December Wrap up - Book Haul & What to Expect Next Month

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

December was a really weird month for me. I was so excited for all the festivities and ready to celebrate Christmas in my classroom, when the schools abruptly closed. Instead of having a Christmas Lunch, singing Christmas songs and watching Christmas movies, I was preparing to home-teach again. Home schooling starts at January 4th and I'm not sure for how long it will be this time.

Luckily, I got to do meet loads of friends in during my Christmas break. We're in Lockdown in The Netherlands, so we couldn't do anything outside the house, but I got to see my friends and that's what counts. Of course, I only had 1 or 2 visitors at a time, because that's also one of the rules.

Then, it was time for Christmas. This was different too, but still lovely! We went to my boyfriends parents on first Christmas day. Usually his brother and sister and their partners are there too, but not this time. We did have a lovely dinner, went for a walk in beautiful nature and played some games with the four of us.

The day after we celebrate Second Christmas Day in The Netherlands. We went for a brunch at my moms house and celebrated Christmas with the two of us that day. I ordered an amazing Christmas Dinner from one of the local restaurants and we bought presents.

On Third Christmas Day, which is nothing official, but we love to celebrate it. We usually have an amazing feast with all our friends and are with a big group of 18 people with food, drinks and a beautifully layered table. Not this time. We went to my moms house again and played a game with presents and had snacks. It was lovely!

My boyfriends birthday was yesterday, so I made him a beautiful cake and we had 2 of his friends over. Today is the last day of the year, and today we're also celebrating with friends! I love the sounds of fireworks that already sound in the neighborhood, because one of our biggest traditions is carbidschieten, which you can see if you click the link here.

Have a GREAT New Years Eve and an even better 2021. Love to see you back at the blog next year.

🎇🎆

My Top 20 Books of 2020

Lists, lists, lists. I just LOVE lists. Who doesn't?! In this post you'll find my 20 favorite reads of 2020!

With this final list I hope to recommend some awesome books that you maybe haven't read. Want to know why I loved the book so much? You can click the cover to go to the full review!

I hope you'll find some nice books to read next year. Have fun reading this list and have a great 2021!

Sunday Post #25

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

Review: Merry Fuckin' Christmas and Other Yuletide Shit

Author: Kevin J. Kennedy

Started reading: December 21st 2020

Finished the book: December 23rd 2020

Pages: Unknown

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

Published: December 16th 2020

Source: Digital copy from the author

Goodreads score: Not enough ratings

My score:

Synopsis

Kevin J. Kennedy has brought the horror world three bestselling Christmas horror anthologies. Now, for the first time ever he collects his own tales of Christmas madness between these pages. You will find a mix of extreme, comedy, gross and bizarro Christmas horror, and there is even a few drabbles thrown in.

WARNING: This book isn't for everyone. If you are easily offended, it's not going to be for you.

Review: Rising Tide (Eden's Wake #1)

Author: Lynn Steigleder

Started reading: December 6th 2020

Finished the book: December 14th 2020

Pages: 240

Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy

Published: June 17th 2015

Source: Physical copy from author

Goodreads score: 3.12

My score:

Synopsis

Rising Tide depicts a world in which land is at a premium due to the advancing sea, where man’s attempt to adapt has led to a decay of morals into survival of the fittest. In the midst of the ocean, a crew of racketeers rescues a stranded diver, Ben Adams. Is the rescue just a fortunate coincidence for Ben, or has he been led to this rendezvous with fate for a common goal? A mysterious island inhabited by a primitive yet advanced race of people. A devious ship captain’s metamorphosis into the essence of evil and a ship’s container discovered by itself in a billion square miles of ocean all play a role in this tale of rebirth for a world corrupted by the collapse of morality..

Goodreads: Your Year In Books Meme 2020

Hi there and welcome to the blog!

I'm so excited to do the Your Year in Books Meme. This is a meme that I created three years ago. It is a way to write a blogpost about the Goodreads Your Year in Books and to share it with others.

I was hoping that bloggers would participate, and that worked out pretty well last year! I hope I can get it even bigger this year.

This is actually a yearly meme where you write your final 2020 wrap up. Instead of the usual monthly or weekly memes.

I'd love for people to participate so please share your link at the end of this post!

You're free to write the blogpost in any way you like just to wrap up 2020.

I usually take the time to update my Year in Books Meme Blogpost every two days, so I keep it up to date! That way, you can participate whenever you like.

Review: Golden Son (Red Rising Saga #2)

Author: Pierce Brown

Started reading: October 27t 2020

Finished the book: December 13th 2020

Pages: 430

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, YA

Published: January 6th 2015

Source: E-book

Goodreads score: 4.44

My score:

Synopsis

As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface of Mars, enduring backbreaking labor while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within.

A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love—but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind’s destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution—and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth. Though the road ahead is fraught with danger and deceit, Darrow must choose to follow Eo’s principles of love and justice to free his people.

He must live for more.

Two Short Stories #18

Today I will be highlighting two short stories.

One of them is a fun picture book where you can explore New York the other one is a short horror story, inspired by the game "Tag, you're it!"

Let's dive right in.

Review: Harmony's Embrace (Deerbourne Inn, #23)

Author: Amber Daulton

Started reading: November 23rd 2020

Finished the book: November 29th 2020

Pages: 126

Genres: Romance, Christmas

Published: November 16th 2020

Source: Digital copy from the author

Goodreads score: Not enough ratings

My score:

Synopsis

Divorced dad Birley Haynes is too busy raising his children and running his family’s music academy to start a relationship. Then Harmony Holdich, his high school sweetheart, returns home to Willow Springs, Vermont for Christmas and falls into his bed. She brings light and fun back into his life, but he can’t brush aside the threatening incidents around his workplace.

Harmony hadn’t expected a complication like Birley, especially so soon after the death of her unfaithful husband. With her life a mess, she plans to move across the country and start over. All she can offer him is a fling, but her heart yearns for more.
When the threats rise, how will Birley keep his children safe and convince Harmony to give love another chance?.

November Wrap up - Book Haul & What to Expect Next Month

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

The end of the year is near! I'm always so excited for Christmas, so this year is no difference. The Christmas tree in my Livingroom is bringing loads of joy and lovely sparkling lights. I've bought presents, and December will be a month of spending time with loved ones, as far as that's possible and making it nice and cozy in my classroom.

Sadly I was sick last week, nothing COVID related, but had to stay home from work for 3 days. Luckily I felt a lot better last Saturday so I could spend the weekend relaxing and getting my strength back.

3 weeks left in the schoolyear and only a month in this year. Time is flying!

Hopefully you have amazing plans for December and get to spend it with lovely presents (BOOKS!), delicious food and your loved ones, even though precautions are in place everywhere in the world. Let's stay safe, stay healthy and do the things that are possible.

Thanks for sticking with my blog and for reading!

Have a great month with loads of Christmas cheer and good books.

🎄

Unboxing: Fairyloot Wicked Hearts

Hi there, I hope you've had a splendid week!

It has been a while, but YES! I'm finally here to do another Unboxing.

I subscribed for the 3-month Fairyloot bookbox. This is the first month, so after this one, there are two more to come! This month's theme is Wicked Hearts. I absolutely loved the goodies in this box. 3 of them are already on my bookshelves, the book itself looks GORG and I'm curious what you think about it!

Let's unbox this baby, here we go. 

Review (re-read): To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1)

Author: Jenny Han

Started reading: October 21st 2020

Finished the book: November 22nd 2020

Pages: 421

Genres: YA, Romance

Published: August 7th 2014

Source: Bought the book

Goodreads score: 4.15

My score:

Synopsis

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed.

But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh.

As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

Sunday Post #24

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

Review: Fallen Heir (The Royals #4)

Author: Erin Watt

Started reading: October 6th 2020

Finished the book: November 13th 2020

Pages: 300 / 07:50:13

Genres: Romance, New Adult

Published: August 28th 2017

Source: Storytel

Goodreads score: 3.88

My score:

Synopsis

These Royals will ruin you.
Easton Royal has it all: looks, money, intelligence. His goal in life is to have as much fun as possible. He never thinks about the consequences because he doesn’t have to. Until Hartley Wright appears, shaking up his easy life. She’s the one girl who’s said no, despite being attracted to him. Easton can’t figure her out and that makes her all the more irresistible.
Hartley doesn’t want him. She says he needs to grow up. She might be right.

Rivals. Rules. Regrets. For the first time in Easton’s life, wearing a Royal crown isn’t enough. He’s about to learn that the higher you start, the harder you fall.

Two Short Stories #17

Today I will be highlighting two short stories.

Both are picture books by T.C. Bartlett and they're bot very different!

Let's dive right in.

10 Books that Deserve More Hype

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

Today I'm doing the 10 Books that Deserve More Hype tag.

I will tell you about books that I loved and that deserve much more hype then what they are getting now.

Hopefully you'll discover some new books that pique your interest!

Feel free to join in on this tag, I'd love to know what books you would recommend.

Review: Anxious People

Author: Fredrik Backman

Started reading: October 4th 2020

Finished the book: October 20th 2020

Pages: 352

Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Mystery

Published: September 8th 2020

Source: E-book

Goodreads score: 4.36

My score:

Synopsis

This is a poignant comedy about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.

Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers slowly begin opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.

As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.

October Wrap up - Book Haul & What to Expect Next Month

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

Yes! Autumn is here. I love the wind, the rain and the beautiful colors. I love the tastes that fit this season. I love sitting in a corner of the couch with a cup of tea and a good book. It's been amazing.

Sadly, things are getting worse again with COVID in the Netherlands. All restaurants and other fun things that were allowed, are closed again. I'm so sad, since I bought a lot of theatre tickets and I finally had the go from my doctor to play handball again.

I am very happy that I'm still allowed to work. The Primary Schools are still open. We, teachers, wear masks outside of our classrooms and the kids use hand gel. No parents in schools, no staff meetings and trying to do all the administrative tasks from home.

It's a weird world, but I try to still see friends, one at a time. I try to enjoy every day that I'm allowed to work, because I know not everybody gets to do that. I do hope we can all stay positive and see the small things that bring us joy.

Thanks for sticking with my blog and for reading!

Have a great month with loads beautiful Autumn days.

🍂

Review: In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow

Author: Kenneth W. Harmon

Started reading: October 18th 2020

Finished the book: DNF

Pages: 352

Genres: Historical, War, Japan

Published: January 2nd 2020

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads score: 4.49

My score:

Synopsis

When bombardier Micah Lund dies on a mission over Hiroshima, his spirit remains trapped in the land of his enemies. Dazed, he follows Kiyomi Oshiro, a war widow struggling to care for her young daughter, Ai. Food is scarce, work at the factory is brutal, and her in-laws treat her like a servant.

Watching Kiyomi and Ai together, Micah reconsiders his intolerance for the people he’d called the enemy. As his concern for the mother and daughter grows, so does his guilt for his part in their suffering. Micah finds a new reality when Kiyomi and Ai dream—one which allows him to interact with them. While his feelings for Kiyomi deepen, imminent destruction looms. Hiroshima is about to be bombed, and Micah must warn Kiyomi and her daughter. In a place where dreams are real, Micah races against time to save the ones he loves the most.

Sunday Post #23

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

Review: Tarnished Crown (The Royals, #3.5)

Author: Erin Watt

Started reading: September 20th 2020

Finished the book: October 1st 2020

Pages: 192 / 4:45:00

Genres: New Adult, Romance, Novella

Published: August 18th 2017

Source: Storytel

Goodreads score: 3.61

My score:

Synopsis

Two years ago, one mistake cost Gideon Royal the girl of his dreams. Since then he’s become jaded and stoic, caught in a spiral that has him dealing with blackmail, heartache and loss. When he left for college, he hoped to start over. But fate has other ideas, placing Savannah Montgomery in his path again.

Savannah believes there’s no coming back from Gideon’s betrayal. He thinks she’s wrong.
Forgiveness. Hope. Redemption. Gideon has vowed to win back the only girl who owns his heart. And when a Royal makes a promise, he’ll go to the ends of the earth to keep it.

Two Short Stories #16

Today I will be highlighting two short stories.

Both of them are picture books with beautiful life lessons behind the story.

Let's dive right in.

Review: Red Rising (Red Rising Saga #1)

Author: Pierce Brown

Started reading: August 24th 2020

Finished the book: October 1st 2020

Pages: 382

Genres: YA, Fantasy

Published: January 28th 2014

Source: Ebook

Goodreads score: 4.25

My score:

Synopsis

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.
But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power.

Review: Perfect (Pretty Little Liars #3)

Author: Sara Shepard

Started reading: September 13th 2020

Finished the book: September 27th 2020

Pages: 276

Genres: YA, Mystery

Published: September 1st 2007

Source: Books2Door

Goodreads score: 3.99

My score:

Synopsis

IN ROSEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA, FOUR PERFECT-LOOKING GIRLS AREN'T NEARLY AS PERFECT AS THEY SEEM.

Aria can't resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can't keep her hands off anything that belongs to her sister.

Lucky me. I know these pretty little liars better than they know themselves. But it's hard keeping all of their secrets to myself. They better do as I say... or else!

Sunday Post #22

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

Review: Crusade in Jeans

Author: Thea Beckman

Started reading: September 4th 2020

Finished the book: September 26th 2020

Pages: 307

Genres: Historical, YA, Adventure

Published: 1973

Source: Physical copy

Goodreads score: 4.03

My score:

Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Dolf uses a prototype time machine and gets stuck in the Middle Ages. Trying to find his way back to the twentieth century, he joins a children's crusade of almost ten thousand children on their way to the Holy Land. Dolf helps the children defy the terrible mountains, conquer disease and fight evil knights. Slowly, Dolf begins to realize that the real danger does not lurk behind the next mountaintop, but rather within the crusade itself.

