The Backlist Readathon // Book Review

Hi Friends,
Yes, I am here with another TBR post. In my defense, I did say that there were going to be a lot this month. This one is for the Backlist Readathon, which is taking place from March 8th – 15th. Hopefully this will help me get some older books from my shelves read. The only caveat: I’m adding a rule to this readathon that all my books must be published before 2021 to be considered a backlist. Originally, the readathon rules were that any book published in 2023 or older counts as a backlist book.


Buy Book: https://amzn.to/3VaWkyS

Cold cases are about to get hot. Don’t miss this exhilarating crime thriller—perfect for fans of Criminal Minds and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder—from Jennifer Lynn Barnes, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inheritance Games.


Buy Book: https://amzn.to/3PcJIU3

The third novel from Riley Redgate, the beloved author of Seven Ways We Lie, Final Draft is “an intensely focused portrait of a girl who, through first love and first loss, begins to find the story she wants to tell” (Booklist).


Buy Book: https://amzn.to/4a55zEJ

The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband―and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.


Buy Book: https://amzn.to/43cusMo

From the author of Survive the Night and Final Girls comes a tense and twisty thriller about a summer camp that’s impossible to forget—no matter how hard you try.


Buy Book: https://amzn.to/3PieGtN

From bestselling author B.A. Paris comes the gripping thriller and international phenomenon Behind Closed Doors. The perfect marriage? Or the perfect lie?


There is a bonus prompt, but I (surprisingly) didn’t have a book that fit it. In the comments, let me know if you will be doing the backlist readathon as well. I checked to see if any of these books were available on Everand, and some of them were, which is exciting! Remember that you can get a 30 day free trial (click here) and gain access to their huge catalog of ebooks and audiobooks. Before you go, know that I am truly happy you stopped by the blog, and it would be amazing if you hit the follow button.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

March 2024 // To Be Read

Hi Friends,
Today is another TBR post. This is going to be my monthly TBR. Usually, I will play my Bookopoly game, but I decided that I am going to start switching up how I pick my TBR each month. This month I chose to use a prompt spinner wheel to help me pick the books this month. I used a random number generator to see how many spins I was going to do and got 10, so this TBR is a bit much considering all the readathons I’m participating in.



I’m very excited that my first prompt was a seasonal read. Since spring starts at the end of March, I’m putting a spring read on my TBR. That book is going to be ‘In The Weeds’ by B.K. Borison. Honestly, I don’t have high hopes for this book, like at all. It just happens to be my least favorite trope – second chance romance. But if I don’t just put it on a TBR, I may never read it.



The second prompt was a book that ends on an even number of pages. I am, once again, putting ‘Ruthless Vows’ by Rebecca Ross on my TBR. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to it in February, but I am dying to see how this duology ends.



My third prompt was a low star prediction, which is more of a punishment prompt, but that’s okay . I picked ‘Liar’s Beach’ by Katie Cotugno. This is a young adult mystery, and an Agatha Christie retelling. I’ve only read one other book by this author, which I didn’t enjoy. I hope that this book is slightly better.
Related Post: Fireworks // Book Review



The fourth spin’s prompt was a book under 250 pages. I am happy about this, because it means I get to add a short book to my TBR. However, I don’t own many short books. That means that I’ll be picking a graphic novel. Luckily I’ve been in the mood to read volume two of ‘Unfamiliar’ by Haley Newsome, because the first volume was such a cute read.



The fifth prompt was a book you bought used, which is easy since I’m a book buying addict. I am choosing ‘The Silent Patient’ by Alex Michaelides, since it is going to work perfectly for a readathon which I’ll be taking part in this month. All I know about the book is that it’s a thriller that people seem to really enjoy.



My sixth spin gave me the prompt a book with a map. Now I should not be starting any new series, but most of the books I have that contain maps are starts of series. So, with my husband’s help I chose ‘A Curse So Dark And Lonely’ by Brigid Kemmerer. All I know is that this is the start of a trilogy, and it’s also a Beauty and the Beast retelling.



My seventh prompt was a book published after 2015, which is most books on my TBR. I’m going to put ‘Two Twisted Crowns’ by Rachel Gillig back on my TBR, since it was another February book that I wasn’t able to read.



Prompt number eight was to read an author’s debut book, which is amazing. I really wanted to get ‘Powerless’ by Lauren Roberts on this month’s TBR. If I am not mistaken, this is her debut novel, and apparently it’s heavily inspired by ‘The Hunger Games.’



The ninth spin gave me one that was most recent purchased, which again, is easy for me. I decided to pick ‘The Bone Witch‘ by Rin Chupeco. This is the start of a gothic fantasy series that I haven’t seen anyone talk about. I’m interested to see if it is any good.



The tenth and final spin landed on the prompt a book with an illustrated cover. I’m happy to get this prompt, because I don’t have much romance on this TBR. So, I picked ‘The Deal’ by Elle Kennedy, since my copies of this series are the illustrated versions. I am very intimidated by this series, and just hoping that I love it.


There you have my March TBR! Let me know in the comments which TBR game you think I should play next month, or follow my Threads to vote for one! Don’t forget that you can like and share this post with others. If you would like to stay up to date with the blog, give it a follow, so that you get notified whenever there is a new post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Weekly Reading // February 19th – 25th

Hi Friends,
I usually do Friday Reads posts, but I thought that I would change it up and do a weekly reading post. I’m going to be talking about the books that I hope to read this week. On my TBR for the month, I have mostly just the fantasies left to read. But, I’m not sure I’ll actually get to any of them before the month is over. However, I do have big reading plans for the week.

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander
I’m 30% into the book, and hoping that I can finish it soon. The book is pretty slow, but it is a thriller that I am enjoying so far.

Betting on You by Lynn Painter
This is an anticipated read for me, which means it is crazy that I haven’t read it yet. This is on my TBR for the month and it should be a fairly quick read. I typically love Lynn Painter’s young adult books, and I’m expecting this one to be no different.

Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
This is the one fantasy from my TBR that I would like to actually read this week. I read the first book back in 2022, so I need to get this duology completed.

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang
This is tentatively on my TBR for the week because the audiobook is available on Libby soon. If that hold comes in, then I will most likely pick it up.

There you have my reading plans for the week. In the comments, let me know what you are planning on reading this week. Don’t forget that you can like and share the post. And, it is completely free to follow the blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

February 2024 // To Be Read

Hi Friends,
It’s TBR time again! Is it just me or did it feel like January lasted forever? Before we get into this month’s Bookopoly TBR, let us go over January’s TBR. I believe that I had 11 books on that TBR, out of which I read six, which I think is quite good. Unfortunately, I DNFed two books in January. I have changed some of the spaces on the board to different prompts. Now, it is time to talk about the month’s rolls. As always, I started off with eight rolls, but add a roll if I got doubles.


This first space I landed on was just bought, which is great because I have a book-buying problem. This month I got ‘Game On’ by Seressia Glass which is an adult romcom. The great thing is that it has to do with video games, and as the wife of a gamer, I knew that I had to read it during the month of Valentine’s Day. Also, I got doubles, so I had to add a roll.


The next roll took me to the pretty cover space, which is a prompt I love since I have some beautiful books. I decided to use this prompt to finish a duology I have been putting off for a while. So, ‘Our Violent Ends’ by Chloe Gong will, hopefully, be read in February.


I am not sure how I feel about getting the outside genre (out-of-comfort zone) space because they are usually books I am not super excited to read. Therefore, I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to read ‘The Witchlings’ by Claribel A. Ortega, the first book in a middle-grade series. This book is on my self-destruct TBR for the year.


The fourth roll landed on the sequel space. Well, it just so happens that in January I read ‘One Dark Window’ by Rachel Gillig. I fear that if I wait too long to read the sequel, I might forget about the first book. All this is to say that I will read ‘Two Twisted Crowns’ as my sequel. Sadly, the first book put me in a bit of a reading slump, so I am hoping that it does not happen again.


