  so much… I loved the characters…I loved…I LOVED” you can take (BTW I am very guilty of that) That’s why it’s really important to actually write reviews that are not repetitive and go more into depth then just “I like… I love” It can be difficult to do because what else are you supposed to write in a review? So here are some alternatives

• Stop saying I LOVE! Talk about what made that particular thing interesting but stop yourself from saying “I this, I that” and just leaving it there. For me, writing a “I” before a verb, or emotion makes the sentence much weaker which is something I’m trying to combat.
• When talking about things you dislike, don’t talK, JUST RANT! I love reading rants because a) they tend to be super funny and b) IT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE SOME BORING EMOTIONLESS ROBOT! And this is totally a personal preference, if you don’t think this fits with your style, then don’t do it. 

Less review, more retell

Once again, I am also very guilty about this but I love to retell everything going on the book. WHICH IS NOT IMPORTANT!! The blurb is there for a reason, I just want to hear more thoughts, then some boring retell. Not too mention, this makes the review more longer then it should be.

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Interacting with book reviews

I also am guilty of not really commenting on book review posts, but when I do it’s usually because of these two main points:

• Great blogging voice – I will get onto this really soon, but it’s nice too see a book review where the person is actually talking too you. Showcasing some personality is always a great plus! 
• The book in general – If it’s a book that I really like it and the blogger shares the same thoughts, I think I would interact. And on the flip-side if it’s a book I and the blogger don’t like, I will share my thoughts as well.    

These are some characteristics and features I like in a good review

• Blogging Voice – I don’t like to read reviews that sound pretty emotionless, but rather fun reviews that include a good dose of CAPS LOCKS, but still have room for some depth of the review.
•  Format – Reading bits and paragraphs of a review with (funny) gifs in between is way better than reading 59088 words in one sitting. Break!! Up!! Your!! Reviews!!! Add some gifs, a divider, etc… Or even add a mood board or pretty aesthetic. I also like writing in a bullet form because it makes it easier for some people too read through, and also I recently started too include a little “In Short” section. This is basically where I do a short summary of my review, because I go very in-depth about what I liked/dislikes (you can see this here). 
• Rating System – I use the regular old star system, but I know other bloggers who use things like flowers, bunnies, books, etc.. But it’s important that it’s consistent and well-explained. What might be a 3 star book to you, might be a 4 star too someone else.  
• Human connection – Sometimes in my reviews I like too talk about how I personally could relate too the book. If there is a sibling relationship in the novel, I would talk about how it was similar/different with my own siblings. If there is a problem that I related too then I mention it in my review. Basically I look for ways I can connect myself to the novel which tells my readers a little bit about me, and make the review a little more flavor.  
• Graphics – This goes a little along with format, but graphics are a great way too make reviews pleasing too look at! This in turn, will draw in more readers. No one can resists some good eye candy! Now in terms of what graphics too make… that it totally up too you. You can create headers, quote’s, character aesthetics etc.. I use Photoshop for mine but there are great alternatives like Canva, Pixlr, and BeFunky.  

Don’t be too disheartened 

If you are really bummed out by the lack of interaction on your posts just know that as your blog grows, so will the amount of comments on EVERY post. Book reviews are so important too both authors and readers, so please continue writing more regardless of interaction or not. 

This concludes the end of today’s post. I hope this helped out people who need this! As always, make sure too leave your thoughts! What do you think of this post? Was this helpful? What do you think makes a good book review? Do you have a book review you’re particularly proud of?

in my next life I better be born as the teenage daughter of a wealthy businessman who also likes horses. (anna k. book review)

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first book review I have posted in *checks calendar* one whole freaking year!

Yeah obviously time has gotten away from me, but I have risen from my awful book slump to bring you a book review of Anna K by Jenny Lee. And spoiler alert: I freaking loved it.

Also, since I go pretty indepth review, it might be too much for some people so I present a new feature called In Short,

Title: Anna K
Author: Jenny Lee
Blurb (GR): Every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way.

Meet Anna K. At seventeen, she is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and Newfoundland dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna’s brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather a sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie.

As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is…until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all.

Dazzlingly opulent and emotionally riveting, Anna K.: A Love Story is a brilliant reimagining of Leo Tolstoy’s timeless love story, Anna Karenina―but above all, it is a novel about the dizzying, glorious, heart-stopping experience of first love and first heartbreak.

• So this book has been widely labeled as the young adult “Crazy Rich Asians and Gossip Girl” crossover everyone and their mother has been waiting for. To be honest, I think the “Crazy Rich Asians” portion was a bit of a stretch considering that only two of the main characters were half Korean, and it didn’t really have *that* magic I fell in love with in CRA, but the Gossip Girl portion was spot on. Actually it was like Gossip Girl.

