Hi hello and welcome to day 13 of Blogtober 2019! If you don't know what Blogtober is or are curious as to what I'll be posting throughout the month, feel free to check out my Preparing for Blogtober 2019 post to find out what it's all about! Today is the Spookathon edition and I'll be talking about my TBR for the readathon. If you don't know what Spookathon is, it's a readathon hosted by BooksandLala every year in October. If you want to learn more about the readathon and the challenges, be sure to check out Lala's announcement video. Let's get spooky!
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read a thriller

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. This is one that I have heard so many good things about and I am so excited to finally get a chance to read it! Lala herself has given this book high praise and since I trust her thriller recommendations, I will absolutely be picking this up as soon as the readathon starts!

read a book with red on the cover

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix. This wasn't initially on my TBR for this readathon (or my TBR in general, if I'm being honest because I had no idea this book existed) but then I watched Natasha from myreadingisodd talk about her Spookathon TBR and this book was one she planned to read and I just knew I had to read it. Not only is the cover stunning but the last line of the synopsis is just perfection: "...where only a girl with a guitar can save us all." Sign me up!

read a book with a spooky word in the title & read a book with a spooky setting

Kill Creek by Scott Thomas. This book has been on my TBR for a bit (it's on my October TBR!) so when I saw the challenges for Spookathon, I realized that this book actually fit for spooky word, red on the cover, and spooky setting. So, I will be doubling up with this book! But this is about a horror writer that goes to spend the night in a haunted house with other horror writers. What could go wrong, right?

read something you wouldn't normally read

Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker. I have been waiting for this graphic novel to come out for what feels like forever, oh my goodness. It comes out on the second day of the readathon and I'm hoping I'll be able to get my hands on a copy to read it. I don't usually read graphic novels but I've heard so many good things about Mooncakes that I am dying to read it!
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And that's it for my Spookathon TBR! I would love to know if anyone else is participating in the readathon and what you plan to read. Do we have any of the same books on our TBR? What is one book you hope to get to above all else? Mine is The Turn of the Key, personally, as I am just dying to know what has everyone raving about how good it is. Let me know in the comments if you'll be taking part in Spookathon! Thanks for stopping by and I'll scare ya later!

Hi hello and welcome to the Summer Biannual Bibliothon 2018! For those that don't know, the Biannual Bibliothon is held twice a year and consists of reading, video, and blog challenges! It's hosted by some pretty incredible Booktubers: Kelly, Brittni, Catriona, Momo, Red, Dylan, and Kassie so be sure to go check out their channels for their challenge videos and the Biannual Bibliothon channel for more information on challenges and prizes. Today's blogger challenge is to write about your favorite Summer read and it's hosted by Starlite Book Nook. Let's get started!
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Hi hello and welcome to day four of the Summer Biannual Bibliothon 2017! For those that don't know, the Biannual Bibliothon is held twice a year and is hosted by some pretty amazing ladies from the BookTube community: Kelly, Brittni, Emma, Catriona, Momo, Kassie, and Red! Be sure to go and check out all of their channels as well as the Biannual Bibliothon channel for more information and the video/reading challenges. Today, the blogger challenge is being hosted by Amy from Bursting With Books and it is to talk about a book you've rated three stars or less! Be sure to visit Amy's blog for more about today's challenge if you're interested in participating. Let's get started!
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Why did you rate it so low?

I rated this two stars, but I honestly didn't even feel it deserved that. I was so excited to read this book, I really was, but I got 2% in and couldn't continue. 2% in and the pages were filled with graphic self-harm. I just couldn't comfortably continue reading and decided to DNF it.

Is 3 stars low on your rating system?

3 stars is in the middle for my rating system. I was in the middle about this book and could go either way about recommending it. So I liked the book, but could still see flaws, but would possibly recommend it to others.

What could have made your reading experience better?

Definitely not going into such graphic detail about self-harm? It was just too much and I couldn't keep reading, which is disappointing because I really was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, I'm not comfortable reading about self-harm and this was just over the top and unnecessary.

Why did you rate it so low?

This was a one star rating for me because it was just (in my opinion) a genuinely bad book. I read it in its entirety and could not find one redeemable quality about it. It was basically a book filled with tropes/ideas/plots taken from other books and it just did not sit well with me at all.


What could have made your reading experience better?

An original story that wasn't filled with plots taken from other popular YA books? Maybe just an original thought in general. My feelings on this are not so positive, but I do have a review up if anyone wants to read more about what I thought.



Why did you rate it so low?

It honestly just did not live up to my expectations, I suppose. I was looking for something completely different and what I read I just didn't enjoy as much as I thought I would. The main characters reactions to literally everything felt so unauthentic (of course I can't accurately say what the reactions of someone who has escaped abduction would be) and not realistic of her situation and I just felt really let down by the overall book.


What could have made your reading experience better?

I honestly don't know. I didn't like any of the characters, the plot was "meh," and the writing felt more like it was telling you what was happening rather than showing or letting you experience it for yourself.


Why did you rate it so low?

Because it felt like this was a book that was making mental illness out to be cute and quirky instead of a serious topic. Also, it severely bothered me that Petula met a boy and was basically cured of her crippling anxiety because his love was strong enough to help her overcome anything. Barf. And no, that's not realistic.

What could have made your reading experience better?

A better representation of mental illness and the author not writing about a character that was "cured" of her illness by love.

Just don't.






Why did you rate it so low?

Poor writing, poor characters, poor plot. It just was not something I could get into, unfortunately. I actually DNF'd this book at 41 pages in and that's abnormal for me because I generally give myself 100 pages to determine if I will like something or not. But this just was not for me.

What could have made your reading experience better?

Better writing, better characters, better plot. It was clear that the author (which was not Zoe Sugg/Zoella) was an adult that was trying way too hard to sound like a teenager and that's just not enjoyable for me as a reader.






Why did you rate it so low?

I actually never posted a review for this book for some reason, but this was definitely a meh book at three stars for me. I LOVED the first book, The Girl in 6E, and sorta enjoyed the sequel, Do Not Disturb, but by this third book I found myself just feeling eh about the whole thing. I love Deanna and her murderous tendencies, but this book felt less like what I had come to love and just a story about a character. I liked it but didn't love it. I am certainly hoping for more books about Deanna, though!

What could have made your reading experience better?

I don't know, but probably just giving it more of a Deanna Madden story feeling? If that makes sense?



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So, I know this is more than just one book, but I wanted to talk about a few books because I couldn't seem to pick just one. I liked this challenge because it makes you realize that not all books are winners and that there will be some books that you read that you just don't enjoy as much as others and that's okay. If you got this far, let me know in the comments a book or two that you've rated three stars or less and why. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you in the next chapter!