Monthly Archives: March 2020

Book Haul|| March.

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bookhaulyellow

Hey!

I can’t believe my last post was two weeks ago, I am so sorry! Things have been really rough this month, so I’ve been kind of MIA from the blogosphere. I’ll talk more about this in my wrap up post tomorrow (or Thursday) though. But for today, I am bringing you my March book haul. I am going to jump right into it, here are the books that I got this month. You can check out a full list of the books that I own over here. There’s links to different pages on my blog that show my e-books and my physical books. *I do need to update these pages since it’s been a few months.* 

Books I Bought/Gifted:

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Night of the Dragon by Julie Kagawa
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13b by Teresa Toten
Trip: Psychedelics, Alienation, and Change by Tao Lin

Night of the Dragon is FINALLY HERE! Of course, I had to preorder it. I am living for the purple cover so much. I can’t wait to read it. My birthday was this month and my younger sister gifted me Tweet Cute. I’ve been wanting to book for a while now, so I’m stoked. I found The Unlikely Hero of Room 13b at a discount store and it sounded good, so I got it. I think it only cost $1.99! I saw Trip on bookstagram and it sounded really good, so I had to have it. I really like psychology books and books that talk about drugs/addiction. I started reading it a little bit and hope to continue it again soon.

Netgalley:

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Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles

I also saw Surrender Your Sons on bookstagram and it sounded really great, so I decided to request it on Netgalley and was luckily approved. It’ll be published in September. I noticed Where Dreams Descend was on “read now” for a few days, so I jumped at the chance to get it. So stoked about it! This one will be published in June.

E-Books:

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All of This Is True by Lygia Day Penaflor
Changeling by Matt Wesolowski

I surprisingly didn’t go crazy with buying e-books this month! I usually get quite a few, but I guess I was being more picky this month with what e-books I buy. I already have so many! I’ve been wanting to read All of This Is True for a while now, so I was excited to finally catch it on sale. I haven’t read book one or two of the Six Stories series yet, but I own them both and Changeling was only 99 cents, so I decided to buy it.

What new books did you get in March? Have you read any of the ones that I got? Feel free to link me to your haul post, so I can check it out!

I am planning to do some major blog hopping this week, because I am a bit behind with catching up with you guys. Like I said earlier in this entry, REALLY rough month for me. Update about that soon and hopefully April will be better. Fingers crossed.

In case you missed it;
Review|| Infinity Son.
Thank You!

I hope you have a great day!

ashleyblack

Review|| Infinity Son.

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infinityson

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera
2 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Description: Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkers—a vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures. Brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. Emil just wants the fighting to stop. The cycle of violence has taken a toll, making it harder for anyone with a power to live peacefully and openly. In this climate of fear, a gang of specters has been growing bolder by the day. Then, in a brawl after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his own—one that puts him right at the heart of the conflict and sets him up to be the heroic Spell Walker Brighton always wanted to be. Brotherhood, love, and loyalty will be put to the test, and no one will escape the fight unscathed.

I was really excited when I heard that Adam Silvera was writing a fantasy novel. I knew I needed to read it. Sadly though, I had a lot of trouble with Infinity Son. It was nowhere near as good as his contemporaries. I found it so hard to get into the story, because right from the beginning I was confused and lost as to why certain things came to be and why certain people/beings were even in the real world. I felt like that was never explained or I completely missed it somehow. The world building just wasn’t there for me.

I liked the concept of the story and the superhero vibe. It was a pretty fast paced story and at times that was nice, but I don’t know if that really helped much. I felt like a lot of things were left out and unsaid because of that. Some characters were really great, like Atlas and Ness. The main characters Emil and Brighton, I had trouble with connecting with them. I didn’t like their personalities all that much, especially Brighton. He seemed selfish and I didn’t like that.

Overall, Infinity Son was just an “okay” read for me. While there were some things that I liked and twists that were a little surprising, it just didn’t live up to my expectations and it didn’t blow me away. At times, I had a hard time wanting to finish it. I wanted to love Infinity Son so bad, but sadly it just wasn’t for me. I was having trouble rating it between two and three stars and I don’t give half stars, so for now it’s a two. I’m still undecided if I will be reading the sequel or not. Maybe if my library has it.

Have you read Infinity Son? If so, what are your thoughts? Feel free to link me to your review if you have one.

