Category: books

books

A Month of Love & Lots of Reading | What I Read in February 2023

mindbeautysimplicity

February was quite the month for love with both Valentines Day & my husband & I’s one year anniversary. If you are new to the blog, we got married at the court house in February & had a larger wedding celebrating with family & friends in May. For more wedding content, be sure to catch up on the wedding series. It has been another cozy month of reading ( although we’ve had a few oddly 75 degree days). It did finally manage to flurry once on our anniversary. I read 10 books this month which is crazy! But I have found audiobooks to be the best way to get a lot of reading in throughout my busy day. Let’s get into the wrap up…

Wheel of Time Series ( Books 1-4) by Robert Jordan

I’m grouping these books together because I’d like to rave about this entire fantasy series as a whole. My husband recommended I start this series since my love for fantasy books have grown since last year. And so far, I am loving them! i have been listening to the audiobook along side the hardback & it’s been such a comfort series. Robert Jordan is one of the classic fantasy writers & I feel proud to say I am reading such a series. The characters banter, the plot & all the little details that will connect in some way later makes the reading experience a wild ride. My goal is to finish the entire series by the end of the year. If you’d like to see a breakdown of my ratings for each book so far, be sure to follow me on Goodreads. But overall, I have a strong feeling this will be a 5 star series. Tropes / themes: found family, slow burn romance, multiple romances, strong lead character, good vs. evil & cozy atmosphere. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Do Over by Lynn Painter

I wanted to include a Valentines Day themed read for this month & The Do Over quickly came to mind. This is the first Lynn Painter book I’ve read & it’s a YA romance with a “ground hogs day / repeating the same day trope. I found this to be pretty enjoyable but I think I personally find this type of trope to be rather redundant. And I honestly found the ending to be kind of lame & predicable. I did enjoy some of the nostalgic references & I feel like I would have enjoyed this as a teenager instead of a 31 year old woman. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Chase by Elle Kennedy

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, of the Off campus series – The Deal, so I thought I would feel the same about this spin off book. But I found this to be a complete disappointment. I found the characters annoying & the overall romance to not be very convincing. I found it mediocre at best. But it was a very quick read & still recommend the Off campus series if you enjoy hockey romances. Rating: ⭐️⭐️

His & Hers by Alice Feeney

I love Alice Feeney’s writing & consider her one of the best within the thriller genre. This is a detective mystery where a reporter & detective both become connected to a murder mystery within their small town. We continue to get the POV’s of both Amy & Jack as well as the past & present timelines of the characters. I was on the edge of my seat & wa caught off guard once again by the twist. I still enjoyed Rock Paper Scissors far more than this one but only because the ending twist was slightly disappointing in my opinion. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Horrid by Katrina Leno

Let me just say, this read would be perfect for the fall season / Halloween simply for the east coast fall setting & holiday being referenced. This was a horror novel that was quite unique. Not as unique as Bunny by Mona Awad, but up there. This novel is far more than a horror story. It discusses a far range of topics & themes which made it a book I still think about. From mental health, grief, strained mother – daughter relationships, mental disorders ( PICA being a major theme), suicidal contingencies – there was so much to compact in a little over 300 pages. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I decided to re-read Daisy Jones & The Six in preparation for the tv adaptation dropping March 3rd on Prime. Last year, this was one of my 5 star reads & that remains the same a year later. I absolutely loved this fictional story about a band’s rise & fall of fame in the 60’s / 70’s. It felt like I was reading about a real band. This time around, I had fun annotating & resonating with so many of the beautiful quotes throughout this story. I laughed, I got angry & I cried. I’m so excited for the show & really hope it lives up to this masterpiece. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Talk about a sad read. I listened to this on audiobook & quite frankly the narrator saved this experience. I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if I just read the book on my own. The themes were so sad & I recommend you check the trigger warnings before reading this missing person / kidnapping thriller. I will say, I read this in one sitting as I was running errands & doing chores & the epilogue broke me into a million pieces. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

let me know in the comments what you read this month 😊📖 I’m always taking recommendations for my endless TBR

-B

books, Collaberations

The Winter Wonderland Book Tag

mindbeautysimplicity

It hasn’t snowed yet where I live which is quite odd. So, my hope is this winter wonderland book tag will entice Mother Nature to bless me with at least one proper snow day before spring approaches. Thank you Her Digital Coffee for the tag & be sure to check out her post as well as her blog! She is one of my favorites.

A Book With a Snow Cover

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney comes to mind which was a 5 star thriller read last year. I love Alice Feeney as a writer & love her writing style, twists & plot. This particular book tells the story about a married couple who is on the brink of divorce & decide to take a surprise secluded anniversary weekend at a deserted chapel in the forest during a snow storm. I feel like this is the perfect suspenseful read for this season & I personally didn’t see the twist coming.

A Cozy Read by the Fireplace

I highly recommend starting a fantasy series this time of year. Not on,h does it have the best form of escapism, but I feel like the winter time allows us to stay indoors more often ( especially during a snow storm) & cozying up by the fire ( in my case – it’s the fireplace screensaver). Here are a few fantasy series I highly recommend for the winter season ( & all year round):

Crescent City | The Wheel of Time | Harry Potter | Throne of Glass

A Book with a Winter Sport

I personally love hockey romances. I read the first book of the off campus series last year, the Deal & found it to be the most entertaining. easily read romance book I’ve ever read. But there are so many hockey romance novels that are on my TBR.

