Author: Dee’s Reading Tree

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Monday Cleaning Day

Dee’s Reading Tree

I have come to really enjoy writing these Monday posts. They create the illusion that I have some sort of control over my TBR list. On these posts I got to my Goodreads TBR list, I order it in reverse order, and from “date added.” I then pick the first ten books and I choose whether to keep them or delete them from my list. I obviously skip the books I decided to keep in past weeks.

Picture from Goodreads

The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson

The first thing I noticed when I looked at this book is that the cover is gorgeous. As you probably know, I am a sucker for pretty covers. My friends on Goodreads have rated this book 3 to 5 stars, which is promising. But, what really sold me on this was the fact that one of my favorite authors Sabaa Tahir (author of An Ember in the Ashes) rated it 5 stars. If she loves it, then I will love it.

Keep 🙂

Picture from Goodreads

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Lets face it, the cover is terrible. But, my friends on Goodreads who have read it all have given it above a four star rating. It seems like a feel good book. I just have to be in a certain mood to read those. But I will try it!

Keep 🙂

Picture from Goodreads

The Star Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes (#1 and #2) by Roshani Chokshi

Both of these look really good, and they have great reviews from all my friends on Goodreads. Also, another one of my favorite authors Sarah J. Maas, rated it five stars so now I definitely have to read it!

Keep 🙂

Truthwitch (The Witchlands, #1) by Susan Dennard

There are a lot of mixed reviews on this one. But many of my friends on Goodreads did not finish it, and many more did not like it. So I will have to pass.

Delete 😦

Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

I can’t believe I still haven’t read these. I loved Six of Crows, and I am currently loving Crooked Kingdom. I am sure I will like these as well.

Keep 🙂

Picture from Goodreads

Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons, #1) by Leigh Bardugo

I love everything Wonder Woman, and I love Leigh Bardugo, so essentially this book was made for me to read it.

Keep 🙂

King of Scars (Nikolai Duology, #1) by Leigh Bardugo

I guess I went on a Leigh Bardugo TBR spree for a while there didn’t I? I’ve heard great things about this one, and it has great ratings on Goodreads. But I will wait until I finish the Shadow and Bone trilogy and then decide if I want to read this one.

Delete (for now)

Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Okay, I am noticing a trend here. It seems like Bardugo has started a lot of trilogies and duologies and has yet to finish them. That makes me nervous. Once again, I will finish the Shadow and Bone trilogy and then decide if I want to read this one.

Delete (for now)

Dangerous Beauty (Dangerous Beauty, #1) by J.T. Geissinger

This is one of my guilty pleasures. It has great reviews. I am keeping it there for whenever I am in the mood.

Keep 🙂

Picture from Goodreads

Verity by Colleen Hoover

I haven’t read one of her books in a while. It has almost all five star reviews, and barely any bad reviews. It looks like an interesting story. Also, look at that cover!

Keep 🙂

So I ended up looking at thirteen books, because they were part of a series. I deleted only three this time, but I still feel better about it.

P.S. You guys know how I said on my first Monday Cleaning Day post I had 70 ish books on my TBR list? Well…theres 109 there now, and I have no idea how that happened.

How are you guys doing on your TBR list? How do you manage it?

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Potential Guilty Pleasure

Dee’s Reading Tree

Last week I talked about my guilty pleasures, when it comes to certain books and authors. These are books that I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy. A few months ago I read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, and I can see her books starting to become my new guilty pleasures.

Picture from Goodreads

I loved her writing. Her characters were so grounded and real. The story was uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. It gave me all the feels. Even though I knew what would happen because I had seen the movie, the book was really different. Emilia Clarke did a great job in the movie though, and I couldn’t help imagining her as Louisa while I read the book.

I did not continue reading the books that come after Me Before You, because I felt like that story line was over and no other books needed to follow it. But, I will definitely be reading some of her other books. I have added The Peacock Emporium to by TBR list, and I can’t wait to be in the mood to read it.

Have you read any of her books? Any you would recommend?

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Bookish Bucket List

Dee’s Reading Tree

Last week I added: read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, go to New York, and own the Shatter Me series.

