Monthly Reading Wrap Up: January 2019 #bookbloggers #booklovers #Reading #January

Hi guys!

I know it’s been a while since I did my last monthly reading wrap up, and I am a bit late with this one too, but the thing is, yesterday I decided I want to do them again. I don’t read a lot of books per month, as some of you do, and I can only dream about reading 15+ books monthly (but I still dream about it), but I still want to do this every single month, if nothing, to keep track about my reading.

At the beginning of 2019 I made a decision to reread Vampire Academy, and I’ll be reading a book per month, following with Bloodlines.
I also challenged myself to read every single month at least one book with more then 500 pages.

This month I did good, and I hope I’ll continue with my progress in following months.

In the end, I finished 7 books, and I am happy about it. I wish I read more, but I am starting to make peace with my reading speed.

Here are the books I read in January:

      

My favorite book of the month: 

 

That is it!

Tell me what awesome books have your read in January?
What was your favorite one?

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Sunday Post (Weekly Wrap Up Jan. 7th-13th) #SundayPost #Reading #WrapUp #SundayFunday #Bloggers

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

This meme was created for bloggers to spotlight posts they published in the week, as well as to talk about what they plan to write in the week that’s coming.

Sunday post is also great opportunity to showcase books we got in the week behind us.

Hi Guys!

This has been a slow week and not much happened. I feel like I wanted to read more, wanted to write more, but was slower at everything I did, so therefore I didn’t end this week too satisfied with that aspect of my life.

I keep thinking how behind I am with some of my reviews, and even though I don’t want to pressure myself too much, I still feel down about it.
I decided to give myself a big pause and stop buying/requesting books for the fist half of the year, so I could focus on books I already have.
There are some books I already purchased/requested, but other then that, there won’t be new ones for a while.
My main aim is to focus on ARCs and Netgalley copies.

On the other hand, for some reason my blog DA went up (for only 1 point) so the traffic was really good, even though I didn’t host any giveaways, and it made me really happy.

Today I’m looking forward to go on a date with my fiance. We’ll go to a nice restaurant and just enjoy ourselves.

 

Last Week on Book Dust Magic:

Monday: I gave you my 2018 end of year bookish survey

Wednesday: I talked about how I left some books around city, for others to find them

Friday: I reviewed The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup and White Stag by Kara Barbieri

 

Next Week on Book Dust Magic:

Upcoming reviews:

 

 

Currenly Reading:

 I’m rereading The Cruel Prince so I could jump right into The Wicked King when it arrives (I ordered it some time ago but it is still on it’s way).

That is it!
Let me know what’s been going on with you, what you’ve been reading or watching this week and feel free to leave your links so I can visit you.
Have a lovely Sunday!

Book Review: White Stag by Kara Barbieri (Blog Tour) #BookReview #BlogTour #WhiteStag #Fantasy

I am so honoured to take part in this blog tour.

I really liked this book and I’d like to thank Maghan Harrington from St, Martin Press, for giving me this opportunity.

About the book:

The first book in a brutally stunning series where a young girl finds herself becoming more monster than human and must uncover dangerous truths about who she is and the place that has become her home.

As the last child in a family of daughters, seventeen-year-old Janneke was raised to be the male heir. While her sisters were becoming wives and mothers, she was taught to hunt, track, and fight. On the day her village was burned to the ground, Janneke—as the only survivor—was taken captive by the malicious Lydian and eventually sent to work for his nephew Soren.

Janneke’s survival in the court of merciless monsters has come at the cost of her connection to the human world. And when the Goblin King’s death ignites an ancient hunt for the next king, Soren senses an opportunity for her to finally fully accept the ways of the brutal Permafrost. But every action he takes to bring her deeper into his world only shows him that a little humanity isn’t bad—especially when it comes to those you care about.

Through every battle they survive, Janneke’s loyalty to Soren deepens. After dangerous truths are revealed, Janneke must choose between holding on or letting go of her last connections to a world she no longer belongs to. She must make the right choice to save the only thing keeping both worlds from crumbling.

Get your copy HERE. 

My Review:

White Stag is young adult fantasy that made notice even before it was released, and now when I read it, I can see why.

This is the first fantasy about goblins that I have ever read, and I can tell you that I have enjoyed learning about these creatures that I knew so little about before (basically, my whole knowledge before this book came from Lord of the Rings movies).

The world was fascinating, and I wish we got to see more of it. Since this is only first book in the series, I hope we will learn more about it in next installments.
I would really want to explore it more, because some scenes (like the one when Janneke looked around her and thought how beautiful this world actually would be if she wasn’t in a position she was) captivated me, so I crave for more of it’s beauty.

