October Wrap-Up 2019

November 4, 2019November 3, 2019 chicnerdreads10 Comments

Hey all! This year has gone by so quick. I cannot believe we’re in November. And I also can’t believe its daylight savings. Bleh. Time to fight seasonal depression even harder now lol. Anyways! I had a pretty good reading month. I read 7 books!!! I don’t remember the last time I read that many books lol. I am so surprised with how much I’ve been reading this year because I was in a huge slump all of 2018. Now let’s get to the month!

Books I Read

If Only I Could Tell You by Hannah Beckerman – ★★.5
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan – ★★★★★
Genre: True Crime
Submerge by K.Y. Robinson – ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager – ★★★★
Genre: Thriller
Hermosa by Yesika Salgado – ★★★★
Genre: Poetry
Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas – ★★★★★
Genre: New Adult Romance
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne – ★★★★★
Genre: Romance

Books Acquired

For October, I had skipped BOTM (book of the month) box because none of the picks interested me. However, I did pick up these two poetry collections (Submerge and Hermosa) that I happened to read on the same month which makes me really happy. I don’t like leaving books I buy unread for too long because then I forget them, lose interest, and never read them. This happens 9.5 out of 10 times lol. And you know, just trying to break habits here.

A Fave of the Month

If you don’t know, I am a huge fan of the singer Alina Baraz. I love her voice and lyrics. It’s been some time since she came out with a song and the song that she happened to release literally made me cry. The lyrics are pretty much how 2019 has been to me personally. The song is titled To Me.

“I’m not asking for too much. I’m asking the wrong motherfucker. Just ’cause we’re in love doesn’t mean that we’re right for each other. Can’t keep makin’ a home out of you just ’cause you’re asking me to. I’m not asking for too much (can we do it over?). Here’s to good people, good nights, good highs, good health, some tears, some stress but I count my blessings. Here’s to good music, great sex little time to feel alive, little time to get it right.”

That is all for today! Have you read any of these books or plan on too? I do plan on posting some mini reviews for the books mentioned above. Till next time!

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May Wrap-Up 2019

June 12, 2019June 12, 2019 chicnerdreads7 Comments

Better late than never right? Lol. I thought I was never going to get to this post. But here we are. I’m super excited to say that I read EIGHT books in the month of May. That’s a first in a very long time. For today’s post, I’ll be talking about books I read, books I acquired, and things I watched. All book titles will link you to Goodreads.

What I Read

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James ★★★★★
A mystery thriller novel set in a boarding school in Vermont. This book is written within two different perspectives/timelines, 1950 and 2014. One of my favorite reads with a small paranormal element. I have a mini review here.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides ★★★★★
A mystery thriller novel about a woman who lives a normal life and one day out of the blue she kills her husband and goes mute. Never to speak again. Till a psychotherapist is convinved that he can change that circumstance around and unravel the truth. Mini review here.
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren ★★★
A contemporary romance about second chances and finding forgiveness. Another book with two timelines from the time the main characters are teenagers to present day adulthood. Mini review here.
No Exit by Taylor Adams ★★★
A mystery thriller novel about a young woman who is on her way to see her dying mother but she gets caught up in a blizzard and has to go to a rest stop till weather conditions permit her to drive. However, in the rest stop, she sees a little girl locked in an animal crate and now the stakes are high. Mini review here.
Sadie by Courtney Summers ★★★★★
A YA mystery novel about a girl named Sadie who takes matters into her own hands to avenge her sisters death. However, a radio personality hears about the story at a gas station and decides to follow Sadie’s journey because she’s missing. Told through Sadie’s POV and podcast, best to listen through audiobook. Mini review here.
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton ★★★★★
A contemporary historical fiction romance novel based in 1958 and present day about a grandmother and a granddaughter. When the grandmother dies, the granddaughter is to lay her grandmothers ashes in Cuba. However, the trip will reveal a lot of deep secrets about the exiled Perez family. Mini review of my favorite read here.
Drowned in Milk Tea by Anne Chivon ★★★★★
My best friend sent me an ARC of her chapbook filled with beautiful poems about the good and bad of love, dealing with loss, and the memories. I will have a review up on release day, June 21st.
The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) by Helen Hoang ★★.5
A contemporary romance about an Autistic man whose mom decides to take his love life into her own hands and flies to Vietnam to find him a bride. Finding someone, she moves in and things take off. Mini review here.

