Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children // Ransom Riggs // ★★★☆☆ – I read this book back in high school and for some unknown reason, LOVED IT. Like, I rated it 5 stars on Goodreads. SMH. What were you thinking, past me? It just goes to show that your opinion of a book can change.
Smoke in the Sun // Renee Ahdieh // ★★★☆☆ – I enjoyed this book more than the first because it focused less on the romance and more on the politics. (Who in their right mind would like politics over romance, you might ask? Apparently me because I have an unfeeling rock for a heart). It was great to see some Japanese Rep, but I’m a bit iffy on the historical accuracy.
Hunger // Michael Grant // ★★★★★ – This book is like riding a carriage in the 1880s. It’s bumpy, stressful, and armed bandits are undoubtably going to try and rob you. Okay maybe not that last part. But it is suspenseful. In the very first scene somebody is ripped to shreds by man-eating worms. Needless to say, I loved it, man-eating worms and all.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian // Sherman Alexie – I read this one for my book club. I’m told that it is an assigned reading for some American schools. The writing style was fun and quirky and the themes explored were really eye-opening.
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings // Ellen Oh (Editor), Elsie Chapman (Editor) // ★★★★☆ – I’m not usually one for anthologies (this one plus Stars Above from Marissa Meyer bring my grand total up to two), BUT THIS ONE WAS A MUST. I mean, a collection of Asian inspired retellings? I’M DOWN. There were some stories I liked more than others, but who cares if there are a few raisins in your chocolate chip cookie, amirite?
A Thousand Pieces of You // Claudia Gray // ★☆☆☆☆ – I could write a whole 200-page thesis detailing the many reasons that this book didn’t work for me (okay, maybe not 200, but at least a solid 5). Full review to come in October. And be ready for some serious rantage.
Scythe // Neal Shusterman // ★★★★☆ – My first run-in with Shusterman was when I read Unwind in high school for a summer reading assignment, AND DANG BOI it was good. Uncharacteristically good for a school book. And Scythe? It was like coming home from a long day at school/work/whatever to find that your mom/husband/wife/S.O./dog/random neighbor who you talked to once about which day the trash gets picked up on (I think I covered all the bases) just baked you a whole batch of fresh cookies. Yeah, this book was gooey-cookie good. Shusterman really knows how to write great novels that are entertaining, but also push you to question the world.
Elsewhere // Gabrielle Zevin // ★★★☆☆ – This was the book that had been on my Goodreads TBR for the longest amount of time – I shelved it as “To-Read” back in February of 2016. I was still in college then 😭😭😭 Don’t mind me, I’m just drowning in my wrinkly old lady tears. Anywho, yay for crossing books off the TBR! I feel accomplished. I’m going to give myself a gold star. I deserve it. Just you try and stop me.
Casablanca // “Here’s looking at you, kid.” This is probably one of the most famous movies of all time, and I hadn’t seen it before. Derp. I obviously had to rectify that at some point, and I guess that point finally came. I watched it with the hubby one night after our wild child of a toddler fell asleep and it did not disappoint.
Solo: A Star Wars Story // Overall, this wasn’t bad. But it also wasn’t…what’s the word I’m looking for? Good? Necessary? Plus, how can you do a Han Solo movie without HAN SOLO (AKA: Harrison Ford)? I think Alden Ehrenreich did a decent job though, considering the legacy he had to live up to. The entire movie, all I could think of was this scene:
Sierra Burgess is a Loser // I’m going to be upfront and say that I was pretty excited for this movie after seeing the trailer. Sure, the plotline seemed a bit on the sketchy side, but it had Deb from Stranger Things AND Peter from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. What could possibly go wrong? #famouslastwords
The Dragon Prince // I haven’t finished watching this one yet, but the episodes I have watched give me the most wonderful fantasy vibes. The animation is okayish…It’s growing on me for sure, but I would give up my left earlobe in order to get a traditional hand-drawn animation version. Also, Callum = Sokka. Sokka = Callum. And I am okay with this. OH I ALMOST FORGOT. CAN WE JUST GUSH OVER GENERAL AMAYA. I AWARD ALL THE POINTS FOR DEAF + HOH REP. ALL. THE. POINTS.
This Month In The Blogosphere
How To Write a Great, Not-Boring, Interesting Review // Elise @ The Bookish Actress outlines in great detail how to write not only a good book review, but a great one.
Let’s Talk About … Blog Designs And The Influence They Can Have // Kelly @ Another Book in the Wall discusses the importance of having a nice blog design. I always enjoy Kelly’s discussion posts! (I promise I’m not putting this here only because she mentioned meeeeee 💦💦💦)
My Story With ARCs as an International Book Blogger // Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books details her experience with ARCs as an International blogger. If I’m honest though, I love all of Marie and Nyx’s stuff, so I could’ve put any of their posts here. I chose this one because I live abroad and her plight resonated with me.
