Up next… super excited to start this series. I got scared for a second because I thought I accidentally bought book 2 instead of book 1. Apparently, Assassin‘s Blade is the prequel to this one, and can be read first but a lot of people in different forums said reading it 3rd or 4th is good too. 😮💨
pickBook 2 in this series was more exciting than the first, in my opinion. Probably because our MC was more inclined to do as she pleased rather than what society dictated for a woman. I love how scientific it gets about the dragons, and the drama that unfolds as a result of the politics that intermingles with said science. At first I was disappointed that there wasn‘t an “enemies to lovers” trope that the story hinted at in the beginning, but… ⬇️
“Science is not separate from politics. As much as I would like it to be a pure thing, existing only in some intellectual realm unsullied by human struggle, it will always be entangled with the world we live in.”
“Sir Adam was deeply suspicious of my tale; he called in a doctor to examine me before anything else, so certain was he that I had lost my reason. (I blame the trousers.)”
Isabella is hilarious. This tale takes place in a different world and within a time similar to the Victorian era. Our MC only donned trousers during her scholarly adventures, but it was scandalous nonetheless lol.
The sequel to the tagged book comes out in May and I‘m so excited for that one!
#sundayfunday @BookmarkTavern
I got this from IG but just had to share it here 🤣🤭
Mini book haul with a gift card I got for Christmas! One for business and one for pleasure 😁
We celebrate NYE. It‘s become a bit of a tradition to go to our family friends house for food & drinks and we do all sorts of little rituals (for example taking turns running down the street with a suitcase in the hopes of traveling in the New Year). Other than hoping for travel, I‘m planning to begin my job search and to focus more on my spirituality and mental health in 2026.
#majicmonday @Eggs
Waiting to get my car serviced… Hubby: “Did you bring your book?” Me: “duh.” Hubby: “I don‘t know why I asked…” 🤭
The two bookish gifts I got for Christmas. My daughter was so thoughtful with her gift. I told her months ago about how popular Precious Moments figurines were when I was growing up. She managed to find one of Belle (my favorite Disney Princess) with her books. And my husband got me a TBR jar, I just have to print out and paste covers on them 😍
1. Continued making progress with CrossFit
2. Our family trip to the DMV area
3. Started working toward my professional goals, and I‘m really excited about it
#majicmonday @Eggs
Journaling and reading by my symbolic lighting of the Yule log. Wishing everyone a happy Winter Solstice!
“It has been said that the blessing is next to the wound.”
“Remember that this moment, this day, is one stitch in a tapestry of days. Remember that you cannot—should not—see the shape unfolding before you. Spend it all anyway. Gamble with your whole self.”
My next listen has a ton of really good reviews and the cover art is what caught my attention initially. Excited to get back to my preferred genre for audiobooks lol.
pickThis is a soft pick, but mostly because I think I need to physically read this one versus listening to it. The author narrates this himself, and as a narrator he was just okay. I had to rewind several times cause I found myself zoning out. But I found the concepts intriguing and enlightening. Newport emphasizes 3 main points for slow productivity: do fewer things, work at a natural pace, and obsess over quality. He offers many different methods…⬇️
Already finished my larger, annual holiday reads so I‘m onto something cozy for the season. This one was unlisted here in the app.
“…Say that his power lies in words and looks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count 'em up: what then? The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune."
It‘s been another wonderful year for books. Every book I‘ve read over the years remains in me in some shape or form, and this year was no exception. I learned about the natural wonders of the world, about starting my own business and about art. I boarded a train with a despairing Anna Karenina, and hunted dragons in the name of science with Lady Trent. I solved murder mysteries in Japan, and became one of the High Fae in Prythian. Continued ⬇️
“I sit down every day at around the same time and put myself in the path of inspiration… If I don‘t sit down, if I‘m not there working, then inspiration will pass right by me…”
“That knowledge, that ping, the hair on your arms standing up, that sudden, electric sense of knowing. We must learn to watch for these moments. To not discount them… Like falling in love, moments that announce themselves as your subject are rare, and there‘s magic to them. Ignore them at your own peril.”
“Pain engraves a deeper memory… Pain carves details into us, yes. I would wager, though, that great joy does as well.”
“Whatever it is that makes us feel secure in our physical space allows us to make the leap, hoping that the page will catch us. Writing, after all, is an act of faith.”
“I was strangled by my own ego, by my petty desire for what I perceived to be the literary brass ring. I was missing the point, of course. The reward is in the doing.”
“Straining to know the whole of the story before you set out is a bit like imagining great-grandchildren on a first date.”
