Final Chapter

 I have been taking a blogging break and I'm not gonna beat around the bush; This will be my final blogpost for the foreseeable future.

The blogging break has been amazing for me. I've been finding new joy in reading, have been reading more than ever, have found joy in journaling and have been picking up games that I love again.

Not having the pressure to write a review or a blogpost every few days has been amazing for me. Reading has again become something relaxing for me, instead of a must.

I do miss you guys, my audience, the people who visit my blog and comment and who have been a part of my life for the last 6 years.

So please, do follow me on Goodreads or on Instagram as @biteintobooks or for my personal account as @esthorro

This domain will stay up, because this blog is my baby and I cannot imagine me not coming back to it one day.

Thanks for all the support and love that you all (this community) have given me.

Esther out.

I'm taking a 3 month break!

I have been pondering and weighing and doubting, but the decision is final!

I'm taking a blogging break 😊.

I have been reading A LOT this year, but I have not been feeling the need to write reviews the past 6 months. I have tried to tone it down, but I just don't think it's working for now.

My blog has been online for 6 years and I'm so grateful for all the people I have met and got to know, but for now I'm taking a break. I will re-evaluate this in March of 2023.

You can still find me on Goodreads and Instagram!

When I feel the need to hop on your blogs I will do so, but I'm not making any promises. 

And if I feel the need to come back earlier, I will of course do this!

Esther out.

Two Recent Reads #3: The Midnight Library & Owl and the Electric Samurai

Today I will be writing two short reviews for two of my most recent reads!

The long anticipated The Midnight Library and the fantasy, vampire book Owl and the Electric Samurai (The Adventures of Owl #3).

Let's dive right in.

ABC Book Challenge Letter S

Today I'm going to continue the ABC Book Challenge. I'm on my way to the end of the alphabet! 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!

Booktag: Unhaul #7

Since I keep adding books to my TBR, but never remove any, I decided to do another unhaul. In today's edition, some books that have been on my TBR for YEARS will be asked to leave or stay  there...

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!

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

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

Thank you all for the love, comments and suggestions last month, when I voiced that I'm not sure where I stand with my blog. For now I'm still here, and the format of doing 2 reviews at the same time seems to work. I also love doing Challenges and Booktags like TTT, Sunday Post and ABC Booktag.

Last two weeks were a bit harder physically for me. I had to visit a dental surgeon which left me in pain for a week and when I didn't need to take painkillers anymore I sprained my ankle. Sometimes I feel like a huge klutz!

I'm glad that I'm feeling good now. My favorite month of the year is around the corner. We actually just bought a huge Christmas tree. We can fit one, now that we have a bigger home. There are tons of fun things waiting for me in this month. Amazing nights and days with friends and family. I'm going on a trip to London this Sunday and I'm of course visiting the Harry Potter Studios. I'm also going on a trip to Dusseldorf in Germany; there is a huge Christmas Fair

Enough fun things. I'm also still loving my two jobs; At the library and babysitting. I'm doing good. Thank you all for the comments and love and for visiting my blog. You are what keeps me here.

Thanks for sticking with my blog and for reading!

Have a great month with loads of sunshine.

🎅

Two Recent Reads #2: Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle & The Circle

 Today I will be writing two short reviews for two of my most recent reads!

The audiobook copy of fantasy book Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle, and dystopian book-to-movie The Circle.

Let's dive right in.

Sunday Post #45

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.

ABC Book Challenge Letter R

Today I'm going to continue the ABC Book Challenge. I'm on my way to the end of the alphabet! 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!

Top Ten Tuesday #6 - Series I’d Like to Start/Catch up on/Finish

Today I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday! For the ones who don't know yet; Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme is Series I'd Like to Start/Catch up on/Finish.

Two Recent Reads #1: Wild Swans & Owl and the City of Angels

Today I will be writing two short reviews for two of my most recent reads!

The nonfiction, autobiography book Wild Swans and the fantasy, vampire book Owl and the City of Angels (The Adventures of Owl #2).

Let's dive right in.

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

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

The month October has been a lot about working for me. As a (baby)sitter and in the library as well. Last week I had so called performance review, because I had a contract for two months. And now it's been extended to a year! I'm happy because my job in the library makes me happy. Also, FALL is what I love. Nature looks gorgeous and seeing the trees and forests gives me so much joy.

