ABC Book Challenge Letter C

Today I'm going to continue the ABC Book Challenge. Let's hope I'll get to the end of the alphabet someday!

I've seen this Challenge on various blogs in all kinds of different ways. I hope you'll like the way I'm approaching this!

Feel free to join in.

Let's dive right in!

Review: Morning Star (Red Rising Saga, #3)

Author: Pierce Brown

Started reading: January 13th 2021

Finished the book: April 10th 2021

Pages: 524

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, YA

Published: February 19th 2016

Source: Ebook

Goodreads score: 4.48

My score:

Synopsis

Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society’s mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.

Finally, the time has come.

But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied—and too glorious to surrender.

Booktag: Unhaul #5

It's been 6 months since I did an unhaul. Since I keep adding books to my TBR, but never remove any, I decided to do another unhaul.

My TBR is so big, that it sometimes scares me. I decided to visit my own Goodreads shelves and to TRY and unhaul 10 books.

Please feel free to participate and unhaul some of your books. I'd love to know what books you decided to unhaul!

Two Short Stories #22

Today I will be highlighting two short stories.

Both of them are lovely picture books with beautiful illustrations!

Let's dive right in.

March Wrap up - Book Haul & What to Expect Next Month

   

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

YES! The weather over here in The Netherlands is so good. I just enjoy the day a lot more, whereas I enjoy the nights more in winter. I went outside with my class, for extra time in the fresh air and they just played and had fun.

Easter is coming up, that means a long weekend of freedom: 4 days! I did not plan anything and I'm just going to do whatever I like. 

Sadly we're still in lockdown and nothing is open except for supermarkets, hairdressers and stuff like that. The other shops are closed, restaurants are closed and zoo's and theme parks are still closed. I'm sad about that because I just love going anywhere if the weather is good.

I am very happy about nail salons opening back up, because I kept joking that I looked like a vagrant with my raggedy nails. Now they're all beautiful and shiny again! It's the small things during these times that make me happy.

Stay safe.

Thanks for sticking with my blog and for reading!

Have a great month with loads of sunshine.

🌞

ABC Book Challenge Letter B

Today I'm going to continue the ABC Book Challenge. Let's hope I'll get to the end of the alphabet someday!

I've seen this Challenge on various blogs in all kinds of different ways. I hope you'll like the way I'm approaching this!

Let's dive right in!

Review: Ten Days Gone (A.L. McKittridge #1)

Author: Beverly Long

Started reading: March 6th 2021

Finished the book: March 21st 2021

Pages: 377

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Published: February 18th 2020

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads score: 3.85

My score:

Synopsis

In all their years working for the Baywood police department, detectives A.L. McKittridge and Rena Morgan have never seen anything like it. Four women dead in forty days, each killed ten days apart. With nothing connecting the victims and very little evidence, the clock is already counting down to when the next body drops. A.L. and Rena will have to act fast if they’re going to find the killer’s next victim before he does.

But identifying the killer’s next likely target is only half the battle. With pressure pushing in from all sides, a promising breakthrough leads the detectives to Tess Lyons, a woman whose past trauma has left her too damaged to appreciate the danger she’s in. Unwilling to let another woman die, A.L. and Rena will put everything on the line to keep Tess safe and end the killer’s deadly spree once and for all—before time runs out again.

Review: Cracked Kingdom (The Royals #5)

Author: Erin Watt

Started reading: December 11th 2020

Finished the book: March 2nd 2021

Pages: 305 / 09:04:57

Genres: Romance, New Adult

Published: March 1st 2018

Source: Storytel

Goodreads score: 3.90

My score:

Synopsis

Ever since Hartley Wright met Easton Royal, her life hasn’t been the same. There are enemies behind every corner and dangers beyond each door. When tragedy strikes and steals her memories, she can’t trust anyone, not even the blue-eyed boy who promises her that everything will be all right.Because while Hartley’s memory is full of gaps, her instincts tell her Easton is dangerous. She doesn’t know if he’s the snake in the garden or her chance at salvation. The chaos he brings wherever he goes is too much to handle, the intense feelings he evokes are too confusing to unravel.
Easton wants her to remember. Hartley thinks it’s better to forget. She might be right.

