Thursday, September 30, 2021

Month In Review: September 2021

 

monthly recaps; including life updates, upcoming, and book hauls


I haven't done one of these posts in a looooong time, but I posted a bit this month, and I've read a lot and have some upcoming posts planned so I find it particularly relevant again!


Life Updates


Life has been so busy these last couple of months! My last update was almost a year ago, when I hadn't even graduated from my master's program yet. Since then I graduated in December of 2020 and started working as a Marketing Specialist in June of 2021. I love my new job, but working a traditional 9-5 has given me less time to blog compared to when I was in school. I've still been pretty active over on bookstagram, but it's a goal of mine to start posting regularly on the blog again soon.


Currently Reading



How gorgeous is this cover?? Daughter of the Moon Goddess is my first 2022 ARC. I'm about halfway through and it's a very rich Chinese Fantasy inspired by the mythology and legend of Chang'e, 
the moon goddess.

I'm actually almost done with the audiobook of The Marvelous! I'm at about 70% done. This one has a really cool concept: users of an app are invited to the app creator's house to compete in a mystery game for money. It kind of reminds me of The Westing Game, except contemporary and with a diverse cast. I will say that with such a large cast of characters, I recommend reading over listening to this one.


My Recent Posts




Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday #17


8 Books On My Fall 2021 TBR

I actually did a really good job of completing my Spring TBR list, 

so hopefully that trend continues with the books below.


1. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini


It's big (800+ pages), it's intimidating, and my goal is to pick it up and finish it before the end of the year. That sounds easy enough, but it's been on my "TBR soon" list since January! I really loved Paolini's Inheritance Cycle and I'm excited to see how he handles the genre of science fiction.



2. Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi


The first book in this series is actually the book that has been on my TBR the longest. You know it's been a long time when the books get reprinted with completely different covers (whoops lol). After how fantastic Mafi's latest standalone was, it feels fitting to go back to this series for my Fall 2021 TBR.

3. The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo #5) by Rick Riordan


I'm actually re-reading this series right now in preparation of reading the finale for the first time! This book came out last October and when my pre-order arrived I was so excited to start it ASAP, but when a series is this long and comes out one book a year, the details start to get fuzzy. I'm actually in the middle of The Burning Maze right now, so autumn sounds like an easy target for me to hit.

4. Steelstriker (Skyhunter #2) by Marie Lu



This is an upcoming pre-order of mine that should be arriving any day now! It's the sequel of Lu's latest duology and it pubs on September 28th. I'm so excited to find out what happens next in this vibrant sci-fi dystopian world. 

5. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint



I absolutely love greek mythology and myth retellings so of course I was drawn to this one! I actually have it on hold at my library right now, so I plan on reading it whenever it's my turn to check it out. Madeline Miller has set the bar pretty high for the niche of “greek myth retelling standalones," so I have some high expectations for Jennifer Saint.

6. The Falling Girls by Hayley Krischer



I have a physical ARC of this book, thanks to Booksparks and Razorbill, that I'm planning to read before the pub date on October 5th. The synopsis of best friends growing apart and trying to find out who they want to be (tinted with a murder mystery) is all right up my alley, so I'm really excited for this one! 

7.  Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood


Fantasy standalones are so rare that they feel like precious gems when I come across one! Within These Wicked Walls is is Blackwood's debut, and the description of an Ethiopian fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre had me scrambling to get a copy! I am so fascinated to read how fantasy and gothic spooks and Ethiopian culture will blend together in this one, but I'll have to wait until October 19th to find out.

8. You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao



I won a ARC of this book in a Wednesday Books giveaway recently, and I'm so dazzled by the gorgeous cover. It looks like it will be a sad and/or bittersweet book, as the synopsis is about a girl moving on from the death of her boyfriend, and having a second chance at goodbye. This one is slated to pub on November 9th!



What's On Your Fall TBR?