Bookish Weekly Wrap-Up: 12/3 – 12/9/18

Hello bookworms!

How was everyone’s weekend?  Unfortunately my weekend didn’t go as planned.  First my daughter came down with a stomach bug, then I seem to have re-caught a virus that has caused an ear infection.  Tis the season!  I’d rather get this all out of the way before Christmas, so bring it on!

Since things have finally slowed down for me, I was finally able to be more present in the blogosphere this week!  I was able to post some content on the blog and be more active in the community.  All in all, a good week!

*Bookish Weekly Wrap-Up is a weekly post where I feature what posts were published on the blog for the past week, any bookish/blog happenings, what I recently finished reading, what I am currently reading, what I will be reading next, noteworthy posts around the bookish blogosphere, and any interesting bookish articles I came across.

Tuesday 12/4

November 2018 Wrap-Up + Book Haul

Wednesday 12/5

December 2018 TBR

Saturday 12/8

Bookish Crafts: DIY Bookish Christmas Tree Ornament

Recently Finished Reading:

» Vengeful (Villains #2) by V.E. Schwab

Feelings in a few thoughts:

• I’ll be the first to admit that this series did not sound like my type of books, but since it was Schwab I gave it a go.  I am so happy that I did!
• I love Schwab’s ability to write very complex characters that are morally gray.   How does she make the reader sympathize with a bad person?!
• I thought the addition of the new characters was brilliant!  Marcella was an excellent villain! June was another welcome addition.  I’d like to know more about her backstory.
• I’d be devastated if Schwab does not write at least one more book in this series.  On one hand I like how Schwab never wraps everything up or ties up all the loose ends, but on the other it makes me crazy.

» How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

Feelings in a few thoughts:

• I find Caitlin Moran highly entertaining.  I love that she’s unapologetically real & brutally honest.
• I feel like Caitlin would be a blast to have as a friend.  I feel like Jenny Lawson and her would get along.
• I LOVED that Caitlin narrated her own audiobook – her voice was perfectly suited for the tone & humor in the book.  I highly recommend you giving this book a go via audiobook!
• I laughed out loud a few different times throughout the book.  Her humor is very crude & crass at times, so if that isn’t your cup of tea this book is probably not going to be for you.
• I would classify this as part memoir & part feminist essay collection.  The book starts off feeling more like an autobiography, but the later chapters discuss more feminist topics.
• While I don’t agree with all of Caitlin’s stances, I found myself nodding my head at a lot of what she was saying.  There were definitely moments of great profoundness throughout the book.

---

Currently Reading:

» The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Status: 60%

I feel like this book is taking me a while to read.  This is probably because I am underlining & flagging things left and right to try and work this mystery out for myself.  This is a very complex plotline, so I am losing hope that I will be able to work it out.  I’m very impressed that this is a debut novel.

---

What Am I Reading Next?:

» Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak

It’s Christmas, and for the first time in years the entire Birch family will be under one roof. Even Emma and Andrew’s elder daughter—who is usually off saving the world—will be joining them at Weyfield Hall, their aging country estate. But Olivia, a doctor, is only coming home because she has to. Having just returned from treating an epidemic abroad, she’s been told she must stay in quarantine for a week…and so too should her family.

For the next seven days, the Birches are locked down, cut off from the rest of humanity—and even decent Wi-Fi—and forced into each other’s orbits. Younger, unabashedly frivolous daughter Phoebe is fixated on her upcoming wedding, while Olivia deals with the culture shock of being immersed in first-world problems.

As Andrew sequesters himself in his study writing scathing restaurant reviews and remembering his glory days as a war correspondent, Emma hides a secret that will turn the whole family upside down.

In close proximity, not much can stay hidden for long, and as revelations and long-held tensions come to light, nothing is more shocking than the unexpected guest who’s about to arrive…

» Jackie @Death by Tsundoku & Melanie @Grab the Lapels are hosting a read along focusing on reading Mercedes Lackey’s books ⇒ #ReadingValdemar: Reading Mercedes Lackey in 2019 & Announcement: the year-long buddy read of 2019. Mercedes Lackey, here we come!

» Drew @The Tattooed Book Geek talks about blogging slumps ⇒ Reasons for Blogging Slumps

» Marie @Drizzle & Hurricane Books talks about resisting the book hype ⇒ How to Avoid the Hype as a Book Blogger (Can You Really?)

» Fadwa @ Word Wonders talks audiobooks ⇒ Let’s Get You Started on Audiobooks

---

» 21 Books Recommended by Librarians in 2018

» A Bookworm’s Wish List: Literary Gifts for Readers

* I’ll take a set of those dragon egg book ends!

» Margaret Atwood Just Announced a Sequel to a Handmaid’s Tale

What are you currently reading?

What will you read next?

Have a wonderful week & happy reading