July wrap up + August TBR

On August 1, 2020August 1, 2020 By KalinaIn Wrap up+TBR1 Comment

This July I read six books and finished the heroes of Olympus which I loved! Recently, I have been thinking that I am going to stop blogging for now. I have been blogging for more than two years and it’s just not bringing the me same joy it used to. Anyway I hope everyone is doing well, this year has been crazy.

August TBR

I am hoping to get to Kingdom of souls this month I want it to be good so bad that I just keep putting it off. Also I was never planning on reading The Trials of Apollo but after finishing the heroes of Olympus I just want to read everything.

I am so excited to read You should see me in a crown it seems like something I would really like. Labyrinth lost has been on my TBR for so long and it has a super cool synopsis so I am hoping to actually read it soon.

As someone who is obsessed with the teen witch trope I have been itching to read When we were magic but I am scared because my expectations are so high. I came across Snapdragon on my digital library and it looked cool so I’m planning on reading it.

Happy reading 🙂

June Wrapup + July TBR

On June 30, 2020August 1, 2020 By KalinaIn Wrap up+TBR1 Comment

Somehow its the summer already and I just graduated high school so I have a lot of time on my hands. I am trying to keep myself busy so that I’m not anxious so hopefully that means I will get a lot of reading done this July.

JUNE)

July TBR

I am planning on binge reading the rest of The heroes of Olympus series in July because I started it and now I am really into it.

Also, I am going through a Greek mythology phase and The song of Achilles has been on my TBR for so long I might as well read it now haha.

I have wanted to read Emily of new moon since I watched Russian doll which I was obsessed with, it’s such a good show. Also my library just got the audio book for It’s not like its a secret so I want to listen to that as well.

Happy reading 🙂

Down the TBR Hole #11

On June 24, 2020June 22, 2020 By KalinaIn Weekly memesLeave a comment

Down the TBR hole was created by Lia at Lost in a Story . The goal of this meme is to organize your TBR pile and get rid of books you no longer have any interest in reading.

The Rules:

Go to your Goodreads To-Read shelf.
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?
Repeat every week until the entire list has been filtered.

The books

40024139

I was so excited for this book because I love anything witch related but after reading some reviews I feel like I am going to be really disappointed if I read it.

Verdict: Go

28936274._SY475_

Now that I am going to college in September this book feels more relevant to my life and I am more likely to pick it up.

Verdict: Keep

36430989

To be completely honest the cover is the only reason I added this book to my tbr. I mean look at it, it’s beautiful. I am just not interested in the story.

Verdict: Go

18079501

I added this to my tbr so long ago I have lost all interest in actually reading it.

Verdict: Go

43822698

I completely forgot about this book but I really loved The wicked deep by the same author so I really want to read this too!

Verdict: Keep

Happy reading 🙂

Happy pride month! LGBTQ+ book recommendations

On June 16, 2020June 15, 2020 By KalinaIn Book recommendations2 Comments

Happy Pride month! I compiled a list of some LGBTQ+ books I really enjoyed reading, I hope you like these books too 🙂

L – Lesbian

Her royal highness is just a cute fluffy romance that I would recommend even if you are not normally a romance reader. The love and lies of Rukhsana Ali doesn’t have that much romance and it’s pretty sad but it really explores family, culture, and how sexuality fits in.

Girls of paper and fire and Come tumbling down both have f/f relationships in harsh fantasy worlds that I seriously loved. Come tumbling down is the 5th book in the series but you only need to read the first two books to understand this one.

G – Gay

Heartstopper is the cutest thing I have ever read and yet it has depth to it not just cute moments, I cant recommend it enough! Also if your willing to read like 6 Rick Riordan books then Nico di Angelo is a really great gay character who is dating Will the demigod son of Apollo.

Call me by your name and Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe both have m/m relationships that I enjoyed reading. Aristotle and Dante is one of my favourite coming of age books and it is friends to lovers.

B – Bisexual

The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo and The Gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue are both historical fiction books with bisexual main characters!

Autoboyography and The brightsiders are teen books with bisexual main characters. The brightsiders includes a toxic f/f relationship as well as a pansexual and genderqueer love interest, the whole group is queer it’s a cool read!

T – Transgender

Birthday is one of the only books I have read with a transgender character which is kind of sad but it was a good book, trigger warning for grief and abuse. Every heart a doorway and the whole series has such a great diverse cast with asexual and gay characters as well as a trans character Kade.

