Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Summer 2022 To-Read List

TTT was created by The Broke and Bookish and moved to That Artsy Reader Girl (click here for upcoming TTT topics!).

Today’s Topic is: Books On My Summer 2022 To-Read List – Now this is going to be a fun list because most of those books I borrowed from my library and need to read in time. 😉

1.) „The House in the Cerulean Sea“ by T.J. Klune

I’ll finally read this gem in July!!! I’m hosting my first readalong ever and I named it #Klunealong because in July we’ll be reading „The House in the Cerulean Sea“ and in August… well, the voting for this one is still open so I dunno which book we’ll read. *lol* If you’re interested in joining here’s the link to the official blog post I wrote about it: Readalong Announcement: „The House in the Cerulean Sea“ – #Klunealong  My bestie was so kind to make a discord as well so we can chat about our reading process while we read the book! 😉 I’d love it if you’d join, the more the merrier! ❤

2.) „Camp“ by L.C. Rosen

I finally put this book on my TBR for July because I loved „Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)“ when I read it and I’m sure I’ll enjoy this one as well. 🙂 Also I needed a short book I could read in July aside of „The House in the Cerulean Sea“ because I’m sure I’ll be very busy with hosting my #Klunealong. *lol* I really have no idea what I got myself into. XD

3.) „Rebel“ by Marie Lu

It’s about time I finish this series! I mean I already read and loved the „Legend“ trilogy but I still haven’t picked up this book. As far as I could tell by the blurb this plays after the main trilogy and is about Day’s brother Eden. I still hope that we’ll get Day and June though because I’m still not okay after reading the ending of the trilogy. I mean… that ending! I can’t let it stand like that! Please Marie Lu, give me something good! I beg you! T_T

4.) „The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue“ by V.E. Schwab

This book has been on my TBR ever since it was an ARC and I can’t wait to pick it up! I heard so many great things about it. Funnily enough I also heard a couple of negative reviews by now, so I’m very curious if it will live up to my expectations. The premise sounds way too good though and since I loved all of Schwab’s books so far I’m pretty sure I’ll enjoy this one too. I guess the only way to find out it by reading it. 😉

5.) „Darius the Great Is Not Okay“ by Adib Khorram

I recently found this in my library and instantly snatched it from the shelf! *lol* I heard so many great things about Adib Khorram and since he recently released „Kiss & Tell“ I thought it’s about time I pick up one of his books and start reading! XD He might actually become one of my new fave authors if I end up loving his books so fingers crossed my prediction will come true! Very curious if this is going to be great! (yeah, that was a subtle pun. ;-P)

6.) „A Very Large Expanse of Sea“ by Tahereh Mafi

So far the only books I know by Tahereh Mafi are her „Shatter Me“ books and I absolutely loved the original trilogy. (Book 4 and 5 were okay, but book 6… let’s just say it so didn’t work for me! >_< ) Anyway! I still love the original trilogy so I’m ready to find out how Mafi’s writing style is going to work in a completely different setting. This sounds really intriguing and I’m ready to dive into it! =)

7.) „The Kingdom of Back“ by Marie Lu

I gotta be honest with you: I had no idea Marie Lu even wrote this book! *lol* I read so many Marie Lu books already and loved every single one of them („Legend series“, „Batman“, „The Young Elites“, „Warcross“, you name it!) but for some reason I never heard of this one until I found it in my library. Needless to say I had to take it with me! Especially because this seems to be about Mozart’s sister Nannerl and as someone who was born and raised in Austria this is just too interesting not to pick it up! I am intrigued! XD

8.) „Legendborn“ by Tracy Deonn

There was a time when this book was all over my feed and I couldn’t escape it so I got really curious and wanted to read „Legendborn“ as well. Thankfully my library finally got a copy of it and I went for it as soon as I found out. (Sorry to everyone who wanted to preorder it, I was really fast. ;-P) As far as I could gather from a couple of reviews this is some sort of arthurian retelling and I always dig them so yep, I’m sure I’ll enjoy this one too.

9.) „Nick and Charlie“ by Alice Oseman

This is probably one of the few books of Alice Oseman I still haven’t read. I mean I read almost all of her books by now and I just love them so damn much! (I still hope to get my hands on one of those amazing book cases that has all the books in it. XD I’m sure it will happen one day!) I’m kinda worried about picking this one up though because it’s about Nick and Charlie going seperate ways and I just don’t want them to. *lol* I only want them to be happy and I dunno if I’ll get this in here so yeah… I guess I’ll just have to read it to find out. Please have mercy, Alice!

10.) „Call Down the Hawk“ by Maggie Stiefvater

So technically I already started to read the first chapter of this book and I’m once again blown away by Maggie’s writing style. I forgot how much I love her lyrical and magical approach of things. ❤ Ahhh! Honestly I could have marked about a million quotes in the prologue alone! I know I’m going to love this and I’m so ready to dive even deeper into the book! I’m going to cherish every single word. =)

So what about you? Which books are on your summer TBR? Did you read any of the books on my list or do we have some in common? Does it always take you so long to pick up anticipated books as well? Do you borrow books from your library or do you buy them? And the most important question of them all: Do you want to participate in my #Klunealong?

Talk to me and let me know!

And as always take care and stay healthy and safe! 

*hugs’n’kisses*

The Sassy Library Fox

Review: Almond (Won-Pyung Sohn)

Rating:

”This story is, in short, about a monster meeting another monster. One of the monsters is me.”

It’s been ages I buddy read “Almond” with my friend Katja but I really wanted to write a review about the book. Unfortunately my life got in the way and I neither read as much as I wanted to nor did I manage to write reviews about the books I finished. I’m going to rectify that now though and after I wrote this review there will follow a couple of other reviews as well. So watch out for them. It’s about time I write them down. 😉 This said, let’s head right back to the actual review and speak about “Almond”.

”Granny, why do people call me weird?”
Her lips loosened.
“Maybe it’s because you’re special. People just can’t stand it when something is different, eigoo, my adorable little monster.”
Granny hugged me so tight my ribs hurt. She always called me a monster. To her, that wasn’t a bad thing.

I wanted to read this book for a while and when my dear friend Katja asked me to read it together for the #Koreadathon I immediately said yes. We picked it for the “read a book recommended by a Korean celebrity” prompt and the fact that RM as well as SUGA of BTS read it and enjoyed it was enough reason to go for it as well. I trust my boys taste in books and I’m really glad I decided to go for “Almond” because it was an intriguing read and very thought-provoking. The plot of the book is easily described: It’s about a boy named Yunjae who was born with a brain condition named alexithymia which basically means that he can’t feel emotions. The part of his brain that is responsible for our feelings (and formed like an almond, hence the book title) isn’t fully developed and that causes him to have troubles to understand human emotions. Our MCs mother and his grandmother tried their best to teach him how to cope with his lack of emotions but then one day tragedy hits and Yunjae is left to fend for himself.

”People sometimes say how cool it’d be to be fearless, but they don’t know what they’re talking about. Fear is an instinctive defense mechanism necessary for survival. Not knowing fear doesn’t mean that you’re brave; it means you’re stupid enough to stay standing on the road when a car is charging towards you.”

I had so many thoughts when I read this book and a lot of them had to do with the way Yunjae was raised. I know his mother and grandmother only had the best intentions and wanted him to blend in with everyone, but I think to some extent their constant efforts made it even more difficult for him to deal with his condition. Emotions are something you can’t learn because human feelings are very complex and some people will cry because they are happy while others will laugh even though they are sad. You might be able to explain the general reasons behind behaviour like crying but every person is an individual and we all react differently when we’re overwhelmed by our feelings. The fine nuances of emotions… well they are something you can’t learn. So even though I understood where Yunjae’s mother was coming from I still didn’t agree with her methods. It felt like Yunjae was under a lot of pressure to learn “the proper reactions” and I kinda felt sorry for him.

”Dr. Shim was right – being ordinary was the trickiest path. Everyone thinks “ordinary” is easy and all, but how many of them would actually fit into the so-called smooth road the word implied?”

Well, and then his grandma died and his mother was out of the picture as well, leaving him to fight through all the troubles on his own. Okay, almost all on his own because Dr. Shim was amazing and I loved that he helped him out! Honestly, bless his soul because he just accepted Yunjae the way he was and tried to help him as best as he could. ❤ But Dr. Shim isn’t the only one that helped him to find his way and Gon as well as Dora had an impact on the MCs character development.

”Dora. Dora was exactly the polar opposite of Gon. If Gon tried to teach me pain, guilt and agony, Dora taught me flowers and scents, breezes and dreams.”

I loved the way this was put, because it sums up their different personalities and essence so well. With Dora Yunjae discovered the soft feelings of first love and attraction and with Gon he learned about true friendship and hardships. Some might say Gon was a catalyst and I’m inclined to agree with that, but I also think that Dora’s appearance was at least as vital to Yunjae’s development as Gon’s. Both played a very important part in the MCs life and contributed to his experiences.

”About what?”
“About destiny and time.”
“What a surprise to hear those words from you.”
“Sheesh, did you know that even when you say the simplest things, you sound like a dick?”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Now you know.”
“Yes, thanks.”

I really loved the bluntness between Gon and Yunjae! They took each other the way they were and they didn’t try to pretend to be someone else when they were in each other’s company. I think this might have actually been the main reason their friendship could bloom and evolve because the way they met definitely wasn’t the best start. (And that’s an understatement right there.) I’m not going to spoil anything here though. 😉 Despite being unable to feel emotions the same way other people do Yunjae was quite a wise person sometimes and could look through people’s disguises with surprising ease. I suppose you could also say that because of his disability to feel emotions he was probably more perceptive than others?

”She said families walk hand in hand. Granny would hold my other hand. I have never been abandoned by anyone. Even though my brain was a mess, what kept my soul whole was the warmth of the hands holding mine on both sides.”

I’m pretty sure it was due to this that he was able to see who Gon truly was. The way Yunjae described Gon was simple yet beautiful and I guess this is also how I would describe Won-Pyung Sohn’s writing style: Beautiful simplicity with many layers. The author never beats about the bush or hides information. It’s all there and you get exactly what you read which was a very refreshing approach and even though the conversations between the characters are pretty unexcited, they still have some sort of beauty to them. I didn’t think I’d enjoy the writing style so much but I did. =)

”I said, shut the fuck up.”
“You are not that kind of person.”
“Fuck,” he shouted, half crying. A nail on the wall must’ve pricked my leg, because it was bleeding. Gon saw and started weeping like a child. Yes, this was who he was. The kind of person who tears up at a drop of blood, who feels pain for other’s pain.

As for the ending of the book: I liked it but it almost felt too smooth? I don’t know if I’d have done anything differently but I’ve to admit that I still don’t know how I feel about it. I thought a lot about my final reaction to Yunjae’s story but all I can come up with is that the ending felt too convenient. Still, I really enjoyed “Almond” and I can recommend reading it if you want to go for something different and thought-provoking. I still think about the book and in my book this is always a good thing. 😉

The LGBTQ+ Rep Book Tag (Original!)

Hey there, my lovelies!

I always wanted to do my own tag and in 2020 during PRIDE month I thought: Why not make my own LGBTQ+ Rep Book Tag!? (Yes, it kind of rhymes again. You know, faeries and all that jazz! ;-P ) Anyway back to the topic at hand: Why did I do my own LGBTQ+ Rep Book Tag? Well, 1.) I tried to find an already existing tag I could do for Pride month but nothing I found was the way I imagined it in my head. 2.) Once the idea took root the muse of creativity hit me full force and I couldn’t have stopped for the life of me. 3.) I blame it all on May and Sabrina!!! *lol* No, seriously, those two girls were so creative when they invented their The Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus Character Book Tag and The School for Good and Evil Book Tag that I was inspired big time! ❤ 4.) I’m a part of the community so I figured… why the hell not? 😛

Additional and nonrelevant (at least for you) info:

• I know my graphics aren’t nearly as good as May’s or Sabrina’s and probably way too colourful, but I did my best or at least tried to. Bear with me? *lol* T_T
• I never made my own tag, so this is a premiere and hopefully a good one. XD
• You don’t even want to know how long it took me to create this and I really hope you enjoy the prompts and puns/wordplays. There went a lot of thought into them.

Okay, I’m done now! So without further ado: Let’s just go for it!

RULES:

• Thank whoever tagged you and link to their blog post.
• Link to the original creator: The Sassy Library Fox! And please credit The Sassy Library Fox if you use (copy & paste) the artwork/ graphics.
• Match books with the given prompts.
• Tag as many people as you like!
• Post the rules and the list of prompts in your tag post.

This year I finally decided to spread my tag on BookTube as well so I did a video and I’ll post it in here and let the prompt graphics in this post so you can use them if you want to do the tag. 😉 Yes, that means I’m going to tag a couple of people here too because I just love to see this spread into the world. *lol*

If you don’t want to use the graphics just click this and copy-paste the prompt list instead!

1. FEMALE STRENGTH: A book with a lesbian heroine
2. CINNAMON ROLL: A book with an adorable gay character
3. BOYS & GIRLS: A book with a bi rep done right
4. THE BODY & THE SOUL: A book with a transgender character
5. WE’RE ALL QUEER: A queer rep you’d love to see more often in books
6. ALL ABOUT PRONOUNS: A book with a non-binary character
7. A ROMANTIC ACE: A character that belongs to the aro/ace spectrum
8. ONE BIG FAMILY: A book that features lots of different LGBTQ+ reps
9. SAPPHIC LOVE: Your favourite f/f couple
10. BOYS LOVE: Your m/m OTP
11. SIDE KICK: Your favourite LGBTQ+ side character
12. STEALING THE SHOW: An LGBTQ+ side character couple that rocks your socks
13. STRONG BELIEFS: An LGBTQ+ book that deals with religion
14. RAINBOWS EVERYWHERE: A book with an unapologetic cover
15. FUTURE GENERATIONS: Your most anticipated LGBTQ+ release

I TAG:

Destiny @ Howling Libraries
Sabrina @ Notes From A Paper Plane Nomad
Alexia @ Right Writing Words
BookswithNatasa
Suhani @ Random Reader’s Rambles
Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books
Hayley @ On this I ponder
Ana @ Anaelwynn
Lyn @ Nomadic Worlds

Of course you don’t have to do the tag if you don’t want to, I just thought some of you might enjoy doing it! XD

Also I’m sorry I couldn’t tag more people but I guess this is already a lot. *lol* If you want to do this tag and I didn’t tag you: You’re now officially tagged! ;-P The more the merrier!

This is my third time doing my own tag during pride month! So what do you think about „The LGBTQ+ Rep Book Tag“? Will you join the fun? (Say, yes?! You know you want to. ;-P ) I really hope I managed to do the LGBTQ+ community justice.

Talk to me and let me know!

And as always take care and stay healthy and safe!

*hugs’n’kisses*

The Sassy Library Fox

Review: The Titan’s Curse (Rick Riordan)

Rating:

My mother pursed her lips. “I’m telling you that … you’re getting too old for me to tell you what to do. I’m telling you that I’ll support you, even if what you decide to do is dangerous.”

