Sundays in Bed With…

Well, this weekend I will unfortunately not be able to spend much time in bed. We have finally made it to moving week. I am so excited for this next step, but also so darn stressed out about everything that is left to get done!

So while I have all of this going on, I have not been able to read as much as I would have liked. However, it has given me the time to listen to more audiobooks! I don’t really listen to a lot of music, so audiobooks have been a real pleasure while I am packing and cleaning.

So without further ado, this is what I am listening to on this lovely Sunday!

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

I have had this book on my TBR for awhile and have heard a lot of great reviews on it. So when I found it on my Libby app, I thought now was as good a time as any to listen and try it out for myself!

Synopsis:

My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:
1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.

Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it’s the truth?

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory

Ok, so this one is not actually an audiobook. I somehow forgot that I was reading this arc. I am not able to sit down and read as much right now, so I am slowly but surely making my way through this one. I have absolutely loved all of the books in The Wedding Date series, and so far this one is no exception!!

Synopsis:

A chance meeting with a handsome stranger turns into a whirlwind affair that gets everyone talking.

Dating is the last thing on Olivia Monroe’s mind when she moves to LA to start her own law firm. But when she meets a gorgeous man at a hotel bar and they spend the entire night flirting, she discovers too late that he is none other than hotshot junior senator Max Powell. Olivia has zero interest in dating a politician, but when a cake arrives at her office with the cutest message, she can’t resist–it is chocolate cake, after all.

Olivia is surprised to find that Max is sweet, funny, and noble–not just some privileged white politician she assumed him to be. Because of Max’s high-profile job, they start seeing each other secretly, which leads to clandestine dates and silly disguises. But when they finally go public, the intense media scrutiny means people are now digging up her rocky past and criticizing her job, even her suitability as a trophy girlfriend. Olivia knows what she has with Max is something special, but is it strong enough to survive the heat of the spotlight?

I am hoping to finish up a few other books this week, but that may be wishful thinking!

As always, thank you all so much for stopping by and showing us love. We truly appreciate all of you! What books are you reading? Have you read either of these? Let’s have a chat down in the comments!

Sundays in bed with…

Okay, so does it really count if I’m not really in bed? I picked up a shift today because that’ll give me a four-day weekend, so I definitely couldn’t turn it down! Last we spoke, my reading was completely erratic. I generally read about fifteen books a month. Last month, I think I wrapped up with about six books and even that was hard for me.

While my reading is becoming a bit more regular, I’m not pushing it. I’m alternating between books and Netflix. Speaking of, what are some new shows I can add on my list? I just finished BlackAF and am transitioning into The Last Kingdom, major Vikings vibe, and Kingdom, a Korean zombie series. Both seem to have potential.

Anyway, I strayed off topic a bit, lol. What are we reading this week?

Christie and I are looking to wrap up the Renagades series this month.

Supernova by Marissa Meyer

I don’t know about you great people, but I have the worst committment-phobia, so series reads always stress me out and take me a million years to finish; therefore, I am ECSTATIC to finish up this series (BUT ALSO SAD, BECAUSE I’M REALLY ENJOYING THIS SERIES). I think this is the first series I’ll be done with in a very long time!

Synopsis:

All’s fair in love and anarchy…

The epic conclusion to Marissa Meyer’s thrilling Renegades Trilogy finds Nova and Adrian fighting to keep their identities secret. While the battle rages on between their alter egos and their allies, there is a darker threat shrouding Gatlon City.

The Renegades’ worst enemy is back among them, threatening to reclaim Gatlon City. Nova and Adrian must brave lies and betrayal to protect those they love. Their greatest fears are about to come to life, and unless they can bridge the divide between heroes and villains, they stand to lose everything. Including each other.

Intrigue and action will leave readers on edge until the final, shocking secrets are revealed. 

Book Of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

I pre-ordered this book as soon as I learned about it. This is one of my highly anticipated reads after reading Before We Were Yours. I’m about five chapters in, so it is still a bit slow as Wingate is laying out the story.

Synopsis:

A new novel inspired by historical events: a story of three young women on a journey in search of family amidst the destruction of the post-Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who rediscovers their story and its connection to her own students’ lives.

Lisa Wingate brings to life stories from actual “Lost Friends” advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, as freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones who had been sold off.

Louisiana, 1875 In the tumultuous aftermath of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest: Lavinia, the pampered heir to a now-destitute plantation; Juneau Jane, her illegitimate free-born Creole half-sister; and Hannie, Lavinia’s former slave. Each carries private wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, following dangerous roads rife with ruthless vigilantes and soldiers still fighting a war lost a decade before. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and eight siblings before slavery’s end, the pilgrimage westward reignites an agonizing question: Could her long-lost family still be out there? Beyond the swamps lie the seemingly limitless frontiers of Texas and, improbably, hope.

Louisiana, 1987 For first-year teacher Benedetta Silva, a subsidized job at a poor rural school seems like the ticket to canceling her hefty student debt–until she lands in a tiny, out-of-step Mississippi River town. Augustine, Louisiana, seems suspicious of new ideas and new people, and Benny can scarcely comprehend the lives of her poverty-stricken students. But amid the gnarled oaks and run-down plantation homes lies the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything.

