On Blogging: A Reintroduction

On Blogging

Reintroducing myself after a very long time away

Oh wow, this feels weird, is the first thought that I have about writing this post. I can't just dive back into posting reviews as if I've been doing it consistently for the past two years; I need to acknowledge this gap in my postings. But it feels so absolutely strange to be writing out a post at all, let alone a post like this which is not the primary ground for content on this blog. At least, content like this wasn't originally the ground for content on this blog. I think over the years, the more stressed or taken over by life events and busyness I became, the more I just posted filler content so that I could feel productive. Originally though, this was always meant to be a place for me to share my thoughts and appreciation for books in the form of reviews. I love the tags and the ships and the TV and movie reviews, but it was always supposed to be about the books and expressing thought-filled opinions on them as a reader. 

I have no regrets about those posts by any means. I loved writing them and sharing them, and I'll probably continue to do so every now and then. However, in the slight rearranging of my blog, and the minor updates I gave the blog aesthetically, I did get rid of a bunch of labels for my posts and changed the upper banner to include only genre labels. These genre labels will take you only to book reviews. The filler content and reviews for other mediums are still present, but I don't want them to share the center stage with the book reviews anymore. As I'm coming back into blogging, I really want to try to revert back to my original love of reading and sharing my love for reading online. Will there still be other content besides book reviews? Yes. But, what I'm sincerely hoping for is that I can build this blog to be a place where people can look toward for genuine book reviews from a fellow reader. 

Luckily, I am getting to a place where I will be able to read and review as voraciously as I once was. Because even though I may not have been posting book reviews, I have most certainly been reading still. I don't think I could picture myself without a book on hand or downloaded on my phone. But as I'm returning to blogging, there may be a handful of posts where I'm getting back into the swing of things and finding my voice again, so please bear with me! I have loved seeing that people have read my posts, and I LOVE when there are comments or engagements with them online. Fortunately, blogging for me has been a wonderful positive hobby, and I am really excited (and a bit nervous) to be coming back to this blog. 

XOXO,

Thanks for reading!

Excerpt from Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield

Excerpt from 

Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield

Blog Tour

COMING MAY 4, 2021

As I slowly start to crawl my way back to the land of blogging, I am thrilled to share this excerpt from Hurricane Summer! This YA coming-of-age takes readers to Jamaica, where the lead protagonist Tilla comes to realizes the more about herself, her father, their relationship, and Jamaica and the world itself. 

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2

We touch down at 1:46 p.m. local time.

Warm air floods the plane as the doors open, and the sweet aroma of fruit wafts in the air. Passengers race to grab their bags as the thick accent comes over the PA once again:

“Ladiez and gentle-mon, welcome to Kingston, Jamaica. It iz a beautiful day here on the island, and we wish you nothing but irie on your travels. It has been our pleasure to have you on board. As always, thank you for flying Air Jamaica.”

I gently shake Mia awake as Patois begins to pour out all around us. I grab our backpacks from the cabin, and we throw them over our shoulders before trudging off the plane.

As we make our way through the busy airport, we are sur- rounded by a sea of rich, dark skin. I feel courageous as we navigate through the brown and black bodies, and I can’t help but wonder if the feeling of belonging is why Dad loves it so much here.

Once we clear at customs, we continue our trek through the massive airport. All around us, people smile and laugh, and there is a mellowness to their pace. Most of the women wear bright colors and intricate braids in their hair, Afros, or long locks down their backs. An array of sandals and flip-flop highlight all the bright painted toenails as Mia and I weave through the crowd.

“Stay close!” I yell, grabbing on to her hand. When we find the exit, I grow nervous knowing what awaits us on the other side. I look to Mia. “You have everything?”

She nods.

“Okay,” I whisper to myself. “Let’s do this.”

