December 2022 Wrap Up

January 2, 2023January 1, 2023 fangirlfury2 Comments

Kicking off the new year on the blog by looking back once more at 2022 with my December Wrap Up. I read 15 books in December (thank you holiday break!) and finished the year with 182 books read (and yes, this includes some rereads and novellas but I haven’t had the opportunity yet (and honestly feeling to) look more into my reading stats). This intro is slowly turning into a year reflection, but I didn’t feel the need to really analyze my reading at the end of the year and just really want to focus on reading (good!!) books.

My favorite books of the month:

Anon. Pls by Deux Moi – This was such a fun binge-read and reminded me of the YA gossipy-like books I loved in my early YA days (and honestly still love). My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk – Many books over the past 2 years especially have taken on the time loop trope and The Christmas Wish is one of the best books with this plot point. It’s also one of my new favorite Christmas books and has the best sense of humor & witty dialogue. My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell – This short story collection was a Christmas gift that I devoured over the two days after the holiday. This book reminded me why I love Rainbow Rowell’s writing so much and made me once again crave another contemporary release from her. My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

November 2022 Wrap Up

November 30, 2022November 29, 2022 fangirlfury2 Comments

And just like that, we’re at the end of November! This month was a great blend of cozying up with some good books and celebrating the holidays & also having good weekend plans. I went into the city twice to see Beetlejuice on Broadway (so worth going to see before it closes on Broadway!) & for a hockey game.

It also brought one of my favorite times of the year, Goodreads Choice Awards season. I know that there’s a lot of relevant conversations bout how exactly Goodreads chooses the finalists & how books are categorized by which genere., but I can’t help but look forward to voting each round!

I started holiday reading with Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle (love!), Jenny Bayliss’s Meet Me Under the Mistletoe -perfect for readers who love books with a big cast of characters, as a friend group reunites in a English castle/estate for two of the friends’ wedding, set during the holiday season-, and Once Upon a December by Amy E.Reichert – very unique, set at the Milwaukee Christmas market and features a romance between a woman and a man whose family *magically* travels from Christmas market to market around the world.

My favorite books of November where Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center, Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez (I voted for Book Lovers, but so sad it didn’t make the final round for the Goodreads Choice Awards!), Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle, When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, and Mr.Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer.

October 2022 Wrap Up

October 31, 2022October 30, 2022 fangirlfury2 Comments

Happy Halloween (coming from the reader who read 1 ‘spooky’ read this month)!! October was the beginning of cozy season. While I hung out with friends on weekends and did some fall things (my sister and I went apple picking on the most gorgeous fall day last weekend), there were plenty of quiet moments on the weekends spent reading.

I almost always have a sprinkle of YA in my reading, but YA books made up at least half of my total reading AND were my favorite reads. My absolute favorite book of the month was Isaac Blum’s The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen, & I really enjoyed reading The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson, Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka , and the Birthright trilogy by Gabrielle Zevin.

Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson | 3.5/5 Stars

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka / 5/5

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead | 4/5

When We Were Bright & Beautiful by Jillian Medoff

Luck and Last Resorts by Sarah Grunder Ruiz | 3.5/5

The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum | 5/5

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson | 4.5/5

Birthright series by Gabrielle Zevin: All These Things I’ve Done, Because It is My Blood, & In the Age of Love and Chocolate | Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds | 4/5

Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean | 4/5

From Scratch (Netflix) – From Scratch is based on Tembi Locke’s memoir of the same name (there were some changes, but I feel like it captured the spirit of the book well), following her life after meeting her husband in Italy. I watched an episode here and there … and then binged the last five. There were some moments when I think the acting could’ve been better, but I still sobbed during the seventh episode and was teary during the last few.

Not a TV show but I watched Jessica of Peace Love Books and Lacey of LaceyBooklovers’s romance predictions for the Goodreads Choice Awards and agreed with most of their predictions. I personally would LOVE to see Book Lovers by Emily Henry take the title, but I think Colleen Hoover has it in the bag with It Starts With Us.

Recent TBR Additions: October 2022 Edition

What I’ve Been Reading Lately: October 2022 Edition

WORTH THE READ? Things We Never Got Over Review

What did you read and watch in October? Anything I read? Share in the comments!

