just for fun

Book Chat: The Last Hope is Now Available!!!

~ megs14malloy

Tuesday, August 13, 2019 was a good day.
It was on this day, this past Tuesday, that the concluding book in The Raging Ones duology was released.

Titled, The Last Hope, this YA-scifi novel written by the sister writing duo, Krista and Becca Ritchie, is one of my most anticipated sequels of the year. The first book in the duology, The Raging Ones, released in August 2018 and I was so impressed by it. I loved it so much and easily gave it a full five star rating. To see my full review on Goodreads, click here: Meg’s Review of The Raging Ones

Set in the very distant future, 3525 to be exact, we follow three main protagonists who have a very peculiar relationship and seem to be unlike any other individuals on their planet. To be clear, this story does not take place on Earth. Our protagonists, Franny, Court and Mykal, are all linked by their senses. They can feel, taste and smell what the others are experiencing.

This idea of sensory linking is so interesting to me. Although the trio struggles to get used to this phenomenon, they have no clue why this is happening to them. One thing they do know is that if anyone discovers their secret, they could be in very serious trouble.

As a trio, they enroll to compete for a chance to be a part of the Saga-5 mission, essentially a space mission that will get them off their planet and away from prying eyes. Accepted into the competition they are made to live in dormitories, undergo training and compete in challenges to prepare for the mission. Y’all know that a competition is one of my all-time favorite tropes. I love competition in real life and books are no different.

The end of the first book had a HUGE reveal and cliffhanger ending. Our young protagonists discovered something that shook their world to its foundations. When I finished that last page my jaw was legit on the floor!!! How the heck was I going to wait a year before getting my hands on the second book?

Well, lucky for me, I didn’t have to wait a full year. I was blessed to receive an early copy of the second book, The Last Hope, from the publisher, Wednesday Books. I very hearty thank you to them. Guys, guess what!?

I loved this one just as much. It starts off with our main three literally in a fight for their lives. Rescued by a cast of new characters they board a starship from Earth, where they begin to learn all things Earthling. It is at this time that they are made aware of the fact that the fate of planet Earth is on the line and they are amongst the only people who can do something about it. Dah dah dah….

Now on a quest against time, with the future of the universe on the line, Franny, Court and Mykal have to push past their limits and fight against all odds until the ultimate finale. As with the first book, this second is highly unique and wonderfully written. It kept me engaged from start to finish and I seriously did not want it to be over. It hurts my heart.

This duology will continue to hold a special place in my heart and I recommend it to YA scifi and romance fans. There is a heavy dose of romance in these books, the main romance being a male/male romance between Mykal and Court. The romance elements were quite well done, in my opinion. Both Krista and Becca are experienced romance writers so that makes perfect sense. This being said, although there is romance, it definitely does not over shade the scifi elements. At its core this is a scifi story that I feel is accessible to all levels of science-fiction readers. So, whether you are new to the genre, or an old hat like myself, I think everyone can enjoy this!

I hope the authors produce more in this genre as I really think they did an excellent job with this duology. They should be very proud of their efforts. Now that the completed duology is on the shelves, this is the perfect time to head to your local bookseller, or favorite online retailer and pick them both up for a binge session! I personally am planning a full ‘Scifi September’ TBR — perhaps you would like to join me!? These books would certainly be a perfect fit for that theme!

Cheers, my friends & Happy Reading!

 

Medieval-A-Thon Wrap-Up & August Reading Plans

~ megs14malloy

Hi, book friends! I would like to officially announce that I slayed the Medieval-A-Thon and am now officially a Queen.

Medieval-A-Thon was a super fun, month-long Fantasy readathon hosted by Holly over at Holly Hearts Books on BookTube. She did a phenomenal job creating this readathon and consistently following up with us all on Twitter. I really had a great time participating and completed six Fantasy books over the course of the month to meet certain challenges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above are the visuals created by Holly to help you keep track of the challenges and what you were earning by meeting them. Seriously, how creative is this? I am obsessed. Anyway, without further ado, here are the six books that I completed and what they earned me in weapons and my armour set:

