Happy New Year Readers!
Sorry to have been so MIA lately, honestly I'd love to say that I was holed up somewhere reading all the books, planning out reviews and read-a-longs, but I wasn't. I was dealing with grief, depression, holiday feels realness, and emotional stagnation. Thankfully, I'm coming out of that.
January has been a very bookish month for me. I've gotten through 12 reads, only one wasn't the best, and I'm 23% through my Goodreads challenge. Yes, this year I've only challenged myself to read 52 books, just one a week for 2019. Something I've noticed while reading my way through grief is that I will read a LOT, and listen to a LOT of audiobooks and podcasts as a way to avoid my emotions. For the past few years I've set myself up for these reading challenges, to successfully complete them, and while I have finished everything I wasn't fully enjoying the stories. I was reading to fill in the time that freed up in my life because taking care of my dying parents was no longer on my plate. I was reading to fill the hole in my chest that grief created. Yes I loved some of the books I read last year, I still can't shut up about Sadie, but I put all of this immense pressure on myself to be the book girl that I lost the fire that made me a reader in the first place. So 2019 is the year of the story for me. I'm reading books, I will always be reading books, but I'm reading them solely for the stories they contain. I'm not trying to fill bingo cards, check off challenges, or hit triple digits like I have in years past. This year, I'm just reading for the sole enjoyment of reading.
So, without further ado.....
Here are the first 12 books of 2019!
1. Essentialism by Greg McKeown
2. Empress of the East by Leslie Peirce
3. Nixonland by Rick Perlstein
4. Impeachment by Jeffrey Engel, Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, and Peter Baker
5. Playing With Fire by Lawrence O'Donnell
6. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
7. Verity by Colleen Hoover
8. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass
9. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Mass
10. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
11. White Lies by Lucy Dawson
12. Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus
What I'm currently reading:
Queen of Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
Stay tuned for my RBG special, my hot take on Bad Blood, and much more this year.
XoXo
BrainyHeroine
Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Friday, February 9, 2018
I'll Be Yours and You Will Be Mine...Release Time!!
Happy Friday Readers!
As many of you may know You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston has come out into the literary world and I want to scream about it from the rooftops.
Love turns deadly in a new, heart-pounding thriller from Natasha Preston, author of the runaway bestsellers The Cellar and The Cabin.
ROSES ARE RED,
VIOLETS ARE BLUE,
WATCH YOUR BACK,
I’M COMING FOR YOU...
Lylah and her friends can’t wait to spend a night out together. Partying is the perfect way to let loose from the stress of life and school, and Lylah hopes that hitting the dance floor with Chase, her best friend, will bring them closer together. She’s been crushing on him since they met. If only he thought of her the same way…
The girls are touching up their makeup and the guys are sliding on their coats when the doorbell rings. No one is there. An envelope sits on the doormat. It’s an anonymous note addressed to their friend Sonny. A secret admirer? Maybe. They all laugh it off.
Except Sonny never comes home. And a new note arrives:
YOUR TURN
Goodreads - http://bit.ly/2DUXcNm
Amazon - http://amzn.to/2DVlEhv
iBooks - https://apple.co/2DVSCyy
B&N - http://bit.ly/2DY0Ztd
Kobo - http://bit.ly/2DX1sMz
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
UK native Natasha Preston grew up in small villages and towns. She discovered her love of writing when she stumbled across an amateur writing site and uploaded her first story and hasn’t looked back since. She enjoys writing contemporary romance, gritty Young Adult thrillers and, of course, the occasional serial killer.
Website - http://www.natashapreston.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/natashavpreston
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authornatashapreston/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/natashapreston5/
Wattpad - https://www.wattpad.com/user/natashapreston/
I breathe in deep through my nose and out through my mouth—an exercise my therapist taught me when I started to feel like I was going to fall apart. I can slowly feel myself start to relax when the doorbell rings.
Sighing, I get up. My housemates must’ve forgotten their keys or be carrying too many bags to unlock the door.
I glance through the window, but no one is there.
Another doorbell ditch?
