[REVIEW] The Last Day of Emily Lindsey

title: The Last Day of Emily Lindsey
author: Nic Joseph
genre: adult fiction, mystery, thriller
published: October 3, 2017 by Sourcebooks Landmark
format: Paperback, 327 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

She doesn’t know him, but the symbol she draws on her skin has always been in his nightmares  

Detective Steven Paul has had the same nightmare for as long as he can remember, a strange symbol figuring prominently into his terror. He decided long ago that the recurring dreams are nothing more than an unfortunate side effect of his often traumatic profession. Until, that is, he's assigned to the case of Emily Lindsey, the beautiful, elusive, and controversial blogger found alone, holding a hunting knife and covered in someone else's blood.  

As Steven questions Emily, she repeatedly scratches out the same odd symbol he sees when he closes his eyes. A thrilling suspense ensues as Steven must get inside Emily's head to solve a mystery without a crime—a mystery that is connected to him in ways he can't even begin to fathom.

Had me at: WTH's the connection?

I really like mysteries. It's like I LIVE for mysteries! Okay, no. That's overstating. But mysteries are my thing and I love reading them and guessing things, and hyping myself for the big reveal. We've talked about this on my review of Girl in Snow. lol.

7 Things I'm Thankful For for Working in a Bookstore

this post is going to be part sentimental and part truthfully grateful.

Hi,

It's been a while since my last update. On my February wrap-up, I said I'll be resigning from my work on my local bookstore. And I'm very thankful for all the encouragement you guys gave me. I'm currently applying for work, waiting for companies to contact me, and just plain reading books I have on my shelf and books I borrowed. Half panicking right now and half thankful for some reading time.

Also, for some reason though, I can't get my reviewing mood back but I know I'll get around it one of these days. I've been writing this review for Annihilation for days. I'll schedule some reviews I've written in the past though. So I got myself covered for that. But for my recent reads, I won't have anything out yet.

BUT we're not here to talk about my comeback or my reviewing mood. We're here to talk about how thankful I am for the things I learned/received after working in a bookstore -- my fave local bookstore!

MARCH & APRIL WRAPUP (aka the months of amazing reads!)

random photo because (omg) i've been so lazy lately.

Hello,

So mid-February I tried to get back to blogging. I've written a few reviews but my work schedule ate me up again and I ended up scheduling nothing. So I decided to really just lay low for awhile and wait for my resignation from work.

NOW that I'm a jobless booknerd as I said on my last post, I'll be posting and reading as much as I can. I'm currently looking for jobs that are appropriate for my degree (unlike before) and something I'll enjoy and learn further as well. I have job interviews in the next couple of days. Wish me luck! I really want the one which I'm going to be interviewed for tomorrow!!

Also, here's something random! A week back, my book bestfriend and I watched Love, Simon and it was really cute! Honestly, it's not a most-fave-movie-ever kind of thing for me like most people have claimed. BUT I still did love it and I'm sure I would have loved it more if I didn't read the book prior to watching the movie (which made me want to write something about the read-the-book-then-see-the-movie vs see-the-movie-then-read-the-book kind of thing). But yeah, this will be for another discussion 😊

SO here's my VERY LATE March and April Wrap Up!

books read

[WEEKEND READS] where I start the month right with the right books

OMG, I'M FINALLY READING HARRY POTTER!!

Hello,

SO this month, I'm participating in Kimberly @ the Caffeinated Book Reviewer's #TakeControlTBR. And so far it's been good for me. I posted my TBR which I started dealing with right when the month started. I already finished one book from it and I'm currently reading another one. I also finished two more books that are not included in my TBR list but I'm counting for the challenge. So I'd say that I'm actually winning this challenge 😊

recent reads

Iron Gold (Red Rising #4) | Pierce Brown
To be COMPLETELY honest, I liked it but did not loved it. I wanted to love it but it feels like it wasn't as absorbing as the previous ones. It was soooo intense that's for sure. However, I feel that it didn't blew me away as much as I expected it to. Too much expectations maybe? I mean, I honestly didn't even feel much while reading this. Should I do a rereading instead? I don't know! Maybe? I finally have my own copy now so maybe.. we'll see. But for now, I'm not in love with this installment.