Sunday Post #28

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

Two Short Stories #21

Today I will be highlighting two short stories.

One of them is a thrilling short story and the other one an erotic/romantic short story.

Let's dive right in.

Review: Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #3)

Author: Jenny Han

Started reading: February 6th 2021

Finished the book: March 2nd 2021

Pages: 325

Genres: Romance, YA

Published: May 2nd 2017

Source: Bought the book

Goodreads score: 4.10

My score:

Synopsis

Lara Jean is having the best senior year. And there’s still so much to look forward to: a class trip to New York City, prom with her boyfriend Peter, Beach Week after graduation, and her dad’s wedding to Ms. Rothschild. Then she’ll be off to college with Peter, at a school close enough for her to come home and bake chocolate chip cookies on the weekends.Life couldn’t be more perfect!

At least, that’s what Lara Jean thinks... Until she gets some unexpected news. Now the girl who dreads change must rethink all her plans—but when your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

February Wrap up - Book Haul & What to Expect Next Month

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

This month the schools opened back up and that has made me so happy. My days were much more fun when just teaching in a classroom instead of from home. Something special also happend in The Netherlands. We had a HUGE amount of snow for the first time in maybe... 8 years?! Behind our school is a little hill and I took the kids there 3 afternoons during that week.

After that week of snow the weather totally changed and it feels totally like Spring right now. I've also just had a week off from work, a little Spring Break and I had time to do all kinds of fun stuff. I spent a lot of time with friends and family. I had all the time to read. I've also bought a bigger aquarium. Since I have 3 fishes and they grew so big, I went from 57 liters to 110 liters. Have been busy with that too.

I did a nice convertible ride with a friend and a lovely walk in Kampen, the town that I live in. And I also started running, which feels good!

This was just a much better month for me. I hope things are going well for you too, over there!

Thanks for sticking with my blog and for reading!

Have a great month with loads of sunshine and good books.

⛄

Review: Kids of Appetite

Author: David Arnold

Started reading: January 28th 2021

Finished the book: February 24th 2021

Pages: 352

Genres: YA, Contemporary

Published: September 20th 2016

Source: Bookbox

Goodreads score: 4.01

My score:

Synopsis

Victor Benucci and Madeline Falco have a story to tell. It begins with the death of Vic’s father. It ends with the murder of Mad’s uncle. The Hackensack Police Department would very much like to hear it. But in order to tell their story, Vic and Mad must focus on all the chapters in between.

This is a story about:

1. A coded mission to scatter ashes across New Jersey. 2. The momentous nature of the Palisades in winter. 3. One dormant submarine. 4. Two songs about flowers. 5. Being cool in the traditional sense. 6. Sunsets & ice cream & orchards & graveyards. 7. Simultaneous extreme opposites. 8. A narrow escape from a war-torn country. 9. A story collector. 10. How to listen to someone who does not talk. 11. Falling in love with a painting. 12. Falling in love with a song. 13. Falling in love.

ABC Book Challenge Letter A

Today I'm going to start the ABC Book Challenge. Let's hope I'll get to the end of the alphabet someday!

I've seen this Challenge on various blogs in all kinds of different ways. I hope you'll like the way I'm approaching this!

Let's dive right in!

Two Short Stories #20

 

Today I will be highlighting two short stories.

One of them is a magical/erotic short story and the other one a lovely picture book about all the trash in the sea.

Let's dive right in.

Review: 100 Word Horrors 4

Author: Kevin J. Kennedy and others
Started reading: January 30th 2021
Finished the book: February 2nd 2021
Pages: 109
Genres: Horror, Short Stories
Published: December 8th 2019
Source: Digital copy from the author
Goodreads score: 4.28

My score:

Synopsis

100 Word Horrors: Book 4 brings you over one hundred new drabbles from a wealth of horror authors. Some new, some old, but all great. Each and every one of us hope you have a blast with the final instalment in the series.

