Jessica Townsend – Wonderfilled Reads

The 2020 Bookish Academy Awards

I first saw this on PeruseProject booktube channel. She does this post every year and I always think it looks like so much fun that this year I decided I had to play along. I’m pretty bad about watching the real awards show mostly to see what everyone is wearing, as the awards tend to drag a bit and everyone feels like they need to spend 10 mins on a speech. But an awards show for books? Sign my butt up.

And just for the sake of these winners, I’m sticking to books that I have read in the last year.

Best Actor (Best Male Protagonist)

Lysander – Dark Age (Red Rising, #5) by Pierce Brown

That’s right, I said it! I really think Lysander took over in this one. There’s something about his character that just fascinates me every time he’s on the page. I don’t really know what to expect from him in the next book.

Best Actress (Best Female Protagonist)

Morrigan – The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #1) by Jessica Townsend

This little girl is who I aspire to be like. She’s feisty, sarcastic, and pretty street smart for being only 11 years old. I just love everything about her, especially that sassy personality of hers.

Best Cinematography (Best Plot Twist)

Skyward (Skyward, #1) by Brandon Sanderson

I don’t want to spoil anything for the people who haven’t read this book… but oh. my. god. That ending had me shooketh. I finally bought the sequel the other day so I get to find out what Spensa is going to do next.

Best Costume Design (Best Book Cover)

The Fever King (Feverwake, #1) by Victoria Lee

I mean, just look at that cover. It’s gorgeous. It has all of my favorite colors in it – purple, blue, violet, aqua. I just love everything about it, especially since it’s still fairly simple.

Best Supporting Actress (Best Female Sidekick)

The Sikh Widows – Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Each of these ladies in this book are so precious. They’re funny, strong, and full of wisdom. I loved the stories that they come up with and how it shows how full of life and imagination that they have. They were constantly surprising me, just like they were surprising Nikki.

Best Supporting Actor (Best Male Sidekick)

Max – Supernova (Renegades, #3) by Marissa Meyer

I love sweet Max. He tries so hard to help however he can, even though he’s kept out of harm’s way. I really loved how we finally get to see him come into his own in this finale.

Best Original Screenplay (Most Unique Plot/World)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

I can’t even begin to describe the whimsical world that Morgenstern created in this book. It seems so real while you’re reading it. I just wanted to get lost in the library, reading all of the books and experiencing the magic myself amongst the stacks.

Best Adapted Screenplay (Best Book-to-Movie Adaptation)

Little Women by Greta Gerwig

I mean, obviously.

Best Animated Feature (Best Graphic Novel)

I’ve only read one graphic novel and that was a few years ago, so unfortunately I don’t have a winner for this year. Maybe next time!

Best Director (Writer You Just Discovered)

Yangsze Choo

Choo is an amazing writer. I love that she focuses on Asian historical fiction, which is something that I’ve never really read about before. After reading The Night Tiger, I definitely plan to read every book that she ever writes.

Best Visual Effects (Best Action in a Book)

Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

I found this series to be super exciting from start to finish. I love how all of the crew members play a part in the action with their different specialties. We can only expect that to continue even more in the next book.

Best Musical Score (Best Music in an Adaptation)

“Toss a Coin to Your Witcher”, anyone? Hells yes.

Best Short Film (Best Novella or Short Book)

And again, I didn’t read any novellas this past year. I think I’ve only ever read one in my entire life, if I’m being honest. I just prefer a full story and not something barely a 100 pages long.

Best Picture (Best Standalone)

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I don’t know if I would’ve felt the same way about this book had I read it instead of listen to the audiobook version. However, I am so glad I did. It felt like I was truly listening to a real episode of Behind the Music, especially with it being narrated by a full cast. I can’t wait for the movie adaptation.

Best Documentary (Best Historical Fiction)

Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1) by Ken Follett

This book was everything that I could ask for in a novel. It’s full of political intrigue, family dynamics, romance, and amazingly accurate historical details. I plan to pick up the sequel very soon!

Are you a fan of the Oscars? What books would you choose to be winners? Do you agree with any of my picks?

2019 End of Year Survey

2019 was a solid reading year for myself, if not as great as I was hoping it would be. However, I did get to read some amazing books and find new favorite authors so I can’t complain too much. I can’t wait to look back on everything that I’ve read over the past year!

If you wish to participate in the survey, please link back to the original creator – Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner.

2019 Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 64
Number of Re-Reads: 2
Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy

Best in Book

Best Book You Read In 2019?

Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?

Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

Best series you started in 2019? Best sequel of 2019? Best series finale of 2019?

Favorite new author you discovered in 2019?

Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Book You Read In 2019 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2019?

Most memorable character of 2019?

Jude is a total badass and no one can say otherwise.

Most beautifully written book read in 2019?

Most Thought-Provoking/Life-Changing Book of 2019?

Book you can’t believe you waited until 2019 to finally read?

Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2019?

“By you, I am forever undone.” – The Queen of Nothing

Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2019?

Book That Shocked You The Most

OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Jude and Cardan… I think it’s pretty easy to see how I feel about this book.

Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Morrigan and Hawthorne crack me up with their friendship. She’s cynical and he is Mr. Get-Into-All-of-the-Trouble.

Favorite Book You Read in 2019 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Best Book You Read In 2019 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.

Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2019?

I will always go for the moody and brooding guys, especially ones with a bit of darkness in them like Nathaniel.

Best 2019 debut you read?

Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2019?

Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Most Unique Book You Read In 2019?

Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

New favorite book blog/Bookstagram/Youtube channel you discovered in 2019?

I have done a terrible job keeping up with the bookish community this past year. Maybe that’s why I was affected by so many reading slumps – I wasn’t keeping myself hyped up.

Favorite post you wrote in 2019?

If You Liked That…Read This: Historical Fiction Edition

Favorite bookish related photo you took in 2019?

Ummm, I did not take one. Oops!

Best bookish event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, etc.)?

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it to BookCon this past year but I was able to participate in the blog tour for Songs from the Deep!

Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2019?

Probably when I finally reach over 1000 followers on my blog. I don’t really promote it a whole lot so it’s been nice to see it grow so much this year.

Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

My reading life took a bit of a hit this year from going into so many random reading slumps, which has really affected my will to actually post regularly. It’s something I’m really hoping to not have an issue with this coming year.

Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

The 5 Most Disappointing Books of 2019

Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Top 5 Audiobook Recommendations

Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

I don’t think I really have one this year.

Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

Hahahahahaha… Nope, didn’t finish either of one. Epic 2019 fail.

Looking Ahead

One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2019 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2020?

Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2020 (non-debut)?

2020 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2020?

One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2020?

Keep away from the dreaded reading slumps and try to consistently blog post.

How did you reading year go in 2019? What was a book that surprised you the most? Did you read a hidden gem of a novel? Did any books disappoint you? Please leave a link to your reading survey in the comments below!

November/December Wrap-Up: Reviews, Reading Challenges, etc.

My reading life in 2019 didn’t end on as great of a note as I was hoping for. I have struggled the past few months with being able to sit down and concentrate on reading for long periods of time. I can’t determine if this is a side effect of work having been extremely stressful or what, but I really hope it doesn’t continue into this year. I want 2020 to be a great year for reading. With that being said, I did still get to read some really good books over the past couple of months which is always nice!

Books Read

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw – physical book, 4/5 stars, BOOK REVIEW
The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3) by Holly Black – physical book, 5/5 stars
Supernova (Renegades, #3) by Marissa Meyer – physical book, 4/5 stars,
Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #2) by Jessica Townsend – physical book, 5/5 stars
Songs from the Deep by Kelly Powell – physical ARC, 4/5 stars, BOOK REVIEW
Somerset by Leila Meacham – physical book, 5/5 stars
Devils & Thieves by Jennifer Rush – physical book, 3/5 stars

Total Books Read: 7

Overall in 2019: 64

Reading Challenge Updates

POPSUGAR

A book with a plant in the title or on the cover – Somerset
A book that makes you nostalgic – Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow

Goodreads Challenge

Total:64/75

Previous Total: 57/75

Blog Posts

Book Reviews

WWW Wednesday

Discussions/Misc.

Did you get a lot of reading done in November and December? Were you able to read all of the books on your TBR? Did you read any new favorites? What book did you like the least? What do you plan on reading in January?

WWW Wednesday – December 18th, 2019

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam!

The Three W’s are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Iron Gold (Red Rising, #4) by Pierce Brown – audiobook
The Lioness of Morocco by Julia Drosten – audiobook
Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #2) by Jessica Townsend – physical book

I have finally made some more progress in Iron Gold over the past week and I’m ready to really focus on it. It’s such a good book and I can’t wait to relive all of the action before diving into Dark Age. I have also just started listening to The Lioness of Morocco. I haven’t read a translated novel in a long time so I’m glad to dive into this one. And yes, if you’re wondering… I did decide to DNF Romanov. I was positively bored and could no longer force myself to care to listen to it.

I only have about 100 pages left in Wundersmith and of course, I am positively obsessed with it. This series has quickly grown to be an all-time favorite of mine and I would literally throw it at every single person I meet to make them read it. It deserves to be praised and adored. I would love an adaptation, as well. It would be so fun and quirky for everyone to enjoy.

What did you recently finish reading?

Supernova (Renegades, #3) by Marissa Meyer – physical book

This was such an awesome finale to the trilogy. I really enjoyed how Meyer decided to end the story. It was such a thrill ride from start to finish, leaving me on edge while I was reading it. I could feel myself tensing up because I was so nervous for all of the characters. It was just so much fun!

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Last Magician (The Last Magician, #1) by Lisa Maxwell – physical book
Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl- physical book
The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #1) by Katherine Arden – physical book

What are you currently reading? What books did you finish this week? What are you planning on reading next? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think of them? Leave a link to your WWW Wednesday post in the comments below!

WWW Wednesday – December 11th, 2019

The Three W’s are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

Iron Gold (Red Rising, #4) by Pierce Brown – audiobook
Romanov by Nadine Brandes – audiobook, buddy read
Supernova (Renegades, #3) by Marissa Meyer – physical book

No progress really in my audiobooks. I tried to listen to Iron Gold on the plane on my way to Charleston, but I had such a terrible headache at the time that I couldn’t focus. I hope to listen some more though this week.

I’m almost halfway through Supernova and loving it so far. I really enjoy how things really amped up in this finale with everyone’s plans slowly unraveling. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next to our superheroes. If this ending wrecks me, I may never be able to recover… #ProtectMax

What did you recently finish reading?

Somerset by Leila Meacham – physical book
The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3) by Holly Black – physical book

Can I just say that I absolutely adored both of these books? Because I did. Somerset left me in tears at the end, which is exactly what I was hoping for. It really made me want to reread Roses, which I may do in the near future. And The Queen of Nothing was such a a good ending to the trilogy. It really left me wanting more and it’ll be interesting to see if Black continues to write novels set in the same universe as this one and her other books. I think it’s great how she’s been doing that and still connecting them all in little ways. I just want more!

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Last Magician (The Last Magician, #1) by Lisa Maxwell – physical book
Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #2) by Jessica Townsend – physical book
The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #1) by Katherine Arden – physical book

The Fall Bucket List Book Tag

I have been lacking in the creativity department lately when it comes to post ideas. However, I was really excited when I saw this tag done by Jessica @ The Awkward Book Blogger. I love the fall and winter time so this was just the perfect tag to come across.

The Rules

Link back to the original creator (Tiffany @ Read by Tiffany) in your post.
Feel free to use any of my graphics in your post, or create your own!
Tag 7 other people at the end of your post.

This book just ticks all of the boxes for me. It’s super fun with a crazy interesting setting, like a modern day Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This is the perfect book to sit and binge in one setting because you don’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to continue with the series.

Everyone has been buzzing about this book since it was first announced. It was finally released last month and it seems that the reviews have been really good so far. I definitely want to dive into this beauty before the end of the year. I mean, can we all just gush over that cover for a minute?!

Now technically the majority of this crew weren’t all that friendly before they were thrown together. However, nobody can deny that they didn’t have some seriously fun chemistry from the very first second they came into contact with each other. In the words of Love Island UK, they have “really good banter”.

I will forever be a sucker for a good romance. I like to act like I have a very cold heart but if you really know me, you’ll know that I’m actually a hopeless romantic much to my detriment. But with that being said, this book will make you feel all of the feels.

Did you know that the Queen of Hearts can bake a mean ass cake? Well if you’ve read Marissa Meyer’s take on her origin story, then you will know that Catherine’s only goal in life is to have her own bakery. When you read this book, you will constantly find yourself salivating over the amazing descriptions of food. I get hungry just thinking about it.

Honestly, this book was such a joy to read. I had zero expectations going into it, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that it might be my favorite read of 2019 (so far at least). It still makes me smile whenever I think about it. Just read it, people!

TAG, YOU’RE IT….

What are some of your favorite fall activities? What books would you choose instead? Have you read any of the books on my list?

September Wrap-Up: Reviews, Reading Challenges, etc.

Y’all, I am happy to announce that I was finally able to bust through my reading slump in September! I’m so glad I was able to pick up some books that were able to pull me out of my slump and get back to truly enjoying reading. I may not be hitting double digits quite yet, but I’m still proud of the progress that I’m making. If you’re like me and struggle with reading slumps from time to time, I recommend a good binge of a sitcom or newly released show (my current go-to’s are The Mindy Project, New Girl, and The Boys). I also recommend trying a book outside of your normal genre! But with that being said, I see myself finishing out the rest of year really strong and am excited for the books I have on my October TBR!