Hi! I am behind on my monthly book blog, but I am here now! In January and February, I have read 5 books in total. So far this year every book I have finished, I have throughly enjoyed! I recommend all 5 of these books.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is the first one I finished in 2024. I do have to say out of all of them this was my least favorite book, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. I don’t really like how it would bounce between time periods, but at the same time, that’s part of what makes the book. It was a beautiful story.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a reread for me. I like to try and reread the Harry Potter series every so often. It has been a long time since I have done a full reread (I usually stop after book 4), but I hope to read through the rest of them this year. This one and the rest of the series always makes me cry so it’s hard to read them, but I love getting lost in the pages. The movies left out a lot of the story. Some of the most important parts in my opinion.
I Will Find You by Harlan Coben ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am so glad that this book was recommended to me! It was a very interesting read. Fast paced – which I love. It’s about a guy who was put into prison for murdering his son… except he didn’t. We end up going on a journey with him as he breaks out of prison. This is the first time I’ve ever read a book by this author, but I will definitely read another.
We Used to Live Here by Daniel Hurst ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Some people bought this house, and they were finding strange things while remodeling… I did not expect the ending of this book at all. To me it was definitely a twist that almost made me mad. The ending made me want more to the story.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I listened to the audiobook of this one, and enjoyed it so much. It was a cute little read that’s like a hallmark movie cliche. It had the whole uptight person visiting a small town and falling in love.
Final note
I am very happy with what books I have read so far. For 2024, I have made the reading goal to read 50 books this year. According to my Goodreads, I am 3 books behind, but I think it will all workout in the end. Last year I started reading several books at once, and I usually finishing them all around the same time. In the next few weeks, I plan to post my 2024 tbr, which has 54 books on it. And yes, I know my goal is to read 50 books, but sometimes it’s hard to choose what books I want to read!
What book(s) are you reading right now? Have you read any of the ones I’ve read in January and February?
In June, I had finished reading 8 books! That is the most that I have read in a month in a very long time. Four of those were books I had started in a pervious month but still. I wanted to start trying to do monthly book logs/reviews so here we go.
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas is the last book of a very good series. There are 7 books in the series – not counting some extra side books (I don’t remember what they’re called lol). I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. This series starts out about a woman who is an assassin, and she is totally badass. I don’t want to talk too much about the series because I don’t want to give anything away. My favorite thing about this series is that the little things in the books matter because in the end it will create a big picture.
Recipe for Love by Anna Malcom
I gave Recipe for Love 4 stars even though parts of it was a little bit cringe. However, it wasn’t so cringe I couldn’t finish it. It was a lovely fast read for me. I love the sunshine / grumpy trope so much.
Ignite by Melanie Harlow
I gave Ignite 4 stars. This was a really quick read for me. I am pretty sure I read this in one day. It was a good single dad romance. To be honest, the reason I had wanted to read it was just for the fact that he was a firefighter. There was some cringe parts in this, but it is mainly because I could not really relate to the girl main character all that much. Winnie falls in love very easily which is why a bet was made between her and her best friend that she couldn’t not fall in love for the rest of the year.
This is definitely not relatable to me because I have the opposite problem. It is hard for me to fall in love. Because of this, it blows my mind that there are actually people out there that do fall in love very easily.
Could not be me.
Savage Hearts by J. T. Geissinger
I gave Savage Hearts 3 stars. This book is part of a series, but one of those that is about different people each time just in the same setting (?). I read this in a day so it was a very fast read for me. The thing that put me off about it, and apparently the previous two books are also focused on, is that the girl(s) have MAJOR stockholm syndrome. Like – immediately. I’ve read some books where they got it, but those settings were normally where these girls were taken from a bad family and they warm up to the person that kidnapped them. This book was nothing like that. It was very fast paced. I thought they really needed to chill out. LOL
Spare by Prince Harry
Spare got 5 stars from me. I love memoirs. Even of people I don’t keep up with. Going into reading Spare, I did not know much about the royal family AT ALL. Since I had started reading it, one of my friends had talked to me about the whole Princess Diana being murdered thing, and I watched a movie about them. Other than that, I was pretty much reading without knowing anything the whole way through.
I’ve read reviews that people said the reason they did not like this book is because he was just “whiny”. I think those people just said that because for whatever reason they just don’t like him. A memoir is about telling a lot parts about yourself. Good and bad. I think reading from his point of view really made me understand things about him and the royal thing as a whole.
One of the main things I learned was you cannot trust what any news or tabloids say because they can and will post straight of lies. It made me so mad as I was reading how the paps were treating Harry and the people he cares about. They probably treat them like that still. They have no boundaries or a conscious.
Another thing that made me mad was the palace. There was so much that could have been straightened out if only they had said something.
I’m glad Prince Harry and Meghan got out of it.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Outlander got a 3.5 stars out of me. Hear me out. My sister and I started this book at the end of last year, and the reason why it took me so long to read was because I was trying to read at the pace of my sister.
I did really enjoy reading this book most of the time, but it is one of those books I can’t have any distractions otherwise I would have to reread parts over and over.
I really liked some characters like Claire and Jamie, but then this book also made me really dislike some characters – which I think is a really good thing.
I think the main reason it was so hard to read is because I am an American woman so there were a lot of times I had to look up what something meant. Also I knew going into it that there was some scenes of sexual assault, and reading about that was really hard for me.
With that being said, I will probably read the rest of the series at some point. (I just have to wait in my sister to finish this one).
How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera
3 stars. I am on the journey of self-healing so this year I want to try to read more self- help books just to at least get some ideas on how to heal on my own. I believe this book helped me understand myself and my parents more. I will definitely take some of the “exercises” the book talked about and apply it to my life.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
This got 4 stars. I loved Red, White & Royal Blue so much. Forbidden romance between a prince and the first son of the United States? SIGN. ME. UP.
THOUGHTS
I was very happy with my reads for this month. My favorite book I read was Kingdom of Ash. My least favorite was Savage Hearts.
What books did you read in June? What books are you wanting to read in July?
For the past several years, I have created new year resolutions. I surprise myself and actually stick with it for at least 6 months. I’ll take 6 months over no months.
This year I’m putting my resolutions into 4 categories — fitness, books, productivity, and self-care.
Fitness
Bench 95 pounds at least 5 times by the end of the year.
Be able to do an unassisted pull up.
Get better at push ups.
Books
Read 30 books by the end of the year.
Complete book reading challenge. I made this one up myself and I’ll post about it in a different post.
Productivity
My main goal is to decrease my procrastination. The first thing I am going to do is stop procrastinating getting out of bed. This past week I’ve been getting up after the first alarm.
I want to be better about posting blogs and YouTube videos. I love doing it – I just love procrastination more. However, I think procrastination is a big cause of my anxiety so I want to be better about it.
Self-care
This year I really want to work on journaling and meditating more.
Also, just doing things that make me happy. And figuring out what does make me happy.
Here are my new year resolutions. Did you make any? What are they?
I really wanted to read 3 books this month, but I only got around to reading 2 books.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This whole series will be a reread for me. I decided that this year I wanted to reread all 7 books, as I haven’t read all of them in a really long time. To be honest, this is probably my least favorite one of the whole series, but I still love it all the same. The main thing I got from reading is that I forgot how much of a a–hole Draco Malfoy was in the books. Some of that is definitely different than it is in the movie.
Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6) by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I didn’t think I would enjoy it because it was completely about side characters — not about Aelin Galathynius. I still enjoyed Chaol, Yrene and Nesryn’s story. It was cool to see what was happening to them during the same time as book 5.
What books have you read this month? What are you going to read next book?
This month I wanted to read four books, but I only ended up reading three – which is still good for me, honestly! This month I read two different series, and that actually puts me almost done with one of them (only two books left!) Below is my rating and my opinion!
Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
On goodreads, I gave this book 5 stars, but I would really give it 4.5 stars. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I finally started getting into it I finished it fairly quickly. The thing I love most about Aelin Galathynius is that she does everything with purpose, and we never know why she does these little things until later. When the reveal happens, I just want to punch the air and go “good for her!” Sometimes… I may actually do that.
