Susan’s Book Blog

 Very much looking forward to getting into both of these! I got the paperback of Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell today and was approved for the The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian on NetGalley (woooo!!!!) and I am so excited for both!  Stay tuned for reviews… 

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren My rating: 5 of 5 stars Ughhh this was SO GOOD. I LOVED it! I'm a little late to the game with this one seeing as it came out about a year ago but it's new to me. And it was nothing at all like I expected. It was trippy (the Groundhog Day time loop premise) and magical and fun and so so sweet. I adored both MCs; Andrew was a dream and Mae was funny and relatable. I really enjoyed the cozy cabin setting and the whole big happy family vibe. I just loved every minute of this book. Definitely one of my favorite holiday romances. View all my reviews

 I’m hardly qualified (or well-read enough) to tell you what the “best” books of the year were but these are my picks for my Favorites of the year. To me, they were the best among the 118 I read.  Top Ten of 2021: 🌟  The Guncle (My #1 fave) ⭐️  Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World  ⭐️  Under the Whispering Door  ⭐️  The Charm Offensive ⭐️  A Marvellous Light  Any Way the Wind Blows Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun The Love Hypothesis  If This Gets Out Peter Cabot Gets Lost Obviously, I read mostly romance this year (and a lot of queer romance within that genre) and I honestly can’t imagine topping several of these choices even if you look in any other genre. But again, these are just my picks from among what I read.  What were your faves this year??

 I can’t help but appreciate how much effort publishers put into getting eyeballs on their books. And Wednesday Books / St. Martin’s / Macmillan has done good with If This Gets Out .  The book is about a boy band called Saturday and one of the items is a bookmark that looks like a concert ticket. How cute is that? I love both the bookmark and the sticker and am so glad I was able to catch this offer!  Have you ever received goodies for a preorder incentive? The only other one I’ve done so far is the poster for TJ Klune’s Under the Whispering Door (you can see it in my post about it   here ). I think it’s also an amazing way to engage fans and get them excited about these wonderful books. So a big THANK YOU to the publisher for these adorable items!

 My precious has arrived fresh from England! Now the Waterstones sprayed edge version of the trilogy is COMPLETE - and how beautiful they look all together. 😍🥰😍  I’m in love!

While reading A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, I had some thoughts about the connections between their magic and the natural world.                     The magical world Marske’s created is wonderful. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read or seen before; it’s fantastical and creative but also… down to earth at the same time? The magic has many limitations and complexities, which is part of what makes it feel so much more realistic .   If you recall, William Morris was mentioned by name and his work referenced numerous times throughout the book.  Robin ignored the bustling of the upstairs maid who was clearly doing her best to prepare a room on five minutes' notice, and went to run his hands over the wallpaper. "This is William Morris." "Yes, sir," said the maid. In addition to the willow bough wallpaper Robin initially noticed, the paper in Maud’s room at Penhallick House with the birds and strawberries - a famous patt...

I have finally gotten the chance to read this book that I’ve been dying to read for MONTHS and it did NOT disappoint. I’m a sucker for a good grumpy/sunshine trope and Robin and Edwin are particularly great. They also bring introvert/extrovert vibes and the bookworm/athlete dynamic and I’m here for all of it. They’re both intelligent and lovely and easy to like. Edwin struggles with self worth because of how his family treats him and it’s hard not to sympathize with him. I loved how his & Robin’s relationship evolved from begrudging acquaintances to unlikely allies to actual friends to desperate lovers. It was a natural, well-paced progression and I can’t wait to see what they get up to in the next two books.  The magical world Marske’s created is wonderful. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read or seen before; it’s fantastical and creative but also… down to earth at the same time? The magic has many limitations, which is part of what makes it feel so much more realistic to me. It w...

 I’m so excited for everyone to get their hands on this wonderful book! It’s Pub Day for If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich. It’s one of my favorite books of this year. You can find my GR review for it  here  (and also below, keep scrolling down) but if you like romance, behind-the-scenes style stories, and amazing characters, do yourself a favor and get this book! I can’t wait till mine gets here! *peeks out the window to watch for the delivery truck* 🚚 👀  Some highlights, themes and topics: 🎤   Queer YA / MLM romance 🎤   Friendships 🎤   Celebrity Boy band 🎤   Coming out story   🎤   Finding your voice It’s a beautiful and impactful story told with emotion and humor. Every character is wonderful and you’ll be rooting so hard for Zach and Ruben. Full GR review below: I really loved this book. It lived up to everything I’d hoped it would be. It’s the first I’ve read from either of the authors and I am impr...

If you’re like me, you love books, bookmarks, and getting packages in the mail. 😝 So of course Book of the Month boxes are some of the funnest packages I get every month. This month I chose The Holiday Swap and added on In a Holidaze. Here’s my haul (it even came with Christmas stickers!): Bookmark (💯 🎯): Stickers! 👇🏼 If you want to try out BOTM, click here !  Every month you’ll get a choice if several different genres. No strings attached, you can skip anytime you want. It’s so much fun!