My next roll got me into a chance space, which was a random prompt. The prompt I received was Published In 2021. The book I went with is Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis. I was hesitant to put this on my TBR because I am unsure if I will enjoy it. However, this is another book on my self-destruct TBR, so I decided that I might as well read it sooner rather than later.


Fortunately, my six roll landed me on the favorite author spot, which was perfect since Lynn Painter had a book released last November. I can’t wait to read ‘Betting On You!’ This is a young adult contemporary, and I believe the trope is enemies-to-lover.


I screamed when I landed on the favorite trope space, because one of my favorite tropes is the exchange of services, or at least that is how I describe it. Well, ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ by Sarah Adams has just that type of plot, and the good girl meets the bad boy trope. This book is one of my five star predictions for the year, so I am more than ready to read it.


The eighth roll landed me on just bought again. I decided that if I land on the same spot twice in one game, I would have to draw a random prompt and combine the two if that makes sense. Thus, the book not only had to be a recent purchase, but also a retelling. The book I selected was ‘Never’ by Jessa Hastings. I am excited to read this ‘Peter Pan’ retelling but also nervous because I have not heard the best things about it.


The last roll took me to the sequel space again, so I selected a random prompt, Fanro. And, I’m happy to say the book I’ll be reading is ‘Ruthless Vows’ by Rebecca Ross which is the sequel to ’Divine Rivals.’ I anticipate this as a favorite book.


I hope that you have enjoyed this post. Doing Bookopoly has been so much fun, and I have been loving sharing my TBR. Don’t forget to follow the blog so that you never miss a post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The January Book Tag // 2024

Hi Friends,
Today, I am doing ‘The January’ book tag, which I have done previously. This book tag helps you reflect on your last year’s reading and your reading plans for the year ahead. I am happy to continue my tradition of doing this tag every January.



Funny enough, I remember many, if not all, of my January reading in 2023. The book that I started the year reading was ‘Five Survive’ by Holly Jackson, who is the author of the ‘A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder‘ trilogy. For some reason, I could not remember the last book I read. Let me say that it was a crazy end of the year. After looking at my GoodReads I saw that my final read of 2023 was ‘Secret Santa’ by Andrew Shaffer, which is a short Christmas horror.
Related Post: Five Survive // Book Review
Related Post: Secret Santa // Book Review



In 2024, the first book I ended up finishing was actually one I started in 2023, which was ‘Lovelight Farms’ by B.K. Borison. I had initially DNFed the book but decided to go ahead and finish it on January 1st. I probably will not be posting my review until November or December of this year, but spoiler alert I was not a fan of it.



I have a whole post on my 2024 reading goals, but my top three are to read my owned TBR, read outside my comfort zone, and one that I did not mention in that post is to finish a few book series. I think that these goals are typical and that I can accomplish them.
Related Post: 2024 Anticipated Releases // January To June



Well, I just so happen to also have a post on my most anticipated releases for the first half of 2024. But, my three most anticipated releases for the entire year would have to be ‘Happily Never After’ by Lynn Painter (March 2024), ‘Wisteria’ by Adalyn Grace (August 2024) and ‘Spectacular’ by Stephanie Garber (October 2024). These are all favorite authors of mine, so naturally, I cannot wait to read their new releases.
Related Post: Belladonna // Book Review
Related Post: Caraval // Book Review



I reached my reading goal last year, which I believe is always an accomplishment. Unfortunately, I did not read much of my physical TBR. However, graphic novels were a pretty big part of my reading last year, and I do not normally read them, so I would call reading out of my comfort zone a success.



Honestly, the first book that came to mind was ‘House of Flame and Shadow’ by Sarah J. Maas (January 2024), which is the third book in her ‘Crescent City’ series. I have no desire to read the book, or anything else written by the author. Her books seem so long, and there are #7 or #8 books in some of her series. This is just too much for me. Needless to say, I will not pick this book up when it is released, and I am okay with that.



I am not sure if I have any reading habits or red flags so to speak that I would like to change this year. I know that is such a lame answer, and I think it’s one I have given in the past to this question. I try not to take reading too seriously because it is some I love to do and makes me happy.