Radio silence is a really great coming of age book with bisexual, gay and demisexual representation. Mooncakes features queer and non binary characters and it is so fantastical and sweet!

51I0LAuJ7vL._SY248_BO1,204,203,200_

I didn’t realize this because I only read the first book but Magnus chase has a relationship with a non binary character Alex so its assumed that he is bi or pan!

Happy Pride month and happy reading 🙂

TTT Books I’ve Added to my TBR and Forgotten Why

On June 9, 2020May 11, 2020 By KalinaIn Weekly memesLeave a comment

Top ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and this weeks topic is Books I’ve Added to my TBR and Forgotten Why

Forest of souls by Lori M. Lee
The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Saints and misfits by S.K. Ali
Black leopard red wolf by Marlon James

The chaos of now by Erin Jade Lange
Dont call the wolf by Aleksandra Ross

Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index by Julie Israel
The voting booth by Brandy colbert

Happy reading 🙂

May Wrapup + June TBR

On May 31, 2020May 30, 2020 By KalinaIn Wrap up+TBRLeave a comment

May was a surprisingly good reading month for me, I have just been in a reading mood so hopefully I stay that way lol. In June I am graduating from high school which is kind of crazy to think about but I am really happy about it!

MAY2703249389003580127

June TBR

I have been reading the illustrated editions of harry potter so now I’m on to Goblet of fire. Also Gideon the ninth has been on my TBR for a while I have just been waiting for the right mood.

Laura Dean keeps breaking up with me and On a sunbeam are LGBT graphic novels because June is pride month! Luckily my digital library had these available so I am really excited to read them.

7736182._SY475_

I just finished the Percy Jackson series and because of my obsessive personality I need to read the next series immediately so I am reading The Lost hero for sure.

Happy reading 🙂

WWW Wednesday

On May 20, 2020May 19, 2020 By KalinaIn Weekly memes1 Comment

WWW Wednesday

Today is a weekly meme WWW Wednesday originally hosted by A Daily Rhythm, and revived by Taking on a World of Words.

All you have to do is answer the following questions.

What are you currently reading?
What did you finish recently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading

I feel like everyone has read The diary of Anne frank so I had to read it and I love her she is weirdly relatable. I am halfway through Come tumbling down and I think it might be my favourite in the series so far! I love the whole mad scientist vibe.

Recently finished

I just finished my first Murakami book Norwegian wood and it was so bad… I wrote a rant review which isn’t something I normally do. The brightsiders was a fun read, I loved how much representation it had. The singing in the audio book made me laugh lol it was really awkward.

Reading next

I have put off reading The last Olympian for so long! I never finish book series and I need to.

Happy reading 🙂

Rant review: Norwegian wood by Haruki Murakami

On May 16, 2020May 15, 2020 By KalinaIn ReviewsLeave a comment

11297

Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable. As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman.

First off, I wanted to try Haruki Murakami for the first time and I was really disappointed considering this is the book that made him popular. I think he has great writing and I want to read his other books but this one just had so much stuff I didn’t like and I only gave it 2 stars.

So here is a list with spoilers of all the things that bothered me:

If you took all the sex scenes out of the book I don’t know what would be left, most of them were completely irrelevant to the story or were completely inappropriate. By inappropriate I mean sleeping with your best friends girlfriend right after he killed himself. Then after she kills herself at the end of the book he sleeps with her roommate from the mental facility she was in…
Not only do the sex scenes feel inappropriate two in particular were non consensual. First he sleeps with Naoko while she is crying and grieving and this doesn’t seem wrong to him at all. Then there is also non consensual sex between a 13 year old girl and a 32 year old woman.
I wasn’t connected to any of the characters because they didn’t feel like real people. The main character Toru was described as a nice guy but he was incredibly self involved and unlikable. One of the love interests Naoko had zero personality aside from the fact she was struggling with mental illness. And Midori the other love interest’s only personality trait was that she was sex obsessed. What I am getting at is the fact that all of the women in this book were over sexualized and broken and needed men to save them.
The entire plot had to do with his relationships with girls and the fact that there is four suicides. That’s it. There is no depth into the themes of mental illness, and it all felt really shallow.

If you have read this what were your thoughts? If you haven’t I clearly don’t recommend you read this haha

The Last Ten Books I Abandoned

On May 12, 2020April 22, 2020 By KalinaIn Weekly memesLeave a comment

Top ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and this weeks topic is The Last Ten Books I Abandoned. These are all books I started and never finished, I still want to go back and read all of them.