WWW Wednesday

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 =)

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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!


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

February Wrap-Up 2017

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:

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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.

 

 

 


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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.

 

 

 

 

 


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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.

 

 

 

 

 


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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.

 

 

 

 

 


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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.

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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 =)


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

It Starts Like This by Shelby Leigh Spoiler Free Book Review

Title: It Starts Like This
Author: Shelby Leigh
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

After writing a poem a day for a year, Shelby Leigh decided to take her favorite works from the challenge and create her debut poetry collection. Beginning with heartbreak and loss and ending with closure and hope, It Starts Like This is the narrative of a girl learning to overcome and appreciate all aspects of life. This collection takes you on a journey through love, loss, grieving, and healing and will resonate with you long after you’ve turned the last page.


This is Shelby Leigh’s debut collection of poems. She started off by posting a poem every day in 2015. This collection has all her favorite poems.

I really liked this collection, Shelby has a mix of long poems and short poems too. So we see her craft in different types of poems. Since this is a collection we see different emotions conveyed through each poem. In some poems she talks about love, loss, healing, and hurt.

I feel like a lot of people can relate to this collection if they ever experienced someone hurting them.

Definitely a strong debut for the author, I would love to read more by her.

Some of my favorite poems:

Swearing

I swear
with every kiss
you leave words on my tongue
and every time you break away
I breathe a poem
into my lungs


Battle Scars

I can create a painting
from the freckles on your cheeks
or a song from your soft breaths on my neck
I can trace the scars on your thighs
with our legs intertwined
a mark of triumph not of failure
a memory of a war you fought with yourself
and won


Full Moon

today I noticed I am a lot
like the moon
ignored and unexplored when
I am barely there
just a sliver in the darkness

but when I am at my best
full and vibrant
that is when I am noticed
that is when the wolves howl
to feel alive


And that is it for this review! I would love to know what you think! Let’s chat in the comments =)


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