Looking Back at the 2010s | ft. Backwards Bucketlist!

2010s wasn’t an “easy” decade. This was basically the decade of my 20s – the time of changes, of finding yourself and your place in this world, and of course the time of new experiences. This is when we graduate from University, look for our first serious jobs, or pursue academic careers, and are forced to make many important and life-affecting decisions. 

I saw this Backwards Bucketlist on zoella.co.uk. I used some of the prompts from there that applied to me and removed others. But if you’d like to see the full list and also get the printables, make sure to check Zoella’s blog!

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2019 Goals Wrap Up | Reading for fun, Discovering new authors & More!

I spent so much time this month to get everything prepared for tomorrow that I can’t quite believe that I’m finally done with all the presents, wrapping, shopping, etc. I also can’t wait for my family to open their gifts, I think they will really love them and I honestly prefer giving presents more than receiving. 

Tomorrow I will be worrying about cooking and setting the table, but today I thought I’d take a few hours off to look back at my 2019 Goals and see what worked for me, what didn’t and what goals will need to migrate to next year.

Songs from the Deep by Kelly Powell | Misleading book cover and title?

I’m always very sad when the book I have high (or even moderate) expectations for, ends up being a complete miss. «Songs from the Deep» by Kelly Powell promised a dangerous world where sirens weren’t a myth but a reality that tourists from all over the world came to witness. 

Instead of following this fantastical thread, Kelly Powell led the plot differently. It often felt like the author couldn’t decide what genre she wanted to write, and ended up mixing mystery, fantasy, historical fiction (??), romance and a love letter to music. In turn, I found my mind wandering from one plot element to another, not able to focus or care about any of them.

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton | A Unique Murder Mystery for Agatha Christie fans!

What do you do when someone dies at her own welcome party? And what the day repeats itself over and over again, and you watch Evelyn Hardcastle kill herself for the thousands of times?

Aiden Bishop knows what it feels like when you are incapable of helping, watching the death approach again and again. Watching it through the eyes of 8 different hosts, 8 different people with their own habits, strengths, and weaknesses.  Watching and hoping that the next day you will come closer to solving this mystery.

The Universe is Expanding and so am I by Carolyn Mackler |Don’t get fooled by the amazing cover!

Virginia Shreves is back in this follow up to «The Earth, my Butt and Other Big Round Things».

Q: Is it absolutely necessary to read the first book?

No, I haven’t read it and didn’t feel like I missed anything. Just treat this as a completely new book and you will be fine.

Q: Did it make me want to purchase and read the first book?

Also, no. I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters and only the shortness of the book made me plunge through it till the end.  

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier |Murder + Serial Killer + Secrets don’t stay buried forever!

I might have made a mistake to binge read Gillian Flynn books at the beginning of my blogging career. Ever since that point, no thrillers ever came close to twisted and dark characters of Gillian Flynn.

Jar of Hearts had a few graphic moments and gore details, but I’ve predicted the twist way too soon. After that, the book lost a little bit of its appeal and I had to force myself to pick it up again.

Twain’s Treasure: The Phantom Files, Book 1 by William B. Wolfe | A promising beginning to a new Children’s Fiction collection!

When I was little, I constantly asked my parents to buy me more books. I think it was the only thing I ever asked for. My favorite book series back then was something similar to Nancy Drew – crime, mystery solving stories within a large collection of adventures.

When I picked this book up from NetGalley, I didn’t even realize that it was going to have that same adventurous vibe that I used to love in children books.

Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen | 5 Cool Things to use NYXIA for!

In this epic continuation to «Nyxia», following the events of the first book, Emmett Atwater and his crew have landed on the planet of Eden. But not under the circumstances they were hoping for. Their instructions were simple – play nice and extract Nyxia in great quantities, something they were trained to do on Genesis 11 spaceship.

Lies, intrigues, secrets, and betrayals continue in this sequel, as the crew tries to figure out their new alliances and set their allegiances.

The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray by B.A. Williamson | A perfect dystopian tale for a middle-grade audience (and not only!)

Have you ever thought that a middle-grade novel could have the perfect plot of a dystopian world? Neither did I! And I was pleasantly surprised by the world created by B.A. Williamson in this book. If someone decides to make a movie based on this story, I will be the first buying cinema tickets!

All the Little Lights by Jamie McGuire | Did I enjoy more the love story or the creepy settings? Or maybe THE twist?

Who would have thought that the popular hit Titanium would sound so amazing in music box version? I surely didn’t. But now I am completely in love with the tune. And I have to agree that the Spotify list for All the Little Lights that I found on Jamie McGuire’s website is spot on! Listening to it as I am writing this review, brings back all the feelings.

Make sure to turn this playlist on and get to know Elliott Youngblood and Catherine Calhoun.

This Is Not a Love Letter by Kim Purcell | A Suspenseful love story with wide spectrum of important topics

«In your neat handwriting, you wrote that I reminded you of sunshine and sunflowers, which is kind of funny because sunflowers are so stinky that stink bugs love them. I didn’t keep that love letter, and I’m sorry. It wasn’t that they didn’t mean anything, but I’m not sentimental like that.»

Surprisingly, «This is not a Love Letter» by Kim Purcell didn’t show up very often on the social media. In fact, not a single bookstagram account that I follow featured this on their page at any point during January or beginning of February. Which I found rather starnge considering that (A) this book has a gorgeous cover, (B) it’s a YA contemporary that is incredibly popular and (C) it’s incredibly mysterious and emotional!  

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi | 20 Things you should know before venturing into Furthermore

No matter how inviting magical worlds might be, one should never go unprepared and under-informed into the unknown. Especially when the unknown is a large world filled to the brim with mischief, treachery and magical secrets.

But DO NOT FEAR!

It is my job and duty to prepare curious boys and girls like you to the uncontrollable magic of Furthermore, as it is a far more dangerous place than you might let yourself to believe.

In Deep Water by Sam Blake | Not as fast-paced or thrilling as I expected it to be

There were years in my reading life when I solely read crime, thrillers, and mysteries. I’ve accumulated quite a collection of books in that particular genre and sometimes the need for something a little bit more mysterious comes knocking on the door, making it impossible to resist.

During one of those whims, I’ve requested «In Deep Water» by Sam Blake on NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley and to Bonnier Zaffre for a free ARC of this book.

Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee | Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another

«Empathy: because the commonality among human beings is emotion, and the only way we can bridge our vast discrepancies in experience is through what we feel. Let us be humbled in the knowledge that one may never fully understand the interior lives of others – but let us continue to care.»

This was my third book in just a couple of months that strongly focused on characters and deep emotions. And you know what? I’m loving every second of these experiences. In «Everything Here is Beautiful» we see the story from multiple perspectives – Miranda, Lucia, Manny, Yonah. Their fates forever linked by one deep emotion – Empathy.

Mira T. Lee have done an amazing job bringing her characters to life. Even their language and choice of words changed accordingly and added that exquisite touch to their personalities. Making them as real as my next door neighbours.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng | Can you plan your life to perfection?

Shaker Heights, Cleveland, is a community that has been planned out to a tee. It is a stable and safe environment for steady, successful families. Where nothing could go wrong. Or could it?

Surprisingly, I wasn’t interested in reading this book right away. But couldn’t stay strong during all the hype that happened on multiple social media platforms after the release, and had to see for myself what this was all about.