Reading Week | 2.18.19
It's winter day 167 and I think it's safe to say we're all over it. But, this week's post will be extra long- I didn’t get to post last week but finished three books and have a ton of upcoming new releases to share. I also have an exciting partnership to share (hint- it involves coffee!)
Linking up with Kathryn at The Book Date- the host of “It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?”
New Blog Posts
Review for We Cast a Shadow
TBR List for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge
Recently Read | Quick Lit for February 2019
New Partnerships
You probably know that I don’t do a ton of partnerships, but when I do it’s because it’s something that I genuinely use and think you guys might like. So when Coffee Subscribe reached out to me to see if they could send me coffee for consideration, I was all in. I’ve said it before but I tend to be a year round iced coffee drinker- I love to make it at home and bring a giant tumbler to work with me. I also like things to be automated- I’m all about ordering things online and having it arrive at my door without having to think about it.
Coffee Subscribe is a monthly coffee subscription service. The owners, Daniel and Tomas, went to Colombia to meet artisan coffee growers to find the best beans for their product. They’ve got whole bean and ground coffee in medium or dark roast. Their coffee is fair trade (sourced from single farms), gourmet (roasted in small batches), ethical, and 100% Colombian. In essence, it’s convenient and delicious and I’m thrilled to be able to work with them.
It’s sold on Amazon but you get a discount if you use their subscription service on their website. ($18.95 for one pound versus $16.95 for one pound if you subscribe). Plus, they were kind enough to give me a promo code! TINATBR gets you 20% off. (This is an affiliate link). If you order and enjoy- let me know!
From Instagram
I’ve been trying to step out of my reading comfort zone this month and placing more focus on books with substance. I still love my thrillers, but it's been nice to read books that will stick with me.
I finished reading
On the Come Up | Angie Thomas | I’m such an Angie Thomas fan. I was nervous to read her sophomore novel after having loved The Hate U Give so much, but I loved On the Come Up. Starr and Bri are quite different from each other but both characters are so authentic. This story tackles the effects of poverty, systemic racism, rap culture, drugs, gangs, and more. I’m so happy a book like this exists, especially in YA.
The Gunslinger | Stephen King | I finished book one in the Dark Tower series! It was a lot more difficult to get through that I thought it was going to be but I finally got used to the format and started to understand the goal of the book by the end. I can see why it’s considered King’s magnum opus.
Milk and Honey | Rupi Kaur | Fantastic poetry! After reading it I realize I’ve seen her poetry and drawings on Instagram. The words are sparse but pack an incredible punch- this would make a great gift.
Long Walk to Freedom | Nelson Mandela | I knew alarmingly little about Nelson Mandela before reading this. He’s led such a remarkable life. I listened to it and it was great narration- but I do which I would have read it, because the audiobook I read was abridged and I wanted to read it all. Great biography.
I’m currently reading
The Color Purple | Alice Walker | A classic! This is the February pick for the Spines and Vines #diversespines reading challenge and also meets the criteria for an epistolary for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. It's so well loved by everyone and I've never read it. It's me taking a minute to get into the format, but I’ll push through!
Upcoming Reading Plans
The Drawing of the Three | Stephen King | Book Two in the Dark Tower series! I'm trying to get through all of them this year and now that I'm into the story, I think things are going to get easier. This one picks up right where Book One ends, so I'm excited to see where it goes. I’ll be listening to this one.
New ARCs
Before She Knew Him | Peter Swanson | Release Date: 3/5/19 | Oh wow- this has the potential to be a thriller that I really like. A woman with a past history of mental illness feels like she’s finally getting herself together, when a man who gives her reason to believe he could be have committed a terrible crime moves in next door to her.
41 Reasons I’m Staying In: A Celebration of Introverts | Hallie Heald | Publication Date: 1/29/19 | This book is gorgeous! Its premise is simple- the author gives you 41 reasons you have to stay home, ranging from needing to practice your magic to getting in touch with your wild side. The illustrations are what sets this apart, though- the details are incredible! This would be another great gift.
American Spy | Lauren Wilkinson | Release Date: 2/12/19 | I’m always looking for more suspense/thriller books written by diverse authors and/or with diverse characters and this one looks like a hit! It’s a debut character driven spy novel with a Black female FBI agent. Love the cover color, too!
The Huntress | Kate Quinn | Release Date: 2/18/19 | You guys love Kate Quinn! I had a ton of comments after I posted it in my stories. This is historical fiction about a battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot who join forces to track the Huntress, a Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America.
The Girls in the Pictures | Melanie Benjamin | Paperback Release Date: 1/16/19 | I loved the author’s previous book, The Swans of Fifth Avenue so I had to pick this up. This is about two young women in Hollywood in the early 1900s and their struggle to make it. There are also cameos by real people like Charlie Chaplin and Lillian Gish, which I love.
The Trial of Lizzie Borden | Cara Robertson | Release Date: 3/12/19 | This might be the one that I’m the MOST EXCITED ABOUT. The author put 20 years of research into this- it’s the true story of the trial of Lizzie Borden. It’s historical true crime and tries to answer the question- was Lizzie Borden guilty?
What are you reading now?
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