Tag: Alice Feeney

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

Uncategorized

My 10 Favorite Books & Series of 2022

mindbeautysimplicity

I read over 50 books this year & while a few were on the level of forgettable & underwhelming – others were god damn masterpieces. So, today I wanted to share with you the stand alone books & book series that I absolutely fell in love with this past year. And I highly recommend you check them out & add them to your TBR if you haven’t already. In 2022, my love for reading grew tremendously. I’ve always been a avid reader; even as a little girl, reading picture books in her crib [ while ripping out each page as I went along LOL]. But as technology advanced & life became busier, I found myself not finding time to read anymore. But this past year, I prioritized the hobby & swapped my screen time for reading books more often. I made the habit of choosing reading over other things & I’m so glad I did. Intentionally, I found the hobby to be very peaceful & relaxing & helped me escape from life’s obstacles. It’s my favorite form of self care.

*the links included in this post are not affiliated

With that being said, I hope this blog post inspires you to pick up a book & possibly discover your long lost love for reading. Here are the books & book series that stood out & that I would recommend over & over again…

pin it for later

A Court of Thorns & Roses Series by Sarah J Maas

I decided to pick up the first book of this series in May to have something to read on the airplane coming home from my wedding weekend. I didn’t know how much I would love this book, let alone the entire series because I wasn’t a fan of the fantasy genre before. But I managed to read the other four books of the series & it is hands down one of my favorites. If you are looking for a fantasy series with romance, spice, action & a page turning plot, definitely check this series out. And if you’ve read it already, please message me on Twitter so we can rave about how amazing it is! Out of the entire series my two all time favorites are A Court of Mist & Fury as well as A Court of Silver Flames [ huge Nesta fan over here] because I seemed to really connect to these specific stories and characters on a relatable & emotional standpoint. I can’t wait for the 6th installment to come out in the future. Sarah J. Maas has became an author I absolutely love & if she writes it, I will read it!

Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown

My husband recommended this sci-fi series to me over the summer & I was very apprehensive because I NEVER read sci-fi before. But I was pleasantly surprised by this entire saga & highly recommend it because Pierce Brown’s writing is immaculate. If you are looking for a fast paced sci-fi action series that’s a mix of Star Wars, Hunger Games & Lord of the Flies, this series would be right up your ally. I’ve never read a book series where I was shocked by the twists & turns. The character development in this series is amazing & each character is unique in their own way. They need to make this a tv show in the near future. My all time favorites of the series are Golden Son, Morning Star & Dark Age. And I can’t wait until the newest release, Lightbringer, this summer.

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

This stand alone thriller was a five star read & immediately placed Alice Feeney as an automatic buy as an author. I can’t wait to read more of her books in 2023 because her plot twists blow my mind. Rarely does a thriller surprise me like this book did. It’s a husband vs. wife redemption trope set in a secluded chapel Air B&B in a blizzard. A great choice for this winter!

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

I read this book during Halloween time & I found it to be the perfect ghost story / haunted house trope with a twist. At some points, I found myself so creeped out by the eery descriptions & overall plot. It slightly reminds me of the classic movie, Amittyville Horror. Basically, it’s about the relationship between a daughter & a father. The father writes a book about their experience in this home they lived in for a few weeks. When her father dies, she realizes the father never sold the house & so she returns to find out the truth & whether his book is real or fiction.

Home Before Dark Mini Review: My October Reading Wrap Up

Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

Another fantasy series I highly recommend would be the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. I’m so proud of myself for reading the entire eight book series in this past year. And SJM has became one of my all time favorite authors. I can’t decide if I love this series more than ACOTAR. But if you are looking for a slightly more YA very plot driven fantasy series with hints of romance subplots, I suggest you read it this year. SJM’s writing is phenomenal & I love how she immerses her readers into these worlds & the characters. The plot of this book is a masterpiece. The way she foreshadows throughout the series & the character development made me lost for words at times. Although the final book was nearly 1,000 pages, I didn’t want it to end & I could have read another 1,000 pages. I may have cried a few times as well. LOL My all time favorites from the series are Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms & Kingdom of Ash. I’d say, it’s a rather slow burn of a series so if you have read the first book & aren’t that interested – keep going & read to at least Heir of Fire before you make your final decision.

Side note: the reading order of this series is controversial. Some people read the prequel: Assassin’s Blade first, last or in between. I decided to read them in the romanic order which goes as followed:

Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Assassins Blade, Heir of Fire, Empire of Storms / Tower of Dawn [ tandem read] & Kingdom of Ash

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I read a few of TJR’s books this past year & loved them all – but The Seven Husband’s of Evelyn Hugo stood out to me. I love historical fiction especially old Hollywood tropes such as this one. The plot twist was amazing & the story kept me on my toes & entertained until the very end. This was a highly anticipated read as well since I saw it all over Booktok & it was definitely worth the hype.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I was really surprised I would love this book because the interview style to it made me hesitant. But when I tell you I thought I was reading about an ACTUAL band from the 60’s & 70’s – if felt THAT real. A lot of people recommend listening to the audiobook [ which I didn’t do ] so you can become immersed in the characters & the music even more. I can’t wait for the tv show / movie adaptation coming to Prime video in March.

Daisy Jones & The Six mini review : May Monthly Reading Wrap Up

Beach Read by Emily Henry

I was kind of surprised I would be including this in my top tier reads list. The reason this book connected with me so hard was the talks & quotes about grief. I found myself tabbing & highlighting specific quotes that resonated with me & helped me through the grieving process oddly enough. The actual romantic storyline was subpar in all honesty – but the discuss of such a emotional topic & traumatic event – really helped me have a healthy perspective over loss.

