Tag: books

Review: Bloomsbury Girls

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Rating: ★★★

I received a copy of this book for free for promotional purposes.

I loved the premise of the book, but it ultimately fell a little short of my expectations. 

As a quick note: this book is loosely connected to the author’s previous novel, The Jane Austen Society. However, you do not need to read that book in order to enjoy this one (I personally have not read The Jane Austen Society and was able to understand this book with no issues). 

My main issue with the book is the pacing. It is very slow. Getting through the first half of the book was a struggle. Once I was about halfway through, the pace (luckily) picked up. 

Another issue I had was that I never felt connected to the characters. I attribute that in part to the prose. It felt very detached and overly wordy at times. It never went deep into the characters.

Moving on to what I liked. I loved that the book had a list of characters and a map of the bookstore. Those were so helpful, especially since there were a lot of characters. 

I also liked the exploration of being a woman during that time. The book showcased the difficulties well. It also did a good job exploring the prejudices minorities face. One of the characters, Ash, is Indian and continually faces racism. 

Lastly, I do like books about books so I enjoyed the literary references and cameos as well as the bits about writing.

Overall, I didn’t love this book, but don’t let that deter you from reading it. You might love it! 

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November 2019 wrap-up

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Hi beauties! Where has the time gone? November went by so fast. November was sort of a crazy month for me since finals begin right away in December. That means more studying and less reading. I still managed to read quite a bit and even finished book that I had been reading for over a month. I read 6 book in total.

Here is what I read:

Overall, I am happy with the amount of books I managed to read this month. My finals are all 3 days a row in early December so I’m hoping to read even more in December!

How did you do in November? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo,

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September 2019 wrap-up

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Hi beauties! I am back with another wrap-up and I just have to say that I am thrilled with how much I read this month. After an incredibly sucky August, I smashed September and read 10 books.

Here’s what I read:

Overall, I read some amazing books this month. I read 3 books off of my Spooky TBR which I am really happy about. I’ve never did a themed TBR before so I had no idea if I could actually follow it, but so far so good.

How was your September? What was your favorite book that you read this month? Tell me in the comments!

xoxo,

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Review: Thoughts of a Mad Man at 3 a.m.

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Rating: ★★★★★

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

This poetry collection was phenomenal. 

In a way this is almost like a novel told in verse. Each section of the book tells a different part of the author’s life. From his alcoholic beginnings to going to jail to finding love, the book covers it all and takes you on a journey. The poems really come from his heart and you can feel the emotions and vulnerability behind them. They felt so authentic. 

The author is an incredibly talented poet. I was very impressed by his work. I was expecting a more Instagram poet kind of style, but from him you get more classic poetry. Unlike a lot of Instagram poets, his poems actually do rhyme and there are no one liners. So if you’re tired of or don’t like the Instagram style of poetry but still want something modern to read, this is your book! 

I also liked the few prose pieces that were included. They took the book to the next level. 

Overall, I loved this collection and am looking forward to seeing what else he publishes in the coming years. 

August 2019 wrap-up

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Hello beauties! I’m back with another wrap-up. I had a pretty lousy reading month in August. I only read 3 books.

I was super busy with school starting this month which is why I didn’t get around to reading as much. I also restarted my Keanu Reeves movie binge so that interfered with my reading time (not that I’m complaining because as you know, I ❤ Keanu).

Here’s what I did manage to read:

Overall, I’m not thrilled with the amount I read, but I know September will be much better.

How was your reading month? Tell me in the comments!

xoxo,

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Review: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

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Rating: ★★★★★

I received this book for free from the publisher (Berkley Publishing) in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! It was everything!

To start, I obviously loved the bookish aspect of it. Like chapter sixteen, when she describes her bookshelves….just wow. This book perfectly captured what it’s like to be a bookworm. It’s like a giant love letter to all of us. 

Interspersed between chapters are daily planner templates that Nina fills out each day. Not only were those super cute, but they were very insightful and offered an interesting glimpse into the mind of Nina. 

This book was also hilarious. There were some funny situations and Nina has a unique sense of humor that I loved. 

I also enjoyed the family aspect. One storyline was Nina discovering who her father was (he recently died and Nina was contacted in regards to his will) and meeting her numerous relatives. I loved her interactions with her family and how she was able to develop a bond with them. It was very heartwarming to see.

The supporting characters were awesome as well. There was an interesting collection of people and personalities. I especially loved the elementary school girls in Nina’s book club. They were adorable and funny! 

Lastly, the trivia tidbits were so fun! I loved reading the random trivia facts that get thrown around by various characters, including Nina herself. 

Overall, if you consider yourself a bookworm, then read this book!

Review: Love Looks Pretty On You

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Rating: ★★★★

I’m such a huge fan of Lang Leav so when I saw this book, I just had to buy it! 

I always love how organized Lang’s collections are. She knows how to come up with with an overarching theme and how to follow it. She never tries too hard to make her poems fit into the theme. That is very true with this collection. It was effortless the way the poems came together to convey her message. 

However, for some reason, there was something missing from this collection. I can’t quite place it, but it was lacking something. It could be because some of the pieces didn’t have titles so it felt slightly incomplete. 

That being said, I still enjoyed it and had a ton of favorites. Some of them were:

  • Someone else (pg. 17)
  • Vultures (pg. 29) 
  • Regrets (pg. 35)
  • Idols (pg. 45) 
  • Your Right to Love (pg. 47)
  • Too Young (pg. 61)
  • I Had You (pg. 71)
  • The Friendship Bond (pg. 75)
  • Flowers (pg. 93)
  • Saltwater (pg. 107)
  • Shut Out (pg. 113)
  • Anxiety (pg. 153)
  • Obsession (pg. 155)
  • Sunday Afternoon (pg. 177)
  • Something Else (pg. 181)
  • Write for Yourself (pg. 193)
  • Springtime (pg. 205)

Overall, this was a wonderful collection of poetry! 

June 2019 wrap-up

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Hi beauties! I’m back with another monthly wrap up. I read more this month than I did last month. I ended up reading 6 books. It wasn’t as many as I was hoping for but I’m still happy with it.

Here’s what I read:

Overall, I enjoyed most of what I read especially Patron Saints of Nothing. Patron Saints of Nothing is one of my new favorite books. It’s a must read!

How was your reading month? Let me know in the comments.

xoxo,

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May 2019 wrap-up

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Hello beauties! Look at me doing another monthly wrap up. I didn’t think I would actually do these every month but here I am.

So May wasn’t a great reading month for me. The first week and a half was my finals week so I had to study like crazy. Then I went on a week long trip to Hawaii and unlike most people, I never have time to read on vacation.

I ended up reading 4 books (2 of which are super short poetry books). Here’s what I read:

Overall, I liked what I read. I just wish I had read more. The good news is that I started reading 3 books this week, so I know June will be a way better reading month.

How was your reading month? Tell me in the comments!

xoxo,

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Review: After Life

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Rating: ★★★★★

I received an ARC of this book for free from the publisher (Harper Books) in exchange for an honest review. 

Going into this book, I didn’t know that much about Alice. All I knew was that she was serving a life sentence for a non-violent drug offense and that Kim Kardashian helped her get commuted. When I saw this was available to review I immediately jumped on it because I wanted to learn more about her. 

Alice’s story is incredible. She truly is an amazing woman and a force to be reckoned with. Her attitude towards life is so admirable. 

I loved that she told her whole story, starting from when she was a kid. It was fascinating learning about her upbringing, her not-so-great choices that lead her to commit the crime, her trial (which had so many things wrong with it), and her life after her conviction. 

The writing style of the book was wonderful. It felt very conversational. It was like Alice was sitting down with you telling her story. When I got to the end, I felt like I was friends with Alice. She was so open about her experiences without being melodramatic. 

The subject matter of the book is so timely. America is in dire need of criminal justice reform and I hope this book can help inspire change by putting a face to the problem. There are so many people like Alice currently sitting in our system. 

Overall, this is a powerful book. It touches upon many themes such as family, faith, and life behind bars. Thank you Alice for sharing your story with the world and inspiring others. Also, kudos to Kim Kardashian West for her role in helping free Alice. Kim gets a lot of hate for various things but you can’t deny her role in this.