Sunday Post #27

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

Review: Closed Circles (Sandhamn Murders #2)

Author: Viveca Sten

Started reading: January 12th 2021

Finished the book: January 27th 2021

Pages: 464

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Mystery

Published: March 29th 2016

Source: Borrowed the book

Goodreads score: 3.94

My score:

Synopsis

It’s a beautiful day for a regatta—until one of Sandhamn Island’s most prestigious residents is killed aboard his sailing yacht.

Oscar Juliander was a rich lawyer and deputy chairman of the prestigious Royal Swedish Yacht Club. While at first his death seems like a tragic accident, there is evidence of foul play. Police detective Thomas Andreasson teams up with local lawyer Nora Linde to investigate. As they work to uncover clues, they face resistance from an elite world where nothing but appearance matters.

When the rich and powerful inhabitants of Sweden’s idyllic island getaway come under scrutiny, Thomas and Nora must work closely and secretively to seek justice.

January Wrap up - Book Haul & What to Expect Next Month

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

The first month of the year is over already. And I have to be honest: I'm glad that it's over. This month was not that great for me. Usually I'm that person that goes out for dinner 2/3 times a week, I play handball, I go to the theater, cinema, visit friends. This month I could do none of that, and on top of if all I had to teach from home. 

I've been siting inside with tears in my eyes multiple times. The Netherlands has been in lockdown for a long period now and there is also a night clock, which caused a lot of people to go out into the cities and cause riots. I'm actually ashamed to see things like that. 

I've been trying to stay very positive towards the kids in my classroom and I've been calling with them 3/4 times a day. I did organize a quiz last Wednesday over Teams with my classroom. We listened to some songs, had some snacks and did a little dance, all in our own houses, safe, but were still able to have some fun.

Slowly but surely the news is coming out with news about schools opening back up on February 8th. We'll wait and see and I'm really hoping I'll be able to go back to work. I can't wait to see the kids, be in a classroom full of eager, young learners and just to get out of my house to be honest...

Sorry for being negative Nancy, I hope I feel more energetic and positive next month, but yeah. It is what it is... 😉

Thanks for sticking with my blog and for reading!

Hope February will be good to you.

💮

Unboxing: Fairyloot Enemies To Lovers

Welcome, welcome, dear readers. Welcome to the blog. I hope you're having a great day!

I recently subscribed for a 3 month Fairyloot subscription. I had little to no time to do unboxings during the lovely festivities in December and all the reviews I had to write.

I'm very excited to do another unboxing. So here is last years November box!

Let's unbox this baby, here we go!

Review: They Called Us Enemy

Author: George Takei

Started reading: December 26th 2020

Finished the book: January 5th 2021

Pages: 208

Genres: Graphic Novel, Autobiography, War, Nonfiction

Published: August 25th 2020

Source: Bought the book

Goodreads score: 4.38

My score:

Synopsis

In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten "relocation centers," hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard.

They Called Us Enemy is Takei's firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the terrors and small joys of childhood in the shadow of legalized racism, his mother's hard choices, his father's tested faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.

What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide? When the world is against you, what can one person do? To answer these questions, George Takei joins cowriters Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott and artist Harmony Becker for the journey of a lifetime.

Review: The Unadjusteds (The Unadjusteds #1)

Author: Marisa Noelle

Started reading: January 2nd 2021

Finished the book: January 10th 2021

Pages: 414

Genres: YA, Science Fiction

Published: November 1st 2019

Source: Digital copy from the author

Goodreads score: 4.26

My score:

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Silver Melody lives in a world where 80% of the population has modified their DNA. Known as the altereds, those people now possess enhancements like wings, tails, and increased strength or intelligence. Although Silver’s parents created the nanite pill used to deliver these genetic modifications, Silver is proud of her unadjusted state.

However, when the president declares all unadjusteds must take a nanite, Silver has no choice but to flee the city with her father and some friends to prevent the extinction of the unadjusteds.

With Silver’s mother in prison for treason, Silver’s father is the unadjusteds’ only hope at finding a cure. But time is running out as Silver’s father is captured by the president’s almost immortal army. Vicious hellhounds are on Silver’s trail, and her only chance to recover her father involves teaming up with a new group of unlikely friends before all humanity is lost.