The Ravenhood Series by Kate Stewart

Over the summer, I read the first two books of The Ravenhood series & at first – I didn’t know what to make of these books. I saw them all over the internet with the ever so famous rainy day quote. But after much deliberation, I consider it to be in my top reads for the year because of how emotionally attached I got to the characters & storyline. Especially the second book, Exodus – I never annotated a book so much! I hope to finish out the series this year with Finish Line. I would consider this to be a spicy romance with a “secret society / mafia” trope. If you like morally grey characters & fast cars, & a love triangle, I highly recommend this series.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

This is a greek mythology retelling of before & after the Trojan War as well as a love story between Patroclus & Achilles. I didn’t realize how much I would love this story. I new it was such a popular read according to those on Booktok. If you are looking for an emotional rollercoaster & one that will possibly make you tear up, definitely pick this one up if you haven’t already. But I’m not responsible if you suffer extreme heartbreak.

These books I’ve mentioned fall under my five star reads this year. I’m definitely a book series type of gal & end up grouping a series together as one. Although there are always a few that are more favorites than others within said series. I can’t wait to read even more books in 2023. My reading goal is 100 books by the end of the year. Be sure to follow me on Goodreads to follow along with my progress.

In the comments, let me know some of your favorite reads of the year.

-B

bookstagram | twitter | pinterest

books, Uncategorized

Reading WrapUp: What I Read in September

mindbeautysimplicity

I started the month in a bit of a reading slump & was jumping from book to book – which I rarely do. I don’t know what it was exactly. I think I can be such a mood reader at times, where I just have to get a taste of a few books before really getting into one. Luckily, there were still a few that really stood out & I was able to read more than I was projecting.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I finally started the TOG series this month & I’m so glad to be reading something else by SJM. This series is rather intimedating to start because the discussion of the reading order can be very confusing. After much deliberation, I decided to start with Throne of Glass instead of starting with the prequel / novella – Assassin’s Blade [ which we will get into later ]. Overall, I think it was a good start into this nine book series. I can already tell I’m going to love the main character, Caleana. The only thing I didn’t care for was how the main character was portrayed. In this story, you are told about how she overcomes being a slave for a few years. She is depicted as rather weak & pitiful [ especially in the beginning ]. But I feel like as the character development progress & the story thickens, I will be so sucked into this story.

Exodus by Kate Stewart

Last month, I read the first book of the Ravenhood series – Flock & found it to be confusing & cryptic. It gives off Fifty Shades of Grey but with more guys & fast cars. The saving grace was the amount of romance & spice which was still evident in the second installment. It took me some time to really get into this book for whatever reason. I think I’ve been so engrossed with fantasy, that I just found this smutty romance to fall flat. It honestly took me until 200 pages in – to be interested. And although, I can finally say I understand the infamous quote, “we love rainy days, don’t we baby?” – it just left me sad. I doubt I will read the final book of this series because overall, I found the plot to be downright ridiculous. I feel like the only reason why people rave about this series is for the smut. This was a big example of, “ booktok made me read it.”

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

If you’ve been catching up with my reading wrap ups for a few months now, you know the Red Rising series has put me in a choke hold. I absolutely love this series & decided to jump into the next installment after the trilogy. Iron Gold takes place 10 years later as Darrow continues to lead the Solar Republic. Without giving too much away, I’d say I really enjoyed the multiple POV’s throughout this book. The first three books took the point of view of just Darrow & having multiple characters and storylines come together really kept me on my toes. I feel like I’m watching a movie when reading these books & highly recommend them to everyone if you are wanting a page turner with tons of twists and turns.

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

I was craving another thriller as we are getting closer to spooky season & I highly recommend with one as I give it a solid 5 stars! It takes a lot for me to give a thriller five stars because I tend to pick up on the twists early. But the way Feeney ends each chapter in a cliff hanger, I was hooked the entire time. Whenever I thought I was figuring out the twist, I kept getting stumped. I definitely want to check out more books by Alice Feeney including her newest release, Daisy Darker.

Assassins Blade by Sarah J. Maas

I don’t usually include books I don’t finish – but I got half way through this novella & decided to pick up on it later. If you are unfamiliar with the Throne of Glass series, Assassins Blade is a prequel of short stories about the main character Caleana. Although this information is good to know at some point, I felt like after reading Throne of Glass – I’d much rather continue with the main story [ or at least Crown of Midnight ]. I even read from some people on Reddit, that they didn’t even read this novella at all. So, since it was putting me in a reading slump, I decided to put it to the side & return to it later. It’s always a good reminder that DNFing a book is normal & sometimes we have to listen to our mood. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, so if you aren’t feeling a book, you are more than welcome to put it down.

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

I decided to close the month out by listening to Hopeless on audiobook. So, far I’ve read six CoHo books & am striving to get through most of them. This one is about a teenager named Sky who lives a rather secluded lifestyle away from technology & has been homeschooled her entire life. She also has a best friend named Six who teaches her the perks of lust vs. love. It’s her senior year, & she really wants to experience public school. She meets a guy named Dean Holder who has a rather mysterious past. This book went from a cringy insta love trope to very dark & sad. My one pet peeve with CoHo books is how over the top the plots can be. And overall, this is another depressing read from her. This is the first book of the Hopeless series. ( Hopeless, Finding Hope, Finding Cinderella, All Your Perfects & Finding Perfect).

In October, I plan to read quite a few thrillers & possibly more of the Throne of Glass series as well as the latest book from the Red Rising series. Let me know in the comments what you are looking forward to read this season. I’m always looking for more to add to my endless TBR.

-B