Bookish – LairOfBooks

March Owlcrate & Book of the Month Unboxing

March proved to be a bit of a slumpy month for me in so many areas…books, blogging, putting away the laundry, etc. etc…One thing I managed to muster up some enthusiasm over however, were my BOTM & Owlcrate boxes. Super excited to have received Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller, I was lucky enough to snag a arc copy a few months back & absolutely loved this swashbuckly story of what I’ve come to refer to as the female Jack Sparrow HAHA! As for Book of the Month, I was actually considering skipping March since I could NOT decide if any of the books appealed to me. After coincidentally watching three Booktube videos for BOTM, I was convinced by one book & I’m so happy I opted to go with this one because it has so many elements I’ve come to love in Fiction (Magical Realism) & it’s a diverse/own voices read. So w/out further ado…

**Follow my gram @Lair_Of_Books for more snaps 😉**

This month’s theme is Sailors, Ships & Seas, in the box are the following items:

⚓️ Hardcover copy of Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller (My 5 Star review here)

⚓️ temporary skull tattoo (won’t wear but saving for the Gram)

⚓️ roll of Simply Gilded Mermaid Washi Tape (maybe in planner?)

⚓️ Kitch Studios Tea Towel (saving for the Gram)

⚓️ Boy Girl Party Notepad (cute as hell, using RIGHT AWAY!)

⚓️ necklace & pendant from The Geeky Cauldron Compass Pendant Necklace (already wore this out & got 1 compliment YAY!)

⚓️ exclusive Owlcrate Pirate pin (not picture here, already in my 6 yr olds possession)

My Rating: ★★★★ (4 STARS)

Goodreads Blurb

In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through.

Exit West follows these characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other, to their past, to the very sense of who they are. Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, it tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time.

*I haven’t gotten around to reading Exit West just yet due to a back log of arcs I’m working my way through at the present moment. However, if any of you have a non-spoilery review or just thoughts then I’d ❤ to hear them 😉

What are your thoughts on the March Owlcrate box? Have any of my bookish peeps read Daughter of the Pirate King? For my fellow BOTM subscribers, what were your selections for March? also, if you subscribe to any other boxes & have done a unboxing, drop your link down below 😉

November Wrap-Up and Haul

Let’s be honest…November wasn’t the best of months for many & we’re all wishing for a much better 2017, well I know I am lol. November marks the beginning of my favorite time of year because of Thanksgiving. I have many beautiful memories tied to this holiday and i’m making new ones for my two tiny humans. This month was filled with family time and I managed to surprise myself with my reading because I really didn’t think I would get much done at all. Favorite read of the month goes to Heartless, it was just what I needed at the time and I was so glad to have buddy read it with Gretchen @Chicnerdreads. Every month I squeeze in a audiobook & it’s always a treat when I go with Gaiman, The Graveyard Book did NOT disappoint. Fractured was a fast paced page turner that hooked me in til the very last page. Crooked Kingdom was a bittersweet conclusion to what has now become my favorite duology *fingers crossed for more Dregs*

Heartless by Marissa Meyer ★★★★★ (5 Stars)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman ★★★★ (4 Stars)

Crooked Kingdom (Six Of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo ★★★★ (3.75)

Fractured by Catherine McKenzie ★★★★ (3.75)

I seriously thought I had purchased way more than I actually did this month and for this I am very thankful LOL! Besides digging myself out of my ARC hole, I have also taken advantage of some e-book deals this month. I love adding to my physical library but for now, i’m scaling back just a smidge. In my haul I include my Owlcrate subscription (ongoing Valentines Day gift from hubby), Book of The Month subscription, physical books, e-books, and the random books/bookish items my hubby gifts me from time to time. So, Let’s get on with it…

Heartless was the November Owlcrate selection & The Trespasser by Tana French was the book I selected for my Book Of The Month subscription. I ordered Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them the same night I watched the movie cuz it was THAT good! hehe. The Sun Is Also A Star will be my 1st Yoon even though I own Everything Everything, I was hooked once I read the synopsis for The Sun Is Also A Star so I hope that it’s as good as what I hear its predecessor was.

