Currently reading :D

I finally got a physical copy!!

This #book has plot but you know what else it has? Amazing characters, character interactions, and a meet-cute #romance that has me crying and giggling into my hands. OMG, this gave me so many cavities! I LOVED IT.

Have you read it??

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv3B4xZSmy2/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

AH always has a new and interesting message to tell in all his books. In MFs we touch on themes of vulnerability in 💕 and the trauma of having to confront an abuser, and how reality and fantasy are very different. Even though there were a lot of fantastical elements, I was always grounded before I could get too off track

I also really liked all the characters but NGL, Lizzie enchanted me. She was very charming!

A rec! #romance #mystery

The #tbr never ends!! Right now I'm reading Mortal Follies by one of my favorite authors :D it's ok and I'm starting to realize that certain types of characters exist in AH's world's and I wouldn't be surprised if they were related somehow 😂😂😂

Oh snap!! I won a copy!!!
View the story on IG: instagram.com/coffeesreads

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Omggggg I got to read the first few pages and it's hilarious so far 😂😂😂 I need to pick up the book asap! #drama #romance #summerread #ya

Join Bookishfirst.com to get sneak peaks of new titles and enter raffles to win free copies! Use my code 02c819d0c94cc1df0 when you sign up so that we can both get bonus points~

Another Rosenfelt title in my ALCs!

Next! :D #tbr #netgalley

Omggg the spam I just unleashed 🫣🫣🫣 sorry, but I've just been so bad about updating this place 😭😭 but here's the book I'm reading now! It's... Alright. I'm thinking it might be a 3/5 read. Not a lot is happening tbh, esp nothing wowing me. That cover tho!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs6HTiNPGpI/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

This was such a beautiful book. I loved Manny. He's such a great character and *everything he went through* 😭 Have you ever watched Under the Same Moon? This reminded me of that movie except way darker and traumatic. Like bro, I can't believe people are capable and willing to do these things (and yet here is 2023 proving me wrong) #gayromance #lgbtq

Tw👇🏽

This #book has been in my library for ages!!

But I finally got around to it because #netgalley. And it's so good?! Or like 4.5 good. I felt like it was losing steam towards the end. Like, there was a lot going on but idk, I was feeling frustrated because of everything that was going on. It's not a fun read 🥹 or at least, it wasn't anymore after a certain point 😔 now I'm in pain 😭 I'm curious to see what happens next but also, am I ready??

I've been meaning to read more #trans books since I read Lakelore (Ann-Marie McLemore) and this book heightened that feeling. It was very short and validating. It's not entirely something I haven't heard before (altho I was surprised by the de-transitioning story), but they're words and stories that I think are necessary and important no matter where one is at in their journey. I really enjoyed it 💯 and even felt empowered myself

Oh god is this only my second #nonfiction #book this year?!?! 😂 😭 It was a book on the shorter side and I did enjoy it altho ~80% in I did get a bit lost in some details. I don't really know much about the topic but I really liked some of the theories (is that what it's called, lol) he came up with based on the findings he talks about. I'd like to read more on the subject, especially relating to the last topic: dogs and wolves and humans

It's been tough but I'm slowly getting through my Netgalley backlog 🥹🥹 it helps that I haven't requested many new #books 😂😂 next up will be these two audiobooks and then I'll finally sit down with some ebooks

Maybe I can get my score to 45% by the end of June? 🤔 🤔 #netgalley #tbr #tbrpile

I really wanted to like this book! But NGL it put me to sleep many times, and the funny? part is that I didn't actually feel like I missed anything important. I think the author does a really good job at fleshing out many of the world's details, such as the politics, but in a way that I felt detracted from the flow.

The reveal was pretty interesting but it felt like it dragged.

A decent read but very slow and dense

I really like to read books that teach me about things and this Delivered. But I also just loved Meilin. Like WOW. The first part is told from her pov and as the years pass we move from one gen to the next. It's such a heartbreaking story and it resonated so much with me. It made me wonder about my own family and what their stories were.

Def check it out. I was very emotional by the end. It's hopeful but also very sad

I was a bit disappointed. I think in part bc of the hyperfocus on becoming a mother as a duty/resp of being a good wife. I get that it's a *thing*, I hear it at home in some fashion myself, but eh. That said, I really did like Song Yan. I liked that she was as a character with nothing who found the courage to hold something in her hands, to take risks, and to not be tied by duty and traditions. Also, I think I missed the pt of the mushrooms 😅😅

The story was very interesting. I actually wasn't sure what to expect next or at the end of the road. I was getting some tragedy vibes and idk, somehow it felt anticlimactic. The reveal. Which is something Chloe also mentions, LOL. But I also just really enjoyed the character relationships, not just Chloe's obsession with Shara, but also all of the other #queer characters that ended up using this time to explore their genders and sexualities.

I ended up deciding to read some #netgalley titles. I finished two others and this one is the latest. It took me a minute to get into it but it's finally starting to pick up :000 #scifi

Do you ever feel intimidated after finishing a book? Like hmm, what should I read next? Except that there's a fear of choosing the "wrong" book? And then you end up taking forever to choose...!

I'm only at the start of this series of events. Ahhh, I wish I could just CHOOSE something but nothing is *really* calling to me, you know?? I know I want to read something queer...but what?

I want it to be fun like Spellbound ?

I've updated my #reading thread on twitter!

And now I'm currently reading I Kissed Shara Wheeler which is doing things to me! Like, I wish I'd paid more attention to what the tws were at the start bc wow, I'm getting VIBES. But also I don't mind waiting to see what the reveal will be, the suspense!! #lesbianromance

I really wanted to love it because I always want to love #gayromamcebooks but this mmm, wasn't it. Emile is a marquee posing as a servant and in a 💕 📐 with two men. One a problematic douche and the other, a gent who only wants the best for him. Clearly the 2nd guy's the better choice, right? Well, Emile doesn't agree and that's what I hated the most. That ending tho. If the story had been a bit more focused on that, I would have enjoyed it more

I'm not sure why but it wasn't pulling me. And considering all of the events that happened here, idk if I was convinced. I just didn't like many of the character decisions. It almost felt like the moral was to be Good and then this "goodness" often ended up with terrible consequences. Like, what did you expect children? This is war! Perhaps I'm too bloodthirsty lol

In the end, the series fell flat for me. I'd say it's a 3/5

Been wanting to read some #classics but they're not easy to #read (or interesting 😂). I initially felt the same about #LittleWomen, esp since all the characters kind of had similar personalities/they didn't stand out. But Jo. Jo really carried the story!

That said, I think the story didn't age entirely well. Not good, not bad

I finally finished #Byzantium, my first #nonfiction #read of the year?! Wow. It was alright. I felt like I learned quite a bit but I wasn't a fan of the narrator (I don't generally like British accents for narrators, NGL, it's a bit hard to understand sometimes, doesn't flow as smoothly as I'd like). After a while I did get bogged down by names and dates but I would read again, maybe a physical copy tho. 4/5.

I want to say I love this book, esp since it ticked so many of my kinks, but it fell a bit flat

I love Zhu and everything she does in order to get what she desires. She's very creative and sees the opportunities in everything, while also sowing loyalty. But she also knows what must be done and is willing to do terrible things. I also liked getting into the heads of the other characters and the #queer dynamics in all the MCs was very interesting

I have...mixed feelings...

I really loved the first book, which focused more on Xingying's journey into greatness, but this book had me floundering a bit at the start (there was a Lot going on). Also, I may have still been heartbroken from the events in book one. Liwei is nice, but I like a bit more spice from my 2D obsessions 😂 That said, I really enjoyed the focus on family, not just with Xingying, but with all of the other characters

I have so many feelings!!! First, I loved this #book. So so much!! But also, it hurt me when I least expected it to

The writing is so beautiful that it left me wondering if maybe I would one day feel even half of what Nora and Stevie felt for each other. And that narration!!! AHHHHHH. Destroyed me. Beautiful writing and a top-tier narrator? I was 💀 from the first chapter and I only cried more down the line

Plot. Yes. This #book has plot but you know what else it has? Amazing characters, character interactions, and a meet-cute #romance that has me crying and giggling into my hands. OMG, this gave me so many cavities! I LOVED IT. #gayromance

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrDdSCsv5Gn/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

As much as I cried about this book, I have to admit that I devoured it. This book continues exposing us to new #japanese #mythology, which was actually very fun to read. It does continue the same tone from the first book but it wasn't as violent or uncomfortable. In a way, it almost felt like a redemption arc. Ren still was kind of terrible, especially in the ways I dislike the most, but I began to see her in a better light.

So far so interesting! It reads a lot like The Poppy Wars in that we're following a girl in China who aspires to achieve greatness, except that in this book it comes at the loss of her being. Loving all the queer vibes, not just from the MC but also the potential antagonist? But I'm esp curious about the history behind this book and others like it. Perhaps I'll be picking up a book on Chinese history soon? Hmm

updated #lgbtqbookbingo #lgbtq2023 :D @kenyazero

1. Belle of the Ball
2. Blood Debts
3. The House That Whispers
4. Grandad's Pride
5. The Wicked Bargain
6. Spell Bound
7. Lucha of the Night Forest
8. Juniper Harvey
9. Forget Me Not
10. The Moth Keeper
11. The Buried and the Bound

