July 2023 // To Be Read

Hi Friends,
Happy July! I am excited to be doing my July TBR, and yes I know I said I was going to stop doing TBRs, but the planner girl in me just can’t stop. But, I want to make my TBR a little more fun. I found a numbered list of prompts from Pinterest, and used a random number generator to pick my prompts. Also, I used a random number generator between 1 – 10 to see how many to pick. Here’s the catch – I can only pick books off my physical TBR or audiobooks I own via Kobo or Audible. First up the random number generator gave me 6, which means I’m picking 6 prompts and reading 6 books. But, to make things more interesting if I get the same prompt, twice I have to add a book. Let’s see how this goes.


This first number I got was 8, which is ‘A Book Set In The Decade You Were Born’! I’m very happy for this because I’m a nineties girl and I just bought ‘Throwback’ by Maurene Goo on audiobook. It’s about a teen girl that is sent back to the 90s to help her teenage mother. I can’t wait for all the 90s references.
Related Post: The Way You Make Me Feel // Book Review


Next up, I got the number 3 and the prompt is ‘A Book Outside Your Comfort Genres’.
I decided to go with ‘Talking as Fast as I Can’ by Lauren Graham. I barely read memoirs, or rather, nonfiction in general, but I own this book and I am probably the biggest Gilmore Girls fan ever. And, it’s read by Lauren Graham, which is amazing.


The next number was 9 giving me the prompt ‘A Book That’s Been On Your TBR For 2 Or More Years’. This was more difficult than I thought it would be, because I’m only picking from my owned books. But, I decided to go with ‘As Old As Time’ by Elizabeth J. Braswell. This is a part of the Twisted Tales series, which is essentially a book series of different middle-grade/young adult Disney retellings. From the title you can probably guess that this book is a ‘Beauty and the Beast’ retelling.
Related Post: Part Of Your World // Book Review


Thankfully we got the number 22, because the prompt was ‘A Book By An Auto-Buy Author’. There are so many authors that have become favorites of mine over the last year. Originally, I was going to pick ‘One Of Us Is Back’ by Karen M. Mc Manus, since I pre-ordered the book. But, since it doesn’t come out until the end of the month, I’m going to go with something else. So, my pick is ‘Every Last Fear’ by Alex Finlay, which is the author of ‘The Night Shift’, a book that I loved.
Related Post: The Night Shift // Book Review


Luck was on my side once again, by giving me the number 15. The prompt was ‘Read A Retelling’. If you know me than you know I love retellings, so my pick is ‘The Wicked Ones‘ by Robin Benway. This is a retellings following the evil stepsisters from Cinderella. It happens to be another one of my Kobo audiobooks.


Last, but certainly not least, I got the number 28, which was the prompt ’Read A YA’. Simple enough. I am going easy on myself here, and pick a book that I just started, which is ‘Kisses and Croissants‘ by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau. This is a YA contemporary set at a ballet school in Paris.


The only thing left is to talk about my Novellic book club pick, which is ‘The Summer of Broken Rules‘ by K. L. Walther. You can join my Reading Rabbits book club on the Novellic app!


I hope you liked this fun little TBR! In the comments, share your July TBR. Don’t forget to follow my blog if you enjoy bookish content like this.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Midnight In Everwood // Book Review

About The Book
In the darkness of night, magic awaits and you will never forget what you find here. The Nutcracker for adults, perfect for fans of Robert Dinsdale’s The Toymakers, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus and Stephanie Garber’s Caraval.

My Rating

 


All I knew about this book was that it’s a ‘Nutcracker’ retelling with a stunning cover. Since, I read ‘The Toymakers Apprentice’, which is also a ‘Nutcracker’ retelling, and loved it, I decided to give this one a  try.

The story is set in the 1900’s and follows an aspiring ballerina, Marietta. Throughout the book, Marietta expresses her desire to dance professionally, but her parents are more concerned with their social status, and getting Marietta married, to lend her dreams any consideration. Her parents were cruel and unfeeling, which worked well with the story the author was trying tell.

As for Marietta, I found her to be stubborn, but strong. Smart, yet childish. She reminded me of Belle, from ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Her goal in life wasn’t to be a wife and mother. She wanted to choose her own path.

Marietta’s brother, Frederick, was a much needed addition to the story. He wasn’t afraid to remind his sister of her privilege, while still supporting her dreams. Although, he followed his parents’ plans for his future, and kept his relationship a secret, he wasn’t bitter about the life he had.

When a new charming man arrives in town, Marietta wasn’t impressed by him. She wasn’t fooled by his façade, and knew there was more to him than met the eye. It felt as though people shrugged off her concerns because she was a woman, which is all too true for that time period.