And this kind of settles in which direction this third book is heading. If you’re already familiar with Percy Jackson (which I’m pretty certain you are, because otherwise you wouldn’t read this review, right? *lol*) you know that the first two books were fun and had a lot of jokes in them. The third one? Not so much. Whilst it’s true that “The Titan’s Curse” was very entertaining and full of Uncle Rick’s trademark adventures I still have to point out that it was way more serious than its predecessors.

”It’s cool. No sword. See? No sword. Calm thoughts. Sea grass. Mama cows. Vegetarianism.”

Yes, we still have Percy’s funny remarks but just like the Harry Potter series this series is growing as well. The characters get older and their quests get more dangerous and grim. The stakes are higher and our characters are forced to realize that not everyone can be saved by a hero. For instance we’re barely a few chapters into the book when Annabeth disappears with the enemy. There’s no trace of her left and for all they know she even might be dead. Not that Percy would consider such an outcome! He has to save Annabeth because he just knows that she’s still alive! 😉 So what to do when you’re stranded on a cliff? Right, you call for the sun gods help to hitch a ride. XD

”Wow,” Thalia muttered. “Apollo is hot.”
“He’s the sun god,” I said.
“That’s not what I meant.”

I totally agree with Thalia btw! *lol* I loved that Apollo was a recurring part of this book and I can’t wait to read his series! He seems to be such a fun guy and I was more than just intrigued by his character. ❤ Artemis and her Hunters were a great addition to the cast as well, and the Di Angelo twins? I think we’ll read more about them in future books! 😉 I’m really looking forward to this because I already like little Nico and took him to my heart! The true star of this story is Bessie the cow serpent though and if you don’t know who that is you better read the book and find out! *lol*

”This is why I don’t use mortals,” Luke said. “They are unreliable.”
“They are weak-minded, easily bought, and violent,” the General said. “I love them.”

But of course there need to be real enemies in “The Titan’s Curse” as well and this time around they are pretty decent and smart. Next to Luke we have to face the General and this adversary is as dangerous and cunning as they come. Knowing my myths I wasn’t surprised about the story behind the man, but as a kid I probably would have been shocked. *lol*

Anyway, there was a short appearance of a character that helped Percy and I’ve to admit that I’m pretty curious about Rachel Elizabeth Dare. I can’t help but wonder if she’ll make an appearance in later books. The way she was introduced seemed to be very significant and Uncle Rick usually has a reason if he does things like that so… yeah. ;-P

”Seven hundred feet tall,” I said. “Built in the 1930s.”
“Five million cubic acres of water,” Thalia said.
Grover sighed. “Largest construction project in the United States.”
Zoe stared at us. “How do you know all that?”
“Annabeth,” I said. “She liked architecture.”
“She was nuts about monuments,” Thalia said.
“Spouted facts all the time.” Grover sniffled. “So annoying.”
“I wish she were here,” I said.

This moment was so great because it showed how much those characters love and care about each other even if they occasionally get on each other’s nerves. *lol* It made me sad that Annabeth wasn’t a big part of this story but considering the main plot it was okay that she only played a minor role. Let’s just hope she’ll play a bigger part in “The Battle of the Labyrinth” again. =) And last but not least I want to say how much I love Percy! XD

”Fight us,” I said. “And let’s see.”
“Have the gods taught you nothing? An immortal does not fight a mere mortal directly. It is beneath our dignity. I will have Luke crush you instead.”
“So you’re another coward,” I said.

Haha! Is it just me or is there actually no god he didn’t challenge already? XD No matter which goddess or god appears, Percy seems to be ready to fight them all and I love it! ;-P I think by now he’s so pissed that he just doesn’t care anymore. At this point he might even take them on for just looking at him the wrong way. *lol* I can’t help but wonder what this means for the next two books and I’m so ready to read “The Battle of the Labyrinth”!!! Next one, please! XD

Review: The Map to You (Rachel Stockbridge)

Trigger warnings:

parental neglect, drug abuse, addiction (of a parent), heavy drinking

 

Rating:

**I got this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read this book! All the quotes mentioned in my review are from the ARC and might not be in the final version of the book.**

Kinsey allowed herself a slight smolder as she leaned in another inch. “What would you do if I was?”
“I – What?” Sasha stammered, her gaze dropping to Kinsey’s lips.

When I requested the ARC for this book I wanted to read a fluffy and light f/f romance and the cover of the book looked like it would be exactly the kind of book I was searching for. So the big question is: Did I get fluffy and light-hearted? Well, yes , to some extent I did, but I also got some serious topics I didn’t expect and this certainly made the book an even more interesting read. At least for me it did. I always enjoy it if bookish characters have a background story and both characters; Kinsey as well as Sasha delivered on that front. Both in a very different manner, but still in a way that added quite some substance to the story.

”She just had to focus. Stay in control. Get Kinsey to Charlotte, stop being so damn weird, and maybe she could stop things from deteriorating further. Or at least refrain from grabbing Kinsey by the waist and kissing her as best she knew how.”

