Book Haul|| July.

Posted on July 31, 2017 by ashley @ socially awkward bookworm

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Hi!

I can’t believe this is the last day of July! This month flew by pretty quickly. I am back today to share my July book haul with you. First off though….

Happy Birthday, Harry & J.K. Rowling!

I took this picture for my bookstagram account on their birthday last year, but it’s too cute not to share again this year. Now onto the books that I got this month!

Physical Books:

The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

I’ve been so stoked about The Art of Starving and When Dimple Met Rishi, so I couldn’t help but to finally get them this month. I also got a cute Dimple bookmark and signed bookplate.

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich
Final Girls by Riley Sager
Lucky Us by Amy Bloom
Illustrated Three-Line Novels by Felix Feneon

The Love Interest and Final Girls was in my Book of the Month Club box and I am super stoked about them both. I went to the dollar store the other day with my mom and sister and came across Lucky Us (which I’ve been really wanting to read) and Illustrated Three-Line Novels. $1 each, so couldn’t beat that!

ARCs:

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert
A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland
Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller

I received some ARCs from publishers this month, which is always exciting. I was really stoked about all of these books. I actually already read Little & Lion this month, so I should hopefully have my review up in the next few days. I can’t wait to dive into A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares and Mask of Shadows. I think I will be reading those in August.

eARCS:

Mirror Me by Tara St. Pierre
Invictus by Ryan Graudin
The Border by Steve Schafer

I also got a few eARCs from Netgalley and authors. I was so excited when I was able to get a copy of Invictus. I can’t wait to read that one. I read Mirror Me this month and you can check out my review over here. I also plan to read The Border in August and I am pretty excited about it.

E-Books:

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
Violet Grenade by Victoria Scott
Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Hunted by Meagan Spooner
By Your Side by Kasie West

Last but not least, I was able to get some great e-book deals this month as well! I am looking forward to reading every single one of these. I’ve been trying to be a little more pickier with which e-books I get since I tend to go a little crazy when there’s good deals. Super stoked about these six.

What new books did you get in July? Have you read any of the ones that I got this month? Feel free to link me to your haul posts!

I should hopefully have my July wrap up posted in the next day or two and like I mentioned before my review for Little & Lion up soon as well. I actually need to go work on my review for it now.

In case you missed it;
Friday Finds# 68.
Monthly Subscriptions.

I hope you have a great day!

ashleyblue

Friday Finds# 68.

Posted on July 28, 2017 by ashley @ socially awkward bookworm

fridayfinds

FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

Hi!

I have four books to share with you guys that all sound like they are going to be pretty awesome reads! I’ve included the book descriptions below as well. You can see more of my TBR over on my Goodreads account over here and feel free to add me as a friend!

wordsonbathroomwalls Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton

Just released this month.

Goodreads Description: Adam has just been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He sees and hears people who aren’t there: Rebecca, a beautiful girl who understands him; the Mob Boss, who harasses him; and Jason, the naked guy who’s unfailingly polite. It should be easy to separate the real from the not real, but Adam can’t. Still, there’s hope. As Adam starts fresh at a new school, he begins a drug trial that helps him ignore his visions. Suddenly everything seems possible, even love. When he meets Maya, a fiercely intelligent girl, he desperately wants to be the great guy that she thinks he is. But then the miracle drug begins to fail, and Adam will do anything to keep Maya from discovering his secret.

thehollowgirl The Hollow Girl by Hillary Monahan

Release Date: October 10th 2017

Goodreads Description: Five boys attacked her. Now they must repay her with their blood and flesh. Bethan is the apprentice to a green healer named Drina in a clan of Welsh Romanies. Her life is happy and ordered and modest, as required by Roma custom, except for one thing: Silas, the son of the chieftain, has been secretly harassing her. One night, Silas and his friends brutally assault Bethan and a half-Roma friend, Martyn. As empty and hopeless as she feels from the attack, she asks Drina to bring Martyn back from death’s door. “There is always a price for this kind of magic,” Drina warns. The way to save him is gruesome. Bethan must collect grisly pieces to fuel the spell: an ear, some hair, an eye, a nose, and fingers. She gives the boys who assaulted her a chance to come forward and apologize. And when they don’t, she knows exactly where to collect her ingredients to save Martyn.

