worldofbai

“Not THAT Rich” By: Belinda Lei (Book Review)

“Not THAT Rich” by Belinda Lei is a debut young adult novel which I received a free copy of for an honest review. Lets just say I now own three copies of this book because I LOVED it that much! If you would like to see more raving reviews about this book check out her website here https://notthatrich.com/#testimonial-section

Synopsis

Enter a world of a handful of Private High School students born into rich families with extreme expectations. Will they get into their desired colleges? Will they find love in their relationships? Will they fight their drug addictions? Who is “The Stranger”? But most importantly does being rich really make you happy?

This dramatic and mysterious novel will leave you speechless as it takes you through every twist and turn but will also have you feeling sympathy for their misfortunes. Maybe being rich isn’t all that it is cracked up to be.

Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 Stars

Review

Belinda’s writing is so captivating, she is able to tell her story in such a powerful way that you can envision every detail as it plays out. This is the day and age for diverse books, and with it coming out in December of 2020, it really shows some of the social and cultural struggles Asian-Americans are facing in this country.

I know you will fall madly in love with this book as you learn about each of these teens backgrounds and struggles. Maybe along the way you will even learn a thing or two yourself.

Links

Belinda’s Website https://notthatrich.com/#author-note-section

Buy the book (free on kindle as of 06/20/21) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P3MS8SN/

Make sure to leave a review when you finish the book! I would love to hear your thoughts as well.

Throwback Thursday (Book Review) “The Lost Apothecary” By: Sarah Penner

This is a Throwback Thursday (Book Review) post. Because I am a new blogger I will be posting my previous book reviews every Thursday afternoon! So to start off with lets dive into “The Lost Apothecary” By: Sarah Penner, which I gave a solid 5 star review!

This book was a Historical Fiction debut release from Book Of The Month Club that I had to grab! The cover alone is just absolutely gorgeous. I started this book March 7th, 2021 and finished March 11th, 2021 which would probably make this the the fastest I have ever read a book to be completely honest.

Synopsis

The Lost Apothecary Follows a Non-Linear storyline bouncing Back and forth between the late 1700’s and modern day London.

Nella, an apothecary owner in the late 1700’s is keeping her mothers shop open after her passing but with a slight twist. Where her mother only used potions to heal Nella uses potions to heal but also to use against men. She has two rules: the poison must never harm another woman and second the names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the register. When she meets an unexpected friend something goes wrong but where does that leave the apothecary?

Caroline, an aspiring historian on vacation, stumbles upon a small blue apothecary jar. While sorting out her damaged married life she starts to unravel the mystery of the lost apothecary and finds her true self in the process.

Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 Stars

Review

I normally don’t find myself loving non-linear storylines because they can get jumbled and confusing at times. However, with this book it worked! I found myself craving to know more about each character and kept me guessing what was going to come next. With every turn of the page I was completely invested and it made the book fly by!

Just a few small issues, if you can even call these issues, probably not.

I want to learn more about Nella and Eliza’s lives.
(Possible spoiler I suppose) At the very end of the book Caroline wrote her dissertation and there is a small inconsistency but I can forgive that.
I could have used a longer book so it didn’t feel “rushed”

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I think for it being a debut novel Sarah Penner did a really great job!

Have you read this book? What are your overall thoughts and feelings?

Photo Credit: Google

Top 10 Tuesday: Summer 2021 TBR

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly blog hosted by Jana over at thatartsyreadergirl.com

I recently found her blog today actually and thought I would try this out!

I have never really stuck to an actual TBR hopeful list even for a certain month let alone a whole summer. My TBR list is honestly gigantic and I will probably never be able to complete it in a lifetime especially as it grows! Picking only ten might be a bit of a challenge but here goes nothing!

Where The Crawdads Sing

Author: Delia Owens

This is actually my current read for my book club. This has been a very anticipated read for me since I started reading so I was very excited when I found out this was going to be our June read. So far it has a nice summer vibe to it with a hint of mystery. It is everything I am searching for in a good summer read.

One Last Stop

Author: Casey McQuiston

I received this one in my June BOTM box and I picked it because June is Pride month! I really am hoping to get this one done before June is over so my fingers are crossed. I read Casey McQuiston’s previous book Red’ White and Royal Blue a few months back and absolutely loved it so I have some high hopes for this book!

Your Perfect Year

Author: Charlotte Lucas

This book was a gift from a secret sister gift exchange that I participated in and it sounds absolutely adorable! Who doesn’t love a good romance novel in summer?

What Comes After

Author: Joanne Tompkins

This book is Described as a Moving novel that takes you through a mystery of a town who lost two boys. This book sounds like a major tear jerker and sometimes I feel like you just need a book that will tug at your heart strings.

Six of Crows

Author: Leigh Bardugo

The next two books are fantasy novels. I have never really been a fantasy reader, however, I am trying to push my reading preference and try new things. With the new TV series on Netflix that just came out I really want to read this book so I can watch the tv series and not spoil anything.

The House on The Cerulean Sea

Author: TJ Klune

I have seen this book quite literally everywhere recently and I feel like that is my main reason for wanting to read this book. Like I said before I also want to broaden my genres a bit and this is a whimsical and magical book that just catches my eye.

The Maidens

Author: Alex Michaelides

The author for this books early release sent out two copies to each person asking them to put the extra book into a little free library close to them in hopes more people would find and read his book. In my opinion this was such a smart tactic! When I saw all the posts of people finding his book I had to go on the hunt however I didn’t find it near me in Utah so I waited till BOTM came out with it as an option and Immediately added it to my collection.