Books Acquired

I got my second Book of The Month box filled with three books this time around. And I am happy to state that all three books were read! I feel like I’ve been doing really well with buying books and reading them as soon as I get them. It helps with not losing interest and then it sitting on my shelf for god knows how long.

If you’re ever interested in Book of The Month check out my referral link. I do not get any compensation. But the referral link gets you a free book credit and a free book for myself too. Also! Just an FYI, they only ship to USA.

What I Watched

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FIRST OF ALL, THAT GAME OF THRONES FINALE WAS TRASH. UTTER TRASH. THAT IS IT.
I finally finished season two of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and honestly, I found it kind of boring. However, I understand there was a lot of buildup for season 3 and will keep watching. I think season 3 will be very good. I did like the little plot twists and new characters.
And finally, I watched a childhood movie, Aladdin, with my brother and mami!!!! OMG we loved it so much and thought it was a great adaptation.

And that is all for today! This May Wrap-Up was better late than never. Hope your June is going well.

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WWW Wednesday

April 17, 2019April 16, 2019 chicnerdreads4 Comments

I haven’t done one of these since October of 2017
so please forgive my rustiness lol

Hi everyone! I thought I would participate in WWW Wednesday today. This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. You can link your blog post to Sam’s website that way we can interact and find other bloggers =)

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

I am currently reading an Adult Mystery/Thriller novel titled Miracle Creek by Angie Kim. I’m only about 50 pages in. However, I’m really enjoying it. It’s told by different perspectives but still maintaining a 3rd POV which is really interesting. It has me intrigued enough to want to know what’s going to happen next.

Synopsis:
A literary courtroom drama about a Korean immigrant family and a young, single mother accused of murdering her eight-year-old autistic son

My husband asked me to lie. Not a big lie. He probably didn’t even consider it a lie, and neither did I, at first . . .

In the small town of Miracle Creek, Virginia, Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment device known as the Miracle Submarine—a pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for therapeutic “dives” with the hopes of curing issues like autism or infertility. But when the Miracle Submarine mysteriously explodes, killing two people, a dramatic murder trial upends the Yoos’ small community.

Who or what caused the explosion? Was it the mother of one of the patients, who claimed to be sick that day but was smoking down by the creek? Or was it Young and Pak themselves, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? The ensuing trial uncovers unimaginable secrets from that night—trysts in the woods, mysterious notes, child-abuse charges—as well as tense rivalries and alliances among a group of people driven to extraordinary degrees of desperation and sacrifice.

Angie Kim’s Miracle Creek is a thoroughly contemporary take on the courtroom drama, drawing on the author’s own life as a Korean immigrant, former trial lawyer, and mother of a real-life “submarine” patient. An addictive debut novel for fans of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng, Miracle Creek is both a twisty page-turner and a deeply moving story about the way inconsequential lies and secrets can add up—with tragic consequences

I finished Baptized in Moonlight, a poetry collection, written by Morgan Scott. I do plan on reviewing this book so stay tuned for that! This was a 5 star read!

Synopsis:
In this collection of poems, Morgan Scott depicts the story of a young girl turned ferocious woman, and ties her growth to the phases of the moon. Written with the intimacy and unflinching honesty of an untamed spirit scorned and reborn, Baptized in Moonlight is a book for anyone who has ever felt as if the odds were stacked against them. Filled with painful acknowledgments of broken relationships – and the hope of a life lived with wild passion – you will dive to the depths and ascend to new peaks as you begin your own journey through the lunar cycle. This collection is part heartbreak story, part coming of age, part love song, and part battle cry. You will find yourself among the pages, and be spurred to get to know yourself on a deeper level.