My Bookstagram

Go to Venice, Italy

I totally blame this one on The Red Scrolls of Magic. I’ve always had a bit of curiosity when it comes to Venice, but this book solidified that for me. I must go there even if it does smell like sewer water. I want to go on a gondola ride, and have breakfast, lunch and dinner next to the water like Alec and Magnus. Now I just need the money.

Picture from Goodreads

Own and read the Game of Thrones series

The show is about to come to an end, and I know I will miss these characters. That is mainly why I haven’t read the whole series yet. This series is also a giant monstrosity in length and it will take me a while to read it in between all my other books. But I will!

Picture from Goodreads

Go Snorkeling in Hawaii

In the book Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, all Madeline wants to do is visit Hawaii and see the Humuhumunukunukuapuaa fish. Try to say that three times fast. This is the Hawaii state fish, and her desire to experience the outside world is infectious. I’ve been yearning to go there ever since I read the book, and why not?

What are some bookish things you want to do in the future?

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The Red Scrolls of Magic Review

Dee’s Reading Tree
My Bookstagram

I had been looking forward to The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses, #1) by Cassandra Clare for almost a year now. One of my favorite characters from her other Shadowhunter books is Magnus Bane, and when I saw the book was mostly about him I was super excited. On the other hand, one of my least favorite characters is Alexander Lightwood, but this book was exactly what I needed in order to understand his personality more.

I trust you with my life. But can I trust you with more than my life?”

alec

Alec and Magnus have decided to take a vacation around Europe after the Mortal War. Then, bad news arrives to ruin their trip. There are rumors of a demon worshipping cult called the Crimson Hand circling around. A cult supposedly founded by Magnus as a joke, but now it has become very real and out of control. In order to continue on with their vacation, Magnus and Alec must put a stop to the Crimson Hand before they cause any more damage.

He’d have no vacation at all without Magnus, no shine of magic and no shocks of joy, no lights and no music.”

alec

There was so much humor in this story, and with a main character like Magnus what else did I expect? Even in the worst of moments he was still making jokes. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the story.

Do I know you?” said Magnus. “No, but you definitely could,” the dryad said, blowing Magnus a kiss. Alec coughed loudly from behind Magnus. “I’m flattered, but as you can hear, I’m spoken for. Well, coughed for.”

magnus

During the book, we are able to see a lot of character development when it comes to Alec. He really has a chance to come out of his shell and shine, now that Jace and Isabel are not there to overshadow him. He is really sweet and protective of those he loves, and this book definitely changed my mind about him.

Ever drive stick before?”

Alec hesitated. “Can’t be harder than shooting a bow and arrow while riding a horse at a full gallop.”

magnus and alec

The world building is amazing as always. Not only do we travel Europe alongside Magnus and Alec, but we get to travel in style. There are hot air balloon rides, gondolas, trains, and luxurious sports cars. We get to attend an awesome party full of downworlders, and as we all know no one knows how to throw a party like a warlock. This book was amazing and I cannot wait for the second one.

Did you guys read the book? What did you think?

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WWW Wednesday

Dee’s Reading Tree

This is a meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where you answer three questions: What are you reading now? What did you just read? What will you be reading next?

I can’t believe it’s Wednesday again. But here is what I just read, what I’m currently reading and what I plan to read next. Although not everything ends up going to plan, I still try my best.

What I just read

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare

This book was amazing. I knew I would love it because I love all her books and this was no exception. I missed these characters so much. My full review is coming up soon!

What I’m reading/listening to now

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

This is the first audio book I try, and it’s a good one. It is voiced by three different people which is great when a male actually voices the male character. I’ve been listening to the audio on my way to and from work and when I do housework. Then, I switch to the real book on my down time. I’m loving the story. I liked the Immortal Rules series by her, and I knew I would love this one.

What I plan to read next

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

I’ve started this book and then left it a few times and I don’t know why. The beginning drops you right in the middle of the action and it seems like it will be a great read. I think I just stopped it because Red Scrolls got released and I just had to read that one, but I will definitely finish this one soon!

What are you guys’ WWW’s?

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The Sparrow by Denna M. Davis

Dee’s Reading Tree

This book had a lot of potential. The story was unique, and the world building was well done. Unfortunately, the characters lacked depth and there was a tendency to over explain feelings and emotions which became very bothersome as the story progressed.