What I really loved about this book was the flirty and easy banter between the two MCs. It’s so rare to see an f/f couple flirt like that on page and I personally lived and breathed for it. Honestly, there could have been even more of those scenes and I’d have been an even happier camper. The author made sure to give us the right mixture of push and pull though so I can’t really complain about it. Another thing I liked was the fact that Kinsey and Sasha were friends long before they became a thing and since the friends-to-lovers trope is still so rare in literature I really appreciated that the author went for it. It was extremely wholesome to see a couple that knew each other’s habits and quirks and had absolutely no problems to handle them. =)

”The Hans were everything Sasha always wished her own family could have been. Everything she’d given up on. That feeling of belonging. Of safety. Of easy, unconditional love. She’d stopped wishing for it so long ago she’d forgotten how much she’d wanted it.”

But of course not everything in the book was sunshine and rainbows and the darker and serious topics were a constant presence that wove like a red thread through the entire storyline. Sasha’s bad experiences made her the person she was though and they made her character even more real and complex. Whenever Sasha’s past was mentioned I felt really sad for her and I think no kid should ever have to suffer the way she did. Of course it was also very frustrating to see how she tried to shut everything out and sometimes I became as exasperated with her as Kinsey. There were really some moments I just wanted to make her listen so that she’d finally understand, yet at the same time I totally got where she was coming from. With a past like that it’s not easy to trust others and Sasha’s constant struggle to open up and to fight against her inner demons wasn’t only comprehensible but also palpable throughout the entire book. 

All told I really enjoyed reading “The Map to You”! I didn’t expect the book to have such heavy topics and some parts were really stressful to read, the strong friendships and the two MCs did a great job at managing to balance the serious topics though. So if you want to read a book with a cute love story that also has some rough edges to it this one might be the perfect fit for you. 😉

SASSY Saturday

Hey there my lovelies!

Welcome back to another round of my montly blog meme „SASSY Saturday“!

How does it work? Well, that’s easy! 

All you have to do is to follow those three golden rules:

1. Credit the creator of this tag (The Sassy Library Fox) and link back. (so I can see all your amazing answers!)
2. Answer the 5 questions below!
3. AND enjoy doing the blog meme! 

„SASSY Saturday“ is planned to be a monthly meme but if you want to do it more often feel free to go for it! This meme was created to get to know other bloggers, their new obsessions and to reflect on your own last month! Above all it was created to have fun though!  If you want you can also use the banner I created! This said let’s head to the good part:

S – Series you loved this month

Young Royals: It was a short series and easy to watch despite my busy May schedule. I really liked the idea of a LGBTQ+ main couple in the show but I really didn’t get all the comparisons with „Red, White & Royal Blue“ because quite honestly, the only thing those two have in common is a prince that falls for a boy. *lol* It was still good though and even though it was extremely awkward at times I bingewatched it in no time. XD

A – Author you discovered

Victoria Lee – The Fever King

Okay, not gonna lie, this book was such a huge surprise! I mean the plot already sounded right up my alley when I read it on the blurb but boy, I didn’t expect to get so obsessed with this! It was amazing and for a couple of days all I could think about were Dara and Noam and what would happen next! I just love those two so much and I can’t wait to read book two! ❤ (Though I’m pretty sure I’ll suffer once I find out even more about their background stories. T_T )

S – Song you couldn’t get enough of

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home

I just love this song?! ❤ It’s such a catchy tune and my kid and I always listen to it and sing along. Plus it has something soothing and wholesome about it. XD I’m sure this song got out a long while ago but sometimes I discover new songs and then I’m addicted to them. *lol*

S – Surprise – Something that totally caught you off guard

How fast time went by! I had my last day at work on the 31st (and yes, I went there until the bitter end and even handed over all my tasks and responsibilities.) I worked more than 10 years at this company and then it was over in the blink of an eye. That was really surprising but I’ve to go my own way now and it’s for the best. 🙂

Y – Your fave blog post of another blogger

Judging random fantasy book names by Alexia @ Right Writing Words

This was such a fun blog post and I really enjoyed to read about the plot ideas Alexia came up with. She had quite a lot of fun book titles as well. I mean „Giants Of The Stars“ sounds like an epic fantasy adventure, right? *lol* At least for me it does, Alexia’s plot idea was amazing too! XD

What do you think about „SASSY Saturday“? Would you like to join the fun? Who is an author you discovered last month and what surprised you in May? Which kind of series did you watch and were they good? Did you have more time than me or was your month busy as well?

Talk to me and let me know! 

And as always, stay healthy and safe!

*hugs’n’kisses*

The Sassy Library Fox

May Wrap-Up

May was another month that went by so quickly I didn’t even notice it was over… until it was over. *lol* Seriously for some reason I actually thought I could make it to 5 books this month only to realize that it was already May 31st! XD There were so many things that kept me busy in May it’s actually a miracle I managed to read those 4 books. For one I worked until the last day of May and even had to hand over everything I worked on until then so my successor could take over. In addition to that I also had to try to get my educational sabbatical on track. Which took a lot of time as well. Not to mention my family and normal life stuff.

So yeah, May was another pretty busy month and I really hope that June will be a relaxed month now because honestly, before I start anew I really need a break to recharge my batteries. Those last 2 years were extremely draining and it showed in my blog presence and on goodreads. I used to read 6 – 8 books a month (and this with work and my family etc.) and those last couple of months I only manged to read half of my usual amount. I really needed that change badly and I hope everything will work out. Please cross your fingers for me. XD

The couple of books I DID read in May were fantastic though and I’m so glad I finally managed to read „The Fever King“!!! But before I start to rave about all the books I read I’ll just head over to my monthly wrap up statistics and take it from there! 😉

Books read: 4 (4 books & 0 webcomic, considering I was so busy this was actually a lot?)