“The page is your mirror. What happens inside you is reflected back. You come face-to-face with your own resistance, lack of balance, self-loathing, and insatiable ego—and also with your singular vision, guts, and fortitude. No matter what you've achieved the day before, you begin each day at the bottom of the mountain.”
“We are all unsure of ourselves. Every one of us walking the planet wonders, secretly, if we are getting it wrong. We stumble along. We love and we lose. At times, we find unexpected strength, and at other times, we succumb to our fears. We are impatient. We want to know what's around the corner, and the writing life won't offer us this. It forces us into the here and now. There is only this moment, when we put pen to page.”
“Though we now light our world with bulbs and take for granted not only the external day but often even our food, we still make of the return of the sun's light a joyful metaphor for social and personal renewal.”
I‘ve been neglecting my library books so I‘m tackling those as well 😅
Getting to my annual holiday reads a bit later than usual, but there‘s still plenty of time. Up first is tagged ☺️
pickI‘m so sad it‘s over! 😭 The end had me near sobbing. I fell so in love with these characters. This final book had me a bit wary at first because it‘s from the POV of the original MCs sister, with whom I had a love/hate relationship with throughout the earlier books. But her arc was beautifully done and she finished strong. I loved the development between the characters, the action was great, and the 🌶️ scenes were even spicier lol. Continued ⬇️
Up next is this fairly short listen… non-fiction is hit or miss with me when it comes to audiobooks, so hopefully this can keep my attention.
pickThis was a soft pick. I really liked the characters and the narrator was fantastic. The 🌶️ scenes were mild and there were plenty of funny moments. The focus was heavily on the romance and the magical and fantastical aspects seem to take the back burner. I also felt that the resolution was way too easy. I was left with a lot of questions but that‘s probably because there are more books in this particular series.
Up next… as much as I want to savor this and don‘t want this series to end, I‘m hoping to be done with this in a week or two, so I can get to my annual holiday reads. But I‘m excited to see what happens next for these characters…
pickThis was such a cute read. It takes place around Winter Solstice, so it‘s a great one for this time of year. It‘s a bit of a respite from what happened in the previous book, and what has yet to happen. Our characters get some much needed fun, and there were plenty of funny moments (and a couple of 🌶️ ones). They‘re still emotionally dealing with all that has transpired, some handling it worse than others. Let‘s see what happens in the next one…
pickWhile not my favorite of the series so far, it was still really good. There were some slow parts in the middle, but the ending was action packed. There were a couple of scenes that almost had me sobbing. I‘m still so in love with these characters, and I love that there was more development in the relationship between our MC and her sisters. I can‘t wait to see what else happens…
pickI‘m in love with these characters (especially Rhysand 🥵). The story and the characters‘ arcs are flowing well from the first book. My family judged me as I struggled to put the book down lol. I feel like this one‘s writing was infinitely better than the first one as well, but that might just be me. Once again, loved the romance and there were plenty of 🌶️ scenes, as well as a plethora of magic, humor, and action. On to book 3 😁
“‘I want them to hear your story. And know that there is a special strength...‘ As I spoke I realized I needed to hear it, know it, too. ‘A special strength in enduring such dark trials and hardships... And still remaining warm, and kind. Still willing to trust and reach out.‘”
Up next 😁
pickThis is a soft pick. The story is incredibly entertaining and sucked me in. But the writing was just okay. There are plenty of fantasy tropes and some moments that made me cringe. But I kept turning the page and I enjoyed the romance part of it. I can see now why there‘s so much hype about this series. I‘m definitely continuing to book 2.
Taking a break 🤗 (been running around since 5 AM, it‘s now after 10 here) ☕️
pickI really loved this one. At first it was like any other fantasy; beckoning us to take a closer look at this train, its staff, and passengers. But don‘t look too closely at the passing landscape. It was dreamlike. The idea of being stuck on a train in the middle of nowhere, with an ever-changing landscape with unknown creatures on the prowl, sounds terrifying. But then it turns ethereal and whimsical, full of magic. The underlying theme is greed…⬇️
“We leave new life in our wake; young vines curling around ancient houses; new shoots stirring in the soil; flora and fauna not found in any of the natural histories so far written. We leave you to find ways to live alongside it, to make the choice that faces us all—whether to turn away from the changes, to fight, to flee; or whether to welcome them in.”
“Within all things, a striving to achieve a more perfect form.”
“…though the crow is a much maligned bird—a creature cannot be good or evil, not like man, who is born good and pure, who must learn evil.”
Library haul! My hold for ACOTAR finally came in. I‘m finally jumping on the bandwagon cause several people have recommended it, but since I‘ve seen so many mixed reviews I decided to borrow instead of buy for now. Then I grabbed these other two from the library‘s writing display.