September Wrap up - Book Haul & What to Expect Next Month

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

September is the month of my birthday. Sadly, it was a small party due to COVID. Numbers are going back up and up, so our government announced harsher rules last Monday. Less people together in close spaces, face masks and other things.

I'm very glad that schools can still be open for 100%. I had parent-teacher conversations this week and that was a lot of fun. I always enjoy talking about education and growth in children with them and their parents. I've been working hard this month and have read some nice books. I did some fun things like going out for dinner, since restaurants are open with 1.5 metres between tables.

I've not been playing handball, because my shoulder is injured. I've been working on that since June. I got the green light today that I can go for a training. I still have to take it easy, but things are looking good!

Thanks for sticking with my blog and for reading!

Have a great month with loads good books.

🍂

Booktag: Unhaul #4

It's been 6 months since I did an unhaul. Since I keep adding books to my TBR, but never remove any, I decided to do another unhaul.

My TBR is so big, that it sometimes scares me. I decided to visit my own Goodreads shelves and to TRY and unhaul 10 books.

Please feel free to participate and unhaul some of your books. I'd love to know what books you decided to unhaul!

Review: Verity

Author: Colleen Hoover

Started reading: September 5th 2020

Finished the book: September 12th 2020

Pages: 324

Genres: Thriller, Mystery

Published: December 7th 2018

Source: Ebook

Goodreads score: 4.33

My score:

Synopsis

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

Two Short Stories #15

Today I will be highlighting two short stories.

One of them is a short story taking place at Wall Street and the other one is a romantic cowboy story.

Let's dive right in.

Review: Fierce Girls (Fierce Girls at War #1)

Author: Mike Adams

Started reading: August 25th 2020

Finished the book: September 11th 2020

Pages: 252

Genres: Science Fiction, Action

Published: January 29th 2018

Source: Audiobook from the author

Goodreads score: 3.64

My score:

Synopsis

The story of the alien Rift invasion of the New Hope Colony begins on Earth in 2122 when all too familiar problems and events cause a chain reaction that will have repercussions on two worlds. Fleeing for their lives and to protect his family Navy, Lieutenant Paul “Rick” O'Brien and Marine Staff Sergeant Susan Mollison “Molly” Bennett will have to board a starship for the long voyage to Earth's first extrasolar colony under new identities. There they will join the Colonial Rangers, the international military force designed to protect the colonists from the planet’s ferocious predators, not to deter an alien invasion.

The female-loving Logistics officer O’Brien and superb marksman and the courageous Marine recon squad leader form an unbreakable bond forged under fire that will serve them well as events unfold around them. The circumstances that send them to the New Hope Colony will also have a profound effect on the other members of the O'Brien/Cassidy family and especially Rick's daughter Ciara as well as on the colony where they find refuge.

Review: Vampiro and Other Strange Tales of the Macabre: A Collection of Short Horror Stories

Author: Kevin J. Kennedy

Started reading: August 29th 2020

Finished the book: September 2nd 2020

Pages: 93

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

Published: November 17th 2019

Source: Digital copy from the author

Goodreads score: 4.41

My score:

Synopsis

After the success of Kennedy’s first collection, Dark Thoughts, he brings you Vampiro and Other Strange Tales of the Macabre. This one contains stories inspired by TV shows from his youth, such as ‘Tales from the Crypt,’ ‘Eerie India,’ ‘The Twilight Zone’ & ‘The Outer Limits.’ Inside, you will find tales of a carnival vampire, a town overtaken by a special kind of Easter bunnies, tales of the insane, a journey through Hell at Christmas time, and many other shorts to make your hair stand on end. Some are funny, some are gross and some touch upon the evil of your fellow man.

Come and join us, but be warned… you may never want to leave.

Review: The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters #2)

Author: Lucinda Riley

Started reading: August 2nd 2020

Finished the book: August 25th 2020

Pages: 608

Genres: Fiction, Historical, Romance

Published: March 22nd 2016

Source: Bought the book

Goodreads score: 4.27

My score:

Synopsis

Ally D'Aplièse is about to compete in one of the world's most perilous yacht races, when she hears the news of her adoptive father's sudden, mysterious death. Rushing back to meet her five sisters at their family home, she discovers that her father - an elusive billionaire affectionately known to his daughters as Pa Salt - has left each of them a tantalising clue to their true heritage.

Ally has also recently embarked on a deeply passionate love affair that will change her destiny forever. But with her life now turned upside down, Ally decides to leave the open seas and follow the trail that her father left her, which leads her to the icy beauty of Norway...

Sunday Post #21

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.