With our suitcases lugging behind us, we spill out of the doors and into the hot sun. The heat immediately consumes me, and it is amplified by the chaos and noise that surrounds us. The streets are packed. Loud horns blare, and people yell back and forth in thick, heavy Patois accents. Men argue on the side of the road, their dialect harsh as they negotiate the rates for local shuttle buses. Along the roads, merchants sell colorful beaded jewelry and fruit so ripe that I can taste it in the air. Women wear beautiful head wraps and sell plantains and provisions, bartering back and forth with eager travelers. People spew out of overcrowded taxis, desperate to catch their flights as others hop in, desperate to get home. The sun pierces my skin as the humidity and gas fumes fill my lungs. The ac- tion is overwhelming, and I feel like a fish out of water. As we wait by the curb, there is no sight of our father.

“What if he forgot?” Mia asks.

“He wouldn’t,” I reply. “Mom just talked to him.” “What if he got the time mixed up?”

“He’ll be here.”

But the truth is, when it comes to our father, I can never be sure.

I fight with this idea as five minutes turn into ten, and ten into twenty.

The heat blazes, and sweat drips down my stomach. I check my watch: forty-two minutes.

I pull my pink hoodie over my head to reveal a white tank top, tying the hoodie around my waist to better manage the heat. Without my phone, I have no way of contacting him to see where he is.

But he said he’d be here. He gave us his word.

Fifty-six minutes later, our father is nowhere to be found. My eyes frantically search the crowd as I ponder how much his word is truly worth. Time and time again, he has proven that the answer is not much. I turn to Mia, ready to tell her to head back inside. Worry graces her face for the first time since we left. Her carefree attitude fades as the concern of a nine-year-old takes over. I can’t stand to see her like this, and I’ll do whatever it takes to escape the feeling that is bubbling inside of me.

We’ll take the first plane out.

“Mi, Dad’s not coming. Let’s go back insid—”

“Yow! Tilla!” A deep voice interrupts me mid-sentence. I whip my head around to find my father standing a few

feet away with two freshly sliced pineapple drinks in hand. “Daddy!” Mia screams. She drops her things on the curb

and sprints toward him. My heart does somersaults.

One glimpse of my father and I am a child again.

 

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Thank you to Wednesday Books and Asha Bromfield for letting me be a part of this tour! Review to come!!! 

 

Thanks for reading! 

 

 

2021 Resolutions

 2021 Resolutions

Finally, we have said goodbye to 2020. Like literally the rest of the world, I am so happy to see the year change. However, I am also being very mindful of the fact that, at least for a little while, things may look the same in everyday life. And it's strange to me to try to set out goals for this year when it feels like I have literally been yanked to a stop in life. I'm lucky enough that my life hasn't actually been stopped -- I can still make progress in several areas of my life -- but the pacing has shifted everywhere and it feels like the weight of each aspect of my life has changed as well. It's strange. It's weird. And as I sit here, I can't in certainty say what this means for me. I'm not sure what I want my life to look like. I can't say how I want to have grown coming out of the pandemic. So I don't know how I'm supposed to look at the year in front of me and pin aspirations to its timeline. 

I think... hold on.  -xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-

Okay. I think I will give myself one definable goal, and then a general overall theme for the year. 

Actually Read the Books in My Sense & Sensibility "Course"

Last year I was really hoping to read a whole bunch of British literature written by female authors. And then the semester started in January and that didn't really happen. Now though, I ~think~ I have a lighter course load and I really want to at least read those books. Maybe I'll read them in order, maybe I won't. I just want to have fun with them and pick through them for pure enjoyment throughout the year. As I go along, maybe I'll review them or something and add a tag to group them all together. 