thewood The Wood by Chelsea Bobulski

Release Date: August 1st 2017

Goodreads Description: When Winter’s dad goes missing during his nightly patrol of the wood, it falls to her to patrol the time portals and protect the travelers who slip through them. Winter can’t help but think there’s more to her dad’s disappearance than she’s being told. She soon finds a young man traveling in the wood named Henry who knows more than he should. He believes if they can work together to find his missing parents, they could discover the truth about Winter’s dad. The wood is poisoned, changing into something sinister—torturing travelers lost in it. Winter must put her trust in Henry in order to find the truth and those they’ve lost.

zerorepeatforever Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast

Release Date: August 29th 2017

Goodreads Description: He has no voice, or name, only a rank, Eighth. He doesn’t know the details of the mission, only the directives that hum in his mind. Dart the humans. Leave them where they fall. His job is to protect his Offside. Let her do the shooting. Until a human kills her…Sixteen year-old Raven is at summer camp when the terrifying armored Nahx invade, annihilating entire cities, taking control of the Earth. Isolated in the wilderness, Raven and her friends have only a fragment of instruction from the human resistance. Shelter in place. Which seems like good advice at first. Stay put. Await rescue. Raven doesn’t like feeling helpless but what choice does she have? Then a Nahx kills her boyfriend. Thrown together in a violent, unfamiliar world, Eighth and Raven should feel only hate and fear. But when Raven is injured, and Eighth deserts his unit, their survival comes to depend on trusting each other…

Have you added any new books to your TBR? Feel free to link me to your posts if you have one or leave a comment letting me know what new books you added to your TBR. 🙂

I should have my book haul and my wrap up posted next week. I’m hoping to finish Little & Lion today, so I can include it in my wrap up post. I only have a little over 50 pages left, so I should be able to do it. I’ve actually been trying to finish it for days, but got distracted with another book and then I haven’t been in the mood to read again, sigh. BUUUT I should have it finished today.

In case you missed it;
Thoughts|| Mirror Me.
Monthly Subscriptions.

I hope you have a great day and weekend!

ashleyblue

Thoughts|| Mirror Me.

Posted on July 25, 2017 by ashley @ socially awkward bookworm

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Mirror Me by Tara St. Pierre
4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Description: Hannah McCauley doesn’t look at herself in the mirror anymore. After a rebellious past, she now attends a strict private school in a new town, where her recently divorced mother has put her on social lockdown. No driving. No bad grades. No skipping classes. No unapproved friends. No makeup. No boys. And the subject of her best friend from her old school is definitely forbidden. Hannah is being punished for something that happened a year earlier, something that she would like to put behind her. But strange occurrences frighten her, and she’s accused of breaking rules and doing other terrible things without any recollection of them. No one believes her, so she starts distrusting everything, even her own reflection. Is she being haunted by her past? Stalked by someone with a grudge? Or is it all in her head? If she doesn’t figure out what’s happening fast, her existence could end up irreparably shattered.

I read Tara’s book Just A Few Inches last year and I was so excited to read her new book Mirror Me. Kind of a funny story, but right before I was asked by Tara if I wanted to read her new book, I was talking to one of my friend’s about how mirrors creeped me out. The next day I get an email asking if I wanted to read Mirror Me.

Mirror Me was definitely on the creepy side at times and it was totally weird, but in a good way! So many weird and crazy things were happening to Hannah and I wanted to know what was going on. I found myself coming up with so many different scenarios in my head as to what could be happening. At one point I had about 3 or 4 different things that could be happening to Hannah and explanations as to why certain things were happening. Some reasonable and some totally crazy explanations. I really enjoyed that about Mirror Me. It always kept me guessing and it was fun.

I really liked Hannah and her friendships with Zo and Grace. I wasn’t a big fan of Hannah’s mother. She made me so angry, because she wouldn’t let Hannah do anything. It also didn’t help that she would keep getting in trouble for things she didn’t remember doing and her mother would not listen to her at all. I guess it’s a little understandable since Hannah wasn’t the best person a year ago, but I felt like her mom didn’t cut her any slack at all and was way too overbearing. That was one of the things that really bugged me about the story. BUT there are two sides to every story, so you’ll have to see how that unfolds.

Overall, I really enjoyed Mirror Me. It was fun, it was creepy, and it kept me guessing. Great characters and friendships. There were times that it was so hard to put down, because I just wanted to know what was happening to Hannah. I would definitely recommend picking this one up.

