Month: January 2018

Tackling My Netgalley TBR – January 2018 Update

karenjo467 Comments

netgalleytbrpic1

Hi lovelies! Time for an update on my Netgalley TBR progress. I’ve crossed out the books I’ve read and as you can see, I still have a longggggg way to go.

  1. The Booke of Whispers by Kimberley Starr
  2. Odd and True by Cat Winters
  3. Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne
  4. Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
  5. Love Songs and Other Lies by Jessica Pennington
  6. Booke of Hidden by Jeri Westerson
  7. All the Wrong Chords by Christine Hurley Deriso
  8. Gray Wolf Island Tracey Neithercott
  9. The Canary Club by Sherry D. Ficklin
  10. Berseker by Emmy Laybourne
  11. Nemesis by Anna Banks
  12. The Breathless by Tara Goedjen
  13. A Poison Dark and Drowning by Jessica Cluess
  14. 36 Questions that Changed My Mind About You by Vicki Grant
  15. Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore
  16. Just Friends by Dyan Sheldon
  17. The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz
  18. Playing by Heart by Carmela Martino
  19. All the Wind in the World by Samantha Mabry
  20. A Taxonomy of Love by Rachael Allen
  21. The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
  22. My New Crush Gave to Me by Shani Petroff
  23. Plague Land by Alex Scarrow
  24. Stronger by Janey Nissenson
  25. Pumpkin Spice Secrets by Hillary Homzie
  26. Kiss Me in New York by Catherine Rider
  27. Fraternize by Rachel Van Dylen
  28. Run Away With Me by Mila Gray
  29. Always Red by Isabelle Ronin
  30. Flight Season by Marie Marquardt
  31. The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody
  32. Breaking the Ice by Julie Cross
  33. What the Valley Knows by Heather Christie (approved Jan 8)
  34. Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian (approved Jan 8)
  35. That Secret You Keep by Brenda Benny (approved Jan 8)
  36. Cold Hard Truth by Anne Greenwood Brown (approved Jan 8)
  37. How You Ruined My Life by Jeff Strand (approved Jan 8)
  38. Love Between Enemies by Molly E. Lee (blog tour)
  39. Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy (blog tour)
  40. The Dating Debate by Chris Cannon (blog tour)
  41. A Kiss in the Dark by Gina Ciocca (approved Jan 30)

I participated in a few blog tours with ARCs provided through Netgalley, so I added those to the list. I tried not to add any more, but I kind of failed. In my defense, I actually requested them before 2018 and it just so happens that they got approved the same day I did the Tackling My Netgalley TBR post. I wasn’t aware until I signed on later that week that I actually had more books to add… Was I thrilled? Absolutely! Did I mentally kick myself? Definitely — Over and over again.

I started with 32 books, read 4, and added 9 books total. Definitely did not go very well this month since I now have 37 books to read… Yup I have a problem and I need some bookish guidance to help stop me from requesting anymore books…

At least my feedback ratio stayed the same at 49%. I’ll just have to do better next month!!

sincerelykarenjo2

 

 

 

The Sunshine Blogger Award

karenjo4624 Comments

Hello loves!! I was nominated by Rita over at A Song of Books and Coffee for The Sunshine Blogger Award. This is my second nomination for this award and I’m really excited to share my answers with you all. Rita came up with really fun ones! Don’t forget to check out her amazing blog.

sunshinebloggeraward

WHAT IS THE SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to those who are creative, positive and inspiring while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
  • Thank the person(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
  • Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
  • Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
  • List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post and/or on your blog.

Rita’s Questions

  1. How long have you been a reader? I’ve been reading off and on since high school.  Got into reading a lot during the Twilight craze then read off and on again. But around late 2014 /early 2015 I started to really read A LOT.
  2. What book are you currently reading? I’m currently reading Pen and Xander by Laekan Zea Kem (almost done — I really like this book so I don’t know why it’s taking me so long to finish), and The Key to Everything by Paula Stokes.
  3. What’s your favourite genre and why? ROMANCE – I love the idea of true love and soulmates and all that hopeless romantic stuff. I’ve always loved it… I think I always will.
  4. What’s your favourite book from a genre you don’t usually go for? I don’t really read  mystery or thrillers, but when I read Vicarious and Ferocious by Paula Stokes, I absolutely fell in love — now I’m trying to read more books from this genre. So, there’s a bit of romance in this series which I think helped, but even if there wasn’t, I still would have loved the books. It’s just so well-written, thrilling and fun to read. You can read my review for Vicarious here and the sequel, Ferocious, here. If you love thrillers, mystery, fast-paced action, and a little romance, then this duology needs to be on your TBR.
  5. Name a character that you can really relate to and why. Lara Jean from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before always comes to mind.  She likes being crafty, scrapbooks, writes love letters, bakes, and is a sweet shy girl. She’s quirky, nerdy, and smart. Not only do I see myself being friends with her, I can definitely see some of teenage me in her character.
  6. Name a character that you absolutely hate and why. Queen Levana from the Lunar Chronicles. If there is someone who is completely evil… I vote her. She was just incredibly ruthless.
  7. Where are you from? I’m was born in the Philippines, but moved to Los Angeles when I was 9 years old.
  8. Would you like to learn a new language? If so, which one(s)? I took French my freshman year in high school, but had to switch to Spanish because my French 2 class was at the same period as my Honors English. While it was difficult for me to learn French, I actually like the language and would someday want to learn it again. I knew a few words, but that’s it.
  9. If you could be anyone in the world – alive or dead, real or fictional –  who would you be? Wow… this is a really difficult question… I’ll probably have to think about this for a while… BUT if I could meet anyone real or fictional, I would mostly likely choose Hermione Grainger so she can teach me everything she knows about being a wizard.
  10. Do you like superheroes? If so, who’s your favourite? Yes!! I actually really love watching superheroes movies and shows. I have so many favorites, but Wonder Woman totally kicks ass. 
  11. Favourite TV show(s)? Game of Thrones, Westworld, Lucifer, Stranger Things, The 100, Gotham, The Last Ship, Walking Dead, HIMYM, and Big Bang Theory… just to name a few.

My Questions

Name a few of your dream destinations.

What’s your favorite dessert and why?

What are your top 10 favorite reads in 2017?

What was the last book you DNF?

What songs are you listening to right now?

What are some of your most anticipated reads in 2018?

Name 3-5 of your favorite book boyfriends?

Who are some of your auto-buy authors?

Do you have a bad bookish habit? What is it?

How often do you read out of your comfort zone?

Which book in 2017 surprised you the most?

 

Tagging these lovelies. If you’ve been nominated before, then I won’t mind if you skip this… but feel free to answer some of my questions in the comments. I can’t wait to read all of your answers!!! Have a wonderful day!

Kay @hammockofbooks

Marianna @mariannascorner

Maegan @ofstrangerworlds

Jasmine @singprettyreadbooks

Jenaca @jenacidebybibliophile

Michelle @sherbetlemonreviews

Peachy @bookdragonlair

Bree @inloveandwords

Alysha @floralreads

Merv @mervreads

Kester and Kelsey @lilbooklovers

 

sincerelykarenjo2