The UnsolvedAThon: A Buzzfeed Unsolved ReadAThon

 

The UnsolvedAThon runs from April 1st-April 31st! It is based off the hit YouTube channel Buzzfeed Unsolved (which I'm trash for). You can find out more about joining here.

I'm choosing Ryan's path because I am more inclined to believe than disbelieve and I love conspiracies and unsolved cases, so it makes more sense to choose him. 

THE CHALLENGES & BOOKS

The Search for the Mysterious Mothman: Read a book about a mythical creature or a monster.   

 

The Passage (audiobook) I'm pretty sure this is about humans genetically modified to be like vampires and that sounds monstrous to me.

The Chilling Mystery of the Black Dahlia: Read a very well-known/famous book.

 

Gone with the Wind (physical and audiobook) This is one of the most famous novels ever and the movie adaptation is even more beloved.

The Murders that Haunt the Lizzie Borden House: Read a book with an anti-hero or villain as the main character.

 

Never-Contented Things (e-ARC) The main character is not very likable and she seems kind of like anti-hero.

The Grisly Murders of Jack the Ripper: Read a book about a serial killer or a murderer.

 

Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders (physical copy) What the Family did is horrifying and marks one of the most famous cases.

Roswell’s Bizarre UFO Crash: Read a book involving aliens or outer space.

  

Cloak & Silence (ebook) This is about assassins in an intergalactic world. I'm also pretty sure this is a M/M romance, but I haven't read Kenyon since middle school, so I have forgotten if that's fact.

The Enigmatic Death of the Isdal Woman:  Read a book involving spies or espionage.
 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (audiobook) This is on all the spy lists.

The Haunting of Hannah Williams:  Read a book involving ghosts or spirits.

 

The Invited (eARC) This appears to be a haunted house story.

The Historic Disappearance of Louis Le Prince:  Read an unknown book or a book that has less than 500 ratings on Goodreads.

 

Snow White Learns Witchcraft (eARC) This only has 94 ratings.

The Haunted Town of Tombstone: Read a book about an outlaw/a group of outlaws.

  

A Darker Shade of Magic (eARC) I'm pretty sure this has some outlaw like behavior.

The Odd Vanishing of Amelia Earhart:  Read a book with a female main character.

 

What the Wind Knows (eARC) This follows a woman going back to Ireland who has connections to the Irish uprising and its deadly effects on her family.

Are you participating in the UnsolvedAThon? Let me know down below in the comments!

A Vulnerable Post

 

Here's a post I've been sharing  on social media today:

When you start living for Jesus you stop living for yourself. The Holy Spirit can lead you to many places. Some unexpected, some that you know down in your bones would always happen (especially if you listen to the whispers of His promises), or sometimes you find yourself in a place with a different outcome then you expected. Living for Jesus means laying yourself aside and following His spirit. It means going to a hospital when you haven’t set foot in one since your grandfather died in high school on the day before his birthday. It’s setting foot in the place the enemy wanted you to flee from because your flesh was so crippled and scared. It’s the smell of pain and the crippling sensation of God’s mercy and the gift He has given you as sit with family recovering. It’s stepping out of faith into a hallway and not knowing why in the first place. It’s walking up to strangers who have a relative on the cusp of entering new life and leaving the decay of our planet. It’s praying for strangers and hugging them in the middle of the place you hate the most because God’s spirit and His love is bigger than your fear. It’s allowing yourself to feel those people’s emotions and know that the hardest prayer you have ever prayed for others was spoken that day. It’s that day when you go home and cry thanksgiving to the Lord for being used in such a way and it’s Him whispering to you how proud He is because you loved and cared for people the way you had desired to always be prayed for when your grandfather was dying in the hospital and it felt like everyone cared about gossip and drama instead of healing and recovery. It’s letting God heal those wounds and accepting Jesus despite the fear. Yesterday I was changed and I never expected the wind or His spirit to take me there.