I also finished Sanctuary (Beards and Bondage #2), a Romance novel with a sprinkle of Erotica, written by Rebekah Weatherspoon. This is a companion novel to her first book, Haven. I loved the characters in this one but I definitely was expecting a little more. I feel like there wasn’t a smooth transition to the romance and them being together sexually. I rated this book 4 stars.

Synopsis:
When she needs a sanctuary…

Targeted by a sadistic former client, attorney Liz Lewis needs a place to lay low. When a friend offers her his family farm as a safe house, she eagerly accepts, unaware that she’ll have to share the farm with her friend’s brawny, beautiful brother, Silas McInroy.

…she invades his…

Weary of a world that doesn’t understand him, Silas just wants to be left alone to grow the best produce upstate New York has to offer. Still, he’s not going to toss a woman out when her safety is on the line. But the only way to explain her presence on his farm is to claim that they fell in love online…and the last thing he needs is a fake relationship that threatens to become more and more real every day.

With her world turned upside down and danger on her trail, Liz knows that this temporary refuge can’t last forever…but leaving the comfort and ease of Silas’s arms and farm to face the reality of her life may be the hardest thing she’s ever had to do.

*** WARNING: This book contains scenes of mild bondage and domination between a gorgeous lawyer and a sexy farmer who is terrible with women. And five farm dogs with varying degrees of loyalty to both the hero and heroine.***

My next read will be Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, a collection of short stories. Thanks to the author and Penguin for sending me a final copy of this book. I plan on seeing Kali next week Monday during her book tour here in NYC. I am really excited and would love to read this book before the event.

Synopsis:
A haunting debut story collection on friendship, mothers and daughters, and the deep-rooted truths of our homelands, centered on Latinas of indigenous ancestry that shines a new light on the American West.

Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s magnetic story collection breathes life into her Latina characters of indigenous ancestry and the land they inhabit. Set against the remarkable backdrop of Denver, Colorado–a place that is as fierce as it is exquisite–these women navigate the land the way they navigate their lives: with caution, grace, and quiet force.

In “Sugar Babies,” ancestry and heritage are hidden inside the earth but tend to rise during land disputes. “Any Further West” follows a sex worker and her daughter as they leave their ancestral home in southern Colorado only to find a foreign and hostile land in California. In “Tomi,” a woman leaves prison and finds herself in a gentrified city that is a shadow of the one she remembers from her childhood. And in the title story, “Sabrina & Corina,” a Denver family falls into a cycle of violence against women, coming together only through ritual.

Sabrina & Corina is a moving narrative of unrelenting feminine power and an exploration of the universal experiences of abandonment, heritage, and an eternal sense of home.

Have you read any of these books or plan too? Let’s chat in the comments!

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

welcome to ghost town out now!

October 23, 2018October 23, 2018 chicnerdreads18 Comments

AHHHH!!!!!!!!!! IT IS HERE!!! MY SECOND POETRY COLLECTION IS OUT TO THE WORLD!!! THE ONE THAT BELONGED TO THIS VERY BLOG TITLED AS “PEOPLE I ONCE KNEW” BACK IN LATE 2016-EARLY 2017.

welcome to ghost town is available to purchase via amazon worldwide and other online retailers. it’s also available via paperback and kindle edition. i am honestly so speechless that i get to type my second announcement like this to the world. this collection has been such an emotional ride. it’s very different from my debut love, and you. i’m just you know, freaking out!!!

the blogging community has really played a key part in me releasing this collection. it’s raw, it’s sad, it’s not hopeful like the first one. welcome to ghost town really broke me because i went deep into traumatic experiences. this one has a trigger warnings list and an authors note. and yeah i’m super nervous and scared about people reading this to be honest. like i don’t know what to expect so i’ll sit here and cry.

talking about crying….THANK YOU FOR THIS!!

please hold…..HOLY SH!T I AM A MESS

these are the stories of
people i once knew.
they have come and
gone like ghosts in
the night. you might
not be a part of my
life anymore but
you’re still the ghosts
who haunt me.

