This month was full of so many awesome things that happened, which I’ll talk about more in my Life Updates section, but I had a really great time this month in terms of reading and bookish related things, so here’s all the things that happened this month on my blog and otherwise:
What I Read
- The Rose & the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh – The conclusion to this duology, it was filled with romance, wonder, magic, bloodshed, and so many emotions. 4.5/5 stars Check out my review!
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas – Proceed to Massive Book Hangover Street because OMG IT WAS AWESOME. Very much enjoyed this second book and thought it was well written, the plot was intriguing, and the characters were beautiful. 5/5 stars Check out my review!
- The Deal by Elle Kennedy – I never thought I’d read a book relating to hockey, but oh man, this was a steamy new adult book that I couldn’t put down. 4.5/5 stars Check out my review!
- The Mistake by Elle Kennedy – I loved this one so much! I really grew attached to the characters and I really enjoyed the story overall in this one. 5/5 stars Check out my review!
- The Score by Elle Kennedy – Heeeeyyyy sexy lady! Okay, this one was wicked steamy compared to the others, but still highly enjoyable! 4.5/5 stars Check out my review!
Books I Started But Didn’t Finish
- When We Collided by Emery Lord – I’m getting really frustrated with one of the main characters, but I know it’s part of the story and who she is as a character that is making me annoyed, so I can’t really fault her for that.
- The Crown by Kiera Cass – I completely spoiled myself by reading the ending, but I just wasn’t feeling up to reading this one. I will read and review it at some point, but I just don’t feel a rush.
Books I Got This Month
I had more control this month! I think!
- The Mistake by Elle Kennedy
- The Score by Elle Kennedy
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
- The Crown by Kiera Cass
- Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes
- Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
- Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
- Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
These are a few books I won from Armchair BEA:
- Bite Somebody
- Yoga & Diabetes: Your Guide to a Safe and Effective Practice
- The Last of the Firedrakes
Discussions I Held
- Books & Humor: Why I Don’t Laugh Out Loud Often – Seriously, I don’t laugh out loud when I read that often, and I don’t know why.
- Am I A Reader? – What makes a reader and do I consider myself one?
Top Ten Tuesdays & Top 5 Wednesdays
- Characters I’d Like to Revisit in 10 Years – I wonder if I’ll still feel the same about a character if I read about them 10 years from now.
- YouTubers I Love – I focus on non-book related people this time around!
Writing Related
- Camp NaNoWriMo Week 4 Wrap Up & Recap – I failed miserably, but I still wrote and learned a few things.
- Beautiful People: May Edition – Here I talk about my character, Abby, and answer some random questions about how she’d react in certain situations.
- #WritersLife Tag – This was a super fun tag, and you get to read an excerpt from my story!
Fun Things
- Beautiful Covers: White – Hey, I finally finished my Beautiful Covers series this month! Only took 5ever to do that…
- Armchair BEA 2016: Days 1 & 2 – Wherein I talk a little bit about myself, about diversity in the publishing industry, and talk about the aesthetics of blogs and books.
- Armchair BEA Day 3: Beyond the Books & Blog – Where I talk about other forms of reading and also show off some of my art (my style is inspired from Japanese anime and manga – it’s called chibi style).
- Armchair BEA Day 4: Surviving Fictional Worlds & Giveaway – Because let’s be real, I’d probably be the first to die in a dystopian, but I’d love to live in a fantasy world. I also hosted a giveaway, which is now over, but still exciting!
- Armchair BEA 2016 Wrap Up & Giveaway Winner – It was fun to be able to join in because I couldn’t go to BEA this year.
- May Uppercase Box Unboxing – I got tea! And postcards! And a cool book!
As for Flights of Fantasy, I’ve read an additional two books that are fantasy related, and so that brings my total up to 24 books read of the 30 I’m aiming for that are fantasy. Not bad, if I do say so myself. I wanted to read a lot of contemporary this month, so I’m not upset that I only read two fantasy books.
