Saturday, March 31, 2018

March Snapshots


1. I love spring time, when everything is in bloom.


2 & 3. Some recent subscription box purchases, which I have been loving. The first is from the Novelly Yours' February candle box, which was Lunar Chronicles themed. The second is from the Nerdy Post March box, which was Dumbledore themed. If you couldn't tell, I have a slight weakness when it comes to subscription boxes. 


4 & 5. Adventures with Fawkes. He loves going to Zilker Park and I was even able to take him to a dog friendly bookstore. - Jessica

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Fawkes


It's officially my favorite season, Bluebonnet season, and every year make it a point to snap some photos at a patch. This time around, it wanted to finally get photos of Fawkes in bluebonnets, because I failed at doing so last year. So here are my favorite photos, I honestly can't get over how cute he is in these.


- Jessica

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Castle Hill


Earlier this year, the city of Austin voted to demolish Graffiti Park at Castle Hill. I felt like this was a huge blow to the culture of the city, and although they do plan on relocating the attraction, it's still feels disappointing. My friend and I decided to visit the park one last time. The last time we went there, we had a full shoot (in the sweltering heat), but this time we just took a few photos. It was definitely nice to stop by again and see how it's constantly changing. It will be interesting to see how the relocation holds up. - Jessica

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Books I Read in February


I had a really good reading month in February, I read 11 novels and one short story. February is such a hard reading month, since it's shorter, but rereading really helped me stay on track. Here's the books I read and some of my thoughts and opinions on them... 

Immortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes - This is the sixth and final book in the Falling Kingdoms series. I had so many fears and expectations going into this book and I was extremely satisfied with how everything wrapped up. Falling Kingdoms is one of those series that gets better with each book release, and I was no disappointed in this book.

This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada - This is the first in a science fiction, dystopian series, which follows a genetic hacker. This book is pretty different than my usual fantasy binge, but it was an enjoyable and different read. I actually really enjoyed the science fiction element and I was intrigued with the world building. I'm looking forward to the next book's release in October.

The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson - This trilogy revolves around Lia, a princess, who escapes from an arranged marriage, and the prince and assassin who follow her. This was my first big reread of the month and I absolutely loved getting a chance to jump back into this world, and I ended up rereading this whole trilogy in 2 days. Marathoning this trilogy actually helped me realize how detailed this story is, and I loved seeing that element. I absolutely loved this trilogy just as much the second time around. I also finally got to read the short story, Morrighan, which was a nice addition to the series. All in all, this was a great set up for the release of Dance of Thieves, which is set in the same universe as The Remnant Chronicles.

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton - This book follows Camilla, a Belle, someone with the ability to change and alter beauty. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, it's a great first book in an upcoming series, and it's obvious that this book provides a lot of set up for the future books. I'm definitely going to be picking up the series, because I'm curious with how the world will build.

The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski - This trilogy revolves around a well respected general's daughter, Kestrel, and the consequences she faces after purchasing a slave. This was my second big reread of the month, and I wanted to pick this series up again because there was so much that I had forgotten. I absolutely loved this trilogy just as much the second time around, because it was almost like I was reading this book again for the first time. Kestrel is one of my all time favorite female characters, and I loved being back in her world.

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore - This is a magical realism book, following a family of women who have a magical ability to grow gardens. The writing of this book is beautiful, but it took me so long to get into the story, and differentiate the many characters.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert - This book follows Alice, who has to travel to the magical world of her grandmother's stories to rescue her mother. I had heard so much praise for this book and unfortunately for me it did not live up to my expectations. I really enjoyed this book and the dark, fairytale elements, but I struggled to connect to the main character and I felt the second half of the novel was a little rushed. I will probably pick up the next book, cause I'd like to see more from the Hitherlands, and I'm really looking forward to the short story collection, based on the fairytales in this book.

And those are all the books I read. I'm continuing my rereading trend into March, as so far 3/4 books I've read have been rereads. There's a ton of new releases in March that I'm excited about and hoping to get to. - Jessica