The Guncle

Author: Steven Rowley

First of all, how cute is this cover? If the cover didn’t catch your eye well then maybe the synopsis will. When a famous gay sitcom star has a family tragedy he ends up watching his niece and nephew for a bit longer than normal and has to figure out real fast how to set rules and become a real guardian. Such a fun and cute idea that I can not wait to dive into!

The FlatShare

Author: Beth O’leary

I also received this book from my secret sister book swap that I participated in. This book sounds so interesting! Two people share a one bedroom flat which means just one bed and yet they have never met due to conflicting schedules…. Hmmm strange if you ask me! I can’t wait to see how this book ends up!

My Husbands Wife

Author: Jane Corry

I picked this book up at my local discount store not knowing anything about but just liking the cover. They say never to judge a book by the cover but yet here I am haha.

I can almost guarantee that these books will change throughout the summer based on my mood, however, as of right now, these are the books I am hoping to read.

Have you read any of these books? Are any of these on your summer TBR lists? Let me know what you think!

Photo credit: Google

My Rating System

When I started reading and rating my books I had no reference to look back on to base my scale. I mostly went off of what I felt. Some of my 4 or 5 star books probably could have been lower ratings but I feel bad giving an author who worked so hard to write a book anything below a 4 even if the book truly deserved a lower rating. I feel like everyone rates books differently so what I think is a 4 star read might be a 3 star for you based on our different criteria, I do wish that there was an official rating scale everyone followed but sadly that will stay a dream. With that being said I am FINALLY giving myself an official rating guideline to follow.

One to two star reads are books that I could barely finish.

Three star reads are books that are good but wouldn’t be recommended.

Four and five star reads are books I am left thinking about and would recommend.

If I don’t finish a book I will not rate it because I feel like that is unfair to the author in my personal opinion.

Let’s dive in deeper!

One Star

⭐️

This book did not keep me interested, I found myself struggling to finish the book and had to practically force myself to get through it. I did not feel connected to the characters or they did not build as much as I feel they should have. I found the book too predictable and drawn out. Maybe there wasn’t enough showing but too much telling of the story.

Example

Two Stars

⭐️⭐️

I finished this book but really did not enjoy what I was reading. A character really got on my nerves, the plot felt unoriginal or boring and maybe parts of the book just felt distracting such as; many grammar/spelling errors, plot holes and things just got too jumbled.

Example

Three Stars

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This was a good book but I wasn’t in love with it. I probably won’t be recommending this book to anyone because it didn’t leave me with something amazing to talk about. I might have found something about it that left me wondering why it was even there in the first place. Maybe it was a slow build and left me underwhelmed, these are probably books that were overhyped.

Example

Four stars

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This is a book that I would recommend however there were probably just some small details that were missing or the ending was just kind of meh. I was left wanting just a little more from this read or it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for and had played out in my mind. This book played out more like a movie in my head and the characters stood out.

Example

Five stars

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I absolutely loved this book and either found nothing wrong with it or there were minor issues that I can live with and forget about. This is a book that I can’t stop talking about and I find myself recommending it to everyone I come across. Maybe I can’t put the book down and I fly through it or throughout the day I find myself thinking of the book and craving to sit down and read.

Example

In conclusion, one and two star reads I will not be recommending to anyone and I will probably be unhauling them soon, a three star read was good but if I see someone posted a three star rating I might be questioning the book on my TBR pile, and last but not least four and five star ratings will be getting recommended and I might just talk you ear off about them!

Do you use a similar rating system or is yours different? Do you rate DNF books? What are some of your overall thoughts?

Introduction to World Of Bai Blog

Hello there and welcome to the World of Bai blog! My name is Bailie, my nickname growing up was always Bai (pronounced Bay) hence the name. I am a 21 (almost 22) year old who is recently obsessed with reading and photography and I figured why not start a blog to track my progress through this journey.

My story starts when I was young, I used to HATE reading when I was younger. It just never made sense to me why people would choose to sit down and read words off of something that felt endless, instead of playing sports, videogames or really anything else in the world. I remember being forced to read books in junior high and high school such as; Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird and Jane Eyre. I truly believe this led me down a deeper hole of hatred. I just feel when you are forced to do something it can ruin your perspective on those things.

Jump to July 2020, mid pandemic, I had just moved into a new home with my boyfriend who worked long nights. Being cooped up in a new home all alone was really starting to get to me and so I was searching for new hobbies to keep me occupied. While scrolling through Facebook I stumbled across an ad for Book of the Month Club (Not Sponsored) and it peaked my interest! Paying a monthly fee of $15.99 for a book credit and $9.99 for each add on sounded like a steal and let me tell you, it was! I dedicate getting back into reading to BOTM. Cheap, affordable, good quality books that helped me step out of my comfort zone and start an obsession. Now I have an endless TBR pile that will continue to grow and a bookstagram that keeps me on track!

Now enough about books! I also stated I love photography! I have had a passion for photography for quite awhile but in fear of rejection I haven’t really done much with it. But here I am trying to push myself to better my skills and follow my dreams so I would love to share my photos with you and maybe along the way I will succeed in my dream of becoming a photographer.

I never thought I would be where I am today in a million years but thanks to all my wonderful followers and our shared passion for books I have found my place in this strange world. I have found confidence in what I love to do and I am hoping to reach some like minded people. Welcome to my world, I am beyond happy you are here.

My Logo is by Https://www.instagram.com/aud_works.of.art/