  • To earn my fighting daggers, I needed to complete a book with assassins in it. For this I read Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) by Julie Kagawa. I had an ARC of this book and loved it so much. I was disappointed at all and gave this Japanese-Inspired YA Fantasy 5-full stars!
  • To earn my bow and arrow, I needed to complete a book with elves in it. For this prompt, I chose The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black. Again, I absolutely loved this YA Fantasy, 5-full stars!
  • For my crown, I needed to complete a book where a character fights for the throne. For this I read, Roar by Cora Carmack. This YA Fantasy that had a very unique magic system based on people who could control the weather really surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. The long awaited sequel to this 2017-release is actually coming out this month and I have already preordered a copy and plan to pick it up right away. I gave this 4.5-stars.
  • For my helmet, I needed to complete a book with a dragon on the cover. For this, I selected Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This beautifully written Adult Fantasy is a retelling of a Mayan legend modernized and set in the Jazz era. As I have found before with Moreno-Garcia’s writing, it was lyrical and truly beautiful to read. Her writing is simple but in a gorgeous way. I had an ARC copy of this and ended up giving it 4-stars.
  • For my breastplate, I needed to read a shiny book. For this I chose The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell. I listened to the audiobook for this and followed along in my hard copy and will admit, I was lost through at least the first half of the book. There were so many perspectives to follow, and time jumps, and I seriously had no clue what was happening. Overall, I did find the characters were interesting and it did have an interesting premise. I gave this one 3-stars and am not sure if I will continue on with this series. I own the second one so may or I may just unhaul them both.
  • Finally, for my cape, I needed to read something with red on the cover. On the very last day of the month I completed Lost Boy by Christina Henry. This book. Oh my goodness did I love this one. This is an origin story for Captain Hook, one of the most underrated villains of all time. This was so unique, bold, graphic and bloody brilliant. Best origin story I have ever read. EVER. No surprise, I gave this a full 5-stars! Loved it.

That wraps up my Medieval-A-Thon. So glad that I had the chance to participate. I love a month long readathon and this one provided me with a great opportunity to get some things off my TBR, as well as complete some ARCs that I really needed to get to.

On to August. What are my reading plans for August? I am actually not participating in any readathons but am participating in The Page Turners Book Club again, hosted by Chelsea Palmer from the BookTube channel of the same name. She hosts this Book Club on Facebook and it is a fairly interactive group. We are reading Nevernight by Jay Kristoff the third week of the month. I have heard great things about this book and as it is dark and bloody, I anticipate really enjoying it. Plus, the synopsis for the main character gives me heavy Arya Stark vibes, which I’m down for.

Mainly in the month of August I will be participating in ARC August. This is sort of a movement going through the book community right now. Although not an official readathon or challenge it is something a lot of people are talking about an focusing on. Basically, it is just an entire month dedicated to reading all our ARCs. If you do not know what an ARC is, it is an Advanced Reader Copy provided to a reader by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Basically it is a way that publishing companies create buzz for and promote books before their release.

I personally have a ton of ARCs I need to get to. Some have already released so I will be playing catch up. Others come out this month and then a lot come out this Fall so I am trying to get a bit ahead.

I have a review post going up tomorrow morning for one of these ARCs, The Escape Room by Megan Goldin. I am part of the Blog Tour for the release of this book and am so excited to be taking part as, spoiler alert, I freaking loved this book!!! So stay tuned for that. Be sure to check back tomorrow if you want to see my spoiler free thoughts.

How was your July? Did you participate in any readathons? Are you taking part in ARC August? What are you reading plans for the month? I want to know. Leave a comment here or contact me through any of my social media links! I love to hear from you all.

Cheers & Happy Reading!

 

July 2019 Wrap-Up!!!

~ megs14malloy ~ 2 Comments

Hi bookworms! Even though there is technically still over 12-hours left in July, I wanted to get something memorialized for my July wrap-up since I will have a separate Medieval-A-Thon wrap-up tomorrow.

I am 42-pages away from finishing Lost Boy by Christina Henry which I will complete tonight. So, with that included, I read 14-books in the month of July which also happens to the be the exact same number that I read in June. I am quite happy with that number!

Side Note: Anyone else love Larry David and miss Curb Your Enthusiasm with every fiber of your being? Just me?

Back to the wrap-up ((sorry for the side-bar)):

Since I have reviewed the majority of these books on this blog, which you can find by clicking on ‘July’ over to the right, I am just going to give a numbered list here with my star rating. Overall, I had a great month. I read five 5-star books, four 4.5-star books, two 4-star books and two 3.5-star books. Any month where you have only 3.5-stars and above, as far as ratings go, is pretty solid.

