October Wrap-Up 2019

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

  1. If Only I Could Tell You by Hannah Beckerman – ★★.5
    Genre: Contemporary Fiction
  2. American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan – ★★★★★ 
    Genre: True Crime
  3. Submerge by K.Y. Robinson★★★★★ 
    Genre: Poetry
  4. The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager – ★★★★
    Genre: Thriller
  5. Hermosa by Yesika Salgado – ★★★★
    Genre: Poetry
  6. Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas – ★★★★★
    Genre: New Adult Romance
  7. 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

877c907da176e65e5415604a7e593234.1000x1000x1If 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!

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Life Update, Currently Reading, & September TBR

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Hi everyone! It’s been a while! Just out here enjoying life and still figuring out this new life schedule of mine. I read nothing but The Diviners in the month of August, therefore no August Wrap-Up will be posted. Instead of reading, I watched all the seasons of La Casa De Papel and How To Get Away With Murder. I was also having fun and going out. Sometimes I think of doing blog posts of places I’ve visited. However, I’m the type of person who likes to enjoy the moment rather than take pictures of every single thing so I guess that’s a wrap lol.

giphy-55ALSO!!!!!!!!! It’s September!!! Which means it’s my birthday month!!! I turn 30 on the 20th. I’ll be going to Vegas and the Grand Canyon (team virgo all day every day!! earth sign gang!!!). I have a lot going on, many of my loved ones also celebrate their birthday this month. Therefore, I know that audiobooks will be my best friend cause I won’t be getting much reading done. It’s alright though! I refuse to be hard on myself because life is worth living and I love being a happy bitch.

Okay but now that I’ve given you a little life update, let’s get to the books because that’s what y’all are here for!

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Currently Reading

21853621In love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are.

France, 1939
In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When France is overrun, Vianne is forced to take an enemy into her house, and suddenly her every move is watched; her life and her child’s life is at constant risk. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates around her, she must make one terrible choice after another.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets the compelling and mysterious Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. When he betrays her, Isabelle races headlong into danger and joins the Resistance, never looking back or giving a thought to the real–and deadly–consequences.

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Currently listening via audiobook and reading along with paperback. I’m close to the 200 page mark and loving it! I can definitely see why this is a favorite. It’s gripping! Every time I put it down, I look forward to picking it back up.

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September TBR

So many books, so little time! I have a little TBR pile that’s sitting on my bedside. However, it’ll be getting side eyed this month. Therefore I chose three books that I’m sure I can get too; one hardcover book, one audiobook, and one ebook (two of them mostly for my plane rides to and from vegas/nyc).

Hardcover Book (Historical Fiction):

25813942For fans of Before We Were Yours and Where the Crawdads Sing, a magnificent novel about four orphans on a life-changing odyssey during the Great Depression, from the New York Timesbestselling author of Ordinary Grace.

1932, Minnesota—the Lincoln School is a pitiless place where hundreds of Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. It is also home to an orphan named Odie O’Banion, a lively boy whose exploits earn him the superintendent’s wrath. Forced to flee, he and his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.

Over the course of one unforgettable summer, these four orphans will journey into the unknown and cross paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds. With the feel of a modern classic, This Tender Land is an en­thralling, big-hearted epic that shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams, and makes us whole.

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Audiobook/Hardcover (Thriller):

36626748._SY475_Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she—or anyone—saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.

Now a rising star in the New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings—massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. The paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale. When Francesca implores her to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor, Emma sees an opportunity to try to find out what really happened to her friends.

Yet it’s immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by memories from fifteen years ago, Emma discovers a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian left behind about the camp’s twisted origins. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing threats from both man and nature in the present.

And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale, the more she realizes it may come at a deadly price.

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Ebook (Suspenseful Romance):

36602208._SY475_“Must be slim, able to stand for long periods of time, and be impervious to the cold.”
The headline caught my attention.
“Hours are negotiable, pay is minimal, clothing absolutely forbidden.”
The second line piqued my curiosity.
“Able to hold your bladder and tongue, refrain from opinions or suggestions, and be the perfect living canvas.”
The third made me scowl.
“Other attributes required: non-ticklish, contortionist, and obedient. Must also enjoy being studied while naked in a crowd.”
The fourth made me shudder.
“Call or email ‘YOUR SKIN, HIS CANVAS’ if interested in applying.”
The final made my heart race.
I should’ve kept scrolling past the advertisement.
I should’ve applied for the boring receptionist job at minimum wage.
I should’ve clicked on any other job where I got to keep my clothes on.
But I didn’t.
I applied.
My interview is tomorrow…

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That’s all for today! Any fun things you got going on in September? What books do you plan on reading? Let me know in the comments xo

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

June & July Book Haul (including BOTM)

Hey all! I hope you’re having a good day today. For today’s post I wanted to share with you the books I have obtained for the months of June and July. I usually add the books in my wrap-ups. However, I am doing a June and July Wrap-Up together and if I add this section, then that post will be very long. So here we are lol. And without further ado, let’s get into the books!


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This was my June Book of the Month Box! It includes:

  • A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum: A gripping historical fiction novel about 3 generations of Palestinian women.
  • A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson: A thriller (more like legal drama) about a 18 year old who is currently awaiting trial for killing someone and the secrets her family keeps.
  • Circe by Madeline Miller: A greek mythology retelling about a Goddess who happens to be a witch and is exiled to an island.

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I got these books from Barnes & Noble. I wanted to take a stroll and ended up with these:

  • When We Left Cuba (Next Year In Havana #2) by Chanel Cleeton: A historical fiction novel following one of the Perez sisters who gets hired by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro’s inner circle.
  • The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: A historical fiction novel set around WW2 about two sisters.

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My July Book of the Month box included:

  • Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center: A Contemporary Romance about a woman firefighter, her life, and courage.
  • Three Women by Lisa Taddeo: A narrative nonfiction that tells the story of 3 women within the span of 8 years.
  • Lock Every Door by Riley Sager: A thriller novel about a young woman who gets a job to become an apartment sitter at a prestigious building in Manhattan but the building and people in it aren’t what they seem.

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The last two books that I acquired in the month of July are:

  • Wilder Girls by Rory Power: A young adult horror novel about a school for girls that is place under quarantine. However, not everything is what it seems to be.
  • My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing: A thriller novel about a normal suburban family but then the couple gets bored and they decide to go for the kill.

And there you have it! My June & July book haul. Any of these books on your radar or have you read already? Let me know in the comments. Btw, if you’re interested in subscribing to BOTM and want a free book, check my referral link (not sponsored). I hope you have a great day!

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads