May Wrap-Up & June TBR | Slow reading, but new obsessions…

Greetings readers!

Here we are half way through the year and ahh the days are getting gorgeous outside. I love summer and everything that has to do with vacation vibes (even thought there will be no vacation this year) so I am *smiles* taking it day by day.

May was a pretty good month. It was a great reading month even though I didn’t read many books. Then again, quality over quantity!

What Rendz Read!

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart (3/5 🌟)
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean (4/5 🌟)
The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng by K.S. Villoso (5/5 🌟)
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He (3/5 🌟)
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo (3.5/5 🌟)
Jade City by Fonda Lee (4.5/5 🌟)

Highlight Book(s): So definitely The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng and Jade City by Fonda Lee. Two books that ahh blew me away for so many reasons. The first the end of a beloved series and the second the start of a new one. I am living.

Lowliest Book(s): While these aren’t low ratings I was not quite happy with Witches Steeped in Gold and Descendant of the Crane. I just felt like they both lacked some luster for me.

The Haul:

Let’s just say I have been very, very lucky with the publisher love.

For the Wolf by Hannah F. Whitten
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Jay’s Gay Agenda by Jason June
The Unpopular Vote by Jasper Sanchez
Don’t Breathe a Word by Jordyn Taylor

On the Hook by Francisco X. Stork

Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry
Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa
Song of the Forever Rains by E.J. Millow

Other Going Ons

~ Shadow and Bone Meet & Greet ~

I lived my best life on May 8th 2021. I was in the same Zoom room as the Shadow & Bone cast. I WAS IN THE SAME ZOOM ROOM AS BEN BARNES. I can honestly tell you that I do not remember a single thing from my session. I was so focused on getting screenshots and staring lovingly at the actors that I do not remember a single thing that was actually spoken about during the 20 minute interview period. 🙂

Luckily someone uploaded my session to YouTube so it is there forever.

~ Speaking of which…I Binged Shadow and Bone Again ~

You know I had to. You just know that I had to. 🙂 I thoroughly enjoyed myself a second time around and ahh I am eagerly awaiting any news on season 2!

~ So I watched my first K-Drama ~

I really needed something to watch and my cousin, who recently started watching K-Dramas herself, recommended that I start “Crash Landing On You.” And all I have to say is this: I AM OBSESSED. This drama delivered everything that I could possibly want from a TV show. The tropes, the romance, the plot…I–I loved, I loved it. I loved it. If you have any recommendations for me I AM TAKING THEM.

IMDb

Posts of the Months

Flamefall | Review // That moment when a book blows every single expectation away!

Goodreads Was Wrong Book Tag

TBR

Boy do I have so many books to read this month! I already know that I won’t get to all of them, but I am going to try my best!! I really want to prioritize Indigenous and Pride reads this month because June is commemorative of both communities.

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
Skraelings: Clashes in the Old Arctic by Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley & Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley
Sisters of the Snake by Sarena and Sasha Nanua
Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
For the Wolf by Hannah F. Whitten

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Let me know what you think! What have you read this month? What books did you get? What books are you looking forward to reading!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

May Wrap Up & June TBR | Just trying to keep it together

Greetings readers!

Well hello everyone. I hope that you are taking the necessary precautions to ensure your safety and keep in good health. Times are really tough right now and I hope that you are reaching out to your friends and loved ones.

In terms of reading and being bookish, y’all I’m actually keeping up with my blog schedule, what???? Well that’s a first for me and honestly I’m very proud of myself!

What Rendz Read

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda 📘 (ARC) (4.5/5) Review
Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter 📘 (ARC) (4/5) Review
Winter by Marissa Meyer 🎧 (5/5)
Wires and Nerve Vol. 1 by Marissa Meyer 📘 (5/5)
Wires and Nerve Vol 2.: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer 📘 (4/5)
The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall 🎧
The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith 📘 (45) Review
Well Met by Jen DeLuca 🎧 (2.5/5)  Review
Always Never Yours by Austin Sigmund-Brokka and Emily Wibberley 🎧 Review
Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster 📘 (ARC) Review
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant 📘 (e-ARC) RTC
Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas e-📘 Review
Parental Guidance by Avery Flynn e-📘 Review

13 books! I beat my total from last month! I honestly could have done more but there was one point in the month where I got lazy. Also most of these were books I got from my digital library since all my holds came in at practically the same time!

