Gabriella M Reads

My decision for 2021 was to split my reading plans into quarters and so far that plan is working. In the first three months of the year I have been able to finish six whole books! I am so proud of myself! I started off the year with a book I already knew that I was going to love, Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer. Needless to say I was not wrong. Reliving the book from Edward's point of view brought new life to a story that I have loved for so long. I would read the whole series from his point of view if I could. I also read a short poetry book called 2 AM Thoughts which was as enjoyable as every poetry book that I have read. I mostly read poetry when I am looking for comfort and it typically works out as planned. However, The Messengers was not as great for me. I can see why people enjoy it for its social commentary, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. Alas, the long awaited return of Sarah J Maas to the beautiful world that she created. A Court of Silver Flames was more than I co...

This post is almost a year overdue. I never realized that I didn't post it. So if you're here reading it despite how late it is, thank you. Wow, what a month March has been. Is anyone going a little stir crazy being inside? I'm still working, both from home and also on campus, so I have plenty to keep my mind busy. I am here to talk if anyone needs it. Now let's get to the wrap-up. I was able to finish four books last month. I started my month with two picture books that were written by Jonathan Stutzman. Llama Destroys the World, illustrated by Heather Fox, was definitely a cute read. I actually find it quite fitting for the current situation, especially the ending. Llamas may not be my favorite animal, but I recommend this one for anyone looking for a smile. Next came Tiny the T-Rex and the Very Dark Dark, illustrated by Jay Fleck. I was excited for this one since I really enjoyed the first book, Tiny the T-Rex and the Impossible Hug. Needless to say, I was not disa...

February Reading It is to no surprise that I did not finish any books in February outside of my reading for school. However, I surprised even myself by starting to listen to my very first audiobook. Yes, you read that right. I am reading, or listening to, my very first audiobook! I am very excited about this and I am breezing through compared to my current reading speed lately. I am on track to finish it this month. Well, what book is it? I am listening to Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon. For the very few of you who may not be familiar, it is the second book within the Outlander series. I got really amped up for season five of the show and therefore decided it was time to read the book. Because I am having such a hard time right now with reading, I thought I would give an audiobook a shot and it is really helping me. I listen when I am driving, eating my lunch, cooking, and sometimes doing my homework. I am actually listening to it right now! I have just under nineteen ...

Hello Twenty-Twenty! Normally my first post of the year is my reading wrap up of the previous year as a whole. However, this go around that would just be a huge waste of time. In 2019 I only managed to finish seven books; eight, if you consider the book I read that had a second book within. I chose not to read that second book so I did not mark the whole thing as read on my Goodreads account. Therefore, my survey would be either very empty or heavily repetitive. The wise choice is to just skip it altogether. I was very disappointed in my reading last year. Seven books is just a shame compared to my previous reading years. So, in twenty-twenty my goal is to simply read one book a month. Twelve is more than last year while also staying incredibly safe. There are many reasons for my lack of reading, but a major player is college which I will be continuing this year. Wish me luck in both areas of my life. My first book of the year is one I started last year and I am seriously lovi...

Summer Reading Wrap-Up So I bet you all know what I'm about to say. I failed at my Summer tbr. Big shocker there. However, I have been reading. Hopefully in a few days I'll be able to post a review. I haven't done one in forever! I'm actually quite excited. I had planned to read The Cheerleaders and The Woman in the Window over the Summer, but my slump prevailed and I put them both down for the time being. At this point I had absolutely given up on finding something to pull me out of what I would call a severe slump. It was completely on accident that I am actually reading now. What happened? Well, I was browsing Netflix for something new to try. I always said I wasn't interested in Outlander and that it wasn't my type of show. I hate historical fiction and I know this is more than that, but still it does have that historical element. I've never had access to the show anyway until they put it on Netflix. Needless to say I was very surprised when I couldn...

