so-so3½ ✨
I always feel bad rating memoirs low, because how do you judge someone's life story?
But there was just too much in this one that worked on my nerves, to name a few things:
There's so much mundane details, begin repeated over and over again. Eating habits for one.
Another thing was the duel narration, while I appreciate why Cher decided on doing it this way, the changeover always caught my ear and it broke the flow in my opinion.
so-soAnother #Afrikaans read for me...
I struggled a bit with the writing style and pacing of this one. At times nothing seems to happen, and the everything happens all at once.
I would however be interested in reading more of Venter's work, as it was so different form the usual Mystery/Romance I'm used to.
#OffTheShelf2025 @Librariana
#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView
#LitsyAtoZ #S @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #Kashmir @Lauredhel
pickWhat an interesting, engaging story.
I enjoyed the amateur sleuthing and unraveling the mystery.
I do however feel that some relationships were a bit awkward; as in the switch from dislike, distrust and loath to "You're the only one" just didn't quite work.
#LitsyAtoZ #B @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #PassionFlower @Lauredhel
IT STARTED WITH THE CRY OF A BABY
Belladonna
Adalyn Grace
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
pick4½✨
Such beautiful, elegant writing.
Such a sad and heartbreaking tale.
Poor Gatsby, I feel he deserved better.
#OffTheShelf2025 @Librariana
#FictionalTraveler #BigCity @julieclair
#LitsyAtoZ #G @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #AntiqueWhite @Lauredhel
#Classic
pickAbsolutely superb!
What a conclusion. Never in a million years would I have guessed at the ending of this series. But that's been the theme through all these books... the most unexpected, unnerving twist and turns unfolding into the most exceptional story that will live in my heart forever.
Characters crafted with such emotional depth and complexity that I can't help but think of them as real.
My husband surprised me with an early birthday gift of learning to make my own Gin.
Such an amazing experience
Can't help but feel so abundantly blessed.
pickDelightful, cozy and sweet.
Friendships, fist-loves, and conquering evil in the most unexpected ways.
Baldree has stolen my heart through Viv and here friends, I can't wait for the next book.
#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView
#LitsyAtoZ #B @Texreader
#BookChain2025 #AuthorNameColor @TheAromaofBooks
#Pantone2025 #BlueGranite @Lauredhel
#BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks
#AudioPuzzling on vacation 🏖️
March
#BookSpin - Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
#DoubleSpin - Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
@TheAromaofBooks
so-soThese really are such quick reads.
Like with the first book I feel the characters lack emotional depth and they feel much too young.
But the gripping adventure/trial and the cliffhanger ending makes me want to read the next book.
#OffTheShelf2025 @Librariana
#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView
#LitsyAtoZ #S @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #Orangeade @Lauredhel
pick3½✨
There's a lot of conflicting reviews about this one. But I quite enjoyed it.
Even with the slow start and Grady being a sulky, self-absorbed man-child.
The suspense and mystery of the Isle of Amberley kept me intrigued. It felt like a character on its own, with the residents being its moving parts.
And the twists.
I did not see it coming... at all.
pickHobb created this world and these characters with so much love and care, that everything becomes real. This past week or so I've been living in Six Duchies, sharing in Fitz's journey from boy to man. And I'm more than ready to follow him into the next phase of his life.
If this is only the beginning I know I'm in for purely delightful adventure.
so-soA friend suggested I read Between the World and Me, but it wasn't available, so I thought I'd get the next best thing.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, It was thought-provoking and I found it very interesting, even learning a thing or two.
The second half I found a bit boring and laborers to get though. I'm not denying the importance of the subject matter, it was just that I didn't really feel a connection to it.
so-soThis felt like a summary of a lot of books I've previously read.
There's a lot of useful information in bite size chunks you can use as needed for different areas of personal growth. But it doesn't do a deep dive into any one area. So if you know what you'd like to grow in I'd suggest finding a book that goes more in-depth.
#LitsyAtoZ #W @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #Orangeade @Lauredhel
#NonFiction
pick3½ ✨
This was a very quick read. A bit young, and the characters lack emotional depth. But the story did grab me.
I'm definitely reading the rest of the series.
#OffTheShelf2025 @Librariana
#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView
#BookChain2025 #PersonOnCover @TheAromaofBooks
#LitsyAtoZ #M @Texreader
#DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks #Pantone2025 #WhiteGrape @Lauredhel
pickI read this in my native language, and really enjoyed it! Can't remember the last time I read Afrikaans.
Meyer has this gripping writing style with a lot of tension, drama and politics. Combined with very broken characters, only ever trying their best.
Adding to that; all of his books are set in one of my favourite places: Cape Town.
My only complaint is the fowl language.
#Afrikaans
pickThese books always feel like coming home.
I've always loved books with doors and quests. And McGuire gives me a place to go each year that fills the door-shape hole in me that needs filling.
Somehow I've missed this one last year, so I have two doors to go through this year.
I love how each book continues on the previous books, but always have their own adventures in new unknowns.
panWhy do I do this to myself?
I'm not a Romance person, I hate the tropes and can tell from the first chapter who the love interest will be.
But still once a year I try a Romance novel.
So please know that it's not the book reflected in my rating, but my personal feelings towards Romances in general.
I should just stop torturing myself.
#LitsyAtoZ #B @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #YellowJasper @Lauredhel
pick3½✨
This is a typical Hero's journey with all the usual tropes you'd expect. Nothing earth shattering or different. Still I enjoyed visiting the world of Alagaësia and getting to meet all the characters. I'm intrigued to see where the series will take me.
I have my suspicions and would like to confirm them.