Today is a hard day for me since it's my grandfather's birthday, but still I am filled with joy. Joy at knowing my grandfather is in Heaven and is worshiping God. I like to imagine him as he was when I was little and he was healthy, but looked kind of old. That's how I like to of him raising his hands and his voice to Jesus. Yesterday was hard because I visited my uncle-his brother- in the hospital. He was recovering from a surgery that my grandfather hadn't recovered from and it hurt. This story that I shared above happened. It was unexpected. The lady beside my uncle's room was dying and my mother and I stepped out for a minute and my mother went and hugged the two family who left the room next door. I felt like I couldn't stand there and I'm glad I didn't because I went and hugged those people like my mother so bravely did and then I prayed for the family. I prayed over this woman's two sisters-one a twin sister- and my heart felt so much. It was the hardest thing I've ever done in a place that I didn't want to be in, but God can use you for His kingdom even through fear and trepidation.

Podcast Thriller Books: Sadie and I Know You Know

Sadie by Courtney Summers

5 stars

“Every little thing about you can be a weapon, if you’re clever enough.”

The podcast The Girls covers the disappearance of nineteen-year-old Sadie. Sadie is not from an easy background. Raised by an alcoholic and drug addicted mother with boyfriends in and out of her life, Sadie practically raised her younger sister, Maddie. Sadie has gone missing for a reason. She wants revenge against the man who killed Maddie and took everything from her. She won’t stop until he’s dead. Told from the alternating perspective of a podcast tracking Sadie down and Sadie’s journey for justice, we are met with secret after buried secret being unearthed. If you haven’t added Sadie to your must-read list for 2019, let me urge you to do so. I have recently read two Courtney Summers novels, All the Rage, and they have both been some of the staples of YA literature. This gives me hope for the genre because of young readers are able to consume a novel with such a profound theme, as well as intellectual storytelling, then I’m excited to see where the market continues to. The audiobook for this was stunning and left me breathless. I couldn’t stop listening and I needed to know what was going to happen next to Sadie. Summers really shows her skill as a writing and storytelling with two alternating mediums of style. The podcast added an extra layer of mystery and development. This was excellently done and a page-turning shocker. Sadie is one of my favorite novels of 2019 so far. I can’t recommend it enough.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 5

“But love is complicated, it’s messy. It can inspire selflessness, selfishness, our greatest accomplishments and our hardest mistakes. It brings us together and it can just as easily drive us apart. It can drive us.”

The characters in this novel are full of depth. They will turn your stomach and make you weep. Sadie looks at the worst of humanity. This novel is filled with horrible people who commit horrible crimes for their own pleasure and joy.

Sadie, herself, is a woman filled with emptiness. She has a stutter and is marked as an idiot by most people and growing up in a poverty-ridden trailer park doesn’t give her much credit to those judging her, but Sadie has spunk. She has a drive and a pocket knife and she refuses to let anyone walk over her. I loved following her. She is layered and complex. She’s an anti-hero. A girl looking to save other girls from the sick world of sick predators, but who has made her fair share of bad decisions. Sadie is human and she speaks for humanity.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 5

“I’m going to kill a man. I’m going to steal the light from his eyes. I want to watch it go out. You aren’t supposed to answer violence with more violence but sometimes I think violence is the only answer.”

I loved the flashbacks of Sadie, but also the recounting of Sadie and Maddie’s relationship. I felt the pain every single time Sadie reflected or anyone spoke of the sweet little girl who was brutally murdered. This story is heavy on emotion and at times felt devastating, but moments and character relationships like this were so important. West’s podcast is a layer that I love. I loved how he didn’t want to follow Sadie and was very uninterested at first and then he becomes the biggest advocator for finding her. The way the story ended with the podcast telling the story instead of following Sadie will be sure to frustrate many readers, but I absolutely loved the ambiguity and either way Sadie won. Sadie proved that she is a survivor of her past to save someone’s future. This story means so much to me as a reader because of its ambiguity and the strength of the author in letting the reader hope for a better outcome [whether you believe Sadie died or lived I think both outcomes have a positive meaning. I personally, believe Sadie died. I believe she fought and fought like an animal wounded fighting their last battle before death. She fought the monster who hurt her and her sister and she won by killing him. He died and that’s where this story wins. Monsters don’t live forever. Eventually they fade away. (hide spoiler)]


Character Scale: 5

The Villain- Scum of the earth. Sadie meets a man connected to her sister’s murderer and he groomed this man into being a monster, but to see how Sadie influenced his demise was so amazing. The monster who did those things to the sisters though… words can’t describe my instant dislike for such a character, but men like this are real and that’s what sickens my soul.


