I will never go to Disney Land, in any country, and I’m okay with that. I hate rollercoasters and fast rides and I know that if I can’t stand just a normal town fair, then I’m not going to enjoy a huge amusement park. Also, I live in the UK and I would probs need to sell a lung or something to afford all that.
However, I have seen some challenges online where people read using the ‘ride wait times’ and that sounded so fun to me. I use reading sprints when I’m struggling to concentrate, so this was just a fun spin on that.
I read that most people go on an average of 12 rides a day, so I used a random number generator to choose the rides I would be waiting for. Due to the time difference, I just picked the rides on Thursday 6th and Friday 7th of August (at 9pm BST) to then read on the weekend. I should have differentiated between the days, but I completely forgot as I was enjoying being back to reading after a bit of a drought.
I also added some little banners, which Gavin from Gavin Reads It All has been doing this year for if a completed book is part of any challenges I’m doing, which I think is such a fun idea and I want to keep using in future posts.
The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love; India Holton
audio || 114 minutes || 125 pages
“Rival ornithologists hunt through England for a rare magical bird in this historical-fantasy rom-com reminiscent of Indiana Jones but with manners, tea, and helicopter parasols.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Beth Pickering is a people pleaser, mostly due to her upbringing and as a mode of surviving. I enjoyed seeing her flourish and become outspoken with each more minute she spent in Devon’s company.
This was a fun adventure, with a host of fun characters, but there wasn’t actually that much plot and the romance was super fast paced. While it had some great moments, I love when ‘rivals’ is a bit of a case of mistaken identity because one character doesn’t realise how smitten the other is and sees any contact as competition, I do wish it took a bit of a back seat for the plot’s sake.
Despite this, Holton’s writing and wit are still shining brightly and I’m excited for book 2 as the male lead seems grumpy and it’s a marriage of convenience!
🏰🏰🏰
Spy x Family, Vol. 9; Tatsuya Endo
physical || 44 minutes || 216 pages
“Yor’s on assignment and finds herself up against a gang of assassins on board a luxury cruiser. Meanwhile, Loid and Anya each discover that bombs have been planted throughout the ship! Will their best efforts be enough to save the vessel?”
⭐⭐⭐.75
I wish the second half had been a bit stronger. The first half was action packed and I love when Anya throws herself into the ‘mission’ as well, but also wants to make sure that Loid and Yor don’t find out about each other’s secret jobs.
The second part was more cute and funny, as well as adding more filler.
I’m enjoying how the family are getting closer and closer. It’s so sweet when Loid isn’t thinking of the mission while being with them.
🏰🏰🏰
Apples Dipped in Gold; Scarlett St. Clair
e-book || 188 minutes || 227 pages
“…the Elven Prince has pined after Samara for seven long years. She is all he can think about—a toxin in his blood. Can the Prince of Nightshade, whose power over poisons rivals none in The Enchanted Forest, manage to find a remedy or will he succumb to her love?”
⭐⭐⭐
I enjoyed this one more than the first book in the Fairy Retelling series and I think it’s mostly because of the journey they went on and all the characters they met, as well as having read it in one sitting.
Due to the abuse Samara was subjected to by her brothers, I tried not to be so annoyed by her behaviour. On the other hand, sometimes Lore was a bit of a brat. The romance could have been better developed and the reason for the misunderstanding that happened years prior was underwhelming.
I’m intrigued by one of the other brothers we met in this book, so I’m not opposed to continuing on in the series, but I’m not going to go out of my way and I’m not even sure when the next instalments will be published.
🏰🏰🏰
Yesteryear; Caro Claire Burke
physical || 94 minutes || 80 pages
“Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and has the social media accounts to prove it.
Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her home, her husband, her children―they’re all familiar, but something’s off… Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn’t her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible.”
I keep seeing Yesteryear everywhere since it came out in April and while it’s not something I normally read, I love the cover and I want to know! I want to be part of the cool kids club.
So far Yesteryear has been so readable and everything feels real, despite being evidently satire. At the moment Natalie is neither likeable, nor unlikeable, and I think that’s sort of how I feel about a lot of influencers. They often have such a façade that I don’t really have an opinion of their character, so I’m looking forward to actually delving deeper into Natalie’s life and actual personality.
I really like the somewhat ‘dual timeline’ aspect where we’re in the present, but also learning about how Natalie has become this tradwife influencer. I’m interested to see how this all progresses and how it will continue (if it does) to integrate with where she is.
I keep hearing that it’s full of twists and even a colleague at work was telling me how wild it is, so I’m definitely excited to keep on reading!
🏰🏰🏰
Overall, I read for 7hrs 20mins over two days. That equated to:
- finishing a book I’ve been ‘currently reading’ for months
- reading a manga volume
- reading a novella
- starting an anticipated read
Thanks to the manga and novella, I ended up with a 648 page count. I have an average to slow reading pace, so those two really did the heavy lifting with allowing me to get such a high page count!
Thanks for reading! I hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe 💕
DramaRambles 🌸 
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