Visited the 2nd-hand bookstore this morning to ready myself for the #RealmOfElderlings read along
I think I made a good start. 😁
@PuddleJumper
Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that would change the world.
#FirstLineFriday
@ShyBookOwl
pickSuch a delightful, uplifting little story. It felt like an unexpected huge that I didn't know I needed.
Who'd thought opening a coffee shop could turn into an adventure?
#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView
#LitsyAtoZ #L @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #Curds_Whey @Lauredhel
pickSome of the magic from the previous books eluded me in this one.
It was still incredibly tense, distressing, and harrowing.
However, most of the twists I foresaw this time around. I wasn't as taken aback by the events as I was with the previous two books.
Still, I'm anxiously trying to make time to read the next book.
pickI felt so drained after finishing this book I couldn't even begin to think how to review it.
I really enjoyed Plath's writing, its lyrical, captivating, and unique. I'll be on the lookout for her poetry.
👇🏻 continue below 👇🏻
I did pretty well for #Jumpstart2025
Only missed my gaol page count on two days.
This really helped me get to read every day for #StoryGraph #PageChalleng2025
Thanks for hosting @Lizpixie
pickI must confess the size of this book always scared me a little - I mean could one person truly be so interesting that I would want to read about him for almost a thousand pages?
The answer I'm glad to report is: Yes!
I quickly found myself so interested in the life of David Copperfield that I just couldn't put the book down.
👇🏻 continue 👇🏻
pick3½ ✨
I just flew through this one.
It focus on how Darin and Spiro met, and how Laia became her grandfather's apprentice.
It's not as action packed as the first one, and started off a bit slow.
My book order finally arrived and I'll start A Reaper at the Gate tonight, but in the meantime I needed a quick fix to get me in the right mindset, and this hit the exact right spot.
I'm now super stoked to get on with the series.
I've been reading really hard on this Chunkster, tugging away at it in 20 pages at a time. With some intervals going up to 100 pages a day when the story grabbed me and the time permitted.
And now I have 107 pages left... I'm so close 🤩
Thanks @julieclair for setting up #AllergicToChunksters it's really helping me chop away at these big books.
so-soI love the inspiring message of this book, but it had just a tad too many YA tropes for my liking.
I think if I read this as a teenager I would have been much more impressed.
#OffTheShelf2025 @Librariana
#BookChain2025 #5YearsOlder
@TheAromaofBooks
#LitsyAtoZ #D @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #PearSorbet @Lauredhel
pickWell this was totally unexpected!
I've seen this book around a lot but never really paid attention to it. Then I saw it was an Apple TV show, and being me I obviously decided to read the book first.
Not only was it something totally different and refreshing but it was really deep, and spoke to my heart in ways I didn't expect.
In conclusion I get the hype.
#LitsyAtoZ #L @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #Hibiscus @Lauredhel
pickAnother riveting compilation of shot stories each showing us a bit more of the man behind the white hare and wolf medallion.
I especially enjoyed the last two stories, but I'm bais because I love Ciri. I adore her feisty sprite and determination.
I am however now more than ready to be done with the short stories and be immersed in a full length novel
pickInformative and full of interesting titbits, but I learned that I prefer chronological narrative.
#LitsyAtoZ #M @Texreader
#NonFiction
pickI believe I have a new addiction.
As soon as I realised there were Graphic Novels, I just had to get them.
This is a prequel of sorts showing Elias and Hel as Fivers. And yes it was just as ingenious and innovative as the two books I've already read.
I'm not crazy about the artwork, but that won't deter me from getting the other GN that's available.
6 of the best reading years ever!
Thanks fellow Litens for making reading even more enjoyable 💞
so-soI am a big Magnus fan and I've been waiting for this Malec story for what feels like forever. But I was disappointed with the plot, it just didn't feel believable and it was so predictable.
I did enjoy the characters showing a different side than usual, Magnus being vulnerable and Alec growing into his confidence with their relationship
I'm doing great with my #Jumpstart2025 & #StoryGraph #PageChalleng2025
So far I've read at least 20 pages a day and I'm almost done with my second audiobook
@Lizpixie
pickI'm sitting here wondering how to articulate what happened to me while reading this book.
I'm thinking that maybe Tahir wrote some kind of magic into the pages, because WOW!
This one started off a bit slower than the first one, and I had a moment of worry at that. But by the halfway maker all my worries were blown away. Not only did we get spectacular character development and an epic journey...
👇🏻 Continue
so-so2½✨
The atmosphere of this book was done exceptionally well, you could feel the cold, remote emptyness. But I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would.
It started off very slow, and the dynamica of this supposed friend group just felt wrong.
The characters are mostly horrible people; I actually felt like killing some of them just to not have to listen to their POV anymore.
And in the end I felt cheated by the unreliable narrators.
This is all the challenges I'm parttaking in for 2025
#BookSpin & #DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks
#Pantone2025 @Lauredhel
#Jumpstart2025 @Lizpixie
#StoryGraph #PageChalleng2025
#LitsyAtoZ @Texreader
#BookChain2025 @TheAromaofBooks
#FictionalTraveler @julieclair
#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView
#AllergicToChunksters @julieclair
#ChunksterChallenge2025 @Amiable
#OffTheShelf2025 @Librariana
I'm combining #Jumpstart2025 with the #StoryGraph #PageChallenge2025 as always.
This always gives me a good start to the year!
My goal is to read at least 20 pages a day and listen to one Audio book a week.
@Lizpixie
![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png){kind=icon}
#LitsyAtoZ #C @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #Thunderstorm @Lauredhel
#BookChain2025 #NextLetter @TheAromaofBooks 2d