Villain Scale: 5

This is a novel that everyone should read. I can’t stop thinking about it. Everyone needs to read this because it is a novel for the young girls of our world.


Plotastic Scale: 5

Cover Thoughts: One of my all-time favorite covers.

I Know You Know by Gilly Macmillan

3.5 stars

Twenty years ago, two adolescent boys were brutally murdered in the city of Bristol. A young man was convicted of the crimes, but questions are still there about whether or not he actually did it. Cody Swift can’t escape the fact that he should’ve died with his best friends and now Cody wants to speak up. The podcast he has created will prove that this case wasn’t closed and he wants Jess to speak up. But Jess has put the death of her son behind her and the life she once lived is in the past, but these people will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried and some people keep unbury the wrong ones. This had so much potential. When I first heard about this thriller, I was excited because I love the podcast medium that is being introduced in thrillers—especially for a cold case that wasn’t really solved. The problem is that this book is LONG and full of unnecessary characters. Macmillan has good ideas, but this novel feels like several novels packed into one. The suspense was constantly waning and then coming back and then dying again. I was never hooked and invested until the very end, but that is far too late to get me to care about the actual revelations. Macmillan is a competent writer of suspense, but I’m not sure if she is a competent writer of characters. That’s why this book failed for me.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 3.5

We follow three characters: Jess, Cody, and Detective John Fletcher. Cody’s chapters/podcast was the most interesting and alluring part of the novel. I was on my toes and interested in the admissions, but also with the chase. Jess’s character was a mess. This woman was so unlikable, but she was redeemable and at the end, I was shouting for joy because keeping secrets for so long never do anybody any good. Detective John was boring and I don’t know why I had to follow him. He offered nothing new to story and it was a layer that could’ve been axed and it would’ve improved the story ten-fold.


Character Scale: 3

The Villain- I suspected but can I say that I’m disappointed. It was shocking to me because I couldn’t and didn’t care by the time it was revealed. This big twist came after the novel felt done. It made the experience worth listening to, but I’m not sure if this is a competent and well-done thriller. I’m not sold.


Villain Scale: 3.25

Overall, I Know You Know has promise and if you are a fan of podcast thrillers, then you will appreciate this one. It didn’t do what I thought it was going to and I’m still disappointed by it. However, I think that a lot of readers will be sucked into the slow-burn uncovering and twisted game that has existed for over twenty-years for these characters.


Plotastic Scale: 3.5

Cover Thoughts: It’s a thriller cover for sure.

Are you a fan of audiobooks? Have you read any thrillers with podcasts in them? Are you a fan of either of these novels? Let me know down below in the comments! 

2018 Disappointing Books

Hey, everyone! I'm behind on posting my lists from 2018, but I'm going to post them until I can finish them. I've posted a couple of lists earlier this year. I have one for books that I was kind of meh about, books that I liked, and books that I want to read in 2019. This list is going to be of the books that left me feeling disappointed. I read a lot of books in 2018 and that meant that I encountered a lot of not so savory books. So, here are the ones that let me down the most. These are basically the books that I rated 3 stars and below. 3 stars isn't a bad rating for me usually, but if the book disappointed me then it can definitely fall into this category. These aren't ranked in order of worst reads, but in order of disappointment.

THE WORST/MOST DISAPPOINTING BOOKS I READ IN 2018

   

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood 1 star This was hands down the most disappointing book I read in 2018. It wasn't the worst, but it was in 2nd because this was a dumpster fire of bad writing, horrible characters with no development, and absurd obsessions with sex (one girl imprints sexually with a teddy bear).

