Ang's Top Five Bookish Habits

This month’s top five is my top five bookish habits. From the genres I read to how I review novels get ready to learn about a few of my bookish quirks.

1. Keeping Track Of My Reading Progress.

Whether I’m reading a physical copy or an ebook, I like to keep track of how much of the book I have left to read. Ebooks are simple: I use the percentage read option verses the page counting option. For print copies, I will pull out my calculator and place markers at the twenty-five percent, fifty percent, and seventy-five percent marks. I also like to place a marker (not a bookmark, mind you, since I lose them all the time and use random notecards instead) at the end of the chapter I’m reading. This way I can tell how much more I have left.

2. One Book At A Time.

I read one book at a time. I get antsy and confused if I try to take on more than one story. Plus, I get tunnel vision when reading a book and have to finish it before starting another story. And once I start a book, I have to finish it. It’s rare that I don’t finish a book which is why I don’t have a DNF bookshelf on GoodReads.

3. Rereading Books I Didn’t Like. 

This one might seem odd but I like to give books I didn’t like another chance. Case in point: Animal Farm. I despised it as a kid. Loved it as an adult. However, no matter how many times I reread Old Man and the Sea I never like it. And I have probably read the book (at least) four or five times.

4. Review What I Like.

I appreciate the need for critical reviews. But I have to be honest, I find no joy in writing them. And as stated above, I often give books I disliked another chance. Thus I write reviews for the books I like and reread the books I didn’t like another day. I have no regrets.

5. Read Anything And Everything.
And last, but not least:
I read anything and everything.
Adult.
Young Adult.
Middle Grade.
Picture Books.
Horror.
Romance.
Nonfiction.
Poetry.
The back of a cereal box.
There's no genre I won't try.
I'm an eclectic reader who just wants to read a good book.
If that good book is written for ten-year-olds even better.

What are your bookish habits?
Do you (like me) read one book at a time?
Or do you have at least five going all at once?
Do you keep track of where you're at in a book or wing it?
Do you read everything and anything or are you genre loyal?

August: Read. Read. Read.

August was a good reading month. A month filled with laughter and swoons, heartache and tears. I made new fictional friends and revisited some old ones too. I embarked on epic adventures and wrongs were made right.

What books did I read? I'm so glad you asked!

Here’s a list* of my August reads:

A Conjuring of Light
goodreads

A Conjuring of Light is the last book in V. E. Schwab's

A Darker Shade of Magic series.

And holy hell.

Talk about a wild ride.

Lila Bard is possibly the most infuriating character

I have ever fallen in love with.

And don't even get me started on Holland.

If you're looking for an epic fantasy adventure

pick up A Darker Shade of Magic right meow.

Thank me later.

An Enchantment of Ravens
goodreads

June's OwlCrate book was

Sorcery of Thorns.

Which I adored.

Upon finishing the book,

I decided I had to read Margaret Rogerson's debut novel

An Enchantment of Ravens.

And I'm oh so glad I did.

A quick, romantic read An Enchantment of Ravens

is a fun take on faerie lore.

The Hazel Wood
goodreads

Good gravy!

I don't even know where to begin with this book.

Dark and (at times) terrifying,

this fast-paced read had me hooked from page one.

And now I am DYING to read the sequel.

CAN IT PLEASE BE OUT NOW?!

I NEED TO KNOW THINGS.

Spin the Dawn

goodreads

OwlCrate's July book was Spin the Dawn.

(Yes, it is possible I am obsessed with OwlCrate.)

Boasting a gorgeous cover,

Elizabeth Lim offers a romantic, imaginative world

filled with magic and adventure.

Maia's journey to prove herself and provide for her family

is endearing and heart-warming.

I am looking forward to reading the sequel next summer.

The Darkest Part of the Forest

goodreads

It's just a fact:
I am becoming a diehard fan of Holly Black.

The Darkest Part of the Forest is

my fourth Holly Black book to date.

A standalone faerie novel,

I have already reread parts of this story.
Multiple times.

And I might just have to reread
a little more right about now.

Sorry. Not. Sorry.

In summation: this month was a great reading month. And I’m already looking forward to rereading all these lovely books and the books I plan on reading next month.**

How was your reading month?
Read anything awesome?!
I would love to hear about it!

*side note: I limited this list to the books I counted toward my GoodReads goal. I reread a *few* books, but did not count them toward my goal. I pick up random books, reread them, then forget to add them to my reading goal constantly.

**another side note: How in the world is next month September?!

A Book Review:The Girl Who Chased The Moon

This month's book review is Sarah Addison Allen's The Girl Who Chased The Moon. It's a book I've reread so many times I've lost track. Here's why I adore it.

goodreads
amazon

Book Description: Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew--a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes. 

Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes—which is a good thing, because Julia can’t seem to stop baking them. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also in the hope of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Flour, eggs, milk, and sugar . . . Baking is the only language the proud but vulnerable Julia has to communicate what is truly in her heart. But is it enough to call back to her those she’s hurt in the past?

Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

Ang's Review: Ms. Allen's stories have a special kind of magic to them, a combination of bitter and sweet, dark and light that is done so seamlessly I am in awe of her.

While her books are not perfection (but honestly, what book is truly perfection?) the way they make me feel when I read them takes my breath away. I long to live in the world she's created, to eat flowers that will make me fall in love or have books follow me around, to meet a very tall man who checks his empty dryer for frogs or live in a room with mood changing wallpaper.

Ms. Allen looks for magic in this world, magic of the everyday-ordinary variety and that of the extraordinary, the impossible, the impracticable, but mostly love's magic and the bounds between not just lovers but sisters, friends, mothers and daughters. She weaves her own magic, that cannot be bottle like fog, but felt deep within. The kind of magic that makes you laugh and cry, swoon and sigh. The kind of magic you hope to find every time you open a book.

Pick up a copy of The Girl Who Chased The Moon
on Amazon or other major retailers.

Make sure to check out all of
Ms. Allen's awesome books on GoodReads.

On My E-Reader: Absolute Liability (Southern Fraud Thriller)

This month's On My E-Reader is another fantastic looking mystery novel. Sporting a brand new cover and an intriguing book blurb, Absolute Liability by Jennifer Becton is sure to please.

amazon
goodreads

Book Description: A woman was abducted in her place. Now, time is running out for Julia Jackson to save herself from the same fate.

A woman is taken at gunpoint from a downtown office building, and the police believe the victim is Special Agent Julia Jackson.

Only it isn’t true.

Now, with the help of her new partner Mark Vincent, state fraud investigator Julia Jackson must find justice for the woman who was taken in her place.

As Vincent and Julia begin to unravel the multimillion-dollar scam that led to the abduction, they encounter several quirky suspects, one of whom will go to desperate lengths to hide a deadly secret. 

Things only become more dangerous as bodies begin accumulating around town, and Julia must uncover the truth before the abductor comes to rectify his mistake.

Reasons I bought the book: Back in February I reviewed Holidays With Jane: Will You Be Mine? here on the blog. I have been a fan of the Holidays With Jane books since they first came out. The first book in the Holidays With Jane series is Christmas Cheer. Ms. Becton's short story The Work of an Instant (a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasions) is clever and swoony and all the yes.

When I found her Southern Fraud Thriller series on sale, I picked up the whole series. Cause don't we all need a good cozy mystery series around for a cold winter night? It's just good science! I look forward to reading Ms. Becton's Southern Fraud series in the near future.

Check out Jennifer Becton

on Twitter, FaceBook, and her website.

Pick up your copy on Amazon.

Have you read Absolute Liability?

Did you review it?

If so, share it with me!

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

A Book Review: Truth or Beard

This month's book review is Penny Reid's Truth or Beard. I adore the Winston Brothers series. Let me tell you why!

goodreads
amazon

Book Description: Beards, brothers, and bikers! Oh my!

Identical twins Beau and Duane Winston might share the same devastatingly handsome face, but where Beau is outgoing and sociable, Duane is broody and reserved. This is why Jessica James, recent college graduate and perpetual level-headed good girl, has been in naïve and unhealthy infatuation with Beau Winston for most of her life.

His friendly smiles make her tongue-tied and weak-kneed, and she’s never been able to move beyond her childhood crush. Whereas Duane and Jessica have always been adversaries. She can’t stand him, and she’s pretty sure he can’t stand the sight of her…

But after a case of mistaken identity, Jessica finds herself in a massive confusion kerfuffle. Jessica James has spent her whole life paralyzed by the fantasy of Beau and her assumptions of Duane’s disdain; therefore she’s unprepared for the reality that is Duane’s insatiable interest, as well as his hot hands and hot mouth and hotter looks. Not helping Jessica’s muddled mind and good girl sensibilities, Duane seems to have gotten himself in trouble with the local biker gang, the Iron Order

Certainly, Beau’s magic spell is broken. Yet when Jessica finds herself drawn to the man who was always her adversary, now more dangerous than ever, how much of her level-head heart is she willing to risk?

Ang's Review: Okay. First off: How about that cover?! It's so adorable I want to start cross stitching again. Not that I'm good at it, but that is not the point! Beardy cross-stitch: where have you been all my life?!

So book review, that's what I'm doing.

I am head over heels in love with the Winston Brother series. Book one is Duane's story. It's a quirky, fast-paced read. The tension between Jessica and Duane is just right: childhood enemies turned love interests is always a fun trope. Their push me pull me relationship kept me hoping things would work out yet terrified it wouldn't. Jessica's wanderlust and her fears that her hometown and the people in it would hold her back was easy to relate to.

From the first page to the last page I was hooked on Truth or Beard. The moment I finished it, I bought the second book and read it just as quickly.

If you're looking for a smart romance that will make you laugh out loud and swoon, Truth or Beard is the book for you.

Pick up a copy today on Amazon or other major retailers. And make sure to checkout the other books in the series (including book .5 that's part of Peggy Reid's Knitting in the City series)!