• This book is about the lives of a whole bunch of characters, but the main six are Anna, Steven, Dustin, Kimmie, Alexia, and Lolly. They’re all (except Dustin) sons and daughters of affluent, and wealthy families and reside in NY. This book follows these characters as they deal with scandals, young love, shitty friends, and even shittier parents. This is also a retelling of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, so I do recommend doing a quick skim on Sparknotes before reading this. I haven’t read the original book, and I don’t see myself reading it in the future because I had enough of 19th century books, and the mere thought of them makes me want to bang my head on the nearest wall (thanks ap lit summer assignment!)

basically me struggling too do my homework.

• The story is very entertaining. If you are looking for something that is filled with drama, and has a bunch of reckless teenagers navigating the world around them, then this is for you! I was immersed in the lives of these people, and it was very amusing and exciting too watch them grow.
  
  
• This book also has the main theme that “not all that glitters is gold.” Despite this being about the lives of the uber wealthy, I still found myself being able too relate too some of the events and themes going on. It was also very interesting too see that underneath all the wealth, and glitzy aspects, these characters are just as messed up as we normal people are.
  
  
• Also deals with racism and classism. Anna and Steven are both half Korean, and white, while Dustin is black, Jewish, and adopted. I really liked how it dealt with casual/subtle racism. A lot of people make such offhand, racist comments and they don’t even realize it’s wrong because it’s just so ingrained in society.
  
• I loved, loved, the setting and premise of this book. I am obsessed with the whole rich kids aesthetic! The prep schools, uniforms, the wild over the top parties, the private jets etc… And the fact that it took place in New York City just made it better. It was a lot easier too picture what was going on, and being in the city made the whole aesthetic even more glamorous. (I swear being a New Yorker isn’t my only personality traits)

CONS

• Problematic relationships – There is a whole lot of cheating going on. Like a whole lot of. And very messy relationships.
• Also in terms of romance, I honestly thought it was too insta love for Anna and Vronsky. Especially for Vronsky because he is characterized as the playboy type, so he should be used too super pretty girls. But the minute he saw Anna, he was all “I think I’m in love with her” But I did think it was super cute! Just needed a bit more development, but still cute!

For me characters make or break a book. If I can’t relate or like the characters at all, I probably don’t even like the book. Which is why Anna K was such a delight to read! I loved the diverse array of characters and how they were all fleshed out and fun. With a cast as big as the one in Anna K, you would think some characters would turn out to be bland, but this was far from the case.

Anna K – Anna is just a wholesome bean who likes horse-riding, reading books, and her dogs. I really enjoyed Anna’s soft and honest character and it was a nice break from the rest of her crazy friends. Also, I loved how she supported and uplifted the rest of the girls around her like Kemmie, and Lolly. And she still likes too party and put on makeup, which I thought was great because she’s not one-dimensional.

However, I did get tired of the constant battle in her head over Alexander and Vronsky. I wanted too yell at her too hurry up and make a decision.

Steven – I honestly detested Steven at first, but he proved too be one of my favorite characters in the story! His character development was crazy good, and his personality grew on me. Reading in his perspective was so my favorite parts because it was so funny! I found it so sweet that he cares so much for his sister Anna, and was willing too do anything for her. It made me a tiny bit sad that I didn’t have a cool older brother and instead stuck with two annoying sisters (jk love ya sis).

me @ steven and anna 24/7

Dustin – Personally his story was my favorite. Dustin is down to earth, sweet, smart, and overall A Very Nice Kid. At first I wasn’t down with his whole Kemmie Obsession thing, but reading in his p.o.v was relaxing and I understood him a lot better. Also this kid gave up his college fund, and three grand just for his brother, and I thought it was so sweet.

Kemmie – Kemmie was great, I really enjoyed her character development. Her struggle with depression did seem a bit unrealistic (as in she got over it pretty quickly). She seemed really sweet, and if I met her IRL I’m pretty sure I would’ve gotten along with her more than anyone else on the list.

Lolly – At times I found myself relating too Lolly a lot, especially her big sister moments. She did seem a bit superficial, almost shallow at time though, but at the end she made up for it. She’s actually a great person overall, but even a better friend.

Vronsky – Last but not least, Alexia Vronsky. To be honest, I didn’t learn much from him except that he is madly in love with Anna, he’s a playboy, he likes sex, he’s madly in love with Anna, and *checks notes* he’s madly in love with Anna. I still liked him when he acted all soft around Anna though that was cute, but that’s about it.