Pages read: 1.555 (I guess that’s about my average page count so I’m fine with it.)

Average rating: 4,38 (I really enjoyed all those books, but „The Fever King“ was my fave!! ❤ )

Books that were on my reading list: 0 ( 0 from 2019, 1 from 2021 and 0 from 2022. There are so many books of my TBR on my „currently reading“ so I’m sure the next wrap up will be more successful!)

May Reads:

       

Waking Gods:

I really wanted to continue with this series and when I found the second book in my library I just couldn’t resist. „Waking Gods“ was another great read and by now I can say that Sylvain Neuvel always surprises me! I swear this series has a lot of plot twists I never saw coming. Very curious about the third and last book!

The Blood of Olympus: ,5

I read the final book of „The Heroes of Olympus“ and now I’m sad! T_T I didn’t want this series to end but at the same time I wanted to know what happens next so #bookwormdilemma *lol* I really enjoyed this book so much though! The friendship in this were everything and even though it was more serious than all the other books I kinda loved it for that?! I’ll always love the golden trio (Percy, Nico and Leo) because they are just amazing! <333 I suppose my next Uncle Rick series will be „The Trials of Apollo“? XD

The Map to You:

I actually got that one as an ARC from NetGalley and I was very surprised I got approved for this. *lol* „The Map to You“ was a really good f/f story and I loved the easy banter between the two MCs Sasha and Kinsey! 😉 Their flirting was so much fun and the fact that they were friends before they became lovers was the icing on the cake. At least for me it was. XD This book tackled way more serious topics than I thought it would though, so consider yourself warned, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows! ;-P I’ll write my full review about it soon!

The Fever King:

Okay, this book!! This book knocked it out of the park for me! I wanted to read „The Fever King“ for ages and never really got to it but damn did I miss out! You know the kind of book that has you sort of spellbound? Yep, „The Fever King“ was this kind of book! For the couple of days it took me to read it, I was totally obsessed with the book and constantly found myself thinking about Dara and Noam. I really loved this one to bits and pieces and I can’t wait to read the second one. I’m afraid it will be super dark but ahhh I need to know!!! T_T

This said: How was your May? Did you read a lot of books and if yes which ones did you read? Was there a favourite among them? Did you read any of the books I read last months and if yes, did you enjoy them? What have you been up to in May and is your life as busy as mine?! (I genuinely hope it’s not because my schedule always feels extremely packed. *lol*)

Talk to me and let me know! 

And as always take care and stay healthy and safe!

*hugs’n’kisses*

The Sassy Library Fox

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was SO EXCITED to Get, but Still Haven’t Read

TTT was created by The Broke and Bookish and moved to That Artsy Reader Girl (click here for upcoming TTT topics!).

Today’s Topic is: : Books I Was SO EXCITED to Get, but Still Haven’t Read (bonus points if you tell us how long it’s been since you got them!) Haha! That’s like the perfect TTT topic for me. Oh boy, I’m going to call myself out now. XD

1.) „Wayward Son“ by Rainbow Rowell

I wanted to read this book ever since I knew it would come out and I bought it when it came out. So in 2019 I think. *lol* I have no idea why I still haven’t read it but I guess I can only blame it on me procrastinating big time. Because I love „Carry On“ so much and I’m kinda afraid it won’t live up to my expectations? But I really should read it because by now I even have „Any Way the Wind Blows“ and I want to know what all the fuss is about. XD

2.) „Queen of Air and Darkness“ by Cassandra Clare

I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with me but I wanted to read this book ever since I finished „Lord of Shadows“. I love Cassandra Clare as an author as well but somehow I still haven’t read this. I think once again I’m afraid of all the feels that will kill me once I open this. Especially after the ending of the second book. But I promised Catherine to read it this year and I’m planning to keep my promise so by the end of 2022 this will be read. 😉

3.) „Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World“ by Benjamin Alire Saenz

I got this ARC in October 2021 I think and I’m ashamed to admit that I still haven’t read this one. >_< I’m always waiting for the right time to pick it up and with all the stress at my work and private life it never felt like the right time to read it. BUT I will read it this year and I’m sure I’ll love it as well. =)

4.) „Call Down the Hawk“ by Maggie Stiefvater

I can’t believe that I put this on my TBR in 2017 and that I have it at home now but still haven’t read „Call Down the Hawk“!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!? There’s Ronan Lynch and Adam Parrish in this book!!! How come I still haven’t read this?! I’m kinda mad at myself now. *lol* But I’m also kinda scared to pick it up because ADKFASKDFAS „The Raven Cycle“ was so good and I want it to be at least as good, if that makes sense?