5 YA Tropes that Make Me Feel Old (PLEASE BRING AID AND COOKIES) // Becky @ Blogs of a Bookaholic talks about what it’s like reading YA books as an adult and it SPOKE TO ME ON A SPIRITUAL LEVEL. Haha, but seriously, I agreed with so much of what she said.
Thank you all so much for your support and kindness! I’ve only been doing this book blogging thing over here on WordPress for little over a month and I’ve already hit 100 followers. Maybe that isn’t something to toot my horn over, but to me, it’s a big deal! I’m thinking of doing a giveaway or a Q&A or something to celebrate, but I’m drawing a blank. Any suggestions?
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Kat, oh my gosh, your graphics are so cute and lively, I love them!! ❤ And I watched The Dragon Prince, too! It’s sooooo cute and I’m so looking forward to another season (and more Amaya omg).
Kat, your graphics are soooo cute! The cutest ever. Congratulations on hitting 100 followers!!! That is definitely something worth celebrating! I haven’t heard positive things about Sierra Burgess so I decided not to watch it.
Dawwwww thank you so much Merline! It means so much to me that you would say that, especially since your blog is complete #goals!
I’m so glad you loved Scythe. Thunderhead is even better in my opinion so I hope you read it too! Elsewhere actually used to be my all-time favourite book when I was in high school. I listened to the audiobook earlier this year and sadly I cannot say I feel the same anymore, but it still meant something to me once and for that it gives me a good dose of nostalgia :)
I’m glad to hear that Thunderhead is even better! Isn’t it just great when the sequel surpasses the first book, instead of being a let down? I listened to the Elsewhere audiobook and at first I was thrown off by the narrator – she sounds so young! But she really grew on me. I’m sorry to hear that the reread didn’t go that great for you. Don’t you just hate it when that happens? Anyways, thanks for the wonderful comment :)
Thank you for the mention, THIS MADE MY HEART HAPPY.
And absolutely gorgeous graphics again, I love love the stats one!!
I’m so glad it made you happy!!! Also, thank you so much for your kind words! It means a lot to me :)
I can’t wait to read Scythe! Congrats on hitting 100 followers! You are fantastic and deserve 1000 more :)
Dawwwwww THANK YOUU. That means a lot to me. And you should totally read Scythe! It got me out of my mini-reading slump and excited about reading again.
I loved Scythe so much, I’m glad to see that you enjoyed it! Also, congrats on 100 followers!!! 😊
Thanks, Rose :) It means a lot! Thanks for all of your support.
:D I was wondering if I was hearing things when I heard Sokka’s voice for Callum! I like the animation but I’m not sure yet if I like the story or not. I do like the whole humans vs. elves thing going on though.
I agree, I am enjoying it so far, but I’m not sure if I’m completely SOLD yet. There are characters that I already really like, but I think I need more seasons to see how everything comes together. 9 episodes was just not enough.
I swear to God, your blog is getting prettier everytime I visit!! I LOVE THAT STAT GRAPHIC!!! I wish I had a half of creativity, LOL. Anyway, I hope your October is more awesome!!!
OH MY GOSH THANK YOU SO MUCH CAROLINA. <3 This comment means EVERYTHING to me. Seriously, thank you for your support! Have a wonderful October as well :)
I 100% agree with everyone above about your graphics – they are AMAZING!! If you don’t mind sharing, how did you go about making them??
DAWWWWW *starts to ugly cry* YOU ARE SO NICEEEE. But seriously, thank you for your comment, it means SO MUCH to me. And I don’t mind you asking at all! I find most of the graphics I used on a site called freepik and then I use photoshop and illustrator to change colors, add fonts, all those sorts of stuff. I dunno if that helps or not :)
Thanks! I’ve been slowly teaching myself all this computer and design related stuff, like HTML and CSS coding to edit my website and have delved a little into Photoshop and illustrator and GIMP for graphics. It’s a steep learning curve and a great way to kill time but it sure is fun!! And when you get great results like yours it’s totally worth it, right?!
I am honestly so lost with CSS and HTML so props to you for teaching yourself some coding! That’s totally awesome. If you need any help with Photoshop or Illustrator, let me know :) I’m not as great with Illustrator (can only really use it to change colors) but I know photoshop pretty alright.
