Hello all! Long time no read! Graduate school has definitely taken it‘s toll on my life (also I forgot my Litsy password 🤦🏼‍♀️) but hopefully I‘ll have more time moving forward! This weekend I had the opportunity to read lots of books; mostly children‘s, but some other stuff too. The most nostalgic for me was definitely The Boxcar Children. Have you read it? What did you think?

Sorry for my long absence! Grad school is absolutely incredible, but I‘m very busy; in fact, I only finished one book last month! It feels like a failure since over the summer I‘d regularly finish two or three a week, but I have to be realistic about my time.

I wanted to put something spooky on my October TBR, & Coraline seemed like the perfect choice! Are you reading anything creepy or scary this month?

I absolutely murdered my TBR this month: I got through almost every single book and I at least started all of them. Even though I read a lot, nothing really blew me away. My favorite was The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel, but I also enjoyed a book I read for work called The Servant by James Hunter. I also started A Darker Shade of Magic, which is very good, but I didn't have time to finish it this month. Ratings in the comments if you're interested!

Tried to put myself on a book buying ban for the rest of the month (it's less than a week!), but somehow accidentally on purpose ended up at Barnes & Noble after church today?! Whoops... #sorrynotsorry

Picked up some well-loved classics at one of my favorite bookshops a few weeks ago. I love used books. There's something wonderful about reading an old book & thinking about who might've owned or read it before you, & how it impacted them.

My TBR progress has been minimal this month; I'm only halfway through. I'm trying to finish at least one more book before the end of the month, but we'll see 🤷‍♀️

Picked up my first Penguin Orange today at my favorite used bookshop, Mr. K's. This collection is absolutely beautiful & since there are only 12 of them, I'm hoping to collect them all before the end of the semester. What are you currently reading?

So this was... intriguing. I'm interested in the world Caine has built, but I'm also kind of confused? I'm not sure if concepts aren't explained well or if I'm just not paying enough attention. Either way, it took me about 50 pages to properly get into the book. After that it was a fairly quick read. I'll probably read the next 2 books, because I hate leaving things unfinished, however I don't feel the urge to read them right now.

3.5/5 🌟

Happy August! Here's part of my TBR. I'm still waiting for a couple of books from Amazon. It's mostly children's/YA this month, but I'm also trying to finish All the Light We Cannot See. Additionally, this academic year I'm attempting to read one classic a month; August's is Persuasion by Jane Austen. My most anticipated read is definitely A Darker Shade of Magic! I always hear great things about this series & I'm so pumped to start it 😀

Happy Birthday Harry Potter & JK Rowling!!! I wish I could celebrate with some beautiful HP pics, but unfortunately I left all my HP related props & books at home, so my July wrap-up photo will have to do instead. I read a lot of great books this month, even though I didn't quite finish my TBR. Unfortunately they aren't all in this pic because I couldn't bring all of them with me to school. Ratings in the comments.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I'm itching to get my hands on the rest of the series, but I've gotta pace myself with my book buying until I get paid, because food is also a thing. I seriously loved all the characters and the sass was out of control. Does anyone else just wanna cuddle Ronan? Even if he wouldn't be very receptive to it? No? Just me? Alright then.

Started Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See last night. It took me about 50 pages, but I'm really getting into it! I can't wait to sit down and really spend some time with this one. Have y'all read it? What did you think?

Successfully got moved in to my grad school dorm & finished arranging my shelves (for now). I purposely brought less books because I knew I'd buy more while I was here. I thought it'd be fun to do a little "before" & "after" to see how many books I add to my collection while I'm here. This is obviously the "before." Also, I finished The Secret Garden! It's not my favorite as far a kid's books go, but it's still a classic.