I am also wrapping up a couple of arcs, so the goal is to type up a review for them the next time I make a post! ALSO, Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement in the last couple of weeks when I was struggling keeping up with my books. I appreciate you all so much. As always, thank you for spending your Sunday morning with Christie and me. Hope you all are staying healthy and safe!

Sundays in bed with…

Hey peeps! I cannot believe it is Sunday already. The weekend flew by too quick! I just wanted to take a quick moment to give Christie a shout out! I haven’t had the energy, time, or desire to keep up with reading, the blog, and bookstagram and just went on a sabbatical of sort. Christie has been picking up my slack, and I am so thankful for such a supportive and understanding friend. With that being said, I am slowly getting back in the swing of things and have been looking forward to today’s meme, “Sundays in bed with..” hosted by Midnight Book Girl

Since I have been in a bit of reading rut, most of the books I’ve read so far I have been buddy reading with Christie, as it helps to push me to finish reading if I have someone to keep up with. So without further to do- I present you the books on my night stand! 🙂

Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

This week, Christie and I are buddy reading book 2 of the Renegades trilogy, Archenemies by Marissa Meyer. We both read Renegades (Book 1) and really enjoyed it, so I’m super stoked we are finally diving into this book. If you’re wondering if you should pick it up- the answer is YES! It’s villians vs superheroes- you can’t go wrong with that!!

SYNOPSIS

The Renegades Trilogy continues, in this fiercely awaited second installment after the New York Times-bestselling Renegades by Marissa Meyer, author of the Lunar Chronicles.

Time is running out.
Together, they can save the world.
But they each other’s worst nightmare.

In Renegades, Nova and Adrian (aka Insomnia and Sketch) fought the battle of their lives against the Anarchist known as the Detonator. It was a short-lived victory.

The Anarchists still have a secret weapon, one that Nova believes will protect her. The Renegades also have a strategy for overpowering the Anarchists, but both Nova and Adrian understand that it could mean the end of Gatlon City – and the world – as they know it.

The Other People by C.J. Tudor

This book has been on my stand for a few nights. I feel like I’m going to wake up one morning (soon) and be in the mood for a thriller, so I’m waiting for that morning to hit!

SYNOPSIS

A gripping new thriller about a man’s quest for the daughter no one else believes is still alive, from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place.

Driving home one night, stuck behind a rusty old car, Gabe sees a little girl’s face appear in the rear window. She mouths one word: ‘Daddy.’ It’s his five-year-old daughter, Izzy.

He never sees her again. Three years later, Gabe spends his days and nights travelling up and down the motorway, searching for the car that took his daughter, refusing to give up hope, even though most people believe that Izzy is dead.

Fran and her daughter, Alice, also put in a lot of miles on the motorway. Not searching. But running. Trying to keep one step ahead of the people who want to hurt them. Because Fran knows the truth. She knows what really happened to Gabe’s daughter.

Then, the car that Gabe saw driving away that night is found, in a lake, with a body inside and Gabe is forced to confront events, not just from the night his daughter disappeared, but from far deeper in his past.

His search leads him to a group called The Other People.

If you have lost a loved one, The Other Peoplewant to help. Because they know what loss is like. They know what pain is like. They know what death is like.

There’s just one problem . . . they want other people to know it too. 

My kindle has also been staring at me for a while, and I keep avoiding eye contact. I have what feels like a mile long list of eARCs on my Kindle I really need to get through. Hopefully I will get out of this rut soon and pick up my reading speed. Do you have a go to book, genre, or general advice when you are in a reading rut? If so, drop a comment below and let me know what you do to get out of it! As always, thank you so much for checking our blog out! We’re super excited to have you. Stay safe and happy, friends!

XOXO,
Thi

Sundays in Bed with…

April 12, 2020

Happy Easter everybody! I hope you all are staying safe on this lovely Sunday holiday. I have been a little MIA the past few days as I celebrated my birthday on Wednesday. It was a little different this year with all the craziness happening. It was still a wonderful time with a Zoom birthday party with my family and topped off with a delicious ice cream cake from my husband!

I have also had loads of time to work on my prompts for the O.W.Ls readathon and I am having so much fun with the instagram prompts as well! So with all of this in mind, I currently have two books waiting for me to complete on my nightstand and I am adding them to this weekly meme ‘Sundays in Bed With’ hosted by Midnight Book Girl

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

I am reading this book as part of a local book club. I have absolutely fallen in love with this series from the start. I read the second book in two days and had to tell myself not to dive straight into the third book. I wanted to give myself time to collect my thoughts and not rush to finish this series, since I know I will be sad when it is all over. With that being said, I might have waited a little too long and now I need to finish this whopping 640 page book by Thursday. WISH ME LUCK!

Synopsis:

Witness the fate of beloved heroes – and enemies.

THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED…
The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.

WHO WILL CRUMBLE?
Kell – once assumed to be the last surviving Antari – begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?

WHO WILL RISE?
Lila Bard, once a commonplace – but never common – thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.

WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

I chose this book for a few reasons. One, it fit into one of my O.W.Ls readathon prompts and as a new release it seemed like something I would enjoy. Secondly, Thi also wanted to read this book so it seemed like it would be a good time to have another buddy read. The last book that we did a buddy read on was Havenfall, which is generally my favorite genre. Where as this book sounds like it should be right up Thi’s alley. So as she stated last time, I will do my best to keep up and try not to hold her back from living her best life!

Synopsis:

From the award-winning author of Station Eleven, a captivating novel of money, beauty, white-collar crime, ghosts, and moral compromise in which a woman disappears from a container ship off the coast of Mauritania and a massive Ponzi scheme implodes in New York, dragging countless fortunes with it.

Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star glass and cedar palace on an island in British Columbia. Jonathan Alkaitis works in finance and owns the hotel. When he passes Vincent his card with a tip, it’s the beginning of their life together. That same day, Vincent’s half-brother, Paul, scrawls a note on the windowed wall of the hotel: “Why don’t you swallow broken glass.” Leon Prevant, a shipping executive for a company called Neptune-Avramidis, sees the note from the hotel bar and is shaken to his core. Thirteen years later Vincent mysteriously disappears from the deck of a Neptune-Avramidis ship. Weaving together the lives of these characters, The Glass Hotel moves between the ship, the skyscrapers of Manhattan, and the wilderness of northern Vancouver Island, painting a breathtaking picture of greed and guilt, fantasy and delusion, art and the ghosts of our pasts.

What book(s) do you have on your night stand? Have you read either of these books? Leave me your thoughts down below!

Christie

Sundays in bed with…

March 29, 2020

Happy Sunday, friends! Hope you’re all stay healthy and safe! I’ve had such a productive three day weekend! I ordered a new bookshelf that will be here soon, rearranged my entire room, and knocked a couple of books off my TBR, so I’m pretty stoked! Unfortunately, I’ll be back at work tomorrow and will be on a long stretch too, bleh. Therefore, I am trying to make the most of today!

I wake up around 0500 for work, and my body has decided even on my off days- it’s the best time to wake up. That being said- I generally always keep a couple of books by my bedside so I can have options, so I figured it’s time I partook in a ‘Sundays in Bed With’ meme, hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

Havenfall by Sara Holland

Christie and I are buddy reading this. While YA/ Fantasy is Christie’s go-to genre, it is not mine, so I feel like I’m holding her back from living her best life as I have been babysitting this book all week, BUT we’re in the homestretch now. The goal is to finish by Tuesday, so we can wrap up our monthly reads. So far, it is holding my attention and it does read fairly fast (faster if I can just buckle down and focus, lol).

Synopsis:

A safe haven between four realms. The girl sworn to protect it — at any cost.

Hidden deep in the mountains of Colorado lies the Inn at Havenfall, a sanctuary that connects ancient worlds — each with their own magic — together. For generations, the inn has protected all who seek refuge within its walls, and any who disrupt the peace can never return.

For Maddie Morrow, summers at the inn are more than a chance to experience this magic first-hand. Havenfall is an escape from reality, where her mother sits on death row accused of murdering Maddie’s brother. It’s where Maddie fell in love with handsome Fiorden soldier Brekken. And it’s where one day she hopes to inherit the role of Innkeeper from her beloved uncle.

But this summer, the impossible happens–a dead body is found, shattering everything the inn stands for. With Brekken missing, her uncle gravely injured, and a dangerous creature on the loose, Maddie suddenly finds herself responsible for the safety of everyone in Havenfall. She’ll do anything to uncover the truth, even if it means working together with an alluring new staffer Taya, who seems to know more than she’s letting on. As dark secrets are revealed about the inn itself, one thing becomes clear to Maddie–no one can be trusted, and no one is safe.

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi

I chose this book on a whim. I honestly have not heard too much about this book and the reviews on Goodreads aren’t too convincing; however, I made some new year resolutions for reading that I am determine to keep. I’ll only mention the ones pertaining my decision to keep this book on my TBR:

1. Read books by authors of various backgrounds;
2. Don’t rely too heavily on GR ratings.

Synopsis:

Pulitzer Finalist Susan Choi’s narrative-upending novel about what happens when a first love between high school students is interrupted by the attentions of a charismatic teacher

In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarified bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, Shakespeare, and, particularly, their acting classes. When within this striving “Brotherhood of the Arts,” two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall headlong into love, their passion does not go unnoticed—or untoyed with—by anyone, especially not by their charismatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley.

The outside world of family life and economic status, of academic pressure and of their future adult lives, fails to penetrate this school’s walls—until it does, in a shocking spiral of events that catapults the action forward in time and flips the premise upside-down. What the reader believes to have happened to David and Sarah and their friends is not entirely true—though it’s not false, either. It takes until the book’s stunning coda for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place—revealing truths that will resonate long after the final sentence.

As captivating and tender as it is surprising, Trust Exercise will incite heated conversations about fiction and truth, friendships and loyalties, and will leave readers with wiser understandings of the true capacities of adolescents and of the powers and responsibilities of adults.

What book(s) are you currently reading? Are you hoping to get in anymore before the moth is over?

XOXO,
Thi