SUMMER READING START: May 2022 Wrap Up

May 31, 2022May 31, 2022 fangirlfuryLeave a comment

I’m writing this wrap-up post on Memorial Day, which is my unofficial start to summer. I have read SO much this month – it honestly feels like the kind’ve reading I do from June through August when my schedule frees up and that makes me even more excited to see what my summer reading will be like. I also didn’t watch a ton of TV this month, but I have been really enjoying the shows that I did watch.

I did read some absolutely spectacular books this month, but it is no surprise whatsoever that my absolute favorite book was Book Lovers by Emily Henry. I’ve mentioned before and while there are a few other contenders for this title, it’s my favorite book of 2022 and possibly my favorite book ever.

Some other favorites from May include Dating Dr.Dil by Nisha Sharma, All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub, and The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz. I’m going to share a what I’ve been recently post soon with some of my latter reads that were mostly absolute GEMS.

Dating Dr.Dil by Nisha Sharma | 4.5/5

American Royalty by Tracey Livesay (ARC) | 4/5

ALL THE HOLIDAY BOOKS & MORE: December 2021 Wrap Up

December 31, 2021December 30, 2021 fangirlfuryLeave a comment

December was a mix of hectic times and relaxing times. My New Year’s Eve plans with friends have unfortunately been cancelled again this year, but I am actually looking forward to staying in with my family, watching some movies, and maybe finishing another book before midnight. I did my most amount of reading in December since the summer, as of right now having read 13 books and 1 novella. Over the past week or so, it’s been super nice to unplug from work and the screen and just dive into reading & relaxing. I’ve included some of my thoughts on the books I read this month – so many must reads!

I read a few holiday books this month, like Jenny Bayliss’ A Season for Second Chances (very cozy & cute) and Kara McDowell’s One Way or Another – this one is in my classroom library, and one of my students recently loved it, so I wanted to give it a read to). My favorite holiday read of the month was definitely Jean Meltzer’s Hanukkah inspired romance, The Matzah Ball. I remembered the day after Christmas that Rainbow Rowell’s e-novella following Reagan from Fangirl is available for free. The novella is also Christmas-themed, set in 2020 and 2021. There was a lot of covid/pandemic talk involved, but I loved being in the Fangirl world and loved Reagan’s banter & personality . I also read Elin Hildebrand’s entire Winter Street series in December, her holiday/Christmas series set on Nantucket. I wouldn’t necessarily say that they’re my favorite Elin Hilderbrand books, but they all had such a binge-worthy & cozy quality.

I also finally read the first book in the Bridgerton series. I found myself rewatching season 1 this month, and I think I’m going to continue on with the book series closer to season 2’s March 25th release on Netflix!I also found myself reading some adult fiction picks and was heavily addicted to them, specifically Lisa Patton’s Rush (following a fictional sorority at Ole Miss) and Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West (following a high school English and a stay-at-home mom caught in school scandals).

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer | 4.5/5 Stars

The Winter Street series by Elin Hilderbrand: Winter Street, Winter Stroll, Winter Storms, & Winter Solstice | Overall Series Rating: 4/5 Stars

BOOKS & HBO Max: February 2021 Wrap Up

February 26, 2021February 25, 2021 fangirlfury2 Comments

February felt like the longest and shortest month ever – which I guess kind’ve makes sense since February is the shortest calendar month. This is was an intensely busy month for me grad school wise. Once I finish and submit a major assessment for my master’s in early March, grad life *should* get slightly more calm before I graduate in May. We also got a ton of snow where I live in the US – I actually don’t think location matters too much because everywhere in the US seems to have been slammed by snow over the past few weeks – which meant a few more remote work days and plenty of trips out to my car to clean off snow.

I am super excited though that the weather seems to be warming up, and it’s staying light out for longer at night. Going for walks and runs after school and getting fresh air to such a big stress reliever for me, so I’m really looking forward to spring weather. As you can probably tell below, the biggest stress reliever for me in February was reading and watching TV & movies. I was definitely on more of a reading kick early on in the month, but I totally admit my HBO Max subscription got to me and I leaned into TV and movies way more than usual.

I’ve so far read 8 books in February, which I’m pretty content with considering my school schedule and that I’m currently reading a certain 700+ page fantasy read. I have reviews coming or already published for all of the books below, so I’ll just be sharing my star ratings.