Highlight Book(s): Fireborne was really good, but it can’t top the emotions I went through while rereading TLC and The Penderwicks!

Lowliest Book(s): The Court of Miracles and Salty, Bitter, Sweet really lacked for me.

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The Haul

NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHINGGGGGG.

Nothing except for digital library books.

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Other Going Ons

I only have one summer course and it is really out to get me

I had so many things planned to do while I was home and since I was only taking one course I thought that I could keep up with my art projects and reading schedules but no. Of course not. Here I am struggling to learn and have fun at the same time. While I can’t say the course is very stressful, it is heavy and I resent having to take it. But it is what it is and I hope I at least learn something!

Penguin Teen Virtual Events

Penguin Teen Canada has hosted some pretty cool virtual  events this month and I was so grateful to be a part of them! My partner and I even won the Trivia Night they had one day and I was so excited! So many great authors joined in, including Marie Lu!!!! It was just a great way to spend Friday nights talking about books!

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Posts of the Month

Tune & Title Tuesdays

May 5, 2020
May 12, 2020
May 19, 2020
May 26, 2020

My Favourite Book Children | I Am A Mother of Many

Rereading The Lunar Chronicles | Audiobook Edition // I. am. still. so. obsessed.

Animal Crossing New Horizons Book Tag

My Signed Books Collection | Second Edition

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I have a plan people! If I get to every single book is another story entirely, but I have a plan and I am so very excited!

1. Legend Series Reread leading up to Rebel by Marie Lu
2. Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega
3. Con Sabor Reading Challenge: The Moon Within by Aida Salazar, Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
4. Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena
5. Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim
6. Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno (also for CSRC)

Plus whatever digital books I get from my library! You just never know exactly what you’re gonna read!

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Let me know what you think! What have you read this month? What books did you get? What books are you looking forward to reading!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

May Wrap Up & June TBR | I said that May was the month of ME and oh boy was it!

Greetings readers!

Boy oh boy. May was THE month for me. It was the month of MAY. *Read that like how Justin Timberlake sings Me.*

Not gonna lie there was a week where I fell into a slump, but I jumped back from it! Not every read this month was omgomgomgoooood, but I had quite a few good ones and am quite happy with what I got done. To add to this, I read faster than I wrote reviews so I am severallll books behind schedule in terms of reviewing. They will be up…eventually though.

Let’s get started shall we!

What Rendz Read

We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett
This was such a great read! I was so surprised by how much I liked it! If you want feminist, fighter pilots then check it out. My Full Review.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH. This book was PHENOMENAL!!!!! READ IT! My Full Review.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
This was the Sisters Reads of May! My sisters, Maz and Kez, and I buddy read this together and we shared our ~thoughts~. Read Our Tell All.

Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George
SECOND HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH! You all  have now idea how much I adored this book. My Full Review.

Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera
Despite not being exactly what I expected, I enjoyed this Latinx read a lot! More to come in a mini review!

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao
I have been meaning to read this one for a while now because I loved Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. It was a great follow up for sure! More to come in a mini review!

The Girl Who Sailed The Stars by Matilda Woods
This short, magical MG read is sure to capture the hearts of many! Review to come.

The Snow Witch by Rosie Boyes
I got some great winter and White Witch vibes from this MG read! Review to come!

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante
This was quite an emotional read and it is the perfect Pride Month pick! Review to come!

The Haul

As usual I went overboard with everything.

My purchases
Nocturna by Maya Motayne (Finished copy)

Penguin Teen CA
The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh (I KNOW AHHHH)
A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy
Eve of Man by Giovanna & Tom Fletcher
The Triumphant by Lesley Livingston
Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian

Hatchette
Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart
The Witching Hours: The Troll Heart by Jack Henseleit

Library:
Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera
Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao

Posts From Last Month

THEME THURSDAY | PIRATES

Shiver me timbers…I haven’t read a lot of Pirate YA books!

Even the Darkest Stars | Canadian Dragon Tales Buddy Read Review // We Have Questions!!!

Sha and I tackled another Canadian “dragon” Tales Buddy Read. This one was less successful than the first, but still fun!

