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

Welcome, welcome my dear readers.

Welcome to the blog.

The first month of the year is over already. And I have to be honest: I'm glad that it's over. This month was not that great for me. Usually I'm that person that goes out for dinner 2/3 times a week, I play handball, I go to the theater, cinema, visit friends. This month I could do none of that, and on top of if all I had to teach from home. 

I've been siting inside with tears in my eyes multiple times. The Netherlands has been in lockdown for a long period now and there is also a night clock, which caused a lot of people to go out into the cities and cause riots. I'm actually ashamed to see things like that. 

I've been trying to stay very positive towards the kids in my classroom and I've been calling with them 3/4 times a day. I did organize a quiz last Wednesday over Teams with my classroom. We listened to some songs, had some snacks and did a little dance, all in our own houses, safe, but were still able to have some fun.

Slowly but surely the news is coming out with news about schools opening back up on February 8th. We'll wait and see and I'm really hoping I'll be able to go back to work. I can't wait to see the kids, be in a classroom full of eager, young learners and just to get out of my house to be honest...

Sorry for being negative Nancy, I hope I feel more energetic and positive next month, but yeah. It is what it is... 😉

Thanks for sticking with my blog and for reading!

Hope February will be good to you.

💮

Unboxing: Fairyloot Enemies To Lovers

Welcome, welcome, dear readers. Welcome to the blog. I hope you're having a great day!

I recently subscribed for a 3 month Fairyloot subscription. I had little to no time to do unboxings during the lovely festivities in December and all the reviews I had to write.

I'm very excited to do another unboxing. So here is last years November box!

Let's unbox this baby, here we go!

Review: They Called Us Enemy

Author: George Takei

Started reading: December 26th 2020

Finished the book: January 5th 2021

Pages: 208

Genres: Graphic Novel, Autobiography, War, Nonfiction

Published: August 25th 2020

Source: Bought the book

Goodreads score: 4.38

My score:

Synopsis

In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten "relocation centers," hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard.

They Called Us Enemy is Takei's firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the terrors and small joys of childhood in the shadow of legalized racism, his mother's hard choices, his father's tested faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.

What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide? When the world is against you, what can one person do? To answer these questions, George Takei joins cowriters Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott and artist Harmony Becker for the journey of a lifetime.

Review: The Unadjusteds (The Unadjusteds #1)

Author: Marisa Noelle

Started reading: January 2nd 2021

Finished the book: January 10th 2021

Pages: 414

Genres: YA, Science Fiction

Published: November 1st 2019

Source: Digital copy from the author

Goodreads score: 4.26

My score:

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Silver Melody lives in a world where 80% of the population has modified their DNA. Known as the altereds, those people now possess enhancements like wings, tails, and increased strength or intelligence. Although Silver’s parents created the nanite pill used to deliver these genetic modifications, Silver is proud of her unadjusted state.

However, when the president declares all unadjusteds must take a nanite, Silver has no choice but to flee the city with her father and some friends to prevent the extinction of the unadjusteds.

With Silver’s mother in prison for treason, Silver’s father is the unadjusteds’ only hope at finding a cure. But time is running out as Silver’s father is captured by the president’s almost immortal army. Vicious hellhounds are on Silver’s trail, and her only chance to recover her father involves teaming up with a new group of unlikely friends before all humanity is lost.

Review: Blood Wedding

Author: Pierre Lemaitre

Started reading: December 28th 2020

Finished the book: January 1st 2021

Pages: 288

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

Published: June 6th 2017

Source: Received as a gift

Goodreads score: 3.96

My score:

Synopsis

Young, successful, and happily married-- Sophie thought at first she was becoming absentminded when she started misplacing her mail and forgetting where she'd parked her car the night before.

But then, as her husband and colleagues pointed out with increasing frustration, she began forgetting things she'd said and done, too. And when she was detained by the police for shoplifting, a crime she didn't remember committing, the confusion and blackouts that had begun to plague her took on a more sinister cast.

Now, Sophie is in much deeper water: One morning, she wakes to find that the little boy in her care is dead. She has no memory of what happened. And whatever the truth, her side of the story is no match for the evidence piled against her. Her only hiding place is in a new identity. A new life, with a man she has met online. But Sophie is not the only one keeping secrets...

Sunday Post #26 + Winner GIVEAWAY

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: Always Greener (The General Buzz Book 1)

Author: J.R.H. Lawless

Started reading: December 24th 2020

Finished the book: DNF

Pages: 263

Genres: Science Fiction

Published: February 18th 2020

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads score: 3.44

My score:

Synopsis

Life's biggest victim, please step up and claim your prize!

A smash-hit reality show is offering a lifetime of luxury to the one person living the world’s worst life, and now everyone is out to prove just how bad they’ve got it. Want in? All you’ve got to do is accept ocular implants that let the whole world see life through your eyes, twenty-four hour a day, seven days a week.Fortunately, there’s still one person who hasn’t lost faith in all humanity. The show’s ever-smiling host is determined to wring some tiny bit of meaning out of this twisted competition and your unhappy existence.
There has to be a purpose behind all this misery, doesn’t there?

Review: P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #2)

Author: Jenny Han

Started reading: December 25th 2020

Finished the book: December 28th 2020

Pages: 337

Genres: YA, Romance

Published: May 26th 2015

Source: Bought the book

Goodreads score: 4.10

My score:

Synopsis

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter. She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever. When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

Two Short Stories #19

Today I will be highlighting two short stories.

One of them is a short story about someone that is experiencing the afterlife, the other story is about a woman who is learning new things about herself.

Let's dive right in.

Review: I Am Legend

Author: Richard Matheson

Started reading: December 18th 2020

Finished the book: December 25th 2020

Pages: 162

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Classic

Published: July 1954

Source: E-book

Goodreads score: 4.07

My score:

Synopsis

Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth... but he is not alone. Every other man, woman and child on the planet has succumbed to the vampire plague, and they are hungry for Neville's blood.

By day he is the hunter, stalking the undead through the ruins of civilisation. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn.

How long can one man survive like this?

Review: The Horror Collection: Pink Edition (THC Book 6)

Author: Kevin J. Kennedy

Started reading: December 16th 2020

Finished the book: December 21st 2020

Pages: 126

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

Published: ?

Source: Digital copy from the author

Goodreads score: 4.17

My score:

Synopsis

Book 6 in the Horror Collection contains stories by Tim Curran, Douglas Hackle, Kyle M. Scott, Mike Duke, Zoey Xolton, Natasha Sinclair & Kevin J. Kennedy.

We will take you on a trip through hell, to vampire torn lands, find out the perils of collecting too many books and on many more terrifying adventures.

4 Year Blogiversary: Book Of Choice GIVEAWAY

4 years?! Time is flying when you're having fun. I've even counted it multiple times, but YES. It has been 4 years since I started this blog. I just loved books and really wanted more people to talk about books with. My blog has been one of the best things I've ever done and I've never regretted it ever since.

I want to thank all the visitors to my blog. The frequent visitors, new visitors, people that comment, share, like. All of you, the book community, make it worth my time! I also want to thank authors for contacting me and for sharing their beloved stories with me.

If you're one of those followers that's been stuck here for a LONG time, you know it's a tradition here to giveaway 1 paperback book. Choices are from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2020.

Read this blogpost for some cool statistics about my blog and to find out more about the giveaway!