At this point, I am fairly positive that Lost Boy will end up with a 4-star but depending how it finishes, it could actually be a 4.5. I will let you know that in my Medieval-A-Thon wrap-up.

So, without further ado, here are the books I have completed so far in July 2019:

  1. The Girl in Red by Christina Henry (ARC),   3.5-stars
  2. Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas (ARC),   4.5-stars (cerebral palsy & LGBTQIA+ rep)
  3. Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman,   5-stars
  4. Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (audiobook),   5-stars
  5. Those People by Louise Candlish (ARC),   4-stars
  6. The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell (Books with Friends Book Club) (audiobook),   3.5-stars
  7. Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox 2) by Julie Kagawa (ARC),   5-stars
  8. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (ARC),   5-stars
  9. Roar by Cora Carmack (Page Turners Book Club) (audiobook),   4.5-stars
  10. A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell (ARC),   4.5-stars
  11. The Wicked King by Holly Black (audiobook),   5-stars
  12. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (ARC),   4-stars
  13. Lethal White (Cormoran Strike 4) by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) (audiobook),   4.5-stars

Some other random stats would be that six of these are YA and seven are Adult; seven of these are ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) provided to me by the publishers in exchange for honest reviews, and four of these I listened to part or the entire story via audiobook.

As far as my monthly TBR challenge prompts go, I completed three of the four (I did not make TBR Jar selections this month in lieu of participating in two book club selections, hence why there is only four instead of the five originally set forth in January).

The one I did not complete was my ‘Read a New Release for Next Month’. I did not read any August 2019 releases this month. I am so behind on my ARCs but we’ll get to that in a later post.

I did complete the following:

  • Read a New Release from 2019: Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (650-pages BTW)
  • Read a New Release from Current Month: Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
  • Read a Sequel: Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) by Julie Kagawa

Although I do have multiple books that would fit some of these challenges, I only count the one that completed the challenge first. I think for August I will be able to complete all four of my challenges (also not selecting TBR Jar picks again) as I really want to read a couple of September releases I already have my hands on.

How did your July reading go? Did you participate in any readathons or book clubs? What was your favorite book of the month? What did you like the least? Are there any July 2019 releases I need to get my hands on?

I want to know. Leave a comment here and contact me through any of my social media links!

Cheers & Happy Reading~

 

 

Status Update: The Reading Rush 2019

~ megs14malloy

I don’t think I actually mentioned it here but this week, I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to take part in the 2019 Reading Rush. Formally know as BookTube-A-Thon, this annual readathon is a great way for the whole book community to just come together and really cram in a ton of reading in one week.

This year, for the first time, the creators, Ariel Bissett and Raeleen Lemay, created an incredible website as the home platform for the readathon. You can follow friends, make updates, track your pages read per day, books you have read and earn badges that correspond to the challenges.

I dutifully set up my profile, selecting a book to correspond with each challenge and then, the reading started. Better I should say lack of reading. I actually think I have read less this week than any other week this year because life gets hard sometimes, guys.

I still have today but frankly, I’m not feeling very motivated. I have completed two books, one I started well in advance of the actual readathon, so I didn’t count it as meeting any of the challenges, and the other, did earn me a ‘read a book with a non-human main character badge’. So, there’s that. Plus, Ariel and Raeleen were thoughtful enough to create a ‘participation badge’ — SCORE!

Also, I did read over a 1,000-pages and there is a badge for that as well even though it wasn’t one of the official challenges. I guess my biggest mistake was selecting a 650-page book for the ‘read a book you meant to read last year’ challenge. Lethal White by Robert Galbraith has me beat. I got so close. I have about 130-pages left of it but alas, I will not be finishing it by midnight. Lesson learned.

Are you taking part in The Reading Rush? If so, how did your week go? I want to know! Leave a comment here or reach me through any of my social media platforms! I hope that your RR experience was better than mine!

May the badges always be in your favor.

Cheers & Happy Reading!

Mid-Month Medieval-A-Thon Status Update

~ megs14malloy

Hi book friends! Just like that mid-month is upon us. What better time to update you all on how I am doing with the Medieval-A-Thon? If you don’t know, Medieval-A-Thon is a month-long readathon hosted by Holly over at Holly Hearts Books on YouTube. I will link her announcement video below, click it for all the details, challenges, etc:

Medieval-A-Thon Announcement

Holly reads a ton of Fantasy and is a great channel to go to for recommendations and other news within that genre. She is my go-to when I am looking for new Adult Fantasy recommendations and just when I want a good laugh because she is so freaking funny. I love her videos. Be sure to check out her channel!

Of the 10 specific challenges listed for the readathon, I have thus far completed two:

  1. Read a shiny book to earn the breastplate of your suite of armor: For this I completed, The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell. I haven’t done a review or decided on a star rating for this book yet. It was a lot. There were a lot of character perspectives to follow and time jumps and things got hecka confusing there for a while. I did enjoy it. I thought the characters were great but I am just a bit at a loss as too how much I enjoyed it. Does this ever happen to anyone else? Regardless, the ouroboros-type graphic on this is super shiny in the light of the hardcover version that I read.
  2. Read a book with assassins in it to earn your fighting daggers: I am not 100% sure this is what this weapon is called but it is what it looks like to me from Holly’s graphic. For this I completed Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa, which is the second book in the Shadow of the Fox trilogy. I loved this book, gave it five stars and am on pins-and-needles in anticipation waiting for the final installment. When does book 3 release? 2020!!!!!! No idea how I will wait that long. I did receive an ARC of Soul of the Sword so hoping that I can pull that off for Night of the Dragon. Anyway, back to what we are actually suppose to be talking about, this book has assassins after Yumeko and friends as they try to make their way to the Silent Winds Temple.

Although these are the only things I have completed thus far, I am currently working on five other books that will complete challenges. Quickly, they are: Roar by Cora Carmack, this is to get my crown by reading a book where a character fights for the throne; Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia for the helmet to my suit of armor for reading a book with a dragon on the cover (there is a small image of a totem dragon head on this cover); rereading The Dark Half by Stephen King for the boots of my suit of armor by reading a book that has yellowed over time (this isn’t technically ‘fantasy’ but it is supernatural horror soooooooo, I’m counting it); Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry for my cape by reading a book that has red on the dust jacket; and finally, The Wicked King by Holly Black to earn my bow & arrow by reading a book with elves in it (don’t fight me on this, this is what Holly is choosing for this very prompt, she is boss, she is Queen, it’s happening).

In addition to these, I am also hoping to get to Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson this month to get my sword by reading a book with something pointy on the cover, as well as Priest of Lies (War for the Rose Throne #2) by Peter McLean to get my battle axes by reading a book with mercenaries in it.

Yeah, so that’s it. No problem at all, right? We won’t even mention the fact that this is my busiest month of the year at work right now. No, we won’t mention that. I’m so in the weeds right now I have to send my parents emails every once in while just so they know I’m still alive. Just me?

I hope you are all having a wonderfully productive reading month. Even though I have only completed two books so far for this readathon, I actually have already completed 8 books this month and I am confident I can pull through with these titles.

Are you participating in Medieval-A-Thon? How is it going for you so far? Have you read any of the books I am reading? I want to know. Leave me a comment here or contact me through any of my social media links.

Cheers & Happy Reading!

July Challenge: Medieval-A-Thon

~ megs14malloy

July 1st!? What the? I cannot even believe we are finished with half of 2019!! I have completed 93-books so far this year so am confident that I can meet my ‘100-books’ reading goal.

For this month I have selected a brand new readathon to participate in. Medieval-A-Thon is a full month readathon created and hosted by Holly from Holly Hearts Books over on YouTube. If you are a big SFF reader, or even if you are just someone looking to get more into that genre, Holly is a great resource. She posts super funny and fun content and is legit a SFF Queen! The link to her Medieval-A-Thon announcement video is below:

Medieval-A-Thon Announcement

Basically, the goal is to build your nobility ranking by reading a certain number of books and then there are extra prompts to build your medieval wardrobe and weapons cache. The highest ranking is King or Queen with 6 books. This is my goal but I am also hoping to complete all 10 prompts using 10 different books. The 10 prompts, and my tentative book choice, are as follows:

    1. For a ‘crown’ pick a book where the character fights for a throne: Roar by Cora Carmack
    2. For a ‘helmet’ pick a book with a dragon on the cover: Mistress of All Evil by Serena Valentino which is about my personal Queen, Maleficient.
    3. For a ‘breast plate’ read a shiny book: The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell. I am also hoping to participate with the Books with Friends discussion on this on July 27th as this is their group book for the month.
    4. For ‘upper leg armor’ read a thick paperback: Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas.
    5. For ‘boots’ read a book that has yellowed over time: reread of The Dark Half by Stephen King. I have not one yellowed copy but two of this in paperback.
    6. For a ‘cape’ read a book with red on the dust jacket: A Stranger on the Beach by Michelle Campbell has red font on the cover. I know this isn’t SFF but I have an ARC of it so I do need to read it this month!
    7. For a ‘sword’ a book with something pointy on the cover: Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri.
    8. For ‘fighting blades’ read a book with assassins: I am currently reading Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa and there are assassins who try to kill the protagonist and her traveling crew. Even though I technically started it in June, I am going to count it anyway because I will be completing it this month.
    9. For a ‘bow and arrow’ read a book with elves in it: The Wicked King by Holly Black. I wasn’t sure if this would count but I watched Holly’s TBR video and it is what she is reading for this prompt so, she’s the boss, it counts!
    10. For a ‘battle axe’ read a book with mercenaries in it: Priest of Lies (War for the Rose Throne #2) by Peter McLean.

As we are all aware, I am a hella mood reader, so there is a very strong chance that none of these books will actually get read. Either way, I am reading something and I am going to make every single book fit one of these prompts.

I think this readathon sounds so fun. I hope it is uber-successful so that Holly will host it again next year. If you are interested in learning more about any of the books I have on my tentative TBR, just click the cover photo above!

What about you? Are you participating in Medieval-A-Thon? If not, are you participating in any reading challenges in July? If so, what? I want to know. Leave me a comment below or contact me through any of my social media links.

Cheers & Happy Reading~

Buzzwordathon Round 4, Wrap-Up

~ megs14malloy

Another readathon come and gone. I wasn’t quite as successful as I had wanted to be, mainly because I failed at keeping myself on track, but I did complete two books!

The buzzword for this round was, ‘you’. One of the books that I completed, Listen To Your Heart by Kasie West, was on my original TBR. The other that I completed, I Let You Go by Clare MacKintosh, was not. 

I was reading two other books for the readathon and I did make some solid progress in them. The first was, While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt. My copy of this is an e-ARC that I was sent by the publisher. I made it to 53% on the final night of the readathon.

The second, Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer, is also an ARC that I received from the publisher. This hard-hitting YA Contemporary is actually set to release on June 25th! I made it to page 254 out of 384; so not bad at all.

One of my major distractions was that I randomly decided to reread Desperation by Stephen King over the weekend and read close to 300-pages in that. Ahhh, focusing on a TBR is difficult. Something I frequently fail at.

So, that’s it, folks! Quick post today. If you would like more detailed information on any of the books that I read during Buzzwordathon, simply click on any of the covers shown here!

Did you participate in Buzzwordathon? How did you do? Have you read any of these books? I want to know! Leave a comment here or contact me through any of my social media links.

Cheers & Happy Reading~

 

Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag 2019

~ megs14malloy

Hey bookworms! Mid-year is upon us and with it comes the posting of the annual Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tags over BookTube and Book Blogs. This is a time for us to reflect on what we have read so far this year and what we hope to read before the year ends. Without further ado, let’s get right into the questions:

  1. Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2019 — I have read 86 books so far this year. It is really hard to choose just one as the ‘best’. I have given out a lot of 5-star ratings. For the purposes of this list however, I will choose just one and say that Julie Kagawa’s, 2018 release, Shadow of the Fox, swept me off my feet. I love this story so much. Japanese-inspired YA fantasy that incorporates dragon lore and a quest. Y’all know I am down for a quest. I am currently reading the sequel, Soul of the Sword, which releases on Tuesday, June 18th.
  2. Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2019 — I have actually read quite a few sequels this year as one of my monthly TBR challenges is to ‘read a sequel’. My favorite has been King of Fools by Amanda Foody. This second book in the Shadow Game trilogy takes the story to a whole new level. Foody’s writing has matured in leaps and bounds. The characters, the world, it was so good! I cannot wait for the final book of the series releasing in 2020.
  3. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To — This answer could honestly be 50-books long. I should just pick one…but I can’t. Here’s a few:               To learn more about any of these titles, just click the cover photo above!
  4. Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year — Hands down, The Institute, by my idol, Stephen King. This all-new, 576-novel, by arguably the most important writer of our times, features a sinister institute housing children with paranormal gifts. A good versus evil tale where the good guy doesn’t always win. Set to release on September 10th, I have already preordered my copy and will be reading it immediately upon arrival. I feel like I have been waiting my whole life for this book.
  5. Biggest Disappointment — I won’t dwell on this but for me, my most disappointing read so far this year has been Internment by Samira Ahmed. I say disappointing because I was anticipating it so highly. It’s not a terrible book. I didn’t hate it. I just wanted it to be so much more. This is a YA-dystopian novel dealing heavily with Islamophobia. In this story, Muslims are rounded up and detained indefinitely in internment camps. While the premise and the topics discussed were so good, the writing, for me, was not. My final rating was just 2.5-stars.
  6. Biggest Surprise — For me, this easily goes to Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk. This gender-flipped retelling of the legend of Spartacus blew me out of the water. I had heard one person discuss this previously on BookTube, where she discussed how sadly under-hyped it was. When I saw it on Book Outlet for super cheap, I couldn’t resist picking it up and, oh man, am I glad I did! This action-packed story was so well written. I absolutely adored this! Read it.
  7. Favorite New Author (Debut or New to You) — Alex Michaelides blew me away with his debut novel, The Silent Patient, a gripping Adult Psychological Thriller. This book was so fun to read. He definitely rocketed up my auto-buy author list. If you read one Adult Thriller this year, it should be this one! My final rating for this one was 5-jaw dropping stars. I still break out in a smile when I reflect on the big reveal. So good.
  8. Newest Fictional Crush — The newest would probably be Carlos Ibarra from Jasmine Guillory’s, The Proposal. I first met Carlos in, The Wedding Date, and although I didn’t know him well, I was excited when I heard he was getting a companion novel to tell his story. I have an ARC of the next companion book in the series, The Wedding Party, which I hope to read very soon! Carlos is set to be Drew’s best man, so that should be a really fun time.
  9. Newest Favorite Character — Alex Claremont-Diaz, of course, from Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. This book basically broke the book world when it was released in May and I was all aboard that hype train. I had an ARC of this and finished it just before release. I raved about it and will continue to for sometime to come! Alex is just the best. I love him with my whole heart!
  10. Book That Made You Cry — I cried, actual tears falling down my face, while reading different parts of Too Much Is Not Enough, a memoir by Broadway Golden Boy, Andrew Rannells. His writing was so raw and heartfelt. When he lost his Father…ugh, man, it got me. A lot of his reflections were so relatable, I just found myself breaking down. Really well done with equal parts humor and weight. I loved this book!
  11. Book That Made You Happy — One of the most humorous books I have read this year is Sal and Gabi Break the Universe  by Carlos Hernandez. This great Middle Grade science fiction novel is part of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. I have been blessed to received the last few books by this imprint in ARC form and they have all been so good. I was super impressed with Hernandez’s use of humor to tell this story. He is a funny man and a great writer! I cannot wait for the sequel. But seriously, just looking at this gorgeous cover makes me happy!
  12. Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought This Year — This is a tough one. I have loved a lot of beautiful books this year but I think a standout for me has been The Candle and the Flame  by Nafiza Azad. Honestly, I could just stare at this cover for hours and in person, it just has the most glorious muted metallic shimmer. I cannot even express its beauty!
  13. What Books Do You Need To Read By the End of the Year — Too many to count!!!!!!!!!

That completes my Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag! Play along. Answer in the comments below or on your own blog or channel. Make sure to tag me so I can see your answers. Do we have any of the same answers? Do you agree or disagree with any of mine?

As always, thank you for visiting my blog. I appreciate you all.

Cheers & Happy Reading~

Buzzwordathon Round 4 TBR

~ megs14malloy

Beginning tomorrow, June 12th, I am going to be participating in the 4th round of BooksandLala’s Buzzwordathon. This is a readathon where the host, Kayla, selects a ‘buzzword’ based on trends she is noticing in book titles. Watch her announcement video here for more details:

Buzzwordathon Round 4 Annoucement

The Buzzword for this round is ‘You’ which is definitely showing up in a lot of titles as of late. I actually have three ARCs (advanced readers copy) that I can fit into this. The titles can have ‘you’ in any form, for example, your, you’re, yours, etc. The readathon ends on June 18th.

Without further ado, let’s get into the books I am hoping to get to during the week. If you wish to know more about any of these titles, simply click on the cover below for more information:

Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West — This YA Contemporary was recommended to me by a friend on Goodreads who knew that I liked books that contained mixed media elements such as podcasts, newspaper articles and journal entries. This is a story following a girl who ends up becoming the host of a high school podcast. Kasie West is a beloved YA Contemporary Romance author. I have never read any of her books and looking forward to giving this one a shot. I will be listening to this in audiobook format.