My Mismatched Series | A Discussion

Let’s get chatty! Be honest, how many mismatched books do you have?

HCC Frenzy Presents Fantasy Panel! | Meeting Tahereh Mafi, Maya Motayne & Victoria Aveyard // Turns out I am not as cool as I try to be…

Read this if you want to know about how I made a complete and utter fool of myself as I was trying to keep my cool. Spoiler: I did not keep my cool.

THEME THURSDAY |TWINS

Turns out, I have read more twin books than I initially thought!

Other Going-Ons

I Wrote Another Article!

I dug deep into a google search to collect a list of my top 10 most anticipated Latinx Books of 2019! You can read the article here!

I Art-ed!

If you guys don’t follow me on Instagram, you totally should! (@readingwithrendz). I often put updates on my little art adventures. Not all of them are cool, but I like to share my progress. My latest project was a Pinterest Girl that I did in soft pastel!

The following picture is the finished copy (but the lighting is so horrible)!

Aladdin 2019 was not trash. I repeat it was not trash!

Let me tell youuuuuu. I 100% thought this movie was not going to be any good from what I saw in the trailers, but I was so so wrong. it was actually quite fun and I liked how they retold the story. Even Will Smiths top-knot genie was okay with me. I mean it doesn’t beat out the original cartoon, but still! It was quite good!

I was hoodwinked, bamboozeled and betrayed by a Wattpad story!!!

So I was clearing out my iPod because I want to take it on my vacation and I was deleting all unnecessary apps. I stumbled upon my Wattpad app, which I made with the intention of writing but I never did, lol. So I was going to delete it, but then I saw this story cover which I was fairly intrigued by. I read the synopsis and knew that it wasn’t really my style, but I was curious. So I read this contemporary, arranged-marriage romance novel. And I gotta be honest…I was kinda loving it. Like it had its trashier bits and the grammar was off sometimes, but I really did like the characters and the plot direction. And I got to the end and thought wow this was great, until I read the epilogue. The epilogue ruined everything for me. It turned this happily ever after into a bittersweet end. And before you think what you might think, no. No one died. No one broke up. It was just how the author decided to craft their future in order to write a sequel that made me go: NO NO  NOOOOOOOO.

So I was mad. But I haven’t been able to find another arranged-marriage romance novel that works for me. So I continue to suffer.

I Went to the Penguin Teen Social!

Book worms of all kinds gathered at the PRHC HQ a couple of weeks ago to talk all things books. It was more of a mix and mingle than a sit-down thing. (There were not many places to sit at all actually) But I had a lot of fun being anti-social with my best bookish friend, Rezanne! I even got to meet Tanaz Bhathena and she singed my copy of The Beauty of the Moment!!!! I got to meet more authors, but I’m still thinking of writing an event recap for it so stay tuned!

I’m thinking of taking another mood month. I’m just going to pick up whatever I feel like I want to try.

I’ve already read The Beholder by Anna Bright and it was quite the read! I’ll talk more about it in my review!

I will be reading Spin The Dawn this month with Mandy @ Book Princess Reviews! We are hoping this will be our first read that we both actually love!

I will also for sure get to The Storm Crow by Kayln Josephson because I will be part of the blog tour!!!

Oh and I have one special read that’s going to be happening this month. Let’s just say I am really going to step out of my comfort zone.

As for the rest of the month….hmmmmmm…we shall see what I am in the mood for!

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Let me know what you think! What was your favourite May read? What books are you looking forward to this June? What books did you haul?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

May Wrap & June TBR | The Month in Which Things Got Crazy

Greetings readers!

Oh God.  This month has been a month. I found myself in a blog slump around mid May and avoided both writing for my blog and reading all of your wonderful posts. I really lacked motivation and….I was just plain lazy.

However, stuff happened this month. Ummmmm….I’m just gonna jump right in and…well…you’ll see.

May Wrap-Up

Books Rendz Read!

I got to a total of 10 read books this month! Four of them were rereads, but they were very necessary rereads, might I add. Frankly, I am very proud of what I was able to accomplish this month. Considering how I was feeling in terms of blogging.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
1 – 4 series reread. I don’t have reviews for these, but a big post about this series is in the works! My advice: Read this series.