Jenny Lee is a screenwriter and you can tell from reading this book. But I had no problems with the writing style. It was told in third p.o.v so it made the story flow really well. Also, the dialogue was great. There was easy and flowing conversations between the character, and it really made each personality shine through.

However, the teen slang was a bit too much at times especially when reading in Steven p.o.v. I have never seen a person use “lit” as much as Steven does.

This book was a great book! Yes it does have a few downsides that will definitely push some people away, but I think you should still give it a try. Also a little off topic, but I am seething at how low quality WordPress made the header for this post look like. Anyways, now I want to hear your thoughts. Would you pick up this book? Have you picked up this book? What were your thoughts? And what do you think of my review?

Unpopular Bookish Opinions // *sPiCy*

Opinions are something that each, and every person is entitled to have. It’s something that defines our personality, and it shows your knowledge about  a certain topic.

also if you remember this vine then, u da real MVP

Opinions also run this blog, and a whole bunch of other review blog as well. Book reviews are compromised of the readers opinion, and what they took from the book, and many people rely on it. That’s sort of why we bloggers write them, so you can see our opinion, and it’s up too you to trust it or not.

Being in the bookish community I have garnered a lot of unpopular opinions. About almost everything, and now I’m going to share them with you 😛 .

So just sit back, and relax because I’m about to spill some real tea.

Also I hope everyone understands that this is MY own opinion, and I’m not trying to shove it down anyone’s throat, this is just for gossiping purposes only

1) I’m always a bit hesitant to read a book written by a DEBUT author

Listen, listen hear me out. When you already read a book by an established author, you already have sort of a feel for what this persons style/writing is. And that way you don’t really waste your time wondering if you are about to waste your time on a book or not.

After reading Sarah Dessen’s Along For The Ride I was so in love with it, I literally binge-read EVERY SINGLE ONE of her (YA) books last summer. And I have her latest book on hold (#brokebishlife). It’s because I trust, and fell in love with her sense of writing, and story ideas. Can I really trust a new author to the same?

Honestly I’ll admit, this is a really stupid mindset of mine (what else is new lol)  because once upon a time, all authors were debut authors. And I have read some amazing books written by newbie authors (The Hate U Give, Allegedly etc..) That being said, it’s not like I always skip books written by a debut author, I always give books a chance if I find them interesting or my other friends do. Whether it’s written by a person who wrote 500 books or a person who just started, things like debut authors are not a big factor in choosing my books. Otherwise, I barely would have read any good books.

2) I have lost *some* respect for J.K Rowling

J.K Rowling obviously wrote the HP series, and you know I love her for that. I had so much respect for her, but these tweets are not cutting it.

fyi grindelwald was a dark wizard in the HP series

EYE-

It seems to me that  she labeled Dumbledore as gay only as an afterthought, and sort of in a way to pRoMoTe dIvErSitY!!111!1 in the HP series. Which is kind of messed up?? Like we understand miss, the Harry Potter series were written in the 20th century, a time period where homosexuality wasn’t really accepted. I also remember sometime back in 2015 she posted Harry Potter’s views on the Israel situation with Palestine, and I was so confused. I’m pretty sure he is a fictional character Ms. Rowling…

3) Most Some classics can be overrated

This might be the Gen-z in me talking, but classics can be pretty boring or confusing. Maybe part of my resentment towards classics come from the shitty American public school system because all we were forced too do was read + annotate and write some essay.

In the literary world I feel like these books are so overhyped for… nothing. Like I barely got through The Great Gatsby because of how boring, and dull Nick was as a narrator. And also, Daisy was literally so annoying?? I really disliked her character!

As a literal book blogger I know I’m supposed to appreciate books, and literature. But classics? Nope, no way. I’m probably just going to fall asleep.

4) Paperbacks >>>> Hardbacks

I too, was on the Hardback Hype train back in like 2016, but THEN I REALIZED HOW MUCH CHEAPER PAPERBACKS WERE???

So before I used too always borrow books from my local library, but now I kinda buy books on my own from Barnes & Nobles and WOW! One time me and my friend went to Barnes and Nobles to buy a required book for my AP class and there were too copies left. One a hardback and the other a paperback. I went for the hardback but then the price was 27 DOLLARS!! And I snatched the paperback copy, and it was literally 18 bucks. That’s almost 10 dollars less.

Also, paperbacks are way softer, and I know they do the bendy things with the front cover, but YOU JUST NEED TO LEARN HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THEM OKAY!

5) Audiobooks are not it

I personally can’t read/finish an audiobook. My favorite thing about books is the fact that you can feel, and really see the words, and I’m much more comfortable with that. And even with ebooks which are not my preferred reading format, at least I can SEE the words. With audiobooks though… I feel like you’re not really “reading” but rather listening. Like you would with a podcast rather then an actual book.

Aslo for the life of me, I just can never really comfortable-y listen to audiobooks. I always find myself zoning out, or just not really into it. I know there are so many positives for audiobooks, they’re pretty affordable, easy to carry around etc… But you will never catch me with an audiobook.

But it’s great if you love reading audiobooks! I’m not saying that it doesn’t count as a way of reading because then that would be super ableist. There are disabled/blind people who rely on audio books too read, and that’s fine!

6) Multiple P.OV novels can be such a headache

After reading Allegiant which was written in Four’s AND Tris’s P.O.V I decided that I would never read multiple p.o.v books again.

Just kidding, I just love exaggerating.

But honestly, that book was pretty bad and so was most of the series tbh. I have read other books written in different P.OV’S and it can be pretty annoying. Mainly because the author doesn’t really know how to differentiate between the characters voices. So if it wasn’t for the name to be plastered in the beginning of each new chapter, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell

BUT recently I have read some super good ones like 

• Flight Season by Marie Marquardt – I just finished this book, and I AM SOBBING. This book was so beautiful, and such an important message of the unexpected.
• Six of Crows by Leigh Barcudo – I think virtually everyone has read this, but if you haven’t GO BUY IT RIGHT NOW!

7) First P.O.V >>>> Third P.O.V

Speaking about point of views, I always prefer books that are written in first P.O.V (using “I”) rather then third P.OV with a narrator. I honestly don’t even know if it’s a unpopular opinion because I don’t really see people talking about it though. But the point is that when I’m reading books in first P.O.V it feels like… well… a first-hand experience. Also I feel like I can get to know the character more because I get to fully see what he/she is feeling.

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I can’t believe this post reached 1.2k words, woaaah. This is how you know I talk too much about myself. Anyway, as always make sure you tell me your unpopular opinions! Do you agree or disagree with some of mine? Also, could you maybe pretty please list down hyped ya books you need me to read?? This is for a future post, and I need suggestions ASAP! 

5 Important Things I Learned While On Hiatus // I return from two years in Azkaban

Hey everyone! It’s been a really long time since I last updated on this blog. The last time would be sometime around April. 

Two years ago.

Honestly, book blogging never really crossed my mind until a few months ago when my mom randomly popped in and was like “hey whatever happened to that geeky site you had?” And at first I was like “Mooom iT’s nOt gEeKy” in true teenager fashion, but then I was really thinking about it. Whatever did happen to Nerd in New York? It used to be my child, I used to obsess over layouts, editing, my instagram, etc… The Amena  two years ago would never let this blog die out. 

I admit, time really got away from me. I only promised myself a few days of blogging hiatus, but then days turned into weeks, and before I knew it, it was a whole twenty four months since I last posted on Nerd in New York. I haven’t been exactly doing much while on my blogging break, just finishing up on school and things like that (which is now finally over!!). But now, I want to come back into the blogging community, and this post was the only way I could think of to make my “comeback” here. 

I’m honestly a bit scared of posting this, and making it live, because I just feel like… I’m so irrelevant? Like that never did make a huge difference, but now it kinda does. It’s been like two freaking years, I’m pretty sure all my old blogging friends have forgotten about me, and I’m way to embarrassed to be like HEY!! REMEMBER ME!! YEAH I DIDN’T THINK SO EITHER!! But back to the point of this post, being on a break made an impact on me whether I liked it or not. I learned some things about me, and are beneficial to anyone who is busy, and overwhelmed. 

I don’t know how, when, and why I suddenly wanted to get back to posting on here, but I’m just glad I didn’t give up on Nerd in New York! And my WordPress Reader is soo dry right now so if you are an active book blogger link up, and I’ll check out your blog. A lot of bloggers I used to follow are not active anymore so I’m incredibly bored on WordPress.

also what happened to the wordpress layout i’m soo confused, and everything is scaring me now.

1) My stats do not define my blog

Stats don’t matter. 

Everyone says this too me. And when I mean everyone, I mean everyone. Almost to the point where the meaning got lost on me, and I didn’t care about it. I was constantly thinking of new ideas, new posts that would give me new views, followers. I just wanted a whole bunch of clout, to put in 2018 teenage language.

But when I was on my break, I didn’t even spare a glance at the huge bar graph. Honestly, I didn’t even visit WordPress, and I felt great.I wasn’t obsessively checking up on  my views, because I just stopped a lot of blogging activity.  And in the four months that passed, I simply stopped caring.

Eventually I began to understand that numbers don’t define a blog for what it is. Not having a huge amount of followers doesn’t mean anything bad about your blog. It doesn’t matter. 

2) My blogging voice is my own

These past 2 years I was trying to be something I wasn’t. 

Everyone has their own unique personality, but for some reason I couldn’t find mine. For a while, I wanted to have this funny, witty, and engaging tone for my posts. I tried. A bit too much actually because now as I look back on those old posts, I was actually very cringe-y.  

Than I tried to be this very aesthetic-y sort of person. Someone who looks like they have everything planned out, and everything together. I didn’t even use proper punctuation because it made me look “cool”. Except that got on my nerves, so I stopped doing that. 

I was sort of trying out all new sorts of “identities” trying to see which one appealed to me, as well as my readers, and in the end this is what came out. A somber sort of tone that doesn’t really grab your attention, but I’m comfortable writing like this, and I think that’s what the most important. 

3) Don’t be sorry 

The first rough draft of this post began with a whole bunch of sorry’s to the point where it got annoying. I was saying sorry for everything. Sorry, I wasn’t active enough. Sorry, I can’t put up a better introduction than this. Sorry, I didn’t reply to all these comments. 

I’m tired of that word, and I’m tired of saying it. I took a step back and re-evaluated. I don’t have to be sorry for anything. When I take a break, however unplanned and long it is, I won’t be sorry. Yes, it does seem like I’m unreliable and not the type of person you can work something long-term with, but in the end, I’m still not sorry. 

4) Making time for myself is not being selfish 

Around March-April I was studying for my spring semester mid-terms, and then I had school and all it’s clubs, and then there was blogging. If you go back to my posts around that time (please don’t) you’ll see published pieces that were created in 30 minutes or less. Yeah, they weren’t really high quality posts either. 

I didn’t make a lot of time for myself, I was rushing through everything. On this break, I learned to create boundaries with time. In the midst of all the chaos that was happening a few months ago, I felt like I always had to be doing something. But by setting time out of the day just for me is one simple and easy way to make myself a priority.  

5) My own definition of perfection is not the same as everyone else’s – but that’s okay.  

This is pretty hard to put into words, but I’m going to try anyways. 

 I was trying to create a blog that was perfectly styled with perfect content and it wasn’t working and I was unhappy. I kept on comparing and looking at other blogs thinking my blog could never be as good as theirs. 

I’m trying to stop that way of thinking (it’s kind of hard though), and focus on my definition of “perfect” for this blog. And to stop basing everything on what other people care about.

 

So what’s going on? What are some tips you would give for someone trying to assimilate back into the blogging world after two years? asking for a friend Have you ever went on hiatus, and ever regretted it? How much was your longest break from blogging? 

 

 

 

 

Blogging Under a Pseudonym: Harmful or Helpful? // I reveal my “secret identity” (PLEASE READ WHOLE POST)

When I first started Nerd in New York, I really had to sit down, and think about a lot of things. Blogging sounds much easier said than done. There are a whole bunch of factors that I grew to learn about during my first month of blogging. And one of them was blogging with my real name or not.

If you can’t already tell, I obviously chose to blog under a pseudonym because of… various reasons (which I get into later on), but now as my 2 year blogiverasry is approaching I’m sort of regretting that decision. And they’re many reasons for that.

P R O ‘ S

• Honestly, the whole reason why I chose too make a pseudenoym in the first place was because of I didn’t want anyone to find out about this blog anyway. It’s a little ashaming to say, but I was pretty embarrassed.  There were so many reasons to judge me because of this blog because it didn’t seem like naything a regular teenager would do. So having a fake name was like a security blanket. No one would associate this blog to me.
• Whole new me! – Creating a new name was like creating a new person – for me- anyway. Balie is supposed to be a confident, funny, smart, and above all, a good blogger. And after a while, it worked. I loved this online persona I made, and I guess 769 other people did too
• I am a shy smol bean – Gosh, I’m so shyyyy I have about 8 friends total. I’m not lying when I say I’m a HUGE introvert. So when I made this blog revealing my name was out of the question. It would freak me out to know that people on the internet read, and commented about my opinons online

C O N ‘ S

• So much pressure!! – Blogging under a pseudonym meant I have to create two versions of almost EVERYTHING. Creating a new email, new social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Tumblr etc…) , and then making sure that I don’t accidentally mix the two up. One time my IRL friend asked me why my instagram name was Balie, and I freaked out. I realized that I followed her under my bookstagram because I’m dumb , and forgot to switch accounts.

• I’m really proud of what I had accomplished so far… – Getting books BEFORE they even come out, having a large following, able to communicate with people, discuss about major things. Those are just a few golden sides too blog blogging. I’m so proud of what I have accomplished so far, and I literally want to climb on top of the mountain and scream it to everyone. Did ya see that development right there? I went from being embarrassed about my blog, to being super prideful about it
• Blogging under a fake name takes away some credibility for what I have done so far, because people will automatically thing that it’s not me, but someone else. I don’t want that too happen. I want my IRL friends too see this, and think “damn my friend is a genius” (because coding is super hard okay).

• Creating a whole new image – So I know I listed this as a pro as well, but it can also be a con. After a while, I was tired of Balie. It didn’t really feel… me. I didn’t feel authentic. Balie wasn’t me, which I guess was the point of creating a fake blogging name. Over time, I didn’t like this name for me, it sounded so generic, and boring. And I was favoring my real name more. And this led me too this new decision:

I have decided to actually reveal my actual identity! 

I mean it’s super obvious from the actual title that I would do this but whatever.

Hi, I’m the main blogger behind Nerd In New York! My name is Amena!! 

actual image of me

So from now on when any of you guys tag me, comment, or address me please make sure to use my real name!

I understand that it might be a bit weird, but hopefully we could get used to it.

Here are some facts about me

• I’m Bengali (a country almost right next to India, but NOT IN INDIA)
• I’m a Muslim teen (turning 15 soon enough)
• I’m really scared of dogs (I was traumatized when a German Shepard tried to bite ,y hand off)
• I have a weird shaped birthmark near my elbow which looks like a crescent moon
• I have an unhealthy addiction to drama (lol)
• I also listen to kpop, and watch kdrama’s (if you want me to listen/watch anything comment down below!!)

Ahem… so I get that could get really weird. I’m literally changing MY WHOLE FREAKING NAME! But like it’s okay, I guess. So what are your thoughts on using a pseudonym in the blogging community? Have you ever used one? Would you ever use one? 

 

February wrap-up // a.k.a the month of the worst blogging slump ever.

Compared to last month, February flew by like the blink of an eye.  Like we’re already almost onto the third month of 2018, and that means I’m growing older, and like no. I want to stay a young, flailing child forever.

• I’m starting to get more active on twitter – (i finally remembered my password, lol)I don’t tweet consistently, and if I did it would be about nothing, because my life is boring. But I do post aesthetics about the latest books I have read, and I’m also free to talk about anything, and everything! So message me please!!
• I did fabulous on my exams!! – I’m sooo happy I have been doing SUPER WELL in class!! And still managing to read a good number of books, and keeping up on twitter, this blog, and my two tumblr blogs!!! I find that amazing because I’m a slacker at heart, lol. I think having a studyblr really helped.
• um that’s it, i have no life.

literally me 24/7

• I changed up my blogging design, and style – Again. I did it again. I’m pretty sure whatever is left of my followers is like what the actual hell, because this is the 1-th time I changed it, and we’re not close to being halfway through 2018. But I can’t help it because… idk actually. I also started using punctuation, and correct grammer. Before I used to type with lowercases, but I can’t take it anymore!!! The perfectionist in me is COMING OUT!
• I’m soo close to 700 followers – As of right now I have 660 something, but if I got too 700 followers by the end of March, I have a super fun giveaway coming up!
• I hit a huge blogging slump – A slump is like the worst feeling ever. I don’t exactly know why I hit it. I had a lot of ideas, and everything, but I just was so unmotivated, and my drafts all sound like trash. I’m really hoping March will be wayy better.

P O P U L A R    P O S T S

My blog

I legit posted like two things on this blog, but they did do well in terms of stats so.

why negative reviews are so scary + how to not fail at writing them

made you up book review // *sobs aggressively in the distance*

Other blogs 

I haven’t been around the blogosphere around a lot, but here are 3 favorites

• Cait @ Paperfury posted about bookworm stereotypes, and whether or not they’re true (for her)
• Aimee @ Aimee Always gave us 7 heartwarming YA romances that are perfect for filling the sad hole in my heart.
• Julianna @ Blots of Ink and Words posted about different types of bookstagrams, and btw you should totally follow her.  

Upcoming 

• The Roles of Women in books
• How To Spot Problematic Books
• Turtles All The Way Down book review
• Warcross Book Review

B O O K S   R E A D 

• Turtles All The Way Down by John Green| 3.5 stars
• Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh | 4 stars
• Made You Up by Francesca Zappia | 4.5 stars 
• What To Say Next by Julie Baxbum | 2 stars
• Scythe by Neal Shusterman | 3 stars
• Warcross by Marie Lu | 4.5 stars (ADHKJSFHSAKLDFJASH I LOOOOVED THIS BOOOK) 

I didn’t get that much books to read but I did get:

• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black – NO.1 ON MY TBR. I LOVE ALL OF HOLLY BLACK’S BOOK TO SAY THAT I’M SO EXCITED IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT LOL.

• The New Guy (and other senior distractions) by Amy Spalding – Just something that I picked up along the way. I don’t have the most high expectations, but it sounds cute!!

G O A L S

• read all the books on this month’s tbr
• KEEP ON DRINKING WATER
• do really good on the last of my exams (the pressure is on people)
• post consistently (at least on discussion, and book review a week

How was your month? How many books did you read? What do you have coming up? What were some of your favorite reads?? Any recommendations?? 

made you up book review // *sobs aggressively in the distance*

Title: Made You Up

Author: Francesca Zappia

Blurb (GR): Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn’t she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.

***i’m not writing in my usual bullet style, because i have a lot too talk about, and i don’t want it too seem really big, chunky, blocks of text***

PROS 

I am in love with this book. from the cover, to all the pages, and even every last word of the acknowledgment page because this was just so. damn. good.

the plot was not like your ordinary sunshine, and rainbows kinda contemporary. it features a MC with paranoid schizophrenia, who moves to a new public school, and struggles too see beyond what her eyes are showing her. literally, she can’t really trust herself.

Although, this book did have an unreliable narrator, it wasn’t as complicated as A World Without You (a must read btw), and didn’t leave me confused out of my brain.  Alex was written as a “normal” character who is a major history nerd, rides a bike from Egypt. This book wasn’t solely on Alex and her struggles of being a patient with schizophrenia, it was also about her trying to make friends (which is hard regardless), and trying to figure out a way to help someone in need.

i loved the growing relationship between Miles, and Alex. hate-to-love relationships fill my k-drama addict-self. but i also loved how they genuinely cared about each other, and their relationship was just filled with up’s, and downs, but they just seemed to fit. it was a slow burning romance sort of, and i just loved it!!

the friendships between Alex, and Tucker was just awesome. it was really easy going, and sweet, but the best part is there wasn’t any love triangle. i thought there would be one, and it would get super complicated, but like almost every aspect in life i was wrong. though, this is the first time i’m glad i’m wrong. this just goes to show, that a boy and girl can have a platonic friendship. no romance needed.

aND THE PLOT TWISTS! you’d think that you’ll see things from a mile away, but nope. i was shook to my core, and some parts made want to curl up, and sob for eternity.

me when i was reading this book

Cons 

the only thing that i did have a problem with was the weird sub-plots. and to be honest, i didn’t mind it that much because it was pretty interesting, but definitely not needed.

Alex – Alex has such a refreshing, and unique voice, i fell in love with her story instantly. she can be pretty bitchy, but it wasn’t like she acted like she was perfect as well. she was flawed, and she accepted that. another great aspect that i liked about her was, how she was able too see the good in people. it was almost like she refused too judge people. she liked to question them, and see why they did it. if they  had an actual reason. i thought that, that was a trait a real-life human should acquire. i related with Alex, and i loved her.

Miles – i’m not saying that this was a super well-written secondary main character, but this was a super well-written secondary main character. miles was just so complex. he is considered a huge jerk at school. but he was actually just a boy who is suffering from the hands of his abusive father. doing anything, and everything to get his mother who was (falsely) accused of being crazy, out of a mental hospital. please someone give him a huge hug. miles just stabbed me in the face with all these feelings, yet i loved it???? yes, that’s how you know i’m crazy.

this was a really good written book (as stated above). i wasn’t really confused, and lost in the plot. everything was structured, and always manged to suck me in the story. it was just so emotionally engaging, and gave me fresh outlook on things.

 Were you planning on reading this book? Will you give it a try (please do, and tell me what you think)? Was this review even helpful? 

 

january wrap-up // i’m super productive!!

usually every wrap-up i begin with, “x month has passed by soo fast!” well that’s not the case now! january seemed forever to pass along, and i’m happy to start febuary! but i’ll admit the first month of 2018 wasn’t as bad as i thought it would be.

life

• i started watching supernatural, and riverdale – so i took a break from watching k-drama’s, and anime to focus on these popular american shows! and i have to say it’s going pretty well!!! i love the plot of supernatural, and riverdale is okay.
• MY HUBBIES ARE GETTING ATTENTION INTERNATIONALLY !! – SOOO If you haven’t heard already BTS is gaining a lot of attention in the U.S, and i couldn’t be more prouder. i have been with them since debut, and when they almost disbanded because they were soo broke, and look at them now!! I HAVE MOST OF THEIR ALBUMS, so yeah you can say I am a major ARMY!

if you haven’t checked them out, please do!!

• my!! grades!! are!! fabulous – while blogging somewhat good content, but still managing to be in the top 1% in school is an AMAZING FEELING, GUYS I’M SO HAPPY!! asdfghjkl remember school is more important than blogging, so don’t be guilty if you leave for like 5 months to focus on studies!! 

blog

• i reached 600 followers! – so somehow while i was on a long hiatus (from most of september to december) i fained 600 followers. the count is actually 630 something. and yay, i’m really happy!! welcome new frennns! i don’t know how i reached these many followers, but i’m so grateful
• i “try” to give my blog a makeover (for the hundreth time) – buuuuuut it backfires, and i end up reverting back to my old design. i’m okay with the design i had since summer, but sometimes i look at other blogs, and then all of a sudden i feel like changing up mine.
• i slowly emerge from my hiatus – like i said ever since school started, i haven’t really gave any thought/attention to my blog (there are comments from august still waiting for a reply. oops), but every since the beginning of this month, i have been slowly posting more, and more, and getting my stats back up. i still haven’t got my schedule set in stone, but honestly i need to work at my entirely slow pace.
• TOP POSTS

zodiac signs as bibliophiles

top five authors i discovered in 2017  

books

i have read 8 books this month, which is suprising because ever since i got a new phone, i haven’t been reading much. but i still read a lot, and i’m happy because reading is LIIIIIFE!

• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng – wooow. this book was so heavy, and sent me on an emotional rollacoaster. i loved this book, but it did have it’s downsides (like being extremely slow at times). i also loved the writing style it just sucked you right in | 3.5 -> 4 stars
• Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes – cute, cute. this book was soo cute. first an accurate representation of PSTD. second, girl!! friendships!! are!! everything!!. third, the romance was sooo cute. i loved this book a lot, and really reccomend to anyone | 4.5 -> 4 STARS 
• If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout – I love JLA book so much! so of course i was expecting another great book from her, but sadly no. i didn’t hate this book but i didn’t like it either. i just felt that the main character is just like EVERY OTHER MAIN CHARACTER from JLA books. | 3.5 -> 3 stars 
• Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia – THIS WAS SOOOO CUTE!! I loved the blossoming romance between the characters, and the drawings were wonderful. And another accurate representation of mental illness, wooow | 4 stars check out my aesthetic! 
• Renegades by Marissa Meyer –  I was super excited to read another Marissa Meyer book, but no it was kinda really annoying. check out my aesthetic! | 3 stars 
• When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon – I hate to say this soo early in the year, but this might be the biggest let-down ever. Great representation, but everything else was horrible. Abusive, femal characters, horrible romance, and a weird plot. Definitely, check out my review for further explanation. | 2 stars 
• Seven Days of You – Stupidest book ever. This was like watching those dumb reality shows on tv, where everything is fake, and pathetic. I was really hyped up when I found out the setting was in Japan. I was so ready for my anime-binging skills to come in, but the setting wasn’t even important. This could’ve been in New York, New Jersey, and NOTHING WOULD’VE CHANGED | 2 stars 
• A Week of Mondays – At first I was really hatin this book, but then gradually I really, really, really liked it! My full review will be posted sometime this week or next week! |4 stars

• Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia – This is my current read, and it has an Indian rep! I didn’t here about this a lot, but the plot is pretty interesting.
• Made You Up by Francesca Zappia – Yup, the same author who wrote Eliza and Her Monsters. I loved that book so much I couldn’t help myself when it came to this one.
• Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman – Heard a lot of things about this book from good to super bad, but I wanted to give this out a chance.

not that much planned for this month!

blogosphere

some my favorite posts from my favorite bloggers!

• Julianna @ Blots of Inks and Words posts about important inventions we bookworms need! let me just say, julianna SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!
• Cait @ Paperfury (a.k.a the blogging queen) writes about 8 types of tbr’s.
• May @ Forever and Everly writes a super important post about the importance of rep in books. This post made me spill out my inner anger about how there are too little diverse book.
• Julianna @ Blots of Ink and Words writes a fantastic review on The Valiant. SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY (again).
• Aimee @ Aimee, Always writes an awesome, and detailed review on Warcross (which I still need to read)

UPCOMING POSTS 

• A Week of Mondays Review
• Self-Care tips
• How to write negative reviews
• how to spot problematic book

so that was it for my month, how was yours?? I haven’t been around the blogosphere as much as I wanted to be, hence the small posts :), but i plan on getting to know some new blogs this month!! How many book did you read, and that was your most favorite one? I need new recs for books, and tv shows! !