The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon 2 stars This rating breaks my heart. I loved the Outlander series with all of my heart, but this took my heart and stepped on it twenty times and then asked me to stay down for ten more times because it just wouldn't end. This was one of the most boring books I've ever read. Nothing happened. You can't write a 1200-page book where nothing happens. I'm done with this series and that breaks my heart a bit.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton 2.25 stars This was one of the books I was most excited about in the last half of 2018 and it was a dud. I loved the plot, but the novel was just not working for me. The writing really hindered my enjoyment. Check out my review here. 

 Flawless by Sara Shepard 1 star I thought it would be fun to finish the Pretty Little Liars in 2018. That didn't happen because, oh boy, was this book was NOT GOOD. The plot was ridiculous, the moral lessons were questionable for the target audience, and the content concerning sexual consent for minors with adults was skewed with illegalities that were swept under the rug. Not okay.

The Hollow by Jessica Verday 2 stars (originally 5 stars) This hurts me in a different way because The Hollow was one of my favorite novels in middle school, but yikes! There is no plot with this novel and the characters (the two love birds) are a mess of emotions for the sake of teen angst. They are your typical MCR music video couple (which is probably why I loved it so much when I was younger), but as an adult I need a plot. Check out my review here.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 2 stars I really liked the audio narrator for this book, but this book was a hot mess. It was wracked with cliches and full of foreseeable and predictable plots. I was not surprised by anything in this book because it had nothing new to bring to the table except rehashing the glorious and most stupendous time of the history of man- the 1980s (yes, I'm being sarcastic).

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas 3.25 stars This is probably the highest rated book on this list, but this book made me sad. I wanted to love this, but these two characters need to stop being the focal point of the story. They offer nothing new to the world and I love slice of life stuff, but I want Nessa and Cassian to be the focus. I was over Feysand. Check out my review here.

Endless Night by Richard Laymon 1 star This was the worst book I read in 2018. It could be higher on the list, but it didn't disappoint me as much as the other ones. Just know that this is the worst book of the year for me and it deserves to stay on that throne. Check out my review here.

Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley 2 stars I have always wanted to read a Kearsley novel, but this one was a bust for me. I'm still sad about it, but I have hope for the others that I do want to read one day. Check out my review here.
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner 1.25 stars I wanted to love it, but I hated it. The characters were vapid and the romance made me want to gag. It was a hot mess and I was unimpressed.
Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh 3 stars I thought I was going to love this because it is a YA fantasy with necromancy but the world felt empty and the characters did not capture my attention. It was not what I expected and wanted. Check out my review here.
Love and Death in the Sunshine State: The Story of a Crime by Cutter Wood 1.25 stars I wanted a great true crime novel and I got a painful read about a guy's romance. This was a slog to get through and I was very disappointed in it. Check out my review here.
The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton 3 stars (DNF) This had promise, but there was so much buildup and slowness. It was like a never-ending moment of building and hopefulness just to get to the opening and famous scene from King Lear. I stopped reading after that scene because my ARC copy was only a preview and that was enough for me. Check out my review here.
Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari 1.5 stars I was so disappointed in this YA thriller. It sounded right up my alley with its dark premise, but the novel was one of the biggest letdowns. I disliked the direction of the novel and I was just unimpressed overall with it. Check out my review here.
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han 3 stars Gosh, I was so saddened by this novel. The first novel is so good. It has its faults, but this novel just bombed. It wasn't horrible, but the drama was unnecessary, the character development unimpressive, and I was just longer invested in the plot development. Check out my review here.
 The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll 2 stars (DNF) Nope. This one was not for me. I was so disappointed by the character development and I could not connect to any of them. It dragged on forever and there didn't seem to be much buildup. Check out my review here.

The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland 2 stars (DNF) Sometimes I like to look at this book and pretend that I liked it and finished it, but neither of those things happened. Check out my review here.

It’s All About the Duke by Amelia Grey 2 stars This is one of the most boring historical romances that I've ever read. Nothing really happened and I can't remember why I was supposed to care about this one. Check out my review here.

I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall 2 stars Survival books are a mixed bag. Sometimes I love them and other times I'm unimpressed with them. This is an unimpressed example for example for me. I was not jiving with the main character and that's integral for a novel all about them surviving. Check out my review here.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware 3 stars This was my first Ruth Ware book and she is popular in the thriller genre, but most of the people I respect and love on the Internet are not fans of hers. I wasn't that much of a fan either. Color me unimpressed but also slightly intrigued. I liked the Gothic setting, but that was about it.