The 5th Horseman (Women’s Murder Club, #5)by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The women’s murder club series is the series I turn to when I need an easy read. I need breaks after reading books like the one above. Some people think it’s weird, but I cannot read a long series back to back. I have to read books in between, and this is one of them. I believe this series is really good. I’ve come to really love the character Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer (and her friends).
Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5) by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I think this book was the best one yet out of all of them. I love Aelin. I love Rowan. I love Aedion. I love Dorian. I love Lysandra. I love Manon. I love them all. Again, I love the way Aelin will have purpose for everything that she does. I know the others are mad that she doesn’t reveal her plans to everyone, but I do love the shock that they have when her plan unravels. This book left me with the hugest cliffhanger about her well-being and I KNOW that I won’t know anything until I read book 7 because book 6 is about Chaol. Pray for my mental well-being.
Also, I just want to note that I have now read 12 books this year. My goal is to read 22 books. If I reach my goal before December I will probably extend my goal.
Do you have a reading goal? What is it? What book are you reading right now?
This month I not only read a couple books (some I am still reading), but I also listened to some audiobooks – which I do count toward my goodreads reading challenge.
The Zombie Chronicles (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed, #1) by Chrissy Peebles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was definitely for a younger audience, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I love zombie books and movies. I like that this book revolved around teenagers and young adults instead of the middle-age and up genre. This was interesting enough that I would check out the next book of the series.
If You Ask Me by Betty White ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I absolutely adored listening to this audiobook. It was read by Betty White herself (rip). I really liked learning more about her life.
Forever Words: The Unknown Poems by Johnny Cash ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I listened to this one on audiobook as well. This was something I wish I would have read instead, but it was still an interesting listen. Two poems stuck with me and one was him talking about how he didn’t want to have a movie made about him (unless it told his whole story well) and the other one was a poem called I wish you a merry Christmas. With the second one, it is still with me because the contents of it definitely surprised me. I did not expect it.
My book goal for this year is 22 books, but I have 26 books on my TBR this year. I have a few more I would like to read that I do not have on this list, but these are the main books I definitely want to plow through this year.
Will by Will Smith
NYPD by James Patterson
Her name was Olivia by Carol Eason
Cell by Stephen King
Hater by David Moody
The Stand by Stephen King
1984 by George Orwell
Carved by Brenda K. Davies (The Road to Hell, #2)
The Road by Brenda K. Davies (The Road to Hell, #3)
Into Hell by Brenda K. Davies (The Road to Hell, #4)
4th of July by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club, #4)
The 5th Horseman by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club, #5)
The 6th Target by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club, #6)
Alienation by Jon S. Lewis (C.H.A.O.S, #2)
Domination by Jon S. Lewis (C.H.A.O.S, #3)
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass, #3)
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass, #4)
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass, #5)
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass, #6)
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass, #7)
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (Court of Thorns and Roses, #4)
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, #1)
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, #2)
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, #3)
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, #4)
The ones that have a strike through them are the ones I have read so far this year. I do not have as many done as a wish. Here are the ones I have read that are not on the list:
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Stacey Kennedy (Kinky Spurs, #4)
Of Beast and Beauty by Chanda Hahn (Daughters of Eville, #1)
I feel like the months are going by so fast. June seemed to have just started yesterday and it is already the end of it. Here’s the results from my goals for this month.
Buy a new planner
I did do this and I am so excited to use it. It is called the simplified planner. This planner will help me simplify my life, and at the same time, declutter it. It kind of goes hand in hand. I will make a post about this planner sometime in the future.
Read 2 books
I read 4 books in total this month.
Coming Up Roses (The Southern Roots, #1) by L.K. Farlow
An Uphill Battle (The Southern Roots, #2) by L.K. Farlow
Weather the Storm (The Southern Roots, #3) by L.K. Farlow
Shielding His Baby (Deuces Wild, #3) by Taryn Quinn
Post 4 blogs
I ended up only posting three. These are the ones I posted:
I feel like by me walking outside 3-4 times a week has gotten me a little tanner.
Walk 30 miles for cancer
I walked over 30 miles to raise awareness for cancer.
Take vitamins daily
I didn’t have vitamins for 2 weeks of this month, but when I did have them I took them. I am counting this because I could not help that my vitamins got here late, lol.
Meditate 3x a week
I did not do this. I did meditate about once a week. I am still trying to get better at this.
Go hiking
I actually did not go hiking, although I did walk on a track a lot. This month just flew by. I am going to pencil in time for a hike next month.
Practice writing
I have practiced writing this month. I started writing my book instead of staying stuck on beginning ideas. I am trying to male myself plow through on writing and let myself go back later to rewrite, add or subtract things from my rough draft.
22 push ups every day
I started this at the beginning of the month, but I ended up have to take a week and a half break because I got a bad sinus infection. I have started again on June 28 and will do this for at least 22 days to raise veteran suicide awareness.
22 squats every day
I did not continue doing this. Probably should.
Clean house
I have started this. I reorganized the kitchen’s pantry and multiple cluttered drawers. I hope to move to the dining room and my room.
The months are going by like a blur. This month I want to try to be more present. That way I might get everything done. Here are my goals for this month.
May seemed to have gone by in the blink of an eye, but I am proud of all that I have accomplished with my goals. Here’s the new goals for the month of June.
Hello! In the month of January, I read four books. I wrote a small review of each one. I liked most of them, but not all of them. Most of these were mystery books. There may be small spoilers, but no reveals of who the killers were.
The Rooster Bar by John Grisham
At first I thought this book was going to be good, but it got boring really quickly. I was really disappointed in this book because someone who loves John Grisham really hyped up some of his other books. He may have other good books, but in my opinion, this is not one of them.
Truth Be Toldby Hank Phillippi Ryan
I really enjoyed this mystery. This is the first time I ever read this author, but I will probably read another one of his when I feel like reading another mystery. I did not see the twists coming in this book which is the whole point. It switched between several different people, but I liked being able to see what each one of them were thinking about different situations.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This book was phenomenal. I was interested from the beginning. I have read reviews were the author talks too much about the Marsh, but I think the description of it makes the image playing in my head even better. The book goes from the past to the present – the present having to do with the main character, Kya, being tried for murder. This book had me trying to guess who the murderer was the entire time. It was not until the end that it was ultimately discovered.
1st to Die by James Patterson
This is book one to the Women’s Murder Club series. It was about four women trying to figure out several bride and groom’s killer was. I was so sure it was this one person, but there were many twists to this story. At one point, I was actually getting aggravated because I was not sure who the serial killer was. It was a really good book though. I have heard that a lot of James Patterson books are the same so I will probably space out when I read his books.
I can’t believe it is already the end of October! It’s been a few weeks since I have posted, and I apologize for that. However! I am hopefully back. These next few posts will be somewhat October related – although some will be after October is over.
Here’s a recap of my favorites this October:
Favorite book: The Scotch Series
It’s actually three books, but when I read them, it was online, and they all blended together. Sadly, this is the only thing I read this month. I am going to try to start reading more. I really recommend this series though – unless you could possibly get triggered by rape-related things. (Rape does not actually happen, but I still would not recommend if it is a trigger.)
Favorite movie: Coraline
I had never seen this before, but I like it. It is quite creepy but intriguing.
Favorite TV show: The Originals
Favorite song: “Panic Attack” by Scotty Sire
Favorite drink: Pumpkin Spice Latte
Favorite place: Martin, TN
Favorite app: Trello (I’ll do another post talking about this app – among others.)
Favorite memory: My best friend and I carved pumpkins. I carved a vampire, and she carved what I call a “basic white girl.” I’ll post the pictures in “October in Photos.”
Having to choose just ONE book I love was really hard. I really love to read. The book that has really stuck with me that has a lot of meaning is Beastly by Alex Flinn.
I love the big message of how it’s not the outside that matters in a person but it’s the inside that should. There are way too many people in this world that are only with guys because they’re so “hot” and “popular.” While these guys would also be the biggest jerks.
So a word of advice: I understand that you need to be somewhat attracted to the guy to want to date him. I get that looks do matter to an extent. Just don’t stop at the looks. Look at the guy’s (or girl’s) personality too. How are they like? Are they kind? Are they big-headed? These kind of things matter. Don’t just settle. You deserve more than that.
Story of My Life 