Books

To Be Read // December 2021

- Bunny 2 Comments

Hi Friends,
This is going to be my last tbr of 2021! I cannot believe that the year is finally coming to a close, and I am excited to see what 2022 has in store. However, we still have to get through December. I don’t have massive reading plans since December is a pretty crazy month. I love reading, but when December hits I am all about Bookmas, Vlogmas, Holiday movies and Christmas hauls. So reading might be a low priority this month. Still, I do have a few books that I would like to read before the end of the year.

“Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Serpent & Dove, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.”
I have heard nothing but good things about this duology. I need to read, at least, the first book before 2022.

“What’s better than one deliciously cozy, swoon-worthy holiday story? Four of them, from some of today’s bestselling authors.”
I have been reading this all year, so it is about time I finish it. Truthfully, I am kind of embarrassed it has taken me this long to read.

“Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich’s “If This Gets Out is an absolute showstopper! Equal parts edgy and adorable, this bright, joyful book has everything I look for in a queer YA romance.” —Phil Stamper, bestselling author of The Gravity of Us
I want to read a fluffy contemporary! This book sounds so cute, and I hope it will give me all the YA romance feels that I live for.

“Over the course of one chaotic night stranded at the Denver airport, Ryn confronts her shattered past thanks to the charm of romance, the uniqueness of strangers, and the magic of ordinary places in this stunning novel from the author of Boys of Summer.”
This is going to be a reread for me, but I cannot remember a lot of the story. I have been wanting to give myself a refresher read of it for a while now, so I hope that I can get to it.

There you have it, all the books that are on my December tbr. Tell me what you will be reading in the comments. Don’t forget to follow the blog to get notified when a new post goes up.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Bookish Black Friday Deals

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Hi Friends,
Today I thought it would be nice to share some bookish Black Friday deals. Black Friday is usually the day when most people do the bulk of their Christmas shopping. This year, there are great sales on bookish items. If you are looking for a gift for a friend, family member, or if you just want to treat yourself, then these deals might be what you’re looking for.

Half-Priced Books
Since the store typically has discounted prices, they don’t do huge sales. But this year, they are offering a 20% discount code and $5 off coupon starting in January. However, you only receive the coupon if you purchase a $25 gift card between now and December 24th.

Book Outlet
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this discounted book retailer. I completely understand the negativity surrounding  the store, and why some have chosen to boycott it. Still, I know there are people out there that continue to use it as their primary source of book buying. So I thought I would give a quick mention of their Black Friday sale. Right now you can get 25% extra off your purchase, and orders over $35 qualify for free shipping.

Barnes and Noble
Now this is where the books deals are at this Black Friday. On November 26th, they are bringing back their exclusive special edition signed books. If you are in need of an e-reader, you can get the Nook 10″ HD Lenovo Tablet for $30 off. Some e-books will be on sale for under $10. In the ad, they ‘A Court of Silver Flames’ and ‘A Darker Shade Of Magic’. In my opinion, one of the best discounts is buy one, get one half off sale for their collectable editions. Lastly, you can get a $10 eGift card for every $100 you buy in gift cards.

These are the bookish Black Friday sales that I have come across. But, if you know of anymore, please leave them in the comments below. Don’t forget to follow the blog, like, and share this post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Underrated Holiday Books // On My TBR

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Hi Friends,
If couldn’t tell, I am a seasonal reader. This means that the books I read fit well with the current season we’re in. Thus, in the winter time I an all about holiday books. I am in luck, since most holiday themed books are also contemporaries (which you probably know is my favorite genre). However, there are some holiday books that I’ve discovered that aren’t talked about much. In this post, I wanted to share some of these underrated (in my opinion, anyway) holiday books.

‘I’m Dreaming of a Wyatt Christmas’ by Tiffany Schmidt
‘Ballet and babysitting bring two teens together in this very merry holiday rom-com from the author of the acclaimed Bookish Boyfriends series. This is a YA contemporary that was released in October 2021. I don’t know about you, but this book sounds like a very cute holiday hate-to-love story. There hasn’t been many books featuring male dancers, so this is a nice change from the typical bad-boy or jock characters. I am excited to see how this story plays out.

 

‘Blame It on the Mistletoe’ by Beth Garrod
‘Tweet Cute’ meets the movie ‘The Holiday’ in this funny holiday rom-com where two very different girls swap lives for a Christmas adventure.’ I mentioned ‘The Holiday Swap’ in my November TBR, which is a book I have been greatly anticipating. This book has a similar plot, except that it is a young adult story, and the two character aren’t look-a-likes. I have mentioned that swap plots are some of my favorites, so I cannot wait to read this different spin on it. Also, I have seen and loved The Holiday, and I have been dying to read ‘Tweet Cute’.