Here's an update on #thingsincommon :D

1. citizen k9 -> keeper of night = both involve death/murder
2. keeper of night -> empress of time = same author
3. empress of time -> spell bound = developing romance
4. spell bound -> forget me not = lgbtq romance
5. forget me not -> heart of the sun warrior = involves memory loss

@clwojick

I've been so bad about reading sequels this year! But finally picking up heart of the sun warrior, hoping i remember enough of the first book... Or should I reread it? Idk if i want to live through the heartbreak again tho 😂

OMGGGGG IT'S HERE!!! I was sad I didn't get approved for it but then it was part of this month's ALCs!!! This is going to be such a fun read, I know it! And that cover 😍😍

Indeed she hasn't changed 😮‍💨 and yet here i am 🤔

The pacing is on the slower side, probably much slower than before? The book, it seems, will span about four days, leading up to a final battle. But I feel like the characters are...not very smart lol there are just moments where I'm like, ok, why didn't you think to take their clocks, you KNOW what they can do. Little things that could have avoided bigger undesirable events

OMGGGG NOOOOO WHYYYYYY 😭 slams book against the wall but also i must continue to find out what happened to that one person ughhhh

Next read!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh that was a satisfying ending. And I'm here only for the IN YOUR FACE moment. Ahhhh. Just for that I'm giving it a 3.5. I went from disliking the MC to not liking her at all LOL but I am curious about what exactly happened. It is a #duology so only a few more hours to go #fantasy #historical #japan #myths #shinigami

I'm slowly getting to the end and idk, I don't dislike it but I also am not feeling it. The only thing I'm feeling is a great dislike for the MC. I get it, she was bullied for centuries but also, why is she treating the one person on her side so cruelly while mooning for a suspicious guy...I have beef 😤😤 and hope that something happens so I can shout TOLD U SO 💀

Not as impressive as the previous case which is actually a case two books from now 😂 I still don't like Corey and his trigger happy finger, but I will admit that the K team cases are more exciting from an action pov. We got some fun revelations related to Andy and Marcus 😂 But it did end on a bit of an info dump, which was ok but not ideal. Let's see what's next #crime #mystery

https://www.instagram.com/p/CquzqpYPX5N/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I have ten books downloaded and am potentially, slowly, getting through them 😂 I picked up the keeper of the night bc i got the sequel on Netgalley, it's about soul reapers so yeah, maybe I'm imaging bleach in my head 😂 it's... alright so far, not much has happened but the bullying is rather graphic 😔

Still reading the nonfiction book but sometimes I need something easy to read, especially recently. So tired lol #crime #mystery

My second #nonfiction read! Decided to pick this one up because it reminded me of someone from my university. It's been ok. I didn't expect there to be so much #religion talks. But I also went in blind, not really knowing what #Byzantium was soooo 🧐 interesting so far

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqc_30BPzTc/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Fourth book in the series but only the second I've read 😂 it's way better than book 2! I do have mixed feelings since this is following a(n ex)cop who I'd argue is a bit problematic, but he's much more grounded in this book than before. The case was also very interesting and ended up bigger than anyone expected! Enjoyed the Andy cameos lol #crime #mystery #fiction

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqc_cNTPdC2/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Going through my Netgalley backlog and forgot this was on there! Technically it's already archived but I also got it as an ALC so time to get through it~

My first #nonfiction title of the year! I decided to keep learning about #food. Very easy to read since it's a mix of stories, #history, and economics. I like that the author talks about many countries but I also felt that not all the chapters wowed me equally. The ? chapter was def put together, but others (like ?️) were longshot connections. I sometimes asked myself "what food are we talking abt lol". Still, i did learn quite a bit!

I LOVED this book!! It's honestly such a powerful read, not just because it talks about curly hair, which many people deem as "inappropriate" and "bad", but because Marlene is such a beautiful character! I love that she loves her hair and with some help and encouragement, manages to have others see what she sees. It's a very creative way to tell the story and Idk, i love the power and bonds #graphicnovel #middlegrade

I was disappointed. I really wanted to love it bc it talks about immigration and the separation of families, a topic that's very imp to me, but overall, it didn't offer much. The plot was slow and hinged on a sketchy history club and the romance was meh. I did enjoy some of the friendships tho. What esp turned me off was the use of misgendering and racism to show that others were trans and black when there're other affirming ways to do so

A semi-chunky book that I read in two days!! That's how much I enjoyed it. And it's a looping story where Anaïs has to relive the same disastrous night where the royal family at the anniversary ball is murdered. It's a story focused mainly on Anaïs with a sprinkle of romance, much mystery, many lives lived, and having to learn to deal with the consequences of our actions. Very exciting read! #fantasy