Gifts from Lé hubby: Potter, Beasts & Blanket ❤

Kindle Deals I couldn’t resist for $1.99 or less, Blood Lust by Jill Cooper was a free book I found thanks to the lovely Liz at CoverToCover who featured a Sci-Fi & Fantasy Mega Promo on her blog mid November💕

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them was Fan-Frikkin-Tastic!!! Hubby and I felt a wave of nostalgia hit us as soon as we heard the Harry Potter theme music intro. As a matter of fact he turned to me & said “BABE! I’ve missed that intro” 😂😂😂 we completely fangirled/boyed out Lol. The actors were all pretty great but as many will probably agree, The Niffler stole the show haha. Also, major brownie points for taking place in the 20’s, my fave time period in history (Real & Fantasy) I’m looking forward to the upcoming movies in this new installment to a beloved world 💕

SoOo I am currently OBSESSED with This Is Us…it’s intense what I feel for this show lol. I recently watched the first 9 episodes on Hulu and every single one…hit me in the feels! all of them! every single time! This show has it all and then some, I don’t think there’s anything to compare to this show on tv at the moment. I’ve heard it be compared to The Parenthood but I never watched that show so I wouldn’t be able to confirm this to be true. The acting…The writing…I really can’t even describe how amazing of a show this truly is. Told in present day & flashbacks this show weaves the lives of this family together in a most seamless way. I love it & will sit back and wait for the Emmy announcements to start rolling in LOL 😉

Hope you all had a good November filled with good food and great reads! Although November was a bit rough, i’m hoping for a better December. What were some of your EPIC reads for November? watch anything new on Netflix/Hulu?

New York Comic Con/Bookcon 2016 Haul

Last weekend I attended my very first Comic Con which also happened to be hosting Bookcon for their very first time. The experience is one that i’ll never forget because of how much fun I had as well as the tips & tricks I picked up along the way. As a book blogger, Bookcon was definitely a motivator in buying my tickets since let’s face it, getting physical ARCS is no easy feat for small time bloggers like myself LOL. My hubby & I purchased the 3 day passes with hopes that all would fall into place as far as sitting for our 2 tiny humans and it did *Whoop Whoop* well on day 3 we didn’t have sitting but hubby gracefully bowed out while I attended with Gretchen @Chicnerdreads who was already set to go for the day.

Day 1 was a bit on the overwhelming side since we didn’t really know what to expect tbh. It was a huge crowd & I’ve never seen so many people come together for one event but i’m glad that it was this one. Everyone for the most part was friendly which is also rare cuz hellO! it’s New York jeje! as expected we spotted tons of Jokers & Harleys, seemed to be the popular costume choice of the year. Most of the entertainment panels I was interested in, took place in the evening which meant that I missed them. I arrived at opening and left each day between 2-4pm therefore I made the showroom floor my main focus with some occasional wanderings into artist alley. Bookcon itself was held in the building across the street from the Javits Center but it mostly was for the author panels. At the end of each panel, each author would be giving away an ARC of their new book. Most ARC giveaways were held in the Javits center on the showroom floor.

Days 2 & 3 were much more successful & is when we scored most of our ARCS. Day 3 (Sunday) being the MOST EPIC because all of the publishing houses were having crazy sales & giveaways since it was the last day of Comic Con. Below is my very 1st Bookcon Haul…

Books I purchased at reduced price:

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Release Date: 10/25/2016
Urban Fantasy/Horror

The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

New paperback edition on sale now (The Rose & The Dagger will follow April 2017)
YA Fantasy-Fairy Tales

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

October 4th 2016
YA Mystery/Contemporary/LGBTQ

Replica by Lauren Oliver

October 4th 2016
YA Sci-Fi

The Female of The Species by Mindy McGinnis

September 20th 2016
YA/Contemporary/Mystery/Thriller

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

August 30th 2016
Fantasy/Middle Grade

YA ARCS:

