Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

 

"But I needed to know where we were headed. Where would a trained assassin who'd been raised from the dead take the secrete daughter of his worst enemy?" p 19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TITLE: Legends and Liars
AUTHOR: Morgan Rhodes
PUBLISHER: Razorbill
GENRE: YA Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

 

This week's topic is: Top Ten Book Covers in the Colors of My Country's Flag (RWB!)

*in no particular order

10. THESE DEADLY GAMES by Diana Urban
9. FOR YOU AND ONLY YOU by Caroline Kepnes
8. PERfunctory afFECTION by Kim Harrison

7. ANATOMY: A LOVE STORY by Dana Schwartz--B&N edition
6. THE STOLEN HEIR by Holly Black--standard edition
5. ROMEO REDEEMED by Stacey Jay

4. HELL BENT by Leigh Bardugo--B&N edition, evil sticker is included bc taking it off takes off the red coloring! :(
3. THE BONE HOUSES by Emily Lloyd-Jones--Owl Crate edition
2. HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH by Sarah J. Maas

1. ALL AMERICAN GIRL by Meg Cabot--yes, a contemporary! I know I just shocked you all! Lol! I read this one wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, *inhales* wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy back in the day when I struggled to find a paranormal or fantasy read. I didn't even have this edition, I had the paperback, but since I knew the HC was legit perfect for this topic, I had to go with it! Hence the #1 spot since I was keeping my rows in the RWB order! ;)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

 

Due to power being out, the last two posts in the last category couldn't be linked up as I am writing this days early where I used public WiFi. ;)

 

Last Week I Read: 

A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout (5 stars)

 

 

Currently Reading:

 

Legends and Liars by Morgan Rhodes

What I Plan to Read Next:

Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong (ARC)

Other Posts of Interest (memes from last week only):

Flip-flops or Slides?
Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday
Books from the Backlog #37
Book Blogger Hop
Challenges Monthly Wrap-up: June
Stacking the Shelves
PSA: I Will Be MIA
The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag 2023

The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag 2023

 

It's that time of year again when I participate in the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag! I always do the End of the Year survey styled one in December, but I like doing the shorter version of the tag in June too because I just like lists! Lol! I borrowed the above image from Jeanna @ The Bucketlist Book Blog. I can't remember where the post originated from back in the beginning, otherwise I would credit them too. But let's get to it!

THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ SO FAR IN 2023:

It was tough looking over what I've read so far, but I think In Nightfall really was one of the best I've read so far!

MY FAVORITE SEQUEL OF THE YEAR SO FAR:

I read an ARC of Erin A. Craig's House of Roots and Ruin, which releases at the end of the month and it was SO good! It has that same spooky and mysterious and magical atmosphere the first book had but in a different locale with different aspects. And omg, you will not be prepared for this book!

FAVORITE SERIES FINALES (I'm adding this one since I didn't see it on the post!):

I've read quite a few to date but I must say Cherish by Tracy Wolff remains my favorite finale I've read so far this year. But by the end of the year, you'll all know what my #1 will be! ;)

 

 

 

A NEW RELEASE I HAVEN'T READ BUT REALLY WANT TO:

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors, but omigosh, she needs to slow down because I can't keep up with her! Lol! She's had 3 releases so far this year and one more to come! I've an ARC of the next release so I'll definitely be reading that one soonish! Kim Harrison is another all time favorite of mine and I sadly didn't have time for an ARC this year when it was offered so I had to wait for my finished copy to arrive. Now it's just a matter of working it into the queue!

MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASES FOR THE NEXT HALF OF THE YEAR:

Ya'll know I'm a Garber girl at heart! A Curse for True Love has been my #1 most anticipated release for 2023 and that has not changed! I just now get to have it in tags like this! Lol! I'm also really looking forward to Shelby Mahurin's The Scarlet Veil, because VAMPIRES!

MY BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS...But Were Still Enjoyed:

By NO means I am saying that either of these were a bad read! They were not! They just were not what I was expecting! With The Dead Romantics I was hoping for some ghostly action and a romance that was never meant to be, and it just wasn't quite the ghostly action I had hoped for! With Holly Horror (review to come in August), I was hoping for a horror fest! The cover is creepy, it sounded creepy, and yet, it was only mildly creepy.

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE YEAR:

House of Roots and Ruin was a delightful surprise in how much I enjoyed it! With a bit of a slow start, it did quickly take off and had me hooked! It's ending is still one I can't get out of my head! I knew From the Grave by Kresely Cole was slated to release this year but since there was quite the delay in it due to the author's health issues, I guess a part of me was still worried it wouldn't come! That it did and that it was as epic as I had hoped was just the icing on the cake!

FAVORITE NEW TO ME AUTHOR:

The only new to me author that I read so far this year and can call a new favorite would be Hannah Whitten! I'm hoping to read her newest release soon, but you know how that goes!

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOKS I'VE BOUGHT THIS YEAR:

I've the Fairy Loot version of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride that is really pretty! I'm still a little hesitant about reading it since I didn't care for Chokshi's YA debut but this one seemed interesting enough so I kept the subscription that month! Then I have Tessonja Odette's A Throne of Shadows! It's really stunning and looks gorgeous in person, still need to read that too! Lastly, there's The Study of Poisons by Maria V. Snyder, which I did read and love! I LOVE that it looks like a book itself! I really want to get the hardcover since I heard it was a naked hardcover.

BOOKS I NEED TO READ BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR:

Somewhat randomly chosen as I scrolled through my Goodreads list as I am at Bread Co. (Panera to you non-St. Louisans) since our power is still out at the house with no signs of being restored & I'm not able to see my books directly. I really want to read Margie Fuston's Cruel Illusions, Rachel Vincent's Fat Cat, and The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst! All are reads that sounds epically incredible and I am dying to read them! I wish I didn't need sleep!

PSA: I Will Be MIA

 (image borrowed from Frontier Fire Protection)

Hey all! Just popping in real quick to say I might be MIA for some odd days. Our power went out Friday evening and has been out ever since with no restoration time in sight. So I've limited to no access to the internet or air conditioning. So I am slowly frying from the inside out. I cannot handle heat. Not at all. Unlike other St. Louisans who love it and bask in the humidity, I slowly die inside. It doesn't help that I seem to run hot naturally either, so yeah, I am not a happy person right now.

Needless to say without power, my blog visiting will be next to none until it is restored. The power company has said since Friday evening there is no estimated time for it coming back. Rumor is it will be several days, so yeah. My phone hotspot will have to be used for work this week and however long after. It honestly doesn't sound good from the rumors I hear, even as I sit here in Bread Co! I can't even try going into the office because I will look a fright without being able to fix my hair, I will not be work appropriate.

I may not be super active on social media this week either. We have a generator to help keep the food safe and I can occasionally charge my phone, but it will be sparse for the unforeseeable future. Please send your power restoring vibes my way!

Stacking the Shelves--2 Week Haul plus Sweat & Tears

 

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Reading Reality. 

Well it's been two weeks since my last post since I was out of town last weekend! Not much happened really in those weeks. I did have a great time on my mini vacation. I visited my aunt in Wisconsin for their annual Strawberry Festival! A big festival with craft/art vendors, music, food...it was good times! The weather was glorious! We're talking 20 degrees cooler than the 100+ temps I left behind! So I was in heaven! I would've been happy if it were high 70s but low 80s are good too! I write this post on Saturday at Bread Co (or Panera as it's known as outside St. Louis) because our power went out Friday night and is still out and the power company has ZERO updates. So I am soaking in some much needed AC in this 100+ degree weather with humidity and heat indexes plus WiFi! Granted I could probably survive a few days without WiFi, but not AC. Not in this weather in this city area, it's just not doable. Friday night I slept in our basement but still woke up sweating every now and then. Pretty sure my blood just runs hotter than normal people.

I honestly don't think I acquired anything much last week, but here's what I had piled up for the two weeks while I was away. It doesn't appear that I am getting anything in today's mail, so all should be good!

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber--UK paperback & Waterstones Exclusive editions!

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston--SIGNED!

Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith

Then my Fairy Loot YA book arrived, not sharing it since I wasn't spoiled by it and also because I didn't take a picture of it thinking I wouldn't share it anyway, so here's the standard box picture! Lol!

And then I finally received my The Isles of the Gods preorder swag! I was getting a little worried when end of May past and most of June and it still hadn't arrived, I was told by end of May originally in my email, hence my worry but it arrived and it was glorious!

THANK YOU Knopf Books & Amie!

And that I believe is it! I didn't double check my stash before I left the house, I was boiling and ready for some AC! Lol! Should I have forgotten something I will just share it next week! Hopefully we'll have power by then! Fingers crossed! 

That being said, my blog visiting will likely be delayed but I'll be back once the power is back!

Challenges Monthly Wrap-up: June

CHALLENGE 1: 2023 Series Ender Reading Challenge

Cherish by Tracy Wolff (Crave)

Only one completed this month, but I am reading another series finale right now and that will have me completing my new goal! I haven't decided if I want to up it again yet since my next slew of reads don't include any finales. But we'll see what happens!

CHALLENGE 2: 2023 Discussion Challenge

The Pains of Collecting
Collecting Requirements
Flip-flops or Slides?

So I wrote 3 discussions this past month. Not bad, not great. Just okay. I'm still doing really good with my challenge. I've upped it to 25 and I am at 23 right now. Will I up this one? Eh. Who's to say. We'll see how the next month goes! Lol.

CHALLENGE 3: 2023 New Release Challenge

Ruling Destiny by Alyson Noel (6/6/23)
Cherish by Tracy Wolff (5/30/23)

Only 2 new releases this month. Which considering the other 2 books I read were TBR, I didn't do too bad. I just picked 2 really long books this month, so yeah...that was a lot! Lol! I just passed the halfway mark on my challenge, 12/20 so I'm doing good and luckily there's still some review books waiting for me that will count towards this goal!

CHALLENGE 4: The Backlist Reader Challenge 2023

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (6/28/22)
A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout (10/29/21)

Another two down! I'm a little more ahead on this one with 16/20 read. Trying to balance out my reads with new and old ones to keep ahead of these challenges, but it's sooo hard when new ones call to me then an old one screams at me and I just can't seem to give up sleep! Why does my body need to sleep anyway?!