Monthly Wrap-Up: September 2021

This was a pretty good reading month. I read 8 books and 1 short story! One thing I need to work on is scheduling posts though, cause I am out 😬 House-wise, our kitchen cabinets should be coming in within the next week or so. I also need to finish painting the two bathrooms and some of the trim around the house, so I'm gonna work on that this weekend. Hopefully before October is over all the house stuff will finally be done! I can't wait for that day to arrive 😩 Lol.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #237: Just Sci-Fi

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

Sunday Post #274: Nail Polish & Books... What Else is New

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: The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Bane Chronicles

Stories in this collection: What Really Happened in Peru (#1) | The Runaway Queen (#2) | Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale (#3) | The Midnight Heir (#4) | The Rise of the Hotel Dumort (#5) | Saving Raphael Santiago (#6) | The Fall of the Hotel Dumort (#7) | What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (#8) | The Last Stand of the New York Institute (#9) | The Course of True Love [and First Dates] (#10) | The Voicemail of Magnus Bane (#11)

Authors: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: November 2014

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it on: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices can get to know warlock Magnus Bane like never before in this collection of New York Times bestselling tales, in print for the first time with an exclusive new story and illustrated material.

This collection of eleven short stories illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality, flamboyant style, and sharp wit populate the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.

Originally released one-by-one as e-only short stories by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan, this compilation presents all ten together in print for the first time and includes a never-before-seen eleventh tale, as well as new illustrated material.

My rating: ★★★★★

This book is all about Magnus Bane, which, yes, please! I adore my Jace and my Will and my sweet Jem, but out of all characters in this world, my absolute favorite has got to be Magnus freaking Bane. So I was extremely happy that he got his own book! Which was awesome! It spans a couple of hundred years, starting from about the 1700s to the present day. Magnus had a lot of fun adventures, but these were my top three favorite short stories in the book:

Review: The Voicemail of Magnus Bane (The Bane Chronicles #11) by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Voicemail of Magnus Bane

Series: The Bane Chronicles #11

Authors: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: November 2014

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy the collection on: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: The voice mail of Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn, in the days following a certain incident in City of Lost Souls.

My rating: ★★★★★

So here is your spoiler warning for things that happened in City of Lost Souls. If you have not read that book yet, avert your eyes!

Review: The Course of True Love [and First Dates] (The Bane Chronicles #10) by Cassandra Clare

Title: The Course of True Love [and First Dates]

Series: The Bane Chronicles #10

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: March 2014

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy the short story on: Audible

Buy the collection on: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood might fall in love—but first they have a first date.

When Magnus Bane, warlock, meets Alec Lightwood, Shadowhunter, sparks fly. And what happens on their first date lights a flame...

My rating: ★★★★★

Out of all the stories in The Bane Chronicles, this is without a doubt my favorite! Magnus and Alec go on their first date, but then everything goes wrong, and it’s somehow still super cute! Lol. I loved it!

Review: The Last Stand of the New York Institute (The Bane Chronicles #9) by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Last Stand of the New York Institute

Series: The Bane Chronicles #9

Authors: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: December 2013

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy the short story on: Audible

Buy the collection on: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Magnus meets Valentine in battle as the Circle attacks the Downworlders of New York City.

In the time of the Uprising, Valentine’s Circle goes after Downworlders in New York...and the Shadowhunters of the Institute must decide whether to join him, or fight with Magnus and his kind. This is the first time Magnus sees Jocelyn, Luke, and Stephen—but not the last. It is not long before Jocelyn seeks him out...

My rating: ★★★★★

This short story takes place in 1989, back when the Circle was in full swing. Ugh. They suck. There was SO much bigotry from them I just... They are awful! And Jace’s real dad, Stephen Herondale, was such an asshole! He believed in everything Valentine did. Oh and then Valentine and his cronies wanted to rid the world of Downworlders no matter what, just because they had some demon blood in them. It was absolutely awful! The things they did to this werewolf family were despicable!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #236: A Little Update...

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

Sunday Post #273: Long Time No See

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!

Monthly Wrap-Up: August 2021

It's late, but it's here! 😅 Last month was just not a great month for me—it was very stressful. I was working nights AND there was work being done around the house (our flooring was finally put in!) and I think I just needed a break. During that time, I barely read anything and my nails were naked for like 2 weeks straight 😱 The horror! Lol. In all seriousness though, I feel like not doing those two things really affected me more than I thought it would. I mean, I was stressed AND was probably not getting enough sleep, and then unintentionally taking away the two things I use to de-stress? Yeah, not great.

That being said, I am back on the reading train (I'm currently on my 5th book of the month!), and I've been painting my nails a lot more, which is very therapeutic for me. I've run out of scheduled posts, as you may have noticed, so I really need to work on that. But idk when I'll get around to it. I'm still getting used to not only being back on days, but also working full time. For the longest time, I was only working 4 days a week, and I'm not gonna lie, I miss my 3 day weekends 😂