Chase My Younger Self /Attitude

This one is like a major "huh????" for the general person. What do I mean by this? I think I just mean to take everything a little less seriously and to be less stressed about the direction of my life. I have no way to phrase it other than "my younger self." I don't know exactly.... I think back to when I was 10, 12, 15, whatever it was and yes, I was stressed, but I was also just living. Each day was a huge f***ing deal and every moment was fully embraced. Now, I think I'm so caught up in the "plans" for things that I am literally unable to be fully immersed in the actual goings on of my present life. Gonna try to change that back. :)

Last year I gave myself some more concrete goals, and that was fine enough. At least for a little while before the pandemic wrecked havoc on the world. But looking at what I've "given myself" for the upcoming year, I feel really good about it because it gives me the room to breathe and room for the world around me to shake up a bit as I fumble along. And hopefully, these are closer to long-lasting changes than just resolutions and I'll hold onto them past this year.

Thanks for reading and thank God for 2021!!!!

Best Books of 2020

Best Books of 2020

While I did not reach my Goodreads goal of reading 100 books, I did read 93, which is one more than last year, so I'm considering that a win still! And of those 93 books, there were so many that I enjoyed reading, a couple that were meh, and a sprinkle of books for school. Below though are FIVE of my favorite books that I read this past year. :)

Fable by Adrienne Young

From Blood and Ash / A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas

Feminists Don't Wear Pink and Other Lies by Scarlett Curtis (and others)

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston 

Thanks for reading and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Hiatus End: Stress & Comfort Reading

Stress & Comfort Reading

What I've Been Reading While Finishing the Semester

 

I'M BACK TO BLOGGING I'M BACK TO BLOGGING I'M BACK TO BLOGGING I'M BACK TO BLOGGING!!!!! 

 

I know this effects probably like, a less than zero amount of people other than myself, but I am so excited to be writing a new post. This semester has been absolute craziness, and I am so glad that I officially took a break until now. Not just because I clearly needed to relieve myself of that pressure, but because it is making ~this moment~ so much sweeter. As a general semester update, I'm actually not done yet. I thought I would be, but I have one more final that I'm planning on taking tomorrow. However, I still feel like I can break my hiatus today and write up a post because I have been studying nonstop so I (a) have earned these hours of blogging, and (b) need to remind myself that I have other activities outside of school. 

 

To get back into things, I thought I would share how I stress-read and what that means for me. Because even though I was horrifically busy this semester, I still turned to books for escapism and stress relief. And I think this highlights a very specific lens through which we view the use of books, and it's a use of reading that we've all gone through. Stress reading our comfort books is a wonderful, wonderful thing because not only do I think it is literally therapeutic to distance ourselves from the sources of stress, but also because it reminds us of why we love reading. 

I'm going to be tying this stress reading post in with a Blog Prompt from Bookending Winter 2020, which I signed up for over a month ago knowing I wouldn't be able to start participating until today. Maude from @ Psyched About Books created this one and here is a link to her original post. Here's the prompt:

Comfort Reads by the Fire

Winter is the season for warmth and comfort, reading books by the chimney in your favorite armchair. What are your top 5 comfort books to read / reread during this season?

 

Random side note: I love the logo that comes with these prompts and BEWinter20.  

My small twist to this prompt is that I'll be talking about other things I've read so far this semester while stressed out. Here we go!

Here's what I've read since I went on hiatus... keep in mind, a lot of those series are complete rereads so I flew through them. 

The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova

Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

Happily Letter After by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

The Iron Fey trilogy (first 3 + novellas) by Julie Kagawa

Midnight Breed 1-5 by Lara Adrian

 

For me, I have a couple of go-to authors when I'm stressed out, like Jennifer L. Armentrout. Her writing is so easy to fall into and the characters so sympathetic. There are times when I'll literally just reread specific scenes because I know the books so well at this point I don't need a refresher as to the context of the scene. Another go-to author would normally be Sarah J. Maas for me, but I know that if I were to start rereading ToG or ACOTAR that I would not crawl out of my bed for days while I was reading.

Other comfort books I'll read when I'm stressed are just general rereads, even if they're middle grade books from way back when. Sometimes I think its just nice to revisit something that reminds you of a different time in your life.