Come read my full review at:

http://onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-deesreadingtree.html

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Legendary Book Review

Dee’s Reading Tree

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

https://www.instagram.com/deesreadingtree/

I have a confession to make…I just recently managed to finish reading Legendary, and in honor of Finale by Stephanie Garber releasing today I am posting my review. For reasons I will explain, I was dragging my feet through this book, and I kept giving up on it. Finally, once I changed my frame of mind I got through it, and I enjoyed it.

Let me explain. I liked the first Caraval book which was mostly narrated by Scarlett Dragna. It was a four star rating for me. Legendary was narrated by her sister Donatella, and I had a lot of trouble liking her, but once I got used to her snarky personality and the reasons behind it, the story got a bit better. Another thing I disliked was the way she kept changing her mind. One page she would decide on one course of action, and then the next page she would decide something else. This would go back and forth until finally a decision was basically made for her. It was really annoying.

When it came to the relationship between the sisters, they seemed pretty close in the first book, like a united front. But in this book they were keeping secrets from each other, and suspecting one another, it was very frustrating. I found myself screaming at them to collaborate, because they only have each other.

I did enjoy the male characters Dante and Jacks. I found their behaviors were more consistent than that of the female characters. Dante was dark, sexy, intriguing and he knew exactly what he wanted when it came to Tella. Jacks was a great villain, one I kind of started to like by the end. I didn’t see too much of Julian which made me a bit sad because I like him. Hopefully we get more of him in the next book.

This world is easy to get lost in, and once I stopped fighting it and just gave into it I was able to enjoy the story a lot more. Garber did a great job as always when it came to the world building. The gowns, the people, and the buildings were all described in great detail. The last 200 pages of the book were fun and entertaining, and it felt like I was playing along with Tella. Once I stopped taking the story so seriously and I let the spirit of Caraval sweep me away I was able to enjoy myself a lot more.

After all, it is only a game. ♠️

Any of you lucky people who got an ARC already read Finale? Will I like it?

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Monday Cleaning Day

Dee’s Reading Tree

I’ve actually been looking forward to doing this all week. I went a little TBR happy for a few days there adding everything and anything to my list. Now every time I look at it my OCD starts getting to me. Just like last Monday I organized my Goodreads TBR list in reverse chronological order. I then chose the first ten books and decided to keep or delete it. I obviously skipped the books I decided were keepers last Monday.

Marked (Eternal Guardians, #1) by Elisabeth Naughton

I read one of Naughton’s books a long time ago, it’s called Wait for Me, and it was published in 2011. At the time I was into these romance novels, but this is not that time.

Delete 😦

Rapture (The Elfin, #2) by Quinn Loftis and Surrender (The Elfin, #3)

I did like the first in this series, but once again that was many years ago and I don’t think I will continue on with it. The recent reviews for it are bad, and many of my friends on Goodreads also agree that this series went downhill.

Delete 😦

Consumed (Firefighters, #1) and The Thief (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #16)

Like I said on my Guilty Pleasures post, I have to be in a certain mood to read J.R. Ward books. I have heard a lot of great things about both of these books, especially The Thief. I do love me some Brotherhood vampires every once in a while.

Keep 🙂

Glitter (Glitter, #1) and Earthbound (Earthbound, #1) by Aprilynne Pike

These books have really bad reviews from everyone on Goodreads. I remember reading a few of Pike’s books when I was a teenager, but I think I have outgrown them. It’s a shame, because the Glitter cover is so gorgeous.

Delete 😦

Storm and Fury (The Harbinger, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I’ve been looking forward to this book which will be out in June. I really liked her Wicked series. I found it really fun and entertaining. Before that I enjoyed the Lux series.

Keep 🙂

To Best the Boys by Mary Weber

I’ve never read one of Weber’s books, but I have heard great things about this one, and that cover is gorgeous.

Keep 🙂

The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves, #1) by Roshani Chokshi

Once again this is another one I’ve heard lots of good things about. Everyone on my Goodreads friends list agrees this is a keeper. Also, look at that cover! I am a sucker for pretty covers.

Keep 🙂

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

I think I added to my TBR list to recommend it to a friend who likes these type of books and then I forgot about it. I have since told said friend and deleted it.

Delete 😦

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

I understand I’m way behind the times with this one. Everyone says it’s great. It has just been sitting there on my TBR list and I have struggled to get to it, but I will!