In case you missed it;
Thank You!
WWW Wednesday #69.
Stuck…where do I go from here?

I hope you have a great day!

ashleyblack

Thank You!

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unnamed

I just wanted to make a quick post to say thank you for all the comments on my “Stuck…where do I go from here?” post. It really means a lot to me. You have been such a huge part of my life, so I am hoping to get out of this rough patch and continue to blog as much as possible. I will try to reply back to those comments soon. I will also be catching up with your blog posts soon as well.

On a random note, I was going through my closet in my book room and I came across probably like 50+ buttons/pins that I’ve collected over the last few years and this was one of them. So fitting for us book reviewers. Speaking of book reviewing, I have a review for Infinity Son by Adam Silvera coming soon. What was the last book that you reviewed? Feel free to also link me to it. 🙂

I hope you have a great day!

ashleyblack

WWW Wednesday #69.

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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?

*All books linked to Goodreads below.

Hey!

It’s been almost a month since I’ve done one of these reading updates! I was in a pretty bad reading slump in February, so that’s why I wasn’t really doing any WWW posts took me WEEKS to finish a single book. I’m still having a pretty slow start this month with reading, but that’s okay. Here is what I’ve been reading this month and what I hope to read next.

Currently Reading:

infinityson

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera

I am currently reading Infinity Son and honestly, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. A lot of things I felt weren’t really explained at the beginning and had me feeling so confused as to why things and people exist in the world. It’s set in NYC, but there are non-humans in the story and I just couldn’t figure out why and how it came to be. I’m honestly still unsure. I don’t know if I missed something when I was reading or if it was never mentioned, I have no idea! I’m halfway through it and want to try to finish it today or tomorrow.

Recently Finished:

starryeyes

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

I finally read Starry Eyes! I’ve been wanting to read this book for two years now and it finally happened. I really liked it and had so much fun reading it. It was cute and I really liked the main characters a lot. I was hoping it would be a five star read, but sadly it wasn’t. I gave it four stars though and that’s pretty awesome!

Reading Next:

wildatheartlittleuniverses

Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker
Little Universes by Heather Demetrios (ARC 4/7/2020)

I’m not entirely sure on this one, because I did get some library books that I’ve been on hold for checked out to me. If I don’t go for one of the library books, then probably one of these books will be next and I’m so excited to read them. I am trying to stick with my March TBR as much as possible. I’ll post a link to my March TBR at the end of this post in case you want to check it out.

What are you currently reading? Recently finished? Reading next? Have you read any of these books? Feel free to link me to your posts, so I can check them out!

In case you missed it;
Stuck…where do I go from here?
Andy Reads|| Maybe Someday.
March TBR (Maybe).

I hope you have a great day!

ashleyblack

Stuck…where do I go from here?

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“stop holding on, if it’s holding you back, then let it go; your grass will always be the greenest if you let it grow” 🌼🐝🌿

This is one of my favorite pictures that I’ve taken recently. You can find cool picture opportunities anywhere! Example: I took this photo in the garden section of Home Depot, lol. I’m going to do a series of picture posts; I have a ton of pictures to share. I went to upload them all into one post and it ended up being 60+ pictures, so I decided I’ll break it up into multiple posts instead. I’m going to start working on those this week, so that by next week I can start posting them.

Other than these posts, I’ve been feeling a little bit stuck in terms of my blog, my bookstagram, and essentially my life as well.  I am trying to get back into bookstagram, but I have no idea what kind of pictures to post and what theme I want to go for. When I first started my bookstagram I had so many ideas and I was having a lot of fun with it. I guess since I haven’t really been doing it consistently over the last couple years, I forgot and lost my creativity with that. With the blog, I’m not sure what kind of content I should post. It’s kind of frustrating!

I think when I start to feel uninspired is usually when I quit things and I don’t want to quit blogging! I actually really love it and love all the friends I’ve made and continue to make every day, but sometimes I feel like I’m boring everyone with the same content over and over again. You know, it’s not even just blogging and bookstagram. I have an online journal that I write about things happening in my life (it’s more of personal journal and I’ve been using it since I was in high school) and I really have nothing to write in my own personal journal either.

