Monthly Wrap-Up: December 2019

You guys, it's the last day of the year... the last day of the decade 😱 Oh man, I can't believe it!

I hope you all have a Happy New Year!

My Favorite Books of the Decade!

I've seen a lot of these types of posts floating around and I thought it would be fun to do... until I sat down to look through my books... Oh man, what I nightmare! 😬 Especially since I decided I wanted to complicate things for myself 🙄😂 First, I'm not including re-reads or novellas (which means no early TMI 😭), and I'm only including ONE book per series, otherwise I would just have nonstop Shadowhunters and Jennifer Estep books down the whole list 😅 Lol. And last, for every year I'm gonna pick some favorite books that were published that year as well as some favorite books I read that year but weren't necessarily published that year. Make sense? No? Cool. Let's go! 😉

Sunday Post #227: What I Got For Christmas

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Top 10 Anticipated Books of 2020!

Just like last year, you'll notice a trend here in that most of these books are sequels or from authors I've previously read. What can I say? I like what I like. Lol. (Also, there's one honorable mention there at the end.)

Top 10 Favorite Characters & Book Boyfriends of 2019!

Today I am sharing some of my favorite characters and book boyfriends of books I read this year! It was hard to narrow it down, but I did it! 😅

Top 10 Disappointing Books of 2019 (and Books I DNFd)!

It's the end of the year and we all love to talk about all the books we loved. But what about those we maybe didn't love so much? Well, that's why I'm here today! 🙃

Most of these are 3-star books (except for one of them... you'll see), so they weren't awful. But they did disappoint me. I also included some books I DNFd this year, which I almost never do. So there's that 😅

Top 20 Favorite Books & Series of 2019!

That's right, 20 because I refuse to pick favorites between my children. I already had to narrow things down quite a bit... I read a lot of Jennifer Estep books this year and I had to pick my top favorite books I read, which hurt my soul because she is my favorite author 😩 I also re-read a bunch of books this year, which I love, but I made the executive decision to not include those, and that also hurt.

Top 10 Books I Wish I’d Read in 2019!

This is my first post in the Best of 2019 posts series... or whatever 😅 Lol. These are all the books I wish I'd gotten around to this year but didn't for one reason or another.

Sunday Post #226: It's Staycation Time!

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

12 Days of Christmas Book Tag!

I saw this fun tag over at a GREAT read and it was created by Lizzie Loves Books!

Year of the Book Purge (AKA I Got Rid Of A Bunch Of Books On My TBR And It Feels Good!)

At the beginning of the year I started culling my tbr shelf on Goodreads with a fun feature called Down the TBR Hole, wherein each week you pick 5-10 books on your shelf and then decide whether you want to keep them or not. It was a really handy feature because it forced me to sit down, go through my tbr list, and really think about the books I want to read the most, and just get rid of the ones I knew I was never going to get to. Today I want to share the results of my culling with you... it's kind of insane.

Holiday Dinner Book Tag!

I've seen this tag around a bit, but one of the places I saw it more recently is at Angel's Guilty Pleasures. It was just a lot of fun to do! All of the books I picked are books I read this year, btw.

The Penguin Hotline Gave Me Some Recommendations...

About a week ago I saw this really interesting post over on Jen Ryland Reviews where she tried out the Penguin Hotline, which what?! I had no idea this was a thing! After reading her post I knew I needed to give it a shot! Basically what this is, is you input some info about yourself (or someone you're shopping for!) and you will get some book recommendations personalized to you! How cool is that?

Christmas Songs Book Tag!

I've seen this tag over at Angel's Guilty Pleasures and also at a GREAT read, and I thought it would be a lot of fun to do! This tag was created by That Artsy Reader Girl and I think you have to pick books that you have read this year, so that is what I'm going to do (or at least try).

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #181: Babysitter Scares

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #225: Supernatural and Cute T-Shirts

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop!

I hope everyone is having some Happy Holidays! 😊

Down the TBR Hole #42: I Finished... Finally!

Most of you probably know this feeling, your Goodreads TBR pile keeps growing and growing and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You keep adding, but you add more than you actually read. And then when you’re scrolling through your list, you realize that you have no idea what half the books are about and why you added them. Well that’s going to change!

And thank the gods for that because I desperately need it! Lol. And thanks to Lost in a Story, as well, for creating this amazing meme!

2019 Reading Challenges *Update*

It's the end of the year and I wanted to take a look at my progress so far on all the Reading Challenges I decided to take part of. I keep track of all the books I read during the year, which you can check out here!

Anyway, wish me luck 😅

The Grinch Book Tag!

I saw this tag over at Angel's Guilty Pleasures and I just had to do it because it looked like so much fun!

End of the Year Book Tag!

Over the years I've seen this tag make it's rounds and I've always wanted to give it a shot, so this year is the year! One of the places I've seen this tag is over at Angel's Guilty Pleasures.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #180: She Always Hurts Me

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #224: Birthday Wine!

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Joy of Christmas Book Tag!

I saw this fun tag over at Angel's Guilty Pleasures.

Down the TBR Hole #41: Evil Librarians and Witchy Babysitters... Yes Please!

Most of you probably know this feeling, your Goodreads TBR pile keeps growing and growing and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You keep adding, but you add more than you actually read. And then when you’re scrolling through your list, you realize that you have no idea what half the books are about and why you added them. Well that’s going to change!

And thank the gods for that because I desperately need it! Lol. And thanks to Lost in a Story, as well, for creating this amazing meme!

Birthday Book Tag!

My birthday is tomorrow (oh my god I'm old!) and I thought this tag would be fun to do!
I saw this tag over at a GREAT read.

Finish the Series #4: Losing Steam...

