Bookish Weekly Wrap-Up: 1/28 – 2/3/19

 

Happy Sunday bookworms!  If you are an NFL fan, happy super bowl Sunday.  Who will you be rooting for today?  Since my Packers didn’t make the playoffs this year, which still hurts, I’ll be rooting for the Rams tonight!

Let’s see what I got accomplished this 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.

» I discovered that Laurie Halse Anderson is coming to Ohio in March!  Anderson wrote the iconic book Speak.  She will be there promoting her new book, Shout.  Of course I purchased my tickets as soon as I heard.  A few of my book club members are going to attend with me as well!

» Cover2CoverMom is going to be celebrating 3 years this month! I’d like to do a Q&A to celebrate, so comment below if you have any questions for me.

Monday 1/28

Book Review: The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

Tuesday 1/29

Kids’ Corner: Diverse Children’s Picture Books (January 2019)

Friday 2/1

January 2019 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up

Saturday 2/2

February 2019 TBR

Recently Finished Reading:

» In the Woods by Tana French

*3.5 Stars*

A crime fiction novel where the procedural aspects were well done.  This book could have been 100 pages shorter.  In the Woods didn’t shock me, which is what I want from a thriller type novel.

» Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

#YARC2019

Wonderful MG novel about a young girl in Pakistan.  The author explored very important themes in a way younger MG reader will be able to understand.

» The Winter of the Witch (Winternight #3) by Katherine Arden

Epic.  The Winter of the Witch is the best book in the Winternight Trilogy.  My heart aches that this series is complete.  One of my favorite series EVER.  Top book of 2019!

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Currently Reading:

» The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black

Status: 40%

» Arrow’s Fall (Heralds of Valdemar #3) by Mercedes Lackey

Status: 90%

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What Am I Reading Next?:

» The Poppy War (The Poppy War #1) by R.F. Kuang

When Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies, it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard, the most elite military school in Nikan, was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

» CW @The Quiet Pond shares some book recomendations for #YARC2019 ⇒ Year of the Asian Reading Challenge – Book Recommendations for February’s Prompt: Tropes!

» Jackie @Death by Tsundoku talks about bonus content in books ⇒ Between the Lines: Does Bonus Content in Books Hook Readers?

» @The OrangutannLibrarian shares some folklore-inspired book recommendations ⇒ FANTASTIC FOLKLORE-INSPIRED STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

» Marie @Drizzle & Hurricane Books talks about critical reading & reviewing ⇒ AM I NOT CRITICAL ENOUGH WHILE READING BOOKS?

» Evelina @AvalinahsBooks asks why you read? ⇒ Have You Ever Wondered Why You Read Books?

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» 12 Books We Should Stop Making High Schoolers Read

» The Best Science Fiction Books Coming Out in 2019

» This Week in Books: An Ultimate Roundup of Literary News

» On Marie Kondo: How to Choose Which Books “Spark Joy”

» 5 Things to Know Before Reading ‘On the Come Up’ by Angie Thomas

» The Biggest Book to Movie Adaptations of 2019

» 16 Books That Model Empathy and Compassion for Young Readers

» Real Readers Weigh In On January Releases

» Not All Myths Are Old: Modern Mythology and Legends for Tweens and Teens

What are you currently reading?

What will you read next?

Have a wonderful week & happy reading