WWW Wednesday: 26 July 2023

Hi hello and welcome to WWW Wednesday! This was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words. This is a really fun and easy weekly post where you answer the three W’s: what are you currently reading, what did you recently finish reading, and what do you think you’ll read next? Let’s get started!
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What are you currently reading?

I’m still making my way through my beta read at the moment! Yes, I know, it’s been a week and I’m still reading? Since it’s a beta read, I want to make sure I’m giving it the attention it deserves and not rushing through and missing things. I’m still loving it, it’s still amazing, and I cannot wait to finish because this is getting absolutely insane and I’m so excited to see it all come together!

What did you recently finish reading?

Because I’ve been dedicating my reading time to my beta read, I haven’t finished anything else recently. And I’m not upset because like I’ve said, I’m loving this book! But this has been taking my attention so I haven't finished any other books recently.

What do you think you'll read next?

I actually just got approved for an eARC of The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon and I’m really excited because not only is the cover stunning (seriously it’s probably one of my favorite covers of 2023) but the synopsis sounds so good! This is definitely a book I’ll be picking up as soon as I can!

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And that’s it for this WWW Wednesday! I’ve been having such a good time with my beta read, y’all. I’m not going to spoil anything out of respect for the author, but I just need to share how much I am genuinely enjoying myself. How has your reading week been? What is a book you’re looking forward to reading next? Is The Hurricane Wars on your TBR or have you read an ARC already? Let me know in the comments below and let’s chat! Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next chapter!

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F is for Friday: 21 July 2023

aron beauregard 7:00:00 AM

Hi hello and welcome to F is for Friday, hosted by Nomadic Worlds. With F is for Friday, you answer a few prompts that relate to your reading for the past week and even share some things that made you happy! This is a great post to do because it helps remind me of all of the good things I’ve experienced weekly, even if it doesn’t feel like anything good happened in the moment. Whether it’s book related or just life in general, I’m trying to remember to count the positives in my daily life! Let's get started!
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F – Feature your latest book obsession (it doesn’t have to be your current read)

My current bookish obsession is absolutely my current read! I’m doing a beta read for an amazing book right now and am loving it so much. The vibes, the characters, the pacing, everything about it is immaculate and I’m so in love. I won’t be sharing anything about the book out of respect for the author but just know that it’s incredible and I’m so grateful to be beta reading this beauty.

I – Indicate which book/s you are looking forward to reading this weekend

I’m definitely going to continue working on reading my beta read book but I also plan to start Playground by Aron Beauregard! Aron is one of my all-time favorite extreme horror authors and this book is apparently causing all kinds of a ruckus, so I’m really excited to see what it’s all about. I’ve been considering doing my first bookish TikTok and making it about this book so if you’d like to follow me over there, my username is @firehawkarts!

F – Favorite quote of the week/day

I have so many from the beta read book that I’m doing but as I mentioned above, I won’t be sharing anything about the book out of respect for the author! But I genuinely do have so many quotes that I’ve literally clutched my iPad to my chest over while reading them.

F – Five Things You’re Happy Or Grateful For This Week

1. My friend had a successful appendectomy and is safe at home! She’s one of my very best friends and I love her dearly, so knowing she’s taking steps towards reducing her pain and that she’s now able to start recovering makes me so happy for her. She’s been through a lot and deserves this win!

2. The bottom of my own surgical incision is almost healed! This has been the part that is giving me the most trouble with healing and I’m so happy that it’s finally more healed than not. I’m also relatively pain-free in that area and down my leg and I cannot explain what a relief it is. Now I can go back to my regularly scheduled post-cancer pains!

3. I’m going to be annoying about this but the book I’m beta reading is something I’m happy about. It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this about any book I’ve read, so I know I’ve found something special here. The way the author writes is so fluid and descriptive, but not overly so. And the plot? Oh my god y’all, the plot is so good. Just be prepared for me to be super vague about this but also constantly gush about how much I’m loving it.

4. I finally launched both shirt designs I made! I don’t talk about this but graphic design and digital art is a hobby of mine and I love to create shirt designs for the teams I volunteer at conventions for. I’m really proud of both designs that I’ve created and they have both been super well received which is such a relief. I was really nervous about if they would be liked or not but they are and I can’t wait to have them in my wardrobe!