 

The top 5 of these books (or others) I would pick to recommend 

to others for warmth and comfort would be:

 

1. Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova

This was an unexpected delight. It's not perfect, but I still was able to just read through it and enjoy the process of reading it. I actually only gave it like, 3 stars on Goodreads, but that was mostly for technical stuff. In terms of enjoy-ability, it was a good book and I could totally see myself or anyone else curling up with this while it's snowing outside.

 

2. The Iron Fey trilogy by Julie Kagawa

It was so interesting to reread the original trilogy of this series. I first read these books back in I think my freshman year of high school. It was so long ago I don't even have the date marked on Goodreads because I didn't have Goodreads at that point. It might have even been middle school that I read these. I can't really remember. Anyway, to me this series was such a comfort read because it was such a loving throwback. Have my taste as a reader evolved since? Yes. And that meant that I wasn't obsessive with reading these books this time around, but because I have such a strong memory of adoring these books, I still love them. If you haven't read this series, I recommend it. Or, in the alternative, picking up a book you loved in middle school / early high school and rereading that.

3. Anything written by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Jennifer L. Armentrout may be one of the most addictive writers I have ever met. I don't think there is a single book of hers I've picked up and haven't given at least 4 stars. There's the Lux series, the Covenant series, the Wicked trilogy (currently being made into a movie), the Blood and Ash series... and so much more. Anything. Literally anything by Jennifer L. Armentrout will be a comfort read to curl up with.

 

4. The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward

One of the genres in general that I turn to for comfort reads, especially when I'm stressed, is romance. As you may have seen from the list of books I read during the semester, if it wasn't a reread, it was a romance. Romances are captivating in a way that is quick, strong, and feel-good. This series by J.R. Ward is also addictive like JLA's stuff, but it is definitely an adult series. If you are old enough for mature content, I'd say give this series a whirl. It's like the adult version of Twilight, but mixed with the Avengers.

 

5. Relentless by Karen Lynch

This series is sort of the definition of fluff, but it's also urban fantasy. It's a bit of an easier read than JLA (who also writes some urban fantasy fluff), but the thing that I like about this series is the concept seems original to me. The themes are not, but they're the same themes that we all (at least me lol) love, like the protagonist is uber special for some reason, there's a soul/bond connection, there are classic sassy/broody/comedic characters interwoven. The original bit is that the characters have a sort of demon inside of them, and the way that symbiotic relationship works is what appears unique to me. 

Why am I not putting SJM or Holly Black or some of my other favourites on this list? Well.... here's the thing, and I kind of touched on this earlier... for me, while high fantasy and deep complex fictional stories are some of my absolute favourite books of all time, I also find that I will get so wrapped up in them that I cannot do anything else. And that isn't to say the books listed above aren't deep or complex -- some of them really are -- but there's a different levity that I get while reading those books for whatever reason than I do while reading, say Throne of Glass. 

So there you have it-- what I've been stress reading and what I recommend as comfort reads! I'm really looking forward to taking this final test so that I can fully participate in the Bookending Winter 2020 events. Hell, I'm looking forward to finishing the semester so I can fully blog again. That will be such a fun relief to be fully back into things!

 

Thanks for reading!

Notice: Blogging Hiatus through 12/15/20

Taking a Break:

Hiatus on Blogging through December 15

Hello,

Firstly, thank you to everyone who stops by my blog. I know that I have followers, but I'm also thanking all those people just pass by or look for specific posts or reviews. Never in a million years could I have imagined being able to share my thoughts about something I am so passionate about and have people share in those thoughts. So truly, thank you.

Secondly, I want to let you all know that I will not be updating my blog through the middle of December. I know I haven't posted here in a long time, so I probably should have done this sooner, and there have been long stretches in the past when I should have made an announcement like this, but I felt the need to let you all know that I'm not done with the blog, I'm just taking a break. Why? The short version is, I'm too stressed and I don't have time. So if that's all you need in the explanation, cool, love you (lowkey as a reader I'd probably be you), there it is. The rest of this is just going to be more in-depth reasoning. 