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

November 1st 2016
YA/Sci-Fi/Dystopia

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

November 8th 2016
YA Fantasy/Re-telling

RoseBlood by A.G. Howard

January 10th 2017
YA Fantasy/Re-telling

The Edge Of Everything by Jeff Giles

YA Fantasy

Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1) by Vic James (author signed)

YA Fantasy

The Valiant by Lesley Livingston THANK YOU GRETCHEN @CHICNERDREADS!!! she gave me her copy cuz she knew how badly I wanted this ARC & missed it 2 days in a row *covers eyes*

February 14th 2017
YA Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

March 28th 2017
YA Historical Fantasy

The Freemason’s Daughter by Shelley Sackier

April 11th 2017
YA Historical Fiction

Non-YA ARCS (hehe)

The Hidden People by Alison Littlewood

October 6th 2016
Historical Fiction/Horror/Mystery

Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

January 10th 2017
Thriller/Mystery/Suspense

The Bear And The Nightingale by Katherine Arden (signed by author)

January 17th 2017
Historical Fiction/Fantasy

All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai

February 7th 2017
Sci-Fi Fantasy/Time Travel

Published books obtained through Signings/in booth giveaways

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1) by N.K. Jemisin (signed by author)

August 4th 2015
Sci-Fi Fantasy

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

October 11th 2016
YA Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Vassa In The Night by Sarah Porter (signed by author)

September 20th 2016
YA Fantasy/Re-telling

Comics Purchased

Lazarus (Volume 1) Greg Rucka, Michael Lark (Artist), Santiago Arcas (Illustrartor) (gift from hubby)

Black #1 by Kwanza Osajyefo, Tim Smith III (illustrator), Jamal Igle (Illustrator), Robin Riggs (Illustrator), Sarah Stern (Illustrator), Khary Randolph (Illustrator), Dave Sharpe (Illustrator), Sarah Litt (Editor) (signed by Tim Smith)

Bookish Freebies

Penguin Journal, Carve The Mark phone charger (universal), and the Heartless tee given away by Fierce Reads as a cover for the real score LOL (Heartless ARC)

I don’t even know where to start but I am beginning to form some sort of TBR for the rest of the year leading into 2017 🙂

Waiting On Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at @Breaking The Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

The Reader (Sea of Ink and Gold #1)

Author: Traci Chee
Book: Hardcover, 448 pages
Expected Publication: September 13th 2016
Publisher: Putnam

Amazon Synopsis (I usually go with Goodreads however; GR was missing the very enticing last line):

Sefia knows what it means to survive. After her father is brutally murdered, she flees into the wilderness with her aunt Nin, who teaches her to hunt, track, and steal. But when Nin is kidnapped, leaving Sefia completely alone, none of her survival skills can help her discover where Nin’s been taken, or if she’s even alive. The only clue to both her aunt’s disappearance and her father’s murder is the odd rectangular object her father left behind, an object she comes to realize is a book—a marvelous item unheard of in her otherwise illiterate society. With the help of this book, and the aid of a mysterious stranger with dark secrets of his own, Sefia sets out to rescue her aunt and find out what really happened the day her father was killed—and punish the people responsible. With overlapping stories of swashbuckling pirates and merciless assassins, The Reader is a brilliantly told adventure from an extraordinary new talent.

Things undeniably alluring about this book:

· That coverrrrrr yooOO!!!!!!!!!!! Such stunning colors which will probably only make the gold lettering Pop! Smh don’t mind me, this book is speaking to the bookstagrammer in me

· The Title! perfect for this book (read Amazon Synopsis) & who doesn’t luv reading about a fellow fictional bookworm? Eh?

· A mystery to solve! & the only clue left behind is a BOOK! In a society where everyone is illiterate–there are NO BOOKS! *Gasps*

· Our female protagonist! I am actively looking for diverse reads whether it is Fiction or Fantasy, because there just isn’t enough. I don’t know the female protagonist’s ethnicity but it definitely adds to my reason for wanting to read this book

· Last but not least! The promise of assassins & pirates! Need I say more? 😉