Month: September 2018

Monthly Motif: September Update

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It’s time for another Monthly Motif reading challenge update! In September, the theme was don’t turn out the light and for being someone who doesn’t generally do well with spooky things, I think I did pretty well!

Books read:

Books not read:

  • The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager | I tried, I really did, but I could not make myself finish this book

October’s theme is new or old, which fits really well with my plan to read the books I’ve recently bought myself. I’m going with new, which is books published in 2018. I can’t even tell you how many books I have that were published this year that I haven’t read yet. So many. Feel free to leave me some other recommendations or check out my TBR page to let me know which ones I should prioritize!

Previously: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August

Are you participating in the Monthly Motif reading challenge? If so, what did you read for this month’s prompt? What’s your favorite spooky book? Let’s talk in the comments!

About the Blogger!

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Today I’m mixing things up with a slightly different post! I saw both Cassandra and Clarissa do this About the Blogger post recently and I figured that, since I recently hit 1,000 followers, it was as good a time as any to re-introduce myself. 🙂

This post was originally created by Bethany @ Bibliophile’s Binge.

Name: I am Sara with no H.

Age: 28

Education: I have a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Spanish. I’m also a CPC, which is a certified medical coder.

Location: Right in the middle of New Jersey.

Job: Given the CPC credentials, you probably won’t be that shocked to find out that I am a… medical coder. I’m the billing manager at a dermatology practice.

These are a few of your favorite things: my top four things are cats, coffee, books, and music. ❤

Is there a story behind your blog’s name? My story is actually the same as Cassandra’s story, which is pretty fitting since she is also The Bibliophagist. 🙂 Way back in 2013, I was trying to think of a fitting name for a book blog and googled words for book lovers. “Bibliophagist” came up and I thought… one who devours books, that’s me. I don’t know if I necessarily love the name of my blog anymore, but I am not nearly creative enough to come up with a new one.

What are you looking forward to right now? My trip to Tennessee next weekend, which I honestly can’t believe is actually happening. 😭😭

Favorite ice cream: There are really very few ice cream flavors that I don’t like… I love coffee ice cream. I also love cheesecake ice cream. I also love chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies and cream, and mint chocolate chip ice cream. I love most Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and every flavor of Talenti that I’ve ever had. I also like just plain vanilla. I just really love ice cream.

Coffee or tea? And how do you take it? Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon. I just put half and half in my coffee and I don’t put anything in my tea. I usually drink either ginger tea or minty tea, but really, anything that isn’t straight black tea is fine with me.

Favorite thing to do on a rainy day: Honestly… I usually just read on rainy days. I guess if you want to know some things that I might do aside from reading… I like to sew. I also might get caught up on tv shows, although I don’t watch that much tv. Sometimes I also have dance parties all by myself. 🙂

Favorite movies: I don’t watch a ton of movies these days, but one of my all-time favorites is Across the Universe! I also watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail with my best friend approximately twelve million times when we were in high school, so that’ll always be one of my favorites too.

Favorite books: I think that my favorite book is The Hating Game. But I have a whole favorites page if you’re interested!

One item on your bucket list: I really want to take a trip all by myself!

Scariest thing you’ve ever done: Probably moving halfway across the country when I was 22 years old. I’m not really sure if it was a good decision or not, but I would absolutely not be the person I am today if I hadn’t done it.

Fun fact: Between Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin, I have been to more Andrew McMahon concerts in my life than probably all other concerts put together. One time I 🎵 waited for him in the rain, in the parking lot 🎵 and it was horrible but it also kind of made my life because I was living out the lyrics to one of his songs. You get a million bonus points and you’re my new best friend if you know what song I’m referencing.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me! What’s a fun fact about you? What’s your favorite ice cream and how do you take your coffee? Let’s talk in the comments!

Tag: You’re Not Good Enough! (Harry Potter Edition)

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Thanks to Bibi for tagging me in this one! In the interest of full disclosure, it’s been eleven years since I picked up a Harry Potter book. I tried my best, though.

RULES:

  • Write 30 character names on pieces of paper. (You can use the character list from the bottom of the post or choose your own.)
  • Put them in a jar/mug/cup.
  • Randomly choose two pieces of paper for every question. In each of the 15 questions, you have to decide which of the two characters fits the question and which one is not good enough.

Instead of writing down all the names, I followed Bibi’s lead and put them into a randomizer! Then I just went in the order they showed up in, so the first two for the first question followed by the next two for the second question, and so on.