My blood runs cold as I open the door.
An envelope is sitting on our mat. The world turns mute as the blood rushes to my ears. Bending down, I scoop up the envelope. It’s addressed to Isaac. And it looks like exactly the one that came for Sonny.
No…
I turn it over and pull out the note. My hands are shaking as I read:
YOUR TURN
“Isaac!” rips from my throat.
“What?” he calls from his room down the hall. My voice is trapped in my throat as I look up and down the street. There are still a few folks leaving flowers, looking at the makeshift memorial in front of our house. Did one of them do this? Did one of them see who left the note? I feel so exposed. Vulnerable.
I draw back inside and shut the door, trembling.
Isaac’s footsteps thud from his bedroom into the foyer. “Lylah, what?” His face falls and his eyes widen as he sees what’s in my hand. “Is that another note?”
Nodding, I hand it to him.
“Jesus,” he whispers. “Who was it addressed to?”
I look up at him, my vision blurring with tears. “You.”
UK native Natasha Preston grew up in small villages and towns. She discovered her love of writing when she stumbled across an amateur writing site and uploaded her first story and hasn't looked back since.
She enjoys writing contemporary romance, gritty Young Adult thrillers and, of course, the occasional serial killer.
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Wattpad
As many of you may know You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston has come out into the literary world and I want to scream about it from the rooftops.
YOU WILL BE MINE
Author: Natasha Preston
Release Date: February 6, 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Thriller
ABOUT THE BOOK
Love turns deadly in a new, heart-pounding thriller from Natasha Preston, author of the runaway bestsellers The Cellar and The Cabin.
ROSES ARE RED,
VIOLETS ARE BLUE,
WATCH YOUR BACK,
I’M COMING FOR YOU...
Lylah and her friends can’t wait to spend a night out together. Partying is the perfect way to let loose from the stress of life and school, and Lylah hopes that hitting the dance floor with Chase, her best friend, will bring them closer together. She’s been crushing on him since they met. If only he thought of her the same way…
The girls are touching up their makeup and the guys are sliding on their coats when the doorbell rings. No one is there. An envelope sits on the doormat. It’s an anonymous note addressed to their friend Sonny. A secret admirer? Maybe. They all laugh it off.
Except Sonny never comes home. And a new note arrives:
YOUR TURN
Goodreads - http://bit.ly/2DUXcNm
Amazon - http://amzn.to/2DVlEhv
iBooks - https://apple.co/2DVSCyy
B&N - http://bit.ly/2DY0Ztd
Kobo - http://bit.ly/2DX1sMz
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
UK native Natasha Preston grew up in small villages and towns. She discovered her love of writing when she stumbled across an amateur writing site and uploaded her first story and hasn’t looked back since. She enjoys writing contemporary romance, gritty Young Adult thrillers and, of course, the occasional serial killer.
Website - http://www.natashapreston.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/natashavpreston
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authornatashapreston/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/natashapreston5/
Wattpad - https://www.wattpad.com/user/natashapreston/
EXCERPT
I breathe in deep through my nose and out through my mouth—an exercise my therapist taught me when I started to feel like I was going to fall apart. I can slowly feel myself start to relax when the doorbell rings.
Sighing, I get up. My housemates must’ve forgotten their keys or be carrying too many bags to unlock the door.
I glance through the window, but no one is there.
Another doorbell ditch?
My blood runs cold as I open the door.
An envelope is sitting on our mat. The world turns mute as the blood rushes to my ears. Bending down, I scoop up the envelope. It’s addressed to Isaac. And it looks like exactly the one that came for Sonny.
No…
I turn it over and pull out the note. My hands are shaking as I read:
YOUR TURN
“Isaac!” rips from my throat.
“What?” he calls from his room down the hall. My voice is trapped in my throat as I look up and down the street. There are still a few folks leaving flowers, looking at the makeshift memorial in front of our house. Did one of them do this? Did one of them see who left the note? I feel so exposed. Vulnerable.
I draw back inside and shut the door, trembling.
Isaac’s footsteps thud from his bedroom into the foyer. “Lylah, what?” His face falls and his eyes widen as he sees what’s in my hand. “Is that another note?”
Nodding, I hand it to him.
“Jesus,” he whispers. “Who was it addressed to?”
I look up at him, my vision blurring with tears. “You.”
We are so excited to be sharing the release of #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Natasha Preston's YOU WILL BE MINE. Young Adult and thriller fans won't want to miss this one--be sure to grab your copy today!
About YOU WILL BE MINE
Love turns deadly in a new, heart-pounding thriller from Natasha Preston, author of the runaway bestsellers The Cellar and The Cabin. ROSES ARE RED VIOLETS ARE BLUE WATCH YOUR BACK I’M COMING FOR YOU Lylah and her friends can’t wait to spend a night out together. Partying is the perfect way to let loose from the stress of life and school, and Lylah hopes that hitting the dance floor with Chase, her best friend, will bring them closer together. She’s been crushing on him since they met. If only he thought of her the same way… The girls are touching up their makeup and the guys are sliding on their coats when the doorbell rings. No one is there. An envelope sits on the doormat. It’s an anonymous note addressed to their friend Sonny. A secret admirer? Maybe. They all laugh it off. Except Sonny never comes home. And a new note arrives: YOUR TURNAdd YOU WILL BE MINE to your Goodreads shelf here!
Get your copy of YOU WILL BE MINE today!
Amazon / iBooks / B&N / Kobo
Read an excerpt from YOU WILL BE MINE now!
I breathe in deep through my nose and out through my mouth—an exercise my therapist taught me when I started to feel like I was going to fall apart. I can slowly feel myself start to relax when the doorbell rings. Sighing, I get up. My housemates must’ve forgotten their keys or be carrying too many bags to unlock the door. I glance through the window, but no one is there. Another doorbell ditch? My blood runs cold as I open the door. An envelope is sitting on our mat. The world turns mute as the blood rushes to my ears. Bending down, I scoop up the envelope. It’s addressed to Isaac. And it looks like exactly the one that came for Sonny. No… I turn it over and pull out the note. My hands are shaking as I read: YOUR TURN “Isaac!” rips from my throat. “What?” he calls from his room down the hall. My voice is trapped in my throat as I look up and down the street. There are still a few folks leaving flowers, looking at the makeshift memorial in front of our house. Did one of them do this? Did one of them see who left the note? I feel so exposed. Vulnerable. I draw back inside and shut the door, trembling. Isaac’s footsteps thud from his bedroom into the foyer. “Lylah, what?” His face falls and his eyes widen as he sees what’s in my hand. “Is that another note?” Nodding, I hand it to him. “Jesus,” he whispers. “Who was it addressed to?” I look up at him, my vision blurring with tears. “You.”
About NATASHA PRESTON
UK native Natasha Preston grew up in small villages and towns. She discovered her love of writing when she stumbled across an amateur writing site and uploaded her first story and hasn't looked back since.
She enjoys writing contemporary romance, gritty Young Adult thrillers and, of course, the occasional serial killer.
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Wattpad
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Literature Goals has a new goal
Hello Readers,
Today I would like to announce that in 2018 I will shift the focus of this blog and let you know that on top of focusing on books, I'll be focusing more on literacy as a whole.
While literacy is defined as the ability to read and write, I find that it is so much more. It's the complex understanding of the written word. Literacy is also about having effective communication skills, even using the Internet is an example of modern literacy; and the astonishing rate of illiteracy worldwide means that global problems take decades and centuries to solve. Literacy is a compound and complex skill that needs to be developed.
So what exactly does this all mean for me? Well, I'm hoping to better craft my posts to encourage reading, writing, and understanding, along with encouraging more "challenging" reads; all while doing some self discovery to see where I stand with my own literacy knowledge. I'll be posting book reviews, reflections, and streams of consciousness revolving around books and the media.
The goal here is to encourage literacy whenever and however I can, and we'll all just have to see how that plays out.
Until next time,
XoXo
BrainyHeroine
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