March Wrap Up //2022:

I usually enjoy writing wrap-up posts because they feel a little cathartic or sometimes I realize some things I hadn’t before… but March was a bit overwhelming for me, to say the least, so this is a shorter or slightly different update than what I usually do.

With that being said, I actually read a lot of good books in March so at least there was that!!

• The Fine Print – Lauren Asher ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Hook, Line and Sinker – Tessa Bailey ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• House of Sky and Breath – Sarah J. Maas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Squid Game – Park Minjoon ⭐⭐
• From Lukov with Love – Mariana Zapata ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
• Aru Shah and the City of Gold – Roshani Chokshi ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Without Merit – Colleen Hoover ⭐⭐⭐
• Ugly Love – Colleen Hoover ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Soul Eater – Lily Mayne ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
• Blood Bonds – J. Bree (reread)
• Forced Bonds – J. Bree ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• DNF: How We Fall Apart – Katie Zhao
• A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reasons to Read the Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan

One of my obsessions this year has been the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and today I’m setting out to convince you all to read it (and obsess over it) as well!

Recommending you my favorite romances of 2021! (+ mini-reviews)

I’m certain I’ve recommended these books to everyone and their mother on bookstagram, but other than one or two reviews I’ve barely talked about them here. It was fairly easy to make this list, all of these books and authors popped into my head as soon as I decided to do it. (Arguably, it was also easy to do this since I consume the most romance through the fantasy romance subgenre as opposed to just contemporary romance – otherwise, this list would include at least seven other books).

Review: The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

Summary // What if you weren’t the hero? Kihrin grew up on tales of long-lost princes and grand quests – despite being raised in a brothel, making money as a musician and street thief. One day he overreaches by targeting an absent noble’s mansion, hunting for jewels. There he witnesses a prince performing a terrifying dark-magic ritual. Kihrin flees but he’s marked by a demon and his life will never be the same again.

That night also leads to him being claimed as a lost son of that prince’s royal house. But far from living the dream, Kihrin finds himself practically a prisoner, at the mercy of his new family’s power plays and ambitions. He must also discover why his murderous father finds Kihrin more valuable alive than dead. Soon Kihrin attempts to escape his relative’s dangerous schemes but finds himself in far deeper waters.

He becomes tangled in a plot to kill the Emperor, rob the Imperial Vaults, claim a god-slaying sword, and free bound demons to wreak havoc across the land. Kihrin also discovers the old tales lied about many things: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love – and the hero always winning. But maybe Kihrin isn’t fated to save the empire. He’s destined to destroy it. 

January Wrap Up 2022

It’s already looking like 2022 will be yet another great reading year for me, though I realize now that I still haven’t posted my yearly wrap-up of 2021 where I say it was one of my best reading years of all time, if not the best.

This month I read a total of nine books. I was mostly obsessed with the Wheel of Time series. The way I’m basically binging this series, even though books are 600-1000 pages long!? It’s just too good, I can’t get enough of it. If this continues I’ll probably finish this series by March and continue to neglect the rest of my tbr. All the other books I read were pretty great as well, there was nothing bad.

BOOKS READ:

• The Eye of the World – Robert Jordan ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
• The Great Hunt – Robert Jordan ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
• The Dragon Reborn – Robert Jordan ⭐⭐⭐.5
• The Shadow Rising – Robert Jordan ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The Fires of Heaven – Robert Jordan ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
• It Happened One Summer – Tessa Bailey ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• ARC: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea – Axie Oh ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
• Before the Coffee Gets Cold – Toshikazu Kawaguchi ⭐⭐⭐
• Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow – Jessica Townsend ⭐⭐⭐.5

also on my bookstagram: dragonsandpaperbacks

I also bought 8 used books (from awesomebooks and some still haven’t arrived, so I’ll do a book haul post later) and unhauled 6 books. I didn’t stick to my book buying ban at all, it’s almost funny but considering how cheap they were, I’m not mad about it.

I also received a book from a Portuguese publisher and it’s a sort of unofficial guide to Squid Game! It will be part of my February tbr and I’m very interested in seeing if I missed any hidden details or possible foreshadowing while I was watching.

THIS MONTH ON THE BLOG

• December Wrap Up 2021
• Blog Update: renaming it “dragons & paperbacks”
• ARC Review: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
• Series to Finish Readathon [21.01-23.01] – my tbr
• My Most Anticipated Releases of 2022: January – March
• Review: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Reading Journal: March Spreads

Hello, friends, today I’m bringing you another reading journal post – featuring my march journal spreads!

Reading Journal Updates: January | February

January Wrap Up //2021

Hello loves, I hope you had a good January and if not, I hope it gets better in February! Before moving onto the books I read this month, I have some very brief news.

In 2021, I’m participating in the Literary Love Book Club, created and hosted by the wonderful Brooke @ brookecannotread (who also recently started a blog, please go check her out). This book club is all about reading NA/Adult romances! January’s book club pick was The Roommate by Rosie Danaan.

Also, I’ll be posting more journaling content from now on. First maybe a monthly series of updates on my reading journal, and then inspiration and tips as well, perhaps?

Baby It’s Cold Outside [Book Tag]

Hello, friends! I’ve had a lovely holiday time with my family and I’m fully planning on just reading until the year ends. I hope you’ve all had a wonderful holidays and I’m sending you lots of love if you’re dealing with loss, away from your family or just having a hard time this year.

Today I’m bringing you the Baby It’s Cold Outside Book Tag which I saw on AceReader . This tag was originally created by Erin @ Reading on a Star. It’s been ages since I’ve done a book tag, so let’s go!

10 New Releases I still Want to Read

Hello everyone, how are you doing today? This year’s new releases were on point, finally one aspect of 2020 that didn’t suck! I read the majority of those I wanted, but as I was thinking of all the books I want to read next year and setting up my new reading journal, I realized there were still about 10 of them that were high on my priority list that I just didn’t get to read.

So today I’m sharing with you those 10 hot new releases that I didn’t get a chance to read in 2020 (and some short and mostly accurate summaries by yours truly).

RELATED: Anticipated Releases of 2020 (part 1) & Anticipated Releases of 2020 (part 2)

How my reading habits changed in 2020

This year most of us found ourselves at home with plenty of extra free time with no commutes, no leisure trips and so readers began to read more… and I’ve realized my reading habits have changed quite a bit this year.

• 

•