For one thing, I'm still in school and this semester is b r u t a l. I had another semester sort of like this about three years ago, but even that was different. Three years ago I was so stressed because I was taking the hardest classes for my major on top of working 3-4 jobs/positions. Insanity. This semester, I am working only one job, but I also have a clinic and research positions on top of a full credit load. And I have to factor in a commute time where I'm driving 20-25 minutes one way. Plus, yet again on top of that all, one of the classes is incredibly stressful for me in a way I have never had to deal with before. So there's just a whole bunch of new and usual things I'm learning to deal with in addition to studying and being a good student.

I'm also going to throw in the pandemic, because there are "little" things like needing to go grocery shopping for family that simply take up time. And by no means am I complaining about doing that -- they're my family, I love them and want them safe --  but it's just a fact of reality at this point and I need to acknowledge it. I have different responsibilities and concerns now that affect my behaviour and mental health.

And then there's my basic physical health. I really, really, want to start taking better physical care of myself, so I've been trying to at least go outside if not work out once a day. And I'm okay at doing that. There are still days when I literally go from a 6am wake up to a 9pm finish with only taking breaks to go to the bathroom. Yeah-- that crazy and I'm not exaggerating either. But with that, on the days I do have a "spare" hour or so, I want to make sure I am keeping myself in the best health condition that I can. 

To look at my schedule as a whole, I have worked nearly every day including weekends since the middle of September (I took a Friday off in early October). And I'm still, objectively speaking, behind on my work. It is absolute madness and I felt like I needed to release something just to give me more breathing room. Blogging is, unfortunately, the only real viable option at this point.

"But it's only blogging." I really don't think any of you would say that, but just in case, it's not "only blogging." On average, I spend between an hour and a half to just over two hours writing and editing a book review, and that's after I have read the book and seriously considered it's merits, my potential biases, and the key pieces I want to highlight. And I love doing this! It's why I started posting my reviews online! But the reality is that it takes me awhile to do this. I don't ever want to just post a random review to get it out of the way. Even when I get books for free from publishers, I don't ever just blow through a review because it's an expectation. I make sure I take the time to do it properly. 

Will I still be reading? Yes, for sure. Reading is part of my stress management because I can disengage from the world and give my body a break from the anxiety. That being said, I don't even want to know how behind I am on my reading challenge and I'll probably revert to reading only my absolute favorites for stress-reading. For example, I'm rereading the Lux series right now (Jennifer Armentrout) because it fits the bill perfectly. I've read it a bajillion times before and I'll likely read it a bajillion more times in the future. The only down side to this is that I had so many books I was really looking forward to reading that I now will be pushing back to make sure I can completely enjoy them. 

 

I love blogging and I love reading. Going on hiatus right now is just as much to protect my love for those things as it is to give myself more time and stress-relief. I hope you all understand and I am already looking forward to the middle of December when I'll be posting again. :) 

Best wishes,

All I Need Are Books and Tea

Thanks for reading!

A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe REVIEW

 A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe

3.40 out of 5 Stars

***Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!***

 

Honestly, this review is going to be a little hard to write, just because there's a giant boulder of something I didn't like sitting in the middle of a beautiful setting full of everything this book did wonderfully, and I'm not sure how to handle it. As a whole, A Golden Fury was an excellently written, original take on a concept that I personally haven't come across since my baby Harry Potter days. With a backdrop of late eighteenth century revolution, we follow Thea as she studies alchemy and the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. The story starts in France but quickly moves to mostly take place in England after Thea's mother goes mad from the Stone's curse.

 

I loved the writing. I was fine with the historical backdrop really just being a backdrop and nothing more. I really enjoyed the alchemy and the development of the Stone. My biggest, biggest issue was with Thea herself, which is unfortunate. She was, for lack of a better description, a weak character. And not in development, but truly in her character. And without getting into too much detail so I don't spoil anything at this point, it was doubly frustrating because there is a great opportunity for contrast between strong-as-in-independent and strong-as-in-arrogant-and-overbearing, but the opportunity was missed. 