At first, I found the story a little confusing, and my mind kept wandering. But once the magical realism aspect was introduced, I fell in love with the story. The author created a world that transported the reader into an enchanted, but scary land. It was easy to see how Marietta was fooled by the king, and also by Everwood’s beauty.

“Never dull your sparkle for anyone else, flame fiercely into your own glittering future.”

While in Everwood, Marietta meets two other girls who are trapped within the kingdom as well. They forge a bond that is strong, and somewhat sisterly. And, they start to fight back. The girls in the book are seen as something to be owned, and will bend to a man’s will.

In the book, Marietta starts to connect with the captain of the King’s Arm. Let’s just say that he was swoon-worthy. His and Marietta’s relationship felt real, even though Marietta didn’t belong there. It shows that you can find love in the most unexpected places.

The ending was amazing, and had a strong message of following your dreams, no matter the cost. Still, the ending was quite sad, yet it plays off the famous quote “’It’s better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.”

Overall, the plot focuses on privilege, and if having money is worth sacrificing your dreams. As for the writing style, it was a slow paced story with poetic writing. Much like ‘The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein’ by Kiersten White, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

There are a lot of triggering topics in this book. To name a few, there’s sexism, violence, and stalking. Please do your research before reading it. You can visit the book’s StoryGraph page to see a full list of all the content warnings for the book.

Before you leave, give this review a like and share. And, hit that follow button!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Related Post: The Toymakers Apprentice // Book Review
Related Post: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein // Book Review

Book Haul // May 2022

Hi Friends,
I did a little book shopping last month, and always like sharing all the books that I buy with you. Keep in mind that I didn’t pick up all these books at once, but across multiple trips. I have been loving the Barnes and Noble buy one get one 50% off deal. Honestly, book sales are my kryptonite. Plus all the 2022 releases have been so good, that I can’t stop myself from buying them. I have been adding a ton to my Wishlist! Okay, that’s enough rambling, let’s get straight to the haul!


Barnes and Noble


Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco
What if every story you’d ever heard was true? Jack killed the giants. Red slayed the wolf. Rapunzel fled the tower. But the greatest one of all, had yet to be told.

All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue
Maeve’s strangely astute tarot readings make her the talk of the school, until a classmate draws a chilling and unfamiliar card—and then disappears.

Lock the Doors by Vincent Ralph
The truth won’t stay hidden behind locked doors. A brand new addictive, psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of 14 WAYS TO DIE—for fans of Karen McManus, Holly Jackson, and Lisa Jewell.

Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill
This summer, Reese Camden is trading sweet tea and Southern hospitality for cold brew and crisp coastal air. She’s landed her dream marketing internship at Friends of Flavor, a wildly popular cooking channel in Seattle. The only problem? Benny Beneventi, the relentlessly charming, backwards-baseball-cap-wearing culinary intern—and her main competition for the fall job.


The Shadow in the Glass by JJA Harwood
One night, among her beloved books of far-off lands, Ella’s wishes are answered. At the stroke of midnight, a fairy godmother makes her an offer that will change her life: seven wishes, hers to make as she pleases. But each wish comes at a price and Ella must decide whether it’s one she’s willing to pay… A smouldering, terrifying new spin on Cinderella – perfect for fans of Laura Purcell and Erin Morgenstern.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life—which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job—Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That’s when things start to get crazy.

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston
Would you let your family play matchmaker to help you get over a broken heart? Ashley Elston’s 10 Blind Dates is the perfect Christmas treat: delicious, warm, funny, escapist YA romance.

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys once again shines light into one of history’s darkest corners in this epic, heart-wrenching novel about identity, unforgettable love and the hidden violence of silence.


Walmart


Omens Bite: Sisters of Salem by Kristin Cast and P. C. Cast
Twin sisters, Mercy and Hunter are witches, direct descendants of the Goode family, the founders of their town. After the murder of their mother at the hands of a foul demon, they have become the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds–ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and the darkest of creatures exist.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry
An insightful, delightful, instant #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella’s side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward’s version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.


The Fear by Natasha Preston
Hot on the heels of the New York Times bestsellers The Twin and The Lake, the undisputed queen of YA thrillers is back. Don’t be afraid. Be terrified.

14 Ways To Die by Vincent Ralph
ONE KILLER. THIRTEEN VICTIMS. A MILLION VIEWS. A page-turning thriller for the social media age, perfect for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and One of Us Is Lying.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
An addictive and twisty thriller, full of dark family secrets and deadly stakes. Perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson. A BILLION-DOLLAR FORTUNE TO DIE FOR.