I think it has more to do with how I’ve been feeling about myself lately. I have all of these negative feelings (and thoughts) about myself over the last 3-4 months that I’ve never had before. It’s so weird experiencing this because I used to always think so highly of myself. Now I question whether that was even real or if I was pretending/lying to myself all my life. The end months of 2019 messed with my self-confidence and shattered who I thought I was. I only feel like a fraction of who I was before and that scares me! I want to get back to my old self, where I was always positive and always happy. I want to get out of this negative headspace. Some days I think I am finally out of it and then others I feel right back in there. Sigh.

I’ve been obsessed with this song “Hangnail” by Rationale. I feel like I relate to it a lot lately. I just feel down about myself and my life these days. Here’s the song if you’re interested: https://youtu.be/O9sTYRUkSHc

“I wish I had this poetic poise, an articulate finesse.
I’m too clumsy and the words escape me.
I’m hazy and any passing thought can displace me.”

I think this negative headspace; these thoughts and these feelings are pouring into everything in my life, including blogging. I think this is where so much of my “stuck” feeling comes from too. Maybe I can Google search some ideas for both bookstagram and my blog and see what I can come up with! I did bookmark an awesome blog post from Kelly from Another Book in the Wall about “how to blog when you haven’t read anything new“, so I may also go back and reference her post to get some ideas as well. Anything you guys want to see on my blog? It doesn’t have to be book related!

Here are my social media accounts if you’re interested in being friends outside of the amazing blogosphere. I usually post regularly on my personal Instagram account.

Goodreads: heyyitsashley_
Twitter: whoa_itsashley
Pinterest: lalalaitsashley
Instagram: heyyitsashley – personal Instagram account
Bookstagram: foreverbookish_ – book Instagram account (underscore after “bookish”)

I will catch up with all of your posts and reply to comments later today or possibly tomorrow. I’m really hoping to try and get some reading in today. 🙂

In case you missed it;
Andy Reads|| Maybe Someday.
March TBR (Maybe).
Wrap Up|| February.

I hope you have a great day!

ashleyblack

Andy Reads|| Maybe Someday.

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Hey!

The review below was written by my husband Andy and these are his thoughts and opinions on the book. You can check out more information about “Andy Reads” and the books that he’s read and reviewed over here.

maybesomeday

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Description: Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble—she’s a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from the balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life. But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope….Maybe someday…

Andy’s Review:

I thought Maybe Someday was a good book. It definitely pulled at my heart a bit and left me frustrated with Sydney and Ridge at times. Wanting them to find the courage to love each other. It didn’t take very long into the story to hook me in and made me say “oh dang a few times”. All in all the book was good for a romance novel and wasn’t too gushy or boring and for the most part had me on the edge of my seat. I give this book a 4 out of 5 total.

I apology for Andy’s short review. I think he’s trying to get a hang of this review thing considering this is his first book review, haha. He did let me know that he really liked the book. He even came home every day after work to let me know what was going on in the book and how he felt about it. He ended up switching to the audiobook since he didn’t have much time to read with work (sometimes he works long hours) and life. He drives a lot for his job, so audiobook was a better fit for him. I am happy that he really liked Maybe Someday because it’s my favorite Colleen Hoover book! Hopefully his reviews get better with time, lol.

In case you missed it;
March TBR (Maybe).
Wrap Up|| February.
Book Haul|| February.

I hope you have a great day!

ashleyblack

March TBR (Maybe).

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sociallyawkwardbookwormorange

Hey!

Today is my birthday!! And today I am bringing you a TBR. You probably already know I don’t usually make TBRs because sticking to them is hard for me. I thought I would again this month because I think I might actually stick to this one? I didn’t do too bad with my February TBR. I didn’t read every single book on that list, but I didn’t stray from it and the ones I did read were on the list. So why not try again in March? Here is what my March TBR looks like…maybe. Things may change, who knows because I’m a mood reader. All titles linked to Goodreads.

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Little Universes by Heather Demetrios (Release Date: 4/7/2020)
The Silence of Bones by Jun Hur (Release Date: 4/21/2020)
Admission by Julie Buxbaum (Release Date: 5/5/2020)

I’ll start off with a few ARCs that I am hoping to read this month. Two are April releases and one is an early May release. I am really excited about all three of these, especially the new Julie Buxbaum book. Hopefully I’ll get these read and reviewed this month.

starryeyeswildatheartinfinitysonalice

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker
Infinity Son by Adam Silvera
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

I didn’t get the chance to read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland last month, so I want to try again this month. I got a new version of it with some pretty cool illustrations, so I’ve been wanting to reread it. I’m finally reading Starry Eyes after wanting to read it since 2018! I am currently reading it now and so far I like it. I am so stoked about Wild at Heart and Infinity Son.

