Happy 3rd Anniversary to My Blog!!

It’s that time of the year again, when I dedicate a post to my anniversary! A year has gone by so quickly once again and I am so grateful for everyone who has stuck around to view and even like and comment on my posts!

I have definitely spent more time blogging over the past year which I am happy about and will carry on doing so as I still really enjoy being a part of this community.

This year I need to make more time to look at the profiles from the bloggers I follow!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey of being a book reviewing blogger, I hope you do enjoy my content that I publish.

Happy reading,

Claire 📚

The Golden Key by Darlien C. Breeze Book Review

Book Description (via Goodreads): Trials, tribulations and ambitions are depicted in the lives of concubines during the Ming Dynasty. Although owned by the Emperor and kept as slaves to service the Son of Heaven and provide him with male children many concubines had hopes, dreams and ambitions. The Golden Key tells the stories of how some girls achieved their goals. Cho, a Korean girl falls in love with Xian, a young eunuch musician, they plot to escape the Forbidden City. Anja, a blonde Nordic becomes a doctor. Lin Siniang is allowed to return to her former life as a female warrior and Genji achieves her ambition of becoming a higher ranking concubine. Many inventions and discoveries were made during that era. Books made with movable type, compasses that allowed travel in open seas, gun powder and a cure for small pox all cane about during the Ming Dynasty. Recipes you enjoy today in Chinese restaurants were invented by chefs in the thirteen hundreds.

Befriended: Be Careful Who You Trust… by Ruth O’Neill Book Review

Book Description (via Goodreads): Some secrets never leave us alone… Gemma Peacocks life was perfect – or at least she thought it was. She had a home she loved, a job she enjoyed, and a husband she adored. The only cloud on the horizon was the continuing tension between Gemma and her mother-in-law, but that’s the same for everyone, right? After the death of her beloved husband, Ritchie, everything begins to fall apart. Indiana Manors’ life, on the other hand, is far from perfect – but she knows just what she has to do to fix it. Befriend Gemma Peacock – and destroy her.

Red Sky: Rising by Ben Archer Book Review

Book Description (via Goodreads): Hayden Flynn is no hero. In fact, he’s on the run from monsters. Not the kind that go bump in the night, but the kind that eat away at your soul. He’s crossed countless miles and decades trying to escape them; however, when the legendary Dracula is reborn in the body of a powerful child, Hayden becomes trapped in a hunt where no one’s survival is guaranteed. The salvation of our deeply divided world now rests on the weary shoulders of one vampire and the curiously quiet girl, Quinn Merrin, who crosses his path. Is it destiny or divine intervention that brought them together? Either way, they will stop at nothing to find the new Prince of Darkness – even if it means leaving a path of bodies and blood in their wake. Because, after all, what price is too high for salvation?

The Crimson Heirlooms by Hunter Dennis Book Review

Book Description (via Goodreads): In 1832, an American student in Paris was legally blackmailed to search for the “Crimson Heirlooms” – for a period of no less than five years, upon pain of death. There were precisely two, as defined by the High Court of France. The first was a priceless necklace called the Cross of Nantes. The second was less tangible. It was, “the devil’s song, as he danced across the blood-drenched hills of the Vendée Militaire.” Both were found.

Eternity’s Echoes by Evan Hirson Book Review

Book Description (via Goodreads): Aaron was a promising software designer with an upcoming company. He shared a quaint house on the outskirts of town with his best friends; another young man and two girls. They’d known each other since school, and lived together peacefully for years with a few problems. Travis the newcomer however had a dark way about him, and all of Aaron’s attempts to get along with him had failed. But just as the household began to settle down again, a strange device with a peculiar attitude entered their lives. Would it fulfill all of their dream, or instead become a curse?

Please Stay: A Brain Bleed, A Life In The Balance, A Love Story by Greg Payan Book Review

Book Description (via Goodreads): A memoir unlike any you’ve ever read before.

When Holly wakes up with a debilitating headache, confusion soon turns to panic as she suffers a seizure and is rushed to hospital. Diagnosed with a ruptured brain aneurysm and Grade IV hemorrhage, the 39-year old college professor soon finds herself fighting for her life as her heart and lungs fail en route to emergency treatment.

As family and friends rush to be by her side, former students and close friends from around the country write memories to be read at her bedside, detailing a life and legacy that has influenced so many.

Experience what loved ones did in real-time as texts and e-mails sent during the medical crisis form the narrative for this compelling journey through the eyes of Holly and her boyfriend who kept vigil through it all.

A book that will challenge and compel you to reflect not just on love and death, but also the hundred micro-reflections nestled in between as you ponder what constitutes a life well lived, and how one impacts others along the way.