BookOutlet

 

Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West
What do you do when you’ve fallen for your best friend? Funny and romantic, this effervescent story about family, friendship, and finding yourself is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han.

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West
Fan favorite author Kasie West delivers an effervescent story about chasing your dreams and following your heart, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Huntley Fitzpatrick.

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
Smartly observed and wonderfully romantic, Kasie West’s talent shines in this tale of one girl’s unexpected quest to find love…and possibly herself.

On the Fence by Kasie West
On the Fence is a sweet and satisfying read about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect it.


The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
Caymen Meyers learned early not to trust the rich. Enter Xander Spence he’s tall, handsome, and wealthy. Despite his charm and the fact that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she knows his interest won’t last. But soon she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized.

Moment of Truth by Kasie West
Beloved author Kasie West once again delivers a witty, lighthearted romance that will charm her legions of fans and is perfect for readers of Jenny Han and Huntley Fitzpatrick.

American Royals by Katharine McGee
What if America had a royal family? If you can’t get enough of Harry and Meghan or Kate and William, meet American princesses Beatrice and Samantha. Crazy Rich Asians meets The Crown. Perfect for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue and The Royal We!


Those are all the books that I have splurged on lately. Yes, I know, it isn’t a small haul, but I have a serious book addiction. However, I find that is pretty typical for most book lovers. Still, I would like to go on a small book buying ban. Or at least try to have a bit more self control when it comes to book shopping. Especially since I am focusing hard on getting through my owned TBR this year. And, with all the new releases coming out I am not doing so well with that goal. I have like no self control when it comes to book shopping. In the comments, let me know your latest book purchases. Before you go, don’t forget to hit that follow button.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Disney Princess // Book Tag

Hi Friends,
A while ago, I did a post recommending books based on three Disney Princesses. Well, I came across the ‘Disney Princess Book Tag’. It seemed appropriate that I to do it, since you already know my love for all things Disney. The tag was created by Of Stacks and Cups.

1) Snow White – Favorite Classic?

Normally I would choose ‘A Christmas Carol’, since it is my all-time favorite book. But thought I’d step out of my comfort zone. I excepted myself to pick ‘Little Women’, which I did enjoy. Yet, the classic that sticks out in my mind is ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ by J. D. Salinger. I don’t hear many people talk about, or like this book. I might be an oddball, but it is a pretty good classic in my opinion.

2) Cinderella – A Book you kept reading past bedtime?

A book has to be pretty amazing to make me stay up late. Since I can rarely make it passed 10pm before passing out. One book I know I couldn’t put down was ‘P.S. I Still Love You’ by Jenny Han. This is the second book in the ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’ trilogy, and my favorite of the three book. I was up pretty late to finishing this book.

3) Aurora – Favorite Classic Romance?

Can I say the family romance (love) in ‘A Christmas Carol?’ No, okay bye.

4) Ariel – A book about making sacrifices & not giving upon your dreams?

‘My Sister’s Keeper’ by Jodi Picoult is all about these two things. First off, I want to say that I don’t remember a lot of this book, but I apparently gave it three stars. However, I do remember the basics of the story. This book is all about sacrifices and getting the power to make your dreams come true. Things don’t turnout perfect at the end of this book, but it is a pretty powerful story. I would say it is more about sacrifices, but there is much more to the story.

5) Belle – A book with a smart, independent main character in it?

‘The Hate You Give’ by Angie Thomas! Starr grew into the strong and intelligent young women. She wasn’t afraid to fight for what was right, and call-out her so-called friends for their racist behaviors.

6) Jasmine – A book with a character who has challenged social norms of his or her world?

Audrey Rose in the ‘Stalking Jack the Ripper’ series. She has a passion for forensic medicine, and doesn’t care if society tells up it isn’t proper work for a girl. Unlike other girls, she gets a thrill from working on corpses in her uncle’s laboratory. She doesn’t care about people’s opinions and knows what she wants out of life.

7) Pocahontas – A book with an ending that was a roller coaster of emotions?

I have to go with ‘The Project’ by Courtney Summers (review). This book is a cult story that is full of twists and turns. It had my emotions all over the place for days.

8) Mulan – A book with a kick butt female character?

Instead of going with the obvious choice (Katniss Everdeen). My pick is a little different. There’s a character at the end of ‘There’s Someone Inside Your House’ by Stephanie Perkins that was totally bad-ass. The killer went after her, but she fought like hell not to die.

9) Rapunzel – A book that features an artist?

