Recent Updates and Currently Reading | December 21

I'm late posting my update for last week because honestly... I was too busy watching The Mandalorian finale for the 47th time. Don't judge me on how I spend my time.

I have been on such an amazing reading streak lately. If this could just continue on through 2021, that would be great! I have not made my best of 2020 list because I keep adding to my favorites. This is a great problem to have.

Posted Last Week

Book Review | In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

On My Wishlist {37} 

Book Review | The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

 

Finished Reading

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren ⭐⭐★★★ - My review for In a Holidaze has already been posted if you'd like to check that out.

Be Wary of the Silent Woods (The Weirn Books #1) by Svetlana Chmakova ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 - I loved this, and I can't wait for the next one!

Fractured Tide by Leslie Lutz ⭐⭐⭐💫★ - I think I would have enjoyed this one more if I had read it over the summer.

The Haunting by Lindsey Duga ⭐⭐⭐💫★ - This is a traditional ghost story that I would have loved as a kid.

I'll have reviews for the last three of these out really soon!

Currently Reading

Cradleland of Parasites by Sara Tantlinger - This poetry collection is plague filled and terrifying, and I'm really enjoying it.

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher - AAHHH, I love this book so much so far. It's so genre blending, and I am so happy.

Added to the TBR

Into The Forest And All The Way Through by Cynthia Pelayo - I'm really looking forward to this poetry collection by Cina Pelayo!

I picked up a couple of book club selections for next year: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin and Fatherland by Robert Harris. I have the audio of The Fifth Season, but I really wanted to have a print copy as well. Bookworm problems.

So what about you? Let me know what you're reading this week or leave me some links!

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This post is being shared as part of Book Date's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Book Review | The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

The Girl and the Ghost is a middle grade horror novel by Hanna Alkaf.

I am a dark spirit, the ghost announced grandly. I am your inheritance, your grandmother’s legacy. I am yours to command.

Suraya is delighted when her witch grandmother gifts her a pelesit. She names her ghostly companion Pink, and the two quickly become inseparable.

But Suraya doesn’t know that pelesits have a dark side—and when Pink’s shadows threaten to consume them both, they must find enough light to survive . . . before they are both lost to the darkness.

I started researching Hanna Alkaf's previous works immediately after beginning The Girl and the Ghost. I knew right away I would need more from her!

The Girl and the Ghost is so dark, and the writing is so gorgeous. This book has everything I want in a middle grade novel. I loved the friendships, and this book tore at my heart so many times.

The horror in this book was scary and downright disturbing. The origin story of the ghost might actually dethrone Where the Woods End by Charlotte Salter as the scariest middle grade content I've ever read.

I'm adding The Girl and the Ghost to my growing list of spooky MG books that I highly recommend. I hope we get more from Hanna Alkaf in the future.

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
4.5/5 stars

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On My Wishlist {37}

On My Wishlist is where I share a couple of books that have recently made it onto my wishlist. These are the books that have recently caught my eye!

A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel
Expected publication: February 2nd 2021 by Tor.com

Showing that truth is stranger than fiction, Sylvain Neuvel weaves a scfi thriller reminiscent of Blake Crouch and Andy Weir, blending a fast moving, darkly satirical look at 1940s rocketry with an exploration of the amorality of progress and the nature of violence in A History of What Comes Next.

Always run, never fight.
Preserve the knowledge.
Survive at all costs.
Take them to the stars.

Over 99 identical generations, Mia’s family has shaped human history to push them to the stars, making brutal, wrenching choices and sacrificing countless lives. Her turn comes at the dawn of the age of rocketry. Her mission: to lure Wernher Von Braun away from the Nazi party and into the American rocket program, and secure the future of the space race.

But Mia’s family is not the only group pushing the levers of history: an even more ruthless enemy lurks behind the scenes.

A darkly satirical first contact thriller, as seen through the eyes of the women who make progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them...

I've never read Sylvain Neuvel, but I think I may start with this one. I can't resist the idea of a dark first contact thriller.

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The In-Between by Rebecca Ansari
Expected publication: January 26th 2021 by Walden Pond Press

Cooper is lost. Ever since his father left their family three years ago, he has become distant from his friends, constantly annoyed by his little sister, Jess, and completely fed up with the pale, creepy rich girl who moved in next door, who won’t stop staring at him.

So when Cooper learns of an unsolved mystery his sister has discovered online, he welcomes the distraction. It’s the tale of a deadly train crash that occurred a hundred years ago in which one young boy among the dead was never identified. The only distinguishing mark on him was a strange insignia on his suit coat, a symbol no one had seen before or since. Jess is fascinated by the mystery of the unknown child—because she’s seen the insignia. And, she tells Cooper, he has too.

It’s the symbol on the jacket of the girl next door.

As they uncover more information—and mounting evidence of the girl’s seemingly impossible connection to the tragedy—Cooper and Jess begin to wonder if a similar disaster could be heading to their hometown. Thus begins an unforgettable adventure about the forgotten among us and what it means to be seen.

This is another middle grade book I have on pre-order for next year. It sounds like a fun mystery/adventure with a lot of heart. I'm really looking forward to it.

Have you read or are you planning to read any of these? What books have recently made it onto your wishlist?

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This post is being shared as part of Can't-Wait Wednesday over at Wishful Endings.

Book Review | In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

In a Holidaze is a romance novel by Christina Lauren.

One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners..

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark “downright hilarious” (Helen Hoang, author of The Bride Test) hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.

 

I loved the beginning of In a Holidaze so much! It was cute and hilarious and just what I needed in 2020.

The problem is the book shifted away from all of the things that I loved in the beginning. At first I thought I was no longer enjoying it because the rom-com had lost it's comedy and shifted to simply being a romance. As the book went on, however, it was definitely more than that for me. In a Holidaze wasn't delivering on any of the promises it made in the beginning. The Christmas version of Groundhog Day was only a hook. There were also things that just didn't make sense. (And no, I'm not talking about the time travel/Groundhog Day stuff. That's not supposed to make sense.)

It's worth noting that I'm not a romance reader, and I can't speak to the expectations of the genre. I can only speak to my own experience with In a Holidaze, and it just wasn't a good fit for me. I like the idea of reading a Christmasy rom-com this time of year, though, so I think I will still give it another try next year with a different book and see how it goes.

In a Holidaze seems to be a big hit with a lot of people right now so definitely seek out other reviews - especially from people who read romance way more than I do. As for me, I was expecting all of the things that hooked me in from the beginning to continue on throughout In a Holidaze, and I was left disappointed and confused with the way things wound up progressing.

⭐⭐★★★
2/5 stars

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Recent Updates and Currently Reading | December 13

The countdown to Christmas is here! I'm trying to spend the weekend getting all of my gifts wrapped and making sure I have everything I need. Today is my youngest son's birthday so today will be spent playing and entertaining his every whim. There will also be cupcakes! I bought him a karaoke microphone so the entire house is going to be mad at me pretty soon. 😂

Posted Since My Last Update

On My Wishlist {35}

Book Review | Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline 

Book Review | Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega 

On My Wishlist {36} 

Book Review | The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

Finished Reading

I finished reading Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline. I enjoyed it for what it was. You can check out my review for my thoughts. ⭐⭐⭐⭐★

I also finished reading Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega, and I absolutely loved it. My review has been posted for this one as well. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This week I also read The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf. I really loved this one, too! I will have a review out soon. ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Currently Reading

I'm currently reading In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren. It started out SO GOOD, but I'm starting to get disappointed. I'm really, really hoping things get back to my expectations soon. Next time I buy a rom-com, someone please remind me that I don't like romance 😂 I'm going to be the first jerk to not like this book.

Added to the TBR

My Book of the Month pick for December is The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. BotM did me right by thrillers last year so I'm going to be a little more open to their selections this coming year. This is an early release so it's not out until January. I'm going to save it to read in 2021.

I added In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren to my BotM box because I've been hearing so many great things and 2020 needs all of the Christmas cheer.

I ordered a cheap, used copy of The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, and I was sent a first edition! I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the package. I'll insert a photo here for you to see.

Wow. It's a great day when you open up the package that contains the cheap, used book you bought off the internet and find a first edition inside 😍 #BookMail pic.twitter.com/hDZH0gaY0J

— Jengerbread 🎄 Ladies of Horror Fiction (@BookDen) December 3, 2020

So what about you? Let me know what you're reading (or watching) this week or leave me some links!

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This post is being shared as part of Book Date's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.