Finally managed to scrounge together the money for the Puffin Pantone collection! These editions are absolutely gorgeous, I can't wait to display them. The Secret Garden is on my TBR for this month, hopefully I'll get to it soon!! I'm so bad with my TBRs, I always get distracted & end up reading books that aren't on my list 🙈🙈

Reading something that wasn't on this month's TBR, who's surprised? Not me hahaha 🙈😂 Out here trying to enjoy my last few days of summer vacation before I start training for my graduate assistantship on Tuesday!

This was a book I read for an apocalyptic fiction course last semester & I loved it so much that I decided to bring it on vacation. Have you reread any school books? Were they better when you weren't being forced to read them?

Exciting personal news: I bought my first car last week! It's a garnet red mustang convertible with a black top & I love it so much. I decided to name her Harper after one of my favorite authors, Harper Lee. Of course, this made me want to reread To Kill a Mockingbird, so this is my current read. This is my ragged trade paperback from high school, but I recently picked up a gorgeous vintage hardback from the Book Nook! What's your current read?

Happy #ShelfieSunday! This is a beautiful vintage edition of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens that I discovered in my school's library one rainy afternoon. I love Peter Pan & I collect different editions; I probably have around 12 copies! What are your favorite children's stories?

#JulyofDisney: #shelfie (OK, so it's a library shelfie, but it still counts!)

Just finished this the other day! I really liked it, probably more than the first book in the series. Now that we've been introduced to the cast of characters, the story becomes more complex; 4🌟

#JulyofDisney: P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney - a person that drove you nuts. Enoch absolutely drove me crazy most of the time. I understand that it's deliberate, but still... so annoying.

Thought I'd share my current read! I'm about 500 pages into this book & it's taken me FOREVER. Usually I devour new Cassie Clare books in a day or two, but I'm having trouble on this one. That being said, I am obsessed with the Blackthorn family; they're adorable. I honestly love Julian and Ty with my whole heart ❤️❤️❤️

#JulyofDisney: Do you want to build a snowman? - sibling love

I finished this book on vacation last week, & while I thought it was interesting, the similarities to Gone Girl were distracting for me. All in all, it was ok, but I won't be rereading it any time soon.

#JulyofDisney: "Poisoned apple - deceitful person" Literally everyone is this book is a liar besides poor Cathy (some more than others, obviously). I kind of hated all the characters TBH.

I'm absolutely loving this stunning vintage copy of The Art of Walt Disney that I scored at Half Price Books last week for $8! It's absolutely gorgeous & in amazing condition. The artwork is beautiful. I've been collecting Disney books for years, so this definitely fits today's #JulyofDisney prompt: "Black Pearl - your bookish pearl."

What are some of your bookish treasures?

"Well, it's my favorite! Far off places, daring sword fights, a prince in disguise..."

#JulyofDisney: Belle's library - book stack. Flipping through my vintage Disney turtlebacks always brightens my day!

"It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday!" As annoying as that song is, it gets me out of bed & ready to start my day & I usually end up humming it on Friday mornings.

Today's prompt for #JulyofDisney is "Neverland - a book you loved when you were younger" & I obsessively read Nancy Drew books as a child. I've started collecting vintage editions of the originals. Does anyone else collect editions of their favorite childhood books?

Happy Thursday friends! It's almost the weekend; get excited! Today's #JulyofDisney prompt is "Scream extractor - scary book" & I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share a book by two of my favorite authors, Frank Peretti & Ted Dekker. I absolutely love Dekker, I've read almost every novel he's ever written. House is by far one of my favorite thrillers; it's absolutely chilling.

Do you like scary books? What's your preferred genre?

Good morning & happy hangover day (AKA the day after the 4th to all my American friends). I thought I'd feature an American icon for today's #JulyofDisney prompt: "Hakuna Matata - life motto." Walt said "If you can dream it, you can do it," which was something I've really needed to remember these past few weeks as I navigate the process of beginning graduate school.

What quotes do you turn to for encouragement?

Today's prompt for #JulyofDisney is "OHANA - favorite bookish family." Obviously I wanted to do the Weasley family, but I'm trying not to use Harry Potter for every prompt... ? I thought long & hard & remembered the Pevensie family from The Chronicles of Narnia. It's been years since I've read these; maybe it's time to return to Narnia. Once a king or queen, always a king or queen, right? ?

And happy 4th of July to all of my fellow Americans!

"They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish & Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all." ?

So I went to trade in some books at one of my favorite bookshops & this is their sale section; I couldn't help thinking of Flourish & Blotts ?

Today's #JulyofDisney prompt is "Battle in the mountains - masterstroke" & I immediately thought of this book! This was one of my favorite reads last year; it was so clever & funny & the main character was really relatable even though he was in a situation that most of us will probably never be in. Plus, he's an absolute genius badass & totally saves his own life multiple times. Who needs NASA? ?

When you're reading in public & you bust out laughing & everyone looks at you like you're nuts ?

At book nerds, we've all been there. This series always had me in tears of laughter on the bus to school, much to the annoyance of my classmates, which is why I'm using it for today's #JulyofDisney prompt: "Frying pans, who knew? - a moment that makes you laugh until it hurts." Percy is such a sass queen, I love him so much ?

Happy #StackSaturday! Here's my #JulyTBR. I'm #currentlyreading Lord of Shadows & it's okay so far. My most anticipated read for this month is definitely #TheRavenBoys; I always hear great things about that series. Also, my #TBR stack perfectly fits the #JulyofDisney theme for today, which is Ariel's Grotto - blue books! I'm so pumped to attempt this challenge because I love Disney with my whole heart!

What are you looking forward to this month?

#JuneWrapUp: I read a lot of amazing series books this month!

HP & the Sorcerer's Stone (reread): 5🌟
HP & the Chamber of Secrets (reread): 4.5🌟
Illuminae: 5🌟
Gemina: 4.5🌟
A Court of Thornes & Roses: 4.5🌟
A Court of Mist & Fury: 5🌟
A Court of Wings & Ruin: 4🌟
Miss Peregrine's Home: 3.5🌟

I have to say, as much as I loved discovering the world of ACOTAR, my favorite new read this month was Illuminae! It was totally unique. What about you?

#Bookdragon has never been so accurate... I may have a slight book buying addiction; this is my June #bookhaul (!!!), not including the order I placed from Book Outlet last night 🙈 BUT BUT BUT I bought almost all of these books secondhand for less that a couple dollars, or greatly reduced from Amazon. In fact, I only paid full price for one of them. But I think I need to impose a book buying fast for July 😅😂

#CurrentlyReading: Lord of Shadows

My dad read #PhilosophersStone aloud to me when I was 7 & I was hooked. I went to midnight book & movie releases & made friends from all walks of life thanks to this series. Now I'm 22 & Harry's grip on my heart hasn't loosened one bit. Thank you, #JKRowling, for the adventures, the sleepless nights, the tears, & the characters who are now old friends. Thank you. Happy 20th, HP1⚡🎂❤

#HarryPotter20 #HarryPotter

Here's one of my recent reads, the #ACOTAR series by #SarahJMaas. I loved the whole series, but #ACOMAF was by far my favorite! It's so character-driven, & I know I'm not the only one who absolutely adores #Rhysand with my whole heart! He is the book boyfriend to end all book boyfriends 😍

Who's your current fave book boyfriend/girlfriend?

#ACOWAR #books #bookish #booklover #bookaddict #bookworm #bookdragon #bibliophile #reader #currentlyreading

Hey wassup heIlo Litsy 🖐

I'm Laura, a grad student at USC. I'm new here, but I'm very excited to be a part of this cool new literary community. Give a shout if you want to be book buddies 😄

Speaking of books, I think it's time for a reread of one of my favorites... What are some of the books you go back to over & over again?

#harrypotter #potterhead #jkrowling #books #bookish #booklover #bookaddict #bookworm #bibliophile #currentlyreading