– welcome to ghost town

you can purchase the second poetry collection here:

amazon (also available worldwide)

barnes & noble

other online retailers as well

thanks so much for being there!

september book haul – 2018

October 5, 2018October 4, 2018 chicnerdreads7 Comments

well hello. hi. how are ya? it’s been a very long time since i’ve done a book haul. i actually haven’t been buying books because i don’t read. i’ve been in a huge reading slump since i started this whole author thing. i don’t remember the last fictional book i read tbh. but umm i’ve been wanting to read again so here we are =) let’s get started okuuuurrrrrr

Vengeful (Villains #2) by V.E. Schwab

Genre: Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Synopsis: The sequel to VICIOUS, V.E. Schwab’s first adult novel.

Sydney once had Serena—beloved sister, betrayed enemy, powerful ally. But now she is alone, except for her thrice-dead dog, Dol, and then there’s Victor, who thinks Sydney doesn’t know about his most recent act of vengeance.

Victor himself is under the radar these days—being buried and re-animated can strike concern even if one has superhuman powers. But despite his own worries, his anger remains. And Eli Ever still has yet to pay for the evil he has done.

Wildcard (Warcross #2) by Marie Lu

Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Synopsis: Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo’s new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she’s always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo’s grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone’s put a bounty on Emika’s head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn’t all that he seems–and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1) by Victoria Schwab

Genre: Middle Grade, Paranormal, Fantasy

Synopsis: Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn’t sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn’t belong in her world. Cassidy’s powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

Fierce Fairytales: Poems and Stories to Stir Your Soul by Nikita Gill

Genre: Poetry, Short Stories

Synopsis: Traditional fairytales are rife with cliches and gender stereotypes: beautiful, silent princesses; ugly, jealous, and bitter villainesses; girls who need rescuing; and men who take all the glory.

But in this rousing new prose and poetry collection, Nikita Gill gives Once Upon a Time a much-needed modern makeover. Through her gorgeous reimagining of fairytale classics and spellbinding original tales, she dismantles the old-fashioned tropes that have been ingrained in our minds. In this book, gone are the docile women and male saviors. Instead, lines blur between heroes and villains. You will meet fearless princesses, a new kind of wolf lurking in the concrete jungle, and an independent Gretel who can bring down monsters on her own.

Complete with beautifully hand-drawn illustrations by Gill herself, Fierce Fairytales is an empowering collection of poems and stories for a new generation.

***thanks you Hachette Books and Nikita Gill for sending me a finished copy

Lemon Acuarelas by Chyenne Raine

Genre: Poetry

Synopsis: cheyenne raine explores the themes of culture, faith, love, and more in a bilingual collection of poetry. lemon acuarelas is soaked in light and things that feel both sweet and sour.

By The Thread of My Heart: A Poetry Collection by Nicki Naomi

Genre: Poetry

Synopsis: ‘By the Thread of My Heart’ is self-love, honesty and the beauty of what it is to be a woman. It is the belief in the magic that happens when we stop hurting and begin healing. The shift changing occurrences that happen when we begin to own exactly who we are. This collection of prose and poetry also contains a series of letters written to Love. Personifying it and speaking to it in its truest form. This is a collection based on the personal life experiences of Nicki Naomi as she continues to remain vulnerably open to growth.

and done! i am excited for all these books. i keep eyeing vengeful though because vicious was an ultimate fave and i have been waiting YEARS for this second book. i had received the owlcrate special edition and schwab wrote a note for the readers, she mentioned some new characters that i cannot wait to read more about. any of these books on your tbr or to be hauled pile? let’s chat in the comments!

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WWW Wednesday

October 25, 2017October 24, 2017 chicnerdreads15 Comments

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

I am currently reading Wild Beauty by Anna Marie McLemore. I just started this beauty of a book last night (Tuesday) and omg the beautiful lyrical writing, the setting, and the characters so far have me swooning. The world is rich and detailed. I really cannot wait to read more! synopsis:

Love grows such strange things.

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family.