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku 1 by Fujita 1 star (DNF) I rarely DNF manga, but this one just was not my cup of tea. I couldn't connect to the characters and I thought the story was going in the direction of NOWHEREsville. Check out my review here.

Starlings by Jo Walton 3 stars I wasn't disappointed this one, but I did think I was going to rate it higher. Short story collections are a mixed bag. Out of all the books on this list, I would recommend this one the most. Check out my review here.

The School for Psychics by K.C. Archer 1.75 stars I can't be disappointed by something I thought I wasn't going to like, but dang, did I not like this one. Check out my review here.

The King of Bones and Ashes by J.D. Horn 1.5 stars (DNF) This had potential, but that potential was short-lived. And so was my time with this book. Check out my review here.

Overall, there are a couple of gems here and some books that you may really like (or love). Sadly, these were my 2018 busts. I was raging over some, crying in disappointment over others, and shrugging my shoulders in mock acknowledgment. I don't want to end this on a completely negative note and I always want to recommend books, so here are the five I recommend the most from this list:
1. Starlings
2. P.S. I Still Love You 
3. A Court of Frost & Starlight
4. Reign of the Fallen
5. The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Have you read any of these novels? What were your most disappointing reads recently or in 2018? What are your thoughts on my list? Let me know down below in the comments!

Books I've Read in 2018 #55-57

 

Hey, everyone! Today I posted a video where I talked about some books that I read in July 2018. It's been a while, but I hope that some of these books pique your interest.

THE BOOKS:

Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari- 1.5 stars This was a YA thriller that I thought would blow me away. Sadly, it was a letdown. I was so disappointed with the overall writing, plot, and character development of this novel. Check out my review here.

A Wilderness Station: Selected Stories, 1968-1994 by Alice Munro 3.6 stars for the overall collection. I don't hate this, but I was not a fan of the overall collection. It's interesting to see Munro's progression as a writer (SPOILER: it gets better as time goes on), but I am just not a fan of her overall stories, moral conversations, or development.

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager 5 stars I am a huge fan of this novel. It was one of the best books I read in 2018 and this thriller just hooked me. It was exactly what I needed and the story felt so campy (Haha) and had one of the best twist endings. I can't recommend this one enough. Check out my review here!

Recommend the Most:

The Last Time I Lied is hands down the best of the three! It's a solid 5-star book for me. It has its moments of almost failure, but the ending made up for where this novel almost went (it would've still been a highly rated novel).

STATS:

Books Reviewed: 2
Books Rated Over 4 stars: 1
New Favorites: 1
Books That Changed My Life: 0
Owned: 1

 

Have you read any of these novels? Are you a thriller reader? What 2019 releases do I need to read ASAP? Let me know down below in the comments!

Worry Less, Pray More: A Woman's Guide to Anxiety-Free Living by Donna K. Maltese

Worry, Less, Pray More: A Woman's Devotional Guide to Anxiety-Free Living by Donna K. Maltese

4 stars

I struggle with anxiety. I don't have debilitating anxiety, but every now and then I am hit by it in waves. I am particularly anxious right now due to my university changing the policies of the program for education a year before I graduate. It was all very last minute and without warning. So, reading this devotional guide was a nice respite from the stress that I'm currently battling with. Of course, anxiety is a tool that the enemy uses to make us question God's goodness, faithfulness, divinity, and love. However, the verses this novel uses are great and offer a lot of comfort. Devotional guides are hit or miss and there were only a few in here that made me kind of scratch my head in disagreement (pertaining to theology). I'm really glad that I decided to pick this one up though. It didn't change my life, but it brought me great solace, encouragement, and directed me to praying to God instead of letting myself get distracted. I definitely recommend it for those who are struggling with anxiety in everyday life or because of major life-altering situations.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 4

Cover Thoughts: I love this cover! It's one of my favorite illustrations.

Thank you, Netgalley and Barbour Books, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Have you read any devotionals that you think are fantastic and highly recommend? I'm always on the search for good supplemental material for my devotional time with God! Let me know down below in the comments.:) 

Books I've Read in 2018 #51-54

 

Hey, everyone!! It's so good to post another video and I'm behind on filming by months, but here is a video from some books I read in the summer of 2018. I'm a messy reader who takes forever to talk about what I read. Forgive me. :)

 THE BOOKS:

The Diviners by Libba Bray- 5 stars This is one of the best YA paranormal horror books I've read (or listened to). Seriously, this audiobook is absolutely fantastic and narrated. I can't recommend this story enough. It's set in the 1920s and full of spooky magic, demons, and people with divine powers. It's awesome.

 Lady in Waiting: Becoming God's Best While Waiting for Mr. Right by Jackie Kendall & Debby Jones- 4.25 stars This has some great commentary on Scripture, but is chalked full of some not-so-great commentary on other women that is filled with a little too much judgment. I'm not sure if I would recommend this one. If you feel like God is calling you to read it, then yes. But if not, you can pass this up and find another book to build your faith and trust in God up.

Endless Night by Richard Laymon- 1 star This was my most hated read of 2018. I absolutely couldn't stand it. It was dull, grotesque, and obscene for obscenity's sake. I was so disappointed by this one and it is not something I would recommend. Check out my review here. 

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter- 5 stars I love Karin Slaughter. She's dark and gritty. Her stuff is not for the faint of heart and this is one of the worst scenes regarding kids I've ever read. It's horrifying and listening to it almost made me throw up, but this novel packs a punch in all the right ways. I am a definite Slaughter fan.

Recommend the Most:

The Diviners and The Good Daughter are fantastic novels are both for a different set of people. They are both darker reads (which I tend to gravitate towards), so whichever genre is more your style (paranormal horror versus psychological thriller) is what I would recommend.

STATS:

Books Reviewed: 1
Books Rated Over 4 stars: 3
New Favorites: 2
Books That Changed My Life: 0
Owned: 2

 

Have you read any of these novels? What book are you most likely to pick up or most excited about? What are some of the darkest books you've read? Let me know down below in the comments!

Mini Reviews: The Yellow Wallpaper + Bleed Like Me

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
3.75 stars

"The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight."
The Yellow Wallpaper follows an unnamed woman and her letters of her husband diagnosing her as ill. She has been confined to a nursery in a mansion as her husband's sister cares for their baby. It's a chilling tale that is well-known and widely acclaimed. It's creepy and unsettling. I really enjoyed my experience reading this one and I know it'll be one that I remember when it comes to short stories. It wasn't a personal favorite for me and I think that may lend itself to the childlike writing style. I did, however, enjoy the setting and the tone. It all felt very isolating and shaky the closer I got to the ending and I loved that.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 3.5

Character Scale: 3

Plotastic Scale: 4.25

Cover Thoughts: I don't have a cover on my Kindle edition. It's one of those placeholder covers that they give free Kindle classics.

Bleed Like Me: Poems for the Broken by Azzurra Nox

1 star- DNF @40%

This is a poetry collection that focuses more on darker content and themes. I love dark poetry. I'm always down for a good Poe-wannabe, but note I said good. This one is not good. I cringed inwardly so many times at the vulgar, grotesque, and obscenity. I like weird and dark things. This poetry collection was the Endless Night of horror for me. It's so overtly dark that it becomes campy and questionable. I just was not a fan and I tried to read this all the way through because it's a short poetry collection, but I just couldn't force myself to continue. It was too painful.


Here are the questionable things I encountered:
"Inject me with anti-depressants, / They are my only companions. / Allow the worms to crawl on over me, / Possess me. / Eat me. / Until I rot. / Until I'm blot, out of my existence."
Questionable
"Rip my eyes from their sockets. / A queer fetish in your pocket."
Weird, but not the worst thing I've read.
"Look no further- / For I'd be your geisha. / I'd be [your] lover. / I'd be your prostitute, / I'd be your humble servant, / I'd be your slave."
IS THIS REAL? I can't.
Don't even get me started on the Mephistopheles with Scabbed Wings poem because it was revolting and just plain over-the-top.
The real-kicker is my personal favorite for why I can't continue with this flaming garbage:
"Because I've raped all your lovers. / You'll need to beg me before I'll shoot you up."


Whimsical Writing Scale: 1

Plotastic Scale: 1

Cover Thoughts: It's weird and I thought I was going to get something on the horror-side because of it.

Thank you, Netgalley and Twisted Wings Production, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Have you read either of these books? Are you a fan of The Yellow Wallpaper? If you haven't read it, it's free and I highly recommend giving it a shot! Let me know down below in the comments!

February Reading Wrap-Up + March Goals

Hey, everyone! It's been a while since I've posted a more chatty post. I've been so BUSY. February was a month that was just spent constantly being on the go. On my campus, the ministry I'm apart of did a week of prayer and a prayer tent, so I spent the whole week praying for people in the tent or walking around campus. It was busy, but one of the best weeks of my life. I also started an intercessory prayer team for the ministry alongside my best friend. It's called Interseed (how cute is that). It was a busy month for me, but it was a fantastic one!

Books Read in February:

Finding Selah: The Simple Practice of Peace When You Need It Most by Kristen Kill- 5 stars This is my favorite novel I've read so far this year. It follows the concept of "Selah" from the Psalms and how we as followers of Christ have to rest in God's goodness. It's all about rest and embracing Selah. I loved it!

 Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture edited by Roxane Gay- 5 stars This collection is fantastic. Listening to each essayist narrate their own past traumas and struggles with abuse or the implications of rape culture and its affect on their mental health and story was so heartbreaking and a reminder of how cruel humanity can be towards each other. This collection isn't easy or fun, but it's important. Check out my review here.
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker- 4 stars This one is a book that I was anticipating. I thought I was going to fall in love with it. At times I did, but at other times, I just liked it. This isn't a perfect novel, but the concept is different and I love that. Check out my review here.
the mermaid's voice returns in this one by Amanda Lovelace- 2.75 stars This poetry collection is the final one in Lovelace's famous poetry trilogy. It wasn't a showstopper for me, but I did enjoy it. I don't know if Lovelace is for me. I feel like she isn't, but then sometimes I feel like she is. I don't know if I'll keep reading her or not. I'm on the oust. Check out my review here.

A Woman's Battle for Grace: Why God is More Than You Expected and Everything You Need by Cheryl Brodersen- 4 stars This Christian Living novel was what I needed. I desired to learn more about grace and this book did exactly that. I don't know if this novel is the best Christian Living one out there, but it has stature in sound theology and some great commentary. I had some qualms though and it kind of hindered me from completely loving this novel. Check out my review here.

Overall Thoughts:
The month of February reading wise went as normal, but a lot of books I was listening to went back to the library and I'm on hold for them. I probably could've finished more, but I'm okay with the 5 that I did finish! Here are my 5-star reads:
1. Finding Selah
2. Not That Bad
These are actually my two favorite reads so far this year, so YAY!

2019 TBR:
*Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture
Total Read: 4

Currently Reading/ Hoping to Finish in March:
  
 Already Finished: The Yellow Wallpaper
Netgalley ARCs: Worry Less, Pray More, Bleed Like Me, A Darker Shade of Magic
Physical Books: Searching for Spring, The Spiritual Gifts Handbook, Helter Skelter, The Purple Book, East of Eden
Audiobooks: Bear Town, Bird Box, Dumplin', The Bell Jar

E-ARCs

February ARCs I Didn't Get To: Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Dark of the West, Never Tell, The Familiars, We Must Be Brave, Disciple Her
March ARCs: What the Wind Knows, Sick of Me, A Cloud by Day, a Fire by Night, NEW SUNS, Never-Contented Things, The Witch's Kind, Optimisfits, Highland Crown

Audiobooks:
 
These are all the audiobooks I have in my queue lined up to listen as well as the ones I have holds for.

Books I Own:
 

What did you read in February? Have you read any of these books? What was your favorite read of the month? Let me know down below in the comments!