I’ve used Photoshop and Illustrator a little bit – Illustrator more so than Photoshop since I used it for a project at uni. The way I understand it Photoshop is best for editing existing images and photos. That’s what it’s for. Illustrator is a vector program that’s better for creating your own images and icons etc. They’re both fun to play around with though! 😊
I’m a bit sad you didn’t like Renee’s book that much–I haven’t read the first, but I’m definitely all for Japanese mythology. The possibly inaccurate rep scares me though! BUT!! I’m so happy you loved A Thousand Beginnings and Endings!!! My Asian heart can’t wait to read it. 💕 ALSO CONGRATS ON 100 FOLLOWERS!!! That’s absolutely amazing for your first month of blogging, girlie. Also very well deserved. 🤗
Dawwwwwww thank you so much for your support, Aimee! You are an inspiration! I hope you are able to read a Thousand Beginnings and Endings because not only were a lot of great authors featured, but a lot of amazing stories too! I loved diving in deeper to cultures I was familiar with and ones that I was not. It was magical!
As always, I am so in love with your presentation and graphics and everything, Kat, you’re doin so great <3 Congratulations on the followers, this is so amazing, though I am not that surprised, you're awesome!! <3 <3
I hope you'll have a lovely October. and thank you so, so much for sharing my post, this means a lot!
MARIEEE!!!!! Thank you so much for all your support! It means so much. I hope you have a great October as well! I’m looking forward to all the posts for the Shattering Stigmas event :)
Aww thank you Kat, you’re sweet! <3
Gorgeous wrap up! And I’m so happy you loved Scythe and the Dragon Prince!!! They’re both so amazing! And thanks for including my post! ❤️❤️
CONGRATS ON 100 FOLLOWERS! 🤗
Aren’t they just great? The Dragon Prince was fun, but I was so thrown off by how short it was. Just as I was really getting into it, the season was over. *Shakes fist* DARN YOU NETFLIX!!!
The graphics in your blog posts are so well-designed, and it makes me want to read your posts even more! It’s amazing how many books you’ve read this month — with school in session the max I can read is one book a week 😊 And congrats on hitting 100 followers! I hope your blog grows even more in these next few months (because your blog design definitely needs more eyes to admire 😍)
Dawwww thank you so much, Zoie :) Seriously, your support means SO MUCH to me. And honestly, I surprised myself this month with my number of books read. I think the key for me is audiobooks. I hope you have a great October :)
Two DNF’ed? That’s pretty awful :-/ But I’m looking forward to that rant!
Haha, yeah. I could also just be really picky haha. I will be posting a short mini-review on one of them (when I get around to actually writing it hahahhasob I have no time), so keep an eye out :)
Kat I love your graphics so much! I swear every time I visit your blog it looks awesomer. Happy reading this month, love!
Dawww Kaleena, thanks so much! Good luck with Blogoween! 🎃
I am glad that you had an overall nice month :) I read Part-time diary a few months back for our #bannedbookclub and I enjoyed it. The themes explored were definitely eye-opening.
I am in love with your blog graphics :) They are so cute. How did you manage to create all this?
I also watched Sierra Burgess but I have to admit I was not the fan of the movie. It was quite problematic. But I loved the Sunflower song :D
Have a lovely October Kat :)
Oh gosh, thank you so much! This comment makes my heart happy! I loved the Sunflower song too, but I don’t like how it replaced the need for an actual apology in the movie. I hope you have a great October, too!
As to how I do graphics, mostly I get stuff from freepik and then use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to edit everything.
You have such an eventful September. My lazy self can’t relate /sobs/ and oh, I’m loving all the graphics!! Sad to know that you didn’t like A Thousand Pieces of You. I wanted to read this one, and I’ve been hearing nice things about it. But I think I’ll probably still try it. Haha
Thank you so much for saying that, Erika! And yeah, A Thousand Pieces of You just wasn’t for me, but definitely still give it a try! I know other bloggers who have read it and loved it (like you mentioned). Isn’t so interesting that different people can have such different experiences with the same book?
OKAY I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS POST (i love your blog i am a new fannnn)
1) Casablanca!!! I remember when I first watched it, and I was expecting this love-conquers-all plot w adorable characters, kind of like Laura ((have you ever seen it, it’s so good, + it has Gene Tierney,,my true wife <3 ))
But the way it ends wasn't what I expected??? IT LET ME DOWN SO MUCH. Not bc it was bad, it' just felt really sad. I need fluffiness bc my emotional state is fragile sldkfjslj
2) I feel like a loser bc I only JUST seen the trailer for Sierra Burgess, roughly an hour ago. *hides* Seeing it on this post is kismet!!??? I thought the actress was from Teen Wolf, NOW IT'S SO OBVIOUS she's from Stranger Things???!!! BARB, MY SMOL BEAN!!!!!
3) Now I really want to read Hunger I'm adding it to goodreads rn
4) I love your blogggg c: c: c: c:
WOWOWOWOWOW 😍😍😍 Thank you so much for this lovely comment. IT MEANS EVERYTHING. The ending of Casablanca was definitely not the 90s RomCom sort of ending, and I can see why it was a let down when you went in expecting to have that Fairy Tale ending. It’s totally okay you’ve not seen anything about Sierra Burgess – from what I’ve heard, there is so much drama surrounding it that avoiding altogether might be the best plan. Hunger is great, but it’s the second in a series. The first one is named Gone, and I would 10/10 recommend. OKAY AGAIN THANK YOU
omg I’ve read this Sierra Burgess warning too late!!! I watched it on Friday night and I am so sad, it was so awkward and offensive IN SO MANY WAYS!! even Noah Centineo couldn’t save it slkdjfs. His character gets treated so bad???
SERIOUSLY THOUGH, AMIRITE??? The scene where she Sierra kisses Noah’s character I was like, “Ummmm is this supposed to be romantic, cause uh….it’s not.”
Ahhh I’m in love with all your graphics, especially the stats graphic, it’s so adorable 😍💕 I’m glad that Scythe got a thumbs up from you! I read it earlier this year and completely loved it! I did read Unwind before too and can say that Neal Shusterman is definitely an author that I like :) I also have to finish the Dragon Prince!! I stopped somehow in the middle of the Season 😱
Thank you SO SO much, Caro. It means the world to me :) And yeah, isn’t Scythe just mind-blowingly good?? It had so many surprises that I didn’t see coming! AND THE ENDING. LIKE, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXTTTT.
Nice wrap up! I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian as part of our Banned Book Club. I liked the book, but I had this huge moral dilemma because of Alexie being accused of sexual harassment.
Also, isn’t Unwind just amazing? I love the entire series. It’s the only YA dystopian series I’ve read that ended well. 😊
oooh I love this post! 😍 you have such a creative way of organizing. I was hoping to read Scythe some time soon.
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy Scythe! Please let me know your thoughts if you read it. I love discussing books (duh) :)
I definitely will!
Hello Kat!
That’s awesome how much you’ve read this month. Although it seems like you didn’t like some of these books, glad to hear that there were some that you really enjoyed :) Yeah, I get what you mean about re-reading a book from childhood and not enjoying it as much haha.
I LOVE the graphics on your blog. I could just stare at them all day long haha :) Just curious what program do you use? Wishing you a wonderful October! <3
Sophie, thanks so much for such a lovely comment! I wish I could make my own vectors from scratch, but alas, I am not so talented as that so I get them from a website called Freepik. Then I use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to change colors and add text and just piece it all together. If you need any help with graphics or want help with a design, just let me know :)
Wow that is still amazing :) I used to use Photoshop before but I’ll have to relearn the program before. Thank you and I’ll let you know if I have any questions! By the way, do you think you could possibly make a post about blog graphics at some point in the future? (Just a suggestion since I feel like you’re so good at them! Absolutely no pressure and only if you feel like it!)
I have been thinking of doing one, since a lot of people have mentioned my graphics. Now that you specifically requested it, I will make sure I write one up! Thanks for the suggestion :)
Yay! That’s great! I’m looking forward to it but of course take your time :)
Kat, your blog is adorable, especially those graphics! <3 I wasn't impressed with Miss Peregrine's either, but A Thousand Beginnings and Endings are my all time favorite!
Dawwww thank you so much for such a lovely comment, Tasya! :) It means a lot to me. And yes, isn’t A Thousand Beginnings and Endings such a treat?
Aww, I’m sorry A Thousand Pieces of You didn’t work out. I enjoyed all of the traveling between parallel universes, but I did have to be in the right mood for it. I’m glad your other reads were better.
I love the Community GIF you used! Hah! That was a hilarious episode. I also really like your waffle-themed blog. It’s adorable and I sort of want to eat it. I too have young children, though my one-year-olds are twins that are about to be two. I totally understand trying to get them down for an afternoon nap — haha.
New follower via Bloglovin’! I cannot wait to see what else you have to say.
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?
Dawwwwww thanks so much for such a lovely comment, Lindsi! It made my day! :) I’m really glad you like the waffle theme and that you also understand the struggle/rewards of living life with young kids haha. They’re a handful, but we love them anyways :) I hope you have a wonderful day!
I’m flipping over your graphics and that “a waffle lot” pun is maple syrup level sweet! This is the sort of crepe I signed up for :D
Okay, so your response to this post had me laughing so hard. SO MANY PUNS, I LOVE IT. :)
I just finished listening to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children on audiobook and gave it 3 stars as well … it wast just ok for me as well! I’m so glad you loved Hunger! I loved Gone, but couldn’t get through Hunger so I didn’t continue with the series. I’m curious to see what you think of the other books, if you read them!