January Snapshots

1 & 2. Corgi smiles.

3 & 4. I'm so obsessed with how pretty these books are. The first photo features the map of Hogwarts from the 20th anniversary UK editions, and the second photo is of King of Scars.

5. I'm constantly trying to go to all the different coffee places in Austin, this month it was Austin Java and Bougie Donuts.

Bookish Goals and Lists for 2019

This year I'm setting a reasonable goal of reading 120 books, I read 123 last year when my goal was 100, so I'm very confident I'll reach this number. This month I'm already off to a good start, I'm currently reading Peter Pan which is a book that I included on my TBR list from 2017, and a book that I've wanted to read for years. I usually write a list of books that I want to read at the beginning of the year, but I'm absolutely awful at getting to any of the books on the list, so this year I'm just going to plan as I go. Typically at the beginning of the month I run through a handful of titles that I'd like to read in the coming month. One day I hope to be organized enough to attempt to bullet journal all this information...

At the beginning of the new year I love to go through the list of new releases for the year and assemble some of the one's I'm most looking forward too. So here's some titles, I can't wait for...

Links (left to right): 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

And those are only the books that have had cover releases, there's still The World of Throne of Glass, which I've heard has details following the conclusion of Kingdom of Ash, the final book in the Renegades Trilogy, and Vow of Thieves. And I'm still reeling over the fact that we are getting a sequel to Carry On, I distinctly remember that I was out in public when I saw the news for Wayward Son and I barely restrained screaming. I'm very lucky to have already read one of these books on the list, The Wicked King (which is amazing), and I also am making my way through an ARC of On the Come Up, that I got through work. Other than that, I can't wait for the other releases to come out. - Jessica

Favorite Books of 2018

In 2018, I read 123 books. Last year I started rereading books more, and I started listening to way more audiobooks. So many final installments in some of my favorite series came out, and I also discovered some new favorites. Here's a list of my top 10 favorite books I read for the first time in 2018.

1. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas - This is the final installment in the Throne of Glass series. I have mentioned this book a lot on my blog, because the Throne of Glass series is one of my all time favorites (second only to Harry Potter) and I absolutely loved every aspect of this concluding novel. It's a very bittersweet feeling because I loved reading this series but I'm very saddened that this story has come to a close. 

2. Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare - This is the final installment in The Dark Artificies series. There's going to be a lot of final books on this list, and this is one of them. This book is a massive amalgamation of Clare's Shadowhunter universe, and I loved seeing every single piece from all the other books come together in this installment. I also really love how it set up my anticipation for the upcoming series about Ty and Kit, but also provided conclusion in other aspects. Of Cassandra Clare's three series set in this world, this is by far my favorite. 

3. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black - This is the first installment in the Folk of the Air Trilogy. This was one of the first books I read in 2018, but it stuck with me so much. I spent so much time thinking about the twists and turns in this books. Slow burn is my favorite element in writing, and this book is the epitome of the perfect slow burn. I love the dynamic between Jude and Carden and I need the final book in this series to come out already.

4. Vengeful by V.E. Schwab - This is the sequel to Vicious. I have been anticipating the release of this book for years and I'm so satisfied with the result. This book picks up five years after Vicious and I loved witnessing how the world expanded and the new problems the characters faced.     

5. Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor - This is the final book in the Strange the Dreamer Duology. Laini Taylor has the ability to create amazing and fantastical worlds, with the most whimsical writing. I love how this book expanded on the elements in Strange the Dreamer and how expertly the world expanded.

6. Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - This is the final book in the Illuminae Files Trilogy. This is a series that I've been following since the release of the first book, and I'm so happy that I've read the final pages. This installment is action packed and I loved how the action came to a close. 

7. Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson - This is the first book in the Dance of Thieves Duology. This book is a spinoff to Pearson's The Remanent Chronicles, which is another of my all time faves, and I love how the two series converged in a way that wasn't vital for new readers to understand, but also allowed returning readers to appreciate. I loved the new characters in this book and I can't wait for the sequel to come out. 

8. Immortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes - This is the final book in the Falling Kingdoms series. I enjoyed how every detail accumulated to this book, and it's been a rewarding experience following these characters, Mangus and Cleo are my favorites and I'm happy with the ending they received.

9. Save the Date by Morgan Matson - This is the only contemporary book in this list, as I've gotten older I've read less and less contemporary and although there were several others that I loved (Anger is a Gift and A Very Large Expanse of Sea to name a few), Morgan Matson is my all time favorite contemporary author because she handles coming of age books with expertise. I especially loved and related to the sibling dynamic in this book.

10. To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Cristo - This is a stand alone novel, that was inspired by The Little Mermaid. This is another book that handled slow burn extremely well, and is such an incredible debut. This is a title that I listened to on audio and thoroughly enjoyed.

And those are my all time top 10 books I read last year. I have to give honorable mentions to Furyborn and Between Frost and Fury because I loved both books and I'm torn that I couldn't add them to this list.  - Jessica

Books I Read in December

Hello 2019, it's been a little quite on the blog for a couple of months, but I'm looking forward to getting back into my weekly blogging. Since I'm a little behind on posts, I wanted to start this year off by going over the books I read in the closing days of 2018. Here's the books I read in December and some of my thoughts and opinions on them...

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare - This is the final book in The Dark Artifices trilogy, that is set in the Shadowhunter universe. This book is a cumulation of everything that Cassandra Clare has been writing since the first book in The Mortal Instruments series, this book ties in so well with her other series, and it was mind blowing seeing all the correlations. On it's own, this book is a masterpiece, the character development and story development is masterful. I think The Dark Artifices might have taken the spot of my favorite series in the Shadowhunter universe. After reading this book, I do think that you need to read The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices to fully appreciate the series, but it's such a rewarding universe, and I think it's why I come back each time Clare writes a new book in this world.

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir - This is the penultimate book in the series, An Ember in the Ashes. It was unfortunately a bit of a process to read this book, I started it back in June, but I struggled to remember what had happened in the previous two books, to fully appreciate this book, because it is a really good book. Luckily as I was making my way through this book, I was slowly remembering the main plot points, but I'd definitely missed a lot of the connections to the previous books. I mostly listened to the audiobook of this and I fully plan on rereading the series before jumping into the last book, which unfortunately is slated for a 2020 release.

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan - This book follows Ella as she spends a year at Oxford on the Rhodes scholarship. I visited Oxford last year, and ever since then I've been obsessed with the atmosphere, and that's what I liked the most of this book. The first half of the book heavily focuses on Ella discovering Oxford, while the last part focuses on the romance. I wasn't a huge fan of the romance and I think that affected my overall opinion of this book, because I enjoyed the first half more than the second. 

East by Edith Pattou - This is a retelling of the Norweigan fairy tale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. I was really intrigued by this book as it's a early YA book, and the author wrote a sequel 15 years after this publication. Overall it read like a middle grade book, and the main character seemed very juvenile, which threw off my perception of this book. Overall I wasn't able to fully immerse myself in the world or the characters, and I'm unsure if I want to read the sequel. 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling - This was obviously a reread for me, because there's something about Christmas that makes it the perfect time to reread Harry Potter. This time around I read the UK 20th edition that came out recently, which had some great added elements.

Evermore by Sara Holland - This is the final book in the Everless duology, set in a world where time is currency. I really enjoyed the first book and was excited to delve into the sequel. I unfortunately did not enjoy this book as much as the first, but I was still fairly satisfied with this book. I do wish that this series had gone more in depth in the world building, because I think those elements were rushed and this book could have been way longer. 

And those are the books I read to finish out the year. I've got a few more book posts coming soon about my favorite books of 2018 and some books I'm looking forward to 2019. - Jessica