 

SPOILERS

PLOT

As far as fantasies go, I really really loved this plot! At first, I was a little hesitant with the whole "Philosopher's Stone" thing, but it ended up being really refreshing. I think my main concern was that the story would be a typical quest for eternal life, but it really was about intellectual achievement, which made the story all the more refreshing. Even better was the twisted turn the story took with how the madness was a result of the Stone feeding off the minds of the other alchemists. It was so cool in a sort of creepy way how the Stone was a sentient being, parasitical in nature. It was so interesting, I wish he had more depth of that portion of the plot. Very quickly, we move from Thea finding out the Stone is consuming the minds of Dominic and her mother (along with all the others) to Thea willing to drown and die so that the Stone is killed as well. I would've loved to see more of that, not just because I think it would have drawn out the ending more, but because it was just so, so interesting.

CHARACTERS

So, A Golden Fury was... good. But here's the thing, I pretty much only had issues with the main character, and while that might seem like a pretty good position for a review, books in this situation are the most frustrating and borderline-infuriating thing ever. Like, it's so close to being excellent. It's just the main character of the story is maddening and that's kind of a big ******* deal. And while Thea was only slightly annoying in the beginning (her pining after Will did not make sense to me), she was distractedly annoying by the end of the book. As I thought about it -- because I typically try to give a lot of leeway to allow characters to grow over the course of their book -- I realized I was so annoyed because Thea is just as unhealthily dependent on outside emotional attachment at the end of the book as she is in the beginning. Let's delve into this a bit deeper:

I'm not saying she should be like her mother because let's be real, her mother is wack. A great character, but her disdain for any compassion, sympathy, empathy... emotion in general... is bad for any person. But while Thea shouldn't be like her mother, I thought she was trying to cling too tightly to the idea of acceptance by someone else as opposed to accepting herself by herself. Thea is a brilliant alchemist, achieves the greatest scientific feat of all time, etc., but so often, she is so passive, reaching for approval or support from the men around her. It does make sense to some degree. Growing up, she was surrounded, really, by only her robotic mother, which means she's probably starved for attention and affection. However, I don't believe becoming the stark opposite of her mother is the solution, but this is the development portrayed in the book. I would have rather seen Thea learn to find a balance between learning how to have relationships with the people around her and knowing her own value and worth herself outside of what other people can give her. Even at the end, the only plan we see her form is to follow her father back to Oxford. And it's him that's spitballing potential studies for her while she just sort of sits there and agrees with him. *sigh*

Outside of Thea, I thought the characters were pretty good. They weren't extraordinary, but they weren't completely flat either. There was just enough depth to each of them to balance the story on the edge between basic simple storytelling and heart-gripping engagement. Could they have been deeper and more complex? Yes. Did they have to be to improve the story? Eh? I don't really think so.

Also, last random note on characters- I loved Valentin. I know he's like, "one of the bad guys," but is he really? He was one of the most interesting and in-depth characters of the entire book I thought. I was so curious about his background, his morals, his actions and motivations. At one point, I was lowkey rooting for him and Thea to be a thing, but there wasn't really much romance in the book at all besides Thea's pining for Will.

WRITING

The writing was also really impressive. Even though the book was over 300 pages, I completely flew through it. It was captivating and just descriptive enough to give me a full picture of the world of the story without stopping the pacing or slowing it down. With that, if you're looking for a fully engrossing fantasy, this would not be the book for you. If you're looking for a quick dip into a fantastical, magical realism world, this book is spot on.

A Golden Fury: a good first book. For me, one of the best things about reading this was that while I was annoyed with Thea, I really enjoyed the novelty of the plot and the way the author writes, so I'm looking forward to her futures works because I think as her complexity and skills as a writer grow, her characters and depth will grow as well. And the writing style is already there, so huge win on that front!

Thanks for reading!