 |
| Avenge me! |
The Sunday Post is hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, and share news. It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Date. I get to tell you what I’ve read recently.
On The Blog Last Week
- On Tuesday I showed you my most-anticipated 2019 young adult releases.
- On Thursday I wrapped up 2018.
- On Saturday I reviewed two young adult books.
On The Blog This Week
- On Tuesday we talk about the awesome authors I discovered in 2018.
- On Thursday I announce my New Year’s resolutions (and you peer pressure me into completing them).
In My Reading Life
Last week, I finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I hated the romance, but I loved everything else. It’s about a human girl who finds herself caught in a supernatural battle between angels and monsters. I love the world, and the legends, and most of the characters. If the melodramatic Twilight-style romance hadn’t been in there, this would have easily been a 5-star book for me. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
Then I read The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic. Guys, I don’t understand the hype. This book is terrible. It’s about a group of psychopaths who play a fake sport. The made-up sport and the characters’ motivations didn’t make sense to me. The made-up mental illness and the “medicine” for it didn’t make sense to me. I just don’t understand anything about this book.
Then I
read The Doughnut Fix by Jessie
Janowitz. I’m not allowed to talk about this novel because it’s a finalist for
the Cybils Award, and I’m one of the judges. I’ll review the whole middlegrade
shortlist after we decide who wins.
Right
now, I’m reading another finalist, The
Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet.
In My Internet Stalking Life
- I was a bad blog stalker last week. Most of my free time is going to reading the Cybils Award books. I’m a painfully slow reader. I may have to cut back on blogging a bit to finish the books on time.
In The Rest Of My Life
Five
things that made me happy last week:
- Pizza!
- It was my sister’s birthday, so burritos and delicious chocolate cake happened.
- I failed at eating healthy (refer to #1 and #2 above), but I did well with exercising. I’m still struggling to exist without caffeine. My headache is mostly gone, but I’m tired all the time.
- New books. Many, many new books.
- My 2018 reading statistics post. It took several long nights to put this post together. I’m happy I got it done without caffeine.
Feed My Ego
Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other! See you around
the blogosphere!
It's exciting that you're a judge for the Cybils Award. Good luck with all the reading. I think that might be too stressful for me...lol. I'll look forward to reading about the books after the awards. Oh, pizza sounds so good! I've given that up for now since I'm trying to lose weight, but I'm definitely not giving up my coffee! I hope you have a good week reading your books for judging.
ReplyDeleteSo far the Cybils reading isn’t too stressful. If I keep up the pace I’m reading now, I’ll finish it on time. I also need to lose weight, but giving up my favorite foods is hard!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Oh man I totally DNFed The Foxhole Court . I had no idea WTF was going on. Glad I didn't miss much. Yay for pizza and burritos and cake. I start this week in trying to eat healthier. I hope it goes well. Now off to check out your stats post. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI really should have DNFed. I was very confused the whole way through.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Pizza is always needed and Cake. I can't live without coffee and caffeine. I have cut back a lot but I will never let it go. I just drink it in Coffee or Tea form.
ReplyDeleteI love reading stats post and going to check out yours! Maybe one day I will do my own!
Have a great week, Aj! Happy Reading! xx
Most of the physical symptoms of caffeine withdrawals are gone, but I still don’t like starting my day by drinking ice water.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Ooohhh I very much loved the entire Daughter of Smoke and Bone series so I hope you like the rest. Her writing is 💯! Also no caffeine?! I started twitching just thinking about it lol
ReplyDeleteI’m excited to continue with the series. I need to find a cheap copy of the second book.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
The Foxhole Court sounds absolutely bizarre. I love how your first two "5 things" are food-related. :) Pizza and burritos and chocolate cake - yes, please. Good for you for not throwing in the towel with the caffeine thing. Man, that has to be hard.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I really love food. Giving up caffeine hasn’t been pleasant. I miss it so much!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I always enjoy your five happy things. Thanks for sharing, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you like them!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Pizza will always make me happy. My husband is on a healthy eating kick lately, so I haven't had it in awhile :-( Good luck with the caffeine withdrawal! Instead of cutting out completely, I try to only have it like 3 times a week. All things in moderation!
ReplyDeleteMy brain doesn’t understand moderation. It likes to go at everything 1000%. It’s either all the caffeine or none of it.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Wow, it must be amazing to actually be judging a book award? Does it feel really pressurised?
ReplyDeleteCongrats on still being off the caffeine, especially as the physical effects are still lingering. You've got me wondering if I should cut down my intake too
So far I’m not feeling much pressure. We’ll see what happens when I get closer to deadlines.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Happy belated birthday to your sister! and yay for cake ahah that always makes a day and a week better :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I liked it overall but wasn't a fan of the romance either. That's too bad :/
I hope you'll have a fantastic week!
The romance was way too melodramatic for me. Lots of people have said the loved the second book, so I’m curious.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I really liked Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I am pretty sure I made goulash (vegetarian) and honey lavender bread after reading it. Lol. I was apparently a fan of the food. I actually never finished the series, but I loved the novella Night of Cake and Puppets. It was my favorite in the series. :)
ReplyDeleteHave a great week! And good luck with the caffeine withdrawl!
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten goulash, but my mom has talked about making it. If she makes it, I’ll try it.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
It was birthday week for us, too. Pizza and cupcakes!! :)
ReplyDeleteThose are some of my favorite foods!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
How exciting that you're a judge in a literary contest!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the Daughter of Smoke and Bone... there's just so much hype around it that I've been holding off.
Have a wonderful week ahead and happy reading.
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
The hype made me hold off on it, too. Luckily, it’s a pretty good book.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Now AJ I think the way to your heart or at least to your happiness must go through food! LOL I have Daughter of Smoke and Bone on my shelf for ages !!! I will have to read it ..some day. Happy Sunday!
ReplyDeleteHaha, definitely. Food is my third favorite thing in the world (after dogs and books).
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I have to admit that I've never heard about The Foxhole Court.I guess I missed the hype.
ReplyDeleteOhh, pizza, my favorite food... ;)
I first heard about it on Twitter years ago. I haven’t seen it on many blogs, but I guess it has some rabid fans on social media.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I'll pass on The Foxhole Court. Doesn't sound like something I'd want to read. Yay for pizza! I need to eat better, too. I'm going to make an effort starting tomorrow. Just got back from Sonoma and I ate a ton.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with healthy eating! I’m trying hard, but I’m bad at it.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Have fun with the judging of the Cybils Award. Sometimes my reading is quick and other times slow. It really depends on the genre, but if I was judging my reading would be slow too.
ReplyDeleteI’m thinking harder than usual about each book, so that’s been slowing me down. Also, I’m just a really slow reader! My Kindle says I read at half the speed of an average person.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Pizza always makes me happy. Especially when I am sick. Good luck with your duties as a judge!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Pizza makes me happy, too. It’s one of the world’s most perfect foods.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Every time I think about kicking the caffeine habit, I get a headache and cave within just a few hours. I am weak and quite impressed by your dedication. Yay for pizza and birthday food. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThe headache was intense for a few days, but it’s gone now. I’m still tired, though, especially in the morning.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
You can never go wrong with pizza! :D
ReplyDeleteLauren @ Always Me
Pizza always makes me happy. In fact we had it yesterday. Hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Pizza is the greatest. :)
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Now I want to read The Foxhole Court. 😂
ReplyDeleteOkay, now I remember the Cybils awards... I tried voting for (or suggesting? I cant remember) books after your post about it, but every time I hit enter it said something like "invalid action". I left a comment about it for the hosts, but no one got back to me, to my knowledge, anyway. I am excited to see the winners! 👍✨
Yeah, pizza is definitely a week brightener! 🍕✨
Have a wonderful week. 🌞
Sorry the nominations form didn’t work. I don’t know anything about the website part of the award. I’m just here to read the books.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
My sister had a birthday this week, too! Eating healthy is hard... especially when temptations like pizza, burritos, and chocolate cake get in the way. There's always next week ;-)
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to your sister!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I FINALLY read The Foxhole Court just last week, and while I didn't hate it, it is a bit odd/confusing and it took me a little while to read. I'm curious to continue reading though. LOL I still need to share my New Year goals on the blog - hopefully later this week.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I hope the next Foxhole book is better. I’m calling it quits after the first one.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Good luck with the short list. I haven't heard of Foxhole Court. My weekly update.
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting through the Cybils books! I'm sure it's a difficult task.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
It’s not too bad so far. I’m just not capable of reading fast.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Ooh I love the dinosaur! And I'm kinda thinking of trying Laini Taylor's books. They look fun.
ReplyDeletePizza, burritos and cake. That's like the perfect week.
Thanks! The dinosaur graphic came out better than I expected. I’m excited to read more Laini Taylor books.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone so many years ago, but I never finished the series. Maybe one day soon I'll do it because, as you, I loved the world-building. Pizza always makes me happy. :)
ReplyDeleteWishes of a happy week! ;)
Tânia @MyLovelySecret
The world-building is so good! It’s the best I’ve seen in a YA fantasy book in a long time.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I just can't go near YA books with dumb Twilight romances. I'm just sick of reading them. This is why I'm very selective in my YA now.
ReplyDeleteSame here. I don’t like books that have insta-love, and then nonstop angst and melodrama. Everyone just needs to calm down!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Healthy eating doesn't matter when there are birthdays to celebrate!
ReplyDeleteI agree!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
How fun to be a judge for the middle school book award. Sounds like a very worthy way to spend your reading time. And, pizza? Well, yay anytime!
ReplyDeleteI love judging so far. I’ve discovered a bunch of books that I wouldn’t have read without the award.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
How cool you are a judge. That's awesome. I've seen that book on Hoopla and have to admit, I'm kind of drawn to the cover. I'm still stuck reading The Passage but have been working other books in between.
ReplyDeleteJudging is really fun so far. Good luck with The Passage. I haven’t read that one.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
The Foxhole Court is new to me! I may have to check it out just because of the bizarre factor.
ReplyDeleteIf you read it, I hope you like it more than I did. I found it confusingly unrealistic.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I've been trying to work on my book blog stalking -- I enjoy reading everyone's posting and seeing whats out there, but sometimes I just get so distracted.
ReplyDeleteHere is my IMWAYR!
Same here. Keeping up with blogs is difficult. Some people post A LOT.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Giving up caffeine is hard. I'm pulling for you. I always like to see the winners of the Cybil Awards. They got on my "must buy" list when I was a Media Specialist. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThe Cybils people do seem to find excellent underhyped books. I’m happy to be helping out this year.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Pizza! Always amazing :) And The Foxhole Court sounds really weird, doesn't sound like my cup of tea either...
ReplyDeleteIt didn’t sound like my kind of book, but I thought I’d give it a try. Turns out, it REALLY wasn’t my kind of book.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Sounds like you had a great reading week. I've been wanting to read Daughter of Smoke and Bone for a while now. I'm glad you like it so much.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week and happy reading!
It was a pretty good book. I hope you like it, if you read it.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I'm a terrible blog stalker. I've been so busy with Artemis I barely have time to read let alone stalk. lol Good luck on finishing the reading in time. You can do it! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! When life gets busy, blogging and reading are the first things to suffer.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Maybe they want to replace the synopsis on GR with your's. LOL! I downloaded it for free, because of the hype, but I still haven't read it. Not sure how I feel after your assessment. I have The Doughnut Fix on my TBR, because doughnuts and that cover is enough to get me to read it. Pizza, burritos, and chocolate cake -- I'm jealous.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover of the doughnut book! Chubby raccoons with doughnuts are my aesthetic. I got The Foxhole Court for free, too. I would have been irritated if I paid for it.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Good luck with getting all of the Cybils Award books read in time. That's a bummer about the romance in Laini Taylor's book. That one is on my list of books to read this year, so I'm curious as to how I'll react since I'm usually meh on romance anyway, lol.
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it! It’s a really popular book, so lots of people must love the romance.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Well good luck with the reading. I still want to read Laini Taylor; I own some of them.
ReplyDeleteEverything in moderation. I'm glad the exercise is going well. I always say you can eat anything just watch the quantity. I hope this week goes well! Anne - Books of My Heart
I’m really bad at moderation! I tend to go 1000% at everything. That’s bad when it comes to favorite foods.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Ugh, I'm tired of Twilight type romances.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great week!
Me too. So much melodrama!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Ooh cake! I LOVE CAKE (and happy birthday to your sister!) I also reeeeally love Daughter of Smoke and Bone but don't remember being fussed about the romance either. 😂I need to reread though!
ReplyDeleteI love cake, too! It’s one of my favorite foods. I hope the rest of the series is less romance-focused. I want to read about the world!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Super proud of you for giving up caffeine! I've given up plenty of things in my life, but caffeine appears to be my weakest point. I'm in awe of everyone else who can kick it.
ReplyDeleteCaffeine is my weakness, too. It makes me feel so happy!
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I know being an awards judge is sucking up your time, but its still so awesome your doing it. And don't feel bad about indulging in food for a while, especially when your good most of the time.
ReplyDeleteTori @ In Tori Lex
Being an award judge is awesome so far! I’m having fun and reading good books.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Haha one of my favorite aspects of The Daughter of Smoke and Bone was the romance, I love me some melodrama!
ReplyDeleteI was a bad blog stalker too, I hope the Cybil Book Awards are going smoothly!
I dislike the romances in most books, so I’m not surprised I had issues with this one. I’m excited to read the next book, though.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Pizza and burritos sound like a perfect reason to not eat healthy. I am still in awe that you've been going caffeine free. I've been cutting back and I've had a headache and I'm so tired.
ReplyDeleteI am the worse blog stalker. I'm currently working on blog hopping but I feel like I'm always behind.
I hope you had a wonderful week and that you enjoy the books for the Cybils awards!
Tina @ As Told By Tina
I hadn't heard of The Foxhole Court but it doesn't sound like I'm missing much!
ReplyDeleteGood luck finishing the books you're judging and have a good week!
I've attempted Daughter of Smoke and Bone no less than five times (although it's been years since my last try), and I just cannot do it. It's just not for me. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteoh you read Daughter of Smoke and Bone! I LOVED IT! Totally agree with you! The romance didn't do it for me but the characters and the writing were so good!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to your sister! And yay for new books as well. Oof, I just got the first book in the Foxhole Courts because it was free but maybe I need to water down my expectations a bit :P
ReplyDeleteI read Smoke and Bone a few years ago and I did enjoy it, I don't remember all the details, but it was a good one. The Doughnut Fix looks cute! And happy birthday to your sister!
ReplyDelete