I was always fascinated with faeries. They are my favorite creatures, and I loved reading about them even before they were popular in literature.
Goblins have some similarities with them (like, how they can’t lie or how manipulative they are), so it was natural that I was fond of them too.

White Stag is an action packed story. I loved it’s pace and it reads so fast.
There’s an action at the very beginning and it lasts until the end (with some slow parts in the middle).
I liked it, but I wish we got at least two chapters at the very beginning to learn about politics in this world.

What I liked the most in this novel is one phrase that stayed with me, and that is how everyone is a monster in some way (I’m paraphrasing it here so don’t quote me on literal words).
One particular scene when our main character realized that stuck with me the most. Ever since I finished this book, I feel like every day I think about that scene, and her words.

The writing style is solid. I really enjoyed reading Barbieri’s words and I can only imagine she will even get better at times.

Some scenes reminded me of Twilight Saga, but in a good way. I strictly talk here about dialogue.
Also, some sentences in the novel (and don’t take it like a bad thing because it is a 400+ pages long book) reminded me of ones I already read somewhere (like breath she was holding, you know that one!).
What I have concluded is that the author probably read many ya novels so they influenced her.

I like how atypical the ending was. It really stood out in my eyes, and welcomed it wholeheartedly.

I loved White Stag and I will gladly be continuing with the series.

Playing Book Fairy in Zagreb: Giving Away my Books #ibelieveinbookfairies #Booklovers #Books #BookFairy #Zagreb #Croatia

At the very beginning of 2019 I caught myself thinking how can I start this new year on a positive note.

If you didn’t know, I am a huge believer in karma, or as I like to call it, the law of “the world gives you back what you give and do to others”. Because of that, I like to start year with doing something good.

This year, I was inspired by Book Fairies who I worked with (I actually worked with Simon and Schuster UK who collabed with Book Fairies) in 2018 (and you can read bits about it here). They are organization of people who leave books around for other people to find them.

I like the idea, because as a book lover, I can only imagine how excited I would be if I found a great book somewhere in the city, that waits it’s new owner to take it.

  

So what I decided is to take 5 ARCs that I enjoyed reading but knew I wouldn’t reread, and took them with me to center of Zagreb, while the tourists were still there.
I chose 5 places and left books for someone to find them. I really hope they found a good home.

 

In the time I was working on my “project book fairy” I didn’t have official stickers, so I wrote my own message similar to the one Book Fairies use.

I can now proudly say that I am also one of book fairies, and to be honest, the feeling is good.

 

There is something satisfying in giving to others, so if you have some books you don’t want to keep anymore, I highly recommend you to do something similar (or donate them).

 

P.S. I apologize for the low quality of pictures. It was dark and I used my phone camera.

What do you do with books you don’t want anymore?
What about ARCs?

Feel free to leave your opinions, comments and links bellow.

2018 End of Year Bookish Survey #BookBloggers #BookLovers #Reading #Refelection #2018

Welcome to the 2018 End of Year Book Survey hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner!
Recently I saw this Survey on blog The Candid Cover which I read on regular basis and I highly recommend you to check it out.
I really liked it so I wanted to do it myself, to reflect on 2018 as a reading year, and to give you all my stats and opinions.

 

2018 READING STATS

Number Of Books You Read: 75
Number of Re-Reads: 2: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Deepest Cut by J.A. Tempelton
Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary Fiction

 

BEST IN BOOKS

1. Best Book You Read In 2018? 

 The Olive Branch by Jo Thomas. It was perfect chick lit book that made me happy.

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

 I was really looking forward to read The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney and in the end I didn’t like it.

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

 I was surprised by how much I loved Good Me, Bad Me. I read it only because it circled around my coleagues and in the end I loved it more then anyone who works with me.

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

 I’d say The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton. At least in my real life. I recommended this book to so many people. and I even borrowed my own copy to some. By the end of 2018 it got Croatian translation so now I’ll recommend it even more.

5. Best series you started in 2018?

 I started only few series this year, but Give the Dark my Love is the one that really captivated me. I can’t wait for the sequel.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2018?

Jo Thomas. I can’t believe I discovered her only last year. She writes funny contamporaries with lots of food and positive vibes, and her books are perfect to read on vacation.

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

I feel like I read every genre, except sci-fi, but in 2018 I didn’t read any sci-fi.
So for this answer I will choose one book I forgot to mention in my best books of 2018 post, that I really enjoyed, but it’s non-fiction, and I do read non-fiction, but nearly as much as fiction.
It is What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami.

8. Book You Read In 2018 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

 Cruel Prince by Holly Black. I’m re-reading this book as soon as I finish the book I’m curently reading, as it’s sequel, Wicked King, is already on it’s way to me.

9. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2018?

 I just love these cartoonish chick lit covers. They are my favorite covers ever.

10. Most memorable character of 2018?

Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass series. You just can’t forget how kick-ass and beautiful she is, even if you wanted to. I mean, it is meantioned in every other page of the book!

11. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?

Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land. I have to admit I didn’t read many beautifully written books in 2018, but the way this book was written really fascinated me.

12. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to finally read?

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney and in the end I was disappointed.

13.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2018?

Shortest:  Maša i putovanje is a children’s book from the series I adore. This one has only 38 pages.

Longest:  The Well of Ascension is second book in Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn original trilogy and it has 781 pages.

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

 OmG, I laughed so hard while reading Darcy Burdock. I recommend this book to everyone!!

15. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2018?

 I didn’t cry while reading in 2018, but While I Was Sleeping blurred my eyes many times.

 

BLOGGING/BOOKISH LIFE

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

I didn’t have any challenges except goodreads challenge that I set for 60 books, and in the end I read 75.

 

LOOKING AHEAD

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2018,  But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2019?

 Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe is the one that I saw on many bloggers’ lists for best books of 2018. As I already have a copy, but didn’t read it in 2018, I started it two days ago, and I really, really enjoy it!

2. 2019 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

 Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao. I can’t even tell you how strongly I feel that this book is written for me to read. I’t like it screams at me to grab it already (but I’ll have to wait until June).

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2019?

There are more then one things I’d like to accoplish. First, upgrade my Netgalley ratio to 95%+, then read backlited ARCs because at this point it is just rude from me that I haven’t reviewed them yet, branch out when it comes to my blog, so I want to become lifestyle blogger and not just book blogger, read 77 books and each month read one 500+ pages book.

4. A 2019 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone?

 The Chestnut Man by Soren Svenstrup. It comes out on January 10th and it was such a good book, with vibes similar to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

 

That is it!

Tell me how many books have your read in 2018 and what are your goals for 2019, reading or/and blogging wise? 
Also, if you have any kind of similar post to this one, feel free to leave your link.

Sunday Post (Weekly Wrap Up Dec. 3rd-9th) #SundayPost #BookBloggers #Reading #WrapUp #Bloggers

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

This meme was created for bloggers to spotlight posts they published in the week, as well as to talk about what they plan to write in the week that’s coming.

Sunday post is also great opportunity to showcase books we got in the week behind us.

Hi Guys!

Today I’m just tired and I don’t feel very chatty, but I am looking forward to blog hop for the rest of the day.

We planned to visit Christmas market in Zagreb today, but since it will be raining we have to reschedule it for another time. It messed up my blogging and real life plans, to be honest, but it is what it is. I hope we’ll watch some good movie instead.

Last Week on Book Dust Magic:

Monday: I talked about book I read in November

Wednesday: I talked about Lush Christmas products I purhased

Friday: I reviewed A Winter Beneath the Stars by Jo Thomas

 

Next Week on Book Dust Magic:

Upcoming reviews:

  

Book Haul:

 I was so happy when I received this ARC of The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper. I requested it via email, but didn’t get any reply, so I was sure there were non left or that I didn’t make a cut.
But oh my, I can’t even tell you how happy I am to hold this baby in my hands, since it is on of my most anticipated books of 2019. It will be my next read.

 

Currenly Reading:

 I’m reading this novel(la) my colleague borrowed me few weeks ago. I’s in Croatian and it’s really short (I was too lazy to take picture so I grabbed this one from Goodreads instead).

Giveaway:

 There’s still giveaway going on on my Twitter page. All you have to do to enter is follow me and rt my tweet, it’s international and you can win a book A Christmas Kiss and 4 chocolates. You can ENTER HERE.

 

That is it!
Let me know what’s been going on with you, what you’ve been reading or watching this week and feel free to leave your links so I can visit you.
Have a lovely Sunday!

November Reading Wrap Up #November #AmReading #BookLovers #BookBloggers

Hi Guys!
Are you ready for the last month of the year? I surely am, and am so excited for the last few books I’ll be reading before the year is over, but firstly, let me show you what books I finished during November.

During November I have read 9 books, and I am pretty satisfied with that.
Now only 9 books keep me from reaching my goal of reading 80 books in 2018.
I mean, I have already reached my Goodreads goal (60 books), but now when I see that I’ve read 71 (in reality, it’s 72 bc one book isn’t listed on Goodreads) I couldn’t help and mentally I increased the number.

These are the books I read in November:

        

My favorite book of the month: 

 

That is it!

Tell me what awesome books have your read this month?
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