Review: Blood Wedding

Author: Pierre Lemaitre

Started reading: December 28th 2020

Finished the book: January 1st 2021

Pages: 288

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

Published: June 6th 2017

Source: Received as a gift

Goodreads score: 3.96

My score:

Synopsis

Young, successful, and happily married-- Sophie thought at first she was becoming absentminded when she started misplacing her mail and forgetting where she'd parked her car the night before.

But then, as her husband and colleagues pointed out with increasing frustration, she began forgetting things she'd said and done, too. And when she was detained by the police for shoplifting, a crime she didn't remember committing, the confusion and blackouts that had begun to plague her took on a more sinister cast.

Now, Sophie is in much deeper water: One morning, she wakes to find that the little boy in her care is dead. She has no memory of what happened. And whatever the truth, her side of the story is no match for the evidence piled against her. Her only hiding place is in a new identity. A new life, with a man she has met online. But Sophie is not the only one keeping secrets...

Sunday Post #26 + Winner GIVEAWAY

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

Review: Always Greener (The General Buzz Book 1)

Author: J.R.H. Lawless

Started reading: December 24th 2020

Finished the book: DNF

Pages: 263

Genres: Science Fiction

Published: February 18th 2020

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads score: 3.44

My score:

Synopsis

Life's biggest victim, please step up and claim your prize!

A smash-hit reality show is offering a lifetime of luxury to the one person living the world’s worst life, and now everyone is out to prove just how bad they’ve got it. Want in? All you’ve got to do is accept ocular implants that let the whole world see life through your eyes, twenty-four hour a day, seven days a week.Fortunately, there’s still one person who hasn’t lost faith in all humanity. The show’s ever-smiling host is determined to wring some tiny bit of meaning out of this twisted competition and your unhappy existence.
There has to be a purpose behind all this misery, doesn’t there?

Review: P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #2)

Author: Jenny Han

Started reading: December 25th 2020

Finished the book: December 28th 2020

Pages: 337

Genres: YA, Romance

Published: May 26th 2015

Source: Bought the book

Goodreads score: 4.10

My score:

Synopsis

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter. She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever. When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

Two Short Stories #19

Today I will be highlighting two short stories.

One of them is a short story about someone that is experiencing the afterlife, the other story is about a woman who is learning new things about herself.

Let's dive right in.

Review: I Am Legend

Author: Richard Matheson

Started reading: December 18th 2020

Finished the book: December 25th 2020

Pages: 162

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Classic

Published: July 1954

Source: E-book

Goodreads score: 4.07

My score:

Synopsis

Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth... but he is not alone. Every other man, woman and child on the planet has succumbed to the vampire plague, and they are hungry for Neville's blood.

By day he is the hunter, stalking the undead through the ruins of civilisation. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn.

How long can one man survive like this?

Review: The Horror Collection: Pink Edition (THC Book 6)

Author: Kevin J. Kennedy

Started reading: December 16th 2020

Finished the book: December 21st 2020

Pages: 126

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

Published: ?

Source: Digital copy from the author

Goodreads score: 4.17

My score:

Synopsis

Book 6 in the Horror Collection contains stories by Tim Curran, Douglas Hackle, Kyle M. Scott, Mike Duke, Zoey Xolton, Natasha Sinclair & Kevin J. Kennedy.

We will take you on a trip through hell, to vampire torn lands, find out the perils of collecting too many books and on many more terrifying adventures.

4 Year Blogiversary: Book Of Choice GIVEAWAY

4 years?! Time is flying when you're having fun. I've even counted it multiple times, but YES. It has been 4 years since I started this blog. I just loved books and really wanted more people to talk about books with. My blog has been one of the best things I've ever done and I've never regretted it ever since.

I want to thank all the visitors to my blog. The frequent visitors, new visitors, people that comment, share, like. All of you, the book community, make it worth my time! I also want to thank authors for contacting me and for sharing their beloved stories with me.

If you're one of those followers that's been stuck here for a LONG time, you know it's a tradition here to giveaway 1 paperback book. Choices are from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2020.

Read this blogpost for some cool statistics about my blog and to find out more about the giveaway!