Manuscript Found in Accra | Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho is my go-to author. His novels are short but always full of lovely words, encouraging and reflective alike. Manuscript Found in Accra is one of those books that tell you how to live your life. Not exactly forcing you to do one thing but it feels like one of those preachy, self-help books I try to avoid.

My 2018 Reading Goals

Hello,

I mentioned in another post (which I cannot remember anymore, lol) that I'll be sharing with you guys my 2018 Reading Goals. I made this goals at the end of December hoping that I'll have a fantastic reading year ahead. I also hope to challenge myself by doing this personal list and not joining into some other reading challenges (but I'll probably join some next year).

This list is a mixture of general challenges and very specific ones. I have my list up along with some books I hope to read for the challenges. I'll also work on a reading challenge page soon so I can keep track of the books I've read, aside from writing them up on my bullet journal.

SO, here goes my challenges! Wish me the best of luck! 😊

Read 51 Books (Goodreads Reading Challenge)

This one is obviously already taken care of. Check out the books I've read so far!
wth is with 51 you ask? That's just me being random and adding that extra 1 😆

[REVIEW] Between Shades of Gray (audio)

title: Between Shades of Gray
author: Ruta Sepetys; Emily Klein (narrator)
genre: young adult, historical fiction
published: March 22, 2011 by Penguin Audio
format: audio, 7 hours and 47 minutes
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
audiobook: Audible | Overdrive | Publisher 
rating: 5 / 5 stars
goodreads

Lithuania, June 1941: Fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school and looking forward to summer. In the dark of night there is a knock at the door and life is forever changed. Soviet secret police arrest Lina, her mother, and her younger brother, tearing their family apart. The three are hauled from their home and thrown into cattle cars, where they soon discover their destination: Siberia. Separated from her father, Lina embeds clues in her drawings and secretly passes them along, hoping they will reach her father's prison camp. In this dramatic and moving story, Lina desperately fights for her life and the lives of those around her. But will love be enough to keep her alive?

Heartbreaking. Unforgettable. Enlightening.

I read Between Shades of Gray years ago. I LOVED it. It's my favorite historical fiction. It's heartbreaking and really brings out a story many do not know about. So when I saw AudioFile had it up for free download as part of SYNC, AudioFile's free summer audiobook program for teens 13+, I HAD to grab it.

[REVIEW] Young Jane Young

title: Young Jane Young
author: Gabrielle Zevin
genre: Women's Fiction
published: August 22, 2017 by Algonquin Books
format: Hardcover, 294 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Young Jane Young's heroine is Aviva Grossman, an ambitious Congressional intern in Florida who makes the life-changing mistake of having an affair with her boss‑‑who is beloved, admired, successful, and very married‑‑and blogging about it. When the affair comes to light, the Congressman doesn’t take the fall, but Aviva does, and her life is over before it hardly begins. She becomes a late‑night talk show punchline; she is slut‑shamed, labeled as fat and ugly, and considered a blight on politics in general. 

How does one go on after this? In Aviva’s case, she sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. She tries to start over as a wedding planner, to be smarter about her life, and to raise her daughter to be strong and confident. But when, at the urging of others, she decides to run for public office herself, that long‑ago mistake trails her via the Internet like a scarlet A. For in our age, Google guarantees that the past is never, ever, truly past, that everything you’ve done will live on for everyone to know about for all eternity. And it’s only a matter of time until Aviva/Jane’s daughter, Ruby, finds out who her mother was, and is, and must decide whether she can still respect her.

Lovely story. Timely. Totally worth your time.

When I saw this book a few months back, I got really excited mainly because I read Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and I LOVE that book. Gabrielle Zevin easily became an auto-buy author for me because why not?