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I am kind of stoked about this TBR. I think I have a pretty great selection of books to choose from. I have to try to read as much as possible as soon as possible though, because Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Nintendo Switch is coming out on March 20th; so goodbye to my real life and hello to my AC fictional life. 😛 I am pretty confident that it will take over my life for quite a while and I am sooooo ready for it.

What is on your March TBR? Have you read any of the books on my list? Let me know and feel free to link me to your posts if you have one!

In case you missed it;
Wrap Up|| February.
Review|| Dragon Hoops.
Book Haul|| February.

I hope you have a great day!

ashleyblack

Wrap Up|| February.

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wrapup

Hey!

February was not my best reading month. I am lucky to even have four books to share. I had to throw in some graphic novels just so I could get more books read for the month. I just couldn’t really get into the groove of things when it came to sitting down to read. Too many distractions in my head and happening around me, sigh. I did read and review three ARCs though, so at least there’s that. Anyway, here is my February wrap up. 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 myself (not audiobooks) throughout the month of February.

darlingrosegold2heartstopper3girlswithrazorheartsdragonhoops

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel – 4 out of 5 stars – Review
Heartstopper: Volume Three by Alice Oseman – 5 out of 5 stars
Girls with Razor Hearts by Suzanne Young – 4 out of 5 stars – Review
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang – 3 out of 5 stars – Review

Darling Rose Gold was kind of like a different twist to the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case. I really liked it and it was pretty hard to put down at times. Most of it was really great, but I wasn’t a fan of the ending. I don’t think I can ever say anything bad about the Heartstopper graphic novels. Heartstopper: Volume 3 was so amazing and cute and I am dying for more. It ended with a little cliffhanger. I love my boys and I am dying for volume 4. Girls with Razor Hearts is the sequel to Girls with Sharp Sticks. I thought the first book was a little better, but I still really enjoyed this one. It’s been such a powerful series so far and it’s really relatable and important to what is happening in the world right now where men seem to have more power, especially over women. It’s so messed up, but in a lot of ways it’s true and what is happening every day in the real world. Dragon Hoops is a graphic novel about basketball. I’m not a basketball fan or really a fan of sports in general. I still liked this book though and it was fun to read. Feel free to check out my reviews linked above for more.

Currently Reading Books:
These are the books that I started to read in the month of February, but didn’t get a chance to finish them yet.

starryeyes

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

I am finally reading Starry Eyes! I’ve been wanting to read it long before it was ever published in 2018 and just never got around to it. Since I read all my March ARCs February, I am reading Starry Eyes before I start on my April ARCs.

What books did you read in February? Have you read any of the books that I read? Feel free to link me to you wrap up post, so I can check it out!

I made a March TBR (that I probably won’t stick to 😛 ) and may or may not do a post about it. Although, I did pretty much stick to my TBR for February. I am hoping to post Andy’s review of Maybe Someday within the next couple days too. I’ll catch up with your entries and reply to comments at some point today. I may be busy during the morning/afternoon, so might have to be toward the end of the day. To end this post though, remember how I mentioned unhauling 50+ books in my book haul post last week? Well, I decided to reorganize my bookshelves a little bit after unhauling some books. Here’s an updated picture:

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The left two bookcases are paperbacks and ARCs (the big one and skinnier one). The books at the very bottom of the skinnier shelf are some miscellaneous books that I may move to a different shelf. The next two bookcases are hardcovers. The last bookcase the hardcovers continue over there and it also has my Harry Potter books at the top. This one also has a lot of miscellaneous books and unopened Funko Pops. My baby Yoda (the Child) painting is what I did in that art class I mentioned in a previous post. It’s just sitting there for now until I hang it up on my wall. The very top of all my bookcases are my favorite unopened Funko Pops. I currently have my opened ones in a box right now, because I’m not sure where I want to put them yet. I’m pretty happy with the way it is right now. I may change a few books into different spots, but for the most part I like how it is.

In case you missed it;
Book Haul|| February.

I hope you have a great day!

ashleyblack