‘All I Want for Christmas’ by Wendy Loggia‘This sweet and magical romance about a girl who has just one wish – someone to kiss under the mistletoe – is the perfect holiday escape!’
This is a 2020 book release that nobody has read. Well, at least it seems that way. Let me reiterate one more time how much of a sucker I am for YA contemporaries. When I think about this book, ‘My Only Wish’ by Brittney Spears pops into my head. I predict that I am going to enjoy this story, and I am not upset about it.

There are a ton more underrated and unheard of winter/holiday books that I didn’t mention here. So if you would like me to do a part two to this post, let me know in the comments! And before you leave, give this post a like, and follow the blog for all things bookish.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Books I’m Thankful For // Thankful Thursday

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Hi Friends,
As a reader, I have read some amazing books – ones that have changed my life. I think that every book lover can relate to this. At least, I hope you have experienced this during your reading. I wanted to share these books I am thankful for, with you, in this post.

‘It’s Kind Of A Funny Story’ by Ned Vizzini: This was one of the first mental-health related books I had ever read. I was going through a rough time in my life, and reading this helped me get through it. It wasn’t until a few years later that I was diagnosed with bipolar, depression, OCD, and anxiety. It took me a long time to realize, and accept, that even when I think I am fine, I still need to take my medicine and continue with my coping techniques. I will never be perfect (or normal) because those people don’t exist. We are all flawed, and fighting our own battles. One of my favorite lines in the book is “Life can’t be cured, but it can be managed”. This line stuck with me, and is forever tattooed on my heart.

 
‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ by Ann Brashares: I mentioned in a tag that this was the book series that got me into reading. Although that’s probably the main reason I am thankful for this book, it also taught me something big. This book showed me how impactful a written story can be. When we watch a movie or TV show, we get to see the actors’ emotions and reactions. But books are different. We have to imagine how the character looks, and the emotions in their eyes. This story was happy, and sad at times. I think that helped my imagination open up and feel for people I couldn’t even see.

 
‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens: If you saw my ‘Coffee Meets Books’ post, then you know that this is my favorite book. I am so very thankful for this story because it tells us that people can change. This isn’t to say that all people are good – not in the slightest. But by showing someone all the things and people that they had overlooked, they could have a change of heart. Scrooge didn’t have to change. His life was in his own hands, but he chose to live each day with a grateful heart. For the first time, he saw all that he was missing, and vowed to be different because he wanted to. To me, the story proves that everyone has the opportunity to change and open their hearts to love if they want to. I will forever be grateful for the powerful story that Charles Dickens created.

 
‘Between Shades of Gray’ by Ruta Sepetys: This book is very hard hitting, and also sad. So if you aren’t a fan of sad historical fictions, I wouldn’t recommend this one. I hadn’t read many historical fictions before picking this book up. So it shocked me as to how much of an impact the story left on me. It made me incredibly thankful for my life. The characters in the books went through so many tragic events that many real people had to deal with during that time. It made me reevaluated all my problems and struggles, and realized how small they were in comparison. It helped me remember how blessed I truly am.

There you have a few of the books I am thankful for. I have read some amazing books in my life, but only a handful have touched my heart in a special way. Let me know the books you are thankful for in the comments.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Coffee Meets Books // Holiday Edition

- Bunny 2 Comments

Hi Friends,
Do you love coffee? And the holidays? Then you’re in luck! Starbucks holiday drinks were released on November 4th! I’m not sure if they launched worldwide, but let me know in the comments if they did. Seeing as I am a holiday, coffee, and book lover, I thought I would recommend books based on some Starbucks holiday drinks.

Peppermint Mocha
For this drink, I wanted to recommend a classic story, since peppermint is a timeless holiday flavor. The Nutcracker is a classic children’s holiday story that tells the tale of a little girl who journeys to the Land of Sweets on Christmas Eve. This story, like this drink, can be enjoyed by everyone. Peppermint is a flavor that never gets old, and neither does The Nutcracker.

Caramel Brulée Latte
This drink is sweet, without being to sugary. It made me think of a collection of holiday short stories; ‘My True Love Gave To Me’, edited by Stephanie Perkins. When we think of holiday movies and books, we instantly think of cheesy, lovey-dovey stories. However, this book contains a mix of both love and other unique stories. Just like this drink, these stories aren’t all sugar.

