Gabriella M Reads

                              The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 3 Stars This year I wanted to start off by changing up the vibes. Last year was a very smutty reading year and there isn't anything wrong with that, in fact, I love that. However, I snagged this book on my first vacation with my boyfriend at a local bookshop and the sentimentality is what really drove this choice. That and it was a short read. I want to start by saying that this was in fact, a good book. I gave it three stars because I wasn't dying to know what happened next. With the length of this book, I should have been able to finish it the same day that I started it, but that just wasn't the case here. It took me a full week despite the fact that I wasn't really working and school had not started yet. The idea of an orphaned child growing up in a graveyard, raised by the spirits of those buried there definitely intrigued me. I've also heard so many good things about Neil Gaiman's writing and I

  It's been a couple of years since I've been able to blog even a little bit. Are written blogs even in anymore? Oh well. It's a new year and time for a whole new reading adventure. Overall Reading Plans In 2024, I hope to simply read. The last few years I haven't read more than sixteen books in a year. Some years it was even as few as five. 2023 I found my spark again and finished a whopping sixty-two books. My goal for the coming year is a small one so I don't set myself up for failure, twenty-four. First Book of the Year For my first read of the year I'm actually switching gears. 2023 was apparently the year of romance. For a change of pace, I'm starting with The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I've wanted to get into his books for a while and I snagged this one last week when my boyfriend and I were on vacation. We visited a cute local independent bookstore on our travels, a tradition we plan to uphold for coming adventures. If you're ever in Flag

State of the Union by Nick Hornby 4 Stars I had actually never heard of this book prior to my purchasing it. Nor have I run into anyone who has read it. State of the Union actually caught my eye at my local Dollar Tree because of the neon design on the cover. I had not even read the synopsis before my decision was made. I also bought two more for two of my friends in the honors program with me. We all finished reading it within days of each other since we all started at different times. State of the Union is about a couple who ventures into marriage counseling to try and mend their somewhat broken relationship. The book is split into ten parts, each taking place prior to their counseling appointment. I found this intriguing. I would have loved to see the actual appointments, but only seeing the couple prior to them wasn't as bad as I had assumed it was going to be. Being that the novel is only 132 pages, it was a very quick read and I looked forward to seeing how their relationship

Beach Read by Emily Henry 4.5 Stars Beach Read was not a book that I ever intended on picking up. Unfortunately, I judged the book by it's cover and also its title. However, I saw a TikTok where someone went through the synopsis as if it were their life and I'll admit that I was intrigued. It also wound up being the perfect book for one of my assignments. I tried to keep an open mind going into this one. Romance is indeed up my alley, but I would have to ignore my prior judgements. Our lead, January, has discovered family secrets after the passing of her father and is having a hard time coping. She goes to this beach town to pack up his life while also working on her next novel. Of course, there has to be an irritating next door neighbor who to her shock, she knows from college. His name is Gus, a fellow author, and she loathes him. I am pretty sure everyone who has ever read a contemporary romance can see where this is going. An enemies to lovers trope is honestly one of my fa

Stay at Home Book Tag  Laying in Bed - A book that you could/have read in a day I can't actually remember the last time I was able to finish a book in a day due to work, school, and slumps. However, I can tell you the last book that I had a hard time having to put it down was A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas. That book made my heart sing and if you want to know more about my thoughts, I wrote a spoiler-free review . Snacking - A guilty pleasure book I don't really have one specific book, but a serious guilty pleasure of mine is Christmas novels. If you've been here for a while, you know that Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday and time of year in general. There is nothing better than cuddling up with a good Christmas romance and some chocolate on a cold day. Netflix - A series that you want to start I really want to start the Crescent City series by Sarah J Maas, but at the same time I know waiting for each one to get published is going to be absolute torture.

Something I have really enjoyed lately is creating. I find that it is really good for my mental health during these rough times. That being said, I made a few bookmarks for myself and thought that maybe others would enjoy these too. Late last night I made a google order form for these in case anyone would like to purchase them. The form does include better pictures of the designs, I promise. I am not an amazing artist, but I do try my best. Each one comes "handmade with love" stamped on the back. I think $3 is a fair asking price and I would really love your support. If you took the time to read this, I appreciate you. Happy reading! Xoxo, Gabriella