Chels’ September TBR

August 31, 2019 ~ A Very Bookish Girl ~ Leave a comment

So I wanted to get this out before September officially started so that maybe this month I can work on actually reading the books I planned to read instead of just what I picked up. I’ve been browsing books all day and I think I have it narrowed down to a handful for the Random Dance Play-athon as well as some books I just need to read and some ARCs that I need to get to as well.

Random Dance Play-athon

1. Exo – Loveshot
Dear Heartbreak – Anthology
2. Red Velvet – Power Up
This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura
3. CLC – Me
We Set The Dark On Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
4. Monsta X – Underwater
Symptoms of a Heart Break by Sona Charaipotra

5. Day6 – I Need Somebody
All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton
6. Twice – Heart Shaker
I Believe In A Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo
7. NCT Dream – Boom
Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian
8. Pentagon – Sha La La
Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali

Other Books I’d Like To Get To

I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones & Gilly Segal
A Curse So Dark And Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
All Eyes On Us by Kit Frick
As Kismet Would Have It by Sandhya Menon

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim
Along For The Ride by Mimi Grace
How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway

ARCs I would like to get to

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin
The Babysitters Coven by Kate Williams
It’s A Whole Spiel edited by Katherine Locke

Taylor’s August Haul

August 31, 2019September 1, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ Leave a comment

So, yet another month that I should have been saving money, I acquired more books then I should have. Before I get into the books from August, I want to talk about a book I got in July. The beautiful and the wonderful and the too kind to me Chelsea sent me a gift.

Where I got my books for the month of August:
– Walmart
– Book of the Month
– Facebook B/S/T Groups
– BookOutlet.com
-Amazon.com
– Target

In total, I have 32 new books. I am currently waiting for two more from B/S/T groups and three more from Amazon but they’ll be arriving next month. September is going to be a heavy haul month as well without those five extra books. Whoops?

Anticipated September Releases

August 30, 2019 ~ A Very Bookish Girl ~ Leave a comment

I feel like I should be more excited about it starting to become fall than I really am, but to be honest I’m going to miss the summer months because I love the warmth. But it’s that time when the leaves are gonna start changing and it’s gonna start getting cooler out at night, because September is here already! Of course the one thing we can guarantee about the fall is the massive amount of book releases, so here’s what we’re looking forward to this fall.

3rd Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff
3rd Serpent & Dove Shelby Mahurin
3rd The Girl The Sea Gave Back Adrienne Young
3rd Five Dark Fates Kendare Blake
3rd Loki Mackenzi Lee
3rd Kingdom of Souls Rena Barron
3rd She’s The Worst Lauren Spieller
8th Sanctuary V.V. James
10th Capturing The Devil Kerri Maniscalco
10th A Treason of Thorns Laura Weymouth
10th When She Reigns Jodi Meadows
10th Ten Thousand Doors of January Alix Harrow
10th Gideon the Ninth Tamsyn Muir
17th Steel Tide Natalie C. Parker
17th The Babysitters Coven Kate Williams
19th The Deathless Girls Kiran Millwood Hargrave
24th Wayward Son Rainbow Rowell
24th The Bone House Emily Lloyd-Jones
24th Six Goodbyes We Never Said Candace Ganger
24th Bid My Soul Farewell Beth Revis

K-Drama Friday!

August 30, 2019September 1, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ Leave a comment

The first K-Drama Friday on the blog in a long time but I have managed to finish a drama and I am currently 94% of the way through another. Today, I want to talk about the drama that I finished early this month.

Abyss

“Abyss is about a man and a woman who tragically die and are given another chance at life through soul-reviving marbles in a magical abyss.
Go Se Yeon was a tough, accomplished, and an unrivaled beautiful female prosecutor who worked in the Seoul District public Office but gets into a fatal accident and dies. However, due to the mysterious magical marble—Abyss—Go Se Yeon is revived, but now in a totally different appearance. Go Se Yeon now possesses a common appearance based off of how “good” her spirit was in her previous life.

Cha Min was the highly intelligent heir to Korea’s top cosmetics company but was also a smart, humble, and a kind-hearted man. Although he has both the brains and an astounding amount of wealth, he considers himself unattractive and is insecure about his looks. Like Go Se Yeon, Cha Min gets into an accident and dies. Due to the mysterious magical marble—Abyss—he comes back to life with a different appearance as an exceedingly handsome man just as bright as his spirit he had in his previous life.

Go Se Yeon and Cha Min begin to work as a lawyer and an administrator at a private law firm and decide to investigate the magical incident. Romance blooms in the office as the two intertwine together to accept their same fate.”

Abyss is a drama that helped me to realize my love for crime dramas. Anyways, I loved this show but it took like a solid four episodes for me to love it. It stared off a little confusing but as it progressed, I just accepted that I wouldn’t know where the Abyss, the magic reviving marble, came from and why Cha Min ended up with it.