The Penderwicks At Last by Jeanne Birdsall
I am overflowing with emotion! The finale to a series that is so important to me. Plus I got to be on the blog tour for it! My Full Review

Furyborn by Claire Legrand
Quite an epic fantasy I’m sure many will find enjoyable! My Full Review

Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser
A Pirate YA book! Not exactly what I was expecting, but it was okay. My Full Review.

Whisper of the Tide by Sarah Tolcser
Sequel to Song of the Current, only much more dramatic and scandalous! Review to come!

Legendary by Stephanie Garber
Sequel to the amazing Caraval! I think I liked this one just a bit more. Review to come!

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
I read it because the movie is coming this August! Mini-review to come possibly.

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The Haul

This is where things get interesting. This month I hauled a total of…

*drum roll*

26 Books.

Yeahh… 26 BOOKS! And most of them are physical!

I know what you are all thinking. RENDZ, HOW COULD YOU HAVE HAULED 26 BOOKS???? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY THAT IS?????

This is where I actually tell you that I hardly spent money on books this month.

I’m hauling 26 books because I got lucky.

So what did I actually purchase this month!

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

That’s it….for the purchases….

Publishing houses have been loving me as of late. Seriously! I have quite a haul of ARCs and attended quite a few events hosted by the following publishers! Canadians Pubs are just so amazing and awesome and if you ever get a chance to work with them I promise you will meet some lovely people!

NetGalley E-ARCs

Kiss of the Royal by Lindsey Duga
Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf

Raincoast ARCs

Whisper of the Tide by Sarah Tolscer
If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say by Leila Sales

Hachette Book Group CA ARCs

Flor and Miranda Steal the Show by Jennifer Torres
Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart

Thomas Allen & Son ARCs

Tell Me No Lies by Adele Griffin
Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery by

Penguin Random House CA

Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh (ARC)
Royals by Rachel Hawkins (ARC)
Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen (ARC)
We Are All That’s Left by Carrie Arcos (ARC)
The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland (FC)
The Penderwicks At Last by Jeanne Birdsall (FC)

Then my luck was like a shining star in the night–bright and brilliant–because I won two more giveaways!

One for Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and another for The Cruel Prince by Holly Black!

But nothing can compare to the giveaway I won in April. I was just on, Twitter minding my own business, scrolling away, when I stumbled upon a tweet by the Book Depository. It was World Story Telling Day and they gave you a chance to win big by telling your greatest story!

There were probably over 300 entries and I said to myself, I’ll just enter for the heck of it. So I told a quick story of what happened when I met and author for the first time (I’ll share it with you, one day). Two weeks later, I wake up to a message from the BD saying I won and get to spend £100 worth of books!!!

£100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If y’all knew how much money that is in CAD, you’d get my total elation!

So what books did I get!

A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Swchab
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
The Shadow and Bone Trilogy Boxset by Leigh Bardugo
The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo
The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Graton

And I’m still waiting on one more book to show up! I cannot even believe my own luck! Seeing how my life hasn’t been the greatest these past couple months, I’d say that these winnings are probably the highlights of April and May!

That’s a total of 26 hauled books!

May was a really good month.

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Posts from May!

The Legend Series: Graphic Novel Adaptation | Series Review

Saving Each Other | Blog Tour – Q&A and Excerpt

Penguin Teen CA Social | Event Recap

I really hit a blog slump in May. No inspiration or motivation came at me!

As for TV shows or movies I have been up to watching, again nothing. I started re-watching episodes of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody if that counts.

As for art things……well I have a surprise to show off soon, when I finish. And more TLC art is on its way!!!!

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June TBR

Now here comes the hard part. I hauled so many books this past month, how on Earth am I ever going to be able to choose what to read?!

Answer: Priorities. As much as I want to be able to be free to read what I want, I made a commitment to these publishers and I am going to see it through!

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir (RIP me and everybody else too)

Flor and Miranda Steal the Show by Jennifer Torres

Tell Me No Lies by Adele Griffin

Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf

A Mark Unwilling by Candace Wondrak

And that’s it for now. I have a feeling I will not be able to get to everything just because school is being a disaster and I want to destroy it with every fiber of my being. But I can do it. I take the challenge.

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Let me know what you think! How did May treat you? What was your favourite read? What book are you most excited to get to in June? How many books are on your monthly list? 

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

*All gifs via giphy.com*