I am not ashamed to admit that I do not keep up with book adaptations. So, I have no idea what is being adapted in 2024. Except for ‘It Ends With Us,’ which will star Blake Lively. However, I am not necessarily excited about that since I probably will not be watching it, because I have never read the book and do not plan to.



Probably joining Bookthreads! I have become so active there and Bookstagram. It has been so fun, and I am glad I discovered it last year. I hope to connect with more bookish people this year and do more buddy reading.



If you are talking about books, I started last year and still need to finish that would be ‘Furyborn’ by Claire Legrand and ‘Book Lovers’ by Emily Henry. But, if you mean 2023 releases I still need to read than the list is probably too long to mention.


Hope that you enjoyed this tag! If you have done it on your blog, let me know in the comments below, so that I can read your post. Feel free to leave a comment with your answers as well. Do not forget to share this post and follow the blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Read In The New Year // To Be Read

Hi Friends,
I have been in a weird funk lately, and my loving husband thought that a Readathon might just be the cure to getting me out of it. Thus, I am doing the ‘Read In The New Year’ Readathon, which is a readathon hosted on Booktube. The readathon takes place from January 14th through the 22nd, and is inspired by New Year’s resolutions. There are 7 prompts, but I will be using books for more than one prompt.



I picked ‘What Moves The Dead’ by T. Kingfisher, since it’s a horror retelling that is under 200 pages. The plot sounds very intriguing, and I’m in the mood for a quick horror read.



After doing a little digging I came across the graphic novel ‘Chef’s Kiss’ written by Jarrett Melendez. This is a queer love story about a newly graduated young adult man that ends up working at a restaurant. Luckily, I didn’t have to pay for it because it’s on both Libby and KU.



I have a whole list of books that I need to read before the end of the year, or I’ll have to unhaul them. And, I do plan to do a post sharing them all, but one book that I have owned for a while is ‘River Of Dreams’ by Jan Nash. Obviously a river is a body of water so I think that counts. This is a young adult book with magical realism elements. I’m not sure if it’s going to be for me, but I want to give it a chance since the audiobook is fairly short.



I was lucky to be able to use one of the book that is already on my January Bookopoly TBR for these prompts. ‘The Nightingale’ by Kristin Hannah happens to be a historical fiction novel by an author I’ve never read before.



For this prompt, I’m going with ‘Icebreaker’ by Hannah Grace, which is another book of my Bookopoly TBR for the month. Some people might not count this as a series, but it is technically the first book is a series of companion novels, so to me that counts.


I have five books on this TBR, so I don’t know how successful I will actually be in completing it. Especially since this is only a week long readathon. However, two of the books are short, so I’m pretty confident I will get to most of them. In the comments, let me know if you plan on taking part in this readathon to kick off a new year of reading. Don’t forget to follow the blog, because your support really does help the blog grow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

January 2024 // To Be Read

Hi Friends,
I am going to be doing my first Bookopoly TBR ever! If you know me, then you know that I have had a lot of ups and downs when it comes to TBRs and sticking with them. I have gone back and forth on actually setting books I want to read for the month, since I am a mood reader. However, in 2024 I would like to try and stick to a TBR this year. So, I created my own digital Bookopoly board. Bookopoly is a TBR game created by Becca on YouTube, where you use a Monopoly board, but make the spaces bookish. I will post a picture of my board below, if you would like to use it for yourself. I decided to do 8 rolls but there is an add an extra roll spot and if I roll doubles I will have to add an extra roll as well.


My first roll was a 4 and 6 giving me a 10. I landed on the TBR steal space, which means is that I have to take a book from another creator ‘s January TBR. This was easy, because about half the bookish creators I watch have put ‘Powerless’ by Lauren Roberts on their TBR for the month. Although, it isn’t on my physical TBR, it is a 2023 fantasy release that I’ve been wanting to read.


Next I rolled a 4 and 4, giving me a 8, which is a scroll space. Not only does this mean I have to add a book, because I rolled doubles, but I don’t get control of what I read. The scroll spaces means that I have to scroll on Instagram (Bookstagram) until I see a photo containing a book that is on my physical TBR. I first came across a photo with the first book in ‘The School For Good and Evil’ series by Soman Chainani and ‘One Dark Window’ by Rachel Gillig, both I own and haven’t read. I decided to go with ‘One Dark Window,’ which is a popular gothic fantasy.


