The One Where I Try To Read All The Books…

Hey Bookworms! It’s Saturday morning when I’m writing this post to go up on Sunday. TBH I had no intentions of making this “Official” I kind of always participate on the low ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ™ˆย which is probably because of how high I set the standard for myself & don’t always meet it ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธย This time, I wanted a bit of accountability. These are just the books I’ll be reading during Contemporary-A-Thon, my actual September TBR is dreadful & scares me putting on paper so that’ll just stay in my head ๐Ÿ˜‚ย This readathon is run by some truly fantastic Booktubers I adore to pieces & you should definitely consider checking out:

Julie @PagesandPens

Chelsea @ChelseaDollingReads

Natasha @MyReadingIsOdd

The Challenges:

1. Read a contemporary with orange on the cover
2. Read a dark/spooky contemporary
3. Read a diverse contemporary
4. Read a contemporary in a non-traditional format
5. Read a contemporary that has your initials somewhere on the cover
6. Read a contemporary from a new to you author
7. Read a contemporary that is a 5 star prediction

 

Read a contemporary with orange on the coverย ย What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silveraย Not only is my MOST anticipated Contemporary book of 2018! ๐Ÿ˜ฑย One of my top 3 fave authors co-wrote this book! If you’ve been following my blog for some time now, you probably know how much I LOVE Adam Silvera’s books! They always leave me wrecked yet I keep returning for more tear jerking reads. I also think this will be a 5 star read & it also fits the diverse read category as well.

๐ŸŒŸBonus๐ŸŒŸย One of the MC’s ย is Puerto-Rican & therefore this book aligns with Latinx (I sure did change it to be more inclusive) Heritage Month (9/15/2018-10/15/2018)ย ๐Ÿ–ค

Read a dark/spooky contemporaryย ย Sadie by Courtney Summers which I’ve been trying my hardest not to start before the readathon! this book legit checks off so many of my boxes & appeals to my love of Podcasts. It’s been a while since I discovered Serial & the Adnan Syed case, but my time listening/obsessing over each episode is still fresh in my memory. I’ve had a couple of book blogging buddies tell me there is now a podcast to go along with the book & GAHHH! I’m so ready! I have this book in physical format & then used 1 of my Audible credits for the audiobook after hearing some AMAZING things about the narration.

Read a diverse contemporaryย  The Proposal by Jasmine Guilloryย ย is sort of a companion novel to The Wedding Date (My review) published earlier this year. Carlos, one of the side characters who starred in The Wedding Date had me wishing so hard for a character swap #jussayin ๐Ÿ˜‚ย he was way nicer & just all around chivalrous which is something rare. Carlos also IMO has excellent taste in foods ๐Ÿ˜‰

๐ŸŒŸBonus๐ŸŒŸย Carlos is a Latino Doctor which means this book alsoย book aligns with Latinx (I sure did change it to be more inclusive) Heritage Month (9/15/2018-10/15/2018)

Read a contemporary in a non-traditional formatย ย Blue is The Warmest Color by Julie Marohย is a graphic novel I’ve been meaning to get to since 2017 & never got around to it. I’ve heard it’s best to go into it blind but that it for sure is a tear jerker starring a F/F romance. STOKED to finally have no excuse to not get to this one. I also just found out a movie exists for this story (IMDB)ย ๐Ÿ–ค

Read a contemporary that has your initials somewhere on the cover ย The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reidย & no a longer title I could not find ๐Ÿ˜‚ย truth be told, I’ve been DYING to read this for so long. My initials are simple, ‘LB’ or my unmarried initials ‘LL’ can both be found in this title. I’m possibly even more excited to read this one than What If It’s Us. All great books but this is one I’ve owned for so long with the knowledge it’s going to be a 5 star read & that once I read it I won’t be able to experience it for the first time again…anyone else do this? procrastinate with nooks you know will be your next obsession? ๐Ÿ˜ฉ๐Ÿ˜‚

๐ŸŒŸBonus๐ŸŒŸย ย MC is a Cuban bi-sexual woman which makes this one perfect forย Latinx (I sure did change it to be more inclusive) Heritage Month (9/15/2018-10/15/2018)

Read a contemporary from a new to you author ย Flight or Fight by Samantha Young which I’ll be buddy reading with Melanie from Meltotheany (we’re also BR The Proposal).ย I admittedly don’t know much about this one other than it’s a cute hate to love contemporary everyone has been buzzing about. This will be my first Samantha Young read & I’m hoping to find a new fave authorย ๐Ÿ–ค

Read a contemporary that is a 5 star prediction ย Pride by Ibi Zoboiย is one I’ve been highly anticipating! After reading American Street & the short story written by Ibi Zoboi in the YA anthology Meet Cute, I can’t help but want to read everything this author writes. The fact that it takes place in my home city of Brooklyn & that it’s a Pride & Prejudice REMIX (not a retelling ๐Ÿ˜‚) has me HYPED!

