Happy Sunday bookworms!
A lovely snowstorm has hit Ohio & dumped 12 inches of snow on the ground. After a weekend indoors, let’s just say I am itching to get out of the house. You know what a snowy weekend IS good for? Reading!
Let’s see what I’ve been reading these past two weeks, shall we?
*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.
2018 Reading Wrap-Up + Favorite Books of 2018
Biggest Reading Disappointments of 2018
Most Anticipated Books of 2019 (January – June)
Book Review: Marrow Island by Alexis M. Smith
I’m currently working on my 2019 reading & blogging goals. I’ve decided that in 2019, I am going to make it more of a priority to write mini-reviews for most of the books I read. Since I will be doing mini-reviews, I will no longer be including a few of my thoughts on the books I’ve recently finished here in my weekly wrap-ups. I will only be including star ratings and maybe a sentence or two.
Recently Finished Reading:
» The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth #3) by N.K. Jemisin
A perfect & heartbreaking conclusion to a new favorite series.
» The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa
A WWII historical fiction about a family escaping Germany on the St. Louis. I liked the historical content, but there were a few things off with this book.
» The Thief (The Queen’s Thief #1) by Megan Whalen Turner
A slow moving book with one of the best endings I’ve read in a while.
» The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
This book took my breath away. This is definitely a new favorite & will most likely appear in my top books of 2019 list.
» Arrows of the Queen(Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar #1) by Mercedes Lackey
*3.5 Stars*
There were so many good things going for this book! I’m conflicted with my star rating between a 3.5 star and 4 star rating. I will work out my thoughts in a mini-review to come.
Currently Reading:
» Every Heart A Doorway (Wayward Children #1) by Seanan McGuire
Status: 47%
What Am I Reading Next?:
» Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
A dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the Thames. The regulars are entertaining themselves by telling stories when the door bursts open on an injured stranger. In his arms is the drowned corpse of a little child.
Hours later the dead girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life.
Is it a miracle?
Is it magic?
Or can it be explained by science?
Replete with folklore, suspense and romance, as well as with the urgent scientific curiosity of the Darwinian age, Once Upon a River is as richly atmospheric as Setterfield’s bestseller The Thirteenth Tale.
I was just notified that this book is on it’s way to my local library for me! I cannot wait to dive into this one.
» Jackie @Death by Tsundoku & Melanie @Grab the Lapels announced more details for the #ReadingValdemar read along ⇒ #ReadingValdemar: 2019 Posting Schedule
» Melanie @ Grab the Lapels talks about YA & her issues with it ⇒ Time to Ponder Books: Why I’m So Frustrated with YA Novels
» Not Just for Car Rides: When to Read Kids’ Audiobooks at Home and in the Classroom
» How Many of These Top 30 Classics Have You Read?
*I’ve read 18 off this list!
» The Most Anticipated Books of 2019
» 2019 Preview: Most Anticipated Fiction
» Reading Resolutions Based On Your Zodiac Sign
*I’m an Aries – my resolution is to read longer books I may be avoiding because Aries tend to be impatient… This is spot on for me. I WILL be adding this to my 2019 resolutions!
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
Have a wonderful week & happy reading
Thanks so much for officiating in our read along, Amanda! Don’t forget, after you’ve written your review, submit the URL to out linky to get entered in our giveaway. The first giveaway is in June, and the second one is in December. You can find the linky on either my or Jackie’s review of Arrows Of The Queen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL, that should say participating, not officiating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will do that!! I am probably not going to write an individual review for each book, but do mini-reviews or a series review 🙂 I’m about half way through Arrow’s Flight.
LikeLike
Nice! I know Jackie had been talking about doing series reviews because she reads so much, but it looks like she’s doing individual reviews now.
LikeLike
Oh I’m curious to hear your thoughts about Every Heart A Doorway! I heard amazing things about this book from fellow bloggers, but I personally just found it… okay? Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy it 🙂 happy reading! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was just okay for me too Marie. I am glad I am not alone. It was far to rushed and abrupt for me… the characters too underdeveloped. There was also a few things in the plot that annoyed me. I DO however want to read the next book because I am curious enough about the characters and the worlds they come from to give the series another goal.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh that’s good that you’re curious enough to continue, I hope you’ll like the next book better, I’ll be looking forward to your thoughts 🙂
LikeLike
Wow! You had a productive start to 2019. Well done, Amanda! I love the goal of writing mini-reviews for most of the books you read. Will you be publishing these review, then? That is implied, but I wasn’t certain. As a collection, or individually? I am trying to mix up how I do reviews, so I’ll take any inspiration I can get. XD
As I know you’ve been pondering graphics: I love the graphics with the open book pages on them. They are easy to read and clearly stick out. With the older background image, for what it’s worth, the font on the image for “December 2018 Book Haul” is my favorite. Have you settled on anything yet? I know it’s time consuming to make these images!
I cannot wait to hear what you think of Arrows of the Queen. I am with you– I had more of a 3.5 star rating. But, since I don’t do half-star ratings on my blog, I rounded up. The hype totally worked for me. Not a *super* strong start, but I have hope for the future. Particularly since so many people have been raving about these books. 🙂
Happy New Year!
LikeLike
I’m going to be doing a collection of mini-reviews probably 2 times a month that will include 4-5 books on each post. I’ve actually drafted my first round and was surprised how easy it was to write them since I had just finished the books… Funny how that works lol Waiting months and months to write a review is much harder… who knew?
I also like the graphic with the open book pages on it! I think that is the one I’m going with. For reviews, I’ve found one with a wood background that I like. I guess we shall see if they stick lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yeah, waiting makes writing book reviews SO MUCH harder. I am looking forward to your next set of mini-reviews. It sounds like whether you mean to or not, your blog will be undergoing quite a change this year. I’m so excited to watch it unfold!
LikeLike
I definitely can’t wait to read The Snow Child now! And I hope Every Heart A Doorway is a good one for you. Have a wonderful week despite the snow. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Yvo! Another snow storm is actually on the way, BUT again snow storms make the best reading days 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved the Snowchild and in some ways I think you could almost find some likeness with Once Upon a River. I look forward to your review.
Lynn 😀
LikeLike
OOooooo now I’m really excited to read Once Upon a River!!! Unfortunately, it has been labeled as “in transit” to my local library for a week now… I hope it’s not lost 😦
LikeLike