December Wrap Up

Good afternoon guys,

I hope you’re all well!

Just like my month of November, December was very similar as I only managed to complete two books. It has been a long, stressful month full of social events and last minute gift buying and wrapping of presents, however the Christmas period is finally over and I can start focusing on reading more in 2019, woohoo!

The two books that I completed in the month of December were:

• Kingdom of Soot and Ash (The Order of the Crystal Daggers #1) by C. S. Johnson, I gave this book three out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you’re interested, you can find my book review post for this book here.
• S.P.I.D.A.R. by Bryan Alaspa, I gave this book four out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ again if you’re interested, you can find my book review post for this book here.

I enjoyed reading both of these books, especially S.P.I.D.A.R. by Bryan Alaspa as it had such an interesting and compelling concept to the book which had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. I would love to read the second book from The Order of the Crystal Daggers series by C. S. Johnson as I’d love to read more about the characters and find out what is going to happen next! I hope to read more books by both of these authors soon!

I started reading Please Stay: A Brain Bleed, A Life In The Balance, A Love Story by Greg Payan at the end of December and finished it yesterday. My book review for this will be up tomorrow.

How many books did you read in the month of December? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy reading,

Claire 📚

 

Goodreads Comparisons 2017 – 2018

Hi guys!

I really look forward to the annual Goodreads email that comes through with all of the stats on the books you read in that particular year, to show ‘What I’ve Read in a Year’. Just like last year I thought I would do a comparison post to see what the difference is between my progress from 2017 and 2018 on how much I had read.

The first two photos are from my 2017 total of what I achieved from reading that year. As you can see, I read 15,562 pages across 47 books. This average has changed since my previous 2016-2017 comparison post as I made that post before the end of December where I ended up reading a little more than I already had done.

In the third and fourth photos, this shows my 2018 total of what I achieved from reading this past year. I read 11,354 pages across 51 books, so although I read more books they were a lot shorter than the ones I read in 2017. This is still an incredible achievement to have read that many pages and books across the entire year and will definitely give myself a pat on the back for that!

I look forward to seeing my progress between 2018 and 2019 this time next year and see if I can read more chunkier books!

How many books did you guys read in 2018? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy reading,

Claire 📚

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe we’ve entered 2019 and it’s already the 2nd January! Wishing you all had a wonderful 2018 and an even better 2019!

Last year on my Happy New Year blog post I published the following goals that I was hoping to achieve. These were:

• Moving out with my other half (fingers crossed!) – Unfortunately, Rich and I are still in full battle mode with trying to move out, we started looking for a flat in March 2018, from then we have had our offer accepted three times however the first two didn’t turn out too great and now we’re struggling to complete with our latest flat we’ve laid eyes on. All of the paperwork has gone through we’re just waiting on the management/leasehold company but it is taking a very long time and it looks like there will not a light at the end of the tunnel, but we are pushing and holding onto the hope we have left, although we understand that we may have to pull out if things do not speed up during the month of January.
• Saving up as much money as I possibly can – I am so proud of the amount of money I have managed to save between the beginning of 2018 to now. Both Rich and I have exceeded the amount we were looking to originally save up to and are in a great position if/when we can move out!
• Read lots of books; a lot of books which I already have in my possession that I haven’t read yet – ……yes I managed to read a total of 51 books in 2018 which I am immensely proud of myself for however the majority of those books were from publishers and authors that were sent to me.
• Spend a lot of time with both mine and my other half’s families – I feel as though I succeeded this goal and will continue to do so, sometimes life can get in the way and you become busy to see family members, but I have definitely seen a huge amount of both mine and Rich’s family this past year.
• Work hard in my job to see what opportunities lie ahead – I have definitely worked hard this year and became a part of a different team within my original team (that sounds confusing) and have kept an eye out for different opportunities that are out there, nothing has tickled my fancy just yet but I will be looking.
• Learn to cook and bake more – I would say that I have experienced in a couple of different recipes but not as much as I would have liked to.

Now for my goals I would like to achieve in 2019:

• Move out with Rich
• Learn to cook and bake more
• Find a new job which is challenging and exciting
• Invest in a new car
• Be healthy and fit in both food and exercise
• Spend more time with mine and Rich’s families
• Read even more books than 2018

So much has happened in 2018, majority have been downs but there have definitely been special memories I will cherish, such as: my sister falling pregnant (who is due July 2019), going on holiday to Prague with Rich and my two besties, Claire and James, being more social with my work colleagues, going to Centre Parcs with my family and much more!

I can only hope 2019 will bring happiness, adventure and positive vibes.

Wishing you all had a wonderful New Years Eve and New Years Day!

Happy reading,

Claire ☺️