5. A cosplayer that I really look up to, Sarah Spaceman, released her video on how she became best birb boi Tulin from Tears of the Kingdom and I loved it so much. A little fun fact about me, furries actually scare me. Like, a lot. But this costume is so cute and I love seeing how she made the whole thing come to life! Seriously, I learn at least three new things with every video of hers that she releases. It’s over an hour long but I promise you it’s worth getting a snack and sitting down to watch because the costume is amazing, but her process of creating it is so great to watch!

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And that does it for this F is For Friday post! I had a good week this week both reading and personal life wise. I’m almost done with a big crochet project, I’m making progress on Tears of the Kingdom, my reading has been very successful, and a new patch got released in Final Fantasy XIV! I’m looking forward to this next week and I hope it’s a good one. How has your week been? What’s something you’re looking forward to reading this weekend? Is there something that happened this week that made you happy? Are you also now grinding out the next step in the Manderville relic weapon line? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next chapter!

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WWW Wednesday: 05 July 2023

advance reader copy 8:00:00 AM

Mister Magic by Kiersten White. Holy crap am I obsessed or am I obsessed?! I’m about 50% of the way through and it’s so creepy and unsettling and everything I was hoping it would be. If you’re a fan of the Candle Cove creepypasta or like falling down Mandela Effect rabbit holes, you need to read this when it comes out.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Only One Left by Riley Sager. Y’all when I say this is now my new favorite Riley Sager, I mean it. This is a fantastic mystery thriller and it had me freaking the freak out towards the end. Feel free to laugh at my Goodreads updates I’ve included below. I’ve been a huge fan of his since I read an ARC of his first book Final Girls in 2017, and I’m so happy to say that he continues to be an author that I have given five stars to every book he’s written!

What do you think you'll read next?

I’ll be participating in Summerween 2023 which starts on the 7th, and I have a whole post about my Summerween TBR where I talk about all of these books and how they fit each of the prompts. I wasn’t sure which one I wanted to start with, so I asked my husband to pick one for me and he chose The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw! So it looks like I’ll be starting with that and hopefully making me way through the entirety of my TBR for the readathon. Stay tuned for my wrap-up post once Summerween has ended!

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And that does it for this WWW Wednesday! I’m having such good luck with my reading lately and I’m really excited to start my Summerween TBR on Friday. How is your reading week going? What’s your current read and are you enjoying it? Are any of the books I talked about today on your TBR or have you read them? If you’re participating in Summerween, I’d love to know what you plan to read, so let me know in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next chapter!

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WWW Wednesday: 27 June 2023

advance reader copy 8:00:00 AM

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What are you currently reading?

The Only One Left by Riley Sager. I'm enjoying it so much so far and I'm about 16% in. The atmosphere is really spooky but nothing really spooky has happened yet. It's just the vibes and the setting are coming together in such a creepy way and I'm so excited to see where the book goes from here. And I love that Lenora has a rhyme that follows her, similar to Lizzie Borden.

At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother's happy life
"It wasn't me," Lenora said
But she's the only one not dead

What did you recently finish reading?

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. I don't know how long I'm going to be screaming about this book but it's probably going to be for the rest of the year. This was amazing. I've mentioned before that I've never read a book by R.F. Kuang but now I plan on reading The Poppy War trilogy and Babel. The writing was so easy to read and I loved her sense of humor that was sprinkled in throughout the book. I loved and hated June, and I appreciated the commentary on the publishing industry. This is a book that everyone in the bookish community should read!

What do you think you'll read next?

I'm torn between either Mister Magic by Kiersten White or The Last One by Will Dean. Do I want to read a book that has Candle Cove vibes, or a book that has Triangle vibes? I may pick up Mister Magic first as it's shorter, but I'm really excited for both of them and I will absolutely be sharing my thoughts on them when I finish reading!
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And that does it for this WWW Wednesday post! How is your reading going this week? Have you picked up anything new? Are any of the books I mentioned today on your TBR? Should I read Mister Magic or The Last One next? I'd love to know so be sure to leave me a comment below and we can chat! Don't forget to visit Taking On a World of Words and see Sam's post for the week, and maybe check out some others awesome weekly posts from the comments! Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you in the next chapter!

