[WEEKEND READS] where I am finally reading my most anticipated book of the year!

another experiment shot for me. haha

Hi,

It was quite a dull week for me. Not much going on at work.

I've been binge watching Big Bang Theory recently though. And I'm going through some of the current anime this season. Chihayafuru 3 is really gooood. Psycho-Pass 3 is a bit frustrating to watch. No Guns Life is interesting. I'm going to watch a couple more episodes of Babylon which is also an interesting political mystery thriller.

I recently finished Well Met which was a nice light romance read. Wasn't a fan of the love interest at first but he grew on me. I like how I was able to relate to the two of them at some point :) I had a review written out. I just hope I can have it up soon.

OCTOBER WRAPUP (aka the month of #Burtontober)

trying this style in my photos

Hi,

October is a mixture of highs and lows for me. Also, because of these lows, I ended up grabbing a few books even though #MIBF2019 just got done. ugh.

I watched the Joker earlier this month with my best friend. I like the development of Joker throughout the story. You could really see where things started. The bigger picture though is a bit tough to see and I don't really know what to feel about it. But either way, it was okay for me.

This month I joined #burtontober hosted by @LostAndBoundBks over at Twitter to push myself to read more and somehow it worked out well for me. I don't wanna say I'm done with the slump though but I'd like to believe we're getting out of there :)

Also, I'm finally watching anime again!! I'm currently watching: Babylon, Chihayafuru S3, No Guns Life, and PSYCHO-PASS S3.

books read

Mockingjay (the Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins | Confessions by Kanae Minato | Steins;Gate vols. 1 & 2 by Yomi Sarachi | A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

[WEEKEND READS] where I'm slowly getting my reading mood back

Hi,

Apologies if I still haven't replied to comments or visited your blog. I plan to do that (hopefully tomorrow). As I'm writing this, it's already 10PM and I kind of need to sleep soon so I can wake up early to watch the Yankee's ALDS Game 2 tomorrow morning for me. Game 1 was suuuuuper good (and exciting!).

ANYWAY, I joined #burtontober hosted by @LostAndBoundBks over at Twitter. I did this because I want to pick myself out of this horrible slump I've been going on which I'm sure you're all tired of (lol). Out of the 9 challenges, I picked 6 books for them. I hope to have a wrap up about this at the end of the month (which is the end of this reading challenge/read-a-thon)

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER WRAPUP (aka the month of picking up and dropping down books)

#MIBF2019 book haul

Hi,

The slump continues to plague me and I hate it. My mood and my energy just aren't there.

I have like 3 or 4 books in my side bed. I alternate bringing books to work depending on my mood for the day. I hate it because I want to stick to one book so that I can finish something. I also hate that I am NEVER in the mood for an ebook lately. I started a few of the ebooks I downloaded a couple of years ago but end up never really going further than the first chapter or two.

I dropped books because I also don't want to dwell so much on them. I want to live by the idea of read books I enjoy and drop books that aren't working out for me. This doesn't mean I'll leave these books unread on my shelf. I want to get back to them at some point.

books read

Catching Fire (the Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins | Wilder Girls by Rory Powers | My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite | Nichijou, vol. 5 by Keiichi Arawi

[REVIEW] Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

title: Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
author: Matthew J. Sullivan
genre: adult fiction, mystery
published: January 9, 2018 by Scribner (first published June 13, 2017)
format: trade paperback, 352 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Fully Booked
rating: 5 / 5 stars
goodreads

When a bookshop patron commits suicide, his favorite store clerk must unravel the puzzle he left behind in this “intriguingly dark, twisty” (Kirkus Reviews) debut novel from an award-winning short story writer. 

Lydia Smith lives her life hiding in plain sight. A clerk at the Bright Ideas bookstore, she keeps a meticulously crafted existence among her beloved books, eccentric colleagues, and the BookFrogs—the lost and lonely regulars who spend every day marauding the store’s overwhelmed shelves. 

But when Joey Molina, a young, beguiling BookFrog, kills himself in the bookstore’s upper room, Lydia’s life comes unglued. Always Joey’s favorite bookseller, Lydia has been bequeathed his meager worldly possessions. Trinkets and books; the detritus of a lonely, uncared for man. But when Lydia flips through his books she finds them defaced in ways both disturbing and inexplicable. They reveal the psyche of a young man on the verge of an emotional reckoning. And they seem to contain a hidden message. What did Joey know? And what does it have to do with Lydia? 

As Lydia untangles the mystery of Joey’s suicide, she unearths a long buried memory from her own violent childhood. Details from that one bloody night begin to circle back. Her distant father returns to the fold, along with an obsessive local cop, and the Hammerman, a murderer who came into Lydia’s life long ago and, as she soon discovers, never completely left. 

mystery and books. what a perfect combination!

I love 'books about books' - books that involves bookstores, book readers, and being around books in general. It's an easy sell for me. And I bought this one because of that. I didn't read the synopsis, just that  title - the 'Bookstore' in the title and I'm sold.

Fall 2019 TBR

tentative #Burtontober tbr

Hi,

 I am still trying my best to get back to all things reading and blogging amidst these busy times at work, the new baseball fandom, and this new found Netflix watching hobby. But then again, I realized that I don't really want to leave this blog because it has my reading thoughts which I like looking back to.

I have here my choices for the Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-thon as well as, of course, some of the books I hope to get into before the year ends (OMG! IT'S -BER MONTHS WHICH MEANS THE YEAR IS ABOUT TO EEEEEND!!!). I have here thrillers as well because why not? October & November are like thriller months. So why not join the fun, yeah? Also, I'm looking at my shelf right now while I'm doing this. Gives me a better feel of what I may want to read in the next few months.

As always, not all books will be read but I'll use this as a guide when I have NO IDEA what to pick up next (except for the #readathon books). Tell me on the comments below what I should prioritize and maybe what you like or not like about them real quick :)

Dewey's 24-Hour #readathon TBR

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho | Lord of the Flies by William Golding | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley | Confessions by Kanae Minato | Death Note: L Change the World by M

MAY-JUNE-JULY WRAPUP (aka the month of reading slump)

Hi,

In April, I barely read anything. I got through three books and that was it. In May, I tried and tried and tried but got through nothing. I ended up getting stuck in Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes. In June, I FINALLY finished Hidden Bodies THEN read The Hunger Games for a quick reread. It did not disappoint. In July, I got through three books and all of which were really quick reads for me which is a really good sign.

The shift in interest and stress at work really got me there. But I really hope to get my reading pace back and get into that 4-5 books per month kind of thing. Crossing my fingers that this is the month. Also, OMG Dark Age is out! I picked up my copy from the bookstore last Monday (not on this book haul because it's for August!)!! EXCITED FOR THIS!!

I wanted to get back to all things blogging. I'll take it one step at a time. The slump is really getting into me.

books read

Hidden Bodies (You #2) by Caroline Kepnes | The Hunger Games (the Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins | The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware | Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman | The Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Book slump is real. ugh.