5.) „The Magicians“ by Lev Grossman

Okay, I think this is one of the series that’s been on my TBR for the longest. I put it on there after watching the tv series in 2015 so yeah. It’s been 7 years and I still haven’t read a single letter of this series. *lol* I’m horrible and this post definitely makes me realize how long it actually takes me to read the books I want to read. >_<

6.) „The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks“ by Mackenzi Lee

I first wrote about this book in October 2019 and back then I couldn’t wait to read it. Oh well, guess what? It’s still on my TBR and I still haven’t read it. *lol* Honestly, why am I like this? Still, I will read this book because I need to know how Percy, Monty and Felicity are doing. 😉 And I need to find out if Adrian is a nice guy. All good reasons to pick this up! 😉

7.) „The Fascinators“ by Andrew Eliopulos

„How am I supposed to keep my fingers away from this when they have the audacity to mention „The Raven Boys“ and „Simon vs.“ in one sentence?!? The answer is: I’m not supposed to! *lol*
This book goes straight to my TBR and I really hope that it will be able to keep its promise!“

That’s what I wrote about this book in September 2019! *lol* Oh boy, it’s been on my TBR for ages and I clearly need to change that!

8.) „The Voyages of Trueblood Cay“ by Suanne Laqueur

I put this on my TBR in 2020 and it’s about time I read it! I mean after I finished „An Exaltation of Larks“ I immediately wanted to read Suanne’s book but life got in my way again and again and I really feel like I need to read this soon! Maybe I should put some of those books on my 2023 TBR so that they will finally be read?! >_<

9.) „Devil’s Cut“ by J.R. Ward

Honestly!! I can’t believe it’s been over 5 years and I still don’t know how this trilogy ends!!! I was so ready to dive into the last book in 2017 and then there were so many new releases and now it’s been 5 years and I still don’t know how this series ends!! OMG! AHHH! Why??! Okay, this just has to go straight to my 2023 TBR! I can’t with myself! *lol*

10.) „The Wrath and the Dawn“ by Renee Ahdieh

So this is definitely one of the books that has been on my TBR the longest. I added it in 2017 when I joined goodreads and it’s been sitting on my TBR ever since. T_T Seriously, shame on me! This is such a beloved book and I can’t believe I still haven’t picked it up. Yep, this is so going on my 2023 TBR as well. *lol*

So what about you? Which books have been on your TBR for ages and which book were you super excited about but still haven’t read? Did you read any of the books on my list? Which book has been on your TBR for the longest? And what’s keeping you from reading the books you were so excited about? Are you procrastinating too? XD

Talk to me and let me know!

And as always take care and stay healthy and safe! 

*hugs’n’kisses*

The Sassy Library Fox

Review: Waking Gods (Sylvain Neuvel)

Rating:

”If there’s one thing we should have learned by now, it’s that we’re not the greatest thing in the universe, certainly not the smartest. Seems logical there’d be a great many things in it we can’t comprehend.“

Do you remember my sceptical face when I read the blurb of “Sleeping Giants” and was confused by the “enormous, ornate metal hand”? Yeah, it’s been a long while but after almost a year I finally managed to get a copy of “Waking Gods” into my greedy hands and I was very happy to be able to continue this crazy journey. And boy, let me tell you this: It’s been another freaky ride. *lol* The story of the second book starts about 10 years after the first book ended so we have a lot of things we need to catch up to before the plot actually picks up and thickens again.

”I’m a soldier, so if they tell me to walk up behind it and kick it in the butt, I will. But if we can avoid the whole me and Vincent dying thing, you know … that’d be good.”

But first things first: Of course our book starts with a visit from “Mr. Smith” because a huge giant figure similar to Themis suddenly appears right smack in the middle of London and kind of looms over the city. No one knows where it came from or what it wants but the mere presence of the figure already seems to be quite threatening and while the governments are busy thinking about how to deal with this new challenge, there appear more and more giant figures all over the world. So the inevitable happens: After 10 years of training and sort of parading through the world with Themis Kara and Vincent are brought back into the game and are probably the only hope for humankind.

„Kara’s … engaging in diplomacy.“
[She’s what?]
„She’s giving him the finger. Very mature, Kara.“

Haha! Yeah, they probably shouldn’t have sent Kara to do the job, because this girl is as fierce and rebellious as ever but oh well; thankfully Vincent is the voice of reason and knows how to talk her down. ;-P Not that diplomacy would have helped with the things that were coming their way, but that’s a story for another day. I really enjoyed that we got to see a lot of the cast from the first book and Mr. Smith, Dr. Franklin and Eugene Govender were all a part of “Waking Gods” as well. Unfortunately the same can be said about the people we didn’t like. Yes. Mr. Mitchell and Alyssa are once again a part of this book too. >_< And I still don’t like them, especially Alyssa. Urgh, that woman!

„I may believe in God, but I’m at war with Him. I’m a scientist, I try to answer questions, one at a time, so there’s a little less room for Him as the answer. I plant my flag, and inch by inch, I take away His kingdom.“

Anyway! What I really loved was that we didn’t only get to see the huge problem of the robots and the threat they presented for humanity but that we also got to see more of the character’s personal lives. They are all human, they make mistakes and no matter how mysterious they are, they still had a past and a background story that was worth telling. Honestly, those background stories were one of the best things about this book, at least for me, because I was almost speechless when they were revealed. Not to mention all the plot twists that always caught me off-guard. This mixed with a little bit of science, theoretical discussions and the omnipresent questions of “What does humanity stand for?” and “Is it worth to be saved?” made this a really intriguing read.

