April Wrap-Up 2019

I am rusty, dusty, and cruuuuusty with these wrap-ups lol. I haven’t done one since Fall of 2017. You know what? This is a free judgment zone so please don’t lmao!

Alright so I want to do something different with these wrap-ups. I not only want to share what I read but also other things so let’s get started!!! All book titles will link you to Goodreads.


What I Read

  1. Ink and Bone by Lisa Unger ★★★★
    A mystery thriller novel with paranormal elements. My first Lisa Unger book and I really enjoyed it. Definitely has that atmospheric dark tone read but not scary at all. I have a non-spoiler review here.
  2. Baptized in Moonlight by Morgan Scott ★★★★
    A poetry collection on self, growth, journey, and many other topics. I am so glad that I got to this! I have a full review with some of my favorite poems here.
  3. Sanctuary (Beards & Bondage #2) by Rebekah Weatherspoon ★★★★
    An adult erotica romance, this is my second time reading the author’s work. I definitely enjoyed the first one a lot more. What I love most about the author’s books is that it includes people of color as her characters which make it that much more fun. No review but I would definitely recommend, starting with the first one, Haven.
  4. Miracle Creek by Angie Kim ★★★
    A courtroom drama mystery thriller novel about a Korean Immigrant family and an explosion that happened. I have my full thoughts in a non-spoiler review here.
  5. Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens ★★★★
    A historical fiction coming of age novel with a little mystery in it. Wow, my favorite read of the month!!!! This book will stay with me for a long time. I have a full non-spoiler review here.
  6. The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker ★★★★.5
    An adult contemporary romance about a young woman who’s absent father is sick and she goes to visit him to possibly reconnect somehow. However, during the trip to Alaska, she was not expecting to bond with the guy who’s been an asshole to her since she landed. This book has the hate to love trope and is definitely a slow burn romance. I highly enjoyed this book because it was more than the romance, it was about self as well.

After typing out all the books I’ve read, I’m really surprised with how much I read. I think I found the genres that are for me (Mystery, Thriller, Adult Romance).


Books Acquired

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ICYMI, I did my first ever monthly subscription box to Book of the Month! Check this post if you want to read all about it. I received Miracle Creek by Angie Kim.

 

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One Saturday after my therapy session, I wanted to go book shopping and spend some money on myself. I missed roaming Barnes and Noble in peace and looking at the books, deciding which books to get. I bought these three books that were on my TBR shelf (two already read *high fives myself*).

Books in photo:
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

 

 

I feel like I’m doing so good with acquiring books and reading them right away! I’ll be starting Love and Other Words this week so I’m on track!


What I Watched

the-orderThe Order is about a secret society in a university. Except this secret society is filled with witches and warlocks. However, other monstrous things start taking place. I loved this and I hope there’s a second season.quicksand-netflix-reviewQuicksand is a 6 episode mini series about a school shooting. The episodes are a timeline of what led to the school shooting and what we see in the courtroom. I didn’t love this mini series but it definitely kept me interested, wanting to know who really did it and who was going to be prosecuted. Trigger warnings for school shootings, blood, suicide, and drug use.
AAAABTmInXtUWRG5D2F8YeNXd-a3HKryfQYLYa94N-GMP59U_Fw5juFG51curJ3UaPH4VAQo5wK64Mq2ndET3xbt587vc7m1XO-cOkay so this was a total rewatch for me. I’ve watched this movie like 4 times already lol. It’s the true story of two former Texas Rangers who killed Bonnie and Clyde. I love it because they don’t romanticize Bonnie and Clyde. I also really do love a good ole drama thriller set in the 1930s. Old crime stories really fascinate me.

And last but definitely not least lol. Are we surprised? C’mon are we actually surprised? Of course I watched Endgame the first weekend it showed and I enjoyed it!! Game of Thrones also started in April and FINALLY!!! The wait is over, we will get to know what happens. Yes I have watched every episode since it has aired. What a time to be alive!


Other Mentions

IMG_6114In April, I went to go see Bad Bunny in concert!!! If you don’t know who Bad Bunny is, he is a Puerto Rican Latin Trap Artist. This is my second time seeing him live and wow what a great time I had. I definitely love his new album X100PRE and he never disappoints! Arcangel and El Alfa also joined the stage with him to sing some of their songs together. I got to meet up with some of my friends who I haven’t seen in a long time and I also got to look super cute lol. After the concert was over, I was starved. So my friend took me to this spot called The Meatball shop which was my first time ever trying. The food was great and I want to go back!

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But let’s talk about one of the most exciting things that happened this month!! BANKS came out with a new single titled Gimme and I have not stopped playing it at all. I have been waiting forever for Banks to drop something. She’s been hinting working in the studio for quite some time now and when this bop came out, I was not disappointed at all. I am so ready for an album. And I really hope she goes on tour to NYC so I can see her!

 


And that is all I have for today! What was the highlight of your April? Let’s chat in the comments!

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

April Wrap-Up 2017

Hi everyone!!! I’m always late to the monthly wrap-up party but they do say better late than never right? I had a way better month reading-wise in April than in March. Whereas in March, I read no books due to my book being released April 4th and I was a ball of mess and stress. With getting things ready and formatting the e-book of my poetry book, it was hard. In April I read tons of Poetry books because it was National Poetry Month, let’s get started on the books I read in April!

What I Read:

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Walking Through the Forest by Elizabeth Ann ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
This debut poetry book is definitely worth the word. It’s about divorce, pain, healing, and self-love. I wrote a review for it here.

 

 

 

 

 


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Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately by Alicia Cook ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
From this book being self-pub to now published via Andrews McMeel.  This poetry book is about grief, love, and loss. Divided into two parts, Side A and Side B the remixes. I have a full review here.

 

 

 

 


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Hummingbird by Sophia Elaine Hanson ★★★★★ 
Genre: Poetry
A small poetry book about break-up, being heartbroken, and finding yourself. I have a mini-review here.

 

 

 

 

 


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We Are Okay by Nina Lacour ★★★★★ 
Genre: YA Contemporary, LGBTQ+
This book was so perfect and amazing. A book about a girl who suddenly moves from one the west coast to the east coast and completely changes her life, leaving everything behind, even the people she loves the most. Till her best friend from her old life comes to visit and has her face everything. I wrote a mini review for this 5 star read here.

 

 

 


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Poems I Found in my Closet by Evette Blue ★★★★★ 
Genre: Poetry
goodreads synopsis: I found poems I wrote during the late 90s to early 2000s buried deep in my closet. Perhaps they should have stayed there. These writings explore teenage and early adulthood angst, love, and loss. I wrote these poems during a time when I felt lost, full of hormones, and thought that every setback was the end of the world. It was also before I diagnosed with a mental illness. It turns out that it wasn’t the end of the world. Nearly 20 year later, I’m still standing.
The following poems won’t be the greatest poems you’ve ever read. I just hope they’re not the worst you’ve ever read.
These are artifacts from my life. Laugh. Cry. Cringe. Relate. Drag me on Goodreads. Experience every emotion possible.


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Love Poems I Found in my Closet ★★★★★ 
Genre: Poetry
goodreads synopsis: Technically I didn’t find these poems in my closet. They were on my flash drive. They were a part of the first very draft of a bestselling book I wrote under a different pen name. As the book took another direction, I felt like some of these writings didn’t have a place in the collection anymore.
Like the first volume, these poems explore love and loss. It’s about falling in love, falling into bed, and falling apart. I wrote these poems around 2007-2008 after falling in love and experiencing the perils of unrequited love.
Again, the following poems won’t be the greatest poems you’ve ever read. I just hope they’re not the worst poems you’ve ever read.
These are more artifacts from my life. Laugh. Cry. Cringe. Relate. Drag me. Experience every emotion possible.


 

Poems I Found in my Closet and Love Poems I Found in my Closet do not have reviews because they’re short and honestly both of them would be me gushing over them on how much I love them so much.


Some poems I posted:
is this the part where i apologize?
counting backwards from 10

things have been a little hectic since my poetry book released, in a good way. i’m slowly adjusting to change and i do plan on posting more poems here like i used to ❤


Things That Happened in April:

On April 4th, my poetry book both in paperback and e-book version released!! I have gotten so much love and great feedback, thank you for all those that have been supporting me through this journey. I have a whole post about my book release here:

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my poetry book may be purchased in Amazon (worldwide), kindle unlimited, Barnes & Noble (online), and Book Depository.


I also was invited to do a podcast on April 30th and it was uploaded a few days ago. I talk about my book, being Latina, diversity in books, amongst other things. Thank you to the wonderful Valeria Flores for having me! If you would like to listen to it, check it out here:

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And that is it for the month of April! What have you all been up to? I would love to chat in the comments! Hope you all have a lovely day =)


Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)