ARC Review: The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

Title: The Beautiful Author: Renée Ahdieh  Publication Date: October 8, 2019Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young ReadersPages: 448Add to Goodreads In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions,...

Weekly Recap: 9/22 - 9/28

HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG Hi everyone! This week has been pretty relaxed and I'm so happy about it after such a super busy week of dog sitting. I was even able to get a bit of running in and some candles made! I didn't get a ton of reading done because I've been in an audiobook slump. The podcasts are still calling to me! Speaking of podcasts, I got tickets to see Last Podcast on the Left live and I can't wait! I really never go to live shows. Honestly, I'm such a huge introvert that I rarely go out and socialize. I did this weekend though! Yesterday was the monthly meeting of the book club I go to (as often as I can). It's a YA book...

Fraterfest 2019 TBR

Happy spooky season! I have been waiting for this event all year and it's ALMOST HERE! Fraterfest is hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer and it's a creepy read-a-thon that speaks to the horror lover in me! This year I've been attempting to participate in more read-a-thons and actually try my hardest to make a dent in my TBR lists (although I rarely stick to them). For this event I'd love to read three horror books. Instead of making a three book TBR I'm going to pick several (including one reread) so that I have a bit more wiggle room when it comes time to read.         Are you participating in Fraterfest? What's...

Audiobook Review: Lost Girl by Chanda Hahn

Title: Lost Girl Author: Chanda Hahn Publication Date: December 13, 2016Publisher: Chanda HahnPages: 328Add to Goodreads Wendy doesn't remember anything about Neverland—or the experiments done on her there as a child. Seven years later, all she wants is a normal life, but shape-shifting shadows plague her dreams and turn her life into a waking nightmare. When the shadows attack at a football game and a boy disappears right in front of her, she realizes these wraith-like shadows are real. They’re not just haunting—they’re hunting. A mysterious boy named Peter, his foul-mouthed sidekick, and a band of misfit boys intervene before Wendy faces...

ARC Review: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ninth House (Ninth House #1) Author: Leigh Bardugo Publication Date: October 1, 2019Publisher: FlatironPages: 480Add to Goodreads Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride....

Top Ten Tuesday #257: Fall TBR

Today's Topic:  Books On My Fall 2019 TBR Happy Tuesday! Yay, this is my favorite kind of topic! I love putting together a seasonal TBR even though I know for a fact I won't stick to it. This one was actually a bit harder to put together though. Since I was lucky enough to go to ALA over the summer I've already read several of the books that definitely would have made this list otherwise! Here are ten I can't wait to get to!  Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao Deadly Little Scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon Light...

Weekly Recap: 9/15 - 9/21

HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG Hi everyone! This has been a somewhat busy week mostly because I've been dog sitting. I have three more dogs to look out for in addition to my three, although I only have to check on them at their house. It has been a lot but they're such sweet pups! In my dog's neverending health saga, we got an air purifier. The little guy has always had a cough that seems to get worse depending on the season and lately it has been terrible! I ordered the purifier and we'll see what happens. Cross your fingers for us! I didn't do much reading this week because my audiobook game was lacking - I had a bit of a podcast binge...

Book Review: One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Title: One of Us Is Lying (One of Us Is Lying #1)  Author: Karen M. McManus Publication Date: May 30, 2017Publisher: Delacorte PressPages: 361Add to Goodreads The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide. Pay close attention and you might solve this. On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention. Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. Nate, the...

Down the TBR Hole #17

Hi everyone! It's time for another edition of Down the TBR Hole! My list is sadly getting longer and longer so I desperately need to keep this feature going and probably more often. Today I have books I totally forgot about and books I can't figure out how they even got there. Let's see how I do! The Down the TBR Hole meme was started by Lost In a Story and it is the most perfect tool for cleaning off shelves that I've come across. Here's how it works: Go to your goodreads to-read shelf. Order on ascending date added. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books Read the synopses of the books Decide: keep it or...

Audiobook Review: Dreams Come to Life by Adrienne Kress

Title: Dreams Come to Life (Bendy & the Ink Machine #1) Author: Adrienne Kress Publication Date: September 3, 2019Publisher: ScholasticPages: 304Add to Goodreads Seventeen-year-old Buddy has spent most of his life trying to escape the Lower East Side slums of New York City. Working as a delivery boy to support his family, Buddy wants to become an artist, a dream he's sure will never be realized. But that all changes when a delivery job puts him face-to-face with Mister Joey Drew, the eccentric owner of an animation studio. Mister Drew takes Buddy under his wing as an apprentice, thrusting him into a world unlike anything Buddy has ever...

Top Ten Tuesday #256: Eating & drinking while reading

Today's Topic:  Favorite Things to  Eat/Drink While Reading Happy Tuesday! So this is a weird one for me because I straight up do not eat while reading. Like, ever. I'm not sure why this is exactly. I never really thought about it until this week's topic popped up and I started trying to think of what to include. Literally the only thing I EVER consume while reading (aside from water) is one particular flavor of tea by one particular brand. I present to you:  Tiesta Blueberry Wild Child Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. ...