1. YOU ONLY HAVE ONE MORE SPOT ON YOUR SPELLING BEE TEAM. WHO DO YOU PICK TO COMPLETE YOUR TEAM?

Cedric Diggory vs. Hagrid

I have a feeling that Cedric would be a more appropriate addition to my team. After all, Hagrid tried, but he didn’t even spell “Happy Birthday” right.

2. BOTH CHARACTERS WANT TO KILL YOU. WHICH ONE WOULD YOU KILL FIRST SO YOU HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF SURVIVING?

Madam Hooch vs. Hedwig

I mean… I’m not going to kill Hedwig, so I guess I have to go with Madam Hooch.

3. YOU’RE ON THE BACHELOR/BACHELORETTE AND YOU’RE DOWN TO THESE TWO CHARACTERS. WHICH ONE ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE YOUR ROSE TO?

Luna Lovegood vs. Ron Weasley

Luna gets my rose, hands down. I love her.

4. YOU’VE BEEN CHOSEN FOR THE HUNGER GAMES. WHO WOULD MOST LIKELY VOLUNTEER IN YOUR PLACE?

Remus Lupin vs. George Weasley

I feel like Lupin is more likely to volunteer than George.

5. YOU’RE STRANDED ON AN ISLAND WITH AN ACTIVE VOLCANO. WHICH CHARACTER WOULD YOU THROW INTO A VOLCANO AS A SACRIFICE?

Hermione vs. Goyle

I didn’t even have to think about this one for half a second. Goyle.

6. YOU’RE THE NEXT DC/MARVEL SUPERHERO (WITH YOUR OWN T.V. SHOW, OF COURSE). WHO IS YOUR SIDEKICK?

Moaning Myrtle vs. Snape

Oh jeez. I don’t really want either one of these characters as my sidekick. I guess, for the sake of the prompt… I’ll go with Snape? He’s kind of terrible, but he’s less terrible than Moaning Myrtle.

7. YOU’RE A MANAGER OF AN AVOCADO ADMIRING COMPANY. WHO WOULD YOU FIRE FOR LACK OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS?

Malfoy vs. Sirius Black

I feel like Malfoy would be too busy sneering and rolling his eyes to get much communication done. And who could fire Sirius? Not me.

8. YOU’VE JUST FINISHED A BOOK IN WHICH YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER DIES. WHICH CHARACTER IS MOST LIKELY TO COMFORT YOU?

Filch vs. Umbridge

Neither of them?

9. UGH, IT’S HIGH SCHOOL. WHO WOULD MOST LIKELY BE PART OF THE POPULAR CLIQUE?

Dudley vs. Cho Chang

I’m going to say Cho Chang. I just don’t see Dudley being remotely popular.

10. THE DAY HAS ARRIVED – YOU’RE FINALLY A YEAR OLDER! WHO WOULD HAVE THE NERVE TO FORGET YOUR BIRTHDAY?

Dumbledore vs. Bellatrix Lestrange

Bellatrix is definitely forgetting my birthday.

11. YOU’VE JUST FOUND AN UPCOMING BOOKTUBE STAR! WHO WOULD IT MOST LIKELY BE?

McGonagall vs. Fred Weasley

McGonagall is definitely a booktube star. No question in my mind.

12. SLEEPOVER TIME! UNFORTUNATELY, YOU CAN ONLY INVITE ONE PERSON. WHO WOULD YOU INVITE?

Viktor vs. Molly Weasley

I would much rather have a sleepover with Molly Weasley. Plus, I’m sure she could use some time away from all those boys.

13. BAM, YOU’RE PREGNANT. WHO IS THE FATHER/MOTHER?

Voldemort vs. Percy Weasley

Oh GOD, I hope it’s not Voldemort. Not that I particularly want to have a child with Percy, but he’s infinitely better than Voldemort.

14. YOU’VE JUST WRITTEN A SUPER IMPORTANT TEXT. WHO WOULD SEE IT, BUT NOT REPLY?

Ginny vs. Neville Longbottom

Hmm, I don’t think that either one of them would intentionally not reply, but I can see Neville being scatterbrained enough to forget.

15. YOU’VE JUST WOKEN UP AND IT’S TIME FOR BREAKFAST. YOUR MUM’S BEEN REPLACED BY… WHO?!

Parvati Patil vs. Fleur Delacour

Oh, I don’t know. Fleur, I guess.

