February Wrap Up (2019)

This past month I've actually had an amazing reading month. Once again I read 10 books and I am so excited to be making so much progress on my reading goal. I am thinking about splitting up my wrap ups so I can talk about these books in more detail without making the video excessively long.

Recent Favorite Podcasts

A few months ago I talked about my favorite podcasts. I wanted to update that list to include some new favorites because I am constantly finding new ones that pique my interest.

1) I Love it! - This podcast quickly became one of my favorites because it is so wholesome. Matt interviews his friends about the niche thing they geek out about. For some it is something you could be familiar about like Star Wars or Mutant Ninja Turtles, while others are less famous or much more personal like how you celebrate holidays or the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The schedule is a little inconsistant, but Matt has been upfront that this is a hobby for him alongside his job

2) This Might Get - If you are on Youtube at all, you've probably encountered either Mamrie Hart or Grace Helbig. I adore the two of them and this podcast brings them together to tell hilarious stories about their daily lives.

3) Delete This - This has been my latest podcast discovery. Hank and Katherine Green are married and Hank is a part of Vlogbrothers. In this podcast they analyze Hank's tweets from the week. It is hilarious and I've had a lot of fun listening to it.

Honorable Mentions

#1) Snark Squad: This lovely podcast is only in the honorable mention spot because I'm bad at media. Nichole and Mari discuss media of various types. Their analysis is both interesting and insightful. I've enjoyed the episodes I've listened to very much.

2) Iditapod: I've been following the Iditarod the last couple of years and listening to this podcast has been really interesting. They do a lot of interviews with mushers and people helping with the race. One of the mushers I follow closely is racing this year while her husband is helping with the podcast a bit. Honorable Mention because it is only active a few weeks out of the year.

Review - Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

Series: Alpha and Omega #2

Genre: Urban Fantasy 

Age Group: Adult

Mass Market Paperback: 286 pgs

Source: Purchased

Published - September 2009

Add it // Buy it

Rating: 3.5/5

TW (for this series): Physical and sexual abuse, self harm and attempted suicide. Many of these things happened in the past and are not on page, but they are referred to quite often.

Anna Latham didn’t know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son — and enforcer — of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn’t know how dangerous it could be either...

Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran’s controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan — and it seems like someone else might be too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all — or risk losing everything...

I'll be honest. Patricia Brigg's books are addicting and fun to read, but they don't stick with me. I read this last summer and I've forgotten nearly all the details of this book.

What I do remember about this book is appreciating the look at werewolf politics and how Briggs expanded the world. She takes a different angle with these books than with the Mercy Thompson Series. This series is much more focused on the larger picture than Mercy Thompson. While this sometimes puts the romantic elements in the background, it is well balanced and fun to read. Through out the book, and this series so far, I enjoy how Charles and Anna discuss their relationship even when it is awkward or difficult. Their relationship feels genuine because they act like adults especially as their relationship is so new.

I'm anxious to see Anna grow into her abilities as an Omega even more in future books. Throughout this series I've enjoyed how Anna rises to the occasion and surpasses everyone's expectations of her.

Recent Review---> Darius by Grace Burrows

Weekend/Media Recap

This past week I’ve consumed a lot of things which is unusual for me. I’m normally a one media at a time type girl. I also tend to get overwhelmed by my choices on Netflix or my bookshelf or on Spotify. So I end up revisiting an old favorite. This week it was all new stuff! I really enjoyed these new things so I thought I would share them with you too!

Book Pick: A Curse So Dark and Lonely
This week I bought and read this book. It captured my attention a way that books haven't for a while and I really enjoyed it. It is fantasy with a heroine who really learns and adapts with her surrounding. She doesn't take crap from the hero either. Though I think Kemmerer falls into the "I'm not like other girls trope" at times, I really

Music: Six: The Musical

Someone I follow on twitter, Rachel Strolle, recommended this to her followers and I immediately had to check it out. This is a musical about the Six ex-wives of Henry VIII. I have been fascinated by these women for most of my life and how Henry's decisions changed English history. The music is fantastic and the cast was quite diverse. I love this album.

Movie/TV Pick: The Dragon Prince

On a snow day in the middle of the week I turned on this animated adventure story hoping for a light and fluffy story. This wasn't exactly that. The tone reminded me a lot of Avatar the Last Airbender and, even though it wasn't what I expected, I really enjoyed it. The characters are all coming from different places, but I enjoyed the themes of wanting something different for the future. Overall, this was grand and I want to watch more. Luckily there is a season two!

Planner Book Tag

When I saw this tag, I was really excited. I use multiple planners and notebooks to stay organized and had a ton of fun doing this tag. The questions were clever and original. I forgot how much I enjoy tag videos.

Review: Nicholas by Grace Burrowes

Series: Lonely Lords #2

Genre: Historical Romance

Age Group: Adult

Ebook - 282 pgs 

Source: Library 

Published- May 2013

Add it // Buy it

Rating: 2/5

After a wild youth, Nicholas Haddonfield, Viscount Reston, has promised his ailing father he'll finally take a bride, though doing so will force Nick to make impossible choices and face old, painful wounds.

Leah Lindsey is glad to find refuge from her own desperate situation in a marriage of convenience with the gallant viscount. But soon convenience is not enough, and Leah can't understand why Nick remains so distant. What is he hiding, and will he ever allow her into his heart?

After reading Darius I was both intrigued by his sister’s mysterious situation and the hints left to us in the first book about her romance. So I was interested enough to pick this book up immediately.

