So, I figured out the Goodreads snafu that I mentioned last week, apparently a good portion of my read books are finding their way to the very bottom of the list even though I just marked them as read. I suppose I can be okay with that, since they’re still there and the challenge definitely has the right number. It’s weird though, and admittedly makes this weekly update thing a bit annoying since I regularly forget what I’ve read in the early parts of the week. Ah well!

Time for updates!

You guys, we’re already more than halfway through the month (😱) and therefore halfway through the Monthly Readalong! If you’re new to this blog and you’re not sure what I’m talking about, I’m hosting a readalong for A Court of Thorns and Roses where we all read the book together and I feature any reviews written by you guys if you read along with me (just let me know in the comments of any Readalong post so I don’t miss you!) here on my blog. Anyone reading along should be just halfway finished with the book right now if they’re following the timeline, but this is by no means a requirement. I’m not even fully following the timeline, haha. It’s just up there for anyone who might find it helpful. At the end of the day, so long as you finish the book before the month is up, you’re good!

Of course, don’t forget I will be hosting a giveaway where one lucky winner will receive a paperback copy of the book. The giveaway wont begin until the month is up and everyone has gotten a chance to read the book along with me and write a review (since writing a review will get you an extra entry!) U.S. only, unfortunately, unless there is some way for shipping costs to be circumvented for you. International readers can still enter, of course, but you might only be recieving Kindle/Nook/iBook copies. For more updates updates and links to previous posts regarding the Readalong, please visit the Read With Me! page at the top of my blog.

Books I’ve read:

I finished six books this week, which is a bit crazy considering that I haven’t read like this since I was in high school and clearly had a lot more time on my hands. I think the missing pressure of socializing that’s come about in the most recent year has allowed me a lot more time to myself and therefore a lot more time to do things I enjoy. It’s one more than last week, I wonder if I can keep the streak going? 😋

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson is a book I’ve meant to read for years now but simply never got around to. I know I added it to my list shortly after the movie came out, but I was never all that invested in the movie to the point that I felt a strong need to read the book. And the book itself was simply as expected. It’s nice to finally get it off my to-read shelf, but there was nothing amazing about the experience of reading it. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I finally sat down and finished Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau. This is the third book in The Testing series and I’d admittedly put off reading it for a long time. I think, after the first book, I just seriously lost interest in the story and the second book furthered that for me. I’m glad that I’ve finished it rather than simply leaving it as a DNF, but I think the relief is more because I don’t have to read any of the books anymore. It’s kind of a cheap knock off of The Hunger Games. 🌟🌟

End of the Last Great Kingdom by Victor Rose was a book I read for OnlineBookClub’s reviews and, admittedly, it was pretty engaging. I really enjoyed the world and the ideas behind it, but the problem with this one arrived largely with the characters. I just don’t think Rose could ever stick to a single personality and spend the time on developing it. The worst thing was that he began with very timid characters and randomly turned them into really badass characters. I understood what he wanted from them, but he just didn’t take the time to show the characters growing. A classic case, I think, of too much in one book and a lot of rushing. 🌟🌟🌟

This next one I am thrilled to have gotten a copy of and still reeling from reading it (I guess the hype was definitely deserved). The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton was superb! I have a lot of thoughts on this book and am admittedly so furious that there isn’t a sequel out already, but the best way to wrap up my feelings for The Belles is with one word: WOW. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I’ve had Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell on my to-read list for a while, though it’s never been one of my highly anticipated reads. It was enjoyable, I suppose, and it dealt with issues that I think are deeply important. It wasn’t one of those books that amazed me, though, but rather the sort that described something that could be very real. And I think that was the part that left me feeling underwhelmed with it all. It was just so realistic. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

And finally, I got very into A Court of Thorns and Roses this week and accidentally finished the whole book. It’s not a worry as I’ll still be posting my quarterly updates for the week, only highlighting my thoughts on that portion of the book. Next week it’ll be the portion from 50%-75%. The timeline’s more like guidelines anyway! It was really good, though. I enjoyed it a lot. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Reviews from this week:

Roomies [by Christina Lauren] (Book Review #36)

L.I.F.E. in the 23rd Century [by Jason R. Richter] (Book Review #37)

By Your Side [by Kasie West] (Book Review #38)

Last minute thoughts:

I’m quite a bit behind in my reading at the moment–there are just too many books in the world and too many books on my TBR. I’ve always felt weird about removing books from that list, just cause I never know if I really might want to read them. I’ve thought a lot about a few books that have been on my currently reading shelf and whether or not I will actually finish them and I think I’ve narrowed down at least one that I’m going to leave as a DNF for this year since I’ve been trying to finish it forever, but always find myself only reading a few pages before I give up.

Voting for the March Readalong is now up, so please go ahead and check that out and vote if you’re up for joining me! I’m going to try to give away at least one copy of the Month’s Readalong book at the end and I’d really love to have some more participants. A huge thank you to everyone who has joined me so far!

That’s all for now! Happy reading, everyone!

| Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Book Club Reviews |