Besides that confusing bit, I loved everything about it. I cried, I laughed, I gasped. There is a . . . a something . . . about this drama that I will beg people to watch so that they can love it as much as I do. I think it is the smile of Cha Min and just the awkwardness that comes with Cha Min in a new, more attractive body.

Seriously, if you have not watched Abyss, it is on Netflix. I beg of you to watch it so I have something to talk to about the love I have for this show and about all the feelings that I still have.

Review: Damsel

August 27, 2019August 28, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ 1 Comment

Damsel by Elana K Arnold
Publication Date: October 2, 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 320
Rating: ★★

“The rite has existed for as long as anyone can remember: when the prince-who-will-be-king comes of age, he must venture out into the gray lands, slay a fierce dragon, and rescue a damsel to be his bride. This is the way things have always been.
When Ama wakes in the arms of Prince Emory, however, she knows none of this. She has no memory of what came before she was captured by the dragon, or what horrors she has faced in its lair. She knows only this handsome prince, the story he tells of her rescue, and her destiny to sit on the throne beside him. Ama comes with Emory back to the kingdom of Harding, hailed as the new princess, welcomed to the court.
However, as soon as her first night falls, she begins to realize that not all is as it seems, that there is more to the legends of the dragons and the damsels than anyone knows–and that the greatest threats to her life may not be behind her, but here, in front of her.”

Okay, so, this book . . . was not good. There was so much potential with the story but in the 300 pages it had to wow me, it failed. There are trigger warnings out the ass and do not even get my started on the shit-stain that is Emory. Originally, I had this book rated at 3 Stars but after discussing it with my coworker and bitching about it for a solid 20 minutes, I took it down to a 2 Star rating.

To start off, there are a ton of trigger warnings for this book. Sexual assault, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, hinted infidelity, and animal abuse. Not to mention some kind of weird sexual act with a stab would in a dragon, so I guess that is considered bestiality. So many rape threats. Like I said, trigger warnings out the ass.

Now, that the trigger warnings are out of the way, let me talk about the little shit that is Prince Emory. So, in the beginning, I had no issues with him. He is following tradition of going to slay a dragon, rescue a damsel, make the damsel his queen. The issues I ended up having with Emory came later. He liked to throw in Alma’s face that he saved her and he liked to use that as a bargaining chip, which is so not cool. He was verbally abusive. Emory would humiliate Alma and expect her to be thankful. I came to HATE Emory by the 100 page mark.

As I said above, I originally gave this book 3 Stars but took it down after really talking and thinking about it. This story had SO MUCH POTENTIAL and really fell flat for me. Alma had potential to be a strong character and I see what the author was trying to do with her but it just fell short. The writing was beautiful but the story was not. This is a case where the cover was beautiful and I had such high hopes of the insides being as stunning but, I was wrong. Remember, never judge a book by it’s cover.

September 2019 Random Dance Play-athon

August 27, 2019August 26, 2019 ~ A Very Bookish Girl ~ Leave a comment

random-dance-play-athon

Love Shot – Exo
-Read a book about a character post break up

Power Up – Red Velvet
-Read a book about following dreams

Me – CLC
-Read a book with a beautiful cover

Underwater – Monsta X
-Read a book about heartbreak

I Need Somebody – Day6
-Read a book with Mental Health rep

Heart Shaker – Twice
-Read a book about Falling In Love

Boom – NCT Dream
-Read a summery book
녹을 걸 네 맘은 ice cream – Your heart will melt like ice cream

Sha La La – Pentagon
-Read a book about Travel
당장 짐 챙겨서 떠나자 달나라 – Let’s pack our bags and go

Will you be participating? If you are, let us know! We look forward to seeing your TBRs.

It’s Monday, What are you reading?

August 26, 2019 ~ A Very Bookish Girl ~ Leave a comment

Alright, so I failed pretty hard at getting posts to you guys last week, but can we just appreciate for a moment how hard working Taylor is and how much she’s been getting out. Honestly without getting too mushy or too sappy, I can’t tell you guys how much that girl means to me. Who would have thought there could be someone out there with the same mindset as me, if you’re trying to find your best friend trust me their out there. Just takes a little bit of time. ANYWAY now that I still got a little mushy, why don’t we talk about how my reading is going. I am still reading despite sucking at being active on here!

What did you read last?

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I really, really, really wish that I had something good to say about this read. I wanted this book to be so good, I wanted it to resonate with me, I wanted to feel a connection. Sadly, it did not. IF YOU ARE NOT IN A GOOD MENTAL HEALTH SPACE THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR YOU. This book spends most of the time focusing on ways to die and “failed” attempts at dying instead of expanding on the causes and effects of everything. While I understand not all mental health books are going to be flowers and roses in the end, I just felt like I was lacking so much from this read. I’m not really sure what I was expecting, but this was not it.

What are you currently reading?

38355098 In true Chelsea fashion, instead of picking up something that I was already working on or something that is actually on my TBR, I decided to pick up Dry. I think according to Goodreads I am about 38% through this so far. Honestly I can really already see what all the hype was about this book. It’s told in different perspectives and it focuses on something that unfortunately could become a reality for us, and that’s the loss of drinkable water. I’m really enjoying this, for lack of a better descriptor, dystopian view on modern day society. This will definitely be a book that ends up getting finished this week because I really need to see what is going to happen with this one.

What do you plan to read next?

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Now I know, this is completely not on brand for me, but I actually am going to attempt to pick up one of my TBR books for the month. Considering the month is almost over I figure I probably need to work on some of my TBR books. I absolutely adore getting to put up the TBR every month and working with Taylor to create our Random Dance Playathon challenges, so it’s probably helpful to finish more than one challenge a month. I have already read a ton this month, but I just really want to focus the last week of the month trying to tackle some of my TBR. Speaking of, how are you guys doing on your TBR for the month, are you being successful or are you straying like myself??

Taylor’s Weekly TBR – 08.26.19

August 26, 2019August 26, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ Leave a comment

Currently Reading:

As of writing this blog post on Sunday (08/25) I am listening to Damsel by Elana K. Arnold and have about 6 hours and 18 minutes left as I listen on 1.75 speed. I’m still not sure how I feel about this book yet because I am only about an hour into it but I know this is polarizing and problematic.

Plan to Read:

I plan on spending the first couple days of the week at my mother’s house in order to help get her to her appointments and out of the house for a bit so I plan on working on this book on audio and physically. I finished the series late last year so it is about time that I get around to reading/listening to Restore Me.

I am about three chapters into The Lantern’s Ember because I read it for a “try a chapter” video last year. At night, the weather is chilly so I know fall is coming soon. That makes this the perfect time to finally finish this book.

Review: The Upside of Unrequited

August 25, 2019August 25, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ 1 Comment

30653853 The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Publication Date: April 11, 2017
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance,
Pages: 337
Rating: ★★★★★

“Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.
Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back.
There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?”

The thing about this book is, I see too much of myself in it. Molly is basically me while I was in high school and even in college. I was ready to DNF this book because it was causing me some serious issues and even caused me to have a depression episode for a few hours. That being said, I loved this book so, SO much.

What I loved most about Molly, besides the fact that she is me, 10 years ago (oh god, I’m old) is that she has moments where she stands up for herself. I never did that when I was in high school. People would talk shit about me and my size and I would just shrink away, not saying anything. This would include family, much like Molly’s twin Cassie and their grandmother.

I do wish there had been some trigger warnings for this book. Molly is the victim of fat shaming and and also suffers from anxiety because of it. Had I been prepared, I feel like my own issues would not have come to the surface as harshly or unexpectedly. I have never had a book effect me the way this one did. I even told Chelsea I was having a hard time with it messing with my brain.

All that being said, I loved this book. I loved it so much it might becoming one of my favorite books of all time because I am finally seeing myself in a character and relating to her on such a level I did not think possible. If you have not read this book, please do yourself the favor and pick it up.

Stuck on Repeat 08.24.19

August 24, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ Leave a comment

It’s been a hot minute since I put up a Stuck on Repeat so, while I have a slow day at work, I figured I could get one up! Here are five songs I have been obsessed with this week.

EXO – Ko Ko Bop

It was a goal of mine to have EXO (OT9) down before the end of July but, I only managed like six out of the nine but I have succeeded in my goal just a month shy. In the process I listed to this song so many times and watched this video like every day, so needless to say it has been stuck.

Seventeen – Getting Closer

This is a group that intimidates the fuck outta me. I believe this is the biggest group I have tried to learn to date so it’s a little scary. There are 13 members of Seventeen and I know. . . three of them. So ten more to learn by the end of the month!

Everglow – Bon Bon Chocolat

I get this song stuck in my head so easily and I feel like every day on the way to work, I have to give it a listen just to try to give my brain a break from this catchy ass song. I do not know the girls at all yet, but I am planning on learning them very soon! They also just had a comeback AND IT IS SO DOPE!

NewKidd – Tu Eres

These. Babies. Oh my god. I am obsessed with them. I saw a video on YouTube with Jinkwon and Yunmin and I was instantly in love. Not to mention, Chelsea had blown my phone up with pictures of Yunmin the day before I saw the video. So, I was sold! They are adorable and I cannot wait to see them blow up in the near future.

Dreamcatcher – Piri

Dreamcatcher is a group that I was instantly in love with. There is this rock vibe with them and in case you didn’t know, I listened to a lot of rock and metal music before I got sucked into the Kpop realm. So these girls have a sound that drew me in from the beginning. This is their latest comeback and I hope to know more than my bias before their next comeback.