Twelve Days of Christmas Book Tag

Hello all! The holiday season is upon us and I recently found a Christmas-themed book tag that I just absolutely had to do. It's the Twelve Days of Christmas Book Tag and it combines two of my favorite things: Christmas music and books! This tag was originally created by Lizzie Loves Books on YouTube and if you're interested in her tag, you can find it linked there. There are twelve questions and each one corresponds with a different day of Christmas, so, without further ado, let's go ahead and dive in!

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1. ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE... 

The partridge stood alone in the pear tree. What is your favorite stand alone?

I think I have to go with Internment by Samira Ahmed on this one. I read it at the end of 2018 and it was one of the most impactful books I've read in a while. It deals with so many real world issues and I don't think my eyes were dry for the last  quarter of the book.

 

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2. ON THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

TWO TURTLE DOVES...

Love is in the air! Who is your one true pairing?

I have to go with either Aelin and Rowan or Rhys and Feyre for this one. Both of them are Sarah J. Maas pairings and I love both of them so much. I think both pairings are different from each other and each set of characters just seem to fit in their own ways.

Art by @faeriereverie

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3. ON THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

THREE FRENCH HENS...

In the spirit of threes, what is the best trilogy you have read?

I think I have to go with The Dark Elements by Jennifer L. Armentrout for this one. Every book in the trilogy just absolutely hits the spot. I love each of them and it's probably my favorite JLA series to date.

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4. ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME:

FOUR CALLING BIRDS...

Since series usually consist of four or more books, what is your favorite series?

My favorite series is Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. It's been my favorite series for a while now and I absolutely love it. I've had so much good come from this series and it means so much to me.

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5. ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

FIVE GOLDEN RINGS...

One ring to rule them all! Who is your Favorite Villain/Antagonist?

I honestly can't think of a specific character for this one. One of my favorite things in a book, though, is when a character or group of characters struggle against an internal battle or against another group (such as a small group of rebels trying to overthrow a corrupt government). I guess my favorite books aren't always Good vs Bad but deal with people trying to create change in an imperfect situation.

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6. ON THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

SIX GEESE A LAYING...

Creation is a beautiful thing. What is your favorite world/world-building?

The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty has an amazing, vivid, and complex world. I fell in love with the world from page one and I cannot wait to return to it when the third book releases in 2020.

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7. ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME:

SEVEN SWANS A SWIMMING...

Who needs seven swans when all it takes is one good animal sidekick? Who’s your favorite animal sidekick?

Abraxos from the Throne of Glass series. He's the cutest and reminds me so much of Toothless. He also plays quite a big role in the series, so he really was the first animal sidekick to pop into my head.

Art by mialythila

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8. ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

EIGHT MAIDS A MILKING...

Milk is so 18th century. Which book or series takes beverages/food to a whole new level?

The first one that popped into my head was To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. Lara Jean is constantly talking about baking and all the things she creates throughout the trilogy. It's only  natural to immediately think of that when this prompt comes up.

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9. ON THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

NINE LADIES DANCING....

Dancing is just one skill of a Lady! Who is your favorite kickass female lead?

Since I've done too much SJM already, I'm going to go with Lou from Serpent & Dove for this one. She goes through so much and has already been through so much. She's funny and strong and overall an amazing character.

Art by Monica A. Borg

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10. ON THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

TEN LORDS A LEAPING...

How about your favorite leading lad?

Once again barring any character from the Sarah J. Maas megaverse, I've decided I'm going to go with Thomas Cresswell from the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco. He is one of the best male characters I've ever read and I am honestly in love with him. He's sweet and kind and fights for what he wants, but mainly he's just the most charming character I've ever read.

Art by PhantomRin

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11. ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 

ELEVEN PIPES PIPING...

What is your favorite book or bookish thing with musical influence? (It can be about music, reference music a lot etc.)

The Veil Diaries by B.L. Brunnemer was the first series to pop into my head when this prompt came up. While it's not heavily about music, the main character does join a band and music is used a lot throughout the books. It's also one of my favorite series!

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12. ON THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME

12 DRUMMERS DRUMMING...

Drum roll please…what is your favorite read of this year?