Unfortunately while I think Burrowes does a good job with chemistry and setting again, her some of her plots are frustrating to me. This book is one of those that has too many strange secrets to make it seem real. Leah has a legitimate secret. Nicholas meanwhile has some hang ups about marriage that just don’t add up when inspected closely. 

The story dragged in the middle while these two failed to talk to one another. To me, this amount of miscommunication and non-communication was almost infuriating. Our main couples doesn’t talk to one another, Nicholas and his brother have a decades long misunderstanding and Nicholas is also misinformed about parts of his childhood. This was just too much for me. Use another plot device!

Overall, while I liked our characters, the plot was not impressive. After a promising start, this series took a serious dip in my opinion.

My Last Review: Once Upon a Marquess by Courtney Milan

February Book Haul (2019)

Unlike last month I acquired a few books and spent some time in book shop. I am excited for each of these books and was so enthusiastic I actually already read one of them already!

Books Mentioned:
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey
A Curse So Dark in Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I LOVED with Fewer than 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads

It is always lovely to shine the spot light on books that don't get as much attention. This week the topic is all about those books! These are books I loved, but have less than 2000 ratings on Goodreads. 

As always visit That Artsy Reader Girl for more Top Ten Tuesday topics and a list of who is participating.

1) The Secret Casebooks of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles (1799 Ratings on GR) - This set of short snapshots about a gay couple in a paranormal Victorian England will rip your heart out. If you can handle violence, this is an excellent hidden gem. 

2) Romancing the Werewolf by Gail Carriger (1984 Ratings on GR) - If you read Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate Series and wondered what happened to a certain Beta and a certain newly turned werewolf, this is for you! I loved reading this one. 

3) Tortall: A Spy's Guide by Tamora Pierce (1690 Ratings on GR) - Honestly, I found this a joy to examine. I love Tamora Pierce's Tortall world and this is an interesting look into moments we as readers have missed. George's spy book is revealed to the reader. 

4) Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of the Conflict in Northern Ireland by David McKittrick,  David McVea (820 Ratings on GR) -

5) An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock (814 Ratings on GR)- 

6) Read Bottom Up by Neel Shah,  Skye Chatham (1917 Ratings on GR) 

7) Rebel Magisters by Shanna Swenson (606 Ratings on GR)- THIS IS BOOK TWO. Even so, this entire series is underrated but also amazing. I adore it and cannot wait for more! 

8) Reindeer Boy by Cassandra Jean (491 Ratings on GR) - This is very Christmas appropriate and I'm very surprised more people haven't found it since Cassandra Jean does a lot of the art for Cassie Clare and her books. 

9) Captain Marvel, Vol. 1: Rise of Alpha Flight by Michele Fazekas (1142 Ratings on GR) - I really enjoyed this Captain Marvel graphic novel and had fun reading it. I can't wait to read more of this and see what happens next with this crew. 

10) Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 1 by Natsuki Takaya (1207 Ratings on GR) - This is a rerelease of my favorite manga of all time. I have such good memories of this series and didn't have my own copies until these collector's editions were released.

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My Last Top Ten Tuesday -> My Favorite Couples in Books

Do I Have That Book? - Challenge

Do I have that book? Let me check! This is a fun little challenge or tag that has been floating around booktube. I wanted to watch all of the ones I saw in my feed so I decided to film this before I became familiar with the list of challenges. This was a lot of fun and would love to do something similar again soon.

Review: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Series: Mercy Thompson #7

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Age Group: Adult

Mass Market: 342 pgs

Source: Purchased

Published - March 2013 
Ace Books 

Add it // Buy it

Rating: 4/5

TW: References to sex and rape.

Mercy Thompson's life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman - the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack - has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy's life. But on the edges of humanity, a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more...

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can't reach Adam - or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They've all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. But she fears Adam's disappearance may be related to the political battle the werewolves have been fighting to gain acceptance from the public - and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outmatched and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

What I really liked about this book was our return to the Tri-Cities and seeing more of Mercy’s journey to find her place. Compared to the beginning of this series, Mercy has started a big transformation. She is still a trouble maker and she sticks her nose into dangerous situations, but she has allies and enemies galore.  Mercy has carved her own place out in Adam’s pack and his heart so now she has added a lot more responsibility.

I love how Mercy has found a family and watching her interact with all the friends and enemies within the pack is very entertaining. I also loved the introduction of Asil from the Alpha and Omega series. Asil is one of my favorite characters in this world and I love more page time with him. Mercy tackles her responsibilities head on in this novel when she needs to help rescue the pack after they are abducted. She calls in favors and asks for help throughout this book which shows how much she's grown and changed throughout the series.

While I enjoy the different plots in each installment I wish we were making more progress in the overarching plot. I'm not even sure what our overarching plot it at this point. In each book I feel like Briggs is trying work something out in the background as many questions about Mercy and her world are unanswered. I'd love if she would clarify that since we ARE seven books into this series.

Overall I wish this series stuck with me more. I tend to forget exactly what happened in each book. Maybe I should start a reread?

My Last Review: Once Upon a Marquess by Courtney Milan

My Jane Austen Collection and My Favorite Austen Couples

While Valentines's Day isn't my favorite holiday, I will take any opportunity to talk about Jane Austen. She is one of my favorite authors of all time and her books are some of my most frequent rereads. These are a few of my favorite Austen couples ranked and my collection of Austen books and Austen retellings.