I don’t believe I have read any books featuring an artist except for ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ series. Lena, who was my favorite character, was an aspiring artist. She was sweet and shy, and expressed herself through her art work.

10) Merida – A book with a mother daughter relationship?

‘The Hazel Wood’ by Melissa Albert. Now the mother and daughter relationship isn’t a big feature in this book, but I found it very interesting. The twist about their relationship was unexpected.

11) Anna & Elsa – A book that has a great relationship between siblings?

I am going to go with ‘Conceal, Don’t Feel’ by Jen Calonita, which is a Frozen retelling. The book gives readers a look at “what if” Anna and Elsa never met. I thought the sibling relationship was special, because even though they didn’t know each other, they still had a bond. They both went out of their way to find one another. If that doesn’t portray the love of siblings, I don’t know what does.

12) Tiana – A book or the character puts her dreams above a romance?

What does it say about me that I don’t have an answer for this question. I typically read YA contemporaries, which are usually love stories. If you have a good answer to this question leave it below so that I can read it.

I hope that you enjoyed this post, and I tag all of you to do this tag. Please share and like this post with your bookish friends. You can follow the blog via email if you would like to get notified when I post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Books On My Re-Read List

Hi Friends,
Today I wanted to talk about some books I am hoping to re-read. As book lovers, we tend to forget about those ‘old favorites’ of ours. We are quick to buy up the newest releases, and sometimes forget to go back and read our first book loves. Or perhaps we need a refresher of a book series before we can move on to the rest of the books. I, too, am guilty of not re-reading, but hopefully that will change.

1) ‘Caraval’ by Stephanie Garber: This is a fantasy novel about two sisters, magic, and more. The book was filled with lots of twists and turns, but sadly I can’t even remember half of what I read. The ending is a mystery to me. However, I would like to read the final two books in the trilogy. But I need to re-read Caraval before that can happen.

2) ‘The Afterlife of Holly Chase’ by Cynthia Hand: Every holiday season, I read A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. This is a young adult retelling of this classic, so I thought it would be fun to re-read it every year at Christmas as well.

3) ‘The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants’ by Ann Brashares: I have read all four books in the series, but never picked up the 5th book that was released in 2011. I want to re-read this entire book series before reading the last book. Now that I am an adult, I would like to know if my thoughts on the books have changed. I’m predicting a cringe-worthy reading experience.

This was a shorter post then I originally thought it would be, but I guess don’t have a ton of books I would like to re-read. I will probably think of more after this is posted, but that is typically how my brain works. Please like and share this post, and follow my lovely book blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Conceal, Don’t Feel // Book Review

Title: Conceal, Don’t Feel
Author: Jen Calonita
Published: 2019
Genre: Middle Grade/Retellings




When a magical accident erases Anna and Elsa’s memories not only of magic, but of each other the sisters are separated for protection. But when Elsa unexpectedly finds herself as a young queen mysterious magic begins to happen and questions of her past start to form. Will the sisters ever be reunited?
Source: GoodReads.com



I pictured this book to be a new take on the Frozen story. However, it was the same basic story with slight changes. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Frozen movie, so I don’t know why I was excepting to enjoy this book. When I think of retellings, I envision a whole new tale that takes inspiration from it’s origin story. Unfortunately that was not the author’s plan for this novel.

I was curious to see who Elsa and Anna would become without one another. The answer the same exact people they were in the film. There were minor changes to their personalities, but unless you were looking you wouldn’t be able to notice these differences. I think the biggest change was Elsa and Hans’ relationship. Although, he is scum the book and movie writes him in a charming almost likable way. As someone that loved his and Anna’s duet from the animated film it would have been great to have him be a good guy this go around.

This is probably an unpopular opinion but I find Olaf to be annoying. He is too much for me in the movie. However, I liked the change to his personality in the book. The author kept his lovable and clueless charm while reining in his over-the-top persona. Also, I found his forgetfulness kind of adorable. One character change I wasn’t a fan of was Kristoff. Now I enjoyed his interactions with Sven, yet he seemed cold and irritated with Anna. I didn’t see them development from friends to lovers, or in this case enemies to lovers.

Overall, this book was an average, quick middle grade. While being a good choice for Disney fans, if you’re looking for a reimagined take on the story, skip this one. This is my first “Twisted Tale” and despite it not being my favorite, it hasn’t totally prevented me from giving others in the series a fair chance. Still, here’s hoping the rest are a bit of a fresher take on the classic tales we all know and love.

If you would like to send me an inquiry about reviewing a book or product please email me at narges.errandi@gmail.com. Please keep in mind that all my reviews are 100% honest.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny