amarisafloria

I had my December reads all planned out. Then I started working on a post detailing my favorite books of 2019. Y'all, that list is looking DRY. (I wasn't expecting much though, I knew I'd have a slower reading year because of my masters program.) With two weeks left, I'm gonna try and squeeze in six more books 🤡 While three are re-reads, the other three are basically books that I *really* hope will become my favorites. One day I'll learn my lesson and make an effort to actually choose books I want to read. But I'm a chaotic mess and apparently my brain refuses to operate rationally ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Severance by Ling Ma
I've been wanting to read a post-apocalyptic novel, and this one has been on my radar recently. It'll be a gamble because no one I follow has talked about it in detail, so I really have no expectations. (That could be a good thing though!)

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
I'm scared to put this here because I *know* Laini Taylor's words are beautiful but that might pull me away from the story. Still, I'm eager to see how I feel! I'm ready to be destroyed.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
This book has shown up in MANY of the reading wrap-ups I've "watched" (rather, listened to) in the past couple of months, and at this point I just want to know what the whole mystery is. I don't think it'll be a five-star read, but it sounds like just the read that'll keep me up at night. Not that I really want to stay up until the wee hours, because I'm a monster on no sleep ... but that's a discussion for another day 😅


Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman • 52% completed
I really just ditched this book back in October after making it halfway through, smh. I'm reading it via audiobook this time around and following along with my physical copy, which definitely adds to the whole experience. The production is so detailed, it sounds like listening to a movie.

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
Emery Lord wrote a sequel for this and it's coming out next month!!! We love Emery Lord on this blog. I'm curious to see if any of my thoughts have changed, but I really don't think so. Please read this review I wrote for it back in 2015 🤪 It's probably the only one I don't cringe at, lol.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
It's been EIGHT years since I've read this first book in one of my favorite series, so I'd like to revisit it in full before The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (the prequel!!!) comes out in May. I hold The Hunger Games close to my heart because there are so many memories attached to it, one being that this was the book I was reading right before Joe and I started dating. I vividly remember reading it next to him while we were studying at our university's library and telling him how much I loved it.

WHAT 10 BLIND DATES IS ABOUT
Sophie wants to spend winter break with her boyfriend, Griffin, at home, so she chooses to stay close by with Nonna and her extended family instead of visiting her pregnant sister with her parents. But the perfect plan changes quickly when Sophie ends up breaking up with Griffin after overhearing how he really feels about their relationship. To raise her spirits, Nonna comes up with an arrangement: ten different blind dates for Sophie, all chosen by her family members. Knowing her evil twin cousins and aunts with questionable taste, this will be a disaster—but Sophie agrees to it, and someone maybe catches her eye 😏

WHY YOU SHOULD READ 10 BLIND DATES
10 Blind Dates encompasses all aspects of a big family—the unconditional love, everybody in somebody's business, the overflow of support, etc. We get to see the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. It might be difficult to keep track of each member in the beginning, but don't worry—it works out because of the way this story is told. Although we are following Sophie and a new date in each chapter, we also get to learn more about who chose her date and what their relationship with Sophie looks like. Even with Sophie talking to her sister over phone calls and text messages, we see them get closer and grow in love.

During her time at Nonna's, Sophie also gets a chance to repair some broken friendships. This is one of my favorite parts in 10 Blind Dates, because we learn the reason Sophie grew apart from them and see the perspectives of how each person felt. Basically, the situation was misinterpreted and we get to watch them confront it throughout the whole novel. I love that they were honest (which is often quite scary to be) and willing to hear each other out.

If you want to know why I didn't give 10 Blind Dates a full five stars (plus some more spoiler-filled thoughts), check out my review on Goodreads! It's not a *big* deal, but just something that personally doesn't sit well with me.

Other than that, 10 Blind Dates is the perfect rom-com for this holiday season. I laughed out loud SO many times, mostly because Sophie is taken out of her comfort zone and is coerced to do many things she would never choose to do. But because of it, she becomes more "herself." It was definitely predictable, although not in a bad way. It's like when you know what the puzzle's going to look like in the end, but you still want to put it together. It was a really fun time, and I think it's going to be PERFECT as a Netflix movie—I can't wait!!! It's going to do so well.

TL;DR: Read this if you want many good laughs and a family-centered story for the holidays!

• Still working on my masters program (I'm currently in the middle of my third semester and will be graduating in May 2020!!!)
• Still working as a part-time aide at a public library—it's a lot of shelving, but I enjoy it.
• Can't say I'm back (because when am I ever, lol) but I am going to try and make time to pop in every so often! I miss blogging and I wish I could leave a comment for every single one of you.
• After destroying my blog's layout, I just decided to buy one instead of wasting my time fixing it. I'd much rather support someone who is good at designing! I love the way Rachel from Hello, Chelly's blog looks, so this is from the same creator.
• I started up my YouTube channel again!!! SHE'S ALIVE. I'm going to work on writing a text version of some videos to share on here, but please watch if you want to and let me know what you think :)
• Started *HARDCORE* stanning BTS back in April but we'll talk about that another time 😂

Many of the books I'm reading now (and will be reading in the next two months) are for my "Materials in Young Adult" class, so you'll be seeing much of that on all my social networking sites! Basically, I have a big assignment due at the end of the semester that requires me to review 30 different items. If you have any recommendations for young adult books, movies, music—please tell me! I'm still working on putting together a final list.

Actually, Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is for an assignment due this Wednesday and I'm still working on the audiobook 😅 This is my second time reading it, but it's such a different experience hearing it out loud by voice actors. There are sound effects and background noises that set the atmosphere, and it really feels like I'm transported to space? I mentioned that Illuminae is one of my favorite sci-fi novels in one of my YouTube videos (!!!)—not that I've read very many—so I will be finishing this up very soon and then moving on to its sequel, Gemina! Probably not for a few months though ... 😬

I know I don't have time to read books that can't work for my assignments, but I am so interested in Know My Name by Chanel Miller. I haven't been following her case that closely, but I am aware of what happened and am really proud of her that she is opening up and sharing her story. Not that she owes it to anyone, of course. But I think people who have gone through the same situation will be able to read this and feel understood. And that is a big big deal. It really reminds me of A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti—different circumstances, but perhaps the same mentality in some way? I'll have to revisit this thought when I finish Know My Name. I'm only one chapter in, but I love her voice already.

I had no idea what The 57 Bus by Dashka Slayer was about before starting it (yes, for the school assignment 🤪) but I knew it was going to deal with some serious topics. It's about two teenagers who live in different parts of the same city and how one set the other on fire while riding a bus. There's a big focus on gender identity and the influences of growing up surrounded by crime and poverty, and it's discussed in a non-biased way, I think. So far, I'd say it's written really well for teens to understand. And interesting enough to keep their attention!

It's been a year since I moved away from home and now it has inevitably caught up with me. I think I fooled myself into thinking I would be okay with it. And I was, in the beginning. On top of school and work, being far from my family and friends have put me in this perpetual state of loneliness. I don't get to talk to people who I've established strong friendships with face-to-face on a regular basis anymore ... and I know I'm only an hour out from where I used to live, but I am just barely keeping up with my school assignments. I think this is why I've been staying away from the Internet ... seeing people hanging out together and having a good time makes me sad. And when I'm sad, I tend to tell myself all the reasons why I'm not the person I want to be and that I don't even know who I want to be.

I don't mean to share this so you can feel sorry for me, I just want to be honest with where I'm at—and if you feel the same, to know that you're not alone. Even in my sadness, I know it's only a temporary feeling and I am still looking up ... but it doesn't mean it's not hard to see the light.

January was pretty quiet, which I'm completely happy about because it's rare for that to happen! Compared to all the events in November and December, it was nice to just be at home and not worry about much. For the past couple of months, Joe and I have been looking for a new church to attend (the one we were previously part of is too far from us now) and we've finally found a good fit. This one just started a women's bible study on Saturday mornings, so I've been going to that. It's been really good so far, different than what I'm used to but not in a bad way. Around the same time, I started my masters program! I'm studying library and information science so I can be a librarian one day. I'd love to work in teen services!






I was going to participate in the Buzzword Readathon, which I did for the first two days ... and then I realized I just really wanted to finish Siege and Storm and Famous in a Small Town. I kind of knew this would happen, so I just went with it. I'm a big mood reader, and one of the quickest ways for me to get in a reading slump is when I force myself to read something I don't feel like reading right then. And especially with school starting, I want to maximize my reading time.

• Bookish + Blogging Goals for 2019 — I posted this a couple of days before January started, but it's an appropriate start to this year!
• January TBR + New Releases — this was also written in December, but it's related to this month so I thought I'd add it on here anyway :)
• Week Notes #7 — in which I talk about new additions to my Goodreads TBR, Bandersnatch, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Most Anticipated Releases of 2019
• Book Reviews: To Read or Not to Read? — this was a discussion post about reading/not reading book reviews and how that impacts the way I write my reviews!
• Reading Statistics of 2018

I was serious about checking in every month! As I mentioned above, I got a good start during the first month of this year reading seven books. I've separated some books (this was before 2019 though) but I haven't brought them to Half Price Books yet ... I think I'll bring one bag every time I visit, so I don't have to carry so much in one go. No series completed yet, but I'm hoping to finish Ruin and Rising this month. I haven't tweeted about a single book I read yet, and I only posted about my first book on Instagram. Might have to change this one ... I'll think about it this month. Posts are looking good, yay! I predict this won't be the case with the rest of this year because of school, but I'm going to try my best. No blog work done yet, in terms of fixing older posts. If you're confused about this paragraph, you can check out my bookish and blogging goals here.

One goal I'm adding = read through my most anticipated releases list! For this month, I finished two: Cold Day in the Sun by Sara Biren (thank you for the early e-ARC, Amulet Books!) and Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills. Twenty-two to go! Well, it's actually 21 instead because I found out The Map from Here to There by Emery Lord isn't coming out until 2020 😢

Hi friends! Welcome to that time of the month where we chat all about the books I hope to read. It's not so much a "strict reading plan," but more of a ... what would happen in an ~ideal~ world. I'm not as optimistic with this selection as I was with January's, but that is only because I don't have as much time to read. Either way, I will still try and complete all four books. Gotta keep it going strong 👍🏽

It's a miracle, y'all. I read THREE out of the four books from my January TBR, plus one new release!!! I had a lot of time before I started school on the 24th, so that's a huge reason why it worked out. I'm on the fourth book right now (Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, if you're curious) so it'll be 100% completed by the end of this weekend!


I have to be honest, I don't *really* want to read The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness ........... but I bought it a long time ago, along with the rest of the series, and I want to give it a try before the movie comes out next month. I have a really bad track record with book to movie adaptations—if I don't read it before I watch it, I'll never read it. But it helps that Tom Holland is in the film, so maybe I will actually get around to it 😂

I went back and forth on my decision to add Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo to this list because I'm not that desperate to read this book ... but I really gotta get a move on with these series I'm taking forever to finish. I do not want to wait another three years to read the last book!!! This'll be the best time to do it, since all the characters are fresh in my mind. Plus, King of Scars (the first book in the spin-off duology) just came out and all the hype is helping to push and motivate me.

One of my friends wanted to read Pachinko by Min Jin Lee together, so this is my "intimidating book" pick of the month. One of my goals this year, that I never mentioned, was to read more adult fiction, so this one will be good for me. And the accountability helps!

If all goes well, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi will be my first re-read this year! I still haven't read Restore Me yet (I know, I'm slackin') but I can't do that without going back and revisiting this world. I read Shatter Me FIVE YEARS AGO when I was in college (and wrote a review on this blog, which you can read but don't come at me lol) but I don't remember anything. WHAT ELSE IS NEW. Fun fact: it was one of the first books I read after discovering BookTube! Let's see if I still like it the same.



On the Come Up by Angie Thomas // February 5, 2019
"Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri's got massive shoes to fill. But it's hard to get your come up when you're labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral ... for all the wrong reasons. Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn't just want to make it—she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be."

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West // February 5, 2019
"Lacey Barnes has dreamed of being an actress for as long as she can remember. So when she gets the opportunity to star in a movie alongside one of Hollywood's hottest actors, she doesn't hesitate to accept the part. But Lacey quickly learns that life in the spotlight isn't as picture perfect as she imagined. She's having trouble bonding with her costars, her father has hired the definition of a choir boy, Donavan Lake, to tutor her, and somewhere along the way she's lost her acting mojo. And just when it seems like things couldn't get any worse, it looks like someone on set is deliberately trying to sabotage her. As Lacey's world spins out of control, it feels like the only person she can count on—whether it's helping her try to unravel the mystery of who is out to get her or snap her out of her acting funk—is Donavan. But what she doesn't count on is this straight-laced boy becoming another distraction."

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella // February 5, 2019
"Fixie Farr has always lived by her father's motto: "Family first." And since her dad passed away, leaving his charming housewares store in the hands of his wife and children, Fixie spends all her time picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own. The way Fixie sees it, if she doesn't take care of her father’s legacy, who will? It's simply not in Fixie's nature to say no to people. So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, she not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, the computer's owner, Sebastian, an investment manager, scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. Fixie laughs it off—she'd never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she? But then Fixie's childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life, and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie's buttons. As always, she wants nothing for herself—but she'd love Seb to give Ryan a job. No sooner has Seb agreed than the tables are turned once more and a new series of IOUs between Seb and Fixie—from small favors to life-changing moments—ensues. Soon Fixie, Ms. Fixit for everyone else, is torn between her family and the life she really wants. Does she have the courage to take a stand? Will she finally grab the life, and love, she really wants?"

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel // February 12, 2019
"Britain, the not-too-distant future. Idir is sitting the British Citizenship Test. He wants his family to belong. Twenty-five questions to determine their fate. Twenty-five chances to impress. When the test takes an unexpected and tragic turn, Idir is handed the power of life and death. How do you value a life when all you have is multiple choice?"

Last of Her Name by Jessica Khoury // February 26, 2019
"Sixteen years ago, rebellion swept the galaxy known as the Belt of Jewels. Every member of the Leonov royal family was murdered—down to their youngest child, Princess Anya—making way for the Union government to seize power. But Stacia doesn't think much about politics. She spends her days half-wild, rambling her father's vineyard with her friends, Clio and Pol. That all changes when a Union ship appears burning through the sky, bearing the leader of the Union, the Direktor Eminent himself, who declares that Stacia's sleepy village is a den of empire loyalists. Even more shocking, the Direktor claims that Princess Anya Leonova is alive—and Stacia is the lost princess. As their home explodes into chaos, Pol smuggles Stacia to a hidden escape ship, leaving Clio in the hands of the Union. With everything she knows threading away into the stars, Stacia sets her heart on a single mission: She will find and rescue Clio, even with the whole galaxy on her trail."


I didn't add The Art of Losing by Lizzy Mason to this month's new releases (it comes out on February 19th) because I was lucky enough to read an early copy two months ago! But if I didn't, it would 100% be on this list. And it should be on yours too! It was SO GOOD and it definitely made my all-time favorites :)

As expected, most of my books were from the library. It's so easy to browse their catalog for new releases, and I'd much rather borrow than buy. (But on some occasions, I will pre-order!) I'm hoping I can read more from my shelves this year, but I won't be disappointed if the majority comes from the library again. I'll be reading more 2019 releases this year, so I expect my data to stay roughly the same.


I've been loving ebooks more and more because it's portable and easy to access. I wrote a post about four years ago on why I love ebooks and why you should try them, and almost everything still rings true! (Except for the fact that they are so much more expensive now, but I usually borrow them for free on Overdrive through my library.) The only reason why I mostly read in physical form is because there's a visual representation of how far I've read, and that's motivating to me. I predict I'll be listening to a lot more audiobooks in 2019 because I enjoy doing so for my non-fiction reads.


I love YA, as you probably already know, but I want to work on reading more adult fiction! There are many of them I want to get to, but I am so INTIMIDATED 🤦🏻‍♀️

This chart includes both fiction and non-fiction, so that's the reason why the adult chunk is larger than I thought.





I wanted to include the genres I didn't read to make myself aware and better my efforts this year. My strategy, now that I've been able to test it out a little this month, is to sandwich all my reads with contemporary novels! It's my favorite genre, as you can probably see from this chart, and it's one I can easily jump into. Also, moving forward, I definitely want to read more historical fiction and literary fiction this year. So I'll be adjusting my future TBRs with this in mind!



Eight of the ten "series" books I managed to read were first installments, so I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't finish any of the ones I'm in the middle of. This is a big reason why one of my goals this year is to finish five series. I'm actually hoping to complete more, but I want to keep things practical. And it doesn't matter how many standalones I read in comparison, I just want to be more mindful of finishing series before starting new ones.


I am so surprised at this because I felt like I rated a lot of books around 3-3.5 stars! The chart above represents all 35 books I read (including graphic novels, comics, and picture books) but I did not include those in my average star rating. That one only includes full length novels. For this year, I think I will track graphic novels/comics separately, since my rating scale differs greatly.

I guess I actually shouldn't be surprised at my average star rating because 1) I'd say I was easygoing, and 2) I was more intentional with the books I chose to read. Instead of picking up something random, which I have done in the past couple of years ... I mean, I still did it from time to time. But not as often as before!

The idea for this came into my mind when I read Bee's post ("Do People Actually Read Reviews?") on Novel Ink almost a year ago. This post is a response to the question she poses, but I wanted to share it with all of you and see if you approach book reviews the same way I do! I'm curious to learn when you read book reviews, how often you write 'em, who you read and/or watch reviews from, EVERYTHING. Tell me what you think!

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ON BOOKS I HAVE READ
When a review for a book I've read shows up on my Feedly page, I try and read it right then and there. I don't have to worry about spoilers, and I can leave a meaningful note—ideally. I tend to only share a response if something in the review prompts me. I want to say something other than just "I LOVED THIS BOOK TOO!" so sometimes I refrain from commenting if I can't think of anything else. But the weird thing is, I love comments like that. I WANT to know if you loved the same story. And I want to know what you didn't like about it, too. I'm just happy to know you stopped by, read through my thoughts, and cared enough to respond. So why don't I do that for other bloggers? (Note to self: start doing this.)

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ON BOOKS I HAVEN'T BUT PLAN TO READ
I rarely read reviews for books on my "to read" list because I *really* don't want to be spoiled in any way. One of the things I don't like is when people are talking about a suspense/thriller book and they mention there's a plot twist. It doesn't matter how vague they are about it because, when I eventually pick up the book, I end up reading too much into the text and it ruins my experience. But I love watching reading wrap-ups on YouTube. I always assume that I won't be spoiled for anything, since each review is fairly brief. And if, for some reason, whoever I'm watching goes into spoilers, I've found that there's always a warning.

So what do I do with these reviews that show up in my feed on books I really want to read? I save the links in a Google document! When I'm done with a book, however long it takes me, I look it up and read the reviews then. One of my favorite things to do after finishing a book is to read all of the related posts I've saved and look up all of the videos on YouTube. It's kind of like having a book club! And I never comment on these reviews because it's almost always YEARS later when I finally get to it. But ... I think it would be cool if I found a response on one of my old reviews. (Not like this one though ... lol.) It means people are still reading and/or interested in backlist books.

ON BOOKS I HAVEN'T AND DON'T PLAN TO READ
These are the reviews I tend to ignore, unless it's from a reviewer who I share reading tastes with or just someone I follow and like what they have to say. Well, not so much what they have to say, but HOW they say it. Sometimes I'll do a quick read, just to see if it'll change my mind—and if it did, I'll usually leave a comment.

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Although I've been blogging about books for a little over five years now, I have only written a total of 32 full reviews. It's mainly related to how difficult I find writing to be, but part of it is also because I'm not sure how helpful they are. I'm more likely to skip or save a review than read it, so I automatically assume my readers are the same way.

But knowing all this? It doesn't hold me back from wanting to write reviews. I would love nothing more than to interact with you all and discuss the many details of my latest read, but I have to be honest—I write a lot of these reviews for myself, too. I love going back to my old reviews, no matter how cringy they are, because it reminds me of who I was during that time and allows me to see how my writing has developed.