I recently finished two poetry books, them being (titles will take you to goodreads): the sun and her flowers by rupi kaur and Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell, both with ratings of 5 stars. These poetry books are amazing and I will be doing mini reviews for them. I cannot wait to tell you about them! They both are filled with raw emotions and I related to the both of them very well.

You would think for someone who recently did a september book haul, I would pretty much know what I’m going to read next right? Wrong. I’ve been in the biggest book slump when it comes to reading anything other than poetry and it sucks. I miss reading fictional books but I’ve had a lot going on this year as well. Here is what I’ll try to read next:

Ringer by Lauren Oliver is the second installment in the Replica Trilogy. This is one of my highly anticipated books of 2017. Lauren Oliver is a favorite author of mine and with the way things left off in Replica, I really want to know what is going to happen in Ringer. I have a full spoiler free review of Replica here if you would like to check it out. I am purposely leaving out the synopsis for Ringer =)

Mortician’s Daughter: One Foot in the Grave by C.C. Hunter is the first in a trilogy. This one releases on the day of Halloween and I seriously cannot wait to read it. C.C. Hunter is another favorite author of mine. She wrote my favorite series, Shadow Falls. I cannot believe that the time is already here and Mortician’s Daughter will be out in less than a week! synopsis:

Her dad’s an alcoholic. Her mom passed away when she was young. She sees dead people. Can seventeen-year-old Riley Smith’s life get any crazier? Yes it can.

When Riley’s attempt to help a spirit leads her to the discovery that the young woman’s death wasn’t an accident, she finds herself face-to-face with the killer. And just when things seem like they couldn’t get any more complicated, she’s visited by another ghost, a boy her age, whose smile makes her melt. Her job is to convince him to pass over, but her heart doesn’t want to let him go.

have you read any of these books or plan too? what’s on your www? let’s chat in the comments below!

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The Mid Year Freakout Book Tag

July 25, 2017July 24, 2017 chicnerdreads38 Comments

Hello everyone!!! It’s been months since I’ve done a tag and I really like this one. I was tagged by the wonderful Azia @ The Uncharted Word, you all need to check out her beautiful page.

To play fair because I know this tag is super late, I will only count the books I have read from January 1st to June 30th. Let’s start!

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2017?

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This was such an easy answer because it’s really stuck with me. It’s actually one of the very first books I read in the beginning of the year. I have a full non-spoiler rave review here.

2. Best sequel of 2017 so far?

Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab! Hands down, best sequel I have read so far. I do plan on reading A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Light in the next half of the year so I wonder if any of these will take it’s place lol. I have a non-spoiler review here.

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to?

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee! This book has asexual representation and if you don’t know, I identify as gray ace (demisexual). A lot aces in the book community have been raving about this one so yes!!!! Here is the synopsis:
After a shout-out from one of the Internet’s superstar vloggers, Natasha “Tash” Zelenka finds herself and her obscure, amateur web series, Unhappy Families, thrust into the limelight: She’s gone viral.

Her show is a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina—written by Tash’s literary love Count Lev Nikolayevich “Leo” Tolstoy. Tash is a fan of the forty thousand new subscribers, their gushing tweets, and flashy Tumblr GIFs. Not so much the pressure to deliver the best web series ever.

And when Unhappy Families is nominated for a Golden Tuba award, Tash’s cyber-flirtation with Thom Causer, a fellow award nominee, suddenly has the potential to become something IRL—if she can figure out how to tell said crush that she’s romantic asexual.

Tash wants to enjoy her newfound fame, but will she lose her friends in her rise to the top? What would Tolstoy do?

4. Most anticipated release of the second half of 2017?

Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle. Thanks to my twin, Lilly @ LairofBooks for mentioning it to me. Ever since she mentioned Spellbook, it’s been on my planner waiting to be released and purchased lol.
Here’s the synopsis:
One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something bigger; something she won’t talk about.

Then Olive meets three wild, mysterious strangers: Ivy, Hazel and Rowan. Like Rose, they’re mourning losses – and holding tight to secrets.