It was just released today (July 25th), go check it out! 🙂

mirrorme

In case you missed it;
Monthly Subscriptions.

I hope you have a great day!

ashleybrown

Monthly Subscriptions.

Posted on July 24, 2017 by ashley @ socially awkward bookworm

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Hi!

It’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these posts, so since I have been actively taking part of a couple subscription services I decided to bring it back! I have two Nerdy Post boxes to share with you (June & July) and I also have my Book of the Month Club box to share with you as well.

Nerdy Post:

Nerdy Post is a fandom based subscription service that sends out hand lettering art and other goodies (bookmarks, pins, magnets, stickers, notepads, posters, etc.) with quotes from the monthly themed fandom. They also now have a Nerdy Tees, where you can get a t-shirt each month that matches the theme of the Nerdy Box. I’ve gotten a few shirts from them and they are always such great quality!

Instagram: @nerdy.post

The theme for August is Harry Potter! I think there is a week left for ordering the HP box and/or Nerdy Tee.

June Theme: Fandomland

This was their one year anniversary box, so it included a ton of different things from a bunch of different fandoms. I’m not going to lie, this wasn’t my favorite box of theirs. There were still some cool designs though.

These were two of the smaller prints.
Left is a quote from: Hamilton
Right is a quote from: Sherlock

These were the big bookmarks.
Left is a quote from: Doctor Who
Right is a quote from: Star Wars

Left is a smaller print from: Game of Thrones
Right is the large print from: Firefly

There were two double sided bookmarks.
Left bookmark: Pride & Prejudice and The Hobbit
Right bookmark: Lilo & Stitch and I think Iron Man
*forgot the note card at home before making this post*

Stranger Things Coaster
Supernatural Wax Melt
CS Lewis Quote Sticker
Harry Potter Knot Bracelet

July Theme: Alice in Wonderland

I LOVE Alice in Wonderland so much, so I was definitely sticking around for the Alice box that was for July. I LOVE everything about this box. It’s so colorful and had Nerdy Posts best designs!

This month they included TWO large prints and I love the designs for them both so much!

There was also a magnetic bookmark, sticker, and a double sided bookmark. I LOVE the sticker and double sided bookmark so much.

First picture is the mirror that they included (other side is obviously the mirror, lol). A cute notepad and a smaller print.

Every month they include “golden tickets’ in random boxes and you win a themed prize for that month. I had a golden ticket in my box! My prize was a tote bag from Out of Print. Pretty obsessed with it!

Book of the Month Club:

Book of the Month Club is a book subscription box where each month you get to pick a book from a I believe five different options, so you get to see and choose which book you want. You can also add “extra” books to your box from past books that they’ve had for only $9.99 each extra book.

These are the books that I got for my July Book of the Month Club box. The book I chose was Final Girls, which sounds like a pretty amazing horror book. I plan to read that around October. I added an extra book this month and chose The Love Interest. I was seeing it around online and it sounds interesting.

Are you subscribed to any bookish or fandom boxes? Let me know! I’m always looking for some new ones to try out!

I hope you have a great day!

ashleyblack

WWW Wednesday #42.

Posted on July 19, 2017 by ashley @ socially awkward bookworm

wwwwednesdayflower

WWW Wednesday is a weekly MEME hosted by Taking on a World of Words. Simply answer the following questions. 🙂

The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

*Goodreads linked below.

Hi!

I feel like I am slowly getting out of this dang reading slump! It’s still there, but not as bad as it was. I’m happy to finally start reading more again. I know July isn’t going to be my best reading month though. Anyway, here are the books that I’ve been reading this week and all books are linked to their Goodreads pages.

Currently Reading:

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

I am currently reading Little & Lion and The Rest of Us Just Live Here. I don’t always read two books at one time, but I am trying it with these two. I’m not that far into either of these books, but they seem promising so far.

Recently Finished:

Mirror Me by Tara St. Pierre

I just finished Mirror Me the other day and I really enjoyed it a lot! It was pretty fun and a bit creepy too. I’ll have my review up for it on Tuesday (July 25th), which is the release date for this book.