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WWW Wednesday: 21 June 2023

extreme horror 8:30:00 AM

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. I'll go ahead and admit this: I've never read an R.F. Kuang book. I know, I know, I'm missing out! But I'm finally reading one and holy wow I am so glad I to finally be reading something by her. I'm about 20-25% in and it feels so easy to read in a good way. I love the writing, and the story itself is absolutely wild, oh man. I really can’t wait to see where it goes from here because June is actually the worst and I am just rooting for her to fail.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Last Word by Taylor Adams and No One Rides for Free by Judith Sonnet. I technically finished No One Rides for Free most recently but it was so short that I'm including The Last Word as well since that was a full length book. I really enjoyed The Last Word and it made me want to check out more books by Taylor Adams! It was a fun mystery thriller book and I'm excited to pick up No Exit at some point in the future. And No One Rides for Free is an extreme horror book that I picked up while sitting in the emergency room on Sunday. I highly encourage you to check the trigger warnings for before reading because this is absolutely an extreme horror book in every sense. It was good and it made me want to read more from Judith Sonnet but it was definitely an intense read!

What do you think you'll read next?

The Only One Left by Riley Sager. I have been so excited for a new Riley Sager book, oh my goodness. I've never given a book by him anything less than five stars (yes, even Survive the Night) and I just know that this one is an immediate five star book before I've even read it. This may encourage me to do a full Riley Sager dedicated post about all of his books so stay tuned for that if you're interested in hearing all of my thoughts on his books!

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And that does it for this WWW Wednesday post! I've gotten back into reading more now that MomoCon is over and I'm healing from my surgery and I'm so happy to be reading again. How is your reading going this week? Have you picked up anything new? Are any of the books I mentioned today on your TBR? Which book should I pick up next? I'd love to know so be sure to leave me a comment below and we can chat! Don't forget to visit Taking On a World of Words and see Sam's post for the week, and maybe check out some others awesome weekly posts from the comments! Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you in the next chapter!

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F is for Friday: 05 May 2023

a song of sin and salvation 12:00:00 PM

Hi hello and welcome to F is for Friday, hosted by Nomadic Worlds. With F is for Friday, you answer a few prompts that relate to your reading for the past week and even share some things that made you happy! I like the idea of having a day to talk about my favorite book related things of the week and also trying to focus on some positive things. Let's get started!
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F – Feature your latest book obsession (it doesn’t have to be your current read)

My current book obsession is actually my current read, Lavender House! I’m genuinely so in love with it and I cannot stop talking about it. I can’t even remember how I found out about this book, possibly just scrolling through Goodreads? But I’m so glad it has come into my life. It’s a mystery with a historical setting and queer characters galore! I feel like I tend to read a lot of the same genre in a row (like smutty books or extreme horror with pretty much no middle ground) so this book has been a wonderful break from those two extremes. Knives Out is one of my all-time favorite movies and this book is definitely reminding me of that with the family murder mystery aspect! The writing is easy to read and get lost in, Andy is a wonderful main character, and the mystery of who killed Irene is intriguing enough to keep me reading for long periods of time. Please go read this book!

I – Indicate which book/s you are looking forward to reading this weekend

I'm so excited to finish up Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen because it just keeps getting better the more that I read. Seriously, if you love Knives Out, historical settings, and queer characters, please pick this up. I feel like I need to scream about this book from the rooftops because it really is so fantastic and I'm loving every page that I read.

After I finish Lavender House, I want to pick up A Song of Sin and Salvation by L.H. Blake because I was kindly sent an ARC recently and I'd like to get to it! If your first thought was Eddie from Stranger Things, that was mine as well. But read this little bit from the synopsis:

"A Song of Sin and Salvation is a steamy, slow burn romance that will mercilessly pull on your heartstrings. It’s a story about freedom, choice and first love, all set to a raucous 80s soundtrack. It features two lonely teens who despite their differences, represent each other’s chance at salvation."