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin definitely takes this spot! I fell in love from page one and read this massive book so quickly. I've been wanting to reread it ever since I finished but haven't had the time yet! It was such a stunning book and I can't wait for the sequel to come out in 2020. If you'd like to know more of my thoughts, you can find my review here.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

Hello everyone! Today I decided to do another Unpopular Opinions Book Tag. I haven't done this tag since March of 2017 and I'm sure some of these answers have changed. This tag was originally created by The Book Archer on YouTube. You can find my first time doing this tag here. And now, let's go ahead and get into this controversial and fun tag! 

What is a popular book or series you didn't like? 

Everyone seems to love The Cruel Prince by Holly Black but I had major problems with it. When I read it and finished it, I seriously was wondering if I'd read the same book as everyone else because I didn't think it lived up to the hype at all. I originally gave it 4 stars because I was swayed by the hype, but then kept dropping my rating the more I thought about it until it hit 1 stars. I think right now I'd call it a 2 star book but I have absolutely no interest in reading the next one. You can find my review here. 

What is a popular book or series that everyone else seems to hate but you love? 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I think that the book community has chilled on the hate for this series and more people I see on bookstagram are admitting they still like the book, but in the general world there's just a lot of Twilight hate. I've said it before and I'll say it again, people who haven't read the book/watched the movies only hate the series because its primary fanbase is teenage girls. But this isn't the place to get into all of that. Still, Twilight was one of the formational series of my childhood and it will always hold a special place in my heart even though I can see the issues with it now that I'm older. 

What is a love triangle in a book or series where the main character ended up with the person you did not want them to end up with?

I don't really have an answer for this specific question because I haven't really been reading books with love triangles lately and the ones I have been reading have ended with the main character with the person I wanted them with. However, I will discuss a love triangle that I didn't like that may contain spoilers for To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han: Peter Kavinsky, Lara Jean, and John Ambrose McClaren. I thought that the fact there was a love triangle between these three was a bit ridiculous, honestly. I thought John was nice but there was nothing that I read that drew him and Lara Jean together in way that could justify dropping Peter. I like John, but I think I saw their relationship as more of a friendship than a romantic relationship. 

What is a popular book genre that you hardly reach for?

There's a whole list of these starting with horror. I'm a scaredy cat and don't like it. I also find that a lot of YA thrillers really disappoint me, so I tend to stay away from those and just thrillers in general. I haven't read very much historical fiction in my life, though I do have some titles that I'm interested in reading eventually. I also don't reach much for contemporary books. 

What is a popular or beloved character that you do not like?

Prince Cardan from The Cruel Prince. I get that he's supposed to be cruel because it's literally in the title of the book, but what he did in the book went beyond cruel. Just with my personal experiences in my life, I felt as if the justification of abuse that led to a cycle of abuse was handled poorly. Just...if you want my rant thoughts you can find them here. 

Who is a popular author that you can’t seem to get into?

Holly Black and John Green for sure. After reading The Cruel Prince and hearing others talk about Holly's other books, I just don't have any desire to pick up another book by her. I'm sure she's a nice person, but her books aren't for me. And with John Green, I read Paper Towns and it ended up really disappointing me by the end. I also only got about halfway through TFIOS before I put it down and had no desire to finish it even though I was getting through it pretty quickly. I'm going to try again with Turtles All the Way Down for Green, but overall I just don't generally read the genre of books he puts out. 

What is a popular book trope that you are tired of seeing?

The rude or agonized character being "fixed" or "healed" by a female character or through a relationship where they come out a drastically changed person. This is honestly the worst, in my opinion. Girls aren't rehab centers for damaged people, for starters. Also, instead of being fixed and changed, I think learning to live with the bad that's happened and developing good coping mechanisms is better than being magically healed because a 17-year old girl with no psychological experience said they loved you and it'll be okay. 

What is a popular book or series that you have no interest in reading?

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. I tried reading the first book and couldn't get past the first few pages, although that was a few years ago so I'm sure I could do it now. Mostly, I just have no interest in reading the books after starting to watch the show. It's a huge time commitment that I'm not interested in and I would rather watch the show than read the books. Even the show, at times, didn't hold my attention so I'm sure the book would bore me. 

What is a movie or TV show adaption of a book or series that you like more than the book/s?

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I just remember being let down by the book but thinking that the movie was done pretty well. I didn't even like the movie that much, but I still thought it was better than the book. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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My Favorite Books of 2018!