Reading Next:

The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Saga Vol 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

I actually have quite a few ARCs to read, so I will probably read The Hearts We Sold next since it will be releasing August 8th. I also still have Long Way Home and Saga Vol 2 up on my to read next list. I really want to get to these two. Hopefully get to the Long Way Home at least since I currently have 14 days left until it’s returned to my library. Saga Vol 2 I’m not too worried about it since I actually own that one and it’s a graphic novel, so it’s really quick to read.

What are you currently reading? Recently finished? Reading next? Have you read any of these books? Let me know and link me to your posts if you have one!

In case you missed it;
Friday Finds #67.

I hope you have a great day.

ashleybluegray

Friday Finds #67.

Posted on July 14, 2017 by ashley @ socially awkward bookworm

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Happy Friday!

In case you missed it, I got a new kitten on Sunday. We found her behind our shed, so I decided to keep her. She’s so cute, but SOOO much work! She’s been keeping me up late at night, so I am thankful that it’s Friday and I can catch up on some much needed sleep! You can check out my post over here and see Leaf (kitten)! Or if you follow me on Twitter and Instagram you probably seen a million pictures and videos of her, lol.

Onto the books! I have three books to share with you guys that all sound like they are going to be pretty awesome reads! I’ve included the book descriptions below as well. You can see more of my TBR over on my Goodreads account over here and feel free to add me as a friend!

little&lion

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert

I was sent an ARC of Little & Lion by The Novl and I am so freaking stoked about it. It sounds like it’s going to be so intense, but so good. PS. the book cover…LOVE! Release date: August 8th.

Goodreads Description: When Suzette comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she isn’t sure if she’ll ever want to go back. L.A. is where her friends and family are (along with her crush, Emil). And her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support. But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new…the same girl her brother is in love with. When Lionel’s disorder spirals out of control, Suzette is forced to confront her past mistakes and find a way to help her brother before he hurts himself–or worse.

theborder

The Border by Steve Schafer

I was emailed by the publisher asking if I wanted to read The Border and I was so down. It sounds really good and something I’m really going to be into. They sent me a Netgalley ARC of it, so if you’re interested it’s up on Netgalley! Release date: September 5th.

Goodreads Description: One moment changed their lives forever. A band plays, glasses clink, and four teens sneak into the Mexican desert, the hum of celebration receding behind them. Crack. Crack. Crack. Not fireworks―gunshots. The music stops. And Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Gladys are powerless as the lives they once knew are taken from them. Then they are seen by the gunmen. They run. Except they have nowhere to go. The narcos responsible for their families’ murders have put out a reward for the teens’ capture. Staying in Mexico is certain death, but attempting to cross the border through an unforgiving desert may be as deadly as the secrets they are trying to escape…

finalgirls

Final Girls by Riley Sager

I joined Book of the Month Club last month and I chose Final Girls as my July book. It sounds so freaking good, OMG! I haven’t read a good horror book in such a long time and I am looking forward to this. I’m thinking I may save this one until October though for Halloween!

Goodreads Description: Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet. Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past. That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy’s doorstep. Blowing through Quincy’s life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa’s death come to light, Quincy’s life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam’s truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.

Have you added any new books to your TBR? Feel free to link me to your posts if you have one or leave a comment letting me know what new books you added to your TBR. 🙂

In case you missed it;
WWW Wednesday #41.

I hope you have a great day and weekend!

ashleyblue

WWW Wednesday #41.

Posted on July 12, 2017 by ashley @ socially awkward bookworm

wwwwednesdayflower

WWW Wednesday is a weekly MEME hosted by Taking on a World of Words. Simply answer the following questions. 🙂

The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

*Goodreads linked below.

Hi!

I think it’s been a few week since I’ve done a WWW post! I’m currently kind of battling a reading slump (and blogging slump) that I am hoping I will finally get out of soon. Here are the books that I’ve been reading this week…

Currently Reading:

mirrorme

Mirror Me by Tara St. Pierre

I was really excited when Tara asked me if I wanted to read her new book Mirror Me. I really enjoyed her first book Just A Few Inches. I am not that far into the book yet, but I think I’ll like it.

Recently Finished:

historyisallyouleftme

History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

I really enjoyed History Is All You Left Me. It was so sad and heartbreaking, but still so good! There were a few times throughout that I was bored, but I was also battling a reading slump while trying to finish this book before it returned to my library so maybe that played a role. Overall though I really liked this story and the characters. The friendship between Griffin, Theo, and Wade was perfect.