I’m tagging:

Hamad | Gerry | Leslie | Erin

You know the drill, no pressure if you’ve already done this or if you don’t feel like it. If I didn’t tag you, please feel free to do it and link back to this post so that I can see your answers! Also let me know if you like tags since I would love to tag you in things. ❤

The list of characters:

Cedric Diggory | Fred Weasley | George Weasley | Hagrid | Snape | McGonagall | Hedwig | Hermione | Ron | Ginny | Remus Lupin | Dudley | Voldemort | Neville Longbottom | Luna | Percy Weasley | Molly Weasley | Goyle | Malfoy | Parvati Patil | Viktor | Dumbledore | Madam Hooch | Sirius Black | Bellatrix Lestrange | Cho Chang | Filch | Fleur Delacour | Moaning Myrtle | Umbridge

Book review: Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

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Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
Series: Creekwood #2
Rating: ★★★★☆
Links: Amazon • Goodreads • TBD
Publication Date: April 24, 2018
Source: Purchased

Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst.

When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.

So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.

This isn’t the book I was planning to read for my final #killingthetbr selection this month. I was going to do yet another borderline erotic novel, but then I thought… I have been hating those books lately. I’d much rather read a fluffy YA contemporary. I searched through my shelves for something that I’d purchased more than three months ago that seemed like it would fit and came up with Leah on the Offbeat. I actually bought this book way more than five months ago because of a preorder incentive, but it’s been on my physical shelf since April.

I don’t know why I waited so long to read this.

I was a little nervous that I would dislike Leah. After all, I’ve read countless reviews that talked about how awful she is. And is she awful? I mean, sometimes. But what high school senior isn’t awful sometimes? Isn’t that kind of a trademark of being a teenager? It’s not like I’m going to be breaking down any doors to be Leah’s best friend, but I understood her.

The characters from Simon are all present and accounted for in Leah. I still love Simon and wish that I could have been best friends with him when I was in high school. I was so happy to see that his relationship is still as adorable as ever. Aside from Leah and Simon, we see a lot of Abby (who I liked more in Leah than I did in Simon), Nick (who is actually awful??), and Nora (who is the best). The thing that disappointed me was that Simon has to be the cutest, fluffiest, most adorable YA novel I’ve ever read that still manages to tackle some tough subjects and that’s what I was expecting from Leah. Unfortunately, that’s not what I got.

Leah is a good book in its own way. I liked that Leah’s mom was a fairly big part of the book, because absent parents in YA drive me crazy. I really related to Leah’s struggles with her mom starting to date someone new since that’s something I went through when I was in high school. I’m a little freaked out by the fact that Leah’s mom is only seven years older than me, but I suppose there are people I went to school with who have ten-year-olds, so it’s not actually unbelievable.

Aside from the single parent aspect, Leah also tackles bisexuality and racism. Now, I can’t really tell you if the bisexual representation is accurate or not, but I did appreciate Leah’s rant about someone who referred to themselves as “lowkey bi.” I also appreciated Leah not backing down when one of her friends made a horribly racist comment. That was such a great message to send and I don’t think I’ve actually seen a review that addressed it yet.

But despite all of those positives, I just felt like something that made Simon amazing was missing from Leah. What specifically that was, I have no idea. I still think this was a great book and I would absolutely recommend it if you’re in a YA contemporary mood.

You can really never go wrong with Becky Albertalli.

#killingthetbr: 5 months on shelf

Have you read Leah on the Offbeat? What did you think?
Let’s talk in the comments!

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Debut Author Challenge Check-In

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The Debut Author Challenge is a yearly reading challenge hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Participants are encouraged to read twelve or more middle grade, young adult, and new adult debuts. To count toward the challenge, the books must be published in the year they’re read. Jana provides a helpful list of debuts if you’re interested in participating!

It’s almost the end of September, so that means it’s time to do another Debut Author Challenge check-in. I last checked in back in June and I’d read eight debuts. Now I’ve read thirteen, which means I not only met my goal of twelve, but I actually surpassed it with three months still left in the year!

I’m still planning to read more debuts this year, so I can’t wait to see how many debuts will be on my list by the end of December.

Read so far: 

Debuts I actually own that I’m hoping to read soon:

  • The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross
  • The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
  • Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi
  • Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan

Books I might get from the library if I get a chance:

  • You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon
  • Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke
  • Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed
  • Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

Have you read any debuts this year? What’s been your favorite so far?
Am I missing any great debuts or should I strike some of these from my list?