”I came to realize that good and evil were out of my reach, that time was the only thing I had any control over. I could buy time, create intervals. I could not truly make the world a better place, but I could make part of it a better place for a short while. I came to peace with that.“

All told “Waking Gods” was at least as mind-boggling and startling as its predecessor and I can’t wait to pick up the last and final book. I’m sure Sylvain Neuvel has still a lot in store for us and I’ve no doubt the plot twists in book three will throw me for a loop as well. I love that I can never anticipate what will happen next and this makes this series such an interesting read. Highly recommended for everyone who enjoys to be kept on their toes. 😉

SASSY Saturday

Hey there my lovelies!

Welcome back to another round of my montly blog meme „SASSY Saturday“!

How does it work? Well, that’s easy! 

All you have to do is to follow those three golden rules:

1. Credit the creator of this tag (The Sassy Library Fox) and link back. (so I can see all your amazing answers!)
2. Answer the 5 questions below!
3. AND enjoy doing the blog meme! 

„SASSY Saturday“ is planned to be a monthly meme but if you want to do it more often feel free to go for it! This meme was created to get to know other bloggers, their new obsessions and to reflect on your own last month! Above all it was created to have fun though!  If you want you can also use the banner I created! This said let’s head to the good part:

S – Series you loved this month

You’re Beautiful: Okay this k-drama is definitely very unknown because I never heard of it until it popped up on my Netflix feed. *lol* But boy was it good!! I was buddy watching this with the Yoongi to my V once again and we both loved it so much. (Honestly it was so funny we laughed tears.) It’s about a girl that has a twin brother named Ko Mi-nam who’s an idol and his manager is desperate and convinces her to pose as her brother because Mi-nam has gone abroad in order to get surgery. So yeah, of course she says yes and suddenly finds herself in the k-pop bands apartment and is forced to pose as her brother for weeks. *lol* I guess you can already imagine all the trouble she gets into while she’s posing as her brother and if you know anything about k-pop idols you know they are all gorgeous and sweet. So yeah, being a girl among them… *flame and hearty eyes emoji* *LOL*

Heartstopper: I won’t say a lot about „Heartstopper“ in here because I basically binge watched the entire series in a week (Yes, as a parent that’s binging for you. *lol*) and wrote an entire blog post about it! Yes, it was me raving about the series non-stop and if you’ve missed the blog post here’s the link: „Heartstopper“ TV series: I legit smiled through my tears! T_T Enjoy! ;-P

A – Author you discovered

L. Philips – Sometime After Midnight

I legit only read 3 books last month and it’s a miracle but I actually haven’t read any of the authors before. *lol* So I’m kinda spoilt for choice but I’ll just pick the book that got the most paws from me and that was „Sometime After Midnight“! It’s about two boys that come from totally different backgrounds and meet one night at a concert, but before anything happens the boy in the converse runs away and Cameron is left with a picture of his shoes. *lol* So yep, it started out as some sort of Cinderella retelling but it turned into so, so, so much more! Honestly I will write a long review about this because it deserves it! ❤

S – Song you couldn’t get enough of

Jimin & Ha Sungwoon – With You

I swear as ARMY you never have a quiet minute! *lol* Especially not when our boys prepare for a comeback in June! First Jimin & Ha Sungwoon’s OST came out and only a couple of days later SUGA released his „That That“ with Psy. *lol* Since I’ll probably listen to „That That“ all of May and will feature it in my next SASSY Saturday I decided to go with Jimin’s OST this month. XD It’s really so good and his lovely voice gets a chance to shine. =) It’s very calming and I love to listen to it on the train.

S – Surprise – Something that totally caught you off guard

Haha! There were so many things that caught me off guard in April. In good and bad ways I may add. *lol* The super bad surprise was that my hubby actually got Covid right before Easter and our Easter holidays were spent in quarantine. >_< My hubby had to stay at home for 10 days and my kid was at home too because she could have infected other kids at the kindergarten and I was the only one that was allowed to go out and do grocery shopping etc. So uff. It was a busy time. XD Plus even more busy because at the beginning of April I decided to go on an educational sabbatical for a year and I had to organize everything at work and in my freetime. But hey, it has to get better now, right? *lol*

Y – Your fave blog post of another blogger

BTS (Bangtan Boys): J-Hope @ BooksWithNatasa

I really like this series on Natasa’s blog and even though I’ve been ARMY for years I still find out new things about our boys! I love that she gives all of them a moment to shine and it’s always fun to read her posts! =) If you don’t know her blog yet and are ARMY as well you need to check it out. Also she posts a lot about books as well so as a reader you can’t go wrong either! *lol* 😉 I think what I want to say is: Go to Natasa’s blog! XD

What do you think about „SASSY Saturday“? Would you like to join the fun? Have you watched „Heartstopper“ too and what did you think about it? Who is your fave character from the show? Did you have to go through quarantine as well and how is the current Covid situation in your country? (Over here it’s slowly getting better) And which new author did you discover last month?

Talk to me and let me know! 

And as always, stay healthy and safe!

*hugs’n’kisses*

The Sassy Library Fox