So I’ve decided to change up my Sunday posts a little bit. From now on, they’ll be centered on what I’ve been reading! Since I don’t post as many book reviews anymore, but still keep reading a lot of stuff, I find that I want to share more about the books themselves rather than my personal news (which I can never remember anyway!) I imagine the post format will be changing a little bit, but here goes!

~ What I’ve Been Reading ~

This month not only marks the month of my two year blogiversary (which was actually last week, and I forgot!), but also basically the first time in my life when I’ve been ready 11 books at once, steady. Or possibly even more, but I’ve lost count. I’ve always been a multiple book reader, all at once, but now? I don’t even know how it got this chaotic. I’m not sure it’s ever been this many! I’ve had to start making a list of what I’m currently reading, cause I legit forget. But I don’t forget the stories if I pick it back up. Ridiculous, huh. So I’ll share a few of these that might be new to you!

 

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A post shared by Evelina | Avalinah (@avalinahsbookbites) on Oct 17, 2018 at 2:16am PDT

You might have seen What Would Boudicca Do? on my second Instagram @avalinahsbookbites, because I just got it as a review copy from Faber&Faber, who are amazing for sending it to an international blogger! ❤️ This is truly a interesting book, because it’s not one of those you’ll read all at once – it’s more of a “sit down and grab it” kind of book, because it’s made up of short several page stories about strong women of their times who have stood up against hardship and oppression. It’s something I wish I had when I was growing up! It’s good to have around if you have young females in the house. And also, look at that cover. It’s good to just show it off 😂

[ Goodreads link ]

 

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A post shared by Evelina | Avalinah (@avalinahsbookbites) on Oct 7, 2018 at 2:48am PDT

Another book I absolutely have to talk about is The List of 13. It’s an indie pub book, and I am IN LOVE WITH IT. It’s not due to publish until December, so you’ll still hear me go on and on about it, but it’s just such a wonderful book. Sadly, it has one of those “uhm what happened here” covers that I’m sure will deter a lot of readers from actually picking it up (the photo has the first leaf, not the cover). But I’m telling you now, ignore the cover you see on Goodreads – mark this book as to-read because IT’S GREAT. It’s written incredibly well, it’s honest and sometimes deep, sometimes amusing. It’s about two women who make a bucket list, because one of them is dying. And they happen to both die in an accident, and they go to the underworld. And they have to figure their own way out of there to heaven. It’s a big adventure during which they learn a lot about themselves. And yes, it’s Christian – but not overwhelmingly so, because the underworld has a lot of different cultures from other religions. And while they’re presented as “of human making”, they’re still given the respect they should be given – it’s basically just the author painting a world the way they believe it is, without shitting on everyone else’s beliefs either. The book is very sincere, and I’m enjoying every page. I’m kind of sad I’m almost at the end! Huge thanks to the author for the review copy.

[ Goodreads link ]

 

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A post shared by Evelina | Avalinah (@avalinahsbookbites) on Oct 7, 2018 at 11:02am PDT

I know I already talked about this one! But I will not miss my chance to talk again. This scifi adventure is funny, amusing and touching at the same time. And incredibly imaginative! Reads well and fast, and it has some truly interesting ideas. It’s a comedy and it will pick your spirits all the way up. The good thing is that it’s already released, so if you head to Goodreads, you can just read the blurb and grab it, if you like the sound of it. I can truly recommend it. Thanks to Prelude Books for the review copy.

[ Goodreads link ]

Another book that I must tell you about is the sequel of Spinning Silk! I have actually not started the review copy myself, but I enjoyed the first book, so I was very excited to see that the second book has been released. If you liked Spinning Silk (my review here), you might enjoy this one, and right now it’s on sale and should cost only $0.99 (but please check the price before you buy!) Thanks to the author for the review copy.

[ Goodreads | Buy links for multiple platforms ]

And another quite interesting book I’ve been reading is called Polyamorous – so you’ve probably guessed what it’s about! So far, it’s been a very interesting peek into the world of different relationships than I’m used to. Heading into this with an open mind with the goal to learn about people who are different has been a rewarding experience, because there’s a lot of stuff I didn’t know that I’m learning about. The book explains a lot of dynamics, the why’s and how’s with understanding and respect – quite understandably, because it’s written by a person who is herself in a poly relationship. If you want to read some interesting nonfiction about a topic that isn’t much talked about, then you’ve got your chance. Thanks to Dundurn for the review copy.

[ Goodreads ]

 

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A post shared by Evelina | Avalinah (@avalinahsbookbites) on Sep 25, 2018 at 11:50am PDT

Then you guys also know I’m reading The Hate U Give, but it’s not like it needs any more help with publicity! So I’ve chosen to talk about lesser known books instead. But so far, I’m really enjoying this legend as well, although I’m taking it slowly, because it’s such an emotional read, and I haven’t been able to handle heavy subjects lately. So I’ve been pacing myself!

~ What I’ve Been Talking About ~

I haven’t been posting a lot lately – instead, I’ve concentrated on quality and creativity, so only just posting when I want to or when I have an idea on what to write. You might be seeing less posts from me, but hopefully they’ll be more interesting to read! So this week, I’ve posted a post I was really happy with, and it’s a discussion – “Guilty Pleasure” Labels: Is It Just Schoolgirl Mentality You Can’t Let Go Of? Read it here:

~ What You’ve Been Talking About ~

First of all, are you aware that Cait @ PaperFury’s posts might have not been reaching your mailbox? She has been having Jetpack issues in the past week or two, which is why I’ll ask you to share her posts like you did for me when my Jetpack was broken! This time I’m sharing two of her discussions, and all the rest are some wonderful posts I came across last time when I was blog hopping!

Cait @ PaperFury talks about how to treat a book blogger in the wild and asks if you follow book blogger trends

Aj @ Read All the Things bakes a cake from PaperFury’s book and teaches me that baking at high altitudes can be so different!

Kat from Novels and Waffles guest posts on Drizzle and Hurricane books about how YA fantasy fails to represent mental illness where it is absolutely necessary and natural

Nandini @ Unputdownable Books gives some great advice on how to balance blogging and your actual life

Sammie @ The Writerly Way wonders whether YA has been getting a little too adult lately

The Queen of Discussion Posts (AKA Clo) @ Book Dragons 24/7 talks about embracing or destroying your inner perfectionist

Jeann @ Happy Indulgence talks about the guilt of not responding to comments in a timely manner, and I can relate to this 120%

~ What I’ve Been Hauling ~

 

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A post shared by Evelina | Avalinah (@avalinahsbookbites) on Oct 19, 2018 at 8:50am PDT

It’s like the month my blog hit 2 years, books just started flooding my mailbox. I’m international! I can’t believe this is happening! Makes me so happy though. I totally forgot I said yes to The Eleventh Trade, and its arrival was a complete surprise (I actually thought I would only get the electronic version and included my address on a whim just in case!) Thank you Bonnier Zaffre! And the arrival of What Would Boudicca Do? was an incredibly happy surprise as well, cause I didn’t know whether my email would just go to the void or not. But those are not the only books I hauled! I’ve been a little click-happy this month, and I feel lost in all my new books 😅 I’ve already talked about some of them already – the rest I picked up are The Hike which was on sale and I’ve had it on my to-read list for probably a year – it’s got reviews all over the place, so I’m pretty excited to read it. I also picked up Today’s Moment Despite the News – a book about finding positivity in everything and I’m already reading it, trying to boost my own motivation to keep a gratitude journal.

So how has your week been? And what are you reading? What did you haul?

As usual, I’m linking up with the Sunday post meme at Kimba’s book blog and Stacking The Shelves over at Tynga’s Reviews.