Life Updates
Okay, now it’s time for the fun part of this post. Seriously, guys, this month was one of the best in my bookish life and I absolutely loved it! Where my real life is a struggle right now with work and crap, my bookish life fills me with joy.
- I got a little more serious about Bookstagram and have been doing a lot better pictures than before (though I’ve been slacking the last two weeks). Here’s a little peek at some of what I post:
- I got to meet my favorite author, Sarah J. Maas, and get my favorite book by her (that’s right, I said it!) signed and personalized to me. AND when I went up to her and she saw my name on the post it, she recognized my name from Tweeting at her and I nearly died of happiness right there. It was such a good time and I made a new friend while I was there who was very sweet. Here’s the book personalized & how close I was to Sarah (even though I did zoom in a little, but I was still in the front row; and yes, I did buy a second copy from Target just so I could have the short story… I have a problem, I know):
-
- And then I had a really bad day about two weeks ago, so I went and got a haircut and I love it! It made me feel better, too, because I had been meaning to go for months now to get my hair cut, but I’ve just been lazy. Here’s a before and after:
-
I’ve gotten a lot of compliments since getting it cut and everyone agrees that it really suits me, which I also agree with!
- And then I went to the Maggie Stiefvater signing and OH MAN IS SHE HILARIOUS. She can seriously put on a one woman show and I would totally be fine with it. She told stories of where she was staying in Connecticut, of her plane traveling woes, and during the Q&A portion she even had one of the people who asked a question talk in a Batman voice and it was the best thing ever. Plus, when I went up to get my books signed, we had a fun little chat about them, which was nice. I bought The Scorpio Races while I was there to a) support an independent book store, and b) because I’m really interested in reading it!
- I also got two mugs from two awesome bookish people, Evie Seo @ Bookish Lifestyle and Cait @ Paper Fury. Both mugs are lovely and I don’t know that I’ll use them to drink anything anytime soon, but for now they make wonderful decorations for my shelves (Evie’s is on the left and says, “Read More Books” & Cait’s says, “Reading Solves Everything Except Your TBR Problems…”):
- May 30th marked eight years that my husband and I have been together as a couple. It’s crazy to think of how long we’ve been together. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, and yes a couple of break ups, but even when we weren’t together we still saw each other pretty much every week when we were hanging out with friends. He’s my best friend and I love him to pieces and I can’t wait to see what the years will bring us.
Let’s Chat! ≧◡≦
How was your month in terms of reading? Did you get a lot accomplished or did you take a break (because I know school ended for a lot people and so they were swarmed with finals and such)? Any big plans for the summer? Let me know!
My May was not nearly as eventful as yours, so I’m glad you had a good one! (Also, those mugs are gorgeous.)
LikeLike
Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so jealous, I love sarah j maas, haha. love the haircut 👌
LikeLike
Thank you! She was really nice and funny.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, you really had an eventful May! Love the new hair, and I’ve added you on Instagram (not because of the new hair!) 🙂
LikeLike
Hahaha, thanks! ❤
LikeLike
AHHHH *FLAILS BECAUSE MY MUG DEISGN* This makes me so happy, eeeep. Thank you, Rayna. ❤
Also your hair looks super nice! And YAY for a good reading month! I really meant to read The Rose and the Dagger but…somehow I didn't. 0_0 I really need to just stop going to the library and READ WHAT I HAVE IN MY SHELVES. AWK. My TBR is a mess at the moment, omg. heeh.
ALSO YOU MET MAGGIE STIEFVATER AHHHH I AM SO JEALOUS!! *flails for you* She sounds amazing and I'm actually re-reading The Scorpio Races right now and it's incredible. I am so so in love with all the characters and the writing.
HAPPY MAY! And I hope June is fantastic too!
LikeLike
You’re welcome! Thank you for an awesome design!
LikeLike