If I've written a review, I am more likely to remember the book since I spent a lot of time taking notes and thinking about what I have to say. Most are spoiler-free, but I love sharing my favorite parts of older/well-loved books like To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han and City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. For the stories that aren't as popular, I've stuck to mentioning them in recaps and briefly sharing some thoughts in "books I read" posts. If I could, I'd review every single book I read in full—but sometimes I just don't have much to say.

It feels like some sort of accomplishment when people (online and in real life) read and actually love the books I recommend. I know there's a level of trust and respect when that type of follow-through happens, especially when there are millions of books out there to choose from. Thank you for following my blog and being my friend :)

And, of course, I can't talk about all this without mentioning some of my favorite bloggers and YouTubers who review and recommend books. I hope you end up loving them too 😊

Alexa from Alexa Loves Books Morgan from The Bookish Beagle Lala from BooksandLala Cristina from Girl in the Pages Rachel from Hello, Chelly Jane from It's Jane Lindsey Kelsey from KelseyReads Alexa from Library of Alexa Monica from monica kim Marines from mynameismarines

Madalyn from Novel Ink Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner Emily from Possibly Literate Cindy from readwithcindy Rincey from rincey reads Sara from sarawithoutanH Hannah from So Obsessed With Joce from squibblesreads Kristin from Super Space Chick Whitney from Whitty Novels

And another interesting thought: are you less likely to comment on the actual post than reply to a tweet with the link shared? I used to save all my comments on a Google document (when I read blogs at work and didn't want to sign into my accounts) and go back when I had time to get on a computer!

Okay y'all, I did a lot of cheating in today's post. 1) There are more than ten books on my list, and 2) three of them (or maybe four) are being released in the last half of this year. I couldn't help it, there are TOO MANY good books coming out this year.

So here are 25 books I am most looking forward to reading this year! I'll be checking in on all my monthly recaps to track my progress—the goal is to complete all of these by the end of the year 😊



The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker (January 15th)
I'm not quite sure why I'm drawn to this one, maybe because it's a sci-fi about dreams? Either way, I'm interested!

Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills (January 15th)
I've pre-ordered this one (which is saying a lot, because I rarely buy books anymore!) and I love everything Emma Mills writes. A few bloggers I follow have expressed that it isn't as good as her previous novels, which I am a little nervous about, but I'm still so excited and ready.

Undying by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (January 15th)
The last chapter in Unearthed left off on such a big cliffhanger, I know I will pick this up as soon as it comes out. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS ...

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas (February 5th)
I loved The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas' debut novel, and how her writing was so easy to read.

The Art of Losing by Lizzy Mason (February 19th)
Okay, I'm cheating with this one because I've already read it, but it was on this list before that happened. I loved this book so so much, and I can't believe it's Lizzy Mason's DEBUT novel. Girl can write an excellent story! Please add this to your must-read list.

Last of Her Name by Jessica Khoury (February 26th)
A space story inspired by the historical legend of Anastasia ... need I say more?! I want to do a side-by-side review of this one and Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston since they sound similar, but I'm sure they're not!

Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin (March 5th)
I love anything Gretchen Rubin talks about. She's very goal-oriented and talks a lot about self-improvement, which inspires me!

Cold Day in the Sun by Sara Biren (March 12th)
I don't care about watching sports, but I *love* it as a subject in books! And movies/TV shows, too ... basically, any form of fiction entertainment 😂

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston (April 2nd)
I enjoyed Geekerella a lot, but I was still hesitant about putting this sequel (or companion novel?) on this list ... not sure why! I ended up adding it because I can't resist a contemporary fairy tale retelling.

You'd Be Mine by Erin Hahn (April 2nd)
This is another one I'm not 100% sure about because it sounds a lot like Open Road Summer by Emery Lord, which I loved, but I am still going to read it. Mostly because I'm curious to see how it compares ... 🤔

Again, but Better by Christine Riccio (May 7th)
LOOK AT THAT COVER! I've been watching Christine's booktube channel for ages now, and I'm so happy for her. I would have included this even if I didn't know what it was about, but Shane (the main character) goes to LONDON. I LOVE LONDON.

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (May 7th)
I *love* this duo's collaborations. Illuminae is one of my favorite books, period, so I'm excited to read another series from them!!!

Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo (May 7th)
Not sure what this one's about, to be honest, but it's Maurene Goo and I really liked I Believe in a Thing Called Love!

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (May 7th)
As you can tell, a lot of the books on this list are by authors I've read from. This one surprises me the most because I don't read poetry, but The Poet X was so good and it definitely deserved the 2018 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

The Kingdom by Jess Rothenburg (May 28th)
I saw The Kingdom compared to Westworld. That's it. That's all I need.

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen (June 4th)
No clue what this book is about, but I've been reading Sarah Dessen since middle/high school and will not stop now.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power (July 9th)
I didn't know of this book until I started doing research for this post, and this sounds perfect for the fall/darker months. ALSO, LOOK AT THAT COVER.

The Perfect Wife by J.P. Delaney (August 6th)
J.P. Delaney writes some pretty disturbing and twisted books, but they're so captivating and thoughtfully plotted. I'm sure this one will be no different.

Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab (September 3rd)
This is the sequel to City of Ghosts, which I loved. So I will read the next book. As one does.

The Map from Here to There by Emery Lord 
This doesn't have a release date yet, but I'm pretty sure it's coming out this year. And if you're new here, I will read anything Emery Lord writes. ANYTHING.


If you're looking for more lists detailing 2019 releases, please check out Jen's, from Pop! Goes the Reader, and this one from Goodreads. It's lookin' like an excellent year for reading 😏

Joe and I had all our college friends over on New Years Eve to hang out + count down, and it was so much fun. We don't see them as often as we'd like, so any time with them is a treat. Other than that, things have been pretty quiet! For now, it's nice. After hosting three get-togethers in one week, we are happy with staying in while it's raining and bumming around. I've been able to get a good start on my reading for this year!




Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen
This January 29th release comes recommended by Rachel from Rec-It Rachel, which I didn't even know about until I saw it in her January Book Club post. I'm a sucker for any kind of time travel story, and this one seems to center around a father-daughter relationship.

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
I didn't "officially" add this to my Goodreads TBR until this weekend—I thought it was there all this time, tbh—but I've known about it for quite some time now, thanks to Emily from Possibly Literate and Madalyn from Novel Ink. I got lucky on Friday because the library I work at had a copy for me to borrow! More on that soon ... 😏

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
Another time travel book!!!

I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney
Not exactly sure what caught my attention, but I remember the author's name because her debut novel (Sometimes I Lie) came out last year. I think I'm going to wait and see what others say first, or check out Sometimes I Lie and decide from there?



BLACK MIRROR: BANDERSNATCH
Another mind-blowing story from the Black Mirror world, no surprise there. Bandersnatch was so immersive, entertaining, and dark as usual. I would highly recommend watching it with friends if you haven't seen it yet! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, Bandersnatch is an interactive movie on Netflix. We follow (and somewhat control) Stefan, a guy who is programming a choose-your-own-adventure video game based on a book he's obsessed with. It explores free will and becomes *so* meta, but I'll save the chatter so you can go ~experience it~ for yourself.

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
Even though everyone kept saying how much they loved this Spider-Man movie the most, I still didn't have any expectations before watching. Maybe because I loved Spider-Man: Homecoming so much ... although I admit a large part of that has to do with Tom Holland, lol. I haven't seen any of the other Marvel animated movies/TV shows so I can't speak for how Into the Spider-Verse compares, and I can't compare live action vs. animated characters. I CAN say, however, that I liked the story. But I loved the graphics and music so much more. The soundtrack is—and I apologize in advance for using this word—POPPIN'. SO GOOD. My one tiny critique is that there wasn't enough time for a specific character's backstory. (If you've seen Into the Spider-Verse and are wondering who I'm talking about, it's one of the villains.) But I think that's a personal problem, because I always want to know WHY.


I only have one thing to share this week since I didn't track anything: The Book Nerd's Guide to San Francisco, California! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. I'm definitely biased because I grew up in the city and even though I moved away, I still visit from time to time. My entire 2017 year was spent drinking coconut vanilla lattes at Home (fun fact: there are two locations!) and I would recommend visiting ALL the libraries, not just the main branch.