When they discover the ancient spellbook, full of hand-inked charms to conjure back lost things, they realise it might be their chance to set everything right. Unless it’s leading them towards secrets that were never meant to be found . . .

5. Biggest disappointment?

Lol I am going to get major side eye for this one and maybe lose a few more followers like I already did when I posted my spoiler rant review. However, I have to be truthful with myself. The answer is A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTWAR #3) by Sarah J. Maas. I found the book to be very problematic. The thing that upsets me most about this one was that it had a lot of potential (in my opinion) to be great. I really absolutely adored A Court of Mist and Fury so to read this one and see the outcome was just utterly disappointing.

6. Biggest surprise?

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia! I loooooved that book so much! It was heavily compared to Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and I didn’t enjoy Fangirl at all. But! I loved Eliza and the graphic novel inserts. I wrote a non-spoiler review here.

7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)?

K.Y. Robinson!!! I read her debut poetry collection The Chaos of Longing that was self-pub and is now officially signed by Andrews McMeel. The re-release of Chaos of Longing will be out in September. The Chaos of Longing made me cryyyyy!!! She also published two other poetry books under a pseudonym and I really loved them.

8. Newest fictional crush?

I don’t have a fictional crush……

9. Newest favorite character?

Sarai from Strange the Dreamer!! Gosh her character arc is amazing and her power is great too. Also, if you haven’t read Strange the Dreamer, you definitely should. I have a non-spoiler review here.

10. Book that made you cry?

soft magic. by Upile Chisala. This debut poetry collection that came out a while back had me seriously tearing. There was so much beauty and honesty. Amazing poems of women empowerment. I would definitely recommend this! Here is the synopsis:
‘soft magic.’ is the debut collection of prose and poetry by Malawian writer, Upile Chisala. This book explores the self, joy, blackness, gender, matters of the heart, the experience of Diaspora, spirituality and most of all, how we survive. ‘soft magic.’ is a shared healing journey.

11. Book that made you happy?

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember! I have a non-spoiler review for it here. Finally a mermaid book with some norse mythology that was worth every second of my time!

12. Favorite book to movie adaptation you’ve seen this year?

I don’t have an answer for this because either I cannot remember watching anything or I haven’t watch a book to movie adaptation this year. And I am going to lean with the latter.

13. Favorite review you’ve written this year?

This answer goes hand in hand with the first question. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern! It was really fun to write that review, add quotes from the book, and aesthetic ❤

14. Most beautiful book you bought or received so far this year?

Lol this is going to sound really pretentious but I have to go with my own poetry book love, and you. I am obsessed with my own book and the cover. Sorry not sorry haha *hides face in embarrassment*

15. What books do you need to read by the end of year?

Whoa I have so many books to read by the end of the year but I’ll just insert the covers here and ones that are already out:

and that is all for today! let’s chat in the comments about your thoughts and opinions on some of my answers! thanks so much for stopping by ❤

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

WWW Wednesday

March 22, 2017March 21, 2017 chicnerdreads43 Comments

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

what are you currently reading?

Been on a reading slump for some of February and so far all of March. I tried reading like 4 different books but none of them caught my attention. I swam and drowned in the reading slump till my friend/blogger buddy Debby @ alwaysbooking surprised me with 2 books!! I still can’t believe this and thank you again Debby!!! One of the books are We Are Okay by Nina LaCour. After reading the synopsis again and seeing how small and short the book is in person, I decided to give it a chance. AND MY SLUMP IS OUT THE WINDOW!!!!! WOOOOOOO!!!!! I am so enjoying this book!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

what did you recently finish reading?

I “recently” finished…more like my last book I read many weeks ago was It Starts Like This by Shelby Leigh and I have a full review here. This is a debut poetry collection and I thought it was great! 5 out of 5 stars ❤

what do you think you’ll read next?