A Book on your 2023 TBR

I recently started The Wheel of Time series ( currently on book 3 of 14) & have a goal to finish the entire series by the end of the year. It’s such a classic fantasy series & I’m so happy I finally decided to give it a go. Check out the rest of my highly anticipated reads for 2023 in this blog post here.

A Book That Was a Big Disappointment

I was hoping Before the Coffee gets Cold was going to be such a cozy little fable to read during this season but I found it to be rather disappointing. Not only was the writing style not my cup of tea, but the stories were rather depressing. I’m def a mood reader so perhaps it wasn’t the right moment to read this book but for now it’s on my list of low rated reads this year. Check out my full rating in my January reading wrap up

My Go To Comfort Book

I’m going to have to shout out A Court of Thorns & Roses series for the thousandth time. I have been itching to re-read this series this year especially after finishing Crescent City. IYKYK. I love the plot, characters, plot, romance & mental health awareness that is discussed throughout the series.

A Book I Want To Read before Springtime

A Flicker in the Dark has been sitting on my bookshelf for a while now & the cover gives off dark winter vibes to me, so I want to be sure to get to it very soon. I’ve heard great things about this debut mystery & I have high hopes this will be a 5 star read.

I’m going to make this easy. If you are a lover of books & want to answer these questions, consider yourself tagged! 😊🫶🏻

– B

books, Uncategorized

Books I’m Excited To Read in 2023

mindbeautysimplicity

My love for reading has grown exponentially since the pandemic – & my younger self would be so happy because I was such a bookworm back in the day. With a new year comes a new reading goal. And I’m striving for 100 books this year! And I have so many books I’m excited to finally read. This past year, it has made me so happy that you – my readers enjoy when I talk about books. Very few in my real life have the level of love for reading as I do – so the fact I found this corner of the internet where I can discuss books to this degree warms my heart. As much as I adore the blogging community, I’ve learned the book community is just as sweet. So thank you for listening & being entertained by my love for books. Today, I wanted to share a few new releases & books that are new to me that I hope to get to this year. I figured it would be fun to look back on this post & see if I actually manage to read them all. Let me know if you are excited to read these yourself or if you’ve read them before.

Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

The sixth installment of the Red Rising saga is releasing this summer. Last year, I fell in love with this sci fi series & my husband & I are both are stoked for this next book. If you are looking for a sci fi series that is epically fast paced, filled with plot twists & such memorable characters – definitely add this series to your TBR. I had no idea I would be so entertained with the sci fi genre as I am with this series & I can’t wait to see how the story continues.

Crescent City Series

I was gifted the first two books to the Crescent City series for Christmas. And although they have been out for some time, this series is new to me. And as an avid Sarah J Maas fan who read both A Court of Thorns & Roses series & Throne of Glass in 2022; I’m so happy to have another one of your series to read. And supposedly, the third book will be coming out sometime this year. So, I definitely want to get caught up.

His & Hers by Alice Feeney

In between my fantasy reads, I love getting lost in a high stakes thriller. And I discovered Alice Feeney after reading Rock Paper Scissors last year which I rated a solid five stars. Her thrillers are so good! I hope to read His & Hers next, which I have on my bookshelves as well as the rest of her back list. Most times, I catch the twist in thrillers. But Alice Feeney’s writing seems to leave me shocked.

Dance of Thieves Duology

My love for the fantasy genre grew this past year & so I’ve been wanting to add a few more series that will scratch the ACOTAR itch. I’ve heard great things about this romantic fantasy series & hope people are steering me in the right direction. Not to mention the covers are beautiful & look so nice on my shelf.

Bunny by Mona Awad

I’ve been told this is the weirdest book ever. And I’ve been holding it off because some people say it’s rather dark & messes with their head. But the curiosity is enticing & I need to know what the hype is all about. It’s one of those contemporary fictions that reminds people of Mean Girls if they are all in a cult. Others also compare it to Heathers mixed with The Secret History. A lot of the story isn’t what you may think & I have a feeling it’s a metaphorical mind fuck that I’m intimidated to be a part of. But I’m striving to read books out of my comfort zone this year & am curious to see my take on the story. *since posting this – I have read this & is the first finished book of the year – mini review coming soon*

Happy Place by Emily Henry

So far, I have mixed feelings on Emily Henry’s books. People We Meet on Vacation was a solid friendships to lovers summer read. And Beach Read was not what I was expecting with it’s grief storyline. And Book Lovers left me bored. But I am still curious what her newest release will be about & if it will be one I end up loving. The premise of a fake dating trope seems interesting enough & so I’m willing to test the waters once again.

The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

After reading a few great fantasy series in 2022, I definitely wanted to find some new books / series that would scratch that itch. This is a vampire fantasy romance & I’ve heard really great things. A lot of people compare this to ACOTAR & Throne of Glass if those series had vampires.

What books are you looking forward to reading this year?

-B