In the past I've done these Random Reads posts where I would randomly choose a series to finish, but that hasn't worked out that well for me, me being a mood reader and all. So I decided that I would just pick a couple of series I'm in the mood for every so often and then post about it to really cement in that commitment 😅

Monthly Wrap-Up: November 2019

So, umm, I was gonna post this last Saturday but... I got distracted. I'm gonna blame it on me doing nail art all evening 😅

Anyway, Happy Holidays! 😁

⛄❄🎄🎁🎅

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #179: Nothing? Huh.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #223: Finicky Chrome Powders, But I Love Them Anyway

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Review: Fear Park (Fear Street Collector's Editions #10) by R.L. Stine

Title: Fear Park

Series: Fear Park | Fear Street Collector's Editions

Books in this omnibus: The First Scream | The Loudest Scream | The Last Scream

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: November 1998

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Purchased paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis:

The First Scream: Dierdre Bradley's father just opened an amusement park on Fear Street, and the screams of joy will soon change to screams of terror.

The Loudest Scream: Dierdre doesn't know that her new boyfriend, Robin Fear, has a plan to destroy Fear Park. A plan that may cost Dierdre her life.

The Last Scream: Robin has almost achieved his dream of destroying Fear Park. But he doesn't know that someone has been watching him -- and waiting for revenge.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

🎠🎡🎢

The Thanksgiving Book Tag

I saw this fun tag over at Angel's Guilty Pleasures and it was created by Fangirlscity.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #178: ALL the Paper Gods!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #222: Back to Normalcy!

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Down the TBR Hole #40: Bleeding and Killing and More Killing... Yay!

Most of you probably know this feeling, your Goodreads TBR pile keeps growing and growing and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You keep adding, but you add more than you actually read. And then when you’re scrolling through your list, you realize that you have no idea what half the books are about and why you added them. Well that’s going to change!

And thank the gods for that because I desperately need it! Lol. And thanks to Lost in a Story, as well, for creating this amazing meme!

Review: The House of Evil (Fear Street Collector's Editions #11) by R.L. Stine

Title: The House of Evil

Series: 99 Fear Street: The House of Evil | Fear Street Collector's Editions

Books in this omnibus: The First Horror | The Second Horror | The Third Horror

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: December 1998

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Purchased paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis:

Take a tour of the scariest house on Fear Street in this spooky trilogy.

The First Horror: Twins Cally and Kody Frasier have moved into the scariest house on Fear Street. Will they become its next victims?

The Second Horror: The minute Brandt moves into town, he's got three girls fighting over him. But Cally wants him most of all.

The Third Horror: Kody returns to the infamous 99 Fear Street to make a movie about her life--and find her sister. But soon the horror film is becoming all too real.

My rating: ★★★☆☆
💀💀💀

Cake Flavored Book Tag!

With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I'd be fun to do a food-y book tag! I saw this one over at a GREAT read and It was created by Paperfury!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #177: Back at the Gas Station!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #221: Better

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Down the TBR Hole #39: But I Don't Like History?

Most of you probably know this feeling, your Goodreads TBR pile keeps growing and growing and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You keep adding, but you add more than you actually read. And then when you’re scrolling through your list, you realize that you have no idea what half the books are about and why you added them. Well that’s going to change!

And thank the gods for that because I desperately need it! Lol. And thanks to Lost in a Story, as well, for creating this amazing meme!

Gratitude Giveaway Hop!

Are you guys getting ready for the Holidays yet? Because the time is almost upon us and I honestly can't believe it. I feel like it was just Halloween! Lol.

The Fall Bucket List Book Tag!

I saw this tag over at Drizzle & Hurricane Books and I thought it looked like a lot of fun to do! The tag was created by Read by Tiffany!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #176: Don't Know Where To Go From Here...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #220: I Prefer Boring Normalcy

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Down the TBR Hole #38: Vampires and Superheroes and Murders, Oh My!

Most of you probably know this feeling, your Goodreads TBR pile keeps growing and growing and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You keep adding, but you add more than you actually read. And then when you’re scrolling through your list, you realize that you have no idea what half the books are about and why you added them. Well that’s going to change!

And thank the gods for that because I desperately need it! Lol. And thanks to Lost in a Story, as well, for creating this amazing meme!

Review: Evil Powers (Fear Street Collector's Editions #5) by R.L. Stine

Title: Evil Powers

Series: Fear Street | Fear Street Collector's Editions

Books in this omnibus: Runaway | The Mind Reader | The Thrill Club

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: June 1998

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Purchased paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis:

Three great thrillers in one great book! Includes:

Runaway: Felicia knows she must always keep control over her powers because if she doesn't, people will start to die.

The Mind Reader: Will Ellie's powers tell her more about a recent murder than she wants to know?

And The Thrill Club: Talia's horror stories are becoming too real--is she making them come true?

My rating: ★★★★☆

Lots of fun powers! Well, not for the characters 😅 Lol.

Finish the Series #3: I Finally Finished The Mortal Instruments And I Am Not Okay

In the past I've done these Random Reads posts where I would randomly choose a series to finish, but that hasn't worked out that well for me, me being a mood reader and all. So I decided that I would just pick a couple of series I'm in the mood for every so often and then post about it to really cement in that commitment 😅

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #175: Can't Stay Away From Those Shadowhunters

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #219: Those Germ Factories...

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Down the TBR Hole #37: Greek Mythology ❤

Most of you probably know this feeling, your Goodreads TBR pile keeps growing and growing and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You keep adding, but you add more than you actually read. And then when you’re scrolling through your list, you realize that you have no idea what half the books are about and why you added them. Well that’s going to change!

And thank the gods for that because I desperately need it! Lol. And thanks to Lost in a Story, as well, for creating this amazing meme!