monthly wrap up – Simone and Her Books

May 2019 Bookish Wrap Up

May 31, 2019May 31, 2019by Simone1 Comment

Happy End of May!

What a weird month it’s been. I don’t know about you, but it’s definitely been a weird one for me. I thought we would get a lot of reading done, but that’s a bust. I thought we would get a lot of writing done, but that feels busted too. It’s not like I sit at home doing nothing all day. Stuff gets done, but sometimes it feels like you’re always playing catch up. Is that the case for any of you?

In May, I read 10 books in total. 7 of those books are for myself and 3 were for work. As I started this month, I wanted to focus on books written by Asian American authors to celebrate Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month. While I knew I couldn’t dedicate my entire month to reading only Asian authors, I wanted the majority of my month to reflect that. I think I did a good job with 4/7 books I read being from Asian authors (which is more than 50% so I’m going to just be happy with that).

While I can’t talk about the books I read for work, I do know that two of them were by Asian authors as well. I want to note that, but not mention the specific titles because I can’t talk about them lol. Oh, the wonders of being a book reviewer.

My favorites of the month were most definitely With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo and Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim. Both of these books are inspired by food sharing recipes and heritage passed down by generations of cooks. They both share main characters with a passion for cooking and want to pursue it in some way.

However, you’ll get a different story from both. Elizabeth Acevedo’s book deals with a teenage mom theme, which I’ve never seen in stories before. I was so curious as to why more YA authors don’t explore this theme, but I hope With the Fire on High inspires other writers to dive into the topic. For Roselle Lim’s book, it’s more about loss and grief. I’ve read plenty of books regarding this topic, but this one seems to use it in a positive light to celebrate life instead of death.

Finally, I read Miracle Creek by Angie Kim because folks on the Internet was hyping this book up and I wanted to see what all the shouting was about. While I wasn’t completely enthralled by this read, I did find it interesting and kept my attention the entire novel. It’s definitely a great book for those who love a good courtroom drama and the secrets really keep themselves that way until the very end, which I love.

What did you read this month?

Books, Wrap ups

March 2019 Bookish Wrap-Up

April 1, 2019by SimoneLeave a Comment

I’m so glad March is over. This last week of March felt like the entirety of January in one week. It was long. I remember when I was in school and dreaded March because there aren’t any good holidays and time off. I guess the feeling is still the same now that I’ve grown. This March, I read 10 books.

I’m so happy with this, but I will say that I could have better utilized my time. First, I decided to reread The Grisha Trilogy at the last minute, which ate into some of my TBR. Then, my brain went totally soft at the end of the month and I picked up some random books to try out. Finally, I went completely off my TBR because of my mood and now I’m actually behind on my reading.

But I will say it’s been a successful reading month despite all the changes. I got to reread a series and absolutely renewed my love for it. I read some amazing books with a huge impact on me. I mean, I bawled through A Woman is No Man! Here’s some more on what I read this month:

What I Really Loved

Out of all the books I read, there was only a handful I’ll walk away from and really appreciate for the rest of my life.

King of Scars and The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

In this series, there’s three books and I had read them years ago and was pretty meh about the series. It’s funny how time and experience can change the way you feel because after I finished re-reading this series, I was totally in love. It’s renewed my love for Leigh Bardugo, for this series, and for the Grishaverse. It’s no wonder I also loved King of Scars.

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

I read Behold the Dreamers for The Backlist Book Club and I have to say it was one of my favorite books. I think the themes really captured what felt like the immigrant experience. I’ve known folks who have illegally immigrated here overstaying their visas in hopes to get a green card.

The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory

I really liked The Wedding Party this month. I think it’s because it’s a nod back to Jasmine Guillory’s first book The Wedding Guest. I also love a good friends to lovers story as well, so this one really made me happy. Definitely check this one out when it publishes!

A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum

Someone on the Internet asked me what was with the hype around this book. I don’t think I can accurately explain why this book is good, but it is. I cried the entire time I read it, but that might be just me. Check out my review to see what people have been talking about.

What did you read this month?

Wrap ups

January 2018 Wrap Up

January 31, 2018April 30, 2018by Simone5 Comments

And the first month of the year is done and February is just along the way. I loved reading this month. Although I did have to catch up on a ton of books, I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot. I was able to read all the ARCs I received from NetGalley to put me back on a good track with them. I was able to try a new regime with a lot of failures. It’s been a pretty trying month and on top of that, I turned 33!

But let’s go into the details.

I read 9 books

This is a new record. I don’t think I’ve read this many books in a month in my life except for maybe college. I wasn’t sure how much I read in college, but it was enough to burn me out at the end of it.

I’m finally going to start reading some books that interest me and approaching books that come my way thoughtfully. I think I’ll have to write a blog post about it because it’s been a process and a lot of telling people “no,” which I don’t do very well.

Without ado, here’s my list of reads from January 2018:

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer – will be continuing this series soon, but I just wanted one fun read for myself this month!

The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking – This was a super quick read, but super informative. I’m so obsessed with the hygge lifestyle that I wrote about it in a post for Book Riot.

The Philosopher’s Flight by Tom Miller – This was an ARC I received from Simon Books and it was a pretty interesting fantasy novel! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and see how Robert will continue to fight against the Trenchers.

Haikantwithyou by Nicole Best – This was a pretty quick little poetry book about the beginning, middle, and end of a relationship. So many of the haikus in this book were so poignant and made me reflect on some relationships I had as a kid.

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko – This (as well as the next book) was one of the big reads for January. I loved this book and its dive in Native American culture, the experience of being Native American, and how this world needs to accept and nuture instead of turn people away.

The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender – This one came in my Capsule Books box and was quite honestly the strangest book I ever read. While I wasn’t a true fan, I’m currently reading the second book from this box and I’m definitely seeing a theme here. I’ll chat about that more next month.

Indecent by Corinne Sullivan – This was another egalley that I was reading for review. While this wasn’t my favorite book of the bunch (and my first serious 1-star review in a really long time), perhaps there is something redeemable in the story that I missed. I was bored. I didn’t want to finish it, but maybe you will!

Catalina by Liska Jacobs – This was my final egalley to read for January and I loved it. I think I might have missed some bigger points here about drug abuse and depression, but honestly this read like some rom com or a dramedy that I’ll see adapted into a movie later this year.

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao – This was the last book I read this month and it’s the one still clinging to the spaces in my brain. I couldn’t put this book down and the way they describe the strength of the female friendship will make you wonder if your friendships are as strong as theirs.

I started life as a full-time blogger

January has been such a transition from being a full-time office worker to a full-time blogger. While I’m not making any money off of this (yet), I’m enjoying spending my time reading books and writing reviews and sharing my thoughts with you all. I do hope to get more done in the coming months.

I feel like January was the test month. Don’t commit to creating anything until you’ve got this whole staying at home and creating something for nothing down. I’ve been adjusting and re-adjusting to life living and working from home and being my own boss. It’s been tough. There’s a certain obligation to always be working, but some days lack inspiration and I feel like doing nothing. Some days I would rather watch TV or play video games than talk about the book I just read.

But after a month, I feel like I’ve put together a plan that will allow me to work and not have that sense of obligation to do work. I believe that I am able to generate enough work for myself to be busy all day long.

It’s easy to fall behind or become prey to procrastination. I’ll probably struggle with this my whole life, but I also carry within me the ability to stay strong and keep moving and strive forward.

I will be better. I think that’s the best I can do right now.

I hope you enjoyed this! What did you end up reading this month? Anything worth sharing?