“You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life” by Jen Sincero

Now I can see why Sincero’s books are bestsellers. She’s so inspiring and motivating that after reading this book I was even more energized to work on attaining my goals.

I wasn’t interested in Sincero’s books at first. I’ve read some self-help books, but they aren’t what I often gravitate to unless the subject is art/creativity. But I needed something to listen to at work while doing dull tasks, so I decided to give You Are a Badass a try since it was available on my library’s Overdrive app.

I was so hooked, I almost completed the book in a day, and as soon as I was done, I went out and bought a physical copy of this book and You Are a Badass at Making Money.

Genre:

Nonfiction – self-help

Series:

N/A

Pubbed:

April 2013

Quick summary:

You Are a Badass is a hilarious self-help book about building faith in what you want to achieve to manifest your goals. Sincero uses her experiences to show us that it’s possible to attain whatever we put our minds to. If there’s something we really want to achieve and wholeheartedly believe we can achieve it and work toward doing so, then we will get it. (Goodreads)

Advertisement

Top 5 Tuesday #12: U – V – W – X – Y – Z

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm.

This week’s topic:

U – V – W – X – Y – Z

(books with titles that start with the featured letters)

U is for…

Unteachable by Leah Raeder

A new adult romance novel about a girl who enters into a romantic relationship with her teacher. Some readers dislike this story because of its taboo premise, but I love it because of it. The story is also well written and engrossing. It’s a good, quick read.

“Perfect Shadow” by Brent Weeks

Not too long ago, I completed the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks, a grimdark fantasy story about a street urchin who becomes a notorious assassin, which is called “wetboy” in the book. I enjoyed reading the story although I wasn’t enthused about how it ends. Wanting more story about the characters, I quickly started on Perfect Shadow. I wanted to know more about my favorite character — Durzo Blint, who trained the protagonist of the Night Angel books, — and the Perfect Shadow didn’t disappoint.

Genre:

Fantasy

Series:

Night Angel, book 0

Pubbed:

June 2011

Quick summary:

The Perfect Shadow contains two short stories. The first focuses on Durzo Blint before he became Durzo, the best wetboy in Cenaria and connected to the Sa’kagé. The second story focuses on Kylar after the events of the trilogy and in the process of hunting down Trudana Jadwin, the duchess who killed the prince and started a war and has a weird taste in art. (Goodreads)

N.E.W.T.s Magical Readathon | 2019

It’s exam time again! 😀 This time we’ll be sitting for our N.E.W.T.s!! Well, that’s if you’re participating in Book Roast’s Magical Readathon that’s inspired by the Harry Potter books.

The first part of the readathon was held in April. Back then, we sat for the O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) hoping to read enough books so that we can freely select a career before sitting for our N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) in August. I decided in April to pursue the wizarding career Aurologist — one who studies auras — although it doesn’t attract much respect in the wizarding community (quite like divination). But wizards don’t know all, and I believe there’s much mystical knowledge to gain when one pursues the path of being an aurologist.

Top 5 Tuesday #11: P – Q – R – S – T

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm.

This week’s topic:

P – Q – R – S – T

(books with titles that start with the featured letters)

P is for…

Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn

So P is for the book I’m currently reading and hoping to complete by July 28 because the author will be visiting a bookstore in my area around that time and I’d like to be able to engage in discussions about the book. I’m liking what I’m reading so far. I’m hooked but have been too busy to really dedicate time to the book.

“The Shadow Queen” by C.J. Redwine

This book has been on my TBR since 2017, when I saw the second book and immediately fell in love with the cover and end pages. I immediately decided that this is a series I must read. Unfortunately, it was around that time, I think, that I started to lose interest in YA fantasy. The genre was becoming too much of a romance based in a fantasy setting rather than a fantasy story with a dash of romance. I became annoyed with the books I was reading and slowly started to gravitate to either adult or middle-grade fantasy.

But then 2019 came along and with it the Wyrd & Wonder reading event where I spent the month of May reading nothing but fantasy novels. That was a treat! As I was considering what to read for the event, my eyes landed on The Shadow Queen and I decided to finally give it a go while hoping it will not be drenched in romance.

It wasn’t. 😊

Genre:

YA Fantasy

Series:

Ravenspire, book 1

Pubbed:

February 2016

Goodreads summary:

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

“Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow” by Jessica Townsend

Yeahie!! I’m catching up on reviews. Here’s another novel I completed in May for Wyrd & Wonder, a month of reading nothing but fantasy.

I had Wundersmith out from the library at the time, so I read it for the event. It’s the second novel in the Nevermoor series and was even more enjoyable than the first book.

Genre:

Middle-grade Fantasy

Series:

Nevermoor, book 2

Pubbed:

October 2018

Goodreads summary:

Morrigan Crow may have defeated her deadly curse, passed the dangerous trials and joined the mystical Wundrous Society, but her journey into Nevermoor and all its secrets has only just begun. And she is fast learning that not all magic is used for good.

Morrigan Crow has escaped her deadly fate and found a new home in the fantastical city of Nevermoor. She has also discovered that she has a strange and magical ability. But will her unique talent be a blessing or another curse?

“Watch Hollow” by Gregory Funaro

Here’s another book that was recommended to me by Lilyn over on Sci-Fi & Scary. I read her review and decided to try the book myself. Now, I can’t wait to try the next book in this duology.

Genre:

Middle-grade Horror; Fantasy

Series:

Watch Hollow, book 1

Pubbed:

2019

Goodreads summary:

Deep within the enchanted woods in the town of Watch Hollow stands the once-grand Blackford House, whose halls hold a magical secret: a giant cuckoo clock that does much more than tell time. But when the clock’s gears cease to turn, an evil presence lurking among the trees begins to come out of the shadows.

When Lucy and Oliver Tinker arrive in Watch Hollow, they have no idea that anything is wrong. A mysterious stranger has made their father an offer that’s too good for him to refuse. All Mr. Tinker needs to do is fix the clock at Blackford House and fistfuls of gold coins are his to keep.

Book Haul #54: HUGE Haul from ALA Conference

Back in June, I got to attend the American Library Association Conference in Washington, D.C., with a bunch of other locally based bookstagrammers. It was a wonderful event and a book lover’s paradise because in addition to various sessions for the librarians, there were loads of publishers in attendance showing off upcoming books and giving away ARCs of them. We were all excited.

I was stunned and a little overwhelmed on the first day, so although I attended on the Saturday and Sunday and got bags so full of books that I felt as if I was lifting weights all weekend, I didn’t get as much as other attendees, some whom carried along small suitcases for their books. It was a great event, and I’m so glad that I attended.

Well, anyway, here’s what I got:

(I totally just screenshot my own photos off IG. Does anyone know how to download your pics from IG when they are bunched together in one post?)

Books

Top 5 Tuesday #10: K – L – M – N – O

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm.

This week’s topic:

K – L – M – N – O

(books with titles that start with the featured letters)

K is for…

Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

This was one of the best books I read last year and one of my favorites of last year as well. It’s a historical fiction novel with a strong sense of magical realism that’s set in Uganda and is about the cursed bloodline of the Kintu clan. The story focuses on how the curse has affected generations of Kintu Kidda’s descendants. It’s an amazing read. The story and the prose are great, and I HIGHLY recommend you give this one a try. The structure of the story and the names that are repeated every generation made Kintu remind me of One Hundred Years of Solitude, another wonderful story.