I’ll be reading another poetry book! I’ve been really in the mood to read this one next. And that is Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately by Alicia Cook. Another poetry collection! I got the self-published version but now that she is signed to Andrews McMeel Publishing, her book will be re-released with brand new poems and a brand new take on April 11th!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In Alicia Cook’s second poetic effort, designed in the style of an old mixtape, she sets her thoughts to a nostalgic tune. There is no Table of Contents. Instead, there is a “Track List,” making it easy to refer to them to your friends with a, “Hey did you read track seven?!” There are no chapters. Instead, the book is divided into two parts, or as one would say in the 90’s, two “sides.” Side A holds poetry that touches on all aspects of the human condition like life, death, love, moving on, evolving, growing up, hometowns, family dynamic, life after trauma, and make-ups and breakups. Side B holds the “remixes” of these poems, in the form of blackout poetry, also known as “found poetry.” Side B gives the material a fresh twist by creating new poetry out of Side A. There is also a very special surprise at the end of each track.

thoughts on these titles??? have you read any of these books? let’s chat in the comments!

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Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

February Wrap-Up 2017

March 9, 2017March 9, 2017 chicnerdreads30 Comments

Super late with this February Wrap-Up but hi everyone!! I hope you are all doing well. As many of you know, I was on a little blog hiatus since I’ve been working on my poetry book. Which by the way, the release date has moved up to April 4th, 2017. I will have a separate post talking all about that sometime very soon. I love sharing this process with you. And thanks to everyone who’s been riding with me.

February was pretty much a life changer for me and my bestie/twin Lilly. Many of you also know her as Lair of Books. It’s all so great because we both didn’t expect our lives to kind of change drastically for the good. She won a “lotto” and got this amazing apartment here in NYC and I had the honor of helping her one day throughout the move. Funny because I was reorganizing her bookshelves (YES SHE LET ME TOUCH HER SHELVES!!!!) while she sat and read/edited my book. That moment was kind of life changing because we were both experiencing our own brand new happiness in a shared time and space. And I’m so happy that we both got to enjoy this bliss together, regardless of all the stress it came with.

I didn’t really read that much in February. I read a total of 5 books.
2 Dark New Adult
3 Poetry Books (I read those in one sitting)

What I Read:

Pennies (Dollar #1) by Pepper Winters ★★★★★
Genre: Dark New Adult
The themes of this book would usually drive me to the opposite direction because this one has a ton of trigger warnings but after reading enough non-spoiler reviews, I gave it a chance. And I am so happy that I did because it was soooooo good. I have a mini-review here.

Dollars (Dollar #2) by Pepper Winters ★★★★★
Genre: Dark New Adult
I needed the second book to this series after reading Pennies. I devoured this one and it never suffered from second book syndrome. I cannot wait for the rest of the series to release. I need to know what happens next. I also wrote a mini-review for Dollars here.

Uncaged Wallflower by Jennae Cecelia ★★★★
Genre: Poetry
Full of positivity and motivation, this collection is definitely a pick-me-upper. I have a review here that includes some poems from the book.

The Chaos of Longing by K.Y. Robinson ★★★★★ Genre: Poetry
I NEED ALL OF YOU TO PICK THIS ONE UP RIGHT NOW!! I can’t stop gushing about it but seriously this collection is so raw and beautiful. Definitely a high-fave in the poetry spectrum. I will boast about it for days. If you want to check out some of the poems, I have a full review here.

It Starts Like This by Shelby Leigh ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
An amazing debut collection. Shelby wrote a poem every single day in 2015 and this collection shows some of her favorites. If you want to know more and read some of the poems, you can check out my review here.

Poetry:
Since I was on a blog hiatus, I only posted one poem and that is:
oh hi, i wrote a thing

ICYMI:

The cover reveal to my poetry book ‘love, and you’ was posted February 20th!!! I still cannot believe this is happening! Less than a month away, my first book will be out to the world…ahhhhhhh!!!!!!

love, and you has a Goodreads page!

I also received my first physical proof copy in the mail and it was surreal. I cried.

I want to thank everyone who’s been supporting me through this journey. You all make this so effortless. Thank you all.

how has everything been on your end? i hope you are all doing well! let’s chat in the comments =)

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Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)