For my third roll, I got 4 and 5, giving me a 9! This was highest rated on GoodReads, which is ‘The Nightingale‘ by Kristin Hannah. I am super nervous because I am not the biggest historical fiction fan, but I guess we will see if Kristin Hannah lives up to the hype.


Then I rolled a 2 and a 3, so a 5, and I was excited because it was the favorite author space. One of my favorite authors that I discovered last year was Katee Robert. I decided to go with ‘Court of the Vampire Queen‘ because I am actually 30% into it already and loving it,


My next roll was a 6 and 3, giving me a 9, which was lowest rated. I decided to choose from my owned books only and the lowest rated book on my shelf according to Goodreads is ‘Even If We Break‘ By Marieke Nijkamp. This is a young adult thriller, and I am curious to see if I agree with the low rating.


For roll number 6, we got a 2 and 3, making a 5. This took us to the 1/2/3 Title spot. This means I put the numbers 1 to 3 in a random number generator and whichever I get, I need to find book which title is that many numbers long. I got the number 3, which is a 3 word title. I am choosing ‘First Lie Wins’ by Ashley Elston, because I was lucky enough to get the audiobook on Libby. I haven’t read anything from this author, but I’m excited to give them a shot.


Roll number 7 gave me doubles meaning we are doing 10 rolls. I got two 4’s, which make an 8. Luckily, the prompt is YA so it should be a relatively short read. I decided to pick ‘Eclipse’ by Stephenie Meyer because it is the next book in the ‘Twilight’ saga that I am on. I would love to get this series completed soon.


For roll number 8, I got a 2 and 6, giving me an 8. This is a Chance space, which essentially means I pull a random prompt from my prompt cup. I got a book by an LGTBQ+ author. I have gone with ‘Mistakes Were Made’ by Meryl Wilsner, which is a book I have been dying to read.


Next was roll number 9, I got a 2 and 3, giving me a 5. This brought me back to highest rated. The book that I got was ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I am not going to lie. I am so nervous about this book, and I hope it is worth the hype.


The final roll was not the last roll because I got doubles. So, roll number 10 gave me a one and a one making 2. The space I landed was dual POV, which is easy since a lot of books are dual POV’s. I didn’t think that I had enough romance on this list so I decided to pick ‘Icebreaker’ by Hannah Grace. I knew that this was a book I wanted to get to in winter, so I am excited to read it.


Finally, the last roll was a 3 and 1, giving me a 4. But, of course it was another Chance space. I got most recent purchase as my prompt, and that would have to be ‘The Stranger Upstairs’ by Lisa M. Matlin. This is a thriller, and totally giving me ‘The September House’ vibes.


Needless to say my first month playing Bookopoly was rough, but I am still very excited for the month ahead. Let me know in the comments what you plan on reading this month. Don’t forget to hit the follow button before you go.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Audiobook Subscriptions // My Recommendation


Hi Friends,
Today is day 3 of Bookmas, and I thought that I would share with you my top three favorite audiobook subscriptions. I solely read audiobooks because I simply prefer them, so I am pretty well versed in the world of audiobook subscriptions. Since it is the holiday season, you might be thinking about gifting someone in your life one of these subscriptions. So, I am going to let you know the pros and cons of each, and my personal favorite.


Audible
Let’s be real, this is probably the most popular audiobook subscription since it is a subsection of Amazon. However, that doesn’t necessarily make it the best audiobook subscription.

Pros
Amazon Originals: They have a catalog where you can find a ton of free audiobooks.

Audible Exclusives: This is great for someone that reads a lot of indie authors, because they have a lot of indie published books on audible, such as the Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy.

2 For 1: Every month they do a two for one credit sale where you can get 2 audiobooks with one credit.

Cons
Price: A subscription is $14.99 a month, which is pretty high compared to other subscriptions.

