All I have to say is that I am in my Graphic Novel Era! I read seven books this last month and 6/7 were graphic novels. Honestly I was a little sad that I only finished one big book this month but I should still be proud of myself for reaching out of my comfort zone. After all reading is reading no matter the format!
Physical Book
“Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow” By Gabrielle Zevin
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom.
These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.
Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.
I would rate this series so far 4 stars. I really love the art style of these but I feel as if I am missing some of the story line. I am very excited for the next volume to come out in June!
“Spy Family” Volume 9
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I am in love with this series so far and this volume was no exception! This was the only book I rated five stars to this month which blows my mind! I can not wait for the next volume to come out, but in the mean time maybe I will start watching the TV Series.
“I Think Our Son Is Gay”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
So far this series has been super cute and I love that the perspective is from the mom. I think it has a really sweet message behind it. I need to get my hands on the rest of these ASAP!
“Delicates”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
This is the second book in the Sheets Graphic Novel Series and I am absolutely hooked! This one had a lot of teenage drama but did a really good job discussing the reality of bullying. Trigger Warning for Depression and Suicidal Thoughts.
Overall I had a really good reading month where I read books that I truly enjoyed but heavy on the trigger warnings! Let me know if you decide to pick any of these up!
Is it just me or did January fly by?! But seriously though, I felt like I was running out of time to get anything read last month and I have some regrets. If I am 100% honest January was my month of cozy gaming, I restarted my Animal Crossing Island, Played Coral Island and Stardew Valley but honestly didn’t read as much as I would have liked.
Physical Book
“Legends and Lattes” By Travis Baldree
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone.
But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel.
Babel is the world’s center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.
For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide…
Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?
This book was extremely short so I didn’t think making a full review was necessary so here are my thoughts.
I had seen this book on so many peoples wrap ups over the last year and It sounded so intriguing. I had just watched the movie Don’t Worry Darling and so this book really gave me those vibes to start which I loved! However I think because I listened to the audio book it didn’t let me get the full intense vibe that this book was trying to give off. I think I will be rereading this one soon just so I can understand it a bit more but overall I did enjoy this book.
Graphic Novel
“The Witch Boy” By Molly Ostertag
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
I Never write full reviews for graphic novels so here are my quick thoughts.
This is a middle grade read so I really didn’t expect a lot but the art was absolutely gorgeous. The overall message about gender rolls was really cute and I do think it will be great for younger kids to pick this up and see that they can be anything they want and put their minds to.
Favorite Quotes
“The combined aromas of hot cinnamon, ground coffee, and sweet cardamom intoxicated her, and as she brewed and smiled and served and chatted, a deep contentment welled up. It was a glowing warmth she’d never experienced before, and she liked it. She liked it a great deal.”
“If we push in the right spots – then we’ve moved things to the breaking point. The the future becomes fluid, and change is possible. History isn’t a premed tapestry that we’ve got to suffer, a closed world with no exit. We can form it. Make it. We just have to choose to make it.”
“A lie was not a lie if it was never uttered; questions that were never asked did not need answers. They would both remain perfectly content to linger in the liminal, endless space between truth and denial.”
Wow! 2022 was such a great year for reading for me! I read 62 books and found a few of my all time favorite books. I even started to DNF books that didn’t bring me joy which was a huge win for this year! Lets dive in and see all the best and worst books I read last year.
Top Ten Books
In no particular order here are my top ten books of the year!
Awards
Book Of The Year
“Caraval” By Stephanie Garber
This book caught me by surprise! This was one of the last books I finished this year and I was obsessed! I typically don’t read fantasy but this one was a great way to get me excited to read more.
I really wished I would have DNF’d this book. Honestly, this was one huge waste of time and I do not recommend it!
I don’t have a link for this review because I listened to it on audio and really didn’t have anything worth while to say about it.
Best Dressed (Prettiest Cover)
“Under The Whispering Door” By TJ Klune
I love this cover because it really shows the magical capabilities that this book will offer you while you read it. The weird shaped house really shouldn’t be able to exist yet it does. I just love the colors as well.
I would say this is one of the most rememberable romance book I read this year with some of the best steamy scenes as well. I just overall loved this book and the beautifully written characters.
I had sworn off this author after reading “Anxious People” Last year but I picked this one up on audio and my heart broke! This was such a sad book but I can see myself rereading it just to have those feelings again.
This Graphic Novel Series took the world by storm and much like everyone else, I fell madly in love with them! I highly recommend these books and even the TV show on Netflix.
A Book That Was Over Hyped
“Daisy Jones and The Six” By Taylor Jenkins Reid
I had heard some amazing things about this book but honestly I didn’t understand the hype. It was hard to really care for the characters with the way this book was writen.
This was a huge book and also the first fantasy book that I really dove into. I read this book super quick and fell in love with the characters. However, it did also put me in a book slump and made me scared to read big books.
This was a super fun and quick read. Sometimes all you need is to just finish a book to get out of a slump so anything small is a great option! This was so magical and fun that I think anyone can get into it.
I honestly had high hopes for this book and it let me down. This book was the one that helped me to learn that I am not a fan of enemy to lovers. The book moved very slowly and just left me feeling meh.
This book sounds like everything I would want from a book. I am a sucker for a good mystery and I think this would hit the spot!
A Book I Would Like To Read In 2023
“Babel” By R.F. Kuang
This book has been talked about by literally everyone on Bookstagram and I am so jealous of everyone who has read it. This is very high on my TBR and I can’t wait to dive into it!
2022 has been my best reading year ever and I really hope I can keep this momentum going into 2023. I have many reading challenges I would like to get to this coming year in hopes to be able to finish not only more books but a wider range of genres this year. I can’t wait to see what this coming year has in store for me and my blog.
QOTD: What is a book you are excited to read this year?
Wow, this month was extremely busy! You forget how many obligations the holiday season comes with. I had several books I wanted to get to before the end of the year that I wasn’t able to get too but December did provide me with my favorite read of 2022!
Audio Books
“Lovelight Farms” by B.K. Borison
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.
In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, she enters a contest with instafamous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, she might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on the application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only … there is no boyfriend.
Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just came home for some hot chocolate, and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process.
“A Merry Little Meet Cute” By Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. With a huge following and two supportive moms, Bee couldn’t ask for more. But when Bee’s favorite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he’s making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee’s career is about to take a more family-friendly direction.
Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than childhood crush Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan’s promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he’ll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and mom.
But things heat up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoors account (oh yeah, he’s a member). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel’s execs. Things only get trickier when the reporter who torpedoed Nolan’s singing career comes snooping around—and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee.
And if Bee and Nolan can’t keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor.
Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.
I didn’t write a full review for this book for my blog but I did write one on my Instagram that you can check out if you would like more info.
I do think everyone should pick up this quick book just so you can be a little more informed about what it is like to be Asexual and the difficulties people who identify as “Ace” have to go through.
Favorite Quotes
“I like you so much that it scares me. And when I think about leaving and never seeing you again, it makes me feel like something’s being yanked out of me. Something important, something that I need to breathe and eat and live. I want more than memories with you, Bee. I want moments upon moments.”
In October I read some really good spooky reads along with a few most anticipated reads like “It Starts With Us” By Colleen Hoover. I am overall extremely happy with everything I read last month and I can’t wait to share all my thoughts.
Reading Stats
Number of Books: 8
Total Pages: 2,452
Average Rating: 4.69
Most Common Format: Physical Books
Most Common Genre: Romance
Mood: Mysterious
Physical Books
“Hidden Pictures” By Jason Rekulak
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job in the affluent suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.
Mallory immediately loves this new job. She lives in the Maxwell’s pool house, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.
As the days pass, Teddy’s artwork becomes more and more sinister, and his stick figures steadily evolve into more detailed, complex, and lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to suspect these are glimpses of an unsolved murder from long ago, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force lingering in the forest behind the Maxwell’s house.
With help from a handsome landscaper and an eccentric neighbor, Mallory sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy—while coming to terms with a tragedy in her own past—before it’s too late.
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.
But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.
Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.
But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.
Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn’t right at the Sun Down, and before long she’s determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…
I really loved this graphic novel. It was extremely cute, both in writing and the art.
Only go into this book if you are prepared to be hungry! It talks so much about some yummy fall themed treats and I just wish I could have ate them along side the characters.
“MoonCakes” By Wendy Xu
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I bought this mostly for the cover, if I am being completely honest. It is super cute and Halloween themed so it felt like a great book to pick up for spooky season.
I thought it was a pretty cute read and I can totally see myself picking this up to re read each year. If you like witches and werewolves, then I know you will enjoy this one!
Audio
“The Perfect Child” By Lucinda Berry
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Christopher and Hannah are a happily married surgeon and nurse with picture-perfect lives. All that’s missing is a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, turns up at their hospital, Christopher forms an instant connection with her, and he convinces Hannah they should take her home as their own.
But Janie is no ordinary child, and her damaged psyche proves to be more than her new parents were expecting. Janie is fiercely devoted to Christopher, but she acts out in increasingly disturbing ways, directing all her rage at Hannah. Unable to bond with Janie, Hannah is drowning under the pressure, and Christopher refuses to see Janie’s true nature.
Hannah knows that Janie is manipulating Christopher and isolating him from her, despite Hannah’s attempts to bring them all together. But as Janie’s behavior threatens to tear Christopher and Hannah apart, the truth behind Janie’s past may be enough to push them all over the edge.
This was actually a reread for me in preparation for the release of “It Starts With Us”. This was my all time favorite book and now I can say it is my all time favorite series!
I can’t get enough of Atlas and Lily and I will forever be rooting for them.
“It Starts With Us” By Colleen Hoover
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil coparenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.
But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.
I don’t DNF Often, so I am quite upset I had to do this. When reading this short review please keep in mind that this is my opinion and I can only speak for myself. Please read this book if you are still interested.
Honestly the cover is so gorgeous that when the writing and characters didn’t live up to that level I had to put it down. I read about 70 pages and just couldn’t read anymore.
Favorite Quotes
“What are you talking about? We can’t just give her back—we’re her parents. Her parents, Hannah. Whether you like it or not, that’s what we signed on for.” His body shook as he tried to control his anger. “You can’t just give your kids away when it’s rough.” “You can if your kid is a monster.”
“Thank you for being the most comforting part of my life right now. Thank you for always being the beacon I need every time I feel lost. Whether you mean to shine on me or not. I am grateful for you. I’ve missed you. I absolutely should have kissed you.”
“I think it’s instructive to be awake in the middle of the night every once in a while. To really see what you’re missing while you’re usually sleeping.”
In September I read a total of five books! Two were on Audio, two were physical books and one was on my Kindle. None of which were on my September hopefuls list, Shocker.
Physical Books
“Hotel Magnifique” By Emily J. Taylor
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Jani is a 17 year old girl who has been taking care of her 13 year old sister for several years since their mother passed. She promised her sister Zosa that she would one day save up enough money to move them back to their hometown but the only reasonable way to make enough money for this is by getting a job with the Hotel Magnifique. A hotel where magic is practiced safely and travels from place to place every Midnight and you never know where it will be next.
When the Hotel appears in an alleyway near their home Jani and Zosa get in line to interview for a position. When Zosa is the only sister to get a job, Jani refuses to let her leave without her so she does everything she can to convince a worker to let her have a maids job. With both sisters now working for the magical hotel nothing can stand in their way for a better future. Well maybe one thing…. I suggest reading your contracts thoroughly before signing, you never know what rights you might be signing away.
Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.
Never ask about the past. Don’t expect a future.
They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.
Hearts get infiltrated. Promises get broken. Rules get shattered. Love gets ugly.
I don’t have a full review for this book here on my blog so here are some of my thoughts.
This book was an amazing audio and I highly recommend that you pick this one up. The over all story was really interesting and left my skin crawling! I listened to this really quickly and I really didn’t want to put it down.
E-Book
“Heart Bones” By Colleen Hoover
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Beyah has been raising herself her whole life, having an absent father and a drug addict for a mother. She has just graduated high school and has a full ride volleyball scholarship to a school in Pennsylvania all due to her own hard work and determination. This scholarship finally gives her the chance to leave her life behind and start over. But when her mother dies at the beginning of the summer she has no where else to turn to except her absent father for a place to stay until school starts.
Her father has a new wife and a step daughter only a few years older than Beyah and this stings but with no where else to go she tries her best to fit in. When she meets the next door hot boy, Samson, they clearly have nothing in common on the surface but quickly learn they both have damaged pasts. Will Beyah find her place in this strange new world and can she truly leave her damaged past behind?
I was supposed to read this book with my book club for our monthly pick. However, All of us but one person had to DNF this book. It was just super boring! I made it over halfway before I decided it wasn’t worth my time. Honestly nothing happens in this book at all. I was really hopeful for this book because it was my first book by this author and I have heard nothing but good things about his work, but now I am scared to read any of the others.
Favorite Quotes
“Sometimes I believe personalities are shaped more by damage than kindness. Kindness doesn’t sink as deep into your skin as the damage does. The damage stains your soul so bad, you can’t scrub it off. It stays there forever, and I feel like people can see all my damage just by looking at me.”
“I think when you’re the worst of people, finding the worst in others becomes a survival tactic of sorts. You focus heavily on the darkness in people in hopes of masking the true shade of your own darkness”
“Love isn’t always pretty. Sometimes you spend all your time hoping it’ll eventually be something different. Something better. Then, before you know it, you’re back to square one, and you lost your heart somewhere along the way.”
World of Bai 