I think that 2017 was a really long shit show for everyone, but at least we have books.
I went into 2017 with really low expectations of my reading after the events of 2016. I was able to surprise myself, however, and finish thirty books. While it’s nowhere near others’ yearly tallies of 75, 80, and 100 books, I’m proud of my accomplishment.
And so, I want to celebrate my reading year by sharing five of my favourites, in no particular order:
It’s been 84 years…
No. It hasn’t really been eighty-four years but it sure has felt that long since I’ve written a blog post.
Hi everyone! How have you been? I’ve been surviving. The past year or so since I’ve returned home has been tumultuous to say the least. Readjusting to Caribbean life took more out of me than expected and it resulted in a few weeks of low mood and motivation. Even with the changeover to 2017 I’ve been having trouble getting back on my feet.
Currently, I’m back in the US working on a summer internship but I return home in late August. I’ve been here for about two weeks and read a total of a single chapter. Because my mood has been so unreliable I’ve decided to officially close this blog. I’m still unsure whether it will remain closed permanently or not, but for now feel free to follow me on Twitter @gjalvi for any thoughts on what I’m currently reading. Be warned, activity over there is pretty sporadic as well.
I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to read something I’d written be it a review, a tag, or just a post about something else. It was nice interacting with everyone who left a comment.
See you soon…?
Synopsis:
Born of wood, cloth, and a substantial dose of magic, Velsa is a Fanarlem, a beautiful artificial girl. Raised to be a concubine, she has seen her friends at the House of Perfumed Ribbons sold off to be the pets of wealthy men. Now her own dreaded day has come. Grau Thanneau is a kind and handsome sorcerer who expects to own a spectacular piece of spellwork–he doesn’t realize that everything he has been told about Fanarlem is a lie. Velsa is not a dull-witted doll, but an intelligent and luminous soul who captivates his heart. Neither of them expected to fall in love, in a land where the law will never recognize her as his equal…
When Grau brings Velsa with him as he serves in the border patrol, they encounter odd magic sent from the High Sorcerer’s palace–or is it magic at all? War is brewing, and with it, the winds of opportunity. Velsa has powers of her own, powers no Fanarlem girl should have, but when the enemy attacks, she might be the only one who can stand against them.
An unfamiliar wave passed over her for just a moment─ that someone was taking care of her, protecting her, delighting in her delight. It was not without uneasiness. For all his promises, she was still a possession, and he had complete control of her destiny.
Synopsis:
Kate Plesser is leading a dead-end life as an office assistant with a penchant for bad relationships. She is lost. When Kate is kidnapped by Hunter, a gorgeous stranger, she assumes he is just some sick psychopath. She never suspects he is actually a vampire, and that she is about to be plunged into a world stranger than her wildest dreams. In the underground city where Hunter lives, she encounters his otherworldly cousin Chase, who holds the key to her freedom. She is thrust into a village where humans are farmed for feeding and breeding. In this mysterious new world beneath Queens, New York, Kate finds something she never expected.
Why? Why does he want me to know how to raise a baby vampire? Oh my God, he is going to breed little demon spawn with me. I have to get out.
Synopsis:
Russel Middlebrook is gettin’ hitched!
The wedding is taking place in a remote lodge on an island in Puget Sound. Russel and his husband-to-be have invited all their close friends to spend the whole weekend together beforehand.
And for the first time in his life, Russel is determined to not be neurotic, and not over-think things.
But that’s before things start going wrong. Who expected a dead killer whale to wash up on the beach below the inn? And what’s this about a windstorm approaching? Then there’s the problem of Russel’s anxious fiancé, who is increasingly convinced the whole thing is going to be a disaster.
Meanwhile, the wedding is taking place near the ruins of a small town, Amazing, where, a hundred years earlier, the people supposedly all disappeared overnight. Why does it feel like the secret at the end of the road to Amazing has something to do with Russel’s own future?
Can Russel’s friends Min, Gunnar, Vernie, and Otto somehow help him make it all make sense?
It’s funny, because contrary to what the religious nutjobs tell you, I think gay guys like weddings more than anyone else. And it isn’t that we’re mocking the institution of marriage, or because we want to destroy it all to hell. It’s because we really, really want to get married.
Last week I posted about my involvement in the #ReadIndie event that’s going on. Here’s a link to the post ICYMI. But in a nutshell, between 1st and 16th December we will be posting reviews for indie books. I already have one review written and ready for posting but the goal is at least two reviews. Therefore I came up with a few books that have my interest that I will be trying to read and review between now and #ReadIndie ending.
It feels weird to be writing for my blog again. But unlike my last post, this one brings good news.
I’m participating in an event beginning on 1st December called #ReadIndie. #ReadIndie is an event co-hosted by Tracy @ Cornerfolds and Christina @ Books & Prejudice that aims to promote indie authors.
As Tracy said in her announcement post yesterday, #ReadIndie isn’t a readathon per se. It’s not about how many indie books you can read. It’s about posting reviews for these indie books to spread the love. Tracy does a great job explaining everything so I will leave a link to her post here.
As some of you may have realised from my last post, I’ve been having a pretty rough time getting anything done and read. So for this event my goal is to post at least two reviews, not including the one already written and sitting in my queue.
I already have a tbr of three books in mind and a pool of a whole lot more to consider. However, my TBR will come in a separate post.
For now, sit back and follow the review team listed below and the hashtag #ReadIndie for any info on the event. I’ll be keeping my eye out for any new adult fantasy or new adult LGBT reviews so if you have some in mind tweet me @bookmanIII.
Review team:
Tracy @ Cornerfolds (host) | Christina @ Books & Prejudice (host) | Amber @ DuLivre | AJ @ Read All the Things | Bee @ Quite the Novel Idea | Cat @ Cat’s Shelf | Denee @ Novel Reveries | (me) | Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog | Jessica & Olyvia @ A Midsummer Night’s Read | Shauna @ b00kstorebabe | Stephanie @ Bookfever
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. Between starting my job again and classes resuming I have a maybe a couple hours of free time a week. Therefore leaving very little time for reading and less for blogging. So I’ve decided to take a break from blogging.
As it stands right now, I’m planning to resume posting at least weekly in the new year. But if things go well and I adapt to the chaos that is now my day to day life, I may be back in October or November.
Until then I’ll remain active on Twitter (@bookmanIII) − although I’m thinking of changing the handle − and I’ll update Goodreads with any reading that I’m doing. Tumblr may not be very active but feel free to check there if you want to contact me too: theb00kman.tumblr.com.
See you soon!
Synopsis:Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
“This isn’t a job for trained soldiers and spies. This is a job for thugs and thieves.”
This week on Top 10 Tuesday we’re showing off books we had from before we were book bloggers that we STILL haven’t read. In other words, book shaming. I love book shaming myself because sometimes it motivates me to actually read these books that I’ve spent my hard earned money on. Other times, it makes me realise I’m just buying books for buying them sake and it helps me save. It’s a win-win!
I’ll be doing it a little differently. Before I started my blog I didn’t have a tbr. The only books on my shelf were Twilight and the Inheritance/Eragon series. So I’ll be showing books I bought when I started blogging (around 2014) and still haven’t read yet.
by G.J. Alvi 