what i read – Mind Beauty Simplicity

April was yet another busy month – but I still managed to read quite a few books in an array of genres. Thank you, audiobooks for making multitasking so much easier. I’ve been continuing my fantasy era with an ongoing series as well as a new author who will be an automatic buy. I also dipped my toes into more romance which seems to be a trend once the weather gets warmer. From small towns to bull riding hunks, I’ve gained an appreciation of the fluff reads & will be adding more for my summer vacations these months. I did decide to break my book buying ban [ treat yo self ] so instead of reading what I already own, I am looking at those new additions with heart eyes. Luckily, I also discovered you can read a selection of books for free if you have Amazon prime. So, my wallet will thank me for that. I am just a sucker for a physical book & adding them to my home library collection like trophies. With that being said, I am challenging myself to read more of the books I already own in May & see if I will stick to my TBR this time. Fingers crossed – because I’ve already been eying Emily Henry’s new release – Happy Place [ even though it’s hardback].

Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan – Books 7 & 8

As I’m writing this, I’m little over half way through book 9 but I doubt I’ll finish it in time to include here. This was where I hit a wall with the series for a bit [ as many people tend to say]. Book 7 was pretty good with only a few slow parts here and there. Book 8 on the other hand, is my least favorite of the series. It was very slow & if it weren’t for the fact I’m listening to the audiobook along side the physical copy, I’d probably be still drugging through it. I’m reluctantly making my way through the series with only 5 1/2 more books to go. I’ve been enjoying being in this world & the characters, so I’ll definitely miss it when I’m through. It will also be quite the accomplishment.

Things We Never Got Over – Lucy Score

I’m happy to say this was a five star read! It’s so hard for me to rate a romance book sometimes because chances are I find them to be rather cheesy & cringe. The world of Knockemount, the characters & the trope of this book was everything to me. I also enjoyed the mystery / suspenseful subplot with Naomi’s twin sister. The grumpy sunshine / strangers to neighbors / fake dating trope was so entertaining. And I just love Naomi & Knox. I can’t wait to read Things We Hide From The Light [ Nash’s story] this summer. Lucy Score has become an automatic buy.

The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

I wasn’t planning on reading this book until late summer / early fall but I kid you not – EVERYONE has been talking about this author & book & I just had to be in the know. A lot of it had to do with the release of the second book this month [ which, yes I did buy because I have zero self control ]. I’m so glad I read this because once again we have another high rated book. I did give this one 4.5 stars only because the ending was slightly disappointing. But it’s a STRONG 4.5. I ate this book up within the span of 2 days. I annotated the crap out of it because CB’s writing is immaculate. If you are on unaware, Serpent & The Wings of Night is about a human girl who is taken by the vampire king & is basically raised within the vampire kingdom. 23 years later, she is to compete in what I like to call, vampire hunger games. And through these trials, she meets the morally grey vampire, Raihn. I highly recommend you check out this duology as well as the novellas [ which are optional].

The Inmate by Frieda McFadden

It has been a minute since I’ve read a thriller in one sitting & the Inmate did just that. I really enjoyed her book, The Housemaid when I read that a few months ago. And I knew I wanted to read more books from her. I discovered this along with a few other of her books in the Amazon prime free reading section. This is about a nurse practitioner who gets a job working at a prison, the same prison her ex boyfriend is incarcerated. Very fast paced & didn’t see the ending coming. And the epilogue made me question everything.

Flawless by Elsie Silver

Everyone has been in their cowboy romance era lately & raving about this series. If you are a fan of the tv show, Yellowstone, this is pretty similar. I will say, this genre of book is rarely my cup of tea. It was a very fluff read with a lot of spice but those scenes felt a bit cringe in my opinion. So, I only gave this a 3.75 stars because I want to see what the rest of the series is about. I’ve heard the second book, Heartless is the best one. I think for me, it all depends on the trope. And Flawless was a forced proximity / body guard [ her] / grumpy sunshine.

May TBR

Now onto the books I hope to get to in the month of May. And perhaps, I can look back on this post & see if I kept to my word.

Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan Books 9 & 10

I know for a fact I’ll finish book 9 but book 10 is a rather thick one so we will see. I’m just determined to finish this entire series by the end of the year.

The Ashes & The Star- Cursed King – Carissa Broadbent

Obviously I had to continue this duology especially because the first book fell on a cliff hanger. I just love a morally grey man with wings, what can I say?

Things We Hide From the Light – Lucy Score

I love adding a romance novel into the mix & I need to read more about the town of Knockemount & Nash’s story.

Magnolia Parks – Jessa Hastings

I really want to find another romance series I can fall in love with & so of course I’m going with the most toxic relationship trope. I’ve heard this series talked about all over the internet. People either hate it or love it. When I heard it was like Gossip Girl but with rich British socialites, I knew I had to see what the hype was about.

Hooked by Emily McIntire

I’ve been wanting to get more into dark romance & this Captain Hook retelling seemed right up my ally. I love Disney movies & the fact it’s that plus a bit of smut – sign me up.