So like yes, Eddie, but also doesn't it just sound so good?! I'm so excited and honored to have been chosen to receive an ARC so I really can't wait to pick it up this weekend.

And finally, I'm considering picking up Godkiller by Hannah Kaner this weekend if all goes well! I've seen this quite a lot recently and I watched a video from AModelWho'sRead and she gave it an absolutely glowing review, so I was inspired to bump this up on my TBR. I'm hesitant because it is YA and I don't read a lot of YA anymore, but I might have to make an exception for this one because not only is the cover stunning, it sounds super creepy and fantastical.

F – Favorite quote of the week/day

I just finished Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward recently and, to no ones surprise, I loved it. There were so many quotes in this book that just hit me in the feels and made me audibly oof so of course, I saved them. I am going to cheat and use more than one quote because there really were so many that I loved but I'll narrow it down to three.

"In the night, a certain kind of whisper sounds louder than yelling."

"It's strange being so close to someone; they stop being a person and become a series of impressions."

"It's not an easy thing, being rewritten. But you can always play around with a first draft."

F – Five Things You’re Happy Or Grateful For This Week

1. It's finally May! I know that sounds silly but I'm really excited that the date for my surgery later this month is getting closer. I'm so ready to have some measure of relief finally! Even though I know the road to recovery won't be quick, I'm just ready to get started.

2. MomoCon is also at the end of this month! It's a convention in Atlanta, GA that I volunteer at with my husband and our friends and it's a lot of fun. If you enjoy gaming and anime, then it's a great event to come check out!

3. I'm still having great success with my reading and this week is no exception. I've just been on a roll with picking up fantastic books and I hope that I can continue that streak with this upcoming week! My TBR has some great books on it so I have a good feeling that I'll have some amazing books to talk about next week.

4. I've been working on a wall-hanging for several weeks at this point for my husband and I finally finished it! I make friendship bracelets, keychains, and wall-hangings and I love to make presents for people. This one is special because it's inspired by the art for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and she is so ingrained into our relationship that it's insane. But, sadly, we were unable to attend her tour so I wanted to do something for him to kind of ease the sads, you know? So I made him a wall-hanging! I'm pretty proud of it because it's over 3,000 knots and took me forever and he really likes it so yay!

5. I’m really grateful for my kiddo, Sora. I’ve been struggling with my chronic pain a lot lately and it really messes with my mental health because I just constantly feel awful and like I’ll never feel better. But Sora is such a light in my life. He’s always such a happy kiddo and is pretty much always smiling and wanting to play or just hang out in the same space as you are. We recently got him these carrot chips and he is obsessed with them! Watching him cronch on them is so cute because he loves using his big back teeth to nom on things. I’m just so lucky to have him in my life and I really do love him so much.

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And that’s it for this F is for Friday post! Like I said above, I’ve been struggling with my chronic pain a lot lately and while I’ve been reading a bunch, it’s been hard for me to sit down and do my weekly blog posts. But I’m trying! I really enjoy getting to do a small, fun post almost daily to talk about books and reading and all that fun stuff. I’d love to know something you’re grateful for this week or what book you’re planning on reading this weekend so leave me a comment below and let’s chat! Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next chapter!

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Top Ten Tuesday: One-Word Book Reviews!

aiden pierce 8:00:00 AM

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WWW Wednesday: 15 March 2023

ashley bennett 8:00:00 AM

Hi hello and welcome to my first WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words. This is a really fun and easy weekly post where you answer the three W’s: what are you currently reading, what did you recently finish reading, and what do you think you’ll read next? I think this will be a great way to motivate myself into reading more books on my TBR and sharing more about my reading plans from week to week. Let’s get started!
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What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming and I'm about halfway through currently. When I say Kimberly Lemming is one of my new favorite authors, I mean that with my whole heart. I flew through the first book, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon, and it easily took its place on my favorite books of 2023 list and I read it at the end of February. I was looking for a cute romance and got an amazing fantasy world with loveable characters and a classic adventure storyline that I was definitely not expecting. The sequel follows Brie, who is Cinnamon's best friend, and her mishap with a love potion and a werewolf.

