Showing posts with label pumpkinheads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pumpkinheads. Show all posts

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Thanksgiving Book Tag: 2019 Edition


It's that time of year again! The time where all us Americans gather around with our families and stuff our faces until we can barely move. I'm in London this year so I'm going to be having quite a different Thanksgiving experience from usual. One thing that won't change, though, is me laying around all day eating turkey and also doing this book tag! I'm limiting it to books I've read this year, though, just to make things interesting. Let's go ahead and just dive right in!



1. Bread - What book is purely fluff, and has no real plot line?

I feel like a lot of books can fall into this category but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're not good books. I myself need a fluffy book every once in a while. For this, I'm going to go with Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks. I really enjoyed this graphic novel, but there  wasn't much to it beyond just messing around. It was definitely super cute and fluffy, though.



2. Turkey - What book made you want to fall asleep?

I have to say, any of the books I read for class this year made me want to fall asleep. Outside of those, Lord of Shadows really bored me for most of the book. There are a few others, but that one came to mind first. I will say that while it bored me, I still enjoyed it a little. It's definitely not my favorite Cassandra Clare book, though. You can find my review here



3. Gravy - What book makes the whole series worth reading?

Going off of the last question, Queen of Air and Darkness was a lot better than Lord of Shadows. I still think that Lady Midnight was the best of the series but this third one definitely restored my faith in the series and characters. From the beginning page it was already better than the second book. Plus, there was plenty of angst but also hope that really kept the book going. You can find my  full review here.



4. Stuffing - What book is stuffed full of action scenes?

I read a lot of high fantasy and other action-packed scenes. It was actually a bit difficult deciding what book to chose for this prompt. In the end, I've decided to go with The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young. There was action almost from page one and kept going throughout the book. Not only that, but I just really enjoyed this book. You can find my review here.



Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1)5. Mashed Potatoes - What book looked good, and then wasn’t?

I didn't even have very high expectations going into Wicked Saints and yet it still majorly let me down. I thought it would be somewhat good but every time I look back on it I'm just reminded of how disappointing this book really was form me. Before I go off on a tangent, I'll just leave it with this book was not what I expected.



6. Cranberries - What book has the sweetest romance?

I obviously have to go with one of my favorite books of the year: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. I'd been hearing a lot of hype about it leading up to the release and I knew that I had to read it. Everything about these characters was so sweet and pure and amazing. I already can't wait to reread this book in the future! You can find my full review here.



7. Corn - What’s the corniest book you’ve ever read?

I decided to go with Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey. I don't know if I would say that this is the corniest book I've ever read but it was approaching that feeling. This was kind of a stereotypical fluffy and steamy novel. However, it was really fun and enjoyable nonetheless.



8. Green beans - What book is too long and needs to be shortened?

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor definitely fits this bill for me. It wasn't necessarily a bad book but it was over 500 pages and I could probably count how many big things happened on a single hand. It's a compelling story idea but the book was so long and unnecessarily so. You can find my review here.



9. Pumpkin Pie - What book do you read to get out of a reading slump?

The one series that never fails to get me out of a reading slump is The Veil Diaries by B.L. Brunnemer. These characters are some of my favorites and the writing is so easy to just fall into. I could read all 7 of the books that are out so far in a week if I let myself. I just love these books and they never fail to get me into a reading mood.



Image result for stuffing10. Dog/Cat - What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food that you would steal from the table?

It would have to be my grandma's stuffing for sure. She has her own secret recipe and it's my favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving meals. I always have about a million scoops of it because I just can't help  myself when it comes to how yummy it is.



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Friday, October 18, 2019

Fall Reading Recommendations


Hello all! It's been a while since I posted a bookish post but today I'm finally back with some reading recommendations for fall! These are all books I'd recommend reading during these cooler months when the leaves are turning, rain is falling, and night is longer. So, without further ado, here are six books you should read during the fall season! 



Up first, I have Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin. This is my absolute favorite book of 2019 so far and I highly recommend everyone read it regardless of the season. However, I think that fall is by far the best time to read it considering it's all about witches, magic, and romance. 

Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou's most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.



Up next is Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand. This is a bit of horror mystery book following a set of young girls. It's definitely spooky and contains thriller aspects that make it perfect to read during a stormy fall evening.

Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep.

He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.

Who are the Sawkill Girls?

Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.

Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.

Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.

Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires.

Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now.



Then I have one of my favorite books, Hide and Seek Her by H.B. Stumbo. This is more of a thriller romance rather than a spooky fantasy but it still deserves a place on this list. Not only does this book mean so much to me, but it's also a creepy and addicting read that I couldn't put down once I started reading it.

Jackson Greene was the dark. If there was a place in the world where all of the light had been sucked out of, Jackson Greene would be what was left standing. Charlotte Lyons had let Jackson Greene take all of the light from her world and after his mysterious disappearance and her near death experience she worries that she will spend the rest of her life trying to find the light again. 

Enter Vance Wait, the mysterious yet intriguing man who pulls Charlotte from the darkness of the shadows of her past and out of the world she has spent years hiding in. As Charlotte attempts to rebuild her life and learns what it is like to let someone new in, she finds that the things she thought were gone are hiding just out of her line of sight. The lingering thought that she should always look over her shoulder is like a burn that will never fade. Where Jackson is the flame still inflicting the wounds, unbeknownst to Charlotte, Vance is the gasoline used to ignite those flames. 

Sometimes the things we think we see are mirages, hallucinations even. Our imagination is usually what haunts us more than the actual vision our eyes process. It's the things we don't see, the things that we feel but cannot ever point out that are the real threat in our lives. Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing and you wouldn't believe the things you miss seeing when you're searching for something else.



I'm recommending a graphic novel next and I couldn't be happier to be putting this one on the list. Pumpkinheads is a cute little novel that definitely puts you in the mood for fall. Not only is the story itself super cute, but the illustrations definitely made me feel immersed in fall and pumpkin patches.

Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.

Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.

But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.

Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years . . .

What if their last shift was an adventure?



Up next I have one of my favorite books that I love to reread in the fall months: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco. This is a spooky, sometimes creepy novel that plays with your mind yet pulls you in the whole time. It's truly perfect for fall. This series has one of my favorite character duos ever and I wouldn't be surprised if I felt the urge to reread these books again soon.

Presented by James Patterson's new children's imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion...

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.



Lastly, I'm recommending The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh. This can best be described as a romantic vampire murder mystery set in New Orleans in the 1800s. Basically it's everything that any ex-Twihard would love! Everything about it screams fall read.

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful. 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Wednesday, October 2, 2019

September 2019 Wrap-Up!


Admittedly, my reading month wasn't quite the best but my month overall was completely fantastic. I read 8 books and the majority of those were read before I left for studying abroad in London. I'm hoping to get into a better reading routine once I get into an actual schedule this upcoming month but overall I'm having a great time. If you wanna know what I've been up to these past few weeks, I've linked the first two wrap-up posts down below. Otherwise, here are the books I got to! 

BOOKS READ
1.
Title: A Fallen Hero
Author: Sara A. Noë
Rating: 4.75 // 5 stars

2. 
Title: SWAT
Author: Lily Harlem
Rating: 2.75 // 5 stars
It was alright. Short, sweet, to the point. It was long enough to get me through a car ride but I've already forgotten half the characters names and it's only a day later. It was originally included in an anthology which is why it's so short, but I didn't feel connected to the characters or story very much. It was an enjoyable read but nothing spectacular. 

3. 
Title: The Girl the Sea Gave Back
Author: Adrienne Young
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review

4.
Title: Pumpkinheads
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Illustrator: Faith Erin Hicks
Rating: 4 // 5 stars

5.
Title: A Pact Between the Forgotten
Author: Jessica Sorensen
Rating: 2.5 // 5 stars
It was alright but not my favorite. I enjoy the story and I'm interested in the characters, but for a RH ebook it's priced a little high for how short it is. It's pretty short and, while there are a few scenes with action in them, it's overall not a fast-paced book. I think it could have benefited from being longer. 

6.
Title: The Ravens & The Mysterious Town
Author: Jessica Sorensen
Rating: 2.5 // 5 stars
This one was also alright. I enjoyed it but I think my main issue with these is that they're so short that they don't feel like a complete book. I feel like nothing really happened in this book. From where the stopping points are, I feel like book 1 and book 2 could have been one book altogether since they were pretty short individually. I probably won't continue these but I haven't decided yet. It all depends on when the third book releases and if I'm still interested in reading more.

7.
Title: Becoming the Dark Prince
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars
This was such an amazing little bonus that I absolutely loved reading. I'm a big fan of Thomas Cresswell and getting to see inside his head during some of the most pivotal scenes of the series was just fantastic. I have to say, I love him even more after reading this. I also thought this was a great bridge between Escaping From Houdini and Capturing the Devil, which I'm about to start. I just--ugh all the feels after reading this one!

8.
Title: Capturing the Devil
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Rating: 4.75
Review



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