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead

This dark academia thriller has been on my shelves since last fall & it’s just about time I finally read it. I felt like this would be a good beach read I can knock out within a weekend. And I’m a sucker for a fast paced thriller.

Happy Place by Emily Henry

I really don’t want to purchase the hardcover of this book. But I feel really left out not reading it when everyone else seems to be. Perhaps I’ll download this on my Kindle. This book just screams summer time!!

I may or may not get to all of these I’ve mentioned. And I most likely will trail off this list because I’m quite the mood reader. But as it gets closer to summer, I find more & more time to read & I am just so motivated to get a lot of reading in.

-B

books, Uncategorized

What I Read in March | Reading Wrap Up

March 31, 2023March 31, 2023 mindbeautysimplicity

I managed to read 7 books this month which is great considering I was in a slight reading slump. Of course, I have been prioritizing the Wheel of Time Series but I still managed to read a lot of books that were on my physical TBR. I have been encouraging myself not to buy anymore new books until the summer time. I’d say, as a whole it was a solid reading month. But I will admit a few of these books ended up to be slight let downs. Let’s get into the wrap up…

The Fires of Heaven [ Book 5 of WOT] – Robert Jordan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I don’t know if it’s because these books are very long & I’m reading this series back to back – but I’ll admit I was rather slow getting into this one. Once I got to the 100 page mark, I fell in love with this continuation. I would describe this series as a comfort fantasy read. If you are interested in diving into this 14 book series, just know it’s a slow burn & a long journey. But I have throughly enjoyed becoming deeply immersed in a fantasy world & every single one of the characters. The banter between each character is one of my favorite parts of this series. I feel so connected to these fictional characters. And without giving too much away, this book ended with a rather sad & shocking ending.

Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5

Believe the hype around this book. I had no idea I would fall in love with a book about video games. This book tells the story about two childhood friends who form a friendship inside the walls of a hospital common room, bonding over one common entity – video games. Flash forward years later & each chapter follows the life of these two MIT students who have decided to create video games together along side a few other colleagues/ friends. This is a beautiful fond family story about the rise & falls of friendship, adulthood, disabilities & love. The NPC chapter especially was an emotional rollercoaster I was not expecting.

A Flicker in the Dark – Stacey Willingham ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow! This is probably going to be one of my favorite thriller reads of the year. With this being Willingham’s debut novel, I was very impressed & entertained. Such an interesting concept of a 32 year old psychologist who has a rather unique & dark past ( a serial killer father) that seems to be rearing it’s head 20 years later. There were so many twist & turns as well as multiple subplots between characters. I can’t wait to read her most recent release soon.

Twisted Love – Ana Huang ⭐️⭐️.5

This series has been extremely hyped up on Booktok, so I decided to finally see for myself. This is when the reading slump started because this book was a huge disappointment. Now, I was looking for a palette cleanser of a read & one that was an easy read with some spice. I’ve been told books 2-4 are way better, but I am slightly hesitant to continue after the first book. This is a brother’s best friend trope. But the storyline was all over the place in my opinion. And I just couldn’t connect to the characters or the relationship. Not to mention the love interest, Alex was an extreme walking red flag 🚩.

The Atlas Six – Olivie Blake ⭐️⭐️

I wanted to love this book so badly! Talk about a surprise & utter disappointment. This dark academia follows six prestige students with their own magical talents. They are all recruited to compete for a spot at the academy. But only five spots are available. The premise of this book was so promising. Unfortunately I found myself hating the characters & finding the writing so flowery to the point where I didn’t understand what I was going on. The author seemed to be adding descriptions & big words just to sound smarter. I did manage to finish the book, but the ending fell flat & the plot twist wasn’t too ground breaking. I don’t think I will be reading the sequel in the future.

The Bodyguard – Katherine Center ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have just recently seen this book float around the internet & decided to give it a try. This is a cute fake dating rom com with no spice but tons of humor. This follows Hannah, a bodyguard who is offered a job to protect the actor, Jack Stapleton who is being stalked & dealing with personal issues. Since he doesn’t want to worry his family & admit he has a bodyguard, so he & Hannah decide to be in a fake relationship while they spend time at Jack’s family ranch.

Legends & Lattes – Travis Baldree ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5

This was a really cozy fantasy palette cleanser. If you love the idea of light fantasy with zero high stakes plot, coffee & cozy feelings – I highly recommend this one. It tells the story of a ogre who has retired from battle & mayhem to open up a coffee shop in this little village. It’s a bit of a fluff read with fun characters she meets a long the way & the ups & downs of starting a business. I wouldn’t say it was the most amazing read ever. But I did have me chuckling some & the atmosphere was super sweet.

Have you read any of these books yet? And let me know what you managed to read in March…

-B

books

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

March 1, 2023March 1, 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: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tag: what i read

6 Books I Read in April | & What I Want To Read Next…