Toasted White Mocha
This drink reminds me of Christmas! It has a subtle sweetness, with all the flavors of the holidays. For this reason, I paired (in my opinion) the best holiday book with it. I chose ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. I believe I’ve mentioned before that this is my favorite book ever. You probably already know the plot, so I won’t even bother explaining it. But it is also the quintessential holiday story. If you haven’t read it yet, I recommend it to everyone, even non-classic readers.

This post was so much fun to put together, and a bit challenging. If you have any book recommendations based on holiday drinks, or cocktails leave them in the comments. Please like, share and follow the blog for all things bookish.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

To Be Read // November 2021

- Bunny 4 Comments

Hi Friends,
It is tbr time again! I am very excited for this month of reading, since it is holiday themed. I wanted to keep my tbr short of sweet. I only have 4 books picked out for the month, which is plenty.

“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”
I have been wanting to read this holiday YA contemporary since 2013, so I am excited to finally get to it.

“Two rival coworkers with two very big secrets.”
I don’t know much about the plot to this book, but it seems like a young adult holiday enemies-to-lovers. I am always down to read a good friends-to-lovers story.

“Let It Snow meets Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares in this new small-town Christmas romance.”
This holiday story takes place in Christmas, Oklahoma, which may or may not hit close to home for me.

“A feel-good, holiday rom-com about identical twins who swap lives twelve days before Christmas.”
I am obsessed with twin/look-a-likes swapping places stories, so a Christmas one is music to my ears.

There you have my November tbr! I know it is short, but this month I wanted to focus more on spending time with family. It is the holiday season after all. Let me know what you will be reading in the comments below?

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

A Beginners Guide To Thrillers & Horrors

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hi Friends,
This year, I have gotten into reading thriller books. I don’t know why I have never been interested in them before, since I am a fan of horror movies. It could be the fact that the horror/thriller genre is mainly geared more towards adult books.

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, than you know I generally only read young adult and some middle-grade books. This isn’t to say I won’t pick up an adult horror, but they aren’t my first reading choice. Still, I thought I’d share my tips for getting into this widely popular book genre. Keep in mind this is from a newbie’s perspective.

It might be tempting to read something along the lines of ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ by Alvin Schwartz, but that book might freaky you out enough to not give the genre a chance. I would suggest reading an easier thriller, since you are simply dipping your toes in this genre pool. I recommend starting with something like Fear Street: The Beginning by R.L. Stine or They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman.

‘It’ by Stephen King maybe the ultimate scary book, I mean what Stephen King novel isn’t creepy. However, many of King’s novels are huge commitments. Give yourself sometime to work up to the longer books and keep your first couple of reads short. A lot of Neil Gaiman and Gillian Flynn books are under 400 pages. Also, they aren’t going to keep you awake all night.

This tip doesn’t only apply to thriller/horror newbies in my opinion, but to all readers. Don’t just read one genre. Once you get the urge to read thrillers, you may not want to take a break from them. However, that could lead to a reading burnout. Try spacing out your thriller reads, and including other genres, too. Perhaps only reading one thriller a month might be a good idea. It is always nice to have a contemporary and fantasy book on your TBR. If you still want something in the paranormal realm (with, of course, a romance element) you could always go for the ‘Twilight’ books. Yep, I did just recommend them.

So those are my tips for a getting into this ever-growing genre. I know there aren’t a lot of tips, but I think the are main ones that are important to keep in mind. Leave any tips you might have in the comments below, and don’t forget to like and share this post! Finally, if you’d be so kind as to follow my blog as well, it really does help!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Last Minute Bookish Halloween Costumes

- Bunny 1 Comment

Hi Friends,
I know that choosing the perfect Halloween costume can be tough, and sometimes we wait until the last minute to make a decision. As a book lover, I thought it would be fun to share some bookish costumes that you can prepare at the last minute.


She is a classic book character that has a knack for solving mysteries. Her look is fairly simple to create, though you might not have all these pieces in your closet. Also, The CW’s Nancy Drew series has made the character surge in popularity.


This would be such a fun costume since you can go all out with different patterns. There are so many versions of the character, so there are a lot of ways to go about this costume. I decided to mix all the Mad Hatters from different movies to create this look. A lot of the items are easy to find, but the most important aspect is the hat, of course. What is a mad hatter without a hat?


If you are a book lover, like myself, why not go as a reader. This is certainly the most chill and easiest costume to put together. Honestly, I think that this one might be my favorite costume idea. All you have to do is wear your most comfy attire or whatever you like to read in. It is that effortless. Add some books to help complete your look. For books, I would pick horror and thriller novels since it is Halloween. The Starbucks cup is optional, but I find most readers love a good cup of coffee or tea.