One Book: You only get one audiobook a month and with the price it isn’t much different than buy the audiobook without committing to a subscription.


Everand (Perviously Scribd)
This is a subscription I’ve had for years although I don’t use it that much. Not because it’s bad, mind you – I used to not enjoy the app, but I do think it has gotten so much better.

Pros
Price: For being just $11.99 it’s pretty much a steal.

Unlimited Books: This is different than other subscriptions because you don’t get one audiobook a month. You get access to their catalog of audiobooks and can listen to multiple ones a month.

Ebooks: The cool thing about ever is that the subscription includes ebooks as well.

Cons
Slow App: Honestly, I find the app to run a bit slow. This isn’t a huge issue, it’s just something that can be a bit frustrating at times.

Limited Access: The most annoying thing about this subscription is that they limit access to certain books. They market the subscription as unlimited books a month but if you read a lot in one month they will lock your access to certain popular or trending books until the next month.


Rakuten Kobo
This is an audiobook subscription that I haven’t heard many mention. But, it’s one that my mom uses all the time.

Pros
Price: They have a few different plans but the most recommended is $10.99.

Cons
One Book: Similar to Audible you can only redeem your monthly credit for one book.

Purchasing: The worst thing about this subscription is the app. Mainly, the fact that you cannot purchase any book through it. You must go online using your desktop computer to purchase any audiobook.


So, which of these would I recommend? Personally, I would say that Everand is the best audiobook subscription for your buck. It is the one that I would suggest, especially if you are new to audiobooks. If you would like to subscribe please use my referral link (sign up here) and get 30 days for free. That being said, let me know what audiobook subscription is your favorites in the comments. Don’t forget to follow the blog for more Bookmas content.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

End Of November Readathon // To Be Read

Hi Friends,
I am loosely participating in an end of November readathon on Instagram. This is just a fun readathon, that is all about trying to see how many books you can read before the month ends. I have set the intention of reading 9 books, which I know is very ambitious. The readathon was created by @sassynutreads, and takes place from the 24th – 30th, so this TBR is a little late.

I am excited to try and get to all these books. Especially since I’m so close to hitting my reading goal for the year. Let me know what books you are hoping to read before the month is over. Don’t forget to show my blog some love by giving it a quick follow.

Until Then Next Chapter,
Bunny

Negative Book Reviews // Bunny Banter

Hi Friends,
Happy national book lovers day! In honor of this day, I want to talk about something that’s been on my mind recently. As you probably know, I spend a lot of my time in the book community on the Internet. And, lately, the subject of negative reviews has been coming up a lot. So, I wanted to give my take on writing or talking negatively about books.

First and foremost, let me start off by saying I am pro negative reviews. However, I do think that as readers/reviewers we should try to find at least one positive thing to say about a book. Even if that fact is still sometimes easier said than done. I review every book I read and finish, because I love sharing my thoughts positive or negative with others. If I happen to DNF a book than I will typically not mention it on the blog, except in passing.

The reason I write and read negative reviews, is because my bookish space is a place for me to share my opinions and thoughts on books. I am in no way saying that how I feel about a book is the way that you, or any other readers, will feel about it. And, I usually make a point of saying just that in all my book reviews.

Although, there is one caveat to writing negative reviews, and that is to understand that an author worked very hard on their book. We should never outright trash a book, because it’s just cruel. And, under no circumstance should a reviewer tag an author in a negative review. Would you want to read someones negative opinions on something you’re proud of?

I will continue sharing my thoughts on books, while letting others know that they should take my reviews with a grain of salt. The great thing about reading is that everyone has a different experience with each book. No two readers are alike. I will see a negative review on a book I’m looking forward to, but that doesn’t usually turn me off of reading it. Truthfully, I have loved a lot of books that others didn’t, and I have disliked some popular ones as well.

So, I say that writing negative reviews is perfectly fine, but spreading hate on a book is never okay. Besides, I would much rather talk about books that I loved, versus ones that I didn’t. In the comments, let me know your thoughts on negative book reviews, and if you think they should be a thing in the book community. Before you go, don’t forget to give my blog a follow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny