May 2021

• https://moreblminfo.carrd.co/ 
• https://getinformed.carrd.co/
• https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/I find Twitter an extremely useful tool in finding information about these injustices and ways to help. And while Carrd’s are useful resources for information and awareness, I read that it’s better to donate to individual’s, which can be found on twitter and other platforms.

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For the last two months I took a break from this new series, but I’m finally back and for my second round I’m going to be playing along with Kaylani SimplyMe ♥

Kaylani uses the concept of bingo to build up a tbr with the corresponding prompts to each ball. In each game, the number of bingo balls used is 8. And yes, since I only read one book in April, this doesn’t seem too feasible. I know and don’t care 😂 Right now I’m just happy to make lists and reading something is secondary lol

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N33 || Low Expectations

Seasons of War; Derek Landy

This is the 13th book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series and the 4th in phase 2. I’ve hated phase 2 so far, so my expectations are very low. It’s a little hard to do a synopsis for this book without giving spoilers, so I’ll just give an overview of the concept.

Valkyrie Cain has a normal life until her uncle dies of a supposed heart attack. With his death comes an extensive fortune for the young girl and a host of enemies in search of something hidden in her uncle’s house. Her life is now open to the hidden world filled with magic and sorcerer’s, and her only friend and doorway into this world is a witty and well dressed skeleton.

O61 || Ugly Cover

Memnoch the Devil; Anne Rice

Memnoch the Devil – at least the cover I own – is ugly. Sorry to the guy on the cover, this isn’t a slight to your face, but to the graphic designer and what they decided to do with it.

This book is the 5th instalment in the Vampire Chronicles and Lestat’s life continues to be a rollercoaster. He is taken from Earth and finds himself on a journey through Creation, Heaven and Hell.

This does sound really interesting, I’m just a little scared as Rice’s writing is dense and I can see this being bogged down in theology and so many words…

I22 || Book of the Month

Wicked Fox (Gumiho #1); Kat Cho

I don’t subscribe to any book boxes or clubs, but I went to the Book of the Month site and went through the past books to see if I own any. The one I found was Gumiho, which is perfect because I really wanted to read this soon. This has been pitched as being like a kdrama and I’m excited!

Miyoung – a nine tailed fox (gumiho) – finds herself in a situation where she violates the rules and saves a human boy from a goblin. In the process, she loses her fox bead (her soul). A young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, it goes terribly and she is forced to choose between her immortal life and the boy she saved.

O72 || First Letter of Name in Title

The Bane Chronicles; Cassandra Clare

The first letter of my name is a H~ I’m currently reading City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare and apparently you’re meant to read the Bane Chronicles after that. So, this will be a reread for me lol

This is a short story collection all about warlock Magnus Bane. They are written by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan, with illustrations by Cassandra Jean.

O73 || Ebook

Dark Days Deceit; Alison Goodman

This is the 3rd book in the Lady Helen trilogy. In book one, Helen finds herself going against her aunt and uncle’s expectations of a society lady, when she takes the search for one of their maids into her own hands. On the way, Helen’s life gets entangled with a secret fight against demons happening right under her nose.

I don’t own ebooks, but I do use the library app Overdrive and it worked well for me reading the previous books in the ebook form.

G55 || Read at Night

Teeth: Vampire Tales; Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling (eds.)

This is an anthology all about vampires, featuring big names such as Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix, Cassandra Clare and Holly Black.

Short story collections are a good thing to either read in the morning or before bed, and what a better time than at night to read about some vampires?

O75 || Read in 1 Day

Heartstopper Volume 4; Alice Oseman

“Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie’s lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.” – Goodreads

These graphic novel volumes are super easy to fly through and despite some of the tough topics, the characters are hilarious, cute and wonderful. And the topics are handled thoughtfully and with love. Trigger warnings for this book are: eating disorders, anorexia, depression, anxiety, homophobia and psychiatric ward/sectioning.

N37 || My Pick

The Cruel Prince; Holly Black

I was meant to pick this book up last month, but that didn’t happen. I’m excited to finally get to it, especially as I have the audiobook and can read it on my commutes to and from work.

The Cruel Prince follows Jude, a human who – with her sisters – lives in the High Court of Faerie. They feel as if they’ve never belonged, despite living there for 10yrs. Jude is then given a chance at a place in court, but to claim it, she must first survive the ruthless treachery and political intrigues of the fae.

As I said before, there should be 8 bingo balls chosen, but Kaylani has a rule that when a ball number ends in 5 another is added and two showed up, taking this tbr to 10 books!

N32 || 5⭐ Prediction

Lost in the Never Woods; Aiden Thomas

After nearly running over an unconscious boy in the middle of the road, Wendy is thrown back into the mystery of her hometown. Children are going missing and the town looks to Wendy, whose own past is linked to the mysterious woods. To help save the lost children, Wendy must confront what happened to her and her brother’s 5 years ago.

I’m so excited to finally get to this – Waterstones needs to hurry up and deliver my pre-order – because not only does it have a stunning cover, but this sounds like a very interesting and creative retelling.

B11 || Isaac Pick

The Devil and the Dark Water; Stuart Turton

So, I don’t have an Isaac (sorry if I’ve spelt this wrong), but I did send a stack of books to my sister and of course she chose the longest.

“A murder on the high seas. A detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.” – Goodreads

I didn’t know much about Turton’s previous novel The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and I think this is also the best way to go into this one. The tagline sounds wonderful and I’m scared of the sea, so a murder mystery with potential demons is going to be an interesting experience.

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Have you enjoyed any of these or are you also looking forward to reading a few? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading. I hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe ♥