It's insane that 2018 is already finished. I was so looking forward to this year and all of the amazing releases and to think that it's over and I'm looking towards 2019 now is just insane. I read so many wonderful books, found new favorites, and reread some old favorites. I read 100 books in 2018, but I narrowed my favorites list down to my top ten! For this list, I decided to group books of a series together or else there could have been books from the same series taking up half of the list. I also excluded rereads from this list, even if I loved revisiting the stories. 

It was actually really hard to rank these after I got past my number one, so while they are ranked numerically, most of them could be interchanged at some point! So, without further ado, here are my top ten books and series from 2018! 

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At number ten, we have Seafire by Natalie C. Parker. This wasn't really a book I knew much about until about a month or so prior to its release when I was able to get an e-arc of it. Let me just say, this book took me by surprise! I fell deep in love with the story and characters from page one and I ended up binge-reading it in a day. I cannot wait for the second book coming out hopefully next year! You can find my full, spoiler-free review of this book here :)

At number nine, we have the most recent and final releases in the Curse of the Gods series, Strength  (book 4) and Pain (book 5) by Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington. This is one of my favorite RH series and I just loved how the story wrapped up. I wish I could get more of these characters but I'm also happy with how the authors wrapped the plot and conflict up. For my non-spoiler review of book 4, go here, and for my non-spoiler review of book 5, go here. 

For number eight, I decided upon Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. This was the incredible finale to the Illuminae Files trilogy. This is one of my favorite sci-fi series that I've ever read and it's so bittersweet to see it come to an end. This book also really, really scared me. Although, I did accidentally (and stupidly) spoil a part of it for myself so one of the big plot twists wasn't as impactful for me. For my full, non-spoiler review, go here! 

Coming in at number seven, we have Furyborn by Claire Legrand. I was really anticipating Furyborn and it ended up being such an amazing read. I already cannot wait to reread it and see what I've forgotten or missed on the first time around. It was such a surprising fantasy read and I cannot wait for the sequel in 2019! For my full, non-spoiler review, go here :) 

At number six, I chose Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. It feels like I read this forever ago since I was lucky enough to get an advanced reader's copy, but this book has stuck with me all year. Whenever I see someone mention it, I get so excited. And while this book seems to stay in the back of my brain, when I was going through what I'd read this year, this one popped right out as one of my favorites. It was a surprising and fun, short fantasy that really hit its mark. You can find my full, non-spoiler book review here!

At number five, in a last minute read, we have Internment by Samira Ahmed. I just finished this book moments ago and I knew I had to adjust my favorites list to include this one. This book was hard. It was so hard to read. It was so much more real to life than anything else I read this year. I am heartbroken, I am angered, I am inspired. This book challenges you to read the horrors that have occurred in our [America's] past and no doubt are occurring right now in our very country and then do something about it. I am not the same as when I went into this book. Review here. 

For number four, I went with Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. This was a last-minute read of 2018 and I absolutely loved it. The more and more I think about this book, the more I just want to escape back into this world and these characters. I cannot believe it took me so long to finally read this book yet I'm so glad I finally did! You can find my spoiler free review here :)

At number three, we have all three books in the To All The Boys I've Loved Before trilogy by Jenny Han, which includes the first book by that same name, P.S. I Still Love You, and Always and Forever, Lara Jean. I can't decide if I like the first or second book the most, but all three were so cute and binge-able. I ended up falling in love with this trilogy and the movie back in August and I'm so glad to have finally read it, even though I'm questioning why I waited so long to read them! You can find here my non-spoiler reviews of book one, book two, and book three! 

For number two, we have A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas. I think the reason I enjoyed this book so much more than a lot of people did was that I went into this book expecting it to be exactly how it was. I expected it to be a short, holiday-themed story where nothing happened except the characters all being together. In fact, more things happened than what I expected. But I just found this a cute, fun little read that was a great bridge book between ACOWAR and the next book coming out! You can find my non-spoiler review here.

And finally, at the top spot of number one, is Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas, a pick that no-doubt surprises no one. This was the final novel in my favorite series that released this year and it was such an amazing ending, in my opinion. Do I think there were things that could have been done differently to make it better? Yes. But did I absolutely love it and think that it was an amazing end to the series? Also yes. I'm still working on compiling my spoiler discussion of this book, but you can find my non-spoiler review here!

Well, there you have it! The top 10 books I read in 2018. I can only hope that 2019 brings as great of a reading year as 2018 did. These last few months especially have been excellent reading months and I cannot wait to see how these upcoming ones go! 

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Thanks for reading! For all of my 2018 wrap-up posts, check them out here. 

xoxo

Lauren

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Book Series I Finished in 2018!

Hey all! The year has come to a close and now I'm here to talk all about it! I ended up with a pretty good reading year, especially when it comes to these past few months. I read so many amazing books this year and I ended up finishing more series this year than in any previous year! In 2018, I managed to finish seven series, which is almost twice as many as I finished in 2017. I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment and hope to finish even more in 2019! But without further ado, here are the seven series I finished in 2018:

The first series I finished in 2018 was the Executive Toy series by Cleo Peitsche in January. This was also the only series I finished in the first half of the year. I had read the first three books at the very end of 2017 and ended up finishing the last three in the very beginning of 2018. It was a pretty fun series but I didn't love it too much. Mostly, it was a fast read and pretty short but I haven't had the urge to return to the series since finishing.

The next series I finished was The Illuminae Files trilogy by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff in July. I loved the first two books and it was almost a two year wait for me until I could read the final book since I had read an advanced copy of the second. I think the reason it took me months after the release date for me to read this one was because I wanted to reread the first two in preparation for this one. And it was such a fun reread! I love this trilogy so much and it's brought me both happiness and great pain. Overall, I thought Obsidio was a perfect end to the trilogy. Reviews: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3. 

The third series I finished in 2018 was The Oresteia trilogy by Aeschylus in October. The explanation behind this one is pretty simple: I had to read it for a class I was taking. I'll be honest and say I don't remember much of what happened and I don't really care to reread it anytime soon. 

The fourth series I finished in 2018 was the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas in October. If you've been around for a while, you know my love for this series. It's one of the series that got me back into reading years ago and I was eagerly anticipating this final release. I still can't quite believe that it's over but I absolutely loved the final book. Reviews: Book 0.5, Book 1, Book 3, Book 5, Book 6, Book 7. 

The fifth series I finished was the To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy by Jenny Han in November. This was an unexpected one for me, as at the beginning of the year I didn't even know anything about this trilogy. But when the movie trailer came out, I really wanted to watch it but I knew I wanted to read the book first. And then I finished the book...and needed to know what happened next. I absolutely loved reading this trilogy and I only wish I'd found it sooner. I love the characters so much and it was such a light, fun-hearted read that has found its way onto my favorites list. Reviews: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3

The sixth series I finished in 2018 was the Curse of the Gods series by Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington in December. I started reading this series when it came out and fell in love immediately. I absolutely adored this series and, while it's sad to see it come to an end, it was such an amazing ride and I loved the final book! Reviews: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, Book 4.5, Book 5

The seventh and final series I finished this year was the Dark Side series by Kristy Cunning in December. This series was a lot of fun to read and I definitely thought the final book was a great end to the series. Overall, I really enjoyed this series and will most likely revisit my favorite scenes but I don't think it was an amazing, out of this world story. 

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Well, those were the seven series I finished reading in 2018! I'm hoping to finish even more series in the upcoming year and already have such a huge TBR. Wish me luck! Thanks for reading! For all my other 2018 wrap-up posts, go here! 

xoxo

Lauren

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November 2018 Wrap-Up!

Another month gone, another wrap-up to write. This month was definitely an interesting reading month for me. I read some books I really loved and some books that disappointed me. Overall, though, I have a general feeling of "I could have done better" this month. I watched a lot of Netflix, I'm not going to lie, and I feel as though I'm still in a slumpy mood from finishing Kingdom of Ash. The only books that I've been able to get into have been cute contemporaries or romances whereas I've been struggling a bit with fantasy books that I tried to read and failed.

Overall, though, it was still a pretty successful month. I knocked some books off my TBR, discovered a new series to binge, and read a total of 9 books, which isn't too shabby even if I was hoping to get a 10th in. I also watched some Christmas movies, wrote about 15k words of my novel, and finished a new TV season. Let's go ahead and jump straight in!

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BOOKS READ

1.

Title: White Stag

Author: Kara Barbieri

Rating: 2 // 5 stars

Review

2.
Title: Drop of Doubt
Author: C.L. Stone
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

Rereading this was so fun. Honestly, that's all I can really say at this point. It's been so long since I first read these books and I've forgotten how much I missed them. I love these characters and this series, even if it breaks my heart at times. 

3. 

Title: Push and Shove

Author: C.L. Stone
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

What TBR? My only thought process and motivations right now are to reread this series...even though my TBR of unread books is massive. Still, I just love this series and the characters. It's such a cute little guilty pleasure of mine. 

4.

Title: Inferno
Author: Dante
Rating: N/A--for class

I read this for class and it was alright. I wasn't that interested in it because I was being forced to read it, but it was interesting to see Dante's portrayal of hell in a different way than what my friends tell me the Bible portrays it as. I probably would have enjoyed this a lot more if I hadn't been forced to read it and write papers on it.

5.
Title: Forged Alliances
Author: Katherine McIntyre
Rating: 3.5 // 5 stars
Review

6.
Title: Opal
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

Ok so rereading this was a serious roller coaster of emotions. I just love these characters and this series and I just about cried finishing this book, even though I knew ahead of time what happens in the end. I just...so many feels! I'll definitely be continuing on with my reread of the last two books in this series very soon. 

7.
Title: Rush
Author: Maya Banks
Rating: 3.5 // 5 stars
Review

8.
Title: P.S. I Still Love You
Author: Jenny Han
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review

9.
Title: Always and Forever, Lara Jean
Author: Jenny Han
Rating: 5/5 stars
Review

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BLOG POSTS

October 2018 Wrap-Up!
October 2018 Book Haul!
Let's Talk: "White Stag" by Kara Barbieri
Top 5 Wednesday: Largest Books on My TBR
Top 5 Wednesday: Books I Want to Read Before 2019
Let's Talk: "Forged Alliances" by Katherine McIntyre
NaNoWriMo Mid-Month Update!
Let's Talk: "Kingdom of Ash" by Sarah J. Maas
Bookish Holiday Gift Guide! 

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TV/MOVIES

The new TV series I started this month was Covert Affairs about a CIA agent. I finished all of season 1 and I'm almost done with season 2 already. It's just addicting. Either way, that's the only new media I watched this month, though I did rewatch some Christmas movies with my family.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Follow my bookstagram here. New giveaway will be posted soon!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

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Top 5 Wednesday: Books I Want to Read Before 2019

Hello everyone! We're back with another exciting top 5 Wednesday. This week, I'm discussing the top 5 books I want to reread before 2019 rolls around. As I'm sure is the case with a lot of you, my TBR is pretty big and there's always a book that I want to read, so narrowing it down to the 5 I want to read before 2019 was hard. Hopefully, I'll get through all of these! I have Thanksgiving break coming next week and eventually winter break after that, so fingers crossed I can get through these and more.

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These aren't really in any order, but let's start with Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. I've been hearing nothing but great things about this series since this book came out years ago. In fact, I've had no excuse to not read it since I've had the book since it came out. But, alas, I haven't read it yet. However, since I just got word that I won a giveaway for the entire series, I'm planning on binging the series this winter break before the end of 2019. Exciting, right?!

Then we have P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han, the sequel to one of the only contemporary books I've read and actually loved. The first book was so cute and I loved the movie, but I'm not sated. I need more! I cannot wait to read this one, hopefully by the end of November!

Next I have Vicious by V.E. Schwab, a book that everyone seems to love. The hype around this book, and now its sequel, has been insane lately. Plus, with the gorgeous cover, I knew that I had to read it eventually. I think that this will be such a fun read and I cannot wait to get to it.

After that, we have Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. So many people seem to love this and I haven't had the chance to read it yet, but that will happen! I am counting on myself to get through this duology and finally see what all of the hype is about.

And, lastly, I want to read The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, which is actually the book I am starting today after I fill my NaNo quota. This is a high fantasy that has received amazing reviews and I cannot wait to dive into it. I actually read the first 60 pages when I got it and was really immersed in the story, but was too busy to actually finish it at the time. Now is my time! 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Follow my bookstagram here. New giveaway will be posted soon!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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