Let me know if you liked these costume ideas, and tell me in the comments what you’re dressing up as this Halloween. Please like and share this post since it helps out my blog. Don’t forget to give the blog a follow as well.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

If You Like This // Halloween Edition

- Bunny 2 Comments

Hi Friends,
I wanted to do an ‘If You Like This…’ post, since I’m a fan of them myself. In this post, I recommend three spooky movies for you to watch if you’re a fan of three different (also spooky) books. I hope that made some sort of sense.

‘The Final Girls Support Group’ and ‘Final Destination’
This comparison might seem a bit odd, but it works, in a weird way. In ‘The Final Girls Support Group’ by Grady Hendrix, the last girls standing from mass murders start getting targeted once again. It seems like death has come back to get them.

Final Destination has that same aspect of death coming back around. A bunch of high school students avoid a plane crash, but soon enough they each start dying in the order they were sitting on the plane. They might not be a perfect match, but there is a similar theme between them.

‘These Witches Don’t Burn’ and ‘The Wicker Man’
I have to admit, I got some help from my husband with this one. However, I can see the comparison between the two. In ‘These Witches Don’t Burn’ by Isabel Sterling, two exes (who happen to belong to the same witch coven) come face to face with someone that is out to destroy them and their lives.

‘The Wicker Man’ follows Edward, who is drawn by his ex-fiancee to an all-female society of Neo-pagans. Unknown to Edward, he is in danger of being burned alive. These two don’t follow the same story-line, but both share a mystery element and other plot points.

‘Living Dead Girl’ and ‘The Quiet’
I think the main reason I put these two together was that they are both hard to take in. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott follows a 15-year-old girl who was kidnapped by a sexual predator at the age of ten. She refers to herself as the living dead girl, and anxiously waits for the day when her abuser finally kills her.

In ‘The Quiet’, teenage Dot is sent to live with her godparents, Paul and Olivia, after her father dies. She learns that Paul has been having a sexual relationship with his teenage daughter, Nina. Dot learns that Nina hates that her father takes advantage of her and plans to kill him. The book and movie are both psychological thrillers that have a sexual abuse theme. Also, they both chill my bones to this day.

I hope that you have somewhat understood why I paired these books and movies together. Let me know if you would like me to do more of these kinds of posts. Give this post a like and share, and please follow to show your support!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Halloween Book Tag

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Hi Friends,
In honor of the spooky season, and Spooktober Day 2, I wanted to do a Halloween-inspired book tag. I found the ‘Halloween Book Tag’ which seemed like a perfect fit. There are only a few questions, but it was a good tag to get me in the Halloween mood, since it is getting closer.

1) Carving pumpkins- what book would you carve up and light on fire?
This was a hard one, since I don’t normally hate a ton of books. But one that comes to mind was There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins. I talked about this in my adaptions post, but I really didn’t care for this book. It probably isn’t my least favorite book, yet I thought it would be a good pick being that it’s a YA horror.

2) Trick or treat- what character is a treat, what character is a trick?
I like Jacob a lot from the ‘Cassidy Blake’ series. I think her would be a entertaining best friends and not just because he’s a ghost. As for the trick, I would go with Leda from ‘The Thousandth Floor’ she’s kind of a loose cannon and unpredictable.

3) Candy corn- what book is always sweet?
P.S. I Like You by Kasie West! This book make me happy. It is a lighthearted enemies-to-lovers contemporary story that was done perfectly. Kasie West is a queen when it comes to YA contemporaries. I really need to reread it soon.

4) Ghosts- what character would you love to visit you as a ghost?
I don’t want any of my favorite characters to die, but I’m going to say Bet from ‘Little Women.’ This might be a cop-out since she passes away in the book, but she’s so sweet and kind. I think she’d be excellent company even in ghost form.

5) Dressing up in costume- what character would you want to be for a day?
Probably, Bonnie McCullough from ‘The Vampire Diaries’, yep, it was a book series first. Bonnie is a psychic and witch, which is pretty awesome. Also, who doesn’t want to be around hotties like Damon and Stefan.

6) Wizards and witches- what is your favorite Harry Potter moment?
I don’t support J. K. Rowling in any shape of form, but I will go ahead and answer the question. I have only read the first two books, but my favorite moment would have to be in ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ when professor Lockhart lost his memory. That whole scene was funny.

7) Blood and gore- what book was so creepy that you had to take a break from it for awhile?
‘The Project’ by Courtney Summers. I think I mentioned before, or in my review, that this book was haunting. It isn’t a horror book by any means, but it creeped me out.

There you have the ‘Halloween Book Tag’! I tag all of my fellow book lovers to do this tag. If you do it please let me know in the comments below. Before you go share and like this post, and give the blog a follow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny