Month: February 2019

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum | Review

Posted February 25, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

The Wicker King had been lingering on my TBR for a while, and when it was announced as the first read in the Dragons & Tea Book Club, it shot to the top of my TBR so I could participate. When I received my paperback copy in the mail, I actually initially though it was damaged as the pages slowly fade into the black the further along the novel progresses, which seemed an ominous sign for what I was getting into while reading. As expected from both the description on the book design, The Wicker King is a tale of […]

A Psalm for Lost Girls by Katie Bayerl | Review

Posted February 18, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments

If you follow my reviews at all, you know I’m fascinated by YA books that incorporate the theme of religion into them. As a Religious Studies major in college (think of it as “comparative world religion” rather than theology) I was fascinated by studying different customs, rituals, rites of passage, etc. So when I read the synopsis for A Psalm for Lost Girls I was hooked. Focusing on the events AFTER the death of the protagonists sister (Tess) who was thought to be a miracle worker, it follows a town’s trek to have the sister canonized as a Catholic saint […]

Top 10 Releases on My Radar for 2019 | A Final List!

Posted February 15, 2019 in Book Recommendations & Lists, Features / 3 Comments

Earlier this year I rounded up some of my most anticipated contemporary and historical fiction releases for 2019, and while I am still SO EXCITED for those books, I realized I never did a final top ten list across all genres! I really enjoyed looking back on my 2018 top ten most anticipated releases and seeing how they panned out for me, so I decided better late than never to round up my top ten anticipated releases of 2019, right? The Everlasting Rose | I screamed about The Belles being my favorite, favorite fantasy novel of 2018 (and definitely in […]

ALA Midwinter 2019 Event Recap | Seattle Stole My Heart

Posted February 13, 2019 in Features, Travel / 2 Comments

After 4 long years, I finally made it back to ALA! I had the chance to attend when I was still a baby blogger who had only been blogging for around one year, and I was so excited to have ALA return to the West Coast and attend as a seasoned blogger with 5 years under my belt! After a totally action packed January, Max and I hopped on a plane to Seattle to spend our last weekend of the month in the Pacific Northwest. We’d both been to Seattle before (as we both have family in Washington) but it […]

Love á la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm | Review

Posted February 11, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments

One of my favorite things to do after a long day at work is to unwind with a cooking show. Can I cook or bake? Barely, if you count boiling pasta or making a salad. Yet anything food related on tv- Master Chef, Chopped, Holiday Baking Championship, Chef’s Table, etc.- and I am here for it. Cooking shows are the number one thing taking up room on my DVR, so when I found out about Love á la Mode I was PUMPED. A YA series set in Paris with the backdrop of an intensive cooking school? 100% right up my […]

January 2019 Month in Review

Posted February 8, 2019 in Features, Month In Review / 6 Comments

New year, new intentions to keep up with my monthly recaps lol. January was a total whirlwind, as it included an author signing, my birthday, my bridal shower, ALA, and it marked one year since I got engaged! I can’t believe I can finally say “I’m getting married THIS year!” (Honestly I’ll be so relieved once all of the planning is over!!) There’s also already been so much going on in the bookish community (both positive and negative) that I think 2019 is going to be an action packed year on EVERY front. I’ll be doing a separate post for […]

Monthly TBR Plan: February 2019

Posted February 7, 2019 in Features, TBR / 6 Comments

I’ve made a lot of reading resolutions, and one of them is to be better about cultivating a monthly TBR. I know so many bloggers do beginning of the month TBR posts and I always LOVE reading them, so I’ve decided to post my own as well! I will include my physical, e-book, and ARC TBRs as well as a status update of where I am prior to starting my upcoming month’s TBR. Reading Progress Prior To This Month: 6/70 Books Read I’m excited for a slightly calmer February, as January was WILD with travel, birthdays, ALA, and more! I […]

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas | ARC Review

Posted February 4, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

It’s no secret that everyone’s been waiting for On the Come Up since The Hate You Give took the YA world by storm. Angie Thomas’ debut novel was bold, tackling tough topics and unafraid to confront harsh realities concerning race, police violence, class, and interracial relationships. In her sophomore novel On The Come Up, Thomas spins another story about a girl from The Garden, but focuses on Bri, an aspiring rapper, who faces the threat of poverty, drug abuse, grief, and stereotyping on her journey to “make it” in the music industry and provide stability for her family. One of […]