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished reading Muscles & Monsters by Ashley Bennett and I absolutely loved it, oh my gosh. It had been on my recommended section in Kindle Unlimited for a while and I kept eyeing it because the cover is just too cute, but I finally picked it up and I'm so happy I did! This is book one in the Leviathan Fitness series and I have the sequel, Tentacles & Triathlons, on my Spring TBR so I will absolutely be continuing the series. If you're a fan of cute and spicy monster romance books, I highly recommend Muscles & Monsters!

What do you think you'll read next?

I have three books that I'm leaning towards picking up and honestly, I'll probably read them all because I can't decide. First up is The Handler by L.T. Ryan and C.R. Gray which I started reading but got distracted by other things, so I'd like to pick it back up so I can read the next book when it comes out in April. It's not my usual read with it being a crime thriller, but I love C.R. Gray and I actually enjoyed both the prequel story and what I read of the book before I put it down, so I'm excited to actually finish reading it entirely. Second is the sequel to Muscles & Monsters and that's Tentacles & Triathlons by Ashley Bennett! I love cute and quick romance books so this will be perfect if I'm not feeling the crime or fantasy vibes of the other two books. And finally, we have On Twisting Tides by Val E. Lane which is the sequel to one of my favorite books I read in 2022, From Tormented Tides. I was kindly sent an ARC of On Twisting Tides and to say I'm excited to read it is absolutely an understatement.
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And that does it for my first WWW Wednesday! I really enjoyed doing this because not only was it quick, but it also allowed me to share my reading plans that I'm really excited about for the week. It also gives me motivation to read more so that I can share a variety of books with each new post! How is your reading week going? What's something you're currently reading or planning on picking up soon? Were you introduced to any new books with this post? I'd love to know so please feel free to leave me a comment down below! Don't forget to visit Taking On a World of Words and see Sam's post for the week, and maybe check out some others awesome weekly posts from the comments!
Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you in the next chapter!

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Top 5 Wednesday- Books I Want to Re-Read!

book tag 4:23:00 AM

Hi hello and welcome to my very first Top 5 Wednesday post! This was created by Lainey from gingerreadslainey and is currently run by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. I've been watching Sam's T5W videos for a while and finally got inspired to start making posts here on my blog every week. This week, the topic is books I want to re-read so let's get started!

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.

I received an ARC of this book from Crown Publishing back in July and absolutely devoured it! As a science geek, this book appealed to me in more than just a book sense and it was so much more than I imagined it would be. Despite knowing the ending, I know I would enjoy going back and reading it all over again!

The Nightside Series by Simon R. Green
This is a series that I read many years ago and actually caught up with it to the point where I had to wait on the next book to come out. I actually stopped reading after a while because of having to wait for the next one, but I'd love to go back and re-read all of the books to revisit my favorite characters and the world of the Nightside and see how it all ends!

The Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver
This is probably one of my favorite trilogies of all-time. I remember when I read Delirium the first time and I was running around the house shouting about how I needed the next book immediately, but had to wait for it to come out. The wait was torture, but I absolutely devoured Pandemonium. Then had to wait for Requiem, which was just as hard to wait for. But this trilogy is amazing, and I would 10/10 recommend to anyone who has not read it before!

The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich

I know, I know, another non-YA book series? It may come as a shock, but I used to read a lot of Adult Fiction books before I started this blog! This series is still going strong, having started in 1994, and has a new installment called Hardcore Twenty Four coming out in 2017. It's so funny, the characters are quirky, and every book just gets better and better. She even has a few spin-off books with the same characters in it!

The Evernight Series by Claudia Gray
Okay, time to end on a YA series. I read the first two books in this series years and years ago, and finally picked up the final two far too long after reading Stargazer. I laughed, I cried (incredibly hard), and I loved every book I read. I even got the chance to meet the author and get my books signed! This is just one series that has stuck with me for a while and I'd love to go back and read it all over again.

I know most of these are series of books, not individual books, but I couldn't help it! When I thought about all of the books I wanted to re-read, these were some of the first to pop into my head. I hope that I was able to introduce some new books to my readers and I would love to hear about some books that you would like to re-read! Thanks for reading and I'll see you on the next post!