My time with the boy that I (baby)sit is so fun as well. We do all kinds of fun stuff like sleepovers, big playgrounds and we went to the cinema and swimming. He is so happy all the time and that makes me happy too.

On another note, I have something serious to talk about on my blog. And I'm really looking to talk to you all about this and to hear your opinion. I have been thinking about taking a blogging break. I feel like it costs me a lot of time and energy that I want to put in real life right now. (Like right now, this post is costing me 30 mins + that I would love to spend reading...)

Did you feel like this at some point? What did you do? Do you have some good advice for me? My blog is my baby and my audience is what does give me energy; connecting with you all. Talking about books, visiting your blogs, reading about your lives and our common passion: reading and books.

So I do want to continue, but the blogging break has been in my mind for a long time... I've also been thinking about just writing a weekly wrap up (maybe a Sunday Post?) of what I've been reading, watching and stuff like that, and maybe not write long reviews anymore? It might be something I am willing to try before officially taking a break.. So many thoughts... Help me out?! 💗

Thanks for sticking with my blog and for reading!

Have a great month with loads of beautiful fall leaves.

🍂

Five Children's Books #1

Today I will be highlighting Five Children's Books.

I will give you my rating and a short review per book.

Let's dive right in!

Sunday Post #44

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: Where the Crawdads Sing

Author: Delia Owens

Started reading: September 22nd 2022

Finished the book: October 6th 2022

Pages: 384

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Published: August 14th 2018

Source: Bought the book

Goodreads score: 4.43

My score:

Synopsis

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.

But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

Written by Blood series: Cane's Detour & Daniel's Darkness and Conviction

   

I'm currently reading a very fun, but longer series and since it contains some novellas as well, I decided to bundle up the reviews for the prequel and the first book.

Let's dive in!

Review: The Secrets We Share

Author: Edwin Hill

Started reading: September 22nd 2022

Finished the book: September 30th 2022

Pages: 296 / 8h 54m

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

Published: March 29th 2022

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads score: 3.98

My score:

Synopsis

At first glance, Natalie Cavanaugh and Glenn Abbott hardly look like sisters. Even off-duty, Natalie dresses like a Boston cop, preferring practical clothes and unfussy, pinned-up hair. Her younger sister, Glenn, seems tailor-made for the spotlight, from her signature red mane to her camera-ready smile. Glenn has spent years cultivating her brand through her baking blog, and with the publication of her new book, that hard work seems about to pay off. But her fans have no idea about the nightmare in Glenn and Natalie’s past.

Twenty years ago, their father’s body was discovered in the woods behind their house. A trauma like that doesn’t fit with Glenn’s public image. Yet, maybe someone reading her blog does know something. There have been anonymous online messages, vague yet ominous, hinting that she’s being watched. And with unsettling coincidences hitting ever closer to home, both Glenn and Natalie soon have more pressing matters to worry about, especially when a dead body is found in an abandoned building . . .

ABC Book Challenge Letter Q

Today I'm going to continue the ABC Book Challenge. I'm on my way to the end of the alphabet! 

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!

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

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

September was a great month! The most fun and important thing was me starting at my new job. I've had a great first month. I'm working in libraries and schools with teachers and children. The main goal is to improve reading pleasure and reading motivation. I've been spending most of my workdays in between reading shelves, picking out books, promoting books and doing all kinds of fun things in schools!

It's so much fun to read more Children's Books, since I've been reading YA and all ages above the last few years. I feel like I really want to be able to tell the children in the schools more about the books I'm bringing, so I'm also trying to read a lot of those books. I will definitely make a segment about it on my blog! I have tons of inspiration and have already read so many good books.

This was also the month that the season of my favorite sport is starting again. I've been playing handball for 19 years and it feels great to be back on the field!

September is the month of my birthday. Chapter 31, is what they say nowadays? I got loads of books, because I made a Wishlist and I'm very happy about that. I will, of course, show of my new books in this post.

Thanks for sticking with my blog and for reading!

Have a great month where the first fall leaves peep out.

🍂

Review: House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Started reading: July 31st 2022

Finished the book: September 21st 2022

Pages: 805

Genres: Fantasy, Romance

Published: February 15th 2022

Source: Bought the book

Goodreads score: 4.52

My score:

Synopsis

Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal―they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.

The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.

In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode―and the people who will do anything to save it.