2018 came and went faster than I thought possible. I read a decent amount. I grew as a person and I began to prepare myself for the loss I will face in 2019 (my dog has lymphoma). While I wish I could pause time for us, I'm ready for 2019. I'm cherishing our moments and charging ahead. Enough sad, let's talk about books. As always a thank you to  Jamie  from  The Perpetual Page-Turner  for putting this together. 2018 Reading Stats Number Of Books You Read:  67 Number of Re-Reads:  4 Genre You Read The Most From:  I think I kept it mixed up this year, maybe. 1. Best Book You Read In 2018?  (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2018 release vs. backlist) I would have to say You by Caroline Kepnes. I read a lot of great books, but this one put me in a massive book hangover. I can't believe it took me so long to buy a copy and read it. Just wow. 2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You W...

For the first time in a long time I decided to make myself a TBR for the month. In my April TBR post I was honest with myself. I know I suck at sticking to plans for reading so I only gave myself three books. So let's see how that worked out, shall we? If you've seen my review then you know the first book I managed to finish this month was The Fall of Grace by Amy Fellner Dominy and I really enjoyed it. It didn't go exactly where I wanted it to go and yet it was still a really good read for me. If you enjoy a little mystery mixed with adventure and romance then this one is for you. I also finished Midnight Sun which was second on my list. SUPRISE! I can follow through, sort of. I read a lot of reviews about this book before I even had the chance to finish it and a good chunk were saying that it was a cheap copy of Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I say screw that. I loved both of these books and while they both have a girl who feels like she's missing out on l...

Wow, another year has come and gone oh so quickly. I feel like just yesterday it was January and I was filled with such hope for the new year. Now it's time to do it all over again so let's look back at how my reading was for 2017. Really just March through December because I didn't finish any books in the first two months of the year, such a shame. As always a thank you to Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner for putting this together. Number Of Books You Read: 54 Number of Re-Reads: 2 Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary probably. Maybe Poetry. 1. Best Book You Read In 2017?  (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2017 release vs. backlist) I think my best book was Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I bought it because of the televsision show and not wanting to wait to see how it all ends. This book really surprised me and I absolutely loved it. 2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Lov...

Collective Wrap-Up Arc August: As y'all know I signed up to do ARC August, an event where all of us try our hardest to read all of our backlogged review copies (advanced reader copies or ARCs specifically). I'm very bad at sticking to TBRs and forcing myself to read when I don't really feel like it so I set a very realistic goal for myself. In August I set out to read one ARC. Yes you read that correctly, ONE. I'm happy to announce that I at the very least reached my goal. In August I was only able to read one ARC. I was in a major slump and really didn't want to read anything that I felt like I HAD to read. The ARC I chose was to my surprise, one from my TBR. I read and actually enjoyed A Season for Fireflies by Rebecca Maizel. This was a book about a girl who was struck by lightning and lost some of her more recent memories and her struggles to try and remember all the changes she had made in those missing periods. I enjoyed it enough. I did get a littl...

Armchair Book Expo is over for this year. I'm already ready for next year, although I am hoping to actually be at BEA for the first time ever. So we'll see how that goes. In a dream world I'd get to do both. Anyway, This is basically a post to say goodbye to all of my Armchair BEA friends until next year and wrap things up nicely. I've met so many great people this year! If you missed my previous posts we talked about diversity, good blogging habits, dining with authors and so much more. Feel free to go back and take a look, I love chatting with you. I'm still looking for more diverse recommendations so feel free to leave those in the comments. As always I am very grateful for this community and feel very lucky to have found it. Thank you for stopping by. Happy reading! Xoxo, Gabriella

Number Of Books You Read:   52 Number of Re-Reads: 1 Genre You Read The Most From: I believe it was contemporary. 1. Best Book You Read In 2015? I think the best book for me was A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. I couldn't put it down and I still find myself thinking about it almost a month later. I'm also tempted to reread it, which is typically not something that I do.  2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? I would either have to say Trust Me, I'm Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summers or The F-It List by Julie Halpern. I actually loved them both in the end, but I expected something completely different than what I got from both of those novels. Going into The F-It List I was kind of hoping it would be more about her friend having cancer and how they're dealing with it together. Instead, I got a novel with a cancer ridden friend kind of in the background. Trust Me, I'm Lying on the other han...