๐ŸŒŸBonus๐ŸŒŸย ย The MC Zuri Benitez is Afro-Latina….we don’t have no where near enough Afro-Latinx MC’s in our books, so happy to be reading this one forย Latinx (I sure did change it to be more inclusive) Heritage Month (9/15/2018-10/15/2018) ๐Ÿ–ค


Contemporary-A-Thon takes place from 9/17-9/23, allย info to participate can also be found in the Booktube channels listed above. If you areย participating in the readathon or just happen to have ready any of the titles I’ll be reading, drop me some luv in the comments down below ๐Ÿ–ค


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Instagram:ย @LairOfBooks

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May Book Haul


I hope everyone had an AMAZING Memorial Day weekend! Whether it was at the grill serving up that BbQ or just chillin with a good book, some wine & or beer ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ I just got back to NY from Massachusetts. The hubby & I took our two penguins on a road trip and had a blast! Mosquitoes for days but after a few twisted teas & a little bug spray all was good.

Now,ya know! my fellow book lovers, that we cannot just simply drive past a Barnes & Noble (or any book store) and not pull over or make a U-turn lol. No, we as book lovers have a sacred duty to visit any & all bookstores we spot while in other states. So that being said, Mass has a HUGE B&N and while there the hubby gifted me The Crown’s Game (The Crown’s Game #1) by Evelyn Skye & The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen #1) by Roshani Chokshi Both of these are YA Fantasy & have had amazing positive reviews, they’re very popular in booktube at the moment. I’m just excited to dive into these two because I’ve been on a Fantasy kick lately. Also, the covers on both of these are STUNNING!

A Court Of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas, I purchased earlier in May right after reading & liking (not loving but seeing potential) in ACOTAR. I have NO regrets, and I’m very happy that I decided to continue with this series. I do think however, that we are In a different ball park with this series in terms of rating or genre. This was def a mature, not a YA read which I enjoyed immensely but I do think that it should (since I’ve heard many express feelings of awkwardness) be put out there as what it is…STEAMY! Lol! My favorite read of 2016 so far, I’m missing my ACOMAF babies ๐Ÿ˜ฆ

Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGuinnis, this was from Bookoutlet & it will be my 1st Mindy McGuiniss book. The Goodreads synopsis for this dystopian world made it sound so interesting. With this opening synopsis line—-“Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water” you know you’re going to get one kick ass protagonist. I’m excited about this one.

The Shock Of The Fall by Nathan Filer, Goodreads has this one as “an extraordinary portrait of one man’s descent into mental illness” I’m glad that the full synopsis is vague, I’ve heard great reviews on this & was immediately intrigued because it deals with mental Illness.

The First Bad Man by Miranda July, for this one Goodreads gives away too much of the quirk that this book seems like it will deliver. So, I’ll give the last bit of the synopsis—

“Tender, gripping, slyly hilarious, infused with raging sexual fantasies and fierce maternal love, Miranda July’s first novel confirms her as a spectacularly original, iconic and important voice today, and a writer for all time. The First Bad Man is dazzling, disorienting, and unforgettable”

I picked this one up on Bookoutlet as well after reading the entire Goodreads synopsis, I can honestly say this sounds like a unique read & I’m hoping it’s full of quirkiness.

I’ve always been a mood reader so this may be why I lean towards books filled with humor in the Summer. In prepping for my summer reading, I’ve noticed myself picking up books that although they are meaty in plot, the characters themselves offer up humor or quirkiness. I ordered Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman yesterday which is why I didn’t include it in my May Haul. I am really looking forward to this one because its about a curmudgeon elderly woman in a town filled with people and children who she can’t stand. It seems like Britt lives a rigid life but sometimes the universe has other plans for us (at least that’s the vibe that I got on Goodreads). Ultimately, it’s a story of second chances and these types are my favorite Fiction to read ๐Ÿ˜‰