Goodreads Description: When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course. To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart. If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.

Reading Next:

restofusjustlivehere

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

The Rest of Us Just Live Here may be my next read. I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve actually had this book since release day in 2015 and still haven’t read it, oops. 😛

Goodreads Description: What if you aren’t the Chosen One? The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.

I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to read next though, because I’m still kind of trying to get through this reading slump I’m in. I also have these two books below to possibly read next too and I’m super stoked about them.

saga2 longwayhome

Saga Vol 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

What are you currently reading? Recently finished? Reading next? Have you read any of these books? Let me know and link me to your posts if you have one!

In case you missed it;
Meet Leaf.
Recap|| June.
Book Haul|| June.

I hope you have a great day.

ashleybluegray

Meet Leaf.

Posted on July 10, 2017 by ashley @ socially awkward bookworm

Hey!

I haven’t updated in a week, ahhh! I’ve been in such a blogging slump and a reading slump as well, sigh. Sooooo, I am here to introduce you to Leaf. The hubby and I found her crying behind our shed, so we rescued her. Leaf is the tiniest kitten EVERRRRR! She’s probably only like four weeks old. We aren’t entirely sure if she’s a girl or boy, but we are leaning more toward girl right now. We’re gonna take her to the vet next week. She’s so cute! We feed her from bottle, but I think she should be okay to eat on her own soon. We looked it up online and she still needs milk some of the time along with regular food. We bought special milk from the pet store for kittens with no mom. ANYWAY….here is a ton of pictures of Leaf!

Aside from new kitty news, I was able to finally finish History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera, which I really enjoyed even though it was so freaking sad! I am currently reading Mirror Me by Tara St. Pierre. It’ll be releasing later this month and I’ll have a review coming up on release day. I loved Tara’s book I read last year called Just A Few Inches, so I am stoked she asked me if I would read her new book. I just started it today, so I’m not that far into it yet. I also decided to read Saga Vol. 2.

I have a couple tags I’ve been working on for like a month now (oops) and maybe I’ll finally finish them to post. I really hope I kick this reading slump (and blogging slump) soon. I am off to work! I hope you have a great day! 😀

ashleyorange

Recap|| June.

Posted on July 3, 2017 by ashley @ socially awkward bookworm

junerecap

Hi!

June is over…whaaaat?! It’s already been half of the new year? That’s pretty insane! I didn’t read as much as I would have liked this month (THANK YOU, READING SLUMP), but I was still able to read five books and loved every single one of them. Here is what I read in the month of June. You can find a full list of these books and the other books I read this year over here. All will be linked to Goodreads below and I will also link to individual blog posts for them if I did a review.

Physically Read Books:
These are the books that I read by myself (not audiobooks) throughout the month of June.

The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon – 4 out of 5 stars.
I love this series so much. I really enjoyed The Song Rising, but I didn’t think it was better than the first two books in the Bone Season series. It was really good, but also it was a really slow start and I felt like not a lot was going on. I’m still really stoked about the next book in the series.

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett – 5 out of 5 stars. – Review.
I thought Alex, Approximately was such a fun and cute read. Perfect for summer. I personally loved it so much and I felt like I breezed through it, because it was so hard to put down and easy to read.

A Work in Progress by Connor Franta – 4 out of 5 stars.
Note to Self by Connor Franta – 4 out of 5 stars.
I had no idea who Connor Franta was until I read his books. He’s a YouTuber in case you didn’t know. After reading his books, I am definitely a fan. I felt like I could really connect to a lot of the things he was saying in his books and about his life and I love all of his pictures that he took and included in them. I loved A Work in Progress and Note to Self. Great reads and easy to fly through them in a day.

Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry – 5 out of 5 stars.
I loved Walk the Edge so much. It’s the second book in the Thunder Road series. I really enjoyed that this told Razor’s story. It was such a sad one, but I was rooting for him. It also told the story of a girl named Breanna as well. It’s told in each of the points of view. Can’t wait to read the third one.

What did you read in June? Have you read any of the books that in June? Feel free to link me to your wrap up posts, so I can check them out!

In case you missed it;
Book Haul|| June.
Top Ten Tuesday|| Best books I read so far in 2017.

I hope you have a great day!

ashleybluegray