Keep 🙂

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

I really liked Flame in the Mist, but I struggled to get through Smoke in the Sun and eventually DNF it. I will attempt to read it again soon. But this one I’m really excited about because I love vampires, also the cover! It’s coming out October 8, 2019.

Keep 🙂

Once again I do realize I ended up talking about thirteen books and deleted six of them, but only because they were by the same author or part of a series. My OCD is thanking me 🙂

Have you done any deleting in your TBR list lately? Do you avoid looking at it sometimes like I do?

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Five books I DNF

Dee’s Reading Tree

I hate, hate, one more time, hate not finishing books, but sometimes I just can’t drag myself through it. I strongly feel that reading should be enjoyable, and if I’m not enjoying it then I should stop. These are five recent books that I tried to read, but unfortunately did not finish. Be warned, there might be some unpopular opinions in here, sorry not sorry. I might try to read some of these again, but some not so much.

Glass Sword (Red Queen, #2) by Victoria Aveyard

I actually own a physical copy of this book. I bought it without thinking because I loved the first one so much. But this one missed the mark by a long shot. I hated Mare the main character, and when I hate the main character and cannot find any redeeming quality at all then that leaves no hope for the whole book. Mare turned so boring and whiny, I couldn’t take it. Some people say the series gets better, maybe I will try again someday.

Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices, #2) by Cassandra Clare

I love Cassandra Clare books, and I love the whole shadow hunter universe, but I struggled with this one. I somehow got through the first book in the series, after putting it down a lot of times. The whole forbidden love thing was not doing it for me, especially because there was no easy fix to it, like in the Immortal Instruments series. These characters loved each other and they couldn’t be together, and I honestly couldn’t take it anymore. I might try reading it again someday, but not any day soon.

Wildcard (Warcross, #2) by Marie Lu

I liked the first one in this series, and I felt like it was a very unique story. Then, this second one was so boring. I liked the main character Emika, she is tough and has a lot of good qualities I look for in a strong female lead. Maybe I will find the will to stick to it in the future, but for now this is a DNF for me.

Glow (Sky Chasers, #1) by Amy Kathleen Ryan

I honestly don’t know why I ever bought this book. I must’ve not read the synopsis on Goodreads, because it clearly says: “The New Horizon’s leaders are desperate to populate the new planet first, and will do anything to get what they need: young girls.” If I would’ve read that I would’ve never attempted to read this book, because I have a hard time dealing with rape, especially when it involves children. I’m not saying rape was involved, they might’ve just been planning to use in-vitro fertilization or something, I’m not sure. The creepy direction the narrative was veering off into made me think that they were not going the in-vitro route. This book just became too uncomfortable for me to keep reading.

Wintersong (Wintersong, #1) by S. Jae-Jones

Everything about this book was boring. The main character, Liesl, was terrible, I couldn’t stand her. Her whole family was also awful as well. I stuck through a lot of it because of the musical aspect of it, but then found myself mad at Liesl for all her stupid decisions. Once I couldn’t find a single redeeming quality in this story, I stopped reading.

What are some of your DNF books? Are there any you would probably get burnt at the stake for voicing out loud in public?

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Bookish Bucket List

Dee’s Reading Tree

It’s Friday, and time for me to add some items to my book bucket list. A recap of last week, I added: read Moby Dick and Ana Karenina, go to London, and own the rest of Throne of Glass series.

Read the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Okay, so I realized if I don’t add these to some sort of list then I’m never going to read them. They’re not even on my TBR list anymore because I got tired of looking at them on there. First of all, the covers are terrible aren’t they? But, I did and I do love the movies, so I will make myself read these at some point. I’m sure I will feel so good after I do, like a giant weight, or maybe just 5 pounds or so, has been lifted off my shoulders.

Go to New York

New York is the setting for so many great books, including one of my favorite series The Immortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. It’s filled with giant buildings and the possibilities of so many bookstores just waiting to take all my money.

Own all the Shatter Me books

Can you believe I don’t actually own a single one of these? I love this series, and all Tahereh Mafi books, but I just own the e-books, or I have gotten them from the Library to read. The covers are amazing and I’m sure they will look great on my shelves soon!

I can’t wait to fulfill some of these. I will sure post about it on here. Drop me a comment and let me know about some of the bookish things you want to accomplish.