Call It What Your Want by Brigid Kemmerer — This is a YA Contemporary that releases on June 25th. I actually requested a copy of this ARC directly from the publisher, Bloomsbury YA, as Brigid Kemmerer is one of my favorite authors. This story follows two teens, Maegan and Rob, who are both going through a lot when they get paired together for a calculus project. I am sure a friendship or romance of some sort will develop between them as they try to help each other with their problems. Kemmerer’s writing is beautiful and she examines difficult topics with such care. Rob’s father in this is a white collar criminal so I am also interested to see how that plays out.

If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kahn — I received this ARC through a Goodreads giveaway from the publisher, Swoon Reads. I was so happy to hear I would be getting an advanced copy of this but as with life, I didn’t actually get to it before release day. This came out on June 4th so you can pick it up now! This YA Contemporary follows Winnie, a high schooler who works at her Grandmother’s Southern diner. She has big dreams but needs money in order to make them happen. Her solution is to compete in a cooking competition for prize money. This just sounds like a fun summer read and I am really looking forward to picking this one up!

While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt — This chilling psychological thriller follows Zoe Adams, who fresh from America, moves into the McBride house on a remote Scottish island. The house has a mysterious and disturbing past and it doesn’t take long before Zoe begins to suspect something is seriously wrong there. This has the hints of a ‘things that go bump in the night’ kind of story and I am so down for that. I received an ARC copy of this from the publisher, Pegasus Books, but unfortunately, again, did not get to it before its March 8, 2019, release date. I am most excited for the location of this one and am hoping for a super spooky atmospheric tale.

Those are the four I would really like to get to. If in some totally bizarre string of events, I am able to finish all four of these and still have time remaining, I do have a few alternates picked out.

Are you participating in Buzzwordathon? What are you planning to read for it, if you are? Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts? I want to know! Let me know in the comments here or reach out to me through any of my social media links.

Cheers & Happy Reading!

June Releases — My ARCs!!!

~ megs14malloy

Happy June book world!

There are a lot of great releases coming out this month. Whether you are going on vacation or just living your regular day-to-day life, you will certainly have plenty of new books to choose from to pass the hours.

I thought now would be a great time to go over the June ARCs (Advanced Reader’s Copy) that I am planning to get to this month. A sincere thank you to all of the publishers who have provided me with these copies to read and review. I always appreciate the opportunity and have a ton to get to this month!!! If you would like more info on any of these books, just click on the cover photo!

Without further ado, let’s get into it:

Releasing on Tuesday, June 4th, is Your Life Is Mine by Nathan Ripley, We Were Killers Once (Brigid Quinn, #4) by Becky Masterman, Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas, The Chosen by Taran Matharu and Just One Bite by Jack Heath.

 

Of these, I have already completed Your Life Is Mine, which I reviewed yesterday and ended up giving 3-stars. While I didn’t enjoy it as much as Ripley’s 2018 debut, Find You In the Dark, it was still a good read and I am lookingforward to more from him in the future.

I am currently reading Just One Bite, the follow-up to Jack Heath’s Hangman that released in 2018, and Wild and Crooked, which is a stand-alone YA Contemporary. I am really enjoying both of them!

Releasing on Tuesday, June 11th , Storm & Fury (The Harbinger #1), a YA Fantasy, by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Those People, and Adult Domestic Thriller, by Louise Candlish and The First Mistake, another Adult Domestic Thriller, by Sandie Jones which I received unsolicited from the publisher.

Releasing on Tuesday, June 18th, is Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa, the follow up to Shadow of the Fox. I am currently reading this and it is truly giving me life! It’s so good! Also, The Girl in Red by Christin Henry, which I believe is some sort of post-apocalyptic retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. It sounds dark and glorious.

Finally, releasing on Tuesday, June 25th, is Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer. This is a standalone YA Contemporary novel. I am a big fan of Kemmerer so am very excited to have an early copy of this. I am actually planning to read it next week for Buzzword-A-Thon which I will talk about in a later post.

Phew. I am exhausted just looking at all of these but obviously so excited as well! What June releases are you looking most forward to? I would love to know! Comment below or contact me through any of my social media links.

Cheers & Happy Reading~